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On Last Night At Marienbad's latest, the imprint brings together three of the brightest souls found within the realms of Jazz, namely Mauricesax, 9ick and Milan93, with their collective talents synergising effortlessly on 'A Garden Between Us', alongside a stellar cast of remixers who add even further delight between the grooves….

As a genre, Jazz has perhaps lent itself the most to other musical universes, in that its curious heart, endlessly experimental nature, and parameter-defying spirit have wrapped itself deep within the core of countless albums, scenes, and music makers. It's a genre that welcomes reinvention, consistently defying its contents and always reaching out to find new methods of expressionism. Electronic music, in its many forms, has truly embraced Jazz perhaps like no other movement of music has, with a truly astonishing array of records surfacing in the past 40 years which have blended Jazz's unique motifs with grooves, chords, and emotive excellence. From 90s Jazz house and UR Techno, through to Future Jazz, downtempo, and Hip Hop, and around many other suns, there remains such an intrinsic and symbiotic relationship between the two musical realms that caters to those who wish to live music both within and out with themselves.

As practitioners of blending electronica and Jazz, few do it like the trio of Mauricesax, 9ick, and Milan93. All three are known for their distinctive soundscapes, yet share commonalities in terms of musical language, feel, and sense of progression. Bringing them together allows for overlaps in their sounds to emerge, and just like Jazz itself, this is where the intrinsicness of sound begins to blossom. 9ick brings his softly evolving vibe to the table, one which was so prevalent and celebrated on his 2025 album 'SMIL'; Milan93 draws from his focal point of exploring fill-laden grooves and a myriad of emotive sensibilities; and Mauricesax draws up his extensive musicality that exists at the corner of jazz, electronic, and experimental music, along with running musical workshops all over the globe.

'A Garden Between Us' represents the trio's core tenets, with this immediately obvious from the record's opener, 'Rhodora'. A gentle solo piano quickly evolves into a series of powerful rhythmic pulses, with brass lines bringing vitality and feel to proceedings. The track shifts gears with purpose, transitioning between musical vignettes of the highest order, with the synth work doing much to bind the transitions together. 'Tulip' emerges slightly differently, with glossy Rhodes tones and an unravelling rhythmic undercurrent setting an enthralling stage. The track flourishes amongst sweeping textures, coming up for air amongst a deeply hypnotic rhythmic section that holds on and never lets up. 'Honeysuckle' lands next, which sees the trio emerge with a boundless, dynamic soundscape. The drums shift within the undertones, as keys, chords, horns and hip-hop vocal samples dance around the pulse, capturing the imagination with their narrative-like placement. Wrapping up the A side comes 'Camellia'. A dazzling array of harmonic sounds converges around the transfixing rhythm section, which emerges from deep below to lavishly roll out over the midsection, with the delicateness of the instrumentation a real highlight here.

The B side features two exquisite remixes, with Pacific Coliseum's version of 'Tulip' landing first. Beginning with a signature four to the floor to get things going, his careful handling of the source material is seen in the tactful introduction of the blissful elements that made the original cut so impactful, with great focus placed on emotive fidelity. The result is a summer-bound house number that reimagines the original in all the right ways, flipping it into a euphoria-driven jazz-laden pacer that reaches for the heavens as much as it drives right into the heart. Teuteu then showcases their take on 'Honeysuckle', and at 9 minutes long, represents the longest cut on the record - and the experience is all the richer for it. Leaning heavily into dance music flavours, Teuteu shifts perspective totally into the realm of the club, with the walls beating hard to the kicks. The sax lines that drift ethereally up top keep eyes closed and souls full, as the dance shifts into the next phase.

An experience that drifts from the daydreaming, to soul-warming through to the club shaking - what else is left to experience, except for 'A Garden Between Us' and how it will brighten up life itself….

With Picture About You, Recut opens a new chapter, blending the heritage of house music, acid textures and underground electronic culture into a contemporary vision for today’s dancefloors. Rooted in the essence of club culture, the EP explores hypnotic grooves, evolving patterns and the timeless dialogue between the DJ, the sound system and the crowd, where emotion, movement and energy become a universal language. The title track, “Picture About You”, reflects Recut’s artistic identity through the lens of his personal history and family roots. An important part of this story comes from his uncle, known as Mr. Steve, who in 1975 founded one of the pioneering independent radio stations in Southern Italy during the early years of independent broadcasting. His connection with radio, disco culture and the first generation of Italian clubs embodied a spirit of discovery, sharing and musical exploration that continues to shape Recut’s approach to music.

Musically, “Picture About You” unfolds through a hypnotic and emotional groove, blending old-school character with a contemporary perspective. A timeless club track where past and present come together in Recut’s own musical language. “Hey Jack” is a powerful dancefloor weapon driven by unstoppable grooves, hypnotic acid lines and captivating arpeggios. Built for peak-time moments, it pushes the energy forward with a relentless rhythm designed to ignite the crowd.
“Subwave” takes the journey into a deeper and more massive dimension. Driven by powerful low-end pressure, evolving dynamics and explosivetransitions, the track builds tension throughout its progression before releasing its full impact on the dancefloor. Closing the EP, “Neon Flux” delivers the final impact: fierce, electric and uncompromising, a track designed to push intensity beyond the limit and leave a lasting impression. Recut Music — Fun for DJing!

140 gramms black vinyl edition

“Origen: Una Exploración por el Jazz Modal de los Trópicos” is a celebration of the human bonds that transcend cultural differences to create a shared language beneath the same sky. Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas are the protagonists of this sonic diaspora, where Modal Jazz, Spiritual Jazz, Egyptian Jazz, Ethiopian Jazz, Cape Verdean Kriolu, Brazilian Jazz, Latin Jazz, Caribbean Rhythms, and Flamenco Jazz come together, among many other influences, to shape a journey toward healing and a reconnection with our shared origin.

Credits

Anthonius — Composition, piano, keyboards, arrangements, production, and mixing.

Edu Pons — Saxophones, clarinets, and flutes.

Joana Morais — Vocals (B1).

Situasound — Vocals and guitar (A2).

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.

The UK Players & Friends Hills and Valleys, Rivers and Streams (A Tribute to Idren Natural) 9 brand new tracks by The UK Players. Voiced by Singers and Poets who knew Idren Natural personally. Recorded and Mixed by Supa Yout’ at Earth Works Studio, Amsterdam. Sleeve artwork and written testimonials from close friends and associates. Idren Natural aka Ras Natural aka InI Oneness, DJ, Singer, Chanter, Musician, was a pivotal player and pillar of UK/European Roots, Reggae, Dub, Sound System Culture. A humble Rastaman who did so much for so many, inasmuch as inspiring, encouraging, and connecting. He selflessly helped those less fortunate than himself. A strong advocate of the culture and philosophy of Rastafari. He was a commanding presence who lit up the stage, giving JAH all the glory. His passing was a great loss to the community. The UK Players Dub Band formed in 1996. They teamed up with Ras Natural/InI Oneness to record their debut 7” single ‘Further’ for Jah Works with Producer Jah Rej. This single gained exposure via Jah Shaka, Abashanti, and King Shiloh Sound Systems, even the famous Radio 1 DJ ‘John Peel’ played it. More recordings with Jah Rej at Seventh Sense Studio led to the debut album ‘Take Heed’. During the halcyon days of InI Oneness & The UK Players (1997-2004) they toured the UK and Europe, clocking up over 250 gigs in that time. Amongst brethren within the Rastafari community, the band became affectionately known as Ras Naturals band. Friends of Natural like Ras Iyah, Tony Roots, Sister Aisha, Wayne McArthur, and Barry Isaacs (among others) performed with them during this time. Members of InI Oneness & The UK Players never split up, throughout the years they branched out into other projects, reconvening for specials and one offs. Following Idren Naturals passing in 2022, the band stepped up to play his memorial show, where the idea formulated of making a tribute album to him. Ben King offered the use of Earth Works studio to help realise the vision. Work began with longtime live sound engineer Supa Yout’ in March 2024. Jah Rej assisted production on a number of these recordings, and sadly passed during the making of it, the last album he worked on. Various vocalists who were close to Natural, submitted vocals across the following year. The album was mixed and dubbed in March ‘25 at Earth Works by Soupa Yout' & Kingsway. Artwork and written memories/testimonials were then assembled. Everyone involved in the creation of this album knew Idren Natural personally. This album shines a spotlight on his spirit. Carrying songs of tribute, and messages for the times. ALPHA DUB: Every time the band played a gig, Natural would insist on starting with a dub. In that tradition, this album is no different. ‘Mandlion’ passing through the studio, headtopped a Melodica cut on it. Dubbed to the max by Supa Yout! NATURAL VIBE: The ‘Forward Fever’ crew from Belgium were one of the first collectives that Natural affiliated with in Europe. Here, Ras Cloud cleverly weaves all of Naturals song titles into the lyrics, creating a song in itself. WORD & FLESH: Fellowdread was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. Now living in Bristol, England, residing with Natural in his last days. His Poetry is rich in inflection, knowledge and wisdom, teachings that spark up the divine. ALL ABOUT LOVE: A pause for contemplation, this one stills the listener. Rootsman Rak’s words warn against complacency, and encourages action. A completely (natural) acoustic track featuring the skilled percussionist Jonah Dan. REMEMBER HIM: Inna Dubplate style, Barry Isaacs toasts to Idren in personal remembrance, reminding us all of the man he was. The track also features snippets of a phone call from Naturals oldest friend ‘Fergie Greenspears’ recounting memories. RISE UP RASTA CHILDREN: The legendary Tony Roots, graces the album with his unique delivery. Natural, The Players, and Tony go back a long way. A song of strength to affirm the soul, and rally against Babylon. Livicated to the one (Natural) SONG FOR THE RIVER MAN: During those halcyon days, many stages were shared with Albaroot, whom the band met whilst on tour in Scotland. Clark Innes (lead singer/songwriter) reminisces about the force of nature that was Natural, times shared, and that knowing, to never meet again. ONE STEP AHEAD: An interpretation of the ‘Look Inside’ riddim by Reuben Addis. Built for Sound System, it is the only track on the album that rolls into a dub. Lyrical Benjie literally entered the studio, rode the riddim without hearing it first, cutting his vocal in one take! A message for the times that sends shivers up your spine. THE PRAYER: Iman Onedub AKA Iman Gebre Iyesus, member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, met Idren Natural at Fairfield House in Bath. Here he seals the album with a recital of the Lord's Prayer in English, with Amharic. His rich textural tones elevated with a one away riddim to carry the listener home.

