Search:pac man

Producer, songwriter and director Sevdaliza releases her highly anticipated sophomore album Shabrang in roaring 2020. Produced entirely by herself together with long-time collaborator Mucky, the 14- track album is the long awaited follow-up to the 2017 debut album ISON.

In just a few years time Sevdaliza established herself as an iconic, highly creative, versatile and independent artist who has landed on many celebrity moodboards. Her stunning visual for HUMAN of her debut album ISON has collected over 25 million YouTube views to date and masterpiece Shahmaran about mental slavery, won 2 UK Music Video Awards. Sevdaliza toured 35 countries in the last 2 years and amassed thousands of fans globally (Spotify 200.000, Youtube, 300.000, IG 230.000). In 2020 Sevdaliza will return with her follow up album Shabrang.

“Shabrang” is mentioned In Persian mythology, although there is no direct translation to capture it’s essence, the Farsi phrase Shabrang literally translates to color-palette of the night. This “palette” is visualized in the tones in Sevdaliza’s black eye on the album cover. The black eye represents the years of physical and emotional turbulence. In Sevdaliza’s words “This album represents to me that the essence of it all to me is love. It is a deep letter to myself, my own bible I have to write in order to trust and believe in life. Trust in myself and my character as a human being.”

Born in Iran and residing in the Netherlands, Sevdaliza has been a strong independent force in the creation of her art. She is a producer and engineer, an independent art director with critical eye for detail and storytelling and an unique songwriter. Her music has been described as “genre- bending”, drawing on various genres including alternative electronic, indie, triphop, alternative R&B and the avant-garde.

Shabrang is available on grey vinyl and the package contains a large poster and photograph ID-sheet.

Exploring late-night, after-hours meditations on sound; ‘Everything Above The Sky (Astral Travelling with Luke Una)’ is a new compilation by the titular DJ, promoter and enigmatic cultural curator. Off the back of the E Soul Cultura phenomena, this compilation comes at a timely point in Luke’s rich career as he soars the heights of playing all over the world. Avoiding any chance of his sound being pigeonholed, Luke has put together a tracklist of songs and music that have a transcendental feel, after coming off the grid, going back to source, outside the city walls .

Music has long been believed to aid out of body experiences and many of us have searched long and hard for a combination of those elusive ingredients that might alleviate some of the monotony of everyday life, our daily routines and obligations, and those things that seem to block us from the spirit of the universe. In this collection, Luke selects music with all the right ingredients in just the right quantities, allowing the listener to engage in an esoteric journey of enlightenment through sound. Being a prolific collector of music, Luke initially delivered enough tracks to compile several compilations, making the licensing process the biggest effort to date for the label. The music moves softly and slowly, never becoming too intrusive, exemplifying the wonderful elevating properties of simple songs played from the heart.

Luke’s Everything Above The Sky manifesto reads, “Astral Travelling in the meadowlands with acid folk, spiritual jazz, around midnight hocus pocus, cosmic psychedelic soul, magical spellbound whirling swirling love songs, Brazilian ballads of light into machine soul gospel utopia dreaming, Balearic bossa, Outer Space ancient African drum, the breath of trees, escaping the big bad modern world, gathering round winter fires, walking amongst the bracken in Padley Gorge in late summer twilight, overlooking the Hope Valley, escaping ego, detaching and finally letting go amongst the stars with the slowly floating people. It’s beautiful beyond. Everything above the Sky”.

Beginning his career as an original Sheffield house young blood in the mid 1980s, Luke’s move to Manchester and partnership with Justin Crawford saw the birth of Electric Chair, a cornerstone cult night in the UK underground club scene. Then came Electric Elephant, a Croatian festival paying homage to their wild eclecticism from Balearic to Brazilian to É Soul, house, disco and techno. Luke’s much loved, long-running Homoelectric night and more recently Homobloc sell out festival for 10,000 souls has been at the forefront of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ cultural landscape. Luke’s Friday evening show on Worldwide FM captured imaginations and became a cult four-hour must-listen monthly journey for fans all over the world. Today, Luke remains, as ever, at the forefront of a changing milieu, pairing the momentous legacy of Manchester’s 80s and 90s scene with the delivery of what today’s club communities need to get down.

The very first (and long overdue) career-spanning retrospective from Soul music legend P.P. Arnold • A 57 song 3CD set, or 25 song 2LP set featuring singles, album tracks, demos, and previously unreleased songs • A stylishly packaged collection with new sleeve notes by author Jude Rogers • A companion piece to P.P. Arnold's critically acclaimed autobiography Soul Survivor The term "well-established" might be appropriate for some artists but it barely begins to cover the career of the phenomenal P.P. Arnold, whose records and performances are now in their seventh decade.

Her consistently excellent music covers multiple genres, her high-profile admirers and collaborators are plentiful, and yet 'Soul Survivor - A Life In Song' is the first collection dedicated to this extraordinary body of work. Compiled by the artist, 'Soul Survivor - A Life In Song' is being released on a 57 song 3CD set, and 25 song 2LP set, both formats housed in an eye-catching sleeve created by photographer (and close friend) Gered Mankowitz, with extensive new sleeve notes by author Jude Rogers.

Alongside key singles and album tracks it includes previously unreleased recordings, demo versions, live performances, and some rare mixes that are being reissued for the very first time. From her early days at Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label (where she "became one of us", according to Andrew) her allies, associates, and working partners have included the Small Faces, Cat Stevens, Mick Jagger, Barry Gibb, Eric Clapton, Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Blockheads' Chaz Jankel, Roger Waters, Ocean Colour Scene, The Blow Monkeys' Dr. Robert, and Paul Weller. In 2022 P.P. Arnold told her extraordinary life story in her critically acclaimed autobiography Soul Survivor (Mojo magazine called it "a jaw-dropping memoir"); now that book has the soundtrack that it deserves.

Fresh from beasting the end-of-year charts with her 'I Miss Your Love' remix project, Ghost Assembly, aka Manchester DJ and writer Abigail Ward, is back with a double A-side: RESIST! / I Keep on Making the Same Mistake.

RESIST! (Extended 12" Mix)
Laid down quickly and angrily after attending a demo in Manchester city centre, RESIST! aims to capture the galvanising spirit of protest and put it on wax.
A 111bpm acid chugger that will leave dancefloors of an ALFOS or Optimo persuasion begging for more, this is uncompromising machine funk at its crudest.
Duelling 303s twist around each other whilst a taut, snaking 707 groove underpins unexpected blasts of Arabic rhythm, almost as if DJ Pierre had remixed 'Get UR Freak On', relocating it to the Middle East.
As a stuttering Harper Hay vocal sample urges us to RESIST!, the track climaxes with an ice-cold acid house string coda banged out on a disobedient synth. Please note: the sub on this record may trouble your duodenum.

RESIST! (Utter Kunt Mix)
The Utter Kunt mix is a sparse and daring Sleng Teng-inspired avant-dub affair strictly for discerning dancefloors only. Improbably combining hints of the Mission Impossible theme, Les Negresses Vertes' 'Zobi La Mouche' and the rough-hewn sampling of 'Duck Rock', this is a radiant obstacle in the path of the obvious. Warning: collectors of On-U, EBM and New Beat could experience a spate of nocturnal emissions upon purchasing this record.

The A-side closes with a BONUS BEATS version of the Utter Kunt Mix: a must-have DJ tool.

I KEEP ON MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE
Picking up the pace to 120, 'I Keep on Making the Same Mistake' sees Ghost Assembly returning to her string-drenched sad banger comfort zone, pairing a chilly breakbeat with a bass riff reminiscent of Joey Beltram having a gut-wrenching cry wank. Keening vocals supplied by Hazel Grove are chopped up, tormented and eventually hurled down a K-hole as the strings build and the drama escalates.
When the credits roll on this cinematic masterpiece we hear a wistful French lesbian talking about 'borrowed bliss'.

A future comedown classic; also sounds good slowed down to 33rpm.

The E.P. signs off with a stunning string-a-pella that will linger long after the needle hits the run-out groove.

A polymathic affair spanning the broadest musical bandwidth, French outlet Lowlife Cartel resurface with ‘Vuota Beatitudine’ – a fresh 8-track VA extrapolating their eclectic approach to contagious effect.

