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At its heart, this is truly a classic love story...

Musician, songwriter, and entertainer George Butts has always worked in the spirit of independence and love.

Beginning his musical journey on the East Coast, George spent his formative years playing in bands before eventually making his way to Southern California, ready to step out and pursue his own musical vision.

It was here that music and fate would meet, leading him to something equally important: Kathie, the woman who would become his lifelong partner- personally, professionally, and creatively.

Together, they embraced that same independent spirit and began building something of their own. In the mid-1980s, they established K-Star Productions, a label that became the home for George’s music and marked the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.

In 1986, that journey produced “I Love You So Much,” a song title that feels especially fitting once you learn the story behind it. Written as a dedication to their newly formed relationship, the song carries a sense of warmth that somehow feels familiar to us all. Built around the distinctive sound of a Linn drum machine, layered with lush synths and George’s unmistakable horn melodies, the record radiates heartfelt affirmations of love, capturing not only the spirit of independent ’80s Modern Soul, but the energy of two young hearts coming together and dancing in rhythm.

The record would soon become a dancefloor favorite among local DJs and clubgoers alike. But what began in Southern California would carry George much farther than they could have imagined. The success of the music helped establish him as a respected musician and entertainer, leading to performances and residencies throughout the 1980s and ’90s, from lounges along California’s golden coast to stages as far away as Japan.

Nearly four decades later, these recordings have been lovingly remastered from the original source material by Ron Leeper, the original recording engineer, allowing the warmth and spirit of the music to shine once again.

But this is more than the reissue of a rare independent record.
These classic songs evoke feelings of love and unity, filled with warm melodies, soulful grooves, and an undeniable sense of joy, all brought to life through the partnership of George and Kathie.

Together, they created their own label, followed their dreams, and lived life on their own terms- proving just how far a shared vision can take you.

Today, the music carries that same spirit: heartfelt, uplifting, and alive with the optimism of two people creating something they truly believed in. What they started with K-Star Productions helped launch a musical legacy that would take them around the world and back, a journey that continues today with George still performing live.

Duality makes his debut on Up Ya Archives with a single rooted in the foundations of 90s jungle but shaped distinctly by contemporary sound design, epitomising his unique take on modern junglism. Intricate breakbeats and classic jungle textures are anchored by weighty 808s that guide the flow of the track, while influences from footwork, hardcore and drum & bass sets the track firmly into the space of progressive junglism. When asked on the single, Duality said

“R U Mine is the lead single from my latest project, Brainstorm. It balances luscious pads and playful synth lines with relentless drum breaks and 808s. Topped with ethereal vocals, this is one to open a set with or close out the night”.

A rising star in Bristol’s underground dance scene, Duality is staking a claim within the new wave of jungle.

“‘Brainstorm’ is exactly what the name suggests. A glimpse into the ideas that occur in my brain as a producer. Each track is a different element of my jungle inspirations, from raregroove sample-based production to 4x4 rave stabs. Ready and waiting for the dancefloor!”

Aside from his own productions, he also runs Bristol-based record label and events crew Intaception, which has hosted parties across the UK with iconic figures including Source Direct, Tim Reaper, Double O, and many more. Moving fluidly across production, promotion and musical direction, Duality continues to push the sound and culture of contemporary junglism forward.

Sonor Music Editions proudly presents "A TEMPO DI JAZZ" by Maestro Piero Umiliani. This lost gem captures the formative years of Modern Jazz in late 1950s Italy - alongside the legendary Basso-Valdambrini recordings in the early 1960s, as well as the early years of Piero Umiliani's long and prolific career as a composer with over 190 soundtracks, 40 library albums, and 35 TV title themes recorded.

A TEMPO DI JAZZ includes seven original compositions by Piero Umiliani recorded in 1959. Here, at the age of 33, he lays a perfect ground with himself as a pianist, accompanied by some of the best Italian soloists at the time: Marcello Boschi on alto saxophone and flute, Ivan Vandor on tenor saxophone, Peppe Carta on bass, and the American trombonist Bill Gilmore. With plenty of room for improvisation, the sextet fuses Big Band moods with West Coast experimentation of Latin American rhythms and Modern Jazz ballads that sit perfectly between his soundtracks for the films "I Soliti Ignoti" (Big Deal on Madonna Street) from the same year that attained him international recognition, and his masterpiece "Smog" (featuring Chet Baker and Helen Merrill) from 1962.

Five compositions are outtakes from Piero Umiliani's mega-rarity "Tempo Jazz", released on RCA Custom in 1960, while 'Tema In Blues' has been published on the two - impossible to obtain - 45 releases "Moderato Swing" (RCA Camden 45CP 112) and "Tema In Blues" (RCA Custom 45 R3) from 1960 as well as the previously unreleased track 'Mezza Cottura.'

The music has been transferred and remastered from the original master tapes and lacquer cut in MONO, preserving the original sound of the recordings.

Dream 2 Science’s 1990 release ‘My Love Turns To Liquid’ - reissued on 12” with three mixes from the original and the ‘Cozmic Remixes'. The Cozmic Remix instrumental is pressed on vinyl for the first time.

Ben "Cozmo D" Cenac who's the mind behind Dream 2 Science (as well as Newcleus and Sha-Lor) wrote the track which was “designed to flow and feature Yvette’s (Lady E’s) vocal stylings. He wanted something smooth, laid back, deep and hella sexy!”. It came out on Cenac's own Power Move Records, distributed by Fore Records which was owned by Gregg Fore - he then encouraged Cenac to produce a full EP which turned into the now iconic Dream 2 Science EP (reissued on Rush Hour in 2012).

The Dream 2 Science project left a mark on the deep house scene that went under the radar at first but years later still resonates and represents some of the best music to come out of that famed era.

A collection of previously unreleased material (between '75 & '90) by Enno Velthuys.
Compiled by Hessel Veldman.

"Hello boys and girls, my name is Enno Velthuys and I am the idiot of the group (and also the
most intelligent, the most sensitive, the most artistic and he who has to carry the heaviest
load, because this boy's luggage, DAMN, it's pretty heavy).
Luckily, I had already been through a lot when I got this ‘knock in the head’. Sex, drugs, lots
of rock and roll and a sunny childhood with beautiful views I look back on with nostalgia.
Later on I lost my focus and I only thought about one thing: how to get out of it (that damn
problem, my shifted reality, my blind spot, that piece of poisoned apple of forbidden
knowledge choking my throat)!

But I can't think my way out of it, psychiatrists are just ordinary people, and very heavy pills
suppress everything (I'll just take my pills) FLASH!

You ask me what it takes to create music or art that is meaningful and tells a story. It’s hard
when you haven't had enough setbacks, nothing more than maybe a little blues. I'm not
saying it was the right path, but at least I've come a long way. And now I'm a fish in a pool.
Please understand that this is very disturbing. It's not my waterway. A fish belongs in a river.
And my star sign is fish. >))D

See you soon, EnnO"

It's time to dip into the secret vault once more, and after the first two visits this year, we can't wait. The latest from this mysterious and so far anonymous new label and production crew is another scorching disco two-tracker. The opener on the A-side is full of excitable horns and funky guitar lines with irresistible hand claps and tracky grooves that roll for days. On the flip-side, 'Track 2' brings a vocal line that is brings a sing-along and uplifting vibe as it rides on busy, funky bass motifs with lovely slide in the hi-hats and more lush strings. It's a big-hearted and fulsome disco-house sound for when the whole floor needs locking in to a loved-up vibe.

