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There's iconic. Then there's *iconic*.

A MASSIVE speaker-smashing release, decades overdue. It's been bootlegged - shamefully so, many times over the years - but finally we present the first ever officially licensed reissue of this truly special Afro-disco-not-disco LP from 1979. A favourite of Harvey, Antal, Young Marco and, er, every great DJ to ever play deep records ever, basically. It's not hard to see - or, indeed, *feel* why.

Gem after gem of relentless, irresistibly funky gold, it's an incredibly revelatory album with endlessly complex drum patterns and basslines to dive into, throughout. Truly, this is uniquely FIRE music, unlike anything else you've ever heard, based on Gwo ka music from the gorgeous islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. A thrilling synthesis of primal, hypnotic drums - the most tribal of percussive elements high in the mix throughout - with the loping synth pyrotechnics of, amongst a whole host of other greats, Wally Badarou and bass power of disco funk don Sauveur Mallia (Arpadys, Spatial & Co.)

Originally released on the seminal French label Barclay, you'd be hard pressed to even find an original copy in nice condition anywhere, let alone for a reasonable price, so it's high time an officially licensed, remastered reissue came around. It's just the latest in a long line of Be With reissues where the music sounds like the - drop-dead dazzling - cover. This here is a true drum attack. BUY ON SIGHT!

Tumblack was a short-lived project, produced and arranged by electronic wizard Yves Hayat and it can certainly be regarded as one of the first examples of Zouk, mixing powerful disco-funk arrangements with Gwo ka, traditional music from Guadeloupe. Gwo ka is an Antillean Creole term for "big drum". You can say that again! It refers to both a family of hand drums and the music played with them, which is a major part of Guadeloupean folk music.Whilst the first side is credited to the exceptional Tumblack band, the flip is given over to "Tumblack & Friends". These weren't just any old friends. Oh no, they were the absolute cream of the French scene (think Arpadys, Voyage, Le Club, Giant, CCPP, Synthesis, Swing Family) such as Sauveur Mallia, Wally Badarou, Marc Chantereau on percussion, Slim Pezin on guitar and Jean-Paul Batailley and Pierre Alain-Dahan handling drum duties.

The urgent, frantic "Fracas" gets things moving straight away with a cavalcade of drums and percussive funk before giving way to the stratospheric "Invocation", one of the album's many, many highlights. It's effectively one long heavenly drum break, a really hard, raw, tribal drum workout without a whole lot else going on - and all the better for it! One to make you sweat, no question. Up next, "Jubilé" is announced with a bellowing accapella voice, chanting the titular name before the heaviest of kicks smashes out your system and lulls you into an absolute state of bliss for nearly 6 minutes. Whoooooosh! Rounding out the sensational A-Side, "Vaudou" is a scratchy, funky patterned drum workout which - yep, yet again - absolutely slays your neck muscles, making them snap and contract in extraordinary fashion. TURN IT UP!

Ushering in the B-Side, the brief, fidgety, African chant-funk of "Parlement" segues seamlessly, beautifully into "Waka", an overwhelmingly rich gem of percussive funk. You do not want this to end, once it hits its stride. For maximum heavenly drum pleasure, you'd need to go a long way than the moment "Waka" feels like it's fading out before it kick-drum-blend into the mighty "Caraïba (Intro)". It's just staggeringly good. It's a minute-long layered drum prelude to the gigantic track which follows. Indeed, "Caraïba" is arguably the best loved and most well-known cut off the LP. And with good reason...featuring that Mallia bass, warm Rhodes and clavs, synth magic, memorably alto sax lines and, of course, tribal chanting.

