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"Psychedelic Cumbia Party" brings together for the first time the best recordings of Los Zheros, a pioneering band of Amazonian cumbia from Peru. Their sound blends fast, percussive cumbia rhythms with surf-style electric guitars. The album features their psychedelic rock hit 'Cuarto oscuro,' a highly sought-after track not only among cumbia collectors but also garage and psych DJs. This compilation is a joint release with Peruvian label Rey Record and includes an insert with never-before seen photos of the band, as well as liner notes by expert Víctor Zela (creator of the acclaimed project "La Cumbia de mis Viejos"). DESCRIPTION This compilation brings together for the first time the best songs by Los Zheros, one of the most renowned cumbia bands to emerge in the early 1970s in Iquitos-alongside groups like Los Rogers and Los Wemblers-in the heart of Peru's Amazon capital. The unique Amazonian sound blended fast, percussive cumbia rhythms with electric guitars in a surf style-a distinctive fusion that came to define Peruvian-recorded cumbia, markedly different from the traditional cumbia styles that developed in other cumbia-producing countries like Colombia. The album includes their psychedelic rock hit 'Cuarto Oscuro,' a highly sought-after track not only by cumbia collectors but also by garage and psychedelic DJs. This song also marked the beginning of their recording career in 1973. This compilation is a joint release with the Peruvian label Rey Record and comes with an insert featuring never- before-seen photos of the band, as well as liner notes by genre expert Víctor Zela (the mind behind the prestigious project "La Cumbia de mis Viejos").

Pratt & Moody melden sich mit einer neuen 7"-Single auf Timmion Records zurück, auf der ,Hard Way To Live" und ,You Bring Me Joy" zu finden sind - zwei tiefgründige Soul-Stücke, die ihren Platz unter den wahren Pionieren des modernen Sweet-&-Beat-Soul-Revivals erneut untermauern. Geschrieben und aufgenommen zusammen mit Timmions bewährter Hausband Cold Diamond & Mink, setzt die Single eine Tradition fort, die schon immer die Grenze zwischen zeitgenössischem Songwriting und zeitloser Soul-Ästhetik verwischt hat. Die A-Seite, ,Hard Way To Live", zeigt Pratt & Moody ganz in ihrem Element der Beat-Balladen. Aufgebaut auf einem warmen, funkigen Fundament, schafft der Song ein Gleichgewicht zwischen emotionaler Tiefe und melodischer Leichtigkeit, während der Refrain in Crossover-Soul-Pop-Gefilde übergeht. Textlich setzt er sich mit den Narben des Lebens und der stillen Schwierigkeit auseinander, den Schmerz loszulassen, den sie verursachen - das Gefühl, weiterzulaufen, selbst wenn man das Letzte von dem, was man hatte, bereits aufgebraucht hat. Auf der B-Seite entfaltet sich ,You Bring Me Joy" wie eine langsam brennende David-Lynch-Szene; sein dramatischer Einlauf erinnert an Soundtrack-Soul, bevor er in einen von den Staple Singers der Stax-Ära inspirierten Refrain übergeht. Tremolo-getränkte Gitarrenlinien verweisen auf klassische Dark-Surf-Musik, während Emilia Siscos gospelartige Hintergrundstimme an Mavis Staples erinnert und den Track zu voller emotionaler Entfaltung bringt. Zusammen bieten diese beiden Songs einen lebendigen Vorgeschmack auf das kommende Album von Pratt & Moody - ein tieferes Eintauchen in gefühlvolles Storytelling, ihre bewährten Lowrider-Soul-Fähigkeiten und moderne Klarheit, das bald bei Timmion Records erscheinen wird.

Fresh off the back of the successes of Work Money Death, The Flying Hats and The Library Archives: Volume 4, ATA Records is proud to present The Karman Line by Outer Worlds Jazz Ensemble.

When musicians are on tour conversations naturally turn to music. Two years ago, whilst exploring the jazz kissas and record stores of Tokyo, woodwind maestro Chip Whickham and ATA mastermind and bassist Neil Innes discussed their shared influences of Yusef Lateef, David Axelrod and Alice Coltrane. The seeds for a new project were sown and soon seven tracks of deep, spiritual, groove driven jazz were laid down and on tape.

The moods of the album are varied yet share a sense of reverence and exploration. On Karmen Cantala and All Is Chip’s flute floats and soars, propelled by dreamlike harp and waves of impressionistic piano. Low Orbit takes things in a funkier direction, arrangements with Steve Parry’s horn (including the unusual instrumentation of bassoon, French horn and tuba) channelling 1970s Quincy Jones and the loping swagger of Archie Shepp’s Mama Too Tight. The Celestial Matari and Molecules recall the flowing, cosmic sounds of Joe Henderson and Alice Coltrane’s masterpiece The Elements, and Earthly Elements gets earthy indeed. Driven by a heavy, dance-floor bass line and an array of percussion, Chips flute gets huskier, dirtier and more insistent, drawing deep from Yusef Lateef’s Psychicemotus and Roland Kirk’s Blacknuss.

The highly respected Swiss producer Deetron steps up to Defected’s acclaimed House Masters series. Known for his deep, groove-driven approach to house and techno, his output has graced the likes of Rekids, Nu Groove, Running Back , Classic and Clone amongst others, earning acclaim for both his original productions and remixes.

This 2LP collection from Defected collates some of his finest productions and remixes to date showcasing his signature deep house sound. From his peak time club focused releases ’Starblazer’, ‘Runnin’ and his remix of Gerd’s ‘Palm Leaves’ to his remixes of Fred Everything, Wallflower and his own ‘I Cling’ highlighting his soulful and vocal-driven depth.

Featuring his most recent collaboration with Seth Troxler and remix of Todd Terje also on the compilation, House Masters Deetron underlines Deetron’s status as one of the scenes most prolific and finest producers.

Irgendwo in den Hügeln von Cincinnati gibt's einen Sender, der Radiowellen in alle Richtungen schickt. Der Strom fließt durch die Luft und trifft auf deinen Empfänger mit einer Ladung, die, wenn sie verstärkt wird, einen organischen Sound erzeugt, der nur von Doctor Bionic kommen kann. Sie sind zurück mit einem brandneuen Album - dem vierten Teil der Terrestrial Radio-Reihe mit dem Titel Electric Pollen. Wie seine Vorgänger wurde das Album von dem in Cincinnati ansässigen Produzenten Grimez aufgenommen, produziert und gemischt. Er holt sich eine wechselnde Besetzung talentierter Musiker, um Instrumentals aufzunehmen, die man am besten als Organic Groove beschreiben kann. ,Wir kommen zusammen, um gemeinsam zu jammen und die Musik zu machen, die uns am meisten inspiriert", sagt Grimez. ,Wir haben uns auf die Musik konzentriert, die wir lieben, und das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das wir mit ganzem Herzen lieben. Ich würde sagen, 90 % unserer Musik ist improvisiert." Fans des Projekts werden in den Liner Notes viele bekannte Namen entdecken. Obwohl die Aufnahmen locker und spontan sind, folgt jedes fertige D.B.-Album immer einem konzeptionellen Thema. Das Thema wird oft durch ein Kunstwerk bestimmt, das Grimez inspiriert. ,Ich kaufe oder lizenziere ein Kunstwerk, das mir ins Auge fällt, und setze dann Musik dazu", erklärt er. ,Ich habe viele Werke, die sich als Albumcover eignen würden, aber ich habe noch nicht die richtige Musik dafür gefunden." Dieser Prozess ist Teil dessen, was die Musik von Doctor Bionic von anderen Instrumentalproduzenten unterscheidet.

Irgendwo in den Hügeln von Cincinnati gibt's einen Sender, der Radiowellen in alle Richtungen schickt. Der Strom fließt durch die Luft und trifft auf deinen Empfänger mit einer Ladung, die, wenn sie verstärkt wird, einen organischen Sound erzeugt, der nur von Doctor Bionic kommen kann. Sie sind zurück mit einem brandneuen Album - dem vierten Teil der Terrestrial Radio-Reihe mit dem Titel Electric Pollen. Wie seine Vorgänger wurde das Album von dem in Cincinnati ansässigen Produzenten Grimez aufgenommen, produziert und gemischt. Er holt sich eine wechselnde Besetzung talentierter Musiker, um Instrumentals aufzunehmen, die man am besten als Organic Groove beschreiben kann. ,Wir kommen zusammen, um gemeinsam zu jammen und die Musik zu machen, die uns am meisten inspiriert", sagt Grimez. ,Wir haben uns auf die Musik konzentriert, die wir lieben, und das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das wir mit ganzem Herzen lieben. Ich würde sagen, 90 % unserer Musik ist improvisiert." Fans des Projekts werden in den Liner Notes viele bekannte Namen entdecken. Obwohl die Aufnahmen locker und spontan sind, folgt jedes fertige D.B.-Album immer einem konzeptionellen Thema. Das Thema wird oft durch ein Kunstwerk bestimmt, das Grimez inspiriert. ,Ich kaufe oder lizenziere ein Kunstwerk, das mir ins Auge fällt, und setze dann Musik dazu", erklärt er. ,Ich habe viele Werke, die sich als Albumcover eignen würden, aber ich habe noch nicht die richtige Musik dafür gefunden." Dieser Prozess ist Teil dessen, was die Musik von Doctor Bionic von anderen Instrumentalproduzenten unterscheidet.

Despite its tragic breakup, Yugoslavia as a political, social and cultural phenomenon still inspires generations, especially those who were born or lived at the time of this utopian land of South Slavs. Those who didn’t enjoy the privilege are still amazed by its 1970s and ’80s music scene and the number of very modern, high quality acts that were so often ahead of their time. Two such acts were Data and The Master Scratch Band, both founded by Zoran Jevtic and Zoran Vracevic, who introduced synth-pop, breakbeat, and hip-hop music in Yugoslavia in 1984 with their releases: SP Neka Ti Se Dese Prave Stvari/Ne Zovi To Ljubavlju and miniLP Deogut (Jugoton). Our latest release, “It Was Ridiculous, It Was Amazing!” gathers their earliest unreleased material from 1981-1983, showcasing a broader range of genres – alongside synth-pop and breakbeat/hip-hop, they also experimented with industrial, EBM, minimal synth, and electro-funk!

The whole record is divided into two parts: on A side there are 7 previously unpublished songs by group DATA, and on B side there are 4 previously unreleased recordings by The Master Scratch Band.

The Data side opens with two unexpected “shocker” tracks: Ja Nisam Kao Ti” (eng. I am Not Like You) and “Izumi” (eng. “Inventions”) from 1981, where they sound like early Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft with unusual vocal pan sound effects on Serbian lyrics and uncompromising synth-based sound. Equally unpredictable are the next two songs: atmospheric “España” and dusty “Damage In My Head,” where Zoran Jevtić boldly steps into the lead vocal role. But the surprises don’t end there. The next two songs, France and Strahovi (eng. “Fears”), bring a mysterious and nostalgic atmosphere, elevated by the irreplaceable sound of the modular Roland System-100M. At the end comes the greatest surprise of all: Data covers YMO-Ballet in a song called Ne Zelim Da Tako Zive (eng, I Don’t Want Them Living Like That) and puts some extra energy in rhythm without losing the original song’s sensibility. Like in the original, the lyrics are tender and yet mysterious and provocative.

The Master Scratch Band side contains the very first versions of the songs Break War, Jailbreak, and Computer Break, originally recorded in studio Druga Maca in Belgrade in 1983. These versions were not released on their mini-LP album Dégout (Jugoton, 1984), and they are actually the first ever hip-hop/Breakbeat recordings in Yugoslavia. With great enthusiasm, every sound was uniquely crafted from scratch using the finest analog gear available in the early ’80s. The two young artists, aiming for international success, chose to write their lyrics in English. The album’s final track, “Mad Scratch,” showcases their talent for creating impressive sound effects, which would be a delight for contemporary DJs and producers who specialize in sampling and scratching old-school hip-hop.

This release is truly a “100% digger’s gem” – 11 previously unreleased tracks from legendary pioneers of electronic, hip-hop, and breakbeat. A collection to discover, enjoy, play, and treasure forever!

Genre Is Death is an uncompromising noise duo made up of Ty V (guitar, vox) and Tayler Lee (bass, vox). Their sound is abrasive yet melodic, using heavy distortion, dissonant riffs, and reverberating vocals to create a wave of boldly hypnotic noise. The duo have been compared to the likes of Sonic Youth and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, yet have managed to create a sound that is distinctly their own, avoiding mimicking the zeitgeist of decades before. Beyond the integrity of their music, Tayler’s intimidating glare, or Ty’s staggering gait, the duo share something truly inimitable— the overwhelming feeling that their music is a byproduct of the high esteem they hold of each other. The duo moved to NYC in August of 2023 looking for something more than their mundane suburban lifestyle of day drinking and playing doom metal in friends' basements…their move to NYC coupled with their desire to express something, anything, led to the inception of Genre is Death. The pair hit the ground running, playing anywhere and everywhere they could… however, it was only after a chance encounter with 80s noise forerunners Live Skull that the pair was introduced to the strange underbelly of NYC noise and began playing regular gigs with The Art Gray Noizz Quintet and Lydia Lunch. In 2025 the pair played New Colossus Festival, toured with Gogol Bordello, embarked on their first East Coast tour, and played gigs with Cherubs, Bush Tetras, and Jon Spencer. Their upcoming record was recorded with legendary sound engineer Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, Swans).

Lee Humphreys and Evasive head honcho Rob Pearson returned to the imprint for their 2nd EP together as Lovable Rogues. This followed on from their first collaboration which launched Evasive Records : Look Into Your Eyes / Chica / Twilight Manouvres (EVA001)

For this Ep Rob travelled out to work with Lee in the depths of the German countryside at Lee’s Tofu Studios. EVA003 delivered 3 more tasty underground cuts for main floors and urban warehouse spaces and pleased all the right DJ movers and shakers in the year 2000. It now finds favour in 2024 with Tech House connoisseurs hungry for that early South London Tech sound.

Time Zones delivers some peak time twisted year 2k Tech. Swirling ear candy synths and tripped out almost acidic twangs are the order of the day. A head nodding bass combines with the filtered and sample triggered vocal phrase ‘Eternal Energy Music’. As if the production pair were indeed clairvoyants able to look ahead and prophesize the future state of underground dance floors some 20 years later! This cut has since become a classic requested early noughties gem for those in the know.

On ‘Integer’ Lee Humphreys rides solo to showcase his unique talent and slick production sound. Driving filtered percussion elements and an infectious bass combine with ‘Body Grooving’ vocal cuts and eerie reverse synths and sounds. Lee basically hit this track out of the park here so Rob had no choice but to request this cut and it was snapped up for the EP.

‘Thursday’ see’s Rob & Lee back on the joint production for some Tech Funk shenanigans that are ‘sure to get you high’. Not sure what Mr Humphreys was on to allow Rob to play the lead keyboard solo on this funk fuelled excursion but it stills sounds fresh over 2 decades later.! A very different vibe that has not been equalled or surpassed on Evasive since.

