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Morikawa Seiichirou, vocals, bass
Yamagiwa Hideki, electric & classical guitar
Takahashi Ikuro, drums & percussion

je prie pour que la goutte ne tombe pas
(I pray that the drop does not fall) is the first international release by Japanese trio Chi To Shizuku. While they have released five albums and a 7” in Japan, their spectral, haunted rock songs haven’t yet reached a much wider audience overseas. With this album, then, a live recording taken at Koenji HIGH, Suginami, Tokyo on 23rd November 2021, the unique, quartz-like character of Chi To Shizuku’s music is writ large, the bleak bliss of their songs carved onto twelve-inch vinyl.
Perhaps the best-known member of Chi To Shizuku, at least for audiences with an ear turned to Japanese psychedelia, is drummer Takahashi Ikuro, known for his membership of almost every group worth a damn from that scene – Fushitsusha, Nagisa Ni Te, Ché-SHIZU, Kousokuya, High Rise, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, LSD March, the list goes on. But the core of Chi To Shizuku’s music is the collaboration between vocalist, bassist and lyricist Morikawa Seiichirou, and guitarist and arranger Yamagiwa Hideki. Morikawa is a member of long-running punk/goth group Z.O.A., and has also played with YBO , Zzzoo, and as collaborator with Takeshi and Atsuo of Boris in A/N; he’s also recently been performing with Mitsuru Tabata. Yamagiwa’s history takes in stints with Katsurei and Cock C’ Nell, and he also recently guested with la scene 裸身.

All this contextual information does relatively little, though, to prepare you for the unique vibration of Chi To Shizuku’s lustrous songs. They shimmer in the same half-light, perhaps, as Shizuka and the quieter moments of LSD March, sharing a similar poise and classicism, and there’s a tenderness and wracked poetry to Morikawa’s voice that reminds of the emotional intensities both of traditional Japanese folk, and of British folk music: on “Musuu No Nemuri No Naka De Kumo Wo Tukamu”, the combination of his singing, backed with gorgeously plangent guitar, reminds of no-one so much as it does The Pentangle or Spriguns Of Tolgus. Chi To Shizuku’s love for the ballad as form gifts their music an archaic, sometimes arcane resonance, and from what you can hear on this album, it’s clear they’re in love with graceful melancholy.

But this is not a folk album, by any means; it just shivers with the same eternal spirit. There are also hints of prog rock, and you can catch some passages of scratchy, distended free rock, on the extended spirit invocation of “Nanhito Hanhito”. je prie pour que la goutte ne tombe pas is an extraordinary album, a melancholy surprise, that reminds dedicated listeners of the seemingly bottomless well of great music to be found via the Japanese underground in its many forms. Perhaps Michel Henritzi says it best, though, in his liner notes, when he writes, “Chi To Shizuku’s music reminds us that our life is a dream that lasts only a season, and that oblivion will follow.”

Recorded at Koenji High Suginami, Tokyo, 23 November 2021
Mix & Mastering: Taku Unami, photography : Noriko Akiyama
Liner notes by Jon Dale Printed by Alan Sherry

In the ever-evolving landscape of the underground music scene, few bands have made an impact quite like Selofan, an immensely talented duo of Joanna Pavlidou and Dimitris Pavlidis, has carved a niche for themselves within the international pantheon of darkwave, post-punk, and '80s synthpop, blending these influences to create a sound uniquely their own. Their journey, marked by a commitment to artistic integrity and evolution, has taken them from the cozy confines of local venues to the grand stages of international festivals, earning them a dedicated following and critical acclaim along the way. Their sixth album, Partners in Hell, released in October 2020, navigated the band through unprecedented times, testing their adaptability and resilience. Despite the hurdles to performing live and the global pandemic's challenges, Selofan emerged stronger, embarking on international tours with a newfound appreciation and connection with their global audience, during this period of introspection and isolation, Joanna Pavlidou embarked on a new venture, GIOVANNA, released under Selofan’s house label, Fabrika Records. GIOVANNA, which places Pavlidou at the helm of vocal and lyrical composition, represents a full on foray into synth-pop. showcasing a different facet of her artistic identity, with lyrics entirely in Greek. In 2023, Selofan hit the circuit hard, lighting up revered festivals with their presence. They stood shoulder to shoulder with heavy hitters like Molchat Doma and Lebanon Hanover at Grey Scale and performed with with the likes of The Sisters of Mercy, VNV Nation, and She Past Away at the Death Disco fest in their hometown of Athens. With each album they have released Selofan made significant strides in their evolution, deepening their engagement with their art. And their forthcoming seventh full length studio release, Animal Mentality, is poised to be their most compelling work yet. Animal Mentality unfolds as a labyrinthine journey through the elemental aspects of human emotion and experience, set against the backdrop of Selofan's signature darkwave sound. Each track on the album delves into different facets of the human condition, from the depths of desire to the pangs of isolation, encapsulating the duo's profound understanding of the intricate spectrum of human emotion and subjective experiences. The album kicks off with "Sticky Fingers," a track that melds cinematic scope with a haunting storyline, reminiscent of Jean-Michel Jarre's icy synths and a lyrical nod to Joy Division. This opening salvo revisits the tragic allure of classic car accident songs, weaving a tale of joy turned to sorrow amidst the snowy Alps. "Love's Secret Game" delves into the depths of forbidden desire, with vocals that echo the melancholy timbre of Xmal Deutschland, Lebanon Hanover, and Nico. It's a tale of passion and ephemeral connection, promising an enduring presence despite the inevitable fracture of time and distance. In "Lucille," sung by Dimitris Pavlidis, the plot is ensnared in the machinations of a tempestuous affair, with gothic undertones evoking the dramatic soundscapes of Ultravox and Clan of Xymox. The lyrics are steeped in danger and desire - a dance with the shadows. "Sacrifice Me" plunges into the abyss of despair, driven by a Bauhaus-esque bassline. It's a plea for release from the chains of alienation, a yearning for a final gesture of solace in the face of overwhelming darkness. "Bluebirds" offers a poignant reflection on solitude, with the fleeting imagery of bluebirds symbolizing the elusive quest for happiness. The song serves as a meditation on the internal struggle to maintain hope in a world shaded by sorrow. The narrative shifts with "Glassplitter," where German lyrics paint a portrait of deceptive allure and toxic entanglement. We are confronted with irresistible danger, masked by a veneer of beauty. "Ignoranz" continues the exploration in German, pondering the universality of misunderstanding. It's a reflection on the subjective nature of truth and the shared human experience of ignorance. "Behind My Eyelids" closes the odyssey, a contemplation on melancholy and metamorphosis. The phoenix rises from the ashes of betrayal to the brighter realm of renewal - a beautiful homage to the resilience of the human spirit amidst the often harrowing cycles of life. More than just an album, Animal Mentality is a milestone in Selofan's career, marking a decade of musical innovation and growth. It's a testament to their enduring spirit and a bold step into new realms of artistic expression. As Selofan continues to evolve, they remain at the forefront of their genre, pushing boundaries and exploring the depths of the human psyche through their haunting melodies and poignant lyrics.

