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Soul entwickelte sich gegen Ende der 1950er Jahre aus Rhythm"n"Blues, Gospel, Blues und Jazz. Im folgenden Jahrzehnt war Soul ein Synonym für schwarze Popmusik. Kennzeichnend dafür waren vor allem die Produktionen von Motown Records, zum Beispiel Diana Ross & The Supremes oder Sam Cooke. Seither sind herzergreifender Gesang und groovige Vibes die größten Stilmerkmale des Soul. Zu den weiteren Ikonen des Soul gehören Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Barry White, Sam Cooke, Al Green und viele mehr. Deren Erfolg ist eng mit dem Kampf der US-amerikanischen Bürgerrechtsbewegung gegen Rassentrennung und für Gleichberechtigung verbunden. 1969 benannte man die Rhythm"n"Blues- in Soul-Charts um. Der Soul-Orkan, der während der Sechziger in den Charts tobte, ebbte jedoch wieder ab, kam aber runderneuert in den 70ern als Phillysound wieder zu erneuten Hitparadenehren. 1982 änderte man die Chart-Bezeichnung von Soul in Black Music. Die vorliegende Kompilation vereint die legendären Stimmen des Soul mit ihren unvergesslichen Hits.

Proudly presenting a new series of Mr Bongo reissues exploring the incredible back catalogue of Sonny Lester’s iconic Groove Merchant record label. First up, the spellbinding funk-fuelled, soul jazz album ‘Simba’, by guitar maestro O'Donel Levy.

Baltimore-born, Levy was already well regarded as one of the best up-and-coming jazz guitarists at the time of Simba’s release. Having toured with George Benson and Jimmy McGriff, as well as featuring on McGriff’s Black Pearl album on Blue Note, he went on to sign with Sonny Lester’s Groove Merchant. Produced by Lester himself and recorded over two back-to-back days of sessions in 1973, Simba features a who's who of ‘70s session players. The album features the legendary studio drummer Steve Gadd, Cecil Bridgewater on Flugelhorn, bass by Tony Levin and arrangements by Manny Albam.

A masterclass in tight yet effortlessly funk-driven rhythms, the tracks showcase these musicians at their zenith. Album opener 'Bad, Bad, Simba' wouldn’t have been out of place on a Lalo Schifrin ‘70s car chase soundtrack. Levy's playing is brilliant, bright and slick, with an infectiously exuberant energy that is complimented perfectly by Gadd's supreme drumming. ‘Playhouse' serves up another vibrant offering, Wah Wah guitars, horns and flutes duelling it out in a fast-paced fashion.

The cinematic thread continues throughout, yet with the tempo taken down a notch. 'Sierra Lonely' and ‘Sad, Sad, Simba’ head into lush ballad territory, with superb arrangements by Albam and beautiful playing by Collins and Bridgewater on Flugelhorn. Here Levy shines without taking any limelight, as the players synergize to a relaxed perfection. ‘Nigerian Knights’ closes the album flawlessly, showcasing once more Levy’s understated yet magnetic flow on the guitar.

Every track on ‘Simba’ is a winner. As with CTI Recordings of the same era, the feel and textures of Sonny Lester's productions have that pre-emptive, hip-hop aesthetic, which later producers would rework and reimagine. This album is expertly balanced, deftly arranged and magically executed, ebbing and flowing with a cool buoyancy that just grooves and grooves.

Revision of new beats on the horizon
Every 20 years or so, certain musical movements come full circle. Young musicians are inspired by genres dating back two decades, channelling them through their modern sensibility. The legendary J Dilla’s Donuts album was released in 2006 and instantly marked a starting point for the work of musicians worldwide, laying the foundations especially for the beat scene in Los Angeles. A whole young generation of musicians brought up on the new, instrumental and abstract hip-hop has carried jazz into a new era. The four London-based musicians who make up Uniri have gone one step further by abandoning the idea of a jazz band and "bedroom production" in favour of collective composing, creating a new look at the new-beat aesthetics, framing it as a road novel set in an unspecified time and space.

Uniri translates as ‘one unified dream’ and is the key driving motto of the project conceived by Chiminyo (Cykada, Maisha), the band's founder and head honcho. The project materialised in his private studio, where he invited fellow jazz musicians Amane Tsuganami (Jorja Smith, Maisha), Al Macsween (Nubya Garcia, Gary Bartz, Kefaya) and Luke Wynter (Nubyan Twist, Golden Mean) to spontaneously compose together. Hence, despite this being the band's first album, it wouldn't be right to call them rookies. The result of Uniri's collaborative work is the psychedelic, rhythmic album Infinite Reflections, packed with cosmic and warm synths, which neatly balances hip-hop beat and jazz composition. It's safe to say this music is even more appealing when played live, although it's equally suited to the club dancefloor.

