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Just over a decade ago, Japanese indie-pop duo Tenniscoats recorded »Papa's Ear« (2012) and »Tan-Tan Therapy« (2007), two albums made with musical and production help from Swedish post-rock/folk trio Tape. Originally released on Häpna, they are beautiful documents of the exploratory music made by a close-knit collective of musicians, fully at ease with each other, playing songs written by Tenniscoats and arranging them in gentle and generous ways. Released during a prolific phase of collaboration for Tenniscoats – during the late ‘00s and early ‘10s, they would also collaborate with Jad Fair, The Pastels, Secai and Pastacas – they have, however, never been available on vinyl. In collaboration with Alien Transistor, Morr Music is now reissuing these albums with bonus material.

Filled with graceful pop songs, autumnal folk tunes, and gentle yet risk-taking improvisations, »Tan-Tan Therapy« was the first Tenniscoats album to be released in Europe, after a run of albums on Japanese labels, and the excellent »Live Wanderus« (2005) on Australian imprint Chapter Music. It was also the first recorded evidence of their collaboration with the three members of Tape and that group’s extended musical family. It opens with one of Tenniscoats’ signature songs, the pop fantasia of »Baibaba Bimba«, with Tenniscoats singer Saya repeating a light-headed incantation over joyous brass. The essence of Tenniscoats is contained in »Baibaba Bimba«: uplifting melody and playful musicianship, tinged with distant echoes of winsome melancholy.

From there, »Tan-Tan Therapy« explores many hues of lustrous blue. »Oetu to kanki no Namoriuta (Given Song of Sob and Joy)« is an aquatic arbour, the musicians’ gentle performances growing together like vines and seaweed as Saya’s voice swims through the waterway. »Umbarepa!« is full of play and pleasure, sparkling with glockenspiel as snare drum tattoos push the song ever-forward. »Abi and Travel« floats past, a lovely instrumental built from shifting layers of synthesizer and pianet; »Good B.«, an extra track originally only available on the Japanese edition of »Tan-Tan Therapy«, is added to this reissue, and follows a similar thread, its humming pump and Hammond organs swirling under beautiful vocals from Saya and guest performer Kazumi Nikaido.

Throughout, you can sense the deep empathy the members of Tenniscoats and Tape have for one another. It’s a conversational, tender and, at times, fragile music that can only be created out of mutual trust and kindness, with each of the players contributing to the community of sound they’re building. There’s an element here, too, of feeling out the possibilities of what this creative meeting can achieve, something reflected in the loose-limbs sprawl of »Marui Hifo (Everyone)«, which echoes the seaside drift of Bristol post-rock group Crescent, and the following »One Swan Swim«, a dreamsong redolent of the sleepy sensorium of Robert Wyatt’s »Rock Bottom«.

The freedom and liberty at the heart of Tenniscoats is something Tape and their friends have picked up on, beautifully so, and run with during the entirety of »Tan-Tan Therapy«. This is music with its wings outstretched, wanting to take to the air, ready to fly.

(REMASTERED)

Just over a decade ago, Japanese indie-pop duo Tenniscoats recorded "Papa"s Ear" (2012) and "Tan-Tan Therapy" (2007), two albums made with musical and production help from Swedish post-rock/folk trio Tape. Originally released on Häpna, they are beautiful documents of the exploratory music made by a close-knit collective of musicians, fully at ease with each other, playing songs written by Tenniscoats and arranging them in gentle and generous ways. Released during a prolific phase of collaboration for Tenniscoats - during the late "00s and early "10s, they would also collaborate with Jad Fair, The Pastels, Secai and Pastacas - they have, however, never been available on vinyl. In collaboration with Alien Transistor, Morr Music is now reissuing these albums with bonus material.

Portion out of control.

In a shocking act of extreme togetherness, and ruthless efficiency, a third Droid platter in one earth year.

The crack management team at Tape Man Enterprises have assured us this is not a temporary blip, more bacon donors will be flying through the cosmos...as sure as night follows day, thus proving that for some ineptitude can work as a lifestyle choice and pigs do fly.

Hopefully this humble offering can pierce the shitstorm of life and help replenish your joy batteries..

Join us next time for more of not the same.
Dem Idjuts

The first album of Web Web is very uncut, raw, live and direct. Oracle is the first output of a German Supergroup. Check the musician credits below and you'll get the score. The initial idea was to record a spiritual-jazz type of album, with all its imperfection as far as intonation, sound, influences of tunes... just like from their big jazz-heroes in the 70ies (e.g. Strata East, Black Jazz).

Web Web's idea was to record a jazz jam session while to found and proclaim being a fictive band, a formation, which did not exist, while telling people, it would be a secret jam session recording of the Seventies. The prompt problem they were facing: Oh, we never would be able to play concerts, doing interviews, or placing photos on sleeves or post likeness images online. So they decided to reveal their real identities:

Web Web are: Roberto Di Gioia (Piano, Synth, Percussion), Tony Lakatos (Tenor- and Sopranosaxophone), Christian von Kaphengst (Upright Bass) and Peter Gall (Drums).

Roberto Di Gioia (Mastermind of Web Web): - The four of us set up very close in a big room, so we could hear and feel each other the best way. The music became more intensive, improvisations became more dynamic and it was impulsive .

The album Oracle' was recorded on one day, only first takes were used!

We want to keep the burning spirit and the loose vibe we had during the recording session. And we play concerts the wild and free way we recorded this album. Web Web will be on tour 2018, but playing a few concerts in 2017.
Furthermore, one main decision to blab their real identities was: The second Web Web album is recorded in June (with guests like the famous and unique Gembri-player and multiinstrumentalist and singer Majid Bekkas from Morocco).
Both albums were engineered, recorded and mixed by Jan Krause (Beanfield, Poets Of Rhythm).

Roberto Di Gioia: - Tony was tuning his Soprano too high, and his (overdubbed) tenor way too flat!
My synthesizers were somewhere in between...HA! We exactly had the sound we had in our minds, we had it exactly there were we wanted it: a bit of Sun Ra here, a bit of Horace Tapscott there. On some tunes Tony's soprano just sounds like a trumpet, since due to his weird tuning the soprano develops different frequencies in relation to other instruments.

Oracle' is the first live jazz release on Compost. Produced by Roberto Di Gioia and Michael Reinboth.

Roberto Di Gioia has been working with numerous jazz-legends, such as Woody Shaw, Art Farmer, James Moody, Johnny Griffin, Charlie Rouse, Clifford Jordan, Clark Terry, Roy Ayers, Gregory Porter and many more.

From 1990 to 2008: member Klaus Doldingers Passport. As a pianist he made recordings with Udo Lindenberg (MTV-Unplugged, 2011), Charlie Watts ( Music Of The Rolling Stones , 2005), Console ( Reset The Preset , 2003), The Notwist ( Shrink 1998, Neon Golden , 2002). Since 2007 he is working together with Samon Kawamura and Max Herre as KAHEDI: Max Herre ( Hallo Welt , 2012), Joy Denalane ( Gleisdreieck , 2017), u.v.m...His own group MARSMOBIL (produced by Peter Kruder) will release his fourth studioalbum in winter 2017.

Tony Lakatos originates from the world famous Lakatos-familiy from Budapest, Hungary. His father was a famous violinist, as well as his younger brother Roby. He started playing saxophone when he was 15 years old. Tony studied at the Bela-Bartok-Conservatory in Budapest, and made his degree in 1979. Since then he played on over 350 jazz albums (!!), to name a few: Al Foster, Kirk Lightsey, Randy Brecker, George Mraz, David Witham, Terri Lyne Carrington, Anthony Jackson. Tony was a member of Jasper Van´t Hofs PILI PILI. Since 1993 he is working with the HR Radio-Bigband as a soloist.

Christian von Kaphengst learned the piano at the Peter-Cornelius-Conservatory in Mainz when he was 6 years old. From 1988 to 1995 he studied upright-bass at the - Musikhochschule in Cologne. He was touring with his own Jazzquartett - Cafe du Sport to Pakistan, India, Turkey and West-Africa. Since 1999 he regularly plays with Patti Austin and The New York Voices in Europe. Von Kaphengst played with the greatest musicians, such as Randy Brecker, Nat Adderley, Roy Hargrove, Joe Sample, Charlie Mariano, Katja Ebstein, Xavier Naidoo, Roachford, Yvonne Catterfeld.

