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Forest Jams sticks close to recent original balearic/beach records like the Starving Daughters LP & Expositions EP with a 12″ by Simon Peter. Simon Peter has previously had his work showcased on labels such as Claremont 56, Aficionado, and Archeo Recordings, and now has two intimate, original balearic productions on the Forest Jams label. The B-Side of the record utilizes two remixes both from Japan. One from the duo Coastlines (Flower Records, Be With Records) with their signature down-tempo lush sound filled with beautiful piano work throughout and the other from newcomer Shu Suzuki who takes things on a non-stop psychedelic journey that’s both beautiful & mind-bending. Artwork by Ty Williams.

Hi-Fidelity, as a project, is the music Lava wants to hear blasted “out the back of someone’s pickup truck going on a road trip with their mates, or a cheeky remixed version being played in a dingey gay dive bar.”

Sonically, Hi-Fidelity is rooted in the shared cultures of West London and the West coast of America: a slow-moving, laidback culture as opposed to their peers to the east, creating a distinct instrumental tie between the two places. Some of it self-produced -- alongside collaborations with Foster The People’s Isom Innis and Biig Piig, Lava’s best friend -- the project dwells on everything from languorous love in the sun to masochistic heartbreak.

PINK VINYL

Austin-based, shoegazers Blushing will see the release of their debut EP Tether for the first time on vinyl on February 10, 2023 through Kanine Records. The limited (700 copies) pink colored vinyl is packaged as a double EP. Paired with sophomore EP Weak on the b side, the vinyl features new double-sided cover artwork, where fans can choose which side's cover art to display and includes an mp3 download code. Blushing's first step out into the musical world showcases shimmering guitars chords and infectious choruses, which sent shivers through the deam-pop community upon its original release After receiving such a positive response from Tether, Blushing quickly got to work writing and recording a follow up EP. Weak, a bit of a misnomer, solidified the group's reputation for writing catchy hooks over dreamy, soaring and at times extremely heavy instrumentation, which resulted in the band finding their signature sound. This release follows up Blushing's 2022 full album release, Possessions, an album with charismatic vocals, dreamy guitar hooks, swirling bass lines, filled with dream pop intensity and produced by Elliott Frazier (Ringo Deathstarr). Lead single "Blame" featured Miki Berenyi (Lush) and Mark Gardener (Ride) lent a hand on mixing and mastering. Blushing features two husband and wife duos consisting of Michelle Soto (guitar, vocals), Jacob Soto (drums), Christina Carmona (vocals, bass), and Noe Carmona (guitar). Jacob and Noe have been lifelong friends that played in bands growing up in El Paso, TX. Blushing is a part of the modern dream pop and shoegaze community that has helped Blushing create an album that all indie music lovers need to hear. Fans of LUSH, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, RIDE, Slowdive won't be able to resist.

HALFTONE The future of heavy bass music has always found its portal via SATURATE! Records, and now alongside WAVECRAFT, we have another glimpse into infinity in the form of HALFTONE! From the onset of this compilation, you can feel the ominous bass ballast even before it first hits you…. Swelling up like a tsunami to engulf your brain with grinding terror. The heaviness is abundant across these tracks, with contributions from synth destroyers like Suahn, Kryptt and Low Poly melting your speakers and eardrums alike. Dark atmospherics rule the day here, which effectively sets the tone for the rabid roughness on display when the bass morphology takes hold of each track so mercilessly. Slow knuckle draggers and upbeat head bangers both hold dominion in this realm, leaving no sonic stone unturned. Always at the crest of the future music wave, HALFTONE shows you just how deep this rabbit hole can get.

Tresa Leigh is the reflection of St. Simons Island, Georgia teenager Teresa Laxamanna (né Leggett).

Wooed by a classifieds listing to audition for Philly funk and soul imprint Lyndell Records, the aspiring 15 year old dragged her father, guitar, fender amplifier and microphone to perform her convincingly mature folk tales of first time heartbreak. Winning the support of label owner Walter L Rayfield, the fresh recruit cut two originals in a makeshift motel studio on the neighbouring Jekyll Island, backed by a band of unhurried session players. The 1970 recording yielded her debut 45, pairing I Remember’s endearing juvenile jangle with the heartsick Ghost Riders cornerstone Until Then.