UK Jazz has become a permanent fixture in the London landscape, but also across Europe and the US. Today, the musicians who shape the new wave of jazz are drawing on more and more genres, reducing solo improvisation for the benefit of composition and increasingly drawing on influences from the beat scene. Among such formations are the British NOK Cultural Ensemble, the Polish Błoto, the Belgian ECHT!, and the Dutch Comité Hypnotisé. Uniri is part of this emerging yet already international trend, creating an entirely fresh aesthetic that echoes artists such as Flying Lotus, Samiyam, Dorian Concept, Ras G and Nosaj Things oriented around the Californian 'new beats generation' scene.

The title Infinite Reflections alludes to a phenomenon observable on the open sea or during intercontinental flights. Gazing at the horizon blurs the boundary between the ocean and the sky, forming an infinite palette of blue shades. This inspiration sparked an elusive musical narrative, navigating between a sea voyage and an astral journey, destination unknown.

Locked Down And Stripped Back Volume Two features home recordings of Wedding Present classics along with a previously unreleased song: 'That Would Only Happen In A Movie'. The first volume in the series came about when David Gedge's annual festival At The Edge Of The Sea went 'virtual' in 2020 and the band recorded semi-acoustic versions of songs to be streamed. An album of the tracks was compiled and released due to popular demand. The same thing happened the following year and so Volume Two features tracks initially recorded for 2021's online festival. There's a bevy of guest stars on this second album! Jon Stewart of Platinum-album-selling Sleeper fame reprises his new role as Wedding Present guitarist but is joined here by some Wedding Present members of old. Peter Solowka, from the band's first line-up appears on 'Nobody's Twisting Your Arm' playing his second instrument, the accordion, while Hit Parade guitarist Paul Dorrington contributes to a re-working of the Top 30 single 'Blue Eyes'. Long-time Wedding Present bass player Terry de Castro returns to infuse the album with her own unique style, while current Wedding Present bass player Melanie Howard takes over the lead vocal duties on a beautiful version of 1986's 'At The Edge Of The Sea'. Last, but certainly not least, Amelia Fletcher - backing vocalist on George Best and Bizarro - also returns to the party! As on the first volume, each musician recorded and filmed their parts at home and, as before, it is fascinating to see how stripped-back arrangements bring out different aspects of these brilliant songs.

The fourth leg on the early emo table of Rites of Spring, Moss Icon, and Cap'n Jazz, Indian Summer's Giving Birth To Thunder compiles their complete discography. Emo's second wave crashed into the Bay Area in the summer of 1994 in a rage-filled capsule of quiet and loud, octave chords, angry sons, Spock haircuts, and screaming. At the eye of this pissed-for-the-hell-of-it storm were Indian Summer. In the quartet's 12-month existence they wrote ten songs, appeared on a dozen singles and comps, and played over 100 gigs across the U.S. and Canada before burning out, passing out, and moving out of their Blue House in Oakland. Their hand-screened aesthetic is replicated in alarming detail in the accompanying by 24- page book with detailed liner notes, flyers, and miscellaneous propaganda.

Second Compilation Of New Music By Ex-Sarah Records Bands! Under The Bridge 2 is the sequel to the celebrated 2022 compilation album that reunited groups and songwriters who had once recorded for cult label Sarah Records. The new album showcases the continuing creativity of a special group of musicians who have never rested on their laurels. Bigger and more expansive than the first album, Under the Bridge 2 is a double LP, containing twenty brand new tracks. There is a huge range of material here, from intense, dark chamber pop to dense shoegaze to out-and-out indiepop. Exciting new groups are unveiled: The Gentle Spring (a new project by Michael Hiscock of The Field Mice); Vetchinsky Settings (a collaboration between Mark Tranmer and James Hackett of The Orchids); and Mystic Village (which features new songs by Robert Cooksey of The Sea Urchins). You will also see familiar starry names like Even As We Speak, The Orchids and Secret Shine - bands whose line-ups have remained mostly unchanged since the 1990s. And there are established bands who didn't appear on the first album but are now represented - bands like Action Painting! and The Hit Parade. Most of the tracks are exclusive and unreleased: there's the first new song from The Catenary Wires since 2021, a brand new fizzbomb from Jetstream Pony, a haunting instrumental from GNAC. The emphasis of Under The Bridge is on the new. The bands' shared history means they have a shared aesthetic, even a shared ethos - they all believe that the future is more important than the past. They are as independent and as uncompromising as ever, but they are still uncynical - and still excited about what Pop Music can be. Under The Bridge 2 is available as ltd vinyl double LP, CD and digital download. It will not be on streaming sites. CDs and LPs include a 12 respectively 24-page illustrated colour booklet.