Nachdem der Pianist Ahmad Jamal zwischen 1968 und 1971 mit seinen langjährigen Trio-Partnern Jamil
Nasser (Bass) und Frank Gant (Schlagzeug) vier exzellente Alben für Impulse! Records eingespielt hatte,
wagte er 1973 bei dem Label 20th Century Records einen Abstecher in für ihn ungewohnte musikalische
Gefilde. Begleitet von einem Orchester mit Streichern und Stimmen ist Ahmad Jamal hier mit Versionen
damals aktueller Hits von Stevie Wonder und der Band War sowie mit Spiritual-Jazz- und Funk-Stücken
zu hören. Das ausgefallene Album ”Ahmad Jamal ’73” produzierte der Pianist, der hier auch erstmals am
E-Piano zu hören ist, zusammen mit Arrangeur und Komponist Richard Evans, der durch seine Arbeiten
mit u. a. Ramsey Lewis, Dorothy Ashby, Terry Callier und Marlena Shaw bekannt wurde.

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Ajo Se Po is the third album by alto-saxophonist and percussionist Kevin Haynes, released with his band Grupo Elegua. The album integrates musical elements with references to his deepening spiritual understanding. Haynes has created a modal harmonic language incorporating Afro-Cuban melodies and classical kora playing - his alto-sax, infusing the album with a personal 'voice'.

Yoruba spirituality is at the heart of Haynes' musical thinking which also includes both Nigerian and Cuban dimensions. This is especially reflected by the use of recitation and Cuban bata drumming being employed on all tracks, with each piece growing out of a particular bata rhythm. Each such rhythm is dedicated to a particular Orisha, or divinity.

As well as influences from Afro-Cuban, Native Nigerian and folkloric Bata, Haynes' music is a fusion of contemporary jazz incorporating Mandinga folk and praise songs and hard bop.

Kevin Haynes and Grupo Elegua have performed at renowned jazz festivals including Havana Jazz Festival, Cuba and Salamanca Jazz Festival, Spain. Haynes has also featured on Moses Boyd's hit album Displaced Diaspora.

Previously available on digital only, Ajo Se Po is now released on vinyl.

OTHELLO is the debut album by pianist and composer Orson Claeys. Bringing together influences from jazz, hip-hop, urban culture, and everyday life, the record offers the clearest portrait yet of an artist shaped as much by the worlds around him as by music itself.

The title refers to Claeys' full name, Orson Dwight Othello Claeys, and reflects the album's central concern:identity. Throughout the record, personal experiences, cultural influences, and artistic inspirations converge into a body of work that seeks to understand how an artist is formed, both within and beyond music. Musically, OTHELLO builds on jazz, strongly intertwined with hip-hop, contemporary culture, and ideas beyond traditional musical frameworks. For Claeys, music is not a fixed genre, but an open and evolving form of expression.

This broad perspective is evident in the album's carefully chosen collaborations. A track like "WHAT A NIGHT" first took shape during a studio session with indie-soul singer Sevens, whose harmonic ideas laid the foundation for the track. As the composition evolved, Claeys felt it called for a stronger hip-hop voice. Through a recommendation from Mixmonster Menno of STUFF., he was introduced to L.A. rapper IAMOMNI, whose contribution brought exactly the energy and perspective the track needed. The result unfolds like a late-night journey through Los Angeles, with IAMOMNI's contribution adding a sense of movement, character, and place.

Elsewhere on the album, "SPIRAL", featuring Belgo-Brazilian vocalist Helena Casella, grew out of a long-standing mutual admiration. Conceived as a meeting point between R&B and jazz, the composition balances the groove and emotional depth of the former with the improvisational spirit and spontaneity of the latter. The collaboration developed naturally from the outset, with Casella instinctively understanding the atmosphere Claeys envisioned while enriching the music with her own warmth and nuance.

A long-held ambition materializes on "SHADOWBOXING", where Claeys is joined by drummer, producer, and one of the key figures in contemporary Belgian jazz, Lander Gyselinck. Gyselinck's work, particularly his collaboration with Zwangere Guy on Pourriture Noble, was instrumental in showing Claeys how the language of hip-hop could coexist naturally with jazz, an idea that runs through OTHELLO. Drawing inspiration from boxing, the track is a musical equivalent of a fighter's walk towards the ring: focused, intense, and driven by the sense of anticipation that precedes stepping into the fight.

After this heightened intensity, the album gradually moves toward its closing statement. OUTRO / HANIN", featuring oud player Akram Ben Romdhane, a longtime collaborator whose playing forms a natural bridge between Claeys' previous work and the broader musical landscape explored across the album. The title references the Tunisian Arabic word hanin, meaning "nostalgia", a fitting conclusion to a work deeply concerned with memory, identity, and personal history.

Beyond music itself, OTHELLO is informed by a wider cultural landscape. Urban culture, with its visual language, creative independence, and sense of community, forms an important backdrop to the record. Sport also plays a significant role, particularly boxing and basketball, whose emphasis on discipline, focus, and resilience mirrors Claeys' own creative process. Rather than being treated as separate influences, these worlds coexist without hierarchy, reflecting an artistic vision that resists rigid boundaries and allows different disciplines, communities, and experiences to inform one another.

Driven by a lush and irresistible energy, Beyond Brazilian Stories takes you on a musical journey between Brazilian traditions and jazz improvisation.

Introduced to the richness of Brazilian music by Philippe Baden Powell, pianist Mathieu Bélis and double bassist Stéphane Dardour founded BSP PRODUCTIONS and formed the quintet Beyond Brazilian Stories, joined by saxophonist David Florsch, drummer Louis Bao Lao, and Äulne, vocalist and flutist.

Together, they revisit masterpieces by giants such as Milton Nascimento, Airto Moreira, Hermeto Pascoal, Dorival Caymmi, Edu Lobo and Moacir Santos, blending popular melodies with soaring instrumental passages.
The group also brings its own compositions, inspired by the vibrant energy of Brazilian music, creating a sound that is both authentic and innovative.

Their new album O ritmo do sonho has been awarded the “Revelation” distinction by Jazz Magazine!
Album contributors:

Mariana Zwarg - flutist, daughter of Itiberê Zwarg, Hermeto Pascoal’s bassist.
Edmundo Carneiro - Brazilian percussion legend (Tania Maria, De La Soul, Saint Germain, etc.).
Jessica Simon - trombonist, member of the Orchestre National de Jazz.

“An explosive fusion where samba, bossa and jazz become the playground for joyful and virtuosic freedom....” Jazz Rhônes Alpes
“...the brilliant Hermeto Pascoal,
whose spirit is present throughout O ritmo do sonho...” Revelation Jazzmag

JUNO & Jamek Ortega link up for ‘Deep Breath’ on Crosstown Rebels.

