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The essence of Mina in a timeless vinyl. With "Sentimentale", Italy's most iconic artist enchants once again with a remastered collection that celebrates love in all its forms. This refined selection takes us on an emotional journey through unforgettable tracks that marked the early successes of her extraordinary career. Among the gems of this collection are "Il cielo in una stanza", the absolute symbol of Italian music, "Un Tale", rich with mystery and intensity, "Le Tue Mani", a tribute to the sweetness of touch, and of course, the beautiful title track "Sentimentale", which captures the soul with its profound poetry. This collection is more than just music: it is a journey through Mina's history, an invitation to rediscover the unique talent that defined an era and continues to inspire generations. "Sentimentale" is not just a vinyl; it is a piece of history to cherish, a timeless celebration of a voice that has touched the hearts of millions.

Theresa Stroetges returns to Karaoke Kalk with her second album for the Berlin-based label, her fifth solo full-length with her Golden Diskó Ship project in total. Having released records with the Indian-German band project Hotel Kali as well as Painting, a group dedicated to audio-visual concepts, »Oval Sun Patch« sees her embrace influences from club culture, advanced electronic music, and pop more firmly than ever before. Over the past 15 years, Golden Diskó Ship has served a vessel with which the Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist has traversed a variety of genres and circumnavigated all conventions in the process. With »Oval Sun Patch,« Stroetges again sets sail into unknown waters with what is perhaps her catchiest album so far—beat-driven, playful, atmospheric, and at times thoroughly anthemic. This is the sound of Golden Diskó Ship moving forward.

A life lived in transit, the vastness of bodies of water and the isolation of islands as well as more generally notions of processes and progress have been recurring motives throughout Stroetges’ previous records and also mark »Oval Sun Patch.« In fact, the foundation for the six pieces was laid when she was working abroad and at times close to the sea. The massive three-part album closer »Earth Before The Space Race« was conceived as a multi-channel audio-visual performance piece during a 2021 residency at Zaratan Arte Contemporânea in Lisbon. The others were written in the following year during two other residencies when Stroetges first spent time in Austria at the sound art festival Klangmanifeste in Lindabrunn and then visited Portugal once more for a stay at Goethe-Institut in Lisbon. With the help of Shelley Barradas, who lent her a guitar, and Julia Klein, who helped her setting up a temporary studio in the Goethe-Institut Portugal’s auditorium, she made the preliminary recordings of what would later become this album.

»Oval Sun Patch«, later refined in Berlin and mixed in close collaboration with London-based engineer Hannes Plattmeier, is a direct result of Stroetges having to work with what was available to her at the time of writing and recording. While her distinct guitar playing—evocative yet funky, complex but catchy—once more features heavily and she uses her voice in manifold ways to sometimes harmonise with herself or creating complex canons as counterpoints to her her own lead vocals, the electronic gear she worked with dominates the album both compositionally and sonically. Stroetges’ music has always displayed a passion for club culture and advanced electronic music, but on »Oval Sun Patch« she proves once and for all how well these influences can be integrated into her unconventional approach to songwriting.

However, the punchy beat and Moroder-like bassline that form the backbone of »Dolphins With Soft Helmets,« the throbbing house and techno grooves underneath »Ephemeral Carnivores« and »Well-Oiled Machine« as well as the jittery IDM rhythms of »Google Your New Name« and her nods to trip-hop with »Tiny Island« do not so much follow established formulas as they use them as a starting point for wild experimentation instead. Stroetges juxtaposes complex rhythms with interlocking melodies and rich harmonies in ways that continue to surprise throughout and still leave enough space for the occasional wistful guitar or vocal passage. Nowhere does this approach feel more epic than on the 12 ½ minutes long »Earth Before The Space Race,« which takes its time to unfold, changing its pace and mood throughout.

»Oval Sun Patch« is an album about change. The lyrics describe constant transformations of sceneries, relationships, physical and emotional states as well as the climate throughout its running time. Stroetges in the meanwhile leads the way as a singer, songwriter and producer who lets her music evolve constantly. This is sound, moving forward.

Maybe this warning is not really relevant. It doesn’t scare anyone anymore. We all know that what is actually hiding behind this green fence is a sweet doggy only waiting to happily greet you.

First there's Gabriel, who you probably already saw playing crazy drums (with Terrenoire, Cola Boyy…). And then there's Facundo, the magician on the synth and on his choice of shirts.

Together they are Chien Méchant: a duo made of two friends who met at the hairdresser (and in high school), and that makes you wonder if groove, rock, funk and synths could maybe coexist one more time.

The release of their first self titled EP Chien Méchant gave prominence to their first inspirations - as first releases usually do - and showed off their influences. They were at the same time trying to prove themselves but also preparing us for what is to come: the real journey.

A journey that will start next January with Métamorphose. A first album that will display a cast smelling like leather, like a John Carpenter movie with GrandMarnier (Yelle) directing, Ouai Stéphane on the mix and of course Gabriel & Facundo taking a twisted pleasure in deconstructing our common preconception on pop music.

Métamorphose has many shapes - don’t forget a dog can have 3 heads. The track “Nuit Blanche” reminds us of our dancefloor trances. “Sens Contraire” is a drum/synth ballad that takes us by the hand and slowly whispers in our ear that it is ok to be anxious. “Point Final” is pretty self explanatory and makes us feel like we are back on the dancefloor saying “ok this is the last one”. There are ten tracks on this album that will be released alongside their label - Nowadays Records.

You will quickly understand that Chien Méchant is a live band. You will dream about these drums, these blinking synths, these psychedelic carpets, and about dancing without thinking about what’s next. But beware, Métamorphose also reminds us that they are way more than that.

Kaum eine deutsche Band hat es seit ihrer Gründung vor gut 30 Jahren geschafft, einen so einzigartigen musikalischen Kosmos zu erschaffen wie die deutsche Band Bohren & der Club Of Gore aus Mühlheim. Mit ihren düsteren Instrumentalstücken konnten sich Bohren in den letzten Jahren eine beinharte Fangemeinde erspielen, und namhafte Musiker wie Mike Patton (Faith No More), Ry-X, John Grant, Soap&Skin und Thor Harris (Swans) sind den zeitlosen Songs von Bohren längst verfallen.

Das wunderbar betitelte "Bohren For Beginners" versammelt alle Highlights des Bohren-Katalogs in teilweise neu abgemischten Versionen sowie einen neuen Song, so dass die vorliegende Werkschau als Einstiegsdroge sowohl für Newcomer als auch für eingefleischte Fans interessant ist. Da ein großer Teil des Bohren-Backkatalogs schon seit Jahren gelöscht ist, werden hier musikalische Schätze gehoben, die nichts von ihrer Qualität verloren haben und auch in 20 Jahren noch für Gänsehaut sorgen werden.

Bisher gab es das Album nur digital und als CD, am 10.02.2023 erscheint das Album jetzt auch als 3LP in einem schicken Tri-Gatefold.

MANOWAR is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the band is known for lyrics based on fantasy and mythology . The band is also known for a Loud and Bombastic sound. In 1984 the band was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on two occasions. They also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for five hours and 1 minute in Bulgaria (at Kavarna Rock Fest) in 2008. MANOWAR have also been known for their slogan "Death to false metal » and have maintained a very strong following with dedicated fans worldwide as referred to by the band as "Metal Warriors", "Manowarriors", "Immortals" or "Brothers of Metal". The band signed with Atlantic Records in 1987. Via Atlantic, they released 'Fighting the World', which enjoyed more extensive distribution and increased the band's prominence in the international heavy metal scene. Album art was designed by Ken Kelly. In 1988, MANOWAR released the album 'Kings of Metal', which is the band's best known work. Songs like "Heart of Steel", "Kings of Metal" and "Hail and Kill" are performed regularly in concerts. 'Kings of Metal' is MANOWAR's highest-selling album worldwide. A new musical unit after the recent changes, MANOWAR released The Triumph of Steel in 1992. It gained some great success and was particularly famous for the presence of a suite lasting no less than 28 minutes entitled "Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts", inspired by the events of the Iliad and the hero Achilles. After this release, the band went on a world tour for two years. Those MANOWAR’s album have become legendary and are still must have in any metal fan record collection . Vinyls formats Having been very rare and reaching high prices online, those three albums are now being made available again in quality coloured vinyls; Grab them now while you can !!

"CQQL Records is a “sequel” to the timeless production ethos of the 80s and 90s: a time when labels truly invested in production, artist development, and put out releases that still influence today’s generation of producers, djs, dancers, and collectors. We’re continuing the story of boogie, AOR, funk, house, soul, r&b, and more, and further developing the themes we feel are classic and need to live on while making sure that each project fits its own lane and style. We’re fond of analog sounds and gear, releases produced on physical media, and paying homage to djs, collectors, and the musicians themselves: an homage but never a replication."

Introducing "Stop 2 Quit," a captivating new deep, jazzy, and lo-fi house music 12" compilation EP that delves into the art of sonic escape amidst the overwhelming noise of modern life. Featuring a hard-hitting lineup of producers — Darone Sassounian, Jamma D, and Jarren representing Los Angeles, Roche in Portland, and Morris Mobley in Nancy, France — each track serves as a remedy to the relentless barrage of messages and distractions that flood our minds.

Boytronic was founded in the early 80’s in Hamburg by Holger Wobker (aka Bryllyant Berger) and Peter Sawatzki. At the beginning, under the moniker of Kapitän Sehnsucht, they were in charge of making the soundtrack for some seedy sex shows on Hamburg’s famous ‘Mile of Sin’. After a while, the boys found that not so satisfying and, through it was a well-paid job, they decided to leave hoping to break into the world of pop music as Boytronic. They already had some demo songs that got the attention of Mercury Records. The first single “You” was recorded highly influenced by the sound of New Order and Patrick Cowley. It didn’t go very well at the beginning. It was just a moderate club hit, but soon after they got lucky and performed “You” on a German TV Show. Just after this, sales reached 80,000 copies in the first week and had a major hit in the German charts reaching position 10. This sudden success was followed by the recordings of the debut album “The Working Model” that was finished in only fourteen days and released at the end of 1983. “The Working Model” is considered as one of the best techno-pop releases coming from Germany in the 80’s. An album more than 40 years old and still sounding so fresh and authentic.

Limited edition of 400 copies on black vinyl with gatefold sleeve, A2 poster and sticker. Includes all tracks from the original album plus some classic remixes of “You”, “Diamonds and Loving Arms”, “Trigger Track” and “Bryllyant”.

An ingenious musician with a harmonious sense of melody, French pianist and composer Maxence Cyrin releases Passenger, his 9th album, composed and performed entirely on the piano. With influences ranging from Ryuichi Sakamoto and Brian Eno to Philip Glass and composers such as Erik Satie and Frédéric Chopin, this album weaves together ambient, minimalism and neo- classical music. This time around, the artist has sought to convey his emotions and ideas in a more intuitive and spontaneous way, even keeping improvisations such as "Under A Glass Bell" and "Dive" recorded during a residency in Brittany. Maxence Cyrin is one of France's most internationally acclaimed pianists.

“Back For More” is probably the most successful track of Cool Million, but for shure the most looked for. DJs and collectors are willing to pay incredible high sums to get hold of one copy of the original pressings from 2010. Only 1000 copies got pressed and this dancefloor filler is still an active 45 in DJ sets worldwide. This NeoBoogie slam is with no doubt a classic already. Cool Million’s banger and title track off their 2010 album “Back For More” is a teaming up with vocal legend, Eugene Wilde, a soulful synth funk jam, and has remained one of Cool Million’s most streamed singles. Now in 2024, Cool Million is back for more with the refreshed master mixdown and vinyl pressing of this dancefloor classic on Sedsoulciety Recordings. As usual with a never released and brand-new dub version on the flipside. Now hitting the stores all over the world again. Though for all DJs and collectors we are happy to announce the redefinition of up-tempo Neo-Boogie is back for more.

Though 潘PAN is an entirely new artist - new outlook, new message, new material and name - you may have met the woman herself before. Back in the mid-‘10s, the Taipei-born rapper went by the moniker Aristophanes. After performing a career-changing feature on ‘SCREAM’, taken from Grimes’ celebrated NME Album of 2015 ‘Art Angels’, Aristophanes went on to build a cult fanbase, releasing her debut mixtape ‘Humans Become Machines’ two years later and then her distributor went bust during covid. Signed to Transgressive she re-released her mixtape followed by Reborn and Ghosts EPs earlier this year.

Across a constantly morphing sound palette that moves from metallic, apocalyptic beats to delicate nods to the traditional music of her Asian heritage, via heavy, industrial moments, spacious soundscapes and much more, the thread is Pan’s utterly mesmeric vocal. Performing in a mix of Mandarin and English, she explains that having the two languages to play with is “like featuring another artist who has a different way of describing things”.

Across the releases, confident sexual expression mixes with tenderness, empathy and a particularly feminine sort of strength to create a world that Pan hopes will transcend language and connect her audience via something more innate. “The music is a place to feel safe,” she says. “The message that I want to carry through these two EPs and the album is to demonstrate the strength of accepting your own situations. When you can’t make things right but you’ve done your best, sometimes it’s really hard to admit that to yourself. It takes strength to do that. I use lots of sexual metaphors, but I feel like it’s more about the female need to be seen and heard. I want to build something more delicate and layered and connected to our life experience - to the trauma and the pleasure and the growth.”

