Search:s tone

Das damals dritte Album der Punkrock- und Streetcore-Band aus dem Ruhrgebiet. Seit 2008 aktiv, hat sich das Quartett bis 2018 weiter nach vorne gearbeitet, sogar bis in die Charts, und ist kurz darauf erstmal für länger abgetaucht. Ihr "Pottcore" ist eine kompakte Mischung aus zielstrebigem Punkrock und Streetcore, wie man ihn von Acts wie TOXPACK lieben gelernt hat. Mit "Retro In Via" (von 2016) hat die sympathisch bodenständige Band zehn mitreißende, fetten Singalong-Hymnen für den gepflegten Straßenköter abgeliefert. Dabei ist die Bandbreite des Albums musikalisch wie lyrisch extrem weit gefächert: Vom schnellen Gassenhauer mit Gänsehaut-Refrain wie "Das Hat Mit Freiheit Nichts Zu Tun" über den Knaller "Punkrock Allianz" (mit Beteiligung von EMSCHERKURVE 77- und BRIGADE S-Musikern) bis hin zu nachdenklicheren Tönen über Liebe, Freiheit, Andersdenkende oder das Drama der aktuellen Flüchtlingspolitik (richtigerweise aus der Sicht der Opfer) haben HARTE WORTE einen wahren Quantensprung gemacht. Orangenes Vinyl, vollfarbig bedrucktes Insert, limitiert auf 500 Exemplare weltweit.

The emblematic Chilean producer Camilo Gil tells a story of life through ink and sound. In its original version, the creativity between bass, MPC, garage influences, and Break Deep elements gives us a unique work.
In the alternate version, the legendary MARK AMBROSE takes us on a journey through space, with captivating voices, tones, and his signature sound.

On the B-side, the remix by Detroit legend GARI ROMALIS showcases the soulful, emotional side of the Motor City, featuring pianos and a hypnotic bassline that brings us closer to the 313. Closing the EP is the energetic deep jazzy minimal style of AUDIO WERNER, a track designed for the dancefloor, with a playful swing between vocals and bass, complemented by a hypnotic string that makes us want to dance at any moment.

"6-track house finesse from Amsterdam mainstay Beraber, topped off with a killer remix by Brazilian artist Zopelar. Expect six melodic tracks for the body & mind. Beraber returns to United Identities with Gentle Actions, setting the tone for long summer evenings and sun-soaked days. The Amsterdam based producer and DJ organically blends Chicago's classically-schooled keys and machine backdrops with subtle, atmospheric textures. This long-awaited record by Beraber (Baris Akardere) is a deeply personal collection of music, encapsulating a period of creative and personal growth. Rather than a concept record, it serves as a document of the past years, bundling some of most cherished productions into a cohesive and heartfelt gift to the audience. This EP marks the first time the producer has used his own vocals in his productions, next to vocal contributions from Barcelona-based artist Ivy Barkakati, whose lyrics perfectly resonate with the journey of the EP. Gentle Actions opens with Between Us, a calm builder, gracefully layered with meandering pads. Distant Language picks us up with its dubbed-out groove, guiding our feet on a journey through melodic landscapes. It flows into Responsibility, an introspective track with a powerful message about turning dreams into reality, before continuing with Lost in Loops, a loose and soulful house cut featuring his own vocals. The journey ends with the more upbeat, instrumental Good Company, topped off with a deep, nocturnal remix by Zopelar. Written and produced entirely in his Amsterdam studio -- housed in the same building that once held De School -- Beraber continues to rely on a deeply analog and outboard gear-heavy approach. The result is a record that stays true to his soulful and introspective signature, mirroring the sonic identity of his acclaimed radio show, Gentle Actions on Amsterdam's online radio station RRFM."

Cyphon is excited to announce the release of an amazing new EP from Domenic Cappello. Titled Galactic Praise, this four-track masterpiece pays homage to the rich heritage of Detroit Techno while seamlessly incorporating Cappello's innovative sound design, displaying his golden ear for what makes a discerning dance floor tick.

