Поиск:ni

The most famous songs of one of the greatest names in the history of Musical in Broadway and who has his star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Including "Cheek To Cheek", "Steppin" out with My Baby"...

The Madlib Invazion Music Library Series Entry #3: Drummer and Producer J-Zone offers his take on The Ultimate Beats, Breaks and Funk. This is the next up in a series of music library releases, with future volumes produced by DJ Muggs, Karriem Riggins and more. The Madlib Invazion Music Library Series was created by Madlib and Egon to give their creative friends a chance to stretch out and indulge in whatever type of music they wanted. This music was created for easy, one-stop clearance in film and television synchronization usage and for sampling. You can also enjoy these albums in the way that many do with the best of the best vintage library catalogs – listen, ponder, repeat.

SarahBernhardt zelebrieren feinsinnig und unprätentiös mehrstimmige Dialekt-Chansons, voller Leichtigkeit und Sehnsucht. Ihre Texte dekonstruieren Bilder und Begriffe. Einzelne Wörter oder ganze Sätze werden zu Kippbildern, die sowohl eine komische, als auch eine tragische Lesart zulassen. Neben aller Tragik strahlen Bernhard Scheiblauer, Sarah Metzler und Sigrid Horn Optimismus aus - und decken damit ein Grundbedürfnis der Zeit ab. "Dicht verwoben die vielen gezupften Saiten, die sorgfältig gesetzten Stimmen und wie eins das andere braucht, geht ja gar nicht anders" schreibt Klemens Lendl (Die Strottern). "Poetisch zeichnet jedes Lied für sich ein kleines Universum" meint der bockkeller. Das Trio veröffentlichte 2020 ihr Debutalbum "langsam wiads wos". Im Jahr 2022 eröffnete SarahBernhardt das wean hean Festival im Bockkeller des Wiener Volksliedwerks und genau dort präsentieren sie nun ihr zweites Album "Urlaub in Sepia" - lyrische Klangmalerei aus verschiedensten Geschichten, eingetaucht in Sepia, die Schmuckfarbe der Erinnerung.

A long-in-the-works project of ours, here comes A Tribe Called Kotori's first foray into full-length territories, as the immensely talented Rampue takes us on a melancholy-riddled ride across his phantasmatic mindscapes. A true sound explorer, deftly steering his ship down the junction of electronica, abstract and balearic-infused prog house, the Berlin-based vibist has us transfixed and elevated throughout the twelve cuts that form the backbone to this lushly textured promenade in sound - at times understatedly euphoric, at others rivetingly exotic.

Of the creative process that lead to 'Bubblebath Trance', Rampue explains "It all started and ended in the same moment: my cherished feline companion, my laptop awash with an unintended bath, and alas, a dearth of backups. The resultant calamity, an echo of chaotic tranquility." Under the generous layer of irony lies some unaltered truth about Rampue's debut long-player for A Tribe Called Kotori: this sense of serenity that goes with stepping into this warm and bubbling primitive chaos of sorts infuses the listening experience far and wide. Distantly emulating the "euphonious strains" of iconic PS1 video games soundtracks from his youth days, the album has us surfing a constant paradox of emotions, wistful but not abandoning itself to sorrow, dynamic yet suspended in some sort of mind-expanding stasis. As if you were looking at the world beneath you in exploded view, conscious of all thing, slowly moving up the many layers of our atmosphere towards uncharted skies.

A paragon of Rampue's most poignant take on classic electronica tropes, 'Harmonie' blazes with a poetic fire that engulfs about everything in its wake. Just figure yourself riding a chocobo across the sand-covered expanse of North Corel (toasting to the FFVII nerds here) as this blasts out in the distance. From this trancey bubblebath emerge lots of musical shades and nuances, from the nicely dubbed-out, brass-heavy coastal jazz of 'Schattenschranz' to the choppy, trip-hop-adjacent future electronics of 'Inside', via the exuberantly joyous mess of faux-organic number 'Tripomatic' and cinematic charisma of 'Ich hasse Sonne' high-flying orchestrations.

Connecting the dots between that trance-indebted ebullience and further downtempo-friendly attraction, 'Verfahren' perhaps encompasses best what 'Bubblebath Trance' is about: gracefully walking the tightrope in-limbo nostalgia-soaked inner movements and a powerful outward thrust, burning to let the feelings ooze out from the shell that holds them.Clad in purely 90s-compatible breaksy motion, 'Salz' is another attempt to reconcile emotional and physical dissonance, like kneading all states - solid, liquid and vaporous - into an impossible mega-vibe of its own; malleable, strong and enveloping in equal measure. Borrowing from two-step and UK garage, 'Take Away' is a definite high in Rampue's master unfolding of musical twists and turns, summoning a Boarder Community-esque atmosphere and clashing it alongside floor-ready footwork motifs to fascinating effect.

An ode to his studio companion, 'Buchla Trip' finds Rampue's exploring his machinic friend's quirky yet soulful array of electronic potentialities - making it sound like a conversation you'd have with R2-D2 in the heart of a Sandcrawler, whereas 'Kajal' beams us up to a fragmented headspace, halfway altered PC-Pop and arps-loaded electronica on amphetamines. Effusive and transporting, the title-track 'Bubblebath Trance' could well figure as the album's no.1 medley in essence: a bountiful lucid dream of dancing forms, colours and sentiments to wrap your head around, confidently drifting from a liminal state of consciousness down the rapids of one's troubled inner workings.

Rounding off the package, the languid ambient finale of 'Die Leiden des hungrigen Fruehstuecks' rubber-stamps the feeling that 'Bubblebath Trance' belongs to that rare category of albums. The ones that mint their own alphabet aside from typical norms and expectations, teaching you the ropes of their new language as it unreels between your ears - real and unreal, elusive to any other meaning than the one your guts and brains will be inclined to give it to, in real time. A crystal-pure object if you will, that shall not reveal its secrets, even after a thousand listens and just as many wowing moments.

Gold nugget vinyl (2023 repress)! A masterclass in cinematic psychedelia, `God Intentions' is the third studio album from Glasgow outfit Helicon and is due out April 28 on Fuzz Club. Their most ambitious and collaborative album to date, it was recorded at Dystopia, Glasgow with producers Luigi Pasquini and Jason Shaw, mastered by RIDE's Mark Gardener and includes contributions from the Rhona MacFarlane String Quartet, Lavinia Blackwall (Trembling Bells), Mark O'Donnell (Tomorrow Syndicate), Sotho Houle (French avant-garde violinist) and Anna McCracken. Talking about the new record, guitarist/vocalist John-Paul Hughes says: "`God Intentions' is inspired by my brother Gary's story and a few other influences. It's a journey through regret, redemption and resurrection. Our familiar darkness is there, but the record carries a fresh and uplifting positivity. I had a clear idea of how I wanted it to sound and feel long before it began. We're so pleased we achieved it. We managed to hold true to the idea whilst allowing the string quartet, Sotho, Lavinia, Anna, Mark, Jason, Luigi and other collaborators the space to put their mark on it. The album art, by San Francisco-based collage artist Nina Theda Black, captures the depth and breadth of themes and sounds we brought together to create a kind of motion in your mind."

Pressing Info: 180g black vinyl double LP, etched D-side, hand-numbered gatefold sleeve, limited to 500, download card included. Porto-based trio 10 000 Russos will release their new 'Live In Berlin' double LP on March 24th 2023 via Rubber Duck, a new live album imprint by Fuzz Club Records. The record captures the band storming through their subterranean motorik psych-drone live at Berlin's Astra Kulturhaus on October 16th 2021. Recorded whilst out on a European tour, 'Live In Berlin' finds 10 000 Russos performing their 2021 'Superinertia' LP in full the album's five songs expanded and taken to even more transfixing and hedonistic heights in a live setting. These shows were 10 000 Russos' first with the new, more-electronic line-up and sound, with newly-recruited synth player Nils Meisel making his debut on the 'Superinertia' LP and completing the line-up alongside founding members Joao Pimenta (drums/vocals) and Pedro Pestana (guitar). Across the hour-long set, Pimenta's deadpan sprechgesang vocal and machine-like percussion, Pestana cascading psych guitar-loops and Meisel's repetitive synth basslines all combine on a performance that will pull you into a trance at times and get you on your feet at others.

Mit der ersten Single „vampire“ läutete die dreifache GRAMMY Gewinnerin Olivia Rodrigo das zweite Kapitel ihrer Karriere ein – und nimmt ab sofort Kurs aufs zweite Album: GUTS erscheint am 08. September!

Emotional noch intensiver und extrem abwechslungsreich arrangiert, setzt die 20-Jährige für „vampire“ auf eine ähnliche Dynamik wie bei ihrer Single „drivers license“, mit der sie 2021 den internationalen Durchbruch schaffte. Kein Wunder also, dass „vampire“ sofort als „Monster Power Ballad“ (Pitchfork) gefeiert wurde. Zeitgleich kündigte Olivia Rodrigo mit GUTS ihr zweites Album an. Zum Teil auch in den New Yorker Electric Lady Studios geschrieben, entstand das neue Album größtenteils mit Dan Nigro in dessen Garagenstudio in Los Angeles, mit dem die 20-Jährige bereits für ihr Debütalbum SOUR zusammengearbeitet hatte. Während Olivia in den vergangenen 24 Monaten selbst „gefühlt 10 Jahre“ reifer geworden sei, klingt auch ihr Songwriting sehr viel ausgereifter und selbstbewusster als zuvor: „Dieses Mal ging’s viel mehr ums eigentliche Songwriting – was manchmal auch bedeutete, dass ich mich selbst gar nicht so ernst nehmen durfte. Wir haben wahnsinnig viel ausprobiert und sind schließlich bei einem Sound gelandet, der viel mehr Rockeinflüsse hat als meine älteren Sachen“, so Rodrigo. ”GUTS” erscheint auf CD und Vinyl in diversen Formaten.

Home to legends, not just in Jazz but music itself, Ronnie Scott's in Soho London has been the home to innumerable world class performances but none more so than Peter Green.

A backdrop normally shared for jazz artists was transformed into the raucous good time for Blues fans from all over to witness Peter Green two years into his comeback.

This recording features tracks that range from Fleetwood Mac classics & Blues originals all with Peter Green's inimitable flair. Tracks such as 'Albatross', 'Black Magic Woman', Rattlesnake Shake', 'The Green Manalishi' & 'The Supernatural' as well as versions of Travelling Riverside Blues' & 'Steady Rollin' Man'.

This edition, originally released on 2CD & now available on vinyl, comes as a welcome return for many fans that might have missed out on the first edition of its release. A highly limited 20,000 numbered copies of the 'Soho Sessions' package, which sold out immediate on its release.

Now this new edition on black double LP allows for you to experience the wondrous energy from that night time & time again.

Laurence Jones follows up 2022's 'Destination Unknown' with brand new album 'Bad Luck & The Blues'.

Refining his sound and returning with a trio, the new record showcases Laurence at his rawest, showcasing his virtuoso guitar talents and remaining faithful to his blues roots.

From the towering influence of Charley Patton and Son House to lesser- known artists shrouded in mystery, these seminal recordings helped lay the foundations or the electric blues and rock explosion to come.

"With this solo piano performance, he romps, he stomps, he lays back, he makes the keys cry and he makes them jump for joy" - Randy Lewis (Los Angeles Times).

This double CD treasure takes The Legendary Sessions Vol 1 and adds five unissued cuts to the bounty, including two cuts exclusive to this CD version!

The first vinyl release from American artist Sydney Spann, Sending Up A Spiral Of well encapsulates Spann’s body of work thus far. On their music, which reacts to themes of family systems and care work, Sydney writes, “people who have done care work —nannies, sex workers, therapists, nurses— may possess their own musical knowledge, developed over time through particular modes of voicing practiced to achieve a desired outcome in their labor. Attending intimately to these ways of voicing and listening and bringing them into a sound practice could be a way to legitimize a less recognized kind of musical knowledge.”

Sending Up A Spiral Of explores this unarticulated expression through sound and song. The titular piece traces Spann within some quixotic woodland, as if beginning inside of some urban fairy-story. Self-soothing singing quivers under dragging branches, peeling cement and other tactile grit. The work drops into a new proximity half-way through as electronic contours overtake the environment. Sine-tones smolder in a pulsating choreography, perhaps reminiscent of Richard Maxfield’s “Night Music” played at half-speed.

The second section of the record depicts a series of five smaller portraits, expressed (or disguised) as lullabies. An oceanic humming permeates them. “Possession” and “Purposeful Evening” are the most song-like lullabies, with their verse-chorus repetition and melodic simplicity. Innocuous words “baby” and “honey” are encoded with deeper, often painful connotations. Sydney’s voice and vision for this album is ambitious, cloaked in the strains and contradictions of what love means in the nuclear family.

A 16-page artist pamphlet of rubbings, photographs and sheet music accompanies the LP, along with a digital PDF of Spann’s thesis “Sending Up A Spiral Of: A Musical Epistemology Made Through Care Work.”

Originally released 40 years ago, the album spent 17 weeks in the UK album charts and spawned hit singles "Christian", "African & White" and "No Blue Horizons".

