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A bittersweet nostalgia lies at the heart of 'Imaginary People', the new
album from indie roots duo Viv & Riley
Over ten tracks, the pair applies an indie folk sheen to newly composed pop
gems, a reworking of an ancient ballad, and even an original fiddle tune, deftly
weaving together the old and new. In contrast to the sunny, lush production from
Alex Bingham of Hiss Golden Messenger, the lyrics lean melancholic. "Kygers Hill"
and "Sauvie Island" are both wistful odes to locales where these two young
master musicians spent formative years developing a penchant for songwriting.
"Is It All Over'' lampoons the futility of the billionaire space race through a darkly
comedic vision of a future music industry, while the title track expounds on the
"imaginary" versions of our idealized selves. Viv & Riley fittingly end the album
with a droning take on the traditional Ozark tale "The Blackest Crow." Both
musicians trace their original artistic inspiration to the deep roots music they
learned in their youths on opposite sides of the country. The duo's continuing
musical expansion is in part the fruition of their investment in the music scene of
their new home of Durham, NC which is known for its cross-genre collaboration
and creatively articulated roots music. However, the tracklist is still peppered with
pedal steel and the rootsy fiddle and banjo trappings the pair employed to
acclaim on their previous two releases. As much as 'Imaginary People' looks back
to nostalgic yesteryears, it importantly marks the beginning of a new direction for
these songwriting virtuosos

Mick Flannery is one of Ireland's most acclaimed songwriters and singers
The award- winning, double- platinum selling artist has released seven studio
albums, three of which have reached No. 1 status.
On September 15th he will release his eighth studio album 'Goodtime Charlie'.
Featuring collaborations with Valerie June, Anais Mitchell and Tianna Esperanza.
Mick has partnered with US Label Oh Boy Records, which for them will be their
first non-American signing.
"Mick Flannery has a voice for the ages, a complete Master of his craft" cited by
Clash Magazine, whilst The Sunday Times said he "conjures up exquisite storytelling." His last album in 2021 consisted of a collection of duets with up and
coming Irish artist Susan O'Neill. American Songwriter called 'In The Game' a
"Sorrowful Masterpiece." The record was nominated for the Choice Music Prize,
and won the RTE Radio 1 song of the year two years in a row for tracks 'Baby Talk'
and 'Chain Reaction.' The album was the biggest selling independent record in
Ireland in 2021.
Mick Flannery's songs are fluent in expressing layered aspects of the human
condition, its flaws, triumphs, and general uncertainty. Originally a stone mason
by trade, he once described his stage presence as that of a 'Mountain goat'
however over the years that shy awkwardness of said mountain goat has started
to dissipate. His live shows are renowned for his self- deprecating humor,
audience engagement and the ability to bring people on a journey of both
heartbreak and joy, often in the same instance

With fresh energy and bright intuition, Abby Johnson's confident selftitled debut (due in late 2021) offers timeless folk songwriting teeming
with a classic Nashville golden-era sheen
Johnson draws upon genre-spanning influences and wrangles them effortlessly
into her own expression: "I want my songs to sound familiar, but tell you
something new," she says. The duality of Laurel Canyon nostalgia and indie rock
blend effortlessly in her songs, polished further by the airtight backing band of
fellow Nashvillians, Ornament (and produced by the band's drummer, Ryan
Donoho).
Raised in North Carolina on the earnest mythos of Taylor Swift, she describes her
first songs as "diary entries -- playing guitar alone in my bedroom until I was
twenty three." Moving to Nashville for college introduced her to an immersive
musical community, where she steeped in the influence of folk- and- country
stalwarts like Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt in equal proportion to more
contemporary indie songwriters like Phoebe Bridgers.
In addition to music, Johnson is known and admired for her film and photography
work. Capturing the mood of a scene in a single snapshot is an ability she
translates to her vivid songwriting: bringing the subtlest details into sharp focus --
vignettes in a soft- grained atmosphere. Intimacy and longing push and pull
thematically, as well as a sense of motion: driving through the desert; penning
love letters in the mountains; and pulling up a chair to a grandmother's kitchen
table. These songs are rooted but travelling, moseying through American folk-pop
traditions and toward something altogether fresh and dreamlike

Jazz Hands is Bob James' third outing for evosound, following in the
wake of 2018's Espresso and 2022's Feel Like Makin' LIVE
Produced by the pianist with his manager Sonny Abelardo, the ten- track album
was mostly recorded during the months of the Covid pandemic and featured
James in a number of different musical settings. It also features a stellar cameo
from the ex- Gnarls Barkley singer CeeLo Green on the sensuous title track and
includes production input from the legendary hip- hop turntablist DJ Jazzy Jeff,
who rose to fame as half of the hit-making '80s/'90s rap duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the
Fresh Prince, early samplers of James' music. Blending cool jazz tropes with
funky dance floor grooves, blues- tinged ballads, cinematic mood pieces, and
sensuous slow jams, Jazz Hands is the Missouri pianist's most eclectic album of
his long career. Simultaneously classic and contemporary, it's Bob James at his
majestic, ground-breaking, and timeless best.
The album will be available on 180g Solid Blue vinyl, black vinyl LP, SACD- Hybrid
Stereo and MQA-CD on the 15th September 2023.

Jazz Hands is Bob James' third outing for evosound, following in the
wake of 2018's Espresso and 2022's Feel Like Makin' LIVE
Produced by the pianist with his manager Sonny Abelardo, the ten- track album
was mostly recorded during the months of the Covid pandemic and featured
James in a number of different musical settings. It also features a stellar cameo
from the ex- Gnarls Barkley singer CeeLo Green on the sensuous title track and
includes production input from the legendary hip- hop turntablist DJ Jazzy Jeff,
who rose to fame as half of the hit-making '80s/'90s rap duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the
Fresh Prince, early samplers of James' music. Blending cool jazz tropes with
funky dance floor grooves, blues- tinged ballads, cinematic mood pieces, and
sensuous slow jams, Jazz Hands is the Missouri pianist's most eclectic album of
his long career. Simultaneously classic and contemporary, it's Bob James at his
majestic, ground-breaking, and timeless best.
The album will be available on 180g Solid Blue vinyl, black vinyl LP, SACD- Hybrid
Stereo and MQA-CD on the 15th September 2023.

Haunting in situ recordings from Parchman Farm Maximum Security
Prison in Mississippi (usa) producer Ian Brennan (Tinariwen,Ustad Saami,
Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Zomba Prison Project) recorded the prison's Sunday
gospel service and the results are unforgettable
The performances range from solo a-capella to a floor- shaking electric band. The
repertoire includes both traditional and newly penned spirituals. "some
Mississippi Sunday morning" is an unfiltered and deeply resonant journey into a
musical world rarely seen or heard

Bay Area technical death metal entity FABRICANT leverages any musical
tool for their riff and song fabrication
Speed, stillness, technicality, simplicity, consonance, dissonance... are all at play
for the express purpose of telling the stories of humanity's hubris, madness, and
frailty. FABRICANT glimpsed into this black vortex, extracted the raw materials of
inspiration, and refined the chaos into the ten fully actualized, death metal songs
on their debut album "Drudge to the Thicket".
This album was FABRICANT's obsession: a forbidden riddle to solve. From its
beginnings stretching as far back as their 2010 demo and to its ultimate end, this
album inhabited the deepest recesses of their minds as an omnipresent
consumer of thought. With the arrival of this debut, FABRICANT frees themselves
of this thicket. The battle was hard-won, but the next ones inexorably begin. From
new obsessions to delirium to the mundane, consciousness marches onwards,
screaming out at all of existence for answers, only to feebly fall on deaf ears.
Descend into the chaos with FABRICANT.
FABRICANT's debut album "Drudge To The Thicket" is unlike anything you'll hear
in the technical death metal genre all year, truly a unique and singular album of its
own kind. One that has been in the works for over a decade.
FABRICANT features members of celebrated technical death/ black metal outfit
Mefitis.
For fans of Necrophagist, early Pestilence, early Atheist, Defeated Sanity, and
Gorguts

