Suche:pia

Never-before released Ahmad Jamal in the 1960s,
recorded at the Penthouse Jazz Club in Seattle.
Official release supervised by Ahmad Jamal. This is
Volume One.
Remastered audio transferred from the original tape
reels.
Includes an extensive booklet with previously
unpublished photos from Chuck Stewart and Don
Bronstein, essays by jazz writer Eugene Holley Jr. and
producer Zev Feldman, plus interviews with Ahmad
Jamal, Jon Batiste, Kenny Barron, Aaron Diehl and
Marshall Chess.
This will mark the first release from producer and ‘Jazz
Detective’ Zev Feldman’s new label venture, Deep
Digs Music Group, in partnership with Elemental
Music.
Featuring Ahmad Jamal on piano, Richard Evans on
bass and Chuck Lampkin on drums.

RELEASE OF THE CLASSIC 1996 SWEDISH BLACKENED DOOM METAL
MASTERPIECE OF MELANCHOLY 'FOR SNOW COVERED THE
NORTHLAND'.The roots of Ancient Wisdom trace back to 1992 when the
project was formed by Marcus E Norman (Throne of Ahaz/Bewitched) in
Ume, Sweden as Pain', then Ancient'
After the release of the first demo 'In The Eye Of The Serpent' in 1993, the name
was updated to Ancient Wisdom' & the recording of the second demo, 'Through
Rivers Of The Eternal Blackness' swiftly followed in December of 1993. On the
back of this, a deal was signed with Italian label Avantgarde Music, leading to the
recording of the full- length debut album,For Snow Covered The Northland'. The
studio sessions took place in December of 1994, though the album did not see
the light of day until 1996.
'For Snow Covered The Northland' was a triumphant journey of atmospheric &
melodic blackened doom metal, with sombre & hypnotic guitar leads permeating
the album to great effect amid the anguished screams. Also utilising acoustic
guitar & piano/keyboard passages, the opus overall exudes an ambience of deep
melancholy & despair. The album was recorded at The Garageland Studio &
produced by Henrik Kjellberg, plus drum programming was made by Fredrik
Thorendal, founding member of Swedish legends, Meshuggah.
' For Snow Covered The Northland' has been remastered for this release &
contains a bonus disc featuring extensive rare material from the early years of the
band, including the 'In The Eyes Of The Serpent' & Through Rivers Of The Eternal
Blackness' demos, plus rare promo & rehearsal tracks.

On his second release for ECM New York-based saxophonist Oded Tzur
introduces a heightened sense of urgency and a conceptually augmented
approach to his distinctive voice, weaving one underlying musical idea
through a series of elaborate and impassioned designs
The quartet's lineup is unchanged from 2020's Here Be Dragons and the group's
interplay has grown even more expressive in the meantime. Throughout Isabela
the saxophonist and his collaborators - pianist Nitai Hershkovits, Petros
Klampanis on bass and rhythm conjurer Johnathan Blake - apply their subtle
dialect in a more intense space, exploring the nuances and colors of Oded's selffashioned raga in a suite- like sequence of quiet meditations and powerful
exclamations.
The remarkable session was captured in Lugano's Auditorio Stelio Molo in
September 2021 and produced by Manfred Eicher.
Oded Tzur: tenor saxophone
Nitai Hershkovits: piano
Petros Klampanis: double bass
Johnathan Blake: drums

House royalty right here. An unmistakable voice over the decades, from the late ‘80s till the present day, Byron Stingily’s falsetto tones are some of the purest around. Whether hitting the high notes as part of Ten City or in his solo songs, his gospel-tinged, uplifting voice has soundtracked countless euphoric moments.

Club Chi’ll Records welcome Byron to the label as he delivers a signature, piano-laden, hands in the air vocal house gem in the form of ‘Can’t Help It’. Not stopping there, they enlist the expertise of Wade Teo, Spaces Between and Soul Clap to add their trademark flavour to proceedings with four distinctive remixes.

Early support Louie Vega & Smokin Jo.

