Search:on man

Caetano Veloso's seminal first '68 Tropicalia monster in MONO, must have or what...

First Authorized North American Vinyl Issue of Caetano Veloso Courtesy of Third Man Records!

IN VERY RARE MONO VERSION

Caetano Veloso's self-titled debut solo album is one of the most important and influential Brazilian (and, dare we say, South American) albums of all time. With the release of this seminal album, Veloso would become the leading voice of Tropicália. The songs on this album immediately connected with people. "Alegria, Algeria" was his breakout hit that gained traction as a hymn for liberty advocates, juxtaposing images of Coca Cola, guerrilla groups, bombs and Brigitte Bardot as part of the everyday experience. The album's first song "Tropicália" was an anthem for the whole movement; it's a fragmented allegory, a structure borrowed from friends in the concrete poetry scene, touching on divergent cultural symbols, events, allusions and idioms, nimbly representing and critiquing the many contradictions in the new Brazilian dictatorship.

"Superbacana" (translated as "Supergroovy") follows a hyperbolic superhero's use of technology to fight a gang of cowboys led by the money-hungry Uncle Scrooge, serving as allusions to American imperialism and greed felt in their country, all in the rapid-fire structure of a comic book. The subtext in all these songs, which the dictatorship would not immediately catch, were that these repressed but glaring contradictions, not the bountiful sunny paradise that the military regime was pushing, were the true national identity. Unfortunately, these cleverly veiled jabs in Veloso and his contemporaries' bodies of work gained greater and greater exposure as the movement became more and more popular, leading to the arrest, imprisonment and forced exile of Veloso and many of his cohort. Despite these difficulties, the Tropicalists continued creating in exile, strongly influencing artists both at home and abroad.

This is the first authorized North American vinyl issue of Caetano Veloso. Whether you're a longtime fan or first-time listener, Third Man Records could not be more proud to spread the compelling story of this album, this artist and the Tropicália movement.

There have been millions of typical disco edits in the last years. But there is so much more interesting music from the late 1970s and early 80s yet to bubble its way to the surface. One of those lesser explored fields is the crazy funky side of Germany's underground disco and new wave from that period. At the time, many German bands were trying to make their own version of English and American styles. After Kraftwerk and Can had started to use the German language in a cool, new way, many bands that followed in their steps experimented with German new wave. Most of these bands didn't reach a bigger audience. Their records never got pressed to more than 300 - 500 copies as they were a number of years ahead of the huge commercial explosion of German pop in 1984: The NDW aka 'Neue Deutsche Welle", with Nena's humongous hit 99 Red Balloons. The bands featured on the compilation released their music before the NDW hype and later broke up. Plenty of these early bands are best forgotten but if you dig deeper you'll find the gems, bursting with style and attitude. And that's just what Toy Tonics heads Mathias Munk Modica & Kapote did. They hit gold.

BBC Radio Quotes:
Zoe Ball "Frippin LOVE LOVE it!" - It Just Goes
Craig Charles: "It's a tune!" - It Just Goes
Tracks taken from the album have so far received 7 Plays on BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music from Zoe Ball and Craig Charles.
Regional spot plays on BBC Radio Cornwall, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Jersey, BBC Radio Devon, BBC Radio Guernsey and BBC Radio Somerset. Specialist plays on Jazz FM and Mi-Soul (Deadly's Mi-afternoon delight, Dave VJ,)
It Just Goes was Playlisted Delite Radio and Radio Krimi
Other spot plays on radio from RTE Pulse, KaneFm, Solar Radio, Eastside Radio, 1BTN, Dubmission Radio, Republic 100.3 Thessaloniki, Ketch A Vibe, WBAI 99.5FM, Milk and Chocolate Radio, Radio Pepper 96.6 Greece, AllFm Manchester.
DJ support comes in from Satin Jackets, Marc Hype, Mat the Alien, Basement Freaks, All Good funk Alliance and Noble & Heath

Rua Sound Is Pleased To Announce We Are Back In Action For Of 2019, And A Welcome Return To The Label Of Touchy Subject, Coming In Fresh From His Aurora D Raynes Project With Dan Dans K In 2018.

Support From Tom Ravenscroft And Giles Peterson.

The Go-to Producers For Cosmic, Rootsy Takes On Up-tempo 160-170 Bass Music, Touchy Subject's Second Four-track 12" On Rua Ups The Ambition And Knocks It So Far Out Of The Park Its Broken Windows In The Next Parish Across.

The General Ep Veers Wildly Between Belligerent, Funky Takes On Dusty 90's Boom-bapàla Dj Shadow On "shudder" And 'turnt Up', Cavernous Soundsystem Workouts On "seek And Find", And The Febrile Halftime (just) Jungle (barely) Title-track "general" Bringing The Emotive Goosebump Vibes.

This Is Soundsystem Music Par Excellence, Cerebral, Heady, And Rousing.

We Apologise Profusely To Those Of You Whose Resolutions For 2019 Involved Losing Weight, But This Is Our Fattest Releases Yet.

This was Charles Tolliver's first album as a leader. The setting is unique only because his second Freedom-Black Lion album 'The Ringer' and all of his subsequent albums on Strata-East featured his quartet Music Inc. with pianist Stanley Cowell. Here he is surrounded in quartet and quintet formats with a truly stellar cast of the leading players on the New York jazz scene.

Charles plays the role of leader, composer and trumpeter. But it is surely that last role that deserves the most attention. The trumpet is a brass instrument that leans toward a hard sound and staccato phrasing. Yet Tolliver is the quintessence of fluidity. While it may be undeniable that he has learned from his musical heritage and past trumpet masters, a trumpeter of such flow, tone, control, lyricism and creativity is, by definition, a major musician.

Charles Tolliver first came to the professional jazz scene in the mid-sixties, when he first met Jackie McLean. Under McLean's leadership, he played on a number of Blue Note record sessions, some of which have yet to be released. He contributed original tunes to many of those sessions.

Within a couple of years, Tolliver was a well known figure in New York circles, playing and/or recording with Booker Ervin, Archie Shepp, Andrew Hill, Roy Ayers, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Willie Bobo, Gerald Wilson, McCoy Tyner, Hank Mobley, and many others. His compositions were getting recorded by many artists. He gained his greatest recognition during a two year stint with the Max Roach quintet that also included Gary Bartz and Stanley Cowell.

There is also a previously unreleased bonus track of the song, "Repetition", recorded by Charles for this LP which will be included on this new release of the album. This song was originally made famous by Charlie Parker's LP With Strings.

This album is certainly an important and lasting document in light of the musicians involved and in light of its unique context for Charles Tolliver. But basically, it is just a great album to listen to. Michael Cuscuna

'For the 9th Marionette, Kilchhofer and Anklin release their collaboration record Moto Perpetuo. Michael Anklin is a drummer and percussionist based in Switzerland. He's involved in various bands, collaborations and interdisciplinary projects. Anklin has previously appeared on a few recordings from Kilchhofer's Album The Book Room. Kilchhofer uses his main instrument - the modular synth - in a more electroacoustic manner, where he derives and processes voltages from Anklin's playing.

The album title describes the fascinating idea (yet impossible reality) of a perpetual motion - where no energy is lost yet energy is constantly being created, an endless music, yet far away from generic ambient or minimal music. Anklin's live drumming influences delicate feedback patches on Kilchhofer's synth, where dry and transient heavy percussion and synthesizer sounds erupt into a feral electroacoustic instrument.

