The Architects of Shadows explores the volatile undercurrents shaping today's polarized world, where extremes on all sides vie for influence and control. Against a backdrop of rising nationalism, digital echo chambers, and deepening distrust, each track captures a stage in the gradual radicalization of society. Through dark, immersive soundscapes, the album delves into how unseen architects exploit fear, amplify division, and pull the strings of public sentiment, leading society toward ideological extremes. The Architects of Shadows invites listeners to confront the forces behind the fracturing of Western societies in an era marked by profound political and cultural polarization.
After the success of the first two chapters, label owner Sciahri returns with the third installment of Pareidolia, further expanding the series' distinct sonic narrative.
The EP opens with No More Time, a perfect balance of power and finesse, where hypnotic vocal loops elevate the tension. It then transitions into Near the Bar, a groove-driven gem with refined textures that make it simply irresistible.
On the flip side, Two Letters follows up on the iconic One Letter, bringing back its unmistakable, heavy-hitting bassline and perfectly placed vocals that make it truly unique.
Closing the EP is Hit and Run, a deeply hypnotic yet driving cut, blending mental intensity and epic energy into a captivating sonic experience.
A (new) vinyl version for one of our favourite Mika Vainio (Pan Sonic) albums; originally recorded between 1999–2004 and issued on CD only under his revered Ø alias for Finland’s Sähkö Recordings in 2005.
»Kantamoinen« is perhaps the most intimately beautiful yet little-known LP in the Ø canon, bridging the gap between his classic ’90s minimal techno productions and the project’s subsequent turn to more ambient, kosmic, and dubwise dimensions in the coolly brilliant »Oleva« and »Konstellaatio« albums.
Dedicated to Mika’s grandma, Laina Vainio (1913–1991), and adorned with a cover image of her garden in Artjärvi, Finland, the 16-part 2LP is the closest you’ll get to a type of nostalgia in Mika’s catalogue.
Whilst recorded 1999–2004 at an early crest of his game-changing work with Pan Sonic, the album clearly manifests a quieter space for Mika to emote far more nuanced feels, from the wide-eyed vastness of »Galaxy« to a breathtaking »Sound Picture«, transitioning from Hans-Ulrich Obrist’s snippet of Oskar Sala into icy bliss, and the rosy warmth of »Summerland« clearly dedicated to his nan’s garden. The rest is better defined as ephemeral snapshots adding up to a broader picture, like a mind’s eye filling gaps in the memory from illusive vapours and sensations, generating all-time gems in the steepled choral synth voice of »In Wind«, or a sense of magic realism in the swaying organ of »Antenna-ant«, with the blooz folk wheeze of closer »To Home« that could feasibly score the most haunting moments of a Béla Tarr flick.
MASK Records founder ZentaSkai joins forces with Berlin-based creative Laura Merino Allue under the name Cuddling Monsters, a project centered on analog processes and tactile sound design. Debuting in March 2024, the project explores Detroit-infused House, dub Techno, and minimal soundscapes shaped by raw texture and spatial depth. Working exclusively with analogue instruments, the duo prioritise warmth, imperfection, and presence over polish. Alongside her music work, Laura Merino Allue is also a graphic designer, bringing a strong visual identity to the project’s wider aesthetic.
‘Cuddling Monsters' is inspired by real-life experiences — the raw, imperfect, beautiful moments we move through. We believe in staying present, feeling everything deeply, and embracing the analog flow of the now. It’s about living the moment fully — and like a cuddle on the dancefloor, creating a space where sound holds you, warmth surrounds you, and even the wildest monsters feel safe enough to soften.’ -
Cuddling Monsters
The Cuddling Monsters ‘Vol. 3’ EP opens with ‘Bubble Bloom’, a melodic house track featuring warped, filtered synth tones that set a hazy foundation before a dub-leaning beat settles in. It’s layered with aquatic, bubbly textures and fragmented samples, adding warmth and movement. ‘Warm Waves’ shifts into a lighter, more atmospheric space, increasing the tempo slightly while maintaining a restrained, ethereal character. The B-side closes with ‘Secret Signal’, a long-form techno piece stretching over ten minutes, where evolving synth lines gradually merge with soft, dubby drums and analogue percussion, building steadily without excess before easing out.
A shared studio session in Detroit led to this focused techno collaboration between heavyweight talents Luke Hess and Thor. Recorded over several intense days inside the DeepLabs studio, the EP reflects a meeting of two distinct approaches. Hess brings the warm, soulful pulse long associated with Detroit techno, while Thor contributes a stripped-back minimal sensibility shaped by his Icelandic roots. Analogue machines and rare samples give the music a tactile edge and form the crisp but deep drive of 'Induction' to the subtly uplift and smoky soul of 'Samruni'. This is a restrained yet powerful record.
Christian Prommer – producer, drummer, DJ and multi?instrumentalist best known for his work with Trüby Trio, Fauna Flash, Drumlesson, Voom:Voom (with Peter Kruder), Prommer & Barck (with Alex Barck), and as the producer of DJ Hell’s Teufelswerk – presents his new album Rhythmic Nocturne, spanning spiritual deep house, jazz, balearic trip?hop and hypnotic rhythm explorations. A must for fans of St. Germain, Floating Points and refined grooves at all speeds.
This album distills ten years of Berlin into a twilight drift between order and abandon. Daytime studio sketches are pulled apart at night, reshaped by shifting perspectives that swing between jazz harmony, textural experimentation, and the heavy gravity of techno basslines and analog drums. Intimately close-mic’d piano, drums, percussion, cello, and strings are constantly recontextualized—dropped into new rooms, resonances, and imagined spaces—so their meaning keeps mutating. Room noise, human breath, and accidental sounds are folded into the pulse, turning spill and imperfection into rhythm. Even a piano lid thudding shut on “Dark Matter” is claimed as part of the beat, underscoring an album that embraces freedom, spontaneity, and the beautiful lack of accountability that defines this city at night.
Coming off the back of what could only be described as ‘THAT’ CBRK001 track, we are thrilled to welcome Lindsey Herbert back to circuit|breaker with our first full length artist EP. Lindsey presents four highly effective, stripped back weapons - displaying her artistry in style. ‘You and Me’ opens the A side, perfectly encapsulating the essence of Lindsey’s signature peak time sound. An unfolding journey, leading with a wonky, yet sinister synth on top of driving percussive elements. As we begin to explore the world of the A1, the track is elevated once more, with a homemade vocal cut, paired with some expertly engineered percussion, giving us a greater sense of depth and flow through call and response techniques. Up next is ‘Tunnel Vision’ - a minimalistic tool injected with a thumping low end, dense rhythms and metallic textures, exhibiting a unique atmospheric restraint
with the dance floor in mind. As the track progresses we are introduced to a murky bleep sequence, keeping the track grounded for those deeper moments on the floor.
