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compiled by tsunaki kadowaki
artwork by yoshirotten
mastering by kuniyuki takahashi

Tsunaki Kadowaki, a staff member at Kyoto’s record store Meditations, the supervisor of "New Age Music Disc Guide", and the founder of Sad Disco, curates the fourth installment of "Midnight in Tokyo" themed around Ambient Kayō.

The Midnight in Tokyo series by Studio Mule focuses on Japanese music, serving as a soundtrack for Tokyo nights—whether for home listening, club play, or as a driving BGM, transcending location and space. After a six-year hiatus, the fourth volume takes "Ambient Kayō" as its new perspective, compiling genre-defying tracks released between 1977 and 1999 to explore the intersection of Japanese ambient and pop music.

For this long-awaited fourth installment, selections were made regardless of record label status (major or independent), era, format (vinyl or CD), original release price, or prior reissues. Instead, the focus was on music that deeply moves the listener, is open-minded and evocative, brims with inspiration and spiritual insight, and embodies the "utagokoro" (singing heart) of Japanese artists.

Opening the compilation is "Umi e Kinasai" by Yōsui Inoue, a legendary Japanese singer-songwriter whose works have recently gained renewed interest as hidden gems of Walearic and ambient pop

Composed and arranged by Katsu Hoshi—who is also known for his arrangements on Inoue’s masterpiece Ice World—the track features renowned players such as Masayoshi Takanaka, Hiroki Inui, and Shigeru Inoue. The song embodies a yearning for Balearic horizons, tinged with youthful vibrancy and sentimentality.

Next, "Oritatamu Umi", compiled from Keiko Nosaka, a 20-string koto player, and George Murasaki, a pioneer of Okinawan rock, is an instrumental track from their album "Niraikanai Requiem 1945". As the title suggests, it carries themes of requiem and remembrance, conveying poetic lyricism even without words. Blending Ryukyuan/Okinawan harmonies and indigenous elements, it unfolds as an intimate and nostalgic piece of progressive rock.

Also featured is "Natsu no Kowareru Koro" by Higurashi, a folk-rock band led by Seiichi Takeda, formerly a guitarist of The Remainders of The Clover, the predecessor of RC Succession. Like the opening track "Umi e Kinasai", this song was also produced by Katsu Hoshi. It stands as a folk/new music piece that takes a step into an "otherworldly" realm, recommended for fans of Twin Cosmos and Masumi Hara.

From the enigmatic Blue, the only work left by the mysterious composer S.R. Kinoshita, comes "Mangrove", a hidden treasure of Japan's ambient/new age scene from the CD era. With an oriental and enigmatic atmosphere, the track evokes a mystical world of deep, uncharted jungles, unfolding as an otherworldly New Age Kayō.

"Yaponesia Sakura", selected from Rehabilual’s sole album New Child, is a masterpiece of Japanese new age music. Produced by Swami Dhyan Akamo, a disciple of Indian meditation teacher Osho and a renowned balafon player, the track features Michio Ogawa (Chakra) and Atsuo Fujimoto (Colored Music). Their collective artistry creates an exquisite spiritual ambient pop sound.

"Asa no Hitoshizuku", the opening folk song from Sachiko Kanenobu’s album Sachiko, is also included. Known for her legendary folk album Misora, produced by Haruomi Hosono, Kanenobu’s fourth album after resuming her career was inspired by her experiences living in San Francisco and revolves around the theme of "love." This track carries the same intimate poetic world as Misora, imbued with a pure, crystalline innocence.

From the synth-pop band E.S. Island, known for the Haruomi Hosono-produced *Teku Teku Mami", comes "Yume Fūrin ", selected from their long-lost new age classic Nanpū from Hachijo. Created while the band’s core duo was living in Hachijō Island, the album aimed to sonically capture "the high and happy vibrations of everyday island life." This track offers a dynamic, tribal-infused New Age Kayō experience.

Dubbed "the world's first Min’yō House Mix" "Esashi Oiwake (Maeuta) " comes from Kanazawa Akiko HOUSE MIX Ⅰ, a collaboration between Japanese house music pioneer Soichi Terada and Akiko Kanazawa, a renowned min’yō singer. Through the prism of club music, Hokkaido's Esashi Oiwake, one of Japan’s most iconic folk songs, is transformed into a futuristic ambient pop piece with intricate sound design.

The compilation also includes "Sweet Ong Choh", a track from Voice From Asia, a group active between 1989 and 1992 featuring vocal artist Shizuru Ohtaka. Taken from their imaginative minimal work Voice From Asia, released under Aoyama Spiral’s music label Newsic, the song presents a tranquil, tribal-minimal soundscape enriched by ethnic instruments.

Hailed by Haruomi Hosono as having “a shaman residing in her voice,” singer-songwriter Nami Hōdatsu also appears in the selection. Known for her collaborations with Henry Kawahara, her debut album featured "Asa-Hikari-Ame-Yume", a track that now stands as a precursor to modern vocaloid/synthesized vocal music—a hidden gem of post-choir aesthetics that deserves rediscovery.

Likewise, "Tennessee Waltz", from Naomi Akimoto’s album One Night Stand, supported by members of Mariah, serves as another early prototype of vocaloid/synthesized vocal music. The track weaves fragmented vocal samples, pastoral yet sweetly minimal synth sounds, and mechanical beats into a strikingly unconventional piece in the history of Japanese music.

Closing the compilation is "Heaven Electric", a track from Nav Katze’s album Gentle & Elegance, which featured remixes by Autechre, Seefeel, and Sun Electric. Merging elements of IDM, ambient techno, and chillout, the song embodies an optimism reminiscent of space music while seamlessly blending a mystical Japanese aesthetic—an ambient pop masterpiece.

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The album presents 12 exquisite pop tracks infused with an ambient feeling, resonating deeply with the evolving landscape of the mid-2020s—a time of post-hyperpop and Y2K revival.

Tsunaki Kadowaki (Compiler)

Born in 1993 in Yonago, Tottori, Tsunaki Kadowaki is a staff member and buyer at Kyoto’s Meditations record store. He is the editor of New Age Music Disc Guide (DU BOOKS) and a contributor to Music Magazine, Record Collectors' Magazine, ele-king, and more. Kadowaki has written liner notes for multiple Japanese releases (Brian Eno, Masahiro Sugaya etc.) and runs the Sad Disco music label under Disk Union. He also curates Spotify’s official New Age Music playlist and performed as a DJ at YCAM’s Audio Base Camp #3 in 2024.

