quête:pai

Riding in on an eviscerating vocal alarm call and originally released in 1988 as the final installment of her Masque of the Red Death trilogy, Diamanda Galás" You Must Be Certain of the Devil is as unflinching now as it was on release in 1988. It remains a swaggering, furious fuck-you to those who might cast aside the sick and dying in the name of faith and scripture. Often misunderstood as simply dark for its subject matter, You Must Be Certain of the Devil in fact shines a light of such total exposure it leaves nowhere to hide, forensically unmasking the fury and pain of real grief and the vast spectrum of emotions rendered by the AIDS epidemic. It is an album that looks you square in the eye, pins you against a wall and makes you look at and feel the horror the virus visited upon a person, the knowledge of certain death in a hostile environment, and the hypocrisy of those who claim to be Samaritans or protectors.

‘Workaround’ is the lucidly playful and ambitious solo debut album by rhythm-obsessive musician and DJ, Beatrice Dillon for PAN. It combines her love of UK club music’s syncopated suss and Afro-Caribbean influences with a gamely experimental approach to modern composition and stylistic fusion, using inventive sampling and luminous mixing techniques adapted from modern pop to express fresh ideas about groove-driven music and perpetuate its form with timeless, future-proofed clarity. Recorded over 2017-19 between studios in London, Berlin and New York, ‘Workaround’ renders a hypnotic series of polymetric permutations at a fixed 150bpm tempo.

Mixing meticulous FM synthesis and harmonics with crisply edited acoustic samples from a wide range of guests including UK Bhangra pioneer Kuljit Bhamra (tabla); Pharoah Sanders Band’s Jonny Lam (pedal steel guitar); techno innovators Laurel Halo (synth/vocal) and Batu (samples); Senegalese Griot Kadialy Kouyaté (Kora), Hemlock’s Untold and new music specialist Lucy Railton (cello); amongst others, Dillon deftly absorbs their distinct instrumental colours and melody into 14 bright and spacious computerised frameworks that suggest immersive, nuanced options for dancers, DJs and domestic play. ‘Workaround’ evolves Dillon’s notions in a coolly unfolding manner that speaks directly to the album’s literary and visual inspirations, ranging from James P. Carse’s book ‘Finite And Infinite Games’ to the abstract drawings of Tomma Abts or Jorinde Voigt as well as painter Bridget Riley’s essays on grids and colour. Operating inside this rooted but mutable theoretical wireframe, Dillon’s ideas come to life as interrelated, efficient patterns in a self-sufficient system.

With a naturally fractal-not-fractional logic, Dillon’s rhythms unfold between unresolved 5/4 tresillo patterns, complex tabla strokes and spark-jumping tics in a fluid, tactile dance of dynamic contrasts between strong/light, sudden/restrained, and bound/free made in reference to the notational instructions of choreographer Rudolf Laban. Working in and around the beat and philosophy, the album’s freehand physics contract and expand between the lissom rolls of Bhamra’s tabla in the first, to a harmonious balance of hard drum angles and swooping FM synth cadence featuring additional synth and vocal from Laurel Halo in ‘Workaround Two’, while the extruded strings of Lucy Railton create a sublime tension at the album’s palatecleansing denouement, triggering a scintillating run of technoid pieces that riff on the kind of swung physics found in Artwork’s seminal ‘Basic G’, or Rian Treanor’s disruptive flux with a singularly tight yet loose motion and infectious joy. Crucially, the album sees Dillon focus on dub music’s pliable emptiness, rather than the moody dematerialisation of reverb and echo. The substance of her music is rematerialised in supple, concise emotional curves
and soberly freed to enact its ideas in balletic plies, rugged parries and sweeping, capoeira-like floor action. Applying deeply canny insight drawn from her years of practice as sound designer, musician and hugely knowledgable/intuitive DJ, ‘Workaround’ can be heard as Dillon’s ingenious solution or key to unlocking to perceptions of stiffness, darkness or grid-locked rigidity in electronic music. And as such it speaks to an ideal of rhythm-based and experimental music ranging from the hypnotic senegalese mbalax of Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force, through SND and, more currently, the hard drum torque of DJ Plead; to adroitly exert the sensation of weightlessness and freedom in the dance and personal headspace.