Each song has its own story, which the duo has reimagined in their own unique way, covering topics such as love, heartbreak, and friendship - with tradition with emotions nestled underneath.Nominated for Best Vocalist at the Scottish Jazz Awards in 2022, vocalist and songwriter Louise Dodds released her self-penned album The Story Needs an Ending in 2022, subsequently touring the album around the UK. The album was selected as one of three notable jazz releases of 2022 by The Scotsman. Prior to this, 2020 saw Louise having the honour of opening for Norma Winstone MBE.

Elchin Shirinov is a jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, originally from Azerbaijan. Most recently he was included in All About Jazz's December 2022 poll of the Top 200 favourite living pianists in the world. From 2018 to 2022 he was a member of the famous jazz double bassist Avishai Cohen's trio, during which time he recorded three albums and toured internationally as a member of the trio.

Taking a giant leap forward, replete with addictive hooks at every turn, Dolphins (the 9th record in the catalogue), stands out as the strongest and most articulate Islands record yet. Nick Thorburn and crew manage to tap into both the pain and the joy of living, (sometimes within the very same breath), while musically stripping things down to their simplest element: a bouncing bassline, a snappy kick and snare, or a persistent, hooky guitar line.

Though Dolphins is arguably their biggest musical departure (which is saying something, coming from a band that has constantly reinvented their sound from album to album), the DNA of Thorburn's first band The Unicorns can clearly be heard throughout songs like "Headlines", "Life's A Joke" and "And All You Can Do is Laugh".

Dolphins, which came together over a methodical, carefully considered multi-year process, continues Thorburn's fruitful collaboration with co-producer Patrick Ford (!!!), and features production on a few songs from Chris Coady (Beach House) and Mike Stroud (Ratatat).

Incorporating elements from bands like Nick Cave, The VSS, CAN, Cluster, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Damned, Scott Walker, and Crime and the City Solution, Pleasure Forever paints a sonic tapestry that is quite unlike anything you've heard.

Incorporating elements from bands like Nick Cave, The VSS, CAN, Cluster, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Damned, Scott Walker, and Crime and the City Solution, Pleasure Forever paints a sonic tapestry that is quite unlike anything you've heard.

ltd 700 copies on black vinyl housed in reverseboard printed sleave with printed inner sleave. Comes with lyric booklet, poster and postcard inserts ** Formed in 1968, The Plastic People Of The Universe – named after a Mothers of Invention song and heavily influenced by Frank Zappa and The Velvet Underground – were iconic figureheads of the Prague Underground, a loose collective of Czech poets, philosophers and artists considered a threat by the Communist government. Banned and jailed under Czech communism The Plastic People Of The Universe are a true story of artistic perseverance, Authorities claimed their music would have a "negative social impact", and they were banned from playing for the public, having to play secret shows in remote locations. The raw DIY sound of their recordings escaped to Europe on tape and was released without the band's knowledge, their first album being a document of artistic defiance against the control of a stringent political environment they lived under.

Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned, PPU's debut LP, was recorded in 1973-74, but not released until 1978 (and even then, only in France). A beguiling album of lo-fi experimental rock that falls somewhere between Can, The Fall and Canterbury psych-folk with Ayler-esque sax solos. First-time vinyl reissue and it is limited. Essential.

One of the best band you never heard of

Here John Cohen, Mike Seeger, and Tracy Schwartz provide backing for Cousin Emmy, the skilled banjo player, fiddler, and singer, whose legacy as a country music pioneer is cemented in the memories of those who heard her animated performances onstage and on the radio. This album contains some of her only recorded material, including several of her own compositions along with selections of old-time and bluegrass repertoire.

United by a shared love of performing bluesy, soulful music in the most intimate and acoustic of settings, Blicher Hemmer Gadd's hard- swinging 4th album recreates the excitement and energy of the late- night sets they've performed around the world together. The album also features two special songs that were recorded during lockdown in Michael's studio in Copenhagen.

Formed after a chance encounter more than 11 years ago, they continue with this joyful project, which has flourished despite the 3,000+ miles, 40+ years and 3 busy touring schedules which separate them.

After decades performing stadiums with the likes of Eric Clapton, James Taylor and Steely Dan, Gadd relishes the opportunity to rediscover the sound and feel of playing almost acoustically "This is honest Music" he says, "no one plays like this anymore."

"It's bluesy, swinging and soulful jazz played by exceptional musicians" - Rhythm Magazine

The album has been produced together with Brinkmann (Germany), one of the world's leading producers of hi- end turntables. To deliver the highest possible sound quality, on both LP and CD the record has been mastered using MQA technology and converted to analog with a Brinkmann Audio Nyquist Mk II Streaming Digital- to- Analog Converter. The MQA Master has been directly fed from the DAC into the cutting machine. A Brinkmann Audio Bardo direct drive turntable is employed for quality control.

Formed in Berlin, via an instagram notice board "We Formed A Band" set up by the band Gurr, LOBSTERBOMB had no idea at the time it would lead to them signing to the label that discovered Gurr, Duchess Box Records.

The Trio Nico Rosch, Vik Chi and Crayon Jones all immigrated to Berlin looking for the same escape and lust from the places they had left behind. After connecting with eachother during the pandemic of 2020 they started writing songs drawing on their environment, fears and frustrations of the time but had an desire for seizing the moment and making the world their own, a feeling they still have today..

"I have a bit of an obsession with a band from Germany called LOBSTERBOMB, I think they are magnificent" says legendary Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon on his American radio show on Sirius XM.

A.R. Kive collates the three most astonishing works from that most miraculous of duos - A.R. Kane - comprising the ‘Up Home’ EP from 1988 that signified the band’s dawning realisation of their own powers and possibilities, their legendary debut LP ‘sixty nine’ (1988) and its kaleidoscopic, prophetic double-LP follow up ‘i’ (1989).

In founder-member Rudy Tambala’s new remastering, the music on these pivotal transmissions from the birth of dream pop, have been reinvigorated and re-infused with a new power, a new depth and intimacy, a new height and immensity. Vivid, timeless and yet always timely whenever they’re recalled, these records still force any listener to realise that despite the habits of retrospective myth-making and the
safe neutering effects of ‘genre’, thirty years have in no way dimmed how resistant and dissident to critical habits of categorisation A.R. Kane always were. Never quite ‘avant-pop’ or ‘shoegaze’ or ‘post-rock’ or any of those sobriquets designed to file and categorise, A.R. Kive is a reminder that those genres had to be coined, had to be invented precisely to contain the astonishing sound of A.R. Kane, because
previous formulations couldn’t come close to their sui generis sound and suggestiveness. This is music that pointed towards futures which a whole generation of artists and sonic explorers would map out. Now beautifully repackaged, remastered and fleshed out with extensive sleeve notes and accompanying materials, ‘A.R. Kive’ reveals that 35 years on it’s still a struggle to defuse the revolutionary and inspirational possibility of A.R. Kane’s music.

A.R. Kane were formed in 1986 by Rudy Tambala and Alex Ayuli, two second-generation immigrants who grew up together in Stratford, East London. From the off the pair were outsiders in the culturally mixed (cockney/Irish/West Indian/Asian) milieu of the East End, with Alex and Rudy’s folks first generation immigrants from Nigeria and Malawi, respectively. The two of them quickly developed and fostered an innate and near-telepathic mutual understanding forged in musical, literary and artistic exploration. Like a lot of second-generation immigrants, they were ferocious autodidacts in all kinds of areas, especially around music and literature. Diving deep into the music of afro-futurist luminaries such as Sun Ra, Miles Davis, Lee Perry and
Hendrix, as well as devouring the explorations of lysergic noise and feedback from contemporaries like Sonic Youth and Butthole Surfers, they also thoroughly immersed themselves in the alternate literary realities of sci-fi and ancient history (the fascination with the arcane that gave the band their name), all to feed their voracious cultural thirsts and intellectual curiosity.

It was seeing the Cocteau Twins performing on Channel 4 show the Tube that spurred A.R. Kane into being - “They had no drummer. They used tapes and technology and Liz Fraser looked completely otherworldly with those big eyes. And the noise coming out of Robin’s guitar! That was the ‘Fuck! We could do that! We could express ourselves like that!’ moment”, recalls Tambala - and through a mix of
confidence, chutzpah, ad hoc almost-mythical live shows and sheer innocent will the duo debuted with the astonishing ‘When You’re Sad’ single for One Little Indian in 1986. Immediately dubbed a ‘black Jesus & Mary Chain’ by a press unsure of WHERE to put a black band clearly immersed in feedback and noise, what was immediately apparent for listeners was just how much more was going on here - a
tapping of dub’s stealth and guile, a resonant umbilicus back to fusion and jazz, the music less a conjuration of past highs than a re-summoning of lost spirits.
The run of singles and EPs that followed picked up increasingly rapt reviews in the press, but it was the ‘Up Home EP’ released in 1988 on their new home, Rough Trade that really suggested something immense was about to break. Simon Reynolds noted the EP was: Their most concentrated slab of iridescent awesomeness and a true pinnacle of an era that abounded with astounding landmarks of guitar-reinvention, A.R. Kane at their most elixir-like.

If anything, the remastered ‘Up Home’ that forms the first part of ‘A.R. Kive’ is even more dazzling, even more startling than it was when it first emerged, and listening now you again wonder not just about how many bands christened ‘shoegaze’ tried to emulate it, but how all of them fell so far short of its lambent, pellucid wonder. This remains intrinsically experimental music but with none of the frowning orthodoxy those words imply. A.R. Kane, thanks to that second generation auto-didacticism were always supremely aware about the interstices of music and magic, but at the same time gloriously free in the way they explored that connection within their own sound, fascinated always with the creation of ‘perfect mistakes’ and the possibilities inherent in informed play.

‘sixty nine’ the group’s debut LP that emerged in 1988 had
critics and listeners struggling to fit language around A.R. Kane’s sound. As a title it was telling - the year of ‘Bitches Brew’, the year of ‘In A Silent Way’, the erotic möbius between two lovers - and as originally coined by the band themselves, ‘dream pop’ (before it became a free-floating signifier of vague import) was entirely apposite for the music A.R. Kane were making. Crafted in a dark small basement studio in which Tambala recalls the duo had “complete freedom - We wanted to go as far out as we could, and in doing so we discovered the point where it stops being music”. There was an irresistibly dreamy, somnambulant, sensual and almost surreal flow to ‘sixty nine’s sound, but also real darkness/dankness, the ruptures of the primordial and the reverberations of the subconscious, within the grooves of remarkable songs like ‘Dizzy’ and ‘Crazy Blue’. Alex’s plangent vocals floated and surged amidst exquisite peals of refracted feedback but crucially there was BASS here, lugubrious and funky and full of dread, sonic pleasure and sonic disturbance crushed together to make music with a center so deep it felt subcutaneous, music constructed from both the accidental and the deliberate, generous enough to dance with both serendipity and chaos. ‘sixty nine’ remains - especially in this remastered iteration - ravishing, revolutionary.

The final part of this ‘A.R. Kive’ contains 1989’s astonishing double-LP ‘i’ which followed up on ‘sixty nine’s promise and saw the duo fully unleash their experimental pop sensibilities over 26 tracks, plunging the A.R. Kane sound into a dazzlingly kaleidoscopic vision of pop experiment and play. Suffused with new digital technologies and combining searingly sweet and danceable pop with perhaps the duo’s strangest and boundary-pushing compositions, the album did exactly what a great double-set should do - indulge the artists sprawling pursuit of their own imaginations but always with a concision and an ear for those moments where pop both transcends and toys with the listeners expectations. Jason Ankeny has noted that “In retrospect, ‘i’ now seems like a crystal ball prophesying virtually every major musical development of the 1990s; from the shimmering techno of ‘A Love from Outer Space’ to the liquid dub of ‘What’s All This Then?’, from the alien drone-pop of ‘Conundrum’ to the sinister shoegazer miasma of ‘Supervixens’ — it’s all here, an underground road map for countless bands to follow.” Perhaps the most overwhelmingly all-encompassing transmission from A.R. Kane, ‘i’ bookended a three year period in which the duo had made some of the most prophetic and revelatory music of the entire decade.

After ‘i’ the duo’s output became more sporadic with Tambala and Ayuli moving in different directions both geographically and musically, with only 1994’s ‘New Clear Child’ a crystalline re-fraction of future and past echoes of jazz, folk and soul, before the duo went their separate ways. Since then, A.R. Kane’s music has endured, not thanks to the usual sepia’d false memories that seem to maintain interest in so much of the musical past, but because those who hear A.R. Kane music and are changed irrevocably, have to share that universe which A.R. Kane opened up, with anyone else who will listen. Far more than other lauded documents of the late 80s it still sounds astonishingly fresh, astonishingly livid and vivid and necessary and NOW.

ltd 700 copies on black vinyl housed in reverseboard printed sleave with printed inner sleave. Comes with lyric booklet, poster and postcard inserts ** Formed in 1968, The Plastic People Of The Universe – named after a Mothers of Invention song and heavily influenced by Frank Zappa and The Velvet Underground – were iconic figureheads of the Prague Underground, a loose collective of Czech poets, philosophers and artists considered a threat by the Communist government. Banned and jailed under Czech communism The Plastic People Of The Universe are a true story of artistic perseverance, Authorities claimed their music would have a "negative social impact", and they were banned from playing for the public, having to play secret shows in remote locations. The raw DIY sound of their recordings escaped to Europe on tape and was released without the band's knowledge, their first album being a document of artistic defiance against the control of a stringent political environment they lived under.

Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned, PPU's debut LP, was recorded in 1973-74, but not released until 1978 (and even then, only in France). A beguiling album of lo-fi experimental rock that falls somewhere between Can, The Fall and Canterbury psych-folk with Ayler-esque sax solos. First-time vinyl reissue and it is limited. Essential.

One of the best band you never heard of

Die Gezeiten schwellen an, während die nächste Welle des britischen Metal weiter an Fahrt aufnimmt, angeführt von den Genre-Pionieren SYLOSIS und ihrem brandneuen Werk "A Sign Of Things To Come".
Vom feurigen Modern Thrash des 2008er Debüts "Conclusion Of An Age" und den epischen Nachfolgern "Edge Of The Earth" (2011) und "Monolith" (2012) bis hin zur direkten, ganzheitlichen Brutalität von "Dormant Heart" (2015) und "Cycle Of Suffering" (2020) haben Sylosis mit Stolz die Fahne für anspruchsvollen, aber kompromisslosen Metal hochgehalten. Jetzt, mit neuer Musik bewaffnet, meldet sich Sylosis in der internationalen Metalwelt mächtig zurück!
A Sign Of Things To Come ist nicht nur das bisher kürzeste Sylosis-Album, sondern auch das beste der Band: Vom Thrash-Krieg des Eröffnungsstücks 'Deadwood' und der knurrenden Groove-Metal-Wut von 'Pariahs' über den taumelnden Sludge und den erhabenen Refrain von 'Eye For An Eye' bis hin zu den schimmernden Gothic-Doom-Vibes von 'Thorns' war die Phrase "all killer, no fucking filler" noch nie so zutreffend. Zehn Songs, zehn Triumphe: Mission erfüllt.
Sylosis sind zurück, um alle daran zu erinnern, wie echter Heavy Metal klingt, wenn er von den Besten der Besten gespielt wird. Nachdem ihnen die Chance verwehrt wurde, als Support für Cycle Of Suffering auf Tour zu gehen, ist das Feuer für einen karrierebestimmenden Albumzyklus nun endgültig entfacht!

Antifreeze Green Vinyl. Black Market Brass is proud to present Hox, due out on Colemine Records on September 8, 2023. Their third LP is a new take on afrobeat that combines traditional grooves with heavy, hypnotic, sci-fi sounds that reflect the band's myriad of influences as record collectors across genres. "We didn't leave the traditional afro-beat sound behind, but we did allow ourselves to pull from different places with less hesitation." Shared saxophonist Cole Pulice. Like their previous albums, the 9-piece band recorded Hox live to tape. "The sound and aesthetic of the analog recording process is important for this kind of music," Pulice explained. "We're looking to capture lightning in a bottle." With that, the album features several sections of heavily processed synthesizers, harsh glitches, fuzzed out guitars, and a burning percussion section that pays homage to the traditional drumming cultures of Nigeria and Ghana. The performances are dynamic and confident. The grooves are infectious and hypnotic. BMB has pushed further into musical experimentalism, but at the end of the day, they're still making dance music. Krautrock, free-jazz, doom metal - the inspirations for Hox stem from all kinds of musical backgrounds, but the sound is far from scattered. It's a polished, innovative record that's sure to exceed expectations and keep the listener engaged from start to finish.

The music heard on this album was originally the result of a commission to score the second half of the film Nico/Nico Crying made by Andy Warhol in 1966. The commission was made by Art Cinema OFFoff in collaboration with B.A.A.D.M for a screening of the film together with a live presentation of the score in September 2021 at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. The recording presented here was made in the last week of that year and mixed soon after in January 2022. These recordings are essentially live-recordings performed by the composers together in the same room and recorded in a manner reminiscent of the record making process as it was in the late 1960s. The instrumentation used to make the sounds on this album consists of modular synthesis, zither, voice, contaminated field recordings and metal percussion.

Mats Erlandsson is a composer and musician part of the vibrantly re-emerging field of drone music in Stockholm, Sweden, and is associated with practices characterized by the extensive use of sustained sound. Erlandsson presents his work both as a solo artist and in collaborations, most notably together with Yair Elazar Glotman and Maria W Horn. Recent releases include Gyttjans Topografi on XKatedral, Minnesmärke on Hallow Ground and the collaboration Emanate made with Yair Elazar Glotman on the label 13070. In addition to his own artistic practice Erlandsson holds a position as studio technician and was temporarily, from October 2022 to September 2023, the acting studio director at Elektronmusikstudion in Stockholm.

The compositions of Maria W Horn implement synthetic sound, electroacoustic and acoustic instruments and audiovisual components, often devicing generative and algorithmic processes to control timbre, tuning and texture. She employs a varied instrumentation ranging from analog synthesizers to choir, string instruments, pipe organ and various chamber music formats. Acoustic instruments are often paired with digital synthesis techniques, in order to extend the instruments timbral capacities. Often based on minimalist structures, her music explores the inherent spectral properties of sound and their ability to transcend time and space, reality and dream.

For her second release on Northern Electronics, Vallmo (appellation of Melina ?kerman Kvie) strengthens her proficiency towards an electronic elevation with each and every track being a crevice offering kaleidoscopic gleams into a poetic narrative extracted from the slightly autotuned yet softly metallic voice.

What Virgil is to Dante, the piano is to the listener: a fragmented leitmotif and a guiding cicerone into the nimbus that is "Othem". Dual in nature, the album comprises seamless transitions between divergent idioms, figuratively as well as literally.

A false dichotomy conveying the opposing pairs tender and bold, distinct but evading and with a direction every so often forward as inward. "Othem" is an opus in equal parts melancholy, magic and mimesis.

Nous'klaer Audio presents Martinou - Chiral, the follow full-length up to his 2021 album Rift. This time nine tracks across two vinyls. An album flowing 'in a way' like Rift, but it's different: More outspoken, heavier sound design and it peaks on a blissful note. ''Open up the blinds and take me there. We'll break the surface tension. We'll dive in. I'm locked in your devotion. You give an inclination to our demise. It will be our exit. To bliss, we'll be its guardian. Once there was love. Clear as glassy water. No ripples, no waves. I followed while you led. Our arrival was warm. Hot, even. Stunning to a startling degree. Hands intwined, frolicking towards the blue. Hours passed, and white heat cede to an orange hue. We cooled down. Red. We rallied. Black. It began. Into the deep darkness we ran. White sand, it has a tendency to get everywhere. Salt water will only dehydrate you more. Shriveled and dry. Scratchy and coarse. More. And then we were lost. Fingers once locked grew distant. Morning, dear. Where have you gone? We looked. A glimpse from afar. Red. We rallied. Shall we share a bottle of wine? Black, lost again. Afternoon, friend. Where were you? Red. Alone. Black. We rallied. Shall we try somewhere new? Sand and salt. Evening, sir. Reservation for one? Reservations a plenty, I say. Evening, miss. Dining alone? Aren't we all? Dining, miss, not dying. Oh, yes, alone. Black. Sand and salt. I found you. No. No. Wait, do I know you? You feel like a dream. Don't touch me. Move along, sir. Who are you? Leave. Who are you? Where did you go? Keep moving. I am, I will. Time to move on. I'm moving! Leave. Don't touch me. Leave. Why are you? Exit. Purple. Orange. Yellow. White. Blue. Morning, dear. Shall we have breakfast? I think I'll sleep some more. But it's our last day. I know. See you downstairs when you're ready. OK. I open up the blinds. A bird breaks the surface tension. Locked in. To Devotion? No. Demise. An inclination. Reverie. Take me there. Where? Exit (To Bliss) '' Text by Gregory Markus

Constant Sound is one of the many labels Burnski aka Instinct is heading up right now and they are all as good as each other. This one focuses on house and tech sounds and welcomes Adam Pitts to the fam with three standouts. 'Gadget Crew' opens up and has a big, high-energy groove with plenty of oversized drum sounds and a retro melody paired with an intriguing soulful vocal. It has a dark garage tinge and is perfect for late-night action. 'Just This Once' is tough and physical, with warped and naughty bass and thwacking great hits irresistible to all. Last all comes a Skins Junglist Crew remix which is exactly that - a fine one for the jungle heads.

Weighing in heavy with murderous intent across three guaranteed dance levellers, Trends & Boylan land on Sneaker Social Club with a bang. The pair have been slugging out grime-leaning gear for the past five years, causing a ruckus with their truly evil ‘Norman Bates’ beat, releasing also on Trends own Mean Streets label and linking up with Slimzee’s foundational stable Slimzos for some dubplate action.

They bring that street-level swagger to the tracks on the Ninety Nine EP, but here their punchy 8-bar flex is embellished to blend in with the Sneaker surroundings a treat. ‘Carnage’ tips towards chopped up Think Breaks while ‘Nocturnal’ doubles down on the dirtiest of b-lines. Confirming their allyship from dubplates' gone by, Slimzee links up with Trends & Boylan for the double A side slammer, ‘Ninety Nine’, weaving dread-side D&B stabs around a tightly-wound beat with devastating results.

There’s not an ounce of excess on these cuts precision tooled to smashup the dance good and proper. Need we say more?

After the success of ITTY01, Comb is back with two more sides of love – a pair of fine-tuned edits on Norwich based label I Travel to You.

'I Know You Feel' It is a tropical-tinted soul hit with a powerful female vocal and killer funk bassline. The steaming vocals take you back to those intimate moments when you realise the love is real.

Take a trip East on the B side with 'What a Night', a dubbed-out version of a Japanese production, the lyrics recall yearning for a lover and the sound of an unanswered phone call. Smooth keys, soaring strings, and a glistening solo.

Warehouse find!


Rrose and Silent Servant team up to select for this ongoing leftfield compilation series.

Featuring unreleased tracks from underground talent including Anthony Child (Surgeon), Ron Morelli, Laurel Halo, Octo Octa, Phase Fatale, Function, as well as Rrose and Silent Servant and legends Laetitia Sonami and Charlemagne Palestine.

FUSE head honcho Enzo Siragusa drops his first EP of 2023 with the long-awaited release of ‘Laughing Tones’, backed by a remix from Subsequent boss Voigtmann.

It’s safe to say that every time FUSE founder Enzo Siragusa steps out on his home label with fresh music, it’s an event that carries a lot of attention and for a good reason. His last EP on the label ‘Dreamscape’ celebrated the imprint’s 50th EP release, while stand-out releases and records dating back to his very first on the imprint back in 2011 have continued to shape and evolve the label’s core identity, pushing the sound forwards while still bringing that trademark ‘FUSE aesthetic’. Returning to the label for his first release of the year, mid-July sees the renowned selector and producer unveil his latest EP ‘Laughing Tones’ as he uncovers a pair of heavily-requested productions that showcase his diverse production range backed by a driving remix from Voigtmann.

“While many people know about the influences I draw from jungle and hardcore, my sound has always been routed within house music. The inspiration behind ‘Laughing Tones’ comes from the house music from the late 90s; Mood II Swing, Inland Knights, the dubs and those deeper b-sides.. this record is a bit of a modern twist on that influential sound” - Enzo Siragusa.

A production drenched in rich melodies, title cut ‘Laughing Tones’ is a bright and lively production as the vibrant, sweeping leads and delicate chords meet a zigzagging, engrossing bassline and skippy percussion arrangements for a deep and bubbly trip through all hours of the night. Next, ‘Blossom’ enters the fray built around killer breaks and subtle low-end evolutions, all accented by jazzy tones and hazy textures, before Voigtmann’s vinyl-only remix of the title cut takes things into more off-kilter territories as eerie interludes, sharp hats, and cosmic tones take hold of things and dive deep into the early hours.

Dom of Dom & Roland, (Roland being a machine), has been a drum and bass visionary since the mid 90’s. He remains the only solo artist to have had award-winning albums on both Metalheadz and Moving Shadow. Dom released his ninth album on Overshadow earlier this year. His collaborations range far and wide and have included the likes of Optical, Amon Tobin, and more recently Noisia. Internationally acclaimed for both his records and performance, his epic brand of music has attracted other pioneers along the way, Art of Noise, David Bowie, Laurent Garnier, Goldie, and Clyde Stubblefield, are just a few of the many loyal fans he has collected over the last 30 years. He still travels the world, is not slowing down, and continues to evolve his music to this day.

