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Take Twelve showcases Lee Morgan's fiery hard-bop trumpet in a spirited, thoughtful set full of original material. Joined by Clifford Jordan (tenor sax), Barry Harris (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Louis Hayes (drums), the quintet delivers tight interplay and fresh solos. A compelling Jazzland session (imprint of Riverside Records) that captures Lee Morgan's creativity and momentum in 1962. Includes the bonus tracks: 'Second's Best' alt. take & 'I'm A Fool To Want You'




[d] Second's Best [Alt. Take]

Individually, each one is known as a first-call player capable of handling any type of musical situation, and their personal credits are simply too long to list. They've collaborated on a wide range of projects and session work, including recent live, recording, and touring work with jazz-funk globetrotters Incognito and the American guitarist Robben Ford. Every now and again, their packed schedules permit them to take time out to make their own music, drawing on their shared love of the Latin jazz tradition, and whenever this happens, they're collectively known as TRYPL. Recently, they've found themselves with some rarely shared downtime and the opportunity to commandeer the capacious Big Jelly Studios.

The next step was to assemble the tunes and contact their favorite singers and players, including pianists Alex Wilson and Ross Stanley, guitarist Giorgio Serci, bassists Javier Fioramonti and Davide Mantovani, and Roberto Pla, Edwin Sanz and Davide Giovannini on percussion, with newcomer Sophie Stevenson on voice and vibraphone. Family and friends dropped round to provide an informal in-studio audience. Drawing inspiration from their shared love of the classic salsa sound pioneered by Fania Records in 1970s New York, given a twist by their own individual musical personalities, they've created Phantasticus - an album of joyously uplifting music that distils all the conviviality and good humor with which it was created into a heady yet feel-good brew. It's the perfect antidote to our nervous, fragmented times.

XKatedral Anthology I is the first in a series of archival releases dedicated to presenting music by XKatedral affiliated composers working within the realm of slowly evolving harmonic and timbral music. This double-vinyl set contains an array of pieces dating from 2010 - 2020. Four of the works included here were originally released on cassette tape early on in the label's history, while the two remaining pieces are presented by the label for the first time.

"The works Ir Himinn, Grooenn by Kristoffer Svensson, Disquiet (Heart) by Marta Forsberg and Lamé by Isak Edberg were first released on the compilation XKatedral Volume II in 2016. Svenssons piece from 2014 combines justly tuned gamelan percussion and prepared piano intricately interwoven in a way that obscures the boundaries between the two instrument groups. Forsberg and Edbergs pieces both use a monolithic form to explore the timbral and harmonic spaces provided by the Düben Baroque organ situated in Tyska Kyrkan in the oldest part of Stockholm. While similar in terms of instrumentation the two works differ formally - Edbergs Lamé composed in 2010 uses the registers of the organ to articulate a seamless spectral transformation while Forsbergs Disquiet (Heart) from 2014 deals in blocks of sound with a varying degree of opacity, saturation and intensity.

Glory for two electric guitars by Caterina Barbieri and Kali Malone was composed and recorded in Tempo Reale in Florence, Italy, and was originally released on the cassette compilation XKatedral Volume III in 2016. This music takes the form of an ever-evolving hypnotic pattern shared by the two instruments articulated through an additive and subtractive canon. Dissolving Ceremony, composed in 2012 by Edberg/Erlandsson/Lisinski, was first presented publicly on the self-released record Stratum. The music contained in that release was formed from a collection of gamelan percussion instruments augmented by two sets of live-electronic instruments tuned to the harmonic framework formed by the partials of the metal percussion. Originally positioned in the center of the record running order between two long monolithic process-based pieces, Dissolving Ceremony now stands on its own as a memory of a time and methodology from the not so distant past.

The newest piece in this set is Shipwrecks by Daniel M Karlsson. While this work is a recent one Karlsson should be considered one of the forerunners of the musical expression contained within this record set. Active within new music for two decades his strongly articulated musical ideas and constantly evolving craftsmanship has resulted in an enormous body of work, and has served as an inspiration for many of his fellow composers. This piece is a celebration of transposition and its immense capacity for timbral transformation using a vast array of instruments performed, recorded and electronically treated by the composer to form a liquid uncanny topography where a deeply personal harmonic language constantly shifts, slides and shivers."

An album of improvised music was recorded in Belgrade, in the courtyard of one of the musicians’ homes. There were no prior agreements, prepared compositions, or preplanned ideas. The album came into being in real time, right there on the spot.



Ulya Volkova (pleurereme) - cellist/multi-instrumentalist, composer/sound designer, producer and music enthusiast with over a two decade of experience in cultural community. After studying for 15 years at the Gnessin School (Academy) of Music she began writing music for big films, documentaries, TV series, audio books, plays and exhibitions, soundtracks for games and sound design for interfaces, and music production for artists all over the world.

Evgenii Piankov - Keyboardist, producer, composer, sound designer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. Throughout his career, he has worked in various roles with different popular artists.

Aleksei Siubaev (Mark Borzer) - Musician, ( from True Flavas Band, and Great Rvivers ) producer and DJ operating at the intersection of funk, soul, avant-jazz, post-rock and experimental music. Alongside the collaborative projects, he develops a solo practice focused on hybrid forms and textural experimentation.

In 1978, Muddy Waters released one of his most essential works towards the end of his career.

Titled I'm Ready, the album was produced by Johnny Winter and followed Hard Again, their first collaboration.

It was immediately hailed as a blues classic.

The collaboration between Winters and Waters resulted in three albums, which blues fans describe as a unique combination
that showcased Muddy Waters' rawness and years of experience to perfection. The impressive roster of featured artists included
“Pine Top” Perkins on piano and Walter Horton on the harmonica, making it a dream late-career collaboration.

I’m Ready won the Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording.

I’m Ready is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on pink coloured vinyl.

‘Tippex in My Eye’, Roman Flügel’s third single with Erol Alkan’s Phantasy Sound, nonetheless charts exciting new territory for the prolific German producer, finding him in collaboration with London-based vocalist and songwriter, PYTKO. Already established as a member of Phantasy’s creative family following her cultishly received 2022 debut LP ‘The Way We Blush’, PYTKO searching, surrealist lyrics and performance provide perfect synthesis for Flügel’s first ever vocal collaboration.

Somewhere between digital dub and avant garde shades of electro-pop, ‘Tippex in My Eye’ slowly works a strange and spacious magic, meditating on bassweight while moving ever-forward with sparse piano and distinctly Flugelesque synthesis. Throughout, PYTKO’s enigmatic vocals intertwine with this ambitious arrangement, acting as an incantation for a brief but refreshingly strange journey.

Each of these elements are repurposed with hypnotic, psychedelic impact on an alternate ‘Dance Mix’. Immediately tapping into Flügel’s well-established nous for turning minimalism into euphoria, PYTKO herself becomes a guiding force for the dancefloor, as the track builds thrillingly toward a cosmic breakdown and dramatic release.

Roman Flügel’s ‘Tippex in My Eye (ft. PYTKO)’ will be released on Phantasy on May 15th 2026, available on limited-edition vinyl and streaming.

Limited Apricot/Rose Vinyl. After being only available on his "North America & Japan Tour 2025", Black Screen Records is excited to release the second pressing of VK Blanka's latest studio album "Knightclub" on 1xLP Rosé / Apricot Split Vinyl. The album comes with an exclusive vinyl bonus track "Black Catcher - Piano Version" and includes a lyrics sheet. The Japanese singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist also announced his return to AnimagiC 2026. The convention will be held from July 31st - August 2nd in Mannheim, Germany. Black Screen Records will also return and bring the Knightclub vinyl to the event. Since expanding his activities overseas in 2023, he has performed electrifying live shows in new territories, including North America, Europe, Saudi Arabia, and Latin America. At Brazil's largest anime convention, Anime Friends Sao Paulo 2024, he captivated a staggering audience of 10,000, their voices rising in fervent chants of his name, as he closed out the event as the final act of the night.










[j] 10OLD RIVALS [A SELF-COVER OF RIVALS!]
[k] 11BLACK CATCHER PIANO VERSION [BONUS TRACK]

Following the success of his debut EP 'Departure', J Michael Harris returns with a dynamic neo-jazz album that marks his evolution as an artist. Bringing together legendary musicians from London, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, the album embodies elements of jazz, dance and electronica while drawing inspiration from luminaries such as Robert Glasper, J Dilla, Aphex Twin, Sampha, and Herbie Hancock.



All music written by J Michael Harris (saxophone, piano, fender rhodes, synths, EWI, clarinet, flute)

featuring

Freddy Sheed (drums, percussion, programming/ Lewis Capaldi, The Japanese House, The 1975)

Jimmy Haslip (bass/ Yellowjackets, Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Lorber Fusion)

Mo Pleasure (piano, hammond b3/ Earth Wind and Fire,

Michael Jackson, Ray Charles)

Karlos Edwards (percussion/ Nitin Sawney, Spice Girls, Mark Ronson)

Henry Collins (trumpet/ Amy Winehouse, Tom Jones, Van Morrison)



Mixed and Mastered by Guy Massey (The Divine Comedy, Kylie, The Beatles)

New album by french rapper Sheldon, including featurings with Chilly Gonzales, Jazzy Bazz, Tuerie, Asfar Shamsi...



Monsters are never where we expect them to be. They take shape in silences, in vague fears, in the baggage we carry without always understanding it. Sometimes, we also encounter them along the course of a life. On this new album, Sheldon chooses to dance with them, to tame them with wit, grace, and a sense of peace.



Following a powerful return with Grünt 75, an iconic format to which the 75e Session collective brought particularly ambitious visual staging, Sheldon unveils a fourth album that unfolds across fourteen tracks like a chiaroscuro landscape, revealing the full depth of his emotional and musical range. Through intimate narratives, the record explores identity (Être une fille), family and fatherhood (La Fenêtre and Les Monstres, the title track), as well as friendship (Eh le reuf). These are themes that run through all of us, approached here with writing that is vivid, demanding, and deeply sensitive.

Driven by a strong narrative arc, the album features songs like Être une fille, which challenges and questions us. On it, Sheldon reflects on his relationship to gender, his doubts and discomfort with the codes of masculinity, and the idea that he has sometimes imagined himself elsewhere. Tracks like La Fenêtre and Avec ça illuminate the album like moments of communion, sincere, warm, and unifying, carried by a childlike lightness that makes tomorrow disappear.

True to his open minded and ever curious artistic approach, Sheldon draws from a wide range of musical genres while keeping rap as the album’s guiding thread, giving each song its own singular identity and contributing to the balance of the whole. To shape the project, Sheldon surrounded himself with a new generation of musicians and beatmakers whose influences span rap, indie rock, pop, and experimental music. Among them are Johnny Ola, who has notably composed for Zamdane, Jazzy Bazz, and Edge, Rodolphe Babignan, Carbonne’s flamenco guitarist, and Jeune Oji, an artist signed to Friends of Friends Music. Together, they bring melodic and acoustic richness, as well as a collective generosity that deepens the album’s intimacy.

This new album also opens the door to new collaborations.

On L’école primaire, Chilly Gonzales joins Sheldon for an unconventional piano and vocals piece, driven by cinematic, deeply intimate storytelling. Using his primary school as a point of reference, Sheldon retraces his path from childhood to adulthood, somewhere between nostalgia and serenity.

On Cowgirl, Tuerie joins Sheldon for a soft, melodic ballad with an 80s tint, capturing the weightlessness of a sunlit summer.

On Sidequest, Sheldon reunites with Asfar Shamsi, who had already appeared on his Grünt. Over a delicate cloud trap production, the two artists open up about everyday pain, finding in introspection a way to put things into perspective.

Finally, Vol de nuit brings Jazzy Bazz and Sheldon together for an intimate exchange over an ethereal, mysterious production, as both artists look back on their journeys with calm and clarity.

Conceived alongside Sheldon’s closest circle, the project celebrates family, friendship, and love as its founding pillars. Sheldon chooses to step away from the images, allowing his story to be embodied instead through the faces and gestures of those around him. This approach runs through all of the project’s visuals. Rejecting the excess of spectacular image making, he chose instead to hand a camera to his loved ones so they could offer their own vision of a song from the album. By opening a small window onto his intimacy, and that of the people closest to him, Sheldon finds a way to say a great deal with very little, turning deeply personal trajectories into something universal.

