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Espen Eriksen – piano Lars Tormod Jenset – bass Andreas Bye – drums Andy Sheppard – saxophone. The combination of Espen Eriksen Trio and UK saxophone giant Andy Sheppard is truly a match made in jazz heaven, and in the words of Andy: “I knew from the first time I heard the trio play that I would fit right in. I loved the melodic sense and vibe and was thrilled when I was invited to guest with the trio in London in 2016”. The common conclusion drawn in reviews of their first album Perfectly Unhappy five years ago was simply “more, please”, and now we are delighted to introduce As Good As It Gets, the quite brilliant follow-up. The two album titles aptly indicate a subtle change in mood, and it´s fair to say that the new album finds the trio slightly more lively and sunny in parts, still highly melodic and lyrical, often with a typically Nordic melancholic signature (check the Grieg nod in album closer Drifting Clouds). Eriksen is a master of catchy tunes and when Sheppard adds his inimitable playing to the trio´s minimalistic approach, magic is created. Espen Eriksen Trio was formed in 2007 and released their debut album in 2010. As Good As It Gets is their seventh album, all on Rune Grammofon. They have toured on four continents, becoming an increasingly popular concert attraction in several countries. Eriksen´s background is ranging from jazz to pop music and the church organ, while Jenset lived and worked as a musician in Copenhagen for seven years before relocating to Norway. Andreas Bye is one of Norway´s most requested drummers in jazz and pop and has played with Bugge Wesseltoft, John Scofield, Joshua Redman, Dhafer Yousef, Nils Petter Molvær and many others. With a career spanning over four decades, working together with the likes of George Russell, Gil Evans, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow and numerous others, Andy Sheppard is truly one of Europe’s leading saxophonists. As a leader he has recorded for labels like Antilles, Verve, Blue Note and lately four albums for ECM.

Rob Mello really needs no introduction, but you're getting one anyway.

Rob has been instrumental in putting UK House music on the map since the early 90's. Numerous legendary projects and collaborations, including the enormous Disco Elements series with Zaki Dee, Reel Houze & the exceptional, way-ahead-of-their-time psychedelic Disco / House jams via Sensory Productions, not forgetting his later, superb work for Classic.

Oh and did we forget Black Science Orchestra ?
Yeah, he was there too.

We helped out with some of Rob's early noughties DISCO45 releases (still sound absolutely amazing)
As well as the slo-mo sleaze (and a secret weapon) of Beulah Heights.

So what do we have here ?

Rob revives his No Ears moniker for a duo of perfectly crafted dancefloor delights.
Pieced together with diligence and more than a little trademark Mello funk, this is up there with his best work.

House hero, master craftsman and absolute gentleman.
Get on it !

Shortly after the great Envision EP (Xistence 001) Dublin based Phil Robertson DJ/Producer alias Arbilla back with it’s second release on his own imprint Xistence Records. This 4 tracker EP brings some dark Detroit Techno where classic meets the modern sound. The title track “Moving Forward” is from the deeper side of techno, futuristic synth melodies with heavy claps and bleeps.

Detroit’s techno legend, lifetime member of Underground Resistance, master of the darkness James Pennington aka Suburban Knight on remix duty... pure Detroit machine funk, more groove oriented version with filthy bass. Flip side track called Windjana is solid but with a classic claps/hihats which driving by a massive bassline.

Life Scenario with dark melodies,heavy percussions, and killer bassline inspired by James’ sound and shows mad respect & much love for Motor City underground.

Memory Play returns to Control Freak Recordings, this time offering up the latest release for their White Label series with Weather Structures EP.

Following recent performances across Japan and at London techno haven FOLD, Memory Play has marked themselves out as one of the most exciting & energetic live techno acts to emerge onto the scene in recent years.

Dark, mechanical and intensely psychedelic, Weather Structures EP sees Control Freak exploring new sonic territory. A boundary-pushing exploration in driving 4x4 techno, Memory Play’s strong focus on hyper-detailed textures will be instantly familiar to fans of their debut Choice EP, released on Control Freak earlier this year.

Three appearances on Andy C’s Nightlife 5 in 2010 signaled the start of Wilkinson’s journey with RAM Records. Three years later he would go on to drop his debut album ‘Lazers Not Included’, propelled by the success of ‘Afterglow’, featuring Becky Hill, making a dent in the UK Top 10 and going on to gold certified status with over 150+ million streams to date. Capturing his dancefloor ready sound, which helped make him one of the biggest names in electronic music in the UK and beyond, Lazers features the anthems ‘Take You Higher’, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Too Close’ and ‘Half Light’.

To mark the 10th anniversary of its release, the album has been pressed in full for the very first time on yellow vinyl. With a refreshed design, this special edition will make a great collector’s item for old and new Wilkinson fans alike.

Belgium excellent electro acid tunes, from one of the Acid Mercenaries musician. Techno to breakz, a masterpiece ! Don't miss that wicked melt of oldschool sounds and newskool styles... FAT !

Freestyle Records proudly present a reissue of Gloria Weems' ace 1983 long-player "Lovelight" - previously only available on a rare South African pressing, and featuring the single "Wanna Dance With You" (licensed for a 12" on storied NYC label Prelude in the same year).

The record was written and produced by Jim Duncombe and Chris Palmer - owner of London's legendary Groove Records and also the man behind UK funk/disco label Groove Production (Surface Noise, Linda Taylor, Caché etc). Chris & Jim had met earlier in the year at the Midem music conference in Cannes, and started writing together shortly after. The initial recording sessions were completed at Duncombe's Powerplay Recording Studios in Switzerland, with American vocalist Gloria Weems (then on a club tour of Switzerland) brought in on vocal duties.

Palmer then added additional recordings and mixed the record down at Groove Production's London base. Criminally it was only ever picked up for release in super limited numbers through the South African label CCP Records - though Chris, through an ongoing licensing relationship via his Groove Production label, managed to license "Wanna Dance With You" and it's dubbed-out b-side "Wanna Version" to the legendary NYC label Prelude. Nevertheless the Lovelight LP represents a lost classic and a rare example of a transatlantic disco-boogie project in the era's golden period, in it's linking up of UK, European and American elements.

In our little history, the number 7, besides a kind of esoteric fascination, has marked important milestones in our evolutionary journey. This is why Raw Culture has decided to pay homage in grand style to its seventh year as an independent sound guarantor. To do so, it weaves a co-production with Oderso Rubini, historical memory of the Italian New Wave and head of Italian Records in the 80s. Out of this synergy comes our 24th release, Ping Pong, a dancefloor of dissonant bounces, where free-form suggestions, electronics and rhythmic improvisation find synthesis in a high-intensity competitive match. Starting from the sampling of Korean ping pong matches and the voices of the speakers, Renzini and Passini build a framework where the sound or voice of the electronically harmonised hoover amalgamates with powerful and syncopated drumming, a sound experiment poised between improvisational heavy jazz and Korean-style electronics.