11 Years Voodoo Down Records celebrates a decade-plus milestone of music from the titular label, which was launched by three friends in Brooklyn in late 2012 and later split across both sides of the Atlantic.
Their 17th vinyl release is their first double 12”, compiling tracks from a selection of the artists that helped them hone their sound: STL, who featured on the first release on the label; October, a recurring favorite who came out of a techno hiatus to cut demos for this release; Tobias., who first appeared on the label in 2015; JXTPS, the recent roster addition from Melbourne; MadderModes, the Manchester duo who debuted on the Empirical Evidence EP; and as always, the label founders themselves: L’estasi Dell’oro, 12 x 12, and N’conduit.
These tracks run the gamut of sounds that have been a staple of the label over the years: upbeat drone techno from L’estasi Dell’oro leading off the release with “Get GOO ing”, dusty dub techno courtesy of STL on “Dungeon CeLL”, head-trip hypnotic techno from Tobias. on “Public Eye”, downtempo melodic from 12 x 12, punchy peak-time techno from JXTPS and N’conduit, and a raw acid techno groover from October.

This release celebrates a decade plus of music on the label. It also marks the return of STL, Tobias., and October to the label with all original material. October coming off a long hiatus, and will follow up with a mini-album later on the label.
The first 2x12” compilation released on the label, and along with the release we will be adding the label’s back catalog on major digital streaming platforms.
Touring by 12 x 12 and L’estasi Dell’oro planned in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia during the last weeks of 2024, and in LA, NYC, Denver following later in the year.

An accomplished songwriter, Kimbrell's sound has been described as "cosmic American music," that ranges from the swinging front-porch blues to the spaced out Americana/alt-country, painting a diverse and deep musical landscape.

"Easy Truths" by Kyle Kimbrell includes the following tracks: "Holy Bombs", "Poor Donny", "In The Shit (Phil's Song)", "Singin' A Tune" and more.

Wolfe, die von Guitar World als "Königin der Gothic-Industrial-Gitarre" bezeichnet wurde, hat sich nie gescheut, Genres zu überschreiten oder ihre eigenen Mischformen zu erfinden. Sie schrieb und bearbeitete She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She mit ihren langjährigen Mitstreitern, dem Multiinstrumentalisten Ben Chisholm, dem Schlagzeuger Jess Gowrie und dem Gitarristen Bryan Tulao, bevor sie sie Anfang 2022 zu dem Produzenten Dave Andrew Sitek brachte. Die Stücke fanden ihren endgültigen Fokus bei Shawn Everett (The War On Drugs, SZA, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), der das Album abmischte, die feinen Details aus den Vocals extrahierte und sie in die üppige Klangwelt der Produktion einfügte, in der sich schwere Gitarren in Trip-Hop-Breaks auflösen und gedämpfte Vocals aufsteigen, bevor sie von der renommierten Ingenieurin Heba Kadry gemastert wurden.

Wolfe, die von Guitar World als "Königin der Gothic-Industrial-Gitarre" bezeichnet wurde, hat sich nie gescheut, Genres zu überschreiten oder ihre eigenen Mischformen zu erfinden. Sie schrieb und bearbeitete She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She mit ihren langjährigen Mitstreitern, dem Multiinstrumentalisten Ben Chisholm, dem Schlagzeuger Jess Gowrie und dem Gitarristen Bryan Tulao, bevor sie sie Anfang 2022 zu dem Produzenten Dave Andrew Sitek brachte. Die Stücke fanden ihren endgültigen Fokus bei Shawn Everett (The War On Drugs, SZA, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), der das Album abmischte, die feinen Details aus den Vocals extrahierte und sie in die üppige Klangwelt der Produktion einfügte, in der sich schwere Gitarren in Trip-Hop-Breaks auflösen und gedämpfte Vocals aufsteigen, bevor sie von der renommierten Ingenieurin Heba Kadry gemastert wurden.

