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Als Watchtower im Jahre 1985 ihr Debütalbum "Energetic Disassembly" veröffentlichen, stellen sie die Metal-Welt auf den Kopf. Das Material setzt völlig neue Maßstäbe. Innovativer (und extremer) geht zu dieser Zeit niemand zu Werke. Unbeholfene Stilbeschreibungen wie "Jazz Metal" oder "Techno Thrash" werden kreiert. Ursprünglich werden Watchtower im Mai 1982 in Austin, Texas, aus der Taufe gehoben. In jenem Monat schließt sich Sänger Jason McMaster Bassist Doug Keyser, Schlagzeuger Rick Colaluca sowie Gitarrist Billy White an. In ihrem frühen Stadium zeigen sich Watchtower stark von der NWOBHM inspiriert und spielen Songs von Iron Maiden, Angel Witch und Raven nach - dazu natürlich etliche Nummern der kanadischen Prog-Götter Rush. In der Folge entwickelt die Band sukzessive ihren individuellen Stil und nimmt Demos mit eigenen Stücken auf. Aber die Plattenfirmen wollen nicht anbeißen. Aus diesem Grunde entschließt man sich dazu, auf dem eigenen Label Zombo Records das wegweisende Album "Energetic Disassembly" zu veröffentlichen (gepresst werden 3.500 LPs und 1.000 Kassetten).
"Ich kann mich noch lebhaft daran erinnern, wie ich Demokassetten an Fanzines verschickt habe und nahezu täglich Briefe mit Tapetradern ausgetauscht wurden," erinnert sich Sänger Jason Mc Master heute. "Ich erhielt u.a. Briefe von Gene Hoglan, Mike Portnoy, Jason Newsted und sogar Alan Tecchio Die Reaktionen waren fantastisch, aber wir klangen einfach so andersartig. Die Labels wussten nicht, wie sie uns seinerzeit hätten vermarkten sollen. Waren wir zu extrem? Ich denke schon." Pünktlich zum 40. Jubiläum von "Energetic Disassembly" erscheint über High Roller Records nicht nur eine De-Luxe-Edition des originalen Albums, sondern auch eine neue Abmischung. Die Re-Mixes wurden im Jahre 2009 von Jared Tuten, einem engen Freund von JasonMcMaster, in den Top Hat Studios angefertigt. Als Sahnehäubchen gesellen sich dazu vier Bonus-Stücke: eine Art Drum-Soundcheck namens "Rick On Parade", das kurze Gitarren-Instrumental "BW115" sowie frühe Fassungen von zwei Songs, die später auf dem zweiten Watchtower-Album landen sollten, hier aber noch mit Jason McMaster am Gesang - "Instruments Of Random Murder" und "The Eldritch". Jason McMaster verließ Watchtower im Jahre 1988 in Richtung Dangerous Toys. Sein Nachfolger war Alan Tecchio (von Hades). Zusammen mit ihm wurde 1989 in West-Berlin das zweite Album "Control And Resistance" für Noise Records aufgenommen.