The record is ideally divided into two converging visions highlighting the duplicity of the game, side A or Master Ping collects the first improvisations made by the duo in 2018 leaving almost unchanged the improvisational spirit close to a kind of degenerate free jazz. Side B or Master Pong made later explores more musical forms, with influences of the krautrock and electronic disco matrix, and sees the collaboration with other musicians from Bologna’s historic rock scene such as Gianluca Patini (Surprize, Slava Trudu, Volkwerk Folletto) on guitars, Giorgio Lavagna on vocals (Gaznevada, Stupid Set) and Enrico Serotti on electronic samples (Confusional Quartet, Stupid Set).

On October 20, 2023, Anetha will release her third tempetuous compilation on her label Mama told ya entitled MTY-AIR «Mille attaques, les vents contrèrent», just one year after MTY-TERRE «Contre tout, toutes et tous, la terre demeure» and two years after MTY-EAU «L’eau repousse les feux agressifs».

Through air element, the compilation comes up with the collaboration of 22 artists with 20 tracks, divided into 4 vinyls: Once again, Anetha carried away with her a generation of electronic artists from around the world to simply blow our mind.

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ON AIR: After twelve successful releases on Mama told ya, Anetha paraglides in our skies with the stormful MTY-AIR, a volatile new compilation: 4 swirling vinyls, 20 aerodynamics tracks, 1 wind blowing perfume.

Entitled «Mille attaques, les vents contrèrent», it will be the third of a series around the four elements. Capricious yet vigorous, air sweeps out everything on its way. Nothing can save you when you’re in the eye of the cyclone: prepare to fly hard. Alongside our windbreaker artists, skydive into the celestial vastness of sound: Gusts of disturbed techno, squalls of groove, mental tornado, minimal bass hurricane, cloudburst of psytrance… Time to get some fresh air.

Piercing pampero, mad mistral, forceful cierzo are blowing, blazing khamsin, steady sirocco, sharp shamal, dank nor’wester are entwining… Techno winds from all around the world are joining the fight against humanity. This is « Endgame » (B2). Final chapter, twisters and typhoons are cleansing the surface of earth, overthrowing everything on their path. Poor soul, don’t try to confront air’s blast as it will « Facelift » (D2) the shit out of you in less than a second. Take shelter as air is untouchable, unpredictable, unstoppable. Or if you’re brave enough, you’ll jump into the sky, looking for the currents to carry you up, sailing whirlwinds, riding airwaves, on the road to the « Temples of Quantum » (H2). Now jump!

The artwork has been once again entrusted to visual artist Karin Kimel, who worked on MTY-EAU’s artwork. She delivers an aerial scenery where supernal wafts are swirling, embalming our air. Diplomatie Studio took care of the design, mastering was entrusted to Sixbitdeep. And for the second time, with a direct message from earth to Earth, we opted for recycled vinyls.

All Analogue Audiophile 180g Vinyl LP!
Remastered & Cut to Lacquer by Kevin Gray from the Original 1961 Analog Master Tape!

Mastered with the Original Analogue Master Tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio!

Impex Records is pleased to announce a new, audiophile HQ-180 LP release of Bud Shank's pivotal 1961 classic, Barefoot Adventure.

Featuring original compositions arranged by Shank for Bruce Brown's surf film of the same name, this is a swinging, hard-driving jazz session by six top-flight musicians at the height of their careers: Bud Shank (alto and baritone), Bob Cooper (tenor), Carmell Jones (trumpet), Dennis Budimir (guitar), Gary Peacock (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

The original Pacific Jazz recording features excellent sonics and showcases Shank at his most adventurous, playing with an advanced confidence and sophistication.

Remastered and cut to lacquer by Kevin Gray from the original 1961 analogue master tape, this ultimate vinyl edition of Barefoot Adventure will satiate the most demanding audiophile and jazz enthusiast alike!

Wewantsounds is delighted to release 'Sharayet el Disco' a selection of
Egyptian '80s disco and boogie tracks curated by Egyptian DJ Disco
Arabesquo from his vast collection of cassettes and officially released on
vinyl for the first time
Remastered for vinyl and including colour insert with liner notes by Moataz Rageb
(Disco Arabesquo). Most tracks have never been released on any other format
and are making their vinyl debut with this set. A journey through the funky sound
of 80s Egypt, Sharayet El Disco (which can be translated by "Disco Cassettes")
features Simone, Ammar El Sherei and more obscure names from Cairo's
cassette culture.
The audio has been remastered for vinyl by David Hachour/Colorsound Studio in
Paris and the LP features artwork by young Egyptian graphic designer Heba Tarek
and a 2-page insert featuring artwork of the original cassettes plus insightful liner
notes by Moataz Rageb.
The set is a unique insight into the diversity of the Egyptian Disco sound, from the
pulsating Disco of "Hezeny" by Hany Shenouda's Al Massrieen band to the boogie
of Simone's "Merci," via Firkit El Asdekaa's tongue-in-cheek "Eklib el Sheriet" ("turn
the cassette to the other side"), produced by legendary Egyptian musician Ammar
El Sherei.

Kikagaku Moyo 1st self-titled album reissue. Originally released by Cosmic Eye Records in Sep 2013. Kikagaku Moyo's debut album exerts an elemental power. Enlivening their sound with sitars, percussive drums, theremins, wind instruments and ethereal vocals, the band manages to sound powerfully spacious and lazily serene all at once. Their songs can be light as air, or heavy as earth. comes with digital download

Many evolve out of intense experiences of engagement with the natural world. The album’s first track, “Can You Imagine Nothing?” was written over a night spent jamming on a suspended footbridge in remote mountains. As the song progressed the bridge began to sway, making band members feel as though they were floating weightless in midair.

DJ 3000, Presents 'Mezë EP’ – A Fusion of Music, Culture, and Life

Franki Juncaj, globally recognized as DJ 3000, is set to launch his fifth album, 'Mezë.' This release marks the culmination of an extraordinary artistic journey, inviting everyone to revel in the beauty of music, culture, and life while breaking down boundaries and uniting people through its masterfully crafted tracks.

Renowned for his ability to infuse Detroit's musical vibrancy with his Albanian heritage, DJ 3000 embarks on a fearless exploration of his roots. 'Mezë EP' harnesses the power of food as a metaphorical "glue" that harmoniously binds the realms of life and music.

The title track, 'Mezë,' transcends mere genre classification; it is an artistic masterpiece that captures the heart-pounding communal essence of a party while reflecting the vibrancy of sharing a meal together. 'Humble Quest' delves into the depths of Detroit's musical heritage, while 'Tanbur' is a global celebration, gracefully incorporating ethnic stringed instrument samples that ride atop a steady drumbeat. 'Snake Eyes' ventures into the realms of Electro, underscoring Franki's mastery across diverse electronic dance music genres.

