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Hardwarez, the third LP by Master Boot Record (aka MBR) on Metal Blade, sees multi-instrumentalist mastermind Vittorio D'Amore (aka Victor Love) aurally exploring the duality of technology and humanity in 9 intense and incandescent tracks. The LP, which follows 2022’s Personal Computer and 2020’s Floppy Disk Overdrive, comes from the expansive mind of Love, an Italian producer who emerged from the underground as an anonymous project in 2016 to create the soundtrack for the cyberpunk point-and-click adventure game VirtuaVerse. The project seamlessly evolved into a standalone entity, releasing over 14 albums in just a few years.
To create Hardwarez, the technologist worked by live streaming his desktop on YouTube while composing new music. Everything is programmed via MIDI. “The very first song I wrote is actually also the first single, “CPU,” he says. “Even though the other songs on the album have a quite different style, the type of riffing and the different melodic section of this track worked as a base to upgrade the sound before moving forward.” “CPU” is also where Love decided to test the real guitar overdubs and was inspired by the results.
“With every album I’ve upgraded bits of the sounds, adding new layers,” he says. “In Hardwarez the core sounds for synth guitars, leads and pads are still those that constitute the trademark MBR sound, but what makes this album very different is the addition of guitar overdubs that play along synth guitars for both the rhythmic and solo sections.”
Intensive touring augmented with live musicians helped Love to make the decision to include real guitars to achieve a massive sound and boost the enhanced frequency spectrum of the instrument. “On this record there are a lot of heavy riffs with palm muting and my lead guitarist Shreddy recorded most of those leads and solos as well playing in unison with synth leads and adding extra energy to them.”

Anchored by Mark Sandman's distinctive two-string slide bass, Morphine's second album "Cure for Pain" seamlessly blends rock, jazz, and blues to create a sound that remains as relevant and compelling today as it was upon its release in 1993. This 1LP features remastered audio from the original source and includes the classic songs "Buena," "Thursday," and "Cure for Pain."

2LP, Black Vinyl; The Monkees Take The Helm for their Billboard Chart Topping Third Album! The double platinum Original Album was Mastered From Tape by Kevin Gray. Second LP of Bonus Rarities from the Sessions Notes by The Monkees Scholar/Producer Andrew Sandoval

Stevie Nicks' seventh studio album featuring the classic singles "Secret Love," "For What It's Worth" & "Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream)." Originally released in 2011, the album peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200. Limited-edition 2LP pressed on vinyl.

SCANDAL ist eine Street-Punk-Band aus dem Süden Londons, Großbritannien, die 1998 gegründet wurde und ihre Wurzeln in der rumänischen Punkszene hat. SCANDAL wurde schnell zu einer der gefeiertsten Bands des rumänischen Undergrounds, bekannt für ihre Arbeiterklassen-Hymnen und energiegeladenen Live-Shows. Ihre mitsingbaren Refrains, die sich oft um das Punk-Leben, das Trinken und die Kameradschaft drehten, wurden legendär, und die berüchtigte Anti-Polizei-Hymne ,Patrula Suge Pula" wurde zum Schlachtruf für ihre Fans (und die Unterdrückung durch die Regierung und die Bullen). Nach einer sechsjährigen Pause gingen SCANDAL 2016 nach Großbritannien und fanden mit drei der ursprünglichen Mitglieder wieder zusammen. Dort wurden sie schnell in der Szene groß, mit vielen Festivalauftritten (wie Undercover , Obscene Extreme in der Tschechischen Republik, Exit Festival in Serbien oder Rebellion/ Blackpool) sowie der *5 Seconds To Riot Euro-Tour*. Nach mehreren Underground-Veröffentlichungen und ihrem ausverkauften Debüt ,On the Roll" (2018) wurde Sunny Bastards Records auf Scandal aufmerksam und veröffentlichte 4 Songs auf der ,A handful of Punk & Oi Vol.2" Compilation. Nun ist die Zeit reif für ihr neues Album: *Some Still Dance* enthält 14 Tracks, davon 10 Songs auf Englisch und vier auf Rumänisch, darunter vier neu gemasterte ältere Favoriten und der legendären ,Patrula"-Song. Das Album behandelt eine Reihe von Themen, vom Comeback der Band in ,It's A Scandal" über Überwindung von Depressionen in ,Never Give Up" bis hin zu toxischen Freundschaften in ,The End". Der Titelsong ,Some Still Dance" ist eine Hommage an den Punk-Rock und die Freunde, die ihnen durch die Jahre hindurch treu geblieben sind. Erwartet SSongs, die vom Feiern und Spaß haben bis hin zu sozialen Themen wie reichen. Das Album wurde in den Perry Vale Studios in London aufgenommen und ist dem geliebten Produzenten von ,Scandal", Pat Collier (Gründer/Bassist The Vibrators, Produzent für u.a. The Jesus and Mary Chain, X-Ray Spex, Robyn Hitchcock, Soft Boys, UK Subs und Primal Scream), gewidmet, der leider im Sommer 2024 verstorben ist. Schwarzes und mehrfarbiges Vinyl!

