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Being Dead knows how to make an entrance - within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo's new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on "Godzilla Rises" conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead's records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead's psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil' house in the heart of Austin, Texas. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome - a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Ricky Motto (who is immortalized finally on record here, particularly in the giggles on "Rock n' Roll Hurts") The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within, but it's also a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There's heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing - we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don't. From the pummeling garage rock distortion of "Firefighters" to "Dragons II," which appears in its demo form taped on a hand recorder, it's unexpected but intuitive, and, most importantly, singularly Being Dead. Like its animal namesake suggests, the songs on EELS are malleable, the record like slithering through murky waters or strange half dreams, mysterious and beautiful in how it moves, reflective in a wavering sheen. Dipping into each song feels like uncovering a new cavern, plunging into depths unknown but fully open to what will be revealed. On the album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, a stark glimmer against a cloudy darkness. It's a fitting encapsulation of Being Dead, exuding a welcoming, playful energy even if something foreboding lurks just beyond the pale - more out of frame that's left to uncover, no path unexplored, strange and beautiful in the light.

Purple Tree Fog Vinyl. Being Dead knows how to make an entrance - within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo's new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on "Godzilla Rises" conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead's records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead's psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil' house in the heart of Austin, Texas. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome - a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Ricky Motto (who is immortalized finally on record here, particularly in the giggles on "Rock n' Roll Hurts") The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within, but it's also a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There's heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing - we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don't. From the pummeling garage rock distortion of "Firefighters" to "Dragons II," which appears in its demo form taped on a hand recorder, it's unexpected but intuitive, and, most importantly, singularly Being Dead. Like its animal namesake suggests, the songs on EELS are malleable, the record like slithering through murky waters or strange half dreams, mysterious and beautiful in how it moves, reflective in a wavering sheen. Dipping into each song feels like uncovering a new cavern, plunging into depths unknown but fully open to what will be revealed. On the album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, a stark glimmer against a cloudy darkness. It's a fitting encapsulation of Being Dead, exuding a welcoming, playful energy even if something foreboding lurks just beyond the pale - more out of frame that's left to uncover, no path unexplored, strange and beautiful in the light.

Dies ist die zweite Auflage von The Monsters "You're Class, I'm Trash", dem noch aktuellem Monsters-Album aus dem Jahre 2021 (erste Auflage war gelb und mit einer 7" Bonus-Single). Diese zweite Auflage hat ein neues pinkfarbendes Sleeve-Design, kommt als 180g Vinyl und mit einem zweiseitig bedrucktem Insert. HI-SPEED-BOOGIE-FUZZ-GARAGE-TRASH-ROCK-N-ROLL FROM LEGENDARY BERNESE GARAGE PUNKS PLAYED WITH A CHAINSAW-ON-STEEL 13 SPLATTER HITS INCLUDING SMALL HORROR OPERA BY SWISS FILM COMPOSER MARIO BATKOVIC The Monsters wurden 1986 in Bern der Schweiz gegründet, als Alternative zur damaligen populären Musik (z. B. Disco, Pop, Top 40 Rock). Sie nannten dies "Teenage Primitive Rock n' Roll Chainsaw Massacre Garage Trash Mix up Rockabilly mit Punkrock und Garage" und haben sich zu einer gefragten Garagen-Punkrockband gemausert, die auf Festivals, in Klubs und großen Hallen so weit gen Osten wie Japan, gen Süden wie Brasilien und gen Norden zu den Skandinavier resit und dort audspielt. Sogar im so Wilden Westen wie New York City in Amerika. Und dann öffnet 2020 die Türen, YAHOO!!! Die Welt wurde komplett abgeschottet und die Pläne aller änderten sich! Da es in naher Zukunft keine Tourneen gäbe, war es jetzt an der Zeit, ein neues Album zu machen. So widmete sich die Band zwei Wochen, um ihren Proberaum aufzuräumen und neue Musik zu schreiben, und 3 Tage im Berner Shirt Off Studio um diese aufzunehmen. Voila! Hier hast du Rosemary's Baby den Knüppel aus dem Sack: 13 raue, laute und spritzig klingende Tracks, die live ohne Overdubs (nur der Gesang/das Geschrei') aufgenommen wurden. Textlich ist das Album eine komplette Katastrophe mit nicht viel mehr als 120 Wörtern, welche aneinandergereiht meistenfalls keinen Sinn ergeben! Es ist eigentlich völliger Quatsch, aber THE MONSTERS lieben es! Das Cover stammt übrigens vom Berner Surrealisten Jerry Haenggli.

‘4th DIMENSION’ is the last and probably greatest album ever recorded by Italian piano Maestro Mario Rusca. This monumental music produc"on features tracks in Nonet, Quintet and Trio. Along with the faithful rhythm sec"on composed by Riccardo Fioravan" on bass and Maxx Furian on drums, on this slamming cinema"c jazz album Mario Rusca teamed up with two extraordinary wind players: legendary Flavio Boltro (of Michel Petrucciani Quintet fame) on trumpet and Gabriele Comeglio on sax alto.

As far as the choruses are concerned, Nicole4a Tiberini, Mar"na Rossi and Alice Macchi, from Maestro Rusca’s ensemble music courses at the Civica di Jazz School, provide inspired and swinging backing vocals. The cherry on the cake, the element that gives to ‘4th DIMENSION’ a pulsa"ng and swinging’ drive, is the par"cipa"on on the album of Marco Fadda, one of Italy’s leading percussion players.

This heterogeneous ensemble has shaped, during 5 days of intense studio recordings, an absolute masterpiece full of swinging rhythms along with a few magical in"mate moments. In his 65 years career, Italian piano legend Mario Rusca has shared the stage and recording studios with luminaries such as Chet Baker, Cur"s Fuller, Gerry Mulligan, Lou Donaldson, Art Farmer, Lee Konitz, Dusko Gojkovic, Enrico Rava, Tullio De Piscopo, Kenny Clarke, Stan Getz, Toots Thielemans, Gianni Basso, Pepper Adams, Steve Lacy and Tony Sco4 (with whom he formed an indissoluble partnership).

Being accompanied in this album by extraordinary musicians, Rusca chooses to flow in a repertoire that, like in his most recent records for Mono Jazz, bridges between original pieces and revisited standards from the American Jazz Songbook, approached with unprecedented sensi"vity and depth.

The journey of ‘4th DIMENSION’ is an extraordinary cinema"c musical voyage across various styles ranging from Bop, Hard Bop, Cool, Funk and La"n Jazz. ‘4th DIMENSION’ is a perfect follow up to the interna"onally acclaimed Easy Tempo legacy! In these 13 tracks, “il Maestro” embraces and enhances a ‘cinema"c’ component in his music - an a4ribute he has long cul"vated through original soundtracks and library albums recorded for diverse cult Italian labels.

This, as we were saying, is achieved through the addi"on of percussionist Marco Fadda, who introduces a series of rhythmic nuances across several tracks, and of the extraordinary female vocal trio reminiscent of I Cantori Moderni of Alessandro Alessandroni & Edda Dell'Orso, used in the tradi"on of Italian composers of ‘60s and ‘70s film music.

This natural progression reflects Italy's history, where jazz musicians have long been involved in soundtracks and film scoring since the late ‘50s. Italian jazz has integrated this approach into its composi"on and arranging styles, as demonstrated in the first 10 volumes of the Easy Tempo series. A spirit and tradi"on that Rusca's ‘4th DIMENSION’ record con"nues. Listening to some of the tracks on the record evokes the legendary works created for cinema by Piero Umiliani, Piero Piccioni, Lelio Lu4azzi, Armando Trovajoli, Gianni Ferrio and others.