Another mighty super-ahead-of-its-time classic, the bouncing bass heavy synth funk of "Chunga Funk" deploys Mallia and Wally Badarou (on Mini Moog) exceptionally well. I mean, come on, that bassline is just ridiculous. Try not to move to this one. This extraordinary record closes out with the more traditional Gwo ka sounds of "Bateau La Passé", the tribal chorus making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Tumblack really is a gorgeous late-70s disco-not-disco essential. It's an absolute MONSTER that will completely blow you away; and, yes, it's as compelling and trance-inducing as the cover. The audio for Tumblack has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The cover of Tumblack is so iconic and we sought special permission from original artist Hélène Majera to recreate this at Be With HQ. It absolutely zings off the print and serves as the perfect finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Two days after his 100th birthday, Marshall Allen started recording New Dawn, his debut solo album. A member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra since 1958, Allen assumed leadership of the band in 1995. Throughout his nearly seventy-year career, Allen has never released a solo album under his own name, and yet, instead of capping such a legendary output, New Dawn seems to herald a new beginning. A love letter to spacetime, it channels a century of musical intelligence into seven tracks, showing Allen at his most protean—freely moving from relaxed, transdimensional palettes to bluesy big band and beyond.

The title track “New Dawn” is the centerpiece of this impressive album and the arranger Knoel Scott wrote the lyrics himself. We are thrilled to have the incomparable Neneh Cherry, stepdaughter of legendary jazz musician Don Cherry, lend her unmistakable voice to this song.

“It’s gorgeous! Neneh is a jazz singer now! Sounds like something Nina Simone might have done.” – David Byrne

The 7” single is limited to 300 copies, numbered, and comes in a chic screen-printed cover …

Meet Kitchen Plug, the Parisian trio that somehow combines the rebellious energy of punk, the synth-driven chaos of electro, and the charisma of a boy band... except, they don’t really dance (yet).

With their new EP "Nice To Meet You," these self-proclaimed nerds have served up an unpredictable, colorful mix of electronic anthems and rock-infused vibes. It's like if your favorite computer-generated juice suddenly turned into an unstoppable emotional rollercoaster.

Expect cheeky melodies, emotional highs (and occasional lows), and enough playful swagger to make you question why you’re not already in their inner circle of "copains" (that’s French for friends, by the way). Kitchen Plug isn’t just making music; they’re creating a sound so lively and full of attitude that you’ll probably feel like you're getting a bear hug from your favorite nerdy best friend — just with more synths and less homework.

"Nice To Meet You" is the kind of EP that doesn't take itself too seriously, but it’ll still make you feel something. So, what are you waiting for? Plug in, and let's see if they can live up to their own hype. (Spoiler alert: They will.)

360 mcn white-white light cardboard paper / one side only hand plasticization / 2 separated parts prints / hand gluing / PVC outers / original artwork / gatefold sleeve / Bandcamp limited edition 30x60 cm insert with extended liner notes by Tony Higgins and Interview with Babs Robert and Sébastien Gorlé with exclusive pictures and self-portrait by Babs Robert himself printed on GF Smith "Takeo Tant Select" Canvas Paper tip-on left jacket panel / Exclusive never released Memorabilia from Babs Robert's vault.

Personnel:
Babs Robert - alt sax, tenor-sax, electric tenor-sax, Bin Recorder, Acme siren, Chinese-bell, sleigh-bells, maracas, tambourine,hand-rattle,claves)
John Van Rymenant - baritone-sax, fluegelhorn, Bala, tambourine, sleight-bells, cowbell, triangle, claves
Johnny Peret - vibes, bongo's, cowbell, maracas, castanets, rattle-snakes, tambourine, drums, woodclock, trinagle
Johnny Brouwers - piano, prepared-piano, triangle, cowbell, sleigh-bells, maracas, caves,hand-rattle, guiro, woodblock, tambourine
Paul Dubois - bass, triangle, cowbell, claves, rattlesnakes, hand-rattle, woodblock, tambourine
Michel Gobbe - bass,Chinese-bell, claves
Robert Pernet - drum, tambourine, seven-notes M'Bichi, guiro, alarm-siren, home-made metal xylophone, African telephone-drum, triangle, sleigh-bells, Siku

Notes:
Despite its modest role on the world stage, Belgium has produced a number of internationally renowned musicians and composers. There is the iconic gypsy jazz guitar maestro Django Reinhardt, whose position remains unassailable, and guitarist/harmonica player Toots Thielemans, who became an internationally renowned artist performing and recording with Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Shirley Horn and Quincy Jones. The other key Belgian figure is composer/arranger Francy Boland, co-leader with US bebop drumming legend Kenny Clarke of Europe's leading big band of the 60s, the Clarke-Boland Big Band.

