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**JAPANESE IMPORT CD NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER FOR 12TH AUG**

Iconic indie folk pop duo from Galaxie 500 return with a dreamy collaboration with atmospheric Japanese guitarist Kurihara.

“With its meditative tempos and enveloping guitar work by Michio Kurihara—‘it’s like this golden net,’ Naomi said of his gorgeous, versatile playing—A Sky Record offers shelter from the squall. If it has the glow of a long-delayed reunion between friends, that’s not accidental: Kurihara hasn’t traveled outside of Japan in some time, so Damon and Naomi hadn’t recorded with him in nearly ten years. When they finally made it back to Japan in November 2019 for a brief tour, they were elated to book some time with Kurihara at the aptly named studio Peace Music.

“In those long stretches of quarantime, the tracks they returned from Japan with had distinct moods but not yet any lyrics. (Kurihara works best when trying to conjure a specific feeling or natural image—after all, he did once make a solo record, Sunset Notes, on which every song was based on a different sunset he’d witnessed...) How to write about the pandemic? How to not write about the pandemic? Naomi first struck upon the appropriate tone when re-reading the journals of one of her favorite abstract painters, Charles Burchfield. She arranged this found language into the lyrics of the iridescent ‘Season Without Time,’ which also became a tribute to a friend that she and Damon had lost in the last year.

“From there, the floodgates opened. The wistful and watery ‘Midnight’ (electrified, towards the end, by the slow screams of a Kurihara solo) conjures Naomi’s nostalgia for youthful summers spent at Jones Beach, while the gentle current of ‘Sailing By’ pays homage to those ritualistic BBC Shipping Forecasts and the waltzing, quintessentially British theme song from which it takes its name.”
—Lindsay Zoladz

Lasse Marhaug is one of those characters that operates at the nexus of so much stuff that’s important to us here - working as a producer (over the last couple of years alone he’s helped shape albums by Jenny Hval, Kelly Lee Owens, Okkyung Lee, Hillary Woods etc etc), a mastering engineer (far too many releases to mention), a prolific sleeve designer (likewise), publisher (his occasional Personal Best magazine is still going strong) and, perhaps most importantly - a recording artist in his own right. ‘Context’ is his most substantial release in years - a crushing assembly of bone-dry/darkside drone/machine malfunctions that’s bursting with a visceral, throbbing, mass of feeling. If yr into anything on the spectrum from Mika Vainio to Grouper to Kevin Drumm or Deathprod - this one’s as good as it gets

Over almost three decades of activity, Marhaug has carved out notoriety as a solo performer, a prolific collaborator (working with everyone from Sunn O))) to Jim O'Rourke) and as a busy producer, who's notched up credits on some of the most striking-sounding albums of the last few years. This new album was created as a swan song for the infamous Oslo studio that he's inhabited for 17 years, prior to his move back to the Arctic Circle where he originally came from. Recorded over a 14-month period and painstakingly edited from hours upon hours of material, it might just be the most impressive, moving record we’ve heard from him so far.

The interplay between piercing softness and deafening noise is the key to "Context", displaying a philosophy Marhaug has been exploring for years. Few other artists are able to balance chaos and harmony with such ease; Marhaug does it without grandstanding, it's music that sounds as simultaneously beautiful and as daunting as the Arctic landscape he's returning to. At any moment a sound can be alluring or treacherous, like the frozen sun reflecting on a snowy mountaintop. Marhaug's deftness with rhythm and bass emerges on 'Context 3', as he pairs Vainio-esque low-end pulses with crumpled noise and widescreen tones; as disquieting music-box chimes absorbed into the blasted soundscape on 'Context 5', while we're thrust into the freezing cold on 'Context 6', subjected to punctuating gusts of white noise and trapped string loops.

Trust it’s a rare and near-mythical beast, conjuring vast, treacherous soundscapes illuminated with pangs of sentiment that naturally weave strands of his non-musical practice in their psychosensual lustre and gritty attrition. As he steps into a new phase of his career, we're left with a concluding chapter that stands as a summation and open-ended post-credits reveal.

Tartelet are proud to introduce the blissful, psychedelic electronic soul sound of ABUNAI on his sophomore album Chrysalis out May

20th. Across 11 songs the Oakland, CA-based multi- instrumentalist lays down a dreamlike style which should chimewith fans of Tame Impala, Khruangbin and James Blake alike. As well as the sun-soaked surrounding of his Californian home, ABUNAI’s family connection to Hawaii casts its influence over an album which has all the makings of a crossover success. Look no further than early support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Don Letts, and Wayne Snow for further proof this album is set to blow up.

“My sound is definitely influenced by the live music I grew up with in the Bay Area,” says ABUNAI. “There's plenty of musical legacy here, including the '60s psychedelic and counterculture movements, the '90s rave scene, and the hyphy movement. "I'm always trying to connect the dots and blend all of my influences.

