7"
Melbourne/Geelong quartet School Damage began as a bedroom recording project for Carolyn Hawkins (Chook Race, Parsnip) and Jake Robertson (Ausmuteants, Frowning Clouds etc). They released a cassette for Moontown Records in 2013, then were joined by Jeff Raty on drums and Dani 'Damage' Hakim on bass.
Taking cues from pop outfits such as The Vaselines, The Particles and Young Marble Giants, School Damage's sound is defined by wobbly keyboards, weaving bass lines, and lyrical content focused on the vagaries of modern life.
Following on from last year's excellent debut album through Chapter, School Damage return with a new EP for Upset The Rhythm titled 'Sings... Four Songs About One Cat'. As titles go this one hits it on the head, School Damage tell the tale of a very independently-minded feline that they share their life with called Lumpy (also known as Scump). As Jake from the band explains, 'Lumpy is incredibly naughty, she's not very cuddly and she definitely plays by her own rules. The songs here are a mix about us having anxiety as pet owners - whether she'll run away, or if we're suffocating her by our constant need of attention... and also about how much she enriches our lives.'
For a cat who spends much of her time scratching up record spines, it seems fitting that Lumpy will now grace the cover and sentiment of her very own 7'. Maybe she's just been making room all this time for as many copies as possible of her hit record.
Buscar:school damage
- 1: The Brown Lipstick Parade
- 2: John Dillinger
- 3: Werewolves Of Wall Street
- 4: Road Rage
- 5: Mid-East Peace Process
- 6: Hollywood Goof Disease
- 7: White People And The Damage Done
- 8: Crapture
- 9: Burgers Of Wrath
- 10: Shock-U-Py!
White Vinyl[30,88 €]
“Wrecking Ball” was one thing. Now comes the long-awaited anti-austerity blast-a-thon with the teeth, venom and one-of-a-kind music of Jello Biafra. The second full-length from Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine picks up where last fall’s SHOCK-U-PY! left off. Covered in gruesome detail this time are corruption (“The Brown Lipstick Parade”), “Werewolves of Wall Street,” “Road Rage,” and corporate McMedia making pop stars out of small-time crooks to shield the big ones (“John Dillinger”) or tabloid pop stars to lobotomize everyone else (“Hollywood Goof Disease”). The title track shines a light on our never-ending foreign policy disasters in ways even Jello’s spoken word albums never did. “Crapture” is the perfect song to play for those lovely End Times believers, pointing out how much better the world would be for everyone else left behind—replete with melodies on the scale Biafra hasn’t really touched since “Moon Over Marin.” Above all, White People and the Damage Done rocks! No pop punk here, just Jello and crew taking punk fire in unexplored directions, with wallof-sound, in-your-face production from Marshall Lawless and Matt Kelley (lots of Jello projects, Hieroglyphics, The Coup, Digital Underground, Zen Guerrilla). Lineup retains the double-barreled guitar attack of Ralph Spight (Victims Family, Freak Accident) and Kimo Ball (Freak Accident, Griddle, Mol Triffid), joined by bassist Andrew Weiss (Rollins Band, Ween, Butthole Surfers, more) and drummer Paul Della Pelle (Helios Creed, Nik Turner’s Space Ritual, and Philly HC legends Ruin)
“Wrecking Ball” was one thing. Now comes the long-awaited anti-austerity blast-a-thon with the teeth, venom and one-of-a-kind music of Jello Biafra. The second full-length from Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine picks up where last fall’s SHOCK-U-PY! left off. Covered in gruesome detail this time are corruption (“The Brown Lipstick Parade”), “Werewolves of Wall Street,” “Road Rage,” and corporate McMedia making pop stars out of small-time crooks to shield the big ones (“John Dillinger”) or tabloid pop stars to lobotomize everyone else (“Hollywood Goof Disease”). The title track shines a light on our never-ending foreign policy disasters in ways even Jello’s spoken word albums never did. “Crapture” is the perfect song to play for those lovely End Times believers, pointing out how much better the world would be for everyone else left behind—replete with melodies on the scale Biafra hasn’t really touched since “Moon Over Marin.” Above all, White People and the Damage Done rocks! No pop punk here, just Jello and crew taking punk fire in unexplored directions, with wallof-sound, in-your-face production from Marshall Lawless and Matt Kelley (lots of Jello projects, Hieroglyphics, The Coup, Digital Underground, Zen Guerrilla). Lineup retains the double-barreled guitar attack of Ralph Spight (Victims Family, Freak Accident) and Kimo Ball (Freak Accident, Griddle, Mol Triffid), joined by bassist Andrew Weiss (Rollins Band, Ween, Butthole Surfers, more) and drummer Paul Della Pelle (Helios Creed, Nik Turner’s Space Ritual, and Philly HC legends Ruin)
- Data - Ja Nisam Kao Ti
- Data - Izumi
- Data - España
- Data - Damage In My Head
- Data - France
- Data - Strahovi
- Data - Ne Želim Da Tako Žive
- The Master Scratch Band - Break War (The First Version)
- The Master Scratch Band - Jailbreak (The First Version)
- The Master Scratch Band - Computer Break (The First Version)
- The Master Scratch Band - Mad Scratch
Despite its tragic breakup, Yugoslavia as a political, social and cultural phenomenon still inspires generations, especially those who were born or lived at the time of this utopian land of South Slavs. Those who didn’t enjoy the privilege are still amazed by its 1970s and ’80s music scene and the number of very modern, high quality acts that were so often ahead of their time. Two such acts were Data and The Master Scratch Band, both founded by Zoran Jevtic and Zoran Vracevic, who introduced synth-pop, breakbeat, and hip-hop music in Yugoslavia in 1984 with their releases: SP Neka Ti Se Dese Prave Stvari/Ne Zovi To Ljubavlju and miniLP Deogut (Jugoton). Our latest release, “It Was Ridiculous, It Was Amazing!” gathers their earliest unreleased material from 1981-1983, showcasing a broader range of genres – alongside synth-pop and breakbeat/hip-hop, they also experimented with industrial, EBM, minimal synth, and electro-funk!
The whole record is divided into two parts: on A side there are 7 previously unpublished songs by group DATA, and on B side there are 4 previously unreleased recordings by The Master Scratch Band.
The Data side opens with two unexpected “shocker” tracks: Ja Nisam Kao Ti” (eng. I am Not Like You) and “Izumi” (eng. “Inventions”) from 1981, where they sound like early Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft with unusual vocal pan sound effects on Serbian lyrics and uncompromising synth-based sound. Equally unpredictable are the next two songs: atmospheric “España” and dusty “Damage In My Head,” where Zoran Jevtić boldly steps into the lead vocal role. But the surprises don’t end there. The next two songs, France and Strahovi (eng. “Fears”), bring a mysterious and nostalgic atmosphere, elevated by the irreplaceable sound of the modular Roland System-100M. At the end comes the greatest surprise of all: Data covers YMO-Ballet in a song called Ne Zelim Da Tako Zive (eng, I Don’t Want Them Living Like That) and puts some extra energy in rhythm without losing the original song’s sensibility. Like in the original, the lyrics are tender and yet mysterious and provocative.
The Master Scratch Band side contains the very first versions of the songs Break War, Jailbreak, and Computer Break, originally recorded in studio Druga Maca in Belgrade in 1983. These versions were not released on their mini-LP album Dégout (Jugoton, 1984), and they are actually the first ever hip-hop/Breakbeat recordings in Yugoslavia. With great enthusiasm, every sound was uniquely crafted from scratch using the finest analog gear available in the early ’80s. The two young artists, aiming for international success, chose to write their lyrics in English. The album’s final track, “Mad Scratch,” showcases their talent for creating impressive sound effects, which would be a delight for contemporary DJs and producers who specialize in sampling and scratching old-school hip-hop.
This release is truly a “100% digger’s gem” – 11 previously unreleased tracks from legendary pioneers of electronic, hip-hop, and breakbeat. A collection to discover, enjoy, play, and treasure forever!
“One foot out the door, another in the otherworld…”
So begins Hannah Lew’s debut, self-titled solo record, soaked in imperious, wide-eyed pop songwriting and a girl-group/post punk aesthetic that belies the artist’s history in the U.S. underground. A towering, hook-laden album, it’s infused with an optimism and surrealism that conversely deals with the times we find ourselves in.
Recorded at home in Richmond, CA and in The Best House studio with Maryam Qudus in Oakland CA, with the assistance of a crack team of West Coast musicians, this album sees Hannah Lew stepping out from behind the legacy of her two groups Grass Widow and Cold Beat. While musically bearing similarities with her previous work, “Hannah Lew” is a bold leap into direct pop territory, making ample use of a vocal style that teases out the inherent melancholy in her melodies. Mastered by Sarah Register, each song is a perfectly honed nugget that frequently pulls the heart in two directions at once.
Themes of change, breaking up, shattering old ways of being are shot through the record. For the front cover, a photograph of the artist’s face was printed, ripped up and re-assembled, resembling the creative process embarked upon by Lew for her first “solo” material. The album feels instinctual, almost dream-like in its assemblage of sweeping synths and pulsating, propulsive drum machine beat patterns with Lew’s vocal performances sensitive and caressing over the top. Increasingly relying on the subconscious and dreams to guide her creative process, Hannah Lew frequently abandons literal interpretations or linear narratives, the songs seeming to exist in a swooning, effortless flow-state while remaining emotionally hard hitting.
On an album where every song could be a single, there are kaleidoscopic shades and varying emotional tones in abundance. First single Another Twilight is carried along a pumping, Italo-disco-style 4/4 beat and mono-synth bass line, the low end pulling at the heart and body. Lew’s vocal melody teases the track before swan-diving into a gorgeous chorus as she sings “it’s all over baby and I don’t mind… in decline, I take my time…” The album is suffused with moments like this. On slow builder Damaged Melody, an arpeggiated synth elongates the verse before a cascading synth showers down melodic glitter. The stunning Replica uses dual swirling synth patterns before a driving, synthpop chorus for the ages carries Hannah Lew’s vocal into the stereo field, sailing in on a high register singed with the embers of a break up.
