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Repressed and back in soon, note small price increase. Indie store Only Release. Limited Edition Yellow Vinyl LP With Red Streaks. The Dead boys hailed from Cleveland, Ohio and relocated to New York to become one of the first US punk bands. Originally signed to Sire Records, the Dead Boys were notorious for their edgy attitude and songs. After frequent shows at CBGB, the club owner of CBGB became their manager. The Dead Boys debut studio album - “Young, Loud and Snotty” was recorded and released in 1977 and quickly became one of the definitive US Punk Rock albums! Roling Stone - Best Top 10 Punk Albums of all time. Sourced from the original mater tapes. Pressed at RTI for Maximum Fidelity. Limited Edition Yellow Vinyl with Red Streeks. 9/10 - All Music Guide

Tape

You can’t keep a good thing down: 99 marks the triumphant and long overdue return of Matthew Edwards’ Rekid project. More than just Radio Slave records slowed down, his alter ego preferably ploughs the field between ambient excursions, downtempo hypnotism, sample sculptures and the general space in between raves.

Since its first appearance with the Lost Star EP for Classic in 2004 and the still breathtaking follow up Made In Menorca opus on Soul Jazz Records, Edwards firmly established himself as a producer of many, if not all trades. Thought of, produced and conceived during the first lockdown of 2020, 99 is conceptual (with the tempo firmly set at that tempo), concise (34 minutes and 34 seconds long) and content with exploring the possibilities of limitation (one track a day, live takes, no editing).

Without departing the original Rekid ethos of glacial music, it presents a modernized and contemporary version of IDM tropes, chill out topics and a capturing sound of mesmerizing materiality.

After a while, it all made sense to Edwards as one piece, was presented to Running Back, where the A& R department thought the same and is now available as a continuous cassette mix and a separated vinyl single album as well as for streaming and downloads.

Jeep music for ballet dancers.

Repressed for the first time in a while, note small price increase. Etta James historic live recording from 1963! On stellar Blue vinyl, with the original album artwork and including 3 bonus tracks. Best known for the lush 1961 rendition of the ballad “At Last” – a slow-dance staple at wedding celebrations everywhere, she is also celebrated for having recorded one of the best live albums of all time, “Rocks the House.” Recorded in 1963 at the New Era Club in Nashville, James is captured at her performance peak. The foundation for her reputation as a fiery no-holds-barred performer was firmly established in this recording. Blues, soul, jazz, R&B, and rock vocalist Etta James, needs no introduction. An icon from early rock’n’roll’s pantheon of divas, she has inspired 5 decades of listeners and fellow artists with her vocal stylings. From Janis Joplin to Beyonce, her expressive and guttural style has been imitated but never quite matched. Jackpot Records is honored to release this momentous record on stellar blue vinyl, with the original album artwork and including 3 bonus tracks which have only ever been released previously on CD. Her powerful version of “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” will shake you. Her impassioned version of “All I Could Do Is Cry,” will break you.

There is a tendency within modern electronica to pigeonhole and categorise, to package music into easily digestible formulae. In direct revolt comes Dutch artist Satori and his new album Dreamin’ Colours, released globally April 22nd, 2022, on renowned imprint Crosstown Rebels. Recorded at the esteemed Sonic Vista Studios in Ibiza, the nine-track LP has been greatly anticipated off the back of its proceeding’s singles: Yellow Blue Bus ft. Laska, Lalai ft. Ariana Vafadari and most recently Gin Song.

An ethereal, swirling body of work, Dreamin’ Colours is rich in texture, colour and imagination. Satori stretches himself out through languorous, mystical explorations of both the digital and the analogue elements of music, the result a beautifully conspired collection of world music, steeped in electronic and Balkan roots, and straddling a multitude of genres from blues and indie electronic to opera, folk and beyond.

Colourful Dream begins proceedings, taking the form of a gently-building opener. From the pluck of a guitar string to hypnotic flute-like elements, we soon arrive at the enchanting world of Lalai ft. Ariana Vafadari. Recorded in a four-hundred-year-old water well, it showcases the transcendent sound with which Satori has become best known, meandering through rustling hats and tribal-like drum patterns whilst the dulcet tones of Ariana shimmer softly throughout.

Tuti ft. Kalima takes on a harder edge, with gritty drum patterns opening into melancholic chords early on. Kalima’s vocals add an emotive touch to the piece, paving the way for Moj Dilbere: a euphoric cut that feels tribal and reflective in one.

We land at a similarly ethereal soundscape on The Gin Song ft. Mybaby, as star-like synths pulse alongside punchy percussion before Yellow Blue Bus ft. Laska takes its place. It begins with real-life ambience, made up of sounds recorded live in Ibiza as a bus passes and birds chirp merrily in the background. This swiftly gives way to a guitar-flecked bassline, opening neatly into the vocal offerings of both Satori and Laska.

Troublemaker ft. El Mundo retains an inherent melodic quality, progressing through poignant strings and whispering kick-hat combos. Powerful and poignant, the mesmeric sounds of Ora Dea and Moshe meander subtly into Lonely Boy (Redux) ft. Hugo Oak. The closing saga brings things to a wonderfully subdued finish, rounding off the album on a wholeheartedly calming note.

Although raised in the Netherlands, where commercial electronic music is of course king, on Dreamin’ Colours it is undeniably Satori’s Balkan heritage that layers his production with dreamy, ethereal, Eastern European influences. The album’s overriding voice lies in his exultant celebration of Eastern European music, weaving vibrant threads of its earthy, melodic, rhythmic sounds into his thick musical tapestry. Written during the pandemic and driven by the ache of separated love, the album is, Satori says, his most personal yet.

From holding down an eighteen-month residency at Heart, Ibiza to having nearly four-hundred-thousand listeners on Spotify each month, Satori is a truly worldwide artist in today’s electronic music scene. Having been championed by Damian Lazarus early on in his career, he has emerged as a must-see live act for fans from all corners of the globe. November 2021 marked the start of his USA tour, where his Maktub concept adorned some of the country’s most iconic clubbing institutions, whilst his discography speaks for itself, with a plethora of acclaimed releases on labels including Crosstown Rebels, Sol Selectas and DGTL Records to name a few. As Dreamin’ Colours introduces him to an ever-growing audience, Satori remains one of the most exhilarating, untamed and truly authentic forces in music.

We're all unabashed fans of Steely Dan so we take Steely Dan covers seriously. Mainly "why bother"? You can't improve on perfection right? However, when we heard Deep Heat's scintillating version of "Do It Again" we changed our minds. A totally brilliant funkier version of Steely Dan's first-ever hit which stands loud and proud in re-interpreting this classic song into something much more appropriate for today's more sophisticated dance-floors.

Originally released on the tiny Detroit label, Cu-Wu, original copies soon ran out. There is currently just one available in the entire world for $1000 and that'll be gone in a blink. The smart money says hold on for a mint reissue on the original label.

A great socially-conscious flip too, the uptempo funky "She's A Junky (Who's To Blame)". All in all, this is a killer double-sider and will also appeal to Steely Dan collectors and enthusiasts across the board. Expect strong demand. I mean who wouldn't want this within their collection? Absolute banger. Both sides!

One of the plus points of being in the reissue business, is that some records are easier to license then to try and find a copy of! Sky's The Limit's incredible "Don't Be Afraid" is a case in point.