After a car accident prevented Mr. Rayfield from fulfilling his release plans, an unswayed Tresa responded to Great World Of Sound’s newspaper advert, baiting the prospect of gold records, major label connections and sales of a million copies. With family and friends crowdfunding the $1,200 that the company required to produce a follow-up 7”, she jetted to Nashville, recording a slicker, emotionally elevated update on Until Then, and the symphonic slow dancer I Miss You. In another unfortunate career misfire, the dubious label failed to deliver on any of their promises, with the artist volunteering the only surviving copy for restoration.

Collating all four recordings, this brief anthology immortalises the innocent small town dreams of a genuine original, inadvertently echoing the likes of Nora Guthrie, Bonnie Dobson and Patti Whipp.

This land runs through Katherine Paul’s blood. And it called to her. In dreams she saw the river, her ancestors, and her home. When the land calls, you listen. And KP found herself far from her ancestral lands during a time of collective trauma, when the world was wounded and in need of healing. In 2020 she made the journey from Portland back to the Skagit River, back to the cedar
trees that stand tall and shrouded in fog, back to the tide flats and the mountains, back to Swinomish.

It is a powerful thing to return to our ancestral lands and often times the journey is not easy. Like the salmon through the currents, like the tide as it crawls to shore this is a story of return. It is the call and response. It is the outstretched arms of the people who came before, welcoming her home. The Land, The Water, The Sky is a celebration of lineage and strength. Even in its deepest moments of loneliness and grief, of frustration over a world wrought with colonial violence and pain, the songs remind us that if we slow down, if we listen to the waves and the wind through the trees, we will remember to breathe.

There is a throughline of story in every song, a remembrance of knowledge and teachings, a gratitude of wisdom passed down and carried. There is a reimagining of Sedna who was offered to the sea, and a beautiful rumination on sacrifice and humanity, and what it means to hold the stories that work to teach us something.

Chord progressions born out of moments of sadness and solitude transform into the islands that sit blue along the horizon. The Salish Sea curves along her homelands, and when the singer is close to this water she is reminded of her grandmother, how she looked out at these same islands, and she’s held by spirit and memory.

The Land, The Water, The Sky rises and falls, in darkness and in light, but even in its most melancholy moments it is never despairing. That is the beauty of returning home. When you stand on ancestral lands it is impossible to be alone. You feel the arms and hands that hold you up, unwilling to let you fall into sorrow or abandonment. In her songs Katherine Paul has channeled that feeling of being held. In every note she has written a love letter to indigenous strength and healing.

There is a joy present here, a fierce blissfulness that comes with walking the trails along the river, feeling the sand and th stones beneath her feet. It is the pride and the certainty that comes with knowing her ancestors walked along the same land, dipped their hands into the water, and ran their fingertips along the same bark of cedar trees.

This is a story of hope, as it details the joy of returning. Katherine Paul’s journey home wasn’t made alone, and the songs are crowded with loved ones and relatives, like a really good party. And as the songs walk us through the land it is important we hover over the images and the beauty, the moments that mark this album as site specific. The power of this land is woven throughout, telling the story of narrow waterways, brush strokes, salmon stinta, and above all healing.

