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Pioneering Ghanaian musician King Ayisobareturns September 4, 2026 with his forthcoming seventh album Pure Confusion, recorded and produced by On-U-Sound’s Adrian Sherwood.

Ayisoba is one of Ghana’s most distinctive musical voices. The world’s foremost player of the kologo - a homemade two-string lute fashioned from a calabash and covered in goatskin - he delivers fiercely political and socially observant songs using three different voices, including the voice of his grandfather that possessed him as a child. Sherwood meanwhile is the pioneering British producer and founder of On-U Sound whose hugely influential career has connected dub, post-punk, industrial, hip hop and experimental music through collaborations with artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry, Mark Stewart, Horace Andy, Sinéad O’Connor, Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode.

Ayisoba and Sherwood first collaborated during a BBC Radio 3 Late Junction session at Maida Vale in 2017, organised by Ayisoba’s long-time collaborator Arnold de Boer/Zea of The Ex. The pair immediately connected, and during the pandemic, when Adrian’s long-time African Head Charge collaborator Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah was in Ghana looking for musicians to collaborate with Sherwood suggested Ayisoba, who eventually featured on two tracks on African Head Charge’s 2023 album A Trip To Bolgatanga (Bolgantanga is the region Ayisoba is from). Ayisoba then returned to the UK in late 2024 and travelled to Sherwood’s Ramsgate studio where the pair laid down the songs that would become Pure Confusion: “All the songs were already in my head,” says Ayisoba. “This album is all recorded live, over one afternoon. Adrian only plays live, and I like that. And he works hard - he doesn’t sleep. I woke up in the night and he was still working.”

“In my role producing it, I just let it roll to make a good vibe,” says Sherwood. “We recorded it completely live, did some programming and processing on some tracks, using dub techniques live on the mixing desk and adding some slick touches. We wanted the colours on the album to swing off what Ayisoba was doing, so we invited some friends to participate. Doug Wimbish (Sugar Hill Gang) arrived from America and lent his services playing bass on a couple of tracks; the wonderful Ivan Hussey (Celloman) played bass, keyboards and cello - cello is not really featured on African recordings so we thought it would be really cool to try it. I'd been working with Alex White (Fat White Family/Primal Scream) on my album (The Collapse of Everything) and so he added sax to a few tracks and I brought Alan Glenn down especially - Alan was in Little Axe but also Nine Below Zero and played in the Yardbirds – to add some mouth organ; Mark Bandola added a bit of flavour with his Juno, Ayisoba’s long-time Ghanian collaborator Ayuune Sule added some percussion and vocals and Matt Smith did some programming.”

“King Ayisoba is quite amazing, so unique,” Sherwood continues. “He’s got his own handmade instrument and three different voices - when you’re listening you think it’s three different people. He’s a breath of fresh air, full of love for the music which he wants to share with everybody. Some tracks we kept very straight and others we experimented with - adding dubby psychedelic little touches to trip you out a bit. The added production we did at On-U has given it a shine while still keeping it vibrant, live and spontaneous. I’m really proud of this record”.

On Pure Confusion, Ayisoba documents the anxieties, contradictions and changing social realities of contemporary Ghana. “Land is a problem for everyone,” says Ayisoba of the opening track “Property”. “If you don’t build on your land they will take it away. Plenty corruption in Ghana, plenty confusion. They sell the land to two, three, four people and then everybody fights.”

Elsewhere Ayisoba explores illness, spirituality and social stigma on “Bemba”, warning against hiding sickness out of shame or fear of “bad juju”: “People hide their sickness and the sickness kills them.” “Tewigiloge” reflects on cultural difference and open-mindedness encountered through world travel: “We will tour the whole world and we will see many things we may not like or understand… your eyes will see, but don’t talk - you have to be open-minded.”

Spirituality runs deeply throughout the album. Ayisoba’s grandfather was a respected spiritual healer whose presence the musician says still guides him today. “The grandparents’ spirits are the ones you can contact,” he explains of the spiritual chant “Nkaase”. “This song talks about the forefathers.” The closing track “Leeda-Mampanga (It’s Not My Strength)” acts as a statement of humility and gratitude: “You have to be humble, even if you have talent. God gives you the power.”

For more than two decades, King Ayisoba has been one of Africa’s most distinctive musical innovators, transforming northern Ghanaian kologo traditions into a bold contemporary sound rooted in hypnotic rhythms, social commentary and spiritual intensity. Since the breakthrough success of 2006’s Modern Ghanaians, Ayisoba has built an international following through acclaimed albums, relentless touring and collaborations with artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry, Orlando Julius and African Head Charge. Performances at Roskilde, WOMAD, Le Guess Who? and the Barbican have further cemented his reputation as a singular live performer and cultural force.

Set sail for the next leg of the journey! Diggers Factory is thrilled to present the One Piece: Into the Grand Line (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) Deluxe Vinyl Boxset.

Following the Straw Hat Crew as they finally move Into the Grand Line, the soundtrack captures the epic, high-seas energy of the hit series. Composed by the powerhouse duo Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli, the score blends orchestral scale with pirate folk-rock grit, now pressed on stunning colored wax.
Whether you're dodging Baroque Works or looking for a giant whale, this box set is the ultimate treasure for any Straw Hat at heart.
2LP Black Audiophile Vinyl: Two black vinyl representing the fiery spirit of adventure and the deep mysteries of the Grand Line.
Custom Die-Cut Jackets: Two single jackets featuring a central die-cut hole that reveals the beautiful map-work of the inner labels.
16-Page Booklet: A deep dive into the production with exclusive set stills and behind-the-scenes imagery from Season 2.
Double-Sided Poster (20" x 27"): Choose your vibe with the cinematic group shot of the crew or the iconic "Grand Adventure Awaits" sunset art.
6 Exclusive Postcards: Vintage-style travel postcards from legendary stops like Loguetown, Little Garden, and Drum Island.
Sticker Board: A collection of high-quality stickers including Laboon, the Going Merry, and Luffy's legendary $30,000,000 Wanted Poster.
Collector's Box: All contents are housed in a premium, wooden-textured outer box.
Netflix's epic high-seas pirate adventure, ONE PIECE, returns for Season 2-unleashing fiercer adversaries and the most perilous quests yet. Luffy and the Straw Hats set sail for the extraordinary Grand Line-a legendary stretch of sea where danger and wonder await at every turn. As they journey through this unpredictable realm in search of the world's greatest treasure, they'll encounter bizarre islands and a host of formidable new enemies.

The follow up to her UK number 1 album This Is How Tomorrow Moves, the stark and striking fourth album by beabadoobee is named for the electricity towers that dot every major artery in the world—the strong, spindly structures that reminded Beatrice Laus of her connection to friends and family at home while she was staring down extreme disconnection and isolation on tour over the past few years.

The title can also be read as an allusion to Laus’ spiky, forceful new sound—the waves of distortion that crash and shatter across this record’s 14 songs mirroring the intense crackle you hear when walking under power lines. The pylon is also a fitting symbol for an album that reckons with the repetitive anxieties of your mid-twenties: What if I’m always going to be this way? What if life is just pylon after pylon on the road?

The album’s first single is available to stream and buy from today: “Sun Has Set” introduces Pylon as, in essence, a set of songs that began as diary entries, words that Laus thought she’d never be able to say out loud. “A lot of the songs on this record are things I wish I could have said to someone,” she says. “This song has this petty tunnel vision—it’s like, I hate you. You’re gonna stay here and listen to how much I hate you. Because I never got to say that.” The single comes accompanied by a striking first person video directed by Bea’s partner and longtime visual collaborator Jake Erland.


Ever a devotee of pure rock music—both as something to be cherished and something to be played with—Laus casts these feelings in songs that touch on classic grunge, midwest emo and ‘90s radio rock, zeroing in on a sound that is both harsher and more direct than any of her previous records. She says the music she’s loved has “always been an influence” on her music, and so for B4 she went straight to the source. A fair few of Beabadoobee’s composite influences contributed to Pylon, a fact that speaks to the goodwill and respect Laus has amassed over the course of her relatively brief career.

Hayley Williams sings on “Nothing to Prove,” a deeply anthemic indie-rock song about getting your power back from fairweather friends who just want a bit of your success. The moody “Powerlines” features a verse from Turnstile singer Brendan Yates, a master of matching vocal force with emotional nuance. Elsewhere, you’ll find contributions from Pinegrove’s Evan Stephens Hall, Deftones’ Chino Moreno, and Title Fight’s Shane Moran, as well as, on “Write Me A Letter”, production work from Laus’ longtime friends and collaborators Matty Healy and George Daniel of The 1975.

Beabadoobee will debut songs from the record on the Powerlines Tour, her first ever arena shows and biggest tour to date, taking in shows across North America, the UK and Europe this autumn-winter. The Powerlines Tour kicks off 1 October and includes stops at Madison Square Garden, The Kia Forum, The O2 and more (full routing below). Support comes from Wisp in the US, Canada and UK and Violet Grohl in France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.





Born in the Philippines and raised in London, Beatrice Laus emerged as a British alternative music icon across three acclaimed albums and five EPs. She has garnered multiple BRIT Award and BBC Sound Of nominations, and won NME’s Radar award, whilst amassing over 10 billion streams worldwide and more than 12 million followers across her social channels.

