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2026 Repress

Tapper Zukie was high on a list of artists that Richard Branson in 1978 had in mind to sign to his new Reggae label Front Line.
The mission was to sign the cream of the reggae crop when the Virgin record boss went down to Jamaica with a group of Reggae minded people,included in that group was one Johnny Rotten,singer of the very recently disbanded group The Sex Pistols.
The result of which would be a two album deal between Tapper and the label.
The first release also in 1978 was the album Peace in the Ghetto(Kingston Sounds KS052) and this release Tapper Roots.
For the cd issue of this release,Tapper has picked two tracks that he feels hapy to put alongside the album.
'Make Faith' cut with the band Knowledge and' New Star'..
This is a very important album from the Tapper Zukie catalogue...Respect

Risk/Reward’s fourth release sees one of the UK’s most prolific and recognizable Producer/DJ’s take the elevator all the way down to the basement of the Tech House sonic spectrum…

Archie Hamilton has achieved superstar status after over a decade of consistently excellent musical output. As the name suggests, Friends in Low Places sees him return to the underground with the rolling, acid-laced, “for the heads” sound that first saw him explode on to the scene 10+ years ago, supplying 3 original tracks that will surprise and delight in equal measure!

A1: NyLon blends the dreamy shades of 90s Italo with the rugged bounce of golden era UK Tech House, to create a beautiful, bold fever dream. Intricate synth melodies, rudeboy vocal cuts and transcendant pads play out over crunchy swinging drums. A bold opening statement to kick off the EP.

A2: The energy kicks up to 11 on Trance-Tech bomb No Signal, a certified weapon of mass dance floor destruction! Vintage Archie rolling 303 bass layered with complex acid lines, haunting siren calls and relentless, gritty drums make for a powerful peak time standout that will have jaws dropping!

B1: On the flip side Archie takes you Higher with another signature roller that’s instantly familiar yet enigmatic. Punchy yet intricate drums, deeply groovy bass, a variety of ear worm melodies and an oh so familiar voice take you up, up and away in to the atmosphere. An instant classic from a man who’s made his fair share.

B2: Returning to the scene he played a key role in building after almost a decade out, UK Tech House DON Gideon Jackson delivers a gargantuan remix that could very easily reduce the club to rubble if not handled carefully. No element of Higher was spared in this rework, but the weight and pressure get cranked up to the absolute fullest - tougher than tough stuff from the OG!

Following up 2007s well received X-dub was the Phalaenopsis 12inch that came out later that year. A track selection that came from the same hyped mysterious MySpace track folder, but now transmitted through Frustrated Funks subsidiary, the now defunct Frantic Flowers imprint that was emerging through the early Clone channels. Signing there, without the staffs knowledge of the producers identity, further muddied the waters. Exploring a more housy dub-techno vibe and diving deeper into experimental dub territory. And with it deploying an even bigger smokescreen around Ovatows real identity. Both Phalaenopsis versions re-appear now, for the first time after almost 20 years, fully retouched and remastered, together with an unknown unreleased track (edit) called So It Goes. This is the second in a series of Ovatow work, revived for the heads that appreciate the foggy deep of the Undacurrnt.

This release is dedicated to Rhys's family, his close friends, and everyone who continues to support his music, honoring his legacy, the profound and lasting impact he made on the electronic music scene. Never forgotten, always in our hearts. Microlith lives on!

Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Ziad Rahbani reissue program with Ana Moush Kafer, a classic album by the Lebanese legend Ziad Rahbani, recorded at his By-Pass Studio in Beirut during the height of the Lebanese Civil War in 1985. Showcasing Rahbani’s signature blend of Arabic music infused with touches of jazz-funk and bossa nova, the album has attained cult status over the years. Originally released on cassette, it has never before been available on vinyl. Newly remastered, this edition features the original Relax-In cassette artwork from 1985 and includes new liner notes by Mario Choueiry of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.

Ziad Rahbani, who passed away in 2025, remains one of the most influential figures in modern Arabic music and a cultural icon in Lebanon. A musician, composer, pianist, producer and playwright, he helped modernize Arabic music over five decades. The son of composer Assi Rahbani and singer Fairuz, he shaped her late 70s–80s recordings producing Wahdon and Maarifti Feek, while building a major solo career with classics such as Abu Ali and Houdou Nisbi, which have become cult favourites for a new generation of DJs and music lovers.
Released in 1985 in Lebanon, Ana Moush Kafer stands as one of Rahbani’s key achievements. Recorded at his By-Pass Studio during the Lebanese Civil War, it blends Arabic melodic traditions with jazz-funk, bossa nova and Western arrangements. Originally cassette-only, it became one of his most revered releases. Throughout the album, Rahbani’s writing reflects the turbulence of wartime Beirut with a blend of sharp social observation, political satire and melancholy. It captures a moment in Lebanese cultural history where experimentation, satire and popular song intersected, giving the album its enduring influence among music lovers.

Sung by Rahbani and Sami Hawat, alongside Beirut-based musicians, the album features both Western and traditional Arabic instruments. It balances refined arrangements with lyrical irony, social commentary and political reflection, which remain deeply resonant in today’s context in Lebanon.
One of the highlights of the album is the song “Shou A’ada Ma Bada,” with lyrics by Joseph Harb, which reveals a clear bossa nova influence, while the closing track, “Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani,” offers a deeply human view of war, avoiding patriotic cliché in favour of a nuanced perspective rooted in lived experience.
As Mario Choueiry observes in his liner notes, “Ana Moush Kafer stands as one of the high points of modern Arab political songwriting, yet transcends its historical and geographical context through the universal relevance of its themes and the timeless quality of its music.”
Forty years on, Ana Moush Kafer remains a landmark of Arab music. Wewantsounds presents it on vinyl for the first time, newly remastered and featuring original artwork. This long-awaited reissue restores one of Ziad Rahbani’s most important works to circulation, reaffirming its place as a defining statement in modern Arabic music.

a 1. Ana Moush Kafer 5:03
[b] 2. Shou Hal Ayyam [5:46]
[c] 3. A'anitham [4:37]
[d] 4. Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3:45]
[e] 5. Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5:05]
[f] 6. Bi Halyawmayn [3:46]
[g] 7. Bharf Esheen [1:12]
[h] 8. Bhaneek [5:34]
[i] 9. Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3:06]

[a] 1. Ana Moush Kafer [5:03]
[b] 2. Shou Hal Ayyam [5:46]
[c] 3. A'anitham [4:37]
[d] 4. Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3:45]
[e] 5. Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5:05]
[f] 6. Bi Halyawmayn [3:46]
[g] 7. Bharf Esheen [1:12]
[h] 8. Bhaneek [5:34]
[i] 9. Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3:06]

[a] 1. Ana Moush Kafer [5:03]
[b] 2. Shou Hal Ayyam [5:46]
[c] 3. A'anitham [4:37]
[d] 4. Shou A'ada Ma Bada [3:45]
[e] 5. Yessa'ed we Yea'en [5:05]
[f] 6. Bi Halyawmayn [3:46]
[g] 7. Bharf Esheen [1:12]
[h] 8. Bhaneek [5:34]
[i] 9. Al Mokawama Al Watania Al Lobnani [3:06]

One year after the release of his debut album Harap-Alb, Articulat returns with Harap-Alb: The Reworks – a companion record that continues the story rather than simply revisiting it.

Based on the original album Harap-Alb by Articulat. Reimagined by friends and fellow travelers.

