Suche:paris

‘The Watchful Eye Of The Stars’ is Adrian’s ninth studio album.
Produced by luminary John Parish (Aldous Harding, PJ
Harvey), this sublime collection of ten songs invites us to join
Adrian at his storytelling best, regaling us with tales of travel
and wonder, by sea, by road, all quietly transfixing,
transformative and wholly captivating.
Suffused with a hazy and surreal quality, Crowley describes
‘Watchful Eye’’s poignant narratives as those which insisted
themselves upon him. After the fact, it seemed these songs
came to him more or less fully formed. “It’s a beautiful and
mysterious thing,” he says. Perhaps it is a tendency to hold onto
memories (“It’s taken me so long to write to you / Well I just
couldn’t find a pen,” he laments in ‘Bread And Wine’), that
allows him to unleash them lyrically in completion. For Crowley,
the creative process is an organic event rather than a practice
he feels compelled to regulate or control. He approaches lyrics
much like he does short story writing. “The songs straddle the
conscious and subconscious world and some are even
psychedelic in my mind, but to me they are all at once true
stories and born of another place,” he shares.
In making the album, Crowley moved between studio and at
home recording, while John Parish produced. The pair worked
from tracks made initially by Crowley on a charity shop ¾ size
nylon string guitar or Mellotron: “In this way, John wanted to
keep some of the magic of that first take,” says Crowley.
Contradictions and complexities are left intact, initial recordings
were limited to one or two takes and the songs feel more like a
dream recounted upon waking.
Jim Barr of Portishead contributed double bass and was
brought in to engineer parts of ‘Watchful Eye’ in Bristol. Nadine
Khouri and Katell Keineg were invited in as guest backing
singers.
The heavyweight vinyl includes a digital download card.

La grande vallée (1993/95), 20'41

Musical composition, design and sound production carried out at the INA grm Studios (Paris) in 1993/95

Original audio recordings in the Drôme and the Mont Ventoux areas

Voice: Hélène Bettencourt

Vocal occurrences: Frédéric Malenfer, Bruno Roche, Lionel Marchetti

Bass clarinet (for processing): Jean Andréo

Micro-climat (1989/90), 21'33

Micro-climat is the first movement of the Sirrus cycle (Micro-climat, Passerelle, Sirrus) composed in 1989/90

Musical composition, sound design and production, audio recordings in 1989/90 at the CFMI studios in Lyon (Lumière University, Lyon 2)

"I wonder if my fascination for clouds (without being an obsession) may have risen at the end of the 80s as, whilst composing Micro-climat, I would regularly wander between the Vercors mountains and the high plateaus of the Monts du Forez discovering, through my eyes, body, breath, active observation and walk, that natural forms when constantly changing and yet swollen with a unity of matter (in this instance, water) open one up to a deep, fundamental breath and a clear field for the mind. The sky and its forces: our ally.

A model for a natural music which, although fixed, as in musique concrète (a rule of the genre), moreover on a recording tape, will remain charged with such a poetic quality that (isn't it its role or rather its reality?) it will ensure a perpetual renewal for our senses, so as to reach another idea of the world, far more open and richer than what we could have imagined."

Lionel Marchetti, 2011

Lionel Marchetti is a major figure of the "third generation" of concrète musicians, a term he values. Listening to these works, imbued with poetry and traversed by micro-narratives, one can indeed retrieve the original concrète spirit, the one that draws from the sonic world, with ears wide open, so as to extract a fertile, rich and multiple substance then shaped and conveyed towards a formal and musical abstraction. Lionel Marchetti has mastered this process, but his real distinctive feature is a truly unique talent for setting climates (as one sets traps) and keeping us on constant alert. The two pieces in this record perfectly illustrate the entrancing dimension of Lionel Marchetti's music, whose charm leads us, through each successive listening, to become voluntary captives so as to better liberate ourselves.

François Bonnet, Paris, 2020

After NEF's album in 2019, Ici Bientôt is happy to present today the reissue of Comme Au Moulin by Nyssa Musique.

