Search:spe

'A few months after recording Us, Lancaster recorded Mother Africa along with Clint Jackson III, a trumpeter, partner of Khan Jamal or Noah Howard on other recordings.
On march 8th, 1974, Lancaster and Jackson headed up a group composed of Jean-François Catoire (electric and double bass), Keno Speller (percussion) and Jonathan Dickinson (drums). Together, they create an immediate impression. From the first seconds of We The Blessed, they develop a free jazz which rapidly abandons any virulence under the effect of blues and soul based interventions.
When Gilson’s composition Mother Africa begins, listeners are transported into the studio, listening to the musicians setting up: chatting and joking… Then comes the melody: a dozen or so notes of a repeated theme which is accelerated and deformed according to their whims… The jazz played by the association Byard Lancaster / Clint Jackson III is rare: creative AND recreational. We the blessed, is apt listening to this again today!'

Is it Kasra V or Kasra the Fifth? Fifth generation, fifth of his name? V for vendetta or V for valentine? Try as we might to figure it out and whatever the answer may be, he has sauntered back toward the decks to present this aural offering. Two tried and true edits specially brewed for dancefloor mania. Limited numbers of these tantalizing records exist, get them before they fade out into the ether.

Repress

The Godfather of Hardcore, Marc Acardipane, needs no introduction. His outstanding releases over the past 30 years speak for themselves. He has been instrumental in helping to create electronic music history, with countless well-known productions which have been unsurpassed by any other artist of this calibre. His timeless masterpieces have been and always will be heard at hardcore raves spanning the circumference of the Planet. With "9 Is A Classic", "Slaves To The Rave", "Pitch-Hiker", "Stereo Murder" and "We Have Arrived", just to name a few, he clearly proves who's the boss. "The Most Famous Unknown" is a well compiled collection of Marc's music, which showcases a mere portion of what he has composed and produced since the early nineties! The vinyl and digital selection of "The Most Famous Unknown" features remixes by Body Sushi a.k.a. VTSS & Randomer, Dasha Rush, Gabber Eleganza feat. Delirio, Jasss, Kilbourne, Minimum Syndicat, Nina Kraviz, Perc, Solid Blake, Stranger, Umwelt and VTSS, which all deliver excellent interpretations of tracks they have chosen to revamp. All original tracks have been re-mastered to the highest possible standard of quality.

With acute focus on dance floor hypnotism and percussive pressure, SIDEB003 offers German collaboration IGLO and Paul Hauck's debut vinyl release. A third project for this duo, 'Stable Fusion' plays to the producers strengths as biting sound design unfolds through reliable groove.

'Stable Fusion' - and, in turn, its title track - presents as an uncompromising dance floor record, complete with pressing arrangements and powerful tension shifts. The infectious nature of club music comes largely from the power and insistence of its minimal elements and IGLO & Paul Hauck put chisel to stone to showcase just that. To add soul to skill, 'Neustadt' claims the A2 with added color and a silver lining in the its mood. Festive chord stabs stutter along with percussion riding up and down the spectrum, maintaining energy without losing impact. Flipping sides, 'Initiator' returns to minimalism and spaced out sequences. Dub chords boom through a low lying swing, complete with unfolding ambient textures. The track is focused and its intentions aren't shy, the slow creep to the EP's conclusion 'Celestis' is met with intrigue. Warbly synth work warms up a pulsating core, creating a more tonal sound system experience than any of its predecessors. Here, ferocity hides behind humility, and 'Celestis' is a crowd pusher with deceptive arrangement to close out 'Stable Fusion' with confirmation of quality and effect.

Words by Noah Hocker

2026 Repress

The good time groove lovers at Pleased As Punch are back with another outing on vinyl that once again brings some irresistible energy across a cool house and disco spectrum. The Shapeshifters excel with one of their soulful, uplifting specials on 'Do What You Wanna Do' before Friendly Ghosts keep the flames burning but in a more low-key, intimate style on 'Fan The Flame.' Shaka Loves You shuts down with a churchy and gospel tinged vocal that's backed by florid Hammond organs and a traintrack groove finished with hefty bass on 'Hear Me Today'.

