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Repressed.

Workforce presents his debut album ‘Set & Setting’ on his own imprint Must Make Music. This body of work marks a significant new chapter for Jack as he continues to re-establish himself as a solo producer, DJ and label owner after 16 years as one half of the celebrated Drum & Bass duo Spectrasoul.

As an album, ‘Set & Setting’ is an absolute focussing of the Workforce sound. It’s the coming together of his influences and human experience to form the basis of the work - frenetically varied in both sound and feel, but held together by an overarching aesthetic and sonic palette.

'Set & Setting’, a phrase I’ve co-opted from the context of psychedelics, refers to the physical, mental, social, and environmental context that an individual brings to an experience.

The making of the music was the codifying of my ‘reality’. Experiencing the music is the decoding; altered by ‘Set’ and ‘Setting’.” Workforce

I'm talkin' about Beatmasters, but not the late 80s crew that saw collaborations with the Cookie Crew etc, I'm talking about the legendary Bristol beatmaster Boca 45 who has mastered, honed and polished his creative techniques and his distillation of beat making over the last 25+ years. Born out of hip hop and rooted firmly in the Bristol scene of Massive, Wild Bunch, and Portishead, Boca 45 aka Scott Hendy has successfully navigated an ever changing musical landscape with an unwavering connection and honest adherence to those very roots and ethics. It's what makes Bristol such a special place for art of all forms in the city, a DIY, earthy and passionate sound and vision that runs through all the artists that call Bristol home.
And so it continues with Boca's only 45 release this year in ‘22. It’s strictly Limited to 300 copies on High Quality Yellow wax with each copy stamped & numbered.
On this Bomb Donut he teams up with NYC Native Tongue OG Bam of The Jungle Brothers on hype vocals duties for 2 dancefloor burners.
The A side '(Do It) Fluid' goes straight for the jugular with an immediate phat rubbery bassline that precedes a beat that charges and swings between 4 to the floor and wild breaks. Everything else within the track is supporting that drum & bass, heaping bucket loads of flavour into the mix. And to make it even more tasty, the arrangement is a clear 'DJs Choice', eminently cut-able, mixable, and double up-able! The intention of this (and the flip) is most definitely to stick 'nasty faces' on everyone on the dancefloor.
So if you weren't already bleeding from a torn jugular from the A side, then the B side is going to do some serious damage to what is left of your vascular system. Picking up the tempo with a heavy-duty breakbeat that drives ever forward, 'Another Dimension' is peppered with fuzzed up riffs, Bam's hype vocals, and spacy flourishes. The result is a blistering dancefloor nugget heavily laden with urgency and vigour that DJs, dancers and breakdancers alike will be seriously wigging and poppin' out to. Ultimately these are classic Boca productions, full of the energy and verve we all know and love, honest, funky, raw, they have it all.
Both tracks are a step up from cut-and-paste, yet that ethic is loud and proud throughout (and has been a trademark of Boca's beats over the years).
It's perfectly reasonable to predict that this 45 will be going straight into the play crates of DJs across the world. And you can quote me on that.

Reissued double vinyl album of first part of THIS IMMORTAL COIL's Coil homage in gatefold sleeve with new artwork! "Brilliantly versatile tribute album to British-based avant garde and experimental group, Coil." More than a tribute to cult dark ambient band COIL, This Immortal Coil is a project of re-interpretations by Ici d'Ailleurs' artists and more: Yael Naim, Bonnie Prince Billy, Matt Elliott, Yann Tiersen, DAUU, Christine Ott, Chapelier Fou, Sylvain Chauveau, Deadverse. Mixed by OKTOPUS of DÄLEK. Peter Christopherson himself immediately put it up for sale on the Coil website at the time, cherrishing the work as "The Most extra-ordinary, beautiful and moving re-interpretations of Coil I have ever heard." "On November 13th 2004, John Balance passed away, He was, along with Peter Christopherson, the founding member of the group Coil. His brutal death marked the end of over twenty years of activism and musical genius. I have then decided to work on a project that would pay tribute to them. I didn't want another compilation that would pile up pieces, without any link. My wish was to transpose this unique musical mood to another one, more classical and more accessible to everyone. The whole idea was to pay tribute to the music for what was beyond it, just the way COIL underlined it: « Coil is more than music »I got my inspiration from the project This Mortal Coil, started in the eighties by the English label 4AD. Its label manager had then grouped some of its own artists together in order to play some standards of rock and pop music. Most of those who participated in this work hardly knew COIL. My purpose wasn't to go towards those artists who had a conscious connection with the music of the group, let alone musicians who claimed to be the heirs to this seminal work.

Svart Records proudly presents: Finnish prog-psych quintet Sammal sheds skin and changes into a power trio, new album announced Sammal have since their 2013 debut cemented their reputation as one of the leaders of the Fenno-Ugrian neoprogressive and psychedelic scene and also raised some waves internationally, performing at the well-respected Roadburn Festival in 2015 and garnering a series of raving reviews around the world of psychedelia and progressive rock fandom, such as “Truly amazing and otherworldy music” or “Earnest, vibrant music specked with impressive nuance”. A few years have passed since the successful Suuliekki album, and since then two of their five members have left the fold. Guitarist and songwriter Jura Salmi decided, however, that Sammal must continue in some form or another. “During the spring of 2020 I would spend time alone recording new demos with the guitar. The remaining three Sammal members had already decided that if the band was to continue, we would not seek another keyboard player.I had bought a guitar pedal that can simulate keyboard sounds and it opened a new world to me. I realized we can perform fine as a power trio without a bass or a keyboard player”, comments Jura Salmi. “Sammal has always been a melting pot of all music we like. If in the past we used to be heavily into bands lke Camel, Dungen and Opeth, when working on this album we’d liste to everything from Bo Hansson and Iron Butterfly to Type O Negative and Whitesnake”, laughs Salmi and continues, “We’d also pick the language of a song’s lyrics based on what we felt would fit the mood of the song. This album has songs in Finnish, Swedish and English.” Sammal’s unexpected prog-psych-boogie epic Aika laulaa will be released on November 18th on all platforms as well as on CD and LP.

Svart Records proudly presents: Finnish prog-psych quintet Sammal sheds skin and changes into a power trio, new album announced Sammal have since their 2013 debut cemented their reputation as one of the leaders of the Fenno-Ugrian neoprogressive and psychedelic scene and also raised some waves internationally, performing at the well-respected Roadburn Festival in 2015 and garnering a series of raving reviews around the world of psychedelia and progressive rock fandom, such as “Truly amazing and otherworldy music” or “Earnest, vibrant music specked with impressive nuance”. A few years have passed since the successful Suuliekki album, and since then two of their five members have left the fold. Guitarist and songwriter Jura Salmi decided, however, that Sammal must continue in some form or another. “During the spring of 2020 I would spend time alone recording new demos with the guitar. The remaining three Sammal members had already decided that if the band was to continue, we would not seek another keyboard player.I had bought a guitar pedal that can simulate keyboard sounds and it opened a new world to me. I realized we can perform fine as a power trio without a bass or a keyboard player”, comments Jura Salmi. “Sammal has always been a melting pot of all music we like. If in the past we used to be heavily into bands lke Camel, Dungen and Opeth, when working on this album we’d liste to everything from Bo Hansson and Iron Butterfly to Type O Negative and Whitesnake”, laughs Salmi and continues, “We’d also pick the language of a song’s lyrics based on what we felt would fit the mood of the song. This album has songs in Finnish, Swedish and English.” Sammal’s unexpected prog-psych-boogie epic Aika laulaa will be released on November 18th on all platforms as well as on CD and LP.