A key figure in the electronic music scene through his long-standing residency at Glasgow's legendary Sub Club, Domenic captivates audiences globally with his unique blend of tough, pulsating beats, heartfelt melodies, and deeply immersive soundscapes. His position as booker and resident (alongside Harri) at Sub Club has allowed him to hone his craft and connect with some of the finest talents in House and Techno, influencing his distinctive style. With Galactic Praise, he takes listeners on an exhilarating journey through the heart of techno, inspired by the pioneering music that emerged from the golden era of Motor City sounds.

Dat Thing sets the tone. A driving house track that encapsulates the raw energy and spirit of Detroit, featuring hypnotic synth lines and robust bassline that give a hint of melancholy whilst maintaining a stripped back groove for maximum club impact.

Niamh’s Song is a deeper exploration of melody and rhythm, showcasing Cappello's masterful ability to weave complex harmonies into an intoxicating, otherworldly groove.

Flip over for Galactic Praise, a tribute to the roots of Techno, this track combines classic 909 and 303 elements with ethereal pads creating a heavier, timeless sound that will resonate with both longtime fans of the genre and newcomers alike.

Closing out this special EP we have Neon Skyline, a pumping yet reflective piece that captures the essence of late-night drives through urban landscapes blending chiming arpeggios, a driving synth bassline and tough beats making for an immersive experience.

As Domenic puts it: 'This EP is a tribute to the roots of techno that have inspired me since my formative years. My experiences at the Sub Club have been crucial in shaping my sound and approach to my own productions, inspiring me to create something that captures the energy and emotion of that packed dance floor and incredible sound system. I can’t wait to share it with everyone!'

The debut recording by The Ancients, the intergenerational coalition of Isaiah Collier, William Hooker, & William Parker formed by parker to play concerts in conjunction with the milford graves mind body deal exhibition at the institute of contemporary art los angeles & now a working group. across x2LPs of side-length long-form improvised sets recorded at 2220 arts & archives in LA & the chapel in San Francisco, The Ancients bring the free jazz trio languages first explored by the Cecil Taylor Unit & Ornette Coleman’s -Golden Circle- band (expanded upon in later eras by Sam Rivers' Trio & Parker’s collective trios with Charles Gayle/Graves & Peter Brötzmann/Hamid Drake) into their own unique & scintillating realms of expression.

As we tumble further into the throes of history’s tides, people of hope & creativity rely on the works of our great artists to lift our spirits & focus our resolve. -ascension- was recorded less than a year after the passage of the civil rights act & four months after the assassination of Malcolm X. -journey in satchidananda- was recorded the month reagan was re-elected governor of California. M’boom made its debut recording weeks after the watergate scandal broke & a couple months after the wounded knee occupation ended. The music of the ancients builds on these great musical legacies. it resounds with the pride of survival & the joys of making & sharing music. It delivers to us hope & balm. something real in you, real in history, & real in the music is shared, right on time.

When Eremite records commenced operations during the 1990s free jazz resurgence, heavyweight freedom-seeking tenor saxophonists such as Fred Anderson, Peter Brötzmann, Charles Gayle, Kidd Jordan, & David S. Ware were at the height of their powers. Isaiah Collier’s tenor playing in the ancients is bracing testimony that the wellspring lives on. to hear the young chicago firebrand blowing freely with veteran improvisers in an entirely open-form group music is a revelatory study of his vast talent, personal voice, & the intensity of his expression —as well as a bold complement to his composition-based albums as a bandleader (including -the almighty-, a new york times' best albums of 2024 selection).

I've admired drummer William hooker since first encountering his music in a hartford ct city park, early ‘90s (on a double bill with Jerry González & Fort Apache Band). From the man himself right off the bandstand i bought his even-then rare 1st recording, the 1976 self-released x2LP opus -is eternal life- (reissued 2019 by superior viaduct). An imposing force on his instrument & an intrepid DIY cat, Hooker’s been exuberantly swinging in&out of free time for 50+ years. informed by the innovations of Sunny Murray & Tony Williams yet entirely himself, there is no other term for it than “pure hooker.” at age 78, with the ancients & everywhere else, THE HOOK is in peak form.

