Roofman ist das Indie-Projekt rund um den holländischen
Songwriter Thijs van der Meulen, der mit einer Vielzahl
von internationalen Musikern zusammen um das Optimale
aus seinen eigenen Songs zu bekommen. Inspiriert von
neuen und interssaneten Begenungen war eine
entscheidende Erfahrung im künstlerischen Werdegang
dieses Ausnahmemusikers, der zuletzt die Welt bereist
hat und mit Musikern aus aus verschiedenen kulturellen
und musikalischen
Hintergründen zuzsammen arbeiten durfte. Diese
Inspiration spürt und erlebt man gleichzeitig mit Ihrer
Diversität in der Herangehensweisen an sein kongeniales
Songwriting aus erster Hand
In his youth days, Gontran lived on the road. He describes himself as a member of the alternative hippie generation, not of those who claimed wanted to change the world, but of those who actually took an alternate way of living. He travelled, took any jobs available to make some money to live wherever he was, and wrote beautiful songs accompaining himself on guitar. From time to time, when the stars aligned, when there was the chance, he would rent some studio time and lay down his compositions, always in a pretty bare way with little arrangements added on the spot, mostly by musicians who happened to be there and who improvised their parts - one take, we have it. With this procedure he released Funambule in 1975 and L'envol in 1977. He also worked with Dominique Le Roux on a joint venture LP in 1979.
On offer here is the first ever vinyl reissue of Gontran's second album L'envol, recorded in two hours on a Paris studio with a bass player (F.D. Aldonse) and two female vocalists whose surnames have been lost in the depths of time - Victorine and Theodorine. As the other Gontran albums, it was self released in a limited run private pressing which has nowadays become an elusive piece in the collectors market - so rare that it doesn't even appear on Phileas Folk's great The French Folk Magic Time Guide book.
The beautiful music contained within is a delightful sample of Gontran's excellent singer-songwriter qualities and his commitment to portray his inner world and livings through his musicated poems. He names as his biggest influences big names like Leonard Cohen, who he had the chance to meet and chat with when in Mumbai back in 1999, Bob Dylan or Jack Kerouak, but Gontran was centered in his vivences and commited to his need to express himself that he really doesn't sound like anyone but Gontran.
Amazing homemade folk sounds from an artist who, ironically, was always traveling abroad and stayed little at home!
A very rare private pressing, recently featured in Hans Pokora's last Record Collector Dreams book, valuing an original copy with 4 stars!
"The Liberty of Norton Folgate" ist das neunte
Studioalbum von Madness und gilt als ihr Hauptwerk.
Ursprünglich im Mai 2009 veröffentlicht und in einer fast
dreijährigen Produktionszeit entstanden, war es das erste
Album mit der kompletten Band seit "Wonderful" von 1999
und wurde als Konzeptalbum über die Heimatstadt der
Band entwickelt. Der zehnminütige Titeltrack erzählt die
Geschichte eines Teils von Ostlondon (Norton Folgate, in
der Nähe von Spitalfields), der eine Zeit lang von der
Herrschaft der Krone befreit war und daher als "Liberty"
bezeichnet wurde, in der die normalen Regeln des
Stadtlebens nicht galten. Das Album zeigt die Band in
vollem kreativen Flow, mit einem Song nach dem anderen
(einschließlich der Tracks, die es nicht auf die
Standard-CD oder LP-Veröffentlichung geschafft haben),
die die Reife und Tiefe ihrer Songwriting-Fähigkeiten
zeigen. Das Album enthält die Singles "NW5", "Dust
Devil", "Forever Young" und "Sugar and Spice". Die
erweiterte 2LP-Version enthält außerdem sieben
Bonustracks. Erhältlich auf Heavyweight-Vinyl im Gatefold,
inklusive neuen Liner Notes mit Interviews mit Suggs, Lee
Thompson, Chrissyboy Foreman, Daniel Woodgate und
Mike Barson sowie einem exklusiven Gedicht von Cathal
Smyth.
After Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos dissolved their partnership, they both went separate ways in the music scene. Campbell-Lyons began work on the Local Anaesthetic songs while going through a series of personal matters which ended up being reflected in the tone of the album. He did release it under the Nirvana name in 1971, but what we have here is a totally different thing. He decided to break with what had been doing up to that moment, and came up with an experimental progressive rock album that was perfectly suited for the Vertigo label through which it was released. Musically, it has been compared to "something Frank Zappa could have done". It was not inspired by Zappa, but it certainly explored similar boundaries as he may have done in his works, often moving away from that pop sensitivity that had characterized Nirvana's previous outings. A unique sounding piece in their catalogue.
And although being so far from what was the Nirvana sound, we have another excellent LP here that has become a most sought after piece among collectors. Pianist/keyboardist Patrick Joseph "Pete" Kelly helped Campbell-Lyons complete the LP, which also featured collaborations by Jon Field, with whom Campbell-Lyons had the pre-Nirvana band Second Thoughts and who would later go to form The Tomcats, July and Jade Warrior - Jade Warrior's Tony Duhig had also played in Second Thoughts. Some brass arrangements are thrown in, but the orchestra is gone in favour of a harder free form, prog-rock sound.
The Wah Wah reissue is housed in the original gatefold sleeve and features one bonus track with the 1971 single version of TheSaddest Day Of My Life. It's the first ever official vinyl reissue since 1971. 500 copies only!
• The Classic Example were a Los Angeles duo - possibly the song-writing team of Curtis Colbert and Harriet Hurst who provided four of the songs on the eponymous 1972 GSF LP. Inexplicably the superb dance track ‘Right On’ was the only one omitted from the album, but Kent’s licensing deal with Mickey Stevenson’s Stevenson International revealed this gem.
