Wasteland is a record that is unafraid to plunge into the darkness of the modern world and embrace the weirder, edgier and more unnerving moments that come from doing so. It is an album that captures all the enormity of life from the micro to the macro, zooming in on the personal as well reflecting on broader societal issues.
“Wasteland is about the idea of a place once known or familiar that is now broken down and unrecognisable,” says Ghedi. “It’s about exploring the process of watching someone’s surroundings and environment collapse.” And within that you have a lot going on. “It also explores death, personal loss, grief, mental health and how the natural world provides solace and meaning for that loss and how these worlds blur into one another.”
Ghedi has always been an artist that in many ways perfectly encompasses folk music in its purest form but he is also someone that frequently pushes the boundaries of that label and no more so is that apparent than on this record. As like previous albums, such as 2018’s A Hymn for Ancient Land and 2021’s In the Furrows of Common Place, Ghedi uses traditional folk songs as a means to explore contemporary issues via modern and experimentally-leaning music. “With the traditional material on this album I wanted to find songs with content that resonated with me,” says Ghedi. “But also that were based roughly around the north of England.” This is a central underlying theme to the album for Ghedi. The feelings of loss, erosion, and degradation are often most pronounced in working class communities and this was something he wanted to weave in. “It was important to voice and choose material that represented or expressed issues that correlated with things going on around me.”
However, as remarkable as some of the traditional material is, some of the most arresting work on the album is Ghedi’s entirely original compositions. Lead single ‘Wasteland’ is a stunning piece of work that while rooted in an environment being corrupted and broken – “there’s violence on these hills” Ghedi sorrowfully sings, before claiming this is no longer somewhere that can be called home – it is also a stirringly beautiful composition that soars and glides as it opens up, as sweeping strings swoop and in and out of Ghedi’s twangy electric guitar.
The decision to incorporate more fuller sounds, such as electric guitar and huge drums, results in a notable shift and evolution in tone for Ghedi. “The lyrical content needed something more band-driven and loud to deliver them,” he explains. “Incorporating the electric guitar in my songwriting was also a big part of opening the sound up, using drop tunings pushed me to use my voice in a wider range, which forced me to use falsetto a lot which I haven’t previously done before. That then opened the sound up and gave me creative ideas for bigger arrangements and to sonically really push things.”
What Ghedi has done in creating his masterpiece is construct a remarkable space where deeply intimate and personal feelings coexist with reflections on environment, place and society, while also interweaving historical context via traditional songs. Wasteland is as much of a world to explore and exist in as much as it is an album, with Ghedi carving out his distinctly unique sonic language and voice to explore that singular environment.
Suche:part one
Wasteland is a record that is unafraid to plunge into the darkness of the modern world and embrace the weirder, edgier and more unnerving moments that come from doing so. It is an album that captures all the enormity of life from the micro to the macro, zooming in on the personal as well reflecting on broader societal issues.
“Wasteland is about the idea of a place once known or familiar that is now broken down and unrecognisable,” says Ghedi. “It’s about exploring the process of watching someone’s surroundings and environment collapse.” And within that you have a lot going on. “It also explores death, personal loss, grief, mental health and how the natural world provides solace and meaning for that loss and how these worlds blur into one another.”
Ghedi has always been an artist that in many ways perfectly encompasses folk music in its purest form but he is also someone that frequently pushes the boundaries of that label and no more so is that apparent than on this record. As like previous albums, such as 2018’s A Hymn for Ancient Land and 2021’s In the Furrows of Common Place, Ghedi uses traditional folk songs as a means to explore contemporary issues via modern and experimentally-leaning music. “With the traditional material on this album I wanted to find songs with content that resonated with me,” says Ghedi. “But also that were based roughly around the north of England.” This is a central underlying theme to the album for Ghedi. The feelings of loss, erosion, and degradation are often most pronounced in working class communities and this was something he wanted to weave in. “It was important to voice and choose material that represented or expressed issues that correlated with things going on around me.”
However, as remarkable as some of the traditional material is, some of the most arresting work on the album is Ghedi’s entirely original compositions. Lead single ‘Wasteland’ is a stunning piece of work that while rooted in an environment being corrupted and broken – “there’s violence on these hills” Ghedi sorrowfully sings, before claiming this is no longer somewhere that can be called home – it is also a stirringly beautiful composition that soars and glides as it opens up, as sweeping strings swoop and in and out of Ghedi’s twangy electric guitar.
The decision to incorporate more fuller sounds, such as electric guitar and huge drums, results in a notable shift and evolution in tone for Ghedi. “The lyrical content needed something more band-driven and loud to deliver them,” he explains. “Incorporating the electric guitar in my songwriting was also a big part of opening the sound up, using drop tunings pushed me to use my voice in a wider range, which forced me to use falsetto a lot which I haven’t previously done before. That then opened the sound up and gave me creative ideas for bigger arrangements and to sonically really push things.”
What Ghedi has done in creating his masterpiece is construct a remarkable space where deeply intimate and personal feelings coexist with reflections on environment, place and society, while also interweaving historical context via traditional songs. Wasteland is as much of a world to explore and exist in as much as it is an album, with Ghedi carving out his distinctly unique sonic language and voice to explore that singular environment.
