quête:rip ‘n’ it

Space-surf-psych-rock quartet Japanese Television’s album ‘Automata Exotica’ has been remixed by invited friends and peers; including Goat Fool from GOAT, Factory Floor’s Gabe Gurnsey, and Edgar Breau from cult band Simply Saucer. Informed by UFO encounters, ritualism, robots, Northern Soul, and nuclear weapons, ‘Automata Exotica’ was released in March 2024 and was described as “Heavy but also joyful” by The Quietus, “A fuzzy blast of space-surf energy”in Shindig and “A remarkable and unique proposition” by Louder Than War.

Rather than having been transformed out of all recognition, “reimagined” is a more apt term to describe this new version of ‘Automata Exotica’. With the album’s eight tracks presented via considered, alternative mixes with pertinent sonic application, it hangs together incredibly coherently - albeit as a wild and feverish psychedelic experience.

JTV toured with GOAT while writing ‘Automata Exotica’, with the fat fuzz tones and extended middle percussion section of ‘Typhoon Reggae Police’ heavily influenced by their time watching and learning from side stage. Starting life as an uneasy mixture of scratchy 60s garage rock and 70s Afghan psych folk, Goat Fool from GOAT ripped the song apart and stitched it back together. Recognisable but weird and uncanny, it’s a stripped down, oppressive, shimmering voodoo nightmare.

“We used to go and see Gabe’s weird, excellent band Factory Floor playing dark little club nights in Shoreditch years ago and marvel at the racket” says JTV. “Gabe’s been a long time collaborator of ours, in fact he’s the only person to not only do more than one remix for us, but has featured on every remix release we’ve done. Our most ecstatic, cathartic song, ‘Tabadaboum’ was the perfect match for Gabe - the motorik krautrock bassline fits right in with the pneumatic grind of his vintage drum machine loops and synth flurries”.

It's hard to measure the impact cult 1970s Canadian space rock proto punk psych band Simply Saucer had on the formation of Japanese Television. The band reached out to Edgar Breau - the band’s founding member and guitarist - who guitarist Tim says was “really generous with his time, and really kind to an overly keen and slightly awkward Simply Saucer mega fan. It's a real honor to have him playing guitar on one of our records”. His cosmic reimagining of ‘Golden Birds’ layers on the delay, reverb and screaming guitars, launching the track into outer space.

‘Automata Exotica (Remixed)' is set for release on 6th June 2025 on limited edition LP and digital formats. Japanese Television tour in Europe through March and April. The album is released by cult underground label Tip Top Recordings (Jim Wallis, Mandrake Handshake, Pearl & The Oysters), run by Ben Rimmer and David Warn.

For his third long-player under the Phi-Psonics banner, Ford-Young marshalled a series of live recordings at the Healing Force Of The Universe record store in Pasadena, sculpting fourteen tracks, largely composed in the moment with a fluctuating cast of players, which wonderfully transmit his ideals of community and inner peace. Called "Expanding To One", it features exquisitely calming yet searching pieces like "There"s Still Hope", where Seth"s softly undulating bassline underpins beatific explorations from core Phi-Psonics members, Sylvain Carton and Randal Fisher (both on saxophone), and Josh Collazo (drums), alongside guests Zach Tenorio (Wurlitzer piano) and Mathias Künzli (percussion). Equally sublime, "Healing Time" ripples like a mountain stream, with Ford-Young, Carton, Fisher and Tenorio joined by Minta Spencer (harp), Dylan Day (guitar) and, on drums/percussion, Jay Bellerose, a revered LA stickman most recently under the spotlight in Jeff Parker ETA IVtet.

Set in the pressure cooker of fresh adulthood, Jahnah Camille's defiant new EP My sunny oath! is a guitar-based grab at self-acceptance. Romping through alt-rock, lo-fi grit, and sardonic grunge with unflinching momentum, the new six-song collection channels Jahnah's era-agnostic songwriting influences, from The Sundays and Liz Phair to Minnie Riperton and Japanese Breakfast. Largely written before a breakout year including tours opening for Luna Li, Tops, and Blondshell, My sunny oath! is set in stormy self-development. Dreamily layered vocals, modern shoegaze sheen, and keyboard lines accompany Jahnah's ear-worming guitar parts and coyly detached tone, as she pushes through the muck of outgrown relationships, misogyny, and hometown anxiety with the help of producer Alex Farrar (Wednesday, Indigo De Souza, MJ Lenderman). The clear-eyed sonic expansion of My sunny oath! marks a decisively bold, exploratory new direction for Camille's sound with fearless hooks and swirling production abound. It's a messy, vulnerable, and inviting picture of early adulthood.