Featuring a prestigious line-up of guests, the album Sonars brings together iconic voices alongside Maxime Dangles and Tommy Rizzitelli: Oxmo Puccino (Continent plastique), Craig Walker, former lead singer of Archive & Power of Dreams (Bug and Delusion), and Aur (Reef).



Conceived during the Art/Science project of the same name, Sonars draws inspiration from reflections on ecology and the shifting biodiversity of our oceans and rivers. It was in Rimouski, on the shores of Quebec’s Saint Lawrence River, that the duo immersed themselves in the imagery and sensations that breathe life into this record. The result is a collection of breathless, driving tracks—a masterly fusion of machines and drums where organic textures meet the urgency of the climate crisis.

Tape Source’s Romain Da Silva Santos further enriches the album with his guitar work, while the visual identity is graced by the work of photographer Jean Gaumy, whose iconic photography features on the cover.

Death Is Not The End present the first volume in a survey of a form of Brazilian country music known as música caipira ("hillbilly music") - a stripped-back forerunner to música sertaneja, the Brazilian equivalent to US country & western which in it's contemporary form has come to dominate the domestic music industry in recent decades. This collection covers some of the earliest recordings made by the pioneering folklorist Cornélio Pires at the end of the 1920s, through to records from the 30s, 40s & 50s and the beginning of the 60s.

Somewhat rooted in Portuguese troubadour folk traditions, música caipira is typically performed by a duo singing in parallel thirds and sixths, drawing upon a Portuguese-Brazilian style known as moda de viola - with the viola being the viola caipira, a Brazilian-style ten-string guitar that is the core instrument of the music. Born out of the "outback"-style region in north-eastern Brazil, these songs tell stories of pain, love, loss & betrayal - often backed by homemade guitars using invented tunings. Away from the polished pop country & western-stylings of the sertaneja, these recordings could be viewed as the Brazilian equivalent to the roots music of the American dustbowl or Appalachia.

Tucked in the heart of Koreatown, Los Angeles, lies The Libra Hotel—the titular architecture of Nick Malkin's new album and site of his musical and psychogeographic exploration. Unlike most musical "site-specific" studies, Malkin remains wholly ambivalent to the documentarian approach, instead sharpening an auteur-like focus on the site as a conceptual and highly expressive backdrop. The Libra is musically explored as a space that houses a noir fragmentation of identity—the exhausted trope of a complicated protagonist walking through rain-soaked street corners and fumy neon lights—where an inner monologue is rendered in both miniature and at a cosmic scale. Casting aside stifling tropes around field recording, ambient, and improvised music, Malkin's work finds its own unique fidelity and emotional core through the assembly and reassembly of memory. Nearly every sound on the album—from frayed saxophones, lambent pianos, and dissected jazz drum kits—are multiplied, shattered, and reconstituted into shapes that adorn The Libra in a motion-blurred fog. The narrative of the Hotel suddenly appears as if out of the mist, with intersecting characters interacting within its walls by happenstance. Adminst the languid set pieces, wraith-like sonic grains gravitate around wide subbass beams that give structural form to The Libra, a narrative tension like when a scene is shot from hundreds of different perspectives: an image both luminous and veiled.

Much like Frank Sinatra's own spatial residency immortalized on "Live at The Sands," "At The Libra Hotel" showcases an exuberant view of entertainment, hospitality, and a form of masculinity, one that can quickly detourn into darkness. Knowing this, Malkin extracts a melancholic core out of The Libra locale. The flickering shadows of American decadence are shown in their ephemeral honesty, lines that trace how even in everyday life virtue is tested, sanity is tested, even reality is tested within the confines of desire, within the night. The album is draped in fleeting textures, carefully arranged with a trance-like microtonality, the faint inflections and articulations of a jazz band cascading into dissipated stillness. Voicemails about changed locations and covert eavesdropping on guests' whispered conversations provide an atmosphere of missed connection and voyeurism—a purloined letter of desire receding into a vanishing point. Like the music itself, The Hotel, a chapel perilous at the intersection of desolation row, the center of it all, yet simultaneously at the edge of town, becomes a structure between libidinous virtuality and actuality—our inevitable half-light.

Ultimately, the pensive atmosphere of "At The Libra Hotel," powerfully asserts a plea for the kinds of intimacy only possible in transient spaces. Here, memory cascades into a force that feels like something supernatural, perhaps even religious, yet always subject to the infidelity of our imagination. Here, the album opens into its primary psychodrama, the transient nature of subjectivity itself and how this becomes fractured in the tumult between our commitments and desires. Within this nocturnal space, to quote Louise Bourgeois, "you pile up associations the way you pile up bricks. Memory itself is a form of architecture."

