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The single release from Jimi Tenor's second thematic album on Timmion Records offers two very different moods. "Summer of Synesthesia" takes us back to those dreamy summer days, a natural overpour of sensations mixing together, sounds becoming colors before turning into flavors. Synthesizers grow into delicate layers over Cold Diamond & Mink's rhythm, and when your heart can hardly bear the beauty of it all, Tenor's soft lyric places the cherry on top. "Tsicroxe" on the flipside couldn't be more different, kicking into gear with a demonic organ arpeggio that sounds like you've just been dropped into a Dario Argento scene. Even though the familiar funk from Cold Diamond & Mink eases the dread a bit, when Tenor busts in with the eerie flute solo, the ritual closes in on its conclusion.

The contents of the backwards vocal bits at the end shall be saved for your turntable so make sure to rewind that track, selector! Also Available From Jimi Tenor & Cold Diamond & Mink: Is There Love In Outer Space? 7", Gaia Sunset 7", Is There Love In Outer Space? LP / CD. The single takes listeners on a sonic journey: “Summer of Synesthesia” flows with warm, dreamlike beauty, while “Tsicroxe” dives into intense, mysterious depths, showcasing Tenor’s dynamic range. Blending synth layers with Cold Diamond & Mink’s classic funk rhythms, both tracks bring elements of 70s soundtrack-style tension and ethereal soul, appealing to fans of both cosmic grooves and suspenseful soundscapes. Tenor’s layered synthesizers, haunting flute, and even backward vocal elements add a captivating texture, making “Summer of Synesthesia” b/w “Tsicroxe” a must-have for fans of genre-blending, atmospheric music.

Introduced by the digital single ‘Deixa Passar’, this 12” EP concretises on physical support the renewed collaboration between the two Schema Records artists Gerardo Frisina and Tomaz ”Toco” Di Cunto, working together again five years after the release of the EP “Frisina Meets Toco” (SCEP 487): the two unreleased songs here included, the aforementioned “Deixa Passar” and “Ilê”, are featured both in their original and reworked versions, and represent an excellent blend of samba jazz and Brazilian popular music. In both tracks, the music composed and arranged by Gerardo backs up the Portuguese language lyrics and melodic lines of Toco, who duets with Luzia Dvorek in an almost surprising contrast between serious and graceful sounds. The instrumental department features Gianluca Petrella on trombone, Eduardo Taufic on piano (Deixa Passar) and Fender Rhodes (Ilê), and Edu Moreno on flute (Ilê), in an excellent ‘union of opposites’, between popular music and modern sounds, between acoustic instruments and electronics, with mystical influences that envelop the songs with a mysterious and attractive aura. Not only musically, but also visually and lyrically, this EP is a tribute to the Brazilian culture and lands, already from a cover that re-imagines the iconic shapes of the famous Copacabana pavement in Rio De Janeiro: while “Deixa Passar” celebrates Rio’s carnival as an opportunity to momentarily free oneself from the burdens of life, “Ilê” recalls the traditions of Salvador De Bahia’s historic ‘bloco afro’ quarter called Ilê Aiyê.

Reaching yet another creative high watermark, piano virtuoso, multiplatinum songwriter, and social media sensation Tony Ann announces the pre-order of his anxiously awaited full-length sophomore album, 360°, on February 21, 2025.

Once again, Tony advances creatively on 360°. Each song functions as a meditation on a different horoscope, encompassing 12 keys at different meters and tempos. It plunges listeners into a living and breathing musical ecosystem punctuated by bliss and catharsis. He employs the full range of the piano to evoke the singularity of these respective astrological signs. The entire suite revolves around his virtuosic chops, melodic empathy, and electrifying energy. Once again, he redefines the neoclassical space.

After four EPs of skeletal kraut-punk and slimmed down post-motorik alienage Milan’s Tv Dust are back with an entirely different beast, their proper debut ‘Transition’, an incredible collection of no-jazz, breakneck rhythms, mutant-wave, trance-funk, shredded sax jags and furious, yet mysterious assaults.

Tv Dust run a tight ship, they jam econo, with the album strongly based around the incredible interplay of drums (Sergio Tringali), bass (Filippo Aloisi) and sax/synth (newest member Gaetano Pappalardo). Shedding the use of vocals has completely freed the band up into a mutating beast, wild horses racing beside a volcano eruption, improv bursts that perfectly soundtrack the ruins of a city facing the inhuman consequences of wild expansion and dumb economics.

Transition is a no-jazz, no-panic, no-border album, born between a small bar and a basement, reworking some ideas from the first Tv Dust sessions with a new mindset, with improvisation becoming an important tool in the trio's new path that already sees releases on Occult Punk Gang, My Own Private Records, Sentiero Futuro and Maple Death.

Transition like the transformation of the group, you still get the original package of furious hypnotic grooves, shortwave radio alien funk, devo-id convulsions, jittery no-wave and Italo post-punk tradition alongside dada-jazz and freeform freakouts.

Being Dead knows how to make an entrance - within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo's new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on "Godzilla Rises" conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead's records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead's psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil' house in the heart of Austin, Texas. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome - a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Ricky Motto (who is immortalized finally on record here, particularly in the giggles on "Rock n' Roll Hurts") The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within, but it's also a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There's heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing - we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don't. From the pummeling garage rock distortion of "Firefighters" to "Dragons II," which appears in its demo form taped on a hand recorder, it's unexpected but intuitive, and, most importantly, singularly Being Dead. Like its animal namesake suggests, the songs on EELS are malleable, the record like slithering through murky waters or strange half dreams, mysterious and beautiful in how it moves, reflective in a wavering sheen. Dipping into each song feels like uncovering a new cavern, plunging into depths unknown but fully open to what will be revealed. On the album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, a stark glimmer against a cloudy darkness. It's a fitting encapsulation of Being Dead, exuding a welcoming, playful energy even if something foreboding lurks just beyond the pale - more out of frame that's left to uncover, no path unexplored, strange and beautiful in the light.