Just as Harap-Alb leaves home, travels through unfamiliar lands, and meets companions who each shape his story, the music has now found new fellow travelers. Eight artists, each with their own signature, reinterpret one track from the original album, transforming it into something entirely their own while preserving the album’s essence.

The result is a richly varied collection that moves between dreamy synth landscapes, nostalgic strings, hypnotic excursions, broken rhythms, and straight-up dancefloor bangers. Every remix reflects the personality of its creator, turning the album into a conversation between artists connected by a shared appreciation for the original work.

If the first Harap-Alb was a personal retelling of a timeless story, The Reworks is proof that stories continue to evolve once they are shared.

Beneath the sleek, confident guitar line that powers “Overdrive,” the lead single of All Over You, another guitar marks the time more impatiently, as if the groove its locked into is the timebomb- tightness of a pre-hookup heartbeat. Its energy isn’t nervous — after all, it’s hard to be nervous with Will Schwartz cooing come-ons like “I just wanna get you in the bed / Light you up like a cigarette” in your ear — but it is urgent. Excited. Titillated.


That’s the word that best describes the prospect of a new Imperial Teen record: titillating. They come out every five or six years, each new album acting as, to quote Roddy Bottum, “an episodic piece of where we are now, where the world is now, who we have become, and the geography of our collective consciousness.” There is considerable distance between Imperial Teen, its members — Bottum (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Schwartz (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Jone Stebbins (bass, vocals), and Lynn Truell (drums, vocals) — having made lives for themselves in different cities, but the collective consciousness that exists between them makes distance and time seem immaterial to the listener.


Time, especially time together, is not immaterial to Imperial Teen: it is precious. “For the last few records,” Stebbins explains, “the process has been similar. We live great distances away from each other, so initially, we get together to collaborate, write, and create. When we have enough material, we reconvene to record. Both scenarios, creating and recording, take multiple trips, sometimes with big lapses of time in between due to our various schedules.” Bottum concurs: “The biggest challenge in writing and recording is the distance between us, but the longing and desire and the ultimate coming together becomes more potent as a result.”


All Over You is a triumph of maximized moments together, four people bringing the force of their personalities to bear on years of built-up ideas. Title track “All Over You,” initially built over the computer, gained its charming sneer in the studio, where Stebbins’ buoyant, fuzzed out bassline added bounce to the song’s punchy, sloganeering lyrics, a perfect set-up for Truell to drive the song home, screaming the last line of the chorus, “We’ve got nothing to do,” like a rallying cry for a generation that’s been given nothing and told to deny themselves everything. “In my head,” Truell says, “I just went back to punk, to that feeling of prowling around looking for anything to do and being so mad about how boring everything is that you just have to yell.” The track had an attitude, it had an unexpected texture thanks to Truell’s playing improvised percussion, but her scream is what took it to the next level, transforming it into a signature Imperial Teen song.


One of Imperial Teen’s less magical concerns on All Over You is the effect capitalism has on the creation of art. This expresses itself in the headspinning rush of music industry success and disappointment that plays out in “Hands All Up,” and also in Imperial Teen’s sound. All Over You features the band’s most expansive, textured palette to date, and much of it’s steeped in — bubblegum music and boy/girl harmonies, electro beats and grungy distortion, power pop mall anthems and kiss-off lyricism — has been dismissed, at one point or another, as a fad. Time, of course, has proven otherwise, and All Over You makes a case for Imperial Teen as four of that time’s architects, inheriting, preserving, and pushing the boundaries of what pop music can be from one song to the next.


“We want to make people dance and think and feel,” says Schwartz. In all of those ambitions, All Over You crushes, brought to life by four musicians who found each other in the clubs of San Francisco over three decades ago and have remained family ever since. It is less a return from hiatus than a broadcast from the sonic utopia Imperial Teen has long ruled over, where the music is bratty and sexy and the parties don’t stop until everyone’s found euphoria. A raveup for mind, body, and soul, best enjoyed in a dark room packed with as many sweaty bodies as possible

Beneath the sleek, confident guitar line that powers “Overdrive,” the lead single of All Over You, another guitar marks the time more impatiently, as if the groove its locked into is the timebomb- tightness of a pre-hookup heartbeat. Its energy isn’t nervous — after all, it’s hard to be nervous with Will Schwartz cooing come-ons like “I just wanna get you in the bed / Light you up like a cigarette” in your ear — but it is urgent. Excited. Titillated.


That’s the word that best describes the prospect of a new Imperial Teen record: titillating. They come out every five or six years, each new album acting as, to quote Roddy Bottum, “an episodic piece of where we are now, where the world is now, who we have become, and the geography of our collective consciousness.” There is considerable distance between Imperial Teen, its members — Bottum (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Schwartz (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Jone Stebbins (bass, vocals), and Lynn Truell (drums, vocals) — having made lives for themselves in different cities, but the collective consciousness that exists between them makes distance and time seem immaterial to the listener.


Time, especially time together, is not immaterial to Imperial Teen: it is precious. “For the last few records,” Stebbins explains, “the process has been similar. We live great distances away from each other, so initially, we get together to collaborate, write, and create. When we have enough material, we reconvene to record. Both scenarios, creating and recording, take multiple trips, sometimes with big lapses of time in between due to our various schedules.” Bottum concurs: “The biggest challenge in writing and recording is the distance between us, but the longing and desire and the ultimate coming together becomes more potent as a result.”


All Over You is a triumph of maximized moments together, four people bringing the force of their personalities to bear on years of built-up ideas. Title track “All Over You,” initially built over the computer, gained its charming sneer in the studio, where Stebbins’ buoyant, fuzzed out bassline added bounce to the song’s punchy, sloganeering lyrics, a perfect set-up for Truell to drive the song home, screaming the last line of the chorus, “We’ve got nothing to do,” like a rallying cry for a generation that’s been given nothing and told to deny themselves everything. “In my head,” Truell says, “I just went back to punk, to that feeling of prowling around looking for anything to do and being so mad about how boring everything is that you just have to yell.” The track had an attitude, it had an unexpected texture thanks to Truell’s playing improvised percussion, but her scream is what took it to the next level, transforming it into a signature Imperial Teen song.


One of Imperial Teen’s less magical concerns on All Over You is the effect capitalism has on the creation of art. This expresses itself in the headspinning rush of music industry success and disappointment that plays out in “Hands All Up,” and also in Imperial Teen’s sound. All Over You features the band’s most expansive, textured palette to date, and much of it’s steeped in — bubblegum music and boy/girl harmonies, electro beats and grungy distortion, power pop mall anthems and kiss-off lyricism — has been dismissed, at one point or another, as a fad. Time, of course, has proven otherwise, and All Over You makes a case for Imperial Teen as four of that time’s architects, inheriting, preserving, and pushing the boundaries of what pop music can be from one song to the next.


“We want to make people dance and think and feel,” says Schwartz. In all of those ambitions, All Over You crushes, brought to life by four musicians who found each other in the clubs of San Francisco over three decades ago and have remained family ever since. It is less a return from hiatus than a broadcast from the sonic utopia Imperial Teen has long ruled over, where the music is bratty and sexy and the parties don’t stop until everyone’s found euphoria. A raveup for mind, body, and soul, best enjoyed in a dark room packed with as many sweaty bodies as possible

Danielle Ponder is done waiting for a future version of herself to arrive. Now, the Rochester-born, Atlanta-rooted singer-songwriter is unapologetically living in the moment. This realization powers Everything Has Changed, Ponder's anticipated sophomore album (and debut on Dead Oceans in partnership with Phoebe Bridgers). The LP is Ponder’s most self-assured statement to date: it was crafted through a period of immense transformation as the beloved vocalist propelled from being a lawyer to a full-fledged musical powerhouse. That artistic freedom threads the album, as heard on lead single, “Power”, which serves as both a declaration and an affirmation for the Black diaspora. Other highlights include the revelatory “Sun and Moon”, the towering blues ballad “God of You”, and the devastatingly vulnerable “Open Windows”. Everything Has Changed dismantles the stories Ponder once told herself and finds peace in what remains—all themes that have shaped much of her journey. Music was always a constant presence throughout her life, but practicality initially took over in adulthood. While performing with her family’s band and later developing her own projects, Ponder pursued a legal career focused on criminal justice reform.