This Is How Tomorrow Moves became her first record to reach number 1 on the UK Official Album Chart in 2024, following her Top 10 albums Fake It Flowers (which reached number 8) in 2020 and 2022’s Beatopia (#4). Earlier this year, beabadoobee released the one-off single ‘‘All I Did Was Dream Of You,” teaming up with Grammy-nominated best New Artist The Marías, the result of a longtime mutual creative admiration between María Zardoya and Bea.

Antorcha are one of the best-kept secrets of the Mexican underground rock scene. Their influences came from Iron Butterfly, Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Vanilla Fudge, and others. At times they also sounded like MC5, with whom they shared an anarchist and anti-establishment spirit. After a brief period during which they recorded only a couple of 7-inch singles for the Orfeón label that had a very limited distribution, Mexican rockers Antorcha fully embraced a DIY approach to managing their own career. They had evolved into a heavy psychedelic rock group, with no metaphors and no compromises. Anarchists in a country that could barely utter the word without trembling. It was the final years of the 1960s. They recorded five self-produced EPs, sold exclusively at their live performances, passed from hand to hand as if each record were a clandestine act. While MC5 stirred the streets of Detroit alongside the White Panthers, Antorcha was doing much the same in a Mexico that preferred to look the other way. The band operated as a cooperative: agreements were reached collectively, and income was shared equally. Antorcha became a forgotten band in their own country, overlooked even by Mexican rock experts. Yet their legacy proved influential on an organizational level for later groups in the independent scene, which followed Antorcha's model of self-releasing and self-managing their work. This compilation brings together the best of their discography, collecting self-released 7-inch records originally issued between 1971 and 1976, along with material that never appeared on their EPs. Includes an insert featuring liner notes by Carlos Icaza "Tropicaza" and photographs of the band.

Released in 1976 on ABC Records, Seed Of Memory is Terry Reid's fourth studio album and marks a significant shift in his musical direction - This 180g vinyl re-issue faithfully replicates the original UK pressing including 4- page lyric insert Produced by Graham Nash, the album was recorded in California after Reid had relocated from Britain, and reflects the influence of the West Coast singer-songwriter scene while retaining elements of rock, blues, folk and soul. All eight songs were written by Reid, whose expressive vocals and guitar work remain central throughout. The recordings are enhanced by contributions from respected musicians including David Lindley on guitar and violin, Ben Keith and Al Perkins on pedal steel, and Graham Nash on harmony vocals. Lyrically, the album explores themes of reflection, spirituality, personal growth and social awareness, with songs such as "Brave Awakening" drawing on Reid's family connections to the mining industry. The relaxed arrangements contrast with the heavier sound of some of his earlier recordings, creating a more atmospheric and melodic style.

2026 repress of classic Alpha Steppa album.

Raise The Ark - The new album from Alpha Steppa, marking ten years of Steppas Records. This vocal-dub album defies convention and introduces the listener to a new world of soundsystem music. Raise The Ark evolves and expands the distinct avant-guard dub style of Alpha Steppa, exploring the realms of Hip Hop, Trap, Trad, Folk and Bass Music. True to the Steppas Records ethos, the music carries a deep and crucial message, covering current and timeless topics; from the climate crisis, sociopolitical issues, to roots, culture and spirituality. Working closely with known artists from the Steppas imprint and as we have come to expect, introducing us to new and emerging talent from across the globe. Raise The Ark features include; Pupa Jim of Stand High Patrol (France), Sista Awa (Italy/Senegal), Cian Finn (Ireland), Ras Tinny (Suriname), Nai-Jah (Nigeria), Tenor Youthman (Russia), Eva Keyes (Ireland) and Block Mameli (Italy/Ghana). The collection features 12 evocative and provocative vocal tracks and 10 thundering instrumental / dub mixes. Raise The Ark is a truly eclectic, profound and exciting album not to be missed.

In partnership with onetreeplanted.org we will plant a tree in Ethiopia for every record sold.

“One of the most prolific and inventive dub producers around” Wire

“A serious player in the soundsystem world” Mixmag

“Obliteratingly heavy bass” Q Mag

“Album of The Month” MIXMAG (March 2013 & October 2014)

There was an immediate buzz surrounding This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic, the 2001 debut EP by Seattle indie phenomenon Minus the Bear. It wasn’t the kind of viral interest that translated into a string of sold-out tour dates, but it meant that the tuned-in crowd eagerly anticipated their next move. To help stir up the excitement for their first proper full-length, the band followed up Gigantic with a promo CD featuring two tracks from their upcoming album, a short instrumental interlude, an exclusive new song, and a demo version of another album track. Packaged in a cardboard slipcase, it was the kind of cheaply manufactured promotional item that could be handed out for free at shows or thrown in as a bonus in online orders—a relic of the final years of the CD age before the advent of the iPod and mp3. The sampler CD was christened Bands Like It When You Yell “YAR!” At Them in a nod to the upcoming album Highly Refined Pirates.

While these kinds of promotional items typically had an ephemeral existence, filed away in some neglected binder of CDs or tossed out during one of the many apartment-to-apartment moves of the band’s principal demographic of urban twentysomethings, Bands Like It When You Yell “YAR!” At Them had a curiously persistent presence. Perhaps it was because it was packaged more like a proper EP than a sampler. It certainly helped that it was a free release, meaning anyone who came to a show likely walked away from the evening with the cardboard slipcase tucked in their jacket pocket. It’s also noteworthy that the EP showcased three songs from the back half of Highly Refined Pirates rather than the album’s live staples and fan favorites from side A. Whatever the combination of factors at play, “YAR!” took on a life of its own and was ultimately re-packaged in a jewel case and sold as a proper EP in 2004 in the wake of Highly Refined Pirates’ success. And now in 2026, it’s getting its first proper release on vinyl.

Opening with the driving beat, chirping guitars, and funky low-end of “Spritz!!! Spritz!!!,” Bands Like It When You Yell “YAR!” At Them quickly cements Minus the Bear’s foundation of sophisticated revelry, a spirit further emphasized in the Highly Refined Pirates title choice. Part of the Bear’s lore involves them playing their first show three days after 9/11, and just as New York City’s indie rock scene took a sharp turn towards nightclub debauchery and a rejection of ‘90s rock’s dour fatalism in the wake of the World Trade Center tragedy, so did the Bear turn away from the Seattle’s scene’s penchant for gloom and angst towards a cerebral after-hours pop sound. The inclusion of “Women We Haven’t Met Yet” helped elevate what could have otherwise been seen as an album deep cut into a lead track. The fact that these first two songs essentially served as preview singles over future Pirates hits like “Monkey!!!Knife!!!Fight!!!” and “Absinthe Party At The Fly Honey Warehouse” speaks to the high quality of every song the band cranked out in their early years. The EP’s exclusive track “Drop It Like It’s Hot” presaged Snoop Dogg’s mega-hit single of the same name by two years, but whereas Snoop leaned into restrained minimalism, the Bear unleashes some of their fiercest work here, building off of interwoven riffs and electronic layers to a climax of stabbing guitars and hollered vocals. Much like Nirvana’s Hormoaning EP, Minus the Bear’s Bands Like It When You Yell “YAR!” At Them was initially more of a marketing gimmick than a proper release, but given the popularity of the pivotal studio albums that stemmed from the same recording sessions, these extended plays serve as compelling companion pieces that have earned a special spot in their respective fanbases’ hearts. Suicide Squeeze is proud to offer Bands Like It When You Yell “YAR!” At Them on vinyl on September 18, 2026, nearly 25 years after the band’s first show.

Remastered for vinyl by Bernie Grundman with lacquers cut at 45rpm, this limited edition pressing of 1000 copies on Puget Sound-colored vinyl helps document and preserve the exciting early years of one of American indie rock’s most beloved acts.

Musique Domestique marks the debut full-length from French duo Adiciatz, a project that emerges from the shared musical curiosity of Manon Nogier and Guillaume Lespinasse. Living near Lyon and making music together since before the pandemic, the pair developed their sound during lockdown improvisations at home — a creative process that quickly revealed a unique musical chemistry rooted as much in folk tradition as in experimental exploration.

Drawing on a wide palette of influences — from Occitan poetry, delicate folk to drone and spontaneous sound exploration — Adiciatz makes music that feels both intimate and expansive. Nogier’s voice and amplified taisho koto weave through Lespinasse’s keyboards, machines and percussive touches, forming a sonic world where ritualistic soft folk melodies coexist with subtle electronic textures.

Their live performances, including an appearance at the Meakusma Festival, where their set blurred the line between concert and séance, have already shown how this blend comes to life in front of audiences, with hypnotic vocals, spiralling chords and slow, trance-like rhythms inviting listeners into a space that is both meditative and evocative.

On Musique Domestique, those live-rooted sensibilities are distilled into recorded form. The album moves fluidly between rich pastoral folk and instrumental meanderings. Musique Domestique announces Adiciatz as a compelling new voice at the intersection of folk, experimental and electronic music crafted with care and intuition.