Released on the tiny J.M.J. label in 1976, this was essentially a private pressing by the group and was more likely to have been given away at gigs rather than sold through record shops. It's incredibly rare - an original these days is around the £750-£800 mark and that's if you're lucky enough to see one. All for good reason though. "Don't Be Afraid" is a prime slice of vintage Jazz-Funk. The vocal side shows off Sky's The Limit's vocal prowess with gorgeous harmonies over an insistent groove.

However, the big attraction on this double-sider, is the incredibly hypnotic instrumental workout with a fantastic Patrick Adam's like free-form synth making the instrumental almost another song. One of the dreamiest Jazz-Funk instrumentals you'll ever hear. As per usual, this will be a very in-demand release from the word go. This can be played on progressive dancefloors everywhere and will almost certainly appeal to different crowds and audiences.

One of the releases we're really hyped about! This was Eunice Collins ONLY release EVER! Released on the tiny Mod-Art label from Chicago in 1974, the hypnotically alluring "At The Hotel" has finally emerged from the shadows over the last 10 years or so. In fact, it's a bona-fide cult classic now with no less than three recent samplings by Lion Babe, Alkalino and Flamingosis. We are proud to re-release this totally unique recording on the original Mod-Art imprint.

Also, worth checking is the out-of-this-world flute instrumental version on the flip. Probably one of the most individual Modern Soul records ever. Current value is in the £750 region for a decent copy. Expect plenty of all-round action on this and it should work across multiple scenes. Plus, it will sell forever. We are so lucky to get these works-of-art out there again.

Kenny Lynch was a popular singer, songwriter, actor and all-round entertainer. A self-styled “black cockney”, Kenny was one of the few people of Caribbean origin prominent in the British entertainment industry during the ‘60s and ‘70s.

During his musical career, Kenny released a number of Top 10 singles, including a version of ‘Up on the Roof’ (1962), competing with the original by the Drifters. He composed and co-wrote songs recorded by Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black, the Drifters and the Everly Brothers. He also worked briefly as a songwriter at the Brill Building in New York.

Whilst probably best known as a prolific Pop Crooner during the earlier part of his acting and musical career, we must not forget his stomping disco success of the early eighties, released under British-borne Satril Records. “Half The Day’s Gone, and We Haven’t Earne’d a Penny” was a milestone moment for British Disco. Produced by Kenny himself at Satril Studios, London 1983, this record still encompasses that organic late-70s disco sound, with true instrumentation and minimalist electronic synth elements.

This is the album’s first ever repress since 1983 and has been remastered in high-definition from the original analogue tapes. Pressed on heavyweight 180g vinyl, this is one not to be missed. Limited to 500 copies only.

All These Years is Phil Cook's first fully instrumental piano release. A prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, solo artist, and in-demand musician whose collaborations have run the gamut of genre - as a founding member of beloved band Megafaun to work with The Blind Boys of Alabama, Bon Iver, Kanye West, and Hiss Golden Messenger, to name a few - here, Cook returns to his primary instrument, the piano, back where it all began. All These Years was recorded at NorthStar Church of the Arts in Durham, NC by his cousin and collaborator Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, Indigo Girls), on a long-cared-for and much-loved one-hundred year-old Steinway piano. All These Years is near hymn-like, a collection of prayers or meditations, improvisations threaded together by feeling, by the things that matter most. When Cook began these songs, he was in the headspace of meditating on the people in his support network, and those closest to him.

Legendary privately pressed 1979 LP from Scotland. This illusive, super rare and sublimely wonderful percussion album is like no other. Hypnotic, celestial, even cosmic and ambient in parts and totally unique in all ways, it was played by a group of 11 girls with an average age of 14. The group included Evelyn Glennie, who was destined to become one of the world’s greatest percussionists. This is her first ever record.

The Cults Percussion Ensemble was a group formed by percussion teaching legend Ron Forbes in the mid 1970s. The ensemble must have one of the best group names of all time. To many it will immediately come across as something sinister, a touch spooky and possibly a bit dramatic too. They are certainly two of those but the use of the word “Cults” here is easily misinterpreted. Cults, in this case, is the suburb of Aberdeen.

The average age of the students was just 14. They came from a few of the schools in the area, including the Cults Academy, Ellon Academy, Aboyne Academy, Inverurie Academy and Powis.

My original copy of the album came from Spitalfields market in London. I loved the music the second it started, because it reminded me of Carl Orff and peculiar library. So I started to investigate it further, and eventually, thanks to the highly tuned world of percussion, was given the address of Ron Forbes. I got in touch with him and now we have this, a formal release of something quite lovely that was only previously available very briefly in 1979 at concerts when the young girls performed.

The music here is really quite unique, with a celestial swirling hypnotic quality. The blend of glockenspiels, xylophones, vibraphones, marimba and timpani drums is quite intoxicating and can recall the shimmering warmth of the desert sun one minute (“Baia”) or freezing glacial ice caps the next (“Circles”). The Ensemble perform with an effortless tightness and deftness of touch, building textured layers with recurring percussive motives which appear simultaneously dense and yet sparse, almost sounding like modern sampling. In fact, while struggling to find a musical comparison, during the pulsating introduction to "Percussion Suite" I found myself recalling "Gamma Player", a piece of soulful Detroit techno minimalism from Jeff Mills (Millsart - “Humana” EP 1995) with its rhythmic percussion layered with complex emotion. Weirdly enough, other tracks on that EP also prominently feature xylophone and tuned percussion, although obviously synthesised and programmed, a good 20 years after the CPE first recorded.

Sleevenotes also include a letter from Ron Forbes:
“I decided to form a percussion group to provide an outlet for my percussion pupils to play music specially written for them. The group soon became well known in the region and as a result of winning the outstanding award at the National Festival of Music for youth on three occasions, they were invited to play at other festivals within Europe, one being in Erlangen in Germany - hence the Erlangen Polka - and Autun in France - hence the Autun Carillon. During these visits we were often asked if we had any recordings and so it was decided to make an LP”.

Thanks to Ron Forbes and Trunk Records, more people can now enjoy the simple hypnotic musical charms of the Cults Percussion Ensemble

“They were so solid. They meant what they said, they did what they did… here’s two guys, a guitar player and a harmonica player, and they could make it sound like a whole orchestra.” – Taj Mahal

“It was perfect. What else can you say?” – Ry Cooder

Nearly sixty years after they first played together, Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal, longtime friends and collaborators, reunite with an album of music from two Piedmont blues masters who have inspired them all their lives: GET ON BOARD: THE SONGS OF SONNY TERRY & BROWNIE MCGHEE, on Nonesuch Records.

With Taj Mahal on vocals, harmonica, guitar, and piano and Cooder on vocals, guitar, mandolin, and banjo – joined by Joachim Cooder on drums and bass – the duo recorded eleven songs drawn from recordings and live performances by Terry and McGhee, who they both first heard as teenagers in California.

Explaining where Terry and McGhee took him musically, Cooder says, “Down the road, away from Santa Monica. Where everything was good. ‘I have got to get out of here,’ was all I could think. What do you do, fourteen, eighteen years old? I was trapped. But that first record, Get on Board, the 10” on Folkways, was so wonderful, I could understand the guitar playing.”

Taj Mahal adds, “I started hearing them when I was about nineteen, and I wanted to go to these coffee houses, ‘cause I heard that these old guys were playing. I knew that there was a river out there somewhere that I could get into, and once I got in it, I’d be all right. They brought the whole package for me.”

Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder originally joined forces in 1965, forming The Rising Sons when Cooder was just seventeen. The band was signed to Columbia Records but an album was not released and the group disbanded a year later. The 1960s recording sessions, widely bootlegged, were finally issued officially in 1992. GET ON BOARD is Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder’s first recording together since then.

Harmonica player Sonny Terry and guitarist Brownie McGhee, both originally from the southeastern United States, had active solo careers as well as collaborating with some of the most celebrated musicians of their time. But they were best known for their forty-five-year partnership, which began in 1939 and included mesmerising live performances around the world and numerous acclaimed recordings.

Their Piedmont blues style became popular during the folk music revival of the 1940s and ’50s, centered in New York City’s flourishing club scene for jazz, boogie-woogie, blues and folk music. Terry and McGhee traveled in the same circles as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Leadbelly, and Josh White, among others in a rich mix of writers, actors and musicians. As a new generation emerging in the 1960’s drew inspiration from folk and blues, Terry and McGhee toured the world as the foremost exponents of the acoustic music of the Piedmont. They were named National Heritage Fellows in 1982 in recognition of their distinctive musical contributions and accomplishments.

“You got the south on steroids, when you got the music of the south, the culture of the south, the beauty of the south, through Brownie and Sonny,” Taj Mahal says. He describes McGhee as a “solid rhythm player. To really play behind the harp like that. He would set stuff up. He wasn’t making many notes. Sonny had all the notes, running around. But Brownie, he laid it down.” Cooder adds: “This thing of squeezing the thumb and first finger and a little bit of the second finger, which I still do. I’d forgotten where it came from. That’s what Brownie did. I saw him do that and said, ‘I think I can do that.’”

Taj Mahal calls Terry “a wizard harmonica player”. Cooder says, “Sonny had incredible rhythm for one thing. Making sounds with his voice and the harmonica so you couldn’t tell quite which was which. He was good at that.”

“We’ve been doing this a while,” Cooder says. “Perhaps we’ve earned the right to bring it back. Taj Mahal concludes. “We’re now the guys that we aspired toward when we were starting out. Here we are now… old timers. What a great opportunity, to really come full circle.”

* Legend of the Brazilian scene, DJ Andy, has assembled some of the brightest lights, and hottest rising stars of the Brazilian Drum & Bass family and brought them all together on one huge compilation!
* “When we talk about Brazil we don't just mean Rio de Janeiro, samba, beaches and football. This compilation has music for all tastes. We are 100% connected.” - DJ Andy
* With a history stretching back to the very beginnings of rave music in the early nineties, DJ Andy is a foundational figure in Brazilian drum & bass. He's seen the trends and fashions, the sub-genres and evolutions, the mainstream hits and the underground anthems. He knows the music inside-out. And, with this compilation, he's offered us an insight into the kaleidoscope of styles and the surge of talent that his scene has to offer.
* Of course, the Chronic and V faithful will have already been introduced to many of these artists. We're talking the likes of L-Side, Alibi, BTK, Critycal Dub and more; names we all recognise from the top end of the download charts and the set lists of the biggest deejays in the business. But then there are also those making their debut for the V family. Producers like Phizical and No Scandal, who are about to find a whole new, highly appreciative, audience.
* With this strength in depth available to him in the community, DJ Andy's managed to draw together 20 tracks that reflect the full range of what this music has to offer. You'll hear influences from multiple genres, you'll hear the darkness and the light, the vibrancy and the viciousness. If you thought “Brazilian D&B” was confined to one particular sound, you'd better brace yourself for some powerful suprises.
* As DJ Andy says himself, “I wanted to show that our songs can be heard everywhere. At festivals, nightclubs, at parties with friends, while travelling and even as a dinner soundtrack.”

You can’t keep a good thing down: 99 marks the triumphant and long overdue return of Matthew Edwards’ Rekid project. More than just Radio Slave records slowed down, his alter ego preferably ploughs the field between ambient excursions, downtempo hypnotism, sample sculptures and the general space in between raves.

Since its first appearance with the Lost Star EP for Classic in 2004 and the still breathtaking follow up Made In Menorca opus on Soul Jazz Records, Edwards firmly established himself as a producer of many, if not all trades. Thought of, produced and conceived during the first lockdown of 2020, 99 is conceptual (with the tempo firmly set at that tempo), concise (34 minutes and 34 seconds long) and content with exploring the possibilities of limitation (one track a day, live takes, no editing).

Without departing the original Rekid ethos of glacial music, it presents a modernized and contemporary version of IDM tropes, chill out topics and a capturing sound of mesmerizing materiality.

After a while, it all made sense to Edwards as one piece, was presented to Running Back, where the A& R department thought the same and is now available as a continuous cassette mix and a separated vinyl single album as well as for streaming and downloads.

Jeep music for ballet dancers.

Formed in Oxford where they lived, hung out and rehearsed
together on campus, eclectic group Mandrake Handshake
were christened after a song by The Brian Jonestown
Massacre, incorporating their influences of Krautrock, funk,
Japanese animation and Latin pastoral poetry to create a
unique brand of ‘Flowerkraut’ that vividly defines their sound.
 Having initially teamed up with the cult indie label for their
‘Nice Swan Introduces…’ series (in partnership with RIP
Records) late last year, the creative outfit have since found
labelmates in the likes of Courting, SPRINTS and Anorak
Patch, and fast established themselves as one of the most
enticing new acts in the UK psychedelic scene.
 With widespread acclaim arriving via multiple key indie press
titans (NME, NPR, DIY, The Line of Best Fit, Dork, So Young,
Clash, Loud & Quiet, Gigwise), the newcomers certainly
seem to be attracting the right kind of attention following the
release of mesmeric debut effort ‘Mandragora’ and
exhilarating follow-up ‘Gonkulator’, with their first few plays
on BBC Radio 1 (Jack Saunders) already opening them up
to a vast new audience.
 Detailing their EP, the band explained: “‘Shake the Hand
That Feeds You’ represents the culmination of many strands
of thought over the process of several months. It is designed
to announce the coming of the Mandrake in all her forms and
the ascent into her realm; as it soundtracks the listener
coming to know what will be expected of them for all future
sonic explorations.
 “No expense has been spared to bring the listener to the
zenith of psychedelic high-fidelity and have them fully
understand what they otherwise might only hint at knowing.
This is ‘Flowerkraut’. This is the beginning. This is the
Mandrake.”
 Recorded at Press Play Studios in Bermondsey with one of
their heroes - Stereolab’s Andy Ramsay.

‘for you who are the wronged’ is the much
anticipated follow-up to 2018’s ‘from when i wake
the want is’ and her 2014 debut, ‘bones you have
thrown me and blood i’ve spilled’, which won
2015’s Scottish Album Of The Year award.
If ‘from when i wake the want is’ was written for
love to return, this is where she fights tooth and
claw to protect it.
Written and co-produced by Kathryn Joseph, it was
recorded at The Lengths Studio in Fort William,
with producer Lomond Campbell (recording artist
for One Little Independent and has previously
produced King Creosote).
Flesh pink coloured vinyl LP (initial pressing)
includes lyric booklet and digital download code.

Chris Korda is an internationally renowned multimedia artist, whose work spans thirty years and includes electronic music, digital and video art, performance and conceptual art, and culture jamming. Chris pioneered the use of complex polymeter in electronic dance music, and invented a unique MIDI sequencer in order to explore polymeter composition techniques. Chris composes and performs music in a variety of genres, and has released many albums on labels such as Perlon, Mental Groove, and Gigolo Records. Chris also worked as a computer programmer for thirty-five years.