Als Watchtower im Jahre 1985 ihr Debütalbum "Energetic Disassembly" veröffentlichen, stellen sie die Metal-Welt auf den Kopf. Das Material setzt völlig neue Maßstäbe. Innovativer (und extremer) geht zu dieser Zeit niemand zu Werke. Unbeholfene Stilbeschreibungen wie "Jazz Metal" oder "Techno Thrash" werden kreiert. Ursprünglich werden Watchtower im Mai 1982 in Austin, Texas, aus der Taufe gehoben. In jenem Monat schließt sich Sänger Jason McMaster Bassist Doug Keyser, Schlagzeuger Rick Colaluca sowie Gitarrist Billy White an. In ihrem frühen Stadium zeigen sich Watchtower stark von der NWOBHM inspiriert und spielen Songs von Iron Maiden, Angel Witch und Raven nach - dazu natürlich etliche Nummern der kanadischen Prog-Götter Rush. In der Folge entwickelt die Band sukzessive ihren individuellen Stil und nimmt Demos mit eigenen Stücken auf. Aber die Plattenfirmen wollen nicht anbeißen. Aus diesem Grunde entschließt man sich dazu, auf dem eigenen Label Zombo Records das wegweisende Album "Energetic Disassembly" zu veröffentlichen (gepresst werden 3.500 LPs und 1.000 Kassetten).
"Ich kann mich noch lebhaft daran erinnern, wie ich Demokassetten an Fanzines verschickt habe und nahezu täglich Briefe mit Tapetradern ausgetauscht wurden," erinnert sich Sänger Jason Mc Master heute. "Ich erhielt u.a. Briefe von Gene Hoglan, Mike Portnoy, Jason Newsted und sogar Alan Tecchio Die Reaktionen waren fantastisch, aber wir klangen einfach so andersartig. Die Labels wussten nicht, wie sie uns seinerzeit hätten vermarkten sollen. Waren wir zu extrem? Ich denke schon." Pünktlich zum 40. Jubiläum von "Energetic Disassembly" erscheint über High Roller Records nicht nur eine De-Luxe-Edition des originalen Albums, sondern auch eine neue Abmischung. Die Re-Mixes wurden im Jahre 2009 von Jared Tuten, einem engen Freund von JasonMcMaster, in den Top Hat Studios angefertigt. Als Sahnehäubchen gesellen sich dazu vier Bonus-Stücke: eine Art Drum-Soundcheck namens "Rick On Parade", das kurze Gitarren-Instrumental "BW115" sowie frühe Fassungen von zwei Songs, die später auf dem zweiten Watchtower-Album landen sollten, hier aber noch mit Jason McMaster am Gesang - "Instruments Of Random Murder" und "The Eldritch". Jason McMaster verließ Watchtower im Jahre 1988 in Richtung Dangerous Toys. Sein Nachfolger war Alan Tecchio (von Hades). Zusammen mit ihm wurde 1989 in West-Berlin das zweite Album "Control And Resistance" für Noise Records aufgenommen.

Havukruunu is the spirit of freedom, harbinger of oblivion, and it tells you: FLY, YOU FOOLS! Svart Records is set to release the band’s fourth album TAVASTLAND in February 2025 After three albums, the pieces of the puzzle fit, and Havukruunu, the favorite band of the sensitive and sorrowful returns with a vengeance to blur the line between the real and unreal. The sorrowful guitars of Stefa and Bootleg-Henkka draw threatening dark shadows on the wall, Kostajainen's drumming bombardement pulses like embers of a dying fire in the hearth. All the while, Humö's bass guitar is clanking and wailing like the icy wind rattling windows and banging walls, as Stefa roars and channels messages from the netherworld or preaches wisdom of ancient days, backed by a choir. Lords of Hell smile approving as the flames of hatred and cunning of their beloved sons drowns a dying old world, and heart of the earth trembles the birth of new and weird. Havukruunu is the spirit of freedom, harbinger of oblivion, and it tells you: FLY, YOU FOOLS! Havukruunu’s upcoming album TAVASTLAND tells the story of a small, strange people. ”-TAVASTLAND tells how in 1237 the Tavastians rose in a rebellion against the church of Christ and drove the popes naked into the frost to die. TAVASTLAND reveals our fathers’ centuries old sins and lies of consolation. TAVASTLAND speaks of him, who has become a prisoner of his home, alienated from the land of the forest and is now afraid of the dark with all lights on, surrounded by his smart devices. TAVASTLAND tells about the freedom we lost. TAVASTLAND haunts its listener to the grave, and I will personally open that grave one bleak night, and steal the fading light of your sempiternal soul.”, says Stefa. TAVASTLAND is available on Svart exclusive ice & blood vinyl edition, limited to 666 copies. Also available on limited amber & black smoke vinyl, classic black vinyl, CD, cassette tape, and digital platforms. All vinyl editions of the first pressing include a booklet and poster. New Havukruunu T-shirt also up for pre-order now at Svart’s webstore. Release date February 28th, 2025.

Love is a first kiss, a late night call, an ache of longing that can break your heart or a long drive with the top down to anywhere but here. Love can equally be contained, repressed and longed for as much as it can save, nurture and embolden. Love is a measure of our humanity or how lost we have become. In her new album, How Love Bends, Reb Fountain muses on the transformative power of love. Imprinted with our fear, desire, hurt and hope as much as it is an expression of our suffering and joy, love is an ever-evolving shapeshifter that lives in our marrow; magnetic and emergent it is loosed by its archer to ride on the wind. Reb's medium is that of a surrealist, playing with the stories that we tell ourselves she harnesses the sage wisdom of the dream; we embark upon a limitless exploration of love, life and loss within a landscape entirely of Reb's making. Reb's love is the stuff of chaos and oceans, vulnerability and revolution; stirring up the depths of the human condition and dancing with the richness of who we really are. Unapologetic, vulnerable, heartbroken and commanding; this is How Love Bends. How Love Bends is at once haunting and alluring, mystical and triumphant. Reb is a seeker, actively reaching for the expanse. A reverent explorer she traverses the turbulent and tidal with heartbreaking vulnerability and blazon courage. The result is an emergent odyssey; a dynamic dreamscape unfolding and revealing itself mid-evolution. Reb has explored new approaches to songwriting revealing nuanced layers with endless depths.

