Sucata Tapes present the debut album by I'A'V, a conjuration born from an invitation extended by gnration in Braga to Inês Malheiro, completed Violeta Azevedo. Three inescapable figures amidst the portuguese scene, whose precious body of work resonates here in ineffable style.
A blessed triangulation of artists, each with a fully formed vision and a path forged across multiple fronts, I'A'V trace a course of dreamlike songs that blend into a long and volatile poem, where a rarefied electronic landscape of arpeggios, glassy textures, and ruptures seeps into the lyricism of Casellas's cello lines and Azevedo's flute breaths, guided by the Voice.
At times stripped bare, at others soaked in a torrent of post-human effects, settled on Malheiro's expressiveness and elevated by the Azevedo. Volatile Poem, recorded during the mentioned residency, unveils mysteries and conceals realities in a fluid sequence of communal ascension moment
London’s The Hanging Stars return with their sixth album, Just A Day – a dazzling collection of four-part harmonies, shimmering twelve-string guitars and chiming songs, touching on themes of longing, new beginnings and the fragility of the everyday. Recorded at Edwyn Collin’s legendary Clashnarrow Studios in the Scottish Highlands, the album marks a bold new chapter for the band, produced with the invaluable guidance of Teenage Fanclub’s Gerard Love.
‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ NEWLY UNEARTHED EARLY RECORDINGS BY THE FIRST LINE-UP OF MUSICAL YOUTH Mastered from the original tapes by Guy Davie at Electric Needle Mythology, the label founded by music writer, author and broadcaster Pete Paphides, is thrilled to announce ‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ – an album of rare and unheard early recordings by Musical Youth, the Birmingham reggae group propelled to worldwide fame with the release of their chart-topping single PASS THE DUTCHIE. ‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ combines songs from Musical Youth’s first John Peel session, recorded in 1981 with newly unearthed recordings taken from quarter-inch reels stored for over 40 years by the group’s mentor and producer Toney Owens. The project was seeded as early as 2020, when Paphides sent a speculative message to Owens, after he saw his producer credit on the group’s independently released 1981 single Generals/Political. Paphides wanted to know if Owens had made more recordings of the group in a similar heavier roots reggae vein to those on their debut single. Happening upon the message by chance three years later, Owens allowed Needle Mythology access to his archive of quarter-inch tapes, dating back as far as 1978. The recordings gathered together on ‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ shine a light on the exceptional musicianship inculcated into the group by their first frontman Frederick Waite, formerly singer with revered Jamaican rocksteady group The Techniques. Backing Frederick Waite in the early lineup of Musical Youth (originally billed by Toney as Cultural Musical Workshop Youths, were two pairs of brothers) Patrick and Junior Waite, and Kelvin and Michael Grant.
Citing sources from early Dub influenced Clash, Blitz and The Modern Lovers - Spiritual Cramp exist in a strange vacuum somewhere between David Byrne's oversized suit and a bar fight between a bunch of drunk goons on Polk Street in SF. Hate for the police, the government and the status quo are reoccurring themes in Bingham's lyrics. The sounds borrow from the past, echoes of late 70's / early 80's working class rock and punk, which function on the upbeat, showcasing very bright guitars yet generating darker vocal rhythms and darker patterning.
As WARNING prepares to release Rituals of Shame - their first new music in twenty years,vocalist/guitarist Patrick Walker is self-effacing about what led to this moment. Over the last two decades he continued to write and release music, satisfied that he had achieved what he set out to do with WARNING. In those intervening years, interest in WARNING swelled, organically gathering an ardent fanbase. In particular, the 2006 album, Watching from a Distance, has gained a cult following. In response to a transformative period in his life, Walker turned towards writing new songs, and it soon became apparent that these belonged to WARNING. In early January 2025, he started with a completely blank canvas, and piece by piece, he started to fill it with ideas that evolved to become the songs that make up Rituals of Shame.