Released in 1983, "En la guía, en el listín" remains a permanent anomaly in the history of Spanish pop music, with few clear predecessors and even fewer descendants. It is an imperfect yet fascinating catalog of the many faces Derribos Arias could reveal. Its sound combines odd electric rock, leftfield proto-hip-hop, and dark, immersive songs that simply defy categorization. An essential album. Includes liner notes and the artwork of the original insert. By late 1981, the San Sebastián-based group La Banda sin Futuro had already transformed into Derribos Arias. Their first two singles dazzled critics eager for new ideas capable of placing Spanish pop alongside the contemporary music increasingly arriving from abroad in real time. 'Branquias bajo el agua', the standout track from the band's debut single, topped the list of Best Songs of 1982 as voted by listeners of Diario Pop on Radio 3 (Spanish National Radio). With an expanded four-piece lineup and a larger budget than they had enjoyed for their earlier singles, the band entered the prestigious Kirios Studios to record their album, with Paco Trinidad serving as producer. The electric intensity of 'Intima decoración' and 'Crematorio' -angular, off-kilter reinterpretations of a strain of rock descended from The Velvet Underground and The Stooges, a style with virtually no precedent in Spain-are excellent examples of the band's sound. To aberrate was the key term Poch used to describe his ineffable working method: a fearless creative freedom without which songs such as 'Lo que hay' could never have existed. The track stands as a leftfield proto-hip-hop number, later reworked as 'Disco pocho,' demonstrating both his admirable lack of prejudice and his complete disregard for any commercial ambitions the album might have had.Unfortunately, this album would never have a follow-up.

Originally released in 1971, "Satori" is Flower Travellin' Band's groundbreaking masterpiece and one of the most visionary albums of the early heavy rock era. It fused hard rock, psychedelia, progressive music and Traditional Eastern influences into a sound unlike anything heard before. Originally released in 1971, "Satori" is Flower Travellin' Band's groundbreaking masterpiece and one of the most visionary albums of the early heavy rock era. It fused hard rock, psychedelia, progressive music and traditional Eastern influences into a sound unlike anything heard before. Unlike many rock albums of the era, "Satori" is structured as a continuous musical journey, with its five tracks presented as interconnected movements rather than conventional songs. The band's powerful rhythm section, extended guitar passages, and the commanding vocals of Joe Yamanaka create an atmosphere that feels both intense and hypnotic. Recorded during a period when Japanese rock was developing its own identity, "Satori" drew inspiration from Western hard rock and psychedelia while incorporating a unique sense of space, improvisation, and spiritual exploration. Over the decades, the album has gained international recognition among collectors, musicians, and fans of vintage heavy rock, often cited as an overlooked classic that anticipated elements of later hard rock, stoner rock, and heavy metal. Created for an international audience and revered by generations of musicians and collectors, more than fifty years after its release, "Satori" remains as one of the most influential and forward-thinking records in Japanese rock history. LP includes insert.

After enjoying two major hits with the singles “Maybellene” and “Roll Over Beethoven” in 1955 and 1956, it was not until May of 1957 that Chuck Berry released his debut studio album and masterpiece, After School Session. The second album ever released on the legendary Chess Records, After School Session offered a new sound to audiences, nodding to teenagers with its title and including a mix of “rockers” that set the blueprint for the rise of rock ‘n’ roll. Includes “School Day (Ring Ring Goes The Bell),” “Brown Eyed Handsome Man,” and “Too Much Monkey Business.” Bring home the sound of America’s greatest blues label in high fidelity with the Chess Records Acoustic Sounds Series. These audiophile reissues of classic albums and compilations from the Chess discography are remastered from the original analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings (QRP). Each disc is packaged in tip-on gatefold sleeves printed on high-grade board.

Quaid + Shepherd’s “The Preset” 12” is a multi-mix single/release pushing and evolving the confines of the present funk sound. This London duo, which is composed of producer Quaid and vocalist Shepherd (who have been long-time collaborators), dives especially deep with these four banging club mixes of “The Preset”, channeled through the lens of 80s boogie-funk. Quaid explains that “early 80's boogie funk has always been a massive inspiration and a huge part of my day-to-day listening experience”, and these 4 mixes of “The Preset” serve to honor a “drum machine soul” tradition, while keeping the production and feel fresh for the dance-floor and the context of today. This release is stacked full of epic alternate mixes for listeners and DJs to experience: Most notably, there is a “Sysex” Mix from Atlanta’s elusive abstract boogie-funk producer Moon B (his first new production to release after a multi-year hiatus), which delves into his intangibly unique slanky-funk sound. Also included on the B side are the hypnotic and more uptempo “Wet Dreems” Mix and a “Dirty Dub” Mix from Quaid that truly leans into the quirky synth leads, crispy drum programming and heavy rolling bass.

“An amazing new project…” Tony Minvielle, Jazz FM

“A lush, heatwave-friendly piece of dancefloor innovation…” Clash Magazine


First Word Records is delighted to bring you the debut EP from Ships of the Pharaohs.


Ships of the Pharaohs are a London-based collective led by producer Last Nubian, who’s had releases in his own right on labels like CoOp Presents, Eglo Records & Touching Bass. Blending jazz, soul, bossa nova, d&b and house-influenced grooves, the band also consists of vocalist Achanté, keys player Goldbar & bassist, Dougan.

The 7-track EP kicks off with the high-energy, vitamin D-saturated lead single ‘Sun is Rising’, featuring the guest vocals of brilliant Berlin-based singer Red Bird, who appears on three tracks on this project (‘For You’ and ‘Seasons’). ‘Can’t Quit’ follows on a smooth soulful house/bruk tempo, and invites in the thought-provoking spoken word prose of AKEEM. ‘Seasons’, ‘For You’ and recent single ‘Joys’ add another element to the band’s eclectic take on fusion, leaning heavily into the bossa side of the quartet’s influences. The latter track sees Achanté’s soulful harmonies gracefully float across a warm bed of keys, percussion, guitar picks & synth strings. We take a short jazzy breather on the ‘Interlude’ cut, featuring the resplendent sax of multi-talented Norwegian artist, Bror Havnes, who also features on the outro cut ‘One’ - this one seeing the crew ride out with a sonic salute to jungle/d&b, closing this first opus from the group with the energy levels remaining high.

Tre Wright (aka Last Nubian) explains “Our debut EP is a reflection of who we are, both individually and as a collective. Drawing inspiration from jazz, jungle, bossa nova, house, r&b and the music that's shaped us, we've explored our own interpretation of these sounds and how they come together in a way that feels true to us. It gave us the space to experiment without boundaries, trust our instincts, and create something that genuinely reflects where we are creatively right now.”


Originally conceived to perform Last Nubian material live for a Touching Bass showcase at We Out Here festival in 2023, the project soon took on a life of its own, as the group effort unleashed a unique chemistry & sound of its own merit. Thereafter followed numerous sessions in a studio-converted bedroom of a Brixton flat, developing this new sound. The finishing touches were taken care of at the infamous Total Refreshment Centre in North London, resulting in the formation of captivating new original material, which appears across this first extended release.

Ships of the Pharaohs have additionally performed live across London at Brick Lane Jazz Festival, House of KOKO, Jazz on Wick Festival, Peckham Levels, 91 Living Room & GROW in Hackney. Developing their powerful stage presence has gone hand in hand with the creation of their own material.

The initial singles from this project received praise & support from a variety of DJs, press outlets & tastemakers from the worlds of jazz, soul and clubland, including Shy One (NTS), Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM), Rohan Rakhit (Worldwide FM), Somewhere Soul & Clash Magazine to name a few.


With sonics somewhat reminiscent of Acid Jazz legends Incognito, merged with the class of Nuyorican Soul, and the dynamic fluidity of 4Hero, the 4-piece have cooked up a set of style & flavours uniquely their own, fresh for modern dances, incorporating organic improvisation with more contemporary club sounds.

The Ships of the Pharaohs are about to set sail for what is sure to be an exciting journey ahead.

‘Part 1’ will be released on 12” vinyl & all digital platforms on September 18th 2026.

Like a pelican spotting its moment, Dimitri Andreas returns with a collection shaped by patience, precision and instinct.

Pelican marks a new chapter for a respected figure in underground electronic music. While recent years saw Andreas immersed in theatre productions, immersive audio experiences and multidisciplinary artistic projects, his fascination with rhythm, space, tension and emotion never left. It simply found different forms.

On Pelican, those worlds converge.

Across five original productions, Andreas distills the elements that have long defined his sound: hypnotic grooves, organic percussion, tribal influences, rich atmospheres and a deep sense of movement. The title track glides on suspense and anticipation, while Omenica and Mahu explore the groove driven territory that has become synonymous with his name. Cambolisa delivers a powerful melodic payoff, and Ember closes the journey with vintage synth warmth and restless energy.

The release is completed by three outstanding remixes from artists whose influence on contemporary electronic music is undeniable. Deetron reshapes Pelican into a deep and sophisticated techno excursion, Extrawelt transforms it into a cinematic and evolving voyage, while Petar Dundov expands Cambolisa into an emotional and atmospheric journey of his own.

Following a series of acclaimed MOVE Recordings releases supported by DJs including Sven Väth, Timo Maas, Jamie Jones and Fedele, Pelican arrives as a body of work shaped by years of exploration beyond the confines of club culture.