Purple Tree Fog Vinyl. Being Dead knows how to make an entrance - within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo's new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on "Godzilla Rises" conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead's records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead's psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil' house in the heart of Austin, Texas. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome - a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Ricky Motto (who is immortalized finally on record here, particularly in the giggles on "Rock n' Roll Hurts") The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within, but it's also a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There's heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing - we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don't. From the pummeling garage rock distortion of "Firefighters" to "Dragons II," which appears in its demo form taped on a hand recorder, it's unexpected but intuitive, and, most importantly, singularly Being Dead. Like its animal namesake suggests, the songs on EELS are malleable, the record like slithering through murky waters or strange half dreams, mysterious and beautiful in how it moves, reflective in a wavering sheen. Dipping into each song feels like uncovering a new cavern, plunging into depths unknown but fully open to what will be revealed. On the album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, a stark glimmer against a cloudy darkness. It's a fitting encapsulation of Being Dead, exuding a welcoming, playful energy even if something foreboding lurks just beyond the pale - more out of frame that's left to uncover, no path unexplored, strange and beautiful in the light.

After appearing with Archie Shepp at the landmark Pan-African Cultural festival in Algiers in 1969, African-American trumpeter-cornetist Clifford Thornton recorded a set of his own compositions in Paris later that year. The result was Ketchaoua, an important political and spiritual as well as musical statement that reflected the inspiration that he took from Islam. Indeed, the title of the album refers to the awe-inspiring mosque in Algiers.
Clifford Thornton’s superb band comprised his compatriots, saxophonists Archie Shepp and Arthur Jones, drummer Sunny Murray, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, pianist Dave Burrell, and bassist Earl Freeman, as well as French bassist Beb Guérin. Together they brought energy and ingenuity to the leader’s compositions, which were characterized by vivid atmospheres, exploratory, mysterious sounds and haunting themes. And the song titles conveyed an important social and cultural message. Pieces such as ‘Brotherhood’ pointed to the sense of unity and kinship that African-American artists felt with the citizens they encountered on their journey to North Africa and Europe.
This newly remastered deluxe edition of Ketchaoua provides an opportunity to hear one of the major entries in Clifford Thornton’s relatively small yet nonetheless highly impressive discography. It is an album that marks him out as a figure in the avant- garde movement of the late 60s and early 70s who deserves far wider recognition.

The mysterious DJ EXS lands on AOD’s sister label, DHUTT, for his debut release. Blurring the lines between garage, techno & bass music!

Blue Valentine Vinyl. Sometime in 2005, a lone box of master tapes escaped an estate sale and made its way through a network of collectors, record dealers, and "junkers" into the hands of leading Ohio soul expert Dante Carfagna, who linked them to Columbus, Ohio's mysterious Prix label (See: Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label). A bit of research turned up Prix proprietor George Beter, who identified most of the unlabeled material. All it took was an endless series of phone calls and letters and two fields trips in Columbus. But one complete mystery wended its way onto our final Prix compilation. "You and Me," a simple but irrepressible demo credited only to Penny & the Quarters, was found tacked onto a mixed studio reel. Our survey of every willing lifer left on the Columbus soul scene, including retired DJs, producers, and important local artists, produced not so much as a glimmer of recognition at the name Penny & the Quarters. Though we loved the song from the first play, it may've ended up a bit buried on our original compilation, as #18 of 19 tracks.Four years later, Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label hadn't exactly become a huge seller, although listeners had repeatedly told us that the unfiltered studio demos that fill out the record's back half were true diamonds in the rough. But neither Penny nor her Quarters had appeared to claim credit for their efforts. Then, completely out of left field, we heard from respected screen actor and avowed Numero fan Ryan Gosling that Penny's piercing bit of stripped down doo-wop was being considered for inclusion in Derek Cianfrance's indie-weeper film Blue Valentine. What we didn't know was that "You and Me" had won a major role in what became an indie circuit hit, and that Penny & the Quarters would instantly assume the role of world's most famous unknown doo-wop group.Every week is a slow news week in Columbus, Ohio, and early January 2011 found the city recovering from the thrill of elevating Ted Williams_the formerly homeless guy with the awesome voice for radio_into a national news sensation. But both major daily newspapers in town, as well as the city's alternative weekly, also ran stories about how a lost and unknown Columbus soul group had become the musical centerpiece of a film already garnering Oscar buzz. That mainstream spotlight aimed at Blue Valentine and Penny & the Quarters did the trick: we finally made contact with the widow of Jay Robinson, lead Quarters' singer and songwriter. Robinson, it turned out, had also been the leader of Columbus doo-wop pioneers The Supremes (later known as "The Columbus Supremes," for reasons which should be obvious). Jay Robinson never did give up on the dream of writing a hit record; even so, the posthumous realization of his dream is cold comfort for his widow and daughter. With their blessings, we returned to those estate sale masters and pulled down another neglected track ("You Are Giving Me Some Other Love") from the still-unknown Penny and her now-partly-known Quarters. "You and Me" is a song that could not be suppressed: not when Prix failed to release it; not when Penny & the Quarters were forgotten; not when Numero stuck it at the bitter end of a much overlooked compilation. Its evolution from estate sale trash to silver-screen gold has finally returned it to big-hole 45, where it probably should have lived all along.