Like the music videos, the album cover is rooted in a deliberately simple approach, where the fantasy of childhood disrupts reality. Designed by Tenzin, the graphic designer behind Sheldon’s recent projects, Ptite Sœur, and also work for Jul, it is based on an archival photograph taken during a traditional carnival in Tenzin’s native village. With no staging involved, the image captures children in costume mid parade, caught in a spontaneous burst of movement, embodying the free innocence of childhood.



Les Monstres marks a new chapter in Sheldon’s journey. Like a rainbow after the storm, this fourth album reveals new colours in the artist’s discography, as he delivers a record that is both demanding and accessible, intimate and open, one in which music becomes a love letter to friendship and to love itself. Set for release on April 24, 2026, the album will be followed by a tour culminating at La Cigale in Paris on December 3, 2026.

In Sheep’s Clothing announces the long-awaited vinyl pressing of Marc Leclair’s beloved 2005 album Musique pour 3 femmes enceintes. The album will also be available on streaming for the first time via Community Music Group.

For years after Marc Leclair released Musique pour 3 femmes enceintes, he heard from listeners who had lived with the record in an unusually intimate way. Many described how the music became part of the emotional landscape of the months leading to birth. “I never expected that,” Leclair says. “Many women told me they listened to the record throughout their pregnancies. They said it made a real difference, that it helped them. It became more than just a record.”

First issued on CD in the early 2000s, Musique pour 3 femmes enceintes (Music for Three Pregnant Women) now returns in a new edition from In Sheep’s Clothing Hi-Fi, appearing on vinyl for the first time as a double LP. The record is being pressed in Detroit at Archer Record Pressing, the historic plant behind deep-groove classics by Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Underground Resistance, UR’s Jeff Mills, and J Dilla.

Listeners who know the Montreal-based Leclair through his better-known work as Akufen might be surprised by the tone here. During the same years he was shaping the intricate micro-sampling tracks that made Akufen a cult figure on labels including Perlon, Force Inc. and Trapez, Leclair was quietly developing this far more personal project. The meticulous craftsmanship remained the same, though the focus shifted from the hyper-detailed cut-up rhythms of his dance records toward something slower and more atmospheric. “I always compare my work to a jeweler,” Leclair says. “It’s really very precise. I’m a bit of a detail freak. I can spend hours or days on just one phrase in one song. Everything has to be perfectly put together.”

The project began almost accidentally. A few members of Leclair’s circle became pregnant nearly simultaneously, including one who had long believed she couldn’t conceive. The first track he recorded for the project wasn’t meant to advance a larger concept, he says. “It was meant to highlight the fact that three of my closest friends became pregnant at exactly the same time.”

Leclair was already a father with a three-year-old daughter, so the emotional terrain of early parenthood was familiar. Gradually the idea expanded. “I began thinking, why not make a whole album that celebrates this and also follows the entire pregnancy, the nine months,” he says. The music developed piece by piece, including a track originally commissioned by the Berlin experimental duo Rechenzentrum that would later become the album’s opening movement.

Nearly seven years passed between the first composition and the finished album, and the music mirrors the strange arithmetic of pregnancy itself. What begins as a single idea multiplies outward, sounds layering and branching until the album feels less like a sequence of compositions than a living process unfolding in time. “I work very slowly,” Leclair says. “Everything has to be something I’m completely behind. I never want to rush anything. I want things to come naturally.” Across its 72 minutes, the album blossoms with the patience of a long meditation on time, growth and emergence.

When Musique pour 3 femmes enceintes first appeared via Mutek, it circulated quietly but steadily. Critics who discovered it later recognized its unusual scope. In a 2006 Pitchfork review, Mark Richardson gave the record an 8.1, calling “150e Jour” “an unfailingly gorgeous and tightly sequenced quilt of guitar and piano samples reminiscent of Tangerine Dream,” and describing “85e Jour” as infused with “viscous pop ambient drift, the gauzy synth pads ebbing and flowing with rhythm.” Boomkat described the album as “a majestic opus from a producer that's always promised so much — here delving into a panoramic construction of almost visibly radiant music that works so beautifully through each and every second of its 72 minute lifespan.”

The new In Sheep’s Clothing Hi-Fi edition finally presents the record in the format Leclair long imagined. “I always thought that record deserved a vinyl edition,” he says. Spread across two LPs, the music now has room to unfold at its natural pace. More than twenty years after it first appeared, Musique pour 3 femmes enceintes remains what it was from the start: a carefully shaped meditation on transformation and the quiet miracle of life beginning.

Cowboy Junkies are set to release Open to Beauty, a collection of songs from their 21st century albums to date. This "Best Of" set will revisit selected tracks from albums "Open", "One Soul Now", "Early 21st Century Blues", "At The End of Paths Taken", "Renmin Park", "Demons", "Sing In My Meadow", "The Wilderness", "All That Reckoning", "Songs of the Recollection" and "Such Ferocious Beauty". Speaking about the new collection, Cowboy Junkies" Michael Timmins said: "We are now 25 years into this century, the beginning of which saw us leave the world of major labels and return to making music as an independent band. We figured this was as good a time as any to look back, reassess, and reflect on the music that we have recorded over these past two and a half decades and, hence, "Open to Beauty - The Best of the 21st Century".

The Voodoo Universe is now complete! The masterpiece combining the Trilogy 1-3 will be released on November 27th and is a magnificent work show of the multifaceted genius.

Concerts by successful musicians often have an air of church-mass: Fans pay homage to their idols, hailing them, giving the impression of following them blindly. Parov Stelar, a globally successful musician from Austria, is one such artist. Is this art of seduction a kind of Voodoo, Black Magic even? Who can tell? It makes no difference whatsoever, as to his fans Parov Stelar easily passes as a High-Priest of grooves that perfectly understands how to put them in ecstasy.

In Voodoo, Bondieu, a higher being communicates to the masses through priests called Loas. Parov Stelar manages to do so with his music. Voodoo Sonic was born and delivered with the idea to replace the conventional album with several EPs, allowing greater musical freedom and the possibility to explore the many sonic landscapes of Voodoo Sonic.

Now the Voodoo Sonic Universe is complete and celebrated with all three parts combined into one ultimate and highly demanded package. It's a Parov Stelar work show which makes it possible to enjoy his diverse sound world in all of its facets.

The Artwork for Voodoo Sonic was designed and painted by Parov Stelar himself. From the art studio to the recording studio, on to the dance floor in the form of art and beats. Parov Stelar is an all in one king of art.

The icing on the cake is the Voodoo Sonic documentary, which can be seen on all Parov Stelar channels available. (coming September 2020).

If you want to see Parov Stelar live, you will get the chance in summer 2021 at festivals in many countries following by a headliner tour across Europe towards the end of the year.

Stephen Houghs vier Klavierkonzerte von Sergei Rachmaninoff gelten seit Langem als Maßstab für dieses
bedeutende Repertoire. Unterstützt vom Dallas Symphony Orchestra unter Andrew Litton kehrte Hough
bewusst zur raschen und schlanken Aufführungstradition des Komponisten selbst zurück. Damit vermeidet
er den sentimentalen „Hollywood“-Ansatz, der für diesen preisgekrönten Rachmaninoff-Zyklus weit verbreitet ist.
Der Titel erscheint als limitierte Edition auf drei 180-g-LPs in einer vollfarbigen Gatefold-Hülle und enthält umfangreiche Begleittexte. Erstmals innerhalb dieser Reihe wurden die Aufnahmen von Sidney Claire
Meyer in den Emil Berliner Studios (EBS) gemastert – dem renommierten Team hinter den Serien „Original
Source“ (DG) und „Pure Analogue“ (Decca).

Darauf haben die Fans gewartet: Tank and the Bangas lassen nach “Green Balloon“ (2019) und “Red
Balloon” (2022) mit “The Last Balloon” jetzt den dritten, besonders energiegeladenen und tanzbaren
Albumballon steigen. Die Band aus New Orleans wird von der charismatischen Frontfrau und Lyrikerin
Tarriona ”Tank“ Ball angeführt und gewann letztes Jahr den Grammy für das ”Best Spoken Word Poetry”-
Album.
“The Last Balloon” ist erneut ein knallbunter Mix aus Soul, Hip-Hop, R&B und Jazz und präsentiert Kollaborationen mit den Sängerinnen Ledisi und Jelly Joseph, der Musikerin Iman Omari und dem Pianisten Tane
Runo. Das Album balanciert zwischen Momenten tiefer Verletzlichkeit und Ausbrüchen überschäumender
Energie – ganz im Sinne der legendär dynamischen Live-Auftritte der Gruppe.

Zwischen 1958 und 1961 arbeiteten Trompeter Donald Byrd und Baritonsaxofonist Pepper Adams bei
einer ganzen Reihe von Aufnahmen zusammen, wobei mal der eine und mal der andere als Session-Leader
fungierte. Das im Mai 1961 eingespielte Album “The Cat Walk” gehört zu den besten Aufnahmen dieses
Gespanns. Mit Unterstützung einer von Pianist Duke Pearson angeführten Rhythmusgruppe laufen die
beiden Bläser hier zu Hochform auf. Bis auf eine Nummer besteht das Programm ausschließlich aus swingenden Hard-Bop-Originalen von Byrd und Pearson.

Fika Recordings are pleased to present Bring On The Apathy, the third solo record from Scottish songwriter Adam Ross. Adam Ross is an indie-folk songwriter based in north-east Scotland. He is a solo artist and has also led the cult indie band Randolph's Leap for over a decade, releasing music with legendary Fence Records and Lost Map as well as Olive Grove Records and Fika Recordings. He is known for his unique brand of articulate lyricism which blends humour, poignancy, wordplay and offbeat stories.. “Bring On The Apathy” was recorded onto tape, using traditional analogue techniques at Glasgow’s Green Door Studio with Samuel J. Smith. It showcases some of the most emotionally open, lyrically deft and characterful songwriting so far from one of Scotland’s most accomplished writers. The vintage recording approach brings a warmth and intimacy to a record which is in equal parts raw and organic while also beautifully arranged and performed as Adam is joined by a raft of excellent collaborators. The album itself is a reaction. Whether it be in the title, the lyrical content or the method in which the sounds were captured. “I was feeling fairly down and uninspired about the musical landscape” Adam explains. “The risk with digital recording where every instrument is overdubbed separately is that it can end up sounding metronomic, sterile and lacking personality.

I also started to get a bit freaked out by the topic of AI-generated music and the insidious, creeping impact it’s already having. I therefore decided that, as a bit of a protest, I wanted to make something that sounded extra-specially human and hand-crafted, where you could hopefully hear the interplay between musicians.” For this reason, Adam decided to record the majority of the album live, as a band, playing together in the same room without a click track. “I’d put a band together to tour my last album, Littoral Zone, and I really enjoyed the way we all worked together. Green Door Studio was chosen as the destination as it specialises in analogue sound production but it had an extra significance for Adam. “Green Door was the first studio I ever recorded in, back in 2009. This time around, the “unforgiving” nature of tape recording became an inspiration. “The musicians on the record are such great players that they rarely make mistakes, so there was a confidence there that we wouldn’t need to rely on copious amounts of editing or post-production, which isn’t always possible with tape anyway. The core band consisted of Owen Curtis-Williams on drums, Cameron Maxwell on bass, Pedro Cameron on violin, Gillian Fleetwood on harp and (long-time collaborator with Randolph’s Leap) Pete MacDonald on piano. Mercury Prize-nominated artist C Duncan was drafted in to write and perform backing vocal arrangements along with Amanda Nizich and Gillian Fleetwood. Adam says “I’d been listening to a lot of Bob Dylan, Karen Dalton and Bill Callahan records and I thought it might be interesting to apply those sorts of influences to my brand of Scottish quirk-pop”.

