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The first album in 7 years from seminal electronic music pioneers and twice Mercury Prize Nominated, Leftfield. Currently reaching a new audience through Idris Elba’s Gucci ad, this will be their 4th album in their 28 year history. The new single will be featured in the soon to launched eFootball by Konami (previously PES).

Their last tour (in 2017) featured 7 sold out UK shows (including 2 X Brixton Academies), a sold out world tour and various festival headlines.

Quote from Neil Barnes: "I wanted ‘Pulse’ to be the first statement from the new album. It felt strong. Dance floor. Human. Positive. And I love the bass. It’s Leftfield."

Full pitch notes with bio to come

CULTURE

Leftfield (originally comprised of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley), have been at the cutting edge of dance music since the 1990s, releasing albums that have become some of the most influential electronic records of all time around the world with their debut LP 'Leftism' being widely regarded as one of the most boundary-pushing electronic LPs ever released.

In 2010, Neil Barnes reignited the Leftfield name, and went on to release an acclaimed new album (Alternative Light Source) touring the world with the full live band. Neil has also been cementing his reputation as a top-tier DJ and record collector unleashing modern dance floor weapons, selling out venues, headlining festivals and creating some amazing nights with his sets.

"Infinite Echo" is a fresh suite of voyaging Balearica, tinged with ocean mist. Over the years, the incredible British duo Seahwaks have crafted an expansive catalogue of trippy and cosmically-influenced, ambient instrumentals, which has seen them collaborate with the likes of Badly Drawn Boy, Tim Burgess and Jon Goddard (of Hot Chip). Helmed by perennial co-captains Jon Tye (founder of Lo Recordings) and Pete Fowler (acclaimed Welsh visual artist), their latest collection emerged from a series of scraps and vignettes informed by a breadth of eclectic chillness (mid-80's digital new age in the Higher Octave vein, Michael McDonald remixed by Oneohtrix Point Never, etc.), then fleshed out with Lyra Pramuk's Siren Songs app and Holly Herndon's Holly+ software, rendering it choral, otherworldly, and "emotional in a new kind of way." The results sound elevated and ineffable, like music heard at the edge of dreams, hinting at worlds yet to come.

Die "Blue Record" EP enthält 5 Songs: die beeindruckenden Akustikversionen von drei Songs des 2013er Albums ,II" sowie zwei fantastische Coverversionen, "Swing Lo Magellan" (DIRTY PROJECTORS) und "Puttin It Down" (BECK). "Ich habe erst im letzten Jahr damit angefangen, Akustikgitarre zu spielen. Die Idee, dass eine Gitarre Sound in Elektrizität übersetzt und es dann richtig laut wird, mochte ich schon immer. Ich dachte, dass die Akustikgitarre vielleicht ein bisschen zu niedlich für mich ist. Doch nachdem uns einige Gelegenheiten geboten wurden, Akustiksets zu spielen, um die neue Platte zu promoten, habe ich beschlossen, das Ganze als Herausforderung zu betrachten und zu versuchen, akustisch zu spielen und dabei nicht langweilig zu klingen. Schließlich fand ich es schon immer toll, wie Arthur Lee akustisch spielt und fragte mich, ob ich das wohl überzeugend hinbekommen könnte. So wurde ich praktisch durch ein paar Radiosessions dazu gezwungen, mir die Akustikgitarre anzueignen und beschloss, ein paar Songs akustisch aufzunehmen und zu veröffentlichen, weil den Leuten das anscheinend gefiel. Alles wurde in meinem Keller mit nur einem Mikro direkt auf Band aufgenommen." - Ruban Nielson, UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA ENG "I only started playing the acoustic guitar last year. I'd always preferred the idea that the guitar converts a sound into voltage and then becomes really loud. I thought the acoustic guitar was a little bit too twee for me or something. But after being offered some opportunities to play various acoustic sessions to promote the new record, in situations where it wasn't possible to record the whole band, I decided to treat it like a challenge to try and play acoustic and not have it be lame. After all I was really into Arthur Lee's ability with an acoustic and started wondering if I could make it sound convincing. Anyway, after being somewhat forced to develop some skill on the acoustic through these various radio sessions and things like that I decided to record some songs acoustically and release them since people seemed to be liking the way I was doing it. Everything was recorded straight to tape in my basement with a one mic set up." - RUBAN NIELSON, UMO


[a] 01. SWIM AND SLEEP (LIKE A SHARK) [ACOUSTIC VERSION]
[b] 02. FADED IN THE MORNING [ACOUSTIC VERSION]
[c] 03. SO GOOD AT BEING IN TROUBLE [ACOUSTIC VERSION]

Continuing the succesful V.38 here you have the Vol.2, 27 special cuts and tracks of the most influence Rapper of all the times, DR DRE, helped for the more importants stars of Hip Hop like 50 CENT, SNOOP DOG, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z... This is a special and powerful weapon for all the Hip Hop creators and DJ's.

Pollux - Locus

Pollux strikes again with this banger, a solid deep groove as we're used to, the drive in this one is really massive.

Lovely mysterious female vocals and a great solid melodic lead, all this in a wonderfull stunning atmosphere.

This track has got it all, great vibe, lush sound, a strong production.

Pollux & Faber - Pulse

With Pulse, the guys continue on the elan of predecessor Tam Unanimem, a "dark" deep bassline which reminds a bit to the classic "Barbarella" although it's different, but it's nice to have :)

An additional strong deep bass-melody and catchy lead are keeping "this whopper" going !

Leach - Cernunnos

No interduction needed for this guy who already earned his stripes with several releases. We go way back so we're very proud to have him and his newest track "Cernunnos" on Castor, a MASSIVE groove, nice build up & break with a great vocal. "Cernunnos" grabs hold of your attention and doesn’t let go ! Guaranteed Floorfiller !!!

Pollux - Restless

This one's got that typical "Pollux Sound", a pumping deep groove, a

heavenly arpeggiator and bombastic lead in a "Progressive" atmosphere, makes you long to dance ...

In May 2020 Cocoon Recordings released the third album of Harald Björk. With the club scene on Covid-hold , tours canceled and all of our favorite DJ’s locked up at home… not the optimal conditions to release an album on a nr.1 world wide club empire as Cocoon. How ever we decided not to let a virus kill our beloved culture, as Mr. Sven Väth put it „I would like to share with you the album of Harald Björk… which has soothed me and I hope will also give you a soundtrack for these uneasy days“. It felt right to release it.

The release was shrinked from a thought of vinyl box to a digital release with future plans on vinyl. However covid decided to stay and time went. The queue at the vinyl factories didn’t make the process easier… But at one point the dream factory of Kranglan Broadcast decided, enough! , the world has to keep on dreaming. And what is a better way to embrace dreams then to release a vinyl full of of dreamers, groundbreaking in their corners of the electronic umberella. Dreamers doing their thing not even looking at the norm or what’s the recent hype.

Aditional info:
Houndtooth finest Throwing Snow who Harald met in New York 2013 during their term at RBMA brings a bassdriven rollercoaster with the arpeggios from Spektrum bouncing like rubberballs through an impressive broken drum work. The remix came delivered with a text saying „I like my drums slamming“ and so do we.

Ada takes the eteric pads of Waldmeister and place them in a auditive dreamstate, an emotional hybrid of space and vacuum. Large feelings, yet so close. It builds, stretches and builds until we are shown the enlighted truth in the end of the tunnel. Harald is a long time fan and colector of Adas music which he got to know through the lovely label of Areal and has continued to love through the Pampa era. First remix from Ada on Kranglan was the epic remake of Sabor Latino, Sabor de Ada! We are delighted to have her art on the label once again.

The pandemic 2020 took away the most fun of beeing in the club scene, sharing stages with brilliant interesting dreamers showing and exchanging visions performing music. Under these strange conditions Molø and Harald ended up sharing a physical stage at the stream festival United We Stream. One thing led to the other and Harald took a deep dive in to Molø‘s great melodic techno universe. Some times you find gold in your own hometown. Molø’s take on Waldmeister build on the mellow arpeggio from the original track and brings them to a perfect chilled out afterhours. Imagine watching the sunrise to this beauty.

Swedes are a people of high integracy but as loyal citizens we allways attend formal events by the state. Skudge and Harald met at the Swedish National Radio price anouncement, both nominated for „electronic act of the year 2011“. It was an akward event with radio interviews and canapés, not very techno, the signum of Skudge. How ever Skudge won it all leaving both Avicii and Swedish House Mafia empty handed. Landberg, the swing king of Skudge is the kind of person that will tell you why the TR-909 has to be master clock to get the right groove in a techno performance, if you ask… which you do ??! If you’re looking for techno with groove look no further, Skudge is king! In his take on Walking Path he display the power of minimalistic dirty grooves, a 909 and a 303 what else do we need?

The 12“ vinyl comes with a fresh re-master of album single Medan Du Sov and an unreleased bonus track, Drifting, a balearic sundazed love story.

The album classic from from 1982 re-issued. All music recorded at Channel One and mixed at King Tubby's studio by Scientist, as backing band the Roots Radics in fine style. A top-a-top Henry 'Junjo' Lawes production. Riddim directory note: "Love In A Mi Heart" is a reminiscence of "Bubble Up", the title track "Chip In" is based on the Prophecy/Peanut Vendor riddim and "Saturday Night Jamboree" is on the same riddim as Eek-A-Mouse's "Noah' Ark".

With L'Amour Aux Mille Parfums, mim comes out of the shadows, naked, and gives a very personal vision of love that is at once accessible, profound and complex.

mim writes a politics of intimacy that grows out of the rubble of free pop tinged with experimental song. He turns clichés and expectations on their head in his own way in a "post-modern love" music that lowers its weapons and invites laughter and a form of enlightenment. Surprising and invigorating.

To accompany him in this adventure, he invites his friend, Charlène Darling, and together they stage their friendship in a dialogue full of sincerity and laughter. mim & Charlène had already collaborated on the excellent album "Saint Guidon".

Translated with DeepL Translator (free version)
We've heard it a million times: the story of the diary in music, the coming of age, the coming of age, the coming of age record. We've heard it a million times times, but never like this. With L'Amour aux mille parfums, mim comes out of the shadows, naked, and gives a very personal vision of a a record with a heavy heart, hemmed in by inner turmoil as much as by questions by inner turmoil as much as by questions about a socially stifling era. a kind of intimate politics that grows out of the rubble of a free pop tinged with experimental song.

L'Amour aux mille parfums is divided into two segments: a "social" A side and a "mystical" B side. and a "mystical" side B, both of which Mim has conceived of as two proponents of a of a vision embedded in the reality of the desire for love shattered by the outside world. world. Pas Malade is, according to its author, "a piece that breaks the screen, almost documentary". Bienvenue (which opens the album) states loud and clear, without any aesthetic irony "better a broken heart than a closed one". The The narrative and musical path of this album is naturally freed from the of love to wander with a certain malice in the sensitivity of the musician and the sensitivity of the musician and those who listen to him. It turns clichés and expectations on their head in its own way. clichés and expectations in his own way, writing a kind of "post-modern love" music music that lowers its weapons and invites laughter and a form of enlightenment.