SCANDAL ist eine Street-Punk-Band aus dem Süden Londons, Großbritannien, die 1998 gegründet wurde und ihre Wurzeln in der rumänischen Punkszene hat. SCANDAL wurde schnell zu einer der gefeiertsten Bands des rumänischen Undergrounds, bekannt für ihre Arbeiterklassen-Hymnen und energiegeladenen Live-Shows. Ihre mitsingbaren Refrains, die sich oft um das Punk-Leben, das Trinken und die Kameradschaft drehten, wurden legendär, und die berüchtigte Anti-Polizei-Hymne ,Patrula Suge Pula" wurde zum Schlachtruf für ihre Fans (und die Unterdrückung durch die Regierung und die Bullen). Nach einer sechsjährigen Pause gingen SCANDAL 2016 nach Großbritannien und fanden mit drei der ursprünglichen Mitglieder wieder zusammen. Dort wurden sie schnell in der Szene groß, mit vielen Festivalauftritten (wie Undercover , Obscene Extreme in der Tschechischen Republik, Exit Festival in Serbien oder Rebellion/ Blackpool) sowie der *5 Seconds To Riot Euro-Tour*. Nach mehreren Underground-Veröffentlichungen und ihrem ausverkauften Debüt ,On the Roll" (2018) wurde Sunny Bastards Records auf Scandal aufmerksam und veröffentlichte 4 Songs auf der ,A handful of Punk & Oi Vol.2" Compilation. Nun ist die Zeit reif für ihr neues Album: *Some Still Dance* enthält 14 Tracks, davon 10 Songs auf Englisch und vier auf Rumänisch, darunter vier neu gemasterte ältere Favoriten und der legendären ,Patrula"-Song. Das Album behandelt eine Reihe von Themen, vom Comeback der Band in ,It's A Scandal" über Überwindung von Depressionen in ,Never Give Up" bis hin zu toxischen Freundschaften in ,The End". Der Titelsong ,Some Still Dance" ist eine Hommage an den Punk-Rock und die Freunde, die ihnen durch die Jahre hindurch treu geblieben sind. Erwartet SSongs, die vom Feiern und Spaß haben bis hin zu sozialen Themen wie reichen. Das Album wurde in den Perry Vale Studios in London aufgenommen und ist dem geliebten Produzenten von ,Scandal", Pat Collier (Gründer/Bassist The Vibrators, Produzent für u.a. The Jesus and Mary Chain, X-Ray Spex, Robyn Hitchcock, Soft Boys, UK Subs und Primal Scream), gewidmet, der leider im Sommer 2024 verstorben ist. Schwarzes und mehrfarbiges Vinyl!