Live at Café Oto is a journey into Ainu music as ancient vocal chants move into intense mouth-harp acapellas as meditative solo tonkori pieces morph into psychedelic dub-heavy work-outs.

The album follows the critical acclaim for Tonkori in the Moonlight,Mais Um's 2022 compilation of OKI's early work that was chosen as one of the best folk albums of 2022 by The Guardian.

Live at Café Oto features mostly unheard repertoire from OKI and family, recorded in Mais Um's favourite venue in London on a sold out night as part of a captivating European tour - when we heard the recording we knew we had to release it.

Sun Ra is better known to most as a musician than a poet, but he identified equally as both. My Words Are Music provides direct access to the sentiments of a poet who never called Earth home. The spoken word album hosts an inspired array of artists who personally chose their favorite Sun Ra poems to recite. Freed from the page, his poetry acquires an unexpected simplicity and poignance it possessed all along.

This all-star and intergenerational lineup of artists conjure wisdom from his words: spoken word elder Abiodun Oweyole of The Last Poets; rapper, and singer-songwriter Saul Williams; jazz experimentalist Melanie Charles; British-Trinidadian poet, novelist and musician Anthony Joseph; poet Mahogany L. Browne; poet, playwright, and conceptual artist Carl Hancock Rux; musician/digital composer L’Rain; singer, actor, and director Tunde Adibempe of TV on the Radio singer; British DJ and BBC radio host Zakia Sewell; ballistic hip-hop poet Jive Poetic; and longtime members of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Marshall Allen, Knoel Scott, and Tara Middleton.

Punctuated by impish electronic interludes composed and played by Marshall Allen, these voices bless Sun Ra’s poetry with new life My Words Are Music offers the opportunity to follow Sun Ra into a
better future. “Prepare for the journey,” he writes in his poem “The Cosmic Age”, “You have a rendezvous / With the living wisdom.” My Words Are Music is a project developed in conjunction with Living Sky, the all-instrumental Sun Ra Arkestra album released on Omni Sound in 2022

Japanese acid pop outfit Cho Co Pa Co Cho Co Quin Quin channel the globe-trotting spirit of Haruomi Hosono’s 1970s tropical boogie on their debut album, Tradition.

Named after one of the basic rhythms of Cuban folk music and drawing on influences from across the globe, Cho Co Pa Co Cho Co Quin Quin are quite simply a world unto itself.

Comprised of three childhood friends, Daido, Yuta and So, who reconnected during the coronavirus pandemic, Cho Co Pa initially emerged as a playful way for the three 23-year-olds to pass the time. Tapping into their youthful connection, they created a sound that exudes confidence and curiosity, a homage to the masterful world of YMO’s and Happy End’s Haruomi Hosono, rooted in the trio’s own idiosyncratic experience of the present.

Recorded at home and promoted on hugely popular DIY TikTok videos, their debut album Tradition is a technicolour exercise in armchair travelling – a kind of lockdown exotica for the housebound whose nostalgic flights of fancy are laced with a sense of whimsical melancholy for the lost freedoms of youth.

Referencing everything from Afro-Cuban percussion to lo-fi beats, Buddhist spirituality to trap, each member of the band brings different musical inspirations to the table. Latin American and Middle Eastern styles sit adjacent to a fascination for the electronic music of Aphex Twin, Dorian Concept, Underworld and Daft Punk. At times, the music verges on acid pop bliss, at others, it grooves with the instrumental funk sensibility of BADBADNOTGOOD.

“In the first place, when I create a song, my goal is to transport the listener to a mysterious place,” vocalist Daido explained in a recent magazine interview. Using lyrics as another sonic texture in the composition of ideas, Cho Co Pa paint beguiling sonic postcards of far-flung moods across 12 highly original tracks.

Marrying the organic and the electronic on rhythmically sophisticated compositions like ‘Chichibu’ and ‘Watatsumi’, it is on the album’s standout track ‘Gandhara’ that the experimental sound of Cho Co Pa comes to the fore. Referencing the ancient city of Gandhara through which Buddhism made its way from India to China, the track is a vocoder-trap-inspired, Udu drum-driven pop jam that lilts with unmistakable Balearic flair. If that’s difficult to imagine, then know simply that ‘Gandhara’ sounds like nothing else on this side of Saturn. Even Daido seemed surprised by the outcome: “I feel like we were able to create something that exceeded our abilities. That was huge!”

Hugely popular in Japan, with festival appearances lined up alongside BADBADNOTGOOD at Asagiri Jam in October, it's safe to say the success of Tradition has taken Cho Co Pa by surprise. You won’t have heard anything like it."

DJ Woody returns with the 4th instalment of Scratch Sounds, the only scratch library collection made with 100% original recordings tailored specifically for turntablists and scratch DJ’s.

Scratch Sounds No 4 (Rock Box), this time concentrates on the sound of hard rock. It features an extensive collection of killer vocals, electric guitar riffs and solos, electric bass as well as a large selection of live drum grooves, perfect for beat juggling and scratch drumming.

So, whether it’s a DJ battle, freestyle scratch practice, beat-juggling, jamming with other DJ’s or musicians, creating scratch music or sampling the sounds for your beats. Scratch Sounds 4 is an absolute must for all discerning scratch heads.

100% original recordings made specifically for turntablists.
Extensive collection of skip proof vocals, electric guitar riffs and solos, electric bass and live drums grooves.

Great for beat juggling and scratch drumming.

