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Northern Soul’s most loved and hardest working DJ looks back at his pioneering Rare Soul Uncovered album series that shook the scene in 1984. Compiled and researched by Dave shortly after Wigan Casino had closed its doors where he was a main-stage DJ for eight years. At the time Dave hosted a weekly Northern Soul show on Signal Radio and was the Midlands regional sales manager for Charly Records. Now, forty years on, Dave Evison is reunited with Charly to present the ultimate in Rare Soul Vinyl – 16 unreleased at the time recordings – some of which have never been heard before.

In the penultimate episode of his widely popular and critically acclaimed HBO series, Painting with John, its creator, John Lurie, sat in a Manhattan recording studio, working out musical parts for the show’s soundtrack. “After the illness started, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do this again,” said Lurie.

Even as he occupies an enigmatic, multi-faceted, five-decade career characterized by the unexpected, perhaps even Lurie is surprised by this new release of a double-album collection of music, Painting with John, extracted from the series.

Go back a quarter-century or so: As an exotic saxophonist and composer whose pieces alternately recalled cracked-mirror reflections of Thelonious Monk, or Fela Kuti, or Raymond Chandler, Lurie led the vastly influential, downtown NYC jazz ensemble, The Lounge Lizards, through dazzling albums and tours across the globe. He scored indie films and Hollywood hits, collecting a Grammy nomination for Get Shorty along the way and releasing his own surreality-TV series, Fishing with John.

Born out of revelry and resolution in a redwood cabin tucked into the California coast, endowed with a spirit simmering in wanderlust, and ornamented with the rich traditions of the Louisiana bayou, 'Lonesome Highway' marks the resilient return of Irena Eide, aka Rainy Eyes. These are eleven songs of triumph, punctuated with perseverance and perspective, here to sober up the soul and send it back stronger onto the blacktop. If Rainy's 2019 folk-infused debut, 'Moon in the Mirror', revealed the truth, 'Lonesome Highway' tells poignantly and poetically of the consequences.

'Lonesome Highway' was written as Rainy reflected on the juxtaposition of her circumstances. While she basked in the joy of her recent entry into motherhood, she was simultaneously confronting a troubled relationship that had turned toxic. "Songwriting was my therapy. It was basically how I dealt with the pain and the trauma. The music helped me heal," says Rainy. "This album is about how I had to help myself. To take that pain and use it. For it not to destroy me, but to make me who I am."

Finland has long had a uniquely progressive underground, with thriving punk, avant, jazz, and rock scenes with oversized output and impact. Jussi Lehtisalo’s (Circle, Pharaoh Overlord, Mahti, etc) label Ektro has been at the center of this activity for the last three decades, with a stream of excellent and conceptually bonkers releases covering music of all types. Here Lehtisalo joins up with Jan Anderzén (of Kemialliset Ystävät among others) for an album of absolutely fun and unusual miniature duets that sound like alien Library music beamed in from the outerlands. Tracks like “Luukku Yksi” and “Puistossa” use a charmingly retro synth-y sound palate and Cluster-like melodic sensibility to make accessible some deceptively “out” music. Some cuts (like “Kylpy”) have a vague hint of early ’80s post-punk / new wave vibes, bouncing along in a friendly way with odd interjections of sample debris and electronics jumping out of the mix to keep it weird. The surging “Hymy yössä” could be music for the credits of the world’s hippest newscast. Beautiful jacket by renown Helsinki-based artist Dylan Ray Arnold, bringing the die-cut techniques of their gallery pieces like “Growth of the Night Plants” to LP form.

Repress!

Formed in 1968, Jazz Sabbath was considered by many to be at the forefront of the new jazz movement coming out of England at the time. The eagerly awaited debut album, scheduled for release on Friday 13th February 1970, was cancelled when news broke that founding member and pianist Milton Keanes was hospitalised with a massive heart attack which left him fighting for his life.


The record company shelved the album and cancelled the scheduled release out of financial uncertainty of releasing a debut album from a band without its musical leader. When Milton was released from hospital in September 1970, he found out that a band from Birmingham, conveniently called ‘Black Sabbath’, had since released two albums containing metal versions of what he claims were his songs.


All recalled Jazz Sabbath albums had been destroyed when the warehouse burned down in June 1970; which turned out to be a case of insurance fraud by the label owner, leaving only a few bootleg tapes of Jazz Sabbath’s live performances as proof of existence.


The album masters were said to be lost in the fire, but were actually misplaced and gathered dust in the basement vaults of the recording studio. These tapes have now been remixed and, half a decade later, will finally be heard; proving that the heavy metal band worshipped by millions around the world are in fact nothing more than musical charlatans, thieving the music from a bedridden, hospitalised genius.

"Explore the "Jacuzzi Days" Ep, Stemming From the Fruitful Collaboration Between The talented German Producer Ictv and the Swiss Knife DimSum. These Longtime Accomplices, previously United on the Love Ensemble Project, Came Together Last Summer In the South of France to Give Birth to This Sun Soaked Deep House workout. The A-Side Features a Solo Production From Each, Starting Off With "Morning Dew" By ictv, Which Carries a Strong Sentiment, Embedded in a Modern House Music production.Next on Is DimSum's "Rama to Ny," an Ode to the Deep House Sounds of 90s New York, Adorned With a Soulful Touch and Hip-Hop samples.

The Flip Side Features the Collaborative Tracks of This Ep, a Perfect Blend of Both of Their universes. "United Freedom Inc.," a Club-Ready Tune Drawing Influences From 90s House, Sprinkled With Subtle Modernity and a Vocal Sample Depicting Our Contemporary society. the Ep Closes With "Jacuzzi Days," an Invitation to Escape Inspired by Italian Dream House of the Golden era. Dive Into the Harmony Between Impactful Beats, Retro Influences, and Sprinkled With emotions of the "Jacuzzi Days”, Inviting You to an Emotional Yet Club Ready Sonic Journey."...

A seminal set from Jorge Ben  one that mixes samba soul with more baroque arrangements from the legendary Arthur Verocai! The record's got a different feel than some of Jorge's other work  almost a wider vision of music that ties his usual funky style to some of the more ambitious modes being explored by Marcos Valle and Edu Lobo at the time  expressed here in some larger instrumental passages that shade the tunes lightly, while still letting Jorge step out strongly on vocals and the usual mix of tight percussion and raspy guitar. Titles include "Que Maravilha", "Rita Jeep", "Comanche", "Porque E Proibido Pisa Na Grama", "Cassius Marcelo Clay", "Palomaris", "Maria Domingas", and "Negro E Lindo".

2024 repress

Music From Memory is excited to announce a special compilation that they’ve been working on for some time now; MFM053 – VA – Heisei No Oto – Japanese Left-field Pop From The CD Age (1989-1996). Compiled by long-time friends of the label, Eiji Taniguchi and Norio Sato, Heisei No Oto delves into a world of music released almost exclusively on CD and brings together a fascinating selection of discoveries from a little known and overlooked part of Japan’s musical history.

The last ten or so years have seen a global wave of interest in Japanese music encompassing ambient, jazz, new wave and pop records from the 1980s, some of which is increasingly considered the most innovative and visionary music of that time. Although some music from this period, in the form of ‘City Pop’ or ‘rare groove’ records, had been coveted by collectors and DJs for a number of years, most Japanese music from the time was little known outside and often even within Japan.

Sometime around the mid 2000s, two Osaka record store owners, Eiji Taniguchi of Revelation Time and Norio Sato of Rare Groove, along with a handful of deep Japanese diggers such as Chee Shimizu of Organic Music records in Tokyo, began to explore beyond the typical ‘grooves’ or ‘breaks’. Much like their counterparts in Europe and the US, they began delving into home-grown ambient, jazz, new wave and pop records, discovering visionary music, often driven by synthesizers or drum computers, that broke beyond the typical confines of their genres.

Spending tireless hours in local record stores and embarking on digging trips across the country, Eiji Taniguchi and Norio Sato, much like Chee Shimizu, have been at the forefront of unearthing and introducing many of the very Japanese records now loved and sought after around the world. Yet as YouTube algorithms and vinyl reissues would transport such music into the global consciousness and demand and therefore scarcity intensified for such records, so Eiji and Norio have recently begun to turn their attention to CDs.

The title of the compilation Heisei No Oto refers to the sound of the Heisei era, which began in 1989 and corresponds to the reign of Emperor Akihito until his abdication in 2019. Marking the culmination of one of the most rapid economic growths in Japanese history, 1989 also coincided with the music industry’s final shift away from vinyl in favour of CDs. And, although compact discs were first introduced seven years earlier it wasn’t until late into the ‘80s that, beyond dance music labels, CDs became the exclusive format for major and independent labels in Japan and throughout the world.

This however didn’t signal the end of the innovation in Japan. Many of those same musicians who have become known for their work in the ‘80s would continue to produce outstanding music well into the mid ‘90s, as greater innovation and advances in musical equipment allowed Japanese musicians and producers to refine and explore new sounds. While musicians such as the seminal Haruomi Hosono, whose productions feature on a number of tracks, would continue to push the boundaries of these new technologies, these technological advances also meant less established musicians were able to make use of increasingly affordable but state-of-the-art equipment.

Including music by Haruomi Hosono as well as Yasuaki Shimizu, Toshifumi Hinata and Ichiko Hashimoto who have become known and loved around the world in recent years, Hesei No Oto also features Japanese pop star Yosui Inoue, producers Jun Sato and Keisuke Kikuchi in aaddition to less established artists from the contemporary, jazz, new wave, pop and dance music scenes. Bringing together a selection of tracks that seem to define these specific genres and in fact move fluidly between a number of them, the music on the compilation is again underscored by experimentations with synthesizers and drum computers though with something of a gentle Pop sensibility. Reimagined here then under the encompassing term ‘Left-field Pop’, this is an exciting chapter in Japanese musical history that has only just begun to be fully explored.

VA - Heisei No Oto - Japanese Left-field Pop From The CD Age (1989-1996) is a 2xLP/2xCD that includes liner notes by Chee Shimizu and artwork by Hagihara Takuya and is released on February 28th.

2024 Reissue

Although he rose to prominence in the NYC jazz scene, working as Nina Simone's exclusive touring pianist, he never blossomed as a solo artist, so he decided to take the plunge and create "Liberated Brother" on his own. This work, which was completed in just 2 days of rehearsal and 5 hours of recording with trusted musicians, is an important work that instantly boosted his popularity as a composer!

The opening title track, "Liberated Brother," is a Latin-taste instrumental covered by Weldon's mentor, Horace Silver. Freddie Hubbard, J.J.Johnson, Peter Hervorzeimer and others have covered "Mr. Clean", which has a complex melody but a memorable phrase. Stanley Turrentine covered jazz-funk "Sister Sanctified" with comical synth phrases, and the version was re-evaluated with the sampling of Boogie Down Productions' "My Philosophy". The album "A Tribute to Brother Weldon" released in 2004 on Stones Throw after Weldon's death covers Blakestra. And jazz funk with a strong blues taste, "Homey" is a super classic that was heavily played on the dance floor in the 90's. The simple and groovy drums with few sounds and the melancholy melodica played by Weldon are cool and very sophisticated songs, and I agree that it was useful in the rare groove scene.

A work that triggered the recognition of his talent as a composer, with such a large number of masterpieces recorded. Don't miss this opportunity!