Let it take you. Move through the story and see the land through her eyes, because it is a gift, a welcomed sʔabadəb.*

*The word “gift” in Lushootseed, the language of the Coast Salish people“

Mit einer beeindruckenden Diskografie, die zwei hoch angesehene LPs und eine Reihe von Singles und EPs umfasst, ist DISTANT auf dem besten Weg, das Downtuned- und Downtempo-Gesicht des europäischen Deathcore zu werden. 'Heritage', das Century Media-Debüt von DISTANT, löst das Versprechen ein, das auf der Platte und auf den Bühnen der Welt gegeben wurde, und dezimierte die Massen auf den letzten europäischen Festivals, darunter das Summer Breeze 2022 und Brutal Assault, sowie auf der 'Chaos and Carnage'-Tour in Nordamerika mit den Labelkollegen Lorna Shore und Suicide Silence. Jetzt hebt die fünfköpfige Band (deren Mitglieder aus den Niederlanden und der Slowakei stammen) mit 'Heritage' die Dinge auf ein neues Level. Songs wie 'Exofilth', 'Human Scum' oder 'Orphan Of Blight' haben bei ihrer Veröffentlichung den Deathcore-Underground in Brand gesetzt. 'Heritage' ist die musikalische und lyrische Abrechnung von DISTANT. Das Album setzt einen thematischen, an Sci-Fi angelehnten lyrischen Zyklus fort, den die Band bereits mit dem ersten Roman von Sänger Alan Grnja und Bassist Elmer Maurits, 'The Rise of Tyrannotophia', von der akustischen Intensität auf die veröffentlichte Seite übertragen hat. Der Sound von Deathcore ist weltweit im Kommen. 'Heritage' ist erhältlich als: Ltd. CD Digipak, schwarze 180g LP und Digitales Album.

As Time Goes By (Love Songs) is the album from 1990 with love songs performed by Chet Baker. Most of the songs are sung slow but elegant, making this LP an example of the jazz trumpeter’s later style. Standards from “Round Midnight” (Thelonious Monk), “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To” (Cole Porter) are included here, with band members Harold Danko (piano), Jon Burr (bass) and Ben Riley (drums).

As Time Goes By (Love Songs) is available as limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on crystal clear coloured vinyl.

As Time Goes By (Love Songs) is the album from 1990 with love songs performed by Chet Baker. Most of the songs are sung slow but elegant, making this LP an example of the jazz trumpeter’s later style. Standards from “Round Midnight” (Thelonious Monk), “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To” (Cole Porter) are included here, with band members Harold Danko (piano), Jon Burr (bass) and Ben Riley (drums).

As Time Goes By (Love Songs) is available as limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on crystal clear coloured vinyl.

Die mit Platin ausgezeichneten Band Pierce The Veil - Gitarrist/Sänger Vic Fuentes, Gitarrist Tony Perry und Bassist Jaime Preciado veröffentlichen ihr neues Album ”The Jaws of Life” am 10. Februar 2023 über ihr langjähriges Label Fearless Records/Concord.
Pierce The Veil sind in ihrem Genre zu einer Legende geworden - und das zu Recht. Ihre Rückkehr wurde mit Begeisterung aufgenommen und die erste Single ”Pass the Nirvana” wurde seit ihrer Veröffentlichung im September über 13 Millionen Mal gestreamt.
Sie haben in den USA zweimal die Spitze der Billboard Top Rock Albums, Alternative Albums und Hard Rock Albums Charts erreicht - zuerst mit Collide With the Sky (2012) und dem Nachfolger Misadventures (2016). Ein Jahrzehnt nach seiner Veröffentlichung schoss das bereits mit Platin ausgezeichnete ”King for a Day” auf Platz 1 der Billboard Hard Rock Streaming Charts, angetrieben durch den viralen Hashtag #KingForADay auf TikTok.

Was The Jaws of Life als Ganzes angeht, sagt Fuentes: ”Dieses Album hat uns wirklich näher zusammengebracht, als wir es je waren. Es war extrem schwierig für uns, so lange von der Straße weg und getrennt zu sein. ... In The Jaws of Life geht es darum, wie das Leben seine Zähne in dich schlagen und versuchen kann, dich zu verschlingen. Die ganze Negativität in der Welt und in deinem Kopf kann eine bösartige Sache sein. Wir sind extrem dankbar für diese Platte, unsere Fans und die Möglichkeit, wieder live Musik zu machen.”