When Apollo Brown and Crimeapple connect, it’s like old film grain under a projector— gritty, timeless. This album isn’t just boom-bap nostalgia; it’s a rebirth of smoke-stained bars, where Crimeapple plays both poet and philosopher, flipping bilingual manteca rhymes with a chef’s precision, stirring up the street grime and serving it with a side of sharp wit. Apollo Brown, as always, builds his beats like ancient architecture—dusty, soulful, and heavy with forgotten stories. These tracks sound like the cracks in the sidewalk talking back, the perfect companion for long nights and even longer thoughts. It’s a sonic novel, a street sermon, and Crimeapple’s wordplay dances through it like grease sizzling in a pan, a reminder that even in decay, there’s beauty. This, Is Not That.

'Erotic Probiotic 2' is Nourished By Time’s debut album on Scenic Route, following up from last year’s two track EP, Erotic Probiotic, which had support from Jamz Supernova on BBC 1Xtra and NTS shows; Yaeji, Shy One, Macca, Anu, and more. 2023 has already been a busy year for the singer/songwriter/producer, supporting 4AD’s sardonic post-punk band, Dry Cleaning on their 20 stop tour of North America. As well as remixing their playful album track, Gary Ashby, dropping on March 1st. Nourished By Time also collaborates with progressive electronic artist Yaeji on her debut album, With A Hammer, out on April 7th on XL Recordings.

Erotic Probiotic 2 showcases the range of this rising Baltimore pop star, telling his transformative story through impeccable songwriting, infectious ear worm melodies, vivid storytelling and intimate DIY production. The album traveresses a broad spectrum of sound, allowing his songwriting to dictate the ever changing mood he orchestrates; whether it is love or loss. Sitting somewhere between indie, pop, alternative RnB, ultimately carving out a fresh sound defined by his vulnerable vocals, raw guitar licks and undeniable groove. Quantum Suicide is the lead single with a bitter sweet sentiment brought to life through fuzzy shoegaze guitar riffs, glimmering synths and beautiful melancholy vocals, leaving you with a dizzying sense of possibilities.

The album was recorded mostly in 2021 - 22 in his parents basement in Baltimore. “At this time, I was in a beautiful and formative relationship that was running its course. Songs like ‘Unbreak My Love’ and ‘Rain Water Promise’ come from that place of dealing with the end. A story of lovers parting and making sense of the battling feelings of resentment and longing. As well as the existential aspect of having to end of a relationship. All while with dealing long-time depression, songs like lead single “Quantum Suicide” and “Shed That Fear” exhibit the importance of choosing to live and that getting out of pits of despair requires tremendous amounts of effort and intention and is a very difficult lifelong task. Whilst other tracks such as ‘The Fields’ and ‘Daddy’ and ‘Workers Interlude’ are attempts at trying to aim my anger at productive targets like Capitalism which both songs are a critique of.”

Original artwork / Black vinyl / 400 mcn paper / Gatefold Sleeve / 4 page 30 x 30 cm insert printed on 300 mcn Shiro Eco paper with condensed interview to Riccardo Randisi and exclusive pictures / Exclusive poster printed on 90 mcn Fedrigoni Constellation Snow Vergato Paper.

Personnel:
Enzo Randisi - Vibrafono e Percussioni
Riccardo Randisi - Rhodes Piano e Sint. A.R.P.
Giuseppe Costa - Basso Elettrico
Enzo Palacardo - Chitarra Elettrica
Franco Lotà - Batteria e Percussioni
Mimmo Cafiero - Congas e Percussioni

Notes:
This is the lost gem, this is the most secret album coming from the ancient land of Sicily No Holy Grails here, we are not at the crusades, but in the presence of one of the busiest ensembles on the Italian scene during the 70s and 80s of the last century. Enzo Randisi and his son Riccardo, who signs the only unreleased song on the album, take us into a world of visionary jazz, ambient atmospheres of the track Windows, an opening towards a modern vision, a watershed between the live performances of standards American music at a new rate also in tracks like the 3/4 "Etna Sud" written by Riccardo Randisi for the album with digressions into Jazz Rock Rhythm à la Gary Barton and Bloody Funk which has its peak in the cover of the Czech musician Karel Ruzicka and his "Probu Zeni" a killer cub track that will smash your audio set-up! The very last mystery from Italian jazz scene available for the first time in a precious gatefold sleeve handcrafted in Italy with special insert and Poster for the first 100 copies.

Ein verspieltes Album mit klangschönen Träumereien, komponiert für Mandoline und Akkordeon, poetisch und unbändig zugleich. Es ist das erste Mal, dass der stets kreative Komponist speziell für die Mandoline geschrieben hat. Auf dem Album ist auch Vincent Beer-Demander zu hören, dessen Mandoline zu einem Orchester multipliziert wird, um eine einzigartige Klangpalette zu schaffen, die sorgfältig mit dem Akkordeon von Grégory Daltin kombiniert wird.

Mike Patton, der mit Vannier an dem 2019 erschienenen Album 'Corpse Flower' gearbeitet hat, sagt über die Veröffentlichung seines neuen Albums auf Ipecac: „Jean Claude ist ein guter Freund, Mentor und ein wunderbar talentierter und exzellenter Komponist. Eine Legende. Es ist eine große Ehre, mit ihm gearbeitet zu haben. Seine Texte und Arrangements haben eine Vielzahl von Künstlern beeinflusst, und ich kann mich zu den Glücklichen zählen, die seinen Weg gekreuzt haben. Er hat schon bahnbrechende Sachen geschrieben, bevor ich überhaupt geboren wurde. Er hat mich tief beeinflusst und ich bin ihm für immer dankbar und voller Ehrfurcht“.

Jean Claude Vannier, der von der Presse als „the rare bird“ bezeichnet wird, hat in den letzten 60 Jahren unter anderem mit Serge Gainsbourg und Jane Birkin sowie mit Künstlern wie Beck und Sean Lennon zusammengearbeitet. Er hat an unzähligen Soundtracks mitgewirkt, sechs Soloalben veröffentlicht und ist eine Ikone der französischen Popkultur, die für den Eurovision Song Contest komponiert, Videos gedreht, Gemälde ausgestellt, Radiosendungen moderiert und Kurzgeschichten veröffentlicht hat.

Einige werden diesen Moment kennen: Plötzlich ist alles klar. Als sich Lulu (Electric Moon) und Oli (ex-Urlaub in Polen) bei einem Konzert im legendären Vortex Surfer Musikclub in Siegen über den Weg laufen, wissen beide noch am selben Abend: Wir sind eine Band. Sie erzählen es Falko, der gerade mit seiner instrumentalen Post-Metal-Band Sarkh den Club verwüstet hat. Wenige Monate später entstehen bei den ersten Proben die ersten Songs - von Oli geschriebene Gedichtfragmente und Wortspiele, Melodielinien und Ideen, die von der Band aufgegriffen und an den jeweiligen Instrumenten verfeinert wurden. Das Debüt WHITE CLOUDS entstand in weniger als einem Jahr - aufgenommen, gemischt und gemastert in Falkos Underground-Tonstudio Institut Für Angewandten Krach. Während dieser Zeit besucht die Band eines der letzten Konzerte der wunderbaren Noise-Post-Math-Rock-Band Shellac in Amsterdam. Alle drei sind gleichermaßen tief beeindruckt und bewegt von dieser Show und lassen den Geist von Steve Albini in ihr Debüt einfließen, dass sie ihm schließlich widmen. Hinzu kommt ihr ganz eigener Drift - Schmerz und Hoffnung, der unbedingte Wille zum Rock'n'Roll, Tiefgang und Steilflug, hochdynamische, verspielte, hypnotisch treibende Passagen und immer wiederkehrende Melodien mit Nachhall sowie die Verbindung zwischen den drei Musikern versprechen ein Debüt und Live-Konzerte mit Yeah-Faktor.