**RED VINYL**Bookending “This Is My Blood “ are two cinematic hypnotist slide lute pieces that evoke contemporary deserted landscapes. They were improvised and made for “ Maquina”, a film shot in the Colorado desert during a psychedelic trip by film maker Joaquim Pujol. The works on here, like the ecstatic second piece invite a return to long form listening. They explore contemporary darkness and contemplate personal loss. There is solely one vocal piece, “ Remission”. A worldwide concert tour of this material is slated for 2026/2027. Since studying the lute in New York with Patrick O'Brien in the 1990s, Van Wissem has gone on to create works equally as rooted in classical Renaissance and Baroque forms of lute music, as contemporary sounds spanning drones, electronics and field recordings. Throw in some of his formative influences from the no wave and industrial scenes, alongside a dedicated approach to minimalism and this has resulted in Van Wissem producing distinct and singular work whose sound is often a marriage of opposites; meditative and intense, forward thinking but with a sense of the arcane. The Quietus has called him "probably the most famous lutenist in the world”. Jozef Van Wissem is an avant-garde composer and lutenist who plays a unique all-black baroque lute. His timeless music is often described as hypnotic, minimal, and hauntingly atmospheric, merging beauty with a dark, meditative edge. His lyrics have a mythical Christian appeal, incorporating themes of love, faith, and the afterlife, often with a repetitive, mantra-like quality. Bridging classical traditions with modern sounds like drones, electronics, field recordings and voice. He collaborates with filmmaker and musician Jim Jarmusch, including the award-winning soundtrack for Only Lovers Left Alive, for which Van Wissem won the Cannes Soundtrack Award in 2013. He also scored the Sims Medieval Video game ( 2011), Uncle Howard ( 2016) Land (2018), Irma Vep (2022), Queens (2023) and Un Prince (2024). He did a world tour in duo with Jarmusch in 2025 and their 5th record “ The Day The Angels Cried” was released. Van Wissem tours extensively, performing in diverse venues from rock festivals to churches, and has worked with artists like Tilda Swinton and Zola Jesus. In 2019 he was commissioned by Cinematheque Francaise to score the silent horror film Nosferatu (1922). He released the soundtrack in 2022 on his own Incunabulum label. The New York Times wrote: Beginning with a solo played on the lute, his performance will incorporate electric guitar and distorted recordings of extinct birds, graduating from subtlety to gothic horror. “My soundtrack goes from silence to noise over the course of 90 minutes,” he said, culminating in “dense, slow death metal.” In 2024 Van Wissem did a sold out nationwide American tour with the film. A worldwide tour is slated for 2026/2027

Just as you were getting your head straight coming off the 21st Trip … Brown Acid dose # 22 drops, continuing to fry your mind in a revolving trap-door Twilight Zone alternate world of early hard rock… populated by real life characters so far out they can look like a cheesy wedding band but sound like Blue Cheer! Uncanny! This music comes at you from many angles. Teens in a garage colliding with booze, drugs and girls for the first time, lounge lizard hustlers with snazzy stage clothes and fuzz boxes… gnarly backwoods troublemakers meet blow dried glam rock wannabes here, seamlessly clobbering your head with sound rather than each other! An electric post-psychedelic bar brawl for your mind awaits, unfasten your seat belt, crank it up and fly! Sounds Synonymous "Babylon" out of Flint, Michigan 1969 rip the devastating Blue Cheer classic a new one, immediately swarming you with organ swells and distortion before collapsing into a tuff funk groove, a psychedelic James Brown vibe shot through with dirty howling fuzz guitar, vocals nailing the messed up but confident relaxed sneering attitude of the original Cheer eruption. The Bumps "Shining" from Seattle 1969 resides right at the transition of ‘60s psych into early prog, well constructed, no diluting things artsy fartsy style, a compelling heavy riff, spacious vocal harmony hook floating above a turbulent take on getting your shit together and shining like a star. Fat chance, but you can dream, the band did and their dreams kick ass across time to right now or you wouldn’t be here.

Coulda been a hit back then, definitely a hit now. Riverside "Farmer" explodes out of Austin, Texas 1974, economical but brilliantly structured riffs and power chords, intense dynamic tension/release, fantastic screaming leads over shifting angles of attack during the middle break… it’s all here with a detached confidence in the vocal that swaggers back in time to the late ‘60s in its proto-heavy psych adjacent assault. Cincinnati Joe & Mad Lydia "Get It Together" for real in Cincinnati, Ohio 1970. The song says everything you need to know: “You may think that you’re the very best, miles and miles ahead of the rest, but be sure when you’re put to the test you get it together!” These words are deployed in a manner similar to Peter Green’s “Oh Well”, intermittently stated between killer gnarly guitar and gushy organ attacks. Bar band heaven and hell rolled up into one big ball, the vocals get all the way out there! Straight Up "Fire" takes the monster 1968 Crazy World Of Arthur Brown hit into faithfully executed but surreally minimalist territory, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1974. Genius version of a key song that presciently cuts to the chase regarding Brown Acid’s incinerations of psychedelic idealism, you’re gonna burn, burn, burn… as that moment climaxes you can gawk at their preposterous flashy lounge band stage outfits and realize side one must end because everything is totally scorched into eternity. Scrap Iron "Poopsie" is a primitive two chord stomper with spiraling fuzz and organ riffs, singer marking his territory caveman style. “Poopsie, you’re my woman” he commands, but gets weirdly insecure she’ll blow him off at the altar by the end of each verse. Snarly wah-wah ices this toxic cake out of Carteret, New Jersey 1973. Focused delivery so single-mindedly crude it creates an inescapable instant brain-worm. Lady "Live Show Tigers" is amongst the most potently life affirming trash rockers you’ll ever hear, one outrageously triumphant but fiercely sloppy anthem about living it up like a star, strutting the stage glammed up New York Dolls drag style but with a Dictators sense of humor. Tasty slightly off kilter guitar leads all through, going serendipitously berserk on the fade. Picture disc single out of L.A. 1980. Fantastic fun rock star rock at a very raw local street level where any time is party time.

Killer Frog "Hard Times" on Masochist Records from Chicago, Illinois 1972 takes less than two minutes, an action packed James Gang style bar band rocker with a bit of punky sneer in the face of misfortune. These guys never even heard of flower power. They are killer frogs. Good Humore "Killer" does kill in stripped down hard rock trio style, Warren, Michigan 1976. No frills guitar, bass and drums groove tight, snaky primordial riff, snarly licks. “She’s a killer of a woman, knows just what she’s doing…” The singer knows she’s a femme-fatale roadhouse predator but she’s so hot the inevitable wreckage seems a bargain. Ride it out like the extended jam on the fade knowing she’ll be back for more! Sarawest "Space Rider" winds up the 22nd Trip lost in a twisted two chord space adventure from the point of view of an alien visiting our planet seeking knowledge but finding out we are stupidly destroying ourselves, so he gotta split sneering back at us like we wasted his time “I got no time for loving… I wanna be a space rider, space rider”. Toronto, Canada 1974, a vibe lurking in some strange but funny void between late ‘60s outsider garage psychedelic rock complete with reverb-y acid guitar leads and late ‘70s retro-futuristic D.I.Y wisecracking from inner space… taking the piss out of outer space!

Just as you were getting your head straight coming off the 21st Trip … Brown Acid dose # 22 drops, continuing to fry your mind in a revolving trap-door Twilight Zone alternate world of early hard rock… populated by real life characters so far out they can look like a cheesy wedding band but sound like Blue Cheer! Uncanny! This music comes at you from many angles. Teens in a garage colliding with booze, drugs and girls for the first time, lounge lizard hustlers with snazzy stage clothes and fuzz boxes… gnarly backwoods troublemakers meet blow dried glam rock wannabes here, seamlessly clobbering your head with sound rather than each other! An electric post-psychedelic bar brawl for your mind awaits, unfasten your seat belt, crank it up and fly! Sounds Synonymous "Babylon" out of Flint, Michigan 1969 rip the devastating Blue Cheer classic a new one, immediately swarming you with organ swells and distortion before collapsing into a tuff funk groove, a psychedelic James Brown vibe shot through with dirty howling fuzz guitar, vocals nailing the messed up but confident relaxed sneering attitude of the original Cheer eruption. The Bumps "Shining" from Seattle 1969 resides right at the transition of ‘60s psych into early prog, well constructed, no diluting things artsy fartsy style, a compelling heavy riff, spacious vocal harmony hook floating above a turbulent take on getting your shit together and shining like a star. Fat chance, but you can dream, the band did and their dreams kick ass across time to right now or you wouldn’t be here.

Coulda been a hit back then, definitely a hit now. Riverside "Farmer" explodes out of Austin, Texas 1974, economical but brilliantly structured riffs and power chords, intense dynamic tension/release, fantastic screaming leads over shifting angles of attack during the middle break… it’s all here with a detached confidence in the vocal that swaggers back in time to the late ‘60s in its proto-heavy psych adjacent assault. Cincinnati Joe & Mad Lydia "Get It Together" for real in Cincinnati, Ohio 1970. The song says everything you need to know: “You may think that you’re the very best, miles and miles ahead of the rest, but be sure when you’re put to the test you get it together!” These words are deployed in a manner similar to Peter Green’s “Oh Well”, intermittently stated between killer gnarly guitar and gushy organ attacks. Bar band heaven and hell rolled up into one big ball, the vocals get all the way out there! Straight Up "Fire" takes the monster 1968 Crazy World Of Arthur Brown hit into faithfully executed but surreally minimalist territory, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1974. Genius version of a key song that presciently cuts to the chase regarding Brown Acid’s incinerations of psychedelic idealism, you’re gonna burn, burn, burn… as that moment climaxes you can gawk at their preposterous flashy lounge band stage outfits and realize side one must end because everything is totally scorched into eternity. Scrap Iron "Poopsie" is a primitive two chord stomper with spiraling fuzz and organ riffs, singer marking his territory caveman style. “Poopsie, you’re my woman” he commands, but gets weirdly insecure she’ll blow him off at the altar by the end of each verse. Snarly wah-wah ices this toxic cake out of Carteret, New Jersey 1973. Focused delivery so single-mindedly crude it creates an inescapable instant brain-worm. Lady "Live Show Tigers" is amongst the most potently life affirming trash rockers you’ll ever hear, one outrageously triumphant but fiercely sloppy anthem about living it up like a star, strutting the stage glammed up New York Dolls drag style but with a Dictators sense of humor. Tasty slightly off kilter guitar leads all through, going serendipitously berserk on the fade. Picture disc single out of L.A. 1980. Fantastic fun rock star rock at a very raw local street level where any time is party time.

Killer Frog "Hard Times" on Masochist Records from Chicago, Illinois 1972 takes less than two minutes, an action packed James Gang style bar band rocker with a bit of punky sneer in the face of misfortune. These guys never even heard of flower power. They are killer frogs. Good Humore "Killer" does kill in stripped down hard rock trio style, Warren, Michigan 1976. No frills guitar, bass and drums groove tight, snaky primordial riff, snarly licks. “She’s a killer of a woman, knows just what she’s doing…” The singer knows she’s a femme-fatale roadhouse predator but she’s so hot the inevitable wreckage seems a bargain. Ride it out like the extended jam on the fade knowing she’ll be back for more! Sarawest "Space Rider" winds up the 22nd Trip lost in a twisted two chord space adventure from the point of view of an alien visiting our planet seeking knowledge but finding out we are stupidly destroying ourselves, so he gotta split sneering back at us like we wasted his time “I got no time for loving… I wanna be a space rider, space rider”. Toronto, Canada 1974, a vibe lurking in some strange but funny void between late ‘60s outsider garage psychedelic rock complete with reverb-y acid guitar leads and late ‘70s retro-futuristic D.I.Y wisecracking from inner space… taking the piss out of outer space!

We return to 2005 for the next chapter in the Drugsex repress series, revisiting DSEX003 – Hasty Retreat, a record that captured a rising UK producer shaping his sound within the underground. Produced by Rob Mooney with production from Dave Robertson (Reset Robot), the release reflects a period of exploration and technical refinement in his early career.

The A-side, Hasty Retreat, is a driving tech-house cut — tight, physical and weighted for the dancefloor. Robertson’s engineering contribution to Mooney’s fresh ideas and south coast underground house sensibilities added precision and sonic depth that would foreshadow his future work as Reset Robot across house and techno channels.

On the flip, and exactly the same as the original cut Up All Night appears in its remix form from label head honcho Rob Pearson. Pearson’s reinterpretation ensured it fitted like a glove on the Drugsex vibe . Rob deepened the groove, balancing pressure and atmosphere in a way that typified his trademark Croydon Tech sound of the time.

Looking back twenty years, the early Tech House coming out of South London feels as fresh as ever. These records weren’t about tricks or big drops — they were about deep grooves that you could lose yourself in, hypnotic basslines that carried the night, and subtle percussion and atmospheres that rewarded careful listening.

The Dubplate series comes to the label’s spiritual home of Hackney, the stomping ground of the Douglas “Dougie” Waldrop and his Conscious Sounds label with the spin off Dub meets Funk project. The music of the Dub Specialists is presented with extended re-edits by label owners Piers Harrison and Stuart “Chuggy” Leath, alongside rising selector star Millie McKee and studio master extraordinaire Matt Bruce (Vanity Project).

Formed in 1989, Conscious Sounds and the Conscious Music studio have been mainstays on the UK Digital Roots scene to this day, working with the likes Bush Chemists, Johan Dan, Kenny Knots and Pablo Gad. The Dub Specialists was a project created by Dougie to put aside studio sessions and explore a new interest in samplers, working with friend Chris Petter (Love Grocer) and his interest in Jazz and Funk.

Using the Atari 1040 running Cubase, with a Soundcraft mixer, drum loops and Reggae basslines were played over Funk samples and layered with Petter’s chords to create a series of short tracks for DJ play. Releasing 3 albums between 1995 and 1999 on the sub label Crispy Music, they have more recently been gaining cult status.

The tracks chosen all come from the first and increasingly sought after LP, Dub To Dub Break To Break and have been extended, stretched, looped and dubbed by the label family to form a club friendly EP. From the dance floor jams of Dub De Funk and Funkin’ Dub to the deeper Movin Ya (with additional flute by Millie) and Murderous Style, this is a unique fusion of Funk and Digidub that fits perfectly the ideals of the Dubplate Series.

Break The Mystery.

2026 Repress

This 4 tracker is the 2nd outing on the now legendary Evasive Records imprint out of Croydon, South London in the late 90’s and early Noughties. Pyramids sees Evasive label boss Rob Pearson team up with Leonora Epremian (AKA Autonomy) and his regular production partner Lee Humphreys.

Lee Humphreys had set up his new recording studio in Thanham a remote part of the German countryside just under 2 hours outside Munich and was outputting some amazing tracks in his new creative space Tofu Studios. Meanwhile back in London, UK, Rob quickly snapped up 3 of Lee’s tracks for this EP, ‘Rendered’, 'A Big Issue’ and’4 Faze’. At the same time Rob and Lenonora Epremian were working on multiple music projects at Evasive headquarters Online Studios in Croydon and the cut ‘Future Drift’ saw their styles combine to give us the 4th track of this mixed artist EP. Evasive was starting to shape and create its early South London Tech House sound, something that can be heard clearly emanating throughout this 4 track release.

Wabi Sabi Records is a new house music label based on analog sounds, raw grooves, and the beauty of flaws. It’s all about ephemeral and fleeting moments. Made for the dance floor, not for perfection.

The Ensō series is a various-artist collection exploring all the different shades of house music. The first release, “Neon Dream,” dives into the deep and groovy side of the genre.

A1. Cirkel Square - Can’t Stand You
666 Recordings brings back Cirkel square to the A side.
A deep dive into hypnotic dub, where layered electronic sounds pulse and shimmer.
Each echoing hook line and delayed rhythm draws you deeper, creating a mesmerizing, immersive experience that lingers long after the last beat.

A2. Cirkel Square – Zeus Overture
This track captures the essence of lazy, sun-drenched days along the Greek coastline. Soft percussion mimics the rhythm of waves lapping against the shore. Every note evokes the golden light and quiet serenity of a Mediterranean afternoon.

B1. Tony Waller – We Control
Representing Brighton on the South coast of England Tony Waller delivers a track that evokes the raw energy of the old-school warehouse. Deep basslines resonate beneath sharp synths that cut through the air, transporting you to an underground world of midnight exploration.

B2. Pat Waller – Mupa
Also representing Brighton delivers the final track that envelops you in a dreamlike state.
With intricate soundscapes, subtle melodies and a shadowy beat that guides you deeper inward, like a nocturnal journey through mystery and stillness.

Amulets is the solo project of Portland-based audio and visual artist Randall Taylor. Amulets employs handmade cassette tape loops and live processed guitar loops to create live, lush soundscapes and immersive drones. Through the recontextualisation of cassettes, sampling, field recording, and looping, these long-form compositions blur the genres of ambient, drone, noise, and electronic music. Amulets has steadily built a catalog defined by tactile intimacy and patient exploration. Deeply immersive, the album navigates the dreamy boundaries between the tangible and the ethereal, where sound behaves as memory itself: unstable, layered, and quietly transformative. Known for his ability to weave soundscapes that evoke powerful emotions with minimalistic instrumentation, Taylor's newest project is a masterful exploration of mood, atmosphere, and texture.Throughout the ambient soundscapes is introspection, melancholy, and an almost hypnotic calm. The album resists forward motion, instead inviting the listener to linger inside its evolving textures, to sit with what's left behind rather than rush toward resolution. Central to Amulets' identity is Taylor's insistence on working, quite literally, outside the box. While many contemporary experimental artists rely heavily on software, Taylor's process remains rooted in physical interaction with sound. "This album differs from previous albums because it's a lot of found sounds, song fragments, and other samples that I have that I wanted to fuse together. I also heavily relied on a lot of ambient guitar and live guitar recording to marry all the sounds together." (Randall Taylor) FOR FANS OF Tim Hecker * Ben Frost * Lawrence English * Alessandro Cortini * This Will Destroy You * Mono * Windy & Carl The single colour edition comes as Lavender vinyl!

There is a breaking point where the mind yields and the body takes command. This is precisely the territory of Frenetic Habits EP.