Escape Music are pleased to announce the release date for long awaited Turkish Delight studio album titled “Volume 1" with 500 limited edition double Vinyl “Side A+B Snowy White colour and side C+D Skull Gold colour” all will be numbered 1-500! ‘Turkish Delights Volume One’ celebrates the absolute joy that Escape Music co-owner Khalil Turk has for the kind of music he loves so much and has spent the last thirty and then some years championing. Indeed, his enthusiasm for a new band or a new song today is no different from when I first met him in the mid ‘80’s. I lost count of the number of phone calls he made to me when I was working for ‘Kerrang!’ magazine, where he would excitedly tell me ‘Dave, you just have to listen to this! It’s brilliant! You’ll love it!’ before playing me something over the phone – new and often obscure - he had picked up on his international record buying trips. Nine and a half times out of ten he’d be right!! Khalil’s quality control has been such that the record label he co-founded with fellow melodic rock enthusiast Barrie Kirtley in 1995 remains reliably and solidly in place all these years later. Escape continues to deliver monthly doses of quality hard rock, melodic rock and AOR to a very devoted following. Khalil had first entered the music business in the early ‘90’s, effectively as a talent scout for the German owned Long Island label. However, after the company folded, Turk felt that, rather than look at opportunities with other labels, he had the enthusiasm and now had rather more knowledge of the inner workings of the music business to put something together himself alongside the equally enthusiastic and astute Kirtley. We’ve seen hundreds of solid album releases from a huge variety of acts (including AXE, Steve Walsh (Kansas), John Elefante (Kansas), Lonerider, Shadowman, Alliance, Pinnacle Point, Mass, Heartland, Grand Illusion, Overland, Last Autumn’s Dream, Punky Meadows, ColdSpell, Chris Ousey, Ozone and Touch, to name just a few) as well as reissues (from Aviator, Sugarcreek, Jon Butcher Axis, Franke And The Knockouts, FM, Tantrum and Surrender, Zon, Hanover Fist etc) ever since. So here we are, over twenty-five years since that first Escape Music album appeared hot off the presses (Heartland’s ‘III’ album in November 1995, if you’re asking) and this collection of songs, personally chosen by Khalil, reiterates that pure joy he still possesses for the music he is utterly immersed by. With material from the pens of Steve Overland (FM), Chris Ousey (Heartland), Steve Morris (Export/Ian Gillan/Heartland), Mick Devine (Seven), Steve Newman (Newman/Compass) and Tommy Denander (Radioactive) there’s also a list of musicians culled from Khalil’s contact book that, quite frankly, is VERY impressive. Just a few names appearing on ‘Turkish Delights’ to throw at you include Ronnie Platt (Kansas), Billy Greer (Streets/Kansas), Billy Sheehan (Talas/David Lee Roth/Mr Big), Gary Pihl (Sammy Hagar/Boston/Alliance), Gene Black (Device), Jeff Pilson (Dokken), Jeff Scott Soto, Chris Childs (Thunder), Mike Slamer (City Boy/ Streets/Seventh Keys/ Steelhouse Lane) Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake/Joel Hoekstra’s 13), Mark Mangold (American Tears/Touch/ Drive, She Said), Mark Stanway (Magnum), Mat Sinner (Sinner), Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy/Whitesnake/Journey), Ricky Phillips (The Babys/Bad English/Styx), Robin Beck, Robin Mc Auley (Grand Prix/MSG), James Christian (House Of Lords) Steve Overland (FM), Jerome Mazza (Pinnacle Point/solo), Terry Brock (Strangeways) and Vince DiCola (‘Transformers’/Thread/Storming Heaven). This is a cast of thousands. Well, it at least appears that way! It’s a very interesting package and, as Khalil would surely say, you’ll love it! - Dave Reynolds / August 2022. Produced by Khalil Turk for Turkish Delight Productions / Mixed and Mastered by Stephen DeAcutis at Sound Spa Studio, New Jersey, USA / *Mixed by Andy Zukerman / *Mastered by Fredrik Folkare / **Mixed and Mastered by Brian J Anthony (Vinyl Only) - Artwork Design by Hugh Syme (Rush/Bad English/Elton John) - Turkish Delights: The Musicians are: Ronnie Platt: Lead vocals (Kansas) / Billy Greer: Lead vocals (Kansas/Seventh Keys/Streets) / Jeff Scott Soto: Lead and backing vocals (Talisman/Yngwie Malmsteen/Trans-Siberian Orchestra) / Robin McAuley: Lead and backing vocals (Michael Schenker Group/Grand Prix/solo artist) / Chris Ousey: Lead vocals and Backing vocals (Heartland/Ousey-Mann/Virginia Wolf/Ozone)/ Jerome Mazza: vocals (Pinnacle Point/Steve Walsh) / James Christian: Lead and backing vocals (House Of Lords)Terry Brock: Lead vocals (Strangeways/Kansas) / Lee Small: Lead and backing vocals (Phenomena/Lionheart/Shy) / Mick Devine: Lead and Backing vocals (Devine Intervention/7/solo artist) / Ronnie Romero: Lead and backing vocals (Rainbow/Michael Schenker Group) / Tony Harnell: Lead vocals and backing vocals (TNT/Westworld/Starbreaker/Morning Wood) / Steve Overland: Lead and backing vocals (Lonerider/FM/Shadowman/solo artist) / Robin Beck: Backing vocals (solo artist) / Matt Sinner: Bass (Primal Fear/Sinner) / Joel Hoekstra: Guitars (Whitesnake/Trans-Siberian Orchestra/13) / Mike Slamer: Guitars (City Boy/Streets/Seventh Key/Steelhouse Lane) / Jeff Pilson: Bass (Foreigner/Dokken) / Gary Pihl: Guitars (Sammy Hagar/Boston) / Steve Morris: Guitars and Keyboards (Heartland/Lonerider/Ian Gillan Band/Shadowman) / Gene Black: Lead Guitars (Tina Turner/Rod Stewart/Device) / Billy Sheehan: Bass (Mr Big/The Flood/Talas) / Tracy Ferrie: Bass (Stryper/Boston) / Ricky Phillips: Bass (Baby’s/Styx/Bad English) / Rocky Newton: Bass (Michael Schenker Group/Lionheart) / Josh Devine: Drums (One Direction/Levara/Devine Intervention) / Takeaki Itoh: Bass (Pinnacle Point) / Jim Kirkpatrick: Slide guitar (FM/The Flood/Bernie Marsden Band) / Chris Childs: Bass (Thunder/Lonerider) / Steve Mann: Keyboards (Michael Schenker Group/Lionheart/Ousey/Mann) / Vince DiCola: Keyboards (Rocky4/Staying Alive/Transformers/Storming Heaven/Thread) / Mark Mangold: Keyboards (Touch/American Tears/Drive She Said) / Alessandro Del Vecchio: Keyboards (Revolution Saints/Edge Of Forever/Hardline) / Stevie D: Lead guitar / Marco Mendoza: Bass (Whitesnake/Thin Lizzy/Journey) / Jimmy Nicholas: B3 (Faith Hill/Kenny Loggins/Van Zant/Jim Peterik/Juice Newton) / Tommy Denander: Guitars and keyboards (Radioactive/Steve Walsh/Robert Hart)) / Brain J Anthony: Bass (Steve Walsh/Lonerider/Robert Heart/Robbie LeBlanc) / Brian Tichy: Drums (Whitesnake/Dead Daisies/ Foreigner) / Mark Stanway: Keyboards (Magnum/Grand Slam) / Robin Beck: Backing vocals (solo artist) / Nikolo Kotzev: Lead guitars (Brazen Abbot/Robin Gibb) / Fredrik Folkare: Guitars (Unleashed/Heartwind) / Mikael Rosengren: Keyboards (Heartwind) / Steve Newman: Guitars/keys/backing vocals (Newman/Compass) / Eric Ragno: Keyboards (Baby’s/Joe LynnTurner) / Fredrik Bergh: Keyboards (Talk Of Town/BloodBound) - CD Track listing: Intro; Live Again; Crazy Days; Bad Enough; Never Will Forget; Harder They Fall; Get Out Of Here; Believe; Hangman Blues; State Of Mind; Belly Of The Beast*; Holy Water; Sweet Serenity; Take It Away; Bad To Good. Vinyl Track listing: Intro; Live Again; Crazy Days; Bad Enough; Never Will Forget; Harder They Fall; Get Out Of Here; Believe; Hangman Blues; State Of Mind; Belly Of The Beast*; Holy Water; Sweet Serenity; Take It Away; Bad To Good; The Year 2000; Frozen Rose