Since 2006, Pierce The Veil have unassumingly yet consistently climbed their way into the hearts of millions worldwide via an unshakable devotion to making honest and hypnotic hard rock. The San Diego band — Vic Fuentes (vocals, guitar), Tony Perry (guitar), and Jaime Preciado (bass) — released A Flair for the Dramatic 2007 and Selfish Machines 2010, the latter of which camped out at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. They have steadily built a dedicated and diehard fanbase through touring and by nurturing an honest connection. PTV truly established themselves with 2012's Collide With the Sky, which spawned their first RIAA Platinum-certified single with "King for a Day." They followed with Misadventures in 2016, which charted at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 and notched No. 1s on multiple charts, including Top Alternative Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Independent Albums, and Top Rock Albums. In between sold-out tours all over the globe and a headlining stint on 2015's Warped Tour Main Stage, the musicians garnered five Alternative Press Music Awards (including "Album of the Year" for Misadventures), two Kerrang! Awards, and a Revolver Golden Gods Award. They've graced the covers of Alternative Press, Kerrang!, Rock Sound, and more — multiple times. Elsewhere, their digital and streaming footprint is nothing short of staggering. They've tallied over 1.5 billion global streams and almost 370 million YouTube views — proving that growth is a constant for them. Ultimately, Pierce The Veil, who've earned multiple gold and platinum certifications, remain one of the most beloved bands of their generation and they show absolutely no signs of slowing down as they march into a new decade ready to share the most important music of their career.

Called a "slow-burning vocal-house juggernaut," and an "invigorating artist's artist," BRANDON has put together a collection of tracks featuring some of the genre's best producers, such as Chicago scene founders DERRICK CARTER & ANTHONY NICHOLSON.

Repress!

Mum No Hands’ - an assured four tracker that draws on Bristol bass, footwork, jungle and broken techno to create something fresh and upfront. A certified stalwart of the Bristol scene, Yushh (aka Jen Hartley) is already well on her way to becoming a household name. Over the last few years she has toured extensively across Europe’s festival and club circuits, landing sets at Freerotation Festival and HÖR along the way. Her label, Pressure Dome, is known internationally as a go-to outlet for various offshoots of forward-thinking, soundsystem-ready UK techno, with a roster that includes Sputnik One, Caldera, Ido Plumes and Cando. So far, she has only teased her production skills with a string of one-off drops and remixes, including features on Rhythm Section, Banoffee Pies and All Centre. On ‘Look Mum No Hands’ she finally lays out the blueprints for her unique, club-honed sound. The title track skips along at a nippy 160 bpm, driven by a slow/fast halfstepping beat and monster bassline that places it somewhere between DMZ and Teklife. ‘Same Same’ drops the tempo down to 130 bpm, with loungey keys and a skippy vocal chop offsetting a cavernous low-end. On the flip, ‘Close Fall’ squeezes darkside d’n’b sonics into a chugging 95 bpm beat template, while ‘Self Couscous’ takes an intricate, glitched approach to jungle/broken beat reminiscent of mid 00’s Planet Mu. Genre: Dance / Bass

Landing on Cosmocities right on cue for the summer season ahead, Japanese producer Masumi Nishimura alias Inner Science deals out a new entry into his shimmering, shape-shifting mindset. Flying us off to a soothingly dreamy and colourful headspace, bristling with vibrant sound design minutiae to wrap your ears around, Inner Science exhibits the elevating power of his music through three original joints, complemented by two exquisite remixes from multi-faceted British genius Joe Goddard and Giegling staple, Map.ache. The acid-infused glitter of “Unfold” paves the way with understated bravura; a piece of squelchy yet dazzling nature, organically making the rounds between propulsive club music territories and exotica-laced cascades of sound. “Quiet Track 3” follows a similar course with its phantasmagoric landslides of chimey melodies and driving bass traction on stealth mode, all scudding and mingling with haiku-esque spiritual balance, while “Never Fade Away” blows the winds of poetic transcendence through a finely engineered mix of forward-racing groove and a honey-dripping, rainbow-like shower of elementally lush textures and envelopes.