The B side launches into ‘Fluctuations’, once again presenting us with a classic peak time slammer. Carrying the track, a huge funky swinging hook, enticing the listener into its trance, feeling like it will never let you go. Amongst its energy, there is a sensation of playfulness that will invite the listener into its groove and functionality. We cap off the release with ‘Fragments of Light’ - a stripped back, potent cut, indulging into a more textural approach and allowing the track to breathe through subtle atmosphere, moments of low end resonance and percussive exchange. A detroit-esque dub hitgives the track a soulful offering and reminds us of the nucleus of techno.
Soul Stage lands another essential chapter with Soulstage 002, a seriously classy and deeply authentic statement from the one and only Orlando Voorn. Carried by the unmistakable spirit of Detroit, this release is the kind of record that reminds you why true house music never loses its power, timeless, soulful, effortlessly cool and full of authority.
Roman Flügel returns to Running Back with another chapter in an ongoing love affair between machine funk and dancefloor euphoria. Following a string of releases stretching from Garden
Party to the recent Dusty Jukebox EP, this latest offering continues a path that has become unmistakably his own.New Release Information
There are no dietary restrictions here. Just generous portions of basslines, rave signals, bleeps, and rhythm tracks, all layered with the kind of instinctive musicality that makes Roman’s productions feel both immediate and timeless. The spirit of early rave culture remains a guiding force, not as nostalgia but as a living source of inspiration, feeding into House music’s endless capacity for joy, surprise, and communal release.
As ever, the objective is simple: celebrate the moment. Preferably loud, preferably together, and preferably with plenty of icing on top
Never Sleep charity tape series ends up in Thornton Heath, London for the grimiest of bedroom work outs.
Early Fruity Loops philosopher Plasticman aka Plastician teams up with fellow trailblazers DJ Suicide & N Double A crew for a prompt internet radio set of prototype Grime. Rugged, raw and filled with the occasional KAOS Pad trigger / gunfinger FX; the devilish miscreants bring the lyrical vehemence.
Broadcasting from his parents place and utilising early productions Plasticman keeps the fibre optical momentum burning with early production, laser precision polyphonic instrumentals and quantified eski.
N Double A crew have so many quotables but its a "pass the mic" affair as limited equipment fort his bedroom bedlam. L Man spits certified gold on demand whilst Narstie echoes his signature cadence, Typah goes in hard with the colder than waiting in a queue outside Plastic People flow and Uzi destroys the stream with typical flair.
A landmark moment in innovation, internet radio was a key player in the growth of Grime and Dubstep. Helping build profile, connections and galvanize the online community.
“Dancing is immediate. It happens in infinitely small blips of the present, strung together one into the next, direct and spontaneous. And as each moment fades out of the present and into the past, these blips coalesce and ferment and refract into memory.
Play is the first album from Sam Hall’s new project, Spinbeat. Sam has previously released glitch-inflected bedroom pop under the name Ghost Orchard, putting out albums on Orchid Tapes and Winspear. Spinbeat comes with a turn towards rawer sounds and something like the dancefloor.
The tracks on Play linger in the space between music for dancing and music for listening. They are the memory of a dancefloor- sounds, feelings, moments of darkness and color. In contrast with other recent music to come out of the dubby post-club zone, Play is marked by its lightness and warmth. Fragile, intimate moments come bubbling up from underneath the surface, glimmering in plain view for a moment before sinking back into the fog. These pockets of earnestness lend depth and substance to the mystique of the murkier stretches.
Dance music for post-rave romance, for August haze, for the frogs in the pond out behind the warehouse party.
Bristol's Sam Binga & Addison Groove have been friends and collaborators since their 2013 'BS3' EP, released on Modeselektor's '50 Weapons' imprint. This project, the third full-length on Binga’s Pineapple Records, is born from an intense 72-hour session at the legendary Devon Analogue Studios, where the pair were able to explore their mutual love of uptempo machine funk - whether that be Detroit Jit, Chicago
Boxjams or Turbo Electro.
Three days of intense creativity across classic drum machines, vintage analogue synths and rare hardware effects resulted in a collection of raw but powerful audio building blocks - and over the past two years, the pair have been gradually shaping them into what is now a complete project - the BAGS INC album. Across 12 tracks, Binga & Addison explore that exciting space between 140 and 150 bpm - but while it's fast, it's not 'hard'; as you'd expect from the creators, it's still got that wiggle, and the all-important cheekiness for which they're known.
Mastered by Bob Macc @ SC Mastering and cut at the Sony plant in Europe,, the album has immersive and musical detail to warrant deep listening, while maintaining that essential club energy.
Featuring rare- and first-on-vinyl tracks from beloved producers such as 2000 And One, Stasis, and CiM. Remastered by DMX Krew and with an accompanying online essay by Oli Warwick.
Across eight carefully selected slices of starry-eyed machine soul, Cold Blow presents an exquisite tour through backroom techno and downtempo electro. With a focus on thematic flow and an immersive listening experience, the London-based label explores works from leading lights of the 1990s and previously unreleased cuts that celebrate the human heart that can be discovered in synthetic sound practices. The development of techno in the 1990s saw the music evolve in different directions across the world. From the expressive blueprint laid out by the Detroit pioneers, a wide range of tempos and energies emerged. Techno's evocative synthesis and intricate drum machine programming was especially potent for deeper explorations away from the dancefloor. Documents Of A Different Reality casts back to when technology was steering quantum leaps in communication and creativity and the future was shot through with naive optimism. It was also a time when the media and industry hadn't caught up with the music to box it into distinct categories. As such, there's a sense of creative freedom that informs the older tracks on the album, from 2000 And One and Sandy Huner's sparkling example of early Dutch techno to London-based LA Synthesis' detailed take on braindance and the majestic night sky vision of cult legend Stasis. There's also space for rare, late 90s machine funk from Icelandic outlier Thor alongside Connective Zone's charmingly fractured bleep dream and a more contemporary offering from Barcelona-based duo Permutation. Meanwhile Mind Control and CiM both capture the spirit of stylistic fusion with twitchier rhythms that take influence from hardcore and jungle as much as techno. With an atmospheric through-line of melancholic pads and harmonious leads, this small but perfectly formed collection naturally follows on from previous, equally thought-out compilations on Cold Blow, and adds a distinct perspective on the history and continuing legacy of pioneering early ambient techno.