With a discography approaching 600 entries & 50+ years working across the musical maps, including in the history-defining bands of Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, Peter Brötzmann, in his own wondrous ensembles from small group to orchestra to opera, a bastion of compassionate leadership & a poetic champion of his musical community, in tireless service to what he rather egolessly refers to as “the tone world”, multi-instrumentalist, improviser & composer william parker is a living hero of the grassroots & the black mystery musics, not to mention one of the great bassists in the history of jazz. To quote George Clinton, conquering the stumbling blocks comes easier when the conqueror is in tune with the infinite.

Live to 2-track concert recordings by Bryce Gonzales, Highland Dynamics. Mastered by Joe Lizzi, Queens, NY.

DJ Quik & JasonMartin (formerly known as Problem), are back with their second collaborative project, Chupacabra. As can be the fear with fan-favorite follow-ups, Chupacabra refuses to copy the formula laid out on Rosecrans yet shares the same soul, steeped in the cores of West Coast G-Funk, but alive and grown up, in a more sophisticated tone. With an album that is LA to it’s core (sans a few tasteful features from artists that would get the nod despite not being from there), Chupacabra provides the sounds to a golden summer in the city of Angels. Like the chupacabra, JasonMartin & DJ Quik are both enigmatic and mystical figures in the hip-hop space. A star-studded list of features include The Game, Suga Free, Jay Worthy, Larry June, Channel Tres, Bun B, DOM KENNDEY, & more. 1xLP, pressed on Blue Vinyl.










j B1 | TWO HI (WAVES) feat Wiz Khalifa, Channel Tres, Free Nationals & George Clinton

Sneaker Social Club welcome a veritable supergroup of bass heavyweights in the form of Legion. Made up of Trends, Boylan, P Jam and D.O.K., this four strong collective first came to light with the We Are Many 12" on Artikal Music in 2021, and now they regroup for another four-strong payload of soundsystem pressure that embraces the darkness in devastating fashion.

The Sister Abigail EP leads with 'Rastaman', an ice-cold half-step drop that summons the spirit of early dubstep in its raw minimalism, eerie atmospherics and snarling low-end wobble. Without an ounce of fat, it's a lean workout of drums and bass that finds catharsis in simplicity without compromising on high definition detail. 'Souls' locks into a jerky groove to set the dance off at acute angles, nudging the textures up a notch without disturbing the spartan mood of the release. 'Sister Abigail' pushes the underlying malevolence of the Legion sound to the forefront with dissonant sheet-metal tones while packing the rhythm section into a tight, vicious formation of gnashing, chrome-plated teeth. 'Play That Vibe' seals the deal on the EP with a hard-thumping, propulsive groove that calls to mind the techy development of dubstep in the 2010s — a taut, tracky throwdown to keep the intensity on a rolling boil.

Drawing on the grounding principles of OG dubstep with a sharp line in crisp, modernist production and a ruthless economy of arrangement on display, Legion prove many cooks can still result in a potent, brutally focused broth.

The story of Eyeshield 21 follows the protagonist Sena, the whipping boy of his classmates, who wants to earn respect by joining a club at the start of the school year. He crosses paths with Hiruma, head of the American soccer club, who recruits him for his exceptional running skills. They must quickly find 11 other players, as the inter-school championship begins in 24 hours.

Numerous artists and composers were involved in creating the theme music and accompanying songs, including Kosuke Morimoto, who contributed to various theme songs for Fullmetal Alchemist and One Piece. Any fan of the series will have a strong feeling of nostalgia when they recall the music that marked them during their teenage years. The very Pop-rock and J-pop tones will remind them of those after-school afternoons watching episodes of this epic anime on Game One. You'll also be able to hear the voices of the Japanese cast, including the voice of the main character, Sena Kobayakawa, on many of the credits and accompanying songs.

The manga turns 21 in 2023. To celebrate, the author wrote a 55-page one-shot called “Brain X Brave”, which appeared in early January 2024 in Weekly Shonen Jump. The anime has been broadcast frequently on Game One since September 2009 and on France Ô since September 2012.

Rando Arand is an Estonian electronic music producer from Tallinn. With a strong foundation in sound design, Arand released his debut record on Asphalt Soliloquies in 2017 and has since captivated audiences at clubs and festivals across the Baltics with his unpredictable and unique live sets. Drawing inspiration from a range of genres such as broken jazz, dubtechno, breakbeat and jungle, Arand incorporates modular synth patches into his performances. He has shared the stage with artists like Dorian Concept, Gerry Read and King Midas Sound. In 2019, Arand released the "Alles" EP on Ali Asker's LIITHELI imprint, which focuses on promoting local talent from Estonia's capital. Arand's latest EP, "Aru" (2022), showcases his exploration of a new "Linki" format. In addition to his musical pursuits, Arand was also a host at the underground venue Ulme in Tallinn.