In a departure from previous groups, her solo songs are guided by dreams and free association inspired by Dada and the Surrealist movement and sculpted afterwards. As such, the songs reveal themselves on repeated listens, revealing traces of heartbreak inspired by both personal and global elements - Hannah Lew regards the album “a wartime album.” On Move In Silence, Lew intones “there’s a war outside, just out of view,” revealing the dichotomy at play throughout. With the songs evolving naturally and in a flow state, the pressures and sadnesses of the modern age bleed through, mixed in with Lew’s inherent love, sensitivity and fractured-but-intact optimism. On the swooning, sublime Sunday layers of Numanoid synths open up for the commanding vocal performance pontificating on grief, love, pain as she “feels the ache on Sunday…” As the chorus builds and Lew’s call-and-response vocal adds to the emotional tension, it almost feels like too much to take.
Elsewhere, there are echoes of Hannah Lew’s previous work. On Time Wasted a bass guitar comes in with a heavy, punk attack before the synths and vocal harmonies reminiscent of later Cold Beat elevate everything. The glassy, sweetly resigned closer The Clock sounds like so classic it could be cover, a sweetened Jesus & Mary Chain tune perhaps, before it erupts into volcanic chorus that could only come from Hannah Lew in 2026.
- A1: The Bug – Hooked (Hyams Gym, Leytonstone)
- A2: Ghost Dubs – In The Zone
- A3: The Bug – Believers (Imperial Gardens, Camberwell)
- B1: Ghost Dubs – Hope
- B2: The Bug – Burial Skank (Arches, Vauxhall)
- B3: Ghost Dubs – Dub Remote
- C1: The Bug – Alien Virus (West Indian Centre, Leeds)
- C2: Ghost Dubs – Down
- C3: The Bug – Militants (The Rocket, Holloway)
- D1: Ghost Dubs – Into The Mystic
- D2: The Bug – Dread (Mass Brixton)
- D3: Ghost Dubs – Midnight
When Chuck D proclaimed "Bass, how low can you go?" on Public Enemy's anthemic 'Bring the Noise,' maybe he was pre-empting or inciting the 10,000 fathoms-deep, spine-bending basslines and sub-quake tremors of 'Implosion.'
Implosion is a crushing split album, appropriately released on The Bug's own PRESSURE label. Mapping out a new form of spectral dub, the sound is deliberately immersive, introverted, and yes, definitely implosive. In pursuit of heavy lids, blurred vision, and merciless bass bin punishment, it’s one part meditation, two parts low-end theory, and essentially a confession of devoted sound system addiction.
As expected from a tag team featuring British soundlab explorer and 'London Zoo' composer Kevin Martin, aka The Bug, and Michael Fiedler, aka Jah Schulz—a long-time graduate of Germany's new school of sound system reggae culture—the duo approaches their target differently yet share the goal of keeping their sound "raw" (Fiedler) and "brutally minimal" (Martin). This proves that opposites can attract, even if their tools are different and their methods sometimes diverge.
From such a disparate combo, hailing from different geographical and aesthetic backgrounds, contrasts are certainly on display, even within each artist's own contributions. From the melancholia and transcendence of 'Alien Virus (West Indian Centre, Leeds),' to the duality of ascension and descension on 'Hope,' or the Sunn 0))) in dub, visceral drone of 'Dread (The End, London),' to the tripped-out repetitions of 'Midnight,' which reinvents Chain Reaction for post-millennials, the result is both sacred and narcotic. Each track illuminates the emotional impact and atmospheric pressure being explored across this deceptively sparse album—a mastery of tone and texture.
This collection might be as reduced, minimal, and deep as The Bug has ever gone, perhaps echoing the solemnity of his recent Kevin Richard Martin Black release and invoking the futurist steppas self-pioneered on his previous Pressure album. Alternatively, Fiedler‘s Ghost Dubs project ventures into his most heavyweight direction yet, which is no mean feat considering his previous, the critically acclaimed album Damaged, was a monstrously massive triumph of analogue weight and enviable sound design.
Implosion is ice-cool, a stark contrast to the warmth and sociability of traditional Jamaican roots and the current trends in digi-dub. Instead, the mood is soaked in tension and intense dread, finding an unexpected melting point where classic dub's stark rhythm attack, isolationist ambience's eerie drift, dub techno's floatation strategies, and even the relentless riffs of doom metal collide. As the bass-obsessed pair drop what is arguably the heaviest ambient dub album to emerge from any electronic sector—a moody counterpoint to The Orb's fluffy clouds, etc, Martin has cited The Roots Radics, Black Jade, and On U Sound's Pounding System as heavily influencing his approach to the album, while Fiedler has expressed his admiration for Adrian Sherwood's productions and Rhythm & Sound's enchanting soundscape. Yet, the super heavyweight pulsations, emotive resonances, and bone-rattling vibrations detonated here effortlessly go far beyond these influences.
Shadowy and elusive, there’s a mysteriousness at this record's core. A haunting moodiness oscillating between nostalgia and future shock. Despite the deadly fixation with SLOW and HEAVY, the album maintains a totally hypnotic swing throughout. Implosion and its lead single 'Imploded Versions' are testaments to being enveloped in bass, seduced by bass, submerged in bass, and utterly crushed by bass, as The Bug and Ghost Dubs seek to craft a new form of dub for zonal headz and Babylon seekers.
Mastered by Stefan Betke (a.k.a. POLE) at Scape Mastering studio, this record is heavy as f-ck without resorting to continuous distortion. It’s low-end worship taken to an absolute extreme, yet remains highly listenable and definitely danceable, albeit at the slowest of paces. Sacred and narcotic, this is low-end worship amplified to the max. Dive in if you dare.
- A1: ) | New Young Pony Club – Ice Cream
- A2: ) | Bloc Party – Banquet (Phones Disco Remix)
- A3: ) | Datarock – Fa-Fa-Fa
- A4: ) | Lcd Soundsystem – Tribulations
- A5: ) | Toktok & Soffy O – Missy Queen’s Gonna Die
- B1: ) | Justice V Simian – We Are Your Friends
- B2: ) | Digitalism – Zdarlight
- B3: ) | Soulwax – Ny Excuse
- B4: ) | Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix Radio Edit)
- B5: ) | Klaxons – Two Receivers
- C1: ) | The Rapture – Sister Saviour (Dfa Vocal Remix)
- C2: ) | Goose – Black Gloves
- C3: ) | Simian Mobile Disco – Hustler
- C4: ) | Test Icicles – What’s Your Damage (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix)
- C5: ) | Css – Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above
- C6: ) | We Have Band – Hear It In The Cans
- D1: ) | Fujiya & Miyagi – Knickerbocker
- D2: ) | Friendly Fires – Jump In The Pool
- D3: ) | Playgroup – Make It Happen
- D4: ) | Tiga – You Gonna Want Me
- D5: ) | Tom Vek – I Ain’t Saying My Goodbyes
- D6: ) | Shit Disco – Ok
- E1: ) | Zongamin – Bongo Song
- E2: ) | Black Strobe – Italian Fireflies
- F3: ) | Cut Copy – Going Nowhere
- F4: ) | !!! – Me And Guiliani Down By The School Yard – A True Story
- E3: ) | Fischerspooner – Emerge
- E4: ) | Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Satan Said Dance
- F1: ) | Phoenix – 1901
- F2: ) | The Killers – Mr Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont’s Thin White Duke Radio Remix)
Synth-pop duo Marina Zispin return with their highly anticipated album Now You See Me (Now You Don’t), set for release on March 7 via Scenic Route.
Now You See Me, Now You Don't is the continuing journey through the ever evolving sound of Marina Zispin AKA Bianca Scout and Martyn Reid. As with their previous EP - the recurring themes of Life and Death loom heavily over the 10 album tracks. With support from 6 Music, Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, METAL, Dummy, The Line of Best Fit, Boomkat, and more for their recent singles. With Now You See Me (Now You Don’t), Marina Zispin further reinforces their reputation for crafting lush, melancholic soundscapes paired with surreal storytelling and ice-cold synth pop.
Since their formation in 2018, bridging Newcastle and London, Marina Zispin have quickly captivated audiences with their ethereal blend of dreamlike melodies and avant-garde textures. Their 2023 debut 12” on Night School paved the way for a successful UK tour, a BBC 6 Music session, and a memorable performance at Bucharest’s Collisions festival.
Bianca Scout, acclaimed for her solo album Pattern Damage (with praise from The Quietus, DJ Mag, Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Bandcamp, The Wire, and more) continues to push sonic boundaries with her unique fusion of sound collage, post-punk, and poetic lyricism. Recent shows across Europe, including at Poland’s Unsound Festival, underscore the duo’s expanding influence.
With Now You See Me (Now You Don’t), Marina Zispin invite listeners on a captivating journey through a signature blend of fantasy and reality. The album is now available for vinyl pre-order.
Ten years after his first full-length effort ‘Man Is Deaf’ landed him firmly in the runnings for DJ Mag’s album of the year, prodigal son Michael Anthony Wright AKA Brassica returns to Civil Music with a deeply accomplished, painstakingly whittled LP of hydraulic electro slickness, rich synthscapes, and hooky, peak-time tearjerkers for the most discerning front-left lifers. ‘Tribeless Gathering’ is a barnstorming testament to Brassica’s stylistic and timbral deftness, touching down in the elusive epicentre of the club/home listening venn diagram with ease.
From the elastic, neon acid pointillism of opener ‘Hop Kweng’ to the mardy, miasmic plod of closing chugger ‘Changa Hill’, Brassica seamlessly segues between avenues of influence, his notoriously omnivorous musical knowledge roadmapping each turn. Raised on a diet of everything from early rave standards to metal, and schooled in avant garde sonics as a student of sound design at LCC, Brassica does a peerless job of sublimating his countless influences into a record of refined, heterogeneous, and most crucially, catchy, club moods.
Less spartan than his more recent oeuvre on Feel My Bicep, and less baroque than his technicolour experiments in postmodern synth pop with vocalist Stuart Warwick, Tribeless Gathering represents Brassica’s triumphant return to the main room, replete with rushy hooks primed for the planet’s finest soundsystems, and passages of heads-down tension bound to draw listeners right to the edge of their seats. Overall it is a concise and refined testament to Wright’s command of spectral sonics and effortless ability to pressurise a dancefloor. It is no surprise that he has also worked as a prolific mastering engineer, tuning music from a plethora of dance disciplines for maximum club impact. This work extends to his own projects (including this one), cementing them as rare expressions of complete artistry from studio to turntable.