• It was finally released as a promo 100 Club Anniversary 45 in 2021 and has been in demand ever since. Now it can be purchased at a reasonable price with the duet’s excellent harmony ballad ‘I Found Me A Girl’ added on the B side. The backing group is none other than Hodges, James, Smith & Crawford.
By popular demand, Big Crown Records is proud to present Holy Hive's Harping EP on vinyl for the first time. For their debut EP on Big Crown Records, they decided to start things off with an extended reunion enlisting all of their favorite players from the Big Crown Family and beyond. The backbone for all these songs is the accomplished Harpist Mary Lattimore, who gives her learned heartfelt accompaniment to every song. There are guest vocals from one of their favorite songwriters Sasami on two tracks and a cast of lively characters assemble to add their lines - Dave Guy on Trumpet, Nick Movshon on bass, Katie Jacoby and Kristine Kruta on Strings, Leon Michels on Vibes, and nally Jens Jungkurth, Chris Connors, and Alex Deturk as sound sculptors.
By popular demand, Big Crown Records is proud to present Holy Hive's Harping EP on vinyl for the first time. For their debut EP on Big Crown Records, they decided to start things off with an extended reunion enlisting all of their favorite players from the Big Crown Family and beyond. The backbone for all these songs is the accomplished Harpist Mary Lattimore, who gives her learned heartfelt accompaniment to every song. There are guest vocals from one of their favorite songwriters Sasami on two tracks and a cast of lively characters assemble to add their lines - Dave Guy on Trumpet, Nick Movshon on bass, Katie Jacoby and Kristine Kruta on Strings, Leon Michels on Vibes, and nally Jens Jungkurth, Chris Connors, and Alex Deturk as sound sculptors.
With his new album, Gecko Turner confirms that he is a standout artist in the global groove scene, a must for the outernational sounds aficionados.
Somebody From Badajoz is the fifth studio album in his much lauded discography and his first in seven years, eagerly anticipated by both his fans and himself: "this business of dedicating yourself to music and making songs... it's a long game."
With the release of his first two, remarkable, albums, Guapapasea! (2003) and Chandalismo Ilustrado (2006), Gecko started cultivating what one astute journalist defined as Afro-maduran soul—the "maduran" bit referencing Extremadura, a region in central-western Spain.
Badajoz, Gecko's birthplace, is the biggest city in the area, on the border with Portugal, by the Guadiana River. It is a place that oozes history, where there is constant movement at the border, and people's character is friendly and open-minded with foreign habits.
Gecko's Afro-maduran soul isbuilt on Afro-American music and drenched in Brazilian, African, Latin American and Jamaican sounds. There are also echoes of a youth marked in equal parts by our man's admiration for the Beatles and the flamenco that could be heard everywhere in Badajoz in the seventies. It makes for a singular sound and a musical language of its own—spicy, succulent, full of nuances, but with a very personal flavour.
The album opens with the Nigerian talking drums of Twenty-twenty Vision, (neo) soul in a magical falsetto, carried by a sumptuous orchestral arrangement with a cinematic flavour: "I'd been thinking about doing something called 'Twenty-twenty Vision' for some time, making a play on words with the vision we have of the world after the year 2020 and the medical expression, which, in ophthalmological terms, means 'normal or complete vision.' Beyond that particular song, I think that's the mood of the album: a look at society in the twenties of the 21st century and the feelings and demons it produces."
It's followed by De Balde, a very special song born from a posthumously discovered lyric by the great writer Carlos Lencero, a regular collaborator of Camarón, Pata Negra, and Remedios Amaya, and also from Badajoz. While conceived as a fandango, Gecko has moulded it into his sound in such a seamless way it now seems as if the words could only have been written to be embraced by the percussion, brass, and backing vocals heard on the album. It's the only lyric on Somebody From Badajoz not written by Turner, still it sits rather comfortably with the rest, sharing the same emotivity and sensitivity, as well as the trademark humour and irony.
Other tracks see more protagonism for the rhythm.The beat-driven Ain't No Fun Preachin' to the Choir features Gecko's vocals walking the thin line between singing and talking over a phenomenal afro-disco-funk-infused trailblazer. In Am I Sad? it's impossible to not bob your head to the queen of Papatosina's mongrel rhythm, as close to the banks of the Guadiana river as it is to the shores of the Mississippi. Qué Siesta Tan Buena, He Babeao Y To! is an ode to the snooze in true Afro-Maduran fashion. And in Come And Try, the Caribbean influence is evident—lovers' rock that invites you to dance in good company.
In these songs, and throughout the album, for that matter, the musicians accompanying Gecko, who himself plays many of the instruments as well, shine brightly. All hailing from Extremadura, Javi Mojave (percussion), Álvaro Fdez 'Dr. Robelto' (bass), and Rafa Prieto (guitar) have been carrying him with delicate forcefulness since he started out as a solo artist. At the same time, the wonderful and essential voices of Deborah Ayo, Astrid Jones, Fani Ela Nsue, and Miriam Solís give the album a sunny variety of colours. And there are many more—a sensational group of musicians contributes dazzling harmonic bursts to many of the songs. The palette of sounds is very diverse and rich in textures and nuances, including, for example, the ngoni, bells, and various repurposed kitchen utensils.
The groove is always around, moving between the magical border sound of Everybody Knows Somebody From Badajoz and Little Dose, the silky soul of The Sibariteo Appreciation Society, and the exultant celebration of End Of The World (which surprisingly sees Gecko turning to the occasional use of autotune), a piece that could be used for the final credits of a Monty Python film and, in fact, closes the album.
Gecko Turner has done it again with Somebody From Badajoz, looking to the future without losing sight of the roots. In times of upheaval all over the globe, when people are looking for purity, he delivers a formidable piece of work: risky, optimistic in spite of everything, and with a decidedly bastard sound. Let's rejoice.