About the album „Child of the Internet”

The new album by experimental sound designer and electronic music producer Rando Arand takes the artist on a completely different path compared to the previously known dance music influenced deep and contemplative instrumental tracks. Featuring several notable guest artists, the album is a sizzling hot record that makes feet tapping and bodies grooving. On the artist’s most listener-friendly work to date, an impressive lineup of Estonian vocalists makes an appearance: Hyrr IV, the lead singer of the indie band Ouu; Jon Mikiver from Elephants from Neptune; actress Mirtel Pohla; alternative pop artist Kitty Florentine; queer artist Helgi Saldo; comedian Maiduk; and hobby musicians Maihe and David.

The conceptual album "Child of the Internet" is dedicated to young kids for whom the internet has been a defining part of growing up. Genre-wise, the album is very flexible, weaving through various musical chapters and styles with the help of numerous musical sketches, touching on both the comedic and the darker oddities that circulate online.

The album features scorchingly hot, electrified synth-funk jams with a nostalgic touch reminiscent of Prince ("Slidin in Yo DM’s", "Refresh"). Kitty Florentine delivers a sensual neo-soul ballad ("Just Scrolling"), filled with soft tones, soulful warmth, and a smooth groove. For more demanding listeners, the record also explores elements of chillwave, glitch, lo-fi hip-hop, techno, house, and breakbeat. Longer tracks and shorter interludes come together like a bouquet of favorite memes or a collection of countless open web browser tabs that we all keep running. At the same time, the album hints at the immense impact the internet has on our everyday lives.

Rando Arand’s latest studio album is an intriguing listen — perfect for enjoying alone with good headphones or as an ideal background soundtrack for a larger gathering with friends.

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.

Manchester-based producer Lily Mumby, the creative force behind Lapalace, has chosen Lavender as her botanical muse for this sixth instalment. Like the aromatic herb that grows from tiny seeds to fragrant purple stalks, her compositions unfold with a similar patience and elegance. Her synthesisers breathe with a natural rhythm, creating textures that emerge and recede like morning dew on lavender buds waiting to bloom.

The standout track ‘new age night’ – a stunning love child of William Basinski's decaying tape loops and Aphex Twin's intricate programming—carries subtle lavender-inspired tones, balancing the plant's calming essence with hypnotic rhythms. Just as lavender requires thoughtful tending before rewarding the gardener with its distinctive aroma, Lapalace's landscapes reveal deeper complexities with each listen.

Much like gardening itself, Mumby demonstrates an innate understanding of when to intervene and when to allow natural development. This approach echoes throughout her career, from her debut EP "Ephemera" which caught the attention of Insult to Injury Records' Timothy Clerkin, through to her contributions to Chez De Milo's "So It Goes" Remix EP and Manchester label Skiptrace's various artists compilation.

Her work across BBC Introducing and fossil.radio reflects this same philosophy – creating environments where sound, space, and organic movement find their natural harmony. But this composition really feels that Mumby has come of age. "Music To Watch Seeds Grow By Vol. 6" represents the continued cultivation of Lapalace's distinctive sound and demonstrates the maturity of an artist way beyond her years. This music stands as a lighthouse through a thick fog of nostalgia, much like lavender standing tall amidst an English cottage garden.

Early DJ support including - Auntie Flo, Ruf Dug, Courtesy, Vladimir Ivkovic.