The Love Planet performed in the main clubs of Brussels, such as Blue Note, Pol's Jazz Place, and Smog as well as in major musical events throughout Belgium including to big festivals in 1969 - the Avant-Garde Festival in Ghent and the First International Jazz Event in Liege – where the Love Planet shared the bill with Miles Davis - and the Bilzen Jazz Festival in 1970. The contrast between the musical architecture of the themes and sonic freedom in the improvised playing perfectly illustrated the polymorphism – an order within disorder – which the Love Planet aimed for.

The initial original quartet line-up was Babs Robert (sax), Paul Dubois (bass), Johnny Brouwers (piano), and Johnny Peret / Robert Pernet (dru- ms). On the album session, the quartet was augmented with the addition of John Van Rjimenant (saxes) and Michel Gobbe (bass). As well as their main instruments, the band members also played an array of unusual instruments, principally percussion. This is the first official re-release
of the 'Babs Robert and the Love Planet'. Original copies of the album fetch many hundreds of Euros on the collecting circuit and it remains a curious and fascinating window into a moment in time that still resona- tes some fifty years later. Come with us to the Love Planet. (Tony Higgins)

Boz Scaggs classic ‘Lowdown’ makes a long awaited return to 12 Inch, appearing for the first time on green vinyl. Originally released in 1976 as part of the album ‘Silk Degrees’. The track ‘Lowdown’ showcases Scaggs’ smooth vocals and the songs captivating bassline. This comes as a triple threat, backed with JoJo and What Can I Say, three of the most renowned Blue Eyed Soul anthems for the price of one.

Cutting his teeth alongside Steve Miller in the Steve Miller Band, this EP captures Boz Scaggs at the peak of his powers. This new pressing serves as a perfect introduction to new listeners as well as replacing worn out copies for longtime fans. Copies on the second hand market are scarce, if you’re lucky enough to find one it will set you back in the region of £80, so not one to be missed.

The third internatonal release by the legendary Malian singer and guitarist is many fan's favourite. 'The Source' established Ali Farka Touré on the internatonal stage and paved the way for his legendary collaboraton with Ry Cooder on the GRAMMY award winning album 'Talking Timbuktu'.
Available for the frst tme on vinyl, the album has been re-mixed from the original master tapes and includes a previously unreleased track from the same sessions.
The album is presented in a gatefold sleeve containing double 180g vinyl and large format 28 page booklet with lyrics.
'The Source' features Farka Touré's frst recordings with his home town band Group Asco, with vocalist Afel Bocoum and percussionists Hamma Sankare (calabash) and Oumar Touré (congas). Touré's trademark acoustc and electric guitar (as well his njarka violin) playing are highlighted on some of his best loved and most sophistcated compositons.
The father of the desert blues unleashes a set of driving small group performances, intmate love songs, mesmerising guitar solos and two unique duets with the great American bluesman Taj Mahal.

Probably the most astonishing hard rock LP out of 1970s Spain, repressed by popular demand and this time offering a very limited transparent blue colour run.



THE STORM hailed from Sevilla and were acclaimed by both audience and press reviewers as one of the best rock bands from Spain. The combo was formed by the Ruiz Geniz brothers (Angel and Diego), on guitar and drums respectively, plus Luis Genil (organ) and José Torres (bass).



Their debut album, originally released on Basf in 1974, is one of the Crown jewells of Spanish hard rock, and changes hands for a small fortune among collectors all over the world, especially since its inclusion in Hans Pokora's 'Record Dreams' books.



