"Wir sind die reinste Party, wir sind Pöbel & Gesocks" "Bei uns kann jeder mitzieh`n ob in Turnchuhen oder Docs!" Seit Jahrzehnten ist die ursprünglich unter dem Namen "Becks Pistols" umtriebige Band aus dem Ruhrpott um Frontsau "Willi Wucher" mit ihrem sympathischen Asi-Charme aus der deutschen Punkszene nicht mehr wegzudenken. Die Konzerte, Schlachtrufe und oft derben Hits von Pöbel & Gesocks sind längst legendär! Jetzt erscheinen zwei seit über zwanzig Jahren nicht mehr erhältliche Kultscheiben der "Oi-Punk-Pervers"-Ikonen als Collector's Reissue mit komplett neuem Artwork und streng limitiert in farbigem und schwarzem Vinyl sowie original CD-Version. 5 Millionen (1998) & Lieder Über Leben Und Tod (2002) "Pöbel & Gesocks" ein Leben lang_! Lieder Über Leben Und Tod als klassisch todschwarze LP, klares blaues Leben-Vinyl oder CD (Original Digipak) erhältlich!
"Wir sind die reinste Party, wir sind Pöbel & Gesocks" "Bei uns kann jeder mitzieh`n ob in Turnchuhen oder Docs!" Seit Jahrzehnten ist die ursprünglich unter dem Namen "Becks Pistols" umtriebige Band aus dem Ruhrpott um Frontsau "Willi Wucher" mit ihrem sympathischen Asi-Charme aus der deutschen Punkszene nicht mehr wegzudenken. Die Konzerte, Schlachtrufe und oft derben Hits von Pöbel & Gesocks sind längst legendär! Jetzt erscheinen zwei seit über zwanzig Jahren nicht mehr erhältliche Kultscheiben der "Oi-Punk-Pervers"-Ikonen als Collector's Reissue mit komplett neuem Artwork und streng limitiert in farbigem und schwarzem Vinyl sowie original CD-Version. 5 Millionen (1998) & Lieder Über Leben Und Tod (2002) "Pöbel & Gesocks" ein Leben lang_! Lieder Über Leben Und Tod als klassisch todschwarze LP, klares blaues Leben-Vinyl oder CD (Original Digipak) erhältlich!
'Coups Et Blessures' is the debut 7" EP from Paris Oi! band RIXE. The four track EP harks back to the glory years of Bologna's finest NABAT mixed with the classic 80's French Oi! sound via RAS or L'INFANTERIE SAUVAGE and a heavy BLITZ vibe. The sound is rough, direct and angry and driven by a distorted bass and a vocalist that chews on glass for fun. Like the now defunct CRIMINAL DAMAGE and newbies Pittsburgh's NO TIME and Brest's SYNDROME 81, RIXE are the new voice of a Generation.
Did you miss out on getting “For Your Lungs Only” and “I Lied My Face Off?” Well, now you can get those songs and more on this semi-discography of Alkaline Trio. This record has both out of print EPs, their first 7", and songs from various compilations. It's a must-have for any Trio fan!!
The second instalment in George Miller’s disturbing post-apocalyptic film series, The Road Warrior (1981), saw Mel Gibson return as
Mad Max Rockatansky to defend a community from a violent band of raiders. The film won a clutch of awards, was a box office hit and
has achieved cult status, helped by its stylised costumes and sets. The last Mad Max film (Mad Max: Fury Road) was released in 2015,
receiving ten Academy Award nominations.
Australian composer Brian May wrote the music to the first two films (Mad Max and Mad Max 2 : The Road Warrior) as well a host of feature
films including Patrick, Gallipoli, Freddy’s Dead : The Final Nightmare and Dr. Giggles. He won multiple awards during his lifetime and is feted as one of Australia’s most highly rated soundtrack composers.
This release was originally issued for Record Store Day 2019 on “Sand with Oil Splatter” coloured vinyl.
Straight outta Montreal, Canada, Spleen is a one supergroup featuring members of local royalties such as punk bands Béton Armé and Puffer and black metal acts Conifère and Vespéral.
Formed in 2022 and taking their name from Paris Spleen by Charles Baudelaire, they released their first cassette on Roachleg Records in 2023 delivering five post-punk cuts inspired by the colder aspect of french bands like Camera Silens, DEM and later-era Blitz.
Having added a new, sixth member on synthesizer, their second demo was released on Roachleg again just one month ago, taking on new influences from 60’s and 80’s psych garage rock and developing a unique sound not easily categorizable.
Not unlike the latest Duke of Oi! EP by Criminal, picture French skankin’ punk rockers from the 80s (I’m thinking Identité X) meeting somewhere cold with the California dreamers from the Paisley Underground (The Dream Syndicate, of course) and you’ll get the vibe.
And if you think this is odd for people playing also in Oi and BM groups just remember that Blitz first covered Lou Reed’s Vicious back in 1982 so you should not be surprised.
With everything just said we simply couldn’t back out of pressing both EPs on one tasty 12” vinyl compilation, one demo per side, with new sci-fi-influenced artwork by the band’s own Dan and Mathias.
Tappa Zukie is not only one of Jamaica’s greatest DJ’s, is also a much respected producer and arranger. Looking back through his master tapes we have found a lost release that due to being a worldwide recording artist and the pressures that this carries, it has stayed on his musical shelf and been passed over... until now.
When rhythm was King way back in the 1970’s, the predominant feature of the final mix down would in most cases be the drums and bass. Bringing drums and bass to the fore, the other instruments that create the tunes mood would take a back seat in the mix. With such fine musicians in the horn sections as Vin Gordon, Deadly ‘Headley’ Bennett and the unstoppable Tommy McCook, it sometimes felt, their services if nothing else were slightly underused.
So one way of rectifying this situation was one that Tappa himself instigated, putting a release together by picking some of his favourite productions that carried classic horn lines alongside those tightly recorded rhythms. Pushing those horn lines up in the mix and so making a feature of some of those touches that although added some colour to the original cut, laid back in the mix to the more Sound System friendly drum and bass cut.
When looking at the music with this approach, some of the other influences that were also in Tappa’s mind can be noticed more. Maybe it’s a Jazzier / Bluesy feel shining through. A strange thing happens that almost takes the song down the avenue of a soundtrack album. An unreleased film score to accompany an unreleased film.