Fresh off the back of his highly acclaimed debut album on Astral Black, Footshooter returns to the WOLF Music pack following his ethereal remix of Velour last year, with an exquisite six track journey through his signature sound.

An amalgamation of genres, ideas and vibes blend seamlessly together throughout the record, showing a wealth of knowledge, alongside a production prowess to match. From the cinematic opener 'Welcome In' to the soulful, synth-laden broken beat of ‘Turning’ and 'Archetype 7' on the A side. Samples dance next to magical playing and programming, with hats tipped to legends of yester year whilst keeping things completely fresh at the same time.

Flip it for the B, where UK Funky feels mix with bumping house for the fresh to death, dress to impress 'Dojo'. Footshooter then dips the lights down low and and slows the tempo with the beatsy, piano shimmering brilliance of 'Angel(s)' and the eyes closed, soul healing sounds of 'Hold On'.

Six shots, no misses, Footshooter gets deep into the heart of what’s bubbling in London town right now.

Hell Yeah is proud to present the return of Jazz N Palms with a superb new project following the success of his Ses Rodes album. 'Milano' as a 7" with radio and instrumental versions alongside an original video and expressive artwork by Parisian studio Nokko.

Jazz N Palms is a jazz-inspired project from Italian DJ and producer Riccio. He started this project after moving to Ibiza and falling under the spell of its ancestral side, its sweet and slow pace of life and the natural rhythms of the beauty in the north of the island. In summer, he served up his fantastic Ses Rodes double album which was dedicated to the original way of life that had remained almost unchanged till the early 80s party explosion.

This new track came about after Riccio heard Piera Martell's 1978 soul-jazz track 'Exotica' in a mix by Phil Mison. The idea was reimagine the song with new lyrics and set in Milan, in the early days when the town was invaded by unusual and exotic palm trees in Piazza Duomo. The song tells the story of a country teenager who is unsure about heading to a big new city after receiving an invitation. The story will retrieve familiar emotions for many of us who have faced similarly important decisions in our life, but this time married to an escapist groove.

For this release, the original 'Exotica' has been fully replayed by contemporary musicians from the multi-genre Italian ensemble 291out, with whom Riccio has worked in the past. It has new lyrics sung in Italian by fellow 291out collaborator Giovanna Lubjan after permission was given by original composer Salvo Ingrassia.

'Milano' is a luxurious soul-jazz fusion. It has exotic guitar lines and gently persuasive rhythms topped by the soaring vocal from Lubjan. A steamy sax helps the temperature rise as the track unfolds and traps you under its gorgeous spell.

This is a timeless package of blissed-out brilliance from Jazz N Palms.

Pusher returns to his own Indicate at the end of October with the two-track ‘Pianos By Day / Sounds Like Voodoo’ EP. Over the past few years Ireland’s Pusher has been unveiling a series of EPs on his own Indicate imprint, showcasing his own twist on contemporary House while stirring in elements of progressive, trance and electronica throughout. Here Pusher offers up the eighth release on the label and leading the way is ‘Pianos By Day’, as the name would suggest a piano laden, sun-drenched house anthem laid out across six and half minutes with robust, swinging drums, bumpy bass stabs and a sweeping, filtered hook at its core.
‘Sounds Like Voodoo’ follows on the flip side and embraces a more classic tech house feel via gritty bass stabs, intricately intertwined synth sequences, metallic melodies and playful vocal chants running atop an up-tempo organic drum groove throughout.

Special 10th Anniversary Edition In Brown Card Artboard Sleeve With Additional Lyric Print Insert

