Black Vinyl[22,65 €]
quête:protect u
Da Buze Bruvaz and Lord Beatjitzu come together for a truly hard hitting, no holds barred, HipHop grudge match with the tough as nails BoLO Yeung Barbarian Bicepz EP. The long-time collaborators, known for dropping at a prolific pace individually, found time to combine and give their prospective audiences a true gift. Expect nothing but explosive neck-snapping beats and hard-body drunken rhyming.
This is truly a companion piece for the Lord Beatjitzu produced Bruce Li in Japan LP. Here we find Da Buze Bruvaz Him LO and Clever One, deconstructing a few of those tracks while also bringing heat to some exclusive gems from the vaults of the reclusive production wizard. You may want to take a few steps back before entering drunken dragon styles presented on this one.
Bruce Li meets Da Buze Bruvaz and every track contained within qualifies as a lethal weapon! Protect your Necks, Arms, Heads and Chests! PLAY on 45 rpm!
Written and recorded between 1972 and 1982 in Western Oregon, Back to the Woodlands is a previously unreleased, and nearly lost, album made by Ernest Hood during the same era as his near mythical album Neighborhoods . A visionary combination of field recordings, zithers, and synthesizers, Back to the Woodlands offers an unprecedented depth of access to this singular artistic mind. Born into a musical family, Ernest Hood began a promising career as a jazz guitarist during the 1940s, touring internationally with his brother Bill Hood and the saxophonist Charlie Barnet , before contracting polio in his late twenties. The disease left Ernest unable to play the guitar and confined him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. It also forced him to adapt and innovate around his musical practices in the face of adversity; Hood's value of sound matured with a remarkably democratic and nonhierarchical approach and application. Taking up the zither, a less physically-demanding stringed instrument to the guitar, embarking upon the unprecedented process of incorporating field recordings into his work as early as 1956, and eventually discovering the synthesizer, Hood's music became imbued with optimism and subtle cultural critique. This ethos and technique - refined over the coming decades - would lay the groundwork for a sprawling body of radio work, mail order recordings for homebound listeners, and Neighborhoods , self- issued as a small vinyl edition in 1975. Where Neighborhoods , a nostalgic opus, drawing from a well of collective memory of the 1950s, is defined by traces of human activity, Back to the Woodlands leaves the modern world behind, delving into Hood's love for nature. Only recently discovered in his archives, the album dramatically expands his concept of "musical cinematography," imagistically triggering states of sensory memory from within its zither and synthesizer melodies, intertwined with field recordings made during Hood's extensive travels throughout Oregon. If Neighborhoods is a retreat into the gauzy joys of a romanticized past, Back to the Woodlands is an immersion in the timeless sanctuary of the natural world. A fascinating counterpoint to its predecessor, Back to the Woodlands brings us even closer to Hood's belief in the transportive qualities of sound; that field recordings could serve as a vehicle for the imagination and liberation, particularly for those with similar mobile disabilities as his own. Across the album's twelve compositions, the rippling instrumental harmonics - shifting between abstraction and playful melody - fold so seamlessly into the birdsong, bubbling brooks, and other environmental ambiences, that they often give the impression of having been recording within the landscapes toward which they whisper. Falling somewhere between the immersive calm of healing music and New Age, the creative field recording practices of sound ecologists world building for Folkways, and the jazz infected ambiences during Obscure / Editions EG's highest heights, Back to the Woodlands sculpts an singular proximity of music for its moment; a form of ambient sonic realism that draws the consciousness toward its surroundings as much as within. Working closely with his estate to maintain his original vision, Freedom to Spend has restored and remastered this never before released, lost masterpiece by Ernest Hood from the original tapes. Ernest Hood's Back to the Woodlands will be issued on vinyl, as well as on CD in combination with its contemporary Where the Woods Begin , with new liner notes by Michael Klausman . On behalf of Ernest Hood and Freedom To Spend, a portion of the proceeds from this release will benefit Oregon Wild, an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring Oregon's wildlands, wildlife, and waters as an enduring legacy for future generations.
