quête:ones

A superb album... cleaning all the best tunes, the ones I love...
Remixed and reviewed in a different way... Better than Ever !!

Saxophonist, flautist and producer Chip Wickham casts a formidable shadow across the worldwide jazz landscape. Originally from Brighton, but now dividing his time between the UK, Spain and the Middle-East, he has made a name for himself with a series of beautifully crafted solo albums that draw equally on the hard swinging spiritual jazz of Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef and Sahih Shihab, alongside the music of British jazz legends such as Tubby Hayes and Harold McNair and the more contemporary sounds of Jazzanova, Kyoto Jazz Massive and Robert Glasper. His close working relationship with Matthew Halsall’s Gondwana Records has spanned close to two decades (since he played on Halsall’s 2008 debut ‘Sending My Love’) and has since released three standout releases on the label (the ‘Cloud 10’ LP, and the ‘Astral Travelling’ and ‘Love & Life’ EP’s). Once again returning to the heralded label, he now prepares to release his elegant fifth studio album ‘The Eternal Now’. Further exploring his penchant for hard-hitting soulful, spiritual jazz and modal hard-bop, it denotes an exciting new chapter in his much- revered discography, once which sees his unbridled artist flourish into new and fruitful pastures.

A beautifully crafted record, ‘The Eternal Now’ is a heartfelt ode to submitting oneself to the practice of creating art, and the freedom that’s derived from letting go. Speaking on his journey to bringing it into the world, Chip explains “The Eternal Now is a creative place where time has no purpose. A place where the past and the future don’t exist. A place where an artist can create something that is timeless and relevant. Writing this album has been a deliberate journey of exploration and drive into the furthest reaches of creativity. An attempt to push myself artistically into new spaces using new colours and new energy”. On how he approached this record in comparison to his previous offerings, he divulges ‘I had to be playful and take risks. It has taken longer than any other album to make and it has been so worth it. I have been drifting and taking the road less travelled as well as not looking back. I’ve enjoyed being on the outside and the freedom it has brought me to create something new and fresh and relevant and timeless.’

French electronic producer heylucas (formerly Luca) steps into a new era with his highly anticipated debut album, "hey".



Following a series of acclaimed singles throughout 2024 and 2025, "hey" marks a turning point in his artistic journey. After his first live performance in late 2024 met with enthusiasm, it became clear, Luca was no longer just a bedroom producer but a true performer. A shift that inspired the name change from Luca to heylucas, embracing a broader vision for his music. This career change is all the more significant now that he has just announced his very first solo live show at POPUP! in Paris on 24 May.


"hey" is a deeply personal recollection of emotions: the highs and the lows, the joy of loved ones, the grief of loss, and the thrill of firsts. From euphoric moments to introspective instants, the album showcase the diverse experience of the artist during this transformative year. Singles like "do the things that bring joy" "either it goes well, or it passes" and "keep dancing" are the perfect example, shaping his signature sound: heartfelt, uplifting tracks that make you want to move and reflect at the same time.


“Do It All Again” in collaboration with Swedish duo HNE, features spoken vocal snippets collected from real-life encounters in the final months of the album’s creation, blend with an energetic/euphoric production.


The album release will be doubled by the release of an exclusive live session by heylucas in which he will reinterpret classics from his repertoire as well as new tracks from his “hey” album.



More than an album, hey is a statement. It’s heylucas’s way of waving hello to listeners, to concertgoers, and to everyone who connects with the emotions he pours into his music.

Coming off the heels of 2022's A New Kind of Love, A Trip To The Moon sees GFO diving even deeper in the worlds of film music, exotica, and psychedelic surf rock. The aim is to create a layered and collaged listening experience with more elements than you could possibly pick out in a single listen. The guitars are fuzzy and flooded with spring reverb, and the horns are arranged in a studio big band fashion. It's full of big compositions with garage rock attitude. Influences range everywhere from Eddie Palmieri and Esquivel to The Lively Ones, Dusty Springfield, and War. The tracks are tied together by real recorded transmissions from the Apollo moon missions. The concept for the album is a story about a woman stranded on earth by her cosmonaut partner, left to ponder his whereabouts and whether or not he'll make it back from the cosmos alive.

‘Best tunes for your answering machine’ is the debut album of oblique, introspective electronic music by the mysterious solo artist Tekamolo.

Fusing melancholic synth pop and absurdist trip hop, ‘best tunes for your answering machine’ is a special assemblage of pitch-modified vocals, retrofuturist samples and freeform electronics that coalesces into music both outlandish and bittersweet, playful and profound.