Following an impressive label debut earlier this year alongside Alex Wann on ‘Allo’, crowned Pete Tong’s Essential New Tune, Germany’s JUNO returns to Crosstown Rebels with ‘Deep Breath’ in collaboration with longtime production partner Jamek Ortega. Immediately drawing listeners into a hypnotic, percussive world, snaking rhythms and rattling cowbells build steadily beneath an atmospheric backdrop, before a commanding vocal emerges to anchor the groove. The release continues a relationship that has seen the pair produce across labels including Arodes’ Unreleased Records, Wired World, and more, as well as regular back-to-back performances. On the flip, ‘Sloppy Disk’ sees JUNO step up solo, locking into a driving four-to-the-floor groove where a rolling bassline provides the foundation for pensive chords to drift alongside subtle melodic flourishes, steadily expanding the track’s atmosphere before tumbling into a sweeping, cinematic finale.

JUNO has accelerated onto the scene with hits like ‘Last Dance’ on Magnifik Music and a Hot Mix for Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1, firmly earmarking him as one to watch. Meanwhile, DJ/producer Jamek Ortega continues to connect with audiences worldwide with outings on Three Six Zero, MoBlack, Abracadabra, Madorasindahouse, and more, picking up heavy rotation from the likes of Keinemusik, Solomun, Tiësto, and Black Coffee. Here, the pair show no signs of slowing down as they join forces once again, stepping onto Damian Lazarus’s imprint and marking a major milestone in their respective trajectories.

A sought-after collaborator in Chicago’s indie music scene for over a decade, V.V. Lightbody’s third LP is a marvelous showcase of her singular production and arrangement skills, ear-catching melodies, and signature frank lyricism. Period Piece presents a deeply relatable audit of Lightbody’s own anxieties, imperfections, and charming peculiarities as she falls in love, ages, dabbles in divination, and re-evaluates her place in the world.

Notably, Period Piece also marks Lightbody’s debut as a lead producer on her own album – a dazzling and welcome emergence. With layers of perfectly tucked backing vocals, swirling guitars in harmony, chugging bass lines, and romantic, melodic flutes, Lightbody has crafted a playful and pristinely recorded collection of indie-folk songs, veering between 70s Brazilian samba and contemporary electro-pop. Think, Cate Le Bon strolling through an overgrown meadow. Dave Vettraino provided additional production and mixing support, and Lightbody called in a robust team of friends to contribute throughout, including Macie Stewart, Sam Cantor, Emma Hospelhorn, Jack Henry Lickerman, and Cassandra Jenkins.

A sought-after collaborator in Chicago’s indie music scene for over a decade, V.V. Lightbody’s third LP is a marvelous showcase of her singular production and arrangement skills, ear-catching melodies, and signature frank lyricism. Period Piece presents a deeply relatable audit of Lightbody’s own anxieties, imperfections, and charming peculiarities as she falls in love, ages, dabbles in divination, and re-evaluates her place in the world.

Notably, Period Piece also marks Lightbody’s debut as a lead producer on her own album – a dazzling and welcome emergence. With layers of perfectly tucked backing vocals, swirling guitars in harmony, chugging bass lines, and romantic, melodic flutes, Lightbody has crafted a playful and pristinely recorded collection of indie-folk songs, veering between 70s Brazilian samba and contemporary electro-pop. Think, Cate Le Bon strolling through an overgrown meadow. Dave Vettraino provided additional production and mixing support, and Lightbody called in a robust team of friends to contribute throughout, including Macie Stewart, Sam Cantor, Emma Hospelhorn, Jack Henry Lickerman, and Cassandra Jenkins.

Hip-hop royalty returns—Bun B and Statik Selektah team up once again for the fourth chapter of their blazing collabo-rative saga: TrillStatik 4. Recorded in real-time with that unmistakable underground urgency, this album is a master-class in modern rap chemistry, blending Bun B’s Southern grit with Statik’s boom-bap precision.

The guest lineup is nothing short of legendary. From DJ Premier setting the tone on “Live From Houston,” to Griselda heavyweights Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Boldy James blessing “Trillselda 2,” every track hits with purpose. Regional flair runs deep, too—Paul Wall, Maxo Kream, and Lil’ Keke represent H-Town with pride, while East Coast lyricists like Termanology and Tek bring bar-for-bar fire.

This is more than a record—it’s a cipher of cultures, connecting street narratives, soul-drenched beats, and coast-to-coast talent.

Special poster on 250gram paper. Postcard with photo taken by Sandrien. Hand-numbered sticker. Shrinwrap

After more than a decade without releasing new music, Amsterdam DJ and producer Sandrien returns with her debut album Compass, released on her own new label, inspi. Created during a stay in Spain, where she finally found the space to create freely again, the album marks a new chapter: no genres, no expectations, just music made purely on feeling. Compass is an album about finding your own path, personally and musically, a cycle of searching and finding, letting go and beginning again. Lead single 'Life' laid the foundation for it all. The visual world of the album is just as personal: photographs Sandrien took around her house formed the basis for its artwork and imagery. With 27 years of experience behind her, Compass proves that mastery doesn't lead to routine, but to exploration. This double LP includes a beautiful double-sided poster featuring two original artworks of ‘Compass’ by Dutch artist Pieter Jan Boterkoek. Releases October 9, 2026 Written and produced by Sandrien Mixed by Julien Chaptal Mastered by Giuseppe Tillieci at Enisslab Artwork by Studio Pieter Jan Boterhoek This album is made with love in Spain, Volkshotel Amsterdam and Groenekan.

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.

* Previously unreleased bonus tracks

West Coast luxury rap meets corner-store nostalgia on Two4Two, Jay Worthy's ode to late-night cruises and 40oz street dreams. Wrapped in artwork inspired by stacks of classic malt liquor bottles, the project captures the unmistakable G-funk-infused atmosphere that has made Worthy one of the most authentic voices in modern West Coast hip-hop.

For the very first time, Two4Two arrives on vinyl in a deluxe collector’s edition, including an exclusive liquid-filled pressing as bold and distinctive as the project itself.

This first-ever physical release also includes 2 previously unreleased bonus tracks, making this a definitive edition of Two4Two and an essential piece for Jay Worthy collectors.

1986 veröffentlichten Bassist Ron Royce (Ron Broder), Gitarrist Tommy T. Baron (Tommy Vetterli) und Schlagzeuger Marquis Marky (Markus Edelmann) ihr erstes Demotape »Death Cult« mit Hilfe von Celtic Frosts Tom Gabriel Fischer am Gesang (Fischer war auch für die Texte verantwortlich).
Kurz darauf, Anfang 1987, unterschrieben Zürichs Avantgarde-Metal-Pioniere einen Vertrag mit Noise Records aus Berlin. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte sich Bassist Ron Royce entschieden, selbst die Rolle des Leadsängers von Coroner zu übernehmen.
Schließlich buchte Karl-Ulrich Walterbach von Noise Records für Coroner Studiozeit im Berliner Music Lab Studio, damit sie ihr Debütalbum unter den wachsamen Augen von Harris Johns aufnehmen konnten. »R.I.P.« wurde im Juni 1987 veröffentlicht und erhielt ausgesprochen positives Feedback in der Presse.

1988 folgte auf Coroners Debütalbum »Punishment For Decadence« (diesmal produziert im Sky Trak Studio in Berlin, produziert von Guy Bidmead). Laut Gitarrist Tommy Vetterli war das eine natürliche Weiterentwicklung für die Band: „Wir haben uns mehr auf die Tiefe der Musik konzentriert, es war nicht mehr nur eine Demonstration unserer technischen Fähigkeiten. Die Band war ziemlich tight, definitiv tighter als auf unserem ersten Album. Insgesamt denke ich, dass die Platte etwas reifer ist. Es ging weniger darum zu zeigen: ‚Schaut her, wie gut wir spielen können‘, sondern der Fokus lag auf den Songs.“
Der herausragende Track auf dem Album ist „Masked Jackal“, ein Fanliebling bis zum heutigen Tage. Außerdem wurde ein Musikvideo zu dem Song gedreht, wie der Gitarrist erklärt: „Es ist das Stück, das auf dem Album heraussticht. MTV war damals für jede Band extrem wichtig. Deshalb ist ‚Masked Jackal‘ bis heute ein Favorit der Fans.“

»Punishment For Decadence« kam mit einem auffälligen Cover-Artwork daher (ein Gemälde mit dem Titel „Porte de L'enfer“), eine Idee von Schlagzeuger Marky: „Er kletterte mitten in der Nacht eine Leiter hinauf und fotografierte hier in Zürich das Artwork von Rodin. Das Plattenlabel fand jedoch, dass dieses Cover nicht ‚Heavy Metal‘ genug sei, also veröffentlichten sie für die zweite Pressung ein anderes Cover mit diesem Skelett, das Geige spielt. Jenes Motiv war eigentlich nur als T-Shirt-Design gedacht.“

Laut Tommy lief das Album in Sachen Verkaufszahlen ordentlich: „Anscheinend müssen die Verkaufszahlen befriedigend gewesen sein; sonst hätten wir wahrscheinlich nicht weitermachen können. Wir haben nicht viel Geld mit Coroner verdient, aber das Ganze hat viel Spaß gemacht. Wir konnten überleben und das tun, was wir lieben. Die Presse und andere Musiker mochten uns, aber wir erreichten niemals die breite Masse.“
Im Februar 2026 von Patrick W. Engel bei TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY remastert und restauriert. Die Schneidearbeiten wurden von SST Germany auf Neumann-Geräten durchgeführt, um in jeder Hinsicht optimale Qualität zu gewährleisten. Die ultimative audiophile Ausgabe dieses zeitlosen Klassikers!