Rather than revisiting the past, Andreas brings those experiences back to the dance floor: music with patience, depth and perspective. Pelican is the sound of an artist returning not to where he started, but with everything he discovered along the way.

Already Supported by Laurent Garnier, Alexi Delano, Âme, Ilario Alicante, Just Her, Adriatique, Karotte, Danny Howells, Drumcomplex, Paco Osuna, Steve Parry, Marco Bailey, Alex Neri, Pole Folder, Amand, Calao, Neon, Gay Barone, ….

NEIL ARDLEY – KALEIDOSCOPE OF RAINBOWS The Definitive 2LP Reissue of a Landmark in British Jazz Fusion
Analogue October Records proudly presents the long-awaited reissue of Kaleidoscope of Rainbows, Neil Ardley’s 1976 masterpiece, originally released on Gull Records. Produced by Neil Ardley and recorded at London’s famed Morgan Studios, the sessions were engineered and mixed by Martin Levan, capturing one of the most ambitious and beloved works in British jazz. Following the acclaimed reissues of Courtney Pine’s Journey to the Urge Within (AOR-001-ST) and Neil Ardley’s Harmony of the Spheres (AOR-002-ST)—both praised by the audiophile press including The Tracking Angle—this third release confirms Analogue October as one of today’s most meticulous and exciting reissue labels.
A Suite of Sound and Colour
Commissioned for the 1975 Camden Jazz Festival, Kaleidoscope of Rainbows is structured as a seven-part suite, each movement reflecting a colour of the spectrum. Ardley’s composition weaves together jazz improvisation, progressive rock energy, and orchestral elegance in one of the most imaginative British jazz recordings of the era. Featuring Ian Carr, Barbara Thompson, Tony Coe, Trevor Tomkins, and Geoff Castle, the album is a who’s who of the UK’s vibrant 1970s jazz scene.
Cut at Abbey Road, Pressed at Record Industry
For this definitive edition, Analogue October worked directly from the original Gull master tapes. Mastering was entrusted to Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, using his renowned half-speed process to extract every detail and dynamic from Ardley’s score. To give the music the headroom it deserves, the reissue has been expanded to a deluxe 2LP set, pressed on the highest-quality vinyl at Record Industry in Haarlem, Netherlands. The result is a presentation that finally does justice to the scope and brilliance of Ardley’s vision.
Deluxe Package – Restored from the Source
The artwork has been meticulously restored from the original film elements, ensuring a sleeve of unmatched vibrancy and fidelity. Inside, a 12-page booklet printed on heavyweight card features an in-depth essay on Neil Ardley and the making of Kaleidoscope of Rainbows, written by Jazzwise magazine editor Mike Flynn, alongside rare photographs from the period.
Curated and Produced by Craig Crane
As with every Analogue October release, Kaleidoscope of Rainbows has been curated and produced by label founder Craig Crane with a collector’s eye for detail and a deep respect for the music’s legacy. This reissue is not only the definitive vinyl edition of one of the great British jazz fusion albums—it also continues the label’s mission to restore and celebrate the most vital recordings of the era.
Neil Ardley’s Kaleidoscope of Rainbows—vivid, expansive, and timeless—returns as the essential edition for audiophiles and jazz lovers alike.
Retail-ready product description (short form):
Produced by Neil Ardley and recorded in 1976 at London’s Morgan Studios, engineered and mixed by Martin Levan, Kaleidoscope of Rainbows is a cornerstone of British jazz fusion. This definitive 2LP reissue, mastered at Abbey Road by Miles Showell from the original Gull master tapes and pressed at Record Industry (NL), finally gives the music the dynamic headroom it deserves. The deluxe edition includes restored artwork and a 12-page booklet featuring an in-depth essay by Jazzwise editor Mike Flynn.

Limited White Vinyl edition of ‘Car Button Cloth’, featuring Lemonheads classics ‘If I Could Talk I’d Tell You’ and ‘The Outdoor Type’. Celebrating the album’s 30th anniversary, this reissue includes the original record + a collection of rarities and unreleased cuts (download only), continuing Fire Records in-depth series of reissues from the legendary band.


‘Car Button Cloth' is an extraordinary affair of musical and emotional extremes, a soundscape spanning “the most beautiful piano-led mourning in the history of the broken heart” that switches into perky jangle-pop for fleeting moments and contains the ultimate self-deprecating classic ‘The Outdoor Type’, penned by Smudge cohort Tom Morgan, as well as a cover of the bluegrass standard ‘Knoxville Girl’ and ‘If I Could Talk I’d Tell You’ co-written with The Vaselines’ Eugene Kelly. All bases are covered.

A recent signee to Chess Club Records, Jo Geller aka jo from school, finds herself among the independent label’s pedigree of homegrown artists who have gone on to attain major success. Alumni such as Billie Marten, an artist long admired by Jo, as well as Wolf Alice, are just a couple of names who found their initial support through Chess Club.

At 22-years-old, jo from school’s graceful, carefully crafted but devastatingly delivered songs hit with an air of maturity that lands far beyond her years. An embrace for spontaneity and imperfection gives her material its character; primarily as an artist focussed on doing things her own way.

Writing on the piano since the tender age of nine, Jo self-taught herself guitar as a teenager during lockdown, joining the illustrious Brit School: “I was the only musician in my world until I went to Brit School, then I was the worst musician there,” she says. “It gave me a kick. I went from thinking that it was cooler to not care about anything, to realising the more you cared, the cooler and more individual it made you.”

Largely produced by Rich Cooper (CMAT, Billie Marten), so far both singles from the EP have been supported by BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 & 6Music. Huw Stephen's has invited Jo to feature in his Huw You Are segment airing on 6Music on 29th July, and Jess Iszatt has already had Jo as her Introducing featured artist on BBC Radio London. Rolling Stone UK featured jo as their Play Next artist last month, along with CLASH who just confirmed a Next Wave feature to run on EP release. Outlets like Line of Best Fit, DORK, DIY and Wonderland have all came to the table to champion jo too. We've also seen impressive audience growth in just 2 months – with jo adding more than 3k new followers across platforms since her debut single 'Chicken' was released on 6th May.

On the live front, jo was invited by Dirty Hit's Skullcrusher to support on her UK + European headline tour in June, with past supports also including TTSSFU, Daffo, Esme Emerson. Jo has been booked for Night Currents festival in Portsmouth and invited to support 1000 Rabbits, both in October, and will be Playing Estrella Soundhood Festival in London in September too.

Celebrate a decade of Turnover's iconic sophomore album Peripheral Vision with this 10 Year Anniversary Edition. Retaining the album's iconic cover art, the packaging has been completely overhauled to include a new lyric poster & printed photo inner sleeve. This special limited edition is pressed on limited edition color vinyl also includes two bonus tracks from the era - "Humblest Pleasures" and "Change Irreversible." Released on May 4th, 2015 via Run For Cover Records, Turnover's second album Peripheral Vision is widely regarded as an essential body of the work in the band's discography, maturing its sound into a shoegaze-inflected post-punk direction following the band's 2013 debut record Magnolia. Described as "a tour de force" by Kerrang!, the album set the stage for an extensive and prolific touring history over the past decade and three subsequent albums, including their most recent LP, 2022's Myself in the Way.

IMPRESS!VE Collective & BBE Music present: Terry Callier – Live Peace. There was no one quite like Terry Callier, and Live Peace captures the rare magic of his live performances in their most intimate and spiritual form. Recorded live in Leeds in the late 1990s and early 2000s at shows run by Lubi Jovanovich & Gip Dammone of The DIG! Family, this release documents an artist whose music transcended genre, era, and expectation, offering truth, compassion, and deep emotional connection rather than spectacle. Recorded live by renowned sound engineer Martin Dixon at The Yardbird Suite / The Underground in Leeds in 1998 and 2001), these performances feature Terry alongside his hand-picked ‘Family Band’; which included legendary guitarist Jim Mullen, Chris Kibble on keys and famed percussionist Bosco D’Oliveira. Painstakingly restored from the only surviving source using modern AI-assisted audio tools, the aim was never to polish away the grain, but to let Terry’s voice, message, and band shine once more. Sparse, soulful, and profoundly human, the recordings preserve the immediacy of nights where packed rooms fell into pin-drop silence, hanging on every word and note. From the aching beauty of “What Colour Is Love” to the cinematic power of “Lazarus Man,” this album reminds us what a master storyteller and spiritual presence Terry Callier was. Live Peace stands as a powerful reminder of why Terry Callier remains one of music’s most revered and influential voices, whose songs of love, justice, and humanity resonate as strongly now as ever. This project is fully endorsed by Terry's daughter Sunny Callier - and the cover photo and sleeve images are all suitably also previously unseen visual treasures.

