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Limited Apricot/Rose Vinyl. After being only available on his "North America & Japan Tour 2025", Black Screen Records is excited to release the second pressing of VK Blanka's latest studio album "Knightclub" on 1xLP Rosé / Apricot Split Vinyl. The album comes with an exclusive vinyl bonus track "Black Catcher - Piano Version" and includes a lyrics sheet. The Japanese singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist also announced his return to AnimagiC 2026. The convention will be held from July 31st - August 2nd in Mannheim, Germany. Black Screen Records will also return and bring the Knightclub vinyl to the event. Since expanding his activities overseas in 2023, he has performed electrifying live shows in new territories, including North America, Europe, Saudi Arabia, and Latin America. At Brazil's largest anime convention, Anime Friends Sao Paulo 2024, he captivated a staggering audience of 10,000, their voices rising in fervent chants of his name, as he closed out the event as the final act of the night.










[j] 10OLD RIVALS [A SELF-COVER OF RIVALS!]
[k] 11BLACK CATCHER PIANO VERSION [BONUS TRACK]

Strut proudly presents the first-ever reissue of a landmark 1974 Ghanaian highlife classic Sikyi Highlife by Dr K. Gyasi & His Noble Kings, originally released on Essiebons.

A defining recording of the era, Sikyi Highlife bridges tradition and innovation at a pivotal moment in Ghanaian music. Deeply rooted in the classic 1950s–’60s highlife sound, K. Gyasi drew inspiration from the ancient sikyi drum-dance of the Akan people of southern Ghana, shaping the album’s rhythms around its distinctive pulse.

The vocal arrangements echo the traditional Akan modal style, grounding the music firmly in Ghana’s cultural heritage. Yet Sikyi Highlife is equally forward-thinking. As electric guitars became standard in highlife during the 1960s, the 1970s ushered in further experimentation. The Noble Kings broke new ground as the first highlife guitar band to incorporate keyboards and a full horn section into their sound, expanding the genre’s sonic possibilities while retaining its rootsy spirit.

Gyasi’s approach was part of a broader indigenisation movement among Ghana’s electric highlife bands in the post-independence era. Inspired by the nation’s ‘African Personality’ ethos and reinforced by Afrocentric messages arriving from American soul and funk, artists began reclaiming traditional forms within modern arrangements. Contemporaries included Koo Nimo, who revived the older palmwine style, and drummer Nii Ashitey, whose Wulomei band pioneered a folklorised Ga highlife sound from 1973.

Like many musicians of his generation, Gyasi was a passionate supporter of Ghana’s independence movement. In 1963, he travelled as a musical ambassador alongside Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, performing across North Africa and the USSR and carrying Ghanaian culture onto the world stage.

The Noble Kings’ mid-’70s line-up featured some of the country’s finest musicians, including guitarist Eric Agyeman (who led the band at the time), Thomas Frimpong on drums and vocals, Ernest Honny on organ, and bassist Ralph Karikari - who was renowned for his innovative technique of translating the rhythms and tonal language of the traditional talking drum onto electric bass.

Upon its original release, Sikyi Highlife became one of the biggest-selling albums of the 1970s for Essiebons, earning Gyasi the affectionate honorary title of “Dr” from his devoted fans. Today, the album remains an evergreen classic, still cherished across Ghana and beyond.

The Scythe is a collective of rappers united around commonality in sound and skills as MCs, headed by ringleader Denzel Curry and including familiar collaborators A$AP Ferg, Tia Corine, Bktherula, & Key Nyata. Comprised of its five members and rooted within a budding scene of modern and cross generational hip-hop, The Scythe picks up the banded spirit of Denzel's foundational Raider Klan days while continuing his futuristic takes on old school regional rap (Memphis, Houston, Miami), heard most recently on King of the Mischievous South. Combining Denzel's energetic style with classically gritty, southern sounds, the project centers hip-hop's core across eras, paying homage yet ushering in a rising new guard.