Roy Porter released two albums in the 70's, "Inner Feelings" and "Jessica", which are now highly sought after as important rare groove albums. After a brief absence from the scene, he entered the 90s and challenged the times with a new Sound Machine! The killer funk tracks "Panama" and "Party time," which have been featured as sampling sources on numerous occasions, have been reconstructed by Roy Porter himself, and brushed up to sound with the texture of the 90s. It is no exaggeration to say that this album embodies the fusion of jazz and hip-hop that Robert Glasper and others have shown since the 2010s, 20 years ago.

Valley of Rain was Tucson’s Giant Sand’s debut album recorded in 1983, and eventually released by 1985. It included Howe Gelb on vocals, guitar and Winston Watson on drums for most of it, Tommy Larkins on drums for some of it and Scott Garber on fretless bass for all of it. At the time of the recording, Howe was unacquainted with the possibilities of tube (valve) amps and had recorded most of the album with a Roland JC120 at the miraculous 8 track facilities of The Control Center in Korea Town, Los Angeles by Ricky “Mix” Novak. This impromptu recording had occurred because the band refused to cancel their first Los Angeles live gig, at Madame Wong’s, when the band (Giant Sandworms) had broken up days before in Tucson. Instead, Howe headed out anyway with Scott, the newest member who’d only been in the band for about a year, after band mainstays Billy Sed and Dave Seger reasonably decided ‘enough was enough’ following a rough and tenuous year spent in the lower east side of NYC attempting to further the band circa 1981/82. Tucsonan Winston Watson, (who would go on to tour with Bob Dylan in the 90s, as well as Alice Cooper, Warren Zevon etc ) was already living in Los Angeles and was brave/kind enough to jump in for the live date with no rehearsal. The result was so sparked with adrenalin, that the trio set up an impromptu studio session the next day to attempt to capture the sonic thrust on tape. The total cost of the day and a half recording was $400 including one 1” reel of 30 minute tape. When Enigma Records offered to release the album they requested another 15 minutes of music to make it a full LP. Ron Goudie was then called in to oversee the extra recordings at a Venice, CA studio called Mad Dog with Eric Westfall engineering. Tommy Larkins, who had been on the previous country punk album of Howe’s “The Band of ... Blacky Ranchette” came in to drum for those last 3 songs. It was there when Howe borrowed an amp that had been stored at the studio did he discover the bolster of a tube amp and his world changed. The amp was a slightly modified Fender Twin Reverb owned by Robbie Krieger of The Doors. 30 some years later, now that the band had been put to sleep indefinitely, those very first songs had begun creeping into the last Giant Sand tours. It somehow seemed appropriate to give them another shot with the proper amp just to see what they could’ve been. What made the idea more approachable was the availability of both original drummers living back in Tucson. The first attempt came last summer with both Winston & Tommy and Thøger Lund on bass, as well as the 2 newest members, 29 year old Gabriel Sullivan and 23 year old Annie Dolan on double neck guitars. The sound was insane. The funny part was Gabriel, who engineered and mixed the session, gave it an intentional 80s production sound. Howe later explained to Gabe he had been at war with that production trend since those first original recordings. So they all tried it again at Christmas time, this time with a newly discovered Fender 30 amp that had only been in production from 1980 – 1983. This new re-recording of that first album now sounds like it should’ve sounded. It was re-done for $400 and the same day and a half session time as the original. Scott Garber even drove up from Austin TX with his fretless to play so that the album is literally the originally line up for at least half of the songs. And yes, no pedal boards were used too. The band intends to tour this summer playing only those Valley of Rain songs. Giant Sand Returns To Valley Of Rain.

ntroducing the third volume of the legendary collaboration series, "Trillstatik," by dynamic duo Bun B & Statik Selektah. Recorded live in New York City on December 20th 2023, this album encapsulates the essence of hip-hop's raw vitality and timeless appeal.

In this new installment, Bun B's unmistakable Southern swagger intertwines seamlessly with Statik Selektah's masterful production, creating an explosive fusion of gritty beats and poignant lyricism.

"Trillstatik 3" carries the traditional star-studded lineup of guest appearances, and joining Bun B and Statik Selektah on this volume are luminaries of the rap game, including the lyrical juggernauts Benny The Butcher, Method Man, Boldy James, Rome Streetz, Lord Sko, CJ Fly, Smoke DZA, Termanology, Lukah, and countless others.

With Bun B and Statik Selektah at the helm, "Trillstatik 3" leaves yet another indelible mark on the rap landscape and solidify its place as a timeless classic in the annals of hip-hop history.

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KMD (Kausing Much Damage, or a positive Kause in a Much Damaged society) was a Hip Hop group in the early 90s perhaps best known for launching the career of acclaimed MC/Producer MF Doom (known during his KMD tenure as Zev Love X). After guesting on 3rd Bass' "The Gas Face," the trio (Zev, brother Subroc, and Onyx) released the acclaimed and overlooked "Mr. Hood" full-length. Their political outlook was similar to the group Brand Nubian, who guested on Hood; however, the style was more comical and included a great deal of clips from old children's recordings, mostly notably a sample of the Seaseme Street character Bert on the single "Who Me" This is the official Elektra Records/Traffic Entertainment Group re-release with original artwork and track listing in it's entirety. Cutting edge, ahead of it's time production and skits from KMD and Stimulated Dummies (John Gamble and Mr. Dante Ross). Features the singles "Peachfuzz", "Who Me" and "Nitty Gritty" (feat. Brand Nubian). This is one Rap album that is not to be missed.

4 tracks of hypnotic basslines, breakbeat, trippy analog sounds and dreamy blissful house makes this a perfect EP destined for dancefloor rotation. TIP!

Over the past decade, Kasra V has blossomed as a prominent figure in the music industry, particularly through his renowned residency on NTS Radio which has expanded his profound knowledge and expertise in music. Since landing his radio residency in January 2014 he has successfully broadcast over 200 radio shows, making use of the format to explore a wide array of sonic attitudes, styles and systems. To celebrate his achievement Kasra V launches his own imprint V-Sion which he will not only use for his own release output but also to propel his vision of contemporary dance music. To kick things off he presents a stunning 9-track compilation '10:10 Kasra V presents 10 years on NTS Radio' featuring unreleased tracks from some of his most revered guests who have graced his show throughout the years. Each contribution is wholly in line with Kasra V's genre-spanning approach. Over the years some periods have seen him playing straightforward club music, others featuring an extended notion of listening music. One hears a whole breadth of influences in his releases on acclaimed labels such as Radiant Records and Shaytoon Records: collected strands of rave, acid house, San Francisco breakbeat, new beat, ambient, oddball pop from 90s and 80s, UK bleep and so on. The regularity of a broadcasting residency pushed him to carry out a constant study of the history of dance music, and he envisions V-Sion as an output to curate musical output, contributing to the ongoing dialogue between past, future and the ever-changing fulcrum of the sonic present. The tracks presented on 10:10 are also emblematic of this historically-informed approach to dance music. They are all tuned for the floor, but present a range of possible floors to conjure: Fantastic Man's progressive opener, "Neural Filter", is airy and laced with delicate breakbeats, while "Archangel Waltz" by Sepehr presents a shadowy drama of string samples and throbbing bass swells."Qadak" by 500SEC lays an anthemic Arabic melody over bubbling electro; 2 tracks prior, Angel D'Lite circulates a whisper and moan through the mix of a euphoric, rave-stabbed anthem. The latter encouraged Kasra to put out this very compilation, which is just a testament to the value of the company we keep.

“Featuring appearances from: Special Guest DJ, Ben Bondy, Hysterical Love Project and some other people we can't name for legal reasons"

The holographic swarm that is Downstairs People returns with their latest collection of subconscious songwriting. Simply titled ‘DSP’, Downstairs People’s sophomore album expands on their surreal horoscope of Top 40 musings, with nine works that explore the altered states of pop.

DSP reimagines the FM radio spectrum with distorted hooks, sour candy production and cascading vocal harmonies with no lyrics. Sung to us in an unknown language, it’s an archive of warped transmissions from beyond our solar system, conveniently recorded and presented as a flat, spinning monolith.

A brief history of having no time, and an ode to the subversive power of pop music.

"Universal." That is the word that Tristan Hallis proudly states when describing his inaugural entry into DJ-Kicks" storied lineage. As DJ BORING, the Australian DJ and producer has forged a vibrant and illustrious career that has taken him to all corners of the globe.

" Since the release of his previous album 'Paradise for all' , the profile of Guts has grown a lot to become one of the main french producer and a recognized name on the European scene.

His hit 'Brand new revolution' was played by many radios worldwide and even synchronized in Grand Theft auto V. His compilation series ' Beach Digginï' is now a reference for summer and quality music.

After 3 instrumental albums, Guts decided to come back to his Hip Hop roots (he created the french rap Band Alliance Ethnik in the 90s) and invited quality MCs and singers to join him in the studio. You can find on this album, some Hip Hop legend as Grand Puba, Masta Ace, Bob Power, Rah digga some singers as Cody Chestnutt, Patrice and a batch of new talents as Leron Thomas, Lorine Chia, Quelle Chris & Denmark Vessey, Dillon Cooper.

This albums contains hit singles like'Man Funk' Want it back (feat. Patrice)' Open wide'

Vinyl deluxe edition : double LP gatefold Replica sleeve with insert & download card.

About this release:


Without hip-hop, Guts wouldn't be half the producer he is today. Hip-hop as inspiration, a gateway to so many different musical styles, the trigger for a continually expanding musical bulimia, the springboard from which he dived into a bottomless musical well.
Hip-hop � which has been Gutsïtrue love for the last 25 years, despite its taking futile, gangsta and materialistic paths.
Hip-hop � which in quarter of a century has driven him to spend whole nights with samplers, drum machines, expanders and vinyl, tapping on pads, adjusting the drums and honing his samples.
Hip-hop � which is often done remotely nowadays by sending digital files back and forth. Guts has opted to make it shine like when it was all brand new, decided after three entirely instrumental albums to re-establish contact with rappers, vocalists, jazz players and soul men by packing up his productions and heading across the Atlantic to record them in their home surroundings in New York and California.
Backed up on production by the inexhaustible DJ Fab (Hip Hop Resistance) and supported from Paris by his label Heavenly Sweetness (�A French label spreading colourful music for the soul, Guts explores a host of styles, flows and atmospheres to build up a mosaic of 16 tracks, each nestling inside the other to form a single concept: Hip Hop After All."


[b] Open Wide [Feat Lorine Chia]
[c] The Forgotten (Don't Look Away) [Feat Quelle Chris &Amp; Denmark Vessey]
[d] Go For Mine [Feat Tanya Morgan]%U2028
[e] As The World Turns [Feat Rah Digga &Amp; Akua Naru]
[f] Man Funk [Feat Leron Thomas]

[h] Forever My Love [Feat Grand Puba]
[i] It's Like That [Feat Dillon Cooper]
[j] Want It Back [Feat Patrice &Amp; The Studio School Voices NYC]
[k] Enlighten [Feat Cody Chesnutt &Amp; Murs]

[m] Innovation [Feat Masta Ace]
[n] Come Alive [Feat Lorine Chia]

[p] Roses [Feat Leron Thomas]

Repress!