Universe Room is the eighteenth Guided By Voices album in ten years and packs a vast mix of energy levels and sounds into seventeen diverse tracks in less than forty minutes. The new record ventures into truly surprising territory, where barely any song segments and choruses are revisited and fidelity daringly shifts between lo-fi and hi-fi.

“I wanted to create, hopefully, an experience, kind of a wild ride, where the listener would want to hear it multiple times in order to grasp all the sections and fields of sound to discover something new with each listen,” says Robert Pollard. “I trimmed down the songs so that there wasn’t a lot of repetition, so you get a lot of sections that happen only once or twice.”

Universe Room embodies a realm of new horizons for Guided By Voices, who continue to redefine and expand as they blast off to unpredictable worlds.

Mutant, in partnership with Netflix, are proud to present Graham Raynold’s score to Richard Linklater’s film HIT MAN.

A Romantic Comedy Noir, loosely based on the true story of a nebbish philosophy professor named Gary Johnson who moonlighted as an undercover police officer, HIT MAN is Richard Linklater and Glen Powell’s meditation on identity. Linklater, a filmmaker who has shapeshifted many times over his storied three decades of storytelling, has reteamed with his frequent music collaborator Graham Reynolds, to produce a jazzy, romantic, dark, and playful score.

Reynolds has worked in each of these modes before with Linklater, but never all at the same time. It stands defiant in contrast the version of the Gary that we meet at the beginning of the film - allowing the character to meet the score on its level by the time we approach the twisted finale. This score proves that genre, like identity, can be a limitation placed on both films and film music.

This physical release is limited to 500 copies worldwide, and features a forward by Graham Reynolds and packaging designed by Mutant co-founder Mo Shafeek.

Chapeau Music presents its second vinyl release, this time by Resonances (IT). "Signal" is a record that connects diverse shades of electronic music: from jazzy undertones to industrial techno, from punchy and intricate rhythms to straight and clean grooves. It's a collection of tracks that showcases the vision of the "man behind the Octatrack".

The title track "Signal" develops naturally, immersing the listener in its dynamic layers of piano stabs and synth elements with a fast-paced groove. The subtle distortion of the rhythmic elements injects raw energy without compromising the track's underlying elegance. It reimagines the genre's darker roots, offering a bold and innovative perspective.

Gene Richards Jr's remix of Signal intensifies the journey, delivering a high-impact, hard-groove edge that perfectly complements the EP.

"Please" concludes the A-side with a pulsating rhythm and a cadence that keeps the dancefloor in motion. Its energetic progression completes the A-side with an undeniable dancefloor weapon.

The flip side begins with "Randomizer", an exploration of atmospheric and industrial textures. The track builds around a solid kick drum and spatial synths, with scattered elements orbiting like satellites to create an extraterrestrial experience.

To close, "The Stand" merges classic influences with melodic, Detroit-inspired elements. Wide, reverberated synths fill the space, crafting a fusion of rhythm and melodies to deliver a standout closing track that feels timeless.

Scanning Backwards, Phase Fatale’s second full-length album originally released on Berghain’s in-house label Ostgut Ton in 2020 is now reissued via his label BITE on limited edition pink marble vinyl after being long sold out and sought after. Using the connection between weaponized sound and psychological manipulation as a conceptual foundation, Hayden Payne explores the ways in which music – and sub frequencies in particular – are used to influence thinking and to synchronize emotions and behavior: from military technology to sound systems and the physicality and sexuality of queer techno culture.

Known for his innovative post-punk takes of dance music as featured on EPs for unterton and Ostgut Ton, the Berghain resident draws on his background as both a guitarist and sound engineer to create a heady mix of broken rhythms, noise-, and shoegaze-inflected techno, often at slower tempos. The result is music with space and pace to expand, highlighting the intense rushes of frequencies found in both sonic warfare and functional dance music. Over eight tracks named after a combination of historical and fictional narratives from literature and science fiction, Payne’s rhythmic excursions explore different manifestations of sound as power – specifically within the context of seeing Berghain as an instrument itself. This is also reflected in the album artwork, taken from an early flyer for the SNAX party series and an obvious ode to the fetishization of power dynamics.

In his own words: “All tracks on the album, no matter the style, were tailored to sound a certain way in Berghain – something I figured out through years of dancing in the middle of the floor, DJing as a resident and investigating what frequencies really penetrate the body. This includes speech and high-frequency, brain-penetrating instrumentation and drilling textures that I had not utilized so often before, but which I think also have an effect on thought and memory. It’s especially true in a space where gay and fetish roots combine with music in unexpected ways, almost in a cultish manner. A musical and physical deprogramming and reprogramming, psychic driving and de-patterning, the erasing and replacing of memories.”

Ultimately, Scanning Backwards surveys not only the manipulative properties of electronic music (mantras, loops, subliminal messages) but also how rhythm facilitates both moving and thinking in synchrony; a pulse of coordinated sound- and brainwaves.

As Jess Sylvester finished his Hardly Art debut as Marinero in the fall of 2020, he realized it was time for a change. Sylvester grew up in Marin County, on the doorstep of San Francisco. It was a nurturing community for a high-school punk with a pompadour and, later, for a sober songwriter with a proclivity for moody psychedelia. But he wanted to be challenged and inspired by a new setting and scenario around strangers who prompted him to approach his music in unexpected ways. So in September 2020, as the world continued to reel in lockdown, Sylvester headed several hours south to Los Angeles, a city that, despite the relative proximity, the film buff knew largely from classic and cult films situated there. When he arrived, he kept digging into that cinematic past-Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, with John Williams' classic theme, or classic 90s movies about East LA, many featuring Edward James Olmos. They shaped his understanding of his new town just as it began to open. This is one pillar of the multivalent and endlessly lush La La La, Marinero's new album about sobriety, identity, and fantasy that is playfully named both for the city that helped shape it and the sophisticated pop it contains. Sylvester wrote about characters outside of himself, whether considering the heroine reckoning with her own version of keeping clean or the screenwriters whose work was deemed communist simply as a political convenience. He linked those songs with motivational anthems about self-acceptance and playful numbers about flirting through food, shaping a 12-song set rich with humor, empathy, and encouragement. Sure, La La La is a continuation of the slippery genre play Sylvester started with 2021's Hella Love, 2019's Trópico de Cáncer, or even before that. But it also feels like a fresh beginning for Marinero, as Sylvester realizes how boundless this project can be. He began to think about the music of his childhood, how his mother is from San Francisco with Mexican roots, and how he'd heard so much salsa growing up as an impetuous teenager. So he wrote "Taquero," a red-hot salsa tune that uses tacos and their trappings as a source of endless metaphors for come-ons. And then there was the Ray Barreto or Santana-inspired "Pocha Pachanga," with organ gliding and percussion pulsing beneath his yearning vocals, warped as if by desert winds. In Los Angeles, he found a wealth of players who spoke this music like language itself (including Chicano Batman's Eduardo Arenas), all ready to play with and push these familiar forms. Sylvester has also been sober for 21 years, since a cross-country sojourn to attend college in Boston ended in a chemical haze. Today, he sees friends facing the same decisions he made two decades ago, and he brings bits of that experience to bear in songs that feel like self-help anthems. Recorded with a musical hero (and labelmate) of his, Chris Cohen, "Sea Changes" feels like sunshine breaking through dark clouds, as Sylvester acknowledges the newfound confidence and clarity in a friend who has stepped away from destructive habits. In the past, Sylvester has been intractably linked to his identity as a Mexican-American, born to parents from Mexico and Irish- American descent who settled in San Francisco. That can be limiting, of course, tying him to notions of sound and style that aren't always correct. On La La La, he simultaneously steps into and out of those preconceptions, singing tracks above salsa in joyous Spanish or pondering the dynamics of the Hollywood Ten and blacklists above mysterious lap steel and teasing trumpet. His identity, then, should now be clear: He is a Californian, making music shaped by the diversity of encounters and experiences that are a central part of that state's fabric. Never before has he presented himself so fully and unabashedly on tape as with La La La, an album Sylvester built with new inspirations to deliver new charms.