His immersion in the project became a full-time pursuit. After successfully demoing the five songs, Walker retreated to a remote house on a hill outside Florence, Italy, to refine the lyrics. Recording took place at The Arch Studio, a 140-year-old former church in Southport, UK. Chris Fullard (Idles, Sunn O))), Ulver) handled the recording and mixing. Walker's lifelong musical inspirations can be traced through Rituals of Shame. The ambitious structural arrangements harken to Marillion’s complex but soaring episodic songs. They retain a sparsity that is reminiscent of June Tabor’s economic arrangements; thick with melody but with a diaphanous air to them. Citing John Brenner of Revelation as an enduring inspiration, Patrick credits him with introducing the idea of how to infuse heavy music with significant emotional depth. Often reluctant to discuss the minutiae of his lyrics, Walker does acknowledge that making this album was a direct response to the immediate concerns of his current life period. Rituals of Shame also echoes the enduring themes and fixations that have marked most of his work: guilt, shame, personal failure, obsession, longing, and separation, but, most of all, he says, love. Short: WARNING return with Rituals of Shame - the pioneering Doom band's first new music in 20 years! FFO: My Dying Bride, Candlemass, YOB, Black Sabbath, 40 Watt Sun, Pallbearer, Pagan Altar
Knocked Loose have announced their hotly anticipated new album, A Different Shade of Blue -- a mammoth of a sophomore release and massive step forward for the band and for hardcore and metal as we know it. Recorded by producer Will Putney, the new LP was approached slower and more methodically. Abandoning the previous 'live in studio' recording approach for something more deliberate, the band cranked out twelve new tracks that deal with all manner of anger, especially loss in lieu of absence. While some musical influences are easily identified - Pantera, Hatebreed, Obituary and more - the band's palette and canvas has expanded by leaps and bounds, incorporating Gothenburg-style death metal (At the Gates, early In Flames), slam metal (Devourment, Dying Fetus), blood-thirsty thrash (Sodom, Kreator), black metal (Craft) and the mind-boggling complexity of latter noisy hardcore like Snapcase and Bloodlet. Clocking in at a lean and mean 37 minutes and featuring guest vocals from Emma Boster of Dying Wish and Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die, A Different Shade of Blue grabs the listener by the throat from the jump and slowly tightening that grip for the duration.
DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present the much-needed reissue of BAPTHOMET’S BLOOD’s sophomore album, Second Strike, on vinyl LP and - for the first time - CD formats. Originally released in 2008, the Italians definitely continued in the same vein: rough speeding heavy metal hailing the old goods of NWOBHM and 80s speed metal. Beer drinkers and hell raisers though and through, this one is for the backwards leaning blue-collar metal maniacs. 8 tracks + a cover of German heavy metal cult act Tyrant finished of this Second Strike
DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present the much-needed reissue of WITCHING HOUR’S sophomore album, Past Midnight…, on vinyl LP and CD formats. Under license from Evil Spell Records. Originally released in 2011, as well as on tape through Dying Victims in 2012, this album introduced the evolvement of the band’s sound from rough and straight forward black thrash to a more varied, multilayered approach to the genre. The fast and evil aspects are still present, yet the band managed to weave in the early version of their yearning, melancholic and ancient heavy metal atmosphere. Ancient heavy metal black thrash
DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present Heavy Metal Heroes, a special split EP between Peru’s HYENA and Japan’s RISINGFALL, on CD and 12” vinyl formats. Heavy metal is living a global explosion, driven by underground bands that keep alive the legacy of those Heavy Metal Heroes who created eternal anthems. This titular mini-album brings together two bands separated by a great distance but united in an undying thirst for true metal. From Cajamarca, Peru’s HYENA return after touring worldwide in support of their DYING VICTIMS debut album, About Rock and Roll. Carrying forward the spirit that defined their first record, the Peruvians deliver two brand-new tracks as the first strike from their forthcoming second album. Raw and bloodthirsty, the band bring their turn-of-the-‘80s style to a boil here, more anthemic and charismatic than ever. From Tokyo, Japan’s RISINGFALL continue their ascent with new material following 2022’s DYING VICTIMS debut album Rise or Fall and last year’s self-released EP Dungeon’s Call. After their performance at Germany’s Keep It True Rising Festival, the band has established itself among today’s true torchbearers of heavy metal. Their two brand-new tracks here bring a dazzling display of old-metal values filtered through that uniquely Eastern lens. Heavy Metal Heroes stands as a statement of real underground heavy metal: forged in tradition, carried across continents, and kept alive by those who remain faithful to its sound and spirit. In support of the release, HYENA and RISINGFALL will join forces for a co-headlining triple strike of shows in Tokyo in June
DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present Invoking Terror, the highly anticipated debut mini-album of Ireland’s CUTTHROAT, on CD and 12” vinyl formats. The island of Ireland may not appear often when it comes to underground bands…yet when it does, it strikes hard and swift! Witness CUTTHROAT, the goriest addition yet, who are now delivering their debut mini-album following two demos in 2023 and 2025, respectively. Aptly titled Invoking Terror, this five-song / 25-minute blast of filth & fury delivers violent, thrashing DEATH METAL that worships the underground’s forgotten days of old. For sure, CUTTHROAT may be “new,” but they definitely sound OLD here: think early / best Possessed, Morbid Angel, Merciless, and Necrovore and you’re within the power-trio’s wheelhouse. And no, they don’t intend to reinvent that wheel any time soon; the wheel that is Invoking Terror simply rolls over you – FAST – and the only recourse is to submit and headbang like a fucking maniac or summarily get flattened like the wimp that you are. The modern underground has yet to see such unbridled violence since the glory days of the aforementioned bands, and indeed is that CUTTHROAT’s aim on Invoking Terror. There is no story, no fashion, no trends – this is simply audial torture sent to invoke terror over all who listen
DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present IRON KOBRA’s highly anticipated third album, Eternal Dagger, on CD and vinyl LP formats. Additionally their two previous albums will be re-released at the same time. Formed in 2008, Germany’s IRON KOBRA began with a noble mission: to bring heavy metal back to its unpolished, rough, and weird roots. Influenced by heroes of old like Iron Maiden, Cirith Ungol, Living Death, Manowar, and Tank with a sprinkle of punk, the band brewed up a venomous concoction of catchy-yet-speedy heavy metal with maximum potential for engagement – whether it was singing along to, banging your head, and / or raising your fist! Their first few years were busy, releasing the Cult of the Snake demo in 2009 and the Battlesword EP the year after. After playing extensively all throughout Europe and earning a reputation for being a force to be reckoned with live, IRON KOBRA teamed up with DYING VICTIMS in 2012 for the release of their momentous debut album, Dungeon Masters, and three years later for their more refined second album, Might & Magic.
