quête:ro mo

Sanguis is the alias of Berlin-based producer Ludwig Wandinger, a fixture in the city's experimental scene.
On his debut album Wounding dark ambient textures and solo piano improvisations let the listener's attention slip in and out of focus creating a liminal state of dreaming, feeling and drifting through inner worlds and thoughts.
Wandinger tries to capture fleeting moments - all tracks are unedited first takes, some recorded only with his phone in various places, from a friend's flat in Neukölln to his family home in rural Bavaria. Background noises become a part of the music and create a tangible sense of place, urging the listener to keep an ear out for one's own surroundings.
Though firmly rooted in the ambient genre, the album is not just about finding comfort. It's an acknowledgement of the ambiguity of our world where menace and beauty coexist, a dichotomy most apparent in nature itself - a constant source of inspiration for Wandinger.
Wounding is about walking alone on damp foliage at night and being handed a blanket by a loved one at the earliest daylight.

Muito Kaballa return in style with a refined modern sound on "Tomorrow A Flower" for the London-based imprint Batov Records, blending indie pop, soul, hip hop, jazz, Brazilian rhythms, and West African grooves.

Sometimes there are discoveries that hit like thunderbolts! Matt Pascale & The Stomps are undoubtedly one of them-and a major one at that. Everything here is simply perfect. Musically, the backbone of this album remains blues, but rock, funk, soul, and even hip-hop are never far off. The compositions flow like a string of potential hits. It only takes listening to this album once or twice for certain melodies to lodge themselves firmly in your brain. As for the performance, it"s downright incredible. Matt Pascale has a raspy voice with a "more Italian you couldn"t get" vibe, his guitar playing is a sheer marvel of precision and feel, and The Stomps are a rhythmic and groovy powerhouse capable of waking the dead. Un-be-lie-va-ble!

Based in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, Dark Circles Recordings has

rediscovered and is reissuing an album originally recorded and released in 2008 by

Dog Soup, a then London-based quartet that played a handful of gigs and recorded

just one exemplary album before, seemingly, disappearing. Fragments, that album, is

a crucial chapter in the British jazz story that can now be told again.

The brainchild of trumpeter and composer Robbie Robson, Dog Soup was briefly part

of the Loop Collective, a group of musicians founded in London in 2005. Dog Soup

cut one mesmerising album of rhythmic shapes and melodic colours that still

sounds fresh, exciting and dynamic 17 years later. An intoxicating mix of composed

and freely improvised playing, Fragments keeps the listener guessing just where the

music is coming from.

Released in 2008, Fragments just preceded the revitalised British jazz scene and slipped

under the radar of even the most ardent aficionados, becoming a lost classic—until Dark

Circles Recordings recognised its brilliance 17 years later and persuaded Robson to reissue

it.


'...prefigures the post-rock into jazz trajectory which Chicago's International Anthem label would later inscribe so joyfully'
* * * * Mojo

'...original, free and dramatic...'

The Guardian

First Word Records are proud to present the sophomore solo EP from Victoria Port.

'Barefoot In The Garden' is a 5-track selection merging classic soul with contemporary sounds.

Put together from sessions recorded at the world famous Abbey Road Studios in London, and Victoria's home studio Candle Shop, this project exemplifies her talents as a singer-songwriter, developing upon the building blocks of her debut EP 'Did it Again' and Victoria's work as one half of electronic-soul duo, Anushka (BBE / Tru Thoughts / Brownswood).

On this EP, Victoria is accompanied by a wealth of talented artists in their own right, including frequent collaborators Hemai and JNR Williams, the highly-acclaimed drummer Moses Boyd, and vocalists such as Lea Lea, to name just a few.

The sonic tapestry stitched together on this EP epitomises the quality of British soul music of modern times; a vintage symphonic feel approach with modern-day production techniques, encompassing the Ronson-era of the late great Amy Winehouse, to the pack leaders of nowadays such as SAULT and Jungle. It's a logical progression considering Victoria's lifelong influences of US luminaries like Minnie Riperton, Gladys Knight, Nina Simone and Dionne Warwick.

Her fanbase includes Gilles Peterson (BBC 6 Music / Worldwide FM) who has tipped her as "an exciting emerging new artist whose sound fits alongside current successful acts like Cleo Sol, Lynda Dawn and Yazmin Lacey."


Victoria's previous EP had support from a wide range of tastemakers, including Cerys Matthews, Huey Morgan, Somewhere Soul, Mo Ayoub (Selector Radio), Ronnie Herel (Mi-Soul Radio's "One to Watch"), Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM) and across platforms like Rinse FM, NTS, Soho Radio and Global Soul, whilst her work with Anushka also received airplay from Annie Mac, Jamz Supernova, Huw Stephens and BBC Radio 1.

