A hypnotic melodica-led instrumental from singer, composer and
multi-instrumentalist G.T. Moore who first recorded the track at Harry J's Studio in
Jamaica in 1980. This later cut was originally released under G.T's `The
Outsider' guise for Rej Forte's Jah Works label back in 1991 appearing on the
long-deleted album 'The Outsider Meets The Hi-Tech Roots Dynamics at Channel One UK'.
*Now appearing on 45 for the first time backed with a dub version from the deepest vaults..
RFBCOLOURS 002 bring L'Atelier on board. This pair from Amsterdam bring you a 4 track EP with a digi only bonus. It starts off with Again, which hits that great sample hard and gets the party started on a disco vibe with a house twist. Then theres XTC which carries on where the A1 left off. On the flip we see a serious piano workout on top of a a grooving drum arragement. To finish off the vinyl package we see Times Are Ruff take the remix on a deeper tip with some seriously crunchy basslines and rolling groove. Then if that wasnt enough theres a digital bonus that will warm up any willing club room.
Feedback:
Telonius (Gomma)
'thanks nice one'
Laurin Fedora (Sleazy McQueen (Morris Audio / Paper Recordings))
'I'm looking forward to this vinyl. Nice return to late 90s filter disco!'
After the success of the first A-sides compilation in 2012, Adam Beyer has decided its time to release another. With Adam's stature steadily growing as one of the leading talents in the Techno scene and the rise of Drumcode, the standard of demo's that have been sent to Adam have been top notch. Adam has now decided to release two compilations with 10 tracks each, consisting of tracks that Adam has tried and tested.
There are also new artists that have been invited to release on Drumcode for this compilation and others who are a staple in Drumcode's core family. Combining both old and new talents Drumcode have come up with something unique and distinctive to make this two-part compilation something extra special.
DKMNTL letting out the celebration 12"s like fireworks ..this time it's the turn of Hundred20 (MCDE & Praterei team up!) and one of our personal favorites, Hunee turning in two awesome tracks...TIP!
Hundred20 - Minke Whale Congregation
Aka Felix Bergleiter and Danilo Plessow (Motor City Drum Ensemble). Analogue Chicago sounds for this one, resulting in a cut-the-crap-and-get-on-the-floorand-dance record. Pure bliss.
Hunee - The Lowest Animal Rising star Hunee digging up some oldschool sounds for his The Lowest Animal.
Nine-o-nine action and a string-laden climax do the job properly here. The 7.38 minutes are gone before you know it.
Sweet Apricots presents its first vinyl release: Daniel Masson – Baul Dimension EP.
In the early 2000s, French composer and producer Daniel Masson travelled to Dhaka to record musicians and singers from Bangladesh’s Baul tradition, a mystical musical culture centred on freedom, inner exploration and universal love.
Originally released as a 13-track album, Baul Dimension appears here on vinyl for the first time through a carefully selected four-track EP. The record brings together the original version, Daniel Masson’s hypnotic Anniversary Version, and two remixes by Lucas Desmottes, aka Roy Vision.
A regular guest at Sweet Apricots parties, Roy Vision translates the spirit of the dancefloor into two deep, percussive and jazz-informed versions: the uplifting Higher Self Mix and its spacious, powerful dub counterpart.
Between organic voices, traditional instrumentation, electronic textures and hypnotic rhythms, Baul Dimension EP is a journey made for attentive listening as much as for adventurous dancefloors.
Cut at The Carvery, London and pressed with particular care by Disques Garcia
Brazilian artist Rubel isn’t one to be pigeonholed and typecast into staying in one sound. Casas, the follow-up to his debut album Pearl from 2015, brought a bigger, more epic, and richer production quality to the table. Fusing the worlds of MPB and hip hop, Rubel’s sophomore LP built on the momentum of its predecessor, gaining a Latin-Grammy nomination along the way. Mr Bongo is proud to be giving Casas its first worldwide release on vinyl and CD outside of Brazil and Japan.
The cliché they say is that the second album is always the trickiest; however, Rubel doesn’t seem to have had any problems on Casas. It’s a fountain of creativity and originality, marking an artist in full flow.
Conceived after Rubel spent six months living in Los Angeles, Casas is MPB-leaning at its core but is also driven by a hip hop inspired pulse. There is a clear influence from hip hop’s aesthetic across the 2010s woven subtly but fundamentally throughout. Nods to Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, The Creator can be heard across an album full of playful edge and personality. Luscious string-led arrangements and tracks that explore the rich folkloric rhythms of Brazil, sit next to songs with low-fi drum machines and features from acclaimed Brazilian rappers.
One of the highlights of the album, ‘Mantra’, starts with a traditional Brazilian rhythm that morphs into a hazy hip hop beat. A sublime song with a hooky call and response chorus, it features a guest appearance and verse by the Brazilian MC Emicida. Another highlight is the epic ‘Colégio’ (College) which further showcases the melding of stripped back drum machine beats with cinematic, sweeping arrangements. Elsewhere, ‘Partilhar’ is a swaying, heartwarming hug. A tale of longing and love that has become a singalong fan favourite at Rubel’s concerts.
Casas also shines a light on a string of key players in Brazil’s new vanguard, such as Pedro Fonte, Gus Levy, and Brazilian rapper / poet Rincon Sapiência to name a handful. The record has pop sensibilities yet also feels underground. It beats with the heart of a singer-songwriter, a feeling that was felt so strongly on Pearl, yet this time is bolstered by a level of arrangement and richness of sound that take it to another dimension - soaring horn and string sections elevating the songs from home recording to stadium-ready anthems. Keeping that intrinsic beauty and simplicity of a well-constructed song yet reframing it within a pop context is the true gift of this album.
Casas cemented Rubel’s status as one of Brazil’s leading contemporary talents and a key figure enriching the country’s already effervescent scene.
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Anlässlich des fünfjährigen Jubiläums des gefeierten Debütalbums "Space 1.8" (2021) von Nala Sinephro, erscheint dieses als neue und einmalige Doppel-Vinyl-Edition, erstmals auf zwei Schallplatten geschnitten, im Gatefold mit gefütterten Innenhüllen.
„Wer behauptet,es gäbe keine neuartige Musik mehr, kann entdecken, wie falsch dieses Urteil ist.“ – stern, Heft 21.09.2021‘Space 1.8’ is Nala Sinephro’s debut album; each contributing piece is part of a connected,
collaborative and deeply personal body of music.
Performed and recorded at Pink Bird Recordings in Wanstead and in the comfort of Sinephro’s bedroom, tracks one through eight allow experimentation to breathe and borrow from jazz, electronic and folk influences.
On the LP, Sinephro invites a host of talented musicians to enjoy its confines, providing a quiet place to dissolve the edges of London from the senses.
‘Space 1.8’ is a record for healing, which could not have arrived at a more needed time.
After a long-awaited break from the format, Smokin’ Sessions returns to vinyl with a very special limited-edition pressing of Rowl’s Signal EP.
Since launching in 2007, Smokin’ Sessions has built a reputation for deep, bass-driven music and a vinyl catalogue that has become an important part of the label’s history. After quite some time away from pressing records, SMOKE046 marks the label’s return to wax — presented on limited-edition transparent blue vinyl.
At the centre of the release is longtime Smokin’ Sessions and Deep Heads artist Rowl, returning with four cuts rooted in the deep 2-step, garage and bass sound that has defined both his own productions and the label over the years.
Opening the record is Versa & Rowl – “If You (Rowl’s Grey Skies Remix)”, a weighty reworking of an unreleased Versa & Rowl dub. Raw, swung drums, deep sub pressure and a distinctly old-school UK garage atmosphere run throughout — a sound described in early feedback as a “future retro garage classic” with that early deep dubstep / 2-step crossover feeling. The remix has also picked up support from Mat The Alien, BunZer0, Deep Tempo and Richard Dorfmeister, amongst others.
“Signal” follows — a heavy, stripped-back 2-step roller built around swinging drums, commanding low-end and Rowl’s unmistakably deep production style. The track represents the classic Smokin’ Sessions sound while pushing it forward with the precision Rowl has developed over more than a decade of production. The track has received strong DJ support, including J:Kenzo, who called it a “Great track”, Synkro, BunZer0, Mat The Alien and others.
On the B-side comes “Sierra” featuring Bristol lyricist and vocalist P.A.B MC. Written and recorded together in Bristol, Sierra takes things into warmer territory: chilled two-step garage rhythms, dubstep-weight low-end and an almost astral atmosphere underpin P.A.B MC’s melodic, conscious vocal delivery. It sits somewhere between soundsystem music and reflective storytelling — equally suited to a late-night system or headphones.
Early response to “Sierra” has already included Synkro, who described the track simply as “Killer”, alongside further underground DJ support.
Exclusive to the vinyl is the instrumental version of “Sierra”, giving the full production room to breathe and making this pressing an essential version of the EP for DJs, collectors and anyone wanting to hear the depth of Rowl’s production without the vocal.
Rowl first appeared on Smokin’ Sessions in 2011 and has remained closely connected to both Smokin’ Sessions and Deep Heads ever since. His catalogue includes collaborations with Versa such as Lunar, Jupiter and Solstice, alongside his 2013 Cosmic Visions EP. His music has previously received support from Don Letts on BBC Radio 6 Music, Tim Parker on NTS, Synkro and J:Kenzo.
For the physical release, no corners have been cut. The record has been vinyl cut and mastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven (Ten Eight Seven Mastering) — one of the most respected engineers in UK bass music and someone whose experience with low frequencies and vinyl makes him the perfect choice for a Smokin’ Sessions pressing.
Experience the music of Hans Zimmer like never before with this limited collector’s edition 2× color laser-etched vinyl. Featuring highlights from the acclaimed “The World of Hans Zimmer” albums, this premium release combines Hans Zimmer’s iconic music with cutting-edge vinyl design—an essential for collectors and fans alike. The set includes 10 electrifying tracks across the A-sides of two vinyl records, housed in a high-quality gatefold sleeve. The B-sides feature stunning laser-etched artwork instead of audio: a detailed clockwork design on one disc and a cosmic landscape on the other. These unique engravings reflect light across the full spectrum of colors, creating a stunning rainbow-like effect that changes with every movement of the vinyl.
This exclusive edition presents concert suites for orchestra, choir, and the legendary soloists of Hans Zimmer’s band, specially arranged by Hans Zimmer. Each suite reimagines the original film scores in a powerful new symphonic form. The album features excerpts from concert suites based on: Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, The Dark Knight, The Rock, Pirates of the Caribbean, No Time To Die, The Lion King, Gladiator, Interstellar, and Inception.
Performed by world-class musicians, including long-time collaborators such as Lebo M, Lisa Gerrard, and Pedro Eustache, alongside the Odessa Orchestra & Friends (conducted by Gavin Greenaway), the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Martin Gellner), and the Nairobi Chamber Chorus. A visually stunning and sonically powerful collector’s vinyl release—perfect for fans of film music, audiophiles, and Hans Zimmer enthusiasts.
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Last delivered 5 days ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Beneath the sleek, confident guitar line that powers “Overdrive,” the lead single of All Over You, another guitar marks the time more impatiently, as if the groove its locked into is the timebomb- tightness of a pre-hookup heartbeat. Its energy isn’t nervous — after all, it’s hard to be nervous with Will Schwartz cooing come-ons like “I just wanna get you in the bed / Light you up like a cigarette” in your ear — but it is urgent. Excited. Titillated.
That’s the word that best describes the prospect of a new Imperial Teen record: titillating. They come out every five or six years, each new album acting as, to quote Roddy Bottum, “an episodic piece of where we are now, where the world is now, who we have become, and the geography of our collective consciousness.” There is considerable distance between Imperial Teen, its members — Bottum (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Schwartz (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Jone Stebbins (bass, vocals), and Lynn Truell (drums, vocals) — having made lives for themselves in different cities, but the collective consciousness that exists between them makes distance and time seem immaterial to the listener.
Time, especially time together, is not immaterial to Imperial Teen: it is precious. “For the last few records,” Stebbins explains, “the process has been similar. We live great distances away from each other, so initially, we get together to collaborate, write, and create. When we have enough material, we reconvene to record. Both scenarios, creating and recording, take multiple trips, sometimes with big lapses of time in between due to our various schedules.” Bottum concurs: “The biggest challenge in writing and recording is the distance between us, but the longing and desire and the ultimate coming together becomes more potent as a result.”
All Over You is a triumph of maximized moments together, four people bringing the force of their personalities to bear on years of built-up ideas. Title track “All Over You,” initially built over the computer, gained its charming sneer in the studio, where Stebbins’ buoyant, fuzzed out bassline added bounce to the song’s punchy, sloganeering lyrics, a perfect set-up for Truell to drive the song home, screaming the last line of the chorus, “We’ve got nothing to do,” like a rallying cry for a generation that’s been given nothing and told to deny themselves everything. “In my head,” Truell says, “I just went back to punk, to that feeling of prowling around looking for anything to do and being so mad about how boring everything is that you just have to yell.” The track had an attitude, it had an unexpected texture thanks to Truell’s playing improvised percussion, but her scream is what took it to the next level, transforming it into a signature Imperial Teen song.
One of Imperial Teen’s less magical concerns on All Over You is the effect capitalism has on the creation of art. This expresses itself in the headspinning rush of music industry success and disappointment that plays out in “Hands All Up,” and also in Imperial Teen’s sound. All Over You features the band’s most expansive, textured palette to date, and much of it’s steeped in — bubblegum music and boy/girl harmonies, electro beats and grungy distortion, power pop mall anthems and kiss-off lyricism — has been dismissed, at one point or another, as a fad. Time, of course, has proven otherwise, and All Over You makes a case for Imperial Teen as four of that time’s architects, inheriting, preserving, and pushing the boundaries of what pop music can be from one song to the next.
“We want to make people dance and think and feel,” says Schwartz. In all of those ambitions, All Over You crushes, brought to life by four musicians who found each other in the clubs of San Francisco over three decades ago and have remained family ever since. It is less a return from hiatus than a broadcast from the sonic utopia Imperial Teen has long ruled over, where the music is bratty and sexy and the parties don’t stop until everyone’s found euphoria. A raveup for mind, body, and soul, best enjoyed in a dark room packed with as many sweaty bodies as possible
Beneath the sleek, confident guitar line that powers “Overdrive,” the lead single of All Over You, another guitar marks the time more impatiently, as if the groove its locked into is the timebomb- tightness of a pre-hookup heartbeat. Its energy isn’t nervous — after all, it’s hard to be nervous with Will Schwartz cooing come-ons like “I just wanna get you in the bed / Light you up like a cigarette” in your ear — but it is urgent. Excited. Titillated.
That’s the word that best describes the prospect of a new Imperial Teen record: titillating. They come out every five or six years, each new album acting as, to quote Roddy Bottum, “an episodic piece of where we are now, where the world is now, who we have become, and the geography of our collective consciousness.” There is considerable distance between Imperial Teen, its members — Bottum (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Schwartz (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Jone Stebbins (bass, vocals), and Lynn Truell (drums, vocals) — having made lives for themselves in different cities, but the collective consciousness that exists between them makes distance and time seem immaterial to the listener.
Time, especially time together, is not immaterial to Imperial Teen: it is precious. “For the last few records,” Stebbins explains, “the process has been similar. We live great distances away from each other, so initially, we get together to collaborate, write, and create. When we have enough material, we reconvene to record. Both scenarios, creating and recording, take multiple trips, sometimes with big lapses of time in between due to our various schedules.” Bottum concurs: “The biggest challenge in writing and recording is the distance between us, but the longing and desire and the ultimate coming together becomes more potent as a result.”
All Over You is a triumph of maximized moments together, four people bringing the force of their personalities to bear on years of built-up ideas. Title track “All Over You,” initially built over the computer, gained its charming sneer in the studio, where Stebbins’ buoyant, fuzzed out bassline added bounce to the song’s punchy, sloganeering lyrics, a perfect set-up for Truell to drive the song home, screaming the last line of the chorus, “We’ve got nothing to do,” like a rallying cry for a generation that’s been given nothing and told to deny themselves everything. “In my head,” Truell says, “I just went back to punk, to that feeling of prowling around looking for anything to do and being so mad about how boring everything is that you just have to yell.” The track had an attitude, it had an unexpected texture thanks to Truell’s playing improvised percussion, but her scream is what took it to the next level, transforming it into a signature Imperial Teen song.
One of Imperial Teen’s less magical concerns on All Over You is the effect capitalism has on the creation of art. This expresses itself in the headspinning rush of music industry success and disappointment that plays out in “Hands All Up,” and also in Imperial Teen’s sound. All Over You features the band’s most expansive, textured palette to date, and much of it’s steeped in — bubblegum music and boy/girl harmonies, electro beats and grungy distortion, power pop mall anthems and kiss-off lyricism — has been dismissed, at one point or another, as a fad. Time, of course, has proven otherwise, and All Over You makes a case for Imperial Teen as four of that time’s architects, inheriting, preserving, and pushing the boundaries of what pop music can be from one song to the next.
“We want to make people dance and think and feel,” says Schwartz. In all of those ambitions, All Over You crushes, brought to life by four musicians who found each other in the clubs of San Francisco over three decades ago and have remained family ever since. It is less a return from hiatus than a broadcast from the sonic utopia Imperial Teen has long ruled over, where the music is bratty and sexy and the parties don’t stop until everyone’s found euphoria. A raveup for mind, body, and soul, best enjoyed in a dark room packed with as many sweaty bodies as possible
"Cinematic Visionaries Calibro 35 and Noir Master James Ellroy Pay Homage to L.A. with a Pure Crime-Funk Original Soundtrack. Out October 9" There are collaborations that feel inevitable like they were waiting to happen in some shadowed corner of culture. The union between Italian cinematic funk visionaries Calibro 35 and internationally acclaimed master of noir fiction and New York Times bestselling author James Ellroy is undoubtedly one of them. When Calibro 35 were invited to compose the original soundtrack for Francesco Zippel's documentary Ellroy vs L.A., they didn't simply write music for film. They stepped directly into Ellroy's universe the most dangerous corners of American crime fiction and discovered, to no one's surprise, that its darkness felt strangely familiar. The result is Ellroy vs L.A., the band's new album out October 9 on Record Kicks. Twelve brand new tracks of cinematic crime funk, psychedelia, and hypnotic groove that don't accompany Ellroy's world so much as inhabit it. The soundtrack's move through Ellroy's fictional and real-world mythologies with deliberate precision. Stylistically, the album finds Calibro 35 in their most natural yet most cinematic state: crime funk, psychedelia, and hypnotic groove pushed into darker, more narrative-driven territory by the weight of Ellroy's world. From the gloomy, suspense-laden groove of the opener Black Dahlia to the evocative closing piece Moonlight Sonative, the album unfolds as a complete cinematic arc, showcasing Calibro 35 at their very best. L.A. Confidential delivers a super-suspenseful, thrilling tension that feels like a chase through neon-lit streets, while Riots erupts into explosive cinematic funk, capturing chaos and urban unrest in full force. LSD on Sunset Boulevard drifts into a hazy, instrumental soul journey psychedelic, warm, and disorienting, like a late-night hallucination of the city itself. The Big Nowhere (Part I & II) expands the narrative into a slow-burning, atmospheric descent, unfolding like a two-act crime saga. Welcome to the Land of Vacation and Probation hits with kick-ass, uptempo crime-funk madness, urgent and relentless in its propulsion, while White Jazz is a mood of suspended, noir-infused jazz tension cool, shadowy, and unresolved. Together, the tracks map Los Angeles as a fractured yet hypnotic landscape suspended between glamour and violence, beauty and decay, myth and reality Born in Milan in 2007 with the mission of excavating the golden age of Italian film music Morricone, Piccioni, Trovajoli, Calibro 35 have spent nearly two decades transforming that initial obsession into a singular artistic language. Their work bridges vintage Italian soundtracks with contemporary jazz and cinematic funk, earning them a global following rare for an Italian instrumental act. Their music has been sampled by Dr. Dre (Compton, "One Shot One Kill" feat. Snoop Dogg), Jay-Z ("Picasso Baby"), and Damon Albarn's The Child of Lov. Rolling Stone described them as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing that has happened to Italy in the past few years," while Far Out Magazine called them "one of the most skilful and innovative instrumental outfits on the planet right now." The band (Enrico Gabrielli, Massimo Martellotta, Fabio Rondanini, and Tommaso Colliva) continue to evolve without losing their core identity. In 2025 they released the critically acclaimed Exploration, further expanding their sonic universe, and were invited to perform at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games at the Arena di Verona, confirming their growing international stature. With Ellroy vs L.A., Calibro 35 don't just compose a soundtrack they translate a mythology into rhythm, tension, and groove. Between fiction and reality, they find a city that never truly sleeps, only pulses in darkness. Press play, and Los Angeles begins to unfold in sound.
Environments are sticky, they stick to whatever happens within them. They can’t help it. And neither can you.
Land of the Few and Far Between / Songs for St. Michel is a collection of musical ‘figures’ written and recorded in 2022 and 2023 using a method Lyckle and Kim call the ‘snelkookpan’, translated as the pressure cooker. The ’snelkookpan’ in essence is trying to write and live-record as many musical figures in a given timeframe in a specific place. For ‘Land of the Few and Far Between’ this was an afternoon and evening in an exhibition Kim had curated about collecting and memory in The Hague. For ‘Songs of St. Michel’ this was 6 days in the basement of an art institution in Maastricht where they were joined by Otto de Jong on guitar. The figures are usually worked out by ear, sometimes improvised, sometimes written down, but often they are simply remembered and soon after recording forgotten. For ‘Land of the Few and Far Between’ they recorded ten figures. For ‘Songs for St. Michel’ fifteen. Of each a selection of five ended up on this seven inch.
F. van Abeelen (one of whom’s drawings is pictured on the sleeve of this seven inch and of whom 750 drawings were part of the exhibition mentioned above) was forced as a boy to hide in a basement for years. Only a small window gave access to the outside world. That sliver was his reality. After these years in hiding he began drawing his sliver of reality obsessively. Daily series of similar drawings that he would meticulously catalogue in an organizer. We never met F. Our friend who discovered the drawings in a closet of psychiatric nursing home Dorestad never met F. We only recorded ten musical figures next to 750 drawings by F.
St. Michel is a house that stands on the outskirts of Maastricht. It is built on the floodplains of the river Maas and living there you see the river change daily. It is a river fed by rain. No rain means a low river. Rain means a river that sometimes comes frighteningly close to flooding. Which it sometimes does. Due to the ebb and flow of the Maas, stuff is deposited in the boggy areas that are its floodplains. A shoe, a CD, a drone, some wood.
Places impress themselves onto what you are doing. You become an unwitting prop in the place’s story.
The first ‘snelkookpan’ happened in 2017 in the water-basin of one of the earliest concrete structures in the Netherlands; a bunker that was part of Amsterdam’s defensive line, built around the 1890’s. Something that used to house water was now empty. For three days Kim and Lyckle recorded improvised music there, which is still alive on a hard drive somewhere. In 2020 they recorded ‘the third of May’ at an old pumping station in Den Helder; an eleven part piece of auditory historical-horror which was released by South of North in 2024. Since 2023 Lyckle and Kim have mainly recorded live shows. With a Clarinet, kawai K1, Ipad, organelle, samplers and a variety of instruments curated for their minimal size or odd sound they’ve made chains of brief and improvised mini compositions inspired by browsing environments (digital and otherwise).
Land of the Few and Far Between / Songs for St. Michel adds to this growing collection of recordings for environments that are somehow sticky.
Common Primitives is the second collaborative album between Andy Bell (Ride guitarist, Oasis bassist) and Essex-based harp and synth duo Masal. It’s a stunning, meditative collection which veers from kosmische to astral jazz by way of Turkish folk tunes and all the way back again.
Their first outing, 2023’s acclaimed Tidal Love Numbers, consisted of four lengthy and almost ambient tracks and is included here on vinyl for the first time as part of a two-record set with the new album. By contrast, the seven tracks that make up Common Primitives are almost concise, but also a lot more layered and complex.
“We tend to work from initial, free-jammed ideas, building form and arrangement from there,” explains Masal’s Al Johnson. “Above all, we believe you should go where the vibe takes you.”
For Andy, that vibe was very much jazz legend Pharoah Sanders’ classic 1977 album Pharoah, which was reissued a few years ago.
“It puts me into a hypnotic state,” he explains. “That’s why I worked with more guitar loops on this record. The Tisziji Muñoz part on ‘Harvest Time’ has had me in a vice-like grip for the last three years and it arrives here via the Vini Reilly filter.”
For Özlem Simsek, there is nostalgia, too, and she even adds vocals as well as her heavenly harp to the opening track, ‘After Kâtibim’, based on a traditional Turkish folk song she had sung as a child growing up in Istanbul.
From there, the album takes us on a real journey, with the apt, impressionistic titles added by Andy once it had all been pieced together. There’s the beautiful, elegant ‘I Swear We Are Infinite’; the atmospheric ‘Yuzuki Fighting Spirit’ and the beatific ‘Soap And Water’. ‘Tower Of Babylon’ was named after the novelette by Ted Chiang, its structured creation reflecting that in the story; first single ‘The Morning Of The Trip’ finds Andy playing his guitar “as if it was a waterfall”. The journey ends with ‘Rudi’s Dream – The Third Bardo’, the trio accelerating onto the autobahn for a krautrock crescendo inspired by their studio’s resident cat.
Common Primitives is the second collaborative album between Andy Bell (Ride guitarist, Oasis bassist) and Essex-based harp and synth duo Masal. It’s a stunning, meditative collection which veers from kosmische to astral jazz by way of Turkish folk tunes and all the way back again.
Their first outing, 2023’s acclaimed Tidal Love Numbers, consisted of four lengthy and almost ambient tracks and is included here on vinyl for the first time as part of a two-record set with the new album. By contrast, the seven tracks that make up Common Primitives are almost concise, but also a lot more layered and complex.
“We tend to work from initial, free-jammed ideas, building form and arrangement from there,” explains Masal’s Al Johnson. “Above all, we believe you should go where the vibe takes you.”
For Andy, that vibe was very much jazz legend Pharoah Sanders’ classic 1977 album Pharoah, which was reissued a few years ago.
“It puts me into a hypnotic state,” he explains. “That’s why I worked with more guitar loops on this record. The Tisziji Muñoz part on ‘Harvest Time’ has had me in a vice-like grip for the last three years and it arrives here via the Vini Reilly filter.”
For Özlem Simsek, there is nostalgia, too, and she even adds vocals as well as her heavenly harp to the opening track, ‘After Kâtibim’, based on a traditional Turkish folk song she had sung as a child growing up in Istanbul.
From there, the album takes us on a real journey, with the apt, impressionistic titles added by Andy once it had all been pieced together. There’s the beautiful, elegant ‘I Swear We Are Infinite’; the atmospheric ‘Yuzuki Fighting Spirit’ and the beatific ‘Soap And Water’. ‘Tower Of Babylon’ was named after the novelette by Ted Chiang, its structured creation reflecting that in the story; first single ‘The Morning Of The Trip’ finds Andy playing his guitar “as if it was a waterfall”. The journey ends with ‘Rudi’s Dream – The Third Bardo’, the trio accelerating onto the autobahn for a krautrock crescendo inspired by their studio’s resident cat.
December 2012 I showed up totally exhausted in Vancouver BC after touring stupidly and relentlessly for however many straight months and got a job at a call centre raising money for the Red Cross. It was a scent free office but one time this woman cooked a piece of fish in the microwave for 10 minutes on low and hot boxed the whole office - we got sent home early no pay. There was the other woman I named the Call Centre Coltrane because her pitch and routine usually involved improvised flights of fancy that went off in both directions at once somehow landing back down with a credit card number and a donation. I used to sleep under the desk. I was there a few months and at the time I reconnected with John Brennan who I had played with briefly in Montreal at the Mutek Festival. In Montreal John was running an experimental music night at a burrito shop downtown called Garbage Night. While in Vancouver I began connecting with the music scene there and would go hang out with the Shearing Pinx lads who I think lived with Sydney the bass player at the time. I knew Nic and Jer from an AIDS Wolf Tour and was so stoked to get to know them both better. I really fell in love with that era of Vancouver's music scene.
Fast Forward to today. 2024
Actually it was the dying days of 2023 but you get it and John asks if I'll sit in with Earth Ball and I keep thinking about Earth Balance, the vegan butter everyone eats here. I brought my aching bones and my ipads on the beautiful ferry named the Queen of Oak Bay and out to Nanaimo BC, home of the nanaimo bar (a dessert treat - special to this region - that seems to be more popularly found under the weird glass sneeze guards in office building deli's out east in Ontario.... anyhoops ). No one in Nanaimo wants to talk to me about the famous treat. I asked a couple of people. Silence. Nanaimo is like London, Ontario but more fried and by the sea. The town is filled with blown out old sea dawgs with tin coffee pots and loose leaf tobacco, then there's the usual streetfolk you find in this part of the Canadian Pacific Northwest and a bunch of bohemians who I guess have left Vancouver behind - that fine city having become uninhabitable for those not making over 100k a year. And then up the way are all the retirees.
Yup Nanaimo is a strange one. They mined the shit out of this region and Nanaimo is surely haunted by those buried in mining shafts or maimed by the heavy machinery or blown up by accident in the explosives store house. And when Earth Ball fire up the amps in Izzy and Jer's basement you can hear the voices of the ghosts hum through electrical lines and out the speakers, Kellen's hued feedback, Izy's sturdy basslines, Jer's paperbag guitar tone and rumble pack zaps, Liam's (aka the Kid) sheets of sound and Brennen's multidirectional drums.
You wouldn't guess Earth Ball was auto-composing and from what my rat brain can tell - the lyrics are improvised too...Improvising lyrics and singing them is the hardest thing to do in all of music.. Izzy and Jer are pros. And their attitudes are pro too.
The live show is scorched and without naming names they've been known to make headliners nervous. Lucky ones will get to see them live as they tour this beast of a record entitled ‘It’s Yours’ (out May 17th on Upset The Rhythm) and I hope I'm one of them.
But now you, fan of fun but totally fucked up music, have the opportunity to Ball with them thanks to Upset The Rhythm. Enjoy
-Alex Moskos, Montreal QC, Feb 2024
With Lost Lost Lost, Pratt & Moody gather the defining moments of their journey and package it with fresh soul gold into one cohesive, slow- burning statement. What began as a series of cult 7” vinyl releases – often mistaken online for forgotten soul classics from another era – now finds its natural home in album form. Written and recorded with Timmion’s trusted house band Cold Diamond & Mink, the record captures the duo’s unmistakable chemistry: emotionally rich songwriting wrapped in warm, analog textures that blur past and present.
From the velvet sway of “Addictive Touch” to the cinematic tension of “You Bring Me Joy” and the beat ballad ache of “Hard Way To Live,” the album moves effortlessly between bedroom-soul intimacy and widescreen drama. “Hang Tight” opens with a blissful piano figure that nods to gospel-tinged 1970s soul before unfolding into a full-bodied groove, while “Hooked On Your Love” glows with golden-age group soul harmony sweetness. Across both sides, Pratt’s finely tuned vocals and Moody’s expressive guitar work anchor songs that feel timeless rather than nostalgic.
At its core, Lost Lost Lost is an album steeped in atmosphere – lush downtempo moments sit alongside sweet harmony-driven soul, cinematic builds dissolve into dark restrained grooves. Analog string synthesizers, vibraphone accents, tremolo guitar, and deep-pocket rhythms create emotional tension without excess. Pratt & Moody’s strength lies in their melodic instinct: songs that feel big without being pompous or losing their human quality. The result is a record that feels cohesive, immersive, and that real thing – reaffirming the duo as key architects of the contemporary lowrider soul revival.