NOT EXPORTABLE TO France, Italy, Spain, Benelux, Greece, Balkans. "Center. The name may define the furtive action of search engines, but it says plenty about the music made by this trio, whose members reside in New Haven, Connecticut. Stefan Christensen, Ian McColm, and Dave Shapiro make music so weighty that it generates its own gravity, and yet transparent enough to see straight through to its center. They have arrived at a sound located within a matrix of possibilities suggested by their many shared and separate ventures. It is the sonic orb around which Christensen's post-Xpressway analog alchemy; Shapiro's expositions of acoustic guitar expressivity under the name Alexander and as an accompanist for Kath Bloom, McColm's generation of pulsing freedom as the drummer for Heart of the Ghost and diverse improvisational ensembles, Shapiro and Christensen's unification of historically sound psychedelic practices from either side of the Pacific Ocean as part of Headroom, and McColm and Shapiro's explorations of electric guitar turbulence in Nagual all turn. If you were to search for Center's generative root, you'd find it in Nagual. Christensen first joined the duo in 2016, first as a deputy, and ultimately a full member. Their improvisations acquired a quieter, more spacious character. This transformation necessitated a new name, and they have been working towards completing this LP ever since. While all of the music on Over The Stations originated spontaneously, it has been subjected to centrifugal forces of evaluation and collective debate in order to distill the trio's essence. Modulated chimes, squeezebox respirations, strategic drum beats, humid reeds, and pond-dwelling synth voices augment what is essentially a stringed instrument trio. Listen in, and listen deep. - Bill Meyer" TRACKLIST: "A1 Over The Stations A2 The Empty Gesture A3 10 / 10 Sky A4 White Pine Oval A5 Modern Heights A6 Birds Fall From The Dam B1 Door 5-4 B2 Pysyvä"

• Sony Masterworks is happy to announce the vinyl release of the Netflix live-action series Cowboy Bebop which premiered in November 2021 and is available on Netflix.

• Yoko Kanno and the band SEATBELTS, the artists behind the music in the original anime series of Cowboy Bebop, have returned to bring their signature dynamic, jazzy sound to the Netflix live-action show. The resulting compositions are characters themselves - constant companions to the crew of the Bebop and brimming with just as much personality.

• Cowboy Bebop (Soundtrack from the Netflix Original Series) is a treat for Bebop fans in an additional way - it features over twenty new tracks only available on vinyl! This wide release is pressed on red marble vinyl discs in a gatefold jacket with printed inner sleeves.

• COWBOY BEBOP is an action-packed space Western about three bounty hunters, aka “cowboys,” all trying to outrun the past. As different as they are deadly, Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) form a scrappy, snarky crew ready to hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals — for the right price. But they can only kick and quip their way out of so many scuffles before their pasts finally catch up with them.

• Original anime series director Shinichirō Watanabe is a consultant on the series, and original composer Yoko Kanno returns for the live-action adaptation. The series also stars Alex Hassell and Elena Satine.


• Yoko Kanno is a Japanese composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks of anime films, television series, live-action films, video games, and advertisements. She has written scores for Cowboy Bebop and its live-action adaptation, Darker than Black, Macross Plus, Turn A Gundam, The Vision of Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Wolf's Rain, Kids on the Slope, Genesis of Aquarion and Terror in Resonance, and has worked with the directors Hirokazu Kore-eda, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Shinichirō Watanabe and Shōji Kawamori. Kanno has also composed music for pop artists Maaya Sakamoto and Kyōko Koizumi. She is also a keyboardist and is the frontwoman for the SEATBELTS, who perform many of Kanno's compositions and soundtracks.

The liner notes for "The Inner Mounting Flame" were written by the guru Sri Chinmoy – now that’s a real sales point! The music too burns right from the very first note to the last as though it were licked by the flames of hell fire. The wealth of ideas, sheer vitality and supreme soloistic virtuosity of the five top-notch musicians from four different countries is absolutely first class.

In addition there is their truly dreamlike interplay; one could say they were born and grew up with the same 'spirit'. "Meeting Of The Spirit", "The Dance Of Maya" and "You Know You Know" are the highlights of this first Mahavishnu Orchestra. Aspiration – struggle, hope and desire – is seen as an inner mounting flame which takes man towards 'divine perfection'. Well, opinions differ of course. But what is certain is that this music from 1971 is still amazingly fresh and creative even 36 years later – and luckily it is available once again in the form of a vinyl disc.

Limited Gold Vinyl

Son Lux reemerge with their forthcoming fifth full-length LP, Brighter Wounds, finding the trio in command of a daring, multidirectional sound, expressing naturally the proclivity for surprise and contrast that characterize the project's output. The new release explores the violence of love, the beauty of sacrifice, and the specter of impermanence.Anchored by its cinematic heart, All Directions,' the album ranges from the thunderous charge of Dream State' to the sputtering, soulful lilt of Slowly.' Ryan Lott's devastating vocal on "Aquatic," guitarist Rafiq Bhatia's blooming flower melismas on "Labor," and drummer Ian Chang's nearly inhuman rhythmic calculus on "The Fool You Need" illuminate a curious and delicate balance of precision and pain.Since 2015's Bones, the band's profile has grown in the worlds of music, dance, and film. Each member now charts their respective solo paths, and their individual adventures find a home within the purview of Son Lux. On Brighter Wounds, collaborators range from longtime cohorts Rob Moose (Y Music, Bon Iver, The National) and DM Stith (Sufjan Stevens), to new friends trumpeter Dave Douglas and reedist/instrument builder Arrington de Dionyso.Son Lux has made invention its hallmark through continued exploration and experimentation. With Brighter Wounds, the triad NPR proclaimed the world's most lethal band" now grips exhilaration and heartache in full embrace. In the words of the album's closing refrain, "is this what the resurrection feels like"

Recorded both in Spain and Finland, the 13-track album Myriadi documents Tatu Rönkkö and Raúl Pastor Medall's first standalone collaboration, entirely created, performed and mixed by the pair. With Myriadi, the two artists walk listeners into a world that somehow manages to feel ancient and modern at the same time. It is peaceful and dreamy but also raw, solemn and unsettling. Tatu's improvisational, crude and almost ritualistic sonic approach blends in seamlessly with Raúl's more melodic and melancholic schemes of composition. With its simplicity and clarity, Myriadi belongs in the realms of dark ambient and drone as much as it belongs to a tradition of minimal acoustic music. Myriadi embraces loose ends, harmonic freedom and even atonality; regardless of whether it involves the sound of glass-blowing water bottles, a small Finnish harp, bell-like sounding metal plates or piano strings played with paint brushes and sticks, the overall improv-based character of the project gives Myriadi a primal, unpredictable and meditative feel. This spontaneous study of form and timbre has room for bold rhythmic pieces played with a drum set consisting of six floor toms, but also for hypnotic chants of granular flute-like sounds and spoken word poetry (featuring voices by Raúl and Tatu's moms). The spontaneity and lack of premeditation that permeate through Myriadi paradoxically reinforce the cohesiveness of the record, reminding us that sometimes creativity really benefits from avoiding too much analysis and overthinking. Rauelsson (Raúl Pastor Medall's musical moniker) and Tatu Rönkkö met in 2015 through common friends. They both have released music on the Berlin-based label Sonic Pieces and have collaborated on stage and in the studio on a number of occasions. Tatu appeared as a guest musician on Rauelsson's Mirall (2018) and contributed significantly on some film and TV projects that Raúl has worked on for the last couple of years. For the recording sessions of the dystopian TV Series Anna (2021) Tatu travelled to Spain where they explored countless rhythmic ideas with relatively untraditional instrumentation. These free and relaxed creative meetings led to other recording sessions completely unconnected to any scoring project, planting the seed for what Myriadi would become. RIYL: Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Brian Eno TRACKLIST: A1 Rombo A2 Vidre A3 T A4 Keinu A5 Ryminä A6 Ö B1 K B2 Silta B3 Golondrina B4 U B5 Kuvakudos B6 Pont B7 Muinoin

VINYL COLOUR IS GREY. BORSTAL, the UK-Hardcore band featuring Nick Barker (Brujeria, ex-Dimmu Borgir, Cradle Of Filth) & Pierre Mendivil (Knuckledust) release details of brand new 2 track 7". Produced by Russ Russell (Napalm Death/The Exploited/At The Gates). The 2 songs are a follow up BORSTAL's debut EP "At Her Majesty's Pleasure". The 7" record is a collaboration between Rucktion Records & 4 Family Records. Both labels are offering different variants and bundles of the 7" in extremely limited quantities. Pressed on heavyweight Vinyl and including a free download code! Front man 'Pierre' comments on the new video 'No Surrender'; "This song is inspired by confronting the defeatist mentality that society seems to want to push on us, on so many levels! And even in ourselves as we battle everyday to try better and strengthen our mental attitude just to deal with life these days." BORSTAL Guitarist 'Lee' continues "It's nice to finally get some fresh music out there. We recorded these 2 songs in 2021 with our brother Russ Russell. But due to delays with pressing plants and so on, we got held up! I feel like our sound is really coming together now, and these new tunes are just a teaser for what's to come. We've nearly finished writing our full length too, so they'll be news to follow that soon". The cover artwork for the 7" is by Australian artist Mick Lambrou. Mick has recently designed t-shirts, flyers and artwork for the likes of hardcore legends Agnostic Front, Madball & Slapshot.