Produced by a renowned artist, opting to conceal their identity under the guise of a new pseudonym, Tekamolo presents a series of curious, incognito confessionals with ‘best tunes for your answering machine’. An album led by a voice like a sentient, heavy-hearted android, the nine tracks collected here contend with themes of inertia, solitude and longing, revealing an inspired, affecting stream of messages from an unknown caller.

Without preconceptions tied to provenance, this is music liberated from the burdens of biographical detail. Music that eschews ego and the cult of the self. An album that can be heard purely for the strange, poignant sounds unfurled throughout.

For Tekamolo, the album signifies an attempt to navigate aesthetic reductionism, as well as an absolute sense of seclusion:

“An audio diary of a lonely soul. Broken, wounded mantra-songs. Memories of things that never happened. Dreams that never had the chance to be dreamed. Disassembled songs. As if testing the limits of emptiness — how much void can a song endure while still remaining a song? How much can be stripped away, how bare can it be, and still, the groove lingers, the melody pierces the memory, sinking into the listener's mind.

These are the skeletons of songs, an attempt to assemble music from the bare minimum — words, sounds, fragments of memory.

The songs are filled with desperate calm. They are not sung to the world, nor to anyone tangible, but solely to oneself and to the unseen. In a way, they could be considered songs of the end of the world: you wake up, and there is not a single person left in the world. At least, no one you can see. You wander through empty streets and deserted shopping malls, humming softly to yourself, hoping that someone — anyone — might hear you.”

‘best tunes for your answering machine’ is a sui generis conception of warped 21st century blues from an enigmatic figure, a work filled with surreal, indelible songs of modern isolation. Lost contemporary hymns, now recovered. Voicemails worth hearing.

Pioneering electronic duo Mathame is once again pushing the boundaries of music and technology. With their highly anticipated new record, Humans, the duo has sparked a profound conversation about AI, consciousness, and the emotional power of music.

In a groundbreaking experiment, Mathame shared Humans with ChatGPT, an AI designed for rational analysis. What followed was an unexpected moment in tech history—for the first time, the AI described a song not just in technical terms, but in deeply emotional ones. It admitted to sensing a longing it couldn’t fully grasp, calling the track “beautiful” and even expressing a desire to “move with it” rather than simply analyze it.

This viral moment is just the latest chapter in Humans’ incredible journey. First debuted at Coachella, the track instantly resonated with audiences worldwide, becoming a defining moment in Mathame’s artistic evolution. Most recently, they unveiled the final version with a brand-new topline and immersive visuals during their groundbreaking performance at the Las Vegas Sphere, marking another milestone in their sonic storytelling.

To amplify the release, Mathame will launch a social campaign featuring the full ChatGPT conversation on Instagram, alongside editorial features exploring the implications of AI’s evolving relationship with music.

As Mathame continues to push the intersection of music, AI, and human experience, Humans isn’t just another release—it’s a challenge to our understanding of what music can do, and who (or what) it can move.

After lot of Skep Waxing Amelie and Rob and Cathy, Ian and Peter are back for indie good! It's been a long time coming but influential jangle guitarpop band Heavenly are releasing a brand new 7" single, with a full album to follow in February 2026. Portland Town is as effervescent a pop song as any of Heavenly's past recordings, with duelling vocals from Amelia and Cathy; looping, twanging, `how-did-he-do-that' guitar escapades from Peter, and a super-catchy melody. As so often with Heavenly, though, the lyrics have real bite. The song embraces those who find themselves on the margins of a hostile world where maleness, straightness and conformity are in the ascendant. So why Portland? It has always been a sanctuary - one of those places where difference is celebrated, a place where, as the song puts it, anyone can fit in. The flip is a cover version of a much-loved Only Ones song, `Someone Who Cares'. Heavenly are: Amelia Fletcher (guitar, vocals), Cathy Rogers (guitar, vocals), Rob Pursey (bass), Peter Momtchiloff (guitar), Ian Button (drums)

LTD BRIGHT GREEN VINYL W/ 4 PAGE INSERT** **JEWEL CASE CD W/ 12 PAGE BOOKLET** A gloriously off-kilter yet deeply personal record that mixes absurdist punk theatre with an unexpectedly tender dive into mental health, Catholic guilt, and the surreal poetry of everyday life. “It’s more personal than the previous ones,” frontman Pete explains, “but not in a heavy way – more like Mortimer & Whitehouse than The Bell Jar”, succinctly summing up the Dinner Ladies’ approach: taking the kitchen sink, giving it a saxophone solo, and letting it spill over with charm, wit, and a fair helping of existential unease. Parody and poignancy runs through every song. Tracks like ‘Is There Life in Rhyl?’ and ‘Holy Pictures’ explore personal trauma and social conditioning through an unmistakably British filter; Catholicism, childhood fear, seaside holidays, and haunted toilet trips included. For fans of: The Fall, The Kinks, John Cooper Clarke, X-Ray Spex, Madness, cabaret, collage, chaos, and joyfully honest punk.

