Buscar:ri

2025 Repress

Re-issue of essential Larry Heard album from the early 2000's... Love's Arrival! Now in DJ friendly triple vinyl package adding some of the favorites from CD release like 'Deja Vu' and 'Missing you (Jazz Cafe Mix)' to the vinyl package. And bonus... 'Luminous Energy' from the same sessions.

2LP, 180gm vinyl, “Impex Style” Heavy Duty Outer Sleeve w/Flap, Sealed with Analogue October Records Sticker, Hype Sticker
Abbey Road Half speed master from the original tapes
380 gsm Invercote G Sleeve 300 gsm 12 page insert
4.5/5 RECOMMENDED / Editors Choice in Jazzwise magazine
‘And much as audiophiles will savour the tech achievement of this re-issue, the point is the Kaleidoscope of Rainbows
remains joyous, optimistic music that embraces difference and divergence. It needs celebrating not as a revived fossil but as a timeless artwork. Enjoy. And enjoy again’
RIYL Ian Carr / Nucleus / Weather Report / Clips and Art: https://we.tl/t-PfY9QXSjlt
NEIL ARDLEY – KALEIDOSCOPE OF RAINBOWS The Definitive 2LP Reissue of a Landmark in British Jazz Fusion
Analogue October Records proudly presents the long-awaited reissue of Kaleidoscope of Rainbows, Neil Ardley’s 1976 masterpiece, originally released on Gull Records. Produced by Neil Ardley and recorded at London’s famed Morgan Studios, the sessions were engineered and mixed by Martin Levan, capturing one of the most ambitious and beloved works in British jazz. Following the acclaimed reissues of Courtney Pine’s Journey to the Urge Within (AOR-001-ST) and Neil Ardley’s Harmony of the Spheres (AOR-002-ST)—both praised by the audiophile press including The Tracking Angle—this third release confirms Analogue October as one of today’s most meticulous and exciting reissue labels.
A Suite of Sound and Colour
Commissioned for the 1975 Camden Jazz Festival, Kaleidoscope of Rainbows is structured as a seven-part suite, each movement reflecting a colour of the spectrum. Ardley’s composition weaves together jazz improvisation, progressive rock energy, and orchestral elegance in one of the most imaginative British jazz recordings of the era. Featuring Ian Carr, Barbara Thompson, Tony Coe, Trevor Tomkins, and Geoff Castle, the album is a who’s who of the UK’s vibrant 1970s jazz scene.
Cut at Abbey Road, Pressed at Record Industry
For this definitive edition, Analogue October worked directly from the original Gull master tapes. Mastering was entrusted to Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, using his renowned half-speed process to extract every detail and dynamic from Ardley’s score. To give the music the headroom it deserves, the reissue has been expanded to a deluxe 2LP set, pressed on the highest-quality vinyl at Record Industry in Haarlem, Netherlands. The result is a presentation that finally does justice to the scope and brilliance of Ardley’s vision.
Deluxe Package – Restored from the Source
The artwork has been meticulously restored from the original film elements, ensuring a sleeve of unmatched vibrancy and fidelity. Inside, a 12-page booklet printed on heavyweight card features an in-depth essay on Neil Ardley and the making of Kaleidoscope of Rainbows, written by Jazzwise magazine editor Mike Flynn, alongside rare photographs from the period.
Curated and Produced by Craig Crane
As with every Analogue October release, Kaleidoscope of Rainbows has been curated and produced by label founder Craig Crane with a collector’s eye for detail and a deep respect for the music’s legacy. This reissue is not only the definitive vinyl edition of one of the great British jazz fusion albums—it also continues the label’s mission to restore and celebrate the most vital recordings of the era.
Neil Ardley’s Kaleidoscope of Rainbows—vivid, expansive, and timeless—returns as the essential edition for audiophiles and jazz lovers alike.
Retail-ready product description (short form):
Produced by Neil Ardley and recorded in 1976 at London’s Morgan Studios, engineered and mixed by Martin Levan, Kaleidoscope of Rainbows is a cornerstone of British jazz fusion. This definitive 2LP reissue, mastered at Abbey Road by Miles Showell from the original Gull master tapes and pressed at Record Industry (NL), finally gives the music the dynamic headroom it deserves. The deluxe edition includes restored artwork and a 12-page booklet featuring an in-depth essay by Jazzwise editor Mike Flynn.

A Sonic Escapade Between Elegance, Chill and Laid-Back Electro Nach Compilations von Armen Miran, Dole & Kom und Christos Fourkis präsentieren Rich Vom Dorf und Ravin eine neue Klangreise zwischen Organic House, Downtempo und spirituellem Lounge-Sound. Rich Vom Dorf, ein aufstrebender Produzent aus Deutschland, bringt seine Handschrift in Form von sanften Grooves, subtilen Melodien und introspektiver Tiefe ein. Ravin, bekannt durch die Buddha-Bar-Reihe, ergänzt mit globalen Einflüssen und ritueller Atmosphäre. Die Doppel-CD bietet eine internationale Auswahl mit Künstlern wie Etziama, DJ Pippi & Willie Graff, SUBNESIA, Desert Dwellers oder Giovanna Zattar - perfekt für entspannte Tage und nächtliche Reisen. Die Doppel-Vinyl-Edition hingegen fokussiert sich auf Rich Vom Dorfs eigene Klangwelt - mit exklusiven Tracks wie "Only You", "Weekender" oder "Très Bien", ergänzt durch ausgewählte Stücke von Etziama, portl und KUKS. Zwei Formate, zwei Perspektiven - ein gemeinsames Ziel: Musik, die berührt.

Celebrating over a decade of hip-hop excellence, Legacy of Hits delivers 15 career-defining tracks from Rich Homie Quan, one of Atlanta’s most influential voices. From the breakout anthem "Type of Way" to the multi-platinum-certified smash Flex "(Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)", this collection captures Quan’s ability to craft both raw street records and timeless radio staples that shaped the sound of Southern rap.
The set includes fan favorites like “Differences”, "Walk Thru (feat. Problem)”, "They Don’t Know”, "Blah Blah Blah”, “Reloaded" and "15 Shots, giving fans a complete retrospective of his impact. With production from heavyweights such as Yung Carter, Metro Boomin, London on Da Track, Trauma Tone, and Yizzle, the project stands as a true testament to Quan’s consistency, resilience, and influence.
Available in both vinyl and CD formats with exclusive collectible packaging, Legacy of Hits is more than just a greatest hits, it’s a landmark release that celebrates Rich Homie Quan’s journey, artistry, and legacy.

Montreal indie rock trio Plants and Animals announce "The Jungle", their fifth studio album set to be released October 23rd via Secret City Records. Their shortest album yet and certainly their boldest, "The Jungle" is eight acts in a world full of noise. The album is auto-produced and was recorded at Mixart, their studio in Montreal. The band explains : "We started working on this a couple of years ago. Warren was afraid for a friend's health. He thought he was self-medicating too much and not taking care of himself. He couldn't let go of this image of an overworked dude swallowing too many sleeping pills and falling asleep with the stove on. So it began as the place next door, sometime before Greta Thunberg turned the expression into a rallying cry, where Earth is the house and the people are sleeping. It's terrifying, and on the whole we're not unlike this friend, are we?" "The Jungle" starts with electronic drums that sound like insects at night. A whole universe comes alive in the dark. It's beautiful, complex and unsettling. Systematic and chaotic. All instinct, no plan. Voices taunt,"yeah yeah yeah." This tangled time in which we find ourselves is reflected back in shadows. Every song is such a landscape. The first one grinds to a halt and you become a kid looking out a car window at the moon, wondering how it's still on your tail as you speed past a steady blur of trees. You watch a house go up in a yellow strobe that echoes the disco weirdness of Giorgio Moroder, Donna Summer and David Bowie. You get pummelled by a rhythm then set free by a sudden change of scenery_the wind stops, clarity returns. You're under a streetlight in Queens, soft-focus, slow motion, falling in love. You speak French now too, in case you didn't already. Bienvenue. These are personal experiences made in a volatile world, and they reflect that world right back at us, even by accident. There's one song Nic sings to his teenage son who was dealing with climate change anxiety and drifting into uncharted independence. The band carries it out slowly together into a sweet blue horizon. Warren wrote the words to another shortly after losing his father. It's about the things we inherit not necessarily being the things we want. In a broader sense, that's where a lot of people find themselves right now.

Manizeh Rimer, founder of London’s Love Supreme Projects, announces her debut album Mahku, releasing on vinyl and all digital platforms on December 5, 2025 via LEITER.

A bold contribution to contemporary spiritual jazz, the album was co-produced by LEITER labelmate ganavya – who recently released the celebrated Daughter of a Temple and Nilam. Recorded in early 2025 at LEITER’s Funkhaus Studio in Berlin, Mahku features eight chants, including a reimagined version of Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide, with ganavya appearing on three tracks.

The album brings together a stellar cast: Grammy-nominated Jai Uttal; bassists Ben Hazleton and Doug Weiss; harpist Miriam Adefris; pianist Jay Verma; and Manizeh‘s teenage daughter, Mahku Rimer, on vocals and guitar. Tracks range from a 3,000-year-old Zoroastrian prayer (‘Ashem Vohu’) to Sanskrit and Buddhist mantras (‘Asato Ma’, ‘Gate Gate Paragate’) to the devotional ‘Avan’s Sita Ram’, dedicated to Manizeh‘s late mother.

Mahku means “eclipse” and is also the name of Manizeh’s grandmother. Developed from her long-standing chanting practice and deep creative partnership with ganavya, the album opens and closes with three generations of women’s voices, exploring music as a timeless, intergenerational loop. Recorded in a space Manizeh describes as “suspending you in an infinite river of time,” Mahku is both personal ritual and universal offering, flowing through lineage, loss, and love.

In The Light is rightly regraded as Horace Andy's strongest testament. Originally released in 1977 and given confirmed reggae album classic status by it's 1995 Blood & Fire release, it's re-issued here on CD complete with it's Prince Jammy dub companion along with newly commissioned sleeve notes from reggae historian Noel Hawks featuring previously unseen photos. There are two vinyl formats - one featuring the original 10 tracks, and the other featuring the Dub (in its iconic original sleeve). Horace Andy's profile already legendary in reggae circles, has been internationally raised by his work with Massive Attack and his continued live presence, 'In The Light' captures him at the very of his game.

With their highly anticipated fourth album, The Third Sleep, Norwegian progressive rock band Oak delivers a striking exploration of societal complacency and the struggle of the individual. The album contrasts light and darkness, both thematically and musically, seamlessly blending folk-inspired acoustic passages with the raw intensity of progressive metal, evoking echoes of Opeth and beyond. Expanding on the lyrical themes of The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise, The Third Sleep ventures deeper into the subconscious, weaving suggestive and poetic storytelling with sharp social commentary. More outward-looking than its introspective predecessor, the album invites the listener to engage, interpret, and reflect. With a rich musical foundation that spans classical piano, electronica, progressive and hard rock, Oak has carved out a distinctive sound-both captivating and challenging in equal measure. Recorded in Ljugekroken (Oslo), the album was mixed by David Castillo (Katatonia, Leprous, Opeth) and mastered by Jacob Holm-Lupo (White Willow, Donner) at Dude Ranch Studio, Sandoya. Prepare to experience The Third Sleep, a thought-provoking journey through sound and emotion.

