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2024 Repress

Straight in the wake of their eponymous debut LP released on the label back in 2016, Weval return to Kompakt this year with their sophomore album, 'The Weight', breaking their pop-mellow, nostalgia-friendly facet further out in the open as they arrive "at this place again were everything felt spontaneous, new and exciting, like we had in the beginning". Orbiting around that ever luminous yet wistful melodic halo that surrounds their music, this second full-length effort sweeps an extra-wide and languidly woven palette of emotions and moods, making for a uniquely ambitious and generously coloured mosaic of sound. If the recording sessions "often started grumpy and emotionless" by Harm and Merijn's own admission, the pair was "surprised by the joy it gave us, which can be compared to the emotions we felt back in the first days of making music together"; subsequently reconnecting with that fresh, naïve feeling of "absolute creative freedom" they were after. The album is also the fruit of a whole new working process for them - more playful and unpredictable - which saw them switch from "guitars lying around to piano, onto our own synths and the most cheap quirky toys synths you can imagine", and involved "recording all of our own samples, voice and almost every instrument out of the box - which for us was a totally new way of working". "We've always wanted a narrative for the album, and finding the right order perhaps took the most effort" they explain; "we felt anxious, felt insanely positive, felt heartbroken again, felt in love again, and there was death, and even suicide around us. It was quite chaotic. As a whole, 'The Weight' breathes with that transformative richness, free of limits and rules, except perhaps to "do quick and not think too much". Amidst this collection of songs and instrumentals that live by Weval's singularly positive take on music - one that can "lift you up, and make you feel hopeful without being necessarily straight out 'happy'" as they define it, the title-track and lead single stays true to the duo's dynamic approach, putting on a fine balance of floor and dream inducing adaptability that sound engineer David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The XX, FKA Twigs, Caribou… etc.) subtly made palpable. There's heavy showers of funk drops pouring from endless bars of thunderstorm clouds and laid-back riffs beating a restrained poolside-party kind of pulse, but also sensual vocals rising from beneath the sheets and rueful polaroid-filtered ambiences to soundtrack all possible moments in life - from the most euphoric to those when music seems the only viable healing potion. More on the post-KLF, BoC-inflected electronica side of things, 'Are You Even Real' takes its listener for a round-trip across the star-studded dome and beyond, before songs like 'Someday' and 'Same Little Thing' head back down to a state of pulsating, earthly organicity, tense and mercurial as get. An arpeggiated slice of piano-strewn kosmische, 'Heaven' is another invitation to an epic-scale odyssey from the inner-spheres into the distant fringes of the outer-world. Weightless and airy, yet texturally dense and widely magnetic overall, Weval second LP is a synthesis of the duo's multi-angle take on electronics: blissed-out, heartening and infinitely free.
Nur zweieinhalb Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung ihres selbstbetitelten Debutalbums finden sich WEVAL zurück "an jenem Ort, an dem sich alles spontan, neu und aufregend anfühlt - so wie als wir anfingen zusammen Musik zu schreiben". An diesem Ort entstand "The Weight", ihr zweiter Longplayer, auf dem Weval sich ganz den Pop-verliebten, Nostalgie-freundlichen Facetten ihres Sounds öffnen. Stetig um den sehnsuchtsvollen Strahlenkranz ihrer Melodien tanzend, legt diese Platte noch vielschichtigere, mit feinster Präzision gewobene Gefühlswelten frei.

Obwohl die Aufnahmesessions nach eigenem Bekunden oftmals "miesepetrig und emotionsarm" begannen, so war das Duo überrascht darüber, wie schnell sich bei der Arbeit jene Freude einstellte, die sie aus ihren künstlerischen Anfangstagen kannten, eine Woge des frischen, naiven Gefühls der "absoluten kreativen Freiheit". Dieses Album ist die Frucht eines verspielteren und unvorhersehbareren Arbeitsprozesses innerhalb der Band, in welchem alles zum Einsatz kam, was ihnen in die Finger kam - von der ollen Gitarre, die in der Studioecke stand, über ein Piano und den bandeigenen Sythesizern und den sonderbarsten Spielzeuginstrumenten, die man sich vorstellen kann. All dies sowie zahlreiche Vocalaufnahmen dienten als alleinige Samplequelle - "was für uns eine völlig neue Arbeitsweise war". "Es war uns wichtig für das Album den perfekten Erzählbogen zu spannen. Die richtige Reihenfolge zu finden war ein extrem aufwendiger Vorgang", erklären Harm und Merjin. "Uns war bange, wir fühlten uns total selbstsicher, uns zerbrach das Herz und wir verliebten uns erneut. Wir waren sogar von Tod und Selbstmord umgeben. Alles war Chaos. Insgesamt atmet "The Weight" die Reichhaltigkeit dieser sich ständig verändernden Gefühlslagen, frei von Einschränkungen und Regeln - außer vielleicht "mach es schnell und zerdenke die Dinge nicht." Inmitten dieser Ansammlung von Songs und Instrumentals, die aus Wevals einzigartiger, von Zuversicht geprägter Herangehensweise entstanden sind - "Musik, die dich hochzieht und Hoffnung spendet, ohne dich notwendigerweise happy zu machen. Der Titeltrack "The Weight" steht exemplarisch für Wevals ambivalenten Ansatz, die feine Balance zwischen Dancefloor und Traumzuständen, perfekt in Szene gesetzt von Soundengineer David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The XX, FKA Twigs, Caribou… etc.).

Der schwer aus gewaltigen Gewitterwolken tropfende Funk, die eine verhaltene Poolparty suggerierenden Riffs, die sinnlichen, geisterhaften Vocals und ein verwaschenes Ambiente, das wie ein Album alter Polaroidaufnahmen alle erdenklichen Momente des Lebens festhält - von den euphorischsten bis hin zu jenen, in denen Musik der einzige Trank ist, der Linderung verheißt. Das post-KLF und Boards of Canada evozierende "Are You Even Real" führt den Hörer auf einen imaginären Flug ins Sternenzelt, während organisch-klingende Songs wie "Someday" oder "Same Little Thing" wie Quecksilber am Boden haften. "Heaven" ist eines jener "kosmische" Stücke mit wilden Arpeggios und Pianosprengseln, die Weval in den vergangenen zwei Jahren zu einer Live-Sensation werden liessen. Wevals Musik ist schwerelos und luftig, aber gleichermassen von dichter Struktur und von einer magnetischen Anziehungskraft. Ihr zweites Album "The Weight" ist eine Synthese aus dem multi-perspektivischem, kaleidoskopischen Verständnis von elektronischer Musik: Herzerwärmend, alles umschmeichelnd und unendlich frei.

2024 repress.

French saxophonist Laurent Bardainne summons the spirit of astral jazz on heavy-grooving album, 'Hymne au Soleil'

A dreamlike, cinematic excursion to the outer reaches of the solar system and the inner workings of the soul, Laurent Bardainne returns to Heavenly Sweetness with his Tigre d'Eau Douce group for a second album of genre- agnostic jazzfunk.Building on critically acclaimed 2020 album 'Love Is Everywhere', 'Hymne au Soleil' sizzles with Arnaud Roulin's Hammond organ licks, in-the-pocket bass work from Sylvain Daniel, and shuffling drum and percussion interplay from Philippe Gleizes and Roger Raspail, pinning Bardainne's soaring saxophone lines to the mast like a flag in the wind.