In the time since she last stepped into the spotlight, the musician has experienced her fair share of all these things. Now, it’s as an entirely evolved artist that she returns with a new collection of music that revels in it all: the trauma, the pleasure, the growth and the long-awaited rebirth of 潘PAN

An accomplished musician and songwriter, Ray Charles was considered the creator of the soul music genre, a unique R&B forerunner to rock ‘n roll and other musical offspring. During a career that spanned some 58 years, Charles performed a total of more than 10,000 concerts, and starred on over 100 albums, many of them top sellers in a variety of musical genres. On this compilation you will find twenty four of his greatest hits. With “Georgia On My Mind”, “Hit The Road Jack”, “I’ve Got A Woman”, “I Can’t Stop Loving You”, “I’ve Got News For You” and many more.

CYRIL is the Aussie-born artist, DJ, mulit-instrumentalist and producer behind two of the world’s hottest records at the moment, “Stumblin’ In” and his remix of Grammy-nominated artist Disturbed’s “Sound of Silence.”. He is signed to the Dutch record label Spinnin’ Records, known for its smash hits in the EDM genre.

His biggest moment thus far came in late 2023 with the release of “Stumblin’ In,” which initially exploded on TikTok before dominating the worlds of streaming and radio. It became the #1 most played song on air in countries like Germany, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, and more, as well as covering some of Spotify and Apple’s biggest playlists.

Shortly afterwards, a remix of Disturbed’s cover of the Simon & Garfunkel song “The Sound of Silence” was released and reached the Top 10 in several countries.

CYRIL’s debut album, From Down Under-To The World , features tracks such as “True” with Kita Alexander, alongside extended versions of “Stumblin’ In” and “The Sound of Silence.”

From Down Under - To The World is available as limited edition of 1000 copies on white coloured vinyl.

Nat King Cole was born Nathaniel Adams on the 17th March 1917 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. His family held a key position in the local black community with his father being pastor of the local Baptist church.

His first professional break came touring with the Broadway show “shuffle along” which eventually found its way to Los Angeles. Where Nat ended up playing at the century club on Santa Monica boulevard. This was an in-place for musicians and Nat’s already developed and incredible piano playing became a great attraction eventually forming a trio with Oscar Moore on guitar and Wesley Price on bass. With Nat’s great voice and add libs the trio were a great success in 1939/40.

In 1943 Cole signed to the infant Capitol records and began his enormous string of hits for that label and eventual amazing career partnership with the great arranger and orchestra leader Nelson Riddle. This was at the time of popular music already pioneered by Bing Crosby and latterly Frank Sinatra and something Nat would become a master of, with his by now incredible, highly developed and unique voice which we all instantly recognise.

Right up until his untimely and tragic death on 15th February 1965, Nat made a string of successful records for capitol, a string of film appearances, and the first black presenter of his own tv show, which ran for many years and introduced a whole host of new and old artists to the television screens. As is so often with people so talented, Nat’s life was short but extremely successful. He was a well loved and admired person with his vibrant and kind personality with many great friends and colleagues and made an enormous contribution to the music industry, civil rights and the world in general.

As a singer and pianist, he was exceptionally talented, and his voice will live on in immortality. His ability to express and sing any song was quite extraordinary to say the least and these recordings are a fine example of that ability. A must have for all music lovers!

Seit ihrer Gründung vor 25 Jahren hat es kaum eine deutsche Band geschafft, sich einen dermaßen eigenen musikalischen Kosmos zu schaffen, wie die Mühlheimer Band Bohren & der Club Of Gore. Mit ihren dunklen instrumentalen Tracks konnten sich Bohren in den letzten Jahren eine beinharte Fanbase erspielen, und auch renommierte Musiker wie Mike Patton (Faith No More), Ry-X, John Grant, Soap&Skin als auch Thor Harris (Swans) sind den zeitlosen Songs von Bohren längst verfallen.

Das wunderbar betitelte »Bohren For Beginners« versammelt nun erstmals Album übergreifend alle Highlights des Bohren Kataloges in z. T. neu abgemischten Versionen, als auch einen neuen Song, so dass die vorliegende Werkschau sowohl als Einstiegsdroge für Neueinsteiger, als auch für die beinharten Fans von Interesse ist. Da ein Großteil des Bohren Backkataloges bereits seit Jahren gestrichen ist, werden hier musikalische Schätze gehoben, die nichts an Qualität eingebüßt haben und auch in 20 Jahren noch eine Gänsehaut erzeugen werden.

LP limited to 500 LP copies. Nina Garcia ’s first solo record widely available via international distribution. Nina has collaborated with artists like Stephen O’Malley, Sophie Agnel, Fred Frith, Antoine Chessex, Louis Schild, Leila Bordreuil, and supported for bands like Sonic Youth, SUNN O))). After a decade of performing concerts under the Mariachi guise, Nina Garcia has finally unveiled her unique approach in Bye Bye Bird, her first album under her name. Bye Bye Bird is her second solo album. With no pretence or demonstration, the album is a captivating blend of chiaroscuro, melodies, and raw emotion. Nina Garcia’s album takes on an almost documentary-like quality by adopting a simple approach to gesture and sound recording. It offers a candid portrayal of a moment, a lack, a state, and a breathtaking energy. With ostinato as her only credo, Nina Garcia’s music is an experiment in freedom, where the peaks answer the abysses, and the power of movement and the emotion of sound serves as her compass. From very short (01:28) to never very long (07:34), the eight tracks that make up this set explore a moment, a space, a mechanism, an intention or a way of doing things. As a common feature of almost all these pieces (all but one, the last), Nina Garcia explores a new technique. She adds to her instrumentation, reduced to the essentials (a guitar, a pedal and an amp), an electromagnetic microphone which, when held in hand, makes it possible to listen in on the exact zones where the vibration of the string creates a sound amid vast spaces of silence. The guitar is unplugged, and the body/instrument relationship changes in dimension. In this series of variations, you can get caught up in masses of noise seen from very, very close up, evocations of melodies in the making, feedback on ridgelines, pulsations that hold their own, modulations weakened by exhaustion and harmonic bursts that hint at better days to come. Neither hopelessly chthonic nor beatifically ethereal, Bye Bye Bird is a sum of musical pieces that make a whole and give voice to echoes of what has been, the presence of what is and the hope of what will be, a record movement in the form of flight and salvation. Since 2015, Nina Garcia has been researching and creating around the electric guitar, halfway between improvised music and noise. On numerous stages in Europe and North America, she has played occasionally with Stephen O’Malley, Sophie Agnel, Fred Frith, Antoine Chessex, Louis Schild or with Luke Stewart and Leila Bordreuil’s Feedback Ensemble, in addition to more regular formations in which she participates, such as the ensemble Le Un, mamiedaragon, Autoreverse (with Arnaud Rivière), duets with trombonist Maria Bertel and percussionist Camille Émaille, and the installation piece De Haut En Bas, De Bas En Haut Et Latéralement (with Christophe Cardoen, Jennifer Caubet, Etienne Foyer, Anna Gaïotti and Romain Simon). “Nina Garcia has been actively moving the art of noise guitar into surprising and intriguing new spaces. She has been at it for some time now, a bit of a secret weapon all the while hiding in plain sight. As I listen to her music and ruminate upon seeing her perform it brings me to a realization which I have with very few musicians: the ego inherent in making art can be transcended through a purity of direct action. At least that’s the feeling I have when experiencing Nina’s music which comes across as serious and radical and wholly engaged in the moment of its creative impulse.

While 1995's Washing Machine LP moniker was a thinly-veiled jab at the corporate aesthetic ("no, you cannot turn Sonic Youth into a household appliance brand", the band even considered changing its name to Washing Machine but settled on the album title instead), their major label relationship was indeed a curious buzzpoint of talk on the street after their intake to DGC in 1990. It wouldn't be fair to say that this state of existence propelled the band to reinforce its independent mindset by releasing a series of opaque-looking, French-language-dipping, highbrow-looking releases on their own that focused on the more abstract improv/compositional side of the band; in all truths they had been heavily steeped in self-releasing spillover material prior to that. But after a pressure pot of the early 90's indoctrination into a new operational mode for the band and its visibility, and the forces around it attempting to shape their direction, it seemed like a good time to create a strong show of radical concept.

The Anagrama EP became the first in a series of the SYR label's Perspective Musicales releases seemingly cementing Sonic Youth's connectivity to an increasing public awareness in experimental composers of the 20th century (French or otherwise). The irony was that many of those original avant composers being rediscovered by the indie audience (Partch, Neuhaus, Reich, Messaien) often found themselves on major labels anyway! So, perhaps this reverse approach was a necessary concept/comment given the music biz climate of the 90's. Regardless of how apples and oranges fell in Xenakian probability/theory, it was clear that both Sonic Youth's stature in progressive music, aided by now unlimited taperoll time thanks to a home base studio downtown established after their Lollapalooza stint, gave the band plenty of trailblazing time for their self examination of untraveled avenues.

"Anagrama" unfolds into nine minutes of delicate textures, starting with thick drone segueing into moments reminiscent of the post-crescendo flutter/comedown of "Marquee Moon's" trail-out; Thurston, Lee and Kim's guitars all circling round each other taking delicate pokes and stabs before drifting into some post-rock rhythmic moves tapered with delicate percussive guidance from Steve Shelley. "Improvisation Ajoutée" reaches further out into dissolve with whirring oscillations, guitars hissing and clanking radiator-style in a short blast format that continues into "Tremens" and a spooked-out landscape of gelatinous notes snaking up slowly. The sparseness of attack is colorful, textures emit and linger, silent spots shine, all flanked by tasteful drumming that provides the thread to all the abstraction. Shelley's approach here is interestingly sideways to any kind of usual rock action, it's tempered, mutant and metronomic simultaneously. The finale track "Mieux: De Corrosion" is a real pedal-palatte showcase. Here, Plutonian guitar wash flanges upwards to buoy a myriad of colorful eruptions of amp-spuzz, chopped up tone blasts and general confusion. Out of the blue, some metallic one-note choogle kicks in and threatens to explode into some Judas Priestly motion, before it all sputters into aural glass showers, clang, and finally a ferocious wave of more flange hiss that crashes down on a dime.

This initial foray into SY's Perspectives Musicales series continued onward with releases featuring other co-conspirators, peaking with the ambitious 2CD Goodbye 20th Century that finally connects the band into full-on interpretations of other composers' pieces (as well as displaying their own new ones). The whole series is not so much an outlet for another "side" of the band, but a run that went hand in hand building new approaches of songcraft onto their own, more overground direction which included Jim O'Rourke (who hopped on during SYR3), adding additional density to A Thousand Leaves and other LPs of his era. Fans of the '86 Spinhead Sessions as well as the recently-exhumed later jams of In/Out/In will take in the sounds of SYR1 with glee.

The more you recall a particular memory, the more it distorts and plays on your sense of narrative continuity. In this way, the vividly textured layers of Secret Recess – the debut Dauw LP from Luke Entelis aka Viul – comprise a sacred experience that leaves a unique emotional residue with each listen. Some pieces feature delicate melodies curling over themselves, while others offer gradually evolving loops underpinned by subtle guitar plucking, distant found sounds and obscured voices at half-speed. All are crafted meticulously with analogue sources and sifted through soft-edged tape processes that reward a dedicated headphone session, conjuring the solitary space promised in the album’s title.

From a home studio replete with analog synthesizers, guitars, effects and tape machines, Secret Recess emerged slowly across an era when most of us turned inward by necessity, drawing upon a library’s worth of sketches, recombinations and lightning strikes. Entelis also cites in particular a road trip to the national parks of the southwestern US that significantly informed the hazy, spacious atmospheres of the work that followed; by his account, “the desert wind was too intense for field recording,” but you can still feel it drifting across compositions like “Taurum” and “Eighties”. Such a union of urban huddle and open-sky expanse allows the album to take on new colours anywhere it’s heard.

Whether fully formed in one brief spell or developed over months of revisitation and refinement, each facet of the Viul catalogue conveys a rare, sweet melancholy pulled from thoughtful circuitry and the core artistic impulse to simply document the ephemeral – those moments in existence that you have to accept losing, but which replay endlessly once the day unravels.

“In the depths of the recording process I often feel simultaneously in touch with past and future versions of myself, which is strange, but good, I think.” (Viul)

Viul has been the primary project of Brooklyn’s Luke Entelis for nearly twenty years, but only in the last half-dozen has it come to fruition beyond the ears of friends and family. The albums Bright Decline (Disques d’Honoré, 2019) and Outside the Dream World (Past Inside the Present, 2019) beautifully justified this patient arc, and the collaboration Konec with Benoît Pioulard (A Strangely Isolated Place, 2022) entwined the two artists’ sensibilities into one of the most notable ambient/experimental collections of the year.

Endell Street returns with a strictly limited 10" that features some rare gems that were originally produced back in the early naughties by Timmy S. Plenty of heads will know these have been expensive to cop on the second-hand market but now they have been restored and remastered by Yossi Amoyal in collaboration with Eukahouse's Nils Hess. Deep tech house doesn't get more authentic than this with the slick, driving drums and nocturnal pads of 'Wake Up' and the more percussive darkness of 'A Trip To London' both sounding superb.