Tombolo Rumble Vol I. is here! The first volume of a list of selected releases by different artists from around the globe. Proud to be presenting four tracks by four upcoming and established legends on the panorama of electronic music: Unknown Mobile, DJ Dog, Poly Chain and Abdul Raeva.

First artist on the list is Unknown Mobile, an amazing producer and dj based in Montréal, Canada. You may know him well from his well received releases across some of the dance sphere labels like Planet Euphorique or Pacific Rhythm among others. What you can find in his track is a 4×4 upbeat house atmosphere that goes along with crazy synths, and a beautiful armony creating a perfect melting for the dancefloor. Second track is by DJ Dog, the fun aka of DJ Fett Burger, a Norwegian legend based in Berlin founder of projects such as Sex Tags Mania or Trushmix. He comes with a downtempo, jumpy track, with very fun percussions and synths that will make you feel as if you are walking on Mars. Third track is by Estonian duo Abdul Raeva. Huge track for the club, upbeat techno with acid baselines on a fast bpm percussion. And last but not least, we have Poly Chain, a Ukranian artist that is getting a lot of attention due to her strong mixes as well as her productions, delivering some fat broken beats with acid baselines as well.

The origins of Cos date back to the second half of the sixties when Daniel Schell joined forces with Jean-Paul Musette, Pascale Son and Robert Pernet to form Classroom. When Classroom split, Daniel Schell and Pascale Son moved ahead and formed Cos together with Charles Loos, Alain Goutier and Bob Dartsch. They produced an experimental jazz rock sound linked to the influences above mentioned, but without being mere copycats since they always managed to keep to their own personality.



Babel was Cos' third long playing release, issued in 1978. It represented a new step in the band's evolution with the addition of new influences that ranged from musique dodécaphonique, minimalist droning, or even a hint of disco, without turning their backs to their earlier love for Canterbury sounds or more conventional jazz-rock. Dirk Bogaert, Francis Cahen and Marc Moulin all played in its sessions, making this a superb sample of what was going on through the Belgian music scene in those days.



The Wah Wah reissue comes housed in a beautiful reproduction of the original sleeve. Limited edition of 500 copies, licensed from and with the collaboration of Daniel Schell.

red/clear splatter vinyl

Shake Chain will also be performing at Marina Abramovic’s private view at Modern Art Oxford on September 23rd.

Shake Chain have been busy demolishing audiences and expectations for the best part of three years. Vocalist Kate Mahony sets that standard by starting each live performance by crawling from the back of the room through a disbelieving crowd’s legs in a shiny yellow raincoat. The resulting questions that frantically arise of ‘what’s going on?’, ‘am I hallucinating?’ and ‘is this part of the show?’ are hallmarks of how Shake Chain approach making their unruly, lyric-bespattered rock music.

The four-piece from London are completed by Robert Syres (guitar, synth), Chris Hopkins (bass, synth) and Joe Fergey (drums), all artists hailing from Goldsmiths College, Nottingham Trent and Wimbledon, University of the Arts. A mutual love of thought-provoking performance art and a yearning for disruption have helped Shake Chain lock into their wayward sound. Twitchy guitar lines jolt and jerk, synths burble noisily and tack-sharp drums pin things down for Kate’s reeling vocal to vault and slur. Kate’s singing has drawn comparisons with Yoko Ono, Su Tissue and even a seance with it’s unique embrace of flights of atonal fancy, head-first repetition and ecstatic frenzy. Opinion-dividing arguably, but singular in making Shake Chain dauntingly brilliant.

Shake Chain’s debut album ‘Snake Chain’ was recorded in the New Forest’s Chuckalumba Studios early in 2022. The tranquil setting only slightly skewed by the intense extratropical cyclone occuring outside. When asked to sum up the album the group collectively settled on it sounding like “crying in a Catholic sex dungeon with Eastenders on”, perhaps only half tongue in cheek given the soapy dramatics of opening track ‘Stace’. ‘RU’ is a stompy triumph of ad lib monotony, heavy and wonky, its vocal slowly unwinding into residual sense. Shake Chain’s songs are populated with cowboys, cherry-pickers, content-addicts, private investments, a careless driver called Mike, architects and by much lamentation at the state of our confusing existencies. This last point underlined in luminous marker pen with slow-building vortex ‘Highly Conpeptual’ and whispered closer ‘Duck’.

‘Copy Me’ races along with radiant headbangs of dynamic abandon, one part tumble, two parts pummel, “hold your breath til something changes” commands Kate whilst everything of course is in hammering flux. ‘Second Home’ is similarly coruscating yet bouyant, whilst ‘Arthur’ feels like it could tear inside in two amid sobbing wails and the twining of its disparate parts. Throughout all the unhinged freakouts, found sounds and blasting rhythms though is Kate’s questioning, resilient presence, anchoring everything. On bruising creeper ‘Birthday’ she asks most tellingly “Do we speak language or does language speak us? Is there a mouth in the middle of the desert? Do you ask how cups are designed? Would you say yes when you really mean I don’t know”? Shake Chain are cathartic and absurd, humorous and deadly serious yet always inspired. Its this tightrope walk which makes their album such a thrilling, vital listen.

Portland's premiere purveyors of kraut-inflected party rock return with an
album's worth of tunes crammed into an extended playing set
The eponymous lead track bursts out of the gate with ebullience. Lee Ritter's
rhythms and Cord Amato's riffs fit comfortably in the space where Kraftwerk left
off and DEVO began. "Artificial Head" may be about a Fleshlight, or it could be a
paperback sci-fi-derived weed fantasy. You could listen to Møtrik while sober, but
why would you do that? Next up is the measured and groovy "Castle Electric"
which features a dialog between bassist/vocalist Erik Golts and a sexy computer.
His German is easily as good as her English and one wonders how the night
ended after she switched the lights "auf." Side one completes with "Unifox" built
up from a Dave Fulton synth composition into a full- fledged Møtrik track, this
being the first time the band has bucked its contrarian vision of a band that jams
in its own professional recording studio yet refuses to produce itself. "Outer
Reaches" is the patiently awaited sidelong epic. The contemplative and
exploratory scene begins with chirrups from an analog swamp, then slowly rises
through the hazy pastel atmosphere on a crystalline bubble before blasting off
into full- fledged Floydian outer space psych. As always, Møtrik colors between
the lines, applying its overall aesthetic to rock music, which is to say it's the
FORTRAN approach to basement partying. Artificial Head is just what your body
needs to feel complete. Pressed on Light Green Color vinyl.

Merry Christmas! This Christmasclassic from the iconic Ray Charles has been unavailable for over a decade. Issued on vinyl for the first time since it"s original release in 1985! Ray Charles one and only Christmas album is a must have for all fans of classic holiday music. Charles performs a variety of holiday favorites and originals, including "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and the ballad "That Spirit of Christmas," featured in National Lampoon"s Christmas Vacation. An album that will elevate your soul year after year!"

Rich-poor divide widens. Unemployment soars. The East and West eyeball each other on the brink. 2022 isn't too far off the 1980s. Contort Yourself know this.

Following the huge success of the prophetic 80s Underground Cassette Culture Vol 1, Vol 2 is set to hit shelves and screens with the same brand of distortion soaked didactics.

Twenty one tracks from across the globe make up this second installment with nothing being constant. Instead, the overarching message is one of wanton abandonment; burnt-out artists peddling an electronic punk profanity, marginalised musicians spitting on the establishment and industry.

Rusted guitar strings, cobbled drum machines and fire in the belly; this is the recipe.