- A1: Go! (Opening)
- A2: Red Drugs
- A3: Z Names
- A4: Entering The Bank (With Romance Remix By Jimmy Crash)
- A5: Clarinets
- A6: Safe Heroin (Disco 2000 Remix By Dj Keoki)
- B1: The Assembler (Words By Stephanie Rubin)
- B2: Gold
- B3: But You Must (Brothers In Rhythm Remix By Rhythm Method)
- B4: Ambient Dixie
- B5: Canaan
- B6: Flying Home (Music & Lyrics By Robin O'brien)
Black Vinyl[37,44 €]
• DELUXE HEAVYWEIGHT SLEEVE WITH SPOT-VARNISH AND ALTERNATIVE ARTWORK
• INCLUDING INSERT WITH LINER NOTES
• PVC PROTECTIVE SLEEVE
• 1994 BANK HEIST MOVIE PRODUCED BY ROGER AVARY & QUENTIN TARANTINO
• SCORE BY TOMANDANDY (THE HILLS HAVE EYES, THE STRANGERS)
• AVAILABLE ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME
• LIMITED EDITION OF 2000 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON FLAMING COLOURED VINYL
Killing Zoe is a 1994 crime / bank heist film written, directed and produced by Roger Avary and co-produced by Quentin Tarantino. Killing Zoe follows the story of a safe cracker named Zed who returns to France to aid an old friend in performing a doomed bank heist. The film was labeled by acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert as “Generation X’s first bank caper movie”. After the production of Killing Zoe, Avary and Tarantino continued their collaboration and produced both the iconic award winning movie Pulp Fiction and several radio dialogues in Reservoir Dogs.
The score to Killing Zoe was produced by Tomandandy, aka Thomas Hajdu and Andy Milburn. This duo is best known for their horror scores like The Hills Have Eyes and The Strangers amongst others and many collaborations with great artists such as Lou Reed, David Byrne, U2 and Laurie Anderson.
Killing Zoe is available on vinyl for the first time as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on flaming coloured vinyl and includes an insert with liner notes.
- A1: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Empire Of Angels - 6 : 40
- A2: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Cannon In D Minor - 3 : 04
- A3: Two Steps From Hell / Nick Phoenix - After The Fall - 2 : 27
- A4: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Unbreakable - 4 : 12
- A5: Two Steps From Hell / Nick Phoenix - Master Of Shadows - 3 : 05
- B1: Two Steps From Hell & Nick Phoenix - Fire Nation - 5 : 00
- B2: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Evergreen - 3 : 02
- B3: Two Steps From Hell / Nick Phoenix - Am I Not Human? - 4 : 30
- B4: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Blackheart - 4 : 26
- B5: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Star Sky - 5 : 31
- C1: Two Steps From Hell & Thomas Bergersen - Wings For Ukraine - 5 : 05
- C2: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Strength Of A Thousand Men - 4 : 11
- C3: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Victory - 5 : 31
- C4: Two Steps From Hell / Nick Phoenix - Wolf King - 4 : 04
- C5: Two Steps From Hell & Thomas Bergersen - Flight Of The Silverbird - 3 : 22
- D1: Two Steps From Hell / Nick Phoenix - Titan Dream - 4 : 03
- D2: Two Steps From Hell / Nick Phoenix - Dragon - 3 : 44
- D3: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Remember Me - 5 : 38
- D4: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - El Dorado - 4 : 14
- D5: Two Steps From Hell / Nick Phoenix - Fall Of The Fountain World - 4 : 39
- E1: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Impossible - 9 : 07
- E2: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Little Star - 4 : 33
- E3: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - New Life - 4 : 38
- F1: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Never Give Up On Your Dreams - 5 : 12
- F2: Two Steps From Hell / Nick Phoenix - Rise Up - 4 : 50
- F3: Two Steps From Hell & Thomas Bergersen - Protectors Of The Earth - 2 : 45
- F4: Two Steps From Hell / Nick Phoenix - Stormkeeper - 2 : 55
- F5: Two Steps From Hell / Thomas Bergersen - Heart Of Courage - 3 : 07