As we delve deeper into the record, we are ushered through a series of accomplished and varied club moods, each channelling a unique cocktail of influences, but retaining a warm, ebullient analogue sensibility unique to Brassica’s work. This playful scope of influence calls to mind James T Cotton or Machinedrum’s experiments in dance music form, but Wright manages it all under one roof, wrangling everything from sashaying wub-laden two step to snarling Dillinja-esque FM damage into something inherently his.
Choice cut ‘Change Yourself’ layers an almost Cerrone-like piano refrain over radiant surges of saturated bass, dubby, strobing chords and a jagged, driving break, building to a jaw-clenching apex of dancefloor elation, while the rude, playful half-step of ‘Elevation’ breaks down the vintage speed garage formula into linear fragments, utilising a tight palette of resonant bass slugs, infectious synth leads and Papua New Guinea-style vocal strobes. The aptly named ‘Hold Tight’ fuses heart-in-mouth UK ‘ardkore pads with glissando acid disturbance and surgical snare fills in a formula which recalls the ethereal grit of Nubian Mindz’ 00s experiments in big-smoke break science, while the questing melodic arcs and arpeggiated squarewaves of ‘Pinball Marinara’ could easily have soundtracked an 80s sci-fi epic, beset with sparkling, bare-bones drum programming and hazy beds of sub sediment.
With ‘Tribeless Gathering’, Brassica both irreverently fuses and pays homage to the many unique and weird permutations of UK dance music. The short lived gathering of junglists, ravers and house hotsteppas of a similar name may have long since dissipated, along with the tribes themselves, but across these 11 tracks, he lays a blueprint for a new sound of togetherness.
Opening a new chapter for DNO Records, PLLFRY debuts on the label with five raucous halftime tracks that also feature collaborations with two vocalists – NST & Genoveva. The ‘Overexciting’ EP is built around iron-clad percussion and a healthy dose of mangled sonic futurism, but the dominating flavour throughout is big, bold, unadulterated bass.
As might be expected of tracks called ‘Demolition’ and ‘Collapse Of The System’, there’s plenty of damage being dealt; the former’s wrecking ball bassline spins violently as its supporting beats splinter and fall, while the latter’s destructive low-end hacks chunks from its itchy sci-fi soundscape like some psychotic sentient buzzsaw.
There’s room for nuance too, however. The title track is all about contrast, its rumbling bassline winding along like a colossal serpent, while hi-hats chitter, and Macedonian vocalist and producer Genoveva delivers a haunting, silvery vocal that’s cold and alluring in equal measure. And as if the undulating low-end and metallic melody of ‘Water Fire’ weren’t enough to make heads spin, the track features a vocal from South Russian up-and-comer NST that seems to slip and slide at will, pulling the track forward and always remaining just out of reach.
Bonus track ‘Old School’ nods to the golden age of hip-hop, taking a tough boom bap-style beat and scratch samples, but flipping it script with machine glitches and pellets of acid.
Like a collection of missives sent back from a hi-tek future, the ‘Overexciting’ EP serves as a reminder that DNO can’t be pigeonholed, and always stays one step ahead.
Rhythms of postmodern realism at the very bottom of the DNO.
Enzo Siragusa rounds off another incredible summer with a highly anticipated project, a collaborative FUSE EP with Martin Buttrich. Striking a perfect balance between Enzo's UK rave roots and Martin's matured finesse, the 'Three Squared' EP nestles neatly within FUSE's distinct sonic palette.
Part of the FUSE family from the very beginning and held in high regard by Enzo, the two solidified their watertight bond via the line ups and studio sessions they have enjoyed together over the years, a bond that shines throughout this release.
When Enzo produces music for his label he always has the FUSE dancefloor in mind, aiming to create those immersive experiences for the crowd that he had as a youngster, across many London raves in the mid 90's.
The 'Three Squared' EP deftly encapsulates this approach, from 'Dangerman', a track that melds Jungle's original elements with the sound of today's house scene, via 'Lifted Spirits' adorned with touches of old school Martin Buttrich, to the darker and engulfing 'Apache', a vinyl only exclusive for the wax heads.
This release also marks FUSE's largest London collaboration to date, as they take over Tobacco Dock's Car Park, where these tracks will be doing some serious damage. At this point the two collaborators will meet again, as Enzo invites Martin to play a live set.
- A1: ) | New Young Pony Club – Ice Cream
- A2: ) | Bloc Party – Banquet (Phones Disco Remix)
- A3: ) | Datarock – Fa-Fa-Fa
- A4: ) | Lcd Soundsystem – Tribulations
- A5: ) | Toktok & Soffy O – Missy Queen’s Gonna Die
- B1: ) | Justice V Simian – We Are Your Friends
- B2: ) | Digitalism – Zdarlight
- B3: ) | Soulwax – Ny Excuse
- B4: ) | Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix Radio Edit)
- B5: ) | Klaxons – Two Receivers
- C1: ) | The Rapture – Sister Saviour (Dfa Vocal Remix)
- C2: ) | Goose – Black Gloves
- C3: ) | Simian Mobile Disco – Hustler
- C4: ) | Test Icicles – What’s Your Damage (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix)
- C5: ) | Css – Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above
- C6: ) | We Have Band – Hear It In The Cans
- D1: ) | Fujiya & Miyagi – Knickerbocker
- D2: ) | Friendly Fires – Jump In The Pool
- D3: ) | Playgroup – Make It Happen
- D4: ) | Tiga – You Gonna Want Me
- D5: ) | Tom Vek – I Ain’t Saying My Goodbyes
- D6: ) | Shit Disco – Ok
- E1: ) | Zongamin – Bongo Song
- E2: ) | Black Strobe – Italian Fireflies
- E3: ) | Fischerspooner – Emerge
- E4: ) | Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Satan Said Dance
- F1: ) | Phoenix – 1901
- F2: ) | The Killers – Mr Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont’s Thin White Duke Radio Remix)
- F3: ) | Cut Copy – Going Nowhere
- F4: ) | !!! – Me And Guiliani Down By The School Yard – A True Story
US Black Friday 2025 Release. There are very few albums in the psych/punk/hard rock/private presses strata that garner the sort of universal awe and accolades that Fraction’s almighty Moonblood LP does, and even fewer records in the world that could be dubbed ‘Christian Rock’ incur such fierce devotion. Indeed some records just meteorically lift themselves out any genre tag with brilliance and sheer defiance--and Moonblood is surely one of them. Based in LA, Fraction was a ragged collection of working-class musicians--the line-up was ringleader Jim Beach--vocals; Don Swanson--lead guitar, Curt Swanson--drums, Victor Hemme--bass, and Robert Meinel--rhythm guitar. Beach himself describes those early days: “The guys met through various acquaintances that we had in LA. All of us had been in bands before, but were seeking something with more teeth. We had a small studio in an industrial complex in North Hollywood and started practicing sometimes as early as 4:30 AM. We all had day jobs, so we did what we could.”
Amazingly the recording sessions for the album were recorded similarly on the fly, as Beach further states: “The Moonblood recording took place at Whitney’s Studio in Glendale, CA, early in 1971. On a strict budget, these songs were recorded in less than three hours—all of them “one takes.” We played, all 5 of us, simultaneously-- there were no studio effects, no overdubbing or any additional sound effects added. Basically what you hear is considered ‘old school’ recording.”
This workmanlike description in no way prepares one for the pure tortured genius the session wrought. Particularly noteworthy is Beach’s vocals—as commonly stated, the spirit of Jim Morrison is conjured in his deep baritone, which gives way to unparalleled pained howls, at times bathed in delay which trails into the abyss. Fascinatingly enough, Beach cites the much punker Love as his fave LA band over the Doors, and also gives influence-nods to proto-everything rockers The Yardbirds and to Dylan, whose dark word tapestries surely inspired Beach’s lyrics (though lines from The Doors’ “L’America” pop up on the LP) Whatever the case, the man clearly has a vision, as even the stark sleeve concept is Beach’s own. Equally as integral to the Fraction sound is lead guitarist Don Swanson—his blown-out fuzz riffs set a template for what is now commonly known as “stoner rock” or “acid punk,” and his solos consist of jagged, wah-wah-ed shards of notes, with his amplifier clearly pushed to the limit.
Beach says: “Don’s guitar was always my driving force and he did everything he could to keep it over the top. You’d never know that (his sound) was coming from an old, broken down Esquire. Don kept it alive!” The other members contributions shouldn’t be underappreciated though-- drummer Curt Swanson keeps things at a constant simmer, and then boils over when the whole band launches into snarling glory. The band and LP as a whole equals something indescribably intense from start to finish—comparisons to the Detroit late 60s high-energy bands like The Stooges and MC5 abound, as well as the sort of late 60s damaged spirit lurking in biker clubs and disgruntled Vietnam vets. The song cycle on side 1 of the LP in particular cuts to the emotional core, with severely charged dark lyrics like “Extend your thumbs and burn the darkness out of her.” Which brings us to the Christian aspect--it often can confuse listeners. The Fraction/Beach world of religion is complex and perhaps a bit pagan/sinister than most---fire and brimstone, temptation, and the truth-seeker being burned by this hell on earth—or perhaps as Beach himself best put it: “Speaking for myself, as a believer, it’s been a progressive experience since my childhood.
I think we’re all basically driven to live more than religion.” The album was pressed in a run of but a few hundred to little attention in the day, but now inferior bootlegs flood the marketplace, and originals of Moonblood command thousands of dollars. So enjoy this all-inclusive reissue, which also features for the first time on vinyl, 3 lost tracks-- like the more acoustic-minded “prisms” and “dawning light,” as well as the proto-metal choogle of “Intercessor’s Blues.”
Get ready to step back into the golden era of rave with "Hardcore Will Never Die," a high-octane EP that pays homage to the raw energy and unrelenting spirit of old-school breakbeat. This release is a love letter to the 90s – a time when dusty warehouse floors trembled under pounding kicks, chopped-up amen breaks, and speaker-shattering basslines.
From the opening track, you're thrown headfirst into a sonic storm of gritty samples, rave stabs, and relentless momentum. Each tune is soaked in nostalgia yet finely tuned for today’s floors, bridging the gap between classic hardcore aesthetics and modern production weight.
This isn’t just a revival – it’s a reminder. The underground never died. The breakbeat never faded. Hardcore will never die.
Expect dancefloor damage. Expect hands in the air. Expect the return of the rave.