With Lost Lost Lost, Pratt & Moody gather the defining moments of their journey and package it with fresh soul gold into one cohesive, slow- burning statement. What began as a series of cult 7” vinyl releases – often mistaken online for forgotten soul classics from another era – now finds its natural home in album form. Written and recorded with Timmion’s trusted house band Cold Diamond & Mink, the record captures the duo’s unmistakable chemistry: emotionally rich songwriting wrapped in warm, analog textures that blur past and present.
From the velvet sway of “Addictive Touch” to the cinematic tension of “You Bring Me Joy” and the beat ballad ache of “Hard Way To Live,” the album moves effortlessly between bedroom-soul intimacy and widescreen drama. “Hang Tight” opens with a blissful piano figure that nods to gospel-tinged 1970s soul before unfolding into a full-bodied groove, while “Hooked On Your Love” glows with golden-age group soul harmony sweetness. Across both sides, Pratt’s finely tuned vocals and Moody’s expressive guitar work anchor songs that feel timeless rather than nostalgic.
At its core, Lost Lost Lost is an album steeped in atmosphere – lush downtempo moments sit alongside sweet harmony-driven soul, cinematic builds dissolve into dark restrained grooves. Analog string synthesizers, vibraphone accents, tremolo guitar, and deep-pocket rhythms create emotional tension without excess. Pratt & Moody’s strength lies in their melodic instinct: songs that feel big without being pompous or losing their human quality. The result is a record that feels cohesive, immersive, and that real thing – reaffirming the duo as key architects of the contemporary lowrider soul revival.
OK, so the original pressing of the Heartstopper vinyl box set sold out in 2.5 hours.... Incredible!
We're making another version available. This is basically the same version, except it's NOT numbered. Also, this pressing will be released on October 9.
Heartstopper is the critically acclaimed Netflix coming-of-age romance that has captured the hearts of millions around the world. Based on the bestselling graphic novels and webcomic by Alice Oseman, the story follows Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson as they navigate friendship, love, identity, and growing up. Praised for its authentic representation and warmth, Heartstopper has become a cultural phenomenon, earning a devoted global fanbase and widespread critical acclaim. The series comprises three seasons, which aired between 2022 and 2024, followed by a feature-length film in 2026.
An essential part of the series’ emotional impact is its music. Across the series and film, Adiescar Chase’s music beautifully underscores the characters’ journeys, capturing the excitement of first love, the uncertainty of growing up, and the quiet intimacy of everyday moments. Her compositions have become an integral part of the Heartstopper experience, adding depth and atmosphere to the story’s most memorable scenes.
In collaboration with Netflix, Music On Vinyl proudly presents the complete Heartstopper soundtrack on vinyl for the very first time. This deluxe box set brings together the original scores from all three seasons of the series and feature film across four releases, pressed on stunning marble-coloured records in blue, pink, yellow, and orange, and housed in a beautifully crafted collector’s box. The set is complemented by an 8-page booklet featuring exclusive liner notes by Alice Oseman, four A4 art cards showcasing the original artwork from each release, and a Heartstopper diary for personal use, inspired by the series. Together, these carefully curated elements make this the definitive collector’s edition, celebrating the music and legacy of Heartstopper in a truly special format.
Creole Culture is the triumphant return of Dawn Richard’s King Creole era. Steeped in history but with its flag planted firmly in the future, Creole Culture pulls elements from Richard’s heritage as a Black and Native American woman who has spent a lifetime making and engaging with music. Following New Breed (2019) and Second Line (2021), Creole Culture is akin to a panel of a triptych: a fully-realized sonic and narrative universe in which Richard, as King Creole, rebuilds her hometown of New Orleans in her image. She not only honors her city for what it was or what it gave her, but stakes a claim for it as a cradle of global culture now and for all time.
Creole Culture follows two acclaimed avant-garde R&B albums with composer Spencer Zahn — the later of which, 2024’s Quiet in a World Full of Noise, found Richard exorcising the specters of grief and trauma in the wake of her father Frank Richard’s health struggles and the killing of her cousin Cisco. It is a softer take on the brass-soaked swagger of Richard’s previous King Creole efforts, an evolution brought about when she realized she had left a crucial viewpoint out of her exploration of New Orleans: her own. “New Breed was the story of New Orleans through my father’s eyes,” Richard explains. “I used his samples, his music, his cultures, his work with Chocolate Milk, his side of the family. Second Line was my mom — her interludes riddled the album with her depiction of what is meant to be a Creole woman in New Orleans. The masculine and feminine sides of King Creole had expressed themselves through them, but the story felt unfinished, like my version of the story was untold.”
That story is, for lack of a better word, complex: at turns triumphant and tragic, sexy and mournful, braggadocious and contemplative. Creole Culture presents Richard’s New Orleans as a utopian soundscape — an intoxicating blend of R&B, soul, hip-hop, pop, and jazz — that’s survived and thrived despite the dystopian circumstances visited upon it. Richard presents the melange of influence and artifact on Creole Culture with the care of a botanist nurturing new hybrids in a rose garden.
What emerges from that care is at once delightful and unexpected, enlisting a crew of guest stars including Big Freedia, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, and Durand Bernarr for features that play against type. Tank’s turn at spoken word verse on “l v r” serves to add dimension to King Creole’s New Orleans, as does Joseph’s undeniable voice on “chuuuurch.” “I’m not normally a features girl,” says Richard, ”but King Creole can’t build a world from scratch without help. What’s beautiful about the features here — which is also true of my band and producers — is they come from people who understand the materials of the world they’re from, they’re people I love, and they’re people who are just extraordinary at what they do. They’re part of the atmosphere of this place. You need them for the record to breathe.”
In the end, that’s what King Creole creates: a space where Dawn Richard can breathe, can be at peace with herself, and let loose with others. From finding love in opening single “enough” to relishing in the Afrocaribbean futurism of “fiesta,” Creole Culture is a tremendous, freeing breath of fresh air. It captures the resolve of a woman and a place who’ve survived the unimaginable and sees the future not as something to be endured, but as something to be created. Dawn Richard has been making that future one album at a time over the course of her career. Creole Culture is her most stunning one yet.
Creole Culture is the triumphant return of Dawn Richard’s King Creole era. Steeped in history but with its flag planted firmly in the future, Creole Culture pulls elements from Richard’s heritage as a Black and Native American woman who has spent a lifetime making and engaging with music. Following New Breed (2019) and Second Line (2021), Creole Culture is akin to a panel of a triptych: a fully-realized sonic and narrative universe in which Richard, as King Creole, rebuilds her hometown of New Orleans in her image. She not only honors her city for what it was or what it gave her, but stakes a claim for it as a cradle of global culture now and for all time.
Creole Culture follows two acclaimed avant-garde R&B albums with composer Spencer Zahn — the later of which, 2024’s Quiet in a World Full of Noise, found Richard exorcising the specters of grief and trauma in the wake of her father Frank Richard’s health struggles and the killing of her cousin Cisco. It is a softer take on the brass-soaked swagger of Richard’s previous King Creole efforts, an evolution brought about when she realized she had left a crucial viewpoint out of her exploration of New Orleans: her own. “New Breed was the story of New Orleans through my father’s eyes,” Richard explains. “I used his samples, his music, his cultures, his work with Chocolate Milk, his side of the family. Second Line was my mom — her interludes riddled the album with her depiction of what is meant to be a Creole woman in New Orleans. The masculine and feminine sides of King Creole had expressed themselves through them, but the story felt unfinished, like my version of the story was untold.”
That story is, for lack of a better word, complex: at turns triumphant and tragic, sexy and mournful, braggadocious and contemplative. Creole Culture presents Richard’s New Orleans as a utopian soundscape — an intoxicating blend of R&B, soul, hip-hop, pop, and jazz — that’s survived and thrived despite the dystopian circumstances visited upon it. Richard presents the melange of influence and artifact on Creole Culture with the care of a botanist nurturing new hybrids in a rose garden.
What emerges from that care is at once delightful and unexpected, enlisting a crew of guest stars including Big Freedia, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, and Durand Bernarr for features that play against type. Tank’s turn at spoken word verse on “l v r” serves to add dimension to King Creole’s New Orleans, as does Joseph’s undeniable voice on “chuuuurch.” “I’m not normally a features girl,” says Richard, ”but King Creole can’t build a world from scratch without help. What’s beautiful about the features here — which is also true of my band and producers — is they come from people who understand the materials of the world they’re from, they’re people I love, and they’re people who are just extraordinary at what they do. They’re part of the atmosphere of this place. You need them for the record to breathe.”
In the end, that’s what King Creole creates: a space where Dawn Richard can breathe, can be at peace with herself, and let loose with others. From finding love in opening single “enough” to relishing in the Afrocaribbean futurism of “fiesta,” Creole Culture is a tremendous, freeing breath of fresh air. It captures the resolve of a woman and a place who’ve survived the unimaginable and sees the future not as something to be endured, but as something to be created. Dawn Richard has been making that future one album at a time over the course of her career. Creole Culture is her most stunning one yet.
Danielle Ponder is done waiting for a future version of herself to arrive. Now, the Rochester-born, Atlanta-rooted singer-songwriter is unapologetically living in the moment. This realization powers Everything Has Changed, Ponder's anticipated sophomore album (and debut on Dead Oceans in partnership with Phoebe Bridgers). The LP is Ponder’s most self-assured statement to date: it was crafted through a period of immense transformation as the beloved vocalist propelled from being a lawyer to a full-fledged musical powerhouse. That artistic freedom threads the album, as heard on lead single, “Power”, which serves as both a declaration and an affirmation for the Black diaspora. Other highlights include the revelatory “Sun and Moon”, the towering blues ballad “God of You”, and the devastatingly vulnerable “Open Windows”. Everything Has Changed dismantles the stories Ponder once told herself and finds peace in what remains—all themes that have shaped much of her journey. Music was always a constant presence throughout her life, but practicality initially took over in adulthood. While performing with her family’s band and later developing her own projects, Ponder pursued a legal career focused on criminal justice reform.
It wasn’t until her late 30s that she allowed herself to seriously imagine music as more than a side pursuit. In 2021, at age 39, she finally took the leap, leaving law behind to pursue her artistry full-time. The gamble paid off: she signed her first record deal in 2022, becoming a trailblazer on her own unusual path to worldwide renown. Her debut album Some of Us Are Brave introduced Ponder as one of soul music’s most compelling new voices, thanks to singles like “Someone Like You”, “Roll The Credits,” and the empowering title track. The LP earned critical acclaim along with dozens of major sync placements, including the latest Apple campaign for the iPhone 16 Pro. She’s since had four major TV appearances, including Jimmy Kimmel Live! Ponder has also sold out shows across North America and Europe, including festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Afropunk, and the Montreux Jazz Festival.
But if that album documented her arrival, Everything Has Changed documents her evolution.
Danielle Ponder is done waiting for a future version of herself to arrive. Now, the Rochester-born, Atlanta-rooted singer-songwriter is unapologetically living in the moment. This realization powers Everything Has Changed, Ponder's anticipated sophomore album (and debut on Dead Oceans in partnership with Phoebe Bridgers). The LP is Ponder’s most self-assured statement to date: it was crafted through a period of immense transformation as the beloved vocalist propelled from being a lawyer to a full-fledged musical powerhouse. That artistic freedom threads the album, as heard on lead single, “Power”, which serves as both a declaration and an affirmation for the Black diaspora. Other highlights include the revelatory “Sun and Moon”, the towering blues ballad “God of You”, and the devastatingly vulnerable “Open Windows”. Everything Has Changed dismantles the stories Ponder once told herself and finds peace in what remains—all themes that have shaped much of her journey. Music was always a constant presence throughout her life, but practicality initially took over in adulthood. While performing with her family’s band and later developing her own projects, Ponder pursued a legal career focused on criminal justice reform.
It wasn’t until her late 30s that she allowed herself to seriously imagine music as more than a side pursuit. In 2021, at age 39, she finally took the leap, leaving law behind to pursue her artistry full-time. The gamble paid off: she signed her first record deal in 2022, becoming a trailblazer on her own unusual path to worldwide renown. Her debut album Some of Us Are Brave introduced Ponder as one of soul music’s most compelling new voices, thanks to singles like “Someone Like You”, “Roll The Credits,” and the empowering title track. The LP earned critical acclaim along with dozens of major sync placements, including the latest Apple campaign for the iPhone 16 Pro. She’s since had four major TV appearances, including Jimmy Kimmel Live! Ponder has also sold out shows across North America and Europe, including festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Afropunk, and the Montreux Jazz Festival.
But if that album documented her arrival, Everything Has Changed documents her evolution.
“When the flesh gets cut off the soul, it’s not the end.”
More than forty years after hardCORPS emerged from a Brixton basement, ‘Metal & Flesh’ returns in a new expanded edition on double vinyl and CD, newly remastered with the full involvement of surviving members Rob Doran and Clive Pierce. Born from the collision of punk, analogue synthesisers, sequencers, disco, reggae and experimental studio techniques, hardCORPS created electronic music that was as physical and emotional as it was mechanical. The arrival of French vocalist Regine Fetet gave the group its defining identity, placing her raw, uncompromising voice against the dense machinery of Hugh Ashton, Clive Pierce and Rob Doran. Working mainly with a Roland System 100, several Roland MC4 sequencers and later an additional MC500 and Atari ST 1040 computers, etc. pp., hardCORPS always transformed limitations, accidents, distortion and human imperfection into part of the music itself. Although rooted in the early 1980s, ‘Metal & Flesh’ refuses easy nostalgia, retaining the tension, space and character that made hardCORPS unlike their contemporaries. Yet, shall we eventually mention Kraftwerk, maybe let’s quote Ian Shirley from Record Collector magazine: „’Je Suis Passée‘ was not only a love letter to Kraftwerk but penned with such verve, passion and precision that Ralf and Florian probably would have accepted a blind date at a Düsseldorf cocktail bar (…).“ And as Martin Rushent famously said in 1990: “Hard Corps were ignored in their time. Perhaps it is the burden of the adventurous and the innovative to be ignored in their time, which is sad. Don’t ignore them now.”
This new edition has been carefully remastered to preserve that character and dynamics rather than simply making the recordings louder or more ‘modern’, while the artwork has likewise been developed to reflect the band’s original identity. Metal & Flesh’ is not merely an artefact of the 1980s, but a rare and fiercely individual document of four people discovering what happens when human instinct and machines collide.
Remastered by Martin Bowes. Graphic design by hard CORPS and Steve Lippert.
Gatefold sleeve gloss lamination, printed inner sleeves with lyrics, two double-sided hand-numbered.
Scottish musician Kay Logan (aka Helena Celle) self-released the prescient collection of oddball aleatoric bangers "Copy Music" in 2021, before pulling it from circulation. With the help of London imprint SWIMS, this cult album is now remastered and available on vinyl for the first time, under the new name "Endless Waltz". This will be the final Helena Celle album.
Raised on a diet of industrial queer pioneers Coil and Throbbing Gristle, occultish physics (John Dee, Aleister Crowley) and Frank Zappa, Kay's work has toyed and probed at the fringes of outsider art and technology for over ten years. Her 2016 album "If I Can't Handle Me At My Best..." established Celle's unique sonic language of unrepeatably gnarled techno, coaxed from a bewildering array of disintegrating midi controllers, Markov chains, and whatever else came to hand.
"Endless Waltz" pursues this formula to its bizarre conclusion: 18 fever loops of algorithmically crumpled dance music, pulled through a cheese cloth of obscure '90s computer game palettes and pop froth wordplay. Some of these delirious vignettes evoke a rudimentary AI regurgitating Captain Beefheart scores. Others, as one fan put it, are "sort of like if 'Commercial Album'-era Residents did an album on Rephlex". Enjoy the trip.
Recommended if you like Rezzett, Beau Wanzer, Hype Williams...
Dream Police is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Cheap Trick, originally released in 1979 and produced by Tom Werman. Following the huge success of At Budokan, the album arrived at a time when Cheap Trick had become one of the biggest new rock bands of the late 1970s.
The album is best known for its memorable title track, "Dream Police", alongside the popular tracks "Voices", "Way of the World" and "Gonna Raise Hell". The songs range from straight-ahead rockers to more melodic and atmospheric songs. Dream Police reached number six on the Billboard 200 and became one of the band's most successful studio albums. It remains a much-loved record from Cheap Trick's classic period and an important part of their 1970s catalogue.
Dream Police is available as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on red vinyl and comes in a gatefold sleeve. The package also includes an insert with lyrics.
A space is often described by its dimensions. The height of the ceiling, the expanse between walls. Division into functional elements of varying density follows. We have ideas of how such dimensions should be balanced to work well for sound — the classical concert hall, a Northward mastering room.
It’s tempting to try and use this idea of space to understand Space the group (Lisa Ullén, Elsa Bergman, Anna Lund). To calculate their cartesian co-ordinates: dynamics that run from whisper soft to punishing, shaking force; Ullén’s piano running the full expanse of the frequency spectrum; the mix of sudden, surprising and suggested variations in density (the space) that generates their musical structures.
But (a) space is a social phenomenon where meaning is accumulated and possibilities created by and through a constantly shifting set of social relations and their histories and entanglement inside and beyond the physical structures of a room or building. Reduced to its raw dimensions, Cafe OTO shouldn’t sound good: the low ceiling, the hollow void underneath the stage-not-stage, the hard glass windows out onto the street. But OTO as a social space — for gathering close to listen; the serious pursuit of a convivial good time (its productive mythology that an OTO audience is both up for it but also expects more); and then the idea of all that has happened before and what will come; that this is also part of ‘the music’ and changes what sounds to the point that none of those cartesian co-ordinates matter.**
It’s less of shock that Space sound good. Lisa Ullén is easily the most singular pianist in Sweden right now and Elsa and Anna’s ability to reroute in realtime reaffirms just how well they function as a group. The trio might have got their shit together holding down the rhythm section for the first incarnation of Anna Högberg Attack — but much like Högberg’s ongoing pursuit of artistic renewal, the trio avoid being shackled to any ideas about what a piano trio should be and there is something that happens (happened) in that room, on that night, with those people that made for something beyond just good.
It’s a gift that the sound of every concert at OTO gets recorded. A choice handful of these transcend their decoupling from that social space and radiate the room’s attendant energies. This record is one of them.
** See Jack Halberstam in Fred Moten & Stefano Harney, The Undercommons (2013): “…we must refuse the idea that music happens only when the musician enters and picks up an instrument; music is also the anticipation of the performance and the noises of appreciation it generates and the speaking that happens through and around it, making it and loving it, being in it while listening."
Black Truffle is thrilled to announce a second volume of unheard concert performances from legendary Pakistani kyhal singer Salamat Ali Khan, recorded at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie as part of the MetaMusik festival in 1974. Like the first volume, the immaculate recording by Michael Hönig (of krautrock legends Agitation Free) captures Khan performing a single extended raag in the company of Shaukat Hussein Khan on tabla and Hussein Bux Khan on harmonium. In addition to his stunningly inventive and moving vocal performance, Khan is heard accompanying himself on a specially tuned alpine zither (in place of the traditional swarmandal, an Indian style of zither). The lack of an underlying tanpura drone gives the music its characteristic floating quality, with the three instruments and voice masterfully dancing around one another as they sketch the outlines of this grand, 40-minute Raag Chandrakauns.
If anything, this epic performance of the late-night Raag Chandrakauns is even more seductively spacious and psychedelic than the music heard on the first volume. Obeying the traditional shape of Hindustani classical vocal music performance, a gradual rise in both pitch and rhythmic activity, the music hovers for twenty minutes in a reflective calm, the pulse only gently stated by the tabla while harmonium ornamentation and zither strums float by. In this meditative space, Khan gradually orients us to the contours of the raag, beginning with long notes at the bottom of his register. His improvisation at once builds with a stunningly firm sense of internal logic and seems liberated to explore every melodic and ornamental byway that comes up along the way. By the time we turn to the record’s second side, the music has grown into something far more frenetic, with virtuoso tabla passages at times occupying centre stage between Khan’s increasingly rhythmic melodic variations. Concluding with a sequence of unison tabla and voice passages of breathtaking complexity, the performance is met with rapturous applause. Arriving in a blue-toned variant of the first volume’s sleeve, with acclaimed musicologist Peter Pannke’s liner notes in the original German, Metamusik Festival Berlin ’74 Volume II is not to be missed. Essential listening not just for Hidustanti classic aficionados, but for anyone who needs reminding of the magic of collective music making in the moment.
John Coffey built a reputation as one of the most explosive live bands in Europe - even becoming an internet sensation with the legendary “beer catch”. From Graspop to Sziget, Wacken to Pinkpop, Vainstream to Jera On Air, 2000trees and Hurricane/Southside - the Dutch group has played several of the biggest festivals, sold out the Melkweg in Amsterdam and even launched their own punk rock festival - Coffey Fest - to celebrate community and uncompromising music. Never shying away from the world around them, John Coffey actively uses their platform to speak out on social justice and political urgency. The new studio album "Not Alone" is about the power of connection. About discovering that there are other people who feel what you feel. Whether you find that connection through a partner, a friend, a helpline, or a room full of people feeling the same music. Talking helps. Singing helps. Screaming along helps. Armed with new music, a fierce activist ethos, and upcoming European tour dates, the band proves that engagement and heavy rock ’n roll are a perfect match.
This album is a glimpse into the creative outpouring from Todd in September and October of 2025. He returned to the Purple Building in East Nashville to perfect what he called “the sound of country music 10 years from now”. This meant taking his favorite country music tropes, dismantling and reassembling them over stretched-out, swampy grooves with New Orleans-style horns. He was so sure of this sound, feel, and his studio band's pliability that he insisted on recording his vocal and guitar first, with no accompaniment or click track. Todd wanted the band to record after him, so they would HAVE to follow his lead wherever it went. In his mind, he was attempting to write and record a double album. His excitement over the recordings and the push to capture that much material meant that by mid-October, Todd had recorded his vocal, guitar and the band's rhythm section for at least an album’s worth of material, with plans to continue recording. Sadly, Todd passed away before the remaining overdubs and additional songs could be completed. Fortunately all the notes, directions and encouragement he left behind in the form of emails, voice memos and demos provided an extensive roadmap for his band. Following that roadmap as closely as possible, his band was able to complete Todd's last work, My Second Rodeo, Part 1.
Meet Matas Petrikas, a music producer, DJ, and book author with a passion for electronic music. Born in Lithuania during the time when it was still a part of the Soviet Union, Matas began experimenting with electronic sounds during his teenage years using self-built instruments and recording equipment. In 1991, Matas took a trip to Berlin that would change his life forever. There, he encountered the early years of techno culture, which led him to co-found EXEM, one of the first house and techno bands in the former Soviet space. With EXEM, Matas was one of the pioneers of electronic dance music in Lithuania, and by the end of the decade, they had charted numerous hits. They performed live shows ranging from intimate clubs to massive arenas, sewing the seeds of the local electronic music scene. Since then he relocated to Berlin and has forged a musical solo career focused on live-sets, experimentation, and authoring the book 'The Joy of Electronic Music'. The Unknown is Matas’ first release on his newly formed imprint Dangė Records, focused on supporting electronic music from Lithuania and the Baltics. The 6 track EP forges his love for texture heavy hypnotic techno with industrial and warehouse leaning low end and percussion. Although mainly an EP rooted in driving a groove, the use of earworm worthy basslines, rave breaky drums, and squelchy lead synths is where Matas’ long career foray into many genres of electronic music shines through. Dangė Records releases electronic music from Lithuania and the Baltics—sounds that emerge from underwater, carried by artists who inherited the weight of transformation.
Blume returns to James Tenney's Postal Pieces with a second volume: the three Swell Pieces and Koan, written for Alison Knowles, Pauline Oliveros, La Monte Young and Malcolm Goldstein, on vinyl for the first time from one of the key suites of 20th Century avant-garde music.
In 1970, James Tenney (1934-2006) reversed the entropy of his own life and went west. After spending the majority of the post-war years at the centre of cultural ferment in New York, he accepted a position at the newly inaugurated California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), alongside Allan Kaprow, Simone Forti, John Baldessari, Nam June Paik, Alison Knowles, Morton Subotnick, Harold Budd and Charlemagne Palestine. While the move began an enduring period of relative obscurity, Tenney quietly remained one of the most distinct and groundbreaking composers of his generation, producing a remarkably focused body of work inquiring after the elemental character and perception of sound.
Among the most celebrated of his efforts are the Postal Pieces, a suite of eleven compositions completed in 1971. Citing his strong dislike of writing letters, Tenney sent his friends short scores on the back of postcards. The eleven pieces are composed around three themes: his concept of swell form (utilizing repetition and progressing through a structurally symmetrical arch), intonation, and the desire to produce "meditative perceptual states."
Composed for a group of friends - the visual artist Alison Knowles, the composers Pauline Oliveros and La Monte Young, and the composer and violinist Malcolm Goldstein - the four works on this second volume are intimate, poetic and discreet. They were written roughly contemporaneously with the formation of minimalism by many of Tenney's closest friends, and share its elements of chance, durational tone, repetition and constraint, but they approach them on different terms, anticipating the more complex forms of post-minimalism. Rooted in gestalt theory, they are music in which the composer almost entirely disappears, offering greater attention to the artists to whom they were sent and to the subjective experience of the listener.
A student of Carl Ruggles, John Cage, Harry Partch and Edgard Varèse, an active member of Fluxus, a pioneer of computer music at Bell Labs and a collaborator of Carolee Schneemann, Tenney represents a winding thread connecting the entire history of American avant-garde and experimental music. The second collection by Blume attending to the Postal Pieces, recorded by The Barton Workshop under the direction of James Fulkerson, follows the long sold-out first volume (BLUME 022). It comes with exact replicas of the original postcard graphic scores and newly commissioned liner notes by Bradford Bailey.
Almost Starlight is the extraordinary new album by Jem Finer (hurdy-gurdy) and John Matthias (violin). Produced by Jay Auborn and recorded in a Medieval Church, deep in the Devon countryside, in the Summer of 2025, the music is suffused with light, heat and the natural acoustics of the space.
The album defies categorisation; forced to pigeon hole it the nearest approximation would be ‘modern-classical’ but this ignores its myriad influences and explorations which encompass inspiration from Arvo Pärt through Terry Riley to Can via Delius, Alice Coltrane and a subtle reimagining of electronic music played purely with acoustic instruments, bending and shaping their possibilities in surprising and unexpected directions.
Jay Auborn plays cello on a number of the compositions and his production opens up and expands the music through a skilled and imaginative use of space, paying homage to the atmosphere of the church; ‘the sound evolved… chasing the imagined acoustics of that church in my mind; a place for worshipping light with sound.’
Almost Starlight will be released on the 4th September by Touch, available as CD, vinyl, cassette and on streaming platforms.
BIOS OF THE ARTISTS
Jem Finer
Since studying computer science in the 1970s, Jem Finer has worked in various fields, including photography, film, experimental and popular music, sound recording, sculpture and installation.
Much of his work relates to systems, extended processes and extremes of scale and includes Longplayer, a musical composition repeating once every 1000 years, and the Gurdy and Hurdy stones, ancient rocks set upright in fields in East Sussex and Gloucestershire with Jimmy Cauty. Their work together includes a band, The Standing Stones, whose most recent release is Twa Sisters, featuring Iona Zajac and Daragh Lynch.
He was a founder member of The Pogues, with whom he has played, written and recorded since 1981.
Recent music revolves around a fascination with the hurdy-gurdy and includes hrdy-grdy, a cassette released by Benedict Drew’s Thanet Tape Centre. His latest collaboration, with John Matthias, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.
John Matthias
Since studying Theoretical Physics in the late 1980s and 1990s, John has created music and sound in many forms, including for installation, popular music, music for film, for dance and orchestra.
Much of John’s work plays with the physics of complex systems but he is also greatly influenced by stories and song. John has collaborated with Matthew Herbert, Stanley Donwood, Jay Auborn, Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Nick Ryan and many others to create music with a variety of textures and sonorities. He is particularly interested in simplicity and form and how context informs the way music sounds.
His latest collaboration, with Jem Finer, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.
VRIL returns to Delsin with KRUX. The crucial point, the moment where everything converges. On KRUX, a new direction was chosen, built on the strong foundation of VRIL's dub-driven sound. For the first time, VRIL presents multiple artist collaborations on his new album. Working closely with friends and fellow musicians has been a crucial part of shaping KRUX where five collaborations with Aurora Halal, Verraco, Rene Wise, AZARI and ATEQ form the core of a 13-track journey. Framed once again by the visionary artwork of Daniel Martin Diaz, KRUX captures a moment of convergence: between generations, humans and machines. Fusing past, present and future into a singular moment.
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Following the instant success and subsequent repress of its inaugural release, Stones Taro’s self-release experiment "Foglore" returns with its second installment, further expanding the captivating universe built in Part 1. Rooted in the same core concept—a seamless blend of dubby, fog-laden sound design and a timeless aura reminiscent of ancient folklore—this four-track EP solidifies the very definition of "Foglore." On the A-side, "Weather Wheel" sets an energetic tone as masterfully mixed, chopped breakbeats seamlessly dissolve into hazy, atmospheric pad sounds. It is followed by "Moss Pulse," a track whose precise sound design acts as a natural hub bridging the worlds of Dub Techno and Dubstep. On the flip, "Whorls Of Smoke" delivers a fresh, hypnotic dance cut driven by an intricate interplay between a half-step groove and tam strikes. Closing the EP, "Acid Fog Ritual" combines sticky acid basslines with a deliberate, low-tempo beat to generate a deeply immersive psychdelia. Expanding on its predecessor while boldly redefining its own boundaries, Foglore#2 stands as a brilliant testament to Stones Taro’s evolving sonic vision.
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Tokyo Tea Room are a band from Margate, UK, who strive to create music inspired by human emotions, exploring themes of longing and the ephemeral nature of existence. A dreamy, moody and groovy sound with introspective lyrics. Tokyo Tea Room is a timeless project whose message transcends the music itself. The band arouses passions and emotions, taking listeners on a journey within a tender, comforting bubble. Their debut album No Rush established them as one of the most compelling emerging acts in alternative music, resonating with a growing global audience. With millions of monthly listeners and a sold-out debut North American tour, the band are rapidly building momentum - particularly in the US, where their audience continues to expand. With new music on the horizon, Tokyo Tea Room are entering a defining new chapter, evolving their sound while staying rooted in the emotional depth that defines their work.
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Long overdue reissue of classic Scottish ambient techno banger ‘Mindweeds’, originally released in 1993 on the Pure-affiliated T&B Vinyl label run by Keith McIvor (JD Twitch) and Andy Watson (Brainstorm). With a Discogs demand ratio at about 300 have : 2000 want, and used prices peaking at over £100, now seems to be the right time for a re-release.
State of Flux were Roger Elliott and Dave Clark (aka Sparky, LUMA, Truffle Club and main man behind Kübler-Ross). They first met at Glasgow’s Strathclyde University in 1990, bonding over a shared love of weasel racing, German sausages and “man-duos” like The KLF and The Shamen. Dave was fully pubescent and already had a synth and drum machine, while Roger – a late developer – bought “another cheap synth, a Commodore Amiga for sequencing and a tiny mixer with no EQ”. For two long years they concentrated hard on “churning out unlistenable pish”, admittedly clueless about what they were trying to do.