A meditative, folk-inflected score rooted in improvisation, ‘Dragon’s return’ echoes the soul of A film long buried behind the Iron Curtain



With Dragon’s Return, Australian composer and multi-instrumentalist Oren Ambarchi and Norwegian guitarist Fredrik Rasten present a new, meditative score to Eduard Grecner’s eponymous 1967 Slovak cult film — a stark, black-and-white parable.



The album captures a unique live performance recorded at the Videodroom Festival during Film Fest Ghent in October 2024, where this new score premiered alongside the film in collaboration with the Slovak Film Institute. What began as a fleeting, improvisational encounter between music and image has since taken on a life of its own — an evocative sound world that retains its power even in the absence of visuals.



The album will be available on vinyl and all digital platforms from September 12 via VIERNULVIER Records. The vinyl edition includes an obi strip, a booklet with film stills, and extensive liner notes on the film.



The label is known for shedding new light on forgotten films through reimagined soundtracks — claire rousay’s acclaimed The Bloody Lady being the most recent example.


“Folklore meets avant-garde in an ancient drama - a ballad about love, hate and finding a way out of loneliness” - Rastislav Steranka (Slovak Film Institute)



Ambarchi and Rasten do not accompany the images so much as speak through them. Their interplay — on guitars, flutes, percussion, and voice — unfolds slowly, without a fixed destination, culminating in subtle, entrancing drones. With few breaks or ruptures, this trippy, folk-inflected continuous composition invites surrender.



Rasten’s 12-string guitar and delicate use of voice create layered textures that shimmer and shift. Ambarchi, known for his electro-acoustic work, here explores a radically softer mode — strumming, bowing and coaxing tones from his instrument as though it were a string section unto itself. He blows into shells, adding breath and texture to the sonic palette, touching on something elemental.


Together, they evoke a sound world that feels both ritualistic and strangely familiar — as if echoing from a forgotten ceremony or dreamed into being after hearing an old folk tale. Rooted in improvisation, the music speaks in tones both intimate and expansive, shaped live in dialogue with the film and with each other, with only minimal overdubs added afterward.

Tift Merritt ist seit langem eine Lichtgestalt der Americana-Musik. Anlässlich des 20-jährigen Jubiläums ihres für den Grammy nominierten Albums „Tambourine“ kehrt Merritt mit „Time and Patience“ zurück – einem Begleitwerk mit intimen Neuaufnahmen und neuen Songs aus Merritts „Tambourine“-Ära. Einige der Aufnahmen reduzieren ihre beliebten Klassiker auf ihre ursprüngliche Essenz – aufgenommen zu Hause, nur mit Gesang und akustischen Instrumenten, 20 Jahre nachdem sie damit erstmals von den Kritikern gefeiert wurde. Andere sind noch nie zuvor zu hören gewesen.

Transparentes Vinyl mit gelben Spritzern in Gatefold-Hülle

Mit Secret Love legt die Londoner Band Dry Cleaning ihr bislang reifstes Werk vor. Das dritte Studioalbum, produziert von Cate Le Bon, ist eine konzentrierte Momentaufnahme der besonderen Chemie zwischen Florence Shaw, Tom Dowse, Nick Buxton und Lewis Maynard. Aus intensiven Sessions in Peckham, Chicago, Dublin und schließlich im Black Box Studio in Frankreich entstand ein Werk, das Vertrauen und Verletzlichkeit ins Zentrum stellt - die Bande zwischen den vier Musiker*innen ebenso wie das fragile Verhältnis zwischen Nähe und Manipulation in der Gesellschaft. Musikalisch schlägt Secret Love eine Brücke zwischen den paranoiden Untertönen des frühen US-Punks, dem coolen Strut der Stones, Stoner-Rock, No-Wave-Experimenten und zarten, fast pastoralen Gitarrenfiguren. Die Stücke atmen gleichermaßen Schärfe und Verspieltheit, immer getragen von Shaws unverwechselbarem Sprechgesang, der präzise auf die dynamischen Soundlandschaften ihrer Band reagiert. Damit knüpft sie an eine Tradition von Spoken-Word-Künstlerinnen wie Laurie Anderson an, erweitert sie aber um eine ganz eigene Mischung aus Absurdität, Empfindsamkeit und lakonischem Humor. Die erste Single "Hit My Head All Day" zeigt exemplarisch, wie Secret Love gesellschaftliche Themen - etwa Desinformation und Einflussnahme - mit persönlicher Unsicherheit und existenzieller Fragilität verknüpft. Doch trotz aller Schwere bleibt das Album von einer spielerischen Offenheit geprägt: Ideen wurden ausprobiert, verworfen, neu zusammengesetzt - bis ein Sound entstand, der gleichzeitig roh, elegant und unerwartet warm klingt. Secret Love ist ein Album über das Vertrauen - in Freundschaften, in Musik, in sich selbst - und über die Risiken, die damit verbunden sind. Es markiert für Dry Cleaning den Schritt zu einer Band, die ihre avantgardistische Energie zu einem unverwechselbaren Ausdruck verdichtet hat.

Mit Secret Love legt die Londoner Band Dry Cleaning ihr bislang reifstes Werk vor. Das dritte Studioalbum, produziert von Cate Le Bon, ist eine konzentrierte Momentaufnahme der besonderen Chemie zwischen Florence Shaw, Tom Dowse, Nick Buxton und Lewis Maynard. Aus intensiven Sessions in Peckham, Chicago, Dublin und schließlich im Black Box Studio in Frankreich entstand ein Werk, das Vertrauen und Verletzlichkeit ins Zentrum stellt - die Bande zwischen den vier Musiker*innen ebenso wie das fragile Verhältnis zwischen Nähe und Manipulation in der Gesellschaft. Musikalisch schlägt Secret Love eine Brücke zwischen den paranoiden Untertönen des frühen US-Punks, dem coolen Strut der Stones, Stoner-Rock, No-Wave-Experimenten und zarten, fast pastoralen Gitarrenfiguren. Die Stücke atmen gleichermaßen Schärfe und Verspieltheit, immer getragen von Shaws unverwechselbarem Sprechgesang, der präzise auf die dynamischen Soundlandschaften ihrer Band reagiert. Damit knüpft sie an eine Tradition von Spoken-Word-Künstlerinnen wie Laurie Anderson an, erweitert sie aber um eine ganz eigene Mischung aus Absurdität, Empfindsamkeit und lakonischem Humor. Die erste Single "Hit My Head All Day" zeigt exemplarisch, wie Secret Love gesellschaftliche Themen - etwa Desinformation und Einflussnahme - mit persönlicher Unsicherheit und existenzieller Fragilität verknüpft. Doch trotz aller Schwere bleibt das Album von einer spielerischen Offenheit geprägt: Ideen wurden ausprobiert, verworfen, neu zusammengesetzt - bis ein Sound entstand, der gleichzeitig roh, elegant und unerwartet warm klingt. Secret Love ist ein Album über das Vertrauen - in Freundschaften, in Musik, in sich selbst - und über die Risiken, die damit verbunden sind. Es markiert für Dry Cleaning den Schritt zu einer Band, die ihre avantgardistische Energie zu einem unverwechselbaren Ausdruck verdichtet hat.

Bruit's sound is a tectonic collision of raw noise and patient, cinematic structure: layers of metallic percussion, low-end rumbles and fractured melodic fragments that creep, accumulate and then converge. Balancing soaring melancholy and industrial grit with meticulous dynamics, they turn long-form pieces into physical architectures where silence, resonance and sudden force are equally important. In this reissue of their staggering debut EP `Monolith', Bruit give us the opportunity to rediscover their first ever release, the completely self-produced and recorded record that defined their direction and introduced their world-shattering sound. `Monolith' is an epic portrayal at the centre of the human experience, the band's use of melancholia, industrial textures reimagined through patient dynamics, sculpted resonances, and a singular attention to momentum gives listeners access deep and power terrains. `Monolith' is the first expression of Bruit's exploration of material sound and human scale. Building on the dense palette of integrity and compositional mastery, Bruit interrogates what long-form composition can hold: memory, pressure, and a cinematic coalescence. Bruit's sound captures the exorbitant nature of the times, the outrageousness of humanity at a moment in time that is grotesque in scale and overwhelming in scope. Two long tracks for FOR FANS OF Hans Zimmer * Nils Frahm * Godspeed You! Black Emperor * Balmorhea * Max Richter * Olafur Arnalds * A Silver Mount Zion * Boards Of Canada

Trouble’s absolute classic: the legendary album from 1990 and the pinnacle of Trouble’s impressive career. Heavy Metal was never better than this! Includes a live bonus CD recorded in Dallas, Taxas (USA)! Trouble’s debut album did great things for Metal and remains one of the darkest, thrashiest Doom albums to date. A lot of things can change in six years, especially when you’re talking Metal and the dates are 1984 and 1990. The decade may have changed them, but not in a way that suggests decay or a decline in the quality of their resolve or their skill as musicians and performers. On the contrary, Trouble’s 1990 self-titled release is arguably their most mature, boasting a fleshed out sound with unparalleled songwriting, a great production, and the time-crafted vocals of Eric Wagner which had improved major in the years since their previous efforts. All of this culminates in what is my mind the most “complete” thing Trouble ever created. From the mid-paced chug of a killer opener in “At the End of My Daze” to the last notes of “All Is Forgiven”, I can’t see filler or anything resembling a weak link. The riffs here are some of the best ever written, by Trouble or anyone else; every song has a manically awesome main riff that demands a display of headbanging. Riffs are undoubtedly the point of focus here; they make the songs, and they’re a timeless variety of great. Also, the interplay between guitarists Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell is some of the best lead work you will ever hear in Metal. Trouble basically reinvented themselves with this release, and while I think it was a fantastic rebirth, those who aren’t so keen on the laid back stoner vibe they chose to adopt may not see it as a rejuvenation, but a step back (they did go from doom and gloom to collectively embracing their inner acid dropping free love hippie, after all). But the Metal remained fully intact! And as I’ve said, I think this is Trouble at their best. This is originality and innovation at its best, it is supreme quality. A leader of bands paves the way and then steps aside to create something that will serve as an example of how to improve upon an established formula: that is, by doing it really damn well.

HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY, the 'supergroup' led by former MONSTROSITY and VILE frontman and current artwork artist Mike Hrubovcak and Rogga Johansson from PAGANIZER and RIBSPREADER are releasing their third full-length, "Disturbing The Cenotaph". Since the duo, completed by former THE PROJECT HATE drummer Thomas Ohlsson, originally picked up their moniker as an homage to the 1981 cult horror flick of the same name, it shouldn't come as a surprise they've once again paying tribute to director Lucio Fulci (1927-1996) in one of this album most lethal salvo, 'New York Ripper'. Elsewhere on this third album, other tracks like 'Undead Apocalypse' or 'Burial Disturbance' were inspired by other famous horror classics like "Night Of The Living Dead" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", Hrubovcak has come up in his lyrics with his own tales of terror. Some are totally fictional like, 'Coffin Colony' about a "diseased homeless living in underground coffins who gets infected with rabies after eating sewer rats". Others, like 'Lunatic Butcher' are inspired by real-life events or, in that case, by the antics and vicious killings of Paul John Knowles, dubbed 'the Casanova killer'. Musically speaking, Johansson jokes about "every band saying that their new album is their best but that's actually true here eh eh! This album is HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY on steroids. The sound is broad and impious, the vocals are awesome and the heavy riffing interlaced with occasional melody makes an overall varied, fun and GORY listen!" Completed, like on 2024's "The Mortuary Hauntings", by a gruesome artwork courtesy Felipe Mora (whose nightmarish visions can already be seen on albums by CONSUMPTION, ACHERON or WOMBBATH) and mixed by Håkan Stuvemark from WOMBBATH, Disturbing The Cenotaph is one raw, in-your-face and eight songs packed death-metal-to-the-core album ready to chill you to the bone!

Hinter dem sorgefrei erscheinenden Titel Dolce Vita verbirgt sich eine dunklere, schmerzhafte Geschichte: es ist die der erzwungenen Flucht von Louis’ Großvater und dessen Familie vor der honduranischen Diktatur. Matute taucht unter dem ironisch gemeinten Motto Dolce Vita in die bewegte Geschichte Lateinamerikas ein, das unter der Herrschaft von Militärregimen und imperialistischen Großkonzernen, wie der United Fruit Company, jahrzehntelang litt.

Zum ersten Mal auf Vinyl. Auf schwarzem und silbernem Smush-Vinyl. Enthält eine exklusive Sammelkarte, die es nur für diese Pressung von „Dalliance“ gibt, sowie 1/5 eines Codes, der einen exklusiven „Charm“
von Chase Atlantic freischaltet!

Zum ersten Mal auf Vinyl. Auf weißem Vinyl. Enthält eine exklusive Sammelkarte, die es nur in dieser
Auflage von „Nostalgia“ gibt, sowie 1/5 eines Codes, der einen exklusiven „Charm“ von Chase Atlantic
freischaltet!

Zum ersten Mal auf Vinyl. Auf schwarzem Vinyl mit rosa und blauen Spritzern. Enthält eine exklusive
Sammelkarte, die nur für diese Auflage von „Paradise“ erhältlich ist, sowie 1/5 eines Codes, der einen
exklusiven „Charm“ von Chase Atlantic freischaltet!

Vinyl-Nachdruck auf geisterhaft lila und pinkfarbenem Vinyl. Enthält eine exklusive Sammelkarte, die es
nur bei dieser PHASES-Pressung gibt, sowie 1/5 eines Codes, der einen exklusiven Chase Atlantic „Charm“
freischaltet!

Dieses Juwel der zeitgenössischen Musik gibt’s jetzt mit neuem Artwork. Gruß und Kuss!

"Sunshine and Balance Beams", das neunte Album von Pile, ist eine Sisyphus-Parabel über Arbeit und Leben. Um es zu schreiben, begab sich Sänger Rick Maguire an ,einen dunklen Ort" und rang mit dem Konzept, dass es keine Erleuchtung und kein Ende des Leidens gibt. Maguire erforscht den Workaholismus, den Mythos der Leistungsgesellschaft und die Akzeptanz der Sterblichkeit - und das alles in einer teuflischen Allegorie, in der es darum geht, durch einen schattigen Wald zu stapfen und dem ungewissen Traum einer hellen Lichtung entgegenzugehen. Pile ringt mit existenziellen und sozialen Widersprüchen, indem sie klangliche Zwischenräume heraufbeschwören. Die Musik existiert irgendwo im temporären Gleichgewicht von Licht und Schatten, Chaos und Ordnung. Heiße, regenähnliche Gitarren, sich verschiebende Drums, die gewundene Wege in Klang und Tempo ebnen, unheimliche Synthesizer und wässrige Streicher fügen sich zu einem Panorama aus Laut-Leise-Dynamik zusammen, das der Emotionalität der donnernden Auftritte der Band entspricht. Die Gruppe engagierte eine Streichergruppe (Geigen, Bratsche, Cello), die glühende, durchkomponierte Arrangements spielten, die von der Cellistin Eden Rayz und Pile mitgeschrieben wurden. Sie ließen sich von Kino- und Opernpartituren von Chopin, Bernard Herrmann und Ralph Vaughan Williams inspirieren, was "Sunshine and Balance Beams" einen überlebensgroßen Sound verleiht, der Piles blitzschnelle Umsetzungen einiger ihrer bisher zugänglichsten Songtexte noch verstärkt. Die Aufnahme ist ein deutlicher Sprung im Produktionswert und stellt Maguires Gesang auf neue und aufregende Weise in den Mittelpunkt. Pile reisten nach Pawtucket, RI, um zwei Wochen lang bei Machines with Magnets mit ihrer langjährigen Tontechnikerin Miranda Serra (Kal Marks, Kira McSpice) aufzunehmen. Das Album wurde von Seth Manchester (Lightning Bolt, Mdou Moctar) gemischt und von Matt Colton (Aphex Twin, Swans, Muse) gemastert. "Sunshine and Balance Beams" ist das erste Album von Pile für das Chicagoer Label Sooper Records.

Lillian King's debut album In Your Long Shadow is out October 24th. It is about letting the wind in, Lake Michigan in the winter, and the silence of a long summer evening. And really it's about the grief of losing her dad, Neil King Jr. When her dad died in September 2024, grief permeated every facet of Lillian's life. The loss is felt in everything, but especially when doing the things her dad loved the most -- the simple everyday good things that make life worth living: cooking, walking the longer way to work, swimming in cold water. In the throes of grief it feels impossible to find anything that doesn't just make you sadder, but when Lillian did find those things, she grabbed onto them. Soon it was clear that the best coping mechanisms weren't gin and tonics, but talking to her mom and sister as much as possible, and producing an album. The album arrangement came together in a couple of weeks as Lillian brought bandmates and friends Robert Salazar and Nick DePrey new and old songs to build on. Robert played the drums, while Nick played keys (with a smattering of bass and guitar). The process was collaborative and intimate, and only got better when Jack Henry (producer of albums by Friko and Free Range) joined to record and mix it. Some of the songs on this album are years old, including "Underwater", which Lillian wrote one late night in Montreal a decade ago. However, most came together in the months approaching recording."Dragging Dirt" was written just a week before getting into the studio. Despite the bummer material, the recording process was spontaneous and light hearted. The song "Echo" came together unexpectedly during a break between songs. In the midst of recording In Your Long Shadow, Lillian had concerns about making a "grief album." Her sister Frances, as usual, had the right advice: "Every album from now on is going to be a grief album." In Your Long Shadow is about loss as much as it is about living with it. Take it outside on a walk.

Bruit's sound is a tectonic collision of raw noise and patient, cinematic structure: layers of metallic percussion, low-end rumbles and fractured melodic fragments that creep, accumulate and then converge. Balancing soaring melancholy and industrial grit with meticulous dynamics, they turn long-form pieces into physical architectures where silence, resonance and sudden force are equally important. In this reissue of their staggering debut EP `Monolith', Bruit give us the opportunity to rediscover their first ever release, the completely self-produced and recorded record that defined their direction and introduced their world-shattering sound. `Monolith' is an epic portrayal at the centre of the human experience, the band's use of melancholia, industrial textures reimagined through patient dynamics, sculpted resonances, and a singular attention to momentum gives listeners access deep and power terrains. `Monolith' is the first expression of Bruit's exploration of material sound and human scale. Building on the dense palette of integrity and compositional mastery, Bruit interrogates what long-form composition can hold: memory, pressure, and a cinematic coalescence. Bruit's sound captures the exorbitant nature of the times, the outrageousness of humanity at a moment in time that is grotesque in scale and overwhelming in scope. Two long tracks for FOR FANS OF Hans Zimmer * Nils Frahm * Godspeed You! Black Emperor * Balmorhea * Max Richter * Olafur Arnalds * A Silver Mount Zion * Boards Of Canada

Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars are captured in rare form during this live recording from 1956. The album features a great collection of tunes which had become staples of Armstrong's live shows, including his perennial opener, "Indiana"; the crowd favorite, "Tiger Rag"; the always joyful, "When The Saints Go Marching In"; and the great title-track, "Basin Street Blues". Satch's frontline band at the time boasted the very distinctive sounds of trombonist Trummy Young and clarinetist Ed Hall.

Rock for Light is the second full-length album by Bad Brains, released in 1983. It was produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars. We're proud to present the original mix of the album, for the first time in decades, as the band originally intended. Most fans will be more familiar with the 1991 reissue, which was remixed by Ocasek and bass player Darryl Jenifer. In addition to new mixes, that version used an altered track order. This reissue marks the fourth release in the remaster campaign, re-launching the Bad Brains Records label imprint. In coordination with the band, Org Music has overseen the restoration and remastering of the iconic Bad Brains' recordings. The audio was mastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering and pressed at Furnace Record Pressing.

Sahib's Jazz Party is an album by saxophonist/flautist Sahib Shihab, recorded live at the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, around the same time that he relocated there in 1963. Shihab is joined by flugelhornist Allan Botchinsky, guitarist Ole Molin, drummer Alex Riel, and 17-year old bass prodigy Niels Henning Orsted Pederson. The recordings showcase Sahib's diversity and dexterity as a player, including his openness to the avant-garde style, expanding on the bop era playing he is known for. The audio has been remastered by Dave Gardner and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany.

Auch nach sieben Jahren stehen WIDOWSPEAK immer noch für Atmosphäre. Ihre Musik ist eine Überlappung von Indie Rock, Dreampop, Shoegaze, Slow-Core und "Cowboy Grunge". Die Band aus Brooklyn hat mit dem vierten Album "Expect The Best" die Balance zwischen gegenseitigen Kräften wie hell/dunkel, leise/laut, Stress/Entspannung gefunden. Nachdem er mit der Band viel umhergezogen war, kehrte Hamilton in seine Heimat zurück, an den Ort seiner Kindheit. Dort fand er Halt und neue Energie, was ihm half ein Album zu schreiben, dessen roter Faden die Selbsterkenntnis ist. Die selbstreflektierenden Texte thematisieren die Furcht vor Antriebslosigkeit ("Dog") oder Ängste im digitalen Zeitalter ("Expect The Best") oder Motivationslosigkeit ("When I Tried"). WIDOWSPEAK haben es mit ihrem neuen Album geschafft, die dynamischen Veränderungen ihrer Musik zu steuern und sind dabei feinfühlig und zurückhaltend. Die neun Songs sind geprägt von einer Melancholie, aber auch weiterhin getragen von dem für WIDOWSPEAK typischen Twang-Gitarrensound. "Expect The Best" ist eine abstrakte Hommage an die 90er Jahre und bringt zugleich die gewohnte WIDOWSPEAK Intimität mit sich, für die sie geliebt werden.