So sit back and enjoy a lost release that time and place did not find time to see the light of day. As the opening track testifies and in the immortal words of Mr Tappa Zukie himself.. “Your Musical Daddy is back... Horns Up !!!!”
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Streetcore - Skinhead Hardcore vom Bosporus, aus dem Herzen Istanbuls! Sie gehören zu den Pionieren dieser Subkultur in der Türkei - Die türkische Skinhead-Band Ofisboyz 2003 ins Leben gerufen - diverse personelle Wechsel - entwickelte sich mit der Zeit ein härterer und aggressiverer Sound. Aber Gitarren-Melodien können sie auch. Die Band selber beschreibt ihre Musik als eine Mischung aus Hardcore und Oi! und nennen es einfach "Skinhead Hardcore". Ofisboyz beschäftigen sich in ihren Liedern mit klassischen Themen wie Fußball, Freundschaft und Problemen aus dem Alltag, aber auch politisch nehmen sie Stellung! Auf Türkisch oder auf Englisch. 300 Stück weltweit, klassisch schwarzes Vinyl, 180g durchnummeriert.
Fourteen records in eight years. Side-projects records, experimental EPs, a double album of B-sides, splits and collections of demos: in just a few years, Bordeaux-born Thoineau Palis has built up a discography as fascinating as it is plethoric, in which he pays tribute in his own way to the heroes of a rock pantheon all his own, populated by lofi geeks and beautiful losers of all kinds.
Negative Freaks, TH da Freak's fifteenth album, sets the record straight in a way, since it's the first album by TH da Freak "the band", a collective incarnation hitherto reserved for the stage. This first album, composed entirely by the five of them, breaks a pattern established several years ago, with Thoineau contributing finished compositions that were then reworked collectively for live performance. The 5 Bordelais impose on themselves the use of what they call the "negative scale", dissonant and disturbing sonorities that they apply to compositions initially structured as pop tracks. This approach, combined with the casual, surreal lyrics written by Palis (influenced by intensive listening to the likes of Oingo Boingo, Devo and P-Model), lends an unprecedented coherence to the tracks on the album. Negative Freaks sounds like a massive grunge monolith, driven by a collective, radical vision that is assertive from start to finish. Impressive for a debut album
compiled by tsunaki kadowaki
artwork by yoshirotten
mastering by kuniyuki takahashi
Tsunaki Kadowaki, a staff member at Kyoto’s record store Meditations, the supervisor of "New Age Music Disc Guide", and the founder of Sad Disco, curates the fourth installment of "Midnight in Tokyo" themed around Ambient Kayō.
The Midnight in Tokyo series by Studio Mule focuses on Japanese music, serving as a soundtrack for Tokyo nights—whether for home listening, club play, or as a driving BGM, transcending location and space. After a six-year hiatus, the fourth volume takes "Ambient Kayō" as its new perspective, compiling genre-defying tracks released between 1977 and 1999 to explore the intersection of Japanese ambient and pop music.
For this long-awaited fourth installment, selections were made regardless of record label status (major or independent), era, format (vinyl or CD), original release price, or prior reissues. Instead, the focus was on music that deeply moves the listener, is open-minded and evocative, brims with inspiration and spiritual insight, and embodies the "utagokoro" (singing heart) of Japanese artists.
Opening the compilation is "Umi e Kinasai" by Yōsui Inoue, a legendary Japanese singer-songwriter whose works have recently gained renewed interest as hidden gems of Walearic and ambient pop
Composed and arranged by Katsu Hoshi—who is also known for his arrangements on Inoue’s masterpiece Ice World—the track features renowned players such as Masayoshi Takanaka, Hiroki Inui, and Shigeru Inoue. The song embodies a yearning for Balearic horizons, tinged with youthful vibrancy and sentimentality.
Next, "Oritatamu Umi", compiled from Keiko Nosaka, a 20-string koto player, and George Murasaki, a pioneer of Okinawan rock, is an instrumental track from their album "Niraikanai Requiem 1945". As the title suggests, it carries themes of requiem and remembrance, conveying poetic lyricism even without words. Blending Ryukyuan/Okinawan harmonies and indigenous elements, it unfolds as an intimate and nostalgic piece of progressive rock.
Also featured is "Natsu no Kowareru Koro" by Higurashi, a folk-rock band led by Seiichi Takeda, formerly a guitarist of The Remainders of The Clover, the predecessor of RC Succession. Like the opening track "Umi e Kinasai", this song was also produced by Katsu Hoshi. It stands as a folk/new music piece that takes a step into an "otherworldly" realm, recommended for fans of Twin Cosmos and Masumi Hara.
From the enigmatic Blue, the only work left by the mysterious composer S.R. Kinoshita, comes "Mangrove", a hidden treasure of Japan's ambient/new age scene from the CD era. With an oriental and enigmatic atmosphere, the track evokes a mystical world of deep, uncharted jungles, unfolding as an otherworldly New Age Kayō.
"Yaponesia Sakura", selected from Rehabilual’s sole album New Child, is a masterpiece of Japanese new age music. Produced by Swami Dhyan Akamo, a disciple of Indian meditation teacher Osho and a renowned balafon player, the track features Michio Ogawa (Chakra) and Atsuo Fujimoto (Colored Music). Their collective artistry creates an exquisite spiritual ambient pop sound.
"Asa no Hitoshizuku", the opening folk song from Sachiko Kanenobu’s album Sachiko, is also included. Known for her legendary folk album Misora, produced by Haruomi Hosono, Kanenobu’s fourth album after resuming her career was inspired by her experiences living in San Francisco and revolves around the theme of "love." This track carries the same intimate poetic world as Misora, imbued with a pure, crystalline innocence.
From the synth-pop band E.S. Island, known for the Haruomi Hosono-produced *Teku Teku Mami", comes "Yume Fūrin ", selected from their long-lost new age classic Nanpū from Hachijo. Created while the band’s core duo was living in Hachijō Island, the album aimed to sonically capture "the high and happy vibrations of everyday island life." This track offers a dynamic, tribal-infused New Age Kayō experience.
Dubbed "the world's first Min’yō House Mix" "Esashi Oiwake (Maeuta) " comes from Kanazawa Akiko HOUSE MIX Ⅰ, a collaboration between Japanese house music pioneer Soichi Terada and Akiko Kanazawa, a renowned min’yō singer. Through the prism of club music, Hokkaido's Esashi Oiwake, one of Japan’s most iconic folk songs, is transformed into a futuristic ambient pop piece with intricate sound design.