“Individual” is his new label. Its purpose, in his own words, is “to celebrate the uniqueness and character of individuals or artists, who stand apart from others of the same”

Any questions about any of these products feel free to get in touch and we'll help you out!
albert.preston@sequence.cc

Vinyl includes lyric booklet with hand-written lyrics and exclusive photos and download card. Has collaborated with MF Doom, Czarface, Ghostface Killah, Dennis Coffey, and more. Kendra Morris, the Brooklyn-based Artist is back with her fifth LP, entitled I Am What I’m Waiting For, on Colemine/Karma Chief Records. Co-Written and Produced by Torbitt Schwartz (Run The Jewels, Killer Mike, Rubble Kings, Chin Chin), this collection is Kendra’s most personal album to date. It was spring of 2022 and Kendra had just released Nine Lives, her first new album in almost a decade and her first release on Colemine Records. She felt an urgency to get back into the studio, but something felt different this time. Returning to her usual ways, places, and people that she had been creating with felt like dragging herself back to a familiar and comfortable place - but that wasn’t what she was looking for. “I had to step into a new, unknown process because I knew it was the only way that I’d continue to grow,” she explained. She took a small batch of songs to Torbitt’s studio and the two began to write. “He challenged me to find the best version of every lyric,” she shared. “When I listen back, I’m so proud of the time we spent, because every single line is deliberate. I challenged myself to write just to write. No love songs this time around. Torbitt and I wanted to create a record that felt like you cracked open the ooze in my head. There are a lot of layers to me but I only recently through age and experience have fully accepted the weird little nuances that I’m made of. I’m a messy introvert that pretends to be an extrovert so I can feel like I fit in.” From top to bottom, I Am What I’m Waiting For is sincere. It’s a fresh take on a timeless sound, and Kendra exudes power. “My heart has always been in soul music,” she shared. “On this record, you’ll hear my influences and then some. You’ll hear all the bits of me….the vulnerable bits, the silly bits, all of it.This record is my melting pot.” Whether you’re a longtime listener or just now beginning to explore the whimsical world of Kendra Morris, the relatable lyrics and modern soul sounds on I Am What I’m Waiting For are sure to turn you into a fan

On the 25th August, Burna Boy will release his brand-new album ‘I Told Them…’. It will be available to stream everywhere as well as on CD & Vinyl. The Pre-order will go live alongside the album announce on the 28th July. ‘I Told Them…’ features Burna’s newest hit singles ‘Sittin’ On Top Of The World (feat. 21 Savage)’, ‘Talibans II’ & ‘Big 7’ as well as a whole host of album features.



Burna Boy was born Damini Ogulu in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, in 1991 and began making music at just ten years old. As a teenager he honed his craft on Nigeria’s southern coast, delving into dancehall, reggae and Afrobeat’s. In the early 2010s Burna Boy emerged as one of Nigeria’s fastest-rising stars, combining influences from his Nigerian heritage with hook-filled pop stylings to create unforgettable tracks. His 2012 single ‘Like to Party’ broke into the global mainstream and paved the way for his full-length debut L.I.F.E, a year later.



Over the next five years, Burna Boy released two more albums and collaborated with a long list of high-profile artists including J Hus, Skales, Fall Out Boy and Lily Allen. African Giant was released in 2019 followed by his fifth album Twice as Tall in 2020 (which featured collabs with Chris Martin and Youssou N'Dour), both charted in several countries across the globe andgarnered worldwide acclamation, with the latter winning a Grammy Award for ‘Best Global Music Album’. Breaking cultural boundaries, he became the first Nigerian to headline a show at New York’s Madison Square Garden, he released his sixth album, Love, Damini, last year (featuring collabs with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Khalid). It deservedly became the highest-charting Nigerian album in history and currently holds the record for the only African artist to earn a no. 1 on iTunes in 16 countries worldwide.

2023 Repress

Roberta is back and taking no one's mess delivering two more deep cuts showcasing her far-ranging jazz, funk & soul influences. Side A's 'Don't Bother Knockin' is running right out of the gate with its brazen yet playful energy. B Side's Be My Man softens things a bit by adding the required feminine touches: once again delivering an EP with her signature sound replete with her penchant for groovy basslines. A much welcomed follow-up release to her successful debut on James Duncan's Brooklyn based Innermoods label.

- Releases on Innermoods, Sound Kemystry, Boutade Musique, A Friend In Need

Repress!

Oliver Dollar debuts on Rekids with disco-fuelled three tracker, ‘Strings for Life’ EP.

Initially appearing on Rekids as a remixer in 2012, Berlin-based Oliver Dollar returns to Radio Slave’s imprint with the Spring-time funk of his ‘Strings for Life’ EP this April.

The rich, stirring strings of the title track open ‘Strings for Life’ with real soul. Warm, euphoric and built atop a rocksteady discoid groove, it’s a track that’s familiar, new and classic all at the same time. ‘School Daze’ follows with rhythmic shakers, funk-infused chopped guitar and bass licks while nifty vocal samples and cosseting chords provide the hooks. Closing out is ‘Sophisticated Funk’ which sees Dollar double down on the disco with an epic, emotive beatdown.

With releases from Radio Slave, Eddie Fowlkes, Cromby, Dave Angel, Star B and Alinka on Rekids in
recent months, Matt Edward’s imprint is as fresh as ever and Oliver Dollar’s ‘Strings of Life’ EP joins the catalogue in fine style.

‘VOLCANO’ follows Jungle’s previous album ‘Loving In Stereo’, which proved to be a landmark moment for the acclaimed UK duo. It achieved their highest domestic UK chart position to date debuting at #3, while also achieving their best ever album chart positions in key international territories such as Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands; and in the US it catapulted to #1 on the Billboard Dance Albums chart which led to major Arena shows as guests to Billie Eilish.

The free-spirited energy that runs right through ‘VOLCANO’ reflects how organically it came together. J and T had written most of the record on tour before starting the recording process while staying in an Airbnb in Los Angeles. It was later completed back home in London at their favourite location, Studio B at Metropolis Studios. This time around, the duo wanted to include a wider variety of voices within the album. In addition to Erick The Architect, they reunited with Bas (who previously featured on the ‘Loving In Stereo’ single ‘Romeo’) for ‘Pretty Little Thing’, as well as calling on talents in the shape of Roots Manuva, Channel Tres and JNR Williams.

Super proud to introduce this special 12" by UK Liquid Funk pioneer HIDDEN AGENDA. I first heard their music on Fabio's February (1995) KissFM show, taping from Leighton Buzzard on my parents JVC tuner. I had it playing as my sound track non-stop on my Walkman for months - deep minimal Jungle had arrived! It was the legendary 'The Flute Tune'. I soon purchased a copy on the mighty METAL HEADZ that year with my giro cheque in Coventry from Bang-in Tunes. 'Get Carter' was my next purchase, it was however, 'The Sun' on Fabio's Creative Source (1996) that set me off like a roman candle (and still does to this date) - I consider this the first Liquid Funk track.

HIDDEN AGENDA next hit us super hard by surprise in the winter of 2003. I was DJing late night at a squat in East Finchley on London's Rude FM 88.2 back-to-back. DJ Haze played this 12" that sent me totally hyper and turned out to be Jason's 'Groove Me' on Eastside Recordings. So hyped was I, that DJ Haze gave me that very copy on the spot!

I went onto paint a huge epic 200x200cm oil / acrylic painting to be photographed for the HORRIFIC13 cover. Set in the South Bronx 1978 (which is the title of the Side AA.) - a train Rolls over RAE ST with a semi-wild style piece which reads HIDDEN AGENDA - GOLDEN SKY with a mini 1978 piece also sprayed on the bridge.

A label sampler showcasing the best of Winspear’s releases from its early days to the present day. The sampler features cuts from Barrie, Divino Niño, Slow Pulp, Video Age, and more. Digital download included with the LP includes never before heard b-sides and rarities from across the label roster. Winspear Volume 01 is a label sampler from Winspear. It’s a collection of standout songs from the label’s catalog, spanning from their early years to the present day. Featuring tracks by Barrie, Divino Niño, Slow Pulp, Video Age, and more. The digital version of the label sampler (including the digital download that comes with each physical album purchase), will include never before heard demos, b-sides, and rarities from across the label roster. The release of the sampler will be celebrated at a label showcase at Thalia Hall in Chicago. The event, Winspear Review, is happening for the 4th time in the label’s history

Indies Only LP is opaque green vinyl. Both LPs come with a download. The moment the needle drops on Bite, the new A Giant Dog record, one’s conception of what an A Giant Dog record sounds like bends like space and time around a starship running at lightspeed. The biggest point of departure is that Bite is a concept album, concerning characters who find themselves moving in and out of a virtual reality called Avalonia. A Giant Dog’s first album of original songs since 2017’s Toy, Bite finds the band Sabrina Ellis, Andrew Cashen, Danny Blanchard, Graham Low, and Andy Bauer at their peak as musicians, challenging themselves with more complex arrangements and subject matter that forced them out of their heads and into those of the characters who occupy this supposed paradise. “We had to find ourselves within, or project ourselves into, the principal characters. We developed them, got to know their minds, emotions, and motivations, and then expressed those in nine songs,” Ellis explains. Themes of addiction, gender fluidity, living ethically in a capitalist society, physical autonomy, avarice, grief, and consent bubble beneath the promised happiness of Avalonia. This is evident in songs like “Different Than,” where Ellis sings, “My body can’t explain the things my mind don’t comprehend” as if societal gender pressure is squeezing its protagonist out of their skin. The songs on Bite are full of bombast, at turns calling to mind the spacefaring operatic rock of Electric Light Orchestra and the high drama of an Ennio Morricone film score. The album’s narrative sweep is epic in scope, its characters facing impossible odds and certain doom, existing as comfortably with the sci-fi grandiosity of Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak as it does with the high fantasy of Dio and Iron Maiden. Appropriately, A Giant Dog came to this narrative armed to the teeth with new ideas, unleashing synthesizers and string sections to create what Ellis describes as orchestral, symphonic, futuristic punk. To achieve this, they left their home turf of Austin, Texas, for La Cuve Studio, just outside of Angers, France. Living in the French countryside, A Giant Dog laid down their vision of the future against a decidedly pastoral backdrop. On walks from Angers to La Cuve, Ellis says that they “would see many things, and also nothing at all. Swans on the river. Romani people living in little trailers, with a side hut built for their dog. A juggler on a unicycle—not fucking with you.” “We thought we wouldn’t be allowed back in France after this trip, to be honest,” they continued. “Five loud, stomping, clapping, rowdy Americans who ran through the streets of Angers for three weeks in November 2022.” The experience capped two years of planning and writing, fleshing out the universe of Avalonia beyond the bounds of most concept albums. The resulting nine songs do not merely occupy this space: They’ve lived in it, and they want out.

Repressed and note new dealer price. The members of Explosions in the Sky may just be four soft-spoken guys from Texas, but on Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever they simply tear everything apart. Combining influences from classic rock to metal to goth, the band creates instrumental soundscapes that can turn from all-out destruction to heartfelt, dreamy melodies in the blink of an eye. The result is similar to Mogwai and Godspeed a musical journey that leads listeners through the entire range of emotion without even needing words. "Greet Death" matches a crunchy Dinosaur Jr hook with warm Cure-esque bass grooves. "Moon Down" chimes and twists through ten minutes of calm night, leaving the listener with the feeling that something awesome is sure to happen. On "Have You Passed Through This Night?" one of the members of Explosions in the Sky ponders in a near-whispering Texas drawl the meaning of the world. What follows is like the climax of a tense, mind-blowing movie, driven by relentless guitars and a thundering Master of puppets Metallica drum march. "Poor Man's Memory" follows, offering some consolation in a sentimental melody. The album ends with the grand, 12-minute-long "With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept," a song that moves from Sonic Youth to Joy Division to Explosions in the Sky. Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever is nothing short of awe-inspiring and was one of the best records of 2001. A1 Greet Death A2 Yasmin The Light A3 The Moon Is Down B1 Have You Passed Through This Night? B2 A Poor Man's Memory B3 With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept

In 2020, electronic musician Nina Pixel was offered a track on a compilation album of songs from the Liptov region. What started as a rearrangement of a single folk song eventually grew in scope and size, eventually becoming a series of releases. Titled Ancestral Archaeology, the series counts two self-released EPs, an audiovisual show in co-operation with Adrián Kriška, and now, after two years, a double LP published by Weltschmerzen. In this definitive form of an album, Ancestral Archaeology reveals itself as a musical reimagination of traditional historical Slovak culture at large.

Nina Pixel averts the perils of lapsing into inauthentic fakelore by building her music with, rather than on, the ethnographic riches of Slovakia. With the eagerness of a genuine archeological prospector, Ancestral Archaeology invokes the always present but seldom perceived linchpins of folklore culture: the desperate clinging to the memory of pre-Christian paganism and witchcraft, songs with narratives of beautiful innate wyrdness that is utterly unfit for mass culture, and superstition as the most serious longing for the balance between sense and irrationality.

If we acknowledge the truism of folklore as the shared way of expression in rural society, the techno music on Ancestral Archeology proposes that, in the urban society of ours, this role is served by raves. The argument isn't as much declared as it's implied // in music and in the spoken-word lyrics that are rife with historical and contemporary sources. An 18th-century recipe by the writer and priest Juraj Fándly proposes snorting the grounded flowers of the medicinal weed Valerian as a way of curing bad vision. "It is a proven remedy!" we are repeatedly assured, and it's not hard imagining Fándly and his parishioners, strung out on Valerian, moving almost involuntarily to the rhythms of their era just as we can move to Ancestral Archeology.