There was not a bigger, more contagious crossover radio smash in the autumn of 1991 than Naughty by Nature's "O. P.P.," a song that somehow managed the trick of being both audaciously catchy and subversively coy at the same time. The lead single off their eponymous album, it was one of the first rap songs to become a pop hit when it reached No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart. It even named one of the 20 greatest singles of the 1990s by SPIN magazine. The third single off Naughty By Nature, "Uptown Anthem," is the b-side on this 7". Originally made for the soundtrack for the movie Juice, the song peaked at No. 27 on the Hot Rap Singles chart and No. 58 on the Hot R&B Singles chart.

On his third album as Etelin, Alex Cobb explores the intricacies of separation and belonging using field recordings and electronics, reconfiguring the dividing line between what is artificial and natural in the process. Maintaining a sense of playful reverence and lurking melancholy in its glitchy pastoralism, Patio User Manual hums with a meticulous and singular energy. From the loops and static pulses of "The Chemistry of Cobalt" to the tension and release of "Electrical Sailing," the listener is pulled into a sound world at once ambivalent and radiant, reaching its denouement in the lovely melody that closes the final track, "Picnic at Gas Station Park". Although the album might bring to mind the nuanced and imaginative ambient music published by labels such as Mille Plateaux, Sonig, and Silent Records in the 1990s, it is, in the end, a world of its own and very much of today. The patio as a stage for alienated life, pyrrhic in its isolation, deceptive in its promise of distinction. Orientation as disorientation, often unseen inside the frame but felt in the bones. What is out there, anyway, other than the thing we fear the most?



"Another day of weird weather and screens. What type of perfume did Philip Johnson wear when he designed Glass House? Is it actually possible to flee to the country when you’ve internalized a lifetime of intellectualized urban living? When you buy a DIY patio kit, you get instructions for how best to embed concrete or brick or flagstone into the natural world. The patio will make you enjoy your environment more. It will become yours. You can stand on it and think “this is Mine.” The structuralists talked about the importance of fixed camera position, but didn’t properly interrogate it because to do so would be impossible. It’s hard to believe that it really wasn’t long ago that computer music seemed exciting, novel, even radical. We’re now thoroughly estranged from eating what’s in season. Walking around the woods in southern Ohio in spring, I thought about the curious imperative of the patio, how my kids get excited about picking oyster mushrooms, the dynamics of switched capacitor filters, and how adequacy is tethered to doubt." - AC, May 2024

Vin Gordon, also known as Don Drummond Jr, is a celebrated trombonist from Jamaica who now drops a second 12" on Finnish Dub & Sound International with the Dubsetters. It carries on the good work of their first outing with rootsy and organic reggae rhythms topped with the signature smooth sounds of Gordon's melodies up top. After the original version of 'Get On The Groove', the B-side keeps things sweet with a Groove Dub that is as deep as they come and stacked with echo and reverb for that lovely authentic sound and then closing it out is 'Groove 78 Style' which is more percussive, splashy and cavernous with some deft studio effects added in.

In Signal, Brendon Moeller takes his expertise in techno, ambient and dub techno into deeper ambient and drone territory, crafting a richly atmospheric journey through sound for Constellation Tatsu’s thoughtful cassette label.

This album gently balances textures, merging natural and synthetic elements for a unique sonic experience. Highlights include the track 'Light', which opens with a minimal drone and subtle, pulsing sub-bass notes, setting a calm yet immersive tone. In 'Wires', Moeller skillfully intertwines organic and electronic soundscapes, bringing together the natural and technological in seamless harmony. 'Nowhere' shifts to a more aquatic feel, conjuring the sensation of being submerged in an otherworldly lagoon. The serene, electronic layering in 'Bask' adds beauty and peace through calm sequencing and warm tones. Closing with 'Beam', Moeller expertly blends real-world sounds and hints of a surreal, alien atmosphere, rounding out an album that’s both tranquil and otherworldly. Signal encapsulates Moeller's thoughtful production approach, giving listeners a deep dive into ambient landscapes that feel as expansive as they are introspective and adventurous.

The Soultrend Orchestra is a side project of the producer and musician Nerio ‘Papik’ Poggi.
Owner of the main project, Papik, Nerio Poggi has been one of the most internationally renowned Italian producers for the Nu Jazz
Lounge sound for over ten years, with around forty albums under his own name and those produced by him with solo artists or
with monothematic collections such as the ‘Cocktail’ series.
With the project The Soultrend Orchestra, Nerio Poggi has dedicated himself in particular to the Soul Jazz and Disco sound, with
a particular eye on the 70s/80s sound that starts from artists such as Roy Ayers, George Benson and Donald Byrd to arrive at the
Acid Jazz sound of Incognito and The Brand New Heavies.
The first album '84 King Street', released in 2017, was the one most dedicated to the Disco sound, also for the title that reports the
address of the legendary New York club Paradise Garage from where Disco music in the late 70s was definitively launched all over
the world by the deejays David Mancuso and Larry Levan in primis.
With the second album of 2022 'Live For Funk' the sound ranges more towards Soul and Jazz thanks to some songs that have driven it such as About Love openly inspired by the sound of Roy Ayers.
This third album, produced like the second Live For Funk together with Peter De Girolamo (aka P.A. Jeron) is due out at the beginning of 2025 and is titled Non Imagine where he continues in the search for these same sounds.
With some of his closest collaborators such as Alfredo Bochicchio, Massimo Guerra, Simone ‘Federicuccio’ Talone and vocalists
Laura Lanzillo, Erika Scherlin and Anna Fondi, the album as always also has other illustrious guests such as Wendy D. Lewis, Ely
Bruna, Nadyne Rush, Filippo Perbellini, Stevie Biondi and Nicole Magolie on lead vocals.
In the tracking list we also find some covers in this album: Lost In Music, a symbolic song of Disco by Neil Rodgers and Bernad
Edwards (Chic) made famous in the 70s by Sister Sledge, and Summer Madness, a very particular song by Kool And The Gang,
famous for its magical atmosphere here perfectly rendered by Peter De Girolamo's keyboards and Anna Fondi's voice.

The Pirate Cutz label is fast approaching release number ten and has done a fine job of establishing itself with a fresh garage sound. This latest is no different and comes from Midnite who brings some trad vibes with new school techniques. 'Heart Breakin' is bumping US garage with a big diva vocal stab that will get those hands skywards. 'Move On' is laced with big piano chords and 'Want Me' has a more choppy garage feel with silkier stabs. 'Keep On' blends lovely vocal warmth, glowing chords and dusty drum shuffles that will prove hard to resist in the club.

Maria Callas was born to a Greek family in New York in 1923. Her vocal training took place in Athens, where her teacher was the coloratura soprano Elvira de Hidalgo, who had sung with Enrico Caruso and Feodor Chaliapin. After early performances in Greece, Callas’s international career was launched in 1947 when she performed the title role in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda at the Arena di Verona in Italy.

Her voice defied simple classification and her artistic range was extraordinary. In her early twenties she sang such heavy dramatic roles as Gioconda, Turandot, Brünnhilde and Isolde, but over the course of her career her most famous roles came to be: Bellini’s Norma and Amina (La sonnambula); Verdi’s Violetta (La traviata); Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Anna Bolena, Cherubini’s Medea and Puccini’s Tosca. Though her timbre was not always conventionally beautiful, Callas’s musicianship and phrasing were in a class of their own. She brought characters to vivid life with her skill in colouring her tone and making insightful use of the text.

She is credited with changing the history of opera: by placing a perhaps unprecedented emphasis on musical integrity and dramatic truth, and by transforming perceptions – and reviving the fortunes – of the bel canto repertoire, particularly Bellini and Donizetti.

The 1950s marked the height of Callas’s career. Its base lay in the opera houses of Italy, and she became the prima donna assoluta of Milan’s legendary La Scala – notably in the productions
of Luchino Visconti – but her operatic appearances also encompassed London’s Royal Opera House, the New York Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opéra, the Vienna State Opera, and the opera houses of Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Lisbon, and, in the early 1950s, Mexico City, São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro.

From 1959, when she started a life-changing love affair with the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, her performing career slowed down and her voice became more fragile. Her final stage performances came in 1965, when she was only 42.

There were many plans for a return to the stage – and for further complete recordings – but they never reached fruition, though in 1974 she gave a series of concerts in Europe, North America and Japan with the tenor Giuseppe di Stefano; he had partnered her frequently in the opera house and in the studio, not least in the 1953 La Scala Tosca under Victor de Sabata, considered a landmark in recording history. Callas died alone in her Paris apartment in September 1977.

The Woodentops are long-time Balearic bossmen and peerless party starters and now their music is under the spotlight on this new remixes EP from Hottwerk. It is their tune 'A Pact' that gets four different versions here starting with a nice loose-limbed and percussive house workout from the UK veteran Bushwhacka!. Then Skyscraper HiFi B aka Anglo-Swedish pair Jon Dasilva and Jonas Nilsson offer a remix that slows it right down to a nice downtempo jam with indie vocals and then offer a second remix that is more sleazy and raw with a low-slung house grove topped with acid madness. Last but not least is the label head Spatial Awareness with a remix which glides on silky synths and airy drum loops with some nice trippy vocal touches.

DJ Support: ARTBAT, Tiësto, Above & Beyond, Nora En Pure, Hardwell, Lane 8, Korolova, Rüfüs Du Sol, Swedish House Mafia, Sam Feldt, Pete Tong, John Digweed, Sasha, Sarah Story, Markus Schulz, Kölsch, Gorgon City and many more.

Coming off the back of a run of breath-taking emotion-laden hits - 'Hi', 'Mantra' and 'Gira' - German duo, Monkey Safari, had actually crafted 'Safe' well before the world was turned upside down. 'We produced Safe as a message of unity, hope and love. When we came to release it, we realised it soundtracked our socially isolated emotions to perfection. Sharing emotions is one of our main motivations when producing music and DJing. Getting together, dancing together, smiling together.' As we navigated the summer's choppy dancefloor waters, 'Safe' became the anthem we all anticipated. Goosebump-inducing, chill-delivering. Sunset, peaktime or sunrise. It became the soundtrack to a brighter future. Fresh for '24 it returns, revisioned and remixed by none other than Spectrum boss Joris Voorn. Ready to comfort and lift us once again.

A long-lost vinyl album is back in stock: for the last 20 years, Kosmischer Pitch by Jan Jelinek, originally released in 2005 on ~scape, existed only as a digital download. Right on time for the 20th anniversary the remastered album is available again on vinyl. The digital version includes two previously unreleased pieces from that period.

What the press said about Kosmischer Pitch back in 2005:

“For Kosmischer Pitch, Jelinek draws from the obsessed-over rock produced by his German countrymen in the 1970s. (…) Trance-inducing repetition is constantly modulated by variations that hover on the threshold of audibility. (…) one of the more remarkable bodies of work in electronic music.” - Pitchfork

„Like the cosmic compositions it delicately references, Kosmischer Pitch is proof that the higher and lower pleasures can triumphantly combine.” - The Wire Magazine

“ The old Jelinek approach can also be heard on the new album - not least the “Pitch” in the title, which, as Martin Büsser explains in the info sheet, refers specifically to Wild Pitch House, generally to manipulation/exploitation of the sense of time - but there are striking differences: clear vintage synth, guitar and drum sounds, very subtle club references.” - Groove

“t's impossible to know how many layers of sound Jelinek has stacked up on any of these eight tracks, but each one seems to take on a shadowy, ghost-like life of its own as it morphs across time and space. Minimalist, yes, in a way, but thick as a wool rug.” - AllAboutJazz

Limited edition of 250 copies. The musician & songwriter Stein Roger Sordal is finally ready with his second solo album - "_All I Try to Forget" - the second part of a double album where all music and lyrics is written by Sordal himself (both part 1 & 2 available as a single 18 track CD). Through the years, the renowned Norwegian artist has played in a variety of bands. Internationally, he's mostly known as the bass player and songwriter in Green Carnation, while more and more people also know him as the singer, guitar player and songwriter in the band Sordal. Stein Roger Sordal has played on more than 30 album releases from the 90s and up to now, but last year's "As I Try to Remember_" was his first a solo album, where everything was played by himself. Both albums show Sordal diving into his own catalogue, making acoustic versions of songs he originally wrote for bands like Green Carnation, Sordal, Angels Motel, Plutho and Soxpan. His choices haven't necessarily been the most known songs, but rather those who mean the most to him. The album is sparsely arranged, and consists mostly of vocals, acoustic guitars and piano.

2025 Repress
Our private bandleader, Oscar Mulero, returns strongly to his own label with a complete techno album. This work represents the new edition of the WUBC special series and will be released in both double vinyl and digital formats with an extra son on the zeroes and ones edition.

On this occasion, Oscar focuses on the dance floor unceremoniously, except for the required ambient introduction. Throughout the sound journey that involves the continuous listening to the album, the listener is immersed in a complete experience on the dance floor, with the correct doses of mentalism and physical exercise that are required to develop the activity at the highest level.

As is tradition in Oscar Mulero's productions, there is a strong classical content, which draws on the original sources of Detroit and Birmingham, but seasoned with that dose of sci-fi that only he knows how to administer with this intensity. If you have followed his performances around the world you will have already been able to enjoy some of these exercises that now you can finally add to your collection.