Adrian Younge Presents: Twelve Reasons To Die II inhabits the grimy streets of mid-1970s, NYC. Younge's cinematic, psychedelic soul returns to set the stage for a clash between crime syndicates and the vengeful spirit of Tony Starks (Ghostface Killah). This gripping sequel features special guest appearances from Wu Tang alumni Rza and Raekwon, who personifies the criminal mastermind, Lester Kane. A Wu-Tang saga unfolds in this thrilling sequel to the acclaimed original. Recorded and mixed by Adrian Younge at Linear Labs, the preeminent analog studio of Los Angeles, CA.

"I want nothing more than to be a loner," Emily Kempf sings early on Flower of Devotion, the new album by Chicago trio Dehd. It's a startling admission coming from a songwriter who, just a year ago on Dehd's critically acclaimed Water, wrote eloquently about the joys and pains _ more than anything, the necessity _ of love, compassion, and companionship. But then, "admission" isn't really the right word here, given the stridency of Kempf's tone. "Loner" is a declaration. The record ups the ante on Dehd's sound & filters in just enough polish to bring out the shining and melancholy undertones in Jason Balla and Emily Kempf's songwriting, even as it captures them at their most strident. Balla's guitar lines at times flirt with ticklish cosmic country, while at others they reflect the dark marble sounds of Broadcast. Kempf, meanwhile, establishes herself as a singer of incredible expressive range, pinching into a high lonesome wail, letting loose a chirping "ooh!," pushing her voice below its breaking point and letting it swing down there. When she and Balla bounce descending counter-melodies off one another over McGrady's one-two thumps, or skitter off over a programmed drum pad, they sound like The B-52s shaking off heartache. What makes Flower of Devotion so impressive is how its creation seems to have strengthened its creators, both as individuals and as a unit, even as they've stared down their own limitations. It's also striking just how much fun they seem to be having in the process. "It's okay to be lighthearted in the face of despair," Kempf says. It's a theme that runs through the album, from the opening back-and-forth build of "Desire" to the click-clacking chorus of "Haha," which finds them deflating their own history. Flower of Devotion was recorded in April and August of 2019 in Chicago. It will be released on Fire Talk Records on July 17th 2020.

Jefferson Berry combines story telling with the intricacies of Jam Band and Roots instrumentation. His songs are performed by a cadre of unique players:
The Urban Acoustic Coalition. The band is anchored by the virtuosity of
Bud Burroughs and the harmonies of Theresa Ratliff. While acoustic by nature, never missing is the locked-in bass/drums drive of Uncle Mike and Adam Stranburg. Complementing all this with a variety of guitar styles, Berry’s projects bring a danceable style and contemporary point of view to a unique wing of Philadelphia’s local music scene. With the release of his fourth album in five years, this reputation is spreading nationally. Berry’s lyrics are informed by his years in corporate media followed by a dozen years teaching African
American History, Economics and Government to inner-city Philadelphia high school students. Symeer Woods (aka Lil Uzi Vert) and the late
Rasheen Jones (aka Runup Rico) were among his students. Double Deadbolt Logic was originally released in 2020 and has 11 all original tracks in total featuring “At The Festival” and “Get To The Store”

Jefferson Berry combines story telling with the intricacies of JamBand and Roots instrumentation. His songs are performed by a cadre of unique
players: The Urban Acoustic Coalition. The band is anchored by the virtuosity of Bud Burroughs and the harmonies of Theresa Ratliff. While acoustic by nature, never missing is the locked-in bass/drums drive of Uncle Mike and Adam Stranburg. Complementing all this with a variety of guitar styles, Berry’s projects bring a danceable style and contemporary point of view to a unique wing of Philadelphia’s local music scene. With the release of his fourth album in five years, this reputation is spreading nationally.
Berry’s lyrics are informed by his years in corporate media followed by a dozen years teaching African American History, Economics and Government to inner-city Philadelphia high school students. Symeer Woods (aka Lil Uzi Vert) and the late Rasheen Jones (aka Runup Rico) were among his students. Born Into A Blizzard is the latest release from Jefferson Berry & the UAC and has 10 tracks in total featuring “Leaving Santa Maria", “Thirty Miles to the Beach” and “Philly Eats its Own”.

Jefferson Berry combines story telling with the intricacies of JamBand and Roots instrumentation. His songs are performed by a cadre of unique
players: The Urban Acoustic Coalition. The band is anchored by the virtuosity of Bud Burroughs and the harmonies of Theresa Ratliff. While acoustic
by nature, never missing is the locked-in bass/drums drive of Uncle Mike and Adam Stranburg. Complementing all this with a variety of guitar styles, Berry’s projects bring a danceable style and contemporary point of view to a unique wing of Philadelphia’s local music scene. With the release of his fourth album in five years, this reputation is spreading nationally. Berry’s lyrics are informed by his years in corporate media followed by a dozen years teaching African American History, Economics and Government to inner-city Philadelphia high school students. Symeer Woods (aka Lil Uzi Vert) and the late Rasheen Jones (aka Runup Rico) were among his students. Prairie Fire was originally released in 2023 and has 11 tracks in total featuring “That Was Me”,
“Long Way From Home” and the title track “Prairie Fire”.

Large Professor’s classic cut “The Man” arrives on vinyl for the first time as a limited-edition 7-inch. Pulled from his 1st Class era, the track finds the Extra P in peak form—flipping the haunting “Sugar Man” sample into a warm, soulful groove while delivering razor-sharp bars.
This special pressing features custom artwork and is essential for collectors, DJs, and true-school hip-hop fans. A timeless snapshot of Large Professor’s unmatched producer/MC chemistry.

Black Vinyl, 2nd pressing

Elegante Popmusik. Gewaltige Hooks. Voller Streichersound. Das L.A. Musikerkollektiv Storefront Church um den Phoebe Bridgers-Schlagzeuger Lukas Frank nahm sein 2024er Album ""Ink & Oil"", das erstmals flächendeckend erhältlich wird, mit einem kompletten Live-Orchester auf. Textlich bewegt sich Lukas auf der Schattenseite der Straße. Musikalisch ist er der Hammer. Erinnerungen an Scott Walker, Nick Cave, Brian Wilson und den frühen John Grant werden wach. Die Mitglieder treten - ähnlich Broken Social Scene oder Black Country, New Road - in wechselnder Besetzung auf, darunter Laetitia Sadier, Phoebe Bridgers, Zachary Cole Smith (DIIV), George Clarke (Deafheaven), Circuit Des Yeux, Lauren Auder, Cassidy Turbin (Beck), Sam Wilkes und ein Dutzend weitere. Storefront Church steuerten den Song ""The Gift"" zur Netflix-Serie ""The Queen’s Gambit"" bei und nahmen den Roxy Music-Klassiker ""More Than This"" als melancholische Gothic-Version auf.

Es ist alles überlebensgroß, düsterer als der Tod und das beste Album, das die Horror-Punks von Creeper je aufgenommen haben.

Das Album "SANGUIVORE" hat Creepers ohnehin schon überlebensgroße Ambitionen auf neue Höhen geführt, was zu den positivsten Kritiken ihrer Karriere führte und in ihrem ersten Headliner-Konzert in der OVO Wembley Arena in London gipfelte. Historisch gesehen schließt die Band am Ende einer Creeper-Ära den Sargdeckel, um sich erneut neu zu erfinden. Doch dieses Mal trotzt die fünfköpfige Band den Erwartungen, indem sie das kreative Universum des Vorgängeralbums erweitert und am 31. Oktober mit "Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death" aufs Neue ins Vampir-Universum eintaucht.

"Sanguivore II: Misstress Of Death" ist eher eine thematische Fortsetzung als eine direkte Weiterführung der ursprünglichen Geschichte. Wie eine klassische Horror-Anthologie spinnt es eine neue Geschichte aus derselben Blutlinie wie das Original, diesmal mit dem blutigen Vampirherz als roter Faden, um eine brandneue Erzählung einzuführen.
Die Geschichte führt uns zurück in die moralische Hysterie der Satanic Panic und ihre Auswirkungen auf die Welt des Hardrock und Heavy Metal der 80er Jahre. Es war eine Zeit, in der der verstorbene Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne und Judas Priest von Gerichtsverfahren verfolgt wurden. Iron Maiden spielte tief im Herzen Amerikas, während W.A.S.P. und Mötley Crüe mit ihrer skandalösen Theatralik und Dekadenz die Gemüter der Konservativen erhitzten.

Wie schon das Original wurde auch "Sanguivore II" von Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Rammstein, Royal Blood) produziert.

Woke Up With a Monster finds Cheap Trick firing on all cylinders, blending their signature power pop hooks with a heavier guitar edge. Produced by Ted Templeman (Van Halen), the 1994 album bursts with energy on tracks like “My Gang,” “You’re All I Wanna Do,” and “Girlfriends.” Hailed by Rick Nielsen as “the first album in the second half of our career,” it’s a bold statement from Rock and Roll Hall of Famers at the top of their game.

Faces' second album, 'Long Player,' gets a much-anticipated vinyl repress on standard black vinyl, showcasing the band at the height of their powers. This ragged, yet cohesive, rock and roll masterpiece captures the band's ferocious energy and collaborative songwriting. Featuring standout tracks like "Bad 'n' Ruin" and a soaring cover of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed".

The seventeenth studio album from the Canadian legends, following a six year gap from the previous album, Test For Echo.

For the first time on vinyl! Sly and the Family Stone – Who in the Funk Do You Think You Are: The Warner Recordings brings together Sly Stone’s groundbreaking albums from 1979 and 1982 for Warner. This collection includes rare demos and material previously only available on the limited Rhino Handmade CD release. Sly and the Family Stone took the Sixties ideal of unity and turned it into deeply groove-driven music.

“So, how did this band even happen?” That’s the question most often asked of Winged Wheel, a creatively and geographically scattered collective who have somehow congregated to make a noise that’s unexpected but undeniable. The band includes Whitney Johnson (Matchess, Circuit des Yeux), Cory Plump (Spray Paint, co-owner of the dream venue Tubby’s), Matthew J. Rolin (solo guitar wizard and half of the Powers/Rolin Duo), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), Lonnie Slack, and Fred Thomas (Idle Ray, Tyvek), each player living in a different city and bringing their own unique element to the group’s chain reactions. Early long distance file-trading between a few members yielded 2022’s No Island, a debut album that was accidentally really good. Good enough for the band to expand their membership and meet in person for the sessions that became 2024’s Big Hotel, a surgically-assembled murk of high energy kosmische rock with jammed-out tendencies.

