Near Future Residence is music for an imagined place based on real ideas; the soundtrack for an ecologically sustainable housing development somewhere in a not-too-distant future Britain. The eleven instrumental pieces here come from a place of optimism, imagining a future that is based on cooperation, community and ecological urbanism. It's music intended to sit in this imagined environment rather than impose upon it, similar in principle to the function of Kankyō Ongaku (Japanese environmental music). The ideas contained on Near Future Residence laid the groundwork for - and can be seen as a companion piece to - the album Your Wilderness Revisited, released to critical acclaim in 2019. Doyle explains how the pieces “were composed in entirely generative ways using samples of instruments, synthesisers and field recordings I've collected and developed throughout 2018. In generative composition, rules are set and parameters are chosen and then put into motion, the results constantly changing and surprising.”
On A Golden Shore arrives as The Hanging Stars reflect on a year of triumphs. With an Americana Music Association Bob Harris - sanctioned award and a Nashville sell-out in Third Man’s Blue Room with Jack White approvingly looking on, they’re a leading light in the UK Cosmic Americana cohort. Their standing has allowed them to pay less attention to any preconceptions of what they are ‘supposed to be’. On A Golden Shore - their fifth album and their second for the pioneering Loose Music, following 2022’s Hollow Heart - finds them definitively themselves and presents a set of disparate songs whose fundamental linkage is the band that made them. On A Golden Shore was recorded at Edwyn Collins’ Clashnarrow Studios with Sean Read producing. Singer/guitarist Richard Olson, drummer Paulie Cobra, multi-instrumentalist Patrick Ralla, plus freshman bassist Paul Milne – laid down the album’s backbone over eight days. Mostly recorded live, even the solos done as a piece. Much is first take because trying better, it never worked as well. Pedal-steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte created and added his parts at his London studio bringing ‘shimmery psychedelic goodness’. Smartly sequenced On A Golden Shore proceeds in clusters of songs; commencing with the free and easy choogle of ‘Let Me Dream Of You’, encompassing the sunny glam of ‘Sweet Light’, the baggy Balearic waft of ‘Happiness Is A Bird’, the pan pipes and bongos of the exotic ‘Golden Shore’, through to the rolling banjo of ‘No Way Spell’ and the celestial cascades of ‘Heart In A Box’. Fashioned instinctively On A Golden Shore is ultimately an album of sensation as much as thought, filled with fleeting moments of blissful excess, and stumbling, rushing flutters of sound; its evanescent psychedelia, divine choruses, and shards of strings combine into an infectious, compelling Cosmic Heartbreak Boogie.
Inmitten des kosmischen Echos hallt ein eindringlicher Schrei durch die unendlichen Weiten, der vom wachsamen Sonar eines Satelliten in der Umlaufbahn aufgefangen wird. DARKSPACE, das aus Wroth, Yhs und Zharaal bestehende Dreigestirn, wendet sich an die Bewohner der Erde. Sie sind in die Kategorien I bis III I eingeteilt und haben die Menschheit in den letzten Jahrzehnten seit ihrer Gründung mit ihren Übertragungen aus dem Weltall in ihren Bann gezogen.
DARKSPACE nimmt erneut Kontakt zu den Erdbewohnern auf - einedunkle Manifestation des Black Metals, scheinbar aus den Tiefen eines stellaren Schwarzen Lochs entsprungen, präsentiert eine jenseitige Reise durch den Kosmos. Mit einer eiskalten Umarmung und psychedelischer Leitfähigkeit präsentieren die mysteriösen Gestalten ein einzigartiges Album mit atmosphärischem Black Metal jenseits des menschlichen Verständnisses. Fraktale elektronische Samples schneiden sich durch Schichten von außerirdischen Drones und manifestieren eine immersive Erfahrung, die die Grenzen des konventionellen Black Metal-Genres sprengt. Gesangsübertragungen, die wie ein Flüstern aus dem All klingen, sind nahtlos in den Mix eingeflochten und verleihen den außerweltlichen Klängen eine eindringliche Dimension.
Menschen, macht euch bereit für eine Reise jenseits der bekannten Gefilde. DARKSPACE lädt euch ein, in die rätselhaften Weiten von "Dark Space -II" einzutauchen, wo sich die Grenzen der Realität auflösen und die jenseitigen Spuren des Black Metal mit unvergleichlicher Intensität erklingen.
Seit ihrer ersten Albumveröffentlichung "GOLD VON MORGEN" im Jahr 2014 hat Alexa Feser einen festen Platz im deutschen Musik-Kosmos und befindet sich seither in einem stetigen Entwicklungsprozess. Nach dem Top-3-Album "ZWISCHEN DEN SEKUNDEN" (2017) und den TOP10 Alben "A!" (2019) und "LIEBE 404" (2022) sowie begleitenden äusserst erfolgreichen Tourneen arbeitet die Künstlerin bereits wieder an ihrem neuen Album. "KINO" wird im Frühjahr 2024 veröffentlicht und dieses Mal fungiert Alexa auch als Produzentin. Alexa klingt urban und verkörpert das Gefühl der Grossstadt. Ihr turbulentes Leben in Berlin fliesst in ihre Alben ein und macht sie zu einer konstanten musikalischen Zeugin der Entwicklung. Sie ist eine vollkommene Musikerin mit dem Anspruch, niemals fertig zu sein. Weiterentwicklung ist ihr Credo. Sie bleibt nicht stehen, sie kommt nicht an, sie transformiert sich immer und verändert sich stets. Am liebsten setzt sie ihre Vision im kleinen Kreis um. Sie nimmt das Beste aus beiden Welten mit. Obwohl sie bei einem Major-Label ist, bleibt alles DIY. Dabei möchte sie nicht einfach dem Sound der Zeit folgen; Nein, sie macht ihn sich zu eigen und verleiht ihm ihre ganz eigene Note - nicht zuletzt durch ihre einzigartige Stimme. Mit Features wie dem King Of Rap Kool Savas, Sero, Disarstar oder Esther Graf beweist die Künstlerin einmal mehr ihre Fähigkeit, ein unerschöpflicher musikalischer Hybrid zu sein. Was man hören kann, ist das Selbstbewusstsein einer Künstlerin, die sich weiterentwickelt, ihrer Eigenheit treu bleibt, auf ihre Instinkte vertraut, sich immer wieder neu erfindet und dabei authentisch bleibt.
Lisbet Fritze and Louise Foo have shared artistic trajectories for half of their lives, having been two thirds of pop noir purveyors Giana Factory. As Glas, the duo reveals a patchwork of everyday observations rooted in significant life changes: moving countries, becoming a mother, keeping sane with and without a significant other. The music conveys a quest for balance, riding the line between doomy drama and playing it cool.
Their 10 song, self-produced debut, Kisses Like Feathers, will be released, worldwide in March 2023, through Hamburg’s hfn music. All lyrics, vocals and instruments were performed by Glas, and recorded in their studio. The album was mixed by Anders Trentemøller, with artwork by Brunswicker studio The Copenhagen-based duo have never been short on inspiration. Lisbet has lent her vocal and guitar talents to Trentemøller, in both the studio and on stage. Louise has explored immersive music with avant-pop project SØSTR, along with her sister, Sharin Foo of The Raveonettes. Lisbet’s other life involves architectural design. Louise works with sound installations in a visual arts context. The musical ideas of these two polymaths find coherence in the newly-formed Glas.
Kisses Like Feathers embody Nordic duality. Dark at times, it also presents with an open ethereality. Some songs feel tailor-made for a club’s sound system. Others lend themselves to intimate, headphone moments. While Lisbet and Louise’s harmonious vocal stack is the common thread throughout the album, the musical fabric is interlaced with acoustic, electric, and electronic instruments. Lo-fi piano and acoustic guitars share a reciprocal space with rich, synthetic orchestration. Galloping, modern rhythms and folk arrangements are often featured in the same song. These elements, and so many others, buttress the pair’s hymns.
out of Stock
Last delivered 2 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
12 tracks originally released on the indie dance label GOMMA RECORDS between 2001 and 2010. (Gomma was the label Toy Tonics did before starting Toy Tonics.)