Flip it over and here’s Joe Goddard taking “End of the Beginning" for a slower, slightly less sign-busy jaunt across sun-soaked clearings and pastures. Laying further focus and emphasis on the synth work and build-up here, Goddard channels Inner Science's many facets and wildland-like exuberance through a more directed, further orchestrated pathway. Tackling “Momentary Spread”, map.ache treats us to a further dynamic, floor-friendly approach, routing its listener onto proper functional, gridlocked tracks. Bleached-out pads evaporating into aether as the bass etches into your mind with durable effect, it’s a proper oneiric roller that engulfs you down its gushing throat of faded escapism and brittle, post-discoid melancholy

We are excited to welcome French avant-garde metal duo WuW to our ever-expanding roster of for- ward-thinking artists. Inspired by classical music, free jazz and drone the two classically trained brothers Benjamin and Guillaume Colin have been creating lo-f experimental post-doom epics in the vein of Year of No Light, Dirge and Omega Massif since 2016. "WuW is the sound wind makes when it blows on a hot night," explains the band, "It's a low-end murmur that grabs you by the guts, a blast of air rushing through the mountains and the oceans." Their upcoming third album Orchaostre is an anthem to a restless journey, a fve-part doom symphony that creates a shroud of oppressive atmospheres with only a pinch of light. With their third studio album, WuW deliver a veritable post-metal odyssey, one that takes you on a journey through rhythm and texture and that lets your soul wallow in a soft shell of desolation. The marching rhythm of «Orchaostre 1» and the swaying rhythm with the slow chugging patterns of «Orchaostre 2» take you along on this intric- ate journey, slowly numbing the senses in the throes of repetition. Nevertheless, for those who manage to keep their eyes peeled on this descend into forgetfulness, there is a world of beauty and a spark of hope to be found. The atmosphere is thick, the mood is heavy, and across the slow rifs and funerary drumbeats, the wailing e-bow guitars and myriad of synthesisers evoke kafkaesque at- mospheres as well as strange poignant textures that inspire desolation. Evoking the work of early electronic music innovators, notably during the climactic fnale of «Orchaostre 1» but also halfway through «Orchaostre 3» WuW breed a sense of pristine beauty, like unadulterated nature. In fact, the beauty of Orchaostre feels so un- spoilt, so devoid of any human infuence, it becomes alien, resulting in a harrowing ex- perience of the exquisite in the eye of a hot and hazy storm. FOR FANS OF Russian Circles, Year of No Light, Dirge, Omega Massif, Neurosis, Telepathy, Celeste, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving Limited (100 copies ww) Single Colour Orchaostre 4 (Pink Vinyl) Edition!

2023 Repress

Marc Acardipane's Pitch-Hiker, originally released under Marc's Pilldriver alias, is without doubt one of the foundation tracks of European hardcore. From the moment it was released in 1995 it caused shockwaves with its stripped down, kick drum focused approach. Gone were the hoovers, sirens, breakbeats and vocal samples of that era's hardcore and instead a stark new minimalism emerged, focusing equally on the kick drum itself and the negative space and air around it.

Like all groundbreaking records it was soon followed by an endless stream of unofficial rip-offs, re-edits and remixes, none of which got close to the perfection of Marc's original. Now for the first time Pitch-Hiker gets officially remixed showing the level of trust Marc has in Perc Trax and Perc's own affection for PitchHiker and for Marc's enduring legacy as an electronic music innovator.

First up is Marc himself with his own take on his classic. Keeping the distinctive reverb soaked kick hits of his 1995 original mix he adds dive-bombing synths and scything hi-hats to increase the energy of the original mix without losing any of its dark charm.

Next label boss Perc adds more weight to the original's unmistakable kick drums, slowly building up the tension until his remix drops into the kind of noise assault not heard on Perc Trax since Tymon's devastating remix of Perc's own 'Hyperlink'. Kick drum specialists Ghost In The Machine step up next and work the original mixes' warping kick drums to the max. Updating and strengthening the track perfectly whilst keeping the sense of space that gave the original mix so much character.

