Search:over

It’s been just over one year since Michael The Lion x Amy Douglas and John Morales’ life-affirming remix 12" hit the airwaves. Released in March of 2020, the music offered a glimmer of light in the darkest of times, but of course, we had to postpone our celebratory dance.

As Summer approaches and our optimism renews, it feels as if just perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel - just maybe we’ve found a way. In light of seeing & feeling that light, we’re honored to welcome Ron Basejam of Crazy P, Chicago’s own and B.B.E regular, Jamie 3:26, and the Toronto natives, The Patchouli Brothers to Soul Clap Records for ‘Remixed’ by Michael The Lion x Amy Douglas.

On steady rise following two sublime singles over the past year—Sagano b/w Haru Wa Akebono and Karakuri b/w Michinoku—Tokyo-based artist Hoshina Anniversary elaborates his eccentric musical point-of-view even further with a debut album for the ESP Institute entitled Jomon. Fourteen tracks stir a melting pot in line with our obsessions, a variety of styles which often stay in their own dedicated lanes while here their trajectories collide in demonstrable fusion. Hoshina gleans borderline absurdist qualities from late Jazz hero Chick Corea (evident in his wild and meticulous keyboard runs), calls upon ancient Japanese instruments, shrines and mythologies, and makes sideways nods to early minimal synth productions, yet all of the above are sifted through some granular equalization, an abstract veil that smooths the skin of Hoshina's mutant creation. A weight of experience pervades throughout, a requisite education in the electronic realm and a deep reverence for Jazz and its masters, and in turn this confidence transfers a sense of ease which leaves us poring over alternative approaches to otherwise familiar tropes. Once this conversation with the music is established, a subliminal push/pull tension toys with us across the length of the album, undulating our sense of space. The tonally rich, dynamic and melodic side of the works present a cool sense of depth but are violently contrasted by a slew of over-saturated punches, and at some point an inevitable alchemy casts these disparate expressions into a haunting monolithic array. Some are glistening and smooth, others are porous and jagged, but all amount to a staunch and cohesive work with the ability to transport listeners to regions unknown.

Following up to Rob Belleville's inaugural delivery, Fluid Electronics returns in 2021 with a new collaborative EP courtesy of Dutch veteran Jarno, the man behind Trouw's infamous Below evenings, and Fluid Electronics' co-founder and owner Shirazi, back in full swing after a ten-year break from production. The EP features remixes from Amsterdam's Love Over Entropy and seminal Rotterdam-based duo, Duplex.

The A-side finds Shirazi and Jarno dishing out a vaporous dub with the focus track, "Late Night Thoughts". Engineering a mix of reverb-drenched atmospheric techno laced with hedonistic house accents and mystique-imbued melodies on a dreamy tip. Upping the tempo and overall vibe of the track, Love Over Entropy's remix propels its listener in a blazing corridor of synth arpeggios and luminous chords.

The flip side sees Shirazi go solo on the ethereal "Continue Learning", all in evocative spaciousness and textural finesse, as it merges the immersive depth of Basic Channel-esque envelopes with further straightforward floor dynamics. Clone-affiliated duo Duplex provides a tighter, jacking match to the original's vaster headspace, tweaking it into a proper clinical club-ready weapon.

Folk-minimalists announce vinyl issue for breakthrough album, Animalia.

"The semi-classical drums/sax/piano trio Mammal Hands mutate into a high-volume rave act" The Guardian

Captivating, ethereal and majestic, Mammal Hands (saxophonist Jordan Smart, pianist Nick Smart and drummer and percussionist Jesse Barrett) has carved out a refreshingly original sound from adisparatearray of influences: drawing on spiritual jazz, north Indian, folk and classical music to create something inimitably their own.

Hailing from Norwich, one of Britain's most isolated and most easterly cities, they have forged their own path away from the musical mainstream and their unique sound grew out of long improvised rehearsals. All three members contribute equally to the writing process: one that favours the creation of a powerful group dynamic over individual solos. Their recordsare entrancing and beautiful affairs,while their hypnotic live shows have seen them hailed as one of the most exciting bands in Europe as they push their unique line-up to the outer limits of its possibilities.

Over the course of three albums, Animalia, Floa and Shadow Work they have built a committed following and established themselves as one of the finest live bands in Europe. But while Floa and Shadow Work were both issued on vinyl this is the first time that Animalia has been committed to wax.

Produced by Matthew Halsall and recorded at 80 Hertz Studio, in Manchester, and engineered by George Atkins, Animalia features the band breakthrough hits Mansions of Million Years, a slow building tune that takes it's name from Egyptian mythology and draws the listener into the band's distinctive sound world. And the gorgeous hooky Kandaiki which makes stunning use of looped melodies in different time signatures, creating a wonderful interplay between the parts.

Other highlights include Snow Bough a short, melancholic, but moving, ambient composition, the Irish folk music inspired Spinning the Wheel, which also features drum beats inspired by chopped up electronic drum patterns and hip hop instrumentals. The jaunty Bustle and delightful Inuit Party and Street Sweeper. Finally the album closes with Tiny Crumb, which explores melodic ideas inspired by Alice Coltrane and Joe Henderson and builds in intensity from a quiet start to a powerful collective improvisation and heavily features Jesse's Tabla.

Sinéad O’Connor marks a long-awaited return with a stunning version
of ‘Trouble Of The World’, a traditional song made famous by exalted gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, available as a 7” single backed with an a cappella version on Heavenly Recordings.

It follows somewhat belatedly the-ever-more pertinent ‘Trouble Soon Be Over’, her contribution to 2015’s ‘Tribute To Blind Willie Johnson’ compilation and once more exudes the heart and soul of this extraordinary performer.

Sympathetic to its origins, the heartfelt, evocative tones propel this impassioned rendition to the present its poignancy highlighted by a remarkable artist who leaves her own indelible mark on this topical realisation whilst realigning with a positive viewpoint.

In her own words, she explains; “for me the song isn’t about death or dying. More akin, a message of certainty that the human race is on a journey toward making this world paradise and that we will get there.”

The inspirational lyrical narrative that underpins ‘Trouble Of The World’ bears more relevance than ever today in the context of the death of George Floyd and the highlighting of the persistent racist undercurrents that trouble mixed societies across the globe.

The song sees Sinead joining forces with renowned producer David Holmes and, recorded in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the easing of the lockdown, it shares an uncanny albeit eerie symmetry with our new trouble of the world backdrop and once again Sinéad awakes our souls to the ironies and similarities of our collective past and present. The pair have created a sonic tonic and shout out to the powers that be as a voice of the people still questioning all-toofrequent events such as witnessed over the past few months that ensue decades since the nascent birth of the civil rights movement in the United States.

Embodying a voice with beauty and innocence, a spirit part punk, part mystic with a combined fearlessness and gentle authenticity - unique, uncompromising, a pioneer, a visionary, just some of the descriptions that perhaps merely touch the surface of Sinéad O’Connor.

Divided into two worlds Life? A long narrow path. Anything else? Yes: people and music. That's it, but still. It couldn't get any more narrow than for Ozan Ata Canani.

I've been asking myself all these years: what has he done to deserve that his art is so ignored? The young Ata was a prodigy on the bağlama, the Anatolian long- necked lute. So good that the great Aşik Mahzuni Şerif took him on tour. At that time Ata was just thirteen. Ata's father was suspicious and forbade him to play music.