40 years after Dave curated the 'Garage Sound of Deepest New York' series featuring the cream of the crop of American US Garage, the series ran for 4 instalments. Dave re-ignites the torch to bear once more and champion the sound more locally, the leafy area of Crouch End, London, to be precise. This four tracker is a testament to the knowledge and expertise Dave Lee has with this particular soulful sound & genre. First up is 'Everybody Needs Somebody' with its powerhouse gospel vocal performance from Rance backed up with swathing chords, piano & organ work by Matt Cooper and Dave's swinging heavy drums. 'Every Second Every Minute Every Hour' is next from Dave Under, his new Hillman Avenger alias, who takes things in a more jazz funk direction, with masterful piano & brass work and scorching synth solo as the cherry on top. 'Our Love' is an updated rework of a vintage Republic Records track featuring the dynamic vocals of AJ Lewis. Bouncy house drums backbone the syncopated chord stabs before a gear change around the halfway mark signals a big heads down, hands up moment. Before the famous clock tower of Crouch End strikes 12, we have time for one more cut by the name of 'No Excuses' featuring the legend that is Lifford, who does what he does best, soulful yet mighty vocals. This is a peak time, feel-good slab of the Garage house that would have maybe made it onto one of Dave's original comps back in the day.
The Reflex has been busy of late and, though already a proven master of multi-track mixes and mash-ups, he keeps on reaching new heights with each new drop. This is one of several coming in quick succession and finds him dropping the final part of his label Discolidays' collaboration with the Zagora catalogue, which features tunes by Thomas Bangalter's pops, Daniel Vangarde. Here it is the Gibson Brothers' disco belter 'Heaven' that gets beefed up with bright strings and unrelenting drums, driving you to a place of sheer joy. A more obscure sound come son the flip with uptempo drums and sumptuous musicianship laid down by some of the best of the disco era in Paris.
For our 30th anniversary, we reissue three absolute minimal techno statements by Robert Hood. These tracks define the birth of minimal techno — reduced to rhythm, pressure and repetition. No ornament. No compromise. Just structure, tension and movement. Originally released on Logistic Records, they remain as powerful and modern today as they were in the early 90s. Functional. Spiritual. Underground.
Finland-based producer Slowct is a new name, but his Panelia EP — the second 12″ to come from the rising DISCO.VERY imprint — lands with a quiet confidence and a rich, sunlit warmth. Pressed in an edition of just 300 copies, vinyl only, this is music that nods to the 90s without ever sounding trapped there: the chord language, the swing, the palette all carry echoes of that golden era, yet the production breathes with a fresh, contemporary clarity.
Across four tracks, Slowct blends house music with hip-hop shuffle, street-soul texture, and Balearic drift. There’s an unhurried, melodic quality here — drums with weight, chords that float rather than pound, melodies that feel both familiar and pleasantly unexpected. Made for summer parties, late drives, and those hazy moments when the sun sits low and the speakers are just loud enough.
On the remix front, GFH (Grooves From Heaven) steps in on “Panavia” and delivers something genuinely singular. Lush and humid, yet unmistakably futuristic. It’s a remix that twists the original into new and wonderful shapes.
Supported by the only man with a copy the one and only DJ Harvey, so you know what to expect.
The concept remains simple — extend what already works. With the second chapter of MAXI MAXIMAL, Leicht Matrose SIRS continues a DJ focused approach to reconstruction, taking timeless disco, synth pop and balearic moments and reshaping them into extended, more playable versions built for flow, space, and long-form mixing. This is not about rarity or obscurity, it’s about clarity. Not digging for forgotten gems here but refining familiar material into its most functional, immersive form. Each track is treated with a clear intention: to open up space, deepen the arrangement, and allow the original emotion to unfold over a longer timeline made for modern use, without losing its core feeling. you dig it .
¿DONDEDOS is young dude/unc duo hailing from the Mission. Pascual Martinez (young dude) and BPT head honcho Jeremy Castillo (unc) have spent the last few years in the stu, cooking up this deep fried, groovin' 4 tracker. Fans of 2011-16 LIES and Future Times releases, “Biology" era Young Marco, Juju and Jordash, and the Wah Wah Wino crew are in for a treat.
In an era where literally every aspect of dance music is overly programmed and manicured, ¿DONDEDOS take a massively refreshing approach marked by true experimentation. All drums were recorded on the Roland R8, and the melodies were live played with a loose, jammy feel not felt on many electronic 12" releases in 2026. They're a jam band baby!!!!!
The fun starts with "Drifting Nowhere," a fried oddball deep house record with one of the year's most infectious basslines. Be ready for it to be on a loop in your brain long after the track has stopped playing.
2nd track "Dies Varos" was described by BPT fam Izaak from Loveshadow as sounding like "part of the Mediterranean touching Mexico." Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. (that was a deep relaxed sigh, not a scream for once!!!)
"Music for Patios" sounded pretty good on a walk and not on a patio so, just FYI, only a suggestion not a requirement.
Ender Noche Caminando features Diego Herrera (AKA Suzanne Kraft) on sax. In Jeremy's own words, this track features "oddball dancehall drums on the R8 with 80s synth pop dub melodic sensibilities."
Inweys is the new project from Scottish musicians Conal Blake (Feedback Moves, Domestic Exile, Infant Tree) and Murray Collier (Dip Friso, Grim Lusk, Real Landscape). Their debut self-titled 12’ was recorded in the summer of 2024 at La Chunky Studios in Glasgow.
They asked Fielding Hope of Counterflows Festival to write a short summary of the record:
“Inweys debut release arrives as four pieces of broken body music. Lurking, barely human fragments brought into the present. Using a short drum-machine improvisation as core material, the pieces are formed from a processes of mining and re-mining for small details, with each fragment zoomed in on and turned into new pieces. There’s a transformation taking place, but one that doesn’t obscure the materiality of the recording tapes as sticky, corrosive matter. On skewed and stretched fabric they enact their palimpsestic play, sketching and altering the grid with itchy technologies. What their edits and improvisations don’t say they let space say the rest, with vacuum aerated frames for bass to diffuse and beats to wriggle. More King Tubby than Cage, more Mantronix than Reich: minimalism with molten tips.