Along with DFA and Output records Gomma released a wild mix of electronic dance music, indie rock, undergound disco, post punk and new wave funk that was big in the 2000s. The Y2K sound!
Gomma released music by artists like Peaches, Whomadewho, The Rammellzee, James Murphy, LCD soundsystem and artists like Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand.
Now it’s 2023 and its feels fresh to put a spotlight on some of these tracks again.
And so here comes a 2nd compilation part of Gomma tracks:
Nancy Whang the singer of LCD Soundsystem, WhoMadeWho (the band started their career on Gomma), Italian disco producer Bottin, UK Indie Disco hero The Deadstock 33s aka Justin Robertson, NY Disco hipsters In Flagranti, German producers Munk and many more on this compilation.
Gomma not only was a record label, but was also a home for cutting edge design, wild T-shirt styles, underground exhibitions with new artists from the Berlin scene and crazy poster and fanzine design.
Many graphic design trends of the last years were preceded by what the artists on Gomma were doing. And many record and street wear labels of today look a bit like Gomma was looking before ... copying the images that Gomma preceeded: ironic cartoons, trash aesthetics, greek symbols, ugly design ideas and lot of ironic things.
The Gomma visuals world was exposed in a couple of exhibitions around the world and at a big exhibition at #hausderkunst München before the label was closed in 2015. (when Toy Tonics took off...)
out of Stock
Last delivered 14 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
15 years after their last album of original music, the Robinson Brothers present ‘Happiness Bastards’- their 10th studio album. Some may say the project has been several tumultuous years in the making, but we argue it's arriving at just the right time. Call it brotherly love or music destiny that brought them back together, the highly anticipated record consecrating the reunion of this legendary band just may be the thing that saves rock & roll. In a time where the art form is buried beneath the corporate sheen of its successors, The Black Crowes are biting back with the angst of words left unsaid penned on paper and electrified by guitar strings, revealing stripped, bare-boned rock & roll. No gloss, no glitter, just rhythm and blues at it's very best - gritty, loud, and in your face.
Since The Black Crowes reunited in 2019, they've made a triumphant return to form with over 150 shows spanning 20 countries worldwide, celebrating the 30th anniversary of ‘Shake Your Money Maker’, the album that put them on the map. Upon their return from the road, they knew they needed something new to show for their lost time. The Robinson Brothers and longtime bassist Sven Pipien headed to the studio with producer Jay Joyce in early 2023 and the experiences of years past transcribed themself through the music as the band found their way back to their roots. And it's finally here!
Daniel Boeckner understands the grit and gravel that accumulates in the heart and that it takes an unwavering courage to crack through that clutter and burrow to the other side. And in Boeckner's hands, that quest comes via post-apocalyptic synth and guitar heroism, a rallying cry for those always coming home through the scorched clouds. Throughout his work with Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits, Operators, Atlas Strategic, and more, the iconic Canadian indie rocker recognizes that few feelings are more gratifying-more memorable, more generative, more abundant-than hope. But it takes getting the hell out of your own way. A culmination of that deep library of musical reference, Boeckner is set to release his first album under his own name: Boeckner! No matter where his genre exploration has taken him, there's something about growing up in punk and DIY spaces that puts collaboration in Boeckner's blood. Composed of a collection of intimately familiar elements, Boeckner! elicits the same thrill of young passion and discovery. It's a jet-powered chase through a tech-noir cityscape-fueled by a dream and that special someone in the passenger seat. That urgency and passion have always been a trademark of Boeckner's, and writing on his own pushes those feelings further into the center of the scope. But while Boeckner may be the clear driving force behind the album, he's not without collaborators for his solo debut. After meeting producer Randall Dunn while contributing to the soundtrack to the Nicolas Cage-starring psychedelic horror film Mandy, Boeckner knew he'd found the perfect counterpart for his solo debut. "I'd been a fan of his forever, especially the Sunn0))) records he produced," Boeckner says. "Working with Randall really unlocked some suppressed musical urges, things that I enjoy in my private life but don't normally weave into what I'm releasing-like occult synth, pseudo-metal, krautrock, and heavy psych influences." That base allows Boeckner to thoughtfully weave between emotional imagism and more grounded storytelling. Throughout the record, his imagery delves into science fiction, but it's charged first and foremost by experience. The trio of Boeckner, Dunn, and drummer Matt Chamberlain (Pearl Jam, David Bowie, Fiona Apple) formed a sort of dark engine for the album, and Chamberlain's ingenious approach of triggering a vintage Arp synthesizer simultaneously with each drum track helped Boeckner shape the record's atmosphere. That tense futurism was influenced by Boeckner's time staying in Dunn's Circular Ruin studio, a dusky, electronic aura burned into every track. By the end of the album, Boeckner! eases from sci-fi epic into something more akin to a torched VHS copy of a John Cassevetes film, the chemtrails and nuclear fallout fading long in the distance. Like all good sci-fi, the emotion and pain hits home for the author and listener alike, and the genre flourishes bolster the human experience. In revealing more than ever before, Boeckner! ratchets up the musical intensity to unforeseen levels and hopes to find some peace at the end of the journey.
Bass player Ron Carter’s debut album Where? features Eric Dolphy (clarinet, sax, flute) and Mal Waldron (piano). The album was originally released in 1961 having been recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey. This new edition of the album is released as part of the Original Jazz Classics Series and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with all-analogue mastering from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and presented in a Tip-On Jacket. US import.
Das Jahr 2024 steht für Il Civetto im Zeichen eines neuen Albums mit neuer Single und einer Tour: »Liebe auf Eis«. Im April und Mai 2024 begeben sich Il Civetto dann auf ihre bislang größte Tour. Schon immer ging es in der flirrenden Pop-Internationale von Il Civetto um Fernweh, Sehnsucht und das Gefühl, unterwegs zu sein. Die Musik dieser Band imaginiert gleichzeitig den Vibe einer lauen Sommernacht und den Kater danach. Mit ihrem letzten Album »Späti del Sol« hatten sie diesen Möglichkeitsraum bis in die letzten Winkel ausgelotet, mit »Liebe auf Eis« geht die Berliner Band noch einen Schritt weiter. So kann man den Titel als Symbolbild für alles verstehen, um das es bei dieser Band geht. Euphorie und Melancholie sind bei Il Civetto kein Gegensatzpaar, wo Licht ist, ist auch Schatten. Gesellschaftlich, privat, auf allen Ebenen - darin liegt der besondere Zauber dieser Gruppe von Freunden. Es geht in ihrer Musik darum, Widersprüche auszuhalten, Gräben zu überbrücken, die gesellschaftliche Kälte in polarisierten Zeiten mit Liebe zu überwinden - »Liebe auf Eis«. Überhaupt sind Il Civetto auf dem neuen Album persönlicher geworden, noch näher an ihren Themen. »Es wird einen Song über meine Jugend geben, einen anderen für meinen Vater und auch die Liebeslieder sind noch von eigenen Erfahrungen geprägt«, sagt Keiditsch. Aufgenommen haben sie »Liebe auf Eis« erneut mit dem Produzenten Ralf Christian Mayer (u.a. Clueso, Cro, Zimmer90, F4), der die Vision dieser Band schon immer am besten verstanden hat. Produkt-Nachhaltigkeit: FSC zertifiziertes Material, Umweltfreundliche Farbe & Lacke, Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien bei Herstellung.
"Brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael Jackson formed the R&B pop band The Jackson 5 in 196Originally released in 1979, Boogie is the compilation album of both previously released and unreleased songs by The Jackson Included on the album are ""ABC"" and Grammy Award nominated ""Dancing Machine"" (sampled by MC Hammer's in his hit ""Dancing Machine""), ""Never Can Say Goodbye"" and seven more songs. Boogie is considered as one of the rarest Jackson 5 albums, as it was released on the Motown subsidiary record label Natural Resources. Boogie is being reissued for the first time since its original release in 1979."