It wasn’t until her late 30s that she allowed herself to seriously imagine music as more than a side pursuit. In 2021, at age 39, she finally took the leap, leaving law behind to pursue her artistry full-time. The gamble paid off: she signed her first record deal in 2022, becoming a trailblazer on her own unusual path to worldwide renown. Her debut album Some of Us Are Brave introduced Ponder as one of soul music’s most compelling new voices, thanks to singles like “Someone Like You”, “Roll The Credits,” and the empowering title track. The LP earned critical acclaim along with dozens of major sync placements, including the latest Apple campaign for the iPhone 16 Pro. She’s since had four major TV appearances, including Jimmy Kimmel Live! Ponder has also sold out shows across North America and Europe, including festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Afropunk, and the Montreux Jazz Festival.
But if that album documented her arrival, Everything Has Changed documents her evolution.

Danielle Ponder is done waiting for a future version of herself to arrive. Now, the Rochester-born, Atlanta-rooted singer-songwriter is unapologetically living in the moment. This realization powers Everything Has Changed, Ponder's anticipated sophomore album (and debut on Dead Oceans in partnership with Phoebe Bridgers). The LP is Ponder’s most self-assured statement to date: it was crafted through a period of immense transformation as the beloved vocalist propelled from being a lawyer to a full-fledged musical powerhouse. That artistic freedom threads the album, as heard on lead single, “Power”, which serves as both a declaration and an affirmation for the Black diaspora. Other highlights include the revelatory “Sun and Moon”, the towering blues ballad “God of You”, and the devastatingly vulnerable “Open Windows”. Everything Has Changed dismantles the stories Ponder once told herself and finds peace in what remains—all themes that have shaped much of her journey. Music was always a constant presence throughout her life, but practicality initially took over in adulthood. While performing with her family’s band and later developing her own projects, Ponder pursued a legal career focused on criminal justice reform.

It wasn’t until her late 30s that she allowed herself to seriously imagine music as more than a side pursuit. In 2021, at age 39, she finally took the leap, leaving law behind to pursue her artistry full-time. The gamble paid off: she signed her first record deal in 2022, becoming a trailblazer on her own unusual path to worldwide renown. Her debut album Some of Us Are Brave introduced Ponder as one of soul music’s most compelling new voices, thanks to singles like “Someone Like You”, “Roll The Credits,” and the empowering title track. The LP earned critical acclaim along with dozens of major sync placements, including the latest Apple campaign for the iPhone 16 Pro. She’s since had four major TV appearances, including Jimmy Kimmel Live! Ponder has also sold out shows across North America and Europe, including festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Afropunk, and the Montreux Jazz Festival.
But if that album documented her arrival, Everything Has Changed documents her evolution.

To close out the year, Life In Patterns presents Spektrum II, the second installment in the compilation series curated by Ferdinger. This 16-track VA, scheduled to release in early December 2024, comes as a double vinyl with four digital bonus tracks and download codes.

Spektrum II ventures into the depths of dynamic techno, combining driving beats with intricate, groove-rich patterns. The compilation seamlessly shifts from deep, dubby tones to bright, euphoric moments, embodying the labels signature sound. Its a bold exploration of diverse sonic textures, blending harmonic and dissonant elements for an immersive listening experience.

Music On Vinyl celebrate their 100th 12" release by releasing a classic!

Greece 2000 is a classic international house tune by Dutch progressive trance duo Three Drives. It peaked at number 12 in the United Kingdom and number one on the UK Dance chart.

The original 1997 extended mix defined an era with its hypnotic melody, warm groove, and Balearic vibes.

Vintage Culture deliver a deep, melodic, and emotionally charged club weapon. The Max Styler rework elevates the original theme into a 2026 peak‑time banger. KREAM brings their signature big room future‑progressive sound. The Sebastian Davidson & Melosense remix is a warm, organic, and melodic downtempo mix.

This release celebrates nearly three decades of dance music history.

The title of Ghost Bridge, the East-Coast-spanning chamber ensemble Hour's fifth record, is less metaphorical than one might expect. Bandleader Michael Cormier- O'Leary repurposed it from an unrealized movie concept about a bridge that inexplicably starts disappearing. On the nearly-ten-minute title track of this richly imaginative suite of songs_written for a 13-piece ensemble that includes woodwinds, strings, and vibraphone as well as a rock rhythm section_Hour conjures up this central image with spectral string harmonics and free-time percussion gestures. While writing the keyboard pieces that became the takeoff point for the album, Cormier-O'Leary also found himself reflecting on the loss of loved ones or even his own mortality. The six kaleidoscopic instrumental pieces on Ghost Bridge, though, feel more cosmically inquisitive than straightforwardly elegiac, sketching a progression from existential doubt toward understanding and acceptance. Ghost Bridge forms a contrast with Hour's art-rock-informed, more improvisatory early releases, representing a step further into intricate chamber orchestration. Known for his work with Friendship, Wendy Eisenberg, and 2nd Grade, Phillybased multi-instrumentalist and Dear Life Records founder Cormier-O'Leary has made Hour a home for increasingly cinematic instrumental compositions since the mid-2010s. With dazzling production by Lucas Knapp, Ghost Bridge delivers plenty of the live ensemble's trademarks, especially cyclically developing guitar and keyboard melodies. However, even more than on Hour's last studio album, unconventional harmonies and sophisticated counterpoint take center stage here. These emotionally multifaceted compositions feel as rooted in contemporary classical and film soundtrack music as in indie rock. One of the most striking elements of Ghost Bridge is the more significant developmental role the orchestral instruments assume in each piece. Instead of underscoring Cormier-O'Leary's central hooks, there is a new mesmerizing level of detail to the group's conversational interactions and kinetic energy. "Centralia" is a stately and idiosyncratic fugue built from repeated and overlapping phrases, while Ghost Bridge's compositions are full of unexpected pivots in harmony that allow recurring melodic motifs to sound continually reshaded. On "Pearls," the chords modulate drastically around Cormier-O'Leary's inviting central melody in a way that emulates cuts in a film telling several parallel stories. There is an unsettled quality to the chords on Ghost Bridge, with Cormier- O'Leary's progressions avoiding firm grounding in either clearly sunny or melancholy tonalities. This mood is made more concrete by the record's sole vocal track, the jazz-inflected "Sky is Blue," featuring an uncannily gorgeous performance by Heeyoon Won. The song seems to be a communication from a person who has departed, offering consolation or perspective to someone left behind. Though its sonic palette is often tranquil, Ghost Bridge explores heartbreak, grief, anger, and helplessness in a distinct and pretense-free way. The project represents a bold step forward for Cormier-O'Leary as a composer and arranger, and on Ghost Bridge Hour reaches its most fully realized form to date, connecting soaring themes with an inventiveness that perfectly suits the searching nature of the subject matter.