This compilation is more than a selection of songs from Willy Nfor’s solo career in Nigeria—it’s the story of a man’s determination to live his dreams. Known as Willy Ngeh Nfor, he was a founding member of the Mighty Flames. One morning, Willy and his bandmates packed their instruments, grabbed a few clothes, and headed from Cameroon to Nigeria. Crossing the border on foot, they made their way to Onitsha.

“We left Cameroon with no contacts in Nigeria—it was an adventure. We’d heard about the FESTAC Arts Festival and felt we had to be part of it. Our first band in Nigeria was Pentagon Funk Band, sponsored by the 5th Brigade in Port Harcourt. Later, we moved to Onitsha and signed with Right Time Stores, recording Sweet Love (RTLPS 011) as The Mighty Flames. The sessions were at Decca Studios in Lagos, with a 16-track analog system. It was intense—no room for mistakes. We rehearsed endlessly before recording each take.” (Vincent Ekedi, Drummer, Mighty Flames)

Willy’s journey was shaped by his resilience and talent. Losing his mother early and facing family struggles, music became his escape. Inspired by funk and jazz-rock greats like Bootsy Collins, Jaco Pastorius, and Stanley Clarke, he honed his skills on bass and composition, playing with local bands alongside musicians like Vincent Ekedi. Together, they refined their grooves, dreaming of brighter futures.

After his time in Nigeria, Willy moved to Paris, becoming a session bassist for legends such as Manu Dibango, Mory Kanté, Tony Allen, Akendengue, Ray Lema, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Kanté Manfila. Touring extensively, he lived the “Star Life” (Star Life, Cornerstone Records, Feel So Fine, 1981), playing funk grooves with giants in grand venues, fulfilling his dream of the spotlight.

Analog Africa is back with a dedicated project celebrating Gnonnas Pedro, the king of Modern Agbadja, and they press it up on a marvellous double album that includes an eight-page booklet with a ton of extra info. Although four tracks of his have previously appeared on the 2009 Legends of Benin compilation, this bumper pack features 16 of Pedro's best works, all of which captivated Africa at the time. His vibrant blend of Agbadja, Cuban fon, jerk, highlife and more unique styles, all of which come with vocals sung in Fon, Mina, Yoruba, French, English and Spanish, add up to one hell of a rich sound. This is a great testament to the artist's extraordinary legacy.

WRWTFWW Records is honored to present a one of a kind collaboration release between buzzing UK producer and DJ Pizza Hotline and Swedish electronic and synth icon Mitch Murder, delivering 3 gigantic tracks each for the Anti Gravity Tournament album, now available as a limited-edition LP housed in a heavyweight 350gsm sleeve illustrated by the legendary junkboy. It is also available in digital formats.

Inspired by the classic WipEout video game series, this high-energy boosted split-album transports listeners into the futuristic world of anti-gravity racing, a colorful turbo adventure soundtracked by 6 mega tracks of fast-paced atmospheric jungle, thunderous breaks, and liquid drum & bass. The adrenaline-fueled collection delivers maximum energy and dreamy vibes, a true paradise for fans of 90s/Y2K video games, LTJ Bukem, Peshay, Soichi Terada, and previous efforts by Mitch & Pizza.

Anti Gravity Tournament follows 2 critically-acclaimed albums by Pizza Hotline – Level Select and Polygon Island, both still available on WRWTFWW Records, as well as the limited Low Poly Breaks cassette series which sold out in a few minutes.

Mitch Murder is known as one of the originators of synthwave and has released timeless albums on Rosso Corsa Records, Mad Decent, and My Pet Flamingo (TimeSlave Recordings). He is also the man behind the Kung Fury soundtrack and has collaborated with…David Hasselhoff himself!

The astonishing exclusive artwork comes from the one and only junkboy, creative director at Mojang Studios (Minecraft) and all-around design grandmaster.

Fasten your seatbelt and join the fun.

***** AUGMENTED REALITY COVER *****

For the third release on Dust In Grooves, Olivia Mendez curates a compilation EP that honours the boundary pushing spirit of the vinyl-only imprint and presents a collection of mind bending tracks by emerging and established techno producers. The first VA instalment on DIG showcases adventurous, challenging, and dynamic cuts while maintaining the groovy and raw signature sound of the label. Bridging the analog format with a forward thinking design is the animated cover created by visual artist Deniz Bicer, she is also known as Ojelibalon.

LKY - Bitter
Bitter by Manchester based producer LKY is a direct immersion in the atmospheric depths conveyed within a minimalistic tool track. With trippy loops and changing beats, this opener leaves a bitter taste of the sweaty, trance-infused 90s.

Deluka - R.A.W
R.A.W glistens with a mind-bending sound design, produced by the No Signal Records founder Deluka. He delivers a visceral, hypnotising track with quirky highs and stomping, rhythmic lows, captivating the attention all throughout the end.

Metapattern - Tamakotuma
On the B side, the relentlessly driving and layered Tamakotuma by Metapattern, beams with melting synths, intense rhythm and skewed melodies. After joining the Mord and HAYES families, Metapattern contributes a dynamic track with evolving retro-futuristic design, journeying across dimensions.

Dotdat - Take me to Detroit
An homage to the roots of timeless sound and community, Take me to Detroit by Dot Dat is a soothing dance-floor energy tamer, filled with melodic arpeggios and spacious drums. After his release on Truncate records, Dot Dat closes out the DIG VA with a slower-paced track, laced with classic synths.

Words by Lora Mateeva

Animation - Deniz Bicer
Master - Nihad Tule
Graphist - Ferdinand Prat

Veyl is pleased to welcome Harlem back to the label with a new 8 track LP titled Cage. The Stockholm-based duo of Martin Thomasson and Johan Skugge last appeared on the imprint with 2021’s, Bait, and the project now returns diving deeper in to their infectious cocktail of menacing electronics.

Bringing with them a vast body of work, ranging from dub to minimal techno, with Harlem the pair fuse electro, no wave, post-punk, disco, proto-body, dub, hip-hop, and grime, creating a unique sound that cannot be categorized. Cage opens with “Shut Your Body”, a muscular piece which drills into the surface, setting the stage for what’s to come. Next up is “Fantasy Scan” a dance floor ready jam that picks up the pace and lures us into the pleasure dome. “Blow by Blow” brings a nihilistic energy to a fictional scenario that takes its cues from the past while remaining firmly in the now.

“Kiss The Steel” continues on the slow burning path, dropping us into a dream like state, blurring the lines of reality and plunging us into a surrealist nightmare or reverie? “Dummy Up” comes roaring back, injecting a dose of electro and body that sounds like a soundtrack to your favorite cult gathering. With “Sleuth”, we hear the repetitive grind of a man at work, searching for the unknown, unlocking new mysteries along the way. As we head toward the finale, “Contact High” brings back a seductive dance, ready to movie bodies and stir emotions. Closing things out is “Wiggle Walker”, returning us to a drifter’s journey, a wanderer’s melody that carries us to the end, or is it just the beginning?

Recorded in 1997, Mountain Top features the commanding vocals of Tony Roots, backed by the legendary Firehouse Crew and produced by the visionary Fada Waz (Clifton Carnegie). This record’s release was driven by the people, evidenced and encouraged by the countless wheel-ups and sing-alongs during King Original’s international tour dates over the last three years whenever this seminal recording was dropped in the set.

Tony Roots, known for his cultural and spiritual themes, delivers a powerful vocal performance, reminding us that life’s most important journey is overcoming obstacles to find ‘Jah Love on the Mountain Top.’ This message is as relevant in today’s fast-paced, easy-come-easy-go consumer culture as it was when recorded three decades ago.

The Firehouse Crew renowned for their work with iconic acts like Luciano and Sizzla—shine brightly on this riddim, with the MPC drum machine-centered sound of 90s Jamaican roots reggae. An up-tempo 4/4 steppers beat layered with rich analogue textures and soulful instrumentation defines this timeless recording.

The first of many collaborations between Studio 55, Before Zero Records, and Footsie, the King Original legacy continues into the future, honouring the enduring contributions of Fada Waz and his collaborators.