Fast forward just a little and all of a sudden the band that started out as a passing idea has completed multiple tours, become a taper’s dream with sets that drift through structure and improvisation, and ridden the momentum to places unforeseen on their third album, Desert So Green. After a run of shows across the Midwest in the spring of 2025, the group settled into a studio on the outskirts of Chicago to track their next record. Though the full lineup had only been solidified for a little over a year at this point, time together on stage led to a quickly-expanding sound and a unified vision of always going somewhere new. To this end, Winged Wheel abandoned the play-now-sort-it-out-later approach of Big Hotel and instead spent hours refining flashes of inspiration into coherent songs.

Mesh-mainstay Jinjé teams up with A. Montane for a collaborative EP born out of live improvised sessions, and composed over the period of a year.

Taking a slowed approach to the production of Neon Garden EP, the two hardware aficionados met sporadically for live jam sessions - an homage to the importance of not rushing the process, and letting ideas build over time. Each session consisted of an intense burst of musical propositions followed by a careful editing framework, giving space for each moment to flourish. Oscillating between moments of catharsis and intense rhythmic play, the EP merges disparate musical sources into exciting new structures.

‘Ikeya Seki’ launches with glistening arpeggiations and subaquatic frequencies that interact over UKG-adjacent drums. ‘Vrem’ marches to a slow-stepping half time beat, building through yearning vocals before breaking down into a storm of pointillistic percussion. On ‘Yū’, rich melodies and bouncy, bass-led rhythms dance below chopped up vocals. Closing things off, ‘Velvet People’ builds a spatial setting with bells ricocheting through malfunctioning flutters.

A nod to the joys of improvisation, Neon Garden EP takes the spirit of spontaneity and lays out new structures for its ideas to grow.

10” EP, 50 COPIES LIMITED EDITION, (25 BLACK, 25 TRANSPARENT)

Dubblack closes its 2025 vinyl series with DBB010, a rare 10” edition limited to only 50 copies — 25 black, 25 transparent.

The release introduces eoobe, the Amsterdam-based duo of Elina Tapio and Marco Segato, known for their immersive sound design and instinctive approach to rhythm. Across two downtempo analog compositions, they explore the intersection of ritual and circuitry, sound as both matter and movement.

Recorded live with analog synths, stomp boxes and drum machines, DBB010 unfolds through tactile tension and subtle repetition. On the B-side, Louis Bataille (Low Bat, Trystero, AnDerMole, Jean-Luc) joins with his voice, adding a spectral presence that drifts through the mix like a forgotten transmission.

Marking the final chapter of the 2025 vinyl series, DBB010 distills the raw and introspective spirit of Dubblack, deep, reduced, and emotionally resonant.

White Lies, eine der gefeirtesten Gitarrenbands Großbritanniens, veröffentlichen ihr siebtes Album "Night Light". Inspiriert von der Live-Performance-Fernsehshow The Midnight Special aus den 1970er-Jahren, beschloss das Trio, die Stücke zunächst live zu meistern und bis ins Detail zu verfeinern, bevor es ins Studio ging. Mehr Einfachheit statt aufwendiger Set-Ups. So konnten sie sich auf das Songwriting und die Chemie zwischen den Songs konzentrierten und verließen sich auf ihre 17-jährige musikalische Verbindung, um die Energie des Albums zu formen. Das Ergebnis, an dem neben dem Produzenten Riley McIntyre auch der Keyboarder Seth Evans maßgeblich mitgearbeitet haben, klingt nach Progressive Rock, Synthie-Klangwelten und beizeiten sogar nach Disco. White Lies klingen auch auf ihrem siebten Album noch selbstbewusst und kreativ zugleich. Oder wie Sänger und Gitarrist Harry McVeigh sagt: "Wir wissen endlich, was wir tun."

LTD Edition Clear Vinyl Version

Arguably one of the most memorable house music moments, born out of the black LGBT scene in Chicago at the legendary Warehouse and known as one of Frankie Knuckles earliest productions; ‘Your Love’ is a stone cold classic. A record that is up there with the greats, instantly recognisable and a song that only get better with time.

Written by Jamie Principle and originally released in 1986, ‘Your Love’ has become a seminal recording over the past 34 years. Originally an underground club anthem, famously borrowed on the crossover hit ‘You’ve Got The Love’ (The Source feat. Candi Staton), and most recently re-produced by as part of the Director’s Cut project which aimed to update a number of classic cuts for the modern dancefloor, this is a record that endures the test of time. Working alongside The Frankie Knuckles Foundation and Eric Kupper, SoSure Music now releases two new remixes for 2020 from Darrius Syrossian and Alan Dixon.

First up, House music aficionado and legendary Sankey’s resident Darius Syrossian offers his unique blend of beats to the remix package. With releases on the likes of Get Physical, Viva Music and Hot Creations, Darius’ production is heavily influenced by some of the greats – think of the finest spinners from Detroit, New York and Chicago – and is well placed to approach this huge task. Darius introduces a rolling house beat and some old skool breakbeats into his mix, keeping the energy high throughout; bringing a feeling of a euphoria and hitting the peak time moment.

Charting a rapid rise through the ranks in a relatively short time Alan Dixon is already building a name for himself in House and Nu Disco scene and has recently released on labels including Glitterbox, Permanent Vacation, Running Back and True Romance. Alan’s remix aims directly at the centre of the disco dancefloor. A strong beat dominates a unique energy through the mix along with a slightly nostalgic vibe. With a beautiful floaty interlude and a raw emotion this remix updates a classic with respect while also giving a fresh new twist.

Schon in den späten Achtzigern waren Teile von Ampyre in Gruppen wie Tindale Creek, Silk´n´Steel oder Dark Haze aktiv, die Veröffentlichungen vorweisen konnten. Mit Sängerin Elke Grötzinger, die auch heute noch erfolgreich mit FRONTROW WARRIOR die Bühnen rockt, hatte man dazu einen perfekten Fang gemacht. Somit hatte man im Raum Stuttgart direkt einen guten Start und volle Häuser, trotz starker Konkurrenz.

Für das im Marquee Studio produzierte 5-Track-Demo griff man tief in die Tasche, was zu einem dementsprechend professionell klingenden Ergebnis führte. Das musikalische Können und ein für diesen Stil perfektes Songwriting hätten eigentlich für den großen Knall sorgen müssen, doch 1991 änderte sich die musikalische Landschaft und auch der melodische Metal musste gegen Grunge, Crossover, sowie Thrash- und Death Metal antreten. Das Label Golden Core machte diese Aufnahmen erstmals zugänglich und die Reviews in Magazinen wie Rock Hard oder Break Out waren traumhaft. Aus der Schweiz stammten Sacrifice, die sich 1984 mit einer selbstproduzierten Single vorstellten und dann einen Deal mit dem GAMA Musikverlag bekamen. „On The Altar Of Rock“ erschien 1985 auf dem GAMA-Label Camel und platzierte die Band in der damaligen Heavyrock-Szene.

Die Mischung aus melodischem Hardrock und Heavy Metal macht den Reiz dieses Albums aus. Geschicktes Songwriting mit vielen Hooklines paart sich mit dem spielerischen Können.

Die Wiederauflage auf Golden Core enthält als Bonus die zwei raren Tracks der 12“ Single und ist remastert. Ende der Siebziger befanden sich The Teens auf dem Siegeszug und dominierten die Jugendhefte wie die Bravo. Natürlich sollte es nicht lange dauern, bis man Konkurrenz bekam. Speedy waren eine waschechte Band, die beim Musizieren in ihrem Proberaum entdeckt wurde. Kurze Zeit später wurde die erste Single „Willy Is Back“ von Didi Zill (Birth Control, The Nighthawks) produziert, der auch als Fotograf für die Bravo bekannt war. Man schaffte es ohne Umweg in die Kultsendung Ilya Richer´s Disco. Dies führte zur ersten und leider einzigen LP „Much Too Young To Rock´n´Roll“ und zur gleichnamigen Single mit dem Knaller „Fight Like A Fighter“ auf der B-Seite.

Beide Tracks schafften es erneut ins TV (eine Ferienshow mit Karl Dall und zum zweiten Mal die Sendung Disco) – das Thema Speedy brodelte! Leider entschieden sich die Eltern der minderjährigen Musiker gegen eine Tournee mit Def Leppard, was die Karriere beendete. Die Wiederauflage enthält als Zusatz auch die Songs, die es nur als Single gab.

White Lies, eine der gefeirtesten Gitarrenbands Großbritanniens, veröffentlichen ihr siebtes Album "Night Light". Inspiriert von der Live-Performance-Fernsehshow The Midnight Special aus den 1970er-Jahren, beschloss das Trio, die Stücke zunächst live zu meistern und bis ins Detail zu verfeinern, bevor es ins Studio ging. Mehr Einfachheit statt aufwendiger Set-Ups. So konnten sie sich auf das Songwriting und die Chemie zwischen den Songs konzentrierten und verließen sich auf ihre 17-jährige musikalische Verbindung, um die Energie des Albums zu formen. Das Ergebnis, an dem neben dem Produzenten Riley McIntyre auch der Keyboarder Seth Evans maßgeblich mitgearbeitet haben, klingt nach Progressive Rock, Synthie-Klangwelten und beizeiten sogar nach Disco. White Lies klingen auch auf ihrem siebten Album noch selbstbewusst und kreativ zugleich. Oder wie Sänger und Gitarrist Harry McVeigh sagt: "Wir wissen endlich, was wir tun."

White Lies, eine der gefeirtesten Gitarrenbands Großbritanniens, veröffentlichen ihr siebtes Album "Night Light". Inspiriert von der Live-Performance-Fernsehshow The Midnight Special aus den 1970er-Jahren, beschloss das Trio, die Stücke zunächst live zu meistern und bis ins Detail zu verfeinern, bevor es ins Studio ging. Mehr Einfachheit statt aufwendiger Set-Ups. So konnten sie sich auf das Songwriting und die Chemie zwischen den Songs konzentrierten und verließen sich auf ihre 17-jährige musikalische Verbindung, um die Energie des Albums zu formen. Das Ergebnis, an dem neben dem Produzenten Riley McIntyre auch der Keyboarder Seth Evans maßgeblich mitgearbeitet haben, klingt nach Progressive Rock, Synthie-Klangwelten und beizeiten sogar nach Disco. White Lies klingen auch auf ihrem siebten Album noch selbstbewusst und kreativ zugleich. Oder wie Sänger und Gitarrist Harry McVeigh sagt: "Wir wissen endlich, was wir tun."