Blue Valentine Vinyl. Sometime in 2005, a lone box of master tapes escaped an estate sale and made its way through a network of collectors, record dealers, and "junkers" into the hands of leading Ohio soul expert Dante Carfagna, who linked them to Columbus, Ohio's mysterious Prix label (See: Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label). A bit of research turned up Prix proprietor George Beter, who identified most of the unlabeled material. All it took was an endless series of phone calls and letters and two fields trips in Columbus. But one complete mystery wended its way onto our final Prix compilation. "You and Me," a simple but irrepressible demo credited only to Penny & the Quarters, was found tacked onto a mixed studio reel. Our survey of every willing lifer left on the Columbus soul scene, including retired DJs, producers, and important local artists, produced not so much as a glimmer of recognition at the name Penny & the Quarters. Though we loved the song from the first play, it may've ended up a bit buried on our original compilation, as #18 of 19 tracks.Four years later, Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label hadn't exactly become a huge seller, although listeners had repeatedly told us that the unfiltered studio demos that fill out the record's back half were true diamonds in the rough. But neither Penny nor her Quarters had appeared to claim credit for their efforts. Then, completely out of left field, we heard from respected screen actor and avowed Numero fan Ryan Gosling that Penny's piercing bit of stripped down doo-wop was being considered for inclusion in Derek Cianfrance's indie-weeper film Blue Valentine. What we didn't know was that "You and Me" had won a major role in what became an indie circuit hit, and that Penny & the Quarters would instantly assume the role of world's most famous unknown doo-wop group.Every week is a slow news week in Columbus, Ohio, and early January 2011 found the city recovering from the thrill of elevating Ted Williams_the formerly homeless guy with the awesome voice for radio_into a national news sensation. But both major daily newspapers in town, as well as the city's alternative weekly, also ran stories about how a lost and unknown Columbus soul group had become the musical centerpiece of a film already garnering Oscar buzz. That mainstream spotlight aimed at Blue Valentine and Penny & the Quarters did the trick: we finally made contact with the widow of Jay Robinson, lead Quarters' singer and songwriter. Robinson, it turned out, had also been the leader of Columbus doo-wop pioneers The Supremes (later known as "The Columbus Supremes," for reasons which should be obvious). Jay Robinson never did give up on the dream of writing a hit record; even so, the posthumous realization of his dream is cold comfort for his widow and daughter. With their blessings, we returned to those estate sale masters and pulled down another neglected track ("You Are Giving Me Some Other Love") from the still-unknown Penny and her now-partly-known Quarters. "You and Me" is a song that could not be suppressed: not when Prix failed to release it; not when Penny & the Quarters were forgotten; not when Numero stuck it at the bitter end of a much overlooked compilation. Its evolution from estate sale trash to silver-screen gold has finally returned it to big-hole 45, where it probably should have lived all along.

Black Vinyl / 350 mcn double white coated paper / Poster sleeve / PVC outers / Original artwork / Exclusive 30x30 cm insert with Q&A by Tony Higgins with Ole Matthiessen printed on on 250 gram Gardamat coated paper. Archive picture from original recording session printed on 350 gram Gardamat paper. Archive pictures printed on 375 gram Vintage Bindakote Monolucido. All papers are acid free an printed with food based inks.

Personnel: 

Jesper Nehammer - tenor saxophone
Ole Mathiessen – piano
Jon Finsen – drums
Henrik Hove - bass

Notes:
Danish jazz band founded in 1969. Band line up: Henrik Hove on bass, Ole Mathiessen on piano, Jesper Nehammer (later Thors Hammer, Alrune Rod and Entrance) on tenorsax, and Jon Finsen on drums. Played for a while every Monday in the famous Jazzhouse Montmatre in Copenhagen.
Tordenskjolds Soldater only made this record (1970).
The small record label Spectator Records was founded in 1969 by Jørgen Bornefeldt a former journalist from Danmarks Radio in coorporation with the jazz musician Carsten Meinert. Meinert recorded two albums on the label. He only joined the company in the beginning. Cindarellaistudiet The studio was destroyed august 6th 1972 by a major fire. And that was the end of Spectator Records. From 1969 to the end, the label recorded at least 23 lp albums and 9-11 singles/EP's. The picture shows Henning Kragh Pedersen from Cinderella in Spectators studio. The great Danish rock band Gasolin recorded their first single – Silky Sally - on Spectator Records. It was no success and sold only 155 copies. Silky Sally is now one of the most sought after Gasolin singles among collectors and is of course very expensive.
The music from Spectator Records is mostly jazz, progressive rock and hippie free style. But they also made strange records for children, education etc. Most records were issued in very small numbers (300-500). Some of the best progressive rock in Northern Europe was recorded here.
Quality of vinyl was often poor - even new looking records can have audible problems. Covers and labels are primitive and cheap. On the other hand the creativity could be outstanding - check the Furekaaben cover gallery or the artwork of William Skotte Olsen from Green Grass. Several record from the labels are cult today. A perfect copy of certain records costs a fortune.
Master tapes was never found after the fire in 1972. Unofficial reissues and bootlegs are therefore made on the base of the original records. Recordings that never made it to the vinyl got lost in the fire. Both Cinderella and The Copenhagen based band, Lines lyst, had material readdy for lp's which was never recorded. (Tony Higgins)

Our second release with Minds At Large on Vinyl Fanatiks. This time we repress the 1993 monsters that are Futureworld/Spinechiller, released on a white label by the group back in the day. You probably recognise Spinechiller from the LTJ Bukem mixtape 'Hardcore Volume 9' on Yaman from the same year.

Hardanger is a collaboration by Mariska Baars (aka Soccer Committee), Niki Jansen, and Rutger Zuydervelt (aka Machinefabriek). The title refers to the instrument played by Jansen, the Hardanger fiddle. It’s a fresh addition to the established musical chemistry from regular collaborators Baars and Zuydervelt.

The music on Hardanger started with improvisations by Niki Jansen, guided by Mariska Baars, who responded with vocal and guitar recordings. Rutger Zuydervelt used this material as the building blocks for the two long-form pieces found on the album. These tracks are like two sides of the same coin, one a collage-like electro-acoustic piece, the other more drawn-out and contemplative.

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Mariska Baars is probably better known as soccer Committee, creating an experimental blend of ambient rooted in folk music, with minimal arrangements. She has been releasing albums since 2005. In addition to her solo output she is part of improvisation ensemble Piiptsjilling and Fean (Laaps, 2020) and has worked on several duo albums with Rutger Zuydervelt. On other occasions she collaborated with a.o. Annelies Monseré, Wouter van Veldhoven, Peter Broderick and Greg Haines.

Niki Jansen is a violinist who plays both the regular and a hardanger fiddle.She specializes in folk music, especially old Dutch folk music. She plays in various ensembles like Twee violen en een bas (with Jos Koning and Willem Raadsveld), and country quartet Daisy Chain. In addition to music, she also works as a sustainability advisor for governments and institutions and manages a food forest in a cooperative.

Rutger Zuydervelt is perhaps better known as Machinefabriek, the alias under which he releases music since 2004. The stream of releases since is vast, many of them collaborations (with Peter Broderick, Gareth Davis, Chantal Acda, Dirk Serries, and many many more). He regularly works with Mariska Baars, with whom he also plays in Piiptsjilling and Fean (Laaps, 2020). Zuydervelt is an avid composer of scores for film and dance performances, and also works as a graphic designer.