- A1: Hekt & Valeria Litvakov - Someday
- A2: Hekt - Up In The Air, So
- A3: Hekt - Baby
- A4: Hekt - Without You
- A5: Hekt - Beautiful
- A6: Hekt - You Won’t Believe
- B1: Hekt - Big Things
- B2: Hekt & Smerz - Forever
- B3: Hekt - Anytime Anywhere
- B4: Hekt - Promise
- B5: Hekt - Dream
- B6: Hekt - But I Can’t Really Show You
- B7: Hekt - Just Like You Said
Hekt's debut album Forever is released 1st May 2026 on Numbers, with the first single "Someday" featuring Valeria Litvakov out now.
Made with his friends Henriette Motzfeldt & Catharina Stoltenberg (solo and together as Smerz), Copenhagen-based composer/producer Fine Glindvad (who records as Fine), and Valeria Litvakov, Forever is built around juxtaposition: pop and bass brushing shoulders with dopamine fueled EDM. The record is a funhouse of mirrors where polystyrene arpeggios skitter underneath uplifting chords.
As Hekt describes the record: "Forever is desire and digital synthesis, car rides and lingering perfume. It’s missing someone who was never really there, holding on to something you didn’t want in the first place. The songs you hear when you’re falling in love on the dancefloor, and the songs you hear when you open your eyes and realize it’s just you alone with the DJ, the last one to leave. Songs to make out and break up to. A party so good you get depressed it can’t last forever."
Forever is a continuation of Hekt's work exploring the emotional core of pop music. "Someday" is the soundtrack to a hundred imagined futures with strangers in the club, as pristine arps and heartswelling chords skitter under Valeria Litvakov's ruminations, both lovestruck and terrified. Smerz add a level of fantastic to the slanted otherworldly pop of "Up in the Air, So" and "Forever." On both tracks, the melodies are squishy and impressionistic, the sound of all those memories we make in dance floors, taxis home, and in the blurry morning sunshine as we adjust to reality.
And while guest vocalists abound on Forever, Hekt also takes a turn at the mic himself. On "Without You" he shakes up a perfectly mixed cocktail of melancholy and beauty. And on "Promise" his voice is turned into another melodic accent against the fragile IDM sound design. Elsewhere he turns up the aggro. Dueting with Catharina Stoltenberg on Boys Noize's secret weapon, "Anytime Anywhere," the two trade bars across a compressed field of static and feedback while little hints of sub and wiry synths circle the edge of the stereo.
Hekt's music has always attempted to redefine what club music can and might be. This reimagining of the very basic building blocks of the dance floor is felt across Forever where he leans into the emotions of 2010s EDM. "What I loved about hardstyle and jumpstyle was the emotional intensity that kind of music can bring if you’re in the right setting. And I think that is what has stuck with me from EDM too. Emotional intensity," he explains. "It’s just been the soundtrack to some of the most fun moments in my life." On "But I Can't Really Show You," he compresses the EDM-era into 3-minutes. Vocal catharsis, dubstep womp, and soaring chords make it sound like the entirety of Tomorrowland being processed through MAX/MSP. This Skrillex-meets-Calvin Harris colossus is designed to destroy every sub woofer as it pulls on every last heart string.
And then there are the straight-up club stompers. "Baby" is UK club music reimagined with the steely lines of Danish modernism - think DJ Q going b2b with Errorsmith. It has a bassline made out of flubber with a vocal chopped beyond recognition as it bounces across chromatic synth lines. Even when he strips things down on the slinky garage-esque "Big Things," there are still unexpected twists and turns. The melody sounds like an Ibiza House compilation played in reverse, alongside drums that swing in and out of psilocybin bleeps and bloops. On other tracks like "Dream" and "You Won't Believe," the tropes of dance musics past, present, and future are dissolved in baths of synthesis and polished sound design.
Forever is a record where club music and Scandinavian EDM seamlessly mixes into avant-garde pop. Hekt has crafted singular and unclassifiable love songs alongside effortless bangers, making an ode to those eternal dance floor moments where time stops and you start hoping for something big.
- A1: Cyril - Stumblin' In
- A2: Tiësto & Kshmr - Secrets
- A3: Afrojack & Eva Simons - Take Over Control
- A4: Sander Van Doorn - Riff
- A5: 4 Strings - Take Me Away (Into The Night)
- A6: Beatfreakz - Somebody's Watching Me (Hi_Tack Radio Edit)
- A7: Carlos - The Silmarillia (4 Strings Radio Edit)
- A8: Cheat Codes & Dante Klein - Let Me Hold You
- B1: Martin Garrix - Animals
- B2: Nicky Romero - Toulouse
- B3: Sandro Silva & Quintino - Epic
- B4: Watermät - Bullit
- B5: Hi_Tack - Say Say Say (Waiting 4 U)
- B6: Ian Carey - Keep On Rising (Feat. Michelle Shellers)
- B7: Kshmr & Bassjackers - Memories (Feat. Sirah)
- B8: Erick E - The Beat Is Rockin
- C1: Dvbbs & Borgeous - Tsunami
- C2: Bingo Players & Far East Movement - Get Up (Rattle)
- C3: Showtek - Booya (Feat. We Are Loud & Sonny Wilson)
- C4: Peter Gelderblom - Waiting 4
- C5: Ron Van Den Beuken - Timeless
- C6: Makj & Timmy Trumpet - Party Till We Die (Feat. Andrew W.k.)