A fluid concept of time where the Rhythmic Pulse constantly shifts is at the heart of the record. The idea was to create an instrument where acoustics and electronics are interconnected and dependent on each other. The smallest disturbance could sway the entire system out of order. This idea of a circular motion was at the center of the recording process and is also reflected in the artwork which resembles a topographical view of a closed natural habitat.

Kilchhofer and Anklin draw inspiration mainly from their rural surroundings and mountain landscapes where natural overtones and stumbling rhythms navigate through high plateaus and velds to stony ravines and wooden trails - on a never ending quest for an "ur-klang'; a primordial, ancestral music.'

Fifth part of the Strata-East Dolphy Series, Glass Bead Games is arguably the crown jewel of the Strata East movement, an amorphous genre that treads an unusual path between post-bop, 70's avant-garde and spiritual jazz, with a groove.

Glass Bead Games is full of revelations at many levels. First, the decade of the 1970s did produce genuinely creative, "human" new music flowing from the jazz mainstream; second, Bill Lee was more than Spike's dad: he was a superlative bassist, a team player of the first order, a powerful catalyst who, if anything, deserves to be better known than his son; third, Billy Higgins was, as so many musicians insist, a once-in-a-lifetime drummer—the bellows inspiriting the collective flame.

Most importantly, Clifford Jordan was an artist of the first order, his playing so effortless and unforced, unselfconscious and focused, mature and wise that, at a time when altissimo fury was all the rage, it's small wonder his authentic voice frequently went unheard. His musical rhetoric is so personally expressive, its substance so compelling, the listener couldn't care less about the extraordinary technique required to convey its captivating message. Compared to some of his more acclaimed peers he's a less aggressive yet paradoxically more directive and shaping influence. The climaxes, rather than spelled out, are merely suggested, registering with deep and lasting impact on the listener. It all comes down to learning the language, those precious little beads. Not every player, including Jordan or the listener, can use it like Shakespeare, but all can learn to read Shakespeare and understand its principles of arbitrariness and serendipity, of invariance and transformation.

Jordan, no less than Shakespeare, requires a like-minded cast of players—in this case four musicians of such redoubtable proficiency that each remains committed to keeping the beads in play. He's not a man content with a mere musical "dialogue" with his fellow musicians nor is he about to take the initiative in pulling his troops up to his level. Instead he begins to tell a musical story that's so compelling his three comrades are inspired equally to contribute to a collaborative narrative. This is brilliant music-making by a Coltrane- influenced successor who feels no obligation to mime the predecessor. It may be the most significant saxophone performance on record since Coltrane and, providing the listener stays with it for any length of time, the most deeply satisfying. Jordan's game—so effortless, unforced, and "level"—erases distinctions between composed and improvised, soloist and ensemble, narrator and narrative, the dancer and the dance. It seems incapable of wearing out its welcome.

By Samuel Chell/All About Jazz

Classic jazz/funk/disco cut that became an instant anthem on all discerning dance floorswhen it was originally released, and for decades to follow. Includes the previously commercially unreleased Sax Mix of 'Journey', cut loud at 45rpm.

Championed by DJs including Francois Kevorkian, David Mancuso, Larry Levan and more, it's a record that, alongside tracks like Atmosfear's 'Dancing In Outer Space', become synonymous with the UK influence on US club music at the time.A sound that many forward thinking DJs in New York, Chicago etc. embraced to stand out from the crowd and bring depth to the dance floor.

Driving jazz/funk, legato bass, grooving beats, subtle keys, dubbed out percussion and guitar licks that bring you to a simple but infectious piano melody.

A collaboration between Andy Sodjka and Jerry Pike, mastered by Herb Powers.

Presenting four newcomers to the Techno Scene, living in different areas of Europe; this release, explores multiple horizons of the contemporary Techno sound; with four diverse tunes, trying to bring the same excellent result on the dance floor.

1 colored white LP in single sleeve with 3mm spine. Printed inner-sleeve. Collectors edition CD album included.

Vinyl (Limited Colored Edition)

Bananarama"s fifth album "Please Yourself" was released in 1993 by London Music Stream and is the first album which features the band as a duo. The album includes the singles: "Movin On", "Last Thing On My Mind", "More, More, More"
Bananarama are often cited as the UK"s most successful ever girl group with 5 UK singles and 10 top 10's.
They were the girl group that defined the eighties with their run of pop hits which sound tracked the lives of fans around the world. The news of Bananarama"s reunion, after nearly 30 years, was met with universal approval and saw the band celebrated all over again. In 2017 the trio reassembled for a UK Tour in a pop reunion only dreamt of in the wildest imaginations by many quarters. The band reunited in their original line up for the first time in years. For many Siobhan stepping back into her natural habitat once again is pop"s very own version of Morrissey and Marr re-uniting. The band play their final dates as a trio this summer in a run of gigs including Edinburgh Castle, British Summer Time and Smukfest.

Following a long-player 'Orbiter' on Avenue 66 and an untitled single for Office Recordings earlier last year, mysterious producer Trux follows up with a brand new EP simply titled 'Eleven'.

Throughout the record, textures of mind-bending ambient, dreamy harmonics and crushed, lo-fi experiments are manipulated across the 8-track 12" marking Office's fifteenth release.

The record sits among a discography of artists that includes Iron Curtis, Christopher Rau and of course, label-owner Baaz.

'Sometimes you wake up and you've just lost the plot. Is life great or is it not Should I eat more fruit Is buying diamonds rude' Ca$hminus are asking all the wrong questions. After their debut on Bordello A Parigi last year and a recent appearance on Credit 00's Rat Life imprint, the Belgo-Australiana duo unleash a collection of their wildest works to date. The package opens with 'Atlandwehr', a jaunting affair that could have risen from the filthy Berlin Landwehr canal, only to dissolve again after six frenzied minutes, leaving nothing but a trace of bubbles on the skanky surface. The gritty 'La Foire', a grimy take on Belgian new beat, fuses raw, stepping drums with a playfully gnarly synth line. Luckily 'De Vlasmarkt' is lurking around the corner: this is the awkwardly joyous soundtrack to an annual phenomenon in Ghent, where young and old folks gather on the 'Vlasmarkt' square after a heavy night of boozing, to collectively gaze at at the sun coming up whilst drinking Irish coffees until they drop. G-funk meets electro on the flipside, where Cora from Chengdu showcases her vocal swag on '' to a backdrop of supreme subbass and rattling beats. Man of the moment Cornelius Doctor of HARD FIST fame (the adventurous imprint he runs with Tushen Rai) delivers a beast of a rework that both hypnotizes and elevates. The acapella leaves you in charge of your own destiny.