a 1. THE SCYTHE | Denzel Curry Feat. TiaCorine, FERG (II)
b 2. LIT EFFECT | Denzel Curry Feat. Bktherula, LAZER DIM 700
c 3. PHONY | Denzel Curry Feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata, FERG (II)
d 4. MUTT THAT BIH | Denzel Curry Feat. 1900Rugrat, Key Nyata
[e] 5. HOOPTY | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, Smino]
[f] 6. YOU AINT GOTTA LIE | Denzel Curry [Feat. 454, Luh Tyler]
[g] 7. TAN | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, TiaCorine]
[h] 8. UP | Denzel Curry [Feat. Rich The Kid, FERG (II), SadBoi]

[a] 1. THE SCYTHE | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, FERG (II)]
[b] 2. LIT EFFECT | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, LAZER DIM 700]
[c] 3. PHONY | Denzel Curry [Feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata, FERG (II)]
[d] 4. MUTT THAT BIH | Denzel Curry [Feat. 1900Rugrat, Key Nyata]
[e] 5. HOOPTY | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, Smino]
[f] 6. YOU AINT GOTTA LIE | Denzel Curry [Feat. 454, Luh Tyler]
[g] 7. TAN | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, TiaCorine]
[h] 8. UP | Denzel Curry [Feat. Rich The Kid, FERG (II), SadBoi]

[a] 1. THE SCYTHE | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, FERG (II)]
[b] 2. LIT EFFECT | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, LAZER DIM 700]
[c] 3. PHONY | Denzel Curry [Feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata, FERG (II)]
[d] 4. MUTT THAT BIH | Denzel Curry [Feat. 1900Rugrat, Key Nyata]
[e] 5. HOOPTY | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, Smino]
[f] 6. YOU AINT GOTTA LIE | Denzel Curry [Feat. 454, Luh Tyler]
[g] 7. TAN | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, TiaCorine]
[h] 8. UP | Denzel Curry [Feat. Rich The Kid, FERG (II), SadBoi]

[a] 1. THE SCYTHE | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, FERG (II)]
[b] 2. LIT EFFECT | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, LAZER DIM 700]
[c] 3. PHONY | Denzel Curry [Feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata, FERG (II)]
[d] 4. MUTT THAT BIH | Denzel Curry [Feat. 1900Rugrat, Key Nyata]
[e] 5. HOOPTY | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, Smino]
[f] 6. YOU AINT GOTTA LIE | Denzel Curry [Feat. 454, Luh Tyler]
[g] 7. TAN | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, TiaCorine]
[h] 8. UP | Denzel Curry [Feat. Rich The Kid, FERG (II), SadBoi]

[a] 1. THE SCYTHE | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, FERG (II)]
[b] 2. LIT EFFECT | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, LAZER DIM 700]
[c] 3. PHONY | Denzel Curry [Feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata, FERG (II)]
[d] 4. MUTT THAT BIH | Denzel Curry [Feat. 1900Rugrat, Key Nyata]
[e] 5. HOOPTY | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, Smino]
[f] 6. YOU AINT GOTTA LIE | Denzel Curry [Feat. 454, Luh Tyler]
[g] 7. TAN | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, TiaCorine]
[h] 8. UP | Denzel Curry [Feat. Rich The Kid, FERG (II), SadBoi]

[a] 1. THE SCYTHE | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, FERG (II)]
[b] 2. LIT EFFECT | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, LAZER DIM 700]
[c] 3. PHONY | Denzel Curry [Feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata, FERG (II)]
[d] 4. MUTT THAT BIH | Denzel Curry [Feat. 1900Rugrat, Key Nyata]
[e] 5. HOOPTY | Denzel Curry [Feat. TiaCorine, Smino]
[f] 6. YOU AINT GOTTA LIE | Denzel Curry [Feat. 454, Luh Tyler]
[g] 7. TAN | Denzel Curry [Feat. Bktherula, TiaCorine]
[h] 8. UP | Denzel Curry [Feat. Rich The Kid, FERG (II), SadBoi]