Auf ihrem Sony Classical Doppel-Album Two Steps From Hell: Live - An Epic Music Experience definieren Two Steps From Hell - aka Thomas Bergersen und Nick Phoenix - die Schöpfer des "epischen Sounds", ihre fantastische Musik mit dem Odessa Opera Orchester, Chor und Rockband neu. Das Album enthält über zwei Stunden Musik und 28 der bekanntesten Titel der Gruppe, die im Rahmen ihrer erfolgreichen Europa-Konzerte im Sommer 2022 neu-arrangiert und aufgenommen wurden. Genre-Hits wie "Heart of Courage", "Victory", "Star Sky", "Protectors of the Earth" oder "Strength Of A Thousand Men" verbinden die in Kalifornien ansässigen Komponisten und Produzenten Thomas Bergersen und Nick Phoenix - die Masterminds hinter Two Steps From Hell - zu episch-akustischen Klangwelten zwischen Klassik, Filmmusik und Rock. Bei ihren Aufnahmen wurden die Multiinstrumentalisten von einer Reihe herausragender Solist*Innen begleitet wie Esther Abrami (Violine), Skye Emanuel (Gitarre), Elaine Correa (Keyboards), Saulius Petreikis (Windwoods) oder Greg Ellis (Drums) und den Sängerinnen Merethe Solvedt, Úyanga Bold und Kamila Nývltová. Two Steps From Hell sind eine der weltweit erfolgreichsten Produzenten für epische Musik und gehören zu den Vorreitern des "epischen Sounds". Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2006 haben Thomas Bergersen und Nick Phoenix diverse Filmtrailer für Blockbuster (Avengers, X-Men, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones), Fernsehserien (Doctor Who, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead) und Videospiele (Mass Effect, Resident Evil, League of Legends, Kill Zone) vertont. Ihr Song "Heart of Courage" leitete die Spiele der Fußball-EM 2012 und das Finale der Olympischen Spiele 2012 in London ein. Die Musik, die Thomas Bergersen und Nick Phoenix für Film, Fernsehen und Videospiele produzierten, löste euphorische Reaktionen bei den Zuhörern aus und sie begannen ganze Alben aufzunehmen und ihre Musik bei Musikportalen selbst zu veröffentlichen. Two Steps From Hell, ein Internet-Phänomen, war geboren und eine treue internationale Fan-Base sorgte für über fünf Milliarden Streams auf YouTube und anderen Plattformen, vier Platin-Alben, zwei Nummer 1 Alben in den Billboard Classical Charts ("Battlecry" und "Unleashed") und insgesamt 10 Platzierungen in den Top 10 der Billboard Classical Albums Charts.
Beer Color Vinyl[27,10 €]
High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 500, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet printed on uncoated paper, poster, A5 photo
Black Vinyl[27,10 €]
High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 500, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet printed on uncoated paper, poster, A5 photo
Color Vinyl[23,32 €]
Black Vinyl[23,32 €]
- A1: Go! (Opening)
- A2: Red Drugs
- A3: Z Names
- A4: Entering The Bank (With Romance Remix By Jimmy Crash)
- A5: Clarinets
- A6: Safe Heroin (Disco 2000 Remix By Dj Keoki)
- B1: The Assembler (Words By Stephanie Rubin)
- B2: Gold
- B3: But You Must (Brothers In Rhythm Remix By Rhythm Method)
- B4: Ambient Dixie
- B5: Canaan
- B6: Flying Home (Music And Lyrics By Robin O’brien)
Flaming Vinyl[36,09 €]
• DELUXE HEAVYWEIGHT SLEEVE WITH SPOT-VARNISH AND ALTERNATIVE ARTWORK
• INCLUDING INSERT WITH LINER NOTES
• PVC PROTECTIVE SLEEVE
• 1994 BANK HEIST MOVIE PRODUCED BY ROGER AVARY & QUENTIN TARANTINO
• SCORE BY TOMANDANDY (THE HILLS HAVE EYES, THE STRANGERS)
• AVAILABLE ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME
Killing Zoe is a 1994 crime / bank heist film written, directed and produced by Roger Avary and co-produced by Quentin Tarantino. Killing Zoe follows the story of a safe cracker named Zed who returns to France to aid an old friend in performing a doomed bank heist. The film was labeled by acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert as “Generation X’s first bank caper movie”. After the production of Killing Zoe, Avary and Tarantino continued their collaboration and produced both the iconic award winning movie Pulp Fiction and several radio dialogues in Reservoir Dogs.