>>> comes in different marbled colored 12 “ Vinyl and ONLY on Vinyl <<<
Deathchain’s early albums reissued on vinyl for the first time in May via Svart Records Finnish death-thrashing maniacs Deathchain’s debut and sophomore albums will be available on vinyl for the first time ever on May 30th, 2025 via Svart Records. Deathchain, hailing from the city of Kuopio, was formed in 2001 from the remains of Winterwolf when the band’s guitarist Corpse moved from the countryside to the city to kick things off, and they continue their illustrious and wild axe wielding path to this day. DEADMEAT DISCIPLES (2003) and DEATHRASH ASSAULT (2005) were originally released by Dynamic Arts Records only on CD. The debut gained a lot of great reviews in Europe, paving the way for the band’s substantial touring around Central Europe, Netherlands, and Belgium. The sophomore album DEATHRASH ASSAULT, which ended in the 18th place on the Official Finnish Album Chart, unleashed Deathchain on the Hellhoundz of Doom and Thrash -tour with Candlemass and Destruction, playing live shows in thirteen countries across Europe. The Japanese version of the album was later released on CD in 2006, featuring a bonus cover track of Slayer’s Black Magic. Corpse comments the reissues: ”It's been over two decades since we recorded our first two albums, and finally they will be unleashed to haunt in the format that is closest to our hearts. Both of these albums were recorded in Kuopio at Studio Perkele, which was the beating heart of the underground back then. We were young and handsome alcohol fueled bastards aiming to make music that is fast, furious, and riff driven. The legendary Valhalla metal bar scene was our home and starting point, and surely you can hear the echoes of North Sawonian madness within these albums. Those times were full of insanely good times, and we did our best to catch the spirit of the old school within our music. Finally with the help of Svart Records we are proud to present you these buried gems of death thrashing metal.” DEADMEAT DISCIPLES is available on Svart exclusive green & yellow marble vinyl, limited transparent green vinyl, and classic black vinyl.
- 1: Undertaker
- 2: Chaos Wartech
- 3: Skeletal Claws
- 4: Rabid Vultures
- 5: Poltergeist (The Nemesis)
- 6: Carrier Of Pestilence
- 7: March Of The Thousand Legions
- 8: Deadmeat Disciples
- 9: Carnal Damage
Green Vinyl[24,79 €]
Deathchain’s early albums reissued on vinyl for the first time in May via Svart Records Finnish death-thrashing maniacs Deathchain’s debut and sophomore albums will be available on vinyl for the first time ever on May 30th, 2025 via Svart Records. Deathchain, hailing from the city of Kuopio, was formed in 2001 from the remains of Winterwolf when the band’s guitarist Corpse moved from the countryside to the city to kick things off, and they continue their illustrious and wild axe wielding path to this day. DEADMEAT DISCIPLES (2003) and DEATHRASH ASSAULT (2005) were originally released by Dynamic Arts Records only on CD. The debut gained a lot of great reviews in Europe, paving the way for the band’s substantial touring around Central Europe, Netherlands, and Belgium. The sophomore album DEATHRASH ASSAULT, which ended in the 18th place on the Official Finnish Album Chart, unleashed Deathchain on the Hellhoundz of Doom and Thrash -tour with Candlemass and Destruction, playing live shows in thirteen countries across Europe. The Japanese version of the album was later released on CD in 2006, featuring a bonus cover track of Slayer’s Black Magic. Corpse comments the reissues: ”It's been over two decades since we recorded our first two albums, and finally they will be unleashed to haunt in the format that is closest to our hearts. Both of these albums were recorded in Kuopio at Studio Perkele, which was the beating heart of the underground back then. We were young and handsome alcohol fueled bastards aiming to make music that is fast, furious, and riff driven. The legendary Valhalla metal bar scene was our home and starting point, and surely you can hear the echoes of North Sawonian madness within these albums. Those times were full of insanely good times, and we did our best to catch the spirit of the old school within our music. Finally with the help of Svart Records we are proud to present you these buried gems of death thrashing metal.” DEADMEAT DISCIPLES is available on Svart exclusive green & yellow marble vinyl, limited transparent green vinyl, and classic black vinyl.
2025 repress
Wilson Tanner come to shore with a new album of floating melodies, lightly salted. Throwing electroacoustic conventions overboard, Andrew Wilson (Andras) and John Tanner (Eleventeen Eston) recorded this new work aboard a 1950s riverboat with a resourceful array of weatherproof electronic instruments and a long extension lead. These eight compositions pull in a by-catch of maritime folklore; of Siren and Selkie, Seagull and engine oil slick. A change of course from their debut album 69 (Growing Bin Records, 2016), the ambient temperature drops as II casts out to sea in uncertain weather and returns to the safe harbours of Port Phillip Bay.
The seafarers head out to My Gull's poised optimism. The birds watch but do they listen? By the arrival of Loch and Key, the shoreline has dissolved completely, the boat floating in serene infinity as the rest of the world spins. Conditions soon take a treacherous turn on Killcord Pts I-III - a 12 minute odyssey that battens down the hatches as these sailors eye merciless waves and blinding ocean spray, jointly channelling Berlin-school electronics and sea legs. In the aftermath, the waterlogged bleeps of Idle survey the damage as our parched crew sound the distress signal and ultimately descend into delirium.
Known for navigating individual courses as solo musicians, Wilson and Tanner's collective storytelling is saturated in detail, buoying between tension and harmony. II modestly stands as some of both artists' most accomplished material.
Indignation Meeting are punky rail fans from Leeds. 15-year-old Peter is the driver - he's the drummer and lead singer, writes most of the songs, and also plays bass and trumpet on the album. The rest of the crew is his dad Michael on guitar, Hugo on bass, and with Keith, Heather and Sally often along for the ride when they play out. Here at DGHQ we loved listening to their self-released debut album Trouble In The Shed so much we eventually released it on vinyl for the first time. They now have a second album! Vocalist/drummer Peter very kindly talks us through the (train) tracks_ * "The Trainspotting Song" - Now, as a train geek, I go out filming trains an awful lot, and one thing you can't help noticing whilst out in the wilds of Staffordshire or the moors of Lancashire are a whole load of unnecessary 'Private Land' signs. This song is my response_ * "The Talyllyn Railway" - The history of the Talyllyn Railway is a fascinating one that I've long since wanted to explore, due to its unique nature as the first railway to ever be taken over by volunteers. This is the result! * "The Middleton Railway" - As a volunteer at the Middleton Railway, I had felt that a song needed to be written for quite a while. However, our guitarist Michael, ended up beating me to it! * "A Model World" - It was late one night, and I was lying on my sofa, trying my hardest to gain an ounce of enjoyment from 'Hornby; A Model World.' It was proving quite hard, due to the alarming lack of substance in the programme, so instead I decided that its name was rather good, and could be the basis of a song explaining my 'model world.' And, well, here it is! * "The Fifth Black Five" - This song is dedicated to the railway preservationists of old, who spent countless hours in cold, damp, dreary sidings, all to make sure us future generations would be able to enjoy the smell of a steam train. Thanks guys! * "Case Study" - This song is a commentary on the sensationalisation of disasters, when there's a massive tragedy and people at home just sit in their comfy sofas, watching the news and drinking tea. We know what's going on, but we can just choose to turn off the TV and forget it ever happened and continue with our lives. It also relates to the dehumanisation of those disasters you experience in school, where you have to write essays on someone who's just become homeless. It seems quite heartless sometimes_ * "Loco Motives" - This song is a fictional story of a man's personal struggle with a railway company, and the drastic measures he took to fix them_ * "That Would Never Suit His Grace" - With model railways, you always seem to get a few people who can never be satisfied with a layout or a model - no matter how hard someone's tried, there's always something to improve on, and they're never nice about it either. This song is a reality check for them_ * "Small Black Shunter" - This is our second homage to Zounds - Electrification would never be truly complete without its B-side. And this B-side is the story of a little loco who wanted to see the world. * "Rhydyronen" - Slowly but surely, we're going to pick off all of the stations on the Talyllyn Railway. Starting where Abergynolwyn left off, this is the story of our second favourite station on the TR. * "Typically English Day" - This is an homage to Mark Astronaut, a true punk genius who was gone before his time. Although there were many songs we could've picked to cover, it only seemed right to punk up one of his most popular tracks, and one of the main ones that got me into the Astronauts in the first place - Typically English Day, a heart-wrenching tale of an elderly couple trapped in the middle of a nuclear war, following their last moments before their inevitable demise. * "Just For The Record" - There is too much misinformation in the media these days, and one case I found particularly egregious was the gross misrepresentation of the strikers, who aren't so evil as the media want you to believe_
In 1995, schoolmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson started a band which they named after a gas-station-turned-radio-repair-shop called "Radioavdelningen" (Swedish for The Radio Department). In 2001, the Radio Dept. sent recordings to music magazine Sonic, receiving a positive review and being featured on the free CD sampler that came with the magazine. Labrador Records heard them on the disc and signed them to their label. The band"s debut album Lesser Matters (2003) was well received by the music press, scoring 10 out of 10 in the NME. NME would rank Lesser Matters ninth on their list of the 50 best albums of 2004. The album received an 84/100 (Universal acclaim) on Metacritic from a total of five reviews.