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO'S 1985 ELECTRONIC AND AMBIENT CLASSIC RELEASED OUTSIDE OF JAPAN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ITS ORIGINAL RELEASE WITH NEW LINER NOTES BY ANDY BETA AND AUDIO REMASTERED BY SEIGEN ONO

Wewantsounds continues their Ryuichi Sakamoto reissue series with the release of the 1985 album "Esperanto", composed for a performance by New York avant garde choreographer Molissa Fenley. Produced and performed by Sakamoto with contribution by Arto Lindsay and Japanese percussionist Yas-Kaz, "Esperanto" is a fascinating instrumental work mixing electronica, ambient and synth pop. Released in Japan in 1985 on Midi Inc.s' School label, the album has never been released outside of Japan until now. This special reissue comes with original artwork including a 2 pages insert with a new introduction by Journalist Andy Beta. The audio has been remastered in Tokyo by Seigen Ono.
"Esperanto" originally came out in 1985 and was Ryuichi Sakamoto's sixth solo album. Coming after his stint with the influential Yellow Magic Orchestra, and also the worldwide success of Sakamoto's 1984 soundtrack for the film "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" (in which he starred alongside David Bowie), "Esperanto" was a return to Sakamoto's leftfield roots.
?Composed as the soundtrack to a performance by New York choreographer Molissa Fenley (a show commissioned by Japanese producer Shozo Tsurumoto), the album was masterminded by Sakamoto with the help of the cutting-edge electronic technology of the time (the only external contributions are by Arto Lindsay on guitar and Japanese composer Yas-Kaz on percussion).
?Indeed, the album is a fascinating soundscape experimenting with the new sampler technology - which, according to Ryuichi Sakamoto from a conversation with journalist Andy Beta mentioned in the liner notes, needed a computer that was huge at the time.
?Esperanto is composed of eight tracks displaying a varied mix of influences. "A Wongga Dance Song" is pulsating with rhythms while "A Rain Song" adopts a minimalist mode with its distinctive
repetitive pattern. "Dolphins" and "A Carved Stone" are captivating ambient pieces showcasing Sakamoto's talent for setting beautiful abstract melodic ornaments over atmospheric tones.
?One of the highlights of the album is "Adelic Penguins", a fascinating proto techno piece with a funky twist stretching over six minutes which echoes the electro funk of 1981's album "Hidari Ude No Yume." "Ulu Watu", a collage-like piece featuring bird motives and a tropical soundscape closes the album with an experimental note. It's interesting to note that, a year later, the tracks from "Esperanto" would be turned into an experimental video project by New York visual artists Kit Fitzgerald and Nam June Paik collaborator Paul Garrin.
?A unique album in Ryuichi Sakamoto's rich discography, "Esperanto" is a groundbreaking work worth rediscovering in its full glory.

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The 25th of September will see two of house and techno’s most-established talents collaborate on their debut release together, as Hot Creations head Jamie Jones teams up with Mood Records boss Nicole Moudaber on Pepper Shake.

Short, sweet and with no filler involved, Pepper Shake gets us underway swiftly, and the name certainly does the track justice. Up-tempo hats whistle beside a driving bassline, before a female vocal reels in and out. The styles of both artists are present throughout, with Jamie’s signature groove providing the foundation and Nicole’s deeper techno style coming through in the synths. Bubble Ride completes the release. Dark, gritty and harder-edged than its predecessor, this is a stripped-back peak-time club cut, with a penetrating bassline and hard-hitting kick patterns. The occasional pulse of an atmospheric sample further enhances the body of the track, to form something that’s built solely for the dancefloor.

As a world-renowned DJ and producer, head of Hot Creations and founder of the global Paradise event series, Jamie Jones has etched out a legacy in electronic music that few others can attest to. His personally curated Paradise series offers an international showcase of house and techno’s most recognisable artists, whilst his flagship label, Hot Creations, continues to pioneer a contemporary house sound. At the forefront of the MOOD brand, with offshoots including a record label (Mood Records), warehouse parties (MoodRAW), festival stages (MoodZONE) and a renowned global radio show (In the MOOD), Nicole Moudaber has rightfully established herself as a worldwide techno mainstay.

*REMASTERED ROUGH TRADE DEBUT LP LIMITED TO JUST 500 COPIES WITH EMBOSSED OUTER SLEEVE AND ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVE ON BLACK VINYL*

Dream POP, they called it. Given AR Kane’s Alex Ayuli once worked for advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, it’s no surprise that he and collaborator Rudy Tambala invented their own genre before critics could stick their oar in. It was a canny move, but more importantly, it was accurate: the music of AR Kane was made for dreamers, by dreamers, and its languor and longing made it particularly bewitching listening; their music is often smeared and blurry, happily lost in its own indefinable pleasures. “We wanted dream pop,” Tambala says, “that feeling of a dream where the rules are different. Dream logic.”
-UNCUT REISSUE OF THE MONTH

"A.R. Kane carved out a unique musical path, welding elements of pop, psych, dub, electronica, funk, noise, jazz, ambient and more in a way that had never been done before. Or since. Their debut in particular is a work of unbridled brilliance."
*Electronic Sound*

‘Sixty Nine’ the group’s debut LP that emerged in 1988 had critics and listeners struggling to fit language around A.R. Kane’s sound. As a title it was telling - the year of ‘Bitches Brew’, the year of ‘In A Silent Way’, the erotic möbius between two lovers - and as originally coined by the band themselves,
‘dream pop’ (before it became a free-floating signifier of vague import) was entirely apposite for the music A.R. Kane were making. Crafted in a dark small basement studio in which Tambala recalls the duo had “complete freedom - We wanted to go as far out as we could, and in doing so we discovered the point where it stops being music”. There was an irresistibly dreamy, somnambulant, sensual and almost surreal flow to ‘sixty nine’s sound, but also real darkness/dankness, the ruptures of the primordial and the reverberations of the subconscious, within the grooves of remarkable songs like ‘Dizzy’ and ‘Crazy Blue’. Alex’s plangent vocals floated and surged amidst exquisite peals of refracted feedback but crucially there was BASS here, lugubrious and funky and full of dread, sonic pleasure and sonic disturbance crushed together to make music with a center so deep it felt subcutaneous, music constructed from both the accidental and the deliberate, generous enough to dance with both serendipity and chaos. ‘sixty nine’ remains - especially in this remastered iteration - ravishing, revolutionary – Neil Kulkarni


"A.R. Kane made some of the most exciting, forward-thinking, and science fictional music of their era".
*Reissue Of The Week In The Quietus*

Freerange regular Simbad is back with a new 4 track EP following on from his 2021 Peaceful Revolution EP which got big support from Ron Trent, Gilles Peterson, Osunlade and Horse Meat Disco to name a few. Having based himself in Cape Town the last 5 or so years, the French born producer and DJ is one of the most prolific artists in the scene having notched up countless EP’s, remixes and production work for labels like Apron, G.A.M.M. Faces, Hyperdub, Atjazz, BBE & Brownswood. His association with Gilles Peterson and Worldwide runs deep, hosting regular shows on WWFM as well as traversing the globe delivering his unique and eclectic sets from Africa to Asia and beyond.

Lead track Nuphoria kicks things off in typical Simbad genre-bending style, sitting in a sweet spot between the Baltimore house of Karizma, the epic, uplifting techno of Laurent Garnier and the UK-centric rave sounds of Bicep and Kieren Hebden. Not an easy track to pigeon-hole but one that can’t fail to grab the dancers attention if dropped at the right time on a discerning dance floor.

Up next we have Dream featuring SA native Sanele who delivers a beautiful, raw and intimate vocal performance which fits perfectly with Simbads’ roughed-up drums and chiming Rhodes chords.

Flipping over Simbad delivers an alternate Pretoria Mix of Nuphoria which slows the pace of the original, adds a more rhythmic bassline and spoken word sample. A deeper alternative to the original which retains the euphoric quality thanks to its epic synth line and chords.

Closing out the release we have Wake Up featuring Frederick of Fifty Fathoms Deep who contributes to a bright and breezy house track with soulful chords and bouncing square wave bass line.

Warehouse Find!

Undoubtedly one of the most exciting acts to have emerged in drum & bass over the past decade, Voltage has joined forces with Hospital Records for the release of his long-awaited studio album 'Balance Over Symmetry' which marks the tenth year of his journey as a solo artist.

No stranger to the Hospital family with an album, 2 EPs and a handful of singles under his belt as part of drum & bass powerhouse group Kings Of The Rollers, it's now time to explore the solo sounds of Voltage which have slowly but surely carved him to be one of the most respected DJ & producers in the scene.

In his true rambunctious style, Voltage sets the swing with a wild card. 'So Close' is a sub-120BPM synthwave weapon which matches his retro-inspired fashion to his musical vibrations. The combination of catchy vocals, an 80s-esque bassline and an unforgettable topline melody sees the creation of something extremely different yet irresistible from Voltage.

Not straying too far from the roots of his influences, 'Natty Love' features the groove inducing vocals of sound system legend Sweetie Irie. Saturated sub wobbles juxtaposed with potent string plucks are intertwined with ease, peppered with that signature Voltage flair.

Teaming up with reggae and dancehall superstar Demolition Man known for his skill as a vocalist, producer, MC and sound engineer, 'Life Of A DJ' combines the sounds of Demo's with Voltage's unmissable sonic technique. 'Save Me From Myself' exposes
the lighter side to Voltage as he illustrates his versatility as an artist through a soul-heavy amen roller with a classic liquid bassline.

Reminiscent of the days of euphoric hardcore, 'Keep On Dancing' sets the vibe with uplifting piano chops and adrenalised vocals as crunchy snaps and rhythmic cymbals keep things moving beneath. An iconic duo to everyone who knows their drum & bass, Voltage and Evil B come together for 'Odyssey' which sees ambient soundscapes
and earnest lyrics on a truly heartfelt piece of music.

With releases on foundational imprints such as Metalheadz, 31 Recordings, RAM, Souped Up and Spearhead to name a few, Voltage's discography speaks for itself in laying down his years’ worth of experience within drum & bass. With support for his productions coming from a wide range of influential selectors including the likes of Andy C, Hype, Friction, Goldie, Bailey, Hazard and Bryan Gee, it's safe to say that 10 years of Voltage has been a remarkable decade to say the least. Here's to 10 more…

The large and humanistic ensemble Black Lives , led by bassist Reggie Washington (brother of drummer Kenny Washington) and his wife Stefany Calembert, is working to fulfil a dream - some would say a utopia - that is as much musical as it is social. Musicians from the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe are united by a common language in their fight for equality and justice. It's about the future of our societies, which are lost in the excesses of all-consuming materialism and mistrust of others. A natural convergence of musical and cultural aesthetics - jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, blues - is shaping a declaration of love and an act of resistance. Hearts beat fast and fists are raised high! The watchwords call for a world of unity, peace, and freedom. It's a strong belief in tomorrow. 'If you unite and struggle, it's possible to change.'

Emerging once again from the unending waves crashing upon our fragile time-craft (adrift on the eternal ocean, and taking on water), Dirty Three are (a) back, (b) tangled in seaweed, rank with saltwater and possessed of three rather ominous thousand-mile stares (at least!), and (c) not wasting another minute – as nothing is guaranteed. For their first album in over a decade – yep, it’s been since 2012’s Toward the Low Sun – they flew in, got together and started playing. End of story. What else is there to say or do but that? Music’s their language, their true love; they never stop listening to that. And like the label says, Love Changes Everything.