Both Conal and Murray’s past work has embraced malleable and iterative technologies; music whose feeliness figures itself out in space in a messy precomposed/improvised dialectic. This is the sort of thing most “new music” experimentalists (or anyone who spends most of their time obsessively manipulating tapes in expensive studios) often can’t achieve; a liveness, birthed from learning in situated play. Like the lore of Phuture’s Acid Trax, a poverty of material is at the heart of this, rendering the work with an abortive conviction: a corpse waking to consciousness becomes amphibious. Instead of the composer we have a relation, two people navigating the awkward spooling between the two reels of tape. Inweys is scots for “inwards”, and in their working process this is what they do. But the result is circular motion. Until the tape runs out, all in ways move out.”
Onryō V/A brings together a powerful lineup of artists including Nymfo, Rregula & Dementia, FPX DJ, Encrypt, Fenkari & Stryke. The release features four distinct tracks, each with it's own character - yet they seamlessly blend into a cohesive sonic journey. 180 records - no repress.
RB013 marks Rhythm Buro's 13th release, arriving in the form of a Various Artists compilation titled 'All Things Broken'. Much like its predecessor 'There Will Be Light' - the label's ambient compilation - this project was built around a single unifying idea: bringing together a diverse set of tracks centred on deep breakbeat sounds, for lack of a better term. With that vision in mind, curator Igor Glushko reached out to a dozen like-minded artists - Ukrainian and international, long-time collaborators and fresh faces alike. A year and a half later, 'All Things Broken' is finally here.
Contributing artists (in alphabetical order): Alex Albrecht, Forest On Stasys, Haze, Hidden Element, HVL, Ina Kacz, Na Nich, Orion, Radiant Futur, SI Process, The Sailing Oysterman (aka Shjva and Ilya Semashkevich), Volodymyr Gnatenko.
The compilation comes as a 2xLP and includes an insert poster featuring 'Flame and Water', a drawing by Ukrainian artist Oleksandr Kryzhanovskyi that serves as the centrepiece of the release's artwork. Oleksandr also contributed additional works from the same series, which appear on the labels of both records.
Raving Molecules, a record label and events collective focused on promoting the underground electronic music scene from Iasi, Romania, make their debut on wax with Creeptoid EP, signed by the resident artist and label curator Jo Creep.
The tracks featured on Creeptoid EP evokes the oldskool Tech House sound of the early 2000s and could be wrapped up and mixed between a maniac eclectic melancholy and a frantic unsettling ensemble of emotions carrying you effortlessly from one sound trip to another.
OLIVER HO returns as SLOW WHITE FALL with a new album.
Three years after his last release, FLOOD (2023), Oliver Ho reactivates his most introspective pseudonym, SLOW WHITE FALL, unveiling a new 11-track album: O CURSE UPON THOU HOUSE
Presented by KR3, the album continues the sonic journey that defines SLOW WHITE FALL, described by Oliver as "atmospheric metal / post-rock soundscapes / drones." These elements unfold through raw, sharp atmospheres, creating a contemplative and mystical listening experience.
The album will be released on vinyl in two editions: standard and limited. The limited edition will also include a 16-page fanzine featuring photographs taken by Oliver Ho, designed to expand the dialogue between sound and visual identity - an essential dimension of the project.
The vinyl edition contains 8 of the 11 tracks, while the remaining 3 will be available exclusively as digital bonus material.
O CURSE UPON THOU HOUSE - is a work of raw sonic and visual power!
The incredible story that began with The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet (TMMS) now enters an exciting new chapter: Skyscraper, the debut album by FEX.
Skyscraper features ten original tracks recorded in the early to mid-1980s-carefully re-transferred, remastered, and brought back to life. The album cover, designed by Darius S., brings the story full circle. Darius is the very person who preserved the now-iconic track Subways of Your Mind by recording it from NDR radio in the mid-80s. Without him, FEX may never have been discovered.
FEX's debut opens with its namesake, Skyscraper-a brooding, previously unreleased track the band once described as part of their "psychedelic phase." With haunting synth-helicopter textures and deep guitar riffs, it immediately sets the tone and raises tension.
The release flows naturally into the energetic and fully remastered studio version of Subways of Your Mind. This version of the TMMS - re-discovered on the "yellow label tape" by Reddit user Marijn-was long believed to be from a smaller home studio, but was actually recorded in November 1984 at Hawkeye Studios in Ganderkesee, near Hamburg.
Goldrush, first teased in raw form on FEX's YouTube channel, bends toward mechanical rhythm and shimmering synths, a snapshot of the band's experiments with programmed drum machine sound. Rückwardt's lyrics point to greed and criticizes materialism, and while the music leans toward pop sensibilities, it carries a raw, fractured edge.
Heart in Danger and I've Got My Eyes On You offer contrasting experiences-one rooted in classic post-punk tension, the other floating in melodic synth layers. The latter in particular feels like a fragment from a parallel radio history: a precise and one of a kind synth pop love song with a progressive touch.
From a rehearsal tape comes Dirty Slapstick, its urgency intact. Missing keyboard parts were later reconstructed by Michael Hädrich using his original DX7 synthesizer-recovering lost elements without rewriting the past. The lyrics take a wry look at forced optimism. Also included are the songs Talking Hands, Jenny and Strange Feeling, the latter being a slower blues-tinged cut, revealing yet another facet of the band's reach and Rückwardt's songwriting diversity.
The album closes where the legend began-with the original radio recording of Subways of Your Mind from Darius' cassette. This version of The Most Mysterious Song features alternate vocal effects, contributing to the track's enigmatic aura. Digitally transferred using a high-end Revox machine and carefully remastered, it now has its long-deserved official release.
The cover features a photo of the Eichenberg Bunker in Kiel-one of FEX's original rehearsal spaces and a symbolic monument to their sonic legacy.
Featuring Sarathy Korwar, Dudú Kouate, Marysia Osu and more
French-born, London-based composer and musician Pascal Bideau aka Akusmi announces his second full-length Terra Incognita, an album of intrepid sonic exploration that delights in the sensation of being somewhere you've never been before. The listener is invited to experience seven faraway sonic imaginariums, as global and spiritual jazz are fused with modern electronics and life affirming minimalism into a hypnotic, polyrhythmic odyssey.
