On initial release, this EP was overshadowed by the two released on either side of it – how could it not be? Both The Journey and Gotta Believe were huge anthems all over the rave scene. But time has shown that this excellent EP deserves a second chance – both tunes are wicked glimpses of a bygone era, yet both stand proud in the history of hardcore, and now they have been beautifully remastered and rereleased!
Club / DJ Support
Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Clayfighter, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others
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Soul4Real returns to the south with a selection of eleven songs from Malaco, Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and Alarm Records.
There is no doubt that in the 1970s and 1980s, Malaco in Mississippi and Muscle Shoals Sound in Alabama were both highly significant in defining the southern soul sound. Malaco’s Studio had opened in 1967, while Muscle Shoals Sound Studio opened its doors for business in 1969, when four musicians left nearby Fame Studios to go it alone. Alarm Records, meanwhile, based in Shreveport, Louisiana, provides us with four of the tracks on this album.
Independent producers and major record companies sent their artists south to record, taking advantage of both Malaco and Muscle Shoals Sound’s talented array of musicians, writers and producers. Muscle Shoals Sound, in particular, started to receive artists from Atlantic Records from the get-go; R.B. Greaves, Baby Washington, Sam & Dave and Solomon Burke led the way, along with Scotland’s Lulu. The first relesase on their own record label was the timeless “It Hurts So Good” by Katie Love. Meanwhile, Stax (amongst others) sent some of their artists to record at both studios, and Malaco would also lease some of its own productions out to Atlantic. Alarm Records was a smaller set-up which also produced some wonderful records.
This album opens with the only female singer featured – Dorothy Moore. Her exquisite “Girl Overboard” has been justifiably popular on the soul scene for decades. The other ten tracks showcase an array of fine male singers, most of whom (Bobby Bland and King Floyd aside), sadly and perhaps unjustly, never really made the big time. It is the first showing on vinyl for three of the tracks here (previously having only been issued on CD), and Jimmy Jules’ reading of “Having A Little Talk With Love” has never appeared anywhere before. As always, sit back and savour the music!
The Holiday Album That Turned Mariah Carey into the Queen of Christmas: Featuring the Standard “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” the Singer’s Blockbuster Merry Christmas Exudes Joy, Spirituality, and Conviction
Sourced from the Original Master Tapes, Presented in Audiophile Sound for the First Time, and Strictly Limited to 3,000 Numbered Copies:
Mobile Fidelity’s UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM LP Set Plays with Superb Detail, Openness, and Definition
1/2" / 30 IPS / Dolby SR analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe
Mariah Carey didn’t become the Queen of Christmas just because of her fervent love of the holiday. Or as the result of a brilliant marketing plan. The iconic singer earned her title by way of her blockbuster Merry Christmas, a 1994 album that quickly joined the likes of Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song as an all-time holiday vocal classic. Featuring a balanced mix of inspired originals and well-chosen covers, Carey’s fourth studio record has only grown in stature as new generations discover its magic. Mobile Fidelity’s 30th anniversary edition reissue of Merry Christmas makes her spellbinding performances and upper-tier register come alive like never before.
Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, the pioneering label’s UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM LP set of Merry Christmas plays with superb detail, depth, and dimensionality. Available in audiophile quality for the first time since its original release three decades ago, and featuring the bonus track “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” the nine-times-platinum set breathes with a newfound openness and transparency that enhance the spirituality, passion, and festive tenor of Carey’s singing.
Benefitting from superb groove definition, a nearly inaudible noise floor, and dead-quiet vinyl surfaces, the music takes on a heightened energy and anticipatory emotion synonymous with the holiday season. Carey’s signature vocals explode with liveliness and dynamics, the full scope of her acrobatic range presented in clear, transparent sound that practically places her on a small stage in your listening room. This collectible version also breathes with the kind of warmth, intimacy, and coziness you want from a landmark vocal album.
Recorded when Carey helped put “diva” back into everyone’s vocabulary, Merry Christmas gave the New York native another smash right out of the box. What nobody knew at the time was the degree of the album’s staying power — and how, many years removed from its initial promotion cycle, its legend would still grow and even spark a 2010 sequel. Having re-entered the Top 200 charts every year since 2019, Merry Christmas ranks as one of the three most commercially successful holiday LPs ever made and, in due time, will likely earn the top distinction in that class. A global blockbuster, it seamlessly ties together Christian, gospel, and secular threads and speaks to a boundless audience, independent of denomination.
Most obviously, the record remains inescapably connected to “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” an uptempo anthem that towers as a holiday standard and one of the biggest-selling singles in history. Punctuated with celesta chimes, sleigh bells, springy keyboards, and joyous beats, the song echoes the simple albeit engaging melodies and doo-wop style of beloved holiday classics of yore — and blends such elements with contagious dance-pop rhythms to create an atmosphere rich in joy, wonder, and excitement. Radiant with golden soulfulness and sincere conviction, Carey’s exuberant singing and on-point phrasing put it all over the top. And how.
The song stands as the only effort in Billboard history to top the Hot 100 chart during at least three separate runs. Carey’s blockbuster has already hit No. 1 during five runs, spanning every year between 2019 and 2024. That’s just one of the many records the singer holds — and only one of the multiple highlights from Merry Christmas, which includes two other Carey-penned originals, “Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)” and “Jesus Born on This Day.”
Though slightly lesser known, Carey’s remarkable rendition of Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” further links her album with the big, lush, Wall of Sound heritage that helped inspire its production. Carey’s heartfelt take and transformation of the traditional “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” into an animated tune that even adults can believe, as well as her clairon reading of “Joy to the World” — cleverly augmented with bits of Three Dog Night’s 1971 hit of the same name — further reinforce her status as Queen of Christmas.
At the peak of her powers, Carey finds equivalent success when tapping more spiritual veins. Witness the reverence she brings to the timeless carol “Silent Night,” the piousness she invests in “Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child,” and the sacred feeling she conveys throughout “O Holy Night.” You’ll also never think of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)” the same way again after hearing Mimi pour her heart and soul into them, and pair the songs together.
Indeed, it’s Carey’s pliable voice, melismatic technique, and five-octave range — on display here in definitive fashion — coupled with her undeniable love for Christmas and understanding of the religious significance of the season that make Merry Christmas a must-have holiday staple. And on Mobile Fidelity’s LP, something you better add to your wish list.
Will probably ship earlier than the 14th. Up until Raising Hell, the rap juggernaut we know as Run-DMC was still in its building and breaking-down- doors phase. In 1986 that changed, and in a dramatic way. With their third long-player, the group had reached the mountaintop. It was THE record that proved hip-hop wasn't a fad. Raising Hell marked an important and significant new era for the group. Leaving producer Larry Smith for up-and- coming sonic innovator Rick Rubin (still co-produced by Run's brother Russell Simmons), they began to fully transition not only their own sound, but the sound of the entire genre. Less live playing - with some exceptions - and a slicker, tighter sonic attack. Musical aesthetics aside, though, at their core they stayed true to the essence of hip-hop: two turntables and a microphone, or two. It's impossible to talk about the album without its worldwide smash, 'Walk This Way,' which hit #4 on the Billboard pop charts and saw the group digging in the rock crates to summon Aerosmith in the flesh, combining Steven Tyler's and Joe Perry's musicianship with the group's own take on the '70s classic. The song's video cemented Run-DMC as legit MTV idols, and both groups rode its wave to new heights. Beyond 'Walk This Way,' the platter is full to the hilt with undeniable classic singles: 'You Be Illin''; 'It's Tricky'; 'Peter Piper' and the fashion-world shifting 'My Adidas.' Each song was new proof that Run-DMC's sound was indeed new, but still familiar, and full of the energy, charisma and innovation that drew fans to their first two LPs. Aside from the singles, the reason the album stands up so well is the fact that there is virtually no filler. 'Proud To Be Black' remains a pioneering and underrated cut when people talk about 'conscious' hip-hop. And to make sure they never lost the streets that gave them their start, 'Hit It Run,' 'Son Of Byford,' 'Is It Live' and 'Perfection' all bring it back to the group's early days in the park. Besides the triple platinum status the album achieved, it was more than just a pop smash. It signaled a new era for rap music, and it was
the no-turning- back point for the entire genre. This was the beginning of what we now call the Golden Era, and it still sounds as fresh today as it did three decades ago.