Jazzrausch Bigband has more or less invented a new art form,
techno jazz, and has become well-known for performances of it. But
the band also has another, different story to tell. It has invented its
own tradition of hitting the road and touring at the end of each year
with a programme consisting of Christmas music, and has been doing
this ever since the band first emerged eight years ago. Bandleader
and founder Roman Sladek explains: “Whereas our regular projects -
the most recent album, ‘Emergenz’, is a good example - are all about
working through a specific theme and finding new ways to reinvent
ourselves, our Christmas thing is something we do for one reason
alone: to have fun. It was our very first programme, we still love it, and
we’re still nurturing, developing and growing it. Being able to devote
one month a year entirely to the big band tradition is something we’re
all really passionate about.”
Some bands might have been tempted just to throw together an
album of Christmas chestnuts any old how, but the Jazzrausch way of
doing things is not like that at all. Unlike any other album by the band,
for the first time we hear purely instrumental music. Furthermore,
Kuhn has taken ten classic Christmas songs - each one of them
rarely heard in jazz, and tunes which can often come across as a bit
staid in their original settings - from ‘Tochter Zion, freue dich# to
‘Adeste fideles’ or ‘Ihr Kinderlein, kommet’. The title track, ‘Alle Jahre
wieder!’ (based on the 1830s carol to music by Silcher which is very
familiar to children and adults in the German-speaking world) appears
here in completely new orchestral garb.
Sometimes the listener will recognise the kind of swing typical of
Glenn Miller. At other moments it is the incomparable big band
elegance of, say, Artie Shaw. ‘Es wird scho glei dumpa’ (an Austrian
carol) is given the full extra high pressure Tijuana brass treatment.
‘Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging’ gets the touch of the Thad Jones /
Mel Lewis Orchestra after a Henry Mancini-like intro, and ‘Ich steh’ an
deiner Krippe hier’ recalls more of the great swing heritage.
Once again Jazzrausch Bigband has succeeded in a way that only
very few in the jazz field can, notwithstanding the openness of the
genre: they have brought young and old together, tradition and
revolution, the familiar and the new. Which is why it feels so
completely natural and right that they should continue to do this
‘again every year’, as the album title tells them: ‘Alle Jahre wieder’.

“A rather gorgeous and engrossing collection, that borrows stealthily from a rich history of sound effect and soundtrack to build a tender poem to the night time.” - CLASH
“The plan was to make twenty 90-second tracks designed as TV themes,” says Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat, of the initial thought behind his new instrumental album as Nyx Nótt “But it wasn't a satisfying listen, it was too gimmicky and silly.”
So instead, Moffat decided to stretch the idea out, plunge deeper, and expand the music into full tracks, “making some of them quite long and dramatic, with the odd swift turn here and there.” In fleshing these tracks out into more fully realised songs he began sourcing samples from professional TV and film music libraries. “The focus then turned to making a proper album out of these modern library sounds,” he says. “I decided to stick with the Themes From title and named the tracks after the sorts of shows they made me think of when I listened back.”
The result is a record that explores genre themes such as: ‘Thriller, ‘Porno’, ‘Caper’ and Swashbuckler’, and acts as an audio equivalent of channel hopping through a unique TV station programmed by Moffat. “I still wasn't sure about all this until I did the album cover, which brought it all together,” he says, of the artwork that places an old smashed TV unit front and centre with a woman perched on top. “It has echoes of old TV compilations but is pretty cheeky and slightly sexy in that old 70s compilation style. I wanted this one to look a bit more fun than the last one, as well as hopefully sound a bit more fun too.”
Aside from being a fun experience, it is also a stirring and immersive listen, one that allows the listener to imagine their own accompanying visual scenarios to each musical theme. The opening ‘Docudrama’ marries a gently creeping beat with strings that glide from tense to sweeping, while ‘Porno’ is all seedy smoky jazz that feels plucked right out of Travis Bickle’s late night trips to porn cinemas in Taxi Driver.
Touches of jazz pop up in other places too, on ‘Hardboiled’ this merges with subtle pulses and gargles of electronics that build to a rousing crescendo of horns and bleeps, and on ‘Caper’ there’s a vivacious full jazz band skip to the lively swinging rhythms. “There's a few more jazzy elements here,” Moffat says. “Although I'm not quite sure where that came from. Although, like everyone else, I've had plenty of time to be introspective recently, so I decided the next Nyx Nótt album should be more upbeat and encourage some occasional foot-tapping.”
However, what becomes apparent, the longer you spend in the world of Themes From, is how singular and unique the tone of each composition is. “Each track has its own individual feel,” says Moffat. “The idea was to sound like a different composer and band throughout.” It’s a stylistic leap that continues Nyx Nótt’s trajectory as one that shares no direct link to Moffat’s other projects. “I approach them in completely different ways and with a different purpose in mind,” says Moffat. “I don't think Nyx has ever heard of Arab Strap, and certainly doesn't own any of their albums.” It’s also a notable shift from the debut album under this moniker, and suitably given the theme, Moffat has created a visual comparison between these two sonic worlds. “If the first Nyx Nótt album was like looking out on dark prairies before dawn, this is more like a walk through a neon Soho after a few cocktails.”

Comprehensive box of 6 LPs / EPs and the band's first rare 7inch.

Aroma Di Amore is/was Belgian’s premier cult band. Since the early eighties ADA innovatively combined electronics with rock. With a mix of razor-sharp Flemish lyrics and unconventional song structures the group earned a cult status in Belgium and abroad. 40 years later they conclude their career with a few last concerts and a vinyl box set spanning the years 1983-1987.

At the notorious Rock Rally of 1982 Aroma Di Amore stands out with their wonderful handling of the Flemish language, a deep bass, typical cold new wave drums, biting guitar riffs with the occasional flavor of absolute madness. Frontman Jos Verlooy adopts the stage name Elvis Peeters. The explanation for this remarkable pseudonym choice: in 1977 – the period of the singer's musical awakening – one of the two famous rocking Elvises (not Costello, but Presley) succumbs to his pill addiction. So, dixit Verlooy, there is an Elvis vacant. A banal surname belongs next to that exotic first name. A combination that breathes rock 'n' roll, according to the singer.

His companion Gerry Vergult – who very much determines the sound with his metallic riffs, somewhat indebted to Jean-Marie Aerts – adopts the stage name Fred Angst. Completely in line with the depressing zeitgeist of the 1980s. Gerry eats and breathes music. Besides composing most of ADA’s songs, he records & self-produces a few fantastic dark en loner solo minimal wave tracks as Fred Angst. He is still musically active, more towards the electronic leftfield nowadays under the moniker Zool.

It is clear from an early age that companion Elvis Peeters possesses the gift of the word. As an adolescent he published the punkzine “Dus”. The punk spirit stimulates Peeters. He begins to transform the poetry that he has been entrusting to paper for some time into song lyrics. It is on a whim and without any stage experience that punk friends Peeters and Angst register for the Rock Rally as Aroma di Amore. On a bed of post-punk and cold wave (Joy Division, Wire and Sisters of Mercy are the main influences), they initially let out playful, minimalist and nonsensical slogans such as "Doe De Mafia" (1982) and "Gorilla Dans De Samba" (1983). Later on, the tone becomes more serious, although Peeters' choice of words continues to show a penchant for absurdism and sarcasm. No one in Dutch songwriting imitates this verbal elasticity, certainly at that time.

The numerous songs about war are downright horrifying. In the 1980s, an arms race is underway. When the Belgian government decides to install nuclear missiles in 1981, Aroma di Amore asks for one minute of silence in the hall during performances. In "Lauwe Oorlog" (1983), Peeters exposes the core of his unrest: “paraat voor de parade / de vrede wordt begraven / met militaire eer”. To this day, the frontman of AdA still proudly wears his at least 30 year old 'atomic energy, no thanks!' button.

In 1984 Aroma releases Koude Oorlog on the new and independent Brussels label Play It Again Sam. The traditional press and radio ignore the record, but in the alternative circuits the mini-album does not go unnoticed, and the group starts to build a solid fan base, resulting in more and more offers for gigs. There's also interest in the Netherlands, and due to the international contacts of PIAS, the record also ends up in France, Switzerland, Spain and Canada.

Encouraged by this modest success, the group returns to the studio for a 12" single. With new group member Frits De Cauter on sax, they record "Voor De Dood". To this day, Voor De Dood remains the most popular AdA song, as evidenced by the countless compilations on which the song has appeared.

AdA goes to the Netherlands to record their next album “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen”. The people from Nasmak have built a new studio in Eindhoven and one of the members, Theo Van Eenbergen (later Henry Rollins), will be the producer. “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen” is the group's most adventurous album, and the reviews are again unanimously favorable. However, sales are disappointing and PIAS proposes to recruit Chris Reed of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and record a new single with him. "Zonder Omzien" is recorded at the prestigious Pyramid Studio. However, PIAS is waiting to release the album and in the meantime AdA is recording a number of extra tracks with producer Ludo Camberlin, including "Koekoek In De Stad". Towards the end of the year, Lo and Elvis travel to Africa for a few months and as a result the group comes to a standstill. In this period, Zonder Omzien is released.

At the beginning of 1986, Peeters and Meulen return, and Andrea Smits leaves the group. Luc Pillards is hired as a replacement, and when Ludo Camberlin presents himself as a new label boss and producer (Anything But Records), they start recording their first full album for the label. “Harde Feiten" kicks in immediately, and the group is back up to cruising speed. In the first week of release, the record even appears in the bestseller list of the record stores.

At the beginning of 1987 the recordings for the second album start, this time in a production by Peeters and Angst themselves. Shortly after the shooting, AdA goes to Switzerland for a short but successful tour, with Men 2nd and Cas & Organized Crime as support act. "Koudvuur" is published in the autumn and considered to be their strongest record so far by the group, the reactions are rather low. Both the reviews in the press and the sales are disappointing and put a damper on the joy. Nevertheless, the group is invited to perform in Valencia, Spain, where they have an unexpected success.

MUTANT SOUNDS BLOG

Aroma Di Amore have always been outsiders, even within the confinement of the alternative rock circuit. Their peculiar blend of raw guitars, electronics, Dutch lyrics and unconventional song structures was too hybrid for many. Those howewer who, without prejudice, would lend an ear to the band's music, discovered an energetic, authentic and uncompromising collective that stood above all trends. While so many Belgian "connaisseurs" had their doubts about the possibilities of international recognition for a band singing in Dutch, Aroma Di Amore toured France, Switzerland and Spain; their records figured in alternative charts from Poland to Canada.

From beginning to end the nucleus of Aroma Di Amore consisted of Elvis PEETERS, who in a inimitable, possessed way delivered his highly original lyrics, and Fred ANGST, guitarist mastering the heaviest riffs as well as refined tapestries of sound. Furthermore, the line-up varied throughout the band's carreer with:- H.K. (Guitarist from 1982 until 1983)- Andrea SMITS (Organ from 1982 until 1985)- Luc PILLARDS (Synthsizer in 1986)- Jan WANDELAAR (Guitar and synthesizer in 1986)- Pulcherie (Saxophone in 1983)- Wout DOCKX (Bass from 1987 until 1988)and especially- Lo MEULEN (Bass from 1983 until 1987)and the late Frits DE CAUTER (Saxophone from 1984 until 1986) contributing to the music.

