DJ Support: Louie Vega, Mousse T, Terry Hunter, Joey Negro, Natasha Diggs, Todd Terry, Fouk, Tedd Patterson, DJ Deep, Moplen, Young Pulse, DJ Meme, Jade Edwards, DJ Disciple, Richard Earnshaw, Nathen Haines, Smokin Jo and Birdee.
A collection of some of the best releases on Big Love’s sister label Soul Love. Chicago’s Emmaculate gives a soulful touch to Haji’s ‘Nitelife’ feat the late Dianne Charlemagne aka D’Empress, Tokyo’s uber-cool couple offer their deeper interpretation of Odyssey’s 80’s classic covered by Belezamusica, the French disco don Art Of Tones creates a sublime version of Tokyo’s DJ Namy & Angela Johnson’s cut whilst Chi-Town legend Maurice Joshua re-works his own track as an ode to the fellow Chicago legend Ron Carroll who features on vocals.
TALCO melden sich mit ihrem bisher wohl ambitioniertesten Werk zurück. "Freek" erscheint am zweiten Freitag des Jahres 2027! Eine kühne und unverblümte Reise durch mentale Käfige, ruhelose Gedanken und schwebende Träume. Das Album präsentiert TALCOs unverkennbare Punk-Ska-Energie mit einer schärferen, introspektiveren Note. Geschrieben von Tomaso De Mattia (Dema), Sänger und Frontmann von TALCO, setzt sich das Album mit den unsichtbaren Strukturen auseinander, die uns in einer von Image und Performance besessenen Welt prägen. Im Zentrum steht die Frage: "Lohnt es sich, den Traum vom offenen Meer aufzugeben, nur um ein von anderen entworfenes Rennen zu gewinnen?" Es ist ein Konzeptalbum, das mit surrealem Storytelling eine statische, dekadente Gesellschaft reflektiert, die unfähig scheint, kulturelle oder politische Risiken einzugehen. Die italienischen Alternative-Ska-Punk-Rocker aus Marghera/Venedig haben sich mit ihrer Kombination aus schnellem Punkrock, Ska-Einflüssen, Blasinstrumenten und italienischer Volksmusik sowie ihren sozialkritischen, oft politischen Texten in ganz Europa einen Namen gemacht. Freek markiert eine Rückkehr zu den Wurzeln des Albums "Gran Galà", angetrieben von der kalifornischen Punk-Energie von "Videogame". Und dies ist erst der Anfang einer Reise, die weit über die Musik hinausgeht. Viele Überraschungen erwarten uns. Ein volles Dutzend Tracks im beliebten Punkchanka-Stil zum Genießen (plus vier weitere (die B-Seiten)), darunter das bereits digital veröffentlichte "Dalla Mia Parte Ella Strada" und die kommende Single "Disco Inferno". Das "Freek"-Konzept wird von einer Geschichte begleitet, die in den offiziellen Videos, den zusätzlich digital veröffentlichten B-Seiten (auch als Bonustracks auf CD erhältlich) und einem Graphic Novel/Comic aufgegriffen und erweitert wird. Das Comicbook ist Bestandteil der limitierten Freek Deluxe Pizzaboxen der beiden Formate. Als LP schwarz, LP farbig, CD mit Bonustracks und limitierte Deluxe Pizzaboxen mit Extras erhältlich.
TALCO melden sich mit ihrem bisher wohl ambitioniertesten Werk zurück. "Freek" erscheint am zweiten Freitag des Jahres 2027! Eine kühne und unverblümte Reise durch mentale Käfige, ruhelose Gedanken und schwebende Träume. Das Album präsentiert TALCOs unverkennbare Punk-Ska-Energie mit einer schärferen, introspektiveren Note. Geschrieben von Tomaso De Mattia (Dema), Sänger und Frontmann von TALCO, setzt sich das Album mit den unsichtbaren Strukturen auseinander, die uns in einer von Image und Performance besessenen Welt prägen. Im Zentrum steht die Frage: "Lohnt es sich, den Traum vom offenen Meer aufzugeben, nur um ein von anderen entworfenes Rennen zu gewinnen?" Es ist ein Konzeptalbum, das mit surrealem Storytelling eine statische, dekadente Gesellschaft reflektiert, die unfähig scheint, kulturelle oder politische Risiken einzugehen. Die italienischen Alternative-Ska-Punk-Rocker aus Marghera/Venedig haben sich mit ihrer Kombination aus schnellem Punkrock, Ska-Einflüssen, Blasinstrumenten und italienischer Volksmusik sowie ihren sozialkritischen, oft politischen Texten in ganz Europa einen Namen gemacht. Freek markiert eine Rückkehr zu den Wurzeln des Albums "Gran Galà", angetrieben von der kalifornischen Punk-Energie von "Videogame". Und dies ist erst der Anfang einer Reise, die weit über die Musik hinausgeht. Viele Überraschungen erwarten uns. Ein volles Dutzend Tracks im beliebten Punkchanka-Stil zum Genießen (plus vier weitere (die B-Seiten)), darunter das bereits digital veröffentlichte "Dalla Mia Parte Ella Strada" und die kommende Single "Disco Inferno". Das "Freek"-Konzept wird von einer Geschichte begleitet, die in den offiziellen Videos, den zusätzlich digital veröffentlichten B-Seiten (auch als Bonustracks auf CD erhältlich) und einem Graphic Novel/Comic aufgegriffen und erweitert wird. Das Comicbook ist Bestandteil der limitierten Freek Deluxe Pizzaboxen der beiden Formate. Als LP schwarz, LP farbig, CD mit Bonustracks und limitierte Deluxe Pizzaboxen mit Extras erhältlich.
TALCO melden sich mit ihrem bisher wohl ambitioniertesten Werk zurück. "Freek" erscheint am zweiten Freitag des Jahres 2027! Eine kühne und unverblümte Reise durch mentale Käfige, ruhelose Gedanken und schwebende Träume. Das Album präsentiert TALCOs unverkennbare Punk-Ska-Energie mit einer schärferen, introspektiveren Note. Geschrieben von Tomaso De Mattia (Dema), Sänger und Frontmann von TALCO, setzt sich das Album mit den unsichtbaren Strukturen auseinander, die uns in einer von Image und Performance besessenen Welt prägen. Im Zentrum steht die Frage: "Lohnt es sich, den Traum vom offenen Meer aufzugeben, nur um ein von anderen entworfenes Rennen zu gewinnen?" Es ist ein Konzeptalbum, das mit surrealem Storytelling eine statische, dekadente Gesellschaft reflektiert, die unfähig scheint, kulturelle oder politische Risiken einzugehen. Die italienischen Alternative-Ska-Punk-Rocker aus Marghera/Venedig haben sich mit ihrer Kombination aus schnellem Punkrock, Ska-Einflüssen, Blasinstrumenten und italienischer Volksmusik sowie ihren sozialkritischen, oft politischen Texten in ganz Europa einen Namen gemacht. Freek markiert eine Rückkehr zu den Wurzeln des Albums "Gran Galà", angetrieben von der kalifornischen Punk-Energie von "Videogame". Und dies ist erst der Anfang einer Reise, die weit über die Musik hinausgeht. Viele Überraschungen erwarten uns. Ein volles Dutzend Tracks im beliebten Punkchanka-Stil zum Genießen (plus vier weitere (die B-Seiten)), darunter das bereits digital veröffentlichte "Dalla Mia Parte Ella Strada" und die kommende Single "Disco Inferno". Das "Freek"-Konzept wird von einer Geschichte begleitet, die in den offiziellen Videos, den zusätzlich digital veröffentlichten B-Seiten (auch als Bonustracks auf CD erhältlich) und einem Graphic Novel/Comic aufgegriffen und erweitert wird. Das Comicbook ist Bestandteil der limitierten Freek Deluxe Pizzaboxen der beiden Formate. Als LP schwarz, LP farbig, CD mit Bonustracks und limitierte Deluxe Pizzaboxen mit Extras erhältlich.