Her new album "Passion For Numbers" is one of the very few album in the world entirely composed in complex polymeter, meaning that each pieces of music uses several prime meters simultaneously. A unique way to compose music with a new generation of musical algorithmic, inside which Korda injects the DNA of neo classical, ambient and jazz music.

This refreshing album will please you whether you are into complex musical composition, experimental music or just seeking for a beautiful, emotional and accessible musical moment. This is a "In your hearts not the charts" album, as Irdial Discs once said.

Pleases read an extract of Chris Korda's letter about Passion For Numbers, included as insert in its entirety in this vinyl release:

This is an album of piano music, but I wrote it without a piano. Not having a piano turned out to be constructive, because I had to rely on my brain instead of my fingers, and particularly on my imagination and inner hearing. The album belongs to a category called phase music, and it’s also algorithmic, or more precisely rules-based generative music.

I don’t write music in the usual sense of the word “write.” I build kinetic sculptures, and the sculptures generate my music. My sculptures are virtual, meaning they’re invisible machines that exist only as data within my home-grown software.
My process is related to the work of a relatively obscure early 20th century artist named Thomas Wilfred. Like me, Wilfred was an engineer-artist, and built machines that generated art from phase shift.

My music is in complex polymeter, meaning it’s not just in odd time, but in multiple odd time signatures, and not one odd time signature after another sequentially, but all of them running concurrently. Most music isn’t constructed this way, which is why I needed to develop custom software in order to compose my music. My software is called The Polymeter MIDI Sequencer, and you can easily find it on the Internet. I also use music set theory, change-ringing and gray code, explanations of which can be found in Wikipedia.

Chris Korda

Clear Vinyl

Written and conceived by Stephan Crasneanscki, ‘LOVOTIC’ is a concept album by Soundwalk Collective, composed in collaboration with lauded actress and singer/songwriter Charlotte Gainsbourg. Featuring veteran techno stalwart AtomTM, rising singer/composer/performance artist Lyra Pramuk, celebrated actor Willem Dafoe, and writer/philosopher Paul B. Preciado, the album is released by the new Berlin-based Analogue Foundation.

Inspired by a relatively new field of research that seeks to explore and develop the possibilities of sexual and emotional relationships – and even love – between humans and robots, ‘LOVOTIC’ interrogates the impulses, ideas, and needs underlying this phenomenon. The project ventures into a future where sex, intimacy and desire are reformulated through the connection of humans, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

In an age of such hybrid entanglement with the machine, human identity requires the construction of new forms of intimacy, gender, and sexuality. At present, however, such technologies are primarily used to produce programs of limited sexual iterations that do not question the preformatted categories of gender and sexual orientation. In contrast, on ‘LOVOTIC’, Soundwalk Collective ask whether the future of sex and sexuality could instead be an exponentially expanding kaleidoscope. Where does the impulse of preference come from? What sets of words from our vocabulary can be communicated to the AI mind to generate a new identity for desire? Could the machine be another technology that brings us closer together?

Sonically ‘LOVOTIC’ is unidentifiable, artificial, and genuinely futuristic, occupying an amorphous androgynous netherworld at the borderlands between biotic and android. Traditional musical signposts are virtually non-existent, instead offering a mercurial, formless sound which mirrors the flourishing of gender fluidity it suggests could be on the horizon.

The production tangibly evokes the odd, rubbery textures of faux flesh, the slick virtual glide or glitchy mishaps of software, and the sleek shine of hardware. Gleaming sound design creates shard-like surfaces redolent of Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Glass’, the slippery stretched sonics Gabor Lazar, and the unsettling dark ambience of TOWERS and Hallmark ‘87.

At turns intimate and inviting, with whispering-in-your-ears ASMR vocals evoking blissful, heightened sexual states, within ‘LOVOTIC’ there’s optimism, but also unease; As well as the positive, it implies the negative ramifications of technology. At points a synthetic siren’s call appears to lure the listener to a darker place, with audio malfunctions suggesting dystopian science. Voices morph from gentle to distorted – a glitch in the system causing the mask to slip, like virtual lizards – ‘They Live’ or ‘V’ (?), for the metaverse age.

Here, Charlotte Gainsbourg invokes a being of unknown identity – an artificial eve, the oracle and the portal – speaking from an unspecified time in the future. The voices of AtomTM, Lyra Pramuk and Willem Dafoe weave in and out of Charlotte’s, often overlapping, merging into one another, expressing the entity of a being that’s ephemeral and in constant flux, oscillating between the natural and artificial. The record’s other bonafide singer, Lyra Pramuk’s delivery alternates between spoken word, operatics and partially- unintelligible language.

A multi-media project, ‘LOVOTIC’ also features the work of writer, philosopher and curator Paul B. Preciado – a leading thinker in the study of gender and body politics. Paul contributes a post-apocalyptic, quasi scientific and fictional text, which adds further fantasy, artistic and intellectual depth, augmenting the listener’s experience. Like all the best Sci Fi, his words seem prescient, describing what could become a likely reality in the future. Paul performs his written texts on the opening and closing tracks of the album; ‘The Age Of Mutation’ (in Spanish) and ‘Primate Love’ (in English).

Soundwalk Collective is an experimental sound collective helmed by Stephan Crasneanscki in collaboration with Simone Merli, which operates in a continuously rotating constellation of sound artists and musicians. The Collective’s approach to composition combines anthropology, ethnography, non-linear narrative, psycho- geography, the observation of nature, and explorations in recording and synthesis.

You might know Bert Dockx from the inimitable alternative jazz-rock-trio Dans Dans; or from his moody, psychedelic rock formation Flying Horseman; or from his more intimate but equally special solo records. In 2019, the ever productive guitarist released an album with Ottla, a jazzy sextet blending different genres, textures and moods in wholly original ways, resulting in long, evocative pieces, brooding with tension and atmosphere. Recently, the band has transformed into a quartet, a tighter unit with a sparser and slightly more electric sound. This new Ottla is playing a mixture of reimagined tracks from the aforementioned album, and several brand new pieces. Ottla's music - like all music for which Dockx is responsible - is imaginative, intense and deeply felt.

In the spring of 2021, actor and writer Josse De Pauw contacted Bert with a question. He wanted to perform work of the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano on stage, texts about the madness of colonialism and slavery, and about the beauty and mystery of the jungle, and asked Dockx to come up with a live soundtrack. Dockx invited two friends from his jazz band Ottla (Thomas Jillings and Louis Evrard) and a fourth musician (bass player Axel Gilain). He composed new material, adapted some existing Ottla pieces and could count on the improvisational talent of his fellow musicians for the rest of the soundtrack. In a handful of rehearsals, an impressive concert was put together that captivated the audience during a short run in August. This live EP contains two pieces recorded on one of these blistering evenings. Side A opens with the authoritarian voice of De Pauw, who recites the Song of the Fire, before making way for a scorching, almost apocalyptic version of 'Stofwolk'. On side B we hear Thomas Jillings perform an impressionist clarinet improvisation while De Pauw conjures up images of the unlimited sea and the winds, ships and slaves, heaven and hell.