The years after – especially those around the pandemic – brought the band’s external momentum to a crawl. But behind the scenes, they were still writing and playing select shows, even venturing as far as Japan. Now, at very long last, IRON KOBRA return to stake their claim as kings of swords & sorcery metal with Eternal Dagger! Granted, the characteristically amazing cover artwork suggests a sci-fi bent, but the timeless HEAVY METAL the Germans unleash here is vintage IRON KOBRA: immediately recognizable as them, but still reflecting on (and refining) their past, incorporating influences from their favorite bands to result in something that will be YOUR favorite soon enough! Aided by the gleaming & glorious production of Stefan Castevet (Vulture, Luzifer), Eternal Dagger explodes with excitement at every turn, its nine songs ranging speed metal tracks like “Trembling Dungeons” to NWOBHM-fueled rockers like “Shibuya Nights” and epics like "Mountains of Madness.” It goes without saying that IRON KOBRA’s arsenal here offers a wide variety of pure metal gold, evoking the likes of Exciter, Brocas Helm, Diamond Head, and early Running Wild but, of course, with their undeniable personality and panache. So strap yourselves to your seats, maniacs: the Cult of the Snake is back, bringing you heavy hymns that will pierce your eardrums like a heavy metal drill
This solo percussion work was recorded in 1980 and released in 1981 by Masahiko Togashi, one of Japan’s leading percussionists and drummers. After becoming partially paralyzed, he created this recording of a world of sound using drums, bells, gongs, and a wide variety of percussion instruments, together with his own original playing methods and techniques.
Rough Trade Records veröffentlicht eine remasterte Doppel-Vinyl-Neuausgabe von Love Is Overtaking Me. Die Sammlung vereint Folk-, Pop- und Country-Songs von Arthur Russell, darunter "Planted a Thought", "Close My Eyes" und "I Couldn"t Say It to Your Face". Die ursprüngliche Ausgabe erschien 2007. Für die neue Edition wurden frisch entdeckte Originalbänder verwendet und von Timothy Stollenwerk in Portland neu gemastert. Ergänzt wird das Release durch überarbeitetes Artwork von Molly Smith sowie ausführliche Linernotes von Tom Lee. Seit über zwanzig Jahren macht Audika Russells vielseitiges Werk zugänglich und hat maßgeblich dazu beigetragen, ihm posthum ein größeres Publikum zu erschließen. Heute gilt er als visionärer Künstler und Einfluss für viele zeitgenössische Musiker. Schon zu Lebzeiten arbeiteten zahlreiche Künstler mit ihm, darunter Produzent John Hammond. Auf dem Album finden sich außerdem Aufnahmen mit The Flying Hearts sowie Projekten wie The Sailboats, Turbo Sporty und Bright & Early. Aus über acht Stunden Material zusammengestellt, umfasst das Album Aufnahmen von 1973 bis 1991. Einige Stücke sind auch im Film Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell von Matt Wolf zu hören.