Das neue Album "Blaze Of Rage" von MAGIC KINGDOM steckt voller Überraschungen: Es ist natürlich symphonisch, bietet aber auch sehr aggressive Parts und Blastbeats, während Thrash und Heavy Metal mit melodischen und progressiven Elementen zu etwas kombiniert werden, das nur wenige Bands zu bieten haben.
Das neue Album "Blaze Of Rage" von MAGIC KINGDOM steckt voller Überraschungen: Es ist natürlich symphonisch, bietet aber auch sehr aggressive Parts und Blastbeats, während Thrash und Heavy Metal mit melodischen und progressiven Elementen zu etwas kombiniert werden, das nur wenige Bands zu bieten haben.
All the music in the world is at your fingertips, and it's up to you to set the vibe_ So, what should we listen to? If you're having trouble deciding, turn on the radio. It's the perfect place to discover something new, or jam along to a tried-and-true station that'll never let you down.Tune In is due out 11/1/2024 via Chiefdom Records. The second of three installments in the Terrestrial Radio series, it's a carefully curated collection of instrumental fusion, designed to serve as the perfect radio mix for fans of jazz, hip hop, funk, soul, reggae and beyond. It's the latest release from Cincinnati based executive producer Doctor Bionic (Jason Grimez). As a DJ, producer, and former member of 90s rap group MOOD, Grimez' musical career revolves around hip hop. He's always preferred to sample songs from the late 60s and early 70s because of the authentic tone. "Growing up collecting and sampling records was an education, whether we realized it or not," he explained. Grimez records and produces music using analog gear to emulate the instrumentals that he's always loved as he works with some of the best musicians in the Cincinnati area to bring his ideas to life. Among others, Jonathan Luck Spaulding and Josh "Mojo" Cole made several appearances on guitar throughout the record. Every Doctor Bionic release is accompanied by a unique, thought-provoking album cover. For Tune In, Grimez worked with Refael Idan Suissa, a painter and digital artist based in Israel.Next time you're looking for some new instrumental tunes to set the tone, you can count on the growing catalog from Doctor Bionic. Tune In is available everywhere on 11/1/24.
Music To Varnish Owls By. Does Geoff Bastow have a claim for the best album title of all time? It's certainly up there. It's also one of the hardest to find library funk records. But don't let the eye-catching name fool you into thinking this isn't serious business.
As a key member of Giorgio Moroder's team, the legendary Geoff Bastow shouldn't need any introduction. You'll be familiar with his singular brilliance as the brains behind the much-sampled boogie/disco classics "You Don't Like My Music (Hupendi Muziki Wangu?!)" and "Don't Stop", released by his group, K.I.D.
But 1975's Music To Varnish Owls By is where it all began for our hero.
It's packed with incredibly soulful, soothing music that - despite being utilised a few times by Knxwledge - remains still largely un-mined. So, beat-makers, get cracking. And instead of that hyper-rare original, spend that £300 on something else.
Born in 1949, Bastow was a Munich-based English songwriter and record producer. Originally working as a guitarist and pianist in dance bands around his home county of Yorkshire, he moved to London in the early 1970s and then Munich in around 1976. He was one of the main architects of the Munich disco sound of electronic innovator Giorgio Moroder and also released heaps of killer library records for legendary labels like Bruton (with brother Trevor), Impress, JW Music Library and the Munich-based Sonoton between the 1970s-2000s. Bastow died tragically young, in Berlin, Germany on 16 March 2007, at the age of just 57. But he left behind a truly incredible electronic music legacy. He deserves to be much better known and this reissue should bring him to a fair few more ears. Let's see why...
Light-hearted opener "The Rough With The Smooth" contains a killer open drum break and is basically guitar-drenched flute-laced piano-funk. However, the first genuine highlight, "Beautiful People", is just majestic. Reflective, pastoral and silky smooth - as the title suggests, it's just straight beautiful; a chiming, deeply soulful instrumental that has to be heard to be believed. Sampled by Knxwledge but nobody else of note, which is crazy. Slo-mo soul beat "Tumbleweed" is another stone cold track just desperate to be laced by a skilled MC. Laconic, lysergic funk with nostalgic overtones, the guitar is prominent but the flute and glock really elevate it to perfection.
"Bits And Bats" is clav-enhanced Blaxploitation-esque street-funk with tough bass and crunchy drums that, despite its hardness, manages to flirt with breeziness. All in all, sumptuous, pounding wah-wah brilliance. Another huge one, up next. The insistent piano-funk head-nodder "A Change Of Pace" is a total sleuth-funk jammer, with a wonderfully soft snare and more hypnotic, melancholic flute lines. Man, we'd love to hear Alchemist chop this up. It even sounds a bit like Bastow was keeping things thoro with this one. Closing out Side A, the bright and breezy Bossa of "Janelle" makes it a perfect run of six untouchable gems. As elegant as it is sleazy, it sounds like it could've been on the classic KPM greensleeve, Piano Viberations.
Side B opens with the Ramsey Lewis-inspired "Time And A Half", a deceptively simple bass, drums and piano workout, decorated with stylish percussion with some great chord changes and hints of drama via a great bass solo. The heavy "Supersplash" is a doped-out drama suite with fuzzy wah-wah guitars, electric piano and glock. "Fillet Of Soul" is a catchy wah-wah propelled shuffle with piano and vibes, super dynamic but also incredibly chill.
"Well Above Average" is exactly that, a funky instrumental that serves as a straight ahead guitar-soul workout. Oozing bass-driven class, it gets better with every listen. Some open drums for your delectation, too. The fuzzy clav-and-vibes funk of "The Clan" - also understandably sampled by Knxwledge - is a monster head-nod slow jam whilst, seeing us out, the uber-relaxed "Sing Song" rounds things off in bright fashion with its slow but insistent clav, electric piano and glock greatness. Swoon.
As ever, the audio for Music To Varnish Owls By has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.
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Originally scheduled for release way back in March 1996, "The Raw Factor" by North Carolina native Omniscence is one of the last of the unreleased mid-90's albums to see the light of day. Despite being awarded The Source's coveted "Hip Hop Quotable" and dropping two well-received singles ("Amazin" and "Touch Y'all"), record label politics meant the full-length "The Raw Factor" album was never released and fans were left wondering what might have been.
28 years later, "The Raw Factor" is finally being released on vinyl, CD and digital stores. Featuring punchline-driven lyrics from Omniscence delivered in his unmistakable cadence, and backed by head-nodding production from Fanatic, the album is a must-own for fans of 90's Hip Hop.
Omniscence haunted the same early 90's cyphers and stages that many lyrical greats from the era had to cross. With a gruff delivery and equal adeptness with punchlines and metaphors, his high finish at the 1994 edition Battle For World Supremacy at the New Music Seminar assured heads across the culture were watching. After this, Omniscence locked in with producer Fanatic (who also laced tracks for Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e and Michael Jackson). The result was "The Raw Factor" album, fifteen plus tracks of jazzed out boom-bap, replete with crackin' drums.
Now Below System Records has not only given the album its first deluxe physical release (including 2xLP, CD and digital) as well as a slew of bonus/unreleased tracks.