*A MODERN JAZZ REINTERPRETATION OF THE MUSIC FROM THE LEGEND OF ZELDA*
WRWTFWW Records is happy to announce the release of Casimir Liberski ReTRio's The Z Suites, a full-length jazz album reinterpreting the music from iconic Nintendo video game series The Legend of Zelda. The epic Z-Jazz journey is available in the following formats: limited edition 180g half speed mastered vinyl double LP housed in a heavyweight sleeve with obi, digipack CD with cavalier, and digital.
Casimir Liberski reimagines the golden era of video game soundtracks with jazz versions of Zelda favorites The Legend of Zelda (1986), A Link to the Past (1991), Link's Awakening (1993), and Oscarina of Time (1998) - plus a few Easter eggs! Dancing between nostalgia and avant-garde, the Brussels-born pianist and composer crafts a sonic world of pixelated folklore where melody and improvisation coexist in harmony.
Music critic Arthur Meurant perfectly explains:
For many video games are a journey of the mind. Since its inception - dating back to the early seventies - this avant-garde artistic medium has nourished the imaginations of a digital age. Casimir, like many others, has been fed a steady diet of pixels from an early age. From simple squares to cultural cornerstones they have become the trail on which playful travelers of the mind retrace the steppes of history. A shared universe, familiar yet endless, of pocket-sized mythology. Its name? Hyrule. Its goal? To amaze. In these few tracks - selected with care - the Casimir Liberski ReTRio invites you, finally, to visit a space which does not exist yet holds us all. A land where all feel welcome. Where all are happy. But also... to rediscover under another timbre the classical compositions of Master Composer K?ji Kond?. A man who, unbeknownst to him, composed our dreams as well as music. That single noble pursuit, where an artist gives soul without losing his own, is yet again a statement of humanity in its purest of forms: art as that which brings us together and makes us whole in a world eroded by modernity. Pick up your key. Gather your maps. Open the door. Adventure calls.
Neuauflage des Lambchop-Albums "Is A Woman" aus dem Jahr 2002 auf schwarzem Vinyl, inkl. "The Daily Grows" und "Is A Woman".
Two years later Kurt Wagner conceived an album of almost painful accuracy and precision in his eternal quest for artful intimacy. The ever-modest Lambchop boss presented the album to us with these words: "Here's my new album. I hope you'll like it.
One year on from the release of acclaimed album Rose Main Reading Room, Peel Dream Magazine return with new mini album Taurus.
Spanning eight previously unavailable tracks that were originally recorded for their lush and inviting 2024 full length, Taurus offers a wider glimpse into songwriter Joseph Stevens’ process and creative output from those sessions.
The band, whose name nods to the BBC Radio 1 legend John Peel — arbiter of all things underground, quality, and (it must be said) "cool" — has since its inception been a genre-hopping experiment, jumping from motorik krautrock to shoegaze and space age pop.
On Taurus, Peel Dream Magazine remain explorative, drifting effortlessly across a gamut of styles that range from the twee indie pop of lead single “Venus In Nadir,” the title track’s cozy vibraphones, and the bubbly space-synths of “Seek and Destroy.”
Although unbound by genre, Peel Dream Magazine still inhabit the sonic milieu of warm woodland tones and droning repetition. In the entrancing standout “Believer,” they evoke Rose Main Reading Room’s atmosphere through vocalist Olivia Babuka Black’s mantric melodies and Philip Glass-like woodwinds and mallets, bringing Taurus into focus as a welcoming companion piece to its predecessor.
‘Yarrow’ is a bouquet of new music by Portland, Oregon-based musician and field recordist Patricia Wolf, marking the label’s ninth release and the third of Season Two. These works are her reflections on the life cycle of plants and their dynamic ecological relationships.
Wolf created the album in response to her artist residency at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, as part of the Art-Science Exchange Project in the summer of 2024. She worked closely with ecologists Dr Paul CaraDonna, Dr Amy Iler, Dr Jane Ogilvie, Dr Nickolas Waser, Dr Mary Price, and Dr Will Petry, spending weeks engaged in long-term research on plants, pollinators, and their interactions as the climate changes.
Each track on Yarrow looks at a different part of a plant’s life. The songs touch on the conditions that plants need to grow, the quiet life of roots, how flowers attract pollinators, and the strength of seeds. The first single, 'Inflorescence', the scientific name for the floral display that a plant makes in an effort to reproduce, captures this event in song. The music slowly builds layers, reflecting the album’s overall feel. The album ends with the majestic Boards of Canada-esque 'Adapted for Extreme Conditions', and the entire b-side features Patricia’s field recordings from around Gothic, Colorado, and a guided meditation by Dr Paul CaraDonna, whose research inspired the project, inviting listeners to tune into the sounds and activities of the ecosystem.
Tipped by many as a true DJ’s DJ, London’s Isaac Carter has a sound that sits between heritage and reinterpretation. Drawing from the iconic hubs of Chicago and Detroit, his productions reframe classic influences with a contemporary UK perspective, prioritising groove, swing, and a stripped, functional edge.
At the heart of his work, Carter has developed his Ochi imprint, where his deeper material has circulated within a select circle of DJs, with love from names such as Ben UFO, Raresh, and Joy Orbison. A controlled outlet for ideas shaped specifically for club use, that approach also carries over into his sets, playing at the likes of DC10, Glastonbury, and Love International.
Fresh from his appearance for the London favourites at FUSE’s annual Open Air showcase, Enzo Siragusa now welcomes him to the label for the first time as he brings a collection of cuts that journey into varying corners of the house sphere.
The ‘Disconnected’ EP brings five tracks built around direct function and contrast. ‘Disconnected’ opens with rolling low-end pressure and slinking drums, loaded with swing, setting a clear rhythmic foundation for the project. ‘Bad Girl’ shifts into a more playful space, led by vocal fragments, hazy chords and dubby tones. On the B-side, ‘What We Do’ leans into crisp repetition sitting beneath shifting, trippy movement, followed by ‘Loopy’, which strips things back into a reduced late-night percussive trip.
The arrival of REAL, Vol. 1 marks a seismic shift in the global music landscape, uniting two of Nigeria’s most formidable forces for a project that defines the current zenith of Afrobeats. This collaborative effort sees Wizkid, the smooth-talking pioneer of the genre’s international expansion, and Asake, the "Mr. Money" whose neo-Fuji sound redefined the street-pop aesthetic, finding a middle ground between luxury and grit. The project serves as a sonic bridge between eras, blending the minimalist, high-fashion sensibilities of Wizkid’s recent output with the high-octane, choir-backed energy that has made Asake a household name. It is less of a competition and more of a conversation between two masters of their craft, exploring themes of spiritual gratitude, the weight of superstardom, and the unyielding pulse of Lagos.
With soundscapes both cinematic and deeply rhythmic, the production moves beyond standard club formulas, opting instead for a sophisticated fusion of traditional Yoruba percussion, shimmering synths, and the heavy, resonant log drums of Amapiano. Wizkid provides the effortless, melodic swagger that acts as the project's anchor, while Asake injects a spiritual intensity through his signature layered chanting and rapid-fire flows.