Over the course of more than a decade, the French quartet Lost in Kyiv have refined a sound that fuses cinematic ambition, electronic precision, and visceral live energy into something unmistakably their own. With their new album, `We're All Going To Be Fine', they push that identity further than ever; sharpening their production, intensifying their dynamics, and embracing a darker, more immersive sonic architecture. Lost in Kyiv's music has always thrived on tension between the organic and the synthetic. On `We're All Going To Be Fine', that integration reaches a new level of clarity and depth. The writing and production process was long and exacting, allowing the band to refine every transition and tonal detail. Songs unfold with architectural precision, motifs are introduced subtly before expanding into vast, multi-layered climaxes. Dynamics are handled with patience and control, silence and minimalism are deployed as strategically as explosive crescendos. This careful pacing gives the album a cinematic flow and larger narrative in which struggle and compassion coexist. Guitars surge and recede in wide, panoramic arcs. At moments they shimmer and support, at others they thrash violently, accumulating layers of distortion and harmonic overtones. Acoustic instrumentation is interwoven with sequenced synth lines, pulsing arpeggiators, and carefully sculpted electronic textures that give the band's sound a sense of forward propulsion. Rhythm plays a central role in Lost in Kyiv's identity. The drums provide impact and structure, locking into intricate patterns that interact with bass-driven synth pulses. At times the groove feels almost mechanical, echoing the steady insistence of electronic music; at others, it breathes and swells with human elasticity. This interplay creates a powerful sense of movement, an impression that the music is always advancing, even in its most introspective passages. "We almost consider this album as the first record of a new version of the band. That's why we decided to use the name Lost in Kyiv now. We don't want to erase the past, but it really feels like a new direction. Artistically, I think this album marks the beginning of a new direction, louder and more metal-oriented than what we did before." (Lost in Kyiv) FOR FANS OF Russian Circles * P.G.Lost * The Ocean * Cult of Luna * Brutus * This Will Destroy You
Over the course of more than a decade, the French quartet Lost in Kyiv have refined a sound that fuses cinematic ambition, electronic precision, and visceral live energy into something unmistakably their own. With their new album, `We're All Going To Be Fine', they push that identity further than ever; sharpening their production, intensifying their dynamics, and embracing a darker, more immersive sonic architecture. Lost in Kyiv's music has always thrived on tension between the organic and the synthetic. On `We're All Going To Be Fine', that integration reaches a new level of clarity and depth. The writing and production process was long and exacting, allowing the band to refine every transition and tonal detail. Songs unfold with architectural precision, motifs are introduced subtly before expanding into vast, multi-layered climaxes. Dynamics are handled with patience and control, silence and minimalism are deployed as strategically as explosive crescendos. This careful pacing gives the album a cinematic flow and larger narrative in which struggle and compassion coexist. Guitars surge and recede in wide, panoramic arcs. At moments they shimmer and support, at others they thrash violently, accumulating layers of distortion and harmonic overtones. Acoustic instrumentation is interwoven with sequenced synth lines, pulsing arpeggiators, and carefully sculpted electronic textures that give the band's sound a sense of forward propulsion. Rhythm plays a central role in Lost in Kyiv's identity. The drums provide impact and structure, locking into intricate patterns that interact with bass-driven synth pulses. At times the groove feels almost mechanical, echoing the steady insistence of electronic music; at others, it breathes and swells with human elasticity. This interplay creates a powerful sense of movement, an impression that the music is always advancing, even in its most introspective passages. "We almost consider this album as the first record of a new version of the band. That's why we decided to use the name Lost in Kyiv now. We don't want to erase the past, but it really feels like a new direction. Artistically, I think this album marks the beginning of a new direction, louder and more metal-oriented than what we did before." (Lost in Kyiv) FOR FANS OF Russian Circles * P.G.Lost * The Ocean * Cult of Luna * Brutus * This Will Destroy You
Kill Your Idols' debut release, This Is Just the Beginning, compiles their early recordings, including the original Kill Your Idols 12". The album captures the band's raw intensity and DIY ethos, solidifying their place in the late '90s New York hardcore scene. This record became a blueprint for their no-frills, high-speed hardcore sound that would influence countless bands.
Die Rock-Virtuosen Dance Gavin Dance aus Sacramento präsentieren die dritte Veröffentlichung ihrer „Tree
City Sessions“-Reihe. Wie schon bei den vorherigen Alben hat die Band auch für „Tree City Sessions 3“
neue Versionen ihrer früheren Dance-Gavin-Dance-Songs aufgenommen, alle mit dem aktuellen Sänger
Andrew Michael Wells.
Die CD enthält 12 Tracks. Die 2LP erscheint auf 140g schwerem „Velaris“-Farbvinyl und bietet auf
der zweiten LP 12 zusätzliche Instrumentalstücke.
Als John Coltrane 1965 für Impulse! Records das Album “Ascension“” aufnahm, war er sowohl in künstlerischer als auch in kommerzieller Hinsicht einer der erfolgreichsten Jazzmusiker. Das Album besteht
aus einem fast 40-minütigen Stück, das am 28. Juni 1965 im Rudy Van Gelder Studio in zwei verschiedenen Takes (Edition I und Edition II) aufgenommen wurde, die nun erstmals gemeinsam auf einer
Doppel-LP präsentiert werden. Für die Aufnahme hatte Coltrane sein bestens eingespieltes Quartett um
sieben Musiker zu einer Art Big Band erweitert. Die Musik, die Coltranes entschiedene Hinwendung zur
Avantgarde markierte, wechselt zwischen dicht strukturierten kollektiven Improvisationen und ausgedehnten Solopassagen und entfesselt einen wahren Wirbelsturm aus Klängen
So soulful hat man Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wohl noch nie gehört!
