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The concert at Sonic Morgue (Berlin), opened by the song Nerissimo, was part of a series of European dates, culminating in the Berlin gig. A sort of homecoming for the duo that has made the Rome/Berlin axis a membrane continuously crossed by sounds and words in Italian, German and English. The reception given everywhere to songs like Mi Scusi, despite being sung in Italian, continues to excite. A Quiet Life, originally written for the film "A Quiet Life" directed by Claudio Cupellini, has severed some of the connection it had with the film because many now associate it with the final episode of Dark, the highly successful Netflix series. For many years Teho and Blixa have been playing live with Laura Bisceglia on cello and bells, Gabriele Coen on bass clarinet and, for the Berlin concert, the Oriel Quartett string quartet with Anna Eichholz and Kundri Schafer on violin, Robin Hong, viola, Alice Dixon, cello. The album cover image is a mixed media piece by Blixa Bargeld entitled "Aldebaran". Currently, Teho Teardo is busy on a long theatrical tour with famous Italian actor Elio Germano with two live performances of words and music: "Il Sogno di una cosa", freely inspired by Pier Paolo Pasolini"s novel of the same name, and "Il Paradiso di Dante", an original performance of acting, music and multimedia installations inspired by the XXXIII canto of the "Divine Comedy".

Der Name Dissimulator aus Montreal wird den meisten im Jahr 2024 noch kein Begriff sein, aber mit der Veröffentlichung des messerscharfen Debütalbums "Lower Form Resistance" entfesselt die Band einen überwältigenden Zukunftsschock auf die Hör- und Sinnesnerven und prägt sich mit ihrer pulsierenden, unkonventionellen Attacke dauerhaft in die Großhirnrinde ein. Die Band besteht aus Mitgliedern aus Bands wie Chthe'ilist, Atramentus, Beyond Creation und anderen und führt ihren zackigen Sci-Fi-Death-Thrash mit bösartiger Komplexität aus.

Im Laufe der 42 Minuten von "Lower Form Resistance" treffen sich die schroffen, kantigen Riffs, die komplexen Strukturen und die Atmosphäre überbordender Inkongruenz mit einer geradlinigen Dynamik und ständiger Zugänglichkeit an einer Kreuzung, an der Thrash- und Death-Metal-Szenen zu verschmelzen begannen und grenzenloses Potential versprechen. Hinzu kommt eine Voivod-artige Andeutung von Robotergefühlen und technologischem Untergang, und Dissimulators Vision sorgt für ein völliges Eintauchen in ihre Welt.

Der schräge und abenteuerliche Geist von "Lower Form Resistance", der es schafft, heute frisch zu klingen und gleichzeitig einen gewissen Geist von '88-'93 heraufzubeschwören, macht das Dissimulator-Debüt zu einer faszinierend bizarren und erfreulichen Dosis aggressiver Lebhaftigkeit.

Der Name Dissimulator aus Montreal wird den meisten im Jahr 2024 noch kein Begriff sein, aber mit der Veröffentlichung des messerscharfen Debütalbums "Lower Form Resistance" entfesselt die Band einen überwältigenden Zukunftsschock auf die Hör- und Sinnesnerven und prägt sich mit ihrer pulsierenden, unkonventionellen Attacke dauerhaft in die Großhirnrinde ein. Die Band besteht aus Mitgliedern aus Bands wie Chthe'ilist, Atramentus, Beyond Creation und anderen und führt ihren zackigen Sci-Fi-Death-Thrash mit bösartiger Komplexität aus.

Im Laufe der 42 Minuten von "Lower Form Resistance" treffen sich die schroffen, kantigen Riffs, die komplexen Strukturen und die Atmosphäre überbordender Inkongruenz mit einer geradlinigen Dynamik und ständiger Zugänglichkeit an einer Kreuzung, an der Thrash- und Death-Metal-Szenen zu verschmelzen begannen und grenzenloses Potential versprechen. Hinzu kommt eine Voivod-artige Andeutung von Robotergefühlen und technologischem Untergang, und Dissimulators Vision sorgt für ein völliges Eintauchen in ihre Welt.