LiV Warfield's live show has been described as "like watching Tina Turner,
Sade and James Brown all in one"
Throw in Mary J. Blige, Etta James and Nina Simone and you're getting closer to
an accurate description of singer-songwriter and dynamic performer LiV Warfield.
A Soul Train Music Award winner and former member of Prince's New Power
Generation, Warfield showcases her wide-ranging musical tastes on The Edge.
From the rock- tinged title track, which bears the stamp of her mentor, to her
autobiographical "Bloom" and her take on the Phil Collins' power ballad, "Another
Day in Paradise," LiV inhabits a myriad of attitudes while expressing her inner
strength and soul on her third album overall and first for Leopard.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Jogo Duro, a collaboration between Ilhan
Ersahin and some outstanding Sao Paulo musicians Guizado, Ze Nigro,
Samuel Fraga, Chicao & Tony Gordin who also happen to be great friends
These are players who will be familiar to those following the careers of Ceu, Otto,
Curumin, Tulipa Ruiz and the late, great Gal Costa. This record is the result of the
amount of time Ilhan has spent in Sao Paulo over the last decade due to putting
on the Nublu Jazz Fest there every year. With all the contacts, connections and
friendships formed over the course of making an annual music festival happen,
musical cross-pollination (usually simply referred to as "jams") was inevitable but
this time it was decided to do it in a studio with tape rolling rather than on stage,
which is certainly a more productive approach than merely talking about it over
beers at a local bar!
Everything happened fairly spontaneously over three days in the studio,
everybody brought songs, ideas and creative energy and before you know it an
album was born, which will be released in November after three singles come out
over the spring and summer.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Jogo Duro, a collaboration between Ilhan
Ersahin and some outstanding Sao Paulo musicians Guizado, Ze Nigro,
Samuel Fraga, Chicao & Tony Gordin who also happen to be great friends
These are players who will be familiar to those following the careers of Ceu, Otto,
Curumin, Tulipa Ruiz and the late, great Gal Costa. This record is the result of the
amount of time Ilhan has spent in Sao Paulo over the last decade due to putting
on the Nublu Jazz Fest there every year. With all the contacts, connections and
friendships formed over the course of making an annual music festival happen,
musical cross-pollination (usually simply referred to as "jams") was inevitable but
this time it was decided to do it in a studio with tape rolling rather than on stage,
which is certainly a more productive approach than merely talking about it over
beers at a local bar!
Everything happened fairly spontaneously over three days in the studio,
everybody brought songs, ideas and creative energy and before you know it an
album was born, which will be released in November after three singles come out
over the spring and summer.

Here's a brand-new record of straight-ahead hairy, lairy surf, punk, garage, rock n roll party music from Sir Bald/Hipbone Slim and pals! Fun all the way!!! But beware these guys just ESCAPED FROM THE ZOO!!!! Well, it certainly sounds like it! Los Hairies are led by Hipbone Slim aka Sir Bald Diddley (more info below). In Los Hairies he is joined Galicia's foremost coffee liquor and pork fuelled rock n roll rhythm section, Jorge and Martin, the infamous Lorre brothers, of Wavy Gravies, Bo Dereks, Limboos and All Night Workers infamy! Fourteen dancing party hits to rattle your braincells and blow away the proverbial cobwebs! Everyone, a hairy dance hit! From the beach party 'Twist In The Sand' through to the 'Rock n Roll' death finale, you are invited to 'Shake Your Bacon', do the 'Diddley Conga' and 'Shake It Off' with the delectable but somewhat elusive 'Ramona'. Get down with the 'Little Green Man' and his rock n roll band! Go 'Bananas with Tarzan, duel with the 'Ratfink' and the 'Hairy Surfer! Los Hairies currently remain on the run from police, animal welfare services and a growing number of angry bar owners. Beware! They are dangerous! European tour planned for Oct/Nov 2023. Recorded on tape at Bronca Studio, Porto, Portugal by Nuno Riviera (T.T. Syndicate) More Hipbone Slim aka Sir Bald Diddley info: Hipbone Slim aka Sir Bald has released over 40 albums with his various bands including Hipbone Slim and the Kneetremblers, Sir Bald Diddley, The Snags and Nine Ton Peanut Smugglers. He has worked and recorded with members of Milkshakes, 5678s, Mummies, Phantom Surfers, Big Boss Man, Holly Golightly, Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm and Supergrass! Shared a stage/played shows with Dick Dale, Skatalites, Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, Edwin Starr, The Trashmen, PJ Harvey, US Bonds and Richard 'Louie Louie' Berry. Championed by the likes of John Peel, Mark Lamar, Mark Radcliffe and many others he has played a number of BBC radio sessions

From his early days with Henry Cow, Fred Frith was seen as a brilliant instrumentalist and improviser, but what has been overlooked is what a first-rate composer he is. This recording offers both aspects. His most complex orchestral composition and two selected improvisations with the Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles. Fred Frith, as an infusion of energy and inspiration. ''Something about this Landscape was commissioned by Ars Musica in 2018. I composed the piece during a residency at Lou Harrison's straw-bale house in the desert at Joshua Tree, California. It's an inspiring place for a number of reasons - the silence, the light, the life, the history. The extraordinary diversity of birds during the migration season. Both other pieces are improvisations. The first one is the one we did during the concert (in public), the other one, very different, is the one we did during the dress rehearsal (on the day of the concert).'' Fred Frith.

'MULTI-PLATINUM artist Thomas Rhett has put out a collection celebrating his 20 No. One hits in 10 short years, titled 20 NUMBER ONES out now. Set to include all 20 No. One hits so far and, “Angels (Don’t Always Have Wings),” as a bonus track, it’s a project tracing the path behind one of Country’s most vibrant current stars. As the last 10 years have seen Thomas Rhett grow into a never-static artist at the top of his game, the vinyl celebrates Thomas Rhett’s role as one of the best all-time representations of what Country music stands for – a world-class songwriter, an elite entertainer and a guy who’s down-to-earth character shows up in everything he does. Through these 21 songs on two discs, he finally stops to acknowledge it all – to take the journey in, with the knowledge that he’s already surpassed his dreams 100 times over. Radio: BBC Radio 2, Absolute Radio Country, Smooth Country, CountryLine Radio ‘Angels (Don’t Always Have Wings)’ playlisted on Downtown Country, Absolute Radio Country and CountryLine Radio Press: Maverick, CMP, Entertainment Focus, online country specialist press Socials: IG: 4.7M, TW: 2.4M, FB 2.5M

Blues Lawyer is back on Dark Entries with a new 7” EP of summery alt-pop. Fresh off the heels of their critically acclaimed Dark Entries debut, Sight Gags On The Radio expands the Blues Lawyer universe, one where lovelorn millennials struggle to find their place. The four songs were recorded one afternoon by Rob I. Miller, Blues Lawyer co-founder and chief songwriter, in the band’s Oakland rehearsal space. It was recorded just days before Elyse Schrock (singer, songwriter, drummer, and music video creator) would be leaving the Bay Area – her home for the past decade – due to the soaring cost of living. The first single, “Have Nots,” shows the band moving away from the rapid chord changes that characterized their earlier work towards hazy guitar textures. It is accompanied by a tender music video portrait of the band reuniting in Portland, where Schrock now resides. The video documents the band’s touring life: playing pizza parlors and billiard clubs, sleeping on floors, and killing time between gigs. These touching images are elevated by Schrock’s trademark animations and editing style. Blues Lawyer also experiment with new songwriting configurations on this EP. “True Love’s Only Name,” was musically developed by Blues Lawyer guitarist, Ellen Matthews, lyrically by Miller, and sung by Schrock. Sight Gags On The Radio captures the essence of the band's sound but also reflects their development as songwriters. The outcome is Blues Lawyer’s most compelling artistic proclamation to date. Each 7” is housed in a warm orange toned jacket designed by Eloise Leigh featuring lyrics on the back. Blues Lawyer - Sight Gags On The Radio 7” EP releases Friday, September 29th via Dark Entries days before the band embarks on their first tour of Europe and the United Kingdom.

* In 1993, Andy C & Ant Miles set out about creating a fourth release for the newly established Ram Records, now just a year old. With Hardcore still prominent in the clubs around the world, The Touch features rollercoaster bass swoops against energetic breaks flowing around the main sung vocal "c'mon and touch me".

An early sign of the precision arrangements that became synonymous of Ram's early sound that followed over for many years. Whilst going through the remaining samples in the sampler that had not been used on the A side, the pair suddenly went on a tangent with one of the drum breaks.