Between May and September 1970, pianist François Tusques recorded »Piano Dazibao«, an album on which he multiplied joyful escapades as a critical iconoclast. The following year Tusques recorded »Dazibao N°2«, which shows him as an incisive commentator of his times. Following in the footsteps of Don Cherry, who he had met a few years earlier in Paris, Tusques made a plea for “friendship between all the peoples of the world” to the sound of Universalist hymns which transported us from Africa to Asia. But it is really a song to America, evoking the assassination of the activist George Jackson and the mutiny in Attica prison, before covering “Seize the Time” by Elaine Brown – three years after the release of Dazibao N°2, she became the first (and only) woman to lead the Black Panther Party.

The turmoil of Piano Dazibao, was opposed, on Dazibao N°2, by long, labyrinthine tracks with alternating discords and repetitions. Often using prepared piano, Tusques was more percussive (even heady) than ever, exposing a melody with solid hammer strikes or painting an image which radiated peace in spite of the storms. Piano Dazibao and Dazibao N°2 thus form the two sides of one coin, which displays the effigy of François Tusques, an international national monument.

The English synthpop, new wave group formed in 1977 in London and was led by Tony Mansfield, who later worked as a producer for furthermore Naked Eyes, a-ha and the B-52’s. Their success already kicked off with the first single, “Straight Lines” entered the UK Singles Chart within no-time.

Their second studio album Anywhere was originally released in
1981 and contained 12 tracks. The expanded edition contains 4
bonus tracks; “The Office”, “From The Village”, “Guitars” and the
12” version of “While You Wait”.

This expanded edition of Anywhere includes the corrected D-side and is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on blue marbled vinyl.

In 2022, Soom T is back with her new studio album "Good" entirely self-produced through her own label Renegade Masters.

In this new reggae-dub album, the result of ten years of writing, composition and production, the Scottish MC blends the studio recordings of her musicians, The Stone Monks, with digital productions from various composers. From this multitude of musicians and producers, an original sound is born at the crossroads of reggae, dub and jazz, even sometimes pop.

The tracks "Big Bad World", "Yes My People", "Born Free", "My Struggle", "Your Time" and "My Shelter" composed by the French producer Kiko, bring a distinctive digital sound to an important part of the album. While "Don't Stand for Dis" and "Steps" are signed by London dub legend Gaudi and pay homage to the early hours of dub music with great echoes and reverberations in the purest tradition of the style . "One Real Friend" composed by Alex Dupuis of Flash Hit Records brings a welcome swing and jazz touch.

“World We Live In”, “Our Day”, “I Wanna Live”, “Get the Fruit” and “One More Tune” were composed and recorded in Paris over several years with The Stone Monks, under the supervision of Xavier Waks. He also mixed the entire album in his 31DB studio before passing it on to Simon Capony for mastering at Basalte Studio.

As usual, Soom T continues to denounce nowadays political and social issues, all with a spiritual approach, an inimitable style and an incisive flow of her own. If she deplores the dark sides of our time in songs like "Big Bad World", she also tries to find a ray of hope with tracks carrying positive messages, sometimes very melodic, such as "Don't Stand for Dis ”, or catchy, like“ Yes My People ”. "I Wanna Live" and its heady guitar riff, "Our Day" with its bright major chords or even "Amazing Graces" pour a flood of optimism amidst much heavier themes.

On the cover of "Good" we find a portrait of Soom T, a microphone in her hand, designed by the French street artist specialized in 3D, Nikita.

Get ready for a unique musical journey in search of all that is good in this world with "Good", the long awaited new album from Soom T aka the “The Raggamuffin Queen”!

Fueled on pizza and the spirit of dance music, Chef Sam O.B. has lovingly cooked up four courses for our aural connoisseurs to enjoy: "Just A Slice."

Like any good pizza, it all starts with the dough, and "Making Dough" gets us right on track. Borrowing elements from house classics of the past, it rises on a jackin' groove complete with a funky fermented low-end and dashes of vocals from the chef himself.

"Le Sauce" offers a tangy burst of flavor atop our dough foundation; a sort of subtle and seductive palate that only the most refined of sauces can provide. Twists and turns await as the layers of seasoned live instrumentation unveil themselves (best enjoyed past dusk).

Next, as you might have expected, is "Cheezin'" - many people's favorite part of a pie. This one is sharp; bursting with mouthwatering umami energy and, like any good chef, O.B. has added just enough to leave you wanting more of the catchy interwoven melodies and rhythms sprinkled within.

Finally, it's time to grab a piping hot "Just A Slice" out of the oven - an amalgamation of all groovin' ingredients added thus far and the title track. A bubbling and elastic bassline pairs with the percussion of various textures and savory synth lines, combining for a well-balanced meal sure to keep your senses engaged.

A satisfying listen, "Just A Slice" would do, but feel free to indulge in multiple spins.

A Toolroom veteran of 15 years and longstanding member of the #ToolroomFamily, Dave Spoon (aka Simon Neale, or the better-known Shadow Child) made his label debut way back in 2005 with his 21st Century EP. Having released an incredible amount of music during his time with Toolroom, he is most known for his massive 2006 hit ‘At Night’ which saw a huge level of physical sales and massive radio support. Eventually being reworked with So Solid Crew’s Lisa Maffia on vocals, turning into ‘Bad Girl (At Night)’.

2012 onwards saw Simon shelve his Dave Spoon identity, creating the Shadow Child alter ego and his own Food Music record label. Having huge success with records such as 23, Climbing (Piano Weapon), Ooh Tune and his remix of AlunaGeorge – ‘Best Be Believing’.

He is a prolific artist and producer in his own right, having remixed records from high-profile artists Robyn, Paul van Dyk & Dizzee Rascal. As well as scoring multiple hit records under the Shadow Child moniker, the time is right to bring the Dave Spoon pseudonym back online. Taking form of ‘Steels’, a refreshingly new, fiery and fun party record that you won’t be able to get out of your head.

Legendary Polish Dance duo Catz ‘n Dogz are on remix duties for this one. The duo bring a refined, Disco-tinged, festival flavour to Dave Spoon’s summer hit, adding a slick groove with an emphasis on the insanely hooky records brass section. Throwing in similar elements such as the brass swells, melodic steel drum hits and the vocal cuts, Catz ‘n Dogz have created a remix that doesn’t stray too far from the original but lives completely in a world of its own.

A cut that has it all, Catz ‘n Dogz has nailed definitely nailed this remix by putting their own spin on the record whilst staying true to the originals fiery but fun feel. For sure, ‘Steels’ is a record you won’t be able to get out of your head.

Jacob Gorensteyn is an Israeli saxophonist and producer. Born in the USSR in 1980, his family emigrated to Israel when he was a child, with Jacob picking up the saxophone soon after. A long time member and one of the creative forces behind the well-known Israeli brass band Marsh Dondurma, he co-produced all seven of the band's albums, as well as a solo effort that was released locally in 2006. Over the years Jacob became well known in the Israeli music scene both as a potent multi-genre session player and a mixing engineer and music producer, lending his sound to many recordings over the last 20 years. His main focus in his solo work is funky jazz music, being influenced by soul, R&B and funk music, mostly from the 60s and 70s.