Der schräge und abenteuerliche Geist von "Lower Form Resistance", der es schafft, heute frisch zu klingen und gleichzeitig einen gewissen Geist von '88-'93 heraufzubeschwören, macht das Dissimulator-Debüt zu einer faszinierend bizarren und erfreulichen Dosis aggressiver Lebhaftigkeit.

"The Dive is a 2023 scuba-diving movie, starring Sophie Lowe (Medieval) and Louisa Krause (Billions), with much of the footage – underwater and topside – shot in the popular diving destination of Malta. Directed by Maximilian Erlenwein and written by Erlenwein with Joachim Heden, The Dive focuses on two sisters, Drew and May, whose dive together off the rocky shoreline is abruptly cut short when a landslide above water sends a cascade of boulders down on top of them, leaving May trapped down at 28m by the debris. With dangerously low levels of oxygen and cold temperatures, it is up to her sister to fight for her life. The score to The Dive is composed by Volker Bertelmann & Raffael Seyfried. Bertelmann is a German composer who is also known under the name Hauschka. In 2022, he won an Academy Award and BAFTA for his work on All Quiet on the Western Front. For the soundtrack for The Dive, he teamed up with Raffael Seyfried, who previously scored the acclaimed 2018 drama series Patrick Melrose. The Dive is available as a limited edition on turquoise coloured vinyl."

Dive by Various Artists, released 25 January 2024, includes the following tracks: "Do You Hear That", "Go To The Surface", "Ship", "Are You OK" and more.

This version of Dive comes as a 1xLP.

The vinyl is pressed as a turquoise disc.

EVOLV is a visionary window into the mind of Dubfire, the journey of the ‘hybrid’ being and its evolution. Last year in October, an 11-track debut album was released on his long-standing SCI+TEC imprint. And now, just over a year later, Grammy award winning producer Dubfire returns to that sonic discourse, drafting in an impressive array of names to re-interpret the material, and accompanied by Dubfire's new audio-visual EVOLV show which picked up where the critically acclaimed electronic performance experience HYBRID had left off.

The eclectic package will include such notables as Glaskin, Arjun Vagale, Nadia Struiwigh, Mathimidori (dub alias of Mathias Kaden), Maral, Decka, Carl Craig, Truncate, Drumcell, Chris Liebing, Radio Slave and Luke Slater who have all given the original music in their own unique style.

With a career spanning over 3 decades, Dubfire has achieved global success as an artist with relentless drive, talent, and intuition. Pioneering commercial notoriety came initially as one half of the Grammy Award-winning (2001) duo Deep Dish, before embarking on a truly groundbreaking solo career in 2007. A career filled with timeless tracks include his early works, ‘RibCage’ (2007), ‘Emissions' (2007), ‘Roadkill’ (2007) and the highly acclaimed ‘Grindhouse’ (2009) remix from Radio Slave which led to a host of other notable projects over the years.
Collaborative work highlights include projects with Miss Kitten, Luke Slater, Flug, and Oliver Huntemann, as well as co-producing two songs on Underworld’s Barking album. A true artist, he has always been heavily invested in exploring performance technology, unveiled to wide praise with his HYBRID live show. A two-year world tour commenced in 2015 and was followed by his retrospective album, A Decade Of Dubfire (2017), a celebration of his immense output during the first 10 years of solo artist stardom. EVOLV is Dubfire’s debut solo artist album.

Belgian artist Jennifur is a bit of an enigma in today’s contemporary music climate. While most bend over backwards to satisfy the algorithm’s constant need for content, Jennifur (real name Hector Devriendt) has been quietly crafting spell-binding music that stands the test of both time and decreasing attention spans, blurring genre and emotion seamlessly through a sonic DNA that is diverse and colourful.

Having locked himself in his basement for eighteen months in order to produce the soundtrack for PS5 and XBOX ONE snowboarding game Shredders – which was later released by Jennifur himself under the title Nowhere, Now Here – the Ghent based artist is preparing the release of his next full length; Things Don’t Change Until They Do on Supreems’ new label Sweet Sun.