"The 1969 self-titled album by Koko Taylor cemented her place as Chicago’s undisputed Queen of the Blues. Scouted by Chess Records house bassist and producer Willie Dixon at Chicago’s legendary Sylvio’s Lounge, Dixon provided his new protégé with “Wang Dang Doodle,” a song that would sell more than a million copies and become her signature tune. Drawing heavily from her recent run of hit 45s, Koko Taylorfeatures, in addition to “Wang Dang Doodle,” Dixon-penned classics including “Twenty-Nine Ways (To My Baby's Door)” and “Yes, It’s Good for You,” alongside Taylor’s own “Nitty Gritty,” highlighted by Johnny Shines’ poignant slide guitar. Koko Taylor remains a cornerstone of Chicago electric blues.
Bring home the sound of America’s greatest blues label in high fidelity with the Chess Records Acoustic Sounds Series. These audiophile reissues of classic albums and compilations from the Chess discography are remastered from the original analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings (QRP). Each disc is packaged in tip-on gatefold sleeves printed on high-grade board."

Led By Vultures, the new Los Angeles based heavy rock band fronted by Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Foreigner, Billy Idol, Gene Simmons, etc...)
has come together over the past year to record its powerful, uncompromising, undeniable brand of heavy music, and released their highly anticipated first single “Get It Right” in late-March. With that comes 12 songs dominated by loud guitar, massive drums, big riffs, killer grooves, aggressive vocals, and a feeling of flying through a tornado! With a pro home studio, Tichy started the recording
process and instead of trying to find the right players, engineers and producers, he chose to see it through on his own, and aim to make it feel and sound like a band that’s been together for years. Long time buddy/keyboard virtuoso Derek Sherinian (Alice Cooper, Dream Theater) lent a hand on a few tunes, including some co-writing and it was Sherinian who has been one of Tichy’s main friends, supporting him and telling him to stop talking and to get writing and recording!!
Led By Vultures is all about serving the song, the groove and the power it possesses. The recording process began as an organic, exciting, challenge for Tichy but soon became an all-consuming obsession to serve the songs and sounds with all of his being and abilities. This includes a rule of no samples or
auto tune! Led By Vultures; not just a band but a pure musical obsession!

For their third album, Under The Reefs Orchestra explores the skies, rides the winds, and communes with the spirits that blow across the world. After making volcanoes roar on Sakurajima (2022) and unveiling a mineral, obsessive, and telluric music, the Brussels trio led by Clément Nourry (guitar), joined by Marti Mélia (baritone saxophone) and Jakob Warmenbol (drums), now opens a new chapter. Recorded at Robot Studio in Ghent by Pieterjan Coopejans,
orchestra also expands with distinguished guests – An Pierlé, Catherine Graindorge, and Alejandra Borzyk – who upset the balance and ignite the embers of improvisation. Surf jazz, cinematic rock, hypnotic trance: Under The Reefs Orchestra continues to roam uncharted sonic landscapes, heirs to Moondog, Adrian Belew, Morphine, and Sons of Kemet. Their ever-adventurous music composes a visionary, incandescent soundtrack for a world in turbulence. Praised by the international press (Earmilk, Spin Magazine – which ranked Sakurajima among the 22 best albums of 2022), the group stands out as one of the most daring projects on today’s vibrant Belgian scene.

Geoff Kirkwood (Man Power)

I’dgained some notoriety as a music producer and DJ but I hit a horrible case of writers block around 2018.

The problem I was finding was that I was trying to shoe horn every smart arsed clever dick musical reference I had into the music I was making, but the function of dance music is to make people dance, not to show people who broad your musical references are, so I was making pretty shitty music that landed in the middle and didn’t achieve either aim.

To tackle this I ended up committing to just trying to make the most expressive and wanky experimental stuff I could. I was immersed in club culture at the time so the whole enterprise started as a joke, hence the name “Bed Wetter”. However when I fully submitted to just naked exploration the really unexpected thing that happened was that I found myself unavoidably having to deal with a lot of my own bullshit. That bullshit turned into the “Billy Mill is Dead” album, which was essentially the sound of me excavating my own life and looking at how I felt about where I was from, where I was headed, my family, my history, my region and all of the things i have conflicting feelings about.

It was partially catharsis and also a bit of deprogramming around being able to call myself an artist after being raised to believe that wasn’t an option for me.

I self released Billy Mill is Dead in the months before the pandemic and it found it’s fair share of love in the places I hoped would connect with it, and just the right amount of being ignored by people who I’m pleased didn’t feel it. This all lead to me being emboldened enough to apply for an artist in residence position at a big regional opera house months later in the middle of lockdown.

My feeling was that if my DJ career was potentially over for the remainder of my lifetime then there was no harm in exploring this alternative method of expression to see where it could take me.

I submitted a ridiculously ambitious plan for what I would like to do as a project, and to my absolute shock I was selected for the position.

I was 40 years old and from a scarcity background so I had a potentially unique response to that kind of validation for the first time and what followed next was a process of me just coming back with bigger and more ridiculous ideas just to find out at whatstage they’d tell me to stop.

The thing is, nobody did. I got as far as suggesting writing a full symphony to be performed by an orchestra before my own nerve gave out and I decided that was probably as far as I should push things.

The problem with people giving you permission to do things is that you then need to go out and figure out how to do those things.

The biggest issue for me, beyond raising the money to pay for everything, was how does a person actually write a symphony?

I was introduced to Fiona Brice, a multi instrumentalist and orchestral arranger. She’s also a recording artist who releases on Bella Union. On top of that she’s a violinist who used to be part of the band Placebo and who used to appear regularly playing for other bands on things like Top of the Pops.

Not only was Fiona uniquely placed to not look down on the strange provenance of someone from an Acid House background wanting to write a symphony, but more to the point we really hit it off from day one.

Fiona coached me in the essentials of writing for an Orchestra, and then I went off and wrote the 8 movements.

I’d love to say I laboured for years over this bit, but it took about 2 weeks in total. I’d also love to say what I wrote was a complete symphony, but the version of this which is solely me feels like looking at something without your glasses on. The shape,feel and borders were all there, but the definition was absent. Fiona taught me the broad language of a symphony, but without her it would have lacked all intonation, nuance and detail. Where I had shaped ideas with a hammer, she brought out my meaning with precision using a scalpel.

I think the prodigiously quick turnaround for the music is as much proof of how conceptually and musically aligned Fiona and I are. I know we’re both incredibly proud of what we’ve created.

It took nearly 2 more years to stage the debut performance in what was potentially the most traumatic period of my life which saw me embroiled in an international crisis with my own family and the death of my father, all with the backdrop of COVID.

The work itself is inspired by the working class experience, but it’s also a comment on how we get to decide what we are and how we’re defined, and we get to choose what we do to prove these things.

The original recording was contractually impossible to ever share again, so we re-recorded it in a working men’s club with jobbing (albeit world class) players. In many ways it’s a record that feels like it shouldn’t exist, which is why we’re all so happy that it does.

Archimboldos have clawed their way out of the starcaves of their primordial past and into the tranquil light of a coral garden on their third full length album, Crusta Arcana, a gumbo stewpot of transcendent electronica suffused with tribal rhythms and liquid ambience. Across a stereo field smeared with tolling bells, post-industrial folk percussion, and tinkling keys, Archimboldos soundtrack a science fictional journey, not into the depths of space, but deep beneath the waves.

In the past the Chilean duo of Nicolás Carcavilla and Felipe Crocco have described their music as “liminal shrimp folk.” Here they continue this strange exploration when they visit the court of the prawns, producing stately electronic chamber orchestrations. Perhaps these are the frequencies used for ritual dream initiation into the mystery schools of drowned Atlantis. Weaving an ancient sacred science, Archimboldos take listeners on a mystic vovage into their singular crustacean mythology, the crusta of their hidden arcana.

Archimbolodos are masters of conjoining cyclonic and centrifugal lines of electricity into spellbinding incantations. These deep-sea transmissions envelope the listener into aquamarine forcefields that are as hallucinatory as they are hypnotic. Navigating these strange fantasias could lead one to getting lost at sea, but the work is buoyed by the somnolent melodies of lonely harpsichords and swelling synth pads whose sustained tones reach towards distant shores. Sailing across a vast expanse of oceanic harmonies and percolating percussion, these pieces are as precise as the hand of a sailor on the rudder, moving with the tide.

Casting their net wide across eight pieces, Archimboldos have made a big catch. From the emotive electronic counterpoint found on “Bursting Armor” to the blocks of seaweed tangled sonic sculpture trawled up from the ocean floor on “Aphelion IX.” Other songs are like samples of biological ambience collected from luminous tide pools: resplendent tones placed into a Petri dish of sound, swirled, cultured and fermented until it undulates with the rhythmic movement of microscopic lifeforms. Alternating between rippling minimalist sonority and pounding, progressive, synth-heavy entrancement, Crusta Arcana charts its own idiosyncratic itinerary of instrumental invention.

All the while light is down streaming from the heavens to pierce the waters, here calm, there choppy. The intrepid musical captains commanding Archimboldos have laid a course for new archipelagos of the imagination, guided by heavenly constellations.

-Justin Patrick Moore, author of The Radio Phonics Laboratory, Telecommunications, Speech Synthesis and the Birth of Electronic Music

As has been the case with a number of releases on Punctuality so far, Echo Chambered has already gained notoriety as a sleeper hit for those in the know. Fans of Evan Baggs and Rey Colino’s Radar stream from Dekmantel 2025 will instantly recognise Carousel, pulled from a white-label dubplate about half an hour into the set. Fast forward nine months and a flood of track ID requests later and PNCT011 is finally here: five expertly crafted rollers from a modern master of the craft, Bliss Inc.