It's safe to say that Detroit, a city steeped in economic, cultural and musical history, will soon weave its way into your soul should you spend any sustained time there. This rings all too true for Monty Luke. He has immersed himself in Detroit's scene since moving to the Motor City in 2008. His new eight track LP, released via Dogmatik, showcases the style of a new generation of Detroit producers carrying the beacon for a deep, Detroit sound that blends analogue weight and punchy drum programming together with masterful synth work and raw emotion.
Even at first glance the polarised artwork, an aerial map of Detroit, shows the more introspective nature of this Motor City ingrained release, with Luke purposefully steering away from writing club ready material. Introductory track 'City Lights' gives a first taste of this, combining swelling synths, dreamlike arps and crisp percussive hits. There's a real weight to the bass synth that compliments Abi B's soulful vocals all too well. 'Anton's Room' & 'Crime Wave' follow suit -the former with itslayered gritty bass, expansive stabs, glitchy bleeps and undulating arps and the latter creating a sonic swell between your ears manifested by a surging, panned arp, alongside sirens and punchy, gunshot like snares. Inspirations from Moodymann to Theo Parrish are clear to be seen in tracks like 'Move', taking a range of jazzy loops and samples and chopping them into a low slung, bouncing MPC laden jam.Progressing into the 2nd half of the album there's a transition from deep, Detroit house into harder hitting, electro territory. 'Willie Maze' with its killer drum programming, reverberating Rhodes and dynamic bass and 'Roja', combining emotive late-night chords and melancholic synth melodies, really honeinon that pensive, thought-provoking aesthetic. One of the highlights, 'Wasteland', is the best example of this transition -interlacing a commanding electro drum pattern with squelching, synth melodies and Serene Arena's introspective lyrics.
Then taking it full circle, closing track 'Block Is Hot (Black Hole Mix)' -co-produced by King Britt in Philadelphia (alongside City Lights, Crime Wave & Willie Maze), returns to the 4/4 path with a thumping party track, carrying through that raw nature emanating from the dark melodies and Monty's adlibbed vocals.
'Hard Work/ Not Hype' is a record flying the flag for those underground artists working tirelessly behind closed doors to produce material that's based on feeling, emotion and skill, rather than riding off the back of an inflated, socially constructed image. Monty Luke, as someone that follows that mantra, has been able toconstruct an album showcasing this, creating a real weight and depth to this release; it's raw, powerful and thought provoking, expertly capturing the soul of Detroit -the city that's had such a profound effect on him

DETROIT SWINDLE
Ouch that's HOT! Bring it on.
KRISTIAN RAEDLE/ INNERVISIONS
Yes please. Very nice.
AYBEE
Fanatastic Work Monty!!
ASHLEY BEEDLE
Thanks for sending over the Monty Luke album to listen too. It's a great
contemporary album with of course Detroit running through it's veins! It
really pulls you in and I think the arrangements and productions are great.
Fave tracks are City Lights, Roja, Willie Maze and Block Is Hot.
LAURENT GARNIER
Oh yes..This is so elegant and sexy. Love it Would love to play it
OSUNLADE
This one is a guilty pleasure vibe..hate that I love every song equally

The second of March's PY LPs is one the label has been eager to unleash for what seems an age. The killer new full length from ace experimental electronic musician Bernard Grancher. Coming to the attention of the label via his last record on ERR.REC; PY is mining much of this current wave of incredible French electronic music (as previous releases by Dialectric, Alexandre Bazin, (Arc en) Ogive and the mighty Cite Lumiere attest to) and is in hindsight, somewhat an extension of label head Dom's own record buying and digging habits just now (70s French synth LPs featuring heavily in his Utrecht fair baggage twice yearly!)

Grancher himself began his 'career' as a somewhat under the radar, host / director of 'mostly forbidden' radio programmes, where in Bernard's own words, he created 'incongruous sound collages, that gradually slip towards noisy or disturbing sounds intended to replace the music of others', within its broadcasts'. Then, armed with a large accumulation of 'machines I found at low prices, with an unknowing of quite how they function' he sought the help of friends Yan Hart-Lemonnier and Eric Lumbleau (from the hugely respected 'Mutant Sounds' blog, and his project Vas Deferens Organazation).

Then, having released what he describes as two 'rather talkative' LPs by taking again 'the concept of it's emissions: Hallucinatory slogans and Electro punk', Grancher, then released with ERR.REC, leading in turn to the PY full length here.

A fabulous LP hugely recommended to all kraut heads, experimental electronic sound collages, motorik grooves and minimal synth all figure strongly. To use one final quote from Grancher; 'Abandon any idea of listening comfort; this record leads you into a dangerous race that will be impossible to jump on'.

300 copies on vinyl only, released 2nd week of March.

Imagine if you could put together a dream line-up of MCs and producers from all four corners of the rap world
That's what artist and illustrator Gangster Doodles set out to do when he put together a stellar collection of tracks by the rappers and talent that inspire his work.

The all-star line-up features everyone from hotly-tipped emerging producers like Eets, Caleb Stone, Maze Mountain and LoVibe next to underground perennials like Onra, Mndsgn and Jon Wayne all the way up to top flight producer Kaytranada and established rap vets like Madlib, Oh No, Blu and Defari.

This second collaboration between All City Records and Gangster Doodles is a jam-packed sonic adventure featuring 27 killer tracks from some of the finest creators out there. Doodles had the idea for a comp two years ago. Hyped after partnering with All City for Knxwledge's "Wraptaypes" project back in 2015, they initially set out to put together an EP but as the tracks kept coming in it exploded into the sprawling double LP of low-slung grooves and bangers from the best in the business.

With everyone on the record being a friend or friend of a friend, the comp just kept growing as GD went to work with the hustle he has learned from penning his post-it sketches day in day out for the last decade.
Word spread fast and soon he was being sent beats from all over, even reaching behind the prison walls of Bergen County Jail, New Jersey and securing a track from former Dipset affiliate Max B.

The last few years have been busy for Marlon "Gangster Doodles" Sassy. He released his acclaimed Gangster Doodles (The Book) alongside an ever-expanding array of prints, original works, apparel and exhibitions across the globe. Topping that off with animation projects, a graphic novel in the works and now, with this LP titled " Gang$ter Music Vol 1", he is about to debut his first ever music compilation.
He says himself: 'Every time a new track came in it was like running down the stairs on Christmas morning to open a present. What started as a slow trickle of work coming in soon turned into a tsunami with some of my heroes like Onra, House Shoes, Blu, Jeremiah Jae joining up with young guns Kojaque, Kean Kavanagh, Dream Panther and others to beef up the record'

'When an email pinged through with a track from brothers Oh No and Madlib it felt like the final gift and Gang$ter Music Vol. 1 was complete.'

Khaliphonic 11 Is A Truly Epic Release From One Of Our Most Prolific Artists, Brendon Moeller Aka Echologist, Aka Beat Pharmacy. In Just The Last Two Years, Moeller Has Released On Labels As Varied As Echocord, Silent Season, Kynant, And Rohs!, To Name Only The Most Well-known. Recognized Globally For A Singularly Organic And Dubwise Approach To Techno, We Are Proud To Have A Close Working Relationship With An Artist Who Coaxes Humanity And Warmth From Machines Like Few Others. The Dub Purpose Ep Is One Of His Finest Achievements.

As We Planned A Third Zamzam Release From Our Favorite Well Of Hardware Sonics, Four Tracks Emerged As Comprising A Set That Simply Did Not Want To Be Separated. The Four Tunes That Make Up This Ep Felt Like Chapters In A Single Gorgeous Narrative, And So A 12' Was Born.

We Asked Brendon How Dub Influences His Process, And What This Ep Specifically Is About. He Replied:

"dub Facilitates Whatever Vision I Have With Music, Which Is One Of The Reasons I Incorporate A Dub Approach In Everything I Do. Whether Infusing Nyabinghi Rhythms With Epic Strings, Roots Dub With Industrial Dread Or Grungy Modular Antics With Stepping Vibes, Dub Is The Glue That Keeps It Together. The Inspiration Behind These Tracks Are On-u Sound, Wordsound And Bill Laswell, Travellers Who Understood The Possibilities Of Dub."

The Dub Purpose Ep Does In Four Tunes What Many Lps Struggle To Do In Eight - It Builds A Cohesive Narrative Arc That Moves From Menace, To Exploration, Through Mystery, Closing With Beauty. And Just Wait Til You Hear It On A Proper Sound...

Mastered By Sam Precise.