Tears-on-the-dancefloor aesthetics meet with polyphonic, nostalgia-inducing patterns, coming-of-age breakbeats and heart-string tugging classical ambient on an album that sounds completely unlike anything else you will hear this year.

After her stunning collaborations with Vincent Royer (for Mode Records), Jim O"Rourke and Christoph Heemann (both for Oren Ambarchi"s Black Truffle Records) Brunhild Ferrari returns to the scene with this new solo album. Extérieur-jour is comprised of two previously unreleased compositions, one being the title track the album is named after and the other "Le Piano Englouti (version original)." Extérieur-jour translates to "Outside Day," and indicates an instruction for a film scene, a piece of cinéma pour l"oreille, a movie for the ears. It was recorded at Luc Ferrari"s Atelier Post Billig in January and February 2014. "Le Piano Englouti" ("The Sunken Piano"), another electroacoustic composition which was realized over a period of fourteen years between 1996 and 2010, also brings forth cinematic elements with sound sources recorded in places as diverse as a Greek island by the noisy Agean Sea, a Pachinko place and a quiet island in Japan. It comes across as a meditation on the loss and reappearance of memory and silence. The graphics for the album sleeve were created by the late Wolfgang Meyer Tormin, artist and composer and also father of Brunhild Ferrari. The album was mastered for vinyl from the original source by Jim O"Rourke.

PRESSING OF 500 COPIES WORLDWIDE. INCLUDES POSTER.
The sound of today. A very strong statement. Yet, fifty years later, it remains undisputed. Today’s sound is Piero Umiliani's manifesto, his will to demonstrate to the world that he always has his finger on the pulsating vein of the world, ready to embrace the heartbeat of the future.
In the summer of 1973, Piero Umiliani, in his futuristic recording studio in Rome, much like Miles Davis for his 'Bitches Brew,' gathered an extraordinary collective of musicians, both old and new guard to measure themselves against some of his compositions.
Besides strongly emphasizing the backbeat, what stands out the most is the timbre provided by his 'electronic instruments,' as he liked to call them. Minimoog, Arp 2600, Fender Rhodes, EMS VCS3, Clavinet, Lowrey organ, Space Echo, self-built envelope filters—machines impossible to see all together in an Italian recording studio at the time and made available to the musicians.
The line-up is stellar; under the name 'Sound Workshoppers,' the 'Wrecking Crew all'Amatriciana' is hidden an impossible mix where Marc 4, Gres and Perigeo are blended, along with a brass section of veterans and pioneers of Italian jazz, all members of the RAI Symphonic Rhythm Orchestra.
Comparing the recordings from the original scores, one can also understand the space left by Piero Umiliani for his musicians. They are free to move, to contribute solutions, to enrich the maestro's music.
The perfectly preserved original masters, once transferred at the maximum possible sampling frequency, allowed for the recovery of many lost frequencies, restoring brilliance and the remarkable low end expertly captured in recording by engineer Claudio Budassi.
Today’s sound was extremely difficult to control and fully render with the mastering technology of that time.
Paradoxically, Today's sound could not sound as I have managed to make it sound today: urgent, majestic, more alive than ever.

PRESSING OF 200 COPIES ON CLEAR VINYL.

RIYL Zero 7/ Plaid / Hot Chip / Weather Report / Isolee / Baby Fox

Old friends Julian Bates and Alex Gray —working together as Mighty Truth for the first time since 1995’s From The City To The Sea — filled a car with old analogue synths, kids’ noise toys, and collected field recordings took a road trip down to hole up in an old water mill in southwest England’s bird-twittery, bee-loud Quantock hills.

Things got cinematic: unequal measures of early Weather Report, Wim Wenders, and Serge Gainsbourg kept them wonderfully lost in their imagined world. Back in London with guest singers Allonymous (Paris via Chicago) and Wayne Paul (London), they completed the album and decided to just call it Mighty Truth. With an aim to present the live show at moonlight pop-up cinema venues, Mighty Truth are here for the next chapter in their epic saga.