Box Set includes: Gorilla Dans De Samba 7" (1983), Voor De Dood 12" (1984), Koude Oorlog LP (1984), De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen 12" (1985), Zonder Omzien 12" (1986), Harde Feiten LP (1986), Koudvuur LP (1987)

First-time reissue of Aroma Di Amore's debut album, originally released in 1984.

Aroma Di Amore is/was Belgian’s premier cult band. Since the early eighties ADA innovatively combined electronics with rock. With a mix of razor-sharp Flemish lyrics and unconventional song structures the group earned a cult status in Belgium and abroad. 40 years later they conclude their career with a few last concerts and a vinyl box set spanning the years 1983-1987.

At the notorious Rock Rally of 1982 Aroma Di Amore stands out with their wonderful handling of the Flemish language, a deep bass, typical cold new wave drums, biting guitar riffs with the occasional flavor of absolute madness. Frontman Jos Verlooy adopts the stage name Elvis Peeters. The explanation for this remarkable pseudonym choice: in 1977 – the period of the singer's musical awakening – one of the two famous rocking Elvises (not Costello, but Presley) succumbs to his pill addiction. So, dixit Verlooy, there is an Elvis vacant. A banal surname belongs next to that exotic first name. A combination that breathes rock 'n' roll, according to the singer.

His companion Gerry Vergult – who very much determines the sound with his metallic riffs, somewhat indebted to Jean-Marie Aerts – adopts the stage name Fred Angst. Completely in line with the depressing zeitgeist of the 1980s. Gerry eats and breathes music. Besides composing most of ADA’s songs, he records & self-produces a few fantastic dark en loner solo minimal wave tracks as Fred Angst. He is still musically active, more towards the electronic leftfield nowadays under the moniker Zool.

It is clear from an early age that companion Elvis Peeters possesses the gift of the word. As an adolescent he published the punkzine “Dus”. The punk spirit stimulates Peeters. He begins to transform the poetry that he has been entrusting to paper for some time into song lyrics. It is on a whim and without any stage experience that punk friends Peeters and Angst register for the Rock Rally as Aroma di Amore. On a bed of post-punk and cold wave (Joy Division, Wire and Sisters of Mercy are the main influences), they initially let out playful, minimalist and nonsensical slogans such as "Doe De Mafia" (1982) and "Gorilla Dans De Samba" (1983). Later on, the tone becomes more serious, although Peeters' choice of words continues to show a penchant for absurdism and sarcasm. No one in Dutch songwriting imitates this verbal elasticity, certainly at that time.

The numerous songs about war are downright horrifying. In the 1980s, an arms race is underway. When the Belgian government decides to install nuclear missiles in 1981, Aroma di Amore asks for one minute of silence in the hall during performances. In "Lauwe Oorlog" (1983), Peeters exposes the core of his unrest: “paraat voor de parade / de vrede wordt begraven / met militaire eer”. To this day, the frontman of AdA still proudly wears his at least 30 year old 'atomic energy, no thanks!' button.

In 1984 Aroma releases Koude Oorlog on the new and independent Brussels label Play It Again Sam. The traditional press and radio ignore the record, but in the alternative circuits the mini-album does not go unnoticed, and the group starts to build a solid fan base, resulting in more and more offers for gigs. There's also interest in the Netherlands, and due to the international contacts of PIAS, the record also ends up in France, Switzerland, Spain and Canada.

Encouraged by this modest success, the group returns to the studio for a 12" single. With new group member Frits De Cauter on sax, they record "Voor De Dood". To this day, Voor De Dood remains the most popular AdA song, as evidenced by the countless compilations on which the song has appeared.

AdA goes to the Netherlands to record their next album “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen”. The people from Nasmak have built a new studio in Eindhoven and one of the members, Theo Van Eenbergen (later Henry Rollins), will be the producer. “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen” is the group's most adventurous album, and the reviews are again unanimously favorable. However, sales are disappointing and PIAS proposes to recruit Chris Reed of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and record a new single with him. "Zonder Omzien" is recorded at the prestigious Pyramid Studio. However, PIAS is waiting to release the album and in the meantime AdA is recording a number of extra tracks with producer Ludo Camberlin, including "Koekoek In De Stad". Towards the end of the year, Lo and Elvis travel to Africa for a few months and as a result the group comes to a standstill. In this period, Zonder Omzien is released.

At the beginning of 1986, Peeters and Meulen return, and Andrea Smits leaves the group. Luc Pillards is hired as a replacement, and when Ludo Camberlin presents himself as a new label boss and producer (Anything But Records), they start recording their first full album for the label. “Harde Feiten" kicks in immediately, and the group is back up to cruising speed. In the first week of release, the record even appears in the bestseller list of the record stores.

At the beginning of 1987 the recordings for the second album start, this time in a production by Peeters and Angst themselves. Shortly after the shooting, AdA goes to Switzerland for a short but successful tour, with Men 2nd and Cas & Organized Crime as support act. "Koudvuur" is published in the autumn and considered to be their strongest record so far by the group, the reactions are rather low. Both the reviews in the press and the sales are disappointing and put a damper on the joy. Nevertheless, the group is invited to perform in Valencia, Spain, where they have an unexpected success.

MUTANT SOUNDS BLOG

Aroma Di Amore have always been outsiders, even within the confinement of the alternative rock circuit. Their peculiar blend of raw guitars, electronics, Dutch lyrics and unconventional song structures was too hybrid for many. Those howewer who, without prejudice, would lend an ear to the band's music, discovered an energetic, authentic and uncompromising collective that stood above all trends. While so many Belgian "connaisseurs" had their doubts about the possibilities of international recognition for a band singing in Dutch, Aroma Di Amore toured France, Switzerland and Spain; their records figured in alternative charts from Poland to Canada.

From beginning to end the nucleus of Aroma Di Amore consisted of Elvis PEETERS, who in a inimitable, possessed way delivered his highly original lyrics, and Fred ANGST, guitarist mastering the heaviest riffs as well as refined tapestries of sound. Furthermore, the line-up varied throughout the band's carreer with:- H.K. (Guitarist from 1982 until 1983)- Andrea SMITS (Organ from 1982 until 1985)- Luc PILLARDS (Synthsizer in 1986)- Jan WANDELAAR (Guitar and synthesizer in 1986)- Pulcherie (Saxophone in 1983)- Wout DOCKX (Bass from 1987 until 1988)and especially- Lo MEULEN (Bass from 1983 until 1987)and the late Frits DE CAUTER (Saxophone from 1984 until 1986)contributing to the music.

First-time reissue of Aroma Di Amore's 2nd album, originally released in 1986.

Aroma Di Amore is/was Belgian’s premier cult band. Since the early eighties ADA innovatively combined electronics with rock. With a mix of razor-sharp Flemish lyrics and unconventional song structures the group earned a cult status in Belgium and abroad. 40 years later they conclude their career with a few last concerts and a vinyl box set spanning the years 1983-1987.

At the notorious Rock Rally of 1982 Aroma Di Amore stands out with their wonderful handling of the Flemish language, a deep bass, typical cold new wave drums, biting guitar riffs with the occasional flavor of absolute madness. Frontman Jos Verlooy adopts the stage name Elvis Peeters. The explanation for this remarkable pseudonym choice: in 1977 – the period of the singer's musical awakening – one of the two famous rocking Elvises (not Costello, but Presley) succumbs to his pill addiction. So, dixit Verlooy, there is an Elvis vacant. A banal surname belongs next to that exotic first name. A combination that breathes rock 'n' roll, according to the singer.

His companion Gerry Vergult – who very much determines the sound with his metallic riffs, somewhat indebted to Jean-Marie Aerts – adopts the stage name Fred Angst. Completely in line with the depressing zeitgeist of the 1980s. Gerry eats and breathes music. Besides composing most of ADA’s songs, he records & self-produces a few fantastic dark en loner solo minimal wave tracks as Fred Angst. He is still musically active, more towards the electronic leftfield nowadays under the moniker Zool.

It is clear from an early age that companion Elvis Peeters possesses the gift of the word. As an adolescent he published the punkzine “Dus”. The punk spirit stimulates Peeters. He begins to transform the poetry that he has been entrusting to paper for some time into song lyrics. It is on a whim and without any stage experience that punk friends Peeters and Angst register for the Rock Rally as Aroma di Amore. On a bed of post-punk and cold wave (Joy Division, Wire and Sisters of Mercy are the main influences), they initially let out playful, minimalist and nonsensical slogans such as "Doe De Mafia" (1982) and "Gorilla Dans De Samba" (1983). Later on, the tone becomes more serious, although Peeters' choice of words continues to show a penchant for absurdism and sarcasm. No one in Dutch songwriting imitates this verbal elasticity, certainly at that time.

The numerous songs about war are downright horrifying. In the 1980s, an arms race is underway. When the Belgian government decides to install nuclear missiles in 1981, Aroma di Amore asks for one minute of silence in the hall during performances. In "Lauwe Oorlog" (1983), Peeters exposes the core of his unrest: “paraat voor de parade / de vrede wordt begraven / met militaire eer”. To this day, the frontman of AdA still proudly wears his at least 30 year old 'atomic energy, no thanks!' button.

In 1984 Aroma releases Koude Oorlog on the new and independent Brussels label Play It Again Sam. The traditional press and radio ignore the record, but in the alternative circuits the mini-album does not go unnoticed, and the group starts to build a solid fan base, resulting in more and more offers for gigs. There's also interest in the Netherlands, and due to the international contacts of PIAS, the record also ends up in France, Switzerland, Spain and Canada.

Encouraged by this modest success, the group returns to the studio for a 12" single. With new group member Frits De Cauter on sax, they record "Voor De Dood". To this day, Voor De Dood remains the most popular AdA song, as evidenced by the countless compilations on which the song has appeared.

AdA goes to the Netherlands to record their next album “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen”. The people from Nasmak have built a new studio in Eindhoven and one of the members, Theo Van Eenbergen (later Henry Rollins), will be the producer. “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen” is the group's most adventurous album, and the reviews are again unanimously favorable. However, sales are disappointing and PIAS proposes to recruit Chris Reed of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and record a new single with him. "Zonder Omzien" is recorded at the prestigious Pyramid Studio. However, PIAS is waiting to release the album and in the meantime AdA is recording a number of extra tracks with producer Ludo Camberlin, including "Koekoek In De Stad". Towards the end of the year, Lo and Elvis travel to Africa for a few months and as a result the group comes to a standstill. In this period, Zonder Omzien is released.

At the beginning of 1986, Peeters and Meulen return, and Andrea Smits leaves the group. Luc Pillards is hired as a replacement, and when Ludo Camberlin presents himself as a new label boss and producer (Anything But Records), they start recording their first full album for the label. “Harde Feiten" kicks in immediately, and the group is back up to cruising speed. In the first week of release, the record even appears in the bestseller list of the record stores.

At the beginning of 1987 the recordings for the second album start, this time in a production by Peeters and Angst themselves. Shortly after the shooting, AdA goes to Switzerland for a short but successful tour, with Men 2nd and Cas & Organized Crime as support act. "Koudvuur" is published in the autumn and considered to be their strongest record so far by the group, the reactions are rather low. Both the reviews in the press and the sales are disappointing and put a damper on the joy. Nevertheless, the group is invited to perform in Valencia, Spain, where they have an unexpected success.