Side one programmed at 133.33bpm and side two at 100bpm

2 lock groove hi hat phrases for building tracks and keeping time

Smokey grey vinyl in a full colour reverse board sleeve

Extended 3LP edition of Merzbows amazing second vinyl from 1986 in very special package. One of the very best Merzbow albums, first time ever reissued on vinyl and first time ever released with the ORIGINAL tracks! The first edition of this album, released by RRRec in 1986 as double vinyl, was a remix done by RRRec, while our edition is a perfectly mastered first ever vinyl edition of the original recordings, extended to 3 LPs with bonus songs from the same time.

Recorded at Absolute Studio & Soundfirm Melbourne, jan - june 1990.
Engineered by Steve Burgess.

Special thanks to : Steve Burgess, all at Soundfirm, Philip Brophy, Robert Goodge,all the Tunisian extras who sang & played for us between scenes during the shooting of Isabelle Eberhard & finally to Sylvie Partiot for her marvelous sound recordings & atmospheres.

Brilliant Experimental album by the Merzbow co-founder, recorded in 1989 - with sticker and insert

The clear vinyl version is only available in the limited 99 copies boxset "artefAKTs from the Early Japanese Experimental Noise Music Scene

Forest Swords' debut album 'Engravings' is back in print on vinyl and CD for the first time in years, newly remastered by Rashad Becker with previously unheard bonus tracks exclusive to this edition.

Created by electronic producer and composer Matthew Barnes, and originally released via Tri Angle Records, 'Engravings' received instant acclaim from the likes of Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, The Guardian and saw Barnes take his hypnotic live show across festivals like Sonar, Glastonbury, Unsound and Le Guess Who.

While much of British electronica is defined by its inner cities, 'Engravings' was recorded in Barnes' hometown on the banks of an ancient river in Merseyside, the album's earthy, organic soundscape reflected the landscape and climate: all silt and sandstone, woodlands and wind, with the ghosts of Liverpool's pop music and clubbing history echoing in the near distance.

The album was a prototype for a sonic vocabulary Barnes has expanded on over the next few years: in critically acclaimed studio albums ('Compassion' and 'Bolted' via Ninja Tune), collaborations with Massive Attack and Neneh Cherry, remixes for the likes of Bjork, as well as commissions for video games, ballet and film scores - of which he has carved a career as an in-demand composer and sound designer.

'Engravings' is a snapshot of an artist confidently defining their own language: a piece of work that distills influences like dub, ambient, rave, post-rock and psychedelia into an ancient-futurist musical vision that feels timeless and vital.

With only two albums out, Slow Pulp are one of the defining bands of the generation that grew up on "90s alt rock radio and came of age with the 2000s indie wave. Their new album, Melodie, out on September 18 was produced by Elliott Kozel (whose credits include SZA, Lizzo, Jean Dawson, and Rosalia) and was co-written by Emily Massey and Henry Stoehr in the band. Melodie sees the band exploring beyond their shoegaze roots into new sonic territory with pop-tinged hooks and melodies. Melodie is the follow-up to their acclaimed sophomore album Yard. With resounding praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Pitchfork, Billboard, The FADER and Stereogum, with Variety declaring it "one of 2023"s best rock records" Following tours supporting Lucy Dacus, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Postal Service, the band will play their biggest hometown show to date at the Salt Shed, plus dates in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Diego this fall.

With only two albums out, Slow Pulp are one of the defining bands of the generation that grew up on "90s alt rock radio and came of age with the 2000s indie wave. Their new album, Melodie, out on September 18 was produced by Elliott Kozel (whose credits include SZA, Lizzo, Jean Dawson, and Rosalia) and was co-written by Emily Massey and Henry Stoehr in the band. Melodie sees the band exploring beyond their shoegaze roots into new sonic territory with pop-tinged hooks and melodies. Melodie is the follow-up to their acclaimed sophomore album Yard. With resounding praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Pitchfork, Billboard, The FADER and Stereogum, with Variety declaring it "one of 2023"s best rock records" Following tours supporting Lucy Dacus, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Postal Service, the band will play their biggest hometown show to date at the Salt Shed, plus dates in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Diego this fall.

Houston’s premier street griot is stepping into his most profound chapter yet with his highly anticipated upcoming album, O.Y.N. Throughout a decorated career that spans over 1.2 billion global streams and a fiercely loyal fanbase, Maxo Kream—born Emekwane Ogugua Biosah, Jr.—has established himself as one of rap’s most authentic, uncompromising storytellers. From the raw trenches of Alief to the critically acclaimed triumphs of Punken, Brandon Banks, Weight of the World, and his triumphant 2024 independent pivot Personification, Maxo has long been celebrated by Pitchfork, NPR, and Complex for his cinematic, hyper-detailed world-building. Now, O.Y.N. finds the Houston icon turning his gaze inward, pairing his signature Texas grit with an expansive, global perspective that redefines his artistic boundaries.

If his previous work was about Maxo taking full creative control as an independent force, O.Y.N. is about him uncovering who he is at his core. Following the passing of his father, Maxo found himself searching deeper for his family origins, leading to a pivotal moment of artistic and personal rebirth. For the first time in his life, Maxo traveled to Lagos, Nigeria, anchoring his new music in a profound celebration of his Nigerian heritage. The emotional centerpiece of this journey is the JPEGMAFIA-produced single “Time Out,” an introspective track that moves away from the frantic energy of his past releases to offer a stripped-back look at love, loss, and legacy. Featuring a heavy, resonant drum presence on the outro, the song’s accompanying music video was filmed on location in Lagos, capturing Maxo navigating his ancestral roots in real-time.

While O.Y.N. reaches new emotional depths, it doesn't sacrifice the hard-hitting, volatile street persona that made Maxo a star. The album expertly balances soul-baring vulnerability with cutting-edge hip-hop experimentation, showcasing elite chemistry with some of the genre's most forward-thinking visionaries. Look no further than “Fake Jeezy,” a collaborative explosion featuring Denzel Curry and masterminded by JPEGMAFIA. The track is a masterclass in industrial chaos, combining sharp lyricism and early-2000s trap imagery with cold, surreal visual aesthetics. This duality highlights Maxo's unique positioning in the culture as a trusted street general who can effortlessly trade bars with rap's avant-garde elite.