After a long-awaited break from the format, Smokin’ Sessions returns to vinyl with a very special limited-edition pressing of Rowl’s Signal EP.

Since launching in 2007, Smokin’ Sessions has built a reputation for deep, bass-driven music and a vinyl catalogue that has become an important part of the label’s history. After quite some time away from pressing records, SMOKE046 marks the label’s return to wax — presented on limited-edition transparent blue vinyl.

At the centre of the release is longtime Smokin’ Sessions and Deep Heads artist Rowl, returning with four cuts rooted in the deep 2-step, garage and bass sound that has defined both his own productions and the label over the years.

Opening the record is Versa & Rowl – “If You (Rowl’s Grey Skies Remix)”, a weighty reworking of an unreleased Versa & Rowl dub. Raw, swung drums, deep sub pressure and a distinctly old-school UK garage atmosphere run throughout — a sound described in early feedback as a “future retro garage classic” with that early deep dubstep / 2-step crossover feeling. The remix has also picked up support from Mat The Alien, BunZer0, Deep Tempo and Richard Dorfmeister, amongst others.

“Signal” follows — a heavy, stripped-back 2-step roller built around swinging drums, commanding low-end and Rowl’s unmistakably deep production style. The track represents the classic Smokin’ Sessions sound while pushing it forward with the precision Rowl has developed over more than a decade of production. The track has received strong DJ support, including J:Kenzo, who called it a “Great track”, Synkro, BunZer0, Mat The Alien and others.

On the B-side comes “Sierra” featuring Bristol lyricist and vocalist P.A.B MC. Written and recorded together in Bristol, Sierra takes things into warmer territory: chilled two-step garage rhythms, dubstep-weight low-end and an almost astral atmosphere underpin P.A.B MC’s melodic, conscious vocal delivery. It sits somewhere between soundsystem music and reflective storytelling — equally suited to a late-night system or headphones.

Early response to “Sierra” has already included Synkro, who described the track simply as “Killer”, alongside further underground DJ support.

Exclusive to the vinyl is the instrumental version of “Sierra”, giving the full production room to breathe and making this pressing an essential version of the EP for DJs, collectors and anyone wanting to hear the depth of Rowl’s production without the vocal.

Rowl first appeared on Smokin’ Sessions in 2011 and has remained closely connected to both Smokin’ Sessions and Deep Heads ever since. His catalogue includes collaborations with Versa such as Lunar, Jupiter and Solstice, alongside his 2013 Cosmic Visions EP. His music has previously received support from Don Letts on BBC Radio 6 Music, Tim Parker on NTS, Synkro and J:Kenzo.

For the physical release, no corners have been cut. The record has been vinyl cut and mastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven (Ten Eight Seven Mastering) — one of the most respected engineers in UK bass music and someone whose experience with low frequencies and vinyl makes him the perfect choice for a Smokin’ Sessions pressing.

Woxow's The Tape Reset Vol. 2 is out now on Little Beat More!

Composed during the same sessions that gave life to The Tape Reset Vol. 1 in 2021, Woxow’s The Tape Reset Vol. 2 emerges only now, five years later. A second chapter that remained quietly on the shelf, completing the sonic path opened by the first volume and revealing another side of the same creative moment.

The EP is largely built around organic samples, arranged with a restrained and precise approach. Subtle instrumental appearances shape the atmosphere along the way. A vibraphone introduces the opening moments, setting a cinematic tone that gradually unfolds through layered textures and steady beats, while the record closes with a clarinet solo, a final gesture that echoes the instrumental heard in the intro of the first volume, subtly bringing the journey full circle.

Essential and evocative, The Tape Reset Vol. 2 expands the universe of the project while preserving its core language: beats, samples, and carefully placed instrumental voices moving together in a quiet, cinematic flow.

World Of Echo are proud to announce the long-awaited reissue of the self-titled debut album by Bristol’s Movietone. Originally released in 1995 by Planet Records and reissued on CD in 2003 by The Pastels’ Geographic Music imprint, this is the first time Movietone has been reissued on vinyl. An expanded double-LP edition, it includes the extra tracks from the 2003 CD (their first two singles, and an unreleased demo of “Chance Is Her Opera”), and adds three more unearthed gems: demos of “Alkaline Eye” and “She Smiled Mandarine Like”, and an early take of “Late July”, recorded in a garden by Dave Pearce (Flying Saucer Attack) in 1993.

Taken together, this is the definitive collection of music from the first phase of one of Bristol’s most remarkable groups. Movietone was the cumulation of a series of events, explorations, and discoveries, starting at secondary school – the group’s core membership of Kate Wright, Rachel Brook, Matt Elliott and Matt Jones met at Cotham School in Bristol. As for many other groups, their early years were all about experimenting, and finding ways to ‘make do’, a DIY sensibility that would inform Movietone through their decade-long lifespan. From formative rehearsals in a shed in the garden of Brook’s family home, to recording early material to four-track in Redland Library, and on into the Whitehouse and Mr Grin’s studio sessions for their debut album, Movietone’s music fell together in a creatively unpredictable, yet conceptually rigorous manner.

By the time they released Movietone, they’d found a home with Bristol’s Planet, run by author Richard King and James Webster, who had both released their first two singles, “She Smiled Mandarine Like” and “Mono Valley”. There was other music happening around them in Bristol, too, from the Jones brothers’ avant-rock outfit Crescent (who were Movietone’s closest conspirators), through Elliott’s jungle/electronica project Third Eye Foundation, and Brook and Elliott’s membership of Flying Saucer Attack. A closely knit community, Movietone are the centre of this nestling architecture of groups. The vision in the music, mostly, belongs to Wright, but Movietone ran in democratic creative consort. Listening back to Movietone, you can hear this democracy in action through the wildness of the music, which is balanced by the poetics of Wright’s lyrics and melodies.

Full of half-captured memories and entangled abstractions, there’s an elliptical, ruminative quality to much of the writing here that shows the deep influence of the Beat Generation writers, along with a twilight environment captured in the songs that’s pure third-album Velvets, Galaxie 500, early Tindersticks, Codeine. Unpredictable interventions – the crashing glass in “Mono Valley”, the sudden explosions of “Orange Zero” point towards the noise blowouts of My Bloody Valentine, the unpredictability of Sonic Youth; Wright’s understated vocal cadence suggest a deep, embodied understanding of John Cage’s Indeterminacy.

Movietone would go on to make 3 fantastic albums for Domino: Night & Day (1997), The Blossom Filled Streets (2000) and The Sand & The Stars (2003) and their Peel Sessions were released earlier this year on Textile. Still held in high regard by artists like Steven R. Smith, and The Pastels, whose Stephen McRobbie once described them as “one of the great unknown English groups,” it’s an absolute thrill to listen to Movietone anew – still inspired, still seductive, still magic, still mysterious.

Ten years ago, Horse Jumper of Love released their self-titled debut, one that not only launched their career but also inspired a generation of shoegaze artists to come.