The Dirty Three – Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White – formed up in Melbourne in 1992, to play with guitar drums and violin or viola, and within a couple years, they’d broken out – out of Australia, out of anything else they might have been inside of, to boot – and got worldwide. Over the next ten years, they toured over and over the planet, ceaseless like, and cut seven albums out along the way. After this, their unique style of play, fitted together like puzzle pieces, was decoupled, more often than not, and pieced together in many other, fruitful collaborations with many other esteemed talents. Over the past 20 years, they’ve gotten together a few times, renewed the vow, revved the engines and played some shows, or made an album. Like now

True Acid Wizards of the 1980s/1990s Psychedelic Underground TreaTmenT performed at Stonehenge Free Festival and at squats and clubs all over London including the now legendary Alice In Wonderland, The Crypt and Club Dog where they assaulted the minds of those present with their unique and somewhat terrifying blend of '60s psychedelia and '70s space rock all liberally spiked with a questioning punk attitude. Performing with Dr & The Medics, Ozric Tentacles, The Magic Mushroom Band, Naz Nomad and The Nightmares and other luminaries of the neo-psychedelic space rock revival, TreaTmenT were an integral part of the scene and possibly the most psychedelic band of them all.

Hardcore to the max, the band insisted on performing in a psychedelicised state, looking like a cross between Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come and early Pink Floyd and often with a lightshow. Firmly fixated on taking their audience on the trip of a lifetime TreaTment consisted of Adam Blake (Jacket Xerxophon) on guitar and vocals, Gordon Leach (Gordon Zola) on further guitar and vocals, Clive Leach (Evil C. Live, Ron Number, Curtis Vile) on bass/trombone, Paul Ross (The Big Beat, Mr Raagh) on drums/percussion and Paul McWhinnie (Mutant) on keyboards, noises and vocals. They were without doubt a live phenomenon, and although they released a couple of singles, cassettes, a live album and a studio album - Cypher Caput - on the Delerium label (home to Porcupine Tree), they never really managed to commit their mind-blowing magic to vinyl. Now, nearly 20 years after it was recorded TreaTment are releasing a limited-edition double vinyl LP of their second studio album How Much is Enough? in memory of guitarist Gordon Leach who sadly passed away in 2021.

The album was intended to be released on Delerium in 2000 but never was and whilst one track 'Keep Ahead' appeared on the Cherry Red box set Last Daze of The Underground - Delerium Records Anthology in 2011 nothing else has seen the light of day until now. Fans of the band will note cornerstones of their live set such as the wondrously trippy 'What The Hell to do' the humorous swipe at the music press 'Hate The Band' the melodic keyboard swirling 'Restless', the frenetic guitar cross fire of 'No Understanding' and the nihilistic nightmare 'Blot Out'.

Housed in a gatefold sleeve packed with photos and memorabilia as well as for the first time the full history of the band and limited to only 300 on 180-gram vinyl How Much is Enough? will no doubt be seen in the future as one of the landmark releases of the '80s/90s Neo-Psychedelic revival.

Rain/Water is the fourth album by Tokyo's Kariu Kenji. Following 2021's Sekai, also on Bruit Direct Disques, rain/water is a gorgeous haze of song, a modern driftwork that's creatively rich, and full of fleeting sensation. These twelve lush pop songs point in multiple directions, outwards to bossa nova, modern R&B and soul, ambient bliss-outs, city pop confections, and electronica. But rain/water also has a sly experimentalism at its core, the kind of experimentation that doesn't need to call attention to itself, but that exists 'between the cracks' of the songs - in small, curious gestures of arrangement, in a sudden twist in melody, or an unexpected detour in a song's narrative. In this way, they share something of the stylistic free range in other great recent avant-pop moments - think, perhaps, of the music of Maher Shalal Hash Baz; Stereolab's more late-night, hermetic moments, or High Llamas' recent Hey Panda.

Going solo while still keeping intact his devotion to RS Produções, Nuno appears as a true heartbreaker. Silky, space soul, why not even risk the patented future r&b? But this music exists and manifests itself apart from the established production centres, the golden arches of hype edifices and synthetic promotion regurgitated by a thousand cloned fingers. "Sai Do Coração" is a very brave, romantic improbability, shying away from DJ bravado and dancefloor top speed. Through these grooves comes a pure distillation of love, an alchemical sublimatio resulting in the much sought-after "higher substance", a bright globe issuing rays of affection all around.

With love we most likely also buy into a degree of suffering, and though this is not at all the ID of the album, Nuno explicitly connects the two sentiments in "N'Dengue", a cathartic cold cut one grows to cherish intensely by the time it is over. It's a key moment, grief pours out, liberation achieved in the dance - "I will love, I will suffer, I will shout, I will dance". Flip to the other side for "Confusão No Ghetto", another gritty expression, a richly percussive, slow tempo observation of things gone wrong. All the rest in the album feels simple, direct and yet sophisticated like photosynthesis. Like the soil, through which geological becomes biological. Nuno whips up a variety of textures and flavours into the invisible form of Music, romantic fiction into action.

In a joint venture with Weird Vacation, fmd is pleased to announced the long overdue reissue of the classic Plush debut album, More You Becomes You. Originally released in 1998, More You Becomes You was revered upon release and has been remastered from the original tapes by Jason Hillier with new Digital and DL masters created by Bob Weston who also recut new lacquers for the vinyl reissue. Described by Uncut magazine as “One of the most charismatic and eccentric pop craftsmen of the past twenty years”, Liam Hayes has been making critically acclaimed records since the 90’s. His first single “Three-Quarters Blind Eyes b/w Found a Little Baby” released under the moniker Plush, was cited by the NME as being “..one of those rare records - and incredibly rare debuts - that instantly seems a classic..” Although he emerged from the Chicago indie-rock scene, Hayes is often compared with artists such as Jimmy Webb, Brian Wilson, Laura Nyro and Harry Nilsson. Like some of the best folk-pop or soft soul from the 1960’s and 1970’s there is a timeless quality to his music. Re-release of debut album More You Becomes You is remastered from the original analogue tapes by Jason Hillier and recut for vinyl by Bob Weston, who also remastered the CD and Streaming formats. A deluxe 12 page full size booklet comes with the LP version (which also comes packaged as close to the original as possible, with a printed outer envelope/bag) and a 20 page booklet comes with the CD version put together by Liam and Jason Harvey, with Sleeve Notes by John Mulvey.

Je Te Dis Vous is Patricia Kaas' third studio album, which she released in 1993. After the huge success of her first two albums, Kaas turned to producer Robin Millar, who had worked with Sade and Fine Young Cannibals, for production at Pete Townshend's Eel Pie Studio in London. It established her status as an international star, selling three million copies in over 47 countries. The album features three tracks in English, including a cover of the James Brown song ""It's A Man's World"". Kaas was accompanied by Chris Rea on guitar on the tracks ""Out Of The Rain"" and ""Ceux Qui N'Ont Rien"". The album spawned two singles, including ""Il Me Dit Que Je Suis Belle"", which remains one of her most successful and popular tracks. Je Te Dis Vous is available as a limited edition of 1000(?) individually numbered copies on green coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

Following their 2020 collaboration on "Real Bad Boldy", prolific Detroit rapper Boldy James and LA producer Real Bad Man are back at it with their new album "Killing Nothing". Picking up right where they left off, the two are creating a music score to a gritty, grimy and filthy street tale, recruiting accomplices CRIMEAPPLE, Knowledge The Pirate, Rome Streetz, and Stove God Cook to add further depth and diversity to the album's sonic landscape. Each guest artist brings their own unique style and perspective to their respective tracks, enhancing the album's richness and variety.

The collaborative masterpiece between rapper Boldy James and producer Real Bad Man blends gritty lyricism with innovative production. Boldy James, known for his intricate storytelling and vivid street narratives, brings his raw authenticity to every track, painting vivid pictures of urban life and survival. Real Bad Man's production style, characterized by its eclectic mix of boom-bap beats, soulful samples, and experimental soundscapes, provides the perfect backdrop for Boldy's wordplay.

Originally released in 2013 and previously unreleased on vinyl, we are proud to present the 3rd volume in the Piece Maker series by legendary DJ Tony Touch. Featuring an incredible line up of MC's that includes Busta Rhymes, Reek da Villain, Roc Marciano, Lil' Fame, Too Short, Xzibit, Kurupt, B-Real, Papoose, Uncle Murda, Black Thought, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Jadakiss, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Eminem, Twista, Bun B, Action Bronson, Prodigy, Joell Ortiz, Royce da 5'9", KRS-One, Crooked I, Redman, Method Man, N.O.R.E. and Erick Sermon among others.

“With their debut record, the merry order of musically miscreants from Los Angeles bring you their eccentric, eclectic, electric Polywave experience” The core members are: Neight Trion (The Black Angels, The Shine Brothers), Rocky (Death Valley Girls), Jay Eraser (Grooms, Roya), Oh-Ra (?) and Malware (Dead Meadow). Recorded and mixed by Jason Simon at Tekeli-li Sound. Mastered by Howie Weinberg "World Destroyers’ Pleasure Club is a musickal order formed during the great plague of the 20’s in Los Angeles in thanks to a constellation of fortuitous alignments. In the midst of the isolation that connected all people across the globe, in that unsettling quiet, a vision was obtained of community, ecstasy and revelry. The vision took on a life of its own as the band found each other and continues to propel the unit forward in their journey toward its realization. When asked to describe their strange, mutant music some fans and even members have found it difficult to do so. For this reason they have chosen the term Polywave as their designated genre which they envision as including other forms of expression besides music, a tendency to be hyper-eclectic and bearing the distinguishing mark of a commitment to continual, intentional self-transformation. WDPC has performed at venues such as Permanent Records Roadhouse, Zebulon, Lodge Room and more, both headlining and supporting artists such as The Intelligence, The Black Lips and The Nude Party. Nicknamed The Mysterious Party Band, they’ve been told they sound like a “Gospel Devo” by DJ Al Lover (Fuzz Club Records), and drawn comparisons to Talking Heads, The Fall, Butthole Surfers and Peter Gabriel. As influences they cite artists as varied as Hailu Mergia, Psychic TV, Scott Walker, Fela Kuti and Red Crayola but these influences don’t necessarily reveal themselves sonically as much as resembling the spirit in which they were conceived. Artist Neight Trion, the principal songwriter, spends as much time on the lyrics as composing the music, aiming for both to be strong enough to stand on their own. Membership includes a revolving and evolving collection of instrumentalists and collaborative mimetic entities but the core members are Neight Trion, singer/keyboards (The Black Angels, The Shine Brothers), Rocky, bass guitar (Death Valley Girls), Jay Eraser, guitar (Grooms, Roya), Oh-Ra, drums (?) and Malware, synth (Dead Meadow). Hailing from all across the US and Europe their operations are based in the Los Angeles area. Armed with their eponymous debut released by Blow Your Mind Records based in Santiago, Chile, they’ll be coming to a town near you and preparing the way for the coming Polywave. This is only the beginning, the first stages of metamorphosis. They invite you to join them in their pursuit of the communal ecstatic experience

KISSIN‘ DYNAMITE sind zurück! Das achte Album der Stadionrocker erscheint am 5. Juli 2024 über Napalm Records. 2007 als Teenage-Schulband gegründet, haben sie sich von Anfang an dem großen Stadionrock verschrieben. Im Laufe ihrer Erfolgskarriere sind sie auf unzähligen großen internationalen Festivals aufgetreten, sind mit Acts wie den L.A.-Rockstars Mötley Crüe getourt und haben massive ausverkaufte Headline-Touren gespielt. Die Karriere von KISSIN' DYNAMITE kennt nur den Weg nach oben, was mehrere Topresultate in den Charts beweisen, wobei das aktuelle Studioalbum und Napalm Records Debüt Not The End Of The Road (2022) direkt auf Platz 2 der Offiziellen Deutschen Album Charts eingestiegen ist.