Mit dem Solo-Piano-Album “Black Mozart“ setzt der mehrfache Grammy- und Oscar-Preisträger Jon
Batiste seine “Batiste Piano Series“ fort. Der Vorgänger “Beethoven Blues“ stieg 2024 auf #1 der Billboard Classical Charts und begeisterte Jazz- und Klassik-Fans, sowie Kritiker zugleich.
Mit “Black Mozart (Batiste Piano Series Vol. 2)“ will Jon Batiste sein Konzept weiterführen, klassische Musik neu zu interpretieren, ohne ihren Kern zu verlieren. Er verbindet Mozarts Musik mit kraftvollem
Jazz, Blues und Gospel – ein ungekünstelter Dialog zwischen klassischer Musik und afroamerikanischen
Traditionen, ein Pianoalbum, das überrascht und begeistert.
Im August wird das musikalische Multitalent seine ”Batiste Piano Series” übrigens mit gleich zwei weiteren
Alben fortsetzen, auf denen er sich mit einer Ikone des Jazz auseinandersetzt: Thelonious Monk!
Wie Amerika selbst ist auch die Geschichte von Chess Records eine Geschichte von Chancen in neuen Ländern, in denen Grenzen zwischen Hautfarbe und Kultur überwunden wurden, um Rhythm and Blues-Musik
zu schaffen, die Zuhörer auf der ganzen Welt beeinflusste. Das beeindruckende Künstleraufgebot von Chess
– und seine Gründer – haben den Blues von Volksmusik zu populärem Sound weiterentwickelt und verändert.
Im Jahr 2025 feiert Chess Records sein 75-jähriges Jubiläum. Anlässlich dieses historischen Meilensteins
wird Chess im Oktober dieses Jahres eine umfassende Jubiläumsreihe mit einer kuratierten Auswahl audiophiler Vinyl-Neuauflagen starten, beginnend mit Muddy Waters’ „The Best of Muddy Waters“ und Howlin’
Wolfs „Moanin’ in the Moonlight“.
„I Was Walkin’ Through The Woods“ versammelt Buddy Guys frühe Aufnahmen für Chess Records, die
allesamt in den frühen 1960er-Jahren entstanden. Die Sammlung rückt sein glühendes Gitarrenspiel in den
Mittelpunkt und zeigt eindrucksvoll, warum Guy zu den herausragenden Talenten der neuen Generation
von Bluesmusikern in Chicago zählte. Zu den zentralen Titeln gehören „First Time I Met The Blues“ und
„I Found A True Love“.
Mitte der 1960er-Jahre veröffentlichte Chess Records eine Reihe von Alben unter dem Titel „The Real
Folk Blues“, die Singles aus den Karrieren einiger der bedeutendsten Künstler des Labels bündelten. John
Lee Hookers „The Real Folk Blues“ unterschied sich von vielen dieser Kompilationen, da es eigens für Chess
neu eingespielte Sessions enthielt.
Diese legendären Aufnahmen aus dem Jahr 1966 fangen die Essenz seines unverwechselbaren Sounds und
seines einzigartigen Zugangs zum Blues ein. Zu den herausragenden Titeln zählen „One Bourbon, One
Scotch, One Beer“, „Stella Mae“ und „I’m In The Mood“.
Wie Amerika selbst ist auch die Geschichte von Chess Records eine Geschichte von Chancen in neuen Ländern, in denen Grenzen zwischen Hautfarbe und Kultur überwunden wurden, um Rhythm and Blues-Musik
zu schaffen, die Zuhörer auf der ganzen Welt beeinflusste. Das beeindruckende Künstleraufgebot von Chess
– und seine Gründer – haben den Blues von Volksmusik zu populärem Sound weiterentwickelt und verändert.
Im Jahr 2025 feiert Chess Records sein 75-jähriges Jubiläum. Anlässlich dieses historischen Meilensteins
wird Chess im Oktober dieses Jahres eine umfassende Jubiläumsreihe mit einer kuratierten Auswahl audiophiler Vinyl-Neuauflagen starten, beginnend mit Muddy Waters’ „The Best of Muddy Waters“ und Howlin’
Wolfs „Moanin’ in the Moonlight“.
„I Was Walkin’ Through The Woods“ versammelt Buddy Guys frühe Aufnahmen für Chess Records, die
allesamt in den frühen 1960er-Jahren entstanden. Die Sammlung rückt sein glühendes Gitarrenspiel in den
Mittelpunkt und zeigt eindrucksvoll, warum Guy zu den herausragenden Talenten der neuen Generation
von Bluesmusikern in Chicago zählte. Zu den zentralen Titeln gehören „First Time I Met The Blues“ und
„I Found A True Love“.
Mitte der 1960er-Jahre veröffentlichte Chess Records eine Reihe von Alben unter dem Titel „The Real
Folk Blues“, die Singles aus den Karrieren einiger der bedeutendsten Künstler des Labels bündelten. John
Lee Hookers „The Real Folk Blues“ unterschied sich von vielen dieser Kompilationen, da es eigens für Chess
neu eingespielte Sessions enthielt.
