Suche:one one one

Anika kanalisiert ihre Frustration, Wut und Verwirrung über die Welt in ihrem dritten Album "Abyss". Das Album wurde live in den legendären Hansa Studios in Berlin aufgenommen und fängt die rohe Energie mit minimalen Overdubs ein. Das Ergebnis ist eine eindringliche und dringende 10-Track-Reise, die von intensiven Emotionen angetrieben wird. Der Aufnahmeprozess, der in nur wenigen Tagen mit einer Live-Band stattfand, unterstreicht die Unmittelbarkeit und bietet einen Sound, der sowohl physisch als auch direkt ist. "Abyss" spiegelt Anikas Wunsch wider, einen Raum zu schaffen, in dem sich Menschen vereinen und frei fühlen können, um sich inmitten des Chaos der Welt auszudrücken. Mit Einflüssen, die von 90er Grunge und Courtney Love bis hin zu Patti Smith und Genesis P-Orridge reichen, wird das Album von einem rebellischen Geist getragen. Tracks wie "One Way Ticket" kritisieren den Aufstieg des Faschismus, während "Hearsay" sich mit der Spaltung durch Fake News auseinandersetzt und Anikas Entschlossenheit offenbart, sich mit den komplexen Gegebenheiten unserer Zeit auseinanderzusetzen. Die rohe, emotionale Kraft des Albums wird durch seine Körperlichkeit ergänzt. Anikas Ziel ist es, die Hörer aus ihren Köpfen heraus und zurück in ihre Körper zu holen und ihnen durch die Musik und die Live-Performances eine Befreiung zu bieten. Dies ist ein Raum, um die Verbindung zwischen Geist und Körper wiederherzustellen - etwas, das ihrer Meinung nach in der heutigen Welt zunehmend verloren geht. Ihr Wunsch, diese Energie auf der Bühne zu erzeugen, spiegelt sich in den dichten, stampfenden Rhythmen von "Abyss" wider, die auf der Energie des Alt-Rock der 90er Jahre aufbauen. "Abyss" befasst sich auch mit den intensiven Spannungen zwischen der Linken und der Rechten in der heutigen Gesellschaft und erforscht die Komplexität menschlicher Unvollkommenheit und gesunder Debatten. Von der stürmischen Intensität von "Oxygen" bis zum melancholischen "Buttercups" weigert sich das Album, vor unbequemen Wahrheiten zurückzuschrecken. Anika stellt sich mutig ihren eigenen rohen Emotionen, wie in den offenen Texten von "Walk Away", wo sie über ihre Unzufriedenheit mit sich selbst und der Welt nachdenkt. Mit "Abyss" lädt Anika die Hörer in einen Raum der Befreiung, der Rebellion und der Ehrlichkeit ein und schafft ein Album, das den Aufruhr unserer Zeit anspricht und gleichzeitig ein emotionales Ventil bietet. Wie sie es ausdrückt: "Dies ist ein Raum für dich".

Anika kanalisiert ihre Frustration, Wut und Verwirrung über die Welt in ihrem dritten Album "Abyss". Das Album wurde live in den legendären Hansa Studios in Berlin aufgenommen und fängt die rohe Energie mit minimalen Overdubs ein. Das Ergebnis ist eine eindringliche und dringende 10-Track-Reise, die von intensiven Emotionen angetrieben wird. Der Aufnahmeprozess, der in nur wenigen Tagen mit einer Live-Band stattfand, unterstreicht die Unmittelbarkeit und bietet einen Sound, der sowohl physisch als auch direkt ist. "Abyss" spiegelt Anikas Wunsch wider, einen Raum zu schaffen, in dem sich Menschen vereinen und frei fühlen können, um sich inmitten des Chaos der Welt auszudrücken. Mit Einflüssen, die von 90er Grunge und Courtney Love bis hin zu Patti Smith und Genesis P-Orridge reichen, wird das Album von einem rebellischen Geist getragen. Tracks wie "One Way Ticket" kritisieren den Aufstieg des Faschismus, während "Hearsay" sich mit der Spaltung durch Fake News auseinandersetzt und Anikas Entschlossenheit offenbart, sich mit den komplexen Gegebenheiten unserer Zeit auseinanderzusetzen. Die rohe, emotionale Kraft des Albums wird durch seine Körperlichkeit ergänzt. Anikas Ziel ist es, die Hörer aus ihren Köpfen heraus und zurück in ihre Körper zu holen und ihnen durch die Musik und die Live-Performances eine Befreiung zu bieten. Dies ist ein Raum, um die Verbindung zwischen Geist und Körper wiederherzustellen - etwas, das ihrer Meinung nach in der heutigen Welt zunehmend verloren geht. Ihr Wunsch, diese Energie auf der Bühne zu erzeugen, spiegelt sich in den dichten, stampfenden Rhythmen von "Abyss" wider, die auf der Energie des Alt-Rock der 90er Jahre aufbauen. "Abyss" befasst sich auch mit den intensiven Spannungen zwischen der Linken und der Rechten in der heutigen Gesellschaft und erforscht die Komplexität menschlicher Unvollkommenheit und gesunder Debatten. Von der stürmischen Intensität von "Oxygen" bis zum melancholischen "Buttercups" weigert sich das Album, vor unbequemen Wahrheiten zurückzuschrecken. Anika stellt sich mutig ihren eigenen rohen Emotionen, wie in den offenen Texten von "Walk Away", wo sie über ihre Unzufriedenheit mit sich selbst und der Welt nachdenkt. Mit "Abyss" lädt Anika die Hörer in einen Raum der Befreiung, der Rebellion und der Ehrlichkeit ein und schafft ein Album, das den Aufruhr unserer Zeit anspricht und gleichzeitig ein emotionales Ventil bietet. Wie sie es ausdrückt: "Dies ist ein Raum für dich".