In the late seventies, the young adult Ata wrote the first song cycle of Anatolian music in German. He wanted to arrive, live in Germany and communicate with the majority society. He wanted to make audible what was going wrong. The lament was only eclipsed by Ata's infectious optimism. His music is a journey that takes its listeners along. He was obviously ahead of his time, because no one wanted to publish these songs. They found no lobby. Not even the utopias of the German counterculture of the sixties did include the so-called guest workers and their art and culture - which is why Ata's parents' generation did not find a connection in the country. Most of them wanted to return home after their work was done. So what was the point of building bridges to the land of the oral cavity surveyors and the screaming foremen? The Anatolian people of Germany had created their own great structure of music dissemination. They were not dependent on the radio and the department stores. They had their own shops, everywhere. Unnoticed by the German music industry and the local media, companies like Türküola in Cologne or Uzelli in Frankfurt turned over millions of records every year. Türküola is the most successful independent label in post-war history. The records and cassettes, later CDs, went over the counters in their own shops, in greengrocers' markets and at electronics hawkers near railway stations.

After decades on the road and the never-ending hustle of life as an artist, Lou Barlow has tapped into a new confidence in the chaos. In 2021, the concept of balance feels particularly intimidating. Now more than ever, it's clear life isn't just leveling out a pair of responsibilities. Instead, we're chasing after a flock of different ideals with a butterfly net. On Barlow's new solo album, Reason to Live, he has come to an understanding of that swirl rather than trying to contain it. As a long-time indie legend, Barlow has found a life akin to a middle-class musician. In recent years, he's moved from Los Angeles back to Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife and three kids. And yet rather than settle into a comfortable malaise or yearn for the open road, Barlow's strengthened urgency finds a way to merge the two instincts. Reason to Live is shambolic and grand yet intimate and doting, warmly acoustic and crackling with grit. "I had been struggling for a way to connect both my home life and my recorded life, but this record is the first time I've integrated that," Barlow says. By folding the many facets of his life into one package, Reason to Live radiates with a renewed balance and calm. That comfort in complexity shines through even in the recording process, with select songs having origins in decades past and others written in the early stages of 2020. The multitude of whirring messages of Reason to Live are united by Barlow's roiling multilayered arrangements and the understanding that change is inevitable - and that it can bring you a new reason to live in the darkest times. "This album is me really opening up, and the album follows that through its many different themes," he says. "Some of my other work could be almost claustrophobic in its insistence on being all tied together but there's space for people to live inside these songs." After albums with Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion, and under his own name, listeners may have felt they knew the construction of a Barlow song, even that they knew Barlow himself. "People have this vision of me as this heartbroken, depressed guy, but this record feels so true to who I am, to this rich life I now have full of people I love," he says. "The songs culminated over the last five years to show that music has returned to its central comforting role in my life. Now I'm home."

Billy Harper is one of the great tenor saxophonists in the post-Coltrane mold. Originally from Houston, TX and with a degree from the venerable University of North Texas College of Music, Harper emerged on the New York City jazz scene in the late 1960s performing with Art Blakey, Max Roach, Lee Morgan and others. Known for his soulful and propulsive tone, Harper was already a highly regarded and prolific session man before the release of his debut album as a leader on the cult favorite Strata-East label in 1973.

Recorded in 1975, Black Saint was the second album for Billy Harper as bandleader and is the most acclaimed and fully realized of his long career. The inaugural release of the Italian label Black Saint – to which the album lent its name – is comprised entirely of Harper compositions; the peaceful and subdued opener “Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance!,” the swinging and fiery “Croquet Ballet” and the side-long epic “Call Of The Wild And Peaceful Heart.” Harper’s group features trumpeter Virgil Jones - a graduate of Roland Kirk’s mid-60s groups and session player for McCoy Tyner, Charles Tolliver and others - along with Joe Bonner on piano, David Friesen on bass and Malcom Pinson on drums.

Black Saint is too melodic and swinging to be free jazz but too forward-thinking to be described as modal post-bop; Harper’s advanced compositional sense and galvanic tenor work make this an album of pure fire music. This is a beautiful album back into print on its original format for the first time in over 40 years.

"Smoke" is a soul vocal group from Kansas City though soul music was not so popular at that time. The band had Larry Brown who is also a member ofAHarold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and Melvin Manning who is the younger brother of Marva Whitney.This album was originally released 1976 and P-VINE released this album 24 years ago as LP and that edition has gotten expensive recently. So we decided to present it again for sweet soul lovers all over the world as a limited edition LP with OBI strip.The outstanding slow ballad "I'm So Lonely" provesAthis LP is not only rare, but also has perfect quality!

“Vax!” – Reminiscent of all the slippery vinyl that glitched under so many sweaty wet fingers in a steamy basement before time – a picture that seems highly illegal in our current antiseptic climate of hopefully germ free adolescents. Vax-inate! Give them the needle! It’s time.

Deti Vechnosti – Pered Rassvetom opens the gates to plug into the socket of our collective deranged consciousness, generating frisky and flamboyant specks to brightening darkness that confines our lives. Offering glimpses of the great unknown we also carry within. The Track introduces Chikiss & Mustelide’s new group “Deti Vechnosti”.

Alexander Arpeggio & OhLandy’s “Der Anruf”, wich originally appeared as a French language version on a previous Sameheads / Diapason tape release tells those tales of hot and hotter heat. Karmic payback for the sweaty and long nights enveloped in the halo of resonating frequencies of silly and high-spirited mischief.

Rouge Mécanique – Down the Line – follows suite in the odyssey that is a demented night out, sitting in front of a club, realising that the leatherjacket you picked up a few streets ago from the ground doesn’t smell like adventure but like spew.

The B-Side opens with Automatenfall – a hardware electronic 3 piece, previously appearing live at Sameheads during a “My Friend calls it K-Jazz” event. A yearning that eventually gets us on a spiritual path and headed toward enlightenment through the meandering melange of chimes, that little sounds that usually overcome us in the weirdest of times.

Das Kinn – the new project from Toben Piel, who’s part of Frankfurt’s MMODEM family, and one half of Les Trucs evokes memories of better days, black leatherpants – think Falco meets DAF – Überpop for the Untergrund.

Stopping for a final coup d’œil is Alessandro Adriani’s – Preserved Data Space. A persuasive case of brutally but lovingly worked machines serenading sawtooth waves of an infinite Weiter, a dissolving timeframe – the longest after hour I’ve been to, it lasts more than a year now already and counting.

Written by Michael Aniser.

Red Vinyl

Cinema Paradiso Recordings is proud to announce the release of the soundtrack to the motion picture 'The Parallax View', on vinyl for the first time ever, this coming April 30th 2021. Based on the book by Loren Singer, ‘The Parallax View’ is directed and produced by Alan J Pakula as the second instalment of his Political Paranoia trilogy - alongside Klute (1971) and All the President's Men (1976). With cinematography by Gordon Willis (The Godfather trilogy, Annie Hall) and starring Warren Beatty, this political thriller from 1974 is perhaps even more relevant today than it was back then.

The legendary score by composer Michael Small is regarded as a benchmark in the sound of paranoia thrillers that dominated cinema in the 1970s, with revered film critic Pauline Kael hailing the film as an essential for all fans of the genre. Now, 47 years later, the soundtrack will finally be available to own on vinyl.