[a] a1 | THE SCYTHE [Feat. TiaCorine, FERG (II)]
[b] a2 | LIT EFFECT [Feat. Bktherula, LAZER DIM 700]
[c] a3 | PHONY [Feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata, FERG (II)]
[d] a4 | MUTT THAT BIH [Feat. 1900Rugrat, Key Nyata]
[e] b1 | HOOPTY[Feat. TiaCorine, Smino]
[f] b2 | YOU AINT GOTTA LIE [Feat. 454, Luh Tyler]
[g] b3 | TAN [Feat. Bktherula, TiaCorine]
[h] b4 | UP [Feat. Rich The Kid, FERG (II), SadBoi]

[a] a1 | THE SCYTHE [Feat. TiaCorine, FERG (II)]
[b] a2 | LIT EFFECT [Feat. Bktherula, LAZER DIM 700]
[c] a3 | PHONY [Feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata, FERG (II)]
[d] a4 | MUTT THAT BIH [Feat. 1900Rugrat, Key Nyata]
[e] b1 | HOOPTY[Feat. TiaCorine, Smino]
[f] b2 | YOU AINT GOTTA LIE [Feat. 454, Luh Tyler]
[g] b3 | TAN [Feat. Bktherula, TiaCorine]
[h] b4 | UP [Feat. Rich The Kid, FERG (II), SadBoi]

[a] a1 | THE SCYTHE [Feat. TiaCorine, FERG (II)]
[b] a2 | LIT EFFECT [Feat. Bktherula, LAZER DIM 700]
[c] a3 | PHONY [Feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata, FERG (II)]
[d] a4 | MUTT THAT BIH [Feat. 1900Rugrat, Key Nyata]
[e] b1 | HOOPTY[Feat. TiaCorine, Smino]
[f] b2 | YOU AINT GOTTA LIE [Feat. 454, Luh Tyler]
[g] b3 | TAN [Feat. Bktherula, TiaCorine]
[h] b4 | UP [Feat. Rich The Kid, FERG (II), SadBoi]

The leader of the internationally acclaimed Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet reveals a more intimate, personal side in his solo project. Solo, the new album from Wojtek Mazolewski, offers a chamber-like, cinematic and deeply atmospheric listening experience.

Repress!

Legendary NYC house label Strictly Rhythm is celebrating a mammoth 3 decades of cutting edge, roof-raising house music. Truly a benchmark.

Originally founded in 1989 by the dynamic pairing of music industry man Mark Finkelstein and A&R expert Gladys Pizarro, Strictly tapped directly into the fertile New York underground and after hours club scene, helping to launch and bolster the recording careers of dance music luminaries like Armand Van Helden, Roger Sanchez, Ultra Nate, Todd Terry, Wamdue Project, DJ Sneak, Louie Vega and many more. Strictly Rhythm is easily one of the most recognisable and respected dance music powerhouses of all time.

Across 3 limited double vinyl offerings, the Strictly catalogue has been expertly picked over to present you with a snapshot of some of the most earth shattering house music to emanate from the streets of New York City. A who's who of producers and artists, all killer and no filler. End to end classics that help to tell the story of one of dance music's most well loved labels. Classic cuts and essentials from DJ Sneak, Wamdue Project, Louie Vega (Sole Fusion), Essence and more all feature on part 2 in their unedited, 12" mix glory.

Fully legit, remastered and selected with love courtesy of Strictly Rhythm and Above Board distribution for 2020. Happy birthday Strictly Rhythm!

Massive vocal driven Garage House pressure here, from way way back in 1992! Yes, 'Follow Me' is one of THOSE records, one that transcended genre boundaries on it's release and continues to do so today. A true classic piece of NYC goodness from back in the day. The super production team of DJ Pierre and george Morel could only deliver the heat and that's exactly what they did - created a timeless House record with the bassline that just doesn't let up! This is the sort of track that got hammered on the US House scene, found a home in the UK Garage world and got spin at almost any and all clubs where the DJ's had half a clue and an iota of taste! Containing the original 3 mixes released in '92 now's your chance to bag a bonafide, hands down classic record! 'Follow Me' has been skilfully remastered from all original master sources and fully licensed and reissued officially for 2017.