Nina Pixel is a Slovak music artist based in Berlin. Lyrics are inspired by Slovak folklore traditions, songs and shared beliefs.



Manifestation tools: cello, overtone flute koncovka, fujara, gong, metal bowls, sheep bell, field recordings of Slovak forests, Andreas's tom and various drum machines.

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard kündigen ihr 24. Album an: ”PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation”. Es ist der zweite Ausflug der Gruppe in das Thrash Genre - nach ”Infest The Rats’ Nest” aus dem Jahr 2019 -, doch wie zu erwarten, ist ”PetroDragonic Apocalypse” keine bloße Neuauflage von ”Rats’ Nest”, sondern ein ganz eigener evolutionärer Schritt.

Wewantsounds continues its Akiko Yano series with the reissue of her cult classic 'Ai Ga Nakucha Ne' recorded in 1982 and co-produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Featuring Japan, the album includes additional recording in Tokyo with YMO and is mixed by Steve Nye and Shinichi Tanaka. It is the first time the album is released outside of Japan and the deluxe LP features the original artwork with gatefold sleeve and a lavish 24-page colour booklet with sessions photos by Pennie Smith (famous for The Clash's London Calling photo). The reissue also includes a new introduction by Mac DeMarco and a dual interview with Akiko Yano and Steve Jansen by journalist Paul Bowler. The audio remastered from the Original tapes by Mitsuo Koike.

'Ai Ga Nakucha Ne' ('there must be love' in Japanese) is Akiko Yano’s 6th studio album and follows 'Tadaima' in 1981. It continues exploring the electro-pop sound of its predecessor, hot on the heels of her touring with Yellow Magic Orchestra between 1979 and 1980. For this album, Akiko decided to try something new; she enrolled English fellow musicians Mick Karn, Steve Jansen and David Sylvian from Japan and booked the Air Studios in London under the supervision of engineer Steve Nye. ​​Over a couple of weeks, the musicians created a fascinating soundscape full of catchy pop tunes, sung in both Japanese and English. Reminiscing about the studio sessions, Steve Jansen notes "Our music’s different but we maybe had a similar process of working. It was a great environment because the studio was a great place to work. It was very insular. There were four studios and there were always groups working in there 24/7."

The eleven tracks featured on "Ai Ga Nakucha Ne," mostly composed by Akiko - are a great collection of catchy tunes featuring her distinctive vocals and accompanied by the Japan musicians. As Akiko explains about the creative process, "I didn’t think to imitate or to make another Tin Drum. But I had Steve Jansen and Mick Karn, these excellent musicians. They were eager to understand the songs, then they put in everything they had. I knew the material was different from what they usually played in Japan. But it was a great experience working with them.

​There are many highlights on the album, from the pop edge of "Aisuru Hito Yo" to the avant groove of "Another Wedding Song", each song is memorable and the album ends with the superb “Good Night” sung by Akiko and David Sylvian.

The original 1982 LP release included a 24 page booklet featuring many photos by Pennie Smith and Japanese photographer Bishin Jumonji. The booklet is reproduced in its entirety here and the album on top of contributions by Mac DeMarco, a longtime fan of the album, Akiko and Steve Jansen making this release of 'Ai Ga Nakucha Ne' a unique testament to Akiko Yano's greatness.

Der Soundtrack zur HBO-Serie "The Last of Us" basiert auf der beliebten Musik und Klangwelt des gleichnamigen Videospiels. Geschrieben wurde der Soundtrack vom mit einem Academy Award ausgezeichneten Komponisten Gustavo Santaolalla und von David Fleming.Die intime, gitarrenbetonte Klanglandschaft spiegelt die Emotionalität der Serie wider und nimmt die Hörer mit auf die ungewisse Reise durch die USA in einer postapokalyptischen Welt, zwanzig Jahre nach der Zerstörung der modernen Zivilisation durch eine, von einem Pilz verursachte Epidemie.

Based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation® platforms, The Last of Us is written and executive produced by co-creators Craig Mazin (Emmy® Award-winning creator of HBO’s “Chernobyl”) and Neil Druckmann (creator and writer of the award-winning “The Last of Us” franchise and Naughty Dog Co-President).


The Last of Us takes place twenty years after modern civilization
has been destroyed by a viral outbreak. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.

The vinyl release to the acclaimed series contains soundtrack
highlights from the show. Featured are score tracks by composer Gustavo Santaolalla, with additional music by David Fleming as well as songs by Depeche Mode, Pearl Jam, Jessica Mazin & Nick Offerman.


The package contains 2x vinyl, standard weight at 140g, 1x green and 1x clear, a double-sided poster of the show’s key art, spot gloss and soft touch on the gatefold and an insert featuring liner notes by Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, Gustavo Santaolalla & David Fleming and images from the show.

Eclipse kehren zurück mit ihrem neunten Album "Megalomanium". Nach ihrem bisher erfolgreichsten Album "Paradigm" (das die massive Single "Viva La Victoria" enthält, die allein bisher über 26 Millionen Streams auf Spotify hat)) veröffentlichten die schwedischen Hard Rocker ihr letztes Album "Wired" Ende 2020 (Platz 23 der deutschen Charts). Trotz der fehlenden Tourneen gelang es ihnen, weiter zu wachsen. Das neue Album bietet den fröhlichen, hooklastigen und gitarrenorientierten Sound von Eclipse in seiner reinsten Form, 80er beeinflusster Melodic Hard Rock. Die Band ruht sich jedoch nicht auf Lorbeeren aus und bietet einige neue Elemente für einen Sound, der vor allem in Europa bereits Massen von Fans gewonnen hat. Während die erste Single "The Hardest Part is Losing You" einfach zeigt, dass die Inspiration intakt ist - eine der besten Hymnen von Eclipse überhaupt! - Songs wie "Got It!" oder das von Victor Crusner gesungene "High Road" zeigen, dass die Band sich nicht scheut, neue Wege zu gehen. Trotzdem können sie im hymnischen "Children of the Night" mit einem Riff, das die Erinnerungen an den besten Dio/Sabbath-Sound weckt, sehr hart rocken. Weitere Highlights sind das sofort erkennbare "Hearts Collide" und das treffend betitelte "Anthem", das die Fans, die die Shows der Band genießen, in Brand setzen wird. Megalomanium hat absolut alles, was man von den Jungs aus Stockholm erwarten würde, und noch mehr. Erik Martensson (auch W.E.T.) zeigt einmal mehr, warum er einer der gefragtesten Autoren und Produzenten der Szene ist. Sein Geschmack für Melodien, Songwriting und Harmonien ist absolut herausragend und wenn er sich mit Magnus Henrikssons Gitarren duelliert, ist absolute Magie da. Große Europa Tournee von Juni bis November.

teely Dan's gold-selling third studio album Pretzel Logic, charted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and restored the group's radio presence with the single "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," which became the biggest pop hit of their career and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 1974 album was produced by Gary Katz and was written primarily by Walter Becker (bass) and bandleader Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards). The album marked the beginning of Becker and Fagen's roles as Steely Dan's principal members.

They enlisted prominent Los Angeles-based studio musicians to record Pretzel Logic, but used them only for occasional overdubs, except for drums, where founding drummer Jim Hodder was reduced to a backing singer, replaced by Jim Gordon and Jeff Porcaro on the drum kit for all of the songs on the album. Steely Dan's Jeff "Skunk" Baxter played pedal steel guitar and hand drums.

Pretzel Logic has shorter songs and fewer instrumental jams than the group's 1973 album Countdown to Ecstasy. Steely Dan considered it the band's attempt at complete musical statements within the three-minute pop-song format. The album's music is characterized by harmonies, counter-melodies, and bop phrasing. It also relies often on straightforward pop influences. The syncopated piano line that opens "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" develops into a pop melody, and the title track transitions from a blues song to a jazzy chorus.

Other standout tracks include "Any Major Dude Will Tell You," a reflective ballad with lush harmonies, and "Parker's Band," a playful ode to the jazz great Charlie Parker.

Lyrically, the album explores themes of nostalgia, lost love, and the struggles of the creative process. In "Barrytown," the band reflects on their early days as struggling musicians, while in "Through with Buzz," they offer a biting critique of the music industry and the pressure to conform to commercial expectations.

One of the defining characteristics of Pretzel Logic is its use of unusual chord progressions and unexpected musical twists and turns. The band's intricate arrangements and skilled musicianship are on full display throughout the album.

Rolling Stone praised the album, calling Steely Dan the "most improbable hit-singles band to emerge in ages."

"When the band doesn't undulate to samba rhythms (as it did on 'Do It Again,' its first Top Ten single), it pushes itself to a full gallop (as it did on 'Reelin' in the Years,' its second). These two rhythmic preferences persist and sometimes intermingle, as on 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number,' which jumps in mid-chorus from 'Hernando's Hideaway' into 'Honky Tonk Women.' Great transition." — the review said.

AllMusic gave the album 5 stars, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine noting that "instead of relying on easy hooks, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen assembled their most complex and cynical set of songs to date." Dense with harmonics, countermelodies, and bop phrasing, Pretzel Logic is vibrant with unpredictable musical juxtapositions and snide, but very funny, wordplay.

The album's cover photo featuring a New York pretzel vendor was taken by Raeanne Rubenstein, a photographer of musicians and Hollywood celebrities. She shot the photo on the west side of Fifth Avenue and 79th Street, just above the 79th Street Transverse (the road through Central Park), at the park entrance called "Miners' Gate."

After a brief battle with esophageal cancer, Walter Becker died on September 3, 2017 at the age of 67. Steely Dan has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001. VH1 ranked Steely Dan at No. 82 on their list of the 100 Greatest Musical Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 15 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.

This stereo UHQR reissue will be limited to 20,000 copies, with gold foil individually numbered jackets, housed in a premium slipcase with a wooden dowel spine.

Overall, Pretzel Logic is a standout album in Steely Dan's discography. The album's blend of catchy hooks, complex arrangements, and thoughtful lyrics has made it a favorite among fans of classic rock and pop music.

Wanda Jackson is a true pioneer of American popular music. One of the first women in history to record country and western music, as well as rock ‘n’ roll, and a brief romantic liaison with Elvis.This collection reminds of the greatness of her peak years at Capitol Records. From the mournful twists of “Sinful Heart,” to the hard-rocking thrills of “Let’s Have A Party” and “Riot In Cell Block Number Nine,” Wanda Jackson attacks the material in her distinctive way, with a wry glance at innocence left somewhere behind. All hail the Queen, and long may she reign!

Pierre-Alain Dahan & Slim Pezin's Neo Rythmiques is an absolute KILLER Tele Music library classic from 1976. It's absolutely sensational throughout, all scorching, uptempo jazzy soul funk that Mr James Brown himself would've been envious of. This is serious business with breaks for days. French drummer, percussionist and composer Pierre-Alain Dahan was a key member of the legendary Arpadys, Disco & Co, Voyage, Tumblack (with Wally Badarou, Mallia et al!) and Jef Gilson Septet. With Neo Rhythmiques, he's joined by his eternal guitar colleague Slim Pezin (Voyage, Manu Dibango, Nino Ferrer), so you know this Be With reissue is fundamentally vital.

Opener "Soul Car" is a swaggering, horn-drenched jazz-funk beast whilst the slick JBs funk of "Happy Penalty" is just plain irresistible. Definitely influenced by American funk flavours, it stands alone on its own right as a brilliant piece of music, no question about that. The blazing "Kuzi-Kuza" is again horn-fuelled but has a more exotic, Latino feel, all loose grooves and bastard blues with funky organ and shredding guitars. The stomping, proto-disco of "Mercy Boa" is a guitar-sizzled Bohannon-esque hypno-groove for adventurous dance floors the world over. Outstanding. And if all that wasn't enough from one half of a 70s French library LP, the A side ends with the monumental, stratospheric "Slim Bertha"! I mean, what can you even say about this absolute monster?! Slo-motion, deep drama funk breaks with jazzy guitar and gleaming percussion. Just sensational.

Side B opens with "Country + Country", a rather forgettable slice of piano driven bluegrass funk (?!) Aaaaannyway, "Super Airship" follows and is a driving fuzz-guitar psych-rock workout of the highest order. We're back on track now. The brilliantly titled "Electronic Mutation" is a total highlight, the funk most definitely returning and, indeed, strong in this one with its deep clean breaks (with some particularly ace hi-hats), echoey effects and funky clavs. "Africa Semper" follows, all funky percussion, trippy echo and distorted, psychy guitar licks. To close out the set, "Neo Rythmiques 1 and 2" form a great salvo of top-tier, percussion-heavy synthy-funk-fusion. For our money, the bugged-out echoey space-soul of "N° 2" just about edges it.

One of the very best French drummers ever, Pierre-Alain Dahan began his career at the Blue Note in Paris with Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon and Daniel Humair. Some start, eh?! He also participated in the recording of Serge Gainsbourg's cult album 'La Ballade de Melody Nelson' before going on to make countless KILLER library funk records and be a key member - alongside his partner here, Slim Pezin - in the legendary Arpadys, Disco & Co and Voyage. Dahan also featured in Tumblack (with Wally Badarou, Sauveur Mallia et al) and Jef Gilson Septet (alongside Henri Texier), whilst the CCCP Pezin backed, among others, Manu Dibango and Nino Ferrer. Some pedigree.