Last May, Hard Times captivated us with The Lost D.A.T.S (Part One)—a remarkable collection of unreleased and freshly unearthed gems from the vaults of NYC legend DJ Romain. But the story didn’t end there. To our surprise and delight, Romain had delivered an even larger treasure trove of beats—too many to reveal all at once.

Now, Hard Times is proud to present the next chapter: DJ Romain – The Lost D.A.T.S (Part Two).

"1996-97? Yeah, that’s when New York was still NEW YORK!

That was around the time we really started to get hold of exotic herbs. Copper Haze, hydroponic! The vibes in the studio were always lovely. I had hair at the time! Dread-Locs down to my shoulders... I was still rockin’ the Wallabees, or British Walkers as we called them - representing for Brooklyn and my West Indian roots!

There was no social media, no supervision, nobody all up in our business… It was classic "mind your own business" NYC Vibes! I was DJing at a lot of the hot clubs and THE hottest afterhours in the city. There were nights when I saw Micheal Douglas roll into the afters with Grace Jones - they were there to party and unwind and I was there dropping the dope tracks for the people.

When it was studio time, with my homie Matt Echols...I was probably setting things off with some quality herbage, a big ass bag of Funyuns and my trusty SP-1200, lol. I had picked up some tips and tricks from Todd Terry and by '96-'97 I was a Shaolin with it myself! This was around the time tracks like "Flowers" and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Dub)" were tearing up the clubs. I wanted to be able to get my ideas out with no problem, and by then I had a lot of confidence...

Being able to Dj in some of the hottest NY hot spots at the time, I was able to really see what worked and what didn't on the dancefloor. The best House Dancers from around the world and around the Tri-State area would be at my jams. I'm talking Ejoe, Voodoo Ray, maybe kids from the Mop-Top Crew... I was definitely taking note of the kind of rhythms and sounds that would make them go crazy on the dancefloor!

And that's how we went about it - I laid down the rhythms that made it happen in my sets and translated the vibes I was picking up from NYC itself. Matt threw down musically and we were just being as creative and inventive as possible! But we always kept in mind that our job was to make the people on the dancefloor jump!

A lot of the jams from those days got signed to various record labels, we dropped a lot of them on our own label...and some of them ended up in the archives - until now!"

Die Debüt-LP der Londonerin Nia Wyn ist ein fesselndes Soulwerk, inspiriert von der Musik aus Detroit, Philadelphia und Memphis der 1960/1970er Jahre, das ihren selbstbewussten Produktionsstil, ihre Begabung für authentisches und introspektives Geschichtenerzählen und ihre unverwechselbar kraftvolle Stimme offenbart. Thematisch deckt die LP ein breites Spektrum ab, von Nias Erfahrung, als Erwachsene mit Autismus diagnostiziert zu werden, über psychische Probleme bis zu den Kulturkriegen gegen die Queer-/Trans-Communities. Der Albumtitel ist eine Anspielung auf schulische Erfahrungen ängstlicher (nicht diagnostizierter neurodivergenter) Kinder der Millennial-Generation.

Retrofuturism, outer space and limitless exploration are the central themes of Cesar Quinn's second album, "HELO".They incorporate influences from contemporary hip-hop experimentalists like The Alchemist and Armand Hammer, while also revisiting the space jazz of Sun Ra and the ambient probings of Terry Riley.



"HELO" was self-produced by Frederik Daelemans, with co-production contributions from Aram Santy and Youniss. LA-based mixing and mastering engineer Zeroh (associated with Injury Reserve, Liv.e, Pink Siifu) added his hip-hop flair, enhancing the band's sound into a cohesive, sample-inspired experience.

Features play a significant role in "HELO". The first vocal feature is Antwerp artist Youniss on "SMOKE," followed by New York vocalist Semiratruth, who energises "QUASAR." The collaboration with Belgian jazz saxophonist Mattias De Craene, long discussed but never realised on the debut album, finally materialises on "MARS," where he explores a range of saxophones, creating a rich tapestry of sound. The standout feature is undoubtedly Detroit rapper Zelooperz, whose verse and chorus on the title track "HELO" fulfilled a long-held aspiration for the band, given their admiration for his work with The Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt. Finally, Zeroh lent his deep vocals to the ambient track "BOOTES," further uniting the album.

Im Rahmen der limitierten Emscherkurve 77-Vinyl Collectors Reissue-Serie, jetzt erstmals überhaupt auf LP erhältlich: "Zweite Wahl" beinhaltet gesuchte Songs von teils längst vergriffenen Releases wie bspw. "Religion" vom beschlagnahmten "Tribute to Slime"-Sampler, die Dritte Wahl Cover-Version "Zeit bleib stehen" und unveröffentlichte Demo-Versionen und Outtakes, die oftmals punkig-rauher eingespielt wurden ("Dreck und Lügen"), einen ganz anderen Charme wie die "finished Version" haben ("Vergangenheit") oder nie erschienen sind wie "Sterne". Die gewohnt sich nicht in den Vordergrund drängenden Gentlemen aus dem Ruhrpott nennen das ganz bescheiden "Demos und anderer Kram". Wir nennen das eine der besten Zusammenstellungen von inoffiziellen Aufnahmen und alles andere als "Auschussware", die oftmals lieblos von Bands unters Volk geschmissen werden, 13 Songs aus der "Dat soll Punkrock sein?!" und "Buch des Lebens"-Ära, inkl einer fetten Live-Aufnahme von "Genug zu tun" in Paderborn mitgeschnitten! Vinyl kommt wie alle Teile der Serie limitiert auf je 77 Stück in verschiedenen Farben.

Im Rahmen der limitierten Emscherkurve 77-Vinyl Collectors Reissue-Serie, jetzt erstmals überhaupt auf LP erhältlich: "Zweite Wahl" beinhaltet gesuchte Songs von teils längst vergriffenen Releases wie bspw. "Religion" vom beschlagnahmten "Tribute to Slime"-Sampler, die Dritte Wahl Cover-Version "Zeit bleib stehen" und unveröffentlichte Demo-Versionen und Outtakes, die oftmals punkig-rauher eingespielt wurden ("Dreck und Lügen"), einen ganz anderen Charme wie die "finished Version" haben ("Vergangenheit") oder nie erschienen sind wie "Sterne". Die gewohnt sich nicht in den Vordergrund drängenden Gentlemen aus dem Ruhrpott nennen das ganz bescheiden "Demos und anderer Kram". Wir nennen das eine der besten Zusammenstellungen von inoffiziellen Aufnahmen und alles andere als "Auschussware", die oftmals lieblos von Bands unters Volk geschmissen werden, 13 Songs aus der "Dat soll Punkrock sein?!" und "Buch des Lebens"-Ära, inkl einer fetten Live-Aufnahme von "Genug zu tun" in Paderborn mitgeschnitten! Vinyl kommt wie alle Teile der Serie limitiert auf je 77 Stück in verschiedenen Farben.

Im Rahmen der limitierten Emscherkurve 77-Vinyl Collectors Reissue-Serie, jetzt erstmals überhaupt auf LP erhältlich: "Zweite Wahl" beinhaltet gesuchte Songs von teils längst vergriffenen Releases wie bspw. "Religion" vom beschlagnahmten "Tribute to Slime"-Sampler, die Dritte Wahl Cover-Version "Zeit bleib stehen" und unveröffentlichte Demo-Versionen und Outtakes, die oftmals punkig-rauher eingespielt wurden ("Dreck und Lügen"), einen ganz anderen Charme wie die "finished Version" haben ("Vergangenheit") oder nie erschienen sind wie "Sterne". Die gewohnt sich nicht in den Vordergrund drängenden Gentlemen aus dem Ruhrpott nennen das ganz bescheiden "Demos und anderer Kram". Wir nennen das eine der besten Zusammenstellungen von inoffiziellen Aufnahmen und alles andere als "Auschussware", die oftmals lieblos von Bands unters Volk geschmissen werden, 13 Songs aus der "Dat soll Punkrock sein?!" und "Buch des Lebens"-Ära, inkl einer fetten Live-Aufnahme von "Genug zu tun" in Paderborn mitgeschnitten! Vinyl kommt wie alle Teile der Serie limitiert auf je 77 Stück in verschiedenen Farben.