Berlin-based, Tel Aviv-born DJ and producer Roy Brizman aka Gel Abril is the new face on Dubfire's imprint. In the midst of the pandemic, Roy found solace in his grief and channeled it into a creative outpour, resulting in a series of captivating releases on reputable labels like Arteform Recordings, Subtil, and VDK. He has also launched his own imprint, Silvi Recordings, solidifying his place in the industry. Get ready to experience the magic of Roy Brizman.
15 years into its ongoing experimentation that has pushed the sonic fusion between science and technology, SCI+TEC remains at the very forefront of electronic music. From day one Dubfire’s label has continuously forged its own path, with its feet firmly on the dance floor and its sights set on the future.
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Zur Feier des 50. Jahrestages des kultigen Wattstax-Events, das am 20. August 1972 im L.A. Memorial Coliseum stattfand, veröffentlicht Stax Records ”Wattstax” neu: The Living Word”.
Diese beiden LPs wurden von den Originalbändern von Chris Muth geschnitten und enthalten Auftritte von Isaac Hayes, The
Staple Singers, The Bar-Kays, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Albert King und anderen.
The second EP from this mysterious edit series and they definitely don’t disappoint!
On the edit block this time... Tropical Jazz funk, African boogie, killer lost female AOR, & a Rare Gospel meets Street Soul cut. The first EP sold out fast so don’t sleep on this one folks!
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West Midlands five piece MACHIAVELLIAN ART follow up their self released and self titled cassette only album with their first release proper, ‘Indoctrination Sounds’ released February 24th via Riot Season Records, with an eye popping promo video to go with it.
A Maximalist blowout of Sax-honking Noise Rock, Doom Metal, Hardcore Punk, and Shoegaze, with Industrial Noise, Howls, Paranoid Rambles, and pure Disdain for oneself and the rest of you layered on top.
Indoctrination Sounds was conceived in various practice spaces in Digbeth throughout 2020 and 2021 and recorded at Ian Boult's Stuck On A Name Studios in Nottingham in the Summer of 2021, despite the best efforts of a global pandemic. Will Killingsworth mastered the record at Dead Air Studios.
Serotonin Problem opens the record with a huge sludge bass riff before the rest of the band pile in on top to create an all-encompassing and oppressive low mood that continues for the rest of the album. Next, we spiral down into the more open and atmospheric post punk of Faceless Voices - the collective bad feelings of a nation in decline reach boiling point. Indoctrination Sounds, for which the record is named, is a hardcore punk song regarding the clear and easily understood ways that humanity in the Western World is indoctrinated into the death-cult of capitalism under fear of violence, soaked in misinformation and conspiracy. Revolution is a call to action as guitars shift and glide uncertainly around, in a menacing inversion of shoegaze's dreamy safety. Side A is finished - a brief respite.
Side B opens with the more introspective Let Down, as the band play out a pounding homage to Iggy and the Stooges with Fenriz taking a turn on the drums. The drum intro to We're Not Gonna Take It gives way to a Rusted Shut bassline as the band turns their disdainful gaze to the violent pornography that is the 24-hour news cycle and reality TV in Watch Them Crawl. The album closes with Digbeth B5, an improvised piece on the gentrification of Digbeth. During the pandemic one of the band's practice spaces was turned into an overpriced ping pong bar for yuppies. As our culture is softened and cleaned up to make profit, so are our communities and cities.
Machiavellian Art are : Amy Murphy - Bass Guitar Benjamin Thomas - Vocals and Saxophone Joe Parkes - Guitar and Noise John Andrews - Guitar and Vocals Sam Hunt – Drums
BASSIST/COMPOSER PETROS KLAMPANIS LOOKS TO PAST AND FUTURE AS HE TRANSFORMS TRADITIONAL GREEK MUSIC WITH TORA COLLECTIVE
Unique instrumentation bridges Greek folkloric and modern jazz worlds, with Klampanis (bass, artistic direction), Areti Ketime (vocals), Thomas Konstantinou (oud, laouto), Giorgos Kotsinis (clarinet), Kristjan Randalu (piano), Ziv Ravitz (drums, electronics, co-production) and more.
Following up his acclaimed recent outings Rooftop Stories and Irrationalities, bassist and composer Petros Klampanis creates one of his most inventive musical settings to date with Tora Collective, his sixth album as a leader. For Klampanis, who grew up in Athens, Greece
surrounded by the confluence of Mediterranean and Balkan folk cultures, making music has always meant navigating cultural crossroads. With Tora Collective (“Tora”=“Now”) he puts traditional Greek music at the centre, even as he presents it from a bold new angle.
In addition to the two new originals “Disoriented” and “South By Southeast,” Klampanis and his compact hybrid jazz/Greek folk ensemble interpret popular Greek songs such as “Xehorismata,” “Sybethera,” “Hariklaki” and “Menexedes ke Zoumboulia.” These songs, Klampanis asserts, are “not just part of Greek cultural heritage or a fragment of the past, but also as part of the future: they live into the present, breathe into the ‘here and now,’ while constantly evolving in a dynamic state and in dialogue with contemporary music.”
“For me it’s a personal thing,” he says. “I want to reflect on what Greek music and culture offer the world. How can music from the Aegean to Epirus and from the Ionian Islands to Crete, meet and speak to the hearts and minds of musicians and audiences from different parts of the world, different traditions and backgrounds?”
To that end, Tora Collective draws on regional characteristics, as Klampanis explains: “Every region has a strong identity. In Epirus the clarinet is more prominent and the music has this slow, groovy, meditative vibe. The islands are lighter sounding, Macedonia is groovier, faster tempos and energetic dances. Music from Asia Minor or Istanbul is more sophisticated. Greeks often refer to Istanbul as ‘Poli,’ from Constantinopoli, so the songs from there are called ‘Politika.’”