Hypnotic Mindscapes returns with its sixth release, introducing Lisbon-based artist Jorge—by way of NYC—through a tightly constructed, high-fidelity four-track EP. Progressive-tinged tech-house meets crisp vocoders and understated oscillations in an acoustic inspired techno format, designed for peak-hour precision. Electro-breakbeat accents cut through deep, rounding out a sharp and focused trip.

Stay True Sounds presents a vinyl-focused celebration of a modern dance music classic.

Jazzanova need no introduction. For over two decades, the Berlin collective has shaped the sound of soulful electronic music — timeless, refined, and rooted in pure musicality. Their collaboration with the ever-smooth Vikter Duplaix produced That Night, a track that has since lived many lives on dancefloors across the world.

Central to its legacy is the Wahoo Remix by Dixon and Georg Levin — a cult favourite that continues to resonate from Berlin to Johannesburg. This vinyl release brings together key reinterpretations of that remix, spotlighting South African artists who have added new dimensions to an already iconic recording.

Brooklyn Sway's 8th installment arrives from outside with more unexpected debuts and riotous returns to form. Experienced Barcelonian Larry Lan's epic 10-minute opener 'WTNG' is minimal goes post-punk, repurposing well-known, undisguised lyrics into an aggressive take on early Perlon and explanation enough for his recent album drop on Cadenza. BKS vets N/UM return with 'A Free Woman in Queens' showing off a reduced side of their sound adjacent to mid-00s minimal with plenty of character, its stripped intro giving way to a fuller, dubbed-out second half, with the cheeky vocal and instrumental touches joined by a swelling pad. Featuring spoken vox from Mari Blue and the debut of BKS co-head Asha Jasz alongside DeWinter and Jay Prouty, 'Acid in Your Coffee' takes the dirtier route, with layers of zapping electronics, an insistent single-note acid bass, and synths drifting between tones and textures all veering off like its vocals before eventually returning to center. LA/Bucktown scallywag $coe brings it home with 'The Devil is a MF Liar', an acid jam whose profanity-laced vocal samples don't require divine intervention to decipher. Bookended by a pair of interludes, the first on the power of repetition and the last in memoriam BK legend Big Sexy in his own words, and again featuring striking artwork from notable NYC street artist Fumero, BKS keeps that Sway from going astray.

Die Gegenkultur-Ikone Hyd bringt ihr zweites Album raus, voll mit dynamischen, abwechslungsreichen Popsongs. Hyd holt ihre kreativen Freunde mit rein, um die Musik zu machen, darunter Hudson Mohawke, Sophie, Finn Keane (der gerade ein mega Jahr hinter sich hat als Produzent für Charli xcx), Marcus Andersson, Saint Patrick und Sophies Bruder Benny Long. Das Artwork wurde vom Fotografie-Phänomen Michael Bailey Gates aufgenommen, die Vinyl-Schallplatte wurde vom Produzenten umru gestaltet und die Musikvideos wurden vom Schauspieler Bobbi Salvor Menuez gedreht. Hayden modelt regelmäßig für Courreges, Junya Watanabe und Balenciaga und wird von der Company Gallery (NYC) für ihre visuelle Kunst vertreten. Hyd war auch der Gründer von QT, einem Performance-Kunstprojekt, das aus Hayden, Sophie und AG Cook zusammensetzt und bei XL Recordings unter Vertrag steht. Hyds neues Album beschäftigt sich damit, was es bedeutet, sich zwischen Formen zu bewegen, eine Form zu übernehmen und sich gleichzeitig in eine andere zu verwandeln; queere Ökosysteme der Fürsorge. ,Als ich 2017 mein Augenlicht verlor, begann ich, anders zu sehen. In völliger Dunkelheit wird dir klar, dass du über deinen Körper hinaus existierst. Da habe ich angefangen, dieses Material zu schreiben."

