Search:out of the blue

Repressed On translucent blue vinyl! Too many people sleep on Tougher Than Leather, Run-DMC’s fourth album. But hear us out as we plead the case for this amazing LP. By 1988 there was a lot more competition in the rap game – Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, Ice-T and many more had given Hollis, Queens’ prodigal sons lots of competition. But Joe, Darryl and Jay were still at the top of their game, and hip-hop fans should never let this classic – chiefly produced by their Queens neighbor, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Davy DMX – get lost in their crates. For starters, the album’s first single, “Run’s House” b/w “Beats To The Rhyme” is arguably the most powerful one-two punch of the trio’s career, showing contenders to the rap throne that they could still destroy a beat, tag-teaming with power at any speed. Not to be lost in the shuffle, fans were also reminded on both sides that Jam-Master Jay remained one of the world’s best DJs, flexing the pinnacle of what would be called “turntablism” a decade later. Both songs show a musical telepathy between all three that has rarely been equaled. The second single, “Mary, Mary,” driven by an infectious Monkees sample, took a different approach, shrewdly ensuring that pop fans who jumped on the Raising Hell bandwagon had something to chew on. But, like “Walk This Way,” the song wasn’t just bubblegum – there was an edge to it, and the lyrical gymnastics were very real. It wasn’t selling out, it was allowing fans to buy in. “Papa Crazy,” driven in concept and by a sample from the Temptations’ “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” followed a similar pop-leaning path. Overall, the lyrical content on the album was a step up from the group’s first three LPs. It’s easy to infer, looking back, that they were feeling the heat from their younger competitors in the rap game. The genre was changing fast, and they were up to the challenge. On cuts like “Radio Station” they bring substance to the grooves, by attacking Black Radio for its continual denigration of rap. “Tougher Than Leather” reminds the world that they were still the Kings of Rock, with hard guitars to drive the point home. And “They Call Us Run-DMC” and “Soul To Rock And Roll” both bring things back to their early days, with sure-fire park jam rhymes and killer cuts. Tougher Than Leather, which went platinum up against a lot of competition, perfectly bookends the ‘80s output of one of the decade’s most important groups. It encompasses the full range of the trio’s capabilities, and reminds us that Run-DMC should never be forgotten as both pioneers and party-rockers. And so, we say, long live Joe, Darryl and Jay! A1. Run's House A2. Mary, Mary A3. They Call Us Run DMC A4. Beats To The Rhyme A5. Radio Station A6. Papa Crazy B1. Tougher Than Leather B2. I'm Not Going Out Like That B3. How'd Ya Do It Dee B4. Miss Elaine B5. Soul To Rock And Roll B6. Ragtime

Having spent the past few years supplying low notes as bass player for a who’s who of UK Soul and Jazz talent (including Tom Misch, LoyleCarner, Berwyn, Jordan Rakei, Poppy Ajudha, Jamie Isaac, Puma Blue, Jorja Smith, Alfa Mist & Charlotte Dos Santos) Rudi Creswick steps into the spotlight with his first full length solo offering ‘Different Forms’ on Alfa Mist’s Sekito imprint.

Hailing from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Rudi was immersed in club culture from a young age, the low end sonics of which guided his playing, and led him to discovering his own style In the years that followed, Rudi continued to hone his craft, melding the sub rattling sounds of Hip-Hop producers such as J Dilla, MF Doom and Knxwldge with the technical sensibilities of influential Jazz players such as Pino Palladino, Derrick Hodge and Thundercat.

With this record serving as a chance for Rudi to stretch his creative legs, the aim was to showcase the many musical sides of his creative spirit. The first single lifted from the project ‘Sometimes’ enlists the vocal talents of the incredible Emmavie - who dives into self-reflective and cutting, honest lyrics. She explains: “No one ever leads with “often temperamental, quick to anger and generally hot and cold” when describing themselves. Something about Rudi’s laidback production and bouncy singing bass line pulled this reflective and apologetic yet playful subject out of me. “

On the LP, Rudi says: ‘This whole project is thanks to Alfa , Barney Artist and the team at Sekito who’ve helped me realise my dream. They had faith in me for which I’ll always be grateful. The project’s kind of all over the place because there’s so many corners to anyone’s being, inspirations and their musicality, so I wanted Different Forms to reflect that’



Throughout the record, Rudi’s musical prowess and vast influences are laid bare for all to see. From the gliding melodies and twinkling keys and hazy fanfares of second single ‘Peace Of Mind’ (Feat. Manny & The Coloured Sound) through to the sparse and haunting tones of ‘Charlotte’ the LP traverses high peaks and deep valleys, channelling a sense of beauty of textured mystique throughout. Sporting an impressive roster of collaborators including Alfa Mist himself, Trumpeter Sheila Maurice Grey (Kokoroko), Chelsea Carmichael on Tenor Sax, Barrel Jones (Drummer for Nubya Garcia) and Vels Trio’s Jack Stephenson-Oliver (who played synth for the track ‘With Want You’). The lush instrumentation provides an incredible backdrop for esteemed performers such as Barney Artist to drop bars over the crisp drums and laid back strut of ‘Holding The Fence’, meanwhile Berwyn supplies sombre lyrics of the vast expanses of ‘96BPM’. An emotive and engaging listen from start to finish, ‘Different Forms’ is a truly stunning debut.

Doomsday Outlaw return with their third studio album Damaged Goods, set for release on 3rd February 2023 via Republic of Music.

As Doomsday Outlaw began work on this album, they knew they wanted to step up to the next level and deliver on the promise of their previous albums, keeping the heaviness and the soulful vocals, and turbo-charging it all with some retro rock feelgood vibes.

Channelling Skynyrd, Aerosmith and The Faces through their signature heavy blues stomp, the band worked to expand their signature sound.

Working with Chris D’Adda at Vale Studios (Temples, Deaf Havana) and Dave Draper (The Wildhearts), to put them through their paces, the band have pulled together their best work yet.

Lyrically, the album is a very personal insight into vocalist Phil Poole’s life and motivations. Speaking about Damaged Goods, vocalist Phil Poole said: "This album is a continuation of the stories of my life – played out for all to see, filled with heartbreak and redemption. My own version of therapy, Damaged Goods is the latest chapter in my life."

Bassist Indy added: “It’s been a hard slog these last couple of years with Covid cutting short our European adventures, and generally waiting for live music to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, but these new tunes have kept us going. The excellent response we’ve had to playing the songs live has been great to see, and we can’t wait to get everything out there for people to hear.”

Doomsday Outlaw return with their third studio album Damaged Goods, set for release on 3rd February 2023 via Republic of Music.

As Doomsday Outlaw began work on this album, they knew they wanted to step up to the next level and deliver on the promise of their previous albums, keeping the heaviness and the soulful vocals, and turbo-charging it all with some retro rock feelgood vibes.

Channelling Skynyrd, Aerosmith and The Faces through their signature heavy blues stomp, the band worked to expand their signature sound.

Working with Chris D’Adda at Vale Studios (Temples, Deaf Havana) and Dave Draper (The Wildhearts), to put them through their paces, the band have pulled together their best work yet.