Paris 1985... ‘Extra-European’ Traditions meet Jazz and Minimal Music. An unusual array of instruments turn music into a dialogue. For a unique record ... vivid, full of texture, somewhere between Midori Takada, Don Cherry and Jon Hassell.

Beginning of the eighties, 5 musicians rehearse in a contemporary dance class hall, upstairs from the ‘’New Morning", renowned Music venue in Paris. Nyssa Musique is born. Passionate for a long time about traditional music, like those of the Middle East, India and East Asia, but also about African traditions, they throw a bridge between Jazz and ‘Extra-European’ traditions, resulting in what would be called "Spiritual Jazz" today, a little bit in the style of Don Cherry's Organic Music or Pharoah Sanders. With the notable difference, however, that their creations are strongly infused by contemporary classical and repetitive music, notably Steve Reich's work with whom they share a great interest for the traditional cultures of Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and its gamelans.

In the original group we have Armand Amar, Ballet Music composer and John Boswell. Both specialists of traditional hand percussion which they had been studying for a long time in India and the Middle East, they are also very fond of synthesizers. Three other talented musicians quickly join them: Jean-François Roger, percussionist, marimba and vibraphone specialist, Henri Tournier, multi-flutist and Renaud Garcia-Fons, double bass player, who has a passion for the Middle East and has developed a virtuosic play of the bow, reminding that of Cecil Mc Bee.

Each of them enriches the ensemble with their personality, originality and musical generosity. The rehearsal hall is rapidly invaded by the phenomenal instrumentarium put together by Armand Amar. A great opportunity for the musicians, for the dancers, to have access to an endless choice of instruments, offering infinite possibilities for mixing different colors and timbres. Their sense for being a group and their great capacity for improvising culminates, in 1986, in the composition of their first and only album Comme au Moulin (« As by the windmill"), testimony of years of creating without hidden agenda.

Authentic, free and vibrant, still today, this album has no real equivalent. Even though it recalls the Fourth World current by its combination of traditional instruments with a subtle use of synthesizers, Comme au moulin gives more space to improvisation. It may also recall those of Midori Takada, less the New Age esthetics. An album that should delight as well lovers of "Love Supreme" by John Coltrane, of "Vernal Equinox" by Jon Hassell, as those of Moondog, an artist who, like them, invented a music based on the use of untypical percussions, at the confluence of 'Extra-European' traditions, Jazz and Classical, all together complex and hypnotic.

Top-Kollaborationsalbum des französischen Produzenten Rone mit zahlreichen befreundeten Vokalisten. Basierend auf unveröffentlichtem Material, Alternative-Versionen seines 2020er Albums "Room With A View" sowie seines "La Nuit Venue" Soundtracks (nominiert für den César Award 2021 als Beste Filmmusik), entstanden 12 Tracks mit französischen und internationalen Vertretern des modernen Pop wie der Britin Georgia, Casper Clausen (Efterklang), Jenny Beth (Savages), der iranischstämmigen Archive-Vokalistin Roya Arab, der französischen Ambient-Produzentin Malibu, sowie den französischen Interpret:innen Yael Naim, Dominique A und Flavien Berger. Ein Livekonzert mit allen Beteilgten im Pariser Chatelet Theatre wird im April von ARTE TV weltweit übertragen.

In 2019, Parisian cinema composer Jean-Gabriel Becker and Japanese composer and multi- instrumentalist Susumu Mukai embarked on the making of an album that was ultimately going to become ‘Time Very Near’.
The album was finally released to great acclaim in April 2020 through the strangest time in history for its singularity and originality. Prompted by a few unsolicited offers for remixes, Becker & Mukai saw an occasion to invite their community of musician and producer friends to re-invent, deconstruct and rebuild the songs on ‘Time Very Near’.
Joe Goddard (Hot Chip), who, from his studio next door, had witnessed the birth of the project from day one, was kind enough to unleash his killer beats on Spice War. Old friend Jas Shaw (Simian Mobile Disco) transformed the tropical sounds of Dark Fields Of The Republic into a dance-floor ready techno workout.
Long-time collaborator and friend Sasa Crnobrnja (In Flagranti, Mytron & Ofofo, Auf Togo) took Time Very Near on a trip to Jamaica. Label mate AMA//MIZU stripped Tout Azimuth down to its core to rebuild it with his unique production skills. Dreems delivered a sweltering 19 minute version of Dark Fields Of The Republic and a shorter version more suited for a vinyl listen. And finally Becker & Mukai chose to don their alternative monikers (Zongamin and Lux Prima) to re-interpret the duo’s own compositions.
Like the original album, this remix project gathers sounds and inspiration from an ever-expanding palette of influences, assembled into something amorphously intangible that’s simultaneously refreshing and sharp, meandering and cosmic, futuristic but timelessly vintage and manages to expand where the original album left off.