SCANDAL ist eine Street-Punk-Band aus dem Süden Londons, Großbritannien, die 1998 gegründet wurde und ihre Wurzeln in der rumänischen Punkszene hat. SCANDAL wurde schnell zu einer der gefeiertsten Bands des rumänischen Undergrounds, bekannt für ihre Arbeiterklassen-Hymnen und energiegeladenen Live-Shows. Ihre mitsingbaren Refrains, die sich oft um das Punk-Leben, das Trinken und die Kameradschaft drehten, wurden legendär, und die berüchtigte Anti-Polizei-Hymne ,Patrula Suge Pula" wurde zum Schlachtruf für ihre Fans (und die Unterdrückung durch die Regierung und die Bullen). Nach einer sechsjährigen Pause gingen SCANDAL 2016 nach Großbritannien und fanden mit drei der ursprünglichen Mitglieder wieder zusammen. Dort wurden sie schnell in der Szene groß, mit vielen Festivalauftritten (wie Undercover , Obscene Extreme in der Tschechischen Republik, Exit Festival in Serbien oder Rebellion/ Blackpool) sowie der *5 Seconds To Riot Euro-Tour*. Nach mehreren Underground-Veröffentlichungen und ihrem ausverkauften Debüt ,On the Roll" (2018) wurde Sunny Bastards Records auf Scandal aufmerksam und veröffentlichte 4 Songs auf der ,A handful of Punk & Oi Vol.2" Compilation. Nun ist die Zeit reif für ihr neues Album: *Some Still Dance* enthält 14 Tracks, davon 10 Songs auf Englisch und vier auf Rumänisch, darunter vier neu gemasterte ältere Favoriten und der legendären ,Patrula"-Song. Das Album behandelt eine Reihe von Themen, vom Comeback der Band in ,It's A Scandal" über Überwindung von Depressionen in ,Never Give Up" bis hin zu toxischen Freundschaften in ,The End". Der Titelsong ,Some Still Dance" ist eine Hommage an den Punk-Rock und die Freunde, die ihnen durch die Jahre hindurch treu geblieben sind. Erwartet SSongs, die vom Feiern und Spaß haben bis hin zu sozialen Themen wie reichen. Das Album wurde in den Perry Vale Studios in London aufgenommen und ist dem geliebten Produzenten von ,Scandal", Pat Collier (Gründer/Bassist The Vibrators, Produzent für u.a. The Jesus and Mary Chain, X-Ray Spex, Robyn Hitchcock, Soft Boys, UK Subs und Primal Scream), gewidmet, der leider im Sommer 2024 verstorben ist. Schwarzes und mehrfarbiges Vinyl!

Spiral In A Straight Line ist das sechste Studioalbum der beliebten Post-Hardcore-Band Touché Amoré.
Produziert von Ross Robinson (Korn, Glassjaw, Slipknot) und mit Features von Lou Barlow und Julien
Baker.
Leadsänger Jeremy Bolm sagt, dies sei eine „Platte über Vorwärtsbewegung, während alles um einen herum
destabilisiert wird.“

Spiral In A Straight Line ist das sechste Studioalbum der beliebten Post-Hardcore-Band Touché Amoré.
Produziert von Ross Robinson (Korn, Glassjaw, Slipknot) und mit Features von Lou Barlow und Julien
Baker.
Leadsänger Jeremy Bolm sagt, dies sei eine „Platte über Vorwärtsbewegung, während alles um einen herum
destabilisiert wird.“

Hardwarez, the third LP by Master Boot Record (aka MBR) on Metal Blade, sees multi-instrumentalist mastermind Vittorio D'Amore (aka Victor Love) aurally exploring the duality of technology and humanity in 9 intense and incandescent tracks. The LP, which follows 2022’s Personal Computer and 2020’s Floppy Disk Overdrive, comes from the expansive mind of Love, an Italian producer who emerged from the underground as an anonymous project in 2016 to create the soundtrack for the cyberpunk point-and-click adventure game VirtuaVerse. The project seamlessly evolved into a standalone entity, releasing over 14 albums in just a few years.
To create Hardwarez, the technologist worked by live streaming his desktop on YouTube while composing new music. Everything is programmed via MIDI. “The very first song I wrote is actually also the first single, “CPU,” he says. “Even though the other songs on the album have a quite different style, the type of riffing and the different melodic section of this track worked as a base to upgrade the sound before moving forward.” “CPU” is also where Love decided to test the real guitar overdubs and was inspired by the results.
“With every album I’ve upgraded bits of the sounds, adding new layers,” he says. “In Hardwarez the core sounds for synth guitars, leads and pads are still those that constitute the trademark MBR sound, but what makes this album very different is the addition of guitar overdubs that play along synth guitars for both the rhythmic and solo sections.”
Intensive touring augmented with live musicians helped Love to make the decision to include real guitars to achieve a massive sound and boost the enhanced frequency spectrum of the instrument. “On this record there are a lot of heavy riffs with palm muting and my lead guitarist Shreddy recorded most of those leads and solos as well playing in unison with synth leads and adding extra energy to them.”