Recorded in a mill space studio by future longtime collaborator Bradford Krieger and first released in 2016 (before a re-issue by Run For Cover in 2017), Horse Jumper of Love introduced listeners to the band’s unique strain of expertly crafted minimalism and haunting lyricism. Tracks like “Orange Peeler” and “Ugly Brunette” capture a gritty melancholy and existentialism that is both youthful and timeless, angst-ridden and sincere. Now, a decade later, Horse Jumper of Love remains a beloved cult classic and a touchstone of the band’s continually developing brand of glacial, grungy indie rock.
This 10 Year Anniversary Deluxe Edition LP features new tri-fold packaging with collaged ephemera from singer and songwriter Dimitri Giannopoulos’ years in Boston while writing the record, a 20-page sewn-in booklet featuring never before seen photos and drawings, and handwritten tablature for the record’s original 9 songs. Disc one includes the original album fully re-mastered, and the brand new second disc features 13 bonus tracks recorded between the years of 2013-2015, mostly by Dimitri at home on a Tascam Portastudio, including single “Heathers (2013)” which was an early version of what would later become “i love you very much forever” and other never before heard demos, b-sides, and alternate versions of the original songs.
The record will also be released for the first time on CD, packaged in a 2-disc swing tray jewel case with a fold out poster.

Much like a teacher, Meryl Streek imparts his knowledge and lived experiences to all who are willing to listen. His third album, ‘Stories They Don’t Teach You At School’, serves as an alternative form of education, delivered through a visceral blend of factual soundbites and raw emotion, loops and samples, guitars and bass. The lyrics resonate with core values of compassion, resilience, and community—themes rarely explored within a classroom setting or seen in today's fragmented society. By prioritising conviction over commercial success, the Dublin artist's outspokenness may invite controversy. Yet beneath the fervor lies a profound desire for positive social change at home in Ireland, and beyond.
Meryl Streek returned to Darkland Studios in Dublin to fine-tune the recordings previously made in a shed at the back of his ma's garden. Here he continued the genre-blurring nature of his earlier work, enticing listeners toward dissonant landscapes and hypnotic rhythms. Gentle piano tones collide with abrasive synths, creating a striking tension between beauty and noise. Streek tempers his rage when appropriate, integrating atmospheric textures and pop sensibilities into his ever-expanding sonic collage.
As is tradition with any Meryl Streek record, ‘Stories They Don’t Teach You At School’ unearths many uncomfortable truths. ‘Rotten Fruit’ examines media manipulation and the numbing proliferation of misinformation, all soundtracked by synth-punk. With gliding keys and a crunchy bassline, ‘Council Estates’ critiques systemic government failures affecting the working class. ‘Kelly’ is a slice of electronica that details an ongoing criminal investigation, currently classified as a “Contested Cause of Death”. The indie pop of 'The Chancer' brings much-needed attention to landlord politicians. As the album progresses, the mission remains absolute: to provide a voice for the voiceless.
To amplify these narratives, Meryl Streek handpicked a diverse group of collaborators for the project. ‘Rotten Fruit’ features Steve Ignorant of anarcho-punk collective CRASS. ‘Depression’ opens with a touching recording of the late Liam Norton, close friend and former touring companion, while Pete Holidai of The Radiators From Space contributes guitars on the song. Comedian Phill Jupitus provides the spoken outro for ‘The Chancer'. ‘Housing For All’ incorporates audio from Derelict Ireland campaigners Frank O’Connor and Jude Sherry. Venn Records owner and Gallows guitarist Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard joins forces with Adebisi Shank bassist Vinny McCreith on the aggressive ‘Bullet,’ while Sophie Porter of Other Half provides bass guitar for ‘Life is Not a Rehearsal’. The album concludes with a three-minute spoken word piece by Frankie McNamara, the viral creator behind ‘Meditations for the Anxious Mind’.
In her 1990 protest anthem “Black Boys on Mopeds,” the late Sinead O’Connor warned, “To say what you feel is to dig your own grave”. With this release, Meryl Streek firmly holds the shovel.

Following the success of Naturalisten’s release “Forms”, E2-E8 is back with the latest offering from Milan-based artist Joseph Tagliabue. “Espansione” presents a meticulously crafted sonic exploration that transcends conventional genre boundaries. It is a double LP consisting of four distinct parts: an ambient concept presented in Part 1 & 2, and four techno tracks in Part 3 & 4. This structure makes for a multifaceted listening experience, seamlessly blending organic textures with synthetic manipulations.

Part 1 & 2 delve into immersive, post-natural ambient soundscapes. Tagliabue constructs a vaporous, dreamlike environment through the interplay of modular synthesis, analog effects, and meticulously designed soundscapes. The journey into the forest is not a merely thematic narrative, but rather a visceral sonic realisation. These expansive compositions, devoid of clear demarcations, invite the listener to a lysergic, meditative retreat, where ritualistic and mystical elements converge. The blurring of lines between machine and nature is a central motif, achieved through ethereal layers seamlessly integrated with ambient textures.

The album as a whole is a sophisticated sound collage, highlighting Tagliabue’s mastery of sonic manipulation. The dense sonic flow, characterised by echoes of distant temples and molten synthetic modulations, creates a compelling auditory and potentially visual experience. The interplay between organic and synthetic, combined with the album’s thematic depth, makes Espansione a noteworthy evolution in Joseph’s artistic expression. A work designed to be both deeply listened to, and physically experienced.

Early support comes from Vladimir Ivkovic, Marco Shuttle, Konduku, among others.

Dream Police is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Cheap Trick, originally released in 1979 and produced by Tom Werman. Following the huge success of At Budokan, the album arrived at a time when Cheap Trick had become one of the biggest new rock bands of the late 1970s.

The album is best known for its memorable title track, "Dream Police", alongside the popular tracks "Voices", "Way of the World" and "Gonna Raise Hell". The songs range from straight-ahead rockers to more melodic and atmospheric songs. Dream Police reached number six on the Billboard 200 and became one of the band's most successful studio albums. It remains a much-loved record from Cheap Trick's classic period and an important part of their 1970s catalogue.

Dream Police is available as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on red vinyl and comes in a gatefold sleeve. The package also includes an insert with lyrics.

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.

With Elvis Presley wishes you a "Blue Christmas", the Drifters wishing you a "White Christmas", a "Christmas Prayer" by Billy Fury, a "Christmas Present" from Solomon Burke, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" with Brenda Lee, "Twistin' Bells" by Santo & Johnny, and the "Jingle Bell Rock" with Chubby Checker & Bobby Rydell. The Cadillacs sings "Rudolph The Red- Nosed Reindeer" and Chuck Berry "Runs With Rudolph", Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons "Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", Johnny Cash with his "Little Drummer Boy" and finally David Seville and the Chipmunks with "The Chipmunk Song".

The latest update to the Dream Software sonic catalogue is a glossy re-mastered version of the 2003 release ‘Fears’ from ‘Shuffle Progression’. A soundtrack for the space between reality and the higher spiritual planes. Grounding yet otherworldly, an organic groove doused in a warming sensuality and atmospheric liminality. This one is optimised for hazy spaces, morphing layers of floating essence, slowly obscuring all thats visible into blurry shapes of an abstract existence.