Andrew Duhon has a knack for telling the kind of stories that clearly cost the writer something to tell- the kind of honesty that feels noble and never half hearted. When a song written by a stranger heals you, even in the smallest way, that's a connection beyond entertainment, and that is the journey Andrew Duhon sets out on from his home in Louisiana. His songs are about recognizing our story as much as they are about telling his, and his coast to coast pursuits have given him a clearer view of the American Landscape than most are privy to. Still, after years of voyaging off to every corner of the country, a new sensation arises with each return home to New Orleans. From that familiar return comes The Parish Record, a snapshot of life venturing from and returning to one of America's purest cultural vignettes, and the beauty, conflict, and stories that come with it. The Parish Record was recorded at Dockside Studios in Maurice, LA, where deep in Cajun country sits a wood-panel barn engulfed in oak and cypress trees along the slow butterscotch bayou pace of the Vermillion River. In this isolated hub of Acadiana, Andrew Duhon embarked with his trio of most trusted musicians - Myles Weeks (James Hunter Six, Eric Lindell) on Bass, Jim Kolacek (Feufollet) on Drums, and Daniel Walker (Heart, Ann Wilson, Amy Ray) on Keys - to harness of the sound and feeling of their surroundings. "I wanted this record to feel like home. It wasn't time to get out of town or try out something new on this one. It was about believing in the songs from where the songs came from," Duhon says.

Much sought after “Everyone Has Got To Go”, a militant 1976 roots stepper by Jamaican/Canadian singer Prince Robinson, aka R. Man Prince.

Born in Rockfort, East Kingston, Robinson auditioned, like many other hopefuls at Studio One, in his early teens, but it was not his time and he would not record in Kingston until a decade later.

After migrating to New York and then Canada, Robinson returned to Kingston in 1976 to record two incredible roots anthems at Joe Gibbs studio “Everyone Has Got to Go” and the impossibly rare “Funny Dream”. He was joined by The Soul Foundation, a vocal trio who laid the track's beautiful harmonies plus some of Jamaica’s greatest session musicians, including Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, who were not yet superstars.

The track was mixed at Channel One and the explosive “Super Bionic Version!” Dub by Ernest Hookim and Barnabas enters truly apocalyptic territory.

Luckily for all of us, inside a now battered briefcase that he took to Jamaica in 1976, Prince has kept his mastertapes and promo photos in pristine condition, knowing that his music had value and biding his time.

If the jazz of François Tusques is “free”, his spirit is even more so: having recorded Free Jazz with other like-minded Frenchmen (Michel Portal, François Jeanneau, Bernard Vitet, Beb Guérin and Charles Saudrais), the pianist had covered a lot of ground, with Barney Wilen (Le Nouveau Jazz) or even solo (Piano Dazibao and Dazibao N°2), so as not to repeat himself…

In 1971 he founded the Inter Communal Free Dance Music Orchestra which, as the notes the this album stated, “is an interpretation of a music which synthesizes the different communities living and working in France.” In 1976, on the first album (L’Inter Communal) we can already hear Tusques playing without borders in the company of Carlos Andreu (vocals), Michel Marre (trumpet and saxophone), Jo Maka (saxophone) and Ramadolf (trombone). It is a meeting between jazz and music from Catalonia, Occitanie and Africa. So far so good, but what about Brittany, that, Tusques knows “by heart”? Having lived for a long time in Nantes, he would expand his ‘brittanitude’ on the canal linking the city to Brest by playing with, for example the Diaouled-Ar-Menez. With these “devils from the mountain” who, under the baton of Yann Goasdoué, worked throughout the 1970s on the renewal of music from Brittany, Tusques met, notably, Tanguy Ledoré and invited him one day, with trois bombards and some bagpipes (Jean-Louis Le Vallegant, Gaby Kerdoncuff and Philippe Lestrat), to join the ranks of the Intercommunal. And so they set of towards a new music from Brittany, as the title states; Vers une Musique bretonne nouvelle!

With percussion from Samuel Ateba and Kilikus, the association launches the ‘bombardier’: the repetitions and dissonance of the different members all serve a common cause however: the dance, which is always the reason for the party. This sets a whole universe spinning, which can bring to mind Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath (“La rencontre”) when not taking on board waltz, swing, blues and gavotta or even revealing mysteries like those of Gurdjieff (“Les racines de la montagne” or “Le cheval” sung by Andreu). Only one thing to say to this Brotherhood Of Breizh: Mersi!