The CPR edition of ‘The Parallax View’ soundtrack includes for the first time the infamous brainwashing scene, an influence on countless films and TV shows over the years. Notably, most recently with the Watchmen series and shows Mr Robot and Homecoming even using the music from the film. Whilst researching to gain approval for this usage we discovered from Jon Boorstin, (Assistant to Pakula on The Parallax View), that the unaccredited disembodied voice from the ‘Parallax Test’ scene belonged to director Pakula himself.

The single LP, deluxe gatefold limited edition in coloured vinyl comes with liner notes that include two essays by Scott Bettencourt and Alexander Kaplan (of Film Score Monthly), which provide a fascinating insight into the making of the film and an analysis of the score.

“The Parallax View embodies a particularly paranoid moment for America, when assassination wounds were still fresh and the President’s bungling burglars were running him out of the White House. Michael Small’s music beautifully captures our hope, our dread, and our nostalgia for truer values. In the Parallax Test sequence, he brilliantly seduces the assassin in all of us. Watching this today, wrapped in Michael's music, what was once wild fantasy feels at least as credible as the pronouncements of our Kool-Aid drinking Congressmen. “
- Jon Boorstin

81355 (pronounced `bless') is a meeting of the minds between three pillars of the Indianapolis music scene; Sirius Blvck, Oreo Jones, and Sedcairn Archives. While the three have worked together in the past, this is their first start-to-finish collaboration, and the result is the stunning and distinctive debut Time I'll Be of Use. Simultaneously mystical and stark, somber and danceable, the project grapples with hard-wired truths and imagines alternate realities with better futures. These lucid wanderings amongst the street fires sound like a cross between the ghost of progressive electronic music of the 70s with its innovative eccentricities, and acrobatic wordplay delivered with sharp resolve. While surrealist in its metaphors and abstraction, it doesn't betray a present awareness. Reflecting on Black struggle in the pandemicridden and democracy faltering landscape of 2020, each member arrived from a synchronistic space, and the recording process ended up being largely intuitive. On "Capstone," the opening track on the album, Sirius Blvck offers a look from inside his space, "This is what we've come to. Generational curses I still can't undo. Just taught my lil girl to tie her shoes now she running to. Holy smokes lungs made of leather like it's comfortable. Climbing up this infinite ladder to get a better view." These three musical vagabonds have met up to find even themselves surprised with the results. Drawing inspiration from the likes of biting poetic commentary of the late Naptown residents, Etheridge Knight and Kurt Vonnegut, OJ summons a golden-era flow and paints a picture of the group's influences, surroundings, and trajectory in one fell swoop in "Thumbs Up." "Alright, in my feelings tonight, Honda Civic overturned as it burns through the night. Bone Thugs in these streets no Surender in sight. I'm writing poems from a jail cell, Etheridge Knight. I throw a fit when I flip it, it's all vintage. A pearl white Bronco like OJ you done did it. The sunshine shatters the rock painted so vivid. Two-hundred fifty pounds of gifted we so lifted_ wassup?" Sirius, with poetry present even in his speaking voice, adds, "It's a way to carve our story in the sky before we're gone. This is us choosing to believe that this time, things will be different. It is an affirmation to the universe. This time I'll see the whole blessing. This time I'll be of use."

When most musicians reach a career milestone they take it on tour. Texas, whose debut album turned 30 last year, had bigger ambitions. Rather than simply perform their old songs, the Scots set out to meet their old selves – the wide-eyed kids who made Southside, their two million-selling, Top 3 debut, and the band who bounced back eight years later with the six times platinum White On Blonde.
The vaults at Universal were raided for recording sessions for both albums, stored on tape and DAT and never digitised. Top of Texas’ list was their first, failed attempt at I Don’t Want A Lover, scuppered by Chic bassist Bernard Edwards.
“Just after we signed, we were in the studio with Bernard and Chic’s drummer Tony Thompson,” recalls guitarist Johnny McElhone. “Bernard got coked up and ended up running away to Mexico before Sharleen even started her vocals. But that’s a whole other story.”
Late in 2018, the aborted version was found, alongside several songs recorded during different sessions which didn’t make their debut. The biggest revelation, however, was a 15-strong batch of tracks from the White On Blonde sessions which both Johnny and Sharleen Spiteri had forgotten existed.
“When we made that album, no one in Britain gave a shit about Texas,” says Sharleen. “We were still doing really well in Europe, but here we couldn’t get arrested.
“No one at our label was asking to hear any music or pushing us, so we just kept writing and recording and trying out new stuff until we felt the record was ready. Hence we ended up with a lot more material than usual.”
So good were the songs that Texas initially planned to release them as a ‘lost’ album, possibly to be called Blonde On White. But working with their old recordings inspired them to start writing new songs.
“Tweaking the old stuff was so much fun,” says Sharleen. “It felt like us, now, collaborating with ourselves of 25 years ago. It was amazing to go back there – my voice was so young! – and to hear how much energy and passion we had. We were fighting for our careers at the time, trying to prove that Texas were still relevant.
“Our excitement at finding this treasure trove of songs collided with our excitement from back then and, unplanned, new songs started coming. You could say we were inspired by ourselves, if that didn’t make us sound insanely big-headed.”
Hi, Texas’ tenth album, is the result of that bonkers journey back but has its eyes firmly fixed on the future. The title track and sensational first single aptly fuses the two. A brand new collaboration with Wu Tang Clan, it finds a soulful Sharleen nestled next to boisterous raps from RZA and Ghostface Killah over a cinematic backdrop of lush beats and acoustic guitar.

For our 7th release we are delighted to be reissuing a single that has brought us a lot of joy in recent times. We first came to hear Delores Fuller’s beautiful single One More Chance Lord in the same way we have heard a lot of new music over the last year and a half – through a friend’s lockdown recommendation. Ever since, the single has been a staple in our collection and permanently on our turntable.Perfectly transcending the genres of gospel, modern soul and disco. One More Chance Lord kicks it off with a piano riff that’ll be stuck in your head for days, building to a soaring chorus with lyrics that would fit any uplifting category. My Greatest Desire on the flip, is a ballad reflecting Delores’ vocal talents. Stripped back with only the piano for accompaniment. Delores singing about values of life - “not searching for riches, not hungry for fame”. Perhaps inadvertently explaining why this single has never had the prominence it so deserves.

The single was originally released in 1983 on Intro Records, a US based label predominately active throughout the 1980s. After a little diggin’ we reached out to Dwain Jones who duly licensed us the both sides and informed us that the single features a truly amazing arrange of musicians. Stanley Banks; bassist on classics albums such as George Benson’s Breezin’, Jonathan DuBose, guitarist with renowned gospel group The Clark Sisters and not to mention Pee Wee Ellis; James Browns band leader in the late 1960s who’s sax can be found peppered throughout Delores’ album God’s Love.Remastered and now available again on the teal green label of Miles Away. Limited 500 pressing and set for release on 21st May. Get one quick!