'Mezë EP’ is a testament to the power of music, culture, and the universal joy of life. Join DJ 3000 on this extraordinary journey, where boundaries disappear, and we are brought together through music, food, and family.

Originally released on the Sprüngkartellwachs label (and highly sought after) now comes as a rerelease on Mat Carter’s own Varial label.

A four track track ep striding electro, techno, down beat and new wave flavours. ‘Raspmutal’ kicks things of with spaced out techno flair, offering a mutating analogue mover, constructed with large systems in mind. Driving dancefloor fodder laden with spiralling dub-wise effects. ‘Downturn’ follows with a finely tuned piece of liquid electro. Stripped down and turbo-charged this twists and turns through fragmented beats and lush melodies, creating a sublime and fluid mix.

‘Fullow Street’ is a bundle of down tempo leftfield beatism inspired by hot humid nights in huge cities. A blissed out journey through hazy hip-hop beats and lush, glistening electronics. ‘Process’ completes the ep with dancefloor delight that has more than a nod towards the timeless, analogue sounds of experimental new wave and electrodisco. Beats build into a shimmering eighties-tinged workout, with wave upon wave of gorgeous keys.

Sublime ethereal minimalism from Hiroyuki Onogawa on this retrospective compilation album for
Mana, the first dedicated release and remaster of his soundtrack compositions.

The album August in the Water: Music for Film 1995-2005 plots a decade of Onogawa’s compositions for films by the renowned filmmaker Gakuryū Ishii (formally known as Sogo Ishii). Ishii’s leftfield and trailblazing cinema has proven highly influential - Crazy Thunder Road (1980) is frequently cited as the starting pistol for the Japanese cyberpunk genre - and unfathomably difficult to source outside of Japan. This, coupled with the mysterious and artistic nature of the films, has seen him build a cult-like following. Most of his oeuvre remains undistributed outside Japan, though Third Window Films has recently taken great strides toward making some titles available internationally.

This retrospective publication, sequenced into an album by Onogawa himself, spans a fertile period of collaboration with Ishii, through soundtracks for three remarkable films: August in the Water (1995), Labyrinth of Dreams (1997), and Mirrored Mind (2005). Each feels texturally and sensually linked with the spiritual, ambient, dreamlike quality that lingers in Onogawa’s music.

The sound Onogawa conjures for these films is elegant and patient, often minimal or essential in form, but saturated in a poetic emotion and atmosphere that feels strange and otherworldly, touched by the metaphysical in subtle ways. Boundaries are crossed between New Age and science fiction, locating a blissfulness, melancholy and paranoia within the same spectrum, and moving toward an enchanting sense of mood and colour.

It’s notable that the compositions on this album straddle the millennium, and the mix of divine and uncertain themes in the music carry that currency. New listeners might hear links to Mark Snow’s compositional work for the X-Files and Millennium, or other celebrated future-facing and future-fearing Japanese anime or cyberpunk.

Onogawa’s music adds great depth and tenor to the sensory experience of the films themselves, but it stands just as strongly as a listening experience on its own terms, a virtuosic example of ambient that changes in hue when turned in the light. Remarkably, and in similar circumstances to Ishii, Onogawa’s work has never been widely available outside of (always highly enthusiastic) underground fan posts, usually sourced from extremely limited and private CDs limited to Japan. This retrospective seeks to remedy that, and hopes to achieve recognition for Onogawa as one of the great composers of the last three decades.

Onogawa continues to work in film, both in the creation of soundtracks, and now as a producer and director. He composed the music for Koji Fukada’s Harmonium (2016), which won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as for Fukada’s A Girl Missing (2019). As a director, he received the Grand Prize for Best Short Film in the Noves Visions category at the Sitges Festival in 2022 for Flashback Before Death (Guu), co-directed with Rii Ishihara.'

'Capital Punishment is the debut studio album by Puerto Rican rapper Big Pun, released by RCA Records, Loud Records and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions. Released on April 28, 1998, it is the only album released during his lifetime and was regarded as "super groundbreaking" upon release. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 charts and number one on the Top R&B Albums chart for two weeks. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1999 Grammy Awards. Ltd double Black LP Vinyl

Zum 25-jährigen Jubiläum von Big Puns legendärem Debütalbum "Capital Punishment" erscheint diese 2xLP-Edition auf schwarzem Vinyl. Das ursprünglich 1998 veröffentlichte Album etablierte Big Pun als einen der begabtesten Songschreiber in der Geschichte des Hip-Hop und zeigt seinen unglaublichen Flow und seinen brillanten Wortwitz. Durch die Zusammenarbeit mit Hip-Hop Schwergewichten wie Fat Joe, Inspectah Deck und Busta Rhymes enthält "Capital Punishment" einige der kultigsten Hip-Hop Tracks, darunter "I'm Not A Player", "Twinz (Deep Cover 98)" und "You Came Up".

Presenting the third volume of forward-thinking electronics and peerless Jungle / D&B expressionism from iconoclastic Bristol producer and DJ, Krust. An artist who has always been pushing the sonic envelope while keeping dancefloors fully locked.

Introducing 'Irrational Numbers,' a meticulously curated collection of five parts, available on both vinyl and digital formats. This compilation is a treasure trove of hand-picked records and archival gems from Krust's extensive discography, thoughtfully remastered and presented anew for both devoted fans and newcomers.

'Irrational Numbers' features a dizzying array of self-released 12" cuts, exclusive unreleased VIPs and dub-plates, alongside epic major label widescreen classics. It's an unmissable journey through the sonic output of one of the UK's most distinctive and forward-looking producers.

Volume 3 serves us a plethora of unmissable highlights from Krust's enviable back catalogue. From the raw jump-up chaos of 'Rukus', the early rolling business of 'The Resister' to the epic genre defying voyage that is 'Soul In Motion', no stone is left unturned on what is - once again - an essential purchase for any serious lover of electronic music.

For longtime Krust enthusiasts, this project serves as a fond reminder of the boundless creativity and originality that flourished during the early 1990s and beyond. For those new to his work, it presents an enthralling introduction to innovative electronic music that has comfortably set the tone for generations to come. Get ready to experience the evolution of sound and immerse yourself in the visionary artistry of Krust.

Keita Sano is a prolific Japanese producer who has released on revered labels such as Mister Saturday Night, Lets Play House, Morris Audio and 1080P. His fusion of dark, distorted, acidic textures and crunchy disco beats gives his produc tions a unique sound which works perfectly for Delusions Of Grandeur and the label is proud to welcome him for his debut DOG EP entitled Love Is Emotion.