Lettuce serves up a full-course groove experience with Cook, a 16-track feast of classic funk, rich instrumentation, and deep- pocket rhythm. The album features 12 full-length tracks, including two vocal cuts, with a standout cover of Keni Burke’s “Rising to the Top” leading the charge at radio. More than just a record, Cook is a multisensory experience: the vinyl includes a recipe book of original dishes crafted by the band, each paired with a song and one of their two new wines launched alongside the album. From front to back, Cook is Lettuce at their most flavorful—soulful, funky, and made to be savored.

The re-release of 'Flamma Flamma' by the Intuition Music labe was to mark the 30th anniversary and featured a remastered and re- edited version of the original album released worldwide in 1994. It's appearing for the first time on double vinyl, as well as on CD. The composer himself supervised the remastering and re-editing. After its initial release on CD in 1994, 'Flamma Flamma' climbed numerous international charts and quickly developed from an insider tip to a major bestseller and has been compared with Orff's'Carmina Burana'. The gothic world - both romantic gothic and trash gothic - also embraced the work during long 'Flamma Flamma theme weekends' in castles across Europe.

Nicholas Lens began his trilogy 'The Accacha Chronicles' (Flamma Flamma / Terra Terra / Amor Aeternus) with the first part, 'Flamma Flamma', as a search for harmony between the contradictory elements in nature and human nature. The fusion of nonEuropean musical cultures with Western classical music has been described and appreciated as highly unique. Finally, unlike almost every other requiem, 'Flamma Flamma' not only deals with grief and pain, but also presents death as anatural part of the cosmic life process.

The former conscientious objector has long used his music to denounce the abuse of power and advocate for humanity and peace. Now, at a time when war has once again become part of our daily lives - at least in the news - the successful singer-songwriter dedicates an entire album to the subject: Fra guerra e pace (Between War And Peace). " War is a dimension from which humanity has never truly freed itself. A place where destruction and annihilation intersect with other aspects of life - love, birth, hunger, or thirst," writes the artist in the foreword to the album booklet. With this musically and thematically rich album, Pippo Pollina brings us closer to the people behind the headlines, giving life to what we only hear in the news. We are confronted with fear, pain, and grief - but also with hope, love, and poetry

Featuring the otherworldly vocals of the legendary jazz singer Norma Winstone whose vocals were recently sampled in Drake's 2023 chart topping single IDGAF (feat. Yeat) and Leo Taylor (Floating Points, Hot Chip, Joy Crookes) on drums, the EP is the amalgamation of Barrott's long term fascination with sunset music, and the ways the change of seasons impact the way we co-exist with the sun. As winter draws closer and we move on from the Autumn equinox to Winter solstice, Barrott's latest release captures the transformative yet paradoxical feeling of melancholy over the end of Summer and the start of winter while creating an eerie sensation of serenity.

The EP follows from the release of Barrott's critically acclaimed and deeply personal 2024 album Everything Changes, Nothing Ends.

The new EP sees Barrott return to his beloved sunset music, as he continues his eternal quest to find new ways to soundtrack this sacred Ibiza moment.



Crowned as the"master of sunset music"by Pitchfork, Barrott's new EP is filled with celestial grandeur that stops you in your tracks. A profound musical meditation and an homage to the sunsets of the Autumn months, the EP captures the sonic poetry of the changing skies and the seasons.

The haunting combination of Barrott's production & arrangement skills, Taylor's jazz drums and Winstone's endlessly ethereal vocals soar in a harmonious union across the title track of the EP while the openerI Am The Starssummons you in for a brief respite from the cacophony of the modern world. The wistful second trackMy Blue Heartlingers with you with its melancholic jazz horns swelling side by side with Winstone's vocals while the closing trackI Am The Airfloats through your ears with its sublime contemplativeness. I Am The Sun, You Are The Moonsees Barrott returning to his sonic ruminations on sunsets, however they are more profound and life affirming than ever.



"At the end of the summer, on a clear bright starry night I climbed to the top of a mountain in Ibiza with a pair of headphones and listened to these tracks and lost myself in the vastness of the night sky and the endlessness of Norma's voice. At that moment everything made sense in my world for the first time in a long while and it just felt right",Mark Barrott says.