From his early days flipping Kendrick Lamar's “Rigamortis” to sharing marquee tracks with the likes of A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott, and Tyler, The Creator on hits like “Big Persona,” “Cracc Era,” and “Cracc At 15,” Maxo Kream has always been a rapper's rapper. O.Y.N. represents the ultimate synthesis of this incredible journey. It is an album born from the soil of Alief but elevated by the spirit of Lagos—a raw, beautiful, and heavy-hitting testament to an artist who has survived his past, honored his losses, and fully embraced his destiny.

For South Central’s premier singer, songwriter, and producer, success was never an overnight accident; it was a blueprint executed with meticulous precision. With his highly anticipated project, Labor of Love, Blxst delivers a masterclass in modern West Coast R&B and Hip-Hop, proving that true artistry requires both sweat and soul. The album serves as a sonic manifesto on the price of ambition, the weight of loyalty, and the delicate balance of maintaining romance while building an empire. It stands as a definitive evolution of the distinct sound Blxst pioneered, blending crisp, trunk-thumping 808s with soulful, nostalgic chords and his signature, effortlessly smooth vocal runs.

Entirely self-produced and co-written, Labor of Love bridges the gap between the sun-drenched grit of Los Angeles street culture and the vulnerability of late-night bedroom playlists. From the bounce of celebratory anthems to introspective, late-night drive confessionals, Blxst curates a tracklist that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant. It explores the sacrifices made in the pursuit of greatness, paying homage to the sonic pioneers of LA while firmly cementing his own place as the vanguard of the city's modern sound. It is a celebration of independence and the self-made mentality, reminding listeners that he remains the chief architect of his own destiny.

Ultimately, Labor of Love is a testament to the grind, capturing the sleepless nights and tested relationships that pave the road to success. Blxst puts his heart on the line to show that the work itself is where the true passion lives, creating an album for the city, for his family, and for everyone who stays dedicated to their craft. More than just a collection of radio-ready hits, this project is a cohesive, cinematic experience from one of music's most reliable hitmakers. It is a definitive reminder that Blxst isn't just riding the wave—he is directing the current.

Brought together by Antoine Rajon through their shared love of modal and free jazz, the four musicians of KOMA embraced the high-wire act of a ""Jazz on the Moment,"" a hallmark of the KOMOS label's Analog Home Session series. These friends, both on and off stage, already play together in other groups, such as AMG for Keïta Janota and Anthony Jouravsky, and OLA TUNJI for Ornella Noulet and Anthony.


For this recording, the new group set up in the living room of a Burgundy home, equipped for the occasion with the finest vintage analog equipment by Christian Hierro, engineer at the ""Back To Mono"" studio in the Drôme region.

With no preparation other than the few hours before starting the tape recorder, KOMA recorded the tracks in the order they appear on the album. Two pure improvisations sit alongside a composition (in two versions) by Keïta Janota, and a composition by vibraphonist Martin Blouet, who was experiencing his first professional recording.


The iconic piece ‘John Coltrane’, composed by bassist Bill Lee, father of Spike Lee, is the only cover on the album. The quartet offers a surprising, almost ambient version, without the rhythm section and epic solos of other recordings. The musicians' love for the music of the ‘supreme saxophonist’ is nonetheless intense.

As a birth certificate on the very day of the group's formation, this ‘no-nonsense’ album allowed this unusual lineup (two saxophonists, a vibraphonist, and a bassist) to present its lyrical and meditative music on numerous stages.

Bachar Mar-Khalifé Plays Christophe

The album title, Bachar Mar-Khalifé Plays Christophe, inevitably comes as a surprise: the Lebanese composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist ventures into the world of the pop dandy who escaped the yé-yé era… From the very first notes, one thing becomes clear: splendor flows effortlessly from melodies restored to their fragility and simplicity. Bachar Mar-Khalifé explores the hypnotic melancholy of a world that is both sophisticated and crystal clear. A fascinating plunge “into this collapsing luxury,” as the lyrics of Paradise Lost say. Seven tracks with his collaborators Dogan Poyraz on drums and Aleksander Angelov on bass, seven narratives unfolding the musical richness of Christophe’s songs as much as that of Bachar Mar-Khalifé’s playing and singing. A captivating journey, both on record and on stage. It all started there, in fact. In April 2025, BMK dared to pay tribute to Christophe at the Fragile Festival, at the Cirque Zingaro, five years after his death. At first glance, it wasn't his familiar world. "I haven't idolized him my whole life," he explains. "I really knew Christophe personally before I knew his work in detail." During his childhood in Lebanon, and then after arriving in France in 1989 at the age of six, the music played at home left little room for Christophe's pop. "We listened more to Brassens, Brel, Ferré, Barbara. I hardly knew anything more than 'Les Mots bleus.' Then we met. Christophe loved the night, young musicians, exploring together..." In 2018, Bachar and Christophe recorded a Unik session for FIP, which involved recording a 45 rpm single live, followed by a concert at the Maison de la Radio. The younger brother has the opportunity to discover a legend, but also how it works: “His melodies allow you to go very far—even him, who seems to be searching for a new version with each interpretation, as if he wanted to return to the organic aspect of the song. A researcher who, out of a need for freedom, wants to escape the image people have of him.” So there was no question of overproducing these covers as one might do with the stage fright of tackling an intimidating work. “I tried to go very fast to deliver each song, as if I had composed it myself.” Working instinctively, very spontaneously, the bulk of the album comes from the trio's rehearsals and the concerts that followed. “I chose songs that moved me. Very beautiful melodies and very beautiful lyrics.” Whether the lyrics are by Jean-Michel Jarre or Alain Kan, “they often speak of love in danger.” “I like to hear this quote from Paradise Lost: ‘Dandy, a little cursed, a little aged / In this crumbling luxury.’ Here and there, he pruned the lyrics, as if to make them more audible, in Les Mots bleus, ‘The winter wind blows in April / I love the still silence’ – an evocation of the month of Christophe’s death. And he chose a little-known song from the yé-yé era, Les Amoureux qui passent, in which we hear the young trumpeter Siméon Petrov, who further expands the play on the archetypes of vintage romantic song. Between accepted fragility and the vertigo of feeling, between virtuosity of lightness and unfathomable depths, Bachar Mar-Khalifé unfolds an unexpected kinship with Christophe.” A kinship of silences and sonic surprises (a synthesized zurna sound in "Emporte-moi," for example) that will continue on tour. He is also preparing an album of original songs, his first since 2020, after many compositions for film and collaborations with other artists. He writes songs of love and dance, at a time when Lebanon and the world are experiencing such dark times. Perhaps this is yet another lesson from Christophe: to love and sing "in this crumbling luxury."