Finally Sissel Wincent and Peder Mannerfelt team up for their Perc Trax debut following on from Perc's remix of 'Sissel & Bass' back in 2019. Flipping the script completely Sissel & Peder add multiple vocal hooks and fuse the original mix's 4/4 kick with half-speed broken beat rhythms to serve up a very different, but still successful interpretation of the original mix.

Behold! Yes, Blue Butterfly, one of the absolute stunners on the revered Selected Sound, is finally available for all the beat-heads. Heavyweight library funk with a psychedelic touch, the super in-demand Blue Butterfly from *deep breath* Hardy's Jet Band, Orchestra Klaus Wuesthoff, Jan Troysen Band and Orchestra Gary Pacific - was originally released in 1971. Incredibly ahead of its time, it's been rare and sought-after for decades.

For many aficionados, this is the best Selected Sound release. Loaded with fuzzy wah-wah guitar, deep flute-lines atop soulful psych-rock breakbeats and huge organ action, its uncompromising funk will blow you away. Sampled for many hip hop beats and dropped by well known rare groove DJs around the world, one jewel in particular from this glorious German vault needs little introduction. The intro to Orchestra Gary Pacific's mesmeric "Soft Wind" rides the illest, crispest drum break you've perhaps never heard - like, the drum break to end them all - alongside a smooth, deep bass line from the heavens. It featured notoriously on the beloved Dusty Fingers comps of the 90s and was brilliantly sampled by Pacewon for his eternal "Sunroof Top". Just listen and be dazzled.

Beyond this mini-masterpiece, the other killer tracks offer brilliance in abundance. Hardy's Jet Band take control of the full A side, and it's full of dynamic psych-funk bombs. Hard, "big city" industrial groovers. In particular, the initial one-two of "Sorry, Doc!" and "Wind It Up" provide thrilling funky-blues rock instrumentals showcasing relentless guitars, flutes, sax and organ, the latter containing gorgeous, hypnotic breakdowns; these tracks just slay. The title track, "Blue Butterfly" is a real deep strut of a track with fantastic soloing from guitar and flute over crisp drums whilst the highway banger "What You Call To Be Free" certainly sounds a lot like unbridled, rhythmical liberty.

On the flip, the ghost-riding "Lady In Space" is a string-drenched acid-western foxtrot. Yep. “Pop Happening” by Jan Troysen Band is a heavy, druggy psych-fuzz organ groover whilst their slow beat-organ-flute gem "A Blue Message" is a gorgeous psych floater conjuring deeply strange frontier lands. Preceding their monster "Soft Wind", the soulful, uptempo groover “Ghetto Gap” by Orchestra Gary Pacific contains solo piano and flute whilst closing out the set is the free-and-easy samba beat of "So Far".

Founded in the late 60s by German composer and musician Klaus Netzle (who recorded under the alias Claude Larson for Sonoton) Selected Sound began as a production music company specialising in jazz, orchestral and electronic recordings. You can’t miss those early LPs in their iconic glossy metallic copper sleeves with minimal German typography. Serious, classy stuff.

The audio for Blue Butterfly has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis whilst Richard Robinson has handled reproducing the glossy metallic (iconic) original Selected Sound sleeve. Essential.

Perth-based artistic hub 823, led by producer / creator-extraordinaire Taku, joins forces with producers Idealism & Lucid Green for “Undone,” a genre-melting LP that bridges sonic comfort, textured tones and lush timbres into one serene, 10 track experience. LP arriving February 3rd, 2023 via 823 x Jakarta Records.