Clifton Carnegie aka Ras Wazair aka Fada Waz - Clifton Carnegie, known as Ras Wazair, founded King Original Sound System in 1973, establishing it as East London’s foremost reggae sound. Operating under his Studio 55 moniker, he collaborated with legends like Johnny Osbourne, Barry Brown, Michael Prophet, Cornell Campbell, and Frankie Paul through imprints such as Original Sounds, Studio 55, and Original International. A mentor to many of the UK’s top sound systems and a key figure in London’s RasTafari community, Ras Wazair’s connections with prominent Jamaican artists, bands, and producers like Fattis Burrell ensured that Jamaican music remained an influential force in the UK sound system scene.

King Original
Founded in 1973 by Fada Waz, King Original Sound System shaped East London’s reggae scene for over two decades. Fada Waz and his son Footsie—a UK Grime pioneer who in later years expanded the legacy through his KO LP series and sold-out King Original mixed-genre events at London’s top venues—worked together until Footsie assumed full control following Fada Waz’s passing in 2021. Having worked with artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys, The Prodigy, D-Double E, Wiley, and Skepta, Footsie’s dedication to King Original has reinvigorated the legacy that underpins all UK bass music—the reggae sound system. Joining Footsie is his brother, Wazair’s last born Ras D also Jah Model, and long-time collaborator Sir Spyro, producer of two UK number-one hits with Stormzy and son of UK reggae stalwart Nerious Joseph. Armed with cutting-edge QSS sound system technology, King Original continues to set trends, shaping the future of UK bass music.

Tony Roots
Hailing from Manchester, Jamaica, in the 1980s, Tony Roots emerged alongside iconic figures like Garnet Silk and Tony Rebel. While his peers remained in Jamaica, Tony moved to the UK, where he went on to release ten albums and numerous singles, including hits like Grow Your Natty Dread Locks and Hola Zion. A steadfast champion of Rastafari, Tony has collaborated with legends such as the Firehouse Crew, earning worldwide respect and a devoted following within both the reggae community and the UK sound system scene.

The Firehouse Crew
Formed in 1986, The Firehouse Crew became a cornerstone of the 1990s roots-reggae revival. Initially associated with King Tubby’s Firehouse label before establishing their own, the band rose to prominence through collaborations with producer Philip “Fattis” Burrell at Xterminator Records. Their contributions to timeless albums like Luciano’s Where There is Life highlight their extraordinary musicianship. Over the years, The Firehouse Crew has backed iconic artists such as Sizzla, Buju Banton, and Beres Hammond, cementing their legacy as masters of roots reggae.

Rats on Rafts descend further into the brooding wasteland on their new album ‘Deep Below’, a darker, slower, eroded sound from the Rotterdam band. Highlighting different shades within the monochrome landscape compared to their previous, more colourful albums: they dive deeper into their psyche, questioning our relationships with nature, religion and each other. Echoes of The Cure, Cocteau Twins and Slowdive seem present yet so many different influences make up an album that only they could create. It sees Rats on Rafts coming of age whilst raising their heads from the underground. Forever drifting into new territory, ‘Deep Below’ is certainly their darkest and most cohesive work to date. True to their analogue recording process, the tape machines, reverbs, echoes and vital new ingredients: the Soundcraft 1s mixing desk (Used by Lee Perry) and the eerie sounding Eminent String Ensemble synth all amplify the authentic sounds of the 1980’s without sounding like a relic. ‘Japanese Medicine’ is a haunting minor chord piece driven by debris of icy chiming guitars, galloping drums and waves of lush synths. lyrically it gathers memories of teenage friendship, littered with cigarettes, life-changing records, punctuated with the dark thoughts and the demons they summon up. Though the band have kept the songs relatively slow-paced and sparse, deeper ruminations of mortality and alienation creep through the cracks. ‘Nature Breaks’, the most propulsive song on the record, thematically locks into this notion, as Fagan meditates on human impulse in the face of abject survival, and how those situations often unlock one's true self. You may conclude Rotterdam’s Rats on Rafts relationship with the past is complicated. ‘The Moon Is Big’ (2011) ‘Tape Hiss’ (2015) and ‘Excerpts From Chapter 3’ (2021) are truly gripping analog timestamps of a band refusing to give in to the supposed ‘progress of the world’ instead forging their own way each time. ‘Deep Below’ is Rats on Rafts’ most minimalist work since their 2011 debut. Where the latter album was fuelled by a brash bravado, these recordings meditate on sentiments of doubt, loss, and ageing. “One of the great contemporary European rock bands” Louder Than War

Mr Bongo is proud to present an official reissue of Zé Rodrix E A Agência De Mágicos ‘O Esquadrão Da Morte’. Written, arranged and composed by the genius of Zé Rodrix and performed by his band 'Agência de Mágicos’, this Brazilian library funk beauty is the soundtrack to Carlos Imperial's 1975 film of the same title. Echoing European soundtrack maestros such as Roy Budd and Ennio Morricone, but with a Brazilian swagger, Zé Rodrix's score is a sublime gem that needs rediscovery.

Rich in 70's soundtrack cool, the score is packed with orchestrated jazz, chase scene-funk, breaks, psychedelic freakouts and plenty of drama. The loose and quirky break-beat jazz-funk of 'Assalto' feels almost tailor-made for today's hip-hop production aesthetic. The opening drum break of 'Esconderijo' is a sampler’s dream and has already been reinterpreted by the Turkish Rapper Anıl Piyancı, as well as Brazil's DJ Caique.

Carlos Imperial was a jack of all trades. As a songwriter and music producer, he created a highly impressive back catalogue. It includes working with or writing songs for Tim Maia, Elza Soares, Brigitte Bardot, and Wilson Simonal. He also co-wrote the rare cult Brazilian 7" compacto 'Lindo Sonho Delirante (L. S. D') by Fábio. Carlos Imperial wrote liner notes and was an actor, filmmaker, television presenter, and media figure. His film 'O Esquadrão da Morte' is a violent heist movie starring Beto Bandeira, Claire Chevalier, and Baby Conceicao; in the vein of exploitation films and gritty, raw B-Movie cinema of the day. Both the film and album share striking, macabre artwork by artist Benicio.

The instrumentalist, arranger, and singer-songwriter Zé Rodrix has a musical achievements list that is also one to admire. He’s worked with the cream of Brazilian music, having written songs covered by the greats, including Quarteto Em Cy, Ronald Mesquita, Elis Regina, Karma, and Célia, to name just a few. His written arrangements have graced the music of Luli Lucinha E O Bando and Helio Matheus. He was a member of the iconic group Som Imaginário and played piano and synthesizer on Secos & Molhado's classic 1973 album.

We are super pleased to make this dusty treasure available again. It is a wonderful soundtrack score that more than holds its own with its European and American counterparts of the era.

Radioactive Man (Keith Tenniswood) presents his 6th album ‘Jam Out The Kicks’ released on self-operated label Asking For Trouble this November 28th. Written while immersed in the throes of touring over the last four years - the album showcases Tenniswood’s singular sound, honed for the international dance floors that he is charged with. Jam Out The Kicks will be released on a triple 12” vinyl package with artwork by renowned artist Lung.

Working together UK rave, jungle, breakbeat and Detroit electro and techno the album plays between these different genres and styles. It brings the grit, joy, grime and funk but also with a big lot of heart in its sensitive softer elements and moments. Opening track ‘Under The Counter’ has been the lead to his live performances - soft and gleaming and with deep warm bass tones it’s his reset track to set the tone for the set. We then move into slap bass funk on ‘See Above’ and through the many sounds on the release - from dense textured and kicking techno to bass heavy rave. Curveball on the release is ‘Sinkhole’ starting out as a collaboration with Suade Bergemann, vocallists Ali Love and Chloe Raunet (C.A.R) both put their touch on it. It’s just one example of Radioactive Man’s desire not to want to be held down to any one sound and to always be developing and moving forward.