Lyrically, the album is a very personal insight into vocalist Phil Poole’s life and motivations. Speaking about Damaged Goods, vocalist Phil Poole said: "This album is a continuation of the stories of my life – played out for all to see, filled with heartbreak and redemption. My own version of therapy, Damaged Goods is the latest chapter in my life."

Bassist Indy added: “It’s been a hard slog these last couple of years with Covid cutting short our European adventures, and generally waiting for live music to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, but these new tunes have kept us going. The excellent response we’ve had to playing the songs live has been great to see, and we can’t wait to get everything out there for people to hear.”

Die Pioniere der elektronischen Popmusik sind zurück und feiern mit ihrem 14. Studioalbum “Point” ihr 40-jähriges Bestehen.

Mit der Debut-Single „Bostich“ eroberten Yello die afro- merikanischen Dance-Klubs von New York . Danach ging ihr Sound – eine Collage von Musik aus aller Welt – um die Welt. Alben wie „You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess“ (1983), „Stella“ (1985), „Pocket Universe” (1997) und „Toy” (2016) waren Bestseller. Die Evergreens „The Race“, „Oh Yeah“ und „I Love You“ tauchen noch heute ständig im Kino auf. Laute und stille Stimmen wie Shirley Bassey, Billy Mackenzie, Stina Nordenstam und Fifi Rong haben im Yello-Studio gesungen.

Das am 28.08. erscheinende, von Boris Blank und Dieter Meier höchst persönlich produzierte Studioalbum “Point” besteht aus 12 Titeln, deren typische Yello-Klangbilder einen jeden Fan und Kenner sofort
aufhorchen lassen. Die Singles “Waba Duba”, “Out Of Sight” und “Spinning My Mind” sind darauf ebenfalls zu hören.

blue marbled vinyl

Kirk Degiorgio is becoming somewhat of a mainstay on the Belgian De:tuned label. Here he returns with 'The Unveiling'. The title track stands out with a classical synth progression and beautiful harmonies, resulting in an uplifting Detroit fused techno cut. 'Descent Module' takes you on a driving acidic trip and has all the characteristics of a hypnotic floater for the after-hours. On the flip you'll find two exclusive remixes from Kirk's 'Communion' album on De:tuned. Ian o'Brien showcases his vast musical talent and opens up his soul with a warm and lengthy retake of 'The Ladder'. Luke Slater debuts strongly on De:tuned and provides a rare The 7th Plain remix of 'Absorption Spectra'. Luke's take is a sentimental and lush ambient techno interpretation where its unique sound oscillates between a melancholic state of nostalgia and modern escapism.

Kevin Foakes (Openmind, DJ Food, Ninja Tune) created all the graphic work. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis and pressed on 180 gr vinyl. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops. Stay tuned!

Perth-based artistic hub 823, led by producer / creator-extraordinaire Taku, joins forces with producers Idealism & Lucid Green for “Undone,” a genre-melting LP that bridges sonic comfort, textured tones and lush timbres into one serene, 10 track experience. LP arriving February 3rd, 2023 via 823 x Jakarta Records.

Finnish-born producer and pianist Idealism (1.5mil Spotify Monthly Listeners - SML) and French transplant Lucid Green (568k SML) are no strangers to each other’s subtle, yet potent productions. Having worked together on a number of past releases, their upcoming, fully collaborative LP “Undone” is a natural journey into the beautiful ambient, downtempo, lo-fi worlds they’ve each created. Through visits to Lucid’s flat in Paris and ideas being exchanged remotely, the duo experimented with different sounds, instruments and aural environments, in the process crafting a natural partnership that sits in a comfortable, melancholic pocket. With lulling guitar and poignant piano progressions that provide a pillow to rest your ears, and downtempo percussions that keeps you ebbing and flowing along on a subtle current, unsure where one wave ends and the next begins, only the albums progressions dictate the head-nod. Featuring the likes of Yutaka Hirasaka (220k SML) and Charlie Kurata (aka Charlie – 200k SML; Duumu – 109k SML), the album soars, reminiscent of life’s simple, yet wholly memorable moments that bring you a nostalgic pause.
As with all 823 releases, the project is a visual one as much as it is a musical project. The first singles visualizers are a fusion of Hopes & Dreams Club & 823’s design aesthetics with personal super8 footage captured by Idealism & Lucid Green, beautifully expressed from Hopes & Dreams Club member Mindi Ossi. Each visualizer and single art will easily stand on its own, transporting you to worlds familiar, yet undeniably groovy and sonically comfortable.
823 is a multifaceted Perth-based record label, fashion brand, and artistic community, founded by Australian producer and all-around creative, Ta-ku (852k SML). With an astute attention to detail and an ethos that appreciates the everyday things in life, 823 doesn’t stick to any particular genre. Past 823 releases include “So Far To Go” EP via Cabu (753k SML), Ta-ku and matt mcwaters’s duo project “Black and White,” featuring Masego collaboration “Flight 99” (17mil streams on Spotify), the “All Things Considered” compilations, a curated, collaborative series featuring both budding and wellestablished artists around the world and have included Idealism, Wun Two, pastels, L.Dre, Flobama, SwuM, Jinsang, Tenderlonious, among a host of others, as well as multiple sold out clothing capsules.

still haven't met, nor spoken, all we know he's a he. the music is a unique blend of the best sounds in pop, rock, and hip hop, occasionally sprinkled with vintage greek lyra and polish spoken word. this could either lead us to find out more about him, or simply lead us up the garden path. one thing we know for sure, much though his past remains a blur, he most definitely is a beacon for our future. #ournameisleonidas - Kitsuné Musique -

Twisting and contorting the English language to fit the meter and his every whim, Lupe Fiasco uses his superb lyrical skill to process the changing world in which he lives. Drawing connections between the concrete and spiritual in his hometown of Chicago, Lupe announces DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, his next album. The product of a burst of thoughtful spontaneity, Lupe created the new album over a short period, diving into a folder of beats sent by his longtime producer Soundtrakk and emerging with a fully-realized album in just three days. “Soundtrakk is the swordmaker, I’m the samurai," says Lupe. "He’s the mechanic, and I’m the driver.” Armed with Soundtrakk's soulful sounds, Lupe creates a focused statement that reflects on the past and paves a way forward, preaching strength through mindfulness and self-sustaining community. DRILL MUSIC IN ZION arrives digitally on June 24th via 1st & 15th/Thirty Tigers. The physical release is set for August 26 (CD, Black Vinyl, and Indie-retail exclusive blue vinyl). His first new album since 2018's DROGAS WAVE, DRILL MUSIC IN ZION marks the start of another chapter in Lupe's illustrious career. The proud Chicago native has already had a busy 2022, marked with sold out shows, new music, and much more. Lupe recently closed out his "Food & Liquor Tour," a series of performances in which he plays his debut album in full. He paid tribute to his hometown in the reflective, self-produced "100 Chicagos," and dug into the archives to share "Hustlaz," a previously-unreleased song originally recorded before the release of the now-classic debut album Food & Liquor. Beyond music, Lupe continues to focus on the community organizations he founded, including We Are M.U.R.A.L, The Neighborhood Start-Up Fund, Society of Spoken Art, and his cross-cultural content venture, Studio SV.