Daybreak is a journey through an everlasting sunset, a pause on it's lights and colors. Produced between Paris and London from 2018 to 2020, this 6 tracks EP opens a new chapter for Kartell, with warm and nostalgic accents.

Timeless and soulful, the project tells our relations with memories and how we travel through them. The DX7 synth and warm tape processing was a key feature during the creative process to catch the essence of how souvenirs swings in our minds.

With 3 singles and 4 contributors between UK and US, Daybreak brings and intimate and hazy groove, ranging from funk to RNB with hints of jazz and soft rock.

Probably his more personal work to date, after a 4 years break to travel and rethink his music, this EP is a tribute to why he fell in love with music in the first place.

The EP includes already 2 singles: "All in" feat. Che Lingo which cumulates 2M plays and "Time" feat. Qendresa & Coops which has 300k plays.

A maelstrom, the chaos, a vortex, a turmoil. These are appropriate words to describe the hard work of the prolific French producer.

With a cryptic history incorporating nearly two decades of aliases and side projects born out of free parties in warehouses, fields and basements, it is under this moniker that the artist has truly come into his own.

His skill and vision spanning from 135 bpm wave powerful to a pensive and subtle ambient track, Maelstrom's sonic universe is both precise and limitless, described better by feeling ('approaching storm over river/horse with the bit in its teeth/sliver of moon') than genre. Maelstrom cofounded the label RAAR in 2015 with frequent collaborator Louisahhh where he released his debut album «Her Empty Eyes» in 2017. Throughout the next 2 years, he has delivered exciting collaborations with cutting edge electro imprints such as CPU and Cultivated Electronics in the UK, Private Persons in Moscow, or Mechatronica in Berlin, while playing an all electro live set in clubs and raves, from Paris to London or Tokyo.

2021 will see the release of his second album, Rhizome, with a focus on the concepts of interdependence and creative ecosystems

For our next release we have Parisian artist Jamn Ensemble. "The Snows of Yesteryear" features 3 stunning instrumental tracks of sublime deepness with hints of acid and techno. This ep marks Jamn Ensembles 2nd release and the beginning stages of what is promising to be a long career of quality music and true artistry. We are also very fortunate to have Basic Soul Unit (Stuart Li) on remix duities! Stuart has been consistantly pushing the boundries between deep house and techno for over 2 decades and has released on prestigious labels including Local Talk, Dekmantel, Versatile and Otsgut Ton to name a few. Stuart has added some late night rawness to the title track "The Snows of Yesteryear"

Deepology presents the final EP of the ‘Four Seasons’ series. Four releases, vinyl only, each corresponding to a specific season of the year. Quality deep and underground house gems from past and present.

Mr. Fedor Velyaminov aka Cossway, a Russian producer currently based in Paris kicks things off. ‘Raw Feelings’ is an ethereal journey exploring the depths of deep and tech house whilst firmly placing its sights on the dancefloor appropriate.

Next up Andrey Djackonda & Minube, our friends from Moldova. These guys have got groove and style in abundance. ‘Softly’ is a modern minimal interpretation of deep house, ranging from more traditional house vibes to somewhat abstract deep and dreamy moods.

On the flip side, Erefaan Pearce, a legend of Cape Town house music in collaboration with Perspektif let loose ‘H O U S E’. The track originally appeared digitally back in 2010, but this is the first time it has been pressed to vinyl. True classic deeeeep-house gem.