King Of Blue by Yes Indeed sees Laurie Tompkins and Otto Wilberg take their eclectic stance on cosmic jazz and electronics to further uncharted and dreamlike territory, encompassing a unique logic of what is harmoniously absurdist.

King of Blue by Yes Indeed sees members Laurie Tompkins and Otto Willberg further dive into their melismatic take on cosmic jazz and new electronics, by way of their highly eclectic and at times nonsensically sensical modus operandi. Their work is defined by an eloquent flurry of ideas, spheres, and signifiers, creating a musical universe of surprising longevity and depth. Treating musical convention with gentle disdain, Yes Indeed take on a variety of genres and moods and switch them around into a beautifully melismatic and dreamlike state of being. King Of Blue is a mini- album of fragmented beauty and warmth. It puts the illogical center stage and gives space to abruptly miniaturist musical ideas, allowing them to take on a meaning bigger than one would expect. It is cosmic music for modern times. A brazen descent into the execution of a fundamentally diversified musical stance.

'Yes Indeed' are Laurie Tompkins & Otto Willberg. Live, they play keys, bouncy bass and sing over tactile, emotive samples. Their music is epic and also somehow wrong, with space for delicacy, straight-up joy and soaring licks. Since 2022’s ‘Rotten Luck’ - their first proper album, on Bison - YI have played across the UK and Europe. Solo, Laurie co-ran the Slip label and has put out CDs on Entr’acte, 33-33 and Hyperdelia. Otto is a roaming bassist in groups like Historically Fucked and Abstract Concrete and his LP of “wildly singular, wickedly trippy and sensual set of fusion jams” (Boomkat) was recently out on Black Truffle.

Janis Joplin wouldn't be denied on Pearl. The powerhouse vocalist had kicked her addictions, teamed with a stupendous band, and partnered with a producer that knew how to best showcase her voice on record. She came to the sessions with an armload of astonishing songs, and a burst of creative energy that mirrored her rejuvenated emotional state and undeniable spirit. You can hear it on every note of the 1971 record. Ranked #135 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, Pearl sold more than four million copies and stands as the first female rock superstar's definitive studio work.