The audio for Neo Rythmiques has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Östro 430 waren schon immer eine sehr besondere Band. Eine kurze Zeitreise: Es sind die späten 70er- und frühen 80er-Jahre, und in Düsseldorf proben Dutzende junger Gruppen die Revolution: Male, Mittagspause (später Fehlfarben), ZK (später Tote Hosen), S.Y.P.H., Der Plan, DAF. Ihre Barrikade, Bühne und Biertresen ist der Ratinger Hof, der schnell zum deutschen "Mekka des Punk" wird. Doch selbst hier verstoßen Östro 430 gegen jedes Gesetz. Ihre Musik ist aufgedreht, melodiös, brachial und Do-it-Yourself. Die Krönung sind die Songtexte: Lieder wie "Sexueller Notstand", "S-Bahn" und "Zu cool" werden zu Klassikern. Sie schaffen es ins Fernsehen, den britischen NME und sogar in die BRAVO. Die Welt braucht die Östros, aber sie verpasst ihre Chance: 1984 lösen sich Östro 430. 39 Jahre später bekommt die Welt eine zweite Chance. Östro 430 können nicht anders, als anders zu sein als alle anderen. Punkrock, aber nach Hausfrauenart: keine Gitarren - und trotzdem straight. Dazu Texte, die das Reimlexikon neu erfinden: Sie dichten "Diktator" auf "Vibrator" und "Hintern" auf "Pimpern". Sie teilen aus gegen jede Art von Spießertum: machtgeile Populisten, konservative Alt-Punks, ignorante Umweltschweine und politisch Überkorrekte, die Shitstorms diktieren. Und die Östros können sogar anders als anders, nämlich verletzlich sein. In "Bleib hier" heißt es: "Du sagst, ich lieb aus Angst vor dem Alleinesein und jedes Wort tritt meine Zukunft ein". Östro 430, die ungewollten Role-Models der Ü50-PunkerInnen, teilen wieder aus & prangern an - schmackhaft, nachhaltig & wohl bekömmlich. Auf "Punkrock nach Hausfrauenart" sagen nun auch Bela B. von den Ärzten, Bärchen & die Milchbubis und Stefan Stoppok mit ihren musikalischen Gastbeiträgen als Kronzeugen für die Gruppe aus. Einst waren Östro 430 Vorbilder, als es Bezeichnungen wie Rrriot Girls und Role Models noch nicht gab. Und auch heute sind sie wieder Wegbereiter. Wegbereiter wofür? Bis die Welt das passende Wort gefunden hat, nennen wir"s einfach "Punkrock nach Hausfrauenart".

Östro 430 waren schon immer eine sehr besondere Band. Eine kurze Zeitreise: Es sind die späten 70er- und frühen 80er-Jahre, und in Düsseldorf proben Dutzende junger Gruppen die Revolution: Male, Mittagspause (später Fehlfarben), ZK (später Tote Hosen), S.Y.P.H., Der Plan, DAF. Ihre Barrikade, Bühne und Biertresen ist der Ratinger Hof, der schnell zum deutschen "Mekka des Punk" wird. Doch selbst hier verstoßen Östro 430 gegen jedes Gesetz. Ihre Musik ist aufgedreht, melodiös, brachial und Do-it-Yourself. Die Krönung sind die Songtexte: Lieder wie "Sexueller Notstand", "S-Bahn" und "Zu cool" werden zu Klassikern. Sie schaffen es ins Fernsehen, den britischen NME und sogar in die BRAVO. Die Welt braucht die Östros, aber sie verpasst ihre Chance: 1984 lösen sich Östro 430. 39 Jahre später bekommt die Welt eine zweite Chance. Östro 430 können nicht anders, als anders zu sein als alle anderen. Punkrock, aber nach Hausfrauenart: keine Gitarren - und trotzdem straight. Dazu Texte, die das Reimlexikon neu erfinden: Sie dichten "Diktator" auf "Vibrator" und "Hintern" auf "Pimpern". Sie teilen aus gegen jede Art von Spießertum: machtgeile Populisten, konservative Alt-Punks, ignorante Umweltschweine und politisch Überkorrekte, die Shitstorms diktieren. Und die Östros können sogar anders als anders, nämlich verletzlich sein. In "Bleib hier" heißt es: "Du sagst, ich lieb aus Angst vor dem Alleinesein und jedes Wort tritt meine Zukunft ein". Östro 430, die ungewollten Role-Models der Ü50-PunkerInnen, teilen wieder aus & prangern an - schmackhaft, nachhaltig & wohl bekömmlich. Auf "Punkrock nach Hausfrauenart" sagen nun auch Bela B. von den Ärzten, Bärchen & die Milchbubis und Stefan Stoppok mit ihren musikalischen Gastbeiträgen als Kronzeugen für die Gruppe aus. Einst waren Östro 430 Vorbilder, als es Bezeichnungen wie Rrriot Girls und Role Models noch nicht gab. Und auch heute sind sie wieder Wegbereiter. Wegbereiter wofür? Bis die Welt das passende Wort gefunden hat, nennen wir"s einfach "Punkrock nach Hausfrauenart".

Doppel-LP im Klappcover mit zwei bedruckten Innersleeves, 140 Gramm Vinyl. Was tun, wenn die Welt stehen bleibt? März 2020 ist der Moment, als die deutsche Schauspielerin Melanie Wiegmann auf der kleinen maltesischen Insel Gozo landet, um dort ihren Lebensgefährten, den Musiker Carl Carlton, zu besuchen. Pandemie, Quarantäne, Reisebeschränkungen - nichts geht mehr. Carl, international vernetzter und bekannter Rockgitarrist, ist gezwungen, sämtliche musikalischen Projekte auf Eis zu legen. Auch für Melanie wird die Reise zur Zäsur. Sie bricht Brücken ab und verlässt die laufende Produktion der ARD-Telenovela "Sturm der Liebe", mit der sie zum Star wurde. Aus ihrem ursprünglich geplanten Vier-Tage-Trip werden schließlich drei Jahre. Das Paar nutzt die Zwangspause auf der Mittelmeerinsel, um sich der Musik zu widmen. Im Vordergrund stehen der Spaß und die gemeinsame Liebe zu den Songs, an eine kommerzielle Verwertung denkt niemand. Der rote Faden, der sämtliche Songs verbindet: das ewige Thema Liebe - mit allen Schattierungen. Melanie und Carl entwickeln Arrangements und stellen fest, dass nicht nur ihre Stimmen, sondern auch ihre Geschmäcker harmonieren. Das Great Americana Songbook bildet die Grundlage. Neben Genre-Klassikern wie "Love Hurts" und "If I Needed You" kommen auch die Beatles ("Here, There And Everywhere") und Perlen aus den Katalogen großer Songwriter wie Leonard Cohen ("Dance Me To The End Of Love"), Tom Petty ("Wildflowers") und John Prine ("Long Monday") oder Bob Dylan ("I'll Be Your Baby Tonight") ins Spiel. Als Reisen endlich wieder möglich ist, packen die beiden die Koffer, um Carls weltweit verzweigte Musikerfamilie zu besuchen. Die Aufnahmen der Songs entstehen in Irland, Berlin und schließlich auf Malta. Den Feinschliff für das Album gab es in New York von Mastering-Legende Fred Kevorkian. Mit "Glory Of Love" ist ein warmherziges musikalisches Tagebuch entstanden, das mit eigenwilliger Songauswahl, unprätentiösen Arrangements und natürlichem Charme überzeugt. Die vielleicht schönste Überraschung: Hier haben sich nicht nur zwei Seelen, sondern auch zwei wundervoll harmonierende Stimmen gefunden.

Celebrating Sir George Shearing, combines the punch of a big band with the intimacy of a small group, as this hard-swinging, highly melodic outfit showcases some of the UK's most gifted soloists. Whether reinterpreting classics such as Conception and Lullaby of Birdland or re-introducing lesser-known tunes such as Night Flight and Children's Waltz, its richly varied repertoire mirrors Shearing's own development, encompassing swing, be-bop, cool and Latin jazz, topped off with some of the most celebrated vocal numbers of the 20th century.

2023 Repress Blue Vinyl

- Eagerly anticipated follow up to 2014 debut - number 7 in Mojo's best albums of the year.
- LP jacket is gloss laminate with front & back folds on the outside.The back panel is uncoated/matt varnish - 300 gsm card and 180g vinyl. Digital Download included.
- EU tour coming in April with Summer festivals later in 2017.

Sometimes it can take years to find your calling. Not so, for wanderer Julie Byrne, whose power of lyrical expression and melodic nous seems inborn. But often, what comes naturally demonstrates against speed. Julie's second album Not Even Happiness has taken time to evolve, but as it spans recollections of bustling roadside diners, the stars over the high desert, the aching weariness of change, the wildflowers on the coast of California and the irresolvable mysteries of love. Her new album archives a vivid world that would've otherwise been lost to the road and in doing so, Byrne exhibits her extraordinarily innate musicality.

In fact, some of the album's songs took two years of fine tuning to get where they needed to be. And if you were to ask her why the follow up to 2014's Rooms With Walls And Windows has taken so long, you'd only be greeted with a bemused smile as though it's the strangest question she's ever been asked, Writing comes from a natural process of change and growth. It took me up to this point to have the capacity to express my experience of the time in my life that these songs came from.'

Having counted Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Northampton, Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois, Seattle, New Orleans as her home in recent years. For now, Julie has settled in New York City where she moonlights as a seasonal urban park ranger in Manhattan. Whether witnessing the Pacific Northwest for the first time ('Melting Grid'), the morning sky in Colorado after staying up through the night at a house party in the mountains of Boulder ('Natural Blue'), recording the passage of freight trains on the outskirts of Buffalo, New York ('Interlude'), or a journey fragrant with rose water, reading Frank O'Hara aloud from the passengers seat during a drive through the desert of Utah into the rainforest of Washington State ('All The Land Glimmered Beneath'), Not Even Happiness is Julie's beguilingly ode to the fringes of life.

Self-taught on the guitar after picking it up when her father became ill and could no longer play the instrument himself, Julie readily admits she can't read music and doesn't even listen to it all that much - the first vinyl she owned was indeed, her own. Recorded with producer Eric Littmann (Phantom Posse), Julie laid down the new album in her childhood home in western New York state and offers an altogether bigger picture to its predecessor through a wider, yet subtle, exploration of instruments and atmospherics, Not Even Happiness reveals an artist who has grown in confidence over time.

Byrne's debut album was released back in January 2014 on Chicago based DIY label Orindal after initially being as two separate cassettes releases. Rooms With Walls and Windows went onto become a true modern-day word of mouth success story (it would have to be for an artist who shuns all forms of social media) and ended the year being voted number 7 in Mojo magazine's best albums of the year, with the Huffington Post calling it "2014's Great American Album". A collection of hushed intimate front porch psych-folk songs, that unknowingly recalled the greats, but felt very much for our time. It saw her travel to Europe over two summers playing the Green Man festival and End Of The Road, as well as lesser trodden tour paths around Europe.

Julie Byrne will take the songs from Not Even Happiness (the first release on a new record label Basin Rock, based in the Lancashire / Yorkshire border town of Todmorden) on the road throughout 2017.

Following 2 acclaimed first editions, Stix Records presents the 3rd

volume of its Disco Reggae compilation series.
Like previous one, the 9 tracks comp is made both from productions
of the home labels now sold-out as vinyl, and from brand new
exclusive music by the like of Taggy Matcher, Mato or newcomer
Rosemary Martins, taking over classics titles from Donna Summer,
Stephen Encinas, Roberta Flack, Herbie Hancock, Steve Parks, or Inner City.
The perfect soundtrack to extend the summer!!

Following the success of Hiroshi Sato's reissue, Wewantsounds is proud to announce an ambitious programme to release Akiko Yano's albums outside of Japan starting with her 1981 synth-pop masterpiece 'Tadaima.', co-produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto and featuring YMO. The reissue includes original artwork by cult illustrator King Terry, a 2 page insert and OBI Strip (LP) plus a new introduction by renowned Electro DJ Joakim. Japan's best kept secret, Akiko Yano is one of the most ground-breaking artists to come out of the 70s Japanese music scene along with HaruomiHosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto. A piano child prodigy, Yano started her solo recording career in 1976 at just 21, recording her debut album "Japanese Girl" with no less than Little Feat as the backing band. This album created a stir on the Japanese scene and Yano was on the map. She went on to record a series of superb albums mixing Funk, Electro and City Pop featuring the cream of Japanese (and sometimes American and English) musicians; The fact she was producing, writing and composing herself made her a true maverick in a very male-dominated industry. These albums, incredibly, have never been released outside of Japan to this day. "Tadaima." ("I'm home" in Japanese) recorded in 1981 is Yano's fith studio album co-produced by her then husband Ryuichi Sakamoto and featuring all the musicians from YMO (HaruomiHosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Sakamoto), the group she was touring with at the time. "Tadaima." is Yano's first attempt to leave the acoustic piano aside and delve into the synth sounds of the early 80s. The result is a fascinating electro pop masterpiece showcasing her talent as a writer, musician and singer, creating her own unique universe. Mixing Japanese and English lyrics, Yano crafts perfect pop songs such as "Tadaima" "I Sing", "HarusakiKobeni" (which became one of her most famous songs after its use in a Japanese cosmetics ad), while "Taiyo No Onara" is a suite composed of nine short stories written by Children. Contributors on Tadaima also include ShigesatoItoi, one of Japan's most famous copywriters (for Studio Ghibli among others) who wrote two tracks on the album and his friend legendary illustrator TeruhikoYumura - aka King Terry - who revolutionised underground manga in the 70s with his 'heta-uma' (bad-good) style, as showcased on the album's striking artwork. 'Tadaima.' is the perfect entry point to Akiko Yano's unique body or work.