Ultimately, REAL, Vol. 1 is a celebration of authenticity in an era of global crossover. By stripping away the pressure of conforming to Western pop standards, Wizkid and Asake have created a body of work that is unapologetically Nigerian yet universally resonant. It captures the spirit of a city that never sleeps and the ambition of two artists who have conquered the world without losing their souls. This is more than just a collection of hits; it is a blueprint for the future of African music, proving that when Wizkid and Asake occupy the same frequency, the result is nothing short of legendary.
Istanbul-based producers Grup Ses and Gökalp K present their collaborative album on SOUK Records, showcasing a distinctive fusion of musical styles such as hip hop, grime, dubstep, and jungle. Two years in the making, their self-titled album features contributions from Cologne-based multi- instrumentalist Elektro Hafız, Marseille-based DJ Syr from Scratch Bandits Duo and Ethnique Punch, a Turkish MC & producer now based in Bremen.
Grup Ses project began in 2007, initially focusing on edits and breakcore mash-ups. By 2008, it evolved into a beatmaking project incorporating elements of humor and local materials such as records, tapes, and radio broadcasts, which have become the signature Grup Ses sound. Grup Ses has previously collaborated with sub-labels of Discrepant, releasing two albums on SOUK and three mixtapes on Sucata Tapes.
Gökalp K, the alias of composer and sound designer Gökalp Kanatsız, has been releasing music since 2011. Under this name, he has released two albums and performed as a DJ. Alongside his beat production, he also composes electro-acoustic music and collaborates with creative studios as a sound artist on various interdisciplinary projects.
At the age of 72, "Evil" Graham Lee, the legendary pedal steel pioneer and veteran of the iconic Australian band The Triffids, delivers his first ever album under his own name titled ‘I Think I’m Alone Now’. In addition to his work with The Triffids, Graham’s place in ambient history was cemented in 1990 when his evocative pedal steel became the soulful centerpiece of The KLF’s masterpiece, Chill Out (specifically on the highlight “Baltimore to Fair Play”).
I Think I’m Alone Now is a profound exploration of the instrument's emotional range, blending traditional country infused melodies with vast, reverb drenched ambient textures. The album spans six tracks, anchored by the Side B title track, a 15 minute textural piece that leans heavily into the ambient genre. From the delicate melancholy of "Seeking Beauty in Sadness" to the curious abstraction of "Nursery in the Beehive," Lee uses his pedal steel and an array of pedals to sculpt unique, haunting soundscapes that exist between tradition and the avant garde.
The connection is brought full circle with exclusive liner notes written by The KLF’s Bill Drummond. Reflecting on a forty year friendship that began when The Triffids served as the backing band for Drummond’s solo debut, The Man, Drummond provides a personal and poignant context for this long awaited solo bow.
A 180g pressing housed in a full sleeve designed by Bradley Pinkerton with metallic sticker and bespoke inner sleeve featuring liner notes signed by Bill Drummond.
Peach Discs celebrates peak western-hemisphere summer with the perfectly-timed-and-titled "Soft Serve Summer" EP from I. JORDAN. We were delighted when they sent us these tunes, which represent a brighter, housier and more personal side to their sound than many have seen before. Inspired by their recent tour of Australia, the EP (named after the title track that got the ball rolling on the other side of the planet) bottles a loose, sun-kissed feeling across all five tracks that's keen to be unleashed at festivals, beaches and dancefloors worldwide.
Opener "Your Love" boots things off in style, sitting somewhere between Power House and French Touch as layers of oscillating synths, percolating drums and vocal chops take turns in the spotlight – but when all's said and done it's the bassline that gets the flowers, duh.
Things turn a little more introspective on "Little Tinker", as the titular bells sprinkled throughout summon up something…else? Whatever you think that is, the muscular bassline once again keeps us grounded, as washes of dreamy synths lap at the shore and everything is in its right place, before the urgent organ stabs and diva moans of "Soft Serve Summer" pull us straight back to the middle of the floor.
Instant House returns with their long-awaited second 7-inch release, from one of the most respected and underground names of the 1990s deep house era. This essential edition features the out-of-print yet highly sought-after remix of “Hat Hat”, reimagined by the legendary Joe Claussell, a deep, spiritual reconstruction that stands as a true collector’s gem. On the flip side lies the timeless Instant House classic “Mellow Out,” a defining deep house cut that captures the pure essence of the early ’90s movement. Pressed in limited quantities, this 7-inch is a must-have for true deep house collectors and admirers of Instant House and the golden era of late ’80s / early ’90s underground house.
X-Coast unveils 9-track 2xLP The Riviera Collection on his label Riviera Records.
Hot on the heels from remixing instant dance hits such as Shygirl's '4eva' and DJ Gigola's 'La Batteria' and spotted in the studio with adored vocalists Eartheater and Miss Bashful, Serbian-born, NYC-based DJ/producer X-Coast returns with a collection of signature tracks that feel like the lost treasure chest of his dance island.
X-Coast is your favorite DJ's favorite producer, whose tracks you’ve undoubtedly danced to, whether on a massive festival stage or at an intimate, underground rave. Over the past decade, he has quietly but consistently shaped the pulse of dancefloors worldwide, with a distinctive style that traverses genres like house, techno, electro, drum and bass, and trance. This rare versatility has led X-Coast to release on the likes of Mall Grab’s Steel City Dance Discs, Diplo’s Higher Ground, Anetha’s Mama Told Ya and DJ Haus’s Unknown To The Unknown, to name a few.
What sets X-Coast apart is not just his ability to move fluidly between styles but the unique character embedded in every track. His productions have an undeniable warmth and authenticity, often evoking the raw, euphoric spirit of the 90s and 00s rave era. This nostalgic yet forward-thinking approach makes his music feel timeless, effortlessly blending old-school rave energy with modern production techniques. It's a quality that has made him a go-to for DJs across the board, whether they’re playing peak-time techno sets or deep, groovy house sessions.
On The Riviera Collection, released on his own label, Riviera Records, X-Coast opens the vault to reveal a diverse range of tracks that showcase his deep connection to multiple eras of electronic music. This collection reflects the breadth of his eclectic DJ sets, where various sounds and styles converge into a cohesive journey. Each track feels like a contemporary reimagining of a classic moment in dance music history.
From the early 2000s tribal influences layered with X-Coast’s signature chord work on ‘Neapolis,’ to the soaring, synthetic trance energy of ‘Desert Storm,’ and the infectious, camp vibe of the diva house ‘Hold Me Baby,’ the collection takes us on a nostalgic trip back to the origins of rave culture. It echoes a time when DJs crafted a journey through genres, playing everything from house to trance to techno in one seamless night.
The collection’s first hidden gems and long-awaited singles are “Da Boing Boing Trak” and "Put Your Hands Together". Both staples in his sets at iconic venues and festivals like Pitch Music & Arts, fabric, Circoloco, AVA Festival, Melt!, and Intercell, this track has been in high demand among fans, finally seeing its release. With The Riviera Collection, X-Coast continues to cement his status as a versatile producer capable of bridging the gap between past and present, while delivering music that moves crowds everywhere.
Mihai Popoviciu, one of the most esteemed names in the deep house and minimal scene, is set to unveil his anticipated new album, ‘Puzzle Box’, on Bondage Music. As one of the label’s core artists, Popoviciu returns for his second full-length album release on the imprint following his successful 2016 album, ‘Home’ - available on vinyl from 15th November 2024.