Then – out of nowhere in the summer of 1992 – a flatmate’s Jello Biafra spoken word CD (‘I Blow Minds For A Living’) provided the inspiration to unlock the spark of dynamite that set the raving world on fire. Sampled using a Walkman* cassette** tape*** on playback (a decision the pair soon came to regret every time the track was subsequently performed live), Jello’s pilfered rant would soon become the crucial glue that held together the burgeoning kaleidoscopic helicopter spliff that is ‘Mindweeds’, loaded as it was – and indeed still is – with a veritably seething morass of cheeky electronic blims, nasal filter cheese and gay Caledonian spunk.
* a vintage portable listening device roughly the size of 4 iPhones stacked on top of one another and weighing the same as a small tub of yoghurt
** a plastic cartridge enclosing 2 miniature spools of magnetically coated, polyester-type plastic film (magnetic tape), notoriously convenient for pirating copyright material and secreting in one’s underpants for transporting between illicit market trader stalls
*** thin ribbon coated with ferromagnetic particles, usually ferric oxide but also chromium dioxide, "pseudochrome" ferricobalt or iron-cobalt-nickel “metal” formulations – with the latter types sounding marginally less crap
Playing demos of the track to friends, one thing led to another and a copy arrived with Twitch. Meeting the legends behind Pure in late 1992, a release was scheduled for summer 1993… but not before a promotional live gig in February of that year, supporting their heroes The Black Dog. Confessing that they “didn’t have a clue how to play live”, the duo played it safe, “went to a studio near Edinburgh airport to record the ‘live’ show” and then “mimed it off a DAT” at the gig, “standing in front of unplugged synths”. Soon after this, they recorded the full EP at Finitribe’s ‘Finiflex’ studio in Leith, Edinburgh and the record came out as planned that summer – the same week as Underworld’s ‘Rez’.
The record received high praise, appeared in many big-name DJ charts, sold out very quickly and was repressed within a few weeks, selling several thousand copies by the end of 1993 – no mean feat in an era when people had to use landline phones ****, faxes ***** or good old-fashioned carrier pigeons ****** to ascertain literally anything about the outside world, what was cool, where to buy the cool shit, or how to meet people and have fun.
**** a fixed communication device that connects to a telephone network using physical wires, cables, or a stationary base unit tied to a specific geographic address, using a handset incorporating a mouthpiece featuring a small metal disk and carbon grains, converting sound pressure from the human voice into a flow of electrical waves caused by these grains being squeezed together, before the variable signal is transmitted down DC voltage-powered copper wire and rerouted by a central exchange to arrive at the earpiece magnet of the target receiver’s handset, moving a small speaker cone accordingly so the message is intelligible WITHOUT THE PERSON SPEAKING ACTUALLY BEING PRESENT
***** as above, but for the d/Deaf
****** flying vermin riddled with diseases and capable of surviving nuclear armageddon
Soon Roger and Dave became sick of the Walkman being the only instrument played live in their set: with their new found fame and riches, they invested in a case for their Amiga to transport it around Scotland, while also putting in the hours on how to pretend to play live better with a sequencer and synths that were FINALLY plugged in. Following the release of ‘The Mercury EP' in April 1994, they embarked on a full tour of the UK and even managed to part ways and end the band by June that year.
This reissue includes the two original mixes of ‘Mindweeds’ recorded at Finiflex (‘Original’ and engineer ‘Fred's Fancy’), the original cassette demo (mastered directly from the actual recording sent to Twitch & Brainstorm in 1992) and a live version recorded at the Birmingham club night 'Oscillate' in April 1994.
A timeless classic - coming up on nearly 20 years since the original 12's were released and the very first time this LP has collectively been available on wax. (over 15 years since last in circulation) This edition was remastered to analog perfection from the legendary Stefan Betke (POLE) sonically sculpting the original work into a true masterpiece - this album has never sounded so alive! This is truly a multidimensional sound experience; it's like taking a swim in an analogue ocean and being immersed into the deepest end of the Marianas Trench. This edition features two cuts, "A Night To Remember" (as featured on Richie Hawtin's ENTER: Ibiza 4XCD mix) & "Under The Ocean" from the original 2009 edition of the album. The remaining tracks were selected from CD2 including "Tswana Dub" (Phase90 Restructure) as featured on Deadbeat's classic mix "Radio Rothko" on NYC's theAgriculture. Also included is a "live" (recorded from the house booth) performance at "dub echoes" in NYC (a screening for the feature film).
a A1. A Night To Remember Remastered 11:07
b A2: Ocean View Remastered 5:30
c B1. Kingston’s Burning Dub live in nyc 8:08
d B2: De Lion’s Den Remastered 4:20
e C1: Never Forget Remastered 9:06
g D1: Love In Lofi Remastered 13:00
Remastered 4:44
a A1. A Night To Remember Remastered 11:07
b A2: Ocean View Remastered 5:30
c B1. Kingston’s Burning Dub live in nyc 8:08
d B2: De Lion’s Den Remastered 4:20
e C1: Never Forget Remastered 9:06
g D1: Love In Lofi Remastered 13:00
Remastered 4:44
In the early 90s, led by Nicola Conte, the Fez collective in Bari, Italy, reshaped contemporary jazz through groove, experimentation and a distinctly Mediterranean sensibility. Within this environment the earliest recordings associated with what would become Schema Records first appeared, released at the time through Right Tempo. With a series of three 45rpm releases Schema Records revisits some of its earliest productions, all newly remastered from the original masters. The first 7” in this series includes Quintetto X’s reinterpretation of Marcos Valle’s classic “Mentira”, here proposed in a completely new format, as a two-part composition, unfolding across both sides of a 45 rpm single. Originally released in 1994 on a rare EP, the track perfectly captures the musical identity of Quintetto X: sophisticated rhythms, refined jazz harmonies and melodic ideas shaped by both Brazilian influences and the vibrant acid jazz scene of the European club music.
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Italian producer Stefano Tirone aka S-Tone Inc. and Brazilian singer-songwriter Toco join forces for DONA DIVA / FUNKY GAFIEIRA, an exciting two-track project celebrating the golden era of Brazilian soul-funk from the 1970s. Released by Schema Records, the project will be available digitally and on limited 7-inch vinyl from 26th June 2026.
DONA DIVA, released as a stand-alone digital single in May, is built around Tirone’s infectious bass lines and guitar work; it pays tribute to the golden era of the late ’70s and early ’80s Brazilian funk and soul music, and to Rio de Janeiro’s vibrant spirit party scene. This record’s B-side FUNKY GAFIEIRA dives even deeper into the duo’s rich tropical groove, a lush, cinematic journey straight into the heart of Rio — evoking smoky dancefloors, tropical nights and the timeless spirit of Brazilian dance parties.
Both tracks benefit from Tirone’s warm production and feature Toco’s silky melodies, the captivating vocal colours of Priscila Ribas and special contributions from trombonist Gianluca Petrella, creating a warm groove-laden atmosphere where retro flavour blends with contemporary production, creating a sound that feels both timeless and fresh.
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We're excited to announce the release of '2004 Speculation' produced by Royston Bassmann.
Five tracks spanning tech house, electro and experimental sounds, '2004 Speculation' is equal parts nostalgic and forward-looking.
Informed by years of digging, a decade-long obsession with vinyl and a deep understanding of how music translates from DJ to dancer, it's an impressive first outing from Royston Bassmann. Effortless production, expert arrangements, and a strong vision combine on the EP to reflect an artist who's been paying attention for a long time.
Pulling sounds, samples and inspirations from multiple corners, Royston shows heavy influence from the storybook of Y2K clubs, labels, DJs and legends. The result is tech house with room to breathe — trippy without stuttering, glitchy without stumbling. It's a body of work that belongs to no moment.
Kicking off with the invigorated intro track 'R2G', AKA Ready 2 Go, the EP marks the first of many projects for both the label and the artist.
The collaborative efforts between graphic artist Laurent Wyans and photographer Riley Hart package up IKI001 as an object just as worthy of being on the platter or on display.
A huge thank you to Off The Grid for supporting us on the journey.
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“One day, I’ll be a ghost, a spirit, that moves with you along the winds,” pines Twin Atlantic’s Sam McTrusty on the beautiful and cinematic ballad ‘Your, The End’, the fitting opener to the Scottish alt-rockers’ eighth album ‘Separation From The Animals’. “It’s about the responsibility I feel around being a parent,” he says, revealing that he cried while recording his vocal over bandmate Ross McNae’s tender Beatles-y piano part. If the album says anything, it’s ‘All You Need Is Love’, told with maturity and reckoning with the past to make sense of the present. ‘Separation From The Animals’ is an album born of two tales of triumph and perseverance – one of McTrusty grappling with his own ghosts, and the other of their finest album to date coming after a time when band morale was at an all time low. When their friends’ bands and peers were all calling it quits, words of wisdom from those close to the band were urging them to take time off. The album started out as a McTrusty solo effort, isolated in his new home. The day the band finished work on their last album, 2024’s ‘Meltdown’, was also the day McTrusty packed up his entire life and studio to start a new life in Toronto with wife and two kids, unaware of the rich seam of songwriting that it would inspire.
The original intention of the Builders and the Butchers was to make funeral music, but on the way to the cemetery something changed. An album, like any piece of art, is an artifact of a time. In a world where the process of listening to and obtaining music has never been cheaper or easier, vinyl is a last hold out. You can tell when you\'re holding the weight of wax in your hand, that you\'re connected to what you are doing. The first Builders and Butchers record is also an artifact of a time. Recorded in the living room of a house on SE Division St. in Portland, Oregon in 2007. It was recorded with no expectation, just wanting to document the songs folks had been gathering to sing along to since our first shows in the fall of 2005. The songs having been played only on the street up to that time. At those shows anyone who showed up was handed an instrument and quickly made part of the band. During the recording we attempted to bring that organic singalong rowdiness of the live show into the recording. We brought in about 20 close friends for a Sunday morning booze soaked choir session. We made sure that every instrument of the recording was made of wood and powered by a musician, there are no electric instruments and hardly any effects on this record.
Following one of 2025’s standout EPs, the CEO of the National Centre for Mark Fell Studies fires from the hip in brilliant, club-troubling motion. In step with 30 years of prism-pushing work — and particularly the »Nite Closures« EP, which signalled a concerted return to the dancefloor — Fell pulls aspects of hypermodern dance and electronic music from Chicago, Tanzania, and Japan into his own peculiar agenda.
The hugely distinctive results pull the body into thrillingly unusual, typically ascetic arrangements, activating every pointillist drum hit with attack and decay in a soberly ludic play of rhythmelodic tension and release, executed to delirious ends; 40 minutes of computer music.
As an artist who witnessed first-hand the explosion of electronic music in early ’80s Sheffield, and its interplay with house and rave as it refracted into wild new styles during the ’90s, Mark Fell is uniquely positioned to pursue his passion for the dynamics of electronic dance music to the nth degree. »Servitude In Context« continues to develop ideas around music for movement in the mid-2020s, placing decades of keen observation — from the macro and historical to the niche and hypermodern — at the service of flexing bodies in new directions.
Long-held notions of multistability manifest in what feels like two machines playing chess on the dancefloor, attempting to adapt to each other’s playing styles and patterns in real time, anticipating and zigzagging around the next move. The result is a plethora of options for limber dancers and those who only bust a move inside their heads.
The slow-fast play of accelerating and decelerating strikes, alongside monotonic chatter in »Actuations #1 (Extended)«, acclimatises the body to a uniquely sensual physics. This develops into the rudely screwed, asymmetric angularity of »Time-Slur« and the shatterproof elasticity of »Taut Manifold«, which feels like an LLM trained on Autechre.
»Low Energy Mantra« offers the EP’s closest resemblance to melodic structure, like gamelan and footwork refracted through lab-grown diamonds. Then »Anode« flashes its teeth with a rudeness recalling the latter stages of Fell’s Pat Thomas jams, before »3 Lost Contours (Pts 1–5)« tilts into 12 minutes of proper quicksilver madness, balancing the sexiness of his Sensate Focus work with an updated, clean-hoofed step and parry.
Isao Suzuki's third release for TBM showcases his remarkable versatility, not only on his primary instrument, the bass, but also on electric piano, organ, cello, and even vocals. The album's expansive, spiritual, and blues-infused title track stands out as a particular highlight. Supervised by Koki Hanawa as part of the series.
For ten years Spike Fuck has existed more as a messy myth than an art- ist; sporadic works forever poised on the precipice of triumph, rumours of death or insanity and so on. Spike’s mission is to distill the sacred and profane, balancing the melancholy and humour of life; “to be alive is to be traumatised.” Luckily, the devotion to his music persevered, some- what bolstered by his inconsistency and inaccessibility. This inexplicable goodwill towards his artistry is perhaps partly due to Spike’s timeless, pained and confessional lyricism, though more pointedly, the fragility of a life mired in addiction. His being or works does not question the virtue of life, but simply addresses the numb, pragmatic and far more immediate matter of surviving another day, an almost ineffable senti- ment only justified by his distinct, poetic audaciousness. Free from his arresting thoughts, evidence, the long anticipated debut album, is a bra- zen proof of life statement. Convicted by the outlandish idea of evidenc- ing a ‘you had to be there’ mentality, the record honours the presence in body, a record to be felt, never to be rationalized.
The material on evidence touches on elements of new wave, glam, soul and doo-wop, citing Pere Ubu, New York Dolls, The Temptations and Bettye Swan as key influences. Melodically it emits the energy of a down- and-out CBGBs band who cashes in by recording a lucrative Christmas album.
Spike frequently uses sonic and lyrical juxtapositions to perform comic twists of sincerity, a reflection of society's obsession with ‘getting a rise’. On “Bored to Death,” a scuzzy, laidback and soulful tune, paired with morbid ragebait lyrics that payoff as a stand up joke “when I look up at the sun it makes me so happy cause I know one day it’s gonna kill me, and it’ll kill you too!” Lead single “All By Myself” carries on in this fashion; with feelgood, family-friendly punk doo-wop production, Spike is misleading on if his joy comes from the pride in solitude, or from lone- liness and a ‘give me everything’ mentality in the act of shooting heroin. The vocal performances oscillate between being blasé, vulnerable and manic; “Sweet Release” meets power-ballad criteria solely due to Spike’s deteriorating cries into the void, the jittery delivery on “Getting Sober” embodies religious fanaticism while sounding like a pop song written by Suicide for a David Lynch film.
evidence is an album that lives outside the limits of discourse; its purpose is eponymous and self-evident. It is what it is, and is subject to interpretation. There is no point in interrogating attachments, virtue or value. The only rightful way to live is to be.
a 01. CAN'T GET IT UP 4:38
b 02. HAD YOUR WAY 4:04
[c] 03. SWEET RELEASE [3:27]
[d] 04. BORED TO DEATH [3:31]
[e] 05. ALL BY MYSELF [2:38]
[f] 06. GETTING SOBER [3:33]
[g] 07. BLUELIGHT[4:35]
[h] 08. HATE ME [7:44]
[a] 01. CAN'T GET IT UP [4:38]
[b] 02. HAD YOUR WAY [4:04]
[c] 03. SWEET RELEASE [3:27]
[d] 04. BORED TO DEATH [3:31]
[e] 05. ALL BY MYSELF [2:38]
[f] 06. GETTING SOBER [3:33]
[g] 07. BLUELIGHT[4:35]
[h] 08. HATE ME [7:44]
[a] 01. CAN'T GET IT UP [4:38]
[b] 02. HAD YOUR WAY [4:04]
[c] 03. SWEET RELEASE [3:27]
[d] 04. BORED TO DEATH [3:31]
[e] 05. ALL BY MYSELF [2:38]
[f] 06. GETTING SOBER [3:33]
[g] 07. BLUELIGHT[4:35]
[h] 08. HATE ME [7:44]
[a] 01. CAN'T GET IT UP [4:38]
[b] 02. HAD YOUR WAY [4:04]
[c] 03. SWEET RELEASE [3:27]
[d] 04. BORED TO DEATH [3:31]
[e] 05. ALL BY MYSELF [2:38]
[f] 06. GETTING SOBER [3:33]
[g] 07. BLUELIGHT[4:35]
[h] 08. HATE ME [7:44]
[a] 01. CAN'T GET IT UP [4:38]
[b] 02. HAD YOUR WAY [4:04]
[c] 03. SWEET RELEASE [3:27]
[d] 04. BORED TO DEATH [3:31]
[e] 05. ALL BY MYSELF [2:38]
[f] 06. GETTING SOBER [3:33]
[g] 07. BLUELIGHT[4:35]
[h] 08. HATE ME [7:44]
Created in collaboration with Florida-based production duo The Still Brothers, the album pairs Rollo's songwriting with beautiful analogue production and rich, organic arrangements. The project was further elevated by producer and mixer Mike Hill, before Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Dan Millice put the finishing touches on the record.
Recorded over the course of several visits to The Still Brothers' studio in Florida, The Jelly Man was shaped by both its surroundings and the creative partnership at its heart.
Together, Rollo and The Still Brothers crafted a beautifully warm, analogue-sounding record, deeply inspired by Florida's natural beauty and the laid-back atmosphere. Recorded with an 8-channel Tascam tape machine, the album radiates warmth, vibrancy and character, while a host of carefully chosen collaborators bring their own distinctive voices to each track.
Rollo Doherty is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and composer, as well as an accomplished filmmaker, illustrator and animator. His previous EP earned him support slots on Skinshape's UK tour and Palace's European tour, alongside airplay and support from BBC Radio, KEXP and NPR.
The Jelly Man marks an exciting new chapter for Rollo Doherty—an album that captures a sense of place, collaboration and timeless craftsmanship.
Created in collaboration with Florida-based production duo The Still Brothers, the album pairs Rollo's songwriting with beautiful analogue production and rich, organic arrangements. The project was further elevated by producer and mixer Mike Hill, before Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Dan Millice put the finishing touches on the record.
Recorded over the course of several visits to The Still Brothers' studio in Florida, The Jelly Man was shaped by both its surroundings and the creative partnership at its heart.
Together, Rollo and The Still Brothers crafted a beautifully warm, analogue-sounding record, deeply inspired by Florida's natural beauty and the laid-back atmosphere. Recorded with an 8-channel Tascam tape machine, the album radiates warmth, vibrancy and character, while a host of carefully chosen collaborators bring their own distinctive voices to each track.
Rollo Doherty is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and composer, as well as an accomplished filmmaker, illustrator and animator. His previous EP earned him support slots on Skinshape's UK tour and Palace's European tour, alongside airplay and support from BBC Radio, KEXP and NPR.
The Jelly Man marks an exciting new chapter for Rollo Doherty—an album that captures a sense of place, collaboration and timeless craftsmanship.
After a sought after debut EP on their Perfumed Freedom label Foehn & Jerome return to the imprint with their versatile “Hermanngirl” release. The record spans across four original cuts, brimming with a nostalgic minimalist approach, incorporated with the distinct sound of modern times from the Berlin based duo, a reflection of the highly anticipated Perfumed Freedom parties they run. Diving into PFFD002 you will discover a refined blend of hypnotic and stripped back structures infused with distinct house grooves with an intricate and detailed energy for the floor. A producer pairing that continue to evolve their sound, developing the direction of their Perfumed Freedom set up but maintaining the direction at the core, timeless yet hypnotic.
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Living Weapon returns with Death In The Family, a full-length that confronts mortality, meaninglessness, and the aftermath of existence. The release broken down over 23 minutes toward an unresolved end — life examined at its start and its finish, with the universe indifferent to either. Recorded, produced, and engineered by Jeremy Martin over fall 2025 into spring 2026 — the band's first time tracking a full album internally. Mixing handled by Taylor Young of The Pit Recording Studio and Mastering by Nick Townsend. The album is introduced with "The Leaving Process” laying out the album's core idea: life as connection, not permanence — matter created and destroyed, briefly aware of itself in between.
Led by Samantha Martin's unmistakable powerhouse voice, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar deliver an explosive blend of soul, blues, gospel and rock 'n' roll Backed by an 11-piece band featuring a three-piece horn section and soaring vocal harmonies, Martin commands the stage with equal parts grit, grace and emotional force. Two-time JUNO Award nominees and internationally recognized as one of Canada's most compelling live acts, the band has built its reputation through electrifying performances and a catalogue that carries the classic soul DNA of Mavis Staples, Sharon Jones and Otis Redding, delivered with the urgency, volume and energy of a modern rock 'n' roll revue. Released in May 2026, A Beautiful Buzz captures Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar at full flight during the Love Is All Around tour. The album generated immediate international attention, topping the Euro Americana, Big Blues and UK Independent Blues Broadcasters Association and Roots Music Report charts. Rolling Stone France Editor in Chief selected A Beautiful Buzz as one of its "10 Albums to Listen to, "With blazing horns, gospel- charged harmonies and Martin's commanding voice at the centre, A Beautiful Buzz recalls the joyful abandon of Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen while remaining unmistakably their own. Blue Matters described it as "the front row experience, bottled with warmth, fire and unmistakable soul," while Blues in Britain placed Martin "up there with the best of contemporary female vocalists." Building on the album's international momentum, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar will bring their show to Europe and the UK in May 2027, followed by a second run in November.
Norway's Aura Noir was formed in 1993 by Aggressor & Apollyon in pursuit of a more thrash- based form of black metal than much of what was coming out at the time - particularly in their homeland - citing bands such as Slayer, Sodom & Kreator as inspirations along with purveyors of the scene such as Venom, for a dirtier, stripped down, violent black/ thrash metal sound. Their first official release was the 'Dreams Like Deserts' EP on Hot Records, & from there-on the band became a truly cult act, releasing a string of albums among ongoing live performances over the subsequent decades. All members of Aura Noir have had illustrious careers to date, with Carl-Michael Eide (Aggressor) notable for his work in Ved Buens Ende, Dodheimsgard, Virus, & Fleurety, as well as being part of other scene icons such as Ulver & Satyricon in their formative years. Apollyon, currently also seen in Coffin Storm with Darkthrone's Fenriz, previously featured in Dodheimsgard, as well as Lamented Souls & Immortal. Completing the trio is Blasphemer, formerly of fellow Norwegian legends Mayhem, as well as being current mainman in his recently established band, Ruim. Originally released in 2012, 'Out To Die' was the band's fifth full length release, & a continuation of the savage raw & ugly feast offered by its predecessors, containing eight relentless tracks in praise of the old thrash masters & early primal black metal forefathers of the 80's. 'Out To Die' features additional guest lyrics by Dirge Rep (Gehenna/Enslaved), & Fenriz, whilst the fittingly underground cover art was created by the prolific artist, Costin Chioreanu.
Spring 2026 saw The Proclaimers recording their new album, You May Offend. It is brothers Craig and Charlie Reid’s first album since 2022’s hugely acclaimed Denture’s Out (“Proves you don't need to be a young pretender to land hit after palpable hit,” – MOJO magazine). Their 13th studio album’s 12 tracks – punchy and punky, rousing and carousing, tender and tough – were recorded at Monmouth’s legendary Rockfield Studios with producer Dave Eringa, their crack live band – Steven Christie, Garry John Kane, Zac Ware and Clive Jenner – and frequent guest guitarist, Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield. The result is an album, as ever, concise as well as incisive, and about looking forward. Pushing on and digging into the issues and feelings that matter to them here, now and tomorrow, not yesterday, as with the title track, and first single, a lament for the state of free speech, with Charlie approving of the fact that the title can be taken two ways: “As in: ‘Look, careful what you do, you may offend someone.’ Or: ‘OK children, you may now offend.’ Is it an instruction or an invitation? Or a warning?” A powerful accompanying video for the You May Offend single is being created by Emmy & BAFTA award winners, director Douglas Mackinnon in partnership with Peter Anderson Animation. “My favourite band of all time. They write the most spectacular songs, big hearted, uncynical passionate songs.'” - David Tennant “There is a whole other world of music behind that song that I’ve just been discovering, and they’re a wonderful, wonderful band. Now we live in the age of coolness that doesn’t mean anything, it's just quality and soul. The Proclaimers make more sense than ever.” – Chris Martin after Coldplay performed Sunshine on Leith at BBC’s The Piano Room
For more than thirty years, Hayden has built a body of work from moments in life that can easily pass unnoticed. His talent is to build grandeur around small events, not just within songs but as an accumulation across his whole career. Taken together, his ten studio albums amount to an ongoing conversation about family, memory, love, loss, absurdity, and the strange beauty hidden inside ordinary days. The realization that today’s routine may someday become the part of your life you miss most. Despite its title, Hayden's new album "The Recent Past" isn’t nostalgic so much as observant. It reflects on the strange feeling of longing for a time that wasn’t all that long ago, but it’s also about trying to stay rooted in the present while everything around us speeds up. It is a rich addition to Hayden’s continuing search for unsung moments. There’s heartache on this album, some frank declarations, a lot of comfort and danceable surprises. After years of mixing his own records, Hayden gave the final mixes to Grammy-winning engineer Tom Schick, whose work with Jeff Tweedy, Wilco, Mavis Staples and Willie Nelson had long been an inspiration. Adding subtle colours on the album are drummer Adam Hindle, pedal steel player Matt Kelly, fiddler Miranda Mulholland and upright bassist Ben Whiteley. "The Recent Past" is the perfect record to play when things are coming at you, when you want to take a breath, reflect, escape. Whatever memories or struggles play out you can hum to heartbreak, have lunch with your kid, know that trouble is out there for everyone but somehow this is still a beautiful day.
Since the release of DAMAGED in 2024, Michael Fiedler aka GHOST DUBS has been surfing intensifying waves of adulation, earning praise from such diverse underground legends as Justin Broadrick (Godflesh/Jesu), Regis, Stefan Betke (Pole) and Steve Von Till (Neurosis). With second album Oblique, his mastery of sculpting sound waves results in a spellbinding set of alien soundscapes: larger in scale, richer in tone and considerably more cinematic than its predecessor. Lower, deeper and moodier, its cloudy abstractions, shadowy pulsations and submerged rhythms find Fiedler reaching further into his own sonic void, crafting blurred melodies and addictive narco loops into something simultaneously heavyweight and hypnotic. Album opener "Low Times" sets the atmospheric pressure to maximum, resembling a dream date between prime dirt-house era Andy Stott and Berlin dub-tech pioneers Basic Channel. From there, Oblique descends into a series of enchanting mood scenes: the furtive, balletic gyrations of "After All", the haunting ambience and buried heartbeat throb of "Soft Collapse", and the noirish atmospherics of "Blackout Dust", which worms its way into the mind like some forgotten David Lynch scene. The spirit of reggae is more distanced here than on DAMAGED, but the ghost of Jamaican dub still permeates these foggy soundscapes, particularly on "Bombed Suburbs", where Augustus Pablo-style melodicism is chopped, screwed and slowed into a magnetic lock groove. Superficially minimal but maximal in its minute detail, Oblique is a record of contorted reflections, mesmeric echoes and tantalising audio mirages. By the vaporous mist of closing track "Almost a Structure", obvious rhythm has been craftily filtered away, leaving a blurred and blunted residue full of mystery and implied narrative. Dense in the best possible sense and crushing when played loud yet equally potent played quiet, Oblique imagines dub techno burning its own rigid rulebook: sensual, funky and concussive rather than dry or alienating. "Second album from electronic producer Michael Fiedler's GHOST DUBS project. "Follows up from the highly-acclaimed 'Implosion' album with The Bug from 2025. "Debut album 'Damaged' sold out its three initial pressings and has just been repressed "Michael Fiedler recently scored 'Sound of Falling' which won a Cannes award in 2025 and made the shortlist for an Oscar, too.
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‘Oud-player with The Handover, Eissa was mentored by two legendary figures in Egyptian music: composer and multi-instrumentalist Abdo Dagher, and oud master Hazem Shahin. The music here is heavily rooted in both Egyptian classical music and a number of different folk music traditions, but it goes its own way, through expansive and intricate original compositions.
‘The epic title track, with Eissa playing oud exclusively, takes up two thirds of the album. It seamlessly transitions into heart-stopping recitation of the thirteenth century poet Baha´ al-din Zuhayr… serious, loving, tender and insistent, all at once. Visionary and virtuosic, but at the same time warm and close.
‘A future classic.’
The re-launch of mars assault records last year brings the possibility to re-issue its back-catalog: the tunes that were released during the first run of the label (1998-2003).
here we have 4 tracks from "Arach", from the studio concept "centiped sound system", ( a duo of composers, also including Peter Pan), which were originally released on two records ( mars assault 3.65b, mars assault 3.7r1) in the years 2000/2001: very sharply produced hard-tekno, very original also (the "sound of centiped" is like no other hardtechno), and yet 100% as relevant on the dancefloor nowadays as it was at the time.
Another mars assault record equality good to play in a party as to listen to at home.
2025 cut with Hervé at dK Mastering /Paris (cut in 33/45rpm for optimum sound quality); 300 copies limited re-press, 180g pressing; a very sober object on the outside, but translucide red within.
1982 4-Piece Demo' is the first official, fully-licensed and unreleased material to be released under the name Strawberry Switchblade in 30 years. Since disbanding amid major record label acrimony and personal differences in 1986, the already-cult band have since grown in stature and legend. Trailblazers in many ways, the band's mythology justifiably centers around the charismatic duo of Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, but that isn't a complete picture. Bryson and McDowall's growing friendship, having met some years earlier on the punk scene, became a creative partnership: Bryson's art school background and McDowall's history in avant-punk group The Poets meant Strawberry Switchblade was a band pitted against many established norms. The band's very first incarnation, an all-female 4 piece, recorded one demo at Glasgow's Hellfire Club and played a handful of gigs. Friends Janice Goodlett and Carole McGowan completed the line up on bass and drums respectively. Strawberry Switchblade would eventually pair down to a duo and go on to chart success but it's in these raw, passionate recordings that the songwriting and vocal elements were being hammered out and explored in real time.
Spanish Song' is a previously unreleased song. With Rose McDowall's instantly recognizable lead vocal dovetailing with Bryson's harmonies and lead guitar, it's the first glimpse at an alternative history of Strawberry Switchblade. This incarnation could easily have been featured on a Nuggets compilation or a precursor to the indie-pop revolution that would take over British bedrooms a couple of years later. "Trees & Flowers" is instantly recognizable, a bona fide classic that would earn the band its first record deal. Here it's given a more forceful rhythm section: Goodlett and McGowan's playing is in fact accomplished and doesn't hint at the bands' youth. "Go Away" would also surface later on the band's debut LP but here it is a moody-garage stomper with a psychedelic, haunting refrain. These 3 songs point to a tantalizing future of the band that was never realized.
Remastered and restored by Sean Pennycook from the original cassette, with artwork based on a single photographic contact sheet (the only visual evidence of the band in this form) and with a booklet of photographs and new text. Pa
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Gradient returns to Alt Dub with Random Layers, a deeply focused EP built around his exceptional control of minimal elements.
With a restrained palette of kick, bass, chords and texture, each track evolves with patience and precision, allowing subtle shifts and carefully placed layers to create a powerful sense of depth and space
Sound layers are introduced with such control that the music evolves naturally, revealing its depth over time. Nothing feels rushed and nothing is unnecessary.
Gradient’s productions have a rare ability to make minimalism feel rich and alive. Nothing is excessive; every sound has a purpose. The result is four timeless, immersive dub techno pieces that balance classic dub techno atmosphere with a distinct sense of detail and control.
The EP also features a timeless remix from Echospace Detroits CV313, One of the most respected figures in the deeper end of dub techno, he brings his unmistakable sense of space and depth to the release, making this a particularly fitting and exciting collaboration.