Set in the pressure cooker of fresh adulthood, Jahnah Camille's defiant new EP My sunny oath! is a guitar-based grab at self-acceptance. Romping through alt-rock, lo-fi grit, and sardonic grunge with unflinching momentum, the new six-song collection channels Jahnah's era-agnostic songwriting influences, from The Sundays and Liz Phair to Minnie Riperton and Japanese Breakfast. Largely written before a breakout year including tours opening for Luna Li, Tops, and Blondshell, My sunny oath! is set in stormy self-development. Dreamily layered vocals, modern shoegaze sheen, and keyboard lines accompany Jahnah's ear-worming guitar parts and coyly detached tone, as she pushes through the muck of outgrown relationships, misogyny, and hometown anxiety with the help of producer Alex Farrar (Wednesday, Indigo De Souza, MJ Lenderman). The clear-eyed sonic expansion of My sunny oath! marks a decisively bold, exploratory new direction for Camille's sound with fearless hooks and swirling production abound. It's a messy, vulnerable, and inviting picture of early adulthood.

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Having endured no less than three long-players and a brace of singles featuring the caterwauling of Messrs Hampshire and Childish, the Milkshakes’ audience figured it might be time for an instrumental outing. In response the group gave them just that. But this was to be no run-of-the-mill effort – no Dick Dale-esque surf marathons or Shadowsy twangers are apparent here. These tunes are more ‘rhythm-and-mood’-based compositions; occasionally leaning more towards the Link Wray end of the spectrum – as you would probably expect. This IVth album (hence the name) was recorded in 1983 at Oakwood Studios – as were all previous releases – but this was the first in their new facilities in a converted church near Canterbury, which opened up a whole new golden vista of shimmering, silvery sounds in atmospheric conditions. Of course, the Milkshakes were having none of that. We suggest you plonk the wax on your gramophone and let whatever happens happens. Hasty bananas.

Am 6. Juni veröffentlichen Lifeguard aus Chicago ihr Debütalbum "Ripped and Torn" auf Matador Records. Das junge Trio, bestehend aus Asher Case (Bass, Baritongitarre, Gesang), Isaac Lowenstein (Schlagzeug, Synthesizer) und Kai Slater (Gitarre, Gesang), macht seit seiner Highschool-Zeit zusammen Musik, also fast ein Viertel ihres Lebens. Laut und direkt, kryptisch, aber mit Herz, lassen sie sich in ihren Songs von Punk, Dub, Power-Pop und experimentellen Klängen inspirieren und bringen alles in einem explosiven Sound of Now zusammen Das Album, das letztes Jahr in Chicago mit dem Produzenten Randy Randall (No Age) aufgenommen wurde, fängt eine klaustrophobische Verschrobenheit ein, die das Gefühl und die Energie von Hauspartys und dicht gedrängten Räumen heraufbeschwört, wo die Ohren leicht überwältigt werden und zerlumpte Improvisationen sich mit der gleichen Kraft verbinden wie melodische Hooks. Schon beim 2023er SWSW gehörte die Band zu den absoluten Geheimtipps und überzeugte mit ihren mitreißenden Live-Shows, von denen man sich letztes Jahr auch hierzulande ein Bild machen konnte. Im Zuge der Album-Veröffentlichung kehrt die Band für zwei Shows nach Deutschland zurück und spielt am Release-Tag in Berlin! Lifeguard gehören zur Speerspitze neuer Bands, deren kreativer Schmelztiegel sich in und um Chicago herum befindet und jüngst auch die Band Horsegirl hervorbrachte. Die Szene besteht aus Musikern, Fanzine-Machern und Konzertveranstaltern und ist inspiriert von der DIY-Indie-Bewegung der 90er.

"Nilam" folgt auf das letztjährige Album "Daughter Of A Temple", das von Gilles Peterson zum BBC 6 Music "Album of the Year" gekürt wurde. The Guardian erklärte es ebenfalls zu einem der 10 besten Alben des Jahres 2024 und lobte GANAVYAs Fähigkeit, "die Kraft der gemeinschaftlichen Harmonie zu nutzen, um etwas Tieferes als den Gesang zu berühren". Wenn man sich das bemerkenswerte "Nilam" anhört, scheint es unwahrscheinlich, dass jemals Zweifel an seiner Entstehung bestanden haben könnten. Die Stille ist so erstaunlich, die Vermittlung von Gefühlen so tiefgreifend, dass man das Gefühl hat, dass es schon immer so gedacht war. Es ist eine Feier der Bande, die uns verbinden, und möglicherweise die zärtlichste Musik, die wir dieses Jahr hören werden. Sie ist intim und ehrlich, ein ergreifender Ausdruck der Dankbarkeit für die Segnungen, die uns auf dem Boden halten, wenn wir sie nur erkennen und willkommen heißen. In der Tat könnte es direkt von der Seele auf die Stereoanlage übertragen worden sein, von der Art und Weise, wie "Not A Burden" eine Last von den Schultern der Welt nimmt, bis hin zum friedlichen "Sees Fire", mit dem sanften Groove von "Land" voller Raum, dem heiteren "Nine Jeweled Prayer" und durchweg GANAVYAs Gesang wie Wellen in einer Lagune. New York-born, Tamil Nadu-raised singer and transdisciplinarian GANAVYA - "among modern music"s most compelling vocalists," according to the Wall Street Journal - has announced details of a new album, Nilam, due May 23, 2025. It follows last year"s Daughter Of A Temple, Gilles Peterson"s BBC 6 Music Album of the Year, similarly declared one of 2024"s Top 10 Best Global Albums by The Guardian, who applauded GANAVYA"s ability to harness "the power of communal harmony to touch something deeper than song." Co-produced by Nils Frahm at LEITER Studio in Berlin"s Funkhaus complex, the new album by "the singer whose work," says the New York Times, "feels like prayer...with listeners hanging onto her every word" will be released by LEITER on vinyl and via all digital platforms. Listening to the remarkable Nilam, it seems implausible now that its inception might ever have been in doubt. So astonishing is its stillness, so profound its communication of sentiment, it feels as if it was always meant to be. A celebration of the ties that bind, and possibly the most tender-hearted music we"ll hear this year, it"s intimate and honest, a poignant expression of gratitude for the blessings which keep us grounded, if only we"ll recognise and welcome them. Indeed, it could have been transmitted directly from soul to stereo, from the way "Not A Burden" lifts a weight off the world"s shoulders to the peaceful "Sees Fire", with "Land""s gentle groove full of space, "Nine Jeweled Prayer" serenely precious, and, throughout, GANAVYA"s vocals like ripples on a lagoon.