With a career spanning over a decade and with releases on numerous influential labels such as 8Bit to Berg Audio, Popoviciu has firmly established himself as a go-to within the minimal-leaning realms of house music. Known for intricate soundscapes and deep, hypnotic grooves, his work continues to captivate audiences globally. On ‘Puzzle Box’, he delves deeper into his signature stripped-back yet soulful aesthetic, offering a diverse collection of tracks that traverse through various sonic textures.
“With Puzzle Box, each track unlocks something deeper with every listen” - Mihai Popoviciu.
Consisting of thirteen tracks in total, ‘Puzzle Box’ showcases the Romanian’s sound to its fullest. On the vinyl edition, fans are treated to standout tracks like ‘Batiscaf’, ‘Storm Rider’, and ‘Far Gone’ — vinyl-only gems that capture Popoviciu’s talent for layering subtle, dubby tones with groovy rhythms. The opening track, ‘They All Say’, sets the mood with smooth, atmospheric beats with a skippy groove, followed by the dynamic “Video” and the driving, pulsating energy of “Frankfurt.”
Popoviciu’s skill in crafting versatile productions is showcased throughout the album, with each track offering something unique.
From the sleek, melodic strains of ‘Puzzle Box’ to the hypnotic, rolling basslines of ‘Kinetic’, this LP is a journey into his meticulously constructed sound. The digital version also features the bonus track ‘Body Count 2’, offering a final, rhythmic flourish to round off the release.
‘Puzzle Box’ further cements Mihai Popoviciu’s role as a mainstay on Bondage Music, a label which continues to champion forward-thinking, minimal-leaning house music. With this latest LP, Popoviciu once again proves why he remains a favourite, building on his storied career with another masterclass in refined, deep electronic music.
Moving Pressure 03 lands as Rene Wise's third release on his imprint. With a refined approach to rhythm and restraint, the artist once again distills techno to its purest form: hypnotic, percussive, and propulsive. Across four tracks and in line with the label's essence, MP03 thrives on movement-low-end mastery meets tightly coiled grooves, while textural elements shift and evolve with subtle precision.
A1 'Relax' sets the foundation with a mighty sub-base, rolling forward with effortless force. Chopped-up claps ricochet through the mix, while a funky, disembodied vocal repeats a single command: "relax". Then comes 'Chomp Chomp', a denser offering in Wise's sensorial arsenal. Layered with gritty textures, his signature percussion builds a soundscape that is both tactile and weightless, evoking a kinetic dream state where groove and space are in constant conversation. On the flip, 'Cave' plunges into murkier terrain. Swathed in fog and sinister atmospherics, it unfolds through an eerie blend of sci-fi surrealism and grounded physicality. Bleeps hover like distant signals, their sharpness softened by a cavernous, smothering embrace. It's a study in tension-hypnotic and unsettling in equal measure. Closing the release is 'Deep Under', a track that embodies its name with subterranean mystique. The soundscape is rich with detail, an ecosystem of sonic fragments shifting beneath the surface. It's immersive yet elusive, like catching glimpses of something just out of reach-a mirage that flickers between the tangible and the ethereal.
This is minimalism with intent, built for deep immersion. Less, here, is infinitely more.
Huge classic techno history! Echoes originally appeared in 2001 on Kanzleramt, and from the moment it landed, it was clear this was something different. Eleven techno-dub-house tracks, rich in texture and depth, that mapped out a singular vision of Berlin's dancefloor aesthetic at the turn of the millennium. Not a collection of club tools, but a fully realised album statement, one that understood the dancefloor and the living room in equal measure.
Twenty-five years on, Alexander Kowalski reissues Echoes on his own label Cycles Music - remastered, on double vinyl, and presented as it always deserved to be heard. The ten tracks across four sides move through deep, rolling grooves, melodic undertow and the kind of emotional precision that made Kowalski's name in the first place. Echoes are fragments from the past which follow us into the future, the album's original motto reads like it was written for this moment.
Rhythm Cult welcoming back UK house stalwart Huxley for a focused three-tracker that lives up to its name. The 7th Cycle finds the producer in confident, unhurried form, threading together the dusty warmth of deep house with the propulsive edge of tech house in a way that feels both timeless and floor-ready.
LP,180g, 2027 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART
Hot Wax is an assured KPM masterclass from a dream team line-up of Brian Bennett, Alan Hawkshaw and John Fiddy. Here we're treated to what happens when all three decide to explore the latest trends in production music'. The latest as of 1976, of course.John Fiddy's numbers are sumptuous, string-led and light. Floaty soft-psych underpinned by a solid groove, particularly on Taste For Living' and "Fresh Start". If you're into Koushik and those early Manitoba/Caribou records - and you should be - you'll appreciate these.
For us, the Bennett and Bennett/Hawkshaw stuf is on another level. Capitol City' oscillates between driving funk and downbeat sentiment. Name Of The Game' is tough, smokin' funk, famously sampled in 2007 by Madlib for Percee P's Who With Me'. Bop On The Rocks' knocks hard and Full Throttle' features a guitar solo with some of the nastiest, about-to-explode fuzz you're ever likely to hear.
As with all ten re-issues, the audio for Hot Wax comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity.
MASK Records founder ZentaSkai joins forces with Berlin-based creative Laura Merino Allue under the name Cuddling Monsters, a project centered on analog processes and tactile sound design. Debuting in March 2024, the project explores Detroit-infused House, dub Techno, and minimal soundscapes shaped by raw texture and spatial depth. Working exclusively with analogue instruments, the duo prioritise warmth, imperfection, and presence over polish. Alongside her music work, Laura Merino Allue is also a graphic designer, bringing a strong visual identity to the project’s wider aesthetic.
‘Cuddling Monsters' is inspired by real-life experiences — the raw, imperfect, beautiful moments we move through. We believe in staying present, feeling everything deeply, and embracing the analog flow of the now. It’s about living the moment fully — and like a cuddle on the dancefloor, creating a space where sound holds you, warmth surrounds you, and even the wildest monsters feel safe enough to soften.’ -
Cuddling Monsters
The Cuddling Monsters ‘Vol. 3’ EP opens with ‘Bubble Bloom’, a melodic house track featuring warped, filtered synth tones that set a hazy foundation before a dub-leaning beat settles in. It’s layered with aquatic, bubbly textures and fragmented samples, adding warmth and movement. ‘Warm Waves’ shifts into a lighter, more atmospheric space, increasing the tempo slightly while maintaining a restrained, ethereal character. The B-side closes with ‘Secret Signal’, a long-form techno piece stretching over ten minutes, where evolving synth lines gradually merge with soft, dubby drums and analogue percussion, building steadily without excess before easing out.
“Dancing is immediate. It happens in infinitely small blips of the present, strung together one into the next, direct and spontaneous. And as each moment fades out of the present and into the past, these blips coalesce and ferment and refract into memory.
Play is the first album from Sam Hall’s new project, Spinbeat. Sam has previously released glitch-inflected bedroom pop under the name Ghost Orchard, putting out albums on Orchid Tapes and Winspear. Spinbeat comes with a turn towards rawer sounds and something like the dancefloor.