The 11- track album represents a consolidation of Bardainne's vision as a consummate jazz saxophonist, having made his name collaborating with the likes of Pharrell Williams and Cassius, afrobeat legend Tony Allen and co- founding Tigersushi electro outfit Poni Hoax.
That eclectic experience comes to the fore on 'Hymne au Soleil', which is named after a piece by trailblazing French composer Lili Boulanger. Beginning with the lilting, late-night smoker "Oh Yeah", which recalls the mellow funk of Khruangbin, the album rolls through a rich musical landscape, whether in the Motown-era soul breakdowns of "Adieu My Lord" or the roaring, dance floor- ready "Hymne au Soleil", that draw parallels with the high-octane sound of UK jazz outfit The Comet Is Coming..

Returning to Damian Lazarus’ renowned label for their seventh EP on the label, the Gruuv bosses showcase the latest evolution of their rich and diverse sound, with the dancefloor-driven quartet of hot cuts!

From their early beginnings between Ibiza and their hometown of Leeds to a near twenty-year-long career that has taken them from Space (Ibiza) to Womb (Tokyo), fabric (London) to Zouk (Singapore), UK duo Audiojack have remained and continue to prove themselves as both ever-present dancefloor hit makers, but artists that have helped carry the UK’s evolving house sound. From their initial releases on Leftroom and 2020vision through to their Crosstown Rebels debut in 2016, and then fast-forwarding to recent music on Solid Grooves, Knee Deep In Sound and their own Gruuv imprint, the pair’s unwavering passion for fresh sounds continues to burn bright. Now regulars on Damian Lazarus’ iconic imprint, serving up five EPs, numerous remixes, and their 2021 album ‘Surface Tension’ on the label to date, the end of May welcomes the duo’s latest chapter on Crosstown with their latest EP, ‘Play With My Mind’.

The skippy and vibrant ‘Play With My Mind’ opens the package with an abundance of nostalgia, channelling 90s sonics via the infectious organ melody and hooky vocals at its core, while ‘Casual Verve’ is trippy and loose while delivering a slice of driving funk to the mix. Next, ‘Connect’ provides a vocal-led, garage-dipped cut that keeps the energy levels sizzling before ‘Delirium’ closes the show with a swathe of pure dancefloor ecstasy.

'Altered Carbon' is an American dystopian sci-fi
cyberpunk TV series created by Laeta Kalogridis
and based on the 2002 novel of the same name by
English author Richard K Morgan. The first season,
10 episodes, premiered on Netflix in February
2018. It has since been renewed for a second
season.

Composed by Emmy Award-winning composer Jeff
Russo, who heads the 2018 Billboard / Tunefind
Top 10 Composers of 2018 list at No. 1.
Includes cover songs by White Zombie - More
Human Than Human', RL Burnside - 'Let My Baby
Ride' and Johnny Cash - 'Ain't No Grave'.
Pressed on translucent pink vinyl.
Collector's edition LP featuring the Hello Unicorn
artwork created with the show's producers.

"It seemed that if I didn’t somehow repeat the process of greatness, and do so immediately, multiple times away to satisfy playlist and binge watch culture, then I “wasn’t shit”. After a while I was like “nah this doesn’t feel good,… I don’t know if I am finding joy in this”. I would record songs and not release them, obsess over sessions recorded in my home with 30 takes of vocals and wake up only to delete them. When it began to feel right I found solace in an epiphany that I was not obligated to operate at any other wavelength. I am moving on a different type of time, and that doesn’t expire." -Cavalier

For heads of a certain time period of NYC hip-hop, Brooklyn born, New Orleans-based rapper and songwriter, Cavalier was the one that got away. The outrageously talented artist whose name and reputation preceded him everywhere you went in the scene. The rapper who everyone knew was so dope that he had to blow, but who never seemed concerned with any of that. The pretty boy draped in Polo who stole every live show with a feather in his hair and a mouth full of gold fronts. The cat so dedicated to his own independence that even indie labels stopped trying to sign him and projects came when they came, but when they came they were undeniable.


Cavalier was THAT guy for a lot of us; a silver-tongued philosopher with an eye for the poignant details of black life and a delivery as effortless as a young Ken Griffey’s swing. All that said, it never really felt like Cav had that moment in the spotlight that we always assumed was coming. After chiseling away through headier cult corners of the NYC hip-hop scene Cavalier was recognized for his memorable co-pilot to Quelle Chris’ 2013 Mello Music debut, Niggas Is Men. The critically acclaimed LP helped propel Quelle Chris into the forefront of indie hip-hop (and also happened to be the first production credits for Messiah Muzik). Cav followed up with his first full length, Chief, which sports a notable Raekwon feature but also early work from producers like Ohbliv and Tall Black Guy. A relocation to New Orleans and partnership with producer/vocalist Iman Omari yielded two more projects: 2015’s Lemonade EP and Private Stock in 2018. Great records all; eagerly sought by collectors and signal boosted by influential media like OkayPlayer, Solange’s Saint Heron, and Pitchfork. Cavalier’s bonafides have never been in question, but his new album Different Type Time feels like a revelation—a sonic suspension bridge between his rich history and the artform’s future.

Different Type Time doesn’t sound like the future though, its vibrations are somewhere all their own. It sounds like jazz, like a conversation overheard in roti shop, or a pool hall, or the foyer of your old building on a fall day, front door propped open with a brick. The blues is in there too, and the south—the American South, and theGlobal South, and South Brooklyn. It’s not that it sounds like the past, but you can hear everything that came before in the thick of the basslines and the yearning of the keys. Different Type Time also doesn’t sound like now, it sounds like RIGHT NOW; the bounce of the lyrics like the staccato of basketball in the park, carried on a spring breeze.

Although he doesn’t rap on DTT, Quelle Chris plays a pivotal role; producing eight songs and serving as associate producer/consigliere to Cav throughout the creative process. “There is no time wasted in explaining things when I collaborate with Quelle. He understands the universe I am in and the realities I want to create. He’s in them. And I don’t think I can envision one without him,” Cavalier explains. Messiah Muzik, Wino Willy, Ohbliv, Ahwlee, Child Actor, Fushou and several other producers round out the credits, all lending their talents to the album’s spaciously soulful sound. At the center of all these alchemies is Cavalier, nimbly dancing in and out of pockets like a sidewalk game of jumprope. Different Type Time is a masterclass in this thing we call hip-hop; daring and original, yet always standing deeply rooted in the culture.

A bit more than half a decade on from his widely acclaimed debut Vanishing Points from 2018, Swiss guitarist, composer, and improv musician Manuel Troller releases his new record Halcyon Future. A rhythmically dense and ambiguous, yet joyful ride for unstable times, a plea for warmth and hopeful resistance.

Troller’s mode of incorporating, zooming in, and expanding on small elements from improvised sessions creates a multilayered work of driving rhythms and abstract, vibrating textures. Opening with Halcyon Future I’s distinctive open pulse, this first piece guides us through subtle harmonic shifts that are almost unrecognizable as they take place over extended time, overlapping and creating a sense of ambiguity until the piece reaches an almost optimistic level with Mario Hänni’s unexpected introduction of driving acoustic drums. Relentlessly and with increasing excitement, heavy electronic 80s bass drums and an armada of layered hi-hats push them on, leading to the all-incorporating melodic finale.

The two long pieces Halcyon Future I and Halcyon Future II focus on forward momentum. In between them stands DNA, a purposely directionless contemplation on emotion as such. It is raw, naked, and confrontational, with a tender and subtly changing chord progression creating intimacy and proximity, abstraction and warmth, like a beautifully vibrant hologram for the listener to walk around in.