Finally, a lovely tune by Dance Chance Romance, a contemporary dance music project by Kyoto DJ and producer Yusuke Yamamoto. Having released more than 20 vinyl albums on various labels around the world his work is not influenced by trends and is highly valued for its unique sound.

Limited Edition of 300 copies. Pressed on black vinyl with white disco bag.

The Shapeshifters’ studio mastery and dedication to his craft has resulted in singles that stand up alongside golden era disco records as much as they sound fresh on dancefloors today. His rich relationship with Glitterbox has yielded instant classics that epitomise the label’s ethos for preserving disco’s mission to uplift and empower, especially with his latest release and debut collaboration with the Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award-winning Billy Porter, ‘Finally Ready’. Now this special 2 x 12” vinyl package includes an array of remixes from some of dance’s most esteemed artists. A real record box essential, the first disc features the original, as well as previously unheard versions from The Shapeshifters and two remixes from disco master and Glitterbox regular Dimitri From Paris. The second disc features housier, club-friendly versions from long standing friend of Defected David Penn and ubiquitous Polish duo Catz ’N Dogs, as well as Dimitri’s ‘The Sound of Paris Remix’ and the Acapella, an essential DJ tool. This is a stand-out package, with remixes you will want to keep hold of, securing ‘Finally Ready’ a position as a modern-day disco essential.

L’ESSENTIEL FRENCH CONNECTION Edith Piaf / L’essentiel Edith Piaf 180-gram Virgin Vinyl - Gatefold Edition France’s national chanteuse, singer, songwriter and actress dith Piaf (1915-1963) also became one of the country’s greatest international stars.
Her music was often autobiographical with her songs reflecting her life. Piaf’s specialties were the chanson and torch ballads, particularly of love, loss and sorrow.
This 18-track selection spans her career from the years 1946 to 1961. It includes all of her big hits, such as “La Vie en rose”, “Non, je ne regrette rien”, “Hymne l’amour”, “Milord”, “La Foule”, “L’Accord oniste”, and “Padam Padam”, among many others.
Selection recorded in Paris & New York, between 1946 and 1961
“I want to make people cry even when they don’t understand my words. I’ve always wanted to sing, just as I’ve always known that one day I would have my own niche in the annals of song. It was a feeling I had. Singing is a way of escaping. It’s another world. When I sing I’m no longer on earth.” - Edith Piaf

1994 by French artist Continental and backed by a remix from Cosmin TRG.
Amrboise Boret is a French engineer, mixer and producer located in Paris who released material under various guises from the nineties through to the early 2000’s. Here we see his Continental moniker brough back into the limelight, highlighting a selection of material from the Pushin' It Up EP on Alliance Records. Up first is ‘Flying Dub’, as the name would suggest a dub-infused excursion through gliding chord sequences, snaking bass licks and bright string sequences while swinging analogue drums dynamically evolve throughout. ‘Way U Jack’ follows, introducing a more Chicago leaning attitude rhythmically alongside low-pitched vocal murmurs, fluttering dub chords and a bumpy bass line. Title-track ‘Whispers’ follows on the b-side next, employing ethereal atmospherics, flute like synth melodies, organ bass tones and crunchy, shuffled percussion. Rounding out the EP Cosmin TRG reworks ‘Whispers’, offering a contemporary twist on the original with intricately programmed drums, subtly nuanced introductions of the originals atmospherics, winding low-end pulsations and an overall ornate, dynamic feel.