MUTANT SOUNDS BLOG

Aroma Di Amore have always been outsiders, even within the confinement of the alternative rock circuit. Their peculiar blend of raw guitars, electronics, Dutch lyrics and unconventional song structures was too hybrid for many. Those howewer who, without prejudice, would lend an ear to the band's music, discovered an energetic, authentic and uncompromising collective that stood above all trends. While so many Belgian "connaisseurs" had their doubts about the possibilities of international recognition for a band singing in Dutch, Aroma Di Amore toured France, Switzerland and Spain; their records figured in alternative charts from Poland to Canada.

From beginning to end the nucleus of Aroma Di Amore consisted of Elvis PEETERS, who in a inimitable, possessed way delivered his highly original lyrics, and Fred ANGST, guitarist mastering the heaviest riffs as well as refined tapestries of sound. Furthermore, the line-up varied throughout the band's carreer with:- H.K. (Guitarist from 1982 until 1983)- Andrea SMITS (Organ from 1982 until 1985)- Luc PILLARDS (Synthsizer in 1986)- Jan WANDELAAR (Guitar and synthesizer in 1986)- Pulcherie (Saxophone in 1983)- Wout DOCKX (Bass from 1987 until 1988)and especially- Lo MEULEN (Bass from 1983 until 1987)and the late Frits DE CAUTER (Saxophone from 1984 until 1986)contributing to the music.

First-time reissue of Aroma Di Amore's 3rd album, originally released in 1987.

Aroma Di Amore is/was Belgian’s premier cult band. Since the early eighties ADA innovatively combined electronics with rock. With a mix of razor-sharp Flemish lyrics and unconventional song structures the group earned a cult status in Belgium and abroad. 40 years later they conclude their career with a few last concerts and a vinyl box set spanning the years 1983-1987.

At the notorious Rock Rally of 1982 Aroma Di Amore stands out with their wonderful handling of the Flemish language, a deep bass, typical cold new wave drums, biting guitar riffs with the occasional flavor of absolute madness. Frontman Jos Verlooy adopts the stage name Elvis Peeters. The explanation for this remarkable pseudonym choice: in 1977 – the period of the singer's musical awakening – one of the two famous rocking Elvises (not Costello, but Presley) succumbs to his pill addiction. So, dixit Verlooy, there is an Elvis vacant. A banal surname belongs next to that exotic first name. A combination that breathes rock 'n' roll, according to the singer.

His companion Gerry Vergult – who very much determines the sound with his metallic riffs, somewhat indebted to Jean-Marie Aerts – adopts the stage name Fred Angst. Completely in line with the depressing zeitgeist of the 1980s. Gerry eats and breathes music. Besides composing most of ADA’s songs, he records & self-produces a few fantastic dark en loner solo minimal wave tracks as Fred Angst. He is still musically active, more towards the electronic leftfield nowadays under the moniker Zool.

It is clear from an early age that companion Elvis Peeters possesses the gift of the word. As an adolescent he published the punkzine “Dus”. The punk spirit stimulates Peeters. He begins to transform the poetry that he has been entrusting to paper for some time into song lyrics. It is on a whim and without any stage experience that punk friends Peeters and Angst register for the Rock Rally as Aroma di Amore. On a bed of post-punk and cold wave (Joy Division, Wire and Sisters of Mercy are the main influences), they initially let out playful, minimalist and nonsensical slogans such as "Doe De Mafia" (1982) and "Gorilla Dans De Samba" (1983). Later on, the tone becomes more serious, although Peeters' choice of words continues to show a penchant for absurdism and sarcasm. No one in Dutch songwriting imitates this verbal elasticity, certainly at that time.

The numerous songs about war are downright horrifying. In the 1980s, an arms race is underway. When the Belgian government decides to install nuclear missiles in 1981, Aroma di Amore asks for one minute of silence in the hall during performances. In "Lauwe Oorlog" (1983), Peeters exposes the core of his unrest: “paraat voor de parade / de vrede wordt begraven / met militaire eer”. To this day, the frontman of AdA still proudly wears his at least 30 year old 'atomic energy, no thanks!' button.

In 1984 Aroma releases Koude Oorlog on the new and independent Brussels label Play It Again Sam. The traditional press and radio ignore the record, but in the alternative circuits the mini-album does not go unnoticed, and the group starts to build a solid fan base, resulting in more and more offers for gigs. There's also interest in the Netherlands, and due to the international contacts of PIAS, the record also ends up in France, Switzerland, Spain and Canada.

Encouraged by this modest success, the group returns to the studio for a 12" single. With new group member Frits De Cauter on sax, they record "Voor De Dood". To this day, Voor De Dood remains the most popular AdA song, as evidenced by the countless compilations on which the song has appeared.

AdA goes to the Netherlands to record their next album “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen”. The people from Nasmak have built a new studio in Eindhoven and one of the members, Theo Van Eenbergen (later Henry Rollins), will be the producer. “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen” is the group's most adventurous album, and the reviews are again unanimously favorable. However, sales are disappointing and PIAS proposes to recruit Chris Reed of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and record a new single with him. "Zonder Omzien" is recorded at the prestigious Pyramid Studio. However, PIAS is waiting to release the album and in the meantime AdA is recording a number of extra tracks with producer Ludo Camberlin, including "Koekoek In De Stad". Towards the end of the year, Lo and Elvis travel to Africa for a few months and as a result the group comes to a standstill. In this period, Zonder Omzien is released.

At the beginning of 1986, Peeters and Meulen return, and Andrea Smits leaves the group. Luc Pillards is hired as a replacement, and when Ludo Camberlin presents himself as a new label boss and producer (Anything But Records), they start recording their first full album for the label. “Harde Feiten" kicks in immediately, and the group is back up to cruising speed. In the first week of release, the record even appears in the bestseller list of the record stores.

At the beginning of 1987 the recordings for the second album start, this time in a production by Peeters and Angst themselves. Shortly after the shooting, AdA goes to Switzerland for a short but successful tour, with Men 2nd and Cas & Organized Crime as support act. "Koudvuur" is published in the autumn and considered to be their strongest record so far by the group, the reactions are rather low. Both the reviews in the press and the sales are disappointing and put a damper on the joy. Nevertheless, the group is invited to perform in Valencia, Spain, where they have an unexpected success.

MUTANT SOUNDS BLOG

Aroma Di Amore have always been outsiders, even within the confinement of the alternative rock circuit. Their peculiar blend of raw guitars, electronics, Dutch lyrics and unconventional song structures was too hybrid for many. Those howewer who, without prejudice, would lend an ear to the band's music, discovered an energetic, authentic and uncompromising collective that stood above all trends. While so many Belgian "connaisseurs" had their doubts about the possibilities of international recognition for a band singing in Dutch, Aroma Di Amore toured France, Switzerland and Spain; their records figured in alternative charts from Poland to Canada.

From beginning to end the nucleus of Aroma Di Amore consisted of Elvis PEETERS, who in a inimitable, possessed way delivered his highly original lyrics, and Fred ANGST, guitarist mastering the heaviest riffs as well as refined tapestries of sound. Furthermore, the line-up varied throughout the band's carreer with:- H.K. (Guitarist from 1982 until 1983)- Andrea SMITS (Organ from 1982 until 1985)- Luc PILLARDS (Synthsizer in 1986)- Jan WANDELAAR (Guitar and synthesizer in 1986)- Pulcherie (Saxophone in 1983)- Wout DOCKX (Bass from 1987 until 1988)and especially- Lo MEULEN (Bass from 1983 until 1987)and the late Frits DE CAUTER (Saxophone from 1984 until 1986)contributing to the music.

First-time reissue of Aroma Di Amore's 3rd EP, originally released in 1985.

Aroma Di Amore is/was Belgian’s premier cult band. Since the early eighties ADA innovatively combined electronics with rock. With a mix of razor-sharp Flemish lyrics and unconventional song structures the group earned a cult status in Belgium and abroad. 40 years later they conclude their career with a few last concerts and a vinyl box set spanning the years 1983-1987.

At the notorious Rock Rally of 1982 Aroma Di Amore stands out with their wonderful handling of the Flemish language, a deep bass, typical cold new wave drums, biting guitar riffs with the occasional flavor of absolute madness. Frontman Jos Verlooy adopts the stage name Elvis Peeters. The explanation for this remarkable pseudonym choice: in 1977 – the period of the singer's musical awakening – one of the two famous rocking Elvises (not Costello, but Presley) succumbs to his pill addiction. So, dixit Verlooy, there is an Elvis vacant. A banal surname belongs next to that exotic first name. A combination that breathes rock 'n' roll, according to the singer.

His companion Gerry Vergult – who very much determines the sound with his metallic riffs, somewhat indebted to Jean-Marie Aerts – adopts the stage name Fred Angst. Completely in line with the depressing zeitgeist of the 1980s. Gerry eats and breathes music. Besides composing most of ADA’s songs, he records & self-produces a few fantastic dark en loner solo minimal wave tracks as Fred Angst. He is still musically active, more towards the electronic leftfield nowadays under the moniker Zool.

It is clear from an early age that companion Elvis Peeters possesses the gift of the word. As an adolescent he published the punkzine “Dus”. The punk spirit stimulates Peeters. He begins to transform the poetry that he has been entrusting to paper for some time into song lyrics. It is on a whim and without any stage experience that punk friends Peeters and Angst register for the Rock Rally as Aroma di Amore. On a bed of post-punk and cold wave (Joy Division, Wire and Sisters of Mercy are the main influences), they initially let out playful, minimalist and nonsensical slogans such as "Doe De Mafia" (1982) and "Gorilla Dans De Samba" (1983). Later on, the tone becomes more serious, although Peeters' choice of words continues to show a penchant for absurdism and sarcasm. No one in Dutch songwriting imitates this verbal elasticity, certainly at that time.

The numerous songs about war are downright horrifying. In the 1980s, an arms race is underway. When the Belgian government decides to install nuclear missiles in 1981, Aroma di Amore asks for one minute of silence in the hall during performances. In "Lauwe Oorlog" (1983), Peeters exposes the core of his unrest: “paraat voor de parade / de vrede wordt begraven / met militaire eer”. To this day, the frontman of AdA still proudly wears his at least 30 year old 'atomic energy, no thanks!' button.

In 1984 Aroma releases Koude Oorlog on the new and independent Brussels label Play It Again Sam. The traditional press and radio ignore the record, but in the alternative circuits the mini-album does not go unnoticed, and the group starts to build a solid fan base, resulting in more and more offers for gigs. There's also interest in the Netherlands, and due to the international contacts of PIAS, the record also ends up in France, Switzerland, Spain and Canada.

Encouraged by this modest success, the group returns to the studio for a 12" single. With new group member Frits De Cauter on sax, they record "Voor De Dood". To this day, Voor De Dood remains the most popular AdA song, as evidenced by the countless compilations on which the song has appeared.