The National veröffentlichen mit "Rome" am 13. Dezember ein komplettes Live-Album mit 21 Tracks auf Doppel-Vinyl, als Doppel-CD und natürlich digital. Das Konzert wurde am 3. Juni 2024 in Italien live (ohne Overdubs) aufgenommen wurde. Das Doppelalbum, welches von Peter Katis, einem langjährigen Begleiter der Band, abgemischt wurde, spannt einen Bogen über die mehr als 20 Jahre der Karriere von The National und zeigt, wie jeder Song auf der Bühne sein ganz eigenes und neues Leben entfaltet hat. Man muss diese Band live gesehen haben, die mittlerweile Stadien und große Arenen füllt. Warum das so ist, hört man auf "Rome". Aufgenommen in dem architektonisch beeindruckenden und nach dem berühmten italienischen Filmkomponisten benannten Veranstaltungsort "Parco Della Musica Ennio Morricone", zeigt die 21-Track-LP schillernde Versionen großer Songs wie "Bloodbuzz Ohio", "Don"t Swallow the Cap", "I Need My Girl", "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness", "England" und "Fake Empire" - so wie Live-Interpretationen neuerer Tracks wie "Eucalyptus", "New Order T-Shirt", "Tropic Morning News" und "Smoke Detector". Die Band ändert ihre Setlist von Abend zu Abend, spielt Klassiker aus zwei Jahrzehnten und kombiniert diese mit Tracks aus den letzten Alben - kein Konzert ist wie das andere und beschert den Zuschauern jedes Mal im wahrsten Sinne ein einzigartiges Erlebnis. "Rome" ist geprägt von Raritäten wie dem Show-Opener "Runaway", "Lemonworld", "The Geese of Beverly Road", "Lit Up" und einer Tour-de-Force-Paarung von "Humiliation" vom von der Kritik gefeierten Album "Trouble Will Find Me" mit "Murder Me Rachael" von dem früheren Album "Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers". Als Zugabe gibt es in Rom die Wahlkampfhymne "Mr. November", "Terrible Love" von High Violet und das abschließende Fan-Singalong "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks". In ihrer Live-Kritik bezeichnete der Guardian The National als "eine die Ära definierende Band auf dem Höhepunkt ihrer Kräfte... als dieses atemberaubende zweieinhalbstündige Epos zu einer gemeinschaftlichen Katharsis wird". Auch der Rolling Stone UK schrieb: "Es ist klar, dass die Band...ihren Platz an der Spitze seit einem Jahrzehnt verdient hat.... Eine Show, die einfach euphorisch ist und die Band auf einem neuen Höhepunkt sieht." Das Doppel-Livealbum "Rome" ist das Zeugnis dafür.
OSS! Spy vs. Spy! MI6! All operating in the shadows of darkness and danger... listen...underneath that double-trouble of uncertainty lays the groove. The exotic and the erotic sounds. 007! The music with a license to kill and thrill. When the clock strikes five and it is cocktail time, no man is a match for the soundtrack of the Femme fatale of the underworld. Shake that thing baby-don"t stir it....and the Martini too. The spy universe has been quite an inspiration for composers and orchestras. Lounge music, Exotica and symphonic, this record will have you spinning the globe hitting every longitude and latitude from Bangkok to Rio. So drop that needle and get on board this second volume as this jet is leaving the gate right on time.
OSS! Spy vs. Spy! MI6! All operating in the shadows of darkness and danger... listen...underneath that double-trouble of uncertainty lays the groove. The exotic and the erotic sounds. 007! The music with a license to kill and thrill. When the clock strikes five and it is cocktail time, no man is a match for the soundtrack of the Femme fatale of the underworld. Shake that thing baby-don"t stir it....and the Martini too. The spy universe has been quite an inspiration for composers and orchestras. Lounge music, Exotica and symphonic, this record will have you spinning the globe hitting every longitude and latitude from Bangkok to Rio. So drop that needle and get on board this second volume as this jet is leaving the gate right on time.
Da Beatminerz defined the dark, gritty sound of underground Hip-Hop in the '90s. Formed in 1992 by brothers Walter “Mr. Walt” and Ewart “DJ Evil Dee” Dewgarde, the production duo pioneered Hip-Hop's brooding vibes, a tonal shift that came with the release of Black Moon's classic debut album Enta Da Stage. As producers of the seminal 1993 project in its entirety, Da Beatminerz set a precedent for hardcore Hip-Hop.
Their sample-heavy, gutter tracks laced with heavy basslines, and hard kicks and snares helped reshape the music genre. Da Beatminerz continued to refine their distinct sound and identity with countless classic records for other artists and two albums of their own (2001’s Brace 4 Impak and 2004’s Fully Loaded w/ Statik) over the course of their illustrious 30-year career.
Stifled Creativity is the duo’s first full-length album in 20 years.
“We started working on this album in 2009... We had one focus and the focus was to stick to our core sound. We just wanted to bring back our traditional way of attempting a classic album. Everybody has their own type of hip hop that they love. Well, this is ours.” - Mr. Walt
m Adore HER (feat. Keith Murray)
q It’s All 4 U [REPRISE] (feat. Halley Hiatt & AZ)
[m] Adore [HER] (feat. Keith Murray)
[q] It’s All 4 U [REPRISE] (feat. Halley Hiatt & AZ)
[m] Adore [HER] (feat. Keith Murray)
[q] It’s All 4 U [REPRISE] (feat. Halley Hiatt & AZ)
Ashram Sun’, Surya Botofasina's much-anticipated album follows his hugely acclaimed debut ‘Everyone’s Children’ and his first offering since his contribution to ‘New Blue Sun’ and global touring alongside André 3000. It is an ode to Surya’s upbringing and musical teachings in the tradition of Swamini Turiyasangitananda - aka Alice Coltrane, by the spiritual jazz colossus Herself, at Her Sai Anantam Ashram in California. ‘Ashram Sun’ is a deep listening, spiritual masterpiece with close collaborators Carlos Niño and Nate Mercereau, and is produced by the prolific Carlos Niño, whose vision has become a pivotal point for contemporary progressive jazz music.
Ashram Sun features appearances from musical luminaries, including multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid, Los Angeles saxophonist Randal Fisher, vocalist Mia Doi Todd, as well as collaborations with vocalist MidnightRoba and acclaimed harpist and vocalist Radha Botofasina, among others. The album continues to expand on and conversate with the innovative spiritual-jazz configurations of recent works by Shabaka Hutchings, André 3000 and Carlos Niño —all of which Surya plays on. This evolution follows from his debut album ‘Everyone’s Children’, also produced by Niño, which was one of the earliest offerings of this fresh, spiritual approach. As the keyboardist on André 3000’s New Blue Sun and an integral member of André’s touring group, Surya has already directly brought the legacy of Alice Coltrane/Turiyasangitananda into this rich new current in creative music.
The music on Ashram Sun is tuned into these wavelengths, consolidating a new jazz lineage with energies directly from the source. The album blends improvisation in the creative music tradition with washes of cleanly spiritualised keyboard work, atmospheric percussion, and sanctified vocalisation. As Surya Botofasina explains, "Swamini (Alice Coltrane) and the Ashram have taught me that the only place worth going to, is within… I am always going to be an Ashram Sun."