THE NIGHTINGALES veröffentlichen ihr erstes Studioalbum seit dem viel gelobten Vorgänger "The Last Laugh" von 2022. Ihr neues Album "The Awful Truth", das am 4. April bei Fire Records erscheint, ist eine moderne Music-Hall-Interpretation mit Popsongs und 80er Nostalgie. Gefeiert in dem exzellenten, von Stewart Lee erzählten Film "King Rocker of 2020", in dem der Vorhang für die Magie des "altgedienten Punk/Alternative-Rock-Freiwilligen" (The Quietus) Robert Lloyd gelüftet wurde, sind THE NIGHTINGALES so aktuell wie eh und je, denn sie veröffentlichen eine scharfes Statement-Album auf die moderne Zeit, die zu Recht als "The Awful Truth" betitelt wird. Das Eröffnungsstück "The New Emperor's New Clothes" ist ein beschwingter, mitreißender Ausbruch mit einem dröhnenden Klavier, das den Song einleitend begleitet und dann in wilder, improvisierter Popmusik endet. Die Band über den Track: "A stream of consciousness. Initially inspired by the tawdry but tractable trend of the vacant, voluntarily egged on by ego hungry politicians, pop stars, beauties, ballers, ingrowing haters and hard-nosed influencers. One hundred percent on point with the nonsense of neo populism and savagely edited to fit the music, it is far from silky, it is futile and silly. Real rock 'n' roll." In den frühen 80er Jahren genossen sie Kultstatus als Lieblinge der glaubwürdigen Musikszene und wurden von John Peel angepriesen, der über sie sagte: ,Ihre Auftritte werden dazu dienen, ihre Exzellenz zu bestätigen, wenn wir weit genug von den 1980er Jahren entfernt sind, um diese Zeit rational zu betrachten, und andere, unendlich viel bekanntere Bands als Scharlatane entlarvt werden." Ihre Zeit ist in der Tat gekommen. The Nightingales sind Robert Lloyd, Andreas Schmid (Faust) am Bass, Fliss Kitson (Violet Violet) am Schlagzeug und Gitarrist James Smith (Damo Suzuki). "They genuinely sound more vital than ever." Uncut - "One of rock's unsung heroes" Esquire - "Still stunningly relevant" London Evening Standard - "Lloyd is the most underestimated songwriter of his generation" The Independent

Following the success of their 2023 release "Stockholm Kobenhavn", two of Denmark"s most celebrated musicians in multi-instrumentalist Gustaf Ljunggren and drummer Emil de Waal present their fourth collaborative album. Expanding on their growing reputation for crafting songs and sounds with masterful senses of subtlety, narrative and capacity to form meaningful connections with their collaborators and audiences alike, "Mikroklima" is set to release on February 7th on April Records. Emil de Waal has been one of Denmark"s leading drummers for three decades, best known for his work leading the band Kalaha and his collaborations with Elith "Nulle" Nykjær, as well as performing alongside most of the finest names in modern Scandinavian jazz. Gustaf Ljunggren initially studied the saxophone at the Rhythmic Conservatory of Copenhagen, where whispers spread throughout the school that he was the best saxophone player in town and yet never practiced. His career has seen him prove that he can bring grace, musicality and heart to any instrument he touches, from the pedal steel guitar, to the bass, piano, and more. "Mikroklima" is a testament to and celebration of musical growth, community, and the joy of musical gathering. One element that truly sets this album apart, is the bold move of inviting a group of 12 year old school children from a music class into the studio to record alongside Gustaf and Emil. Drawing from years of experience leading music workshops with young musicians, on Mikroklima Ljunggren and de Waal wanted to capture the sound of musicians from different generations and experiences coming together to contribute their ideas to their compositions. Showcasing Ljunggren"s colorful, comforting, folk-influenced approach to harmony and songwriting alongside de Waal"s distinctive touch on the drums, crafting simplistic yet creative grooves that feel as pleasing and refreshing as they do restrained and purposeful. As each piece unfolds, it becomes more and more apparent how present and communicative the duo are, playing only what the music needs and placing more weight on texture and feeling than soloistic flair. "Mikroklima" is an organic, generous offering that shows Gustaf Ljunggren and Emil de Waal doing what they do best: connecting with music.

Kneading dough is tricky – you should know how it’s supposed to feel. If you try too hard you could make it worse. It’s a beautiful practice – creation with a gentle touch, to work at something so it can be left alone. “If it’s too drawn out it’s awful. It’s easy to give too much.” Dance in the mirror. Contemplate your veiny hands. Who do they remind you of?

You begin by mixing flour and water. “What happens when your people die? Why’d they move the rock to the other side of Ulster Park?” Eliza Niemi asks two seemingly unrelated questions in a rising melody with guitar accompaniment, like fingers playing spider up to the nape of your neck. Gentle pressure. Strands of gluten form to bind the mix. A new question lingers in the binding. When she admits “but I don’t know how to tell if I’m feeling it or not,” that question surfaces through the text. It is reiterated throughout the album. When I’m working with dough I think the same thing to myself.