2000 pressed. First time on vinyl for the gorgeous 'Late December', with a second LP featuring rare recordings from her Live Acoustic LA tour in 2006, the package includes new liner notes and a download of the studio album and live show. An album that's broader than Broadway, a panoramic view of life, love and loss filled with drama and theatricality. Plus a live set that's heart-on-sleeve time, bringing together songs from Lone Justice, plus covers of the traditional country anthem 'The World Is Not My Home', Richard Thompson's 'Has He Got A Friend For Me' and three songs that show the bittersweet beauty of her brother Bryan MacLean's song writing. In total, it's Kurt Weill, Springsteen, it's the million-selling global hit 'A Good Heart' delivered by the songwriter herself in all its Phil Spector-like baroque beauty.

* After the stunning success of their critically-acclaimed third album Sharpener, which reached number 3 in the jazz charts and number 14 in the independent music charts, London’s brass juggernauts Hackney Colliery Band blaze back onto the scene with their first collaborative album, ushering in a whole new era for the band.

* Featuring collaborations with a host of key names in jazz and world music including amongst others the father of Ethio-jazz Mulatu Astatke, British jazz funk legend James Taylor, trombonist Dennis Rollins, UK saxophonist Pete Wareham and Beninese singer-songwriter and Grammy Award-winner Angélique Kidjo, Hackney Colliery Band have effortlessly transformed their explosive live energy into 11 original recordings that push the groove and form in an accomplished manner.

*On ‘Collaborations: Volume One’, writers Steve Pretty, Olly Blackman and Luke Christie have between them penned the outfit's most dynamic material to date. ‘Mm Mm’ (feat. Angélique Kidjo and Roundhouse Choir) merges Beninese grooves with wah pedal trumpet textures, and the rousing call-and-response between Kidjo’s soaring vocal and the exhilarating choir adds a richness and depth to the composition.

*On ‘Snowfire’, innovative Norwegian pianist Bugge Wesseltoft brings a euro/nu-jazz feel to the album, while Dennis 'Funkybone' Rollins adds his trademark virtuoso trombone to the carnival-flavoured ‘Ricochet’.

*There’s an energy, respect for tradition and the exuberance of London in Hackney Colliery Band’s work, best exemplified in the evocative and downright thrilling James Taylor collaboration ‘Hypothetical’, with Taylor’s Hammond organ recalling the Acid Jazz era in which he made his name.
*New single ‘Netsanet’ (feat. Mulatu Astatke) is a deep exploration of Mulatu's trademark Ethio-jazz, while ‘Crushing Lactic’, composed by Tom Rogerson (fresh from a recent collaboration with Brian Eno) has a frenzied flow, with big horns and driving rhythm section.

*Elsewhere, Pete Wareham (stalwart of the London jazz revival) lends his free-flowing sax to ‘What’s Gone Before’, leading us into a powerful communion of jazz and brass as Mulatu Astatke’s ‘Derashe’ takes the listener down a vibrating rhythmic path while accompanied by blasts of horns and Mulatu’s trademark vibraphone.

*Two spoken word compositions (‘Why Yellow’ and ‘Climbing Up My Own Life Until I Die’) featuring York born writer and comedian Rob Auton lend an introspective voice to ‘Collaborations: Volume One’.

*A band never content to rest on its laurels, Hackney Colliery Band already have a number of collaborations in the works for ‘Volume Two’, and with further live shows planned for 2019, including the album launch at the famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, 2019 looks set to be HCB’s biggest year yet, both live and on record.

* Steve Pretty, the band’s frontman said: “It’s hard to believe that 2019 is our tenth anniversary, but now we’re ten years older it felt like the right time to get back to our jazz roots. It’s been such a privilege to work with so many of our musical inspirations both old and new on this record, and we’re super excited to be ushering in the next ten years with this new collaborative spirit: this is called ‘Volume One’ for a reason…”

2024 Repress

Michael Gray’s ‘The Weekend’ has become more than just a seminal clubbing anthem. ‘The Weekend’ has become a soundtrack for many a night out, an evergreen, life anthem for a whole generation, a record that has stayed popular since the naughties through its sheer brilliance and been brought back to the attention to a new generation through social media like TikTok.

Now the worldwide dance hit has had new life breathed into it new live strings/dance version from Michael himself.

As Michael goes on to say in his own words:

“I have been working with live strings and horn sections a lot recently and it occurred to me to try ‘The Weekend’ as a totally different concept while keeping the integrity of the original…and it worked!

I got chills when I first heard Stephen Hussey’s (Soul to Soul) arrangement. I think it makes Shena’s lead vocal (and Xavier’s backing vocals ) sound so good!