- C7: Randy Katana - In Silence
- D1: Sam Feldt - Show Me Love (Edx Radio Mix)
- D2: Don Diablo - Cutting Shapes
- D3: Nadia Ali & Starkillers - Pressure (Alesso Radio Edit)
- D4: Sidney Samson - Riverside
- D5: Sander Van Doorn, Martin Garrix & Dvbbs - Gold Skies
- D6: Parra For Cuva - Wicked Games (Feat. Anna Naklab)
- D7: Firebeatz & Schella - Dear New York
Chapter 2[40,29 €]
Spinnin' Records, one of the most influential dance music labels, celebrates its 25th anniversary with the Chapter 1 compilation featuring a selection of iconic hits that have shaped the global electronic music scene. Since its founding in 1999, Spinnin' has been a trendsetter in electronic dance music (EDM), nurturing superstar artists and groundbreaking tracks across house, future bass, big room, and deep house genres.
This edition of Spinnin' 25 Years...Chapter 1 double vinyl LP collection includes memorable tracks from legends like Martin Garrix with the chart-topping hit “Animals”, "Stumblin' In" by CYRIL, "Secrets" by Tiësto & KSHMR, "Tsunami" by DVBBS & Borgeous, “Bullit” by Watermat, “Toulouse” by Nicky Romero, "Show Me Love" by Sam Feldt and 23 more tracks showcasing the signature sound and major contributions to the label.
Spinnin' 25 Years...Chapter 1 is available as a limited edition on green vinyl. The iconic Spinnin' logo is printed with an uv spot varnish on the gatefold sleeve.
- A1: Tiësto - Lay Low
- A2: Sam Feldt Feat. Rani - Post Malone
- A3: Alok, Bruno Martini Feat. Zeeba - Hear Me Now
- A4: Bingo Players - Cry (Just A Little)
- A5: Dr Kucho! & Gregor Salto - Can’t Stop Playing (Oliver Heldens & Gregor Salto Remix)
- A6: Joe Stone - The Party Ft. Montell Jordan (This Is How We Do It)
- A7: Imanbek & Byor- Belly Dancer
- A8: Gabry Ponte X Lum!X X Prezioso - Thunder
- B1: Afrojack & Martin Garrix - Turn Up The Speakers
- B2: David Guetta Vs Benny Benassi - Satisfaction
- B3: Hardwell & Kshmr - Power
- B4: Tujamo - Drop That Low (When I Dip)
- B5: Blasterjaxx & Timmy Trumpet - Narco
- B6: Lum!X, Gabry Ponte - Monster
- B7: Lucas & Steve - Where Have You Gone (Anywhere)
- B8: Dubdogz & Bhaskar - Infinity
- C1: Martin Solveig & Gta - Intoxicated
- C2: Öwnboss, Sevek - Move Your Body
- C3: Maverick Sabre Feat. Jorja Smith - Slow Down
- C4: Camelphat - Constellations
- C5: Grooveyard - Mary Go Wild
- C6: Oliver Heldens - Gecko
- C7: R3Hab, Inna, Sash! - Rock My Body
- C8: Clokx - Overdrive
- D1: Cheat Codes X Kris Kross Amsterdam - Sex
- D2: Jason Derulo X Puri X Jhorrmountain - Coño (Ft. Adje)
- D3: Kris Kross Amsterdam X The Boy Next Door - Whenever (Feat. Conor Maynard)
- D4: Alok & Alan Walker - Headlights (Feat. Kiddo)
- D5: Mike Williams X Mesto - Wait Another Day
- D6: Dzeko & Torres - L'amour Toujours (Feat. Delaney Jane) (Tiësto Edit)
- D7: Aeroplane & Purple Disco Machine - Sambal
Chapter 1[40,29 €]
Spinnin' Records, one of the most influential dance music labels, celebrates its 25th anniversary with the Chapter 2 compilation featuring a further selection of iconic hits that have shaped the global electronic music scene.
Since its founding in 1999, Spinnin' has been a trendsetter in electronic dance music (EDM), nurturing superstar artists and groundbreaking tracks across house, future bass, big room, and deep house genres.
This edition of Spinnin' 25 Years...Chapter 2 double vinyl LP collection includes the hits "Lay Low" by Tiësto, "Turn Up The Speakers" by Afrojack & Martin Garrix, "Satisfaction" by David Guetta & Benni Benassi, "Intoxicated" by Martin Solveig & GTA, "Gecko" by Oliver Heldens, "Sex" by Cheat Codes x Kris Kross Amsterdam and 25 more tracks showcasing their signature sound and major contributions to the label.
Spinnin' 25 Years...Chapter 2 is available as a limited edition on blue vinyl. The iconic Spinnin' logo is printed with an uv spot varnish on the gatefold sleeve.