Darüber hinaus schafften es die eingängigen Hits der Rocker mehrfach auf Platz 1 der Rock Radio Airplay Charts und die millionenfach gestreamten Musikvideos der Band erreichten jeweils über eine Million Views.

2024 veröffentlichen KISSIN' DYNAMITE ihr neues Werk Back With A Bang, das wieder von Sänger Hannes Braun (Südland Music) aufgenommen und produziert wurde. Gemastert wurde das Album von dem Grammy-nominierten Mastering Engineer Robin Schmidt (24-96 Mastering).

Brie Stoner ist eine Künstlerin, die sich ihres mehrsprachigen und multikulturellen Hintergrunds gekonnt bedient. Sei es nun in ihrer Indie-Dream-Rock-Musik, ihrem Schreiben oder ihrer Kunst. Als Musikerin hat Stoner mit dem Produzenten Jay Bennett (Wilco) und zuletzt mit David Vandervelde (Father John, Secretly Canadian) an ihrem neuen Album 'Me Veo' gearbeitet.

'Me Veo' ist spanisch für "Ich sehe mich selbst", und diese offenkundige Selbstentdeckung und Heimkehr wird in ihren Indie-Dream-Rock-Songs deutlich, die den Bogen ihrer eigenen Weiblichkeit spannen ... die zwischen verführerischer Sirene, verletzlicher Zärtlichkeit und Momenten der Souveränität in ihrer unverblümten Aufrichtigkeit harmonieren.

Ihr Sound ist ihr ganz eigener, lässt sich aber von Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac und Mazzy Star inspirieren. Brie's Musik wurde bereits von Victoria Secret, Orange Is the New Black, The Affair und Ralph Lauren genutzt.

Brie hat ein neues Buch veröffentlicht und moderiert den Podcast Unknowing, in dem Künstler und andere Kreative über ihre Arbeit sprechen.

An exciting new collaboration between New Mastersounds Hammond organist and Madrid based guitarist Lucas De Mulder plus drummer Luke Flowers (Cinematic Orchestra). Recorded at Joe's home studio on his cherished C3 Hammond (where The New Mastersounds' latest album "Old School" was recorded Galáctico will delight vintage jazz-funk fans with nods to Jimmy Mcgriff, Dr Lonnie Smith,George Benson etc etc. Joe and Lucas worked together on Lucas's album "Feel the spirit" in 2019 on Color Red label based in Denver.
The trio will be launching the record at the Saint Paul Soul Jazz festival in the south of France on 7th July and continue to play a series of other fgigs through-out the summer
The album starts with the frenetic James Brown groove of Double Take - a catch jazz guitar head that builds moving up in key to a frenetic hammond solo punctuated by The Haggis Horns.
Track 2 is the Meters-esque "Hey!" The only English language vocal track on the record and at that only one word
Next up is "El Gato" featuring Sam Bell on Congas and Atholl Ransome and Malcolm Strachan from the Haggis Horns a latin four to the floor vibe with solos traded throughout
Guinnee Drop is a swaggering funk jam with Luke Flowers funk drums breaks a feature
The only cover on the album is Sixto Rodriguez' Sugarman - Lucas and Joe were both inspired by his story and loved the song so much it had to go on the album with a mellow instrumental twist
The title track "Galáctico" is has funky soundtrack tune - the horns are back and take the track out with some blistering solos
"Retiro" inspired by the park near Lucas's pad in Madrid is a laid back boogaloo vibe and has Sam Bell on Congas and an upright piano solo from Tatton
"Dame Lo Que Tienes" - The first single from Joe Tatton's second album "Give me what you got!"- led by a funky guitar riff followed by a cutting hammond melody - a little "Meters, Booker T, The Crusaders "!
"Moonbow" a hypnotic slower tune with a nod to Khurangbin
The final track on the album is "Lost on You" A Breezy George Benson nod along
Out on vinyl, CD and digital on 5th July !

Oliver Leiths von der Kritik gefeierte Kammeroper "Last Days", basierend auf dem Gus Van Sants Kultfilm "Last Days", feierte im Oktober 2022 in einer ausverkauften Aufführungsreihe im Londoner Royal Opera House Premiere. Mit der bewährten Starbesetzung in ihren ursprünglichen Rollen entstand nun diese 90-minütige Studioaufnahme, auf der das 12-köpfige Ensemble unter der Leitung von Jack Sheen den Anker von Leiths straff ausgearbeiteter und zutiefst fantasievoller Partitur darstellt.

- "Oliver Leith's score is a sonic tapestry interweaving delicate instrumental effects, 'found' sounds, and a cappella vocal timbres." - The Independent
- "Leith's score, brilliantly rendered by 12 Ensemble under Jack Sheen, is starkly original." - Bachtrack
- "Jack Sheen conducted the slick 12 Ensemble… balancing the push-pull sternness and rapture of a score that surely has a real future ahead." - Opera

OCTOPLOID ist die Kreation des Amorphis-Bassisten Olli-Pekka "Oppu" Laine. Da er selbst auf eine lange Geschichte als Songwriter zurückblickt, war es sein langfristiges Ziel, tief in einen Pool musikalischer Elemente einzutauchen und sie zu dem zu verschmelzen, was im Debütwerk seiner neuen Band "Beyond The Aeons" gipfelte. Viele unterschiedliche Stilrichtungen zu vermischen mag weit hergeholt erscheinen, aber all diese musikalischen Schwingungen, die auch mehrere illustre Gastmusiker anlockten, verschmelzen am Ende zu einem abgerundeten Klangbild. "Beyond The Aeons? kombiniert Elemente aus Folk, Prog und Death Metal und ist ein Inbegriff des Sounds von OCTOPLOID und der musikalischen Einflüsse von Bandleader Olli-Pekka Laine. Oppu glänzt in dieser Formation nicht nur dadurch, dass er dem Album seine charakteristischen Bass-Grooves verleiht, sondern auch zusätzliche Keyboard-, Gitarrenund Gesangsparts beisteuert, und wird unterstützt von Mikko Pietinen (Schlagzeug), Peter Salonen (Gitarren) und Kim Rantala (Keyboards). Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow The Sun-Sänger) übernimmt den Leadgesang für Live-Aktivitäten.

"Musically Speaking" heisst das vierte Album der Roots-Reggae-Legende I-Taweh, Gitarrist/Bassist für Sade, Capleton und Luciano sowie Mitglied der Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari und der globalen Playing For Change-Bewegung. I-Taweh ist bis heute eine Grösse der Reggaeszene, die tiefe Lyrik, dynamische Bühnenpräsenz und unvergleichliches Talent vereint. Von ergreifenden Balladen bis zu treibenden Jamaikarhythmen überschreitet seine Musik Grenzen und verbreitet Liebe und Einigkeit unter den Zuhörern. Die neuen Songs bieten Roots-Reggae im 70er-Jahre-Flair und sind ein weiterer Beweis für I-Tawehs künstlerische Skills.

For Patricia Kaas' her sixth album Dans Ma Chair, she went to New York to work together with the successful producer Phil Ramone (Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Paul Simon), Lyle Lovett and, for the second time, James Taylor. With Taylor, she recorded the duet ""Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight"". Two singles from the album received silver status, ""Je voudrais la connaître"" and ""Quand j'ai peur de tout"". The latter was written by Diane Warren and later succesfully translated and covered by Sugababes as ""Too Lost in You"". The album went to #1 in Belgium and reached the Top 10 in Finland, French, Germany, and Switzerland. Dans Ma Chair is available as a limited edition of 1000(?) individually numbered copies on red coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

The very same group that the Mamas & the Papas sang about in “Creeque Alley!” Before each musician found their way to stardom, Mama Cass & Denny Doherty teamed up with future Lovin’ Spoonful guitarist Zal Yanovsky and “Summer Rain” hit songwriter Jim Hendricks to form the Mugwumps! Only lasting eight months, this pop-folk treasure didn’t hit the shelves until after they disbanded and found success a couple of years later.

The very same group that the Mamas & the Papas sang about in “Creeque Alley!” Before each musician found their way to stardom, Mama Cass & Denny Doherty teamed up with future Lovin’ Spoonful guitarist Zal Yanovsky and “Summer Rain” hit songwriter Jim Hendricks to form the Mugwumps! Only lasting eight months, this pop-folk treasure didn’t hit the shelves until after they disbanded and found success a couple of years later.

Recorded in 1956 for producer Tom Wilson’s Boston-based label Transition Records, Byrd Blows On Beacon Hill presented trumpeter Donald Byrd in a relaxed and intimate quartet setting with Doug Watkins on bass along with Boston area musicians Ray Santisi on piano and Jim Zitano on drums. This mono Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket with a booklet.

The word Simultaneity is a technical term from the theory of Special Relativity representing two distinct events happening at the same time. This fluidity is embodied in the musical exploration of Ari Tsugi. Comprised of mostly self-taught musicians, the soundscape is a unique melting pot of UK Jazz scenes and the raw energy that comes from psychedelic rock. Produced and mixed by Glasgow-based musician Sam Bancroft (Starsky-Rae) alongside engineer-producer Villus Vilo Jokubaitis, the album features offerings from Liam Shorthall and India Blue (Azamiah) alongside the original Ari Tsugi trio -Clement Gaud, Joe Weisberg and Mashu Harada - with keys from Angus MacDonald being added later down the line.

I have a lot of beats lying around that I keep meaning to use for something. File under "Beats to Use". I thought I'd put them together on a little beat tape.

In my folders, my beats have random names like "BEATS 114 S_Z - 82" so in needing to give these ones names and in homage to "Special Herbs" I have named them all after drugs. Broadly these beats are pretty menacing, and have a big electronic influence.

I thought they sat well together and alongside the vocal feature from Jam Baxter. Some beat tapes are full of vocal samples or play continuously. I wanted this one to hark back to some of the beat albums of the late 90s that were meant for beat juggling with, cutting or rapping over. So here we are.

“On the Move” is a tune originally released on a very rare 7” in the mid 70ts and became the title track of the BOBBY BYRD album in the year 1993 when the Godfather’s Godfather, at least Soulbrother # 1, as Fred Wesley calls him, probably the most warm-hearted and soulful gentleman on Planet Funk, was sitting in the living room/office of his back then, brand new label Soulciety Records in Hamburg, Germany, listening to some of his old 7” singles. When Soulciety released the studio album “On the Move (I Can’t Get Enough)” in 1994, the album became a somewhat hoped for, but still unexpected success. Rare Groove-enthusiasts the world over, who knew about Bobby’s songs as well as the ones he wrote with James Brown (e.g.: “Sex Machine”), plus all the Hip Hop-fans who dug him from the countless times his songs had been sampled (Eric B. & Rakim used almost all of Bobby’s version for their hit “I Know You Got Soul”), loved these fresh but original sounding recordings. For the first time ever, this classic is now available on a SEDSOULCIETY RECORDINGS 7” vinyl, including the never released instrumental version on the flip side.