A soundtrack of despondent despair, a lament of languid lechery, an anthem of what was then and still is now.

From an aspiring b-boy to working with luminaries Billy Porter, Joss Stone, Kimberly Davis and Teni Tinks, The Shapeshifters, Simon Marlin announces the release of his brand-new studio album “Let Loose”.

Wrapped in a defining optimistic mood and colourful palette, “Let Loose” plays with the friction between musical persona and influence, delivering a masterclass in Simon’s flourishing depth of integrity as a producer and admiration to those that exert their enduring influence upon him.

“I'm a facilitator of talent. I'm blessed that over the years I've managed to put a team of people together - as a producer, that's what I do, very much in the old school sense like a Quincy Jones or Gamble & Huff, they’re the guys I try to emulate - and make something magic out of nothing, but do it in a contemporary way. That’s what really floats my boat, and that's what this whole project is about.” Simon Marlin – The Shapeshifters

Across the latest and long-awaited studio album “Let Loose” The Shapeshifters pledge rhythmic allegiance to the golden era disco records and their spellbinding qualities; embracing the tension often found between tradition and future to craft a euphoric, certifiable body of work presented to the devoted audience he deserves. The Shapeshifters exemplify a scene in rude health one that is now switching on an ever-younger fan base, and with Marlin being the beating heart of it it’s easy to see why The Shapeshifters are more in demand in the clubs than ever.

The twelve-track album is illuminated with vocal collaborations including the recently released and debut collaboration with the Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award-winning Billy Porter.

Layers of rushing strings, flares of brass and hedonistic grooves provide refreshing dancefloor power dynamics and deliver a liberating, triumphant and inherently uplifting record.

Taking an impeccably smooth course through disco-infused house, The Shapeshifters continue the rich relationship with Glitterbox and its record label; one that has yielded instant classics that epitomise the label’s ethos for preserving disco’s mission to uplift and empower.

Each of the three hundred covers is different! All are numbered.

After two well-received albums of Normal Bias, the time has come for a solo debut in U Know Me of the half of this valued dub dub, i.e. Piotr Krupiński, better known as YAC.

The starting point for "We Have Much More In Common Than What Divides Us" was the rhythm, and on the one hand synthetic sounds of classic analog synthesizers with the legendary EMS VCS3 at the forefront, and on the other hand the organic hypnotic sound of Tibetan bowls and tubular bells. All together strongly processed and traditionally ground with dub techniques and marked by the tape's noise.

The amazing graphic design was created by Bartosz Szymkiewicz.

The cover design is the result of an attempt to graphically represent the album's minimalist but full of lively nuances music. Each of the forms on the cover corresponds with its surface area to the length of the work it depicts. The composition was procedurally generated by a computer program, resulting in 300 unique covers. Interestingly, the program definitely preferred to arrange the forms close together, which is an unforeseen reference to the title of the album.

First Word Records is very proud to bring you a brand new album from Takuya Kuroda!

Takuya Kuroda is a highly respected trumpeter and arranger born in Kobe, Japan and based in New York City. 'Midnight Crisp' is Takuya's seventh studio album, entirely self-produced and following 2020's highly acclaimed 'Fly Moon Die Soon', also released on UK label First Word (winner of the Worldwide Award's Label of the Year in 2019). Consisting of six new tracks, this once again sees Takuya displaying his unique hybrid sound, blending soulful jazz, funk, post-bop, fusion and hip hop.

After following the footsteps of his trombonist brother playing in big bands, he relocated to New York to study jazz & contemporary music at The New School in Union Square; a course he graduated from in the mid-noughties. It was here that Takuya met vocalist José James, with whom he worked on the 'Blackmagic' and 'No Beginning No End' projects.

Following graduation, Takuya established himself further in the NYC jazz scene, performing with the likes of Akoya Afrobeat and in recent years with DJ Premier's BADDER band. Premier said "The BADDER Band project was put together by my manager, and an agent I've known since the beginning of my Gang Starr career. He said, 'What if you put a band together that revolved around a trumpet player from Japan named Takuya Kuroda? He's got a hip-hop perspective and respect in the jazz field…"

Takuya Kuroda is already incredibly prolific, releasing six albums in the past decade and fortifying a solid reputation in the global jazz scene. 2011 saw the release of Takuya's independently-produced debut album, 'Edge', followed by 'Bitter and High' the following year and 'Six Aces' on P-Vine in 2013. Takuya was signed to the legendary Blue Note Records in 2014 for his album 'Rising Son', as well as appearing on their 2019 cover versions project, 'Blue Note Voyage'. He released his 5th album 'Zigzagger' on Concord in 2016, which also featured Antibalas on a reimagining of the Donald Byrd classic 'Think Twice'.

His last album was the afore-mentioned 'Fly Moon Die Soon' on First Word, which received plays and support from the likes of Pitchfork, Earmilk, Bandcamp Weekly, Worldwide FM, All About Jazz, Apple Music, Tidal, Stereogum, Treble, Brooklyn Vegan, FIP (France), Tony Minvielle, Jazz FM, Huey Morgan (BBC 6 Music), BBC Radio 3, Novena Carmel, KCRW and tons more DJs, tastemakers, selectors, radio stations, bloggers & magazines.

The new project 'Midnight Crisp' will be released October 21st 2022 on vinyl, CD and digital, worldwide via First Word Records.

First Lady of Song Ella Fitzgerald overcame the challenges of a tumultuous youth through music, her performances with the Chick Webb Orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom and distinctive scat singing leading to early recordings and the 1938 breakthrough, ‘A Tisket A Tasket.’ After recording bebop LPs for Decca, manager Norman Granz launched the Verve label to allow her to broaden her musical horizons, exploring the Great American Songbook. Released in 1960, Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas sees her tackle Christmas classics as only Ella can, the lavish orchestration overseen by noted conductor Frank de Vol.

The first album in 7 years from seminal electronic music pioneers and twice Mercury Prize Nominated, Leftfield. Currently reaching a new audience through Idris Elba’s Gucci ad, this will be their 4th album in their 28 year history. The new single will be featured in the soon to launched eFootball by Konami (previously PES).

Their last tour (in 2017) featured 7 sold out UK shows (including 2 X Brixton Academies), a sold out world tour and various festival headlines.

Quote from Neil Barnes: "I wanted ‘Pulse’ to be the first statement from the new album. It felt strong. Dance floor. Human. Positive. And I love the bass. It’s Leftfield."

Full pitch notes with bio to come

CULTURE

Leftfield (originally comprised of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley), have been at the cutting edge of dance music since the 1990s, releasing albums that have become some of the most influential electronic records of all time around the world with their debut LP 'Leftism' being widely regarded as one of the most boundary-pushing electronic LPs ever released.

In 2010, Neil Barnes reignited the Leftfield name, and went on to release an acclaimed new album (Alternative Light Source) touring the world with the full live band. Neil has also been cementing his reputation as a top-tier DJ and record collector unleashing modern dance floor weapons, selling out venues, headlining festivals and creating some amazing nights with his sets.

To confuse parts for the whole is inevitable with Palm. Drummer Hugo Stanley, bassist Gerasimos Livitsanos and guitarists/vocalists/high school sweethearts Eve Alpert and Kasra Kurt started making music together as teenagers, and spent much of their twenties in the kind of proximity unusual for adults, outside of touring bands and the International Space Station. For a number of years the band consumed the lives of its members to a point of exhaustion: “To be honest I think we got a little burnt out. There were times where it wasn’t clear if we’d make another record,” says Alpert. It was only after multiple freak injuries followed by a pandemic, forced a pause - from touring but also from writing, rehearsing, even seeing each other- that the four were able to regroup and see a way forward again.

On their latest effort, Nicks and Grazes, Palm embrace discordance to dazzling effect. “We wanted to reconcile two potentially opposing aesthetics,” Kurt says. “To capture the spontaneous, free energy of our live shows while integrating elements from the traditionally gridded palette of electronic music.” In order to avoid what Kurt refers to as “Palm goes electro,” the musicians spent years educating themselves on the ins and outs of production by learning Ableton while also experimenting with “the percussive, textural, and gestural potential” of their instruments. To this end, the band continued the age-old tradition of instrument-preparation, augmenting guitars with drumsticks, metal rods and, at the suggestion of Charles Bullen (This Heat, Lifetones), coiling rubber-coated gardening wire around the strings. The unruliness of the prepared guitar on songs like “Mirror Mirror” and “Eager Copy” contrasts with the steadfast reproducibility of the album’s electronic elements.