Love is a first kiss, a late night call, an ache of longing that can break your heart or a long drive with the top down to anywhere but here. Love can equally be contained, repressed and longed for as much as it can save, nurture and embolden. Love is a measure of our humanity or how lost we have become. In her new album, How Love Bends, Reb Fountain muses on the transformative power of love. Imprinted with our fear, desire, hurt and hope as much as it is an expression of our suffering and joy, love is an ever-evolving shapeshifter that lives in our marrow; magnetic and emergent it is loosed by its archer to ride on the wind. Reb's medium is that of a surrealist, playing with the stories that we tell ourselves she harnesses the sage wisdom of the dream; we embark upon a limitless exploration of love, life and loss within a landscape entirely of Reb's making. Reb's love is the stuff of chaos and oceans, vulnerability and revolution; stirring up the depths of the human condition and dancing with the richness of who we really are. Unapologetic, vulnerable, heartbroken and commanding; this is How Love Bends. How Love Bends is at once haunting and alluring, mystical and triumphant. Reb is a seeker, actively reaching for the expanse. A reverent explorer she traverses the turbulent and tidal with heartbreaking vulnerability and blazon courage. The result is an emergent odyssey; a dynamic dreamscape unfolding and revealing itself mid-evolution. Reb has explored new approaches to songwriting revealing nuanced layers with endless depths.

GROUPLOVE commemorates the Rock N’ Roll You Won’t Save Me Tour of 2024 with an expansive 2LP set, complete with gatefold jacket, color-in-color vinyl, printed inner sleeves & a fold-out 24 x 26" poster. Recorded at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago, IL (except 'Cheese' which was taken from the Wiltern in Los Angeles) and mixed by engineer wiz Matty Green, the release highlights "an incredible and surreal heart opening tour for us" that the band wanted to remember, press, and share. Play it loud!

Havukruunu is the spirit of freedom, harbinger of oblivion, and it tells you: FLY, YOU FOOLS! Svart Records is set to release the band’s fourth album TAVASTLAND in February 2025 After three albums, the pieces of the puzzle fit, and Havukruunu, the favorite band of the sensitive and sorrowful returns with a vengeance to blur the line between the real and unreal. The sorrowful guitars of Stefa and Bootleg-Henkka draw threatening dark shadows on the wall, Kostajainen's drumming bombardement pulses like embers of a dying fire in the hearth. All the while, Humö's bass guitar is clanking and wailing like the icy wind rattling windows and banging walls, as Stefa roars and channels messages from the netherworld or preaches wisdom of ancient days, backed by a choir. Lords of Hell smile approving as the flames of hatred and cunning of their beloved sons drowns a dying old world, and heart of the earth trembles the birth of new and weird. Havukruunu is the spirit of freedom, harbinger of oblivion, and it tells you: FLY, YOU FOOLS! Havukruunu’s upcoming album TAVASTLAND tells the story of a small, strange people. ”-TAVASTLAND tells how in 1237 the Tavastians rose in a rebellion against the church of Christ and drove the popes naked into the frost to die. TAVASTLAND reveals our fathers’ centuries old sins and lies of consolation. TAVASTLAND speaks of him, who has become a prisoner of his home, alienated from the land of the forest and is now afraid of the dark with all lights on, surrounded by his smart devices. TAVASTLAND tells about the freedom we lost. TAVASTLAND haunts its listener to the grave, and I will personally open that grave one bleak night, and steal the fading light of your sempiternal soul.”, says Stefa. TAVASTLAND is available on Svart exclusive ice & blood vinyl edition, limited to 666 copies. Also available on limited amber & black smoke vinyl, classic black vinyl, CD, cassette tape, and digital platforms. All vinyl editions of the first pressing include a booklet and poster. New Havukruunu T-shirt also up for pre-order now at Svart’s webstore. Release date February 28th, 2025.

Fit for Consequences: Original Recordings, 1984–1987 is the first ever archival release from Repetition Repetition, the “two-man electric minimalist band” consisting of Ruben Garcia and Steve Caton hailing from Los Angeles in the mid 1980’s. Repetition Repetition’s unique blend of cosmic art-rock minimalism / maximalism was self-released across a series of cassettes produced in micro editions, and while garnering the attention and participation of luminaries such as Harold Budd, remained under the radar during the band’s existence. Fit for Consequences: Original Recordings, 1984–1987 collects select material from across the duo’s catalog.