Chrysalis was, like so many recent albums, a project made largely in isolation during the pandemic, although ABUNAI did reach out to close collaborators Gravity and Raquel Marie to contribute some guest vocals, Kevin Farzad from Sure Sure for the acoustic drum parts and a few additional production touches from Tartelet regulars Glenn Astro and Max Graef. He bills the songs as an exercise in therapeutic self-care through lockdown as much as a balm for others. “It's music for healing,” ABUNAI explains, “for the listener to be able to marinate in the slow tempos, the dreamy textures, the swirling vocals, and the lush synthesizers. It’s very much about growth, re-emergence, and dreaming of a better future.”

As well as dealing in ear-catching pop melodies and sweet vocals, there’s an underlying theme of the ocean, which stems from his coastal surroundings and his family roots in the Pacific. “I think the album is aquatic,” he reflects, “and it feels like a voyage to me, or like a long shower, being reborn in the water. I played the album for my grandpa, who's a veteran sailor and pilot from Hawaii, and he said it was the perfect music to play when you're sailing on the open ocean at sunset.” Cast in nostalgic, soft-focus tones and endlessly soothing for the soul, Chrysalis is your new favourite record for tender moments, hazy days and starry-eyed reveries alike.

Stolen Body Records is thrilled to announce the release of Mexican Doom Metal band Terror Cósmico’s first album in 4 years - Miasma.

Miasma is the fourth album from Mexico City based duo, Terror Cósmico. The record takes a different turn in production from past albums, having a more aggressive tone, having drums and guitar recorded separately in the studio, being able to create an intense and surrounding sound.

Miasma is made up of 8 tracks which deliver a great range of emotions, going through desperation, anguish and desolation mixed with an air of nostalgic mystery.

Recorded in January of 2021 in Testa Studio in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. The sessions held a vibe of doubt and fear to what the pandemic could bring. The album is charged with all the emotions of a very strange moment in our timeline. The artwork was a commissioned task by Portland artist Jason Barnett.
Tracks:

Inspiriert von der Black Lives Matter Bewegung formuliert der britische Pianist und Komponist Alexis Ffrench seine Lebensaufgabe: Mit klassischer Musik möchte er für eine Gesellschaft der Vielfalt, Gleichheit und des gegenseitigen Respekts eintreten. Auf seinem Album "Truth" bringt er seine Vision zum Erklingen. "Was ist meine Aufgabe in der Welt" - diese grundlegende Frage versucht der britische Pianist und Komponist Alexis Ffrench mit seinem Album "Truth" für sich zu beantworten. Die Frage geht für den Sohn jamaikanischer Einwanderer auf den Tod von George Floyd zurück. Schockiert sah Alexis Ffrench das Video von Floyds Ermordung durch einen Polizisten am 25. Mai 2020. Ungläubig und überwältigt setzte er sich an sein Piano und begann zu komponieren. Musik zu schreiben, war der Weg für Alexis Ffrench mit den Bildern umzugehen. "Nach der Trauer kam die Wut, dann die Hilflosigkeit", erklärt er, "Ich fragte mich, wie ich als Musiker an den Protesten teilhaben könne, weil ich in dieser Zeit in der Pandemie isoliert war. Ich begann auf meine eigene, kleine Weise am Klavier. Es war Aktivismus für mich selbst, denn ich musste mich beteiligt fühlen, und es war mir wichtig, mit meiner Musik die Hoffnungen und Ängste zum Ausdruck zu bringen und andere zu ermutigen, ihre eigene Stimme zu erheben." Alexis Ffrench verfolgte die Berichterstattung über die weltweiten Demonstrationen der entstehenden Black Lives Matter Bewegung und untermalte die Szenen protestierender Menschenmassen mit Musik. Das Stück "Walk With Us (For Black Lives Matter)" veröffentlichte er bereits 2020 als Single. Andere Kompositionen aus dieser Zeit bilden die Grundlage für sein Album "Truth".Sein Engagement für mehr Vielfalt und Chancengleichheit durchzieht die Karriere von Alexis Ffrench wie ein roter Faden. Zusammen mit dem Princes Trust unterstützt er ein Programm, das Kindern aus besonders benachteiligten Familien Zugang zu Musikunterricht ermöglicht. Zudem hat Alexis Ffrench, der selbst aus finanziell bescheidenen Verhältnissen kommt, zusammen mit dem Sony Music UK Social Justice Fund ein jährliches Stipendium für People of Color an der Royal Academy of Music ins Leben gerufen. Auch er konnte nur dank eines Stipendiums dort studieren und war damals einer von nur zwei Schwarzen Studierenden in seinem Jahrgang. Alexis Ffrench vergleicht sich jedoch nicht mit einem Politiker, der Kraft seines Amtes Veränderungen herbeiführt. Sein Medium ist die Musik und sein Ziel, Menschen über alle Vorurteile hinweg zusammenzubringen, schlägt sich in seiner ganz eigenen Art des Komponierens nieder. "Meine Kompositionen sind kurz und wie ein Popsong strukturiert, weil ich so mit meinen Melodien die größte Wirkung erzielen kann", erklärt er. Seiner Vision, möglichst viele Menschen mit seiner Musik zu verbinden, ist er seit seinem Sony-Debütalbum im Jahr 2018 in großen Schritten nähergekommen. In Großbritannien ist Alexis Ffrench nicht nur ein Medienstar und kann Top 30 Charts-Erfolge feiern, er ist auch einer der meist-gestreamte Pianisten weltweit. Mit "Truth" hat Alexis Ffrench seine künstlerische Vision nun weiter gefasst. Das Album mag zwar aus Gefühlen der Trauer, Verzweiflung und Wut geboren sein, es ist jedoch von einer ungebrochen positiven Vision für eine Gesellschaft der Gleichheit, Vielfalt und des gegenseitigen Respekts getragen, die Alexis Ffrench mit den sanften Tönen seines Pianos in den Raum malt.