Eine Disco-45 mit zwei heißen Tracks von Say She She's neuester LP ,Cut & Rewind". Die NYC Punk-Chic, Discodelic Funk Band hat letzten Oktober ihr drittes Studioalbum rausgebracht. Es ist ein politisch aufgeladenes, Dancefloor-zerstörendes Album, angeführt vom kraftvollen Gesangstrio Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham und Nya Gazelle Brown. Die A-Seite, der Titeltrack ,Cut & Rewind", ist ein Post-Punk-Femme-Funk-Track mit den mitreißenden Harmonien der Gruppe und einer unverkennbaren Funk-Base/Basslinie. Der Song ist hauptsächlich autobiografisch, enthält aber auch subtile Hommagen an Songwriting-Legenden. Die Gruppe hat kürzlich die B-Seite ,Disco Life" live bei Jimmy Kimmel gespielt. Der fröhliche, groovige Track verurteilt den Rassismus und die Homophobie von Steve Dahls ,Disco Demolition Night" aus dem Jahr 1979 und fordert die Tanzfläche als ,Spielfeld, auf dem alle frei sind" zurück.

Christopher Tignors ,Bleeding Past the Edges" ist ein bewusster Kontrapunkt zur heutigen, von KI geprägten Musiklandschaft und stellt die menschliche Hand fest in den Mittelpunkt des Schaffensprozesses. In einem kleinen Studio voller Geigen, Stimmgabeln, Pedalen und maßgeschneiderter Software hat Tignor ein Performance-System entwickelt, das sich weniger wie eine Maschine, sondern eher wie ein lebendiges Instrument verhält. Anstatt sich auf Loops oder Backing-Tracks zu verlassen, generiert er jedes Stück in Echtzeit und fängt Klänge ein und formt sie um, während er spielt. Geigenstreichmelodien erweitern sich zu vielschichtigen Mustern, perkussive Schläge lösen sich entwickelnde Strukturen aus, und selbst eine einzelne Stimmgabel kann sich zu einem ganzen harmonischen Feld entfalten. Das Ergebnis ist ein immersiver, orchestraler Klang, der live von einem einzigen Interpreten erzeugt wird, der sich durch ein eng verwobenes System aus Gestik, Timing und Code bewegt. Jedes Element beginnt als physische Handlung und bleibt damit verbunden, was der Musik ein Gefühl von Unmittelbarkeit, Risiko und Präsenz verleiht, das sich durch das gesamte Album zieht. Auf dem Album bewegt sich Tignor fließend zwischen rhythmisch geprägten Kompositionen, die das Instrument als perkussiven Motor behandeln, und melodischeren Werken, die im expressiven Kern der Violine verwurzelt sind. Die Lead-Single ,Weight of Words" unterstreicht diese Balance und entfaltet sich mit einer narrativen Klarheit, die Tignors Kompositionsansatz widerspiegelt. Er beschreibt diese Stücke oft als ,Kurzgeschichten", in denen Melodien als roter Faden dienen und jedes Werk durch wechselnde Strukturen und emotionale Bögen führen. Der Titel ,Bleeding Past the Edges" verweist auf Momente, in denen die Musik über ihr ursprüngliches Konzept hinausgeht, in denen sich die Struktur lockert und der Klang nach außen fließt. Tignor vergleicht den Prozess mit ,einem Seiltänzer", bei dem sorgfältige Vorbereitung auf die Möglichkeit einer Transformation in Echtzeit trifft. Obwohl die Systeme streng ausgearbeitet sind, behält jede Aufführung ein Element der Unvorhersehbarkeit, wodurch sich die Musik ständig weiterentwickeln kann. Im Laufe von zehn LPs, die über Western Vinyl und New Albion erschienen sind, hat sich Tignor in klassischen und experimentellen Kreisen breite Anerkennung erworben. The Guardian bezeichnete ihn als ,absurd talentiert", während Bandcamp seine ,schiere technische Meisterschaft" hervorhob und The New York Times seine seltene Fähigkeit lobte, Computer bei Live-Auftritten nahtlos mit akustischen Instrumenten zu verbinden. The Wire lobte seine Kompositionen zudem für ihre fließenden, sich entwickelnden Strukturen. Über seine Soloarbeit hinaus hat Tignor mit Künstlern wie Rachel Grimes, Helios, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, John Congleton und This Will Destroy You zusammengearbeitet. Sein Hintergrund verbindet verschiedene Disziplinen: Er hat einen Doktortitel in Komposition von der Princeton University, einen Master in Informatik vom NYU Courant Institute und einen Bachelor vom Bard College, wo er bei dem Dichter John Ashbery studierte. Mit ,Bleeding Past the Edges" führt Tignor diese Stränge zu einem Werk zusammen, das sich sowohl streng konstruiert als auch lebendig anfühlt - ein Album, das Performance, Körperlichkeit und die anhaltende Ausdruckskraft menschengemachter Klänge in den Vordergrund stellt.