Since their ground-breaking US debut the Amigos have lived a double life. In their hometown of Caracas, Venezuela, they"ve hosted underground club nights for years (the most recent called "Super Sancocho Variety"). Then, insouciant single-entendre songs like "Sexy" and the doggy-style anthem "Ponerte En Cuatro" landed them on MTV and radio, and before long, the six young men found themselves pop idols. It wasn"t hard, but their hearts remain on the dance floor and in the clubs. AREPA 3000 is live instruments, start to finish. "Electronic music tries to simulate human sounds," says the guitarist. "It"s really easy to buy a groove box or an 808 to make us sound like techno. So we try to get those sounds from our instruments, to go the other way. Make the human sounds sound electronic. When we do our club shows, I"ll spin before our set and we"ll add live instrumentation. We can play four, five hours like that.

After a short break, Vibes and Grooves is back with Collab Grooves Part 2. Following the success of our initial collaborative venture, we continue our mission of uniting visionary producers under a single sonic umbrella. This time Jemaho, Shaka and DFRA come together for another deep collaboration.
With “Joudia’s Groove (Drifting Away – The DAT Version)” on the A side, we are delighted to have Jemaho on board. He delivers an outstanding, warm and soulful vocal house cut driven by a smooth, uplifting groove and rich musical depth. With its unique tape sound aesthetic, a true masterpiece. Certainly a future club classic.
The B side opens with „Sparkling Soul“ from label resident Shaka. A jazzy house affair that blends vibrant piano melodies, a hypnotic lead synth line, and a tight bassline. It radiates warmth, sophistication, and an ever-present sense of romance.
The second track comes from DFRA, the man from Buenos Aires, who is already well known on the label for his outstanding tracks from the latest Collab Grooves. With “New York Style”, DFRA delivers a deep house tune shaped by warmth, restraint, and a steady underground groove. Subtle textures and raw rhythms create a smooth, flowing atmosphere that feels natural and unforced.
Timeless in feel and refined in production, Collab Grooves Part 2 captures an effortless flow that speaks directly to both the heart and the dancefloor.

Soul legend Gwen McCrae’s All This Love gets a fresh dancefloor reinterpretation from Tokapi Disco Team, the German production duo known for their work with million-selling act Sash!. Ben Liebrand adds his signature touch with extended groove-driven edits, crafted with DJs firmly in mind. Tokapi Disco Team blends a warm, rounded kick with subtle percussion and a light shuffle that keeps the rhythm flowing effortlessly. A rolling, funk-inflected bassline locks in with Chic-inspired piano chords, while tasteful disco strings lift the arrangement throughout. Gwen’s unmistakable vocal remains the emotional centerpiece — rich, soulful and timeless.

The result is a seamless nu-disco and disco-house crossover that bridges classic soul heritage with contemporary club energy.

THIS is Gwen—this is ESSENTIAL.

Mysticisms’ returns to the music of the Conscious Sounds label and their short-lived but highly prized Dub meets Funk project, Dub Specialists. Created by label head Dougie Waldrop and Chris Petter (Love Grocer) to explore their interest in samplers and a love of Funk and Jazz.

A hugely respected “Digital” and “Roots Reggae” label, Conscious Sounds has been a mainstay of the East London digidub sound for over 30 years. Dub Specialists released 3 albums on the Crispy Music sub label, they have recently gained considerable interest in digger circles, with rising prices to match.

As with their first Dubplate outing, the release features extended re-edits by the label and friends, this time featuring versions by Lexx, Miles J Paralysis, Chuggy and Vanity Project. Working with the simplicity and skill of his studio craft, Dougie utilised the Atari 1040, Cubase and Soundcraft mixer to effect. Petters’ chords sit atop reggae basslines, funk samples, loops and this time, a heavy dose of cut up vocals in to the mix.

While the first EP came from their debut album, Breat To Break, here the source material for the re-edits comes, in the main, from their second outing “Dub To Dub Beat To Beat”. A more expansive album that also dipped in to 4/4 rhythms and touches of House / Techno.

Opening track Dynamic Duo is a 4/4 stepper bomb – with samples from Adam West’s iconic interpretation of Batman – expertly extended by long-standing DJ, producer and edit master, Zurich’s own Alex Storrer aka Lexx, who dials things to max for a club stop. A new name on many lips, Miles J Paralysis takes it all back down with a beautifully drawn out, acid-tinged tripper. Bumpin’, the mid-tempo groove sucks you in, psychedelic and mind expanding.

The flip returns to the more traditional Dub Specialist vibes of Breaks’n’Funk’ cut ups, first with (co-)label head Chuggy’s faithful extension of Heavy Dub. Featuring the classic Ijahman Levi’s vocal, the breaks flow and piano / horns stab, a dance floor shaker for the discerning. To close, secret studio fixer to many, Matt Bruce again dons his Vanity Project moniker to perfectly tease and live dub (out) the half-stepper, Reality Dub and close this latest in the Dubplate series.

Beat The Mystery.

Renowned Italian jazz master Nicola Conte presents an incandescent limited edition 7" single for Record Store Day 2026. "Terra Em Transe" and "Naquela Base" are brand new tracks from sessions for Conte's forthcoming Far Out Recordings album, drawing deep from early 70s Brazilian jazz and modal hard bossa while underlining the vital role of the arts in social and political struggle.

In Nicola's own words: "Terra Em Transe' is a dedication to visionary director Glauber Rocha and to all free thinkers willing to portray the conflicts, contradictions and lies of those in power around the world." The original composition takes inspiration from Milton Nascimento's vocal harmonies and Tamba 4's sophisticated samba-jazz.

'Naquela Base' is a stunning reinvention of João Donato's classic: pure modal hard bossa recorded entirely live in the studio. Inspired by samba-jazz classics like Tenório Jr.'s "Embalo" and Paulo Moura's "Fibra", the track is carried beautifully by Teppo Mäkynen's masterful drumming, with solos from Gaetano Partipilo on alto saxophone and Pietro Lussu on piano, supported by Ameen Saleem on double bass and Abdissa Assefa on percussion.

Having released music with Blue Note, Impulse! and Schema records, Nicola Conte's relationship with Far Out Recordings has produced his acclaimed Umoja project, his five-part Viagem compilation series, and most recently Viaggio, a compilation exploring Italy's library music renaissance from 1970-79.

'Terra Em Transe / Naquela Base' will be released as a limited edition 7" single for Record Store Day 2026 via Far Out Recordings.

Fresh from the critically embraced full-length LP/CD, Downward Staircase now arrives in a special remix release - answering the persistent calls from supporters of Joaquin "Joe" Claussell who have been demanding a 12" single. The wait is over.

Downward Staircase is an Afro-Jazz House composition crafted in a way only Joaquin himself can manifest. Layered with masterful percussion from a host of renowned players, the groove is both infectious and deeply rooted. The rhythm section drives with purpose, creating the perfect foundation for the stunning piano work of Joaquin's longtime production partner and favored pianist. The result is a powerful Afro-dance journey - spiritual, percussive, and built to ignite dance floors wherever it's played.

But that's not all.

Also featured on this EP is another Joaquin Joe Claussell remix titled Kwelo, featuring Afro-dance originator Mr. Jephte Guillaume. A collaboration rich in heritage and forward motion, it further expands the sonic landscape of this release.

This project has been over a year in the making - a true labor of dedication and persistence. We're incredibly excited for its release, and we know our loyal following shares that excitement. In many ways, it was your continued support that helped bring this record into existence.

Don't sleep.
.
Enjoy the Journey

BLARF is comedian and actor Eric André’s musical project. Most people know Eric as an actor (Bad Trip, Happy Gilmore 2, and The Righteous Gemstones), and for his surreal, boundary-pushing comedy career, with an eponymous Emmy Award-winning show on Adult Swim and standup shows toured around the world. But few know Eric André as a bona fide musician who attended the prestigious Berklee School of Music, where he specialized in standing bass.
BLARF brings his disruptive energy to a new body of work that is both an extended comedic bit and entirely, unironically serious: Film Scores For Films That Don’t Exist. Inspired by composers like Ennio Morricone and Vangelis, whose signature sound is as iconic as the films they soundtracked, Eric enlisted a full orchestra to bring his compositions to life, recording in Los Angeles and Budapest.

A hushed and intimate reimagining of a landmark indie classic, Grandaddy’s The Sophtware Slump… On a Wooden Piano—originally released in 2011—returns in a limited Eco-Mix “Tangelo” vinyl pressing. On this version, Jason Lytle transforms the album’s lush, synth-driven arrangements into stark piano meditations, highlighting the fragile humanity at the core of the songs.

Reissue of South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim's classic 1986 LP Water From An Ancient Well on magenta coloured vinyl It features the pianist/ composer with a very strong septet, including such superior musicians as tenor saxophonist Ricky Ford , altoist Carlos Ward , baritonist Charles Davis, and trombonist Dick Griffin who are heard at their most creative and emotional on these eight Ibrahim originals. Many of the songs (particularly "Mandela," "Song for Sathima," "Water From an Ancient Well," and the beautiful "The Wedding") are among Abdullah Ibrahim's finest compositions

First Word Records proudly present the second single from Above The Clouds (aka kidkanevil & Magic Manfred), taking on another underground hip hop classic, 'Change'.

'Change' was originally performed by Shadez of Brooklyn, produced by Da Beatminerz and most notably appeared on DJ Premier's legendary 'New York Reality Check 101' mix compilation back in 1997.

This 7" vinyl release follows on from last Summer's MF DOOM cover 'Arrow Root', which received strong support from the likes of Japan's DJ Koco and Philadelphia's DJ Jazzy Jeff.

This new instrumental reinterpretation also features cuts by Leicester-based turntablist, Jon1st - a DMC World Online Champion, as well as being a producer & musician in his own right, collaborating on music with a number of hip hop, D&B and electronic artists.

One of the original First Word roster, UK Producer/DJ and all-round laptop music geek kidkanevil has developed a distinctive and progressive sound over the years, gleefully exploring the beats and bleeps of the electronic music universe to international recognition. Leeds born, sound system bred and raised on a (un)healthy diet of video games and anime, his solo work inhabits the curious space between bass frequencies and otaku culture. But as a devoted teenage backpack rap nerd, somewhere in the back of kid's mind was a lingering desire to reconnect with his first love, hip hop.

Not long after moving to Berlin he joined a studio space in graffiti plastered Kreuzberg, where he met multi instrumentalist wizard Magic Manfred; a disciple of all things boogie, disco, funk and soul. Born and raised in Berlin, and currently a touring musician for many an act, Manfred's musical map joins the dots from piano lessons at four, to starting a band with his teenage friends, leading him to his true calling - the bass - via the club vibrations of his hometown, which introduced him to the world of DJing and production, and a stint studying in the explosive London jazz scene to finalise his Jedi training.

Bonding over their mutual love of '90s hip hop, a friendship and musical kinship developed, coupled with a desire to honour past eras but push things forward, Above The Clouds was born; named after their joint favourite DJ Premier beat, with a touch of irony regarding their basement based studio of a windowless variety.

kidkanevil explains further "We started the project with a few covers, just as a way to get warmed up and in a certain creative headspace, of which 'Change' by Shadez Of Brooklyn was one. We both loved DJ Premier's 'New York Reality Check 101' mix when we were teenagers and this track was a favourite. The elements really lent themselves to live interpretation, and as an instrumental there was space to bring some nice movement with the bass and stuff. Hopefully we found the balance between paying tribute and finding our own pocket. For the final seasoning we hit up the homie and turntable wizard Jon1st to recreate the cuts, of which he did an immaculate job of course.

The b-side 'Urgh' is one of our favourite beats we've made so far; the title is just how it makes us feel! We actually recorded the piano with two iphones as left and right and it sounded kinda cool so we went with it..."

'Change / Urgh' is released on limited 7" vinyl & digital platforms, April 24th 2026.

First Word Records is extremely proud to welcome back Kaidi Tatham, with a brand new 12-track album entitled 'Don't Rush The Process'.

This is Kaidi's 4th solo album under his own name, following on from 'An Insight To All Minds' (2021), 'It's A World Before You' (2018), and 'In Search Of Hope' (re-pressed in 2020), all released on First Word, along with several EPs from 2017 onwards.