The score to Killing Zoe was produced by Tomandandy, aka Thomas Hajdu and Andy Milburn. This duo is best known for their horror scores like The Hills Have Eyes and The Strangers amongst others and many collaborations with great artists such as Lou Reed, David Byrne, U2 and Laurie Anderson.
Killing Zoe is available on vinyl for the first time as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on flaming coloured vinyl and includes an insert with liner notes.
The first progressive girl group of the French Occitan language
pop scene bring you folk funk, sun-baked bossa, Coltrane jazz and
their own brand of punky ‘Dizco Rural’ against an untouched
French Balearic backdrop spanning the late 70s and 80s.
If even the most assiduous of European record collectors consider
the Occitan language music scene to be France’s best-kept secret
then it’s as fair to say that the incredible multifaceted recordings of
langue d’oc prog girl group Lei Chapacans have spent the last four
decades hiding in plain sight. In all fairness this overlooked
treasure chest of minority language excursions into folk funk,
Balearic, bossa, John Coltrane-penned jazz, baroque psych,
Palestinian poetry, comedic synth skits (and even the rawest form
of femme-fronted multilingual punky disco) has been stowed away
in inconspicuous photographic record sleeves, falsely evoking
something closer to contemporary C&W while oft-misplaced in
record shop cassette racks alongside ‘traditional’ spoken-word and
scholastic albums.
So, for the uninitiated, don’t be too hard on yourself. The fun starts
here. For those who are familiar with the rare and sought-after
one-off solo album by Occitan singer Miquela and have craved for
more, then you’ve come to exactly the right place. Lei Chapacans
(a name that roughly translates to The Vagabonds) is the all-girl
vocal group assembled by Miquela herself just two years after her
debut release, having toured the word and snubbed major label
record deal offers with a steadfast allegiance to the protection of
the Occitan language in which this album is primarily penned and
performed (minus a small amount of German and sarcastic
English in one rebellious instance).
For European collectors with a penchant for French savoir faire,
but have further yearnings for folkloric femme funk, then it’s time
to look towards the Occitan sunset where you will meet Lolo,
Miquela, Sophie, Irena and Denise.
These amazing, and undeniably culturally important recordings
might have taken some time to find a wider audience, but for
music lovers, crate diggers and vinyl vultures alike there are still a
lot of tasty morsels out there to be scavenged and devoured, ask
any self-respecting Chapacan and they’ll concur wholeheartedly.
OVERVIEW: When an ancient monster that laid waste to planets when the dinosaurs roamed Earth is accidentally released from its underground prison, there's only one kaiju you can count on to defend us all: Mothra! Directed by Okihiro Yoneda with a story by the great GODZILLA creator Tomoyuki Tanaka, REBIRTH OF MOTHRA sees the legendary lepidopteran protect the human race from Belvera, the evil sister of Mothra's twin priestesses. She wants to destroy the world with the superspace demon beast Desghidorah, a three-headed extraterrestrial dragon. But Belvera and her monster aren't counting on the larva of Mothra joining the fight. Enter Mothra Leo! Brought into score REBIRTH OF MOTHRA was Toshiyuki Watanabe, son of the great tokusatsu and anime composer Michiaki Watanabe (YOKAI MONSTERS: 100 MONSTERS, MAZINGER Z), who lived up to his legacy by supplying a bold and thrilling orchestral score. Watanabe's music is full of ethereal beauty, with a fantastic opening title cue replete with a glorious female choir to celebrate Earth's greatest defender and full-blooded brass magnificence as Mothra and son fight against the evil Belvera and Desghidora. And of course, it wouldn't be complete without Yuji Koseki's classic Mothra's Song: Over time, oversea, like a wave - our guardian angel! (Charlie Brigden)
- 1: The Ninja
- 2: Nita's Murder
- 3: I Love Ny
- 4: John In Mourning
- 5: The Plutonium Killer
- 6: Abductions Continue
- 7: Kanashimi No Saisho No Takakai
- 8: Training/Shuriken Attack
- 9: Roller Ninja
- 10: Battle On The Rooftop
- 11: Will You Be My Friend?