Das französische Rock-Quartett Last Train aus Lyon kündigt sein drittes Studioalbum 'III' für den 31. Januar 2025 an! Aufgenommen wurde das Album mit dem langjährigen Produzenten und quasi fünften Mitglied Rémi Gettliffe in einem verfallenen Schloss mitten in Frankreich mitten im Winter. Dementsprechend düster, aber vor allem wütend klingt die neue Platte. In den letzten Jahren konnte sich die Band nicht nur eine engagierte und leidenschaftliche Fangemeinde aufbauen, sondern verdienten sich auch die Anerkennung von Bands wie Muse und Placebo, die beide Last Train einluden, sie auf Tour zu begleiten. Ähnlich wie die beiden britischen Rockgiganten hat Last Train mit 'III' ein Album voller atemberaubender Kontraste geschaffen, mit einer rohen Dynamik, die einen direkt fesselt. Von ungezügelten, lauten Gefühlsausbrüchen bis zu ruhigeren - manchmal packenden, manchmal bedrohlichen Momenten, leben die neun Songs auf 'III' von einer Leidenschaft und Intensität, die ihresgleichen sucht.

Having haunted stages across the UK for the best part of a decade, the critical success of their 2024 sophomore full-length `Acts of Harm' gave caustic shoegaze outft Outlander pause to refect on their astounding 2019 debut, `The Valium Machine', soon to be reissued by Pelagic Records on vinyl for the frst time. Written and recorded in 2018 over a handful of studio sessions in Stoke-on-Trent, `The Valium Machine' was a formative experience for Outlander in more ways than one. Prior to working on the album, the band would happily describe themselves as your standard, straight-down-the-middle post rock band but an openness to new infuences from the `90s slowcore and shoegaze scenes, the delicate, textural introduction of vocals and the pivotal decision to track the album in sprawling, full-band takes lead Outlander to fundamentally redefne their sound and scale; adding a pointed sense of dynamic and discordant dirge that lead to the four-piece sharing stages with trailblazing genre heavyweights Bossk and Grivo as well as breathtaking performances at festivals like Dunk! (BE) and ArcTanGent (UK). With beautiful artwork produced in partnership with street photographer Richard Lambert documenting the colourful, everyday life of their beloved Birmingham, the initial run of `The Valium Machine' was limited to a criminally small 50 CDs through tiny local imprint FOMA. Now, fve years later, Outlander owe their panoramic pace and formidable, funereal sound to those few days spent in Stoke- on-Trent and the band, along with Pelagic Records, believe this nascent recording deserves to be heard by many, many more. FOR FANS OF: Duster, Codeine, Swervedriver, Catherine Wheel, Kowloon Walled City

Having haunted stages across the UK for the best part of a decade, the critical success of their 2024 sophomore full-length `Acts of Harm' gave caustic shoegaze outft Outlander pause to refect on their astounding 2019 debut, `The Valium Machine', soon to be reissued by Pelagic Records on vinyl for the frst time. Written and recorded in 2018 over a handful of studio sessions in Stoke-on-Trent, `The Valium Machine' was a formative experience for Outlander in more ways than one. Prior to working on the album, the band would happily describe themselves as your standard, straight-down-the-middle post rock band but an openness to new infuences from the `90s slowcore and shoegaze scenes, the delicate, textural introduction of vocals and the pivotal decision to track the album in sprawling, full-band takes lead Outlander to fundamentally redefne their sound and scale; adding a pointed sense of dynamic and discordant dirge that lead to the four-piece sharing stages with trailblazing genre heavyweights Bossk and Grivo as well as breathtaking performances at festivals like Dunk! (BE) and ArcTanGent (UK). With beautiful artwork produced in partnership with street photographer Richard Lambert documenting the colourful, everyday life of their beloved Birmingham, the initial run of `The Valium Machine' was limited to a criminally small 50 CDs through tiny local imprint FOMA. Now, fve years later, Outlander owe their panoramic pace and formidable, funereal sound to those few days spent in Stoke- on-Trent and the band, along with Pelagic Records, believe this nascent recording deserves to be heard by many, many more. FOR FANS OF: Duster, Codeine, Swervedriver, Catherine Wheel, Kowloon Walled City

It’s safe to assume no one in the audience at Carnegie Hall on March 30, 1974 anticipated what Miles Davis would play at the concert documented on Dark Magus: Live at Carnegie Hall. Recorded near the tail end of his electric period, the double album remains the darkest, most ferocious statement of Davis’ career — a visionary effort that foresaw developments in jungle, noise-rock, funk, and drum ‘n’ bass.

Initially issued in Japan in 1977, Dark Magus waited two decades for U.S. release. Now, more than 50 years after Davis and his ensemble blew minds at the famous New York venue, it gets its first-ever domestic issue on vinyl — and on a definitive-sounding pressing at that.

Mastered at Mobile Fidelity's California studio, housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, this numbered-edition 180g 33RPM 2LP set of Dark Magus invites you to pull up a seat and wrap your head around an exhilarating performance that simultaneously functions as an audition, experiment, release, and magnificent explosion of jazz-rock fusion. We hope your turntable and speakers are up to the challenge.

This collectible reissue presents the improvisational magic that unfolded onstage — the skronking tonalities, wah-wah-pedal bluster, acid-washed effects, furious drumming, run-the-voodoo-down grooves, menacing riffs, crashing cymbals —with incredible detail, color, and pace. It also captures the band’s unbelievable energy, rendering both instruments and on-the-fly changes with revealing depth, definition, and dynamics. At its core, MoFi’s audiophile set takes you deep into the boundless mystery, promise, and uncertainty of Davis and company’s efforts like never before.

The story behind Dark Magus is nearly as unbelievable as the spur-of-the-moment compositions that resulted when Davis brought drummer Al Foster, bassist Michael Henderson, percussionist James Mtume, horn virtuoso Dave Liebman, and guitarists Pete Cosey and Reggie Lucas together, and, in a new twist for the concert’s second half, added guitarist Dominique Gaumont and tenor saxophonist Azar Lawrence to mix. That the latter two instrumentalists had never seen each other until that night adds to Davis’ legend — and penchant for bold, unorthodox moves.

Ditto Davis’ own actions that spring evening, which reportedly included showing up to the show an hour late and taking the stage with his back facing the crowd. The strategy worked. Davis inspired the group to play in a bold manner that few, if any, had heard before. Dark Magus is a rhythmic bonanza. Rooted in Afro-centrist techniques, avante-garde sensibilities, and exploratory moods, the songs eschew set arrangements and solos, and, for the most part, melodic devices.

For Davis, Dark Magus represented a personal triumph amid a period marked by health issues, addictions, and critical decline. The latter slight would be corrected, but not until decades later when Dark Magus saw Stateside release in 1997 via a CD reissue. Of course, the free-form patterns, unpredictable passages, dense structures, and distorted blues that course through the songs — titled after Swahili numerals — are not for everyone. And certainly not for the fainthearted. Though Dark Magus contains majestic moments marked by quiet restraint and something on the level of balladry, its rich and radical concoction of tormented thwacks, thumps, cracks, clatters, wails, bleeps, burbles, stomps, and enigmatic beats remains its adventurous heart and soul.

Primal and enigmatic, fierce and jagged, forceful and revolutionary, jolting and terrifying, Dark Magus seemingly attacks from any and all directions. Turn it up loud and let the prophetic brilliance of this inimitable and relentlessly funky album wash over you.

Released in October 1983, “North Of A Miracle” was Nick Heyward’s first solo album after leaving Haircut 100. Produced by Geoff Emerick (The Beatles, Elvis Costello, Badfinger, America, Supertramp and many more), the album features the hit singles “Take That Situation”, “Whistle Down The Wind”, “Blue Hat For A Blue Day” and “On A Sunday”. The album went on to sell over 100,000 copies in the UK, earning a Gold Disc Award.

Deluxe 3CD Edition:
Expanded to a Deluxe 3CD Edition, Disc One features the original album mastered from the original stereo tapes, Disc Two features the various 12” mixes, instrumental versions and non-album B-sides, while Disc Three, entitled “Recordings 1984”, features Nick’s 1984 single releases “Love All Day” and “Warning Sign”, along with the tracks from their accompanying 12” singles. Also featured are three previously unreleased tracks: “Teach Till You Reach” (an unreleased single), “Give Love More Time” (an alternate instrumental version of “Love All Day”), and “Kiss Those Tears Goodbye” (an unfinished recording featuring the backing vocals only). Annotated by author and journalist Daryl Easlea, based on a brand-new interview with Nick Heyward, this 3CD set is presented in Deluxe 7” Packaging, with a 20-page booklet.