In Mallrat’s (aka Grace Shaw’s) vision of the world, light is more than photons and electromagnetic radiation hitting the eye — it’s a moment of divine intervention. A bold swerve into the metaphysical, this is the premise of the prized Brisbane-born, LA-based pop songwriter and producer’s 2025 sophomore album: Light hit my face like a straight right. Set against a newly informed backdrop of expressive breakbeats and dance music, its 12 songs explore the intangible and mysterious allure of human connection, held together by curious investigations into light — “the closest thing to a concept this album has,” Mallrat says. She reunited with Butterfly Blue producers Styalz Fuego (Troye Sivan, Tate McRae) and Alice Ivy, while bringing into the mix indie electronic producers Chrome Sparks and Casey MQ. Mallrat serves up highs like “Hideaway,” a song where heart-racing garage clashes with her trademark candor: “I’ll be your lucky charm just let me hang around your neck,” she sings. Sleek and early standout “Pavement” gets a gritty underlayer with chopped up vocals from DJ Zirk’s “Born 2 Lose” and mid-album standout “Hocus Pocus” finds Mallrat singing about being pulled “under the spell” of someone new, borrowing a different part of the same DJ Zirk sample to build its shimmering, dancefloor-ready facade. It’s an endeavor that perhaps reaches a peak on “Horses,” the record’s gentle and organic closer which Shaw herself calls “objectively the best song.” Written after returning home to Brisbane and “feeling like an alien,” it gained new meaning in the wake of her late sister’s passing. For Shaw, it’s the convergence of the song’s minimalism, lyrics, space, and the way her voice cracks on the recording as she sings, “Hey, I’m right here, I look different now.” After years of solidifying herself as a master of well-crafted, timeless pop — fielding recognition from New York Times, NYLON, Teen Vogue, Billboard, The FADER, NPR, and more — Light hit my face like a straight right is a step into the art of world-building, bolstered by her intuitive songwriting and clever, studied production.

Vinyl Only / Heavyweight Vinyl / Original Glued Prints tip-on by hand on Thick Cardboard 700 gram / 2 Separated parts handily gluing / PVC Outer Sleeve / Insert sheet Q&A with Lloyd Miller by Tony Higgins / Handcrafted silk-screen "Lloyd Miller 1938/2024" on Vintage paper with 100% natural "Persian Blue" color.

Personnel:
Manucher Paydar - Tar Drum
Lloyd Miller - Dulcimer Santur, Oud, Shamisen, Dhol, Tabla
Marilyn Miller - Flute
Tú Trinh Dàm - Voice
Dusdi Siwi Jarn - Voice

Notes:
Made with the intention of exploring and experiencing the various musical and cultural perspectives of a territory as vast as that of Persia, "Near And Far East" is a significant historical document that transcends the restrictive concept of territory but rather inhabits a space of absolute time. The album's content is not just window into faraway places, but a leap into the times and cultures that have now been swallowed up by the incessant movement of globalization and capitalism. Listening to it is turning your ear into the true musical culture of countries whose rapid change has eliminated the cultural peculiarities at their roots. Inspired by his long journeys in Iran, Lloyd Miller takes us on a journey through the instruments and sounds of a time, giving us his interpretations of a musical world that was - and that now remains - an historical document for future explorers who are curious about the mysterious musical arts of the middle and far east. Certainly a holy grail for samplers and loopers who can find exotic panoramas here! (Tony Higgins)

Sometime in 2005, a lone box of master tapes escaped an estate sale and made its way through a network of collectors, record dealers, and “junkers” into the hands of leading Ohio soul expert Dante Carfagna, who linked them to Columbus, Ohio’s mysterious Prix label (See: Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label). A bit of research turned up Prix proprietor George Beter, who identified most of the unlabelled material. All it took was an endless series of phone calls and letters and two fields trips in Columbus. But one complete mystery wended its way onto our final Prix compilation. “You and Me,” a simple but irrepressible demo credited only to Penny & the Quarters, was found tacked onto a mixed studio reel. Our survey of every willing lifer left on the Columbus soul scene, including retired DJs, producers, and important local artists, produced not so much as a glimmer of recognition at the name Penny & the Quarters. Though we loved the song from the first play, it may’ve ended up a bit buried on our original compilation, as #18 of 19 tracks.

Sometime in 2005, a lone box of master tapes escaped an estate sale and made its way through a network of collectors, record dealers, and “junkers” into the hands of leading Ohio soul expert Dante Carfagna, who linked them to Columbus, Ohio’s mysterious Prix label (See: Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label). A bit of research turned up Prix proprietor George Beter, who identified most of the unlabelled material. All it took was an endless series of phone calls and letters and two fields trips in Columbus. But one complete mystery wended its way onto our final Prix compilation. “You and Me,” a simple but irrepressible demo credited only to Penny & the Quarters, was found tacked onto a mixed studio reel. Our survey of every willing lifer left on the Columbus soul scene, including retired DJs, producers, and important local artists, produced not so much as a glimmer of recognition at the name Penny & the Quarters. Though we loved the song from the first play, it may’ve ended up a bit buried on our original compilation, as #18 of 19 tracks.

As Jess Sylvester finished his Hardly Art debut as Marinero in the fall of 2020, he realized it was time for a change. Sylvester grew up in Marin County, on the doorstep of San Francisco. It was a nurturing community for a high-school punk with a pompadour and, later, for a sober songwriter with a proclivity for moody psychedelia. But he wanted to be challenged and inspired by a new setting and scenario around strangers who prompted him to approach his music in unexpected ways. So in September 2020, as the world continued to reel in lockdown, Sylvester headed several hours south to Los Angeles, a city that, despite the relative proximity, the film buff knew largely from classic and cult films situated there. When he arrived, he kept digging into that cinematic past-Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, with John Williams' classic theme, or classic 90s movies about East LA, many featuring Edward James Olmos. They shaped his understanding of his new town just as it began to open. This is one pillar of the multivalent and endlessly lush La La La, Marinero's new album about sobriety, identity, and fantasy that is playfully named both for the city that helped shape it and the sophisticated pop it contains. Sylvester wrote about characters outside of himself, whether considering the heroine reckoning with her own version of keeping clean or the screenwriters whose work was deemed communist simply as a political convenience. He linked those songs with motivational anthems about self-acceptance and playful numbers about flirting through food, shaping a 12-song set rich with humor, empathy, and encouragement. Sure, La La La is a continuation of the slippery genre play Sylvester started with 2021's Hella Love, 2019's Trópico de Cáncer, or even before that. But it also feels like a fresh beginning for Marinero, as Sylvester realizes how boundless this project can be. He began to think about the music of his childhood, how his mother is from San Francisco with Mexican roots, and how he'd heard so much salsa growing up as an impetuous teenager. So he wrote "Taquero," a red-hot salsa tune that uses tacos and their trappings as a source of endless metaphors for come-ons. And then there was the Ray Barreto or Santana-inspired "Pocha Pachanga," with organ gliding and percussion pulsing beneath his yearning vocals, warped as if by desert winds. In Los Angeles, he found a wealth of players who spoke this music like language itself (including Chicano Batman's Eduardo Arenas), all ready to play with and push these familiar forms. Sylvester has also been sober for 21 years, since a cross-country sojourn to attend college in Boston ended in a chemical haze. Today, he sees friends facing the same decisions he made two decades ago, and he brings bits of that experience to bear in songs that feel like self-help anthems. Recorded with a musical hero (and labelmate) of his, Chris Cohen, "Sea Changes" feels like sunshine breaking through dark clouds, as Sylvester acknowledges the newfound confidence and clarity in a friend who has stepped away from destructive habits. In the past, Sylvester has been intractably linked to his identity as a Mexican-American, born to parents from Mexico and Irish- American descent who settled in San Francisco. That can be limiting, of course, tying him to notions of sound and style that aren't always correct. On La La La, he simultaneously steps into and out of those preconceptions, singing tracks above salsa in joyous Spanish or pondering the dynamics of the Hollywood Ten and blacklists above mysterious lap steel and teasing trumpet. His identity, then, should now be clear: He is a Californian, making music shaped by the diversity of encounters and experiences that are a central part of that state's fabric. Never before has he presented himself so fully and unabashedly on tape as with La La La, an album Sylvester built with new inspirations to deliver new charms.