The tracks on Play linger in the space between music for dancing and music for listening. They are the memory of a dancefloor- sounds, feelings, moments of darkness and color. In contrast with other recent music to come out of the dubby post-club zone, Play is marked by its lightness and warmth. Fragile, intimate moments come bubbling up from underneath the surface, glimmering in plain view for a moment before sinking back into the fog. These pockets of earnestness lend depth and substance to the mystique of the murkier stretches.
Dance music for post-rave romance, for August haze, for the frogs in the pond out behind the warehouse party.
Deeppa Records kicks off a new 7" series here that aims to pair emerging artists with established names from the label's artistic circle. The opening release introduces Tolyatti producer Pasadena with 'Vodichka Nice', a laid-back, groove-led gem that recalls 'Stepoing Into Tomorrow' era Donald Byrd with its seductive drums, squelchy slow-bass and soft-focus melodic wonder. It's already becoming a fave on the scene and on the reverse, respected producers Scruscru and Tony Lavrutz reshape the original with a remix that leans into deeper club territory, though keeps the bright melodies and inviting horizontal feel. Two sides, two moods, two essential cuts.
40 years after Dave curated the 'Garage Sound of Deepest New York' series featuring the cream of the crop of American US Garage, the series ran for 4 instalments. Dave re-ignites the torch to bear once more and champion the sound more locally, the leafy area of Crouch End, London, to be precise. This four tracker is a testament to the knowledge and expertise Dave Lee has with this particular soulful sound & genre. First up is 'Everybody Needs Somebody' with its powerhouse gospel vocal performance from Rance backed up with swathing chords, piano & organ work by Matt Cooper and Dave's swinging heavy drums. 'Every Second Every Minute Every Hour' is next from Dave Under, his new Hillman Avenger alias, who takes things in a more jazz funk direction, with masterful piano & brass work and scorching synth solo as the cherry on top. 'Our Love' is an updated rework of a vintage Republic Records track featuring the dynamic vocals of AJ Lewis. Bouncy house drums backbone the syncopated chord stabs before a gear change around the halfway mark signals a big heads down, hands up moment. Before the famous clock tower of Crouch End strikes 12, we have time for one more cut by the name of 'No Excuses' featuring the legend that is Lifford, who does what he does best, soulful yet mighty vocals. This is a peak time, feel-good slab of the Garage house that would have maybe made it onto one of Dave's original comps back in the day.
Finland-based producer Slowct is a new name, but his Panelia EP — the second 12″ to come from the rising DISCO.VERY imprint — lands with a quiet confidence and a rich, sunlit warmth. Pressed in an edition of just 300 copies, vinyl only, this is music that nods to the 90s without ever sounding trapped there: the chord language, the swing, the palette all carry echoes of that golden era, yet the production breathes with a fresh, contemporary clarity.
Across four tracks, Slowct blends house music with hip-hop shuffle, street-soul texture, and Balearic drift. There’s an unhurried, melodic quality here — drums with weight, chords that float rather than pound, melodies that feel both familiar and pleasantly unexpected. Made for summer parties, late drives, and those hazy moments when the sun sits low and the speakers are just loud enough.
On the remix front, GFH (Grooves From Heaven) steps in on “Panavia” and delivers something genuinely singular. Lush and humid, yet unmistakably futuristic. It’s a remix that twists the original into new and wonderful shapes.
4 carries on the celebrated series, showcasing selections from the legendary Sub-Urban catalogue, bringing together a selection of classic garage house cuts from some of the scene’s most respected names.
Featuring standout tracks from Tommy Musto under both his Tribute & Unifunkation guises, Kenny Dope as well as Matthias Heilbronn & Mike Delgado as Lift, the release captures the soulful, groove-led sound that helped define New York and US garage house throughout the 90s.
Including favourites such as Kenny Dope presents James Rouse’s Dance and Unifunkation featuring Alexander East’s Feel Me, this fourth volume brings together a selection of proven club records in one DJ-friendly vinyl package.
The incredible story that began with The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet (TMMS) now enters an exciting new chapter: Skyscraper, the debut album by FEX.
Skyscraper features ten original tracks recorded in the early to mid-1980s-carefully re-transferred, remastered, and brought back to life. The album cover, designed by Darius S., brings the story full circle. Darius is the very person who preserved the now-iconic track Subways of Your Mind by recording it from NDR radio in the mid-80s. Without him, FEX may never have been discovered.
FEX's debut opens with its namesake, Skyscraper-a brooding, previously unreleased track the band once described as part of their "psychedelic phase." With haunting synth-helicopter textures and deep guitar riffs, it immediately sets the tone and raises tension.
The release flows naturally into the energetic and fully remastered studio version of Subways of Your Mind. This version of the TMMS - re-discovered on the "yellow label tape" by Reddit user Marijn-was long believed to be from a smaller home studio, but was actually recorded in November 1984 at Hawkeye Studios in Ganderkesee, near Hamburg.
Goldrush, first teased in raw form on FEX's YouTube channel, bends toward mechanical rhythm and shimmering synths, a snapshot of the band's experiments with programmed drum machine sound. Rückwardt's lyrics point to greed and criticizes materialism, and while the music leans toward pop sensibilities, it carries a raw, fractured edge.
Heart in Danger and I've Got My Eyes On You offer contrasting experiences-one rooted in classic post-punk tension, the other floating in melodic synth layers. The latter in particular feels like a fragment from a parallel radio history: a precise and one of a kind synth pop love song with a progressive touch.
From a rehearsal tape comes Dirty Slapstick, its urgency intact. Missing keyboard parts were later reconstructed by Michael Hädrich using his original DX7 synthesizer-recovering lost elements without rewriting the past. The lyrics take a wry look at forced optimism. Also included are the songs Talking Hands, Jenny and Strange Feeling, the latter being a slower blues-tinged cut, revealing yet another facet of the band's reach and Rückwardt's songwriting diversity.
The album closes where the legend began-with the original radio recording of Subways of Your Mind from Darius' cassette. This version of The Most Mysterious Song features alternate vocal effects, contributing to the track's enigmatic aura. Digitally transferred using a high-end Revox machine and carefully remastered, it now has its long-deserved official release.
The cover features a photo of the Eichenberg Bunker in Kiel-one of FEX's original rehearsal spaces and a symbolic monument to their sonic legacy.
180g 2027 Repress They Say: “Descriptive scores for scenes of visual impact”.
We say: Arguably the single greatest album in KPM history. An ensemble piece of staggeringly heavy works from none other than Brian Bennett, John Scott, Steve Gray, Jim Lawless and Johnny Pearson.
For our immense pleasure, Visual Impact includes the insanely ace “Nuplex” by Brian Bennett, a nagging, sweeping, punchy funk piece that exists in a world of its own. If you don’t know, get to know - the record’s worth getting for this track alone. The same goes for the beautifully paced, string-drenched, horn-fed LP opener “Canaveral Scape”, courtesy of John Scott. Truly sublime. Other highlights on the A-side include Bennett’s easy, bass-heavy jazz groover “Sequence Of Events” and the spare, building, undercover funk of Steve Gray’s aptly-named “Low Profile”.
The B-side is straight-up fantastic. The percussive, vibey exotica of Jim Lawless’s “Keeping Pace” is followed by five tracks of slick, weighty funk breaks from Johnny Pearson. Check the pure groove of “Jaguar” with its head-nod drum break intro, the creeping piano-strings combo and… er… giant neck-snapping breaks of “Giant’s Causeway”, the speaker-smashing progressive bass groove of “Fugitive”, the tense "Rock Climb" and the sheer heft of "Heavy Load". Library largeness. If that isn’t enough, John Scott’s incessant “Flight Of The Phoenix” ends the session, brilliantly pilfered by M.O.P. for their much-loved “We Run New York”.