Diese legendären Aufnahmen aus dem Jahr 1966 fangen die Essenz seines unverwechselbaren Sounds und
seines einzigartigen Zugangs zum Blues ein. Zu den herausragenden Titeln zählen „One Bourbon, One
Scotch, One Beer“, „Stella Mae“ und „I’m In The Mood“.
Released to celebrate Miles Davis’ centennial, Miles ’56 collects together recordings from the year that Davis recorded his most influential work on Prestige. With cuts from “Cookin,” “Relaxin,” “Workin” and “Steamin”, this collection includes the Quintet of Davis, Coltrane, Garland, Chambers, & Jones. Released on limited 4-LP and remastered from the original analog tapes by GRAMMY-winning engineer Paul Blakemore the set Included new liner notes by GRAMMY-winners Ashley Kahn and Dan Morgenstern.
Composer Vasco Mendonça presents his third album “Third Places”. The album brings together a collection of landmark performances and features some of the leading names in international contemporary music, including countertenor Iestyn Davies, mezzo-soprano Barbara Kozelj, the Porto Casa da Música Symphony Orchestra, the ensemble Het Muziek, and conductors Brad Lubman and Ernest Martínez Izquierdo.
More than just a record, “Third Places” stands as a space for artistic and political reflection on the present. Inspired by Ray Oldenburg’s concept of the ‘third place’ – a space beyond home and work where community life takes place – the album’s title refers to the venues where these works came to life, Casa da Música and the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ in Amsterdam: spaces for encounter, dialogue and cultural resistance. For Vasco Mendonça, these spaces symbolise “the ability to elevate the way we communicate with one another and to resist our most primitive and violent impulses”.
The voice lies at the heart of this work. The compositions explore the theatrical, intimate and political dimensions of vocal expression, drawing on texts of great social and emotional weight to create a shared space for listening and questioning the current state of the world.
One of the album’s central works stems from a profound contemporary concern. Inspired by the turbulent political climate in the United States following the 2016 elections and by his discovery of the poetry of Terrance Hayes and Tracy K. Smith, Vasco Mendonça composed a cycle of songs initially conceived for voice and percussion, later transposed for orchestra. The result is described by the composer as “a kind of imaginary American folklore”, where excess, transcendence, fascination and fear coexist.
The album also includes a reworking of material from the opera “Bosch Beach”, created in 2016 to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Hieronymus Bosch, commissioned by the Dutch foundation Stichting Bosch 500. Based on a libretto by the writer Dimitri Verhulst, the work reflected on the European migration crisis through a scathing portrait of human indifference. In “Third Places”, Mendonça revisits some of this musical material to construct an incisive reflection on contemporary political discourse, transforming the opera’s numbers into archetypes of election campaigns, populism and performative communication.
Straddling contemplation and confrontation, lyricism and political tension, “Third Places” stands as one of the most ambitious recording projects in contemporary Portuguese music, offering an experience that is both aesthetic and critical, where music and thought intersect in a visceral way.
The digital version of the album will include a bonus track, “Marathon”, which explores the analogy between music and long-distance running, creating a piece in which time is transformed through breathing, the heartbeat and the ritualised repetition of movement and the body, in a constant tension between exhaustion and survival.
RESERVA ESPECIAL: MALACO (S4R62)
A new volume in the Reserva Especial series, this time dedicated to Malaco
Records.
It features a previously unreleased song by The Unemployed, a semiknown track by Chad (originally available only on CD), an obscure cut by
The Right Combination, and a dancefloor delight by Eddie Floyd, released
for the first time on 45 rpm.
The third volume dedicated to the legendary Stax/Volt label.
It features two originally unreleased tracks by Mable John and William Bell, alongside two beloved album cuts, available for the first time on 7- inch.
At the beginning of the 1960s, at the Berklee College of Music, Byard Lancaster met some feisty friends: Sonny Sharrock, Dave Burrell and Ted Daniel. It is easy to see why he rapidly became involved in free jazz. Once he was settled in New York, he appeared on Sunny Murray Quintet, recorded under the leadership of the drum crazy colleague of Albert Ayler.
In 1968, the saxophonist and flutist recorded his first album under his own name: It’s Not Up To Us. The following year he came to Paris in the wake of... Sunny Murray. He would come back to France in 1971 (again with Murray) and in 1973 (without Murray for a change). This is when he met Jef Gilson, the pianist and producer who encouraged him to record under his own name again. On Palm Records (Gilson’s label), he would release four albums: Us, Mother Africa, Exactement and Funny Funky Rib Crib.