Peter Gall won some important German awards already when he was a youngster, like - Jugend Jazzt . He was touring with the famous - Bundesjazzorchester conducted by German jazz legend Peter Herbholzheimer. He studied at the Berlin University Of Fine Arts and at the Jazz Institute Berlin with John Hollenbeck. Gall made a masterclass at the Manhattan School Of Music with John Riley. He has been working with Seamus Blake, Ben Street, Gabriel Rios, Jasmin Tabatabai, Thomas Quasthoff, Peter Fessler.

“I think it’s a mistake to equate ‘perfection’ with flawlessness. To be human is to be perfectly flawed,” Johanna Warren observes while describing the joys of analog recording. Her new LP Lessons for Mutants was tracked live with a band to two inch tape—a revelatory new way of working for Warren. “Tape forces you to commit to a performance, eccentricities and all. The little glitches and anomalies that we’re tempted to ‘correct’ are often what make a thing magical.”

Lessons for Mutants is the prolific songwriter’s sixth solo LP and her second for Wax Nine/Carpark Records. The album’s running theme of metamorphosis (the title of the closing track, “Involvulus,” is Latin for “caterpillar”) reflects major changes in Warren’s personal life: after a decade of relentless touring, as the world was closing its borders, the American multi-instrumentalist unexpectedly found herself quarantining in rural Wales, where she’s now permanently homesteading.

Though tracking for the new album began in New York in 2018 in tandem with the sessions for 2020’s Chaotic Good, the majority of Lessons for Mutants was recorded in the UK surrounded by sheep, cows and a forager’s paradise of wild edible plants—a far cry from the urban jungle of LA that Warren had most recently called home. The body of work that emerged from this dramatic about-face is Warren’s most dynamic to date, shapeshifting seamlessly from searing punk screams to sparkly psych-folk soundscapes, from the bootleg ambivalence of Dylan’s Basement Tapes to cosmic stoner grooves reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s acoustic moments.

“Sometimes I can relate to myself/ I disassociate more than I’d like to, but what can you do?” Warren croons in “Tooth for a Tooth,” a wistful piano ballad that conjures the grainy romance of some smoke-filled 1940s jazz club. This kind of to-the-bone lyrical honesty has always been one of Warren’s strong suits, but these latest reflections are especially unflinching. Being forced to stop touring brought no shortage of self-examination for Warren, who quickly came to view her history on the road as an addiction from which she’s been detoxing. This sentiment dances through opening track “I’d Be Orange,” a drum-driven indie rock number replete with Beatles-esque male backing vocals: “Thirst for power, hunger for fame/ Always was a junkie for pain,” Warren confesses. This exploration of masochistic ambition and artistic martyrdom overflows into grunge anthem “Piscean Lover”: “It’s alright, we’re not ok/ We burn out not to fade away.”

“There’s this unspoken rule in modern music—modern life, really—that everything needs to be Auto-Tuned and ‘on the grid,’” Warren concludes. “This record is an act of resistance against that. There’s beauty and power in our aberrations, if we can embrace them.”

Quality over quantity. That’s what characterises Shamek Farrah and Norman Person’s recorded output. They may have a small discography between them but it’s a stable of recordings that centrally locate them in the development of the black jazz of America. BBE Music is delighted to present a new edition of a rare, relatively unknown, and unheard gem. Recorded between 1988 and 1991 across a series of concerts, ‘Live’ was released in 1991 and was only available for sale at their gigs. Issued on audio cassette on Farrah’s private Heritage Industries label, ‘Live’ is a raw, uncompromising selection of deep, conscious jazz featuring three original compositions and two covers: ‘Aisha’, written by Person, was inspired by Person’s daughter and is a majestic joyous groove that extends out into a percussive jam; ‘Negative Forces’ is a fiercely paced hard bopper worthy of the Jazz Messengers. Written by Person, he tells how “it had to be like a torpedo, man. It had to come out strong and fight against those negative forces”. The one Farrah/Person co-write on the album is ‘Timeless Beings’, a short freeform improvisation that creates a distinct moment of space and light in an otherwise intensely focussed, yet highly accessible album. The two covers on the album reflect the instruments of the co-leaders: sax and trumpet. ‘Footprints’, the classic written by the Newark Flash himself, Wayne Shorter, and first heard on ‘Miles Smiles’ in 1967 is delivered deftly by Farrah and co. Here, the band pays a respectful yet adventurous rendition, with some superbly colourful piano from Sonelius Smith. The second cover is a tribute to the great trumpeter Clifford Brown, who died in a car accident in 1956, aged just 25. ‘I Remember Clifford’ written by Benny Golson, is handled with suitably delicate reverence. “I still listen to Clifford Brown today,” says Person. “He’s still my teacher.” On ‘Live’, saxophonist Farrah and trumpeter Person - friends for decades - capture an energy and vibration that is infused with the spirit of their youth – whether drawing on the hard bop of the late 50s and early 60s or the Afrocentric spiritual jazz of the early 70s, of which Farrah is intimately linked via his albums on Strata East, ‘Live’ is a document of two masters at work. ‘Live’ has flown under the radar to many a fan of prime black conscious and spiritual jazz but now BBE brings back this astonishing set by two giant talents accompanied by a group of musicians who shine with brilliance and verve. Available for the first time on CD, digital, and double vinyl set cut at 45rpm by the Grammy-nominated The Carvery mastering studio, ‘Live’ also comes with an extended interview with Shamek Farrah and Norman Person by Tony Higgins.

Grave Dancers Union is the sixth studio album by the American
Alternative Rock band Soul Asylum, released in 1992. The album spent 76 weeks on the Billboard music charts and was certified triple-Platinum in 1993, establishing Soul Asylum as one of the most successful Rock groups of the first half of the 1990s.

The album yielded the mega-hit “Runaway Train”, which by winning a Grammy, put the band in a whole new league. Tracks like “Home Sick” and “New World” bear the roots of the Country-Rock revival. “Somebody to Shove” is pure joy Soul Asylum style.

This year Soul Asylum are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Grave
Dancers Union. There will be an extended worldwide tour.

Grave Dancers Union is now available as a limited 30th anniversary edition of 5000 individually numbered copies on black & gold marbled vinyl and includes an insert.

(Extended Reissue)

Double vinyl LP | Extended reissue
All tracks remastered from the original master tapes.

And here it is! For the first time ever, Zoo Folle in its full, extended glory.
This double LP contains both the soundtrack as released in 1974 (sides A and B) and previously unreleased gems (sides C and D).

Back in 2016 we put out the first official reissue of Zoo Folle. It sold out in a matter of months, leaving many vinyl collectors hungry for more. Quite serendipitously, the following year we found ourselves digging through Giuliano Sorgini's personal archives to prepare what would become Africa Oscura and stumbled upon a few mysterious reels that could be traced back to Zoo Folle. Imagine our joy when we realized that they contained the complete recording sessions of the original soundtrack, including unreleased material and never-before heard alternate versions! It was a no-brainer to start planning this extended reissue.

Already a phenomenon among collectors and experts, not only does Zoo Folle it keep winning more and more recognition, but, together with The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue and Under Pompelmo, it has established Sorgini as one of the great Italian composers of his generation.

And this is no coincidence. Zoo Folle is Sorgini's most committed and personal work. It reflects at once his beliefs as an animal rightist and his deep friendship with TV director and long-time collaborator Riccardo Fellini (brother of La Dolce Vita director Federico). It was Fellini himself who asked Sorgini to score his documentary on the living conditions of animals in zoos in Western metropolises (Rome, London and Paris in particular).

Originally broadcast by RAI in three primetime episodes, Fellini's exposé sharply contrasts the lives of caged animals with the freedom they experience in nature and wildlife reserves such as the Amboseli National Park in Kenya, Africa.

For his part, Sorgini offers perhaps his grandest score ever – a magnificent, multifaceted soundtrack that brings together a variety of instruments and the best musicians available at the time, from the lavish string orchestra recorded at the Fono Roma studios (a dream come true for someone who had not penetrated the inner circle of A-list composers like Morricone), to the angelic voice of Edda Dell'Orso, who conveys the sweetness and melancholy of the African sunset in Red, Old Skies.