Alle Mann an Bord! Die weltbekannte Pirate Metal Drinking Crew ALESTORM nimmt euch auf ihrem
neuen Live-Album Live in Tilburg mit auf einen wilden, nassen Ritt durch die sieben Weltmeere! Mit
den ersten Sekunden des energiegeladenen ”Keelhauled” wird klar, dass ALESTORM eine der kreativsten
und einzigartigsten Live-Bands sind - und nach Tilburgs unglaublichem Live-Publikum von 3000 Leuten zu
urteilen, lässt die unvergleichliche Energie der Band niemanden stillstehen. Erfreut euch an ALESTORM‘s
Live-Show - mit jedermanns riesiger Lieblings-Gummiente und massenhaft Alkohol - ganz bequem von der
Couch aus! Hervorragend produziert und abgemischt vom renommierten Lasse Lammert, der bereits an
ALESTORMs Studioalben Curse Of The Crystal Coconut, No Grave But The Sea, und vielen anderen
beteiligt war, bietet Live in Tilburg eine packende Mischung aus ALESTORMs beliebtesten Hits wie ”Mexico”, ”Alestorm”, ”Hangover”, ”The Sunk’n Norwegian” und natürlich ”Fucked with an Anchor”. Das
Live-Album wird als splatterfarbene Doppel-LP mitSlipmat und Patch, sowie auf mintfarbenem und goldfarbenem Vinyl erhältlich sein. Die Special Edition von Live in Tilburg kommt in einer Holzbox, zusammen
mit einer CD+DVD, einem Mediabook und einer 7-inch Vinyl mit zwei brandneuen ALESTORM AkustikCoversongs! Live in Tilburg ist die Definition dessen, worum es bei ALESTORM geht - eine endlose
Quelle des stampfenden, riff-geladenen und piratenhaften Singalong-Spaßes. Ein Muss für alle lumpigen
Landratten!

White Vinyl

The record opens out with clamouring field recordings taken on Vernon's travels in Japan; the cacophony melts effortlessly into the muted beauty of "Amber Fade", its cold synths and sombre chords striking a perfect emotional balance. "Tilted" similarly plays with ambient elements, lush pads easing their way out of the sounds of a waterfall but the natural sounds are contrasted by a touch of acidic 303. This hint of the club is forefronted in "Late Nights", which dials up the energy with chunky big room drum loops, a stirring piano section showing Vernon can turn up the heat without losing the emotional side.

On the B-side, "This Moment (I Feel)" toys with a muzak sound palette and dazed poolside beats. "Disappear" lean heavily on an electro beat; but for a hazy elongated drop it's a heady dancefloor number, before easing off again into the closing track. "Start Again" is full of texture and character, cleverly arpeggiated synths cascading over a soft house jam.

2008 saw fledgling filmmakers RKSS release a faux trailer for NINJA ELIMINATOR. It was a love letter to the kung fu flicks of Godfrey Ho they grew up watching, loaded with over-the-top acting, gory DIY effects & crazy vocal dubs. It was a massive hit with festival crowds. A then-unknown LE MATOS provided the score. Inspired by DAFT PUNK, ED BANGER & the whole French Techno scene, LE MATOS delivered a driving, pulsating & intense melodic score that helped solidify the blueprint for the singular sound they have today. This EP collects tracks from all three NINJA ELIMINATOR shorts and have been extensively reworked, remixed and remastered for this release. Includes download code and insert written by Aaron Veling.

‘Bad Time’ is the new EP from Peeping Drexels. The London based 5-piece, who have been together since they were sixteen, have to date released a series of singles on the Permanent Creeps and Fierce Panda labels. This is their first release on BY Records. They've previously received support from the likes of Steve Lamacq, DIY, So Young among others. They've also performed live with artists such as Shame, Goat Girl and Public Practice.

First single, High Heels, sees Peeping Drexels eulogise about white pills and night thrills - anxious overtones abound until the crescendo of guttural angst takes over. "High Heels is a dimly lit journey through the narrow corridors and backrooms of a twisted underground club, all whilst under the influence of an unknown substance. The song is the first taste of Peeping Drexels rebirth; experimental new sounds, broader instrumentation, yet pop music to the bone. A never ending loop of bad-trip fuelled excess, and there is no way to escape."

Prior to lockdown, Peeping Drexels played a Sold Out Parallel Lines headline show at London’s Bermondsey Social Club and ended it with a sold out main support slot for Fat White Family at EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney).

The project takes influences from a broad musical spectrum, from the dance vibes of Gary Numan and Mr. Fingers to the intensity of Tyler The Creators' synth-heavy Cherry Bomb and the maximalist work of Kanye West.

Bachelor, the new project from Melina Duterte (Jay Som) and Ellen Kempner (Palehound), is not a band, it’s a friend-ship. After being mutual fans for years, they finally met when sharing the bill at a show in Sacramento in 2017. Keeping in touch over text and Instagram posts, Duterte and Kempner started recording together for fun in 2018, resulting with what would become "Sand Angel", the seductive slow-burner that convinced the pair to write an album together.

Reconvening in January 2020, the duo packed the entirety of Duterte’s recording equipment into two cars and headed to a rental house in Topanga, CA. In this space Kempner and Duterte hybridized their individual song-writing talents, producing a collection that slips between moods with ease and showcases their lyrical prowess. Arriving with almost no songs written and no solid plan, they

finished the 10 songs that make up Doomin’ Sun after two short weeks. That much work in so little time may sound exhausting, but it wasn’t, it was blissful and freeing.

There was a lot of pain that went into the record, especially around themes of queerness and climate change inspired by the red skies and wildfires subsuming Australia at the time. However, when the duo did shed tears during the creative process, they weren’t tears of sadness, they were tears of laughter. When Kempner and Duterte look back on those weeks, what they remember first is shortness of breath and the inability to track vocal takes without falling to the floor howling. They couldn’t remember a time they’d ever been so delirious with creativity, so overwhelmed with joy.

Jorge Elbrecht joins the O Genesis roster for a special edition release of Presentable Corpse 002, which will be available May 28, 2021. Although Jorge Elbrecht may be a new name to UK music fans, he already has an illustrious and varied body of work to his name, thanks to his prolific output as a solo recording artist, producer, mixer, and visual artist. Born in Costa Rica and raised in the U.S., Elbrecht’s production and collaboration credits with the likes of Sky Ferreira, Japanese Breakfast, Gang Gang Dance, No Joy, Geneva Jacuzzi, and countless others have given him a well-deserved reputation as one of the most in-demand and respected names in independent music today.



Presentable Corpse 002 is the inaugural full-length collection of his ongoing Presentable Corpse recordings. Elbrecht himself describes Presentable Corpse as “sunshine pop” that contains lyrics written from the perspective of a fictional Vietnam-era soldier at war, conveying a story of regret, homesickness, combat fatigue, and political anger.

Information about Elbrecht largely comes from The Executor(s) of the Estate of Jorge Elbrecht, who claims full control over the artist’s creative output, both past and present. According to the estate, Elbrecht’s “disaffection with the milieu of the day developed into a pathology by his late twenties, resulting in dangerously high levels of stress and anxiety as the thematic content of his work grew darker.”

Presentable Corpse 002 is sure to not only delight Jorge Elbrecht’s already sizeable fan-base with its disarmingly inviting psychedelic sunshine pop, but also gain a considerable and well-deserved new following in the UK and Europe.

One of the essential ‘global’ albums of 2019 gets its first pressing on ‘kimono blue’ vinyl.

Ahead of the release of their second album and their collaboration with cult Japanese kimono label Nakai Shoten, Minyo Crusaders come with a limited edition of their classic debut album.

Since their 2020 collaborative EP with Frente Cumbiero amassed almost 1m listens on Spotify plus over 1m views for the lead video on both Facebook and Twitter, the band’s popularity has soared.