This new anniversary edition from London's the Duke Spirit marks 20 years since their adrenaline-charged debut roared onto the UK indie scene. Originally released in 2005, it's now remastered and paired with a second LP of B-sides, demos and rarities, pressed on heavyweight yellow and red splatter vinyl. It's a suitably bold presentation for a record that remains as full-throttle and emotionally raw as ever. Built around the magnetic presence of vocalist Liela Moss and the jangling, distorted interplay between guitarists Luke Ford and Dan Higgins, this is a sound forged in post-punk grit and heavy rock swagger. Tracks like 'Lion Rip' and 'Love Is An Unfamiliar Name' still land with venom, but it's the depth and tension of songs like 'Fades The Sun' and 'Hello To The Floor' that show their full range. The bonus material only adds to the mythology i 'Boot Hill (demo)' and 'Scratching Around (demo)' offer glimpses of the band's early energy in the raw, while 'Souvenir' and 'Now Be Still' stand strong on their own. It's a beautiful document of a band at full force, and a reminder that sometimes the most exciting sounds are the ones that never tried to fit the moment.

The 90s were all about Hip-Hop groups. Brooklyn’s Junior M.A.F.I.A., consisting of members Lil’ Kim, Lil’ Cease, Trife, Larceny, Nino Brown, Chico Del Vec, MC Klepto, Capone, and Bugsy, formed under the guidance of The Notorious B.I.G. after he released his classic debut album Ready To Die. At the end of the summer of 1995, Junior M.A.F.I.A. released their debut album Conspiracy on Big Beat Records featuring the lead single “Player’s Anthem” which featured Biggie and was produced by the late great DJ Clark Kent. Clark Kent produced three other songs including the second single “I Need You Tonight” featuring Biggie’s wife Faith Evans on the chorus. The third single, “Get Money”, another Biggie feature produced by EZ Elpee with it’s classic flip of the Roy Ayers Orduced Sylvia Striplin track “You Can’t Turn Me Away” was certified platinum. With eight members deep, it was difficult to stand out, but Lil’ Kim and Lil’ Cease would be the breakoutr stars and go on to release solo albums. The group disbanded after Notorious B.I.G. was murdered in 1997, but left behind songs that still hold up today and remain a big part of Biggie’s legacy, as well as producer DJ Clark Kent -RIP Out of print on vinyl since 2017, Get On Down is proud to present this 90s Hip-Hop classic as a limited edition reissue preesed on splatter colored vinyl and packaged in a gatefold jacket.