"Cinematic Visionaries Calibro 35 and Noir Master James Ellroy Pay Homage to L.A. with a Pure Crime-Funk Original Soundtrack. Out October 9" There are collaborations that feel inevitable like they were waiting to happen in some shadowed corner of culture. The union between Italian cinematic funk visionaries Calibro 35 and internationally acclaimed master of noir fiction and New York Times bestselling author James Ellroy is undoubtedly one of them. When Calibro 35 were invited to compose the original soundtrack for Francesco Zippel's documentary Ellroy vs L.A., they didn't simply write music for film. They stepped directly into Ellroy's universe the most dangerous corners of American crime fiction and discovered, to no one's surprise, that its darkness felt strangely familiar. The result is Ellroy vs L.A., the band's new album out October 9 on Record Kicks. Twelve brand new tracks of cinematic crime funk, psychedelia, and hypnotic groove that don't accompany Ellroy's world so much as inhabit it. The soundtrack's move through Ellroy's fictional and real-world mythologies with deliberate precision. Stylistically, the album finds Calibro 35 in their most natural yet most cinematic state: crime funk, psychedelia, and hypnotic groove pushed into darker, more narrative-driven territory by the weight of Ellroy's world. From the gloomy, suspense-laden groove of the opener Black Dahlia to the evocative closing piece Moonlight Sonative, the album unfolds as a complete cinematic arc, showcasing Calibro 35 at their very best. L.A. Confidential delivers a super-suspenseful, thrilling tension that feels like a chase through neon-lit streets, while Riots erupts into explosive cinematic funk, capturing chaos and urban unrest in full force. LSD on Sunset Boulevard drifts into a hazy, instrumental soul journey psychedelic, warm, and disorienting, like a late-night hallucination of the city itself. The Big Nowhere (Part I & II) expands the narrative into a slow-burning, atmospheric descent, unfolding like a two-act crime saga. Welcome to the Land of Vacation and Probation hits with kick-ass, uptempo crime-funk madness, urgent and relentless in its propulsion, while White Jazz is a mood of suspended, noir-infused jazz tension cool, shadowy, and unresolved. Together, the tracks map Los Angeles as a fractured yet hypnotic landscape suspended between glamour and violence, beauty and decay, myth and reality Born in Milan in 2007 with the mission of excavating the golden age of Italian film music Morricone, Piccioni, Trovajoli, Calibro 35 have spent nearly two decades transforming that initial obsession into a singular artistic language. Their work bridges vintage Italian soundtracks with contemporary jazz and cinematic funk, earning them a global following rare for an Italian instrumental act. Their music has been sampled by Dr. Dre (Compton, "One Shot One Kill" feat. Snoop Dogg), Jay-Z ("Picasso Baby"), and Damon Albarn's The Child of Lov. Rolling Stone described them as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing that has happened to Italy in the past few years," while Far Out Magazine called them "one of the most skilful and innovative instrumental outfits on the planet right now." The band (Enrico Gabrielli, Massimo Martellotta, Fabio Rondanini, and Tommaso Colliva) continue to evolve without losing their core identity. In 2025 they released the critically acclaimed Exploration, further expanding their sonic universe, and were invited to perform at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games at the Arena di Verona, confirming their growing international stature. With Ellroy vs L.A., Calibro 35 don't just compose a soundtrack they translate a mythology into rhythm, tension, and groove. Between fiction and reality, they find a city that never truly sleeps, only pulses in darkness. Press play, and Los Angeles begins to unfold in sound.

Futurismo proudly present a vital compilation born in the shadows of American punk; AMERICAN GRAVE Gothic Punk / Deathrock USA: 1978-1988, the third volume in their Altered Vision anthology series.

Drawing from darkest depths of the American spirit, American Grave is testament to a subculture spawned from late night savagery, graveyard hangouts and suburban isolation. Deathrock, post-punk, goth, whatever term you prefer, this compilation showcases the sounds and aesthetics of a tarnished golden era, an underground movement that took the DIY concepts of punk and the velocity of a burgeoning hardcore scene and immersed it in echoes, distortion, tribal rhythms and macabre vocals, thematically preying upon cult horror flicks, surrealism, and the manipulation of religious iconography. Whilst the UK had a counterpart scene many would hail as Goth, this was different, this was a truly American incarnation, a new breed of youth haunted by the ghosts of old blues, garage and glam, bleak theatrical imagery dressed up to evoke a response, smeared eyeliner, leather, bones…black. This was a backlash against a culture in decay, bucking against a puritanical oppression brought on by the archaic social standards set by their parents. It was aggression manifested as gloom, it was a ceremony, the celebration of death.

American Grave has been co-curated by Wesley Eisold (Cold Cave/American Nightmare/Heartworm Press) in collaboration with Futurismo head honcho Del Jae, to bring you a haunting tracklist ranging from the all important integral mainstays of the genre to those rarer and more elusive artists, including many recordings that have never been reissued before on any format. Featuring the music of Christian Death, T.S.O.L., The Cramps, Of A Mesh, The Gun Club, Twisted Roots, Kommunity FK, The Brainz, Theatre Of Ice, Burning Image, Fur Bible, PSI Com, Shadow Of Fear, Super Heroines, 45 Grave and more.

The music on this compilation is reinstated further from a visual perspective by an array of incredible images by famed punk photographer Edward Colver, and lovingly designed to the level you would expect from a Futurismo release.

2xLP on limited edition ‘Splintered Tomb’ coloured vinyl. It is housed in a gloss laminated outer sleeve with colour inner sleeves and contains a large fold-out poster with unseen photos by the great Edward Colver, words by Lisa Fancher and liner notes by Wesley Eisold of Cold Cave/American Nightmare.

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Koen Holtkamp has spent more than two decades shaping a body of work at the intersection of ambient, experimental, and electroacoustic music. Known for his role in the influential duo Mountains, as well as a solo catalog defined by texture and spatial awareness, Holtkamp has long explored how sound interacts with environment and perception. With Nightlife, he enters a new phase of that inquiry, one shaped as much by physical relocation as artistic evolution.

After leaving Brooklyn for the relatively rural setting of New York’s Hudson Valley, Holtkamp found himself immersed in nature and embracing a slower way of life, a shift that directly informed the album’s creation. Rather than rushing into a new project, he allowed the space itself to guide him, focusing on experimentation and play instead of a fixed outcome. Over time, a new instrument emerged from his modular system, built around physical modeling techniques that emulate plucked string sounds. Drawing on a deep affinity for acoustic traditions, from guitar soli to the kora and other chordophones, he began translating those influences into an electronic language, creating music that feels tangible, effusive, and even intimate, despite its synthetic nature. As the pieces took shape, Holtkamp expanded the project into a kind of imagined ensemble. Composed with specific collaborators in mind, the album features extensive contributions from drummer Greg Fox and saxophonist and flutist Matt Bauder, whose performances subtly reshape the material and draw it toward more fluid, song-like forms, alongside a guest appearance from Ben Vida on synth bass. Yet even as Nightlife occasionally resembles a band in motion, its construction resists traditional cohesion. Acoustic and electronic sources coexist to create a hyper-dimensional sense of space, with each element deliberately placed in its own distinct environment, yielding a complex yet inviting setting that feels both otherworldly and completely natural.