Elegant, restrained and deeply atmospheric, Random Layers is another strong statement from Gradient and a perfect fit for Alt Dub.
Crafting another beautiful experience in sensorial delight, fleet.dreams returns to Vinezza with the label’s 3rd offering “A Voice Without Color” - born from an ever-deepening practice of groove-powered depth tech melded with realms of dubwise kineticism, enchanted cognition, and expressive, dreamlike synthesis.
“A Voice Without Color” finds fleet.dreams’ music in its most rave-activated mode yet, crafting 4 pieces of infinitely mixable spectral matter - all part of their own universe beckoning to be heard under the glow of stars in the night sky, or floating amidst the mesmerizing fog & lights pumping out of the system on your favorite dancefloor.
Awash in kaleidoscopic splendor and psychedelic intrigue, “A Voice Without Color” finds kinship in everything from the best of expansive dancefloor kineticism, time dilated wonder, and the vivid reverbations of the natural world floating in the mix. At once quintessential, contemporary, and ubiquitous is fleet.dreams’ own remarkable production technique, each track unfurling in seemingly endless swells of simmering rhythm and hypnotizing atmospherics - new memories of circadian entrancement in their molten essence, designed to blissfully guide you deeper and deeper towards the primordial exhilaration of movement. Undulating with vivid pulsations and clarion calls for the hips and mind echoing across a spiraling gyre, the sprawling waltz of “A Voice Without Color” glides through dazzling chroma and effulgent radiance greater than the sum of its parts.
Painting with bold, prismatic strokes of iridescent friction amidst the listless gray of our increasingly dispassionate timeline, fleet.dreams delivers another EP of style, substance, and vision for the dancers and DJs alike - a future classic of a possible world ready to be activated together.
*words by Kiernan Laveaux
Early support from: Kiernan Laveaux, Daniel Rincón (NAP), Scott Zacharias & Amelia Holt
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Breakbeat Paradise Recordings welcomes back Umbo for another heavyweight installment of the Toxic Funk series. One of the original pioneers of the Nu Funk movement, Umbo once again delivers two dancefloor-ready cuts packed with soulful samples, infectious breaks and unmistakable funky vibes.
Having released music on respected labels such as Good Groove Records and Timewarp, Umbo has built a reputation for crafting timeless party weapons that blend classic funk with modern breakbeat production. His previous appearances on Breakbeat Paradise have become fan favorites, and Toxic Funk Vol. 24 raises the bar once again.
Leading the release is Got Soul, a groove-laden funk workout driven by punchy drums, irresistible basslines and uplifting soul energy that's destined to ignite dancefloors. On the flip side, Save It delivers another dose of vintage funk attitude, combining tight breaks, funky rhythms and cleverly chopped vocals into an irresistible DJ weapon.
Whether you're spinning funk, breaks, nu disco or party edits, these two cuts are built to keep the energy high. Toxic Funk Vol. 24 is another essential addition to the Breakbeat Paradise catalogue and proof that Umbo continues to be one of the scene's most consistent producers.
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If you're looking for some hi-fidelity techno that is about atmosphere and sound design as much as muscular rhythmic power, this one is for you as Standards & Practices returns with more thoughtful tackle across three EPs. Electro, half-time, dub and breaks are all chucked into the mixer here with Karim Maas opening with the unsettling emptiness of 'Positive Beliefs.' Stave & Grebenstein's 'Live Room' is a collage of texture and static with only the merest suggestion of rhythmic form, and Sandwell District offer a supple and deep techno vision on 'Le Coq Sportif.' Negative Affect's 'Sleep Walker' has menacing swagger to shut down a proper decent selection.
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Uncompromising Italian DJ/producer The Southern makes his vinyl debut on Mutual Rytm's sub-label, Spectra, with remixes from Alarico, Temudo and Sciahri. An EP marking an impressive label debut, Carmine Portarulo, aka The Southern, lands on Mutual Rytm’s sub- label Spectra with a powerful showcase of his much-loved sound. With the lead track featuring as one of label head SHDW's most requested IDs of the year so far, and packaged alongside outstanding remixes by close label associates Alarico, Temudo and Sciahri, the EP comes having established himself with a sound rooted in old school value and pure techno, favouring energy and authenticity over hype. The track’s backstory comes from the moment Carmine and his partner found out they were expecting a child and went for their first ultrasound appointment. Overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment and the beauty of what nature is capable of, he returned home and poured those feelings into the music. The result, ‘Ultrasound’, is an anthemic, punchy techno cut with euphoric energy rising up through the synths and its catchy lead melody. Joyful melodies sparkle amid vocal groans, adding a raw emotional pull as the warm, driving drums march on. Berlin-based artist Alarico is the first to remix on his return to the label, and his ‘Sad Mix’ has a more melancholic mood, with dark chords and tightly programmed drums that bring lo-key funk. Hayes Collective founder Temudo also returns and flips the vibe on his ‘Neuro Interpretation’ with a more psyched-out, twisted tune featuring trippy synths and booming drums for peak-time impact. Italo-Iranian Sublunar Records head Sciahri then drops his trance- inducing, hypotonic ‘Tunnel Vision Mix’, followed by two digital bonuses: ‘The Stripped Mix’, a bouncy workout with futuristic melodies, and Temudo’s ‘Neuro Interpretation 2’, which is raw, textured, and dark.
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The Lp is ble marble be released on the 25th September Part celebration, part reflection, THE TIME OF OUR LIVES arrives as both the final release of Lancey’s twenties and the closing chapter of a creative world he has spent the last decade constructing. The most expansive statement of his career to date, moving freely between trap, alternative R&B, dance music, Afro-influenced rhythms and more, Lancey explores triumphant highs and lows of stark vulnerability across the album, interrogating ideas of success, freedom, loneliness and what it truly means to have the time of your life. Lancey Foux stands at the forefront of UK rap’s evolution, blending elements of hip-hop, cloud rap, trap, Jersey club, drill, and more into a sound that’s uniquely his own.
Since emerging from Newham, East London in 2015 with a clutch of freestyles and SoundCloud singles, Lancey has occupied a lane entirely of his own making. As he closes out his twenties, Lancey looks ahead to the next decade full of more unpredictable artistry as he continues to break the rules and change the game.
Das 1997 erschienene Album „Romanza“ verhalf Bocelli zum weltweiten Durchbruch: Es verkaufte sich
weltweit fast 20 Millionen Mal und wurde zu einem der meistverkauften Alben der modernen Klassik aller
Zeiten.
„Romanza (30th Anniversary)“ wird sowohl als Standard- als auch als Deluxe-Edition erhältlich sein. Das
Deluxe-Paket enthält zwei goldfarbene Schallplatten, eine von Bocelli signierte Lithografie sowie einen
Bildband mit eigens in Auftrag gegebenen Begleittexten des renommierten Journalisten Craig McLean, der
Bocellis außergewöhnlichen Aufstieg vom aufstrebenden italienischen Tenor zu einem der weltweit gefeiertsten Künstler nachzeichnet. Beide Editionen enthalten zudem bisher unveröffentlichte Fotos von den
Aufnahmen zum Album.
Die Sammlung vereint alle 16 Titel des Originalalbums, darunter die zeitlosen weltweiten Hits „Time
to Say Goodbye“ mit Sarah Brightman und „Vivo per Lei“ mit Giorgia sowie eine bisher unveröffentlichte
Extended Version von Bocellis Hit „Con te Partirò“.
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Iker is back with "Sinkronia". A gripping takes on Eastern and Western minimalist traditions influenced by the likes of Steve Reich, Suso Saiz or Midori Takada. Transcendental and esoteric rhythmic wonders that take time to unfold. A young percussionist and guitar player with electronic interests displaying a rich sonority and a great sense of structure and arrangements. This record shows the refinement of Iker's attributes, who initially worked in the noise/punk scene and now is part of the local Free Jazz/Improv landscape of San Sebastian, although he currently lives in New York where he has been playing several gigs including a rendition of Glenn Branca's Symphony No.13 at Lincoln center with 100 guitarists. For this new album he uses Xylophone, hand drums, electric guitar, synths and percussion instruments that guide us in an energetic way to territories somewhere between Italian avant-garde, Japanese New Age and American Minimalism. Iker Munduate Thusberg is a Basque multi-instrumentalist born and raised in San Sebastian and with strong ties to Mikkeli in Finland, where half of his family are from. A fine arts student at Bilbao's UPV (Basque university), his interest in sound, art and design has led him to combine all these different disciplines and convey them into his music and his work. "Iker Munduate is an artist and musician who brings a delicate sense of composition and design_ Inspired in part by new age music, Its rippling melodies and frictionless glide recall the futuristic utopias of Detroit Escalator Company and the interior reverie of Nobukazu Takemura (Derek Walmsley, The Wire Dec'24)"
Reckoning is a dense, carefully nuanced, profoundly complex text, though all nine songs are presented as directly as possible: Mary's voice, her guitar, bits of harmonica. Folk music, of a kind, but not a broadside. Nothing so easy as that. Topical songs with a long view, because she's seen and lived too much of it. Mary's most celebrated songs — “I Drink,” “Mercy Now,” “Drag Queens in Limousines” — are confessional stories, closely observed, clear-eyed and compassionate. She sings with the unmistakable languor of her native Louisiana, writes with the bluntness of Boston, where she was once a successful restauranteur, and rewrites with the fierce precision of Nashville, her home for many years. Her 2018 release, Rifles & Rosary Beads, co-written with wounded Iraq war veterans, received a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album, and an Americana Music Association nomination for Album of the Year. During Covid she wrote and saw published (by MacMillan) Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting, part memoir, part reflection on songwriting, through the lens of her most impactful songs. “A reckoning,” Mary Gauthier writes on the outer sleeve to her newest album, “can be personal, political, or spiritual. These songs inhabit all three realms at once.”
This year, Prohibition reissues their landmark 1996 album Towncrier on vinyl. A cult classic that once took them across Europe and onto the iconic French TV show Nulle Part Ailleurs, the record remains a defining moment in their career. To mark the occasion, the Paris-based quartet returns once again for a series of live performances at the end of 2026. "Prohibition is undoubtedly one of the most important rock bands France has ever produced." - MOWNO Formed in 1989, Prohibition emerged from the underground veins of the French post-punk scene-a time when the movement survived through a handful of fanzines, crumbling venues, and a sparse network of independent record stores. Their sound was raw, urban, and tightly wound, still reverberating with echoes of hardcore and skate culture. A jagged, abrasive form of rock, driven by atonal guitars, surgically precise bass lines, off-kilter rhythms, and biting vocals. What set Prohibition apart was its singular instrumentation: a saxophone unleashed and the hypnotic drone of a sitar cutting through the noise. Their reputation quickly spread across Europe and the United States, leading to relentless touring and shared stages with the likes of Blonde Redhead, Fugazi, David Grubbs, Condense, and Chokebore. The band came to a close in 1999, following the release of their fifth and final album, the enduring 14 Ups & Downs. In 2015, Prohibition reunited for a special tour marking the 20th anniversary of Prohibited Records, including a standout performance at the Teriaki Festival, later captured by Mowno. Celebrating 30 years in 2025, the band released a reimagined version of Cobweb-day, titled Cobweb-day (Revisited), and returned to the stage for a series of powerful, memorable shows. Now, in 2026, Prohibition reissues their landmark 1996 album Towncrier on vinyl. A cult classic that once took them across Europe and onto the iconic French TV show Nulle Part Ailleurs, the record remains a defining moment in their career. To mark the occasion, the Paris-based quartet returns once again for a series of live performances at the end of 2026. For fans of: The Ex, Fugazi, The Jesus Lizard
Kosuke Mine’s electric album, with a strong rock and funk flavor, is set for reissue as part of "Spin This Now!" Vol. 9. This classic album shines with the outstanding combination of Mine’s saxophone with a wah-wah pedal and Mikio Masuda’s psychedelic keyboards.
East Wind was a groundbreaking jazz label established in 1974 through the full cooperation of Ai Music, as it was then known, and Nippon Phonogram, as it was then known. Over a period of about five years, the label produced albums not only by Japanese musicians such as Masabumi Kikuchi, Sadao Watanabe, and Terumasa Hino, but also by musicians who were engaged in creative activity on the global jazz scene at the time. In addition to the quality of the performances, the artwork, created with leading designers and photographers, brought a fresh new image to jazz albums and had a major influence on later record production.
Meg Lui is a Northern California-born singer-songwriter, based in the Hudson Valley since 2015. In her songs, vivid lyrics and poignant melodies intertwine with a voice that feels both intimate and lasting. Through reflections on love, resilience, and the human experience, she offers listeners a window into her world.
A Californian by birth, Boston-educated at Berklee College of Music, musically raised in Brooklyn, and now settled in the Catskills, Meg has released music under the names M. Lui, Grover, and as part of the trio Ember Isles.
Her influences-ranging from Freddie Mercury, The
Cranberries, No Doubt, Sheryl Crow, and Bonnie Raitt-reflect her love for artists whose fearless individuality continues to shape her dynamic songwriting and performance.
Over the past two years, Meg has lent her voice to records including Sufjan Stevens' Javelin (2023), Sam Evian's Plunge, Denison Witmer's Anything At All, John Legend's My Favorite Dream, Keenan O'Meara's forthcoming record Bathe In The Everlasting Light, and Liam Kazar's Pilot Light. She performs regularly with Keenan O'Meara and Hannah Cohen and occasionally when the stars align, with the Hudson Valley country band Critter Bonus.
Pressure is the medium of wind players. Wind instruments all sound thanks to pressure differentials, whether that’s the rush of wind over a lip plate or a steady, buzzing exhalation through pursed lips. Ka Baird and Chris Ryan Williams (HxH) are wind players well- schooled in the power of using pressure and movement to amplify the mystery of an invisible force animating a metal tube. They augment their instruments, flute and trumpet respectively, with electronics, sometimes obscuring the acoustic sound source, sometimes making it hyperreal. Flutters of lip and tongue slither over the listener’s ear, and sustained tones become a dense fog, pushing on other kinds of visceral, emotional pressure points.
On Enthalpy, Baird and Williams’ first album as a duo, the energy they conjure feels barely contained, the pressure built up to a breaking point before spilling out in multiple directions at various speeds. They borrow the title from thermodynamics, referring to the total energy of a system based on its pressure and volume. The music flies out in bursts; it seeps and oozes, flows with intention. It is an incredibly rhythmic work without any hint of meter, full of sounds that punctuate with the thud of a dart hitting a bullseye. Williams’ capability to conjure swirling atmospherics, as well as his remarkable ability to pull fragments of melody from the haze, fit puzzle-like into Baird’s exclamations and the eruption of electronics that often dovetail them. The duo draws on tones from nearly the entire range of human hearing, from nimble but bulbous throbs of sub-bass to pinprick flickers of ultra-high end.
The sessions that produced Enthalpy were completely improvised, showcasing a degree of mind-meld that belies each participant’s thrill at approaching the unknown. This isn’t a casual conversation, but an omnidirectional tangle that ties and reties itself into new knots as the album progresses. Williams and Baird have both become ubiquitous presences throughout the New York City experimental music communities, collaborating with innumerable others and learning how their unique approaches work in tandem with similarly expansive thinkers and players. Even in the album’s most spacious moments, there’s a tension between the feeling of being unmoored and yet completely locked in, like the abyss is just one more river to cross. They ford it together before moving on to the next idea in lock step.
For the listener, Enthalpy is often felt in the body as much as it reverberates within the ears. We’re tossed from side to side, made to shoulder the impact of detonating electronics, absorbing these sounds with the feet, gut, and crown. Baird reaches into the back of their throat for guttural growls, and we can almost feel the scratch. As we tread the border of the synthesthetic, it's a reminder of the physical nature of sound, that the space between our ears and the speakers is its own enthalpic system of energy conduction. Move with it, let it move you, and see how it feels.
Montréal-based sound artist Steve Bates expands his strategies and stylistic influences on An Infinite Antenna, his second solo album for Constellation, giving freer reign to melodic components and textural dynamics: leftfield synth work, deconstructed drum machine, pointillist electric guitar, and radiostatic blur are all part of the new brew swirling around his bruitist signal-bending and field-recording sensibility. Arguably a more ambient album than his acclaimed 2022 Constellation debut, An Infinite Antenna is at the same time more densely packed with ideas, dynamics, evocations and earworms. Coming out of the anarcho-punk scene of the Canadian Prairies in the 1990s, Bates founded Winnipeg’s experimental sound festival Send + Receive in 1998 before moving to Montréal to become Sound Coordinator at Hexagram (Concordia University), delving further into sonic research and theory, tape-based composition, and installation work. Alongside the curatorial arc of his own sound art label The Dim Coast, Bates released several solo and collaborative albums on ORAL_records leading up to All The Things That Happen, the 2022 Constellation debut praised by Boomkat for its “grittily iridescent ambient billow rendering maximalist panoramas” and by Backseat Mafia as “extraordinary soundscapes of unstable, destructive cacophony and tender calm, echoes of the threat of power.” Where that album was noisier and single-minded, made with the self-imposed limit of a Casio SK-1, Bates plays more widely with instrumentation and atmospheres on An Infinite Antenna, also drawing on his post-hardcore roots in seeking a sort of track-by-track concision nonetheless driven by the album’s coherence as a seamless work. “I was trying to set durations I associate with punk rather than the longer, sprawling music coming from more ambient styles (that I very much love), and while I wasn’t able to quite pare it down to Minutemen durations, I had that reduction to essential elements as a sort of whisper over my shoulder.” Incorporating source recordings made throughout 2023-2025, including at artist residencies and site-specific sound installation visits in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the album’s cover photo was taken in Sarajevo), Austria, Greece, and Saskatchewan, An Infinite Antenna combines Bates’ “idea of slowly scanning a radio dial” with a soundworld of recurring timbral and textural touchstones that forge an integrated whole.
The album’s 12 tracks work effectively as stand-alone pieces, replete with shifting undercurrents, buried melody, and stuttering kinetics, and as a sequential flow where the brief interstitial silences between them are like short pauses to flip the next page in a sketchbook of perspectival studies of a wide but singular tableau. The glistening atonal synth expressionism of opener “Pink pink pink pink…pink pink” drifts gently toward submerged ambience, darkened by the noised rumble and static interference of “Green as a ghost”, which introduces broken beats and piano chords in its denouement. Tracks like “Battles and sieges and street trees” and “Easier sad than done” work the foundations of low-end field-recording resonance, but dappled with lovely melodic droplets of treated guitar and synth. “Waste, songs of the world” and “Disaster loans” are among the album’s most explicit stylistic references to posthardcore, with distorted ambient bass and gently abrasive drum sampling. Closing track “Swamps and factories”, the album’s longest piece, is perhaps most reminiscent of Bates’ previous record with its sustained dissonant glimmer-drone, but the journey An Infinite Antenna traces to get there is Bates at his most dynamic, diverse, distinctive, and engaging. Thanks for listening.
Montréal-based sound artist Steve Bates expands his strategies and stylistic influences on An Infinite Antenna, his second solo album for Constellation, giving freer reign to melodic components and textural dynamics: leftfield synth work, deconstructed drum machine, pointillist electric guitar, and radiostatic blur are all part of the new brew swirling around his bruitist signal-bending and field-recording sensibility. Arguably a more ambient album than his acclaimed 2022 Constellation debut, An Infinite Antenna is at the same time more densely packed with ideas, dynamics, evocations and earworms. Coming out of the anarcho-punk scene of the Canadian Prairies in the 1990s, Bates founded Winnipeg's experimental sound festival Send + Receive in 1998 before moving to Montréal to become Sound Coordinator at Hexagram (Concordia University), delving further into sonic research and theory, tape-based composition, and installation work. Alongside the curatorial arc of his own sound art label The Dim Coast, Bates released several solo and collaborative albums on ORAL_records leading up to All The Things That Happen, the 2022 Constellation debut praised by Boomkat for its "grittily iridescent ambient billow rendering maximalist panoramas" and by Backseat Mafia as "extraordinary soundscapes of unstable, destructive cacophony and tender calm, echoes of the threat of power." Where that album was noisier and single-minded, made with the self-imposed limit of a Casio SK-1, Bates plays more widely with instrumentation and atmospheres on An Infinite Antenna, also drawing on his post-hardcore roots in seeking a sort of track-by-track concision nonetheless driven by the album's coherence as a seamless work. "I was trying to set durations I associate with punk rather than the longer, sprawling music coming from more ambient styles (that I very much love), and while I wasn't able to quite pare it down to Minutemen durations, I had that reduction to essential elements as a sort of whisper over my shoulder." Incorporating source recordings made throughout 2023-2025, including at artist residencies and site-specific sound installation visits in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the album's cover photo was taken in Sarajevo), Austria, Greece, and Saskatchewan, An Infinite Antenna combines Bates' "idea of slowly scanning a radio dial" with a soundworld of recurring timbral and textural touchstones that forge an integrated whole. The album's 12 tracks work effectively as stand-alone pieces, replete with shifting undercurrents, buried melody, and stuttering kinetics, and as a sequential flow where the brief interstitial silences between them are like short pauses to flip the next page in a sketchbook of perspectival studies of a wide but singular tableau. The glistening atonal synth expressionism of opener 'Pink pink pink pink_pink pink' drifts gently toward submerged ambience, darkened by the noised rumble and static interference of 'Green as a ghost', which introduces broken beats and piano chords in its denouement. Tracks like 'Battles and sieges and street trees' and 'Easier sad than done' work the foundations of low-end field-recording resonance, but dappled with lovely melodic droplets of treated guitar and synth. 'Waste, songs of the world' and 'Disaster loans' are among the album's most explicit stylistic references to posthardcore, with distorted ambient bass and gently abrasive drum sampling. Closing track 'Swamps and factories,' the album's longest piece, is perhaps most reminiscent of Bates' previous record with its sustained dissonant glimmer-drone, but the journey An Infinite Antenna traces to get there is Bates at his most dynamic, diverse, distinctive, and engaging. Thanks for listening
Courant Zéro is the new moniker of Montréal multi-media installation artist and Kohlenstoff label co-founder Maxime Corbeil-Perron, signalling his return to purely recording-based electronic music production following several years focused on award-winning experimental film and audio-visual works. Solari channels his cinematic sensibility and decade-long exploration of sound art and electroacoustic counterpoint into deep cuts of maximalist ambient electronica. Drawing on his early background as a pianist and jazz drummer, Corbeil-Perron weaves a fabric of melodic and rhythmic vectors with his unique timbral palette, intersecting modern composition, IDM, ambient, glitch, and noise on a debut album brimming with sonic detail and emotive resonance. A fixture of Montréal's sound art community as both creator and curator since the early 2010s, Corbeil-Perron's work has ranged from "hypnotic A/V onslaught" (FACT Magazine) to the "richly nuanced acousmatic journey" of his 2018 EP Polychrome (Bandcamp Best Contemporary Classical Of The Month), with earlier electronic and techno-adjacent projects like Political Ritual, Dresden, and Le poisson d'argent garnering accolades from avant-music outlets A Closer Listen, Silence and Sound, and Musicworks, among others. Courant Zéro mobilizes this cumulative wealth of explorative sonic experience in the service of distinctive compositional architectures and electronic music pathways that fans of Floating Points, Jan Jelinek, Squarepusher, Tim Hecker, and Oneohtrix Point Never should find compelling. Title track "Solari" opens the album with a cavernous ambient glitch-drone soundscape that envelops ever-shifting timbres of modular arpeggiation, serving as introduction to the clarion call of "En deçà du réel", an homage to video artist Manon Labrecque, where layers of interweaving melodic counterpoint played on Buchla and other synths slowly build to widescreen immersive intensities; "I have this vision of Labreque vibrating eternally between two frames of magnetic VHS tape_ the slow pace of the piece also inspired by Tarkovsky's approach to scenography" says Corbeil-Perron. "Strange Aorta" is ectoplasmic ambient with wistful melody lines transmuting along a central filament, awash in shifting waves of low-end and ricocheting tonal glitch, the title a reference to "the thumping rhythm beating around the main melody_and the heavy remnants of grief related to my father's passing and a brutal confrontation with my own mortality a few years back." Tracks like "La peau des dents" and "Eroding Us" are more firmly rooted in electroacoustic and aleatory systems music, where colliding loops are shaped into unstable flows of deconstructed slippage and reconvergence. Those two pieces bookend the album's pivotal center: the gorgeous piano digitalia of "Horizon n'arrête" and the skittering electronica of 9-minute opus "Unyeldd", its loping broken beat and cascading melodic glitter like a cluster of wind-up music boxes in a dappled forest _ and for Corbeil- Perron also partly inspired by now fellow Constellation labelmates Do Make Say Think: "I spent a lot of time rediscovering their records after seeing them last September 2024 which definitely influenced this piece." Courant Zéro's debut is a vibrant sonic rebus at the junction of electronic, electroacoustic, noise and ambient music that resists easy categorisation. Solari strikes a compelling balance of unsettled disorientation and hospitable warmth, teeming with real feeling throughout. The album's cover art painting Cryptography I by Yen-Chao Lin represents this prevailing sensibility, its mazelike circuitry distinctly carved and crisply rendered, while filigreed with handmade detail and artisanal patina. Thanks for listening.
BRUTAL TRUTH's defining 1997 album is one of Grindcore's most essential releases! Now fully remastered by Brad Boatright and available on vinyl for the first time in more than 20 years! "From startling exercises in savage brevity to disorientating psych-rock squalls, it’s grind with no brakes, no safety net and absolutely no fear." - Metal Hammer
Abramelin’s self-titled 1995 debut is a landmark in the Australian Death Metal scene, featuring some of the heaviest riffs ever recorded Down Under and deranged lyrics brimming with unbridled brutality and violence! Australian Death Metal for the most part has been really solid. Abramelin does nothing to deter from that thought and “Abramelin” is known by many death metal fans as a classic. These Aussies laid forth a chunk of brutal death metal in 1995. Around that time, the established sound of the Florida scene and even in other areas such as Sweden had begun to morph into something else as bands attempted to prevent stagnation. One such new avenue of creativity was to simply get heavier, louder, and more punishing, and by those standards Abramelin’s self-titled debut delivers on every level. Now available again on CD and vinyl, this long overdue re-issue brings back a true underground classic from one of Australia’s most overlooked Death Metal bands.
In 2024, Audrey Powne emerged as a compelling new voice in contemporary jazz with the release of her acclaimed debut album From the Fire; a self-produced and self-composed work celebrated for its lush string arrangements, soaring trumpet performances, and emotionally rich songwriting. Now, two years later, Powne returns with Bodies of Water, a bold and deeply introspective follow-up that continues her elemental exploration: from fire to water. An exploration of what it means to exist alongside others in an increasingly unstable world, Bodies of Water reflects on vulnerability, responsibility, and human interconnectedness. The album’s title and conceptual foundation were inspired by a passage from Caleb Azumah Nelson’s novel Small Worlds: “...to make himself a body, like water, a still surface, but beneath this, a ripple, and beneath this, an ebbing tide, and beneath that, a violent, constant tow…” Throughout the record, lyrics ruminate on the idea that like all bodies of water, we are vulnerable to disruption and catastrophe. Unlike inanimate bodies of water, however, we are conscious participants in both the damage and the repair. That tension between what we are made of and what we are responsible for became a grounding and harmonious thought. This album is a meditation on that idea, both in my personal life and in a broader, collective sense. Swollen, Broken Record, and Karma, reflect on moments of cruelty and error including her own that felt unbearable. Viewing them instead as forces moving through the landscape of a life, violent but temporary to survive their immediate impact. More socially conscious tracks Stay Awake, Creeds, RYV, and Two Sides confront frustration with political polarisation and the emptiness of language unaccompanied by action. The title and final track Bodies of Water brings these ideas together, reimagining both personal and societal upheaval as events shaped by bodies of water moving through the world destructive at times, transformative at others, and always in motion. Blending traditional jazz with Afrobeat rhythms, Dilla-inspired grooves, ambient textures, and expansive arrangements, Bodies of Water reveals the breadth of Powne’s artistic vision. The record moves fluidly between spiritual jazz, warped soul and rhythm-driven experimentation, while layered interludes and meticulous production thread its disparate influences into a unified and immersive sonic world.
Das 1997 erschienene Album „Romanza“ verhalf Bocelli zum weltweiten Durchbruch: Es verkaufte sich
weltweit fast 20 Millionen Mal und wurde zu einem der meistverkauften Alben der modernen Klassik aller
Zeiten.
„Romanza (30th Anniversary)“ wird sowohl als Standard- als auch als Deluxe-Edition erhältlich sein. Das
Deluxe-Paket enthält zwei goldfarbene Schallplatten, eine von Bocelli signierte Lithografie sowie einen
Bildband mit eigens in Auftrag gegebenen Begleittexten des renommierten Journalisten Craig McLean, der
Bocellis außergewöhnlichen Aufstieg vom aufstrebenden italienischen Tenor zu einem der weltweit gefeiertsten Künstler nachzeichnet. Beide Editionen enthalten zudem bisher unveröffentlichte Fotos von den
Aufnahmen zum Album.
Die Sammlung vereint alle 16 Titel des Originalalbums, darunter die zeitlosen weltweiten Hits „Time
to Say Goodbye“ mit Sarah Brightman und „Vivo per Lei“ mit Giorgia sowie eine bisher unveröffentlichte
Extended Version von Bocellis Hit „Con te Partirò“.
A Flower to Water, the staggering new album from Greek Progressive-Post Metal outfit Playgrounded, finds the five-piece pushing their boundaries even further; welcoming the unquantifiable depths of loss, grief and finitude into their meticulous, fractal process as friends in defiance of neglect. Hailing from Athens, Greece but predominantly based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Playgrounded have never ceased to push the envelope of Post Metal with genre-defying contemporary electronic and cinematic neo-classical elements since the band's inception almost two decades ago. A Flower to Water is Playgrounded's third full-length offering and sees the band thriving in their creative relationship with Pelagic Records. Recorded and produced by the band across multiple studios back home in Athens and Rotterdam, Playgrounded enlisted the help of longtime collaborators C. Cederberg (Leprous, Anathema) who mixed the album at Cederberg Studios in Kristiansand, Norway and George Tandero (Madrugada, Satyricon, Jaga Jazzist) who mastered it in Oslo. A profound sense of patience is keenly felt throughout the album. The deliberate spaces between each hammerblow guitar riff, pulsing bass line or hypnotic drum groove; each heavy, breathless pause and fizzing glitchy whisper all tell of unspoken loss and absence as an indelible part of A Flower to Water and indeed of Playgrounded forever more. In marking this absence however, in embracing loss head on, Playgrounded reify memory in defiance of neglect. By extracting such a colossal, breathtaking piece of work from a seemingly unassuming collection of sounds, clips and sonics; the quintet slow time to a standstill to present grief in bloom; a beautiful, perpetual flower with its roots in loved ones lost. FOR FANS OF Karnivool, Katatonia, Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, Moderat, The Ocean, Vola, Leprous, Skyharbor, Anathema
A Flower to Water, the staggering new album from Greek Progressive-Post Metal outfit Playgrounded, finds the five-piece pushing their boundaries even further; welcoming the unquantifiable depths of loss, grief and finitude into their meticulous, fractal process as friends in defiance of neglect. Hailing from Athens, Greece but predominantly based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Playgrounded have never ceased to push the envelope of Post Metal with genre-defying contemporary electronic and cinematic neo-classical elements since the band's inception almost two decades ago. A Flower to Water is Playgrounded's third full-length offering and sees the band thriving in their creative relationship with Pelagic Records. Recorded and produced by the band across multiple studios back home in Athens and Rotterdam, Playgrounded enlisted the help of longtime collaborators C. Cederberg (Leprous, Anathema) who mixed the album at Cederberg Studios in Kristiansand, Norway and George Tandero (Madrugada, Satyricon, Jaga Jazzist) who mastered it in Oslo. A profound sense of patience is keenly felt throughout the album. The deliberate spaces between each hammerblow guitar riff, pulsing bass line or hypnotic drum groove; each heavy, breathless pause and fizzing glitchy whisper all tell of unspoken loss and absence as an indelible part of A Flower to Water and indeed of Playgrounded forever more. In marking this absence however, in embracing loss head on, Playgrounded reify memory in defiance of neglect. By extracting such a colossal, breathtaking piece of work from a seemingly unassuming collection of sounds, clips and sonics; the quintet slow time to a standstill to present grief in bloom; a beautiful, perpetual flower with its roots in loved ones lost. FOR FANS OF Karnivool, Katatonia, Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, Moderat, The Ocean, Vola, Leprous, Skyharbor, Anathema
DC Salas doesn’t do things by halves. Fresh off a June release on Enrica Falqui’s Plexus4, the Brussels-based producer wastes no time returning to his own Higher Hopes imprint and he’s brought a party with him.