Also performing on the soundtrack are exquisite soloists – all long-time friends of the composer. Nino Rapicavoli, for instance, whose flute adds a magical touch to the psycho-funk of Mad Town and the groove of Slaves, as well as Enzo Restuccia, whose afro-tribal percussions have made Ultima caccia a legendary track especially among lovers of Balearic grooves, and Enrico Ciacci, whose classical guitar soars beautifully over the nostalgic and poignant Chains. Not to mention the fact that Sorgini himself laid down the foundation tracks for the album in the small studio he had in the Prati neighbourhood in Rome, playing the piano, drums and several synthesizers.

So, what are you waiting for? Get your turntables ready for the full version of Amboseli (14 minutes of sheer bliss versus less than 6 in the original record) and for stunning, previously unreleased alternate versions of many other themes composed by Sorgini to celebrate the beauty of the savannah.

Following the release of their critically acclaimed self-titled debut EP in 2021, Antwerp's Lucid Lucia are set to release their debut album 'Ever-changing Light' on the 7th October via the groove-obsessed Belgian tastemaker label, Sdban Ultra.

Searching to unwrap the mystery that is a human life, across nine tracks of jazz and space funk-infused grooves, Lucid Lucia look to the sound of Herbie's 'Head Hunters' and Miles' acid funk of the mid-70s for inspiration.

'Ever-changing Light' is a mind-expanding celebration centered on freedom and rhythm. Free-spirited saxes, futuristic-sounding keys, monstrous bass lines and shifting drum beats unite, resulting in an uplifting and joyous celebration of jazz, funk and groove. From the loose, laidback stylings of 'Mumpsimus' and the jazz-funk odyssey that is 'Pigeons' to the sonic wonders of 'Reminiscence' and urgent flow of 'Quanked', Lucid Lucia is a marvelous journey of luminous sounds and vibrant rhythms. Elsewhere, the warped aesthetics of 'Oneironauts' and improv 'Pukti part 1' showcase a tight rhythm section, inventive horns, funky keys and guitar while the spiritual magnum opus 'Voor Pieter A.' is a magical example of the virtuosity of Lucid Lucia.

Born from the ashes of fusion outfit BRZZVLL, Lucid Lucia were founded by saxophonist Vincent Brijs, a household name in Antwerp and the Belgian jazz scene. Former winners of the Jong Jazztalent Gent, BRZZVLL released their debut album 'Days of Thunder, Days of Grace' in 2008 and would go on to release five more albums including teaming up with Trinidad-born poet, novelist and musician Anthony Joseph on the 2014 critically acclaimed album 'Engines' and with hip-hop MC, writer and producer Amir Sulaiman on the 2016 album 'First Let's Dance'. The 2017 album 'Waiho', the band's first instumental album and final album received glowing praise from numerous tastemakers including UNCUT magazine, The Line of Best Fit, XLR8R and Record Collector magazine.

To the present day and Lucid Lucia marks a brighter, clearer sound for the sextet. Consisting of Vincent Brijs: saxophones and EWI, Bart Borremans: saxophones, Stijn Cools: drums, Dries Laheye: bass, Dries Verhulst: guitar, Jan Willems: keys and James Williams: drums and percussion, they have honed their skills performing with numerous artists from home and around the world including Ursula Rucker, Joseph Bowie (Defunkt), Amir Sulaiman, Anthony Joseph, Zena Edwards, Ayanna Witter Johnson, Baloji, Mo & Grazz, Kain the Poet (The Last Poets), Marie Daulne, Dizzy Madjeku, Ida Nielsen and many others.

The Independent - 5 star Glastonbury set review “Making their Glastonbury review, IOW collective Plastic Mermaids are a joy to behold at the Croissant-Neuf stage.” New single 'Girl Boy Girl' Girl Boy Girl is an uncomfortable place, an unspoken awkwardness and tension. Always convoluting, never resolving. Just like this perpetual frustration when a relationship isn’t right but none has the language or understanding to fix it. And then thinking that adding a 3rd party to the mix is going to solve the problems…oh dear. We took some inspiration from the song ‘Night Call’ on the Drive soundtrack and also some of the slower Daft Punk tunes. Kinda wanted it to feel like something you’d stick on cruising in your car after dark in the 80’s. It has been two years since Plastic Mermaids released their critically acclaimed debut ‘Suddenly Everyone Explodes’, and now they return to spread some eagerly awaited blissed out joy with new single Disco Wings & b side Environmental with their second album due next year. The band have been working hard in the studio teaming up with producer Ant Whiting, who has worked with the likes of MIA, John Newman and Lana De Ray, in what proved to be an exciting mix of creative ideas.

Nyokabi Kari?ki wrote her upcoming EP, peace places: kenyan memories out next year on SA Recordings, while away from home, Kenya, in the United States, during the pandemic. She found that imagining peaceful, gentle, memories from her 18 years of a childhood in Kenya became an antidote to remedy homesickness and emotional fatigue — and almost naturally, these imaginings evoked a very visceral and creative response within her. From Nyokabi’s childhood home in Nairobi, where her piano, gifted to her at age 8, still sits; to her father’s hometown of K?r?nyaga (‘Ngurumo, or Feeding Goats Mangoes’) and her grandmother’s farm in Kiambu (A Walk Through My C?c?’s Farm); from holidays by the Kenyan coast (‘Galu’ and ‘Naila’s Peace Place’) to a few in Laikipia (‘Equator song’); these places find themselves crystallised in each track of the EP, most apparent through the inclusion of field recordings taken in each respective place; but also in the music and lyricism of the pieces. As she worked on this record, she realised that her mind was not only taking solace in imagining ‘home’ as physical spaces, but also in seeing that ‘home’ was in ancestry, in language and words, in family and friends, in the palpability of her instruments, in harmony but also dissonance, and of course, in music. My album artwork was painted by a dear childhood friend, Naila Aroni, and so I decided to give back in a similar way: by creating a track around her own ‘peace place’. She chose Lamu on the Kenyan coast, a place I’d never been, so I used the video to guide me. In it, she walks along the beach with her best friend, having a conversation that — in the track, we first hear as a unrecognisable ‘yells’, which are actually timestretches of the conversation; framed alongside hyperreal flurries on the vibraphone (played by Chris O’Leary). Then, in the final moments of the song, the conversation is revealed: “Naila, how happy are you?” her best friend asks. “It doesn’t even feel real, It’s surreal,” Naila responds. When I’d heard the audio, the emotion of pure joy & euphoria seemed distilled into the sounds of their voices. And so Naila’s Peace Place is an effort to freeze that moment in time, so we can marinate in the sound of that joy for just a little longer. - Nyokabi on Naila’s Peace Place.

Limited Clear Grey Vinyl 7". For Fans Of… Piero Umiliani, Amedeo Tommasi, Dorothy Ashby, Sandro Brugnolini, El Michels Affair, Sven Wunder. Breezy and carefree, Dragatto reminisces on a day spent exploring the streets of Madrid with only a camera, a few rolls of film and the shoes on his feet. Heavily inspired by the European adaptation of Bossa nova in the 1960’s, Salvator creates his own unique mood that’s equal parts sunny and joyful using simple melodic themes opposite lush string arrangements. A surefire companion for the next road trip down the coast or excursion through a foreign city. On the B side, as if delivered from the future, the sweet and punchy Return to Normal is a message of hope and optimism letting us know that things will indeed get better. Dreamy harp arpeggios float effortlessly atop a crushing rhythm section tip-toeing the line between calmness and urgency. Turn this one up loud, light one up and let go.