Mastered from the original master tapes, cut at 45RPM, and pressed on dead-quiet vinyl at RTI, the iconic audiophile label's reissue takes Joplin and Co.'s stupendous performances to newly transcendent levels. Boasting a fidelity that further magnifies the singer's passion and producer Paul A. Rothchild's clear production, this pressing benefits from increased spaciousness, dynamics, and openness afforded by the wider grooves. Joplin's husky, strong, and penetrating singing has never sounded so vibrant or made deeper connections. Warm, organic, and free of any artificial ceilings, this version lets you step into Sunset Sound Recorders with the performers, such is the degree of realism and authenticity. Indeed, few, if any words, describe Joplin better than "authentic," and her spirit comes to life on this 2LP set in positively transcendent fashion. Like its headliner, this pressing leaves it all on the floor.

While Joplin's electrifying vocal prowess is universally lauded – she's recognized as the greatest white female blues singer the world has ever seen – her mix of compassion, confidence, and charm play as large a role in attracting listeners and keeping them ensnared more than four decades after her tragic death. And on Pearl, she burrows into deeper stylistic veins, teasing out sides of her persona and craft she'd never previously displayed. Her signature desperation, sadness, and vulnerability remain – the harrowing, lonely wail that begins her soul-ravishing take on Jerry Ragovoy's "Cry Baby," underlined with a Wall of Sound-like piano accompaniment, could only come from a person severely scarred by loss and disappointment – yet Joplin also reveals a sense of humour and beatnik innocence that helped propel the album to the top of the charts for nine straight weeks.

Playfully introduced as "a song of great social and political import," the acapella "Mercedes Benz" reflects Joplin's throaty timbre as well as her enhanced, sunnier mood. Similarly, her definitive read of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" signals a laidback demeanour and a move into country strains, with the delivery as natural, carefree, and loving as any in the rock canon. As she does throughout the record, Joplin invests her all in the narrative so that there's no line between the performer and the song. She makes everything on Pearl feel autobiographical, and by extension, gut-wrenchingly honest, and devastatingly intimate. Joplin achieved these feats often during her brief career, yet there are differences on Pearl, chiefly among them her balance of impeccable timing and raw emotion. Heart-aching anthems such as "A Woman Left Lonely" offer both grit and control, subtlety and attack, resulting in cathartic releases distinguished with originality, personality, and instinctual passion.

Pearl remains Joplin's finest hour, with credit also owed to the Full Tilt Boogie Band – the only group she ever considered to be her own – as well as the Doors alum that sat behind the boards. Joplin and Rothchild both admitted to sharing a common bond and understanding, with the latter inheriting the role of teacher and Joplin, a willing student ready to discover how she could use her voice in new, more expressive ways. The fruits of the pair's labours fill Pearl, be it the guardedly optimistic "Get It While You Can" or assertive, fleet-footed "Move Over."

Experienced in the new light brought to fore by this definitive Mobile Fidelity edition, Joplin's swan song is no longer about a masterpiece that its creator never lived to see finished. Rather, it's about a once-in-a-lifetime vocalist realizing mammoth potential and wringing passion out of every note. It's not a tragedy, but a triumph. Get it while you can.

Wiederveröffentlichte 2024er Pressung dieses unglaublichen Garagenrockwerkes! "The Ultimate Gospel Blues Trash experience recorded in 2001 London on the EMI Redd 17 desk (Abbey Road Studios) by Liam Watson this is pure Dirty ,your parents would not like it' Primitive Rock'n'Roll swearing and blood spiting preaching Raw Garage punk mixed up LO-FI Trash out of control Blues Trash at its best" - RBM, VVR Nach der Trennung vom Wrestling Rock'n'Roll Project Lightning Beat-Man musste der Beat-Man ins Krankenhaus und sah mit eigenen Augen den Tod. Jetzt, Jahre später, ist er zurück mit neuen Kumpels und einer neuen Mission: der Gospel Blues & Trash Mission. 1983 begann er als Ein-Mann-Band, für dieses Album heuerte er die Un-Believers an (Gery Mohr und Robert Butler von den Miracle Workers, Janosh von den Monsters und Gringo Starr, der auch bei den Never Heard Of'Ems, Lightning Beat-Mans Backing Band, spielte) und ging zusammen mit Liam Watson (Bristols, Masonics, Headoats_) in Londons berühmtes Toe Rag Studio, um diesen speziellen Swamp-Blues-Sound auf die Platte zu bekommen. Predigtlieder, Lieder über das Töten von Nachbarn, Predigten über das Abschneiden von Fingern, Lieder über den Gang ins Gefängnis, den Gang aus dem Gefängnis und sogar über das Verlieben und den Gang in die Hölle. Mach dich bereit für eine Menge Slide-Gitarren-Action und Mundharmonikagedröhne, Blues im Stil von Howling Wolf und Gun Club-ähnlichen Trash-Rock'n'Roll. Schwarze LP, Insert, Download Code

‘’Music is a gift and a burden I’ve had since I can remember who I was. I was born into music. The decision was how to make the best use of it.’’
Recorded during a tumultuous period in the 1960s, “Rebellious” is a compilation album that captures Nina Simone at the height of her artistic prowess. Soul, with its roots in gospel and R&B, is an integral part of Nina Simone's musical identity. The album serves as a powerful soundtrack to the civil rights movement, capturing the zeitgeist of the era and inspiring generations to come.