The album's rich multilayered sound world features contributions from tabla virtuoso Sarathy Korwar, Senegalese musician Dudú Kouate adds an array of percussions, ngoni and flutes and Levitation Orchesta's Marysia Osu brings harp and flutes. Following Akusmi's widely acclaimed debut album Fleeting Future (2022) which was supported by The Guardian, The Quietus, MOJO , Gilles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs etc, this time, the sound palette for Terra Incognita is more vibrant, earthy and abundant, drawing inspiration from the radiating optimism and high-energy sources heard in Afrobeat, Highlife and Electronic Afro-pop music, sounding looser, free and primarily interested in raw sensations
First edition of the NOCTURNA collection, which will expand in successive chapters (01.2 on the way).
Intense signals; each track is a point in a nocturnal journey.
Turkey’s first stereo LP. A foundational recording of Anatolian psychedelia. Audio transferred from the original analog master tapes, mastered and lacquer cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery, London, and pressed on 180g heavyweight black vinyl at Record Industry in the Netherlands.
Released by the legendary Yonca Müzik label in 1973 as Turkey’s first stereo LP, Türküz Türkü Çağırırız! now returns as the first official reissue. The album captures Mazhar Alanson and Fuat Güner at a pivotal moment before their later success with MFÖ, one of Turkish pop-rock’s most influential and enduring groups.
Mazhar and Fuat first met in 1966 through a shared love of The Beatles’ Rubber Soul. Inspired by the close vocal harmonies of The Beatles and Crosby, Stills & Nash, they initially believed this music could only work in English. Producer Ergin Bener encouraged them to develop their own musical language in Turkish.
Previously members of Kaygısızlar, the pioneering group that accompanied Barış Manço, Mazhar and Fuat explored a more intimate Turkish folk-rock sound on this album. Zafer Dilek’s arrangements bring his distinctive guitar and keyboard work to a recording in which acoustic guitars, organ and electric guitar touches frame Anatolian melodies. Country-rock influences and the English-language “Upside Down” add to its range.
The title roughly translates as “We are Turks, and we sing Turkish folk songs” — reflecting a search for a new, distinctly Turkish musical identity. The album draws on works by Âşık Veysel, a defining voice of Turkish folk poetry, and Yunus Emre, the great Anatolian Sufi poet.
“Adımız Miskindir Bizim” was sampled on Action Bronson’s “Easy Rider,” while Stones Throw producer Oh No sampled “Sür Efem Atını.”
Chlar returns to his Primal Instinct label with 'Modern Survival'
Following the widely praised Funk Assault (Chlar & Alarico) 'Minimum One Post A Week' EP, which kicked off the Primal Instinct label last summer and won the support of the likes of Rodhad, Tasha, and Luke Slater, as well as routine plays from Sarah Story on BBC Radio 1, Chlar now returns to his imprint with solo venture 'Modern Survival'. While the first Primal Instinct release saw references to artist urges and behaviours on social media, this next instalment explores a modern recontextualisation of humanity's hierarchy of needs in yet another high-concept EP.
First up, 'Internet Soulmate' boasts a crunchy bassline as its drum work chugs along the track playfully. The groove twists and turns before the hypnotic and tribal 'Supermarket Hunting' continues with sounds of nature, loopy rhythm and syncopated bleeps.
On the B-side's 'Body Control Officer', human-made grooves intertwine with machine-like thrum, synths whirring and zapping, while 'Competitive Influencing' takes off with rolling percussion, subtle whistles and distorted vocal one-shots. Closing out another stellar offering from the Primal Instinct frontman, Chlar brings the dark 'Scout My Algorithm', a brooding slow-burner offset by smooth arpeggio snippets and warped slices of digital noise.
"In an era where technology entwines our everyday existence, where the virtual realm shapes our interactions, and where the pursuit of influence takes centre stage comes an EP that delves deep into the modern tapestry of human existence. 'Modern Survival' is not merely a collection of songs and visual clips, but a poignant reflection on the intricate dance between our primal instincts and the brave new world we navigate today. The EP invites listeners on a journey of self-discovery and reflection, prompting them to ponder the fundamental essence of our existence in an environment of fast-paced technological evolution." - Chlar
Connecters Vol. 1: Original Recordings, 1992-1999 ist die erste Veröffentlichung von Larrison, dem Pseudonym des bildenden Künstlers und Musikers Larrison Seidle aus dem Mittleren Westen. Larrison komponierte, programmierte und nahm alles komplett auf einem Casio CZ-5000 auf, während der guten alten Zeit der selbstgemachten Experimente und Entdeckungen in den frühen 90ern. Er lebte in einer Traumwelt, die er selbst erfunden hatte, mit Soundtracks aus Space-Age-Pop-Vignetten, gespickt mit hypnotischen, überschwänglichen, vielschichtigen Synthesizer-Melodien. Mit 26 Tracks, die alle neu restauriert und aus den Originalquellen gemastert wurden, erfindet sich Connecters Vol. 1 Song für Song neu, überwindet die Zeit und trotzt der vorbestimmten Vergessenheit dieser brillanten, diskreten Musik, die vor drei Jahrzehnten entstanden ist. Larrison Seidle wuchs in den 70er und 80er Jahren in Greenwood, Indiana, einem Arbeitervorort von Indianapolis, auf. Er stammte nicht aus einer Musikerfamilie, aber aus einem Haushalt, in dem Musikalität gefördert wurde. Sein Vater kaufte eine elektrische Orgel, in der Hoffnung, dass Larrison und sein älterer Bruder das Instrument lernen würden. ,Am Ende saß mein Vater einige Abende an der Orgel, improvisierte und spielte immer wieder dieses eine Lied, von dem ich mich noch an die ersten Takte erinnern kann", erinnert sich Larrison. Möglicherweise war es in diesem Moment, in dem es zwar keine formale Ausbildung gab, aber viel Ermutigung und Entdeckungsfreude, dass der Künstler seine ersten musikalischen Experimente machte. Diese Erlaubnis, sich auszuprobieren, sollte seine kreative Arbeit in den folgenden Jahren deutlich prägen. Während in Larrisons Elternhaus klassische Rockplatten leicht zugänglich waren, lieh sich sein Vater 35-mm-Dokumentarfilme aus der Bibliothek aus, um sie im Wohnzimmer zu zeigen, die alle mit skurrilen Instrumentalstücken unterlegt waren. Als Teenager nahm er John Carpenters und Alan Howarths Endthema aus ,Die Klapperschlange" mit einem kleinen Kassettenrekorder neben dem Fernsehlautsprecher auf und liebte Tangerine Dreams Beiträge zu Ridley Scotts düsterer Fantasy ,Legend". Seine Faszination für diese weitgehend textlosen, synthesizerbasierten Kompositionen führte zu einem eigenwilligen Verständnis davon, wie Musik nicht nur das ergänzt, was wir vor uns sehen, sondern auch das, was wir in den Tiefen unseres Bewusstseins erleben. 