The B-side with its 20-minute Halcyon Future II features playful futuristic guitars, enhancing and challenging the stereo image that Troller is already well-known for. As it’s given time to develop and take root, the ever-varying guitar interactions densify and the staccato patterns jump out of the speakers with joy, creating excitement and building momentum. Compared to Side A, things turn to a slightly more complex rhythmical, melodic, and harmonic feel here. There are easy references, such as Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4 or Pat Metheny performing Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, but Troller goes a different and very much more concrete way. Although the piece has been recorded in various places and through a long process of overdubbing, there is an astonishingly strong live feel to it, from beginning to the end, from the slow rise to the full spectrum and the almost krautrock-like finale. Improvisers Hans Koch on soprano saxophone and Michael Flury on heavily fuzzed trombone join in, while Troller and Mario Hänni on many guitars, bass, drum machines, and acoustic drums provide a joyous driving entity, not giving up until it all breaks down again. There is overkill and brute force, though never without depth and a vision of future.

In the musical scope of Halcyon Future, there is no need for an absolute definition of things. A continuously changing interpretation of repetitive and variable elements fading in and out of focus tells a story of an excited sense of acceptance. Feelings of transcendence stem from Troller’s layering of constantly shifting rhythmic structures with unforeseen improvised harmonic changes. Drum machine parts overlayed with acoustic drums shift between musical modes, anchoring the album on the verge of a jazz-influenced, motorik, post-ECM balearic plateau. Abstract textural elements gently swirl around and behind all that is rhythm, providing a submissive counterpoint. As with much of Troller’s work, Halcyon Future is an album that unfolds slowly, revealing more of its richness, detail, and subtle beauty at each listen.

Halcyon Future is a joint release by three:four records and meakusma.

very dope.

With this EP an attempt is made at documenting the vibrant action happening during the late 1970s and early 1980s in the Pioneer Valley area of Western Massachusetts, US. The story is richer than the snapshot we present here, and a more detailed account is to be found in the accompanying book that can be purchased separately.

The Five Colleges in Hampshire County congregated a vast student population that inevitably interacted with the towns in the area. Bars, music and record stores, live music and a lot of experimentation and free thinking. Hampshire College, especially, promoted new approaches to teaching, subjects that might be considered radical by some even today, although a more favourable context would now surely exist for openly debating such topics as American Indians, Kayak Design, Black Oral Tradition, Food Management, etc. And the music? The immediate "punk effect" motivated the creation of numerous bands, many short lived, others evolving into New Wave / Power Pop territory, eventually crossing into Post-Punk experimentation. What is captured in "Noho EP" is a more electronic disposition, favoured by the existence of EMS gear and other equipment at Hampshire College and University of Massachusetts. We chose to focus on a group of musicians who, for a time, played together in different combinations under the loose umbrella of the Tekno Tunes label and the structure around it.

These musicians come from very different backgrounds and the nucleus portrayed here consisted of Christopher Vine, Elliott Sharp, James Whittemore and Nicholas Brown.

Of the several line-up changes The Scientific Americans went through, it was actually only the duo of Chris Vine and Jim Whittemore who recorded "Among Bodge Watt". Never before released, it is a companion piece to their track "El Salvador" available on the 1981 ROIR tape-album "Load & Go!". The Sci Ams were founders of the Tekno Tunes label and also created the Tekno Tours "concert promotion agency", under which name they exposed local audiences to bands such as The Stranglers, The Slits, Pylon, Pere Ubu, The Psychedelic Furs, The Bush Tetras, Steel Pulse, etc. Their own sound kept progressing but at its best there's a solid dub undercurrent, pretty obvious in "Among Bodge Watt".

Human Error was born out of a collective jam by Chris Vine, Elliott Sharp, Jim Whittemore and Nick Brown. Elliott Sharp had moved to Northampton in August of 1978 and naturally became involved in the local music scene, hooking up first with Whittemore at a hi-fi audio store where he worked at the time. Basement jams followed stimulating conversations, and other musicians joined the sessions. "Clandestinator" sounds gorgeously loose, an effortless groove coming from a quasi-dub set-up. Nothing here seems calculated, the music just flows, contagious and irregular as the handclaps in the mix.

The Higher Primates later evolved into a "proper" band but started as Nick Brown's solo project. The Primates only ever released a (now sought-after) 7" single in 1980 (on the Tekno Tunes label, precisely). Both tracks on "Noho EP" were recorded the following year and never released until now. "Auto Music in the Disco Dub Style" is self-explanatory, with a steady, mid-tempo TR808 beat running through, supporting synth squelches, echoes and reverbs, a fat bassline, dissonant melodic lines and odd vocal snippets. Kind of a DJ tool when the concept was barely in place. The more uptempo "Teresa Variations" adds a Fender Jazz bass and Selmer sax to the electronics. It actually sounds more "Disco", even with the robotic, unintelligible vocals. On top of this, the vibe is sealed by the overall Radiophonic Workshop analogue strangeness applied to a dance beat.

Super-Sonic Jazz Records is set to release the brilliant debut album ‘Every Move’ from Dutch neo-soul risers ROSEYE.

Led by the captivating vocals Tallulah Rose, ROSEYE is a 5-piece ensemble that intricately weaves together psychedelic grooves with ethereal narratives. Their music transcends genres, effortlessly blending soul, jazz, and rich electronics. Drawing inspiration from luminaries like Jordan Rakei, Hiatus Kaiyote, and Robert Glasper, ROSEYE delivers an authentic, groove-infused, and explosively soulful sonic experience.

Speaking about the upcoming album, the band explain: “We're all about diving into that deep connection music brings - mixing up explosive, groovy vibes with some trippy and peaceful sounds. Our upcoming album 'Every Move' touches on some personal themes like sexuality, spirituality, nature, and grief, we wanted it to be liked a journey through the highs and lows of life”.

Bank NYC is very excited to present the definitive statement of Collector, "No Prospects". Collector is the solo guise of Jason Campbell, resident of Newcastle, Australia. Since 2014, Campbell has been channelling the industrial malaise of his hometown through his unique take on heavy electronics. After a series of releases on global-spanning labels such Steel City Dance Discs (UK), Nice Music (AUS), Clan Destine (SCO) & Night People (US), the debut long-player for Bank NYC finds Collector embracing true album form for the first time in his discography. Across eight pieces, Collector delivers a bleak sonic narrative via a hardware-only approach to production: Analog drum machine patterns are intricately intertwined with menacing synth lines, and driving bass is met with the unrelenting clatter of tightly-sequenced field recordings taken straight from the heart of local industry.

Thematically, "No Prospects" navigates the downfall of Newcastle's BHP Steelworks at the end of the 20th century. Acknowledged widely as the largest de-industrialisation event in Australian history, the closure of the Steelworks in 1999 marked a dramatic cultural shift where blue-collar vocations were vanquished due to an economic slump, and were consumed by the trending cosmopolitanism seen in adjacent cities. "No Prospects" draws on Campbell's family lineage in the Newcastle's steelworks, providing a rich, personal context to an industry that both gives and takes away. The sharp intensity of the album is sustained by dramatic shifts in pace: the devestating slow burners of 'Two From Five' and 'Ricochet' are instinctually offset by the frenetic 'CFT' and 'Workers Club Collapse', which showcase Campbell's no-nonsense approach to shaping an almost club-ready breed of modern industrial techno. Although diverse across both sides, cohesion is found in Campbell's toolkit of samples that are unmistakably Collector. The album's eponymous track, 'No Prospects', serves as an introspective centrepoint - a largely arrhythmic excursion shrouded in familiar brooding, textural drones, and underpinned by the chug of machinery on the brink of collapse.