On Progress Bakery, her second album as a solo artist, Eliza knows to leave some questions alone – to let juxtaposition and tension be the proof. It doesn’t have to be hard. The feelings and revelations they provoke rise in the heat. The smell is sweet. Crispy on the outside and soft all the way through. She playfully slip-slides through words and sounds and images, delighting in surprise, skimming ideas like stones cast across clear water, touching down briefly with uncommon grace.

The question provoked between those opening lines resurfaces in the strands between songs – “Do U FM” is fully formed and beautifully layered, while “Novelist Sad Face” is a short, acapella rendering of gentle curiosity. What is holding these ideas together? Some songs demand more, seem to carry a whole load – eventually the skipping stone will halt to sink and resume its idle duty – while others drift in and out of focus, the way thoughts and dreams become interwoven before the mind is sunk into true sleep.

Music and words don’t always have to interact. Where she decides to keep them apart gives a new contour to where and how she puts them together. The kind of thing you’re supposed to take for granted with songs and their singers comes alive in Eliza’s hands – the little miracle of mixing, kneading, stretching, and stopping.

So often on Progress Bakery, Eliza teases out truth and meaning by asking questions. “Do I wanna be crying?” “Do you want me good or do you want me bad?” “Do I need an eye test?” “I’m writing songs in my head while you’re going over stuff with me — is that cruel??” In “Pocky” Eliza ends with a question that feels to me like the actual biography, succinct and revealing:

I don’t wanna be made to see
I just wanna ask “what’s that?”

Grace that ought to be rare, but in its care and precision is offered humbly, with great generosity, and without announcing itself. Eliza’s simple, miraculous music is given further form and shape by a group of collaborators – invaluable guest musicians Jeremy Ray, Evan Cartwright, Steven McPhail, Kenny Boothby, Ed Squires, Carolina Chauffe, Dorothea Paas, Louie Short, and Avalon Tassonyi. Together with Louie Short, who recorded, mixed, and produced the album along with Jeremy Ray and Lukas Cheung, Eliza has cultivated a richness in sound and texture that prods and provokes the ticklish ear. Barely audible guitar tinkering, a brief lo-fi field recording of trumpets, the harmonic clicking of a looped synthesizer, a flourish of reeds, a child’s conversation, each uncanny sound perfectly placed, rippling out under a soft breeze.

Lay in bed alone at night and ask aloud to the stillness,

“What were you doing at the Albuquerque Airport?
What were you doing there??”

And hear your question answered by a dream of swelling, undulating cellos. Try to grasp at the melody and structure. It’s not an answer (if there could be one), but it moves deeper, closer to the weird layer of fleeting moments and disconnected images, barely perceptible at its core. Wait for the dream reel to click into place.

Eliza took me for a ride in Nicole (her beloved Dodge Grand Caravan) and told me she’d been thinking of the album as an embodiment of transition – and I think every transition, known or unknown, carries the weight of new meaning, skittering off the surface tension of life as you know it, creating ripples, sometimes bouncing off and sometimes breaking through. There is a trick you can use to tell if a dough is glutinous enough. You’re supposed to stretch it out as thin as you can without breaking it and hold it up to the light. If you can see through, even if it renders the world murky and uncertain, you should leave it alone. I love this trick. It’s one that Eliza seems to know intuitively: work gently and ask questions and don’t always expect answers, and when you can, take a glimpse at something new, and then leave.

Kneading dough is tricky – you should know how it’s supposed to feel. If you try too hard you could make it worse. It’s a beautiful practice – creation with a gentle touch, to work at something so it can be left alone. “If it’s too drawn out it’s awful. It’s easy to give too much.” Dance in the mirror. Contemplate your veiny hands. Who do they remind you of?

You begin by mixing flour and water. “What happens when your people die? Why’d they move the rock to the other side of Ulster Park?” Eliza Niemi asks two seemingly unrelated questions in a rising melody with guitar accompaniment, like fingers playing spider up to the nape of your neck. Gentle pressure. Strands of gluten form to bind the mix. A new question lingers in the binding. When she admits “but I don’t know how to tell if I’m feeling it or not,” that question surfaces through the text. It is reiterated throughout the album. When I’m working with dough I think the same thing to myself.

On Progress Bakery, her second album as a solo artist, Eliza knows to leave some questions alone – to let juxtaposition and tension be the proof. It doesn’t have to be hard. The feelings and revelations they provoke rise in the heat. The smell is sweet. Crispy on the outside and soft all the way through. She playfully slip-slides through words and sounds and images, delighting in surprise, skimming ideas like stones cast across clear water, touching down briefly with uncommon grace.

The question provoked between those opening lines resurfaces in the strands between songs – “Do U FM” is fully formed and beautifully layered, while “Novelist Sad Face” is a short, acapella rendering of gentle curiosity. What is holding these ideas together? Some songs demand more, seem to carry a whole load – eventually the skipping stone will halt to sink and resume its idle duty – while others drift in and out of focus, the way thoughts and dreams become interwoven before the mind is sunk into true sleep.