- You Make Me Die
- Archive From 1959
- For She
- You Gotta Move
- Fingers In The Sun
- Headlong Fly The Achaens
- Punk Rock Ist Nicht Tot
- Last Punk Standing
- Bob Dylan's Got A Lot To Answer For
- Troubled Mind
- I Don't Like The Man I Am
- Loins
- Upside Mine
- Moon Of The Popping Trees
- All Our Forts Are With You
- Christmas 1979
- I Feel Like Giving In (French)
- Thatcher's Children
- Lie Detector
- Fun In The Uk
- Hurt Me
- A Song For Kylie Minogue
- It's So Hard To Be Happy
- Brimful Of Hate
- Joe Strummer's Grave
- Medway Wheelers
- You Can't Capture Time (Slight Return)
- A Shropshire Lad
- Sex And Flies
- The Same Tree
- Cowboys Are Square
- Billy Childish And The Singing Loins Song Of The Medway
- Failure Not Success (Alt)
- Davey Crockett
Dieser Tage erscheint das Ted Kessler Buch "To Ease My Troubled Mind: Die autorisierte unautorisierte Geschichte von Billy Childish". Als die Idee für das Buch die Idee für das Buch aufkam, wollte Billy ein prägnantes Doppelalbum zusammenstellen, das die 47 Jahre seines musikalischen Schaffens zusammenfasst. Dies ist das Ergebnis. Mein Name ist William Ivy Loveday, alias Steve Hamper, alias Guy Hamper, alias Jack Ketch, alias Billy Childish. Ich wurde in Medway, Kent, geboren, wo ich immer noch lebe. Ich verließ die Schule 1976, als ich 16 war. Da ich keinen Schulabschluss hatte, wurde ich von der Kunstschule abgelehnt und ging in der Werft von Chatham als Steinmetzlehrling arbeiten. Später schaffte ich es, aufgrund meiner Bilder in einen Malkurs an der St. Martin's School of Art aufgenommen zu werden. Ich, Bruce, Big Russ und Little Russ gründeten 1977 The Pop Rivets und machten unsere ersten Aufnahmen. Unsere Inspiration war Punkrock, TV21 und The Swinging Blue Jeans. Ich lernte Gitarre zu spielen und arbeitete 1979 vier Wochen lang im Oakwood Mental Hospital als Pförtner, dann gründeten ich, Mick und Bertie The Milkshakes. Unsere Inspirationen waren Link Wray, die Beatles-Live-at-the-Star-Club-LP, der Song "Gotta Get the First Plane Home" von den Kinks und unser Hass auf die New Romantics-Szene. Dann wurde ich von der St. Martin's School of Art verwiesen, weil ich etwas geschrieben hatte, das als "die schlimmste Art von Toilettenwand-Humor" bezeichnet wurde. Ich verprügelte meinen Vater, als er aus dem Gefängnis kam, wo er wegen Drogenschmuggels gesessen hatte. Wir haben uns bei The Milkshakes nie selbst bezahlt und das ganze Geld in die Herstellung unserer eigenen Platten gesteckt. Ich bewahrte das Geld auf einem Bankkonto unter dem Namen Kurt Schwitters auf. Ich lebte 12 Jahre lang von der Sozialhilfe. Im Jahr 1985 gründeten wir Thee Mighty Caesars. Unsere Inspiration waren Bo Diddley und The Troggs. Ich wurde Mitglied von Greenpeace. 1989 gründeten Bruce und ich Thee Headcoats. Unsere Inspiration waren Son House und Downliners Sect. 1999 gründeten ich, Wolf und Johnny Barker The Buff Medways. Unsere Inspiration war Jimi Hendrix in Beatle-Stiefeln und The Who, bevor Roger Daltry anfing, die Vorhänge seiner Oma zu tragen. Etwa 2008 gründeten Julie und ich The Musicians of the British Empire. Daraus wurde dann CTMF. Daraus wurden dann die Chatham Singers. Unsere Inspiration basierte auf uns selbst. Als Nächstes war es an der Zeit, dass Neil und ich die Spartan Dreggs gründeten, inspiriert von Homer und A. E. Housman. Andere Gruppen entstanden und zerfielen - damit niemand wusste, wer wir waren oder warum. Im Jahr 2019 entstand The William Loveday Intention - inspiriert von Hollis Brown und den Mississippi Sheiks. Das Guy Hamper Trio tauchte noch einmal auf, zusammen mit Jamie an der Hammond. Einige dieser Gruppen sind geblieben, viele haben sich zu fernen Ufern mit scharfen, versteckten Felsen aufgemacht. Hauptsächlich male ich und schreibe Gedichte und Romane. Zusammen mit der Musik, die ich spiele, ist nichts, was ich tue, jemals besonders modisch gewesen, aber genau darum geht es auch. Schon 1977 haben wir gerne Nein gesagt. Dann, als der Punk sich in New Romantic verwandelte, fielen wir in den frühen Rock 'n' Roll und den Blues zurück. Bei The Milkshakes sagte man uns, dass wir zu viele LPs veröffentlichten und damit kommerziellen Selbstmord begingen, also brachten wir an einem Tag vier verschiedene LPs heraus. Ab und zu kommt jemand Berühmtes vorbei und ein kleiner Krümel rollt über den Tisch und spritzt in unsere lauwarme Suppe. Ein anderes Mal eifern uns Unbekannte nach und erweisen sich nur als besser. Ich liebe Pop, aber keine Popstars. Ich interessiere mich nur für Klang und Farbe und das in einem kleinen Maßstab zu sein. Ich verstecke mich nicht hinter Lautstärke und Off-Stage-Mixing. Ich brauche keine Show zu spielen, weil ich lieber daheimsitze und eine Tasse Tee trinke. Meine Arbeit gehört nach unten, zum Instinkt und zum Elementaren, und ist nahe am Boden. Ich glaube an selbstgemachte Musik, selbstgemachte Kunst und selbstgemachtes Kochen. Die Musik war über die Jahre hinweg ein lohnendes Hobby. Ich habe viele gute Freunde getroffen und mit ihnen gearbeitet, und Gott hat mich vor dem Ruhm bewahrt. Ich möchte die Straßenbahn und das Pferd zurückbringen.
Warehouse Find!
Here we bring you the second part of the Jimpster remixes package with amazing new interpretations of Brought To Bare from Deetron and Tanner Ross. Deetron delivers two diverse versions of the original in his own unique style. First up is the main remix which goes for a stripped back approach but works Jonatan Bäckelie's full vocal to maximum effect with just a sublime Reese-esque bass line and fat kick for company. The second mix aka Deetron's Paradise Version oozes quality with a unique and dynamic arrangement, echoes of Underground Resistance in the drums and stabs and amazing pads all making for a deep and musical journey. Finally Bostonian Tanner Ross goes raw R&B on his version with jacked up drums straight out of the Neptunes school of beatmaking, keeping things stripped bare for the vocal to shine. Another fine example of why this man is causing so much damage with his bold and interesting productions right now. Hope you enjoy!
Les400Coups, AKA Akouphen Teknomad & Damage Circuits are back in town !
After several oldschool Teknomad sound system music with Balistik, Full Bass or Haute Tension they deliver 3 collabs of total dancefloor and fun, party time !!!
Akouphen finish the job with an old school dark Hardtek track...
A banger !!!
Thanks to ExpExp for the 400 Coups movie poster remix ^^ and to Vstee FDB for the Visual !
Thanks to Simon The Exchange for the cut !!! BIG ONE !!!
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme Desire, an everlasting grip of that youthful energy, that fire and fury you felt playing a style of music that gives you a lifelong addiction and appreciation. If you’ve once been part of that certain something, that became part of your identity, it never lets you go. Drummer Sascha, bassist Jan, guitarists Philipp and Tobias know how it is getting older but still feeling the fire. The four friends shook up the scenes out of Frankfurt in the 90s and 00s. They played in different bands, they toured Europe and the US of A, they were mods, punks, hardcore kids. And they never lost their connection and love for their music. That’s why they got together some years back, rehearsing and writing songs just for the heck of it. Out of pure desperation the four of them were thinking about staying a goddamn instrumental band, maybe working with projections and shit to fog the fact that there was something initial missing: a singer. The road was calling their names, and they wanted to play shows and let you and you and you know what they got... So, they gave it one last try to find somebody to fill the void behind the mic. What helped was a platform – basically Tinder for musicians – to find that certain somebody. They kept it simple and only dropped one thing: #blackflag. On the other side of the screen there is Sam, a mystical, ghostly punkrock fairy. Sam shares that same hashtag, and she wants to sing. So, why not give it a try? Sam takes the offer, shows up in the rehearsal space, and the rest is history. Sam owns it. Sam is prepared. Sam can sing, scream, kick ass and has the lyrics to back it all up! On different occasions they now set stages on fire. They played a sweaty show in a packed Molotow cellar at Reeperbahn Festival, they joined the “Female Fronted Is Not A Genre” festival at legendary SO36 in Berlin and took the place by storm. They are ready. They were born ready. And they have that record to prove it. As any classic hardcore/punk LP it’s almost over before it started. Ten songs in twenty minutes. That’s the way. I Am A God sets the tone: “You think that I’m a girl?”, Sam asks, “Let me tell you I am a god/ And you know that I’m heaven sent.” What else would Sam be? The legendary hashtagged Californian hardcore icons drip out of every note here. This is old-school knowledge, played today. Fast, furious, and packed with energy. But it’s way more than just a bland tribute. It’s a middle-finger that finds its own direction. Salary Man allows itself a certain amount of melody – also carried by Sam who obviously can do more than bellow. Or Somewhere that shows that The Pill is a more dimensional band that can even Hüsker Dü things up if they are willing to. The Bitter Pill presents itself surprisingly angular and kind of melancholic. And What’s New almost makes its way into post-hardcore territory. Inbetween Switch and Off give you all the Greg Ginn vs. Dez Cadena your damaged souls were desperately striving for. The debut album Hollywood Smile will be released on April 5th, 2024 by Hamburg’s Sounds Of Subterrania.
Here it finally is, the first ever official reissue of all recorded material by Zyklome A, and as a bonus one unreleased track plus unreleased live recordings! One of Belgium’s earliest and most primitive hardcore punk bands’ legendary ‘Made In Belgium’ LP has been one of the rarest artifacts in the genre, and although it was bootlegged many times, the reason why an official reissue on vinyl has never been published is complicated. Zyklome A’s story starts in the middle of nowhere: in Bonheiden in early 1980, above a bank office. Brothers Bie and Toon Puttemans started shredding and terrorizing ears and minds with Markus Verbeeck, without any knowledge of anything close to a scene or other people doing what they were doing. Completely isolated, they were struck by lightning with the genius idea of speeding up punk, playing Ramones chords backwards and letting the bank office’s fire alarm go off with their wall of noise. When drummer Bie got to hear other hardcore records through a school mate, he was baffled to hear there were other folks out there doing what they were doing as well. After a fire alarm and family drama too many, the trio moved to a tiny shed in the garden of the Verbeeck family to refine their special blend of primal hardcore. The rest is history! For just 5 years they became one of Belgium’s most active HC bands, befriending many other classic main stays such as The Dirty Scums, Moral Demolition, Vortex, Wulpse Varkens etc., creating pits everywhere, and turning many a nazi skin’s skulls into pulp! When guitarist Toon “forgot” to fulfil his army service, he had to flee Belgium, and as the police harassed the other band members constantly about this, it became next to impossible to maintain Zyklome A. Zyklome A morphed into Ear Damage, with different members. In a later, army free future, a reunion of Zyklome A was not possible due to Toon’s heroin problem. It is strange, and sad to say, that the cards played differently when Toon passed away. Zyklome A played 2 reunion gigs in 2016 with guitarist Pieter Coolen (of Toxic Shock fame) before Markus’ severe back pain sadly also led to his passing. This record is dedicated to Toon and Markus, whose spirits live on through their incredible music. You will find the entire first album plus an extra LP with their part of the split single Moral Demolition, their tracks of the ‘Alle 24 Goed’ compilation LP, their tracks of the ’Second Time Around’ compilation cassette, an unreleased track and a live recording at the height of their game from 1984 in Deventer (which includes covers such as ’These Boots Are Made For Walking’ and ‘Rock ’n Roll Rebel’) and a 76 page book filled with tons of archive material such as flyers, lyrics, drawings, pictures and a lengthy interview with Bie Puttemans on this most possibly last Ultra Eczema release, Zyklome A’s ‘Uitgesproken (1980-1985)’.