Fiesta EP is a four-tracker with a split personality and zero apologies for it. The A-side is all business: Darkest Dream, already doing damage in Roza Terenzi’s sets and Consciousness lock in deep, hypnotic, and faster paced. Then the B-side happens. Fiesta Fiesta and Lost In My Memories raid the wreckage of new beat, proto-whatever and early 2000s electrohouse like they own the place. Fiesta Fiesta also marks fifteen years of DC Salas making music, celebrated, naturally, by vocodering his own voice and singing in Spanish.
HIGH005 follows Pixelated Dream Theory, which pulled support from DJ Masda, Ivan Smagghe, Evan Baggs, Enrica Falqui, Binh and many more. Back on home turf, no features, no compromises. Just DC Salas, in full.
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Te Toca marks a new chapter for Cimafunk. For the first time, the Afro-Cuban funk powerhouse records an album with his electrifying band, La Tribu, capturing the chemistry and funkiness that has made their live performances legendary. Recorded live at Criteria Studios in Miami, the album embraces the raw energy of the full band playing together in real time, bringing the spirit and groove of the stage directly into the recording. Te Toca, which can mean “it’s your turn,” is a gift to Cimafunk & La Tribu’s loyal live show followers who have been asking for recorded versions of “Cocinarte,” “Relajao,” and “Se Acabó,” staples of Cimafunk & La Tribu’s dynamic live performances. It’s also a nod to Cimafunk formally introducing La Tribu as full creative partners. Te Toca features seven new original songs and a reimagined version of “Paciente,” one of Cimafunk’s standout tracks from his debut album Terapia. All eight tracks were recorded over three days with all musicians performing simultaneously in the same room with no rerecording: just raw, authentic, live music. In a time when so much music and communication is developed with technology and filtered through screens, Cimafunk & La Tribu’s Te Toca connects the artist and audience the old-fashioned way with real music.
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Last delivered 22 days ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Two of the most prolific remixers in the world of Disco,Dave 'Love' Lee and John Moraleshave teamed up for one of their biggest projects to date - 'Mixed To The Maxxx'. After gaining access from the legendary original artists, the pair take the multi-track tapes of many classic Disco, Funk & Soul tracks and re-work them...to the Maxxx!
Where Remixed With Love stands as Dave Lee's own gold-standard body of work, Mixed To The Maxxx sets that legacy alongside Morales' own decades-deep M+M body of work: Lee brings his musically dense, groove-first touch to the likes of Harold Melvin, Syreeta, Lenny Williams and The Brand New Heavies, while Morales applies his extended, dancefloor-built M+M treatment and crushes the likes of Barry White, The Temptations and Loleatta Holloway, plus Dennis Coffey's breakbeat classic "Scorpio" for the DJs and collectors alike. Both work from original tapes, surfacing parts barely audible or entirely unheard in the source mixes, and both know when to let a classic breathe rather than bury it under modern production. It's a pairing a long time in the making. Lee and Morales first talked about working together around a decade ago, and getting Mixed To The Maxxx off the ground took five years of patient work: tracking down usable stems, securing approvals, and navigating a licensing landscape where much of the best material is now tied up with major labels increasingly cautious about clearing remixes. What's landed here is the product of that graft as much as the pair's shared ear for a great record, the sound of two people who know exactly what they're looking for and are willing to put in the time to find it.
A double 12" sampler in summer 2025 previewed the record's range. A bass-driven overhaul ofThe Brothers Johnson's "The Real Thing" and an extended mix of Philly legends Bell & James' "Livin' It Up (Friday Night)" showcased Lee's side, while an anthemic take on Inner Life's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and a tempo-lifted Light Of The World"London Town" flew the flag for Morales. Both drew strong early support ahead of the full LP.
Two of the most prolific remixers in the world of Disco,Dave 'Love' Lee and John Moraleshave teamed up for one of their biggest projects to date - 'Mixed To The Maxxx'. After gaining access from the legendary original artists, the pair take the multi-track tapes of many classic Disco, Funk & Soul tracks and re-work them...to the Maxxx!
Where Remixed With Love stands as Dave Lee's own gold-standard body of work, Mixed To The Maxxx sets that legacy alongside Morales' own decades-deep M+M body of work: Lee brings his musically dense, groove-first touch to the likes of Harold Melvin, Syreeta, Lenny Williams and The Brand New Heavies, while Morales applies his extended, dancefloor-built M+M treatment and crushes the likes of Barry White, The Temptations and Loleatta Holloway, plus Dennis Coffey's breakbeat classic "Scorpio" for the DJs and collectors alike. Both work from original tapes, surfacing parts barely audible or entirely unheard in the source mixes, and both know when to let a classic breathe rather than bury it under modern production. It's a pairing a long time in the making. Lee and Morales first talked about working together around a decade ago, and getting Mixed To The Maxxx off the ground took five years of patient work: tracking down usable stems, securing approvals, and navigating a licensing landscape where much of the best material is now tied up with major labels increasingly cautious about clearing remixes. What's landed here is the product of that graft as much as the pair's shared ear for a great record, the sound of two people who know exactly what they're looking for and are willing to put in the time to find it.
A double 12" sampler in summer 2025 previewed the record's range. A bass-driven overhaul ofThe Brothers Johnson's "The Real Thing" and an extended mix of Philly legends Bell & James' "Livin' It Up (Friday Night)" showcased Lee's side, while an anthemic take on Inner Life's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and a tempo-lifted Light Of The World"London Town" flew the flag for Morales. Both drew strong early support ahead of the full LP.
In the ever-evolving landscape of the underground music scene, few bands have made an impact quite like Selofan, an immensely talented duo of Joanna Pavlidou and Dimitris Pavlidis, has carved a niche for themselves within the international pantheon of darkwave, post-punk, and '80s synthpop, blending these influences to create a sound uniquely their own. Their journey, marked by a commitment to artistic integrity and evolution, has taken them from the cozy confines of local venues to the grand stages of international festivals, earning them a dedicated following and critical acclaim along the way. Their sixth album, Partners in Hell, released in October 2020, navigated the band through unprecedented times, testing their adaptability and resilience. Despite the hurdles to performing live and the global pandemic's challenges, Selofan emerged stronger, embarking on international tours with a newfound appreciation and connection with their global audience, during this period of introspection and isolation, Joanna Pavlidou embarked on a new venture, GIOVANNA, released under Selofan’s house label, Fabrika Records. GIOVANNA, which places Pavlidou at the helm of vocal and lyrical composition, represents a full on foray into synth-pop. showcasing a different facet of her artistic identity, with lyrics entirely in Greek. In 2023, Selofan hit the circuit hard, lighting up revered festivals with their presence. They stood shoulder to shoulder with heavy hitters like Molchat Doma and Lebanon Hanover at Grey Scale and performed with with the likes of The Sisters of Mercy, VNV Nation, and She Past Away at the Death Disco fest in their hometown of Athens. With each album they have released Selofan made significant strides in their evolution, deepening their engagement with their art. And their forthcoming seventh full length studio release, Animal Mentality, is poised to be their most compelling work yet. Animal Mentality unfolds as a labyrinthine journey through the elemental aspects of human emotion and experience, set against the backdrop of Selofan's signature darkwave sound. Each track on the album delves into different facets of the human condition, from the depths of desire to the pangs of isolation, encapsulating the duo's profound understanding of the intricate spectrum of human emotion and subjective experiences. The album kicks off with "Sticky Fingers," a track that melds cinematic scope with a haunting storyline, reminiscent of Jean-Michel Jarre's icy synths and a lyrical nod to Joy Division. This opening salvo revisits the tragic allure of classic car accident songs, weaving a tale of joy turned to sorrow amidst the snowy Alps. "Love's Secret Game" delves into the depths of forbidden desire, with vocals that echo the melancholy timbre of Xmal Deutschland, Lebanon Hanover, and Nico. It's a tale of passion and ephemeral connection, promising an enduring presence despite the inevitable fracture of time and distance. In "Lucille," sung by Dimitris Pavlidis, the plot is ensnared in the machinations of a tempestuous affair, with gothic undertones evoking the dramatic soundscapes of Ultravox and Clan of Xymox. The lyrics are steeped in danger and desire - a dance with the shadows. "Sacrifice Me" plunges into the abyss of despair, driven by a Bauhaus-esque bassline. It's a plea for release from the chains of alienation, a yearning for a final gesture of solace in the face of overwhelming darkness. "Bluebirds" offers a poignant reflection on solitude, with the fleeting imagery of bluebirds symbolizing the elusive quest for happiness. The song serves as a meditation on the internal struggle to maintain hope in a world shaded by sorrow. The narrative shifts with "Glassplitter," where German lyrics paint a portrait of deceptive allure and toxic entanglement. We are confronted with irresistible danger, masked by a veneer of beauty. "Ignoranz" continues the exploration in German, pondering the universality of misunderstanding. It's a reflection on the subjective nature of truth and the shared human experience of ignorance. "Behind My Eyelids" closes the odyssey, a contemplation on melancholy and metamorphosis. The phoenix rises from the ashes of betrayal to the brighter realm of renewal - a beautiful homage to the resilience of the human spirit amidst the often harrowing cycles of life. More than just an album, Animal Mentality is a milestone in Selofan's career, marking a decade of musical innovation and growth. It's a testament to their enduring spirit and a bold step into new realms of artistic expression. As Selofan continues to evolve, they remain at the forefront of their genre, pushing boundaries and exploring the depths of the human psyche through their haunting melodies and poignant lyrics.
12” comes with a hand-signed insert by PARAMIDA & a download card with high-quality digital files!
Boiler Roomification. Proteinmaxxing. Sonic branding. Vibe curation. Digital minimalism.Dopamine detox. Cortisol management. Engagement farming. Main character energy. Manifestation journaling. Growth hacking. Vertical integration. Thought partnership.
Instagram Live. BPM creep. Synergy. People, it’s time to chill out. Life is short and we want to dance. Presenting: BEST OF RELAX VOL. 1 (CLUB HITS): A collective chillpill, the antidote awaits on this new Love On The Rocks Sampler, selected for your pleasure by label boss PARAMIDA and accomplice Simone de Kunovich. They’re joined by Luuk van Dijk and Giammarco Orsini for four tech, deep & garage house workouts, club-ready, dripping with swagger, turned up to eleven and firing on all cylinders. It’s Love On The Rocks on cruise control, chewing up and spitting out references from hiphouse to Balearic with all the boisterous, unpredictable energy you expect. Remember when dance music used to be fun? We’re back baby.
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Mr. K turns his attention to his hometown with a couple of deep underground NYC disco cuts that have never appeared on 7-inch before: the stomping ‘Hey Roots’ by Black Rock and Ahzz’s sought-after ‘New York’s Movin’’. Black Rock’s ‘Hey Roots’ was the band’s follow-up to their 1975 proto-disco single ‘New York City Bump’ and takes a similar four-on-the-floor approach while raising the tempo to match the energy of a standard 1977 dancefloor cut. Mr. K’s edit builds the track methodically, using a sparse sprinkling of the original vocals and focusing on the hypnotic, Bohannon-esque beat. On the flip, he tackles the Peter Brown-adjacent classic ‘New York’s Movin’’, this time dropping the vocals entirely in favour of working with the wicked instrumental take, a wild jam that layers handclaps, tambourine, slicing rhythm-guitar and perfectly cheesy synth strings to make an irresistible dancefloor banger. Adding a dubby breakdown and arranging the parts to get the maximum out of the limited 7-inch real estate (both cuts here top the five-minute mark), Mr. K has given us another powerful tool in an ever-growing arsenal of dancefloor weapons.
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Shaped in the shadows and sounds of the legendary Topanga Canyon, California. The debut album from Biita Houdei is buoyed by a magic that feels wildly and beautifully untamed; wild-hearted sentiments that are shaped by the world around it, fascinated by the enchantment of it all, and delivered via a collective (harmony layered) voice that understands the complex nature of what it means to be alive in the here and now.
Produced by Haley Heynderickx, 'This Bed Was Made For Me' is a striking collection of stirring, signature folk songs animated by subtle instrumentation and orchestral flourishes. It feels lived in: vocals weave together in a beautiful harmonic dance, seasons shift, sunshine appears and bold psychedelic colours warm the horizon.
In the early stages of making her debut album, Biita Houdei knew two things: that she wanted the recordings to feel distinctly and palpably warm, and that she would sew a unique patch for every song on the album. The first of those things is subjective, though brightness pours in from all corners of This Bed Was Made For Me. The second became a laborious task she undertook throughout the process, the completion of which is testament to the slow process of it all, to the physical commitment and patience required to make a full work of art.
The patches she crafted during the making of This Bed Was Made For Me became a full quilt, one that now adorns the album’s front cover. Beneath it sits a striking collection of Houdei’s stirring, signature folk songs, brought into fruition with the help of fellow songwriter Haley Heynderickx, in her first lead production role, and the album’s producer/engineer Sahil Ansari. It’s also the first release Biita (pronounced “bee-tah”) is releasing under her newly-taken name, one that was gifted to her by her auntie and means "unique" in the Farsi language. “I proudly take this name,” Biita says of the change. “It makes me feel that much closer to my Persian heritage.”
Recorded across ten back-to-back and full days, the album touches on themes of love and heritage, of taking chances, the preciousness of time and the impact we all have on the world around us. A number of the songs were written in Topanga, California, while Biita settled into a new home as wild fires raged, and as she adjusted to a life which no longer held distinct seasonal changes, far from the Ozark Mountain home she felt so attached to. Such themes reveal themselves in a variety of ways across the album’s fourteen songs, that key sense of warmth retained in the bones of the album whether they are stepping into darkness or seeking out light.
The album feels lived in and alive; dust swirls, seasons shift, sunshine appears and is held. Biita calls it ‘psychedelic’ and there is indeed a sense of that in the world building, in the way the bold colours are always shifting. Formed of fourteen songs, and filling nearly forty-five minutes, This Bed Was Made For Me not only builds a whole world for listeners to inhabit but also implores you to stay a while. This was deliberate, indeed it’s Biita’s wish that listeners give the album dedicated time; to learn its shape, to explore it fully, away from the instant grab of playlists and skewed algorithms.
“Many of my favourite albums didn’t reveal themselves instantly to me,” Biita, now based in the Catskill Mountains of New York, explains. “Some did, of course, but I had to work to understand the full scope of the piece as a whole. I encourage people to dive deeper into everything that they choose to consume. It is not my intention to sound pretentious, but instead, I am trying harder to explain the gratitude I have for being able to craft every part of this album— using my hands, my brain, my voice, my visions. To me, it is an all encompassing work of art,” she continues. “Making the quilt was laborious. Taking the cover photo was laborious. No shortcuts, but rather a manual and tangible approach. I am thankful for the time it took.”
My fourth album begins and ends in nature, a space that has continually shaped and inspired my artistic work. I spend much of my time in forests and landscapes, listening, observing, and absorbing the subtle rhythms and structures of the natural environment. These impressions do more than accompany my music; they become an integral part of it, influencing its atmosphere, form, and sonic character. As a result, this has become my most emotional and profound album to date. The journey begins with captured moments from a Mediterranean island. Fragments of distant church bells, the ticking of a clock, and the hum of insects in the sun are gently joined by my piano... In this way, the opening piece, “Time,” serves as an introduction to the central idea behind Ellipsis. The term derives from the Ancient Greek word λλειψις (élleipsis) and refers to the deliberate omission of ἔ words or parts of a sentence.
What remains unsaid can carry just as much meaning as what is spoken. This idea runs like a thread throughout the entire album. A reduction to the essential, yet enriched with the necessary details that continually create space for imagination, personal interpretation, and those emotions that are not prescribed but emerge through the act of listening. Ellipsis exists within this tension between presence and absence, between acoustic and electronic sounds, between nature and the studio, between memory and perception. It is a place where meaning arises not only from what is audible, but also from what remains unspoken.
Josephine Foster's peculiar 2000 home recorded debut There Are Eyes Above is an essential introduction to her music that’s unfolded now for over two decades. Released for the first time on vinyl, this limited edition 10-inch pressing comes packaged with brand new artwork and is adorned by one of Josephine’s illustrations. Lo-fi and unaffected by tradition or commercialism these initial recordings are sepia-tinted, folk-art music with powered by uke minimalism; it’s outsider music that still doesn't fit in. Just 30-minutes caught in time before her 2001 follow up Little Life - this humble first incarnation includes here for posterity super personal lullabies and a glimpse into her songwriting evolution. It’s music from an era that only exists in your mind, with a bow to Tin Pan Alley for good measure. This super rare collection, originally only released on CDR and sold at shows, remains an essential part of the curious oeuvre of this unique songwriter and singer. “A dissonant soprano and lyrics about benevolence and old-time faith, Foster expertly weaves ancient and modern” The Guardian. Track listing: Side A 1 One Hundred Songs I Sing 2 Emily Told Me 3 Teeter Totter 4 Little Life 5 I Am A Guest In Here. Side B 6 Robber Song 7 Hey Matthew 8 There Are Eyes Above 9 Godcake 10 Yippee I'm Leaving 11Two Not One
Pioneering Ghanaian musician King Ayisobareturns September 4, 2026 with his forthcoming seventh album Pure Confusion, recorded and produced by On-U-Sound’s Adrian Sherwood.
Ayisoba is one of Ghana’s most distinctive musical voices. The world’s foremost player of the kologo - a homemade two-string lute fashioned from a calabash and covered in goatskin - he delivers fiercely political and socially observant songs using three different voices, including the voice of his grandfather that possessed him as a child. Sherwood meanwhile is the pioneering British producer and founder of On-U Sound whose hugely influential career has connected dub, post-punk, industrial, hip hop and experimental music through collaborations with artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry, Mark Stewart, Horace Andy, Sinéad O’Connor, Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode.
Ayisoba and Sherwood first collaborated during a BBC Radio 3 Late Junction session at Maida Vale in 2017, organised by Ayisoba’s long-time collaborator Arnold de Boer/Zea of The Ex. The pair immediately connected, and during the pandemic, when Adrian’s long-time African Head Charge collaborator Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah was in Ghana looking for musicians to collaborate with Sherwood suggested Ayisoba, who eventually featured on two tracks on African Head Charge’s 2023 album A Trip To Bolgatanga (Bolgantanga is the region Ayisoba is from). Ayisoba then returned to the UK in late 2024 and travelled to Sherwood’s Ramsgate studio where the pair laid down the songs that would become Pure Confusion: “All the songs were already in my head,” says Ayisoba. “This album is all recorded live, over one afternoon. Adrian only plays live, and I like that. And he works hard - he doesn’t sleep. I woke up in the night and he was still working.”
“In my role producing it, I just let it roll to make a good vibe,” says Sherwood. “We recorded it completely live, did some programming and processing on some tracks, using dub techniques live on the mixing desk and adding some slick touches. We wanted the colours on the album to swing off what Ayisoba was doing, so we invited some friends to participate. Doug Wimbish (Sugar Hill Gang) arrived from America and lent his services playing bass on a couple of tracks; the wonderful Ivan Hussey (Celloman) played bass, keyboards and cello - cello is not really featured on African recordings so we thought it would be really cool to try it. I'd been working with Alex White (Fat White Family/Primal Scream) on my album (The Collapse of Everything) and so he added sax to a few tracks and I brought Alan Glenn down especially - Alan was in Little Axe but also Nine Below Zero and played in the Yardbirds – to add some mouth organ; Mark Bandola added a bit of flavour with his Juno, Ayisoba’s long-time Ghanian collaborator Ayuune Sule added some percussion and vocals and Matt Smith did some programming.”
“King Ayisoba is quite amazing, so unique,” Sherwood continues. “He’s got his own handmade instrument and three different voices - when you’re listening you think it’s three different people. He’s a breath of fresh air, full of love for the music which he wants to share with everybody. Some tracks we kept very straight and others we experimented with - adding dubby psychedelic little touches to trip you out a bit. The added production we did at On-U has given it a shine while still keeping it vibrant, live and spontaneous. I’m really proud of this record”.
On Pure Confusion, Ayisoba documents the anxieties, contradictions and changing social realities of contemporary Ghana. “Land is a problem for everyone,” says Ayisoba of the opening track “Property”. “If you don’t build on your land they will take it away. Plenty corruption in Ghana, plenty confusion. They sell the land to two, three, four people and then everybody fights.”
Elsewhere Ayisoba explores illness, spirituality and social stigma on “Bemba”, warning against hiding sickness out of shame or fear of “bad juju”: “People hide their sickness and the sickness kills them.” “Tewigiloge” reflects on cultural difference and open-mindedness encountered through world travel: “We will tour the whole world and we will see many things we may not like or understand… your eyes will see, but don’t talk - you have to be open-minded.”
Spirituality runs deeply throughout the album. Ayisoba’s grandfather was a respected spiritual healer whose presence the musician says still guides him today. “The grandparents’ spirits are the ones you can contact,” he explains of the spiritual chant “Nkaase”. “This song talks about the forefathers.” The closing track “Leeda-Mampanga (It’s Not My Strength)” acts as a statement of humility and gratitude: “You have to be humble, even if you have talent. God gives you the power.”
For more than two decades, King Ayisoba has been one of Africa’s most distinctive musical innovators, transforming northern Ghanaian kologo traditions into a bold contemporary sound rooted in hypnotic rhythms, social commentary and spiritual intensity. Since the breakthrough success of 2006’s Modern Ghanaians, Ayisoba has built an international following through acclaimed albums, relentless touring and collaborations with artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry, Orlando Julius and African Head Charge. Performances at Roskilde, WOMAD, Le Guess Who? and the Barbican have further cemented his reputation as a singular live performer and cultural force.
I’dgained some notoriety as a music producer and DJ but I hit a horrible case of writers block around 2018.
The problem I was finding was that I was trying to shoe horn every smart arsed clever dick musical reference I had into the music I was making, but the function of dance music is to make people dance, not to show people who broad your musical references are, so I was making pretty shitty music that landed in the middle and didn’t achieve either aim.
To tackle this I ended up committing to just trying to make the most expressive and wanky experimental stuff I could. I was immersed in club culture at the time so the whole enterprise started as a joke, hence the name “Bed Wetter”. However when I fully submitted to just naked exploration the really unexpected thing that happened was that I found myself unavoidably having to deal with a lot of my own bullshit. That bullshit turned into the “Billy Mill is Dead” album, which was essentially the sound of me excavating my own life and looking at how I felt about where I was from, where I was headed, my family, my history, my region and all of the things i have conflicting feelings about.
It was partially catharsis and also a bit of deprogramming around being able to call myself an artist after being raised to believe that wasn’t an option for me.
I self released Billy Mill is Dead in the months before the pandemic and it found it’s fair share of love in the places I hoped would connect with it, and just the right amount of being ignored by people who I’m pleased didn’t feel it. This all lead to me being emboldened enough to apply for an artist in residence position at a big regional opera house months later in the middle of lockdown.
My feeling was that if my DJ career was potentially over for the remainder of my lifetime then there was no harm in exploring this alternative method of expression to see where it could take me.
I submitted a ridiculously ambitious plan for what I would like to do as a project, and to my absolute shock I was selected for the position.
I was 40 years old and from a scarcity background so I had a potentially unique response to that kind of validation for the first time and what followed next was a process of me just coming back with bigger and more ridiculous ideas just to find out at whatstage they’d tell me to stop.
The thing is, nobody did. I got as far as suggesting writing a full symphony to be performed by an orchestra before my own nerve gave out and I decided that was probably as far as I should push things.
The problem with people giving you permission to do things is that you then need to go out and figure out how to do those things.
The biggest issue for me, beyond raising the money to pay for everything, was how does a person actually write a symphony?
I was introduced to Fiona Brice, a multi instrumentalist and orchestral arranger. She’s also a recording artist who releases on Bella Union. On top of that she’s a violinist who used to be part of the band Placebo and who used to appear regularly playing for other bands on things like Top of the Pops.
Not only was Fiona uniquely placed to not look down on the strange provenance of someone from an Acid House background wanting to write a symphony, but more to the point we really hit it off from day one.
Fiona coached me in the essentials of writing for an Orchestra, and then I went off and wrote the 8 movements.
I’d love to say I laboured for years over this bit, but it took about 2 weeks in total. I’d also love to say what I wrote was a complete symphony, but the version of this which is solely me feels like looking at something without your glasses on. The shape,feel and borders were all there, but the definition was absent. Fiona taught me the broad language of a symphony, but without her it would have lacked all intonation, nuance and detail. Where I had shaped ideas with a hammer, she brought out my meaning with precision using a scalpel.
I think the prodigiously quick turnaround for the music is as much proof of how conceptually and musically aligned Fiona and I are. I know we’re both incredibly proud of what we’ve created.
It took nearly 2 more years to stage the debut performance in what was potentially the most traumatic period of my life which saw me embroiled in an international crisis with my own family and the death of my father, all with the backdrop of COVID.
The work itself is inspired by the working class experience, but it’s also a comment on how we get to decide what we are and how we’re defined, and we get to choose what we do to prove these things.
The original recording was contractually impossible to ever share again, so we re-recorded it in a working men’s club with jobbing (albeit world class) players. In many ways it’s a record that feels like it shouldn’t exist, which is why we’re all so happy that it does.
NEIL ARDLEY – KALEIDOSCOPE OF RAINBOWS The Definitive 2LP Reissue of a Landmark in British Jazz Fusion
Analogue October Records proudly presents the long-awaited reissue of Kaleidoscope of Rainbows, Neil Ardley’s 1976 masterpiece, originally released on Gull Records. Produced by Neil Ardley and recorded at London’s famed Morgan Studios, the sessions were engineered and mixed by Martin Levan, capturing one of the most ambitious and beloved works in British jazz. Following the acclaimed reissues of Courtney Pine’s Journey to the Urge Within (AOR-001-ST) and Neil Ardley’s Harmony of the Spheres (AOR-002-ST)—both praised by the audiophile press including The Tracking Angle—this third release confirms Analogue October as one of today’s most meticulous and exciting reissue labels.
A Suite of Sound and Colour
Commissioned for the 1975 Camden Jazz Festival, Kaleidoscope of Rainbows is structured as a seven-part suite, each movement reflecting a colour of the spectrum. Ardley’s composition weaves together jazz improvisation, progressive rock energy, and orchestral elegance in one of the most imaginative British jazz recordings of the era. Featuring Ian Carr, Barbara Thompson, Tony Coe, Trevor Tomkins, and Geoff Castle, the album is a who’s who of the UK’s vibrant 1970s jazz scene.
Cut at Abbey Road, Pressed at Record Industry
For this definitive edition, Analogue October worked directly from the original Gull master tapes. Mastering was entrusted to Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, using his renowned half-speed process to extract every detail and dynamic from Ardley’s score. To give the music the headroom it deserves, the reissue has been expanded to a deluxe 2LP set, pressed on the highest-quality vinyl at Record Industry in Haarlem, Netherlands. The result is a presentation that finally does justice to the scope and brilliance of Ardley’s vision.
Deluxe Package – Restored from the Source
The artwork has been meticulously restored from the original film elements, ensuring a sleeve of unmatched vibrancy and fidelity. Inside, a 12-page booklet printed on heavyweight card features an in-depth essay on Neil Ardley and the making of Kaleidoscope of Rainbows, written by Jazzwise magazine editor Mike Flynn, alongside rare photographs from the period.
Curated and Produced by Craig Crane
As with every Analogue October release, Kaleidoscope of Rainbows has been curated and produced by label founder Craig Crane with a collector’s eye for detail and a deep respect for the music’s legacy. This reissue is not only the definitive vinyl edition of one of the great British jazz fusion albums—it also continues the label’s mission to restore and celebrate the most vital recordings of the era.
Neil Ardley’s Kaleidoscope of Rainbows—vivid, expansive, and timeless—returns as the essential edition for audiophiles and jazz lovers alike.
Retail-ready product description (short form):
Produced by Neil Ardley and recorded in 1976 at London’s Morgan Studios, engineered and mixed by Martin Levan, Kaleidoscope of Rainbows is a cornerstone of British jazz fusion. This definitive 2LP reissue, mastered at Abbey Road by Miles Showell from the original Gull master tapes and pressed at Record Industry (NL), finally gives the music the dynamic headroom it deserves. The deluxe edition includes restored artwork and a 12-page booklet featuring an in-depth essay by Jazzwise editor Mike Flynn.
Inspired by a now-demolished artists' collective on the outskirts of Copenhagen, 'The House' is the debut album of Belgian-Dutch singer-songwriter Elis Floreen. Written during her years in the Danish capital, the album grew out of a place filled with decades of forgotten objects, artworks and stories. A temporary refuge for artists, dreamers and people caught between chapters of their lives.
As residents came and went, the house became a world of its own, shaped by shared meals, late-night conversations, evolving traditions and the countless stories left behind by those who passed through. When the building was eventually demolished, Floreen found herself holding on to its spirit through song. The result is an album that explores belonging, memory and the strange ways people become part of one another's lives.
Produced by Jo Francken and Pieterjan Maertens, known from their work with Tamino, 'The House' blends intimate folk, adventurous pop and richly layered arrangements into a musical world that feels both playful and deeply moving. Drawing on the storytelling spirit of Paul Simon, Kate Bush and Aldous Harding, Elis Floreen transforms everyday moments into something timeless, introducing a distinctive new voice with a debut album full of warmth, imagination and heart.
Raise The Ark - The new album from Alpha Steppa, marking ten years of Steppas Records. This vocal-dub album defies convention and introduces the listener to a new world of soundsystem music. Raise The Ark evolves and expands the distinct avant-guard dub style of Alpha Steppa, exploring the realms of Hip Hop, Trap, Trad, Folk and Bass Music. True to the Steppas Records ethos, the music carries a deep and crucial message, covering current and timeless topics; from the climate crisis, sociopolitical issues, to roots, culture and spirituality. Working closely with known artists from the Steppas imprint and as we have come to expect, introducing us to new and emerging talent from across the globe. Raise The Ark features include; Pupa Jim of Stand High Patrol (France), Sista Awa (Italy/Senegal), Cian Finn (Ireland), Ras Tinny (Suriname), Nai-Jah (Nigeria), Tenor Youthman (Russia), Eva Keyes (Ireland) and Block Mameli (Italy/Ghana). The collection features 12 evocative and provocative vocal tracks and 10 thundering instrumental / dub mixes. Raise The Ark is a truly eclectic, profound and exciting album not to be missed.