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Scions are a new innovative experimental ensemble. The group features members from the award-winning minimalist chamber-jazz quartet New Hermitage, the Polaris-nominated drone-hymn duo Joyful Joyful, and the acclaimed producer and composer Michael Cloud Duguay. Their collaboration began at the Sappyfest music festival in Sackville, New Brunswick, in August 2022. During this event, New Hermitage and Joyful Joyful connected for the first time and teamed up with Duguay for a spontaneous improvisational performance based on his song writing. The enthusiastic response, capped by a standing ovation, solidified the ensemble's decision to pursue the project further, with Duguay deftly shifting from front-person to producer and musical director. After being awarded a Canada Council project grant in early 2023 the group took residence in Hotel Wolfe Island on Wolfe Island. Over a week the seven core members lived and worked together, culling material from sunrise improv sessions and collaboratively shaping it into a unique body of work that would later become To Cry Out In The Wilderness. In June 2023, the ensemble, now joined by double bassist Gabriella Ciurcovich, recorded their debut album in Halifax’s north end. Led by Duguay’s distinctive approach to site-specific production, the recording took place in the sanctuary of St. George’s Round Church, with engineering by Jake Nicoll, known for his sustainable recording methods using a solar-powered, mobile control room. The resulting album, To Cry Out In The Wilderness, finds the ensemble expertly exploring and powerfully combining their skills in jazz, devotional, classical, drone, folk, ambient, metal, improvisational, minimalist and avant-garde music. The project culminated in a week of production, with contributions from numerous artists from Halifax’s creative music community. Scions then presented their work live, performing on the opening night of Halifax’s Everyseeker festival of experimental music, where they shared the spotlight with the renowned Sun Ra Arkestra. Speaking on the narrative of To Cry Out In The Wilderness vocalist and lyricist Cormac Culkeen said: "When we came together to make this body of work, we started from a narrative seed; a post-apocalyptic humanity relearning and recreating itself, after a total ecological collapse." Speaking on "Fight Song" they add, "“Fight Song” became the song we thought the last of us might need. It is sung for an imagined last stand. It is a rallying cry to wholeheartedly fight a losing battle. So it is for us now, in this time of great dismay and unease. The axe must be disobeyed.
Irishman Dom Martin is a multi award winning artist from Belfast Northern Ireland.
The 34 year old's music is steeped in the atmospheric celtic hallways of the past with many likening his style and stage presence to the likes of the late greats Rory Gallagher and Belfast's own Gary Moore.
Equally at home with an acoustic guitar in hand tearing at the heartstrings of the audience, he's an inducted UK Blues Hall of Fame Artist as a result of three consecutive acoustic awards, and his trusty telecasters and Les Pauls that lead his power trio, delivering him two consecutive Instrumentalist of The Year Awards, Dom tours internationally on a regular basis and has built a reputation for his emotional and powerful legendary shows.
His latest album 'Buried In The Hail' garnered rave reviews and was voted Best UK Blues Album of 2024 at the UK Blues Awards.
Whilst touring the UK and Europe in 2023/2024, many tracks from 'Buried In The Hail' were recorded live along with several from his previous albums, 'Spain To Italy' and 'A Savage Life'.
The result is 'Buried Alive', a double live album by one of the most exciting artists to come out of Ireland in a very long time.
Jorge Ben is surely one of the world’s greatest all-round musical artists. He is internationally renowned and vastly influential as a vocalist, musician, performer and phenomenal songwriter. Famed for penning ‘Taj Mahal’, which was the source for Rod Stewart’s ‘Do You Think I’m Sexy?’, and also ‘Mas Que Nada’, one of Brazil’s most iconic anthems, Jorge Ben is a powerful musical force. A simple glance at his impressive back catalogue reveals a master of his craft, with a depth and quality that is seldom paralleled.
For 'Tudo Ben' we take a side-step, focusing on Jorge Ben’s songs that have been performed by other artists. Complied by Mr Bongo, Greg Caz and Sean Marquand, this collection features the Brazilian legends Elza Soares, Claudette Soares, and Wilson Simonal, alongside prodigious artists such as Marijô, Os Brazoes, and Doris Monteiro to name but a few. The selection covers a wide range of genres including samba, bossa nova, MPB and batacuda workouts. Many of the songs featured have become staples in Mr Bongo DJ sets over the years and are some of our most loved classics. As with many of history’s great songwriters, Jorge Ben’s songs transcend genres and styles, they can be covered and reinterpreted, yet the quality of the writing holds up to the standard of the original.
In the dark days of the mid to late 2000s when the end of vinyl seemed inevitable, Mr Bongo released 'Tudo Ben' on CD only. Years later, we finally get to put this right and present it for the first time on vinyl with alternative artwork by Mr Krum.
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Mörk Gryning ist ein Heiligtum für die rohe, ungezähmte Essenz des schwedischen Black Metal-Genres. Gegründet in der kalten Umarmung der 90er Jahre, haben sich diese dunklen Herren ihren eigenen Weg gebahnt, indem sie sich von Trends abgewandt haben, um einen Sound zu schaffen, der den Vorgängern huldigt und gleichzeitig unerbittlich nach vorne drängt.
Ihr neuestes Werk, Fasornas Tid, ist eine viszerale Reise durch die Abgründe der menschlichen Psyche. Mit Tracks wie „Tornet“, bei dem C von AVSLUT als Gastsänger auftritt, und „Before The Crows Have Their Feast“, das mit apokalyptischen Harmonien aufwartet, verbindet das Album melodischen Black Metal mit der Grausamkeit des Death Metal. Aufgenommen, abgemischt und gemastert in den Wing Studios von Sverker Widgren und mit einem Artwork des rätselhaften C-G versehen, beschäftigt sich Fasornas Tid mit Themen wie innerer Zerrissenheit, dem ewigen Konflikt zwischen Gut und Böse und dem unstillbaren Hunger nach Selbstzerstörung.
Es ist eine dystopische Symphonie, die an ihre ikonische Tusen år har gått...-Ära erinnert, doch sie ist unverkennbar ein Produkt der Gegenwart - ein Schlachtruf für die Verlassenen.
Mörk Gryning ist ein Heiligtum für die rohe, ungezähmte Essenz des schwedischen Black Metal-Genres. Gegründet in der kalten Umarmung der 90er Jahre, haben sich diese dunklen Herren ihren eigenen Weg gebahnt, indem sie sich von Trends abgewandt haben, um einen Sound zu schaffen, der den Vorgängern huldigt und gleichzeitig unerbittlich nach vorne drängt.
Ihr neuestes Werk, Fasornas Tid, ist eine viszerale Reise durch die Abgründe der menschlichen Psyche. Mit Tracks wie „Tornet“, bei dem C von AVSLUT als Gastsänger auftritt, und „Before The Crows Have Their Feast“, das mit apokalyptischen Harmonien aufwartet, verbindet das Album melodischen Black Metal mit der Grausamkeit des Death Metal. Aufgenommen, abgemischt und gemastert in den Wing Studios von Sverker Widgren und mit einem Artwork des rätselhaften C-G versehen, beschäftigt sich Fasornas Tid mit Themen wie innerer Zerrissenheit, dem ewigen Konflikt zwischen Gut und Böse und dem unstillbaren Hunger nach Selbstzerstörung.
Es ist eine dystopische Symphonie, die an ihre ikonische Tusen år har gått...-Ära erinnert, doch sie ist unverkennbar ein Produkt der Gegenwart - ein Schlachtruf für die Verlassenen.
Rafael Cohen’s Spanish-language solo project Las Palabras gives the D.C. punk scene veteran and member of dance-rock group !!! (Chk Chk Chk), the words to reveal himself as a Latin alternative artist and what he calls “a cautious believer”. Fe, Faith his second Las Palabras album, and first on the Barcelona label La Castanya, “deals with what it means to have faith, what it means to have doubts, and what it means to stay open to the idea that something untouchable and unknowable may exist”.
Written and produced by Cohen in his home studio in Brooklyn and mixed by Black Pumas guitarist Adrian Quesada, Fe builds on nylon-string guitar and electric bass with live drums and synthesizers in songs that embrace elements of 70s Brazilian funk and an amalgam of beats from hip hop to bachata, interspersed with contemplative ballads on which Cohen’s voice and guitar can be quiet enough to hear the rumble of a bus going by in the background.