While Palm cite Japanese pop music, dub, and footwork as influences on this album’s sonic palette, they found themselves returning time and again to the artists who inspired them to start the group over a decade ago. “When we were first starting out as a band, we bonded over an appreciation of heavy, aggressive, noisy music,” Alpert reflects. “We wrote parts that were just straight-up metal.” Kurt adds, “I found myself rediscovering and re–falling in love with the visceral, jagged quality of guitars in the music of Glenn Branca, The Fall, Beefheart, and Sonic Youth, all important early Palm influences.” Returning to the fundamentals gave Palm a strong foundation upon which they could experiment freely, resulting in their most ambitious and revelatory album to date.

An outstanding 2LP compiling the best instrumentals of the greatest white rap group ever: the Beastie Boys. New Yorkers Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D crossed over into the mainstream in the mid 80s with their full-length Licensed to Ill and exploded any notions of one-dimensionality with its ambitious followups such as Paul's Boutique, On Check Your Head and Ill Communication. Taking influences from hardcore and hip hop, these innovators performed most of the music while integrating an array of rock samples, 808 beats and witty wordplay into an ever-intriguing sonic smorgasbord.

Repress!


Epitomising the very best of their hometown’s unparalleled musical heritage, Detroit’s Dames Brown are the vocal trio you may not yet know by name but are sure to know by voice. Lending their exquisite range to a number of modern house essentials, including Sophie Lloyd’s ‘Calling Out’, The Vision featuring Andreya Triana ‘Heaven’ and David Penn’s ‘Nobody’ in recent years, Athena Johnson, Teresa Marbury and LaRae Starr now release ‘What Would You Do?’ on a limited 7” package. Produced by long-time collaborator of the group and fellow Motor City native Amp Fiddler and Mahogani Music regular Andrés, this slick, funk-filled and typically soulful vinyl release features the exceptional original version as well as Lyon house superstar Folamour’s remix, with his signature groove a perfect match for the Dames mesmerising vocal.

At the time of this recording, Thelonious Monk was at both a creative and critical peak. He had recently signed with Columbia Records, notably one of the biggest jazz labels in the world at the time, and the following year became the third jazz musician in history to appear on the cover of Time Magazine. The Classic Quartet is comprised of Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Butch Warren on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums. The recording captures what is undoubtedly one of the very best sets of the era. The songs, classic Monk repertoire, will be familiar to any Monk fan. That includes what is by all accounts an exceptional version of one of Monk"s favorite standards, "Just A Gigolo." This recording is the audio portion of a television show recorded in Tokyo during Monk"s 1963 tour of Japan. Not to be confused with the live album of that same 1963 tour, Monk In Tokyo, released on Columbia Records. It also should be noted that the recordings here were previously released as Thelonious Monk 1963 Japan, at various times, by various labels. This version has been remastered by Award Winning Engineer Bernie Grundman. It is the first time this album has been released on vinyl in over 35 years.

Limited edition reissue of this legendary, rare and dreamy electronic ambient new age album.

Originally created and released in a small edition in Japan back in 1987 by the mysterious musician/ magician Shiho. The album features floating shimmering synthesizer textures. It's unique and extra ordinarily serene with shifting tone colors and spatial textures bringing the listener to a special magic place. It's as beautiful as it captivating. There's also a haunting edge to parts of the album sounding like what could originally have influenced David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti when they composed the soundtrack to the original Twin Peaks series. Shiho who loves to make improvisational music began studying classic piano at the age of five. She says she gets inspiration from the celestial realms but she never considers melody. She draws a musical picture. Creativity is the unfolding of the unknown realms within the self. Through our chosen ways of expression, each of us is daily creating a unique universe, a unique environment.

The universe created by each and every being in endless repetition are messages of the universe. The breath of this music, expressed from my present environment, flowing through a myriad of places as environmental music is my expression of The Body Is A Message Of The Universe. Part of the album also saw a limited US CD release in the late 1980s which is hard to come by today.

Although Shiho Yabuki continued her career in Japan, both as a musician and magician and became a pioneer of healing music in Asia, for most western listeners it was like Shiho was one of those mysterious artists who puts out an album and then is never heard from again.



Tracks: Tomoshibi / Samadhi / Winterland / Tenshingoso (Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and Spirit) / Forestland / Tawamure/Cosmic Dance / Energy Flow/Ki No Nagare (The Way Of The Energy Flow)

Svart Records unleashes a heady brew of nocturnal Post-Punk atmosphere and avant-garde Metal from Swedish Goth-tinged Doom Rock band Shaam Larein. The new album, “Sticka en kniv i världen” literally meaning: “stick a knife into the world”, is a ravishing, cut-throat statement of Shaam Larein’s heavy intent, that casts a new shadow of stunning darkness. Formed in 2018, Shaam Larein released their debut album “Sculpture” in 2020 to raptured underground praise, earning them an instant booking to the prestigious Roskilde Festival and planting them on the radar of cult artists such as Chelsea Wolfe. Now signed to Finland’s Svart Records, whose reputation has been forged on bringing new heavy rock artists such as Messa, Green Lung and Beastmilk from the underground into the limelight, Shaam Larein is soon to be hot on the tongues of the cult grapevine. Named after their auteur-like visionary singer Shaam Lerein, who was brought up on Russian classical art and the cinema of Tarkovsky, composes and visualizes their dark materials, cementing Sticka En Kniv I Världen” as an utterly unique take on bat-winged heavy rock. With a devout appreciation of the mystic powers inherent in heavy music, Shaam Larein will ignite memories of Swedish Metal artists such as In Solitude, who swayed towards the eclectic and gothic atmospheres Shaam’s music touches on in their later days. With artist friends from back home in Uppsala, Pelle Åhman making the Album cover and his brother Gottfrid Åhman, both of In Solitude fame, making four videos for Shaam Larein, the links weave closer, but it is to artists like Chelsea Wolfe, Ruth Rundle & Marissa Nadler that you can imagine fans drawing parallels and opening their heart to the enigmatic sound of “Sticka En Kniv I Världen”. Shaam describes her music as “a touch of aggression mixed with passion” and “Sticka En Kniv I Världen” for her is about finding the light through a sea of darkness “accepting the melancholy and seeing the beauty of what lies underneath our mysterious sound”. For a world of heavy rock hungry for a new wave of something dark and mysterious, Shaam Larein has it all in unparalleled dosage, just waiting to be discovered. “Sticka En Kniv I Världen” is released on December 9th by Svart Records.

Svart Records unleashes a heady brew of nocturnal Post-Punk atmosphere and avant-garde Metal from Swedish Goth-tinged Doom Rock band Shaam Larein. The new album, “Sticka en kniv i världen” literally meaning: “stick a knife into the world”, is a ravishing, cut-throat statement of Shaam Larein’s heavy intent, that casts a new shadow of stunning darkness. Formed in 2018, Shaam Larein released their debut album “Sculpture” in 2020 to raptured underground praise, earning them an instant booking to the prestigious Roskilde Festival and planting them on the radar of cult artists such as Chelsea Wolfe. Now signed to Finland’s Svart Records, whose reputation has been forged on bringing new heavy rock artists such as Messa, Green Lung and Beastmilk from the underground into the limelight, Shaam Larein is soon to be hot on the tongues of the cult grapevine. Named after their auteur-like visionary singer Shaam Lerein, who was brought up on Russian classical art and the cinema of Tarkovsky, composes and visualizes their dark materials, cementing Sticka En Kniv I Världen” as an utterly unique take on bat-winged heavy rock. With a devout appreciation of the mystic powers inherent in heavy music, Shaam Larein will ignite memories of Swedish Metal artists such as In Solitude, who swayed towards the eclectic and gothic atmospheres Shaam’s music touches on in their later days. With artist friends from back home in Uppsala, Pelle Åhman making the Album cover and his brother Gottfrid Åhman, both of In Solitude fame, making four videos for Shaam Larein, the links weave closer, but it is to artists like Chelsea Wolfe, Ruth Rundle & Marissa Nadler that you can imagine fans drawing parallels and opening their heart to the enigmatic sound of “Sticka En Kniv I Världen”. Shaam describes her music as “a touch of aggression mixed with passion” and “Sticka En Kniv I Världen” for her is about finding the light through a sea of darkness “accepting the melancholy and seeing the beauty of what lies underneath our mysterious sound”. For a world of heavy rock hungry for a new wave of something dark and mysterious, Shaam Larein has it all in unparalleled dosage, just waiting to be discovered. “Sticka En Kniv I Världen” is released on December 9th by Svart Records.