A new full-length from THE ORB following last year's acclaimed album MOONBUILDING 2703 AD.

An expertly crafted ambient experience from two pioneers at the height of their creativity

180g standard vinyl version comes with download code of the full album

Being pioneers with a new album created in no more than 6 months, THE ORB are bound to be exposed to fan expectations running high, while quizzical questions about little fluffy clouds and the good old times take over. It's especially jarring as the duo of accomplished soundsmiths Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann has become known for its genre-bending curiosity and surprising sonic detours, exploring experimental soundscapes as well as club-friendly beats.



The funny thing is, though, that whatever the context, you know a track from THE ORB when you hear it. Case in point: COW / CHILL OUT, WORLD!, their latest full-length offering - a masterful ambient album that branches out in many directions, but unmistakably sounds like THE ORB in either ear (and probably to your third ear, too).



"The idea was simply to make an ambient album", Dr Paterson explains, "we didn't look back and study earlier recordings, but wanted a more spontaneous approach, a focus on THE ORB today, our vibe in 2016."



In contrast to their much-acclaimed previous full-length MOONBUILDING 2703 AD (KOMPAKT 330 CD 124) - which took years to prepare and finetune -, the new album was produced over the course of only five sessions in six months, directly following the like-minded ALPINE EP (KOMPAKT 339): "it got so spontaneous that a track like 9 ELMS OVER RIVER ENO (CHANNEL 9) consisted only of material collected at North Carolina's Moogfest in May - second-hand records from local stores, field recordings, live samples from gigs that we liked, and of course an excursion to the Eno River, which actually exists. This geographic intimacy and the spontaneity are among the top reasons why we love this album so much."


Herr Fehlmann sees the duo's relentless gigging schedule as a formative influence on the new album: "the countless performances we've played in the last years - probably up to 300 - have brought us closer as a musical unit. The spice of our concerts is improvisation - a fertile process that we've brought to the studio, where we operate with very simple rules of engagement (in this case "ambient") and go wherever the flow takes us." It's an approach that one might expect from traditional acoustic instrumentation, not necessarily an electronic set-up, but for THE ORB it works wonders: "we're quite happy and also a little bit proud that we've reached this level of unscripted levity with purely electronic means. We're finessing ourselves, sort of, always looking for the next sonic surprise that leaves us rubbing our eyes about how the heck we got there."


Once more, THE ORB's trademark playfulness is on full display on COW / CHILL OUT, WORLD!, and it doesn't limit itself to the multi-layered sampling and psychedelic sound composites that the duo has become known for - you'll find it in the album title as well. The simple invitation (or order) to chill out (relax Calm the eff down) is converted into an acronym - and the cow that you might expect to find on a Pink Floyd cover or with iconic UK chill-out/dance pranksters The KLF. It's not so much an obscure trope coming full circle as a perfect example for THE ORB's multitimbral approach to sound and meaning - a compelling, immersive journey to diverse places and impressions.



Each track title is a conceptual work in its own right, playing with multiple references, some of which remain highly personal and mysterious. But the greatest feat of THE ORB's latest outing might just be how all this semantic doodling never gets in the way of the actual listening, at all times directly relating the artists' sonic vitality and cheerful nosiness. Chill out world! and treat yourself to an outstanding new ambient experience from THE ORB.

20025 Repress

Barker makes solo debut on Ostgut Ton with new experimental dancefloor EP

Sam Barker has had a long ongoing relationship with Berghain and Ostgut Ton, having released two LPs and various EPs as one half of Barker & Baumecker and hosting regular nights at the club since September 2008 as co-founder of the label Leisure System. 2017 marked the beginning of his solo residency, 2018 sees his first solo release with Ostgut Ton.

Both as a musician and label owner, Barker operates on the fringes of techno, balancing experimentation with functionality. On Debiasing, he takes a hard look at the musical elements often
considered necessary to maintain dancefloor momentum, with four distinct tracks of morphing synth stabs and paired down metronomic rhythms in varying time signatures. While there is no kick, snare, or clap to be heard, the result is not experimental techno deconstructions but driving, hypnotic and unlikely dancefloor tools.

Inspired by the psychology underpinning relationships between producer/DJ and audience, Debiasing is an exercise in creating alternative paths within a techno framework. In Barker's own words: If you have ever sat down with a drum machine and tried to elude the rules of dance music, you will find at whatever tempo, and however you arrange the rhythms of each sound, you inevitably end up somewhere. I've generally tried to get away from that, but you always hit against this problem of an all-encompassing taxonomy and the baggage that comes with it. For a long time, music only seemed to show me how deeply locked into our habits and patterns we are.

Die Idee zu dieser Platte war schon sehr alt. Oft haben wir damals beim Proben ganz frühe Werke von uns ausgegraben und wir hatten immer vor die ollen Kamellen mal zu recorden, denn es gab von den meisten Stücken nie Aufnahmen. Zunächst wollten wir die Songs nur für uns aufnehmen - so als Erinnerung - doch dann haben wir uns entschlossen, sie doch zu veröffentlichen. Da wir mit Dritte Wahl im Jahre 1999 elfjähriges Bühnenjubiläum feierten (1988 - 1999), wurde die Delikat Platte auch eine Jubiläumsscheibe. Sie gehört im Plattenregal vor die Fasching in Bonn, dann stimmt"s!

Die Idee zu dieser Platte war schon sehr alt. Oft haben wir damals beim Proben ganz frühe Werke von uns ausgegraben und wir hatten immer vor die ollen Kamellen mal zu recorden, denn es gab von den meisten Stücken nie Aufnahmen. Zunächst wollten wir die Songs nur für uns aufnehmen - so als Erinnerung - doch dann haben wir uns entschlossen, sie doch zu veröffentlichen. Da wir mit Dritte Wahl im Jahre 1999 elfjähriges Bühnenjubiläum feierten (1988 - 1999), wurde die Delikat Platte auch eine Jubiläumsscheibe. Sie gehört im Plattenregal vor die Fasching in Bonn, dann stimmt"s!

Forever was a record that was written and recorded one track at a time with my husband Coley. After scrapping about 20 songs or so I had written the last few years, I wanted to get to the heart of things. I had a great talk with a friend on the phone and she mentioned she just wasn’t sure where I’d been. I realized I wasn’t really certain of that either. It’d been a foggy few years after 2020, and the pieces seemed to just be starting to be picked up. I had fallen in love, gotten married, had a dog, a house…things I had always dreamed of. But it took my quite some time to accept them as my life. For a bit, I felt like an outsider watching myself stumble though everything, and was constantly critiquing myself, to the point where I could hardly leave the house for a bit. But then I realized my life was passing me by, and the love I was living in required presence to accept. I started to do the little things you have to do to just show up for people: listen, grow, change, write….get outside of my own problems. Time is flying, and I want to be here for it all rather than lost in my thoughts all the time. My love is forever. When I was a kid I used to say to my mom and dad “I love you forever and always” then neurotically changed it to “I love you forever and always and it’s true and I mean it”…because I wanted to make sure they knew how much I wasn’t messing around! I still feel that way when I say “I love you” to anyone and hope it comes across on this record. Love y’all forever!