To bring you up to speed, Kaidi Tatham is a legendary multi-instrumentalist born in the Midlands and based in Belfast. Once dubbed "the UK's Herbie Hancock" by Benji B, he's a virtuoso on the keys and a true innovator in sound production as one of the original creators of the Broken Beat sound. Over the years his musical prowess has blessed numerous projects, recently with the likes of DJ Jazzy Jeff, Andrew Ashong and with longtime accomplice, Dego. This in addition to session and remix work for artists such as Mulatu Astatke, Slum Village, Marcos Valle, Amy Winehouse, Soul II Soul, Nubya Garcia, Rosie Frater-Taylor and Leroy Burgess, along with First Word label mates Eric Lau, Children of Zeus, Allysha Joy and Darkhouse Family. Kaidi is also a revered DJ known for rocking parties globally, whilst his solo catalogue spans tons of EPs and releases for labels such as Dego's 2000 Black, Alex Nut's Eglo Records and Theo Parrish's Sound Signature.

This new album 'Don't Rush The Process' opens with an intro of sweet strings on 'Mystery Solved', ahead of lead title track, which is on a mid-tempo boom bap vibe, before switching to a more uptempo boogie vein, with the assistance of The Easy Access Orchestra, who also appear on 'We Chillin' Out', which is on a similar boogie tip. 'All I Need' is some gospel flavoured hip hop, whilst 'Knocknee Donkey' steps things up in a jazz-funk fashion. The second half of the album takes on a very Brazilian flavoured stance, with a set of delicious latin flavoured grooves on 'Any Flavour', 'Runnin' Tru', 'What A Dream' and 'Sooretama', the latter featuring the additional prowess of pianist Robert Mitchell. There's a touch more of the hip hop beats thrown in via 'Funky Fool' and the album closes out in inimitable Kaidi style with a short message: 'Mind Yourself'.

A hugely prolific artist, here he adds to an already impressive catalogue, a body of work that falls within the cracks of jazz and dance music, exemplifying modern British black brilliance; uncompromising, innovative, groundbreaking, intricately sophisticated and deeply funky. His fanbase expands on every release and it's no surprise that that fanbase includes a diverse set of peers such as Madlib ("ahead of his time"), Gilles Peterson ("a key part of an entire movement"), K15 ("a limitless source of inspiration") and Kyle Hall.

'Don't Rush The Process' is released on vinyl & digital worldwide, July 2022 via First Word Records.

After standout collaborations with Christophe Honoré and Bertrand Mandico, Calypso has signed with Pop Noire for the original soundtrack of Caroline Deruas’ film Les Immortelles. She unveils her new single, L’Homme Poisson, a gem of magnetic pop. With this ultra-catchy track, she reinvents 70s synth-pop with her signature poetry—both modern and timeless.


With Les Immortelles, Calypso Valois does more than accompany the film: she becomes its sonic soul. Each track—from enchanting choruses to rich instrumentation (piano, synths, strings, brass)—immerses the listener in a dreamlike universe, where music weaves the emotional thread. A singular cinematic experience, infused with mystery and magic. Whether you’re a fan of sophisticated pop, evocative soundtracks, or simply seeking an enchanting musical journey, this album transcends the boundaries of genre and era.
The film opened the Venice Film Festival and continues to make waves at festivals before its release a on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.

Evergreen In Your Mind, the new and third album from Norwegian singer-songwriter Juni Habel, exists in two worlds at the same time. Songs were recorded in quiet corners of her home, on the piano in the school where she works, and it uses the physical world around her to provide percussion. It also takes place, as she herself attests, within a dream; an imagined place in which her desire for oneness with each other and the world around us is finally realised.

Evergreen In Your Mind was recorded with co-producer Stian Skaaden, it’s Habel’s first album in three-years, following the breakthrough success of 2023’s Carvings LP. Formed of eleven new recordings, the songs here remain delicate, Habel’s voice playing an elegant lead role – but there are fluctuations too.

These small shifts in Habel’s sound result in a notable stride forward. More focus went into the groove of these songs. Playfulness was embraced and, perhaps most importantly, patience played a fundamental role in shaping the album with time and care given to every element of these songs. “We always aim to capture effortlessness - but the way of getting there is anything but effortless,” Habel reveals.

This extra time that was given to the project gave Juni the space to nurture her creativity. She would read and listen to music, hike into the hills, place herself within nature and seek out stillness. Not as a deviation from her work but as a fundamental part of the process. It’s a search for connection, and it’s a recurring theme across Evergreen In Your Mind; the polarity between stillness and passion, also our resistance to these desires, and the things we want to live and experience.

The album’s title-track and fist single feels indicative of this narrative. A gorgeous, delicate folk song, it finds Habel out in the woods, hiding from real life, caught in the space between the natural world and the pull of modernity. “It’s nostalgic. It’s about looking back and realizing things will be different,” Habel says. “Its about visualizing something beautiful in your head that you keep clinging onto.”

The album cover for Evergreen In Your Mind also adds shimmer. A striking photograph of Juni among the mountains, it was taken on a day trip to Rondane, a five-hour drive each way from her home. Habel explains. “It was awe-inspiring to drive all the way up into the high mountains, with its wide plains and intense colours. For an album with music that at times likes to hide itself, I think it fitted nicely with such an epic, grand, and powerful landscape.”

"Fans of Nick Drake, Karen Dalton and Neil Young will find much to enjoy in this musical equivalent of an evening spent alone by the fireside.” The Times

Verve Vault ist die preisgünstigere LP-Serie des legendären Verve-Labels. Alle Titel werden von Ryan K.
Smith bei Sterling Sound von den analogen Originalbändern geschnitten und gemastert, bei Optimal auf
180-Gramm-Vinyl gepresst. Faksimiles der ikonischen Artworks, je nach Original in Gatefold- oder SingleSleeve-Hüllen.
Marcos Valle - Samba ’68
Obwohl der brasilianische Sänger, Songwriter, Pianist und Gitarrist Marcos Valle oft der zweiten Generation der Bossa Nova zugerechnet wird, hat er sich auch einen Namen als einer der besten modernen
Samba-Komponisten gemacht. Internationale Bekanntheit erlangte Valle 1968 durch sein einziges VerveAlbum “Samba ‘68”, auf dem er elf seiner groovenden Songs präsentierte, darunter natürlich auch sein wohl
bekanntestes Stück “Samba de Verão” aka “So Nice (Summer Samba)”. Das Album ist längst ein RareGroove-Klassiker und laut AllMusic “eines der besten brasilianischen Crossover-Alben der 1960er Jahre”.
Die luftigen Arrangements schrieb der ebenfalls aus Brasilien stammende legendäre Eumir Deodato.

Pete Lambrou, the visionary composer and multi-instrumentalist behind VLMV (pronounced "Alma"), is one of the most singular voices emerging from the ambient, post-rock, and experimental scenes in the UK. With a career that spans atmospheric solo work, film and television scoring, and evocative live performance, Lambrou has carved out a distinctive sonic universe he describes as "ambient-ish post-something" (Pete Lambrou) a playful yet accurate summation of a sound that is at once genre-fluid and deeply immersive. The album takes its title from Sara Teasdale's 1918 poem and Ray Bradbury's later short story, both of which imagine a world continuing quietly after humanity's disappearance. This idea became the gravitational centre around which the record formed. Written during a period of deep engagement with climate fiction and ecological thought, `There Will Come Soft Rains` reflects on humanity's legacy, its technological ambition, and its uneasy relationship with the natural world. A century on from Teasdale's poem, the balance of power feels less certain, and Lambrou's music inhabits that tension with remarkable subtlety. "The initial ideas stem mostly from chaos, randomness or sound exploration and then get shaped as I go. Typically, and certainly for this album. It's evolved since album 1, which was more song / chord based. It's a fun process of finding the sound and then working out whether it's speaking to me - or merely just a cool noise. That's fun, but it sometimes can't evolve or progress, so then begins the long journey of shaping it into some sort of song format - which doesn't have to be a-typica,l but whatever feels right to me. The subject matter and overall theme is important too - it's got to all make sense within itself. There's no point having a slowly creeping theme and then rush the music." (Pete Lambrou) VLMV embody an emotional honesty that works with patience and nuance. Whether you're encountering his music for the first time or returning to its quiet depths, VLMV offers an aural space that resonates long after the final note fades. Lambrou's singular sonic language sits at the intersection of ambient, post-rock, modern classical, and experimental electronic music, while remaining unmistakably human at its core. "Instrumentally it's far more synth based - as soon as I had the concept, I wanted to make sure technology clash and marry with traditional instruments (at different times) in a sort of slow-moving dance I suppose. One is nature, one is human development and technology. Sometimes working together and sometimes in opposition. On my previous albums I'd say that at least half of the tracks started life as songs, whereas with `There Will Come Soft Rains` I think the majority (if not all) started as experiments in sound." (Pete Lambrou) Sonically, the album is VLMV at its most cinematic and textural. Warm, intimate piano figures and elegiac string arrangements are set against unstable modular synthesis, fractured rhythms, and evolving sound design. The organic and the artificial are locked in a slow, shifting dialogue, mirroring the album's central themes. At times the music feels tender and nostalgic, at others unpredictable and mournful, yet it never tips into despair. Instead, a quiet resilience runs throughout the record. "The album is slightly unusual in that it was mixed in Dolby Atmos before being mixed down to stereo. Most, if not all, do it the other way round. That's because I got to work with a superb mix engineer who just happens to live opposite. It was extremely random and lucky, moving to a tiny hamlet in the South of England and there being a Dolby Atmos studio opposite with a genius of an engineer. We had in mind that we would do it this way round and enjoy the mix process and give everything its own space - it still had issues when folding down to stereo, but overall a more pleasurable mix!" (Pete Lambrou) There Will Come Soft Rains has a geological sense of time: themes creep, expand, erode, and reform, resisting conventional structures in favour of something more patient and immersive. Each sound exists because it needs to; they move, recede, and emerge with a three-dimensional clarity that enhances the music's cinematic quality, giving each element room to breathe while maintaining an enveloping sense of cohesion. Lambrou's unique voice is Intimate and fragile, his vocals hover above the instrumentation, a guiding thread through the expansive soundscapes, drawing listeners closer into the emotional core of each piece. "Long time vocal collaborator Anja Madhvani did lots of harmonies on the album - I wanted to include her voice as much as possible on this album. In terms of string players - 3/4 have been long term collaborators with me. Marie Schreer actually recorded all strings on my first album ALMA, and Fraser & Clodagh have worked on every album (and occasional live shows) since Stranded Not Lost. In terms of art - Joel Cammarata designed the cover, and accompanying art - he designed Sing With Abandon and I absolutely adore his work, but also - he's so great at understanding and developing and capturing the concept." (Pete Lambrou) Layered harmonies drift through the music like distant signals or half-remembered voices. Madhvani's presence adds a human fragility to the album's vast soundscapes, reinforcing the sense of memory and longing that runs beneath the surface. The strings, performed by a close circle of trusted collaborators, further ground the record in warmth and physicality, acting as a counterweight to the synthetic elements that threaten to unravel it. "Despite the heavy subject matter, I wanted to create an album that imparts hope and optimism, marrying traditional instrumentation as nostalgia, with technological innovation through the randomness of modular synths." (Pete Lambrou) The partnership with Pelagic Records feels both organic and significant. Known for championing artists who value emotional weight, sonic ambition, and artistic integrity, the label provides a natural home for VLMV's work. Lambrou's music shares Pelagic's ethos: immersive, patient, and unafraid of scale whether intimate or vast. With There Will Come Soft Rains, Pete Lambrou has crafted a work that feels timely without being didactic, expansive without being overwhelming. It stands as a quiet, but powerful statement that lingers long after the final notes fade. FOR FANS OF Sigur Ros * Olafur Arnalds * Radiohead * Keaton Henson * This Will Destroy You

