quête:plus 8

In remembrance of Pete Birch, AKA Woosh, AKA The Peaceful Ones and founder of Spirit Wrestlers. Four ambient pieces, three of which were released as part of Pete's 52 Card Trick series on the Spirit Wrestlers Bandcamp site, plus another piece which was a favourite of Pete's but was never finished in time.

Collected together on vinyl for the first time, all profits from the sale of this record will be donated to the Spirit Wrestlers Foundation. Set up after Pete's passing, the Foundation promotes the belief that ""Music is the Healing Force of the Universe"", that ""Love Is the Most Important Thing"" and helps causes that were close to his heart. Nx

Westcountry folk singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Seth Lakeman was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2005 for 'Kitty Jay'. It catapulted Lakeman into the forefront of the new British folk movement and his follow up was the gold-selling ‘Freedom Fields’ which was released twice in 2006. Produced by his brother Sean Lakeman it came out on iScream and was then re-released by Relentless (EMI) where it went on to become Seth’s first of 6 UK Top 40 albums.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary, Seth has announced a Deluxe Reissue of the album on CD & Vinyl plus a huge tour in November playing the album, which includes ‘Lady of the Sea’, ‘King and Country’ and ‘White Hare’, plus other favourites.

Freedom Fields helped Seth build on his traditional cult following but found him a whole new audience for his rhythmic, captivating brand of indie-folk song writing. He was named Folk Singer of the Year, and ‘Freedom Fields’ awarded Album Of The Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2007.

Available to order on CD and double vinyl - Limited Edition Coloured & Black – all with exclusive bonus content including unreleased tracks and rare demos.

“Delicious harmonies and the occasional fiery fiddle are the order of the day, with his impressive song-writing skills shining out of every tune.” BBC Music (Freedom Fields)

Brooklyn based drummer/producer Jason Nazary (of Anteloper) makes his We Jazz Records debut with "Spring Collection", released on 25 June. The album sees Nazary crafting some deliciously sparkly solo cuts plus working long disctance with choice collaborators Jaimie Branch, David Leon, Ramon Landolt, Matt Mitchell, Grey McMurray and Michael Coleman. This is essentially a collection of home recordings and the whole operation has an infectious feeling of immediacy to it. The result is improv adjacent electronic music, with modern production aesthetics transposed over spontaneous compositions.

Jason writes:

"With Spring Collection, my aim was to capture the spirit of spontaneity & collaboration lost in the absence of live music. Like most everyone else last spring, I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands and with all my work cancelled, and with an indefinite lockdown in effect, it became immediately apparent that most of my time – save a walk or two a day around the neighborhood – would be spent in the tiny one bedroom apartment I share with my wife and two cats.

What kind of music does one make during lockdown? I would begin my days with a cup of coffee and all the cables of my modest little modular set up in my lap, slowly discovering new sound worlds as I connected one cable after another – these became the beginnings for the pieces in Spring Collection. With these unformed sketches, I would record an improvisation, an exploration of sonics: a small kit of bells, shakers, pans, pots; their resonance captured in fine detail with ultra sensitive microphones. These became, in effect, a conversation first with myself, but later one I knew I had to open up, make social. In the desire not to diminish my collaborative impulses, I felt compelled to involve some of my favorite musicians in the process alongside me."

"Spring Collection" is released by We Jazz Records on 25 June on vinyl (neon orange & black vinyl editions), tape and digital formats. The vinyl edition comes with a booklet including original artwork and poetry by Todd Colby.

Cat Power - vocalist, songwriter, musician and
producer Chan Marshall - releases her new album,
‘Covers’, via Domino.
 Cover songs have always occupied a crucial place in
the Marshall canon, and ‘Covers’ௗcompletes a trilogy of
sorts, following beloved past Cat Power collections
‘Jukebox’ (2008) and ‘The Covers Record’ (2000).
 While she frequently delights and surprises with the
songs she chooses to cover, it’s Marshall’s total
commitment to the performance - imbuing the songs
with a creative singularity that rivals her original work -
that make Cat Power covers so special.ௗ Says
Pitchfork, Marshall can “rearrange a song simply by
squinting at it.”
 Produced in its entirety by Marshall, ‘Covers’ features
fully reimaginedௗsongs by Frank Ocean, Bob Seger,
Lana Del Rey, Jackson Browne, Iggy Pop, The
Pogues, Nick Cave and The Replacements and more,
plus an updated rendition of her own song, ‘Hate’, from
‘The Greatest’ (2006), retitled ‘Unhate’ for this album.
 CD in clear tray in 6-panelled digipack.
 Heavyweight vinyl with full colour labels, printed inner
sleeve and digital download card.
 Press - Reviews in MOJO, Loud & Quiet, Uncut, Record
Collector, HiFi News, Aesthetica. Features in MOJO,
Uncut, Guardian Saturday Magazine, Kinfolk, Adam
Buxton podcast.