Ring the alarm - multi-instrumentalist Jimi Jules scheduled for the album „+“ in 2022, executive produced by Innervisions label boss Dixon. The album features the most sought after and requested tracks of the last month including „My City's On Fire“, revolutionary „Der Aufstand“, dancefloor romance „Burning“ and „Clinomania“ featuring Joy Tyson, and fabulous Lily Allen / Elton John drummer Nathan Curran. The artwork concept is developed and designed by iconic graphic artist Trevor Jackson, whose multi-disciplinary works formed the graphical identities of design, music, fashion, and art by the likes of Soulwax, HFD / Comme des Garcons or Apple Music. Jimi Jules’ second album signifies his return to future-focussed album concepts. A welcomed novelty and venture. Exploring themes such as free thoughts and togetherness after a period of interpersonal absence. Better Together Forever.

A unique character in the electronic music scene, Jimi Jules is a multi-instrumentalist and school-trained musician with much more to offer than the standard four-to-floor sound. Jimi plays nearly everything from drums to trumpet and sings almost all the vocals himself. The talent probably lies in his roots, as many of his family members are known for their playing in jazz bands and classical ensembles. Most recently awarded a silver disk marking 200,000 copies of the 2020 track “Pushin On” in the UK, Jimi Jules also commenced a new collaborative partnership with Berlin-based booking agency, Temporary Secretary, earlier this year.

As the new era is underway for Innervisions, Jimi Jules “+” takes center stage of the label’s fundamental core - artist first, label second. For Jimi Jules especially, this new project represents the beginning of a whole new platform and innovative space for collaborations and symbiosis of mixed media.

2025 Repress on clear orange Vinyl!

Recorded in 1966 and released by Blue Note Records in August of 1967, Don Cherry's Symphony for Improvisers features Gato Barbieri, Henry Grimes, and Ed Blackwell, all of whom had appeared on Cherry's previous album Complete Communion. Also featured are Karl Berger, Jean-François Jenny-Clark, and Pharoah Sanders. The album received a rating of ****½ on AllMusic, with reviewer Steve Huey stating that, "Even though the album is full of passionate fireworks, there's also a great deal of subtlety. Feverish but well-channeled, this larger-group session is probably Cherry's most gratifying for Blue Note."

Die schwedischen Heavy Rocker GREENLEAF haben mit ihrem neunten Album "The Head & The Habit" den vorläufigen Gipfel ihrer langen Evolution erklommen. Die musikalische Handschrift und Virtuosität von Gitarrist Tommi Holappa, seit mehr als 25 Jahren einer der Vorreiter und tragenden Säulen der europäischen Stoner Rock Szene, zeichnen sich deutlich ab. Die Gitarren werden perfekt ergänzt durch den gefühlvollen, intuitiven Sinn für Melodien und die charakterliche Tiefe, die der klassisch ausgebildete Sänger Arvid Hällagård dem Sound von GREENLEAF verleiht. Neben den erstklassigen Gesangslinien sowie den massiven Fuzz-Power-Riffs hat sich der Frontmann intensive Gedanken zu seinen Texten für "The Head & The Habit" gemacht, die weit über den Standard des oft klischeebeladenen Genres hinausreichen. Wie bereits der Albumtitel ("Der Kopf & Die Gewohnheit") andeutet, sind die neuen Songs als symbolische Kurzgeschichten angelegt, die sich um das Ringen mit Gefühlen bis zu psychischen Erkrankungen drehen. In Hällagårds Lyrik spiegeln sich seine Erfahrungen aus der Arbeit mit Menschen wider, die mit Sucht und anderen psychischen Problemen zu kämpfen haben. Die Heavy Rock Liebhaber GREENLEAF wurden ursprünglich als informelles Privatprojekt unter Freunden gegründet. Alle spielten bereits in anderen Bands, worunter sich so klangvolle Namen wie DOZER, LOWRIDER und DEMON CLEANER finden. Die Schweden suchten einfach nur nach einem Ventil für ihre gemeinsame Liebe zum Hard Rock und Proto-Metal der 70er Jahre, das frei von den Erwartungen und dem Druck ihrer Hauptbands sein sollte. Trotz der Absicht, GREENLEAF nur zum Vergnügen zu betreiben, führte die ungetrübte Freude beim Erschaffen eingängiger Songs dazu, dass ihr gesamtes Umfeld nach Aufnahmen von diesem Material verlangte. Dies führte schließlich zur Veröffentlichung einer selbstbetitelten Debüt-EP im Jahr 2000, der nur ein Jahr später das erste vollständige Album "Revolution Rock" folgte. Die Jahre mit wechselnden Besetzungen waren vorbei. GREENLEAFs stabiler Fokus wurde durch ihr fünftes Album "Trails & Passes" (2014) gekrönt, auf dem erstmals Arvid Hällagård als Sänger zu hören war. Dieser Meilenstein markierte den endgültigen Beginn einer neuen Phase der Band. Mit "The Head & The Habit" verbinden GREENLEAF nun das Bewusstsein für vergangene Triumphe mit reifem Handwerk. Die Schweden wissen, wie sie mehr als je zuvor stärker, härter und auf den Punkt rocken. GREENLEAF verschmelzen donnernde Riff-Magie, mitreißenden und mit Soul getränkten Gesang, frenetische Rhythmen und treibende Takt-Attacken zu einer ohrwurmverdächtigen, funkelnden Legierung von Hardrock-Hymnen!

Time to Kill Records, red vinyl, gatefold, re-issue 2025

MURDERWORKS is the third full album of Rotten Sound and is also considered as the stepping stone for the band, which also got us finally touring internationally. We had been doing more crusty stuff at first on Under Pressure and earlier releases. Then we added elements of death metal on Drain and finally started blasting more than ever on Murderworks.
​
Murderworks was created mostly during 2001, when Keijo already lived in Tampere while others still were based in Vaasa. Keijo had moved already in 1997, but on 2001 he was rehearsing more than before with others, who were also spending a lot of time together at the rehearsal place. That extensive rehearsing made the release and entire band tighter than before, which probably has a lot to do with how the album ended up being.

"Never Exhale" ist der Sound einer Band, die keine Atempause einlegt. DITZ sind seit der Veröffentlichung ihres ersten Albums "The Great Regression" (2023) unermüdlich auf Tour. Die Songs ihres neuesten Angebots wurden in ganz Europa geschrieben, oft an freien Tagen und in geliehenen Proberäumen. Man könnte sagen, dass die Band das Aufnehmen und Veröffentlichen von Musik als nachträglichen Einfall betrachtet. Oft spielen sie Songs Jahre vor der Veröffentlichung live und optimieren sie dabei. Die Songs auf der endgültigen Platte können sich ändern, bevor sie jemals als Teil des Albums zu hören sind.

"Never Exhale" wurde grösstenteils in den Holy Mountain Studios in London während eines eiskalten Januars aufgenommen. Der Prozess war voller Hindernisse, da der ursprüngliche Plan, in Rhode Island aufzunehmen, durch das Angebot einer Support-Tour mit IDLES aufgegeben wurde, obwohl das Album immer noch vom ursprünglich vorgesehenen Toningenieur Seth Manchester (Model/Actriz, Lingua Ignota, Big Brave) gemischt wurde. Das Ergebnis ist ein Werk, das durch den Druck seiner eigenen Entstehung gehärtet wurde. Mühsam, aber nicht geliebt.