Ranie Ribeiro's artistic journey has taken on new dimensions and disciplines. Formerly known by his DJ moniker D-Ribeiro (4Lux, Meda Fury), Ranie Ribeiro has solidified himself as one of the Netherlands' most unique harpists. Whereas his past releases could be defined by up-tempo, warm, and joyful beats, Ribeiro now presents his first full-length harp record, Contemplation--a delicate collection of unassuming harp compositions and improvisations. A record that has gone through multiple iterations, shapes and life-changes, Contemplation plays out like you're sitting in the room minding your own business as Ribeiro's playing fades in-and-out from the corner, accompanying your thoughts, your chores, your life as it all passes you by. In a musical world where over-processing and manipulation obfuscate intent and feeling; Contemplation is vulnerable. Putting his stake in the ground and claiming his artistic space, Ribeiro refuses to let insecurities stand in his way and his music comforts you so much it'll empower you to feel the same. Words by Gregory Markus

Dale Tallbert And The Dimensionals' rare but classic LP None But The Righteous hides in plain sight as one of those gospel-soul obscurities. Issued without fanfare, it contains only a handful of songs, but both 'None But The Righteous' and 'Blessed' stand out as deeply worked grooves, built with the same finesse as contemporaneous modern soul but anchored in devotional spirit. The record never broke into wider circulation, leaving collectors to hunt it down like thought-to-be-extinct game. Its blend of smooth arrangements and quietly insistent rhythm gives it a character distinct from flashier gospel crossovers of the era, making the Dimensionals' lone appearance on wax feel like a small but vital link in the chain between church-rooted harmony groups and the more polished soul recordings that followed.

The Germany-based band Rikas' new album, "Soundtrack For A Movie That Has Not Been Written Yet," promises to be their most cohesive and contemplative project to date

Comprising 11 brisk yet beautiful tracks, the album showcases the band's tight tempos and mellow delivery. "We started this record just to have fun. It's not been that easy, because so much change has happened," guitarist and keyboardist Sascha Scherer reflects. "We've had to learn to adapt... This record is more inward-looking. We were reflecting. " Scherer further explains, "I think a lot of bands have trouble staying still. When you stop touring and moving to a new city each day, you feel lost. I feel like our new album is capturing that feeling of go, go, go." This feeling of inertia contains layers: there's a sense of restlessness, but also brotherhood and camaraderie-- feelings Rikas aim to depict in each of the album's videos. "For our sophomore album, we wanted to create a very homogeneous one," Scherer continues. "Which was not easy to achieve because we have made the experience that throughout all of our records every song differs from each other. We have four songwriters who happen to be also multi-instrumentalists in our band, and that's why we don't have to put much effort into diverse record making. Instead, we had to put pressure on ourselves to make something consistent. But we also didn't want to make every song sound the same. So the concept of the album lays in its topics."The songs for "Soundtrack For A Movie That Has Not Been Written Yet" were written over the past year, adapting and shaping old snippets and ideas, as well as creating songs completely from scratch. "For some reason, when we started writing and listening back to the songs, they all shared a similar feeling of cruising, traveling, being in motion," Scherer says. "This wasn't intentional at first, but felt more and more suiting as we proceeded with the writing. We found we'd enjoy the songs most while driving in our van, looking out the window, seeing the landscapes passing by. This has something very meditating to itself already, amplified even more by a suiting soundtrack. This is the soundtrack we tried to write. The album in its entirety is supposed to feel warm, hugging, like 'being bedded in cotton.'" For the visual content of the album, the band decided to travel to San Remo, northern Italy, to capture some of the late November sun. "In a way, you could say we tried to film the first part of the movie whose soundtrack we had just written," Scherer concludes. "Soundtrack For A Movie That Has Not Been Written Yet" is a testament to Rikas' ability to adapt and reflect on their journey, offering listeners a meditative and immersive experience that captures the essence of being in motion.

Curioso, Bear Rinehart's third solo release as Wilder Woods, unapologetically explores all the curious corners of Rinehart's sound, powered by his genrebending approach to anthemic American music It's a wide mix of texture, razor-sharp songwriting, held together not by some lyrical thread or overarching story, but simply by the enthusiasm of a longtime musician who's still eager to stretch his legs and cover new ground.

Rancid is without question one of the most successful and influential punk bands ever, not to mention being among the most prolific. Their nonstop songwriting and marathon studio sessions often result in far too many songs to fit onto their albums. True Rancid fans know that in addition to their classic long players, many of their finest tracks have been released as single B-sides, bonus tracks, on compilations, or in some cases have remained in the band's vault. That is why B sides and C sides is no mere throwaway record, but an essential part of this classic band's catalog. The songs collected here represent a cross section of everything that has made this band so beloved worldwide, including their creative genre hopping from blazing punk rock to danceable ska, to reggae, rockabilly, and more, all executed with some of the most impressive playing in the history of underground music. The songs range from fan-favorites like "I Wanna Riot" to obscure hidden gems from rare or hard-to-find compilations, and a handful of studio recordings that were completely unreleased before this album, several coming from the fertile recording sessions for the band's sprawling 1998 masterpiece Life Won't Wait. Originally released on CD in 2007, most of the tracks range from the band's early days through their sixth album, Indestructible, although the 2012 track "Fuck You," from the Pirates Press Records compilation Oi! This is Streetpunk! Volume 2 was added to place a definitive final word on the collection when it was pressed on vinyl. With the album being out of print and hard to find in its own right for the past ten years, Pirates Press Records is thrilled to partner with our friends in Rancid to remedy that situation and make this essential piece of punk rock history available to their many fans across the globe - this time as an incredible double 12" with super deluxe coloured vinyl and matching sleeve art!

In every human's journey, there should be moments of reflection and renewal.

After an interlude of six months, stepping back from the city life, Nabil returns home with a selection of tracks that echo his innermost thoughts and feelings through deep, well revisited inspirations.

Phreaky Friday takes us on his ride, embracing this soul search.

Throughout a professional career defined by early pop successes, every single one of Andy Fairweather Low's performances has been shaped by his blues, gospel and soul influences, and although the many hits he has enjoyed have to some extent overshadowed his undeniable credentials as a great bluesman - his talent for the blues hasn't escaped the notice of some of the world's finest artists who have drawn on his skills as a guitarist and singer Eric Clapton of course leads this impressive list of Andy's discerning employers and collaborators which includes, BB King, Benmont Tench, Bill Wyman, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Charlie Dore, Charlie Watts, Chris Barber, Chris Rea, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, Dave Edmunds, David Crosby, David Gilmour, David Sanborn, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Edie Brickell, Elton John, Emmylou Harris, Garth Hudson, George Harrison, Georgie Fame, Gerry Rafferty, Helen Watson, Jackson Browne, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Joe Cocker, Joe Satriani, John Mayall, Kate Bush, Levon Helm, Linda Ronstadt, Lonnie Donegan, Mary J. Blige, Mick Hucknall, Otis Rush, Paul Weller, Paul Young, Pete Townshend, Phil Collins, Richard and Linda Thompson, Rick Danko, Ringo Starr, Roger Waters, Ronnie Lane, Sheryl Crow, Steve Gadd, Steve Winwood, Stevie Nicks, The Impressions, The Who, Van Morrison, Warren Zevon, and hundreds more. But, despite the blues having become such a hugely popular genre internationally these days, and Andy having been in the thick of it for most of his professional life, he has largely missed the recognition he deserves in that field because up until now, he has never released a blues album. That's why I wanted to make a record that reveals the identity of the Invisible Bluesman to the world beyond his existing loyal fans. Meet Andy Fairweather Lowdown!

This is the third release by Trevor Dunn (Mr Bungle, Fantomas, Trio Convulsant, various with John Zorn) and Kevin Rutmanis (Tomahawk, Melvins, Cows, Hepa/Titus) On this outing Trevor joins Lords and Lady Kevin (duo of Kevin Rutmanis and drummer/artist Gina Skwoz) for a full length LP "Last Days at Hot Slit"

Songs are loosely based on assorted gospel, blues and jazz songs, some original, some covers. Included is a re-working of Mingus "Devil Woman". The trio based the pieces on improvisations that were then arranged and used to build free standing songs. A multitude of instruments were exploited by all those involved, to create a sizzling blend of aural delicacies. The album title is from a collection by writer Andrea Dworkin, often sited as the Celine of feminism. Less outre perhaps than their previous recordings, these songs hover somewhere between soundtrack- like excursions, to jazz/ blues mutations to a demented "rock" sounding affair. Something for everybody, or perhaps, nobody! Uniting former and current members of Tomahawk, Last Days At Hot Slit marks a powerful reunion between Rutmanis and Dunn. The record took shape gradually, born from Rutmanis's raw, unconventional bass recordings. "I sent Trevor a phone recording of some hideous bass racket and asked if he wanted to add anything," Rutmanis shares. "What he sent back was something like delicious fresh cherries with ice and banana slices." The pair's combined creativity gave rise to a new, immersive soundscape, while their collaborative piece, Crackpot Whorehead, set the tone for the current formation of Lords and Lady Kevin."

The complete album - limited edition pressing on 180g crystal clear vinyl

Although both Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong had met and performed and recorded a number of singles together during 1940s for Decca, they wouldn't be heard on LP together until 1956 when producer Norman Granz paired the two for this first album session, Ella & Louis, which became an immediate hit. Two further sessions under Granz, followed, Ella & Louis Again, and Porgy & Bess. All three albumswere both critically acclaimed and commercial successes - appealing to audiences in and beyond the confines of jazz per se. Ella & Louis features the incredible Oscar Peterson Trio plus legendary drummer Buddy Rich. As one of the most iconic and fascinating jazz albums ever produced, its appeal and commercial sales haven't waned during the sixty-nine years since its first release. "Ella & Louis is one of the very, very few albums to have been issued in this era of the LP flood that is sure to endure for decades." - ***** Nat Hentoff, DownBeat

They are sexy, powerful, and subversive! HUMAN TOYS is a raw punk rock duo fronted by fierce female vocals

Poupee Mecanik (vocals, theremin) thrives on playing with female archetypes, bringing a subversive edge to their music, all flavoured with a generous dose of irony.

The addition of guitarist Jon Von, formerly of RIP OFFS, since their previous hit record "Spin To Win" (Topsy- Turvy Records), has revitalised the band with an all- new punk rock sound that lands somewhere between THE RAMONES and THE AVENGERS.

Since their debut album "Excuse My French" (Records Ad Nauseam), HUMAN TOYS has evolved musically into a wild punk rock riot grrrl-style force. Anyone lucky enough to catch one of their electrifying live shows around the globe knows they deliver relentless energy, raw power, and a tough yet seductive attitude. That same fierce energy shines through in their new album "At The Poor Cow", named after a legendary underground punk rock bar in Tokyo. The album features fantastic covers of IGGY POP's "I'm Sick of You", THE NERVES' "When You Find Out", and BOB CENTER's "Lost In The Jungle", alongside addictive and wild HUMAN TOYS originals. This record is a true modern-day punkrock-classic!