Music and words don’t always have to interact. Where she decides to keep them apart gives a new contour to where and how she puts them together. The kind of thing you’re supposed to take for granted with songs and their singers comes alive in Eliza’s hands – the little miracle of mixing, kneading, stretching, and stopping.

So often on Progress Bakery, Eliza teases out truth and meaning by asking questions. “Do I wanna be crying?” “Do you want me good or do you want me bad?” “Do I need an eye test?” “I’m writing songs in my head while you’re going over stuff with me — is that cruel??” In “Pocky” Eliza ends with a question that feels to me like the actual biography, succinct and revealing:

I don’t wanna be made to see
I just wanna ask “what’s that?”

Grace that ought to be rare, but in its care and precision is offered humbly, with great generosity, and without announcing itself. Eliza’s simple, miraculous music is given further form and shape by a group of collaborators – invaluable guest musicians Jeremy Ray, Evan Cartwright, Steven McPhail, Kenny Boothby, Ed Squires, Carolina Chauffe, Dorothea Paas, Louie Short, and Avalon Tassonyi. Together with Louie Short, who recorded, mixed, and produced the album along with Jeremy Ray and Lukas Cheung, Eliza has cultivated a richness in sound and texture that prods and provokes the ticklish ear. Barely audible guitar tinkering, a brief lo-fi field recording of trumpets, the harmonic clicking of a looped synthesizer, a flourish of reeds, a child’s conversation, each uncanny sound perfectly placed, rippling out under a soft breeze.

Lay in bed alone at night and ask aloud to the stillness,

“What were you doing at the Albuquerque Airport?
What were you doing there??”

And hear your question answered by a dream of swelling, undulating cellos. Try to grasp at the melody and structure. It’s not an answer (if there could be one), but it moves deeper, closer to the weird layer of fleeting moments and disconnected images, barely perceptible at its core. Wait for the dream reel to click into place.

Eliza took me for a ride in Nicole (her beloved Dodge Grand Caravan) and told me she’d been thinking of the album as an embodiment of transition – and I think every transition, known or unknown, carries the weight of new meaning, skittering off the surface tension of life as you know it, creating ripples, sometimes bouncing off and sometimes breaking through. There is a trick you can use to tell if a dough is glutinous enough. You’re supposed to stretch it out as thin as you can without breaking it and hold it up to the light. If you can see through, even if it renders the world murky and uncertain, you should leave it alone. I love this trick. It’s one that Eliza seems to know intuitively: work gently and ask questions and don’t always expect answers, and when you can, take a glimpse at something new, and then leave.

Almost as soon as Σtella Chronopoulou began writing Adagio, her fifth album as Σtella, she knew the time had finally come to sing in Greek, her native tongue. It would be a first. She started the record almost by accident in 2019, during an 11-hour boat ride to the island of Anafi. Σtella had recently gone through a patch of personal turmoil and needed a break from home. On the ferry, she pulled out her cell phone as the boat clipped through the Mediterranean and began with a simple melody, steadily piecing together a rough instrumental. As psychedelic keyboards twinkled and swayed above staccato drums, the track suggested some deep exhalation, as if Σtella were letting go of long-unnecessary baggage. For a spell, she set the instrumental aside. She wasn’t ready yet, or in a rush. Σtella, after all, grew up in a slow place. During her youth in a relatively rural suburb of Athens, Greece, she and her friends played unfettered in empty streets, not worried about cars or permission, and living felt easy. But in the last decade life has steadily become busier for Σtella, now based in the heart of Athens. She has become one of modern Greece’s most popular musical exports, with three sophisticated, playful pop albums rendered with international élan. After her Sub Pop debut, Up and Away, in 2022, she catapulted beyond three million monthly Spotify listeners. That success was a blessing, but Σtella sometimes found herself pining for the slower pace of her youth. That longing is the thread that loosely binds together her fifth album, the entrancing Adagio. Borrowing its name from the term for music that’s meant to be played slowly, Adagio is a pop record that feels like a very warm blanket, its nylon-string guitars and featherlight percussion swaddling its listeners for three minutes at a time. Written and recorded over the span of five years, with a consortium of international collaborators including !!!’s Rafael Cohen and British songwriter Gabriel Stebbing, Adagio is a 27-minute meditation on love and desire, rest and time. Though the bulk of it is sung in English, Σtella delivers her first two songs in Greek here—“Omorfo Mou,” the one that began on the boat, and a cover of a 1969 cult classic of the Greek New Wave, Litsa Sakelariou’s “Ta Vimata.” It is a sign of the self-assurance that radiates throughout these tender and smitten little tunes. Start to finish, Σtella sounds more at ease and comfortable than she’s ever been on Adagio. These fetching songs will not slow her career or grant her that title track’s wish. But, for half an hour, Adagio adds a measure of warmth to the world, with time loosening its grip even if it doesn’t slow down.● Athens, Greece-based Σtella’s new album Adagio is a pop record that feels like a very warm blanket, its nylon-string guitars and featherlight percussion swaddling its listeners for three minutes at a time.● Features Rafael Cohen and British songwriter Gabriel Stebbing.• Σtella’s breakout hit “Charmed” from her 2022 album Up and Away has nearly 100 million streams, and was recently featured in the hit Max show Industry.• On Spotify, Σtella has 3.4 million followers, 66k monthly listeners.