Especial presents a 2 EP live concept collaboration with Berlin's Giraffi Dog. With live tours cancelled due the on-going changing world, the idea of bringing their live set to vinyl - an opera for your innerspace, while constrained from outerspace - was born.

Setting up Doom Chakra Tapes with DJ Deflektorschild in 2016, Max Webber's project first released the L'Existence Du Reve cassette album as a blueprint for the Giraffi Dog sound, with some tracks appearing on the acclaimed vinyl debut for Aiwo Recs, before a split 7" for the WARNING label series followed.

Teaming up with friend Max Heesen (Dessous, Poker Flat) to take the project live, their backgrounds in punk and hip-hop shine in their take on breakbeat driven club culture.

Recording live in the studio, as a different state of meditation, MCPs trigger drum machines, the duality of live synth and vocoder, while tape machines, reverb and FX looped, twisted and filtered for an inter-mind festival

Cut as a continuous mix, tracks like Concorida, Jam X and Multiverse, are a manifestation of their sets dropped from small basements in Berlin to fields in the outskirts of Paris, this first EP acts as a hypothesis for the parallel, the other, the alternate, the infinite.

Enter The Decagon assembles friends of the label - near and far - for further excursions into the abyss of industrial, folk, jazz and ambient music.

From Copenhagen hails Kristi Brud (Bride of Christ) extending us with a shimmering violin contemplation initially made for the short art film piece "The Abduction of Europa", absorbing a modal ambiance of harmonics rooted in central European renaissance. Recorded in Svalöv in rural Skåne comes a hillbilly folk jazz piece constructed by Joel and Ivar on equal parts violin, flute, upright bass and percussion, recorded somewhere in the misty era of of 2012-2015. Then, an interlude follows, reconstructed from the very early live sets of the label's own Inre Kretsen Grupp, laden with tuned metallic percussions and synthesized bow sounds. Following up, the idiosyncratic local talent Fai Ling offers a piece of Basinski/Hassel-esque horn repetitions in full deterioration. Concluding the A-side of the compilation is the band that never was - the only released material of Prins Emanuel and Golden Ivy's Börringe Kloster project - encapsulating their minimal maximal approach of low quality sound samples turned in to a wall of sound of rhythm of sorts.

The B-side picks up on different musings in the form of ambient cadence and carefully sculpted soundscapes signed Phillipp Otterbach, who gives us an unraveling journey into kalimba-hampered harmonies carried through a bed of industrial, synthesized sounds. Moonilena follows up with an eerie yet beautiful minimal composition of radio disturbances and repetitive, ear catching melodies.
Breaking the barrier of stillness, local producer and Catholic chant music fiend Digge Shim performs a rhytmical, tongue-in-cheek number that pulls widely from both the hymnal traditions of medieval Europe as well as the zonked out ambient trance sounds you'd meet in a mid nineties Goa chill-out room.
Near the tip of the decagon, we find the Cypriot producer, singer and lyricist Spivak presenting us with a feeling of the-familiar-but-never-heard in the form of an ambient pop breakbeat number with carefully crafted choirs oscillating on top - hauntingly beautiful and equally danceable.
Ending in the best of styles, well-mannered umarel and purveyor of drum-smitten metallic sounds shows us what Moisture is really about - the mental image of finding your true self dancing in purgatory in a never-released Kenneth Anger film set, encumbered with red lights and occult paraphernalia.

Following his discharge from Army Service in 1960, Elvis Presley and his Manager Colonel Tom Parker had eschewed live performance and concentrated instead on Elvis's burgeoning film career. A steady stream of record releases kept Elvis's worldwide audience of fans happy, and June 1962 saw the release of this non-soundtrack LP. Pot Luck reached No.1 in the U.K and No. 4 in the U.S.A due to the compositions Kiss Me Quick, Suspicion (which went on to become one of his outstanding songs of the period), I'm Yours and That's
Someone You Never Forget (co-written by Elvis with Red West). By the end of 1962, Elvis was set to remain at the top of the tree. But this was the year which saw The Beatles and Bob Dylan make their recording debuts. The times were, indeed, a-changin'!

Few acts have better captured angst and the agony of young love other than The Everly Brothers. As well as those inimitable harmonies, fantastic songs and Chet Atkins' superb production, the Everlys' success owed much to the fact that Don and Phil were barely out of their teens, and so filled every song with real feeling. Their first recordings led to a series of hits that would come to define the harmonious Rock & Roll of the period; Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have To Do Is Dream, Claudette (penned by Roy Orbison), Bird Dog, Devoted To You, Let It Be Me, When Will I Be Loved, So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad), Walk Right Back, Ebony Eyes and Crying In The Rain. For their influence on The Beatles alone, the Everly Brothers are owed a huge debt of gratitude. The collection of songs found here span Country, Folk, Rock & Roll and Pop, and demonstrate just how influential Don and Phil were on popular music, beginning with those very first sessions in front of their parent's microphone.

2 LPs-set (3 sides)
Recorded in Paris, November 22 and December 17, 1958.
Original issues: LP Fontana 680.202 ML & EP Fontana 460.642 MR.


”I’ve never played for such an audience” declared Art Blakey in tears. lt was November 22nd, 1958, and he’d just come offstage after one of the “Jazz Wednesdays” concerts at the Paris Olympia. For a first appearance by the “Jazz Messengers”, they’d made quite an impression. Not content with pulling a huge crowd off the Boulevard des Capucines (the demand was so great that a second concert had to be staged on December 17th), they’d converted everybody to the “Hard Bop” religion in two sets where, united in a kind of exultant communion, jazzmen, jazzophiles and curious bystanders alike had been crushed together in high spirits, paying no attention to the presence of Brigitte Bardot escorted by Sacha Distel. That night Blues March had almost replaced the Marseillaise anthem (and Moanin’ the Oignons). Yet none of the Messengers had ever been to Paris. They’d get to that later, and then some, but for the moment they were perfect strangers. Not only strangers to the public, but unknown even to a sizeable group of jazz fans : the next issue of “Jazz Hot” magazine (most of it devoted to them) arrived like an invasion by the carabimeri… the blaze lit at the Olympia had gone out, of course, and Blakey had moved into the “Club St. Germain” to light others; there, each of his gigs could have been a remake of the famous cabin scene in the Marx Brothers’ “A Night At The Opera”…

Among the Messengers’ “greatest hits”, only Moanin’ came close to Blues March. Constructed in the manner of a gospel, with the piano in the role of the preacher, and the orchestra that of the congregation, punctuating the sermon with shouts of approval, the theme was by pianist Bobby Timmons, whose fiery spirit can be explained by his educayion: “… the fact I played rhythm ‘n’ blues had a great influence on my style, and for me, it’s the foundation of jazz.” Moanin’ had sent the Olympia fans Into transports of delight, and even excited the curiosity of Hugues Panassié, who chanced to be passing by (“Bop”, in any form, being hardly his cup of tea) : he was prompted to go backstage and ask what it was he’d heard… Decidedly, in 1958, the Jazz Messengers were miracle-workers!