Boogie by Jackson 5, released 15 March 2024, includes the following tracks: "ABC", "One Day I'll Marry You", "Oh, I've Been Blessed", "Just Because I Love You" and more.
"Widowmaker's second and final album Stand by for Pain was written, rehearsed, recorded, mixed, and mastered in only 30 days. Speaking of the fast turnaround for the album, frontman Dee Snider (of Twisted Sister fame) said: ""I'm crazy about this record. We did this thing in 30 days and we did it how we wanted to do it. No worrying about how fast the 'hook' comes in a song."" Prior to release of Stand by for Pain, two tracks, ""Long Gone"" and ""Ready to Fall"", were released to radio as a promo. For the first time ever, Stand by for Pain is available on vinyl as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on gold coloured vinyl. The vinyl package includes an insert. "
Stand By For Pain by Widowmaker, released 15 March 2024, includes the following tracks: "Protect and Serve", "Circles", "Just Business", "Bad Rain" and more.
This version of Stand By For Pain comes as a 1xLP. This release comes with (a) Insert(s).
Le jazz homme is the 2nd album of Black To Comm related entity Mouchoir Ètanche. This time heavily influenced by French Jazz (?) as well as the usual suspects: Nurse With Wound, Luc Ferrari, JG Ballard, Surrealism. The human entity has finally been replaced.
"Program music, instrumental music that carries some extramusical meaning, some “program” of literary idea, legend, scenic description, or personal drama. It is contrasted with so-called absolute, or abstract, music, in which artistic interest is supposedly confined to abstract constructions in sound. It has been stated that the concept of program music does not represent a genre in itself but rather is present in varying degrees in different works of music." (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Prompt 1: Pascal Comelade's toy piano falling down the stairs , Hector Zazou pushing from behind, laughing
Prompt 2: Cool jazz played on antique mellotron, low in fidelity, and sad, Glenn Miller‘s grandma crying silently
Prompt 3: A hippie commune version of jazz as played by a cheap computer fed by Chat GPT with medieval buisine fanfare information and samples, trained on the entire Amon Düül II history, heavily looped yet unsynchronized
Prompt: 4: Same, but flutes and synths and trance and chants
Prompt 5: French female artist philosophizes about Shirley Temple, mysterious atmosphere, insensitive homme laughing nervously, heavily looped, hynotic 18th century orgue de salon underneath
Prompt 6: Cool jazz, Echoplex, strange rhythm, Blue Note daydreaming
Prompt 7: Hammond jazz with fake Cyro Baptista loop, Madagascar indri indri lemurs chanting fake sax solos in Malagasy language, electronic bells
Prompt 8: German jazz and artificial prayers, and Shirley Temple returning, with defect Publison recorded at GRM, destroying the voice recording
Prompt 9: Andrei Tarkovsky's moustache meets Johann Sebastian Bach's wig, a well gently lapping in the background, fifths, car crashing into a poor violent onsen geisha
Marc Richter records as Black To Comm for Thrill Jockey and under the Mouchoir Ètanche and Jemh Circs monikers (and solo) for his own Cellule 75 imprint. He collaborated with visual artists such as Ho Tzu Nyen, Jan van Hasselt and Mike Kelley. He also produces soundtracks and acousmatic multichannel installations for institutions such as INA GRM Paris, ZKM Karlsruhe and Kunstverein Hamburg.
Belgium based Boskat is a super-energetic duo that seamlessly blends seriously impressive riffs reminiscent of Rage Against The Machine and Billy Talent with a crushingly virtuosic live show and a great sense of humor. Now, it's time for their debut album 'Welcome to Planet Urmit,' set to release on March 15, 2024 on Suburban Records.
Although known for their energetic virtuoso rock duo performances, their first full-length album also explores various vibes and genres. "The goal was to create a record that doesn’t get boring - I think we succeeded! You can hear characteristics from (post)grunge, hip-hop, nu-metal, punk rock, prog rock… and more. There are Easter eggs for every rock fan!" frontman Vincent explains.
WAO (Waltaa And Onra) is an ephemeral project, a musical experiment between two friends that happened during a rainy afternoon in the Parisian suburban area in 2014.
After years of knowing each other, Waltaa and Onra finally decided to make music together in the same room for once, and this double-sided 10” single is the product of this collaboration between the two underground French producers.
With “Sexy Robot”, a (then) retro-futuristic ballad for a talkbox duet, and “All Night Long”, a New Jack Swing floor-filler instrumental cut, the release emcompasses many different influences that the two producers share, but the use of the talkbox on both tracks suggest a direct inspiration from legendary 90’s R&B producers, Devante Swing and Teddy Riley respectively.
John Coltrane's landmark 1961 jazz album My Favorite Things was born of the same recording sessions that yielded a majority of the albums Coltrane Plays the Blues (1962), Coltrane's Sound (1964), and Coltrane Legacy. That My Favorite Things was recorded in less than three days was in itself, remarkable. This record marked a significant turning point in Coltrane's career and showcased his distinctive playing style, which continues to inspire and influence musicians to this day. Coltrane's playing on My Favorite Things can be described as innovative, exploratory, and deeply emotive. The unforced, practically casual soloing styles of the assembled quartet — which includes Coltrane (soprano/tenor sax), McCoy Tyner (piano), Steve Davis (bass), and Elvin Jones (drums) — allow for tastefully executed passages à la the Miles Davis Quintet, a trait Coltrane no doubt honed during his tenure in that band, notes AllMusic. Coltrane was known for pushing the boundaries of jazz and expanding the possibilities of the saxophone as an instrument. Throughout the album, Coltrane's improvisations are characterized by their intensity, virtuosity, and sheer creativity. The title track is a modal rendition of the Rodgers and Hammerstein song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music. Coltrane's use of modal playing made him a pioneer — modal jazz emphasizes improvisation over specific chord progressions. Coltrane's modal approach allowed him to explore a broader range of tonal colors and to create more open and expansive musical landscapes. Each track of this album is a joy to revisit. The ultimate listenability may reside in this quartet's capacity to not be overwhelmed by the soloist. As a soloist, the definitive soprano sax runs during the Cole Porter standard "Everytime We Say Goodbye" and tenor solos on "But Not for Me" easily establish Coltrane as a pioneer of both instruments. In 1998, My Favorite Things received the Grammy Hall of Fame award. The album attained gold record certified status in 2018, having sold 500,000 copies. We've given this definitive reissue of such a landmark album the presentation it deserves: Mastered directly from the original master tape by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and cut at 45 RPM. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings, and housed in tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing.
Rock & Roll, indeed. Ruth Brown’s sizzling full-length debut — also known by its eponymous title — symbolizes what was exciting, fresh, invigorating, and raw about the burgeoning style in its halcyon days. Originally released in 1957, and reissued here in audiophile quality for the first time in partnership with Atlantic Records’ 75th anniversary, the set remains a testament to one of the most pioneering and talented vocalists to ever command a stage.
Mastered on Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's renowned mastering system in California, pressed at RTI, housed in a Stoughton jacket, and strictly limited to 2,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g mono LP of Rock & Roll plays with an immediacy, vibrancy, and fullness that showcase the reach, power, and emotionalism of Brown’s voice. The sound of her support musicians — brassy horns, swinging rhythm combos, echoing backing vocalists, rollicking pianists, jaunty guitarists — is made clear and vivid, helping the upbeat fare to jump, juke, and jive with newfound energy and exuberance. In a related manner, Brown’s slower, more understated material crackles with an intimacy and passion that let you know you're in the presence of a woman who has lived what she sings. The longtime Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member deserves nothing less.
In an era dominated by big-throated vocalists, few — if any — came grander than Brown. The singer, whose repeat million-selling ‘50s success with Atlantic Records led many to call the then-indie label “The House That Ruth Built,” charted two dozen R&B hits in the span of a decade for the fledgling imprint. Rightly coined “Miss Rhythm,” the extroverted Brown put Atlantic on the national map, became the best-selling female musician of the ‘50s, and established a precedent that would ultimately lead to Grammy and Tony Awards. Her early works have lost none of their fire or flair.