Much of the album was created during late-night sessions, which became a kind of personal ritual and ultimately inspired its title. Nightlife unfolds as a series of finely detailed environments, where stillness, texture, and subtle interplay take precedence over momentum. Each piece invites close listening while remaining open and unforced, reflecting both a change in pace and a deepening of focus. The result extends Holtkamp’s ongoing interest in how sound can shape, and be shaped by, the spaces we inhabit.

Creole Culture is the triumphant return of Dawn Richard’s King Creole era. Steeped in history but with its flag planted firmly in the future, Creole Culture pulls elements from Richard’s heritage as a Black and Native American woman who has spent a lifetime making and engaging with music. Following New Breed (2019) and Second Line (2021), Creole Culture is akin to a panel of a triptych: a fully-realized sonic and narrative universe in which Richard, as King Creole, rebuilds her hometown of New Orleans in her image. She not only honors her city for what it was or what it gave her, but stakes a claim for it as a cradle of global culture now and for all time.


Creole Culture follows two acclaimed avant-garde R&B albums with composer Spencer Zahn — the later of which, 2024’s Quiet in a World Full of Noise, found Richard exorcising the specters of grief and trauma in the wake of her father Frank Richard’s health struggles and the killing of her cousin Cisco. It is a softer take on the brass-soaked swagger of Richard’s previous King Creole efforts, an evolution brought about when she realized she had left a crucial viewpoint out of her exploration of New Orleans: her own. “New Breed was the story of New Orleans through my father’s eyes,” Richard explains. “I used his samples, his music, his cultures, his work with Chocolate Milk, his side of the family. Second Line was my mom — her interludes riddled the album with her depiction of what is meant to be a Creole woman in New Orleans. The masculine and feminine sides of King Creole had expressed themselves through them, but the story felt unfinished, like my version of the story was untold.”
That story is, for lack of a better word, complex: at turns triumphant and tragic, sexy and mournful, braggadocious and contemplative. Creole Culture presents Richard’s New Orleans as a utopian soundscape — an intoxicating blend of R&B, soul, hip-hop, pop, and jazz — that’s survived and thrived despite the dystopian circumstances visited upon it. Richard presents the melange of influence and artifact on Creole Culture with the care of a botanist nurturing new hybrids in a rose garden.


What emerges from that care is at once delightful and unexpected, enlisting a crew of guest stars including Big Freedia, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, and Durand Bernarr for features that play against type. Tank’s turn at spoken word verse on “l v r” serves to add dimension to King Creole’s New Orleans, as does Joseph’s undeniable voice on “chuuuurch.” “I’m not normally a features girl,” says Richard, ”but King Creole can’t build a world from scratch without help. What’s beautiful about the features here — which is also true of my band and producers — is they come from people who understand the materials of the world they’re from, they’re people I love, and they’re people who are just extraordinary at what they do. They’re part of the atmosphere of this place. You need them for the record to breathe.”
In the end, that’s what King Creole creates: a space where Dawn Richard can breathe, can be at peace with herself, and let loose with others. From finding love in opening single “enough” to relishing in the Afrocaribbean futurism of “fiesta,” Creole Culture is a tremendous, freeing breath of fresh air. It captures the resolve of a woman and a place who’ve survived the unimaginable and sees the future not as something to be endured, but as something to be created. Dawn Richard has been making that future one album at a time over the course of her career. Creole Culture is her most stunning one yet.

Creole Culture is the triumphant return of Dawn Richard’s King Creole era. Steeped in history but with its flag planted firmly in the future, Creole Culture pulls elements from Richard’s heritage as a Black and Native American woman who has spent a lifetime making and engaging with music. Following New Breed (2019) and Second Line (2021), Creole Culture is akin to a panel of a triptych: a fully-realized sonic and narrative universe in which Richard, as King Creole, rebuilds her hometown of New Orleans in her image. She not only honors her city for what it was or what it gave her, but stakes a claim for it as a cradle of global culture now and for all time.


Creole Culture follows two acclaimed avant-garde R&B albums with composer Spencer Zahn — the later of which, 2024’s Quiet in a World Full of Noise, found Richard exorcising the specters of grief and trauma in the wake of her father Frank Richard’s health struggles and the killing of her cousin Cisco. It is a softer take on the brass-soaked swagger of Richard’s previous King Creole efforts, an evolution brought about when she realized she had left a crucial viewpoint out of her exploration of New Orleans: her own. “New Breed was the story of New Orleans through my father’s eyes,” Richard explains. “I used his samples, his music, his cultures, his work with Chocolate Milk, his side of the family. Second Line was my mom — her interludes riddled the album with her depiction of what is meant to be a Creole woman in New Orleans. The masculine and feminine sides of King Creole had expressed themselves through them, but the story felt unfinished, like my version of the story was untold.”
That story is, for lack of a better word, complex: at turns triumphant and tragic, sexy and mournful, braggadocious and contemplative. Creole Culture presents Richard’s New Orleans as a utopian soundscape — an intoxicating blend of R&B, soul, hip-hop, pop, and jazz — that’s survived and thrived despite the dystopian circumstances visited upon it. Richard presents the melange of influence and artifact on Creole Culture with the care of a botanist nurturing new hybrids in a rose garden.


What emerges from that care is at once delightful and unexpected, enlisting a crew of guest stars including Big Freedia, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, and Durand Bernarr for features that play against type. Tank’s turn at spoken word verse on “l v r” serves to add dimension to King Creole’s New Orleans, as does Joseph’s undeniable voice on “chuuuurch.” “I’m not normally a features girl,” says Richard, ”but King Creole can’t build a world from scratch without help. What’s beautiful about the features here — which is also true of my band and producers — is they come from people who understand the materials of the world they’re from, they’re people I love, and they’re people who are just extraordinary at what they do. They’re part of the atmosphere of this place. You need them for the record to breathe.”
In the end, that’s what King Creole creates: a space where Dawn Richard can breathe, can be at peace with herself, and let loose with others. From finding love in opening single “enough” to relishing in the Afrocaribbean futurism of “fiesta,” Creole Culture is a tremendous, freeing breath of fresh air. It captures the resolve of a woman and a place who’ve survived the unimaginable and sees the future not as something to be endured, but as something to be created. Dawn Richard has been making that future one album at a time over the course of her career. Creole Culture is her most stunning one yet.

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.

Recorded again at the legendary Kerwax Studio by Christophe Chavanon, fully on analog tape and gear, Witchthroat Serpent's latest LP "DEMONS LEFT TO ROAM" is yet another hymn to the last century's sordid dreams and fears, moral panic and the creepy costumes from Halloween in the 30's. Huge and gritty walls of guitars, rumbling stereo bass and plundering ritual drums. Songs of horror tales and satanic litanies, carried by haunted vocals.

Orange vinyl, limited to 300 copies. Recorded again at the legendary Kerwax Studio by Christophe Chavanon, fully on analog tape and gear, Witchthroat Serpent's latest LP "DEMONS LEFT TO ROAM" is yet another hymn to the last century's sordid dreams and fears, moral panic and the creepy costumes from Halloween in the 30's. Huge and gritty walls of guitars, rumbling stereo bass and plundering ritual drums. Songs of horror tales and satanic litanies, carried by haunted vocals.