Svart Records release NYC crust punk band Nausea’s two legendary EP’s on one remastered 12” in March 2024! Crust punk originates from the misty moors and factory cities of the UK. Since the '80s, countless bands have been established to play their dirty apocalyptic ruckus in the vein of Amebix, Antisect, and Axegrinder. At the same time, across the ocean, in the squats of New York’s Lower East Side, bassist John John Jesse founded Nausea. Svart Records is releasing Nausea’s two legendary EPs in 12” format for the first time ever, including the Cybergod 7” from 1991 - with a bonus track, "Here Today," from the same recording sessions - and the Lie Cycle 7” from 1992. All tracks are remastered from the original, untouched studio tapes by Jack Control (Darkthrone, Kohti Tuhoa, Fear). Tribal and rocking apocalyptic crust for apocalyptic times. The Cybergod lineup might be the most legendary era of Nausea, where the tracks reach almost epic proportions. The EP is pretty much the blueprint of crust, where Vic Venom’s hypnotic and rocking guitar riffs meet the tribal drumming of Roy Mayorga. Al Hoon’s and Amy Miret’s dueling vocals spit out timeless issues dealing with consumerism and the hypocrisies of organized religions. Musically, the Lie Cycle EP rocks out more in the faster and straightforward style, where Discharge meets Motörhead, and lyrics reflect the times when war and nuclear destruction are still the plague of mankind. Nausea’s timeline lasted only seven years, but they managed to create a cult following with their true dedication to the punk scene and played shows in the squats of Europe and the eastern part of Europe. Their music is timeless, unpleasant music for unpleasant times, but hey! At least it’s more fun to rock out to the apocalypse!

Svart Records release NYC crust punk band Nausea’s two legendary EP’s on one remastered 12” in March 2024! Crust punk originates from the misty moors and factory cities of the UK. Since the '80s, countless bands have been established to play their dirty apocalyptic ruckus in the vein of Amebix, Antisect, and Axegrinder. At the same time, across the ocean, in the squats of New York’s Lower East Side, bassist John John Jesse founded Nausea. Svart Records is releasing Nausea’s two legendary EPs in 12” format for the first time ever, including the Cybergod 7” from 1991 - with a bonus track, "Here Today," from the same recording sessions - and the Lie Cycle 7” from 1992. All tracks are remastered from the original, untouched studio tapes by Jack Control (Darkthrone, Kohti Tuhoa, Fear). Tribal and rocking apocalyptic crust for apocalyptic times. The Cybergod lineup might be the most legendary era of Nausea, where the tracks reach almost epic proportions. The EP is pretty much the blueprint of crust, where Vic Venom’s hypnotic and rocking guitar riffs meet the tribal drumming of Roy Mayorga. Al Hoon’s and Amy Miret’s dueling vocals spit out timeless issues dealing with consumerism and the hypocrisies of organized religions. Musically, the Lie Cycle EP rocks out more in the faster and straightforward style, where Discharge meets Motörhead, and lyrics reflect the times when war and nuclear destruction are still the plague of mankind. Nausea’s timeline lasted only seven years, but they managed to create a cult following with their true dedication to the punk scene and played shows in the squats of Europe and the eastern part of Europe. Their music is timeless, unpleasant music for unpleasant times, but hey! At least it’s more fun to rock out to the apocalypse!

Mesmerizing and exuberant Argentinian La Yegros, probably the most magnetic artist on the South American continent, is back with a new album!

The undisputed Queen of "Nu Cumbia" has not rested on her laurels. Surrounded by the same accomplices who have supported her for the last ten years, but eager to renew herself, she has set about recording her fourth album, which stands out from her discography. Although her personal folklore is still rooted in South American folklore, La Yegros is now absorbing contemporary, global music, while tackling intimate, often melancholy and even painful subjects, which she overcomes with the same resilience that drives her in concert. Nothing stands in the way of this Argentinian whirlwind, all the more fascinating for the fact that personal considerations are now surfacing beneath the veneer of the party atmosphere she sets alight.