Wooden House is one funky record. It began, as many records did at the time, with a recording session arranged to not feel as useless during the early days of the pandemic, at a time when planned gigs and sessions were falling like dominoes, and most, if not all, working musicians across the globe were in a state of mild shock watching their creative outlets, as well as their livelihoods, crumble away. Jacob assembled a group of friends – all powerhouse musicians, and all some of the most favorite people in the world for him to play with – into a recording studio. Just before the pandemic, Jacob moved away from the city into a little wooden house in a village located in the picturesque Yehuda mountains near Jerusalem. The new location prompted some creative juices in the form of a string of funky tunes, written in his new project studio on the 2nd floor of that very Wooden House. Three of those were the tunes he brought into the studio that day. None of the musicians assembled, including Jacob, knew what the music they came out with would end up sounding like. The music was worked out during the session and then swiftly recorded, all of it live, all of it energetic and groovy. Two more similar sessions followed in the following months, often being rescheduled because of lockdowns. What came out became "Wooden House", a funky, brass-heavy instrumental album, a fun, instant mood improver. Put it on and groove with us.The album was recorded in 2020.

If your inspiration is Herbie Hancock's "Head Hunter", or any of The Meters or The Apples albums – This one is for you.

Hotel Paral.lel, released in 1997, marks the full length debut release from Austrian Christian Fennesz, originally released by MEGO, following the twitching drone as found on the 1995 EP Instrument, also included in this deluxe 2LP reissue. Once launched, Hotel Paral.lel was to instigate a sublime exploration of a wide variety of forms, from formal abstraction to shimmering drone around to ground zero glitch pop.

Recorded just before mobile computing devices became omnipresent it was an investigation into the sonic possibilities residing in guitar based digital music. Sz launches the career with a constantly buzzing sound that resembles a fax machine encountering a G3 laptop for the first time, realising the game is up. Nebenraum is the first foray into the style for which one would attribute to Fennesz. A glacial drone unexpectedly morphs into a gorgeous melody and microscopic groove. Adding pulse and melody was hearsay in the radical end of experimental music up until this point and with this single gesture, everything changed, for everyone. Blok M nails this trajectory home with a straight up 4/4 beat. Such rhythm also features on Fa with a euphoric mix of a thudding beat, sharp splinters of noise and a devastating exploding melody. Repetition plays heavily through this album as the hyper metronomic beat on traxdata lays a bed for all manner of buzzing electronics. On the closing “Aus” we see a glimpse of what was to come in the future works of Fennesz, an experiment in popping, bubbling pulse pop. A far more darker and experimental work than Fennesz’ subsequent work. This is an exquisite radical field of freeform noise, sliced techno beats and subtle ambient texture all coming together to create a timeless work. There’s little out there in the world of music, still to this day, that sounds remotely like Hotel Paral.lel.

With a radical reinvention of music Hotel Paral.lel is an essential addition to collectors of pioneering music in the late 20th Century and sounds as enthralling today as it did to the shocked ears occupying 1997.

Remastered by Stephan Mathieu.

Climate - atmosphere is what we say. Soul with beautiful expression, is what they say in the modern jazz scene in the US. It's a necessary component for good jazz, as well as for swing. But to achieve an organic atmosphere which is therefore vital and alive, a relationship of intentions and views, and a congeniality of thoughts are needed. When Tommasi was in Rome for a few days and had Santucci and Scoppa listen to the latest pieces he had composed, the three musicians ideas, aspirations, and agreement in taste appeared to exist right off the bat, and the idea to do an album together was born almost instantly.

Now, with all things said and done, a certain climate seems to have been achieved, with no lack of a swing enriched with heat and energy. The two horn players, who up until now have played and recorded with a band from Rome, the Modern Jazz gang, have really and fully understood the spirit of the pieces written by Tommasi, and even if it's the first time they have met with the trio of the pianist from Trieste, they demonstrate that they have merged and combined into one, more than anyone had hoped for. The album was recorded by forging ahead and overcoming various obstacles like that of a geographical distance that they were not used to (the horn players reside in Rome, and the others in Turin, Bologna, and Lucca); but now that the project has been achieved rehashing the difficulties that they had to get past in order to finish the piece is no longer important (and nor is it well wished for).

Introducing Josh Caffe’s second single on Phantasy, ‘Do You Wanna Take Me Home?’ is a sensual yet gritty return, a keen document of just one of the many stories of desire always occurring in the shadows, just beyond the strobes. Produced in collaboration with Quinn Whalley, one half of Paranoid London, ‘Do You Wanna Take Me Home?’ also features a headsy interpretation from Steffi & Virginia, marking their first ever collaborative remix.

Inspired by the rawest shades of early Chicago house music, ‘Do You Wanna Take Me Home?’ finds Caffe in thirsty pursuit of pleasure and recognition, eyes locked on an unidentified but all-too enticing individual in the club. Whereas previous single ‘According To Jacqueline’ turned the heads of dancers with it’s outrageous sexuality, Caffe’s follow-up finds him switched by a different strain of lust, head down in a blend of analogue jack and vocal vulnerability.

Steffi & Virginia have long since established themselves as distinct individual forces in contemporary dance music. Here, reunited in the studio together in the first instance since 2019’s ‘Work A Change’ EP on Ostgut Ton, the duo transplant Caffe’s yearning invitation into a sensuous reverie that touches on the deeper, tripper ends of their house and techno heritage. Driven by creeping organ chords and a powerful shuffling bassline, the result is a sophisticated reimagining primed for the heat of the function.

Originally released in 1982, Anna's cosmic coldwave bomb "Systems Breaking Down" is one of the most mysterious singles of the period. Remarkably, it was released on a major label - RCA - yet very little is known about the shadowy Anna.

Despite being recorded nearly 35 years ago, it still sounds strikingly vital. Both sonically relevant and lyrically prescient, it's hard to imagine a more apposite track to soundtrack the dark days we're currently occupying. A masterful study in dread, describing the gentle collapse of all structures, it is set against a backdrop of eerie, synth-heavy electronics.

Produced by 80s disco-pop mavericks Geraint Hughes and Ken Leray, the A-Side contains the epic synth-pop original, all heart-wrenching atmosphere and haunting vocals.

The B-Side wins again, however. The more uptempo 'Dance Version' is a dubbed out dark-disco tour-de-force, with cut-up vocals drifting in and out of a bassline that throbs like Carpenter's best (think Assault on Precinct 13) and a palette of head-nod minimal wave.

Both sought-after mixes have been remastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and are housed in a replica jacket of the maxi original. Outstanding.

3x12"

Extraordinary musical talent returns with a deeply textured third outing on Blu Mar Ten Music.

Having made serious waves with the release of his debut album "Coeur Calme" in 2014 and the incredible 2016 follow up album "Zawadi", Kimyan Law steers his sound in a darker, more introspective direction with the twelve heavily themed set-pieces of his new album, "Yonda".

The album title, "Yonda", homophonically flits between a location in Kimyan Law's native Congo and definitions of something situated at a distance but still visible, foreshadowing the artist's move away from his typical uplifting palette into less playful territory.

While previous work seemed to be a personal exploration of joy-tinged melancholy, "Yonda", feels much more sober and pensive, infected with external events. In conversation with Kimyan Law the artist described one piece ("Krieg") as his "portrait of war", with the music moving through phases of violence, silence, panic, redemption and peace. Ever the allegorist, Kimyan Law relates themes of conflict and war not just to obvious geopolitics but also to his own physical struggles, and even an obsessive battle with the music itself, ("Yonda" has been more than three years in the making). In 2017 the artist wrote, "I've reached a point where I couldn't sleep because it bothered me so much... I have found myself unable to make any music except for Krieg".

An accomplished drummer in his own right, Kimyan Law's intricate rhythmic sensibility is the lifeblood that runs throughout the album, incorporating ever more outlandish sources of percussion recorded from his natural surroundings and filtered through technology.