Experimenting with the new time stretch function in the Akai sampler, they soon had a shuffle groove layered and moving. With Ant Miles' sculpted and edited arpeggio bell line sample, a new overall sound and vibe was beginning to emerge out of their studio Atari ST computer.

Utilising an original organic analogue string pad, the haunting sinister vibe became complete. With the vocal from the BBC QED documentary 'Glimpses of Death' - "I felt, like I was in a long dark tunnel" all that remained was one of the most memorable pounding bass lines to sit underneath it all.

The result was an instant impact on the scene, heralded as one of the first anthems of the Jungle genre. Multi award winning and the track that cemented Andy & Ant and their label Ram Records within the scene.

Occasionally, you find music outside the commercial mainstream, outside of everything – the music of visionaries, eccentrics, inventors, loners, the keepers of secrets, the path-finders. Moondog, Daphne Oram, Harry Partch are from this mould. And so too is Lori Vambe.

New on Strut, the first ever reissue of Vambe’s privately pressed original albums from 1982, Drumland Dreamland and Drumgita Solo. A self-taught drummer, inventor, and sonic experimentalist, Lori Vambe is a unique figure in British music. Creator of his own instrument, the drumgita (pronounced ‘drum-guitar’) or string-drum, Vambe intended to create a kind of music that had never been made in order to pursue access to the fourth dimension.

Vambe was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and his father, Lawrence Vambe, was a noted Zimbabwean journalist and author. Moving to London in 1959, Vambe immersed himself in the Brixton squat movement of the early 1970s, teaching himself to drum and creating a short-lived performance group, The Healing Drums of Brixton (Vambe, the sculptor Alexander Sokolov and outsider musician Michael O’Shea). Vambe later had a dream-vision involving a feeling of ecstasy while playing an unknown instrument that extended from his own umbilical cord; the instrument would manifest itself as the drumgita. In 1982, he privately produced a pair of home recordings, the diptych set Drumgita Solo and Drumland Dreamland, releasing them on his own label Drumony. On these records, he rejected any commercial aesthetic and employed tape effects, temporal shifts, reversed sound and overdubbing to investigate space-time and access the fourth dimension. Combining layered drums with the rhythmic throb of the drumgita and, on Drumland Dreamland, an improvised piano performance by Brazilian concert pianist Rafael Dos Santos, the albums are both hypnotic and perturbing.



Both albums were cut at Portland Studios by Chas Chandler and stand as a concealed monument of Black British experimental music. 500 copies of each record were originally pressed, and both were released together. The albums were never performed live.



For this first ever reissue of Drumland Drumland and Drumgita Solo, Strut presents the two albums in their original artwork, housed in a deluxe slipcase including an additional 8-page 12”-sized booklet featuring unseen photos, liner notes and an interview with Lori Vambe by The Wire magazine writer Francis Gooding. Both albums are fully remastered by The Carvery.

Animal Collective veröffentlichen ihr neues Studioalbum "Isn't It Now?". Das Quartett, bestehend aus Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Deakin und Geologist, nahm das Album mit dem Grammy-Preisträger und Produzenten Russell Elevado (D'Angelo, The Roots, Kamasi Washington) auf, der es auch mitproduzierte und abmischte.

Die Struktur von Animal Collective ist seit langem eine Spielwiese, ein offener Raum, um neue Ideen und Einflüsse auszuprobieren und auszuleben. Und warum auch nicht? Es kann bedeuten, dass man Panda Bear erlaubt, sich mehr auf sein Schlagzeugspiel zu konzentrieren, oder dass man Deakin ermutigt, tiefer in sein Klavierspiel einzutauchen. Oder man lässt dem aufkeimenden Interesse von Avey Tare und Geologist an der Musik der Renaissance - dem Flötenspiel, der Drehleier, der vergoldeten Polyphonie - Raum zur Entfaltung. Diese Impulse sind der Kern von "Isn't It Now?", dem zweiten Animal Collective-Album in ebenso vielen Jahren und ein markanter Meilenstein auf ihrer fröhlichen Rundreise. Mit 64 Minuten ist Isn't It Now? das längste Animal-Collective-Album aller Zeiten, wobei fast ein Drittel der Laufzeit auf die hinreißende und eruptive 22-minütige Ode an die hoffnungsvolle Beharrlichkeit, "Defeat", entfällt. Sie haben es in nur 12 Tagen fertiggestellt und dabei höchstens 24 Kanäle verwendet, was nicht nur davon zeugt, dass sie diese Songs auf der Time Skiffs-Tour aufgenommen haben, sondern auch davon motiviert, dass sie wieder in einem Raum zusammen waren.

Animal Collective veröffentlichen ihr neues Studioalbum "Isn't It Now?". Das Quartett, bestehend aus Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Deakin und Geologist, nahm das Album mit dem Grammy-Preisträger und Produzenten Russell Elevado (D'Angelo, The Roots, Kamasi Washington) auf, der es auch mitproduzierte und abmischte.

Die Struktur von Animal Collective ist seit langem eine Spielwiese, ein offener Raum, um neue Ideen und Einflüsse auszuprobieren und auszuleben. Und warum auch nicht? Es kann bedeuten, dass man Panda Bear erlaubt, sich mehr auf sein Schlagzeugspiel zu konzentrieren, oder dass man Deakin ermutigt, tiefer in sein Klavierspiel einzutauchen. Oder man lässt dem aufkeimenden Interesse von Avey Tare und Geologist an der Musik der Renaissance - dem Flötenspiel, der Drehleier, der vergoldeten Polyphonie - Raum zur Entfaltung. Diese Impulse sind der Kern von "Isn't It Now?", dem zweiten Animal Collective-Album in ebenso vielen Jahren und ein markanter Meilenstein auf ihrer fröhlichen Rundreise. Mit 64 Minuten ist Isn't It Now? das längste Animal-Collective-Album aller Zeiten, wobei fast ein Drittel der Laufzeit auf die hinreißende und eruptive 22-minütige Ode an die hoffnungsvolle Beharrlichkeit, "Defeat", entfällt. Sie haben es in nur 12 Tagen fertiggestellt und dabei höchstens 24 Kanäle verwendet, was nicht nur davon zeugt, dass sie diese Songs auf der Time Skiffs-Tour aufgenommen haben, sondern auch davon motiviert, dass sie wieder in einem Raum zusammen waren.

Es ist, als würde man gute Bekannte nach einiger Zeit endlich wieder treffen. Nach drei Alben mit ausschließlich neuen Kompositionen haben Max Raabe & Palast Orchester vertraute Songs eingespielt.

Mir ist so nach Dir – Klassiker der 20er und 30er heißt das neue Studioalbum, welches mit 16 Tracks erscheint. »Das Beeindruckende an diesen Liedern ist, dass sie auch heute noch dieselben Emotionen auslösen, wie zum Zeitpunkt ihrer Entstehung«, sagt Raabe und begibt sich musikalisch um die Welt, denn er singt nicht nur auf Deutsch, sondern auch auf Spanisch, Französisch, Englisch und Italienisch. »Je nach Titel wird gelacht, oder eine Träne weggedrückt«, verspricht er.

Toy Tonics going New Wave Disco with Baby’s Berserk’s self-titled debut album (to be released on 29 September).

There are many shades of funk in dance music. Berlin’s Toy Tonics label brings up artists that reflect many of these different aspects in dance music. Now the label comes up with a band! A band that is inspired by 1980ies New Wave as well as the Y2K Indie dance scene. Two guys and 2 girls from Amsterdam and Montreal called Baby’s Berserk.

Baby’s Berserk is about taking the freedom to be who you want to be, about being comfortable. Having played in all-girl punk bands since the age of 14, the bands singer Lieselot is an expert on female empowerment. “Dress like a girl and act like a boy,” is a catchphrase she lives up to every day and it clearly is a message that resonates with the band’s wild fans.

In the great tradition of Roxy Music, Throbbing Gristle and Malcolm McLaren, Baby’s Berserk is not just about the edgy music, but also about a very strong own visual style. They readily blend their sounds with underground fashion. What you see is what you get and seeing Baby’s Berserk is feeling right at home. Lieselot is a visionary when it comes to stage presence. Have you always wanted to see an electronic band with a punk attitude perform wearing a mix of haute couture and Flintstone-style rags? Look no further, it’s Baby’s Berserk.