The title track comes on like a proverbial runaway train with heavy, pounding beats and bassline forging things ahead while the most twisted, tripped out FX rise and fall creating an absolute juggernaut of a track which takes no prisoners. A decept ively simple DJ tool which is loaded with drama for maximum impact on the more left of centre dance floors.

Up next we have Violet which takes a low-slung deep house approach but with the grit and dirt that Keita always brings to the party. The first half of the track teases with tension-building chords and syncopated bassline which bounces around a massive four on the floor kick drum. Things fall away in the middle of the track to reveal a beautiful, heartwarming piano part, setting the scene before things get truly epic with orchestral strings bringing a touch of the film noir to proceedings.

I’m A Man picks up the pace again for an intense acid work out which pushes the sonic boundaries to the limits with seriously warped FX creating mayhem around a simple, percussive disco groove. As secret weapon DJ tools go, this is right up there.

Closing out this mind-bending release Keita remains in experimental mode on Love Is Emotion offsetting melodic arpeggios and sweet chords with off-kilter sonic madness ensuring things remain dark, dirty and deep.

If you were to ask for a defining Habibi Funk track, there are a few that come to mind: from Fadoul’s “Sid Redad,” Dalton’s “Soul Brother” to Ahmed Malek’s “Omar Gatlato.” However, none are as widely connected with us at this point as Hamid Al Shaeri’s “Ayonha.” We heard the track for the first time when we were working on selecting tracks for your first compilation and we instantly loved it. We obviously had heard of Hamid El Shaeri’s music before, but only material from his Al Jeel phase when he was already the full-blown
superstar he is now.

Listening to his releases from the early 1980’s opened a whole new door for us. At the time, Hamid had just left Libya to pursue his career in Egypt via a detour in London, where he recorded his
first album. Hamid’s distinct sound of the sound is quintessentially reliant on heavy synths and so it was particularly important to purchase these synths in a timely manner. “Whenever a new one synthesizer would come out, we would have to buy it immediately, otherwise someone else would get their hands on that sound.” London also played an important role for Hamid as a musical epicenter.

He fondly reminisces about the many live shows he attended there, including some of the biggest international musicians like Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson. After returning to Cairo where he also recorded his following albums, he connected with SLAM! for the
release of his debut, laying the foundation of a collaboration that lasted for 5 albums. Luckily, we were able to connect with Hamid through our friend Youssra El Hawary, whose extensive network has opened many doors for us within the Egyptian music scene. We met Hamid for the first time probably in 2016 at his office / rehearsal studio in the outskirts Cairo. We were expecting a larger-than-life
character in-line with his status as a certified superstar, yet the actual person turned out to be very approachable and super easy to connect with. He liked the idea of an effort to amplify his early works again,
which, when originally released, were far from an economic success.

While he was down to assist with an interview and his blessing for the project he also told us that for any license we needed to speak with the original label SLAM! who released these songs, still held the rights and also remained in business over the decades though they didn’t actively release any new music. Hany Sabet had started SLAM! records in the early 1980s and focused on cassette tape releases, the
format that expedited the success of a new generation of record labels in Egypt. By the mid 1980’s, SLAM! had become one of the most successful and economically dominant record labels in Egypt, with Hamid El Shaeri being just one of their key artists, alongside Mohamed Mounir, Hanan, Hakim, Mustafa Amar and many more. Luckily, Hany Sabet turned out to be a friend of our colleague Malak Makar’s father, which probably helped to warm him to the idea of licen- sing “Ayonha” to this - in the scale of his world - tiny label
from Germany. Eventually “Ayonha” ended up becoming a widely successful release and either Hany or we brought up the idea of a full album dedicated to Hamid El Shaeri’s work on SLAM!.


"Maktoub Aleina” is the first single and will be released January 14th. Following the massive success of "Ayonha,” “Maktoub Aleina” is another mid-tempo groover with a beautiful, synth-forward melody, that brings together a lovely combination of soul, disco and Arabic pop music of the highest order, giving a taste of full album. The second single, “Yekfini Nesma Sotak” will be released January 28th and combines Hamid’s unique formula of soul and pop, held together by a catchy synth melody. “Yekfini Nesma Sotak” picks up the
pace a bit, making the uplifting mood of the track even more powerful. Third single, arriving February 11th, is “Dari Demou’ek,” one of the stand out tracks of Hamid’s early recordings done for SLAM! in the early 1980s. Dominated by a disco infused bassline, the track offers a lot of space of the funky production to shine while Hamid inserts his vocals at all the right moments. A masterpiece of disco touched by Arabic pop music.

Full album arrives February 25th. This release is dedicated to Hany Sabet, the founder of SLAM! and his wife Rosemary Jane Sabet (who
took the photos we used for the cover and the booklet), who sadly passed away during the time it took us to prepare the release.
Vinyl comes with an extensive booklet with an interview with Hamid as well as unseen photos

20 albums and 25 years into her recording career and only now does Thea Gilmore feel enough of herself to make the self-titled album that renews her vows to music - her first love. The album is released on 6th October. The album was entirely written, played and produced by Thea. Thea Gilmore is absolutely the record she wanted to make. In many ways the record she had to make. Sustained by the very public dissection of her personal life laid bare on her last full-length release, the stunningly intimate Afterlight, Thea's hard-earned reputation as one of the most distinctive, strident and bold singer songwriters of her generation propels her to reach for new ground and this new release feels like a great leap forward into tomorrow. "That's why this is my first self-titled album," she explains. "On my last album I changed by name to Afterlight and drew a line under everything I'd done up to that point. Not to invalidate it, but to put an end to the 'before'. It was a very inward-looking record that was rooted in the darkness of everything that happened to me up to 2019, whereas this album has its head up and is eyeing the world as a challenge. It's a logical forward motion - the emergence from the shadows of Afterlight into the relative lightness of Thea Gilmore - in a renewal of my vows to music; my first love. In a weird way it feels like a debut of sorts so it made sense to make it eponymous." Across 12 tracks Thea delves into the cracks between the paving slabs of life's big themes. She's exploring the understanding that comes with experience, choosing her battles and finding out who she is now. The stunning 'She Speak In Colours' is a song for love and loss written as part of BBC Radio 2's critically lauded 21st Century Folk project; while 'The Next Time You Win' with its simple piano figures and its collage of spoken and sung lines seems to both accept the way the world works while reaffirming the pledge to stand on the frontline of change. Thea is also excited to bring the album to the stage. She will play London’s Union Chapel on 12th October and then an 11-date tour around the UK in early 2024. Full dates below. Thea Gilmore has made 20 albums since the release of her first, Burning Dorothy, in 1998. The veteran of hundreds of festivals, she has sold out shows across the globe.