Excelsior! It’s the hail of yore that one should go ever onward and upward. And so, fittingly Onwards and Downwards is the occultist Swedish band Alastor’s clever call to arms... and also a reflection of our collective dark state of mind these days.
“If our last album Slave to the Grave were about death, this record is more about madness,” says guitarist Hampus Sandell. “You can look at the whole record as one person’s gradual slip into insanity. An ongoing nightmare without end. It also sums up the state of the world around us as this year has clearly shown.”
Alastor is heavy doom rock for the wicked and depraved. Drenched in heavy, distorted darkness and steeped in occult horror that will make your skin crawl and ears cry sweet tears of blood, the band is revitalized in 2021 with meticulously crafted songs and new drummer Jim Nordström bringing a hard-hitting and precise energy.
“It’s a more focused record but at the same time it’s more personal and naked. More raw emotion and pain,” Hampus says. The band recorded the album with the help of Joona Hassinen of Studio Underjord, who has helped with mixing since their ”Blood on Satan’s Claw” EP in 2017. Christoffer Karlsson of The Dahmers also assisted with overdubs and encouraged the band to demo the material early on, aiding in the album’s more deliberate and tighter feel.
From the first note of opener “The Killer In My Skull” the guitars are far thicker and out front than ever, and Nordström pummels the snare and kick like a young Dave Grohl. Bassist/vocalist Robin Arnryd’s chorus-drenched voice soars above it all like a one-man choir, at times harmonizing beautifully with shimmering Hammond organ notes. Nary a moment is wasted on the droning navel-gazing of lesser bands. Particularly, the driving anthem “Death Cult” which sounds like it would fit comfortably on QOTSA’s Songs For The Deaf, though there’s considerably more heft here. The title track pays its due to the Devil’s tritone in a marvelously woven framework of intertwining melodies befitting the album’s theme of descent into madness.
The quartet released its epic 3-song debut album Black Magic in early 2017 via Twin Earth Records, followed by the 2-track “Blood On Satan’s Claw” EP on Halloween the same year. Joining forces with RidingEasy Records in 2018, Alastor summoned the 7-track hateful gospel Slave To The Grave, which was packed with dynamic twists and turns, and funereal girth. It was met with considerable praise, setting the stage for the band’s greatest step onward (and upward... or downward, depending on your preferences.)

Excelsior! It’s the hail of yore that one should go ever onward and upward. And so, fittingly Onwards and Downwards is the occultist Swedish band Alastor’s clever call to arms... and also a reflection of our collective dark state of mind these days.
“If our last album Slave to the Grave were about death, this record is more about madness,” says guitarist Hampus Sandell. “You can look at the whole record as one person’s gradual slip into insanity. An ongoing nightmare without end. It also sums up the state of the world around us as this year has clearly shown.”
Alastor is heavy doom rock for the wicked and depraved. Drenched in heavy, distorted darkness and steeped in occult horror that will make your skin crawl and ears cry sweet tears of blood, the band is revitalized in 2021 with meticulously crafted songs and new drummer Jim Nordström bringing a hard-hitting and precise energy.
“It’s a more focused record but at the same time it’s more personal and naked. More raw emotion and pain,” Hampus says. The band recorded the album with the help of Joona Hassinen of Studio Underjord, who has helped with mixing since their ”Blood on Satan’s Claw” EP in 2017. Christoffer Karlsson of The Dahmers also assisted with overdubs and encouraged the band to demo the material early on, aiding in the album’s more deliberate and tighter feel.
From the first note of opener “The Killer In My Skull” the guitars are far thicker and out front than ever, and Nordström pummels the snare and kick like a young Dave Grohl. Bassist/vocalist Robin Arnryd’s chorus-drenched voice soars above it all like a one-man choir, at times harmonizing beautifully with shimmering Hammond organ notes. Nary a moment is wasted on the droning navel-gazing of lesser bands. Particularly, the driving anthem “Death Cult” which sounds like it would fit comfortably on QOTSA’s Songs For The Deaf, though there’s considerably more heft here. The title track pays its due to the Devil’s tritone in a marvelously woven framework of intertwining melodies befitting the album’s theme of descent into madness.
The quartet released its epic 3-song debut album Black Magic in early 2017 via Twin Earth Records, followed by the 2-track “Blood On Satan’s Claw” EP on Halloween the same year. Joining forces with RidingEasy Records in 2018, Alastor summoned the 7-track hateful gospel Slave To The Grave, which was packed with dynamic twists and turns, and funereal girth. It was met with considerable praise, setting the stage for the band’s greatest step onward (and upward... or downward, depending on your preferences.)

Swiss heavy metal coven BURNING WITCHES and Nuclear Blast Records proudly present “The Witch Of The North”, the group’s much anticipated, fourth studio album set for worldwide release on May 28th, 2021. Following 2020’s “Dance Of The Devil”, which charted in Germany at #22, and the quickly sold-out “Circle Of Five EP”, vocalist Laura, guitarists Romana and Larissa, bassist Jeanine and drummer Lala notably up the ante on “The Witch Of The North”, their most dynamic, intricate and powerful album thus far. Perfectly mixed and mastered by V.O. Pulver and produced by German thrash titan Schmier (Destruction), BURNING WITCHES stick to their irrefutable 80’s influences (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, Accept, Warlock, WASP etc.) and inject an irresistible energy and refreshing vibe, topping it off with classic art by Claudio Bergamin (who illustrated Priest’s triumphant “Firepower”). From the epic title-track to the album’s most catchy anthem ‘We Stand As One’ over to the ballad ‘Lady Of The Woods’ and speedy riff attacks like ‘Thrall’, ‘Flight Of The Valkyries’, and ‘Nine Worlds’, “The Witch Of The North” marks a new highlight in the band’s career, with vocalist Laura brilliantly shifting from aggressive to seductive with ease. No matter if you have followed the band since its humble beginnings in 2015 or just recently fell for their charms, BURNING WITCHES are doubtlessly one of the most sensational bands in heavy metal right now.

30th Anniversary Edition of 'Seamonsters', the third studio album by Leeds indie/alt/cult outfit. Recorded in ten days in America, 'Seamonsters' had a rougher, harsher overall sound than the group's earlier albums due to producer Steve Albini working with the band. The 2 LP package includes the studio album alongside the 'Dalliance', '3 Songs' and 'Lovenest' EP's. Rounding out the music on the release are a set of live 'BBC Peel Sessions' recordings. This 30th anniversary bundle also includes a CD comprising the studio album and EPs. Pressed on standard black vinyl. Marketing.