Back then….

Old friends Julian Bates and Alex Gray first met through their shared obsession with classic cars (both owned old SAAB 96s). At the time, Julian’s band Nightrains was signed to ACE Records in the UK whilst Alex worked first as a session keyboardist for the likes of Edwyn Collins, Billy Mackenzie, and Busta “Cherry” Jones, and later as a mixer and remixer working with S’express producer Pascal Gabriel, Malcolm McLaren, and soul DJ legend Dr Bob Jones.

Working together in the studio for the first time producing Vanessa Freeman (4 hero), Alex and Julian decided to embark on a drop-tempo jazz trip project they named Mighty Truth. Dr Bob heard that first self-released vocal track “Rebirth” and started dropping it on Kiss FM (UK). After guest DJ slots on Coldcut’s Kiss show, Alex and Julian signed to Tongue and Groove records.

The album From the City to the Sea produced a number of singles and both “Rebirth” and “Is it a Wizard or a Blizzard” were licensed to many compilations both in the UK and internationally (eg. Dope on Plastic, Mole Listening Pearls, Eight Ball).
The Sound of Sinners is a NYC boutique record label focused on vinyl and digital releases by Indie, ambient, avant-garde and electronic artists.

If the Corona pandemic and the accompanying concert bans have at least one good thing going for them, it's the extra time musicians have to write songs and live out their creativity. This circumstance was also the driving force for the SAMURAI PIZZA CATS, who come from the Electric Callboy environment. Frontman Sebastian Fischer was behind the microphone in their predecessor band Her Smile In Grief, whose line-up also included Daniel "Danskimo" Haniß, who is now celebrating success as guitarist, songwriter and producer of Electric Callboy. The contact between the two never broke off and so Daniel also produced Sebastian's later band Fall Of Gaia in recent years, whose former drummer and multi-instrumentalist Stefan Buchwald is also involved in this new project - family business from downtown Castrop Rauxel! So while Stefan contributes the music, Sebastian writes the lyrics and Daniel, as a creatively involved producer, ensures a well-rounded overall result. Okay, before we try your patience any further, let's talk about the elephant in the room: the band name. The SAMURAI PIZZA CATS have named themselves after a Japanese anime series from the early nineties. Why? Stupid question! Of course, because they are fearless warriors on their instruments, love to eat pizza and like cats! And maybe a little bit because they have soft spots for anime and silly band names - but only maybe. Rumour also has it that "Banzai! Smack! Meow!" is an onomatopoeic description of the band's sound.

Cam Cameron appears to be another one of those performers from an infinite list of Black American artists that cut a solitary 45 single and then disappear into obscurity never to be seen or heard from again. Couple this with the passing of any of the relevant protagonists from the time along with any of the surviving ones ever diminishing memories and the job of collating events and artists back stories from over 50 years ago becomes that much harder.

Cam Cameron appears to be one of those artists (although our investigations are ongoing). Therefore, from the information currently gleaned, the artist Cam Cameron was none other than Alvin Cameron the writer of the featured song “You Say”, with Cam being a kind of nickname. The string arrangements on both “They Say” and “I’m A Lonely Man” were provided by the late John Andrew Cameron a hugely respected arranger, producer and songwriter within the Chicago music scene of the 1960’s and early 70’s, more often credited as Johnny Cameron. Johnny’s credits can be found on many recordings of the time often working with fellow Chicago music scene producer Clarence Johnson, some of the highlights from this liaison being the song “I Really Love You” recorded by both Jimmy Burns (Erica) and Bobby James (Karol) and the girl group, ‘The Lovelites’, on their acclaimed album “With Love From The Lovelites” (Uni). Johnny’s involvement with the Scott Brothers goes as far back as 1965 when he provided the musical arrangements on The Howard Scott penned song “I’ve Got To Get Over” recorded by Syl Johnson for the TMP-Ting label. Although they share the same surname, Alvin (Cam) Cameron is believed to be of no relation to Johnny Cameron.