AdA goes to the Netherlands to record their next album “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen”. The people from Nasmak have built a new studio in Eindhoven and one of the members, Theo Van Eenbergen (later Henry Rollins), will be the producer. “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen” is the group's most adventurous album, and the reviews are again unanimously favorable. However, sales are disappointing and PIAS proposes to recruit Chris Reed of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and record a new single with him. "Zonder Omzien" is recorded at the prestigious Pyramid Studio. However, PIAS is waiting to release the album and in the meantime AdA is recording a number of extra tracks with producer Ludo Camberlin, including "Koekoek In De Stad". Towards the end of the year, Lo and Elvis travel to Africa for a few months and as a result the group comes to a standstill. In this period, Zonder Omzien is released.

At the beginning of 1986, Peeters and Meulen return, and Andrea Smits leaves the group. Luc Pillards is hired as a replacement, and when Ludo Camberlin presents himself as a new label boss and producer (Anything But Records), they start recording their first full album for the label. “Harde Feiten" kicks in immediately, and the group is back up to cruising speed. In the first week of release, the record even appears in the bestseller list of the record stores.

At the beginning of 1987 the recordings for the second album start, this time in a production by Peeters and Angst themselves. Shortly after the shooting, AdA goes to Switzerland for a short but successful tour, with Men 2nd and Cas & Organized Crime as support act. "Koudvuur" is published in the autumn and considered to be their strongest record so far by the group, the reactions are rather low. Both the reviews in the press and the sales are disappointing and put a damper on the joy. Nevertheless, the group is invited to perform in Valencia, Spain, where they have an unexpected success.

MUTANT SOUNDS BLOG

Aroma Di Amore have always been outsiders, even within the confinement of the alternative rock circuit. Their peculiar blend of raw guitars, electronics, Dutch lyrics and unconventional song structures was too hybrid for many. Those howewer who, without prejudice, would lend an ear to the band's music, discovered an energetic, authentic and uncompromising collective that stood above all trends. While so many Belgian "connaisseurs" had their doubts about the possibilities of international recognition for a band singing in Dutch, Aroma Di Amore toured France, Switzerland and Spain; their records figured in alternative charts from Poland to Canada.

From beginning to end the nucleus of Aroma Di Amore consisted of Elvis PEETERS, who in a inimitable, possessed way delivered his highly original lyrics, and Fred ANGST, guitarist mastering the heaviest riffs as well as refined tapestries of sound. Furthermore, the line-up varied throughout the band's carreer with:- H.K. (Guitarist from 1982 until 1983)- Andrea SMITS (Organ from 1982 until 1985)- Luc PILLARDS (Synthsizer in 1986)- Jan WANDELAAR (Guitar and synthesizer in 1986)- Pulcherie (Saxophone in 1983)- Wout DOCKX (Bass from 1987 until 1988)and especially- Lo MEULEN (Bass from 1983 until 1987)and the late Frits DE CAUTER (Saxophone from 1984 until 1986)contributing to the music

First-time reissue of Aroma Di Amore's 4th EP, originally released in 1986.

Aroma Di Amore is/was Belgian’s premier cult band. Since the early eighties ADA innovatively combined electronics with rock. With a mix of razor-sharp Flemish lyrics and unconventional song structures the group earned a cult status in Belgium and abroad. 40 years later they conclude their career with a few last concerts and a vinyl box set spanning the years 1983-1987.

At the notorious Rock Rally of 1982 Aroma Di Amore stands out with their wonderful handling of the Flemish language, a deep bass, typical cold new wave drums, biting guitar riffs with the occasional flavor of absolute madness. Frontman Jos Verlooy adopts the stage name Elvis Peeters. The explanation for this remarkable pseudonym choice: in 1977 – the period of the singer's musical awakening – one of the two famous rocking Elvises (not Costello, but Presley) succumbs to his pill addiction. So, dixit Verlooy, there is an Elvis vacant. A banal surname belongs next to that exotic first name. A combination that breathes rock 'n' roll, according to the singer.

His companion Gerry Vergult – who very much determines the sound with his metallic riffs, somewhat indebted to Jean-Marie Aerts – adopts the stage name Fred Angst. Completely in line with the depressing zeitgeist of the 1980s. Gerry eats and breathes music. Besides composing most of ADA’s songs, he records & self-produces a few fantastic dark en loner solo minimal wave tracks as Fred Angst. He is still musically active, more towards the electronic leftfield nowadays under the moniker Zool.

It is clear from an early age that companion Elvis Peeters possesses the gift of the word. As an adolescent he published the punkzine “Dus”. The punk spirit stimulates Peeters. He begins to transform the poetry that he has been entrusting to paper for some time into song lyrics. It is on a whim and without any stage experience that punk friends Peeters and Angst register for the Rock Rally as Aroma di Amore. On a bed of post-punk and cold wave (Joy Division, Wire and Sisters of Mercy are the main influences), they initially let out playful, minimalist and nonsensical slogans such as "Doe De Mafia" (1982) and "Gorilla Dans De Samba" (1983). Later on, the tone becomes more serious, although Peeters' choice of words continues to show a penchant for absurdism and sarcasm. No one in Dutch songwriting imitates this verbal elasticity, certainly at that time.

The numerous songs about war are downright horrifying. In the 1980s, an arms race is underway. When the Belgian government decides to install nuclear missiles in 1981, Aroma di Amore asks for one minute of silence in the hall during performances. In "Lauwe Oorlog" (1983), Peeters exposes the core of his unrest: “paraat voor de parade / de vrede wordt begraven / met militaire eer”. To this day, the frontman of AdA still proudly wears his at least 30 year old 'atomic energy, no thanks!' button.

In 1984 Aroma releases Koude Oorlog on the new and independent Brussels label Play It Again Sam. The traditional press and radio ignore the record, but in the alternative circuits the mini-album does not go unnoticed, and the group starts to build a solid fan base, resulting in more and more offers for gigs. There's also interest in the Netherlands, and due to the international contacts of PIAS, the record also ends up in France, Switzerland, Spain and Canada.

Encouraged by this modest success, the group returns to the studio for a 12" single. With new group member Frits De Cauter on sax, they record "Voor De Dood". To this day, Voor De Dood remains the most popular AdA song, as evidenced by the countless compilations on which the song has appeared.

AdA goes to the Netherlands to record their next album “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen”. The people from Nasmak have built a new studio in Eindhoven and one of the members, Theo Van Eenbergen (later Henry Rollins), will be the producer. “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen” is the group's most adventurous album, and the reviews are again unanimously favorable. However, sales are disappointing and PIAS proposes to recruit Chris Reed of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and record a new single with him. "Zonder Omzien" is recorded at the prestigious Pyramid Studio. However, PIAS is waiting to release the album and in the meantime AdA is recording a number of extra tracks with producer Ludo Camberlin, including "Koekoek In De Stad". Towards the end of the year, Lo and Elvis travel to Africa for a few months and as a result the group comes to a standstill. In this period, Zonder Omzien is released.

At the beginning of 1986, Peeters and Meulen return, and Andrea Smits leaves the group. Luc Pillards is hired as a replacement, and when Ludo Camberlin presents himself as a new label boss and producer (Anything But Records), they start recording their first full album for the label. “Harde Feiten" kicks in immediately, and the group is back up to cruising speed. In the first week of release, the record even appears in the bestseller list of the record stores.

At the beginning of 1987 the recordings for the second album start, this time in a production by Peeters and Angst themselves. Shortly after the shooting, AdA goes to Switzerland for a short but successful tour, with Men 2nd and Cas & Organized Crime as support act. "Koudvuur" is published in the autumn and considered to be their strongest record so far by the group, the reactions are rather low. Both the reviews in the press and the sales are disappointing and put a damper on the joy. Nevertheless, the group is invited to perform in Valencia, Spain, where they have an unexpected success.

MUTANT SOUNDS BLOG

Aroma Di Amore have always been outsiders, even within the confinement of the alternative rock circuit. Their peculiar blend of raw guitars, electronics, Dutch lyrics and unconventional song structures was too hybrid for many. Those howewer who, without prejudice, would lend an ear to the band's music, discovered an energetic, authentic and uncompromising collective that stood above all trends. While so many Belgian "connaisseurs" had their doubts about the possibilities of international recognition for a band singing in Dutch, Aroma Di Amore toured France, Switzerland and Spain; their records figured in alternative charts from Poland to Canada.

From beginning to end the nucleus of Aroma Di Amore consisted of Elvis PEETERS, who in a inimitable, possessed way delivered his highly original lyrics, and Fred ANGST, guitarist mastering the heaviest riffs as well as refined tapestries of sound. Furthermore, the line-up varied throughout the band's carreer with:- H.K. (Guitarist from 1982 until 1983)- Andrea SMITS (Organ from 1982 until 1985)- Luc PILLARDS (Synthsizer in 1986)- Jan WANDELAAR (Guitar and synthesizer in 1986)- Pulcherie (Saxophone in 1983)- Wout DOCKX (Bass from 1987 until 1988)and especially- Lo MEULEN (Bass from 1983 until 1987)and the late Frits DE CAUTER (Saxophone from 1984 until 1986)contributing to the music.

2022 Repress

Jamaican love songs always came across as heartfelt poetry whether they conveyed a broken heart, unrequited love or even the message ‘it’s all over don’t bother to come back’ anecdotes. But whatever the mood the singers of these songs were so good and versatile that putting such
subject matter over in a few verses was always so moving and believable.
 
Jamaican love songs were a constant in the ever evolving sounds and
journey’s that reggae music took us on, from ska to rocksteady to the early reggae sounds of the late 1960’s early 1970’s. We have complied a great selection of songs that all deal with that timeless subject matter. Max Romeo’s heartfelt ‘Sometimes’ opens our set in fine style, known more for his roots singing this song proves what a great singer he is. The Melodians a great Jamaican vocal group are featured here with ‘Best Girl’. The Sensations provide us with our title track ‘Born To Love You ‘and the theme for this compilation a great rocksteady tune with fantastic harmonies. Alton Ellis gives us the soulful ‘Room Full Of Tears’. Ken Boothe
provides us with his rendition of Dennis Brown’s ‘Money In My Pocket’  the ode that money cannot buy you everything. Cornell Campbell sings one of his most overlooked classic songs with his prideful `She Wears My Ring’. The great singer of love songs  himself  Mr John Holt tells us that we should all `Reconsider’, before giving up on love and a great lost singer Monty Morris gives us two great examples of how to find love in `Do It My Way’ and `Magic Moments’.
A great selection delivered as only Jamaica can do with style and feeling…….

Hope you enjoy the set …greetings from Jamaica… love songs for all…

With his first release since 2015, Seattle based Indie-folk hero Rocky Votolato returns with Wild Roots, an intimate concept album inspired by and written for his family. Each song a letter dedicated to a specific family member and focused on a special memory or moment in time. After losing his child in December of 2021 in a tragic car accident, the entire album, and especially the song “Becoming Human”, now a posthumous love letter, takes on an even deeper while devastatingly bittersweet meaning. The production on Wild Roots is hushed, handcrafted, and warm — an intimate and personal experience that brings the nature of Votolato’s storytelling to life in very authentic and genuine ways. Produced, engineered, and mixed by Votolato himself, the record is a deliberate construction of his conceptual vision and new phase of his recording career. Additionally, the record features a stellar cast of renowned musicians whose contributions perfectly compliment the delicate nature of these songs — Abby Gundersen (William Fitzsimmons) on piano, string arrangements, and vocal harmonies, James McAllister (Sufjan Stevens, The National) on drums and percussion, Phil Wandscher (Whiskeytown, Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter) on electric guitar, and Marcel Gein (Perry O’Parson) on electric guitar. In many ways, Wild Roots is not only a break in silence for Votolato, but the opening of a new chapter — one that feels laser focused on what really matters in life. Whether discovering Votolato for the first time or adding another record to your collection, Wild Roots resonates on the most simple and important human levels — a sharing of experience that encourages us to keep believing in ourselves and in the magic of this life, no matter how harsh and difficult it can be.