"I was surprised and delighted to be asked to participate in this very musical project and to be given such a free hand. Trying to integrate the voice into what were already beautifully formed pieces was creatively very interesting", Norma Winstone says

What if fate had followed a different path? Alex Marker and Ben Reed were childhood friends who made music together before pursuing different careers, with Ben becoming a professional musician while Alex followed a career in stage design.

Originally a drummer, Alex set himself a challenge of writing a song for his wife for their wedding day. One song led to another and collaborating for the first time since they were very young Alex and Ben soon found they had a whole album's worth. Influenced by Alex's career in drama each track on Impostor Syndrome aims to tell a tale or paint a portrait encapsulating a moment of change or release. Ben brings a wider palette of musical styles and arrangements to augment a series of songs which draw from a wide range of musical influences including: singer/ songwriter, British prog, folk and rock. Ben Reed is a multi instrumentalist whose playing credits include bass duties on Frank Ocean's albums Endless and Blond as well as work with David Byrne, Sampha, Mustafa, Frank Dukes, Nilufer Yanya, Hayden Thorpe, FKA Twigs and many others.

He has previously released four full length albums of his own; Tall Story, Who Dreams of Hyssop, Station Masters, Loft, Bandaged and most recently You Do You. Alex Marker is a critically acclaimed theatre set and costume designer who has designed over 150 productions for a wide variety of venues including The West End, tours, regional theatres and the fringe. Further back he used to play drums in pit bands for productions and has occasionally been seen on stage too. The album features guests including: organist Ross Stanley (Steve Howe Trio), flautist R achel Hayter ( Alvorada ), bassoonist Philip Dale ( Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment) and Matt Weeks who plays brass alongside mixing duties.

The complete recordings of the legendary Marc And The Mambas run of three live performances given at The Duke Of York's Theatre in London's West End in 1983. Restored from the original VHS tape recordings made by the late Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson (Throbbing Gristle, Coil), these remain the only recordings that exist of Marc And The Mambas performing live. Originally released in 2012 on Marc Almond's (Soft Cell) own Strike Force Entertainment label as a CD/DVD set (long sold out), this edition, presented on vinyl for the first time, contains the 17 tracks from the SFE CD release, expanded to include the two bonus DVD-only tracks: 'Près Des Ramparts De Séville' and 'Jacky'. Completely remastered for vinyl by Martin Bowes (The Cage Studios). A combination of the chanson and torch songs which he still sings today, over piano, strings and woodwind-accompanied compositions. "It's quite a spectacle, especially when Almond hits his sweet spot of sinister lyrics, declared pompously over a droned string arrangement... Early signs of the full-on showtune and classical rearrangements that make up Almond's current albums are evident"(Record Collector). Presented on heavyweight double vinyl in a deluxe glossy gatefold sleeve featuring the extensive reminiscence by Marc Almond himself from the 2012 release. Also included is a reproduction of the 16-page programme printed for the three concerts in 1983. The stunning cover painting by Val Denham is exclusive to this release.

US Black Friday 2025 Release. There are very few albums in the psych/punk/hard rock/private presses strata that garner the sort of universal awe and accolades that Fraction’s almighty Moonblood LP does, and even fewer records in the world that could be dubbed ‘Christian Rock’ incur such fierce devotion. Indeed some records just meteorically lift themselves out any genre tag with brilliance and sheer defiance--and Moonblood is surely one of them. Based in LA, Fraction was a ragged collection of working-class musicians--the line-up was ringleader Jim Beach--vocals; Don Swanson--lead guitar, Curt Swanson--drums, Victor Hemme--bass, and Robert Meinel--rhythm guitar. Beach himself describes those early days: “The guys met through various acquaintances that we had in LA. All of us had been in bands before, but were seeking something with more teeth. We had a small studio in an industrial complex in North Hollywood and started practicing sometimes as early as 4:30 AM. We all had day jobs, so we did what we could.”