The dawn of Symphonic Therion glooming at the horizon, yet still drenched in Dark Metal execution! Though it was their fourth full-length, and we had been given a sampling of their symphonic/gothic direction with “Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas”, “Lepaca Kliffoth” might remain the most memorable masterpiece of the band’s career along the follow-up “Theli”. A transitional phase between the band’s Death Metal roots and the hybrid of symphonic, gothic metal which they would carry forward for the rest of their career. This is an extremely dark album. The band retains their fascination with obscure occult magick and prophecies within the lyrics, and the music revolves around killer mid-paced Metal riffs drenched in the vocal libations of Christofer Johnsson. The album starts off strongly with “The Wings of the Hydra”, and from there on the serpent has snaked about your spine. An addictive piece with an obvious Celtic Frost influence, chanting vocals, simple synth tones and arabesque guitar melodies which evoke the mythical age of the song’s namesake. The album’s ‘hit single’, “The Beauty in Black” is glorious and gothic, it uses a pair of operatic vocalists (male and female), a sort of predecessor to the revolving door of guest musicians the band would use on their later albums. Other excellent tracks include the charging “Riders of Theli”, the crushing doom of “Black” which would have fit almost perfectly on “Into the Pandemonium”. The rest of the album is equally dark and enchanting, with other standouts being the title track and “Evocation of Vovin”. Synthesizers, flutes multiple vocalists, and the core of the band are all clear and precise throughout, yet it still carries a very raw and dark, ominous tone to it which trumps the later studio efforts. This may not be quite as symphonic as many Therion fans demand of their material in recent years, but it clearly marks the point where this band transformed from a innovative Death Metal band into the Gods of Gothic Metal. There are very few parallels to something like this, and it belongs in the collection of any fan of quality Occult Metal.

In a genre belonging to crooners like Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, James Brown and Otis Redding, authenticity is a requirement.
Enter Anduze, a unique vocalis whose riffs evoke the retro sounds of the aforementioned artists, but reverently done his way
– a fresh brand, re-imagines and crefted into a modern depiction of the era.

Anduze was raised on his father’s native land of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. His distinctive upbringing still lines the
threading of his creative fabric, which continues to expand into all corners of taday’s musical landscape.

It’s been over a decade since Anduze last released a full album. A lot has changed and progressed since then. He left behind the LA/Hollywood nights in exchange for a better quality of life in Athens, Greece. Also, during this span, he’s been a multi-featured artist on collaborations with producers such as Satin Jackets, Art of Tones, LTJ Xperience, Gramatik, and more…

However, his most noteworthy ascent is as lead singer (and songwriter) of Austrian act, Parov Stelar, with whom he tours
worldwide. Still, with all his accomplishments within the electronic world, it was time for Anduze to get back to his own sound – SOUL.

Using the pandemic as an opportunity, instead of a crutch, Anduze recorded “Aura,” a nine-song album that blurs the lines of
soul, funk, pop, folk, and R&B, with 20 contributing musicians.
If you like Prince, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Lenny Kravitz, Terence Trent D’arby etc…this album takes influences from
all their best moments and combines them into one mighty explosion that is simply, ANDUZE.
These days he is also living the new life of his song in collaboration with LTJ Xperience entitled Bad Side which has been
included in the new game update for Play Station GTA 'Los Santos' starring the DJ producer Moodyman and in the soundtrack of the new series And Just Like That, a popular follow-up to Sex And The City, which aired worldwide.

Höga Nord Rekords kindly welcomes Teecwa back to the label, following up his last full length-album “Beyond the Altai” with “Elysian on Moon Lake”. He is still exploring the intersections between house, electro, techno and dub and once again he manages to harness the analogue electronics in his machines to produce modern psychedelia.

“Elysian On Moon Lake” is rawer, less airy and not as sparkling as his last album. This is a tighter, and slightly darker experience than Teecwa’s previous work, maybe caused by being in quarantine for extensive time during production, letting some of the dreaminess aside for the harsher reality in a pandemic world. Still, you get a mind-altering experience in a lot of tracks since the album starts off in a lighter tone than how it later develops. Switching from the A- to the B-side works as a rite of passage going from dusk to night; the sun rays through the blinders are replaced by neon light dancing on the walls and ceiling.

Regarding the dramaturgy of “Elysian On Moon Lake”, this album has movielike qualities; a well-directed piece from the opening impact and setup through the confrontational part where intensity builds up to the climax in “Hythmdoser” to the cooling down effect of the peaceful closer “Celestial Trails”. The trip eventually ends up in a safe and happy place after the cathartic finale.