The compilation also includes "Sweet Ong Choh", a track from Voice From Asia, a group active between 1989 and 1992 featuring vocal artist Shizuru Ohtaka. Taken from their imaginative minimal work Voice From Asia, released under Aoyama Spiral’s music label Newsic, the song presents a tranquil, tribal-minimal soundscape enriched by ethnic instruments.
Hailed by Haruomi Hosono as having “a shaman residing in her voice,” singer-songwriter Nami Hōdatsu also appears in the selection. Known for her collaborations with Henry Kawahara, her debut album featured "Asa-Hikari-Ame-Yume", a track that now stands as a precursor to modern vocaloid/synthesized vocal music—a hidden gem of post-choir aesthetics that deserves rediscovery.
Likewise, "Tennessee Waltz", from Naomi Akimoto’s album One Night Stand, supported by members of Mariah, serves as another early prototype of vocaloid/synthesized vocal music. The track weaves fragmented vocal samples, pastoral yet sweetly minimal synth sounds, and mechanical beats into a strikingly unconventional piece in the history of Japanese music.
Closing the compilation is "Heaven Electric", a track from Nav Katze’s album Gentle & Elegance, which featured remixes by Autechre, Seefeel, and Sun Electric. Merging elements of IDM, ambient techno, and chillout, the song embodies an optimism reminiscent of space music while seamlessly blending a mystical Japanese aesthetic—an ambient pop masterpiece.
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The album presents 12 exquisite pop tracks infused with an ambient feeling, resonating deeply with the evolving landscape of the mid-2020s—a time of post-hyperpop and Y2K revival.
Tsunaki Kadowaki (Compiler)
Born in 1993 in Yonago, Tottori, Tsunaki Kadowaki is a staff member and buyer at Kyoto’s Meditations record store. He is the editor of New Age Music Disc Guide (DU BOOKS) and a contributor to Music Magazine, Record Collectors' Magazine, ele-king, and more. Kadowaki has written liner notes for multiple Japanese releases (Brian Eno, Masahiro Sugaya etc.) and runs the Sad Disco music label under Disk Union. He also curates Spotify’s official New Age Music playlist and performed as a DJ at YCAM’s Audio Base Camp #3 in 2024.
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Alongside the multiple UK Soul Chart No.1 album "Forward Motion' and trailing the vinyl 2LP issue comes the Georgie Bromfield Remix of 'I'm In Love (Georgie B. Remix)'.
Georgie Bromfield has a proven track record of No.1 Remixes in the Soul market, and is a veteran of the UK Soul Scene from the 1980's Jazz-Funk heyday of his band Second image up until the present day with his current releases by Groove Association.
Georgie has a weekly radio show every Saturday night on GLR. Georgie's remix highlights the vocals of one of Soul Music's 'best kept secrets', Antonio McLendon, a name that has rightly been comparied to Luther Vandross in terms of quality and who happens to be the father of Grammy-award winning Jazz vocalist Samara Joy. This remix is in advance of the vinyl 2LP release of the 'Forward Motion' album.
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This re-issue of the Cocteau Twins' 1993 album has been remastered by Robin Guthrie and is pressed onto high quality 140g vinyl . Cocteau Twins vocalist Elizabeth Fraser, guitarist Robin Guthrie, and bassist Simon Raymonde formed in Grangemouth, Scotland in the late 70s. The brainchild of Guthrie and original bassist Will Heggie, by 1981 they had added Fraser and the following year signed to 4AD, one of the most illustrious of the indie labels. With Raymonde replacing Heggie in 1983, the trio went on to create some of the most unique and otherworldly music of the 80s, built around Guthrie's chiming guitar and Fraser's unmistakable soprano. By the early 90s, the group had just released their most successful album, the commercial Heaven or Las Vegas, but the relationship with 4AD was coming to an end. Mercury imprint Fontana was going through something of a purple patch, signing former underground bands, and by 1992, Cocteau Twins had joined The Fall and the House Of Love. The group's debut album for Fontana, Four-Calendar Cafe, was released in October 1993. Its gossamer melodies and largely upbeat pop bely the turmoil the group were going through. Barney Hoskyns, writing in Mojo, said that Four-Calendar Caf was "the most poignant, heartrending Cocteaus record of all, an album of naked confession and raw beauty . . . Sadness never sounded so luscious." Simon Raymonde agreed: "I think in time people will realise what a great album Four-Calendar Caf is. Because I think it's beautiful." Led by the single Evangeline, the reached No 13 in the UK album chart and is much-loved by fans.
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Sopa Boba is a Belgian-Dutch electronic, modern classical project. The idea behind the form is a so-called Oratorio from the present age which unfolds a dramatc tale within a sociopolitcal framework. The compositons incorporate a neo-classical style string quartet, harsh modular sytnhs and spoken word vocals. It features Pavel Tchikov (Ogives) and G.W. Sok (The Ex, Oiseaux-Tempête).
That Moment is an adaptation of the eponymous text by Moldavian writer Nicola Esinencu. The starting point of That Moment takes place in a real fact, which happened in present-time Moldavia, where a father cut his son's finger with an axe, as a punishment for stealing a bit ofmoney from the father's wallet. From there the author combines the tale and its reality with a caustic irony, interrogating an unbridled capitalist society, where everything and everyone is for sale. The total playing-tme is 55 minutes, somewhere in between a hybrid electronic - modern classical oratorio and a concept album, with seven tracks that serve as seven chapters of an ironic and satiric story about the downward spiral of the capitalist society.
Output/Input release their debut album 'Forward Motion' on double vinyl LP, December 1st. The album is an eclectic mix of 70's-inspired soul and funk delivered in a truly 2023-style of recording, with all tracks being recorded remotely across multiple continents. The band is a truly diverse and international group featuring members from countries including the USA, UK, Germany, Hungary and South Korea. Their previous releases have been praised by DJ's and tastemakers, regularly featuring on Jazz FM, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 and a host of specialist Soul radio stations across the globe. The CD and digital album have been No.1 on multiple UK Soul Charts.