Voodoo Glow Skulls are an American ska punk band formed in 1988 in Riverside, California, by brothers Frank, Eddie, and Jorge Casillas and their longtime friend Jerry O'Neill. Voodoo Glow Skulls first played at backyard parties and later started playing shows with the Angry Samoans, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Firehose, Murphy's Law, and The Dickies.

Voodoo Glow Skulls' 1995 album Firme has been one of the high points in popularity for the seven-member band. Unlike some more laid-back performers in the genre, Voodoo Glow Skulls are a bit more heavy-handed on the punk part of the mix, resulting in consistently fast-paced and chugging song structures that occasionally erupt into triumphant horn breakdowns and chanted group vocals. The album also includes "Fat Randy," one of the group's more convincing ska-punk hybrids.

Firme is avavilable as limited numbered edition of 400 copies on green vinyl and includes an insert

TEMACHII creates immersive worlds where music, visual art, nature, and emotion blur together. Evoking the hazy surrealism of a once forgotten dream, the San Antonio-based multi-instrumentalist has built a devoted global audience through ethereal soundscapes, hand-crafted visuals, and songs that feel both deeply personal and universally comforting. Her music pairs ambient textures and dream-pop charm with an intimacy that feels like eavesdropping on an artist in conversation with herself—absorbing influences like Radiohead, Fiona Apple, Mitski and Aphex Twin while remaining less guided by genre than by feeling.

Her 2023 debut, flora maniia, was anchored by the 50 million-streamed hit “may you never forget me,” blending hypnotic acoustic guitar, lilting synths, and airy vocals into a reflection on love, memory, and the desire to leave a lasting impression. The follow-up LP, akrasiia, arrived later that same year, revealing a more stripped-back side of her sound while preserving the wonder at the heart of her work. Together with 2024 single “not/lost,” the releases have brought Temachii's art to fans around the world, a reach that feels especially meaningful given her Puerto Rican heritage. More importantly, they have transformed that audience into something more meaningful than simply streams and likes: a space for listeners to feel both safe and seen.

Come Back Down, the new album by Nashville experimental-pop duo Total Wife, was born from the edge of sleep. When composer and producer Luna Kupper would begin to fall asleep during late-night mixing sessions, the songs would follow her into the halfway place between dream and lucidity. Like Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks, she'd wake with a new perspective on the puzzle she was piecing together. "I'm a psychological mixer - I'm trying to think of how someone's experiencing the sound, versus getting stuck in trying to make all these different tones and using all this gear to make something sound a certain way," Kupper says. And like a spiral from waking life into dream, the songs on Come Back Down are endlessly self-referential, building whole universes from a single point. Kupper sold all of her synths to make rent before she started working on the album, and so every inorganic sound is instead built from samples of the band's own work. A guitar on one song may be reprocessed and used as a synth on the next, while everywhere on the album vocal samples are taken from a single unreleased cover of Elliott Smith's 'Between the Bars.' In tribute to this process, the album was almost named The Julia Set after the mathematical equation which feeds into itself again and again, creating beautiful fractal images. The intention was to create something complex but accessible; experimental, yet precise and without abstraction. In her lyrics, too, lyricist and vocalist Ash Richter is as straightforward as she's ever been. She drew on her experience of pandemic isolation to write about connection and disconnection, using her lyrics as a tool for the communication that was missing in everyday life. On the soaring, shoegazey track 'peaches,' a storm that forced the cancellation of a recording session became a metaphor for emotional distance. 'still asleep' chronicles Richter's euphoria after Total Wife's first tour, and watches it begin to curdle into paranoia. "Thank the full moon, my heart is overflowing," she sings, before: "Is there such a thing as too happy?" The experience of isolation was prompting Richter to think back to her childhood, a time marked for her by solitude and natural play - climbing trees, making mud pies, getting lost in the woods. On tracks like 'in my head' and 'second spring,' she uses the imagery of nature to recall that time and forge a connection with her lonely inner child. "I feel connected with transcendentalist writing and magical realism - trying to convey things in a concrete way, but with that element of psychology and mystery," she says. Richter and Kupper, friends from high school, formed Total Wife in 2016, relocating from Boston to Nashville in 2020. Both are visual artists as well as musicians, which they incorporate into their work with Total Wife via layered and purposeful visuals. A DIY streak underpins everything that they do - from handling their own artwork and music videos to recording their own music, releasing tapes through their label Ivy Eat Home, and hosting house shows in the basement they've christened Ryman 2. In Nashville they've settled into a weirdo scene living under the record industry's floorboards, a hive of collaborative and creative energy that has made them excited to call the city home. They also assembled a live band for the first time shortly after moving to Nashville, consisting of Ryan Bigelow, Sean Booz and Billy Campbell - injecting their creative process with a jolt of spontaneity and aliveness that has fed back into Come Back Down.

Come Back Down, the new album by Nashville experimental-pop duo Total Wife, was born from the edge of sleep. When composer and producer Luna Kupper would begin to fall asleep during late-night mixing sessions, the songs would follow her into the halfway place between dream and lucidity. Like Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks, she'd wake with a new perspective on the puzzle she was piecing together. "I'm a psychological mixer - I'm trying to think of how someone's experiencing the sound, versus getting stuck in trying to make all these different tones and using all this gear to make something sound a certain way," Kupper says. And like a spiral from waking life into dream, the songs on Come Back Down are endlessly self-referential, building whole universes from a single point. Kupper sold all of her synths to make rent before she started working on the album, and so every inorganic sound is instead built from samples of the band's own work. A guitar on one song may be reprocessed and used as a synth on the next, while everywhere on the album vocal samples are taken from a single unreleased cover of Elliott Smith's 'Between the Bars.' In tribute to this process, the album was almost named The Julia Set after the mathematical equation which feeds into itself again and again, creating beautiful fractal images. The intention was to create something complex but accessible; experimental, yet precise and without abstraction. In her lyrics, too, lyricist and vocalist Ash Richter is as straightforward as she's ever been. She drew on her experience of pandemic isolation to write about connection and disconnection, using her lyrics as a tool for the communication that was missing in everyday life. On the soaring, shoegazey track 'peaches,' a storm that forced the cancellation of a recording session became a metaphor for emotional distance. 'still asleep' chronicles Richter's euphoria after Total Wife's first tour, and watches it begin to curdle into paranoia. "Thank the full moon, my heart is overflowing," she sings, before: "Is there such a thing as too happy?" The experience of isolation was prompting Richter to think back to her childhood, a time marked for her by solitude and natural play - climbing trees, making mud pies, getting lost in the woods. On tracks like 'in my head' and 'second spring,' she uses the imagery of nature to recall that time and forge a connection with her lonely inner child. "I feel connected with transcendentalist writing and magical realism - trying to convey things in a concrete way, but with that element of psychology and mystery," she says. Richter and Kupper, friends from high school, formed Total Wife in 2016, relocating from Boston to Nashville in 2020. Both are visual artists as well as musicians, which they incorporate into their work with Total Wife via layered and purposeful visuals. A DIY streak underpins everything that they do - from handling their own artwork and music videos to recording their own music, releasing tapes through their label Ivy Eat Home, and hosting house shows in the basement they've christened Ryman 2. In Nashville they've settled into a weirdo scene living under the record industry's floorboards, a hive of collaborative and creative energy that has made them excited to call the city home. They also assembled a live band for the first time shortly after moving to Nashville, consisting of Ryan Bigelow, Sean Booz and Billy Campbell - injecting their creative process with a jolt of spontaneity and aliveness that has fed back into Come Back Down.