“You Say” would gain a release on the independent Capri label owned by Sephus Howard Scott who together with brother Walter Scott composed the 45’s flipside “I’m A Lonely Man”. Howard also featured as one of the songs producers alongside the mysterious Edgar Mullins (a name which has been found on a couple of other tape boxes, the investigations continue).

Musical accompaniment was provided by The Scott Brothers Band, with both songs being recorded at RCA Victor’s Chicago number 2 Recording Studio at 445 North Lake Shore Drive, in the Navy Pier section. on the 10th of August 1967 and released on Capri Records during the month of February 1968.



Cameron’s “You Say” was another 45 that was first introduced to UK Soul Collectors via those much lamented and fondly remembered soul packs, always regarded as a quality collector’s 45 the only regular turntable action remembered was provided by Northampton’s very own discerning DJ Cliff Steele at venues such as ‘Detroit Academicals’, ‘Bretby Country Club’ and later ‘Albrighton’ during the leaner days of the UK Rare Soul Scene?! Hopefully a wider appreciation of both sides of this soulful Windy City 45 beckons! The second release in Soul Junction’s Capri series.

A tape with the rather factual title “Rosa Beton – Demo 83” gained currency in 1983, albeit among an inner circle, or as it says in a lexical note on the band: Rosa Beton “achieved beyond-regional fame in and around Berlin”. Unlike some other bands that were merely rumoured to exist, this name was widely recognized in the East Berlin punk scene and the demo tape was received with some delight. It had been made in the suburb of Hönow, or more precisely in music enthusiast Thomas Wagner’s childhood bedroom. The band was less a classic combo than a short-lived pro- ject run, for a brief underground season, by 16-yearold Wagner and Ronald Mausolf, who was known as “Mausi” and had just come of age. An old clunker of a four-track machine served as an impor- tant nutritional supplement for the duo, allowing bass and vocals to be overdubbed separately. For a project without a professional background, especially for an illegal punk band in the East, this conventional procedure was clearly exceptional. Punk bands would usually record vocals and instruments simultaneously and on a cassette recorder. Recording gear was not readily available in the GDR, and it was disproportionately or prohibitively expensive. The adversities that had to be overcome in starting up a punk band were certainly challenging for teenagers. Rooms for rehearsals were few and far between despite wide- spread vacancies, and public space was taboo thanks to the state. Concerts, whether in flats and studios or under the protection of the Protestant church, remained rare events and, moreover, risky; starting with the party-loyal neighbour alerting the People’s Police as if there were a war on, to the ever-present “digging activity” of the Stasi. The only planned appearance by Rosa Beton never materi- alised. Whether it was the goddesses of fate who averted a show or the Stasi who prevented it can no longer be reconstructed. In any case, Rosa Beton never played live and thus joined a long list of GDR punk bands that, in the early 1980s, did not make it out of illegality into a public sphere, not even into a conspiratorial one. ausi compensated for the band’s lack of live performances by at least distributing a few copies of the demo tape. Among others, at the Kult, the Kulturpark Plänterwald, which provided an initiation field for the Berlin punk scene and a hotspot with a pull beyond it. The punks adapted the Kulturpark to their understanding of an amusement park.
They would thrash about to Schlager music and pogo to third-rate Ostrock bands, make fun of overwhelmed provincials, hang out and exchange half-baked ideas as superior knowledge. In between, the punks liked to ride the chain carousel, there was a certain liking for chains. The Kulturpark management made quite a fuss about the riot the punks put on. Initially they were banned from the chain carousel, then, when the punks switched to bumper cars, they were banned from the bumper cars, then from the roller coaster, and finally from the ghost