This is not a just collection of songs, this is an album made to experience in full length without interruptions.

After an extended interval between releases, Data Arts Group owner/operator Document Swell (real name Simon Cotter), presents his first full length LP "Hybrid Emotion". Document Swell's first musical contribution to Data Arts Group is also the first vinyl release for the label and brings DAG into the new world of 2022 and beyond. Song-writing, and sound sketches for "Hybrid Emotion" took place over a time span of approximately 5 years in various bedroom studios and life-phases throughout northern Melbourne/Naarm, as well as small setups in the Berlin localities of Templehof and Schöneberg. Arranging and mixing was completed in Northcote, throughout that period of ample time in Melbourne's Covid-19 lockdowns. The album spans a rich tapestry of ideas and moods which can be perceived as something between Document Swell's classic playful dance floor style to a more reflective and brooding tone.

The opening track "River Heart", is built of rudimentary pitched percussion, warm Juno pads and randomised Blofeld synthesis to construct an electronic impression and nostalgic sense of life by the river. The title track "Hybrid Emotion" brings the album closer to the realm of the club with relaxed house grooves and moody but spirited melodies, along with hybridised vocal samples."Why Then Here" pushes the album's character towards something less human, with a more synthetic affection portrayed by repetitive vocal samples and individualistic synth tangents. "Now and Then" realigns the trajectory to a warmer and more predictable landscape with chugging Balearic rhythms, glassy synths and jottings of lush electric guitar. On the flip side, "Day of Thunder" drops things down into an animated variety of industrial darkness, with heavy weight kick drums, metallic percussion and bleak vocal messaging. "Little G", an ode to a well loved cat, lightens things up instantly with playful synth noodlings, disco beats and clatter from pots and pans. "Vergangenheit" exhibits Simon's explorations into the acid world, with 303 squawks, cassette crunched drums and shadowy synth pads. The closing track "Epic Sands" ends the album, not with an end note, but a sense of ongoing possibilities.

Tetra Hydro K is a laboratory in which two dub alchemists are experimenting with multiple sounds to mark their imprint on the French electro-dub scene. The duo of producers returns this year with a new album "Odyssée".

Coming respectively from the free party and trip-hop universe, they took their inspirations from French dub tenors such as High Tone, Improvisator Dub or Kaly Live Dub. Kanay creates a strong rhythm while Krilong brings his melodic genius with his saxophone. Electronic? Acoustic? Dub? Drum'n'Bass? Tetra Hydro K focuses on the combination of organic elements in an electronic universe. After 4 EPs since 2010, the band decided to evolve in 2016 with a first album "Labotomie". It was followed by 2 albums in 2017 and 2018 and season 1 of the amazing "Smoking Sessions" last year.

With this new album "Odyssée", THK rightly marks its stamp on the French dub landscape. They turned their passion in a life-size experimentation, a great diversification of the genres and musical influences that shines through various guests. The stellar dub of the French producer Panda Dub remixed by THK in "Labyrinthe" confronts with the Raggatek rhythm of the track "Nah Come Fi Test" for a top-notch collab alongside Sensi T. On "Black Ship" the duo signs a deep instrumental with a dark and dubby psychedelic vibe.

The rapper KT Gorique shows all her power on the track "L'impasse", displaying her powerful flow, no matter the rhythm. On this album, THK collaborates on two tracks with Tom Spirals. This MC from Glasgow lay down his voice in two different ways, first with a Hip-Hop vision, slightly Trap, in "Expedition 808" then with a Reggae flow on "Cut to the Chase". "Skanking Trip" adds a touch of Dub Stepper in this album with vocalist Loïc Paulin in full power over the heavy-weighted bass. Three instrumental tracks complete this album including the monstrous "Charcuterie Monin".

Tetra Hydro K is back on the road in 2022 to take us in their new odyssey !

The Spy from Cairo (aka Moreno "Zeb" Visini) returns with his 5th studio album on Wonderwheel Recordings: "Animamundi" features some special collaborations from his travels & live shows from over the past few years. The album reflects the move from his home in NYC to his mother's home in a quiet village in Italy to take care of her in her older age. It's been a difficult transition with Italy's challenging experience with the pandemic, including some of the strictest measures enforced on the public. He recalls by stating "This album was conceived between 2020 and 2021 in Italy, between lockdowns, restrictions, and various pandemic mandates. Its message is of hope and positivity - a reminder that we are all spiritual beings… Free spiritual beings… and that freedom can't be broken."

"Animamundi" is a reconfirmation that The Spy from Cairo overcomes all obstacles & delivers a diverse progression of his iconic "Arabadub" sound, with the help of collaborators like Andalucian vocalist Carmen Estevez, Mexican vocalist Mambe Rodriguez on the heavy hitting "Criminal," Egyptian vocalist Adii Small on "Beautiful Baraka," and former touring band member, the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Fatima Gozlan from Hungary. The music can vary from heavy deep electronic synths and live eastern instrumentation with Zeb playing oud, saz, chiftelli, bass, percussion, and other instruments, all along giving it his signature dub mixing style.