Denude is made up of members from the bands Piglet, Murder In The Red Barn,
Fuiguirnet, and Credentials.
Recorded by Shane Hochstetler in Milwaukee, WI. Mastered by Carl Saff in Chicago,
IL.
Their debut album, A Murmuration of Capitalist Bees, was recorded with minimal
production over three days at Howl Street Recording in Milwaukee. Engineered by
long-time friend Shane Hochstetler (Child Bite, Call Me Lightning), the album captures
the raw, immediate energy of the band's live sound. With just 14 hours of live tracking
and very few overdubs, the result is a tight, visceral eight-track LP that reflects the DIY
ethos Denude embodies.
Its a grinding, strutting, semi-broken kind of sound, and honestly we love it- we think you
will too. It manages to feel heavy without relying on heaps of distortion or growled
vocals, which don't get us wrong, we love. But it's fascinating to hear Denude's unusually
limber take on what feels like real emotional weight."- Fecking Bahamas

Belgium's iconic DJ and producer, Yves Deruyter, who celebrates his 40th DJ career in 2025, makes a triumphant return to the music scene with the much-anticipated remaster of his seminal second album: "2001".

Renowned for his pioneering influence on techno and classics, Deruyter's re-release is packed with timeless tracks, including the unforgettable anthem "Back To Earth" and also including but not limited to: "Music-Non-Stop", "Rhythmic Bazz", the much sought after Transfusion and as a special bonus "Born Slippy".

Available in an exclusive 2 x 12" vinyl release, collectors and fans alike can choose between a special light blue edition, limited to 500 copies, or an ultra-limited faded smoked black-to-transparent white 180-gram audiophile version, limited to just 200 copies.

Each version comes repackaged in a stunning, redesigned sleeve, making it a must-have collector's item for true enthusiasts. Don't miss the chance to own a piece of techno history!

Als Karl Wallinger Mitte der 80er die Waterboys verliess, um World Party zu gründen, brauchte es einen einzigen Song, um die Fans davon zu überzeugen, dass dies kein Nebenprojekt war. Dieser Song, "Ship Of Fools", ist zusammen mit "Is It Like Today?", "Way Down Now", "Put The Message In The Box" und "She's The One" auf dieser ersten weltweiten Veröffentlichung des 17 Songs umfassenden Greatest Hits-Pakets "Best In Show" auf Yellow & Red Double Vinyl im Gatefold zu finden, das sich aus den besten Songs aus den Alben "Private Revolution", "Goodbye Jumbo", "Bang!", "Egyptology", "Dumbing Up" und "Arkeology" zusammensetzt.

PS: Eine gleichnamige 13-Track-Best-Of-CD erschien 2007 ausschliesslich in Australien & USA. Das Vinyl ist eine Erstveröffentlichung und enthält den zusätzlichen Bonustrack "Best Place I've Ever Been".

A quintessential, timeless piece of death metal
In 1997, long-running Polish death metal act VADER - currently celebrating their 40th anniversary - made an important step towards international recognition by releasing “Black To The Blind”, their third studio album, which includes live staples like ‘Carnal’ or the savage title track. Honed from playing way over 250 concerts in the mid 90’s and sharing stage with Cannibal Corpse, Immolation, Morbid Angel, the quartet became true road dogs with a dedicated following up until today and perfected their intense and catchy, Slayer-meets-Morbid-Angel on steroids brand of death metal. “Black To The Blind” has been remastered and features an updated layout as well as the original cover art. A quintessential, timeless piece of death metal!

Chaotic Shimmer is a collection of songs that vary in texture and genesis. The A side has a stronger sense of familiarity with the more rocking numbers, while the B side stretches out in more exploration. Some of the same electronic elements of 2024's Black Holes Don't Choke can be found in songs like "Music For The People" and "Caught Waiting". There is also a subtle nod to Minor Threat in the lyrics of "Caught Waiting". The track "Path I'd Like to Follow" is dreamy and meditative - channeling JJ Cale or late sixties San Francisco fog. The opening track is a rocket ship waiting to escape the dull confines of this singular consciousness, and it creates a space for the title track to transcend at will. All of the songs were recorded by Charles Moothart at his studio in Los Angeles. He wrote, performed, recorded, and mixed everything heard on this album. Reserving the right to do as thou wilt is rock and roll 101. The world is chaos, and chaos is creativity. To accept and embrace this is to tap in to the Chaotic Shimmer - a transcendent energy. Music is for the people. Charles Moothart is a multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He plays guitar in bands like FUZZ and Primitive Ring, as well as drums in GØGGS and Moonhearts. He was the touring drummer for Ty Segall's Freedom Band, as well as the Ty Segall and White Fence collaborative tours. Moothart has also released solo work under his initials CFM.

"Invisible Threads" is a sonic assault that penetrates the darkest depths of existence. This album explores themes of human degradation, unspoken fears, and wars that ravage not only bodies but also minds. A fierce manifestation of death metal, "Invisible Threads" overwhelms the listener with a crescendo of sonic brutality and raw emotions_an unrelenting frontal impact from the first to the last track, destined to leave a lasting mark.

"Invisible Threads" is a sonic assault that penetrates the darkest depths of existence. This album explores themes of human degradation, unspoken fears, and wars that ravage not only bodies but also minds. A fierce manifestation of death metal, "Invisible Threads" overwhelms the listener with a crescendo of sonic brutality and raw emotions_an unrelenting frontal impact from the first to the last track, destined to leave a lasting mark.

Red vinyl. Released in 1982, III Wishes marked a new chapter for Shooting Star, as it was their first album without founding keyboardist Bill Guffey. Despite the lineup change, the band continued to refine their signature blend of melodic rock and soaring instrumentation, further establishing themselves in the AOR scene. With Van McLain, Gary West, Charles Waltz, Ron Verlin, and Steve Thomas still leading the charge, III Wishes showcased powerful hooks, tight musicianship, and the band's signature violin-infused rock sound. While it didn't achieve mainstream superstardom, the album reaffirmed Shooting Star's underrated brilliance and commitment to delivering heartfelt, high-energy rock.

Red/Black splatter vinyl. Released in 1982, III Wishes marked a new chapter for Shooting Star, as it was their first album without founding keyboardist Bill Guffey. Despite the lineup change, the band continued to refine their signature blend of melodic rock and soaring instrumentation, further establishing themselves in the AOR scene. With Van McLain, Gary West, Charles Waltz, Ron Verlin, and Steve Thomas still leading the charge, III Wishes showcased powerful hooks, tight musicianship, and the band's signature violin-infused rock sound. While it didn't achieve mainstream superstardom, the album reaffirmed Shooting Star's underrated brilliance and commitment to delivering heartfelt, high-energy rock.