"exquisitely produced and expertly rendered"." Pitchfork "startlingly accomplished and nuanced performance" The Quietus "the delicious irony of her lyrics remains intact, as does the freshness of the music" The North Devon Gazette "She's often described as a storyteller, and in interviews, she's spoken about wanting to win a Grammy or an Oscar," Resident Advisor VINYL COLOUR IS TRANSPARENT. For the first time ever, Frozen, by the Clovelly spawned artist Klein, will be available on real vinyl. 'Frozen' was previously released in two different versions: a two-cassette edition entitled Frozen: The Motion Picture Music Soundtrack that featured all the tracks from the film, and Frozen: Music from the Motion Picture, a bandcamp edition contained a selection of highlights from the soundtrack. The album was an international top 10 success, reaching #2 in the US and #1 in the UK, and contains three hit singles; "U got this" (#18 in the US and #10 in the UK), "grit" (#8 in the US, #3 in the UK, and #1 in France) and "tribute" (#7 in the UK). "mark", specially composed for the film Frozen, won both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Klein, herself, took home the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, and the film won the award for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical in 2022.

Kēpa is built whole, even if life has broken a few bones along the way.

Back when he was a pro skater, he gave everything to the board. Today, he gives that same intensity to the stage, delivering hypnotic cine-concerts where motion, sound, and image blur into one. The only falls left now are the ringing final chords of his guitar — not just an instrument, but an extension of his body.

Fingerpicking is his native tongue. So much so that Kēpa no longer sings — he lets the strings speak. Percussive, alive, essential. This music isn’t about performance, it’s about living: a personal quest, a way to reach others by first going inward. Moving against the current without fighting the wind. Finding breath, essence, and remembering we’re all drifting on a spinning planet, surrounded by forces bigger than us.

It’s easier to look away. Easier to follow noise, fear, or false prophets. Harder — and braver — to truly connect.

Released in late 2025, Hotline Service opened the door, offering a wide-open, spiritual escape. With SOUL WASH SERVICES— produced by Timber Timbre — Kēpa goes further. Warmer, deeper, more focused. The album feels like sunlight on asphalt, a long drive with the windows down, time slowing just enough to let something real surface.

A kindred spirit to Hermanos Gutiérrez, Kēpa plays the role of a modern, pagan preacher — guiding us through a dusty, golden road movie that unfolds entirely inside the listener. His music doesn’t shout; it cleans.

Kēpa does it all: writes, plays, films, edits, mixes. Music becomes image, image becomes music. Nothing is separate, on record or on stage. There’s no excess, no showboating — just an open invitation to slow down, go deeper, aim higher.

Tracks like Solarium and Paradisiac reach the peaks with minimal gear: five strings, a few picks, and total control of touch and space. Listening to Kēpa feels like checking in with yourself — a quiet inner trip shaped by sounds from every corner of the world. Blues, not to feel them, but to leave them behind.

After years devoted to picking, his playing has become something sacred.

And if you let it, it carries you with it.

The year that NOW’s story began, and where we started our ‘Yearbook’ series back in 2021. An incredible year in Pop music, and a fabulous selection of the years’ hits have featured on that first ‘Yearbook’, and on the ‘80-84 Final’ as part of our appreciation of 1983. Those tracks were generally the bigger hits of the year, with their Chart achievement a factor in their inclusion. However, that’s not the whole story, and our celebration of 1983 wouldn’t be complete without shining a light on some of the year’s singles that have been compiled much less frequently over the past 40 years. Welcome to the THE VAULT for 1983…Some of the tracks were Top 40 hits, some missed the Chart completely, and some were huge in the U.S. and not in the U.K. – but all are part of the wonderful Pop story of 1983. Released as 80 tracks across 4-CDs, available as a standard 4CD and as a a special edition 4CD in ‘hardback book’ packaging featuring a 28-page track by track guide, original singles artwork and a quiz and 45 tracks across 3-LPs, pressed on stunning translucent red vinyl -

The prolific Benin-based Afrobeat legends Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou return with a spectacular compilation alongside the enigmatic Antoine Dougbe, the self-styled 'Devil's Prime Minister.' This 12-track collection is the sound of the influential band at their peak and merging circular guitars, hypnotic synths, Afro-Cuban grooves and Cavacha rhythms into an unstoppable whirlwind of energy. Dougbe is an inventive songwriter and supplied compositions that the Poly-Rythmo arranged and performed here so they could lay down music that is fierce, mystical and rhythmically complex, as they always do. Few records convey the power of Benin's late 70s scene like this.