Amazingly the recording sessions for the album were recorded similarly on the fly, as Beach further states: “The Moonblood recording took place at Whitney’s Studio in Glendale, CA, early in 1971. On a strict budget, these songs were recorded in less than three hours—all of them “one takes.” We played, all 5 of us, simultaneously-- there were no studio effects, no overdubbing or any additional sound effects added. Basically what you hear is considered ‘old school’ recording.”

This workmanlike description in no way prepares one for the pure tortured genius the session wrought. Particularly noteworthy is Beach’s vocals—as commonly stated, the spirit of Jim Morrison is conjured in his deep baritone, which gives way to unparalleled pained howls, at times bathed in delay which trails into the abyss. Fascinatingly enough, Beach cites the much punker Love as his fave LA band over the Doors, and also gives influence-nods to proto-everything rockers The Yardbirds and to Dylan, whose dark word tapestries surely inspired Beach’s lyrics (though lines from The Doors’ “L’America” pop up on the LP) Whatever the case, the man clearly has a vision, as even the stark sleeve concept is Beach’s own. Equally as integral to the Fraction sound is lead guitarist Don Swanson—his blown-out fuzz riffs set a template for what is now commonly known as “stoner rock” or “acid punk,” and his solos consist of jagged, wah-wah-ed shards of notes, with his amplifier clearly pushed to the limit.

Beach says: “Don’s guitar was always my driving force and he did everything he could to keep it over the top. You’d never know that (his sound) was coming from an old, broken down Esquire. Don kept it alive!” The other members contributions shouldn’t be underappreciated though-- drummer Curt Swanson keeps things at a constant simmer, and then boils over when the whole band launches into snarling glory. The band and LP as a whole equals something indescribably intense from start to finish—comparisons to the Detroit late 60s high-energy bands like The Stooges and MC5 abound, as well as the sort of late 60s damaged spirit lurking in biker clubs and disgruntled Vietnam vets. The song cycle on side 1 of the LP in particular cuts to the emotional core, with severely charged dark lyrics like “Extend your thumbs and burn the darkness out of her.” Which brings us to the Christian aspect--it often can confuse listeners. The Fraction/Beach world of religion is complex and perhaps a bit pagan/sinister than most---fire and brimstone, temptation, and the truth-seeker being burned by this hell on earth—or perhaps as Beach himself best put it: “Speaking for myself, as a believer, it’s been a progressive experience since my childhood.

I think we’re all basically driven to live more than religion.” The album was pressed in a run of but a few hundred to little attention in the day, but now inferior bootlegs flood the marketplace, and originals of Moonblood command thousands of dollars. So enjoy this all-inclusive reissue, which also features for the first time on vinyl, 3 lost tracks-- like the more acoustic-minded “prisms” and “dawning light,” as well as the proto-metal choogle of “Intercessor’s Blues.”

ZUKU’s second release see’s the spotlight turn to Scouse maestro and long-time label friend, Brent. He delivers an EP steeped in electronic influences, weaving together elements of house, disco, and electro.

Across five club-ready tracks, expect huge basslines, hefty kick drums, retro-styled vocoders, paired with 80s influenced synth work driving each piece forward. A beautiful record created with pure class, backed by Brent's extensive knowledge of dance music production.

**Includes double sided insert with liner notes and photos*

Al Mati was the pseudonym of eccentric Portuguese-born, Dutch-based artist Alberto Mesquita. The name translates to ‘Alberto Friend’, with ‘Al’ short for Alberto and ‘Mati’ meaning ‘friend’ in Surinamese.
Alberto’s story comes across like a mythical character from a European Kerouac novel, but instead of writing it down, he poured those adventures and characters into his record. The music and the comic-style artwork, drawn by his friend Bruno Scoriels, work as one, with Alberto himself becoming both the story and the character within it.

Raised under Salazar’s regime in Lisbon, where all men were conscripted to Africa, he refused, a pacifist. This put him at odds with his father, born in Angola and a prominent lawyer tied to the dictatorship. Unable to accept his son’s stance, the rift forced Alberto to flee Portugal as a deserter, leaving everything behind.

He sought a new life in Paris, where he met Bruno Scoriels. The pair busked to get by, and young and broke, set off on adventures across Europe. On one trip to Barcelona, they crossed the Pyrenees on foot through a five-kilometre train tunnel, not knowing if they would make it out alive. The train later featured on the cover of Some Shit, a nod to that hazardous journey and the strange turns of his life.