This LP really rocks. It's high energy hard rock that follows the line marked by the big organ outfits of the era such as DEEP PURPLE, ATOMIC ROOSTER, BRAM STOKER, MEGATÓN...



It has also a deep classic prog sound root, which reaches the top on 'Un Señor Llamado Fernández De Córdoba'.



We are talking of one of the seminal Spanish hard rock LPs.

Marbles is the legendary 1970 proto punk / dance classic from John McLaughlin’s US debut album 'De?otion', recorded at the time in which he played on Miles Davis' Bitches Brew and taped the Record Plant session with Jimi Hendrix.
Marbles didn't just deliver jazz rock's most danceable 4/4 beat, played by Band of Gypsies / Electric Flag drummer Buddy Miles. It is also centered with a once-in-ageneration bass line performed by Billy Rich. Larry Young's otherworldly Hammond textures predate a lot of what synthesizers were about to do much later, and the blowtorch energy emanating from John McLaughlin's cranked amp went beyond what most would had dared during the defining era of heavy rock guitar. An apex achievement at the intersection of jazz rock, guitar rock and dance music without parallel, before or since.
Background: John McLaughlin arrived in New York in 1969 to join Tony Williams' new group Lifetime which also featured Larry Young and eventually Jack Bruce (of Cream). On the second day in town he found himself in the studio with Miles Davis, recording 'In a Silent Way.' His playing would also take center stage in Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson, On The Corner and several other Davis key works of his much beloved first electric era. In between a busy schedule with Lifetime and Davis, McLaughlin also recorded two solo albums in 1970, 'De?otion' with an all-electric group and ‚'My Goa|’s B?y?nd' as its acoustic counterpart. By the time he formed his group Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1972, John McLaughlin was firmly established as the most important practitioner of his instrument of his generation within and well beyond the emerging jazz rock / fusion genre, and he has continued to evolve and surprise until today.
Here, a thorough remaster is supplemented by a new and throbbing techno version by Stefan Goldmann.

180G vinyl pressing

After releasing their well-received 7” and 12” singles ‘Night Time’ and ‘Feel It / So Hot’, Isle of Jura is pleased to present Exotic Illusions, the debut album from D.D. Mirage, the Sydney-based duo of Josh Dives and Disky Dee.

Having first played music together during the mid-2010s in the indie-psyche and punky-shoegaze bands King Colour and SCK CHX, the two Australian musicians/DJs came up in the warehouse party scene that fermented in the wake of the Sydney lockout laws. While organising mixed media events under the Yeah Nah Yeah brand, they discovered the joys of disco, dance-punk and the Balearic beat through Pender St Steppers’ DJ mixes and reissue releases and found themselves changing direction in response.

Written and recorded with a range of vintage keyboards and preamps, instruments and digital studio software, Exotic Illusions is a cosmopolitan love letter to the immaculate blend of Italo disco, Neopolitan funk, Nigerian boogie, cosmic house, synth-pop, UK street soul and lovers rock sounds that have inspired D.D. Mirage since they began this iteration of their ever-evolving musical relationship.

“The name Exotic Illusions refers to our fascination with all of this music made in other parts of the world,” they explain. “During lockdown and thereafter, we indulged in these exotic sounds as an antidote to our lack of travel. This fascination continued as the world opened up again, and we started working on tunes together. It’s also a way of acknowledging that we feel like tourists partaking in these styles and established sounds. They aren’t ours and weren’t born out of the place we’re from, but we hope we’ve been able to add something unique to them.”

In recognition of this, rather than just reinterpreting genre motifs through an antipodean lens, D.D. Mirage opened up lines of communication with some of their favourite musicians from the Neapolitan scene, bassist Daniel Monaco (Rush Hour, Periodica Records) and drummer Andrea De Fazio (Parbleu/ Nu Genea), who recorded the rhythm section for ‘So Hot’. They also wrote to the Manchester-based singer/producer Private Joy, who graced ‘Night Time’ with a smoother-than-silk street soul vocal that helped the single secure crucial plays on NTS and BBC Radio 6.