Although forever indebted to the spirit of local electronic outcasts, Bloody Fist Records, Collector's "No Prospects" is a remarkably distinct statement straight from the heart of Australia's Steel City. The complexity of arrangements speak to Campbell's long association in experimental music communities, whilst the persistent feeling of dread conveys a uniquely regional story of decay and futility. Pure Novocastrian industrial electronics.

When Richard Thompson began writing songs for his latest album, Ship to Shore, the artist was instinctively drawn to his own musical roots, employing them in the service of fashioning a deep and diverse 12-track collection that pulls from various styles, genres and eras, but remains unmistakably Richard Thompson. There’s the rumbling, Motown-style rhythm that propels “Trust,” and the straightforward riff-rock of “Turnstile Casanova.” The drone-y “The Old Pack Mule,” an “old man’s song” that takes musical cues from 1600s-era European music, and “Life’s a Bloody Show,” an ode to “snake-oil salesmen and hucksters” that floats on a glammy, cabaret-like melody that’s “almost like a parody of a Noël Coward song, or something from Berlin in the 1920s,” Thompson says. “I liked the idea of having a strong base to work from and reaching out from there,” he says. “And I think of my base as being British traditional music, but there’s also Scottish music, there’s Irish music. There’s jazz and country and classical. As far as I’m concerned, once you establish your base you can reach out anywhere. It’ll still be you ringing through, wherever you decide to go musically.”

Ship To Shore by Richard Thompson, released 31 May 2024.

This version of Ship To Shore comes as a 1xLP. This release comes with (a) Sticker(s).

Die 5. Ausgabe der gefeierten Serie von Jem Records Artists steht voll unter der Sonne von Mick Jagger & Keith Richards. ...und das Track-Listing kann sich sehen lassen! Mit den gewählten Songs aus dem Jagger & Richards Repertoire wie z.B. Jumpin' Jack Flash ft. The Midnight Callers oder Ruby Tuesday ft. Nick Piunti ist der musikalische Spaß vorprogrammiert! Mit Anmerkungen von John Borack, dem geschätzten Rockautor. Zusammengestellt von Jem-Präsident Marty Scott und mit Grafiken von Anthony Parisi. Zu den Künstlern gehören The Weeklings, The Grip Weeds, Paul Collins, The Anderson Council, The Cynz und die neu verpflichteten The High Frequencies.

Winston Hytwr is a co-release presented by K and Perennial. Born in Columbus, Ohio in March 1993, Winston Hightower is a prolific home recording artist with an expansive discography that crawls across space and genre. A staple in the Midwestern punk/DIY scene, his first work under the eponymous moniker was a self-released tape in January 2015. Since then, he has put out over 100 songs on tape, online and on video. The music defies easy categorization, and instead breezes through a landscape of synths that effortlessly blend pop, rock, rap and jazz. In doing so, Hightower continues to build a cohesive, ever-morphing experiment in pushing the boundaries of underground guitar music, all with his signature wit and charm. This body of work is almost entirely written and recorded alone in his room, causing many to refer to him as `the Black R Stevie Moore,' a fitting epithet as his influences likewise include modern "lo-fi" progenitors such as Guided by Voices and Vivian Girls. Hightower has released much of his own work and more on his tape label, the FAH-Q Catalog, which boasts over 12 releases He has also collaborated with numerous other Ohio legends such as members of Times New Viking, Slant 6, and Ron House. Both mysterious and effervescent, Winston shape shifts into roles that have also included pro skater (UNITY, Adidas) and touring hardcore guitarist/bassist (most recently with the groups Minority Threat and Twompsax). With such an extensive pedigree, and having toured ceaselessly since he was a teenager, it's shocking that Winston Hightower is largely unknown outside of the Midwest. K records is thus thrilled to be putting out his first ever record, "Winston Hytwr" KLP292/PRNL50 which will cull songs from his previous and impossible to find releases. Remixed by Capt. Tripps Ballsington and Remastered by Amy Dragon. This release continues the rich tradition of DIY bands crafting instant pop hits entirely on their own terms, which has long been the hallmark of the International Pop Underground. 1000 vinyl copies.

"Tools of Oppression / Rule by Deception" ist das neue Album von The Hope Conspiracy. Das Album wurde von Kurt Ballou und Zach Weeks in den God City Studios produziert. Das Artwork für die Veröffentlichung stammt von dem gefeierten Künstler Alexander Heir (Death/Traitors).

Dies ist wahre akustische Gewalt, die sich gegen politische Spaltung, wirtschaftliche Manipulation, Kriegsgewinnlerei, Medienpropaganda und andere abscheuliche Formen globaler Unterdrückung richtet. Luftschutzsirenen heulen auf, während die ahnungsvollen "Those Who Gave Us Yesterday" und "The Prophets and Doom" wie brennende Schrapnells explodieren. Der Höllenritt geht weiter mit "A Struggle For Power" und "Live In Fear", zwei bösartigen Blasts, die vor Bosheit und Verachtung nur so strotzen. "Shock By Shock" und "Of A Dying Nation" leiten die doomig-düstere Schwere ein
und drosseln das Tempo auf ein mittelschnelles Sperrfeuer. "Confusion/Chaos/Misery" zieht das Tempo an und geht mit verbrannter Erde auf die soziopolitischen Alpträume los, die uns alle umgarnen, während "Broken Vessels" die Opioid-Krise und die Sucht als Ganzes thematisiert. Dies führt zu "The West Is Dead", einer dystopischen Hardcore-Hymne mit vielen Hooks, und dem epischen Schlussstück "The Specter Looms"; ein unheilvoller Soundtrack zum stetigen Niedergang unserer modernen Zeit.Keine Frage, The Hope Conspiracy ist zurück, um eine kalte, harte Aussage über die Existenz in der Endzeit zu treffen.

Originally released in 1976, the War compilation album Greatest Hits contains a monster set of Chicano funky grooves from L.A., most of which forever transformed the sound of funk. The album includes most of the band's best cuts — such as "Slippin Into Darkness," "Cisco Kid," "World Is A Ghetto," "All Day Music," "Me & Baby Brother," "Why Can't We Be Friends," and "Low Rider." One of the hippest funk, rock and soul groups on the Cali scene of the '70s, who just kept on making great music as the years went on!

Now with our 45 RPM release, plated and pressed at QRP, the best-sounding version of this historic album gives listeners an even richer sonic experience. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately.

Clean, balanced, richly detailed. Just the way an Analogue Productions reissue should sound.

"Tools of Oppression / Rule by Deception" ist das neue Album von The Hope Conspiracy. Das Album wurde von Kurt Ballou und Zach Weeks in den God City Studios produziert. Das Artwork für die Veröffentlichung stammt von dem gefeierten Künstler Alexander Heir (Death/Traitors).