The title of Ghost Bridge, the East-Coast-spanning chamber ensemble Hour's fifth record, is less metaphorical than one might expect. Bandleader Michael Cormier- O'Leary repurposed it from an unrealized movie concept about a bridge that inexplicably starts disappearing. On the nearly-ten-minute title track of this richly imaginative suite of songs_written for a 13-piece ensemble that includes woodwinds, strings, and vibraphone as well as a rock rhythm section_Hour conjures up this central image with spectral string harmonics and free-time percussion gestures. While writing the keyboard pieces that became the takeoff point for the album, Cormier-O'Leary also found himself reflecting on the loss of loved ones or even his own mortality. The six kaleidoscopic instrumental pieces on Ghost Bridge, though, feel more cosmically inquisitive than straightforwardly elegiac, sketching a progression from existential doubt toward understanding and acceptance. Ghost Bridge forms a contrast with Hour's art-rock-informed, more improvisatory early releases, representing a step further into intricate chamber orchestration. Known for his work with Friendship, Wendy Eisenberg, and 2nd Grade, Phillybased multi-instrumentalist and Dear Life Records founder Cormier-O'Leary has made Hour a home for increasingly cinematic instrumental compositions since the mid-2010s. With dazzling production by Lucas Knapp, Ghost Bridge delivers plenty of the live ensemble's trademarks, especially cyclically developing guitar and keyboard melodies. However, even more than on Hour's last studio album, unconventional harmonies and sophisticated counterpoint take center stage here. These emotionally multifaceted compositions feel as rooted in contemporary classical and film soundtrack music as in indie rock. One of the most striking elements of Ghost Bridge is the more significant developmental role the orchestral instruments assume in each piece. Instead of underscoring Cormier-O'Leary's central hooks, there is a new mesmerizing level of detail to the group's conversational interactions and kinetic energy. "Centralia" is a stately and idiosyncratic fugue built from repeated and overlapping phrases, while Ghost Bridge's compositions are full of unexpected pivots in harmony that allow recurring melodic motifs to sound continually reshaded. On "Pearls," the chords modulate drastically around Cormier-O'Leary's inviting central melody in a way that emulates cuts in a film telling several parallel stories. There is an unsettled quality to the chords on Ghost Bridge, with Cormier- O'Leary's progressions avoiding firm grounding in either clearly sunny or melancholy tonalities. This mood is made more concrete by the record's sole vocal track, the jazz-inflected "Sky is Blue," featuring an uncannily gorgeous performance by Heeyoon Won. The song seems to be a communication from a person who has departed, offering consolation or perspective to someone left behind. Though its sonic palette is often tranquil, Ghost Bridge explores heartbreak, grief, anger, and helplessness in a distinct and pretense-free way. The project represents a bold step forward for Cormier-O'Leary as a composer and arranger, and on Ghost Bridge Hour reaches its most fully realized form to date, connecting soaring themes with an inventiveness that perfectly suits the searching nature of the subject matter.

South Asian super-producers Lapgan and Baalti – the former a Madlib-disciple spinning hip-hop grooves out of dusty desi samples, the latter duo purveyors of intricately tapestried dance music – holed up in the California desert in early 2024 for a songwriting session to blend their complimentary styles. They ended up with several albums worth of club material built upon decades of Indian music history – floor fillers that move like early Four Tet meets The Avalanches. They’ve been teasing this material around the world during live sets – from Paris Fashion Week to Glastonbury, London Clubs to BK Warehouse parties, sessions at Lot Radio and Karachi Community Radio, and anywhere else they find an aux. The result has been endless ID requests for unreleased gems like “Ipa Ma” and “Lime Tikka”, calls which should finally be answered with the release of Threads.

Lapgan Bio
Chicago-based archivist and producer Lapgan has become renowned for his signature style: unearthing rare and forgotten Indian & Pakistani sounds and recontextualizing them into hip-hop and dance beats that evoke J Dilla and Madlib. He has cultivated a reputation for quietly revolutionary sample-work across his beloved solo projects History and Duniya Kya Hai, as well as LAFANDAR, his critically acclaimed team up with Heems (of Das Racist / Swet Shop Boys). He has worked with a range of artists from both the West (Your Old Droog, Saul Williams, Cool Calm Pete, Kool Keith, Open Mike Eagle, Blue, Quelle Chris) and the East (EXCISE DEPT, Baalti, Sid Sriram, Sid Vashi, Dynoman), and has been featured in global media including Pitchfork, FADER, Stereogum, Passion of the Weiss, Mixmag, Homegrown, and Vinyl Me, Please. Over the past year he has headlined clubs and performed at festivals across the world from Chicago and New York to London and India, and was personally invited to soundtrack back to back Paris Fashion Week shows for the similarly norm-shifting designer Kartik Research. In 2026 he will soundtrack his third Kartik Research runway show, as well as reissue Duniya Kya Hai for its five-year anniversary alongside a companion EP featuring remixes from peers and supporters Arushi Jain, Loris, Mera Bhai, Malkfunktion, and Maral.

Baalti Bio
Baalti makes electronic music built around rhythm, pressure, and collective release – weaving through leftfield bass, dusty hip hop, tripped out dub and raw house all while maintaining a throughline rooted in South Asian culture seen through the lens of a sweaty dancefloor. In the last year they have experienced a whirlwind rise and growing global recognition: from their EP Mela vividly evoking West Bengal’s sound system culture to their Tamil-cinema-infused filter-house project with Anish Kumar Stunt Doubles, in addition to wide-ranging collabs and remixes alongside DJ ADHD, Naya Beat, and A.R. RahmanThey have also built a reputation for their frenetic live show, with appearances at international festivals like Glastonbury and MELT, headlining shows across Australia and Europe and supporting influences turned peers like Four Tet and Disclosure across North America. Their explosive, percussion-heavy sets have been platformed by Rinse FM, NTS, The Lot Radio, Beats In Space, and Refuge Worldwide, and their music has been renowned by publications including Pitchfork, Bandcamp Daily, RA, and MixMag. Their forward momentum continues into 2026 with slated headline tours in India, Australia, and Asia along with appearances at Coachella, Party in the Paddock, Fvded in the Park, and We Out Here festivals.