The Zephyrs release their brand new album “For Sapphire Needle” on January 27th 2023 alongside Spanish comrades Acuarela, their first since 2010. With only 2018’s double A-side single “The Witches” and “The Crown Prince of Lies” in between, this represents their first collection of new songs in 13 years: from short and tightly constructed country-folk introspections to sprawling, spaced-out psychedelia, including a couple of extremely sharp pop glimmers and a killer Morricone-like instrumental. Originally conceived of as a series of 4 track EPs based on the seasons in which they were created, the recordings spanned into a patchwork of sessions with long-time collaborator and producer Michael Brennan at his Substation studio, neighboring a naval port in Rosyth. The ongoing recording sessions were made possible with the kind support of Robert Dillam, drummer for The Zephyrs and ex-guitarist for Creation band Adorable. With songs ranging from short and tightly constructed country-folk introspections to sprawling, spaced-out psychedelia, what resulted was an album near to double length. The collection presented as “For Sapphire Needle” is a cut-down selection of these songs. The record opens with “Leatherback”, a Crazy Horse inspired wall of distorted guitars drawing on lyrics from The Zephyr’s first album and pre-history, followed by the four songs earmarked for the first of the seasonal EPs – Winter – whose artwork was photographed in the alley behind Traceyann Campbell’s (Camera Obscura) house in Glasgow. Elsewhere on the album, “I tell you what” had much of its writing and recording initiated in a wooden shack near Aviemore and “Bolder” tells the story of overheard bar-side conversations and delayed flights in Denver airport, where lizard people live underground and some say the new world order lays dormant. The domestic depression of “How have you been today” precedes closing opus “Aliens”, inspired in equal measures by the maturation as social control science fiction of The Tripods and the schlock b-movie imagery of Rocky Erickson’s The Evil One. The album is the work of older and more consistent The Zephyrs. Stuart, David and Robert joined by collaborators: guitarist John Brennan and keyboardist Will Bates. The songs and sounds are sculpted out of slabs of time with friends at the Substation, a de facto weekly youth club for musicians who refuse to grow old. The triple bridges of Queensferry, the shipbuilding cranes of Rosyth docks and Babcock's shop - one of the few places in Scotland you can buy a real periscope over the counter - are just some of the backdrops as the Zephyrs rehearse for nobody but themselves. Yet, ever since Jean-Luc Picard himself told us that "this is not a holiday", it has become a unique and unbeatable way of peering up above the waterline, reinventing themselves and returning to the scene. Indeed with 10 songs in 46 minutes which wade across Gram Parsons and Big Star, Slowdive and spaghetti Western: folk, rock and shoegaze… as if they were trying to shorten the path to the California sky passing through Scotland and then Almería in Spain.

Limited Loser edition on dark green vinyl. There are times in our life when we feel magic in the air. When new love arrives, or we find ourselves lost in a moment of creation with others who share our vision. A sense that: this is who I want to be. This is what I want to share. It's a fleeting feeling and one that Kyle Thomas, the singer-songwriter who records and performs as King Tuff, found himself longing for in the spring of 2020. But knowing he couldn't simply recreate this time in his life at will, Thomas-who hails from Brattleboro, Vermont-set out to write a love letter to those cherished moments of inspiration and to the small town that formed him. The one where he first nurtured his songwriting impulses, bouncing ideas off other like-minded artists. The kind of place where the changing of the seasons always delivered a sense of perspective and fresh artistic inspiration. Where he felt a deeper connection with nature and sense of community that had once been so close at hand. And so, Thomas seized upon his memories, creating what he calls "an album about love and nature and youth." The result is Smalltown Stardust, a spiritual, tender and ultimately joyous record that might come as a shock to those with only a passing knowledge of the artist's back catalog. On Smalltown Stardust, Thomas takes us on his journey to a place where past and present collide, where he can be a dreamer in love with all that he sees. References to his Brattleboro upbringing abound, but at the core of Smalltown Stardust is Thomas's desire to commune with nature on a spiritual level. Images of the natural world, from blizzards to green mountains to cloudy days, fill the songs. "I consider nature to be my religion," he explains, and Smalltown Stardust is nothing if not a spiritual exploration. While so much of Smalltown Stardust invokes idealized traces and places of Thomas's past, the album's recording process made his communal vision a reality. Thomas's Los Angeles home in 2020 formed a micro-scene of sorts, with housemates Meg Duffy (Hand Habits) and Sasami Ashworth recording their own heralded albums (2021's Fun House and 2022's Squeeze, respectively) at the same time. A shared spirit dominated an era spent largely on the premises, with Thomas serving as engineer and contributor to both records, and Ashworth working as co-producer on Smalltown Stardust. Ashworth's contributions are vital to the album: she co-wrote a majority of the record and contributed vocals, arrangements, and instrumentation to each song. In the end, Smalltown Stardust is not merely a nostalgia trip. Thomas not only conjured a special time in his life, he found new inspiration, surrounded by collaborators and a sense of love and wonder for nature. If the first King Tuff record was content to merely state Thomas was no longer dead, Smalltown Stardust is a paean to what that life means. A statement of belief and a hymnal to the magic still to behold all around us.

There are times in our life when we feel magic in the air. When new love arrives, or we find ourselves lost in a moment of creation with others who share our vision. A sense that: this is who I want to be. This is what I want to share. It's a fleeting feeling and one that Kyle Thomas, the singer-songwriter who records and performs as King Tuff, found himself longing for in the spring of 2020. But knowing he couldn't simply recreate this time in his life at will, Thomas-who hails from Brattleboro, Vermont-set out to write a love letter to those cherished moments of inspiration and to the small town that formed him. The one where he first nurtured his songwriting impulses, bouncing ideas off other like-minded artists. The kind of place where the changing of the seasons always delivered a sense of perspective and fresh artistic inspiration. Where he felt a deeper connection with nature and sense of community that had once been so close at hand. And so, Thomas seized upon his memories, creating what he calls "an album about love and nature and youth." The result is Smalltown Stardust, a spiritual, tender and ultimately joyous record that might come as a shock to those with only a passing knowledge of the artist's back catalog. On Smalltown Stardust, Thomas takes us on his journey to a place where past and present collide, where he can be a dreamer in love with all that he sees. References to his Brattleboro upbringing abound, but at the core of Smalltown Stardust is Thomas's desire to commune with nature on a spiritual level. Images of the natural world, from blizzards to green mountains to cloudy days, fill the songs. "I consider nature to be my religion," he explains, and Smalltown Stardust is nothing if not a spiritual exploration. While so much of Smalltown Stardust invokes idealized traces and places of Thomas's past, the album's recording process made his communal vision a reality. Thomas's Los Angeles home in 2020 formed a micro-scene of sorts, with housemates Meg Duffy (Hand Habits) and Sasami Ashworth recording their own heralded albums (2021's Fun House and 2022's Squeeze, respectively) at the same time. A shared spirit dominated an era spent largely on the premises, with Thomas serving as engineer and contributor to both records, and Ashworth working as co-producer on Smalltown Stardust. Ashworth's contributions are vital to the album: she co-wrote a majority of the record and contributed vocals, arrangements, and instrumentation to each song. In the end, Smalltown Stardust is not merely a nostalgia trip. Thomas not only conjured a special time in his life, he found new inspiration, surrounded by collaborators and a sense of love and wonder for nature. If the first King Tuff record was content to merely state Thomas was no longer dead, Smalltown Stardust is a paean to what that life means. A statement of belief and a hymnal to the magic still to behold all around us.