Prog Rock band from Bergen, Norway, formed in late 1969 , and disbanded in the spring of 1974.
They had several reunions since then. Saft was among the first rock bands to sing in Nynorsk
("Fjovisere" in 1971), also made history when they won the European summit with "People In Motion"
in November 1971. The members of the first Saft incarnation came from other established Bergen
bands: Ove Thue (vocals, guitar), Tom Harry Halvorsen (keyboards, vocals) and Trygve Thue (guitar,
vocals) from Neither Nor, Magne Lunde (drums) from Human Beings, and Rolf Skogstrand (bass)
from various - including Human Beings. The band had ample opportunity to play in the hippie musical
Hair on the National Stage in Bergen in the autumn of 1970. A recording from the performance was
released on LP by Polydor just before Christmas 1970. Saft made a demo recording of their
self-composed material at about the same time, and a contract deal with Polydor. In summer of 1971
they released "People In Motion" / "Albertine Hall", which was a big success and critical aclaimed. The
record was chosen as Norway's contribution to the European Summit on November 20, 1971. “Horn”
was their second album released in 1971 an experimental record with diverse styles, and
improvisations with all members contribute in songwriting. Available on vinyl again for the first time
since 1971

The 1990 debut album from Pale Saints, The Comforts of Madness, is an outstanding record that owed as much to post-punk and L.A."s Paisley Underground scene than it did to shoegaze. The Sunday Times called it "an unintended indie manifesto: music that is at once wayward and concise, dissonant and beautiful." Shortly after its release and in need of a second live guitarist, Lush founding member Meriel Barham joined the Leeds trio of Ian Masters, Graeme Naysmith and Chris Cooper, bringing a new dynamic to the band. Having previously worked well with producer Hugh Jones (Echo & The Bunnyman, Modern English, The Sound), he did a brilliant job recording their second album, In Ribbons (1992), despite some studio tensions. Brooklyn Vegan said in a recent celebration of the album that it was the "push and pull between Masters" outsider tendencies and (the rest"s) commercial interests that makes In Ribbons so good. If some of the wild, ragged edges of Comforts of Madness have been smoothed off, the album makes up for it with scope and beauty. And there"s still no shortage of weird." Missing its original release date last year due to Covid delays and a production plant in meltdown, In Ribbons is finally getting the 30th Anniversary celebration it deserves with a special double LP / CD release - the first disc being the UK version of the album, the second a bonus disc of never before heard demos (including their first attempt at Slapp Happy"s "Blue Flower" and Ian"s 4 track recording of "Kinky Love") and two brass band versions by The Tintwistle Band.

The 1990 debut album from Pale Saints, The Comforts of Madness, is an outstanding record that owed as much to post-punk and L.A."s Paisley Underground scene than it did to shoegaze. The Sunday Times called it "an unintended indie manifesto: music that is at once wayward and concise, dissonant and beautiful." Shortly after its release and in need of a second live guitarist, Lush founding member Meriel Barham joined the Leeds trio of Ian Masters, Graeme Naysmith and Chris Cooper, bringing a new dynamic to the band. Having previously worked well with producer Hugh Jones (Echo & The Bunnyman, Modern English, The Sound), he did a brilliant job recording their second album, In Ribbons (1992), despite some studio tensions. Brooklyn Vegan said in a recent celebration of the album that it was the "push and pull between Masters" outsider tendencies and (the rest"s) commercial interests that makes In Ribbons so good. If some of the wild, ragged edges of Comforts of Madness have been smoothed off, the album makes up for it with scope and beauty. And there"s still no shortage of weird." Missing its original release date last year due to Covid delays and a production plant in meltdown, In Ribbons is finally getting the 30th Anniversary celebration it deserves with a special double LP / CD release - the first disc being the UK version of the album, the second a bonus disc of never before heard demos (including their first attempt at Slapp Happy"s "Blue Flower" and Ian"s 4 track recording of "Kinky Love") and two brass band versions by The Tintwistle Band.

Too Pure are excited to get Moonshake’s debut album, ‘Eva Luna’, back in
print, releasing a deluxe edition, re-mastered from analogue 1Ú2” tape, on
blue double vinyl.
 The reissue contains 19 tracks - the album’s original 10, the non-LP threesong single ‘Secondhand Clothes’, the two B-sides from the ‘Beautiful
Pigeon’ single and four tracks from a November 1992 John Peel session.
The release also includes an 8-page full-colour booklet.
 Moonshake were formed in 1991 by David Callahan (vocals, guitars,
samplers), formerly of The Wolfhounds, and New York musician Margaret
Fiedler (vocals, guitars, samplers). Callahan and Fiedler recorded a demo for
Creation Records, and were joined by John Frenett (bass) and Miguel
Morland (‘Mig’, drums) to record and release the ‘First EP’ for Creation in
1991.
 They took their name from a 1973 single by Can. Both Fiedler and Callahan
wrote songs, and they would (generally) sing on the songs that they wrote.
Their output of shared inspiration produced wildly different results - Can, PIL,
Kraftwerk, MBV and Erik B & Rakim were a melting pot that made
Moonshake somewhat uncategorizable, and as Margaret noted in an
interview, “Moonshake was a collision - it was supposed to be a collision.”
 Their debut album, ‘Eva Luna’, took its name from a novel by Chilean author
Isabel Allende, and the tracks on it are split evenly between the two
songwriters. Callahan’s songs are somewhat angry, dissonant, post-punk
affairs, while Fiedler’s are just as angular, but her quieter sometimes near
whispered vocals compliment her writing partner’s equally. Producer /
engineer Guy Fixsen, fresh from his work on My Bloody Valentine’s
‘Loveless’, was instrumental in making the album cohesive.
 This album has been critically revisited often since its original release, with
Tiny Mix Tapes describing their sound as “an updated take on Can and
Public Image Limited’s rhythmic propulsion with noisier guitar work and a
predilection for sampling influenced by The Young Gods.” Last year, in a
wonderfully long piece to celebrate the album’s 30th anniversary, Louder
Than War wrote that they were blown away by the album’s “utterly
spellbinding, dizzyingly genre-defying approach at articulating explicitly the
sound of a city in the throes of urban psychosis and derangement... ‘Eva
Luna’ really is one hell of a ground-breaking record, and it stands resolutely
alone among all of the albums released in 1992 as no other band has
managed to create anything remotely similar before or since. It really is a
unique album with few equals.”
 In 1993, the original incarnation of the band split up, and Margaret Fiedler
and John Frenett went on to form Laika with Guy Fixsen. Callahan and
Morland continued on with guest musicians, with Callahan ultimately
remaining the band’s sole original member. Moonshake ended in 1997 but
their legacy is indisputable.

Guitar Legend! Songwriting Legend! Producer Legend! Blues Brother & Stax Legend!