180g Vinyl Edition:
This new edition has been expertly mastered by Barry Grint at AIR Mastering from the original stereo tapes using precision half-speed mastering. Half-speed mastering is a vinyl cutting technique that improves groove accuracy and transient information creating an incredibly detailed stereo image with a natural high frequency response.

Presented in its original gatefold sleeve, pressed on 180-gram heavyweight black vinyl, featuring an obi strip and housed in a poly-lined inner sleeve, with a 2-page insert.

Six songs that are worth it. Manic electropunk that somehow - consciously or as collateral damage - manages to pack that seventies goblin horror movie vibe (on one track it's also a video game soundtrack) into catchy and contemporary songs that just move forward. Big guitars, big synthesizer, big drum beats and those nasty melodies that can still accelerate demons in 2023. A bit of VOLT could be mentioned as a reference, but the band from mighty, mighty Offenbach (for a world career I would suggest Frankfurt) clearly has its own flair and, despite the home recording, seems so powerful that it hurts. Compared to the Bandcamp stream on vinyl and a decent system, “Havana Syndrome” sounds much more powerful. The almost cheap beatbox is the real icing on the cake, because the guitar, the bass and, above all, that divinely played synthesizer are so amazing that I'm inclined to want a child from a band for the first time. I'll tell you straight away, it won't be pretty, but at least it'll be talented. Exquisite 12”, which especially calls for a second helping! Shortly before the ten points, but there is still something going on.

Paris-based talent Manda Moor arrives on Hot Creations for the first time this May with the three-track The Climax EP, continuing a standout 2022 for the Danish-Filipino artist.

Rustling with tribal undertones and a rolling four-four groove, The Climax instantly transports us to the dancefloor and beyond. Jungle-like melodies live beside infectious lyrical samples before the minimal-sounds of Sandy Groove soon arrive, as fast-paced drums drift beneath a pummelling bassline throughout. Besame rounds things off, ratcheting up the tempo with bell-like percussion and driving kick-hat combos, forming an upbeat, club-ready cut.

Manda Moor has fast-become an esteemed force in contemporary house circles. Racking up acclaimed releases on labels such as Kaluki, Tamango and DJ Pierre’s Afro Acid, her MOOD EDITS series - in conjunction with Sirus Hood - has garnered support from true industry heavyweights, including Pete Tong, The Martinez Brothers and Loco Dice to name a few. Each edition of MOOD EDITS has reached the number one spot on Bandcamp’s House / Deep House / Minimal chart, proof of Manda’s keen ear for production, whilst her club and festival sets include performances at Amnesia, The BPM Festival, Elrow and many more besides.

Following that heavyweight debut release, we're thrilled to load up the second Upgrade weapons pack !!

Three cuts from Leeds DJ and label boss Buckley and one from  Pikes and Cafe Del Mar resident S/A/M...

All different in their own right from the bass heavy peak time action of 'I like', to the the more old school vibes of 'Nude Night' on the A Side.
Side two see's a cheeky upgrade with 'Daft Sandwich' and finishes with the heads down breaky affair of 'Real Man' from S/A/M.

Following the huge acclaim of Matt Berry’s 2021 album The Blue Elephant (“A sonic odyssey” – Uncut) – as well as last year’s one-off album of library music collaboration with the KPM label (“another string to Berry’s impressive bow” – Prog magazine) – we present Heard Noises, Matt’s eighth studio album with Acid Jazz, out 24 January.

We’re hugely excited to offer a beautiful label-exclusive gatefold edition on Psychedelic Swirl colour vinyl, alongside the standard version Sky Blue LP, as well as corresponding soft-pack CD and retro Cassette.

Out now, lead single ‘I Gotta Limit’ finds Matt trading lines with Kitty Liv (Kitty, Daisy and Lewis) as a man after a second chance with a woman impatient with his pleading. With a song structure inspired by Sly Stone, in a little over three minutes ‘I Gotta Limit’ crams in a plethora of musical ideas on an instantly catchy song which is part Northern Soul, part psych.

In contrast to The Blue Elephant’s dizzying trip through an idiosyncratic love of British Psych, Freakbeat, Acid Rock and late ‘60s pop, Heard Noises finds Matt heading for a looser, Californian psychedelia through his love of the trippier sounds of space pop and rock, and his ear for an eerie, haunting melody.

Once again, the album is testament to Matt’s exceptional musicianship, production skills and songwriting prowess. Almost every instrument is played by Matt including guitars, bass, a variety of keyboards (acoustic and Wurlitzer pianos), synthesizers and organs (including Moogs, Vox, Farfisa, Gibson, Eminent organs) and Mellotron.

He is joined by long-time collaborator, neo-progressive drummer Craig Blundell, and guests including Pokerface’s Natasha Lyonne and back with Matt is The Shins/Fruit Bats’ Eric D. Johnson (acoustic guitar, autoharp and backing vocals on ‘Why On Fire?’, ‘To Live For What Once Was’ and ‘Snakes That Slide’), Phil Scraggs (lap steel guitar on ‘To Live For What Once Was’ and ‘Snakes That Slide’), Rosie McDermott (vocals on ‘Sky High’) and the S. Club 60s Choir (featuring Matt’s mum).

In many ways Heard Noises could be considered the perfect distillation of the extraordinary breadth of musical ideas across Matt’s albums to date.

Theresa Stroetges returns to Karaoke Kalk with her second album for the Berlin-based label, her fifth solo full-length with her Golden Diskó Ship project in total. Having released records with the Indian-German band project Hotel Kali as well as Painting, a group dedicated to audio-visual concepts, »Oval Sun Patch« sees her embrace influences from club culture, advanced electronic music, and pop more firmly than ever before. Over the past 15 years, Golden Diskó Ship has served a vessel with which the Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist has traversed a variety of genres and circumnavigated all conventions in the process. With »Oval Sun Patch,« Stroetges again sets sail into unknown waters with what is perhaps her catchiest album so far—beat-driven, playful, atmospheric, and at times thoroughly anthemic. This is the sound of Golden Diskó Ship moving forward.

A life lived in transit, the vastness of bodies of water and the isolation of islands as well as more generally notions of processes and progress have been recurring motives throughout Stroetges’ previous records and also mark »Oval Sun Patch.« In fact, the foundation for the six pieces was laid when she was working abroad and at times close to the sea. The massive three-part album closer »Earth Before The Space Race« was conceived as a multi-channel audio-visual performance piece during a 2021 residency at Zaratan Arte Contemporânea in Lisbon. The others were written in the following year during two other residencies when Stroetges first spent time in Austria at the sound art festival Klangmanifeste in Lindabrunn and then visited Portugal once more for a stay at Goethe-Institut in Lisbon. With the help of Shelley Barradas, who lent her a guitar, and Julia Klein, who helped her setting up a temporary studio in the Goethe-Institut Portugal’s auditorium, she made the preliminary recordings of what would later become this album.

»Oval Sun Patch«, later refined in Berlin and mixed in close collaboration with London-based engineer Hannes Plattmeier, is a direct result of Stroetges having to work with what was available to her at the time of writing and recording. While her distinct guitar playing—evocative yet funky, complex but catchy—once more features heavily and she uses her voice in manifold ways to sometimes harmonise with herself or creating complex canons as counterpoints to her her own lead vocals, the electronic gear she worked with dominates the album both compositionally and sonically. Stroetges’ music has always displayed a passion for club culture and advanced electronic music, but on »Oval Sun Patch« she proves once and for all how well these influences can be integrated into her unconventional approach to songwriting.

However, the punchy beat and Moroder-like bassline that form the backbone of »Dolphins With Soft Helmets,« the throbbing house and techno grooves underneath »Ephemeral Carnivores« and »Well-Oiled Machine« as well as the jittery IDM rhythms of »Google Your New Name« and her nods to trip-hop with »Tiny Island« do not so much follow established formulas as they use them as a starting point for wild experimentation instead. Stroetges juxtaposes complex rhythms with interlocking melodies and rich harmonies in ways that continue to surprise throughout and still leave enough space for the occasional wistful guitar or vocal passage. Nowhere does this approach feel more epic than on the 12 ½ minutes long »Earth Before The Space Race,« which takes its time to unfold, changing its pace and mood throughout.