With sprawling compositions and occult-tinged lyrics, "In The Dawn of November," and heralds Goya's towering return to the heavy underground! Known for crushing riffs, fuzz-drenched guitar tones and haunting, psychedelic atmospherics, Phoenix, Arizona's GOYA takes inspiration from genre pioneers like Electric Wizard, Acid King, Sleep and Weedeater, crafting a sound both hypnotic and punishing. With sprawling compositions and occult-tinged lyrics, Goya's titanic, riff-driven aesthetic evolved over three albums in four years, cementing the band's legacy of unrelenting doom and immersive sonic landscapes. In the summer of 2024, Goya returned to the road for a month-long US tour after taking a few years to write their fourth album. A monolithic work of graveyard grooves and bleak reflections on mortality, "In The Dawn of November" was recorded in Seattle in the fall of 2024 with production icon Jack Endino, and heralds Goya's towering return to a heavy underground eager to drown in their sludge metal majesty. Clear and colored LP versions and digipak CD available

With sprawling compositions and occult-tinged lyrics, "In The Dawn of November," and heralds Goya's towering return to the heavy underground! Known for crushing riffs, fuzz-drenched guitar tones and haunting, psychedelic atmospherics, Phoenix, Arizona's GOYA takes inspiration from genre pioneers like Electric Wizard, Acid King, Sleep and Weedeater, crafting a sound both hypnotic and punishing. With sprawling compositions and occult-tinged lyrics, Goya's titanic, riff-driven aesthetic evolved over three albums in four years, cementing the band's legacy of unrelenting doom and immersive sonic landscapes. In the summer of 2024, Goya returned to the road for a month-long US tour after taking a few years to write their fourth album. A monolithic work of graveyard grooves and bleak reflections on mortality, "In The Dawn of November" was recorded in Seattle in the fall of 2024 with production icon Jack Endino, and heralds Goya's towering return to a heavy underground eager to drown in their sludge metal majesty. Clear and colored LP versions and digipak CD available

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.

Secretsundaze’s 9FINITY imprint make it a hat trick of releases with label favourite DJ Life’s ‘Forbidden Space’ EP.

The four track release from the Naarm/Melbourne native is a techy excursion that subtly meshes elements of minimal with modern UK bass dynamics, informed by the Australian’s psychedelic production style.

‘Utility’ sparks the ignition with a bass-driven peak time beast that morphs through syncopated grooves and punchy drops, the A2 ‘Electrolyte’ takes a hedonistic turn where resonant tones spiral across a rolling 4×4 drum groove.

‘Breathe’ steers us onto the B-side with dubbed out subs and percussive layers fusing up across this impeccable roller. ‘Stay Playful’ takes on a early-tech house feel with tribal drums and hypnotic echoes that venture on throughout the night. Digital bonus track ‘Love Sensation’ draws UK-Garage influences combined with lush pads and quirky vocal snippets drifting amid the tops.

Another big one from the 9FINITY crew, with plenty more in the clip for the year ahead…

Each track a misty echo, carved in rhythm and space. Octal Industries drifts back to Kontakt with a solo offering - three deep, dub-soaked journeys where texture and tone intertwine in quiet elegance. For those who listen between the lines.

In Marking A Boundary With The Turning Point, Ard Bit and Radboud Mens explore the tension between stasis and movement. Operating within the realm of drone and electroacoustic music, they construct a sonic landscape where sustained tones and microscopic events constantly shape and reshape each other. What initially appears static reveals itself to be rich with detail: tiny acoustic shifts breathe life into apparent stillness, inviting focused and attentive listening. The album emerged from a process where sound research, improvisation, and sound design merge. Self-built instruments, the search for timbre and texture, and recordings of the learning process itself form the foundation of these compositions. Rather than following a traditional musical structure, the result is a sonic field in which the minimal continually transforms, depending on the listener's perspective. Ard Bit (Ard Janssen) is a composer, sound artist, and field recordist based in Rotterdam, trained at the Institute of Sonology in The Hague. His work moves between improvisation and system-based composition, exploring the space between ambient, drone, and sound art. Radboud Mens is a sound artist with a decades-long practice grounded in minimalism, acoustic subtlety, and physical resonance. His work focuses on the perception of sound, the materiality of audio, and the creation of spatial listening experiences. Together, they present a layered and handcrafted album that doesn't narrate but questions. Marking A Boundary With The Turning Point is not a boundary, it's an invitation to listen beyond expectation.

I must admit to being a sucker for two-guitar bands. Ok, Hendrix pulled off a trio. But I don’t care what anybody says: The Yardbirds were a better band than anything that came out of them (Ok, maybe not Zep. But Cream?).