tapetopia 004 The Leipzig band Neu Rot represented a singular phenomenon within the alternative music reservoir of the GDR. As with so many bands that cultivated a more sophisticated sound in the late 80s, Neu Rot’s beginnings had been in punk rock. But, with a remarkable rigour against itself, the band steadily worked its way towards post-rock. This thorough process came to fruition in 1988 with the production of the tape “Halt An”. It had been preceded by the band’s struggle for its very own means and their technical feasibility. Neu Rot’s pilgrimage to its own centre was not unimpeded. The band’s name was perceived by the GDR’s cultural watchdogs as an erratic chain of associations between the suspicious word “Neu” and the ideological signal colour red. The band was legal, but its lyrics were deemed illegal. The edition of “Halt An” was somewhere between over fifty and under one hundred copies. Jörg Stein (voc, g, casio sk-1, yamaha ps-2) Karsten Maaß (bg, voc) Anke Mehlhorn (vl, casio sk-1) Henrik Eiler (dr, voc, casio sk-1) Produced by Mike Stolle & Jörg Stein Lyrics by Jörg Stein, except „Sometimes“ and for „Die Schlange“ by Christoph Wielepp Tape artwork by Daniel Schörnig Tape cover photos by Daniel Schörnig Published by Henryk Gericke Liner notes by Henryk Gericke Remastered by Black Flag Mastering/ Friedemann Kootz © Music by Neu Rot except „Sometimes“ (traditional) recorded Oktober 1988, Leipzig Thanks to: Mike Stolle, Adrian Neumann, Nikolaus Michael, Horst Pfaff, Andreas Berger, Christoph Wielepp, Daniel Schörnig and to the unknown roommate Lachmund Christian Andersen, Michael Barthel, Sarah Baumann, Ralph Gabriel, Ronald Galenza, Jakob Geisler, Ulrike Geisler, Gerd Gericke, Elke Grabinski, Gabriele Herzog, Egmont Hesse, Sabine Jansen, Siegfried Männer, Bettina Matten-Gericke, Christian Morin, Frank Siewert, Philipp Strobel, Christoph Tannert, Stefan Widdess, Margarete Wohlan In memory of Michael Pfaff.

":Duett" - der Name ist Programm auf diesem Album, dem zweiten aus dem Hause ASP. Endlich kommen die Fans in den Genuss, auch dieses Werk als limitierte Picture-Vinyl ihr eigen nennen zu dürfen. Nicht nur verhalf das zweite Kapitel des Zyklus den Musikern zum finalen Durchbruch auf den Tanzflächen der Schwarzen Szene, es brachte damals auch viel Licht in die Geschichte rund um den Schwarzen Schmetterling. So wurde die Rahmenstory vor allem in der trancigen "Kleinen Ballade vom Schwarzen Schmetterling" erläutert (und von Pit Hammann im gleichnamigen Bilderbuch kongenial bebildert), und in "Versuchung" wohnt die Zuhörerschaft der Zwiesprache zwischen zwei Wesen bei, die nicht mit- und auch nicht ohne einander können. Eine Zerrissenheit, die vielen Hörern eine ebenso nachvollziehbare wie spannende Reise ins eigene Ich ermöglichte.

Auch das energetische "Kokon" - wie der Rest des Albums noch stark vom elektronischen Sound der Anfangstage geprägt - erhielt einen Ehrenplatz in den Herzen der Fans und stellt besonders im Live-Kontext einen veritablen Nackenbrecher dar. Weitere All-Time-Fan-Favourites wie das epische "Schwarz" oder das zornige "Besessen" runden das Gesamtkunstwerk ab und belegen schon zu Beginn ihrer Karriere die musikalische und textliche Vielseitigkeit des ASP'schen Œuvres.

"Stop the World" is another captivating song released in 1984 by Eyes Records, written by three names who certainly need no introduction. Ivana Spagna, Larry Pignagnoli and Ottavio Bacciocchi. However, their artistic depth and their fundamental contribution to Italo-Disco (and not only) in their respective roles should be remembered: Ivana, an excellent lyricist and singer (also for third parties) who became the great pop star still today considered the most graceful in circulation; Larry, who deserves a handful of Grammy Awards for his countless arrangements (but it is enough to mention "Easy Lady" and "Call Me") and finally the modest and precious Ottavio with his excellent Studio Master 33 from Cremona, among the first to find the right sound of Italo-Disco already in the early 80s.. Their contribution then married perfectly with the artistic direction curated by Salvy Lauria and Giacomo Danesi. It's worth highlighting the approximately 6 minute instrumental track of "Stop The World", it's a dance floor killer. Giuliano Saglia and Silvio Trisolino are right in wanting to re-propose only and exclusively the two original songs which after 40 years have been perfectly remastered by Dom Scuteri. Best Record is right to carry out all the work of this wonderful jewel, after having already reissued Blue Gas, Future State and Lily Ann, the other praiseworthy productions of the reborn Milanese label. Aficionados do well not to miss this other reissue of an Italo Disco classic from the 80s !!!