“I’m reeling, I’m restless,” sing Deep Throat Choir from the heart of their second album. That restlessness manifests in a set of tremendously abundant, original songs from the east London female and non-binary vocal collective, founded by Landshapes member Luisa Gerstein.

 Released via Bella Union, ‘In Order to Know You’ is a multi-layered assertion of freshly expansive range, driven by two core virtues: a sense of strength in unity and an open embrace of its singers’ personal experiences, shared through collective, supportive vocal expression.

 After 2017’s largely covers-based debut album, ‘Be OK’, the choir recognised the call to evolve. “Having been singing together for five-plus years, and having released an album of mostly covers, it felt like the logical next step to make our own music together,” says Gerstein. “This album is the alchemy of all the specific voices and players that make up the choir, and a collaborative process of writing and sharing music and ideas. Sonically, I wanted to move beyond just voices and percussion, to see what richness could be brought with acoustic instruments and electronics, and to transition from a choir that
does covers to a band with loads of vocalists.”

 ‘In Order to Know You’ heads towards its climax without seeming to touch the ground, from the title track’s devotional exhalation to the stealthy, smoky shimmer of ‘Unstitching’. Its lyrics drawn from a poem by Emma Cleave, the sublime ‘Field of Not Knowing’ closes the album in a vivid tapestry of folkgothic images (moon beams and pipistrelles) and serene-to-soaring arrangements, revelling in possibility: “It’s the place where I begin,” sing the choir.

 For Deep Throat Choir, the result is both an exquisite culmination of journeys taken so far and a lustrous, exquisite springboard for further adventures. Their travels began in 2013, when the collective took shape from a desire to strip music back to the basic elements of raw female voices and drums, united in a fashion that both honours and transmogrifies personal expression.

 A small group of four or five singers steadily expanded, with Zara Toppin’s drums providing a propulsive energy. Cathartic live shows and collaborations followed, ranging from team-ups with Peggy Sue, Stealing Sheep, Horse Meat Disco and Matthew E White, to performances at Green Man, Wilderness, the Southbank Centre’s WOW festival, London’s Scala and beyond. ‘Be OK’ provided a gutsy showcase for the band’s close, collective strengths, bolstered by weekly gatherings at a church in east London to blow
the roof off. A fruitful collaboration with techno-pop duo Simian Mobile Disco on the 2018 album ‘Murmurations’ followed: a testament to the choir’s alchemical abilities.

Years & Years has today announced details of brand new album, ‘Night Call’, which will see a release on Polydor Records on January 7th. Olly further introduces the record today with a brand new track, the pulsating ‘Crave’, and its incredible video featuring some of the cast of ‘It’s A Sin’ (Omari Douglas, Nathaniel Hall, David Carlisle) plus the likes of Munroe Bergdof. The record-breaking show won Best New Drama at the National Television Awards earlier this month, continuing a phenomenal year for Olly (which has also seen the release of first single ‘Starstruck’, its rework with Kylie, and a show-stopping performance of ‘It’s A Sin’ alongside Elton John at the BRIT Awards).

A daring dance track about leaning into submission to the point of embracing it, ‘Crave’ – says Olly – “is a playful way of inhabiting the deranged sexual energy I’ve always wanted. In the past I felt like I’ve been dominated by toxic relationships, and I felt like it would be fun to turn it on its head.” Consider this a risqué cut of kinked-up, club-ready pop, and Olly Alexander using his platform to push the boundaries of mainstream superstardom.

From its iconic artwork to its euphoric, rejuvenated sound, ‘Night Call’ is a thrilling new chapter for Years & Years. Inspired as much by pioneering figures like Sylvester as it is French House, at the centre of the record is that mermaid of a muse: a beautiful icon luring men to their death, on an album partly about those searching for love (or a lover) but ultimately finding power in themselves. Embodying the new perspective of a character – like Ritchie in ‘It’s A Sin’ - also deeply influenced Olly’s songwriting, with songs that blur the line between fantasy and reality but are bound together by their explorations of queer life. Hedonistic and escapist, ‘Night Call’ captures that joy and anticipation of going out precisely because, says Olly, “I was writing from a fantastical space, stuck in the same four walls. I wanted to have as much pleasure as possible in the music.”