Dies ist wahre akustische Gewalt, die sich gegen politische Spaltung, wirtschaftliche Manipulation, Kriegsgewinnlerei, Medienpropaganda und andere abscheuliche Formen globaler Unterdrückung richtet. Luftschutzsirenen heulen auf, während die ahnungsvollen "Those Who Gave Us Yesterday" und "The Prophets and Doom" wie brennende Schrapnells explodieren. Der Höllenritt geht weiter mit "A Struggle For Power" und "Live In Fear", zwei bösartigen Blasts, die vor Bosheit und Verachtung nur so strotzen. "Shock By Shock" und "Of A Dying Nation" leiten die doomig-düstere Schwere ein
und drosseln das Tempo auf ein mittelschnelles Sperrfeuer. "Confusion/Chaos/Misery" zieht das Tempo an und geht mit verbrannter Erde auf die soziopolitischen Alpträume los, die uns alle umgarnen, während "Broken Vessels" die Opioid-Krise und die Sucht als Ganzes thematisiert. Dies führt zu "The West Is Dead", einer dystopischen Hardcore-Hymne mit vielen Hooks, und dem epischen Schlussstück "The Specter Looms"; ein unheilvoller Soundtrack zum stetigen Niedergang unserer modernen Zeit.Keine Frage, The Hope Conspiracy ist zurück, um eine kalte, harte Aussage über die Existenz in der Endzeit zu treffen.

Eine Platte zu machen ist beides: Musik, die als Momentaufnahme festgehalten wird, und gleichzeitig eine Dokumentation des Zeitraums, in dem die Lieder entstanden sind. Wenn man dieser Dokumentation und dem Zeitrahmen einen Namen geben möchte (wie einem Albumtitel), stellt sich die Frage: Was ist seit der letzten Aufnahme passiert - auf persönlicher, sozialer und vielen anderen Ebenen? Was hat sich verändert? Oder ging es einfach nur um "mehr" vom Gleichen: in immer kürzerer Zeit zig Dinge parallel erledigen, optimieren, wiederholen? Entwickeln sich diese Dinge in die Richtungen, in die sie sich entwickeln sollten? Schreitet der Fortschritt überhaupt voran? Oder geht es einfach nur darum, das zu tun, was wir schon vorher getan haben - nur schneller, effizienter? Der Ausdruck "L'inertie polaire" (fast 35 Jahre alt) erklärt nicht alles, was in der Welt vor sich geht, aber eine, ziemlich unangenehme, Menge_ 3 Jahre nach Extract.Transform.Debase veröffentlichen The Antikaroshi ihr 6. Album, das inhaltlich direkt an den Vorgänger anknüpft. Das Trio setzt genau dort an, wo es aufgehört hat: Lieder, die sich Zeit nehmen, die atmen um dann im nächsten Moment hektisch zu lärmen! Die Lautstärke ist immer ein Mittel zum Zweck und das Spiel mit ihr ein Markenzeichen von The Antikaroshi. Während Drums und Bass die Grundlage bilden, aber trotzdem immer wieder bekannte Muster durchbrechen, ist die Gitarre hypnotisch und forschend. Die Vocals wechseln zwischen rezitativem und melodiösem Ausdruck und geben der Musik genügend Raum. So bilden The Antikaroshi die Welt ab, die sie umgibt: Hektik und Stillstand schließen einander nicht aus, sondern sind kulturelle Pole zwischen denen sich Gesellschaft entfaltet. Und so wird ihre Musik politisch: Während eine Handvoll superreicher Menschen bereits Abschied von diesem Planeten nimmt (Lost In Compassion), läuft die Medienmaschine geölt wie ein Uhrwerk und hat gelernt, schlechte Nachrichten als gute zu verkaufen (Shiny White Teeth). Kriege werden zu Friedensmissionen (Authority) und das Ergebnis rechtfertigt allzu oft die Mittel (Gravity), wenn es darum geht, der eigenen Schwerkraft zu trotzen. Sogar Seen stehen inzwischen zum Verkauf (Thousand Lakes) und alle verfügbaren Mittel werden genutzt (Sticky Hands). Die Menschen schwanken zwischen gegensätzlichen Sichtweisen, handeln gegen ihren Verstand und viel zu oft auch gegen ihr Herz (Doxa). Was lässt sich dem entgegensetzen? Solidarität und metaphorisch die Wölfe zu vertreiben (Homohominilupus). Und natürlich der kollektive Protest (Tang Ping).

To address the weight of the world without speaking of weariness. To march the song to breathlessness but loosen your grip when the band wanders. To tell all your secrets but shield your loved ones from vulnerability. To dress up in the charm and temptation of the pop song but maintain a core of peculiarity, of a single voice trying to navigate this world. This is the project of the Spatulas. Think of the few songwriters who know they're the only ones in the world who could write their songs. The ones who sing in the confidence that the song couldn't exist without them: Peter Jefferies, Jenny Mae, Ron House, Heather Lewis. Jonathan Richman? Put Miranda Soileau-Pratt and the Spatulas on this list. All eleven songs on `Beehive Mind' share a percussive, unshadowed presence, a steady, clear-voiced clop. Every note on the record is a little bit sad on its own but then they're organized in a way that you don't actually notice. Credit this to the band's skill_Jon Grothman, Lila Jarzombek, Kyle Raquipiso and Miranda Soileau-Pratt all play with no limits and they all play with profound ease. The songs breathe in warmth and patience, they are immediate and sweet. And then they start to meander. The guitar skitters with the deliberate unpredictability of a wild animal. Parts repeat and reset with the obsessiveness of an anxious mind. The lyrics open doors to unexpected scenes of lovers, family, and violence. This is all intentional: "I need to play music and listen to music as a form of therapy," explains Soileau. This means safety, this means encouragement, this means trauma, this means hard questions. Only a band so comfortable at the margins, only a band so capable, only a band so trusting can achieve all this. Miranda Solileau-Pratt wrote the first Spatulas song in 2020, while living in Oregon. Since that time, the band has released two cassettes and toured the United States. Members of the Spatulas have also played in The Blimp, Honey Bucket, Hot Gum, and Meerkaz. The band has shared stages with Helen, Lavender Flu, Debt Rag, Pink Reason, Blues Ambush, and Kath Bloom. `Beehive Mind' is their debut LP.

Introducing "Azerbaijani Gitara vol. 2" by Rəhman Məmmədli, the eagerly awaited sequel to Bongo Joe’s acclaimed debut featuring Rüstəm Quliyev. Born from the vibrant streets of Baku, Azerbaijani gitara culture has evolved into a mesmerizing fusion of indigenous traditions and global influences. From the oil boom era to Soviet rule, musicians have embraced the electric guitar as a symbol of cultural expression.

Rəhman Məmmədli, a legend in his own right, revolutionized the sound with his innovative techniques and impassioned performances. Drawing inspiration from mugham music, Məmmədli's compositions resonate with soul-stirring melodies and electrifying solos.

Join us as we honor the pioneers of Azerbaijani gitara culture while celebrating the continued evolution of this rich musical tradition. "Azerbaijani Gitara vol. 2" promises to captivate listeners with its depth, diversity, and unbridled passion, inviting you on a journey through the heart and soul of Azerbaijan's musical heritage.