In den Jahren 1961 und 1962 hätte sich der Gitarrist Grant Green eigentlich auch gleich in Rudy Van Gelders Tonstudio in Englewood Cliffs als Untermieter einquartieren können. Denn in diesem Zeitraum war er dort an mehr als zwei Dutzend Einspielungen für Blue Note Records beteiligt. Die eine Hälfte machte er unter eigenem Namen, die andere Hälfte als Sideman von Größen wie Stanley Turrentine, Lou Donaldson, Hank Mobley, Ike Quebec, Horace Parlan und Baby Face Willette.
Um den Markt nicht zu übersättigen, sah sich Alfred Lion dazu gezwungen, einige von Greens Aufnahmen zu archivieren. Fünf von ihnen erschienen erstmals in den 1980ern. Darunter auch das im Januar 1962 entstandene Album “Nigeria”, das zu den unterbewerteten Juwelen des Gitarristen gehört. Zu erleben ist Grant Green auf ihm mit einer wirklich erstklassigen Band und einem ebenso exzellenten Repertoire (mit dem Sonny-Rollins-Klassiker “Airegin” und vier zeitlosen Standards).
BLUE NOTE TONE POET EDITION: Stereo, produziert von Joe Harley, komplett analog von Kevin Gray von den Originalbändern gemastert, RTI-Pressung (180g), stabiles deluxe tip-on jacket, wattierte Innenhülle.

Kepler is free” represent the brand new Athenian Urban Jazz scene in full. You may say that they actually started the whole scene with their debut album "Teegarden" by Veego Records, an instant sold out! Voted by local music portals as one of the best albums of 2020 and probably one of the best debuts ever when it comes to the Greek jazz game. “Kepler Is Free” jazz rock ensemble makes expansive music that straddles the line between '70s soul-jazz, alternative hip-hop, and experimental electronica.

The name of the band is inspired by a retired space telescope launched by NASA to discover Earth-size planets orbiting other stars. Named after astronomer Johannes Kepler. Founded in November of 2018 by Sokratis Tsentoglou (drums) who gathered George Migdanis (electric guitar), Nikiforos Nugent (keys), Spyros Zardas (trumpet) and Vasilis Alexopoulos (bass guitar), they all came together from different musical backgrounds in order to create original and groundbreaking material.

Commuting over their shared love of jazz and hip-hop, they composed their debut album, “Kepler”, with five tracks that highlighted their love for the music of GoGo Penguin, Badbadnotgood and Alfa Mist.

The fact that all the members were young and had not played in other Jazz bands before was something that shook the Greek Jazz community. ''Second Light'' was recorded in difficult conditions and was delayed quite a while until it was finished due to the pandemic.

The band played a handful of sold out shows in Athens over the last few months proving with their performance and the attendance that the band created a crossover from Jazz to pop audience. "Juno" track was a smash hit on legendary "En Lefko'' Radio station over the last two years. Worth to mention that just a month before the release of their second album Kepler is Free collaborated with LEX, one of the most famous rappers in Greece with the "Spike Lee" track.

With a string of releases on prestigious labels such as The Gods Planet, Affin, Edit Select and Circular Limited - the London-based Acaera (formerly Basis Change) has become a reputable name in the realm of hypnotic techno. We are truly honoured to present this EP as our label’s first release, and we hope to return Acaera’s trust in us with the pressing of a beautifully packaged limited edition vinyl alongside the digital release.