Repress as neon green vinyl!

Non Phixion drops a re-realse n of the group’s classic debut “The Future Is Now.” Available exclusively through Fat Beats. “Utilizing beats that would do Dr. Octagon-era Dan “The Automator” proud and rhyming schemes that bring to mind early Wu-Tang Clan or mid-’90s Gang Starr, Non Phixion exposes the sound of true underground hip-hop. This is music that reflects the sound and attitude of countless rappers selling their albums out of the back of their cars or in booths on the street, cutting together dirty and disjointed sounds with a confidence and quality that is unique to this particular genre. This would all be for nothing if it wasn’t for the excellent raps from Ill Bill, Goretex, and Sabac Red, a trio of rappers who have a Tribe Called Quest-like chemistry. Their clever lyrics, respectable skills, and rough voices make this an intense and dark landmark in alternative rap.”

The band is considered as a unique combination of the darkest sides of many
underground genres like grindcore, black/death metal, ambient, drone and of course
psychedelic music.

Tons formed in 2009 with members of hardcore bands from the 00's Turin scene (The
Redrum, Lama Tematica and NoInfo). Slow and heavy sounds take the place of
frenetic HC rhythms; the texts speak about weed in an ironic way, but also about a
certain tendency to esotericism that characterizes the city of Turin. In 2010 they
recorded a demo and in 2012 their first full length "Musinee Doom Session, Volume 1",
recorded by Danilo "Dano" Battocchio, was released for the Turin-based Escape From
Today (EFT050) and for the young Roman label, Heavy Psych Sounds (First non Black
Rainbows release, HPS005). In 2013 a split with Lento from Rome came out and Tons
began to plow the European venues, opening the stage for bands like Bongzilla,
Unsane, Church of Misery, Napalm Death, Pentagram etc ...

In 2015 the drummer Marco Dinocco left the band and was replaced by Andrea
Peracchia (Dogs for Breakfast/Slaiver). Paolo Paganelli (Woptime/Linea77) was also
added as lead guitarist. In 2018 the second full length of the band "Filthy Flowers of
Doom" was released for Heavy Psych Sounds Records, which would bring Tons again
around Europe in 2018 and in 2019. In 2021 they released a split record with the
mighty Bongzilla followed by a European tour together in 2022. On 7th October 2022
the band released a brand new album called "Hashension" and a repress for the 10th
anniversary of their debut album "Musinee Doom Session, Volume 1" with remastered
audio and a new cover artwork.

During these years Tons played in many important Festival, such as Desert Fest
London and Antwerp, Sonic Blast, Frantic Fest, Venezia Hardcore and HPS Fest.
QUOTE From the Band :"Three fun tracks for lovers of head banging who don't take
themselves too seriously like our friends Teo Segale (Rumore Mag.) and Ranch Sironi
(Nebula) to whom these songs are dedicated. "

This latest opus marks the band's studio comeback since 2018's "City Of Dope And
Violence", plus the opportunity to work with underground scene juggernauts like Tons
and Subsound Records and the consolidation of Alexander Lizzori as active producer
("Cyclops" / "2" era drummer and long time collaborator).

The band is considered as a unique combination of the darkest sides of many
underground genres like grindcore, black/death metal, ambient, drone and of course
psychedelic music.

Tons formed in 2009 with members of hardcore bands from the 00's Turin scene (The
Redrum, Lama Tematica and NoInfo). Slow and heavy sounds take the place of
frenetic HC rhythms; the texts speak about weed in an ironic way, but also about a
certain tendency to esotericism that characterizes the city of Turin. In 2010 they
recorded a demo and in 2012 their first full length "Musinee Doom Session, Volume 1",
recorded by Danilo "Dano" Battocchio, was released for the Turin-based Escape From
Today (EFT050) and for the young Roman label, Heavy Psych Sounds (First non Black
Rainbows release, HPS005). In 2013 a split with Lento from Rome came out and Tons
began to plow the European venues, opening the stage for bands like Bongzilla,
Unsane, Church of Misery, Napalm Death, Pentagram etc ...

In 2015 the drummer Marco Dinocco left the band and was replaced by Andrea
Peracchia (Dogs for Breakfast/Slaiver). Paolo Paganelli (Woptime/Linea77) was also
added as lead guitarist. In 2018 the second full length of the band "Filthy Flowers of
Doom" was released for Heavy Psych Sounds Records, which would bring Tons again
around Europe in 2018 and in 2019. In 2021 they released a split record with the
mighty Bongzilla followed by a European tour together in 2022. On 7th October 2022
the band released a brand new album called "Hashension" and a repress for the 10th
anniversary of their debut album "Musinee Doom Session, Volume 1" with remastered
audio and a new cover artwork.

During these years Tons played in many important Festival, such as Desert Fest
London and Antwerp, Sonic Blast, Frantic Fest, Venezia Hardcore and HPS Fest.
QUOTE From the Band :"Three fun tracks for lovers of head banging who don't take
themselves too seriously like our friends Teo Segale (Rumore Mag.) and Ranch Sironi
(Nebula) to whom these songs are dedicated. "

This latest opus marks the band's studio comeback since 2018's "City Of Dope And
Violence", plus the opportunity to work with underground scene juggernauts like Tons
and Subsound Records and the consolidation of Alexander Lizzori as active producer
("Cyclops" / "2" era drummer and long time collaborator).

The complete LP + 4 bonus tracks - limited edition pressing on 180g vinyl

As one of the most sensual singers in the history of jazz, Julie London's risque album covers were as much a part of her legend as her sultry and husky vocals.

Like many of her albums, London by Night brings together songs that form a narrative of a lovelorn woman finding true love, getting dumped, and wandering around sadly until finding romantic redemption in the final song.

As highlighted in the AllMusic review by Nick Dedina -"It also shows how 1950s audiences were dealing with the same issues of self-worth and esteem that modern ones are grappling with, and why classic albums such as 'London By Night' still have a place in music collections".