2025 Repress

Midnight In Tokyo 2, the second installment to the compilation series that rounds up hidden gems by Japanese artists that's perfect for listening at night in Tokyo, is here. This time the collection brings together some tasty electric jazz fusion from the '80s , compiled by Dubby, the man behind the online record store Ondas.

The compilation begins with "Hikobae," a dark and slow cosmic jazz by saxophonist Genji Sawai, followed by "Danza Lucumi," an odd Caribbean-style jam by Today's Latin Project, a band fronted by Tadaaki Misago of Tokyo Cuban Boys, with arrangements by Yasuaki Shimizu. "On The Coast" is a soulful and mellow vocal track arranged by Ryuichi Sakamoto, from guitarist Shigeru Suzuki's album White Heat, and fusion boogie cut "In The Hot City" is by Mr. Theodore, which was a one-off project by a mysterious artist.

The melancholic soul jazz number "So Long America" is the title track from the album Yasunori Soryo released in '82, following a stint in America with the band Brown Rice. "Twisty" is a tropical reggae tune from the album Samba Kathy, an underrated classic by Jugando which was released on Trash, a sublabel of one of Japan's finest jazz labels, Trio. "Samarkand" is an electric Latin jazz jam that sounds like something Miles Davis and Santana could have played on, performed by a Latin funk band from Fussa. "Imagery" is a primal African fusion track by Katsutoshi Morizono, a member of the prog rock band Yoninbayashi.

"Windmill" is the most acoustic sounding tune on this compilation, a breezy Brazilian affair with a Hermeto Pascoal feel. "Mystery Of Asian Port" is by the band Parachute, which consisted of Japa-nese fusion giants like Akira Inoue, Tatsuo Hayashi and Masaki Matsubara. The cosmic jazz record sounds like something Daniele Baldelli would play in his sets. "Bay Sky Provincetown 1977" is a classic Japanese fusion tune by guitarist Yuji Toriyama.

The set also features the mellow but danceable "Heatwave" by keyboardist Keiichi Oku, featuring a female vocalist (which some have identified as Rie Ida), and last but not least, closing out the 13 track compilation is "Day Dream At The Bob's Beach," a wonderful urban fusion with a beautiful vibraphone melody, from the Japanese fusion classic album that was a one-off project by studio musicians

Blending influences from classical, film and electronic music, Angus MacRae's extensive musical output encompasses solo albums, concert performances, and award-winning scores for theatre, film, ballet, television and contemporary dance. His has scored internationally touring dance productions, Olivier Award winning shows heard across London's West End and on Broadway, and acclaimed films screened at international festivals. Drawing on themes of memory and imagination, his immersive solo work transcends its classical roots to create transportive, elegiac compositions of unflinching emotional honesty. Spanning three albums and a number of EPs, his work has reached a global audience.

Vivarium, his third full length studio album, is an otherworldly journey through the lost worlds of childhood imagination. A blend of intimate piano, soaring strings, ethereal voices and haunting electronic textures, Vivarium evokes what the artist describes as "a series of bell jars to be traveled between." Reflecting on the album's genesis, MacRae shares: "I spent years trying to capture the emotional resonance of my childhood imagination. As a child, the world felt as magical, mysterious, and boundless as my dreams. In time, fragments of music emerged that seemed to recapture that feeling—a glimmer in the dark, an echo of the magic, fear, and mystery of those early memories. Through Vivarium, I hope to offer a portal back into those worlds."

This exclusive double vinyl release also includes Bell Jar, an evocative bonus track on Side D, featuring a collaboration with acclaimed New York clarinetist Michael Winograd. In this new composition, MacRae reimagines themes from the album, weaving in Winograd's improvised melodies to create a fresh, expressive piece that brings a touch of Klezmer soul to Vivarium's ethereal soundscape.

We are extremely proud to present the OFFICIAL vinyl release of "Subways Of Your Mind" by FEX, a track that captivated music enthusiasts worldwide as the "Most Mysterious Song on the Internet", or short TMS. After years of speculation, the song's origins have been confirmed, and now, for the first time ever, it will be available on a 7" single.

If you don't know what this is about - than look up on Wikipedia.

The release features the original demo version of the song recorded in 1983, faithfully restored and remastered. The single is backed with "Heart In Danger", an equally stunning track from the band, also taken from their original demo cassette. Ture Rückwardt, songwriter and singer of FEX, even considers this as his most favourite.

Don't miss this chance to own a piece of music history!

A beautiful strange beast suddenly spawning at the centre of the Studio Barnhus universe: Here comes Phatness, the mysterious side project of two Stockholm producers with connections to Trensum Tribe, Soft Pace, Otonos and other more or less shadowy institutions of Swedish soundsystem culture.
On their joint debut Fillerkiller, true-school junglist rhythmics scatter around in a glorious haze of sounds sourced from the most unexpected places. Fillerkiller arrives on 12’’ vinyl in early 2025, set to increase the momentum of any pre-, main or after parties in the near and far future.