Tape

There are times in our life when we feel magic in the air. When new love arrives, or we find ourselves lost in a moment of creation with others who share our vision. A sense that: this is who I want to be. This is what I want to share. It's a fleeting feeling and one that Kyle Thomas, the singer-songwriter who records and performs as King Tuff, found himself longing for in the spring of 2020. But knowing he couldn't simply recreate this time in his life at will, Thomas-who hails from Brattleboro, Vermont-set out to write a love letter to those cherished moments of inspiration and to the small town that formed him. The one where he first nurtured his songwriting impulses, bouncing ideas off other like-minded artists. The kind of place where the changing of the seasons always delivered a sense of perspective and fresh artistic inspiration. Where he felt a deeper connection with nature and sense of community that had once been so close at hand. And so, Thomas seized upon his memories, creating what he calls "an album about love and nature and youth." The result is Smalltown Stardust, a spiritual, tender and ultimately joyous record that might come as a shock to those with only a passing knowledge of the artist's back catalog. On Smalltown Stardust, Thomas takes us on his journey to a place where past and present collide, where he can be a dreamer in love with all that he sees. References to his Brattleboro upbringing abound, but at the core of Smalltown Stardust is Thomas's desire to commune with nature on a spiritual level. Images of the natural world, from blizzards to green mountains to cloudy days, fill the songs. "I consider nature to be my religion," he explains, and Smalltown Stardust is nothing if not a spiritual exploration. While so much of Smalltown Stardust invokes idealized traces and places of Thomas's past, the album's recording process made his communal vision a reality. Thomas's Los Angeles home in 2020 formed a micro-scene of sorts, with housemates Meg Duffy (Hand Habits) and Sasami Ashworth recording their own heralded albums (2021's Fun House and 2022's Squeeze, respectively) at the same time. A shared spirit dominated an era spent largely on the premises, with Thomas serving as engineer and contributor to both records, and Ashworth working as co-producer on Smalltown Stardust. Ashworth's contributions are vital to the album: she co-wrote a majority of the record and contributed vocals, arrangements, and instrumentation to each song. In the end, Smalltown Stardust is not merely a nostalgia trip. Thomas not only conjured a special time in his life, he found new inspiration, surrounded by collaborators and a sense of love and wonder for nature. If the first King Tuff record was content to merely state Thomas was no longer dead, Smalltown Stardust is a paean to what that life means. A statement of belief and a hymnal to the magic still to behold all around us.

Limited Cerulean Blue Vinyl LP. RIYL: Amen Dunes, Adrienne Lenker & North Americans. Numün, the NYC psychedelic instrumental trio Pitchfork dubbed as 'savvy navigators of paths less traveled', is releasing its second album Book of Beyond on the legendary Shimmy Disc label. With this record, the band, which includes Joel Mellin and Christopher Romero of Gamelan Dharma Swara and ambient country pioneer Bob Holmes of SUSS, continues to stretch their exploration of the inner and outer astral worlds of their first release Voyage au Soleil – voted one of the Best Ambient Releases of 2020. Dave Segal of Pitchfork called that album a "blending of the opiated psychedelia of the music territory staked Brightback Morning Light with a loose-limbed minimalism that privileges subtle effects and incremental chord changes" and Chris Ingalis from PopMatters called it "a trippy, ambient ride and ambitious debut that pulls off the neat trick of creating music that evokes space travel while also sounding refreshingly grounded to Earth's atmosphere." The new album, mastered by Kramer (Galaxie 500, Butthole Surfers, Bongwater, Low, Bill Frisell, etc.) features a unique mixture of Eastern and Western musical stylings and instrumentation including Balinese gamelan, gender wayang, and cumbuz (a 12-string fretless banjo) alongside the classic Americana instrumentation of slide guitar, baritone, mandolin and violin. The instrumental music charts new territories as it explores themes that are sometimes deeply personal, spiritual and otherworldly, including new fatherhood, sleep deprivation, loss and rebirth with titles that include Steps, Vespers, Eyes Open & Lullaby. Guests on the album include Trina Basu (Brooklyn Raga Massive), Tori Lo Mellin (Dharma Swara), and Willa Roberts (Black Sea Hotel). With their new album, Book of Beyond, Numün creates music that provides a star map to help us all navigate the inner constellations of our daily lives.

What humbly began as the amateur strums of a 10-year-old on the
ukulele, catapulted into an expansive 60-year long career that has taken Athens stalwart, Davis Causey, everywhere from playing with Marvin Gaye, Jerry Butler, and Jackie Wilson to Derek Trucks, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson, just to name a few
Next in the long line of his musical contributions is his second album on Strolling Bones Records: New Things From Old Strings, a perfect collection of songs that have followed him through time. This album is the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to loving and making music or, in Davis' words, a great way to almost make a living! The album features old friends Randall Bramblett and Chuck Leavell plus a special appearance from Duane Allman's 1961 Gibson Les Paul
(SG).)This started out as a form of musical therapy to get through the pandemic, but soon became something more. Most songs began with just a chord progression and grew from there with the help of the other musicians. Some songs came fully formed while others had to be coaxed into existence. These songs reflect my many influences. From Chet Atkins and Johnny Smith to Duane Allman and Mark Knopfler to Martin Taylor and many others. My mom was a
great believer in me and my music being herself a writer. Once heard it said that if you steal from one source it's called plagiarism, but if you steal from a lot of sources it's called research. Consider me a researcher

Though severely cut, Red Circle doesn't exactly sweep along. It has a deliberate pace as Kallabris sets up the score of thirteen chance acquaintances who plan and carry out the sacking of our acoustic consciousness... Understatement is the method of these compositions for a small modular synthesizer. If there ever was something like heist music, this here surely is. (Vincent Canby, with a few minor changes and adaptions).

Kallabris is a musical project that was begun in the mid 1980ies out of the scene around Coitra's Clan. Since ist inception Kallabris has persistently neglected any usage of advanced recording technology. Ever since not technical or compositonal innovation is at the core of the group’s work but, the active engagement with the limitations and the objects of every day life. This sound positivism can result in stylistically varied outputs ranging from chanson or country blues to musique concrète – while all musics live by their surfaces. Save the surface and you save all.

With 'Parallel Light', AndrewWasylyk offers an alternative mix album to 2020's spiritual-jazz and neo-classical masterclass in melody, 'Fugitive Light And Themes Of Consolation'. This new LP, his third with Athens Of North Records, is as much a different perspective as a companion piece.