Asymetric80 lands at INDUSTRIAS MEKANIKAS with an unapologetic statement: a direct immersion into the aesthetics of collapse and extreme habits. The work places you in the center of a post-apocalyptic scenario, where survival no longer relies on calm, but on your ability to endure mechanical tension.

The sound is built upon solidity and saturation. You won’t find fragility here, but rather an architecture of EBM, New Beat, and Industrial Techno designed to dominate any sound system that dares to play it.

Side A establishes the hierarchy with Frenetic Habits. Far from linear, the track unfolds a broken, demolishing rhythm, generating a devastating sonic pressure that completely envelops you. It is a piece of constant drive, an armored machine advancing over the very ground you stand on. It is followed by Exile and Unmasked, which shifts the strategy towards depth: a hypnotic immersion where industrial textures densify, creating a dark atmosphere that traps you with no escape.

On Side B, Bleak materializes the heaviness of the environment. A slow-burning, corrosive track with deep bass, which you can feel advancing with the force of concrete. To close, Dementia releases the accumulated tension with overflowing kinetic energy; a final outburst of controlled aggression that closes the cycle with maximum intensity.

Frenetic Habits EP is a record of ironclad textures and terminal atmosphere. A work that documents not defeat, but the brute force needed to remain standing when everything around has come crashing down.

Borrowing from the melody of Rah Band’s “Electric Fling”, Stefano Breda’s cover version completely re-invents the theme into what came to be a “Afro Cosmic” classic. Not your average Italo Disco sound, the downtempo chuggy beat quickly got picked up by pioneering jocks in the cosmic scene. With plenty of silence in between transients putting the spotlight on the multiple percussive elements employed by the skilful drum machine techniques of Breda along with trippy electric wind instrument sounds, resulting in an overall aesthetic of highly unforgettable mediterranean dreaminess, take a deep dive into Breda’s instrumental bliss. This release is remastered and further embellished with yet another previously unreleased mix of “Electric Fling” which was recently alchemized by the artist himself — the “Long Afro Version” which goes in the bonus beat realm with another study in his percussive generosities.

With a glorious flourish of melodious club abstraction, cult producer Quirke makes a welcome return by delivering his most upfront tracks to date for Dekmantel.

Josh Quirke first came through on Young Turks (Young) and Whities (AD93) through the 2010s, offering a distinctive, slanted take on hardcore and house music alike that came shrouded in dense atmospherics and shot through with wistful melancholia. Comparisons to artists like Burial and Skee Mask weren't unfounded, but Quirke was very much operating on his own terms, as he has continued to ever since. The last we heard from the low-key producer was his debut album Steal A Golden Hail, released on Whities in 2019, and now he comes through with a strong update to his sound that finds a natural home on Dekmantel.

Different strokes for different folks. The celebrative 11-track 'xoxo' compilation, originally pressed as a 3xLP, is now also available as three separate EPs. Oceanic takes EP 3 into euphoria on Dala, with sounds that pinch and prickle. Don't DJ follows with nos(e)care, his no-nonsense polyrhythmic signature that'll put your soundsystem's low-end to the test. And there's nothing like a little melancholia to close it out: Haron's De Papaverparade is a tearjerker for the dancefloor

Music For Stalagmites is a slow-form, immersive album, marking the accumulation of over 20 years of experimentation from the Middlesbrough based artist.

The album explores the duality of both primal and futuristic worlds, drawing inspiration from nature, technology and evolution to create a body of work that transcends beyond any timeline that has come before us. Forging vivid and otherworldly subterranean environments that transport the listener to an alternate haven. Music for Stalagmites embodies the sound of animism, a concept where all forms of nature hold a spiritual essence.

A truly obscure gem recorded just weeks before Hurricane Gilbert struck Jamaica in 1988. Fittingly, it resurfaces now as the island has just endured its most devastating storm since then. Captured at Dynamic Sounds Studio in Kingston, with the riddim laid by the mighty Firehouse Crew and originally released on the Apple Tree label, this is the long-awaited reissue of Tony Candy’s Rich and Switch, pure heavy digi business.

Authentic Kingston heat, straight from 1987. Recorded at Dynamic Sounds and produced on the Apple Tree label, Michael Headley’s unruly “Tom Sawyer” captures that raw late-80s digi energy straight from the source. Fully restored and officially reissued for the first time since its original pressing. A raw and rebellious cut from Jamaica’s digital dawn, unmistakable Kingston grit.

Part 1 in the next wave of Roof International 45 Clash Killers kicks off with Singing Melody ‘Dubplate to a Soundboy’ What sets this reissue apart is not only the murderous previously unreleased dub mix, but also the vastly improved audio quality, lifted straight from the original source. A true sound-killing classic that has become rare and sought after over the years, it remains an essential weapon in any serious 45 box arsenal. Pure Roof International energy at its finest, and presented in an original Roof International 7-inch dubplate hard sleeve.

“Lonesome for a Storm” is the result of a felt sense in the summer of 2024.

A fleeting feeling in the body meditated on and played through a restrained pallette of instruments and found sound . LFAS is Gustav Kemps’s first solo album under his own name, but he’s been a frequent behind the scenes coll- aborator in various other bands (if you can connect the dots, there’s a lot to find). Mystery can be fun, but this album of his feels tender and generous in what it conveys.

RIYL: Empress, Loren Connors, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, The Humble Bee, Yo La Tengo, Taku Sugimoto...

An EP of the darker side of electronic dance music is always a welcome addition to Especial. Up and coming producer / DJ Miles J Paralysis steps away from releasing on his own Crying Outcast label to explore left of centre, new wave and cosmic sounds; songs woven from his own vocals and samples.

A love of Dub, Hip Hop and Electro-Funk led into electronic music. Sampling TV shows, making beats, jamming. Exposed to Leeds and Manchester club cultures, seeking the more experimental. African Head Charge, Muslimgauze, The Rootsman and Weatherall were early influences in forming a no rules philosophy.

Born and raised around West Yorkshire, the beauty and bleakness of the moors have a strong bond on Miles Henry aka Miles J Paralysis and his music. Folklore and the occult link and connect an interest in Northern Hauntology. Unresolved histories, stuck between past glory and phantoms of possible futures.

The EP starts with It’s Only Shadows Talking. A play on the Paralysis persona, the spectral dub house groove meets industrial overtures, encasing his own eerie and unsettling vocals to begin the narrative.

Don’t Forget The Ritual takes a direct link from British folk traditions. Sacred and ceremonial; the laid-back breakbeat, samples and delays are the transition to the evocative embrace of melancholia.

Come On Fleet, the hypnotic Latin (vocal) sample creates a lurking murmuration, rimshot percussion meets gothic sound design for the EPs’ most straight forward and direct club cut.

Surreal and dreamlike soundscape, closing track The Delicate Fairytale is the perfect platform for Miles own phantasm. Inspired by the stories of Dorothy K Haynes and Robert Hickman, the pervading sense of a David Lynch aesthetic, exploring the nostalgic nature of memory.

Mysticisms’ returns to the music of the Conscious Sounds label and their short-lived but highly prized Dub meets Funk project, Dub Specialists. Created by label head Dougie Waldrop and Chris Petter (Love Grocer) to explore their interest in samplers and a love of Funk and Jazz.

A hugely respected “Digital” and “Roots Reggae” label, Conscious Sounds has been a mainstay of the East London digidub sound for over 30 years. Dub Specialists released 3 albums on the Crispy Music sub label, they have recently gained considerable interest in digger circles, with rising prices to match.

As with their first Dubplate outing, the release features extended re-edits by the label and friends, this time featuring versions by Lexx, Miles J Paralysis, Chuggy and Vanity Project. Working with the simplicity and skill of his studio craft, Dougie utilised the Atari 1040, Cubase and Soundcraft mixer to effect. Petters’ chords sit atop reggae basslines, funk samples, loops and this time, a heavy dose of cut up vocals in to the mix.

While the first EP came from their debut album, Breat To Break, here the source material for the re-edits comes, in the main, from their second outing “Dub To Dub Beat To Beat”. A more expansive album that also dipped in to 4/4 rhythms and touches of House / Techno.

Opening track Dynamic Duo is a 4/4 stepper bomb – with samples from Adam West’s iconic interpretation of Batman – expertly extended by long-standing DJ, producer and edit master, Zurich’s own Alex Storrer aka Lexx, who dials things to max for a club stop. A new name on many lips, Miles J Paralysis takes it all back down with a beautifully drawn out, acid-tinged tripper. Bumpin’, the mid-tempo groove sucks you in, psychedelic and mind expanding.

The flip returns to the more traditional Dub Specialist vibes of Breaks’n’Funk’ cut ups, first with (co-)label head Chuggy’s faithful extension of Heavy Dub. Featuring the classic Ijahman Levi’s vocal, the breaks flow and piano / horns stab, a dance floor shaker for the discerning. To close, secret studio fixer to many, Matt Bruce again dons his Vanity Project moniker to perfectly tease and live dub (out) the half-stepper, Reality Dub and close this latest in the Dubplate series.

Beat The Mystery.

With a soaring, emotionally-charged sonic signature all his own, Sam Goku returns to Dekmantel for his latest four-track EP, Bliss Drift.

As Sam Goku, over the past few years Robin Wang has edged into the beating heart of the contemporary house and techno scene with a rejuvenating sound that reaches from peak time maximalism to immersive introspection. Across a run of acclaimed albums and EPs — including 2024's Radiants on Dekmantel — he's balanced the heavyweight impact of his rhythms with mesmerising melodies and swirling atmospheres. It's precisely this blend he brings to Bliss Drift, writing and recording from the heart and accurately capturing what he describes as a sense of blossoming — "a renaissance into something new yet familiar."

Make no mistake, this is music to make you move. 'Rhythm Drift' and 'Bliss Drift' lead on rock-solid rhythms as springboards for Goku's ascendant tones. Airy, mysterious pads and sampled choral voices meet with glistening chimes that soften the tough edges of the drums — a quintessential demonstration of how to make a tender banger. 'Warm Soils' strikes a deeper, more meditative note enriched with haunting flutes and a heads-down roll to the percussion, while 'Infinity Keys (Sina's Song)' lets rich layers of melodic sequencing dictate the pace in a poised demonstration of techno composition at its most expressive.

Catching the mood as the Northern Hemisphere heads out of the winter months, Goku's unique energy hails a return to the light via four distinct twists on the house and techno tradition.

After more than a year of road-testing and building anticipation on dance floors worldwide, this eagerly awaited 12" release has finally arrived. Championed heavily by producer and DJ Vick Lavender himself, and supported by legendary selector Joaquin Joe Claussell, demand for this record has reached a fever pitch. With requests pouring in and excitement growing by the day, label head Carl Dupri knew the time was right.

"Girl" manifests as a masterful musical composition, crafted in the distinct deep, soulful style that only Vick Lavender can deliver. Rich textures, warm grooves, and elevated arrangements create an immersive soundscape that speaks directly to the heart and the dance floor alike.

Topping it off is the stunning vocal performance from the incomparable Angel A., whose soulful delivery adds depth, emotion, and timeless elegance to the production.

Pressed and housed in a beautifully designed 12" artwork jacket, this release is the total package-music, message, and presentation. Judging by the overwhelming demand and DJ support, it's only a matter of time before this one disappears from shelves and crates.



Enjoy the Journey

LP Transparent Purple Vinyl in Picture Sleeve

The essential debut album from Chicago’s disco-funk pioneers, featuring the timeless “Free Man,” returns fully remastered from the tapes of Tom Moulton for RSD 2026. Produced by Philly soul legends Bunny Sigler and Bruce Hawes, this record bridges Chicago’s raw energy with Philly’s orchestral elegance. Essential for any collector serious about the roots of disco and dancefloor culture — an all-killer, no-filler LP that sounds fresher than ever today. Remastered and Redesigned labels and sleeve, Transparent Purple Vinyl.

illo.trio is a young ensemble and a representative of the modern jazz scene in the spirit of British group GoGo Penguin and Swedish trio E.S.T.
The band explores an unconventional and fresh sound. In their work, they combine elements of classical and pop music, jazz and minimalism, neo-classical influences, and even post-rock. Familiar musical formulas take on anew, unexpected character.
Band members:
-Nikolay Khomenko - keyboards
-Alexey Bausin - double bass
-Viktor Kulish - drums

A guitar stands alone in Wedding, that metropolitan biotope in the western center of Berlin, caught in constant transformation between idyll and abyss. It lets its gaze wander, unsettled, almost shy, until it encounters a trumpet, with which it begins a cautious, then ever more intimate pas de deux.
Welcome to the second studio album by the Berlin-based band Conic Rose.
The album title Wedding is no coincidence. The story of Conic Rose is closely intertwined with the Berlin neighborhood that gives the record its name. The band's studio is located here, and both studio albums were created in the immediate vicinity of the small river Panke. This place settles over the music like a warming patina. The album feels as though the musicians and the neighborhood have invited one another to get to know each other. Not least because Wedding also means marriage. These marriages between a band and an urban landscape, a fading past and an emerging future, fear and hope - unfold in every single song on Wedding.
For their second album, Conic Rose repositioned themselves completely. Not in terms of personnel, but in the question of how to move forward. Conic Rose still sound like Conic Rose; their distinctive blend of cinematic jazz, ambient textures and guitar-led contemporary music remains untouched. And yet Wedding is, in many ways, the conceptual counterpart to their debut album Heller Tag. Where the debut documented movement within an urban setting, Wedding describes a state of being. Behind every piece seems to hover a large question mark.The group opens up its palette, allowing more influences, becoming at once more subtle, more profound, more filigree. It is less about definition than about the spaces in between. The most immediately striking difference from the previous album is the strong presence of the guitar. In Bertram Burkert's playing, many voices seem to converge. His yearning openness forms an equal counterpoint to Döben's trumpet and flugelhorn. Blurred and layered sounds occasionally make the ground seem to slip away beneath one's feet, while Döben's gliding lines create both closeness and distance. Together, the band express in a deeply subtle way a sense of life that corresponds precisely to our time. Something lurks in the background, omnipresent yet still unnameable. Conic Rose need no words to convey this feeling of uncertainty with remarkable eloquence. Perhaps this has something to do with Wedding being a place of confrontational introspection, but Conic Rose confront the escape from escape itself. With the recording and release of Wedding, this process is far from complete. The seed only begins to grow in the listener's ear. With every listen and the echo it leaves behind in memory, the studio bud continues to bloom. The album is merely the point of departure. What ultimately matters is what it sets in motion within those who encounter it.

BLARF is comedian and actor Eric André’s musical project. Most people know Eric as an actor (Bad Trip, Happy Gilmore 2, and The Righteous Gemstones), and for his surreal, boundary-pushing comedy career, with an eponymous Emmy Award-winning show on Adult Swim and standup shows toured around the world. But few know Eric André as a bona fide musician who attended the prestigious Berklee School of Music, where he specialized in standing bass.
BLARF brings his disruptive energy to a new body of work that is both an extended comedic bit and entirely, unironically serious: Film Scores For Films That Don’t Exist. Inspired by composers like Ennio Morricone and Vangelis, whose signature sound is as iconic as the films they soundtracked, Eric enlisted a full orchestra to bring his compositions to life, recording in Los Angeles and Budapest.