The reissue comes with the original obi strip artwork, extensive liner notes and a new introduction from Joakim

YMO DRUMMER YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI'S SOPHISTICATED CITY FUNK CLASSIC FROM 1978 CO-PRODUCED BY RYUICHI SAKAMOTO AND FEATURING HARUOMI HOSONO, MINAKO YOSHIDA AND TATSURO YAMASHITA. RELEASED FOR THE FIRST TIME OUTSIDE OF JAPAN - WITH REMASTERED AUDIO, LP COMES WITH OBI AND FOUR PAGE INSERT

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of Yukihiro Takahashi's debut solo album 'Saravah!'. One of the key Japanese albums of the 70s, it was released in 1978 at a key time when, following his tenure with Sadistic Mika Band, Takahashi had just joined the nascent line up of Yellow Magic Orchestra. A sophisticated mix of Disco Funk, synth Pop, Ambient, French Exotica and Bossa Nova, the album has the stylish feel of a night out clubbing in Paris circa 1978. It’s the missing link between the City Pop scene of the late 70s and the synth sound of YMO which was about to revolutionise the world. Newly remastered by renowned engineer Mitsuo Koike, the LP features original artwork with photos by Masayoshi Sukita (David Bowie's Heroes), a 4-page insert and a new Introduction by Benjamin Barouh (Saravah records).
The month before recording the YMO debut album that would help alter the course of music, Yukihiro Takahashi entered the studio with his fellow band-members Ryuichi Sakamoto and Haruomi Hosono to record 'Saravah!' together with the cream of the Japanese scene. He drew his inspiration from globe-trotting French musician Pierre Barouh who had introduced Bossa Nova in France in 1966 with "Samba Saravah" (featured in soundtrack the Oscar Winner A Man And A Woman which he co-wrote) and subsequently launched Saravah Records.
'Saravah' starts off with a couple of French and Italian exotica classics ('Volare' and 'C'est Si Bon') with delicious touches of synth while 'Saravah!' a nod to Pierre Barouh, is a languid Bossa Nova with beautiful soulful strings arranged by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The album gets hotter with 'La Rosa' a superb mid tempo ambient funk featuring Takahashi's beat backed by Haruomi Hosono's bumping bass line, Sakamoto's Hammond Organ and Shigeru Suzuki's fluid guitar.
The first side ends with an amazing exotica-synth version of the standard 'Mood Indigo', announcing the midi revolution that was to come before things get funkier on Side Two starting with Ryuichi Sakamoto's superb up-tempo Disco instrumental ‘Elastic Dummy’ featuring soulful strings and horns with solos by Sakamoto and guitarist Tsunehide Matsuki. The album then moves on to the ambient synth pop of ‘Sunset’ before switching back to Disco Funk with 'Back Street Midnight Queen’ which. like 'Elastic Dummy' has become a dancefloor cult classic over the years.' Saravah! ends on a perfect note with the beautiful 'Present' a perfectly crafted pop song which Takahashi wanted to do in a City Pop mode, featuring a superb melody and high-class arrangements. The perfect soundtrack to an early morning stroll in the Paris streets as illustrated by Masayoshi Sukita's photos featured on the album cover.
A sophisticated album full of glitz and fun, 'Saravah!' gives a unique insight into the versatility the YMO musicians and how funky they could play under Yukihiro Takahashi's influence. This was a key time when the three musicians were just transitioning to a sound that would be dominated by synthesizers and 'Saravah' catch them just at that fascinating moment.

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO'S LANDMARK 1981 ALBUM REISSUED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES OUTSIDE OF JAPAN. THE ALBUM WILL BE REISSUED IN ITS RARE JAPANESE EDITION TOGETHER WITH A 2-LP LIMITED EDITION FEATURING THE ALBUM PLUS A 2ND LP FEATURING ITS NEVER-RELEASED FULL INSTRUMENTAL MIX, ALL REMASTERED BY BERNIE GRUNDMAN.

Wewantsounds is proud to announce the reissue of Ryuichi Sakamoto's third solo album "Hidari Ude No Yume" (Left Handed Dream), originally released in 1981 on the Alfa label. Save for a small-scale Dutch vinyl release in 1981, it is the first time the album's original Japanese edition is released outside of Japan (the European release on Epic Records included significantly different tracks and mixes). Newly remastered from the original tapes by renowned engineer Bernie Grundman, this LP edition comes with original artwork featuring a striking cover shot by famous photographer Masayoshi Sukita (sourced from the original negative), OBI strip and 4-page insert with new introduction by journalist Anton Spice. The album will also be released as a 2-LP limited edition gatefold including the album's full instrumental mix.
Ryuichi Sakamoto's third album, "Hidari Ude No Yume" was recorded at the legendary Alfa Studio 'A' in Tokyo during the Summer of 1981. it came after "B-2 Unit" in 1980 and his debut album "Thousand Knives Of" in 1978, the very year Sakamoto was invited by Haruomi Hosono to join Yellow Magic Orchestra alongside Yukihiro Takahashi. In the process, they became global stars as the group rewrote the rules of electronic pop and toured around the world, yet Sakamoto was keen to remain active as a solo artist.
?In 1981, the musician decided to record an album rooted in Pop, following "B-2 Unit" which had a more of an experimental edge and his landmark electro debut from 1978. For this new album entitled "Hidari Ude No Yume," Sakamoto invited British producer Robin Scott, who had had huge hit with 'Pop Muzik,' to co-produce. They entered the Alfa studio in July 1981, accompanied by a handful of musicians. These included his fellow YMO musicians Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, keyboard programmer extraordinaire Hideki Matsutake who'd been on Sakamoto's first two albums and became YMO's unofficial fourth member, violinist Kaoru Sato, saxophonist Satoshi Nakamura and American guitarist Adrian Belew who'd played with David Bowie, The Talking Heads' "Remain In Light" and more recently, Tom Tom Club’s debut (co-writing 'Genius Of Love').
?Together, they created a fascinating mix of pop, ambient and electronic music with elements of avant garde and traditional Japanese music, the whole firmly rooted in a solid groove. Sakamoto wanted to give the album a spontaneous feel and decided to let ideas flow and evolve organically during the sessions as musicians would develop them together. From the funk of 'Relâché' to the new wave feel of 'Venezia' and the ambient minimalism of 'Slat Dance,' the album is remarkably consistent while displaying a wealth of global influences as shown by the diversity of instruments featured on the credits: Marimba, didgeridu, traditional Japanese instruments such as the Sho and Hichiriki flutes.
?The album was released in Japan in 1981 and Epic Records picked it up for Europe a year later but decided to release it in a significantly altered version. The sequencing was completely reshuffled and two tracks, 'Saru No Ie' and 'Living In The Dark' were completely dropped while three others, ‘Relâché’, ‘Tell 'em To Me’, ‘Venezia’ were heavily remodelled with english lyrics and became 'Just About Enough', 'Once In A Lifetime' and 'The Left Bank'. Last but not least, a new English-sung track, 'The Arrangement,' was added, making the album nine tracks instead of ten for the Japanese edition.
Altogether this International version called "Left-Handed Dream" was a very different album from the Japanese one and although both were successful at the time and further established Ryuichi Sakamoto as a global solo artist, the Japanese edition of "Hidari Ude No Yume" remains largely unknown to international ears.
Wewantsounds is now delighted to release this original Japanese edition for the first time in decades as a single LP together with a 2-LP limited-edition set adding, as a bonus, its fascinating instrumental mix, discovered in the label's vaults a few years ago (Note that 'The Garden Of Poppies', 'Slat Dance' and 'Saru No Ie' are instrumentals but for the consistency of the album we kept them on the Instrumental Mix). "Hidari Ude No Yume" is an essential album in Ryuichi Sakamoto's rich discography. It is now available in its purest original Japanese form.

Repress!

Robert Cotters lange verschollenes New York Funk Meisterwerk mit der pre-Chic 'Big Apple Band' mit den Mitgliedern Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Tony Thompson und Robert Sabino zum ersten Mal seit 1976 neu aufgelegt mit Original Artwork, Remastered Audio und neuen Liner Notes von Barbie Bertisch & Paul Raffaele (Love Injection).

Machine's self-titled album is shrouded in mystery. Supposedly released in 1972 on All Platinum Records, it completely disappeared without a trace and only a few copies seem to have survived, making it one of the rarest Funk albums on the planet. The album, only known to a handful of hardcore collectors, fetches prices in excess of $5000 whenever one turns up on the auction market, which happened four times in the last twenty years. Consisting of three young session musicians backing their label mates The Whatnauts, the group display a superb mix of socially-conscious hard-hitting funk and earthy soul, the album is reissued here in its original artwork and remastered by Colorsound Studio in Paris. It includes a 2-page insert with new liner notes by Charles Waring. Masterminded by singer and guitarist Michael Watson accompanied by bass player Curtis McTeer and drummer Donald McCoy, the album Machine came straight out of the New Jersey-based All Platinum studios where the label was based. The musicians had been active as session musicians for the label since the late 60s, mainly backing such label acts as The Whatnauts. As a matter of fact, the Whatnauts' manager, Bunch Herndon, makes guest appearance on the album as percussionist. Beside the core group of Watson, McTeer and McCoy, the album's line-up features several other cult musicians and also the orchestrator Sammy Lowe, a seasoned professional who had been arranging for Sam Cooke, James Brown and Nina Simone to name just a few. âÇ

Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue Farid el Atrache"s cult album "Nagham Fi Hayati" released in 1974 on Voice of Lebanon. It is the soundtrack of the eponymous film starring El Atrache. Sampled by the Beatles and nicknamed the "King of Oud", El Atrache is one of the giants of Egyptian music together with Oum Kalthoum and Abdel Halim Hafez. The album which showcases El Atrache"s versatility and includes the monster groove "Hebina Hebina", is one of Brian Eno"s favourite albums. Reissued for the first time since the 70s, "Nagham Fi Hayati" also contains an unedited version of "Takassim Oud" highlighting El Atrache superb oud playing. Remastered for vinyl by Colorsound Studio in Paris it includes new.

Fatalism (Ltd. LP/Black w/Red Inkspot+White Splatter)

Angst: der große Spalter der Menschheit, aber auch ihr stärkster Vereiniger.

Es ist genau dieser Gedanke, der den Kern von POLARIS' drittem Album "Fatalism" ausmacht; eine Platte, die von dem Gefühl der Verzweiflung und Dystopie geprägt ist, das die Welt in den letzten Jahren erfasst hat, und von dem überwältigenden Gefühl, dass wir machtlos sind, den Kurs zu ändern.

Während der Vorgänger "The Death Of Me" aus dem Jahr 2020 eine ausgewogene Balance zwischen Licht und Schatten bot, stürzt sich "Fatalism" kopfüber in viel dunklere und schwerere Tendenzen und zeigt POLARIS in einem neuen, entschlossenen und aggressiven Licht, was zum großen Teil der akribischen Herangehensweise der Band bei der Gestaltung der Gitarrenarbeit und des Gesangs zu verdanken ist.

Fatalism (Ltd. LP/Black w/Red Inkspot+White Splatter)

Angst: der große Spalter der Menschheit, aber auch ihr stärkster Vereiniger.

Es ist genau dieser Gedanke, der den Kern von POLARIS' drittem Album "Fatalism" ausmacht; eine Platte, die von dem Gefühl der Verzweiflung und Dystopie geprägt ist, das die Welt in den letzten Jahren erfasst hat, und von dem überwältigenden Gefühl, dass wir machtlos sind, den Kurs zu ändern.

Während der Vorgänger "The Death Of Me" aus dem Jahr 2020 eine ausgewogene Balance zwischen Licht und Schatten bot, stürzt sich "Fatalism" kopfüber in viel dunklere und schwerere Tendenzen und zeigt POLARIS in einem neuen, entschlossenen und aggressiven Licht, was zum großen Teil der akribischen Herangehensweise der Band bei der Gestaltung der Gitarrenarbeit und des Gesangs zu verdanken ist.

"One Sunday afternoon in 1990, I had a phone call from Keith saying that Sarah Records had received the demo cassette the two of us had recorded on a 4-track in a friend's shed and were interested in putting out two of the songs as a single. T

hey were Clearer and Alison. Delighted by this news, we booked some recording time with a studio we'd regularly used in our previous incarnation as Feverfew, the White House in Weston-super-Mare.