The capstone of Miles Davis’ electric period, Agharta reigns as a funk-rock fireball — a blazing comet streaked energy and elan, a fearless organism feasting on adventure and freedom, a seven-headed Godzilla stomping its way through Osaka, Japan. Recorded on February 1, 1975 at Osaka Festival Hall at the first of a two-show stand, the double album offers an endless abundance of surprises and shifts — as well as a road-proven ensemble whose chemistry and abilities equal that of any of Davis’ celebrated bands. If the true measure of jazz is the capacity to adapt to the moment and challenge perception, Agharta is consummate.

Sourced from the original master tapes, housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 33RPM 2LP set of this epic live release presents it in audiophile sound on a domestic pressing for the first time. Offering greater degrees of separation, detail, and richness than the compressed CD editions and more clarity, openness, and presence than older vinyl copies, this version of the 1975 release helps bring the concert stage to your home. Just make sure your turntable and speakers are up to the challenge of Davis and Co.’s explosive performances — and producing the decibels they demand.

Teeming with vibrant colors, tones, and pace, Mobile Fidelity’s reissue captures the hear-it-to-believe-it flow, sweep, and moodiness of the music. Though the group honors looseness and freedom with religious verve, the specificity and scale rendered by this remaster allows you to detect methods behind the alleged madness that are often otherwise harder to discern. This insight extends to the understated changes in volume, harmonics, and phrasings. In many ways, you can listen as Davis himself did that early February evening as he helped coordinate the overall direction and decided on whether to blow his wah-wah-wired trumpet or take a turn on the organ.

Tellingly, Agharta would likely never have been made if not for Davis’ ventures overseas and, specifically, to the Land of the Rising Sun. Having for years faced a backlash on his native soil for his choices to experiment and blow past all known borders, Davis was welcomed with open arms in Japan. The concert documented on Agharta — as well as the day’s later show, captured on the equally exciting Pangea — stemmed from a sold-out three-week tour that would ultimately mark Davis’ final public appearances for years, as he soon settled into semi-retirement and nursed the wounds connected to an unprecedented stretch of restless and relentless output.

For all the band-fueled merit of Agharta — and there’s plenty, given the cast of saxophonist Sonny Fortune, bassist Michael Henderson, drummer Al Foster, percussionist James Mtume, and guitarists Reggie Lucas and Pete Cosey seemingly blasts off to outer space and travels distant galaxies by the time this minimally edited record runs its course — Davis’ own playing often remains overlooked. As critics Richard Cook and Brian Morton observed, it is “often fantastically subtle, creating surges and ebbs in a harmonically static line, allowing him to build huge melismatic variations on a single note.” He attacks like a man on a mission, out to prove naysayers wrong and bent on trailblazing another new path forward. Convention and skeptics be damned.

Noisy and furious, dark and discordant, abstract and off-balance, radical and intense, abrasive and atmospheric, strangely beautiful and hypnotically eccentric: Agharta evades simple description, and refuses to be pinned down in any established category — rock, jazz, punk, ambient, prog, avante-garde, or otherwise. Shot through with trench-deep grooves, screaming riffs, scalding solos, and free-improv leads, its cosmic thrust comes on as the equivalent of an animated pointillist painting comprised of millions of textured dots, dashes, and dabs that hold your attention so raptly you want to revisit the ideas again and again.

Always steps ahead of everyone else, Davis knew what he was doing even when Agharta debuted in Japan before later hitting U.S. markets. Though “Maiysha” and “Theme from Jack Johnson” are identified in the track listing, the record contains a number of uncredited references to other Davis works, including a nod to “So What.” This decision to bypass labels only adds to the art of the reveal — the rare black magic in which Agharta expertly deals.

Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Atlantic Records! Platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated album featuring the No. 1 smash title track! Tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jacket by Stoughton Printing Female R&B singers were expected to be forceful, big-voiced divas (like Aretha Franklin) or come-hither seductresses (like Diana Ross), but, as AllMusic says, Roberta Flack had her own unique approach. Flack's voice is vast, deep, and stately — where some singers confuse frenzy with passion, she is confident, majestic, and unhurried, intense in a profound yet reserved manner.

The title song of this 1973 masterful eight track album, "Killing Me Softly," was her second No. 1 hit, establishing her as a major modern R&B stylist. Killing Me Softly reached No. 3 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape and No. 2 on the Soul LPs chart. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album gold on August 27, 1973, and double platinum on January 30, 2006, denoting shipments of 2 million copies in the United States. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, which it lost to Stevie Wonder's 1973 album Innervisions. The album's title track was released as a single and topped the Billboard Hot 100. The title track won the 1974 Grammy Award for Record of the Year. This deluxe 180-gram 45 RPM 2LP Analogue Productions (Atlantic Series) reissue of Killing Me Softly is a true audiophile gem and a worthy addition to your music collection.

Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Atlantic Records! Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums 265/500 for 2012 180-gram 45 RPM double LP Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jacket by Stoughton Printing The Genius of Ray Charles, his sixth studio album, released in 1959 by Atlantic Records, eschewed the the soul sound of his 1950s recordings, which fused jazz, gospel, and blues, for swinging pop with big band arrangements.

Charles is joined bymany ringers from the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands for the first half of this program, featuring Charles belting out six songs arranged by Quincy Jones. "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Deed I Do" are highlights, and there are solos by tenorman David "Fathead" Newman, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and (on "Two Years of Torture") tenor Paul Gonsalves. The remaining six numbers are ballads, with Charles backed by a string orchestra arranged by Ralph Burns (including "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'"). Charles' voice is heard throughout in peak form, giving soul to even the veteran standards. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings, and housed in a tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jacket by Stoughton Printing.

Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Atlantic Records! Coltrane playing with his former Miles Davis bandmates Featuring originals "Harmonique" and "Like Sonny" 180-gram 45 RPM double LP Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jacket by Stoughton Printing The first album to hit the shelves after Giant Steps, Coltrane Jazz was recorded in November and December 1959, although one of the eight tracks ("Villiage Blues") was recorded in late 1960.

On everything save the aforementioned "Village Blues," Coltrane used the Miles Davis rhythm section of pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb AllMusic describes Coltrane Jazz as the saxophone legend's preparation for his launch into his peak years of the 1960s. There are three standards aboard, but the group reaches their peak on Coltrane's original material, particularly "Harmonique" with its melodic leaps and upper-register saxophone strains and the winding, slightly Eastern-flavored principal riffs of "Like Sonny," dedicated to Sonny Rollins. The moody "Village Blues" features the lineup of McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums, and Steve Davis on bass; with the substitution of Jimmy Garrison on bass, that personnel would play on Coltrane's most influential and beloved 1960s albums. Sound excellence can be found on this definitive deluxe 180-gram 45 RPM 2LP Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) reissue of Coltrane Jazz.

This is the gloriously remastered version of an all time classic: Dj Excel's "Just When You Thought It Was Safe".

Originally releases in the very early 90's, it has been beautifully remastered and recut, alongside some absolutely devastating remixes from the likes of The Criminal Minds, Stu Keating, Abyss, and Dj Stephano, and it also includes the four bonus beats from the original pressing.

This version is the extensive Move-E Series 2 Double Pack, which comes on coloured vinyl, and with a ridiculously cool sleeve and label design plus poster!

The scottish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist James Yorkston and the english guitarist with a fluid fingerpicking touch, David A. Jaycock, already played together in the first formation of the experimental folk ensemble Big Eyes Family Players. Their encounter with Swedish saxophonist Lina Langendorf gives rise to a little gem of pure acoustic candour, perfectly balanced between chamber avant-garde and neo-folk. As on an endless autumn evening in front of a lake in Finland or Estonia, the trio's nordic soul creates atmospheres that recall hidden nostalgia. In a process of rarefied sound matter, elegiac paintings spring up, moments that flow slowly and silently in a tension that is always suspended and unresolved. Soft, crepuscular passages, at times sharp and cold guitar, but also the velvety breath of the nickelharpa, combine with a saxophone that still blows dramas of distant Norwegian fjords, but can also become more Mediterranean and arabesque. The music becomes like a warm warmth around the fire, reflecting a hidden twilight zone of the soul, in a quiet, gentle whisper between poetic abstraction and arpeggiated themes of more recognisable narrative melody, typical of a certain Northern folklore.
Co-Release with We are busy bodies.

Supergroups existed before Emerson, Lake & Palmer formed in 1970. And, as we all know well, many came after. But few, if any, matched the English trio’s chemistry and its elevated combination of virtuosity, vision, and verve. Having influenced a multitude of followers, ELP’s prowess was obvious from the start. The band’s self-titled debut stands as a towering statement of creative imagination, execution, and discipline more than five decades after its original release.

Mastered at MoFi’s California studio, housed in a Stoughton jacket, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 33RPM LP of Emerson, Lake & Palmer presents the benchmark album in audiophile sound. Clear, dynamic, and balanced, this collectible edition honors the perfectionist approaches that both informed the playing and recording of the record.

Distinguished with black backgrounds, this reissue brings to light the epic scope, tonal depth, and mind-bending degrees of musicianship on display. Aspects — textures, nuances, effects, melodies, tempo changes — that go hand-in-hand with the trio’s compositions and interplay are rendered amid broad soundstages and delivered with pinpoint detail. Whether you’ve owned multiple copies of this touchstone or seeking out your first version, you’ll relish the presence, separation, imaging, and crispness that help make every song come across as if the group has set up shop in your listening space.

Opening the door to the seemingly infinite possibilities of progressive rock while steering clear of excess, Emerson, Lake & Palmer achieved a rare feat in that its complex, cerebral music didn’t prevent it from attaining mainstream success. The gold-certified effort launched the career of a band that would sell tens of millions of records. It also landed a Top 50 single in the form of the ballad “Lucky Man,” whose vocal harmonies, folksy strumming, multi-tracked instrumentation, and breakthrough Moog solo almost feel quaint in the face of the other fare on the album.

Comprised of genre-defying originals and hybrid arrangements of two classical pieces, the album Rolling Stone originally and rightly said is “best heard as a whole” matches outrageous ambition with the otherworldly skills of three musicians who remain among the finest to ever pick up their respective instruments. While Emerson soon drew the lion’s share of headlines for his ability on keys — clavinet, Moog, piano, Hammond organ, and pipe organ included — Greg Lake’s aptitude on guitar and bass, along with well as Carl Palmer’s monster talents behind the kit, created a three-headed hydra that devoured everything in front of it.

That extends to the radical reinterpretation of Bela Bartok’s “The Barbarian” that begins the LP, a performance that in less than four-and-a-half minutes runs the gamut from distorted to churchy to angular and blustery. More classical flourishes, keyboard wizardry, hard-rock heaviness, and gothic signatures emerge throughout “Knife-Edge,” which reimagines music by Leos Janacek and J.S. Bach — and ultimately invites you to explore a cathedral of sound teeming with separate bursts of keys and percussion.