Tracks 1. Mind On Madrid 2. A Return To Normal

restock

Hearttheartrecords presents Dangirl and Demo DC who with their combined talents form Ghost N the Wai bring a fresh take on the electronic music scene. Dangirl's musical mastery of keyboard melodies and composition and Demo's unconventional wizardry of electronic sounds and drumming creates an alchemy of aural delight. The Wai (Aka Dangirl) begins this magical experience with her Debut track Between worlds, a celebraton of life, a sparkling tribute to all that exists. With a combination of orchestral magic, arpeggiated droplets and deep groovy basslines, we are taken on an immensely beautiful journey through the cosmos dancing with the intricate layers of the emotional spectrum and rejoicing at what it is to be a living being in the multiverse. Finding beauty and sacredness in even the most testing moments as we are cushioned by an unrelenting and loving consciousness. Some mind made limitations were overcome in the writing of this and as a result caused a significant shift in Dangirl as an artist, hence the effect of this track may be deeply healing. By exploring the pure deliciousness of arpeggiation and marimba sounds The Wai discovered her own unique style of electronica. When the World Sleeps, is an ambient fairy tale of a little girl who ventures out under the starry night sky and is filled with a sense of peace and wonder as the rest of the world wind down to sleep. Big sister to Between Worlds, The Wai's first electronic baby was the original inspiration for Ghost 'N' the Wai starting a whole new venture for Demo Dc and Dangirl. This piece is the tale of a girl who travels to places of unimaginable beauty, exploring the vast cosmos with her star friends. The healing energy of pure childish joy permeates the universe and balances all in existance. As dawn approaches she returns to bed and earth's inhabitants start their routines like a production line. Reminiscent of the Indonesian gamelan (one of Dangirl's lifetime musical inspirations) we are taken on a meditative journey, with haunting bells and dreamy frequencies revealing unfamiliar worlds but maintaining a sense of peaceful slumber. Resting in the womb. Our home. Nap is Over mix is a collaboration of the Wai aka Dangirl and Ghost Foreigner aka DemoDc which when the two unite, form Ghost N the Wai. This track manifested when the Wai asked for Ghost’s feedback on her ambient piece When the world sleeps. After a day of Ghost having it in his grasp, Nap is Over was born effortlessly, giving insight into the power that simmers beneath the surface of these two aspiring artists. The Wai, with her deep, still, meditative grace brings contemplative composition along with Ghost bringing organic yet organised chaotic experimental beats. Nap is over questions reality as it stands, giving the listener the opportunity to ponder their own existence .... the world no longer sleeps ... the Nap is Over.

Private View is distinctly Blancmange while also expanding into new sonic terrain. There’s a deft marriage of futuristic electronic sounds, Neil Arthur’s unmistakable vocal hooks, and songs veer from buoyant and joyful to dark and brooding. Private View will be released on London Records almost exactly 40 years to the day since the label released Blancmange’s debut album Happy Families. This neat full circle of Blancmange re-signing to the same label that ignited things all those years ago is also reflected in the album itself, being the perfect crystallisation of four decades of creativity.

On Private View Neil returns with key collaborator Benge (Wrangler, John Foxx, John Grant), and David Rhodes (Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Scott Walker) also returns as the guitarist, having previously performed with the band as early as 1982’s Happy Families (as well as several other Blancmange albums).

Private View is a record that manages to capture an artist who is potently in the moment when it comes to creating new work, while also being able to draw on 40 years’ worth of knowledge, experience, and built-in intuition. “I'm really lucky to be able make the music completely on my own terms,” Arthur says. “Being able to just continue being creative...that's when I'm happiest.” As he said before: “within myself there are no limits.”

Blancmange is also reflected in the ongoing influence the music has on younger generations of artists and fans over the years. Contemporary electronic producers like Honey Dijon and Roman Flügel have paid tribute with remixes, Moby once called Blancmange “probably the most underrated electronic act of all time.”; while John Grant continues to profess his love for Arthur’s music, old and new, and has invited Blancmange to perform as part of Grace Jones’ Meltdown festival.

Channeling his background in classical music, SUUNS' Ben Shemie combines string fractals, manipulated vocals, and synth-powered chaos to bridge the universes of past, present, and future. Over the course of ten tracks, Shemie chronicles a wandering soul tangled in its own dark orbit, searching for meaning in a world of stardust and astral mirages. Breathing life into Shemie's orchestral maneuvers was the Molinari String Quartet, one of Canada's most celebrated contemporary ensembles. Recording the album's ten tracks in two single-takes, the urgency and dynamism of these compositions can be heard as much felt. The listener can sense the stuttering pulse of Shemie, flanked by five amplifiers and wading in electronic bedlam, as the Molinari Quartet switchbacks measures of strings and chimes. Sometimes, the only way to make sense of the world is to travel to its absolute end. While Shemie's image of a faraway universe is equal parts inspiring and chaotic, he assures the listener _ everything and everyone is exactly as it should.

feat. Banda Maje

Four Flies is thrilled to present a fresh little gem of a 7 inch where the Salifornian funk collective Banda Maje put their spin on "Wait For Me", a disco-funk track by Canadian multi-instrumentalist Franky Selector originally released in his album Never Better – which last spring was fully reinterpreted by a number of Italian artists, including Banda Maje, in the digital album Italians do it (Never) Better.

The full, vocal version of the re-edit, on side A, sees Franky Selector himself sing in perfect Neapolitan amidst irresistible backing vocals, while the instrumental version is provided on side B.

Both versions brim with joy, funk, and Salifornian energy, bringing Italy and Canada closer than ever. Infectious groove has no boundaries.

A violin, a fife, and the endless sky opens up to us. Two voices cross it, a duet of swallows playing their perpetual encounters, joined by percussion that crashes like waves on jagged coasts. This is the opening of the album Déliryom, the beginning of this "watia watia" - meaning joyful mess or tasty mishmash, opened by six "zoreys": in Reunion Island Creole, it means metropolitan people from France. But these zoreys claim their creolity as a family of the heart, a chosen homeland. And they celebrate it. Rosemary Standley (Moriarty) and Marjolaine Karlin met at a concert where Reunionese maloya was resounding in Paris. It was in 2008, and their fascination for the island, its rhythms, its language born for poetry was bound to bring them together. A character too, a majestic poet and celestial wanderer, who for them would be a spiritual father - Alain Peters. Or rather his ghost, since he died in 1995 of a heart attack, leaving behind a daughter and some twenty songs that have shaped a fertile horizon for all the musicians of the Reunion Island... and elsewhere! Six years after giving birth to their first album (Zanz in Lanfèr, 2016), the two singers continue this great journey, exploring other pieces forged over the years, always alongside percussionist and rhythm doctor Salvador Douézy, and new zoreys who have joined them. There is Gérald Chevillon, who plays bass saxophone, Chadi Chouman as a guitarist who has no equal in awakening the colors of his native East, and finally Jennifer Hutt, whose energetic violin evokes the Cajun colors of New Orleans. For even if this new album tells of other facets of the Peters totem, it also ventures towards other Creole lands, other islands where music and song are much more than entertainment: they are a way of being in the world.

2x LTD CLEAR VINYL
Limitiertes, durchsichtiges Doppelvinyl inklusive Downloadcode!

Grammygewinner RAC veröffentlicht sein lang erwartetes neues Album auf Counter Records!

Aufgenommen in Anjos' Heimstudio in Portland und bei Sessions in L.A., finden sich auf RAC's neuem Album Kollaborationen mit u.a. Rivers Cuomo von Weezer, Vampire Weekends Rostam, MNDR, ST. Lucia, KNA und Joywave. - EGO ist Anjos ambitioniertestes, geschlossenstes und persönlichstes Werk und zeigt deutlich seine organische Weiterentwicklung als Künstler auf. Geboren und aufgewachsen in Portugal, lernte Anjos in seiner Jugend Klavier und Gitarre und spielte in lokalen Bands. Später zog er in die USA, um Musikbusiness am Greenville College in Illinois zu studieren, bevor er sich in Portland, Oregon, niederließ. Anjos gründete RAC im Schlafzimmer seines Studentenwohnheims und gewann fortan ein stetig wachsendes Publikum für sich, wodurch offizielle Remix-Aufträge für u.a. Lana del Rey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ellie Goulding, Foster The People, Phoenix, Imagine Dragons, Two Door Cinema Club und The Shins enstanden. Seine erste Grammy-Nominierung erhielt Anjos schon 2016 für seinen Remix von ODESZAs - Say My Name und bei den diesjährigen Verleihungen gewann er mit seinem Remix für Bob Moses' - Tearing Me Up .

Mit seinem ersten Song, - Hollywood , begann RAC 2012 eigenes Material zu veröffentlichen und unterstrich mit seinem Debütalbum - Strangers von 2014 seinen Qualitäten als Songwriter. Darauf enthalten waren die Singles - Let Go mit Kele von Bloc Party und MNDR sowie - Cheap Sunglasses mit Matthew Koma. Außerdem absolvierte er bereits gefeierte Auftritte auf den weltbekannten Festivals Coachella, Electric Zoo und Lollapalooza.