As Years & Years, Olly Alexander has become one of the world’s most trailblazing modern pop stars. Across two hugely successful albums to date, the singer, actor, fashion icon and cultural vanguard has earned 5 Brit Award nominations, surpassed 4.4 billion global streams, and played triumphant homecoming shows at London’s O2 and Wembley Arenas. Along the way, Olly has also become a fearless, once-in-a-generation voice on important discussions around mental health, and issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community - all of which, in its own way, has taken him to ‘Night Call’, and the most essential Years & Years album to date.

Canadian rock trio The Tea Party is releasing a brand-new CD Deluxe Edition and Remastered Vinyl Edition of their iconic first album “The Tea Party” on December 10, 2021 through UMC. These new editions are coming 30 years since the album’s initial “indie” release and includes remixed and remastered audio by Stuart Chatwood, updated images and liner notes. The Deluxe Edition will be available on 2CD plus an eAlbum, the Remastered Edition is available on 2LP pressed on 180g red vinyl. For fans of the band, “The Tea Party” has remained a collectible album since its release in 1991. It was originally recorded as a demo which the band submitted to several record companies. However, the band was not signed to any recording contract and decided to release the album independently. The album production is relatively lo-fi, and the band re-recorded several of the songs for their follow-up “Splendor Solis.” Only 3,500 copies of the album were made, some of which were cassettes, making the recording a collectible to fans.

The brand new single from The Delines - whom will be releasing their new LP next Feb 2022 - much of which is inspired by Amy Boone and Willy Vlautin's shared love of Tony Joe White. Little Earl will be the lead track for the new album and Myrna and McCaughey will be exclusive to this single on physical formats. Recorded with longtime producer John Askew in Portland over 2019/2020 just before Covid hit. It features the classic line up of the band whom gave the world 'The Imperial' lp which was number 1 for two weeks on the official Americana charts with Amy Boone (vocals), Willy Vlautin (guitar/songwriting), Sean Oldham (drums), Freddy Trujillo (bass) plus the amazing arrangements by Cory Gray (keys and horns).

Die belgische Pop-Sensation Angèle veröffentlicht ihr Sophomore-Album „Nonante-Cinq“. Einen beeindruckenden Vorgeschmack lieferte die aufstrebende Sängerin bereits mit ihrer Single „Bruxelles je t’aime“.

Das neue Album hat sie zusammen mit Tristan Salvati aufgenommen, der sie bereits seit dem Start ihrer
Karriere begleitet. Der amerikanische Mixer Josh Gudwin (Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber, J Balvin) stieß ebenfalls zum Team, um die Produktion des ersten Songs abzuschließen. Darüber hinaus ist die Künstlerin sehr eigenständig: Sie schreibt ihre eigenen Texte, kreiert ihre eigenen Sounds und entwickelt ihre Musik so, dass sie ihren persönlichen Stil widerspiegelt: knallhart und direkt.

Angèle stammt aus einer Künstlerfamilie und hat die Musik im Blut. Nachdem sie ihr Jazz-Studium abschloss, begann sie, Coverversionen von Pop-Klassikern über Instagram zu veröffentlichen und baute sich
eine unglaubliche Fangemeinde auf. Ihr Debüt-Album, „Brol“, zählt global über 2 Milliarden Streams und gewann sogar den French Grammy 2019 für „Record of the Year“. Kürzlich veröffentlichte sie zudem den Welt-Hit „Fever“ gemeinsam mit der Pop-Ikone Dua Lipa.
Nun folgt mit „Nonante-Cinq“ das hoch antizipierte Sophomore-Album des belgischen Superstars.

Released 40 years ago in 1977 ''Rhythm Of Life '' by James Mason was possibly one of the greatest vocal Jazz fusion releases of all time . New vinyl imprint Dynamite Cuts releases a quality limited edition double pack release showcasing the highlights from that album plus two additional incredibly rare versions of the most in-demand tracks.

Jeff Parker's Forfolks - a new album of solo guitar works - was recorded by Graeme Gibson at Sholo Studio in Altadena, California (aka Jeff's house) over two days in June 2021. It includes interpretations of Thelonious Monk's "Ugly Beauty" and the standard "My Ideal," plus six original compositions including "Four Folks," "La Jetée" (a tune he recorded with Tortoise in 1998), and four totally new loop-driven, stratiform works that marry melodic improvisation with electronic textures. "It's a particular thing to hear Jeff play solo," writes veteran Chicago musician and longtime Parker collaborator Matthew Lux in his liner notes for Forfolks. "He is an unusually selfless improviser, oftentimes laying out and highlighting the contributions of his band mates... On this recording, however, he is by himself, joined only by his own ideas, looped or frozen, to flesh out the music he's creating in his mind. Hearing him craft entire sound worlds on these eight selections gives us an opportunity to really see how Parker orders sound." Forfolks follows Parker's critically acclaimed 2020 record Suite for Max Brown, which Pitchfork called an "effortlessly detailed album, full of tradition and experimentation that spans generations ... It lives at the vanguard of new jazz music." The album went on to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Current Contemporary Jazz Chart.