One more piece in the unstoppable discography of one of the fittest exponents of contemporary techno, both on stage and in the studio.

Since its release in 2009 The Pains of Being Pure At Heart's self-titled debut has attained the status of a modern indiepop classic, and even more crucially a record that continues to have an impact well beyond the indiepop scene. As one of the key bands in Brooklyn’s late 00s guitar music revival (alongside Crystal Stilts, Grizzly Bear, Vivian Girls, Frankie Rose and others) The Pains paid tribute to everything from C86 to early Slumberland, Sarah and Creation label pop, but with a distinct American flavor drawn from groups like Smashing Pumpkins and The Pixies. This, their debut album, is a brilliantly confident blast of fuzz, melody, tunes and buckets of youthful enthusiasm that was immediately recognized as something very special indeed. Preceded by 3 effervescent singles the album exploded immediately, going places that indiepop records and bands rarely do (like TV appearances on Carson Daly's and David Letterman's shows) and leading to several years of constant touring and the further release of two more well-received albums. Now, on it's 15th birthday, we're happy to bring this crucial album back for a new generation of pop fans, this time on beautiful light blue vinyl with pink and purple splatter. A fitting tribute to a modern indiepop classic.

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

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

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

MAMMOTH is a grabber right out of the gate, every step they take is unleashed with deadly economical precision. They may flash on Lynyrd Skynyrd and other vintage southern rock traditions but the brilliant way the vocals are recorded and the to-the-point interlocking guitar moves will fire up anybody into any sort of hard rock. They can rip it up with hot leads, probably jammed out on these songs at live shows but lucky us, they laid them down for all times here with the sort of thought out unified force and construction that screams hit radio. Loads of personality, accessible, produced and mixed with the clarity of classic rock that never loses it's perfectly deployed impact. The uncluttered arrangements leave plenty of space, crafted with the kind of balanced mojo in the mix where every detail adds to the whole. Down and dirty but also achieving a universal pop-friendly appeal! The Mammoth LP was recorded in 1981 at Relayer Studios in DeLand, Florida with the two guitars, bass and drums quartet line-up sounding like it could have been a decade earlier. Buzz Fetters on lead guitar, Bill Abell on rhythm guitar, Joey Costa on bass and Ron Herman on drums… with everybody contributing to the vocals. Rather than having a strong up front emotive singer the lead vocals here are multi-tracked and integrated into the songs with plenty of attitude but also a genre-transcending presence… you can imagine the vocal ambience working in punk, glam, even psychedelic contexts. Mammoth have a sound informed by roots music but it is really in the rear-view mirror the way they roll. The songwriting here is terrific, they have a way of saying things that comes off as sincere but not too serious. You get plenty of in-your-face hard rock action but also several melodic tracks that have a more reflective charm to round out the trip. AND… when you hear their brilliant ode to southern rock titled "Southern Sounds" I challenge you to find any song about the subject more delightful. These guys keep it real, whether they're being bad ass or vulnerable they express themselves with 100% genuine feeling as contagious and life affirming as it gets!

4 Bangers, from 150 to 185 BPM.
With a Bass Acid style, with the 3 other tunes are more sobre, minimal and hardfloor in the spirit !

David Gray ist zurück und macht das, was er am besten kann, und Fans von komplexem, ernsthaftem, lyrischem Songwriting sollten sich freuen. "Dear Life" ist vielleicht das tiefgründigste, seltsamste und schönste Album, das dieser bahnbrechende britische Singer-Songwriter je abgeliefert hat. Nach jahrelanger Arbeit ist es ein Album über emotionale Krisen und deren Bewältigung, über Sterblichkeit und Glauben, Realität und Illusion, Liebe und Herzschmerz, Magie, Wissenschaft, Verlust und Akzeptanz. Es ist voller Sehnsucht und Hoffnung, aber es gibt auch einen Unterton von Dunkelheit, eine Spannung zwischen den konkurrierenden Kräften von Hoffnung und Verzweiflung: eine Kavalkade von Emotionen in seiner bisher lyrisch fokussiertesten Sammlung. "Dear Life" ist das 13. Album von David Gray und "eine Sternschnuppe des Songwritings ... es schien einfach so, als wären die Götter des Songwritings gnädig gewesen. Die zweifelnden Stimmen haben sich nicht gemeldet." David Grays Geschichte ist mit keiner anderen vergleichbar. Er hat fast ein Jahrzehnt lang auf den Durchbruch hingearbeitet, und als er ihn dann schaffte, geschah dies auf die denkbar größte Art und Weise: das 1998 veröffentlichte "White Ladder" wurde zu einem der meistverkauften britischen Alben der letzten Jahrzehnte und etablierte ihn als einen arenafüllenden Künstler. Im Laufe der Jahre hat sich sein Songwriting durch seine natürliche Fähigkeit, bestimmte Emotionen, Atmosphären oder, wie auf seinem gefeierten Album "Skellig" aus dem Jahr 2021 zu hören, die Wahrnehmung eines Ortes zu vermitteln, nur noch vertieft. Während Leute wie Ed Sheeran, Adele und Hozier seinen Einfluss anerkannt haben, ist David weiterhin seinem eigenen künstlerischen Weg gefolgt.

David Gray ist zurück und macht das, was er am besten kann, und Fans von komplexem, ernsthaftem, lyrischem Songwriting sollten sich freuen. "Dear Life" ist vielleicht das tiefgründigste, seltsamste und schönste Album, das dieser bahnbrechende britische Singer-Songwriter je abgeliefert hat. Nach jahrelanger Arbeit ist es ein Album über emotionale Krisen und deren Bewältigung, über Sterblichkeit und Glauben, Realität und Illusion, Liebe und Herzschmerz, Magie, Wissenschaft, Verlust und Akzeptanz. Es ist voller Sehnsucht und Hoffnung, aber es gibt auch einen Unterton von Dunkelheit, eine Spannung zwischen den konkurrierenden Kräften von Hoffnung und Verzweiflung: eine Kavalkade von Emotionen in seiner bisher lyrisch fokussiertesten Sammlung. "Dear Life" ist das 13. Album von David Gray und "eine Sternschnuppe des Songwritings ... es schien einfach so, als wären die Götter des Songwritings gnädig gewesen. Die zweifelnden Stimmen haben sich nicht gemeldet." David Grays Geschichte ist mit keiner anderen vergleichbar. Er hat fast ein Jahrzehnt lang auf den Durchbruch hingearbeitet, und als er ihn dann schaffte, geschah dies auf die denkbar größte Art und Weise: das 1998 veröffentlichte "White Ladder" wurde zu einem der meistverkauften britischen Alben der letzten Jahrzehnte und etablierte ihn als einen arenafüllenden Künstler. Im Laufe der Jahre hat sich sein Songwriting durch seine natürliche Fähigkeit, bestimmte Emotionen, Atmosphären oder, wie auf seinem gefeierten Album "Skellig" aus dem Jahr 2021 zu hören, die Wahrnehmung eines Ortes zu vermitteln, nur noch vertieft. Während Leute wie Ed Sheeran, Adele und Hozier seinen Einfluss anerkannt haben, ist David weiterhin seinem eigenen künstlerischen Weg gefolgt.

2nd pressing on 2xLP Black Vinyl with Starlight Sparkle Vinyl 2nd pressing comes with a 2x7" EP on Transparent Yellow & Magenta Vinyl Please Note: "quality of sparkle vinyl comparable to vinyl with metallic effects" Sparkle / Starlight: Large silver particles Carefully designed, beautifully remastered and loaded with new ways to play - "Risk of Rain" is back and better than ever! Dive into the iconic roguelike full of unique loot combinations, enhanced with new Survivors, overhauled multiplayer, fan favourite content from Risk of Rain 2 and more! Ten years after "Risk of Rain" was released into the world to become a true classic, the game was revived in November 2023 as "Risk of Rain Returns" to reconnect with its fans and be discovered by those who didn't realise what they were missing. Time to give the iconic game soundtrack an update as well, isn't it? Creator Chris Christodoulou gives an insight on his work as well as the extensive and luxurious new vinyl release that comes with some remarkable extras: "Can you believe it's been ten years already? It seems like yesterday that I was sitting in my small bedroom/studio in front of an aching computer writing the music for `Risk of Rain'. And here we are, ten years later, returning to it to, adding to its musical compendium. What an unexcepted, magnificent journey! With this very special release we're celebrating both, the 10-year anniversary of `Risk of Rain' and the release of `Risk of Rain Returns'! This modular album contains the entire Risk of Rain soundtrack remastered and the four new tracks written for `Risk of Rain Returns' (with contributions from special guest musicians Damjan Mravunac & Maria Papageorgiou). Daniele (art), Kevin (Black Screen Records) and I worked very hard to make this complex release a reality and we are extremely proud of it! We hope you enjoy every aspect of it as it is a labour of pure love! Finally, a very special thanks to all of you who have carried this music across the past decade! You have my love, Chris

Outside his role running the label and playing drums for Human Error Club (releases on Preference in 2020 & 2022), this is an album of experimental electronic music - fusing influences and sounds of juke, broken beat, acid jazz, hip hop and more. It"s complex without being jazz, electronic without being dance music and atmospheric without being ambient.

Infinite Fog are delighted to present another piece of the intriguing COIL puzzle. In the mid 1990s the core team of John Balance and Peter Christopherson were continuing their exploration of the outer reaches of electronic sound production as exemplified by the "Born Again Pagans" release, originally an EP only, featuring both the hugely danceable "Protection" smash which had Danny Hyde's influence writ in large letters all over it, as well as the first outings of their intriguing more ambient/glitch-based ElpH material, probably their most haunting and haunted works. This new 3LP anthology re-edition collects all of the ElpH material which didn't appear on their later "Worship the Glitch" album, namely the pHILM #1 10", a host of very rare compilation tracks as well as a number of at the time unreleased pieces in the same vein. The stunningly presented release also features the ElpH entity's last ever appearance originally available as part of raster noton's award winning 20' to 2000 series of releases, the "Zwölf" EP.

All the material has been lovingly remastered by Jessica Thompson with re-imagined design-work by Oleg Galay and including a replica of the original St. Sebastian on acid poster.

"Keep Your Soul Together"" (1973) is Freddie Hubbard’s fifth studio album released on Creed Taylor's CTI label. The album features Hubbard alongside an ensemble that includes Junior Cook on tenor sax, George Cables on keyboards, Aurell Ray on guitar, Kent Brinkley or Ron Carter on bass, Ralph Penland on drums, and Juno Lewis on percussion. The album’s sound, though occasionally funky, is rooted in creative jazz, showcasing Hubbard in peak form across four of his original compositions.

Though some writers have often underrated Hubbard’s CTI recordings, mistaking them for his later, more commercial output on Columbia, this particular album stands out as a testament to his ingenuity. Hubbard’s blend of bravado and subtlety shines through, as does his ability to fuse technical mastery with emotional depth. His ability to maintain a consistent, rich tone across both slow and fast passages placed him among the greatest trumpeters in jazz history.

Influenced by legends such as Miles Davis and Clifford Brown, Hubbard nonetheless crafted a sound entirely his own, becoming one of the boldest and most inventive trumpeters of the bop, hard-bop, and post-bop eras. His impact on jazz extended far beyond his solo recordings, as he collaborated with many of the genre's greats, leaving behind a powerful legacy. Down Beat magazine described Hubbard as “the most powerful and prolific trumpeter in jazz” shortly after his passing in 2008. His influence continues to shape the world of jazz, inspiring generations of trumpeters and musicians alike. "

Swirl by Flora Hibberd, released 17 January 2025, includes the following tracks: "Code", "Canopy", "Jesse", "Fern" and more.

This version of Swirl comes as a 1xLP.

The vinyl is pressed as a transparent, ice & blue disc.

M.I.T.A. makes his debut on FJAAK's CROWD label with the highly anticipated Night Owl EP, a fresh offering that sees the producer delving deep into his signature sound, blending intricate rhythms, atmospheric textures and hard-hitting beats to create an immersive journey through the nocturnal world. The Night Owl EP unfolds across four meticulously crafted tracks, opening with the title track listeners are plunged into a brooding soundscape characterized by pulsating basslines and haunting melodies, embodying the enigmatic energy of the night. 'Ego Bash' follows, delivering a high-octane groove infused with relentless percussion and electrifying dynamics, a track destined to ignite the dance floor. On the flip side, 'Broadcast Chatter' takes a more experimental route, weaving intricate sonic details and hypnotic loops into a piece that commands attention with its depth and complexity. Rounding out the EP is 'Venus of Intensity', a visceral and emotive closing track that builds to a crescendo of raw power, leaving listeners in awe of M.I.T.A.'s ability to balance intensity with elegance. With Night Owl, M.I.T.A. cements his place as one of the most exciting names in the Italian contemporary electronic scene. This EP not only highlights his skillful production but also his artistic vision - whether experienced in the dark corners of a club or through headphones on a late-night drive, Night Owl promises to leave a lasting impression.