Recommended If You Like: Deerhoof, Tune-Yards, CAN (if they were a band in like, 2070), Blonde Redhead, Horse Lords, Tigue, Lil Nas X (in spirit). Over eighteen boundless albums as experimental as they are pop, Deerhoof has continuously quested for radical sounds and daring storytelling.

Dates Aug 28 Summerhall, Edinburgh, Aug 29 The Cluny, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Aug 30 Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, Aug 31 Electric Ballroom, London, Sep 01 Hare and Hounds, Birmingham.

Genteel, springlike sounds emanate once more from Paris. Those who live there or have visited will know a joy in this that non-residents or travelers can only imagine, but one senses that there’s a texture to it all that bakes into the human experience when winter finally lifts and trees blossom, warm breezes blow. After being stuck at home for two years, once the weather picks up and the world hopes to shift back in gear without millions of deaths, one’s imagination begins to run. Parisian duo Zusammen Clark have codified this sound of openness and warmth using known goalposts of sound – the subtle drag of these sturdy, easygoing songs, a direct path from Jean-Charles Delarue’s previous outing in Bruit Direct outfit City Band; the descent of chord structures, a deep voice going high and staying louche. Maybe a bit of Felt’s cherry red pastoral, shades of that time in speculative fiction where Pavement signed to Postcard (remember? it was the same year that Dandelion and Les Temps Heureux got out of bed and toured coffeehouses together), the Go-Betweens just before the wheels fell off, or NYC underdogs Plates of Cake. Horns swoop in at the right moments and don’t linger. Hooks lock in and down, lead guitar casually doubles itself. Hair gets done, stubble let fashionably go. Along with bandmate and cousin Jerome Lemee, Delarue constructs a frame, pencils in the outline and begins decorating these songs with all the right touches and a confidence that knows where to place them, not just the value of the objects. This is a world of sound where everything has a story and a place, every room can provide a closet mix. It’s a world that opens into a larger world, a human world, maybe a world these two knew from childhood, maybe one they’ve built for themselves. Earlier is too well-assembled to not have a foundation in profoundly comfortable moments in life, and the knowledge of how to get there, even if one knows they can never stay. It’s a catalogue of delight, impossible to oversell. – Doug Mosurock TRACKLIST: A1 - Magyar A2 - Animals & Evidence A3 - Rest Position A4 - Swim In A Blue B1 - Parallel Lines B2 - Ho Chi Minh B3 - The Postcard B4 - Own Company

There’s no escaping the motherlode - that eternal continuum of high drama and overheated amp stacks fit to raise the pulse and revivify the spirits. It’s merely an unmistakable band chemistry that transforms base hard rock into gemstones, and this process is an increasingly rare phenomenon in the here and now. Luckily for Stockholm’s alchemists LUGNET, they are one of the few. Here in these steamrollering grooves and strident anthems is just the kind of swagger and bravado on which rock built its foundations in the ‘70s, yet without any of the cliches or the bloated self-importance. The roots of LUGNET may be visible to see, and the primal stomp of early Deep Purple, the apocalyptic sermonising of Black Sabbath and the cinematic majesty of Rainbow can easily be detected in the almighty sturm-und-drang. Yet this sound is delivered with charisma and maverick energy that effortlessly summons fresh vibrant life to a classic form. The spark that lit LUGNET originates in 2009, when Fredrik Jansson-Punkka (also drummer of Angel Witch, and whose storied history includes stints in Witchcraft, Abramis Brama and Count Raven) met bassist Lennart ‘Z’ Zethzon at Sweden Rock Festival and the two first discussed getting together to jam. Three years later this finally came to fruition and guitarists Bonden Jansson and Mackan Holten joined the fray, alongside vocalist Roger Solander. An original plan to play ‘70s blues-rock with Swedish lyrics was ultimately warped and transformed into the monumental attack of 2016’s self-titled debut proper on Pride & Joy Music. The road to ‘Nightwalker’ saw changes afoot in the band, as Solander was replaced by the soulful pipes of Johan Fahlberg, who matches the swashbuckling charm of the Dio/Coverdale tradition with flourishes and personality all his own, whilst Bonden Jansson made way for wunderkind new guitarist Matti Norlin. This was a quantum leap on from the debut, replete with fiery interplay and incisive song writing, from the slow Zeppelin-esque catharsis of ‘Death Laughs At You’ to the monstrous ‘Stargazer’-esque grandeur of the mellotron-assisted finale ‘Kill Us All’. The aftermath saw Lugnet traverse from strength to strength, a notable highlight being packing out their tent at Sweden Rock Festival in 2018 even whilst a certain Birmingham-birthed Prince Of Darkness himself occupied the main stage across the field. Michael Linder (formerly of Troubled Horse) soon replaced Mackan Holten, and this line-up has subsequently amassed enough material for two albums, with all members throwing their hat into the ring song writing-wise. One of these ‘Tales From The Great Beyond’ has already been recorded at SolnaSound Recording with the dream-team of Simon Johansson (Wolf/ Soilwork) and Mike Wead (King Diamond/ Mercyful Fate) at the helm / mixed by Marcus Jidell (Avatarium/ Candlemass). Just like for the debut album, the front cover artwork was designed by Vance Kelly. Whatever the future holds for Lugnet, only a fool would bet on the result not being a spectacular explosion of righteousness. This machine is firing on all cylinders, and rockers of all persuasions would be well advised to get on board or get out of the way. Track listing: Still A Sinner; In Harvest Time; Another World; Out Of My System; Svarv; Eaten Alive; Pale Design; I Can’t Wait; Black Sails; Tåsjö Kyrkmarsch

In 2020 Starry Skies released their third album "Do It With Love", 36
minutes filled with great storytelling and harmonies that are all centered
around the very thing that defines our core as humans - love - But not
only in a romantic way, the songs celebrate friendship and everything we
love as human beings
"Do it with Love" is the perfect title, because you can hear the love and joy that the
band poured into creating this album in every note played and sung. Now you
might argue that the album filled with too much love to bear, to which I would
reply with "there can never be too much love". So put on your headphones, close
your eyes and let this uplifting piece of music make your day a little brighter. -

Raised somewhere between Ministry Of Sound’s ‘The Annual’ and early music message boards, Kolya’s taste still extends from obscure tape-only releases to turn-of-the-millennium trance anthems.

As a DJ, it’s taken the South Londoner from Bugged Out! to Berlin – at home supporting Demdike Stare with coldwave, spinning runway house alongside MikeQ while a House Of Trax resident, or unleashing noughties fidget at the closing of Camden’s infamous Lock Tavern. All of which is to say, his debut EP for Ecstasy Garage Disco arrives steeped in musical history.

Recorded during lockdown, it draws on perhaps his greatest love, deep (deep, deep) house. A soaring synth work out, opener ‘Stick Together’ is a case in point, standing on the shoulders of giants like Peter Daou, but with a life-affirming exuberance all of its own. ‘Miss Honey Prancin’ In The Twilite’, meanwhile, is a tribute to Moi Rene, as well as a love letter to Project X Records in general, her vocal recast over a groove that alternates between outer space iciness and snare-rolling high drama.

On the flip, ‘Crying Over Spilt Poppers’ blends the flavour of amyl-soaked Gherkin with the emotional nuance of Nu Groove, joyous and reflective in equal measure. And ‘Jamais Vu’ signs off, its bumping kick pattern and intertwining melodic layers connecting glimmering 90s electronica and contemporary, future-facing house.

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Breezy and carefree, Dragatto reminisces on a day spent exploring the streets of Madrid with only a camera, a few rolls of film and the shoes on his feet. Heavily inspired by the European adaptation of Bossa nova in the 1960's, Salvator creates his own unique mood that's equal parts sunny and joyful using simple melodic themes opposite lush string arrangements. A surefire companion for the next road trip down the coast or excursion through a foreign city. On the B side, as if delivered from the future, the sweet and punchy Return to Normal is a message of hope and optimism letting us know that things will indeed get better. Dreamy harp arpeggios float effortlessly atop a crushing rhythm section tip-toeing the line between calmness and urgency. Turn this one up loud, light one up and let go.