1985, als er dreizehn Jahre alt war, überzeugte Larrison seinen Vater, ihm ein Casio CZ-5000-Keyboard zu kaufen. Wie zuvor die Orgel war auch dieses Instrument eine Neuheit im Haushalt der Seidles. Erst nach seinem Highschool-Abschluss 1991 und dem Beginn seines Studiums an der Herron School of Art in Indianapolis entdeckte er den in das Casio integrierten Sequenzer und begann, seine Kompositionen auf Band aufzunehmen. ,Das CZ-5000 und sein 8-Spur-Sequenzer sind die einzigen Musikinstrumente, die ich benutzt habe. Es hat eine fast unbegrenzte Funktion zur Erzeugung neuer Klänge", erklärte Seidle. Während seiner Zeit an der Herron School of Art freundete sich Larrison mit seinem Kommilitonen und Klangkünstler Michael Northam an, den er bei einem Konzert auf dem Campus kennengelernt hatte. Nachdem Northam Larrison für die Musik von Severed Heads, Throbbing Gristle und Roger Doyle begeistert und damit seine Zuneigung und sein Vertrauen gewonnen hatte, überredete er ihn, nach Austin, Texas, zu ziehen, das in den frühen 90er Jahren für seine lebendige Kunst- und Musikszene bekannt war. Die beiden wohnten zunächst bei Northams Freund Daniel Plunkett, dem Herausgeber und Verleger von ND, einem einflussreichen Magazin, das sich von 1982 bis 1999 mit DIY-Musik und Tape-Trading beschäftigte. In seiner Blütezeit hatte ND Tausende von Lesern, und Plunkett verschickte die Ausgaben weltweit. In den letzten Monaten des Jahres 1993 und Anfang 1994 schrieb und nahm Larrison mit begrenzten Mitteln und grenzenloser Intuition eine Reihe von Songs mit seinem CZ-5000 in einer kleinen Wohnung nördlich der Innenstadt von Austin auf, bastelte eine farbenfrohe, illustrierte Beilage, in der einige Songtitel durch Linien oder Pfeile dargestellt waren, und gab sie an Plunkett weiter, damit er sie für ND rezensieren konnte. Diese einzelne Kassette mit dem Titel Connecters sic war eine von 1200, die im Laufe des Bestehens der Publikation bei ND eingereicht wurden und die Jed Bindeman, Mitbegründer von Freedom To Spend, 2020 erworben und fast wie durch ein Wunder entdeckt hat. ,Ich hatte große Schwierigkeiten, mir die Kassetten in dieser Sammlung anzuhören", gibt Bindeman zu. ,Aber dann legte ich Larrisons Connecters ein und dachte sofort: ,Wow! Was höre ich da?' Die Kassette war von Anfang bis Ende einfach fantastisch." Mit Musik von genau dieser Kassette und anderen Aufnahmen aus Larrisons Experimenten in den 90er Jahren ist Connecters eine Übersicht über Instrumentalmusik, die sowohl durch vielfältige konzeptionelle Strategien als auch durch spielerische Neugierde geprägt ist. Seidle arbeitete unter Bedingungen, die viele Musiker als Einschränkung empfinden würden, und entwickelte technisch innovative Ansätze, um die Klänge und integrierten Effekte des CZ-5000 zu modifizieren. Das Gerät ermöglichte es ihm, die Wellenform, die Hüllkurve und die Tonart von Klängen mithilfe der Phasenverzerrungssynthese zu verändern und so im Grunde genommen Instrumente zu schaffen, während er Songs komponierte. Die Tracks zeichnen sich durch eine durchdachte impressionistische Vielfalt aus, die mal lo-fi, mal symphonisch klingt. Inmitten der Zerlegung und Verstärkung der Fähigkeiten des CZ-5000 gibt es auch einen geschmackvollen Rückgriff auf eine kindliche Interaktion und Erfahrung von Klang. Vielleicht ist es diese Erfahrungsqualität, die es so schwierig macht, Larrisons Projekt einfach als Ambient oder Elektronik zu verstehen. Sein Wille, die ihm zur Verfügung stehenden Werkzeuge zu transformieren, hebt die daraus resultierenden Kompositionen auf eine persönliche Ebene und verleiht der Musik einen bezaubernden Sinn für Mystik. Connecters ist ein Beweis für eine künstlerische Vision, die sich nicht durch Grenzen einschränken lässt und keine Angst vor Informalität hat. Diese Aufnahmen, die dreißig Jahre nach ihrer Dokumentation auf magische Weise an die Oberfläche kommen, zeigen, wie personalisierte Produktionsmittel die Zeit ausdehnen und verkürzen können. Larrison lädt die Zuhörer ein, sich auf die Wunder der auditiven Vorstellungskraft einzulassen - eine Brücke zwischen visueller Erinnerung, emotionaler Resonanz und der grenzenlosen Möglichkeit, mit den uns zur Verfügung stehenden Mitteln Musik zu machen. Larrison's Connecters Vol. 1: Original Recordings, 1992-1999 wird am 3. April 2026 von Freedom To Spend als Vinyl- und Digitalausgabe veröffentlicht.
Chicago funk/soul band South Side Movement, who began their career as the backing band for the renowned pair Shintek & Wiley known for “Bootleggin,”
released their debut album The South Side Movement (Wand, 1973). From this album comes the enduring classic “I’m Been Watching You”, a track that remains
highly popular among hip-hop listeners—sampled by artists such as Erykah Badu (“Woo”), Ghostface Killah (“Camay”), and Jadakiss featuring Nas (“Show Discipline”).
This new 7-inch release features a special edit by producer/MPC player KOENMA, who digs deep into the analog-born groove and brings a fresh edge to this timeless cut.
Dieses Jazzensemble ist durch und durch skandinavisch. Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist stammt aus Schweden, Pianist Tuomas Turunen aus Finnland und Bassist Max Thornberg ist ebenfalls Schwede. Seit etwa drei Jahren bilden sie das Emil Brandqvist Trio – mit großem Tatendrang und großem Erfolg. »Falling Crystals« heißt ihr drittes Album.
Auch ihre Musik ist typisch skandinavisch: geprägt von unaufgeregten, meditativen Klängen und nordischer Melancholie.