Esencia is proud to present Forgotten Ones, the new album from London based quintet Culross Close. The album opens with 'Fractured', a cosmic musing carried delicately by electric piano and decorated with a synthesized dalliance. The album then cruises into 'Forgotten Ones', a spiritual made potent by their choral-esque vocals by far their most accomplished piece to date.

'Acceptance' finds the quintet in familiar hip-hop territory, carving out a top tier groove with a recurring piano motif of the highest order. Their vocals, this time more chant than choral makes for a brilliant 5-minute mantra.

'Mood' is a stark contrast to anything else on the album, an acidic and rugged illustration of the group's present state. 'The Tiniest Lights Still Shine' is a syncopated excursion in 5/4 time. With an electrifying percussion solo, this will be the song that finds its way onto the dance-floor. 'Healing' is a percussion heavy journey, draped in synthesizers and style, embodying elements of 70's fusion and bossa-nova, a perfect closer to the album.

1 x LP Full Colour Sleeve, shrinkwrapped

Bakk Heia Records has evolved as an extension of Manchester based club night Bakk.Heia (Back Here).
The label mirrors the party's ethos: blurring the lines between ambient drones, performance, abstraction, hedonism, and dance music.

Johnny Phethean aka Schuttle, born in Newcastle and now based in Manchester, heads up Bakk Heia's debut offering with a 4-track EP, following a 6-track cassette released through London/Paris label Panatype, which ranked highly in Boomkat's ambient charts and received a sterling review from Resident Advisor.

The A side starts with the fractured and angular expanse of 'Grade 1', which gives way to the meditative percussion of 'Speke'.
Over on the B, 'Utensil' delivers a club focused acidic tonker, with 'Grade 2' providing the gentle reprise.

Schuttle's music is as much built for the dance floor as it is shaped for the introspective listener - raw and tender in equal measure.

Kosmo Sound's new single 'ILAM' comes with heavyweight bass lines, Tuareg inspired guitar riffs and Moroccan percussive elements. On the B-side there is a Special Dub mix by Daniel Boyle (Lee Perry, Max Romeo)

Formed in Ghent in 2016, Kosmo Sound mixes tight dub grooves with jazzy guitar and storytelling saxophone melodies, yielding an organic dance-oriented dub experience. Members have been active in Belgian avant-garde acts such as Madame Blavatsky, Nordmann and Pura Vida among many others; their self-titled debut EP was released last year on Zephyrus Records.

Unprofessional's Debut Featuring Four Unrelenting Tracks That Echo The Golden Years Of Italy's, Everything Goes, Rave Heyday. Her Tracks In This Release Are Characterized By Epic Synths, Jacking Hi-hats, And Lo-fi Hip-hop Style Sampling. Beyond Musical Characteristics, A Fantastical Sense Of Humor Pervades The Release With Self-conscious Samples Embedded In Many Of The Tracks And Overtly In Titles Like civilization At The Bio Store' Or grand Unified Theory.' Before This Release, She Has Been Performing Live The Darker Corners Of Europe's Electronic Music Scene. In The Last Year She Has Been Featured In The Mixes Of Alienata (killekill), Bill Kouligas (pan) Or Pure (praxis Records, Aufnahme + Wiedergabe).
Unprofessional Herself Comes From A Small Town On The East-coast Of Italy. She Began Producing In Her Early 20s In Milan Before She Moved To Berlin And Began Organizing Small Uncompromising Local Parties, Which Featured A Pretty Disparate Group Of Musicians.-
Mastered By Mike Grinser (d&m)
Artwork: Bartosz Zaskorski
Design: Teo Schifferli

Man Power's Me Me Me signs up long-time friend Ian Blevins for his long overdue label debut. Blevins's originals are backed by stellar remixes from Austin Ato and Kiwi.

Blevins hails from the North East of England and has released on ESP Institute, Futureboogie, Not An Animal and Culprit. The prolific producer was a long time resident of the legendary We Love Space in Ibiza and is an enduring favourite on the UK scene with plenty of musical tricks up his sleeves.

'Both tracks on offer showcase the mongrel sound that I hear coming out of the North East region,' Says Man Power. 'Partly tough, partly playful, not simply techno, not simply house, and certainly nowhere near the most common contraction of the two words.'

Innovative opener 'The Serpent' is a suitably snaking, slithering groove with acid twitches, rubbery drums and raw percussive energy. It pings about in dynamic fashion and really keeps you on edge. First up to remix, Austin Ato makes his return to the label after his huge 'The Sound Of' EP in summer 2018 and gives further credence to Man Power's suspicion of his impending super stardom. He takes the 'The Serpent' on a luscious and deep trajectory that would make Larry Heard proud.

The second standout original is 'Unse', a dark stomper with cosmic rays that strike right to the heart of the dance floor. It's menacing and absorbing music that is steely and unlike anything else. To remix is 17 Steps regular Kiwi, who is responsible for two of Man Power's favourite tracks of 2018. Here he continues his run of astounding form while taking 'Unse' in a tougher and more robust direction that will really make you sweat.

As ever this is a brilliant and stylistically diverse package from Me Me Me.

PAUL LABRECQUE (SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN) and GHAZI BARAKAT (PHAROAH CHROMIUM) present two epic cosmic, dystopian tracks where guitars, synths and traditional instruments blend into an anarchic sound system.

After excessive years in rock bands like THE GOLDEN SHOWERS or his solo project BOY FROM BRAZIL, time had come for the German-Palestinian artist GHAZI BARAKAT to develop a new aesthetic - the birth of his alias PHAROAH CHROMIUM where BARAKAT creates "meta-music for meta-people in a meta-world", or in other words:a mutoid blend of post-krautrock, psychedelism, free jazz, ancient rituals, science fiction and electronics. So far the Berlin based sonic performer released a couple of solo albums on labels like GRAUTAG or TAPEWORM and a triple LP with krautrock legend GÜNTER SCHICKERT. For his latest output he decided to simply use his civilian name BARAKAT, as does PAUL LaBRECQUE (SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN) who contributesguitar and synthesizer to the two side-long tracks. "Jajouka Pipe Dream" is a clear reference to the MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA, with lots of flutes and percussion, a very rhythmical, ritualistic track, while "Planet R-101" turns out a spacey trip with elements of krautrock and Kosmische Musik / Berliner Schule.

What may sound contradictionary on paper functions perfectly on LP - freeform / free-floating music, absorbing and integrating a wide range of influences and inspirations, sounds and styles - and highly psychedelic!

Credits:

Ghazi Barakat: guembri, moog synthesizer, beats, Rauschpfeife

Paul LaBrecque: guitar, synthesizer

Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin

Artwork + photography: Nicolas Moulin

The 45 of Everyday People - World full of people is well known on the modern soul and funk scene and it relatively easy to find a copy for maybe 500 pounds. What was always less well known was that there was also an LP by the same band but labels as People Pleasure. I first came across this LP in Turku, Finland in the early 2000s when at the house of DJ and Collector Felix Manell who pulled a pile of rare and interesting bits that day. I did not really appreciate the true rarity until trying to source my own copy. The next copy I saw was in Japan in 2004 but was not going anywhere. Roll on 15 years, Russell Paine, collector, DJ and super record researcher called me saying he had finally unravelled the mystery and was talking to Bill brown & Al Hall Jr. Russel sets himself the hard task of only putting out unreleased material on his own label so we also work together on LPs and Singles on Athens of the North. After we managed to clear the rights the final hurdle was finding a clean copy, not an easy task. After asking loads of deep collectors, Zaf put me onto DJ Nick the Record who very kindly lent me his minty personal copy, a huge favour considering how rare this record is, almost impossible to replace. So we mastered from the vinyl (no tapes exist) and while it still sound pretty raw it is twice as good as the O.G. Been a long time coming.