Lucky', the title of Nada Surf's fifth album, is at once literal and ironic. Like the songs that singer / guitarist Matthew Caws, bassist Daniel Lorca and drummer Ira Elliot crafted for their previous two albums, Let Go' (2003) and The Weight Is A Gift' (2005), Lucky is filled with images of restlessness, longing and the elusiveness of love. Yet the band counterbalances the lyrical bitter sweetness with musical buoyancy. Intimate songs become in-it-together anthems, thanks to the chiming guitars, propulsive rhythms, and the emotional candour in Caws' vocals. A song like Beautiful Beat' segues from a sparsely arranged, confessional first verse into a harmony-laden chorus and reaches multi-layered, canon-like proportions before the track fades out. If Caws is often suggesting that romance and resolution may still be an inch or two out of reach, he's also proffering immediate musical solace. Turn up the volume, hit the repeat button, and your troubles, for a blissful three minutes or so, will disappear.

The three members of Nada Surf have played together now for a dozen years. They've survived overnight major-label success and the inevitable morning-after bleariness, persevering past obstacles that would have sunk a less resilient combo, to become one of America's most truly independent and respected bands. Experience has only made their work richer, bringing gravity to the subject matter and lightness to its presentation. Keeping things honest has become a modus operandi.

2022 Repress

The Godfather of Hardcore, Marc Acardipane, needs no introduction. His outstanding releases over the past 30 years speak for themselves. He has been instrumental in helping to electronic music history, with countless well-known productions which have been unsurpassed by any other artist of this calibre.

His timeless masterpieces have been and always will be heard at hardcore raves spanning the circumference of the Planet. With 9 Is A Classic, Slaves To The Rave, Pitch-Hiker, Stereo Murder and We Have Arrived, just to name a few, he clearly proves who's the boss. "The Most Famous Unknown" is a well compiled collection of Marc's music, which showcases a mere portion of what he has composed and produced since the early nineties!

The vinyl and digital selection of "The Most Famous Unknown" features remixes by Body Sushi a.k.a. VTSS & Randomer, Dasha Rush, Gabber Eleganza feat. Delirio, Jasss, Kilbourne, Minimum Syndicat, Nina Kraviz, Perc, Solid Blake, Stranger, Umwelt and VTSS, which all deliver excellent interpretations of tracks they have chosen to revamp.

All original tracks have been re-mastered to the highest possible standard of quality.

Terapia Records is thrilled to introduce you the very first release of its catalogue, a stunning LP by the two founders Luca and Michele (aka Complementary Minds) called Butch Haynes introduces Complementary Minds Vol. 1. The newborn label launches its ambitious, yet very much considered project, after the debut of one of the two head-honchos Luca Ferrara aka Butch Haynes on Apparel Music and Sistrum Recordings. He metaphorically introduces the first LP by the Milan born and bred duo, who share a deep love for music and a great productive connection. They deliver a brilliant eleven-track album, full of diversified sonic influences and quite representative of their bright talent. The record, which will be presented to you both on vinyl and digital, starts with a couple of masterly produced beats (Fantastic/Teacher Carey), both with an analogous mellow, warm energy, some brilliantly crafted bass-lines and a substantial harmonic presence. The album keeps rolling with the Deep feeling of Flower Diva: its soulful, skilfully arranged vocals and the dreamy synthetic chords help the pair to perpetuate this passionate, balmy vibe. Insomnia ends the first quartet of sexy tunes with some seductive improvised spacey key stabs and its delicate pensive chords while Q Orchestra (the lost tape mix) speeds up the heartbeat and leads to the closing track of the A side, Bebi: a gorgeous groovy interlude. B side kicks off in style with the slightly darker feel of Myers Boogie Man where the pitched sampled vocals, the solid rhythm section, a profound array of sonic details and a marvellous warm synth melody towards the end of the track make it a true ghetto hit! Right On, with its broken-beat and a radiant harmonic progression, Contact 911 with its tight kick-snare connection and some far-out, whimsical chord evolution and G Buster with its irresistible slightly acid driving force, pave the way for the grand finale where Maam, a proper club banger, ends this amazing LP in epic fashion. Butch Haynes introduces Complementary Minds Vol. 1. is such a cohesive, yet incredibly diversified album and their authors, Luca Ferrara and Michele Fallabrino, achieve the challenging task of telling their sonic story with a flawless work. What a way to start Terapia Records’ experience.

100% Analogue 33RPM 180g 1LP
Remastered from the Original Analogue Stereo Masters for the First Time!

Hear this album as it was meant to be heard! Absolutely Stunning!
The greatest assembly of musical talent ever on one album! Features Performances by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Ben Webster & 27 More Jazz Greats!



In 1958, a young, successful French composer-arranger with a major infatuation on American jazz, worked his way to New York and convinced the very best players of the time to record an album of largely jazz standards. Michel Legrand would go on to win numerous prizes and accolades (3 Oscars, 5 Grammies, 2 Palmes D'or, etc.), but little of what followed matched the sheer brilliance of Legrand Jazz.

Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Ben Webster, Phil Woods and practically every other session man in town signed up for sessions with Legrand to record his idiosyncratic arrangements of standards ("Django", "Don’t Get Around Much Anymore", "Night in Tunisia", etc.). Instead of regurgitating then current bop styles, he reinvented the very nature of orchestral jazz band repertoire to make a unique and forward-looking statement on the genre.

The sound of Impex's all-analogue LP preserves the wide soundstage of late 50’s Columbia recordings while creating intimate spaces between players on the stage for maximum definition. This rare, highly-praised recording has never sounded as good as it does now. Go big with Legrand Jazz.

Legrand Jazz was greeted by an enthusiastic review in the magazine Down Beat. Dom Cerulli awarded it five stars out of a possible five.

The meticulously recreated outer jacket is packaged in a gatefold with an original photo montage inside honoring Michel Legrand's masterpiece of reinvention and sublime fan-boy enthusiasm.

"The music is luscious and this just may be one of the best-sounding records you'll ever hear." - Ken Kessler, Hi Fi News, Rated 95/100 Sound Quality!

Yellow Vinyl

London Records releases remastered and expanded editions of Voice Of The Beehive’s classic debut 1988 album, ‘Let It Bee’ on November 25th.
Formats include a remastered gatefold vinyl edition in transparent honey yellow, and an expanded double CD edition featuring previously unreleased tracks, live versions and demos. All formats feature new liner notes by the band’s very own Tracey Belland.
In the mid 80s, armed with a only a suitcase of songs, Californian sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland escaped the American music industry in search of the vibrant British indie scene, finding recently split Madness band member Daniel ‘Woody’ Woodgate, who together with guitarist Mike Jones and bassist Martin Brett would form ‘the Beehive Boys’.
The powerful live chops of the Beehive Boys, combined with the harmonies, energy and stage presence of Tracey and Melissa, made Voice of the Beehive indie darlings and one of the hottest live acts on the London scene.
Signing with London Records, they recorded ‘Let It Bee’, its sunny exterior of sparkling indie guitars, energetic rhythms matched with lyrics and melodies that revealed both hope and an occasionally cutting cynicism.
On its release ‘Let It Bee’ was a UK Top 15 album, its singles ‘I Say Nothing’, ‘I Walk The Earth’ & ‘Don’t Call Me Baby’ all chart hits and radio favourites. Re-issued for the first time since its initial release. The expanded double CD version features ‘Cartoon City’, a band favourite recently uncovered and remastered from the London Records archives.