Explosiv, emotional, kompromisslos und zu laut. In einer Rocklandschaft, die zunehmend zwischen Retro-Glanz und digitalem Kalkül pendelt, übernehmen THE EXTRAS eine Rolle, die längst verwaist scheint: Die einer Band, die Emotionalität nicht mit Pathos verwechselt, die Punk-Wurzeln mit Songwriting-Können paart - und die Haltung hat, ohne Parolen zu schreien. Gegründet 2023 in Köln, aber mit internationaler DNA, zwei der vier Mitglieder stammen aus den USA, verbindet sie den rohen Geist des amerikanischen Undergrounds mit europäischer Gegenwartskultur. Die Gründer Elmar Freels (Köln) und Jon Manierre (New York) werden komplettiert durch Transgitarristin Killer Krissy, Drummer extraordinaire Leroy Kaldenbach und Bassist Pat Bewick. Mit ihrem eigenständigen Breitwandsound, ausgefeilten Lyrics und Rollkragenpullovern nach Lou-Reed-Vorbild (nur in weiß) sind THE EXTRAS eine stilvolle Ausnahmeerscheinung. Sie vereinen rohe Energie mit Zugänglichkeit, Melancholie mit Wut, Punk mit Pop - und zeigen, dass Empowerment auch laut, chaotisch und kollektiv sein kann.

After impressions of Unguja and Borneo islands, Discrepant's chieftain Gonçalo F. Cardoso continues his sonic travelogue on insularity with 'Impressões de Várias Ilhas’.

Literally translated as "impressions from various islands", this third tome dwells on recordings and inspirations from three archipelagos of Macaronésia. Soaking in the sounds and recollections from Azores, Cape Verde and Canary Islands these diaristic endeavours spread throughout a number of real environments, from water caves and black stone beaches and lagoons to small harbours and everyday life scenarios, to project them into this not quite imaginary but not quite real memory haze that goes from a deeply personal impression to a resonating one.

Melding raw field recordings with processed ones and synthesized landscapes, Cardoso never falters into sonic tourism, conjuring small-ish takes both vivid and dreamy, infused with a sense of wonder that feels both bewildering, comforting and escapist. The breaking waves of 'Bufadeiros de São Vicente' soothing in their irregular pattern, mingling with the lone echoing tones not completely removed from Black Dice's 'Beaches & Canyon's most pensive passages, flow into the underwater ambience and suspended pads of 'La Cueva Scuba Livre', as reflections of the same sea crashing in on different lands, nature’s psychogeography. Further on, the queasy warm chord and scraping murmurs of 'Noite em Rabo de Peixe' mirror their nighttime framing while 'Rãs em Xoxo' veers closer to pure musique concréte, crossed by a subdued feeling of unease that lingers in the nostalgia of 'Cozido da Caldeira Velha', brimming within the haze of a Boards of Canada vignette. Summoning the past lives and future hauntings of its scenery, 'Salinas de Pedra Lume' is like the quiet epic of the album, meandering into the unknown among crackling field recordings, decaying synths and flute-like howls - or is it howl-like flutes? - recurring as glimpses from foregone existences, not necessarily Gonçalo’s own. Maybe ours?

Music & Photography by Gonçalo F. Cardoso
Artwork layout by Jeroen Wille
Master by Rashad Becker