Heavyweight psychedelic improvisers EarthBall are back with their third and most monstrous record to date: ‘Outside Over There’, released on Upset The Rhythm (Nov 7th). Born from the haunted basements of Nanaimo, Canada, the quintet thrives on spontaneity, shaping improvisation into jagged hallucinations and ecstatic eruptions.
Recorded live-off-the-floor in 2024 in Jeremy, Izzy, and Kellen’s basement, and mixed by drummer John Brennan, ‘Outside Over There’ is an album that feels both summoned and inevitable. Each track lands with uncanny purpose, as if uncovered rather than written.
The opener, 100%, features a cameo from comedian and English icon Stewart Lee, who lent his blessing for the band to use a fragment of his stand-up. The album was mastered by John Dieterich (Deerhoof), with liner text contributed by longtime comrade John Olson (Wolf Eyes). Olson describes the album in his unmistakable style:
“This eight-track odyssey unfolds like a dreamscape, where whispered incantations brush against the shadowy fringes of the cosmos, and wild, Cézanne-inspired rock anthems erupt like geysers of color in the midst of a western warm and wet rain storm… culminating in the sprawling eleven minute masterpiece, ‘And The Music Shall Untune The Sky,’ aptly dubbed the Earth Crusher. A creation so utterly deconstructed and intertwined with the pulse of nature itself that if AI was called upon to conceive ‘Outside Over There’ anew, it would just spit back, “F.U. in Tree Font”. An enchanting invitation for even the flat-earthers to join the circle, if only just a little.”
EarthBall’s trajectory has been relentless. Their 2024 album ‘It’s Yours’ was praised by The Quietus as “fully aggressive and fully life-affirming,” and by The Wire as "a boisterous mind-melting album”. The band’s live double set LP ‘Actual Earth Music Vol. 1 & 2’ (2025) captured blistering performances: a performance opening for Wolf Eyes at the Fox Cabaret, and a Café OTO improvised throw-down featuring Chris Corsano and Steve Beresford. These releases on their own confirm them as one of Canada’s most vital experimental exports, not to mention the impressive self-released discography on their Bandcamp. The band’s reach has stretched far beyond their west coast roots with a UK tour May 2024, plus this past June, EarthBall closed Montreal’s Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Raven Chacon. This November they will perform at Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, with a European tour to follow (tour dates below). Outside of EarthBall, each member carries their own torch. Jeremy Van Wyck, founding member of the legendary Shearing Pinx, has toured extensively, released over 100 records, and has been a vital force in the Vancouver and West Coast underground for the past 25 years. He and Isabel Ford (Izzy) play together not only in EarthBall, but also in Psychedelic Dirt, Shearing Pinx, Behaviours, and Crotch.
John Brennan collaborates widely, including recently with Endlings (Raven Chacon and John Dieterich), Evichen (Victoria Shen), Francesco Fonassi, Plan Your Future (with Greg Saunier of Deerhoof), Brennan/Corsano duo and Physics with John Dieterich. Kellen Maclaughlin performs with KVMP and Ora Corgan, while saxophonist Liam Murphy is a west coast staple, playing with the best across Vancouver Island and the mainland. On three of the tracks of ‘Outside Over There’, the band is joined by their comrade Justin Patterson, who also plays with Brennan in the duo Modale. This cross-pollination fuels EarthBall’s sound - a collective improvisation, psychically overdriven, and grinding into bloom.
Outside Over There’ is more than an album though, it is a ritual, a gathering of sound at the forest’s edge; where feedback, saxophone screams, and ecstatic vocals dissolve the boundary between chaos and clarity. EarthBall invite you into their circle, to share in the joyful terror of spontaneous creation. ‘Outside Over There’ will be released on November 7th through Upset The Rhythm digitally and as a limited blue-in-black vinyl LP.

R.M.F.C. sound like? Let’s stay with the overused descriptors – I think R.M.F.C. is rock music band, more specifically a post-punk band. Indulge me. If you could say anything about post punk it means post-Wire, who were past punk before punk had an opportunity to codify and become everything brilliant and stupid that we’ve spent 40 years unpacking. Wire’s opening Pink Flag jab – Chairs Missing straight – and 154 hook knockout has haunted the mixing desks of ambitious post-punk bands since, and every major city in the western world has at least one Pink Flag band, one Chairs Missing band, one 154 band. Few bands manage to sound like all 3 records, but R.M.F.C. are a Rock Music Fan Club...

Anyone paying attention to underground Australian guitar overdose would relate: the R.M.F.C. Club Hits LP has been the culmination of five years of work, patience and discipline. If you’ve heard these songs live at any of their shows over the past couple of years you’ll understand – the wait is over and the result is exhilarating.

‘Bands like Devo, The Fall, and The Birthday Party have set the way for this type of post-punk rock (all in their own way). Surely, also, the rock scenes of the past fifteen years in Australia have also been influential. Thinking of bands like Royal Headache, Dick Diver, and Eddy Current Suppression Ring, there’s even been a fairly recent tradition of expanding styles of rock and roll (let alone the bigger, famous rock-centered acts). The Sydney based R.M.F.C., and the scene (or friend circle) from which it’s emerging, is carrying a torch of rock music which has the potential of a wider appeal.’ - POST-TRASH

THE EPIC NEW STUDIO ALBUM FROM THE LONG-STANDING JAPANESE METAL PIONEERS, INCLUDING GUEST APPEARANCE FROM OPETH'S MIKAEL AKERFELDT - PRESENTED ON DIGIPACK CD & VINYL LPJapanese metal pioneers Sigh formed in 1989/1990 Their genre- classic Black Metal debut 'Scorn Defeat' arrived in 1993, & with a subsequent journey through the strange & the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & ideas throughout their career, Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst maintaining their old school roots, as witnessed on the 2022 album (& first for Peaceville Records), 'Shiki'. This was followed by the remaking of their 'Hangman's Hymn' album as part of the band's 35th anniversary celebrations, in the shape of 'I Saw The World's End: Hangman's Hymn MMXXV' (2025).

Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Ziad Rahbani reissue program with Ana Moush Kafer, a classic album by the Lebanese legend Ziad Rahbani, recorded at his By-Pass Studio in Beirut during the height of the Lebanese Civil War in 1985. Showcasing Rahbani’s signature blend of Arabic music infused with touches of jazz-funk and bossa nova, the album has attained cult status over the years. Originally released on cassette, it has never before been available on vinyl. Newly remastered, this edition features the original Relax-In cassette artwork from 1985 and includes new liner notes by Mario Choueiry of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.

Ziad Rahbani, who passed away in 2025, remains one of the most influential figures in modern Arabic music and a cultural icon in Lebanon. A musician, composer, pianist, producer and playwright, he helped modernize Arabic music over five decades. The son of composer Assi Rahbani and singer Fairuz, he shaped her late 70s–80s recordings producing Wahdon and Maarifti Feek, while building a major solo career with classics such as Abu Ali and Houdou Nisbi, which have become cult favourites for a new generation of DJs and music lovers.
Released in 1985 in Lebanon, Ana Moush Kafer stands as one of Rahbani’s key achievements. Recorded at his By-Pass Studio during the Lebanese Civil War, it blends Arabic melodic traditions with jazz-funk, bossa nova and Western arrangements. Originally cassette-only, it became one of his most revered releases. Throughout the album, Rahbani’s writing reflects the turbulence of wartime Beirut with a blend of sharp social observation, political satire and melancholy. It captures a moment in Lebanese cultural history where experimentation, satire and popular song intersected, giving the album its enduring influence among music lovers.

Sung by Rahbani and Sami Hawat, alongside Beirut-based musicians, the album features both Western and traditional Arabic instruments. It balances refined arrangements with lyrical irony, social commentary and political reflection, which remain deeply resonant in today’s context in Lebanon.
One of the highlights of the album is the song “Shou A’ada Ma Bada,” with lyrics by Joseph Harb, which reveals a clear bossa nova influence, while the closing track, “Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani,” offers a deeply human view of war, avoiding patriotic cliché in favour of a nuanced perspective rooted in lived experience.
As Mario Choueiry observes in his liner notes, “Ana Moush Kafer stands as one of the high points of modern Arab political songwriting, yet transcends its historical and geographical context through the universal relevance of its themes and the timeless quality of its music.”
Forty years on, Ana Moush Kafer remains a landmark of Arab music. Wewantsounds presents it on vinyl for the first time, newly remastered and featuring original artwork. This long-awaited reissue restores one of Ziad Rahbani’s most important works to circulation, reaffirming its place as a defining statement in modern Arabic music.

a 1. Ana Moush Kafer 5:03
b 2. Shou Hal Ayyam 5:46
c 3. A'anitham 4:37
d 4. Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3:45]
[e] 5. Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5:05]
[f] 6. Bi Halyawmayn [3:46]
[g] 7. Bharf Esheen [1:12]
[h] 8. Bhaneek [5:34]
[i] 9. Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3:06]

[a] 1. Ana Moush Kafer [5:03]
[b] 2. Shou Hal Ayyam [5:46]
[c] 3. A'anitham [4:37]
[d] 4. Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3:45]
[e] 5. Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5:05]
[f] 6. Bi Halyawmayn [3:46]
[g] 7. Bharf Esheen [1:12]
[h] 8. Bhaneek [5:34]
[i] 9. Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3:06]

[a] 1. Ana Moush Kafer [5:03]
[b] 2. Shou Hal Ayyam [5:46]
[c] 3. A'anitham [4:37]
[d] 4. Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3:45]
[e] 5. Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5:05]
[f] 6. Bi Halyawmayn [3:46]
[g] 7. Bharf Esheen [1:12]
[h] 8. Bhaneek [5:34]
[i] 9. Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3:06]