Originally released in 1976 but wonderfully timeless, Visual Impact is a rare example of a library record that’s genuinely great listen from start to finish. Just too good…
As with all of our KPM re-issues, the audio for Visual Impact comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We’ve taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM’s brand identity.
And don’t worry! Those KPM stickers aren’t stuck directly on the sleeves!
Mermaids is many things at once: The debut single by Fila Brazillia (named after the mishearing of a Brazilian mastiff breed mentioned on the radio), the second release on Pork Recordings, a deep house master piece, the brainchild of the summer of love, a pen friend to A Man Called Adam’s Barefoot in the Head and most of all pure balearic bliss. Originally released in 1991 and subsequently featured on Old Codes, New Chaos, which according to Frank Tope at Mixmag, is "the Best Dance LP ever made”, it marked the beginning of a long and illustrious partnership for Hull natives Steve Cobby and David (Man) McSherry.
Mermaids still sounds as good and as addictive on any kind of beach or natural environment as it supposedly did on Boris Dlugosch’s Front dance floor or any other basement suffused with strobe lights at the time (or any hedonistic place for that matter). Having been already part of the latter’s and Klaus Stockhausen’s Mastermix Front Compilation, it has now been dusted off and remastered for an individual performance. Added for the first first time though is the original demo version that makes use of a different yet not less enchanting bass line.
Also included is Fila’s 1994 trippy, dare we say progressive, UK house blueprint Slacker. A seismic shift from the traditional tropes of house, it set an example for what should rock the dance music boat just a few years later. Delivered in a previously unreleased extended version for your utmost enjoyment.
Artwork note: The sleeve photograph is a proto-selfie taken by Steve in 1983 (the year the two first met). Man still has those braces.
Applying the solid structures of floor-focused Berlin techno to the expressive space of introspective electronica, Answer Code Request returns to Delsin with his first album in eight years. Halo finds Patrick Gr?ser broadening his sound palette more than ever before, matching atmospheric synthesis with dynamic beat constructions true to his impressive legacy while breaking new ground. Across Halo, smoky clouds of pads and chords lend the album an introspective quality in the grand tradition of ambient techno. In front of these haunting melodic forms, Gr?ser is free to explore all manner of rhythmic directions. There are fractured, downtempo micro beats and angular fractals on the likes of 'Fading Shadows' and 'Refraction' that take their cues from breakbeat -- finely detailed drum sequences constantly evolving into new arrangements. A pointed nod to D&B rears its head on the aptly named, hard-edged 'Fracture' and you might hear a firmly submerged hint of ravey acid coursing under 'Sublith'. Elsewhere, the firmer kick-anchored pulse of the classic Answer Code Request sound manifests for more forthright techno excursions such as 'Halo' and 'Bliphar'. In the context of the album, though, these tougher tropes are channeled into mesmerising soundscapes that soften the attack without diminishing the potential for club impact. In this era of his craft, Gr?ser moves instinctively through the sounds and approaches that inspire him, and the end result is an album that feels natural and open, all the while steadily progressing the ongoing evolution of Answer Code Request.
KOIZUMIX PRODUCTION, a collaborative project between Kyoko Koizumi who worked under a different name in the 1990s and club culture artists and creators,
is finally being released in analog format. These two works, now difficult to obtain, are making their long awaited debut on vinyl.
The release is a complete analog version of the 1998 CD, which could be considered a KOIZUMIX PRODUCTION remix best-of.
It includes all tracks from the original CD, plus additional remixes that were previously available only on vinyl, compiled into a 2-disc set titled “89–99 COLLECTION”.
Dieses Jazzensemble ist durch und durch skandinavisch. Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist stammt aus Schweden, Pianist Tuomas Turunen aus Finnland und Bassist Max Thornberg ist ebenfalls Schwede. Seit etwa drei Jahren bilden sie das Emil Brandqvist Trio – mit großem Tatendrang und großem Erfolg. »Falling Crystals« heißt ihr drittes Album.
Auch ihre Musik ist typisch skandinavisch: geprägt von unaufgeregten, meditativen Klängen und nordischer Melancholie.
Und obwohl man von einem Trio, das nach seinem Schlagzeuger benannt ist, eigentlich das genaue Gegenteil erwartet, zeigt Emil Brandqvist auf »Falling Crystals« ein weiteres Mal, wie gut musikalische Zurückhaltung klingt. Das hat er bereits mit seinen beiden Vorgängeralben »Breathe Out« (2013) und »Seascapes« (2015) bewiesen, für das der Schlagzeuger unlängst für den Echo Jazz 2016 in der Kategorie »Instrumentalist/in des Jahres international Drums/Percussion« nominiert wurde.
Neben all der Leichtigkeit und Stille des neuen Albums, darf aber nicht vergessen werden, dass es sich dabei auch um herausragende, starke Kompositionen handelt, in dessen Zentrum das Klavier steht.
Beim Emil Brandqvist Trio treffen technische Finesse und punktgenaues Zusammenspiel auf bildhafte, berührende und vor allem eingängige Melodien. »Falling Crystals« bleibt also lange im Gedächtnis – wie der letzte Skandinavienurlaub.