• With help from fellow Go-Go Charlotte Caffey, producer Michael Lloyd and guest musicians Duran
Duran’s Andy Taylor, Susanna Hoffs and Jane Wiedlin, “Belinda” was Belinda Carlisle’s first solo album,
originally issued in 1986, now reissued on vinyl for the first time.
• Featuring the hit singles “Mad About You” and “I Feel The Magic”, this 2 LP anniversary edition also
features five bonus tracks on side three, including three mixes of Belinda’s version of “Band Of Gold”
recorded with Freda Payne.
• Side four features five live tracks taken from the “Belinda” video release. Also included are the lyrics
and a sleevenote based on an interview with Belinda.











k c1. Band Of Gold featuring Freda Payne single mix

[m] c3. Mad About You [extended version]
[n] c4. Band Of Gold [featuring Freda Payne] [extended mix]
[o] c5. Band Of Gold [featuring Freda Payne] [dub mix]











[k] c1. Band Of Gold [featuring Freda Payne] [single mix]

[m] c3. Mad About You [extended version]
[n] c4. Band Of Gold [featuring Freda Payne] [extended mix]
[o] c5. Band Of Gold [featuring Freda Payne] [dub mix]

The recent ‘Rocka Rolla’ series was masterfully launched by the boss himself. But for this second volume, El Vidocq steps aside for his English pal Keb Darge – who earlier so brilliantly contributed to the Jukebox Music Factory catalogue with his explosive selection ‘The Rockabilly Crown Jewels’. Once again, our ever enthusiastic limey swaggers and sparkles. His newest excellent assortment explores the garage rock and surf songs of his beloved ‘60s. Less sombre than the first, this second volume includes seminal punk rock tunes (She Lied by The Rockin’ Ramrods, Thunder Reef by The Shindings), but also a few veritable titty shakers (Les De Merle and his Bulldozer, or El Scorpion by The Sherwoods). Add a touch of surf (The Road Runners’ Quasimoto and Neb’s Tune by Ahab and The Wailers) and bingo baby! You’ve got ‘Keb Darge's Supreme’. Lots of love, zero poor taste. Play it loud, friends!

The Deviants were an English rock group originally active in the late
1960s, and later as a project of the singer-songwriter and bandleader Mick Farren. The self-tiled third album was the beginning of the definite split between the band members. This record shows how they were still rocking in a wonderful mix between psychedelic, garage, blues, and rock. The overall vibe is amazing and it is a fascinating glimpse into the underground music of the late ‘60s. The album has aged quite well and is still a master of art.

The Deviants is available on black vinyl. The package includes a replica of the very rare & sought after booklet.

Kscope Re-Issue Of The Classic ‘Radiation’ Featuring 2013 Mixes, 2 x LP 140Gram Vinyl in a Gatefold sleeve. The CD edition will include both the original 1998 version and the 2013 mixes, whilst the LP edition will host the 2013 mixes with an etched D-side
Marillion formed in 1979 and have since sold over 15 million albums worldwide. Rightly regarded as legends of progressive rock, the band have continued to evolve and have been keen to embrace the possibilities of the internet, using innovative ways to interact with listeners resulting in an incredibly loyal legion of fans around the world.
‘Radiation’ was the band’s tenth studio album and debuted in the top 40 in the UK when it was originally released in 1998. The album saw the band abandon the acoustic approach of ‘This Strange Engine’ and instead revisit a heavier sound previously found on ‘Afraid Of Sunlight’. This change in sound as well as the experimentation with different instrument tones and vocal effects and samples led to a more pop sound than that previously heard from the group.
The album was subsequently remixed and remastered by Michael Hunter in 2013. Kscope are now pleased to present a reissue of this highly regarded album on LP.

‘Nurture’ is an album about hope, overcoming despair, faithfully pursuing a sense of purpose, and trying to prove that it’s worthwhile to try.
This album came about during a period of intense creative and emotional struggle. I had structured my life around the expectation that the only thing that made me happy was writing music. But it was exactly that obsession and imbalance that made writing music an impossibility for me for years.
I wanted it too much, was highly self-critical, and I was so scared that I wouldn’t ever be able to write music again. And the more desperate I became to write music, the harder it became.
Only by accepting that I might never be able to do it again, and by embracing and trying to find happiness in aspects of life outside of music, was I able to slowly claw my way into being able to do it again. And on the other side of all this fear and anxiety, I found this life-giving sort of light and beauty. I felt a gratitude towards real life that I used to only feel towards fiction.
I’m really, deeply glad that I wrote this album. It’s my favorite music I’ve ever made, and it made me feel purposeful and happy to write music again. I want to write music that tells people that an earnest and sincere effort to overcome that thing you’re struggling with is the best path forward.
There’s no shortage of fuel for despair and nihilism, but I’ve found that those things don’t help. I want the listener to know that even when it seems impossible and insurmountable, it’s worthwhile to do your best, that there’s no shame in hope, and that purpose and meaning are worth pursuing.

The trio of fiddle player Erlend Apneseth with guitarist Stephan Meidell and drummer Oyvind Hegg-Lunde follows up their Nordic Prize-nominated album of 2019, ‘Salika, Molika’, with a remarkable suite of tunes inspired by the rhythms and physicality of the human body in motion.
Originally commissioned by FRIKAR Dance Company to accompany the performance of a new work, ‘Skaut’, dealing with the covering of the body in different cultures, the music of ‘Lokk’ takes the trio further than ever before into completely fresh areas of electro-acoustic improvisation.
The sounds of their original instruments are integrated with electronic beats and treated textures to form a kind of enhanced digital-folk style whose influences stretch from traditional south Asian ragas to contemporary dance culture from around the globe.
The result is intense, and intensely rhythmic, music where the normally separate realms of the cerebral and the corporeal can appear to fuse into one irresistible groove.
As the trio rocks on - in a dream of perfect interplay between instruments and players, soloists and ensemble - deep, trembling sub-bass intersects with ethereal ambient soundscapes. Elsewhere, the twittering of birdsong - from both real bird-calls and the uncanny imitation of them by Apneseth’s Hardanger fiddle - meets archival recordings of Norwegian herdswomen.
“Our musical idea for this project was to unite different extremes, connections that felt “forbidden” in one form or another”, says Stephan Meidell. “For example, by using the sampled recording of traditional herd-calling, blended together with aesthetics from more contemporary music styles. This exploration has led us further into a rhythmic and danceable landscape than in previous releases. We also wanted to use this opportunity to deliberately make more dance-related music. As regards the original commission, were pretty free to do what we wanted, but there was one specific dance in mind, ‘Valdresspringar’, for which Erlend wrote the melody. It’s a traditional, asymmetrical dance and has a very particular form. The melody is on the track called ‘Springar’, which we then messed around with.”
This “messing around with” element is key to the sound of ‘Lokk’, whose playful experimentation over the nine separate tracks creates a beguiling, constantly surprising sense of adventure and intrigue that both draws the listener in, and then keeps them on their toes as to where the next stage of the journey will take them. It also becomes inescapably obvious that this is a group of three equals.
The contributions of Stephan Meidell and Oyvind Hegg-Lunde, as musicians, co-composers and producers, appear every bit as important as that of Erlend Apneseth, who performs superbly throughout. “Even though the trio carries Erlend’s name, it’s a band in every sense of the word”, says Stephan Meidell. “We make the music together, where everyone brings their ideas and we build on each other’s input and output. This is not our “coming out” as a band, but the group is sometimes interpreted as having a hierarchical structure, as a soloist and accompaniment.”
As is evident from the trio’s live performances, where each member seamlessly integrates the acoustic and the electronic elements in their respective sounds through constant monitoring and tweaking, Apneseth, Meidell and Hegg-Lunde are also pioneers,
creating real-time effects that in the past were only available through post-production or the intervention of a sympathetic engineer and a truck-load of kit. ‘Lokk’ translates this fleet-footed improvisational approach, and the players’ lightning-speed reaction times, back into the environment of the recording studio, where the music composed for the original FRIKAR dance piece was further embellished and adapted. Played live, it will continue to change again, as improvised music always does.