Gather your loved ones, Together is here. Duster's fourth album is a 13-song exploration of comfortable, interplanetary goth. A sonic vaseline of submerged guitars, solder-burned synths, and over-driven rhythm tracks. "I know people say, `Oh Duster music so sad, we've even said it ourselves before," Clay Parton said. "But it's a lot more like absurdism than nihilism."

Gather your loved ones, Together is here. Duster's fourth album is a 13-song exploration of comfortable, interplanetary goth. A sonic vaseline of submerged guitars, solder-burned synths, and over-driven rhythm tracks. "I know people say, `Oh Duster music so sad, we've even said it ourselves before," Clay Parton said. "But it's a lot more like absurdism than nihilism."

David Lovato’s first outing as LOVA, the superb Gypsophilia EP, was one of NuNorthern Soul’s most lauded and cherished releases of 2021 – a gorgeous collection of emotive, sun-soaked sounds from the mind of a producer who got his chance on the imprint after handing a USB of tracks to Phil Cooper at Hostal La Torre in the summer of 2020.

Now, the EP returns for 2022 in expanded form, with a trio of fresh, mood-enhancing remixes joining the three original tracks featured on last year’s release. It’s those – ‘Cecilia’, Lovato’s glistening, emotionally resonant musical tribute to his baby daughter, mid-tempo nu-disco gem ‘Echoes of Memories’ and the stunning, sunset-inspired ‘Esperanza’ - that form the first half of the EP, with a trio of reworks following in hot pursuit.

Long-time friends of the label Leo Mas and Fabrice, an Italian duo famed for their brilliant Balearic reworks whose individual and collective histories stretch right back to the late 1980s (Mas, for example, was one of the resident DJs at legendary White Isle venue Amnesia at the back end of that decade). Given this shared Balearic history, it’s fitting that they step up first and give their spin on ‘Cecilia’. Making the most of Lovato’s stunning, reverb-drenched guitar licks, dreamy chords and atmospheric pads, the pair delivers a shuffling, club-ready interpretation underpinned by a locked-in dub disco groove. It’s a fine take on a track brimming with positivity and joy.

Hear & Now, an Italian duo best known for delivering a trio of brilliant albums on Claremont 56, give their interpretation of ‘Echoes of Memories’. Beginning with a mixture of quietly colourful chords, enveloping sonic textures and hazy guitar motifs, the mix gently builds as it progresses, with the pair introducing a pitched-down house groove, chiming electronic melodies and alluring elements from Lovato’s original version. Like much of Hear & Now’s work, it sits somewhere be-tween Balearica, slow-motion electronic disco and the Rimini-friendly dream house sound that marked out Italian club cuts at the turn of the ‘90s.

To close out the EP, rising star Danilo Braca – an Italian producer based in New York City who began DJing in his home country way back in 1996 – gently leads ‘Esperanza’ towards the dancefloor. Braca is a member of production duo Synth & Soda, whose 2020 remix of DJ Harvey presents Locussolus track ‘Berghain’ was selected by the man himself as the winner of an online competition. On this solo revision, Braca wraps a punchy, Latin-tinged house beat in cascading melodic motifs, bubbly synthesizer arpeggio lines, rising and falling electronics and pads so sumptuous you might want to marry them. Simultaneously morning fresh and sunset-ready, Braca has delivered a classic-sounding chunk of Balearic nu-disco/deep house fu-sion.

Gypsophilia Remixed is the latest volume in NuNorthern Soul’s Myths of Ibiza series of EPs, which all feature specially commissioned artwork from illustrator Emily McGuinness. This time round, McGuinness’s distinctive artwork depicts Tanit, the ‘protector goddess’ of Ibiza. A warrior deity of dance, fertility, creation and destruction, her spirit is said to watch over the island’s West Coast, particularly the area around Atlantic and the mysterious Es Vedra rock.

The good thing about techno is that you can reach the most diverse states. The possibilities are almost endless, the machines multifaceted and the imagination knows no boundaries. Just this joy
of experimenting with melodies and equipment is one of the specialties of Berk Offset aka Echowolf, which he brings to bear again in his latest release on Snork Enterprises "Dreieinigkeit".

Weird rhythms and twisted sounds develop in the end to a harmonic overall state.

The three new tracks, which all run under the title "Zustand" (the German word for “state” or “condition”) only with different numbering, are complemented by a brilliant rework by Headless
Horsemann. In full honor of his name, he enhances the wonderfully weird techno tunes with a mysterious ambient style that not only sounds but also feels like a mighty acoustic shadow.

Black Screen Records is excited to announce that Damián Sánchez' chill and joyful orchestral soundtrack to Crema's massively multiplayer creature-collection adventure Temtem will be available on limited edition 3xLP Picture Disc vinyl. You get 47 songs and the three starters Crystle, Smazee and Houchic in one beautiful trifold set with gorgeous artwork by Alex Muñoz and Cristina Jiménez. The vinyl and CD both come with a download card for the full digital soundtrack including all tracks. ABOUT THE SOUNDTRACK: Temtem's original game soundtrack is a melodic journey through the adventures on the Airborne Archipelago. A mixture of musical styles and flavors ranging from the chill and joyful orchestral sounds from Deniz to the most vivid and chrer-ish celtic dances from Arbury, through the folk and peacefulness of Omninesia, the mysterious glassy mallets of Tucma, the warm drums and flutes of Kisiwa, and the modern-versus-traditional Asian tunes in Cipanku. Discover the traditions of each isle through its instrumental palette and melodies, and vibe with the rhythms of the combat themes while you become the greatest Temtem tamer. The aim of this physical edition it's always been to give our fans not only another way of listening to Temtem's soundtrack, but to make a piece of art they would love to display on their shelves or even hang on a wall. Both teams at Crema and Black Screen Records worked really hard for a long time to cherry-pick the best ideas and come up with these incredibly beautiful editions. We are really proud of these products and we really hope you enjoy them! - Damián Sánchez ABOUT THE GAME: Temtem is a massively multiplayer online adventure where you'll get to explore the colorful and exciting Airborne Archipelago with all your friends and other players! Discover, tame and battle the Temtem that inhabit these islands, and maybe save the Archipelago in the process? Temtem offers a lengthy story campaign in a fully online world, and the possibility of playing the entire adventure in Co-op with a friend; a rich, complex, RNG-free combat experience, and competitively oriented gameplay, with challenges for all play styles; a bustling economy and trading environment; advanced character customization, housing and a myriad of ways to express yourself!

Tradition and experimentation are two familiar territories that C"mon Tigre, a duo who find their identity by working with musicians from all over the world, can balance between very well. As they did for their debut album (2014), they have put together a multicolored collective for their second record Racines (2019) and now their third album Scenario. Sailing from the Mediterranean basin and being guided by the fascination for Africa and the Middle East, C"mon Tigre give rise to a personal language, made up of mixtures with jazz, afrojazz, the rhythmics of hip hop, funk, club music. All without ever confining their songs to one style, but pushing the exploration as much as possible, into a dimension that every journey worthy of this name should encompass. With the musicians they work with, the exchange and experimentation continue till the end, the songs can take different directions at any time. The result is a mixed, cosmopolitan record, which escapes from any label for the affirmation of a free attitude. It led C"mon Tigre to seek a connection with dancefloor culture, even if considered only as an evocation to revisit in a personal way. This cinematic imagery pushed C"mon Tigre to translate their musical wandering into a visual form, as they already did in the past with animated videos made with the painter Gianluigi Toccafondo and 3d artist Sic Est for "Underground Lovers" and "Behold The Man", two tracks from the previous record. Now the will to merge music and images is even greater: Scenario is also released in a colored vinyl + book version, including a volume to browse through with a wide selection of photo taken by Paolo Pellegrin. Paolo has spent the last 30 years documenting the world. He lives and testifies to issues regarding living conditions, poverty, sufferance and violence, always implementing an anthropological approach. A subjective but detached gaze, which is both a reflection and an analysis, that coincides with an attitude of openness, respect, and interest in the times of history, an odyssey between human and inhuman. Scenario wants to tell about what defines us as human beings: joy, connection, anger, sense of belonging, pain, anguish, violence, dignity. These are tales of someone observing with stretched ears.