Inner City Sound Archives returns with its second chapter — digging deeper into the forgotten vaults of New York’s underground disco culture.

This new volume brings to light another cache of mysterious acetate recordings: no titles, no credits, just cryptic handwriting, tape hiss, and the unmistakable pulse of a bygone era. Painstakingly transferred and fully remastered through analog processes, these raw and extended cuts preserve the full emotional weight of the original sessions — dusty, physical, and made to move bodies in the dark.

These are tracks that once passed hand-to-hand among a tight circle of selectors, whispered about and played just once or twice at legendary loft parties between 1978 and 1983. Then, silence. Until now. Once championed in the shadows by the likes of Larry Levan, Francis Grasso, Steve D’Acquisto, but also by more elusive selectors like Bobby Guttadaro, Michael Cappello, Roy Thode, and Mark Paul Simon — these grooves return to tell their story, the way they were meant to be heard. Each piece is a sonic time capsule — hypnotic, unpolished, and intimate. Pressed loud and with care, for those who still believe in the ritual of vinyl.

2025 Repress

(remastered classic incl DL card) Environ is proud to present the Metro Area 15th Anniversary Edition, Metro Area's eponymous debut album, meticulously remastered using the original source tapes and generously spread across three slabs of vinyl. The12-track triple LP and digital package combines all the songs from both the original US and licensed European releases, and features new commemorative artwork unique to this edition. In the late nineties, the budding producers Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani bonded over their shared love of slower tempos and '70s and '80s NYC club culture. Obsessed with record digging and the sounds they heard on late-night "club classics" radio shows—and turned off by current releases they saw as artlessly "updating" sublime disco by sampling, filtering and subjugating them with huge kick drums —the duo set out to discover how their favorite old 12" records were made. They naturally gravitated towards extended dubs of songs—full of strange mistakes and echoing backing tracks—instead of the better-known vocal versions. Lacking the big budgets and gear that made so many of their favorite classic records come together, they were forced to take a guerrilla approach. They reprogrammed their techno-oriented arsenal of secondhand synths and samplers, using novel digital recording technology to capture live instrumentation and prioritizing mood over hooks, and the resulting music was just wrong enough to sound unlike anything else being released at the time.After just four underground 12" releases, the duo—now well-known as Metro Area—released their first and only album, Metro Area, in the fall of 2002. Fifteen years later, it's time to celebrate the culmination of their shared history and inspiration once again. Environ is proud to present the Metro Area 15th Anniversary Edition, Metro Area's eponymous debut album, meticulously remastered using the original source tapes and generously spread across three slabs of vinyl. The 12-track triple LP and digital package combines all the songs from both the original US and licensed European releases, and features new commemorative artwork unique to this edition.