Following on the critically acclaimed singles ‘What I Mean’ (2020) and ‘Toxic Kisses’ (2022), Baby Berserk’s highly anticipated self-titled full-length is now finally about to see the light on Berlin’s Toy Tonics records. Sonically designed for gritty rock venues as well as up-to-date edgy dance clubs, Mano’s lush compositions smoothly intertwine with the highly associative lyrics written by Puggy and Lieselot. Poets and literary addicts may think they’ve just discovered the rock & roll equivalents of Sylvia Plath, Kurt Vonnegut and Allen Ginsberg. To tell you the truth: their wild guess is pretty accurate as the works by these greats lie scattered around the Baby’s Berserk studio for inspiration.
The band was born in a laboratory back in 2019. Tired of being in bands with unruly and unpredictable humans, Mano Hollestelle set out to create a group of high precision robots to create the post-punk sound he had in mind. His outdated technology of floppy disks and cassette tapes worked well to program the androids, until one day a 90s rave mixtape was mistakenly entered into his computer. House music is a feeling and the punk bots instantly got hooked on it upon hearing it for the first time. They could never be reset to factory settings again. Mano worked tirelessly with his androids, currently known by their humanoid names of Lieselot Elzinga, Puggy Beales and Eva Wijnbergen, to fulfil his evil plan to make the rockers dance and the dancers rock. Baby’s Berserk is the fiendish extension of this plot. Beware, the band’s bass driven grooves and computerized beats have been known to cast a spell upon all within earshot.

So what do the songs on ‘Baby’s Berserk’ tell you? That it’s totally fine to have lots of fun in life! To have a boyfriend as an accessory (‘Accessories’), to get inspired by Sponge Bob (‘Dancing with the Fish’) and to blend your spirits with mixers whenever the hell you feel like it (‘Rum ‘n’ Kola’).

Baby’s Berserk member Puggy Beales on ‘Limousine’: “Decant the wine from my tip jar to yours. Soon we'll be on easy street, chauffeured home from the rat race each evening. Is it everything you'd hoped it would be?”

Check not only the debut album but also the forthcoming Remix EP with remixes by Each Other, Niklas Wandt, Sam Ruffillo, Kris Baha and Nicolini.

Revealed a few seasons ago thanks to the abrasive potential of their riffs, the French duo Bandit Bandit consisting of Maëva & Hugo imposes its musical genre, as well as an insolent ease to handle the French language, which one can hear in their amazing first album, 11:11.

In 2019 came the first show, the first music video, the first studio session. The name "Bandit Bandit" was born during a photo shoot with a friend, in a desert landscape, wearing scarves, boots and pistols. As for the repetition of Bandit, it is to better underline the duality of the project which, very quickly, found its own public, thanks to tracks as striking as "Maux", the first french-written one, and an imagination which incites the press to nickname them the Bonnie & Clyde of rock.

After two electrifying EPs, "Bandit Bandi"t and "Tachycardie", the duet needed to "explore further than the rock-genre itself" on a 11:11 produced by Azzedine Djelil (Rita Mitsouko, Catherine Ringer, Minuit, Lulu Van Trapp...). This first album mixes music genres, investigates pop music with all its amplitude, as a guiding thread between raw rock and the more sophisticated alternative style. Until now self-centered and cathartic, the texts of Bandit Bandit remain intimate on 11:11 while proving to be political, freed from prudishness, playing with words. Their unrestrained music resonates loudly throughout this album with a devouring desire as insatiable as contagious.
"11:11", frist album. Includes "Toxique Exit", "Si j' avais su " & " La marée ". Available on Cd & Vinyl.

Industrial Music Producer Geistform Releases New Album "Resonancia". Renowned industrial music producer Geistform has released a brand new album titled "Resonancia", featuring 11 mesmerizing tracks that explore the boundaries of industrial minimalism. The album is undoubtedly their best work to date and is reminiscent of legendary bands such as Pansonic, as well as other experimental industrial music pioneers, blending together elements of noise, electronica, and minimalism to create a sound that is uniquely Geistform. "Resonancia" is an exploration of sound and texture, and it takes listeners on a journey through haunting soundscapes and intricate rhythms that evoke feelings of both dread and fascination. Geistform's distinct style shines through in every track. From the opening track "Ciclos Por Segundo" to the haunting "Metaobjeto", Resonancia is a captivating listening experience. Geistform has been creating unique and innovative music for over the years, and "Resonancia" is a testimony to his artistic prowess. By exploring the possibilities of industrial music and raw minimalism, Geistform has created an album that challenges fearless listeners and it showcases Geistform's ability to push the boundaries of the genre while still remaining faithful to its roots.

In 1995 the self-titled full-length debut of Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung (DAAU) was released. The band consisted of four young, 'classically derailed' musicians who played their own compositions with acoustic instruments such as violin, cello, clarinet and accordion. Their work contained influences from Roma music, Eastern European folk, klezmer and jazz, but was performed with the energy, rebellious spirit and Sturm und Drang of a bona fide punk band. DAAU was part of the fertile Antwerp scene, which also produced dEUS, Zita Swoon and Kiss My Jazz, and soon signed an international record deal with Sony Classical.

The group's influential first record, which has been out of print for a while, is now finally being released again and is available on vinyl for the very first time.

In those early days, DAAU consisted of four young, classically trained musicians who tackled their instrumental compositions with a true punk spirit. 'If we'd had guitars, bass or drums at that time, we would probably have been just another rock band', says accordionist Roel Van Camp, who, together with his schoolmates Buni Lenski on violin, the latter's brother Simon on cello and Han Stubbe on clarinet made up the Antwerp quartet. 'With our acoustic instruments we tried to create our own version of the music we loved listening to, from sixties rock and prog to new wave.'

The quartet, which initially played in streets and cafes, appealed to a diverse audience and sometimes joked that they were a classically trained unit that had 'gone off the rails'. 'As befits teenagers, we wanted to shake things up', Stubbe remembers, 'even though we always kept cherishing our classical backgrounds.' Van Camp: 'Our education was never supposed to feel like a straitjacket. We were free-spirited enough to ignore the laws and regulations of the music academy and to create our own sound. Our compositions were open to influences from Roma music, Eastern European folk, klezmer and jazz'. 'That eclecticism was a direct result of the zeitgeist', Han Stubbe adds. 'We loved different styles and happily mixed them together'.

The monniker Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung was derived from Steppenwolf, a novel by German writer Hermann Hesse about a character who was outside society. 'In the book, the narrator talks of a theatre', Van Camp explains. 'And at the entrance there is a warning sign sign that says: if you go in here, you are guaranteed to lose your mind. That was an apt description of the way our music worked'.

Almost all tracks on DAAU's first album were 'Drieslagstelsels' (or 'three-course rotations'). The term referred to an agricultural method of the early Middle Ages, but also to the fact that each song of the group consisted of three major movements. Van Camp: 'The titles of those pieces referred to our method of writing. We piled up a huge bunch of ideas, because we wanted to tell more than just one story. With each composition, we took the listener for a ride'.

In 1995 the self-titled full-length debut of Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung (DAAU) was released. The band consisted of four young, 'classically derailed' musicians who played their own compositions with acoustic instruments such as violin, cello, clarinet and accordion. Their work contained influences from Roma music, Eastern European folk, klezmer and jazz, but was performed with the energy, rebellious spirit and Sturm und Drang of a bona fide punk band. DAAU was part of the fertile Antwerp scene, which also produced dEUS, Zita Swoon and Kiss My Jazz, and soon signed an international record deal with Sony Classical.

The group's influential first record, which has been out of print for a while, is now finally being released again and is available on vinyl for the very first time.

In those early days, DAAU consisted of four young, classically trained musicians who tackled their instrumental compositions with a true punk spirit. 'If we'd had guitars, bass or drums at that time, we would probably have been just another rock band', says accordionist Roel Van Camp, who, together with his schoolmates Buni Lenski on violin, the latter's brother Simon on cello and Han Stubbe on clarinet made up the Antwerp quartet. 'With our acoustic instruments we tried to create our own version of the music we loved listening to, from sixties rock and prog to new wave.'