Like the first words of a book, the opening notes of an album can make you lean in. Sometimes it’s like meeting a stranger who later becomes a lifelong friend, or on rare occasions, a spouse. Please drop your stylus on this record and say hello to your new best friend. Hear the confidence, hear the tone, feel the vibe.
—Robert Gordon (from his liner notes)

As a founding member of Stax house band Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Steve Cropper was involved in some of the most important music of the 1960s as a player, songwriter, and producer. The following decade introduced him to a new group of fans as guitarist for The Blues Brothers, appearing on both their records and film. A two-time Grammy® winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Cropper has been an integral thread in the cloth of American music, writing, playing and producing into the 21st century to this very day.

In 1969, Cropper released his first solo album, producing and arranging its eleven tracks himself. His backing band? While there is no actual record of who played on the album itself, Grammy® winner Robert Gordon’s liner notes point to his fellow M.G.’s, Buddy Miles, Jim Keltner, the Bar-Kay’s James Alexander, and more as candidates. From original tracks to its well-known covers (including The Beatles classic the release shares its name with), it is a tour de force of pure Memphis rock and soul.

The core eleven tracks now appear again on an all-analog cut, new pressing of the LP as With A Little Help From My Friends returns for a new generation to experience. The CD version contains a whopping eight bonus tracks, including four tracks not included on the original release and alternate versions of four that do. Add in Robert Gordon’s notes and this release is as much a history lesson as it is a timepiece of pure musical magic.

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary year of ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’, Roger Waters announces the release of his homage to the original, ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon Redux’ Waters says ‘when we recorded the stripped down songs for the Lockdown Sessions, the 50th anniversary of the release of The Dark Side Of The Moon was looming on the horizon. It occurred to to me that The Dark Side Of The Moon could well be a suitable candidate for a similar re-working, partly as a tribute to the original work, but also to re-address the political and emotional message of the whole album. I discussed it with Gus and Sean, and when we’d stopped giggling and shouting ‘You must be ****ing mad’ at one another we decided to take it on. It’s turned out really great and I’m excited for everyone to hear it. It’s not a replacement for the original which, obviously, is irreplaceable. But it is a way for the seventy nine year old man to look back across the intervening fifty years into the eyes of the twenty nine year old and say, to quote a poem of mine about my Father, “We did our best, we kept his trust, our Dad would have been proud of us”. And also it is a way for me to honor a recording that Nick and Rick and Dave and I have every right to be very proud of.’ As founding member, lyricist, and principal composer of Pink Floyd during the band’s most influential and creative period, Roger Waters has achieved global success and global renown. Waters co-founded Pink Floyd in the mid-1960s. Under Waters’ guidance, Pink Floyd made a series of best-selling albums during the 1970s, of which the most successful and iconic were The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall. Roger Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and is now one of the most successful solo artists in the world.

Indonesian trio Grrrl Gang builds on their considerable worldwide buzz with Spunky!, their full-length debut album. Released on 22 September 2023 by Green Island Music in partnership with exclusive licensees Kill Rock Stars (United States), Trapped Animal Records (United Kingdom) and Big Romantic Records (Japan and Taiwan), the album is preceded by its title track and first single dropped on May 30, featured from the same title of the album, 'Spunky!' Spunky! arrives following some major life changes for Angeeta Sentana (vocals, guitar), Akbar Rumandung (bass, vocals), and Edo Alventa (guitar, vocals), including a switch in locale from Yogyakarta, the city where they formed the band while still in college. “This is Grrrl Gang’s first release after we graduated and got day jobs that made us have to move to Jakarta, which is undeniably 180 degrees compared to Jogja,” says Rumandung. “But moving to Jakarta enabled us to work with Lafa on Spunky! from start to finish.” The song itself essentially describes Sentana's experience during a manic episode. “I feel like I’m on top of the world, untouchable. I do things without thinking, always chasing after that feeling of instant gratification. I feel extra confident in myself to a point of grandiose thinking and that I could do anything,” Sentana explains. That would be Lafa Pratomo, the in-demand producer brought in to help shape the ten tracks that make up Spunky! With a resume that includes the likes of the chanteuse Danilla and legendary singer-songwriter Iwan Fals, Pratomo might not seem the obvious choice to take the Grrrl Gang producer’s chair. But according to Rumandung, “In terms of production, this was something new for us by working with someone outside of Grrrl Gang’s comfort zone.” Indeed, Pratomo considerably beefs up Grrrl Gang’s sound particularly Alventa’s guitar tones, Rumandung’s rumbling bass, and touring drummer Muhammad Faiz Abdurrahman’s muscular beats while preserving the band’s signature raucous energy, catchy melodies, and Sentana’s attitude-filled, equal-parts-honey-and-vinegar vocals. The music video for Spunky! premieres on the Grrrl Gang YouTube channel on the same day as the release of the song. The video, directed by Bathroom Girls, is part of a continuous movie, with Spunky! being the second chapter. It tells the story of an introverted girl who goes to a house party to validate herself among her peers. Despite facing challenges to her self-esteem, she manages to overcome her discomfort to survive the night. During the party, she watches Grrrl Gang perform Spunky! and is mesmerized by the confident performance of Angee, the lead singer. The girl imagines herself as Angee, a confident and cool person that she will never be. Hailing from the cultural city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Grrrl Gang is a rising force in the independent music scene with their infectious melodies, anthemic songs, and electrifying live performances. The power trio, composed of Angee Sentana on guitar and vocals, Akbar Rumandung on bass, and Edo Alventa on guitar, has been making waves in the Southeast Asian music scene since their formation in 2016. Grrrl Gang's music is a celebration of their collective roots and a testament to the power of pop music to connect people across cultures and borders. Their lyrics touch on themes such as feminism, mental health, and relationships with a raw honesty that speaks to a generation of young listeners. With their infectious energy, socially conscious lyrics, and unique sound, Grrrl Gang is poised to take the global music scene by storm and become a voice for a new generation