Lead vocalist Antonio McLendon (pictured) has worked and performed with James Ingram, Tata Vega, Gladys Knight and Donna Summer, and features as vocalist on seven of the ten tracks on the album. He has definitely made an impact as a world-class singer this year, with the singles 'Smilin' Faces' and 'Someone I Used To Love'. both being radio hits. Co-incidentally, Antonio's daughter, Samara Joy won two Grammy awards this year for her album 'Linger Awhile'. Here We Go Again' features the vocals of Audrey Wheeler-Downing, who worked with Unlimited Touch and Chaka Khan, and Brent Carter, the current lead singer of AWB and previous to that, Tower Of Power. 'Doin' Alright' features vocals from O'Bryan, who Davis worked with extensively on his albums for Capitol. This re-recorded version, co-written by Melvin, originally appeared on the album of the same name in 1982, and is widely tipped as a stand-out rare groove revival cut on the album and is already hotly anticipated. 'Really No Chance' features the lead vocals of Katie Holmes-Smith, a globally sought-after singer, who backed Adele on her world tour as well as currently performing with her for the duration of Adele's residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The CD release featured a bonus track, 'Every Time You Touch Me', recorded very recently, written by Noval Smith and Mark Love and sung by Antonio McLendon, while the 2LP features another bonus cut, a fantastic cover of the Earth, Wind & Fire classic 'Can't Hide Love', penned by Skip Scarborough, with vocals by Brent Carter
(EP, 12", 45RPM) In winter 1976, a few years before Olexandr Shapoval headed up the well-known band Vodogray, a jazz band called Shapoval Sextet recorded three pieces "Kobzareva Duma" in live at the Donetsk Jazz Festival. The tape has been lost for almost 45 years, until now. The most radical, experimental and psych jazz recording from the Ukrainian Soviet-era found to date.
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The Standard School Broadcast Recordings, einst als lange verschollene (und in den meisten Fällen völlig
unbekannte) Studioaufnahme von John Lee Hooker angesehen, ist die erste kommerzielle Veröffentlichung
einer seltenen, vollständig elektrischen Bluesband-Aufnahme aus dem Jahr 1973. Die Session wurde bei
Coast Recorders in San Francisco direkt auf Band aufgenommen und fängt Hooker in einer turbulenten
und zutiefst transformierenden Zeit seiner Karriere ein, begleitet von seiner zuverlässigen Rhythmusgruppe
aus Bassist Gino Skaggs und Schlagzeuger Ken Swank sowie Hookers Sohn Robert, dem Pianisten.
The Standard School Broadcast, 1928 ins Leben gerufen, war eine mehrfach preisgekrönte Bildungsradioserie, die von Standard Oil (auch bekannt als Esso, später Exxon) gesponsert wurde. Die in San Francisco ansässige Sammlung war auf Musikverständnis und amerikanische Geschichte spezialisiert. Kopien
einiger ihrer Shows wurden auch auf Vinyl-LPs an Schulen verteilt. Ein solches Set mit zehn Alben war
Musikinstrumenten gewidmet, darunter auch der Gitarre. Während andere legendäre Gitarristen dabei
waren: der klassische Virtuose George Sakellariou, die Jazzgiganten Herb Ellis und Joe Pass sowie der
Session-Geselle Chuck Day, war ihre endgültige Auswahl die reine Verkörperung des Herzens und der Seele
der Bluesgitarre: John Lee Hooker.
Die CD enthält außerdem zwei Bonustitel – „Sallie Mae“ und „Instrumental“
Fresh from a Sold out Uk tour at end of 2024 'Ludovico Einaudi, returns with a brand new album ‘The Summer Portraits’. Inspired by the reminiscence of childhood summers filled with freedom and experiences, this nostalgic album is presented on eco-friendly FSC certified materials. “To our summers…endless memories” This nostalgic album is presented on eco-friendly FSC-certified materials and 100% recycled black vinyl to reduce carbon emissions by 90%.
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Raw, violent, and catchy, Blitz’s 1982 debut album sounded like a shot of pure rock and roll through the violence of the English working class. Made up of two punks and two skinheads, with a lot to say about violence and football, Blitz appealed to all kinds of lowlifes, who finally had a voice for their generation. This new version of the long out-of-print classic includes three bonus tracks (two from the ‘Carry On Oi!’ comp and one from the ‘Total Noise’ comp).
Lions Law kommen zurück mit "Evermore", ihrem bisher vielleicht wirklich stärksten Album. Die Franzosen sind eine der führenden Oi! und Street Punk Bands Europas, und im Februar 2025 lassen sie ihr brandneues Album aus dem Käfig. Nachdem die Band im letzten Jahr eine Compilation mit all ihren Französisch gesungenen Songs veröffentlicht hat, ist dies der mit Spannung erwartete Nachfolger zu 2020s P, B & S, welcher das Vermächtnis der Band fortführt, ungebremmste explosive Energie und rohe Intensität zu liefern, die Fans auf der ganzen Welt so an ihnen schätzen. Mit 15 komplett neuen Tracks untermauern Lion's Law ihren Status als eine Schlüsselband der globalen Punkszene, bleiben ihren Wurzeln treu und heben ihren Sound doch auf ein neues Level. Seid bereit für die unaufhaltsame Kraft von "Evermore" und bleibt dran an Lion's Law! Inklusive der Highlights "Brother", "Sewer Rats", Titeltrack "Evermore" sowie A Flock Of Seagulls-Cover "I Ran". CD und LP, Vinyl klassisch schwarz und farbig am Start. Oi!
Lions Law kommen zurück mit "Evermore", ihrem bisher vielleicht wirklich stärksten Album. Die Franzosen sind eine der führenden Oi! und Street Punk Bands Europas, und im Februar 2025 lassen sie ihr brandneues Album aus dem Käfig. Nachdem die Band im letzten Jahr eine Compilation mit all ihren Französisch gesungenen Songs veröffentlicht hat, ist dies der mit Spannung erwartete Nachfolger zu 2020s P, B & S, welcher das Vermächtnis der Band fortführt, ungebremmste explosive Energie und rohe Intensität zu liefern, die Fans auf der ganzen Welt so an ihnen schätzen. Mit 15 komplett neuen Tracks untermauern Lion's Law ihren Status als eine Schlüsselband der globalen Punkszene, bleiben ihren Wurzeln treu und heben ihren Sound doch auf ein neues Level. Seid bereit für die unaufhaltsame Kraft von "Evermore" und bleibt dran an Lion's Law! Inklusive der Highlights "Brother", "Sewer Rats", Titeltrack "Evermore" sowie A Flock Of Seagulls-Cover "I Ran". CD und LP, Vinyl klassisch schwarz und farbig am Start. Oi!