Pete Lambrou, the visionary composer and multi-instrumentalist behind VLMV (pronounced "Alma"), is one of the most singular voices emerging from the ambient, post-rock, and experimental scenes in the UK. With a career that spans atmospheric solo work, film and television scoring, and evocative live performance, Lambrou has carved out a distinctive sonic universe he describes as "ambient-ish post-something" (Pete Lambrou) a playful yet accurate summation of a sound that is at once genre-fluid and deeply immersive. The album takes its title from Sara Teasdale's 1918 poem and Ray Bradbury's later short story, both of which imagine a world continuing quietly after humanity's disappearance. This idea became the gravitational centre around which the record formed. Written during a period of deep engagement with climate fiction and ecological thought, `There Will Come Soft Rains` reflects on humanity's legacy, its technological ambition, and its uneasy relationship with the natural world. A century on from Teasdale's poem, the balance of power feels less certain, and Lambrou's music inhabits that tension with remarkable subtlety. "The initial ideas stem mostly from chaos, randomness or sound exploration and then get shaped as I go. Typically, and certainly for this album. It's evolved since album 1, which was more song / chord based. It's a fun process of finding the sound and then working out whether it's speaking to me - or merely just a cool noise. That's fun, but it sometimes can't evolve or progress, so then begins the long journey of shaping it into some sort of song format - which doesn't have to be a-typica,l but whatever feels right to me. The subject matter and overall theme is important too - it's got to all make sense within itself. There's no point having a slowly creeping theme and then rush the music." (Pete Lambrou) VLMV embody an emotional honesty that works with patience and nuance. Whether you're encountering his music for the first time or returning to its quiet depths, VLMV offers an aural space that resonates long after the final note fades. Lambrou's singular sonic language sits at the intersection of ambient, post-rock, modern classical, and experimental electronic music, while remaining unmistakably human at its core. "Instrumentally it's far more synth based - as soon as I had the concept, I wanted to make sure technology clash and marry with traditional instruments (at different times) in a sort of slow-moving dance I suppose. One is nature, one is human development and technology. Sometimes working together and sometimes in opposition. On my previous albums I'd say that at least half of the tracks started life as songs, whereas with `There Will Come Soft Rains` I think the majority (if not all) started as experiments in sound." (Pete Lambrou) Sonically, the album is VLMV at its most cinematic and textural. Warm, intimate piano figures and elegiac string arrangements are set against unstable modular synthesis, fractured rhythms, and evolving sound design. The organic and the artificial are locked in a slow, shifting dialogue, mirroring the album's central themes. At times the music feels tender and nostalgic, at others unpredictable and mournful, yet it never tips into despair. Instead, a quiet resilience runs throughout the record. "The album is slightly unusual in that it was mixed in Dolby Atmos before being mixed down to stereo. Most, if not all, do it the other way round. That's because I got to work with a superb mix engineer who just happens to live opposite. It was extremely random and lucky, moving to a tiny hamlet in the South of England and there being a Dolby Atmos studio opposite with a genius of an engineer. We had in mind that we would do it this way round and enjoy the mix process and give everything its own space - it still had issues when folding down to stereo, but overall a more pleasurable mix!" (Pete Lambrou) There Will Come Soft Rains has a geological sense of time: themes creep, expand, erode, and reform, resisting conventional structures in favour of something more patient and immersive. Each sound exists because it needs to; they move, recede, and emerge with a three-dimensional clarity that enhances the music's cinematic quality, giving each element room to breathe while maintaining an enveloping sense of cohesion. Lambrou's unique voice is Intimate and fragile, his vocals hover above the instrumentation, a guiding thread through the expansive soundscapes, drawing listeners closer into the emotional core of each piece. "Long time vocal collaborator Anja Madhvani did lots of harmonies on the album - I wanted to include her voice as much as possible on this album. In terms of string players - 3/4 have been long term collaborators with me. Marie Schreer actually recorded all strings on my first album ALMA, and Fraser & Clodagh have worked on every album (and occasional live shows) since Stranded Not Lost. In terms of art - Joel Cammarata designed the cover, and accompanying art - he designed Sing With Abandon and I absolutely adore his work, but also - he's so great at understanding and developing and capturing the concept." (Pete Lambrou) Layered harmonies drift through the music like distant signals or half-remembered voices. Madhvani's presence adds a human fragility to the album's vast soundscapes, reinforcing the sense of memory and longing that runs beneath the surface. The strings, performed by a close circle of trusted collaborators, further ground the record in warmth and physicality, acting as a counterweight to the synthetic elements that threaten to unravel it. "Despite the heavy subject matter, I wanted to create an album that imparts hope and optimism, marrying traditional instrumentation as nostalgia, with technological innovation through the randomness of modular synths." (Pete Lambrou) The partnership with Pelagic Records feels both organic and significant. Known for championing artists who value emotional weight, sonic ambition, and artistic integrity, the label provides a natural home for VLMV's work. Lambrou's music shares Pelagic's ethos: immersive, patient, and unafraid of scale whether intimate or vast. With There Will Come Soft Rains, Pete Lambrou has crafted a work that feels timely without being didactic, expansive without being overwhelming. It stands as a quiet, but powerful statement that lingers long after the final notes fade. FOR FANS OF Sigur Ros * Olafur Arnalds * Radiohead * Keaton Henson * This Will Destroy You

Pete Lambrou, the visionary composer and multi-instrumentalist behind VLMV (pronounced "Alma"), is one of the most singular voices emerging from the ambient, post-rock, and experimental scenes in the UK. With a career that spans atmospheric solo work, film and television scoring, and evocative live performance, Lambrou has carved out a distinctive sonic universe he describes as "ambient-ish post-something" (Pete Lambrou) a playful yet accurate summation of a sound that is at once genre-fluid and deeply immersive. The album takes its title from Sara Teasdale's 1918 poem and Ray Bradbury's later short story, both of which imagine a world continuing quietly after humanity's disappearance. This idea became the gravitational centre around which the record formed. Written during a period of deep engagement with climate fiction and ecological thought, `There Will Come Soft Rains` reflects on humanity's legacy, its technological ambition, and its uneasy relationship with the natural world. A century on from Teasdale's poem, the balance of power feels less certain, and Lambrou's music inhabits that tension with remarkable subtlety. "The initial ideas stem mostly from chaos, randomness or sound exploration and then get shaped as I go. Typically, and certainly for this album. It's evolved since album 1, which was more song / chord based. It's a fun process of finding the sound and then working out whether it's speaking to me - or merely just a cool noise. That's fun, but it sometimes can't evolve or progress, so then begins the long journey of shaping it into some sort of song format - which doesn't have to be a-typica,l but whatever feels right to me. The subject matter and overall theme is important too - it's got to all make sense within itself. There's no point having a slowly creeping theme and then rush the music." (Pete Lambrou) VLMV embody an emotional honesty that works with patience and nuance. Whether you're encountering his music for the first time or returning to its quiet depths, VLMV offers an aural space that resonates long after the final note fades. Lambrou's singular sonic language sits at the intersection of ambient, post-rock, modern classical, and experimental electronic music, while remaining unmistakably human at its core. "Instrumentally it's far more synth based - as soon as I had the concept, I wanted to make sure technology clash and marry with traditional instruments (at different times) in a sort of slow-moving dance I suppose. One is nature, one is human development and technology. Sometimes working together and sometimes in opposition. On my previous albums I'd say that at least half of the tracks started life as songs, whereas with `There Will Come Soft Rains` I think the majority (if not all) started as experiments in sound." (Pete Lambrou) Sonically, the album is VLMV at its most cinematic and textural. Warm, intimate piano figures and elegiac string arrangements are set against unstable modular synthesis, fractured rhythms, and evolving sound design. The organic and the artificial are locked in a slow, shifting dialogue, mirroring the album's central themes. At times the music feels tender and nostalgic, at others unpredictable and mournful, yet it never tips into despair. Instead, a quiet resilience runs throughout the record. "The album is slightly unusual in that it was mixed in Dolby Atmos before being mixed down to stereo. Most, if not all, do it the other way round. That's because I got to work with a superb mix engineer who just happens to live opposite. It was extremely random and lucky, moving to a tiny hamlet in the South of England and there being a Dolby Atmos studio opposite with a genius of an engineer. We had in mind that we would do it this way round and enjoy the mix process and give everything its own space - it still had issues when folding down to stereo, but overall a more pleasurable mix!" (Pete Lambrou) There Will Come Soft Rains has a geological sense of time: themes creep, expand, erode, and reform, resisting conventional structures in favour of something more patient and immersive. Each sound exists because it needs to; they move, recede, and emerge with a three-dimensional clarity that enhances the music's cinematic quality, giving each element room to breathe while maintaining an enveloping sense of cohesion. Lambrou's unique voice is Intimate and fragile, his vocals hover above the instrumentation, a guiding thread through the expansive soundscapes, drawing listeners closer into the emotional core of each piece. "Long time vocal collaborator Anja Madhvani did lots of harmonies on the album - I wanted to include her voice as much as possible on this album. In terms of string players - 3/4 have been long term collaborators with me. Marie Schreer actually recorded all strings on my first album ALMA, and Fraser & Clodagh have worked on every album (and occasional live shows) since Stranded Not Lost. In terms of art - Joel Cammarata designed the cover, and accompanying art - he designed Sing With Abandon and I absolutely adore his work, but also - he's so great at understanding and developing and capturing the concept." (Pete Lambrou) Layered harmonies drift through the music like distant signals or half-remembered voices. Madhvani's presence adds a human fragility to the album's vast soundscapes, reinforcing the sense of memory and longing that runs beneath the surface. The strings, performed by a close circle of trusted collaborators, further ground the record in warmth and physicality, acting as a counterweight to the synthetic elements that threaten to unravel it. "Despite the heavy subject matter, I wanted to create an album that imparts hope and optimism, marrying traditional instrumentation as nostalgia, with technological innovation through the randomness of modular synths." (Pete Lambrou) The partnership with Pelagic Records feels both organic and significant. Known for championing artists who value emotional weight, sonic ambition, and artistic integrity, the label provides a natural home for VLMV's work. Lambrou's music shares Pelagic's ethos: immersive, patient, and unafraid of scale whether intimate or vast. With There Will Come Soft Rains, Pete Lambrou has crafted a work that feels timely without being didactic, expansive without being overwhelming. It stands as a quiet, but powerful statement that lingers long after the final notes fade. FOR FANS OF Sigur Ros * Olafur Arnalds * Radiohead * Keaton Henson * This Will Destroy You

Brandnew album by Ian Svenonius (Nation of Ulysses, Make Up, Chain & the Gang, XYZ) latest project, his best yet, packed with super hits and provocative songs! ESCAPE-ISM - the found-sound-dream-drama - are back in action and out in front! And this time, they're leading a "Charge of the Love Brigade." Their fifth record, and fourth "sound" record - (the third one was "A Protest Against Sound"- an entirely silent LP) - "Charge of the Love Brigade" is revolutionary in its own right. Besides being packed with tunes with super-hits such as e.g. "Black Gold", "Last Of The Sellouts", "The Rebel Outlaw", & "Fire in Malibu", the new album proposes a reformation of the traditional notes and scales, an entirely new sound alphabet! "The violent overthrow of musical conventions will lead to the reintegration of humanity into the natural order, the reordering of life itself into a cosmic congruity. This means the convention of time itself will be ended." Play "Charge of the Love Brigade" and listen as ESCAPE-ISM go "over the top" against the note-letters of accepted musicality in a world premiere of a new upside-down antiscale! An album which furthers Svenonious' mission of upending and vandalizing indie-rock, garage and electronic norms and repurposing them in the context of a found-sound fever dream!

Lily Was Here is the soundtrack album to the 1989 Dutch drama film of the same name (original Dutch title: De Kassière, The Cashier), released in 1989 and produced and largely written by British musician David A. Stewart, known as one half of the pop duo Eurythmics.

The most notable element of the soundtrack is its title track, an instrumental duet pairing Stewart’s guitar work with saxophone performances by Candy Dulfer. The track was released as a single and achieved chart success in multiple countries, including reaching #1 in the Netherlands for five weeks, number six on the UK Singles Chart and number eleven on the US Billboard Hot 100.

In addition to original compositions, the album includes a newly recorded version of the Eurythmics’ 1984 song “Here Comes the Rain Again,” featuring vocals by Annie Lennox. It also features vocals by Virginia Astley on "Second Chance"

The soundtrack of Lily Was Here is available as a limited edition on red vinyl.

Aspen is very proud to introduce ‘Non Sonett’ by the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble. This ensemble is a pioneering Norwegian chamber group whose work on ECM and Hubro has redefined the boundaries between jazz, contemporary composition and folk music.Across seven albums, the ensemble has developed a highly distinctive l anguage built on restraint, timbral nuance and collective interplay, placing it among the most influential European ensembles of the 21st century.

Bringing together some of the finest musicians in Norway, the ensemble draws on a rare collective sensitivity, where each player contributes to a deeply integrated and texturally rich sound world.

With Non Sonett, the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble opens a new chapter that grows directly out of recent years of work in more solitary and cross-disciplinary contexts. In this period, Wallumrød has developed material for solo performance as well as for dance, allowing ideas to take shape in more fluid and exploratory formats. Some of this material now finds its way into the ensemble, where it is met by the possibilities offered by instrumentation, collective playing, and the distinct voices of the musicians. At the same time, older pieces—originating in entirely different settings— re-emerge here in new forms, reshaped by the ensemble context.

A defining aspect of Non Sonett is the way many of the pieces function less as fully determined compositions and more as open frameworks: starting points, suggestions, or “springboards” for music. These structures invite response rather than prescribe outcome, relying on the ensemble’s inherent sensitivity and capacity to realize and transform the material in performance. The result is music that feels both precise and fluid, shaped in equal measure by composition and by the interpretative presence of the players.

Central to this album is a continued deepening of Wallumrød’s long-standing interest in ambiguity and in dissolving boundaries between different musical elements and expressive worlds. By placing contrasting materials and associations side by side—sometimes subtly, sometimes more overtly—the music opens up spaces where meanings remain fluid and interconnected. On Non Sonett, this approach is taken a step further, allowing these juxtapositions to play an even more active role in shaping the music’s character and flow.

This approach connects closely with the ensemble’s broader artistic trajectory. Over time, the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble has developed a language that is immediately recognizable—marked by reduction, clarity and a deep attention to sonic detail. While each release has its own character, the underlying aesthetic remains consistent: a focus on the inner life of sound itself. Rather than foregrounding gesture or virtuosity, the music draws the listener toward the smallest elements, where meaning emerges gradually through texture, spacing and timbre.

The listening experience becomes one of concentration and proximity, where each sound carries weight, and the accumulation of detail forms a larger whole. References may be sensed—to early polyphonic music, Norwegian folk traditions, or more recent experimental practices—but these are absorbed into a singular musical language that resists categorization.

As with the ensemble’s recent work, Non Sonett also continues the integration of electronics as a fundamental part of the sound world. Each musician engages with electronic elements alongside their acoustic instruments, creating a layered and dynamic sonic environment. At times, this leads into extended, exploratory passages reminiscent of analogue musique concrète; at others, electronics operate almost imperceptibly, subtly altering and extending the acoustic textures in real time.

Aspen is very proud to introduce ‘Non Sonett’ by the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble. This ensemble is a pioneering Norwegian chamber group whose work on ECM and Hubro has redefined the boundaries between jazz, contemporary composition and folk music.Across seven albums, the ensemble has developed a highly distinctive l anguage built on restraint, timbral nuance and collective interplay, placing it among the most influential European ensembles of the 21st century.

Bringing together some of the finest musicians in Norway, the ensemble draws on a rare collective sensitivity, where each player contributes to a deeply integrated and texturally rich sound world.

With Non Sonett, the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble opens a new chapter that grows directly out of recent years of work in more solitary and cross-disciplinary contexts. In this period, Wallumrød has developed material for solo performance as well as for dance, allowing ideas to take shape in more fluid and exploratory formats. Some of this material now finds its way into the ensemble, where it is met by the possibilities offered by instrumentation, collective playing, and the distinct voices of the musicians. At the same time, older pieces—originating in entirely different settings— re-emerge here in new forms, reshaped by the ensemble context.

A defining aspect of Non Sonett is the way many of the pieces function less as fully determined compositions and more as open frameworks: starting points, suggestions, or “springboards” for music. These structures invite response rather than prescribe outcome, relying on the ensemble’s inherent sensitivity and capacity to realize and transform the material in performance. The result is music that feels both precise and fluid, shaped in equal measure by composition and by the interpretative presence of the players.

Central to this album is a continued deepening of Wallumrød’s long-standing interest in ambiguity and in dissolving boundaries between different musical elements and expressive worlds. By placing contrasting materials and associations side by side—sometimes subtly, sometimes more overtly—the music opens up spaces where meanings remain fluid and interconnected. On Non Sonett, this approach is taken a step further, allowing these juxtapositions to play an even more active role in shaping the music’s character and flow.

This approach connects closely with the ensemble’s broader artistic trajectory. Over time, the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble has developed a language that is immediately recognizable—marked by reduction, clarity and a deep attention to sonic detail. While each release has its own character, the underlying aesthetic remains consistent: a focus on the inner life of sound itself. Rather than foregrounding gesture or virtuosity, the music draws the listener toward the smallest elements, where meaning emerges gradually through texture, spacing and timbre.

The listening experience becomes one of concentration and proximity, where each sound carries weight, and the accumulation of detail forms a larger whole. References may be sensed—to early polyphonic music, Norwegian folk traditions, or more recent experimental practices—but these are absorbed into a singular musical language that resists categorization.

As with the ensemble’s recent work, Non Sonett also continues the integration of electronics as a fundamental part of the sound world. Each musician engages with electronic elements alongside their acoustic instruments, creating a layered and dynamic sonic environment. At times, this leads into extended, exploratory passages reminiscent of analogue musique concrète; at others, electronics operate almost imperceptibly, subtly altering and extending the acoustic textures in real time.