Track list: 1. Evergreen 2. 23 Stitches 3. Glory (Broken Dove) 4. There is a Light 5. X1998x 6. Becoming Human 7. Breakwater 8. Little Black Diamond 9. Archangels of Tornados 10. The Great Pontificator 11. The Wildest Horses 12. Little Lupine 13. Bella Rose 14. Southpaw 15. Texas Scorpion (The Outlaw Blues)

Great songs are not set in stone - since he burst from the blues clubs of Louisiana onto the global music scene with 1995's breakthrough first album, Ledbetter Heights, followed by his career defining second album, Trouble Is..

in 1997, Kenny Wayne Shepherd has twisted those classic cuts into bold new
shapes each night on the stage. Led by the pulse of the crowd, every last note
alive in his hands, the Trouble Is... tracks have always been on the move, never
settling into museum pieces.
But to give a quarter-century-old album a second birth is another matter. And in
more recent times, as the five- time- Grammy- nominated, multi- platinum- selling
artist looked up the road and saw the 25th anniversary of Trouble Is... on the
horizon, he hatched an audacious plan."One of the coolest things about rerecording Trouble Is... has been finding out or verifying how timeless this album
really is," says Shepherd, who also is leading a triumphant anniversary tour across
the United States in 2022 and 2023, performing the album in full. "I'm so proud of
what we accomplished, and also the fact I was just 18 years old when I did it. I
mean, I had an experience with this album that most musicians can only dream
about. Trouble Is... sold millions of copies. There's validation in all of that for me."
The Artbook package contains: 2LP on Gold Vinyl, CD, DVD and Blu- ray of the
Trouble Is... 25th Anniversary Show in the Strand Theatre in Shreveport, Louisiana
and a documentary about the making of the album, plus a Dolby Atmos audio Bluray that is exclusive to this release.

An Appointment with Mr Yeats sees the words of W B Yeats, one of Ireland's greatest literary sons, merged with the music of The Waterboys, one of Britain and Ireland's greatest rock bands, in a truly unique and ambitious musical undertaking. The album was originally released in 2011, and has been fully remastered for re-issue, and now contains 6 previously unreleased bonus tracks. The Waterboys vocalist Mike Scott, first delivered a new dimension to Yeats' poetry in 1988, when he wrote a musical accompaniment for the classic poem The Stolen Child, during the making of the Waterboys seminal album 'Fisherman's Blues'. Five years later he set another Yeats poem to music, Love and Death, which appeared on their 'Dream Harder' album. Over the years, Scott had been quietly crafting a wealth of material similarly based on the writings of Yeats. A number of these were performed by him at the Abbey Theatre during the Yeats International Festival in 1991, but most had remained in Scott's private songbook awaiting the right vehicle. An Appointment with Mr. Yeats was that long-awaited context. Scott's love of literature is firmly embedded throughout the work of The Waterboys. He has also put the writings of Robert Burns, James Stephens, Kenneth Grahame and George MacDonald to song. Speaking on his literary influences and loves, Scott explained: "I grew up in a house full of books so literature - and language - have always been important to me. Working with other peoples' words is something that comes as natural to me as working with my own. In a way it's even more immediate; I've always found writing music an easier process than the writing of lyrics, and setting words of the quality of Yeats' to music is an enormous privilege and treat." An Appointment with Mr. Yeats is a unique and memorable opportunity for lovers of great music and great literature to celebrate the union of song and word in one spectacular record.

Originally released in 2014, “Instruction Booklet N. 1232” marks the first cassette release on Dauw for Tatersall under his The Humble Bee moniker. Taking advantage of the format, each side on “Instruction Booklet N. 1232” is reserved for a single piece nearing the 20-minute mark.

“Exploding View” (aka Side A) swells into existence with a very grand sounding synth-driven melody. Of course the other thing that’s present is the decaying sound of the tape loop that’s working to bring that music to life. At first, the melody grows and grows, fairly undisturbed, but eventually the sound of so-much tape warble threatens the rising nature of the piece until it sounds as though it is one loop away from total decay and simply fluttering out of existence.

But of course that’s the point. There’s a tension between that grand melody that opens these moments and that warble. It’s a lesson in opposites: the mechanics of a tape loop, guaranteed to break down, placed in contrast with those signature Tatersall melodies, which somehow seem eternal. And just as that tension seems too much to bear — the melody dies to be replaced by something altogether new. What comes next is something much quieter, driven by a sub-aquatic bassline, some rhythmic tape hiss and some gentle piano.

It’s a very dramatic and sudden break. The technical elements of that could be attributed to Tattersall’s understanding of how far a melody can be pushed before it succumbs to the abuse of being processed out of existence — perhaps the tape had been looped and processed to its breaking point. Regardless of whether it was a technical or artistic choice, that hard break serves an important narrative function. Frequently in instrumental music, musicians play with opposites (quiet-loud, clean-distorted) to create a narrative to their work since they don’t have words/lyrics as a tool. In the case of The Humble Bee’s use of tape loops, one set of opposites in tension is always driven by the fragility of the melodies and the limitations of a machine guaranteed to inevitably decay the media it is designed to support. And where one thrives, the other takes a backseat. As side A winds down, the melodies are much more sparse — appropriate for en ending, yes; but it also gives more space for those hisses and crackles to claim their moment.

Side B is filled out by “Manual with Foot Pedal” and it begins as gently as its predecessor ended. Slowly eking outing it existence – it’s as if watching Tatersall set the board, showing his players on opposite sides of the table before really setting them in motion to do their thing. By the piece’s midpoint, melody has taken centre stage as a glitchy, piano-led rhythm marches its way forward, clearly carving out its space and claiming its territory. And almost immediately following that: the decay takes over again and those tape loops seem processed to near death — the melody almost barely decipherable as it flutters under the weight of the history of being looped/played ad nauseum. And in the very final moments, the melodies are sparse again, giving the tape hiss room to play its part — it’s as if Tatersall is giving both players enough space to take their final bows.

In hugo, there’s a central question that Loyle Carner keeps coming back to: “I’m young, Black, successful and have a platform - but where do I go next?” The answer is explored in this epic scream of a third album. With urgent delivery and gloriously widescreen production, Carner confronts both the deeply personal (“You can’t hate the roots of a tree, and not hate the tree. So how can I hate my father without hating me?) and the highly political (“I told the black man he didn’t understand I reached the white man he wouldn’t take my hand”). Cinematic in scale and scope, hugo is both a rallying war cry for a generation forged in fire and a study of the personal internal conflict that drives the rest of the album - as a mixed-race Black man, as an artist, as a father and as a son. With Mercury and Brits nominations, NME Awards and appearances in global brand campaigns (Nike, YSL, Timberland), Carner has undoubtedly had a meteoric rise to the top, culminating with his second album Not Waving, But Drowning charting at number 3 in the UK albums chart in 2019. However, hugo sees Carner taking a sharp detour from his previous work, putting it down to lockdown and the “hedonistic side of career being stripped away. There were no shows, no backstage, no festivals, no photoshoots”. By continuing to write in these tumultuous times with a renewed clarity and sense of artistic freedom, Carner reached deeper beneath the surface than he ever had before. The result is his most cathartic and ambitious record yet, a coruscating journey into the heart of what it means to be alive in these tumultuous times, and one which looks set to neatly cement his position as one of the most potent and vital young talents around today. Working alongside renowned producer kwes. (Solange, Kelela, Nao), Carner leaves no stone unturned on this album, in both its sound and its stories. In a 10-track album that moves from gorgeous neo-soul moments to thundering hip hop, with immediate, infectious bangers and sampled interludes from non musicians (mixed-race Guyanese poet John Agard and youth activist and politician Athian Akec) Carner shifts seamlessly from micro to macro, confronting everything from strained relationships with family to the societal tears caused by class stratification. It also lays bare bruises in his personal life that he has never revealed before – often in painful, deeply uncomfortable ways, focusing on Carner's experience of becoming a father in the context of growing up without contact with his biological father. With the song “Polyfilla”, against the backdrop of a warm melodic beat, Carner explores his desire to “break the chains in the cycle” of dysfunctional Black fatherhood, commenting on the narrative of fatherhood in the genre, and saying a key part of the process was realising that his father “grew up in a world where nobody showed him how to love or nurture”. The follow up track “A Lasting Place” is an exploration of the MC’s failure and inability to be perfect in this mission. The album closer is a powerful statement of love and forgiveness; with his signature lyrical dexterity, Carner declares his relentless commitment to his son and sees forgiving his father as a key part of this. The song closes with an emotional ending of Carner telling his dad “still I’m lucky yo that we talk”. There’s a striking duality of hugo’s bold, multilayered tracks and its often starkly intimate and tender lyricism, and that dichotomy is deliberate - it is a message for young Black men, but really, anyone, who is listening. Cognizant of the immense pain and fear and confusion that we are faced with everyday, Carner has thrown down the gauntlet, defying us not to rise above the fray, wake up each day and be ambitious. Ambitious in building strong personal relationships. Ambitious in our pursuit of our goals. Ambitious in never refusing to back down against injustice. Rejecting the title of leader, Loyle Carner sees himself “as holding up a mirror”, and that clearly translates into the album's universal messages.

* King General’s follow-up to the classic `Money Run Tings’ (1996) arrives in the shape of `Broke Again’, originally emerging in 2009 on CD only.
* So now, on vinyl for the first time: 6 vocals from the General with 6 dubs from The Bush Chemists
* Including the singles `Them Wrong’ and the title track `Broke Again’
* Two tracks that couldn’t fit on this vinyl release: `Got to be Conscious’ and `Long Way to Go’ will appear separately on a forthcoming 12” (PRTL12014).

Summer at Land's End is not an interlude or tangent for The Reds, Pinks & Purples but rather a perfect fourth movement following the albums Anxiety Art, You Might Be Happy Someday, and Uncommon Weather. As with these self-recorded records (the primary work of songwriter Glenn Donaldson), the songs on Summer at Land's End were crafted slowly and then drawn together to make a unified statement. But here, and more than before, Summer at Land's End combines Donaldson's rueful pop sensibility with a parallel musical universe, one composed of pictures, dreams, and feelings without words. Even if the underlying theme of this collection is one of conflict or unhappiness, the vision of the music presents an escape to a new world, always fading in and out of sight. For listeners who may not be familiar with Donaldson's corner of San Francisco--the Richmond district--or the current wave of hazy, melodic DIY pop groups performing in the city, Summer at Land's End pulls in images and scenes that feel like a collision of the mundane and the sublime of this present landscape. With this record, The Reds, Pinks & Purples give less focus to the vanities of a subculture and more to the challenge of connecting with someone, to the ordinary goals of being human and finding harmony with others. This deliberate saturation in drama and ambiance, along with some of Donaldson's best songwriting to date, is what gives Summer at Land's End its special class in the project's discography. Of the album's cinematic mood, Donaldson refers to films like Summer of '42 and the influence of the classic 4AD catalogue of the 1990s. This style informs much of Donaldson's prior and current ventures of course (The Ivytree, Vacant Gardens, and a dozen projects in between) but now The Reds, Pinks & Purples have taken the mantle, embracing this instinct for instrumental or dreamier modes of pop songwriting. It's a pleasure to experience Summer at Land's End, as this record finds a thrilling balance between songs and sounds, instruments and voices, and the ironic twin poles of art and life.