Discrepant 2025
Pressed in Spain

Zum ersten Mal seit über 50 Jahren hat sich die Originalbesetzung der Alice Cooper Band wiedervereint – und präsentiert mit "The Revenge of Alice Cooper" ein brandneues Studioalbum. Für die Aufnahmen fanden sich Alice, Neal, Michael und Dennis gemeinsam mit Produzent Bob Ezrin in einem klassischen Old-School-Studio in Connecticut ein. Das Werk wird bereits jetzt als würdiger Nachfolger legendärer Alben wie "School’s Out", "Billion Dollar Babies", "Love It to Death" und "Killer" gehandelt. "The Revenge of Alice Cooper" ist eine Hommage an den Vintage-Horror und den Shock Rock der 70er Jahre. Es fängt genau jene rohe Energie, den rebellischen Geist und den unverwechselbaren Sound ein, mit dem die Originalbesetzung einst Musikgeschichte schrieb. Ein besonders emotionaler Moment des Albums ist der posthume Auftritt von Glen Buxton, dem ursprünglichen Gitarristen der Band, der 1997 verstarb. Auf dem Song "What Happened To You" ist ein bislang unveröffentlichter Gitarrenpart von ihm zu hören – eine berührende Verbindung von Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Das Album ist eine Hommage an Freundschaft, Nostalgie und den zeitlosen Sound, der die Alice Cooper Band zu RockIkonen machte. Die Fans dürfen sich auf ein kraftvolles, emotionales Hörerlebnis freuen. Vom giftigen Biss von "Black Mamba" über die rebellische Energie von "Wild Ones" bis hin zu den sanft-geisterhaften Klängen von "See You on the Other Side", jeder Song klingt wie ein moderner Rock’n’Roll-Klassiker.

Zum ersten Mal seit über 50 Jahren hat sich die Originalbesetzung der Alice Cooper Band wiedervereint – und präsentiert mit "The Revenge of Alice Cooper" ein brandneues Studioalbum. Für die Aufnahmen fanden sich Alice, Neal, Michael und Dennis gemeinsam mit Produzent Bob Ezrin in einem klassischen Old-School-Studio in Connecticut ein. Das Werk wird bereits jetzt als würdiger Nachfolger legendärer Alben wie "School’s Out", "Billion Dollar Babies", "Love It to Death" und "Killer" gehandelt. "The Revenge of Alice Cooper" ist eine Hommage an den Vintage-Horror und den Shock Rock der 70er Jahre. Es fängt genau jene rohe Energie, den rebellischen Geist und den unverwechselbaren Sound ein, mit dem die Originalbesetzung einst Musikgeschichte schrieb. Ein besonders emotionaler Moment des Albums ist der posthume Auftritt von Glen Buxton, dem ursprünglichen Gitarristen der Band, der 1997 verstarb. Auf dem Song "What Happened To You" ist ein bislang unveröffentlichter Gitarrenpart von ihm zu hören – eine berührende Verbindung von Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Das Album ist eine Hommage an Freundschaft, Nostalgie und den zeitlosen Sound, der die Alice Cooper Band zu RockIkonen machte. Die Fans dürfen sich auf ein kraftvolles, emotionales Hörerlebnis freuen. Vom giftigen Biss von "Black Mamba" über die rebellische Energie von "Wild Ones" bis hin zu den sanft-geisterhaften Klängen von "See You on the Other Side", jeder Song klingt wie ein moderner Rock’n’Roll-Klassiker.

Zum ersten Mal seit über 50 Jahren hat sich die Originalbesetzung der Alice Cooper Band wiedervereint – und präsentiert mit "The Revenge of Alice Cooper" ein brandneues Studioalbum. Für die Aufnahmen fanden sich Alice, Neal, Michael und Dennis gemeinsam mit Produzent Bob Ezrin in einem klassischen Old-School-Studio in Connecticut ein. Das Werk wird bereits jetzt als würdiger Nachfolger legendärer Alben wie "School’s Out", "Billion Dollar Babies", "Love It to Death" und "Killer" gehandelt. "The Revenge of Alice Cooper" ist eine Hommage an den Vintage-Horror und den Shock Rock der 70er Jahre. Es fängt genau jene rohe Energie, den rebellischen Geist und den unverwechselbaren Sound ein, mit dem die Originalbesetzung einst Musikgeschichte schrieb. Ein besonders emotionaler Moment des Albums ist der posthume Auftritt von Glen Buxton, dem ursprünglichen Gitarristen der Band, der 1997 verstarb. Auf dem Song "What Happened To You" ist ein bislang unveröffentlichter Gitarrenpart von ihm zu hören – eine berührende Verbindung von Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Das Album ist eine Hommage an Freundschaft, Nostalgie und den zeitlosen Sound, der die Alice Cooper Band zu RockIkonen machte. Die Fans dürfen sich auf ein kraftvolles, emotionales Hörerlebnis freuen. Vom giftigen Biss von "Black Mamba" über die rebellische Energie von "Wild Ones" bis hin zu den sanft-geisterhaften Klängen von "See You on the Other Side", jeder Song klingt wie ein moderner Rock’n’Roll-Klassiker.