Und obwohl man von einem Trio, das nach seinem Schlagzeuger benannt ist, eigentlich das genaue Gegenteil erwartet, zeigt Emil Brandqvist auf »Falling Crystals« ein weiteres Mal, wie gut musikalische Zurückhaltung klingt. Das hat er bereits mit seinen beiden Vorgängeralben »Breathe Out« (2013) und »Seascapes« (2015) bewiesen, für das der Schlagzeuger unlängst für den Echo Jazz 2016 in der Kategorie »Instrumentalist/in des Jahres international Drums/Percussion« nominiert wurde.
Neben all der Leichtigkeit und Stille des neuen Albums, darf aber nicht vergessen werden, dass es sich dabei auch um herausragende, starke Kompositionen handelt, in dessen Zentrum das Klavier steht.
Beim Emil Brandqvist Trio treffen technische Finesse und punktgenaues Zusammenspiel auf bildhafte, berührende und vor allem eingängige Melodien. »Falling Crystals« bleibt also lange im Gedächtnis – wie der letzte Skandinavienurlaub.
Rezensionen
»Emil Brandqvist scheint ein ausgeglichener Mensch zu sein, der mal ausgelassen und fröhlich daherkommt, aber auch seine nachdenklichen, leiseren Seiten hat. Jedenfalls versteht sich der Schlagzeuger darauf, mit seinem Trio heiter, schwungvoll, aber auch bedächtig aufzuspielen. In „Through The Forest“ hüpfen die Töne von ihm, dem Pianisten Tuomas Turunen und dem Kontrabassisten Max Thornberg so fröhlich, als hätten sie sich durch Hits von ABBA zu einem Tänzchen inspirieren lassen. Mit „Shine“ hingegen bringen sie eine kleine Melodie zum Strahlen, und die Ballade „Longing“ gewinnt durch ausdrucksstarke, stellenweise an Frank Sinatras Intonation erinnernde Klaviermelodien und ein klares Fundament von Bass und Schlagzeug Ausdruck. Zu dritt oder im Quartett mit dem Perkussionisten Martin Brandqvist verzichten sie auf virtuose Hochgeschwindkeitspassagen – ihre Stärken sind einerseits das gelassene Ineinandergreifen von Piano und Begleitung und andererseits die Fähigkeit, kurze und einprägsame Melodien abwechslungsreich auszugestalten. Mal greifen sie dabei auf minimalistische Variationstechniken zurück, mal setzen sie Brüche, gliedern in Abschnitte, setzen einzelne Segmente hintereinander. Im Eröffnungsstück „While We Are Here“ und dem abschließenden Epilog „The Oak Trees“ und „Early Spring“ unterstützt sie das Sjöströmska String Quartet mit flächigen Klängen und aufgefächerten Akkorden, während das Trio in „The Sea Begins To Freeze“ eher auf die Tradition der Minimal Music zurückgreift. Die im Titel angesprochenen Kristalle fallen nicht nur, sie funkeln auch.« (RONDO, Werner Stiefele, 12.03.2016)
»Die wahre Schönheit zeigt sich hier nicht an der Oberfläche. Brandqvist, Turunen und Thornberg sind wahre Meister darin, elaboriert-komplexe klangliche Architekturen mit einer fein gezeichneten Gradlinigkeit zu entwerfen…Wunderschöne freigeistliche und anrührende Musik.« (JazzPodium)
»Waren schon die beiden vorherigen CDs (s.u.) wertvolle Kostbarkeiten in Sachen Piano-Jazz, so kann das Album Falling Crystals noch mal einen draufsetzen. Ein dermaßen relaxtes, zeitloses und Musikliebhaber aller Couleurs ansprechendes Album hat man selten gesehen.« (sound&image.de)
»Falls Ihnen der Name bekannt vorkommt: Vom schwedischen Emil Brandqvist Trio haben wir schon mehrfach geschwärmt, das wunderbare ›Seascapes‹ Ende 2015 gar zu einem Album des Jahres gekürt. Nun folgt mit ›Falling Crystals‹ der nächste große Wurf. Wieder gelingt es den drei Musikern, ganz simple Ideen zu Stücken von zerbrechlicher Schönheit und anmut zu formen. Mal klingt das Trio fast wie Popmusik, mal erweitert es sein Klangspektrum durch ein Streichquartett. Dann scheint die berühmte nordische Melancholie noch etwas stärker durch die beührenden Melodien.« (Stern, 31.03.2016)
»Dem Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist gelingt mit seinem Jazz-Trio nun bereits zum dritten Mal ein gar nicht mal so einfaches Kunststück: hinreißend schöne, cineastisch ausgreifende Melodien zu schreiben.« (dpa + Focus)
»Typisch romantische Brandqvist-Art: Eine eingängige Popmelodie wird von schwebenden Streichern unterstützt, fern von darüber gezogenem Pathos.« (Jazz thing)
»Die klangmalerischen Landschaftsbilder des Trios …entwickeln einen hypnotischen Sog.« (Hörzu + Gong)
»Erstklassiger Piano-Jazz.« (In Music)
»Eine stilvoll und -sicher arrangierte Kreuzung aus Pop-Jazz und eingängiger Kammermusik.« (Nordische Musik.de)
»Dieses Trio besticht durch herrliche Melodien, welche tief ins Herz gelangen. Sounds welche man so schnell nicht vergisst. Es scheint als würden die Musiker ein Gemälde von unsagbarere Schönheit malen. Dieses Album sticht aus der Masse deutlich heraus.« (Jazzdrummerworld.de)
»Um es vorweg zu nehmen, mit Falling Crystals liefert das Emil Brandqvist Trio sein Meisterstück ab. Bereits in den letzten Jahren hat sich der Göteborger Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist auf vordere Ränge des europäischen Jazz gespielt, sein Trio steht für unaufgeregte, bildhafte und berührende Melodien und Sounds, die lebhaft in Erinnerung bleiben.« (Medien-Info.com)
Konzert-Reviews
Poesie- und Literaturfestival Bad Homburg – Lesung mit Max Moor:
»Unterbrochen werden seine Sequenzen vom Emil Brandqvist Trio, einer virtuosen großartigen finnisch-schwedischen Band, die mit magischen und häufig melancholischen Klängen, mit Jazz ganz eigener Prägung, den Inhalt der Geschichte aufgreift, intensiviert und weiterführt. ..« (Taunus Zeitung)
»Mit ihren besonderen Klangreisen hinterließen sie ein andächtiges und zugleich euphorisches Publikum, das die einzelnen Songs lautstark beklatschte…Einfach exzellent…mit seiner raffiniert gewürzten Lyrik des Nordens. Dieser teils magische Jazz bleibt in Erinnerung.« (shz.de)
»Klassisches Maß und große Kraft.« (HNA)
»In die Musik des Emil-Brandqvist-Trios kann man sich wunderbar versenken und sich darin verlieren…« (Haller Tagesblatt)
Grammy-nominated Malian singer, songwriter and guitarist Fatoumata Diawara returns in 2026 with MASSA, her most personal work to date. Introspective and powerful, the album explores motherhood, faith, memory, and resilience, transforming intimate reflection into universal storytelling. Through these songs, Fatoumata invites listeners, of all backgrounds, to embrace gratitude and accept that destiny is an inevitable part of the human journey. The album also carries a moving tribute to her late father, whose love continues to guide her beyond his passing. Musically, MASSA sees Fatoumata Diawara expand her sonic universe, blending her Malian musical heritage with pop textures, under the artistic direction of pop icon -M-, creating a sound that is both rooted and forward-looking. With MASSA, she reaffirms her place as one of the most vital voices in African music, transforming personal truth into universal resonance.