Slowdive singer and songwriter’s third solo album, which was originally released in November 2012. It is a stunning record and one which, upon its release, underlined the claims that Neil was one of the finest and most underrated British songwriters of recent times. It’s also a very special release in the Sonic Cathedral catalogue; the shoegaze label licensed the record from Jack Johnson’s Brushfire imprint for the UK and Europe and it was the start of a relationship that also gave us the Black Hearted Brother album in 2013 and, ultimately, brought about the reformation of Slowdive in 2014. But Palindrome Hunches is a very different beast. Both stately and understated, this moody and mesmerising collection of peculiarly British folk songs was made with the Band of Hope, a Wallingford, Oxfordshire based collective consisting of Ben Smith (violin), Drew Milloy (double bass), Paul Whitty (piano) and Tom Crook (guitar). Together with producer Nick Holton, banjo player Kevin Wells and backing singer Aimee Craddock, they recorded the album to tape over a few weekends in the music room of their local junior school. “At first we were going to record in a studio, but everything seemed too clean,” said Neil at the time. “We just went through the songs and recorded them live without very much rehearsal. We wanted to be spontaneous and simple and to keep the little mistakes that sneaked in.” This goes a long way to explaining the album’s humanity and intimacy, and also why it has had a quiet life of its own over the past decade, gradually growing in stature alongside Neil’s more high-profile activities with Slowdive; copies of the 2012 original and even the 2017 repress currently fetch up to triple figures on Discogs. The stunning opener ‘Digging Shelters’ was used to devastating effect in the posthumously released James Gandolfini movie Enough Said – a fitting home for a song that rubs shoulders here with ruminations about love and loss such as ‘Tied To You’ and ‘Spin The Bottle’ and, on ‘Wittgenstein’s Arm’, an Austrian pianist who had his right arm amputated in World War I and lost three of his brothers to suicide. The wordplay of the title track is almost light-hearted in comparison; “I wanted to write a song that was the same forwards and backwards, but it didn’t quite work out,” explained Neil, adding that he also chose ‘Palindrome Hunches’ for the album’s title because “I like the idea of things being reversible”. A couple years later, by reforming his old band, he proved that. And now, ten years on, it’s the perfect time to rewind to this understated, underrated classic. Side A 1 Digging Shelters 2 Bad Drugs and Minor Chords 3 Wittgenstein’s Arm 4 Spin The Bottle 5 Tied to You Side B 1 Love Is a Beast 2 Palindrome Hunches 3 Full Moon Rising 4 Sandy 5 Hey Daydreamer 6 Loose Change. Praise for Palindrome Hunches on its original release: ““Nope, it ain’t shoegaze as it's been codified and re-codified. But why be disappointed in someone following his muse to a logical conclusion when that path was always the one he walked on?” – Pitchfork An exquisite set of dark folk music” – The Times “Draws from the same understated, reflective well as John Martyn” – MOJO “‘Tied To You’ doesn’t merely evoke Nick Drake but withstands the comparison – evidence of the songs’ quality” – Financial Times “Halstead’s songs breathe the sort of honesty and goodness that’s harder and harder to find in the iTunes age” – The Independent “Given the chance, they could be songs that continue to enchant for many years to come” – The Line Of Best Fit

Having first met in 1991, music photographer STEVE GULLICK and JAMES JOHNSTON, founder of Gallon Drunk, began blurring the boundaries between audio and visual in 2004 when they formed their own band, '...bender'. They’ve maintained the habit ever since, with Gullick subsequently founding Tenebrous Liar and Johnston pursuing a career, alongside his work with PJ Harvey and a tenure in Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, as an acclaimed visual artist and painter.After working together on an art show in late 2019, the idea of making music again immediately resurfaced. Without any firm strategy, Johnston and Gullick began recording, unprompted, drawing upon a shared love of noise, folk, and classical. This became the album ‘We Travel Time’, a compelling and mysterious record that bravely embraced beautiful piano, voice, violin, and guitar to create a drifting haze, forging an imagined soundtrack which offers echoes of Big Star, Nico, Lee Hazlewood and Palace Brothers alongside the haunting influence of contemporary minimal classical. Due for release this coming November 18th via God Unknown Records, Johnston and Gullick have returned to their craft to create a stunning new selection of songs and moods, brought together for the album ‘Everybody’s Sunset’. Recorded at their homes throughout 2021 and 2022, the ten songs on this new album take the fragile intimacy and agenda-free approach of its predecessor and go out even further into the fringes of tone and feeling. Utilising a vast selection of instruments between them (violin, organ, guitar, banjo, autoharp, harmonica, piano, synthesisers….), ‘Everybody’s Sunset’ ebbs and flows, bringing different instruments and signals to the fore as the album progresses. a bold, adventurous musical trip that finds Johnston and Gullick’s musical bond grow ever deeper and closer. Tune in and watch the Sunset glow. All songs written, arranged and recorded by James Johnston and Steve Gullick James Johnston: Violin, voice, organ, piano, guitar, banjo, autoharp. Steve Gullick: Voice, guitar, piano, organ, harmonica, harmonium. 1. The Moon & The Stars 2. Shimmer 3. Fear of Everything 4. Save Our Souls 5. Ice Moon 6. The Town That Couldn't Sleep 7. Medieval Death Song 8. Greater Silence 9. Who I Who 10. Everybody's Sunset