Lions Law kommen zurück mit "Evermore", ihrem bisher vielleicht wirklich stärksten Album. Die Franzosen sind eine der führenden Oi! und Street Punk Bands Europas, und im Februar 2025 lassen sie ihr brandneues Album aus dem Käfig. Nachdem die Band im letzten Jahr eine Compilation mit all ihren Französisch gesungenen Songs veröffentlicht hat, ist dies der mit Spannung erwartete Nachfolger zu 2020s P, B & S, welcher das Vermächtnis der Band fortführt, ungebremmste explosive Energie und rohe Intensität zu liefern, die Fans auf der ganzen Welt so an ihnen schätzen. Mit 15 komplett neuen Tracks untermauern Lion's Law ihren Status als eine Schlüsselband der globalen Punkszene, bleiben ihren Wurzeln treu und heben ihren Sound doch auf ein neues Level. Seid bereit für die unaufhaltsame Kraft von "Evermore" und bleibt dran an Lion's Law! Inklusive der Highlights "Brother", "Sewer Rats", Titeltrack "Evermore" sowie A Flock Of Seagulls-Cover "I Ran". CD und LP, Vinyl klassisch schwarz und farbig am Start. Oi!
The duo Weekend Affair, gazing up at the sky, composed and wrote their third French album, Vol Intérieur, with clouds, planes, and birds in mind—everything that floats in the air and gives the impression of a certain kind of freedom. The lyrics reflect the love stories so dear to Louis Aguilar, sung over Cyril Debarge’s minimalist synth-pop instrumentals, where the bouncing bass and strong kick are never far behind. As in 2018 with the album Du Rivage, the duo teamed up with Reims-based producer Yuksek to refine their artistic vision and bring their songs to the edge of dance music.
This subtle balance has become the duo’s signature, growing more distinct with each album. The album consists of 10 tracks, including a cover of Le courage des oiseaux by Dominique A. The 150,000 streams of the first two singles from the album show that their listeners haven’t forgotten them and are quite on board with this new release.
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.
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Last delivered 20 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Frightened Rabbit’s critically acclaimed Pedestrian Verse album, this special edition double vinyl release contains the original 12 track album with an additional 11 bonus tracks.
Disc 1 is pressed on clear vinyl and disc 2 is pressed on black vinyl.
The records are housed in a gatefold outer sleeve with a gold foiled motif on the front cover and printed inner sleeves containing album lyrics.
We are very excited to announce a new chapter in our journey. Here we are blazing a new trail, making our way to document and leave a first-class record of sound design, Field Recording and cutting-edge electronic music made in South America. We present our first album, 'Desde los oídos de un sapo', by our favourite amphibian, a man ahead of his time, the Uruguayan Lechuga Zafiro.
"How could I call it my sound if I had not found it myself?"___
States the artist, who finished forging his outstanding musical identity based on field recordings. Metal, wood, plastic, glass, rock, toads, birds, sea lions, pigs and water (in its various forms) captured in Uruguay, El Salvador, Chile, China, Argentina and Portugal, coexist and exchange harmonic and dynamic properties. By altering, editing, or simply letting the sounds manifest themselves, Lechuga generates a wide and complex rhythmic-timbral universe. These are 7 tracks that never cease to have consistency and a fierce character.
Lechuga's debut album is a milestone in Latin electronic music. This document opens a new territory, one so genuine and challenging, so real and fertile, that we are confident it will be a must-have anywhere on the planet. This collaboration is our new contribution to the mission of contemplation, so please stop, come to this frog's ear, to feel with both Pablo and us.
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Last delivered 21 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Disguised returns to TRSN with a sensational 6-track vinyl EP featuring thrilling remixes by MYLE (Julian Muller) and Levzon. The Berlin-based duo, known for their high-energy yet hypnotic productions, are fresh off the success of their debut album and their first Boiler Room appearance earlier this year.
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Last delivered 10 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Skeletal Family are: Anneka Latta - Vocals, Stan Greenwood - Guitars, Roger "Trotwood" Nowell - Bass, Ian "Karl Heinz" Taylor - Keyboards / Saxophone, Adrian "Ozzy" Osadzenko - Drums and Percussion. Formed in 1982 with vocalist Anne Marie Hurst, their debut album 'Burning Oil' topped the National UK Indie Charts for three weeks in Autumn 1984 above other contemporary northern bands The Smiths and New Order. The band subsequently recorded seven BBC Radio One sessions for John Peel, Janice Long & Kid Jensen. They Signed to Chrysalis Records in 1986. Their discography includes the studio albums: 'Futile Combat', 'Sakura', 'Songs of Love Hope and Despair', 'Day of All Days'. The current line up came together in 2021, with the introduction of vocalist Anneka Latta with the band performing live at 'Wave Gotik Treffen' in Leipzig and 'Darker Waves Festival' in Huntington Beach, California as well as various dates in the UK and USA. Their latest album 'Light From The Dark' was recorded at Paul Weller's 'Black Barn' Studio and received critical acclaim already earlier this year.
"Through the old school" ist ein wütend-kompromissloses Manifest gegen den Ungeist dieser Zeit und hochexplosiver Hybrid aus NYHC und englischem Streetpunk/ Oi der rauhen Sorte. Die Südeuropäer von "No Restraints" könnte man auch als "Italien's Agnostic Front" bezeichnen! Nach ihrem längst vergriffenem Debüt-Album "Stand your ground" und der Split mit "This means War" haben sie sich nicht nur live einen exzellenten Ruf erspielt - ihr Song "Streetcore Worldwide" ist längst über alle Grenzen zur Szene-Hymne geworden. Mit dem Opener "Another kind of hate" ihrer neuen 5-Track Mini-LP setzen sie ihre Mission beeindruckend fort: Fernab von Klischee's und aufgesetzter Strassenromantik knallt dieser kranken "world of deception" die ganze Verachtung und Hass von Shouter Johnny Wesson entgegen. "No Restraints" wissen wovon sie singen! "Suburban Dreams" sind alles andere als "easy living". Ihren Sound hat die Band dabei weiter perfektioniert ohne ihren Stil zu verändern. Eben "through the oldschool"! Einseitig bespieltes 5-Song Minialbum als klassisch schwarzes oder Blutrot mit Schwarz farbiges Vinyl!