Known as one of the leading voices in the European roots scene, Ina's explosive live
performances and powerful, honey- dripping vocals have captivated audiences for
over a decade. With this new release, she takes listeners on an emotional and groovy
journey of rediscovery and resilience.
Recorded in Helsinki with a team of Finnish musicians and produced by Michael Bleu
and Ina, After Dark Hour is steeped in Retro Soul, Funk, Motown-inspired grooves, and
R&B. The energy of live performance was a driving force behind the album's creation.
"I wanted to make songs that would be fun to play live, songs that would make people
leave my shows sweaty and smiling,"
The title track, After Dark Hour, was the spark that reignited her creativity after over a
year of writer's block. "I was going through it--what I call the postpandemic blues. I
couldn't get myself to write songs or even listen to music. Then one day, I wrote the
title song, and it was like magic. It was such a relief to know I still had it in me after a
year of not having it. After dark hour represents the first moment you see the light
coming through the blinds you've been keeping shut. It's the feeling
that things are finally getting better."
The album takes listeners through an eclectic mix of soul sounds, from sultry power
ballads to James Brown- style funk explosions, tender sweet soul, and uptempo
Motown grooves. The lush production includes cinematic strings, bold horns, and
gospel-like backing vocals, all serving as a backdrop to Ina's signature vocals.
Ina has been performing since she was 17, dedicating her career to crafting music
that blends classic soul with her unique voice and vision. With After Dark Hour, she
delivers an album that invites listeners to dance through life's darkest moments.

Ltd Classic Black Vinyl with bonus 7inch, DL card. Monde UFO, LA-based duo of Ray Monde and Kris Chau, are a monochromatic sunset for the senses. A sonic journey through psychedelia, space rock and jazz. A cosmic space where Spacemen 3 meets Vanishing Twin, by way of Sun Ra. 7171 perfectly embodies the framework of lo and hi-fi sounds which have helped define the band. Included in this expanded package is Four Songs, Monde UFO's radical interpretation of Fugazi's music, housed for the first time on LTD 7" with new artwork. In a downtown Los Angeles warehouse, on 7th Street, Ray Monde began writing songs on an old Yamaha church organ for a project that eventually became Monde UFO. Utilizing the organ as a bass, alongside keyboards and a drum machine, he began making demos on a four-track cassette recorder. Heavily influenced by the musician Sandy Bull, sonically landing in a similar no-man's land of Worldly Jazz and Psych Folk. Monde experimented with the themes mostly of meditation and UFO lore. In time Ray moved in with the artist Kris Chau. With little crossover in musical tastes, they exclusively started listening to jazz, ambient and new age music in the house. Increased interest in sound baths and experimental music led to seeing music in a different light. Envisioning something that would sound like Don Cherry making a record with Yo La Tengo. '7171' is an amalgam of influences, interpretations and otherworldly sounds channeled through genre bending experimentation. This expanded edition of '7171' includes the sought after 'Four Songs' EP, a reimagining Fugazi's early classics, songs that take on a life of their own, lost amongst the haze and sugar sweet psych. Ray Monde explains, "Long Division was one of my favorite tracks off 'Steady Diet of Nothing' the first Fugazi record I ever owned; more than ever, it also feels truly poignant in the times we live in.Version 2 is our interpretation of Version from 'Red Medicine', my favorite Fugazi Record." "A slice of low-key bedroom pop-psychedelia in the vein of Syd Barrett." Aquarium Drunkard "Monde UFO wander through a humid mist of exotic samba shuffles, shamanic whispers, and reverberating laser beam synthesizers." New Commute

Limited vinyl release for aya's 2021 Hyperdub-debut album, a one-time pressing on Ecomix random colour-mix recycled vinyl. Originally released in 2021 as a book and digital album, im hole is now presented on ecomix splatter-effect vinyl. A welcome reminder ahead of new aya music in 2025. On im hole, aya distilled the incisive sonic experimentation of her early run of releases, the tongue-in-cheek giggles of her DJ sets and edits, and the identity-fluxing lyricism of her live shows. The album was immediately championed from all corners, 'Best New Music' in Pitchfork to DJ Mary Anne Hobbs Album of the Year, followed by incredible live shows which drew new listeners further into the net. Contorting language, dialect, gender and sexuality between intermittently controlled bursts of rhythm, noise and aural goop, aya sculpted a set of autobiographical vignettes that challenge established norms, question supposed truths, and affirm a spectrum of interlocking experiences. But while it's wide open and personal, im hole also challenges queer art's tendency to veer towards repetitive solipsism. Even the title itself references the unwieldy mix of self-actualization and sexualization that bogs down cultural perceptions of the trans experience. It's neither one thing nor t'other, just as much a sly nod to dissociative afterparty sloppiness as it is any self-congratulatory pinkwashed grandstanding. The music follows suit, fragmenting familiar sounds, twinned with familiar words, assembled in unfamiliar ways, full of sharp humour, even in the middle of despair. Stories are muddled with phonetics just as dubstep is macrodosed with microtonal drone.










j B4. If [redacted] Thinks He's Having This As A Remix He Can Frankly Do One

• 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
• THEIR DEBUT ALBUM
• INCLUDES INSERT WITH BLACK & WHITE GRAPHICS AND TEXT
• LIMITED EDITION OF 500 COPIES ON RED VINYL

Supersister’s debut effort remains one of Holland’s best progressive rock albums and a classic of the genre worldwide. Present From Nancy is available as a limited edition of 500 copies on red vinyl and includes an insert.

The very first Grammy winning artist in Reggae history, MYKAL ROSE is the voice of the greatest days of Black Uhuru. He’s responsible for hit songs such as ’Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner’, ‘Sinsemilla’ or ‘Sponji Reggae’. Thanks to Sly & Robbie, Mykal Rose and Black Uhuru have been a turning point into Reggae history, giving to the four corners of world the raw and brutal sound of Jamaica early 80’s violent political crisis, far from Bob Marley refined and sophisticated music.

40 years after he left the group, Mykal Rose returns with ‘Rain And Blood’, a new single that could have been taken from another Sly & Robbie-produced Black Uhuru album. In a 1986 proto- digital reggae style, Swiss reggae powerhouse THE 18TH PARALLEL recorded an early dancehall-roots-reggae riddim with none other than the legendary Robbie Shakespeare himself on bass. Mixed by today’s finest sound engineer from Jamaica, Gregory Morris (Protoje, Lila Ike, Mortimer,...), ‘Rain And Blood’ combines the best of modern reggae sound with an impeccable groovy riddim inspired from back in the days. On top of this, the finest horns section of the new Jamaican music scene, TOPP BRASS, graces us with a timeless instrumental cut called ‘Red Sky’. This is heavyweight reggae at its best!