Akin to many full-length LPs of its era, Rock & Roll doubles as a collection. Its 14 tracks comprise some of the more famous sides Brown recorded for Atlantic, beginning in 1949 with the all-time-great rendition of the ballad “So Long,” and continuing through 1956. After the song caught the public’s ear, the Virginia native briefly became known for her smoldering style with lovelorn material and torch songs, approaching them (see “Oh What a Dream,” “Old Man River”) with a combination of pained sadness and hardened resilience that had no contemporary equal. Encouraged to pursue the style by Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmt Ertegun, her R&B-driven material soon made her a constant chart presence.
Demonstrating what fellow legend Bonnie Raitt deemed “sex with class and dignity,” Brown merges blues and jazz, swing and gospel in electrifying fashion. She dares you not to move, dance, and get on your feet. A majority of Rock & Roll explodes with uptempo runs and jaunty readings of hot-blooded R&B numbers. Sweaty and sultry, bawdy and bold, Brown eclipses the anthemic blare of the saxophones and joyful clatter of the 88s, singing with a slight catch in her voice and hurricane-gale force that threatens to blow the roof off whatever room her voice occupies.
Evidence abounds. Listen to her prod the band and encourage the band members to blow a fuse on a sizzling “Hello Little Boy,” complete with cries and wails; stretch her phrasing to the heavens on the swaying “Wild Wild Young Men,” laden with romp-and-stomp beats; plead and persuade on the snaking “5-10-15 Hours,” which flips the script on the age’s notions of dominance; use her raspy tones, high notes, and breath control to mesmerizing effect on the smash “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean,” recorded with a group led by Ray Charles; survey the scene and take charge on the steaming “As Long as I’m Moving”; and tap a classy albeit flirtatious vein on “Lucky Lips,” which dented the pop charts as her first crossover hit.
Throughout Rock & Roll, Brown knows the lyrical connotations and spirited architecture of the songs inside-out. Her assertive voice — never harsh, strident, or false — is the epitome of the passionate desires and sonic strains that turned into nascent rock ’n’ roll. Brown played a pivotal role in helping the style develop, the record a timeless reminder of a lasting legacy that will never be forgotten.
Miles Davis' A Tribute to Jack Johnson is the best jazz-rock record ever made. Equally inspired by the leader's desire to assemble the "greatest rock and roll band you have ever heard,” his adoration of Johnson, and Black Power politics, Davis created a hard-hitting set that surges with excitement, intensity, majesty, and power. Bridging the electric fusion he'd pursued on earlier efforts with a funkier, dirtier rhythmic approach, Davis zeroes in on concepts of spontaneity, freedom, and identity seldom achieved in the studio — and just as infrequently accepted by the mainstream.
Sourced from the original analog master tapes, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, and housed in a Stoughton jacket, Mobile Fidelity's 180g LP reissue brings it all to fore with startling realism. Benefitting from SuperVinyl’s nearly inaudible noise floor, superb groove definition, and clean, ultra-quiet surfaces, this 180g LP showcases everything — from the bold tonality of the headliner's white-hot trumpet solos to the decay of crashing cymbals, carry of wiry guitar notes, and echoes of the studio — in reference fashion.
Bristling with exuberance, Davis' high-register passages explode with authority and commanding presence. Around him, a barrage of urgent backbeats, knifing riffs, and supple bass lines emerge amidst black backgrounds. One of the most prominent differences long-time fans will notice is how much more aggressive, immediate, and vibrant the music sounds, with those aspects central to the composer's original desires.
Utilizing wah-wah and distortion, the go-to instrumentalist of the performances— guitarist John McLaughlin — attacks with a nasty edge, slashing style, and vicious streak that allows A Tribute to Jack Johnson< cross the until-then-impenetrable divide between rock and jazz. Davis puts both feet in the former camp and erases any gap. The stories of the record’s creation are nearly as legendary as the sounds within: Two sessions, multiple jams, different sets of musicians (several uncredited), and near-miraculous production perfectionism that made it all appear cohesive.
The least-well-known masterpiece of Davis' career, the 1971 record — seamlessly assembled and spliced together by producer Teo Macero — was a victim of limited record-label promotion. Audiences also didn’t immediately know what to make of its original cover art — faithfully replicated here. In addition, the powers that be at Columbia Records were directing the public’s attention to Miles at Fillmore, a completely different kind of album guided by two keyboardists. A Tribute to Jack Johnson practically lives in a different universe, one from the future. To many listeners who did manage to hear it — among them critic/musician Robert Quine, Stooges leader Iggy Pop, and renowned critic Robert Christgau — it surpassed everything that came before.
Indeed, Davis treated it as a personal manifesto: An opportunity to salute the Black championship boxer admired for his threatening image to the establishment and impeccable taste in clothes, cars, women and music. Davis explains in the liner notes his affinity for Johnson — a stance mirrored by the defiant music, which hits with a prize fighter's force and reflects the graceful elegance with which a pugilist navigates the ring — and closes the album with a Johnson quote read by Brock Peters.
Inspired not only by Johnson but by Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, Davis changed his approach and his band. He surrounds himself with a cadre of musicians in their 20s and, in the case of bassist Michael Henderson, a 19-year-old fresh from touring with Stevie Wonder. Henderson gives Davis what he requested: boogie-based grooves that don’t lose shape or direction. Soprano saxophonist Steve Grossman, drummer Billy Cobham, and organist Herbie Hancock adhere to a similar aesthetic that prizes brazenness, innovation, and energy.
In that vein, during a portion of “Yesternow,” Davis segues into a separate performance (which became known in its entirety as “Willie Nelson”) played by guitarists McLaughlin and Sonny Sharrock, bass clarinetist Bernie Maupin, keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Dig it!
Talking with jazz scholar Bill Milkowski — who himself noted how McLaughlin’s unrestrained style, decibel-forward volumes, and rapid-fire power chords engendered himself to the rock crowd at the same time that his harmonics and syncopation still definitely made him a jazz player — guitarist Henry Kaiser summed up part of the appeal of A Tribute to Jack Johnson as well as anyone, saying: “It’s a jazz record that way way more open than other jazz records at the time, but still not free jazz. McLaughlin’s rhythm guitar playing on ‘Right Off’ — the use of different chords in a rock shuffle than what anybody had used before — was revolutionary.”
And to think that’s just one aspect of a record that contains multitudes. “Never let them forget it.” Indeed.
Of the countless accolades and analyses that surround Blue, no point is more significant than the fact that the 1971 Joni Mitchell album continues to become more popular, revered, referenced, and relevant with each passing day. Such vitality is not only extremely singular; it is the ultimate measure of great art and, in the context of Blue, indisputable proof of the record's accessibility, integrity, and timelessness. If the most brilliant and everlasting music seeks to find truths shared by all of humanity, Blue can be said to be universal doctrine.
Sourced from the original analogue master tapes, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 12,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP box set presents the landmark album with reference-grade detail, tonality, and directness. Marking the first time the beloved LP has received audiophile-quality treatment, it's one of six iconic 1970s Mitchell records Mobile Fidelity is reissuing on definitive-sounding vinyl and SACD sets.
Everything about Blue sounds more intimate, involving, and inescapable on this transparent pressing, which benefits from a virtually non-existent noise floor and superior groove definition. Mitchell's voice, positioned front and center, and primarily accompanied by minimalist acoustic guitar, piano, and dulcimer playing, comes across clearly and prominently. Suspended notes and radiant chords double as question marks, commas, and phrases. The in-the-room presence and spatial dimensionality make absolute the full-range spectrum of introspective emotions — hurt and distress, self-awareness and joy, difficulty and uncertainty, warmth and desire — Mitchell navigates, queries, and contemplates throughout the record. The defencelessness the singer once spoke about is laid bare here like never before.
The packaging of the Blue UD1S set complements its distinguished status. Housed in a deluxe box, both LPs come in special foil-stamped jackets with faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. This UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artifact for listeners who prize sound quality and production, and who desire to engage themselves in everything involved with the album, including the unforgettable cover photograph of a ruminative Mitchell shot by Tim Considine.