Straight Outta Caledonia is the first commercially available “Greatest Hits” of the outsider songwriter Jackie Leven, an artist
who has largely remained in obscurity in his native Scotland despite being one of the greatest wordsmiths – and singers – it ever
produced. A well-travelled musician who began making psychedelic, progressive music in the late 60s before emerging as an
epic storyteller full of pathos, humour and humanity in the 90s, Leven lived and wrote like many of the fragile, gregarious
characters of his songs; large, full of life and empathy. Leven passed away in 2011 after recording 30+ albums under different
guises or with his briefly successful New Wave band Doll by Doll. Straight Outta Caledonia is a compilation collated by Night
School Records on its Archival label School Daze that seeks to introduce Leven’s music to new generations.
In an age of isolation, alienation and loss of visceral experience, Jackie Leven’s music can be massive and welcoming. It feels
connected to some universal humanity and vibrates with vitality. His songs are often full of tragedy and comedy simultaneously,
cutting straight to the heart, often plugging directly into the nervous system of the listener. His lyrics are rich, dense with imagery
that can veer from apocalyptic to the comically banal in a sentence, with a songwriting panache that can be heavy handed to
almost bursting point before skewering the song with a clownish, warm punchline. His productions ranged from Bob Dylan’s
Rolling Thunder Revue style rock band orchestrations with strings and organ as on the epic Ancient Misty Morning or they could
be pared down to the purest form of folk song as on Poortoun: Leven on stage alone with an acoustic guitar, albeit played with a
mastery of the instrument that he often only hinted at. Musically his sound can bend traditional structures or stay completely
confined within them yet still forever push towards an ecstatic release, as on the cinematic Snow In Central Park.
The most exciting, jaw-droppingly effective tool at Leven’s disposal was his voice. A multi-octave instrument that, though
damaged during a savage assault in Fife, he used with flair; he had both a brazen disregard for the rules and a deep humility, all
of which is evidenced with every phrasing. A baritone that could flit up through the register – always touched by his gentle
Kirkcaldy accent – it’s the prime delivery method for his songs. Leven’s voice enabled him to inhabit the characters in his songs to
an uncanny degree, a skill that in turn enables the listener to empathise with them and, subsequently, the singer. It’s most evident
in stand out song The Sexual Loneliness Of Jesus Christ, a breathtaking re-telling of the life of its protagonist, not as a pure,
sinless messiah but as a sexually frustrated, solitary man condemned to an existential loneliness no one else will ever feel. In
many ways the track is the archetypal Jackie Leven song. Produced by Pere Ubu’s David Thomas, what strikes the ear first –
after the samples of unemployed workers in Glasgow following the closing of the Clyde shipyards – is the audacious, rhythmic
tremolo effect Leven employs through the verses before the production opens up to allow Leven’s vocal to lift into a soar, a
freeing glide powered both by the force of the singer’s chutzpah and the inherent, doomed destiny of the protagonist. With any
other singer such subject matter could come across as gauche or worse, pretentiously sonorous, but Jackie Leven’s genius was
such that he could be this cinematic and brazen while touching something elemental and true in the beholder. It’s a skill evident in
every song on Straight Outta Caledonia, the trademark of a songwriter who revelled and excelled in intensity with a lightness of
touch.
In his lifetime, Jackie Leven toured, wrote and recorded at a ferocious rate. He recorded under aliases to avoid record contract
restrictions, played house shows in Europe after or instead of official concerts, events which were often spoken word story telling
masterclasses as well as performances of his often bewilderingly dense songbook. His music has traditionally been catalogued
as “folk” music and has been largely banished to a small, dedicated group of international fans and apostles both private and well
known, like author Ian Rankin or Glenn Matlock. Since his passing in 2011 however, there has been a growing recognition
amongst a newer generation, with artists like James Yorkston or Molly Nilsson publicly stating the influence of the unsung
troubadour on their own craft. Jackie Leven’s fairytales for hard men are often forensic deconstructions of masculinity, sad and
ecstatic, light and shadow, always endlessly rich, a resource as bountiful as Leven himself’s human spirit undoubtedly was.
A1 - Theia
Opening his Spatial account in an historic release for the label and a moniker dormant for over 25 years, JLM Productions opens the EP with Theia - a track which will take you right back to early Progression Sessions days - delicately introduced with blippy effects and hi hats, ushering in crisp metallic beats and relaxing padwork. The track develops continually with soothing melodies and amens added into the mix, resulting in a stunning and varied collage of finely tuned elements that never sound too busy to the ear - JLM Productions, welcome back!
A2 - Derealization
Changing things up while still showcasing the ability to combine a crazy level of detail into a cohesive mix, Derealization is a suspenseful, slightly moody track with JLM Productions laying down distinctive snappy breakbeats and sudden, fierce bassy hits, with tension rising from the eerie synthwork to envelop the listener throughout a track which demands repeated listens and will surely do damage on the discerning dancefloor.
AA1 - Quadrature
With a vibe reminiscent of his output in the mid-90's Reinforced era, JLM Productions drops Quadrature which takes that inspiration and brings it right up to date for Spatial in 2023, effortlessly combining synthetic breaks with understated echoing bongos, restless wavy notes and old school melodies punctuating the immersive atmosphere of the piece. This one thoroughly deserves pride of place in the "old school brand new" club.
AA2 - Translight Velocity
Continuing the old school theme, Translight Velocity quickly shows it's intent with inspired off-key notes before a lesson in joyous 90's style breakbeats leaps out of the speakers - not a single head in the room will be still with this on deck! Bouncy basslines and finely crafted drums from a variety of break samples jump around chaotically, sending your mind to the dancefloors of old in a way that feels incredibly fresh today
Words by Chris Hayes
Part 2[12,19 €]
Last summer saw youANDmedelivered his “Diva 2022” mix of "PPPPP" a track that would ignite dancefloors across Ibiza and become one of the smashes of the summer in the process. The label was always certain the record was a hit and the response that followed justified their faith.
The track went on to be championed across the globe by the likes of Ame, Dixon, Matthias Tanzman and Pete Tong (Radio 1) leaving a succession of dancefloors demolished in its wake. Fast forward to 2023 and the Cult brings in a smorgasbord of house music’sfinest to breathe fresh verve into what is rapidly becoming a future house classic.First, comes the unmistakable dancefloor call of the “Diva” mix, with its fierce retro vocal and contagiously looping house sound. Its raw undeniable groove shook dancefloors for a reason the first time around and here it is to do the damage all over again. Next, house music legend Ian Pooley hops on board to serve up a delicious slab of fat analogue deepness.
A rework for the real house heads, it drenches the original vocals in reverb and creates a tough sub-laden groove bound to work deeper floors. House music’s producer of the moment Cinthie delivers a red-hot reinterpretation that ups the bpm count and zones in on the drums. The Berlin-based producer creates a colossal house-breaks crossover that is bound to tear apart dancefloors. Reese subs fill out the lows while organs deliver the original rave flavour and take the track into orbit.
Finally, Tel Aviv’s Yotam Avni turns out a remix that delivers shades of the pure old-school house with piano stabs sitting alongside deep chords before he puts his tougher-edged modern techno stamp onto it. Rhythm Cult is on a roll now returning with one of the most hyped tracks of 2022. This package delivers the goods with fresh remixes for 2023 from some of the best in the industry who are now added to the label's impressive roster.
Young South Coast UK producer Lyra’s ‘Give It Up 2 Me’ has been a very 2023 entity so far, racking up 170k + streams as an unofficial Soundcloud upload, starting to make an impact on Tik Tok (especially via the L Major remix) whilst being, in 4/4 terms, on the nippier side of things.
Rocking along at an unapologetic 160bpm, ‘Give It…’ goes big on energy, and low on musical frills, as the song (a faithful cover of Ojerime’s original) and driving bass/drums combo do all the work for what is a minimal, avant - donk workout.
On the remix front, Limoux slows things down with a 135bpm 4/4 mix that feels like it has roots in LDN 2015 style foot shuffling, but with added sense of contemporary punch and reach.
Stepping up on an old school / new school junglist front, L Major’s mix takes no prisoners, with his rolling, cut up breaks and big Reese b-line set to cause damage to unsuspecting systems everywhere.
Closing proceedings, the Jag Limbo mix doesn’t seem to know if it wants to be Overmono or Giorgio Moroder, is in reality neither, and arguably none the worse for it.
Red Marbled Vinyl
With a mental old school pressure the Bebert Brothers open the game.
Then Damage Circuits goes salme way with mre skills. maybe.
Uzi, calm it down... inspired dark sound. Joker.
Gui Two bring it even deeper in the sweetness...
Support this crazy MOON vinyl...
Bebert selecta and feeling ! Respect.
Anna funk damage is the grimiest side of Andrea Natale, a young producer from Livorno, Italy. EBM, post-punk, and electro fit perfectly in his mechanical rhythmics, highly pitched and bit wicked vocals transport you immediately in an immersive and mental soundscape. His projects have already been released on labels such as Mind Records, Tripalium Corp, Raw Culture and recently he has been featured on a compilation on Elena Colombi's Osare Editions. A truly eclectic artist and a fresh talented blessing to the scene. Distributed worldwide by Clone.