“Who Do You Love The Most?” is the young trio’s third album in just over four years, and continues in the tradition of their two previous efforts; beautiful and evocative melodies, rich on harmonies, often rhythmically complex textures and a typically folk-like Scandinavian character with the occasional gospel feel. The album’s 10 songs are all Mulelid originals, except for a gripping cover of Judee Sill’s The Archetypical Man. Two of the originals are the trio’s versions of songs that first appeared on the pianist’s much lauded solo piano album (“Piano”) from last year. Kjetil André Mulelid (31) comes across as an exceptionally mature pianist and composer. The trio’s 2017 debut “Not Nearly Enough To Buy A House” received wide international acclaim, with writers most typically mentioning Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans. The praise continued for 2019’s follow-up “What You Thought Was Home”, with the Jazz Journal giving it a 5/5 rating and calling it “some of the most captivating music I´ve heard in quite some while”. All About Jazz noted the maturity of the work, feeling like coming from three well-seasoned pros. Mulelid grew up in the small village of Hurdal, and started playing the piano when he was nine, after hearing Chopin on the stereo. Later he did a bachelor degree in jazz performance at NTNU in Trondheim, blessed with top teachers such as Erling Aksdal, Vigleik Storaas and Espen Berg. He is also a member of jazz quartet Wako. Bjørn Marius Hegge (33) has been making waves on the Norwegian jazz scene lately, with his quintet’s debut album "Hegge" winning a Norwegian Grammy. He has his own trio as well, with pianist Oscar Grönberg and young drummer ace Hans Hulbækmo (Moskus). In 2019 he released "Ideas" with Axel Dörner, Rudi Mahall, Håvard Wiik and Hans Hulbækmo. Andreas Skår Winther (30) is, like the other two, a "product" of the fertile milieu at the Trondheim Conservatory of Music. His discography includes "Left Exit, Mr. K" with Michael Duch & Klaus Holm (Clean Feed) and Megalodon Collective (Gigafon). Tracklist 1. Paul 2. Endless 3. The Road 4. Remembering 5. Point Of View 6. The Archetypal Man 7. For You I’ll Do Anything 8. Imagine Your Front Door 9. Gospel 10. Morning Song

A private press rarity that few know of, ‘Song of Island’ was the third album from pianist Yasuhiro Kohno’s trio, recorded live at the jazz club and live house (gig venue) ‘Again’ in August 1985. Pressed up in small numbers, ‘Song for Island’ was issued on the private ASCAP Records, set up by pianist and band leader Yasuhiro Kohno. The album is a follow up to Kohno-san’s previous two albums, ‘Peace’ and ‘Roma in the Rain’, released on the cult Aketa’s Disk label. However, unlike the ‘Peace’ and ‘Roma in the Rain’ albums, ‘Song of Island’ has never been reissued before – until now. The title track was included on J Jazz volume 3. This is a very special album that captures a special time in Japanese jazz, when exemplary acoustic jazz was still being performed and recorded by dedicated and talented artists at the height of mid-80s synth pop. ‘Song of Island’ features four original compositions by Yasuhiro Kohno plus a distinctive take on a jazz standard. Yasuhiro Kohno was born in Nara, southern Japan, in 1953 and made his professional debut as a member of Japanese rocker Eikichi Yazawa's band before going on to accompany actor/singer Masatoshi Nakamura. As well as recording and performing under his own name, Kohno has also played with American musicians such as Richard Davis and Mal Waldron and continues to perform regularly in Japan. ‘Song of Island’ will be issued as a full reproduction of the original work, with inserts, translated original sleeve notes, plus new sleeve notes, photos, and interview with Yasuhiro Kohno by Tony Higgins.