There is magic in the clear and consistent voice of Areti Ketime throughout Tora Collective, as can also be said for the supremely voice-like articulation of Giorgos Kotsinis on clarinet. Ziv Ravitz, on drums and electronics, also plays a pivotal role as coproducer: “He added so much in the orchestration,” says Klampanis. “His knowledge of electronics, all these non-acoustic sounds and keyboards, treatments of the acoustic instruments, it’s all because of Ziv. He brought a new perspective on the whole thing.”
The string element in Tora Collective is also strong: in addition to Klampanis’ bass there is Thomas Konstantinou on oud and the traditional Greek laouto, as well as Kristjan Randalu (the pianist in Klampanis’ Irrationalities trio) providing an anchor and bringing Klampanis’ inventive arrangements into harmonic focus. Additional guests appear: Alexandros Arkadopoulos on clarinet for “Disoriented,” Laura Robles on percussion for “South by Southeast” and trumpeters Sebastian Studnitzky and Andreas Polyzogopoulos on “Milo Mou ke Mandarini” and “Hariklaki,” respectively. (“Milo Mou” is slated as a post-release bonus track.)
Using traditional Greek music to discover a common new voice, the project aims to build dialogue, spark creativity, cultivate respect for the past, pave a path forward, discover a new musical storytelling powerful enough to reach and touch audiences in many countries. This is an experiment that bridges worlds: the east and the west, the traditional and the modern, the nostalgic and the forward-looking, using the power of music and improvisation.
A heavy old school sound reverberates from the Midlands reggae scene, one which remains unrivalled across the UK and is perfectly summed up by Capital Letters, whose mixing from 1985 is of an impeccable quality, here rereleased for reggae fans everywhere. Reality by Capital Letters should be a collectors favourite and a new generations introduction, it is a brilliant revival of classic authentic material and overall vibrant piece of work.
Tugging at the heart strings with his new release, Cartridge shows why he is one of the most highly rated producers in the game. This is a sublimely deep yet diverse EP which showcases Cartridge's musical side. Sometimes melancholic on tracks like Abandon and Voyage. Poignant and touching with Valentines Ting. The title track Sweetheart is not only melody driven, it's also a proven party mover. Each of the tracks tells their own story and as an overall release they come together to make something greater than the sum of their parts. This is Cartridge stepping his game up to the top level.
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Sunshine pop at its finest! Dotti Holmberg's dreamy vocals superbly
combine with her innocent demeanor and saccharine lyrics to give
listeners a spell-binding mixture of sticky sweet bubblegum pop
Almost immediately, Daniel instigated a near legendary run of new albums, releasing 10 full-length albums in the span of nearly the same number of weeks. Genre- spanning, astoundingly distinct artist achievements of an unprecedented order, these albums were originally released exclusively in digital only formats on
Bandcamp. They were direct and immediate missives from one of the most talented, prolific, ambitious, and exciting artists of his generation. We are thrilled to be releasing these albums now in very special limited-edition vinyl pressings. At the heights of ambition, Daniel Romano's Outfit deliver a wandering spell of
melodic backbone, accompanied by percussionist extraordinaire Danny Carey (of TOOL fame). Rising in union with the first pounding hearts of dawn, up and down the arcades of devotion and on through the sunset, where the earth-life fades, Forever Love's Fool is a single hard- edged, complex, multi- part epic (an approach the band
would later develop even further on 2022's stunning La Luna release). It is intricate, precise, energetic music tied to a progressive rock inspired universal vision. Onward into the furthest reaches of love eternal.
BROODING PSYCHEDELIC REVELATIONS FROM THE STAVANGERIAN OUTSIDERCORE
The uncanny is never out of bounds in the debut release by shadowy Norwegian duo Firmaet Forvoksen. Gaute Granli and Thore Warland, two archetypes of the Stavanger experimental scene long active through solo work (Gaute Granli’s recent Ultra Eczema notoriety, for one) and other collaborative projects (Thore Warland’s ongoing drum devolutions with Golden Oriole, for another), have joined forces under multiple configurations over the years in order to finally coalesce under the FF banner. Together they project an ever-unfolding vision that sonically erodes into a radiant abyss, like some serious atonement from probable jazz school fugitives.
Undone Shal is an unfurling tapestry of erratic guitar pickings, muffled percussive conjurings, barging synths, and moans that are part lamentation, part incantation. These arrangements evoke a definite psychedelia, plunging the listener into unsettling yet luminous expanses of liminality that recall only the most brooding of outsiders. Like craggly rocks piled on top of each other forming an incomprehensible, gravity-defying tower, Firmaet Forvoksen’s disjointed musical deployments forge something lucid and concrete while grazing the edges of complete inscrutability. This strange relic of a record follows the lineage of KRAAK rosterees past and present - the KRAMPs, Ignatzes, Red Bruts and Calhau!s of our hearths - through its assemblage of crude elements that incite the universe to vomit its hidden harmonies and forcibly test the boundaries between fluency and unintelligibility. No Norwegian wood wisecracking to be made here, for these two dwell in a malleable zone where chaos aligns to draw you in, hinting at all that is obfuscated like a marching band to nowhere.
Coming February 2023 pre-order your copy today!
AAA Audiophile 200g 33rpm Double LP!
Mastered by René Laflamme at 2xHD on Nagra Equipment!
Cut All Analogue at Bernie Grundman Mastering!
Plated by Master Craft & Pressed at Le Vinylist in Quebec!