MILK GREY VINYL
100% GALCHER was by all accounts a game-changer when it landed in 2013 as an hour of original music from a relatively unknown producer ushered in by the beloved mix series Blowing Up The Workshop. Galcher Lustwerk's signature sound _ a smoky stream-of-consciousness baritone shadow-boxing with beats, informed by funk, rap, rhythm, and blues _ felt like an epiphany, impossibly hypnotic and complete. Resident Advisor writes, "100% GALCHER laid out a louche, lysergic and resolutely black take on deep house." Pitchfork remembers the music's immediate impact: "It's the sort of gem you felt inclined to pass around" _ and by year-end list time, word-of-mouth intensified. It was Resident Advisor and Juno's mix of the year, and earned a top-ten placement in FACT Magazine's albums list, as well as Philip Sherburne's personal rundown for Spin." Since then, select songs from 100% GALCHER have seen small-run pressings, while the album has lived primarily on SoundCloud and YouTube as a low-key cult legend. The gateway into Lustwerk's now well-established catalog, known for its reliability as a late-night listen and its prophetic vision for the near future of underground dance music. RA would later name it a mix of the decade, citing its influence and imagination: "Original in every sense _ unknown, unheard and unbelievably good." In late 2022, marking ten years since he first recorded the material, Lustwerk returns to Ghostly International to release 100% GALCHER as a remastered limited-edition double LP. Lustwerk is a product of the Midwest. Growing up in Cleveland, he'd tape over his parents' cassettes and spend hours at his family computer recording loops and designing artwork for the jewel cases of burned CDs. In high school, he turned to Ableton Live and absorbed every electronic music magazine he could find at the local Borders Books store. As a college student at RISD, he played in noise bands, plugged into Providence's DIY scene via Myspace, and started DJing weeknights at bars downtown. There he connected with Young Male and DJ Richard, who would go on to found White Material Records and offer their third release to Galcher Lustwerk, an alias realized via CAPTCHA test, a perfect artifact of its internet age. By 2012, Lustwerk had drifted to New York City and settled into a graphic design job, quickly growing disenfranchised by office culture. "Some days I felt like a token, other days I felt invisible." At night, he and his friends were carving out their own space, throwing parties in small basements, office buildings, and off-beat karaoke bars in Manhattan, influenced by series such as Mr. Sunday in Gowanus and The Bunker at Public Assembly. The lifestyle started to bleed into Lustwerk's musical vision. He remembers the night it clicked in Providence, partying and listening to tunes with Morgan Louis and Alvin Aronson. He went back to New York and pieced together his bedroom setup: a Dave Smith Tempest drum machine, a Waldorf Blofeld synthesizer, and a TEAC cassette recorder. Early snippets went straight to SoundCloud, where Lustwerk tested the crowd. Comments and messages offered instant feedback. One DM proved to be the greenlight: from Matthew Kent, an invitation to his burgeoning mix series Blowing Up The Workshop. 100% GALCHER traveled fast and far. A phenomenon he could only enjoy for a short period before discovering that nearly all the masters of the tracks got wiped by water damage to his computer. "The only copies were now on the 192kbs mp3 mix I sent Matt." Until now, after Lustwerk revived the lost tracks and handed them to Josh Bonati for remastering. "The original mix was never mastered so I hope older fans can find something new here." Hearing the enhanced set for the first time delineated by tracklist reveals this was a proper album all along. Sly synth interludes (all titled "Stem") clear the air for raspy house anthems like "Fifty" and "Parlay," the set's original breakout. Themes present across Lustwerk's catalog first materialize in this iconic run _ the link between the meditative state of Midwest driving and the solitary comedowns of nightlife. Lust- werk, the narrator, is an elusive character, a secret agent of the club, embodied by the hooks: "One minute I'm on / next minute I'm gone," he reminds us on cult-favor- ite "Put On." These narcotic, one-line refrains stick with you; look no further than the original YouTube upload of "Kaint" to know that fans can't let these phrases go. While recorded alone, 100% GALCHER was a collective moment. A decade later, Lustwerk sees the legacy as shared: "Making music can be an alienating experience, especially for DJs who travel a lot, it's all super isolating. It's easy to express lone- liness in the music itself, but when it comes down to getting things done, putting music out, you def should go on that journey w other people, friends, or maybe just a group of people online, build things with your friends then they can build to help you."
12 track vinyl LP and 18 track CD including bonus single and demo recordings. The Daggermen all went to Rede Secondary School in Medway, Kent. It was a school for those that failed their 11 plus, or who passed it but decided to go there anyway (as Jon pretends). Being in some of the same classes we became friends and found we liked the same music; The Who, The Small Faces, The Kinks, The Beatles and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. We started going to Carnaby Street, wearing Beatle boots and generally being a bit Moddy. Dave’s older brother, James Taylor, played organ in The Prisoners and we’d listen to cassette tapes of them along with other local band, The Milkshakes as we bounced on the trampoline during P.E. After watching both bands play live in local venues such as the M.I.C. club in Chatham we formed The Daggermen, working out who was going to play which instrument as we stood next to the now demolished school sports hall. No one can quite remember who thought of the name, The Daggermen (it was me) or how comes Jon was playing bass on a guitar in the band at the very start and then Terry took over when we started gigging (it was because he had a real bass guitar and a car). But the next thing was that we were supporting The Prisoners both in Medway and places such as the 100 Club in Oxford Street. Then, one sunny day at around the age of 17, I bumped into Billy Childish walking across a field. I formally introduced myself and told him that he should definitely come and see our band that night because we were “fucking brilliant”. He did turn up and bought us a tray of whiskies whilst we were on stage, a sure sign that he had liked it. This led to him and Russ Wilkins, bass player in The Milkshakes alongside Billy, asking us if we wanted to record an E.P. for Russ’s label, Empire Records. This was our first ever recording called Introducing The Daggermen which was made in a brick arch under Rochester bridge that we rented for £2 a week to rehearse in and lovingly referred to as ‘The Hole’. We got ourselves a “manager” (our mate, Vic Templar) and started playing up and down England, drinking as much as possible in the van on the way to each gig, often paralytic by the time we went on stage. Our musical style was a sort of mixture of punk and mod and we played covers such as ‘Heatwave’ (The Who’s version) and ‘Get Ready’ by the Temptations, along with Dave and Terry’s originals. Then came a change of line up when Jon resumed his position as bass player and Terry left for America. We started wearing military jackets thanks to Jimi Hendrix and made our first long player, Dagger In My Mind (I got the title off an episode of Star Trek, although I remembered it wrong and it should have been ‘Dagger Of The Mind’). The album was produced by James Taylor and Allan Crockford of The Prisoners at Woolly Studios on the Isle of Sheppey in 1986. This line-up played together for a couple of years up and down the country (also with a few gigs in France) before we called it a day and sailed off into the future in bands such as The James Taylor Quartet, The Kravin’ “A”s, The Solarflares and Billy Childish and The Buff Medways. As energetic youths we had a lot of fun and I am very proud to have been part of The Daggermen. We hope you enjoy these recordings, now all gathered together for the first time. Sincerely yours, Wolf Howard, Cafe Mozart, Chatham CD TRACKLISTING 1 – It’s You I See 2 – What Do I Do For You 3 – There’s No Escaping 4 – I’ve Been Hurt 5 – I Have Lost Heart 6 – You Were Meant To Be 7 – Every Moment 8 – Dagger In My Mind 9 – That Girl 10 – D’you Think Of Me 11 – I Feel The Regret 12 – I’ve Been Searching 13 – Now It’s You I Need 14 – Ivor 15 – One More Letter 16 – I Wish You Were Mine 17 – Bundle 18 – No Reason LP TRACKLISTING 1 – It’s You I See 2 – What Do I Do For You 3 – There’s No Escaping 4 – I’ve Been Hurt 5 – I Have Lost Heart 6 – You Were Meant To Be 7 – Every Moment 8 – Dagger In My Mind 9 – That Girl 10 – D’you Think Of Me 11 – I Feel The Regret 12 – I’ve Been Searching
Limited Blue Sky Colour Vinyl LP Pressing. This release is strictly for Indie Stores Only. First reissue of Love Battery’s 1992 Debut Sub Pop Album. Remastered by Jack Endino from the Original Masters. Includes Liner Notes with photos, lyrics and more. Jackpot Records is proud to announce the upcoming vinyl reissue of the classic 1992 Sub Pop album: LOVE BATTERY “Dayglo”. In the middle of the wonderful sludge that was coming out of Seattle in the late 80s/early 90’s, Love Battery pierced through with something different to offer. They were more psychedelic, more tuneful, and even more...dare we say...British sounding than what Sub Pop was releasing at the time. We were listening. The results are crystal clear on the record Jackpot Records is reissuing, ‘Dayglo’. And like many of the Sub Pop records of the day, this has not been available on vinyl in the U.S. Until now. On 'Dayglo', inventive and underrated guitar wizard Kevin Whitworth and vocalist/guitarist Ron Nine slash and burn through 10 songs that would give bands like Blur, Swervedriver, and yes, Nirvana, a run for their money. It doesn't hurt that the focused driven energy of drummer Jason Finn (soon to be of The Presidents Of The United States) and ex-U-Men bass monster Jim Tillman add more than their weight to the sonic mystery of these songs. From the melodic battle cry of opener 'Out Of Focus' with its slippery, infectious chorus, it's obvious that Love Battery had an incredible knack for hypnotic hooks, cryptic lyrics, and propulsive grooves, ones that record obsessives still drool over when the needle hits the turntable. The record is as mysterious as early R.E.M., with equal hints of 13th Floor Elevators and Screaming Trees sprinkled throughout.