In partnership with onetreeplanted.org we will plant a tree in Ethiopia for every record sold.
“One of the most prolific and inventive dub producers around” Wire
“A serious player in the soundsystem world” Mixmag
“Obliteratingly heavy bass” Q Mag
“Album of The Month” MIXMAG (March 2013 & October 2014)
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Last delivered 6 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Brazilian artist Rubel isn’t one to be pigeonholed and typecast into staying in one sound. Casas, the follow-up to his debut album Pearl from 2015, brought a bigger, more epic, and richer production quality to the table. Fusing the worlds of MPB and hip hop, Rubel’s sophomore LP built on the momentum of its predecessor, gaining a Latin-Grammy nomination along the way. Mr Bongo is proud to be giving Casas its first worldwide release on vinyl and CD outside of Brazil and Japan.
The cliché they say is that the second album is always the trickiest; however, Rubel doesn’t seem to have had any problems on Casas. It’s a fountain of creativity and originality, marking an artist in full flow.
Conceived after Rubel spent six months living in Los Angeles, Casas is MPB-leaning at its core but is also driven by a hip hop inspired pulse. There is a clear influence from hip hop’s aesthetic across the 2010s woven subtly but fundamentally throughout. Nods to Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, The Creator can be heard across an album full of playful edge and personality. Luscious string-led arrangements and tracks that explore the rich folkloric rhythms of Brazil, sit next to songs with low-fi drum machines and features from acclaimed Brazilian rappers.
One of the highlights of the album, ‘Mantra’, starts with a traditional Brazilian rhythm that morphs into a hazy hip hop beat. A sublime song with a hooky call and response chorus, it features a guest appearance and verse by the Brazilian MC Emicida. Another highlight is the epic ‘Colégio’ (College) which further showcases the melding of stripped back drum machine beats with cinematic, sweeping arrangements. Elsewhere, ‘Partilhar’ is a swaying, heartwarming hug. A tale of longing and love that has become a singalong fan favourite at Rubel’s concerts.
Casas also shines a light on a string of key players in Brazil’s new vanguard, such as Pedro Fonte, Gus Levy, and Brazilian rapper / poet Rincon Sapiência to name a handful. The record has pop sensibilities yet also feels underground. It beats with the heart of a singer-songwriter, a feeling that was felt so strongly on Pearl, yet this time is bolstered by a level of arrangement and richness of sound that take it to another dimension - soaring horn and string sections elevating the songs from home recording to stadium-ready anthems. Keeping that intrinsic beauty and simplicity of a well-constructed song yet reframing it within a pop context is the true gift of this album.
Casas cemented Rubel’s status as one of Brazil’s leading contemporary talents and a key figure enriching the country’s already effervescent scene.
Stone Music returns with Into the Cosmic Forest, a deep and patient journey into open-air improvisation. The group was founded in 2022 by Tokio Hasegawa, a core member of the legendary Taj Mahal Travellers, and brings together a wide circle of musicians from Japan’s ambient and experimental scenes.
While the name is new, the spirit continues. Stone Music extends the free-form, site-responsive approach that defined Taj Mahal Travellers — music shaped by environment, duration, and collective awareness rather than fixed structure.
Into the Cosmic Forest consists of two long-form pieces, each exceeding 20 minutes, both recorded live outdoors. Side A was captured at Japan’s Off-Tone Festival. It unfolds slowly and organically — layers of voice, strings, electronics, wind instruments, and percussive textures gradually forming a shifting sonic landscape.
Side B was recorded on the grounds of Mithila Museum in the mountains of Niigata, an art space managed by Hasegawa himself. More intimate in atmosphere yet equally immersive, the piece centers on voice and subtle interplay, allowing space and silence to become part of the composition.
What you hear is direct and unpolished: air moving, sound resonating, musicians responding to each other and to their surroundings in real time.
Following tours in India during 2023–24, with performances in national museums and universities, Stone Music continues to explore music as shared space rather than spectacle.
Into the Cosmic Forest invites listeners into that space — unedited, unhurried, and fully alive.
Futaishitsu Souzou is the first vinyl album released by Japanese duo la scène 裸身, a duo of Saya on vocals and bass, and Eiji on guitar. They’ve been an understated but deeply impressive presence on the Japanese underground for the best part of a decade now, having self-released a debut album, Ten No Sekido, in 2018, which saw them co-producing by Atsuo of Boris, who also worked with them on the following year’s Corridor EP. The mystery and magic of their songs, which vibrate in a curious space between psychedelic rock, acid folk and slowcore, is at its strongest on Futaishitsu Souzou.
la scène 裸身 have long been interested in art that’s stripped back to its simplest, most elemental form, much as their name represents the Japanese word ‘rashin’, which means naked body. There is something unadorned about the three songs on Futaishitsu Souzou; Saya’s becalmed, unhurried vocal delivery reflects the gentle intensity of the simple, gem-like chord changes strewn through songs like “Futaishitsu Souzou” itself, and the bittersweet, folkish lament of “Reiyou”, a song inspired by the loss of the band’s friend, Gazelle.
Futaishitsu Souzou is steeped in melancholy, but it is not resigned to this emotional state; there are threads of rebirth and transcendence woven through the album’s three lovely, slowly enveloping, and deeply moving songs. Often, you can hear that transcendence in the soaring, sky- burning guitar playing that cleaves these songs in twain, from guest guitarist Hiroshi Kurosawa (of Asylum). At times, the music here recalls the drift-like psych-rock of the Paisley Underground; elsewhere, it explodes with vibrant intensity, swarming with noise and feedback, that runs alongside similarly delirious examples from the Japanese underground.
And yet, la scène 裸身 is entirely its own thing, a unique, singular vibration, a oneiric manifestation of hermetic visionary art.
Richmond's IRON REAGAN returns with their original lineup for the thrashing new EP, DEMONETIZATION. 6 blistering tracks clocking in at just 10 minutes, DEMONETIZATION shows the band (Tony Foresta, Ryan Parrish, Dr. Guitar, Phil Hall, and Adam Guilliams) crushing through the Punk, Hardcore, Fastcore, Thrash Metal, and more that have made IRON REAGAN a mainstay since their original 2012 demo. IRON REAGAN's most Punk lineup returns to deliver breakneck music at breakneck speeds. "Very excited to release new music with the original Iron Reagan lineup," says Foresta. "This is the first time we've released something with Paul since 2014 (Exhumed Split). This is some of our strongest/heaviest material we've done to date. Looking forward to getting back on the road with these guys and seeing everybody." Reactivated and ready to roll, IRON REAGAN promises that DEMONETIZATION is just a taste of things to come! Short: Richmond's IRON REAGAN returns with their original lineup for the thrashing new EP, DEMONETIZATION. FFO: D.R.I., Power Trip, Iron Age, The Accused, Nuclear Assault, Anthrax
"Fuera del cielo" (1975) is an art rock/space jazz masterpiece infused with prog scents from one of the true legends of Argentinian rock. The sounds of floating acoustic pianos, organ and harpsichord, basslines and even bandoneon combine with Litto's own voice and create a unique blend of deep and delicate beauty. 'La Balsa' was the first Argentine massive rock hit. In 1967 Los Gatos became the most famous local rock band with this song. At the front, as composer and singer, was Litto Nebbia. Although this milestone has remained eternally linked to Nebbia's name, almost eclipsing the rest of his work, it is really his solo career that unveils the artist's overwhelming talent and his determination to create music freely, regardless of commercial considerations. It is an album to be filed next to the highly acclaimed "Bazar de los milagros" and "Cosas que no quieren morir", released the following year, creating an outstanding body of work that represents Nebbia's talent at its best. Nebbia's genius transcends beyond the Southern Hemisphere. The international scene of DJs and vinyl collectors shows signs of its taste for Litto Nebbia recordings, now highly sought after in their original editions, probably as part of a rediscovery of little-explored global sounds, within a journey through music always hungry for exciting new sounds. First time vinyl reissue, remastered sound.
Quaid + Shepherd’s “The Preset” 12” is a multi-mix single/release pushing and evolving the confines of the present funk sound. This London duo, which is composed of producer Quaid and vocalist Shepherd (who have been long-time collaborators), dives especially deep with these four banging club mixes of “The Preset”, channeled through the lens of 80s boogie-funk. Quaid explains that “early 80's boogie funk has always been a massive inspiration and a huge part of my day-to-day listening experience”, and these 4 mixes of “The Preset” serve to honor a “drum machine soul” tradition, while keeping the production and feel fresh for the dance-floor and the context of today. This release is stacked full of epic alternate mixes for listeners and DJs to experience: Most notably, there is a “Sysex” Mix from Atlanta’s elusive abstract boogie-funk producer Moon B (his first new production to release after a multi-year hiatus), which delves into his intangibly unique slanky-funk sound. Also included on the B side are the hypnotic and more uptempo “Wet Dreems” Mix and a “Dirty Dub” Mix from Quaid that truly leans into the quirky synth leads, crispy drum programming and heavy rolling bass.
For more than three decades, this Grammy-winning US bandleader and roots master has outrun genre, classification and comfort zone, journeying between the acclaimed solo work with his own name on the marquee, his storied jam-band Gov't Mule, and America's fabled rock 'n' roll institutions from the Allman Brothers Band to the Grateful Dead. To represent this lifetime of roots and branches in a single project, while tearing down and reimagining his songbook with bold orchestral arrangements, acknowledges Haynes, was a daunting prospect that nonetheless exerted an irresistible pull. Now, the resulting live album - Dreams & Songs, released September 18, 2026 - is a living document of 2019's one- of- a- kind concert at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, with a visceral mix by the legendary Bob Clearmountain capturing the thrilling collision between Haynes' lineup of seasoned rock 'n' roll improvisers and the 64- piece Asheville Symphony Orchestra.
Pressure Chords is the first joint album by composer-performer John McCowen, trombonist Weston Olencki and cellist Lucy Railton. McCowen’s composition is based on the spectral analysis of contrabass clarinet multiphonics, and the tuning system corresponds with the overtone spectrum of McCowen’s instrument. The trio adaptation of Pressure Chords presents itself as an exercise in both patience and intensity, slowly building towards an expressive finale. Across its 34-minute runtime, restrained minimalism slowly gives way to maximally affective sonic force.McCowen, Olencki and Railton first shared the stage for an improvised session at Berlin’s KM28. McCowen realised that he found two capable partners for creating orchestrations of his works for the contrabass clarinet. Olencki, who also contributes field recordings to the album, has worked across different genres and traditions, while Railton has made a name for herself as a composer and improviser as well as a performer of Just Intonation music. Weston and Lucy both have immense experience performing and composing music outside of equal temperament, so it seemed like a perfect situation, McCowen says. The trio first presented Pressure Chords live at Berlin’s Morphine Raum in 2023 before recording a studio version with Adam Asnan in the following year. The recording—mixed and mastered by Albert Finnbogasson in Reykjavík—elegantly captures the multi-layered tonal and sonic qualities that the musicians so carefully explore. As a result, their performance doesn’t so much invite but necessitate deep listening—time passes differently on and with Pressure Chords.
"Formed in 1967 as a psychedelic electronic duo featuring Dan Taylor on drums and Simeon on a homemade synthesizer consisting of 12 oscillators (and an assortment of sound filters, telegraph keys, radio parts, lab gear and a variety of second hand electronic junk), Silver Apples quickly gained a reputation as New York's leading underground musical expression. Their pulsating rhythmic beats with the use of electronics laid the groundwork for what would become 'Krautrock'. Silver Apples was released in 1968 and still remains an innovative and revolutionary album. Their highly influential sound has influenced countless bands from Stereolab, Beastie Boys, Blur and more. 'Silver Apples... a beautiful and mysterious artifact.' - New York Times.
Sales points
- New 24 bit /96 kHz transfer taken from the original master tapes.
- Limited Blue Sky Colored Vinyl
- First Reissue from Original Tapes
- Currently Touring in the US and Europe
- 'Oscillations' featured in Pitchforks Top 200 songs from the 60's.
From Berlin to Lagos: Jembaa Groove expand their sound on "Be A Lover"
Berlin-based outfit Jembaa Groove return with "Be A Lover", a four-track EP set for full release on 18 September via global soul imprint Agogo Records. Following two critically acclaimed albums and an intensive period of touring across Europe and the US — including a SXSW showcase and a widely acclaimed KEXP session — this latest release marks a new chapter in the band’s trajectory. Built around highlife rhythms and shaped by Afro-jazz and the more organic edges of Afrobeats, "Be A Lover" unfolds with a warm, languid and deeply soulful feel, capturing different strands of today’s multifaceted Afrofusion scene.
Here, the band strips back from a seven-piece ensemble to its two founding members, while at the same time opening outward into a deeply collaborative space. At its centre is a close creative partnership with celebrated Nigerian highlife revivalists The Cavemen., alongside contributions from London-based, Nigerian born soul artist Azekel, Lagos vocalist Tim Lyre, and Malian icon Fatoumata Diawara.
“This record has a different flavour,” says Owusu. “It’s really about collaboration — different feelings, different thoughts, different energies coming together.” While centred around the Lagos contemporary scene, the record is shaped by a wider diasporic network stretching across London, Lagos, Berlin and Amsterdam, cities producer and bass player Yannick Nolting describes as “the pillars where everything that is happening in today’s highlife and Afro-fusion scene.”
Formed in Berlin in 2020, Jembaa Groove began after a chance meeting between bassist, producer and composer Yannick Nolting and percussionist, vocalist and songwriter Eric Owusu. Drawing on their respective musical journeys — Nolting’s years working with Lusophone artists in Lisbon and Owusu’s deep roots in Ghana’s highlife tradition, including work with Pat Thomas and late highlife legend Ebo Taylor — the project quickly took shape: their debut album Susuma established a powerful, poly-rhythmic sound grounded in highlife, jazz and soul, while 2024’s "Ye Ankasa | We Ourselves" expanded that vision through collaborations with artists across Ghana and its diaspora, including UK based Ghanaian singer, rapper, percussionist, and arranger K.O.G and legendary Ghanaian highlife musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley.
The collaborative spirit continues on "Be A Lover", most of which grew out of a meeting with sibling duo The Cavemen. at Supersonic Jazz Festival in Amsterdam in 2023, leading to a sustained exchange of ideas between Berlin and Lagos. With two acclaimed albums behind them, The Cavemen. have emerged as central figures in both Lagos’ alternative music scene and the wider contemporary highlife revival, bringing the genre to a new generation through a stripped-back, melody-driven sound. “There was some kind of magnetism towards Lagos,” says Nolting; for Owusu, who is Ghanaian but spent much of his life in Nigeria, the connection runs even deeper. “I feel lucky to be able to bring different cultures together and make something really beautiful,” he says. A key part of that process was a close working exchange between Nolting and The Cavemen.’s Kingsley Okorie, who effectively stepped into a co-producing role on three out of four of the tracks.
The one exception is opener No Pain No Gain, which features Nigerian-born, East London-based Azekel, whose smooth, R&B-leaning vocal moves through a slow-burning arrangement of bright keys, gently rising horns and atmospheric synths, anchored by Owusu’s organic percussion.
The title track Be A Lover, featuring Afro-fusion Lagos artist Tim Lyre, distills the EP’s central message into its most immediate form. Backed by syncopated percussion and a gently smouldering arrangement, Lyre’s voice moves with a laid-back, melodic ease, delivering a simple refrain: “be a lover, not a fighter.” “It’s a very simple message,” says Nolting, “It’s about showing more love, on a personal level but also more broadly… just show love.” That same sense of warmth runs throughout the record, reflecting its core idea.
On Obi, The Cavemen. take centre stage, with Kingsley Okorie leading through melancholic, plaintive vocals rooted in classic highlife. In contrast, his brother Benjamin James punctuates the track with high-pitched vocal interjections, heightening the emotional tension against a backdrop of slow, restrained instrumentation.
Waka follows with a more melodic, hook-led refrain from Eric Owusu, whose loose, almost conversational delivery creates a striking contrast with Fatoumata Diawara’s unmistakably powerful, raspy vocal. The collaboration grew out of a chance meeting while Owusu was on tour, with ideas exchanged quickly and Diawara returning a finished vocal within days. “We are so proud to have her. It’s a privilege” says Owusu. "Be A Lover" is a record shaped by connections like these — between people, scenes, and cities. “It was partly intention, partly destiny,” says Nolting. “We met these people along the way, and somehow Lagos was meant to come into our path.”
For any collaborative project to succeed, the artists involved need a creative unifier – a meeting point, if you will, of their disparate interests and experiences. In the case of Mondo Love & Betrayal, the joint project of Nottingham musical mainstays Neil ‘Nail’ Tolliday and Henry Claude Scott, there were two creative unifiers: a mutual love of classic 1980s synth-pop, as well as shared admiration for each other’s work.
Even so, such shared interests and respect for prior mutual endeavours is no guarantee of success. Yet as their eponymous debut album emphatically proves, the duo’s disparate experiences, characteristics and musical strengths have not only dovetailed beautifully, but also resulted in serious sonic gold. Put simply, Mondo Love & Betrayal is a stunning debut album rich in emotive songs, colourful melodies, atmospheric chord progressions and infectious grooves. Throw in the sun-splashed warmth and saucer-eyed, loved-up tactility of late 80s dance beats, and you have a breakthrough album whose timelessness is evident from start to finish.
The project’s roots lie in Tolliday’s desire to work with Scott, a virtuoso guitarist, talented producer and secret songwriter best-known for his work alongside Huw Costin as Torn Sail, and John ‘Ming’ Thompson as Brown Fang – both projects known for prioritising organic instrumentation and sunset-ready soundscapes over dancefloor-rooted beats.
Tolliday, of course, is one of British electronic music’s true polymaths – a long-serving house producer best-known for his long-running Bent project alongside fellow Nottingham resident Simon Mills. He initially approached Scott with the idea of providing vocals on a house track he was working on, but quickly suggested something else: an exploration of a classic synth-pop sound inspired by his love of Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Depeche Mode and the producers who worked with them – the likes of Martin Hannett, Arthur Baker, Stephen Hague and John Robie.
Scott accepted the invitation, seeing it as an opportunity to explore a different side of his musical personality. Their first recording session resulted in the ear-catching and memorable brilliance of ‘Correspondence’ – a tongue-in-cheek breakup song inspired by the death of landlines and the rise of mobile communications – and soon they were working on their debut album.
The resultant 10-track set is simply sublime, with Scott’s expressive delivery of his own lyrics on life, love, heartache and rejection working in perfect union with Tolliday’s kaleidoscopic and pleasingly authentic backing tracks – gorgeous and beautifully rendered instrumentals rich in memorable melodies, bittersweet chords, and subtle nods to ‘80s and early ‘90s dance-pop culture, from Shep Pettibone style remixes and Bernard Sumner guitar licks, to Beloved-esque piano parts and Chris Lowe chord progressions. Some listeners may also draw favourable comparisons with 21st century synth-pop practitioners, particularly Parcels, Private Agenda and the deeply emotive songs showcased by Junior Boys.
For proof, wrap your ears around such album highlights as opener ‘Boo Boo’, where Scott warns that “love and betrayal will haunt you” atop sparkling synths and Vince Clarke style grooves, the Behaviour-era PSB melancholy of recent single ‘Your Latest’, the mid-tempo dreaminess of ‘Beyond The Rainy City’, the early Depeche Mode chug of ‘Whatever Happened To Me’ and the tactile warmth of ‘Across The Plane’.
We could go on. In truth, the whole album is – in Scott’s words – “magical musical alchemy”. Wherever they choose to go next, Mondo Love & Betrayal is a seriously good sonic statement of intent.
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Inhale. Exhale. Remember to breathe. In that rhythm lies the pulse of being - the ancient echo of stars from which we are made. Breathing is the bridge between the inner cosmos and the outer void. When you breathe, you testify to existence itself: "I am." The Moonrover - a child of reason - abandoned on the cold, dead Moon. It does not feel time, know fear, or comprehend solitude. But a human, in its place, would understand: Silence is not emptiness. It is a mirror. And in that mirror arises the question: "If I am alone, and silence is infinite - who hears my breath?" The answer lies in the breath. Each inhale is resistance against entropy. Each exhale is an act of remembrance. To breathe is to remember that you are not just part of the Universe - you are its awakened part. And just as the Moonrover crawls across grey lunar plains, driven by an unknown purpose, so do you move through life, led by an inner light, until you realize: breath is not just life. It is a prayer sent into silence. And if you can hear it - you are alive.
Proudly partnering with the globally acclaimed Forza Horizon gaming series for the fifth time, Hospital Records once again bring their D&B A-game to the world of racing & gaming with a whopping 24-track soundtrack that's getting pressed to a pristine 3x12 triple gatefold vinyl product. For both Forza & Hospital fans alike, this is a physical piece of both D&B and gaming history.
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Still hot on the heels of compiling the first volume of the Italian Dancefloor Outsiders, and moved by the urge to explore new musical landscapes and discover sounds produced in subsequent years, we decided to continue our quest of tracking an alternative map of what was happen- ing in the Italian electronic music scene. This second volume takes inspiration from the concept of “Mezzanotte Mezzogiorno” (literally “from Midnight to Midday”), a term first used for a now legendary party held in 1992 at Club Imperi- ale in Tirrenia, Tuscany. The owner of the club, Roberto Pannocchia, was eager to attract a different kind of audience to his venue and so decided to extend the closing time until midday, well beyond the Italian law limits. But as Imperiale was a members club, he was allowed to do it, and he already knew that this act would forever shape the Italian club scene. "Mezzanotte Mezzogiorno" was then used to describe long dancing marathons that lasted for the whole weekend, spread across clubs, after-parties and more off-the-grid open air venues but, most of all, became the symbol of an era. The music ranged from slow, pitched-down landscapes to epic techno progressions, filling both feverishly packed big rooms and colourful chillout zones. A parabola of musical move- ments related to specific genres was born, reaching its peak and then fading towards the end of the millenium.
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Windy & Carl Meet Optigan Conservatory is a purposefully misleading title for the first collaborative work from four friends who met close to thirty years prior. All active participants in Michigan independent music circles since the early ’90s, Windy & Carl are well-known for their foundational contributions to drift and guitar-born ambient sounds, with songs characterized by deep connections to the natural world and a hard to pin down yet impossible to miss emotional vulnerability.
Optigan Conservatory is another duo, made up of Frank Rotondo (leader of Detroit area free music ensemble Laughing Gas) and Fred Thomas (songwriter and producer most often associated with his band Saturday Looks Good To Me), who have been making minimalistic and time-defiant electro-acoustic sounds since 2016. The album came together almost effortlessly in a very short timeframe, but the idea had been building steam for many a year.
In the last days of 2024, Windy & Carl and Optigan Conservatory got together, falling into a mode of sound creation that was almost hyper-natural. Without any discussion outside of the usual stream of jokes and chatter, the quartet set up and started communicating. Added to Windy & Carl’s hovering augmented chord voicings and vaporous guitar drones were electric piano and synth bedding from Frank & Fred. After the initial sessions, all involved parties took time to consider what they’d made, adding new layers and editing the pieces into more definitive articulations.
A beautiful and hermetic energy larger than the sum of its parts is captured in the process. There are echoes of the earliest releases from Windy & Carl as well as refractions of the same opacity that surfaced in the early kranky catalogue.
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The Toxic Funk series keeps pushing the boundaries of funk and hip-hop on wax, and Volume 23 welcomes DJP with two heavyweight remix cuts tailor-made for party-rocking DJs and golden-era hip-hop lovers alike. Packed with dusty breaks, sharp cuts and undeniable boom-bap energy, this 7” delivers pure underground flavor from start to finish.
On the A-side, The Nod Factor (DJP Remix) flips a true hip-hop classic into a groove-heavy breakbeat weapon loaded with crisp drums, funky rhythms and that unmistakable head-nodding swing. DJP injects fresh energy into the timeless vocal flows while keeping the raw essence fully intact.
The B-side, How Many Emcees (Must Get Dissed) (DJP Remix) dives even deeper into rugged East Coast vibes with rolling breaks, punchy basslines and expertly chopped funk elements that hit hard on any sound system. DJP balances classic hip-hop attitude with dancefloor-ready funk pressure, making this another essential weapon for selectors who like their beats raw and funky.
Toxic Funk Vol. 23 continues the series’ tradition of bringing heavyweight grooves to 7” vinyl, serving up another limited edition double-sider for crate diggers, breakbeat heads and party DJs worldwide.
b B1: How Many Emcees (Must Get Dissed) [DJP Remix]
[b] B1 | How Many Emcees (Must Get Dissed) [DJP Remix]
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Almost Starlight is the extraordinary new album by Jem Finer (hurdy-gurdy) and John Matthias (violin). Produced by Jay Auborn and recorded in a Medieval Church, deep in the Devon countryside, in the Summer of 2025, the music is suffused with light, heat and the natural acoustics of the space.
The album defies categorisation; forced to pigeon hole it the nearest approximation would be ‘modern-classical’ but this ignores its myriad influences and explorations which encompass inspiration from Arvo Pärt through Terry Riley to Can via Delius, Alice Coltrane and a subtle reimagining of electronic music played purely with acoustic instruments, bending and shaping their possibilities in surprising and unexpected directions.
Jay Auborn plays cello on a number of the compositions and his production opens up and expands the music through a skilled and imaginative use of space, paying homage to the atmosphere of the church; ‘the sound evolved… chasing the imagined acoustics of that church in my mind; a place for worshipping light with sound.’
Almost Starlight will be released on the 4th September by Touch, available as CD, vinyl, cassette and on streaming platforms.
BIOS OF THE ARTISTS
Jem Finer
Since studying computer science in the 1970s, Jem Finer has worked in various fields, including photography, film, experimental and popular music, sound recording, sculpture and installation.
Much of his work relates to systems, extended processes and extremes of scale and includes Longplayer, a musical composition repeating once every 1000 years, and the Gurdy and Hurdy stones, ancient rocks set upright in fields in East Sussex and Gloucestershire with Jimmy Cauty. Their work together includes a band, The Standing Stones, whose most recent release is Twa Sisters, featuring Iona Zajac and Daragh Lynch.
He was a founder member of The Pogues, with whom he has played, written and recorded since 1981.
Recent music revolves around a fascination with the hurdy-gurdy and includes hrdy-grdy, a cassette released by Benedict Drew’s Thanet Tape Centre. His latest collaboration, with John Matthias, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.
John Matthias
Since studying Theoretical Physics in the late 1980s and 1990s, John has created music and sound in many forms, including for installation, popular music, music for film, for dance and orchestra.
Much of John’s work plays with the physics of complex systems but he is also greatly influenced by stories and song. John has collaborated with Matthew Herbert, Stanley Donwood, Jay Auborn, Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Nick Ryan and many others to create music with a variety of textures and sonorities. He is particularly interested in simplicity and form and how context informs the way music sounds.
His latest collaboration, with Jem Finer, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.
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“I like to work with a variety of instruments and set ups,” says Mark Van Hoen, sometimes known as Locust or Autocreation but here working under his own name on the excellent Plan For A Miracle, his first physical release of solo music since 2018’s Invisible Threads. ”Sometimes it’s literally in my studio, with all the hardware electronics available. Sometimes the laptop, using software instruments. Some of the tracks on this record were recorded in the desert (Joshua Tree) using a 4-track tape machine and small modular synthesiser set up. Each track was recorded in different location using different instruments, which accounts for the distinction between each piece. It’s also about my own reaction to my environment, and what’s going on in my life at the time.”
The Croydon-born Van Hoen started musical life in the early 1990s, signing for R&S records in 1993 but developing his own, myriad and distinctive style across a range of releases on Touch, Editions Mego and other labels, using a battery of instruments, including analogue synthesizers and taking a number of different approaches to recording, rather than ploughing a single sonic furrow. He has worked on a number of collaborations, including with Nick Holton and Neil Halstead of Slowdive, under the moniker of Black Hearted Brother - their Stars Are Our Home was released in 2013. “I have known Neil Halstead since 1992,” says Van Hoen. “He shared a house with me for a couple of years, and the music I was making and listening to along with clubs I was attending had an influence particularly on Pygmalion, the final Slowdive album on Creation.”
Each track on Plan For A Miracle does indeed sound like a world unto itself, a mini-environment, a weather condition, an ecosystem created for the moment. It’s a collection of tracks recorded over the past few years, released on Bandcamp - despite his apparent absence, Van Hoen works constantly. Opener “Climates”, in its exquisite limpidity, feels like a homage to Brian Eno, one of his most formative influences in his teen years, commencing with Music For Films, which he bought in 1979. “This Is For Them”, feels like a ghostlike throwback to early drum & bass or electronica, reminiscent of his own, earliest outings. “There have been a number of requests from labels to make some more music like my very early releases on R&S,” says Van Hoen. “This is part of ‘letting go’ and realising that there’s nothing less creative about going back to those styles again.”
“Pencil Of Spheres” is something else again, a magnificent, imaginary glass structure, shimmering, refracting, without visible means of suspension, a thing of impossible beauty. “Electric Lights” evokes an abandoned fairground, its lights still pulsating, its music lingering. “The Underpass”, meanwhile, insofar as it reminds of anything at all, is faintly reminiscent of Cluster or Neu’s! West German ambience, the urban mundane rendered magical, the sodium lights, the whitewashed walls. The reverberant, faintly oriental chimes of “Insight” transport us yet again, burgeoning and intensifying.
The landscapes, the skyscapes rendered on Plan For A Miracle feel unpopulated as a rule - but when he does introduce vocal elements, Van Hoen has a history of doing so to spectacular effect - think of “Real Love” from 1998’s Playing With Time, the seductive intonation of its title recurring throughout like a series of massive holograms, echoing, stuttering, breaking up, surging. Here, there are just the faintest of vocals, barely distinct, disquieting. “There’s been a bit of a game changer in recent times,” explains Van Hoen. “AI software that enables you to extract vocals and instrument parts from virtually any recording. That means sampling individual parts from existing sources is no longer limited to the original mix exposing certain parts soloed. The vocal parts I use are from multiple sources and often pitch shifted altered rhythmically and melodically.“ There’s further vocal chatter on “I Really Do”, proceeding at a faster pace as if giving chase, or being pursued - distant, enigmatic. “The Music”, meanwhile, its beat tolling, lost in its own fog of static, features a curious intonation, like the ghost of a lost Walker Brother.
Sadly, the album’s title is in reference to a personal tragedy on Van Hoen’s part - the loss of his wife. Titles such as “I Won’t Give Up”, which faintly reminds of another Eno masterpiece, Another Green World, in its nautical hurly-bury, or the pastoral strains of “Mrs Who”, heavily clouded with sadness, seem to allude to this. “In fact the record was recorded entirely before she passed away,” says Van Hoen, “most of it before she even became very ill. The title was given to the album when it started to look like she wasn’t going to make it beyond a few months. It was something Osho said - “plan for a miracle” - so it was a statement of hope. Unfortunately it was not to be.” Although the album is non-thematic, non-specific in its atmospheres, sound paintings, elegant structures it most certainly stands as a magnificent monument to Osho’s memory.
-David Stubbs.
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Frazer Ray lands on Time Is Now with Masha EP. Four tracks of killer, stripped back FWD facing proto/future garage effortlessly pushing the sound into a new direction.
FACTS:
1. Frazer Ray knows how to make a dance. IYKYK…. Recently he’s been shelling Live UKG cooked right in front of you on a custom modular rig. Mad energy. 100% party business.
2. Frazer Ray knows a thing or two about making UK soundsystem music. The artist FKA Soundbwoy Killah is now a decade deep in his discography. And first as ‘Soundbwoy Killah’ and now as ‘Frazer Ray’ he is 2 for 2 with aliases that never miss.