»Oval Sun Patch« is an album about change. The lyrics describe constant transformations of sceneries, relationships, physical and emotional states as well as the climate throughout its running time. Stroetges in the meanwhile leads the way as a singer, songwriter and producer who lets her music evolve constantly. This is sound, moving forward.

* 180 gram audiophile vinyl
* Gatefold sleeve

This is a re-release of the famous 'red sleeve' Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits album. This record was a stalwart of every decent album collection in the early 1970s as it represented the first greatest hits package from Fleetwood Mac, covering the period from the band's beginning in 1968 through to 1971.

Fleetwood Mac in their original incarnation were led by guitarist Peter Green and were leaders of the second British Blues boom of the late 1960s. Fleetwood Mac enjoyed several hit singles in the United Kingdom at that time and these are collated here for this album, originally issued on CBS Records only in the U.K.

"Albatross" was a huge chart hit in the UK whilst the single "Black Magic Woman" helped to break Fleetwood Mac in the U.S. via a cover version by Santana, that landed in the Top Five of the Billboard Top 40.

The album gatefold shows a full-size photo of the post-Green line up of the band with Christine McVie (nee Perfect), even though she just plays piano on a couple of tracks and wasn't a full-fledged member until after "Kiln House" was released.

Although many a vibe has shifted since the days of dubbing NNF001 one at a time on the floor of a Koreatown bachelor apartment in February of 2004, using stolen photocopies and tie-dyeing J-cards with wine, the label’s essential premise has not. Then, as now, the vision was to elevate and enshrine outsiders, foragers, hidden gems, and hybrid sounds on cheap tapes or affordable records, to be savoured and shared in the here and now. 399 catalogue titles later, the centre still holds.

To toast the label’s 20th anniversary and 400th release, we commissioned a gold roll call of alumni and affiliates: Alley Of The Sun. Named in homage to the Malibu mystic music fountainhead, skewed through a smoggy sideways lens, the 16-song, 90-minute, double LP suite spans every shade of NNF’s Pacific palette: rainforest ceremony, skyway motorik, Tascam rapture, silhouette shoegaze, basement vapour, astral ascension, jazz shadows, 5th world tropics, lucid dream drone, desert quests, prophecy electronics, ritual wreckage.

Equal parts snapshot, tapestry, and time capsule, the compilation reflects the breadth of NNF’s two-decade exploration and evolution, from simple soil to a sea of dunes. True undergrounds have no set sound or fixed polarity, only flashes of transient magic and forking paths, to be cherished and championed for as long as the candle lasts.

The Original Soundtrack by ROB

Blood Red & Black Swirled Vinyl with Forest Green and Yellow Splatter
Heavyweight Gatefold Packaging with Matte Satin Coating
Artwork by Creepy Duck Design
11"x11" Art Print
After the successful sell-out soundtrack release of the Oz Perkins (Longlegs) directed GRETEL & HANSEL, Waxwork Records is excited to team back up with composer

Robin Coudet, aka ROB, on his outstanding new score to Never Let Go. Known for his unique electronic compositions including 2012's MANIAC, HORNS, REVENGE, and GRETEL & HANSEL, ROB's career continues to grow in cinema, series, and documentaries with more than 40 original scores composed.

Waxwork Records is excited to release NEVER LET GO Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by ROB as a deluxe vinyl release including Blood Red and Black swirled vinyl with Forest Green and Yellow splatter, heavyweight gatefold packaging, artwork by Creepy Duck Design, and an 11"x11" art print.

Twisted Records is delighted to announce a different kind of collaborative mini album by two musicians highly esteemed for decades in the electronic music scene, Simon Posford and Raja Ram. 

‘Improvisations for Piano & Flute’ is, as the title suggests, a series of fully improvised compositions by the two legendary musicians. The 44-minute flow of this album is more contemplative and analog in nature than anything in the pair’s previous output in their three decades of collaborative work, yet equally mesmerising and consciousness-expanding.
 
In the early 1990s, Simon Posford was working as an engineer at Butterfly Studios when he first met Raja Ram, an Australian conservatory-trained jazz flautist who had been in the 60s/70s band Quintessence and who was at the time of their meeting part of the electronic music group known as The Infinity Project. After collaborating on many of the latter band’s productions, Posford and Raj (as he is affectionately known) in 1996 created the first track under the project name Shpongle, Rumours of Vapours. 
 
Less dance-focused and more atmospheric than their previous electronica tracks, this was the first of many creations under the Shpongle moniker, included on their now iconic first album Are You Shpongled? in 1998. Since then, they have produced six albums and performed elaborate live sets with an 17-member band around the world, including three sold-out shows at the iconic Red Rocks theatre in Colorado and three sold-out appearances at The Roundhouse in London.

This album is a significant departure from their usual output in its focus on the interplay of Raj’s lyrical flute playing and Simon’s noodling at the piano, with almost imperceptible synthesized atmospheric support that seamlessly unites analog and digital realities. 

These improvisations were recorded in Posford’s living room instead of the usual studio because the musicians found that it provided more of the desired ambience. With a synthesizer placed atop an antique Bluthner piano, either Raj or Simon would begin playing and the other would join in - nothing prepared, decided, or arranged: just live, in-the-moment inspiration. This spontaneity infuses each track with such magnetic energy that the listener is inevitably drawn into each note, phrase, and piece. 
 
The whole album is supremely chill and introspective, with a grand arc to the storyline of 8 tracks that Shpongle fans will recognize from the dynamic duo’s internationally prized discography.  

‘Improvisations for Piano & Flute’ is a salve for the soul, providing an atmospheric antidote to the relentless stress and fast pace of our increasingly complex world - a great way to kick back, tune in, and refresh.

Wunderhorse is the alias of British musician Jacob Slater Jacob fronted The Dead Pretties, a London band who arrived in a haze of hedonism and hype, bowing out before the dust had time to settle. Blink and you'd have missed them. Time- stamped yet timeless. If there's any justice, he'll soon be played out live in sticky basement rooms up and down the country, limbs everywhere, sweat dripping from the walls. An absolute mess, but what a beautiful one.

Dance and drama began for Paulo Alvarado in 1992 when Sabrina Castillo, Bettina Barckhausen, Joam Solo, Xavier Pacheco, and Alfredo Porras invited him to create the music for their choreographic and theatrical productions as an ethereal actor who is not seen but heard; a sound that is not merely an occasion to "musicalize" the stage production; music that does not merely adorn or incidentally accompany the movement and text, but that acts.

This is how he soon had the opportunity to work on the stage production of Sophocles’ OEDIPUS REX (Edipo Rey), the first of several plays for which Alvarado composed music at the request of Luis Tuchán one of the revered theatrical directors from Guatemala. With him, they also worked on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which carried the subtitle "Asesino del Sueño" (Sleep Murderer). Later, as an example of another area of action, and at the request of Dennis Leder one of Guatemala's leading artists from the past three decades and Ana Asturias who had worked with the Guatemalan Dance Company, he created the music for a dance-installation called, fittingly, "Lederana" mixing both words from their name. Around that time, he also began composing and presenting music for productions by Guatemalan authors, such as the drama by Rubén Nájera, "Sacra Conversación", directed by Joam Solo.

These pieces, contained on Side A of the album, represent only a very brief sample of an era immersed in theatre and other performative projects where more than forty theatrical and choreographic pieces where created in a span of three decades, and consist of his valuable contribution to the soundtrack of dramatic theater and contemporary dance in Guatemala.

Separately, the title piece of this album, ANTIGUA, found on Side B, was designed for the exhibition of
engravings, lithographs, and digital prints by Roberto Godoy, Antigua Estampa de la Vida Mía. It gathers musical extemporizations for the dance we invented at the moment of inaugurating the photographic exhibition by Rocío Villanueva, Los Mutantes de los Apegos; the fifth movement of my String Quartet No. 5 (version for six cellos); Exiliados en Tierra Propia(introduction to my song Púrpura de Vida y Sentimiento); and Las 56 (from the film Después del Fuego), dedicated to the young women wounded and killed on March 8, 2018, in a so-called "safe home" in Guatemala City. This LP unites many of Paulo's most experimental works and serve as a small tribute to his life, trajectory and to all those who, without reservation, dedicated and invested resources in his music catalogued by himself as one of the main ways to celebrate human life: art.