It’s easy to see why there has been so much demand for Carousel. Its earworm vocal, delicate percussion programming, undulating low end and spacey sound design land it squarely in the sweet spot between the minimal, progressive and contemporary tech house that so many
diggers are seeking out.

While the A1 is an undeniable hit, each track truly sounds like a hard-to-find early 2000s gem—the kind of record a Discogs shark will flip for extortionate rates. Why? Maybe it’s the rolling basslines, the understated grooves, the organic but club-ready percussion, the vocal samples or the cerebral FX.

Maybe it’s the mature, floor-focused arrangements, or the way Bliss Inc. nods to different corners of the dance music spectrum while maintaining a distinct signature. Or more simply, perhaps it’s because each track is an expertly constructed club tool —built for DJs, but just as rewarding for listeners.

However you want to hear it, Echo Chambered has all the markings of a Punctuality classic. With all five tracks doing damage in equal measures, you know what to do…

After meeting and working with Janko Nilovic - the extraordinary French library maestro - on a new album, while traveling and performing together around the world for almost 10 years, Igor Zhukovsky & Romeo Miussky - the multi-instrumentalist production duo, and rhythm core of The Soul Surfers - were inspired to make a record of free, spiritual, esoteric sounds which blended together on tape and made Sound Excitement happen.Drawing on their experience as soundtrack composers and using heavyweight Soviet analog equipment, including a few vintage personal instruments belonging to some legends of the Soviet leftfield music scene, Igor & Romeo started experimenting with genre-blending music. The outcome of their recordings are a mixed bag of different moods and genres."It's something similar to a library record or more like a compilation of many different library records on one LP for a good decade if you know what I mean? It's the work which we're really excited about and excited to share with you! ...oh that's hell of a wordplay!"

For theirthird album, Under The ReefsOrchestra explores the skies, rides the winds, and communes with the spirits that blow across the world. After making volcanoes roar on Sakurajima (2022) and unveiling a mineral, obsessive, and telluric music, the Brussels trio led by Clement Nourry (guitar), joined by Marti Melia (baritone saxophone) and Jakob Warmenbol (drums), now opens a new chapter. Recordedat Robot Studio in Ghent by PieterjanCoopejans, orchestra also expandswith distinguished guests - An Pierle, Catherine Graindorge, and Alejandra Borzyk - who upset the balance and ignite the embers of improvisation.Surf jazz, cinematic rock, hypnotic trance: Under The Reefs Orchestra continuesto roam uncharted sonic landscapes, heirs to Moondog, Adrian Belew, Morphine, and Sons of Kemet. Their ever-adventurous music composes a visionary, incandescent soundtrack for a world in turbulence. Praisedby the international press (Earmilk, Spin Magazine - which ranked Sakurajima among the 22 best albums of2022), the groupstands out as one of the most daring projectson today's vibrant Belgian scene.

Get On Your Knees' (1968) was the global hit recorded by the Spanish band Canarios, a true anthem that took the British soul scene by storm and still today gets regular plays at '60s clubs. 'To Be A Man,' on the b-side, is a rare gem by Camilo Sesto, packed with fuzz bass guitar and sophisticated arrangements, making it perfect for the dance floor. Canarios, the band led by Teddy Bautista, was one of the first Spanish groups to incorporate the sounds of emerging musical trends-primarily from the English-speaking world-into its repertoire. It was also one of the first Spanish bands to tour the States (they even recorded an album there under the name The Canaries). In 1968, 'Get On Your Knees' was released, a stunning soul track recorded by Swiss producer Alain Milhaud that quickly climbed the charts in numerous countries. Its appeal remains undiminished, and it still gets regular spins in the 60s scene today. 'To Be A Man' is something of a rarity in the discography of Spanish singer Camilo Sesto, whose songs typically lean toward straightforward melodic pop and ballads. Surrounded by an international team of collaborators under the direction of former Brincos member Juan Pardo as producer, he recorded this psychedelic-tinged pop song. Its sophisticated arrangements and sinuous fuzz-laden bass line create an effective and irresistible dancefloor-filler that was released as a 7" single in several countries but, curiously, not in Spain. First-ever single reissue of both songs.

Jonathan Kaspar returns to Crosstown Rebels with an eclectic four-tracker that shows his stylistic range. The EP features his own vocals, as well as some long-time personal secret weapons.

After an intense touring summer with acclaimed gigs, including Fusion Festival, Fabric London, Else Berlin or Woodstock 69 Bloemendaal, Jonathan Kaspar lands back on Crosstown Rebels. After remixing CRM head Damian Lazarus with two different versions in 2025 and his last massive "We Come EP” to the label in 2024, Jonathan is in a purple patch right now with upcoming remixes for the likes of Âme and Acid Pauli. This upcoming release reveals different sides to his sound while still feeling connected as one body of work.

Opener 'Take Control' will be familiar to fans who have seen Kaspar play recently - it's stripped back but tense, with a searching lead synth and tight, dusty tech drums that grip you and never let up. 'The Reason Why' came to life when Bákayan's incredible vocals were added to the deep, dreamy groove, bringing a smoky soul and human warmth that tugs at the heart. 'Play With Me' and 'I Love Your Voice' both feature Kaspar's own vocals: the former is a subtle, late-night grower that unfolds with trippy synth details and sci-fi motifs. The closer is a deeply immersive and widescreen mid-tempo sound that carries a heartfelt reminder to hold on to the voices of the people who love you when everything else gets loud.

Dutch artist Maurits Verwoerd, aka Nachtbraker, makes his first outing on Up The Stuss with ‘Bodu Imchi’, a four-track collection that highlights the breadth and curiosity that have long defined his work. Drawing from a world that stretches from ambient and cinematic music to dub, jazz-inflected electronics and house, the Amsterdam native has developed a sound that can feel both deeply considered and completely instinctive. Releases across Aus Music, Peach Discs, Heist Recordings, Dirt Crew and his own Nachtbraker and Quartet Series labels have established him as one of the more distinctive voices within the Dutch house landscape, with support from artists including Jamie xx, DJ Seinfeld, Raresh, Shanti Celeste and Axel Boman.

Across ‘Bodu Imchi’, those influences come together in a record that feels fluid, slightly strange and constantly alive. Warmth sits alongside subtle unease, hypnotic grooves give way to more playful rhythmic ideas, and intricate melodies drift through low-slung foundations without ever becoming overly polished. There’s a sense of late-night discovery throughout, the kind of music that rewards close attention but still carries enough physicality to move a room and keep packed dancefloors moving with a locked-in approach. Four tracks, one evolving atmosphere, and a meeting of musical worlds that feels right at home on Up The Stuss. It’s a release that finds character in the fine details: unexpectedtextures, subtle rhythm shifts and elements that seem to appear out of nowhere before then disappearing again. It’s an EP that moves between heads-down focus and hazier hours, capturing the curious, nocturnal spirit that runs through his work.

Almost Starlight is the extraordinary new album by Jem Finer (hurdy-gurdy) and John Matthias (violin). Produced by Jay Auborn and recorded in a Medieval Church, deep in the Devon countryside, in the Summer of 2025, the music is suffused with light, heat and the natural acoustics of the space.

The album defies categorisation; forced to pigeon hole it the nearest approximation would be ‘modern-classical’ but this ignores its myriad influences and explorations which encompass inspiration from Arvo Pärt through Terry Riley to Can via Delius, Alice Coltrane and a subtle reimagining of electronic music played purely with acoustic instruments, bending and shaping their possibilities in surprising and unexpected directions.

Jay Auborn plays cello on a number of the compositions and his production opens up and expands the music through a skilled and imaginative use of space, paying homage to the atmosphere of the church; ‘the sound evolved… chasing the imagined acoustics of that church in my mind; a place for worshipping light with sound.’

Almost Starlight will be released on the 4th September by Touch, available as CD, vinyl, cassette and on streaming platforms.

BIOS OF THE ARTISTS

Jem Finer

Since studying computer science in the 1970s, Jem Finer has worked in various fields, including photography, film, experimental and popular music, sound recording, sculpture and installation.

Much of his work relates to systems, extended processes and extremes of scale and includes Longplayer, a musical composition repeating once every 1000 years, and the Gurdy and Hurdy stones, ancient rocks set upright in fields in East Sussex and Gloucestershire with Jimmy Cauty. Their work together includes a band, The Standing Stones, whose most recent release is Twa Sisters, featuring Iona Zajac and Daragh Lynch.

He was a founder member of The Pogues, with whom he has played, written and recorded since 1981.

Recent music revolves around a fascination with the hurdy-gurdy and includes hrdy-grdy, a cassette released by Benedict Drew’s Thanet Tape Centre. His latest collaboration, with John Matthias, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.

John Matthias

Since studying Theoretical Physics in the late 1980s and 1990s, John has created music and sound in many forms, including for installation, popular music, music for film, for dance and orchestra.

Much of John’s work plays with the physics of complex systems but he is also greatly influenced by stories and song. John has collaborated with Matthew Herbert, Stanley Donwood, Jay Auborn, Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Nick Ryan and many others to create music with a variety of textures and sonorities. He is particularly interested in simplicity and form and how context informs the way music sounds.