Deemed the third Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone; universally celebrated by critics, fans, artists, and educators; and defined by a spell of disarmingly vulnerable songs that are at once confessional, intense, spare, honest, painful, hopeful, and exquisite, Blue charts love, spiritualism, independence, and loss like no record before or since. Widely considered the album that established the singer-songwriter template, the largely autobiographical LP changed everything shortly after its original release in June 1971. Amazingly, it continues to do so more than five decades later.
An incalculable influence on generations of artists, it stands as the through-line from Carole King, Elton John, James Taylor, Joan Armatrading, and Leonard Cohen to Patti Smith, Carly Simon, Emmylou Harris, and Rosanne Cash to 21st century contemporaries like Brandi Carlile, Taylor Swift, Sharon Van Etten, and Courtney Barnett. Teetering between agony and optimism, it is — to borrow a phrase from Mitchell's eternal "A Case of You" — a bottomless "box of paints."
The beauty of the stripped-down arrangements, intoxicating melodies, and Mitchell's wisdom on Blue didn't go unnoticed. Critical acclaim, coupled with the depth of the material and Mitchell's reputation, propelled the album into the Top 20 in the U.S. and Top 10 in the U.K. Yet while so much pop music diminishes with age, Blue has defied norms and headed in the opposite direction. Its 50th anniversary year witnessed an outpouring of tributes, reflections, and testimonials that helped frame the record's escalating importance and symbolism — apt in an age in which women have become the prominent trailblazers in rock, R&B, and hip-hop.
Perhaps most succinctly, in a 2021 article celebrating the LP, the Los Angeles Times declared: "In 1971, nothing sounded like Joni Mitchell's Blue. 50 years later, it's still a miracle." Nothing, indeed. Yet "miracle" suggests Blue partially owes to a divine agent or inexplicable circumstance. And though Mitchell's bracing conviction and forthright sincerity can appear otherworldly, her musical approach and lyrical storytelling is nothing if not personal and human. What we hear is pure truth — no matter how aching, complicated, or stark.
Much has been written about the circumstances that inspired the songs on Blue: Mitchell's romances; her time overseas; her disdain for celebrity; her lingering sense of loss at having given up her daughter for adoption; her treatment by the very same industry that her music made uncomfortable; her prolonged search for resolution. These situations and experiences pushed Mitchell to question everything — especially big-picture concepts that have always obsessed mankind: fulfilment, autonomy, love, honesty, being.
"I wanna make you feel free," Mitchell sings on the record-opening "All I Want." Mission accomplished. Blue is liberation — and the start of a freedom that continues to impact music, culture, and identity today.
More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called "converts") are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity's UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.
"For a long time, I'd come across these discs without really understanding what connected them, apart from a button and that famous logo designed by René Dessirier. Then, with a little more digging, I discovered the "self-production" link. For choirs, schools, folk singers, young pop groups, popular homes and even great composers who engraved unique copies of certain recording sessions...
The French equivalent of the English "Derby Service", the Kiosque d'Orphée, formerly at 7 Rue Grégoire de Tours in the 6th arrondissement, was taken over by Georges Batard in 1967 and moved to 20 Rue des Tournelles in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The adventure lasted until 1991. Georges Batard was a sound engineer who used a Neumann tube engraver to engrave acetates from the tapes he received, before printing the precious vinyls in the press factories of the day, where he was able to produce very small runs of between 50 and 500 copies.
Of course, there were other structures for releasing his records, such as Voxigrave or, later, FLVM, but none of them had so many records in their catalog. Le Kiosque d'Orphée was neither a label nor a publisher, but a structure that allowed you to press your own vinyl, at a time when it was quite an adventure to get your first 45 rpm or 33 rpm album released!
Georges Batard was described as passionate and conscientious. His son, bassist Didier Batard, wrote of him:
"Georges was passionate about recording and reproducing the stereo sound of his great passion, music. He paid close attention to distortion rates, signal-to-noise ratios, response curves, rise times and other damping factors in audio equipment. He was looking for the exact reproduction of concert hall sound in his living room (with the same sound level, if possible...). In the late '50s/early '60s, he found other sound enthusiasts in AFDERS (Association Française pour le Développement de l'Enregistrement et de la Reproduction Sonores). He became its honorary president. Every Saturday afternoon, its members met to test au- dio equipment. Their opinions were published in the monthly Revue du Son.
All you had to do was send in your tapes and choose the number of record copies you'd like to take home with you, so you could finally share your creations and, in a way, exist. You could opt for a generic sleeve, available in several colors, directly customizable with your name and credits, or you could design your dream sleeve yourself in your living room or at a printer's.
This "Do It Yourself" temple gave birth to some superb pouches. Stencilled, hand-written, illustrated with paintings, drawings, illustrations by friends or girlfriends of the time, photo prints hastily stuck in the middle of a blank, white sleeve, on which the traces of time would leave their imprints, so that collectors and the curious would come and buy them decades later, with the promise of a musical discovery, unfortunately not always fulfilled...
What most of these records have in common is the youth of their songwriters, whether or not they've had a career. Stories of buddies, of getting by and dreams of glory made up this catalog. Most of them were amateur productions, both in terms of the level of the musicians and the quality of the recordings, made on a two-track or, the ultimate luxury, a 4-track in a teenager's bedroom or parents' living room.
It was the beginning of the home studio, thanks to the advent of the Revox portable tape recorder. A bit of a shaky DIY system, but, in return, the luxury of setting no limits: one-sided tracks, no outside censorship, no artistic director, no manager, no Barclay or EMI/Pathé Marconi logos...
When you finally had your own record, you could give it away or sell it to friends, family or after concerts. You could also drop it off at the nearest record shop, with undisguised pride.
It was also a calling card that could be sent to radio stations or music labels, in the hope of launching a career...
Many of the protagonists in this story tried to sign with labels, but in those days, bridges were not so easy to build between one's hometown, or even one's village, and the major or more specialized label that might have released these records. At the time, the advertisements published in the press by the Kiosque d'Orphée opened up the field of possibilities for provincial composers. It was now possible to make their own record, without having to go through the process of signing with a label.
Some of the composers who have gone on to make a career have used this channel to release their first record or parallel projects (Claude Engel, Dominique A, Andy Emler, Michel Deneuve, Claude Mairet, Mick Piellard, Tristan Mu- rail...) and sometimes even single or very limited pressings of work or promotional copies (Bernard Parmegiani, Jef Gilson...).
This album is the conclusion of a long investigation, begun six years ago. It took a long time to find the records, scattered all over the place, in the homes of collectors and sometimes the musicians themselves, and then to listen to them, sometimes painstakingly, to unearth these moments of grace.
From this work, 23 tracks remain, but there are dozens of others that could have been included, so we had to choose, and the choice had to be as universal as possible. This selection is obviously not objective, but I hope you'll like it.
"My favorite singer in the place was Karen Dalton. She had a voice like Billie Holiday's and played the guitar like Jimmy Reed." - Bob Dylan // Karen Daltons Capitol-Debüt aus dem Jahr 1969 ist endlich wieder erhältlich! Light in the Attic freut sich, eine brandneue Ausgabe dieser herzzerreißenden und bluesigen Einführung in die berauschende Welt von Dalton und ihrem tiefen Brunnen voller musikalischer Geheimnisse zu präsentieren. Weltmüde und vom Blues erfüllt, war Daltons unübertroffene interpretatorische Tiefe und emotionale Bandbreite wie keine andere. "It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best" wurde 1969 für Capitol aufgenommen und reihte sich ein bei klassischen amerikanischen Songwritern wie Lead Belly, Fred Neil und Tim Hardin. Diese Neuveröffentlichung ist die endgültige, rein analoge Version von Daltons umwerfendem Debüt, mit neu gemastertem Audiomaterial von den Original-Capitol-Mastern, dem Original-Artwork von 1969 in einem erweiterten Klappcover, ungesehenen Fotos des Albumfotografen Joel Brodsky und einem Essay, in dem Karens Freunde und musikalische Mitstreiter zu Wort kommen, vom Albumproduzenten und Bassisten Harvey Brooks bis zum Musiker Peter Stampfel von den Holy Modal Rounders. - Features new all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, direct from the original analog tapes - Pressed at RTI - Includes liner notes by Brian Barr - Featuring unseen photos by legendary photographer Joel Brodsky - LP housed in an expanded gatefold jacket
Real groups like Empirical are a rarity in contemporary jazz, where musicians so often come together for single projects then disperse again once they are done: groups that endure for fifteen years, without slackening in their quest for the new and the fresh, are all but unheard of. Having started their journey in 2007, Empirical now makes a triumphant return, re-taking their rightful place at the centre of the UK scene with "Wonder is the Beginning". Their first full-length album since 2016, is a mature musical statement that shows the band"s fire is still undimmed and their commitment to maintaining the legacy while forging their own unique path is as strong as ever.