[a] 1. Ana Moush Kafer [5:03]
[b] 2. Shou Hal Ayyam [5:46]
[c] 3. A'anitham [4:37]
[d] 4. Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3:45]
[e] 5. Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5:05]
[f] 6. Bi Halyawmayn [3:46]
[g] 7. Bharf Esheen [1:12]
[h] 8. Bhaneek [5:34]
[i] 9. Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3:06]

[a] a1. Ana Moush Kafer [5:03]
[b] a2. Shou Hal Ayyam [5:46]
[c] a3. A'anitham [4:37]
[d] a4. Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3:45]
[e] b1. Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5:05]
[f] b2. Bi Halyawmayn [3:46]
[g] b3. Bharf Esheen [1:12]
[h] b4. Bhaneek [5:34]
[i] b5 Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3:06]

[a] a1 | Ana Moush Kafer [5 03]
[b] a2 | Shou Hal Ayyam [5 46]
[c] a3 | A'anitham [4 37]
[d] a4 | Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3 45]
[e] b1 | Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5 05]
[f] b2 | Bi Halyawmayn [3 46]
[g] b3 | Bharf Esheen [1 12]
[h] b4 | Bhaneek [5 34]
[i] b5 | Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3 06]

[a] a1 | Ana Moush Kafer [5 03]
[b] a2 | Shou Hal Ayyam [5 46]
[c] a3 | A'anitham [4 37]
[d] a4 | Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3 45]
[e] b1 | Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5 05]
[f] b2 | Bi Halyawmayn [3 46]
[g] b3 | Bharf Esheen [1 12]
[h] b4 | Bhaneek [5 34]
[i] b5 | Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3 06]

[a] a1 | Ana Moush Kafer [5 03]
[b] a2 | Shou Hal Ayyam [5 46]
[c] a3 | A'anitham [4 37]
[d] a4 | Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3 45]
[e] b1 | Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5 05]
[f] b2 | Bi Halyawmayn [3 46]
[g] b3 | Bharf Esheen [1 12]
[h] b4 | Bhaneek [5 34]
[i] b5 | Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3 06]

The second VA release from Méchante Recording continues with a new identity, bringing together a refined selection of artists across different generations. At its core, a reissued and repress of a 1994 track by Jay Tripwire creates a timeless bridge between past and present.

Alongside this piece, UK producers Quidders and Ferg deliver fresh and captivating productions, as well as Arion, a prodigious talent from Lyon, who charms us with each of his tracks and brings depth and character.

This Various Artists blends dub tech house and progressive minimal, offering hypnotic, groove-driven tracks designed for both listening and the dancefloor, while affirming the evolving sonic identity of Méchante Recording.

"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.

"Life Is Beautiful Again" is the debut album of Nadine El Roubi, a Sudanese-born, New York-based singer, rapper, songwriter, and multidisciplinary artist.
The album is the culmination of music created over the last three to four years. While the album can be categorized as primarily neo-soul, its true genre remains fluid — shaped by influences in hip-hop, neo-soul,and indie music.

Both melancholic and powerful, introspective and self-assured, Life Is Beautiful Again explores personal and external chaos, womanhood, belonging, and the determination to maintain faith through struggle. Thematically, it marks a shift from her previous work. Where earlier releases were overtly political, defiant, and outward-facing, this album turns inward. It is softer, more reflective, and rooted in the belief that vulnerability can be its own form of strength.

Written and recorded over three years across four cities, the album carries the imprint of many different versions of a Sudanese woman navigating change, loss, love, ambition, and growth, these songs became a way of making sense of the world.
At its core, the album’s message is simple: even through the ugliest of times, life will always become beautiful again.

2027 marks two decades since musician and producer Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy struck out on his own and launched Claremont 56, a label initially dedicated to “music by Mudd and friends” and named after the house he grew up in. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Murphy has assembled the label’s first ever decades-spanning vinyl retrospective: a six-LP re-mastered collection bringing together key cuts, cult classics, personal favourites, hard-to-find gems and inspired remixes from across the catalogue.

Unlike the label’s previous 10th anniversary box set, which focused on unreleased material and never-before-heard remixes, 20 Years of Claremont 56 traces the musical story of the imprint to date. Across six records, it showcases the distinctive Claremont 56 sound in all its many forms: acoustic, electric and electronic instrumentation, Balearic sunshine, krautrock grooves, folk-inflected psychedelia, slow-burning chuggers and deeply considered dancefloor music.
The set comes housed in a custom box featuring cover art by long-term label illustrator Mark Warrington. Inside are six slabs of vinyl across three gatefold sleeves, accompanied by liner notes from music journalist and author Matt Anniss, Murphy himself, and many of the artists whose music features in the collection.

The journey begins with a selection of formative late-noughties releases, including Mudd & Pollard’s chugging, picturesque ‘Villa Stavros’, the folksy beauty of Smith & Mudd’s ‘Shulme’ and Murphy’s exotic reworking of Ahmed Fakroun’s ‘Drago’. From there, the collection moves freely through deep cuts, overlooked gems, album highlights and some of the most inspired remixes in the label’s catalogue.

Among those remixes is Murphy’s own über-Balearic rework of Zee Erf’s cover of ‘Southern Freeez’, a mix dedicated to his partner Emma; an extraordinary 22-minute, Manuel Göttsching-meets-ambient-dub revision of Smith & Mudd’s ‘Vegetable Square’ by friends-of-the-family Idjut Boys; Larry Heard’s typically deep and immersive house treatment of Jack Cutter’s ‘Serpent Strut’; and Quiet Village’s ambient-house ‘deep space dub’ of Mudd’s ‘Spielplatz’. Also included are lesser-celebrated but no less rewarding reworks by Recloose, Jex Opolis, Felix Dickinson and Deep88.

The collection represents every corner of Claremont 56’s self-contained musical universe, from the Murphy-assembled in-house collectives Hillside, Paqua and Bison - whose members famously included the late Holger Czukay and his life partner Ursula, to long-serving label artists such as Almunia and Hear & Now, as well as later additions and artists who took some of their first steps on the label through its much-loved Claremont Editions compilations.
That means the deeply cosmic krautrock of Bambi Davidson, the folk-meets-Americana of Torn Sail and the samba-electrofunk of Jpye sit alongside baggy Balearic sing-alongs such as Bel’s ‘Ready To Die’ and Sillyboy’s Ghost Relatives’ ‘In a Small Place’, recent high-profile guest releases such as Chaz Jankel’s ‘Rhumba Jam’, and string-laden ambient pieces such as Four Hands’ wonderful ‘Hizou’.

Packed with classic cuts, formative gems and overlooked treats, 20 Years of Claremont 56 is not only a fabulous label retrospective, but also an essential collection of timeless music from a label whose output has remained distinctive and unique for two decades.

1986 veröffentlichten Bassist Ron Royce (Ron Broder), Gitarrist Tommy T. Baron (Tommy Vetterli) und Schlagzeuger Marquis Marky (Markus Edelmann) ihr erstes Demotape »Death Cult« mit Hilfe von Celtic Frosts Tom Gabriel Fischer am Gesang (Fischer war auch für die Texte verantwortlich).
Kurz darauf, Anfang 1987, unterschrieben Zürichs Avantgarde-Metal-Pioniere einen Vertrag mit Noise Records aus Berlin. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte sich Bassist Ron Royce entschieden, selbst die Rolle des Leadsängers von Coroner zu übernehmen.
Das erste Ergebnis war »R.I.P.«, das Debütalbum der Band, das im Juni 1987 erschien und sehr gute Pressereaktionen erhielt.
1988 folgte Coroners Studiodebüt »Punishment For Decadence«, erneut produziert in West-Berlin, diesmal von Guy Bidmead im Sky Trak Studio. Die Band tourte in bescheidenem Umfang durch Europa, bevor sie mit der Arbeit an ihrem dritten Album begann.
Für »No More Color« (1989) reisten Coroner zum dritten Mal in Folge nach Berlin. Diesmal war Pete Hinton der Produzent, wie Gitarrist Tommy Vetterli erklärt: „Ja, genau! Pete Hinton wurde vom Label vorgeschlagen. Da er einige meiner Lieblingsbands aus Jugendtagen produziert hatte, wie Saxon und Demon, waren wir begeistert. Die Zusammenarbeit mit ihm lief wirklich gut, er ist ein absoluter englischer Gentleman.“
Der Mix des Albums wurde in den Morrisound Studios von Scott Burns in Tampa, Florida, realisiert, einem damals sehr angesagten Ort.
Der komplexeste Song auf »No More Color« ist vielleicht „Mistress Of Deception“; laut Tommy Vetterli „besitzt er definitiv einige extrem schwierige Gitarren-Passagen. Ich erinnere mich, dass Marky vor den Albumaufnahmen sagte, er schreibe einen Text über die Wüste. Das hat mich wirklich inspiriert, und ich habe den Song in ein paar Tagen geschrieben.“
„Die By My Hand“, eine deutlich geradlinigere Nummer, wurde als Single für das Album ausgewählt (und zusammen mit „Tunnel Of Pain“ auf durchsichtigem Vinyl als Promo-12“ veröffentlicht).
In damaligen Interviews erwähnte Tommy, dass »No More Color« das erste Album von Coroner war, auf dem die Band groovige Parts einbaute, anstatt durchgehend auf kompromisslosen technischen Thrash Metal zu setzen. Heute glaubt er immer noch, dass das stimmt: „Ja, durch all die Tourneen hatten wir gelernt, dass man zwischen den schnellen und komplexen Abschnitten einige einfachere und groovigere Parts spielen muss. Das wirkt live viel besser und macht auch das Publikum glücklich. Das Album konzentrierte sich insgesamt viel mehr darauf, Stimmungen zu evozieren, und weniger auf technische Leistungen.“

Im Februar 2026 von Patrick W. Engel bei TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY remastert und restauriert. Die Schneidearbeiten wurden von SST Germany auf Neumann-Geräten durchgeführt, um in jeder Hinsicht optimale Qualität zu gewährleisten. Die ultimative audiophile Ausgabe dieses zeitlosen Klassikers!