His latest collaboration, with Jem Finer, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.

With Foreverglades, Miami’s independent rap cornerstone Pouya delivers a cohesive, highly anticipated body of work that serves as a gritty love letter to the Sunshine State. Moving away from the claustrophobic trap beats that defined the early SoundCloud era, Pouya steps fully into his veteran status by embracing a distinctly rich and organic Southern sonic palette. The album's title plays heavily on the Florida Everglades, signaling a destination that is both a permanent state of mind and a humid, unforgiving landscape where only the strongest survive. Over the course of 12 tracks, the project balances hazy nostalgia with modern underground rap execution, highlighting Pouya's sharp technical growth and deep roots in his hometown culture.

The production on Foreverglades is remarkably cohesive, leaning into thick basslines, melting instrumentation, and classic Southern rap influences that give the tracks a heavy, atmospheric depth. Behind the boards, the album leans on a talented collective of underground producers—including Alexis Martin, Boohmii, Esthetic Gloom, and Oleg—who construct a soundscape that is both menacingly smooth and psychedelic. Rather than relying on the frantic tempos of his early catalog, the backdrops here allow Pouya to showcase his immense vocal versatility. He flows effortlessly, seamlessly shifting from his signature rapid-fire, triplet-flow delivery to a more grounded, melodic cadence that mirrors the thick humidity of the Florida landscape.

Lyrically, Foreverglades is a self-reflective journey that finds Pouya confronting the psychological realities of a decade-long independent career. While his trademark dark humor and raw bravado remain intact, they are balanced by a vulnerable perspective on success, mortal anxieties, and the paranoia that comes with staying independent in a shifting industry. The tracklist is meticulously curated, anchored by atmospheric standouts like "Found You," "Florida Baby," "In My City," and the Rocci-assisted "Burnt Down." By anchoring the project with raw storytelling and a distinct sonic identity, Foreverglades stands as a defining moment in Pouya's discography—a project best experienced with the bass turned all the way up and the windows rolled down.

1xLP, pressed on Whirlpool colored vinyl, includes 12x12 double-sided insert.

“I like to work with a variety of instruments and set ups,” says Mark Van Hoen, sometimes known as Locust or Autocreation but here working under his own name on the excellent Plan For A Miracle, his first physical release of solo music since 2018’s Invisible Threads. ”Sometimes it’s literally in my studio, with all the hardware electronics available. Sometimes the laptop, using software instruments. Some of the tracks on this record were recorded in the desert (Joshua Tree) using a 4-track tape machine and small modular synthesiser set up. Each track was recorded in different location using different instruments, which accounts for the distinction between each piece. It’s also about my own reaction to my environment, and what’s going on in my life at the time.”

The Croydon-born Van Hoen started musical life in the early 1990s, signing for R&S records in 1993 but developing his own, myriad and distinctive style across a range of releases on Touch, Editions Mego and other labels, using a battery of instruments, including analogue synthesizers and taking a number of different approaches to recording, rather than ploughing a single sonic furrow. He has worked on a number of collaborations, including with Nick Holton and Neil Halstead of Slowdive, under the moniker of Black Hearted Brother - their Stars Are Our Home was released in 2013. “I have known Neil Halstead since 1992,” says Van Hoen. “He shared a house with me for a couple of years, and the music I was making and listening to along with clubs I was attending had an influence particularly on Pygmalion, the final Slowdive album on Creation.”

Each track on Plan For A Miracle does indeed sound like a world unto itself, a mini-environment, a weather condition, an ecosystem created for the moment. It’s a collection of tracks recorded over the past few years, released on Bandcamp - despite his apparent absence, Van Hoen works constantly. Opener “Climates”, in its exquisite limpidity, feels like a homage to Brian Eno, one of his most formative influences in his teen years, commencing with Music For Films, which he bought in 1979. “This Is For Them”, feels like a ghostlike throwback to early drum & bass or electronica, reminiscent of his own, earliest outings. “There have been a number of requests from labels to make some more music like my very early releases on R&S,” says Van Hoen. “This is part of ‘letting go’ and realising that there’s nothing less creative about going back to those styles again.”

“Pencil Of Spheres” is something else again, a magnificent, imaginary glass structure, shimmering, refracting, without visible means of suspension, a thing of impossible beauty. “Electric Lights” evokes an abandoned fairground, its lights still pulsating, its music lingering. “The Underpass”, meanwhile, insofar as it reminds of anything at all, is faintly reminiscent of Cluster or Neu’s! West German ambience, the urban mundane rendered magical, the sodium lights, the whitewashed walls. The reverberant, faintly oriental chimes of “Insight” transport us yet again, burgeoning and intensifying.

The landscapes, the skyscapes rendered on Plan For A Miracle feel unpopulated as a rule - but when he does introduce vocal elements, Van Hoen has a history of doing so to spectacular effect - think of “Real Love” from 1998’s Playing With Time, the seductive intonation of its title recurring throughout like a series of massive holograms, echoing, stuttering, breaking up, surging. Here, there are just the faintest of vocals, barely distinct, disquieting. “There’s been a bit of a game changer in recent times,” explains Van Hoen. “AI software that enables you to extract vocals and instrument parts from virtually any recording. That means sampling individual parts from existing sources is no longer limited to the original mix exposing certain parts soloed. The vocal parts I use are from multiple sources and often pitch shifted altered rhythmically and melodically.“ There’s further vocal chatter on “I Really Do”, proceeding at a faster pace as if giving chase, or being pursued - distant, enigmatic. “The Music”, meanwhile, its beat tolling, lost in its own fog of static, features a curious intonation, like the ghost of a lost Walker Brother.

Sadly, the album’s title is in reference to a personal tragedy on Van Hoen’s part - the loss of his wife. Titles such as “I Won’t Give Up”, which faintly reminds of another Eno masterpiece, Another Green World, in its nautical hurly-bury, or the pastoral strains of “Mrs Who”, heavily clouded with sadness, seem to allude to this. “In fact the record was recorded entirely before she passed away,” says Van Hoen, “most of it before she even became very ill. The title was given to the album when it started to look like she wasn’t going to make it beyond a few months. It was something Osho said - “plan for a miracle” - so it was a statement of hope. Unfortunately it was not to be.” Although the album is non-thematic, non-specific in its atmospheres, sound paintings, elegant structures it most certainly stands as a magnificent monument to Osho’s memory.

-David Stubbs.

When a British alt-soul and art-pop duo collaborates with Filipino musical royalty, the result is a blinding flash of artistic spirit that transcends geographical andgenerational barriers.

For Margate-based act Thandii, a chaotic whirlwind of a trip to Manila allowed Graham Godfrey and Jess Berry to explore a new cultural context of song- writing. After several prolific years of self-released albums together, they took the opportunity to channel Graham’s Filipino heritage through an ambitious project proposed by the label Sama Sama Records: for Thandii to make their next album with the most recorded drummer in the Philippines, Jun Regalado.

Now in his late 70s, Regalado has recently gained more recognition internationally after the reissue of his track ‘Pinoy Funk’ (from the Soundway compilation Ayo Ke Disco in 2024), along with the discovery of nearly 500 album appearances that are now finding themselves in the collections of younger generations. And on Coco Okayo - the first time he has collaborated outside of his contemporaries - Regalado effectively passes the torch.

In exploring a sound born of the diaspora with roots in British soul music, Coco Okayo makes full use of the polymath abilities of Thandii. While they provide vocals, percussion, flutes and production, they still manage to carve out space for regular Margate collaborators (including keyboardist Steve Pringle, Graham’s bandmate in Pigeon), as well as tapping Filipino connections in the United States such as Wyn Avillas and Ian Santillano.

“It’s a new genre coming from Filipino diaspora artists paying tribute to the Manila sound of the 70s,” say Thandii, “but combining it with modern day post-punk- disco, beat-driven-art-pop music coming from the small seaside town of Margate”. However the listener might interpret it, it’s clear that Coco Okayo is not stuck between worlds, but rather, has built a utopian world of its own.

Frazer Ray lands on Time Is Now with Masha EP. Four tracks of killer, stripped back FWD facing proto/future garage effortlessly pushing the sound into a new direction.

FACTS:

1. Frazer Ray knows how to make a dance. IYKYK…. Recently he’s been shelling Live UKG cooked right in front of you on a custom modular rig. Mad energy. 100% party business.

2. Frazer Ray knows a thing or two about making UK soundsystem music. The artist FKA Soundbwoy Killah is now a decade deep in his discography. And first as ‘Soundbwoy Killah’ and now as ‘Frazer Ray’ he is 2 for 2 with aliases that never miss.

3. New Frazer Ray is always something to get excited about. For 10+ years he’s kept it super tight. Quality over quantity. Always holding dubplates. When releases have landed they drop on only the best labels; including both Rinse and Rinse’s new INGRAM imprint, Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint, Sneaker Social Club, Interplanetary Criminal’s Locked On and IPC & Main Phase’s ATW Records. (side note - his Soundbowy Killah - ‘Halcyon Daze’ LP on Sneaker is IMO an all time classic - do not sleep on that one). Aaaannd… if the dubplates got too heavy he’s also occasionally dropped weight on his own U-Phorix label.