Repress!

OUTTA SIGHT, in association with Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd., present two Modern Soul Monsters back-to-back.
JEFF PERRY (aka Jeffree) was born into rare soul royalty, the nephew of Robert Bateman, a pioneer of the Detroit sound, and brother of Greg Perry with whom he would co-write and produce for Holland/Dozier/Holland scoring hits for the Honey Cone, Chairman of the Board, Freda Payne and Jeff’s own group 100 Proof Aged In Soul.
“”Love Don’t Come No Stronger…” has transcended its Modern Soul status to become a mainstay of the 21st Century Northern Soul Weekender scene, an essential 45 for any discerning DJ wanting a guaranteed floor-filler.
MANDRILL were formed in New York in the late Sixties by the Wilson brothers, originally from Panama. They were joined over the years by a succession of accomplished musicians who honed their unique Latin-tinged sound that attracted, first Polydor, then United Artists and Arista, who signed them in 1977. “Too Late” was released in ’78 and helped define the “crossover” sound of the Northern Soul scene. It remains an anthemic and sought after 45 guaranteed to pack the floor.

First Word Records is extremely proud to welcome back Kaidi Tatham, with a brand new 12-track album entitled 'Don't Rush The Process'.

This is Kaidi's 4th solo album under his own name, following on from 'An Insight To All Minds' (2021), 'It's A World Before You' (2018), and 'In Search Of Hope' (re-pressed in 2020), all released on First Word, along with several EPs from 2017 onwards.

To bring you up to speed, Kaidi Tatham is a legendary multi-instrumentalist born in the Midlands and based in Belfast. Once dubbed "the UK's Herbie Hancock" by Benji B, he's a virtuoso on the keys and a true innovator in sound production as one of the original creators of the Broken Beat sound. Over the years his musical prowess has blessed numerous projects, recently with the likes of DJ Jazzy Jeff, Andrew Ashong and with longtime accomplice, Dego. This in addition to session and remix work for artists such as Mulatu Astatke, Slum Village, Marcos Valle, Amy Winehouse, Soul II Soul, Nubya Garcia, Rosie Frater-Taylor and Leroy Burgess, along with First Word label mates Eric Lau, Children of Zeus, Allysha Joy and Darkhouse Family. Kaidi is also a revered DJ known for rocking parties globally, whilst his solo catalogue spans tons of EPs and releases for labels such as Dego's 2000 Black, Alex Nut's Eglo Records and Theo Parrish's Sound Signature.

This new album 'Don't Rush The Process' opens with an intro of sweet strings on 'Mystery Solved', ahead of lead title track, which is on a mid-tempo boom bap vibe, before switching to a more uptempo boogie vein, with the assistance of The Easy Access Orchestra, who also appear on 'We Chillin' Out', which is on a similar boogie tip. 'All I Need' is some gospel flavoured hip hop, whilst 'Knocknee Donkey' steps things up in a jazz-funk fashion. The second half of the album takes on a very Brazilian flavoured stance, with a set of delicious latin flavoured grooves on 'Any Flavour', 'Runnin' Tru', 'What A Dream' and 'Sooretama', the latter featuring the additional prowess of pianist Robert Mitchell. There's a touch more of the hip hop beats thrown in via 'Funky Fool' and the album closes out in inimitable Kaidi style with a short message: 'Mind Yourself'.

A hugely prolific artist, here he adds to an already impressive catalogue, a body of work that falls within the cracks of jazz and dance music, exemplifying modern British black brilliance; uncompromising, innovative, groundbreaking, intricately sophisticated and deeply funky. His fanbase expands on every release and it's no surprise that that fanbase includes a diverse set of peers such as Madlib ("ahead of his time"), Gilles Peterson ("a key part of an entire movement"), K15 ("a limitless source of inspiration") and Kyle Hall.

'Don't Rush The Process' is released on vinyl & digital worldwide, July 2022 via First Word Records.

Grammy award-winning titan of dance music Purple Disco Machine joins the illustrious list of Defected House Masters with a celebratory compilation. The German producer, DJ and global household name Tino Pointek, AKA Purple Disco Machine, is the blueprint for what makes a successful dance music artist in the modern age; respected on the underground scene while achieving major crossover success with remixes for the likes of Sir Elton John, Dua Lipa and Mark Ronson. The crate digging kingpin of house and disco first landed on Defected over a decade ago, and has since delivered remixes of iconic tracks like Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’ and the London label’s top tracks including Shakedown’s ‘At Night’ and ‘Coma Cat’ by Tensnake – as well as striking originals like ‘Beat Fantasy’. From edits of the classics to remixes of the modern, as well as uplifting originals, Purple Disco Machine has birthed a distinct sound that is instantly recognisable, one that is not afraid to reference or not reference and is always bursting with joy. Across Defected presents House Masters: Purple Disco Machine, the full breadth of the iconic German selector’s sound is felt from the 2019 smash hit ‘Dished (Male Stripper)’ to deep cuts like his re-work of Fallout’s ‘The Morning After’ as well as remixes of legendary tracks like ‘Lola’s Theme’ by The Shapeshifters and Spiller’s ‘Groovejet’ featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Defected presents House Masters: Purple Disco Machine is here to showcase the sound of a bona fide electronic maverick in full.

On his fourth solo album, and debut work for Nick Klein's Psychic Liberation imprint, Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø presents »Faint Light Blackens«, a negotiation between the atomized instrumentation of the solo trombone is pushed towards a full range wall of sound over the concise sprawl of seven distinct acts on two sides of a vinyl record.

The seven acts that make up the album were developed specifically for recording within Emanuel Vigeland’s »Tomba Emmanuelle«. The fresco within the mausoleum anchors themes of existential weight, ripe with weighted imagery of love, birth, and death. The solemn space is a cavernous acoustic terrain wherein reverberant reverie makes it almost impossible to speak aloud, let alone sing through horn and electronics. This chamber's expanse is baked into the compositional directions employed on »Faint Light Blackens«.

Experientially, the record was produced in a long form performance gesture, with no overdubs. While edited to fit the record format, no additional post production coloring took place. Here Nørstebø shines as an instrumentalist, wherein the symbiosis of the site specific architecture and his sound sources are synced. At once musing and brooding, the gamut of emotive sonic landscapes is at play for a fully dynamic listening experience. The territory in Nørstebø’s vocabulary through interplay with the mausoleum is not vaulted , unlike Vigeland’s urn’ed ashes. On »Faint Light Blackens«, the spirit takes bound beyond the cavern and reanimates the listeners stereo alters for a holistic listening experience of perfectly challenging electroacoustic endeavors.

Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø – acoustic & amplified trombone, monotron, feedback, sound files.
Recorded by Espen Reinertsen October 10. and 11. 2023 in Tomba Emmanuelle, Oslo Norway.
Cover Photos and mix by Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø
Mastered by Helge Sten (Deathprod) at Audio Virus Lab

Killer Groove Records proudly presents the self-titled debut album by Italian cinematic funk trio Atabasca. A sonic journey where funk, psychedelia and desert groove merge into a timeless narrative suspended between rhythm and vision.


"Atabasca" marks the debut release from the cinematic funk trio, dropping March 27th on limited edition LP, CD digipack and digital formats, the latter featuring an exclusive bonus track. This is a project built on evocative imagery: each song unfolds as an open scene, an emotional landscape where listeners can step inside and write their own ending.

Lap steel, kalimba, percussion and guitars interweave with bass and drums, striking an original balance between tradition and experimentation that evokes unwritten soundtracks for worlds at once distant and familiar. The record navigates between melancholy and irony, tension and release, with a sharp focus on dynamics and sonic narrative.


Deserts, seas, imaginary villages, getaways, pursuits and collective rituals: "Atabasca" emerges as a collection of musical landscapes that unfolds through vivid, evocative imagery.

Jazz-funk, world music, afrobeat, psychedelia and the Italian Golden Age of movie soundtracks merge into a singular emotional geography: warm, analog and deeply human.

The musical journey opens with "Dune", a melancholic statement that leaves room for imagination, before igniting with "Kundela Mawedi" and its cascading lap steel over haunting vocal chants. "Paco" tips its hat to classic westerns, tracing a bandit's trajectory, while "Cameo" drifts back to childhood through minimal rumba and shimmering kalimba. The cinematic imagery continues in "Cacopoulos", a nod to Spaghetti westerns and Eli Wallach, built on raw drum patterns and distorted guitars. Intensity builds in "Khettara", where afrobeat rhythms and Middle Eastern textures intertwine, before "Hell Dorado" tears off in pursuit of the American dream's funk-fueled mirage. "Papambra" weaves hypnotic polyrhythms between kalimba and lap steel, while "Porpora" delivers a sensual, visceral tango of passion and tension. The digital edition closes with "Reprise", a sequel that stretches the album's central theme into an expansive, meditative interpretation.

The tracks were recorded in single takes, capturing the raw energy and natural atmosphere of the performance. Artistic production was handled by the trio alongside Andrea Fabrizii (digger, musician, producer and catalogue curator for CAM Sugar), while Riccardo Ricci mastered the album at Velvet Room Mastering Studio in Brighton.

Like a desert blooming within the evergreen forests of the planet's far north, a unique, alien, disruptive environment. This is the vision behind Atabasca, the project of Luca Mongia (guitars, lap steel, keyboards, vocals), Paolo Mazziotti (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Valerio Pompei (drums, percussion, vocals).

Individually active for over twenty years on both the national and international scenes, the three Italian musicians came together in 2023 to create a project that merges experience, experimentation and creative freedom. Their music is imaginative and at times dreamlike, blending the classic concept of the instrumental trio with the worlds of film scoring and sound design.

Atabasca's sound moves through jazz-funk, world and cinematic territories, weaving together afrobeat, desert and psychedelic influences into a personal and timeless language. Each piece is a scene; each sound, a fragment of a world, a journey between reality and imagination where groove, texture and organic timbre merge into a singular sonic ecosystem: a perpetually shifting balance that generates new inner landscapes.


For fans of Khruangbin, Surprise Chef and instrumental psych-funk!

Originally released on Ezekiel Honig's Anticipate label in 2007, Standing on a Hummingbird is the debut album by Canadian sound artist Mark Templeton, now appearing for the first time on vinyl, newly remastered by Giuseppe Ielasi and cut by LUPO. Working at the intersection of post-glitch, electroacoustic ambient, and textural minimalism, Templeton composes through restraint and erosion, building patient and richly tactile pieces primarily from acoustic sources - fingerpicked guitar, plaintive banjo, muted accordion tones - subjected to careful processes of granulation, filtering, and environmental masking. These gestures never overwhelm the source material; instead, they wonderfully destabilize it. Melodies appear briefly, only to dissolve into dense atmospheres of field recordings: distant streets, birds, water, air. Sounds hover, vibrate, and vanish, much like the wing beating latent in the album’s title.

Tracks such as “Pattern For a Pillow” and “Amidst Things Uncontrolled” articulate this approach with particular clarity, setting languid acoustic figures against churning granular backdrops that feel at once sheltering and unstable. Elsewhere, moments of fragile clarity - fluttering guitar lines, reedy accordion tones - briefly break the surface before being absorbed back into the field.

Heard today, the record offers a clarion, almost spartan strain of textural ambient music: intricate yet unforced, shaped by human touch rather than automated excess. Its refusal of spectacle feels especially vital in a landscape saturated with maximalist digitalia - a reminder that electronic music’s most enduring gestures often occur where sound is allowed to tremble and hold itself just long enough to be felt before disappearing once again. (Alex Cobb, 2026)

With 'Tangkoa II', Belgian producer and multi-instrumentalist Dijf Sanders invites listeners into a vibrant and immersive sonic world shaped by travel, collaboration and instinct. Released via Unday Records, the album grew out of field recordings captured during a journey through Vietnam, later transformed into rhythmic, colourful compositions that feel both intimate and expansive.

Rather than building tracks piece by piece on a screen, Sanders approaches music as something alive and unfolding. Sounds are performed and reshaped in real time, giving the album a spontaneous energy, as if the music is discovering itself while you listen. Together with drummer and producer Simon Segers, he creates a fluid dialogue between electronic sounds and human rhythm, balancing precision with freedom.

Improvisation lies at the heart of 'Tangkoa II'. Contributions from Vitja Pauwels (guitar), Viktor Perdieus (saxophone) and Louise van den Heuvel (bass) bring a subtle jazz sensibility to the music, pushing it toward hypnotic grooves and unexpected turns.

The result is an album that feels warm, physical and constantly in motion. Electronic music that breathes, pulses and draws you fully into its atmosphere.

Punch, gegründet 1969 in Long Island, war eine ambitionierte Hardrock-Band, die mit voller Wucht spielte. Die Band, bestehend aus Dave Stein (Gesang), Ray Kusnier (Gitarre), Tony Giustra (Bass) und Pete Tudda (Schlagzeug), hatte einen Sound, der von Kritikern als ,härter als Hardrock" und ,lauter als laut" beschrieben wurde. Die Musik von Punch hat eine unerbittliche Energie, die durch klagende Gitarrenriffs und einen Gesang, der sich erst schlängelt und dann knurrt, vorangetrieben wird. Während ihrer kurzen dreijährigen Karriere stand Punch mit Illinois Speed Press aus Chicago und Elephant's Memory aus New York auf der Bühne. Sie machten sich schnell einen Namen in der Clubszene von New York, am meisten begeistert war das Publikum aber in Montreal, wo ihre kraftvollen Auftritte echt gut ankamen. Die Band nutzte riesige Lautsprecherhörner, um die Wände zum Wackeln zu bringen, und füllte den Raum mit nur drei Instrumenten, eine Technik, die auch Led Zeppelin und Mountain nutzten. Obwohl Punch nur bis 1972 existierte, wird die Musik der Band mit der Zeit immer lauter und findet eine neue Generation von Fans. Ihr kompromissloser Ansatz hat auch heute noch die gleiche Kraft und erinnert uns daran, wie roher Hardrock klang, bevor Mitte der 1970er Jahre ein ausgefeilterer Sound die Oberhand gewann.

Repress

The Collaboration - Having toured together over the years, Lattimore and Barwick now join forces to co-write and record this full-length album. Their creative synergy brings together harp, voice, and analog synths in a deeply emotional, immersive sound journey. The album was recorded at the Philharmonie de Paris with co-producer Trevor Spencer (Fleet Foxes, Beach House). This album continues a unique series of collaborations between the label and the Musée de la Musique, featuring historical instruments in contemporary composition. Since 2017, InFiné and the Philharmonie de Paris have co-developed a series of albums designed to highlight the extraordinary instrument collection of the Musée de la Musique. Following the albums InBach by Arandel (2020) and Saturn 63 by Seb Martel (2022), this third release is a meeting of two iconic contemporary ambient voices: Mary Lattimore and Julianna Barwick. The project offers the artists full access to the museum’s playable instruments for recording, sound conservation, and creative reinterpretation.



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Tragic Magic brings together Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore, two of contemporary ambient, experimental and electronic music’s most celebrated composers, for a unique collaboration at the Philharmonie de Paris, with extraordinary access to the Musée de la Musique’s instrument collection, in partnership with the French label InFiné. The album features seven immersive, evocative compositions guided by the human spirit – intimate, grounded in friendship, both earthly and cosmic – and part of a greater continuum, reflecting the solace and transformative power of artistry across generations.

Co-produced by Trevor Spencer (Fleet Foxes, Beach House), Tragic Magic was created in just nine days, a testament to the “musical telepathy” that has developed between Barwick and Lattimore over years of touring and friendship. Arriving in Paris from Los Angeles shortly after the 2025 wildfires, their sessions combined improvisation with the emotions and experiences they carried, in a setting both inspiring and deeply supportive. Lattimore selected harps tracing the instrument’s evolution from 1728 to 1873, while Barwick chose several iconic analog synthesizers, including the Roland JUPITER and Sequential Circuits PROPHET-5. In freeform dialogue between voice and instrument, they create a meditation on tragedy, wonder, and the restorative power of shared experience.

The duo, often joined by Spencer, also explored the city, sharing meals and visiting museums and landmarks, each encounter leaving an impression on their next session. The experience allowed them to work intimately with rare instruments, blending their personal sensibilities with centuries of history, resulting in music that honors the past while remaining a deeply authentic expression of the present.
Throughout Tragic Magic, Barwick and Lattimore find something beyond themselves: a sense that while everything may not be okay, beauty persists. Their approach – transforming life into music, observing, feeling, and creating – continues a lineage of creative expression and visionary invention, embodied in the very instruments they employed for this project.