Acclaimed UK producer, Cella Records label operator, and swiftly aspiring talent Turner has already stirred up the scene with quality shells more than once with his own acclaimed productions, receiving air-play from venerated key figures such as Mala or Youngsta. Laying down the law for its first three releases, it's time to showcase his undoubtedly equally effective A&R skill - welcoming none other than the Rochdale-based artist duo BFM (Bloodklart Fiyah Mandem) to the label roster. Consisting of JFO and Sativa, their collaborative output cuts through the noise - support from the likes of Grime veteran Slimzee and physical releases via Glassy Records and Hooded Up. Now stepping back on the controls to set the new year ablaze in style, BFM delivers a total of four extensively weighty cuts for Cella's fourth vinyl release. As the needle picks up the records' first grooves, 'Magic Carpet' sets path on a ride into a distant and barren territory - at once being enamored by its contemplative atmosphere. Unraveling its dynamic interplay of sound and silence, the authentic old-school instrumentation and lavishly saturated low-frequency surges keep us coming back for more. Catching a swift breath, 'Niyaz' lures us into spheres of droning reverberations - phasing in and out amidst vigorous square-wave leads and meticulously crafted foley effects - conveying its story with full force on a minimal platter. No exception to the rule, 'Shade Riddim' conjures another isomere of their signature ambience - wailing voices, enigmatic strings leading the way through dimly lit, high-pressure alleys. Droning along as conclusive proof of this releases' unquestionable intensity, 'Limitless' wraps up the madness - delivering a fourth, flawlessly executed bass-weight meditation. Timeless music on a twelve-inch platter.

Patrick Topping has announced that he will be launching his own record label, TRICK , a home for Patrick to exhibit his versatility as a producer, as well as a platform to showcase the wealth of the emerging talent which he has been pushing in his DJ sets.

Packed with three original tracks from Patrick, the EP-titled 'Watch What Ya Doing ' comes with the launch of his label TRICK and as a much anticipated follow up to the late 2017 Hot Creations smash 'Be Sharp Say Nowt', which continued to dominate throughout 2018. A year which proved another hugely successful one for the UK producer who was called on for the remix duties for Calvin Harris and added Music Radar 's ' Best House Producer/DJ 2018' ' and his third DJ Award for Tech House Artist to his list of accolade that include his DJ Mag ' Best of British ' award and reaching number 11 in Resident Advisor 's 2016 top DJs poll.

This debut release on TRICK showcases a change in sound from the acclaimed artist and an evolution of Patrick 's ever-maturing style. The British DJ displays a new style as a producer, one which has always been a part of his genre-hopping DJ sets, but for the first time as a producer, Patrick delivered an EP packed with darker techno undertones and raw influences.

The imprint's launch follows the British producer's sell-out headline shows at Manchester Academy, two consecutive nights Dublin's District 8, London institution fabric, his very own takeover at The Warehouse Project and as far as Melbourne's huge Shed 14 . Entering a refined and developed chapter of his career, the announcement follows Patrick' s Boxing Day set at Digital, Newcastle , the last ever party in his acclaimed Motion event series, with the UK producer looking to support and nurture emerging talent in future via the launch of ' TRICK.'

Nyami Nyami Records present a lost piece of Zimbabwean musical history: the only album from local legends the New Tutenkhamen, combining Jazz, Soul, Folk and Township rhythms. There are only 2 known copies of the original LP - this reissues make the music available again for the first time in over 40 years.

The New Tutenkhamen included many stars of Zimbabwean township music: Elisha Josamu was an alumnus of the fabulously-named Hallelujah Chicken Run Band (alongside Thomas Mapfumo), and Green Jangano's long-running Harare Mambos, and would later form Two Plus Two with bassist Christopher 'Chex' Tavengwa. Jethro Shasha played the drums, and would arguably become the New Tutenkhamen's most famous export, making continental waves working with likes of Salif Keita. Paul Sekerani played the rhythm guitar, with Amos Chatyoka on the organ, while the enigmatic Maggie Mbuli provided vocals and F. Manda played the sax.I WISH YOU WERE MINE was recorded at Teal Records and was produced by Crispen Matema, a talented jazz drummer in his own right who had played drums on the all-time classic 'Skokiaan', and had backed Louis Armstrong on his 1960 Rhodesia visit. Combining the heavyweight producing talents of Matema and the writing chops of Josamu, the New Tutenkhamen band created an album showcasing various musical styles popular at the time.

From the afro-jazz jam session aesthetics of 'Tutenkhamen Theme', 'Big Brother Malcom' and 'Forever Together', to the almost Van Morrison-sounding 'Sunday Morning'; from the upbeat rock ballad 'True Love', to the funk-infused dance song 'Togetherness'; from the bouncy jazz exhortations to work hard in 'Ane Nungo', to the brassy, raunchy foot-stomper 'Me & Dolly'. The title track 'I Wish You Were Mine' is a ska-infused ballad that wouldn't be out of place in post-war Birmingham, while the star of the show is 'Joburg Bound', itself a fast-paced rock piece with Motown undertones and funky guitar lines.

It is time for the fifth release of Discos Nutabe, the creator of the three tracks that make up "Niebla" is Lunate, a Bogota born and raised, who in this decade has been the emerging producers that the city has given moving in artistic circles where it reigns self-management.

Discos Nutabe returns to the House with Lunate, this is how he feels Bogotá, where he dedicates this complete EP to his city.

"A La Sombra de los Cerros" is the first track, composed with a jam of synthesizers and rhythm machines where Lunate evokes certain nuances of the past, as a tribute to his life as an artist in the great city of Colombia.

"Bogotá Adentro" is based on the narrative of the book "Toño Ciruelo" by Evelio Rosero, who describes the diverse reality of a city like Bogotá, city of brutal contrasts. Lunate describes this track as an ocean of sensations, a markedly atmospheric and serene track, a mental interlude for the dance floor.

"Luz de Domingo" marks acid and atmospheric textures where Lunate wants to reflect the calm of Sunday in the big city. A breath, a recharge, a change of reality, a truce agreed by the city and the calendar before the incessant evolution of the frantic days that follow.

April 2017, Osaka, Sakura, the beautiful time of the cherry blossom. We quickly get a warm coffee from the drinks vendor down the street, then off to Kabamix' LMD studio downtown. Time is short, the off-days are counted on tour. As the year before at the SVS label camp in Budapest, we stick to the plan: one track a day. This time we have guests! Marimari, Arihirua and Ryoko epitomize the perfect antipodes to the lonesome samurai on his white horse (Shiroi Uma) we had in mind on our first EP (SVS010). Everything flows, everything is improvised, the music itself is the place where we meet, no much talking about what´s happening, we just carry on doing the thing. The studio of Kabamix, longtime soundengineer of Haruomi Hosono, has built up over many years, it´s a hoard of like-minded people. Gekko No Odoriko translates to 'Moonshine Dancer'. The rhythm, as usual a driving force in our music, is converting every listener unwillingly into a squirrelly moving dancer. Heavy, yes, bassy, yes, yet never isolated drums build the foundation of the beatgrid as well as the arrangement. With an ascending condensation of musical events, the track enfolds it´s physical energy vertically and horizontally. And just as the spacey synth enters the track, Mari Mari has entered the studio, a Korg Prophecy under her arm, straight into the recording cabin, recording 'it'. Vocals by Ryoko aka Mt.Chills and us happy bunch. Holy Water: Visiting the holy mountain near Nara national park, the impossible seemed so simple: capturing water. An old man mumbling on the floor next to the entrance, little volvic bottles making their rounds to this special zone, bamboo growing high all over the place, deers walking close by as if there was no distinction between us living beings.