Pete Lambrou, the visionary composer and multi-instrumentalist behind VLMV (pronounced "Alma"), is one of the most singular voices emerging from the ambient, post-rock, and experimental scenes in the UK. With a career that spans atmospheric solo work, film and television scoring, and evocative live performance, Lambrou has carved out a distinctive sonic universe he describes as "ambient-ish post-something" (Pete Lambrou) a playful yet accurate summation of a sound that is at once genre-fluid and deeply immersive. The album takes its title from Sara Teasdale's 1918 poem and Ray Bradbury's later short story, both of which imagine a world continuing quietly after humanity's disappearance. This idea became the gravitational centre around which the record formed. Written during a period of deep engagement with climate fiction and ecological thought, `There Will Come Soft Rains` reflects on humanity's legacy, its technological ambition, and its uneasy relationship with the natural world. A century on from Teasdale's poem, the balance of power feels less certain, and Lambrou's music inhabits that tension with remarkable subtlety. "The initial ideas stem mostly from chaos, randomness or sound exploration and then get shaped as I go. Typically, and certainly for this album. It's evolved since album 1, which was more song / chord based. It's a fun process of finding the sound and then working out whether it's speaking to me - or merely just a cool noise. That's fun, but it sometimes can't evolve or progress, so then begins the long journey of shaping it into some sort of song format - which doesn't have to be a-typica,l but whatever feels right to me. The subject matter and overall theme is important too - it's got to all make sense within itself. There's no point having a slowly creeping theme and then rush the music." (Pete Lambrou) VLMV embody an emotional honesty that works with patience and nuance. Whether you're encountering his music for the first time or returning to its quiet depths, VLMV offers an aural space that resonates long after the final note fades. Lambrou's singular sonic language sits at the intersection of ambient, post-rock, modern classical, and experimental electronic music, while remaining unmistakably human at its core. "Instrumentally it's far more synth based - as soon as I had the concept, I wanted to make sure technology clash and marry with traditional instruments (at different times) in a sort of slow-moving dance I suppose. One is nature, one is human development and technology. Sometimes working together and sometimes in opposition. On my previous albums I'd say that at least half of the tracks started life as songs, whereas with `There Will Come Soft Rains` I think the majority (if not all) started as experiments in sound." (Pete Lambrou) Sonically, the album is VLMV at its most cinematic and textural. Warm, intimate piano figures and elegiac string arrangements are set against unstable modular synthesis, fractured rhythms, and evolving sound design. The organic and the artificial are locked in a slow, shifting dialogue, mirroring the album's central themes. At times the music feels tender and nostalgic, at others unpredictable and mournful, yet it never tips into despair. Instead, a quiet resilience runs throughout the record. "The album is slightly unusual in that it was mixed in Dolby Atmos before being mixed down to stereo. Most, if not all, do it the other way round. That's because I got to work with a superb mix engineer who just happens to live opposite. It was extremely random and lucky, moving to a tiny hamlet in the South of England and there being a Dolby Atmos studio opposite with a genius of an engineer. We had in mind that we would do it this way round and enjoy the mix process and give everything its own space - it still had issues when folding down to stereo, but overall a more pleasurable mix!" (Pete Lambrou) There Will Come Soft Rains has a geological sense of time: themes creep, expand, erode, and reform, resisting conventional structures in favour of something more patient and immersive. Each sound exists because it needs to; they move, recede, and emerge with a three-dimensional clarity that enhances the music's cinematic quality, giving each element room to breathe while maintaining an enveloping sense of cohesion. Lambrou's unique voice is Intimate and fragile, his vocals hover above the instrumentation, a guiding thread through the expansive soundscapes, drawing listeners closer into the emotional core of each piece. "Long time vocal collaborator Anja Madhvani did lots of harmonies on the album - I wanted to include her voice as much as possible on this album. In terms of string players - 3/4 have been long term collaborators with me. Marie Schreer actually recorded all strings on my first album ALMA, and Fraser & Clodagh have worked on every album (and occasional live shows) since Stranded Not Lost. In terms of art - Joel Cammarata designed the cover, and accompanying art - he designed Sing With Abandon and I absolutely adore his work, but also - he's so great at understanding and developing and capturing the concept." (Pete Lambrou) Layered harmonies drift through the music like distant signals or half-remembered voices. Madhvani's presence adds a human fragility to the album's vast soundscapes, reinforcing the sense of memory and longing that runs beneath the surface. The strings, performed by a close circle of trusted collaborators, further ground the record in warmth and physicality, acting as a counterweight to the synthetic elements that threaten to unravel it. "Despite the heavy subject matter, I wanted to create an album that imparts hope and optimism, marrying traditional instrumentation as nostalgia, with technological innovation through the randomness of modular synths." (Pete Lambrou) The partnership with Pelagic Records feels both organic and significant. Known for championing artists who value emotional weight, sonic ambition, and artistic integrity, the label provides a natural home for VLMV's work. Lambrou's music shares Pelagic's ethos: immersive, patient, and unafraid of scale whether intimate or vast. With There Will Come Soft Rains, Pete Lambrou has crafted a work that feels timely without being didactic, expansive without being overwhelming. It stands as a quiet, but powerful statement that lingers long after the final notes fade. FOR FANS OF Sigur Ros * Olafur Arnalds * Radiohead * Keaton Henson * This Will Destroy You

Hild unites US sound sculptor zake and UK-based rhubiqs in a transatlantic collaboration steeped in plenty of their signature patience and emotional gravity. Across four slow-burning movements, deep drones, hushed piano lines and glacial textures unfold with cinematic allure as vastness and intimacy coexist. Rooted in both artists' post-rock backgrounds, this record feels less composed than discovered, as if each passage emerges organically from silence. There is plenty of fragile beauty in the stillness and looming sense of loss, so this is the sort of record that has a profound effect despite its knowing restraint.

Rhythm N Vibe deals in exactly that across the house and garage spectrum. Marc Cotterell is a mainstay and gets the EP underway with 'I Want You,' a chunky and dirty garage swinger with tumbling bass and steamy vocal coos. Home Team & Greyhound then bring some old school piano magic to their 'Worth The Wait' and UrMUMSBSMT goes deeper with some liquid pads and burning diva vocals on 'Don't Ya.' International Swing Committee shuts down with 'Though Da Storm', which brings some silkier grooves and more light-footed rhythms with another masterfully plunging bass. Pure body music brilliance.

40 Thieves have been part of the Leng family since 2011 during which time they have released many quality singles and EPs as well as their sole full-length album, 2014’s epic The Sky Is Yours. Even so, double A-side ‘Love Is’/’Let Me Show You’ still marks their first release on Leng for almost three years.

In keeping with their signature sound, ‘Love Is’ is trippy, hallucinatory and gently mind-altering, with psychedelic guitar sounds, echoing percussion, and a heady lead vocal courtesy of crew member and Alona, all of which rides a chunky dub disco bassline and chugging mid-tempo beats. Richard Sen, a DJ and producer known for his love of dubbed-out sonics and pulsating grooves, delivers a typically spaced-out and otherworldly rework. Rooting his revision to the dancefloor via an undulating electronic bassline that throbs away restlessly throughout, Sen stretches out the track and emphasises its more trippy elements before introducing dreamier chords and heady vocals with a brilliant interpretation.

On ‘Let Me Show You’, 40 Thieves step things up to deep house tempo while remaining firmly rooted in 21st century San Francisco nu-disco with rich, dubby bass guitar, tactile piano chords, futurist synths and knowing nods to Patrick Cowley productions of the late 1970s and early ‘80s. The track is presented in two forms: the superb ‘Vocal Mix’, where Alona’s vocal rises above the groove and intoxicating electronics, and a genuinely radical and out-there dancefloor focused ‘Dub’. Pushing the track’s wilder and more out-there elements to the max via stripped-back arrangements and a smorgasbord of effects, 40 Thieves re-wire the cut as a heads-down psychedelic disco chugger topped off with wonderfully loved-up chords.

Resonant Duality is an album built around Kyouzon, the Japanese idea of coexistence, where duality and togetherness are always present. The tracks move between light and dark, soft and loud, tension and release, but always come back to a feeling of sharing the same space. So Takahashi, originally from Yokohama, Japan, is a multidisciplinary artist who studied visual communication in New York. Since the late 1990s, he has been active as a composer and performer within electronic music, noted for his minimalistic melodies, sample manipulation, and unique sense of composition. Having released nine releases since 1999, he has lived and worked in Oslo, Norway in recent years, where "Resonant Reality" marks his tenth release. Charles Lynch, born in Tours, France, began his musical journey with classical piano at an early age before expanding his studies to art, visual communication, and design in Paris. Under the artist name A Saner Lynch, he has released two classical music albums, blending his background in classical performance with a contemporary artistic sensibility. The two musicians met in Oslo, Norway, a decade ago. Their shared interests in both classical and electronic music led them to collaborate, merging their distinct backgrounds and creative visions. Together, they compose music that reflects their combined influences, bridging the worlds of classical tradition and electronic innovation.

Laurel Halo returns with an album of original soundtrack music, composed for the film Midnight Zone by visual artist Julian Charrière. Following the path of a drifting Fresnel lighthouse lens as it descends through the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone — a remote abyssal plain in the Pacific Ocean, rich in rare metals and increasingly targeted for deep-sea mining — the film traces a descent into one of Earth’s last untouched ecosystems.


Charrière’s film reveals the deep not as void, but as a luminous biome teeming with fragile life: bioluminescent creatures, swirling schools of fish, and elusive predators. The suspended lens becomes an abyssal campfire, attracting species caught in the tides of uncertainty, their futures hanging in the balance.


Echoing this tension, Halo’s compositions evoke a sensory freefall, where gravity falters and light and sound flicker in uncertain rhythms. Midnight Zone is a sonic drift through the space between what we seek to extract, fail to understand, and must protect.


Halo’s score evokes the life that exists beyond our physical airbound capacity. The material features long, subtle passages of electro-acoustic ambient, drone and sound design, slowly flowing and unfolding with rich detail. The music, composed largely on a Montage 8 synthesizer and Yamaha TransAcoustic piano at the Yamaha studios in New York City, possesses an uncanny quality: that of synthetic waveforms being amplified and sung through the stringboard of the physical body of the TransAcoustic piano. Combined with stacks of violin and viol da gamba, the music on Midnight Zone possesses trace elements of a human hand in an otherwise sunken landscape. Patient, submerged, and alive. The album will be the third on Halo’s imprint, Awe.


The film is central to Charrière’s current solo exhibition Midnight Zone. The exhibition engages with underwater ecologies, exploring the complexity of water as an elemental medium affected by anthropogenic degradation. Reflecting upon its flow and materiality, profundity and politics, its mundane and sacral dimensions, the solo show acts as a kaleidoscope, inviting us to dive deep.

"Late '80s and early '90s electronic music has had a steering influence on the Altered Circuits catalog curation, so we are delighted to present an EP by one of the pioneers of that era: Olivier Abbeloos. His 40 years of experience as a producer and DJ translate into a Discogs profile so extensive it reveals his real name alone can be (mis)spelled in 20 different ways. "1993-1994: Rare & Unreleased 1" features five tracks produced under three different aliases, all sourced from the artist's DAT tapes vault, dating back to the prolific two-year period referenced in its title. ALT024 opens with two "Conga Squad" tracks. "Combo" is a high-energy cut driven by a savory staccato chord progression, and "Substitute" works a similar, yet more restrained dynamic, that is, until a boisterous vocal sample enters. The quirky bass lines and moody synth work of "Under The Ground", the first "Holographic Hallucination" inclusion, concludes the A-side. Its twilight atmospherics fit right in amid the B-movie horror electro trending on contemporary dancefloors. The flip opens with "Psychosky", which caters slightly more to a slow-burner vibe and sets the stage for extensive piano work. "Dj Flavour", composed under the "Warp Factor One" alias, closes the EP. Here, the Latin-tinged percussion that runs as a subtle thread throughout the release takes the spotlight, while funky basslines and manipulated vocals add layers of detail. It is the only track on the EP that was already released in 1994, appearing as part of a - by the standards of that era - obscure and very limited 300-copy pressing. Those times sure have changed, but the music still sounds as fresh as ever."