Victoria says "this EP comes from a place of nostalgia. It's kind of reflective of parts of life up to this moment, culminating in 'Barefoot in the Garden'. I guess it's me starting to understand the things that are truly important to me. How I want to love and be loved, the way I want to spend my time, and just me starting to filter out a lot of the noise. Sonically it's been such a dream to explore elements of old soul and jazz with so many incredible musicians, and to put our own unique spin on the genre."

Already a seasoned live perfomer, additionally to various live appearances solo past & forthcoming including We Out Here, Jazz Cafe, Koko and the London Jazz Festival, Victoria Port is set to be one of the leading lights in the world of British soul music. This EP provides some solid examples as to why.

'Barefoot In The Garden' is due to be released on vinyl and digital, November 7th 2025.

British South African composer & producer Galina Juritz presents 'One Weird Trick', her debut solo album on London's home for interdisciplinary oddballs, Kit Records.

As a classically trained violinist, Galina has worked in bands and ensembles such as ShhArt Ensemble, Inclementine, and in various combinations featuring leading musicians from Cape Town and Johannesburg's classical and jazz scenes.

Galina composed the music for Madness: Songs Of Hope and Despair, a cantata made in collaboration with Dizu Plaatjies, with a libretto by psychiatrist Dr Sean Baumann. Madness debuted at the World Psychiatry International Congress in 2016, and had a two week run at Cape Town's Baxter Theatre in 2017. As a composer she writes frequently for film, animation and ensemble.

She has collaborated with the likes of composer Neo Muyanga, Mr Beatnick, Cara Stacey, Kelpe, Juliana Venter, Violeta Garcia, Kit Records head Richard Greenan & more. Galina has been remixed by the likes of Photay, Memotone and Tom Skinner (Sons of Kemet, The Smile).

'One Weird Trick' is the culmination of her solo material. Still rooted in the ornate, technical world of string composition and arrangement, the album is stubbornly unclassifiable.

Opening with time-dilated ambient ('Leaves') before segueing into rippling, florid techno ('Skeleton and Tiger fighting'), Galina twists again and again, shifting gears through stoned, jazz-inflected r'n'b ('Things I Know to be True'), string-led widescreen songcraft ('Come Back') and orchestral minimalism for standing on vast shorelines ('Time Split at the Seams of Your Departure [everything is now before and after]').

On the B side, Galina flexes her composition chops with the storming jazz of 'Spirit Level', recorded by Cape Town-based musicians Buddy Wells, Andrew Lilley, Jonno Sweetman & Stephen de Souza. Galina is then joined by the Stockholm Sax Quartet on 'In Rebellion of Time', a stately Reichian revelation that moves from solemn ballet to ecstatic multiharmonic denouement. To close, Galina retrieves oozing electronics and smeared journal entries from the guts of a black hole - a fitting conclusion to a truly unique, unpredictable, delightful, sad, infectious, and bizarre record.

Influences / sounds like: Louis Cole, Matthew Herbert, Darkside, Thundercat, Eiko Ishibashi, ECM, Oliver Coates.

'One Weird Trick' is out 7th November 2025 via Kit Records, available on vinyl & digital formats.

Kit Records will throw an album launch party at Servant Jazz Quarters in Dalston, London on 30th October 2025. Tickets TBC.









[g] 07: Time Split at the Seams of Your Departure (Everything Is Now Before and After) [feat. sir kay]

Dan Bean is one half of The Transcendence Orchestra, alongside Anthony Child (aka Surgeon). Together they've released three albums on Editions Mego as well as an album on their own Old Technology imprint. Dan has also previously released a solo EP on Eyeless Records.

This debut solo album is deliberately composed and performed using only two instruments: a Roland TB-303 and a bass guitar. The point of this constraint was to try to force the creation of unexpected sounds from two very familiar bass instruments. The eight pieces gathered here succeed in doing so, featuring searing textures, unexpected melodic progressions and trance inducing repetitions. At times tender, these tracks remind us that even the most familiar or even overused instruments and ideas can be subverted and refreshed.

Akhira Sano is a Tokyo-based artist working across sound, drawing, installation, and video. His practice finds generative potential for music in life's fleeting incidents, etching meaning from unassuming spaces and resonances. With releases on 12k, LAAPS, IIKKI, and The Trilogy Tapes, Sano has steadily carved out a distinctive voice within minimal and experimental music - one that privileges attentiveness and patience over spectacle.