Following 1 or 2 small run / mailorder lathe cuts, Polytechnic Youth follow it's hugely successful 'Popcorn Lung' label compilation LP, with it's first full length of the new year, and man... this one is just wonderful! A mighty record to kick off what promises to be another hugely productive, constantly busy year for the Crouch End based synth label.

PY often likes to quote the artist directly in it's press releases, and this one is no exception. Gabe's own words, more than adequately explaining the path leading to this killer set for 2019; 'It feels a little ridiculous to pretend that the person introducing you to Gabe Knox is some kind of bigwig press agent and not just Gabe Knox himself, so let me, Gabe Knox, tell you a little about myself in that hopes that you'll give my music a listen.

In 2014, after years of moderate success as a local musician and club DJ in Toronto, Canada, I looked at my collection of barely functioning analogue synths and drum machines and said to myself 'Instead of trying to unsuccessfully make music you think other people will like, why don't you make something that you'd actually want to listen to for once' I wanted to make music that had the drive shaft of Neu!, the punishing low end of King Tubby, the interleaved melodic lines of Vince Clarke, the melancholic, otherworldly whimsy of Raymond Scott and Delia Derbyshire, the hypnotic drone of Spacemen 3, and the analogue intimacy of Le Car. I wanted to bring the euphoria and hypnosis of dance music to the rock kids, and the energy and excitement of rock music to the dance kids.

This was going to be a tough sell in the clique-y Toronto music scene, so I figured the best way to get the music out there would be by recording when I can and self-releasing a steady stream of EPs online. They would all be a series, a snapshot of the evolution of that initial idea. ABC represents a compilation of the best songs of the first three EPs, subtly remixed and remastered to best suit vinyl. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it.'

This really is a remarkable record. Displaying all the PY traits of icy cool blasts of minimal synth, motorik grooves, melodic pop via passing nods to early mute and sky records. Never before did label head Dom think he'd get the chance to namecheck 2 musical heroes from wildly differing poles -Vince Clarke and Spacemen 3- into one LP PR sheet, so he's understandably excited for this one's release!

250 copies on yellow wax in hand numbered, reverse board sleeves. Sure to go real quick....

I was thrilled when Joe Goddard asked if he could make an EP for the label and were even more thrilled when I heard it. The fact that he roped in the legendary Kool Keith to appear on one track just kept on bringing the thrills.

Here are some lovely words from Joe about this release - 'It's an honour to release some music for this label. I feel that due to the ravages of unrestrained and brutal capitalism, people across the world are finding life particularly difficult right now- both economically and emotionally. Capitalism is an insidious and elusive enemy and many people are currently turning to intolerance and hatred instead of recognising that at these times what we really should attempt to do is love and respect each other as much as possible. Therefore I support Keith's efforts wholeheartedly, and on a personal level I couldn't think of a nicer or more talented person to release an EP with.'

AF Trax's message is very simple. The far right ultimately wish for the destruction of our way of life and indeed the lives of many of the people we love. The message is love. The message is solidarity. The message is No Pasaran - They shall not pass. It is a call to stand together, it is a call to stand up, it is a call to ACT. Individually we may be powerless, but together we are strong.

If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!

For the second release on Futurepast, MGUN aka Manuel Gonzales offers a fresh take on his Detroit roots with three tracks that escape the usual categories. No two subsequent bars are identical, simultaneously reflecting and satisfying our curiosity. Gritty drums and panned-out synth sequences in 'The Nerve' result in a suspenseful yet unmistakably energizing step. 'Snap In', with its funky, reverb-soaked highs and hefty breakbeat, demonstrates MGUN's talent for folding in his electro and hip-hop influences. 'Intent' recalls a dreamy, vintage slideshow projector, misplaced memories lining up in a heartfelt procession. Each track taps into an elemental feeling within, fitting snugly into Futurepast's time-traveling vision.

Hip hop/rap/producer/songwriter released his second Columbia album on CD in January 2019 - this is the double LP format of the same album. Recent collaborators have included Drake, Metro Boomin, Young Thug, Gucci Mane and the recent massive hit "Rockstar" with Post Malone. Specialist music press coverage, with ads, features & reviews. Online/social media activity. Video plays across MTV/Vevo. Profile across streaming platforms. Poster campaign.

Mana Can Be Understood As A Powerful, Often Magical, Force Contained Within Objects. As These Objects Get Passed From One To Another, In A Cycle Of Gifting, They Retain The Spirit Of The Giver And Propel Themselves Onto The Next Recipient, Weaving A Network Of Social Bonds. In This Light, Mana Describes The Coming Together Of This Mixtape. The Exchanging Of Avant-garde, Traditional And Electronic Music--old And New--between Andrea Zarza, Curator At The British Library Sound Archive, And Matthew Kent, Founder Of Blowing Up The Workshop, Is What Makes Up The Language And Landscape Of Mana The Record Label, And Its Subsequent Arrival On A Cassette Tape For Queeste, Before Being Sent Onwards, As Our Gift To Listeners. Limited Edition Cassette Tape. Jelly Yellow Colorway. Comes In Resealable Bag With A5 Postcard Designed By Fallon Does And Mana X Queeste Sticker.

Emotional Rescue is delighted to present the first of two EPs from British '80s band Furniture, starting with their much sought-after, six-song "mini-album" - as they were known then - which has recently been rediscovered by a new generation of DJs and collectors. "Transatlantic Cable" compares the cliches of a certain type of American romance - Bogart, Sinatra, Dean - to the reality of life in West London. "They're On Me" is probably one of very few pop songs to feature double bass and the word "newsagent", while "Robert Nightman's Story" is powered by a riff on marimba and abrasive rhythm guitar.
"I Miss You", a torch song so good you'd think Julie London might have cut it. A highlight for many is "Why Are We In Love". This track is a key reason for the revival of interest in the band, with pattering rhythm part and the sweet clarinet melody, creating an atmosphere that has attracted a following among discerning DJs. "A Letter To Myself" introduced the band's new, expanded line-up adding Sally Still (bass, vocals) and Maya Gilder (keyboards), which would endure until the band stopped in 1990.

Line Explorations present its first release - a compilation consisting of six tracks by six national artists, producing under the names of T'iwu, HTL, PX, emme, AMSH and Mensaje Sanador, serving as a sampler for what's to come in the future on the label and the sounds the label will evoke such as techno, IDM, ambient, noise, drone and experimental vibrations from the further avant-garde,

The first track focuses on growing an organic and everyday sonic scape with the use of chords and melodies filled with light touch - reminiscent of clear skies and sunshine - which creates an ambient feel similar to that of daily vibrations of life as presented and explored by T'iwu.

HTL enhances the depth of the reflections of today's emotions one can feel by delving deeper into everyday surroundings and exploring the noise/drone side of the ambient musical styles by mixing melodic elements with the out of the ordinary effects which shock and ululate while shaping the musical texture into a darker and deeper atmosphere.

The following track, by PX, elevates the atmosphere into a more jovial soundscape full of '80's inspired electronica and sci-fi soundtracks. The beat rolls off and twists in a funky groove helping develop a danceable pace for the release.

On top of that, emme presents the fourth track - in the shape of techno meets breaks - where more classical elements of industrially influenced electronic music can be traced from yesteryears. The sounds engulf in warmly distorted melodic strings while flowing over and under the rhythmic structure.