- 12: Protecting The Boss
- 13: Interview With The Mayor/Kids To The Rescue
- 14: Dart Of Death/She's A Cop!
- 15: Rendezvous In The Park
- 16: I Let Them Take Her
- 17: Duel With Rattail/Detective Williams Captured
- 18: In Disguise/The Rescue
- 19: Hangar Flight/Ninja Vs Plutonium Killer
The French neo big band celebrates its 10th anniversary with a live
concert broadcasted live on the French radio station France Musique.
The genesis of this one is an ode to the explorers who went to visit "the
ends of the world", the North and the South poles
Between icebergs, extreme cold, icy waters, infinite landscapes, clear skies and
current and crazy expeditions as led by Jean-Louis Etienne with Océan Polaire.
POLAR STAR embodies the visual and soundtrack of these crazy epics: a music
that is at the same time intimate, fragile and epic, and sometimes abyssal to
escape in a dreamlike exploration movie.
It is an "awareness" album, taking care of the extreme beauty of the world, but
also a message full of hope: to be amazed and to continue to be. POLAR STAR
reveals a new breath, at the same time powerful, sensitive and luminous. It is an
epic whirlwind that immerses us into the depths of a progressive jazz with rock,
electro, and sometimes pop fragments.
"We love what amazed us and we protect what we love" Jean-Yves Cousteau
For Tokyo-born Melbourne-based artist Elle Shimada, the concept of home is ever changing. In fact, it’s the current which flows through her debut album, HOME LOCATION. HOME LOCATION, out on seminal label The Jazz Diaries, is the product of several years of tinkering, culminating in a wholly unique project. ‘HOME is multiple, complex, shapeless. ... Home is in music, a space to share it with you’, Shimada sings on the album opener.
Lithe and loose, marrying incisive political commentary with deep
introspection, HOME LOCATION certifies that Shimada is Australia’s next bright talent. Across eight dizzying tracks which flow from lean, skittish skeletal beats upon which Shimada’s climbs to agile blends of house, bass and candied keys, the album nestles in the subconscious long after the first listen.
David Lovato’s first outing as LOVA, the superb Gypsophilia EP, was one of NuNorthern Soul’s most lauded and cherished releases of 2021 – a gorgeous collection of emotive, sun-soaked sounds from the mind of a producer who got his chance on the imprint after handing a USB of tracks to Phil Cooper at Hostal La Torre in the summer of 2020.
Now, the EP returns for 2022 in expanded form, with a trio of fresh, mood-enhancing remixes joining the three original tracks featured on last year’s release. It’s those – ‘Cecilia’, Lovato’s glistening, emotionally resonant musical tribute to his baby daughter, mid-tempo nu-disco gem ‘Echoes of Memories’ and the stunning, sunset-inspired ‘Esperanza’ - that form the first half of the EP, with a trio of reworks following in hot pursuit.
Long-time friends of the label Leo Mas and Fabrice, an Italian duo famed for their brilliant Balearic reworks whose individual and collective histories stretch right back to the late 1980s (Mas, for example, was one of the resident DJs at legendary White Isle venue Amnesia at the back end of that decade). Given this shared Balearic history, it’s fitting that they step up first and give their spin on ‘Cecilia’. Making the most of Lovato’s stunning, reverb-drenched guitar licks, dreamy chords and atmospheric pads, the pair delivers a shuffling, club-ready interpretation underpinned by a locked-in dub disco groove. It’s a fine take on a track brimming with positivity and joy.