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Ever-evolving Amsterdam duo ANOTR continue their forward momentum with the release of their highly anticipated third studio album, ‘Withness’, out via their own imprint No Art. Rooted firmly in dance music, ‘Withness’ sees the pair refine their sound into their most dance-floor focused and cohesive project to date.

Born during their global tour, ‘Withness’ was shaped in real time: written, tested and refined on dancefloors across the world. Following the expansive, genre-blurring approach of their 2025 LP ‘On A Trip’, the duo felt a pull back toward the club - not as a limitation, but as a unifying space. “We really wanted to have a wide variety of songs that we can play out and create moments,” they explain. “Every track needed to make sense wherever people come together to dance.”

That intention sits at the heart of ‘Withness’. A title that reimagines the idea of “witnessing” into something more active and collective. ‘Withness’ is an album about experiencing life with others. It’s about the moments you share, the people who shape them, and the energy that becomes real only when you’re fully present. The album captures the collective high of friendship. Whether in a packed club, at a festival, or in a living room with friends, the album is designed to soundtrack moments of connection.

“The memories you make with people, they’re the witness of those moments. Withness is about being in it together.” - ANOTR

Sonically, the album marks a clear evolution. Drawing from their early club roots while building on the songwriting confidence developed on their previous records, classic drum machines and 909 samples sit alongside warm, 80s-tinged textures, layered vocals and modern production techniques, creating a sound that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking.

A key part of the process was spontaneity. The duo embraced a free-flowing, collaborative studio environment, often working with a rotating cast of contributors. Their now-signature “open mic” approach encouraged anyone in the room to experiment with melodies, lyrics and vocal ideas. This energy translates directly into the album’s standout moments. From the euphoric pull of ‘Withness’ to the groove-led ‘Do It With Ya’, the uplifting ‘Paradise’, each track is built to live beyond a single setting.

The LP comes at a timely moment, as their single ‘Talk To You ft. 54 Ultra’ has become the biggest global breakout dance single this year. Sitting firmly in Spotify’s Global Top 200, it has surpassed 175 million streams, and is currently No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart. Spotify have tipped it in their much-coveted global ‘Sound Of The Summer 2026’ list and other highlights include peaking at No. 7 in Shazam’s Global Chart, No.1 on Beatport Top 100 and gaining over 600M UGC views so far.

OTHELLO is the debut album by pianist and composer Orson Claeys. Bringing together influences from jazz, hip-hop, urban culture, and everyday life, the record offers the clearest portrait yet of an artist shaped as much by the worlds around him as by music itself.

The title refers to Claeys' full name, Orson Dwight Othello Claeys, and reflects the album's central concern:identity. Throughout the record, personal experiences, cultural influences, and artistic inspirations converge into a body of work that seeks to understand how an artist is formed, both within and beyond music. Musically, OTHELLO builds on jazz, strongly intertwined with hip-hop, contemporary culture, and ideas beyond traditional musical frameworks. For Claeys, music is not a fixed genre, but an open and evolving form of expression.

This broad perspective is evident in the album's carefully chosen collaborations. A track like "WHAT A NIGHT" first took shape during a studio session with indie-soul singer Sevens, whose harmonic ideas laid the foundation for the track. As the composition evolved, Claeys felt it called for a stronger hip-hop voice. Through a recommendation from Mixmonster Menno of STUFF., he was introduced to L.A. rapper IAMOMNI, whose contribution brought exactly the energy and perspective the track needed. The result unfolds like a late-night journey through Los Angeles, with IAMOMNI's contribution adding a sense of movement, character, and place.

Elsewhere on the album, "SPIRAL", featuring Belgo-Brazilian vocalist Helena Casella, grew out of a long-standing mutual admiration. Conceived as a meeting point between R&B and jazz, the composition balances the groove and emotional depth of the former with the improvisational spirit and spontaneity of the latter. The collaboration developed naturally from the outset, with Casella instinctively understanding the atmosphere Claeys envisioned while enriching the music with her own warmth and nuance.

A long-held ambition materializes on "SHADOWBOXING", where Claeys is joined by drummer, producer, and one of the key figures in contemporary Belgian jazz, Lander Gyselinck. Gyselinck's work, particularly his collaboration with Zwangere Guy on Pourriture Noble, was instrumental in showing Claeys how the language of hip-hop could coexist naturally with jazz, an idea that runs through OTHELLO. Drawing inspiration from boxing, the track is a musical equivalent of a fighter's walk towards the ring: focused, intense, and driven by the sense of anticipation that precedes stepping into the fight.

After this heightened intensity, the album gradually moves toward its closing statement. OUTRO / HANIN", featuring oud player Akram Ben Romdhane, a longtime collaborator whose playing forms a natural bridge between Claeys' previous work and the broader musical landscape explored across the album. The title references the Tunisian Arabic word hanin, meaning "nostalgia", a fitting conclusion to a work deeply concerned with memory, identity, and personal history.

Beyond music itself, OTHELLO is informed by a wider cultural landscape. Urban culture, with its visual language, creative independence, and sense of community, forms an important backdrop to the record. Sport also plays a significant role, particularly boxing and basketball, whose emphasis on discipline, focus, and resilience mirrors Claeys' own creative process. Rather than being treated as separate influences, these worlds coexist without hierarchy, reflecting an artistic vision that resists rigid boundaries and allows different disciplines, communities, and experiences to inform one another.

Transparent blue vinyl. October By Name is the latest solo album from Kavus Torabi, marking a luminous new phase for one of Britain's most distinctive psychedelic voices. Written in the wake of significant personal change and shaped by his work with Gong, Cardiacs and The Utopia Strong, the album blends adventurous psychedelia, melodic songwriting and mystical reflection into a sound that is both emotionally direct and unmistakably his own. Completing an autobiographical trilogy of solo records, Torabi once again performs, records, mixes and illustrates every aspect himself, creating a deeply personal work. The result is an intimate, expansive album that feels celestial, transformative and uniquely Kavus Torabi.

Monolink and CIOZ bring a stripped-back electronic edge to Crosstown Rebels with ‘Don’t Talk To Me’. The German multi-instrumentalist makes his Crosstown Rebels debut alongside Italy’s CIOZ, with OMRI. also returning to the label on remix duties. There are few artists in electronic music quite like Monolink. Moving naturally between singer-songwriter, producer and live performer, his music gives as much weight to voice, melody and narrative as it does to electronic production. For ‘Don’t Talk To Me’, he joins Bergamo-born, Berlin-based CIOZ, whose own work is driven by rich musicality and a willingness to move beyond convention. The link-up makes for an intriguing signing to Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels, bringing together two different approaches to electronic music without either losing their identity.

‘Don’t Talk To Me’ is deliberately pared back, pairing Monolink’s voice and songwriting with sparse textures and gently shifting melodies. Rather than building towards a conventional dancefloor payoff, the track unfolds with a quieter sense of tension, sitting somewhere between alternative songwriting and electronic voyage. An artist whose productions and remixes have quickly made him a recurring presence in the Crosstown Rebels universe, OMRI. takes the track deeper with his remix, adding darker, hypnotic qualities while preserving the original’s restraint. ‘Wasting Time’ closes the release with another sweeping collaboration, built around subtle melodic details and captivating synth flourishes.