After 45 years, Trigger’s never-released second album, Second Round, invites listeners to rediscover the hard rock sound that made the band a standout act of the 1970s. In early 1979, Trigger walked out of Electric Ladyland Studios with a completed second album. Mere months had passed since their self-titled debut came out on Casablanca Records, home to KISS and Parliament. The band had toured with Cheap Trick and The Godz, met Bruce Springsteen and Joni Mitchell, and things were looking bright. But Casablanca unexpectedly went bankrupt, and the label’s artists went into freefall. Trigger unsuccessfully sought interested parties, shelved the recordings and disbanded; a disappointing end for a band who dominated the Jersey Shore club scene on their way up with fiery, kick ass live shows. RIP Trigger: 1973-1979. Jump to 2024. Guitarist Richie House is living in Northern New Jersey with his wife, enjoying a relaxing afternoon at the community pool with neighbors. One of them, Andrew Wexler is shocked to discover his friend had a band in the ’70s. He listens to their recordings, and as an avid record collector, assumes the mission of getting that unheard second album released. He writes to Ba Da Bing, a label with Jersey roots. Much excitement ensues. Second Round’s long-awaited release will now be available. All original members—Derek Remington (vocals/drums), Jimmy Duggan (guitar/vocals), Tom Nigra (bass guitar/backing vocals), and Richie House (lead guitar/vocals)—are present on the recordings. Sadly, Duggan and Nigra have passed away, but Remington and House have overseen this reissue, with songs sourced directly from the analog masters.. The Trigger of today maintains a high level of quality, albeit with a bit less flair, and even less hair. And there’s more going on here than at first listen. While the band carries the earmarks of their era—melodic hard-rock fashioned for Saturday night parties—they override the cliché with incredibly catchy songs. How would a ripping song like “Back Talk” have been received in 1979? It’s a question we’ll never be able to answer, but the raw energy of the track spans generations. “One In A Million,” however, with its full harmonies and forceful chorus, could have easily made the soundtrack for Fast Times. Celebrate the discovery of this lost gem by giving it a listen. You’ll be Trigger happy…

A resiny slab in the grand tradition of weed-fiend odysseys from Sleep, Weedeater and Bongzilla, ready to inebriate the riff-obsessed masses. Red-eyed at the crossroads of thunderous stoner sludge and towering doom, Hashtronaut are ready to daze and inebriate the riff-obsessed masses on this planet and beyond. No Return is a resiny slab In the grand tradition of weed-fiend odysseys from Sleep, Weedeater and Bongzilla, an intoxicating and pummeling journey through time and space infused with a lungful of potent hook-doom. Pummeling and intoxcating stoner metal for fans of Sleep, Bongzilla, Electric Wizard and Monolord LP re-pressed on weedy green vinyl w/ ripple effect!

Stereogum: »Here’s a cool new musical project that feels both out-there and extremely mundane. In 2022, the great Colorado experimentalist M. Sage teamed up with Lieven Martens (Dolphins into the Future) under the name Sage Martens. Their album, »Riding Fences«, was an ambient classical exercise designed to explore the idea of ›Western‹ music. They’re back this year with another conceptual offering (...)«

»Chamber Music for Lawn Mowers« is the second album by Sage Martens. This time, Matthew Sage (RVNG, Fuubutsushi) and Lieven Martens (Edições CN, Dolphins into the Future) sing the lawn.

Did you know a clean-cut lawn is a desire we inherited from the British?

Yes, the British dumped this pleasure into our collective consciousness. Those humorless Victorians who enjoyed having their black pudding on the lawn. They came to this uninspired impression while mis-looking at Italian paintings. Yes indeed, while gazing at these paintings they mistook green lanes for green lawns. Thus it became hip. Every stuffed truffle commanded his gardener to cut the grass.

As a result, this Victorian lust for sterile gardens with pretty green lawns nudged our world into water spillage and pesticide clouds. This new priority produced exhaust clouds and prudish monocultural landscapes. Just by looking at Italian paintings.

As with most of Western history, the practice was exported to America and then turbocharged. By shearing clear the prolific brush of pastures, prairies, forests and glens, biodiversity becomes an aesthetic casualty with long-suffering ecological ripples. An inherited practice narrows the bandwidth of experience.

And so, the childhood habit of humming along in key to the drone of a gas-powered mower while trimming a suburban lawn extrapolates into something expanded — an unanswered question about the harmonics of landscape practices.

M. Sage: Bb clarinet, alto saxophone, sine wave, lawn mowing, processing L. Martens: computer, analog synthesis, digital processing With W. Van Gils: lawn mowing

WOW. Daniel O'Sullivan's transcendent new album, Eros, is one of the greatest things we've ever heard. A simply stunning song cycle of hypnotic, experimental contemporary chamber music composed for a 14-piece ensemble. Combining minimalism, complex syncopation, detailed acoustic textures, weird intervals and samurai precision, this record will elegantly blow your mind. When Daniel first sent us this, he pitched it as “Liquid Swords meets Michael Nyman”. Trust us, he wasn't wrong. A "unique hybrid orchestral music", it presents a confluence of Daniel's longstanding fixations; indeed, there's elements of Nyman, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Magma, Aaron Copland and RZA. But this is wholly O'Sullivan's. Originally commissioned for the Sonoton Music Library in Munich, Eros now receives a deluxe vinyl release courtesy of Be With Records, bringing this meticulously crafted work to a wider audience. Limited to just 500 copies for the world, these are gonna fly.

An English composer and multi-instrumentalist, Daniel O'Sullivan’s career has been marked by versatility and innovation. In addition to his work with Sonoton, he has composed extensively for the legendary KPM music library, contributing to its storied legacy of production music. As a deep virtuoso and collaborator, O'Sullivan has also played in a number of influential projects, including Ulver, Sunn O))), This Is Not This Heat, Grumbling Fur and Miracle (with Steve Moore), leaving an indelible mark on the contemporary experimental music landscape.