Sviatoslav Richter war einer der größten Pianisten des 20. Jahrhunderts und viele seine Aufnahmen gelten als legendär. Besonders die in den Jahren 1970 und 1973 für das Label Eurodisc entstandenen Einspielungen des "Wohltemperierten Klaviers BWV 846 - 893" gelten als Referenzaufnahmen dieses Werkes. Die limitierte 6 Vinyl-Edition auf 180 Gramm Vinlys wurde von den originalen Bändern remastert und enthält ein 20 seitiges großformatiges Booklet mit dem Booklettext und den Bildern der ursprünglichen LP-Veröffentlichung.

On his sixth LP In Another, Toronto-based, Japanese-born, musician and composer Masahiro Takahashi (髙橋 政宏) continues the collaborative expansion of his sonic universe that listeners witness on his 2023 release, Humid Sun. Here he enlists a rotating ensemble of ten guest artists from Toronto’s vibrant music community, including his labelmate Joseph Shabason, who also serves as the album’s co-producer and engineer.

Spurred by his longtime admiration for chamber pop spanning the High Llamas and Free Design to the Beach Boys, Takahashi deviates from the underlying processes of his past two outings, trading Ableton sequences for lead sheets, focusing on creating robust melodic and harmonic foundations first. This difference is audible straight away; the album opens with a dialog between upright piano and plucked double bass that’s so gentle and transparent you can hear the breath of the players.

On his sixth LP In Another, Toronto-based, Japanese-born, musician and composer Masahiro Takahashi (髙橋 政宏) continues the collaborative expansion of his sonic universe that listeners witness on his 2023 release, Humid Sun. Here he enlists a rotating ensemble of ten guest artists from Toronto’s vibrant music community, including his labelmate Joseph Shabason, who also serves as the album’s co-producer and engineer.

Spurred by his longtime admiration for chamber pop spanning the High Llamas and Free Design to the Beach Boys, Takahashi deviates from the underlying processes of his past two outings, trading Ableton sequences for lead sheets, focusing on creating robust melodic and harmonic foundations first. This difference is audible straight away; the album opens with a dialog between upright piano and plucked double bass that’s so gentle and transparent you can hear the breath of the players.

"I Don't Know How But They Found Me...Again! (Deluxe)" ist die Deluxe-Version von Jensen McRaes von der Kritik gefeiertem Album ,I Don't Know How But They Found Me!" aus dem Jahr 2025 (,Das atemberaubende zweite Album der jungen Singer-Songwriterin McRae markiert den Durchbruch eines großen Talents." - Esquire), das am 18. September auf pinkem Vinyl erscheint. Neben der Trackliste des Originalalbums enthält die Deluxe-Ausgabe zwölf neue Songs, die zum ersten Mal in großem Umfang erhältlich sind: reduzierte Versionen von Songs, die vor den Aufnahmen zu ,I Don't Know How But They Found Me!" fertiggestellt waren, Live-Favoriten, die bei McRaes jüngsten Headliner-Tourneen und Festivalauftritten zu hören waren, eine neue Version von ,Mother Wound" mit Maisie Peters sowie weitere neue Titel, an denen Brandi Carlile und Brittany Spencer mitgewirkt haben. ,I Don't Know How But They Found Me...Again! (Deluxe)" ist eine pulsierende, eindringliche Sammlung von Songs, getragen von messerscharfer lyrischer Präzision und zeitlosen Pop-Melodien.

* 2026 REPRESS *
Handed to the legendary Channel One Soundsystem in exclusivity over a year ago, Don Fe's Jericho has been on constant rotation around the globe ever since. Cut to dubplate by Mikey Dread this tune has been securely locked down and spun exclusively as Channel One's last tune at places such as Notting Hill Carnival and many of the soundsystem's international sessions and festival appearances. After a very patient wait Steppas Records are extremely pleased to be able to offer this plate to the world, pressed to 12' vinyl, featuring two new mixes of Jericho and two exclusive cuts of the equally powerful Weep Not.

UK born musician and producer based in Spain for over 20 years, Don Fe's passion since the age of five has been music, classically trained in piano, flute and theory and as from sixteen reggae. From his humble beginnings in the 80s with a 4 track and a TDK D90 his riddims and productions are now being played by the world's most respected sounds - Channel One, Jah Shaka, Aba Shanti, Iration Steppas and many more all over the world.

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.

Tiger Stripes unveils part one of ‘A Tiger Never Loses Its Stripes’ on Rekids. The series will culminate in the Swedish artist’s sophomore album later this year.

Sweden’s Tiger Stripes, aka Mikael Nordgren, drops the first part of the ‘A Tiger Never Loses Its Stripes’ EP series on Rekids. The EP previews his upcoming sophomore album, his first in two decades, due out later this year, and follows three recent releases and a remix for Dino Lenny on Matt Edwards’ Rekids label.

Tiger Stripes kicks off the ‘A Tiger Never Loses Its Stripes’ EP with ‘Slow’, a snappy groove driven by weighty bass and vocals that are as playful as they are drenched in soul. ‘Twelve’ picks up the pace with irresistible low-end and funky, jazz-inflected key riffs, before ‘Stay Hypnotic’ takes things somewhere more dream-like, pairing shimmering synth sequences with glitched-out percussion and fragmented vocal snippets on the flip. ‘Shape The Future’ closes the first instalment with a squelchy bassline, slightly off-key strings and gorgeous dubbed-out chord progressions, bringing a classy, club-ready finish to this preview of Tiger Stripes’ next album.

Founder of the Strange Idols label, Tiger Stripes has spent over two decades forging his own path with standout releases on Hot Creations, Kaoz Theory, Kwench Records, and more. After stepping back to focus on his indie-rock project Little Lies, he made a full return in 2024 and quickly recaptured the form that’s made him an international favourite, returning three times to Rekids since.

Featuring timeless waltzes and polkas by Johann Strauss I & II , including "An der schonen, blauen Donau", "Kaiser-Walzer" and the festive "Radetzky March", this album captures the sparkle, elegance, and tradition of Vienna's celebrated New Year concerts. Conducted by Willi Boskovsky and Hans Knappertsbusch , these historic recordings from the late 1950s and early 1960s offer an authentic and joyful listening experience, perfect for classical music lovers and New Year celebrations alike.