"To Material Past", Sano's debut for SWIMS, carries this thread with a single 30-minute work built solely using glockenspiel tones and field recordings from his local neighbourhood. This is a night walk with no map or end point; Sano follows irregular, coiling fragments that extend to form a tessellating luminous whole - like a subliminal mass of tree roots quietly shifting the concrete slabs beneath our feet.

Under this faded gauze of gestures and interactions, Sano's glockenspiel interjects like a grandfather clock, softly marking the partitions that make up a day's collected experience; clicking and chiming like the sleeping brain, as it sifts and catalogues a lifetime's ephemera of thoughts, faces and puzzles.

The Band Rotosphere has become a cornerstone of the Blues Festival Baden (Switzerland). Since 2005, led by guitarist and bandleader Nic Niedermann, they"ve been lighting up the festival"s legendary Late Night Jam Sessions. Over the years, they"ve shared the stage with blues icons such as Magic Slim, Susan Tedeschi, Coco Montoya, Justina Lee Brown and Chicago"s own blues harpist, Matthew Skoller. A truly magical moment unfolded in 2022 when Mark Slate took to the stage. The charismatic blues and soul singer captivated the audience from the first note with his powerful voice. Having spent years on the road with the "Joe Cocker Tribute Show", Slate embodies the raw and gritty essence of the blues. Now, performing alongside Rotosphere, they deliver original tracks brimming with energy, passion, and musical fire - an unforgettable experience for every listener!

In 1964, Martin Denny looked beyond the Hawaiian and Asian influences of his previous records to find another place to plant his umbrella in the sand, as well as in your drink: the sounds of Latin America. With this new sound to hang his exciting arrangements on, Latin Village has long been considered one of Denny's high-water marks, and Jackpot is thrilled to have this long-cherished LP back in print. This is an album that rips through what was considered "The Now Sound From Overseas," a sophisticated mash-up of sambas, bossa novas, and Latin jazz. From the first track, "Angelito" (the hit song written by Réne y Réne, later to also be covered by Trini Lopez & Herb Albert), all the way through to its closer, "Flying Down To Rio" (a song which Roxy Music later referenced in their 1972 song "Virginia Plain”), the album is a hypnotic listen. Latin Village also drops in some serious jazz numbers, with respected compositions such as "On Green Dolphin Street" by Kaper & Washington (which has been covered by Miles Davis, Bill Evans & Sarah Vaughn), "Malagueña" the sixth movement in Ernesto Lecona's Suite Andalucía & "Corcovado" by Antônio Carlos Jobim (who merged samba with jazz to create bossa nova). Latin Village is comforting in its familiarity within Denny's sonic world, but steps refreshingly out of the smoke-filled Tiki bars of his previous records and straight into the sunlight where this music still strolls around in a listener's heart, soul, and mind. “Latin Village is a triumph of Martin Denny’s search for a new style, post-exotica.” – ALLMUSIC, 4 stars.

Martin Denny returns with his loyal crew of multi-instrumentalists that had previously performed on
Forbidden Island, Primitiva, Hypnotique & Quiet Village: stand up bass player Harvey Ragsdale, vibe player Julius Wechter (also a member of the legendary recording unit The Wrecking Crew) and percussionist Augie Colon who was called the “Grandfather of Hawaii Percussion”. And of course, the famous cover girl on Martin Denny’s albums, Sandy Warner, otherwise known as “The Exotica Girl”, returns as well. Although Denny was recording his output at an astonishingly brisk rate, there’s something about Exotica Vol. III, which makes it one of his best and most sought-after with collectors and listeners. Of course, the brilliance of the lead-off track of Les Baxter’s “Jungle River Boat”, with its tight vibe-and-percussion workout intertwined with Colon’s iconic bird calls and other worldly sounds, only makes the sweet, lazy water sounds of the following track “Harbor Lights” all the more delightfully mysterious. So pour your drink of choice, dim the lights, open the windows, and let Exotica Vol. III roll across you.
“His last volume is a no-brainer. The material is simply too good to avoid.” – AMBIENT EXOTICA