Gatefold Sleeve and on sea blue 180 GSM vinyl. Recorded as an instrumental by Tractor in Rochdale in 1971 and originally released on LP in 1972 “Shubunkin” has now been sampled by LA band Broken Bells (Danger Mouse/ Brian Burton and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins) as the basis of their track “To Anyone a Ghost”. Julian Cope writes about the Tractor track “Shubunkin” : ...“Then, one night in mid 1972, John Peel played a track that was more mysterious than almost anything I had ever heard. It was the music I thereafter wanted played at my funeral and was most certainly the sound of a soul approaching the canopy of heaven as it left the earth for the last time.” ..“without the proper printed Dandelion label there to guide me, I left a blob of marker pen on the side that began with ‘Shubunkin’ and that became the ultimate beginning to any LP in my collection.” Originally Issued in late 2019 as a vinyl LP as a protest against Rochdale Boroughwide Housing’s plans to knock down four of the Seven Sisters/College Bank Flats- these blocks of flats were home to Tractor’s drummer in the 1970s as well as their manager Chris Hewitt and Andy and Liz Kershaws’ dad and a whole host of poets, musicians, tv producers etc. Many Tractor numbers were worked out in these flats prior to recording at various studios around Rochdale and Heywood. All songs written by Jim Milne and Steve Clayton. Jim Milne -vocals guitar (and bass most tracks), Steve Clayton -Drums and Percussion, Dave Addison- bass on Northern City. The album now starts the way Julian Cope always wanted to run.

A new full-length from THE ORB following last year's acclaimed album MOONBUILDING 2703 AD.

An expertly crafted ambient experience from two pioneers at the height of their creativity

180g standard vinyl version comes with download code of the full album

Being pioneers with a new album created in no more than 6 months, THE ORB are bound to be exposed to fan expectations running high, while quizzical questions about little fluffy clouds and the good old times take over. It's especially jarring as the duo of accomplished soundsmiths Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann has become known for its genre-bending curiosity and surprising sonic detours, exploring experimental soundscapes as well as club-friendly beats.



The funny thing is, though, that whatever the context, you know a track from THE ORB when you hear it. Case in point: COW / CHILL OUT, WORLD!, their latest full-length offering - a masterful ambient album that branches out in many directions, but unmistakably sounds like THE ORB in either ear (and probably to your third ear, too).



"The idea was simply to make an ambient album", Dr Paterson explains, "we didn't look back and study earlier recordings, but wanted a more spontaneous approach, a focus on THE ORB today, our vibe in 2016."



In contrast to their much-acclaimed previous full-length MOONBUILDING 2703 AD (KOMPAKT 330 CD 124) - which took years to prepare and finetune -, the new album was produced over the course of only five sessions in six months, directly following the like-minded ALPINE EP (KOMPAKT 339): "it got so spontaneous that a track like 9 ELMS OVER RIVER ENO (CHANNEL 9) consisted only of material collected at North Carolina's Moogfest in May - second-hand records from local stores, field recordings, live samples from gigs that we liked, and of course an excursion to the Eno River, which actually exists. This geographic intimacy and the spontaneity are among the top reasons why we love this album so much."


Herr Fehlmann sees the duo's relentless gigging schedule as a formative influence on the new album: "the countless performances we've played in the last years - probably up to 300 - have brought us closer as a musical unit. The spice of our concerts is improvisation - a fertile process that we've brought to the studio, where we operate with very simple rules of engagement (in this case "ambient") and go wherever the flow takes us." It's an approach that one might expect from traditional acoustic instrumentation, not necessarily an electronic set-up, but for THE ORB it works wonders: "we're quite happy and also a little bit proud that we've reached this level of unscripted levity with purely electronic means. We're finessing ourselves, sort of, always looking for the next sonic surprise that leaves us rubbing our eyes about how the heck we got there."


Once more, THE ORB's trademark playfulness is on full display on COW / CHILL OUT, WORLD!, and it doesn't limit itself to the multi-layered sampling and psychedelic sound composites that the duo has become known for - you'll find it in the album title as well. The simple invitation (or order) to chill out (relax Calm the eff down) is converted into an acronym - and the cow that you might expect to find on a Pink Floyd cover or with iconic UK chill-out/dance pranksters The KLF. It's not so much an obscure trope coming full circle as a perfect example for THE ORB's multitimbral approach to sound and meaning - a compelling, immersive journey to diverse places and impressions.



Each track title is a conceptual work in its own right, playing with multiple references, some of which remain highly personal and mysterious. But the greatest feat of THE ORB's latest outing might just be how all this semantic doodling never gets in the way of the actual listening, at all times directly relating the artists' sonic vitality and cheerful nosiness. Chill out world! and treat yourself to an outstanding new ambient experience from THE ORB.

A deep and mysterious groove that makes you hesitate to give in to it. Kiyoshi Sugimoto is a guitarist who has sharply shot through the heart of the times. This is the highest point of his achievement.

Kiyoshi Sugimoto is a guitarist that Terumasa Hino longed for and Akira Ishikawa fell in love with. His cutting-edge and diverse sound has always been at the forefront of modern jazz and jazz rock, and has sharply shot through the heart of the times. There is no doubt that this work, "Babylonia Wind", captures one of the pinnacles of his musical expression. Hideo Ichikawa's electric piano spreads like a ripple, Yoshio Ikeda's rich yet restrained bass, Motohiko Hino's drums with good grain and strong propulsion, Takao Uematsu's saxophone that combines wildness and luster, and Sugimoto's sharp guitar that flashes. From the deep sea-like "Babylonia Wind" to the delicate and fleeting "Hieroglyph", when you listen to the whole album, you will be astonished by the variety of expression and awed by the depth of the groove.

"Self-released avant garde jazz – reissued for the first time! Recalling Kraftwerk precursor the Organisation, or contemporaries like Faust, Hünerberg employs flute, organ, bass and balloon to his DIY compositions.