Co-founded by Detroit natives Rahill Jamalifard and Lenny Lynch, Habibi got its start in Brooklyn in 2011, earning early raves every- where from Pitchfork and NME to All Things Considered and The New Yorker, who praised the band for infusing “the Colgate-white glisten of sixties-girl-group pop with an uncensored edge.” Dreamachine, Habibi’s mesmerizing new record releasing on Kill Rock Stars, marks a major sonic evolution for the band, rising beyond the critically acclaimed five-piece’s garage rock roots to arrive at a singular swirl of analog and digital elements that underpin their search for spiritual and physical transcendence. Produced by Tyler Love and longtime collaborator Jay Heiselmann and featuring MGMT multi-instrumentalist James Richard-son, the collection draws on a mix of post-punk, experimental pop, and vintage disco, calling to mind Tom Verlaine, Diana Ross, Kate Bush, and Kim Deal, all filtered through the band’s shared love of Middle Eastern psych music. The songs here are their own distinct worlds, each an immersive quest in pursuit of something greater, and the band’s performances are relentless and hypnotic to match, driven by lush synthesizers, sinewy guitars, and a muscular rhythm section. The result is a record as fearless as it is enthralling, an alternatingly fierce and joyous work that ascends to new heights as it reckons with desire and escape, love and surrender, rebellion and reality.

“Thou Shalt” is the second album by The Answer Lies In The Black Void. Serene, invoking imagery of darkness; sweeping soundscapes tear and twist at the emotions. The latest album by The Answer Lies In The Black Void is a work of magical beauty. The duo, a collaboration of Martina Horváth from avant-garde folk metal project Thy Catafalque and Jason Köhnen from Celestial Season, The Lovecraft Sextet, Bong-Ra, Mansur and The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, follows up on their 2021 debut “Forlorn”.

The prevalent element here is doom, but there is so much more buried deep within the dark vaults of this compelling record. The nine new tracks are deep, richly layered songs, with Horváth demonstrating her stunning shimmering vocals over the complex creativity of Köhnen, the multi-instrumentalist who takes responsibility for everything instrument-driven here. There are crushing riffs, echoing lead guitar work, melodic choruses and harrowing passages which send shivers down the spine, and all the time the atmosphere builds; The Answer Lies In The Black Void seeks to embrace beauty in darkness and fragility in heaviness.

Der Zauber der Nacht ist in der Musik seit jeher ein Thema, von den Nocturnes der Klassik über Late-NightJazz bis hin zu Max Richters Erfolgsprojekt “Sleep”. Auf ihrem neuen Album hat sich nun auch Sängerin und Songschreiberin Arooj Aftab, die für ihr Album “Vulture Prince” 2022 als erste pakistanischstämmige Künstlerin mit einem Grammy ausgezeichnet wurde, dieses faszinierenden Themas angenommen.

Arooj versteht es Songs zu schreiben und mit sanfter, tiefer Stimme zu singen, die sich entspannt in die Gehörgänge schmiegen. Ihre Lieder sind einzigartig, weil sie in der Tradition ihres pakistanischen Musikerbes wurzeln, aber zugleich elektronisch-modern und auf subtile Weise grooven.

Mit “Night Reign” ist Arooj ihr betörendstes und vielfältigstes Werk gelungen. Unterstützung erhielt sie dabei von so unterschiedlichen kreativen Partnern wie Vijay Iyer, Maeve Gilchrist, Moor Mother, Joel Ross, Cautious Clay, Kaki King, James Francies und Chocolate Genius, Inc

Two years in the making, 25-year-old Angelica Garcia's album Cha Cha Palace is the result of an artist's need to SAY SOMETHING. The second song on the record, "Jícama" might only be a minute and 25 seconds in its entirety, but the message spans generations and is one that resonates deeply for Garcia with her Mexican and Salvadoran roots. Singing/shouting, "I see you, but you don't see me Jímaca, Jímaca, Guava Tree_I've been trying to tell ya, but you just don't see, like you I was born in this country," Garcia tells the reality for millions of Americans unapologetically and with passion.That feeling of being between places is something Garcia knows well having been raised between multigenerational, multicultural, homes with step-parents and half-siblings. Additionally, she made the journey from the West Coast to the East Coast and back again multiple times before finally settling down in Richmond, Virginia.She fondly recalls Mexican ranchera music always playing throughout her childhood. Ranchera was ingrained within the maternal side of her family with her Mother, Grandmother, Uncle & Aunt constantly singing the traditional music throughout the home of her Grandparents.Like Mitski, Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Rosalía, Garcia isn't afraid to tear pages out of her diary and express emotions that might be difficult and oftentimes daunting to share given today's social and political environment. Like her peers, she joins a new chapter of musicians who are connecting with their audiences on a level that lives outside the reaches of technology, trends, and social media, the daily experience of feeling torn between saying something and doing something, for being a voice and speaking with your voice, of being Latina while being American. And it's humanity and honesty that audiences are looking for and will find in spades throughout each note of Cha Cha Palace.

True audiophile joy — now cut at 45 RPM 2LP for better tracking, exceptional bass!
Remastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original master tapes
Plated and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings!
Stoughton Printing gatefold tip-on heavyweight cardboard jacket


Praise for the 33 1/3 version of The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get:

"(Side one) ends with the appropriately titled 'Happy Ways,' a Latin-tinged guitar-fest with lovely chunky bass lines that sounds absolutely glorious on this Analogue Productions pressing. The zing of steel string guitar almost sounds dead on the CD and tired on my ancient vinyl pressing, so this is clearly not one of those remasters that's based on an umpteenth generation copy of the tapes. ... You owe it to yourself to hear this album — and it will not sound any better than this spectacular pressing." — Recording = 8/10; Music 10/10 — Jason Kenedy, Hi-Fi+, Issue 148

"An outstanding new 180gm LP reissue from Analogue Productions, with improved sound thanks to a sparkling new remaster by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, makes it clear that this 1973 release remains — with the possible exception of 1978's But Seriously, Folks . . . — the undisputed highlight of Walsh's solo career. ... Another week, another beautiful-sounding, wonderfully packaged reissue from Analogue Productions." Read the whole review here. — Robert Baird, May 2017

In between his stints with the James Gang and the Eagles, Joe Walsh tackled his second solo studio album The Smoker You Drink The Player You Get which became his most successful solo outing. The 1973 LP continued the heavy and light rock mix of tracks found on his previous release, Barnstorm.

Analogue Productions has done reissue justice to the album that AllMusic decries "features some of the most remembered Joe Walsh tracks, but it's not just these that make the album a success. Each of the nine tracks is a song to be proud of. This is a superb album by anyone's standards."

To obtain the best sound possible we turned to Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio to remaster this superb album from the original analogue tapes. Next we plated the lacquers and pressed LPs on 180-gram audiophile vinyl at the world's best LP maker, Quality Record Pressings. Top it all off with a deluxe Stoughton Printing gatefold tip-on jacket and you've got the makings for audiophile joy.

But would we stop there? Hardly. Now with our 45 RPM release, the best-sounding version of this rock music gem gives listeners an even richer sonic experience. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately.

This amazingly eclectic rock album has Joe's smash "Rocky Mountain Way," his hit "Meadows," plus "Bookends," "Wolf; Dreams" and more! Walsh's ability to swing wildly from one end of the rock scale to the other is unparalleled and makes for an album to suit many tastes.

Plainly the most radical album of their career to date, Nell’ Ora Blu stands out from the sterile desert of rock ’n’ roll in 2024 like a gore-drenched beacon. What this scintillating detour tells us about the future of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats remains a mystery, but after enjoying such rich and fruitful artistic indulgence, Starrs’ notoriety as one of heavy music’s most distinctive voices can only increase. An eccentric tour-de-force, Nell’ Ora Blu is the band’s magnum opus. You will have nightmares. Trust no one. Watch your back. Let the blood flow…

Sixth studio album from this globally recognised cult institution. Nell’ ora blu is an epic tribute to Italian crime cinema from the late 60s/early 70s. It features exclusive guest appearances from top stars of the Giallo & Poliziotteschi genres, including Franco Nero and Edwige Fenech.