The songs take inspiration from a wide range of musical traditions and cultures, including Turkish (on "Cosmic Pasha," "Qanun in Dub" – using the qanun, an instrument popular across the Middle East, with a sound between the European harp and a dulcimer – and "Black Sea," which utilises a typical Dabke melody), Egyptian ("Mizmirized," sampling riffs from a mizmar), Indian ("Seeds of Culture), and Sufi ("Divination," a devotional composition), fusing these reference points with healthy doses of cumbia, funk, reggae, psychedelic, and dub. Thematically, "Animamundi" deals with some of the struggles Zeb – and all of us – have faced the last two years, through the lens of his personal experiences. Yet, the tone of the record manages to remain positive, like an uplifting dance through the world's sounds; after all, "Animamundi" means "soul of the world" in Greek. With album art by Sam Angeli and layout design by Marcial Arts, this beautiful album is a truly well-rounded worldwide collaboration.

"Animamundi" will be released digitally on March 4th, 2022, with the LP to follow shortly after.

By now counting more than four decades of constant activity, Pierre Bastien erected such a towering and influential body of work that any blurb attempt regarding his music could easily fall into redundancy. Not that his revolving soundworld, deeply personal and unique, has ever stalled into gimmick or self mimicry, being Bastien the tireless explorer whose vision can never be complete, only continuously redefined in a process of discovery equally playful and challenging. So, completely in touch with Discrepant's ethos. 

Returning to the label after 2017 The Mecanocentric Worlds of Pierre Bastien, the french musician, composer and instrument builder, brings an array of instruments from different cartographies and legacies with the appropriately titled Sonic Folkways. Resorting to different types of horns, prepared trumpet, an army of percussion, from gongs and tambourine to castanets and maracas, violin and too many others to mention here, Bastien weaves together a highly textured and hypnotic mosaic that projects an exotica beamed from scraps of the future. 'Aha!' in the same interstellar wavelength as Sun Ra's cosmic tones, 'Moor's Room’ almost orchestral tapestry of small percussion and insects or the non-western strings and tunings salvaged from ancient alien ceremonies on 'Pan's Nap'. 

In an era where so much ink has been shed about world building in experimental music, Bastien can actually claim that to himself. The otherworld is right here, indeed.

"Escapism" is the second album produced by Piotr Rajski also known as Pepe.. Once again, he offered us music that is hard to close in one genre and is best described by the artist himself:
At the time of creating this album, the world was absolutely dominated by the pandemic turning our lives upside down. Writing new music has became a way to escape from disturbing reality.

According to Paweł Bartnik who also mixed and mastered my first album "Afterimages", the second one is more colourful and vivid. I think he described well the idea I had in mind while recording the new tracks. I wanted them to stay in that dreamy tone which can't be referred to only one genre.

The record was pressed on 180g vinyl.

Limited version was made in 100 copies - each vinyl record has a different splatter color! "Very Limited Surprise Edition"

I found "Escapism" a great opportunity to combine my UK inspirations ("Vanity Fair", "WQRWY") and rap fascinations from Money Sex Records or Tartelet Records ("Realizm Magiczny"). While working on the album my biggest inspirations were i.a. Madlib, D'Angelo, Samiyam, Ras G, Jai Paul and Overmono.
I'm extremely happy I could create some of the songs with such talented people as Moo Latte, Kasia Siepka from Byty, Paulina Przybysz, Immortal Onion, Baasch and Wuja HZG. Everyone's unique personality enriched the sound and compositions on the album.

The cover was designed by Beata Śliwińska "Barrakuz" and it's based on the summer photo taken by Kuba Olachowski. It's worth mentioning that it was created using analog collage technique.

And where did the title come from?
The songs on the album are for me the way to escape from the pandemic and explore new musical areas. I just wanted to forget about all the laws, quarantines and restrictions. Imagination turned out to be the perfect cure for this.

"Escapism" is the second album produced by Piotr Rajski also known as Pepe.. Once again, he offered us music that is hard to close in one genre and is best described by the artist himself:
At the time of creating this album, the world was absolutely dominated by the pandemic turning our lives upside down. Writing new music has became a way to escape from disturbing reality.

According to Paweł Bartnik who also mixed and mastered my first album "Afterimages", the second one is more colourful and vivid. I think he described well the idea I had in mind while recording the new tracks. I wanted them to stay in that dreamy tone which can't be referred to only one genre.

The record was pressed on 180g vinyl.

Limited version was made in 100 copies - each vinyl record has a different splatter color! "Very Limited Surprise Edition"

I found "Escapism" a great opportunity to combine my UK inspirations ("Vanity Fair", "WQRWY") and rap fascinations from Money Sex Records or Tartelet Records ("Realizm Magiczny"). While working on the album my biggest inspirations were i.a. Madlib, D'Angelo, Samiyam, Ras G, Jai Paul and Overmono.
I'm extremely happy I could create some of the songs with such talented people as Moo Latte, Kasia Siepka from Byty, Paulina Przybysz, Immortal Onion, Baasch and Wuja HZG. Everyone's unique personality enriched the sound and compositions on the album.