Over top of Gillespie's nimble, pointillist drumming (he also plays piano and harpsichord), Hünerberg employs flute, organ, bass and balloon (that’s not a saxophone on “Cucumber”). The disorienting opener “Cro Magnon/Two” recalls Kraftwerk precursor the Organisation, or contemporaries like Faust. There’s a strange, disconsolate atmosphere to the proceedings, almost as if the air had been sucked out of a recording session booked for some avant-garde jazz heavies.

Instead of Impulse, Phase Murmur should have been bound for ESP-Disk. Alas, the duo were experimenting out in the relative vacuum of southwestern Ohio. Far from any bustling metropolis or curious record labels, Phase Murmur was truly a DIY affair. Not only did the duo press the LP up themselves (down the road at Cincinnati's Rite Record Productions), but the evocative and mysterious photo on the cover is by Gillespie while the layout, with accompanying poem on the back, was assembled by Hünerberg.

It was on Phase Murmur where Hünerberg first found his voice, and the rest is the sound of history, unspooling on a reel-to-reel tape machine.

Includes new liner notes by Erick Bradshaw (Host of Spin Age Blasters with Creamo Coyl on WFMU)"

The Mysterious MYOKEN crew return with 2 killer reworks this time indie / electro meets hip hop, white label edits.

Departure Lounge welcomes LTD to the line-up with his four-track EP, Sol Ixent.

The mysterious Parisian producer draws from a deep-rooted catalogue of releases under alternative aliases, each and every one reflecting a wholly nostalgic flair reminiscent of yesteryear - on this occasion, channelled as a house affair.

Mysterious and unconventional, Hermeth is an valencian artist based in Switzerland. Known for wearing a striking Rorschach-patterned mask, his identity dissolves into his music a dynamic fusion of breakbeat, techno, house and dubstep.

This new five-tracks-EP, including a Ben Pest remix and a featuring with Stelmakh, is a pure dancefloor bangers collection, for those who like saturated breaks and ghetto vibes.

Play it loud, party animals !

Moar & DJ Vince are "The Beatmatics"
After a very nice 1st volume on tape only, the beatmaking duet is back with a new volume feat beats jazzy & deep, 90s remixes, samples tools and scratch tool!
For sure put it on the turntable and feel the boom bap vibe with their vintage samplers collection !

Originally released in 1996, this UK 12" features Venus (a somewhat mysterious singer who pops up on various Mad Professor productions) with a low slung, horn laden Lovers nugget + version.
The B.side is home to an essential Heavyweight Steppers track 'Only One God' with Mad Professor and Jah Shaka at the control. TIP!

Named after a metro station located in East Paris, Pointe du Lac originated in 2014 as the brainchild of analogue gear enthusiast Julien Lheuillier, joined shortly after by multi-instrumentalist Richard Francés, followed by Quentin Rollet on Saxophone a few years down the line. Les siphonophores des eaux froides et profondes de l'Arctique (“Siphonophores of the cold, deep Arctic waters”) is the project’s third studio album, the first one written as a three-piece as well as their first release on Hands in the Dark.

Like the organisms the album title refers to, Pointe du Lac’s music is highly polymorphic and complex, using a subtle and distinctive blend of Electronica, Krautrock, Jazz and Kosmische as vessels for the band’s fantastic instrumental imaginary voyages. Compared to previous albums and EPs -which tended to suggest cosmic odysseys- this new cinematic outing is diving deep and intends to shed light on fascinating, mysterious and diverse creatures and their habitats. Supported by (paradoxically) warm and impeccable sonic forms, the exploration turns out to be an unsurprisingly expansive one, yet accessible and oddly familiar sounding. There is a sense of assurance and serenity in the French trio’s latest offering, the musicians mastery and open-ended approach to free ambient music lets their ideas flow and never stagnate. The narrative of this expedition is one that will be remembered long after the listening finishes.

Breeding in open air since 1964, Sir James and King Johnny are the figureheads of the mysterious L'ENTOURLOOP collective. Feed with good grains from Sounds Systems, vinyle's culture (Scratchs / Beatmaking / Sampling) and rocked by the epic dialogues of a certain cinema, L'ENTOURLOOP concocte with love a music half-way between Kingston, London and New York! After rocking more than 300 scenes around the world, the two unflagging ambassadors continue to surprise us on stage. Well accompanied by the incredible Bermudian MC Troy Berkley and the maestro N'Zeng at the trumpet, L'ENTOURLOOP gives us an eclectic live and survitaminated at each of its outings!!

Sir James and King Johnny are the leading figures of the mysterious crew: L'ENTOURLOOP. These elders, fed on the sound of sound systems, vinyl culture and lulled by the epic dialogues of classic cinema, concoct a fine fusion of Reggae and Hip Hop. These beatmakers like to use scratches and samples, all blended with a vintage French touch that takes us from France to Kingston, London and New York! Originally released in 2019, "Golden Nuggets" is an EP in collaboration with the Jamaican Skarra Mucci aka the "Dancehall President". Here we find all the ingredients that make the magic of the sound of L’Entourloop and Skarra Mucci.

Black Truffle is thrilled to begin 2025 with a rare solo release from Konrad Sprenger, alias of elusive Berlin composer-producer-instrument builder Jörg Hiller. A prolific collaborator, Sprenger has worked extensively with icons of American minimalism such as Ellen Fullman (with whom her recorded the gloriously eccentric song album Ort) and Arnold Dreyblatt (as a core member of the Orchestra of Excited Strings since 2009), as well as releasing their music on his impeccably curated label, Choose. As an instrument builder and installation artist, he has overseen the creation of a computer-controlled multi-channel electric guitar and, with Phillip Sollmann, a modular pipe organ system designed to be reconfigured from space to space.