Plainly the most radical album of their career to date, Nell’ Ora Blu stands out from the sterile desert of rock ’n’ roll in 2024 like a gore-drenched beacon. What this scintillating detour tells us about the future of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats remains a mystery, but after enjoying such rich and fruitful artistic indulgence, Starrs’ notoriety as one of heavy music’s most distinctive voices can only increase. An eccentric tour-de-force, Nell’ Ora Blu is the band’s magnum opus. You will have nightmares. Trust no one. Watch your back. Let the blood flow…

Sixth studio album from this globally recognised cult institution. Nell’ ora blu is an epic tribute to Italian crime cinema from the late 60s/early 70s. It features exclusive guest appearances from top stars of the Giallo & Poliziotteschi genres, including Franco Nero and Edwige Fenech.

Strawberry Wind, produced by Richard Swift (Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, Foxygen, The Shins) not only delivers on a promise to create an honest album for kids and parents but it represents what Baylin calls the “beautiful divide,” of juggling family life with her creative life, a difficult task by any measure. “The divide in me is easy to feel because I invest 100% of myself into my family and often the creative gets put to the side,” she explained, “so when I decided to begin writing for this album it just poured out of me.” Now singer / songwriter Jessie Baylin shares that creative outpouring on her debut children’s album, ‘Strawberry Wind’. Throughout the album, Baylin doesn’t hold back on telling it like it is. Weaving through lyrical themes of dream life, supermoons and summertime vibes are some gentle doses of reality. “I don’t want to lie to my kids. Life is hard sometimes and you need to find a way to deal with it... there will always be things in life you can’t control. But, you can dream of a better world and make your own refuge,” says Baylin, who is mom to 4-year-old Violet and is expecting her second child with her husband. Baylin, who’s released four critically-acclaimed albums over the years, says the seed was planted for this album after recording a cover of Harry Nilsson’s He Needs Me from the kids’ film Popeye. “The song has a childlike sense, but the message is very deep. It’s magical, it’s dark, and it hit all the right notes. I wanted to do an album that feels like that” she says. “Since becoming a mother, I found myself being around the house a lot and I started gravitating to these wonderful albums I remembered from my own childhood - The Beatles, Harry Nilsson’s The Point!, John Lennon, Roger Miller’s Robin Hood and Carole King’s Really Rosie." The magic of those iconic 1970s records she mentions is that they’re all grounded in solid songwriting and were never dumbed down for the audience. “Those records felt very honest and that was my mission here. I also wanted it to feel magical and remind people of the child inside of all of us that is filled with a sense of wonder and pure joy and hope.”

Some songs are so ingrained in our consciousness that they are immediately identifiable upon hearing one or two notes. Featuring one of the most indelible riffs ever played, Foghat's air-guitar anthem "Slow Ride" is such a tune. The hit single turned the British band into stars and catapulted 1975's Fool for the City up the charts. And what a ride it is.

We hear a lot of yearning today about the good-old, glory days of rock and roll, the simple kind that just locked into a good beat, turned out a raunchy groove, and simply kicked you in the butt. The no-pretense type meant for kicking back, letting loose, and surrendering to the melody. Bare-bones music that doesn't need image or looks as a crutch.

Well, this is it, friends, classic meat-and-potatoes 70s rock that comes with killer slide-guitar solos, crunchy leads, driving rhythms, and soaring vocals. No need for any further instructions or explanations. The pact between artist and audience is understood. Here, the band trusts that you know what to do and is ready to rock out with anyone in earshot.

Pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, Mobile Fidelity's remaster of this Foghat gem bring to the surface the band's marble-solid sturdiness and bluesy structures like never before. Bass notes are thicker and richer, the dual guitars bite and snap, and Lonesome Dave Peverett's singing comes across with realistic grit. This LP invites you to hear and feel the energy Foghat brings to the boogie-infused title track, great cover of the Righteous Brothers' "My Babe," and, of course, the everlasting "Slow Ride."

Continuing Mr Bongo’s series exploring the wealth of material released through the record labels of Sonny Lester, 1977’s Funk Reaction finds Hammond B3 organ virtuoso Lonnie Smith at his most dancefloor-friendly. Dripping with groove and swagger, this album skates between jazz-funk, cosmic disco radiance, beat-laden slow-jams and conscious psychedelic soul.

Having played with the likes of George Benson and Lou Donaldson in the ‘60s, alongside releasing a string of albums on Columbia and Blue Note, Funk Reaction sees Smith move into late ‘70s disco-funk-tinged territory.

Originally released on Sonny Lester's Groove Merchant Records successor, Lester Radio Corporation, the album feels more like a collaborative band-orientated project as opposed to a solo artist outing. Featuring some elite session players of the time, including Steve Gadd on drums, guitarist Lance Quinn and bassist Bob Babbitt, the album is tied together expertly by songwriter, arranger and conductor Brad Baker.

It’s worth the price tag alone for the superb disco-funk nugget 'Funk Reaction’. Other highlights include the only Lonnie Smith penned track on the album 'All In My Mind', that shines with a beautiful Stevie Wonder-esque quality and the slick guitar-led floater 'When The Night Is Right’, written by and featuring guitarist Richie Hohenburger. Elsewhere, ‘For The Love Of It’ and the Brad Babbitt written ‘Babbitt's Other Song’ serve up classic jazz funk flavours, both featuring stellar tenor saxophone from Eddie Daniels.

As a whole, the album is a superb example of Lonnie Smith’s ability to merge jazz with elements of funk, soul, disco and beyond, experimenting with ideas whilst broadening the scope of both his audience and appeal. Fans of The Blackbyrds, the CTI / Kudu stable and ‘70s George Benson will dig this!

DJ Support: Gilles Peterson, Sean Johnston, Jaye Ward, Max Essa and Francois K

Limited to 300 copies

Having been long-time admirers of one another from afar, Hell Yeah and Michele Mininni finally come together for Pop Archetypes. It is a multifaceted debut album that collides broken beats, worldly rhythms, jazz, eastern melodies, live drums and much more into one thrilling 15-track opus that arrives on May 31st.

Italian artist Mininni has always had a leftfield take on electronic music and imbued it with rhythms, melodies and instruments from around the globe. He has released it on cult labels like R&S, Optimo Trax, Internasjonal and Curle Recordings but has saved his magnificent debut album for Hell Yeah. It is much more than a collection of sounds he has already explored and instead finds him heading off into all new territory without losing his signature sense of inventive and beguiling rhythm and melody. It is a multicultural journey that takes in heterogeneous styles and diverse influences but distills them all into one cohesive album with its own unique storyline.

Says Mininni of the record, 'I wanted each track to be like pieces of a unique, multifaceted picture, like walking through train cars or progressing through the levels of a video game, all filtered through my own vision and concentrated into 36 minutes. I wanted a pop album rooted in the extraordinary richness of popular music and projected into the future, a continuum where pieces communicate with each other and are received by the ears in symbiotic balance.'