Anathema has spent the vast majority of their career making music that defies
description. As part of the Peaceville 3, along with Paradise Lost & My Dying Bride,
Anathema have carved a strong legacy since their inception at the turn of the 1990s,
to become a widely revered & respected band within both the metal world & beyond,
as their sound & compositions progressed from doom/death metal into more rock &
progressive territory with each subsequent release, becoming one of the UK's most
cherished & critically acclaimed rock bands.
'The Silent Enigma', Anathema's second studio album, was originally released in the
summer of '95 & was the first release on which guitarist Vincent Cavanagh took over
the vocal duties of the departed Darren White. Where Darren's vocals were guttural,
Vincent's style pushed the possibilities for Anathema onwards & upwards, with a
scope & breadth beyond his years, complimenting an ethereal roller- coaster of
thoughtful atmospherics & crushing Celtic Frost style riffs - the Swiss legends being a
notable inspiration. What emerged was a fine example of highly-atmospheric & often
emotional gothic doom, spawning classic Anathema songs such as "Restless
Oblivion", "Sunset Of Age", "The Silent Enigma" & "A Dying Wish". Lauded by the metal
press & fans alike as a doom metal classic, the album's popularity has remained a
favourite within the metal scene.
This special 30th anniversary edition of 'The Silent Enigma' is presented on limited
marble vinyl, with the vinyl mastering work carried out by Abbey Road Studios,
London.

Hikmah is an astonishing solo piano work from virtuosic and far-ranging
sound scientist; deep and compassionate thinker and musical treasure: Pat
Thomas
Pat Thomas was Born in Oxford, UK to Antiguan parents on July 27, 1960.
Interestingly, just over 4 months separate his birth to that of fellow modern piano
master Matthew Shipp (Dec 7, 1960) - whose The Piano Equation was TAO Forms
inaugural release. Thomas is most certainly among the Black Mystery School Pianists
of which Shipp elucidates in the title essay of his recently published first book.
Eight thoroughly focused improvised and otherwise compositions recorded at Fish
Factory studio in London. The album's title, Hikmah, means "wisdom" in Arabic. The
title is also presented in two different forms of Arabic calligraphic script on the cover
artwork. This album brings the information. The vibrantly living jazz tradition and new
modes of expression in abundance are brought forth from a lifetime of work and a
decades long devotion to Sufism, understanding that the practice and performance of
this music is an elemental form of spiritual practice. As William Parker writes in the
liner notes, "the music becomes the prophet and the prayer all in one gesture." And,
"If you haven't yet heard the music of Pat Thomas, get hip to it quickly."
Attuned American audiences are most likely to have become familiar with Pat
Thomas through his work with the quartet [Ahmed] , whom over recent years have
amazed with their mesmeric, long-form explorations on the compositions of Ahmed
Abdul-Malik, and more recently, Thelonious Monk. Their debut US performance took
place in March 2025, and TAO Forms were lucky members of the rapt audience at
Roulette in Brooklyn that night; the group flew to Knoxville the next day to perform to
an equally rapt audience at Big Ears.
Available on 6- panel digipak CD printed on heavyweight board, with liner notes by
William Parker and LP with insert featuring liner notes by William Parker & Pat
Thomas Discography + download card. Ltd edition of 500.

"The five-year anniversary release of Orion Sun’s Hold Space For Me, pressed on tangerine vinyl. Her story, that of an early 20s woman of color dealing with and learning about life's obstacles and celebrations, is understood best through her song lyrics; citing J Dilla, Nancy Wilson, Jodeci, Kirk Franklin, Hazel Scott and Digable Planets as just some of her many influences. She's a career artist with a long road ahead and her sound defies trends; capitalizing on a velvety and familiar voice with timeless jazz / folk / R&B instrumentals.

“...a pinch-yourself song that steps lightly with the thrill of a love seemingly too good to be true (and the fear that it might be)” – Philadelphia Inquirer on “Ne Me Quitte Pas”

“stark and lightly poetic.” – Pitchfork

“A smooth, serene downbeat groove and a blissed vocal finds Orion Sun singing about sudden and deep connection — “It feels so good to know ya” — and despite the sadness implied in the title, the outlook is positive and pure.” – WXPN/The Key on “Ne Me Quitte Pas”

“While the track shares the same title as covers done by Nina Simone, Regina Spektor, and Wyclef Jean, she presents a completely different vibe, slowing down a flipped sample with smooth guitar loops and resonating drums. Still, with all of the stellar instrumentation, the 23-year-old’s voice cuts through as poignant as ever.” – Refinery 29 on ”Ne Me Quitte Pas”"

"Released in 1968, “Il medico della mutua” (The Doctor of the Mutual Insurance) is one of the sharpest and most bittersweet comedies in Italian cinema. The film stars Alberto Sordi as Dr. Guido Tersilli, an unscrupulous Roman physician who climbs the professional ladder by exploiting the public healthcare system with ruthless irony. Directed by Luigi Zampa, the film offers a lucid and sarcastic portrait of Italy during the economic boom — a country racing toward modernity, yet flaunting all its moral contradictions.
Giving musical voice to this social satire is Piero Piccioni, one of the undisputed masters of Italian film music. His score for “Il medico della mutua” perfectly captures his elegant and sophisticated style: smooth jazz, orchestral groove, and an ironic touch that mirrors the double nature of the protagonist — respectable on the surface, opportunistic at heart."