Lane Shi Otay Onii, known professionally as Otay:Onii, is one of the most inquisitive and genre-defying artists of her generation. A multifaceted creator whose work spans performance art, composition, installation, and avant-garde music practice. Otay:Onii is the first ever artist selected for the three-year Triennium Residency at Roadburn Festival. She was a contributing composer and performer in Florentina Holzinger's groundbreaking opera production `SANCTA` and has performed at festivals world-wide such as SXSW, Roadburn, CTM, Fusion, Creepy Teepy, LGW, Fekete Zaj, and Full of Lava. Otay;Onii has already been celebrated with many awards worldwide, included the Global Music Awards `Bronze Prize for Best Female Vocalist` and `Best Sound' at Audiovisual Arts Industrial Incubator Awards. Otay:Onii's new album `Love is in the Shit', is a deeply intimate album that reaches a striking balance between control and chaos. Harnessing her ability to move from serenity to madness, `Love is in the Shit' is an exploration in representing trialing conscious states. Drawing-in and challenging the listener, the songs play with comfort and discomfort, deliciously crafting the sonic arc of the story so that intention is undeniably felt. Low frequencies vibrate with a bodily presence, while sharp, high-frequency textures cut through with urgency. There is a sense of movement embedded in the sound; music that pulses, sways, and surges, never settling into static forms. Even at its most aggressive, there is an undercurrent of precision and intention. Her voice becomes increasingly elastic and versatile through the service of melody, spoken poetry and pain-ridden wails. "Many songs begin with a need to sing - I sing to summon grace at the peak of anger and tournament, I sing to summon tranquility from a 6 hour panic attack, I sing to get out of my mind which shows mercy for fear.

Lane Shi Otay Onii, known professionally as Otay:Onii, is one of the most inquisitive and genre-defying artists of her generation. A multifaceted creator whose work spans performance art, composition, installation, and avant-garde music practice. Otay:Onii is the first ever artist selected for the three-year Triennium Residency at Roadburn Festival. She was a contributing composer and performer in Florentina Holzinger's groundbreaking opera production `SANCTA` and has performed at festivals world-wide such as SXSW, Roadburn, CTM, Fusion, Creepy Teepy, LGW, Fekete Zaj, and Full of Lava. Otay;Onii has already been celebrated with many awards worldwide, included the Global Music Awards `Bronze Prize for Best Female Vocalist` and `Best Sound' at Audiovisual Arts Industrial Incubator Awards. Otay:Onii's new album `Love is in the Shit', is a deeply intimate album that reaches a striking balance between control and chaos. Harnessing her ability to move from serenity to madness, `Love is in the Shit' is an exploration in representing trialing conscious states. Drawing-in and challenging the listener, the songs play with comfort and discomfort, deliciously crafting the sonic arc of the story so that intention is undeniably felt. Low frequencies vibrate with a bodily presence, while sharp, high-frequency textures cut through with urgency. There is a sense of movement embedded in the sound; music that pulses, sways, and surges, never settling into static forms. Even at its most aggressive, there is an undercurrent of precision and intention. Her voice becomes increasingly elastic and versatile through the service of melody, spoken poetry and pain-ridden wails. "Many songs begin with a need to sing - I sing to summon grace at the peak of anger and tournament, I sing to summon tranquility from a 6 hour panic attack, I sing to get out of my mind which shows mercy for fear.

Redux, an ambient-folk album from Portland, Oregon musician, poet, and multimedia artist Dao Strom, is a collection of nine resurrected pieces. Reimagining songs she initially composed as a member of the Austin, Texas alt-country and singer-songwriter scenes of the early 2000s, Strom reworks these lost songs into ambient-folk mini-epics—part grounded and earthly, part ethereal and otherworldly. Drawing on an intimate yet spacious palette of folk, ambient, and experimental textures, woven through with a poetics of vulnerability and quiet emotion, Redux explores song as gently reverberant fields of layered vocals over finger-picked guitars with touches of electronics and sampling. Strom’s musical journey initially began in a roots and acoustic vein, simultaneously with her career as a fiction writer. In the years since, she has moved from Austin, Texas to Juneau, Alaska to Portland, Oregon; her work too has expanded across genres into more experimental formats of poetry, music, and multidisciplinary art. In returning to these earlier songs, Strom reclaims and revives them, exploring her relationships to time, voice, and the continuances of emotion and memory. The word redux means “brought back; revived”; a sense of something restored—earlier renditions of some of the Redux songs were recorded with Austin-based collaborators and producers; some songs were written in that time period but never recorded. Produced, performed, and recorded by Strom alone in her home studio, Redux is a return and reemergence of the artist to her own most personal, intuitive structures and atmospheres of voice, sound, and song. Released on cassette by Antiquated Future Records, and reissued on vinyl in 2026 by Disasters By Choice.

Dao Strom is an artist who works with three “voices”—written, sung, visual—to explore hybridity and contemplate the intersection of personal and collective histories. Her music releases move between “song-poem” cycles and ambient-folk albums. She is the author/composer of several hybrid projects that blend poetry, music, and visual art into unique multimodal experiences, including Tender Revolutions/Yellow Songs, a song-cycle with set of four chapbooks, jointly released by Beacon Sound, Antiquated Future Records, and The 3rd Thing Press (2025), and Instrument/Traveler’s Ode, a poetry-art collection and song-cycle released by Fonograf Editions and Antiquated Future Records (2020). Born in Vietnam and based in Portland, Oregon, Strom began her musical journey in the early 2000s, when she first began infusing into the context of “Americana” folk/roots music her own diasporic Vietnamese experience and stories. Her music has since moved in more experimental directions, resisting easy categorization, yet still maintaining tendrils of folk ethos. She also writes songs about the ineffable nuances of emotion, memory, and connection, as captured on the album, Redux, which gathers songs from across her songwriting years into an ambient-folk setting, self-produced and recorded by Strom, released on cassette in 2022 by Antiquated Future Records, and reissued on vinyl in 2026 by Disasters By Choice. As a multidisciplinary artist, Strom has presented performance and installations at venues such as the Time Based Art Festival (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art) and Moving Poets Novilla in Berlin, Germany, and has received awards from the Creative Capital Foundation, Spark Artist Award, and others. Strom is also a founding member of She Who Has No Master(s), a collective of Vietnamese women writers and artists making polyvocal poetry-art works as a means of reaching across borders.

A wild animal with a kraut pop instinct, Chaton Laveur prowls the depths of minimalism in search of light, intoxicating melodies to make his prey. Raw and authentic, the duo always opts for the shortest route, lined with repetitive rhythms, analogue sounds and soft voices in French, which also reveal a darker side. After more than 70 dates in France, Germany, Benelux, and the UK, Chaton Laveur returns in early 2026 with a second album, Labyrinthe, a record for fans of kraut/pop sounds and intense emotions.

A wild animal with a kraut pop instinct, Chaton Laveur prowls the depths of minimalism in search of light, intoxicating melodies to make his prey. Raw and authentic, the duo always opts for the shortest route, lined with repetitive rhythms, analogue sounds and soft voices in French, which also reveal a darker side. After more than 70 dates in France, Germany, Benelux, and the UK, Chaton Laveur returns in early 2026 with a second album, Labyrinthe, a record for fans of kraut/pop sounds and intense emotions.

Vladislav Delay, primarily known as a highly regarded electronic music innovator, steps ahead with his acoustic jazz quintet. Echoing the forward-looking vd musical vision always ahead of the curve, the new album does not fit into any specific category, forging a path of its own across the 10 tracks. Recorded at Candybomber Studio in Berlin, the album brings vd together with Maria Bertel, Lucio Capece, Derek Shirley and Max Loderbauer. This is shape-shifting, elastic music that exists left of any given timeline.

Based in Hailuoto in Northern Finland, Vladislav Delay has never fit into any given mould as an artist. His prolific, at times mythical output has elevated him to a veritable legend status in all music cycles appreciating a unique artistic voice. Be it his forward-reaching recent releases as Vladislav Delay on his own Rajaton imprint, his Ripatti alias, or playing metallic percussion with the Moritz Von Oswald Trio, Vladislav Delay always has A SOUND. And that sound is ever-evolving, as his new jazz album shows. What "jazz" is this? There are certainly liquid elements there in the mix, not unlike the ones heard on previous vd productions. Then again, this is acoustic quintet music by and large, but not any specific kind we have ever heard before. Isn't that the whole point of "jazz"? Whatever came before is a springboard, not a limitation.

The Family Men return with their second full-length effort “Co/de/termination”. Since the release of their debut “No Sound Forever”, they have played countless shows, both in their native Sweden and abroad, garnering a reputation as one of the most intense and uncompromising live bands around. A natural progression of their sound, “Co/de/termination” is a crystallized evolution of The Family Men’s sonic identity, pushing their intensity and precision to new extremes. “Co/de/termination” stands as a concise and deliberate statement, shaped by both urgency and restraint.

Tha God Fahim's timeless creative instincts have been evident from the moment his art began to circulate. Emerging unexpectedly from the epicenter of trap music, the Atlanta emcee quickly distinguished himself with sharp wordplay and atmospheric production that couldn't be further from the monotonous sounds echoing Around Him. With Just A Few Projects To His Name, Tha God Fahim Was Still A Hungry Young Talent On The Rise when he unleashed Tha Dark Shogunn Saga in late 2016. Among his most memorable early releases, the album kicked off an unprecedented creative explosion, as Fahim cemented his status with more than 50 projects released over the next two years. Followed by an equally compelling sequel released just a few
months later, the overall saga became an important moment in Tha God Fahim's rise, evoking shadowy street corners and smoke-filled hallways. Nearly a decade later, Fahim is expanding this series into a full trilogy with Tha Dark Shogunn Saga, Vol. 3. Reviving the unmistakable vibe of the original projects, the new collection finds our hero back in warrior mode, sharpening his lyrical blade over rich production from Cookin Soul, Nicholas Craven, Fortes, and Fahim himself.

First Word Records proudly present the second single from Above The Clouds (aka kidkanevil & Magic Manfred), taking on another underground hip hop classic, 'Change'.

'Change' was originally performed by Shadez of Brooklyn, produced by Da Beatminerz and most notably appeared on DJ Premier's legendary 'New York Reality Check 101' mix compilation back in 1997.

This 7" vinyl release follows on from last Summer's MF DOOM cover 'Arrow Root', which received strong support from the likes of Japan's DJ Koco and Philadelphia's DJ Jazzy Jeff.

This new instrumental reinterpretation also features cuts by Leicester-based turntablist, Jon1st - a DMC World Online Champion, as well as being a producer & musician in his own right, collaborating on music with a number of hip hop, D&B and electronic artists.

One of the original First Word roster, UK Producer/DJ and all-round laptop music geek kidkanevil has developed a distinctive and progressive sound over the years, gleefully exploring the beats and bleeps of the electronic music universe to international recognition. Leeds born, sound system bred and raised on a (un)healthy diet of video games and anime, his solo work inhabits the curious space between bass frequencies and otaku culture. But as a devoted teenage backpack rap nerd, somewhere in the back of kid's mind was a lingering desire to reconnect with his first love, hip hop.

Not long after moving to Berlin he joined a studio space in graffiti plastered Kreuzberg, where he met multi instrumentalist wizard Magic Manfred; a disciple of all things boogie, disco, funk and soul. Born and raised in Berlin, and currently a touring musician for many an act, Manfred's musical map joins the dots from piano lessons at four, to starting a band with his teenage friends, leading him to his true calling - the bass - via the club vibrations of his hometown, which introduced him to the world of DJing and production, and a stint studying in the explosive London jazz scene to finalise his Jedi training.

Bonding over their mutual love of '90s hip hop, a friendship and musical kinship developed, coupled with a desire to honour past eras but push things forward, Above The Clouds was born; named after their joint favourite DJ Premier beat, with a touch of irony regarding their basement based studio of a windowless variety.

kidkanevil explains further "We started the project with a few covers, just as a way to get warmed up and in a certain creative headspace, of which 'Change' by Shadez Of Brooklyn was one. We both loved DJ Premier's 'New York Reality Check 101' mix when we were teenagers and this track was a favourite. The elements really lent themselves to live interpretation, and as an instrumental there was space to bring some nice movement with the bass and stuff. Hopefully we found the balance between paying tribute and finding our own pocket. For the final seasoning we hit up the homie and turntable wizard Jon1st to recreate the cuts, of which he did an immaculate job of course.

The b-side 'Urgh' is one of our favourite beats we've made so far; the title is just how it makes us feel! We actually recorded the piano with two iphones as left and right and it sounded kinda cool so we went with it..."

'Change / Urgh' is released on limited 7" vinyl & digital platforms, April 24th 2026.

Die Reise von MUNA war schon immer davon geprägt, Raum für die komplexen, chaotischen und ekstatischen Realitäten des Lebens zu schaffen, und mit ihrem vierten Album "Dancing On The Wall" sind sie so prägnant, düster und mitreißend wie nie zuvor. Ausgehend von den funkelnden, mit Konfetti übersäten Höhen ihres selbstbetitelten Albums aus dem Jahr 2022 kanalisieren sie nun die ängstliche, unsichere Energie des Lebens in einem Los Angeles, das von politischen Spannungen, Umweltzerstörung und dem stillen Druck der Prekarität der Millennials geprägt ist. Das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das sich sowohl intim als auch spektakulär anfühlt, eine Popwelt, die mit Biss, Witz und emotionaler Resonanz aufgebaut ist, ein Soundtrack für Herzen, die gleichzeitig in Flammen stehen und das Chaos um sie herum beobachten. Auf dem gesamten Album erkundet MUNA Sehnsucht, Intimität und Verbundenheit vor dem Hintergrund einer Welt im Wandel. Es gibt eine stille Auseinandersetzung damit, wie man weiterleben, lieben und sich gegenseitig erreichen kann, während man Zeuge politischer Brutalität und systemischer Gewalt wird, und wie Freude ohne Verleugnung überleben kann. Tracks wie "Wannabeher" fangen den schwindelerregenden Nervenkitzel ein, sich vollständig in die Fantasie eines anderen zu begeben, während "Why Do I Get A Good Feeling" noch lange nach dem Ende des Beats nachhallt, eine Meditation über flüchtige Freude und ausgesetzte Möglichkeiten. Das Album schließt mit "Buzzkiller", einer schonungslosen Auseinandersetzung mit Sehnsüchten und ihren Folgen, dem Schmerz, etwas erreicht zu haben, nur um festzustellen, dass neue Fragen, Zweifel und Sehnsüchte zurückbleiben. "Dancing On The Wall" wurde von Naomi McPherson produziert, wobei ihre charakteristische Liebe zum Detail mühelos mit der ausgefeilten Pop-Technik ihrer Bandkollegin Josette Maskin hinter den Kulissen verschmilzt, um lebendige, atmende Welten für die prägnanten Texte und die unverwechselbare Stimme der Leadsängerin Katie Gavin zu schaffen. "Dancing On The Wall" verbindet euphorische Klanglandschaften mit prägnanten, menschlichen Geschichten. Das Album spiegelt einen intensiven, selbstgesteuerten kreativen Prozess wider, der von Instinkt, Vertrauen und vollständiger künstlerischer Kontrolle geprägt ist. Es wirkt lebendig, eindringlich und filmisch und spiegelt eine Generation wider, die sich durch Unsicherheit navigiert und sich dennoch nicht von ihrer Freude abbringen lässt. Mit diesem Album beweisen MUNA erneut, dass Pop gewagt, intim und sozialbewusst zugleich sein kann: ein Album, das nicht nur den Moment einfängt, sondern ihn zu einer Welt destilliert, in der man leben möchte.