The quartet, which initially played in streets and cafes, appealed to a diverse audience and sometimes joked that they were a classically trained unit that had 'gone off the rails'. 'As befits teenagers, we wanted to shake things up', Stubbe remembers, 'even though we always kept cherishing our classical backgrounds.' Van Camp: 'Our education was never supposed to feel like a straitjacket. We were free-spirited enough to ignore the laws and regulations of the music academy and to create our own sound. Our compositions were open to influences from Roma music, Eastern European folk, klezmer and jazz'. 'That eclecticism was a direct result of the zeitgeist', Han Stubbe adds. 'We loved different styles and happily mixed them together'.

The monniker Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung was derived from Steppenwolf, a novel by German writer Hermann Hesse about a character who was outside society. 'In the book, the narrator talks of a theatre', Van Camp explains. 'And at the entrance there is a warning sign sign that says: if you go in here, you are guaranteed to lose your mind. That was an apt description of the way our music worked'.

Almost all tracks on DAAU's first album were 'Drieslagstelsels' (or 'three-course rotations'). The term referred to an agricultural method of the early Middle Ages, but also to the fact that each song of the group consisted of three major movements. Van Camp: 'The titles of those pieces referred to our method of writing. We piled up a huge bunch of ideas, because we wanted to tell more than just one story. With each composition, we took the listener for a ride'.

The innovators of Electro-Hip Hop are back! Franco-Californian duo, AllttA (French producer 20syl + American rapper Mr. J. Medeiros) emerge from their five year hiatus to take on the stage! After their 2017 debut “The Upper Hand” and sophomore following “Facing Giants” (that same year), AllttA returns with “Curio” Part. I, the first installment in their two part experiment on Electro and Hip Hop: a soundscape they’ve co-created while bending and pushing both into their own AllttA image . This “Curio” experiment of sound in motion will be hitting the road for a tour that will begin next fall.

The Electro-Hip Hop duo consisting of American rapper Mr. J. Medeiros and French producer 20Syl took an “at all cost” - “no fear” attitude when creating what might be the future of Electro - Hip Hop or at the very least a defining moment in the sub-genre.

“CURIO” Part II is AllttA’s second release from their two part album, “CURIO” Part I & II and as its name declares its: a rare, unusual, and intriguing object. In all aspects of “CURIO” you can see, feel, and hear the symbiosis of digital and organic life - the artificial intelligence and the human touch, a relationship which has never been so relevant as it is now.

Even material that didn’t make the record, a tune titled “Savages”, a jaw dropping sound experiment where AllttA used A.I. in a manner which shook the Hip Hop world at the highest levels of stardom, allowed the duo to insert a musical perspective into this world wide debate on the human relationship with technology. If this tune did not make it on the record - imagine what did…

“CURIO” Part II is where AllttA defines itself with confidence, class, and a level of creativity seemingly lost in an oversaturated market of express musical branding. Songs like “Honorificabilitudinitatibus’ and “Victim” take the listener into a genre splitting, epoch bending, mind and sound experience. Shakespearean like word play followed by stacked one-man choruses give you the impression Queen snuck in while distorted analog bass rings violently before morphing into sweet - pensive harmonic tones.

Bristol's soul jazz kings The Jazz Defenders release a new vinyl 45 single this autumn as a taster for their third album, which is destined for release in spring 2024. Once again, they are bringing together their love of 1960's soul jazz and golden era 90's hip-hop, just as they did on a couple of tracks on their last album "King Phoenix" (Haggis Records 2022). This new single sees them reunited with London MC/rapper Doc Brown, who guested on the track "Perfectly Imperfect", and his flow sits so naturally over the Jazz Defenders' music and beats, you'd think he's a permanent band member.

The A-side "Rolling On A High" is a real old school boom bap style party hip-hop jam. Big beats, rolling bassline (acoustic double bass), Ramsey Lewis soul jazz piano vamps, funky Hammond organ and some punchy horn section business, all topped off with Doc Brown bouncing bars back and forth with that laid back vibe he always brings to the mic. A guaranteed dance-floor bomb, whether you're a breaker, a jazz dancer or simply a Saturday night disco shuffler. The B-side "Looking Back" takes the tempo right down. An 'end of the night' number when the lights in the club are low, the last drinks are being drained and you're thinking and reminiscing about times gone by. The good times and bad, successes and mistakes. And made even more poignant and reflective halfway through when the mellow strings come into the song (once again excellently arranged by pianist/bandleader George Cooper). If "Rolling On A High" is the fire then "Looking Back" is definitely the ice. Proof that the Jazz Defenders can rock the party and grab the dancers but also dig deep with emotive tunes that draw in the discerning listener.

The Jazz Defenders, led by keyboard maestro George Cooper from The Haggis Horns, have been building a reputation as a great musical unit since their debut Blue Note/hard bop-inspired album "Scheming" appeared on Haggis Records back in 2019, which received a huge amount of praise from critics, and subsequently went on to spend 5 weeks in the top ten of the American jazz charts In 2021, their double A-side vinyl single "The Big Man/Love's Vestige" got them the breakthrough they deserved. It garnered heavy support on radio from top folks like Craig Charles (BBC6 Music), Helen Mayhew (Jazz FM), Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2), and Worldwide FM resident DJ's Ashley Beedle and Colin Curtis. They further enhanced their reputation as a rocking band with album number two "King Phoenix" and by electrifying audiences at sold out live shows across the UK, including the legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.

Album number three is well on its way but for now, check out this tasty limited edition 45 single on Haggis Records. The JDs and Doc Brown...the perfect combination, still keeping that sweet jazz/hip-hop love affair alive today.

Jorja Smith is officially back. Further to making a recent return to the musical sphere with her singles ‘Try Me’ and ‘Little Things’, today she has confirmed the details of her highly anticipated second album,
‘falling or flying’, set for release globally on September 29th 2023 via FAMM and available to pre-order now - here.
Alongside the announcement, Jorja has also unveiled the album's poignant artwork; a stunning portrait of her, shot on film by the prestigious British photographer, Liz Johnson Artur. In addition, Jorja has also announced a series of UK live shows in September, commemorating the release of the album. Further details below.
Through her new record, Jorja has delivered an undeniable modern classic, effortlessly condensing any number of disparate styles and genres into music which thrillingly broaches any gap between Jazz, Soul, R&B and Funky House. A bold, brave nd courageous leap forward from her critically acclaimed debut album ‘Lost and Found’ -
‘falling or flying’ is an album that speaks to the musical and emotional era where Jorja is now, and how she got here. It isn’t so much an exploration of how she’s found herself but more a statement that she has arrived, and that her understanding of her life, her relationships, and her feelings, have deepened, matured and crystallised as she
enters her twenty six year. ‘And despite it all,’ she says, ‘it's definitely a journey I've just started. That's what's crazy. It's only just begun.’
Sonically, this album, a no-skips body of work, isn’t like anything you’ve heard before. It sits masterfully in this same space of excitement, self-exploration and self-assertion that Jorja does. Compromised of deep, thumping drums, racing basslines, irresistible hooks and distinctive beats, ‘falling or flying’ runs at the same pace that Jorja’s mind does. ‘I don't slow down enough’ she says. ‘This album is like my brain. There’s always so much going on but each
song is definitely a standstill moment.’
Much of the creative energy that shaped the album emerged from studio sessions with the producer duo DAMEDAME* back in her hometown of Walsall, where, to Jorja, the heart is. The album is both a sonic and an emotional tour of where she’s been, and what she’s been about, in the two years since she dropped her latest offering, ‘Be Right Back’. ‘It touches on breakups, relationships with my friends, relationships with old friends,
relationships with myself.’ She says. ‘It's definitely about a lot of relationships, but every song I write I can sing it to myself.’
Of the many British voices in music today, Jorja is among the most commanding, writing at a pitch of intensity and urgency that few can match. Over the past five and half years, since the release of her debut album ‘Lost & Found’, she has been celebrated unanimously across the world for her evocative song-writing, powerful delivery, pure emotion and unbridled talent as a young woman navigating her way through life and in 2021 was the year Jorja’s hiatus from music was broken. Enter ‘Be Right Back’, the holding space between the sensation that was ‘Lost & Found’, and ‘falling or flying’. ‘Be Right Back’ was born from playing, jamming, freestyling, and sounding out what Jorja had been on the edge of expressing all her life. It was a project entirely for her fans. “Be Right Back did exactly what I wanted it to do. It was a little waiting room so people knew I was coming back.”
And come back she has - entering a chapter of her return to music that’s certain to draw in and intoxicate Jorja’s fans and new listeners alike. And what has changed for her, in the five years since ‘Lost & Found’ dominated the charts and the soundscape? “I like this world that I've just come into. And I’m still figuring things out. Always
figuring things out.” Jorja says. “This is the first time I’m putting stuff out there that I can connect with right now.” Over the last few years, it’s been a reflective and transformative step into her mid twenties for her. She’s been able to step into herself and evolve as a songwriter and a woman despite an ever-changing musical landscape.
While she recognises that the global pandemic has been completely devastating, she acknowledges that it allowed her to stay still, to come more into herself, and to be more in control of the person she is, and of her musical output. Like some of the legendary musicians that came before her, Jorja is looking at the chaos and disorder in the
world right now with resourceful, refined eyes, and she sees the glorious opportunity and enormous responsibility that affords. The net result is that while ‘falling or flying' sounds very much like Jorja Smith, it sounds like no Jorja Smith album you have ever heard before. ‘falling or flying’- released on September 29th