“Fe” is colored by musical influences that include those Brazilian grooves, but also shades of Sade, Sounds of Blackness and eighties electro funk group Zapp. The arrangements spotlight the rhythm section, with drums played by Chris Egan (!!!, Solange, Blood Orange) and featuring Alberto Lopez (LCD Soundsystem, Stanley Clarke) on percussion. Cohen credits Adrian Quesada for the album’s warm, worn-in tone: “He made the beats sound a lot bigger and gave it an ’80s hip hop feel. He really understood the references and brought his background in Latin music to it”
Rafael Cohen’s Spanish-language solo project Las Palabras gives the D.C. punk scene veteran and member of dance-rock group !!! (Chk Chk Chk), the words to reveal himself as a Latin alternative artist and what he calls “a cautious believer”. Fe, Faith his second Las Palabras album, and first on the Barcelona label La Castanya, “deals with what it means to have faith, what it means to have doubts, and what it means to stay open to the idea that something untouchable and unknowable may exist”.
Written and produced by Cohen in his home studio in Brooklyn and mixed by Black Pumas guitarist Adrian Quesada, Fe builds on nylon-string guitar and electric bass with live drums and synthesizers in songs that embrace elements of 70s Brazilian funk and an amalgam of beats from hip hop to bachata, interspersed with contemplative ballads on which Cohen’s voice and guitar can be quiet enough to hear the rumble of a bus going by in the background.
“Fe” is colored by musical influences that include those Brazilian grooves, but also shades of Sade, Sounds of Blackness and eighties electro funk group Zapp. The arrangements spotlight the rhythm section, with drums played by Chris Egan (!!!, Solange, Blood Orange) and featuring Alberto Lopez (LCD Soundsystem, Stanley Clarke) on percussion. Cohen credits Adrian Quesada for the album’s warm, worn-in tone: “He made the beats sound a lot bigger and gave it an ’80s hip hop feel. He really understood the references and brought his background in Latin music to it”
ISOxo & Knock2 have been building towards the release of the forthcoming 4EVR album since the duo sold-out an historic four (4) consecutive headline performances at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles in November 2023. At the beginning of the year, the duo announced their Coachella debut and a select number of “ISOKNOCK 4EVR” headline events in Seattle (2X WAMU Theater) and Brooklyn (Under The K Bridge) – selling out 10,000 tickets per market in a matter of days. ISOKNOCK also will be headlining the North Coast Music Festival in Chicago. ISOKNOCK debuted at Coachella to a packed-out Sahara Tent with intricate, multi-tiered, live production from Production Club. Many of the songs from the forthcoming 4EVR album were first teased at this performance. Each of the subsequent ISOKNOCK shows in Seattle and Brooklyn had unique production – with special guest cade clair popping out in Seattle to perform forthcoming album focus track “4EVR”. In April 2024, Knock2 and RL Grime co-headlined Ultra Music Festival with a special back-to-back DJ set. During this performance, ISOxo popped out for a special guest appearance and the trio debuted the collaboration “SMACK TALK” to the roaring crowd. In support of the 4EVR album, ISOKNOCK will be producing a narrative short film that embodies the tagline of the album – “Pain is Temporary, ISOKNOCK is "4EVR” On the eve of their highly-anticipated collaborative album 4evr, ISOxo & Knock2 will present the 4EVR Gallery – a tribute to the DIY ethos, uncompromising vision, and longstanding partnership of the two artists who are pushing the boundaries of dance music and reshaping it in their own image. From their humblest beginnings in San Diego to dominating the world’s most prestigious festival stage at Coachella, the 4EVR GALLERY will give fans a rare opportunity to share space with artifacts of history-in-the-making.
Best-selling, 21-track hits set that’s now on vinyl for the first time. Features classic after classic, from early gems including “Fingertips – Pt. 2” to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” as well as the timeless No. 1 songs “Superstition,” “Higher Ground,” “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “I Wish,” “Overjoyed,” and many more. With rare photos, Braille embossing, full track credits and a celebratory essay.
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Über 45 Jahre existiert die englische Hardrock Gruppe IRON MAIDEN bereits. Die Band um Sänger Bruce Dickinson gehören zu den weltweit erfolgreichsten Bands mit unzähligen Hits, ausverkauften Welttourneen und No. 1 Hitsingles. Diese im Jahr 2000 vom lokalen niederländischen Radio
übertragenen Live-Aufnahmen erinnern daran, wie mächtig und dynamisch IRON MAIDEN den Fans Live einheizen.
WRWTFWW Records is honored to announce the first ever vinyl release for esteemed Japanese producer, composer, and environmental music luminary Yoshio Ojima’s rare forgotten album Club, previously only released as a limited edition of 50 cassettes back in 1983. The electronica/proto-techno/experimental gem is available as an LP reissue supervised by the artist, sourced from the original masters and housed in a heavy 350gsm sleeve. Only 500 copies were made.
A precious and sought-after item among collectors and enthusiasts of early Japanese electronic music, Club is a stunning and timeless collection of avant-garde electronica, proto-techno, mecha-ambient, and ear-pleasing experimentations from Yoshio Ojima, the ambient/environmental master behind the pivotal Music for Spiral albums released in 1988 (aka Une Collection Des Chaînons I and II reissued on WRWTFWW), and producer of Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Pier & Loft, Motohiko Hamase’s #Notes of Forestry, and Satsuki Shibano's iconic Rendez-Vous.
Filled with quirky minimalist acid-synth-and-drum-machine-handiwork, bouncy collages of beautifully childlike techno and pre-IDM, and the irresistible DIY charm of humble beginnings, the 8-track album is a fun, adventurous and risqué-but-catchy-in-the-most-peculiar-way piece of Japanese electronic music history neatly capturing the incredible creative energy boiling through the country’s scene in the 1980s.
Experience the roots of Japanese electronica!
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This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1971 Island Records UK release in gatefold sleeve, inner sleeve with lyrics, 8 page booklet, promotional poster and sticker; it is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl. 'Babbacombe' Lee was Fairport Convention's foray into the concept album so loved by groups in the 70s. Instead of looking at something fantastical or progressive, the group went back to the tale of John 'Babbacombe' Lee, the man they couldn't hang: The gallows failed three times after he was convicted of the murder of Emma Keyse in Torquay in 1885. Dave Swarbrick found details of the trial in a junk shop, and the band worked up the story into an album. Released at the end of 1971 with ephemera from the day telling the story, 'Babbacombe' Lee had episodes listed rather than tracks. It contained the most original material of a Fairport album to date, and was seen as taking folk-rock a huge step forward. Within weeks of the album's release both Dave Mattacks and Simon Nicol left the group, leaving Swarbrick and bassist Dave Pegg to lead Fairport on through their next chapter. Today, 'Babbacombe' Lee is one of the group's most enduring albums.
FÜR FANS VON: TOTO, HEART, STARSHIP, ROXETTE, SURVIVOR, LITA FORD, VIXEN
Gegründet 2019 auf einer Party in der legendären Rockfabrik in Ludwigsburg, schicken sich VIOLET an, die bunten extravaganten Achtziger, ein
Jahrzehnt voller großen Melodien und Hits, im hier und heute wiederzubeleben. Bereits mit ihrem ersten Album „Illusions“ von 2022, von Fans und
Presse zur Nummer #1 Zeitmaschine zurück in die Achtziger gekürt, spielte sich die junge Formation direkt ins Rampenlicht. Auch ihre Liveshows
wurden schnell zu äußerst beliebten Events für AOR Fans. Und nicht nur für die. Kein Wunder, denn die leidenschaftliche Performance von Sängerin
Jamie Beckham, das virtuose Gitarrenspiel von Gitarrist/Sänger und Songwriter Manuel Heller, die filigranen Keyboardmelodien von Filip Kuzanski
sowie der unwiderstehliche Groove der Rhythmusfraktion mit Eric Hart am Bass und Maurice Probst am Schlagzeug lässt niemanden still stehen.