Die Reise von MUNA war schon immer davon geprägt, Raum für die komplexen, chaotischen und ekstatischen Realitäten des Lebens zu schaffen, und mit ihrem vierten Album "Dancing On The Wall" sind sie so prägnant, düster und mitreißend wie nie zuvor. Ausgehend von den funkelnden, mit Konfetti übersäten Höhen ihres selbstbetitelten Albums aus dem Jahr 2022 kanalisieren sie nun die ängstliche, unsichere Energie des Lebens in einem Los Angeles, das von politischen Spannungen, Umweltzerstörung und dem stillen Druck der Prekarität der Millennials geprägt ist. Das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das sich sowohl intim als auch spektakulär anfühlt, eine Popwelt, die mit Biss, Witz und emotionaler Resonanz aufgebaut ist, ein Soundtrack für Herzen, die gleichzeitig in Flammen stehen und das Chaos um sie herum beobachten. Auf dem gesamten Album erkundet MUNA Sehnsucht, Intimität und Verbundenheit vor dem Hintergrund einer Welt im Wandel. Es gibt eine stille Auseinandersetzung damit, wie man weiterleben, lieben und sich gegenseitig erreichen kann, während man Zeuge politischer Brutalität und systemischer Gewalt wird, und wie Freude ohne Verleugnung überleben kann. Tracks wie "Wannabeher" fangen den schwindelerregenden Nervenkitzel ein, sich vollständig in die Fantasie eines anderen zu begeben, während "Why Do I Get A Good Feeling" noch lange nach dem Ende des Beats nachhallt, eine Meditation über flüchtige Freude und ausgesetzte Möglichkeiten. Das Album schließt mit "Buzzkiller", einer schonungslosen Auseinandersetzung mit Sehnsüchten und ihren Folgen, dem Schmerz, etwas erreicht zu haben, nur um festzustellen, dass neue Fragen, Zweifel und Sehnsüchte zurückbleiben. "Dancing On The Wall" wurde von Naomi McPherson produziert, wobei ihre charakteristische Liebe zum Detail mühelos mit der ausgefeilten Pop-Technik ihrer Bandkollegin Josette Maskin hinter den Kulissen verschmilzt, um lebendige, atmende Welten für die prägnanten Texte und die unverwechselbare Stimme der Leadsängerin Katie Gavin zu schaffen. "Dancing On The Wall" verbindet euphorische Klanglandschaften mit prägnanten, menschlichen Geschichten. Das Album spiegelt einen intensiven, selbstgesteuerten kreativen Prozess wider, der von Instinkt, Vertrauen und vollständiger künstlerischer Kontrolle geprägt ist. Es wirkt lebendig, eindringlich und filmisch und spiegelt eine Generation wider, die sich durch Unsicherheit navigiert und sich dennoch nicht von ihrer Freude abbringen lässt. Mit diesem Album beweisen MUNA erneut, dass Pop gewagt, intim und sozialbewusst zugleich sein kann: ein Album, das nicht nur den Moment einfängt, sondern ihn zu einer Welt destilliert, in der man leben möchte.

After standout collaborations with Christophe Honoré and Bertrand Mandico, Calypso has signed with Pop Noire for the original soundtrack of Caroline Deruas’ film Les Immortelles. She unveils her new single, L’Homme Poisson, a gem of magnetic pop. With this ultra-catchy track, she reinvents 70s synth-pop with her signature poetry—both modern and timeless.


With Les Immortelles, Calypso Valois does more than accompany the film: she becomes its sonic soul. Each track—from enchanting choruses to rich instrumentation (piano, synths, strings, brass)—immerses the listener in a dreamlike universe, where music weaves the emotional thread. A singular cinematic experience, infused with mystery and magic. Whether you’re a fan of sophisticated pop, evocative soundtracks, or simply seeking an enchanting musical journey, this album transcends the boundaries of genre and era.
The film opened the Venice Film Festival and continues to make waves at festivals before its release a on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.

Blanche Biau, the enigmatic solo project blending 80s wave, post-punk, and shoegaze into a dreamy yet melancholic soundscape, is set to release a remix album of her sophomore record ‘Heartcore’. The new album, titled ‘Heartcore (Remixes)’, will be released via the Zurich based label Subject To Restrictions Discs.

Following the success of ‘Heartcore’, released in July 2025, the remix album brings together a group of artists to reimagine Blanche Biau’s hauntingly beautiful tracks. The remixers include Danzinger99, Donna Haringwey, Lumpex, Lust For Youth, Spear Flower and Milan STHC.

Blanche Biau on the remix album: «Heartcore is deeply personal to me, but I also imagined it as a living, breathing entity that could evolve. Collaborating with these incredible artists has been a dream – they’ve taken my songs to places I never thought possible. This remix album is a celebration of reinterpretation and connection.»

Blanche Biau is a solo project hailing from Zurich, Switzerland. Known for her DIY approach and ability to channel influences from 80s wave, post-punk, and shoegaze into a sound that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking, Blanche Biau has quickly established herself as a rising star in the alternative music scene. Her music combines raw emotion with dreamy atmospheres, resonating deeply with audiences worldwide.

Orange County"s Social Distortion returns with its first album in 15 years with Born to Kill. Armed with 11 urgent songs, Mike Ness continues to build on the mystique that Social Distortion is more than just a punk band. Throughout the collection, Ness revisits the sounds of the 1970s, his formative adolescent years. Born to Kill is a continuation of the bar of excellence that Social Distortion and, in turn, Ness has long been praised for. Born to Kill is a body of work that will live long in the Social Distortion catalog. Songs like the hard-charging title track that serves as the album"s mission statement, along with the riff-laden "Partners in Crime," the nostalgic "The Way Things Were," and rollicking "Tonight" are songs that fit in across any of Social Distortion"s various eras. Now nearly five decades into its career and with a remarkable catalog spanning nearly three generations, Social Distortion has no intention of slowing down any time soon.

"Wired" ist ein harter Neustart für Basement. Es markiert das erste Album der britischen Band seit acht Jahren, eine Wiedervereinigung mit ihrem ursprünglichen Label Run For Cover Records und eine Rückkehr zu jener ungebändigten Leidenschaft und kreativen Intuition, die schon immer ihr bestes Material ausgezeichnet hat. Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2009 besteht Basement aus denselben fünf Freunden - Sänger Andrew Fisher, den Gitarristen Alex Henery und Ronan Crix, Bassist Duncan Stewart und Schlagzeuger James Fisher - und derselben alchemischen Verbundenheit. Das Einzige, was sich in den letzten Jahren verändert hat, ist ihr erneuertes Gefühl von Zielstrebigkeit. Und das macht ihr neues Album deutlich hörbar. "Wired" ist das dynamischste, mutigste und inspirierteste Werk, das Basement je geschaffen haben, und bewahrt zugleich die zeitlosen Grundlagen ihres einzigartigen Sounds: grollende Gitarren, mitreißende Refrains und eindringliche emotionale Sprache. Basement sind zurück und laufen auf allen Zylindern, aber sie haben kein Interesse daran, alte Erfolge zu wiederholen. Die gesamte Band war entschlossen, dass "Wired" ihr bisher klarstes künstlerisches Statement werden musste. Der Titelsong ist das drängendste Stück ihrer Karriere - ein sicherer Live-Favorit, getragen von stechenden Gitarren, einem wuchtigen Schlagzeug und einem himmelhohen Hook, bei dem Fishers Stimme in Bestform ist. "Broken By Design" zeigt den gegenteiligen Charakter: düster, zart, bassgeführt, aber dennoch typisch Basement in seiner sofortigen Eingängigkeit und stimmungsvollen Atmosphäre. Nichts auf Wired klingt stagnierend, kein Teil wirkt unausgereift. Die Band ließ sich von einer Vielzahl abenteuerlustiger Vorbilder inspirieren (R.E.M., Interpol, Smashing Pumpkins, um nur einige zu nennen), ohne jemals wie eine dieser Bands zu klingen - und auch nicht wie eine Kopie ihrer selbst. Der Albumtitel fasst all das in einem einzigen Wort zusammen. Die texturalen Konnotationen von "Wired" - metallisch, scharf, zackig - spiegeln die stählernen Klangwelten des Albums wider. Auf konzeptioneller Ebene spricht der Titel für die unerschütterliche Zähigkeit der Band: eine analoge Band, die in einer immer digitaleren Welt erfolgreich bleibt, ohne sich auf nostalgische Bequemlichkeit zu verlassen. Fünf Freunde, die mehrere Trennungen und Neuanfänge überstanden haben und dabei als Menschen und musikalische Einheit gewachsen sind. Basement müssen ihr Schicksal akzeptieren: Sie sind einfach dafür gemacht.

"Wired" ist ein harter Neustart für Basement. Es markiert das erste Album der britischen Band seit acht Jahren, eine Wiedervereinigung mit ihrem ursprünglichen Label Run For Cover Records und eine Rückkehr zu jener ungebändigten Leidenschaft und kreativen Intuition, die schon immer ihr bestes Material ausgezeichnet hat. Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2009 besteht Basement aus denselben fünf Freunden - Sänger Andrew Fisher, den Gitarristen Alex Henery und Ronan Crix, Bassist Duncan Stewart und Schlagzeuger James Fisher - und derselben alchemischen Verbundenheit. Das Einzige, was sich in den letzten Jahren verändert hat, ist ihr erneuertes Gefühl von Zielstrebigkeit. Und das macht ihr neues Album deutlich hörbar. "Wired" ist das dynamischste, mutigste und inspirierteste Werk, das Basement je geschaffen haben, und bewahrt zugleich die zeitlosen Grundlagen ihres einzigartigen Sounds: grollende Gitarren, mitreißende Refrains und eindringliche emotionale Sprache. Basement sind zurück und laufen auf allen Zylindern, aber sie haben kein Interesse daran, alte Erfolge zu wiederholen. Die gesamte Band war entschlossen, dass "Wired" ihr bisher klarstes künstlerisches Statement werden musste. Der Titelsong ist das drängendste Stück ihrer Karriere - ein sicherer Live-Favorit, getragen von stechenden Gitarren, einem wuchtigen Schlagzeug und einem himmelhohen Hook, bei dem Fishers Stimme in Bestform ist. "Broken By Design" zeigt den gegenteiligen Charakter: düster, zart, bassgeführt, aber dennoch typisch Basement in seiner sofortigen Eingängigkeit und stimmungsvollen Atmosphäre. Nichts auf Wired klingt stagnierend, kein Teil wirkt unausgereift. Die Band ließ sich von einer Vielzahl abenteuerlustiger Vorbilder inspirieren (R.E.M., Interpol, Smashing Pumpkins, um nur einige zu nennen), ohne jemals wie eine dieser Bands zu klingen - und auch nicht wie eine Kopie ihrer selbst. Der Albumtitel fasst all das in einem einzigen Wort zusammen. Die texturalen Konnotationen von "Wired" - metallisch, scharf, zackig - spiegeln die stählernen Klangwelten des Albums wider. Auf konzeptioneller Ebene spricht der Titel für die unerschütterliche Zähigkeit der Band: eine analoge Band, die in einer immer digitaleren Welt erfolgreich bleibt, ohne sich auf nostalgische Bequemlichkeit zu verlassen. Fünf Freunde, die mehrere Trennungen und Neuanfänge überstanden haben und dabei als Menschen und musikalische Einheit gewachsen sind. Basement müssen ihr Schicksal akzeptieren: Sie sind einfach dafür gemacht.

Nonesuch Records releases Let X=X, by Laurie Anderson with Sexmob. This triple-LP/double-CD set was recorded live during a 2023 tour by Anderson and the jazz band Sexmob – Steven Bernstein and Briggan Krauss on brass, Kenny Wollesen on percussion, Douglas Wieselman on winds and guitar, and Tony Scherr on bass. Its cover and interior packaging feature paintings by Anderson. The album features 23 songs, including many favourites from throughout Anderson’s career, performed in new arrangements – plus one by Lou Reed and Metallica, ‘Junior Dad’. Anderson and Sexmob play more US and international dates this spring and summer (details below).

The New York Times said Anderson and Sexmob’s concert at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) ‘wasn’t a historical recreation of past recordings; Sexmob’s sound is a beefier one than on Anderson’s albums. With musicians who can double on electric guitar and bass clarinet, its members offered a rich range of textural variation throughout the evening.’

Laurie Anderson is one of America’s most renowned – and daring – creative pioneers. Her work, which encompasses music, visual art, poetry, film, and photography, has challenged and delighted audiences around the world for more than 40 years. In a recent 60 Minutes profile, Anderson Cooper said she ‘is a pioneer of the avant-garde, but... that doesn’t begin to describe what she creates... It’s experienced by audiences who come to see her perform: singing, telling stories, and playing strange violins of her own invention... she blends the beautiful and the bizarre, challenging audiences with homilies and humor. She blurs boundaries across music, theater, dance, and film.’ The Washington Post has said she ‘doesn’t just tell stories; she draws out every word with a kind of physical pleasure, tasting its flavor as she probes the everyday mysteries of life.’

Anderson released her first album with Nonesuch Records, the critically lauded Life on a String, in 2001. Her subsequent releases on the label include Live in New York (2002); Homeland (2010); the soundtrack to her acclaimed film Heart of a Dog (2015); and her Grammy-winning collaboration with Kronos Quartet, Landfall (2018). Nonesuch released a re-mastered edition of Big Science in 2007 for its 25th anniversary, followed by a vinyl LP re-issue in 2021; the album includes Anderson’s beloved, surprise hit, song, ‘O Superman’, which also is featured on Let X=X. Her recent Nonesuch release was 2024’s Amelia, about renowned female aviator Amelia Earhart’s tragic last flight.

Anderson’s virtual-reality film La Camera Insabbiata, with Hsin-Chien Huang, won the 2017 Venice Film Festival Award for Best VR Experience, and, in 2018, Skira Rizzoli published her book All the Things I Lost in the Flood: Essays on Pictures, Language and Code, the most comprehensive collection of her artwork to date. Recent exhibitions and installations of Anderson’s work include Habeas Corpus at New York’s Park Avenue Armory; her largest exhibition to date, The Weather, at Washington, DC’s Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum of Modern Art; and Looking into a Mirror Sideways at Stockholm’s Moderna Museet, which was her largest European exhibition to date.

Laurie Anderson was awarded the 2024 Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication, along with Christopher Nolan and David Attenborough, and the International Astronomical Union named a minor planet in her honour: Asteroid 270588, Laurieanderson. That same year, she was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Die beiden vorherigen Captured-Tracks-Alben von The Lemon Twigs, "A Dream Is All We Know" (2024) und "Everything Harmony" (2023), deuteten bereits auf eine Art Neubeginn in ihrer damals fünf Alben umfassenden Karriere hin. "Es war der Beginn davon, Platten zu machen, die wir selbst anhören würden", sagt Michael D'Addario, der jüngere der Twig-Brüder, heute 26 Jahre alt. Spätestens mit "A Dream Is All We Know" und dem zukünftigen Michael-Klassiker "My Golden Years" hatte die neue Ära der Lemon Twigs wirklich begonnen. Und nun erscheint das dritte Lemon-Twigs-Album für Captured Tracks, "Look For Your Mind!", das unter seiner poppigen Oberfläche einen unterschwelligen Strom aus Paranoia und Misstrauen trägt. Der Opener, der titelgebende Track "Look For Your Mind", ein beschwingtes Stück von Michael, führt die Hörer*innen in den gitarrengetriebenen Harmonie-Sound ein, der das zentrale Thema des Albums bildet. Vieles, was auf "A Dream Is All We Know" erreicht wurde, ist auch hier präsent - nur noch fokussierter. Es sind klassische Twigs, geprägt vom goldenen Zeitalter des Gitarrenpops, aber in keiner Weise sklavisch nachempfunden. Neu auf diesem Album ist die Einbindung der Live-Mitglieder Reza Matin (Schlagzeug) und Danny Ayala (Bass) sowie Eva Chambers von Tchotchke in die Rhythmusgruppe. Während die Brüder zuvor im Studio alles selbst eingespielt hatten, zeigt dies ein neues Gefühl von Freiheit. "Gather Round" ist eine der größeren Produktionen auf "Look For Your Mind!" - ein Brian-Song mit freudigen Orchestrierungen, der wie ein Wahlkampflied aus der Jahrhundertwende wirkt. Der Songwriter sucht nach einer unverdorbenen Führungsperson, kommt aber zu dem Schluss, dass kollektives Handeln der einzige Weg nach vorn ist. Musikalisch ist er opulent und herrlich 1967, doch Stimmung und Aussage sind unverkennbar 2026. "Jedes Mal, wenn wir versuchen, etwas völlig Geradliniges zu schreiben, können wir nicht anders, als ein Element hinzuzufügen, das völlig aus dem Rahmen fällt", erklärt Brian. Brians "Fire And Gold" beginnt mit einem klingenden Power-Pop-Riff, bevor alles auf den Kopf gestellt wird. Es ist auch der erste Song des Albums, auf dem der energiegeladene Drummer Reza Matin zu hören ist, den die Brüder mit Größen wie Jody Stephens von Big Star, Jim Bonfanti von The Raspberries und Bev Bevan von The Move vergleichen. Den Abschluss der ersten Seite der Vinyl-Ausgabe bildet Michaels wunderschöne Ballade "Mean To Me", mit Gesangsparts, die The Beach Boys vor 60 Jahren gerne aufs Band gebracht hätten - eingesungen von Michael, Brian und Danny. Der Abschluss der zweiten Seite, "Your True Enemy", wirft schließlich alles über den Haufen. "Wir haben den Song zunächst als einfache Rocknummer angelegt, aber das passte nicht zur düsteren Stimmung des Textes", sagt Brian. "Also haben wir begonnen, experimenteller zu werden." Das sechste Studioalbum der Lemon Twigs mag auf den ersten Blick wie eine direkte Fortsetzung der beiden Vorgänger wirken, ist aber zugleich viel mehr: mit Verweisen auf frühere Werke, einem neu entdeckten kollektiven Geist und vor allem großartigem Songwriting.