"Through the old school" ist ein wütend-kompromissloses Manifest gegen den Ungeist dieser Zeit und hochexplosiver Hybrid aus NYHC und englischem Streetpunk/ Oi der rauhen Sorte. Die Südeuropäer von "No Restraints" könnte man auch als "Italien's Agnostic Front" bezeichnen! Nach ihrem längst vergriffenem Debüt-Album "Stand your ground" und der Split mit "This means War" haben sie sich nicht nur live einen exzellenten Ruf erspielt - ihr Song "Streetcore Worldwide" ist längst über alle Grenzen zur Szene-Hymne geworden. Mit dem Opener "Another kind of hate" ihrer neuen 5-Track Mini-LP setzen sie ihre Mission beeindruckend fort: Fernab von Klischee's und aufgesetzter Strassenromantik knallt dieser kranken "world of deception" die ganze Verachtung und Hass von Shouter Johnny Wesson entgegen. "No Restraints" wissen wovon sie singen! "Suburban Dreams" sind alles andere als "easy living". Ihren Sound hat die Band dabei weiter perfektioniert ohne ihren Stil zu verändern. Eben "through the oldschool"! Einseitig bespieltes 5-Song Minialbum als klassisch schwarzes oder Blutrot mit Schwarz farbiges Vinyl!
Die Edition Paul als Gruß an LKM-Bassist Stephan Paul, der gerade noch pausieren muss: Klares Vinyl gebundlet mit Slipmat & Poster, limitiert auf 48 Stück! Das aktuelle 2023er (Comeback)-Album von LOIKAEMIE mit Namen "Menschen"! 2022 erschienen mit "Lumpenmann" und "Tief im Herzen" die ersten neuen LKM-Songs seit 2007 (digital und als limitierte 7"-Single), dazu gesellenen sich noch "Was Soll Die Ganze Scheisse?" und "Lasst Uns rein", alles Vorboten des fünften Studioalbums "Menschen" und schon auf einer Menge Playlists zuhause. Kein Wunder, dass nach 16 Jahren die Erwartungen riesig sind, bei den Fans wie der Band selbst. Und ,Menschen" ist nicht weniger als ein Manifest dessen, wie Punkrock im Jahr 2023 klingen muss: Rotzig und melodisch, kompromisslos und reflektiert, politisch und gut gelaunt. Alle zwölf Ohrenfräsen atmen den unverkennbaren LOIKAEMIE-Spirit und doch ist ,Menschen" ein Riesenschritt nach vorn. Schon der überaus modern klingende Opener "Wenn wir alle so wären" fegt alles weg, was derzeit belanglos auf Allgemeinplätzen durch den Punk pogt, vom anschließenden hymnischen Titeltrack bis zur abschließenden Selbsteinladung "Lasst und rein" bleibt die Energie ganz oben, gleichzeitig ist das Album vielschichtig wie nie zuvor in der Bandgeschichte. Zu Streetpunk- und Rock'n'Roll-Brettern gesellt sich Reggea, Sprechgesang, Ballade und Melodien, die sich auch im Pop nicht verstecken müssten. Statt markiger Statements erzählen die Texte pointierte Geschichten, teilen durchdachte Gedanken zu aktuellen Miseren in der Welt, der Szene oder des eigenen Kopfes. Aber es gibt auch keine Scheu vorm hymnischen Refrain, den fortan volle Konzertsäle gemeinsam intonieren können. Oi!, was sind das knallende Hits!
Comprising someof Denmark"s most prominent young musicians, Copenhagen"s trailblazing neo-jazz quintet OTOOTO refer to their innovative blend of jazz tradition and modern indie-pop as "homeshake meets the jazz messengers". Their third studio album"2nd Quake" is set to release on November 8th on April Records. OTOOTO, consisting of Jonas Due (trumpet and flugelhorn), Oilly Wallace (alto sax and flute), Calle Brickman (keys), Andreas Svendsen (drums and percussion), and Matthias Petri (bass), has been a fixture on both the Danish and international jazz scenes since their 2021 debut "This Love Is For You". Their new release marks a new chapter in their journey, reflecting a bold, mature artistic vision that promises to cement their place as leaders in Scandinavian contemporary jazz. "Our mission is to reflect the modern society and put a sound to its vibrations. And through this sound we seek to transmit purity, love, and joy." Navigating through a wide array of inspirations from 70"s rock and European church music, to the pioneering sounds of Jean-Michel Jarre and Vangelis, the five piece - led by trumpeter Jonas Due and saxophonist Oilly Wallace - self describe their sound as"a roaring sea of analogue synths and velvety horns". Featuring eight meticulously composed original pieces, 2nd Quakebalances strong memorable melodies with intricate orchestration, a continuous sense of groove, thick layers of texture and fearless, lyrical improvisations. A collaboration with electronic producer Sofie Birch, the record is an electro-organic sonic exploration of the union between acoustic instrumental timbres and electronic manipulation, spearheaded by the sound of the legendary Juno 106 synth alongside stellar jazz-informed musician-ship.
The mood is dark to melancholic, but also majestic and epic. Hailing from Rome, THE FORESHADOWING are something like the musical equivalent of the city they come from. Founded in 2005, the group can look back on a successful and eventful history. Listeners of gothic, doom and dark metal are very familiar with the quartet's work. THE FORESHADOWING gained popularity in the international scene with four acclaimed albums released between 2007 and 2016: "Days of Nothing" (2007), "Oionos" (2010), "Second World" (2012) and "Seven Heads, Ten Horns" (2016). In 2023, THE FORESHADOWING ended a forced break of several years with the EP "Forsaken Songs" and a European tour with Saturnus and In The Woods. Now, "New Wave Order" is the group's fifth full length album and their debut on LIFEFORCE RECORDS. The formation from Rome emphasizes its strengths on the album and offers cinematic tracks of dark music that is nevertheless immensely catchy and mood-enhancing. While listening to "New Wave Order", you are whisked away into a world full of secrets and allusions. The path is THE FORESHADOWING's goal, which manifests itself in all-encompassing, organically developed musicality. The Italians are outstanding songwriters who create captivating arcs of suspense and also keep an eye on the overarching strands. Nothing else can be expected from this eternal band.