O’Sullivan’s first foray into classically informed chamber music, Eros is a culmination of his long-standing fixations and expansive musical influences. The album features arrangements that are as detailed as they are emotionally resonant, showcasing his unparalleled ear for intervals and mastery of counterpoint. The music brims with complex rhythmic syncopation and a sensitivity to texture and space, resulting in a soundscape that is both intoxicating and dauntingly precise.

Recorded June 2023 and February 2024, in Brussels, London and Carmarthenshire, Wales, Eros features members of Echo Collective (Neil Leiter and Margaret Hermant), Thighpaulsandra (from seminal post-industrial band Coil), and jazz pioneer Oren Marshall. Daniel's sonic weapons of choice, in his own inimitable words, were "Big Bad Drum, Pee Anne Oh, Low End Brass, Willowy Winds & Samurai Strings." You get the picture. As a cyclical suite, this is a record that really needs to be heard in its entitreity, from start to finish, to truly appreciate the genius at work here.

A jaw-dropping statement of intent, the minimalist "Golden Verses" sets the tone with its complex cue which has your neck snapping right when it feels like it needs to. Listen and you'll understand. A syncopated tangle of sharp strings, crunchy bass, drums percussion and bright piano and mallets vie for position with French horn and woodwind melody in the most compelling and unexpected ways. Quite simply, it's one of the finest album openers I've ever heard. It's followed by the atmospheric rippling minimalism of "Lyre Lyre", a gorgeous gem with shimmering chimes, bright melody, human percussion and syncopated pizzicato strings. It kinda comes on like a less-abstract Boards Of Canada, bursting with typical wonderment. The piano and string-drenched "Dolorous Stroke" effortlessly builds its warm, pastoral orchestration with flowing piano arpeggio, steadfast drums, expressive string quartet, rich low brass, woodwind and lyrical flute. Just sublime.

The insistent frenetic propulsion of "Plain Paper" is utterly beguiling, featuring a determined string motif, urgent drums and percussion, driving low brass and breathless, energetic flute. The haunting, interweaving string arpeggios that propel "Grapes Draped" presents a claustrophobic minimalism for chaos and darkness, with growling low woodwind and brass, spiky harpsichord, skittering flutes and tight drums. Up next, "Xanix Annum" is a stately minimalist waltz with expressive lyrical string quartet and delicate woodwind, anchored by drums and percussion. "Painting Rose" is a bouncy stop-start track with angular syncopated strings and a piano pulse underneath bright harpsichord and flutes. "Rotunda Garden" presents ethereal textural minimalism for landscapes and reflection with flowing string arpeggios, warm, low woodwind drones, floating choir and cymbal swells. Closing out this extraordinary side of music, the glowing, flowing minimalism of "Flowry Orb" features urgent organ, piano and woodwind arpeggios, half-time drums with shimmering cymbals, a soaring, beautiful violin solo and hypnotic vocal chant.

Side 2 opens with "Theia Mania" a determinedly off-kilter, angular track featuring low wind, brass and drum stomp in dialogue with lively string trio, woodwind and solo horn. The light, airy minimalism of "Painting Percy" is built around an interplay of rhythmic motifs for piano, low brass, bassoon, fluttering flutes, urgent strings, drums and percussion whilst "For Archetypes" is a delicate, gently syncopated chamber cue for nostalgia, nature, reflection and moments of calm, with steady piano motif, intimate woodwind and French horn, and warm, graceful strings. The urgent Ars Memoriae is a propulsive march for progress, processes and industry, underpinned by driving tuba, with determined strings, resolute drums, and vivid, expressive flute, clarinet and French horn.

The syncopated energetic minimalism of "Mirrored Seven" presents layers of melodic and cyclical piano, drums, low brass, harp, flute and strings. "Pure Ornament" follows, a slowly evolving chamber cue with flowing clarinet, string and harp arpeggio, plodding tuba and percussion, fluttering flute and graceful, lyrical solos. Stunning! Up next, "Brave Boy" moves from its tender, warm, lullaby-like intro with lyrical flute, clarinet and strings before opening into a playful backend driven by a bouncy tuba riff and syncopated piano, woodwind, string trio, and drums and percussion. Rounding out this astonishing piece, "Waxen Waned" is a warm, pastoral chamber cue with light lyrical woodwind, tender French horn and subtly pulsing string trio.

The album's title is a reference to Plato’s conception of Eros, which is more than romantic or physical desire. It is a dynamic and creative force that drives individuals to seek perfection whether in art, relationships, philosophy or the pursuit of truth. Wholly appropriate, here, we think. When asked what his influences were in making this astounding record, he answered thusly: "Non-musical: Householding, Pythagoras, Goethe, Grail romances, Hermeticism, Doctrine of Signatures (Parcelsus, Bohme, Pliny), Eric Rohmer, John Stezaker, Yasujiro Ozu. Musical: Duke Ellington (late suites), Smile-era Brian, early RZA, Wagner (Parsifal Overture), Magma, Mancini, Axelrod, YMO, Hildegard, Nyman, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Jobim (Stone Flower), Alessandro Alessandroni, Tavener, Moondog, Orthodox Music, Secular Music." That's some pretty deep shit. Makes you want to dive in, no?