Another side of Serge Gainsbourg permeates this 1963 film soundtrack about ‘a stripper lost in the nocturnal world’ of Paris, according to director Jacques Poitrenaud, who cast Nico in the lead role (after her appearance in La Dolce Vita and just prior to the single she cut with Jimmy Page for Andrew Loog Oldham). Created by Gainsbourg with arranger and longstanding collaborator Alain Goraguer, the music is fittingly the cool jazz of dingy nightclubs and seedy bordellos, with Gainsbourg on piano, and there’s the sultry title track, delivered breathlessly by Juliette Greco. Another lost gem for all serious Gainsbourg and Goraguer fans.

‘Hearing The Water Before Seeing The Falls’ is Andrew Wasylyk’s second LP for the esteemed Clay Pipe Music label. It sees the Scottish composer and producer reach for new ground, finding quietly sublime imagery in rich and immersive worlds; horizon-less oceans and limitless landscapes.

The initial seed of inspiration for this work was conceived as a commissioned response to ‘The World’s Edge’ exhibition, by American contemporary landscape photographer Thomas Joshua Cooper, at the National Galleries of Scotland.

Andrew journeyed with Cooper to Inchcolm Island in the Firth of Forth to learn of the artist’s practice. Specifically, his three decades of travel across five continents, capturing cardinal points and extreme locations surrounding the Atlantic Ocean. Many of which will be under water within 35 years as a result of the impact of our changing climate.

From the deep allure of the sea to the symbolism and folklore of flowers, a dreaming to leave or a longing to stay, “Hearing The Water Before Seeing The Falls” utilises the ideas behind TJC’s work as a point of departure. Exploring outwardly in search of a better understanding within, themes of longing, self-discovery, new parenthood and premonitions weave through a Wasylyk album of melodic succour.

In ‘Dreamt In The Current Of Leafless Winter’; ambiences and devotional bells are imbued with the visceral playing of saxophonist/composer Angus Fairbairn, aka Alabaster DePlume, whose unmistakable tone casts ethereal and impressionistic hues across this striking, long form opener.

Elsewhere, string phrases flourish in pockets between restrained drum groove and light-touch piano chords of ‘The Confluence’, conducted by Pete Harvey (Modern Studies). Harvey’s sonorous arrangements augmented Andrew’s ‘The Paralian’ (2019) and ‘Fugitive Light And Themes Of Consolation’ (2020). Again, they illuminate and articulate throughout this collection.

The arc of present and past is examined in ‘The Life Of Time’, featuring words and narration by Thomas Joshua Cooper himself. His rich, baritone transcends amongst a rolling piano motif, undulating violins and the mellifluous brass work of Rachel Simpson.

With ‘Truant In Gossamer’ a new absence is felt while synthesised arpeggios glide and intertwine with glistening harp in the cadence of a farewell vibraphone. Steadily, this luminous journey dissolves and comes to a remarkable end.

Previously described as a "spiritual-jazz salve bathed in the cinematic”, Andrew Wasylyk is accumulating a growing body of work. With this seven song suite he distills these ideas and offers perhaps his most bold record yet. ‘Hearing The Water Before Seeing The Falls’, the follow-up to 2021’s ‘Balgay Hill: Morning In Magnolia’, is framed in a hypnagogic fog of wonder and possibility. A place to shade your dreamtime in subtle colour.