First track is a real great 140 BPM acid techno sound, in the best of what could be a DBN continuum... Then comes the Anticore Broken speed Acidcore 160 BPM rolling kick nightmare (320 BPM?)... DBN style again... Next is more classic Acid nowadays ??? Mental acid Tribe based on a 170 BPM kicking sound... Number 5 is pumpin and acid mental as well... 168 BPM. Last track is the hardcore track, very in the Kille Me / Duracell style. And i love that:) BIG NARCOSIS !!

die erste Band von Klaus Sperling (Primal Fear, Nitrogods, Sinner) und Michael Moretto (Tyran´Pace) -nur regional veröffentlichte Aufnahmen von 1984 und 1985, erstmals auf CD & LP -qualitativ hochwertiger Heavy Metal mit 100% Achtzigerfeeling -CD/LP mit Liner Notes, Abbildungen und extrem vielen Fotos -Coverartwork von Michaela Widmayer (Manilla Road, Mark Shelton, Trance) Manchmal fällt man vom Glauben ab. Labels wie Noise, Steamhammer, Mausoleum, Earthshaker oder die GAMA Labelgruppe haben in den Achtzigern neben vielen wichtigen und guten Alben auch Durchschnitt oder Schlimmeres veröffentlicht.

Währenddessen blieb eine talentierte und mitreißende Band namens SQUADRON aus dem Raum Stuttgart (bis heute) unentdeckt. Selbst auf Encyclopedia Metallum findet man keinen Eintrag mit den zwei Demos, die man 1984 und 1985 aufgenommen hat. Noch nicht. 1983 wurde die Band gegründet, beeinflusst von Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Warrior, Manowar, Ozzy Osbourne und Dio. Eine der ersten Shows fand im Vorprogramm von Tyrant statt. Schnell bekam man den Ruf einer gigantischen Liveband, zumal man nicht nur auf ausgefeilte Songs achtete, sondern auch auf Outfit und Show. Nur wenige Monate später kamen bereits 400 Fans in die Neckerhalle Esslingen, obwohl am gleichen Tag Accept quasi um die Ecke spielten.

Außerdem brach man den Zuschauerrekord in „Die Röhre“ Stuttgart, wo man nach dem zweiten Demo eine große Show auffuhr. Natürlich meldeten sich nun auch größere Labels, doch zu einem Vertrag kam es nicht. Nach einem Festival mit Rage, Veto und Stranger, sowie einigen Shows mit Czakan war 1987 Schluss. Michael Moretto stieg in Folge bei Kymera ein, um den zu Pink Cream 69 abgewanderten Andi Deris zu ersetzen. Klaus Sperling ist bis heute aktiv im Geschäft und seit 2011 bei den Nitrogods. Bekannt wurde er durch sein Drumming bei Primal Fear, Sinner, MP und Freedom Call. Das Material wurde in liebevoller Kleinarbeit restauriert und gemastert und ist nun erstmals auf CD und LP zu hören. Booklet und LP-Inlay enthalten Liner Notes und tonnenweise Fotos und Abbildungen. Diese Band hätte es damals weit bringen können…

The Gentle Spring are a new group, formed by Michael Hiscock, Emilie Guillaumot and Jérémie Orsel. Michael has an illustrious pop history, having been a founder member of The Field Mice, possibly the most beloved band on Sarah Records in the 1990s. And with The Gentle Spring, it seems that history is repeating itself…

When Michael and his friend Bobby Wratten formed The Field Mice, the two of them very quickly created a set of songs whose emotional honesty, raw guitars and perfect pop melodies pierced the hearts of a generation of indiepop fans, kids who were unmoved by the posturing of mainstream indie, and who didn’t want to spend time in fields dancing at 24-hour raves. The Field Mice were the band who defined the meaning and the spirit of Sarah Records. Defiantly in love with pop, defiantly un-macho, defiantly…sensitive. And now, remarkably, Michael has done it again. With his new musical partner Emilie, The Gentle Spring have created a fresh new iteration of indiepop music. Once again, the songs are unafraid of raw emotions, brutally honest and is still in love with big pop melodies.

They are still….sensitive. But life is seen through a different lens now. There is wisdom, there is experience, and there is the ability to look back at the world with a mixture of regret and joy. These are very adult songs, and the arrangements reflect this. Rich acoustic guitars and Emilie’s haunting keyboard have replaced hectic drum machines and urgent distortion. And there is a third element to this music. Jérémie Orsel’s sophisticated guitar adds textures and melodies that give these songs a real depth, while maintaining an enigmatic distance, never quite overwhelming the vocal line. So things are clearer now.

But feelings are just as strong. The pain of unrequited love that made Field Mice songs so poignant hasn’t gone away. In some ways, the thought of roads not taken is more profound when experienced in retrospect. I Can’t Have You As A Friend entertains this notion, still moved by the allure of a different life, but shuddering with fear at what might have happened. Also still haunted by the past, The Girl Who Ran Away conjures up the ghost of a previous failed relationship, which threatens to undermine happiness in the present. In Severed Hearts, sung by Emilie, there is the stark recognition that some endings really are final: sometimes there can be no reconciliations. But the song cleverly moves on from this: it acknowledges that, even after the worst emotional loss, you have to pick yourself, you will move on. It’s sophisticated and it’s mature – but it will still break your heart. Sugartown is another song that plays this trick on you. It insists that there will always be lightness and shade. It warns you against complacency, but does it so kindly that you feel like you’ve been embraced. When Michael’s and Emilie’s vocals combine in the final chorus, telling us that we don’t live in Sugartown, you know they are right – and yet the sweetness of the singing makes you feel that – just for a moment – you do.the band perform as a trio and have already found a keen audience in France, where they are based. During a short tour of the UK in January, to coincide with this release, British audiences will get their first opportunities to see The Gentle Spring play these new songs live

Do names such as EyeHateGod, Crowbar, Hellgasm, Hellkontroll, Goatwhore, Saint Vitus or Down sound familiar?

Then there's one more for you to remember - GASMIASMA - a band which consist of active or past members of all those legends mentioned. 783 label is proud to present a new release of GASMIASMA - NOLA based punk monolith. Get yourself ready for intense and filthy hardcore punk noise.

As all true classics, GASMIASMA recorded an EP that collected dust for ages before getting full-blown official release it deserves. "At War With Punk" and "Krvs Kadavers" (live recording from KRVS Radio in Louisiana), has been only released on limited cassette tape in USA.

Now, both materials are compiled into 28-minute-long blast-punk source of moshpit!

Still not convinced? Let's also add the fact, that Poffen of mighty Totalitar sharing his vocals one of the songs!

GASMIASMA is one of New Orleans best kept secret!

It doesn't matter, if you're into hardcore / punk, metal, crust or even grindcore - this release is not something you would like to miss!

Available as jewel case CD, MC tape with mini-poster and (black or limited, monochrome A-Side/B-Side) LP.

PEACE THROUGH SWIFT DEATH!

Hype sticker on the shrink-wrapping
Service to relevant key metal media
Stream features, interviews, and social media campaigns around the release date
Former and active members of EyeHateGod, Crowbar, Hellgasm, Hellkontroll, Goatwhore, Saint Vitus or Down playing raw and fast hardcore / punk.
Video for title track "At War With Punk" premiered via Decibel Magazine

Do names such as EyeHateGod, Crowbar, Hellgasm, Hellkontroll, Goatwhore, Saint Vitus or Down sound familiar?

Then there's one more for you to remember - GASMIASMA - a band which consist of active or past members of all those legends mentioned. 783 label is proud to present a new release of GASMIASMA - NOLA based punk monolith. Get yourself ready for intense and filthy hardcore punk noise.

As all true classics, GASMIASMA recorded an EP that collected dust for ages before getting full-blown official release it deserves. "At War With Punk" and "Krvs Kadavers" (live recording from KRVS Radio in Louisiana), has been only released on limited cassette tape in USA.

Now, both materials are compiled into 28-minute-long blast-punk source of moshpit!

Still not convinced? Let's also add the fact, that Poffen of mighty Totalitar sharing his vocals one of the songs!

GASMIASMA is one of New Orleans best kept secret!

It doesn't matter, if you're into hardcore / punk, metal, crust or even grindcore - this release is not something you would like to miss!

Available as jewel case CD, MC tape with mini-poster and (black or limited, monochrome A-Side/B-Side) LP.

PEACE THROUGH SWIFT DEATH!

Hype sticker on the shrink-wrapping
Service to relevant key metal media
Stream features, interviews, and social media campaigns around the release date
Former and active members of EyeHateGod, Crowbar, Hellgasm, Hellkontroll, Goatwhore, Saint Vitus or Down playing raw and fast hardcore / punk.
Video for title track "At War With Punk" premiered via Decibel Magazine

Tours (France) -based post-psych and deep-shoegaze powerhouse Stuffed Foxes are set to release their third LP, Standardized, on December 6th, 2024, via Bristol’s Stolen Body Records and French labels Reverse Tapes and Figures Libres. Songs / Revolving and Songs / Motion Return, a discographic diptych released in 2022, established Stuffed Foxes as accomplished ambassadors of the French rock scene. True to its predecessors, Standardized was recorded live in the Rennes studio of producer and musician Thomas Poli (Laetitia Sheriff, Dominique A). Mastering was entrusted to Matt Colton (Spiritualized, Swans, Shame). Early on, the six members transformed their youthful camaraderie into an adventure, embracing communal living (sharing a leaky roof had to be an integral part of the ride) and diving into the underground with their label, Reverse Tapes, a source of endless exciting music. They also adopted a democratic approach to creation fueled by endless jams, with the sexted striving to compose together from the outset. It is from this collective spontaneity that the unique expression of their music is born: long, hypnotic tracks, swirling mists of noise, and moments of vocal urgency that should be experienced in person during their invariably cathartic and incendiary concerts. It is a band that strives to stay true to its ethos, its soul haunted but never enthralled by the ghosts of its musical ancestors and battered icons. Their influences create joyful chaos: the musical walls of noise of My Bloody Valentine, the No-Wave drones of Swans, the psychedelic vapours of Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Post-Shoegaze eclecticism of Six-By-Seven. Standardized opens with Biting the Dawn, a Noise elegy that builds with relentless intensity. Léo's recitative voice soars above a searing blend of saturated guitars and echo-drenched drums. Next, Merry Xmas unleashes sharp, incisive guitar riffs reminiscent of Gang of Four and Fugazi, only to surprise with a dramatic twist that builds to a breathtaking, soaring climax echoing the brilliance of Ride’s most epic moments. Rough Up emerges as a Velvet Underground-inspired ballad, built on two simple acoustic guitar chords and an organ, showcasing a more subdued and vulnerable side of the band. In contrast, Standardized plunges into a powerful trance, unleashing a massive, deliciously primal wall of saturation with raw, unfiltered intensity. With Standardized, Stuffed Foxes appear to have reached an aesthetic milestone, transcending the semantics of the genres that once defined them. They have ‘de-standardized’ their sound and embraced a sense of freedom, opening up to the possibilities of a wider creative spectrum. Stuffed Foxes - Pretend to Be a Dog (Gamelle) (Official Video)

Kaum eine deutsche Band hat es seit ihrer Gründung vor gut 30 Jahren geschafft, einen so einzigartigen musikalischen Kosmos zu erschaffen wie die deutsche Band Bohren & der Club Of Gore aus Mühlheim. Mit ihren düsteren Instrumentalstücken konnten sich Bohren in den letzten Jahren eine beinharte Fangemeinde erspielen, und namhafte Musiker wie Mike Patton (Faith No More), Ry-X, John Grant, Soap&Skin und Thor Harris (Swans) sind den zeitlosen Songs von Bohren längst verfallen.

Das wunderbar betitelte "Bohren For Beginners" versammelt alle Highlights des Bohren-Katalogs in teilweise neu abgemischten Versionen sowie einen neuen Song, so dass die vorliegende Werkschau als Einstiegsdroge sowohl für Newcomer als auch für eingefleischte Fans interessant ist. Da ein großer Teil des Bohren-Backkatalogs schon seit Jahren gelöscht ist, werden hier musikalische Schätze gehoben, die nichts von ihrer Qualität verloren haben und auch in 20 Jahren noch für Gänsehaut sorgen werden.

Bisher gab es das Album nur digital und als CD, am 10.02.2023 erscheint das Album jetzt auch als 3LP in einem schicken Tri-Gatefold.

Suicide AFTR 7 is a musical partnership forged across two continents. This cross-Atlantic collaboration was founded in Barcelona by New York’s Neud Photo and London’s Antic.Distributed by Runas, a new label also based in Barcelona. New beat and Proto-Wave influences permeate the 12”.

Lean, mean, and evocative, "Soft Geometry" sets the stage with its blend of classic analogue textures and a sound palette that evokes the darker, more hypnotic side of electronic music. Throaty samples whisper through a synthesizer smoke, sodden bass lines throb against scaling crystalline chords.

The standout track, "Interplay", is an instant classic. Lyrics are distant, words ring, “Distant shadows," as snapping snares and warming pulses pull the listener closer drawing you deeper into its hypnotic world. Across the four offerings, a brooding dance floor looms; a
shadowy square of bodies shrouded in fog, pierced by strobe. This track will stick with you long after the music fades, a perfect blend of light and shade. It's the undeniable dancefloor moment on the EP, forever playful, forever bumpin.