Hinter dem Bandnamen Potato Beach versteckt sich ein Wiener Indie-Surf Kollektiv rund um Mastermind Jannik Rieß. Bislang gab es eine EP, die als Tape erschienen ist. Der Strand ist für alle da! "Back on the road, driving slowly, sipping coke" - Mit den ersten Zeilen auf "DIP IN" legt Jannik Rieß direkt ein Geständnis ab. Der deutsche Wahlwiener und Multiinstrumentalist hinter dem Musikprojekt Potato Beach, bekennt sich mit seinem Debüt zum Softdrink bei Einhalten des Tempolimits - und damit zur eigenen Kartoffeligkeit. Sympathisch! Potato Beach's durchaus nostalgischer Garage-Rock versucht gar nicht erst, dem Bravado und Machismo alter (The Kinks) oder neuer (Foxygen) Inspirationen nachzueifern. Rieß erzählt lieber seine eigenen Geschichten in der lähmenden Sommerhitze Wiens, irgendwo zwischen zu lang jung bleiben und zu früh alt werden. Die Platte braucht keine waghalsigen Salti vom Zehner schlagen, um in die Tiefe zu gehen. Vielmehr lädt sie uns dazu ein, mit baumelnden Füßen am Beckenrand tief ins Rot-Weiß der Freibadpommes zu tauchen. Schmeckt vertraut - und ziemlich lecker. So wabern simple, aber sorgfältig arrangierte Vintage-Riffs und schrullige Orgeln wie Hitzeschlieren am Horizont, wenn Rieß "Why are we feeling guilty for not doing anything?" oder "How can anyone go to work?" die blöden Fragen stellt, über die wir alle rätseln. Potato Beach's Selbstreflexionen sind am Puls der Zeit getaktet und sprechen dabei ganz ungezwungen 0,5 bis 2,5 Kartoffelgenerationen von der Pelle. So handeln sie nicht etwa von Heroin und Manic Pixie Dream Girls, sondern von Ghosting, Fernbeziehungen oder dem Gefühl der Einsamkeit unter Vielen. Potato Beach befreit den Küstenrock der 60er vom alten Rost und verleiht ihm mit ehrlichen, nachdenklichen und bodenständigen Anekdoten einen zeitgenössischen Anstrich. Dass Potato Beach mit "DIP IN" nicht dem Mackertum seiner Blaupausen folgt, ist kein Zufall. Nachdem Rieß' musikalische Vorbilder durch ihren Sexismus unhörbar wurden, sah er sich gezwungen, seine Lieblingsmusik selbst neu zu schreiben. Dass er das komplette Instrumentarium und den Gesang der 11 Tracks im Alleingang aufgenommen hat, zeigt: Dem ist das wirklich wichtig. Hingabe, Leidenschaft und Weltschmerz hallen jedenfalls deutlich hörbar aus dem Röhrenverstärker. Nur vereinzelt tauchen Vertraute Musiker:innen der Schwesterbands Peter the Human Boy oder Gardens auf, um ein Cello hier oder ein Keyboard dort einzuspielen. Die sind auch dabei, wenn die Freibäder Wiens warm genug werden, um die Platte live zu performen. Bis dahin sorgt "DIP IN" mit seiner warmen Melancholie für süße Tagträume vom Sehnsuchtsort Strand. "DIP IN" erinnert uns: Ob Potaetoe oder Potahtoh, every Body is a Beach Body!
Tired of grey skies and long faces? We’ve got a serious dose of musical vitamin D for you! Deer Jade is hailing from the picturesque Lake of Geneva, an area about which the late Jean Paul Belmondo had to say a thing or two. Her infectious smile and uplifting energy behind the decks already made her a household name in clubs and festivals around the globe. This solo debut is an expression of her strong self confidence and in-syncness with the world surrounding her. “Jukurpa” might be just one of the most flamboyant house tunes you’ll come across this year, readymade for swaying to on an early summer morning dancefloor. “Cosmic Dream” is of a more introspective nature, putting gentle psychedelic synth movements to good use. There’s a lot of heart in Deer Jade’s music. We’re happy to give it a home.
David Hasert & Niconé – Wasting My Time With You
Tired of grey skies and long faces? We’ve got a serious dose of musical vitamin D for you! ?This Cologne – Berlin joint venture is shedding rays of sun galore with this lost in reverie deep house jam. Built around a catchy as hell soul vocal and occasional piano outbursts “Wasting My Time With You” will certainly be one of our favorite tunes to waste our time to in 2024.
Deer Jade – Jukurpa
Hast Du genug von grauem Himmel und langen Gesichtern? Wir haben eine ordentliche Dosis musikalisches Vitamin D für Dich! Deer Jade stammt vom pittoresken Genfer See, einer Gegend, über die der unvergessliche Jean Paul Belmondo so einiges zu sagen hatte. Ihr ansteckendes Lächeln und ihre mitreissende Energie hinter den Decks haben sie bereits zum gerne gesehenen Gast in Clubs und auf Festivals rund um den Globus gemacht. Dieses Solo-Debüt ist Ausdruck ihres starken Selbstbewusstseins und ihrer Verbundenheit mit der Welt, die sie umgibt. “Jukurpa” ist vielleicht einer der extravagantesten House-Tunes, die man in diesem Jahr zu hören bekommt, wie geschaffen zum Mitschunkeln an einem frühen Sommermorgen. “Cosmic Dream” ist von eher introspektiver Natur und holt uns mit sanften psychedelischen Synthesizer-Bewegungen ab. In der Musik von Deer Jade steckt eine Menge Herzblut. Wir freuen uns, dass sie es bei uns verschüttet.
David Hasert & Niconé – Wasting My Time With You
Hast Du genug von grauem Himmel und langen Gesichtern? Wir haben eine ordentliche Dosis musikalisches Vitamin D für Dich! Das Köln-Berliner Joint Venture versprüht mit diesem verträumten Deep-House-Jam jede Menge Sonnenstrahlen. ?”Wasting My Time With You” ist mit seinen ?catchy Soul-? Vocals und gelegentlichen Klavier?-?Kaskaden sicherlich einer unserer Lieblingssongs, mit dem wir im Jahr 2024 unsere Zeit verschwenden werden.
out of Stock
Last delivered 2 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Holiday for Skins Vol. 1” by Art Blakey is a fascinating blend of percussion and jazz. Recorded in 1958, the album brings together talents like Ray Barretto, Sabu Martinez, and the Jazz Messengers. These exotic rhythms explore Afro-Cuban and Brazilian styles, delivering a vibrant musical experience. The versatility of percussion and mastery of jazz make this album a true rhythmic celebration, highlighting Art Blakey’s lasting impact in the world of jazz.
"Holiday For Skins Vol. 1" by Art Blakey includes the following tracks: "Lamento Africano" and more.
"Holiday for Skins Vol. 2" is a percussion-driven jazz album led by Art Blakey, recorded in 1958. Featuring master percussionists like Ray Barretto and Sabu Martinez, the album dives into Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, interwoven with the Jazz Messengers' expertise. This captivating collection highlights Blakey's innovative exploration of diverse beats, creating a rhythmic feast that showcases his profound influence on the fusion of percussion and jazz.