The ten songs still circle landscapes for meaning, channelling half-heard melodies and misremembered memories; caught somewhere between settling down and setting out towards the shining levels of the estuary and beyond. Each magnifying the bold, expansive arrangements of FL&TOC with layers are lifted and peeled away.

The soft-focus glow of gently pressed piano keys, the well and wash of strings and brass remain, but the deduction of instrumentation serves to highlight the ornate and offers comfort with this new found space. In the warmth reshaped, a romanticism illuminated.

At the essence of these reframed compositions Wasylyk's blue and gold, mellifluous refrains prevail. It's a seamless, sublime flow from a restless artists and an album quietly reawakened.

Still Life, the new album from vocalist Sachal Vasandani and pianist Romain Collin, continues the sound trajectory of their deeply emotive and intimate 2021 acclaimed album 'Midnight Shelter', reworking classic and modern songs interspersed with spellbinding and memorable originals. 'Still Life' is an album of intimate delicacy and tender lyricism with a brutal honesty at the centre. It’s beautifully emotive and deeply compelling. Featuring up-close and personal re-workings of classics by outstanding songwriters Billie Eilish, Paul Simon, Sam Smith, Peter Gabriel and others, alongside unforgettable originals.

Liege Lord's fortunes took a turn for the better when California's rising Metal Blade Records signed on to release their sophomore album, Burn to My Touch, in 1987. Produced by Blue Öyster Cult bassist Joe Bouchard and with new guitarist Paul Nelson (a student of Steve Vai, no less), the album showed vast improvement over its predecessor, not only in terms of audio fidelity, but where the group's songwriting and performance chops were concerned. Liege Lord's music also appeared to be moving at an overall faster, speed metal clip.

Paxico Records is pleased to present Forgot About Her, the latest release by LA-based beat maker and producer Sleepyeyes.
“The record retains Sleepy’s trademark smoked out atmosphere but re-contextualizes it for the dance floor in a way that is wholly unique, but also brings to mind burgeoning lo-fi house contemporaries such as DJ Seinfeld, Ross From Friends, and Baltra.” –Earmilk
The results are something staunchly authentic. The recordings on Forgot About Her are honest and intimate as if sent from an old friend. Soft vignettes capture the emotional aftermath of separation. Eagerly alone, Sleepyeyes embraces his sound to hold the hazy memories one may feel from heartbreak’s closure. Its magnetic charm pulls us into a space where flaws become strengths and suffering becomes beauty. The site-specific titles and intimate home-recordings form its compelling and transformative qualities.
With Forgot About Her, Sleepyeyes shares the weight of letting go. It’s a slow-burning process pushed and pulled by tension and release, a movement for moving on.

When the 60’s turned into the 70’s there was a musical crossroads. The American blues had had it’s run with teens on both sides of the Atlantic long enough so that the blues-offspring named rock’n’roll had to expand or die. It did not die, it expanded in all kinds of directions! And right there in the crossroads between blues-based rock and all the world’s other sub-genres of rock, something happened to the blues. The format got experimented with, expanded and almost made unrecognizable. But at the same time the roots to the original ’real’ blues was never lost. Where Peter Green left Fleetwood Mac in 1970 with the track «Green Manalishi», where Johnny Winter stretched his musical legs, where ZZ Top bought Marshall full stacks and shot from the hip, and last but not least where the legend himself, Muddy Waters, stretched the limits of that was ’legal’ with the album «Electric Mud». And not to forget Jimi Hendrix, Free, Canned Heat and the rest of the gang from the Woodstock-era. The result was a highly electric musical revolution, where e.g. the newly born genre hard rock walked hand in hand with traditional delta blues. It is out from this musical mud The Devil and the Almighty Blues have found their inspiration. Formed in 2010, their music is slow, heavy, melodic and raw, all without losing the almighty blues out of sight. Filled with a profound love for the old heroes of the blues walking hand in hand with rock, metal, country and last but not least punk.

When the 60’s turned into the 70’s there was a musical crossroads. The American blues had had it’s run with teens on both sides of the Atlantic long enough so that the blues-offspring named rock’n’roll had to expand or die. It did not die, it expanded in all kinds of directions! And right there in the crossroads between blues-based rock and all the world’s other sub-genres of rock, something happened to the blues. The format got experimented with, expanded and almost made unrecognizable. But at the same time the roots to the original ’real’ blues was never lost. Where Peter Green left Fleetwood Mac in 1970 with the track «Green Manalishi», where Johnny Winter stretched his musical legs, where ZZ Top bought Marshall full stacks and shot from the hip, and last but not least where the legend himself, Muddy Waters, stretched the limits of that was ’legal’ with the album «Electric Mud». And not to forget Jimi Hendrix, Free, Canned Heat and the rest of the gang from the Woodstock-era. The result was a highly electric musical revolution, where e.g. the newly born genre hard rock walked hand in hand with traditional delta blues. It is out from this musical mud The Devil and the Almighty Blues have found their inspiration. Formed in 2010, their music is slow, heavy, melodic and raw, all without losing the almighty blues out of sight. Filled with a profound love for the old heroes of the blues walking hand in hand with rock, metal, country and last but not least punk.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Cloud Nothings' seminal album, Attack On Memory, the band has announced a very special limited edition vinyl pressing. 3000 copies worldwide.

It’s housed in a foil jacket with all new colorized artwork, is pressed on Sky Blue vinyl, and includes two bonus flexi 7"s with two never-before-released tracks, "You Will Turn" and "Jambalaya" from the original sessions at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio.

In 2009, Cleveland’s Dylan Baldi began writing and recording lo-fi power-pop songs in his parents’ basement, dubbing the project Cloud Nothings. His music quickly started making the Internet rounds, and fans and critics alike took note of his pithy songcraft, infectiously catchy melodies, and youthful enthusiasm. Baldi soon released a string of 7”s, a split cassette, and an EP before putting out Turning On—a compilation spanning about a year’s worth of work—on Carpark in 2010. January 2011 saw the release of Cloud Nothings’ self- titled debut LP, which, put next to Turning On, found Baldi cleaning up his lo-fi aesthetic, pairing his tales of affinitive confusion with a more pristine aural clarity. In the interval since the release of Cloud Nothings, Baldi has toured widely and put a great deal of focus on his live show, a detail that heavily shapes the music of his follow-up album, Attack on Memory.

After playing the same sets nightly for months on end, Baldi saw the rigidity of his early work, and he wanted to create arrangements that would allow for more improvisation and variability when played on the road. To accomplish this desired malleability, the entire band decamped to Chicago—where the album was recorded with Steve Albini—and all lent a hand in the songwriting process. The product of these sessions is a record boasting features that, even at a glance, mark a sea change in the band’s sound: higher fidelity, a track clocking in at almost nine minutes, an instrumental, and an overall more plaintive air. The songs move along fluidly, and Baldi sounds assured as he brings his vocals up in the mix, allowing himself to hold out long notes and put some grain into his voice. Minor key melodies abound, drums emphatically contribute much more than mere timekeeping, and the guitar work is much more adventurous than that of previous releases.