Hear & Now, an Italian duo best known for delivering a trio of brilliant albums on Claremont 56, give their interpretation of ‘Echoes of Memories’. Beginning with a mixture of quietly colourful chords, enveloping sonic textures and hazy guitar motifs, the mix gently builds as it progresses, with the pair introducing a pitched-down house groove, chiming electronic melodies and alluring elements from Lovato’s original version. Like much of Hear & Now’s work, it sits somewhere be-tween Balearica, slow-motion electronic disco and the Rimini-friendly dream house sound that marked out Italian club cuts at the turn of the ‘90s.
To close out the EP, rising star Danilo Braca – an Italian producer based in New York City who began DJing in his home country way back in 1996 – gently leads ‘Esperanza’ towards the dancefloor. Braca is a member of production duo Synth & Soda, whose 2020 remix of DJ Harvey presents Locussolus track ‘Berghain’ was selected by the man himself as the winner of an online competition. On this solo revision, Braca wraps a punchy, Latin-tinged house beat in cascading melodic motifs, bubbly synthesizer arpeggio lines, rising and falling electronics and pads so sumptuous you might want to marry them. Simultaneously morning fresh and sunset-ready, Braca has delivered a classic-sounding chunk of Balearic nu-disco/deep house fu-sion.
Gypsophilia Remixed is the latest volume in NuNorthern Soul’s Myths of Ibiza series of EPs, which all feature specially commissioned artwork from illustrator Emily McGuinness. This time round, McGuinness’s distinctive artwork depicts Tanit, the ‘protector goddess’ of Ibiza. A warrior deity of dance, fertility, creation and destruction, her spirit is said to watch over the island’s West Coast, particularly the area around Atlantic and the mysterious Es Vedra rock.
Manchester, UK based duo Leon Wellings Jones and Thomas Filbee form AEIT together, acting as one. These DJ / producers share the same vision of techno, that being a combination of unrelenting drums, blistering pace, raw atmosphere and aggression which is the foundation of AEIT’s powerful approach to industrial underground techno.
Continuing with the ‘Limited As Fuck’ series of releases, on our fiercely independent techno label based in Scotland, and you thought you’d be safe, you thought you’d be kept hidden from the ravaging storm of mental techno abuse with a place of protection and shelter? NOT HERE, THIS IS RIOT.
We guarantee you’ll require sonic psychiatric treatment after the mayhem, chaos, turmoil, pandemonium, extreme confusion and vivid flashbacks that’ll all play their part after you’ve been mentally broken to pieces by this onslaught of incapacitated disbelief. Just how much this release smashed your head in so gracefully, with forethought of menace, will become apparent once a state of near-unconsciousness from your soul bleeding into the sound system has been released.
WARNING: DEVIANCE IS A GIVEN ……………….. ONCE YOU’RE A RIOTous DEVIANT
Die Presse war sich bereits 2008 einig, dass Downburst ein echter Banger ist. Auch 14 Jahre nach Release steht Downburst für den Moment, in dem der typische, eigenständige Brainstorm-Sound geformt wurde. Grund genug, das Album endlich wieder auf Vinyl verfügbar zu machen.
Mit der Platte "Downburst" bekamen die BRAINSTORM-Fans, einen wahren Downburst vorgesetzt! Ein Manifest des Powermetals, für das auch die Presse nur lobende Worte fand! Dieses siebte Album klingt erdiger als seine Vorgänger, es verfügt über - Höllisch eingängige, dabei nie aufdringliche Hooklines, komplexes, thrashiges Riffing, orchestrale Klangtupfer - 100 Prozent in Brainstorm-Manier. Mittlerweile liegen 14 Jahre seit dem Release zurück und die einmalige Vinylauflage längst vergriffen. Das schreit doch nach einer Neuauflage dieses großartigen Klassikers! Brainstorm haben ein paar Songs der Platte sicherlich auch auf der "Brainrage"-Tour mit im Gepäck!