Double vinyl reissue of Skullflower’s epochal “IIRD GATEKEEPER” album - the first time that this album has been available on vinyl for 30 years. In addition to the original LP this definitive and expanded edition includes extra and unreleased tracks taken from the recording sessions. For the first time all the tracks recorded by the band during this period can be heard together giving fans unprecedented access to material previously only available in the bands’ archives. Recorded in London in 1991 and released in 1992 on Justin “Godflesh” Broadrick’s HeadDirt label in 1992, IIRD GATEKEEPER established a worldwide reputation and following for Skullflower and convinced many who heard it that they had encountered nothing less than the best band on the planet. Arriving at the height of the “grunge” and the expansion of underground guitar “rock” into corporate America, IIRD GATEKEEPER had its roots deep in the UK noise and power-electronics scene. Guitarist Matthew Bower and bassist Anthony Di Franco were both graduates of the Broken Flag school of British noise making with their respective projects PURE, TOTAL and JFK. IIRD GATEKEEPER was Skullflower’s third album and was the first of the band’s albums to feature a consistent line-up throughout its production: Matthew Bower (guitar), Anthony Di Franco on (bass) and Stuart Dennison (drums). Recorded and mixed in four sessions between January and June 1991the tracks on this edition of IIRD GATEKEEPER shows the band’s new line up developing their sound, warping and evolving in real time. As such this edition of IIRD GATEKEEPER provides a unique document of the band in a state of transition, with the chemistry of the individual playing combusting in the studio to create a wave of astonishing creativity. IIRD GATEKEEPER is perhaps the definitive British underground rock album of the 1990’s – unique and never equalled. With this new edition Dirter Promotions allows Skullflower fans old and new to listen to this classic album as it was intended: spark up, crank it up and prepare to have your ears and mind blown
What's the point of the howl of string to speaker, the hammering of stick-on skin? Is it transcendence, elevating the human spirit by catharsis in sound? Or is it summoning chaos, a purgatory in which to bask in all that’s unclean, the better to feel alive?
Why not both? Because that’s what’s on offer on Diet Of Worms, the second Rocket release by The Shits, Leeds via Newcastle’s titans of disgust and deliverance. This is a feast for the senses in the worst way possible - primal rock boiled down to its essence and flung full in your face. Using repetition, tortured vocal invective and heads-down intensity as blunt instruments, these eight tracks are an unprecedented torrent of acidic salvation. Whilst lurking somewhere on the decadence-destruction axis between the nihilism of prime Stooges and the bloody blackout of Braimbombs, Diet Of Worms is possessed of a legitimately uncompromising hostility that both elevates and debases it to co-ordinates unknown.
There are revelations here in the riffage and the rancour, even if they are the kind that occur in the bleary miasma of the lock-in, or witnessing the streetlight blur of the subsequent stagger home. Even more single-minded and remorseless than the band’s Rocket debut ‘You’re A Mess’, this is a record that demands full immersion. Whether it’s ‘Then You’re Dead’ hammering on a pulverising garage-stinking riff until it begs for mercy, or ‘Change My Ways’, whose Creedence-In-Hell swagger and lurch is that of abjection transmuted into joy, this is psychedelia forcibly removed from its comfort zone of pastiche, and thrust into a bad-trip realm of the vivid and nightmarish.
But rarely has the process of making beauty and horror indivisible seemed like so much fun. If Werner Herzog was right, and the only harmony in the universe is that of overwhelming and collective murder, then The Shits are the true music of the spheres.
The world of UKG is as fruitful as ever right now and someone who continues to make fresh moves in it is IsGwan, a Melbourne/Naarm-based artist adding his own twist to the classic template. London label Bad Parrot welcomes him for a series of bouncy and bright originals as well as some on-point remixes. 'Next To Me' has low-key groove that skates and scuffs along with a classic r&b vocal from Amber Ferraro, adding the sunshine. There's a slow, more bass-driven heft to 'All That You Want', 'On Your Mind' is sun-baked and blissed out and 'Feel Free' brings more adventurous synth work to a busier framework. Of the remixes, Harvey Sutherland brings his usual sun-facing synth sounds and Rich Ellis makes 'Feel Free' into a more dark and gritty low-end workout.
Released on Polydor in 1972, He’s Coming captures vibraphonist Roy Ayers at a creative apex, as Ubiquity’s sound settled into the blend of jazz improvisation, funk rhythm, soul harmony, and spiritual import that would define his work throughout the decade. Emerging at the start of the 1970s, the album reflects Ayers’s deepening move toward a groove-centred musical language rooted in soul-jazz and early jazz-funk. The vibraphonist, keyboardist, composer, and bandleader is supported by a core ensemble that includes Harry Whitaker on electric piano, organ, and vocals; John Williams on bass, with Ron Carter featured on ‘We Live in Brooklyn, Baby’; David Lee Jr. and Billy Cobham on drums and percussion; guitarists Sam Brown and Bob Fusco; saxophonist Sonny Fortune; and percussionist Juma Santos. Tracks like ‘He’s a Superstar’, ‘Sweet Butterfly of Love’, and ‘Fire Weaver’ embody the record’s mix of urban narrative, spiritual reflection, and deep rhythmic momentum — qualities that would later make Ayers’s catalogue a source of inspiration for soul, funk, hip-hop, and neo-soul artists.