When I made the record back in 2004 I didn’t realize how much this record would endure and appeal to younger and younger generations in its original form alone. I still get a buzz, particularly when I see DJ’s such as Claptone and Low Steppa playing it to huge crowds. Radio play has been amazing over the years too.

It makes me smile that there are thousands of TikTok videos to it as well!

Longtime enthusiasts of ambient music have much to celebrate as Rafael Anton Irisarri's cherished out-of-print cassette, "Midnight Colours," returns in a meticulously remastered edition and makes its inaugural debut on vinyl. The significance of this album's announcement is accentuated by its historical resonance, coinciding with the same day in 1952 when the world bore witness to the first-ever test of the hydrogen bomb.

"Midnight Colours" is far more than a mere album; it's an exploration of the enigmatic relationship between humanity and time. Conceived as a sonic interpretation of the Doomsday Clock, which symbolizes the world's existential vulnerabilities, Irisarri's work beckons listeners to contemplate the gravity of our existence and the delicate balance that envelops it.

"I wanted to capture the essence of humanity's relationship with time, both the anxiety and the serene beauty that coexists within the shadows of the night," explains Irisarri. "The vinyl format adds a tactile dimension to the experience, inviting listeners to physically engage with the music."

Known for his contributions to the ambient and electronic music genres, Irisarri often explores themes of introspection, nostalgia, and the interplay between sound and emotion.

Recorded in 2017, when the Clock was at 2½ minutes-to-midnight (and at the time, the second-closest to midnight since the Clock's inception in 1947), "Midnight Colours" permeates with the melancholy of memories resurfacing as one approaches the end of life: the regrets, the closure, the uncertainties, the anxieties.

Originally released as a limited tape on the beloved Atlanta-based label Geographic North, "Midnight Colours" swiftly garnered praise and acclaim within the ambient music sphere. Now, with this newly remastered edition on his own Black Knoll imprint, fans, both longstanding and newfound, can rediscover the album's captivating beauty in unprecedented clarity and depth.

"I've wanted to release 'Midnight Colours' on vinyl since it first came out, and I'm thrilled to finally be able to. The remastering process, brilliantly done by Stephan Mathieu, has breathed new life into the work, and I'm eager for listeners to experience it in this format."

The reissue of "Midnight Colours" features band-new artwork and design by the renowned Mexican visual artist Daniel Castrejón. A frequent collaborator and friend of Irisarri, Castrejón's imagery impeccably complements the album's mood and themes, extending a compelling invitation for listeners to explore its aural world visually.

This landmark release serves as a testament not only to Irisarri's enduring impact on the ambient music genre but also as a long-awaited gift to those who have patiently anticipated the album's vinyl debut.

»lacuna and parlor« is anchored in the left-field chamber music and incidental recordings that have long accented more eaze’s roving sound. Composed with one ear pressed to the rich textures of instrumental recording environments, this is a resonant and tactile collection tinged in rephrased space and skewed time.

Taking the rudiments of tonal music theory as her conceptual base, more eaze formed the compositions around her own manipulations of these core principles. Simple chord progressions stretch over minutes rather than seconds, for example, while elsewhere specific tonal signifiers were deleted from harmonic progressions, altering the expectations of these tropes.

These and many other bespoke techniques underpin compositions that span Americana-inflected ambient ballads and jaunty string recitals. With wistful vocals, bursts of improvisatory noise, loose chatter and overdubbed room sounds flowing in and out of the mix, more eaze invites us to lounge and linger in these lacunate moments, at once heard, felt and imagined.

Readers of encyclopedic tomes are obviously familiar with exploding animals – there are numerous reports of torn-apart toads (even in Hamburg, Germany!), actual ants exploding altruistically – but humans that decide to jointly detonate, and with no harm done, that’s rare: Kobe’s own o'summer vacation are unique (and volatile) like that, and they’re back to light the fuse for the second time, presenting 13 more musical quarter sticks that have already blown up venues in Europe and Japan.

“Keep it lean, keep it mean,” they say, and that’s what this band loves to take to the extreme: breakneck concision and collective combustion meet freeform noise punk hazards on o'summer vacation's second (not quite) full-length – as the Kobe-based three-piece’s “Electronic Eye” is set to arrive on October 11, 2024. Following a bunch of trips to Berlin, Munich etc., the Japanese fire starters have found a new home with Alien Transistor, and it’s the perfect launch pad for their latest set of guitarless pyrotechnics. Going right for max q (maximum dynamic pressure), “Electronic Eye” is (unlike those Starships) actually supposed to explode right after lift-off ;)

Even though there have been some line-up changes since the group recorded its sophomore album, the energy caught by producer Shinji Masuko (DMBQ, Boredoms) is still unmatched: a very physical and hard-knocking barrage of mosh-inducing madness that leaves you speechless + inevitably twitching towards the pit. Mastering was done by Masaki Oshima aka Watchman (Melt-Banana).