From there he moved to Belgium, where he met Jolanda, his future wife who also features on the album. They lived in The Netherlands, then back in Belgium where they married, before returning to Portugal under false pretences. The regime promised deserters immunity, but it proved untrue, and Alberto was forced to flee again — this time with a young family, using Bruno’s passport to escape to The Netherlands.

They settled in the Gliphoeve flats in Amsterdam’s Bijlmermeer, a vibrant immigrant community. This melting pot of cultures inspired Alberto musically. He started a studio in their flat where musicians from Suriname, Angola, the Antilles, Brazil, Mozambique and Portugal came and went, jamming, rehearsing, recording and forming bands including Albatros, Comoção and Mati Africa, performing internationally and at iconic Amsterdam venues like De Melkweg and Paradiso.

Being an immigrant was tough. Alberto was stateless for years, drifting across countries. Some songs voiced his frustration with the Portuguese regime, others were playful or simply love notes to his wife and kids. He passed away in the Netherlands in 2021, leaving Some Shit open to interpretation. But when you picture Europe in the 1970s — the politics, the upheaval, and his need to connect people across cultures — you can hear an artist shaped by contrast, who poured his experiences, feelings and love into music.

For our next physical release, FERMA welcomes back home one of the individuals running the project, Romphea. As a co-founder, he has long shaped the label’s uncompromising DIY ethos—placing experimentation, raw energy, and community at the heart of its vision. After releasing in a series of acclaimed platforms, the forward-thinking DJ and producer from Vyronas, Athens returns to vinyl with a genre-defying release. Building on the experimental pulse and reshaping the edge between electro, breaks and techno, Romphea continues that trajectory, weaving together tense polyrhythms, warped melodic fragments, and cavernous spaces.

This release features four, plus three digital bonus original tracks, aiming to provide a clear sound identity for the artist. The A-side opens with “Calls from Salem”, a dystopian slow burner that sets the tone with broken-beat percussion and dissonant synth stabs. “Steel Chair” surges forward with unrelenting force, propelled by serrated arpeggios and a barrage of fragmented vocals that rise and fall within the space, crafted for peak-time eruption.

Flipping to the B-side, “Paid Dividends” reaches full intensity, layering hammering kicks and percussion, while the low end rumbles with tectonic weight, amplifying the energy to fever pitch. Closing the record on a more contemplative note, “We Are The Universe” slows the pace, easing the tension and drifting into deeper territory. Echoing chords drift into space, layered with fragile percussive details and low, throbbing pulses. It’s a meditation on collapse and renewal, offering a moment of breath after the storm.

Straight from the source, defying the norms, devoted to the art. Do not sleep.

Out Friday 14th June, the renowned jazz and funk trumpeter Sefi Zisling presents his third album ‘The Librarian’, blending classic elements with psychedelic funk, soul, and spiritual jazz. ‘The Librarian’ is dedicated to all things close to Sefi’s heart. The album pays homage to his musical inspirations, his wife, friends, and Eyad, a Palestinian whose story moved Sefi.

"This album was made as an ode to the people I love, and I would like to dedicate this album to them." - Sefi Zisling

Sefi Zisling first started playing the trumpet at the mere age of ten, soon after enrolling in the prestigious art school Thelma Yellin. Performing in an array of bands since his early teens, Sefi has performed and recorded sessions with almost every key player of the jazz world in Israel. His debut album ‘Beyond The Thing I Know’, released on Tel Aviv’s leading collective Raw Tapes, propelled the trumpeter onto the world stage. Sefi then found his home on Tru Thoughts for his sophomore record ‘Expanse’, an album that captured the essence of the classic jazz session and transformed his role from instrumentalist to composer.

The cover art is a painting by the late Walid Abu Shakra, a member of the Abu Shakra family who have collectively played a pivotal role in the Palestinian-Israeli art scene and are respected worldwide. Walid aimed to highlight the expropriation of Palestinian land by the Israeli state and centred his artistic career on safeguarding a disappearing landscape through his monochromatic etchings.