Mastering for this vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis, and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. Truly, Eros is a work of extraordinary depth and sophistication. It invites listeners to immerse themselves in its intricate layers, to lose themselves in its hypnotic rhythms, and to marvel at the precision of its execution. With this release, O’Sullivan reaffirms his position as one of the most inventive and uncompromising voices in contemporary music. Do. Not. Sleep.

"Irrepressible, off-the-wall and utterly unique - the late 70s/early 80s Latin jazz-funk and leftfield electronic boogie of Japanese composer and pianist Izumi ‘Mimi’ Kobayashi collected for the first time.

A star in Japan, she moved to Europe to record global hits with Depeche Mode and Swing Out Sister, toured the world with the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra and made beats with Attica Blues’ Tony Nwachukwu. Now based in London, Mimi currently fronts Tokyo Riddim Band - the intergenerational live Japanese Reggae outfit born from Time Capsule’s acclaimed 2023 compilation of the same name - playing live shows and releasing a trio of recordings.

Choice Cuts 1978-1983 collects eight recordings from four of Mimi’s first five albums – Sea Flight (1978) recorded with her group Flying Mimi Band, and Coconuts High (1981), Nuts Nuts Nuts (1982) and Tropicana (1983) under her own name.

The compilation opens with a syncopated electro-funk cover of Sergio Mendes’ ‘Mas Que Nada’ (Tropicana) and the crisp and stripped back techno-pop of ‘Coffee Rumba’ (Nuts Nuts Nuts) with a keyboard bass line that would have made Stevie Wonder weep.

Alongside the off-beat synth jam ‘Quiet Explosion’ (Nuts Nuts Nuts) and piano samba of ‘Espresso’ (Tropicana), there’s two low slung soul-jazz numbers, ‘Naze’ and ‘Angel Sky’, from Sea Flight (1978) that recall the collaborations between Herbie Hancock and Kimiko Kasai. But it is around the two tracks from Mimi’s 1981 album Coconuts High that this compilation revolves (and from whose cover shoot it borrows).

Released on legendary guitarist Takanaka’s Kitty Records label, Coconuts High was recorded in LA with a jazz fusion backing band, including Alex Acuña, Abraham Laborial, Harvey Mason and the Tower of Power horns. A riot of playful Latin-tinged jazz, funk and fusion with the off-beat spirit of Kid Creole & and the Coconuts, the album became a cult hit. Here it’s the sultry, Minnie Riperton-esque ‘Crazy Love’, with its addictive groove and bittersweet melodies that makes the cut, alongside the steel drum-infused carnivalesque bounce of ‘Palm St’.

Choice Cuts 1978-1983 will introduce the idiosyncratic energy and playful verve of this under-the-radar pioneer to a wider audience for the first time. Welcome to the world of Izumi ‘Mimi’ Kobayashi."

The promise of a Florry show, a now familiar caravan that has been honed over ambitiously trekked zig zags across America and Europe since the release of Dear Life Records debut The Holey Bible, is the redemptive promise and prodigal joy of rock and roll guitar music. Bred in the crackling warmth of the Philadelphia DIY scene, and forged with the alloys of community action, queer liberation and bedroom poetry, bandleader Francie Medosch and her absolute unit of collaborators have put in the work of sharpening their homespun tools to take up the mantle of the great lip-puckering rock and roll tradition pioneered by the likes of The Band and the Rolling Stones, but with proudly displayed Aimee Mann and Yo La Tengo bumper stickers on the rusty frame of the truck. At any second, the wheels could come off but they are steering just fine. For 'Sounds Like' Florry's sophomore effort as a fully realized band, Medosch and co. decamped to Drop of Sun studios in the nest of the Blue Ridge Mountains to record with Asheville wunderkind Colin Miller, a critical voice behind the records of MJ Lenderman, Wednesday and Merce Lemon and a powerful songwriter in his own right. Three powerhouse days in late 2023 solidified writing work done by the band earlier that summer in the now defunct Haw Creek compound under Miller's guiding suggestion. The result is a portrait of a ripping band cresting towards the height of their powers, uniquely equipped to capture a wildly loving, barn-burning camcorder clip of a turbulent trip with your best friends, without dipping into nostalgia bait. Lyrically, Medosch's utterances are both careful and excessive, the product of sifting through the rubble of classic good-time media, and finding what works for both her and her community to reach the heights of abandon. "The Jackass theme song was actually a really big influence on the new album" The expansive personnel and continent spanning footprint of Florry casts a wide net for this community. Florry the band rolls deep in the heard of North American DIY, featuring Jon Cox (Sadurn, Son of Barb) on pedal steel, John Murray on electric guitar, Collin Dennen on bass, Will Henriksen on fiddle, Katya Malison (Doll Spirit Vessel) on Vox, and Joey Sullivan (Bark Culture) on drums. Medosch's recent move to Burlington Vermont entrenches the Philly born project firmly within the ranks of fellow alt-country upstarts Lily Seabird and Greg Freeman, and gives them a vantage just outside of Pennsylvania at the thresholds of New England and the Midwest. There is a new life breathed into this music that confirms Florry as equally rooted in place work, and at home on the vast roads of America. For listeners who fell in love with Florry's infectious charm on sweeping tours with the likes of Kurt Vile, Real Estate, MJ Lenderman, Greg Freeman and Fust, 'Sounds Like', provides a refreshing memento of the band that surely left them smiling. If the support behind 'The Holey Bible' provided validation for the insistent vision of these young artists, 'Sounds Like' finds them reveling in and honing their vocabulary. Praise from outlets like Pitchfork, Stereogum, Paste, and Brooklyn Vegan touched on the potential of their wild idiosyncrasies, and accurately predicted that their next steps would see them continuing to write their own story, like a 10 car pileup that you can't take your eyes off if you tried. Florry proves that they can let the car spin just out of control whenever they want, and you are welcome to ride shotgun while Medosch does donuts in the WaWa parking lot. The ceiling, it turns out, is truly the roof.