Ende 2024, zwei Jahre nach dem Debütalbum, erscheint nun „Mysteria“. Für den sehnlichst erwarteten „Illusions“ Nachfolger gab es für VIOLET
keinerlei Grenzen. So brilliert auf einmal ein feines Saxofon oder überraschen plötzliche und unwiderstehliche Gang-Shouts den Hörer unerwartet. Es
sind mehr Gitarren zu hören, hier und da nimmt es einen leichten progressiven Schlenker, aber alles immer im Sinne des Songs. Dazu mit einer
unglaublichen Authentizität für eine Zeit, in der alle Bandmitglieder noch nicht einmal geboren waren. Wer authentischen Achtziger Sound mag und
Bands wie Starship, Heart, Toto oder Roxette zu seinen Lieblingen zählt, sollte sich VIOLET auf keinen Fall entgehen lassen!
Für die siebte Ausgabe der beliebten WE ARE NOT ALONE Compilation-Serie kuratieren Ellen Allien und BPitch Berlin eine unübersehbare Sammlung von zwölf neuen Tracks, die den globalen Underground feiert, der das Label seit seiner Gründung beeinflusst hat.
BPitch baut sein grenzenloses Roster weiter aus und bietet ein Spiegelbild der Künstler, die an der WE ARE NOT ALONE-Eventreihe aus der ganzen Welt teilgenommen haben. Diese Veranstaltungen werfen einen kaleidoskopischen Blick auf die elektronische Musik aus aller Welt und vertreten eine Vision von Kultur, die sowohl im Geist als auch im Sound weitreichend und integrativ ist. Mit Beiträgen von aufstrebenden Talenten und etablierten Helden gleichermaßen ist WE ARE NOT ALONE Vol. 7 ein Zeugnis für den Pluralismus eines der beliebtesten Plattenlabels für elektronische Musik und die Familie der Künstler, die es zu dem machen, was es ist.
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Das renommierte Soullabel Goldwax aus den 60er Jahren hatte ein straffes Release-Programm, dennoch blieben einige seiner Aufnahmen unvermeidlich auf der Strecke. Im Jahr 2000 kaufte Ace Records das Label und erlangte damit das volle Eigentum an den Bändern, was zu weiteren musikalischen Entdeckungen führte. Die Releases bei Ace und Kent in den letzten über zwanzig Jahren haben die meisten dieser Aufnahmen vor allem auf CDs gezeigt - dem Medium der frühen Jahre des 21. Jahrhunderts. In jüngster Zeit hat die wieder gestiegene Nachfrage nach Vinyl zu neuen 12"-Zusammenstellungen geführt, und als Ergänzung dazu hat Ace eine hübsche Box-Kollektion mit sieben 7inch-Singles zusammengestellt, die Soul-Sammler ansprechen wird.
Following a handful of singles and EPs, and a series of live performances that have only served to heighten the group's intensity and strengthen its sound, Bada-Bada - the trio of sought after instrumentalists/producers Lilian Mille, Tiss Rodriguez and Leo Fumagalli - finally unveil Portraits, their debut album. As a flagship of a new exciting French scene, melting the jazz idiom with the most innovative instrumental music, Bada-Bada stands out for its rare ability to transcend genres and to use the studio as an instrument in its own right.
“With this band, it’s all about searching for a sound”, says drummer Tiss Rodriguez. “It’s a quest for a sound as much as a quest for meaning," adds Leo Fumagalli (saxophone). A quest that requires unrushed studio experiments, of course, but one that never forgets to draw on the unmatched energy of the live performance and the chemistry at work between an audience that understands a band’s language and intentions and give it time to unfold them, and musicians at the top of their game.
Bada-Bada's sound is informed by its members’ backgrounds – all of whom have put their academic training to good use by confronting it with experience; by the way they relate to the time they’re living as much as the History of music; and by their ability to encapsulate a body of forward-thinking instrumental music (electronica, symphonic music, trance-based music and 21st century jazz).
Dexys are back! 11 years since the release of their last album of original music, the acclaimed One Day I'm Going to Soar, the band return with a stunning new record, The Feminine Divine, out July 28th on 100% Records.
The Feminine Divine’s arrival is heralded by today’s release of the glorious first single ‘I’m Going To Get Free’, soaked in horns and with a heavy dance-hall feel. "The character is optimistically breaking free from internalised trauma, depression and guilt," Kevin Rowland said of the track.
The Feminine Divine is Dexys’ fifth album of original material produced once again by Pete Schwier, along with acclaimed session musician and producer Toby Chapman. After taking some time out to refocus his energy, Kevin Rowland came back to music with a fresh perspective and new-found positivity. A personal, if not strictly autobiographical, record portraying a man whose views have evolved over time. Not just on women, but the whole concept of masculinity he had been raised with: an education and an un-learning that is traced across the arc of The Feminine Divine with dizzying effect.
Steven Wilson is no stranger to composing music that appears to counter everything else before it in his catalogue. Bass Communion, his long running solo electronic project, is no exception to this perverse streak that apparently likes to turn all expectations upside down. The Itself of Itself, Bass Communion's first album for 12 years, skilfully pays testament to this. Long established as a purveyor of mostly atmospheric or ambient textures, the seven cuts that represent The Itself of Itself take detours from this approach in order draw as much from musique concrete, noise music, abstract electronics and uneasy listening. Whilst still rippled with the same shades of light and dark that can be found throughout all of Bass Communion's work, The Itself of Itself reveals a fascination with analogue sounds and, more importantly perhaps, 'unwanted' analogue artefacts like tape hiss, wow and flutter, static noise, and sonic break-up, taking the music into a space at once different yet familiar. 'Apparition 3' presents a stark nod to Wilson's established command of shifting textures steeped in penumbral gauze, while 'Bruise' is akin to a space probe adrift and headed towards a white dwarf as all communication is reduced to a disturbing and indecipherable crackle. Between the other five cuts we witness fragmented, garbled and buried voices, vast vacillating banks of grainy hum, what sounds like the dying gasps of an oboe, spooky swirls from an indiscernible source, swathes of tape hiss, moody drones, and spiralling slivers of noise. Meanwhile on the title track, a mellotron flute rusts and collapses in on itself in a way that renders it the very antithesis of the one deployed on 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. Everything adds up to a dynamic listening experience where unease, dread and comparatively claustrophobic torrents of sound make (un)natural bedfellows to moments of enchantment and serenity. Above all, The Itself of Itself sees Steven Wilson cutting his teeth on an album that's at once cinematic and moody whilst proving him to be a master in electronic music craftsmanship. It's an album that might surprise some of those who have thus far been paying attention to his work as Bass Communion, but setting out to please everyone was never part of his raison d'etre. The Itself of Itself catches Bass Communion spreading its weatherbeaten wings to embrace new strategies and a strong desire to journey elsewhere. Arriving in a wonderful Carl Glover designed deluxe cover also comprising a 24pp. booklet of his photographs and an obi strip, this version of The Itself of Itself arrives in December on Lumberton Trading Company as a 2LP pressed in an initial run of 1000 copies.