It was over a plate of Mexican breakfast food when Ruben Garcia and Steve Caton first told Harold Budd of Repetition Repetition and the worlds they intended to explore by respective way of synthesizers and guitars --- a rendezvous instigated by the former’s fan mail to the legendary composer. If the upstarts entered this restaurant from a one-way street of admiration, they would leave with not only Budd’s interest but, sometime later, a blessing in the wake of many hours shared by the three in Garcia’s Los Angeles home recording studio: “This is going to be difficult, but God help them, I think they’re great,” noted Budd in a USC lecture in 1985. Now several degrees removed from prior rock music aspirations, the real game was afoot.

Between 1984 and 1988, Repetition Repetition operated within something akin to the underground of the experimental underground, although even that designation perhaps overstates the case. The duo’s sparse output consisted of three cassettes self-released on Garcia’s Third Stone Music label: Repetition Repetition (1985), Lakeland (1987), and The Machinist (1987). Their songs would also be included during this period on Trance Port Tapes’ vital scene-scanning compilations assembled by A Produce. Live performances occurred with similar infrequency, but Garcia and Caton counted converts in quality over quantity, numbering among them the aforementioned Budd, a Chambers Brother, and, judging by a memorably drop-jawed reaction following a rare Repetition Repetition gig, Jackson Browne.

Likewise, critical support materialized in the form of KCRW deejays Brent Wilcox and Dean Suzuki, whose steady airplay positioned Repetition Repetition’s music amidst fearless company like Jon Hassell, Hiroshi Yoshimura, and Richard Horowitz. Yet, to hear fellow Trance Port featured players like Tom Recchion and Bruce Licher of Savage Republic tell it, Garcia and Caton moved as ghosts --- a notion more vexingly endorsed by the silence of record companies that failed to come knocking --- and therein lies an overarching truth to the work itself.

Journey to the heart of Repetition Repetition and one discovers a collective ear impossibly attuned to the hypnotic possibilities of stylistic convergence, the resulting music possessed of seamless multimodalities which beckon to a glimmering plane of the disembodied. Where Caton sought his artistic fixes at an intersection of popular genres, Garcia zoned in on the sonically spare, drawing from the same wellspring as the Enos and Rileys of his personal avant-garde pantheon, and in their coming together the two tapped into a deeper cosmic source. Synthetic walls of keyboard sound in forever states of reprise met waves of shimmering --- and at times even punishing --- guitar in reply, their soundscapes hovering convincingly between, as suggested in fittingly dualistic fashion in a press kit assembled by Garcia, such disparate sensations as bird flight in one song and oil drilling in the next.

But don’t call it a push-pull dynamic, as this was a creative partnership founded upon fluidity and organicism by way of, naturally, repetition. In contrast to, say, the Bressonian ideal of repetitive motion as a great stripping away, the concept in the hands of Garcia and Caton equated to ascendancy via continuous unfolding, a maximal route to minimalism. To be sure, their recording philosophy morphed over the course of the act’s short history, and what started as a process defined by consistent in-person interplay developed into a more isolated method formulated by Garcia, who eventually took to his own one-man bedroom-studio sessions in order to fully chart any and all potential ostinato-loaded paths which he could travel down, the Tascam-captured resonances subsequently provided to Caton as blueprints from which to take flight himself, adding layer upon layer of steel to the proceedings.

If the practice and execution changed, however, the evidence certainly didn’t rest in the results: The seamlessness remained, and, despite the brevity of their time together, so has Repetition Repetition. With this finely calibrated collection of songs in Fit for Consequences: Original Recordings, 1984–1987, Freedom To Spend sees to it that the private worlds of Garcia and Caton can now be visited by all rather than just the count-‘em-on-both-hands lucky few whose musical endeavors or collector vocations carried them into this once-distant dimension.

Repetition Repetition’s Fit for Consequences: Original Recordings, 1984–1987 will be released on Freedom To Spend in vinyl and digital editions on May 30, 2025. The collection includes extensive liner notes from Bill Perrine, and wil be offered alongside Over & Over, a supplemental collection of music available exclusively as a mail order cassette from Freedom To Spend and RVNG Intl.