Jazz at the Pawnshop is a multi-session recording made by Swedish sound engineer Gert Palmcrantz on December 6-7, 1976, at Jazzpuben Stampen (Pawnshop) in Stockholm, Sweden. A pawnshop had operated on the site prior to the jazz club. Proprius Records founder Jacob Boethius produced the album, and it has been issued several times under multiple labels and formats. The album is regarded by many audiophiles as one of the best jazz recordings of the 20th Century.
The recording features Arne Domnérus (alto sax, clarinet), Bengt Hallberg (piano), Lars Erstrand (vibes), Georg Riedel (bass), and Egil Johansen (drums).
In the high end audio world, audiophile sound engineer René Laflamme has carved out a reputation for definition of excellence. Manufacturers of audiophile equipment such as Nagra Audio, renowned D to A converter manufacturer dCS Ltd and high-end turntable manufacturers, Kronos Audio seek his expertise in representation and assistance in design. Audiophile quality microphone designer and 8 times winner of 'Best sound in show' at high-end audio equipment conventions, Laflamme uses his knowledge and unfailing instinct to match various audio components to create the best all-encompassing sound experience. The exclusive 2xHD system is the fruit of Laflamme's total experience and imagination.
Nenad Jelić is one of the most original artists to appear on the Serbian music scene, a percussionist obsessed with melody and silence, a multi-disciplinary instrumentalist.
Repressed on vinyl. Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin’s music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Mesfin’s recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7” singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia’s 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums the first time that his music has been presented in this form. These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin’s uber-rare 7” single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes. Good Aderegechegn gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7” single releases.
Inspired by the likes of old-school legends including Venom, Kreator, Sabbat JPN & Metallica, James McBain formed Hellripper in 2014, showcasing an electrifying brand of blackened thrash. Building on the already impressive foundations laid by their early EP & split releases, the first full-length album, Coagulating Darkness',
was released in 2017 to media acclaim, with the UK's Metal Hammer hailing Hellripper as Scotland's King of the arcane mosh & the band receiving notable attention throughout Europe & the US. This was followed by the Black Arts & Alchemy' EP, before an eventual deal was inked with Peaceville Records, resulting in the masterful The Affair Of The Poisons', further propelling the band to the forefront of the UK metal scene. Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags' - Hellripper's third studio album - establishes a new threshold of excellence & raises the bar further over The Affair Of The Poisons', with an opus standing at the crossroads between the sound that Hellripper has become known for & a whirlwind of different influences up until now yet to be explored, resulting in James McBain's most personal & diverse
work to date. With a greatly expanded scope to the tracks, incorporating more epic & melodic blackened anthems alongside the high- speed metal attack & blistering solos, Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags' marks a new highpoint for the band. Inspired by the landscapes & legends of the Scottish highlands, McBain explores the darker side of Scottish history & folklore - the title itself taken from a
line in the Robert Burns poem,Address to the Deil' - as well as including references to clan culture (including his own) throughout the album. For example, one of the tracks ( The Cursed Carrion Crown') is based on the legend of Sawney
Bean' & the Bean Clan (a spelling variation of McBain'') & tells the story of a family of cannibals that lived in a cave & committed various gruesome acts. As always, the writing & recording process was carried out by James McBain himself, with a few guests offering contributions in the form of additional vocals & instrumental
parts. With recording taking place between March 2021 & June 2022, the album was also mixed by McBain & mastered by Damian Herring at Subterranean Watchtower Studios. The suitably sinister & ominous artwork appears courtesy of Adam Burke. Hellripper will be embarking upon a series of shows in support of the album throughout 2023.
Adam Lambert war schon immer bestechend gut darin, die Songs anderer Künstler und Künstlerinnen zu interpretieren – von seinen Anfängen bei „American Idol“ über seinen Auftritt bei den Kennedy Centre Honours 2018, wo er Cher mit seiner fast zärtlichen Version ihres Megahits „Believe“ zu Tränen rührte, bis hin zu seiner Rolle als aktueller Sänger von Queen.
Nun geht der Grammy-nominierte Künstler konsequent den nächsten Schritt und kündigt ein ganzes Album ausgesuchter Coversongs an. „High Drama“ erscheint am 24. Februar 2023 und markiert zugleich sein Debüt bei Warner Music. Schon jetzt gibt es zwei Songs daraus zu hören: „Ordinary World“, eine kraftvolle, atmosphärische Balladenversion des Duran-Duran-Hits von 1993, sowie Lamberts wunderschöne Interpretation des Noël-Coward-Klassikers „Mad About The Boy“ aus den 1930er-Jahren. Fans des Musikers werden wissen: Er performte den Song kürzlich bereits im Rahmen der BBC-Show „Strictly Come Dancing“ (siehe unten). Außerdem wird Lamberts Version auch in dem kommenden Film „Mad About The Boy — The Noel Coward Story“ über das Leben des Noël Coward zu hören sein, der kommendes Jahr in die Kinos kommt.
„High Drama“ – der Titel des neuen Albums ist natürlich nicht von ungefähr gewählt, denn der US-Amerikaner liebt die große Geste. Und wir erleben ihn hier mehr denn je als einen Künstler, der sich in seiner eigenen Haut wohlfühlt, der voll und ganz er selbst ist – und jede Minute davon auskostet.
Bei seinem neuen Album übernahm Adam Lambert auch die Rolle des ausführenden Produzenten, die Songs selbst wurden produziert von Tommy English (Kacy Musgraves, Carly Rae Jepsen), Andrew Wells (Halsey, OneRepublic), George Moore und Mark Crew. „High Drama“ nimmt uns mit auf eine Reise durch die moderne Musik, von Klassikern wie Ann Peebles' „I Can't Stand The Rain“ und Bonnie Tylers „Holding Out For A Hero“ bis hin zu Hits jüngeren Datums wie Billie Eilishs „Getting Older“ – hier in einer Glam-inspirierten Version – und einer rockigen Interpretation von Lana Del Reys „West Coast“. Gemeinsam haben alle Songs, dass sie sich durch Adam Lamberts unvergleichliches Gesangstalent auszeichnen.