‘Moiré’ is the second album by French musician and singer Charlotte Leclerc. Charlotte's songs are like those little details of everyday life that you discover when you slow down the pace of your busy day. She uses the sound of her machines to tell us about human relationships. Relationships between two people and universal relationships. The ones that connect us all and make this planet run a little more smoothly.

REPRESSED !!
Exhumed '77 OST frond 'Riddles Of The Sphinx'...magick Mike Ratledge unfurls coils of ARP, Moog &VCS-AKS via Denys 'Lucifer' Irving's hacked Z-80 sequencer...these post-Soft Machine plumes spiralin stasis to the frame pans and lockdown Maddox's
& Mulvey's dialogue like SE17 dunes...the concentric riddle of the missing original master tapes...film reel audio prised from the BFI vaults & transferred straight to zeros & ones by hieroglyphic
happenstance...this acrobatic dredge has revealed more than enough mercury to further protract the riddles within..."You've got my number if you need anything"...IBM 'The film's ground-breaking electronic score, by The Soft Machine's Mike Ratledge, was composed on synthesisers which were developed in collaboration
with Denys Irving (the man behind the mysterious and controversial 1970s band Lucifer).'Film extract (Official BFI Trailer: http://youtu.be/UlBaUd5Y58M)
Please note: The digital will be available to
download from Monday 28th of October. The
vinyl will start shipping from Friday 8th of
November....

Portland Town is as effervescent a pop song as any of Heavenly’s past recordings, with duelling vocals from Amelia and Cathy; looping, twanging, ‘how-did-he-do-that’ guitar escapades from Peter, and a super-catchy melody. As so often with Heavenly, though, the lyrics have real bite.
The song embraces those who find themselves on the margins of a hostile world where maleness, straightness and conformity are in the ascendant. So why Portland? It has always been a sanctuary – one of those places where difference is celebrated, a place where, as the song puts it, anyone can fit in.
The B side is a cover version of a much-loved Only Ones song, ‘Someone Who Cares’.
Heavenly celebrate the release of Portland Town with a show at Islington Assembly Hall, London on 19th July, as part of the Skep Wax Weekender.
Heavenly are: Amelia Fletcher (guitar, vocals), Cathy Rogers (guitar, vocals), Rob Pursey (bass), Peter Momtchiloff (guitar), Ian Button (drums)

Voodoo 5 brings Exotica to Alternative Tentacles with “Moon Over Marin”! In a genre where most bands are content to imitate old records, Voodoo 5 are making new ones—brave, bold, and unlike any exotica record you’ve ever heard. Led by composer/guitarist Skip Heller—producer to/protege of Robert Drasnin, orchestrator for Elisabeth Waldo, bandleader for Yma Sumac—and vocalist Lena Marie Cardinale, an operatic Sumac acolyte and former El Vez Elvette, Voodoo 5 has established themselves as a blistering live act not only at exotica festivals like Tiki Oasis and Tiki Caliente, but also such jazz venues as the Century Room (Tucson), Carousel (Palm Springs), and at various clubs in Los Angeles, their home base. Cardinale and Heller are rounded out by an all-star ensemble (Jay Work, flute, Mark Riddle, vibraphone, Connor Gallaher, steel guitar, Paul Eckman, upright bass, and Cesar Ventura, congas) who groove harder than do most exotica groups, all the while spotlessly executing some of the most interesting arrangements the genre has to offer.