1. Dreamt In The Current Of Leafless Winter 2. Hearing The Water Before Seeing The Falls 3. Years Beneath A Yarrow Moon 4. A Confluence 5. Dusk Above Delphinium Dew 6. The Life Of Time 7. Truant In Gossamer

On the album Opening, Tord Gustavsen reveals a fresh angle to his
particularly unique trio investigations into Scandinavian folk hymns,
gospel, chorale and jazz, as he introduces a different voice on bass
With a new fellow- traveller on board and its recording premiere in Lugano's
Auditorio Stelio Molo, the trio discovers inspired new ways to interact with each
other, using innovative approaches to sound and technique in the process. Made
up in equal parts of intricately textured improvisations and understated melodic
hooks, the group's conversations bring an enticing unfamiliarity to the language
the Norwegian pianist has developed over almost two decades of collaboration
with ECM.
Tord Gustavsen: piano, electronics
Steinar Raknes: double bass, electronics
Jarle Vespestad: drums
Press:
"Vibrates between the introspective and the dramatic in rich and singular ways.
Scene-setting opener 'The Circle' sees Gustavsen exploring a modal melodic line
of beguiling simplicity, with the trio's sotto voce approach creating an atmosphere
of hushed intimacy." - **** Jazzwise (Editor's Choice)
"The focus of Opening remains the playing from Gustavsen and the rich
accompaniment from his fellow musicians, creating an atmosphere perfect for a
walk by a cabin at dawn, with the sun peeking in through the trees." - Pitchfork
"Norwegian piano star Tord Gustavsen's long-honed recipe of low-key folk songs,
gospel, classical music and jazz gets a graceful makeover on Opening - with new
bassist Steinar Raknes, a player of uncannily responsive precision alongside
regular percussionist Jarle Vespestad, while subtle electronics sometimes create
ghostly horn-player effects." - The Guardian
"For Gustavsen, pieces such as Floytelat and Vaer Sterk, Min Sjel are routes into
the sort of cerebral mysteries that the former church pianist has made his own.
The first is a funereal theme where the notes he sprinkles like raindrops build into
a fatalistic flood. The second, from the Norwegian Hymnal, is played with an
innocent simplicity. Both are equally powerful...Remarkable music, Norwegian
blues." - The Times
"Quietly beguiling release...With lesser artists the uniformity of mood and
reluctance to turn up the volume would pall. But there's an artistry to Gustavsen's
compositions, a skill in their execution, and a warmth to their spirit that keeps the
listener engaged." - LondonJazz News

Fleeting configurations of piano, wind, strings, synthetics, and field recordings, inspired by the Greek isles.
Previous albums adored by the likes of The Quietus, Exclaim, Drowned In Sound, etc.
For fans of Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch soundtracks, Bohren & Der Club Of Gore, and Global Communication.
While on the island of Syros in the Aegean Sea for a film festival performance, Christina Vantzou experienced what she characterized as “a moment of focus”—a specific vision for the sprawl of raw recordings she’d been amassing for her fifth album. Upon relocating to the Cycladic island of Ano Koufonisi, she situated herself outside at a patio table with a laptop and headphones, taking brief breaks to swim, and began the “reductive process” of shaving and shaping the source material into uneasy but lyrical movements, alternately austere and adorned with strange inflections: glottal groaning, cavernous water, glittering eddies of modular synth, languorous silences. Mixing the pieces herself without outsourcing to an engineer compounded the intimacy and autobiographical dimension of the music; she refers to No5 as “almost like a first album.”
Drawing on sessions staged in February 2020, Vantzou’s editing instincts emphasize process and isolation, spotlighting resonance and restraint, liquidity and long tails. Fleeting configurations of piano, wind, strings, synthetics, and field recordings, these are spaces as much as compositions, surreal grottos of shifting light, suffused with a sense of invisible divinity. Although seventeen musicians appear on the record, the proceedings feel minimalist and malleable, sculpted from interstitial moments and oblique synchronicities. The definition of a composer as “one who joins things” is here both plumbed and proven; Vantzou describes No5 as “a letting go,” a place of “soft borders,” unfixed and undefinable.

Blue Vinyl

The Outer Edge is proud to present the first ever vinyl release of "No Message" by Art P, a still lesser known and lost masterpiece from the P.A.P. archives. Art P (initially Art Programming) was an electronic music duo consisting of Jens-Markus Wegener and Frank Grotelüschen. On "No Message", originally released in 1985, we hear the band's most profound work, a detailed and unique mixture in between of Electro and the synth-laden edge of New Wave.