Aktuell arbeitet Lambert übrigens auch an seinem eigenen Musical, bei dem sich auf eigene Songs von ihm und eine Starbesetzung freuen kann.
2022 jährt sich die Veröffentlichung der ersten Single
und des ersten Albums der internationalen Supergruppe
des Soul/Funks, die mit ihrem Memphis-Sound die
Soul-Landschaft neu erfunden hat.
"Green Onions", einer der populärsten Instrumentalsongs
aller Zeiten, begann als Band-Jam bei einer
Demo-Aufnahme für den Rock'n'Roll-Sänger Billy Lee
Riley mit der berühmten Stax Records Houseband.
Stax-Labelchef Jim Stewart gefiel, was er hörte, und er
nahm auf, was die Grundlage für das Debütalbum der
Band werden sollte.
Unter dem Namen Booker T. & The M.G.s
veröffentlichten sie "Green Onions" mit den
Originalmitgliedern Booker T. Jones (Orgel, Klavier), Steve
Cropper (Gitarre), Lewie Steinberg (Bass) und Al Jackson
Jr. (Schlagzeug) im Oktober 1962. Der Titelsong wurde
ein weltweiter Hit, der von Dutzenden von Künstlern wie
den Blues Brothers, den Ventures, den Shadows, Deep
Purple, Mongo Santamaria und Count Basie gecovert
wurde.
‘Change’ is the brand-new album by Anika, the first solo music from theBerlin based artist in 8 years.
A British ex-pat and former political journalist, Anika has collaborated withBEAK>and Tricky and released two albums with Mexico City’s Exploded.
View to great acclaim. The single ‘Change’ tackles personal growth as well as wider issues and grapples with eternal questions as to whether one can ever truly change.
It has been 11 years since the release of her last solo album, 2010 cultfavourite ‘Anika’; she suddenly found herself with a lot to say. “This album had been planned for a little while and the circumstances of its inception were quite different to what had been expected. This coloured the album quite significantly. The lyrics were all written there on the spot. It’s a vomit of emotions, anxieties, empowerment and of thoughts like - How can this go on? How can we go on?”
The intimacy of its creation and a palpable sense of global anxiety are
seemingly baked into the DNA of Change. Spread across nine tracks, the central feeling of the record is one of heightened frustration buoyed by guarded optimism. The songs offer skittering, austere electronic backdrops reminiscent of classic Broadcast records or ‘High Scores’-era Boards of Canada, playing them against Anika’s remarkable voice - Nico-esque, beautifully plaintive and - in regards to the record’s subject matter - totally resolute. Incantatory tracks like ‘Naysayer’ and ‘Never Coming Back’ are both a call to arms and a warning. “‘Never Coming Back’ was written after reading Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’,” she explains. “I was living in the old East countryside outside of Berlin, where there seemed to be no shortage of birds. Apparently their numbers have dropped significantly, but it is one of these changes that we never really stop and notice. We take things for granted, until it’s too late. With all this other noise
going on, care for the environment has quickly been moved to the backburner. So long as we get what we want NOW and on demand, who cares about whether we are taking care of the future?”
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Sublime Frequencies is honored to release the third LP from Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band. Sonbonbela was recorded in the beginning of 2022 in the Republic of Burkina Faso. The group continue to hone their trademark fusion of Mandingue and afro-beat styles. The Mandingo Band are a hit machine, sculpting seven new tracks of near Beefheart/Magic Band dynamics, Fela inspired groovers dusted out in the Sahel zone, rather than the humidity and sweat of Lagos, creating one of the most original and propulsive musical statements to come from the contemporary West African cultural juggernaut. As with previous releases, the band features the legendary guitar pyrotechnics of Issouf Diabate, truly one of the greatest West African (or Earth for that matter) guitarists of the last forty years. The band is completed by a near bottomless barrel of artistry from the Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso musical talent pool. On bass guitar, Wendeyida Ouedraogo, on drums Abbas Kabore, and on percussion and balafon, Nickie Dembele. Leading the charge again is the captain himself, Mamadou Sanou on the Doso Ngoni featuring one of the most distinctive voices of the modern era. The opposite of the banal trends of auto-tune that have pervaded most of West African popular music, Baba’s voice still impresses with its gravel and grit, showcasing a range that is ancient and defiant in equal measure. This LP is a non-stop hit parade of afro-beat bangers destined to light dance floors and living rooms ablaze!!! This album is dedicated to the memory of Massimbo Taragna, the bass player extraordinaire who was an integral part of the Mandingo Band’s trance stun musical power. He passed away in early 2022. RIP TRACKLIST: Side A: CHASSER LES SACHETS, KAMELEBA, AFRO MANDINGO, SEMAYALA Sida B: SEREJUGU, SONBANBELA, WARIKO
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Derrick Morgan ia one of the greats of Jamaican music, he is the undisputed King of Ska.
But his recording career dod not stop in 1967 when the sound of Ska slowed down into Rocksteady.
Nor did it stop in 1968 when Rocksteady evolved into the early sound of Reggae.
The set you have here was first released in 1974 when Reggae was King,the album carried the name 'In the Mood'..but also had the working title 'This is Derrick Morgan'.
A title in the world of Reggae carrying the moniker would normally be used to introduce new singer and be his showcase album.
In this case in could be used to reintroduce the singer Derrick Morgan to the new Reggae sound.
But we feel someone of Derrick's calibre needs no introduction as his voice works on any rhythms put his way.