"Holiday For Skins Vol. 2" by Art Blakey includes the following tracks: "Dinga" and more.
THE COMPLETE DILLA INSTRUMENTALS FROM THE CLASSIC ALBUM PRESSED ON RANDOMLY MIXED COLORED VINYL
The contributions of the late Detroit producer James DeWitt Yancey - better known to the world as J Dilla- to the world of hip-hop can’t be overstated, and nowhere is his legacy more apparent than his work as a member of Slum Village. A founding member of the trio, (Alongside rappers T3 and Baatin) Dilla provided the groups distinctly esoteric, free-wheeling sound, built around winding basslines, quirky drumbeats, subtle low-end frequencies, and classic jazz & soul samples. After the success of Slum’s 1997 studio debut, Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1, the group went to work on their follow up. Though the project was completed in ‘98, label turmoil kept the project on ice until 2000. By the time Fantastic Volume II hit, Dilla was well on his way to his status as a hip hop legend having produced cuts for Common, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest and many more. Later works from Slum Village may have had more of an impact sales-wise (in the immediate) but Fantastic Volume II had fans and many critics saying that Slum Village, and Dilla in particular, may single-handedly save rap music. Perhaps that statement is hyperbole but many consider Fantastic Volume II to be Slum Village’s, and J Dilla’s, finest work ever. Ne’Astra now presents the complete Dilla instrumentals from this landmark release.
Punk pioneers Crass continue their vinyl reissue series, re-pressing their limited releases by adjacent artists through Crass Records, in association with One Little Independent. The series, including over twenty bands and solo artists recorded at the legendary Southern Studios and produced by Penny Rimbaud, continues with two more historic pieces from the Crass Records catalogue; ‘Barbed Wire Halo’ by Annie Anxiety and ‘Neu Smell’ by Flux of Pink Indians.
They follow records from the likes of Captain Sensible, Omega Tribe, Honey Bane, Jane Gregory, Lack of Knowledge, Sleeping Dogs, Rudimentary Peni and Zounds. First released on 7” vinyl, limiting the sound, the new series has been remastered for 12” by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road Studios, allowing them to be heard as never before. This, plus enlarged replicas of the original covers, brings new gusto to their already radical sound.
New York City musical maverick and performance artist Annie Anxiety, aka Little Annie aka Annie Bandez, began her illustrious career (including work with Adrian Sherwood, Coil, Current 93, and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry) with Crass. They released her first solo single, 1981’s ‘Barbed Wire Halo’ alongside ‘Cyanide Tears’, an extraordinarily prescient piece of jagged electronics, samples, and skeletal rhythms, led by Annie’s nightmarish vocals.
She tells us; “When creating this single with Penny I hadn’t heard the word ‘avant-guard’ nor could I spell it – I only got explained ‘concretism’ via an interview I did in Berlin regarding some of my work three years ago – My father was a printer so I grew up with sound of printing press and subway train beats and always heard melodies and cross rhythms within those beats – I was just making dance music / disco tunes to my mind and Pen heard those same tunes I was hearing – my first recording, in retrospect I guess, was pretty ‘out there’ at its release, but to us it was dance floor for a club yet to be invented- one day”.
Penny Rimbaud expands; “Annie Anxiety is a total enigma, a passionate voice in the wilderness of consensual reason. Dada in instinct, Monroe in affection, Rambo in inflection, Annie rams it home with divine thunder. An instigator and innovator, she’s the bonkers angel of Yonkers, NYC. With no time to spare, Annie takes to the road with complete conviction, overtaking Kerouac halfway down 5th Avenue. Catch her if you can”.
Punk pioneers Crass continue their vinyl reissue series, re-pressing their limited releases by adjacent artists through Crass Records, in association with One Little Independent. The series, including over twenty bands and solo artists recorded at the legendary Southern Studios and produced by Penny Rimbaud, continues with two more historic pieces from the Crass Records catalogue; ‘Barbed Wire Halo’ by Annie Anxiety and ‘Neu Smell’ by Flux of Pink Indians.
They follow records from the likes of Captain Sensible, Omega Tribe, Honey Bane, Jane Gregory, Lack of Knowledge, Sleeping Dogs, Rudimentary Peni and Zounds. First released on 7” vinyl, limiting the sound, the new series has been remastered for 12” by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road Studios, allowing them to be heard as never before. This, plus enlarged replicas of the original covers, brings new gusto to their already radical sound.
Flux of Pink Indians were an iconic anarcho-punk band active from 1980-1986. In 1981 the band signed to Crass Records, releasing their debut EP ‘Neu Smell’ the same year, featuring indie hit ‘Tube Disaster’. Pulsating bass and grinding, distorted guitar chaos underpins a vicious takedown of media sensationalism and the reporting of everyday tragedies.
Der Soundtrack zum Kult-Animationsfilm „Blue Giant“ kommt nach Deutschland - als limitierte blaue Doppel-LP! Der erfolgreiche Film basiert auf dem gleichnamigen auch in Deutschland erschienenen Manga-Comic, der weltweit über 11 Millionen Mal verkauft wurde. Er erzählt auf mitreißende Art die Geschichte eines jungen japanischen Saxofonisten und seinem steinigen, aber letztendlich erfolgreichen Weg in die internationale Jazz-Szene. Der Film war in Asien ein großer Kinoerfolg und wird ab Juni dieses Jahres erstmals auch in Deutschland im Heimkino zu sehen sein (Blu-ray bei PLAION). Die Musik zu „Blue Giant“ stammt von der Grammy-ausgezeichneten japanischen Pianistin und Komponistin Hiromi und ist mit seinen packenden Jazz- und Funk-Sounds integraler Bestandteil des „Blue Giant“-Erfolges.
Michael A. Muller, Multiinstrumentalist und Mitbegründer von Balmorhea, hat sich ganz ins Komponieren vertieft und veröffentlicht sein DG-Debüt Mirror Music. Reflexion ist das Thema dieses Albums. In Zusammenarbeit mit elf Künstlern sind zehn Tracks entstanden, die auf Mullers Ambient-Kompositionen basieren. Muller schrieb sie am Mellotron, einem Oberheim Two-Voice Synthesizer und einer Rhodes-Orgel und teilte sie mit den Musikern, wobei jeder für sich einen Part in einem bestimmten Stück übernahm. Mirror Music eröffnet mit der taktilen, offen gestimmten zwölfsaitigen Gitarre von Danny Paul Grody, geht über in die irisierende Pedal-Steel-Gitarre von Chuck Johnson und mündet ins vokal Atmosphärische von Vestals. Es folgen Jonathan Sielaffs Bassklarinette und Ilyas Ahmeds Gitarre, die einsamen Wüstenklänge von Douglas McCombs von Tortoise, die flirrenden Rhythmen des indonesisch-australischen Perkussionisten Rama Parwata, die modularen Synthesizer-Reflexionen von Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, der samtige Gesang von Hania Rani, die weichen Soundmodulationen von Jon Porras und schließlich das gefühlvolle Cello von Clarice Jensen. Mirror Music kommt am 1. März 2024 digital heraus und am 15. März als LP in limitierter Auflage.
Das zweite Album der Alternative-Pop-Band MUNA wurde bei seinem Erscheinen 2019 nur in den USA als sehr limitierte farbige Vinyl-LP veröffentlicht, was es zu einer begehrten Rarität macht. Das Album «Saves The World» enthält auch ihren erfolgreichsten Track «Number One Fan» und erhielt bei seiner Veröffentlichung begeisterte Kritiken, u. a. 4 und 5 Sterne von Rolling Stone, The Independent und Pitchfork, und wurde in vielen Listen der besten Alben des Jahres 2019 aufgeführt, darunter Billboard und The Guardian. Die Band, bestehend aus Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin und Naomi McPherson, ist nun bei Phoebe Bridgers Label (Saddest Factory) unter Vertrag und tourt weiter, zuletzt als Support für Harry Styles, The 1975 und Taylor Swift, sowie als Headliner bei eigenen Konzerten in den USA und Europa.