Archival reissue of the garage-psych Zamrock masterpiece (1974)

PRESSED ON OPAQUE RED VINYL

“Electrified by a diet of James Brown, the Stones and Deep Purple,
WITCH were the stadium-filling kings of 70' Zamrock." - MOJO

Our comprehensive overview of Zambia’s premier garage-, psych-, prog-, funk-,afro-rock ensemble WITCH, We Intend To Cause Havoc!, is now sold out in its 6LP box set form. So we are making the first four WITCH albums available in archival reissue form. As with our box set, the audio is nigh-perfect - restored and remastered from the original master tapes. WITCH’s musical arc is contained to a five year span and, in retrospect, is a logical one. The band’s first two, self-produced albums - released in unison with the birth of the commercial Zambian recording industry – are exuberant experiments in garage rock, and are as influenced by the Rolling Stones as they are James Brown. Thus Introduction, their first, is the perfect starting point for anyone interested in delving into the WITCH band, or Zamrock in general.

Scientist's name will be found on many dub releases in peoples record collections.His connection to King Tubby's studio is inseparable and many say when the dub end of Reggae music had fallen on quieter times it was Scientist with his often stripped back style and at other times, wild off the wall remixes that breathed life back into the dub cannon.

Scientist (born Overton Brownie,1960, Jamaica) was in many ways King Tubby's apprentice. Having helped his own father out repairing televisions and such like, he would help Tubby on winding transformer coils, that the amps of the day all needed. His interest in recording grew as he watched the many sessions taking place at Tubby's Dromilly Avenue Studio, learning the ropes as the musicians came and went. His first break happened when King Jammy (then Prince Jammy) was too tired to work on a session booked for producer Errol 'Don' Mais. Scientist engineered the session to every one’s bewilderment and great satisfaction.

His first hit would be a mix of Barrington Levy's 'Collie Weed' and his reputation built on the many versions he cut at Tubby's where he would become the engineer of choice. His pared down mixing style suited the new Dancehall reggae sound that came at the tail end of the 1970's and rolled into the 1980's. Such was his stature that albums were now sold with his name on their jacket, 'Scientist Vs Prince Jammy, 'Scientist meets The Space Invaders' to name but two.

His time at King Tubby's was followed as chief engineer working for the Hookim Brothers at the mighty Channel 1 Studio's and on many of top producer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes tracks, that were hit after hit at the time.

We have compiled some tuff tracks from the late 70's / early 80's just before everything went digital. Some great dub versions to some killer tracks that rocked the dancehalls around this golden time.The mighty Tristan Palmer whose killer cuts 'BadBoys','Stop Spreading Rumours','Eveready' and 'The Greatest Lover’ alongside Michael Palmer's debut release 'Mr Landlord' and Robert Trench's 'Mr Babylon'. The songs stand back-to-back with Tony Tuff's timeless 'Never Trouble Trouble' and the biblical Rod Taylor's 'The Lord is My Light'. Sammy Dread's 'Wah Dah Wah' and the always respectful Dennis Brown's 'Time and Place' all benefited a touch of magic from The Scientist and his laboratory of effects.

Hope you enjoy the set.....

With the 67th contest taking place in the UK in May, Eurovision fever is about to hit!!! – NOW That’s What I Call Eurovision Song Contest presents the ultimate collection of winners, memorable and enduring classics, and fan favourites. 84 Tracks celebrating an incredible legacy… and your essential Eurovision party playlist - NOW That’s What I Call Eurovision Song Contest. Formats : An 84 track 5-LP box set presented in a rigid slip case, with the 5 individual LP’s, including track by track annotations on the reverse of each cover that include facts about the song, artist, and result at the contest. The LPs are pressed on clear transparent vinyl. Limited Coloured 2LP set with 36 songs across– LP1 pressed on translucent red, and LP2 pressed on translucent blue vinyl. 4CD set with all 84 tracks. Marketing: TV advertising from day one of release to include major programming, terrestrial and satellite (actual program placement available closer to release date). Digital rollout of advert / advertising across YouTube and Facebook plus Online/Social marketing

NOW is pleased to announce the latest addition in the Millennium series – NOW – Millennium 2006-2007 - out June 14th! Showcasing more unforgettable sounds of the 2000s, from two great years in music. 85 tracks across 4CDs, showcasing more unforgettable sounds of the 2000s from two fantastic years in music! Available as a standard 4CD set and as a special edition 4CD set, housed in ‘hard-back-book’ packaging, including a 28-page booklet featuring a summary of the year, a track-by-track guide, a quiz, and original singles artwork. Also available on a 31 track 2-LP set, pressed on one in stunning opaque orange and white vinyl on the other.

Definitive Recordings is proud to announce the reissue of deep house classic "Liferaft" by Juicy Fruit (aka Meredith Ledger), fully remastered and set to breathe new life into one of the 90s' most iconic releases. Originally dropped in 1993, this EP features the original as well as remixes by John Acquaviva and The Stickmen.