This isn’t a compilation—it’s a vinyl conversation between cities, generations, and musical bloodlines. This inaugural release embodies the spirit of collaboration, community, and cross-generational artistry that defines each artist’s deep musical legacy.

A statement on wax bringing together Glenn Underground, Coflo, Jon Dixon, Kevin Reynolds and sillygirlcarmen, this four-song project documents the shared language of five Artists through deep house, jazz roots, and forward-looking soul. Though these artists have shared DJ booths and dance floors around the world, this release marks a rare moment where their creative voices intertwine on wax. Each track stands on its own, but together they form a continuum—past, present, and future etched into wax. Pressed with intention and made for real systems, this release exists for the heads, the selectors, and anyone who still believes vinyl is where the story lives. Meant to be played—not archived. The kind of tracks that feel alive in the room and grow every time you hear them.

‘Ease’ EP tracks:
Glenn Underground ‘Dive (Into The Deep)’; the Chicago legend & Strictly Jaz Unit co-founder combines deep house, freeform jazz & soul, here in a jazz-infused, laid-back, hypnotic melange of house beat, synth chord riff, rippling arps, with a whisper of disco in the bassline and 80’s electro in the high, singing strings.

Coflo x sillygirlcarmen ‘Never Forget (That Feelin’)’; East Bay CA-based Coflo combines Hawaiian & Portugese roots with a global reach. A collaborative skipping house beat, pattering percussion & melodic jazz synth piano embrace sillygirlcarmen’s soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics. This collaboration marks a merging of emotional storytelling and percussive sophistication.

Jon Dixon ‘Saturday At Northland’; Detroit’s modern jazz & techno fusionist, rooted in long study and prestigious performance of classical & jazz piano both in orchestral and electronic contexts, employs his keyboard virtuosity in a thrilling wave of melodic piano improvisation & complex lively percussion, combining sheer craft with spiritual heft.

Kevin Reynolds ‘I Got Music’; from an Irish/US Detroit family, producer/live artist Reynolds blends techno, jazz, soul, from influences as diverse as 90s underground techno, Kraftwerk & John Coltrane, and roles/performances in multiple prestigious venues & positions. Here, a stealthy beat & Kraftwerk-evoking robotic electro synth theme are joined by a dual vocal used as a riff, while clusters of piano chords flower into jazz motifs.

Coming in extra bloody hot is the 6th release on Disco Combine, harvested from the fields of musical gold by Mr. Dave Lee. First up the epic 'Lovin' You (Was My Mistake)' a throaty Philly-soul favourite , which has been lovingly re-worked into a beefy peak time floor filler. For those who prefer a more dubwise approach, the 'Joanna's Groove' version starts instrumentally with rippling piano, building into a big string finale. On the flip 'How I Love New York' swaggers into your ears with all the class, style & panache you would expect from a jazz-fusion connoisseur living in the big Apple. Don't miss heading to the 'Midtown Dub' if you like things more squelchy and funktified.

Sadeira is a production trio made up of members based in both Brooklyn and Brazil and have dropped some global groove heat on the likes of Let's Play House and London-based Leng. For this one, they drop the first release from Ceci Discos in the form of the original single 'Miscigenacao'. It's a summer, deep cut sound with Balearic, MPB and jazz all colouring the swaying rhythms. Breezy vocals transport you to a coastal setting while the percussion is lively and authentic. The Jacques Renault Rhythmental remix lands more heavy but just as patiently, Diogo Strausz ups the sunshine with his piano-led reverie, and the Saidera Steppers dub is one to crank up nice and loud early in the evening.

Laurant Webb, Dave Coker, Justin Bailey and Dave Pine were the driving forces behind Strange Weather Studios. Based in Southeast London, the studio served as a creative hub, playing a pivotal role in shaping the sound of a groundbreaking genre. Alongside close friends and collaborators, they produced a series of influential records that have left an indelible mark on the music landscape.

This release is a heartfelt tribute to Strange Weather Studios and the talented individuals who brought its magic to life. It also honours the studio’s production partners though iconic projects such as Housey Doingz, 7th Voyage, Space Bunny, Get Fucked and Green Eyed Monster. These projects that were instrumental in forging the signature, original London Tech House sound.

The tracks on this record have been handpicked by Laurant Webb and Yossi Amoyal, meticulously restored and remastered from the rare original DATs.

This release marks a significant milestone for London Tech House, symbolising a collaboration between its key pioneers and a label that evolved alongside the genre. It’s an organic partnership that celebrates the past and looks towards the future. A project we’re incredibly proud to share with you

Calibre announces his new album 'Tricklemore Sea', set for release on vinyl and digital on 1st May via Signature Recordings.

A deeply personal and exploratory body of work, the album moves through ambient, shoegaze, electronic, blues and folk, all subtly shaped by the low-end sensibility that has defined his music for decades. It resists easy categorisation, reflecting an ongoing interest in blending bass culture with forms that sit outside it. Following the release of 'They Want You' at the end of 2025, this new project marks a clear shift in tone. Where that record leans into intensity and forward momentum, 'Tricklemore Sea' turns inward, occupying a more introspective space. Featuring entirely his own vocals and production, it carries a more exposed and vulnerable quality.

The album has taken shape gradually, drawing from material written in the years after 'Planet Hearth'. Rather than forming around a fixed concept, it emerges as a collection of pieces connected by tone and instinct. Tracks move between simplicity and abstraction, with piano-led compositions sitting alongside field recordings, improvisations and bass-driven works. Ideas often begin quickly, then evolve over long periods of revisiting and reworking. His voice takes on a more central role throughout, bringing a heightened sense of vulnerability. Lyrics and delivery are often left open, allowing space for interpretation. His process remains fluid and instinctive, with ideas written quickly, revisited over time and combined across different periods.

Moments such as 'Little Blend' carry a quiet melancholia balanced with hope, while 'Free One' reflects on the pressures of contemporary life. The title track considers the scale of human existence within a wider universe, framing individual lives as small but meaningful within something larger. Elsewhere, 'Deflower' and 'Pigeon Luncheon' draw from recordings made in Berlin at the end of lockdown, capturing a sense of movement and return. Older material, including 'Living In Your Head' and 'Hyndsight', is recontextualised and sits naturally alongside newer work. Threads from his wider catalogue remain present. 'Able Son Dub' nods to longstanding reggae influences, while 'Bit Broken Stream' appears here in a downtempo form alongside its drum and bass counterpart from 'They Want You'. Tracks like 'United Pull' and 'Mizzle Mine' lean further into abstraction, using minimal language and space to suggest mood rather than define it.

Over more than 30 years, Calibre has built a catalogue that moves across drum and bass, ambient, dub, techno, house, jazz, soul, blues and folk. His work is marked by restraint, quiet melancholy and a singular approach that continues to evolve. Complete authorship remains central, with all vocals, lyrics and production on both 'They Want You' and 'Tricklemore Sea' created solely by him. This breadth extends into his DJ sets, where he draws heavily from his own catalogue, often performing entirely self-produced material across a wide range of tempos and styles. His ability to move between contexts has seen him play at Boomtown, Houghton and Atonal Berlin, delivering distinct sets while maintaining a clear identity.

With 'Tricklemore Sea', that identity leans toward stillness, introspection and emotional depth. It is a record that prioritises feeling over definition, holding space for ambiguity while remaining grounded in a strong sense of authorship. Each release carries an element of exposure, a moment of vulnerability in letting the work go. At its core, the album seeks to capture something fleeting but recognisable, a sense of beauty that sits just beyond language.

He describes it simply: "The river inside of me flowing into the sea."

2026 Repress

Anenon's tenor saxophone breathes an emotive contemplation on loss, meshed with sustained piano and field recordings. 'Moons Melt Milk Light' is a hyper-personal statement contained in a visceral beauty.

LA native Anenon returns with a highly anticipated new album 'Moons Melt Milk Light' on Tonal Union, bearing his most personal, expressive, and arresting works to date. Anenon is the ongoing solo studio and live project of Brian Allen Simon, whom since 2010 has released multiple albums and EPs to critical acclaim, including the highly revered 'Tongue' (2018) and 'Petrol' (2016).

'Moons Melt Milk Light' is direct, efficient, and unwavering in its immediacy. Anenon departs from the electronics of previous works, and embarks on a reductive, almost entirely acoustic approach consisting of piano, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, and field recordings. All of the music was improvised with everything recorded as either a first or second take with no edits. Any layering happened fast and in the moment, and yet the sonic architecture of the whole feels both planned and refined.

"I feel a kinetic and messy honesty that doesn't exist in any of the other music I've ever made. There is also a sense of being settled, of calm. There is no faking it here."

Die US-Kultband veröffentlicht ihr viertes Album.

Als die Idee für ein viertes Album (zum zweiten Mal) aufkam, war American Football klar, dass es düsterer werden würde. Nach einer einjährigen Welttour mit ausverkauften Konzerten zum 25-jährigen Bandjubiläum und der Veröffentlichung eines Coveralbums (mit Songs von Iron & Wine, Ethel Cain, Blondshell, u.a.) tat sich das Quartett mit Produzent/Toningenieur Sonny Diperri (My Bloody Valentine, M83, Kurt Vile) zusammen, um sein bis dato essentiellstes Album aufzunehmen. LP4 verbindet atmosphärische Soundlandschaften mit emotionaler Katharsis im Post-Rock-Stil. Anders als alles, was American Football bisher aufgenommen hat, fügt sie sich dennoch nahtlos in ihren stetig wachsenden und beeindruckenden Katalog ein. LP4 ist ein ambitioniertes künstlerisches Statement einer Band, die die Grenzen von Genre und Kultur immer wieder neu definiert. Es ist ein wunderschönes und vielschichtiges Album, das sich Zeit nimmt, seine Schönheit zu entfalten, während es gleichzeitig die dunkleren Seiten anklingen lässt, die sich so gut wie möglich verbergen. Das Album enthält Gastvocals von Brendan Yates (Turnstile), Wisp und Caithlin De Marrais (Rainer Maria).

Serge Hirsch / LeSerge is a multi-instrumentalist based in Paris.

He plays the violin and keyboards, and composes and produces his own music.

His music blends jazz improvisation, a rhythmic approach drawn from hip-hop, and the sonic experimentation of contemporary bedroom music.
His main band, a trio featuring Noé Bénita on drums and Yungccos on electric bass, aims to create music that is social, joyful and musically demanding, yet never becomes esoteric.
His debut album is set to be released in partnership with Roche Musique in early 2026.
As well as composing and performing his own music, he has collaborated with numerous artists, either as a string arranger or as a producer and pianist. (Bonnie Banane, Shygirl, Lossapardo, Lablue, Swing, Madone...)
He notably made a name for himself during FKJ’s 2020 European tour, where he performed all the support slots alongside electronic music producer CRAYON.
As a bandleader, he has built a solid reputation by performing at numerous venues and residencies at Le Silencio des Près in 2024, at Soho House and at Le Serpent à Plume. He also served as deputy musical director at Le Serpent à Plume during the venue’s early years from 2019 to 2025.

Translated with (free version)

Vom Zauber menschlicher Begegnung
Viele kennen seine Musik aus dem Netflix-Blockbuster „Stranger Things“. Doch auch außerhalb von Streaming, Fernsehen und Werbung hat der Neoklassik-Star Peter Sandberg seine musikalischen Spuren hinterlassen und eine große Fangemeinde gefunden: Mit mehr als 500 Millionen Streams gehört der Pianist, Komponist und Elektrotüftler aus Uppsala zu den erfolgreichsten Musikern seines Genres. In seiner Heimatstadt entstand auch seines neues, als Debüt bei Warner erschienenes Konzeptalbum The Temporary Coexistence of Humans, eine Auseinandersetzung mit den verschiedenen Wirkungsweisen menschlicher Begegnung, ihrer Flüchtigkeit und Zufälligkeit, aber auch mit den mal beglückenden, mal verunsichernden emotionalen Folgen, die sie in uns auslösen kann.