The vinyl includes two vinyl-only ambient tracks that book-end the release, with the first being the track from which the EP takes its name. Unfold begins a deeply personal journey, and immediately the listener is welcomed by a rich and atmospheric soundscape. This depth remains through the rolling enchantment of Apex and the off-kilter percussion and shifting grooves of Anaesthesia. Onto the B Side, Learned Behaviour is a track of slow revelation, pulling the listener mesmerically through its unfolding landscape. Forella will resonate with those who know Acaera’s signature sound, with broken rhythm work soaked in beautiful pads. Closing out the EP, Reorientation culminates on an uplifting note, leaving you contemplating feelings of warmth and hopefulness.

In the midst of the pandemic, Enjoy Jazz Festival has developed a musical project whose members will be recruited new every year and then debut at a concert on UNESCO International Jazz Day, April 30. The members come from the jazz scene of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. "We wanted," festival director Rainer Kern stresses, "not only to revitalize the fragile network of outstanding creative minds, but also to rethink it artistically as a rolling system." Two experienced and renowned band leaders, Alexandra Lehmler and Erwin Ditzner, now curate an annually changing ensemble of outstanding artists of the most diverse provenance. As part of a voluntary commitment, the ensemble is to be organized in a sustainable, diverse, and, in three years at the latest, completely gender-equal
and climate-fair manner. Thus, as a commitment to the goals of the "European/Local Green Deal" (and with reference to the jazz standard "On Green Dolphin Street"), the name Green Dolphin Orchestra was created. Another special feature: The renowned Oriental Music Academy Mannheim (OMM), a long-standing partner of the Enjoy Jazz Festival, receives a white card, so that musicians with a migration background or protagonists from other musical cultures are always part of this "orchestra of many" and constantly expand its sound language.

The project has a free improvisation approach with changing personnel. "We actually even thought of drawing lots for the different formats within the band pool," explains saxophonist Alexandra Lehmler. "We decided against it in the case of the first concert and instead put together curated formations." And drummer Erwin Ditzner adds, "In principle, however, this procedure remains an option." It was important to the two of them to also mix the genres represented by the individual musicians in such a way that free space for something truly new could emerge. "We wanted to challenge ourselves," Lehmler sums it up. The only restriction: a time code was assigned to each sub-project. "Each formation was given a time limit, although it was possible to virtually override this limit by spontaneous
reshuffling," says Ditzner, explaining one central of the few rules. "In concrete terms, this meant that after eight minutes, the improvisation in progress was either ended or new musicians simply joined in the ongoing creative process, while others took themselves out of the game."

Alexandra Lehmler summarizes the artistic impact of the ensemble as follows: "We really cross-fertilize each other. In order to push this process even further, we forced ourselves when putting together the ensemble not to fall back on our 'favorite playing partners', i.e. musicians with whom one feels particularly at home. In other words, we consciously wanted to step out of our comfort zone with this project." The present pieces were recorded live in Heidelberg during the ensemble's premiere concert on the occasion of International Jazz Day on April 30, 2022.

Dutch dance troupe ISOTOOP inaugurates its label with a quaternity of sly rhythms to mystify and elevate. Adhering to ISOTOOP’s unstated yet practised mantra of many growing as one, the culprits behind the pieces are none other than core family members Shoal (Kenny Kneefel) and Vand (Viktor van der Riet), unifying for the first time under the name of Voal.

The longtime friends and compatriots in sound meld together to form a distinct entity; aligned as one, but audibly a product of their individual approaches. Across the four cuts, the two producers share a singular vision of club music, designed to initiate movement and shake the floor, while leaving essential space for thought and imagination.

From the low-down and dirty funk of ‘Carpet Crawler’ to ‘Take My Hand’s bleary and dazed downtempo, evaporating in its final moments into transcendent closing ambience, Voal journey through a wide landscape of club electronics with a fervent pulse. Pinned between the two slower joints are ‘Lucifer’, a consecutive tumble through iterated rolling percussion and minimal basslines, and the kinetic, high-tempo fiesta of ‘Saffron’, a sure-fire favourite for the ecstatic midnight.

Thick like warm tar, and airy as steam, Voal’s debut whets the appetite for more.

Written by Freddie Hudson