The standout title track, "Liferaft", is a rich and soulful deep house gem, built around a captivating piano house theme that harks back to the golden era of house music. The track's groove is driven by a classic house beat and a funky, rhythmic guitar lick that perfectly complements its melodic core. The fresh remaster brings new clarity to its timeless warmth, elevating it for modern sound systems while keeping the vintage charm intact.

House music legend John Acquaviva takes the funky guitar lick and pushes it further into the groove, layering it with a robust and simplistic bassline. His remix evolves into a deep yet vibrant soundscape, showcasing Acquaviva's signature house influence.

The "The Stickmen Dub" intensifies the original's foundation by supplementing it with a hypnotic organ sound. This remix enriches the track with subtle but powerful layers, creating a mood that's both dancefloor-ready and deeply immersive.

Definitive Recordings is excited to share this release with long-time fans and newcomers alike. Whether you're a die-hard house aficionado or just discovering the classics, the "Liferaft" EP is a must-have addition to any collection.

Halo Studios und Laced Records haben sich zusammengetan, um die ikonische Musik der ursprünglichen Halo-Trilogie zum ersten Mal auf Vinyl zu veröffentlichen.

Diese Box enthält 83 Titel aus den ersten drei Halo-Alben, die speziell für Vinyl neu gemastert und auf acht heavyweight LPs gepresst wurden. Jeder Soundtrack befindet sich in einer breitrandige Außenhülle und einer bedruckten Innenhülle. Diese wiederum befinden sich in einer stabilen Sammlerbox aus Karton mit silbernem Laminatüberzug und geprägtem Halo-Logo.

Das Original-Cover-Artwork stammt von Art Director und Concept Artist Isaac Hannaford (alias Rhizus / Space Ship Guru), dem ehemaligen Lead Concept Artist und Mitwirkenden an Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST und Halo Reach. Das zusätzliche Artwork der Box wurde von der Grafikdesignerin Maren Landsnes erstellt.

Halo: Combat Evolved war der Inbegriff des Konsolen-Ego-Shooters und sein Soundtrack legte den Grundstein für den legendären Sound der Serie. Der Soundtrack ist von verschiedenen Genres inspiriert und kombiniert schwungvolle Orchesterklänge mit marschierenden Militär-Snares, Prog-Rock-Percussion und - wer könnte den gregorianischen Mönchsgesang vergessen?

Für Halo 2 taten sich die Komponisten mit hochkarätigen Musikern zusammen und verpassten dem Halo-Thema mit dem neuen „Mjolnir Mix“ ein Heavy-Metal-Makeover. Es war der erste Videospiel-Soundtrack, der es in die Billboard 200 schaffte.

Halo 3 zeichnete sich durch Tribal-Drums und Prog-Rock-Refrains aus, während Klaviermelodien, begleitet von einem 60-köpfigen Orchester und einem 24-stimmigen Chor, dem Soundtrack emotionale Tiefe verliehen.

- 83 Tracks aus Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 und Halo 3
- Speziell für Vinyl neu gemastert
- Cover-Artwork von Isaac Hannaford (ehemaliger Lead Concept Artist, Bungie)

Black Vinyl

“Sometimes They Come Back” is not just the title of a horror movie based on a macabre tale by Stephen King, it is also a summary of what happened to UK death etal veterans BENEDICTION, yet you might ke to add a “better than ever before”. While never officially disbanded, 2020’s Scriptures, the group’s eighth studio album achieved what is usually not an easy feat. It connected well with classics like Transcend the Rubicon (1993) and its immediate and memorable songwriting, the heavy-as-a-brick Grind Bastard (1998), and also saw legendary vocalist Dave Ingram return with his merciless roar and knack for morbid, twisted lyrics. After two albums with Dave Hunt on vocals, Scriptures was BENEDICTION’s first record in over a decade impressing with aggressive up-tempo attacks like ‘Iterations of I’ and ‘Rabid Carnality’ or the neck-breaking mid-tempo barrage of ‘Stormcrow’, songs that became live staples alongside ‘evergreens’ such as ‘I Bow to None’, ‘Magnificat’, ‘Subconscious Terror’ or ‘Vision in the Shroud’ in no time. With Scriptures, BENEDICTION even almost cracked Germany’s top ten by entering at a phenomenal #11 of the Official German Charts showing that the death metal veterans founded 1989 in Birmingham, England, offered an extremely well received sonic catharsis when due to the pandemic, people were locked down and pissed off.
When the shroud of Covid-19 lifted, the quintet finally could start to promote the album onstage with numerous festival gigs including Summer Breeze (DE), Copenhell (DK), Mystic Festival (PL), UK Deathfest, Alcatraz (BE), Party.San (DE), Obscene Extreme (CZ), Eindhoven Metal Meeting (NL) and Rock Hard (DE) to name but a few, played triumphant shows in South and Middle America as well as in their home country and all over Europe.
Kicking in the door without further warning, fast paced opener ‘A Carrion Harvest’ that mounts in a vicious Slayer-style break, starts with Ingram growling ‘Brace for impact, go!’ giving an unmistakable hint at what to expect during the following 47 minutes and 11 songs. With tremolo riffs and hammering grooves in spades, tracks like ‘Engines of War’, ‘Genesis Chamber’, ‘Crawling over Corpses’, ‘In the Dread of the Night’, and ‘Psychosister’ show a remarkable consistency and Scott Atkins, who produced the record at Grindstone Studio once again, ensures with a crisp and massive sound that the aforementioned impact leaves no bone unshattered. Garnered with artwork by Wolven Claws Artist, Ravage Of Empires continues BENEDICTION’s flawless discography on Premier League level and promises to become one of 2025’s undisputable old school death metal highlights!
With their brilliant new record in tow, founding members and guitarists Darren Brookes and Peter Rew, longtime vocalist Dave Ingram, drummer Giovanni Durst, and Nik Sampson (bass) will travel far and wide once more. Already confirmed are the Tales of the Triple Death Tour with Jungle Rot and Master kicking off on album release date as well as confirmed appearances at Wacken Open Air and Maryland Deathfest. More to be announced soon!