Brazilian artist Rubel isn’t one to be pigeonholed and typecast into staying in one sound. Casas, the follow-up to his debut album Pearl from 2015, brought a bigger, more epic, and richer production quality to the table. Fusing the worlds of MPB and hip hop, Rubel’s sophomore LP built on the momentum of its predecessor, gaining a Latin-Grammy nomination along the way. Mr Bongo is proud to be giving Casas its first worldwide release on vinyl and CD outside of Brazil and Japan.

The cliché they say is that the second album is always the trickiest; however, Rubel doesn’t seem to have had any problems on Casas. It’s a fountain of creativity and originality, marking an artist in full flow.

Conceived after Rubel spent six months living in Los Angeles, Casas is MPB-leaning at its core but is also driven by a hip hop inspired pulse. There is a clear influence from hip hop’s aesthetic across the 2010s woven subtly but fundamentally throughout. Nods to Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, The Creator can be heard across an album full of playful edge and personality. Luscious string-led arrangements and tracks that explore the rich folkloric rhythms of Brazil, sit next to songs with low-fi drum machines and features from acclaimed Brazilian rappers.

One of the highlights of the album, ‘Mantra’, starts with a traditional Brazilian rhythm that morphs into a hazy hip hop beat. A sublime song with a hooky call and response chorus, it features a guest appearance and verse by the Brazilian MC Emicida. Another highlight is the epic ‘Colégio’ (College) which further showcases the melding of stripped back drum machine beats with cinematic, sweeping arrangements. Elsewhere, ‘Partilhar’ is a swaying, heartwarming hug. A tale of longing and love that has become a singalong fan favourite at Rubel’s concerts.

Casas also shines a light on a string of key players in Brazil’s new vanguard, such as Pedro Fonte, Gus Levy, and Brazilian rapper / poet Rincon Sapiência to name a handful. The record has pop sensibilities yet also feels underground. It beats with the heart of a singer-songwriter, a feeling that was felt so strongly on Pearl, yet this time is bolstered by a level of arrangement and richness of sound that take it to another dimension - soaring horn and string sections elevating the songs from home recording to stadium-ready anthems. Keeping that intrinsic beauty and simplicity of a well-constructed song yet reframing it within a pop context is the true gift of this album.

Casas cemented Rubel’s status as one of Brazil’s leading contemporary talents and a key figure enriching the country’s already effervescent scene.

Savage first-wave screamo from San Diego’s white belt progenitors. Collected for the first time on this 39-minute LP are Antioch Arrow’s complete Gravity recordings, including In Love With Jetts LP (+ a pair of previously unissued outtakes), The Lady Is A Cat 12”, Candle split, and two live Che Cafe tracks captured at the quintet’s spazzy peak. 23 tracks remastered from corroded DATs and annotated by Tony Rettman, plus lyrics, photos, and flyers, all housed in a stunning gatefold jacket for maximum McClard ragebaiting.
”A roar of nothing”—HeartattaCk

Savage first-wave screamo from San Diego’s white belt progenitors. Collected for the first time on this 39-minute LP are Antioch Arrow’s complete Gravity recordings, including In Love With Jetts LP (+ a pair of previously unissued outtakes), The Lady Is A Cat 12”, Candle split, and two live Che Cafe tracks captured at the quintet’s spazzy peak. 23 tracks remastered from corroded DATs and annotated by Tony Rettman, plus lyrics, photos, and flyers, all housed in a stunning gatefold jacket for maximum McClard ragebaiting.
”A roar of nothing”—HeartattaCk

Dublin-born, thirty years an immigrant. That's the spine of henryohenry's debut, Apocrypha, not as a concept but as a condition. He's spent three decades in the United States working in the trades, absorbing the country's mythologies and building what he calls "an idiosyncratic American language" out of them, something closer to Whitman's vision than what he found. He is, by his own account, "formally and informally not a musician" — all but two of the songs were written on a $6 charity-shop guitar with a repaired headstock and strings that distorted unpredictably. It doesn't appear on the record. Produced by filmmaker Rick Alverson, the album is anchored by guitarist Eamon O'Leary and his son Ned Steves, recording together for the first time, without rehearsal. Erik Hall mixed and contributed overdubs; Emilie Rex of Lean Year lends harmonies to three songs; poet Callie Garnett appears on another. Album standout "There" captures something harder to name: how powerful feelings drive you to the page, and how the thing you make can outlast the feelings that made it. "It feels like a triumph over something," he says, "even if you're a bit embarrassed by some of the sentiment."


Apocrypha arrives as a debut but carries the patience of a life lived in full. For fans of John Cale, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen.