"Last Word" pulses with a cold, hypnotic groove, driven by a deep 808 groove that'll get you moving. Think hypnotic rhythms, driving basslines, and a touch of electro grit. Slow, ethereal strings and shimmering synth stabs create an atmosphere of tension, punctuated
by film noir samples.

A sinister seam runs through the entire EP, coming to the surface for “Blind Spot.” Terse percussive patterns and eclipsed synthlines are stalked by vocals stripped of emotion, the mantra of “We are your enemy” encircling to a close.

Rhythm Section International, the impossible-to-define label founded in South East London by Bradley Zero in 2014 has reached the ripe old age of 10 years.Spanning 6 discs and 30 tracks, the compilation begins by taking us on a walk down memory lane and presenting one track from each year of the labels output

Rhythm Section International, the impossible-to-define label founded in South East London by Bradley Zero in 2014 has reached the ripe old age of 10 years. Funny thing is, it feels like it could have been almost double that. It’s hard to imagine the Landscape of the London music scene without this foundational force whose influence is felt more than ever.

With this special anniversary release, the label takes stock at this milestone to present a compilation in 3 parts: PAST, RE-IMAGINED AND FUTURE: honouring the labels tradition of always paying homage to what has come before while setting sights firmly forwards.

With 100-odd releases in their extended back catalogue covering every imaginable style and boasting influence in every inhabited continent on earth, it’s been quite a decade for the independent label, which began on a shoestring budget with funds made via the now legendary Rhythm Section pool hall parties in Peckham.

From humble beginnings to an era defining output - few would have predicted the slow and steady rise of the imprint and the impact it has had on generations of Dj’s, musicians and listeners - at home and abroad.

Spanning 6 discs and 30 tracks, the compilation begins by taking us on a walk down memory lane and presenting one track from each year of the labels output - highlighting some forgotten classics from the archives over the first 2 discs. For discs 3 & 4, the label invited it’s stable of artists to pick a track from the back catalogue to re-imagine in their own style. This process resulted in some incredibly playful contributions from the likes of Ruf Dug, Session Victim and Private Joy - whose playful reinterpretations add new depth to old material.

Finally, the last 2 discs are entirely new material for 2024, carrying the torch of the previous SHOUTS compilations - whose sole aim is to shine light on new music from emerging artists

The SteelDrivers are more than the launching pad of Chris Stapleton’s career and the home-base to the multi-talented musician and songwriter Tammy Rogers. They’re an ever-evolving group of seasoned veterans who have reinvigorated bluegrass by mixing in their individual influences and histories. Stirring Southern soul, Nashville country, deep blues, and wooden-church gospel into bluegrass, The SteelDrivers created a hybrid old as the hills and fresh as morning dew. Or, as a slack-jawed Vince Gill described their sound more directly, “an incredible combination.” Over the past 20 years, The SteelDrivers have become one of the biggest names in progressive bluegrass. After four Grammy nominations, the Americana Music Association’s New Artist of the Year and IBMA’s 2009 Emerging Artist of The Year, The Muscle Shoals Recordings took them to the next level, winning the band their first Grammy Award and landing them another #1 Bluegrass album. In every way, The Muscle Shoals Recordings was a major step forward for the group. Former bandmember Chris Stapleton contributed a new song, “Drinkin’ Alone,” and longtime fan Jason Isbell shows up on a few tracks as co-producer and guitarist. The core of the SteelDrivers stepped up as well, with even richer and more evocative songs and performances that cut deeper than ever. It sounds like an album that should have always existed on vinyl but somehow never was. Until now. Vinyl debut of the Billboard #1 Bluegrass Album & Best Bluegrass Album Grammy winner Featuring production & guitar by Jason Isbell Includes "Drinkin' Alone," written by former SteelDriver Chris Stapleton "Their playing is magnetic" —NPR "The group has rarely sounded more focused or passionate

Whitey Morgan & The 78’s make it to the top shelf of Bloodshot’s bar. NPR may not be the first place you’d think to go for snarling, blood-on-the-tele country music, but they sure got it right when faced with Whitey Morgan & The 78’s: “Staying close to the sound and subject matter of classic outlaw artists like Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and David Allan Coe, Morgan is poised to lead this hard-worn brand of country to the next generation.” More than a decade after we let this record loose, millions of Yellowstone viewers heard “Bad News” as delivered by Whitey Morgan & The 78’s from this here album.

We suspect more than a few of those folks will be compelled to drink straight from the source and hear more of what they love. It’s also not a stretch to say the rest of country has caught up with what Whitey Morgan was puttin’ down in 2010. Anyone listening to Chris Stapleton and Jamey Johnson will find a familiar friend right here. As for us, we like to think of their Bloodshot debut as the birth of Altlaw Country and 15 years later it’s earned the Barrel Select designation as one of the best damn records we’ve got. As such, this new pressing is on Bloodshot-red vinyl and now includes a replica of the Whitey Morgan & The 78’s Holiday Whiskey Extravaganza gig at Chicago’s Cobra Lounge

"I decided to just let myself go," Zzzahara says of their new record, 'Spiral Your Way Out' "I think I finally came to this acceptance that I don't have to be perfect. I want to be a good role model to my fans and stuff like that, but I also don't want to hide who I am." Zzzahara's music wades into the deep waters of love, lust, and self-discovery in a part of the world where artifice and authenticity co-exist. Emerging from the heart of LA's alternative music scene, their sound is raw in feeling and rebellious by nature.

Their 2022 debut album, Liminal Spaces, chronicles a coming- of- age in Highland Park, following painful childhood memories through to late- night, live- fast coping mechanisms, and the changes the neighbourhood has endured over the same period of time. Their 2023 follow- up, Tender, marked a period of slowing down, looking inward, and embracing a softer side of being. 'Spiral Your Way Out' sees Zzzahara evolve again. Emotionally, its foundations are built on scorched earth.

The album finds Zzzahara in the aftermath of a relationship spent trying to fit someone else's mould, being jerked around by indecision, and then hitting "emotional rock bottom." Made in a three-month burst that let all their pent-up frustrations loose, 'Spiral Your Way Out' is in part a work of self-reclamation, swapping there 2nd album Tender's meditative state for something fiery and more assertive. The new album marks another sonic evolution as much as an emotional one. Zzzahara's songs have always come wrapped in a warm glow that reflects how they were written -namely at home in their bedroom.

That glow remains on 'Spiral Your Way Out', but it also packs an ambitious streak and a gutsy punch. Taking a more collaborative approach than usual, Zzzahara worked with a range of producers including Jorge Elbrecht (Japanese Breakfast, No Joy, Sky Ferreira), Sarah Tudzin (boygenius / Cloud Nothings / The Armed), former Ducktails guitarist Alex Craig (Jelani Aryeh / re6ce) and Halsey tour drummer Franco Reid, who helped harness their intimate style of writing and blow it up into something more panoptic. After a year of upheaval, Zzzahara finally feels "calm." The musical equivalent to going several rounds on a punching bag, 'Spiral Your Way Out' finds solace between extremes. It licks its wounds in a place where pain and love, healing and abandon, sit side-by-side. If it has a message, it's one of standing tall in your own shoes - scuffs and all.

"I decided to just let myself go," Zzzahara says of their new record, 'Spiral Your Way Out' "I think I finally came to this acceptance that I don't have to be perfect. I want to be a good role model to my fans and stuff like that, but I also don't want to hide who I am." Zzzahara's music wades into the deep waters of love, lust, and self-discovery in a part of the world where artifice and authenticity co-exist. Emerging from the heart of LA's alternative music scene, their sound is raw in feeling and rebellious by nature.

Their 2022 debut album, Liminal Spaces, chronicles a coming- of- age in Highland Park, following painful childhood memories through to late- night, live- fast coping mechanisms, and the changes the neighbourhood has endured over the same period of time. Their 2023 follow- up, Tender, marked a period of slowing down, looking inward, and embracing a softer side of being. 'Spiral Your Way Out' sees Zzzahara evolve again. Emotionally, its foundations are built on scorched earth.

The album finds Zzzahara in the aftermath of a relationship spent trying to fit someone else's mould, being jerked around by indecision, and then hitting "emotional rock bottom." Made in a three-month burst that let all their pent-up frustrations loose, 'Spiral Your Way Out' is in part a work of self-reclamation, swapping there 2nd album Tender's meditative state for something fiery and more assertive. The new album marks another sonic evolution as much as an emotional one. Zzzahara's songs have always come wrapped in a warm glow that reflects how they were written -namely at home in their bedroom.

That glow remains on 'Spiral Your Way Out', but it also packs an ambitious streak and a gutsy punch. Taking a more collaborative approach than usual, Zzzahara worked with a range of producers including Jorge Elbrecht (Japanese Breakfast, No Joy, Sky Ferreira), Sarah Tudzin (boygenius / Cloud Nothings / The Armed), former Ducktails guitarist Alex Craig (Jelani Aryeh / re6ce) and Halsey tour drummer Franco Reid, who helped harness their intimate style of writing and blow it up into something more panoptic. After a year of upheaval, Zzzahara finally feels "calm." The musical equivalent to going several rounds on a punching bag, 'Spiral Your Way Out' finds solace between extremes. It licks its wounds in a place where pain and love, healing and abandon, sit side-by-side. If it has a message, it's one of standing tall in your own shoes - scuffs and all.

February 2014 saw the band release their 'Back To Bagarmossen' EP on London/Stockholm indie label PNKSLM Recordings. The 10' vinyl received huge praise both internationally and at home, even picking up mainstream TV coverage on Sweden's TV4. Following the EP, Les Big Byrd are now preparing to unleash their debut full length release, 'They Worshipped Cats', on Anton Newcombe's A Records ,Anton has co written & plays 2 tracks on the album . They are supporting the Brian Jonestown Massacre on their European tour . When Anton recently visited Stockholm with his band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, the guys accidentally ran into each other at a local record shop, and started talking about music. Anton invited the band down to his studio in Berlin to record and jam for a few days and it was there that a big part of "They Worshipped Cats" was conceived and recorded. Les Big Byrd was formed in Stockholm by Joakim Åhlund and Frans Johansson a couple of years ago. They each eventually joined different rock bands that brought them out of Sweden and into a different world. Frans' band Fireside, got signed by Rick Rubin to his label Def American and Jocke had a taste of international success with 60's-influenced garage-pop outfit Caesars, as well as his other, more electronically flavored project Teddybears. They decided that they still - in spite of everything - had their love for music intact, and the dream in common to get the perfect band together and give it one more shot. They recruited Jocke's former bandmate, drummer Nino Keller and keyboardist Konie and started jamming and rehearsing. Joakim had been running a recording studio in Stockholm, writing and producing for Swedish and international artists, including Robyn and Håkan Hellström, and had also directed music videos for prominent Swedish exports such as Bob Hund, Refused, Broder Daniel and The International Noise Conspiracy. Keyboardist Konie also runs a studio in Stockholm, where he's been recording a number of film scores as well as many of Swedens most interesting black metal acts.

The Swiss trio divr debuts on We Jazz on 2 February with their new album "Is This Water". divr is Philipp Eden on keys, Jonas Ruther on drums and Raphael Walser on bass, and they play largely acoustic improvisations which loops without ever quite repeating. Their music swings, but never feels like it’s doing so in response to a fixed, single pulse. The new album is mixed & post-produced by Dan Nicholls (of Y-OTIS).

“We play in multi-directional time. You could hear three different timings, but on the other hand it’s together. We land in the same place. It’s not done with maths, it’s more about entering a flow”, say the band members, based in Basel (Eden) and Zurich (Ruther, Walser), the city where they all met more than 15 years ago.

“It’s a free approach to playing time. We don’t refer to a straight metre. But play around it. We never repeat something exactly, it develops with every turn, there’s always a small difference.”

February 2014 saw the band release their 'Back To Bagarmossen' EP on London/Stockholm indie label PNKSLM Recordings. The 10' vinyl received huge praise both internationally and at home, even picking up mainstream TV coverage on Sweden's TV4. Following the EP, Les Big Byrd are now preparing to unleash their debut full length release, 'They Worshipped Cats', on Anton Newcombe's A Records ,Anton has co written & plays 2 tracks on the album . They are supporting the Brian Jonestown Massacre on their European tour . When Anton recently visited Stockholm with his band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, the guys accidentally ran into each other at a local record shop, and started talking about music. Anton invited the band down to his studio in Berlin to record and jam for a few days and it was there that a big part of "They Worshipped Cats" was conceived and recorded. Les Big Byrd was formed in Stockholm by Joakim Åhlund and Frans Johansson a couple of years ago. They each eventually joined different rock bands that brought them out of Sweden and into a different world. Frans' band Fireside, got signed by Rick Rubin to his label Def American and Jocke had a taste of international success with 60's-influenced garage-pop outfit Caesars, as well as his other, more electronically flavored project Teddybears. They decided that they still - in spite of everything - had their love for music intact, and the dream in common to get the perfect band together and give it one more shot. They recruited Jocke's former bandmate, drummer Nino Keller and keyboardist Konie and started jamming and rehearsing. Joakim had been running a recording studio in Stockholm, writing and producing for Swedish and international artists, including Robyn and Håkan Hellström, and had also directed music videos for prominent Swedish exports such as Bob Hund, Refused, Broder Daniel and The International Noise Conspiracy. Keyboardist Konie also runs a studio in Stockholm, where he's been recording a number of film scores as well as many of Swedens most interesting black metal acts.