Opening with sizzling hi-hats and heavy ripples of breathless bass, singer Ami presents a non-sequitur kind of lullaby over the math rock-style interlocutions of “宿痾 (Shuku - A)” – which at 6+ minutes makes up more than a quarter of the album. A shapeshifting frenzy of voice (Ami), unbridled, pedal-powered bassline insanity (Mikkki, formerly Mikiiiii), and hot-blooded drums (Manu, meanwhile replaced by Karry), the album features mosh-inducing blows (previously released “Luna,” “Anti Christ 大体 Super Star”), 30-sec mini noise punk anthems (“竦(shou)”, “Days Go By Fast”), and continues to surf at breakneck pace up and down scales (“@ The”), which often feels like catharsis served with a hammer (“Ultra”). Whereas some tracks are bigger more song-y than others (“Song#2,” that full-throttle “Poodle”), “Vs I” is on time like Tierra Whack (exactly 60 seconds of pick-grinding action), and “Rage” indeed feels like Zack is about to join the party – only to see Ami wipe the floor with pure onomatopoetic fire. Finally, “Aloooooone” and “Humming” (that opening lilt!) are sure going to be live favorites, shifting up and down via hardcore speeds and various break-downs.

Quite hotheaded and terminating things on a high note, o'summer vacation point out that the quick-fire lyrics of their “songs have no meaning. It’s called onomatopoeia in English. Ami, our vocalist, does not like to communicate her thoughts through her music.” Although she considers her contribution “a part of the instrumentation,” they still have strong messages and concerns (unrest, discontent, willingness to shake, wake up, enliven anyone near the audible bomb crater): “That doesn’t mean we don’t have a point of view, but we choose to express ourselves through sound rather than words. Generally, but not exclusively, we are anti-racism, anti-war, gender-free, angry at the companies we work for and their bosses, etc., which are very common sentiments held by so-called rock bands.”

It’s only three ingredients, just like sonic gunpowder: bass, drums, voice – but they tend to explode a few bars into each new track. In a perfect world, there’d be giant colorful clouds of dust gracing the sky over each venue they descend upon.

Timeless soul, 'Cool Cool' is the standout title track from James Alexander Bright's recent album. It's an immediately enchanting gem, with tendermusicianship and a stripped back production highlighting James' voice, pitchedsomewhere between Eddie Chacon, Beck and Michael McDonald. Athens of theNorth's in-house band East Coast Love Affair add a delightfully psychedelic Balearicpiquancy with an beautiful dub version on the flip.

'Cool Cool' has been enjoying a plethora of worldwide support; seeing James insession for Gilles Peterson, suppling a Block Party mix for Huey Morgan, interviewedby Bandcamp Weekly, and played across tastemaker shows on stations includingBBC 6 Music, FIP, Jazz FM, KCRW, KEXP, Les Inrocks, NTS, Soho Radio, Triple R,WDET, WNXP.

The past six years has seen James release a veritable treasure trove of music:'Mallorca' and 'Strange Folk' EPs, debut album 'Headroom', joyous second 'Float', analbum of collaborations and reworks with cosmic Americana-disco DJ/producer duoFlying Mojito Bros, and a new project with Groove Armada's Tom Findlay as Bright &Findlay. 'Cool Cool', his third solo album since 2020, was released on 26th July 2024.

SUNANDBASS ambassador FD returns for his latest EP to guide you back to the familiar shores of our annual celebration in Sardinia. Rich and expressive music that works on the dancefloor can be hard to find but FD brings the goodness once again, with this diverse three-tracker.

“All Yours” hits the sweet spot straight away, with dusky vocals and tight beats. Deft guitar licks keep the funk fluid, wrapping around an essential groove, whilst crystal keys shimmer in the heat haze. An ace opener to any set, this track strikes a rare balance between rhythm and elegance.

Flipping the script with an ice-cold intro, “Second Villain” creeps up close and personal before dropping a murderous bassline on your chest. Produced alongside one of Switzerland’s most respected DJs, Ryck, the ‘Villain’ encompasses and embraces influences from Jungle and Drum & Bass alike.