Maybe the reason I go back so far in my references is that, within the two-guitar band format, original new roles are difficult and rare. There’s the classic (socially problematic and often boring) “rhythm/lead” solution. There’s the JB’s or Nile Rodgers’ chicken pickin’ vs comping solution (which avoids chordal clashes by relegating one of the guitars to the role of single-note percussion instrument). There’s Ornette’s Prime Time division between Bern Nix’s rolled-off “jazz” tone and Charles Ellerbee’s trebly wah. Almost everything else is a variation on one of these.


In Ches Smith’s record Clone Row, each piece is built around a different concept for guitar interaction. The delightful and gifted weirdness of Mary Halvorson’s playing is counterpointed, contrasted, unisoned with, played off, juxtaposed (that is to say, enters every relationship possible) with Liberty Ellman’s equally amazing sound palette, chops, and imagination. This definitely ain’t your father’s guitar band.
The overall vibe of the record—despite Halvorson’s occasional noise outbursts or Ellman’s distorted guitar lines (see Mixed Fridge) is neither punk/funk, nor Zorn-ish metal—and certainly not the looser parameters of Ornette’s improvised harmolodics. Smith’s vibraphone playing, Halvorson’s guitar tone (whammy pedal squiggles aside), the brilliant electronics, and (most of all) the compositions themselves are somehow strangely West Coast cool. It’s as if I’m hearing a Jim Hall concert in which one of us did a lot of mushrooms, or (dare I write this?) some post-punk post-Dave Brubeck post-trip-hop experiment with classical form.

This recording is, most of all, about Ches as composer. He’s picked up a lot on his long, strange trip of the last few decades. The Haitian funkiness of his work with We All Break is audible—but deeply buried, encoded in the polyrhythms (check out Heart Breakthrough). His long-running side musician collaborations with John Zorn and Tim Berne are also evident but sublimated here into something new.

Not that improvising is absent. Check out the compelling collective statements in Sustained Nightmare and Ready Beat. Check out the brilliant interplay and bass soloing on Abrade With Me (a Weather Report for the age of extreme weather?) Nick Dunston is my favorite bassist of the new generation, and he plays brilliantly throughout. And Ches’ drumming here has all the groove, energy, and incredible range that have kept him in demand from Saturday night Vodou services to jazz and new music recording sessions (…the thinking man’s rock barbarian?).
The sus chords in Abrade With Me do build, for a moment, towards a fusion type of climax...but just at the moment I was gritting my teeth in anticipated defense against some horrible synth solo, the drums drop out, and we’re transported to the ambient lounge at the rave, and we suddenly understand we’re in the hands of a composer with the power to transport us just about anywhere.
So, this is a composer’s record most of all; a composer’s record performed by musicians who happen to be great improvisers. Ches Smith builds here on his reputation as a gifted new voice with an important vision, while showcasing some of the most creative musicians of our time.

Swiss saxophonist Gilles Torrent, perhaps known from our recent Spiritual Jazz collection 'A Tribute to 'Trane', leads the way with his new album 'Buleria'; a mesmerizing set of modal jazz pieces that will speak directly to any listener who has felt the other-worldly depths of John Coltrane. The album comprises of Torrent originals and explorations of Coltrane standards. It reaches for something beyond the mundane, and blends complex harmonic structures with raw, improvisational energy.

The Torrent original, 'Danse Tropical', opens the set with a contemplative tone. Led by a sax that pulls the listener through a maze of scales and modes, the rhythm section remains steady, creating a grounding space for exploration.

'Quannassa' drives the energy forward, and the band moves seamlessly through shifting tensions as Torrent's saxophone searches for answers within a pantheon of harmonic structures.

The standout track, "Buleria" is a daring 8-minute piece, with an evolving, meditative flamenco piece that showcases the saxophonist's raw improvisational skill, a spiritual journey that takes us to the windswept plains of Iberia.

The quartet is a faithful tribute to classic modal jazz, with the interplay between piano, bass, and drums feeling natural and organic. They provide a harmonic foundation that encourages the saxophone to glide and soar, pushing into new emotional territory, going from tender and melodic to fiery and free. This interplay gives the album its distinctive feel - while drawing from Coltrane's influence, it's clear the musicians are searching for something new, something personal.