Known for the soulful jazz-grooves of their self-titled 2020 debut album, Matti Klein’s Soul Trio actually began as an idea rather than a group.
However, in early 2018 three master musicians met in Berlin’s Lovelite Studio with producer/engineer Jochen Str h (Tony Allen, Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Jimi Tenor) and recorded a set of well-planned and even better executed live sessions, each finding their desired space live and direct, locking into the immediacy of the groove. ‘Soul Trio Live On Tape’ contains these very first sessions of the Matti Klein Soul Trio and comprises new arrangements of songs that had primarily been composed for Klein’s band Mo’ Blow; favourites already back then, timeless classics now thanks to these exciting ‘deep-fried contemporary soul jazz’ versions.
Their leader, known for his work as musical director for the Brazilian superstar Ed Motta as well as Mo ‘Blow, can be heard on Wurlitzer and Rhodes Bass; Lars Zander (The Ruffcats, El Cartel, Lucasonic, STEREOFYSH) not only proves he is the most soulful tenor saxophonist in Berlin, but also why he has earned kudos for a bass clarinet sound that is enhanced with analog tape delays, Wah-Wah and Harmonizer-sweetenings; and drummer Andr Seidel also shows his chops, incorporating elements of rock, hip-hop, odd meter fusion and the sound of New Orleans into his own unique groove jazz style.
As for the music, ‘Rocket Swing’ is a tenor sax feature in which a hip-hop vibe meets a jazzy fifth fall, while ‘Ray’ (dedicated to Mr. Charles) is a Meters-inspired shuffle in 7/8 time. ‘No Particular Way’ showcases the funky side of the band, with singer Pat Appleton in top form over a wonderfully creaky Rhodes bass. ‘Sunsqueezed’ is created in a wide compositional arc, evoking a ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds during a long and grey 10-month Berlin winter, giving hope for the next two months.
‘Eleven Feels Like Heaven’ is a joyful, uproarious gospel blues with a brilliant odd meter drum solo. ‘Grandpa’s Fairytale’ is a hitherto unreleased piece that is dedicated to the bandleader’s grandfather, a former school headmaster who loved to read him stories and is a Wurlitzer-warmth meets bass clarinet groove in an atypical dynamic arc. Summarising their efforts, Klein states somewhat cryptically that “the band rolls in a warm, soft couch whenever there is a risk of having to sit between the chairs.”
Initially available as a limited fan item only at live shows, this document is now being released officially with the addition of ‘Grandpa’s Fairytale’. It is a journey through time, absolutely contemporary and yet wonderfully back to the future.

The venerable composer and keyboardist Stale Storlokken follows up his previous Hubro release (and solo debut recording), The Haze of
Sleeplessness, with a second solo album performed entirely on pipe organ and recorded at Steinkjer Church by Stian Westerhus.
He describes the album as “a cavernous cathedral of sound”. While the Norwegian Grammy-nominated ‘The Haze of Sleeplessness’ used a whole keyboardmuseum’s worth of antique synths and contemporary digital software to create
its vast array of sounds, everything on ‘Ghost Caravan’ is the product of one organ’s pedals, pipes and sonic plumbing.
“There’s not so much of a relationship to ‘Haze’, says Stale Storlokken of the new album. “That album was more based on improvised ideas that were tweaked and arranged , while this one is all improvised with almost no editing at all. Everything you hear is from the church organ, with no additional instruments.
The basic concept of the record, and the arrangement of the titles and pieces, is done in such a way that they alternate between a fluent, “on the move”, abstract mood and a more recognisable, concrete and grounded mood. At the same time it should be so open that listeners will hopefully have their own unique experience. The organ at Steinkjer is not a big organ but it has some really nice sounds, with a number of quirks and mechanical eccentricities that suit my music.”
The organ is partly a reconstruction based on a Wagner organ in Nidarosdomen built originally in 1741, the organ is housed in the strikingly modernistic Steinkjer kirke, designed by Olav S. Platou in 1965, and featuring glass panels by the artist Annar Millidahl. What Ghost Caravan does share with its predecessor is a seemingly limitless acoustic space for the listener’s imagination to roam in, with Storlokken creating a cavernous cathedral of sound.
The audio dynamics span an enormous range, capable of stretching from the quietest breathy whisper to a basso profundo squawk or scream, sometimes within seconds of each other. Similarly, the incredible variety of sounds that Storlokken coaxes from the organ can defy rational analysis, with the resolutely analogue instrument appearing to echo the industrial, found-sounds of clanking machinery or buzzing electronics that one might expect to encounter through digital sampling or the tape-based experiments of musique concrete.
Over ten separate improvised pieces which connect into an informal suite through the repetition of key elements and sequential titles (with four ‘Spheres’ and four ‘Cloudlands’, plus ‘Ghost Caravan’ and ‘Drifting on Wasteland Ocean’), Storlokken has made a strikingly unified, self-referential aesthetic world that can stand as a true work of art.

Collection of unreleased demos of written for the sixth PJ Harvey studio album Uh Huh Her, including demos of ‘The Letter’ and ‘Shame’. Features brand new artwork with previously unseen photos by Maria Mochnacz. Artwork is overseen by Maria with Rob Crane. Mastering by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering, under the guidance of longtime PJ Harvey producer Head.

Musical pioneer Moby announces his new album Reprise, out May 28 on Deutsche Grammophon. Reprise sees Moby revisiting and reimagining musical highlights from his 30-year career. Together with the Budapest Art Orchestra, he has re-envisioned some of his most recognizable rave classics and anthems with new arrangements for orchestra and acoustic instruments. He’s also joined by a stellar line-up of guest artists from across the musical spectrum, including Alice Skye, Amythyst Kiah, Apollo Jane, Darlingside, Gregory Porter, Jim James, Kris Kristofferson, Luna Li, Mark Lanegan, Mindy Jones, Nataly Dawn, Skylar Grey and Vikingur Ólafsson.

For Jayda G, joy is a state of mind. Whether she transmits it through her upbeat productions or magnetic energy at the decks, the Canadian-born DJ and producer, real name Jayda Guy, is a beacon of empathy on the dancefloor. It's no surprise, then, that Jayda G's DJ-Kicks mix captures the buoyant spirit of the music that has influenced her most. "DJ-Kicks has been a personal goal of mine for a really long time. I've been a fan for decades now. I remember there was one mix by Chromeo and it had some French disco on it that always stood out in my mind," she remembers. Clocking in at just over an hour, Guy's mixtakes you on a journey that moves through loved classics and new bubblers. The mix contains Jayda's Brand new single "All I Need", the follow up to Grammy Nominated breakthrough single "Both Of Us", a slinky house tune co-produced with James Ford that fizzes with shimmering energy. A rallying cry for kinship and understanding, Guy's insouciant vocals insist "all I need is you to hear me", gliding across the perfectly swung house beat. "Because the mix was made during the pandemic, I thought, 'What music makes me happy?' I want people to feel like they know me. I wanted it to be approachable, still honouring the disco and soul music that I love. I hope that translates in some shape or form."