Die beiden vorherigen Captured-Tracks-Alben von The Lemon Twigs, "A Dream Is All We Know" (2024) und "Everything Harmony" (2023), deuteten bereits auf eine Art Neubeginn in ihrer damals fünf Alben umfassenden Karriere hin. "Es war der Beginn davon, Platten zu machen, die wir selbst anhören würden", sagt Michael D'Addario, der jüngere der Twig-Brüder, heute 26 Jahre alt. Spätestens mit "A Dream Is All We Know" und dem zukünftigen Michael-Klassiker "My Golden Years" hatte die neue Ära der Lemon Twigs wirklich begonnen. Und nun erscheint das dritte Lemon-Twigs-Album für Captured Tracks, "Look For Your Mind!", das unter seiner poppigen Oberfläche einen unterschwelligen Strom aus Paranoia und Misstrauen trägt. Der Opener, der titelgebende Track "Look For Your Mind", ein beschwingtes Stück von Michael, führt die Hörer*innen in den gitarrengetriebenen Harmonie-Sound ein, der das zentrale Thema des Albums bildet. Vieles, was auf "A Dream Is All We Know" erreicht wurde, ist auch hier präsent - nur noch fokussierter. Es sind klassische Twigs, geprägt vom goldenen Zeitalter des Gitarrenpops, aber in keiner Weise sklavisch nachempfunden. Neu auf diesem Album ist die Einbindung der Live-Mitglieder Reza Matin (Schlagzeug) und Danny Ayala (Bass) sowie Eva Chambers von Tchotchke in die Rhythmusgruppe. Während die Brüder zuvor im Studio alles selbst eingespielt hatten, zeigt dies ein neues Gefühl von Freiheit. "Gather Round" ist eine der größeren Produktionen auf "Look For Your Mind!" - ein Brian-Song mit freudigen Orchestrierungen, der wie ein Wahlkampflied aus der Jahrhundertwende wirkt. Der Songwriter sucht nach einer unverdorbenen Führungsperson, kommt aber zu dem Schluss, dass kollektives Handeln der einzige Weg nach vorn ist. Musikalisch ist er opulent und herrlich 1967, doch Stimmung und Aussage sind unverkennbar 2026. "Jedes Mal, wenn wir versuchen, etwas völlig Geradliniges zu schreiben, können wir nicht anders, als ein Element hinzuzufügen, das völlig aus dem Rahmen fällt", erklärt Brian. Brians "Fire And Gold" beginnt mit einem klingenden Power-Pop-Riff, bevor alles auf den Kopf gestellt wird. Es ist auch der erste Song des Albums, auf dem der energiegeladene Drummer Reza Matin zu hören ist, den die Brüder mit Größen wie Jody Stephens von Big Star, Jim Bonfanti von The Raspberries und Bev Bevan von The Move vergleichen. Den Abschluss der ersten Seite der Vinyl-Ausgabe bildet Michaels wunderschöne Ballade "Mean To Me", mit Gesangsparts, die The Beach Boys vor 60 Jahren gerne aufs Band gebracht hätten - eingesungen von Michael, Brian und Danny. Der Abschluss der zweiten Seite, "Your True Enemy", wirft schließlich alles über den Haufen. "Wir haben den Song zunächst als einfache Rocknummer angelegt, aber das passte nicht zur düsteren Stimmung des Textes", sagt Brian. "Also haben wir begonnen, experimenteller zu werden." Das sechste Studioalbum der Lemon Twigs mag auf den ersten Blick wie eine direkte Fortsetzung der beiden Vorgänger wirken, ist aber zugleich viel mehr: mit Verweisen auf frühere Werke, einem neu entdeckten kollektiven Geist und vor allem großartigem Songwriting.

Much like the duo’s music, the story of Rural France is both mundane and magical. Tom Brown (also of transatlantic janglepunks Teenage Tom Petties) and Rob Fawkes moved to London in their mid-twenties. Despite living under the same roof, they never picked up a guitar – except for one drunken, failed attempt at writing a Spoon song (“Big Chops” …don’t ask). It was only after both separately relocating to Wiltshire and starting families that they began assembling songs as a way of meeting up. Tom had amassed a pile of sprightly slacker jams that were calling out for Fawkes’ messily melodic guitar lines. Rural France was born.

After a debut album on their hero, ex-Lemonhead Nic Dalton’s Half-a-Cow Records, they retreated to a garage to record their next two albums: RF (2021) and Exacamondo! (2024), both released on much-respected jangle label Meritorio Records. Despite being lo-fi in the truest GbV sense, both records were warmly received by the DIY indie blogosphere, with their short, scrappy, but supremely melodic songs landing on numerous AOTY lists. RF even won Album of the Year at Janglepop Hub.

Raven Sings The Blues probably summed up the sound best: “With drunken visions of Beach Boys harmonies playing in the back of their heads and hooks that consume Teenage Fanclub cheeriness with the same beautiful brevity that drives Tony Molina, the pair have knocked out eleven rumpled classics.” Album four, SLOTHS, arrives via Meritorio Records and Safe Suburban Home Records on 08/05, and is a slightly different beast. For one, it’s been mixed by a professional – Rob Slater (Westside Cowboy, Yard Act, Thank) – giving the guitars and drums room to breathe. It’s easily their most high-fidelity record to date. It’s also their jangliest, most baroque and thoughtful album yet. But alongside added organ, horns and mellotron – and drums from Tom’s Teenage Tom Petties bandmate Jeff Hamm – it still retains the buzzes, hums and little freak-outs that stick to the duo’s original “Pavement playing Teenage Fanclub” mission statement. “Rob and I both wanted to do something a little slower and a little more melancholy,” says Tom. “We resisted our usual urge to hit the distortion pedal and made something that fitted where we are now and celebrates how we still listen to Meatloaf when we get drunk.”

SLOTHS is also the most thematically consistent Rural France record to date. While it wouldn’t be right to call it grown-up, it definitely has homeowners’ insurance. From the Silver Jews-esque Americana of “Slab” and mid-life rallying cry of “Thirty Seven Forever”, to the horn-embossed loser anthem “Lonely Heart Pyramid Scheme,” the songs celebrate (and rail against) the absurdities of getting older, forming a band in your thirties, and the strange phenomenon of time passing. Because no matter how slow you move, everything else goes fast. SLOTHS.

The Bolbec duo return with their sophomore album Foutu Félin, a richly cinematic collection of instrumental music that unfolds like an imaginary soundtrack, melodic, tactile and transportive. The record is inspired as much by the cut-and-paste production techniques of Portishead and the Beastie Boys as by the legendary composers of le cinéma français and il cinema italiano.

Mit Maaya präsentiert Ami Yerewolo, die bedeutendste weibliche Hip-Hop-Stimme Malis und eine zentrale Figur des westafrikanischen Rap, ihr neues Studioalbum. Maaya ("Menschlichkeit") verbindet die rohe Energie modernen Hip-Hops mit traditionellen malischen Instrumenten wie Kamalé Ngoni und Tamani. Das Ergebnis ist ein kraftvoll geerdeter, zugleich zeitgenössischer Sound, der Amis künstlerische Identität präzise widerspiegelt. Als Rapperin, Produzentin und Gründerin eines eigenen Frauen-Rap-Festivals hat sich Ami Yerewolo gegen gesellschaftliche Widerstände durchgesetzt und eine Vorreiterrolle für eine gesamte Generation junger afrikanischer Künstlerinnen übernommen. Ihre Texte thematisieren Resilienz, Selbstbestimmung und den Mut, gegen konservative Normen aufzustehen - Botschaften, die weit über Mali hinaus Wirkung entfalten. Mit Gastbeiträgen von Jah Moko und Mina la Voilée erweitert Maaya seine musikalische und emotionale Tiefe. Das Album ist vollständig unabhängig produziert und überzeugt durch Authentizität, Haltung und eine klare, unverwechselbare Stimme.

Kristin Diable ist ein Original aus dem Süden - ihre Stimme ist so launisch und unnachgiebig wie der Mississippi. Ihre zeitlosen Melodien und scharfsinnigen Texte fangen das Mystische im Alltäglichen ein und enthüllen den Silberstreif am Horizont ganz gewöhnlicher Momente. Das Ergebnis ist ein Sound, der sich sowohl geerdet als auch jenseitig anfühlt. Diables vorheriges Album ,Create Your Own Mythology", das in Nashville mit Produzent Dave Cobb aufgenommen wurde, wurde von NPR, American Songwriter und Southern Living als eines der besten des Jahres gelobt. Ihr kommendes Album ,Impossible Things" schreibt das nächste Kapitel. Aufgenommen in den legendären Dockside Studios im Süden Louisianas mit Produzent Ben Alleman (Dr. John, Ryan Adams, Jenny Lewis, Madi Diaz), klingt es wie ein Radio, das auf zwei Zeitachsen gleichzeitig eingestellt ist: Dream-Pop-Echos, die durch ein Shotgun-Haus schweben, die Gnade eines Sonntagmorgens, an deren Stiefeln noch der Glitzer des Samstagabends klebt. Diese Songs haben es nicht eilig. Sie ziehen einen Stuhl heran, schieben einen Kaffee über den Tisch und sagen: ,Sag die Wahrheit und zuck nicht zurück." Diable zuckt nicht zurück. Sie schrieb diese Songs in Zeiten des Umbruchs und der Neuerfindung, während sie Verluste, den Tod geliebter Menschen, häusliche Gewalt, das Leben als alleinerziehende Mutter und die Abrechnung bewältigte, die damit einhergeht, ein Leben nach eigenen Vorstellungen neu aufzubauen. Was dabei entsteht, ist ein Werk, das eine Art spirituelles Jiu-Jitsu praktiziert und Last in Anmut und Schmerz in Architektur verwandelt. Dies ist ein Album, das nahelegt, dass Transzendenz nicht auf der anderen Seite der Not wartet, sondern genau hier in der Gegenwart lebt, wenn wir nur genau genug hinhören. Wenn der Song endet, sieht die Welt vielleicht noch genauso aus, aber du vielleicht nicht mehr. So fangen unmögliche Dinge meist an.

Kreng transports us through the swirling darkness and into the unknown with “Wormhole”, his first album in over a decade.

What does a trip towards another world sound like? We’re about to find out. The master of tension, melancholy, and the deranged is back after a long period working in the worlds of theatre and cinema. Last seen on Miasmah with the grief stricken The Summoner, Kreng now returns with Wormhole, following closer in the footsteps of the cult classics L’Autopsie Phénoménale de Dieu and Grimoire.

Starting with “You Are Here”, the listener travels through a vacuum of spacious minimalism and edge-of-your-seat tension. Within the journey, we are pulled and lured towards a mystic inner core and beyond, encountering drifting fragments of old-world nostalgia on the way: echoes of empty jazz bars sit alongside hellish, Hieronymus Bosch-like scenarios.

Surrendering to the album reveals a surprisingly reflective beauty beneath its darkness; it's a true home-listening gem that unfolds like a Lovecraftian cosmic horror-mystery in the way only Kreng could deliver. Forget everything you know and enter the secret door…

Camera Obscura feiern das 25-jährige Jubiläum ihres Debütalbums ,Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi" mit einer Vinyl-Neuauflage bei Merge Records. Seit der ursprünglichen Veröffentlichung in Großbritannien bei Andmoresound im Jahr 2001 ist das Album in diesem Format vergriffen. Die Jubiläumsausgabe kommt als die definitivste Version von ,Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi", die je auf Vinyl gepresst wurde, und enthält beide B-Seiten der Single ,Eighties Fan" - ,Shine Like a New Pin" und ,Let's Go Bowling" -, die später den erweiterten CD-Neuauflagen des Albums hinzugefügt wurden. ,Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi" wurde nach seinem Erscheinen wiederholt von John Peel in seinen BBC-Radiosendungen gespielt. Das Album ist ein bemerkenswert selbstbewusstes Debüt, ein voll ausgereifter Ausdruck eines Sounds, der die Fans der Band seit ihrem ersten Durchlauf des von Stuart Murdoch (Belle & Sebastian) produzierten ,Eighties Fan" bis zum letzten Hören des 2024 erschienenen Studio-Comebacks von Camera Obscura ,Look to the East, Look to the West" in seinen Bann gezogen hat. Diese Fans haben lautstark gefordert, dass ,Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi" die Vinyl-Neuauflage erhält, die es schon lange verdient hat. Wenn man die Nadel auf Tracks wie ,Swimming Pool", ,Pen and Notebook" und ,Happy New Year" setzt, ist leicht zu hören, warum: Jeder der 12 Songs des Albums ist ein perfekt beobachteter Ausschnitt aus dem Leben, der durch opulent detaillierte Arrangements filmisch inszeniert wird. Es ist zeitlose, grundsolide Popmusik, wie sie nur Camera Obscura machen kann, geeignet für die Hi-Fi-Anlagen von 1966 und 2026 gleichermaßen.

Munich's machine enthusiasts 9ms return to Squama with their third album 'Lunch'.
More heterogenic than its predecessors, the album incorporates Dub-infused IDM, cinematic slow jams and off-kilter drum workouts giving the daring DJ plenty of material to treat dancefloors and listening rooms alike.
On their previous albums Pleats (2021) and II (2023) Florian König and Simon Popp mapped out the musical symbiosis between man and machine, using motion sensors to translate their bodies' movement while playing drums into sound. On Lunch the conceptual centerpiece is the pendulum. Neither man, nor machine, its steady movement is converted into analog voltage with what's called a gyroscope, allowing it to trigger and control any parameter in the duo's setup.
The album was conceived over the course of a year in weekly morning sessions that had to be wrapped up by lunch due to family obligations. The temporal limits, as paradoxically is often the case, turned out to be quite liberating and resulted in a more playful and fearless process.
"We worked pretty efficiently, but since there was no deadline for the album to be finished, the whole process felt very light". The duo also freed themselves from the limitations of having a recording setup that's reproducible for touring.
"We didn't think about the live aspect at all this time." So for every session they would choose from a wide array of instruments and machines, an abundance that has inspired the record's artwork, overflowing with words from the list of gear used on the record.
Sonically, 9ms keep on forging their own niche with thick, compressed drums set against wide stereo-processed soundscapes and a genuine curiosity that's pleasantly contagious.

The album is all acoustic and dedicated to John Lee Hooker with the line, "In Memory of John Lee Hooker. You are missed."

Not known for his acoustic work, Buddy Guy unplugs on Blues Singer for a rare album-length excursion into folk blues. The guitarist gets down and dirty with 12 tracks that sound like they were recorded after hours in his living room or on his back porch.

Guy’s stinging leads are still evident as is his emotive voice, but both are less flamboyant in the unplugged setting. Accompanied by spare stand-up bass and brushed drums, Guy sounds nearly supernatural on covers from Skip James ("Hard Time Killing Floor"), Johnny Shines ("Moanin’ and Groanin’"), Son House ("Louise McGhee"), and John Lee Hooker ("Sally Mae") among others. It’s a low-key, low-down affair made for late nights, rainy days, and the saddest of moods.

Buddy Guy is just as convincing here, arguably more so, as on his barnstorming electric albums, making Blues Singer one of the bravest and most poignant albums in his catalogue.

Blues Singer is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on red vinyl and includes a 4-page booklet.

In an age that demands hyper acceleration, kinetic flashes and byte voracity, Blak Saagan sticks out like a sore thumb with a sprawling body of work that requires attention and unlocks profound symbols and meaning with every passage. After a 5 year gap, the Venetian composer returns with his most personal and openly political statement yet, ‘Un Sequestro Lungo 10.000 Anni’, a staggering 108 minute triple album soundtracking a dystopian city through flashes of futuristic fourth world visions, warehouse 80s rave-ups, meditative trance and dark rumblings. Following his acclaimed ‘Se Ci Fosse La Luce Sarebbe Bellissimo’ was never going to be an easy feat but Samuele Gottardello (Blak Saagan) approached the fresh canvas with a renewed sense of commitment sparking a dense parallel world inhabited by paranoia, control and repression. A world that is relieved by the figure of a woman with the body of a bird emerging from the asphalt and freeing humanity from the “sequestro” (kidnapping) to which it has long been subjected. Dystopia pushed to the limits and sadly close to our current affairs.