3. New Frazer Ray is always something to get excited about. For 10+ years he’s kept it super tight. Quality over quantity. Always holding dubplates. When releases have landed they drop on only the best labels; including both Rinse and Rinse’s new INGRAM imprint, Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint, Sneaker Social Club, Interplanetary Criminal’s Locked On and IPC & Main Phase’s ATW Records. (side note - his Soundbowy Killah - ‘Halcyon Daze’ LP on Sneaker is IMO an all time classic - do not sleep on that one). Aaaannd… if the dubplates got too heavy he’s also occasionally dropped weight on his own U-Phorix label.
Also…..what has always struck me about Frazer’s music is that it’s simultaneously integral in the hardcode continuum while also pushing it forward. It’s always complete. Fully formed. You never bristle. There’s no failed experiments. Just a firm nod to the future for anyone looking.
OK… Run the tracks.
Masha’s vocal licks tell it straight, this one is “Fire”. Proper club business to test the stacks. The drums roll steady in front of a wall of sub bass. A killer mix of post dubstep era goodness, techno sound design and the shuffle & swing of proto dubstep.
Settle Down There’s something 90’s tek step about this one. Dark and moody with a wall of bass. It bristles with texture and atmosphere before – a moment of reprieve in this absolute weapon – Frazer opens up into a dubwise oasis before skittering back into the darkness.
Syren Song is exactly what it says on the tin, alluring Dancehall vocals chatter and roll. Who knew auto-tune and Garage paired so well… Frazer did that’s who.
No Reasons Left is an ethereal closer for the end of the night / start of the morning after. Gliding warm & introspective dubwise breaks with a Reese bassline that hangs in the space between garage and hardcore.
Frazer says…
“This EP feels like I've finally nailed integrating my modular setup (and VCV rack for all you nerds out there) into my productions. I wanted to create deeper production while still ensuring the tracks translate well in the club.”
If this is only the beginning then strap in.
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Music From Memory presents ‘Miraggi’, the debut release by Argento, a new project conceived by composer and producer David August. Written between Berlin and the Tuscan coast, the record unfolds as an imagined soundtrack to the Mediterranean, shaped by memory, longing and a profound connection to landscape.
The earliest sketches emerged during extended periods spent along Italy’s Tyrrhenian coast, where the shifting light, vegetation and ever-changing presence of the sea became lasting creative impulses. At the same time, an immersion in Italian library music of the 1970s and ‘80s quietly informed the project’s tonal language, while traces of jazz fusion and Balearic ambience surfaced not as direct references but as distant echoes.
Built around a dialogue between synthesizers, electronics, acoustic percussion and environmental recordings, ‘Miraggi’ balances rhythmic movement with spacious, cinematic composition. During the recording process, August was joined by drummer and percussionist Lorenzo Setti, whose performances and co-writing became an integral part of the album’s evolving rhythmic language. Across extended improvisations and recording sessions, August and Setti gradually shaped a musical language that feels both deeply personal and quietly transportive, allowing atmosphere and place to become as important as melody or rhythm.
The title ‘Miraggi’ (‘Mirages’) emerged organically, evoking a longing for something that remains just out of reach — something that cannot fully be grasped or lived. It suggests a suspended state between perception and imagination, akin to a hallucination or a dream. In this sense, ‘Miraggi’ reflects the project’s inner narrative: an imagined soundtrack shaped by desire, memory and the spiritual abundance of the Mediterranean Sea.
‘Miraggi’ will be released on vinyl and digitally via Music From Memory on September 10th 2026.
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"Dance On", the latest single from Canopy continues the label's enthusiasm for re-issuing vintage Afro-tropical funk, reggae & disco, paired with modern remixes and remakes.
Two long out of print and previously un-reissued musical gems from Malian musician Nawari, get an overdue second life. Those gems being the eponymous "Dance On", an upbeat Afro-reggae-disco dancer originally self-released in 1987, and "Fanta Cini", originally released in 1989, which takes a deeper, tougher "proto-Afro-electro-funk" direction.
Sharing creative duties is Russian producer Valique, aka "V" from the best-selling "V's edits series, appearing on Canopy for the first time with a strong contribution to the label. Taking the title tune he reimagined & recreated it, building from Nawari's vocals and recording live horns, skanking guitars and percussion, blended with his signature classy production: crisp, warm, groovy & punchy.
Valique turns in 3 different mixes of Dance On, ranging from reggae disco, to cosmic Afro beat, timbale percussion workouts and beyond.
The release spans a range of moods, segueing between the past & present, organic and electronic, proving itself to be well suited for many environments, from the kitchen party to the bars, clubs & festivals of the world.
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Vor 16 Jahren erstveröffentlicht, seit über 10 Jahren ausverkauft und nun endlich wieder auf Vinyl erhältlich: das "aktuelle" Album der unverwechselbaren Hotknives mit einer Tüte voller zuckersüßer Ska und Reggae-Bonbons, die süchtig machen. Ja, es wäre auch mal wieder "About Time" für ein neues Album, aber die 1982 formierte Brightoner Ska-Legende hat in fast 45 Jahren nur vier Studioalben veröffentlicht. Manchmal ist weniger mehr und jedes ihrer Werke besitzt zurecht weltweit Kultstatus bei Ska-Fans. Der 'Melody Maker' wählte das Quartett nicht umsonst unter die 5 wichtigsten britischen Ska-Bands überhaupt! Für "About Time" hat sich die Band nach Jahrzehnten wieder Verstärkung geholt und den typischen, Hammond-Orgellastigen "Happy Hotknives"-Sound mit druckvollen Bläsern auf ein neues Level gebracht. Der Opener "Harsh Reality" ist seitdem auch live das Startsignal für schweisstreibende Parties, zusammen mit sechs anderen Songs des Albums fester Bestandteil der Setlist und unterstreicht die Bedeutung des Albums bei Band und Fans der "Holsten Boys". Die 13 Songs sind dabei perfekt aufeinander abgestimmt und bieten eine enorme Vielfalt mit vielen musikalischen Einflüssen. Temporeiche Tanzflächenkracher im "typical british vibe" mit ihren Roots aus der zweiten Ska-Welle ("Bloody Beautiful", "Doing Alright"), jamaikanischer Rocksteady oder poppige Reggae-Nummern wie "Communication" (feat Dr. Ring Ding). Allen gemein ist jedoch die hochmelodisch, bittersüße und manchmal auch melancholische Ohrwurmgarantie, aufwendig und fett produziert von King Glover (Bad Manners, The Wailers). "The Hotknves" . "About Time" erscheint als 180g Collector's Edition in klassisch schwarzem oder farbigem Swirl Vinyl.
Vor 16 Jahren erstveröffentlicht, seit über 10 Jahren ausverkauft und nun endlich wieder auf Vinyl erhältlich: das "aktuelle" Album der unverwechselbaren Hotknives mit einer Tüte voller zuckersüßer Ska und Reggae-Bonbons, die süchtig machen. Ja, es wäre auch mal wieder "About Time" für ein neues Album, aber die 1982 formierte Brightoner Ska-Legende hat in fast 45 Jahren nur vier Studioalben veröffentlicht. Manchmal ist weniger mehr und jedes ihrer Werke besitzt zurecht weltweit Kultstatus bei Ska-Fans. Der 'Melody Maker' wählte das Quartett nicht umsonst unter die 5 wichtigsten britischen Ska-Bands überhaupt! Für "About Time" hat sich die Band nach Jahrzehnten wieder Verstärkung geholt und den typischen, Hammond-Orgellastigen "Happy Hotknives"-Sound mit druckvollen Bläsern auf ein neues Level gebracht. Der Opener "Harsh Reality" ist seitdem auch live das Startsignal für schweisstreibende Parties, zusammen mit sechs anderen Songs des Albums fester Bestandteil der Setlist und unterstreicht die Bedeutung des Albums bei Band und Fans der "Holsten Boys". Die 13 Songs sind dabei perfekt aufeinander abgestimmt und bieten eine enorme Vielfalt mit vielen musikalischen Einflüssen. Temporeiche Tanzflächenkracher im "typical british vibe" mit ihren Roots aus der zweiten Ska-Welle ("Bloody Beautiful", "Doing Alright"), jamaikanischer Rocksteady oder poppige Reggae-Nummern wie "Communication" (feat Dr. Ring Ding). Allen gemein ist jedoch die hochmelodisch, bittersüße und manchmal auch melancholische Ohrwurmgarantie, aufwendig und fett produziert von King Glover (Bad Manners, The Wailers). "The Hotknves" . "About Time" erscheint als 180g Collector's Edition in klassisch schwarzem oder farbigem Swirl Vinyl.
Trey Songz released Trey Day, the follow-up to his debut album I Gotta Make It, on October 2, 2007, via Atlantic Records. Almost 20 years later, the album is being issued on vinyl for the first time. Hailing from Petersburg, VA, Trey Songz launched his career after graduating from high school, went on to record eight studio albums, sell over 32 million albums worldwide, and began acting in movies and TV shows in 2008. Troy Taylor, along with a team of producers, released four singles from the album, including the Grammy-nominated "Can't Help But Wait." Featuring an intro by Bun B, the album's production was more influenced by Hip-Hop, a departure from his debut, which was more akin to modern-day soul and featured an intro by Aretha Franklin. Get On Down, in partnership with Rhino and Atlantic Records, has issued the album on tinsel-town-colored vinyl, limited to 1,000 copies.
Tapper Zuki's debut album 'Man Ah Warrior' was originally released in 1973.It's classic Dee Jay style has been copied by many but bettered by few. An album that more than most shows that raw talent with little resources can still be a great, great thing.
Tapper Zukie (b.1956,David Sinclair , Kingston, Jamaica) was raised in the rough and tough West Kingston area of Jamaica between the districts of Trench Town and Greenwich Farm.
Living pretty much on the streets from an early age the youth including the young Tapper had no choice but to fall into the hands of the political parties that controlled the various ghetto areas of the town.
Fear of landing in even more trouble, a plan was devised by Tapper's Mother ,Brother ,Reggae producer 'Blackbeard' and family friend Bunny 'Striker' Lee .The plan was to send the wayward Tapper to England to cool his ways.
A UK tour with the number 1 Reggae Dee Jay U-Roy was already arranged on his arrival, Bunny Lee got the young Tapper to toast over a Slim Smith rhythm, the London crowd loved it
He also caught the eye of producer Larry Lawrence who took Tapper on and cut his first single 'Jump and Twist'
Nine further tracks were recorded for producer Clement Bushey that would result in this album 'man ah Warrior.
We hope this introduction to Tapper Zukie's music inspires you to look further into his catalogue of great music.
An artist ahead of his time, whose music has influenced many........
as Patti Smith stated 'Music of the Most High'............
British composer Simon Goff interprets space, both within ourselves and the objects that surround us with Interior Realms - vol.1; a wondrous, contemplative work of electronic chamber music.
The idea first came from the philosophical idea underpinning the book Interior Realms, published by Theatrum Mundi in 2021. In it, a collection of essays reflects upon architecture’s influence on the human spirit. It challenges us to think not only about music as space, but also about how architecture can shape our ideas of composition. It also asks us to think about how space can make us experience music internally differently.
Interior Realms, the album, inhabits this idea and creates a dreamlike, atmospheric arch between its outer and inner parts. Joyous, immense and light-filled compositions sits side by side with the almost pure silence and introspect of its inner core. Goff wanted to create parallel compositional voices, performing them in various locations, each offering its own sonic character, unique spatial sounds, and reverb. Together with his long-time collaborator, Lynn Wright, the album was recorded in the Großer Wasserspeicher, Berlin's oldest water tower, and at the Grunewaldkirche, a location known amongst others from being the birthplace of many great works by artists such as Nils Frahm, Dustin O´Halloran and more. Cellist Anne Müller appears alongside Goff’s violin and viola on several pieces as they improvised and interacted with each other in the resonance of the space.
In addition to his own endeavors, Simon composes primarily for film and has collaborated with Hildur Guðnadóttir, Jóhann Jóhannsson and Peter Broderick among others. His collaborators has left an inspiring mark on him, all while standing firmly on his own feet with grand intention and results as heard on this absolutely brilliant atmospheric work.
Silver Vinyl
Simon Popp is back on Squama with his fourth album Trio.
At its heart, Trio is a work about collaboration, playfulness and unification. It is music as a means of coming together, a sonic equivalent to the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi, in which broken ceramics are repaired with a visible golden lacquer. Rather than hiding the breaks, Kintsugi embraces them, making them part of the story, a form of delicate transformation. Popp and his collaborators Flurin Mück and Sebastian Wolfgruber take a similar approach: three distinct drummers, three different temperaments, three personal styles. Fused together into a single expressive instrument.
The album is a celebration of timbre, texture, and touch, its sound palette drawn from across continents and traditions. Human beings at all points of time, across all cultures and continents have used music to celebrate, mourn, worship and bond. Along with our voices, creating rhythm with our bodies. Clapping, stomping, hitting with sticks. A celebration of rhythm as both a shared human memory and an audible expression of close bonds.
Trio is a reflection of the beauty of imperfection and the timeless pull of rhythm as a shared human force. The cracks are not hidden. They are filled with gold.
180g 2LP im Gatefold mit 40 Seiten Booklet & 3 neuen Tracks
1976 und 1977 waren zwei sehr entscheidende Jahre im Leben von Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Die Band wechselte mehrere Bandmitglieder in der Mitte einer erfolgreichen Fünf-Alben-Abfolge, während sie mit ihrer einzigartigen Mischung aus Progressive Rock, Jazz und Bluesmusik eine unglaubliche Anhängerschaft in der ganzen Welt aufbaute. Obwohl Manfred selbst mit früheren Erfolgen in den Pop-Charts vertraut war, verschaffte The Roaring Silence Manfred Mann's Earth Band eine ganz neue Ebene des Ruhms, da dieses Album 1977 die Spitze der Charts erklomm.
Natürlich hatte Bruce Springsteens »Blinded By The Light« alle Voraussetzungen für einen Hit, aber es muss sowohl die Band als auch Springsteen überrascht haben, denn es war für beide die erste Nummer-Eins-Platte. Dieser Titel wurde von einer ganz neuen Legion von Mann-Fanatikern beklatscht, da die erfrischende Kombination aus dem Leadgesang des neu hinzugekommenen Chris Thompson und Manns vertrauten Keyboard-Phrasierungen diesen Titel zu einem modernen Classic-Rock-Standard machten. Auch heute noch ist dies einer der meistgespielten Songs der klassischen Rockgeschichte.
Limitiertes 180g Doppelvinyl im Gatefold mit Hängetaschen plus 40 Seiten Booklet mit ausführlichen Infos und Interviews!
Im Jahr 2026 jährt sich die Veröffentlichung des legendären Albums »The Roaring Silence« von Manfred Mann's Earth Band zum 50. Mal. Das Album, auf dem auch der US Nummer-1-Hit »Blinded By The Light« zu finden ist, stürmte weltweit die Charts. Diese Jubiläumsausgabe enthält das Originalalbum sowie ein exklusives Bonusalbum mit drei brandneuen Tracks der Band und Live-Versionen von Albumtiteln, sowohl aus der Zeit der Veröffentlichung als auch von aktuellen Konzerten. n
Mighty Music is proud to announce the release of "Electrifyed", the brand-new studio album from NWOBHM pioneers TYGERS OF PAN TANG. The album finds the legendary British metal act returning to a heavier and more aggressive sound while retaining the melodic identity that has defined the band throughout its celebrated career. ""The heavier, the better" that was our mantra throughout the writing and recording of "Electrifyed"", singer Jack Meille comments about the writing process of the record. "We wanted to rediscover the pleasure of being driven by the powerful force of a heavy riff without losing that melodic touch all great Tygers songs have". Written with a clear artistic vision from the outset, "Electrifyed" draws inspiration from the raw energy of the band's early years, particularly their landmark debut album "Wild Cat", while showcasing the chemistry and creativity of the current line-up. The result is a collection of songs built around powerful riffs, memorable melodies and a renewed commitment to the heavy metal traditions the band helped establish. The album also introduces guitarist John Footitt on record for the first time. Joining founding member Robb Weir, Jack Meille, drummer Craig Ellis and bassist Huw Holding, Footitts guitar skills fit the album's muscular and contemporary sound. To achieve the sonic impact envisioned by the band, Tygers of Pan Tang worked closely with producer and musician Marco Angioni, a longtime friend and collaborator who helped translate the group's ambitions into a cohesive and powerful final product. The album artwork was once again entrusted to Andy Pilkington of Very Metal Art, whose striking cover concept perfectly captures the spirit and energy of "Electrifyed".
Transparent Orange w/ blue splatter vinyl. Mighty Music is proud to announce the release of "Electrifyed", the brand-new studio album from NWOBHM pioneers TYGERS OF PAN TANG. The album finds the legendary British metal act returning to a heavier and more aggressive sound while retaining the melodic identity that has defined the band throughout its celebrated career. ""The heavier, the better" that was our mantra throughout the writing and recording of "Electrifyed"", singer Jack Meille comments about the writing process of the record. "We wanted to rediscover the pleasure of being driven by the powerful force of a heavy riff without losing that melodic touch all great Tygers songs have". Written with a clear artistic vision from the outset, "Electrifyed" draws inspiration from the raw energy of the band's early years, particularly their landmark debut album "Wild Cat", while showcasing the chemistry and creativity of the current line-up. The result is a collection of songs built around powerful riffs, memorable melodies and a renewed commitment to the heavy metal traditions the band helped establish. The album also introduces guitarist John Footitt on record for the first time. Joining founding member Robb Weir, Jack Meille, drummer Craig Ellis and bassist Huw Holding, Footitts guitar skills fit the album's muscular and contemporary sound. To achieve the sonic impact envisioned by the band, Tygers of Pan Tang worked closely with producer and musician Marco Angioni, a longtime friend and collaborator who helped translate the group's ambitions into a cohesive and powerful final product. The album artwork was once again entrusted to Andy Pilkington of Very Metal Art, whose striking cover concept perfectly captures the spirit and energy of "Electrifyed".
Friends of Jesse Malin: I Would Do It For You – Vol. 1 brings together musicians from the worlds of rock, punk, Americana, and the underground to celebrate one of modern rock's most respected songwriters. "I've been a fan of Jesse Malin for decades now so I was thrilled when Valley Lodge was asked to be a part of the tribute album,”says Dave Hill. The song originally appeared on D Generation’s 1996 album, No Lunch. "'Too Loose' has always been one of my favorites—a great and timeless rock song that we had a blast re-interpreting." Produced by Lyle Hysen, Friends of Jesse Malin: I Would Do It For You Vol 1. is the first in a two-volume series of nearly 80 songs (!) recorded by Jesse’s friends and community. Proceeds from the album will benefit Malin’s healthcare as he recovers from a paralyzing spinal stroke. Vol. 2 will feature Thurston Moore, Willie Nile, and many more. "Friends, collaborators, and artists from every corner of Jesse's world wanted to be involved," says Hysen. "The songs just kept coming. What started as a single collection quickly grew into something much bigger, encompassing almost the entire Malinverse. We're excited that this is only the first chapter." The compilation features contributions from Amanda Cross, Bebe Buell, Trapper Schoepp, Valley Lodge, Danny Sage, James Maddock, Gogol Bordello, Ursa Minor, Sami Yaffa, Prima Donna, Das Damen, Rene & Grace Mata, Dead Milkmen, Cat Popper & Sasha Dobson, Robinlee Garber, The Seashore Sharks featuring Jesse and Alexei Sanoff, Derek Cruz, Jill Fiore, Matt Madly & Co., Davey La, American Dream, Joe McGinty, Randy Schrager, Stephen Chopek, Ben Foley, and Kelley Swindall. Friends of Jesse Malin: I Would Do It For You – Vol. 1 will be available digitally, on vinyl, and as a deluxe double-CD edition. The vinyl release features twelve tracks across two sides and includes a download code for the complete digital collection, while the CD edition presents all 26 songs across two discs.
There is a pivotal scene in “August in the Water” (dir. Sōgo Ishii, 1995) where the surface of a pool turns into a stone wall. The water that gave the protagonist's life its meaning becomes a threat. As you fall through this stone wall, you appear in a set of underwater coral-reef corridors, and one of the most beautiful musical themes begins to play: Aquatic Ambience, composed by David Wise for Donkey Kong Country (1994). It's a theme that represents the weightless vibe of your new deep-sea life, where you go about your mundane errands, collecting bananas while driving on a swordfish, or, as HerzMayhem put it: "Poor monkey... always swimming, never going anywhere..."
Synthetic Water Music is the second of three compilations, following Synthetic Bird Music and timed to mappa's 10th anniversary. As with the birds, it gathers friends of the label, artists who have released with mappa or played our shows. Most of the music is new, made to measure for this compilation, much of it from Central and Eastern European hands. Birds and water mix well, so please feel invited to play them together, creating your own environments.
Where the birds were in one flock, water is dispersed across four chapters. You live your life as a droppity drop: vapour in the heavens, condensing in clouds, falling into a swamp, trickling into the deepest sea.
Tlālōcān (Cassette 1, Side A)
A place of eternal spring, of aquatic energy that nourishes everything and allows all things to bloom. Bubbly and splishy-sploshy, it is full of dripping sounds and moist caverns (“Emerald Pool” by Pauline Anna Strom), a landscape filled with living fountains (“Oh, to be a Fountain” by Eva Sajanová) and winding streams that flow through the area, forming part of its organic architecture. It is also a paradise reserved for those whose deaths were water-related, where the aquatic and terrestrial beings live in symbiosis and perspectives shift rapidly, from observing a single droplet (Shakali, Lau Nau) to dew (Feronia Wennborg & Lucy Duncombe) and on to flowing currents (Visible Cloaks) that gradually transform into river music (Ursula K. Le Guin & Todd Barton).
Nephelora (Cassette 1, Side B)
A celestial anti-gravity sound world made of evaporation, steam and the formation of clouds, as if looking at “The Sky At The Bottom of the Well” (by Natalia Beylis) or at “The Cloud That Never Rains” (by Henrique Vaz).
If a cloud never rains,
it is not a cloud at all, but a veil that parches the earth with its gaze.
It generates only its own shadow —
a looming mass of suspended longing,
a sky that hoards but never yields,
a reservoir that swallows every river and returns nothing but echoes.
The water in this world is often invisible but sometimes all the more present, as Bint Mbareh describes it: “Recently been obsessed with invisible waters because I come from a place where you have to imagine the water is there even though you cannot see a river, a sea, usually no rain, so water is in the air, the voice and the imaginal realm, drought is imagined to be negotiable.”
Žaboglach Zha-bo-glahch (Cassette 2, Side A)
A fusion of Scottish lochs and Slovak ponds: a misty, foul-smelling, swampy realm, the kind of place that swallowed Artax from The NeverEnding Story. Stagnant waters full of decay become a blooming habitat for sirens (“thereby losing the weightless delight of being swept along with it” by Adam Badí Donoval) and beings straddling the line between fauna and flora, inventing their own communication systems (“Water-lily phase” by Action Pyramid).
R'lyeh (Cassette 2, Side B)
A brooding sunken city at the bottom of the ocean. It’s a journey to get there. Let this chapter guide you, from the shore down to the depths, to the gates of an unexplored world that is inherently dark, unfathomable, and beyond the limits of human perception: starting with seasickness ("Seasick" by Nikolaienko), passing through a classic Poe-esque maelstrom ("Flurry at the Whirl-pull" by Atte Elias Kantonen), a gateway into the darkness and emptiness of the ocean floor, and finally traversing the city itself (“last waves of 2025” by Jules Reidy).
But what is pulling you to a place like this that only a few explore and even fewer leave? Maybe “the darkness that water can contain, the expanse of things we don't know and that can trigger fear instincts even as we try to rationalise them and think we are in control of the rest of nature” (“supercritical fluids” by Diane Barbé).
Dive in and surface wherever you like. Always swimming, never going anywhere. Just don’t forget to take water breaks.
P.S. Birds, then water, can you guess what comes next? Synthetic Soil Music, an elegy for insects and worms? Synthetic Glaciers, or maybe Pollinators? Which sounds would you miss the most if they disappeared? Or what if the third one never comes at all, and somebody, or something, makes Synthetic mappa Music instead. Don't you worry, with the right training data, it can all be replicated, better than the real thing.
It’s been one hell of a wild ride for Wine Lips. Originally formed in Toronto back in 2015 as a part-time project between Cam Hilborn (vox, songwriter, guitar) and drummer extraordinaire Aurora Evans, Wine Lips quickly escalated into a full-blown, full-time, full-on international phenomenon. Their debut album took them across North America followed immediately by an intensive and unexpected tour of Hong Kong and China in 2018. They released their massive “Stressor” album the very next year (2019) to rave reviews and massive critical acclaim. Multiple tracks from Stressor charted across North American and European radio, while several songs ended up being featured in broadcast and Netflix series. Endless touring ensued. Then 2020 happened. The band used their mandatory downtime to fully dedicate themselves to crafting their groundbreaking third full-length “Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party” (recorded by Simon Larochette at The Sugar Shack). The record was released in October 2021 and then shit really hit the fan. The international music press lost their collective minds, penning over 250 glowing features and super positive reviews spanning 35+ countries. At the time of writing, the album blew past 40 Million spins on Spotify alone.
The vinyl release of MDSBP is currently in its 7th pressing with 9 different colour variants. The lead track “Eyes” has been licensed to a metric ton of films, series and video games including ABC’s The Rookie, Hockey Night In Canada and Population 11. Even more endless touring ensued, except this time the venues were huge and mostly sold-out. The 2024 follow-up album “Super Mega Ultra” was an absolute beast. Recorded by Simon Larochette at The Sugar Shack in Ontario, the album packed 12 ramped-up supersonic ear-scorching auditory delicacies and racked up millions of plays.
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2026 Repress
12" - Fully Authorised Reissue on Original Release Label!
Canadian deep house don Nick Holder's Fruit Loops EP is next to get the remaster and reissue treatment from Definitive Recordings. This label, now overseen by Get Physical Music, first released the EP back in 1995 when Toronto-based Holder had already become one of house music's most tasteful operators. He went on to release over 125 EPs and singles under countless aliases, in various groups, and on his labels DNH Records and Treehouse Records, as well as !K7 Records and NRK. His style spans house, disco loops and minimal Chicago grooves and is always high on immersive atmosphere. Opener 'Dance Dance Dance' brings together all those aspects of the Holder sound with its funky guitar riffs looping beneath raw drums and disco basslines. Classic Chic samples burst out of the mix to bring an air of celebration and party, and it makes for an irresistibly feel-good sound. 'Keep on Running' is a steamy and sweaty house jam with loopy drums and bass and more smartly chosen samples, this time from Roy Ayers, that bring the funk and never let up. It has long been a go-to anthem for house DJs, and the realness and rawness of the emotions in Holder's work also shine through with the filtered synths and jazzy keys of 'The Message of Love', which is complete with bumpy and irresistible drums. Last of all is the unfettered party spirit and diva vocals of the brilliantly lo-fi funk-house pumper that is 'Clap Ya Hands'. This EP hasn't aged one bit and remains a definitive piece of early Deep House history.
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Dj Ultramars hasn't released many tracks altogether, and since 2024 he is again too busy to release everybody else's music on his label to find the time to compose more music, but many of his previous tracks are still relevant today, still pleasing party audiences in as much as when first released, and it's been too many years that those tunes have been proposed new on vinyl, so time for a recut & repress.
Here we have:
A1: Cab Carlco, the biggest hit of Dj Utramars, originally released on Mars Picture 1 (1999) as well as Toolbox Killerz 25 (2015), so 11 years since its last (limited) release !
Very uplifiting / very "in your face" kind of track, always & eversince so efficient on the dancefloor.
A2: Ennui (voicemix), originally released on Mars Picture 2 (2003), 23 years ago! (what a round number...). A track that will hypnotize you with its female vocals playing with the echo, yet runnin steady on a heavy deep bass & enough arrangements to not get bored of it: every Mars Assault is designed as a record to DJ as much as a record to listen to.
This track is cut in 45rpm to keep optimal quality until the end of the side.
We had to put some of the best two tracks of Dj Ultramars on the music side since the flip side is a laser etched side ! After we had released the two first picture discs, our current pressing partner was giving the possibility for a laser etched record, so here is the Mars Picture 3 ! See the picture of B-side above.
200 copies limited in this laser etched pressing.
Cut with Hervé @ dK mastering
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Four years after its original release, Mochakk's breakout anthem 'Da Fonk' featuring Joni continues to define a generation of house music. Originally released via Nervous Records in 2022, the record has surpassed 60 million Spotify streams alone, becoming Mochakk's signature track and one of the most recognizable records in modern dance music.
Fronted by fellow Brazilian artist Joni's soulful vocals, "Da Fonk" bridges classic house and contemporary club energy. Its stripped-back bassline and timeless groove have made it a fixture on stages and dancefloors around the world, while also marking a turning point for Mochakk, who has since become one of electronic music's defining artists, widely praised for his vibrant live sets in which "Da Fonk" has remained a staple. To celebrate the track's continued success, Nervous Records releases the 'Da Fonk' Remix Pack today across all streaming platforms, alongside a limited edition three-vinyl release available during Mochakk's long-awaited New York City takeover from August 28, 29 and 30.
Spanning three parts, the remix pack brings together a wide range of artists, each offering a different take on one of house music's most enduring records of recent years.
The first vinyl features Mochakk’s Original Mix and OG Dub of “Da Fonk”, in addition to a new Bass Mix from Marco Carola, whose signature rolling grooves and understated approach bring fresh weight to the original without losing its unmistakable feel. The second vinyl moves across a broad spectrum of club sounds. Australian duo Confidence Man inject their playful, high-energy style into the track, while Berlin's DJ Gigola delivers a sleek, club-focused interpretation. Cinthie, known for her deep-rooted house sound and analogue production style, offers a warm and driving remix, with Brazil’s Bronka rounding out the record on a fresh, contemporary rework. The third vinyl shines a light on Brazil's electronic music scene with an all-Brazilian lineup. Solarce Brothers contribute a soulful reinterpretation that nods to the original's house roots, alongside remixes from DJ Fuzil, Classmatic, and Deekapz & kLap, each bringing their own perspective to one of Brazil's all-time most influential electronic releases on global stages.
Just featured on BBC6 Music in the CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL as part of the ODDBALL CREATIVES “Trunk of Funk Mix “ on Saturday 1st August - and already gaining great DJ feedback from the likes of Greg Caz, Laurent Garnier, Chris Bangs, Rocky, Chico Malo, Starla Recordings and many more ….
Another new collaboration on the Echo Labs label - the subsidiary of Echo Chamber Recordings set up to release tracks and remixes from other artists.
This one is a very special hook-up with Daniel Walls & Joseph Malik in Edinburgh with their new project under their “Oddball Creatives” production monicker. It was truly an honour that they reached out to Echo Chamber Recordings to bring this out on a vinyl 45 , fitting in perfectly with the foundation sounds of the label - combining classic timeless funk, jazz , Latin and soul with 21st Century production techniques
They have recruited the vocal talents of Philadelphia’s Kameela Waheed and the instrumental skills of Scottish jazz legend Colin Steele , to bring us the sound of the summer with a huge soul-jazz-funk cut. It combines elements of a classic early 70s groove with a subtle, up-to-date style, built around Joseph’s vocals and Kameela’s spoken rap.
On the flip you get the purely instrumental take - meaning you could extend the hypnotic groove even longer with two copies !