The cover was designed by Beata Śliwińska "Barrakuz" and it's based on the summer photo taken by Kuba Olachowski. It's worth mentioning that it was created using analog collage technique.

And where did the title come from?
The songs on the album are for me the way to escape from the pandemic and explore new musical areas. I just wanted to forget about all the laws, quarantines and restrictions. Imagination turned out to be the perfect cure for this.

Very limited vinyl pressing, 500 copies in a gatefold sleeve, a printed inner housing white and marbling effect vinyl with full download included. CD in a 4 panel digipack with a 4 page booklet. New Heavy Sounds is very proud to bring you Moongazer, the 2nd album by the 4 piece stoner rock powerhouse from Italy, TENEBRA. The band had already made waves on the scene with their debut album ‘Gen Nero’ before delivering ‘What We Do is Sacred’ their debut EP for New Heavy Sounds last year, 3 killer tracks that were but a taster of things to come. Moongazer takes the story a stage further with 9 slabs of crushing fuzzed up grooves, fuelled by 70’s proto metal, hard rock, punk, psych-blues and noise, loaded with great riffs and melody and topped off by gutsy soulful vocals. Musically, you could say that TENEBRA occupy similar musical terrain to bands such as Graveyard, Witchcraft, Kadaver and other bands of that ilk, but TENEBRA are very much their own beast. They have all the chops of course, but are musically less slavish, often adding a twist that keeps the songs fresh and now. There’s also very little reliance on Sabbath-isms (apart from one cheeky nod) and though occult rock is also part of the vibe, the music steers well clear of the cliches. In fact the band bring a clutch of left field influences into their melting pot as well, from June of 44 and Love Battery to the Misfits and the psych grunge of Screaming Trees. Of the 4 members, Claudio (bass), Emilio (guitar) and Mesca (drums) came from the hardcore and post-hardcore squat scene that gathered around Bologna, whereas their formidable vocalist Silvia (the youngest of the crew) is immersed in the underground rock of the '60s and' 70s. When you hear her sing you’ll know where she’s coming from as she has one helluva rock voice, laced with whiskey, smoke, grit, late nights and a whole lotta soul. Think Maggie Bell meets Betty Davis with a smattering of Gillan, and you'll be in the right ballpark. So what you get with ‘Moongazer’ is a band revelling in the spirit of 70’s rock rather than recreating it. ‘Heavy Crusher’ lulls you with its dreamy intro, but it’s not long before the riffs hit with Silvia in full effect. This pretty much sets the tone for the record, coiling proto metal riffs, executed with gusto and joie de vivre. And as with every track on this album, Silvia belts it out like she absolutely means it man. ‘Cracked Path’ continues the journey and ups the heavy fuzz a notch or 2. First heard on ‘What We Do Is Sacred’ (full length album version). ‘Black Lace’ is a brooding beast, epic and melodic, almost a ballad, with a heap of soul lurking within, courtesy of Silvia’s mighty voice. ‘Carry My Load’ keeps the brooding vibe going till the loping off kilter killer riffs kick in. This is definitely Silvia at her most Gillan-esque. ‘Winds Of Change’ does just that, dial things down to bluesy, almost psych feel, with dreamy solos and a hooky guitar break. ‘Stranded’ is a full on stoner rocker as is ‘Space Child’ with its short homage to the dark lords, there’s even a a sax solo. Never one’s to just play it straight these guys. ‘Dark And Distant Sky’ is pure proto metal, a la Bloodrock or Grand Funk, it truly rips, and once again, it’s construction veers it away from anything approaching what you’d expect. ‘Moon Maiden’ is the album’s closer, featuring Gary Lee Conner (no less) of the aforementioned grunge legends Screaming Trees, guesting on guitar. It’s a fitting and epic closer, by turns hard ‘n’ heavy, psychedelic and chock full of great ideas. MOONGAZER is without doubt an accomplished sophomore release that deserves to be heard and appreciated, purely because, though it may appear to reside in the world of stoner, it is so much more.

Comprising Marco Simioni, Mattero Mazreku, and Francesco Pio Nitti, Qualia are a group of Italian producers who have never met in person. Due to the covid pandemic, they had to colaborate in the cloud, yet the results are impressively coherent.

Having previously released records on Detroit Underground and fellow Utrecht label 030303 between them, they arrive on U-Trax in April 2022 with their eponymous EP of four deep tracks taking influence from a range of genres, including acid-techno, ambient, noise, and beyond.

Leading the release, 'Perception' brings beautiful strings, funky 808 drums and acid tones for a deep and moving opener. The track clearly reveals the inspiration Qualia got for this release from the early Gescom releases. Stretched across the A2 is the ambient bliss of 'VV Cephei A', which brings Boards of Canada-esque drones and tones.
On the flip, the title track 'Qualia' brings a headsy dose of braindance to the mix, recalling the early experiments of Aphex Twin with merciless 303 squelches and distant reverberations. Closing track 'Until I Break Apart' leads with dark, moody strings before a pounding kick introduces a stark tempo shift before deep ambient atmospheres engulf the final minutes.