The collaboration marks Monolink’s first outing on Crosstown, adding to an impressive career that has seen him craft his distinctive sound via Berlin-based imprint Embassy One and on labels like Cercle Records. Performances have taken that music from Burning Man and Montreux Jazz Festival to Day Zero Bali, where he joined Damian Lazarus for its first edition, as well as sets alongside Lazarus at Club Space, Zamna and more around the world. Meanwhile, CIOZ brings his own expansive approach back to the label, with material also landing via Monaberry, Frau Blau and Stil vor Talent, plus remixes for Diplo, Oliver Koletzki, Patrice Bäumel and the Crosstown head honcho. With both artists comfortable moving between emotional depth and dancefloor function, ‘Don’t Talk To Me’ gives that shared instinct plenty of room to breathe.

South Asian super-producers Lapgan and Baalti – the former a Madlib-disciple spinning hip-hop grooves out of dusty desi samples, the latter duo purveyors of intricately tapestried dance music – holed up in the California desert in early 2024 for a songwriting session to blend their complimentary styles. They ended up with several albums worth of club material built upon decades of Indian music history – floor fillers that move like early Four Tet meets The Avalanches. They’ve been teasing this material around the world during live sets – from Paris Fashion Week to Glastonbury, London Clubs to BK Warehouse parties, sessions at Lot Radio and Karachi Community Radio, and anywhere else they find an aux. The result has been endless ID requests for unreleased gems like “Ipa Ma” and “Lime Tikka”, calls which should finally be answered with the release of Threads.

Lapgan Bio
Chicago-based archivist and producer Lapgan has become renowned for his signature style: unearthing rare and forgotten Indian & Pakistani sounds and recontextualizing them into hip-hop and dance beats that evoke J Dilla and Madlib. He has cultivated a reputation for quietly revolutionary sample-work across his beloved solo projects History and Duniya Kya Hai, as well as LAFANDAR, his critically acclaimed team up with Heems (of Das Racist / Swet Shop Boys). He has worked with a range of artists from both the West (Your Old Droog, Saul Williams, Cool Calm Pete, Kool Keith, Open Mike Eagle, Blue, Quelle Chris) and the East (EXCISE DEPT, Baalti, Sid Sriram, Sid Vashi, Dynoman), and has been featured in global media including Pitchfork, FADER, Stereogum, Passion of the Weiss, Mixmag, Homegrown, and Vinyl Me, Please. Over the past year he has headlined clubs and performed at festivals across the world from Chicago and New York to London and India, and was personally invited to soundtrack back to back Paris Fashion Week shows for the similarly norm-shifting designer Kartik Research. In 2026 he will soundtrack his third Kartik Research runway show, as well as reissue Duniya Kya Hai for its five-year anniversary alongside a companion EP featuring remixes from peers and supporters Arushi Jain, Loris, Mera Bhai, Malkfunktion, and Maral.

Baalti Bio
Baalti makes electronic music built around rhythm, pressure, and collective release – weaving through leftfield bass, dusty hip hop, tripped out dub and raw house all while maintaining a throughline rooted in South Asian culture seen through the lens of a sweaty dancefloor. In the last year they have experienced a whirlwind rise and growing global recognition: from their EP Mela vividly evoking West Bengal’s sound system culture to their Tamil-cinema-infused filter-house project with Anish Kumar Stunt Doubles, in addition to wide-ranging collabs and remixes alongside DJ ADHD, Naya Beat, and A.R. RahmanThey have also built a reputation for their frenetic live show, with appearances at international festivals like Glastonbury and MELT, headlining shows across Australia and Europe and supporting influences turned peers like Four Tet and Disclosure across North America. Their explosive, percussion-heavy sets have been platformed by Rinse FM, NTS, The Lot Radio, Beats In Space, and Refuge Worldwide, and their music has been renowned by publications including Pitchfork, Bandcamp Daily, RA, and MixMag. Their forward momentum continues into 2026 with slated headline tours in India, Australia, and Asia along with appearances at Coachella, Party in the Paddock, Fvded in the Park, and We Out Here festivals.

Revered collaborators Lauer and Fabrizio Mammarella unveil their blinding 4-track EP 'Megamix' on Mammarella's own imprint Wrong Era. Black Spuma's latest offering traverses their honed realms. Dark and pumping, 'Megamix' stands as a bold celebration of Black Spuma's sound. Each track highlighting their signature chemistry, blending distinct influences into a seamless, forward-thinking journey. As they continue to push boundaries and redefine their sound, 'Megamix' cements Black Spuma's status as sonic luminaries.

JUNO & Jamek Ortega link up for ‘Deep Breath’ on Crosstown Rebels.

Following an impressive label debut earlier this year alongside Alex Wann on ‘Allo’, crowned Pete Tong’s Essential New Tune, Germany’s JUNO returns to Crosstown Rebels with ‘Deep Breath’ in collaboration with longtime production partner Jamek Ortega. Immediately drawing listeners into a hypnotic, percussive world, snaking rhythms and rattling cowbells build steadily beneath an atmospheric backdrop, before a commanding vocal emerges to anchor the groove. The release continues a relationship that has seen the pair produce across labels including Arodes’ Unreleased Records, Wired World, and more, as well as regular back-to-back performances. On the flip, ‘Sloppy Disk’ sees JUNO step up solo, locking into a driving four-to-the-floor groove where a rolling bassline provides the foundation for pensive chords to drift alongside subtle melodic flourishes, steadily expanding the track’s atmosphere before tumbling into a sweeping, cinematic finale.

JUNO has accelerated onto the scene with hits like ‘Last Dance’ on Magnifik Music and a Hot Mix for Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1, firmly earmarking him as one to watch. Meanwhile, DJ/producer Jamek Ortega continues to connect with audiences worldwide with outings on Three Six Zero, MoBlack, Abracadabra, Madorasindahouse, and more, picking up heavy rotation from the likes of Keinemusik, Solomun, Tiësto, and Black Coffee. Here, the pair show no signs of slowing down as they join forces once again, stepping onto Damian Lazarus’s imprint and marking a major milestone in their respective trajectories.

Pioneering producer JPEGMAFIA returns with EXPERIMENTAL RAP, an era-defining magnum opus written, produced, and mixed entirely by JPEG, the album is a masterclass in left-field innovation, blending punk, rock, and his signature "no-rules" production. Challenging the boundaries of the genre, this record acts as both a display of power and a gauntlet thrown to the industry, reinforcing his position as modern rap’s most fearless and consistent innovator.

Chloe Slater’s debut album ‘Riot Youth’ unfolds in the fleeting, chaotic moments before doomsday – a coming of age record fit for the modern world. Arriving right on time in an era when hopelessness and nihilism run rife, painting the truest portrait of what it is to be young, British, and brave enough to be hopeful today. Across 10 tracks, she departs her signature, succinct commentary on the issues plaguing her generation: social divide, toxic internet culture, our dwindling sense of community, the climate crisis and, ultimately, the vampirish billionaire class cashing in on our collective misery. She playfully shifts from these frank descriptions of society to moments of gorgeous, gut-punching poetry, crafting anthemic choruses and intoxicating one-liners from the gripes many of us can barely muster the words for.

The Big Bad Shark Is Back With Two Slices Of Signature Rufige From Label Heads Gremlinz & Jesta On Coke White Vinyl.

Lost Soul Super Rarity “Here I Am Baby” by Lady Jane reissued by Athens of the North

Rare 1980 Detroit funk-soul LP finally surfaces after 45 years, revealing a powerful story of survival and artistic resilience

Edinburgh based label Athens of the North is pleased to announce the reissue of Here I Am Baby, the only studio album by soul and funk vocalist Lady Jane (Jane Brice), originally recorded at Studio A, in Dearborn Heights and privately released in 1980.