Despite that concept, the album is a spontaneous listen full of surprises, left turns and original ideas that all hold together in thrilling fashion. It kicks off with the tumbling jazz drums and swirling synths of 'Spinning Around Cotton Candy', takes in mellifluous melodic layers and broken beats on 'Golden Room' and 'Slipped Air' casts you adrift amongst gorgeous piano keys and refracted vocals on the suspensory 'Vertigo'. There are jungle interludes with Eastern string melodies like 'Bangkok Tempo', lavish fusions of organic and synthetic sounds on 'Kundalini' and more charming Far Eastern rhythms on 'Muting Cat'. 'Congoflash' brings electrifying cosmic rays to busy hand drum patterns, 'The Magic Of Synesthesia' combines dark amen breaks and bright and uplifting flutes while 'Carousel Of Tears' douses you in watery melodies and celestial pads that awaken the soul.

Pop Archetypes is an adventurous work packed with meticulous and infinite details but all with an overarching narrative that makes it far more than the sum of its parts.

“It’s just too easy to make a standard dance track,” Aphex Twin said of his mindset back in 1992. “You’ve got to put a bit of thought into it to get something a bit different.”

‘Didgeridoo’ was released on the Belgian R&S Records label in 1992, and originally peaked at #55 in the UK singles chart in May of that year. Over the last 32 years the track has become one of the essential Aphex Twin tracks in a gargantuan catalogue that continues to amaze and inspire.

“I wanted to have some tracks to play to finish the raves I used to play in Cornwall, to really kill everybody off so they couldn’t dance,” Richard D James, AKA Aphex, told Select magazine back in the 90s. “Digeridoo came out of that.”

Released as a 4 track EP that also included early Aphex productions (now classics) including the industrial, acidic clang of ‘Flap Head’ and hyperbolic futurism of ‘Isopropanol’, the release cemented a relationship with the R&S label that went on to release the ‘Xylem Tube’ EP and the pivotal album ‘Selected Ambient Works 85-92’ in the same year. The label’s owner & A&R Renaat Vandepapeliere reflected “When I first heard Aphex Twin’s music I said, ‘This is it!’, and everybody else said, ‘You’re crazy!’ …a lot of the hardcore R&S fans dropped us. To them it wasn’t music.”

‘Didgeridoo’ (Expanded Edition) is the first time the EP has been re-issued with extra material. Whilst digging in his DAT archive (allegedly stored in an airtight military ammo box), Richard James revisited the recordings, encoding them through a Nakamichi CR7e cassette deck, using the customised deck with vari-speed to encode at speeds “felt right at the time”. Alongside these CR7e versions, the original mixes have been remastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering, offering a dilated insight into one of electronic music’s most endearing releases.

‘Digeridoo’ (Expanded Edition) by Aphex Twin is available on R&S Records from 31st May 2024.

At its best, Bristol's scene has been marked out by the artists with an independent spirit. Not just the self-reliant DIY approach to getting the music out there, but a unique, inventive slant on emergent sounds which feed into the city's storied reputation. Flynn & Flora embody that idea, having come up in the nascent Bristol jungle scene while offering something wholly different to their peers in fabled crews like Full Cycle and More Rockers.

The duo were absolutely connected to the wider community, but they followed their own path, and the records reflect that. They're not as widely name checked as the likes of Roni Size, Krust, or Smith & Mighty, but their legacy is just as rich with personality and flair, offering that indefinable twist which sets West Country rhythms apart from the sounds in London or elsewhere. City Road wanted to recognise that fact with a modest 12" which cherry picks four crucial early cuts from Flynn & Flora's archives, before they went on to produce three LPs and a series of 12"s up to the mid 00s.

"We knew as much as anyone else at that particular time," recalls Flynn. "Samples, hip-hop breaks, bass lines. You've got your synth, your drum machine. It's all you needed. So that's what we did."

Die BMX Bandits veröffentlichen seit Jahrzehnten in unregelmäßigen Abständen großartige und kompromisslose Alben. Mit ihrem zwölften Album "Dreamers on the Run" haben die Indie-Pop-Ikonen nun, man kann es nicht anders sagen, ein brillantes, ambitioniertes Meisterwerk aufgenommen. Fast scheint es, als hätten sich Duglas T. Stewart und seine rechte Hand Andrew Pattie in Schottland ein Brill Building selbstgebaut um die elf neuen Songs zu schreiben, zu arrangieren und zu produzieren. Das Ergebnis ist ultra-romantischer POP und der Beweis, dass Duglas und die Bandits zum illustren Kreis der großen Pop-Außenseiter wie Jonathan Richman, Martin Newell oder Curt Boettcher gehören. Außenseitertum hat bei allen Nachteilen auch gute Seiten, denn erstaunlich oft haben Aussenseiter*innen die besten Songs!

Active since 2001, Ayyuka was one of the first bands to look back at 70’s Turkish music to find a new voice. Not caught up in the Retromania but reincarnating Turkish Psychedelic within their own style, the band managed to develop an unmistakeable unique sound. Inspirations of Dick Dale, John Frusciante, and local heroes like Erkin Koray, Orhan Gencebay, make their music more guitar oriented but their fascination with film music and improvisation creates unexpected twists within their songs. Right after their eponymous debut in 2007, the band shared stage with Sonic Youth and Jonathan Richman. Heading to a completely instrumental music, their 3rd studio recording “Sömester” had already become a cult album for record collectors. They’ve collaborated with Orlando Julius, Ilhan Ersahin and had guests on almost every album. Their latest full length “Maslak Halayı” was a creative collaboration with Calibro35 genius Tommaso Colliva. The worldwide hype of "Yukadans” will now be followed by their upcoming EP "Zaman Ziyan”, showcasing four brand new instrumental tracks that will transport listeners through a kaleidoscope of musical landscapes, experimenting with techniques of music writing and flirting with genres like afro-beat, funk, dub or arabesque. Save the date for their very first performance of these, live at babylon, as a part of Akbank Jazz Festival.

With the buzz around her building, Priddy made her biggest splash with the 2021 release of her debut album, The Eternal Rocks Beneath. The 10 self- penned tracks are delivered with a maturity and depth that belie the fact that this is her first full length release. At times tender, at times carrying a darker edge, the stories she weaves are transporting. Not surprising then that Nick Drake, John Martyn, Tunng and Scott Matthews are amongst her many influences.

The album was recorded over a 2-year period at Rebellious Jukebox studios, a little basement studio hidden beneath inner-city Birmingham and presided over by masterful producer Simon Weaver. The ensemble cast of musicians, including a sweeping string section, occasionally cut through by raw electric guitar and drums, as well as Richard March (Pop Will Eat Itself) on double bass and Mikey Kenny on fiddle, enhance Priddy's command of melody and lyricism and provide the perfect backdrop for the feelings of nostalgia and timelessness that underpin the record. Many of the songs were written during Priddy's teenage years and early twenties and reference themes of childhood and distant memories.

The title, 'Eternal Rocks Beneath' reflects this is Priddy's first album; the culmination of her earlier life experiences and the bedrock for whatever follows next.

Although both Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong had met and performed together previously, they wouldn't be heard on record together until January 18, 1946, when they waxed a single 78-rpm disc ("You Won't Be Satisfied) for Decca. They went on to record a few more singles together until in 1956 when producer Norman Granz paired the two together between 1956 and 1957 on three albums that were both critically acclaimed and commercial successes - appealing to audiences in and beyond the confines of jazz per se: Ella & Louis, its sequel Ella & Louis Again, and the selection of songs from George Gershwin's opera Porgy & Bess. While Porgy & Bess was recorded with a big band, the first two albums (featured in this release) were made in small group formats with the great Oscar Peterson Trio plus drummers Buddy Rich or Louie Bellson, resulting in some of the most fascinating jazz and popular music ever produced