When five-time Grammy award winner Taj Mahal intersects with The Phantom Blues Band, it’s one of those rare joints that hits you before you even know you’ve been hit. They walk in, plug in, and the whole room shifts. Studio assassins, road lifers, groove keepers and somehow still hungry. They are an internationally renowned Two-Time Grammy Award winning group. Taj Mahal’s fearless, open-hearted spirit still shadows the whole thing with that genre-hopping joy. He leads you down the road with a history lesson and the Phantoms carry it with honor to the Griot.

Mahal sings and plays harp as he fronts an all-star lineup of legendary musicians with the three ringleaders for the Phantoms--Johnny Lee Schell, the soulful gunslinger with tone for days, Tony Braunagel keeps the whole ship steered straight and on time, every time, and Larry Fulcher, the anchor, the heartbeat, the quiet storm on bass. Additionally, Jon Cleary, with that unmistakable New Orleans piano swagger, Mick Weaver, a session master who’s playing slides in with an undeniable velvet magic, and in the horn section, Joe Sublett on sax and Les Lovitt on trumpet bring the orchestration into the full view of this genre. This band doesn’t ‘back” anybody. They lift you up, carry you, and dare you to rise higher. On this record they slide through blues, soul, R&B, and island color with the ease of men who’ve lived every bit of it. This is deep-groove, grown-folks music from a band that still plays like the night is young. ‘Time’ is their new release on Resonatin’ Records / Thirty Tigers and celebrates over thirty years of making this uplifting inspiring and aspiring music together.

Iconic Atlanta quintet SEVENDUST is back with its 15th studio album, ONE, set for release on May 1, 2026 via Napalm Records. The upcoming full-length LP forges ten simultaneously lean and gut-punching tracks out of gargantuan riffs, seismic grooves, and signature soul-stirring hooks, once again produced by Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Alter Bridge, Falling In Reverse, Mammoth). The group, comprised of Lajon Witherspoon (vocals), Clint Lowery (lead guitar, backing vocals), John Connolly (lead guitar, backing vocals), Vince Hornsby (bass), and Morgan Rose (drums), busts down the door with the first single “Is This The Real You”. Its swaggering fretwork alternately wallops and gallops in lockstep with a pummeling rhythm anchored by thunderous drums. The riff rolls and seethes, and the vocals swing from guttural growls into the embrace of a jazz-y chantable chorus.

A hummable lead ties the bridge together. Echoes of a tensely picked single-note set the tone for “Threshold.” Lajon’s delicate delivery gives way to a contentious distortion-boosted refrain. Then, there’s “Unbreakable,” which has all the makings of a clarion call for the collective and a future live staple. Strains of soft piano slip into the undertow of a towering hook punctuated by a promise, “We were meant to be unbreakable… even when we’re at our lowest lows. And if it gets too cold, I’ll never let you go.” The title track succinctly sums up the record as a whole. Bellowing out of a maelstrom of roaring distortion, Lajon’s voice reaches heavenly heights. For over three decades, SEVENDUST have made countless fans feel a part of something special. The group’s community isn’t passive. Members of the “7D Army” make a very active commitment to being part of this family – as evinced by sold-out shows worldwide and innumerable tattoos of the band’s logo and lyrics. Since 1994, the band has quietly built a legacy without parallel, encompassing sales of nearly eight million albums, a GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Metal Performance,” three Top 15 entries on the Billboard 200, hundreds of millions of streams, and the fierce loyalty of millions of listeners in every corner of the globe.

Fast zwei Jahrzehnte nach der Veröffentlichung des Originalalbums, das mit einem Grammy ausgezeichnet
wurde, lebt die Legende des Buena Vista Social Club mit „Lost and Found“ weiter, einer Sammlung bisher
unveröffentlichter Titel. Einige entstanden bei den legendären ersten Sessions in Havanna mit Produzent
Ry Cooder, andere während der darauffolgenden, außergewöhnlich produktiven Phase.
Das Originalalbum des Buena Vista Social Club wurde 1996 von Ry Cooder und Nick Gold innerhalb von
sieben Tagen in Havanna für World Circuit Records aufgenommen. Es vereinte viele der großen Namen des
goldenen Zeitalters der kubanischen Musik der 1950er-Jahre, von denen einige für die Sessions aus dem
Ruhestand zurückgeholt wurden.
Das Album wurde überraschend zum internationalen Bestseller und zum erfolgreichsten Album in der
Geschichte der kubanischen Musik. Damals ahnte niemand, dass die Platte erst der Anfang eines musikalischen Phänomens sein würde. In den folgenden Jahren tourten die Buena-Vista-Veteranen vor begeistertem
Publikum um die Welt und waren Gegenstand eines gefeierten Spielfilms von Wim Wenders.
Es folgten weitere gefeierte Aufnahmen, darunter Soloalben der Sänger Ibrahim Ferrer und Omara Portuondo, des virtuosen Pianisten Rubén González und des Bassisten Cachaíto López sowie ein mitreißendes
Live-Album, aufgenommen bei einem triumphalen Konzert in der New Yorker Carnegie Hall.
Der Buena Vista Social Club war zu einem bekannten Namen geworden. „Über die Jahre wurden wir oft
gefragt, welches unveröffentlichte Material noch in den Archiven schlummert“, sagt Nick Gold von World
Circuit. „Wir kannten einige Schätze, Favoriten der Musiker, aber wir waren immer zu sehr mit dem
nächsten Projekt beschäftigt, um nachzusehen, was wir sonst noch hatten. Als wir endlich die Zeit dazu
fanden, waren wir erstaunt, wie viel wunderbare Musik es gab.“
Alle Studioaufnahmen für World Circuit entstanden im Egrem-Studio in Havanna während der produktiven
und kreativen Phase nach der Aufnahme des Originalalbums, die bis in die frühen 2000er-Jahre andauerte.
Angereichert mit Live-Aufnahmen aus derselben produktiven Phase, bietet das Material auf „Lost and
Found“ eine enorme und mitunter überraschende Vielfalt. Doch es gibt einen roten Faden, der von einem
Kernteam legendärer Musiker getragen wird, die einen Korpsgeist zum Ausdruck bringen, den jeder, der
jemals vom Buena Vista Social Club verzaubert war, wiedererkennen und genießen wird.

Bei den Aufnahmen, die Pianist McCoy Tyner in den späten 1960er Jahren für Blue Note machte, hatte
er sich in einigen Stücken bereits von afrikanischer Musik inspirieren lassen. Auf dem im September
1970 eingespielten Album “Asante” rückte er diese Einflüsse in vier selbst verfassten Kompositionen mit
einer außergewöhnlichen neuen Band in den Vordergrund. In zwei Stücken ist die Sängerin Songai Sandra Smith mit ihrer ätherischen Stimme als Gast zu hören. Das Album wurde von Blue Note erst 1974
veröffentlicht, nachdem McCoy Tyner bereits eine Reihe sehr erfolgreicher Alben bei seinem neuen Label
Milestone vorgelegt hatte.

Ed Sánchez-Gómez is a Costa Rican-born artist now based in Evanston, Illinois (USA). After a complex relationship with classical guitar at the University of Costa Rica, travels through Europe and Argentina (where he absorbed South American folk), and improvisation studies in Chicago, he has forged a deeply personal sound. Born from profound grief and the global pandemic, “Obras de misericordia” is an intense, moving acoustic album that blends artisanal shoegaze with infinite noise-pop harmonies, Latin folk textures (charango, mandolin, hammered dulcimer) and the languid beauty of John Martyn, The Declining Winter and the Elephant 6 Collective. It explores sounds beyond the guitar — adding musical saw, piano, violin, viola and cello — creating landscapes that shift between introspection and catharsis. It is the most hi-fi lo-fi album you will ever hear. Recorded by Ed between January 2022 and March 2024 in Evanston, IL and Peru, IN; mixed by Abel Hernández (Migala, El Hijo) and mastered by Santiago Quizhpe (Pullpush Studio, Madrid).
Influences from UK shoegaze/post-rock pioneers like Hood, and Disco Inferno add layered, atmospheric depth, connecting to the genre's British revival scene.
An essential title for indie, shoegaze, folk-experimental and RSD sections: perfect for in-store play, window displays and collectors who love intimate, boundary-pushing acoustic records with deep emotional resonance and Latin roots.

In this context Jeroen Swinnen and David Martijn needed to find a musical concept to go hand in hand with the story. They opted for a string quartet and an arsenal of old analogue synths (of the series’ era). Thé perfect match as it turned out. Emphasize the beauty, hope and respect on one hand. Translate the elusive, unjust feeling that is addressed in the series on the other. Apart from these 2 central instruments, an old muted upright piano, played by Jeroen, and a guitar, played by David, were also used to express emotion even more.

Mantra is the first single from The Bluebeaters' upcoming album, due for release in 2026. It is an unusual track in the band's discography, reminiscent more of The Clash's Rock The Casbah than Jamaica. It is a track with a 4/4 beat without the classic Jamaican syncopation typical of The Bluebeaters.

"It's a challenge to the background that has always driven the band. The album will not be entirely in this direction, but we decided to release this single to broaden our range of expression."

Produced by singer Patrick Benifei, aka Pat Cosmo, together with the solid rhythm section of The Bluebeaters, Count Ferdi on drums, Cato Senatore on guitar, Danilo Scuccimarra on piano and organ, and Paolo Parpaglione on saxophone.

It is the first in a series of singles that will form the backbone of the album.

Sung in Italian, Mantra is an original song written by Pat Cosmo.

The B-side is a dub, an instrumental version mixed by Ezra, producer, artist and our co-producer for all the tracks that will be released on the new album.

He has collaborated on many productions that are part of the Caribb Roots world, including Casino Royale and The Uppertones, as well as his own Dub Pigeons.

His studio is the NoMad Studio, located in the San Salvario area of Turin.

Are U Mad At Me marks a huge, cowboy boot-wearing step for the Brooklyn-based songwriter. Fields proves that genre is as fluid as sexuality, as the album saunters across country, pop, disco, grunge, and classical with ease. Across 12 tracks, Fields traverses bangers like power pop lead single “Party Girl” and two-stepping second single “Hands Off The Hat” (co-written with Grammy award-winning songwriter Melody Walker) all the way to tragic ballads like “Apalachicola to Tallahassee” (co-written with Karen Pittelman of Karen & The Sorrows) and the closing “Uncle Charlie’s.” He makes light of gender-neutral bathrooms marked with unicorns instead of stick figures in the guitar-driven “Pronoun Meltdown” and calls out a husband cheating on his wife with another man in the tragicomic ballad of “You Should Tell Your Wife.”

Are U Mad At Me arrives at a pivotal time in the roots music scene and the world at large. Fields, who is now rapidly becoming one of New York City’s queer country leaders — through his East Village residency at Lucinda Williams’ new honky tonk and dive bar and through his musical mentorship work through The Recording Academy — has been working tirelessly for this moment for more than a decade. Performing under this moniker since 2013, Fields has released three LPs and two EPs. He’s recorded on queer country pioneers Lavender Country’s 2022 reunion album, Blackberry Rose, and served as the band’s touring pianist. Additionally, his 2023 protest song duet with Mya Byrne, “Burn This Statehouse Down,” made it onto NPR music critic Ann Powers’ list of favorite songs of the year.

Critically acclaimed American producer Tomu DJ (Pitchfork, Dazed, NPR++) debuts on sound as language with her fourth album, 'antagonist.' Recorded in the artist’s Oakland, California home throughout 2025 using only a digital piano, her intention for the album was to “free myself from conventional notions of electronic music”. This is perhaps seen clearly on standout tracks “loose interpretation” and “careful deliberation”, which in their cinematic splendor evoke the beauty and thoughtfulness of classical music. Even so, 'antagonist' is “not intended to be like classical music, rather a stream of consciousness akin to spoken word poetry”. It is easy to see what she means on tracks like “antagonist” and “dance” which weave familiar elements into personal narratives of loneliness, perseverance and redemption. Despite its specific sonic palette, 'antagonist' fits right in with Tomu DJ’s discography, continuing to build on the musical ecosystem she has thoughtfully tended to over the course of the last decade.