Twenty-two rare and unreleased vintage tracks from the secret vaults of one of the most enigmatic composers in 60s/70s/80s European cinema. Originally recorded in the best studios in Poland, Italy and France for experimental film, political allegories, lost television shows, sound libraries and radio – these tracks have been hidden behind the Iron Curtain on lost master tapes and film reels until now! »Secret Enigma«, the first ever dedicated anthology of this great composer’s work, is now back in print.

Originally released exactly 30 years ag In artistic cinema Andrzej Korzyński’s unique experiments with jazz, pop, rock, orchestral and electronic music make his name synonymous with the most praised (Andrzej Wajda) and the most provocative (Andrzej Żuławski) Polish filmmakers (counting many more in between). As an early patron of the Polish New Wave and a key exponent of the development of conceptual Polish pop music his expansive portfolio has remained commercially unreleased and untravelled (like many of the original socialist era Polish made films) and has yet to find its deserved place next to the work of Ennio Morricone, François de Roubaix and John Barry. Now enhanced by a renewed interest in vintage art house film and a subculture of open minded music collectors many Easter European artists, such as Krzysztof Komeda (Poland), Zdeněk Liška (Czechoslovakia) and now Andrzej Korzynski,have finally begun to earn their place alongside their Central European peers.

For lovers of film music and experimental pop this debut anthology and appraisal of Andrzej Korzyński.

Jorja Smith is officially back. Further to making a recent return to the musical sphere with her singles ‘Try Me’ and ‘Little Things’, today she has confirmed the details of her highly anticipated second album, ‘falling or flying’, set for release globally on September 29th 2023 via FAMM and available to pre-order now - here.

Alongside the announcement, Jorja has also unveiled the album's poignant artwork; a stunning portrait of her, shot on film by the prestigious British photographer, Liz Johnson Artur. In addition, Jorja has also announced a series of UK live shows in September, commemorating the release of the album. Further details below.

Through her new record, Jorja has delivered an undeniable modern classic, effortlessly condensing any number of disparate styles and genres into music which thrillingly broaches any gap between Jazz, Soul, R&B and Funky House. A bold, brave and courageous leap forward from her critically acclaimed debut album ‘Lost and Found’ - ‘falling or flying’ is an album that speaks to the musical and emotional era where Jorja is now, and how she got here. It isn’t so much an exploration of how she’s found herself but more a statement that she has arrived, and that her understanding of her life, her relationships, and her feelings, have deepened, matured and crystallised as she enters her twenty six year. ‘And despite it all,’ she says, ‘it's definitely a journey I've just started. That's what's crazy.

It's only just begun.’ Sonically, this album, a no-skips body of work, isn’t like anything you’ve heard before. It sits masterfully in this same space of excitement, self-exploration and self-assertion that Jorja does. Compromised of deep, thumping drums, racing basslines, irresistible hooks and distinctive beats, ‘falling or flying’ runs at the same pace that Jorja’s mind does. ‘I don't slow down enough’ she says. ‘This album is like my brain. There’s always so much going on but each song is definitely a standstill moment.’

Much of the creative energy that shaped the album emerged from studio sessions with the producer duo DAMEDAME* back in her hometown of Walsall, where, to Jorja, the heart is. The album is both a sonic and an emotional tour of where she’s been, and what she’s been about, in the two years since she dropped her latest offering, ‘Be Right Back’. ‘It touches on breakups, relationships with my friends, relationships with old friends, relationships with myself.’ She says. ‘It's definitely about a lot of relationships, but every song I write I can sing it to myself.’

Of the many British voices in music today, Jorja is among the most commanding, writing at a pitch of intensity and urgency that few can match. Over the past five and half years, since the release of her debut album ‘Lost & Found’, she has been celebrated unanimously across the world for her evocative song-writing, powerful delivery, pure emotion and unbridled talent as a young woman navigating her way through life and in 2021 was the year Jorja’s hiatus from music was broken. Enter ‘Be Right Back’, the holding space between the sensation that was ‘Lost & Found’, and ‘falling or flying’. ‘Be Right Back’ was born from playing, jamming, freestyling, and sounding out what Jorja had been on the edge of expressing all her life. It was a project entirely for her fans. “Be Right Back did exactly what I wanted it to do. It was a little waiting room so people knew I was coming back.”

And come back she has - entering a chapter of her return to music that’s certain to draw in and intoxicate Jorja’s fans and new listeners alike. And what has changed for her, in the five years since ‘Lost & Found’ dominated the charts and the soundscape? “I like this world that I've just come into. And I’m still figuring things out. Always figuring things out.” Jorja says. “This is the first time I’m putting stuff out there that I can connect with right now.” Over the last few years, it’s been a reflective and transformative step into her mid twenties for her.

She’s been able to step into herself and evolve as a songwriter and a woman despite an ever-changing musical landscape.

While she recognises that the global pandemic has been completely devastating, she acknowledges that it allowed her to stay still, to come more into herself, and to be more in control of the person she is, and of her musical output. Like some of the legendary musicians that came before her, Jorja is looking at the chaos and disorder in the world right now with resourceful, refined eyes, and she sees the glorious opportunity and enormous responsibility that affords. The net result is that while ‘falling or flying' sounds very much like Jorja Smith, it sounds like no Jorja Smith album you have ever heard before.

‘falling or flying’- released on September 29th

Swiss-born pianist Camille-Alban Spreng, who has resided in Brussels for over a decade, has been active since 2010 in a diverse range of bands and projects within jazz, improvised (electronic) music, art performance and theater. He can be seen on stages all over Europe and trained at various conservatories with renowned players such as Emil Spanyi (HEMU, Lausanne), Eric Legnini and Kris Defoort (CRB, KCB, Brussels).
Together with his regular band ODIL, he has already released two records: 'Something' (QFTF Records - 2016) and 'RESON' (QFTQ Records - 2019), with the collaboration of Leïla Martial, and Valentin Ceccaldi on the latter album. ODIL operates from Brussels but, with in its ranks a pivotal figure with Swiss roots, a French drummer and an Irish saxophonist, is a band with international allure. Nina Kortekaas' unique voice is also an absolute asset.

His third album, titled "Unheimlich," will be released on W.E.R.F. records, one of Belgium's finest jazz not jazz labels. The new album sprung from Camille-Alban's fondness for Allen Ginsberg and the beatnik movement. Poems by Ginsberg are provided with music, notably "Pull My Daisy" (co-written by Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady at the time) and "White Shroud," with the approval of the rights holders/heirs.

The lyrics that Camille-Alban himself wrote for the album exude the same beatnik vibe. In that sense, the new work is also an homage to Allen Ginsberg. "I love his way of writing: it's funny, twisted, quirky ánd spiritual," Camille-Alban said. "I couldn't think of a better title for the new album. 'Unheimlich' doesn't translate. The black cat in the lobby of a creepy hotel in 'The Matrix,' I think of that image, that atmosphere."
ODIL's music has a narrative character and in terms of form, the compositions are not ordinary. Impro plays a role and the music is unmistakably characterized by a contemporary jazz aesthetic but at their core the compositions are also songs, a unique feature. 'Unheimlich' is a jazz album that can be listened to just as well as a pop rock album.