Finalising the ninth release on SUNANDBASS Recordings is “Wah Wah Track”, which puts the music first to prove that the medium really is the message here. Melodic layers rise and fall like waves on this classy and uplifting piece of future soul music.

On their third full-length album, 'The Signal', the Compact Disk Dummies keep a few interesting balls in the air. They play with the opinions and expectations of the outside world, while also confronting their own desires and doubts. This is aptly depicted on the cover with a table, a bell, two brothers and an impatient crowd: who is waiting for whom? The album is as diverse as its cover is surprising. In a mix of styles and influences ranging from retro house to funk, Lennert and Janus Coorevits demonstrate their versatility. Following their scintillating performances at Rock Werchter and Pukkelpop, and the success of the radio hits 'There's No Sex Without You' and 'fomo', 'The Signal' marks the start of a new era for the Dummies.

Lennert notes, "Pfff, I would think about everything indefinitely. And I'm not the only one, I notice. Stuck in a kind of limbo, a state of uncertainty, surrounded by signals, but still feeling a certain fear of following the signal."

On 'The Signal', 'fomo' dissects human desire, reaching for the unattainable. 'Where We Go (Calypso)' is like the shipwreck no one wants. And in the title track, the female lead character finds herself in a toxic relationship, the signs of which are obvious, at least to the outside world. While the content of 'The Signal' revolves around doubt, contemplation and acting or not acting, the musical interpretation is in direct opposition to that. The Compact Disk Dummies do not doubt; they hold their heads up and their chests out. With certainty, they mix everything that excites them musically into the blender, without grinding the identity of the Dummies themselves; actually enriching it instead. The retro house of 'Solàr' (a song about Louis the Fourteenth? Why not) flows into the rampant funk of 'Ballet Dancer' before expanding into 'Underwater'. In every track, you sense the long road the Coorevits brothers have travelled since their breakthrough - and their then angular electro-punk. This third album is Lennert and Janus' most sophisticated work in the expanding universe of the Compact Disk Dummies.

In addition to being a mix of styles, 'The Signal' is also a mix of collaborations. There is the French touch of mixer Michael Declerck and mastering engineer Alex Gopher. There is the Dutch input of Wieger Hoogendorp (Goldband) and Jens Van Der Meij (Froukje). Beautiful string sections are provided by Wietse Meys and Reinhard Vanbergen, bass licks by Boris Van Overschee and backing vocals by Isolde Lasoen and Judith Okon, among others. Producer Jasper Maekelberg always kept an eye on things. And again, for the third album in a row, after 'Mess With Us' (2013) and 'Neon Fever Dream' (2020), artist Athos Burez also provided the artwork for 'The Signal'.

But however international the music sounds, however great the contributions from other top artists, 'The Signal' remains largely the work of the Dummies, with Lennert as vocalist, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist, and Janus as engineer, producer and all-around tech wizard. The album was not made in New York, Tokyo or Berlin, but in Desselgem. Studio 87, the Coorevits family's garage converted into a studio, remains Ali Baba's cave for the Compact Disk Dummies. In their studio crammed with synths, percussion and guitars, Lennert and Janus could not ignore the signal: time to smash it!

Speckled Dragon Egg Color Vinyl. Being Dead knows how to make an entrance - within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo's new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on "Godzilla Rises" conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead's records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead's psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil' house in the heart of Austin, Texas. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome - a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Ricky Motto (who is immortalized finally on record here, particularly in the giggles on "Rock n' Roll Hurts") The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within, but it's also a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There's heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing - we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don't. From the pummeling garage rock distortion of "Firefighters" to "Dragons II," which appears in its demo form taped on a hand recorder, it's unexpected but intuitive, and, most importantly, singularly Being Dead. Like its animal namesake suggests, the songs on EELS are malleable, the record like slithering through murky waters or strange half dreams, mysterious and beautiful in how it moves, reflective in a wavering sheen. Dipping into each song feels like uncovering a new cavern, plunging into depths unknown but fully open to what will be revealed. On the album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, a stark glimmer against a cloudy darkness. It's a fitting encapsulation of Being Dead, exuding a welcoming, playful energy even if something foreboding lurks just beyond the pale - more out of frame that's left to uncover, no path unexplored, strange and beautiful in the light.