In an ever-expanding musical universe, Azymuth have long existed as a celestial giant, drawing countless artists, musicians and followers into their orbit. Marking fifty years since their 1975 debut album Azimuth, their new album Marca Passo proves that the band’s alchemic brew of Brazilian jazz-funk and cosmic samba soul remains as vital as ever, as the group honours the profound legacy of their departed founders.

Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Marca Passo is the first full-length release since the passing of founding drummer Ivan "Mamão" Conti in 2023, following the earlier loss of keyboardist José Roberto Bertrami in 2012. Alex Malheiros, the sole remaining original member, sees his stewardship of the band’s musical legacy as his spiritual duty. He is joined by the equally devoted Kiko Continentino (Milton Nascimento, Djavan) on keyboards, who has been with the group since 2016, and new recruit Renato Massa (Marcos Valle, Ed Motta) on drums.

Yet since their earliest recorded music, Azymuth have always been far greater than the sum of their parts. The "three-man orchestra’s" unmistakable sound is rooted in Brazil's MPB studio scene of the 1970s and early 1980s—a time when artists blended traditional Brazilian rhythms with global jazz, rock, and emerging psychedelic and progressive elements. Marca Passo continues this legacy, seamlessly fusing Brazilian musical traditions with global influences while showcasing the exceptional musicianship that powers Azymuth's distinctive, multi-dimensional sound.

The album is produced by studio mastermind Daniel Maunick, responsible for Azymuth’s two previous studio albums, Fênix in 2016 and Aurora in 2011. Daniel’s credits also include albums by Marcos Valle, Sabrina Malheiros and Terry Callier. Azymuth also invited Daniel’s father, British jazz-funk royalty Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick, of Incognito, to play guitar on a new version of Azymuth’s eighties classic “Last Summer In Rio”, in tribute to the song’s composer, José Roberto Bertrami. Equally, “Samba Pro Mamao” is a new composition dedicated to Azymuth’s beloved original drummer, Ivan “Mamão” Conti.

Credits:

Alex Malheiros - Bass, Acoustic Guitar & Vocals: 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Kiko Continentino - Keyboards, Organ, Vocoder & Vocals: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Renato Massa - Drums & Vocals: : 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
Ian Moreira - Percussion: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
Sidinho Moreira - Percussion: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10
Dudu Viana - Keyboards & Vocals: 1
Victor Bertrami - Drums: 1
Mangueirinha - Repinique: 3
Jean Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick - Electric Guitar: 5
Jose Carlos Bigorna - Soprano Sax: 9
Daniel Maunick: Additional Percussion, Synths & EFX: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Produced, Engineered, Mixed & Arranged by Daniel Maunick
Co-Produced & Arranged by Alex Malheiros
Executive Producer: Joe Davis


Recorded by:
Daniel Maunick & Leonardo Vieira @ Estúdio Nos Trilhos, Santa Teresa, Rio, Brazil
Daniel Maunick & Amadeu Signorelli @ Sigstudio, Niterói, Rio, Brazil
Daniel Maunick & Alex Malheiros @ Estúdio Basslab, Piratininga, Rio, Brazil
Mixed by Daniel Maunick @ The Sugar Shack, Carluke, Scotland


Artwork & Design: Tyler Askew

Spanish label Andermedt delivers a peerless debut with a solid mindf*ck. The lost and found magic chest of Laurine Frost's never-ending protest against the cliche of techno. A more than 5year old archive winks back at Frost's earlier 4/4-based works, but Cabaret Nord represents grotesque and his characteristic dark mysticism in a yet unheard intensity. Tight funk, earth-shaking drums, playful structures on a wide and dark veil.
* mastered and cut by Stefan Betke.
* 180 gr. heavyweight vinyl with premium packaging and hand-drawn illustration.

David Lowery (Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven) to release his new 28-track solo album. "Fathers, Sons and Brothers" is David"s musical autobiography, celebrating his youth, family, friends and the highs and lows of his lengthy 40-year career in the music business. The album combines three of David"s previously online-only released autobiographical solo albums "In The Shadow of the Bull", "Leaving Key Member Clause", and "Vending Machine", and also includes four new previously unreleased songs, as well as four newly re-recorded tracks: He"s been writing songs about people on the fringe for damn near a lifetime. 40+ years of detailing the idiosyncrasies of outcasts, losers, freaks and outliers in society in his two acclaimed, if not totally different, bands - Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven.