La Bibliothèque De La Bergerie is the new all-star project from producer Emmanuel Mario (Astrobal). 11 evocative and exhilarating instrumental tracks, ranging from synthetic to acoustic, from detailed pop writing to sonic experimentation. He is accompanied here by his companions Julien Gasc, Nina Savary and Vincent Guyot (as Ulysses' companions were known). Each contributes to the composition, arrangement and instrumentation of this colourful and enchanting odyssey. Mario and Savary have been living for years in an isolated former sheepfold in the South of France and have gradually gathered around them a band of artists and musicians who have come to escape their daily lives. The compositions in La Bibliotheque De La Bergerie were born of this timeless space of freedom. Each musician's musical obsessions can be found on the album, as they travel from one track to the next: soundtracks like the ones of De Roubaix or Alessandroni (Le Fleuve De La Nuit), experimental and classy pop like Stereolab/High Llamas (Loterie Solaire) or primary and repetitive electronic music (Tous A Zanzibar tome 3). The choirs and mixed voices of Nina Savary and Julien Gasc add a sunny, melancholy touch to the whole (En Attendant L'Année Dernière). The name Bibliothèque De La Bergerie is a double nod to Library Music, a trend in musical illustration for TV and radio that had its heyday in the 60s, 70s and 80s. And to the aforementioned bergerie, a living space and creative studio. The more observant may also have noticed the titles of the tracks, taken from the novels of the golden age of science fiction. Emmanuel Mario and his friends invite you to escape to another time. The album will be released on vinyl on the Freaksville label on October 6, 2023.Tracklisting: 1. L'homme qui n'existait pas 2. En attendant l'année dernière 3. Tous à Zanzibar (Tome 1) 4. Loterie Solaire 5. Une porte sur l'été 6. Le fleuve de la nuit 7. Le manuscrit Hopkins 8. Tous à Zanzibar (Tome 2) 9. Le Voyageur de l'inconnu 10. Terminus Tel-Aviv 11. Tous à Zanzibar (Tome 3) freedom. Each musician's musical obsessions can be found on the album, as they travel from one track to the next: soundtracks like the ones of De Roubaix or Alessandroni (Le Fleuve De La Nuit), experimental and classy pop like Stereolab/High Llamas (Loterie Solaire) or primary and repetitive electronic music (Tous A Zanzibar tome 3). The choirs and mixed voices of Nina Savary and Julien Gasc add a sunny, melancholy touch to the whole (En Attendant L'Année Dernière). The name Bibliothèque De La Bergerie is a double nod to Library Music, a trend in musical illustration for TV and radio that had its heyday in the 60s, 70s and 80s. And to the aforementioned bergerie, a living space and creative studio. The more observant may also have noticed the titles of the tracks, taken from the novels of the golden age of science fiction. Emmanuel Mario and his friends invite you to escape to another time. The album will be released on vinyl on the Freaksville label on October 6, 2023

Superstar Joe Bonamassa Returns To His Roots With New Studio Album Blues Deluxe, Vol. 2, Celebrating The 20th Anniversary of His Best-Selling Independent Release

In Addition, Joe Will Release A Remastered Version Of Blues Deluxe Which Will Drop With Its Predecessor On October 6th via J&R Adventures/Provogue Records

Blues Deluxe is the third studio album by Joe Bonamassa and originally released on August 26, 2003. Recorded at Unique Recording Studios in New York City, it was produced by Bob Held and features nine cover versions of songs by classic blues artists, such as BB King, Jeff Beck, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Elmore James and more. The album is completed with three original tracks, including the fan favorite Woke Up Dreaming.

With 26 #1 albums, yearly sold-out tours worldwide and custom annual cruises, he's a hard act to beat. These albums are a testament to his credentials and a toast to his longtime fans who remember them originally and new fans who can experience them for the first time. It's Joe Bonamassa at his finest, ready to rock.

Pitchfork - 8.1 - “explosive and action-packed”

NME - 4/5 - “Sigur Rós are at their blackest and most sinister, sounding not so much reborn as in the ferocious throes of an almighty exorcism.”

Line of Best Fit - 9/10 - “Neither the drums, guitars or synths are ever understated, lo-fi or polite – throughout, they’re devastating, taking control of the band’s poppier sensibilities and lighting vicious fires beneath them.”

Kveikur is the seventh album by Sigur Rós, originally released on XL Recordings in June 2013. Completely out of print worldwide, the album will now be re-released on the band’s own label, Krunk.

Described by the band as “more aggressive” than any of their previous work, Kveikur – which means ‘fuse’ or ‘candle wick’ in the band’s native Icelandic – is heavier, both thematically and sonically. All of the lyrics are sung in Icelandic rather than the wordless “Vonlenska” (Hopelandic) as on ( ), providing a more grounded experience.

Hot on the heels of TN EDITS 01 - featuring Lotte Kaersa's: "Prov og gor li'som jeg" (Bjorn Svin Remix), this marks the second release of the reborn danish label Tech-nology, and it's truly an exceptional release. Every track, in its unaltered state, has been extensively club tested by label owner & DJ Mester Jakobsen and is now reedited with finesse of love to be played loud on a wide selection of dancefloors.

Hot on the heels of TN EDITS 01 - featuring Lotte Kaersa's: "Prov og gor li'som jeg" (Bjorn Svin Remix), this marks the second release of the reborn danish label Tech-nology, and it's truly an exceptional release. Every track, in its unaltered state, has been extensively club tested by label owner & DJ Mester Jakobsen and is now reedited with finesse of love to be played loud on a wide selection of dancefloors.

Quartabê’s identity was built upon the metaphor of the classroom: the group sees itself as a school class, which chooses its own teachers from among great masters of Brazilian music. Assuming that the learning and creative processes have in common experimentation and play, the quartet is characterized by its bold versions coupled with irreverent performance.


In addition woto its sound, marked by the group’s various music references - from the São Paulo avant-garde movement to the free improvisation, passing through pop and electronic music - Quartabê also stands out for the formation composed mostly of women who, besides instrumentalists are also arrangers, composers, singers and improvisers - which is unusual in Brazil and it has high political relevance in a music scene where positions of creation and power are still held disproportionately by men. The band started its studies by recording a first album about the work of maestro Moacir Santos, “Lição # 1: Moacir” (2015). After performing this show in Brazil and Europe, the group took a break to record ‘Depê’ (2017), also dedicated to the oeuvre of Santos. In 2018 Quartabê released their third album, starting new studies: “Lição # 2: Dorival”, which was released by the Natura Musical / label RISCO

Skultura is Nick Dunston’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed Spider Season, which was released in July 2022. On Spider Season, Martin Johnson of Jazz Times said “Dunston is a sonic revolutionary in many ways, not the least of which is the instrumentation of his bands.”Spider Season also received glowing reviews from Pitchfork Magazine, TheWire, and New York City Jazz Record. While Skultura is an entirely new band,(featuring Cansu Tanrıkulu on voice/effects/electronics, Mariá Portugal on drums, Liz Kosack on synthesizer, and Eldar Tsalikov on alto saxophone/clarinet), fans of Dunston will find much to admire, and hear a compositional, improvisational, and notably, production style that is becoming uniquely his own. The repertoire of original music on Skultura ranges from spontaneous electro-acoustic ensemble exchanges, to carefully sculpted tone poems that meditate on the manipulated sample-based sides of the quintet. Composition, improvisation, and performance are no longer the only elements at playin Dunston’s recorded work. On Skultura, he continuously shapes the music with various sound-manipulation techniques to create an album that is meticulous as it is visceral. To quote Jacob Garchik’s liner notes, the ‘work is made of continuous waves of inspiration and creation, strata of improvisations made permanent, each layer related to the one below, or not’. Skultura is revered in Europe and the U.S., and will be co-released on the Berlin-based record label Fun In The Church, and the American tape cassette label Tripticks Tapes. Upcoming European performances in the Fall 2023 include Wels Unlimited Festival in Austria, and the Jazz Exzess concert series in Berlin.