"To celebrate the Grateful Dead's 15th anniversary in 1980, they did something extraordinary: they played a fifteen-show run in San Francisco, and an eight-show run in New York City, with the most exciting of these being an additional, acoustic 45 minute set to open every show, their first acoustic sets since 1970. These sets saw the reinterpretation of some classic Dead and solo songs, older traditional songs from the jugband days and the 1970 acoustic sets, and some new additions to the Dead's repertoire. Recorded to 32-track tape (two 16-track tape machines synced up), Reckoning is one of the greatest, most clear sounding live records the Dead ever produced. Featuring countless classics including “Cassidy”, “Bird Song”, “Monkey and the Engineer”, and “Ripple”. • Will be newly mastered by GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer David Glasser, Produced for release by the Dead’s Audio Archivist and Legacy Manager, David Lemieux"

Wie Reckoning ist auch Dead Set ein Live-Album, das
während der ausgedehnten Aufenthalte der Dead's in San
Francisco und New York im Herbst 1980 aufgenommen
wurde. Es wurde auf analogem 32-Spur-Band
aufgezeichnet und klingt so großartig wie damals im
Warfield und in der Radio City Music Hall, als die Musik
live gespielt wurde. Gefüllt mit zahllosen Grateful
Dead-Klassikern, von denen die meisten noch nie auf
einem Live-Album der Band erschienen sind, darunter
neuere Songs wie "Feel Like A Stranger" und "Little Red
Rooster", Klassiker der 1970er Jahre wie "Samson and
Delilah", "Fire On The Mountain", "Franklin's Tower" und
"Passenger" sowie ein Trio von American Beauty-Songs
aus dem Jahr 1970, "Candyman", "Friend Of The Devil"
und "Brokedown Palace".
- David Lemieux, Grateful Dead Legacy Manager und
Audioarchivar

Zur Feier des 15-jährigen Jubiläums der Grateful Dead
im Jahr 1980 unternahmen sie etwas Außergewöhnliches:
Sie spielten fünfzehn Shows in San Francisco und acht
Shows in New York City, wobei das Aufregendste daran
ein zusätzliches, 45-minütiges Akustik-Set war, mit dem
sie jede Show eröffneten - ihre ersten Akustik-Sets seit
1970. In diesen Sets wurden einige klassische Dead- und
Solo-Songs neu interpretiert, ältere traditionelle Songs aus
der Zeit der Jugband und der Akustik-Sets von 1970
sowie einige Neuzugänge im Repertoire der Dead.
Aufgenommen auf 32-Spur-Band (zwei
16-Spur-Bandmaschinen, die miteinander synchronisiert
wurden), ist Reckoning eine der besten und klarsten
Live-Aufnahmen, die die Dead je produziert haben. Mit
unzähligen Klassikern wie "Cassidy", "Bird Song",
"Monkey and the Engineer" und "Ripple".
- David Lemieux, Grateful Dead Legacy Manager und
Audioarchivar

Past collaborators of Decosimo include indie/folk artists Jake Xerxes Fussell, Wye Oak, and Hiss Golden Messenger. Past collaborators of Schrey include experimental/sound artists Alvin Lucier, Gordon Mumma and Yasunao Tone. In April 2021, Joseph Decosimo, Luke Richardson, and Cleek Schrey three of the most compelling interpreters in the American traditional music scene gathered at a cabin in Tennessee to explore their collective repertoire of Old-time fiddle and banjo tunes, gleaned from visits with older players, field recordings, and vintage 78s. Working with fiddle, hardanger d’amore (a fiddle with sympathetic strings), banjos, and a 19th-century pump organ, the trio captured both the sonic details of their instruments and a generous musical interplay rooted in a dozen years of collaboration. Their debut album, Beehive Cathedral, presents resonant, thoughtful, and expansive explorations of Appalachian and American music. The results showcase deep Details study and enveloping, exhilarating performances. A rich vein of stories and relationships to people and places underpin Beehive Cathedral. Much of the album draws on Decosimo’s experiences learning the music of Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, where he grew up and worked as a folklorist. A key source of inspiration was fiddler Clyde Davenport (1921-2020), “Clyde was a social and musical trickster who knew hundreds of old tunes and had an uncanny ability to recall each piece in exquisite detail,” says Decosimo. “During my visits, he’d play breathtaking local pieces from his father Will, who was born in 1868. His father had learned some of them from a neighbor who was born in 1829.” "This record expresses some of what we hear in Southern traditional music: the ring of the strings, the buzz of the tunings, the hum of the organ,” explains Schrey. Spending time listening to old recordings and imagining how those sounds were made has made the trio keenly interested in the relationship between physical motion and sound in their source material. The result is a dense layering of sounds and interaction. Of this sonic interplay, Irish fiddle luminary Martin Hayes observes, “The sound of a beehive conveys the idea of a unified harmonious soundscape which is how this recording sounds. Beehive Cathedral is a sonic delight, a beautiful blend of Old-time soundscapes and more. This is a hypnotic recording that is grounded, subtle and refined

Besides being a leading session musician in Milan's jazz scene between the 60s and 90s, Italian pianist Oscar Rocchi created a number of exquisite library albums in the pop-jazz genre. These include among others "Erbe Selvatiche", "Pop-Paraphrenia" and "Woman's Colours" (the latter co-written with his friend Giancarlo Barigozzi) as well as "Alchemy in Jazz", which is now available in digital format for the first time ever.

Originally released on Ring, an imprint of Edizioni Minstrel, the album was recorded by a quintet featuring Rocchi on piano plus long-time collaborators Hugo Heredia (sax and flute), Sergio Fanni (trumpet), Gianni Cazzola (drums) and Furio Di Castri (double bass), and has since become a cult record in countries from the US to Japan, where it was released for the first time on CD in 2013.

With a palette ranging from frenzied post-bop echoes("Gold-Fast", "Nigredo") to sentimental nocturnal ballads ("Solution", "Rubedo") to cheerful modern-jazz vibes ("Mercury", "Silver-Bop", "Sulphur"), here Rocchi paints an elegantly syncopated musical fresco that, like the magical, alchemical process referred to in the title, transmutes the harsher aspects of jazz syntax into a graceful and more euphonic style that is approachable for jazz neophytes and yet enjoyable for seasoned jazz lovers.

Following the release of Lee Selmoco's "Mosaico" we continue our journey with Vedette Records to bring back to life part of their incredible catalog, with the reissue of the first instalment of the "High Tension" series by Lesiman. Born in Florence in 1935, Paolo Renosto, the man behind the moniker Lesiman, was an incredible composer, experimenter, music teacher and piano player whose amazing skills and sound research brought him to work with Luigi Dallapiccola and Bruno Maderna, as well as being a member of the Associazione Nuova Consonanza of Roma. He obviously joined, for some time, the renowned Gruppo d’Improvvisazione, with Franco Evangelisti and Domenico Guaccero. Released exactly 50 years ago and packed with dramatic tension, obscure drums and asphyxiating atmospheres revolving around the theme of war, composed with the additional input of Romolo Grano, Sandro Brugnolini and Guido Baggiani, this first volume in the series is a holy grail in Italian libraries as well as a prime example of "music especially crafted for films, television, radio, publicity and industrial use". Now available on vinyl for the first time as a limited edition of 500 copies.

BOBBY ROBINSON was more than a fixture in hisNew York community, he had been an essential part of its lifeblood for over 60 years. Had he just been the proprietor of the first record store (and reputedly the first black-owned business) on 125th Street, he would have been important enough, but he also had an ear for talent, recording landmark music across four decades, always at home with the music of his neighbourhood, be it doo-wop, R&B, soul or even rap.

He was an entrepreneur involved in over a dozen different labels, sometimes on his own, sometimes with a partner, often with his brother Danny, and he was behind records that became internationally famous by Gladys Knight, King Curtis, Elmore James, Lee Dorsey, Wilbert Harrison and Grandmaster Flash. He made many more that were simply good, and this compilation takes aim at the great work he did as a soul and R&B producer during the 1960s and early 70s. It’s an introduction that shows the quality that he created had depth beyond the headline names.

Mario Rusca is most probably the biggest living Italian jazzman. His major influences are Duke Ellingtons composing abilities and Hampton Hawes' brilliant sound. He immersed himself in the harmonic inventions of the incredible pianists of the 60s and 70s: from Bud Powell to Bobby Timmons, Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans. Mario Rusca has been the house pianist of Capolinea, the most important Italian jazz club of the 70s and 80s. He went on to perform in important national and international settings-representing Italy in the "Piano Solo'' category of the "International Festival of Varsavia" and participating with his quintet at the "International Festival of Montreal". He has collaborated with a multitude of prestigious names: Chet Baker, Tony Scott, Curtis Fuller, Gerry Mulligan, Lou Donaldson, Art Farmer, Bob Berg, Lee Konitz, Dusko Gojkovic, Al Gray, Kay Winding, as well as Stefano Bagnoli, Enrico Rava, Tullio De Piscopo, Kenny Clarke, Stan Getz, Jimmy Owens, Toots Thielemans, Gianni Basso, Pepper Adams, Steve Lacy, Steve Grossman, Franco Ambrosetti, Woody Shaw, and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. With Gerry Mulligan, in particular, he toured in 1976 and with Lee Konitz, he recorded Wheres The Blues? at the end of the 90s. In this regard, Suspension in 1975 with Tullio De Piscopo and Recreations in 1976 with the phenomenal Larry Nocella playing saxophone are still very beautiful and modern recordings. As Mario says, "In jazz, you choose the companions that you can dialogue the most with.there needs to be an interplay, there needs a...a way of feeling, which is why you choose musicians because they feel like you, or, if nothing else, they follow you". The chemistry between the three of them is perfectly aligned, synergistic. Tonys drums and Riccardos bass create a soft and essential rhythmic tapestry that never hinder the creative prowess of the band leader. Here Mario Rusca is interpreting the most dynamic jazz standards. Blues for Gwen by McCoy Tyner, Blues Walk by Lou Donaldson, Blue Minor by Sonny Clark, Turnaround by Ornette Coleman, Bass Blues by John Coltrane or even Super Jet by Tadd Dameron. You cant help but imagine yourself on top of a convertible, smiling and carefree, while they travel through the soloist progressions of Turnaround and Super Jet. We need to underline the four originals included in this recording: Blue Dream (for Allerim), Tempo Blues, Double Horn e Monochrome Blues, extremely suggestive compositions, rich of intuitions and which well exhibit Mario Rusca composition skills and his ability to play the blues. MONOCHROME BLUES is a winning trio album which will deeply please the most demanding jazz hears. The musicians Mario Rusca (piano) Riccardo Fioravanti (bass) Tony Arco (drums)

Drei Dinge wird man wohl immer mit Damon Gough in Verbindung bringen: die ewige Strickmütze, sein Debüt "The Hour Of Bewilderbeast" (2000) und den Soundtrack zur Nick-Hornby-Verfilmung "About A Boy" (2002). Mit seinem fulminanten Erstlingswerk räumte Badly Drawn Boy seinerzeit den begehrten Mercury Prize ab und setzte sich damit gegen keine Geringeren als die ebenfalls Nominierten Coldplay, Doves, Leftfield und Richard Ashcroft durch. Auch beim Publikum kam die Scheibe extrem gut an und erreichte Platin-Status. Zum 15-jährigen Veröffentlichungsjubiläum erscheint "The Hour Of Bewilderbeast" als limitierte Deluxe-Version. Neben den Originalstücken enthält diese bislang unveröffentlichte - und wie Gough betont auch noch nie von der Öffentlichkeit gehörte - Bonus-Tracks (CD) und ein Update des von Andy Votel verantworteten Artworks.