Das zweite Album der Alternative-Pop-Band MUNA wurde bei seinem Erscheinen 2019 nur in den USA als sehr limitierte farbige Vinyl-LP veröffentlicht, was es zu einer begehrten Rarität macht. Das Album «Saves The World» enthält auch ihren erfolgreichsten Track «Number One Fan» und erhielt bei seiner Veröffentlichung begeisterte Kritiken, u. a. 4 und 5 Sterne von Rolling Stone, The Independent und Pitchfork, und wurde in vielen Listen der besten Alben des Jahres 2019 aufgeführt, darunter Billboard und The Guardian. Die Band, bestehend aus Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin und Naomi McPherson, ist nun bei Phoebe Bridgers Label (Saddest Factory) unter Vertrag und tourt weiter, zuletzt als Support für Harry Styles, The 1975 und Taylor Swift, sowie als Headliner bei eigenen Konzerten in den USA und Europa.
Obwohl erst Februar 2012 in Aachen zusammengefunden, veröffentlichen FJ¥RT im März 2014 ihr zweites Album "D'accord". Ja, das geht fix bei den Jungs, die scheinbar keine Ruhe und Pause kennen. Das Rackern und Malochen hat sich auch schon definitiv für die Drei ausgezahlt, denn auch schon ihr Erstling "Demontage" sorgte für dicke Wellen in der hiesigen Post-Hardcore-Szene. Wütend, zerstörerisch, bildgewaltig - so könnte man die sechs Songs des Debut bezeichnen. An der Schnittmenge zwischen modernem Hardcore, klanggewaltigem Postrock und Emo im Sinne der 90er Jahre, malmen, stampfen und kämpfen sich die düsteren Songs ins Bewusstsein des Hörers. Chris (Gitarre, Gesang), David (Bass) und Frank (Drums) wissen als klassisches Three-Piece Radau für ein ganzes Orchester zu inszenieren. Die zehn neuen Songs auf "D'accord" fügen dem bereits gelegten FJ¥RT-Grundgerüst nun noch eine weiter Dimension hinzu - sie verschachteln, stapeln, experimentieren und verwüsten, mit einer unglaublichen Bandbreite und Abwechslung. FJ¥RT können ruhig und laut, aber auch episch und kurz & knackig. Sie spielen mit Elementen die auf einer Turbostaat oder Pascow Platte sowie auf einer Piano Become The Teeth-Platte Platz finden. Und das Spannende dabei ist, daß es ohne angestrengt zu sein geil klingt! Wenn Du in Schubladen denken möchtest, dann sag ich's mal so: Das hier könnte die Hardcoreplatte für den eigentlichen Punk-Fan sein und zwar, weil der Gesang die Brücke baut. Stimmlich ist das hier vielleicht der richtig angepisste Jan von Turbostaat der zu einem Tidal Sleep-artigen Soundtrack düstere Bilder heraufbeschwört. Irgendwo zwischen frühen Escapado, den The Wave-Bands und düsteren Post Rock!
"Ausgezeichneter Gruselrock! Allein die Songtitel: ,The Dead Won't Sleep", ,Forbidden Forest", ,At The Mountains of Madness" oder ,Stone Age Funeral"! Da krieg ich gleich gute Laune von, das sind die wichtigen Dinge im Leben. Musikalisch befinden wir uns ungefähr in 1970, und die Rockmusik wird irgendwie heavy & treibend und vor allem düster und unheimlich. Mountain Witch verschreiben sich auf ihrer zweiten Platte erneut diesem Sound, den Black Sabbath und andere in die Welt gerufen haben, und mit ihrem Vintage Equipment Wahn kommen sie so dicht dran, dass man es nicht für möglich hält, dass das eine neue Platte sein soll. Erfreulich finde ich, dass hier mehr gesungen wird als auf dem Debut ,Cold River", das steht den Songs ausgezeichnet und unterstreicht eben das eingangs erwähnte Gruselfeeling. Wer auch nur am Rande was hält auf alten Hardrock oder konsequenten Stoner, muss unbedingt reinhören. Absolutes Meisterwerk ist der gut sieben Minuten lange ,At The Mountains of Madness", der sich langsam aufbaut und eine recht eigene Note mitbringt, außerdem gruselt es mich hier am meisten, wenn kurz vor Schluss dieser Psychedelik-Part verhältnismässig weit raus rudert für Berghexen-Verhältnisse. Gut gemacht! Wer also auf alten Kram wie Witchfinder General, Legend, Manilla Road, epic 70ies Protometal oder neueren Kram wie Demon Head, Kadavar oder natürlich die erste Mountain Witch Platte steht, sollte unbedingt zugreifen, es hat eine Entwicklung im Songwriting stattgefunden, die ich so nicht vorhergesehen habe. An den Songs ist kein Gramm Fett zuviel, die sehnigen Songs hauchen einem wie ein Knochenmann in den Nacken, wenn der getragene Titelsong losgeht, verbreitet sich Nebel aus einem anderen Jahrhundert in meinem Zimmer und wenn ich Glück habe, nimmt er mich nicht mit oder löst mir das Fleisch vom Skelett. Das meine ich ernst! Der Chor! Top! ,Isle of Bones" wird dann so melancholisch, fast eisig, dass es ein perfekter, hypnotischer Rausschmeißer ist, der einen die Platte einfach nochmal umdrehen lässt!" Tobi Neumann
James Hudson is a captivating and charming performer who has a natural affinity with an audience. His outstanding voice can communicate the nuances of a melody and lyric with great interpretive prowess which undoubtedly sets him apart as a jazz singer at the top of his game.
James Hudson's upcoming second album 'Moonray' is a bold and ambitious project that features a unique ensemble including horns, vibraphone and strings to create a rare and accomplished sound. This follows his debut album 'Tomorrow', which attracted international media coverage and exceptional reviews from many top jazz publications (BBC Music Magazine, London Jazz News, Jazzwise, JazzViews), plus air-time across national radio stations where it was named 'Album of the Week' by Jazz FM.
Having recently sold out his first show at the world- renowned Ronnie Scott's, James is in demand at many of the UK's most respected jazz clubs. Regularly performing to sell- out crowds at Pizza Express Jazz Club Soho, Crazy Coqs, Piano Smithfield, Peggy's Skylight, and Hull Truck Theatre, he has appeared at the EFG London Jazz Festival, Leeds Jazz Festival, and Wigan International Jazz Festival. James is sought after by some of the top big bands and orchestras in the industry whom he has guested with all over the world.
James has taken great inspiration from the likes of Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Sarah Vaughan which when combined with his passion for jazz standards has inspired him to establish his own voice and unique style, which is captured in his music and live performances.
Footballhead is a Chicago-based alternative rock band headed by singer/ songwriter Ryan Nolen - At its heart, the band is a vessel to toil forward through internal and external insecurity It also serves the unrelenting spirit of new- millennium Midwestern youth, with MTV and skatepark dreams in the core of their memories. By blending pop structures with alt and emo sounds, Footballhead channels the frantic, dramatic, and anthemic to map the pressure points of existence. It's outcast music, revitalized in search of a modern, blissful awakening. Nolen was a skate kid from the western Chicago suburbs; the one who only kicked it with older neighborhood kids. The punkish attitude of late-90s and earlyaughts alt- rock galvanized Nolen, from the infectiously fun music down to the fashion.
A teenage relocation to Palm Springs, CA coincided with Nolen inundating himself with all the music he could: Warped Tour, 411 videos, Limewire, and the like. The Footballhead ethos comes from this comfort zone of pop impulses and raucous energy, carried by a DIY spirit that grants Nolen the autonomy to facilitate honesty and reflection. Joined by Adam Siska, snow ellet, Liam Burns, and Robbie Kuntz, Footballhead crafts supercharged rock songs like brief, open secrets. However weathered one is from their struggles and mistakes, this music offers unbridled fun as a reprieve, and salves for the shaken. These are your old friends inviting you in to commiserate, elevate, and believe.