In contrast, AMSH's ''Subway'' presents a downpour of heavy sounds, such as noise influenced synths and delayed infected percussion, along with field recording of trains help envision the movement of a manmade machine and its flow through the undergrounds of today's world.

The final piece, of the label's initial release, comes in the shape of a Mensaje Sanador or healing message. The track takes on the elements of the three titles that have preceded it and explores further the dynamics between current and classical sounds of the electronic dance music genres by delving deeper into sound synthesis, melodies and rhythm as to help one submerge further into exploring such sounds, their history and the future to come.

In 1997 legendary producer Orlando Voorn delivered two tracks for the Get Lost and Past-Present+Future compilations, as well as the idea of a full length album for his Ultra moniker. This was completed in 1998 shortly before the initial shutdown of Multiplex. Some tracks were scattered onto other releases, but this Planet Ultra EP is compiled of five previously unreleased compositions from the Multiplex album of the same name, plus the Barwork track - finally on vinyl after more than twenty years.

DJing since at the age of 12, he won the Dutch DMC championships in '86. Going on to produce a multitude of club bangers since the early 90's. Spanning many genres, his short lived Ultra alias was reserved for a deep electro vibe.

On ice for two decade these classic electro tracks reference the early UK breakbeat of the 90's as well as the obvious sci-fi connection. To that effect we kick off with "Teflon" and "Plasma", followed by the funky "In The Galaxy" which adds a touch of Herbie Hancock. On the flip side "Ultra Light" evolves to an all-encompassing, atmospheric trip, before the deep "Barwork" and finally "Open".

The Conspiracy Hailed From Mount Pleasant, A College Town In The Center Of Michigan. Originally Formed As The Allusions, They Became Nino & The Nomads Before Changing Their Name To The Conspiracy In 1966. For The Next Few Years The Group Stayed Busy On The Live Circuit. "we Were Booked All Over The State," Remembers Singer Aquilino Soriano. "every Weekend We'd Be Somewhere. We Were About Two And A Half Hours From Detroit, So We'd Go Down South, We'd Go Up North, We'd Go Everywhere. There Was This Network Of Teen Clubs Where Kids Didn't Have To Be 21 And Everybody Could Go. It Was Fantastic." In 1967 The Group Had What Aquilino Describes As "probably Our Apex Moment". Kustom Amplifiers Sponsored A Statewide Battle Of The Bands Tournament, And The Conspiracy Battled Through Several Rounds Of Competition To Make It All The Way To The Finals In Saginaw. "it Was A Statewide Thing That Culminated There," Remembers Aquilino. "question Mark & The Mysterians And A Couple Of Others That Were Notables Were Also In It - And We Won It! We Got Our Award From Bob Seger." The Prize Was Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Gigs And A Tuck And Roll Kustom Pa System, Which The Band Put To Use As They Moved Forward Into 1968, Brimming With Confidence. A Roving Capitol A&r Man Caught Their Show In Cadillac, Michigan, And Encouraged Them To Write Some Original Songs And Go Into The Studio. So In 1968 That's What They Did. `dream World' And `with You' Were Recorded At A Studio In Grand Rapids And The Session Turned Out Exceptionally Well. "it Just Floored Me That We Didn't Sit Down And Write Some More Songs," Says Aquilino, "because I Thought We Did A Pretty Good Job." `dream World' Is Particularly Great With A Soulful Lead Vocal, An Insistent Fuzz Guitar Line, Waves Of Hammond Organ, A Catchy, Harmonized Chorus And An Insistent Dance Groove. Shades Of The Doors, The Young Rascals, The Blues Magoos And Src. A Mixdown Of The Tape Was Forwarded To Their Contact At Capitol Records, But Ultimately No Deal Was Signed. "we Were Just Starting To Separate From High School," Remembers Aquilino. "it Was The Start Of That Transition. I Was Class Of '67, They Were Class Of `68. There Was The War In Vietnam. You Could Go To College To Avoid The Draft. It Was A Lot Of Decisions And I Guess What Happened Is Nothing Really Happened From Us Recording. I Mean They Liked It, They Made Us An Offer, But I Think That The Parents Weren't Really Happy With That. I Think That There Was Some Dissent In The Band Too." The Conspiracy Broke Up In Early 1969 And The Tape Of The Only Original Songs They Ever Played Remained Unreleased And Unheard Until 2018, When Soriano Brought The Original 1" 8-track Session Tape Into Earthling Studios In El Cajon, California, Where It Was Mixed And Mastered By Mike Kamoo For This Release. "getting This Out On Vinyl - It's What We Dreamed Of!" Aquilino Grins. "even If It Took Fifty Years To Happen!" Mike Stax

Alt. folker Will Oldham - better known as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - is set to drop a joint record with gently psychedelic crew Trembling Bells

Just four years after their debut album Carbeth, Trembling Bells are amassing a formidable body of work at a startling velocity. Just twelve months after the release of their critically acclaimed third album The Constant Pageant, the Glasgow quartet return to share the billing with a similarly restless creative spirit. A few thousand miles separate Will Oldham and Trembling Bells' drummer and principal songwriter Alex Neilson, but their stories intersect as far back as 2005, when the young Leeds-raised Neilson found himself playing drums on Alasdair Roberts' No Earthly Man, with Oldham producing. In time, a friendship between mentor and student became one between two kindred musicians. Neilson augmented his work with free-psych-drone practitioners Directing Hand by playing with the Bonnie 'Prince' Billy band. The drummer's eagerness to experience new epiphanies yielded unforgettable memories. In Big Sur, he recalls, 'we took mushrooms at midnight, then visited a natural hot spring built into the dramatic cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The stars were as vivid as frozen fireworks.' All of which is worth dwelling on, because without that background of mutual openness and empathy, it's hard to imagine The Marble Downs existing.

Neilson recalls a conversation about a 'collaboration' in the summer of 2010, though stresses that it 'was nothing too formal at first'. By the end of that year, a limited-edition seven-inch New Year's Eve Is The Loneliest Night of the Year showed what an inspired match the vocals of Trembling Bells singer Lavinia Blackwall and Will Oldham made. The cut-glass precision of the classically-trained student of medieval music and the worldly, careworn tones of Oldham created an unlikely chemistry. It must have seemed that way to Neilson too. He set about assembling a cache of songs with the purpose of further harnessing that chemistry. The result is an album that has, once again, redrafted the boundaries of what Trembling Bells can achieve together. Indeed, genre-lines aren't terribly helpful this time around. Yes, Trembling Bells' love affair with traditional music remains a constant — most emphatically so on the unaccompanied Blackwall/Oldham two-hander, My Husband's Got No Courage In Him. Then there is Blackwall's musical setting of Dorothy Parker's poem Excursion Into Assonance — and the thorough-going new-found classicism of Neilson's increasingly assured songwriting. Albeit delivered with Trembling Bells' rain-lashed sense of abandon, Love Is A Velvet Noose sounds like a standard of sorts — a warped consequence of Neilson's increasing fascination with the songbooks of Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael. 'I'm not saying I stand any chance of emulating them,' he adds, 'but the appreciation is definitely there.'

The knowledge that Oldham and Blackwall would be sharing centre-stage on The Marble Downs gave Neilson extra impetus to flex his songwriting muscles. I Can Tell You're Leaving finds both vocalists on irresistible form, dissecting their dying relationship with no heed to the other's feelings. 'You treat me like a child,' sings Oldham. 'I need a man,' she responds, barely catching breath. 'Now like Merle Haggard, you'll see the fighting side of me,' he later promises. 'I guess that's one of the lighter moments on the album,' ponders Neilson, 'I was trying to get a Planet Waves-era Bob Dylan feel there, with the piano and walking bassline.'