Lady Jane recorded these sessions during a turbulent period in Detroit in the late 1970s, working with respected engineer Eric Morgeson and a studio band on material largely written by her then-husband. The album remained virtually unknown for decades, with copies destroyed in a flood and masters held by her ex-husband. A chance discovery by Friends of Sound Records founder David Haffner in 2022 set the reissue in motion. Remarkably, before his death, Jane’s ex-husband returned the original master tapes to her—yielding not only the complete multitracks for Here I Am Baby, but an entire album’s worth of unreleased material, also coming soon on AOTN.

Here I Am Baby showcases Jane’s extraordinary voice across a compelling blend of soul, funk, and disco, from the opening ballad through heavy funk excursions like “Never Lived In The Ghetto” and “Space Flight.” The album’s final track, “She’s A Star” - the only song Janewrote herself - carries profound personal significance. Recorded without her husband’s knowledge, the song directly addresses her survival of childhood sexual abuse and stands as a moving testament to resilience and self-belief.

Now an ordained minister, Jane Brice has spent decades away from the spotlight. But her voice—at once forceful, delicate, and vulnerable—deserves to be heard. Newly mastered from the recovered tapes, Here I Am Baby and the forthcoming Miss Disco present not merely a rare funk-soul artifact, but a powerful document of a woman’s courage in reclaiming her own story.

DubXanne, led by the talented Guido Craveiro, transform The Police’s iconic debut single “Roxanne” into a stunning reggae reinterpretation! This must-hear 7-inch features the imaginative production of Rob Smith (RSD), a leading figure of Bristol music.

Based in Hamburg, Germany, DubXanne are known for their reggae, roots, and dub covers of The Police’s songs. Here they team up with Rob Smith’s dubstep project RSD to deliver a dazzling dub version of “Roxanne.” The A-side showcases Rob Smith’s signature production skills, while the B-side features a finely reworked instrumental mix, allowing listeners to appreciate the intricate details of the track.

A quick scan of the world’s favourite crowdsourced discography reveals that Sonic Youth co-founder Lee Ranaldo was not a total stranger to crackling electric experimentation in the years following his songwriting turns of the 20-teens. Yet »The System«, ingeniously culled and sequenced from Ranaldo’s soundtrack work for Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema’s ›eco-doc‹ of the same name, nonetheless feels like a reawakening. Quietly released in a vastly different (and much more ›filmic‹) form by Doxy Music/Riva Media Records in 2025, this LP reimagines and reconfigures the initial release, including unreleased material written and recorded for the film, to lend it new stature as both a return to drone-improv form and a reunion with introspective Downtown angst.

Given the state of the world, it’s not surprising that the film Ranaldo scores – a documentary on three climate activists bruising their fists on the black iron prison of techno-fascist deathkultur – is a study in despair and futility. But rather than wallowing in navel-gazing doom and gloom, the film documents the unstoppable spirit that has animated human resistance since the time of the Pharaohs.

As it turns out, the gorgeous scope of Lee Ranaldo’s guitar palette is a perfect manifestation of the hope and despair that animates the film. But like other high-water marks in the guitar-centric soundtrack canon – the high plains raga of Bruce Langhorne’s »Hired Hand«, Neil Young’s sparse and ghostly solo transmissions on »Dead Man«, or the monolithic mantras of Popol Vuh’s »Nosferatu« – its devotion to spectral gestures and meditative song forms launches it firmly outside of the OST orbit into a universe fully its own.

It might seem like a long journey from the Lower Manhattan rhythmic grime of the album’s opener »Tajikistan (Nice to Meet You)« (reminiscent of guitar opuses like Robert Quine and Jody Harris’s »Escape«) to the ringing cowboy chords of the final track, but the narrative logic of the LP pulls the listener along as solidly as a pack horse. As the LP unwinds, and collaborators like Jim Jarmusch, cellist Leila Boudreil, Yeah Yeah Yeahs snare shaman Brian Chase, and guitarist Yonatan Gat take their places, new vistas unfurl: the ritualistic thrum of »Berlin Blockade«, the haunted overtone palaces of »Bergelmir«, and the cavernous acoustic strumming of »Instruments of Violence«. It all winds up with the high lonesome standard »Cool Water«, each unhurried note trailing off into long-tail reverb, layers of shifting vocal harmonies pulling everything skyward – a hopeful note in an album where existential dread never lurks too deeply below the surface.

In the end, »The System« functions both as a film score and a hallucinatory (mostly) instrumental guitar record, revealing a sensibility not too often spotted in the 21st century – a liminal space where the song, the jam, and the meditation merge into a blurred whole. »The System«’s expansive fabric, emerging from a collective sound circling around Ranaldo’s signature tones, envelops and ampl amplifies the contributions of its community of creators – the perfect antidote to narcissistic despair. Much like the subjects of the film light the way towards intra-generational resistance, the music of »The System« reveals a path through gathering darkness. The world could be yours if you follow.

– Tom Carter

A quick scan of the world’s favourite crowdsourced discography reveals that Sonic Youth co-founder Lee Ranaldo was not a total stranger to crackling electric experimentation in the years following his songwriting turns of the 20-teens. Yet »The System«, ingeniously culled and sequenced from Ranaldo’s soundtrack work for Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema’s ›eco-doc‹ of the same name, nonetheless feels like a reawakening. Quietly released in a vastly different (and much more ›filmic‹) form by Doxy Music/Riva Media Records in 2025, this LP reimagines and reconfigures the initial release, including unreleased material written and recorded for the film, to lend it new stature as both a return to drone-improv form and a reunion with introspective Downtown angst.

Given the state of the world, it’s not surprising that the film Ranaldo scores – a documentary on three climate activists bruising their fists on the black iron prison of techno-fascist deathkultur – is a study in despair and futility. But rather than wallowing in navel-gazing doom and gloom, the film documents the unstoppable spirit that has animated human resistance since the time of the Pharaohs.

As it turns out, the gorgeous scope of Lee Ranaldo’s guitar palette is a perfect manifestation of the hope and despair that animates the film. But like other high-water marks in the guitar-centric soundtrack canon – the high plains raga of Bruce Langhorne’s »Hired Hand«, Neil Young’s sparse and ghostly solo transmissions on »Dead Man«, or the monolithic mantras of Popol Vuh’s »Nosferatu« – its devotion to spectral gestures and meditative song forms launches it firmly outside of the OST orbit into a universe fully its own.

It might seem like a long journey from the Lower Manhattan rhythmic grime of the album’s opener »Tajikistan (Nice to Meet You)« (reminiscent of guitar opuses like Robert Quine and Jody Harris’s »Escape«) to the ringing cowboy chords of the final track, but the narrative logic of the LP pulls the listener along as solidly as a pack horse. As the LP unwinds, and collaborators like Jim Jarmusch, cellist Leila Boudreil, Yeah Yeah Yeahs snare shaman Brian Chase, and guitarist Yonatan Gat take their places, new vistas unfurl: the ritualistic thrum of »Berlin Blockade«, the haunted overtone palaces of »Bergelmir«, and the cavernous acoustic strumming of »Instruments of Violence«. It all winds up with the high lonesome standard »Cool Water«, each unhurried note trailing off into long-tail reverb, layers of shifting vocal harmonies pulling everything skyward – a hopeful note in an album where existential dread never lurks too deeply below the surface.