Iconic UK punk band X-Ray Spex co-founder Lora Logic was unexpectedly ousted before the recording of their debut album 'Germ Free Adolescents' in 1977. Undeterred, Lora went on to form and front the post-punk band Essential Logic. With trademark angular sax lines and her unmistakable vocal stylings, she went on to create some of the most liberating and exciting music of the early post-punk era, not only as Essential Logic, but also as a solo artist. 'Beat Rhythm News (Waddle Ya Play?)' is the band's debut studio album. Originally released in December 1979 on the Rough Trade Records label, whose founder Geoff Travis provided enthusiastic encouragement. The album reached number 11 in the UK Indie chart. Lora's solo album 'Pedigree Charm' followed in 1982. Lora and Poly Styrene would later reform X-Ray Spex for the band's sophomore and final studio album 'Conscious Consumer' in 1995. Essential Logic returned from an extended hiatus in 2022 with the 5 x LP boxset 'Logically Yours', including the new studio album 'Land of Kali', co-produced by Lora and Youth (Killing Joke), followed by 2024's remix album thereof - 'Rekalibrated', which enlisted the talents of an ambitious and diverse set, including Grammy Award winner - Dave Audé, Rave-pop legend - Adamski and Scottish Kandy-poppers - bis, amongst others on remixer duties. This 45th Anniversary 'Deluxe' edition compiles the original studio album together with a bonus album containing the complete Essential Logic studio recordings from 1978 - 1983, including the iconic Cells Records debut single 'Aerosol Burns' (1978), the 'Wake Up' EP (1979), included here for the first time on any physical release since its original pressing, together with the non-album b-side 'Flora Force' and 3 post album Rough Trade Records single releases: 'Eugene' (1980), 1981's 'Music Is A Better Noise' and 'Fanfare In The Garden', and their respective b-sides. Repackaged in a high gloss accented, spot varnished sleeve, on 2 x black and white splatter vinyl, foiler stickered, with inner-sleeves including full lyrics and new sleeve notes by Lora. This release also marks the long overdue and highly championed CD debut of the original album and bonus tracks. Following their recent UK tour with fellow punk legends Penetration, featuring Pauline Murray, in November 2024, Essential Logic show no signs of stopping or slowing down as they plan extensive live celebrations of the album throughout 2025 as well as the recording and release of their next studio album. Press Quotes : "Lora's voice is always doing the right, thrilling things...she frets and somersaults in such an intoxicating way" - NME // "A stunning record that remains a benchmark of the punk era" - AllMusic // "Beat Rhythm News suggests an impromptu brainstorming session between Kate Bush, Talking Heads and Captain Beefheart" - Louder Sound // "An intelligent and fluid benchmark for any band willing to dabble in both punk and dance music at the same time" - PopMatters
Ach du Scheisse - die neue Platte von Menschabstinenz ist da. "Bitte nicht noch mehr von diesem aggressiven, maskulinen, Testosteron geschwängerten Aggro-Zeug." Bitte nicht noch mehr Gast-Features von Jannis (Deine Nachbarn), Justin & Henne (Rawside),Vito C., Mr Hurley und die Pulveraffen, Tyna, MC Motherfucker, Reis Against The Spülmachine, Joe (The Busters), 100KiloHerz, Luci van Org & Toifel (Berliner Weisse) War so oder ähnlich etwa nicht euer erster Gedanke!? Wir geben euch Recht und schneiden darum dem Gegröle und Gehate die haarigen Eier ab - Testosteron/off. Was bleibt ist ein liebevoll schnoddriges, emotionstriggerndes Punk Potpourri, gemixt aus Alkohol und Schlaftabletten, irgendwo zwischen Stumpf- und Tiefsinn, doch so viel mehr als nur ein ,fuck you all". Schnallt euch an und begleitet uns auf eine Reise zwischen den Welten des guten und schlechten Geschmacks. Segelt mit uns hoffnungstrunken auf den Meeren bitterer Tränen und klettert mit uns über die Gipfel der eigenen Empörung, hin zu der Erkenntnis, dass am Ende nichts bleiben wird, was all das wert gewesen wäre. Also hoch die Tassen und laut gedreht: Testosteron/off - kommt mit reichlich Anlauf aber ohne Gleitgel. Ein dickes Ding! ,Gewimmel nicht auf Pimmel gereimt, sondern auf Himmel. Sehr gut! Kannste so schreiben. Wenn de als kleener Piepel an Punk rangeführt werden sollst, ist das das Richtige." Totze Scholz - Beatsteaks 300 Stück in weiß-rot-marmoriertem Vinyl, handnummeriert.
"May Our Chambers Be Full" ist das erste aufgezeichnete Dokument der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Emma Ruth Rundle und dem experimentellen Doom Metal Sextett Thou. Roadburn Festival-Organisator Walter Hoeijmakers wusste von der gemeinsamen Liebe für das Schaffen der jeweils anderen und führte beide zusammen. Während ihre Musik recht unterschiedlich erscheint, haben sowohl Emma Ruth Rundle als auch Thou ihre jeweiligen Karrieren damit verbracht, an den äußeren Rändern der Heavy-Metal-Szene zu lauern, wobei beide mehr dem DIY-Punk und seinem spirituellen Nachfolger, Grunge, nahestehen. "May Our Chambers Be Full" bewegt sich sowohl musikalisch als auch thematisch auf einer ähnlichen, sehr feinen Linie. Während das Solo-Material von Emma Ruth Rundle eine Mischung aus Post-Rock und Folk ist und Thou typischerweise für ihre heruntergekommene, doomige Schlammschlacke bekannt sind, hat die Verbindung der beiden eine Platte geschaffen, die mehr in die Richtung des Seattle-Grunge-Sounds und dem davon beeinflussten Alternative Rock aus den 1990er Jahren geht, wobei die Kernidentitäten der KünstlerInnen weitgehend erhalten geblieben sind. Ebenso ist der lyrische Inhalt des Albums eine Mischung aus mentalem Trauma, existenziellen Krisen und der ekstatischen Tradition der expressionistischen Tanzbewegung. "Excessive sorrow laughs. Excessive joy weeps." Melodisch, melancholisch, schwer, viszeral. Für Fans von: Alice in Chains, The Cranberries, Eyehategod, Nirvana, Crowbar
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member Little Richard is a musical institution. The Architect Of Rock ’n’ Roll’s 1970 return. Pressed on opaque pink vinyl. Mastered by Grammy®-winning engineer Michael Graves. Lacquers cut by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl/Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis. Packaging contains liner notes from Bill Dahl. Some successful recording artists are lucky to enjoy a lengthy career and perhaps one successful comeback after their popularity wanes over time. Rock ’n’ roll pioneer and absolute legend, Little Richard, achieved several. In the ’50s he racked up a non-stop string of smashes for Specialty Records with producer Bumps Blackwell like the blistering cuts, “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” and “Rip It Up.” The Georgia Peach was deemed too uninhibited and unpredictable for TV variety shows to present to the nation, but the records were undeniable hits. He was clearly, an artist far ahead of the culture and times. Little Richard returned in 1970 with The Rill Thing and instead of sticking around his adopted home of Los Angeles, Richard set out for Rick Hall’s FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record the album for Reprise, joined by Bumps, who was now his manager. The opening track, “Freedom Blues,” was released in April of 1970 and hit #28 on the charts. The second cut, “Greenwood Mississippi,” was also released as a single in August and also made a Billboard appearance. The marathon title track (running a whopping 10 minutes and 20 seconds) was an intense funk jam that was captured in one take. The album also featured covers of tunes by The Beatles and Hank Williams—it was a different sound by far than the savagely rocking attack he’d ridden to fame like a rocket at Specialty close to a decade and- a-half earlier, but it was every bit as effective. The Rill Thing bore the slogan “The Little Richard Sound” on its labels. “He was at his peak with his vocals on there,” says guitarist Travis Wammack admiringly. “He was just singing his booty off!” The Rill Thing is back as a 12" long player, and pressed on opaque pink vinyl with a printed inner sleeve that includes liner notes by Bill Dahl.
The Equatoguinean Norberto de Nöah established in Madrid in the early 80s, where he became a firebrand of African culture in the vibrant Movida. In 1988 he self-released his first solo album, a blend of homeland sounds —modern and traditional— with new synth and drum machine touches. The vanished album finally gets its well-deserved reissue.