Chelsea Wolfe enters a new era with The Dark, forged in newfound sobriety and deep self-reckoning. Lead single "Cold" is the album's emotional doorway: the ache of being in relationship yet feeling utterly alone, of loving someone and still knowing they are toxic for you. It's about letting go of the person, the path, and the version of yourself that kept returning to the same wound — not dramatic escape, but the quiet terror of finally saying it plainly: "I'm letting you go."

In einer Welt voller Lärm und Chaos bietet Harlans Musik eine Rückkehr zur Ruhe. ,Music for Stillness" entfaltet sich langsam und lädt zur Erholung und stillen Präsenz ein. Die Bansuri-Flöte gibt den Ton an; ihr gefühlvoller, gesanglicher Klang webt eine Melodie über Cello und ambienten Klangerlebnissen. Beeinflusst von indischer klassischer Musik, japanischer Kanky Ongaku und westlicher Ambient-Musik lässt das Album dem Zuhörer Raum, selbst zu entscheiden, wie tief er sich darauf einlassen möchte. Die Musik wirft eine einzige Frage auf: Wie könnte Frieden klingen?

Shaped in the shadows and sounds of the legendary Topanga Canyon, California. The debut album from Biita Houdei is buoyed by a magic that feels wildly and beautifully untamed; wild-hearted sentiments that are shaped by the world around it, fascinated by the enchantment of it all, and delivered via a collective (harmony layered) voice that understands the complex nature of what it means to be alive in the here and now.

Produced by Haley Heynderickx, 'This Bed Was Made For Me' is a striking collection of stirring, signature folk songs animated by subtle instrumentation and orchestral flourishes. It feels lived in: vocals weave together in a beautiful harmonic dance, seasons shift, sunshine appears and bold psychedelic colours warm the horizon.

In the early stages of making her debut album, Biita Houdei knew two things: that she wanted the recordings to feel distinctly and palpably warm, and that she would sew a unique patch for every song on the album. The first of those things is subjective, though brightness pours in from all corners of This Bed Was Made For Me. The second became a laborious task she undertook throughout the process, the completion of which is testament to the slow process of it all, to the physical commitment and patience required to make a full work of art.

The patches she crafted during the making of This Bed Was Made For Me became a full quilt, one that now adorns the album’s front cover. Beneath it sits a striking collection of Houdei’s stirring, signature folk songs, brought into fruition with the help of fellow songwriter Haley Heynderickx, in her first lead production role, and the album’s producer/engineer Sahil Ansari. It’s also the first release Biita (pronounced “bee-tah”) is releasing under her newly-taken name, one that was gifted to her by her auntie and means "unique" in the Farsi language. “I proudly take this name,” Biita says of the change. “It makes me feel that much closer to my Persian heritage.”

Recorded across ten back-to-back and full days, the album touches on themes of love and heritage, of taking chances, the preciousness of time and the impact we all have on the world around us. A number of the songs were written in Topanga, California, while Biita settled into a new home as wild fires raged, and as she adjusted to a life which no longer held distinct seasonal changes, far from the Ozark Mountain home she felt so attached to. Such themes reveal themselves in a variety of ways across the album’s fourteen songs, that key sense of warmth retained in the bones of the album whether they are stepping into darkness or seeking out light.

The album feels lived in and alive; dust swirls, seasons shift, sunshine appears and is held. Biita calls it ‘psychedelic’ and there is indeed a sense of that in the world building, in the way the bold colours are always shifting. Formed of fourteen songs, and filling nearly forty-five minutes, This Bed Was Made For Me not only builds a whole world for listeners to inhabit but also implores you to stay a while. This was deliberate, indeed it’s Biita’s wish that listeners give the album dedicated time; to learn its shape, to explore it fully, away from the instant grab of playlists and skewed algorithms.

“Many of my favourite albums didn’t reveal themselves instantly to me,” Biita, now based in the Catskill Mountains of New York, explains. “Some did, of course, but I had to work to understand the full scope of the piece as a whole. I encourage people to dive deeper into everything that they choose to consume. It is not my intention to sound pretentious, but instead, I am trying harder to explain the gratitude I have for being able to craft every part of this album— using my hands, my brain, my voice, my visions. To me, it is an all encompassing work of art,” she continues. “Making the quilt was laborious. Taking the cover photo was laborious. No shortcuts, but rather a manual and tangible approach. I am thankful for the time it took.”

Anushka Chkheidze + Robert Lippok continue their collaboration with »The Sky Was Out of Tune«. Its eight movements form a long-form ambient piece in constant flux: soundscapes emerge from electronic synthesis and layered textures, while small melodies, rhythmic patterns, metallic noises, or distortions drift through like clouds across the sky. But a sky that is out of tune is still a sky. What shifts is the register in which it speaks.

»The Sky Was Out of Tune« emerges from a live performance for »Festival of Future Nows« at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie. Its organically tangled sounds mirror the artists’ attention to nature as a system that is never quite in equilibrium. Ecosystems lean, compensate, tip, and recover—balance, in the natural world, is not a fixed state but a perpetual negotiation. Chkheidze and Lippok take this as both subject and method. Their sounds shift weight between one another, approach resolution and then withdraw from it, hold tension without release—they find form in the unstable. »Preparing something unstable completely changed the method of how we would normally split our skills or roles,« Chkheidze says. »I think in this one looong piece you feel how much we listen to each other.«

Anushka Chkheidze + Robert Lippok continue their collaboration with »The Sky Was Out of Tune«. Its eight movements form a long-form ambient piece in constant flux: soundscapes emerge from electronic synthesis and layered textures, while small melodies, rhythmic patterns, metallic noises, or distortions drift through like clouds across the sky. But a sky that is out of tune is still a sky. What shifts is the register in which it speaks.