In much of Hiller’s work, a scientific approach to acoustic phenomena co-exists with a pop sensibility and a sly sense of humour. Nowhere is this unique combination more in evidence than in his slim body of solo work, beginning with the startling diversity of instrumentation and compositional approaches heard on the short pieces of Miniaturen (2006) and Versprochen (2009), followed by the more single-minded exploration of the computer-controlled electric guitar on Stack Music (2017). Set brings together these various strands of Sprenger’s work into a wildly infectious, playful epic, performed by the composer and the mysterious Ensemble Risonanze Moderne. On the LP’s second side, we are also treated to a guest appearance from longtime collaborator Oren Ambarchi, on whose recent solo releases Simian Angel and Shebang Sprenger has made key production contributions. Ambarchi’s signature stuttering, swirling harmonics weave through a sparkling assemblage of electric guitars, acoustic instruments, percussion and electronics—though, given the deft use that much of Sprenger’s recent production work makes of midi-controlled sampled instrumentation, it’s anyone’s guess where the acoustic ends and the digital begins here.

As soon as the needle drops on the first side, we are inside a musical world that Set will inhabit for its 33 minutes: sparkling guitar harmonics and palm-muted notes, tuned percussion, crisp electronic drum hits, flashes of horns, and untraceable bursts of synthetic sound are arranged into a skittering polyrhythmic framework calling up the detail-rich percussive constructions of contemporary techno filtered through the pointillism of the post-serialist European avant-garde. Behind this shifting mist of particulate sound, winds and strings sound out held chords, reminiscent of Arthur Russell’s Tower of Meaning in their epic yet seemingly aimless drift. The relationship between elements is mysterious, appearing both carefully considered and almost random. Though never straying too far from where it begins, as the piece moves along, it spotlights increasingly bizarre instrument choices (shakuhachi and steel drums, anyone?) as well as momentary liftoffs into motorik propulsion. Set is a fascinating, mercurial thing: at once propulsive and fragmented, essentially static in form yet ever-changing in detail, unabashedly egghead in its construction yet sure to get the feet tapping.

This is a recording of the music used in a 16mm film of the same name made in Okinawa in 1984.It combines elements of Okinawan music with gamelan rhythms and mysterious synths to create an expansive sound that could be described as Asian.

Deniece Williams' refreshingly cool cover is reissued in a Japanese delusion-jacketed edition! This is a great cover of the mellow classic soul "Free" released in early 2000 by Natalie, a singer with a charming falsetto voice. Side A features a refreshing cover of Deniece Williams' mellow soul classic "Free," while Side B boldly covers Rose Royse's soul classic "Wishing On A Star."The beat is fast and furious, and the melody is mysterious. Both sides of this single are remarkable.

Zel Zele are thrilled to announce the debut album of silhouwaves. "ripples" is a solo project of London based Turkish multi-instrumentalist and producer Bora Dayanikli. Ripples is a DIY, guitar led album performed using a combination of pedals, drum samples and Bora"s elevating poetic vocals. At its core silhouwaves loops his guitar into infinity and creates a sentimental space echoing the mysteries of space and time. Ripples is inspired by 70s kraut, prog and psychedelic music. There are surprising eastern riffs throughout the album with kozmiche effects. Loops to ponder, edgy drum samples and perfectly produced modern vocal lines bring in a wow factor to the album. It feels like an old recording with a modern vocal edge.

The Last Wave (also known as Black Rain in the US) was the final chapter in a trilogy of films scripted and directed by the leading auteur of the Australian New Wave, Peter Weir. Beginning in 1974 with the absurdist black comedy-horror The Cars That Ate Paris, and followed a year later by the lush gothic mystery Picnic At Hanging Rock, The Last Wave was a landmark in existential horror. Sitting alongside other Australian eco-terror films (e.g. Long Weekend) the film featured a haunting electronic soundtrack that is as mysterious and beguiling as the spiritual themes of the film itself. With no LP issued after the films premiere in 1977, and together with the mystery surrounding the true identity of its enigmatic composer 'Charles Wain', the score is a largely unheard recording of pioneering experimental film electronics, easily compared to the music that contemporaries Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream were composing for Australian films during the same period or the electronic soundtracks of John Carpenter. Tense atonal electronics, synthesizer drones and manipulated Didjeridu all perfectly capture the film's ominous atmosphere, punctuating the slow hypnotic pace of this brooding supernatural thriller.

Following his recent EP, The Circle of Life, on Pushmaster Discs, Milan's rising techno star Maike Depas returns with a brand-new release on his renowned The Innovation Studio Records. Titled “Sexy Devil Horse”, it is a powerful 10-track collection, featuring many iconic international artists from the Hard Techno space such as Etruria Beat’s headmaster Luca Agnelli, Dutch-based sensation OGUZ and the “Demon of hard techno” also known as Michael Katana, as well as Southern Italian talents CHRS and Gianni Di Bernardo.
This release marks a pivotal moment in Maike Depas’ journey to become one of the highest rated talents in the Hard Techno scene. It will also be followed by a key paradigm shift his label’s business model in 2025. For this occasion, Maike has lined up an amazing group of artists to celebrate those who have shared his musical vision along the way.

The title is meant to be provocative and captivating, just like its content: catchy and fresh enough to attract ravers and clubbers from around the world. Its artwork was created by the master Luden Works. It features a plastic female figure with an undefined appearance, yet with sensual curves and a powerful surge of energy, like a wave enclosed in a sphere, representing Maike’s and The Innovation Studio Records’ logos.
From the galloping rhythm of “Sexy Devil Horse” and “Hear The Sound” to the groovy and elegant “Ce Soir” there is an immediate feel about the artist’s singular touch and eclecticism. Same goes for the tangible contrasts which make a key element of this release, where the minimalistic mood of “StarKiller” and its maximalist counterpart “Dark Serenade” carry the listener through a full-spectrum emotional rollercoaster.
Hard Techno and Psy Trance vibes go hand in hand with ‘90s Trance and Rave echoes, creating a blend of recognisable and innovative samples that can resonate with many different types of audience and like-minded artists. This aspect is fundamental in the direction Maike and his team have decided to take.

It all comes from afar: starting with a classical musical background – playing the piano at Conservatory level for many years, including Berlin’s own Funkhaus. This theoretical and practical knowledge, mixed with a long-time passion for electronic music, made it easier for Maike to shape and cultivate his authentic sound since a very young age.