Initially released in 2007, For Those Who Have Heart was A Day To Remember’s first album on Victory Records and saw the band start their rise to the very top of the Warped Tour Metalcore scene. Featuring the single “The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle” the album hit number 17 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart on release. This 10th anniversary release of the record sees the album newly remixed by Adam D, and remastered.

“Vivian was a talented singer-songwriter who never realised his full potential. Leroy Smart’s popular ‘Pride and Ambition’ was written by Vivian, but he was not even credited on the record. When I decided to make reggae recordings of my poetry, it was Vivian who showed me how to go about it. He played bass on my first three albums, Dread Beat An Blood, Forces of Victory and Bass Culture.

I introduced him to Virgin Records and he recorded his first album, Bad Weathers, which was released in 1978. When I moved to Island Records, I also secured a deal for him to record an album with them. Two singles were released by Island but the album, which I had helped to produce, was never put out. Vivian never got the break he deserved in the music business.” – Linton Kwesi Johnson

Sermon On The Rocks is Josh Ritter's eight studio album, released in 2015. Singles from the album include "Getting Ready To Get Down" and "Homecoming." According to Ritter, the album is "messianic oracular honky-tonk." Produced by Trina Shoemaker and Josh, the 12-song album was recorded over two weeks at New Orleans’ The Parlor Recording Studio and features Matt Barrick from The Walkmen on drums, Zachariah Hickman on bass, Josh Kaufman on guitars, and Sam Kassirer on keyboards. Josh Ritter is the definition of an experienced songwriter. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1999 Ritter devoted his life to a songwriting career, releasing albums independently and garnering word-of-mouth popularity. He eventually caught the attention of Irish- songwriter Glen Hansard (writer of the song 'Falling Slowly' from the movie Once) and was invited to be the tour opener for his band The Frames. This then resulted in Josh gaining international success, with his third record 'Hello Starling', becoming a charting hit in Ireland. His songs have been featured on the TV show Parenthood, and in movies like The Other Woman and Typeface. Josh Ritter has so far released 7 studio albums, is an author, husband, father, and is considered one of the best living songwriters by Paste Magazine.

Northern California psychedelic sorcerers Carlton Melton are brain surfers, mind trippers, … “psychlists,” if you prefer. The band will take your head for a ride, occasionally rushing at superluminal speeds through a wormhole or gliding softly on a gentle breeze in a leafy glade. Sometimes your brain needs to rage, and sometimes it needs to repose. For a decade and a half, the band has yo-yo’ed, almost schizophrenically, between these two modes: walloping space jams with furious guitar solos in one hemisphere of the brain and ethereal, feather-light splashdowns in the other. Not to mention a track here and there that builds from the latter into the former. But with two new releases in 2023, the band has evolved. Whether psych rock or ambient trance, their sound remains driving, organic, and flowing. With the addition of Anthony Taibi (White Manna, DDT), however, the group’s metal freak-outs are Hawkwindier and their droning kraut trances are Spacemen 3-er. In January, the quartet released the playfully spacey Resemble Ensemble, recorded in Taibi’s home studio 3D Light. October now sees the band Turn To Earth, a work with scents of Autumn, a season of death and transition. The cover art evokes a vine-covered, electric crucifix. The sound is, well, earthy but also gritty and striving towards change. The album was recorded in Fall 2022 and now harvested in Fall 2023. Phil Becker (Terry Gross, Pins Of Light) contributed drums and percussion to a few tracks on Turn To Earth, recording the album at El Studio in San Francisco.

With Becker at the helm, the synths have become more prominent (“Cosmicity,” “Roboflow,” “Migration”) and the tone heavier on the doom (“Cloudstorming,” “Unlock The Land,” title track): several moments could even serve as background music for epic dark fantasy films like Conan the Barbarian, Fire and Ice, or Heavy Metal. As exquisite as Turn To Earth is, Melton are best appreciated as a live act: their recordings as well as their gigs are largely improvised – not so much composed as birthed. And yet their most recent tour ended abruptly and perilously. The group had to cancel its final three shows once members were admitted to Arnhem hospital in the Netherlands. Five years later, reinforcements have strengthened the band and restocked its arsenal of great tracks. After the rockus interruptus of that 2018 tour and the tantric tease of the intervening Covid lockdown, Melton have some unfinished business. An October 2023 tour is poised to set the freshly minted quartet back onto the stages of Europe and within the cerebral folds of its fans. Turn To Earth, sure … but keep your head in outer space. Carlton Melton is: andy duvall – drums/gtr; clint golden – bass; rich millman – gtr/synth; and anthony taibi – synth/gtr.

The MERCYFUL FATE vinyl re-issues continue! After re-releasing 'Time' and 'In The Shadows' in August - the three remaining Metal Blade classics will get the 'Original Series' treatment: original layout, 400g spine sleeves (inside-out print), 250g insert, large artwork poster ('Into The Unknown', '9') or 350g Gatefold-sleeve + large poster ('Dead Again'). *2023 new vinyl pressing *Original Release Date: June 15th, 1999. * Format Details: Single LP + poster. Mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel BAND LINE-UP: King Diamond: Vocals Hank Sherman: Guitar Mike Wead: Guitar Sharlee D’Angelo: Bass Bjarne T. Holm: Drums Recorded and mixed at Nomad Recording Studio, Carrollton, Texas, USA February – March 1999 Produced by Kol Marshall and Mercyful Fate Mixed by Kol Marshall and Mercyful Fate Engineered by Kol Marshall 2nd Engineer Vince Rossi

In 1964 Dave Davies of the Kinks singlehandedly made rock history when he sliced his little green Elpico amp speaker with a razor blade. Little did he know he was creating the 1st heavy metal guitar tone and riff in rock n roll, which he played on his band The Kinks' worldwide hit 'You Really Got Me.' Nearly fifty years after influencing generations of guitarists Dave continues to rock and tour. His 2013 return to the U.S. to support the album I Will Be Me was a triumph both creatively and spiritually as he found new inspiration for his soon to be follow up album, the highly acclaimed, Rippin Up Time. Released in 2014, Dave embarked on yet another U.S. tour to support it. He was joined by Jonathan Lea on guitar, Tom Currier on bass and keyboards and legendary drummer Dennis Diken of the Smithereens. The tour swept through venues in Milwaukee, Chicago, New Jersey, NYC and many more. Jim Sclavunos played drums for one gig in Bethlehem, PA. On every date Dave Davies and band played a highly charged set of solo album favorites, Kinks classics and new tracks. At the City Winery NYC on November 24 and 25, 2014 Dave and band put on an amazing concert to an audience of new and longtime Kinks fans, music industry stars and legends. They delivered two exhilarating nights of performances that rocked and ripped up the city's nightlife.