We initially discovered Art P on the tape compilation "berlincassette 2-85" a couple of years ago. Their contribution, the title track from their second and last album "No Message", blew us right away: punchy drum machines, heavy synths and cool female vocals delivering a serious, yet slightly ironic view on the meaninglessness in pop music having "no message". A couple of months later, when we finally were lucky to get hold of an original full length tape, we couldn't ask for more: powerful apocalyptic Synth Wave on "A Place To Fear", thrilling vocoder Electro Funk on "Polaroid", uptempo New Wave Synth Pop on "Sounds of the City", dreamy and melodic Electro on "Without Jackets", and other well produced tracks. It was an absolute necessity for us to get in touch with Art P and ask for permission to re-release their music on vinyl.

"No Message" was remastered from the absolute best original tape source and sounds incredibly well. The release is limited to 300 copies and will be pressed on blue vinyl. It contains an insert with lyrics and additional art. We think it is save to say, that this should not be missed!

As a side note it should be mentioned that Wegener later became a key figure in the German music market. He was the founder of companies such as Public Propaganda, Europe's largest and most successful promotion agency in the mid '90s, the publishing company AMV, the distributor PP Sales Forces, among others. As a freelance promoter for SPV and the PIAS label he was also responsible for establishing the term Electronic Body Music as a musical genre. Grotelüschen was active as a music journalist (e.g. for Spex magazine) and later became an important and well known journalist for science.

True concept albums are actually few and far between. While it can be said that The Who’s Tommy and Quadrophenia, or Pink Floyd’s The Wall were designed from the ground up, that’s not necessarily the case for equally mythical, yet composite, albums such as Bowie’s The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust…, or Lou Reed’s Berlin. In France, the genre established its pedigree in the 1970s with Serge Gainsbourg, then in the early 1980s with Léo Ferré. Cri d'amour by Mélanie Chédeville adds to this list of albums that tell a story through characters.

Cri d'amour was produced in a seaside setting, which may explain its flowing, organic character. It is all by herself that the violinist-by-training composed, wrote and arranged this collection of string-drenched songs that recall Jean-Claude Vannier’s work for Serge Gainsbourg. The latter would undoubtedly have been impressed by Mélanie’s fine-cut lyrics and melodies that are as raw as they are sophisticated, vocalized in a sprechgesang recalling his own. The deliberately retro palette, up to the bass sound so typical of 1960s English rock, betrays an artist indebted to the creator of Bonnie & Clyde and Initials B.B. through a sensual, clear tonality. Yet, polyrhythms borrowed from the late afro-beat legend Tony Allen, and the touches of guitar, piano, percussion and synthesizers distilled here and there by Éric and Mélanie, end up giving the whole affair a resolutely atemporal color.

Mélanie was sixteen with a head full of Beethoven and Brahms when she succumbed to an unexpected fascination for the world of Éric, a pianist, composer and sound engineer, who regularly delivered scores for Marc Dorcel’s X-rated films. She evokes him in L'Alpha-bêta and Le Pornographe, through whispered choruses that would suit the late Julee Cruise or Vanessa Daou to a tee, and explicit allusions to a “sword of Damocles” of “XXL” dimensions.

These are not the only texts on this album that remind us of the Franco-American author Anaïn Nin’s erotic poems, a model that Mélanie willingly takes on, adding to the list of her literary influences alongside Apollinaire and his Debauched Hospodar:

Some may find this album old-fashioned, which, far from being a flaw, is a credit to the fine musician that Mélanie is. Others will call it a charming album, which is not a bad way to describe it, provided that it is a powerfully relentless charm.