Also…..what has always struck me about Frazer’s music is that it’s simultaneously integral in the hardcode continuum while also pushing it forward. It’s always complete. Fully formed. You never bristle. There’s no failed experiments. Just a firm nod to the future for anyone looking.

OK… Run the tracks.

Masha’s vocal licks tell it straight, this one is “Fire”. Proper club business to test the stacks. The drums roll steady in front of a wall of sub bass. A killer mix of post dubstep era goodness, techno sound design and the shuffle & swing of proto dubstep.

Settle Down There’s something 90’s tek step about this one. Dark and moody with a wall of bass. It bristles with texture and atmosphere before – a moment of reprieve in this absolute weapon – Frazer opens up into a dubwise oasis before skittering back into the darkness.

Syren Song is exactly what it says on the tin, alluring Dancehall vocals chatter and roll. Who knew auto-tune and Garage paired so well… Frazer did that’s who.

No Reasons Left is an ethereal closer for the end of the night / start of the morning after. Gliding warm & introspective dubwise breaks with a Reese bassline that hangs in the space between garage and hardcore.

Frazer says…

“This EP feels like I've finally nailed integrating my modular setup (and VCV rack for all you nerds out there) into my productions. I wanted to create deeper production while still ensuring the tracks translate well in the club.”

If this is only the beginning then strap in.

Donkey Inching', the Cellophane Suckers' ninth studio album, is set for release in September 2026. Unwavering and stubborn as a donkey, the Cellophane Suckers follow their very own path at their very own pace. The band, decried as "lead-swallowing" high-speed rock 'n' rollers, stoically let chords linger and celebrate feedback, reducing rather than harmonising, then picking up the speed when you least expect it and slowing down shortly afterwards to roll on in a Dadaist fashion the drums become a machine, the guitars increasingly embodying yin and yang. With "Execution Day", they pay tribute to Spencer P Jones, whom one might well cite as a musical influence, and Neil Young is also honoured, whose Wall of Sound goes down well with the Suckers. The fact that a text by Charles Bukowski is also "set to music" may be down to their love for red wine "Donkey Inching"... creeps stoically and stubbornly, like a donkey, into your ears. In July 2026, the Cellophane Suckers will once again be touring Brittany, and in September they'll be hosting a release party at the Sonic Ballroom in Cologne. Further concert weekends are planned for autumn/winter 2026...

Brighton’s Moon Attendant team up with Go! Team's leader and drummer Ian Parton for new LP ‘Dum Evol’. Following their debut ‘One Last Summer’ with this incendiary, heart-pounding, drum-led masterwork full of untutored surf-guitar, Scarlet Rivera style fiddle, psychedelic orchestration and sharp-playful lyrics, all within just over 30 thrilling minutes.Since their debut, Paul Blewett and Nick Holton had been knee-deep in experimental music and needed something or someone to smash the shit out of the new songs. Instead of making heavier music, the result left lofty but wobbly structures teetering on fractured Giacometti-like frames, exposed, more arresting. Paring back the Musical palette from previous wash of synths and reverb to surf guitars, Moog, and violin, leaving Blewett's vocal (often compared to Colin Bunstone) leaning into an unvarnished, direct sound like Jimmy Campbell. Thematically, Dum Evol turns inward. Where their debut asked questions, this record sits with the answers, exploring love, conflict, and growth as experiences that must be lived first hand - “It’s such dumb evolution, you still have to learn the hard way”. Their lyrics get under the skin and under The Establishment in a wistful worm like way. Nudging at the truths. Smiling but always ready to bare some fangs.The fantastic instinctive violinist, Roger Proctor, joined as fourth member, bringing raw fragile beauty to ‘Look The Other Way’ & ‘Difficult Ifficult’, blending swooping string lines with the monster-surfing-Sonic Youth racket elsewhere. They explain - “We kept to a first take policy generally as it keeps everything just fresh and daisy like.” Dum Evol’s restraint allows the band’s more experimental instincts to land with greater weight. Musically, the record occupies a space somewhere between the slacker-rock nonchalance of Pavement and the gypsy swagger of Dylan - 'Desire' through a lens that is consciously, almost defiantly, English. It’s a sound that channels the 60's pastoral folk tradition alongside the sharp-edge of The Auteurs, an honest version of England, one to be proud of, existing in stark contrast to the hollow jingoistic nationalism of flag-shaggers climbing lamp posts. Jagged, lived-in, and entirely vital, Dum Evol is a record that feels fully realised, yet remains dangerously built to unravel in a hair's breadth.“Psychelelic grungy synth-pop - Moon Attendant marry analogue electronics to a lovely burbling pop sound, like Felt exploring the recesses of krautrock. Trippy, ramshackle and a cult in waiting.” Shindig!

Brighton’s Moon Attendant team up with Go! Team's leader and drummer Ian Parton for new LP ‘Dum Evol’. Following their debut ‘One Last Summer’ with this incendiary, heart-pounding, drum-led masterwork full of untutored surf-guitar, Scarlet Rivera style fiddle, psychedelic orchestration and sharp-playful lyrics, all within just over 30 thrilling minutes.Since their debut, Paul Blewett and Nick Holton had been knee-deep in experimental music and needed something or someone to smash the shit out of the new songs. Instead of making heavier music, the result left lofty but wobbly structures teetering on fractured Giacometti-like frames, exposed, more arresting. Paring back the Musical palette from previous wash of synths and reverb to surf guitars, Moog, and violin, leaving Blewett's vocal (often compared to Colin Bunstone) leaning into an unvarnished, direct sound like Jimmy Campbell. Thematically, Dum Evol turns inward. Where their debut asked questions, this record sits with the answers, exploring love, conflict, and growth as experiences that must be lived first hand - “It’s such dumb evolution, you still have to learn the hard way”. Their lyrics get under the skin and under The Establishment in a wistful worm like way. Nudging at the truths. Smiling but always ready to bare some fangs.The fantastic instinctive violinist, Roger Proctor, joined as fourth member, bringing raw fragile beauty to ‘Look The Other Way’ & ‘Difficult Ifficult’, blending swooping string lines with the monster-surfing-Sonic Youth racket elsewhere. They explain - “We kept to a first take policy generally as it keeps everything just fresh and daisy like.” Dum Evol’s restraint allows the band’s more experimental instincts to land with greater weight. Musically, the record occupies a space somewhere between the slacker-rock nonchalance of Pavement and the gypsy swagger of Dylan - 'Desire' through a lens that is consciously, almost defiantly, English. It’s a sound that channels the 60's pastoral folk tradition alongside the sharp-edge of The Auteurs, an honest version of England, one to be proud of, existing in stark contrast to the hollow jingoistic nationalism of flag-shaggers climbing lamp posts. Jagged, lived-in, and entirely vital, Dum Evol is a record that feels fully realised, yet remains dangerously built to unravel in a hair's breadth.“Psychelelic grungy synth-pop - Moon Attendant marry analogue electronics to a lovely burbling pop sound, like Felt exploring the recesses of krautrock. Trippy, ramshackle and a cult in waiting.” Shindig!

If you’re as obsessed with unfairly unheralded bands as we are, bringing out a proper, well-deserved official re-release to change that course is always an honor. Case in point, Jackpot Records proudly announce GANDALF’s 1969 self-titled release as one of our proudest moments. Working alongside band member Peter Sando from the original master tapes, it is time for the rest of the uninitiated to catch up with this beautifully crafted haunting psych-pop record (fans of THE LEFT BANKE, KALEIDOSCOPE, THE MILLENNIUM, and THE ZOMBIES, take note!). Recorded at Century Sound in Manhattan with Grammy-winning producer Brooks Arthur (who engineered Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”), the production of the album was created on the spot in the studio with arrangements being thrown about and the incredibly haunted vocals being recorded directly from the band’s PA using a Binson Echorec to make this innovative sound (Pink Floyd later used the same echo unit to great effect). Add to that sitars, vibes, B3 organs, harpsichord, minor tragic guitar chords, and bass drones aplenty, and you’ve got the recipe for an album that bears listening to with eyes closed, music cranked, mind open. So get in on the beauty of this record, and as Sando says on the liner notes: “Put the needle in the groove, sit back, and take the trip with GANDALF.” Enough said.

Ezra Collective's Here Because Of Hope is the most ambitious and personal record of their career - conceived as a body of work split into three spiritual and geographical movements, the album traces the movement of Black people across continents and decades, from the music of Africa to the rhythms of the Caribbean, and home to the streets of London. Formed in the youth clubs of London, Mercury Prize and BRIT Award-winners Femi Koleoso, TJ Koleoso, Joe Armon-Jones, James Mollison and Ife Ogunjobi have now spent over a decade making jazz joyful, urgent and undeniable. On Here Because Of Hope, they push that vision further than ever, asking a simple but profound question: why does so much Black music born out of pain sound so joyful? Their answer is hope: the belief, carried across generations and oceans, that something better is possible. Anchored by collaborations with Pa Salieu, Lila Iké, Leona Lewis, and reaching across the full breadth of the global African diaspora (including America, where those same African and Caribbean roots gave birth to jazz itself) Here Because Of Hope is a record of remarkable warmth, ambition and humanity, and the sound of Britain's most vital band at the peak of their powers.