Tradition and experimentation are two familiar territories that C"mon Tigre, a duo who find their identity by working with musicians from all over the world, can balance between very well. As they did for their debut album (2014), they have put together a multicolored collective for their second record Racines (2019) and now their third album Scenario. Sailing from the Mediterranean basin and being guided by the fascination for Africa and the Middle East, C"mon Tigre give rise to a personal language, made up of mixtures with jazz, afrojazz, the rhythmics of hip hop, funk, club music. All without ever confining their songs to one style, but pushing the exploration as much as possible, into a dimension that every journey worthy of this name should encompass. With the musicians they work with, the exchange and experimentation continue till the end, the songs can take different directions at any time. The result is a mixed, cosmopolitan record, which escapes from any label for the affirmation of a free attitude. It led C"mon Tigre to seek a connection with dancefloor culture, even if considered only as an evocation to revisit in a personal way. This cinematic imagery pushed C"mon Tigre to translate their musical wandering into a visual form, as they already did in the past with animated videos made with the painter Gianluigi Toccafondo and 3d artist Sic Est for "Underground Lovers" and "Behold The Man", two tracks from the previous record. Now the will to merge music and images is even greater: Scenario is also released in a colored vinyl + book version, including a volume to browse through with a wide selection of photo taken by Paolo Pellegrin. Paolo has spent the last 30 years documenting the world. He lives and testifies to issues regarding living conditions, poverty, sufferance and violence, always implementing an anthropological approach. A subjective but detached gaze, which is both a reflection and an analysis, that coincides with an attitude of openness, respect, and interest in the times of history, an odyssey between human and inhuman. Scenario wants to tell about what defines us as human beings: joy, connection, anger, sense of belonging, pain, anguish, violence, dignity. These are tales of someone observing with stretched ears.

Tape

The third LP from the New Zealand quartet houses 12 jewels of tight, guitar-heavy songs that worm their way into your head, an incandescent collision of power-pop and skuzz. With Expert, The Beths wanted to make an album meant to be experienced live, for both the listeners and themselves. They wanted it to be fun -- to hear, to play -- in spite of the prickling anxiety throughout the lyrics, the fear of change and struggle to cope.

Most of Expert was recorded at guitarist Jonathan Pearce’s studio on Karangahape Road in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa (Auckland, New Zealand) -- and sometimes in the building's cavernous stairwell at 1am -- toward the end of 2021, until they were interrupted by a four-month national lockdown. They traded notes remotely for months, songwriting from afar and fleshing out the arrangements alone, the first time they’d written together in such a way. The following February, The Beths left the country for the first time in more than two years to tour across the US, and simultaneously finish mixing the album on the road. That latter half felt more collaborative, with everyone on-hand to trade notes in real time, until it all culminated in a chaotic three-day studio mad-dash in Los Angeles. There, Expert finally became the record they were hearing in their heads.

Expert is an extension of the same skuzzy palette the band has built across their catalog, pop hooks embedded in incisive indie rock. The album’s title track “Expert In A Dying Field” introduces the thesis for the record: “How does it feel to be an expert in a dying field? How do you know it’s over when you can’t let go?” Stokes asks. “Love is learned over time ‘til you’re an expert in a dying field.”

The rest is a capsule of The Beths’ most electrifying and exciting output, a sonic spectrum: “Your Side” is a forlorn and sincere love song, emotive; while “Silence is Golden,” with its propulsive drum line and stop-start staccato of a guitar line winding up and down, is one of the band’s sharpest and most driving. “When You Know You Know” skews a bit groovier, pure pop and a natural addition to the band’s live set. “Knees Deep” was written last minute, but yields one of the best guitar lines on Expert. There’s a certain chaos across the 12 tracks, the palpable joy of playing music with long-time friends colliding with the raw nerves of pain.

Stokes strings it all together through her singular songwriting lens, earnest and self-effacing, zeroing in on the granules of doubt and how they snowball. Did I do the wrong thing? Or did you? And are we still good people at the end of it? She isn’t interested in villains, but instead interested in just telling the story. That insecurity and thoughtfulness, translated into universality and understanding, has been the guiding light of The Beths’ output since 2016. In the face of pain, there’s no dwelling on internal anguish - instead, through The Beths’ musi

Things are looking up for The Harlem Gospel Travelers, who return here with a new album, a new lineup, and a new lease on life. Produced by Eli Paperboy Reed, Look Up! marks the group's first full-length release as a trio, as well as their first collection of totally original material, and it couldn't have come at a more vital moment. The music still draws deeply on the gospel quartet tradition of the '50s and '60s, of course, but there's a distinctly modern edge to the record, an unmistakable reflection of the tumultuous past few years of pandemic anxiety, political chaos, and social unrest. The songs are bold and resilient, facing down doubt and despair with faith and perseverance, and the performances are explosive and ecstatic, fueled by dazzling vocal arrangements punctuated with gritty bursts of guitar and crunchy rhythm breaks. Born out of an non-profit music education program led by Reed, The Harlem Gospel Travelers_singers Thomas Gatling, George Marage, and Dennis Bailey_released their debut LP, He's On Time, to rave reviews in 2019, with Pop Matters hailing the album's "musical transcendence" and AllMusic praising it as "dreamlike and joyous." The record charted on Billboard, earned the Travelers high profile fans like Elton John (who invited them to appear on his Rocket Hour radio show on Apple Music), and landed them festival slots everywhere from Pilgrimage to Telluride Jazz.

For Fans Of: The Flying Stars Of Brooklyn NY, Durand Jones & The Indications, Como Mamas, Eli Paperboy Reed, Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens. Things are looking up for The Harlem Gospel Travelers, who return here with a new album, a new lineup, and a new lease on life. Produced by Eli Paperboy Reed, Look Up! marks the group’s first full-length release as a trio, as well as their first collection of totally original material, and it couldn’t have come at a more vital moment. The music still draws deeply on the gospel quartet tradition of the ’50s and ’60s, of course, but there’s a distinctly modern edge to the record, an unmistakable reflection of the tumultuous past few years of pandemic anxiety, political chaos, and social unrest. The songs are bold and resilient, facing down doubt and despair with faith and perseverance, and the performances are explosive and ecstatic, fueled by dazzling vocal arrangements punctuated with gritty bursts of guitar and crunchy rhythm breaks. Born out of an non-profit music education program led by Reed, The Harlem Gospel Travelers singers Thomas Gatling, George Marage, and Dennis Bailey released their debut LP, He’s On Time, to rave reviews in 2019, with Pop Matters hailing the album’s “musical transcendence” and AllMusic praising it as “dreamlike and joyous.” The record charted on Billboard, earned the Travelers high profile fans like Elton John (who invited them to appear on his Rocket Hour radio show on Apple Music), and landed them festival slots everywhere from Pilgrimage to Telluride Jazz. Tracks: 1. Look Up! 2. Hold On (Joy Is Coming) 3. God's in Control 4. Help Me To Understand 5. Nothing but His Love 6. Fight On! 7. Hold Your Head Up 8. That's the Reason 9. Let Me Tell You 10. God Will Take Care of You 11. I'm Grateful

Repress!

Blu is the leader of West Coast Hip Hop. Since the days of Pharcyde, Freestyle Fellowship, and Jurassic 5, there have been few wordsmiths that have grasped the attention of listeners worldwide. Introduced to NWA and Public Enemy by his father, Blu later was captivated by the likes of Black Star, The Roots, and Common, creating a unique balance that is displayed in Blu’s personality and music. Blu’s first full length LP, “Below the Heavens” pairs Blu with producer Exile on the Sound in Color imprint. His first single, “Narrow Path” has rocked stages across the world, as fans begin to feel the impact of Blu’s music. His delivery flows flawlessly, while the content reflects the joy and pain of working class youth everywhere. Since the release of “Narrow Path,” Blu has performed alongside Slum Village, X-Clan, Platinum Pied Pipers, Lyrics Born, DJ Houseshoes, and many others, while participating in 3 high-profile nationwide tours alongside musical family members: Ta’Raach, Aloe Blacc, and Exile. The buzz has fans salivating for new music. Worldwide, people are looking to put hope into the ‘next’ emcee that will give them the same feeling when they first heard Black Thought, Common, or Slum Village. Blu fulfills this need, but maintains something that is entirely new, while not recycled.