“Nice EP. Need a proper listen in a dark room with only the speakers and me ;)”
Minus Magnus — Mhost Likely

“Beautiful Ambient soundscapes!”
IDA — Ectotherm, Boiler Room Glasgow

“Excellent release from U-Trax. Perception and Until I break apart are my fav's.”
Drox — Nightimedrama, Crobot Muzik, Analog Cabin, Southern Outpost

“Interview & Premiere”
— Parkett Channel

“The best part is “VV Cephei A”, where a floral intro leads to colliding drone pulses.”
— Terminal 313

Elders is the debut release from Ensemble Nist-Nah, a nine-piece percussion group led by Nantes-based Australian drummer and percussionist Will Guthrie. The diverse group of French musicians that make up Ensemble Nist-Nah – whose collective experience encompasses traditional Gamelan performance, contemporary composition, noise, jazz, and everything in between – perform on drum kits, traditional and junk percussion, and a complete set of Javanese Gamelan instruments. Though building on the foundations of Guthrie’s solo work with Gamelan instruments (Nist-Nah, BT057) and primarily performing his compositions, Ensemble Nist-Nah is a collective endeavour, propelled by a breathtaking enthusiasm that has seen the ensemble manage to rehearse, perform, and even tour Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic.

From the first seconds of opening track ‘Geni / Tirta’, it becomes immediately obvious that this is no dry academic exercise or exotic indulgence. Rapid arpeggiated figures are propelled by manically busy kit drumming while slow-motion melodic lines float above. After a series of abrupt tempo changes and fragmented unison passages that crossbreed the rhythmic intensity of the Balinese Kecak with the joyride of an Ornette Coleman head, the music slows to a monumental groove, equal parts Javanese court music and Dark Magus. Another sequence of thrilling divagations leads us to the unexpected guest appearance of acclaimed vocalist Jessica Kenney, who elaborates a haunting Javanese Bedhaya across a spacious backdrop of massive gong hits, shimmering cymbals, rustling bells, and gritty textures.

The remaining pieces that make up Elders explore a dizzying variety of approaches, from the shifting rapid-fire muted textures of ‘Overtime’ to the ghostly bowed tones and ominous swells of the title piece (developed from a track on Guthrie’s solo Nist-Nah release), which gradually builds into waves of shuddering low resonance and asynchronous percussive clicks like a haunted clock mechanism. On the aptly titled ‘Rollin’, virtuosic twin drum kits criss-cross errant metallophone patterns in propulsive polyrhythms, while ‘Planeker’ manages to achieve a bizarrely effective fusion of Harry Partch and Autechre. Arriving bedecked in beautiful monochrome images of gongs drawn by ensemble member Charles Dubois, Elders is a feast for the ears: music that burrows deep into timbral and rhythmic possibility while possessing an intoxicating physicality and revelling in the joy of collective performance.

There is a tendency within modern electronica to pigeonhole and categorise, to package music into easily digestible formulae. In direct revolt comes Dutch artist Satori and his new album Dreamin’ Colours, released globally April 22nd, 2022, on renowned imprint Crosstown Rebels. Recorded at the esteemed Sonic Vista Studios in Ibiza, the nine-track LP has been greatly anticipated off the back of its proceeding’s singles: Yellow Blue Bus ft. Laska, Lalai ft. Ariana Vafadari and most recently Gin Song.

An ethereal, swirling body of work, Dreamin’ Colours is rich in texture, colour and imagination. Satori stretches himself out through languorous, mystical explorations of both the digital and the analogue elements of music, the result a beautifully conspired collection of world music, steeped in electronic and Balkan roots, and straddling a multitude of genres from blues and indie electronic to opera, folk and beyond.

Colourful Dream begins proceedings, taking the form of a gently-building opener. From the pluck of a guitar string to hypnotic flute-like elements, we soon arrive at the enchanting world of Lalai ft. Ariana Vafadari. Recorded in a four-hundred-year-old water well, it showcases the transcendent sound with which Satori has become best known, meandering through rustling hats and tribal-like drum patterns whilst the dulcet tones of Ariana shimmer softly throughout.

Tuti ft. Kalima takes on a harder edge, with gritty drum patterns opening into melancholic chords early on. Kalima’s vocals add an emotive touch to the piece, paving the way for Moj Dilbere: a euphoric cut that feels tribal and reflective in one.

We land at a similarly ethereal soundscape on The Gin Song ft. Mybaby, as star-like synths pulse alongside punchy percussion before Yellow Blue Bus ft. Laska takes its place. It begins with real-life ambience, made up of sounds recorded live in Ibiza as a bus passes and birds chirp merrily in the background. This swiftly gives way to a guitar-flecked bassline, opening neatly into the vocal offerings of both Satori and Laska.

Troublemaker ft. El Mundo retains an inherent melodic quality, progressing through poignant strings and whispering kick-hat combos. Powerful and poignant, the mesmeric sounds of Ora Dea and Moshe meander subtly into Lonely Boy (Redux) ft. Hugo Oak. The closing saga brings things to a wonderfully subdued finish, rounding off the album on a wholeheartedly calming note.