Originally released in 2017, Zara McFarlane’s Arise represents a classic moment in Brownswood Recordings catalogue. Just before the global spotlight landed on London's new jazz generation, Zara McFarlane was already forging her own path - connecting jazz, soul, reggae and Afro-Caribbean traditions with a confidence and clarity that remains striking nearly a decade later. Arise captures an artist operating with singular vision, creating a body of work that sounds every bit as fresh and forward-thinking today as it did on release.
The album also stands as an early landmark in the career of Moses Boyd, who produced and co-composed the record while serving as Zara's longtime drummer and musical collaborator. Years before his Mercury Prize-nominated breakthrough, Boyd helped shape Arise into a deeply personal exploration of heritage. The credit list is remarkable: Moses Boyd, Binker Golding, Shabaka Hutchings, Nathaniel Cross, Peter Edwards and Shirley Tetteh all contribute to a record that now reads like a roll call of British jazz royalty. The iconic cover shot was taken by Adama Jalloh, around the corner from Brownswood’s North London HQ.

Upon release, Arise was met with widespread critical acclaim. The Guardian praised “A Class Act" and celebrated its exploration of African-Caribbean musical lineage, while Clash Magazine described it as “enchanting and intriguing”. All About Jazz called the album's fusion of jazz and Jamaican rhythms "spellbinding".
As Brownswood celebrates its 20th birthday, we're proud to return one of the label's defining releases to vinyl, with the original copies being highly sought after. Pressed on limited edition gold vinyl, this special anniversary reissue is both a celebration of Zara McFarlane's artistry and a reminder of a record that was both ahead of its time, and whose influence resonantes today.

“When the flesh gets cut off the soul, it’s not the end.”

More than forty years after hardCORPS emerged from a Brixton basement, ‘Metal & Flesh’ returns in a new expanded edition on double vinyl and CD, newly remastered with the full involvement of surviving members Rob Doran and Clive Pierce. Born from the collision of punk, analogue synthesisers, sequencers, disco, reggae and experimental studio techniques, hardCORPS created electronic music that was as physical and emotional as it was mechanical. The arrival of French vocalist Regine Fetet gave the group its defining identity, placing her raw, uncompromising voice against the dense machinery of Hugh Ashton, Clive Pierce and Rob Doran. Working mainly with a Roland System 100, several Roland MC4 sequencers and later an additional MC500 and Atari ST 1040 computers, etc. pp., hardCORPS always transformed limitations, accidents, distortion and human imperfection into part of the music itself. Although rooted in the early 1980s, ‘Metal & Flesh’ refuses easy nostalgia, retaining the tension, space and character that made hardCORPS unlike their contemporaries. Yet, shall we eventually mention Kraftwerk, maybe let’s quote Ian Shirley from Record Collector magazine: „’Je Suis Passée‘ was not only a love letter to Kraftwerk but penned with such verve, passion and precision that Ralf and Florian probably would have accepted a blind date at a Düsseldorf cocktail bar (…).“ And as Martin Rushent famously said in 1990: “Hard Corps were ignored in their time. Perhaps it is the burden of the adventurous and the innovative to be ignored in their time, which is sad. Don’t ignore them now.”

This new edition has been carefully remastered to preserve that character and dynamics rather than simply making the recordings louder or more ‘modern’, while the artwork has likewise been developed to reflect the band’s original identity. Metal & Flesh’ is not merely an artefact of the 1980s, but a rare and fiercely individual document of four people discovering what happens when human instinct and machines collide.

Remastered by Martin Bowes. Graphic design by hard CORPS and Steve Lippert.

Gatefold sleeve gloss lamination, printed inner sleeves with lyrics, two double-sided hand-numbered.

Black Truffle is thrilled to announce a second volume of unheard concert performances from legendary Pakistani kyhal singer Salamat Ali Khan, recorded at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie as part of the MetaMusik festival in 1974. Like the first volume, the immaculate recording by Michael Hönig (of krautrock legends Agitation Free) captures Khan performing a single extended raag in the company of Shaukat Hussein Khan on tabla and Hussein Bux Khan on harmonium. In addition to his stunningly inventive and moving vocal performance, Khan is heard accompanying himself on a specially tuned alpine zither (in place of the traditional swarmandal, an Indian style of zither). The lack of an underlying tanpura drone gives the music its characteristic floating quality, with the three instruments and voice masterfully dancing around one another as they sketch the outlines of this grand, 40-minute Raag Chandrakauns.

If anything, this epic performance of the late-night Raag Chandrakauns is even more seductively spacious and psychedelic than the music heard on the first volume. Obeying the traditional shape of Hindustani classical vocal music performance, a gradual rise in both pitch and rhythmic activity, the music hovers for twenty minutes in a reflective calm, the pulse only gently stated by the tabla while harmonium ornamentation and zither strums float by. In this meditative space, Khan gradually orients us to the contours of the raag, beginning with long notes at the bottom of his register. His improvisation at once builds with a stunningly firm sense of internal logic and seems liberated to explore every melodic and ornamental byway that comes up along the way. By the time we turn to the record’s second side, the music has grown into something far more frenetic, with virtuoso tabla passages at times occupying centre stage between Khan’s increasingly rhythmic melodic variations. Concluding with a sequence of unison tabla and voice passages of breathtaking complexity, the performance is met with rapturous applause. Arriving in a blue-toned variant of the first volume’s sleeve, with acclaimed musicologist Peter Pannke’s liner notes in the original German, Metamusik Festival Berlin ’74 Volume II is not to be missed. Essential listening not just for Hidustanti classic aficionados, but for anyone who needs reminding of the magic of collective music making in the moment.

Bachs h-Moll-Messe (BWV 232) ist seine einzige vollständige lateinische Messe. Sie entstand in den letzten Jahren seines Lebens und vereint neu komponierte Sätze mit überarbeiteten früheren Sätzen zu einer
musikalischen Synthese seines Schaffens, die einen Höhepunkt der Barockmusik darstellt.
Karl Richters Aufnahme von 1961 mit dem Münchener Bach-Chor und dem Münchener Bach-Orchester
gilt bis heute als legendäre Referenzaufnahme. Sie besticht durch ihren geschlossenen Klang, ihre klare
Interpretation und ihre herausragenden Solisten.
Um die bestmögliche Klangqualität zu erzielen, wurden die Aufnahmen neu gemastert und erstmals rein
analog von den originalen Zweispur-Bändern geschnitten.
Die audiophile Vinyl-Reihe „The Original Source“ präsentiert herausragende Aufnahmen in einer völlig
neuen Klangqualität. Dazu haben die renommierten Emil-Berliner-Studios die originalen Mehrspurbänder
in 100 % analoger Qualität (AAA) unter Verwendung von Technologien, die speziell für die Produktion
dieser Reihe entwickelt wurden, neu gemastert und geschnitten.
Die klanglichen Unterschiede zu den Originalveröffentlichungen sind beträchtlich: größere Klarheit, mehr
Feinheiten und Verbesserungen im Frequenzgang bei gleichzeitig weniger Hintergrundrauschen, Verzerrungen und Kompression ermöglichen ein audiophiles Hörerlebnis wie nie zuvor.
Diese limitierte und nummerierte Auflage erscheint auf 180-g-Vinyl in einem luxuriösen 3-LP-Box-Set und
enthält zusätzliche Fotos sowie Faksimiles der ursprünglichen Aufnahmeprotokolle und Bandkartons.