- A1: 月光慰問客
- A2: Gekko Imonkyaku (Moonlight Comforter)
- A3 1: W9 Bc (Sakyū Nite: At The Sand Dunes) 3:53
- A4 2: 迷子(Maigo: Lost Child) 2:33
- A5: From 月がでたので (Tsuki Ga Detanode: Because The Moon Has Come (1986)
- A6: Popsong's Factory
- A7 3: D'ameja 452
- A8: From My Pops / D'améja (1981)
- A9: Funeral Party
- A10 4: Double Platonic Suicide 5:47
- A11 5: Dream Of Embeyo (サンド・ノイズにまける子等)
- A12: (Sando Noizu Ni Makeru Kora: Kids Defeated By The Sand Noise) 7:06
- A13: From Dream Of Embryo (1986)
- B1: Anima
- B2 1: Logical Nation 2:38
- B3 2: Not Only One 4:16
- B4: From Cities (1983)
- B5: D.r.y. Project
- B6 3: Bizarre Tastes 3:44
- B7 4: Value Another 3:11
- B8 5: A Pompful Of Horses 3:23
- B9: From Bizarre Tastes (1986)
- B10: 東京ギョギョーム
- B11: Tōkyō Gyogyōmu (Tōkyō Fish-Oom)
- B12 6: ナンタラッタ・カンタッタ(Nantaratta Kantatta) 1:36
- B13 7: サイコ・レボリューション(Psycho Revolution) 2:16
- B14 8: 人面疽 (Jinmenso: The Human-Faced Sore) 2:48
- B15: From エレキのテロリスト(Electric Terrorist) (1988)
Vol.2[22,06 €]
From the depths of the most independent and revolutionary underground, a handful of tracks from the repertoires (often limited even to a single flexi disc) of some of the heroes who rode the wave, extracting from it—more for themselves and expressive necessity than for us—its most mystical and expressionist essence. New and No Wave, minimal and minimalist electronics, Avant Wave from the land where the sun still rises for now.
- A1: Jackson Mico Milas - Sea, Interior
- A2: Majid Bekkas & Magic Spirit Quartet - Annabi
- A3: Jesse Bru - The Coast
- A4: Loket - Afternoon At Barenquell
- B1: Superpitcher - Yves (Exclusive Lnt Edit)
- B2: Scott Orr - Scott B3 Barry Can't Swim - Sometimes I Feel So Alone
- B4: Marigold Sun - Here Lies Love
- B5: Barry Can't Swim - Chala (My Soul Is On A Loop)
- B6: Freddy Da Stupid - Back To Pangea Part Ii (Jazzapella Version)
- C1: Factory Floor - How You Say(Daniel Avery Remix)
- C2: Ronald Langestraat - Lowdown
- C3: Lance Desardi - The Power Of Suggestion
- D1: O'flynn - Kola
- D2: Accelera Deck - This Bliss
- D3: Pépe - Goma (A-Mix)
- D4: This Mortal Coil - The Lacemaker
- D5: St Francis Hotel - Dawn
- D6: Barry Can't Swim - Ferdinand Magellan (Exclusive Felt Cover Version)
- D7: Seamus - Ultrasound (Exclusive Lnt Spoken Word Track)
In the last two years, Barry Can’t Swim has released two albums – When Will We Land? and Loner. The debut was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, winning 2024’s Best Dance Act on BBC Radio 1 and being nominated for Best Dance Act at the BRIT Awards in the same year. The latest album, 2025’s Loner, hit the top ten in the UK charts and was number one in the dance charts. This summer, Barry Can’t Swim cemented his position as one of the most singular new voices in electronic music with a gangbusting performance as a headliner at All Points East in London’s Victoria Park, building on his back-to-back performance with Bonobo at Coachella in 2024. Barry’s Late Night Tales mix brings together disparate styles and forms them into a coherent narrative. The powerful house tracks, like Lance DeSardi’s ‘Power of Suggestion’ and Daniel Avery’s remix of Factory Floor, intertwine with the abstract grooves of Freddie Da Stupid or Ronald Langestraat’s leftfield reading of Boz Scaggs’ ’70s smash ‘Lowdown’. There are exclusive tracks from Barry Can’t Swim himself (in the form of new single ‘Chala’ and an exclusive edit of Superpitcher’s ‘Yves’) and from friends and contemporaries, like Ninja Tune labelmate O’Flynn. Leaving aside the obvious quality of the mix, with its serpentine twists and dramatic turns, you can tell Josh is a fan of this series by bringing in his own personal poet, the brilliant Seamus, for the spoken word section right at the end. He’s a one-man Late Night Tales programmer.
Macclesfield 3-piece Cassia make their extremely welcome return with the announcement of their most ambitious release yet in new studio album everyone, outside - out April 11th.
The album marks a bold new chapter, and recently served up a tropical-tinged first offering in ‘heat’ - with today serving a superb Round Two with the stomping, insatiable, hook-laden new single ‘friends’.
everyone, outside takes Cassia’s sound to new heights. Written fresh off the back of two years of relentless touring, the band channelled every ounce of their renowned live energy into the album, returning to a studio they built themselves in Macclesfield, after creating their previous album in Berlin. The journey provided an added twist, recording the majority of tracks live on TikTok, giving fans a unique, inclusive experience to be part of the process.