For all of early Cloud Nothings’ fun and fervor, Baldi admits that it never sounded like most of the music he listens to. With Attack on Memory, he wanted to remedy this anomaly, and in setting out to do so, Baldi and co. created an album that showed vast growth for a very young band.

Composed of rhyme-vets Pawz One and Evolve are Random Act Of Violence! The duo's self-titled release is chock-full of grimy bars over bangin' beats for the head-nodders.

Lead single "Sixteen Shots" is a boom-bap bar-brawl set to a crackin' instrumental (produced by EQ) with DJ Eyeball adds cuts to and featuring additional lyrical firepower from none other than Copywrite.

Another track from the project is "Vaultures". Speaking on that track Pawz revealed "the concept of that one was inspired by seeing a lot of these types in the game. The hook was inspired by Mobb Deep, these half-way-crooks bunched up to make each other feel tough and validate themselves."

Hailing from Los Angeles Pawz One has been repping the real and releasing music for the past decade. Most recently he teamed up with 90's West Coast vet Mykill Miers for the aptly named "Double Homicide" album and has also appeared on tracks with such notables as Ruste Juxx, Sadat X, Percee P, Shabaam Sahdeeq and DJ Rhettmatic.

Based out of Donna, Texas, Evolve has released over twenty albums through his Boom Bap Masterpiece Records label. He has collaborated on tracks with such notables as Chino XL, Fatlip (of the Pharcyde), Esoteric, Mickey Factz, Blueprint and many more. Touring the country over the past decade he has also shared stages with the likes of Raekwon, Murs, R.A. The Rugged Man, Masta Ace and Immortal Technique among others.

Ready for a bit of new rocking punk with just a touch of garage psych thrown in for good measure? Well, if you are, then The Mundaynes debut album 'Love It' should do the trick. Recorded during Summer 2021 on the front line of Bexhill-On-Sea, 'Love It' is stuffed to bursting with 15 great new songs. During lockdown, Bevis Frond frontman Nick Saloman, having little else to do, found himself writing loads of songs. Some were used on the Fronds’ ‘Little Eden’ album, many were discarded, and some were kept with a view of doing something with them in the future. Nick felt that a batch of these songs were pretty good, but not really suitable for The Bevis Frond, maybe being a bit too punky. However, wanting to record these songs, he called up his mate Tony Page, the former lead singer with vintage punk bands The Ploy and Apocalypse, to see if he fancied doing some vocals. Tony was only to pleased to take part. Then Nick asked bandmate Paul Simmons if he’d do all the guitar parts. Paul agreed and the three of them went into Bexhills’ Graffite Studios and laid down the tracks. The results were so good that the trio decided to put them out as an album. The impromptu band needed a name, so they became The Mundaynes, thought up by Tony because it was a Monday! Bearing in mind that all three guys played in punk bands, Tony as mentioned above, Nick with The Von Trap Family & Room 13, Paul with The Cravats and Jello Biafra, and, of course his own band The Alchemysts, the pedigree here is pretty solid. So what do we have here then? I guess it’s a loud, angry, melodic, wry punk rock album full of great tunes. Hope you ‘love it’, and if you don’t, well, that’s life.

Celebrating a momentous five decades in the industry, legendary
musician and songwriter Paul Carrack, who's 'Golden Voice' features on
numerous classic world wide hits such as 'How Long' (ACE') ,
'Tempted' (Squeeze), 'The Living Years', 'Over My Shoulder' ( Mike and the
Mechanics) teams up with the GRAMMY Award-winning SWR Big Band &
Strings on epic new album " Don't Wait Too Long"
The covers album celebrates the pioneering golden era in music from the 50s and
beyond spanning blues, gospel, country and jazz. The first single "Cryin' Won't
Help You" out in Jan 2023 is Paul's tribute to the legendary BB King.Paul has a
deep love of R&B songs from the fifties and beyond. For him, 50s music was filled
with intense emotion, it was wildly kinetic and had a profound impact on his
career. In Paul's mind, it's where all modern pop music began, the sounds were
spectacular and revolutionary. Days when the change from jazz to pop was
stretched via pioneers and great singers like Bobby Bland, Ray Charles, Aretha
Franklin, and Lloyd Price..These artists always resonated as fantastic performers
with stylistic records that had such joy and intensity.
The 50s were not only a time for musical revolution but a social and generational
upheaval of vast and unpredictable scope. The power of this music is as vital
today as it ever was with the power to change lives forever.
After working with the SWR band on a number of projects, Paul and his producers
had the idea to find and record a selection of these time-warped classics, some
well- known, others not so much, and the title track , a modern song that harks
back to those times called 'Don't Wait Too Long'. The result is an impassioned,
compelling album. Honest, epic, touching, the album showcases a great vocalist
who is at home with his art and talent.
NATIONAL TV & RADIO.BBC Breakfast - Will take first week Jan / BBC Radio 2 -
Cerys Matthews - First Week Jan / Talk Radio - 2nd week Jan / Sky News - Beth
Rigby Interview - Second Week Jan / Greatest Hits - First Week Jan / GB News -
Live Interview via Zoom First Week Jan / Talk TV - Live Interview via Zoom first
week Jan / Ch 5 News - TBC week 2 Jan / ITV News - 2nd week Jan

The American-based funk/disco band Heatwave formed in 1975 and its lineup originally consisted of Johnnie Wilder Jr., Rod Temperton, Roy Carter, Mario Mantese, Ernest (Bilbo) Berger and Eric Johns. Their most popular hits include “Boogie Nights” and “Always And Forever”, which both feature on the 1976 debut album Too Hot To Handle. “Boogie Nights” charted at #2 on both the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The track was covered many times, including by KC and the Sunshine Band, Will To Power, 911 and The Weather Girls. The album Too Hot To Handle is produced by Barry Blue, who also produced for Andrea Bocelli, Diana Ross, Celine Dion and The Wanted amongst others.

Too Hot To Handle is available on vinyl for the first time as a 2LP expanded edition, featuring 8 bonus tracks, including 2 alternative versions of their disco classic “Boogie Nights”. This 2LP-set is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on pink & purple marbled vinyl.

Double vinyl LP pressing. Wagram music present a release chock-filled with jazz tunes that have been appropriated and live on in the sample-heavy world of hip-hop! Includes tracks by Nina Simone, Bob James, Doris Day, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, and many others.

DMX Krew is back on Furthur Electronix! Here with a fine versatile EP, ranging in style from tripped out downbeat to Bleepy Sheffield style bass techno and acidic breakbeats. All in all another fine release from one of our greatest living underground legends.