The recording of “Exactement” required two sessions in the studio: February 1st and May 18th 1974 – in between the two dates, Lancaster recorded, alongside Clint Jackson, the excellent Mother Africa. Two names appear on the cover of “Exactement”: Lancaster (Byard) and Speller (Keno). Byard Lancaster wanted to be precise, moving regularly from one instrument to another: first on piano, which was the first instrument he learned. On “Sweet Evil Miss Kisianga”, his inspiration is first and foremost Coltrane (even if leaning more towards Alice than John), this announces the storm to follow.
It is Lancaster’s horn-playing which really stands out: on alto (the sound of which is transformed by an octavoice on one track, "Dr. Oliver W. Lancaster") or soprano saxophones, as well as on flute or bass clarinet, the musician walks a tightrope making the most of all the risks he takes. Using the full register of his instruments, he has fun with the possibilities.
Then, Lancaster invokes or evokes Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy and even Prokofiev, before going into a danse alongside Keno Speller on percussion. Above all, he has a unique sound. Byard Lancaster, on whatever instrument he plays and by continually seeking, always ends up hitting the right note... ends up by playing exactement the note he had to play.
HAUPTPRODUKTBESCHREIBUNG:
KPop Demon Hunters, ein Netflix-Film von Sony Pictures Animation, folgt den K-Pop-Superstars HUNTR/X
– wenn sie nicht gerade Stadien ausverkaufen, nutzen sie ihre geheimen Identitäten als knallharte Dämonenjäger, um ihre Fans vor einer allgegenwärtigen übernatürlichen Bedrohung zu schützen. Gemeinsam
müssen sie sich ihrem bisher größten Feind stellen – einer unwiderstehlichen rivalisierenden Boyband von
Dämonen in Verkleidung. Diese spezielle einjährige Jubiläumsversion des Soundtracks enthält vier zusätzliche Titel, die zuvor nie auf Vinyl oder CD veröffentlicht wurden.
Aufgenommen in den Abbey Road Studios ist *Merregnon: Heart of Ice* Nobuo Uematsus erstes Werk, das
ursprünglich als Konzertstück konzipiert wurde – nach jahrzehntelangem Erfolg als Videospielkomponist für
*Final Fantasy* (eine der erfolgreichsten Spielereihen der Gaming-Geschichte).
Das Werk steht in derselben Tradition wie *Peter und der Wolf* und wurde geschaffen, um junge Zuhörer
an klassische Musik und die Instrumente eines Orchesters heranzuführen. Jede der vier Hauptfiguren wird
durch ein eigenes musikalisches Motiv sowie eine bestimmte Instrumentengruppe des Orchesters repräsentiert.
Nobuo Uematsu wird dabei von einem der renommiertesten Orchester der Welt begleitet – dem London Symphony Orchestra.
Zwölf der Stücke enthalten erzählerische Passagen, gesprochen von der Oscar-Preisträgerin Alicia Vikander.
Melodies everywhere. Hidden ones, obvious ones, the kind that stick around long after the magic is gone. The Fulmars, Hagen’s lo-fi experimental indie outsiders, return with 13 haunting songs on their first proper full-length album. It’s filled with warm lo-fi guitar hooks, carried by Teacherface’s stripped-back Roland drum machine pulse and Fabian Dietz’s soft, delicate vocals. Modern castaways’ music, truly seeing the light, somewhere between the hazy spirit of The Velvet Underground, the playful weirdness of early Throw That Beat In The Garbagecan!, the tender shadows of Dead Moon, and the hypnotic austerity of Party of One. There is a lot of tragedy, all covered in positive agility. Hypnotic simple charmers compellingly recorded by the illusionists behind the delicate Hüüpnootsche Platen Un Kassetten cassette label. If you listen in a row, you will fall into a calm flow, time is on the go, and you so, in The Fulmars circle, disappearing in melodies, those hidden, obvious, glorious. You will fall for the voice, their “rollie” grooves carry you out there, browsing on irresistible humble guitar vibes. Be ready to watch the blue birds fly, it’s a real streetside surprise, for your pleasure, please don’t call it leisure.
Following the massive success of their sophomore album Fading Forward, Les Imprimés, by popular demand, press two standout tracks from the album on the coveted 7" format. The A side, 'You & I,' is a feel-good, upbeat homage to the kind of love that endures "through the chaos and the blunders." Punchy drums and keys create an undeniable two-stepper for frontman Morten Martens' vocals to float above. Dreamers dream and dancers dance as Martens paints a picture of a devoted, understanding love that few are lucky enough to find. On the B side, Les Imprimés offer their take on the classic slow jam. 'Miss The Days' unfolds gradually, with slow pulsing drums and building instrumentation that evoke longing and nostalgia. Martens sings of simpler times impossible to forget-moments free of adult responsibilities, when "it was you and me, hand in hand, sometimes wasted_" Ama Li joins him on vocals, transforming the track into a killer modern take on the classic soul duet, a tune sure to resonate far and wide.