So sit back and enjoy one of the greats of Jamaican music showing the world with the help of producer Bunny Lee that he can roll with the Reggae sound....respect...
Local Action is proud to present Cyclorama, the long-awaited debut album by Ariel Zetina.
A resident DJ at Chicago’s iconic Smartbar, a long-standing Discwoman family member and a key part of the city’s dance music and LGBTQ+ communities, Ariel has established herself as one of the most exciting electronic artists operating today - through releases such as 2020’s acclaimed MUAs at the End of the World and 2017’s Organism, and her meticulous approach to DJ mixes - as recently evidenced on Sestina, her 2020 contribution to Mixtape Club.
Written across 2021 and honed this Spring, Cyclorama is Ariel’s most impressive and all-encompassing work yet, showcasing her as a producer, vocalist and also curator, pulling together an ensemble cast of her peers in Chicago (Cae Monāe, Mia Arevalo, DANNN) and some of the most exciting names in contemporary club music (Violet, Bored Lord).
Conceptually, Cyclorama draws heavily from Ariel’s background as a theater writer and producer. Popularized in 19th century German theater, a cyclorama (or cyc) is a large curtain, placed on the back wall of the stage. This creates an illusion of extra depth in the background, and often is used to represent the sky. In Ariel’s words, “I imagine all the tracks on this as the lights and action projected onto the cyclorama. The whole album is like the cyc, a representation of the sky. Or an imagined sky. An imagined dancefloor. An imagined theatrical production.”
As well as drawing conceptually from Ariel’s background in theater, the album draws on a personal level from Ariel’s journey as a trans woman of color - most directly on Cyclorama’s three vocal tracks, ‘Gemstone’, ‘Slab of Meat’ and lead single ‘Have You Ever’.
On ‘Have You Ever’, Ariel collaborates with Cae Monāe, a dear friend and fellow trans woman of color. “‘Have you ever been with a girl like me before?’ and all the lyrics refers to the fear and anxiety that cis men who are attracted to trans women feel, and also any woman that doesn’t fit the mold of a stereotypical woman”, Ariel explains. “Cae and I - and many trans women - have been in so many situations where society tells cis men they cannot be with trans women and this explores that and gives power to all trans women in this situation. The techno reflects that, as well as the “Spell my name” section at the end, showing the true power of trans women.”
On ‘Slab of Meat’, Ariel delivers a hypnotic solo vocal performance that builds in intensity with each line (“I am treated like a slab of meat both emotionally and sexually sometimes, especially one left in the freezer on the back burner. Why did you bring this meat home from the market? For what? You’re wasting meat!”), while ‘Gemstone’, a collaboration with Mia Arevalo, continues the empowering themes of ‘Have You Ever’ in a different context:
“‘Gemstone’ is a call for trans women to take time with your transition because it will all happen eventually. As two girls who have started our transition almost a decade ago, I think we have both seen that we have always needed to take our time to take our time. Reminders not to rush or compare yourself to other girls. I love the metaphor of gemstone months representing different periods of transition. I’ve been so many different women in recent years, and I'm excited to continue my journey.”
It’s immediately followed by album closer ‘Tropical Depression’, the title of which is a reference to Ariel growing up with tropical depressions, storms and hurricanes affecting her hometown of Jacksonville, Florida as well as her family in Belize City:
“This track for me is about living day to day and continuing while dealing with my really intense clinical depression. The sample comes from “Why can’t you let me go?” but is supposed to be transformative and not necessarily legible. How we hold on to our trauma and depression like a protective shell. This is an attempt to deal with it in a different way.”
The Cyclorama album cover, directed by Dylan Bragassa, stars Ariel alongside Monāe and Arevalo in an imagined theater production. In Ariel’s words, “a theoretical performance starring only trans women of color - I wanted an ensemble shot to represent the ensemble nature of this album! Love how Dylan combines so many ideas to create a very unique image that asks so many questions.”
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This new EP grey and black splattered 12" from Orlando Voorn features a real glut of goodness - there is the stone-cold classic 'Flash' under his Fix alias which is big, bouncy techno with wigged-out synths and plenty of playful energy. There is also the brand new title track 'Pulsor' which is a nice heady and deep cut with silky synth ripples and rubbery drums intertwining with one another perfectly. The two remixes included have never been available on vinyl before. The first is Orlando's chunky and funky techno rework of 'Boucle To The Beat', one of Toddy Terry's most recognisable early tracks. Then last of all is the colourful house sound of Ken Ishii's remix of 'Dope Computer'. It's a filter-heavy and loopy jam with prickly acid that will pump any party.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
This new EP grey and black splattered 12" from Orlando Voorn features a real glut of goodness - there is the stone-cold classic 'Flash' under his Fix alias which is big, bouncy techno with wigged-out synths and plenty of playful energy. There is also the brand new title track 'Pulsor' which is a nice heady and deep cut with silky synth ripples and rubbery drums intertwining with one another perfectly. The two remixes included have never been available on vinyl before. The first is Orlando's chunky and funky techno rework of 'Boucle To The Beat', one of Toddy Terry's most recognisable early tracks. Then last of all is the colourful house sound of Ken Ishii's remix of 'Dope Computer'. It's a filter-heavy and loopy jam with prickly acid that will pump any party.
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Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
But when 19 Naughty III was released on February 23, 1993 with the lead single Hip Hop Hooray the group proved that they could recreate that magic. Celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year, the album has been certified platinum and "Hip Hop Hooray" has become a hip hop anthem. The single was #1 on the charts, earning the band their second Top 10 hit, with the video directed by Spike Lee, featuring
appearances from Tupac Shakur, Run-DMC and more. The album also contains the hits "Written on Ya Kitten" and "It's On" and has guest appearances from Heavy D and Queen Latifah. Production was handled entirely by group member KayGee, who has one foot in the clubs and the other one on the street corner, and that's true of the group as a whole.