Hailing from Tain in the Highlands, Laura Jane Wilkie has a unique style which has roots in the Highland fiddle traditions but is influenced by an eclectic range of music from all genres.

Vent is centered around ancient women's work songs - waulking songs. Laura studied these to adapt them for the fiddle, immersing herself in the Scottish archives as well as having them passed on from friend, tradition bearer and one- woman- ceilidh: Rona Lightfoot. The album explores the melodies of these ancient waulking songs and how they have individually and communally provided a sense of safety, shared knowledge, power, love, humour and freedom to not only rural working women's communities but to Laura as a non Gaelic speaker.

Vent features an array of amazing talent including: Ian Carr on guitars/ harmonium; Sarah Hayes on keys/flute/ vocals; Joe Rattray on bass; Rachel Sermanni on vocals; Hannah Read on electric guitar; and Alice Allen on cello as well a improvised vocal samples by Pippa Blundell, Hannah Findlay, Gillian Fleetwood, Rona Lightfoot and Imogen Macleod.

Hailing from Tain in the Highlands, Laura Jane Wilkie has a unique style which has roots in the Highland fiddle traditions but is influenced by an eclectic range of music from all genres.

Vent is centered around ancient women's work songs - waulking songs. Laura studied these to adapt them for the fiddle, immersing herself in the Scottish archives as well as having them passed on from friend, tradition bearer and one- woman- ceilidh: Rona Lightfoot. The album explores the melodies of these ancient waulking songs and how they have individually and communally provided a sense of safety, shared knowledge, power, love, humour and freedom to not only rural working women's communities but to Laura as a non Gaelic speaker.

Vent features an array of amazing talent including: Ian Carr on guitars/ harmonium; Sarah Hayes on keys/flute/ vocals; Joe Rattray on bass; Rachel Sermanni on vocals; Hannah Read on electric guitar; and Alice Allen on cello as well a improvised vocal samples by Pippa Blundell, Hannah Findlay, Gillian Fleetwood, Rona Lightfoot and Imogen Macleod.

Lauded with critical acclaim in the Audiophile market, Retrospective is the magnum opus of Rebecca Pidgeon's songs. The album attests to Chesky's commitment to detailed, clear, high-quality sound and perfectly introduces the label's unique approach to record production, which lets her vocals take center stage.

Thirty-five years after the label's debut release, Chesky Records has maintained its original ethos of creating "the illusion of live musicians in a real three-dimensional space." It achieves that by focusing on presenting an immersive listening experience for its customers that is unique in the music industry. The SACD- Hybrid Multi-Channel and 180g Black Vinyl will be released on the 5th July 2024.

The vibrant genre Eurodance originated in the late Eighties in Europe and combines many elements of rap and rich melodic vocals with strong bass rhythms and cutting-edge synthesizers. The 2LP Eurodance Collected compiles the best hits from Eurodance, including Snap! ""Rhythm Is A Dancer"", Technotronic's worldwide smash ""Pump Up The Jam"", catchy sing-a-long self-titled Captain Jack track, Dutch group Vengaboys' ""Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!, Belgium's hit-wonder 2 Unlimited's ""No Limit"" plus 22 other guaranteed dancefloor fillers. Eurodance Collected is available on black vinyl and includes an insert.

"Black Ice" ist das mittlerweile 15. Studioalbum der Band und der erste Longplayer mit neuen Songs seit "Stiff Upper Lip", das Anfang 2000 Platz eins der deutschen Album Charts belegte. Gleichzeitig feiern die australischen Rock-Legenden damit ihr Debüt beim SONY-BMG-Label Columbia. "Black Ice" entstand unter der Regie von Star-Produzent Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against The Machine, Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Incubus, u.v.a.) in den Warehouse Studios in Vancouver. Abgemischt wurden die Songs vom kanadischen Juno-Award-Preisträger Mike Fraser, der neben zahllosen AC/DC-Meisterwerken auch entscheidend an Alben von Aerosmith, Dio, Biffy Clyro, Motley Crue, Van Halen und Slipknot mitgewirkt hatte. Ende Oktober startet die Band zu ihrer ersten Welt-Tournee seit 2001.

Mit "Rock 'N Roll Train" brachten Angus Young, Brian Johnson, Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams und Phil Rudd bereits den ersten Vorab-Song des Albums aufs (Hit-)Gleis: Kurz nach dem offiziellen Radio-Date schoß das AC/DC-Brett in den Top 100 der deutschen Airplay-Charts. Und auch die weiteren vierzehn Stücke auf "Black Ice" haben es in sich. "Es sind viele starke Songs auf dem Album - denn darum geht es ja letzten Endes bei einer Band. Man ist immer nur so gut wie seine Songs", erklärt Gitarrist Angus Young, "manche Stücke muss man ein zweites und drittes Mal hören, aber das finde ich sehr positiv - wenn die Songs mit jedem Hören wachsen." "Es ist das beste Album, das wir je gemacht haben. Schlicht und einfach", ergänzt Sänger Brian Johnson, "'Back in Black' war großartig für seine Zeit, bzw. es ist ein zeitloses Werk. Aber das neue Album zeigt, wie vielseitig die Band ist."

Slip this delirious disc out of the lime/slime green sleeve and you're up close and personal with the new chapter in the TD saga.
A dance floor triptych of such seismic scale that the crew spent two years trying to wrangle the tracks on wax, finally finding a plant with the power to press them up.

Sprawling across the A-side is the devastating 'Doner Summer', an instrumental extension of some lost Munich disco masquerading as an Anatolian excursion. Ditching the vocals and cutting the kase, the crew lay down a galloping groove topped with Turkish licks and disco strings, take us into the psychedelic swirl of a tumbling drum breakdown before hitting the big red button marked banger for a searing second half. Firing up the hardware, TD blast this one further into the Phuture, dropping technoid sequences, nagging 303 and Cowley-style FX fuckery for a full on club assault.

In the alternate B-side universe, Hans Zimmer lost his dread note and Denis Villeneuve was forced to turn to Talking Drums for the Dune soundtrack. They obliged with the sci-fi rai of 'Chaba Ranks', reshaping an Algerian OG with a dancehall kick, off beat vamps and star-crossed synths, then letting loose with a heavy bass tone.
|In time honoured fashion, the team also drop a dub version, cutting out the vocals and focussing on those additional elements for the wildly cosmic 'Chaba Skanks'.

Now who's getting the spice in?

Limited Press - Numbered Insert - Drum Fun Guaranteed !

Leisure Group Recordings, a side label project of Razor-N-Tape’s JKriv, drops their first vinyl release with a 7inch slab of trippy dance-floor dub by Kings Of High Speed. Launched earlier in the year with J’s pensive balearic 'Within EP,' Leisure Group now delves further back into J’s personal archive for a pair of tracks that he began over a decade earlier with his Tortured Soul bandmate, the late keyboardist Ethan White. A huge lover of dub reggae, Ethan showered these tracks with tasty and authentic organ and synthesizer stylings. The tunes sat unfinished on an old drive for many years, until J recently excavated, arranged and finished off the productions with a healthy dose of dub via a Space Echo, Eventide and other hardware delay units. Dedicated to the memory of Ethan White, one of the grooviest humans to ever walk the earth.

Canada's famously vibrant funk scene has given rise to many gems over the years and now one of them is getting a reissue on P-Vine complete with an obi-strip. The Sidewinders' much-coveted album, Flatfoot Hustlin' is a real gem that emanates the spirit of deep-rooted funk. Famously it was recorded in the same studio as Professor Lett and Study's Love Serenade which further details about it have long been unknown and mysterious. That has only added to its allure and appeal amongst the rare groove community but of course, the music itself is the real draw. Featured tracks like 'I Like To Dance' and 'Flat Foot Hustli'' cannot fail to ignite dancefloors, while 'Time For Loving' is a more smooth groove and 'Gift to the Sun' gets nice and heavy making this an essential cop for funk aficionados.

Formed by Kenny Clarke and Francy Boland, the Clarke-Boland Sextett, with the participation of numerous musicians from both Europe and the United States, made significant contributions to the development of jazz in Europe. At the core of this ensemble, the powerhouse sextet consisting of Kenny Clarke, Francy Boland, Sahib Shihab, Jimmy Woode, Joe Harris, and Sadi came together to record the album "Music For The Small Hours" in 1967, and it is now set to be reissued with an obi.

This album spans a wide range of styles, from standards like Burt Bacharach's "Wives & Lovers" to Brazilian and Afro-Cuban influences such as Luiz Bonfá's "Ebony Samba" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Tin Tin Deo." Additionally, it features original compositions like Shihab's "Please, Don't Leave," where he takes on vocal duties. The entire recording exudes a sophisticated and relaxed mood, showcasing the utmost skill of this formidable sextet. "Music For The Small Hours" is a masterpiece that deserves a place in the history of European jazz, boasting the ultimate level of refinement.

The inaugural chapter of a two-part epic. Get ready for an eclectic and unique modern twist fusion of proto- EBM, New Beat, Electro, Rave Breaks and early UK house, weaving together a tapestry of diverse influences. Experience the raw energy pulsating through potent basslines, driving each track forward with unstoppable force.

Meanwhile, deep and thought-provoking lyrical voice samples captivate the mind, inviting listeners to ponder existential questions and explore the depths of consciousness and creating innovative soundscapes leaving an indelible mark on the listener’s psyche. Presented in ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid MAGENTA vinyl. All tracks have been specially mastered for vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).

Gallegos, first name Oliver - deals in feelings rather than genres. The productions on his debut effort for RS INTL channel a 90’s rave euphoria. Luscious pads swirl amidst pitched down jungle drums, celestial strings and philosophical vocal snippets that evoke ecstatic joy.

It’s no mean feat to induce a feeling of elation without the means of a synthetic intervention - but Ollie seems to have cracked the code - taking us there with harmony, texture and rhythm alone - nothing synthetic here: this is alchemy at play... The EP - which in all honesty feels more like a mini album - is a real journey across 5 songs and 29 minutes. It’s about equally split between driving rhythmic compositions created with movement in mind, and pensive ambient detours that are more sonic meditations than anything else. The album reaches its most dizzying heights when these two elements come together in unison for the title track, “Memories You’ve Memorised'' - a widely road-tested future classic which blends scattered Juno chords, arpeggiated church organ and 80s vocal samples to a tear-jerking crescendo.

Memories You’ve Memorised elevates Oliver Gallegos to the top tier of modern electronic composition. There’s comparisons to be made to Primal Scream, Underworld and even Aphex Twin - but after all is said and done, we’re witnessing the coming of age of a future pioneer.

F-BOMBS RECORDS has landed! A spin-off of the Foundations Series events that have been running across London the past 2+ years. Similarly to the Foundations Series events, the label will be a home of multi-genre artist releases with a nod to all the classic eras of UK dance music brought firmly up-to-date.

SWANKOUT has been moving at paces, riding the charts the last couple of years with releases for the likes of Hardcore Energy, Top Drawer Digital and Pete Cannon’s N4 Records - which saw his Swankout EP sell out of vinyl in just 24 hours! He’s also notably just remixed Shadow Child & Mark Archer’s “I know You” on UTTU’s sub-label Dancetrax and his forthcoming The Criminal Minds collab is gaining much hype.

Here Swankout demonstrates his diversity in taste and production style by lending his hand to UKG with the aptly named “The Speed Garage EP”. A 4-tracker that imbues classic speed garage, with rumbling basslines, weighty breakdowns, gunshots and a hint of jungle. Heads will note the reference of lead track Rude Bwoy Monty to the original jungle don R.B. Monty.