Die Themen der LP offenbaren sich beim wiederholten Anhören. Von der Erkundung dessen, wie es wäre, seinen Einfluss auf die Welt abzuwägen, dem heiligen Petrus, unnötigem Hass und Spaltung, Altern, der Trennung des Physischen von der Realität. Es ist politisch, aber letztendlich persönlich. Mehr Genet oder Kafka als Orwell oder Huxley. Soundtechnisch hat "Never Exhale" seine Wurzeln in den üblichen DITZ-Einflüssen, klassischem Noise-Rock wie The Jesus Lizard oder Shellac oder dem stumpfen Post-Punk von The Fall, bringt aber auch frische Einflüsse ein. Der letzte Track "Britney" könnte mit Radiohead oder Mogwai verglichen werden. Insgesamt ist das neue Album eine klare Weiterentwicklung ihres Debüts. Und ein Zeichen der Dinge, die kommen werden.

"Never Exhale" ist der Sound einer Band, die keine Atempause einlegt. DITZ sind seit der Veröffentlichung ihres ersten Albums "The Great Regression" (2023) unermüdlich auf Tour. Die Songs ihres neuesten Angebots wurden in ganz Europa geschrieben, oft an freien Tagen und in geliehenen Proberäumen. Man könnte sagen, dass die Band das Aufnehmen und Veröffentlichen von Musik als nachträglichen Einfall betrachtet. Oft spielen sie Songs Jahre vor der Veröffentlichung live und optimieren sie dabei. Die Songs auf der endgültigen Platte können sich ändern, bevor sie jemals als Teil des Albums zu hören sind.

"Never Exhale" wurde grösstenteils in den Holy Mountain Studios in London während eines eiskalten Januars aufgenommen. Der Prozess war voller Hindernisse, da der ursprüngliche Plan, in Rhode Island aufzunehmen, durch das Angebot einer Support-Tour mit IDLES aufgegeben wurde, obwohl das Album immer noch vom ursprünglich vorgesehenen Toningenieur Seth Manchester (Model/Actriz, Lingua Ignota, Big Brave) gemischt wurde. Das Ergebnis ist ein Werk, das durch den Druck seiner eigenen Entstehung gehärtet wurde. Mühsam, aber nicht geliebt.

Die Themen der LP offenbaren sich beim wiederholten Anhören. Von der Erkundung dessen, wie es wäre, seinen Einfluss auf die Welt abzuwägen, dem heiligen Petrus, unnötigem Hass und Spaltung, Altern, der Trennung des Physischen von der Realität. Es ist politisch, aber letztendlich persönlich. Mehr Genet oder Kafka als Orwell oder Huxley. Soundtechnisch hat "Never Exhale" seine Wurzeln in den üblichen DITZ-Einflüssen, klassischem Noise-Rock wie The Jesus Lizard oder Shellac oder dem stumpfen Post-Punk von The Fall, bringt aber auch frische Einflüsse ein. Der letzte Track "Britney" könnte mit Radiohead oder Mogwai verglichen werden. Insgesamt ist das neue Album eine klare Weiterentwicklung ihres Debüts. Und ein Zeichen der Dinge, die kommen werden.

Back with a bang! "Road To Happiness" marks the triumphant return of Manchester"s one and only Dislocation Dance - after a 7-year long hiatus. The new album - their sixth - features ten new and fresh songs. Main songwriters Ian Runacres (guitar/vocals) and Phil Lukes (bass/vocals) most probably never sounded better. Kinda like Manchester"s Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards they create killer grooves a la Chic and The Real Thing. Melodies galore & disco euphoria plus beautiful vocals. To Love And Be Loved! Daft Punk meets Everything But The Girl. Ian Runacres formed DD in Manchester, and soon got trumpet player Andy Diagram on board who later joined The Pale Fountains and James. They created their unique mix of Post-Punk, New Wave, Jazz, Disco, 60s French Pop and Soundtracks. The band played their first ever gig at the legendary Factory in Manchester, recorded sessions for John Peel, Janice Long and Kid Jensen, and went on their own eclectic journey. Always maintaining their unique DD sound. Now they are back. With a truly fabulous album. On Marina - the perfect home for them. Let"s get (it) on... the road to happiness.

Foundation, the first ever collaboration I did with Kloke, finished in April 2020 & released on the first Meeting Of The Minds release a few months later.

Probably one of my favourite collabs in the series & the main reason behind me starting this Meeting Of The Minds VIP series, because I had an idea of doing a VIP of it, in a slightly darker style than the original.

When I had the VIP done, I liked how it sounded and wanted to put it out but thought it'd be cool if Kloke did his own VIP of it as well, in whatever style he felt like doing to go with it. He did a great VIP version of it and that sealed the deal on the first Meeting Of The Minds VIP release.

Maybe this warning is not really relevant. It doesn’t scare anyone anymore. We all know that what is actually hiding behind this green fence is a sweet doggy only waiting to happily greet you.

First there's Gabriel, who you probably already saw playing crazy drums (with Terrenoire, Cola Boyy…). And then there's Facundo, the magician on the synth and on his choice of shirts.

Together they are Chien Méchant: a duo made of two friends who met at the hairdresser (and in high school), and that makes you wonder if groove, rock, funk and synths could maybe coexist one more time.

The release of their first self titled EP Chien Méchant gave prominence to their first inspirations - as first releases usually do - and showed off their influences. They were at the same time trying to prove themselves but also preparing us for what is to come: the real journey.

A journey that will start next January with Métamorphose. A first album that will display a cast smelling like leather, like a John Carpenter movie with GrandMarnier (Yelle) directing, Ouai Stéphane on the mix and of course Gabriel & Facundo taking a twisted pleasure in deconstructing our common preconception on pop music.

Métamorphose has many shapes - don’t forget a dog can have 3 heads. The track “Nuit Blanche” reminds us of our dancefloor trances. “Sens Contraire” is a drum/synth ballad that takes us by the hand and slowly whispers in our ear that it is ok to be anxious. “Point Final” is pretty self explanatory and makes us feel like we are back on the dancefloor saying “ok this is the last one”. There are ten tracks on this album that will be released alongside their label - Nowadays Records.

You will quickly understand that Chien Méchant is a live band. You will dream about these drums, these blinking synths, these psychedelic carpets, and about dancing without thinking about what’s next. But beware, Métamorphose also reminds us that they are way more than that.

I first saw Hugh and Jackson play together at Good God’s ‘Soft Future Piano Bar’ at the Sydney Opera House in 2017. That year was a fruitful year for the two as artists and for the Sydney music community in general. I remember that all of us, along with Greville and Brad, hosted a DIY party in a tunnel under a highway somewhere near Sydney Airport. Is that the same tunnel that Tunnel Dancers derived their name from? 7 years after that first meeting at the Sydney Opera House, Hugh and Jackson have released an album. Listening to these songs there is an audible patience and understanding between two musicians. They probably could have released something else a long time ago, but chose to wait - instead enjoying bowls of laksa on their lunch breaks and sharing long, quiet conversations at The Babylon Sauna & Spa. When the next warm bowl of noodle soup arrives on your table, how long will you let it sit before you dive in? Soup first or noodle first? If you learn from these songs, perhaps you will know to first observe the whole bowl. Observing in this way, the moment settles and hovers and remains for much longer than a moment.

Ye (Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign‘s 2024 album VULTURES 1 (as the supergroup, ¥$) is Ye‘s first collaborative album since his 2018 album with Kid Cudi, KIDS SEE GHOSTS, and as such, delivers celebratory, reunion-like energy. Bridging R&B, classic soul-sample rap, and the lo-fifi electro stylings of late-era Ye, VULTURES 1 manages to fuse Ye‘s go-to productions methods with Ty Dolla‘s efortlessly smooth vocals. This results in an unpredictable and dynamic listening experience.