In the fall of 2022, celebrated UK chill-out institution Seahawks landed in Los Angeles for the first time in their 15-year history, with plans to record a sweeping new age downtempo "exploration of visionary California."
Instead, they immediately fell ill with flu (Fowler collapsed next to a taco truck; 911 was called), and were bedridden for the better part of a week. Upon recovering, they resituated at the synthesizer sanctuary of Brian Foote (Peak Oil, Kranky, Leech), channeling their post-sickness psychedelia into one of the band's lushest and most elevated creations to date: Time Enough For Love. Inspired by the "groove and mood" of Harry Nilsson demos, as well as its wider 70's wavelength - Rhodes, Wurlitzer, wood paneling - Seahawks transposed their classic post-rave ambient exotica onto a warm and woozy Golden State palette. Buoyed by the liquid touch of English maestro Kenny Dickenson on keys, the results rank high among the duo's smoothest and most multi-sensory voyages. "Sail Across The Moon" delivers on its title, a simmering, phaser-smeared cruise through the beauty of the night. "Messengers" echoes the cosmic lounge of Air's Moon Safari, shuffling, weightless, and ethereal, while "Falling Deep" reaches for the stars, pure cascading bliss, the ecstatic moment writ large.
The album skews steadily more astral as it progresses, drifting towards jazzy, galactic outer reaches. "Like A Grain Of Sand" opens with a spoken sample by the celebrated late American poet Rachel Sherwood ("The children watch, breathless / with the birds / They feel an emanation / from this shuddering place"), before taking flight on a Balearic trip through island house, PM Dawn gold dust, upright bass meditation, and kaleidoscopic light. A remix of the title track by Chicago trio Purelink closes the record in a suitably subdued and skittery state of mind. Time Enough For Love radiates color, complexity, and positivity, infused by the "life enhancing" nature of the band's time in Los Angeles - sunsets, sound systems, and sativa, framed by coastlines and cloudbanks, the city's mystic sprawl glittering beneath purple dusk.
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Last delivered 15 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
The Fluid are arguably the great unsung band from the fertile underground rock scene of the late '80s and early '90s. The Denver five-piece - John Robinson (vocals), James Clower (guitar), Matt Bischoff (bass), Garrett Shavlik (drums), and the dear departed Ricky Kulwicki (guitar) - fused the fire of '80s hardcore with crunching Detroit protopunk, '60s garage rock, and '70s rock swagger. Think MC5, Faces, '70s Stones, all cranked up and really high on Sex Pistols and Black Flag singles. Rising from the ashes of early-'80s Denver bands Frantix (whose "My Dad's a Fuckin' Alcoholic" is a true gem of American punk) and White Trash, The Fluid were the first non-Seattle band to sign to Sub Pop, and Clear Black Paper was the second full-length album the label ever released. The label honchos were fans of Frantix, and happily got involved with The Fluid when the opportunity arose via the label's European licensing partner, Glitterhouse. Witnessing The Fluid's dominant live presence helped - a particularly fiery early show at Seattle's Central Tavern featured The Fluid, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, and Soundgarden all trying to outdo one another on stage. The band fit right in on Sub Pop's nascent roster of acts who, wherever they stood on the spectrum of punk/rock/metal, shared a commitment to thunderous riffs and explosive live shows. Legendary for their ferocious stage presence, The Fluid toured all over the US and Europe, holding their own and then some on bills with Mudhoney, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Dinosaur Jr., and other powerhouses of the era. From 1986 to 1993, The Fluid put out four albums and a number of EPs and singles, including a split 7" with Nirvana in 1991, before doing one album for a major label and promptly disbanding. Yet, while their partners-in-crime bulldozed into the mainstream, The Fluid remained something of a cult band, their audience confined to those who got hip during the band's existence, and crate diggers who nabbed original vinyl or CDs, which had quickly become rarities after selling through their original runs. Why? Record industry machinations? The fickle finger of pop culture? Being from Denver, not Seattle? Who the hell knows_ and who cares! The point is the band ripped, and the world deserves to hear them again. The Fluid took influences they shared with their contemporaries and ran in their own direction, focused on ass-shaking grooves more than misanthropic sludge. Rock anthems like "Cold Outside" sit alongside Stooge-oid rhythmic poundings ("Black Glove"), bluesy romps ("Leave It"), the occasional grungy dirge ("Wasted Time"), and raw punk bangers ("Is It Day I'm Seeing?" from the seminal 1988 Sub Pop 200 compilation). The band wasn't shy about their inspiration, either: scattered through their catalog are covers of The Troggs, The Rolling Stones, MC5, Iggy Pop and James Williamson, and Rare Earth. The Fluid stand out as champions of a feral, urgent, exuberant approach to rock 'n roll. As it turns out, that wasn't a recipe for stardom in the era of hyper-slick pop, boomer dinosaurs crying tears in heaven, and hair-metal power-ballads. But someone had to do it. To set things right, Sub Pop, The Fluid, and producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, High on Fire, Mudhoney) teamed up to refresh and reissue The Fluid's entire indie-label catalog: their 1986 debut, Punch N Judy; 1988's Clear Black Paper; 1989's Roadmouth; the 1990 Glue EP (produced by Butch Vig, of Nevermind fame); and a treasure trove of rarities and previously unreleased material. All the music has been remastered from original tapes by Endino and JJ Golden, and the bulk of it has been meticulously remixed by Endino and the band, righting some sonic quirks that diminished the impact of the original records. Now, with their definitive material sounding better than ever, it's high time The Fluid get their due.