As part of its evolution, The Innovation Studio Records will officially open its doors to new talent and renowned artists starting in 2025. The team’s vision is to create an international reference point for quality and innovation, shaping a brand-new artistic movement based on combining the modern vision of our generation with our cultural heritage from the past, thanks to the team that we put together, both in terms of approach and technique.
It'll be a structure built from the ground up, combining the best of analogue technology in a modern workflow with the highest level of music hardware, audio monitoring and studio design. In their view, there are two types of productions: those that stay ‘inside the box’ and those that get into your heart.

The desire to unite instead of dividing, to join forces instead of competing, is the key to Maike’s success and a real drive to turn the studio lights on every single day. Despite playing a lot with dystopic, cyberpunk-like atmospheres throughout his artistic journey, music doesn’t feel like a means to escape reality for Maike. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

The definition Maike uses the most to describe what The Innovation Studio Records wants to become is “a mysterious display cabinet”: a place where an artists will never know what emotion will arise or what direction will be taken next. Although hard work, professionalism and common inspiration will ultimately still be its main fuel, a true sense of community and empathy will be crucial to shape the future Maike and his team have in mind for it.
In a very romantic way, the idea is to re-create the same atmosphere from the Italian Renaissance masters’ workshops. Places where different artists - with opposite backgrounds and styles - could all mingle and inspire each other, in order to foster the creation of something unique. A collective effort for a greater good.

About MAIKE DEPAS
Young hard techno DJ-producer Maike Depas (born Michelangelo De Pasquale) has seen the future of music and it’s called metaverse: “In the future it will blow up,” he predicts. “And it’s going to revolutionize the way we experience music.” Bowled over by Skrillex and Martin Garrix by the age of eight, and DJing at smaller Milan clubs by the time he was eleven, Depas went on to study composition and piano at the prestigious

Milan Conservatory before learning ‘life- changing” lessons from the best in the business at Catalyst’s 4-week Advanced Sound Design course in Berlin’s Funkhaus . His production gets inspired by huge 90s trance synths as much as pounding hard techno from artists such as Kobosil, In Verruf and Amelie Lens.
2024 marked the launch of MAIKE DEPAS 2.0, a tectonic audio-visual shift that entails a wide array of content from DJ sets livestreamed from Berlin’s Teufelsberg and other dystopic locations around Europe to cyberpunk-inspired outfits designed by Demobaza, a cyberpunk-inspired casual couture brand best known for their sustainable Dune X Demobaza collection. Over the course of a developing metamorphosis from a flesh-and-bone individual to a mysterious CGI character, Depas is another step closer to revolutionize the dance music scene through the metaverse.

Scala Muziek presents its second vinyl EP, Next Horizon, building on the success of the debut release. After a remarkable year of music and events, this EP embodies the spirit of exploration that defines Scala. Produced by label head Pascal Benjamin, the four tracks blend hypnotic grooves with forward-thinking soundscapes—each crafted to leave a lasting impression.

A1: Personallity opens the EP with minimalist, richly textured rhythms. Its bouncy, infectious groove and subtle shifts in bass and melody create a dynamic flow, making it perfect for both dancefloor energy and introspective moments. Pascal’s attention to detail shines through, balancing personal and expansive sounds. A2: Progress delves deeper into rolling rhythms and uplifting sonic layers, with ethereal synths floating above a driving beat. The track unfolds gradually, building momentum with a continuous, evolving motion. B1: On the flip: Shifting Grounds brings a sense of exploration, with gurgling synths and subtle modulations creating a cerebral yet physical experience. It's an atmospheric, groove-laden track perfect for late-night sessions. B2: Far From Clear closes the EP with a moody, introspective energy. Eerie vocal snippets and sharp minimalism weave together to create a haunting, mysterious atmosphere, rounding off the release with a deep dive into uncharted sonic territory. With Next Horizon, Scala Muziek offers a refined selection that showcases Pascal’s artistic growth and the label’s commitment to immersive, forward-thinking music.

ÄÆ Sound is a new mysterious and futuristic silver dark project hailing from Milan produced and developed by Andrea Lazzari, a miscellaneous italian artist. ÄÆ, dropping a super groovy first track with a heavy kick, bass variations, and killer melodies perfect for the dance floor. The second track brings darker vibes, break techno variations, and well-crafted silver dark underground shapes. For the flip side of the record, ÄÆ for his very first EP launch developed two B Side tracks. The first one hits you with some UK groovy bass variations and hypnotic synths, plus some slick drum work and background melodies. The second one is a tool uk drum n bass track with a dark and futuristic sound.

Friendsome Records and Ams Are Very Happy to Present to You Her 4th Ep Sunrises. This Record Might Be Out in the Fall, It Is Like Its Name, Full of Sunshine, but Also Mysterious Atmospheres. Inspired by Nature Whom Ams Is Very Attached To, as Well as Influenced by Progressive House and Trippy Electronic Music, This Ep Finally Summarizes Her True Style ! After a Few Years as a Producer It Is Undoubtedly the Best Record She Produced So Far, Full of Proggy Vibes, Old School Uk Tech-House Influences and Jumping Rhythms. Get Ready to Hear It Being Spun by DJs and Radios All Over the World, and Join Us for the Release Party at Badaboum in Paris on November 23rd, With Special Guests Xxx & Xxx !...

In making his long awaited return to Periodica, Milord steps away from the mysterious electro and new age mysticisms of past releases, and instead delivers the freaked out boogie funk free-for-alls brain-bending disco dubs, and summertime pop perfections of ‘Party Line’.

The club mix is an extended excursion through hypnotizing and ever-evolving club psychedelia, with wild phonecal detritus accenting a riffing and body-rocking banger led by svelte lyricisms, energized chants, and future gazing vocoder treatments. Elsewhere, the dub is a building body bomb of Afro-tribal grooves techno bass, echoing cascades of drum fx, and pianos soaked in interstellar aether. And for the ultra infectious radio mix, touches of Kraftwerk meet sunshine pop jam band as a molten bubblegum bass guitar bounces on an earworm drum groove, while all around, vocals soar and six-strings jangle through solar-soaked licks.