After many years, Deformer has proven to still amaze and reinvent themselves. Fans always await the next record, because you never know what to expect, other than that it's most likely ear-shattering. This time again Deformer exceeded the expectations! The new crushing four track record entitled 'Instruments of torture', shows that Deformer still takes the lead when it comes to originality. Deformer has collaborated with some musical giants before and this time teamed up with Death Metal icon David Vincent (Vltimas, I Am Morbid), who previously shook up the music industry with Death Metal legends Morbid Angel. Featured on two tracks, David's signature grunt goes hand in hand with Deformer's musical carnage. This is not just groundbreaking, it's legendary!

Deformer producer, Mike Redman, is considered a musical maniac, known to be an artistic freethinker and has never watered down the Deformer concept. Where its foundation is still Hardcore Jungle, Deformer has always added various music genres into the mix making Deformer a genre of its own, even before terms like 'Breakcore' existed. Many of the more popular names in the field acknowledge that Deformer has always been a great source of inspiration. Where David Vincent made a blueprint in Death Metal, Deformer definitely did that for Hardcore Jungle/Breakcore.

Repressed LP on Neon Orange Vinyl, includes download card. It feels like someone left the light on in the studio and it all just ran itself, there had been a funky human input earlier in the day but, by a Darwinian machine-led kind of osmosis, the tracks recorded spent the wee small hours self-reducing and simplifying themselves. Marinated in music. “I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil,” said Truman Capote. ”Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” opined Leonardo da Vinci much earlier in proceedings. Yes, it’s the space around the object, what you leave out that makes what you leave in so important. ESG know this. Sure they can play the game but it’s the swagger of the groove and the minimal topping – like an anti-cup cake – that makes this unique New York sisterhood so appealing on ‘Keep On Moving’. Sampled on TV ads, lauded by critics and swooned over on the dancefloor, ESG’s post-punk took out the grunge and polished the basics. Cut them open and “less is more” is written all the way through. ‘Keep On Moving’ was released over ten years ago to much praise (Q said it was “even better” than 2002’s much loved ‘Step Off’). ESG had been sparring partners for PiL and early hip hop and four years after the ‘Off’, they were onto something new – rhythm as core, reflective storylines about relationship management, sensuality and insanity gather around the bass fix but they’re much blurrier than the incessant beats. Inadvertently they unmask techno and glitch and leave out any kind of superfluous fluff. It’s hard and temple throbbing. Turn it up. And keep moving. “If there's one tune which sums up ESG's enduring lust for life, it's the beautifully-judged Black Flag/early techno crossover of the closing 'Gimme A Blast'.” The Guardian 5/5 // “This album's every percussive aspect has been honed to impart the maximum amount of pleasure.” The Observer // “Despite their influence on younger bands (you can hear LCD Soundsystem's knobbly grooves on ‘Insane’), ESG still sound like nothing else.” The Guardian

Crafted from solo recordings of 42 top-notch improviser musicians mostly drawn from Berlin’s multi-layered experimental scene, the monumental Phantom Orchestra project by Raed Yassin is finally getting released on Morphine Records. More than 1000 minutes of source material, recorded at the Morphine Raum during the fall of 2021, is distilled into a cogent work marked by a dazzling display of editing and blending, and packed into a double LP containing 7 “movements” of the Phantom Orchestra composition.

Crafted from solo recordings of 42 top-notch improviser musicians mostly drawn from Berlin’s multi-layered experimental scene, the monumental Phantom Orchestra project by Raed Yassin is finally getting released on Morphine Records. More than 1000 minutes of source material, recorded at the Morphine Raum during the fall of 2021, is distilled into a cogent work marked by a dazzling display of editing and blending, and packed into a double LP containing 7 “movements” of the Phantom Orchestra composition.

The Lebanese composer, musician and visual artist Raed Yassin has built a career straddling artistic mediums and communities, his devotion to improvisation, his connection to experimental electronic music, and his interest in the archive distinguishing a progressive impulse rooted in historic exploration. In 2020 Morphine Records released his wildly ambitious Live in Sharjah, made by a kaleidoscopic expansion of Praed, his duo with clarinetist Paed Conca. He resumes his interest in large-scale projects with Phantom Orchestra, conceived during the pandemic when most European improvisers were forced to redirect their energies into solo work,

Each set of the Phantom Orchestra’s solos was cut on a Dubplate, ready to be performed on 12 turntables routed to a six-channel setup, to create a unified and breathtaking composition from the spontaneous material. The resulting material was then edited and prepared to be cut on a Double LP format, marshalling a staggering variety of improvised footage into an air-tight collage that locates abstract consonance, stunning sonic rhymes, and unusual harmonies without shutting out the sort of exhilarating collisions and fraught tensions inherent in collaborative improvisations. With this final stage of the composition, Yassin offers a vibrant testimony to the diversity of Berlin’s community of improvisers, to say nothing of his own refined artistic sensibility in achieving such a remarkable feat of blending so many contrasting voices into a truly unified piece of music. “For me it's about how to learn to be a community again,” he says. “And how to live in a world together again, which is a very difficult question for me.”

“This Album was published with the support of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture – AFAC”

Arny Margret, Iceland’s remarkable and poetic upcoming singer-songwriter, is due to release her second album ‘I Miss You, I Do’ on March 7th via One Little Independent Records. The follow-up to 2022’s celebrated, minimalist folk debut ‘they only talk about the weather’ sees her working with new producers in America to develop and hone a sound that’s more textured, expansive, and mature.

‘I Miss You, I Do’ incorporates sessions from Arny Margret’s trips to New York City, North Carolina, and Colorado, as well as those recorded in Iceland. During extensive international touring, she wrote prolifically and spent time getting to know producers and musicians who each brought their own unique and individual talents to the project. Arny’s atmospheric and introspective material has been layered with country-inflected full band ensembles, keys, banjo, harmonium, slide guitar and more, adding an ambience that only enhances her natural ability to convey crystal-clear imagery within thematically rich writing.