Autumns Meets Post-Punkers Uptown. A couple of years after the Dyslexia Tracks EP, and following a volley of killer releases on labels such as iDEAL, Death & Leisure and Opal Tapes, Autumns returns to Touch Sensitive with perhaps his most complete set to date. Pitching down the BPM but maintaining the intensity of his recent recorded output and incendiary live shows, Dyslexia Sound System sees Christian Donaghey turn the edit on himself with a grip of eight dub-wave zingers. Pulling from his love of On-U Sound, The Pop Group, and Public Image Limited, Dyslexia Sound System perfectly fuses dubbed-out dynamics with the tough and unrelenting electronics that has become Autumns' signature sound. Guitars squall, clarinets skronk, vocals echo, roto-toms repeat and - as always with Autumns - rhythm is king. Dyslexia Sound System is the sickest handbrake turn in Autumns' relentless and wired journey to date. Ltd. 250 vinyl. Mastered by The Bastard. Cut by Kitaro at Schnittstelle. Artwork by Rinky. Forthcoming Press: Ransom Note Premiere The Thin Air Premiere The Quietus Review Previous Highlights Radio/Mix/DJ play: Trevor Jackson, Ruf Dug, Regis, Broken English Club Gig / Tour Highlights: Playing with Wire, Beak>, Silent Servant, Veronica Vasicka 2016 performance at Paris Fashion Week for Downwards Records w/ Samuel Kerridge Recent online performance as part of Ireland's Celtronic Festival w/ Gerd Janson, Move D, David Holmes, Space Dimension Controller Previous Releases: Downwards Records, iDeal, Opal Tapes, Death & Leisure (Broken English Club)

First-ever official re-issue of the Ecuadorian composer's stunning electroacoustic composition "Oeldorf 8" on vinyl and CD. Remastered by KASSIAN TROYER at D&M, Berlin.

MESÍAS MAIGUASHCA (b. December 24th, 1938 in Quito / Ecuador) is a composer of Neue Musik, especially electroacoustic music, who studied at the Conservatorio Nacional de Quito, at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY (1958–65), with ALBERTO GINASTERA at the Instituto di Tella in Buenos Aires, at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne and, after a short return to Ecuador, attended the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in Darmstadt and the Fourth Cologne Courses for New Music in 1966–67 where he studied with KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN. From 1968 to 1972, MAIGUASHCA worked closely with STOCKHAUSEN in the Electronic Music Studio of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne and joined STOCKHAUSEN's ensemble for performances at the German Pavilion at the Expo '70 in Osaka. In 1971 he became a founding member of the OELDORF GROUP of composers and performers, and began work at the Centre Européen pour la Recherche Musicale in Metz, at IRCAM in Paris, and at the ZKM in Karlsruhe. From 1990 – 2004 MAIGUASHCA was Professor of Electronic Music at the Musikhochschule of Freiburg im Breisgau where he still lives today.

The OELDORF GROUP, named after the small village 40 km away from Cologne where they lived and worked in a rented farmhouse where they set up their own studio for electronic music and studio productions, was a musicians' collective active during the 1970s. In the adjacent barn, the group held concerts for audiences up to 300 people with an emphasis on live-electronic music and other kinds of new and avant-garde music. Thanks to a long-standing contact with the Westdeutscher Rundfund, the core members of the OELDORF GROUP (PETER EÖTVÖS - electronics and keyboards, the violinist/violist and composer JOACHIM KRIST, electronics specialist and composer MESÍAS MAIGUASHCA, who also played keyboards, and his wife GABY SCHUMACHER – cello) received commissions for compositions, invitations to perform in the Musik der Zeit concert series, as well as having many of their summer concerts recorded for the late-night broadcasts of WDR3.

One of these commissioned compositions is "Oeldorf 8": a retrospective portrait of the OELDORF GROUP consisting of a series of ten short pieces for four instrumentalists (clarinet, violin, cello, electric organ/synthesizer) and tape which may be played either simultaneously or continuously without a break. It premiered in 1974 at the Darmstädter Ferienkurse and was released on LP two years later and turned into a sought-after, but not very well-known rarity achieving collector's prices., and was later unofficially reissued on KEITH FULLERTON-WHITMAN's Creep Pone CDr label.

Conceived as a sonic diary with an edge to encompass radical electronic synthesis, the 48 minute composition proves " … a thing of wonder; from the outset, MAIGUASHCA's spoken introduction of the players & concept gets slowly eroded by errant, pointillist electronic sound … which then lets loose for a good 10 minutes before a swarm of slowly rising held tones c/o the players acoustic arsenal slowly comes to the fore. On the second side, the acoustic sounds - patiently, elegantly state their cases across a good half of the segment until a rising pulse-wave drone essentially annihilates the more nuanced phrasing & slowly builds to an almost ROLAND KAYN-esque climax of raw oscillator gristle" (Soundohm).