For Fans Of: The Flying Stars Of Brooklyn NY, Durand Jones & The Indications, Como Mamas, Eli Paperboy Reed, Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens. Things are looking up for The Harlem Gospel Travelers, who return here with a new album, a new lineup, and a new lease on life. Produced by Eli Paperboy Reed, Look Up! marks the group’s first full-length release as a trio, as well as their first collection of totally original material, and it couldn’t have come at a more vital moment. The music still draws deeply on the gospel quartet tradition of the ’50s and ’60s, of course, but there’s a distinctly modern edge to the record, an unmistakable reflection of the tumultuous past few years of pandemic anxiety, political chaos, and social unrest. The songs are bold and resilient, facing down doubt and despair with faith and perseverance, and the performances are explosive and ecstatic, fueled by dazzling vocal arrangements punctuated with gritty bursts of guitar and crunchy rhythm breaks. Born out of an non-profit music education program led by Reed, The Harlem Gospel Travelers singers Thomas Gatling, George Marage, and Dennis Bailey released their debut LP, He’s On Time, to rave reviews in 2019, with Pop Matters hailing the album’s “musical transcendence” and AllMusic praising it as “dreamlike and joyous.” The record charted on Billboard, earned the Travelers high profile fans like Elton John (who invited them to appear on his Rocket Hour radio show on Apple Music), and landed them festival slots everywhere from Pilgrimage to Telluride Jazz. Tracks: 1. Look Up! 2. Hold On (Joy Is Coming) 3. God's in Control 4. Help Me To Understand 5. Nothing but His Love 6. Fight On! 7. Hold Your Head Up 8. That's the Reason 9. Let Me Tell You 10. God Will Take Care of You 11. I'm Grateful

“Klangstof are conducting deliciously evil experiments on indie rock.” – Clash. Klangstof recently returned to attention with the ‘Ocean View’ EP, which was one of two projects they recorded simultaneously in 2021. Its release added to the anticipation for the bigger set that was recorded at the same time, their third studio album ‘Godspeed To The Freaks’, which will be released on September 16th. The band today launch the album by sharing its lead single ‘Disguiser’. ‘Godspeed To The Freaks’ will see the Edison Award (the Dutch equivalent to the Grammy or BRITs) winning band add to the widespread tastemaker attention that has greeted their previous two albums. It’s an album which focuses on self-reflection; finding the courage to confront your inner self and being at peace with your demons. There’s a power that comes with the acceptance that every good day might have a touch of darkness to it. And in a further contrast to the electronic-orientated 2020 set ‘The Noise You Make Is Silent’, this record is focused primarily upon the warmth of its live instrumentation and the intuitive interplay between the band members. Remarkably, the bulk of ‘Godspeed To The Freaks’ was recorded in just two weeks. The trio - Koen van de Wardt, Wannes Salomé, and Erik Buschmann - were boosted by the addition of their touring guitarist Wouter Van Nienes and channelled the energy of their live show, an approach further amplified by recording in a temporary studio in De Bolder, a music venue on the tiny Dutch island of Vlieland. Klangstof essentially rehearsed, recorded and produced the core of the record themselves in that serene environment, giving them a bubble of freedom amidst a world in chaos. Any outside input only followed later, with additional mixing by Sam Petts-Davies (Radiohead, Frank Ocean) and mastering by Heba Kadry (Björk, Slowdive, Big Thief). The album campaign’s visual aesthetic features band portraits courtesy of the iconic photographer and director Anton Corbijn. His timeless photography includes shoots for R.E.M., U2 and Nick Cave, while Nirvana, Metallica and Depeche Mode lead his numerous renowned music videos. He is also a feature-length film director who is best known for the Ian Curtis / Joy Division biopic ‘Control’. Klangstof will play several European shows this summer as guests to Pixies, including Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl on July 5th. They will again link up with Pixies in December for a tour of Australia and New Zealand.

140gm gold vinyl in gatefold. MENTALIST, the Saarbrücken Germany based Melodic Metal group, like maybe no other recently new band has managed to leave big, positive marks in the Power Metal scene! After the big success of the debut album ‘Freedom Of Speech’ (2020), the German/ Swedish foursome consisting of Peter Moog (guitars), Thomen Stauch (dr., ex BLIND GUARDIAN), Kai Stringer (guitars) and Swedish exceptional singer Rob Lundgren just scraped past the German official media control album charts with their 2021 effort ‘A Journey Into The Unknown’ (trend charts: #63)! On iTunes, MENTALIST reached an impressive #2 as highest position at the Metal charts, and the fans of the Facebook group ‘Power Metal’ with 110K followers voted ‘A Journey Into The Unknown’ as best Power Metal release of the year 2021. ‘Empires Falling’, the third full length by the German/Swedish outfit, now continues where its predecessors have stopped! Oliver Palotai (keys, Kamelot) und Mike LePond (b., Symphony X) again joined MENTALIST as energetic guests on keyboards and bass. On this release, outstanding musicianship teams up with fabulous melodies and fine, subtle arrangements as parts of epic, stirring and energy-driven songs which reinforce the high quality of MENTALIST. The front cover artwork again was designed by Andreas Marschall (Blind Guardian, Running Wild), the mix & the mastering once more was handled by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Pretty Maids etc.). ‘Empires Falling’ will be released on September 16th, 2022 on CD, digital, and as gold vinyl 2-LP. A tour for Autumn 2022 is currently in preparation. Track listing: Solution Revolution; Stairs Of Ragusa; Tears Within A Paradise; Empires Falling; If You Really Want; Columbus; Noah’s Ark; Generation’s Legacy; Heavy Metal Leia; Out Of The Dark; Years Of Slavery; Forbidden Fruits (Bonus Track); Bumblebee (Bonus Track)

ElectronicaA Mountain Of One are set to return to the musical landscape with their brand new track “Custard’s Last Stand”, released 6th August through their new label AMORE via Above Board distribution. It is the first new piece of music the band have released in over a decade.

”Custard’s Last Stand” shows the band, made up of musical soulmates Mo Morris and Zeben Jameson, have lost nothing in the past decade. Recorded over Skype during the coronavirus pandemic, with Mo now in Bali and Zeben in west London, it is a shimmering, modern classic, experimental but accessible, melodic and adventurous. As ever, it is utterly unique, made in a musical universe all of their own.

“Custard’s Last Stand” EP is out 27th August, and will come with an incredible Dub Versions from dub pioneer Dennis Bovell MBE, as well as another new track “Stars, Planets, Dust, Me”. He has also provided a rare vocal performance.

The forthcoming album will be released this autumn. The whole project has been mastered then remixed for a forthcoming album by the legendary Ricardo Villalobos.

When A Mountain Of One AMO1first started performing, they quickly became one of the most-acclaimed bands out there, with the likes of i-D, Sunday Times Culture, Pitchfork, NME and more raving about them and their inspired and original approach, led by Mo and Zeben’s almost telepathic understanding.

Sold-out shows and awesome reviews followed with “Collected Works” and “Institute of Joy”, two phenomenal records that have stood the test of time, criss-crossing Balearic, folk, jazz, dance, rock and psychedelia.

A Mountain Of One have collaborated to create a coming together of music and virtual reality. With NYX VX, the band have developed a virtual world, one that will help provide inspired opportunities for artists looking to identify, connect and engage with audiences on multiple levels. This is the first stage of a new world that people will be building out and inhabiting, as venue for performances, home for musical and visual archives, space for play and exploration. Welcome to 'Stars, Planets, Dust, Me'.

Watch the teaser, soundtracked by new single “Custard’s Last Stand” HERE

The band also supplied the music for the stunning short film from acclaimed director Daniel Lindegren, filmed in London over lockdown. Check that out HERE

Recorded in 1971 by a 27-year-old pastor and an after school program choir, Like A Ship is a stirring and powerful meditation on the wayward aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. Tracked with the help of Chess/Cadet maestros Gene Barge, Phil Upchurch, and Richard Evans, the album is a mix of euphoric gospel and Mayfield-esque political soul, with sleigh bells, hand claps, and jazzy piano stabs. Sampled by T.I., Kanye, and Khaled, Barrett created a rapturous, crossover gospel classic that's still wildly relevant.