Following their breakout album, WIND ROSE quickly became one of Italy’s rising power metal acts, with many fans anticipating what the band would bring with their next release - and they were not disappointed! Wardens of the West Wind is a massive, bombastic, epic, and outrageous album packed with large riffs, symphonic layers, guitar solos, and bold vocal arrangements! The amazing musicians of WIND ROSE crafted elaborate songs that contain twists and turns to further push their unique sound of progressive power metal to their current fans and any new fans they amass! The band’s debut album made waves in the power metal scene, and Wardens of the West kept their storm of progressive power metal churning, poising the band to become one of the modern key players of the power metal scene!

The debut of Hamburg trio Cloud Management stages the meeting of three proven exceptional figures: Thomas Korf and Sebastian Kokus have been responsible for some stunning leftfield neo-kraut releases with their band Love-Songs in recent years; Ulf Schütte has been one of the most productive, and innovative protagonists of experimental electronic music in Germany for many years (see Datashock, Phantom Horse, or his most recent collaboration with G. Steenkiste/Hellvete on Umor Rex, for example). Following Love-Songs' highly acclaimed collaboration with Schütte, »Spannende Musik«, released in 2021, the formation of Cloud Management as a group in its own right marks a new beginning, which is celebrated with the long player on Altin Village & Mine.

The album is characterized by a dense texture of repetitions in which (modular) synthesizers and bass go head-to-head. It is on this foundation that the formal grammar of the album develops over its nearly 45-minute running time, organized along precise interventions into the hypnotic pulse: What is recognizable as echoes of 1960s/70s minimalism or Cluster functions on »Cloud Management« not in the sense that the sequences or the sequencers are left to themselves, but as highly concentrated, microscopic work on repetition. This virtuosically arranged, groove-based and even danceable density of the seven pieces never sounds strained or as an end in itself, but floating, cloud-like. The polyrhythmic workouts are at all times in the service of a refreshing expanse that opens up from the sonic saturation and is far removed from the formulaic box-checking often associated with the attribute ›kosmisch‹. »Cloud Management«, thus, marks not an exercise in the traditions of a musical past, but a distinctive position within contemporary electronic music.

All songs are written, recorded and produced by Ulf Schütte, Thomas Korf and Sebastian Kokus.

100% GALCHER was by all accounts a game-changer when it landed in 2013 as an hour of original music from a relatively unknown producer ushered in by the beloved mix series Blowing Up The Workshop. Galcher Lustwerk's signature sound — a smoky stream-of-consciousness baritone shadow-boxing with beats, informed by funk, rap, rhythm, and blues — felt like an epiphany, impossibly hypnotic and complete. Resident Advisor writes, "100% GALCHER laid out a louche, lysergic and resolutely black take on deep house." Pitchfork remembers the music's immediate impact: "It's the sort of gem you felt inclined to pass around” — and by year-end list time, word-of-mouth intensified. It was Resident Advisor and Juno's mix of the year, and earned a top-ten placement in FACT Magazine's albums list, as well as Philip Sherburne's personal rundown for Spin." Since then, select songs from 100% GALCHER have seen small-run pressings, while the album has lived primarily on SoundCloud and YouTube as a low-key cult legend. The gateway into Lustwerk's now well-established catalog, known for its reliability as a late-night listen and its prophetic vision for the near future of underground dance music. RA would later name it a mix of the decade, citing its influence and imagination: “Original in every sense — unknown, unheard and unbelievably good.” In late 2022, marking ten years since he first recorded the material, Lustwerk returns to Ghostly International to release 100% GALCHER as a remastered limited-edition double LP.

Lustwerk is a product of the Midwest. Growing up in Cleveland, he'd tape over his parents’ cassettes and spend hours at his family computer recording loops and designing artwork for the jewel cases of burned CDs. In high school, he turned to Ableton Live and absorbed every electronic music magazine he could find at the local Borders Books store. In excerpts from the 100% GALCHER liner notes, Lustwerk looks back: "My dad drove me to this shop on the westside Bent Crayon, where I would get anything the blogs told you to get + whatever the clerk recommended. CDs stayed in their packaging, there was always an overflow of vinyl stacked on the floor. I was too shy to listen to anything before buying."

As a college student at RISD, he played in noise bands, plugged into Providence's DIY scene via Myspace, and started DJing weeknights at bars downtown. There he connected with Young Male and DJ Richard, who would go on to found White Material Records and offer their third release to Galcher Lustwerk, an alias realized via CAPTCHA test, a perfect artifact of its internet age. By 2012, Lustwerk had drifted to New York City and settled into a graphic design job, quickly growing disenfranchised by office culture. "Some days I felt like a token, other days I felt invisible." At night, he and his friends were carving out their own space

The Outer Edge is very proud to release another quite sensational release. Here are the official reworks of Hans Hass' proto-AOR / cloud rock hymn "Welche Farbe hat der Wind" (which translates to "What color is the wind").

The main producer for this release was Marian Tone (of Key Elements), who reworked the track almost from scratch. He re-recorded the drums, the bassline, and some chords while keeping Hass's original vocal layer. The distinctive guitar playing by co-composer Gabor Kristof sparkles throughout. The result is exactly what we had hoped and asked for: a DJ-friendly version of this überclassic track.

The idea for this rework project came to mind when label owner DJ Scientist got word from Tobias Kirmayer of Tramp Records that "Welche Farbe hat der Wind" would be officially re-released for the first time on his compilation series "Praise Poems" as well as on a single reissue. Scientist immediately asked if he could make an edit with louder drums to make the track more playable in a DJ set. However, as the masters of the Tramp reissues had already been submitted to the pressing plant, he was granted permission to re-license the track and rework it for his own label instead.

Hence, the reworks feature Scientist's "vintage drums" mix, which has the drums mixed louder, plus drums added at the quite psychedelic and experimental last third, with a few other sound adjustments made.

But it was up to Berlin-based DJ and music producer Marian Tone to put the icing on the cake and rework and enhance the song further with his own version. With fellow Key Elements bandmember Steffen Kieslich, he completely re-recorded the drums. Then it was up to Doron Segal to replay the bass and the keys. What we get is the classic sound of "Welche Farbe hat der Wind" - just updated and fresher.

For the first time ever, the track is also available as an instrumental version. Here, the great original guitar playing keeps the song going and going, and makes it perfectly clear that this tune, which originally came out on the schlager album "Reise in eine glückliche Zukunft" in 1974, is pretty damn funky!

It has been difficult to put "Welche Farbe hat der Wind" into a genre box, But it has been described as "rare groove","psychedelic schlager", and even "proto-AOR". For facility, Scientist has coined the new term "cloud rock" to describe this particular style of soft but groovy music. The name cloud rock bears a conspicuous reference to the krautrock genre as well. More tracks in a similar vein will be heard soon in a DJ mix under the same name.

Marian Tone's rework, as well as the corresponding instrumental version, will be released on a limited 7" single with a full-color picture sleeve. The digital release will feature the DJ Scientist re-mix plus an alternative version that puts more focus on the re-recorded bassline. In any case, this is an essential item for any music lover as well as the ideal contribution to your ultimate "cloud rock" DJ set!

In May 2020 Cocoon Recordings released the third album of Harald Björk. With the club scene on Covid-hold , tours canceled and all of our favorite DJ’s locked up at home… not the optimal conditions to release an album on a nr.1 world wide club empire as Cocoon. How ever we decided not to let a virus kill our beloved culture, as Mr. Sven Väth put it „I would like to share with you the album of Harald Björk… which has soothed me and I hope will also give you a soundtrack for these uneasy days“. It felt right to release it.

The release was shrinked from a thought of vinyl box to a digital release with future plans on vinyl. However covid decided to stay and time went. The queue at the vinyl factories didn’t make the process easier… But at one point the dream factory of Kranglan Broadcast decided, enough! , the world has to keep on dreaming. And what is a better way to embrace dreams then to release a vinyl full of of dreamers, groundbreaking in their corners of the electronic umberella. Dreamers doing their thing not even looking at the norm or what’s the recent hype.

Aditional info:
Houndtooth finest Throwing Snow who Harald met in New York 2013 during their term at RBMA brings a bassdriven rollercoaster with the arpeggios from Spektrum bouncing like rubberballs through an impressive broken drum work. The remix came delivered with a text saying „I like my drums slamming“ and so do we.