In pursuit of her creative vision, Arny enlisted producers Josh Kaufman, Andrew Berlin, Brad Cook, and Guðm. “Kiddi” Kristinn Jónsson. Josh Kaufman is best known for his work with Grateful Dead founder Bob Weir, The National, This Is The Kit, Hiss Golden Messenger, Josh Ritter, and The War on Drugs. Andrew Berlin, GRAMMY nominated for his work on Gregory Alan Isakov’s record ‘Evening Machines’, also mixes national punk rock staples such as A Wilhelm Scream, Rise Against, and Teenage Bottlerocket. Brad Cook served as a producer for Bon Iver, Big Red Machine, Waxahatchee, Hand Habits, Kevin Morby, and Whitney amongst others. Arny also returned to Iceland to record with her long-time collaborator and friend Kiddi Jónsson in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a 2000 wuxia film directed by Ang Lee. Taking place in 18th-century Qing dynasty China, the story revolves around a warrior who gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen, and the chase is on to retrieve it. The film was praised for its story, direction, and cinematography, and for its martial arts sequences. It won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The score was composed by Tan Dun, containing many solo passages for cello by Yo-Yo Ma. The track “A Love Before Time” features Coco Lee. This album is released as a limited edition of 750 copies on translucent red vinyl.

Red Motorbike maestro Eddie C drops on the ensemble with an anthemic ode to the most sought-after of desires. We’ve been keeping this secret for far too long; it’s time to bring U Be Mine into the light, complete with remixes from Lex, Da Silva and Marcello Giordani aka Italo Deviance.
It was just over a year ago when Eddie sent us his original demo of U Be Mine. I remember plugging i the speakers in my fat, pressing play. A fash from a place of love that wet, grey day. The lyrical bass, euphoric stabs, the iconic delay, the pining vox. There are times where things seem naturally bound, designed to intertwine. An instant essential. We couldn’t wait to throw it down in the disco. Much like the coveted desire of its vocoder-clad protaganist, we needed a club-ready fx. Eddie, getting the message, sent us over a quick master - the Eddie C ‘Cash’ Version. Over the next year, at parties from Lisbon to Ibiza, I saw how those swirling arps locked onto the foor, how dancers cosied up to its decadent groove. It was peak time, warm-up and wind-down at once. In the true spirit of the ensemble, we got to work curating a cast of balearic technicians to write their distinct shade of depth onto Eddie’s golden letter. And that’s where it lands.
Lex from Athens casts an exotic, eclectic spirit with his Plaka Remix, all shufing percussions and wild, breezy strings, rejigged baselines and NYC disco tackle. Label curator Da Silva ups the ante with his 7-minute club-ready fx: tight kicks and searing acid, all the bells and whistles for your peak-time excursions. Finally, Marcello Giordani shifts into hyperdrive with the ITALO DEVIANCE ACID CONTROL version, conjuring creatures of the night in kaleidoscopic confgurations, a trusted party roller for the most decadent dancefoors.
We’re releasing U Be Mine on 150 pristine discs only. Claim it as yours, forevermore.

Reissue des 1979er Solodebütalbums des grandiosen Blues-Mundharmonika-Spielers Sugar Blue aka James Whiting aus Harlem, NYC. Sugar Blue arbeitete mit zahlreichen Musikerkollegen (Louisiana Red, Bob Dylan, Stan Getz, Ray Charles, Frank Zappa) zusammen, seine berühmteste Kooperation dürften aber die Rolling Stones-Alben "Some Girls" (1978) & "Emotional Rescue" (1980) sein, darunter der Überfliegerhit "Miss You", den er später solo coverte. Sugar Blue war mit einem Beitrag auf der Compilation "Blues Explosion" (1985) und als Studiomusiker auf Willie Dixons Album "Hidden Charms" (1998) vertreten - beide Werke gewannen einen Grammy. 1997 begleitete er Prince auf dessen Love-4-One-Another-Charities-Tour.

Cindy Lee, Arthur Russell, Viagra Boys, On-U Sound. In the discourse around new albums from singular, world-building artists, the phrase “a big step forward” can often be a blinking red warning sign. You know you’re about to be pulled somewhere new against your will. Inertia is a hell of a thing. It’s nice here. Surely, the party’s not over yet? JJULIUS’ Vol. 3 album is a big step forward, or a step up, out of the murky basement of the preceding two volumes. There’s no time to acclimate. A spindly violin grabs you by the hand and pulls you into the pastoral bounce of “Brinna ut,” which, in spite of its meaning (“Burn out”), creates the kind of blind positivity and warm stomach feeling less cynical people might find in self-help seminars. For us, we have records like this. And, inertia be damned, Vol. 3 has charm like a balm. JJULIUS records have always arrived like meteors from another planet, an impression hammered home by the fact that they’re titled like compendiums of artifacts. And while Vols. 1 and 2 carried that notable tinge of darkness, Vol. 3 has (almost!) cast that shadow, adding elements of disco (“Dödsdisco”) and dream-pop (“Etopisk hallucination”) to his forever favorites Arthur Russell, African Head Charge, and The Fall. Some of that new car smell could be attributed to a change in process. Each song was written over beats played by Tor Sjödén of the wild-eyed Stockholm group Viagra Boys, beats that were themselves inspired by tracks from the likes of Patrick Cowley, CAN, Count Ossie, Black Devil Disco Club and others that Julius would send to him as inspiration. Unless you’re Mark E. Smith, fervor fades. Eventually we all crave a lie down in some nice grass, a few minutes to gaze at the sky and wonder if everything is actually all that bad. Vol. 3 gives you 35 of those respiting minutes. “No looking back, no misery, no talking trash, no enemies.”

Three songs by Lungfish, released in 1995.

This pressing of the 7"s is on cherry red vinyl. Non-Returnable.

Daniel Higgs vocals
Asa Osborne guitar
John Chriest bass
Mitchell Feldstein drums

Rognvald, aka Richard Wilson, returns at full throttle with part 2 of 'The New Selecta'. Rognvald's unique future-old skool sound continues to evolve in this release, the third 12" in his WIFE series. You will travel into unknown subterranean territory with 'The New Selecta', exploring the limits of break choppage and granular sound design on a loved and familiar soundscape, as well as 2 dread filled cuts of swampy ambient reductions.

Using a minimal sound palette to maximal effect, Rognvald deconstructs and abstracts the tropes of old skool jungle. Blending blunted breaks with burrowing subatomic sinewaves, euphoric rave vocals lead to a nuclear ruffneck ecstacy.

Absolutely thrilled to introduce Hypa, a heavy-weight linkup between Aloka & Dave N.A that promises to ignite dance floors worldwide. The high-energy 4 tracker is packed to the brim with punchy bass weight, dynamic shifts, and pulsating beats. Hope you enjoy this one as much we are!