Selling Points
Sefi Zisling's sophomore album "Expanse" sold out on vinyl in the first few months
The cover art is a painting by the late Walid Abu Shakra, a member of the Abu Shakra family who have collectively played a pivotal role in the Palestinian-Israeli art scene
Praise from Jazz FM (Playlisting), FIP, Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2), Jazz Times, Jazziz, Tom Ravenscroft, Huey Morgan, Cerys Matthews (BBC 6Music), Musica Macondo, Music Is My Sanctuary, Bandcamp Weekly, Wax Poetics and much more.
Recorded intimately and live with a five-piece ensemble
The LP features a spellbinding version of Mall Waldron's jazz standard 'All Alone'
Mixed by renowned engineer George Atkins (80 Hertz Studios)

Everybody loves a disco gram or two, wink wink, but Spanish label DiscoGram is also a sign of a good time. The main label has put out more than 30 juicy tunes but here they launch a new sub-series, again with the in-house production team at the helm. 'Linda' kicks it off with bright, extroverted and slightly camp disco energy and diva vocals. 'Pages' is a slinky strider with a pained vocal bringing the soulful heat and offering a hugely impressive falsetto crescendo. 'Tabaco Y Ron' gets more florid with its Latin flutes and rhythmic vocal coos, then 'Xulipa' ends with swooning strings and a graceful air of disco cool with some recognisable vocal hooks.

Das ursprünglich im Juni 1985 veröffentlichte dritte Studioalbum „Theatre of Pain“ von Mötley Crüe
läutete einen kühnen neuen Sound und Look ein, behielt aber gleichzeitig die für die Band charakteristische
Hardrock-Intensität bei. Dieses trendsetzende Album prägte den Stil und die Musik vieler nachfolgender
Bands, während die Crüe selbst ihren Look und Sound mit jedem Album weiterentwickelten.
Theatre Of Pain war das erste Album der Crüe, das es in die US-Top-10 schaffte und auf Platz 6 landete.
Es war auch ein echter weltweiter Hit und erreichte Platz 7 in Australien, Platz 7 in Schweden, Platz 5 in
Finnland, Platz 11 in Kanada und war ihr erstes Album in den britischen Top 40 (Platz 36). Das Album
ist derzeit in den USA mit 4-fach Platin und in Kanada mit 3-fach Platin von der RIAA zertifiziert.
Die Tour führte sie um die ganze Welt: Japan, USA, Kanada, Deutschland, Frankreich, Schweden, Finnland,
Norwegen und Dänemark. Das bahnbrechende Video zu ihrem Kult-Track „Home Sweet Home“ war über
90 Tage lang die meistgewünschte Nummer 1 und veranlasste MTV dazu, die „Crüe Rule“ einzuführen,
wonach ein Video nur 30 Tage lang für die Wunschliste zugelassen war!

Das ursprünglich im Juni 1985 veröffentlichte dritte Studioalbum „Theatre of Pain“ von Mötley Crüe
läutete einen kühnen neuen Sound und Look ein, behielt aber gleichzeitig die für die Band charakteristische
Hardrock-Intensität bei. Dieses trendsetzende Album prägte den Stil und die Musik vieler nachfolgender
Bands, während die Crüe selbst ihren Look und Sound mit jedem Album weiterentwickelten.
Theatre Of Pain war das erste Album der Crüe, das es in die US-Top-10 schaffte und auf Platz 6 landete.
Es war auch ein echter weltweiter Hit und erreichte Platz 7 in Australien, Platz 7 in Schweden, Platz 5 in
Finnland, Platz 11 in Kanada und war ihr erstes Album in den britischen Top 40 (Platz 36). Das Album
ist derzeit in den USA mit 4-fach Platin und in Kanada mit 3-fach Platin von der RIAA zertifiziert.
Die Tour führte sie um die ganze Welt: Japan, USA, Kanada, Deutschland, Frankreich, Schweden, Finnland,
Norwegen und Dänemark. Das bahnbrechende Video zu ihrem Kult-Track „Home Sweet Home“ war über
90 Tage lang die meistgewünschte Nummer 1 und veranlasste MTV dazu, die „Crüe Rule“ einzuführen,
wonach ein Video nur 30 Tage lang für die Wunschliste zugelassen war!