2026 Repress

Chicago deep house pioneer Merwyn “Merle” Sanders needs no introduction to true heads.As one half of the legendary Virgo Four (alongside Eric Lewis) and under a slew of aliases, Merwyn helped shape the sound of late ’80s deep and acid house. Their records, now considered foundational, continue to echo across dancefloors and DJ sets worldwide.In the late ’90s, after years of trying to release more material through Trax Records, Merwyn took matters into his own hands. He self-produced his first 12” under the Merle alias — a record that sadly flew under the radar at the time, with most copies eventually destroyed. But one track survived and thrived: “Fannie Likes 2 Dance.” What started as a quiet release became an underground classic, highly sought after by DJs and collectors alike.

Now, Still Music and Jerome Derradji proudly present the full reissue of this cult favorite — featuring the two original mixes along with a never-before-heard unreleased remix by Merle himself.

This special edition comes housed in a full sleeve, complete with a detailed backstory written by Jerome Derradji about the track’s origins and legacy. A true slice of Chicago house history, back where it belongs — on wax.

The first 12” from the Rosario-based label Under.Time comes courtesy of T.G.O.N, the duo formed by Fakk and Luciasensacional.

The release unfolds across four tracks, moving between techno, electro and synthpop. Built around pressure and movement, the record evokes the streets of their hometown after dark, carrying a sense of drama, speed and latent intensity.

From Detroit’s techno resistance to Berlin’s elastic minimalism, Lusaka’s ancestral futurism to Chicago’s house communion, When There Is No Sun is a recording project, uniting visionary electronic music producers to reimagine the universe of Sun Ra. One of the most radical musical pioneers of the 20th century, Sun Ra used jazz, electronics, poetry, and performance to expand the possibilities of sound, identity, and imagination. Commissioned by Omni Sound and curated by Ricardo Villalobos, the series brings together Underground Resistance, Chez Damier & Ben Vedren, Calibre, A Guy Called Gerald, She Spells Doom, Barış K, and Ricardo Villalobos himself. Drawing from Omni Sound’s recordings of Living Sky by the Sun Ra Arkestra and My Words Are Music of Sun Ra’s poetry, the producers pull fragments of sound and text into their own creative orbits, passing through the portal that Sun Ra opened into a realm where the impossible is possible. Saul Williams, Tunde Adebimpe, Mahogany L. Browne, Abiodun Oyewole, Anthony Joseph and Tara Middleton are the featured voices that turn rhyme into rhythm and revelation into resistance Rooted in deep reverence for Sun Ra’s legacy, yet reaching forward as a living, generative force, When There Is No Sun is not a tribute but a continuum, balancing the pulse of electronic music with the spirit of experimentation, embodying Sun Ra’s promise that ‘there are other worlds’ if you are willing to see them.

1LP Blue and numbered, includes special art prints. The very first reissue of a rare & cult record, 100% exclusive to RSD

Studio One Sound is the classic Studio One collection from Soul Jazz Records. Described as ‘The University of Reggae’ by Chris Blackwell, Studio One, and founder Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd are by far the most-important names in the history of reggae music. Originally released in 2012 this album has been out of print for many years, making it one of the most-collectible of Soul Jazz Records’ Studio One Series. This is the first ever colour vinyl edition of this classic album.

The album features some of the most in-demand and collectible Studio One tracks from over its fifty-year history and includes incredible legendary reggae artists such as The Heptones, Ken Boothe, The Skatalites, Johnny Osbourne and Wailing Souls. All these artists (and hundreds more) launched their careers at Studio One under the guidance of Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd. The Studio One Sound collection features everything from classic ska and rocksteady to the deepest roots, heaviest dub and dancehall roots. Sleevenotes are by Rob Chapman, author of the celebrated books about Studio One Records, 'Never Grow Old' and 'Downbeat the Ruler'. The exact reproduction of the original artwork features the classic image of Dennis Brown on the cover. This album is newly fully remastered for vinyl by Jason Goz at Transition. Exclusive one-off pressing on heavyweight double transparent green vinyl.