La Yegros returned to the stage in 2022 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Viene de Mí, her single hit from the self-titled album, released in 2012 in Argentina and then worldwide in 2013, which catapulted her to international fame. We then discovered a singer who had grown up in the traditions of her country. Her parents come from Misiones, a province bordering Brazil and Paraguay, where balls are filled with the sounds of chamamé (a mix of polka and Guaraní music), Carnavalito (Andean folklore) and Colombian Cumbia. But she herself is a native of Buenos Aires, whose nights are enlivened by the bass of Dancehall and electronic music.

These influences have merged in two further successful albums, Magnetismo (2016) and Suelta (2019), followed by high voltage tours during which La Yegros has been able to display her generous nature, inexhaustible energy, exuberant personality and infectious enthusiasm.

To record her new album entitled 'HAZ', La Yegros has put her faith in the same team that has worked with her since Viene de Mí. On one hand, producer Gaby Kerpel (also known as King Coya), a pioneer of synthetic experimentation applied to traditional music, who has remained her faithful accomplice for over twenty years. On the other hand, composer Daniel Martín, who knows how to come up with melodies to dream about and hymns to sing along to. Inseparable and complementary, the trio continues to concoct this mesmerizing mixture where acoustic instruments meet samples and the rolling of machines. But the new productions don't rely on a tried and tested formula. Generally co-produced between France and Argentina, they break away from over-defined genres. La Yegros knits together new rhythms and incorporates sounds that are unheard of in her country, derived from the latest urban trends, as well as echoes of reggae and funk. As for the lyrics, signed alternately by the trio, they are embodied by La Yegros whose charismatic voice questions a period of her life tossed by waves of love and lovelessness, joy and sorrow, euphoria and anguish, indulgence and resentment.

The album is open to a wealth of musical styles. You'll hear funk guitar and Andean flutes, melancholy accordion and rolling drums, Tuareg blues enhanced by brass, house and electro Cumbia loops, and the bassoons of a chamber orchestra. The folklore 2.0 of La Yegros, nourished by its colorful inspiration, at times tender or exalted, has been imagined as a hymn to love and the contradictory feelings that come with it. As always, it has also been conceived with the stage in mind. Hatching in a storm of overturned emotions, the album is all the more explosive for the strength of the live show that accompanies it. In addition to the usual line-up of guitar, accordion and percussion, a musician handles synthesizers and machines to boost the electronic turboshaft. In any case, you can count on the singer to assert her increasingly clear-cut character with each new project. And, above all, she won't give up. L.a Yegros is back and her batteries are fully charged.

Originally rumoured to be a double album the plan was shot down - Dave Thompson in conversation with Melanie managed to work out what it would look like and here we present all newly mastered the deluxe version. Woodstock and Glastonbury Fayre icon Melanie had been working with Easy Action on the deluxe vinyl and CD rerelease of one of the most legendary albums in her long catalogue prior to her very sad passing. In 1972, Melanie and her producer and husband Peter Schekeryk began work on what she intended to be her most ambitious album yet. Stoneground Words was to be a double album - the first such statement from any female rock artist. It would also be the first worldwide release on Neighborhood Records, the label she and Schekeryk established in 1971 - another first, as she entered territory into which only The Beatles, The Stones and The Moody Blues had previously stepped. Even more crucially, however, it was her personal response to the enormous success, earlier in the year, of the hit "Brand New Key" - "the bicycle song," as so many people recall it. Stoneground Words returned to the drawing board. Ten songs were selected; the remainder were placed to one side; and the album was released to generally positive reviews which included Melody Maker's assertion that it was "the most sophisticated she's made. The naiveté of the past has been replaced by deeper, more comprehensive methods of expression." She is the first to admit that the new edition of Stoneground Words is not a true facsimile of the original. The paperwork for all three projects, after all, disappeared long ago, as did the tapes ("who knows where?"). Stoneground Words will be released in March 2024 by Easy Action/Neighbourhood Records o Issued for the very first time as a double LP o Completely remastered. o Limited pressing on Pink Vinyl, CD Presented in large deluxe gatefold sleeve with full colour booklet o Brand new artwork o Originally recorded in New York in 1972 and released on Melanie's own Neighbourhood Records label.

« Lush Life » (1958) is among John Coltrane’s best endeavours on the Prestige (and Music) label. One reason can easily be attributed to the interesting personnel and the

subsequent lack of a keyboard player for the August 16, 1957, session that yielded the majority of the material. Coltrane (tenor sax) had to essentially lead the compact trio of himself,

Earl May (bass) and Art Taylor (drums). The intimate setting is perfect for ballads such as the opener ‘Like Someone in Love ». John Coltrane doesn’t have to supplement the frequent

redundancy inherent in pianists, so he has plenty of room to express himself through simple and ornate passages.

May provides a platform for Coltrane’s even keeled runs before the tenor drops out, allowing both Earl May and then Art Taylor a chance to shine.

The fun cat-and-mouse-like antics continue as Taylor can be heard encouraging the tenor player to raise the stakes and the tempo – which he does to great effect.