Reviews: “4 ½ stars out of 5 - Dayglo is imbued with a highly energetic style and creative force”. All Music Guide // “Two years later, Oasis made the same record and were called geniuses” SPIN Magazine // Track listing: 1 Out Of Focus 2 Foot 3 Damaged 4 See Your Mind 5 Side (With You) 6 Cool School (Trane Of Thought) 7 Sometimes 8 Blonde 9 Dayglo 10 23 Modern Stories
In a world hurtling towards new frontiers of horror on a daily basis, there’s precious little time for pause. For the self respecting artist, the only reasonable solution is psychic warfare. Such is the terrain of Petbrick on the titanic and transformative Liminal. Here on their second album the duo of Wayne Adams (Big Lad/Johnny Broke) and Iggor Cavalera (Sepultura/Cavalera Conspiracy/Soulwax) lays waste to all or any constrictions in its path, Blending a vast sonic landscape with a relentless compunction to break the pain barrier, Liminal is a dizzying exercise in overdrive which can take in industrial abrasions, pulverising rhythmic drive, acid-damaged freakery, cinematic tension and balladic gravitas in disarmingly coherent fashion. Other heads and personalities also came on board to add richness and intrigue to the onslaught - “I believe we got an amazing team of collaborators - from old school friends like Neurosis’ Steve Von Tilll and Converge’s Jacob Bannon to new school artists like Paula Rebbeledo from Rakta and New York doom rappers Lord Goat and Truck Jewelz” notes Iggor. This is an album birthed in difficult times and expressly engaged with raging against the dying of the light. As Iggor puts it “Liminal is an insane mirror of what being isolated feels like - madness through noise experimentations” An alchemical vision fit to both elevate the spirit and destroy everything in its path, ‘Liminal’ is the sound of Petbrick blasting their way through the boundaries of a fresh hell. Tracks: 01. Primer 02. Arboria 03. Pigeon Kick 04. Raijin 05. Lysergic Aura (Feat. Lord Goat & Truck Jewelz) 06. Damballa 07. Ayan 08. Grind You Dull (Feat. Jake Bannon) 09. Chemical Returns 10. Distorted Peace (Feat. Paula Rebellato) 11. Reckoning (Feat. Steve Von Till
Straight Outta Caledonia is the first commercially available “Greatest Hits” of the outsider songwriter Jackie Leven, an artist
who has largely remained in obscurity in his native Scotland despite being one of the greatest wordsmiths – and singers – it ever
produced. A well-travelled musician who began making psychedelic, progressive music in the late 60s before emerging as an
epic storyteller full of pathos, humour and humanity in the 90s, Leven lived and wrote like many of the fragile, gregarious
characters of his songs; large, full of life and empathy. Leven passed away in 2011 after recording 30+ albums under different
guises or with his briefly successful New Wave band Doll by Doll. Straight Outta Caledonia is a compilation collated by Night
School Records on its Archival label School Daze that seeks to introduce Leven’s music to new generations.
In an age of isolation, alienation and loss of visceral experience, Jackie Leven’s music can be massive and welcoming. It feels
connected to some universal humanity and vibrates with vitality. His songs are often full of tragedy and comedy simultaneously,
cutting straight to the heart, often plugging directly into the nervous system of the listener. His lyrics are rich, dense with imagery
that can veer from apocalyptic to the comically banal in a sentence, with a songwriting panache that can be heavy handed to
almost bursting point before skewering the song with a clownish, warm punchline. His productions ranged from Bob Dylan’s
Rolling Thunder Revue style rock band orchestrations with strings and organ as on the epic Ancient Misty Morning or they could
be pared down to the purest form of folk song as on Poortoun: Leven on stage alone with an acoustic guitar, albeit played with a
mastery of the instrument that he often only hinted at. Musically his sound can bend traditional structures or stay completely
confined within them yet still forever push towards an ecstatic release, as on the cinematic Snow In Central Park.
The most exciting, jaw-droppingly effective tool at Leven’s disposal was his voice. A multi-octave instrument that, though
damaged during a savage assault in Fife, he used with flair; he had both a brazen disregard for the rules and a deep humility, all
of which is evidenced with every phrasing. A baritone that could flit up through the register – always touched by his gentle
Kirkcaldy accent – it’s the prime delivery method for his songs. Leven’s voice enabled him to inhabit the characters in his songs to
an uncanny degree, a skill that in turn enables the listener to empathise with them and, subsequently, the singer. It’s most evident
in stand out song The Sexual Loneliness Of Jesus Christ, a breathtaking re-telling of the life of its protagonist, not as a pure,
sinless messiah but as a sexually frustrated, solitary man condemned to an existential loneliness no one else will ever feel. In
many ways the track is the archetypal Jackie Leven song. Produced by Pere Ubu’s David Thomas, what strikes the ear first –
after the samples of unemployed workers in Glasgow following the closing of the Clyde shipyards – is the audacious, rhythmic
tremolo effect Leven employs through the verses before the production opens up to allow Leven’s vocal to lift into a soar, a
freeing glide powered both by the force of the singer’s chutzpah and the inherent, doomed destiny of the protagonist. With any
other singer such subject matter could come across as gauche or worse, pretentiously sonorous, but Jackie Leven’s genius was
such that he could be this cinematic and brazen while touching something elemental and true in the beholder. It’s a skill evident in
every song on Straight Outta Caledonia, the trademark of a songwriter who revelled and excelled in intensity with a lightness of
touch.
In his lifetime, Jackie Leven toured, wrote and recorded at a ferocious rate. He recorded under aliases to avoid record contract
restrictions, played house shows in Europe after or instead of official concerts, events which were often spoken word story telling
masterclasses as well as performances of his often bewilderingly dense songbook. His music has traditionally been catalogued
as “folk” music and has been largely banished to a small, dedicated group of international fans and apostles both private and well
known, like author Ian Rankin or Glenn Matlock. Since his passing in 2011 however, there has been a growing recognition
amongst a newer generation, with artists like James Yorkston or Molly Nilsson publicly stating the influence of the unsung
troubadour on their own craft. Jackie Leven’s fairytales for hard men are often forensic deconstructions of masculinity, sad and
ecstatic, light and shadow, always endlessly rich, a resource as bountiful as Leven himself’s human spirit undoubtedly was.
Songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist, Jason McNiff releases his 7th full length album, Dust Of Yesterday, on April 16th. Produced and engineered by Roger Askew (Joe Strummer, Wilko Johnson, Christy Moore) the album was recorded throughout the summer and autumn of 2020 in Roger's home studio in Eastbourne, UK. It features McNiff's signature acoustic guitar work throughout with significant contributions from Beth Porter (of Eliza Carthy's band) on cello and Basia Bartz (most London based folk bands) on violin.
His first album since leaving London - McNiff is now based in Hastings - Dust of Yesterday is an elegy on moving away from a beloved place and a lament for lost youth. We are treated to a musical tour of McNiff's life to date, from his 8-year residency as a Flamenco guitarist in a Spanish bar in Waterloo (Damaged Woman) to hopping the northbound train from King's Cross, hiding in the lavatory up to Nottingham (A Load Along). All the songs on Dust of Yesterday, in one way or another, speak of the past. But it is not bleary-eyed nostalgia.
"I read somewhere that it is possible to literally change the past and I became very interested in this idea. It so happened around the same time that I discovered the Greek/Egyptian poet, Cavafy. In his poems he would talk about the past, but the memory is not a thing of the past, but something that is still part of him in the present. I could relate to that. "
Musically, Jason is influenced by the British acoustic guitarists (Jansch, Graham, Wizz Jones) and the great folk/rock troubadours of the 60s and 70s. He loves Mark Knopfler in the early days; the English teacher turned reluctant rock star, singing about Leeds and Newcastle and sounding like JJ Cale. For McNiff, the lyrics are central, and he has been especially captivated by those considered poets and writers as well as musicians. He loves literature and cites Hemingway, Chekhov and the aforementioned Cavafy, as major influences in his work. ( He has 'translated' Hemingway's 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' into a song on a previous album, 'Nobody's Son')
Jason McNiff was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1974 to an Irish father and Polish mother. Academically gifted, he did well at school and went to the University of Nottingham to study French and Russian. He fell in with the Folk & Blues scene in that city before moving to London in the mid-nineties to do another degree in English Lit. He was just in time to catch the Bert Jansch residency at the 12 Bar club. For 6 months, every Wednesday night, McNiff would be in the front row of Soho's tiny club learning fingerstyle from the master. He would later sign his first record deal with Snowstorm Records, a label run by Bert's brother-in-law and found himself opening for Bert on numerous occasions.
There followed a string of albums on various labels, including 2003's Nobody's Son (Americana UK album of the year) and 2011's April Cruel (nominated for best alt-country album at the Independent Music Awards in the US.)
Compilation of all the recordings by this legendary punk band prior to their LPs: the sessions for their single 'Mucha Policía', taken for the first time in 27 years from the original tapes, which has unearthed two studio recordings unissued until now; plus rehearsals, demos and live recordings. Completely remastered. A furious, noholds-barred sonic account of a period of immense changes for Spain and the Basque Country. The origins of the most important Spanish punk group, regarded as one of the essential bands of the genre all over the Spanish speaking world.It was a time when the walls were teeming with socio-political proclamations, where the hammer and sickle - alongside the illegal Ikurriña (the flag of the Basque Country) - were the most widely used symbols. A time of general strikes and protests on the streets that often ended in an ugly manner. A time also of smoky joints, where huge speakers played loud rock and there were dreams of strawberry fields. In Santurtzi, on the left bank of the Nervión estuary, a unique band was born: ESKORBUTO. Iosu Expósito and Jualma Suarez lived in working class neighbourhoods that had grown fast. Both Kabiezes and Mamariga were, in the 50s, mainly rural areas of Santurtzi. In the 60s, industrialization and rampant development transformed them into urban areas without any investment in urbanism. Some elements for the alchemy led to the explosion: intelligent young guys who were nevertheless incapable of adhering to school discipline, a country in full swing towards freedom after 40 years of dictatorship. It was a context very familiar with the turbulence of the "Basque conflict", with neighbours seduced by the "armed fight" and the "liberation of Euskal Herria", with the question of "identity" constantly present, traumatic episodes of killings, tortures and imprisonments .One day at the end of the 70s they decided to start a band. The first period of Eskorbuto's life, before the damage done by the needle became noticeable, was incredibly fruitful. They soon found a rehearsal space, thanks to their first drummer ("Gu"), and there the first songs were born: 'Enterrado vivo', 'Busco en la basura', 'Éste es el porvenir', 'Mucha policía, poca diversión'. It was a period of line-up changes. Iñaki Laiseka played bass for them, and that role was also taken by "Seni" and "Garlopa", two precursors of "left bank" punk. Later on they found Paco Galán, who also came from a similar neighbourhood to theirs (Repélega, in Portugalete). Paco always was the necessary engine, the piece around which the rest revolved, which guaranteed continuity. His drumming also added an apparently chaotic element to the already unbridled guitar melodies and visionary texts, halfway between dirty realism and Edgar Allan Poe's nightmares. These recordings are taken from those early times of excitement and vertigo, of journeys to Madrid under a train's seat and endless trips up and down the left bank looking for "someone that I've heard is selling an amp". Now the Reina Sofía Museum exhibits their "Impuesto Revolucionario" LP and there's no Spanish speaking country without legions of fans.






