From Detroit’s techno resistance to Berlin’s elastic minimalism, Lusaka’s ancestral futurism to Chicago’s house communion, When There Is No Sun is a recording project, uniting visionary electronic music producers to reimagine the universe of Sun Ra. One of the most radical musical pioneers of the 20th century, Sun Ra used jazz, electronics, poetry, and performance to expand the possibilities of sound, identity, and imagination. Commissioned by Omni Sound and curated by Ricardo Villalobos, the series brings together Underground Resistance, Chez Damier & Ben Vedren, Calibre, A Guy Called Gerald, She Spells Doom, Barış K, and Ricardo Villalobos himself. Drawing from Omni Sound’s recordings of Living Sky by the Sun Ra Arkestra and My Words Are Music of Sun Ra’s poetry, the producers pull fragments of sound and text into their own creative orbits, passing through the portal that Sun Ra opened into a realm where the impossible is possible. Saul Williams, Tunde Adebimpe, Mahogany L. Browne, Abiodun Oyewole, Anthony Joseph and Tara Middleton are the featured voices that turn rhyme into rhythm and revelation into resistance Rooted in deep reverence for Sun Ra’s legacy, yet reaching forward as a living, generative force, When There Is No Sun is not a tribute but a continuum, balancing the pulse of electronic music with the spirit of experimentation, embodying Sun Ra’s promise that ‘there are other worlds’ if you are willing to see them.

From Detroit’s techno resistance to Berlin’s elastic minimalism, Lusaka’s ancestral futurism to Chicago’s house communion, When There Is No Sun is a recording project, uniting visionary electronic music producers to reimagine the universe of Sun Ra. One of the most radical musical pioneers of the 20th century, Sun Ra used jazz, electronics, poetry, and performance to expand the possibilities of sound, identity, and imagination. Commissioned by Omni Sound and curated by Ricardo Villalobos, the series brings together Underground Resistance, Chez Damier & Ben Vedren, Calibre, A Guy Called Gerald, She Spells Doom, Barış K, and Ricardo Villalobos himself. Drawing from Omni Sound’s recordings of Living Sky by the Sun Ra Arkestra and My Words Are Music of Sun Ra’s poetry, the producers pull fragments of sound and text into their own creative orbits, passing through the portal that Sun Ra opened into a realm where the impossible is possible. Saul Williams, Tunde Adebimpe, Mahogany L. Browne, Abiodun Oyewole, Anthony Joseph and Tara Middleton are the featured voices that turn rhyme into rhythm and revelation into resistance Rooted in deep reverence for Sun Ra’s legacy, yet reaching forward as a living, generative force, When There Is No Sun is not a tribute but a continuum, balancing the pulse of electronic music with the spirit of experimentation, embodying Sun Ra’s promise that ‘there are other worlds’ if you are willing to see them.

Keith Tippett was just twenty-one when his group recorded the first of these sets for BBC’s Jazz Workshop on May 21st 1969, three months before the recording of his first album, You Are Here – I Am There. Featured on Side One is the three-part “Portishead Suite,” which presents three stylistically different musical portraits of three generations of the Somerset town. The first is comparatively gentle and flowing but the second portrait is more insistent, its 5/4 tempo bringing to mind themes heard on early King Crimson albums. The third portrait has something of the Caribbean in its playful rhythms. “Hail Conquering Hero” can be heard on Side Two, and is described by Tippett as ‘a jazz study of war.’ None of these compositions have ever appeared officially in any form. Also included on Side Two are two tracks from Tippett’s August 1970 session for BBC Top Gear that was advertised as by Keith Tippett & Heavy Friends.
Keith Tippett – piano; Mark Charig – cornet; Nick Evans – trombone; Elton Dean – alto; Gill Lyons – bass; Alan Jackson – drums. Sleevenotes by Duncan Heining

These two very different sessions involving John Surman and Mike Osborne have much in common. They both share a wonderful sense of liberation, of the joy of making music together and of finding collectively new ways of making jazz happen. And even more importantly, they speak volumes about the eclecticism and openness of British jazz in those years of the mid- to late-sixties and about the creative ambitions of John Surman. In the current absence in the market of his first LP, this is an essential purchase for Surman fans. Notes by Duncan Heining with suggestions from John Surman. These sessions have never previously appeared officially in any form.
Side One 26.2.67 - Mike Osborne (as), John Surman (ss, bs), Harry Miller (b), Alan Jackson (d) - Side Two 17.7.68 - Sterling Betancourt for Alan Jackson and add Russ Henderson (p)

2 x LP Purple Vinyl in Picture Sleeve

Reissue of the legendary Deep House album While You Wait by Nottingham group, Schmoov! celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the release. Available for the first time since its initial release in 2001 & highly sought after on the second-hand market, with the only copies available selling for £70+. Presented here on special purple vinyl, giving a new generation of vinyl collectors an opportunity to own a piece of UK Deep House history.