Repress

2 Heretik weapons, both same speed (Dj tip ^^), boths ballsining the tribe and both very raving... Transformers remix, longly awaited by the Nout fans and the Toxic fat track, less commercial but very efficient too ! At least this is a full NOUT raving record ! Must Have !

Balmat is a new label with a cloudy outline.

Jointly shepherded by Philip Sherburne and Albert Salinas, two friends living in Cardedeu, Catalonia, and on the Balearic island of Menorca, Balmat grew out of Lapsus Radio, a weekly show on Spain’s Radio 3. Balmat’s mission is simple: to foster new ideas, expand upon personal obsessions, and put enveloping sounds out into the world.

“Balmat” means “empty” or “void” in Catalan. But quite apart from any negative connotations, we prefer to think of it in terms of possibility: a space waiting to be filled.

Balmat’s first release comes from Luke Sanger, a Norwich, UK-based artist whose two decades of electronic music making have encompassed a range of tools and techniques, from MaxMSP to modular synthesis. Along the way he has built an extensive catalog encompassing ambient atmospheres, abstract soundscaping, and more. With Languid Gongue, he puts multiple approaches into play. Experiments in microtonal composition balance out pieces in standard tunings, while esoteric electronic machines merge with familiar acoustic treatments and microphone techniques.

The result is a constellation of his signature sounds: freeform new-age fantasia; spring-loaded toytronic arpeggios; quartz-driven braindance clockworks. Drifting between consonant, almost lyrical compositions and shape-shifting textural sketches, the album drifts with the nonchalance of a sky-high cirrus cloud, and it glows as if illuminated from within. When we heard the material, we knew that it was the perfect choice to launch the label. To us, it sounds like a roadmap for points unknown.

Nach dem erfolgreichen 2009er-Debüt "We Are Only Riders" legt das Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project ein zweites Album mit zuvor unveröffentlichten Vorlagen des Gun-Club-Sängers Jeffrey Lee Pierce (1958 - 1996) vor, wiederum eingespielt von befreundeten Artists und Weggefährt*innen. Ausgangspunkt für viele Songs war eine Musikkassette mit Songideen von Pierce, die Cypress Grove, ein Musiker aus der späten Gun-Club-Phase, zufällig beim Aufräumen fand. Wie im von Pierce so geliebten Jazz, spielte beim Sessions Project jeder bei jedem, interpretierte oder bearbeitete man gemeinsam textliche und melodische Fragmente. Auf "The Journey Is Long" trifft sich ein Who"s who des Indie-Adels: Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Debbie Harry & Chris Stein, Lydia Lunch, Kid Congo Powers, Tav Falco"s Panther Burns, Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell, Steve Wynn, Warren Ellis, Barry Adamson, Thalia Zedek & Chris Brokaw, Hugo Race und viele andere.

The EP also includes a remix of the popular single ‘SAMO’, which
spent four weeks on the BBC 6 Music playlist, accompanied by an
animated lyric video paying homage to the graffiti tag it was named
after by Al Diaz and American artist and wunderkind, Jean-Michel
Basquiat. The final track on the EP is a remix of ‘Waiting on a Train’,
presenting a new and special version of the original song, with the
presence of featuring artists Ellen Beth Abdi and Chunky remaining
strong.

Formed in 1978 with a core line-up of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and
Donald Johnson, A Certain Ratio emerged from the hallowed grounds
of the late 1970s punk scene, and from that day on they’ve moved
forwards with gleeful disregard for the boundaries of style and genre,
their eye fixed firmly on constant progression.

Black Truffle is pleased to announce Tender Membranes, the label’s first release from Swedish-Finnish sound artist and electro-acoustic composer Marja Ahti. Active for a decade in the Finnish underground music scene, in recent years Ahti has developed a distinctive approach to patiently unfolding electro-acoustic constructions, documented on a string of solo releases and collaborative projects with Judith Hamann and her husband Niko-Matti Ahti. Working with concrete and instrumental sounds, field recordings, and electronics, Ahti favours neither disjunctive collage nor monolithic consistency; rather, her work is composed of organically unfolding sequences of details and textures, which, as she says, ‘can stretch out or cut fast as long as they have a sense of inner stillness’, a sense that she connects to moments of heightened attention in everyday life. Tender Membranes consists of four lengthy pieces, partly inspired by the image of the senses and mind as membranes allowing for the passage between inner and outer spaces, sensation and its causes, creating a world. Ahti’s unhurried pacing encourages this sense of listening as an opening or surrender to sound, which can often create the impression that the listener is moving through a space zooming in on details. The opening Shrine (Aether) exemplifies this aspect of Ahti’s approach: a bell clears the air with a single long tone, followed by the ambience of outdoor spaces, crackling electronics, an archival recording of a horsefly on a windowpane. Dozens of these moments, varying in length, density, and intensity, move past the listener’s attention, momentarily brought into focus then slipping away. Like those of the masters of the French musique concrète tradition, Ahti’s sounds are not often recognisable, though they might suggest proximity or distance, open environments or closed spaces, the urban or rural, day or night. In Ahti’s work, we do not encounter spectacular metamorphoses à la Parmegiani but rather a state of ambiguity where the listener is often unsure what is organic and what is inorganic, where the careful productions of the synthesizer might end and sounds discovered in the environment begin. What Ahti calls her ‘poetic way of experiencing and organising the familiar and the unfamiliar’ is sustained throughout Tender Membranes, but each piece has its own character. On Dust / Light, human presence is more overt, as what appear to be whispers, singing, and distant speech thread between high frequencies, untraceable drips and pops, and metallic shimmers. In all this there is a melody that you can sing and to which you may dance makes more prominent use of musical instruments, gaining a sombre beauty from half-buried piano chords and organ tones. On the closing Oh Fragrant Witness, a delicate cloud of subtly bending pitches is repeatedly disrupted by a resounding, almost ominous mass of low tones, at once a strange detour from much of what has gone before and an almost classical finale. Arriving in a sleeve reproducing contemporary Finnish photographer Sini Pelkki’s fragmented visions of the everyday, Tender Membranes is a balm to reawaken tired ears.

GER JUNG IN WIEN - NEUE JANGLE-POP GRUPPE MIT 80ER INDIE WAVY VIBE. IHRE ERSTEN BEIDEN MINI-ALBEN "TROUBLE" & "LIGHTNING TRAILS" JETZT AUF EINER LP. "Der gerade erst volljährig gewordene Tobias Hammermüller steht für weichgespülten Bedroom-Wave und formte für sein Debütalbum auf Siluh Records die Band Laundromat Chicks." (THE GAP) - Hinter dem Namen LAUNDROMAT CHICKS verbirgt sich das Musikprojekt von TOBIAS HAMMERMÜLLER, der gerade 19 Jahre alt geworden ist. Nach dem selbstproduzierten Debüt "Trouble" haben die LAUNDROMAT CHICKS ein neues Album vorgelegt, das deutlich ruhigere Töne anschlägt. "Lightning Trails", das Band-Mastermind Tobias Hammermüller zusammen mit Martin Rupp (Jansky) produziert hat, ist ein folkiges Manifest für die leisen Töne geworden, die wir dringend brauchen. Beide Alben sind jetzt auf einer LP verewigt. Seite A mit dem eher ruppigeren "TROUBLE", auf der B-Seite das folk-inspirierte Kleinod "LIGHNTING TRAILS" "Lightning Trails" ist ein Meisterwerk an Musikalität und Zurückhaltung zugleich, eine Ode an die Verträumtheit und Nachdenklichkeit in Zeiten des Aufruhrs und der aufeinanderprallenden Ideologien. Es ist eine Einladung, aus dem Fenster zu klettern und eine aus den Fugen geratene Welt von einem versteckten Sims aus zu betrachten. Wie das Nachglühen eines Blitzes auf der Netzhaut, in der nahen Ferne." (Paul Buschnegg) Für Freunde von PASTELS, THE RADIO FIELD, THROW THAT BEAT, COMET GAIN, UK-Indie, Teen Angst, Twee-Pop...