Die Veröffentlichung von HOME.S., dem einzigen existierenden, bisher unveröffentlichten Soloalbum des Pianisten
Esbjörn Svensson, ist nichts weniger als eine Sensation. Die
Aufnahmen wurden in Svenssons schwedischem Haus
gemacht - nur wenige Wochen vor seinem tragischen Tod
am 14. Juni 2008, wonach sie fast zehn Jahre lang unentdeckt auf einer Festplatte im persönlichen Archiv seiner
Frau Eva Svensson ruhten. HOME.S. besteht aus neun
Klaviersongs, die aus einer Kombination von niedergeschriebenen Fragmenten und Svenssons einzigartigem, melodischem Improvisationsstil bestehen. Von Herzen kommend,
gefühlvoll und zutiefst persönlich. Eine "über die Grenze
geschmuƽelte Botschaft, getragen von Liebe, Raum, Zeit
und nie endender kreativer Kraft." (Eva Svensson) Es gibt in
jeder Musik Figuren, die mit ihren Werken ein Genre als
Ganzes beeinfl ussen. Im Jazz trifft dies zweifellos auf
Esbjörn Svensson zu.

"Hey, there's this new guy around that plays like Herbie Hancock!!". When Chilean pianist Matías Pizarro arrived in Argentina fleeing Pinochet's dictatorship, word spread like wildfire in the local jazz scene.

In the two short years that Pizarro spent in Buenos Aires, he became one third of the Viejas Raíces project alongside local jazz heroes Jorge López Ruiz and Pocho Lapouble, recorded with famed Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava and released his own solo album, Pelo de Rata ("Rat's hair").

Pizarro was no beginner though. Whilst in Chile he had already participated in several music projects and worked as a producer and arranger for the IRT label, and was connected to influential bands such as Los Jaivas and Blops. He had also studied in the Berklee School of Music where he not only met and lived with the cream of an emerging new wave of musicians, but he also had the chance to attend live performances of giants such as Miles Davis or Thelonious Monk.

In the recording of Pelo de Rata Pizarro is joined by fellow Chilean Alejandro Rivera (Sacros, Grupo Sol) on quena and charango, Swedish bassist Bo Gathu on bass, Uruguayan saxophonist Finito Bingert and an impressive percussion team featuring Pocho Lapouble, "El Zurdo" Roizner and the mighty Domingo Cura. The album draws from the US jazz fusion currents of the time (think Chick Corea and Miles Davies), adding an undeniable Latin American character, all projected through Pizarro's own musical prism which displays his acute sense of harmony and a musical intimacy that reminds of those sincere, dreamy moments in Viejas Raíces.

The 8-page booklet that accompanies the vinyl edition will give you a deeper insight into the story of Matías Pizarro, with previously unseen pictures and liner notes by Argentinean journalist Humphrey Hinzillo (La Nación , Rolling Stone Argentina).

The Person is back on the dancefloor and she brought the delicious Australian version of a good old Italian recipe - ITALOZ DISCO. Mouthwatering rhythms spiced with everyday hustle, cosmic boogie and the extra dose of synthesizer! Changing the Meatballs for Oddballs to worship the Magic $ properly. Sull' alto lato (aka on the B-Side) we're changing the Oddballs for the Mothballs as the one and only Hysteric warms up the magic ragout in his unique steam-powered kitchen. Now go to work!

You still need to be convinced? Take these great lines by Patrick:
"Magic $" beams into the discotheque direct from deep space; a shimmering body of squelching bass, nebulous pads and snapping percussion which hosts Minna's bewitching vocals. The arch delivery and vintage sequences flirt with kitsch, but that playful genius particular to The Person pushes this into wonderfully wonkier territories. Basslines climb, keys collapse and the whole thing chugs and bubbles through a flawless arrangement. We thought they didn't make them like this anymore, but we were wrong. Stepping in on remix duty, renowned (Moth)baller Hysteric turns out a treatment that's worth a million bucks, boosting the bottom end with an acidic sequence, supercharging the percussion and punching in some strange sampler fun to guarantee utter club chaos.
Every superhero needs a theme song, and "The Person" sees Minna step away from the dancefloor to deliver a synthetic ballad for lucid dreamers everywhere. Jamming on top of a malfunctioning Jomox, Minna channels chimes, piano and a gentle chug into the classiest chord progression this side of Mike Francis. Closing cut "Go To Work" gives us neon lights and nighthawks as The Person indulges in a little Antipodean electro, proving once and for all that Australians Do It Better.