Finnish-born producer and pianist Idealism (1.5mil Spotify Monthly Listeners - SML) and French transplant Lucid Green (568k SML) are no strangers to each other’s subtle, yet potent productions. Having worked together on a number of past releases, their upcoming, fully collaborative LP “Undone” is a natural journey into the beautiful ambient, downtempo, lo-fi worlds they’ve each created. Through visits to Lucid’s flat in Paris and ideas being exchanged remotely, the duo experimented with different sounds, instruments and aural environments, in the process crafting a natural partnership that sits in a comfortable, melancholic pocket. With lulling guitar and poignant piano progressions that provide a pillow to rest your ears, and downtempo percussions that keeps you ebbing and flowing along on a subtle current, unsure where one wave ends and the next begins, only the albums progressions dictate the head-nod. Featuring the likes of Yutaka Hirasaka (220k SML) and Charlie Kurata (aka Charlie – 200k SML; Duumu – 109k SML), the album soars, reminiscent of life’s simple, yet wholly memorable moments that bring you a nostalgic pause.
As with all 823 releases, the project is a visual one as much as it is a musical project. The first singles visualizers are a fusion of Hopes & Dreams Club & 823’s design aesthetics with personal super8 footage captured by Idealism & Lucid Green, beautifully expressed from Hopes & Dreams Club member Mindi Ossi. Each visualizer and single art will easily stand on its own, transporting you to worlds familiar, yet undeniably groovy and sonically comfortable.
823 is a multifaceted Perth-based record label, fashion brand, and artistic community, founded by Australian producer and all-around creative, Ta-ku (852k SML). With an astute attention to detail and an ethos that appreciates the everyday things in life, 823 doesn’t stick to any particular genre. Past 823 releases include “So Far To Go” EP via Cabu (753k SML), Ta-ku and matt mcwaters’s duo project “Black and White,” featuring Masego collaboration “Flight 99” (17mil streams on Spotify), the “All Things Considered” compilations, a curated, collaborative series featuring both budding and wellestablished artists around the world and have included Idealism, Wun Two, pastels, L.Dre, Flobama, SwuM, Jinsang, Tenderlonious, among a host of others, as well as multiple sold out clothing capsules.

Following up on reissues of the 2000 compilation »Multila« and 2001’s »Anima,« Sasu Ripatti has thoroughly revisited the classic »Whistleblower« for its first ever vinyl issue on the German Keplar label. Ripatti created entirely new mixes of previously unheard-of alternative versions of the tracks that first appeared on CD through his own Huume imprint in early 2007. He thus shines a new, different light on a record that was as much an expression of reaching a turning point in his life as it also showcased a new, more direct and perhaps more abrasive side of his Vladislav Delay project. »Whistleblower« was marked by the insertion of more noise and disruptive elements into Ripatti’s slowly moving take on intricate electronic music that heavily leaned on dub techniques. Fittingly for an album written at the threshold between one life and the other, »Whisteblower« seems at once melancholic and forward-looking in both tone and style.

»Whisteblower« was the follow-up record to 2005’s »The Four Quarters« and produced in the German capital. »I had quite a hard time in Berlin towards the end and I'm sure the track titles and the music reflect some of that uneasiness,« Ripatti says 15 years later. Changes in his personal life had a profound impact on him when making the record. The fifth track, »Lumi,« was dedicated to his daughter who was born shortly after the album was finished. »I had to reconsider what my life had been,« he recalls this watershed moment in his biography. Having already previously embraced a sober lifestyle—hinted at with the last piece’s title, »Recovery IDea«—Ripatti started questioning his life choices more thoroughly. This is also expressed in »He Lived Deeply,« a track inspired by Miles Davis’s love for Duke Ellington whose title can be read as an implicit question that Ripatti nowadays paraphrases thusly: »Had I been living fully, or fully not living?«

The seven tracks also marked a musical turning point in Ripatti’s work as a producer, not only because it was the last one for which he primarily used analogue and vintage equipment. They are also more straightforward on a music level, more demanding and at times more concerned with subtle rhythms than with the thick textures that were so integral to his earlier work. »Whisteblower« represented the first step in a process of focusing less on sonic abstraction and more on direct (self-)expression. While Ripatti admits that he found working on the album difficult back then, he also points out that he was surprised to hear how »gentle and peaceful« it sounded when he started revisiting the original files he used as a basis for these newly mixed versions. »It probably proves how much more comfortable I had become with sound.«