Rezensionen
»Emil Brandqvist scheint ein ausgeglichener Mensch zu sein, der mal ausgelassen und fröhlich daherkommt, aber auch seine nachdenklichen, leiseren Seiten hat. Jedenfalls versteht sich der Schlagzeuger darauf, mit seinem Trio heiter, schwungvoll, aber auch bedächtig aufzuspielen. In „Through The Forest“ hüpfen die Töne von ihm, dem Pianisten Tuomas Turunen und dem Kontrabassisten Max Thornberg so fröhlich, als hätten sie sich durch Hits von ABBA zu einem Tänzchen inspirieren lassen. Mit „Shine“ hingegen bringen sie eine kleine Melodie zum Strahlen, und die Ballade „Longing“ gewinnt durch ausdrucksstarke, stellenweise an Frank Sinatras Intonation erinnernde Klaviermelodien und ein klares Fundament von Bass und Schlagzeug Ausdruck. Zu dritt oder im Quartett mit dem Perkussionisten Martin Brandqvist verzichten sie auf virtuose Hochgeschwindkeitspassagen – ihre Stärken sind einerseits das gelassene Ineinandergreifen von Piano und Begleitung und andererseits die Fähigkeit, kurze und einprägsame Melodien abwechslungsreich auszugestalten. Mal greifen sie dabei auf minimalistische Variationstechniken zurück, mal setzen sie Brüche, gliedern in Abschnitte, setzen einzelne Segmente hintereinander. Im Eröffnungsstück „While We Are Here“ und dem abschließenden Epilog „The Oak Trees“ und „Early Spring“ unterstützt sie das Sjöströmska String Quartet mit flächigen Klängen und aufgefächerten Akkorden, während das Trio in „The Sea Begins To Freeze“ eher auf die Tradition der Minimal Music zurückgreift. Die im Titel angesprochenen Kristalle fallen nicht nur, sie funkeln auch.« (RONDO, Werner Stiefele, 12.03.2016)
»Die wahre Schönheit zeigt sich hier nicht an der Oberfläche. Brandqvist, Turunen und Thornberg sind wahre Meister darin, elaboriert-komplexe klangliche Architekturen mit einer fein gezeichneten Gradlinigkeit zu entwerfen…Wunderschöne freigeistliche und anrührende Musik.« (JazzPodium)
»Waren schon die beiden vorherigen CDs (s.u.) wertvolle Kostbarkeiten in Sachen Piano-Jazz, so kann das Album Falling Crystals noch mal einen draufsetzen. Ein dermaßen relaxtes, zeitloses und Musikliebhaber aller Couleurs ansprechendes Album hat man selten gesehen.« (sound&image.de)
»Falls Ihnen der Name bekannt vorkommt: Vom schwedischen Emil Brandqvist Trio haben wir schon mehrfach geschwärmt, das wunderbare ›Seascapes‹ Ende 2015 gar zu einem Album des Jahres gekürt. Nun folgt mit ›Falling Crystals‹ der nächste große Wurf. Wieder gelingt es den drei Musikern, ganz simple Ideen zu Stücken von zerbrechlicher Schönheit und anmut zu formen. Mal klingt das Trio fast wie Popmusik, mal erweitert es sein Klangspektrum durch ein Streichquartett. Dann scheint die berühmte nordische Melancholie noch etwas stärker durch die beührenden Melodien.« (Stern, 31.03.2016)
»Dem Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist gelingt mit seinem Jazz-Trio nun bereits zum dritten Mal ein gar nicht mal so einfaches Kunststück: hinreißend schöne, cineastisch ausgreifende Melodien zu schreiben.« (dpa + Focus)
»Typisch romantische Brandqvist-Art: Eine eingängige Popmelodie wird von schwebenden Streichern unterstützt, fern von darüber gezogenem Pathos.« (Jazz thing)
»Die klangmalerischen Landschaftsbilder des Trios …entwickeln einen hypnotischen Sog.« (Hörzu + Gong)
»Erstklassiger Piano-Jazz.« (In Music)
»Eine stilvoll und -sicher arrangierte Kreuzung aus Pop-Jazz und eingängiger Kammermusik.« (Nordische Musik.de)
»Dieses Trio besticht durch herrliche Melodien, welche tief ins Herz gelangen. Sounds welche man so schnell nicht vergisst. Es scheint als würden die Musiker ein Gemälde von unsagbarere Schönheit malen. Dieses Album sticht aus der Masse deutlich heraus.« (Jazzdrummerworld.de)
»Um es vorweg zu nehmen, mit Falling Crystals liefert das Emil Brandqvist Trio sein Meisterstück ab. Bereits in den letzten Jahren hat sich der Göteborger Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist auf vordere Ränge des europäischen Jazz gespielt, sein Trio steht für unaufgeregte, bildhafte und berührende Melodien und Sounds, die lebhaft in Erinnerung bleiben.« (Medien-Info.com)
Konzert-Reviews
Poesie- und Literaturfestival Bad Homburg – Lesung mit Max Moor:
»Unterbrochen werden seine Sequenzen vom Emil Brandqvist Trio, einer virtuosen großartigen finnisch-schwedischen Band, die mit magischen und häufig melancholischen Klängen, mit Jazz ganz eigener Prägung, den Inhalt der Geschichte aufgreift, intensiviert und weiterführt. ..« (Taunus Zeitung)
»Mit ihren besonderen Klangreisen hinterließen sie ein andächtiges und zugleich euphorisches Publikum, das die einzelnen Songs lautstark beklatschte…Einfach exzellent…mit seiner raffiniert gewürzten Lyrik des Nordens. Dieser teils magische Jazz bleibt in Erinnerung.« (shz.de)
»Klassisches Maß und große Kraft.« (HNA)
»In die Musik des Emil-Brandqvist-Trios kann man sich wunderbar versenken und sich darin verlieren…« (Haller Tagesblatt)
Gary Bartz und das neue Londoner Ensemble Your Brother’s Keeper präsentieren mit "Where Rivers Meet" ein tiefgründiges und intuitives Studioalbum, das die seltene Begegnung zweier Generationen von Jazzmusikern einfängt. Das Album, das pünktlich zum 20-jährigen Jubiläum von Brownswood erscheint, vereint Bartz' Tradition mit der jungen, pulsierenden Szene Londons. Das Ergebnis ist Musik, die sich mit Offenheit und Intensität entfaltet, getragen von tiefem Zuhören und gemeinsamer Improvisation.
Im Zentrum des Projekts steht Bartz, eine der einflussreichsten Vertreter des modernen Jazz. Der Saxophonist, dessen Karriere sich über mehr als fünf Jahrzehnte erstreckt, machte sich einen Namen durch Auftritte mit Charles Mingus, Max Roach und Art Blakey, bevor er sich Miles Davis in dessen elektrisierender Phase der frühen 1970er-Jahre anschloss. Mit seinen gefeierten Aufnahmen mit der NTU Troop wurde er schnell zu einer prägenden Figur des Spiritual Jazz und schuf ein Werk, das Generationen von Musikern und Zuhörern gleichermaßen begeistert. Sein Spiel – lyrisch, tiefgründig und unverkennbar gefühlvoll – zählt nach wie vor zu den markantesten Stimmen des Jazz.
Das Album markiert zudem die Gründung von Your Brother’s Keeper, einem neuen Kollektiv um Schlagzeuger und Produzent Jake Long (Maisha), dessen musikalischer Dialog und die Improvisation tief in der Musik verwurzelt sind. Mit Ali MacSween (Piano, Synthesizer, modulare Effekte), Axel Kaner-Lidstrom (Trompete), Twm Dylan (Kontrabass), Tim Doyle (Percussion) und Chelsea Carmichael (Tenorsaxophon) sowie Long am Schlagzeug spiegelt die Gruppe eine Szene wider, die den Sound des zeitgenössischen Jazz im letzten Jahrzehnt maßgeblich geprägt hat.
Mr Bongo are thrilled to have one of the leading lights in contemporary soul joining the label. Melbourne-based vocalist, musician, and songwriter Ella Thompson is an artist whose name is being championed by some of the best in the business. She’s been building a reputation as one to watch, with two standout releases on Hopestreet Recordings, Domino EP in 2023 and Ripple On The Wing LP in 2024, alongside a heavy touring schedule and a stacked list of support slots and collaborations.
For this new 7” single, Ella collaborates with a selection of artists at the forefront of Naarm/Melbourne’s soulful DIY community. Featuring members of Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo, Liam McGorry from Temporary Blessings (College Of Knowledge) joins Ella as co-writer and co-producer, with go-to Melbourne engineer Henry Jenkins also producing and recording the track.
Bridging the worlds of classic and contemporary soul, Ella’s songwriting is drenched in emotion and personal experience. With a timeless feel that is hard to tie to any particular period, she has crafted a sound that instantly hits deep. It’s warm, tasteful and distinctly Ella. That talent has also seen her tour with Mark Ronson, and support other contemporary greats like Jalen Ngonda, Lee Fields, and Thee Sacred Souls.
‘Promise To Keep’ is the first taste of Ella’s new material on this 7” single. An irrepressible upbeat groover that echoes mid-to-late-sixties vocal groups. That influence though never overpowers Ella’s own unique creative voice or distinct sense of self. She draws from it, but the colour is all her own. The song tells a story of being carried by the current that keeps us moving, giving us courage. A commitment to oneself that speaks to action shaped by vision, and the pull of following what feels correct even when the distance is far.