Petrol Green Vinyl

“Sometimes They Come Back” is not just the title of a horror movie based on a macabre tale by Stephen King, it is also a summary of what happened to UK death etal veterans BENEDICTION, yet you might ke to add a “better than ever before”. While never officially disbanded, 2020’s Scriptures, the group’s eighth studio album achieved what is usually not an easy feat. It connected well with classics like Transcend the Rubicon (1993) and its immediate and memorable songwriting, the heavy-as-a-brick Grind Bastard (1998), and also saw legendary vocalist Dave Ingram return with his merciless roar and knack for morbid, twisted lyrics. After two albums with Dave Hunt on vocals, Scriptures was BENEDICTION’s first record in over a decade impressing with aggressive up-tempo attacks like ‘Iterations of I’ and ‘Rabid Carnality’ or the neck-breaking mid-tempo barrage of ‘Stormcrow’, songs that became live staples alongside ‘evergreens’ such as ‘I Bow to None’, ‘Magnificat’, ‘Subconscious Terror’ or ‘Vision in the Shroud’ in no time. With Scriptures, BENEDICTION even almost cracked Germany’s top ten by entering at a phenomenal #11 of the Official German Charts showing that the death metal veterans founded 1989 in Birmingham, England, offered an extremely well received sonic catharsis when due to the pandemic, people were locked down and pissed off.
When the shroud of Covid-19 lifted, the quintet finally could start to promote the album onstage with numerous festival gigs including Summer Breeze (DE), Copenhell (DK), Mystic Festival (PL), UK Deathfest, Alcatraz (BE), Party.San (DE), Obscene Extreme (CZ), Eindhoven Metal Meeting (NL) and Rock Hard (DE) to name but a few, played triumphant shows in South and Middle America as well as in their home country and all over Europe.
Kicking in the door without further warning, fast paced opener ‘A Carrion Harvest’ that mounts in a vicious Slayer-style break, starts with Ingram growling ‘Brace for impact, go!’ giving an unmistakable hint at what to expect during the following 47 minutes and 11 songs. With tremolo riffs and hammering grooves in spades, tracks like ‘Engines of War’, ‘Genesis Chamber’, ‘Crawling over Corpses’, ‘In the Dread of the Night’, and ‘Psychosister’ show a remarkable consistency and Scott Atkins, who produced the record at Grindstone Studio once again, ensures with a crisp and massive sound that the aforementioned impact leaves no bone unshattered. Garnered with artwork by Wolven Claws Artist, Ravage Of Empires continues BENEDICTION’s flawless discography on Premier League level and promises to become one of 2025’s undisputable old school death metal highlights!
With their brilliant new record in tow, founding members and guitarists Darren Brookes and Peter Rew, longtime vocalist Dave Ingram, drummer Giovanni Durst, and Nik Sampson (bass) will travel far and wide once more. Already confirmed are the Tales of the Triple Death Tour with Jungle Rot and Master kicking off on album release date as well as confirmed appearances at Wacken Open Air and Maryland Deathfest. More to be announced soon!

- Voice of the Beehive's sophomore album. 1991's Honey Lingers, saw the UK/US pop-rock band build further on their signature mix of jangly guitars, upbeat rhythms, and melodic pop hooks, edging closer to a glossier, more mainstream sound
- Working with producers such as Don Was (The B-52s, Bob Dylan), Hugh Jones (Echo & The Bunnymen, The Charlatans) and Alan Tarney (A-ha, Saint Etienne), its 3 singles - 'Monsters And Angels', 'I Think I Love You', and 'Perfect Place'- all broke the UK Top 40.
- 'Monsters And Angels' was also a significant top ten Modern Rock track at US radio as well as breaking the US Top 100.
- The album saw the band build on the indie-rock of their debut to bring in more mainstream pop influences.
- The album sold over 60,000 copies in the UK, enjoying silver sales.
- These new versions see the album remastered :
1. re-issued on vinyl for the very first time, pressed on limited edition hot-pink vinyl..
2. The expanded - 37 tracks- and remastered double CD delves into the archives to uncover B-sides, acoustic versions and alternate takes, as well as live tracks from an iconic 1991 performance at The Kentish Town & Country Club recorded for BBC Radio One.