Ada takes the eteric pads of Waldmeister and place them in a auditive dreamstate, an emotional hybrid of space and vacuum. Large feelings, yet so close. It builds, stretches and builds until we are shown the enlighted truth in the end of the tunnel. Harald is a long time fan and colector of Adas music which he got to know through the lovely label of Areal and has continued to love through the Pampa era. First remix from Ada on Kranglan was the epic remake of Sabor Latino, Sabor de Ada! We are delighted to have her art on the label once again.

The pandemic 2020 took away the most fun of beeing in the club scene, sharing stages with brilliant interesting dreamers showing and exchanging visions performing music. Under these strange conditions Molø and Harald ended up sharing a physical stage at the stream festival United We Stream. One thing led to the other and Harald took a deep dive in to Molø‘s great melodic techno universe. Some times you find gold in your own hometown. Molø’s take on Waldmeister build on the mellow arpeggio from the original track and brings them to a perfect chilled out afterhours. Imagine watching the sunrise to this beauty.

Swedes are a people of high integracy but as loyal citizens we allways attend formal events by the state. Skudge and Harald met at the Swedish National Radio price anouncement, both nominated for „electronic act of the year 2011“. It was an akward event with radio interviews and canapés, not very techno, the signum of Skudge. How ever Skudge won it all leaving both Avicii and Swedish House Mafia empty handed. Landberg, the swing king of Skudge is the kind of person that will tell you why the TR-909 has to be master clock to get the right groove in a techno performance, if you ask… which you do ??! If you’re looking for techno with groove look no further, Skudge is king! In his take on Walking Path he display the power of minimalistic dirty grooves, a 909 and a 303 what else do we need?

The 12“ vinyl comes with a fresh re-master of album single Medan Du Sov and an unreleased bonus track, Drifting, a balearic sundazed love story.

Debut album by Dutch producer w1b0, who passed away in August, to be released in November on U-TRAX.

Wibo Lammerts' sudden death on August 15thshocked the worldwide electro community, and also left the record label, that had been working on the debut album with the artist known as w1b0 for the past two years, dumbfounded and in grief.

Wibo had jokingly always called his upcoming debut album 'his legacy', which now sadly has become a painful truth. With the support of Wibo's family, U-TRAX is now doing the only thing that doesn't feel totally wrong: proceed as planned, and release 'When Humans Ruled The Earth' on November 11.

W1b0 made quite a name for himself with heavy electro tracks that he released on labels like Bass Agenda, Hilltown Disco and Discos Antónicos. Standing at 202 meters, and combined with a cheerful character, most people remember him as the gentle giant of electro.
For this album, Wibo wanted to steer away from the dark and heavy electro he mostly made until then. The idea of having a platform to create delicate electronic music in different styles, and make it a showcase of his versatility, was very appealing to him. And that is where he and U-TRAX found each other.

The full-length album (over 75 minutes on cd and digital) comes after 'The Pilex Program EP', released in October, that featured a remix by Detroit's Ectomorph of 'Pilex Driver' and saw 'Program Yourself To Feel' remixed by a well-known Dutch producer that recently created the new 'techno alias' Human Form.
As usual with U-TRAX, the album comes in three different editions, with the 11-track double vinyl version containing the Ectomorph and Human Form remixes. The CD and digital version boast original versions only, plus four additional tracks: 'Alternate Reality Interface', 'Mixed Matter Fluctator', 'Synthetic', and 'In There'. The cassette version more or less has the same track list as the CD/digi version, but has both aforementioned remixes and a bonus track in the incredibly hypnotizing 'I Wanted You', a track that unfortunately couldn't be on the CD and vinyl versions.

Buyers of the physical releases get treated on superior quality products, another trademark of U-TRAX. The vinyl edition boasts over one hour of music, on two 180 grams, green vinyl discs, in a black & white & neon green gatefold sleeve. The eye-catching artwork is created by Utrecht artist Leffe Goldstein, known amongst others for his psychedelic beer can designs for Utrecht brewery Maximus. Wibo, being the beer lover he was, had zero doubts about having Leffe Goldstein do the cover for his album. The CD has a total playing time of 75 minutes and comes in a beautiful 6-panel digipack, while the cassette will have full-color on-body print and comes in a plastic-free Maltese cross fold-up sleeve.

Buyers of the physical releases get treated on superior quality products, another trademark of U-TRAX. The vinyl edition boasts over one hour of music, on two 180 grams, green vinyl discs, in a black & white & neon green gatefold sleeve. The eye-catching artwork is created by Utrecht artist Leffe Goldstein, known amongst others for his psychedelic beer can designs for Utrecht brewery Maximus. Wibo, being the beer lover he was, had zero doubts about having Leffe Goldstein do the cover for his album. The CD has a total playing time of 75 minutes and comes in a beautiful 6-panel digipack, while the cassette will have full-color on-body print and comes in a plastic-free Maltese cross fold-up sleeve.

Opener 'Acid Whip' is one of the oldest compositions on this album, in which a dark 303 bassline hums over layers of spacey strings. Wibo named it after the legendary Whip It party in Amsterdam's De Melkweg. 'Alternate Reality Interface' then presents bouncy rhythms toying around with all sorts of analog (bass) synthesizers, before we go really deep with the epic ambient techno track 'Wandering Souls'.
Then things get a little lighter spirited: 'Mixed Matter Fluctator' is an electro track that builds on sounds created by Matt Buggins. It has very strong Detroit influences, the city Wibo loved so much and that he made a pilgrimage to with a group of friends that called themselves 'The Techno Tourists'. The tempo goes up a notch in 'Program Yourself To Feel', that halfway opens up in wide science fiction strings that evoke memories of Star Wars, the movie series that Wibo was a great fan of, and that was the source of many of his tracks' names. The Human Form remix opens the vinyl edition of this album and is a downright belter of a track.

Next is a somewhat experimental intermezzo named 'Synthetic'. Erratic beats and pounding bassdrums get accompanied by very subtle eerie-sounding strings, before melancholic synthesizers and piano chords take over. This is an excellent prelude to the epic 'Hologram Computing', a track that is one of our favorites. It slowly and softly builds and builds, before a pounding bassdrum breaks loose and a hypnotic arpeggio takes you to higher planes.
Not ready to letting the listener relax, w1bo then serves 'Beilstein Reference', which again presents his trademark cocktail of down-to-earth electro rhythms and catchy melodies, covered in all sort of little sounds and noises, giving the song a lot of energy. What follows is 'Hit me', a track loosely based on a song by Dutch indie rock band Mr. Joe Abe. Wibo met the band's singer on a camping site while being on holidays and the two decided Wibo should do a remix of one of their songs. Nothing was left of the original except the vocals, and the result is a remarkable cheerful, poppy electro song.

'Anticipated Input' is one of the more recent tracks Wibo made for this album, combining electro, acid and, yes: epic strings. But not all is peace and quiet on this album, as 'Pilex Driver' shows. This is w1b0 going experimental in a danceable fashion: Industrial sounds make the track sound like we're passing a construction site that is playing loud electro music. On the vinyl version of this album, Ectomorph totally decomposed the original and made it into a mysterious, almost subdued, and totally brilliant electro track that sees a main role for the retro Roland CR drum machines sounds.

TFHats, Wibo's fellow member of the Transhumanism collective, added lyrics to 'Cartesian Coordinates'. His vocals add a pleasant New Wave flavor to this song, that has breaks that remarkably reminds one of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. What follows is the most personal track on this album. 'Fornan' is a song that Wibo made for his wife Nanette, and was added as the last piece of the puzzle that creating an album is. The warm Detroit techno atmosphere in this electro song couldn't be a more beautiful tribute to his love, and mother of their two young boys.
The album then takes a surprising detour through a 1980s landscape with 'In There', that features the Joy Division-esque vocals of another one of Wibo's friends, indicated only as Vincent. The super slow and gloomy track is a treat for anyone that loved the darker side of New Wave. The album has a worthy closer in the sensitive, yet playful 'Schlegel Diagram'.








h 08: Hit Me (w1b0's Slugfest Assault Dub) feat. Mr Joe Abe