TRANSPARENT ORANGE VINYL

For Jayda G, joy is a state of mind. Whether she transmits it through her upbeat productions or magnetic energy at the decks, the Canadian-born DJ and producer, real name Jayda Guy, is a beacon of empathy on the dancefloor. It's no surprise, then, that Jayda G's DJ-Kicks mix captures the buoyant spirit of the music that has influenced her most. "DJ-Kicks has been a personal goal of mine for a really long time. I've been a fan for decades now. I remember there was one mix by Chromeo and it had some French disco on it that always stood out in my mind," she remembers. Clocking in at just over an hour, Guy's mixtakes you on a journey that moves through loved classics and new bubblers. The mix contains Jayda's Brand new single "All I Need", the follow up to Grammy Nominated breakthrough single "Both Of Us", a slinky house tune co-produced with James Ford that fizzes with shimmering energy. A rallying cry for kinship and understanding, Guy's insouciant vocals insist "all I need is you to hear me", gliding across the perfectly swung house beat. "Because the mix was made during the pandemic, I thought, 'What music makes me happy?' I want people to feel like they know me. I wanted it to be approachable, still honouring the disco and soul music that I love. I hope that translates in some shape or form."

Soft-spoken with the look of a slightly disaffected 1950s matinee idol, Aaron Frazer possesses a unique voice that's both contemporary and timeless. On Introducing... -- his debut solo album produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, co-released on Easy Eye Sound and Dead Oceans -- Aaron melds mid-`60s soul with Auerbach's particular sensibilities (`Over You'), songs with a message in the key of Gil Scott-Heron (`Bad News'), and uplifting tales of love told through a blend of disco, gospel, and doo-wop (`Have Mercy'). The Brooklyn-based, Baltimore-raised songwriter first came into the international spotlight as multi-instrumentalist and colead singer of Durand Jones & The Indications, but he's more than a revivalist act. "I didn't want Introducing... to be an exact recreation of an era or a style," Frazer says. "I'm excited to keep breaking some of the expectations around what exactly I'm supposed to be artistically and musically, or what this scene as a whole can be." On Introducing..., Aaron expertly calibrates consciousness-raising and the desire to be enveloped by love. Where previous records were written in a partial state of turmoil, Aaron's debut LP shows maturation and range. Introducing... is both loving and gracious, critical without losing hope, and a showcase of a young artist on a seriously soulful ascent.

Als Matthew E. White an dem Nachfolger seines zweiten Studioalbums arbeitete, wollte er seine Herangehensweise an das Songwriting neu erfinden, zumindest für eine Session. White versammelte eine vertrauenswürdige Truppe von sieben Musikern in Richmond, Virginia. Er dirigierte das Septett durch eine Reihe von lockeren, größtenteils gestischen Kompositionen. Die Klänge waren gewaltig, eine Reihe von Keyboards und Gitarren untermalten den Schwung einer ineinandergreifenden vierköpfigen Rhythmusgruppe. Aber die Ergebnisse passten nicht ganz zu der in Arbeit befindlichen Platte, so dass White die Jams auf Eis legte, bis die richtige Muse kam. Das war, wie sich herausstellte, Lonnie Holley, dessen wunderschön verwelkte Stimme bald eine Art kosmische Weisheit über Whites wartende Arbeit ergoss. Das Ergebnis - Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection - ist explosiver und eindringlicher als alles, was die beiden Künstler je gemacht haben. Aggressiv, aber ekstatisch, spielerisch, aber pointiert, ist Broken Mirror eine pointierte, aber einfühlsame Sozialkritik, unterlegt mit einem mächtigen Groove. Holley nahm seine Vocals über Whites Aufnahmen in nur vier Stunden auf. Als Visionär und intuitiver Texter hörte sich Holley 20 Sekunden an und proklamierte die Bilder, die die Klänge hervorriefen. Wenn ihm etwas gefiel, zog er ein Notizbuch zu Rate, das voller lyrischer Einfälle war, und sang dann komplette erste Takes zu Musik, die er noch nie gehört hatte. Abzüglich bescheidener Bearbeitungen und leichter Overdubs wurde Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection an Ort und Stelle fertiggestellt, ein Blitz, der einen Platz zum Einschlagen suchte. Holley und White mögen als unwahrscheinliche Kollaborateure erscheinen, da sie durch Jahrzehnte und Disziplinen getrennt sind, aber die beiden teilen tiefe Alabama-Wurzeln. Und was noch wichtiger ist: Holley und White betrachten Musik als ein unheimliches Gefäß für sonst undurchdringliche Vorstellungen von Trauer, Leid und Solidarität. Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection ist ein zeitgemäßer Appell an die Kraft der Zusammenarbeit, an verwandte Geister, die sich auch in überfüllten Räumen zusammenfinden.

Five years after the release of ‘Pressure Loss’ the modern master of electronic minimalism Nicola Ratti returns to Where To Now? in collaboration with Japanese MC ‘MA’, for a suite of submerged, outsider Trip-Hop.

‘Shinkai’ meets at the crossroads of the gloomy sonic snapshot world of Tricky, the South London DIY avant pop bloom of Curl/Mica Levi, the outer fringes of Hip-Hop heralded by the Anticon crew, and the deep textured minimalism of Machinfabriek.

‘Shinkai’ heralds the first time Nicola Ratti has worked with a vocalist, and MA’s unique brand of ritualistic vocal methods and experimental approaches to intonation and inflexion only enhances Ratti’s otherworldly soundscapes. The depth of meaning behind MA’s lyrics further expands this sprawling sound world, revealing a twisted beauty, a deep insight into the melancholic world MA reflects upon within his abstract wordplay – on ‘Suiso’ MA laments above Ratti’s mourning electronics….

“A ship with the wind in the sails erased a path to the skies.

Gone forever,
In sandy finality,
A scene never to be repeated,
Never to be understood.

Never to hatch,
Dreams of never continuing beyond the crossroads
A painting dissipates as the allure runs dry
Without consulting the dusk, dawn never arrives.

Agonising over the silence brought on by a stumble,
Attacked from all angles until I find my ground once more.
What comes next does not matter - just as long as it comes.
A not-so-distant-future, born from certain uncertainty.

Let me face it with wavering reservations,
Bury me in it
My sins left unanswered
Cover the snow on which it falls.

An unthawing aquarium.
An unanswering aquarium.

Hiding, evolving, recollecting, transferring,
A precarious contradiction befalls.
Timeframes cut, edited and replaced with resentment
The ritual aesthetics of a secret ceremony.

The thoughts of once again,
Fills me with dread and rage.
Painted in blood.

Alas, it was fun...”

On the surface this is an unlikely (yet inspired) collaboration – MA has been a part of the Tokyo Hip-Hop underground for many years, over which time he has stylistically leapt into noisier, more experimental territories. We have Rabih Beaini to thank for shining a light on MA’s talents, with the 2019 LP ‘AMA’ being released on Morphine records, and Beaini opening new doors for experimentation and collaboration.

‘Shinkai’ was composed and recorded between January and April 2020. The pair had met a couple of times in Japan first and then in Europe, undertaking a live collaborative experiment combining sounds and words that had not been designed to be performed together, ‘Shinkai’ reflects the fluidity of this encounter and is in essence a consequence of it.

Ratti assigns the following poetic grounding to the intentions and thematic form of the album – “Shinkai means deep sea, a place most of us will never see except on the surface. The sea depths do not belong to us, they are not places for us, we do not know them and they disturb us, they are a material that we can look at without seeing. I have always thought that height, verticality in general, was not a familiar dimension except in relation to our physicality. The horizon reassures us, the depth disturbs us. The Italian language is written and read horizontally, from left to right, the Japanese language can be written vertically and read from right to left. Does the horizon still reassure us?”