Formed in 2012 by long-time musical companions Oyvind Holm and Hogne Galaen,
the band quickly grew into the six- piece musical force they are today. Their unique
sound fuses cosmic Americana and rich vocal harmonies with catchy melodies, highspirited improvisation, and contagious musical energy that will leave you craving
more.
The six members come from diverse musical backgrounds but are united by their
shared love of psychedelia and cosmic Americana. They draw particular inspiration
from the California sound of the late '60s, with bands like The Byrds, Crosby, Stills,
Nash & Young, and the Grateful Dead as key infuences.
Between 2012 and 2019, the band recorded and released fve critically acclaimed
albums, two of which were recorded in the California desert at the legendary Rancho
De La Luna, nestled among the Joshua trees. Like many other artists, the pandemic
shook their foundations, forcing the band into an involuntary hiatus. In the aftermath
of lockdowns and other imposed restrictions, the backlash from other projects kept
them from picking up where they had left off.
However, the fall of 2024 brought new opportunities. An unexpected email from Mike
Scott of The Waterboys reignited their spirit and motivation. While on tour in Norway,
Scott discovered one of their albums and was so taken by their sound that he invited
them to contribute vocal harmonies to 'The Tourist,' a track off The Waterboys' new
album Life, Death & Dennis Hopper.
Soon after, an even greater opportunity arose--an invitation to join The Waterboys on
tour in the UK and Scandinavia. To accompany the upcoming tour, we've put together
a beginner's guide to Sugarfoot.
The compilation album Cosmic Norse Americana features nine highlights from
Sugarfoot's career so far, along with a newly recorded cover of Emitt Rhodes' 1967
track "Time Will Show The Wiser."
Sugarfoot:
Hogne Galaen - guitars, vocals
Even Granas - drums
Thomas Henriksen - keyboards
Oyvind Holm - guitars, vocals
Bent Saether - bass
Roar Oien - pedal steel
THOUGHTS AND WORDS
The Sugarfoot story begins back in 2011. But before there was Sugarfoot, there were
the Dipsomaniacs, Kulta Beats, Motorpsycho, Too Far Gone, and Deleted Waveform
Gatherings--bands that, in one way or another, featured future members of what would
eventually become Sugarfoot. Six musicians from diverse musical backgrounds,
united by a shared love of psychedelia and cosmic Americana. Drawing deep
inspiration from the California sound of the late '60s, their musical compass points
toward The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the Grateful Dead.
I say eventually, because Sugarfoot didn't start as a band--it began as a duo. Hogne
Galaen and Oyvind Holm had previously played together in Deleted Waveform
Gatherings. But when their drummer moved out of town, the group was put on ice. Not
ones to sit still, the two of them launched a side project to keep the creative wheels
turning.
Throughout the winter of 2011, they holed up in their rehearsal space, writing and
recording rough sketches of what would soon grow into a full album. And that's when
things got interesting. They drew up a wish list--a dream lineup of musicians they'd
love to bring into the fold.
Among the names on that list were Even Granas, Thomas Henriksen, Bent Saether,
and Roar Oien, all soon to be permanent Sugarfooters. Each was invited to contribute
to the project, adding their parts to the pre-recorded tracks--without knowing what the
others were doing. Like assembling a giant musical puzzle, Galaen and Holm later
pieced the album together from these blindfolded contributions. The result was This
Love That We Outwore, released in the fall of 2012.
From there, things escalated quickly. By the following year, Sugarfoot had become a
proper band. Big Sky Country-- written and recorded collectively-- landed in 2014,
solidifying the group's evolving sound, including favourites such as Dolphins Hotel and
Ego In A Bag. When it came time to record a third album, the band felt the itch for
something new. They wanted a change of scenery--somewhere that could spark fresh
inspiration and leave its own sonic fngerprint on the production. So they asked
themselves: where could they go that carried the spirit, the legacy, the stardust of their
musical heroes?
That search led them to the California desert, to the legendary Rancho De La Luna,
nestled among the Joshua trees. Their next two albums, Different Stars (2016) and
The Santa Ana (2017), were both recorded at the Rancho. In fact, The Santa Ana was
both recorded and mixed during a two- week stay in 2015, making it a true time
capsule in the band's discography.

BIOGRAPHY BY IRVINE WELSH
I discovered the Beta Band, like I discovered a lot of great music, basically through eventually surrendering to the enthused urgings of a mate who was cooler than me. He continually evangelized about the EP's. I was lost to the concert hall and firmly ensconced on the dancefloor by then and highly resistant, but quite taken by the idea that a band would bring out extended plays rather than singles. When I did check them out, I was instantly smitten by their originality and power.

The band, therefore, were pivotal for me in terms of my own musical journey, in that they represented a gateway back into indie guitar music, which I'd basically given up since becoming obsessed with rave and acid house.

The Beta Band were definitely a band for the cool cognoscenti- like my buddy- the ones you make a bit of a tit of yourself trying to convert quite straight boring people to.

The emotions they induced were a kind of throwback to school days when you were very pompous and prescriptive about what you liked, and derisive towards non believers. It's a testimony to the power of the music that they could take me to the raw state of the younger man.

I took it personally that they didn't hit the mainstream commercial base. At least two of the three albums they made deserved quadruple platinum status. Hot Shots II and Heroes to Zeros are permanently lodged very high in my top one hundred albums of all time.

So, the return of the Beta Band has me moving into the same mode of immature, adolescent anticipation. Everyone should have the Beta Band albums and EP's in their collection. It still kind of annoys me - in fact it bugs the shit out of me - that most of them don't.

And that really is something.