Although raised in the Netherlands, where commercial electronic music is of course king, on Dreamin’ Colours it is undeniably Satori’s Balkan heritage that layers his production with dreamy, ethereal, Eastern European influences. The album’s overriding voice lies in his exultant celebration of Eastern European music, weaving vibrant threads of its earthy, melodic, rhythmic sounds into his thick musical tapestry. Written during the pandemic and driven by the ache of separated love, the album is, Satori says, his most personal yet.

From holding down an eighteen-month residency at Heart, Ibiza to having nearly four-hundred-thousand listeners on Spotify each month, Satori is a truly worldwide artist in today’s electronic music scene. Having been championed by Damian Lazarus early on in his career, he has emerged as a must-see live act for fans from all corners of the globe. November 2021 marked the start of his USA tour, where his Maktub concept adorned some of the country’s most iconic clubbing institutions, whilst his discography speaks for itself, with a plethora of acclaimed releases on labels including Crosstown Rebels, Sol Selectas and DGTL Records to name a few. As Dreamin’ Colours introduces him to an ever-growing audience, Satori remains one of the most exhilarating, untamed and truly authentic forces in music.

Tape

Next up on VEYL is a new face on the label but no stranger to the music world. NEVER is the project of Stefano Santi, a multi-instrumentalist and electronic music producer who has been active since the early 2000’s. After several years of working as an audio engineer and touring the globe with bands, he has
always had a parallel life as a producer with a club affinity. NEVER began in his own SPVN studio during the pandemic amidst the isolation of lockdown. His inspiration reborn after abandoning all boundaries and giving little care to traditional songwriting structures.
The result is 'JXDY', the new album which showcases the project’s diverse voice and technical prowess. Not confined to a particular genre, the release masterfully touches on everything from post-punk and shoe gaze to hints of death rock and electronica. From the opening strings of 'RXBT', we’re taken to a
relentless world of shadows and bleeding emotion, which conjures nostalgia of days long gone while maintaining an ominous sense of future. From the euphoric, pulse pounding action of 'HVRXLD' to the utter heartbreak of 'CXLE', NEVER weaves in and out of agitation, rage and regret, fueling a fire that that
continues to burn from beginning to end.
Navigating to the crushing 'HXRNE' through the menacing tones of 'BLVCKBXRN'until finishing things up with the heartbreaking, cinematic feel of the title track, 'JXDY' is nine offerings of uncompromising passion and pain, leaving a lasting imprint on both the mind and body.

"We’ve reached book IV in Rupert Clervaux’s series of “Zibaldone” audio diaries, at which point we find him telling a different kind of story.

“The first three all had very specific themes, while this one feels a little bit looser and doesn’t have just one thematic thrust,” he tells me, which maybe explains why listening feels a bit like annotating. I’m underlining, emphasizing, drawing arrows from here to there, highlighting symbols and noting motifs, realising, questioning, eureka-ing. An impressionistic meaning’s been encoded in and we’re lucky to be given the space to play that most poetic and boundless of all mental games: narrativization.

There are no wrong answers, but Rupert offers some clues either way. If there’s any cipher here it’s “something like a meditation on the concept of ‘depth’––in all its connotative forms.” Think below the surface, (the) underground, yawning oceans, being ‘down in the dirt’, soil, roots, rootlessness, pulling at the dregs, collapse, profundity, stable and unstable horizons, distance, perspective, intuition, not to mention relative opposites: to be shallow, to be above, to be beyond.

It’s got me thinking of Bresson’s “Bring things together that have as yet never been brought together and did not seem predisposed to be so.” His: “Dig deep where you are. Don't slip off elsewhere.” Rupert has realized these—two favourite goals of mine!—here.

This is music that catches you at your own periphery, gives pause, has you offering a little “huh” to, asking “I wonder why” to. Again, it’s got me musing on another mindworm, this time from New York publisher and multi-sensory reading room Dispersed Holdings: “Feeling-making-knowing feedback loop; cartography of feeling; water as text, read to know the land beneath and around it, and body as reader.”

Is it ok to offer up these other contexts out of context? I think so, because Zibaldone IV articulates a similarly swirly tone. Like, we’ve got Rebecca Solnit talking through Kropotkin’s “Mutual Aid” and later calling out to Michael Ruppert a ways away, and “Easy Rider” is playing in the wings. We’ve got Susan Sontag magically contextualizing Mariah Carey with poet Thylias Moss triangulating in order to sketch out (Rupert again) “something a little more interesting than wilful eclecticism or that laboured and patronising kind of pop-savvy.”

Are we following? Whether yes or no Vanessa Bedoret follows on with a performance of a performance of Moss’s 'Water Road’: to be once or twice removed, via strange transitions, purposeful confusions, and, suddenly, seagulls. We’re on a boat with Ingeborg Bachmann—and how I wish I could actually be! But maybe thanks to this music I can as literature, films, friends, lethargy, coincidences, little mental links, eternal wormholes, lingering notions come together to imagine something better."

Text by Natalia Panzer