Homer Steinweiss has an incredibly storied career in music that started when he was just a teenager. He's drummed for nearly every "retro soul" group that mattered and his distinctive stickwork helped blend the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream via the likes of Amy Winehouse & Sharon Jones. He's now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with Jonas Brothers, Clairo, Solange, Adele, and Bruno Mars to name a few.

With his debut solo release Ensatina, Homer is stepping to the forefront as both musician and producer. His new record is a re­ection of who he is now and a testament to how struggle often brings about a needed change. In 2020 Homer had to reckon with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a personal relationship of 20+ years fell apart putting Homer in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was signi‑cant enough for him to seek professional help. "I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows," Homer describes. "And being in all that, it's just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it'll be ok." But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life. The ‑rst song from these sessions, "Now That It's Over" perfectly sums up Homer's triumph through those tough times. It's a song of changing perspective and contemplation with haunting vocals from Hether and Flikka. "Paul (Castelluzzo_ aka, Hether), as a friend, saw me through these highs and lows," Homer points out. "I only had the one line, 'Now that it's over, I'm alright,' but he felt that lyric so much that he wrote all these sections and lyrics and basically completed the song. It was like he was writing to me." Hether also features on album standouts "Deep Sea", a modern love song, "Start Select", a juxtaposition of inspiration and melancholy, and "Forever and Ever and Ever and Ever" which is an incredible contemporary take on the B side soul ballad. Homer uses his innate gift for bringing seemingly opposing energies together on "Racecar Driver", pairing the vocals of Hether & long time friend and collaborator KIRBY to make a genre challenging banger. KIRBY also graces the album opener "Rollin'", an airy, warm-weather invoking song that her raspy voice perfectly compliments. He puts his drumming front and center on "So Get Up!", a bottom heavy infectious track that MINOVA's vocals turn into an instant hit that is sure to smash speakers. On "Wishing Well" & "Hide It Behind the Light I'm Shining Through" Homer is joined by girl named GOLDEN, who's unique voice effortlessly ‑nds the pocket in each tune. The man on trumpet, and fellow Big Crown label mate Dave Guy, puts his incomparable playing on the album closer "Goldie" which Homer says is the part of the movie where the credits roll.

Making this album was a refuge for Homer and it put him back on track. Ensatina is a glimpse into the different energies and in­uences that make Homer tick. To say he was always much more than a drummer would be an understatement, and this ‑rst solo offering is just the beginning of his next chapter.

Today, the Toronto-born-and-raised singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Charlotte Day Wilson announces her highly-anticipated sophomore album Cyan Blue out May 3rd via Stone Woman Music / XL Recordings

Along with the announcement of her new album comes the release of first single, "I Don"t Love You", a stark and devastatingly beautiful confessional, highlighting Wilson"s immaculate production skills and chill inducing vocals laid atop smooth groove piano chords and soft drums. The track also arrives with a visual directed by Dani Aphrodite featuring layered low fi footage of the artist and producer performing at home, living every day life and having moments of solitude in her car, a theme that comes up throughout the album. Cyan Blue finds Wilson crafting a smoothly woven cyan tapestry of her eternal influences; thumping gospel piano, warm soul basslines, atmospheric electronics, and penetrating R&B melodies. Yet, it possesses a sense of vastness that rings in a new era for Wilson, one in which she"s embracing collaboration and newfound creative openness tinged with wistfulness and yearning and a reflection on youthful innocence. "I want to look through the unjaded eyes of my younger self again," Wilson explains of making Cyan Blue. "Before there wasn"t as much baggage, before so much life was lived. But I also wish that my younger self could see where I am now. It would be nice to be able to impart some of the wisdom and clarity that I have now onto her.

" Working with producers like Leon Thomas (SZA, Ariana Grande, Post Malone), and Jack Rochon (HE.R, Daniel Caesar), Cyan Blue demonstrates Wilson´s sonic expertise while also showcasing the next evolution of her time-bending songwriting. Through 13 hypnotizing tracks, she continues to use music as a vessel for unpacking relationships, which in turn allows her to meet and understand herself in life-spanning, panoramic focus.

But, on Cyan Blue, she challenged herself to kick her perfectionist tendencies. "Before, I was extremely intentional about creating music with a strong foundation, a bed of artistic integrity," Wilson reflects. "But that was a bit stifling, like, "Let me just make a great piece of art that will stand the test of time, no pressure." Now, I think I"m getting out of this frozen state of needing everything to be perfect. I"m more interested in capturing feelings in the moment as they happen and leaving them in that moment."

While this is only her second album, Wilson"s influence in music has made a major mainstream impact. Wilson broke out in 2016 with her critically acclaimed EP, CDW, followed by 2018"s Stone Woman and made her debut studio album an official coming out moment in 2021 with the critically acclaimed, self-released Alpha.

Over the past decade, she´s been sampled by Drake, John Mayer, and James Blake, while Patti Smith has recently praised and covered Wilson´s 2016 breakout single "Work." Additionally, she´s collaborated with artists like Kaytranada, BADBADNOTGOOD, and SG Lewis, demonstrating that there´s no sound Wilson can´t adapt to and sprinkle her cyan-colored magic over.

In 2019, Resistencia Sonora was launched as a collaborative project where urban resistances and ethnic-peasant rural resistances converge in the greater area of Montes de Maria, situated in Colombia's western Caribbean region. This initiative originates in one of the musical epicenters of ancestral sounds that have fostered a now global recognition for styles such as gaita, cumbia, bullerengue, son palenque and son de negro, as well as Sabanero accordion music like porros and pajaritos.

The aim of this extensive project has been to serve as a rare living archive of festive gatherings, conversations, knowledge exchange, and co-creative processes that have spawned specifically from the municipality of Ovejas, which sits in the Sucre Department of Montes de Maria. Resistencia Sonora's documentation in Ovejas is more than just a musical recording, rather an all-encompassing snapshot of a very real folkloric life within neighborhoods such as El Bolsillo, El Corea and La Ciudadela. The initial inspiration of the project can be credited to a specific call to arms from composer Andrés Narváez, who expressed the dream to record his own original compositions set amongst this region's local history. Andrés, like many leaders from the old sabanas beyond Montes de Maria, is a social leader and land-rights activist. He proposed not only to record his songs but also to invite other musicians and composers to take part in this documentation, an extended hand to uphold the legacies, knowledge, and traditions of the region's elders.

All songs recorded between 2022-23 on location in Ovejas and Bogotá, Colombia. Mixed in Brooklyn by Names You Can Trust and mastered by Frank Meritt at The Carvery, London. Limited Edition 250 vinyl press with included 12-page booklet and liner notes in English and Spanish.

Das neue Solo-Meisterwerk von Gitarren-Ikone Mark Tremonti (Creed, Alter Bridge)!
Drei Jahrzehnte als Künstler, 18 Studioalben, tausende von Shows weltweit und noch immer geht Gitarrist, Sänger und Songwriter Mark Tremonti
dem unermüdlichen Drang nach, sich permanent weiterzuentwickeln. Mit seinem insgesamt 19. Studioalbum, und dem sechsten seiner Soloband
TREMONTI, The End Will Show Us How, das am 10. Januar 2025 über Napalm Records erscheint, setzt der US-Künstler neue Maßstäbe! Die Karriere
von Mark Tremonti ist von seinem fortwährenden inneren Antrieb geprägt, der ihm einen GRAMMY® Award, Milliarden weltweiter Streams und
Gesamtverkäufe von 60 Millionen Tonträgern einbrachte – sei es mit Creed, Alter Bridge oder seiner Soloband TREMONTI.
The End Will Show Us How präsentiert 12 neue Songs, die allesamt für die künstlerische Entwicklung Mark Tremontis stehen. Dabei beweist er auch
nach fast drei Jahrzehnten einmal mehr sein herausragendes Gespür in Sachen Songwriting. Gemeinsam mit seinen Bandkollegen Eric Friedman
(Gitarre), Tanner Keegan (Bass) und Ryan Bennett (Schlagzeug) begleitet Tremonti die Hörer*innen auf eine Reise durch verschiedenste
Kompositionen, bei der keine der anderen gleicht.
Produziert wurde The End Will Show Us How von Marks langjährigen Freund und Kollegen Michael „Elvis“ Baskette, mit dem er bereits seit 2007
zusammenarbeitet.

For the Llamas" 1992 debut, Sean O"Hagan, working the sextant to navigate a post-Microdisney course in the musical world, posted them up as a guitar pop band (RIYL: NRBQ, Big Star, Steely Dan), with nine exquisitely crafted examples of the oft out-of-step sound. Had there been no more after this, Santa Barbara would still be sought-after buried treasure by the perennial waves of voyagers seeking these sweet, jangling spices to this very day. 1st ever LP pressing!

After many releases on labels with different techno imprints such as Mord, Hex, Raw, KR/LF and now BPitch Control, in his most recent works Under Black Helmet has pushed his sound in a more essential and hypnotic direction, raising the level of processing in rhythm and sound research. That's what you will find on Tempio Omega 02.

The Weeks Island project began in 2018 when, itching for something during a break from his gig playing guitar for the Grammy-winning Cajun group Lost Bayou Ramblers, Jonny Campos ventured to his bandmate's house and recorded a series of deep, amoebic, ambient pedal steel passages across two afternoons. It wasn't all heavy, though: he paid that bandmate, Kirkland Middleton, in Cane's chicken strips. The tracks on Droste are named for bodies of water that no longer exist, their names wiped from maps thanks to the disintegrating shorelines of Southern Louisiana. That feeling of impermanence hangs over this record - the tracks don't so much begin and end as slip in and out of your consciousness. It can be a serene passive listen or a deep one that marinates long after the runout. Droste originally appeared on Nouveau Electric Records, run by another Rambler, Louis Michot, in 2020, digitally and on cassette. DFA picked it up via an connection from LCD Soundsystem's Korey Richey, and began a years-long process to cut the record to vinyl, a task made difficult by the sharp pedal steel and waves of harmonic distortion that color the music. After more than a few tries and the addition of three brand new tracks, Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service nailed it, and it was pressed beautifully at Furnace Record Pressing in Alexandria, VA.

"Against The Grain" is screechingly released hot on the heels of the previous years punk hit `No Control" which sold so many copies, why not keep the formula untouched? The exuberance of this release is kinda tuff ta" blow off. Contains the superior original version of "21st Century Digital Boy" plus 16 more crucial cuts. A barrage of melodic, hyper-overdrive.

The War On Drugs, "one of the premier live bands of their generation" (Pitchfork), announce Live Drugs Again, via Super High Quality Records and Transgressive / Canvasback. In support of Live Drugs Again, the band will kick off their Zen Diagram North American co-headline tour with The National, with support from Lucius, on September 12th. Recorded on tour between February 2022 through December 2023 in America, UK, Europe and Australia, Live Drugs Again follows 2020's Live Drugs and represents The War On Drugs at their ragged, righteous best. Bandleader Adam Granduciel comments, "Live Drugs Again chronicles the evolution of these songs from the studio to stages all over the world; documenting our continued growth as a live band. This series ensures that these versions, and some of our favorite moments on stage, will live on." As Consequence so accurately hailed, "it's hard to imagine a musical experience that's more enveloping and uplifting." This is hearing a band at its peak.

"‘Where The Light Gets In' is the debut album from actor & singer songwriter Ben Barnes. The title of the album reflects the hopefulness of the songs, and the perspective earned through lived experience. Ben’s personal hope for these songs is that they encourage finding clarity when life feels sombre, feeling powerful when pain tells you you're vulnerable and lovable when the world tries to tell you that you're not enough as you are. The album is about the different stages of a relationship; beginnings, tension, sorrow, sex, love, endings... nostalgia. It's about how our history and our scars configure to make us who we are in this moment. If a part of us has ever felt broken, we can mend... transforming ourselves into something moreprecious than we were before.

The album was recorded at Apogee Studios in Santa Monica with the band all together, including James Valentine and Sam Farrar (Maroon 5) who also produced the record along with drummer/manager, Paul Hamilton."

Hip-Hop lost one of its most talented wordsmiths when Fred The Godson passed away due to complications with Covid-19 last year. However, his family has continued his legacy by launching the nonprofit Fred The Godson Foundation, as well as releasing some of his most sought-after music on vinyl and CD. Ascension is the first posthumous release with all new material from the South Bronx emcee. The tracks were handpicked by Fred's brother Russ and they are a prime example of the creative high he was on just before his passing. The collection of songs includes production from The Heatmakerz and guest spots from G Mims, Guap Sinatra, M City, Reef Hustle, Bandz Dinero and more. This album is a celebration of Fred's life and so, fittingly, the LP dropped digitally on his birthday, February 22. On the same day, New York City officials unveiled a new street name in the South Bronx honoring the respected lyricist: Fredrick "Fred The Godson" Thomas Way. A lot of artists make street music, but only a handful have ever received a tribute with street signs.