F-BOMBS001 - SWANKOUT - THE SPEED GARAGE EP

A1. RUDEBWOY MONTY - Moody build-up into an unforgettable breakdown of police sirens and rising tension, conjures up memories of early morning raves and raids across London and the greater M25 perimeter.

A2. LOVE COMMANDS - A steppy dancefloor bouncer, pure summer vibes for the love dove generation.

AA1. GUNSHOT - All the elements of a classic speed garage stomper. Warped bassline, pitched/chopped vocals, gunshots and a lot of attitude.

AA2. APPROACH PHASE - Fasten your seatbelts and assume approach positions. A track that invokes a sense of nostalgia for dancefloors long gone.

Ever since he made his first trip to Japan to DJ, Optimo Music founder JD Twitch has been bewitched by Japanese music, and particularly the vibrant, imaginative, and often far-sighted sounds which emerged from the island nation during the 1980s. Now he’s put years of digging in Japanese record shops to good use on Polyphonic Cosmos, the latest release on his compilation-focused Cease & Desist imprint.

Subtitled ‘A Beginners Guide to Japan In The ‘80s’, the collection offers a personal selection of Japanese gems recorded and released between 1981 and ’86 – a period when advances in recording and musical technology offered the nation’s artists and producers a whole new tool kit to employ. When combined with the unique musical culture of Japan, where local traditions are frequently fused with Western styles to create timeless, off-kilter aural fusions, this embrace of locally pioneered music technology had spectacular, often unusual results.

Eight years in the making, Polyphonic Cosmos provides an endlessly entertaining musical snapshot of Japanese music of the early-to-mid ‘80s with all of the open-minded eclecticism and sonic twists that you would expect from the Glasgow-based DJ.

Compare and contrast, for example, the gently breezy, morning-fresh folk-plus-electronics bliss of ‘ばら二曲 Baranikyoku (Fellini&Rota)’ by World Standard – the most familiar alias of long-serving musician/producer Sohichiro Suzuki – and the hallucinatory, slow-motion tribal rhythms, post-punk rhythms and tape delay-laden electronics of Imitation’s ‘Exotic Dance’. Or, for that matter, the tipsy mid-‘80s electronic reggae of Pecker’s ‘Sha La La’, the grungy but melodic post-punk strut of ‘You Go On Natural’ by Earthling (a track Twitch accurately describes as “sheer unrelenting groove”), and the unearthly, swirling sonics, new age instrumentation and flotation tank vocals of prolific (and seemingly mysterious) act Geinoh Yamashirogumi’s ‘Rimme Kohkyogaku Meiki’.

It’s a credit to JD Twitch’s curatorial skills that the quality never dips, and sonic surprises lurk around every corner. Consider for a moment the hard to describe, far-sighted audio immersion of D-Day’s ‘Ki-Ra’ – all languid post-pop guitar, enveloping chords, spoken word vocals, shuffling 808 beats and marimba melodies – and the two contributions from video games soundtrack specialist (and driving instrumental synth-pop specialist) Hiroyuki Namba.

The collection naturally includes some selections that have long been favourites in Twitch’s DJ sets – see Masumi Hara’s ‘Your Dream’ – as well as a handful of tracks from artists who may be more recognisable to those with only rudimentary knowledge of Japanese musical culture. The great Yasuaki Shimizu, whose work as Mariah has become far better known in recent years thanks to reissues of some of his most magical albums, is represented via ‘The Crow’, a picturesque chunk of horizontal, hard-to-define jazz-not-jazz smokiness, while the collection fittingly concludes with a sublimely funky, oddball electronic workout from Yellow Magic Orchestra legend Ryuichi Sakamoto (the frankly incredible ‘Wongga Dance Song’).

Matt Anniss

Sometimes music is supposed to feel weird and indescribable. It’s the moments of clarity within the dense, sonic mess that often feels the most satisfying. That’s the space that Earth Tongue occupy. At times, their songs are shrill and disorientating, other times their reverb-washed textures and instantly- familiar hooks can wrap you in a warm, loving embrace. The one consistent thread through their music, however, is the thick and all encompassing fuzz. Guitarist Gussie Larkin has become a master of the fuzz-smothered riff, and along with Ezra Simons’ off-kilter drumming, they’ve been sending punters into transcendental states since they began gigging in their home town of Wellington, New Zealand in 2016. Floating Being will be released this June 21st. The album was pieced together throughout their travels of Australia and Europe, with the finishing touches being added in their hometown. The album contains songs they’ve been playing live for the past year, and it captures the raw, primitive energy that exists within their live performance. Earth Tongue embrace the imperfections in their playing and recording - drawing influence from early 70s psych and prog rock. The last thing they wanted was to create a shiny, over-produced record - with that in mind, they recorded the drums to an old 8-track Tascam reel-to-reel in a friend’s garage in Melbourne. The result is a punchy, raw and fuzzy journey into psych-rock with songs that weave between melodic and jarring. Unexpected twists and turns leave the listener in a disorientated yet satisfying haze.

* Brand new outing from dub producer I David who takes us on a dubby journey on the Orient Express into Istanbul and further into Anatolia.
* The track titles are mostly belly-dancing related which gives to clue to the content.
* Featuring an instrumental and three dub excursions of the same tune.
* For fans of The Rootsman, Muslimgauze etc.
* 300 copies only

2024 Repress

Favorite Recordings presents Remixes by Voilaaa, a new EP built with exclusive versions of some of its biggest hits. Known for its Afro-Disco sound and strong dancefloor-friendly festive bangers, these new mixes bring another light to the successful project of Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart.

On A Side, Voilaaa asked famous Brooklyn-based producer and remixer JKriv (Razor-N-Tape) to provide even more club energy to "Ku La Foon (feat. Lass)”, originally released on Voilaaa's third and last album. The result is a powerful bomb that won't give any rest to the crowd.

The tracklist goes on with "Ben Bene La (feat. Lass)” reworked by Patchworks himself in a very Latin way, taking inspiration from the NY scene and its dancers, "Spanish Harlem" and Mongo Santamaria. You've got to play it loud and we're pretty sure you'll see some special moves on the dancefloor.

On B side, you'll hear another Patchworks remix, this time with probably one of Voilaaa's biggest hits, "Spies Are Watching Me (feat Sir Jean)”. In the footsteps of Moodymann, Masters At Work or the UK Garage scene, Patchworks delivers here some of his classic house music energy. You may know he started his career with house music: he transformed this anthem into a proper deep house cut with the same passion!

Finally, Voilaaa remixed himself! Working on "Tu Mens Devant Moi (feat. Ramatou Traore)”, Voilaaa carries the arrangement closer to the Angolese and Cape Verdean sound, reminding also the sound of Super Mama Djombo from Guinea Bissau. A tropical cut that will bring more and more sunshine to the club.

Dudu Tassa, einer der führenden Rockstars Israels, ist der Enkel des kuwaitischen Musikers Daoud Al Kuwaiti, dessen musikalische Zusammenarbeit mit seinem Bruder Saleh, den Al Kuwaiti Brothers, in der arabischen Welt zwischen den 1930er und 1950er Jahren berühmt wurde. Dudu Tassa & The Kuwaitis eröffneten vor einigen Jahren das Coachella-Festival und wurden auch von Radiohead als Vorgruppe auf einer ihrer US-Tourneen ausgewählt. Die Brüder Al Kuwaiti gehörten in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts zu den größten Komponisten und Musikern in Bagdad. Dudu Tassa hat einige der Aufnahmen der Al Kuwaitis aufgenommen und sie zu seinem eigenen Sound weiterentwickelt und modernisiert. Diese neue Version des Albums enthält zwei Bonustracks, darunter eine Live-Version von 'Eshrab Kasak Withana' (feat. Jonny Greenwood/Radiohead/The Smile).

"Androids may not yet dream of electric sheep, but maybe computers do sing sad songs."

In 2013, Tzoukmanis released ‘Hope Is The Sister Of Despair’, issued here for the first time on vinyl with 4 previously unreleased tracks.
The album was made following the end of a relationship and the happy/sad feeling is everywhere in this music. Sequences twinkle and nag, soft pads pour balm on tired ears and when drums do appear they provide an intimate framework rather than a call to the dance floor. The album taps into a rich vein of sequencer romanticism, from Tangerine Dream-obsessed-‘Berlin School’ daydreamers to the whole nebula of music inspired by Warp’s Artificial Intelligence series. It also looks forward, prefiguring the return today, in troubled times, to the comforting inner space of ‘90s-worshipping ambient techno.

The German word ‘weltschmerz’, roughly translating as ‘world sadness’, fits this music well. The melancholy it inspires feels collective, almost heartening. Sorrow might be said to infuse the technology’s basic building blocks – Leibniz’s binary ‘one’ bereft of its ‘zero’, its presence twinned with absence. But there is hope, too, in the network of actions and decisions that have been fashioned here into melody and rhythm.

2025 Repress

Operation Sole like the summer, hopefully, imminent; “Operazione Sole” like the 1967 song by Peppino Di Capri, considered, perhaps wrongly, the first ska in Italy, but certainly the first to talk about Jamaica and upbeat rhythms.
The record you have in your hand is intended to be a testimony to how much the sounds born in Kingston between the '60s and '70s had a significant influence on local pop.
With the first explosion of reggae in England between 1968 and 1970, as well as with the rise of Bob Marley to a worldwide cult phenomenon, parallel to the all-English phenomenon of Two Tone and the ska revival, Italy, always attracted by the new trends not only English, he certainly couldn't stay on the sidelines.
Therefore these innovative and unknown upbeat sounds, derived from the blues of the 1950s and mixed with a Caribbean sauce, have also taken hold in the Bel Paese.
It began as early as 1959 with the song “Nessuno” by Mina, considered to all intents and purposes a Jamaican shuffle, to arrive in a few years at blue-beat (I4 di Lucca, Claudio Casavecchi) and ska (Margherita, Peppino Di Capri , Silvano Silvi, Renzo and Virginia) and be exposed to the first reggae (for example Jo Fedeli and his Italian version of “Israelites” by Desmond Dekker). Thus, we quickly reach the end of the decade of the economic boom and the culture, styles, references change: everything becomes more busy (on a cultural, artistic and political level).
After a stalemate phase that lasted more than five years, Bob Marley's reggae (considered a sort of new Messiah) conquers the planet, including Italy: the producers and artists, even at a high level, for a few years do not remain at all indifferent to this novelty and decide to introduce the "upbeat", primarily reggae, into the various pop repertoires: well-known names such as
Loredana Bertè, Mario Lavezzi, Rino Gaetano, Ivano Fossati, Ilona Staller, Adriano Celentano, Edoardo Bennato throw themselves headlong into new sonic adventures, in a pioneering way, but often with excellent results.
The "Operazione Sole" collection wants to take the credit, instead, of proposing and discovering lesser-known artists (with the exception of Gino Santercole, former associate and relative of Il Molleggiato), often real meteors in the Italian musical panorama, who have tried to achieve (or achieve again) success by adapting the pop that was so popular in those years to the new black sounds prevailing in the West.
We are in the early 80s and we range from the most classic reggae, to Italo-disco contaminated by dub up to the true Neapolitan style which, on more than one occasion, in its being endemically "black" and full of groove, has wrung out the watch out for agreements made in Kingston and London.
“Operation Sun”: a pleasant philological work, but surrounded by an equally pleasant aura of disengagement.