2025 Repress
Singing black-lit liturgies of bog bodies caked in mud, entranced by nocturnal landscapes flickering in the moonglow and powered by queer enchantment, Tristwch y Fenywod are a Welsh-language gothic avant-rock powercoven. Exhumed from the depths of Leeds’
experimental underground, the trio consist of Gwretsien Ferch Lisbeth (Guttersnipe, The Ephemeron Loop), Leila Lygad (Hawthonn) and Sidni Sarffwraig (Slaylor Moon, The Courtneys).
Stark, striking and bewitching, Tristwch y Fenywod’s self-titled album is their debut studio recording, following just 10 gigs and a live demo. Formed in 2022, Tristwch y Fenywod ("The Sadness of Women”) record exclusively in the Welsh language, conjuring an eldritch, subterranean, alien folk music played on dual zither, electronic drums and bass guitar. With towering, siren-like vocals curling around the Welsh consonants, accompanied by stark, martial rhythms and swirling claw-plucked strings, Tristwch y Fenywod feels like an early 4AD recording dredged from the waters of an Anglesey swamp. The effect is simultaneously chilling and stirring.
The eight tracks on the record constitute what feels like a recently rediscovered, unholy grail of edgy, atmospheric, occult feminist goth emissions. Gwretsien’s dual-zither playing scatters melodic fragments and spirals of harmony around the decimated space opened up by the lugubrious bass playing and pounding, brooding drum pads.
Coupled with the Welsh vocal, Tristwch y Fenywod embody a new, unique Celtic darkwave sound, equal part Pornography-era The Cure, Svitlana Nianio’s haunted hammered string-work and the dark beauty of Dead Can Dance or This Mortal Coil. Opener Blodyn Gwyrdd feels like the last ride of Princess Ukok, with lumbering bass and 6/8 rhythms in procession to the event horizon with an entreating, impassioned vocal and surprising lyrical theme. The doomed dancing of the zither provides the mysterious melodic bedrock throughout the album, particularly on Ferch Gyda’r Llygaid Du’s heavy funereal swa and the slowly building, paroxysmal banshee breakdown of Awen: an astonishing swell of thrilling chaos.
The album was recorded and produced by Ross Halden and the band at Hohm Studio, Bradford, Summer 2023.

ARCHITECTS are back and charging forward in the heavy rock world with their latest sonic masterpiece, The Sky, The Earth & All Between. After two relentless years on the road-featuring massive European summer tours with Metallica and top billing at festival stages across Europe, (Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, Hellfest, Download, Graspop, Full Force to name a few and headlining Bloodstock) - the band has returned to the studio to deliver their most powerful collection of songs yet. With the creative force of Jordan Fish (Bring Me The Horizon) behind the boards, Architects have captured the explosive energy of their live performances while elevating their signature melodic edge. This album reflects the perfect blend of raw intensity, emotional depth, and innovative production. Already making waves, singles like "Curse" and "Seeing Red" have drawn rave reviews from all major metal press worldwide. "Seeing Red" the "anthem powerhouse" landed because of global success in the top 10 of charts worldwide-amassing over 45 million streams along the way. The Sky, The Earth & All Between builds on the momentum of their 2022 album, the classic symptoms of a broken spirit, which stormed to the top of the UK Rock and Metal Charts. With this new release, Architects are once again set to push the boundaries of modern heavy music, cementing their status as one of the most exciting and essential bands of our time.

Wildfires by Polly Paulusma, released 28 February 2025, includes the following tracks: "Prologue to Mary Louise", "Prologue to Red Flags", "Prologue to Dunstable Downs", "Prologue to Over and Over" and more.

VENTILATEUR is an instrumental project combining sounds from the vivid worlds of contemporary jazz and postpunk. The three-piece band, consisting of Iben Stalpaert on drums, Jasper Hollevoet on bass and Daan Soenens on guitar, uses angular rhythms and flowing melodies to construct compositions that embody both contrast and cohesion. Originally from Bruges, the band currently has Ghent as its homebase.

The trio released its self-titled debut EP on 22 March 2019. VENTILATEUR won awards at Fresh Fish, Red Rock Rally and Burgrock that same year and was one of the laureates of the then brand new Sound Track. Thanks to Sound Track 2020, the band received a residency at Het Entrepot in Bruges and a year of professional coaching from VI.BE and other national players in the music landscape.

In 2020, VENTILATEUR joined forces with young Ghent theatre collective Camping Sunset for the performance Happiness. The band composed the soundtrack for the play and also performed it live during the five-week run of the production. The music was subsequently recorded and released under the title A Soundtrack For Happiness at the Brussels label Sentimental.

In 2022, VENTILATEUR released its first full-length album with W.E.R.F. Records. Hoofdplaat, titled after the village near the manor house that served as its recording location, is the result of a long process of purification. VENTILATEUR presents the essence of their sound, stripped from all ballast.

VENTILATEUR balances on the border between the ‘niche’ world of instrumental jazz and the accessible world of the pop-rock circuit. From this position, the band aims to bring instrumental music to a wider audience. Apart from being purely intrinsically artistic, the trio's ambition is to excite a new audience for cultural participation and specifically the rich genre of jazz. Through their choice of accessibility within the experimental, the band aims to form a bridge between a wider audience and a musical world still too often labelled as ‘niche’. The musicians not only focus on the club and festival circuit, but have already written soundtracks for some short film projects and are also reaching out to the theatre world.

In its early years, VENTILATEUR was mainly known within the Flemish arts landscape on the Bruges-Ghent-Brussels axis. A soundtrack for Happiness and Hoofdplaat introduced VENTILATEUR to a new audience. Songs from the albums got airtime from Radio 1, Klara and other stations, and singles appeared in national playlists. The band’s music was also picked up by VRT, which used the single Nectar during several programs. In 2023, the band scored their biggest gig yet: Ghent Jazz on a podium curated by their label, W.E.R.F. Records.

VENTILATEUR as a project can count on the support of organisations such as W.E.R.F. Records, Cactus Music Centre, Het Entrepot and VI.BE. The band also has close ties with theatre companies such as Camping Sunset, Compagnie Cecilia and Ontroerend Goed and, of course, numerous connections within the Flemish and Brussels music scene.