And did someone say “drumming”? Check out Palmer’s monster salvo on “Tank,” a rhythmic showcase that marches out with knee-bent notes and mirror-reflected passages. Or dive into the mythological suite “The Three Fates.” Replete with three parts and Emerson playing the pipe organ at Royal Festival Hall, it shoots off sonic fireworks via sophisticated arpeggios, jazz improvisations, dancing counter-meters, sizzling chords, and a few explosions. Please don’t hold anyone at MoFi responsible if your system cannot handle it; this is heady stuff.

Indeed, everything on Emerson, Lake & Palmer is there for a purpose. Whether you aim to attempt to dissect all of the notes, shifts, and polyrhythmic bluster or just want to absorb this album as one living, breathing organism, this version invites you to do both as many times as you desire.

The song titles on Van Halen's aptly titled Fair Warning don't lie. The likes of "Unchained," "Mean Street," "Push Comes to Shove," "One Foot Out the Door," and more indicate the mood the band channels on its double-platinum 1981 record — the nastiest, darkest, and fiercest album of the group's storied career. For the fourth time in four years, Van Halen throws down the gauntlet to all challengers and emerges victorious.


Sourced from the original analog tapes, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl at Fidelity Record Pressing, and strictly limited to 5,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP set plays with unfettered clarity, dynamics, and immediacy. Benefitting from superb groove definition, an ultra-low noise floor, and dead-quiet surfaces, this vinyl edition captures what went down in the studio with tremendous realism and involving presence.

Taking a more controlled approach in the studio and still completing everything in less than two weeks, Van Halen and producer Ted Templeman relied on studio amplifiers to direct the sound. Further diverging from the live-on-the-floor approach of its earlier albums, the ensemble also employed overdubs to great effect. The result: Dense, stacked architecture that underlines the hard-hitting tenor of the songs — and which comes alive like never before on this reference edition that looks as good as it sounds.

The premium packaging and gorgeous presentation befit the reissue's select status. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, it features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. Aurally and visually, it is made for listeners who want to immerse themselves in everything involved with the album, including the iconic cover art adopted from William Kurelek's haunting painting, "The Maze."

Isolated frames from Kurelek's childhood-inspired work — including a man bashing his head into a brick wall, a guy pinning down an adversary as he delivers bare-fist blows to his face and others watch with apparent glee, a boy tied down on a conveyer belt and being sent through the equivalent of a meat saw — adorn the front and back covers. The sunnier visual disposition of Van Halen's prior efforts gives way to something sinister and tortured, traits reflective of the music within. The band members, too, are visually depicted not in glamorous shots but in a serious black-and-white portrait in which the quartet is clad in black leather jackets.

Tough, aggressive, stark: Fair Warning comes on like a series of bare-knuckled punches to the solar plexus and boasts lyrical narratives to match. Though not a concept record, the concise album revolves around themes of roughing it on the streets and struggling to survive amid dim prospects. Singer David Lee Roth reportedly penned many of the initial lyrics after traveling to Haiti and observing extreme poverty. The characters and situations populating Fair Warning reflect hardscrabble existence, last-chance desperation, and underlying danger.

Witness the crazies, poor folks, and hunters of “Mean Street”; the former prom queen turned pornographic actress on “Dirty Movies”; the menace and vice of “Sinners Swing!”; the streetwise hustle of “Unchained”; the isolation and alienation of “Push Comes to Shove”; the desire for escape on “One Foot Out the Door”: A carefree California beach party Fair Warning is not.

Having said he felt angry and frustrated during the sessions, guitarist Eddie Van Halen uses the forceful arrangements as a playground for his seemingly unlimited arsenal. Supported by a crack rhythm section and a hyped-up Roth, he performs with an almost impossible combination of punk-like intensity, technical finesse, lyrical fluidity, and unbridled emotion. The virtuoso was increasingly butting heads with Templeton and seeking a freedom in the studio he believed denied him.

No wonder he plays like a bat out of hell. Listen to the rapid-fire manner in which he slaps the high and low E strings on the 12th fret of his instrument on “Mean Street,” instilling the tune with funk flair and metal-spiked sharpness. For the pouty strut of “Dirty Movies,” Eddie Van Halen contributes slide guitar magic made possible after he sawed off the lower portion of a Gibson SG so he could reach further down the fretboard.

Related intensity, urgency, and daredevil momentum punctuate the surging “Sinner’s Swing!” A heavily flanged, delicately melodic introduction frames the attitudinal “Hear About It Later,” among the most creative arrangements of Van Halen’s career. And do riffs come any bigger or magnetic than those on the high-wire kick of “Unchained”? As for the out-of-left-field “Sunday in the Park,” an instrumental composed on an Electro-Harmonix micro-synthesizer: Who but Eddie Van Halen to supply creep factor in such an ingenious way?

Despite selling fewer quantities than Van Halen’s prior efforts, Fair Warning remains for many diehards the record that epitomizes all of the band’s immense strengths —Roth’s manic energy and tongue-wagging humor, Alex Van Halen’s rhythmic heartbeat-in-your-chest bombast, and Michael Anthony’s lucid bass lines included. Arriving when the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and new-wave movements were taking flight, it signaled a shot across the bow from a band determined to stay a step ahead and provide proof nobody could touch what it delivered.

More than four decades later, Fair Warning still sounds that alarm.

The notion of home isn’t precise, even a dictionary will offer multiple definitions. A home can be a place where you live, a place where you belong, where you originate from or a place where you’re given care; it can be a physical space, a land, a people or even a person. The concept isn’t completely universal, but everyone possesses a unique idea of what home means to them. On her fifth album, Ziúr considers not just what home symbolizes from her perspective, but the word’s resonance to the diverse community that surrounds her, and how their stories have impacted her over the years. Indeed, it’s the first time she’s felt it necessary to examine her own nationality. In the past, she’s deliberately avoided labelling herself as German, feeling disconnected from her country’s politics, culture and even the German language itself. In 2025, the idea of Germanness is in flux and progressives are under attack from all sides. The country’s politics aren’t only being turned inward by the growing throng of far-right voices, but by scared moderates, opportunists and those blinded by comfort, willing to ignore hatred to maintain their privilege. Stepping up to provide a different narrative, Ziúr scours her soul, writing and singing in German for the first time and proposing growth and evolution, not fear and regression. “I never considered being part of Germany,” she explains. “But I am.”

A solemn mood permeates the album’s opening track ‘Brown is the Color’, and Ziúr sings in measured, slow-motion breaths over noisy synth oscillations and doomed piano flourishes. Already, it’s a significant departure from her last run of releases, veering away from the frenetic, satirical chaos of 2023’s Hakuna Kulala-released ‘Eyeroll’ or its fantastical, dubby predecessor ‘Antifate’. Ziúr pulls on real world insights here, tracing her oldest, dearest musical inspirations to present her origins to anybody who might be listening. “Cold world is holding up,” she laments with a metallic crunch. “To let go of your heart, let me go.” And her voice emerges from the shadows completely on ‘Tame’; unprocessed, Ziúr sounds naked and vulnerable on ‘Tame’, curving her precise words around broken, lopsided rhythms and jangling new wave guitars. It’s pop music in its own way, inverted and reconstructed to fit snugly into her well-established sonic landscape. On ‘No Yawn’, brittle, downsampled hi-hats and industrial scrapes ping-pong around distorted riffs, provided by James Ó Ceallaigh aka WIFE; “You fail to sugarcoat your half-ass attempt,” she deadpans, “to build your promised wonderland on quicksand.” Even the beatless ‘All Odds No Chants’, a collaboration with Elvin Brandhi and Sara Persico, reveals another room in Ziúr’s autobiographical suite, mirroring György Ligeti’s enduringly influential choral works with its gnarled, dissonant vocal harmonies.

After finding fame with the Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, expatriate Englishman turned West Coast rock icon Graham Nash made an auspicious solo debut on this 1971 disc. It's an exemplary singer-songwriter effort, striking a vital balance between graceful introspection and political fervor — and while it's deeply personal, it still carries the harmonies, heart and politics that made CSN(Y) so essential.

With assistance from the likes of David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, and Dave Mason, highlights include the sensitive internal explorations "I Used to Be a King" and "Man in the Mirror" and the impassioned protest anthems "Chicago" and "Military Madness."

If Déjà Vu was a wild canyon party with four competing egos, Songs for Beginners is Nash's introspective morning after — a mix of heartbreak, hope, and a little bit of righteous protest. He recorded it while reeling from his split with Joni Mitchell, and you can feel that melancholy seeping through the grooves.

But don't mistake this for a wallowing breakup album — it's also a call to action, packed with the kind of folk-rock anthems that made Nash an indispensable voice of his era. If you love CSN's folk-rock harmonies but also crave a more personal, raw touch, this is a must-listen.

This Analogue Productions (Atlantic Series) reissue of Pain in My Heart is a standout for your collection. First, we turned to Bernie Grundman to cut lacquers from the original master tape. Pressing on 180-gram vinyl is by Quality Record Pressings, and the album is housed in a tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jacket by Stoughton Printing.

The perfect soundtrack for a summer roadtrip in an old car across Death Valley.

“Calexico's musical textures are woven out of a dazzling array of instruments and styles, including mariachi trumpets, countrified pedal steel, Latin jazz percussion, and carnival organ, just to name a few. The songs move at siesta speed, casually looping and loping along, never getting overheated. Bandmates Joey Burns and John Convertino have their hands in so many musical pies--including projects with OP8, Giant Sand, Victoria Williams, Giant Sand, and Richard Buckner--one wonders how they find the time to create the sun-soaked music of Calexico. But thank God they have.” --Tod Nelson

Bonbon Vodou’s third album (Épopée métèque), created by Oriane Lacaille and JereM Boucris, follows the paths of exile with lush orchestration and lyrics in French, Creole, and Gascon.

The bonbon piment (a spicy Réunionese fritter) is deceptive. Beneath its harmless appearance lies a fiery kick that can jolt you into clarity. Bonbon Vodou operates the same way. While the duo's musical influences sway between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, a sharp edge cuts through the tenderness of their graceful songs, often carried by the rhythms of maloya. This contrast gives depth to their third album, Épopée métèque, which takes us on journeys of exile—both across land and sea.
Oriane Lacaille is the daughter of accordionist René Lacaille, a key figure in the revival of Réunionese music in the 1970s, who has lived in mainland France for five decades. JereM Boucris’s father, from a Tunisian Jewish family, was 14 when he arrived in France at the end of the colonial protectorate. Their lives are interwoven with these paternal exiles, which they continue to explore and unravel, alongside the broader, universal stories of migrants fleeing poverty, persecution, and war.
The duo is now joined by a vibrant trio—Piment Piment (Juliette Minvielle, Roland Seilhes, and Yann-Lou Bertrand)—bringing a rich orchestration featuring guitars, flutes, brass, roulèr, kayamb, jaw harp… all set to lyrics in French, Creole, and Gascon. Their voices are joined by numerous guests, including Mouss and Hakim, Rosemary Standley, and Bernard Lavilliers. This playful yet poignant album explores themes of life and death—radiant but aware—seemingly echoing Camus: “There is no sun without shadow, and one must know the night.”