44 years after its original release, MAIGUASHCA's stunning album finally sees its deserved and overdue re-release on CD and LP, carefully remastered by KASSIAN TROYER at D&M, Berlin.


"Maiguashca … is part of the first generation of South American maverick sound explorers that in the 1960s paved the way for a tradition of innovation that persists in the present noise and psychedelic scenes of the continent. Along with Edgar Valcárcel, César Bolaños, Beatriz Ferreyra, Mauricio Kagel or José Vicente Asuar, he contributed to expand the possibilities of musical language beyond the dominant Western canon …"

David Jarrin / Kraak Festival

First volume in this up & coming series showcasing the talent Latin funk pioneers and soul poets. A precious dj tool and a spectacular selection all in all. Can you dig it ?

Bloody fat hardcore moment ! Unrealesed tunes from RADIUM.
All composed 2003.


LIMITED 200 copies

Nur wenige Bands haben den französischen Pop im letzten Jahrzehnt so belebt wie La Femme, und 2021 kommen sie, um unser aller Leben besser zu machen. Paradigmes, ihr mit Spannung erwartetes drittes Album, bietet eine Verschiebung in der Art, wie wir die Welt sehen, einen kaleidoskopischen Wirbel in eine andere, lebendigere Dimension. Nach Psycho Tropical Berlin (2013) und Mystère (2016), die beide in Frankreich Goldstatus erreichten und ihnen hunderte von Shows auf der ganzen Welt einbrachten, verblüfft die in Paris und Biarritz ansässige Band auch mit ihrem neuen Album. Auf diesem Album hört man alles von Coldwave bis Yéyé, von Kraftwerk bis Velvet Underground, alles destilliert, sequenziert und psychedelisch aufbereitet, so dass es unverwechselbar nach La Femme klingt. Der Titeltrack ist ein fetziger, knisternder Elektro-Song, der den Geist von Flappern und Philosophen, Cabaret und Art Deco und Fritz Langs Meisterwerk Metropolis einfließen lässt, unterlegt mit einem Hauch lyrischer Melancholie. Paradigmes ist ein Album, das im Moment lebt, auch wenn dieser Moment gerade eine Herausforderung ist. Seine fantastischen Reisen werden zweifellos eine Flucht in eine Welt jenseits unserer eigenen ermöglichen

Autumns Meets Post-Punkers Uptown. A couple of years after the Dyslexia Tracks EP, and following a volley of killer releases on labels such as iDEAL, Death & Leisure and Opal Tapes, Autumns returns to Touch Sensitive with perhaps his most complete set to date. Pitching down the BPM but maintaining the intensity of his recent recorded output and incendiary live shows, Dyslexia Sound System sees Christian Donaghey turn the edit on himself with a grip of eight dub-wave zingers. Pulling from his love of On-U Sound, The Pop Group, and Public Image Limited, Dyslexia Sound System perfectly fuses dubbed-out dynamics with the tough and unrelenting electronics that has become Autumns' signature sound. Guitars squall, clarinets skronk, vocals echo, roto-toms repeat and - as always with Autumns - rhythm is king. Dyslexia Sound System is the sickest handbrake turn in Autumns' relentless and wired journey to date. Ltd. 250 vinyl. Mastered by The Bastard. Cut by Kitaro at Schnittstelle. Artwork by Rinky. Forthcoming Press: Ransom Note Premiere The Thin Air Premiere The Quietus Review Previous Highlights Radio/Mix/DJ play: Trevor Jackson, Ruf Dug, Regis, Broken English Club Gig / Tour Highlights: Playing with Wire, Beak>, Silent Servant, Veronica Vasicka 2016 performance at Paris Fashion Week for Downwards Records w/ Samuel Kerridge Recent online performance as part of Ireland's Celtronic Festival w/ Gerd Janson, Move D, David Holmes, Space Dimension Controller Previous Releases: Downwards Records, iDeal, Opal Tapes, Death & Leisure (Broken English Club)

There are no two voices like these. The late Amália Rodrigues, the Queen of Fado, a unique singer up there with the great voices of 20th century popular song like Piaf, Sinatra, Ella, Oum Kalthoum. Mariza, the young singer that has helped bring Fado into the 21st century. Two of the greatest and most influential stylists of Fado, the ex-libris of Portuguese popular music, a world cultural heritage.