The Fluid are arguably the great unsung band from the fertile underground rock scene of the late '80s and early '90s. The Denver five-piece - John Robinson (vocals), James Clower (guitar), Matt Bischoff (bass), Garrett Shavlik (drums), and the dear departed Ricky Kulwicki (guitar) - fused the fire of '80s hardcore with crunching Detroit protopunk, '60s garage rock, and '70s rock swagger. Think MC5, Faces, '70s Stones, all cranked up and really high on Sex Pistols and Black Flag singles. Rising from the ashes of early-'80s Denver bands Frantix (whose "My Dad's a Fuckin' Alcoholic" is a true gem of American punk) and White Trash, The Fluid were the first non-Seattle band to sign to Sub Pop, and Clear Black Paper was the second full-length album the label ever released. The label honchos were fans of Frantix, and happily got involved with The Fluid when the opportunity arose via the label's European licensing partner, Glitterhouse. Witnessing The Fluid's dominant live presence helped - a particularly fiery early show at Seattle's Central Tavern featured The Fluid, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, and Soundgarden all trying to outdo one another on stage. The band fit right in on Sub Pop's nascent roster of acts who, wherever they stood on the spectrum of punk/rock/metal, shared a commitment to thunderous riffs and explosive live shows. Legendary for their ferocious stage presence, The Fluid toured all over the US and Europe, holding their own and then some on bills with Mudhoney, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Dinosaur Jr., and other powerhouses of the era. From 1986 to 1993, The Fluid put out four albums and a number of EPs and singles, including a split 7" with Nirvana in 1991, before doing one album for a major label and promptly disbanding. Yet, while their partners-in-crime bulldozed into the mainstream, The Fluid remained something of a cult band, their audience confined to those who got hip during the band's existence, and crate diggers who nabbed original vinyl or CDs, which had quickly become rarities after selling through their original runs. Why? Record industry machinations? The fickle finger of pop culture? Being from Denver, not Seattle? Who the hell knows_ and who cares! The point is the band ripped, and the world deserves to hear them again. The Fluid took influences they shared with their contemporaries and ran in their own direction, focused on ass-shaking grooves more than misanthropic sludge. Rock anthems like "Cold Outside" sit alongside Stooge-oid rhythmic poundings ("Black Glove"), bluesy romps ("Leave It"), the occasional grungy dirge ("Wasted Time"), and raw punk bangers ("Is It Day I'm Seeing?" from the seminal 1988 Sub Pop 200 compilation). The band wasn't shy about their inspiration, either: scattered through their catalog are covers of The Troggs, The Rolling Stones, MC5, Iggy Pop and James Williamson, and Rare Earth. The Fluid stand out as champions of a feral, urgent, exuberant approach to rock 'n roll. As it turns out, that wasn't a recipe for stardom in the era of hyper-slick pop, boomer dinosaurs crying tears in heaven, and hair-metal power-ballads. But someone had to do it. To set things right, Sub Pop, The Fluid, and producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, High on Fire, Mudhoney) teamed up to refresh and reissue The Fluid's entire indie-label catalog: their 1986 debut, Punch N Judy; 1988's Clear Black Paper; 1989's Roadmouth; the 1990 Glue EP (produced by Butch Vig, of Nevermind fame); and a treasure trove of rarities and previously unreleased material. All the music has been remastered from original tapes by Endino and JJ Golden, and the bulk of it has been meticulously remixed by Endino and the band, righting some sonic quirks that diminished the impact of the original records. Now, with their definitive material sounding better than ever, it's high time The Fluid get their due.
The Fluid are arguably the great unsung band from the fertile underground rock scene of the late '80s and early '90s. The Denver five-piece - John Robinson (vocals), James Clower (guitar), Matt Bischoff (bass), Garrett Shavlik (drums), and the dear departed Ricky Kulwicki (guitar) - fused the fire of '80s hardcore with crunching Detroit protopunk, '60s garage rock, and '70s rock swagger. Think MC5, Faces, '70s Stones, all cranked up and really high on Sex Pistols and Black Flag singles. Rising from the ashes of early-'80s Denver bands Frantix (whose "My Dad's a Fuckin' Alcoholic" is a true gem of American punk) and White Trash, The Fluid were the first non-Seattle band to sign to Sub Pop, and Clear Black Paper was the second full-length album the label ever released. The label honchos were fans of Frantix, and happily got involved with The Fluid when the opportunity arose via the label's European licensing partner, Glitterhouse. Witnessing The Fluid's dominant live presence helped - a particularly fiery early show at Seattle's Central Tavern featured The Fluid, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, and Soundgarden all trying to outdo one another on stage. The band fit right in on Sub Pop's nascent roster of acts who, wherever they stood on the spectrum of punk/rock/metal, shared a commitment to thunderous riffs and explosive live shows. Legendary for their ferocious stage presence, The Fluid toured all over the US and Europe, holding their own and then some on bills with Mudhoney, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Dinosaur Jr., and other powerhouses of the era. From 1986 to 1993, The Fluid put out four albums and a number of EPs and singles, including a split 7" with Nirvana in 1991, before doing one album for a major label and promptly disbanding. Yet, while their partners-in-crime bulldozed into the mainstream, The Fluid remained something of a cult band, their audience confined to those who got hip during the band's existence, and crate diggers who nabbed original vinyl or CDs, which had quickly become rarities after selling through their original runs. Why? Record industry machinations? The fickle finger of pop culture? Being from Denver, not Seattle? Who the hell knows_ and who cares! The point is the band ripped, and the world deserves to hear them again. The Fluid took influences they shared with their contemporaries and ran in their own direction, focused on ass-shaking grooves more than misanthropic sludge. Rock anthems like "Cold Outside" sit alongside Stooge-oid rhythmic poundings ("Black Glove"), bluesy romps ("Leave It"), the occasional grungy dirge ("Wasted Time"), and raw punk bangers ("Is It Day I'm Seeing?" from the seminal 1988 Sub Pop 200 compilation). The band wasn't shy about their inspiration, either: scattered through their catalog are covers of The Troggs, The Rolling Stones, MC5, Iggy Pop and James Williamson, and Rare Earth. The Fluid stand out as champions of a feral, urgent, exuberant approach to rock 'n roll. As it turns out, that wasn't a recipe for stardom in the era of hyper-slick pop, boomer dinosaurs crying tears in heaven, and hair-metal power-ballads. But someone had to do it. To set things right, Sub Pop, The Fluid, and producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, High on Fire, Mudhoney) teamed up to refresh and reissue The Fluid's entire indie-label catalog: their 1986 debut, Punch N Judy; 1988's Clear Black Paper; 1989's Roadmouth; the 1990 Glue EP (produced by Butch Vig, of Nevermind fame); and a treasure trove of rarities and previously unreleased material. All the music has been remastered from original tapes by Endino and JJ Golden, and the bulk of it has been meticulously remixed by Endino and the band, righting some sonic quirks that diminished the impact of the original records. Now, with their definitive material sounding better than ever, it's high time The Fluid get their due.