“Back For More” is probably the most successful track of Cool Million, but for shure the most looked for. DJs and collectors are willing to pay incredible high sums to get hold of one copy of the original pressings from 2010. Only 1000 copies got pressed and this dancefloor filler is still an active 45 in DJ sets worldwide. This NeoBoogie slam is with no doubt a classic already. Cool Million’s banger and title track off their 2010 album “Back For More” is a teaming up with vocal legend, Eugene Wilde, a soulful synth funk jam, and has remained one of Cool Million’s most streamed singles. Now in 2024, Cool Million is back for more with the refreshed master mixdown and vinyl pressing of this dancefloor classic on Sedsoulciety Recordings. As usual with a never released and brand-new dub version on the flipside. Now hitting the stores all over the world again. Though for all DJs and collectors we are happy to announce the redefinition of up-tempo Neo-Boogie is back for more.

Peter Saville says of Sub-Culture "LABEL ONLY was specified in 1985 due to time pressure around the original release and as a consequence, a sleeve design for the re-release has no actual precedent. However, exploring the principle 'the solution is in the problem’ has led to the subliminal evocation of a sleeve that is still LABEL ONLY”.

While 1995's Washing Machine LP moniker was a thinly-veiled jab at the corporate aesthetic ("no, you cannot turn Sonic Youth into a household appliance brand", the band even considered changing its name to Washing Machine but settled on the album title instead), their major label relationship was indeed a curious buzzpoint of talk on the street after their intake to DGC in 1990. It wouldn't be fair to say that this state of existence propelled the band to reinforce its independent mindset by releasing a series of opaque-looking, French-language-dipping, highbrow-looking releases on their own that focused on the more abstract improv/compositional side of the band; in all truths they had been heavily steeped in self-releasing spillover material prior to that. But after a pressure pot of the early 90's indoctrination into a new operational mode for the band and its visibility, and the forces around it attempting to shape their direction, it seemed like a good time to create a strong show of radical concept.

The Anagrama EP became the first in a series of the SYR label's Perspective Musicales releases seemingly cementing Sonic Youth's connectivity to an increasing public awareness in experimental composers of the 20th century (French or otherwise). The irony was that many of those original avant composers being rediscovered by the indie audience (Partch, Neuhaus, Reich, Messaien) often found themselves on major labels anyway! So, perhaps this reverse approach was a necessary concept/comment given the music biz climate of the 90's. Regardless of how apples and oranges fell in Xenakian probability/theory, it was clear that both Sonic Youth's stature in progressive music, aided by now unlimited taperoll time thanks to a home base studio downtown established after their Lollapalooza stint, gave the band plenty of trailblazing time for their self examination of untraveled avenues.

"Anagrama" unfolds into nine minutes of delicate textures, starting with thick drone segueing into moments reminiscent of the post-crescendo flutter/comedown of "Marquee Moon's" trail-out; Thurston, Lee and Kim's guitars all circling round each other taking delicate pokes and stabs before drifting into some post-rock rhythmic moves tapered with delicate percussive guidance from Steve Shelley. "Improvisation Ajoutée" reaches further out into dissolve with whirring oscillations, guitars hissing and clanking radiator-style in a short blast format that continues into "Tremens" and a spooked-out landscape of gelatinous notes snaking up slowly. The sparseness of attack is colorful, textures emit and linger, silent spots shine, all flanked by tasteful drumming that provides the thread to all the abstraction. Shelley's approach here is interestingly sideways to any kind of usual rock action, it's tempered, mutant and metronomic simultaneously. The finale track "Mieux: De Corrosion" is a real pedal-palatte showcase. Here, Plutonian guitar wash flanges upwards to buoy a myriad of colorful eruptions of amp-spuzz, chopped up tone blasts and general confusion. Out of the blue, some metallic one-note choogle kicks in and threatens to explode into some Judas Priestly motion, before it all sputters into aural glass showers, clang, and finally a ferocious wave of more flange hiss that crashes down on a dime.

This initial foray into SY's Perspectives Musicales series continued onward with releases featuring other co-conspirators, peaking with the ambitious 2CD Goodbye 20th Century that finally connects the band into full-on interpretations of other composers' pieces (as well as displaying their own new ones). The whole series is not so much an outlet for another "side" of the band, but a run that went hand in hand building new approaches of songcraft onto their own, more overground direction which included Jim O'Rourke (who hopped on during SYR3), adding additional density to A Thousand Leaves and other LPs of his era. Fans of the '86 Spinhead Sessions as well as the recently-exhumed later jams of In/Out/In will take in the sounds of SYR1 with glee.

Das achte Album der Punkrock-Gruppe Turbostaat: Wo sonst Möwen und Wattenmeer waren, sind jetzt Tauben und Beton

Junger Punk steht breit lächelnd in kahler Raumecke vor zerschlissener Tonbandmaschine; kurzgeschorene, blondierte Haare, schnittige Sonnenbrille mit dünnen Metallbügeln, angejahrte Lederjacke über buntem Flanellhemd; Trainspotting-Ästhetik. Beschriebenes Foto ist gewiss kein typisches Albumcover-Motiv - und doch ziert es das Cover vom neuen, achten Studioalbum der Husumer, Hamburger, Berliner Band Turbostaat. Der Mann im Zentrum des angegilbten Schnappschusses? Turbostaat-Stammproduzent und Toningenieur Moses Schneider in seinen späten Zwanzigern; oder in seinen frühen Dreißigern - jedenfalls in einem Lebensabschnitt vor Kamillentee und Hochglanz-Equipment. Dreck, Wut, Tatendrang, Aufbruchsstimmung, rotziger Pessimismus, unverhohlen grantiger Punk-Geist - das sind die Parallelen zwischen jenem Foto und der Platte, die es bebildert. Sie hört mit Fug und Recht auf den Namen 'Alter Zorn', klingt mehr nach Stunde null als nach Spätwerk-LP und probt - anstatt friedfertig zu umarmen - den unsanft aufrüttelnden Würgegriff.

Okay, geschenkt: Friedfertig umarmt haben Turbostaat ihre Hörer*innen auf musikalischer Ebene Zeit ihres Bestehens ohnehin nie. Da war immer mehr Understatement und nordfriesische Nüchternheit als Charmeoffensive oder Frohmut, immer mehr Sehnsucht als Wohlbehagen, immer mehr Krach, wirre Worte und bärbeißige Mine zum bösen Spiel als gut gelaunter Humbug. Turbostaat-Musik, das ist Punkrock, dem Wattenmeer-Nebel in den Lungen hängt - seitdem sich die Band 1999 in der schleswig-holsteinischen Provinz formiert hat und auch ein Vierteljahrhundert später.

Wo sonst Möwen, Wattenmeer-Nebel und graue Weiten waren, verdecken nun Taubenschwärme, endzeitlich versmogte Betonburgen und eine gottverdammte Bismarck-Statue, die dem Szeneviertel ihren metergroßen Arsch entgegenstreckt, die Sicht auf alles Schöne. 'Alter Zorn' blickt auf die »Affenstraße«, auf verwahrloste Eckkneipen, in der sich düstere Schatten stapeln, auf »Ruinen zwischen Glas und Stahl«, auf Metropolen voll »greller Sommerkotze« und Spiegelscherben, die immer enger werden - und nur selten starr auf’s offene Meer. Was den schwammigen Protagonist*innen des Turbostaat-Universums dennoch geblieben ist, ist die bohrende Einsamkeit - dieses wütend-resignierte Gefühl, es nicht zustandezubringen, »hier mitzumarschieren«. 'Alter Zorn' zeichnet eine Dystopie - eine Welt zwischen Novembergicht und Hitzestau, in der sich tote Schwäne im Graben stapeln, Panzer rollen, die Luft knapp wird, Obdachlose die Straße umarmen, alle alles mit Karte bezahlen, in Ledersitzen zittern, die Laune im Arsch und überhaupt »wirklich Sense« ist.