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Two years ago Credit 00 was lucky enough to find a flat with a winter garden in the midst of the city's concrete vastness. Setting up his studio there, surrounded by plants, facing the backyard oasis with its trees, bushes and birds singing all day was quite the opposite of his usual work environment. The contrast of being in nature whilst surrounded by an urban neighbourhood is explored on Credit 00's latest outing on Uncanny Valley. Two different settings represented on either side of the vinyl record. The street side of the building is Credit 00's typical habitat: rough drums, face melting acid and ghetto style track arrangement. R U READY 2 JACK pays tribute to Belgium New Beat and wants to sound like Hardcore that is coming from the heart. TRUE 2 THE GEHM is an ode to one of the true German Acid innovators, Andreas Gehm (R.I.P.), originally written in 2016 for a compilation, which raised money to help him cover expenses incurred due to his severe health issues. The backyard side reveals the influence of flora and fauna on Credit 00's work. On both THE GARDEN and DEEP IN THE JUNGLE, you can hear his synthetic interpretation of mother nature's repertoire. Birds chirping, acid frogs croaking and the wind blowing through the trees to the sound of jungle drums. Despite all the differences between the concrete and the green jungle, there are also a lot of similarities. As the artwork (hand-drawn by Credit 00 himself) illustrates, graffiti spreads all over buildings like wild vine grows on rocks: chaos reigns everywhere, whether in natural or man-made environments!
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V.I.V.E.K announces his second release on the self-named VIVEK label. Known for his cult label, SYSTEM MUSIC, this label focuses more on eclectic 140 bpm outside the realm of the dance floor.
The 4 track EP explores broken beat, ambience, melody and rhythm at 140, something that has been missing over the last few years within the genre. Colours is not only the EP title, but a reflection of the diversity of the tracks. Musicality sits at the heart of this with a nod to easy listening.
“The main focus of this release was to take me out of my musical comfort zone. I wanted to work with other musicians as well as push myself to inhabit new creative ideas.” - V.I.V.E.K
Whether it’s as an artist, label owner, a deep-drawing world-touring selector or system-building soundman behind some of London’s most important dances, V.I.V.E.K has an inherent drive to push things forward and contribute to the craft of music with serious attention to detail. A life-long frequency student dedicated to soundsystem culture, he has total respect for the heritage, value and rich variety of true music, an ability to totally arrest your full attention and imagination with his music... And has done so since he emerged in the early 2000s.
Musically pressed and blessed on key imprints such as his own System Music, Deep Medi, Tectonic and iconic reggae imprint Greensleeves, V.I.V.E.K’s creations are a crucial brew of bass styles encompassing everything from heavyweight bass hypnosis to flighty, steppy garage hybrids via sweet dub soul and all-out low-end pressure. His self-built custom soundsystem, SYSTEM, meanwhile, is a unique force of nature in UK bass music culture; the most prominent modern system to be established this decade, it’s a whole new chapter in the UK’s longstanding and illustrious history of barrier-breaking soundsystem communities. As such, it attracts committed fans from around the globe and selectors from across the system spectrum.
His label System Music has the same treasured, trusted status; not only as a source of legit never-to-be-repressed artefacts that prize the real value of music, but also as a key platform for encouraging forward-thinking, powerful system music from across the OG – freshmen continuum. Karma to Kromestar, Sleeper to SP:MC, LAS to Egoless: System Music’s celebration of bass music’s sonic scope and nurturing of talent and craft ensures its consistent buy-on-sight ranking.
Most importantly it’s as a selector that V.I.V.E.K’s position is the most vital. The selective tailor of rich, immersive and eclectic sessions, few DJs dig as deep, join the dots or draw for dubs quite like this West London operator. Accentuating his influence as a producer, engineer, dubsmith, label curator and system builder; his creative excursions as a DJ, both on the dancefloor and the airwaves as a broadcaster on the likes of Rinse FM, galvanise his status as one of the most respected, influential and singular artists who is driven by nothing but craftsmanship, unity and the sense of culture that UK bass music needs to thrive and inspire.
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After releasing 2020's critically acclaimed debut album 'Who Are the
Girls?', collaborating and touring with Bring Me The Horizon, cited by Tom Morello as one of his favourite bands and being named as "the most vital rock band in Britain right now" by Rolling Stone UK, Amy Love and Georgia South return with sophomore record 'Supernova'
From being "shunned" when they arrived on the scene, Nova Twins are leading a game all of their own. Now, there are no rules.
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DJ SizleCaude is the head of the Herbal Soundz label and this is his first EP. It's one steeped in classic house knowledge and Chicago-referencing sounds. That is particularly true on 'About Time' with its spoken word sermon over dusty old drum sounds and hefty deep house drums. 'Kindly Listen' cuts it up with razor-sharp hi-hats and swirling pads that sound like a church organ in meltdown. Last of all is 'Ntho Tse', a swirling cosmic cut that takes you on a voyage through lush synth work and heartwarming pads before settling on a nice jazzy vibe.
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'Turning (Inside Out)' is the new 12" dance single from Arbutus Records, a collaboration between Canadian synthpop artist Moon King and Baltimore production team Visors, with added vocals from fellow Bmore rapper DDM and, in a surprising turn of events, saxophone from the Neptunes' Chad Hugo, under his St Charles alias.
The 'pandemic-era online collab' has given us some strange and unlikely gems, of which this record is certainly one - a mesmerizing
mid-tempo groove with Moon King and DDM's call and response vocals floating above, culminating in a catchy chorus: 'feels like turning inside out, when I need you there, you're not around'.
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