After releasing their third album, Maintenant Jamais, and touring in Europe, the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2025, Population II now announces Gimmicks, a new synthedelic rock EP.
Blending vocal and instrumental tracks, Gimmicks is a companion piece to the Montreal band's latest full-length. It's an extension of the electronic sounds we explored on Maintenant Jamais, with tracks like “13 1 3 1” and “Poudreuse Blues, explains Pierre-Luc Gratton. Even though we added upright piano and fuzz bass to some of the songs, our number one rule for this project was: keyboards and synthesizers, first and foremost! This is why they decided to ditch the guitar completely on these new songs, once again demonstrating the extent of their versatility.
Rhythm-wise, the use of a drum machine allowed the musicians to push their own boundaries and take this exercise in style to a higher level. It made us rethink our rhythmic habits and add bursts of intensity by experimenting with timbres and sound dynamics. The result is an EP at times unsettling, at times dreamy, but perfectly calibrated, where constraint gives way to ingenuity, freedom, and friendship. Although prog and krautrock fans will recognize the influence of Syrinx, Tangerine Dream, and Cluster, Gimmicks is, above all, the affirmation of a band capable of looking back to move forward.

Humanity from Japanese saxophonist and composer Kazuki Yamanaka contains both turbulence and tranquillity, freedom and discipline, an embracing of uncertainty with a deeply spiritual sense of resolution. The recordings were made in a single day in New York City with a team of extraordinary musicians. He"d already established a firm creative partnership with bass legend Cameron Brown and award-winning pianist Russ Lossing over the past year during their time as recording artists in NYC, and he renewed his fruitful association with outstanding drummer Billy Mintz (Lee Konitz, Charles Lloyd, Alan Broadbent) to complete the quartet. These three have been vital to Kazuki"s compositions that tell the story of his enforced absence from the scene during the pandemic and how he sought to centre himself in the midst of the disruption through contemplation and the development of an inward strength.

After years of dormancy, Stilove4music is back with a brand-new 12” from label boss Jerome Derradji — the 52nd release since the label’s creation in 2005. You know the drill: Midwest disco floor bangers made strictly for discerning DJs.

Titled “Do or Don’t”, the EP delivers three essential joints:

“Disco Don’t” is a fast-paced, floor-destroying monster built for peak-time damage.

“Jazz Do” shifts gears into a mellower, psychedelic jazz disco zone, featuring Jerome on live piano, Fender Rhodes, and Korg DV800, with additional programming for good measure.

Closing things out is “Never”, a lovely, groove-heavy floor filler bursting with Brazilian love — again elevated with extra programming from Jerome.

All tracks were produced by Jerome Derradji at the Hirsch Society For Togetherness in Chicago circa 2025.

"In 1910, the illustrator George Herriman created the Krazy Kat comic strip. Ignatz, a vicious mouse, was Krazy Kat’s arch enemy, and his favourite pastime was to throw bricks at Krazy Kat’s head (who misinterpreted the mouse’s actions as declarations of love)
"Ignatz is the alter-ego of Belgian musician Bram Devens. Since 2005, he has released around 20 albums accompanied by guitar, in LP, CD or cassette formats, on labels such as (K-RAA-K)³, Ultra Eczema, Fonal, Mortaux vaches, Okraïna, among others. Ignatz has toured all over the world: Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Italy, Finland, Greece, Switzerland, Portugal, Lithuania, the United States, Japan, etc.
"Since the beginning of his journey as a singer-songwriter, Ignatz has played wonderfully and mysteriously with the combination of the similar and the unfamiliar, between the repetition and permanent reinvention with slight shift in accents... Now For two decades, when discovering his new songs, whether on record or in concert, his expressive and sonic universe can be recognized in seconds, and at the same time, he surprises every time. This is clearly also the case with ‘I Don't Know’, an album for which (after the cassette ‘Coffee, No Cigarettes’, Taping Policies 2017) he trades his guitar for the piano.
"In the mid-2010s, Ignatz inherited the family piano. As a self-taught musician, he explored the instrument and gave a piano concert in the small Flemish town of Geel, which was filmed by Jef Mertens (who also released the aforementioned cassette) and attended by Beata Szparagowska and Philippe Delvosalle from the label By the Bluest of Seas. After some years, it was in his home in Landen that Bram Devens recorded this haunted piano album, which is unlike any other piano record."

Released in 1979, Tete Mbambisa's Did You Tell Your Mother delivers the ultimate blend of African groove with American modal grace, making it one of the all-time classic albums of South African jazz. With Mbambisa presenting original compositions at the piano alongside Basil "Mannenberg" Coetzee on tenor sax and flute, the acoustic quartet featured here is rounded out by Zulu Bidi from the band Batsumi on bass locking in with Dollar Brand drummer Monty Weber. This 2026 reissue presents a flat transfer of the master tapes with album artwork restored using illustrator Hargreaves Ntukwana's original ink drawing.

A self-taught musician, it was as leader of the vocal group The Four Yanks in the early 1960s that Tete Mbambisa’s music career took off. With encouragement from Abdullah Ibrahim, he dedicated himself to the piano and went on to record with The Soul Jazzmen in 1969. Mbambisa's solo recordings from the 1970s, produced by Rashid Vally for the independent As-Shams/The Sun record label, document his creative peak as a recording artist and have contributed to earning him an honorary doctorate and a place among the figureheads of South African jazz history.

Certain paths necessitate and call for one singular long sequence in order to arrive at a fully formed conversation or reasoning. Nothing seems to broadcast it more clearly than the trajectory Brussels based Italo-Vietnamese artist Nguyễn Zen Mỹ embarked on during the last decade as Radio Hito.

After a string of highly cherished and sought out tape releases, Radio Hito’s new album ‘L’uso e gli attributi del cuore’, co-released by Maple Death & Meakusma, unfolds with devastating
clarity, a profound balance of depth, minimalism and emotional grounding. A ten-sequence song cycle for voice and MIDI soundfonts adapted from the 2021 book by French poet Claude
Royet-Journoud.

Written and recorded between January 2023 and August 2025, the cycle evolved through nearly 80 live performances from Galicia to Kazakhstan before arriving at its recorded form. Set to an Italian libretto adapted from Royet-Journoud’s text ‘L'usage et les attributs du cœur’ (POL, 2021), the work revisits the tradition of the 19th-century Lied — art song built on existing poetry— transposed into a radically economical contemporary setting: voice and Casio CTK workstations.

"I was interested by this incompleteness CRJ mentions - by the ‘suspension’ of meaning questioning readability and intelligibility. I ‘resisted’ to CRJ’s texts since I met him and got to know his work. … It seems to me that when playing the songs, I submit an object to be completed by the audience."

Radio Hito’s distinctive approach to setting poetry to music — spare arrangements, strophic repetition, and a voice suspended between recital, fm transmission and canzone — creates a language of its own, reaching new heights on ‘L’uso e gli attributi del cuore’, songs that are formally rigorous, emotionally restrained, and shaped by the discipline of sustained live performance, interlocking into a coherent cycle.

Rather than illustrating the poem, Radio Hito approaches it as a space of suspension. Royet-Journoud described poetry as a “profession of ignorance” where meaning remains incomplete; these songs extend that trembling state, allowing repetition, digital timbre, and restraint to hold the text open.

Often misread as minimal synth or romantic chanson, Radio Hito’s practice is rooted instead in the lineage of the art song and song cycle: open structures, close attention to language, and a live performance economy that pushes the voice at the heart of the stage. The choice of accessible keyboard workstations — light, portable, and embedded in contemporary popular culture — replaces the historical piano.

Radio Hito creates fantastical, mirage-like songs, intimate yet elusive. Her music is forlorn chanson for the digital age; bringing her haunting and beautiful vocalisations into conversation with MIDI soundfonts and humble-yet-deep casio compositions. Music that strides for simplicity, yet lands miraculously within an entire new universe, a uniqueness achieved from like-minded spirits such as Ghedalia Tazartès, Savina Yannatou & Lena Platonos, Dorothy Carter, cycles that trickle down into estuaries.

“Radio Hito's set is superb. Sitting on the altar steps with a synth, her fabulously expressive vocals colour sparse, pensive compositions.” The Wire

Call it soulful dream pop, proto-trip hop or downtempo jazz - "Tender Rain" is the follow-up LP to the successful "This Is" album and continues to deliver Ghia's unmistakable sonic magic. On this release, the band shares a selection of previously unreleased vocal songs alongside instrumental pieces, all carried by their trademark chilled and almost meditative atmosphere. Most of the recordings date from the early 1990s, while early demo versions of "New Love" and "Teardrops in Your Eyes" may reach back as far as the late 1980s.

The album opens with the title track "Tender Rain," where smooth vocal jazz harmonies merge effortlessly with soulful pop elements. The track originally appeared only on CD in 1993 on the small Mikado label run by renowned German guitarist Ulli Bögershausen. The band recalls that the piece was first pre-recorded using MIDI equipment and a Tascam 16-track recorder before being completed in the studio with drums by legendary drummer Mickie Stickdorn (Carsten Bohn's Bandstand, Cyklus, Elephant, Lake), percussion by Corinna Ludzuweit, and the final touch-Lisa Ohm's remarkable vocals.

At the time, Mikado was also looking for instrumental material for radio and synchronization use. They selected the track "Tropfstein" for a sampler CD and requested more pieces. In response, "und recken ihre schlanken Glieder" (roughly translated as "and stretching their slender limbs") was composed especially for the project, as Frank Simon remembers. Both tracks appeared on the now rare Mikado sampler CD under the alias z. Zt., short for "zur Zeit" ("at present" or "these days").

Several further pieces in a similar vein were created during this period, including the previously unissued "Auf unserm grünen Sofa," "Reise bei Nacht," and "Was ich Dir noch sagen wollte." These tracks are beautifully crafted downtempo pieces featuring smooth, jazzy piano lines combined with touches of ambient and New Age aesthetics. "Auf unserm grünen Sofa" stands out in particular and will likely resonate with all downtempo enthusiasts. Lutz Boberg recalls that many of these recordings were captured during a single afternoon in the studio, fueled by spontaneous ideas and creative momentum.

On tracks such as "Teardrops in Your Eyes," "New Love," and the haunting Dark Spirits Mix of Ghia's song "What's Your Voodoo?", singer Lisa Ohm delivers soulful pop performances with her clear and captivating voice. "Change Your Sex," the third track previously featured on the Mikado sampler, leans more toward late-1980s funk and was aimed at radio and DJs at the time. Its subject matter was relatively daring for the period, telling the story of someone contemplating a change of sex "to get rid of the troubles."

Together with "This Is" and "Curacao Blue", "Tender Rain" forms another essential chapter in the rediscovery of the band's work. More than thirty years after their creation, these recordings still sound strikingly fresh, reflecting a unique style that in many ways anticipated the rise of trip-hop in the early to mid-1990s.

Zero Netcost returns with “Ten Years Later”: an elegant downtempo cut driven by delicate piano and a spellbinding vocal. To beef up the maxi, the legendary duo Bent reunites once again with Zero Netcost, delivering two remixes packed with warm, finely textured detail. And there’s more heavy company: Funki Porcini drops an instrumental version with an oblique, late-night twist. A vinyl made to glide from warm-up to after-hours without losing the thread.

Deaf Center travel through quiet pathways and grand boulevards in their fourth studio album “Through Time”.

Since their last full-length LP, “Low Distance” (2019), the duo has gradually shifted towards a more long-form electroacoustic sound which perhaps makes for their most immersive listening experience so far. Otto A Totland’s piano travels in less frequent rhythms than before, yet is felt even more as a relief in the quieter moments that contrast with Erik K Skodvin’s deep atmospheric worlds. There’s a searching quality within the record which feels like slow movements on the way towards something meaningful, capturing a sense of both peace and awe.

The latter part of the album takes a different turn: fluctuating electronic rhythms over deep strings create an ecstatic yet haunting duality. It is the first time a guest musician appears on a Deaf Center record: British composer and musician Simon Goff joins with violin and viola in the finale, “Further”, a hypnotising piece submerged in layers of strings and drones.

The subject of time is an ambitious one, yet Deaf Center manage to balance the humble with the grand in great warmth as seconds become minutes, hours become days and time seemingly freezes as a still-life moment.