The album’s title is a metaphor for embracing your truest self and reflection of a band who are at their happiest outside. It’s a message that speaks to the idea of reconnecting with nature and Britain’s finest summers. As frontman Rob explains, “That title, ‘everyone, outside’ started as a song about how weird it is that we stay inside all the time when being out in nature always makes us feel better. Over time, it came to mean more than that - like a metaphor for being your truest, most natural self, unburdened, like when no one’s watching.”
Drawing influences from a host of genres and cultures, everyone, outside reveals Cassia’s venn diagram of global sounds and intimate storytelling. A trip to Mexico during the writing process injected the record with a new energy, while their time spent in their new space back home gave the band a freedom to try new instruments, new sounds, acquire new tools to hone their production skills - and to simply have fun and explore. “The time we spent in Berlin taught us so much, but coming back home to Macclesfield allowed us to really focus on making something that felt like it came from us. No distractions, just pure creativity,” says drummer Jacob Leff.
Cassia’s rise has been impressive. From their early days busking the streets of Cornwall to playing major festivals, touring the world and receiving critical acclaim from BBC Radio 1, Radio X, The Independent, Rolling Stone UK, Clash & many more, the band has carved out a unique niche. Their sound, influenced by the African music Rob’s father introduced him to, combined with the indie heritage of nearby Manchester, combines the positivity of bands like Foals and Vampire Weekend, with the jazz-tinged afrobeats of Fela Kuti and Ebo Taylor.
After signing to Distiller Records in 2018, the band gave up their full-time jobs and ventured to Bath to record their debut album, Replica. Tracks such as ‘Right There’, ‘Drifting’ & ‘100 Times Over’ have amassed millions of streams, seeing the band sell out multiple headline Tours both in the UK and Europe. Playing to a homecoming capacity crowd at Manchester’s O2 Ritz, as well as sold out headline shows at London’s KOKO & The Garage, the band have accrued a huge, loyal following and their live shows earned them a nomination for Best Live Act at the AIM Awards alongside Idles and DMA’s, as well as making them the winners of Reeperbahn’s Anchor Award in 2022.
Cassia will tour the UK in May 2025, playing songs from the new album and some of their biggest tracks - headlining Leeds, Bristol, a newly added night in Southampton, a special Manchester homecoming, Glasgow, Birmingham, & a huge show at London’s HERE @ Outernet - dates below & Tickets Here. The band will also take things Stateside this year for their first ever run of headline shows in the US & Mexico.
Welcoming prolific and essential Mexican artist Andy Martin to Animalia, with his mesmerising, mind-bending musical interpretation of the Nahual, a common & integral figure of the belief systems of ancient Indigenous peoples of the Americas, which embodies the spiritual connection between humans & animals. In some traditional stories, this connection is so strong that they are said to transform into one of them. Tierra de Nahuales refers to a region of ancient America inhabited by these mythological beings, which in this EP become part of the Animalia universe, shaped by psychedelic broken rhythms, tribal sounds, and dub influences. A release that feels both deeply personal to Andy's musical & cultural identity as well as the label's own - a telling ode to the abilities of the depth & outer worldly sense to his music - a world-building, shapeshifting & one of a kind artist who feels truly at home in the Animalia family.
Odyssey was originally a CD-only release by Japanese duo Master Mind (Hiroshi Ogawa & Hisaki Kurosawa) and was their 3rd full-length album. 30+ years later it is now available as a double LP on the California-based Forest Jams label. Its one of many albums of this particular genre that came out in the decade but one that is wholly unique with the depth in its sculpted sounds and the transportation it provides to an audio realm of equally fantastical and soothing proportions. For fans of ambient, lush gardens, auditory massages, RPG OST/BGM, and Kankyō Ongaku. Licensed by NHK Publishing and limited to 300 copies.
- A1: Preacher Man
- A2: Beauty And The Beast
- A3: Last Breath
- A4: White Lines
- A5: I Can't Wait
- A6: Bully
- A7: All The Love
- B1: This One Here
- B2: Highs And Lows
- B3: Mission Control
- B4: Circles
- B5: Damn
- B6: Losing Your Mind
Tape Cassette[15,92 €]
Ben is a Detroit-based producer who makes up half of Symptoms of Love, along with BPT records alum Ryan Spencer. He here brings us a 4 tracker of the absolute highest order. It both sounds like music that no one else is making, while also sounding like a pastiche of everything that you've ever liked in the past. The magic formula baby!!!!!!! Shall we walk thru the music together?
BPT founder and music's #1 man Jeremy Castillo has described the EP absolutely brilliantly as such: "YMO style dissonant electro with a Detroit touch on the a side, with pitched down Patrick Cowley psychedelic Macarena on the B-side.
The A1 and title track is an incredible statement of intent from Ben - it really does sound like if Hosono grew up in Detroit listening to Electrifying Mojo. It's an absolute blast of sunlight coming through your headphones. Press play and watch your vitamin D levels rise baby!!!