As ever, on Echo Labs there will be just 300 vinyl copies pressed for worldwide distribution
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Eden Samara grew up in the mountains of western Canada, writing folk songs and performing in the theatre. Following a trip to Europe where she had her first formative clubbing experiences, she relocated to London in 2019 where she’s become a consistent presence and voice in the city’s underground, collaborating with artists like Parris, Ciel and Loraine James and earning praise from The Guardian, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Crack and DJ Mag.
2022 saw Eden release her debut album Rough Night on Local Action, blending freaky club-pop, introspective R&B and more while collaborating with leading scene figures TSVI, Call Super and Shanti Celeste. Described by Dazed as ‘an embarrassment of riches’ and by Mixmag as one of the best albums of the year, in Eden’s words it was simply ‘a tragicomedy in seven scenes and an interlude’. She’s downplaying things: to us it was a rich tapestry that explored everything from fleeting moments in smoking areas to the Madonna-whore complex. Both, for better or worse, still make the world go round.
On her second album Odyssey, Eden brings more elements into her ensemble (jungle, choral singing, live harp) while honing her song-writing – it’s an expansion and a tightening at the same time. Inspired by epic literary works like Homer’s Odyssey, The Alchemist and The Picture of Dorian Gray, the album reimagines the archetypal quest through a personal lens: a healing journey amid the collapse of close relationships to addiction, mental illness, and the weight of codependency disguised as love. In Eden’s words: 'This work is a narrative and sonic expedition - part myth, part memoir - that traces my path through the emotional aftermath of watching loved ones struggle with drug addiction and mental health crises, and the impact it
had on my own mental wellbeing. The album addresses substance abuse, toxic relationships, and the internalised belief that love must come through sacrifice, even at the cost of one’s selfhood.'
For this special release, Barcelona’s Lapsus and London’s Local Action join forces for the first time in their respective journeys, reflecting the affinity between both platforms and their shared vision of contemporary electronic music.
A beautifully observed baroque masterpiece, part dream pop, part futuristic psych-folk with ambient synths and Josephine Foster’s plaintive guitar. Godmother is a slowly unfolding song cycle that marries a myriad of previous musical escapades with electronic experiments. Exploring new horizons on this record, it sees Foster at her most expressive and hypnotic. Now back home in the mountains of Colorado, Josephine’s 20-year journey to this new nirvana becomes enthralled further with a symphony of synths that sound like they are played in some neighbouring netherworld, through cotton gauze. It’s music that’s devotional, spiritual, a fitting soundtrack for any journey within or without, a means to experience places and vibrations beyond the boundary of time and space. Discussing the record, Josephine explains “You may notice me travelling a bit further sonically from our precious earth, aspiring to rise into broader astral perspective, to contemplate the light and origins of it all, as I do believe there is a grand source that is the sum of it all, us all. Performing all the parts on this recording, you may sense me focussing gestures of my singing into the instrumentation, which is a very great relief indeed, as the voice has such grand dreams to be set free.” “With her haunted, theatrical delivery, Foster cuts an arresting figure.” Pitchfork // “Out of time yet timeless” The Wire
Defining the moment in sound and vision, Immersion are a snapshot of ‘the now’. Through constant reinvention, they have honed their sound into a startling present that references their past but refuses to live in it.
This perfect synthesis of their styles boldly creates a brave new world for core couple Colin Newman and Malka Spigel, along with satellite musicians Matt Schulz (Holy F*ck), whose drumming strongly features on many tracks, and Ed Chivers (AK/DK), who makes a guest appearance drumming on ‘Breaking Free, Diversity, Evolution’.
What Is Lost Will Return is the second ‘pure’ Immersion release in as many years and heralds their third UK tour since 2024. It follows 2025’s acclaimed WTF??, with the title reflecting the fact you can only say “What The F*ck??” so many times before looking beyond to see what endures.
With What Is Lost Will Return, the ever-productive ‘life and art partner’ duo present a reflective album of modular moods and stripped-down electronic psychedelia, leavened by a clipped guitar that you can nonetheless dance to, defying these chaotic times. It perfectly captures the yin and yang of the moment – or as Colin and Malka explain, “The emotion we feel the album invokes is a poignant mixture of joy and melancholy.”
“What Is Lost Will Return is an album of grooves, observational snapshots, hypnotic repetition, joyful creation, intoxicating melody and mystery, all threaded together by a fascination with new sounds and textures. It's both an underground gem and an album that bends pop into new shapes.”
John Robb, June 2026, MCR
The acclaimed compilation series returns with volume 4! Fourteen tracks showcasing the most exciting emerging voices in Belgian jazz, ready to claim a permanent spot on your turntable.
The latest instalment in the celebrated compilation series once again shines a spotlight on the most adventurous and forward-thinking artists emerging from Belgium's jazz scene. Curated by Belgian tastemaker, DJ and broadcaster Lefto Early Bird, the collection continues a tradition of uncovering hidden gems and introducing them to a wider audience of dedicated diggers.
Over the years, the Jazz Cats series has become a trusted barometer of Belgium's ever-evolving jazz landscape. Long before many artists gained international recognition, they first appeared on these compilations, making the series both a discovery platform and a snapshot of one of Europe's most exciting musical ecosystems.
Jazz Cats Volume 4 captures a scene bursting with creativity, diversity and ambition. Across fourteen carefully selected tracks, the compilation explores the many directions contemporary Belgian jazz is taking today. Jazz, hip-hop, electronic music, afrobeat, spiritual jazz and experimental sounds coexist effortlessly throughout the collection.
The opening stretch of the compilation, led by Brussels-based Irreversible Entanglements band member Aquiles Navarro, Ola Tunji and HelenaCasella, offers an early glimpse into a scene that rarely stands still. Their music moves freely between traditions and contemporary influences, reflecting less concern with preserving genres than expanding them. Artists such as Lupo Spaccaro and Kunde, joined here by the raw soul voice of Fred Gata, draw inspiration from hip-hop and contemporary beat culture, yet neither approaches these influences in a conventional way. Instead, they reveal how naturally these sounds have become part of the vocabulary of a new generation of jazz musicians.
Experimentation emerges as another defining thread. KVR and BREAD FOR PIGEONS embrace unpredictability through unexpected textures, shifting atmospheres and confident compositional choices, creating music that constantly challenges expectations. Elsewhere, artists like Gaiko and VLIEGWERK favor immersive soundscapes that reward repeated listening. Whether there's a connection between musical adventurousness and a preference for capital letters remains a question for future research.
At the heart of the compilation lies a strong sense of movement and groove. Ragini Trio and Foutloos approach that rhythm from different angles, yet both build their music around powerful, pulsating foundations. Their tracks need close attention, revealing layers of detail and low-end richness that practically demand to be experienced on a proper sound system.
By the time it reaches its closing chapter, Lucid Lucia, SLAGADER and Kuna Maze bring the focus back to forward motion. Jazz and funk-infused grooves provide a fitting finale, reminding us that however far these artists push the jazz genre, they never lose sight of its ability to connect, uplift and move people.
The result is a body of work that feels remarkably cohesive despite its diversity: a portrait of a scene that continues to evolve through curiosity, collaborationand constant reinvention.
On her debut album Switchbacks, Nashville-based artist Hannah Cole finds inspiration in the image of the switchbacks – sinuous twists in the road that obscure what's ahead. For a young artist making her way in the music industry, it's a powerful image: we can't really know what's ahead for us but – as Cole has learned – you should honk your horn to tell the world you're coming, and otherwise just enjoy the ride. Melding shoegaze and alternative rock with infectious pop melodies and strains of 90s nostalgia, Switchbacks is a commentary on the pursuit of success and how to protect the pure joy and love that lives at our core.
Across the ten tracks of Switchbacks, Cole swings her gaze at many unsettling aspects of the scramble toward success. Lead single "MMA" explores the ugly side of the music industry through the image of Las Vegas. On the brightly off-kilter "Give," she sings, "I feel like I've become an actor, / A TV pastor / climbing up a topless ladder," explaining that "the pursuit of success can feel like buying lottery tickets all the time for money that you'll never see." "Mechanical Bull" seethes with rage as Cole grapples with being seen as just the "girlfriend" in music settings and not being perceived as an equal to her partner, while on "Pitcher," she's paralysed in the face of wanting to achieve perfection. Later, she shrugs off the need to impress on "100 Bucks," reminding herself that she's enough for the people she loves.
Switchbacks is not only a finely-crafted debut album but also a deeply human artifact, tracing an arc that blazes like a comet to the height of ambition and then leaves you in the shimmer of self-acceptance and contentment. "Success is a moment that comes and goes," Cole concludes, "but I think the joy and experience that comes with making music is something I can take with me forever."
While the sterile “professionalism” of some heavy bands can be like a clinical drone strike, Texas-based Judiciary feels personal. Like close combat with a knife. And it’s all in their chemistry. Judiciary is an amalgamation of four guys raised in the intersection of metal and hardcore—all devoted to pushing their craft further. Across two esteemed LPs, the band has proven their worth as a crucial entity in the crowded heavy music scene by evolving their sound further and further with each release. And now with the band’s latest Stalagmite Angels, due on September 4th via the venerable Closed Casket Activities, Judiciary can further showcase their status as a crucial, one-of-a-kind part of the evolution of hardcore in 2026. Life changes can bring about chaos and seismic shifts, but if Stalagmite Angels is any indication, then it’s all for the better. In the wake of the release of Judiciary’s second LP Flesh + Blood, the band called upon Juan Vazquez to pick up guitar duties, thereby changing the internal framework of the band for good, and unknowingly for the better. It’s this pivot in personnel that resulted in the band’s latest EP. “The goal with this EP was a hard reset, but we also wanted to chill the f— out a bit, have fun, and do something that felt true to the four of us,” recalls drummer Austin Looney. “We wanted time to reconfigure things and let the music come naturally–temper this new mindset that we've adopted post-Flesh + Blood.” Judiciary’s greatest strength lies in their musical singularity. Though Stalagmite Angels represents the collision of influences from across well-worn territories like metallic hardcore, death metal, black metal, d-beat and more, it’s the Lubbock-born band’s approach that makes it distinctly their own. Stalagmite Angels is a wholly new document that resembles a horde of bands ranging from Hatebreed to Carcass to Slayer to Iron Age, yet never aping any single band nor even revealing any single influence. It’s all familiar but none of it is specific. “90s hardcore and hardcore in general is always gonna be our natural inclination, but it manifests with different elements not only from song to song but within each song,” says vocalist Jake Collinson emphatically, who learned guitar specifically to help with writing new material. “Whether that’s Dying Breed or Cannibal Corpse or Crowbar or Machine Head or any number of other influences that any one of us may have, it all manifests in our work, and through our individual and collective lenses. With this EP, we transformed those ideas into the Judiciary approach.” Stalagmite Angels is an EP about anger at the world, belief in yourself, and how harnessing both in the pursuit of growth is necessary to achieve. But furthermore, it’s a concept record that envisions a subterranean world in both a literal and metaphorical sense—where hidden beauty lurks in the shadows (and in the eye of the beholder) and where triumph manifests in the ability to rise from the depths and into the world above.
In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.
Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .
In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.
Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .
In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.
Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .
In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answer with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums) create a crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock that captures a raw, undeniably human essence in an age marked by technological overreach and the cold state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.
Whereas their debut album God’s Country depicted a particularly American flavor of dread, and the follow up Cool World showed a cruel planet defined by global systemic violence, Who Loves The Sun peels the skin back on how collective indifference defines this new century. Spanning imagery of coastlines devouring cities, dead-end jobs, and submission to data-driven inauthenticity, the album dissects the apathy-bloated state of 21st-century existence as a slow-motion apocalypse. As with much of Chat Pile’s work, Oklahoma City itself looms over the album like a character, its sprawling isolation, economic contradictions, and underlying sense of decay embedded in the fabric of the record. The perfect allegory for the thematic essence of Who Loves The Sun is the photo embossed on the record’s cover, where Devon Tower, a glassy, largely vacant monolith, looms high above the Oklahoma City skyline while a burnt-out home or storefront envelops the foreground. The album remains lyrically and sonically confrontational, but Chat Pile approached the songwriting with hooks in mind, drawing on melodic tones of pre-2000s indie rock, alt-rock, and new wave. From the blood-soaked vocal passages of “Christabel ’26” to the eerie trip-hop pulse of “Same Rules,” Who Loves The Sun is deeply human despite its allusions to a dying, divided .
Kerri Chandler begins a brand-new chapter with the launch of his self-titled label, Kerri Chandler, and its debut release; the Downtown EP Pt. 1.
The release includes four tracks reconnecting with the spirit of Kerri’s iconic Downtown Records era while offering something fresh for the next generation of listeners. 3 of the tracks come straight from that timeless catalogue and firm favourites among Kerri’s community, now beautifully presented on vinyl once again.
Part 1 also features one brand-new, exclusive track, giving fans something truly special: a glimpse of Kerri’s sound, and an invitation to join him on a journey through his remarkable catalogue. This release marks the start of an ongoing celebration of Kerri’s music, his evolution, and the sound that continues to inspire house music lovers around the world. Every detail, from the sleek new sleeve design to the thoughtful presentation, reflects Kerri’s care and respect for his music and the people who’ve supported it. It marks the beginning of something bigger; it’s a series of reworks, reissues, and rediscoveries that will guide listeners through the depth of Kerri’s catalogue and his lifelong love for house music. For long-time followers and new listeners alike, Downtown EP Pt. 1 captures everything Kerri Chandler represents, soulful, honest, and made with nothing but heart.
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Mikkel Rev returns to A Strangely Isolated Place with Evocation, his third full-length album shaped deep within the forests of Norway.
Since Mikkel’s debut, The Art of Levitation first arrived on ASIP in 2023, Mikkel has been quietly building his own corner of the label’s catalog. Last year's Journey Beyond expanded that vision further, revealing an artist increasingly comfortable balancing the emotional pull of early trance with a more reflective, ambient-leaning approach. While his work elsewhere naturally gravitates towards the dance floor through his own collective, Ute Recordings and other club-focused outlets, his ASIP releases have always evolved differently. Beginning with a larger body of material that’s gradually shaped together, each album seeks to find a narrative without a dancefloor in place; one that moves naturally between momentum and stillness, carrying something of the spirit found in those early-'90s records that drifted effortlessly between peak-time energy and the quiet hours in room two.
Long-form compositions like "Step Inside" and "MRI" favor gradual development over immediate impact, while "Dream Sand" introduces shimmering rhythms that subtly shift the album's momentum and pace. The piano-led "The Infinite" offers a definitive nod to the enduring emotional pull of classic trance before "Sanitorium" closes the record with one of Mikkel's most restrained and affecting pieces to date.
Evocation continues Mikkel Rev's remarkable run on ASIP, extending a catalog where echoes of trance's formative years find new expression through the communal energy and natural surroundings of the Nordic forest gatherings that have become an integral part of his world.
Ventral Is Golden returns on artwork duties, with Lupo handling the mastering and cut. Released on August 28th as a gatefold double LP on dusty purple smoke and digital.
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"The electroclash genre sure has been having a bit of a renaissance moment. During its first coming an odd 25 years ago the French act Sweetlight was a favorite over here. Originally active between 2002 and 2010, they quickly positioned themselves within a refined strand of the global underground scene: inspired by 90s acid house club culture, they rose to prominence by releasing a sparse selection of original tracks and a multitude of remixes that were both dancefloor-effective and immediately recognizable. After the EPs stopped coming, the project seemed to have faded. But their tracks never left our bag: they combined minimalism with ambiguous elegance and retained a distinct, timeless quality, easily transcending the turn-of-the-century style they were most closely associated with. We are delighted, in what we consider nothing less than a full-circle moment, to release "Selected Recordings: 2004 - 2006" and shed light on an underrated yet, in our eyes, absolutely essential project. ALT022 is an anthology release featuring four extensive, remastered cuts. Abusator, arguably the act's hallmark track and a crossover hit, kicks off the EP. It is joined by Mecaniques Remontees, which opened the milestone Suck My Deck mix by Ivan Smagghe, and Too Shy, both initially part of the same EP back in 2004. Noir Comme Le Beat, an unreleased curiosity from the same era, closes the record. You will find dark, endless, ever-modulating arpeggiator basses, Detroit-via-Paris chord progressions, and spartan drums. The work is, in the artists' own words, low-profile, detail-oriented, and built for late hours. It's an ideal compilation or - depending on the case - introduction, especially now that new work is rumored to be finally on its way."
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When Leon Michels and El Michels Affair released their rst record, Sounding Out The City, in 2005, it was hard to guess what was next for Michels and his then-introduced, now-patented "cinematic soul" sound. Now, four EMA studio albums and scores of tribute and remix projects later - all while producing for some of the biggest names in the industry - Michels has trademarked his sound, with each project taking audiences somewhere new and pushing the boundaries of what he is known for. The man is a river, not a lake and this time he takes his golden touch into the realm of hip-hop laying down a musical bed for one of the greatest to ever rhyme into a microphone: Black Thought of The Roots crew. Releasing on Big Crown Records, the LP is called Glorious Game and it is a remarkable debut partnership in more ways than one. Michels provides his bottom-heavy, soul-tinged production for Black Thought who gives us some of the more personal and transparent verses we've ever heard from him. Michels and Black Thought have been in each other's orbit for a while now. The two first met in the 2000s when Thought was first getting familiar with the contemporary soul scene. "Out of that whole world, Menahan Street Band was probably my favorite," recalling the funk and soul group Michels was a founding member of back in 2007. Fast forward a few years and musicians from that collective - Dave Guy on trumpet and Ian Hendrickson-Smith on sax - are now full time players with The Roots. This connection eventually led Leon and Thought to doing a few fundraising events around NYC and Philly together. "Before long, Black Thought was coming around the studio and would jam with us from time to time," Michels explains. "Then, fast forward to 2020 and COVID lockdowns, he just hit me up out of the blue, wanting me to send him stuff to write to. We both were looking to stay busy" Being that Black Thought is the co-founder and emcee for, hands down, the best live-band group in hip-hop. Michels took a decidedly different approach to this project and instead of sending recorded tracks of live compositions, he pulled out the sampler and sampled himself and some records from his collection. "I'm a big fan of soul music," as if Michels has to remind us. "And part of hip-hop's appeal to me has always been the sample-based production" For Glorious Game, Michels would make wholly composed and recorded soul songs in his studio, sample himself, then chop and/or loop up his sounds and create instrumentals for Black Thought. On some tracks he took a more traditional hip-hop approach, starting from samples of other people's music but then adding live instrumentation on top. But for the most part, it's him reinterpreting his own compositions into something new. The result is an organic feel of loop-based tracks that breathe and uctuate enough for Black Thought to ex on. "What I write about is determined by the equation of the producer's energy and my energy," Black Thought says. "It's about where we meet." So armed with Michels sampled and re-sampled soul cinematics, Black Thought rhymes through personal memories.
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“Ruins are the style of our future cities, future cities are themselves ruins.” - Izosaki Arata
A note from Lawrence English: Nostalgia is not an ideology, though in this moment, we could be mistaken for thinking it might be just that. Over the past years, the idea of nostalgia has been filtered through various political and technological lenses and has become a tool used for forgetting, rather than remembering. Instead of embracing histories’ complexities and inconsistencies, this version of nostalgia seeks only singular recollection. This contemporary phenomenon of nostalgia has become a methodology at best, and a weapon at worst, used to erode the past and project forward a collapsed and unimaginably sanitised version of things, places, and ways of being from former times. It’s this projection that sees it playing a mounting role in a social pathology associated with reducing the imagined possibilities of future.
The Rest Is My Ghost is a record that interrogates the manifestations of this reductive futuring and celebrates those that have tried (and failed), and those who continue to push back against decayed and revisionist positions. It’s a record that considers the weaponisation of nostalgia for the purposes of cloaking possible futures.
In recent times, I’ve proposed a term for this weaponised use of nostalgia, something I have called Acid Nostalgia. I offer it as a shorthand to describe the de-contouring of the future through a corrosive fixation on a flatten rendering of the preceding times. It is, in part, a certain type of lazy cultural scripting where tropes of the past are presented in the absolute, as empty pictorials; photocopies without any original from which to draw actual meaning, or useful detail.
Acid Nostalgia describes an increasingly common political projection of nostalgia that exists without any subjective connection to the memory surrounding and contained within it. Like acid poured onto a surface, this use of nostalgia seeks to erodes and smooth out the complexity and texture of lived connection and longing, which has until recently guided contemplations of nostalgia. Acid Nostalgia instead erases the texture of histories and de-contours the past, and in doing so dematerialises the horizon of possibility, which by its very nature marks the beginning point for any (and all) imaginable futures. Acid Nostalgia is a dreamless screen, where uncertainty, restlessness and aspiration are subjected to corrosion, breaking down and neutralising the wellspring of futures which are birthed from within the ambiguously charged, complex and at times chaotic atmospheres of the present.
The Rest Is My Ghost is not however some universal reading of these things and happenings. Rather it draws its breath from a very personal pathway carved through my own fraught experiences of nostalgia and framed through a disparate collage of chance encounters, situations, places and provocations. It takes oblique notes from civic and architectural references such as Japan’s Metabolist movement, Hong Kong’s ‘one line sky’ and Los Angeles’s vanished Sodium Vapour lights. It interpolates texts – factual and fictional – by authors such as Franco Berardi, Kate Crawford, JG Ballard, Katsuhiro Otomo, Mark Fisher and Alexei Yurchak who have each so wonderfully sought to rupture the familiarity of now, and push us towards other ways of imaging ourselves, our surroundings and our very ways of being in this world.
I also owe a debt of thanks to Adam Curtis in helping launch what has become this edition. It was his provocation, in a conversation we shared about an overwhelming and profound sense of uncertainty around being able to predict the immediate future and how to respond to that, which sparked the earliest inklings of this edition.
The Rest Is My Ghost is ultimately a record about the promise of constructions and connections to come, material, social and political. It's a record that accepts the fragility of failure as a source of ultimate potential, and a position from which the deepest freedom of imagination might be sought and summoned forth to conjure even the most unimaginable, (but) possible futures.
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Fresh off of their 2020 offering Adult Themes, El Michels Affair is back with a new full-length release. Titled Yeti Season, this newest album has everything we've come to expect from EMA's patented cinematic style of instrumental soul music. Where Adult Themes inspired a soundtrack to an imaginary film, Yeti Season brings us to a different place in time_with new inspirations. Taken with Turkish-styled funk and an almost Mumbai-esque take on soul, El Michels Affair offers us a different kind of drama and imagination with Yeti Season. If you've been following along, this shouldn't be viewed as too far a departure for El Michels Affair. The first single off of Yeti Season showed their hand back in 2018. A double-sided banger, that release brought the musical textures to the fore that dominate this record. The first song, titled "Unathi," is fully realized with the beautifully haunting-yet-hopeful vocals of Piya Malik, formally of 79.5_another Big Crown artist. Singing in Hindi, Piya's ethereal voice is telling us to work and strive together toward progress. Even if you don't understand her language, you can still hear the urgency of purpose, creating a lasting vibe that sits on top of it all. Leon Michels explains that Piya had a vital influence on this record: "When Piya started singing in Hindi, she had a different voice, a different tone. I knew we had to do something together." And so Piya appears on three other songs on Yeti Season: "Zaharila," "Murkit Gem," and "Dhuaan." Each providing particular signatures to the album. "Zaharila" is a building and changing love song punctuated by blaring trumpets, driving drums, and Piya's pleading lyrics. While the more upbeat "Murkit Gem" opens with a fuzzed out, Wu-Tang-esque baseline that buoys Piya's stylings. The psychedelic guitar and Piya's changing tones and textures singing about an all-consuming love are what pushed "Dhuaan" on to the second single from Yeti Season. There is also a vocal appearance from Shannon Wise of The Shacks, yet another Big Crown artist. Her song called "Sha Na Na," lies more in the familiar EMA vein: melodic, hypnotic, soulfully visual. But between Shannon's airy singing, the jumpy baseline, moody vibes, the active drum lines, it sounds like a pensive walk home after a strangely dramatic night. So what is Yeti Season? It could be more of a feeling than an actual place or time of year. It's a heavy album_as evidenced by the signature musicianship and dramatic vocal expressions. But it's also a hopeful record, with phrasings, textures, and chord changes that hint at something better_or fuller_coming our way. You hear it in songs like "Ala Vida," with its stabby, pulsing chords laying a bedrock for EMA's bright, atmospheric horn lines. Or even in "Fazed Out," which leaves you with a feeling of determination, a striving for resolution even though the driving, march-like song structure should accompany some conquering army. This persistence has to come from the fact that Leon Michels and company finished this record during the lockdown. It was a tough and troublesome time. But look at what has come of it: Yeti Season_a record of high and heavy drama, but also one of hope and promise. It may take a year like 2020 behind us to find hope in a winter big footed creature like a Yeti, but that's where we are.
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To celebrate the launch of the 4th and last DLC of Atomic Heart, Kid Katana Records teamed up with Mundfish to bring you this high quality album for the first time on an exclusive double vinyl.
With over 10 million players since its release, and a nomination at the 14th Hollywood Music in Media Awards, Atomic Heart has kept on bringing new content in the game, enriching the players’ experience with new Stories, Threats and Music to pursue the fight for freedom and progress.
The physical edition is a premium 2LP designed in close relationship with the game's creative team: Track selection handpicked by Atomic Heart team, including tracks from Mick Gordon, GeoffPlaysGuitar and Boogrov, and 1 new track (DLC #4 trailer exclusive) 2-colored vinyls with unique red and black “corona” effect: handmade vinyl effect melting red and black colors to shape a unique vinyl color on each product, mirroring the cover art.
Exclusive cover art with mat finishing and glossy effect on the Twin and motorcycle
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A refined and deeply immersive vinyl release that captures the essence of timeless underground electronic music. Akbal Music celebrates a very special moment in its history with the addition of renowned Romanian artist Barac, a key figure within the international minimal and rominimal scene. As part of this collaboration, Akbal Music presents I Close My Eyes In Order To See EP. This release will be presented exclusively on a limited 180g audiophile vinyl edition as part of Akbal Music’s official 20 Years Anniversary Pressing series, reinforcing the label’s commitment to music collecting culture, analog sound, and the unique sensory experience that vinyl continues to represent within the underground electronic music community. More than a release, this EP symbolizes a meeting point between generations, visions, and sonic identities, honoring Akbal Music’s past while projecting its future through a carefully curated, elegant, and deeply emotional musical journey.
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If It Aint Jazz, is about quality over quantity, inviting world class musicians and producers to bring a modern edge to jazz and soul roots...
Back for Volume 5 of their vinyl only series, this time they invite young Australian artists Close Counters. The duo effortless blends jazz, disco and soul with house and broken vibes for yet another killer 12".
On the A side, 'Sunshine' flips a classic gospel cut into a euphoric anthem with a raw shuffling groove that will work for the house heads and broken beat and garage fans.
'Soul to Soul' features a catchy bassline, vocal chops and added synth parts that build into a peak time disco weapon.
On the flip side, 'House of Lucien' and 'Bruk of Lucien' gives us two electric grooves that have already been setting dancefloors on fire !
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Last delivered 42 days ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Manonmars’ 3rd album sees him at his most amorphous and psychedelic, at points sharper and laser focused, and at others more blurred and impressionistic than his previous records. Many of the core players remain the same, all of the production is once again handled by O$VMV$M (the duo of Neek and Amos Childs of Jabu) while Paulina Korobkiewicz (also of Young Echo) makes a return handling both the album’s cover artwork and contributing a series of diaristic field recordings and voice notes.
‘The project references movies, cartoons, fictional characters and video games, among other things. The album title is open to interpretation but all of these elements are forms of visual entertainment which have their own unique ability to transcend things like language barriers and cultural divides. The visual element is key because those details bridge the gap on a communicative level.’ - Manonmars
The album blends abstract, blurred braggadocio with more immediate personal details such as on ‘Volcanic Shield’ a posse cut of sorts featuring Bristol improv luminary Dali de Saint Paul and Franco Franco (½ of cyborg rap duo Kinlaw & Franco Franco) - where Mars recalls;
‘Memories of brighter days, happy meal hit the spot
Mum was spinning vinyl playing Super Ape or Pressure Drop
I would spend the weekend with the Turkish mandem on the block
single parent household, mum was studying or on the job
money came and went always was an on and off
made it back from school time to see what’s on the box’
The beat fades away to leave one of Korobkiewicz’s recordings of Mars’ mum talking about her life in London in the 80s, spending her money on reggae records as an ambient chord fades in like an echo of a jungle intro – stretching out as a link between generations of UK music.
The production by and large is brighter and more kinetic than earlier Manonmars records – with O$VMV$M drawing on everything from modern underground rap and drill through to jazz and acid ambient passages.
London is also a central character here, bustling and constantly shifting, either when bleeding in through field recordings, or as an ever-present backdrop in the lyrics;
‘I’m a fusion of Tippa Irie and Topper Harley
Hit the target like the black Atari
I dropped a tab now shit’s A Scanner Darkly
Got the munchies, Imma yam a sarnie
Pour the Wray and Ting like man at Carni
Exit Peckham Rye and turn left, walk past Hannah Barry
Get your (w)raps up like its January’
‘I've always considered London my home, despite spending some time in the South West of England too. My mum had been living in London for 25 years (...) That was a pretty big deal in some ways because it removed us from multicultural society during the period which overlapped with my teenage years. (...) I never got used to how quiet it was in the countryside (...) Bristol was the closest city to where we lived and it was through travelling there and making connections that I became involved in making music and playing gigs.’ - Manonmars
Mars’ practice as a painter (under his given name Jack Martyn Richardson) and photographer also loom heavy over the album, he cites Paul Verhoeven, Abdul Mati Klariwein and H.R Giger as influences – as well as Miles Davis, Drakeo the Ruler and DJ Rashad.
As with much of Richardson’s work the raps at times feel blurred to a point of almost inscrutability, creating a distance between the audience and himself. A process that ties into his visual work and the way he experiences the world as mainly abstract colour without his glasses. He explores this further in an ongoing visual collaboration with Korobkiewicz, ‘Fun and Games’ which serves as a visual archive of one of London's largest and oldest travelling fairgrounds.
‘I was diagnosed with very severe short-sightedness at the age of seven. I remember my early formative years as visually blurred. Some of my photography reflects this experience of partial vision and uncertainty, referencing memory and perception rather than fixed representation.’
Manonmars’ first public outing as a rapper was at a Young Echo radio event, broadcast shambolically from a practice room just off Jamaica street, Bristol in 2011, as much as things have moved on both stylistically and in terms of focus - strong links back to the city remain a key foundation throughout the collaborations and guest appearances.
‘I have no problem with being an outsider looking in. One of the things I enjoy about London is the anonymity (...) it's easy to be a stranger here when so much is happening. I feel like thats more valuable than people may realise.’
In these cold days we're pleased to present a potion to warm the soul as Feral finally release his 5th Hypnus record. This is the first release of our 6th year which introduces a new, custom made sleeve design that further articulates the adventurous and cinematic philosophy of our music.
Most of you will be acquainted with Feral by now as he's been an essential part of our guild for quite some time. Those of you who enjoyed his last two EP's will be pleased to find the sound of "Court of Light" to be a solid evolution of his inimitable dubbed out deep techno sound.
Early support from Claudio PRC, Deepbass, Ness, Svreca & TM404 to name a few.
![Intrusion - The Seduction of Silence - PART 2 [Remastered] (2x12")](https://www.deejay.de/images/l/4/1/1165441.jpg)