"Yonda's opener, "Jaardin", is deceptively gentle, with off-kilter rhythms and pianos providing fertile ground for Elyn's delicate singing before the whole piece careens off into what can only be described as orchestral proto-jungle territory. It soon becomes apparent that this placid introduction is misleading, with subsequent tracks fluctuating between pounding tribal beats ("Arboreal Epitone" / "Kin"), chilling orchestration ("Byo" / "Krieg") and rehabilitated jungle forms ("Seven Ant Foley"). A constant mix of light and dark, futuristic yet primitive atmosphere hangs over the album, with waves of luscious synths and deeply musical string arrangements lovingly cloaked over the razor-sharp drum work.

Unusual conceptual themes litter "Yonda"; "Dor Rhythm" is about a Dung Beetle's journey, "Lampion" is about paper lanterns, "Nova" is about plant growth while "Kilele" is a song about peace, featuring Kimyan Law's own vocals in a new language he created himself, conjuring memories of Cocteau Twin's Liz Fraser.

While "Yonda" contains moments of incontestable beauty it can often be a difficult listen, an illustration of an anxious mind yearning for peace. An obsessive and intricate musician, Kimyan Law's use of African percussion, finely honed polyrhythmic patterns and celestial sprinklings of keys melded with slabs of sub-bass power and sheer energy makes for an intoxicating listen. As ever, Kimyan Law has delivered a profoundly serious piece of work that expands the vocabulary of his genre. Despite the darkness saturating the work, a soft light still breaks through the window. It is the east, and Kimyan Law is the sun.

Animalia presents the first in a series of 2 x 12" compilations... For volume one, comes Microevolutions... An homage to the label's continued growth and evolution, a label dedicated to authentic celebrations of talented local artists. Here, Animalia returns to its roots with a release compiled by the members of Menage (plus special guests Ebbs n Flow), all compiled in the northern suburbs of Naarm (Melbourne). The compilation showcases the various moods and facets that make up the deep yet somehow undefinable Animalia sound. From deep techno to UK garage and everything in between, Microevolutions is an earnest reflection of the diversity of sound that makes Animalia so special.

What It Means To Fall Apart sees Mayday Parade wading in a wide range of complex emotions. The band shared the first taste of the album with the anthemic single “Kids of Summer,” which infuses nostalgic memories of their care-free formative summers at Warped Tour into song, followed by the self-confrontational and vulnerable “Bad At Love.” On the newest single “One For The Rocks And One For The Scary,” the band sings about making the most of the time we have with the people we love.

Their seventh studio album together, What It Means To Fall Apart was created with longtime collaborators Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, and saw the band diverge from their typical path in the studio. With no final destination in mind and setting their sights on just writing the best songs they could, they started chipping away at something, letting go of any attachment to whether they left the studio with a single, an EP, or a full record. They arrived at a fully realized album, 12 contemplative tracks written through the eyes of a band moving forward with the knowledge they could only gain from looking back. Full track listing can be found below.

The band is looking forward to sharing these songs in venues around the world, noting that it’s not just about creating music for them, but how that music connects them with their fans and each other. “We all live in different states and have separate lives with different things going on,” bassist Jeremy Lenzo shares, “But just being able to get back together and play music is always a highlight.” Lead singer Derek Sanders mirrors that sentiment as well, sharing that the spark that started Mayday Parade still shines bright, “Even after all this time and plenty of other ways it could have gone or plenty of other things that we could be doing with our lives, we're lucky to be able to do this.”

Repress!
R.A. The Rugged Man is one of the most fascinating figures in hip-hop history. His career spans decades, and defies simple narratives. The Rugged Man has been an up-and-coming star, an industry outcast banished and forgotten, an underground cult hero, an independent success story, and an influential master of the art form.

Now, R.A. The Rugged Man is back with ""All My Heroes Are Dead"", a brand new album that stands as his best work to date. “So many of the greats are gone, and the legends who made it out alive are cast aside,” R.A. explains. “Society left our heroes and their culture for dead. We have to dig that greatness out of its grave, and bring it back with an angry vengeance.” "All My Heroes Are Dead" features an all-star lineup of hip-hop heavyweights, including Atmosphere, Chuck D, Ghostface Killah, Immortal Technique, Vinnie Paz, Ice T, M.O.P., Kool G Rap, Brand Nubian, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Chris Rivers, Onyx, Inspectah Deck, A-F-R-O, Masta Killa, and more.

The California based Tito Jackson is supported on his debut Blues album 'Under Your Spell', now in 180 Gram, cream coloured limited quantity vinyl, by an array of superlative special guests, including George Benson, Joe Bonamassa, Marlon Jackson, Eddie Levert, Kenny Neal, Bobby Rush and Stevie Wonder, who all add their special talents to the proceedings

"Love One Another" is the perfect antidote for today's times of doubt and trepidation, as the vocals of Tito, along with Marlon Jackson, Bobby Rush and Kenny Neal soar above the musical bed of melodies that feature the sweet sound of Stevie Wonder's signature harmonica style.

Song-writing duo and Hall of Famers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who penned worldwide hits for The Jacksons and the O'Jays, came out of retirement to write "All In The Family Blues" for Tito. The track features Hall Of Fame legend, Eddie Levert.

As a friend and admirer of BB King, Tito plays tribute in his cover of King's classic, "Rock Me Baby" honored with BB's daughter Claudette King joining in. Tito Jackson's innate abilities as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and arranger shine through brilliantly, creating a spectacular record that is destined for airplay and rave reviews in a number of formats. Continuing on the path set for Jackson when he broke into the music business as a member of the legendary Jackson 5, Tito continues to grow as a musician and performer.

UK Independent Record Stores Only Tracks: Checkered Flag / Smash Up On Highway One / Stack My Money / Drip Drop / The Cat With 9 Wives / Turn You On, Turn Me On / Rockabilly Riot / Off Your Rocker / Who Cares? / Rockabilly Banjo

Analog Africa delves deep into the scene of the Mexican's sonideros (sound-system operators) to present the "Rebajada" movement they've created using locally made pitch controls, speakers and sound effects.

"In 2010, I had asked Eamon Ore-Giron - aka DJ Lengua - if he would be interested in compiling a Latin project for Analog Africa, and if so, if he had a theme in mind. He replied, “Have you ever heard of rebajada?“ The question mark above my head, together with the wall of China, must have been the only other object visible from out of space because Eamon, probably noticing I got paralysed, continued, “Rebajada in Spanish means “to reduce, to lower”. It’s basically Mexican sonideros (soundsystem operators) slowing down the beat of a Cumbia to create a much more tangible music to dance to. I’ll send you a mix I made last year and let me know what you think.“ And so he did.

That mix was called Rebajada Mota Mix and I began listening to it on a loop. Although I was not immediately hooked it was intriguing from the get-go, and so I kept listening until magic began unfolding. Slowed down music allows you enough time to hear right through it, revealing itself in ways I had rarely experienced before. Everything became more transparent and I was noticing sounds normally only perceptible by bats. A near psychedelic experience. That mysterious mix included a few Ecuadorian songs by Junior y su Equipo - aka Polibio Mayorga (a cult figure in the sonidero scene), a couple of Mexican tunes, one Colombian, and various Peruvian songs, undoubtedly the driving force behind this project.