A2 cut "Music Remembers" is a groovy joy ride reminiscent of Galaxy II Galaxy, complete with re-pitched vocal chops and 808 claps galore. This will hit SO hard on a spring day if you live in a city currently blanketed in snow.
On the flip, B1 "Whose Water" will be a big hit with anyone who dug Dam Funk's Garret project. Introspective downtempo synth fans rejoice!!! And we wrap a stellar outing with B2's "New Sun" - a propulsive Cosmic workout that will open up any dancefloor. The psychedelic Macarena is right baby!!!
Reissue of a lost hit by the British composer Kevan Frost, now championed and given a brand-new Dub Mix by Mark Grusane. Up for pre-order now and due late-March on our RSS series!
Kevan Frost grew up in Jos, Nigeria where he became a self-taught musician and developed a deep understanding of rhythm and melody. In the 90's, Frost was a session musician for many studios in London, one of these was unable to pay him so they gave him a few free days in the studio and the result was "Give It Up" as he explains:
"I went in and recorded all the music in a day, and the vocals and mix on day two. This was the days of only having 24 tracks available on tape so I programmed the drums, bass and keyboard parts on C-Lab which was only available on the Atari computer and the samples I made on my Akai S-1000 sampler. Full of floppy disks I went in early on day one and printed all of this on tape. I then recorded the guitar parts. Day two was me layering the lead vocals and Backing vocal parts as quick as I could before starting to mix."
However, the track fell into obscurity with no major label backing or marketing budget. A friend of Mark Grusane’s came across it in Brooklyn at the African Record Centre and it eventually ended up in Mark's hands and from there he edited the original track to a more stripped-back dub mix and began playing it out to great effect on dancefloors.
After a bit of digging, we tracked down Kevan and a fully licensed reissue is due on Rush Hour in late March 2026, including a brand new ‘Dub Mix’ from Mark Grusane.
Sole Aspect returns with the second part of its Sole Discretion series and this one goes deeper into the club while expanding on the textured, late-night energy of its predecessor. Dubbyman opens with widescreen deep house on 'Always In & Out' which wraps Aki Dawson's hypnotic Chi-town vocals in slow-burning warmth. The Windy City's Specter follows with a warm, weighty beatdown rooted in the US Mid West before Boo Williams turns up the heat with rolling basslines and his signature rhythmic deftness, backed with a subtle cosmic glow. Taelue closes the set with 'Interplanetary' which is a raw, futuristic cut that drifts into spacey territory and, along with the other cuts, is a sharp reminder that Chicago house's future is in good hands.
Over the last half decade or so, Monsieur Von Pratt has marked himself out as one of the 21st century disco scene's most reliable re-editors, with a party-starting trademark sound built around blends of borrowed instrumentation and rolling, house-style beats. This signature sound is very much evident across the producer's tenth contribution to his own Illegal Disco series. He begins by polishing and tooling up a sparing, horn-heavy disco classic 'Don't Say Goodbye', before rearranging and lightly updating a squelchy synth-bass propelled chunk of disco-boogie goodness ('Gonna Getcha'). Rounding off a fine EP is 'Make Love To You', a more low-down and celebratory chunk of beefed-out disco-fink hedonism.
DJ Support: Garnier, Opolopo, Worldwide FM, Marcia Carr, Bill Brewster, Timeout Moscow, Craig Smith, Delfonic, Tony Nwachukwu, Marcel Dettmann, DJ Rocca, Shuya Okino, Borrowed Identity, Titonton Duvante, Alex Attias, Rainer Truby, Sol Power All-Stars, Kyri R2, Robert Luis, Severino Panzetta, Lars Behrenroth, Kassian, Alkalino, Getdown Edits, Moodymanc, Gerd, Lea Lisa, Young Pulse, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Mark Grusane, Alex Barck….
International dance music heavyweight, producer and DJ Alexander Lay-Far returns with a powerful new chapter - Lay-Far Dance Orchestra (LFDO) - a fully-fledged live band project that reconnects him with his jazz-funk and fusion DNA while pushing dance music forward with unmistakable groove, musicianship and emotional weight. Formed in early 2024, LFDO is no nostalgia exercise. With Lay-Far at the helm as bassist, bandleader, composer, arranger and sound engineer, the orchestra has already been turning heads with explosive live performances, reinventing classic Lay-Far cuts, and now unveil their first album “Skybreak” with all new and original material written and produced by Lay-Far together with his bandmates and star guests, including Lipelis, Antoha MC and Seven Davis Jr. This work shows the departure from the predominantly electronic sound of Lay-Far's previous solo albums in favour of live instrumentation recorded to analogue tape and effortlessly bridging the gap between Jazz, Library Music, Disco-Funk, House, Broken Beat and Drum’n’Bass. “Skybreak” is dynamic, passionate, spiritual, cinematic, playful, heartfelt, life-affirming, dreamy and deeply romantic. Ultimately, there’s something profoundly romantic in recording and releasing such music in this day and age!