The promise of a Florry show, a now familiar caravan that has been honed over ambitiously trekked zig zags across America and Europe since the release of Dear Life Records debut The Holey Bible, is the redemptive promise and prodigal joy of rock and roll guitar music. Bred in the crackling warmth of the Philadelphia DIY scene, and forged with the alloys of community action, queer liberation and bedroom poetry, bandleader Francie Medosch and her absolute unit of collaborators have put in the work of sharpening their homespun tools to take up the mantle of the great lip-puckering rock and roll tradition pioneered by the likes of The Band and the Rolling Stones, but with proudly displayed Aimee Mann and Yo La Tengo bumper stickers on the rusty frame of the truck. At any second, the wheels could come off but they are steering just fine. For 'Sounds Like' Florry's sophomore effort as a fully realized band, Medosch and co. decamped to Drop of Sun studios in the nest of the Blue Ridge Mountains to record with Asheville wunderkind Colin Miller, a critical voice behind the records of MJ Lenderman, Wednesday and Merce Lemon and a powerful songwriter in his own right. Three powerhouse days in late 2023 solidified writing work done by the band earlier that summer in the now defunct Haw Creek compound under Miller's guiding suggestion. The result is a portrait of a ripping band cresting towards the height of their powers, uniquely equipped to capture a wildly loving, barn-burning camcorder clip of a turbulent trip with your best friends, without dipping into nostalgia bait. Lyrically, Medosch's utterances are both careful and excessive, the product of sifting through the rubble of classic good-time media, and finding what works for both her and her community to reach the heights of abandon. "The Jackass theme song was actually a really big influence on the new album" The expansive personnel and continent spanning footprint of Florry casts a wide net for this community. Florry the band rolls deep in the heard of North American DIY, featuring Jon Cox (Sadurn, Son of Barb) on pedal steel, John Murray on electric guitar, Collin Dennen on bass, Will Henriksen on fiddle, Katya Malison (Doll Spirit Vessel) on Vox, and Joey Sullivan (Bark Culture) on drums. Medosch's recent move to Burlington Vermont entrenches the Philly born project firmly within the ranks of fellow alt-country upstarts Lily Seabird and Greg Freeman, and gives them a vantage just outside of Pennsylvania at the thresholds of New England and the Midwest. There is a new life breathed into this music that confirms Florry as equally rooted in place work, and at home on the vast roads of America. For listeners who fell in love with Florry's infectious charm on sweeping tours with the likes of Kurt Vile, Real Estate, MJ Lenderman, Greg Freeman and Fust, 'Sounds Like', provides a refreshing memento of the band that surely left them smiling. If the support behind 'The Holey Bible' provided validation for the insistent vision of these young artists, 'Sounds Like' finds them reveling in and honing their vocabulary. Praise from outlets like Pitchfork, Stereogum, Paste, and Brooklyn Vegan touched on the potential of their wild idiosyncrasies, and accurately predicted that their next steps would see them continuing to write their own story, like a 10 car pileup that you can't take your eyes off if you tried. Florry proves that they can let the car spin just out of control whenever they want, and you are welcome to ride shotgun while Medosch does donuts in the WaWa parking lot. The ceiling, it turns out, is truly the roof.

While continuing in the spirit of Dope Jams NYC Volume 1: 2005-2012, which compiled some of the shop’s most cherished tracks from its seven-year run in Brooklyn, here 10 years later we present the collection’s second addendum EP. It moves partially beyond the title’s timeframe – pulling together a couple of the store’s more recent favorites since its 2013 reopening upstate, along with two older gems from its Myrtle Ave days.