This was the first time we'd ever played a note of music that was using someone else's money, so the pressure was being felt. We recorded Clearer, Fearon and Chelsea Guitar, with Clearer becoming Sarah 55, the first of eight singles for the band across two labels. At that time, we were still toying with a name for ourselves and had settled with the Art Bunnies.

While driving us back home from Weston, though, I declared that I really couldn't see how people would take us seriously with a name like that. Disappointed, Keith (Girdler) then got out a piece of paper upon which he'd written several other contenders. These included Opal Trumpet, the Smiling Monarchs and (thankfully) Blueboy."

A Colourful Storm presents Blueboy's singles collection and the band's final retrospective release. Beautiful gatefold sleeve designed by Sarah Records' own Matt Haynes with original artwork insert, postcard and liner notes by Paul Stewart.

'Brexit Music' ist kein politisches Album. Aber im Titel, der dem Künstler lange nach der Idee des Repertoires in den Sinn kam, steckt eine Vorliebe für britischen Spott: Am Ende soll die Kunst alle gesellschaftlichen Modeerscheinungen überleben. Der französische Pianist und sein Akustik Jazz-Trio wollten einen frischen, verspielten Sound, Groove und ein bisschen Humor. Ein beliebtes Lied zu covern ist für Jazzmusiker gängige Praxis, dennoch war die Idee eines ganzen Albums, das sich ausschließlich um britische Popmusik dreht, nicht selbstverständlich: Es war eine Herausforderung, ohne die Texte lebendig zu bleiben. So blieb oft das schlichte Material dieser Songs, auch wenn die meisten davon ein aufregender und freudiger Teil von Trotignon's Teenagerjahre waren. CD-Digipak und 180Gr. Doppel-LP mit vier Bonustracks!

Baptiste Trotignon - Piano, arrangements
Greg Hutchinson - Drums
Matt Penman - Upright bass

The new LP by Krefeld-born, Berlin-based artist Philipp Otterbach entitled 'The Dahlem Diaries'.

Recorded in a little-visited corner of the German capital, 'The Dahlem Diaries' is a convergence of ideas, sketches and tracks, both old and new, most of which were produced between 2020-2022. Whilst eerie atmospheres, electronics and drums have played a pivotal role in Philipp’s earlier releases, his latest is a rather more introspective affair, in which the guitar takes a leading role. A role Otterbach uses to quietly bring light and hope to his music.

Speaking about his writing process, Philipp explains that, based around his original compositions, “Friends were nice enough to contribute additional parts on their instruments which I then reworked, put together and re-contextualized. The recordings encapsulate a very specific moment in time, one that would have sounded perhaps very different the day before or after.”

Combined with a strong use of effects and field recordings, 'The Dahlem Diaries' feels somewhat like a scene or fragment from a story, in which the narrative remains undefined. It is a playful album that is something of a blurred underwater adventure, sounding as bright as it is hazy, even psychedelic at times, yet with an almost melancholic positivity. In Philipp’s own words: “It could be an album about friendship and being at one with myself, whilst at the same time bringing a certain seriousness to my music, but not necessarily to myself; there is also a playful humour hidden in there. ”

“Orlando Furioso is a haunting, one-of-a-kind statement, from an important new voice in improvised music.” - Steve Lehman

“…imagining instruments that haven’t been invented yet: space harps, cosmic gamelan, Venusian banjo. It’s the purest distillation of Atria’s musical language, simultaneously grounded and unearthly.” - Stewart Smith for The Wire (November 2022)

“Making liberal use of microtonal harmony and hypnotic, ostinato rhythms – as well as the occasional stylistic smash-cut, reminiscent of John Zorn – Orlando Furioso announced itself on Wednesday as a punchy, creative force on the New York scene. (…) Atria’s rhythms had a welcoming, social propulsion, and the microtonality of his writing for keyboard proposed an individual – even insular – language.” - Seth Colter Walls for The New York Times.

Early European composers felt that their work reflected in its structure the divine nature of the material world. Via tuning, form, and contrapuntal alchemy, these musicians sought to illuminate and edify the complex and perfect order of existence. The music recorded here also reflects the contours of an ordered world, but it is no place any of us has ever visited. By assembling far-flung building blocks from the detritus of a 21st-century musical vocabulary, Orlando Furioso brings the listener into a bizarre new cosmos. The result is deeply expressive music that speaks not with the voice of a narrator or memoirist, but with that of a cartographer.

Like a science-fiction Dante, the listener is taken on a tour of many diverse and colorful provinces of an alien world. Though each composition references its own set of real-world musical locales (from the Andes to Indonesia to Italy to New Orleans), they are bound by stylistic consistency into a coherent, continuous geography. Permeating this world is an uncompromising commitment to microtonal harmony, rhythmic intensity, and an ability to deploy the esoteric (Nicola Vicentino's notorious 31-tone temperament) and the head-smackingly obvious (a surprise djent breakdown) with equal conviction. Though Vicente's compositions are steering the ship, serious recognition is due to all the players on the record for their ability to meet these demands.

Our omnivorous musical diets offer real abundance. They enrich our craft by providing access to limitless approaches from which to choose - more masters to study, traditions to absorb, and techniques to hone than is possible in multiple lifetimes. They can also inflict heavy and often contradictory burdens of influence. When every corner of the map has been charted, it becomes difficult to find a new direction in which to travel. One solution I hope to see more often is the one pursued on this record: breaking down distinct musical worlds into component parts and reassembling them into a language. When completed with precision and with no stone left unturned, the seams between the pieces vanish and the listener is deposited somewhere beautiful and strange, left to assign their sensations meanings of their own. - Mat Muntz

Orlando Furioso is led by Vicente and features David Acevedo, David Leon, Andrew Boudreau, Alec Goldfarb, Daniel Hass, Simón Willson, and Niña Tormenta. Orlando Furioso celebrated its release at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, NY, as a part of Wet Ink Ensemble's 24th Season opening concert, a performance which The New York Times heralded as "virtuosic", "punchy, creative" and "even revelatory."

Winner of the Deutscher Jazz Preis: Best International Debut Album 2023

Matching expansive ambience with environmental sound, Chihei Hatakeyama’s new album continues Field Records’ exploration of Japan and the Netherland’s shared approach to water management. As with Sugai Ken’s 2020 album Tone River, a specific project becomes Hatakeyama’s area of focus - in this case the Hachirōgata Lake in Akita Prefecture.

Previously the second largest body of water in Japan, the government ordered extensive drainage work of Hachirōgata Lake after the second world war with the help of Dutch engineers Pieter Jansen and Adriaan Volker. After the project was completed in 1977, reclaimed land took up eighty percent of Hachirōgata Lake’s total size. As a result, a new ecosystem was established as plants spread from surrounding areas, bringing with them a wider variety of birds and other wildlife.

Hatakeyama’s approach to this unique subject matter took in field recordings from particular locations around the lake - the drainage channels, the Ogata bridge, grassland conservation reserves and other key areas. The aquatic subject matter and sonic material is a natural fit for Hatakeyama’s accomplished sound, which has featured on numerous solo works for labels including Kranky, Room40 and his self-run White Paddy Mountain.

From the intimate intricacies of the sampled material to the glacial expanses of droning synthesis and languid guitar, Hatakeyama creates a tangible environment which at once reflects the settings around Hachirōgata Lake, while offering the listener any number of imagined scenes to observe in their mind’s eye.

NOTE. WITH THE PURCHASE OF THE VINYL YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE THE TRACKS OF THE TOTAL 23 DIGITAL VERSION AS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD. THE DOWNLOAD CODE CARD CONTAINS ALSO ALL TRACKS OF THE CD.

Okay, you’re listening to the 23rd edition of Kompakt’s annual compilation series TOTAL… hold on… 23??? It’s impossible to look at this number without thinking of William S. Burrough’s Captain Clark anecdote, the Illuminatus trilogy and the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu. But don’t you worry, we’re not giving in to eikositriophobia. We’re enlighted folks, after all.

Total 23 kicks off in a disco mood with a well tempered double punch from label co-founders Michael Mayer and Jürgen Paape. Jörg Burger calls out a trippy new genre named Cinematic Dance before C.A.R. and Patrice Bäumel resurface with a club mix of their early 2023 single ‘Four Down’. Sofia Kourtesis’ sultry remix of Perel ‘Matrix’ finally gets a well deserved vinyl release. ‘Ice Cream Cake’ by Cologne’s newcomer M.A.P.E. helps cooling things down a bit before another debutante, Argia from Madrid makes her first entry to the Kompakt catalogue. Gui Boratto’s recent single ‘Drink In Paris’ raises the energy levels just in time for Reinhard Voigt’s ruthless closing track ‘Endlich XXL’, an ode to some of the best things in this world: Beer and techno.

Okay, du hörst die 23. Ausgabe der jährlichen Kompilationsreihe TOTAL von Kompakt. Moment mal… 23??? Man kann diese Zahl unmöglich betrachten, ohne an William S. Burroughs’ Anekdote über Captain Clark, die Illuminatus-Trilogie und die Justified Ancients of Mu Mu zu denken. Aber keine Sorge, wir erliegen nicht der Eikositriophobie. Immerhin sind wir aufgeklärte Leute.

Total 23 beginnt in Discostimmung und einem wohltemperierten Doppelschlag von den Mitbegründern des Labels, Michael Mayer und Jürgen Paape. Jörg Burger ruft ein psychedelisches neues Genre namens Cinematic Dance aus, bevor C.A.R. und Patrice Bäumel mit einem Club-Mix ihrer Single ‘Four Down’ aus dem Frühjahr 2023 wieder auftauchen. Der tropisch-schwüle Sofia Kourtesis Remix von Perels ‘Matrix’ erhält endlich eine verdiente Vinyl-Veröffentlichung. ‘Ice Cream Cake’ von M.A.P.E., einem Newcomer aus Köln, sorgt für etwas Abkühlung, bevor mit Argia aus Madrid eine weitere Debütantin ihre ersten Spuren im Kompakt Katalog hinterlässt. Gui Borattos aktuelle Single ‘Drink In Paris’ steigert rechtzeitig das Energielevel für Reinhard Voigts gnadenlosen Schlusstrack ‘Endlich XXL’, eine feierliche Ode an einige der besten Dinge dieser Welt: Bier und Techno.

16 moderne krautige elektronische Tracks inspiriert von Kraftwerk, CAN, Neu, Rother Klaus Schulze und Konsorten. Kuratiert und kompiliert von Compost Künstler Fred und Luna. Seine Auswahl (mit sechs exklusiven Stücken!) zeigt, wie gut jüngere Künstler die Kraut-Szene beleben. Die langjährig Bekannteren wie Pyrolator, Sankt Otten, I:Cube, sowieso. Und Vol. 2 ist auch schon in der Mache, folgt im Winter 2023. Die Collage auf dem Cover ist von der fantastischen Künstlerin Norika Nienstedt extra für die FSOK angefertigt worden. Sie lebt in der Kraut Metropole Düsseldorf.

Intro: Future sounds of Kraut, what’s it all about? Keine Ahnung, I don’t know. Überraschung, where we go...Alles andere als einfach oder im Grunde unmöglich, die Begriffe „Krautrock“ oder „Kraut“ zu definieren. Dennoch begeben sich Compost Records und Fred und Luna auf eine Zeitreise, um die unterschiedlichen Elemente deutscher elektronischer Musik der 1970er und 1980er Jahre und ihre Auswirkungen auf die neuere deutsche und weltweite Musikszene zu entdecken. Auf „Future Sounds Of Kraut, Vol. 1“ präsentieren die beiden Kuratoren Fred und Luna als erste „Forschungsergebnisse“ hauptsächlich Bands, die vom repetitiven Charakter vergangener deutscher Elektronika à la Kraftwerk, Can, Neu!, Harmonia und Cluster, beeinflusst sind.

Viel Vergnügen und erfolgreiches Krautifizieren!

Paula heads outside in the dark. Touch and release, fingers probe searching for the unknown and return to the glove, still there for me and you. It's ours to preserve!

Welchem 60s-Fan klingen die Songs nicht in den Ohren: 'Painter Man', 'Making Time', 'Cool Jerk', 'Tom Tom', 'Biff Bang Pow', ihre ultra-coolen Versionen von 'Like A Rolling Stone' oder 'Hey Joe' und einige mehr. Speziell in Deutschland hatte die 1966 formierte Beat-Band um Gitarrist Eddie Phillips eine treue Fan-Gemeinde.. Stilistisch nah bei The Who und den Kinks wurde The Creation von deren Produzenten Shel Talmy produziert. Bis sich die Band 1968 erstmalig auflöste, entstand kein reines Studioalbum, aber jede Menge Single-Hits. Später wurde das legendäre Label von Alan McGee nach ihnen benannt. Das luxuriöse 2CD-Set im 7inch Format hält nochmal alle Klassiker bereit, die die Band in den 1960er Jahren aufgenommen hat. Die im Tracklisting reduzierte Halfspeed-Master-LP kommt mit dem dänischen Artwork , OBI-Strip, 4-Seiten-Booklet und natürlich auf 180Gr. Black Vinyl.