MANOWAR is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the band is known for lyrics based on fantasy and mythology . The band is also known for a Loud and Bombastic sound. In 1984 the band was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on two occasions. They also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for five hours and 1 minute in Bulgaria (at Kavarna Rock Fest) in 2008. MANOWAR have also been known for their slogan "Death to false metal » and have maintained a very strong following with dedicated fans worldwide as referred to by the band as "Metal Warriors", "Manowarriors", "Immortals" or "Brothers of Metal". The band signed with Atlantic Records in 1987. Via Atlantic, they released 'Fighting the World', which enjoyed more extensive distribution and increased the band's prominence in the international heavy metal scene. Album art was designed by Ken Kelly. In 1988, MANOWAR released the album 'Kings of Meta’l, which is the band's best known work. Songs like "Heart of Steel", "Kings of Metal" and "Hail and Kill" are performed regularly in concerts. 'Kings of Metal' is MANOWAR's highest-selling album worldwide. A new musical unit after the recent changes, MANOWAR released The Triumph of Steel in 1992. It gained some great success and was particularly famous for the presence of a suite lasting no less than 28 minutes entitled "Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts", inspired by the events of the Iliad and the hero Achilles. After this release, the band went on a world tour for two years. Those MANOWAR’s album have become legendary and are still must have in any metal fan record collection . Vinyls formats Having been very rare and reaching high prices online, those three albums are now being made available again in quality coloured vinyls; Grab them now while you can !!

Ein Ltd. Reissue als Grünes Vinyl von Sizzlas Meisterwerk 'Black Woman & Child' von 1997!

- „Meisterwerk“ - Rolling Stone Magazin
- Produziert von Bobby Digital, gilt Black Woman & Child zu Recht als das wichtigste Reggae-Album der 90er Jahre.
- Black Woman & Child wurde 1997 von Greensleeves veröffentlicht und war Sizzlas Durchbruch, der ihm eine Nominierung für den International Reggae Artist Of The Year einbrachte und seinen Platz als Star der 90er Jahre sicherte.
- Vollgepackt mit Hit-Singles über einige Riddim-Relicks, darunter 'Make It Secure' (auf Drum Song), 'One Away (Satta Massagana)', 'Give Them The Ride' (The Lecturer) und der hymnische Titeltrack 'Black Woman & Child'.
- Enthalten sind zwei weitere Kombinationen mit Capleton bei 'Babylon A Use Dem
- Brain“ und Edi Fitzroy bei ‚Princess Black‘.
- Als einer der wichtigsten und erfolgreichsten Künstler der Reggae-Geschichte ist „Black Woman & Child“ auch fast drei Jahrzehnte später noch ein unverzichtbares Album.

Over 19 tracks, Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music mines gold from dollar bin country-rock detritus to reconstruct events as seen from the genre's wild west - Americana's vast private press substructure. As progenitor and contemptuous poster boy for the music that came to be Cosmic American, Gram Parsons found himself mired in a recording career spent mostly in scouting the perimeters of chart success. "He hated country-rock," Parsons collaborator Emmylou Harris would later reflect. "He thought that bands like the Eagles were pretty much missing the point." Parsons had been orbiting the idea of Cosmic American Music for some time. In 1968 he'd parted ways with the Byrds and was looking to take air with a new project. "It's basically a Southern soul group playing country and gospel-oriented music with a steel guitar" he told Melody Maker, on the subject of The Flying Burrito Brothers. So it was that when A&M's Burrito Brothers debut The Gilded Palace of Sin made it to shelves in February of 1969, early adherents to the Cosmic American gospel were already echoing its message from areas flanking Gram Parsons' Southern California hills and canyons. There was F.J. McMahon in coastal Santa Barbara, Mistress Mary further inland in Hacienda Heights, and Plain Jane of Albuquerque, New Mexico, each responding by committing their own private readings to tape before day one of the 1970s. Parsons himself might've disdained them, had he even been aware of such minor ripples, shimmering at the edges of his desert oasis. But these were true believers all the same, given over fully to his roots music concept, each filling vinyl grooves with non-rock instrumentation like fiddle, banjo, and pedal steel guitar, the last undoubtedly Cosmic American Music's most distinguishing stringed signifier. Only too predictably, big labels did the grunt work of confining and defining the movement, as ABC, United Artists, RCA, and more played catch-up with Asylum's raptor rock juggernaut, via backwoods crossover also-rans with names like Gladstone, American Flyer, and Silverado. Twang reigned, the shitkickers kicked shit, and the vaguely western-sounding guitar records piled up. Country-rock became "the dominant American rock style of the 1970s," as Peter Doggett's comprehensive Are You Ready for the Country put it much later. Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music picks up and dusts off golden ingots from the dollar-bin detritus of that domination, to reconstruct events as seen from the genre's real Wild West-America's one-off private press label substructure.

NOW is going back to the 1970s to proudly present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series.

Released on 49 tracks across 3LPs pressed in beautiful blue vinyl, celebrating a magnificently diverse year of Pop singles… NOW – Yearbook 1977.

Mary Coughlan, oft beschrieben als die grösste Sängerin, die Irland je hervorgebracht hat, feiert ihr 40-jähriges Jubiläum mit einem neuen Album. Coughlan verbindet whiskyverhangene, rauchig-heisere Töne mit dem lakonischen Witz von Billie Holiday und Peggy Lee, und den deepen, düster-schmutzigen Blues von Bessie Smith mit Edith Piafs sarkastischem Trotz und bittersüsser Verzweiflung. All das mit ihrem köstlich-kompromisslos-irischen Akzent: skeptisch, reumütig, traurig, schmelzend und glühend nach Liebe. "Repeat Rewind" ist ein gelungenes, gefühlvolles Album, ehrlich, offen und introspektiv, scharfsinnig und doch humorvoll. U.a. mit einem exzellenten Cover des Beach Boys-Klassikers "God Only Knows".

Moody cacophonies, sonic dispatches from Japan, crystalline breakbeats that are more environment than rhythm: Jake Muir’s enmixed, described by Muir as a “(re)mixtape,” is a mind-bending deep dive into the enmossed archive. Besides reflecting the history of the label, Muir’s mix is a production in its own right. A Los Angeles native based in Berlin, Muir is a DJ and field recordist who “sees mixes as a vehicle to explore narratives outside of the album format.”

In Bathhouse Blues (2023), where Muir sampled various sources to explore gay cruising culture and sensuality, his more expansive, conceptual approach to the form is illuminated. Mixes are not just a linear succession of tracks with transitions—they’re excavations that also result in the creation of new audio artifacts. Inspired by the psychedelic impulses of illbient, Muir uses DJ and sound engineering techniques to melt down genre distinctions and create alien atmospheres.

From the enmossed community, Muir pulls from artists like bad lsd trips, Angelo Harmsworth, Nick Klein, Tetsuya Nakayama, and Patrick Gallagher to coalesce a super-compendium of the global sonic underground, all viewed through his own unique lens. Muir takes major liberties with processing and effects automation to carve new worlds from the soil of these preexisting works. Some of the tracks and material on enmixed are heavily edited, emphasizing specific harmonics or bass frequencies, and some portions contain three or four layers, putting artists in direct conversation with each other.

This heady approach—using the tools of both mixtape and remix—results in a super textual and dense palimpsest of the enmossed catalog. “Because mixes are more open- source,” Muir says, “it’s easier to express some ideas since there is more material to pull from.”

- Rob Goyanes

Silver foil printed j-cards on heavyweight iridescent ('Lapis Lazuli') recycled paper Duplicated at a carbon-neutral facility

“My introduction to “noise” came from a record shop in Lake Worth, Florida ran by a musician named Kenny 5. Kenny had left Detroit sometime in the mid nineties and had begun selling used records and CD’s from the downtown strip of this tiny southern Florida city in a humble shop sandwiched between a deli and a dog grooming business. Kenny previously was on labels like Amphetamine Reptile and timeSTEREO, and the records and videotapes that would be on repeat at his shop were a vast sonic expanse that spoke to the eclecticism of his experience as a touring musician participating and adjacent to American noise culture through the early to late 90’s. In 1998, I was eleven years old and I would order a pizza with him and watch VHS tapes of Japanese noise and deathmatch bootlegs, as well as any other sonic and subcultural rarities that far outstripped my age to comprehend (notably the RRR “Journey Into Pain” compilation and various Vanilla Tapes videos). This widecast net of information formed an introduction to a reality that did not fall deaf on me, but it took many years later for me to reorient the specific freedoms of what this dense and cathartic sound culture had imparted on my life and would continue onward to.

What does this have to do with this selection of choice recordings from the Secret Boyfriend catalog for the enmossed label? For the uninitiated, Secret Boyfriend is the long running moniker of Ryan Martin, North Carolina musician and label proprietor of the Hot Releases imprint. For over a decade from this writing I have watched Secret Boyfriend, and Hot Releases by extension as a curatorial and archival effort, embodying the multiplanal capacity that noise loosely functions from as an umbrella ideology and formalist avenue for sound creation. For anecdotal purposes, from (before) 2006 until roughly 2023 the East Coast of the United States showcased a vibrant network of eclectic regional festivals that saw wide swaths of artists addressing and negotiating the notion of what qualified “noise” from a conceptual and ideological perspective. Some festivals honed in on particularities in aesthetics and tropes, and others had a kind of “catch-all” implementation that allowed for a salvation of the sort of alienated and singular artistry that was amassing throughout these territories. While clear guidelines had been set from regional predecessors as to how noise with a capital “N” should maneuver, Secret Boyfriend is emblematic in the spirit of fluidity that was either implicitly coupled to the notion of the genre, or grew to evolve towards or devolve from.

Within Secret Boyfriend performances, I have seen and admired a mirroring from a ravenous appreciator of this culture at large back towards itself. Typical of a Secret Boyfriend set is an interchangeable narrative arc wherein blistering feedback laden scrap metal improvisations are forayed into naive ambient or “pop” songs, or skipping CDs, or mixer feedback play, or delayed Roland 707 drum workouts all at once and in a unique hegemony. Secret Boyfriend's stylistic mastery of each endeavor is at once an homage to a history of loving listening and enacting, while a brave step into the realm of actualizing the unique fluidity of his own practice. In performance and the action of network engagement, Secret Boyfriend operates a survey of that which he sought to hear and that which he cultivates around his work. His operations are mirrors, and the project (alongside his other peers) is a reflection on the ethos of his time.

Conversely his recording practice narrows in on these moments and allows for a different kind of intimacy or alienation for the non live listener. This record of selected “pop songs” (let's call them that) is particularly poignant at a time when the culture Martin mirrors is at a strange crossroads with itself. The aforementioned festival networks necessarily change and shift. The onlookers become the artists, the artists find new horizons, and the spaces for these cycles fade into locales of a distant memory. It seems, from my perspective, that audiences currently yearn for a more bottlenecked experience, searching for some ontologically vetted manifestation of an idea, of a sound and less for an experience that functions in opposition to our collective banalities. This makes sense in the face of general global catastrophism that plagues us. We need certainty of what something is somewhere, don’t we? Noise as an idea has expanded and contracted to so many iterations of itself it is hard to tell what it even is, and it is particularly difficult to identify in the absence of solid network activations a moment to reflect on its own complexities and nuances. In the face of so much change, I argue that the language of noise culture at large has on one hand become increasingly didactic and predictable, and laughably inclusive and non linear on the other. Probably has always been this way, but now we are in the midst of a moment of extreme access and indexicality, which somehow cauterizes expansion and naivety and chance.

This record highlights the Secret Boyfriend that obscures didacticism by highlighting output that opens up for more challenging catharsis and emotive signal processing. It provides an entry to the materialism of a cultural field full of ecstatic complexity and beautiful inconsistency. In these muted moments Secret Boyfriend has given us over his career we have an argument for evolving languages that further challenge our notions of what is supposed to happen and how it is supposed to be presented. In his more song oriented expansiveness, we can punctuate the ability to think in new modalities. Listening to these recordings reminds me of the polarity of sitting in the record store as a kid and understanding that His Name Is Alive is on 4AD and (gasp!) timeSTEREO. This trite early impression that nothing is really as different as our imaginations might want them to be, and that we can do whatever we want mostly within the creative realms we work through is an important filter to look through Secret Boyfriend as a project and a vessel. If we can achieve abandon and vulnerability through our artistic endeavors, then we have a sound model for, maybe, new potentialities. If that’s too much projection, or just complete liberal bullshit, I am fine with that. Secret Boyfriend's oeuvre at best offers us moments of reprieve to ponder these complexities, or at least a moment to zone out on a drive through North Carolina Highway 54.

You have one pocket of life that you must do whatever you want to inside of. Secret Boyfriend does it affectionately, in a variety of forms, and always with deep sentimentality. These recordings are a wonderful set of songs to begin further investigation from. Thank you Ryan for allowing as many avenues as possible to continue a broad cultural exchange and conversation that intersect and refract while being the kind of artist that is brave enough to not phone in the effort.”

- Nick Klein , May 2024

Swiss label Acquit welcomes back D'Funk for more of their no-frills techno. It's seductive stuff from the off with the opener 'In Your Hood' layers up mind-melting synth sequences with sleek beats. "Let's Play' is a more bulky cut with slamming drums and subtle percussive details then 'My Next Turn' pairs things back to rubbery drum loops and dubby chords that sound all gooey and gloopy. 'Glitch My Funk' picks things up with more taught kick drums that compel you to dance as the delicate cosmic vibes permeate the groove. 'Killing Me Deeply' is a nice raw analogue deep house closer that kicks like a mule.