“Take Flight (Part 1)” is opening the album with style. It takes us on a beautifully orchestrated journey, blending the sensuality of Library Music with high-octane Jazz-Funk and raw b-boy breaks, propelled by breathtaking flute and Rhodes solos of Timur Nekrasov and Maxim Glonti. This aural symbiosis of “beauty and the beats” will become more and more prominent as the album unfolds.
It’s time for “Aquarius Love” created with the inimitable artist and vocalist Seven Davis Jr. (Secret Angels, Ninja Tune). In this composition cinematic soul and heavy jazz meet the restless energy of live drum & bass with deep and heartfelt vocals - timeless sound combined with a timeless message about love and life!
Next is “Head In The Clouds” - a theme for an imaginary rom-com, an ode to all the dreamers - sweet, light, naive and heartwarming. Space-Disco-Funk at its best!
“Where You From” is a fiery Soulful House number with heavy Afro-Latin influences recorded in collaboration with Lipelis. It’s full of Sun, joy and passion. Its irresistible rhythm is emphasised by funky octave bass, wah-wah guitar, catchy piano riffs, guitar solo by Lipelis and seemingly light conscious message delivered by Lay-Far and Maryag. Summer is here!
Now the album takes an unexpected twist in the form of “The Harp of Boom” which at first glance appears to be a classic-sounding Boom-Bap banger. Yes, It’s loud, raw, and gritty, yet it gradually evolves into something delicately-touching and deeply-soulful thanks to a memorable flute melody and lush string arrangement. Definitely recorded with tongue in cheek.
Next is “Feel The Moment” a remarkable collaboration with one of the most recognisable and distinctive Russian artists, singer, trumpeter and cultural icon Antoha MC. It’s a feel-good song, hopeful, life-affirming and bittersweet. A stylish excursion into Brit-Funk and Soviet Jazz-Fusion sound, drawing inspiration from the likes of Atmosfear, Light Of The World or Soviet Jazz bands like Allegro and Arsenal, but reimagining the influences through the modern West London broken beat lens.
The spectacular music journey continuous with “Take Flight (Part 2)” - it’s all about the deep infectious jazz-funk groove, heavy beats, rolling percussion and the glory of the soloing instruments - saxophone and flute by Timur Nekrasov, demonstrating the wide range of emotions from thoughtful and lyrical to restless and borderline vicious. One for freestyle dancing!
As the album draws to an end a vibrant musical triptych “Soul Constant” awaits, mixing together the deep and sensual mood of spiritual jazz with heavy syncopated drum’n’bass rhythms by Michail Fotchenkov, lush orchestration, expressive saxophone solos and the ending which can simply be described as “aural bliss”. It’s breath-taking!
A pleasant bonus is the exclusive version of “Where You From” by Lipelis himself, who is taking it into dub territories, further enhancing the rhythm section and enriching the song with his trademark playful synth flourishes and dreamy guitar solos for maximum effect (and appeal).
The album “Skybreak” by Lay-Far Dance Orchestra is the work of real artistry and craftsmanship with timeless sound that’s not only deeply-rooted but also forward-thinking.
- A1: Gente
- A2: Preciso Aprender A Ser Sò?
- A3: Seu Encanto
- A4: Passa Por Mim
- A5: Samba De Verão
- A6: A Resposta
- B1: Deus Brasileiro
- B2: Dorme Profundo
- B3: Vem
- B4: Mais Amor
- B5: Perdão
- B6: Não Pode Ser
Marcos Valle is one of those artists you simply can’t overlook if you have even a passing interest in Brazilian music. Whether your taste leans toward bossa jazz, samba, psychedelic folk, or modern soul, Valle has surely recorded a great album for you.
By the late 1960s he had already released enough outstanding records to secure a place among the greatest Brazilian artists of all time, but fortunately his career didn’t stop there. He has continued recording fabulous albums over the following decades, right up to the present day.
This second album by Marcos Valle (1965) is one of the foundational works of bossa nova. In fact, the record includes one of the most widely heard and covered Brazilian songs in history: ‘Samba de Verão.’ In addition to his work as a composer—alongside his brother Paulo Sergio—Marcos Valle also begins to reveal himself here as a great singer, with a soft, almost fragile voice, while his acoustic guitar recreates the same intimacy of the nighttime atmosphere in which he composed most of the songs.
The arrangements were co-written with Eumir Deodato, with the participation of other renowned Brazilian musicians, and they surround Valle’s compositions with elegant string orchestrations, bossa rhythms, and jazzy touches of swing. Highlights include the sophisticated beauty of songs like ‘Preciso Aprender a Ser Só,’ the rhythmic 3/4 feel of tracks such as ‘Seu Encanto,’ and the powerful ‘Deus Brasileiro.’
First vinyl reissue in over 50 years!
In this, the return of the one and only XI to the last standing first wave US Dubstep label LoDubs, which brought him out onto the scene over a decade and a half ago with the Jazz-step a’la Silkie preceding anthem “G-Funk 3000”, XI once again shows he has an indelible gift for making choons that are system rocking and cerebral all at once.
Heavy support from a slew of sound system stretchers. Currently being heavily featured by Distinct Motive on his tour spots, of which XI is joining the DM on selected dates.