Tough Love have partnered with West Coast imprint Mt St Mtn for the release of Free Advice, the instant slowcore/dreampop classic by San Fran four piece, Cindy. The full album is available to stream/download now, while a highly limited transparent vinyl pressing will be released on 20th November. Limited to just 250 copies, this pressing follows the long sold-out edition of 100 released earlier in the year and which was previously only available in the US. Free Advice offers a somber-yet-uplifting take on sobered dream pop. Imagine if Galaxie 500’s On Fire didn’t have a guitar solo or if The Trinity Session was stripped of its folk & blues roots; it’s just pure mood. Like sitting in a half-empty movie theater that’s playing Alphaville or Wild Strawberries and watching patron’s heads briefly illuminated from the screen; Free Advice (and all of the Cindy output) transfers you to these momentary worlds. Cindy is Karina Gill on guitar/vocals, Aaron Diko on synth/keys, Simon Phillips on Drums/Percussion, and Jesse Jackson on Bass/Keys + Simon and Jesse on backing vocals. The songs on Free Advice are these moments in mood: Phillips & Jackson’s rhythms create the foundation, while Diko’s keys rise and fall. Gill’s guitar rattles, vocals brood, and lyrics create these narratives that depict observers, not necessarily wronged rather, cautious and investigative of the world around them

So you thought U-TRAX was all about fancy, state-of-the-art, absolutely undanceable, hard-to-understand, semi-intelligent techno Well, you're absolutely right, but this U-TRAX-release is just not!

Produced by German Heinrich Tillack, these TICK TRAX VOLUME 1 are just the good old way of making techno. Raw & uncomplicated, in the tradition of the Chicago underground.

Heinrich is a bit of an enigma. Having released some 12"s on Detroit's Plus 8 Records (as Sysex), Force Inc. Music Works (as Absolute) and Disko B (as Festival) and his own label Jakpot (both as Festival, as well as Co-Jack, together with Olivier Bondzio aka Hardfloor), he more or less disappeared from the face of the earth. It is said that he is a developer of children's apps for mobile phones nowadays.

The 5 tracks on this 12" are centered mostly around the 909 drum machine and the 303 bassline synthesizer. While two bulky techno tracks feature on side A, the flipside is completely dominated by acid tracks, most of them receiving high praise when they hit the dance floors in the mid 90s.

More recent techno heroes also know how to appreciate these vintage tracks, like Dutchman Danny Wolfers, aka Legowelt, who had this to say about 'Pump Track' on his Facebook page: "Such a fun track, how it stops and starts, almost falls apart. It's mentally challenged simplicity with a giant hall rave vibe... total dance floor control track. On the super cult U-TRAX, one of the coolest Dutch labels from the 90s!"

Original release date: Fall 1994.

The second and, as later would turn out, also the last release in Heinrich Tillack's critically acclaimed Tick Trax-series. The first Tick Trax-release by this talented producer from Braunschweig (Germany) was released as Volume 1 on U-TRAX in 1994 (cat. no.: 13 UTR SYS 1). It was a very successful record, however a bit too 'rough' for U-TRAX. Therefore, Volume II is launched on the U-TRAX sublabel Phoq U Phonogrammen, that has a more raw approach to techno, acid and electro.

Heinrich is a bit of an enigma. Having released some 12"s on Detroit's Plus 8 Records (as Sysex), Force Inc. Music Works (as Absolute) and Disko B (as Festival) and his own label Jakpot (both as Festival, as well as Co-Jack, together with Olivier Bondzio aka Hardfloor), he more or less disappeared from the face of the earth. It is said that he is a developer of children's apps for mobile phones nowadays.

This second Tick Trax release has 6 tracks, all in the distinctive raw Chicago-style that Heinrich uses only in his Tick Trax-identity. For minimalists, the CR-78 orientated beats on 'Samba Track' (from '93!) will be the track to go for. For heavy pounding floor fillers you can rely on 'Heavy Weight Track' and 'Super Heavy Weight Track'. Our personal favorite is 'Rush Track', another minimal track, but heavy and dark at the same time. The power is the drive in this one!

Original release date: October 1995.

Repress!

‘The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows’, the new studio album from Damon Albarn, is released by new label home Transgressive
Records.