[ENG] BEING YOUNG IN VIENNA - NEW JANGLE-POP GROUP WITH SOME 80S INDIE WAVY VIBE. THEIR FIRST TWO ALBUMS "TROUBLE" & "LIGHTNING TRAILS" ON ONE LP "Conversational lyrics depict a night on the phone amid claustrophobic misgivings and obsessive mental wanderings. Energetic, bittersweet sentiments ignite wandering clusters of shimmering strumming riffs and jangly wistful guitar melodies to weave swaying paths of vibrant nostalgia through low pulsing bass lines, skipping drumbeats, and pinpoint synth stabs to accompany heartfelt yet angsty vocal harmonies, haloed in distant echoes of doubt, through a sad discomforting timeline of uncertainty and dread." (WHITE LIGHT / WHITE HEAT) Behind the name LAUNDROMAT CHICKS is the music project of TOBIAS HAMMERMÜLLER, who just turned 19. After their selfproducued debut "Trouble", LAUNDROMAT CHICKS has presented a new album that touches on much quieter tones. "Lightning Trails", which band mastermind Tobias Hammermüller produced with Martin Rupp (Jansky), has become a folky manifesto for the quiet nuances that we desperately need. Both albums are now immortalised on one LP. Side A with the rather rough "TROUBLE", on the B-side the folk-inspired gem "LIGHNTING TRAILS". "Lightning Trails is a masterpiece of musicality and restraint at the same time, an ode to dreaminess and thoughtfulness in times of turmoil and clashing ideologies. It is somehow an invitation to climb out the window to view an unhinged world from a hidden ledge. Similar to the afterglow of a flash on the retina, in the near distance." (Paul Buschnegg) RIYL Pastels, The Radio Field, Throw That Beat, Comet Gain, UK-Indie, Teen Angst, Twee-Pop...

As one of the most triumphant and beguiling directorial debut features to emerge from the fruitful Polish New Wave, Andrzej Zulawski’s 1971 film Third Part Of The Night not only earned the thirty-year-old filmmaker a place next to other radical Polish directors such as Polanski, Skolimowski and Has, but also galvanised a creative bond with long running collaborator and composer Andrzej Korzyński, providing fans of foreign abstract/suspense cinema with a potent creative fusion to match those of Polanki/Komeda, Fellini/Rota and Argento/Goblin, amongst others.

Quite simply one of the heaviest psych rock film soundtracks of all time Andrzej Korzyński’s short and unreleased score matched the blueprint that adorned the drawing boards of conceptual French jazz orch rock composers like Jean-Claude Vannier, Francois De Roubaix and Alain Gourageur, creating a soundtrack that unknowingly begs comparison to Masahiko Satô’s Belladonna Of Sadness and Billy Green’s Stone. As one of the first progressive pop writers to come out of the vibrant (but carefully scrutinised) Polish beat scene with his bands Ricecar 64 and later Arp Life (and composing for national heroes such as Czeslaw Niemen, Niebiesko-Czarni and Test) Korzyński’s growing passion for conceptual rock and jazz music soon lead to instrumental composition and soundtrack scores.

His cinematic debuts scoring two consecutive transitional new wave films for Andrzej Wajda (in collaboration with the radical Polski pop groups Trubadurzy and Grupa ABC) also provided Korzyński with another significant cinematic muse in that of the stunning actress Malgorzata Braunek with whom they would both eventually achieve their finest performances under the direction of the ravenous first-timer Żuławski. Third Part Of The Night (1971) perhaps epitomises that triangular on-screen unison in its vibrant youth and feeds it through a hallucinogenic mangle finding astonishing beauty (within a repulsive synopsis) against a bleak and shattered backdrop and accompanied by progressive, psychedelic orchestral rock music – elements which would intensify for all three creatives with the next film, Diabel, which was banned by the Polish government the following year until 1988.

Third Part Of The Night also marks the public unison of Żuławski and Braunek whose later private romantic relationship is said to form the basis for another defining Żuławski/Korzyński defining endeavour with the 1981 film Possession exactly a decade later, encapsulating a period that bequeaths a previously unopened vault of some of the composers finest and most inspired sonic adventures.

Electronic are proud to announce the release of ‘Get the Message: The Best Of Electronic’ on vinyl for the first time, available via Warner Music on 29th September.

First released in 2006, ‘Get the Message: The Best Of Electronic’ is the career spanning collection from the Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner band who released a string of critically acclaimed hits including their debut single ‘Getting Away With It’, ‘Get The Message’ ‘Disappointed’ and ‘Feel Every Beat’.

This compilation captures the very essence of their groundbreaking sound, blending Marr’s distinctive guitar work with Sumner’s vocals and guest features from Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant (Getting Away With It, Disappointed) and Kraftwerk’s Karl Bartos (For You, Imitation Of Life).

Michael Campbell started out as an engineer with the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation and made reggae history presenting his Dread At The Controls radio program, after which he embarked on a successful career as an innovative performing artist, producer and bona fide dubmaster. As such, he was among the first to utilize the incredibly talented, young the Roots Radics to lay the foundations of his tracks. Much less relying on endlessly recycled riddims from the Studio One and Treasure Isle catalogues than many of his peers, Mikey mostly delivered crisp, original tunes. They were 'deconstructed' at King Tubby's studio - the birthplace of dub - in this case by virtuoso Scientist with Mikey himself. Dread at the Controls indeed! This catalogue includes the majestic "Two Track Dub" (a version of the Roots & Culture riddim) and "Demo Dub" (versioning Radio One, featured on the B-side of The Clash' Hitsville UK).

Dub Catalogue Volume 1 is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent yellow coloured vinyl.

The mystery continues to deepen, as you hear whispers beckoning you out to the sea...

After refining their dark and seductive vision of alternative/gothic metal to surreal, cinematic levels with three EPs and a full-length album, The Cause of Shipwreck, behind them, the Assen-based Blackbriar continue to set their sails towards the future in 2023, signing with Nuclear Blast Records and working towards their second full-length album, again accompanied by long-time collaborator Joost van den Broek.

Formed in 2012 by Zora Cock, René Boxem, Bart Winters, and Frank Akkerman, they crafted their first single in 2014 with “Ready to Kill,” but it was 2015’s second single “Until Eternity” that truly propelled them into the scene. A sweeping track with an equally compelling and beautiful video, it continues to draw many to the act with over 18.1 million views since its debut. Taking advantage of the growing buzz surrounding the band, they independently recorded and released their first EP, Fractured Fairytales, as well as acquiring a second guitarist in Robin Koezen. This EP layed down an impressive foundation for the band’s ethereal and breathtaking sound and brought about new opportunities for the act, including tour dates in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and more, where the band played alongside Epica, Halestorm, In This Moment, Delain and MaYan. To keep moving ahead with full control of their creative ideals, the band successfully crowdfunded their follow-up EP, We’d Rather Burn, and brought it to life in October 2018. This EP would be the first time the band worked alongside esteemed producer Joost van den Broek to arrange and produce the effort, and this fruitful collaboration allowed Blackbriar’s whimsical and enigmatic sound to reach new sonic heights. Released the same day as their self-made video for “I’d Rather Burn,” this EP showcased a stronger sense of dreamy atmosphere and brought listeners beautifully grim tales of witches, banshees, and sea sirens. In the time following, keyboardist Ruben Wijga (ex-Re-Vamp) took a larger role within the band and began playing shows, after being involved in the songwriting process since Fractured Fairytales.

A busy 2019 followed, the band released a haunting single in May entitled “Snow White and Rose Red.” A duet with Ulli Perhonen, their take on the Grimm’s fairytale featured striking cinematic visuals to accompany the spellbinding track. Continuing to dig deeper into fairytale realms, Blackbriar closed the year with their third EP, Our Mortal Remains. Ever-sharpening their intoxicating blend of storytelling and breathtaking musicianship, the EP brought about new live exposures for the act as well. Small, sold out tours with Epica in 2019 and 2020, as well as a sold out opening for Delain’s Apocalypse & Chill release show in Utrecht followed, with more future plans then being put on hold due to COVID-19. Championing their continued independence, which included everything from songwriting, maintaining their web presence, overseeing merch, as well as shooting and producing their own videos and photos, Blackbriar reached out to their ever-growing and loyal fanbase for assistance to make their full-length album a reality in 2020. Fans fervently heeded the call, reaching the € 25,000 goal in under 24 hours and ending with a total of € 70,000 and achieving all five stretch goals. An impressive accomplishment for an independent act, which also showcases a strong internet presence with over 214,000 YouTube subscribers and 46.1 million channel views as well as 27.6 million Spotify streams and 150,000 monthly streamers on the platform.