Repress of the the debut album of synth-pop pioneers La Roux.
Originally released in very limited quantities on vinyl in 2009, the album, La Roux, contains the UK No. 1 single Bulletproof as well as Top 3 smash In For The Kill. La Roux was shortlisted for the 2009 Mercury Prize and won Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011.
La Roux was a refreshing addition to the world of pop. Brixton-born Elly Jackson was inspired more by the music of Nick Drake and Neil Young than synth pop, and when Ben Langmaid first heard her, she was playing her songs on an acoustic guitar. Together, they updated the template for the synth duo, Langmaid resolutely in the background, while Jackson became the face and mouthpiece for the group.
Their debut single, Quicksand, was released on Kitsune Records in December 2008, and soon after Polydor signed them, and amid a flurry of press attention, In For The Kill came out in March 2009, rising to No. 2 in the UK. In June that year, Bulletproof topped the charts, paving the way for the album, which was received warmly in the UK and made huge inroads into the US charts.
Jackson's androgyny and the duo's musical style evoked the 80s, yet this was no mere pastiche. The songs had heart and soul and were delivered with matchless panache. "People don't just want R&B girls thrusting their groins at them," she told The Guardian. "It gave me hope. People bought the record even though it was fronted by this odd boy-looking ginger girl."
La Roux is presented with scrupulous attention to the detail of the original UK first pressing and available in audiophile 180gm vinyl. Whether replacing a much-loved original copy, or adding to a collection afresh, this is a superior way to enjoy such enduring and influential music.
Radio Diaspora works on the concept of cultural identity, which is flexible and dynamic. This provocation is generated by referring to all African ancestry moved by the diaspora and its sonorous, vocal, polyrhythmic, and polyphonic codes - all the ancestral heritage that has spread throughout the world following expropriations, genocide, and slavery - sampling and amplifying references that become triggers of energetic approaches. A heavy core of representations and senses aims to exorcize through noise and strangeness all secular violence against people of the African diaspora. In the title song of this album, 'Negro Humor', the respected Brazilian actor Grande Otelo highlights the contradiction of the clown, which awakens joy in everyone but is a sorrowful, lonely figure, ridiculing himself and putting himself in the most embarrassing situations. Relieved, loud laughter echoes in the audience because it is not the target of ridicule. In 'Despacho', Radio Diaspora explores the dichotomy of society by introducing a speech by Brazilian lawyer Hédio Silva Júnior specialised in Afro-Brazilian religion. He questions a rule under discussion in Brazil's Congress that would prohibit the use of chickens in Candomblé and Umbanda rituals. Silva Júnior points out that everyone takes a stand to protect the rights of animals, but the same cannot be said of the defense of young black people and outlying societies. The track 'Meia-Noite' evokes a celebrated point of Umbanda, an Afro-Brazilian religious syncretic cult, permeated by free jazz and electronic atmospheres developed by the duo. The other songs on the album are divided into two parts. They feature the voices of North American icons of the black struggle for civil rights: The tracks 'A.H.M. Al-Shabazz 1 and 2', amid sonic dissonances, use extracts from speeches by the American leader Malcolm X, and in 'Muhammad Ali 1 and 2' we hear quotes from famous interviews given by the boxer and activist. Ali ironizes the questions he asked his mother as a child, why all good and positive things are associated with white. "Mother, how come is everything white? Why is Jesus white with blonde hair and blue eyes? Angels are white, the Pope, Mary, and even the angels. When we die, will we go to heaven? She said naturally we go to heaven. So, I said, what happened to all the black angels they took from the pictures." His Inquiry, however, is seen as a joke by the white audience present at the TV show, which laughs off Ali's scathing criticism. Radio Diaspora uses art as an instinctive force to reject submission to traditions and culture as taming. Music is the weapon. "The (album) sound means to exorcise racism out of our minds and make us ready to act". - Rômulo Alexis




