Two artists who have a lot in common, beyond their origin. Mariza swept global audiences off their feet like only Amália had done in the 1950s and 1960s, with her residences at legendary venues such as the Paris Olympia or Carnegie Hall. Through her critically acclaimed recordings and unexpected collaborations, Mariza expanded what Fado could be – just like Amália had done in the 1960s and 1970s. Mariza became the ambassador of Portugal’s music in the 21st century like only Amália had been able to be in the 20th century.

2020, the 20th anniversary of Mariza’s career, the centenary of Amália’s birth. “This the best way I can find to pay my tribute to Amália, and to thank her for the legacy and inspiration she gave us,” says Mariza. It’s been a long time coming, but now it’s here: Mariza Sings Amália. Ten Amália standards reinvented for the 21st century, their soul intact, their identity unmistakable, their stylings unexpected.

For this new album, Mariza invited an old friend – Brazilian musician and producer Jaques Morelenbaum, regular accomplice of Ryuichi Sakamoto or Caetano Veloso. Morelenbaum produced Mariza’s triple-platinum 2005 album Transparente; here, he creates a seductive, inspired series of orchestral arrangements, simultaneously classic and innovative, that allow Mariza to delve into songs we all thought we knew and make them new, fresh, ravishing.

Mariza may have performed all over the world, may have multi-platinum albums that topped charts throughout the glove, may have received endless prestigious awards – but in the studio, face to face with the standards that defined Fado for global audiences, Mariza is starting from scratch. She has recorded Amália before, but never like this, never with this wisdom, this experience, this power of interpretation. Now was the time to try on for size the great Amália classics: “Gaivota”, “Estranha Forma de Vida”, “Com que Voz”, “Fado Português”, “Povo que Lavas no Rio”, “Foi Deus”... Ten in all for an album where Mariza more than lives up to her awards, her success, her performances and assumes the mantle only Amália wore before: that of an ambassador of music, culture, talent.

Recorded between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro, Mariza sings Amália. Like only Amália could have done, like only Mariza can. Is it Fado? Yes, and no. Above all, it’s a match made in heaven.

The Peacers are back with their third album. The time has
been kind. Three years since they went about their
sophomore release, ‘Introducing the Crimsmen’. That
second Peacers record was made by the second Peacers
line up, after two thirds of the first gang made for the door
after the first album. In came Bo Moore, Shayde Sartin
and Mike Shoun but, after they’d finished making
‘Introducing the Crimsmen’, singer Mike Donovan moved
out of his old San Francisco digs to the east coast and
made two solo albums.
The Peacers were consistently great no matter who they
were, delivering Mike D’s irrepressible subterranean pop in
a full colour spectrum of moods from purple to blue-black
to sometimes white. ‘Blexxed Rec’ is a different time in the
band’s life - a second album from the same line up, plus
with a country in between them. Also Bo, who had one
song on the last one, brought three in for this one and
Shayde’s got the closing number. Suddenly, three singersongwriters under The Peacers’ flag.
The Peacers send out a mad variety of the thrills and chills
of modern rock, whether glam-tinged (‘The Thunder Is an
Electrical Love God’), psyched-out (‘Colors for You’,
‘Dandelion’), folky (‘Irish Suit’), riding the knife blade of
post-garage fusion (‘Blackberry Est’, ‘Ms. Ela Stanyon’s
School of Acting’) or pumping the winning strains of their
own pure pop sound (‘Ghost of a Motherfucker,’ ‘Bic Sitar,’
‘Make It Right’) and melting it all together.
Recorded in SF and Hudson NY with The Peacers’
production ear for small and curious detail in full spectrum,
‘Blexxed Rec’ is a blessed event for all you rock and roll
people.