‘The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows’ was originally
intended as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscapes of Iceland.
This last year has seen Albarn return to the music in lockdown and
develop the work to 11 tracks which further explore themes of fragility,
loss, emergence and rebirth. The result is a panoramic collection of
songs with Albarn as storyteller. The album title is taken from a John
Clare poem Love and Memory.


The deluxe version of the album takes the form of a casebound book
with additional photography, original scanned lyrics and artwork from
Damon, alongside a clear vinyl version of the album and a bonus 7”
featuring an exclusive song from the recording sessions, plus a high
quality digital download. Also available on black vinyl and cassette.
A recent special Globe Theatre performance in London sold out
immediately and was streamed globally to 72 countries around the world and received rave reviews across the board.

Cosmic disco classic played regularly by Baldelli, Lodola and in the underground scene, produced by John Kongos in 1981and released on 7 inch, containing only the short vocal version. Now remastered and reissued by Best Italy on 12" containing the full vocal original version plus the instrumental version on the flip.

Brooklyn based drummer/producer Jason Nazary (of Anteloper) makes his We Jazz Records debut with "Spring Collection", released on 25 June. The album sees Nazary crafting some deliciously sparkly solo cuts plus working long disctance with choice collaborators Jaimie Branch, David Leon, Ramon Landolt, Matt Mitchell, Grey McMurray and Michael Coleman. This is essentially a collection of home recordings and the whole operation has an infectious feeling of immediacy to it. The result is improv adjacent electronic music, with modern production aesthetics transposed over spontaneous compositions.

Jason writes:

"With Spring Collection, my aim was to capture the spirit of spontaneity & collaboration lost in the absence of live music. Like most everyone else last spring, I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands and with all my work cancelled, and with an indefinite lockdown in effect, it became immediately apparent that most of my time – save a walk or two a day around the neighborhood – would be spent in the tiny one bedroom apartment I share with my wife and two cats.

What kind of music does one make during lockdown? I would begin my days with a cup of coffee and all the cables of my modest little modular set up in my lap, slowly discovering new sound worlds as I connected one cable after another – these became the beginnings for the pieces in Spring Collection. With these unformed sketches, I would record an improvisation, an exploration of sonics: a small kit of bells, shakers, pans, pots; their resonance captured in fine detail with ultra sensitive microphones. These became, in effect, a conversation first with myself, but later one I knew I had to open up, make social. In the desire not to diminish my collaborative impulses, I felt compelled to involve some of my favorite musicians in the process alongside me."

"Spring Collection" is released by We Jazz Records on 25 June on vinyl (neon orange & black vinyl editions), tape and digital formats. The vinyl edition comes with a booklet including original artwork and poetry by Todd Colby.

Tenor saxophonist Timo Lassy, one of Finland's leading jazz artists, is back with a new album release "Trio" on We Jazz Records. The album, to be released on 27 August, introduces Lassy's new combo with bassist Ville Herrala and drummer Jaska Lukkarinen – both We Jazz Records roster artists on their own right.

The new Lassy sound is tight, swinging and funky, led by the strong and riff-ready sax of the tenorman. That being said, the album's sound is not limited to that of the swinging trio. Lassy's new vision also brings in some subtle electronics (played by Lassy, Dalindèo frontman Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen and Ilmiliekki Quartet pianist Tuomo Prättälä) and lush strings performed by Budapest Art Orchestra as arranged by Finnish artist Marzi Nyman. It's a new sound for Lassy, but one which keeps true to his no-nonsense cookin' on the tenor.

This combination proves to be a winning one on the album, ranging from the more solemn moments on tracks such as "Sunday 20" and "Sointu" to the all out groovers like "Pumping C" and "Subtropical". The basic three sylinders of the band tenor sax, bass and drums, are strong throughout and the strings add air beneath the wings to really lift things off. Electronics are used as a tasty condiment, not taking over the main course but adding to it just right.

"We began the process with the bare bones trio but along the way, the sound started evolving into something else" Lassy explains. "That's how I like to work, anyway, while the trio can take this music to great lengths live, on the album I like to paint a fuller, more colourful picture sonically."

Speaking of painting, the sleeve of the album features the original artwork "Subtropic" by Finnish artist Ilari Hautamäki. "Trio" by Timo Lassy will be released by We Jazz Records as blue and black vinyl editions complete with a heavy duty tip-on sleeve, on CD and digitally. The special BUNDLE version includes the LP with a 7" featuring two non-LP tracks, available with blue LP + blue 7" or as black LP + black 7", bound together in a re-sealable "Japanese styled" sleeve, plus a We Jazz sticker.