Pierre Mariétan (1935–2025) was a prolific Swiss composer, sound artist, and pioneer in acoustic ecology who spent most of his life working in France. Over his long career, he composed more than 300 instrumental, orchestral, vocal, and electronic pieces. Mariétan studied under avant-garde legends like Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Bernd Alois Zimmermann. In 1966, he founded GERM (Groupe d’Étude et de Réalisation Musicales), a music collective that blurred the lines between strict composition and free improvisation. In 1969 the French BYG label released a GERM album and the same year GERM played at the legendary 5-day Festival in Amougies, Belgium, sharing stage with Pink Floyd, The Soft Machine, Frank Zappa, Don Cherry,…

In 1979 Mariétan founded the Laboratoire d'Acoustique Urbaine (Urban Acoustics Laboratory) to bridge environmental sounds, urban architecture, and musical composition. Mariétan was also a professor at the University of Paris where he taught the relationship between sound and space. Later in life, he remained active as a director for the Movement of Environmental Sound and continued developing permanent, immersive sound installations across the globe. His album Musique d’été was originally released on cassette back in 1983 by Éditions Salabert and Costin Miereanu’s Poly-Art International, and it has been slightly tweaked for this LP reissue. The record splits his vision of "Summer Music" into two different vibes. Side A is a deep dive into an electronic, synthesizer-driven landscape, while Side B features raw acoustic field recordings of forests and traditional Swiss alphorns.

Adjust the intensity of the sound at the same level, if not just above the background noise specific to the place of diffusion.

Recently unveiled Norwegian Heavy Metal act Avrak was founded in 2023 by guitarists Anders Hegna & Ted Skjellum; himself notable for being half of legendary duo, Darkthrone. The pair had known each other for many years, & with a mutual passion for old, classic rock & metal they finally embarked upon this new journey together under the banner of Avrak.

Ted had declared from the beginning that he would in fact not carry out main vocal duties in the band, & so Anders - with his own voice befitting of the style - took on this task.

Still quite early on within the formative stages, Terje Kråbøl was brought in on the drums &, from there-on, with his percussive presence backing up some thunderous riffing, the creative work accelerated until enough material was produced (and relentlessly refined), culminating in the self-titled, hook-laden & doom-laced rock debut, ‘Avrak’.

Suitably & epically defined as a monumental “Heavy Metal voyage from the peak of the mountains to the depths of the seas”, & delivering themes relating to empowerment in the face of increasingly corrupt times, ‘Avrak’ is a combination of a vast multitude of influences, as the eclectic, deceptively nuanced nine track offering features a classic heavy metal & doom rock backbone, with further experimentation including synth passages, & even some traces of black metal riffing in its DNA.

Avrak subsequently held its debut show in their local town of Porsgrunn in late April 2026, backed by the brand new bassist & final piece of the puzzle, Steinar Gundersen, with more live shows intended in future to support the release.

This edition of ‘Avrak’ is presented on limited silver vinyl, including printed inner sleeve with full lyrics.

Their music draws from old folk sources, but it sounds vibrantly alive. On The Holy Coming of the Storm, their debut from 2010, the duo crafts original songwriting and seasoned acoustic musicianship into a timeless blend of old-time, bluegrass, folk and Americana traditions. Now, more than a decade later, these beloved recordings are finally being pressed on vinyl for the very first time in special limited-edition releases. Together, Cahalen and Eli tap the root of the old country and bluegrass duets. As the sparse landscapes of Cahalen's vocals reflect the warm glow of Eli's voice, it's clear that this duo was made to sing together

Their music draws from old folk sources, but it sounds vibrantly alive. On Our Lady of the Tall Trees , their sophomore release, the duo builds on the sensitive folk of their debut and shows why they are some of the finest roots songwriting of their generation. Now, more than a decade later, these beloved recordings are finally being pressed on vinyl for the very first time in special limited- edition releases. Together, Cahalen and Eli tap the root of the old country and bluegrass duets. As the sparse landscapes of Cahalen's vocals reflect the warm glow of Eli's voice, it's clear that this duo was made to sing together.

Their music draws from old folk sources, but it sounds vibrantly alive. Produced by Tim O'Brien, I'll Swing My Hammer With Both My Hands is the epic culmination of the duo's original run together. Now, more than a decade later, these beloved recordings are finally being pressed on vinyl for the very first time in special limited- edition releases. Together, Cahalen and Eli tap the root of the old country and bluegrass duets. As the sparse landscapes of Cahalen's vocals reflect the warm glow of Eli's voice, it's clear that this duo was made to sing together

Recently unveiled Norwegian Heavy Metal act Avrak was founded in 2023 by guitarists Anders Hegna & Ted Skjellum; himself notable for being half of legendary duo, Darkthrone. The pair had known each other for many years, & with a mutual passion for old, classic rock & metal they finally embarked upon this new journey together under the banner of Avrak.

Ted had declared from the beginning that he would in fact not carry out main vocal duties in the band, & so Anders - with his own voice befitting of the style - took on this task.

Still quite early on within the formative stages, Terje Kråbøl was brought in on the drums &, from there-on, with his percussive presence backing up some thunderous riffing, the creative work accelerated until enough material was produced (and relentlessly refined), culminating in the self-titled, hook-laden & doom-laced rock debut, ‘Avrak’.

Suitably & epically defined as a monumental “Heavy Metal voyage from the peak of the mountains to the depths of the seas”, & delivering themes relating to empowerment in the face of increasingly corrupt times, ‘Avrak’ is a combination of a vast multitude of influences, as the eclectic, deceptively nuanced nine track offering features a classic heavy metal & doom rock backbone, with further experimentation including synth passages, & even some traces of black metal riffing in its DNA.

Avrak subsequently held its debut show in their local town of Porsgrunn in late April 2026, backed by the brand new bassist & final piece of the puzzle, Steinar Gundersen, with more live shows intended in future to support the release.

This edition of ‘Avrak’ is presented on limited silver vinyl, including printed inner sleeve with full lyrics.

Gabriella Cilmi's talents were undeniable from a young age, leading her to sign to Australia's Mushroom Records when she was just 13-years-old. Just a few years later, the breakthrough success of 'Sweet About Me' and her Gold-certified UK Top 10 debut album 'Lessons To Be Learned' took the teenager global. But she discovered that the more success she had, the more she was subjected to countless opinions on what she should do next - an awkward situation for an artist who just wanted to be herself. 'Pure Love' is a record she made having discovered the confidence and freedom to make exactly the kind of album she wants to make: a soulful organic one, on which she could sing from the heart. And it's certainly worth the wait, a triumphant return in which her warm, throaty, unmistakably expressive contralto wraps itself around the deep soul, jazz and classic rock that has always been closest to her heart.