When Acid Jazz was in its mid-1990s pomp, it released a lot of great records. Sometimes they flew past at such a pace, we had moved on to something else before we realised how good they truly were. ‘Lovesick’ by the Night Trains is one such record.

A phenomenal mixture of a distinctive sample turned into a un-ignorable groove, an unforgettable melody (and the soulful vocal from Marcia Johnson), weaved around a Miles-like trumpet. It should have been a hit. But it wasn’t. Instead, it is a cult classic, which we are being fully indulgent in releasing on a 7-inch single.

Night Trains were the brain child of Hugh Brooker, and they released the first ever acid jazz single in 'Open Channel D’, appearing on early groundbreaking Acid Jazz compilations. It resurfaced on the label in 1993 with the ‘Sleazeball’ album, from which Lovesick was the lead single. Hugh has in many forms kept the group going until the present day. A testament to persistence and good taste, in the face of industry indifference. Hugh is one of the originals and we are proud to still work with him to this day.

This is the first time that ‘Lovesick’ has appeared on a 7", and it is flipped with the previously-unreleased on vinyl ‘Only Know About Love' on the B-side.

The Last Wave (also known as Black Rain in the US) was the final chapter in a trilogy of films scripted and directed by the leading auteur of the Australian New Wave, Peter Weir. Beginning in 1974 with the absurdist black comedy-horror The Cars That Ate Paris, and followed a year later by the lush gothic mystery Picnic At Hanging Rock, The Last Wave was a landmark in existential horror. Sitting alongside other Australian eco-terror films (e.g. Long Weekend) the film featured a haunting electronic soundtrack that is as mysterious and beguiling as the spiritual themes of the film itself. With no LP issued after the films premiere in 1977, and together with the mystery surrounding the true identity of its enigmatic composer 'Charles Wain', the score is a largely unheard recording of pioneering experimental film electronics, easily compared to the music that contemporaries Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream were composing for Australian films during the same period or the electronic soundtracks of John Carpenter. Tense atonal electronics, synthesizer drones and manipulated Didjeridu all perfectly capture the film's ominous atmosphere, punctuating the slow hypnotic pace of this brooding supernatural thriller.

Collected by Charles Aznavour is a wonderful collection of hits and classics by the French chansonnier, that touches your soul at every moment. It’s an overview of his work during the sixties, seventies and duets with Johnny Hallyday on “Il Faut Savoir” and with Frank Sinatra “Young At Heart”. Also his English versions of “How Sad Venice Can Be”, “The Old Fashioned Way”, “She” and four more English songs are included on this deluxe Trifold 3LP album.

In the early 1950s a man of short stature attempts to win over his audience. With a hoarse voice he delivers songs that do not catch on. People jeer at him. Tomatoes fly through the air. The Frenchman with Armenian roots slinks off the stage, but does not quit. Ironically, the song that makes him a household name is the song in which he recalls his agonising trial. The audience reacted indifferently when Charles Aznavour decided to try out his new song on stage. But when he went on to greet the audience for one final time they all stood and gave him a thundering standing ovation.

In the sixties, hits and classics succeed one another. Nobody is bothered any more by his husky voice, by his small stature or his rugged characterful face. The croony “For Me Formidable” (1963), the heart breaking “Et Pourtant” (1963) and the nostalgic “Hier Encore” (1964) confirm his standing as a fan favourite. “La Bohème” (1965) and “Emmenez-moi” (1967) turn Aznavour into a superstar. In “La Bohème”, there are impressionist painters strolling in the shadows of the Sacré-Coeur, the compelling “Comme Ils Dissent” (1972) is the first chanson after Vichy France to overtly endorse homo sexuality and in the present “France Of La Manif Pour Tous” (the movement that opposes gay marriage), does it again to sound particularly topical. “Camarade” (1977) was about the nomenklatura, the ruling elite in the Soviet Union and is a social and historical topic. “Avec Un Brin De Nostalgie” is an Aznavour grand cru, maybe even the best he has made over the last thirty years.

Charles Aznavour Collected is available as a limited pressing of 1000 individually numbered copies on gold vinyl. The package includes a 4-page booklet with liner notes and photos.

Repress!

'Pacific Rhythm returns with a slight deviation from the Vancouver sound to explore transmissions from the Eastern corners of Canada. Four introspective yet club forward dance tracks from one of Canada's finest producers (and a remix from his flatmate) are the result. Have a listen, we think you'll like it!'

Music To Varnish Owls By. Does Geoff Bastow have a claim for the best album title of all time? It's certainly up there. It's also one of the hardest to find library funk records. But don't let the eye-catching name fool you into thinking this isn't serious business.

As a key member of Giorgio Moroder's team, the legendary Geoff Bastow shouldn't need any introduction. You'll be familiar with his singular brilliance as the brains behind the much-sampled boogie/disco classics "You Don't Like My Music (Hupendi Muziki Wangu?!)" and "Don't Stop", released by his group, K.I.D.

But 1975's Music To Varnish Owls By is where it all began for our hero.

It's packed with incredibly soulful, soothing music that - despite being utilised a few times by Knxwledge - remains still largely un-mined. So, beat-makers, get cracking. And instead of that hyper-rare original, spend that £300 on something else.

Born in 1949, Bastow was a Munich-based English songwriter and record producer. Originally working as a guitarist and pianist in dance bands around his home county of Yorkshire, he moved to London in the early 1970s and then Munich in around 1976. He was one of the main architects of the Munich disco sound of electronic innovator Giorgio Moroder and also released heaps of killer library records for legendary labels like Bruton (with brother Trevor), Impress, JW Music Library and the Munich-based Sonoton between the 1970s-2000s. Bastow died tragically young, in Berlin, Germany on 16 March 2007, at the age of just 57. But he left behind a truly incredible electronic music legacy. He deserves to be much better known and this reissue should bring him to a fair few more ears. Let's see why...

Light-hearted opener "The Rough With The Smooth" contains a killer open drum break and is basically guitar-drenched flute-laced piano-funk. However, the first genuine highlight, "Beautiful People", is just majestic. Reflective, pastoral and silky smooth - as the title suggests, it's just straight beautiful; a chiming, deeply soulful instrumental that has to be heard to be believed. Sampled by Knxwledge but nobody else of note, which is crazy. Slo-mo soul beat "Tumbleweed" is another stone cold track just desperate to be laced by a skilled MC. Laconic, lysergic funk with nostalgic overtones, the guitar is prominent but the flute and glock really elevate it to perfection.

"Bits And Bats" is clav-enhanced Blaxploitation-esque street-funk with tough bass and crunchy drums that, despite its hardness, manages to flirt with breeziness. All in all, sumptuous, pounding wah-wah brilliance. Another huge one, up next. The insistent piano-funk head-nodder "A Change Of Pace" is a total sleuth-funk jammer, with a wonderfully soft snare and more hypnotic, melancholic flute lines. Man, we'd love to hear Alchemist chop this up. It even sounds a bit like Bastow was keeping things thoro with this one. Closing out Side A, the bright and breezy Bossa of "Janelle" makes it a perfect run of six untouchable gems. As elegant as it is sleazy, it sounds like it could've been on the classic KPM greensleeve, Piano Viberations.

Side B opens with the Ramsey Lewis-inspired "Time And A Half", a deceptively simple bass, drums and piano workout, decorated with stylish percussion with some great chord changes and hints of drama via a great bass solo. The heavy "Supersplash" is a doped-out drama suite with fuzzy wah-wah guitars, electric piano and glock. "Fillet Of Soul" is a catchy wah-wah propelled shuffle with piano and vibes, super dynamic but also incredibly chill.

"Well Above Average" is exactly that, a funky instrumental that serves as a straight ahead guitar-soul workout. Oozing bass-driven class, it gets better with every listen. Some open drums for your delectation, too. The fuzzy clav-and-vibes funk of "The Clan" - also understandably sampled by Knxwledge - is a monster head-nod slow jam whilst, seeing us out, the uber-relaxed "Sing Song" rounds things off in bright fashion with its slow but insistent clav, electric piano and glock greatness. Swoon.

As ever, the audio for Music To Varnish Owls By has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.