Vince Staples is one of the most revered voices of his generation. Though he's a celebrated multi-hyphenate, making an impact in TV, film, & contemporary culture, music is where he most naturally pushes boundaries as an artist, storyteller, & creative force. Following a string of acclaimed introspective projects, Ramona Park (a melancholic tribute to his hometown) & Dark Times (deeper, more personal themes), Cry Baby is a more outwardly facing artistic statement and piece of social commentary.
King Jammy–produced full-length debut from rising reggae songstress Aza Lineage, Rebel Daawta. Features appearances from Hi-Times Band, Jessie Royal, and Johnny Osbourne. Beautifully packaged in a full-colour sleeve.
FUZZING NATION return with Mothertruck, a fierce statement of stoner and desert heavy rock, built on fuzz soaked riffs, heavy low end and hypnotic, heat warped grooves driven by raw live energy and an organic sound. Formed in Athens in late 2022, the band quickly grew into a tight, powerful and unmistakably heavy unit, turning spontaneity into a focused sonic identity.
They merge experience from Greece's wider heavy scene into a sound shaped by the heat baked legacy of desert rock and the groove driven power of early Palm Desert influences. The result is a warm, gritty and riff focused approach that feels both classic and immediate, designed for open roads, volume and movement.
Mothertruck is heavy rock built as a continuous ride, shifting between crushing riff storms, hypnotic desert passages and expansive groove driven sections, always rooted in intensity and forward motion.
Recommended if you like: Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Queens of the Stone Age
Discover Joshie Jo Armstead's Giant recordings in the brand new limited edition 8 record box set containing unissued music and 2 interviews about the Savadors & Rhetta Hughes + Booklet to document the project.
Poitiers based Heavy Rock band RedRedRed deliver a debut album built on grit, groove and a decade of uncompromising attitude. Deaf Gods is a stoner and progressive metal release driven by thick riffs, dynamic structures and a raw live feel that avoids overproduction in favor of impact and authenticity.
Drawing from a deep heavy rock foundation, the band blends groove driven riffs with dark atmospheres and restless songwriting. The album moves between massive low end impact and more intricate, tension filled passages, always grounded in a direct, physical, and uncompromising sound.
A consistent and focused record with strong replay value, Deaf Gods stands out for its honest delivery, strong identity and wide appeal within the heavy underground, appealing to fans of stoner rock, heavy metal and modern prog infused riff driven music.
o black heavyweight LPs
o 39 tracks from the expansion to Monster Hunter: World
o Rigid board outer box
o Printed inner sleeves
The fearsome co-op team of Laced and Capcom have hunted down more rousing music from the Monster Hunter series.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne was a significant expansion to the hit action role-playing game, introducing players to the icy environs of Hoarfrost Reach and pitting them against intimidating foes including Velkhana and Zinogre.
The sound team for Iceborne comprised Akihiko Narita, Akiyuki Morimoto, Zhenlan Kang, Yuko Komiyama (comymusic), and Tadayoshi Makino (SpinSolfa Co., Ltd.). In true series fashion, the composers used rip-roaring orchestral and percussive instrumentation to alternately rouse and soothe players; from the propulsive "Spark of Blue - Zinogre" to the homely, Celtic folk-inspired "Theme of Seliana".
This vinyl set features artwork by Capcom highlighting the game's key monsters, with tracks pressed to heavyweight vinyl.
All music has been specially mastered for vinyl by Joe Caithness.
London based producer Akhavelli’s debut (instrumental) album "Moorthodox Psyence", operates like a recovered transmission from a fractured timeline. The project is built around a fictional rupture in 1996 where memory, signal and culture begin drifting out of phase, framing the music as something intercepted rather than composed. Drawing on the dense collage tradition of sample-based production, the record blends experimental Trip-Hop, turntablism and psychedelic rhythm with the hypnotic repetition of Krautrock and the tactile grit of analogue Hip-Hop. Its palette pulls from Japanese Soul and Funk, ex-Soviet Psychedelia, Turkish and North African sources, Arabic textures and classic 90s vocal cuts and scratches. Beneath the surface sits a subtle Sufi influence, positioning the producer less as author than as receiver: sampling as remembrance, sound as a way of piercing the veil between timelines. The result is what Akhavelli calls Breakbeat Psyence: a hypnotic, transportive body of work that feels less like a conventional album and more like a lost artefact recovered from inside a loop in time.
The name Akhavelli is a layered reference. It plays on Machiavelli, both the historical figure and Tupac’s Makaveli, filtered through his background and perspective. Even though "Moorthodox Psyence" is Akhavelli's first release, he has been working under the name Yvng Face, as a producer and as a professional mixing and mastering engineer for over two decades now. He runs a high-end hybrid analog studio and has mixed and mastered major records across multiple genres. That technical background feeds directly into the precision, sonics, and consistency of this album, even though Akhavelli is a distinct artistic identity.