Muireann Bradley is a young blues, ragtime, roots and folk guitarist and singer based in Ballybofey in County Donegal Ireland. “This is my first album. Most of these tunes were originally recorded by the great blues men and women who were making records from the 1920s and 1930s right up in some cases to the early 1970s. I have also found inspiration for the renditions recorded here in the playing of some of the musicians who began recording this music in the 1960s and later, and who in some cases learned at the feet of the greats. Many of these guitarists played pivotal roles in the 1960s blues revival and subsequent “rediscovery” of many of the greats of country blues. I grew up steeped in these old blues in the hills overlooking the valley of the River Finn just outside the town of Ballybofey in County Donegal. My father would play this music constantly at home and wherever we went in the car and talk about it endlessly whether anyone was listening or not, telling stories about the lives of these musicians as if they were legend, mythology or the evening news. My father could of course play all this stuff on guitar, I remember watching him when I was very young and thinking “I want to be able to do that”. When I was nine he agreed to teach me and bought me my first little travel guitar. I worked hard to learn how to play but as time wore on I seemed to have less and less time to practice as I became more and more invested in the combat sports I was regularly training and competing in. Then in March 2020 the first Covid lockdowns happened and all contact sports were shut down. I was lost for a while but soon found my way back to the guitar. I was now listening, playing and practicing with a new intensity and focus. In a very serious moment, I wrote out a list of tunes I was going to learn. The first tune on that list was Blind Blake’s “Police Dog Blues”. I’m not sure now how long it took to get that arrangement together but when it was ready we videoed me performing it and posted it on YouTube. It ended up getting a lot of attention, I remember my parents being quite shocked and soon after that Josh Rosenthal got in touch… and here we are! Each individual track on this album was recorded live in the studio and represents one entire take with me singing and backing myself up on guitar simultaneously. Most are either first or second takes. Nothing has been added or taken away, no overdubs or modern recording tricks of any kind have been used at all so at least in some respects this album has been recorded in the same way as those classics of the 1920s and 1930s

2025 Repress
Anenon's tenor saxophone breathes an emotive contemplation on loss, meshed with sustained piano and field recordings. 'Moons Melt Milk Light' is a hyper-personal statement contained in a visceral beauty.

LA native Anenon returns with a highly anticipated new album 'Moons Melt Milk Light' on Tonal Union, bearing his most personal, expressive, and arresting works to date. Anenon is the ongoing solo studio and live project of Brian Allen Simon, whom since 2010 has released multiple albums and EPs to critical acclaim, including the highly revered 'Tongue' (2018) and 'Petrol' (2016).

'Moons Melt Milk Light' is direct, efficient, and unwavering in its immediacy. Anenon departs from the electronics of previous works, and embarks on a reductive, almost entirely acoustic approach consisting of piano, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, and field recordings. All of the music was improvised with everything recorded as either a first or second take with no edits. Any layering happened fast and in the moment, and yet the sonic architecture of the whole feels both planned and refined.

"I feel a kinetic and messy honesty that doesn't exist in any of the other music I've ever made. There is also a sense of being settled, of calm. There is no faking it here."

The first-ever vinyl reissue of 1988’s I Wanna Have Some Fun, perennial pop icon and pin-up Samantha Fox’s third album. The only British female solo artist to score three Top Ten hits on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1980s, Samantha made her name as the nation’s favourite Page Three girl before launching an enviable music career.

I Wanna Have Some Fun features Sam’s irresistible Stock/Aitken/Waterman-produced cover of Dusty Springfield’s ‘I Only Wanna Be With You’ (#16 UK, #31 US) the gold-certified, Full Force-helmed title track (#8 US) and the acidinflected club favourite ‘Love House’ (#32 UK). Samantha’s most danceable, transatlantic and eclectic set so far, I Wanna Have Some Fun reached #46 in the UK and #37 in the US, giving her a third consecutive gold certification. Pressed on striking transparent red vinyl with black and yellow splatters to complement the original aesthetic, this edition boasts painstakingly rebuilt artwork and a newly designed inner bag featuring full lyrics.

A strictly limitededition picture disc is also available. I Wanna Have Some Fun is reissued alongside Samantha’s 1986 debut, Touch Me, and her eponymous 1987 sophomore album.

The first-ever vinyl reissue of 1988’s I Wanna Have Some Fun, perennial pop icon and pin-up Samantha Fox’s third album. The only British female solo artist to score three Top Ten hits on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1980s, Samantha made her name as the nation’s favourite Page Three girl before launching an enviable music career.

I Wanna Have Some Fun features Sam’s irresistible Stock/Aitken/Waterman-produced cover of Dusty Springfield’s ‘I Only Wanna Be With You’ (#16 UK, #31 US) the gold-certified, Full Force-helmed title track (#8 US) and the acidinflected club favourite ‘Love House’ (#32 UK). Samantha’s most danceable, transatlantic and eclectic set so far, I Wanna Have Some Fun reached #46 in the UK and #37 in the US, giving her a third consecutive gold certification. Pressed on striking transparent red vinyl with black and yellow splatters to complement the original aesthetic, this edition boasts painstakingly rebuilt artwork and a newly designed inner bag featuring full lyrics.

A strictly limitededition picture disc is also available. I Wanna Have Some Fun is reissued alongside Samantha’s 1986 debut, Touch Me, and her eponymous 1987 sophomore album.

Released in 1955 on Prestige Records, The Musings of Miles is the first 12” LP from legendary trumpet player Miles Davis. With Davis as bandleader, other players include Red Garland (piano), Oscar Pettiford (bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums). This new edition of the album is released as part of the Original Jazz Classics Series on 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI with all-analogue mastering from the original tapes at Cohearent Audio and a Stoughton Tip-On Jacket.

“Do you still believe it?” John Ross asks that question after journeying through the wreckage. The genesis of Dulling The Horns goes back to late 2022, when Ross began workshopping new material during soundcheck on the ILYSM tour. Last summer, Wild Pink decamped to western Massachusetts to reunite with engineer Justin Pizzoferrato. Ross decided to record Dulling The Horns live in the room, in an effort to capture Wild Pink’s onstage style — rawer, grainier. Gone are the glimmering atmospherics and studio affectations of recent Wild Pink outings. Instead, Ross’ voice is haggard against the humid distortion coating every song. “I wanted to make economical songs,” Ross explains. “Music that is very much at its core three or four people rocking.” If before, Wild Pink took notes from Springsteen and Petty, they’ve now entered their Crazy Horse era. On Dulling The Horns, you can hear him rediscovering the fire in real time. Tropes discarded along the roadside, songs pulled from the formative DNA of rock music, all filtered through years of messy fog. “There is no answer to these problems,” Ross says, having eventually yielded. But as far Dulling The Horns is concerned, there’s at least one path forward: Burn it all away, and keep moving. The album was mixed by Alex Farrar in Asheville NC, mastered by Greg Obis in Chicago, IL and is out in October on Fire Talk.