Opening with the tropical melodies, post-disco machine beats and jilted art-punk singalong chants of the title track, Exotic Illusions unfolds as a series of sturdy, internationally-minded dancefloor excursions. ‘Piranesi’ is boogie with a South American shuffle. ‘So Hot’ is Neapolitan funk with a Leichhardt strut, and ‘Antenna’ (featuring Jofi) is D.D. Mirage’s love letter to ‘80s drum machine bossa nova from Brussels.

On ‘Feel It’, the duo hit a sparking groove that reaches into an eternal sunset of the mind before throwing out a bubbly disco-not disco spoken word bounce on ‘Cat’s Cradle’, featuring psychedelic-pop singer Jermango Dreaming. From there, D.D. Mirage bring it home with a cheeky Aussie drawl on ‘Living Upside Down’ and the nocturnal excellence of ‘Night Time’, making a case for themselves as a significant new force from Australian music to the world.
full sleeve artwork from Bradley Pinkerton.

Since the first releases of ECHT!, one question has been on everyone's lips: does this act belong on a live stage, or is their music best experienced through a set of powerful speakers in a packed, sweaty club? With their third album, 'Boilerism', the band finally settles the debate, diving headfirst into the heart of club culture and bringing the ecstatic energy of the dance floor to the live stage.



Since their debut with the EP DOUF (2019), followed by the full-length albums Inwane (2021) and Sink-Along (2023), ECHT! has consistently been building a reputation for redefining their musical standards, blending deep grooves and adding raw textures. With 'Boilerism', they pick up the pace, exploring genres like acid, drum & bass, footwork, and UK garage. all while retaining their signature love for the unexpected. The album features tracks filled with sudden shifts and twists that keep listeners on their toes. Known for transforming electronic, hip-hop, and jazz influences into live-performed compositions, ECHT! continues to deliver a fresh perspective on electronic music that feels both innovative and uncompromising.



The album's title, a nod to the underground club scene and its unifying energy, captures the album's spirit: music that challenges limits, encourages experimentation, and unites through its intensity.



Opening with tracks like Boilerbeek, Wacky Wave, and the single Highed, the band builds upon the foundations of their two previous albums. However, it's with Mtwk Parts 3 & 4, a direct continuation of earlier chapters, that the energy kicks into higher gear. Midway, the album ventures into harder, more intense territory, showcasing the band's confident evolution. A brief but intricate interlude, Black Sablon, offers a layered moment of respite before the intensity returns. From there, ECHT! fully embraces their club-oriented sound with acid-infused bangers like Klaas Rescue and the provocatively titled BK-hole. These tracks leave no doubt about their intent, delivering straight-up, relentless dancefloor energy that captures the essence of their live performances.



The album concludes with Penguin Alfred, a thoughtful and emotive finale that seamlessly transitions between ambient soundscapes and delicate breakbeats, highlighting the band's dynamic range and creative depth.



It's been three years since ECHT!'s debut album Inwane, followed by their second LP Sink-Along in 2023, both released on Sdban Ultra. Their music has garnered acclaimfrom notable outlets such as Mixmag, DJ Mag, and Tsugi while earning support from respected DJs including Lefto, Gilles Peterson, and Jamz Supernova on BBC Radio 6. ECHT! has performed at iconic venues such as the Jazz Café (London), AB (Brussels), Melkweg & Paradiso (Amsterdam), and Gretchen (Berlin). Their most recent tour spanned 14 countries, including Mexico and India.

(EP, 12", 45RPM) In winter 1976, a few years before Olexandr Shapoval headed up the well-known band Vodogray, a jazz band called Shapoval Sextet recorded three pieces "Kobzareva Duma" in live at the Donetsk Jazz Festival. The tape has been lost for almost 45 years, until now. The most radical, experimental and psych jazz recording from the Ukrainian Soviet-era found to date.