PALE GREEN STARS VINYL

Summer at Land's End is not an interlude or tangent for The Reds, Pinks & Purples but rather a perfect fourth movement following the albums Anxiety Art, You Might Be Happy Someday, and Uncommon Weather. As with these self-recorded records (the primary work of songwriter Glenn Donaldson), the songs on Summer at Land's End were crafted slowly and then drawn together to make a unified statement. But here, and more than before, Summer at Land's End combines Donaldson's rueful pop sensibility with a parallel musical universe, one composed of pictures, dreams, and feelings without words. Even if the underlying theme of this collection is one of conflict or unhappiness, the vision of the music presents an escape to a new world, always fading in and out of sight. For listeners who may not be familiar with Donaldson's corner of San Francisco--the Richmond district--or the current wave of hazy, melodic DIY pop groups performing in the city, Summer at Land's End pulls in images and scenes that feel like a collision of the mundane and the sublime of this present landscape. With this record, The Reds, Pinks & Purples give less focus to the vanities of a subculture and more to the challenge of connecting with someone, to the ordinary goals of being human and finding harmony with others. This deliberate saturation in drama and ambiance, along with some of Donaldson's best songwriting to date, is what gives Summer at Land's End its special class in the project's discography. Of the album's cinematic mood, Donaldson refers to films like Summer of '42 and the influence of the classic 4AD catalogue of the 1990s. This style informs much of Donaldson's prior and current ventures of course (The Ivytree, Vacant Gardens, and a dozen projects in between) but now The Reds, Pinks & Purples have taken the mantle, embracing this instinct for instrumental or dreamier modes of pop songwriting. It's a pleasure to experience Summer at Land's End, as this record finds a thrilling balance between songs and sounds, instruments and voices, and the ironic twin poles of art and life.

The first album in 7 years from seminal electronic music pioneers and twice Mercury Prize Nominated, Leftfield. Currently reaching a new audience through Idris Elba’s Gucci ad, this will be their 4th album in their 28 year history. The new single will be featured in the soon to launched eFootball by Konami (previously PES).

Their last tour (in 2017) featured 7 sold out UK shows (including 2 X Brixton Academies), a sold out world tour and various festival headlines.

Quote from Neil Barnes: "I wanted ‘Pulse’ to be the first statement from the new album. It felt strong. Dance floor. Human. Positive. And I love the bass. It’s Leftfield."

Full pitch notes with bio to come

CULTURE

Leftfield (originally comprised of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley), have been at the cutting edge of dance music since the 1990s, releasing albums that have become some of the most influential electronic records of all time around the world with their debut LP 'Leftism' being widely regarded as one of the most boundary-pushing electronic LPs ever released.

In 2010, Neil Barnes reignited the Leftfield name, and went on to release an acclaimed new album (Alternative Light Source) touring the world with the full live band. Neil has also been cementing his reputation as a top-tier DJ and record collector unleashing modern dance floor weapons, selling out venues, headlining festivals and creating some amazing nights with his sets.

Manasyt vs Sam Lowry. A clash, mashup and/ or battle between two minds yet one and the same face. Hailing from the twilight zone, Bulgaria. The currently Xiamen, China, based Petar Tassev has joined the forces of his alter ego's on this 9 tracker. A side 4 celestial and daring Electro tracks followed by the more eerie B side. An experimental, future horror movie-like sound. Thrilling in all the right ways!

incl. dl code

Patås premieres his new label LEK with 4 tracks toying around in the Techno/broken beat spectrum. "Måsans dødsleie" (Måsans deathbed) starts the EP following the last journey of Måsan, a character that everybody knows; the one guy in every group of friends that just cant stop partying, the re-uper to re-up them all.

Glitchy percussion, freaky synthriffs, and a heart monitor guides him all the way to the great beyond. Ethereal "Atlantic Potion" (made in collaboration with Canadian Jamie Cox) closes the side out with its cold lushness. On the other side the theme music from Final Fantasy 6 gets reharmonized and redrummed in "Hommage a Uematsu", for some guaranteed nerd chills to all you JRPG clubbers.

Last track "TMA 4ever (Patås remix)" turns Kim Dürbecks epic ambient tune into a broken beat journey with accompanying bird sounds and hectic percussion.

1. Sophisticated Cissy
2. Sehorns Farms
3. Cissy Strut
4. Here Comes the Meter Man
5. Ease Back
6. Ann
7. Dry Spell
8. Little Old Money Maker
RECORD ONE
Side B
1. Look-Ka Py Py
2. This Is My Last Affair
3. Chicken Strut
4. Hey! Last Minute
5. Hand Clapping Song
6. Joog
RECORD TWO
Side A
1. A Message from the Meters
2. Zony Mash
3. Stretch Your Rubber Band
4. Groovy Lady
5. (The World Is a Bit under
the Weather) Doodle-Oop
6. I Need More Time
7. Good Old Funky Music
8. Sassy Lady
RECORD TWO
Side B
1. Do the Dirt
2. Smiling
3. Cabbage Alley
4. The Flower
5. Chug-Chug-Chug-A-Lug
(Push ‘N’ Shove) Part I
6. Chug-Chug-Chug-A-Lug
(Push ‘N’ Shove) Part II
RECORD THREE
Side A
1. Hey Pocky A-Way
2. Africa
3. People Say
4. Loving You Is on My Mind
5. They All Ask’d for You
6. Running Fast (Long Version)
RECORD THREE
Side B
1. Disco Is the Thing Today
2. Mr. Moon
3. Trick Bag
4. Find Yourself
5. Be My Lady
6. No More Okey Doke

The liminal space between storytelling and dreaming is full of noise. Like whispers, flickering lines of static travel to the rhythm of tension, moving through moments of stillness and chaos. The sharp details of the hyper-personal become shared memories.

Dreams can be stories, their fabric transient and their logic malleable - like folk songs carrying ancient knowledge or clairvoyant wisdom.

White Dove Dream tells a story that only sound can. One that defies language and closed narrative; a story that is both a personal rumination and collective conversation.

There are layers of healing synthesis and dream logic improvisation; captured recordings coalesce somewhere beneath the scramble like deja vu. Like a diary entry, or a manifesto - noise is folk music and Icebear is noisy.

Icebear is Eilis Mahon, a sound artist from Kildare, Ireland.

White Dove Dream is her debut release on Weeding - an independent label and collective of friends based primarily in Dublin, Ireland, who love to make and share noise.

Recent play of “Funny Games / Garfield” on Pure Soil - NTS.

Tiger Stripes returns to Drumcode for his annual EP outing, crafting a pair of blue-ribbon dancefloor weapons inspired by the night.
The Swedish artist is a cherished act on the label, his involvement with DC going back to 2009. One of the most creative in his field, he typically mines influence from across the musical spectrum. Indeed, a Tiger Stripes track could employ subtle nods to everything from rock and pop, to reggae and hip hop, all seamlessly integrated into a dynamic techno palette.


For his latest outing, he's drawn on his love of classical music, specifically Chopin, for the powerful ‘Nocturne’. "I loved listening to his compositions as a toddler when my mother played her vinyls for me. I still love and listen to his piano music today and it might be where my taste for drama comes from. In my ears his music still sounds very modern and cool,” he tells. 'Nocturne' switches between driving dancefloor business and a lilting piano-laden break, the energy amplified by his peak-time arrangements.


In ‘Renegade’, his love of rock, electronica and indie is at the fore, as propulsive techno rhythms give way to an emotion-charged mid-section laden with breakbeats. When the beats kick back in, we’re lobbed back into exhilarating laser-kissed territory.

Berlin-based producer Rampue has not released an album in 14 (in words: fourteen) years. Between 2008 and 2020 he toured the world and worked mainly on his live sets in the meantime. So now only a worldwide pandemic had the power to prevent the traveling musician from continuing this hustle and bustle and eventually share a new record with the public. Corona was what brought this standstill and the otherwise well- traveled individual experiences cabin-fever during lockdown. Hence, the new Rampue album "Tragweite" came into existence in February 2021, which portrays the artist's desire for experimentation.
Inspired by a modular synthesizer (Buchla), Rampue has seemingly put himself into a kind of trance, in which he lets the machines work and combines randomly created sounds with airy structures such as low drums or simple grooves. Rampue accomplished to break free by using random sounds as a new impulse and a way out of a creative crisis, which stemmed both from the enforced home isolation and from the self-perceived paralysis. The result is literally unique, as many of the sound products cannot be reconstructed and are preserved in album form for the general public.
Listening to "Tragweite" one gets the impression that the dialectical relationship between chaos and order, further supported by its production, is the defining theme of the album. After an initially perceived chaos, a delicate order, which is determined by structuring drum patterns and basslines, takes over throughout the course of the album.
Later, it frays and loses itself again in sounds and tones created mechanically However, it never seems arbitrary, but willful and skillfully staged. For instance, "Furo?" begins with apparent arrhythmia. The combination of bass and subtle percussion, however, gives this arrhythmia a shape, guiding the track which gradually becomes more and more driving without losing its original playfulness.
Although one might be inclined to think of genres such as Downtempo or Ambient at the beginning in the further course of the album results in such a diverse sound and rhythmic landscape that one willingly questions one's own perception of music while listening and finally throws every type of categorization overboard joyfully. The listening experience is too intoxicating and enlightening to stick to simple genre boundaries. The musical spectrum ranges from straight arrangements that live entirely without a drum foundation ("Fu?r Dich") to almost meditative sound collages ("Regengesicht") to the four-to-the-floor banger "Kembang" which adds a grimmer note with a certain industrial appeal to the overall rather melancholic-progressive curation. "Direct Faden" on the other hand, surprises with its simple guitar-based foundation on which the omnipresent synth snippets and pads are allowed to let off steam towards the end of the record. The track that most closely combines the progressive production style with a danceable club atmosphere is probably "Phobia". Wafting, partly breaking away synthesizer sounds rise higher and higher, while the driving mixture of bass and drums consistently march forward.
Rampue breaks with his old, musical habits as "Tragweite" creates the impression of improvisation and jam character without getting lost. Rampue takes his listeners on a journey that is stirring and moving, sometimes demanding or even a bit disturbing, yet always one thing: incredibly exciting.

Y Bülbül is back on the controls accompanied by Yumurta, a percussionist from Istanbul. Pingipung introduced the London based artist in 2020 with his psychedelic, synth-laden debut “Fever”.