Kicking things off is a full-sided pressing of aptly titled techno stormer “Direct Contact.” Bursting forth with a no nonsense, party rockin’ swagger, Greek producer June’s blistering monster of a tune swiftly unleashes an arsenal of arpeggiated synths, jackin’ percussion and out-of-nowhere flourishes with the single-minded purpose of movin’ the crowd. Gracing the B-side are a trio of selections that occupy far moodier terrains. “Imprints,” the lead-off track from T.E.A.L.’s debut LP Cuttings, is a fine example of Dope Jams’ long-held but largely overlooked penchant for dark and dynamic ambient musics. Heavily textured with ripping distortion and space-enhancing tape delay, the piece offers up a brief yet haunting dispatch from a doomed and desolate mind-state. In a more upbeat vein, “Music on My Mind” looks back almost 25 years to the creative apex of Garden State garage royalty Smack. Operating under their Mental Instrum alias, the low-profile production unit crafts an elegant blend of feather-light chords and bumpin’ kicks to firmly underscore guest collaborator Storm’s sincere vocals. Fittingly capping the record is “Blast Knuckles,” the first completed – and hitherto unreleased – track by Dope Jams friends Beige. Rawly produced yet intricately layered, it sketches a fleeting picture of the unique style of lo-fi deep techno the duo developed over the course of their woefully brief partnership.

For customers of the Rush Hour shop, this item ships for its may 23rd release date. Any items ordered along with this will ship then also

After five years spent largely confined to the United States, Ron Trent is set to return to global touring in 2025. To mark the occasion, he’s partnered with Rush Hour to release Lift Off, a brand-new album of music recorded at different points over the last decade.

Arriving almost 35 years since he wowed the world with his game-changing debut, the Afterlife EP, Lift Off was inspired by Trent’s desire to ‘let the imagination speak for itself’ while exploring the diverse influences that have shaped his unique musical perspective. A departure from his previous album, 2022’s downtempo masterpiece as Warm, What Do The Stars Say To You, the 10-track set features a mixture of epic instrumentals, inspired collaborations and vocal cuts whose music was written with certain singers in mind.

While it features music that ripples with the experienced producer’s familiar aural trademarks – rich rhythms, warm chords, impeccable instrumentation, inspired arrangements, and lashings of heady hand percussion – it also consciously explores a variety of sounds and tempos, in the process blurring the lines between the past, present, and future. It’s a vision, in his words, of what dance music can become.

For proof, check the five tremendous tracks on part two. There’s the AM radio-ready warmth, guitar-flecked looseness, and eyes-closed bliss of ‘Just Another Love Song’, where Trent’s own multi-tracked vocals catch the ear, the slow-motion, head-nodding deep space bliss of ‘Juice’ and alternative Balearic love song ‘And Fly Away’.

Part two of the vinyl edition also includes two superb collaborations. Fellow Rush Hour artist Lars Bartkuhn lends his virtuoso guitar skills to ‘Street Wave’, a future house classic laden with nods to jazz-funk and fusion, while regular collaborator Harry Dennis (best known for his work as part of early Chicago house outfit Jungle Wonz) adds a poetic and emotion-filled spoken word vocal to the equally inspired ‘Her’.

The long-rumored, sweat-soaked live album from the night Bill Davis (Dash Rip Rock) and Fred Le Blanc (Cowboy Mouth) dared Jello Biafra to join them during Jazzfest and sing all classic New Orleans soul, rhythm and blues, and (at Jello's request) garage songs! Joining in were piano Wildman Pete Wet Dawg' Gordon (Mojo Nixon), Pepper Keenan (Down, Corrosion of Conformity) and a wacky horn section from Egg Yolk Jubilee and Morning 40 Federation that even includes a sousaphone! You want loose We got loose! You want crazy That's here, too. Walk on Jindal's Splinters is one of the all-time great you are there' high-energy live albums—audience participation galore, plenty of trademark Jello banter, and full-on soul / trash / frat / garage gumbo from eleven of New Orleans' finest, just playing their asses off and having a good time doing it. The album also showcases a whole 'nother side of Jello Biafra: his deep, pre-punk roots known only to a handful of vinyl junkies and anyone lucky enough to catch his DJ gigs. For all those whose interest in Jello goes beyond the punk persona to Jello Biafra, the singer, this is for you. Maximum trash appeal! Southern roadhouse debauchery at its finest! Calls to mind those sing-along, clap-along frat-rock platters from The Premiers to The Kingsman to Geno Washington's Hipsters, Flipsters... series, Swingin' Medallions, or even Slade Alive! You can almost feel the grease and voodoo dripping from the walls!" Showcases a rarely seen side of Jello—his pre-punk roots. Personnel includes members of Dash Rip Rock, Cowboy Mouth, Mojo Nixon, Corrosion of Conformity, etc. Vinyl includes digital download card