The flip side finds Ella in a different mood. ‘Change Of Heart’ is a heavy sweet-soul ballad. Rich in drama, Ella’s falsetto vocals build to a stunning climax in the final section, with triumphant horns that signal the release of letting go. The lyrics reflect on temporality and impermanence, and the way moments can be missed or arrive with synchronicity. It’s that bittersweet paradox of triumph and sadness, where everything contains its opposite: absence and presence, innocence and experience. The song is underpinned by a brooding production quality and atmospheric, beat-heavy flavour that Surprise Chef and cinematic soul fans will relish.
Mixed by Wayne Gordon (Daptone, Womack Sisters), ‘Promise to Keep’ and ‘Change of Heart’ are a glimpse of things to come from Ella. Keep an eye open for more new music incoming from this phenomenal artist at the top of her game.
Odlazak – the third full-length from multidisciplinary artist and musician Ivan Masic as Ex Ponto – takes its name from the Serbian word for departure. It’s a theme that reverberates throughout the release as the motifs of departure, arrival and the journey between the two are woven into an intimate personal narrative from 1980s Yugoslavia to contemporary suburban Coburg and back. Odzalak feels like a bookend to a decade of concerted, illuminating visits to the place of his birth and a countenance to the departure that long defined his youth.
Alongside Ex Ponto’s signature mix of electronic and organic textures, Masic has interspersed moments of exchange from his homeland. The haunting sound of the gusle — a traditional Serbian instrument played by his ancestors — opens the album, alongside 40-year-old VHS recordings of family members reflecting on life and death. The cover was designed by long-time friend Rick Milovanovic (TRiC), whilst photographs from Masic’s visits to Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina by his wife, photographer Sarah Pannell, are featured on the inner sleeve. The release was mastered and partially mixed by Belgrade-based Goran Simonoski (La Plant), a collaboration rooted in shared lineage and a mutual love of the darker edges of the sonic spectrum.
Taking cues from ambient to kosmiche, dub to post punk and everything in between, this is a sonic journey as much as it’s a personal one. Part Balkan Bladerunner soundtrack, part Vini Reilly in wonderland, Odzalak is Ex Ponto’s most pointed and heady release to date, equally at ease in the club and at home.
Turn On The Sunlight is the long-running project of Texas-born, Maui-based musician and producer Jesse Peterson.
Originally formed in New York in the late 2000s, Turn On The Sunlight has evolved into a fluid, location-spanning practice rooted in collaboration, intuition and process. Now based on Maui, Peterson’s work draws together a wide network of musicians and environments, with recordings taking shape across Los Angeles, Tokyo, London, San Miguel de Allende and Haʻikū.
Loosely situated within a framework of organic, ambient-leaning jazz, 'Iseo' unfolds as a series of open, exploratory pieces, with electronics sitting subtly beneath acoustic and environmental elements. Built from layered instrumentation including synthesizers, guitar, zither, flutes, voice and field recordings, Peterson moves between grounded, tactile detail and more expansive, immersive states. A sense of warmth and permeability runs throughout: organic percussion, environmental textures and drifting rhythmic elements lend the record a gently saturated humidity, reflecting Peterson’s base in Hawaii, where the presence of nature is felt as much as it is heard.
Underlying the project is a way of working rooted in gathering, listening and tending. Instruments, ensemble sessions, field recordings and everyday environments are approached with attentiveness, shaped through collecting, refining and allowing things to settle. Relationships, landscape and lived experience shape the sound, giving 'Iseo' a tactile, almost hand-made quality.
Rather than fixed arrangements, the album feels as if it has been organically and lovingly assembled through a process of listening and response, each element finding its place within a wider, evolving whole. This approach reaches a natural centre point in the 15-minute piece 'Medianoche En La Calle Aurora', which unfolds patiently, bending through shifting environments as motifs and textures emerge and dissolve with quiet continuity.
Peterson’s role as both instigator and facilitator is central to the project. Bringing together a diverse group of collaborators including Carlos Niño, Mia Doi Todd, Laraaji, Ko Ishikawa, Luis Pérez Ixoneztli and Miles Spilsbury, he creates space for individual voices to emerge within a shared language. The result is a music defined by openness and generosity.
'Iseo' takes its title from Peterson’s son’s middle name, a word that can be understood to mean ‘one-world life’. The piece itself takes the form of a gentle lullaby, its melody loosely shaped around the syllables of his name and sung to Peterson’s son by Luis Pérez Ixoneztli, a close collaborator whose presence across the record reflects a long-standing relationship that extends beyond the music itself.
Sleeve art and design by Michael Willis.
Melody As Truth and Future Days Radio present ‘At the Emerald Pool’, an album by Tomo Katsurada and Jonny Nash.
Netherlands-based artists Tomo Katsurada (Ex-Kikagaku Moyo / Future Days Radio) and Jonny Nash (Melody As Truth) combine forces for an exploration into the sonic potential of the guitar duo, rooted in their experiences performing together over the last 12 months.
Friends and admirers of each other’s work for a decade, their musical collaboration began in 2024 with Katsurada asking Nash to contribute guitar to his debut EP ‘Dream Of The Egg’. Sensing the need to explore this further, they spent the following year performing together in different configurations, with Nash joining Katsurada’s trio and Katsurada in turn playing with Nash as a duo, across a wide spectrum of spaces, from churches and temples to concert halls, theatres and outdoor festivals. With new ideas developing organically out of these performances, recording new material became the next logical step. A short period of three days was set aside with a clear goal: to capture the essence of their fluid, intertwining melodies and guitar playing in a way that felt as direct and unfiltered as possible. Working from a handful of pre-existing sketches, they left ample room for experimentation to unfold within the process.
The results are presented on ‘At The Emerald Pool’, a collection of ten pieces that offer the listener a full immersion into the pair’s sound. With guitar as the primary instrument for both artists, it is no surprise that the core of the album lies here, specifically in the fluid interplay between the two players. Layers of gentle, delay-soaked fingerpicking often make it almost impossible to distinguish where one player ends and the other begins. As soloists, both Katsurada and Nash have a gift for crafting melodic lines that feel open and ascending, expressive and hopeful without becoming saccharine. Longer, more abstract pieces are counterbalanced by a series of shorter songs, with five vocal tracks appearing across the album. The decision to share vocal duties lends the record a unique quality and a strong sense of variation, bringing a wide expressive range out of a deliberately focused musical framework.
‘At The Emerald Pool’ represents the first chapter in an ongoing musical dialogue, an attempt to capture a moment of connection, openness and discovery, laying the foundation for what continues to unfold.
Akio Nagase has been making dub-heavy club music in Osaka for decades. He started the Makedub parties in 1999 at Namba Rockets, mixing dub, acid house, techno and world music, and his first record was a theme for the night. Influenced by Andrew Weatherall, Sabres of Paradise and Basic Channel, he branched out with his debut in 2003, and though it became a classic among the heads, it never made it to vinyl until now. It's a record laced with soft acid and swirling melodies, psychedelic soundscapes and dusty low end shuffle all couched in endless delay and echo. Crank it up loud.
Few names carry as much weight in German techno as Alexander Kowalski. A producer and live performer since early 90, his work has shaped the sound of an era, from his early days at Tresor through to releases on Kanzleramt and MORD, and a live reputation that has held firm across three decades on stages worldwide.
Now Kowalski opens his own imprint. Cycles Music launches with Live II, and the choice of format makes perfect sense. Two sides, two cuts, no detours. Techno built from the same instinct that has made his live sets a benchmark in the underground for as long as most people can remember.
CYC001 is not an introduction. It's a continuation, and a clear statement of what Cycles Music is here to do.