“Not One, Not Two” is based on a one-way transmission of improvised drum recordings from an industrial estate in Maslak, Istanbul to another one in Tottenham, London, where Y Bülbül laid down fragmented layers of bass, synths, guitars and field recordings over Yumurta’s singular drum takes. The result is a free-form deep listening album for fans of dub, ambient and kosmische music, where the groove and harmonies are mystically interwoven, yet somehow manage to stay on the brink of collapse. Although the sessions were non concurrent and scattered over two continents, the collaboration evokes scenes of a telepathic communion where individual perspectives, circumstances and stories are exchanged between the two.

Resembling Moondog, Holy Tongue or Luis Paniagua in the sense that they favor the raw over the polished, holistic presence over conceptual perfection and questions over answers, the duo’s focus on bare sounds and repetition guides the listener throughout the album. The ride cymbal opening the minimalistic “I’m This”, for instance, briskly disarms the listener who might have been looking for more traditional songwriting or production clues. There are plenty of immediately rewarding moments too in “Not One, Not Two,” like the organic acid bassline in “Maurin Quina”, the euphoric drum fills of “Big K” and the intoxicating groove of the hypnotic vibe-setter “Jah Oto”.

Bülbül is Turkish for a singing bird while Yumurta simply means egg. Which one is first? Who is to follow? It’s this enigmatic entanglement between the two artists which creates the lurking tension, emphasized by the Zen Kōan-like title. The beauty in this album is a peculiar one, and it certainly is a rabbit hole too. Dissonance is fluid as everything moves, and whenever two sounds collide, a third one emerges.

“It was so great to see what came back when I gave these tracks from Flicker to various comrades, friends and heroes to play with,” says Andy. “They’ve given them a new technicolour life.” “David Holmes requested the opening track as he had formed a bit of a connection with it, and what he came up with turns the song into an hallucinogenic beast, taking pride of place here as the opening track but in a whole different way to how Flicker opens. “James Chapman AKA Maps has taken ‘It Gets Easier’ to a bigger, brighter and shinier place, he’s given quite a downbeat track a euphoric and epic sheen. James is an absolute master of electronic production and he’s taken the same care and attention over this remix as he does with his own wonderful music. “I couldn’t put Richard Norris’ lovely widescreen take on ‘Something Like Love’ better than the man himself – in his own words he found the ‘hitherto undiscovered sweet spot between ‘Roscoe’ and ‘Outdoor Miner’’ and he tapped into the melancholy euphoria at the core of the song. “bdrmm’s remix of ‘Way Of The World’ is one for headphones. There are so many great moments to love, all held together by a bassline worthy of Jah Wobble (by way of Andrew Weatherall). Astonishing!” A1 The Sky Without You (David Holmes Radical Mycology Remix) A2 It Gets Easier (Maps Remix)B1 Something Like Love (Richard Norris Remix) B2 Way Of The World (bdrmm Remix) Reworkings of songs from Flicker by David Holmes, Maps, Richard Norris and bdrmm.

A slice of Norwegian cultural history in album form – a unique
interpretation of traditional Norwegian Travellers' songs.Elias Akselsen,
Ola Kvernberg and Stian Carstensen take us on a journey through
Norwegian music history
The album's title, "Horta", means "authentic" in the language of the Travellers,
Romani. Elias Akselsen (74) is a member of the oldest generation who knew and
can remember the "authentic" life of the Travellers, and is today one of the
foremost representatives of the musical heritage of the Norwegian Travellers/
Roma. He was born on the road and learned to play and sing the traditional songs
while gathered around the bonfire with his relatives. He has a deep and inborn
appreciation of these songs. Musician/producer Stian Carstensen and musician/
arranger Ola Kvernberg join him in raising these old songs to a new level. With the
addition of guest artists Anita Kleppe and Sara Wilhelmsen, three voices from
three generations of Travellers meet one another. Together they have recorded
their unique interpretations of nine Travellers' songs, some known and some
unfamiliar, with the aim of preserving and carrying on the rich, but partly hidden,
cultural heritage of the Travellers, and of making it more widely accessible.
The musical tradition of the Travellers is vivid and complex, featuring elements
from a variety of countries and cultures – from broadside ballads and folk songs
to Russian folk tunes and Balkan rhythms. In many ways this music bears
witness to the way the Travellers drew musical inspiration from their travels. In
addition to the treasure trove of songs the Travellers have kept alive, they have
also had a strong influence on Norwegian folk music. Many traditional fiddle
tunes that are well known today can be traced back to the Traveller fiddler FantKarl, and one of Norway's most famous fiddlers, Myllarguten, often learned tunes
from Travellers passing by.
This is the Norwegian equivalent of blues and soul, and has at least as much
authenticity as the American genres we know so well. But it belongs to us
Norwegians, and to the Norwegian landscape, nature and people. Today Akselsen
is the leading practitioner of the musical heritage of the Norwegian Travellers/
Roma. He was born on the road, with genuine Travellers on both sides of his
family; he was the great-grandchild of the "Traveller king" Stor-Johan on one side,
and of "sea vagabonds" in Bergen on the other. Today he is the last remaining
representative of the original song tradition, and also practises traditional
handicrafts, making knives and whisks.
The album was produced by Skøyerstaten Teater, a voluntary organisation that
works to present the cultural treasure trove of the Travellers/Roma in an artistic
form

In 1998 The Wave Pictures started carving out their own path in search of the lost essence of British Indie, since their acclaimed “Instant Coffee Baby” -nominated for The Guardian New Album Award and present in many lists of the best albums of the last 15 years– , until the most recent “When The Purple Emperor Spreads His Wings”, always giving their best in countless electrifying performances. Now The Wave Pictures are once again allied with Acuarela to release an exclusive double 7” with five songs (one, “French Cricket” included on their new album and the other four totally exclusive) and show that they are still an indie rock band without indie rock influences, a trio with its own style that doesn't want to be a blues group, but with blues –and soul, and country, and folk-, as the invisible core of everything they do. The Wave Pictures began their career in 1998. Since then the British trio hasn't stopped: at the frenetic pace of their concert schedule, they add a stakhanovist record production, which advances at the rate of almost one album per year. Example: “Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon”, which came out in February 2015, was already their thirteenth official LP (without forgetting that they have also released a large number of singles, EPs, rarities and unofficial material). But it is that in February 2016 the fourteenth album, “A Season In Hull” was released -which they recorded with a single microphone and only released on vinyl-, and in November of that same year its successor, “Bamboo Diner In The Rain” came out. In June 2018 they returned to the fray with another LP, “Brushes With Happiness”, and that November also dropped “Look Inside Your Heart”. The pandemic has made them slow down a little bit until May 2022 when they finally returned with "When The Purple Emperor Spreads His Wings". “When The Purple Emperor Spreads His Wings” is a double album dedicated to the cycle of life and in which each of its four sides (in the old fashioned way) is focused on one of the seasons of the year. The title refers to spring and its splendor. The result is pop in the style of The Wave Pictures, with all the essence of the band: those intense guitar solos by Dave, his acoustic plucking, the solid writing… in addition to the mandolin, the bluesy harmonica...you name it! All the band members, David Tattersall (vocals, guitar), Franic Rozycki (bass) and Jonny “Huddersfield” Helm (drums), are avid fans of rock'n'roll, classic country, 70s rock, soul and folk, and this album celebrates with joy all those musical loves of them, some rediscovered in recent times. Moreover, they have pointed out that Guided By Voices have also been a great source of inspiration on this recording, as well as re-listening to Sun Records’ rockabilly, African guitar records, the more country side of Neil Young, the crazy fun of The Who and some moments from The Yardbirds. The Wave Pictures are still playing what Modern Lovers did back in the day -and then Herman Dune or Hefner-, only they play it as if Rory Gallagher was their lead guitar. With the lo-fi pop-rock label as an amicable stigma, they never deny the maxim that places attitude before technique and they are always vaccinated against fashion. Years go by and they are still the same sly alley-cats, only sounding more and more classic. Tracklist: 1. French Cricket/ 2. From A Buick 6/ 3. Porcupines/ 4. Rufus Thomas/ 5. Cincinatti Flow Rag

The current moment in music is an interesting one: electronic music is more popular than ever, but at the same time there is a growing counterworld of new bands and musicians who are inventing new styles by reinterpreting old styles and combining live music with electronic production. Many of these new musicians are switching between "scenes" and styles - just like many young listeners do today. Kryptox, the sub-label of Toy Tonics, is a platform for these new hybrid musicians. Noah Fürbringer is one of these new talents. Moving in these intermediate worlds - a virtuoso drummer, composer and busy band leader who is at home in many genres and besides writing his own great music which he debuts on this album he also is a side musicians for some big names of the German rap and indie pop scene.

Birdy Sanjazz and Philo Philta. A dream team of birds. Birdy scatters beats like birdseed, Philta makes pickypicky. One after the other. You can still hear "Grrrrr, there isn't more than one 16 per grain" and then he's fluttered on. How long this winter was, but luckily the birdhouse was always well stocked. Well-fed, they are now moving on, from Karlsruhe to Würzburg and back. Always look from above, down on this small world with its people and human-like creatures. A few of them approaching, as always. Timothy Morris, Slice, Johannes Onetake, DJ Ketch, Toby Tobsucht. Beep beep, album ready.


Birdy Sanjazz und Philo Philta. Ein Dreamteam an Vögeln. Birdy streut Beats wie Vogelfutter, Philta macht pickypicky. Einer nach dem anderen. Man hört noch „Grrrrr, mehr als einen 16er gibt es nicht pro Korn“ und schon ist er weitergeflattert. Was war dieser Winter lang, aber zum Glück war das Vogelhäuschen immer gut gefüllt. Jetzt ziehen sie wohlgenährt weiter, von Karlsruhe nach Würzburg und zurück. Blick immer von oben, nach unten auf diese kleine Welt mit ihren Menschen und menschenähnlichen Wesen. Ein paar von denen wie immer mit im Anflug. Timothy Morris, Slize, Johannes Onetake, DJ Ketch, Toby Tobsucht. Pieppiep, Album fertig.

The illusive Impérieux ventures into the fantastical world of DJ Koze’s Pampa with three tracks of masterful, genre-bending electronica.

It’s little wonder that the Turkish/Bulgarian native finds himself coming into the orbit of the Hamburg-based label head. DJ Koze has been a long-time supporter of Impérieux’s music, his intrepid DJ sets often finding their most dramatic peaks or existential lows with one of the producer's audacious dancefloor soundscapes.

Now Berlin-based, Impérieux’s music draws deeply on the sounds of his heritage, taking inspirations from Bulgarian folklore, twisted and chopped Turkish dialect as well the gritty underground of his new surroundings.

With Fantasmagorii, Impérieux explores his sonic boundaries with techniques inspired by the label-head himself. As a producer he is becoming known for his ability to build fantasy worlds through aural experimentation, creating productions soaked with fragility and emotion. His music brings a full-body listening experience of it’s own, laden with intensity and mystery, and full of opposites. He has the ability to pluck their listeners out of reality, to bend the rules of time and space and defy genres in a way that is reminiscent of Koze’s various bodies of work, and it’s no surprise that this selection of tracks feels right at home in the Pampa fantasy.

"I am permanently seeking for Music that blows my mind. It’s like digging for gold. Impérieux delivers a psychedelic bullion" (DJ Koze)