Die Wurzeln der NWOBHM-Legende Tokyo Blade gehen zurück bis in die frühen achtziger Jahre, als die Schulfreunde Andy Boulton (Gitarre), Andy Robbins (Bass) und Steve Pierce (Schlagzeug) in Wiltshire unter dem ursprünglichen Namen White Diamond starteten. Irgendwann tat man sich mit Sänger Alan Marsh zusammen und machte zuerst als Killer und dann als Genghis Khan weiter. Die Doppel-Single »Double Dealin’« erschien 1982 und sicherte Tokyo Blade einen Plattenvertrag beim neu gegründeten Label Powerstation Records. Im November 1983 stand schließlich das Debütalbum in den Läden.
Gründungsmitglied und Gitarrist Andy Boulton erläutert: “Die Platte wurde im Wickham Studio in Ost-London aufgenommen. Wir hatten lediglich vier Tage zur Verfügung und es war ein Albtraum. Immer wenn wir fertig waren, fielen wir todmüde um und schliefen sofort auf dem Studioboden ein. Und am nächsten Tag ging alles wieder von vorne los.“
Es wundert demnach kaum, dass Andy die Atmosphäre im Studio als angespannt bezeichnet: “Wir dachten, uns würden wenigstens zwei Wochen zur Verfügung stehen, aber am Ende mussten wir alles mehr oder weniger live aufnehmen. Im Grunde genommen haben wir die Songs für das Album ausgewählt, die uns am besten gefallen haben zu diesem Zeitpunkt.”
Während die Pressereaktionen im Vereinigten Königreich, speziell beim Kerrang!, nicht überwältigend waren, wurden Tokyo Blade in Kontinentaleuropa von Magazinen wie dem Aardschok (Niederlande) und Rock Hard (Deutschland) bereits als die neuen Iron Maiden gefeiert.
Diese erweiterte Re-Issue des ersten Albums von Tokyo Blade kommt mit einer Fülle von Bonus-Material: als da wären die vier Songs der »Midnight Rendezvous«-EP, nämlich “If Heaven Is Hell”, “Highway Passion”, “Midnight Rendezvous” und “Mean Streak”, sowie “Powergame” und ”Death On Main Street” von der »Powergame« 7”, plus ein Stück namens “Machine Run”, das 1982 auf der Ebony-Compilation »Metal Maniaxe« unter dem Bandnamen Madame Guillotine erschienen ist und in Hull aufgenommen wurde.
Transfer, Audio-Restaurierung und Mastering durch Patrick W. Engel bei TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY im Februar 2021 / Januar 2026. Cutting durch SST Germany auf Neumann-Geräten für optimale Qualität auf allen Ebenen. Die ultimative audiophile Ausgabe dieses zeitlosen NWOBHM-Klassikers!

Tramhaus aus Rotterdam wurden nach der Veröffentlichung ihres Debütalbums "The First Exit" (2024) und zahlreichen Shows in ganz Europa (und weit darüber hinaus!) bereits als "DIE holländische Post-Punk-Sensation" beschrieben und wahrgenommen. Im Oktober 2026 erscheint das neue Album "Blister" bei Siluh Records. Die Band bewegt sich seit ihrer Gründung 2020 zwischen treibendem Post-Hardcore und Indierock-/Shoegaze-Anleihen, garniert mit einem Schuss kalkulierter Dissonanz. Dabei verorten sich Tramhaus, über die musikalischen Einflüsse hinaus, explizit als Teil einer organisch gewachsenen, internationalen Szene, eines Netzwerks aus unabhängigen Agenturen, Labels und Veranstaltern mit deren Hilfe die Band nach der Veröffentlichung ihres Debütalbums innerhalb ein, zwei Jahren zum Szene-Tipp und must-see avancierte. Kraftvoll, laut und selbstbewusst gewinnt Blister bei wiederholtem Hören an Format. Das Album besticht durch eine neue Eleganz sowie spürbarem Raumgefühl und enormer Wucht. Dies rührt zum Teil aus einer gewachsenen, detailierteren Produktion her, die auch die vielen Zwischentöne einfängt. Die schwindelerregende Natur des fast zweijährigen, ununterbrochenen Reisens spiegelt sich im Titel des ungeduldigen Eröffnungsstücks "Plovdiv" wider (ein Ort, an dem sie übrigens tatsächlich gespielt haben): Ein Glam-artiger Stampf-Rhythmus und eine federnde Basslinie treiben eine Reihe bedrohlicher Gitarrenriffs voran - Elemente, die allesamt jenen Sound widerspiegeln, mit dem Tramhaus in letzter Zeit die Konzertbühnen in Schutt und Asche gelegt haben. Auch weitere Stücke wie "Rat Race" und "I Was Never Alone" klingen ganz ähnlich. Die langsameren Titel des Albums offenbaren bisweilen eine ,rockistische" Erhabenheit, die sie zuvor lediglich angedeutet hatten: vielleicht im Stil der Pixies oder der späten Nirvana (man höre und staune!) - oder, an anderer Stelle als leises Flüstern, das an Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds erinnert. "Overachiever, Big Believer" und "Sly (Like Ever)" zeichnen sich durch eine beißende, knurrende Grundstimmung sowie geduldig ausgearbeitete Melodielinien aus - Eigenschaften, die im Jahr 1991 zweifellos hervorragend ins musikalische Zeitbild gepasst hätten. An anderer Stelle besticht "Solace" mit seinem offenen Akkordanschlag durch eine lässige Attitüde, die direkt einem Stück der Saints oder der Bad Seeds entstammen könnte. Das Beste wird sich für den Schluss aufgehoben: Bei "Swarm" bricht nach einem monolithischen, an die frühen Pere Ubu erinnernden Bass-Grollen ein grandioses, Sabbath-artiges Riff über den Hörer herein. Es ist ein hymnisches, transzendentes Stück, das in früheren Zeiten ein garantierter Hit gewesen wäre - eine Single, die Teenager auf der ganzen Welt dazu animiert hätte, ihre Air-Guitar-Künste vor Mamas Schlafzimmerspiegel zu perfektionieren. Also, das zweite Album der genau richtig neben dem Mainstream verorteten Postpunk-Niederländer*innen nicht verpassen!

Tramhaus aus Rotterdam wurden nach der Veröffentlichung ihres Debütalbums "The First Exit" (2024) und zahlreichen Shows in ganz Europa (und weit darüber hinaus!) bereits als "DIE holländische Post-Punk-Sensation" beschrieben und wahrgenommen. Im Oktober 2026 erscheint das neue Album "Blister" bei Siluh Records. Die Band bewegt sich seit ihrer Gründung 2020 zwischen treibendem Post-Hardcore und Indierock-/Shoegaze-Anleihen, garniert mit einem Schuss kalkulierter Dissonanz. Dabei verorten sich Tramhaus, über die musikalischen Einflüsse hinaus, explizit als Teil einer organisch gewachsenen, internationalen Szene, eines Netzwerks aus unabhängigen Agenturen, Labels und Veranstaltern mit deren Hilfe die Band nach der Veröffentlichung ihres Debütalbums innerhalb ein, zwei Jahren zum Szene-Tipp und must-see avancierte. Kraftvoll, laut und selbstbewusst gewinnt Blister bei wiederholtem Hören an Format. Das Album besticht durch eine neue Eleganz sowie spürbarem Raumgefühl und enormer Wucht. Dies rührt zum Teil aus einer gewachsenen, detailierteren Produktion her, die auch die vielen Zwischentöne einfängt. Die schwindelerregende Natur des fast zweijährigen, ununterbrochenen Reisens spiegelt sich im Titel des ungeduldigen Eröffnungsstücks "Plovdiv" wider (ein Ort, an dem sie übrigens tatsächlich gespielt haben): Ein Glam-artiger Stampf-Rhythmus und eine federnde Basslinie treiben eine Reihe bedrohlicher Gitarrenriffs voran - Elemente, die allesamt jenen Sound widerspiegeln, mit dem Tramhaus in letzter Zeit die Konzertbühnen in Schutt und Asche gelegt haben. Auch weitere Stücke wie "Rat Race" und "I Was Never Alone" klingen ganz ähnlich. Die langsameren Titel des Albums offenbaren bisweilen eine ,rockistische" Erhabenheit, die sie zuvor lediglich angedeutet hatten: vielleicht im Stil der Pixies oder der späten Nirvana (man höre und staune!) - oder, an anderer Stelle als leises Flüstern, das an Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds erinnert. "Overachiever, Big Believer" und "Sly (Like Ever)" zeichnen sich durch eine beißende, knurrende Grundstimmung sowie geduldig ausgearbeitete Melodielinien aus - Eigenschaften, die im Jahr 1991 zweifellos hervorragend ins musikalische Zeitbild gepasst hätten. An anderer Stelle besticht "Solace" mit seinem offenen Akkordanschlag durch eine lässige Attitüde, die direkt einem Stück der Saints oder der Bad Seeds entstammen könnte. Das Beste wird sich für den Schluss aufgehoben: Bei "Swarm" bricht nach einem monolithischen, an die frühen Pere Ubu erinnernden Bass-Grollen ein grandioses, Sabbath-artiges Riff über den Hörer herein. Es ist ein hymnisches, transzendentes Stück, das in früheren Zeiten ein garantierter Hit gewesen wäre - eine Single, die Teenager auf der ganzen Welt dazu animiert hätte, ihre Air-Guitar-Künste vor Mamas Schlafzimmerspiegel zu perfektionieren. Also, das zweite Album der genau richtig neben dem Mainstream verorteten Postpunk-Niederländer*innen nicht verpassen! Dieses frisch grüne Vinyl ist limitiert (100 Stück weltweit)!