Can you hear the hoofs? For their first Various Artist Compilation, Espace Noir is proud to bring to its stables some of the most daring riders in the scene. All the way from Canada come Unknown Mobile and Maara. They join Melbourne (Naarm) favourites Mabel and Reflex Blue. The result? Stomping 303 lines, spaced out vocals and punching breaks that might just knock you off your saddle. Giddy up cowboy, these equine beauties are gonna take you for a real gallop.



c B1 | Reflex Blue - Floating Down Stream Virtual Mix

One of These Nights occupies an important, unique place in the Eagles' discography given it represents the final album the group made before releasing the bajillion-selling Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) compilation. The timing is telling. A coming-out party for Glenn Frey and Don Henley's songwriting skills, the studio record – the band's fourth, and its first to hit #1 on the charts – signifies the group's ascent to superstar status. Home to three massive singles (the title track, "Lyin' Eyes," and "Take It to the Limit") and nominated for four Grammy Awards, the quadruple-platinum 1975 effort solidified the Eagles' Southern California-reared sound and made the band a household name.

Mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, and limited to 10,000 copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP vinyl box set takes One of These Nights to the limit. And then some. Playing with reference sonics and a practically indiscernible noise floor thanks to MoFi SuperVinyl's special formula, it provides a rich, dynamic, transparent, and three-dimensional view into a release that moved country-rock ahead by leaps and bounds – and paved the way for the Eagles' ascendancy to global superstardom. The opportunity to zero in on the particulars of the Eagles' golden harmonies, distinct vocal timbres, and cohesive interplay has never been better.

Visually, the premium packaging and presentation of the UD1S One of These Nights pressing befit its esteemed status. Housed in a deluxe box, it features beautiful foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendour of the recording. From every angle, this UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artefact meant to be preserved, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in the art – and everything involved with the album, from the renowned cover art to the meticulous finishes. As much as any Eagles LP, the connection between the imagery and the music and the band on One of These Nights runs deep. No wonder it led to a Grammy Nomination for Best Album Package.

Devised by West Texas artist Boyd Elder, the striking skull-and-feathers themed piece gracing the front of One of These Nights represents where the Eagles have been and where they were headed. Album art director Gary Burden explained: "The cow skull is pure cowboy, folk, the decorations are American Indian-inspired, and the future is represented by the more polished reflective glass beaded surfaces covering the skull." Moreover, Elder had met the group years earlier when Henley and company performed at one of his gallery openings in California. MoFi's UD1S box set allows Elder's vision (and Burden's debossed treatment of the image) to pop and appear as if it was a stand-alone object.

Of course, what's inside the sleeves, and in the grooves, proves equally compelling. Though One of These Nights marks the final appearance of band co-founder Bernie Leadon on an Eagles LP and contains three of his tunes, the record's tremendous success owes to Frey and Henley's timeless contributions. Taking the next step in their maturation and evolution, the pair crafted several songs while living together as roommates in a rented house in which they converted a music room into a recording studio.

The duo's bond and chemistry pulse throughout the record – particularly in the tight arrangements, tasteful instrumental flourishes, and seamless blending of the folk, country, and rock elements. The musical combinations and partnership not only produced the Eagles' first million-selling single (the slow-dancing "Take It to the Limit," co-written with bassist-vocalist Randy Meisner) and the Frey-led cheating classic "Lyin' Eyes," but the famed title track, which nods to the era's nascent disco scene as well as Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philly soul platters.

Frey named "One of These Nights" as his favorite Eagles composition of all-time; Meisner's high harmonies alone send the track into a galaxy of its own. Speaking of the latter, Leadon's instrumental "Journey of the Sorcerer" ventures into another universe and was soon used by Douglas Adams as the theme to his "The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" radio series. Inspiration and creative experimentation also dragged the Eagles into the blues. Another Frey-Henley gem, the self-probing "After the Thrill Is Gone" serves as a response song to B.B. King's signature track and more evidence the band was turning the lens inward for lyrical narratives. Like everything on One of These Nights, the song confirms the Eagles were breathing rare musical air.

More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Instead of utilizing the industry-standard three-step lacquer process, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's new UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) uses only one step, bypassing two processes of generational loss. While three-step processing is designed for optimum yield and efficiency, UD1S is created for the ultimate in sound quality. Just as Mobile Fidelity pioneered the UHQR (Ultra High-Quality Record) with JVC in the 1980s, UD1S again represents another state-of-the-art advance in the record-manufacturing process. MFSL engineers begin with the original master recordings, painstakingly transfer them to DSD 256, and meticulously cut a set of lacquers. These lacquers are used to create a very fragile, pristine UD1S stamper called a "convert." Delicate "converts" are then formed into the actual record stampers, producing a final product that literally and figuratively brings you closer to the music. By skipping the additional steps of pulling another positive and an additional negative, as done in the three-step process used in standard pressings, UD1S produces a final LP with the lowest noise floor possible today. The removal of the additional two steps of generational loss in the plating process reveals tremendous amounts of extra musical detail and dynamics, which are otherwise lost due to the standard copying process. Every conceivable aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the most perfect record album available today.

MoFi SuperVinyl

Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analogue lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.

The timeless music and expert arrangements are about the only things smoother than the powder-blue suits sported by the Spinners on the cover of their resplendent self-titled 1972 record. The band's first album for Atlantic after departing Motown, Spinners ranks as an all-time soul classic – a filler-free set boasting immaculate harmonies, sweet melodies, and impeccably matched vocals. Thom Bell's flawless production puts it all over the top. Yielding an ideal balance of lushness and grit, the collaboration between the Detroit-based group and studio veteran yielded a record that birthed the celebrated Philadelphia Sound. Now, you can finally experience it in audiophile-grade sonics.

While the career-defining performances within the grooves cannot be overlooked, Spinners remains equally notable for its historical importance. At the dawn of the 70s, Motown still held sway as the dominant soul style. Yet the Spinners' decision to move to Atlantic – prompted by a suggestion by Aretha Franklin – and refashion their approach with Bell signalled a sea change that ushered in a smoother, sweeter variety of R&B punctuated with sweeping strings, jazzy flourishes, brassy replies, and funk rhythms. Few, if any, vocal groups mesh these traits more convincingly, pleasingly, and naturally than the Spinners on this watershed effort.

Anchored by Top 5 smashes like "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love," Spinners signalled the beginning of a partnership with Bell that lasted seven years and elevated the band to stardom. Indeed, even in spite of the four hit singles, the record remains defined by an artistic consistency, watertight focus, and collective unity that make everything here deserving of close attention. Flush with catchy hooks and pop accents, each song is treated as a potential anthem. Laden with depth and richness, Bell's savvy, wide-open arrangements frame the Spinners' satiny singing with sensual class and refined delicacy.

Heaven-sent voices do the rest. Making his first appearance on record as a member, Philippe Wynne treats the carefully honed material as a breakout session for his dulcet tenor on tracks such as "One of a Kind (Love Affair)." Not to be outdone, the equally measured Bobbie Smith mesmerizes with his deft phrasing, reedy timbre, and sparkling clarity, never finer than on the million-selling "I'll Be Around." Solo or paired together, Wynne and Smith's glorious leads run the gamut from upbeat and optimistic to sad and forlorn, forming the backbone of a masterwork that addresses romance ("Just You and Me Baby"), regret ("How Could I Let You Get Away"), and social ills ("Ghetto Child") with consummate passion.