Edition of 500 albums on vinyl (Bandcamp download code included) - Original artwork with new 14 pages insert and poster
In the mid-1980s, the European media, music industry and public became increasingly interested in African music. This was a period of international success for King Sunny Adé, Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour, Ray Lema, Touré Kunda, etc. Spain, with its own particular conditions, wasn’t oblivious to the phenomenon and the Equatoguinean Norberto de Nöah may be its best exponent.
Norberto moved in the early eighties from his hometown in the island Fernando Po (now known as Bioko) to its former colonial capital, Madrid. While studying dramatic arts, he created and led the band Nohkis, made up of African and Spanish musicians. In 1985 they released the maxi-single “Mujer española” / “África, ¿dónde está tu gloria?”, and the song “El loco”, was released on a compilation LP called Esto es increíble, both on the label Lollipop. According to the journalist Patricia Godes, they were first artists to record an African music record in Spain. It received positive reviews and a great impact on the most independent side of Madrid’s La Movida movement. Very soon afterwards, Nohkis’ band split up.
Afterwards, Norberto would concentrate on his solo career, and Norberto de Nöah and The Böhöbé Spirits Müsic was released in 1988, definitely a solo album. Norberto created his own label, Kilimandjaro Productions, and composed, arranged and produced all the songs of the LP. Moreover, he sang and played all the instruments: a vast selection of organic instruments, a Yamaha RX-5 drum machine and a Roland D-50 synthesizer.
In the album he exposed his deepest roots, updating the lexicon of traditional Bubi music, the musician’s ethnic group, a compendium of ceremonial melodies that ancient troubadours composed for the court. Doing so he showed new possibilities to one of the oldest ethnic groups in the world. Besides all this, he was also inspired by American music such as funk, R&B, Latin American music and also by a wide range of African and Caribbean rhythms.
Mixing the traditional and the avant-garde in a spontaneous and natural way, the music contained in the record’s grooves flows freely and takes you to places full of magic and mystery, while still transmitting new and exciting sensations. Even more, according to the Equatoguinean musician and writer Baron Ya Búk-Lu based in Madrid, the album’s sound was “the perfect combination of all characteristics that defined the Equatoguinean Afropop music made in Madrid during the 1980s”, a story that still needs to be told in all its depth and intensity!
Following the release of two LPs and several singles, the activity of Norberto de Nöah and Kilimandjaro Productions (and the subsequent Bananas Podridas) ceased. Nevertheless, Norberto’s links to music continued, as a promoter and DJ in Madrid’s nightlife.
Norberto de Nöah contributed greatly to changing Spain’s musical landscape, breaking barriers and mental frameworks. He was the first to make contemporary and popular Guinean music known to the Spanish public.
The repercussions in the African market of a Spanish (and Bube) speaking African musical project, where English and French dominate, was very difficult. In addition, the passage of time and changes in phonographic formats have diluted the memory of Norberto's legacy. Now it’s time to reverse the situation and break all the outdated frontiers!
Norberto de Nöah and The Böhöbé Spirits Müsic, as every important music piece, was at the same time part of a universal phenomenon of recognition of African music and a very personal project, based on the artist’s nostalgic and heartfelt need to show and homage his ethnic group, the Bubis. In this process he also refreshed his hometown music legacy, giving it a new air and opening the door to lots of other great Equatoguinean artists coming afterwards, as well as being an inspiration for many musicians in Spain.
"Because it's the passion for music that drives the person behind the decks, a dj's debut is bound to exude authenticity. It's often themselves they're recounting in music, posing on the slip mats their DNA and what makes them who they are.
When you're just starting out, you're faced with a multitude of routes to take and styles to play. When you know just how devastating it can be to step out of line and empty the dance floor even faster than it filled up, it often takes a lot of audacity to break the unity of a funk evening with a punk track.
Over time, to evolve is to find oneself facing only two roads.
On the first one, to satisfy the greatest number of people and not lose the credit for his fees, the dj adapts to the trend. Whether he likes what he's playing or not, the road has become a freeway and, indeed, a very comfortable one. The audience already knows everything there is to hear and doesn't come to hear anything else. Thirty seconds, or even a minute of each track, is more than enough. Everything has to flow quickly. Everything is marked out and secured. Those who respect the regulations will (normally) make the journey without accident. Several times a week, several times a month, several times a year. Curiosity disappears altogether.
And then there's the other road. Where nothing is expected nor sometimes even ever heard. The road of an unquenchable passion for diggin' and the desire to always know more and more. A passion billed at the price of hours of research-finding spent in the discomfort and possible disappointment of never coming across anything exciting, as well as nights exploring platforms and multiplying clicks resulting in a good old headache. Until that moment of grace happens when, after thousands of fruitless shakes, the nugget stands alone in the sieve, without the slightest doubt as to its quality.
Coming from places never mentioned for their music, sometimes classics of their genre, they are also rarities miraculously saved from total disappearance, as much as current marvels, but threatened to never leave the immensity of the web. Even if the possibility of a text with substance is never excluded, they can tell long stories or be destined solely to make you dance till you're dehydrated. Scintillating with spirituality, some can also vaporize energy and replace it with a pure emotion capable of touching hearts in the bareness of simple percussions.
This road is marked by sincerity, singularity and surprises, but always in a communion between the dj and the audience, who embark on it together, with mutual confidence in the promise of hours of sharing and discovering. "
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The Penguin Cafe Orchestra Mini Album is an EP by Penguin Cafe Orchestra consisting of six pieces, two derived from previous released recordings (‘The Penguin Cafe Single’ and ‘Air À Danser’), two that were recorded from a live performance in Tokyo (‘Numbers 1-4’ and ‘Salty Bean Fumble’), and two previously unreleased pieces which had not appeared elsewhere (‘The Toy’ and ‘Piano Music’).
The two live pieces were recorded by NHK Radio at the Kan-i Hoken Hall on 10 June 1982.
‘Piano Music’ is a solo piece recorded by Simon Jeffes in Tokyo on 7 July 1982 and ‘The Toy’ was recorded in 1983.
The cover painting was by Emily Young. This is the first repress since 1983. Pressed on red vinyl.
Danish instrumental collective ALAWARI was founded in 2016, and rapidly garnered a name for themselves on the European jazz scene for their explosive live performances, going on to win Denmark s Young Jazz competition in the same year. A contrast to their eponymous 2022 debut - a cacophonous musical reflection of revolution - their upcoming release is an exploration of spirituality, transformation, and the totality of the human experience. Leviathan oscillates between symphonic grandeur and intimate vulnerability, with moments so delicate that every breath can be felt. In this way, the sextet aims to demonstrate that the path to the divine is found through collective unity unity-a shared experience that transcends the individual. From lamenting melodies on a solo trumpet eventually accompanied by a dense, ominous synth, to hypnotic patterns on a percussive close close-mic d saxophone, to thunderous rhythm section grooves with searing horn harmonies, ALAWARIs innovative and dynamic arrangements offer something brand new and unexpected around every corner. Despite being a six piece, the ensembles sound feels comparable to that of an orchestra or big band, combining through through-composed classical classical-influenced orchestration, intricate interlocking parts, lush waves of texture and a warm, raw, intimate production style to craft a larger larger-thanthan-life listening experience. Leviathan embarks on a profound journey, capturing the divine and spiritual forces that permeate the arts. The album serves as a vessel vessel-slowly navigating like a majestic ship or a steadfast train, embarking on a peaceful yet powerful crusade. It invites listeners to traverse a landscape of sorrow and joy, pain and exaltation, silence and intensity. Through this journey, ALAWARI aims to reveal the primordial truth: that the spirit precedes all, and that the mundane backdrop of everyday life can be transformed and painted anew, if carried by the right vessel.