Brian Ellis is Egyptian Lover’s keyboard player, and is ½ of the band “Campus Christi” with Peanut Butter Wolf
Art & Photography: Alaia Pareja

Synth-pop duo Marina Zispin return with their highly anticipated album Now You See Me (Now You Don’t), set for release on March 7 via Scenic Route.

Now You See Me, Now You Don't is the continuing journey through the ever evolving sound of Marina Zispin AKA Bianca Scout and Martyn Reid. As with their previous EP - the recurring themes of Life and Death loom heavily over the 10 album tracks. With support from 6 Music, Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, METAL, Dummy, The Line of Best Fit, Boomkat, and more for their recent singles. With Now You See Me (Now You Don’t), Marina Zispin further reinforces their reputation for crafting lush, melancholic soundscapes paired with surreal storytelling and ice-cold synth pop.

Since their formation in 2018, bridging Newcastle and London, Marina Zispin have quickly captivated audiences with their ethereal blend of dreamlike melodies and avant-garde textures. Their 2023 debut 12” on Night School paved the way for a successful UK tour, a BBC 6 Music session, and a memorable performance at Bucharest’s Collisions festival.

Bianca Scout, acclaimed for her solo album Pattern Damage (with praise from The Quietus, DJ Mag, Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Bandcamp, The Wire, and more) continues to push sonic boundaries with her unique fusion of sound collage, post-punk, and poetic lyricism. Recent shows across Europe, including at Poland’s Unsound Festival, underscore the duo’s expanding influence.

With Now You See Me (Now You Don’t), Marina Zispin invite listeners on a captivating journey through a signature blend of fantasy and reality. The album is now available for vinyl pre-order.

Here comes a true South American LATIN JAZZFUNK treasure from Argentina!!!
Sound Essence is more than proud to present these lost recordings from 1974 to music lovers again in all their glory.
CARLOS FRANZETTI, who has once again been in the spotlight in recent years thanks to the re-release of his strong late 70s JazzFusion record "Graffiti", was also in charge of this record called DEDOS. The story behind:
In 1974, after CARLOS FRANZETTI was living in Mexico and worked as the musical director of FERMATA International, he returned to Argentina. In Buenos Aires his friend MOCHIN MARAFIOTTI was recently appointed A&R at the local recording label MUSIC HALL . Marafiotti asked Carlos if he wanted to record some of his music and he answered that he had in mind a group playing LATIN JAZZ . After a couple of meetings they came out with the idea of covering the RUBEN RADA tune DEDOS recently recorded in the US by AIRTO MOREIRA along with the OPA TRIO. Carlos contributed his own composition "Doce y Diez" . He selected the group consisting of his friend and member of the uruguayan Band TOTEM, Ruben Rada on percussion, Ricardo Lew on guitar , Emilio Valle on bass and Osvaldo Lopez on drums covering keyboards and vocals himself . This formation recorded tracks and vocals in a three hour session and the next day the track was mixed. Music Hall released "Dedos" and "Doce y Diez" on a single record and after months of discrete airplay and not so good sales the project for an album was draped.
"It is a rewarding experience to see a re-release of this two songs a half century after the original release.
It was hot and it looks and sounds even hotter now. I love it!" (Carlos Franzetti, New Jersey, December 2024).

NEW LP PRESSING on Opaque Yellow Wax

Released in September 1978, a mere two months before YMO’s debut, Cochin Moon is a clear precursor to the groundbreaking synth and sequencer-dominated sounds that would come to define the iconic trio. Huge tip!

Credited to Hosono and Pop Art legend Tadanori Yokoo (who created the cover art), Cochin Moon is a fictional soundtrack to a journey into unknown worlds, inspired by Hosono and Yokoo’s trip to India.