In the end, »The System« functions both as a film score and a hallucinatory (mostly) instrumental guitar record, revealing a sensibility not too often spotted in the 21st century – a liminal space where the song, the jam, and the meditation merge into a blurred whole. »The System«’s expansive fabric, emerging from a collective sound circling around Ranaldo’s signature tones, envelops and ampl amplifies the contributions of its community of creators – the perfect antidote to narcissistic despair. Much like the subjects of the film light the way towards intra-generational resistance, the music of »The System« reveals a path through gathering darkness. The world could be yours if you follow.

– Tom Carter

With nearly 20 albums & a similar amount of Eps & remixes, for labels such as Firescope, Exalt, Childhood Intelligence, Deeptrax, Fourier, Form@ out of Tokyo, Magnonic Signals and his own Spacetime Recordings, Darren Nye is one of the more prolific producers of the deep tech soul sound originated by B12, As One & Status in the early 90s Lunar Refraction is a 6 track exploration of intergalactic sounds, swirling pads, bubbling bass, analogue drum sounds & Detroit influenced synth riffs & stabs. Other influences shine through - the 70s Kosmiche Krautrock feel of Solar Drift, the Fingers style bass of Perception Shift & the ethereal acidic breakbeat What Is The Answer recalling early Plaid & Mo Wax era Stasis

Watch out for forthcoming radio show appearances on Kane FM & Soho Radio with Ross Allen. Radio spins from Colin Dale & Damo B.

System One. Bass Beats Pads & Bleeps

Hazy chords linger over Conoley's signature bounce, characterizing this whole record of humid grooves. Cruisin' Summer Heat sounds more like sunset, while Sound Drips takes us to somewhat darker terrain. The talking percussion on the latter reveals its own compelling atmosphere even before a scant melody sneaks in at the seams.

Underappreciated deep house stalwart Nico Lahs makes a welcome appearance with an unsurprisingly compelling rework on the B side. His remix warms us back up again with a beachside bonfire toasty bassline & shimmying backbeat.

Asake’s fourth studio album, M$NEY, marks a major evolution in his career, trading the frantic energy of his early hits for a more polished, cinematic sound. The project explores the intersection of material wealth and divine favor, framing his global success as a spiritual journey. Rather than just celebrating the "soft life," Asake uses this record to reflect on the discipline and faith required to maintain his position at the top of the music world.

Sonically, the album expands his signature Fuji-fusion and Amapiano roots with help from long-time collaborator Magicsticks and international producers like DJ Snake. Tracks like "Worship" bring high-octane electronic energy, while "Badman Gangsta" featuring Tiakola offers a sleek, R&B-influenced collaboration. Throughout the project, Asake balances these high-energy moments with orchestral strings and jazz elements, creating a rich, textured listening experience that feels both global and deeply rooted in Lagos street culture.

At its heart, M$NEY is a balance of celebration and introspection. In tracks like "Forgiveness" and "Gratitude," Asake addresses the pressures of fame and the personal growth he has undergone since his debut. He remains grounded in his Yoruba heritage, blending boastful lyrics with sincere thanks for his trajectory. Ultimately, M$NEY proves that Asake is more than a hit-maker; he is a visionary artist documenting his life and legacy with newfound maturity and style.

Cultivated Electronics celebrates two decades at the forefront of electro with its landmark 50th release on the main label, returning to the very beginning with a new release from Signal Type - the collaborative project of label head Sync 24 and Matt Whitehead. The anniversary EP pays homage to the sound that launched Cultivated Electronics back on CE001 A1, with Signal Type delivering "Break Through", a snappy, driving and psychedelic electro workout built firmly for the dancefloor. Funky, spacey and packed with the restless energy that has defined the label since its inception, the track feels both like a nod to CE's roots and a statement of where the label stands today. The celebrations continue with three remixes from long-standing Cultivated Electronics collaborators and influential figures within the electro scene. Keith Tenniswood, aka Radioactive Man, brings an old-school, Mad Mike-esque Underground Resistance flavour to his rework, injecting the original with raw Detroit-inspired energy and machine-driven propulsion. Carl A. Finlow, operating under his Silicon Scally moniker, takes things deeper, delivering a heady after-hours interpretation built around immersive, late-night club sonics. Rounding out the EP, Finnish electro pioneers Morphology deliver a hypnotic, 90s-inspired roller, bringing their distinctive analogue sensibility and futuristic groove to the original. The vinyl edition arrives on blue marbled translucent coloured vinyl, housed in a full-sleeve package featuring artwork from Geometric Love. From its first release to its 50th, Cultivated Electronics has remained dedicated to forward-thinking electro, connecting classic machine funk with contemporary club sounds. CE050 marks both a celebration of the label's history and a salute to the artists and sounds that continue to shape its future. Here's to another 50 releases.

Seasons Limited is the only place to go for the always stirring deep house of French legend Franck Roger. He's dropped a ton of the good stuff in recent times and is far from done yet if this new one is any sort of marker. His 'Seashore' EP starts with a title track perfect for early hours when the vibes are building or later on when the energy is simmering rather than boiling. The dub version is even more adrift in an ocean of warming rhythmic swells. 'L'Amour Fou' brings a little more bounce and some cosmic synth arpeggios that are gently loopy and constantly evolving. 'The Quest' shuts down with far-sighted astral reverie and a widescreen horizon that leaves you in awe.

Diffuse Reality and Periphylla present Catastrofe Club - Un futuro tranquilo. With electric songs, sharp messages, and a touch of dark humor, Catastrofe Club deliver a record that is both caustic and deeply enjoyable. The album imagines a future where humanity has disappeared and, at last, a radiant peace reigns. Across 10 tracks, they combine post-rock, post-punk, darkwave, and electronic textures with cinematic atmospheres, rugged spoken-word vocals, and their signature blend of darkness and elegance.

With Parallel Worlds, RFLX opens a new chapter for Eight of Cups Records, delivering a raw and focused statement built around tension and transformation.

“I wanted to avoid any form of release. With Parallel Worlds, tension becomes the language itself. I was drawn to this constant escalation, something that dissolves linear time and locks me into a different state of perception… where the drop never comes. And that’s exactly the point.”

“By removing resolution, I wanted to keep everything open: a space where perception expands and multiple realities can coexist. Parallel Worlds is not about choosing a direction, but about becoming aware that more than one is always there.”

A four-track immersive EP refusing the conventional payoff, Parallel Worlds unfolds as a continuous escalation, creating a suspended space where perception shifts and different realities begin to overlap.

The release features two original cuts alongside exclusive remixes by JOEY BELTRAM and AT-XYA.

Techno pioneer Joey Beltram strips the title track down to its raw essence, transforming it into a relentless dancefloor weapon driven by physical energy, hypnotic grooves and his unmistakable signature sound.

AT-XYA takes the opposite route, deconstructing and reshaping the original into an ethereal, cinematic journey for those fragile moments when night dissolves into morning and everything suddenly makes sense ;)

Completing the EP is Danxome, a deeper tribal-inspired cut reconnecting with the origin of the concept. In the Fon language, Danxomɛ means “in the belly of Dan”, the cosmic serpent and the origin of the world. Before parallel worlds, there was one.

Parallel Worlds started from a simple thought:
Every day, all versions of you exist. You just don’t see them all. You can stay the same, or you can shift.

Since starting Bytes in 2019 we’ve fielded a lot of messages along the lines of, “Is this ever going to be released on vinyl?” The bulk of these requests have concerned remixes of artists on Bytes done by Andy Bell (RIDE/Oasis) under his electronic alter-ego GLOK. And on realising that he has done four for us now (Franz Kirmann, Steve Queralt & Michael Smith, Herrmann Kristoffersen and Seagoth), it seemed silly not to compile them all together on a four-track 12” EP. The super limited edition 12” is on black wax and comes in the original Bytes house bag with a vinyl sticker containing all the release info signed by Andy. Edition of 250. No repress.