Peter Karp gehört zu den unverwechselbaren Stimmen der amerikanischen Americana-, Blues- und Roots-Szene. Seine Musik verbindet kraftvolle Emotionen, feines Storytelling und eine tiefe Verwurzelung in den Klangtraditionen des amerikanischen Südens. Aufgewachsen zwischen New Jersey, New York City und Alabama, entwickelte er früh ein Gespür für die Energie urbaner Songkultur ebenso wie für die Ursprünglichkeit des Blues. Künstler wie Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters oder Howlin" Wolf prägten ihn ebenso wie die poetische Kraft von John Prine und die erdige Direktheit von Joe Ely. Karp schreibt Songs, die das Leben so zeigen, wie es ist: ehrlich, rau, humorvoll und voller beobachteter Details. Seine markante Stimme, sein expressives Gitarren- und Pianospiel und sein Gespür für melodische Hooks machen ihn zu einem der respektiertesten Songwriter seines Genres. Kritiker loben seine Fähigkeit, Blues, Folk, R&B und Americana zu einem eigenen, zeitlosen Stil zu verbinden. Peter Karp steht für authentische amerikanische Musik - tiefgründig, mitreißend und voller Charakter. Ein Künstler, der die große Tradition des Songwritings fortführt und gleichzeitig seine ganz eigene Handschrift setzt.

Grounded in a season of life that has been earned rather than borrowed, Benjamin Tod speaks with the ease of someone no longer running from himself. There is joy now - a steadiness that comes from commitment. With the recent arrival of his son and a deep well of new music on the horizon, Tod is firmly rooted in both purpose and possibility. That clarity is evident in Vengeance and Grace, the Lost Dog Street Band frontman's forthcoming and most expansive solo album to date. Conceived as a "dual-version" release, the project presents two parallel worlds: (Alone) is a stripped solo-acoustic version, along with its full band counterpart.

Together, the two versions form the full range of what Tod is capable of: restraint on one side, force on the other. At the core of Tod's writing is a simple conviction: music should serve something larger than the moment. His writing speaks to mind, body, and soul, shaped by faith, discipline, and a hard-earned understanding of consequence. The darkness that once defined him is neither denied nor indulged. It is understood and no longer in control. Today, Tod moves with a sense of calm that wasn't always there. He is grateful, settled, and intentional, continuing to follow the compass that's guided him from the beginning. Rooted in traditional country and folk, his work stands firmly in the modern music landscape, shaped by experience, restraint, and the life he's built around it.

Faitiche welcomes a new artist: Christina Kubisch belongs to the first generation of sound artists. Her practice ranges from performances, concerts, to works with video and visual art, but she is best known for her sound installations and electro-acoustic compositions.

TUNING brings together three pieces by Christina Kubisch from different periods of her oeuvre. What they have in common is the way they transform sound phenomena originally considered “non-music” into compositions.

Jan Jelinek: Gaming in Silence (2024) is the most recent work on this compilation. It’s a collage of electromagnetic waves, voice, and abstract sound textures. How did this combination come about?

Christina Kubisch: Gaming was commissioned as a fixed-media composition for the Sound Dome at ZKM Karlsruhe. Since Resonances: The Electromagnetic Bodies Project (2005), I’ve been making recordings in the old and new server rooms at the ZKM and in their permanent collection of historical computer games. Computer games like Asteroids (Atari, 1979) and Poly-Play (VEB Polytechnik, 1986) have specially generated analogue electromagnetic waves that interest me in particular on account of their density, rhythms and textures. I originally studied painting and to me the work of composition often feels like painting an abstract picture. I alter my source material as little as possible, layering and overlapping until a distinctive sound space emerges. In recent pieces, I sometimes combine magnetic waves with field recordings or live instruments. In Gaming it’s my recording of a Chinese song about silence.