The Looks or the Lifestyle? is the fourth studio album by British alternative rock band Pop Will Eat Itself, released in 1992. Known for blending industrial rock, electronic music, and hip-hop, the album features an eclectic mix of sounds and sharp political commentary. The album’s innovative use of samples and its fusion of genres make it a standout in early '90s alternative music. The Looks or the Lifestyle? received critical acclaim for its bold musical direction and remains one of Pop Will Eat Itself’s most influential records. With its unique style and thought-provoking lyrics, the album cemented the band's reputation as pioneers in the alternative rock scene. The Looks or the Lifestyle? is available as a limited edition of 500 numbered copies on translucent magenta coloured vinyl.

As time marched on, many of the DJs I had been working with such as Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold, Trevor Fung, Simon Dunmore and Johnny Walker got involved in the world-leading UK dance scene, raking in cash by making records. I thought ‘I’ll Have some of that!’ This led to my first foray into the studio creating the proto-acid jazz classic 12”, ‘Psychedelic Jack (That’s Where It’s At)’, which cheekily sampled Frank Zappa, Soft Machine and Gong. With me and Gilles on vocals, it got us signed to Acid Jazz Records, who released in 1988 under the name of Extasis.

That was just the start and nearly 35 years later (gulp!) I’ve had a ball, producing Galliano and Paul Weller, working with Mick Talbot, Roy Ayers, Linda Clifford and Sharon Redd, remixing Will Downing, Ce Ce Rogers and Blaze. I’ve made house tunes with Faith’s Terry Farley, run the legendary Dadhouse Records label with Dave Jarvis. I also set up my own studio and released music under a variety of names, both for my own labels and Acid Jazz Records. Recent releases include my solo albums “Firebird” (2023) and “Dream World” (2024). There was also “Back To Business” with Mick Talbot, released in 2023.

Second Horizon is the follow up album of his very successful debut album "Heartware", that has been voted as album of the year by more than 23.000 readers of FAZE Magazine. The twelve tracks are inspired by 80s music styles EBM, Italo, Acid, Electro and Dark Wave and produced with a lot of original equipment from that era transferred into 2025. The album is also inspired by his relocation to Berlin, and the music reflects this shift, balancing gritty, industrial influences with shimmering, retro-futuristic tones.

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of these iconic Mojo Men recordings, this fantastic collection now comes pressed on heavyweight colour vinyl with all new artwork and liners. Produced by none other than Sly Stone (from Sly & The Family Stone) during the group"s Autumn label era, these West Coast recordings include the breakout hit "Dance With Me" (1965) alongisde other rare cuts and rock and pop gems. Sly Stone, then a rising producer and arranger, helped shape the sound of many Bay area artists during the early-mid 60s. The partnership between Sly Stone and The Mojo Men was a key chapter in both of their stories.

Superb contributions from leading Irish and international composers, musicians and singers including Agu, Linda Buckley, Cathal Coughlan, Adrian Crowley, Neil Farrell, Eileen Gogan, Tony Higgins, Carol Keogh, Michelle O"Rourke, Wally Nkikita, Brigid Mae Power, Michael J Sheehy, Mike Smalle and Jah Wobble. The first in a series of major releases from Bring Your Own Hammer, the album offers a collection of songs about the sea, sea journeys and migration to and from Ireland in the nineteenth century. You are invited to journey with us as we criss-cross the Atlantic world following the remaining threads of lives shaped, in one way or another, by the sea.

The album "Plural" celebrates the remarkable encounters and partnerships that have shaped Gabriel Grossi"s 25-year career as a harmonica player, composer, arranger, and producer. Featuring 10 of his own compositions, Grossi"s renowned virtuosity flows with deep sensitivity through various genres, reflecting the solid trajectory of one of the greatest instrumentalists and most creative musicians in Brazilian music. Collaborating with prominent names from both the national and international music scenes, "Plural" showcases Grossi"s music without borders, offering the world a glimpse of his extensive career. For this celebration, outstanding guests were invited to join the musical journey. Including Jacob Collier, Ed Motta, Hermeto Pascoal, Seamus Blake, Omar Sosa and others.

Pianist Rob Clearfield, who has been a regular sideman for drummer Makaya McCraven, both live and in the studio, emerges from the shadows with an album that reveals the strength and originality of his talent.

In trio with double bassist and teenage friend Joe Sanders (Gerald Clayton, Charles Lloyd) and drummer Fred Pasqua, or in quartet adding trumpeter Itamar Borochov, the American pianist presents a dense, spellbinding opus as carefully produced as it is sensitively arranged, reconciling the creative heritage of the Chicago scene, of which he is one of the most fertile offspring, with a sense of lyricism that goes straight to the heart.

Includes two tracks produced by Makaya.