A1. SOLITARY (GLOK REMIX) - FRANZ KIRMANN

The first remix Andy ever did for Bytes was a radical reworking of ‘Solitary’, the towering ambient closer to Franz Kirmann’s ‘Madrapour’ album, which was released on Bytes in 2019. Andy’s remix is a heartbreaking, melancholic 3am banger. This is one for fans of Four Tet and Jon Hopkins, a slowburner with billowing plumes of distortion that builds towards an ecstatic rush of a finale.

A2. CHALDEAN ORACLE (GLOK REMIX) - STEVE QUERALT & MICHAEL SMITH

In 2023 Andy took ‘Chaldean Oracle’, a track from the collaboration between his RIDE bandmate Steve Queralt and the writer Michael Smith, down the K-Hole, eschewing Michael’s vocal almost entirely and turning in a Detroit dub-techno monster with echoes of Bandulu and Carl Craig in its shimmering melodies, eerie distortion and pounding drums.



B1. GONE GOLD (GLOK REMIX) - HERRMANN KRISTOFFERSEN

‘Gone Gold’ was the title track of the excellent second album by ambient-techno group Herrmann Kristoffersen (2021). Andy taps deep into the dub at the heart of the original, with echoes of John Carpenter's soundtracks and his own extended electronic excursions under the GLOK moniker.



B2. ETERNITY (GLOK REMIX) - SEAGOTH

It was Andy who brought Seagoth to the attention of Bytes when he played ‘Eternity’ on his Soho Radio show in 2020. It all came full circle when Bytes released ‘Eternity’ as a single in 2021, with a stunning remix by Andy in his GLOK guise on the flip. Andy strips the track back to showcase the resonant vocal in all its glory before the blissed-out outro that makes full use of the track’s dancefloor-friendly drum break.

Since its original release, Aging has taken on an interesting wider significance. OCA’s music came to the attention of Kelela, who featured the duo in her Aquaphoria mix before later working with Yo van Lenz and Florian T M Zeisig in their Berlin studio. Those sessions would go on to play an important role in shaping the sound of her acclaimed 2023 album Raven, on which both artists are credited.



2019 Press Release:

Berlin based duo OCA present Aging, their sophomore album and first for Métron Records. Following up last year's Preset Music (recently featured in Kelela's Aquaphoria mix) Aging is an album that focuses on memory, experience and the passing of time.

A collaboration between producers Yo van Lenz and Florian T M Zeisig, OCA formed after the pair met and became friends while studying in Berlin. Originally from small towns in Bavaria, the duo now live and work in the German capital.

Through a series of 10 vignettes, Aging transports the listener on a trip across a series of life events that retain a special personal importance to both of the artists. These emotional touchstones range from the profound to the prosaic - the discovery of something new, the relief from annoyance or the familiarity found in an old companion - and have been fully explored with playful sonic introspection.

Whilst the concept retains a certain ambiguity, it is the sound palette, created solely on an Alesis QS6 synthesiser - that brings these experiences to life. OCA blend and weave classic dance music motifs with shimmering synths, Japanese wet ambient, and even anthemic 80s rock to create a soundscape rich with texture and sensation.

The bass notes and tentative lead of ‘Baby’s First Blade of Grass’ reference the memory of first consciously or subconsciously experiencing something new, whilst the decaying ripples of ‘Stretching in Water’ paired with sounds of flowing streams conjure up images of tranquil pools. Their most developed work to date, Aging showcases OCA as rising stars of progressive pop and modern ambient.

- 2026 repress - Molekul is taking its claim in the underground techno scene, teaming up with the next-gen artists on this 6 tracks compilation built for the dancefloors. Each artist delivering their own signature sound and personal energy, making this release unique.

Groovedeep, the international supergroup comprised of Toronto’s Ciel and DC stars James Bangura and Jackson Ryland aka JR2k, brings Fixed Rhythms a 12” of four racing, groovy, energetic, funky and lush techno cuts. This is the second vinyl outing by the group, the first one being the recent “Funk Solo” on Turbo Recordings featuring remixes by Batu, Shed, and Mark Broom.

“Speed Queen” opens up the EP with hypnotizing techno that eschews any four-on-the-floor demands. Up-tempo with a touch of house and handdrums and a tantalizing vocal clip. “Witness” has a similar structure…handdrums, non four-on-the-floor kick drum composition, rhythmic vocal chop-work, but whereas A1 is the leap into the deep, “Witness” has us diving down, exploring the eerier depths.

Whip to the B-side with “Flashback”, a slightly more east coast club track while also incorporating a bit more of a pummeling kick. The aforementioned Groovedeep sonic signatures are there, and…can’t get enough of the handdrums?!?! Well then just let that last “Witness (Bongo Heavy VIP)” track slide in, a slightly meaner (and of course bongo-ier) boom of a take on the A2.

Don’t let this one speed by you!

The legendary Charlemagne Palestine returns to Black Truffle with KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA, capturing a 2025 performance in London alongside two close collaborators of recent years, multi-instrumentalist Daniel O’Sullivan and guitarist Oren Ambarchi. While perhaps still best known for the ecstatic piano clouds of his ‘strumming music’ performances, Palestine’s life-long search for what he calls the ‘golden sound’ has taken in an enormous variety of methods of sound production. Now stretching back an incredible six decades, his exploration of continuous sound forms has led him to mega-instruments from the carillon bells of the Saint Thomas Episcopal Church to the synthesizer armada of the Moog Sound Lab, with stops along the way at many of Europe’s grandest church organs. Just as important, though, has been Palestine’s practice as a singer, beginning with his childhood experience of sacred Jewish music and growing through his studies of Indian and Javanese musical traditions in the 1970s.

KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA reimagines a key work showcasing Palestine’s voice, the haunting ‘magic song’ Karenina for falsetto singing and harmonium, recorded in Paris in March 1997 to honour the spirit of Palestine’s recently departed black labrador. In this trio version, which Palestine describes as the ‘karaoke’ version, O’Sullivan controls three cassette machines playing the original recording, their slow drift out of phase creating complex patterns of delays and ricochets as the recorded voice chants the syllables of Karenina’s name and other trance words. Beginning with a held organ tone that gradually expands to fill out the frequency spectrum, the piece soon grows into a dense psychedelic mass, as Palestine’s electric organs and the echoing pre-recorded voices are joined by Ambarchi’s swirling Leslie guitar tones and O’Sullivan’s viola, synthesizer and additional vocals. Atop it all sits Palestine’s live voice, in an extraordinary performance of keening, shamanic intensity, sometimes delivered in melodic unison with his keyboard playing.

Though clearly a work of Palestine’s design that sits squarely within his oeuvre, Ambarchi and O’Sullivan are far from simple accompanists on KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA. As the elements of the teeming, emotionally charged stew writhe and twist, different elements come momentarily to the surface, O’Sullivan’s spaced-out viola taking the lead in moments that recall Kosugi’s Catch Wave, Ambarchi’s gliding chords and signature stuttering tones enriching the details of many of the quieter episodes. Throughout all its transformations, the music is buoyed up by a sacred aura, as Palestine intones his hypnotic prayer for the soul of his departed pet. Arriving emblazoned with a striking labrador painting by O’Sullivan on the cover, KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA is an essential slice of modern ritual music.