Here and elsewhere, the band — Blackwall, Neilson, bassist Simon Shaw and guitarist Mike Hastings — has never sounded more psychically attuned to one-other. On the slow-reveal sonic establishing shot of I Made A Date (With An Open Vein), two minutes of manic modal chaos elapses before Oldham takes the narrative reins of a majestic call-and-response folk-rock epic. The electrifying free-folk portent of Riding — a revival of the Palace Brothers classic — is no less compelling, calling to mind the words of broadcaster Stuart Maconie when he praised Trembling Bells for their ability to invoke simultaneously 'the charm of folk music and the power of rock.' Ditto Ain't Nothing Wrong With A Little Longing, in which Neilson slams down a four-to-the-floor beat over a synergy of demonic krautrock keys and a dialogue between Oldham and Blackwall that scales Nancy & Lee levels of romantic intrigue.

With nine songs gone and one remaining, the album's sonic undulations find an arresting denouement in the form of an inspired cover. Adapted from Robin Gibb's 1970 solo masterpiece Robin's Reign, Lord Bless All sees Trembling Bells tease out the hymnal qualities of Gibb's original with a slow volcanic upswell which — on four minutes — explodes into heavy psychedelic technicolour. What pleases Alex Neilson when he listens back is 'a sense of a common vocabulary and identity being forged.' If, by that, he means that there isn't another band on the planet that quite sounds like Trembling Bells, it would be hard to disagree. The evidence is right here.

'I didn't know anything about Trembling Bells. I just heard them and was knocked out. I instantly became a fan.' Paul Weller

'Trembling Bells are my kind of band.' Joe Boyd

"Jesus fucking shit! These jamz claw so hard at the tatties below methinks the Lord misnamed them, having intended to say Trembling BALLS." Will Oldham

'A poetic incantation of British identity far brighter than Michael Gove's GCSE syllabus.' Stewart Lee

'This time, I'm attempting to reclaim the art of songwriting from the charity shop bargain bin.' Alex Neilson

Introducing a new label, Koko Music, founded in West London by a long time friend of ours. Their first release:

'Allegedly Coltrane's favourite singer, Andy Bey recorded as vocalist for Max Roach ('Members, Don't Git Weary'), Horace Silver ('Won't You Open Up Your Senses'), Gary Bartz ('Celestial Blues') and Stanley Clarke in the late sixties / early seventies. He released one solo album and then disappeared from view for 20 years, resurfacing in the nineties.

This 1998 album showcases his four-octave range, the intimacy of love songs and raw power of the blues on a mixture of standards ('Pretty Girl', 'Some Other Time'), Latin ('O Cantador', 'Drume Negrita'), modern (Nick Drake's 'River Man'), and a couple of original tunes. Available for the first time on vinyl, cut at 45rpm, it features Andy on vocals and on piano, with appearances from Gary Bartz and Geri Allen.'

Third LP of Cabaret Contemporain, French band (featuring Fabrizio Rat on keys) who use acoustic instruments (piano, guitar, bass, drums, contrabass) to produce a « hand-crafted » club music infused with techno. Inspired by Jeff Mills, Robert Hood or Drexciya, the five members already had a career on classical scene; their idea is not to replay classical techno tunes but to create a new path for the electronic music. 2 tracks featuring with the label boss, Arnaud Rebotini.

« Ballaro », which opens Cabaret Contemporain's third album, begins with light percussions, which seem to turn on themselves, while being conveyed by reverberations close to dub. After a few minutes of convolutions, the piece gets out of hand, transporting the listener into a rich form of pulsating trance, irrigated by a soaring melody and punctuated by persistent piano tones. « La selva »; more subdued, has the same energy, the track ending in an even more powerful way, a kind of paroxysm.

Finally, the strangest and most minimal « Cactus », features a singular groove, which evokes the most brutal house from Chicago, or the sometimes obsessive techno from Detroit. Just like other tracks such as « Transistor » or « TGV », fuelled by sweat and trance, Séquence Collective bears all the intensity of a techno cut for clubs' dancefloors. The only difference being that their music is not played with synths, drum machines or software, but with acoustic instruments. Dual curriculum The band is composed of five musicians and a sound engineer: Fabrizio Rat on piano, Giani Caserotto on guitar, Julien Loutelier on drums, Ronan Courty and Simon Drappier on double bass and of course Pierre Favrez on console. They are all in their thirties and met at the prestigious Paris Conservatoire in the late 2000s. However, all the musicians in the band have a double curriculum and navigate freely between the institutional realm and the underground or pop music scenes. Through classical or contemporary music, jazz and improvisation, rock and experimentation, they share a common passion for the original and futuristic techno of the 1990s, that of Jeff Mills, Robert Hood or Drexciya, which they have decided to reinvent and further in their own way. Not as a simple stylistic exercise practiced by virtuoso musicians, but rather as a new path for modern music, and for their generation. « The original idea » they say, « was to make club music by hand, like craftsmen. Like in the early days of jazz, our band managed to transform itself into a kind of dancing machine. Our music is therefore functional because it is danceable, but also mental and abstract, while offering several layers of listening. You can dance and play, have a purely physical and sensory connection to the music. But you can also immerse yourself in its listening, perceive refined harmonies or more complex rhythmic superpositions »

If the tones of Cabaret Contemporain are truly unique it is because each member of the band has developed a very personal approach through the use ''prepared'' instruments. The strings of their piano, guitar or double bass may recall strange machines with literally incredible sounds, obtained using objects such as chopsticks, clothes pegs, foil, hangers, a tiny pie mould or many other utensils from a DIY store. A collective energy

Cabaret Contemporain is first and foremost a live band that has been performing in venues and festivals since its inception in 2012 (Nuits Sonores, Siestes Electroniques, L'Aéronef, Le Trabendo, Philharmonie de Paris, Gaîté Lyrique, Rewire, Dancity, Barcelona Accio Musical...), both at traditional jazz and contemporary music venues, and more often at electro music hubs. When facing the audience, the band, which plays each of its sets in one go, without a break, shows an intense physical presence, which competes with the musical power of DJs who share the stage with them. Their performance, full of tension and repetition, which requires maximum concentration and a state close to trance from the musicians, is sometimes, according to them, « a mental journey and a mystic experience ». A dimension that brings to mind the historical techno culture and its dancers who, communicating on the dancefloor, were carried until the early hours of the morning by the power of the beat. An album inspired by the stage Since their beginnings, their compositions on record have drawn their energy directly from the practice of their concerts, whether referring to Terry Riley (2014) or Moondog (2015), an EP and an album dedicated to the repertoire of the two American artists, the original compositions of Cabaret Contemporain (2016) and Satellite EP (2017), as well as this new album. Séquence collective can be listened to as a condensed transcription of their inventions and their live experiments. The tracks, more than half of which were improvised during sessions held in the former Vogue studios near Paris, were recorded in live conditions, « like an old school rock band » they say. As usual, they invited a new musician to join them in the studio. After collaborating with Étienne Jaumet or Château-Flight, Arnaud Rebotini, César winner for best film music, added a welcome synth touch on two tracks (Pro- One, Prophet 600), which boosted the group's formidable collective energy. The album ends with « October Glide », again performed with Rebotini, a lyrical and lively track, built on a powerful and slow progression of timbres and percussions, which would ideally find its place at the core of a techno party « peak time »