- A1: Intuition, Nimbus (5:34)
- A2: Alignment, Orbits (7:46)
- B1: Impatience, Magma (11:15)
- B2: Persistence, Buds (8:27)
Caterina Barbieri & Bendik Giske's At Source resounds music as wellspring, that which is essential and unknowable, and yet utterly primary. It finds two acclaimed composer-musicians building a world together in self-contained collaboration between analogue synthesis and an extended approach to the saxophone that conjures its own universe of sound. It is at once intimate and cosmic, drawing on the challenges and possibilities of their artistic exchange, tearing down technique to access all the expansive possibilities of their sonic meeting point.
At Source is a document of the world of sound to be conjured when two artists strive for something together, discovering the expansions and limitations of performance by bodies and machines. It is not an exercise in assimilation, but in productive exchange and creative confrontation. It does not draw on outside energies or influences, but grapples with what there is to find in their respective playing. "It also reflects how natural the collaboration was," says Barbieri, "a meeting at the source which was spontaneous, graceful and natural".
Barbieri and Giske first met and were enthralled by one another's performances at Kunsthaus Glarus in 2019, a meeting that spurred conversations on the power of transitions as a compositional force. Giske later contributed a rework of Fantas for Fantas Variations (Editions Mego, 2021), an ambitious undertaking to rescore Barbieri’s work for his saxophone and voice, a challenge Giske had started undertaking two years prior as an ongoing practice of transcription. “The request came as a proof of aligned ideas”, says Giske.
Their new collaborative project then started during an artistic residency in Milan’s ICA in 2021, by invitation of swiss artist and curator Jan Vorisek, as the world was emerging from lockdown. This meeting, and the preceding closure of sites for cultural exchange, made their work together 'feel like springtime' says Barbieri. Giske, who was on the brink of releasing his sophomore album, Cracks, then joined Barbieri's light-years tour, which functioned as an inaugural incarnation of her newborn label and platform through a series of multi-artist curated shows with appearances of Lyra Pramuk, Nkisi, MFO, among other artists.
Through the tour, they continued to develop material live, and this release, laid down in the studio, is true to that ever-evolving process of creation, where live feedback stays essential to the vitality of this collaborative effort. The tracks are each named with two evocative words that contain the two poles of their sound. Theirs is both abstract and cosmic, in the synth as machine undermined by Barbieri's naturalistic playing, and in Giske's continuous exploration of the symbiosis between his instrument, voice, and body. These binaries, of body and machine, posed various challenges, notably in how the stepped patterns Barbieri uses were near-impossible to translate for Giske's body to perform, and other times where mathematical resolutions were needed to sync their playing. Explains Giske: "It forced me to go to the core of what I am and what I have to offer”. Barbieri says that it "explores the liminality between the machine and the human, and the vulnerability in this process".
At Source is testament to two divergent practices finding a whole cosmos in which to convene; music is crystalised and made utterly enveloping through the focused and critical work of two musicians working at their peak. The versions here are, temptingly, "just one of many versions" of this abundant source material Giske explains. Like the best collaborations, At Source is more than the sum of its parts – bringing more to the feast than the simple combination of two musicians, promising versions upon versions of the exquisite material captured here.
Ronnie Davis is another mighty Jamaican singer, whose talents have been greatly overlooked. His rootsy yet soulful voice have been in demand by many of Jamaica's producers, and have graced their catalogues over the decades, yet outside of the close reggae circles he has remained a closely guarded secret.
Born Ronnie Davis, in 1950 (Savannah La Mar, Jamaica). His singing career began in the 1960's and like many aspiring young singers, the Talent contests taking part around the Island, was his first introduction to the music scene. This led to him joining the vocal group, 'The Tenors'. Who shortly after his arrival, released their debut 'The Whole World is a Stage'. This was the beginning of a run of Jamaican 7'' releases that did quite well in the domestic marketplace. But Ronnie had set his sights on a solo career,which came to fruition in the early 1970's, with two big hits for him in the guise of 'Won't You Come Home' and 'Stop Yu Loofing'. Running on through to the mid 1970's with such hits as 'Jah Jah Jehovah','Forget Me Now', 'On and On' and 'Babylon Falling'. Building up to the 1976 classic, 'It's Raining'.
Around this time Ronnie's path would cross with Keith Porter and with his childhood friend Roy Smith they would form one of Jamaica's foremost vocal groups 'The Itals'. A group who would run until the 1990's and evolve into 'Ronnie Davis and Idren'. Ronnie's releases are very sort after among the reggae aficionados and any tune carrying his vocal talents rarely
disappoint. We have compiled some rare roots dubs to many of his finest cuts. Such gems as 'Chasing You', 'What You See is What You Get', his take on the timeless cut 'Tribal War', 'Tell You' and the a fore mentioned smash 'It's Raining'. A version of Gregory Issac's 'Love Overdue' is also present. Ronnie cut an album worth of material with Mr Issac's, testimony surely to Mr Davis's standing in the Reggae community.
Let’s hope that this release spreads the gospel according to Mr R. Davis, a little wider. A wicked set by one of Jamaica's finest .....
Respect Jah Floyd.




