"“Veruschka” is a unique film within the Italian cinematic landscape of the early 1970s — halfway between experimental cinema, visual art, and fashion. Directed by photographer Franco Rubartelli, it tells (in a highly symbolic and almost dreamlike way) the story of Veruschka von Lehndorff, the famous model and muse of the director, who plays herself in a journey of inner exploration and alienation through Africa and the world of fashion photography.
It is not a narrative film in the traditional sense, but rather a visual and sensory experience, made of extraordinary imagery, contemplative rhythm, and a constant sense of aesthetic melancholy. And for this very reason, Ennio Morricone’s score plays a fundamental role: it is the true emotional voice of the film.
For Veruschka, Morricone composed one of his most delicate and spiritual works. The soundtrack is a perfect balance between avant- garde and lyricism, between melody and sonic experimentation."

Jesse Harris’ Freund und Arrangeur Maycon Ananias hatte zusätzliche Aufnahmezeit mit einem estnischen Orchester und lud Harris ein, ein Stück beizusteuern. Das erste Experiment, Dolores, entfachte eine neue kreative Richtung. Obwohl Harris – Grammy-Preisträger und langjähriger Wegbegleiter von Norah Jones, Willie Nelson und Cat Power – bereits mehr als zwanzig Alben veröffentlicht hatte, war es seine erste Aufnahme mit Orchester. Beflügelt von dieser Erfahrung schrieb Harris innerhalb von nur fünf Wochen acht weitere Songs – detailreiche Kompositionen, die von Beginn an für symphonische Arrangements gedacht waren. Entstanden ist ein Album, das zwischen New York, Rio und Talinn aufgenommen wurde und hochkarätige Gäste wie Norah Jones, den brasilianischen Gitarristen Guilherme Monteiro, Jake Sherman sowie Marine Quéméré von Nouvelle Vague vereint.Mit seinen opulenten, zugleich feinfühligen Arrangements taucht If You Believed In Me in Themen wie Erinnerung, Sehnsucht und imaginierte Möglichkeiten ein – in die „Was-wäre-wenns“, die jeden Träumer begleiten. Herausgekommen ist orchestraler Pop voller Wärme, Melancholie und leiser Überraschungen – ausgelöst durch eine einzige Einladung.

LOST SONGS – 10 unveröffentlichte Lieder von Mikis Theodorakis, arrangiert und gespielt von Henning Schmiedt

Zum 100. Geburtstag von Mikis Theodorakis (29. Juli 2025) erscheint bei Intuition Records ein besonderes Album: LOST SONGS – vierzehn bislang unveröffentlichte Kompositionen des weltbekannten griechischen Komponisten, erstmals präsentiert in einer außergewöhnlichen Klavier-Version von Henning Schmiedt. Der Berliner Pianist und Komponist beschreibt die bislang unbekannten Lieder wie folgt: „Diese Melodien sind so großartig, dass man sich wundert, dass sie noch nicht existierten. Jetzt wissen wir, dass es sie doch gab.“ 2008 kam es im Athener Studio von Mikis Theodorakis zu einem besonderen Moment: Henning Schmiedt spielte dem Komponisten persönlich seine Klavier-Versionen der LOST SONGS vor. Theodorakis, der sich an einige der Lieder erinnern konnte, an andere nicht, hörte aufmerksam zu, machte Anmerkungen und gab Hinweise, die direkt in die abschließende Gestaltung der Stücke einflossen, so dass LOST SONGS als posthum veröffentlichtes Album gelten kann. Diese Lieder dokumentieren die musikalische Reife und Ausdruckskraft von Mikis Theodorakis bereits in jungen Jahren: Die meisten der LOST SONGS entstanden Anfang der 1940er-Jahre – ein eindrucksvoller Einblick in die frühen Kompositionen eines der bedeutendsten Komponisten des 20. Jahrhunderts. Die Lost Songs werden nun zu seinem 100. Geburtstag veröffentlicht.
Rezensionen
»Schmiedt überzeugt nicht nur durch sein sensibles und nuanciertes Klavierspiel, sondern auch als einfühlsamer Interpret, der das Werk und die geistige Welt Theodorakis’ genau zu verstehen scheint.​« (jazz-fun.​de, Juli 2025)