»The Sky Was Out of Tune« emerges from a live performance for »Festival of Future Nows« at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie. Its organically tangled sounds mirror the artists’ attention to nature as a system that is never quite in equilibrium. Ecosystems lean, compensate, tip, and recover—balance, in the natural world, is not a fixed state but a perpetual negotiation. Chkheidze and Lippok take this as both subject and method. Their sounds shift weight between one another, approach resolution and then withdraw from it, hold tension without release—they find form in the unstable. »Preparing something unstable completely changed the method of how we would normally split our skills or roles,« Chkheidze says. »I think in this one looong piece you feel how much we listen to each other.«

Im Laufe des Jahres 2026 hat das Jazz-Piano-Trio Okonski (Steve Okonski am Keyboard, Aaron Frazer Bandkollege von Durand Jones and the Indications am Schlagzeug und Bassist Michael Isvara Ish" Montgomery) nach und nach eine Vielzahl von Singles veröffentlicht, um die Fans bis zum mit Spannung erwarteten Album LP3" im Jahr 2027 bei Laune zu halten. Die Tracks zeigen vielfältige Einflüsse und beinhalten Kollaborationen mit Künstlern wie dem Saxophonisten Cochemea und der Harfenistin Rachel Kitchlew. Zum Abschluss dieser Single-Reihe hat Colemine Records eine limitierte Auflage von Kassetten gepresst, die alle neuesten Tracks sowie ein paar Bonus-Live-Stücke enthalten. Die hochgelobte EP Trio Session Demos" der Band wurde auf die B-Seite der Kassette gepackt damit sind diese vom Hip-Hop inspirierten frühen Aufnahmen zum ersten Mal physisch erhältlich. Anfang 2025 veröffentlichte Okonski ihr zweites Album Entrance Music" und erntete dafür großes Lob. Das Spiritual-Jazz-Album wurde von Rolling Stone, BBC, Billboard, KEXP und unzähligen anderen gelobt und wurde bereits über 10 Millionen Mal gestreamt. Das Trio hat kürzlich ein ausverkauftes Konzert in LA absolviert und bricht diesen Herbst zu seiner ersten Tour durch Großbritannien und die EU auf. Von Okonski ist in den kommenden Jahren noch viel mehr zu erwarten.

,Teranga", das letzte Album der Wau Wau Collectif-Trilogie - dieser verträumten, kulturübergreifenden Zusammenarbeit -, zeigt, wie die Band endlich zu einer Einheit zusammenwächst. Der Name leitet sich vom Wolof-Wort ,Teranga" ab, das für Herzlichkeit, Gastfreundschaft gegenüber anderen und - ganz allgemein - für ein gemeinsames Zusammentreffen steht - ein passender Titel für das Album, das selbst Ausdruck einer solchen Begegnung ist. Das Projekt begann 2018 im Dorf Toubab Dialaw, wo die beiden Musiker Arouna Kane und Karl-Jonas Winquist die Idee erstmals hatten. In den folgenden Jahren entwickelte sich das Projekt weiter: Die beiden Produzenten tauschten über WhatsApp Dateien aus und bezogen ihr Netzwerk aus Freunden und Kollegen in das ein, was später zum Wau Wau Collectif werden sollte - was schließlich in ihren ersten Alben ,Yaral Sa Doom" (2021) und ,Mariage" (2022) gipfelte. Ihr neuestes Album, ,Teranga", ist der dritte und letzte Teil dieser Trilogie, der während der ersten Live-Tour der Band fertiggestellt und abgemischt wurde - eine fünfwöchige, weitreichende Reise quer durch Europa mit ,drei Schweden, drei Senegalesinnen und einem französischen Fahrer, ein herrliches Sprachengewirr", wie Karl-Jonas erklärt. Das Herzstück von Wau Wau Collectif ist ein starkes musikalisches Fundament, das nicht nur auf dem breiten kulturellen Spektrum beruht, aus dem sich das Kollektiv inspirieren lässt, sondern auch auf den äußerst talentierten Musikern - komponiert und eingespielt von sage und schreibe 26 verschiedenen Songwritern und Musikern, die eine beeindruckende Bandbreite an Instrumenten spielen, darunter Balfon, Ngoni, Calabasse, Violine, Cello, Saxophon und Omnicord. Der daraus resultierende Sound lässt sich nur schwer einordnen, hat aber klanglich zweifellos seinen Platz in Teranga gefunden. Mal verträumt und meditativ, aber durchdrungen von einer organischen Seele - ein völlig einzigartiger Sound, der zugleich anachronistisch und zukunftsweisend ist. ,Oh, Africa" könnte auf einer klassischen Neuauflage zu Hause sein, mit einem fast türkisch anmutenden Gitarrenriff, während ,100 ans" (ihre erste Live-Studioaufnahme) an Amadou et Mariam aus den frühen 2000er Jahren erinnert. Mit Wurzeln in der Avantgarde (Karl-Jonas hat Barney Wilens ,Moshi" als Inspiration genannt), während Wau Wau sich von diesen Experimenten inspirieren lässt, auch wenn sie in ihrem Bekenntnis zum Gemeinschaftsgeist davon abweichen - ein Projekt, das durch Handys, WhatsApp und im Internet kursierende MP3s ermöglicht wird -, was leicht ironisch wirkt, wenn man bedenkt, wie akustisch, bodenständig und menschlich es sich anfühlt. Während wir das Kapitel der Trilogie abschließen, betont Karl-Jonas, dass dies vielleicht erst der Anfang ist: ,In gewisser Weise haben wir gerade erst angefangen", sagt er. Für das nächste Jahr zeichnen sich Pläne ab, die ganze Band zusammenzubringen, und es stehen weitere Tourneen bevor - mehr Hoffnung, mehr Menschlichkeit und mehr Zusammenhalt.