The sonidero who brought Peruvian and Ecuadorian music to Mexico was the legendary Pablo Perea from Sonido Arco-Iris, and although his fingerprints are all over the compilation Saturno 2000, this selection of songs in rebajada is exclusive to DJ Lengua. With the exception of a few classics from Polibio Mayorga and La Sampuesana – the queen of all rebajadas – most of these songs were probably never performed as such before, let alone released.

So how did rebajada come to be? In a nutshell; Rebajada started with two families of brothers – the Pereas and the Ortegas – who travelled all over Latin America and returned to Mexico with heavy loads of records which they would sell to the various sonideros always on the lookout for new tunes. Colombian beats especially seemed to fit almost perfectly with the Mexican dance steps – but they were just a bit too fast. As a result some sonideros began experimenting with equipment, and Marco Antonio Cedillo of Sonido Imperial created a revolutionary pitching system that could slow records down to an extent other players could only dream about. And so rebajada was born . . . or so we thought.

At the same time in north of the country, in Monterrey, sonidero Gabriel Dueñez almost got electrocuted by a short circuit that nearly set his record player on fire. As a result the platter started spinning in slow motion for the rest of the party, turning Cumbia into a different affair altogether. The youngsters went crazy for it and started harassing the sonidero with requests to record cassettes for them. Reluctant at first, Dueñez finally began recording a series of pirated cassettes called “Rebajada” which included mainly Colombian cumbia and porro in slow-mo exclusively. Those tapes took the city by storm and turned rebajada into a celebrated and defiant movement of the youth.

Of course it would not be a Mexican urban legend if it didn’t include dramaturgical elements, and so for nearly 30 years, until this day and probably for ever, both cities have been arguing and claiming ownership the creation of rebajada for themselves. But sonidera Joyce Musicolor, who never has time for such trivial arguments, got straight to the point: “Rebajada, and the equipment to perform it, is from here Mexico City but it was Monterrey that popularised it.“

REMASTERED EDITION OF PORCUPINE TREE'S 1995 RELEASE 'THE SKY MOVES SIDEWAYS - 2LP GATEFOLD SLEEVE'."A dreamy, tranquil and heavily atmospheric effort" - Record Collector 'The Sky Moves Sideways' is the third studio album by Porcupine Tree, first released in February 1995

It's the first Porcupine Tree album to be released in the US (albeit with an altered track list), & the first on which Porcupine Tree was a band rather than simply a pseudonym for Steven Wilson.

Regarded by many fans as one of Porcupine Tree's finest releases & a
cornerstone of any Porcupine Tree collection, the album was recorded partly as a Steven Wilson solo project & partly as a full band album, 'The Sky Moves Sideways' is a diverse experimental rock release spanning space rock & progressive rock styles with long guitar led, instrumental sections.

The album is now being re-printed in a gatefold sleeve & presented with Steven Wilson's sonically superb 2017 remasters first heard in the 'Delerium Years' box set. Disc 1 is the original album as conceived for vinyl. Disc 2 includes an alternative version of the title track containing music that was eventually cut from the original album version, as well as different lyrics. It also contains EP tracks
'Stars Die' & 'Moonloop' (the edit presented here is a hybrid which contains all the music from all the previous versions & runs to 22 minutes).

Porcupine Tree are currently gearing up for the release of their new album 'Closure / Continuation', marking another step forward in the incredible journey of the band that began as a solo studio project created by Steven Wilson in the late eighties to a multi grammy nominated act & one of the world's most revered live bands, selling out arenas across the globe & wowing fans with their incredible
performances. TRANSMISSION PRESENTS 'THE SKY MOVES SIDEWAYS' ON GATEFOLD DOUBLE LP

The LP is a collaboration between oOoOO & Islamiq Grrrls. The album's title - "Faminine Mystique" - is an allusion to the Betty Friedan book 'Feminine Mystique' that inspired the 2nd wave feminist movement in the US. Freidan said that while society was providing (middle class) women with historically unparalleled material abundance, it failed to allow space for personal growth. A rigid apparatus was keeping women in a narrowly defined social role that all but excluded self-exploration. Pronounced 'Famine in Mystique,'  the LP's name reflects our feeling that, in a similar way, an increasingly powerful set of contemporary social forces are aligning to, on the one hand, provide people with more music & art than we've ever had access to before, yet rigidly limiting the types of music offered to people to sounds that favor a rigid economics first model of clicks & easy consumption over exploration & experimentation.

Faminine Mystique's 13 songs are framed by fragments of lost, forgotten, or discredited 20th century artists & genres: the well crafted guitar solos of 80s metal; jazz guitarist Barney Kessel; the Ashley's Roachclip drum break; Milli Vanilli; a Kool DJ Red Alert radio show barely audible on some bedside clock radio in some blue collar town on the outskirts of Manhattan; A freeform saxophone solo over a 2 minute, feminist juke-punk anthem. The elusively simple but dreamy vocals of a France Gall or Astrud Gilberto. All blended into the compressed sounds of modern pop & RnB.

"Off the back of a triumphant sold out show at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum, Charlie releases a brand new solo album ‘Hope Is A Drug’. Set to be released on 15th April 2022 and supported by a 15 date UK Nationwide Tour kicking off on the 18th/19th April in London and ending in Dublin on the 29th May, the album will be available on vinyl & CD
Charlie’s fourth solo album Hope Is A Drug marks a significant departure from his earlier songs, being his most personal and heartfelt work to date. The majority of the album was self-produced at Charlie’s own recording studio, built from scratch during the global lockdown. With intimate ballads such as ‘I See You’ and ‘One Of Us’, and more uptempo contemporary pop songs ‘Blameless’ and the radio single ‘All The Best’, the album showcases an artist confidently pushing the boundaries of a remarkable 20 year career. "

Passarani debuts on Aus with his sixth studio album, The Wildlife Of The Quieter Ones. Marco's discography boasts releases on Libertine, Running Back, Peacefrog and Numbers, the diversity between each label show his versatility as as a producer, he’s seamlessly moved with the times and glides through each era with a zesty take on a timeless sound, his credentials speak for themselves and here you see a well seasoned producer at the top of his game

Very few artists have attempted, or succeeded, in improving the standard template for classic blues records set some 50 years ago in the golden age of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Buddy Guy is one of those guys that had a big influence on the development of the blues during the centuries. Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues is the Grammy Award winning comeback album by the blues master, released in 1991. Legendary musicians like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Mark Knopfler all turn up on this album. This album put the spotlight back on Buddy Guy and deservedly so.

In November 2020, with the entire world locked down at home, Amir
Bresler was itching to create - He'd spent years onstage, but never
released a full solo album

A friend's invitation brought him to a rural village outside Tel Aviv, and the move lit a spark: Bresler set up shop in the village's local auditorium named 'The House of Arches', and planned single-day sessions with different combinations of Tel Aviv's finest, including keyboardist/ producer Rejoicer, Yemen Blues frontman Ravid
Kahalani, bassist Gilad Abro, pianist Nomok and trumpeter Sefi Zisling. For nearly a week, crews of friends drove north and dug into psychedelic jazz and funk, all built upon Bresler's polyrhythmic beats. They captured spontaneous bursts of energy ' free-form jams in the morning reigned into tight, mesmerizing grooves in the afternoon. Those six compositions ' each recorded live in one day ' make up
House of Arches, Amir Bresler's first solo LP, out on Raw Tapes, with grooves as deep as the Mediterranean where it was conceived.