Our very first release was a beautiful gem from Red Astaire titled 'Follow Me' - a track that defined GAMM's identity and helped pave the way for everything we've achieved since.
Now, 24 years later, GAMM has reached its landmark 200th release.

To celebrate this anniversary and honoor our dear friend Fredrik Lager (aka Red Astaire), who sadly and unexpectedly passed away three years ago, we are re-releasing 'Follow Me' alongside remixes from some of our favourite producers.

The third and final edition in the 'Follow Me' series comes from Brooklyn's finest, DJ Spinna.
With his trademark hip hop-soul sound, Spinna transforms this classic into a bumpy, park jam tune. Very NY, very uplifting...very much a spring tune. Oh btw, check that classic EWF sample ;)

Andreu G. Serra and Kiran Leonard first met in Lisbon nine years ago, arriving in the city within weeks of each other by chance. Living together in a crumbling warehouse in Alto São João, they recorded a series of improvisations that became The Piri Piri Samplers (Memorials of Distinction, 2019): Serra’s abrasive, tape-warped guitar lines colliding with Leonard’s stark, pedal-free counterpoint. They played a single gallery show, left Lisbon that summer, and then spent almost a decade living in different countries.

When Stroom reissued The Piri Piri Samplers in 2024, the label suggested the duo make a new record. At first, it seemed impossible: Leonard was in London, Ubaldo in southern Catalonia, and their attempts at long-distance recording quickly collapsed into nothing. But the near-failure sparked something. Leonard travelled to Catalonia to restart the process in person; soon after, Serra moved to South London, and the pair began meeting every week.

The result is Making Friends: a richer, more expansive album built over six months. Where The Piri Piri Samplers was assembled from raw improvisations, Making Friends transforms fragments into fully realised songs, weaving together nylon and steel-string guitars, piano, drums, bells, samplers and more. For the first time, Serra and Leonard sing together, each in his own language - Catalan and English - sometimes translating one another in real time.

Musically, Making Friends still carries the jagged dissonance and free-blues spirit of the duo’s earlier work, while opening outward toward everything from emo and blown-out noise to fractured chamber pop. There are only three guests on the album, and they are worth mentioning: Rachel Leonard and Antonia Serra (the musicians' mothers) on the seventh tune, and the American poet Pete Simonelli (of Enablers) appears on Top of Duboce / Tyne Bridge Crossing, one of the album’s two sprawling centerpieces.

At its heart, Making Friends is an album about friendship: about distance, reunion, family, and the stubborn need to make music together. It begins with uncertainty and disconnection, but ends somewhere stronger - with, as put on the closing track, “molta il.lusió per lo que pugue vindre” or “much excitement for what may come.”

The second release on Outer Heaven Sound is back to build on the foundations of their first EP with more "stripped-back drum & bass built around weight, space and detailed breakwork". Jungle influences loom large here, but reworked with stripped back style that never lets any pressure out of the low ends. Effra kicks it off with the crunchy textures and hammering rhythms of 'The Vault' while Outer Heaven goes deeper with 'Bring It,' which is a nimble stepper. Jay B's 'The Walk' is a cacophonous breakbeat assault that sounds like a cartoon fight that happens in a cloud of dust with the occasional limb popping out. Artilect closes with a more restrained moodiness of 'Nyra'.

''Jovonn continues with the label series BND Projects with volume 6, possibly the best to date. Here we have rising talent Babs, legendary NYC DJ/producer Mike Delgado and Amsterdam talent Dennis Quin. To round off the EP another NYC DJ/Producer legend Lenny Fontana delivers the goods, making it another solid Body N' Deep release.''

Allen Jovonn Armstrong, active for over 35 years and still amazes. Fresh 4 tracker of stomping NY breed house with a small nod to our hometown...

Veteran UK Singer PAUL FOX offers here a fresh vocal, riding an uplifting riddim built by King Warrior Music. The tune denonces economical injustice in the western wolrd, with simple words. Comes with instrumental dub on Side B

Mix by Simon Nyabinghi at All Nations Records Studio.