The unbelievably prolific Haruomi Hosono is one of the major architects of modern Japanese pop music. With his encyclopedic knowledge of music and boundless curiosity for new sounds, Hosono is the auteur of his own idiosyncratic musical world, putting his unmistakable stamp on hundreds of recordings as an artist, session player, songwriter and producer. Born and raised in central Tokyo, his adolescent obsession with American pop culture informed his early forays into country music, which he would revisit later in his career. Hosono made his professional debut in 1969 as a member of Apryl Fool, whose heavy psychedelia was somewhat at odds with his influences, which leaned towards the rootsy sounds of Moby Grape and Buffalo Springfield. The latter was one of the main inspirations for his next group, Happy End, whose unique blend of West Coast sounds with Japanese lyrics proved to be highly influential over the course of three albums. After the band’s amicable break up in 1973, Hosono began his solo career with Hosono House, an intimate slice of Japanese Americana recorded inside a rented house with recording gear squeezed into its tiny bedroom. Hosono’s solo career would take many twists and turns from this point forward, with forays into exotica, electronic, ambient, and techno, culminating in the massive success of techno pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO).

Released in September 1978, a mere two months before YMO’s debut, Cochin Moon is a clear precursor to the groundbreaking synth and sequencer-dominated sounds that would come to define the iconic trio. Credited to Hosono and Pop Art legend Tadanori Yokoo (who created the cover art), Cochin Moon is a fictional soundtrack to a journey into unknown worlds, inspired by Hosono and Yokoo’s trip to India. Initially the album was to be a kind of ethnographic musical document, using found sounds and field recordings made by Hosono himself. Instead, after Yokoo introduced Hosono to the sounds of Kraftwerk and krautrock during the trip, Cochin Moon became something much stranger. Created almost entirely on synthesizers and sequencers with the help of future YMO collaborators Ryuichi Sakamoto and Hideki Matsutake, the music on the album is the perfect encapsulation of Hosono’s concept of “sightseeing music,” transporting the listener to an exotic place that may or may not exist. This highly sought-after album sees its first-ever official release outside of Japan.

In September 2022, Munir and Boochie spent two days at House Sangkuriang Hotel in Bandung, capturing a series of raw, impromptu recordings. Armed with a Roland EG-101 and a microphone, they filled various corners of the hotel with spontaneous jams and Indonesian lyrics. The sessions were playful and unpredictable, each take capturing the playful energy of the moment. The result is a vibrant and unfiltered musical experience.

Budak Cinta, which translates to Slave of Love, is an album that showcases the artists’ quirky personalities and playful approach to music. With a humorous take on the ups and downs of love, the album explores the lighthearted side of romance, infusing each track with a comedic twist. It’s all about embracing the thrill and folly of being head over heels, delivered with a wink and a smile.

Parade Ground march back to Dark Entries with The Hidden Side, a compilation of B-sides and unreleased material. Brothers Jean-Marc and Pierre Pauly started Parade Ground in Brussels in 1981. Their Dada-laced brand of post-punk fuses propulsive drum machines and icy synths with skeletal guitar riffs and Jean-Marc’s distinct and powerful voice, pioneering the subgenre of emotional body music. The brothers met Daniel B. and Patrick Codenys of Front 242 in 1982, marking the beginning of an enduring collaborative partnership. In 2011, Dark Entries released The Golden Years, a compilation chronicling the band’s A-sides and exposing them to a new generation of EBM enthusiasts. The Hidden Side continues this mission, illuminating lesser-known facets of the band’s oeuvre. The tracks here were written between 1982 and 1989, and showcase Parade Ground’s range of styles - all cold, dark, and brooding. Tracks like “Riddle in the Stain Glass Window” and the previously unreleased “Looking Through Keyholes” see the band in menacing coldwave mode, rocking chorus-drenched bass guitar and blasts of analog synth. The band’s dancier proclivities shine elsewhere, like on “Off-Balance” or the supremely funky “Hollywood (The Sexiest Fish),” a floor-filler driven by bass guitar and thumping digital drum machine beats. Also included is “Marble Mind,” a previously unreleased latter-period track from the band recorded by Patrick Codenys at 242 Studio. The Hidden Side includes liner notes featuring lyrics and a photo of Jean-Marc and Pierre Pauly. Additionally, a newly remastered edition of The Golden Years will be released along with The Hidden Side.