JJ: Two persons walking through a street in Madrid (2004) is a recording from your Electrical Walks series. Here we should give a brief explanation of one of your best known works: participants in an Electrical Walk move through public spaces wearing prepared headphones that allow them to receive electromagnetic waves from their surroundings – for example from security gates, ATMs or neon signs. They discover a situation that normally is inaudible to the human ear and they can actively shape it by choreographing their movements. I really admire this piece, not least because there’s no clear dividing line between participants and artist. What exactly do we hear in Two persons walking through a street in Madrid (2004)?

CK: With this early work, I wanted to understand what is heard by people participating in an Electrical Walk in the same place but moving in different ways. The Spanish composer Miguel Alvarez-Fernàndez and I set off from opposite ends of a major shopping street in Madrid, met briefly in the middle, and then continued to the end. We both recorded our walks and I then layered them over one another. You might call it a work of electromagnetic conceptualism.

JJ: Diapason (2009 version) is an installation that plays a composition based on sounds from fifteen tuning forks. This setting is audible in the recording: there’s no dramatic arc, no beginning or end – instead, it recalls a piece of aleatoric music focussing on the decay phase. How did you come to make this work and could you tell us something about your compositional method?

CK: Diapason is part of a series of three pieces that deal with “non-instruments” or instruments that no longer exist: electrical mine bells used to send signals to the workers underground; a historical glass harmonica originally used for medicinal purposes; and tuning forks that were used by doctors to test people’s hearing. All of these methods are no longer in use. The sound of the tuning forks, audible only if held close to the ear, was recorded at the electronic studio at Berlin’s Technical University in such a way that even their decay remained audible. The frequencies range between 64 and 2048 Hertz and they can be adjusted at micro-intervals using small movable weights. The sequence and the duration of the pauses are dictated by chance and were not defined in advance. The 2009 version was created for an installation in the historic Holy Cross Church (Korskirken) in Bergen. Visitors could enter and leave the space at any time, deciding for themselves where and for how long they wished to listen to the sounds played back over an array of small loudspeakers placed on the floor of the apse.

Credits:

Gaming in Silence: commission of the ZKM/Hertzlab, Karlsruhe 2023
elektronic sound processing: Tom Thiel
sound engineering and mixing: Eckehard Güther

Diapason: produced at Elektronisches Studio of TU Berlin
rearrangement: Eckehard Güther

Christina Kubisch, published by Edition Christina Kubisch / Random Musick Publishing

image front: Transitionen 2021 by C. Kubisch, sonagrams of electronic waves (courtesy: Galerie Mazzoli Berlin)
image back: Diapason Tuning Fork, property of Folkmar Hein, Photo: Archiv Christina Kubisch

design by Tim Tetzner
mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi
Thanks to Miguel Álvarez-Fernández, Folkmar Hein, Dominik Kautz and Mario Mazzoli

In the Summer of 2023, Dans Dans were nearing the end of a two-and-a-half-year-long period of intense creativity, during which they had released two celebrated albums, Zink and 6, and had toured extensively in Belgium and abroad. Feeling it was time for a well-deserved break in activity, they decided to play three final, intimate concerts before going into hiding: two consecutive nights at Trix in Antwerp (hometown of drummer Steven Cassiers and guitarist Bert Dockx) and one at Botanique in Brussels (hometown of bassist Frederic Jacques). 'LIVE!', Dans Dans' first ever full length live record, features highlights from these memorable nights, offering excitingversions of several of the group's most beloved compositions from across their back catalogue. While the band is, at the time of writing, getting ready to start working on new material, these recordings from 2023 are a good reminder of the magic Dans Dans are able to conjur when they get together and play. Here is one of the most original instrumental trios of the last two decades in their natural habitat, on stage, performing for a live audience, speaking through their intensely personal music. Here is Dans Dans at full flight, effortlessly blending different musical genres and painting fascinating sonic landscapes full of energy, mystery and contrast.

One of the longest standing figures amidst the Discrepant wolfpack, the unstoppable alias of sound collector Laurent Jeanneau returns to the fold 2 years after 'Tanzania II' with this 2.0 update of the celebrated 'The Lisu' sort-of-mixtape released way back in 2014.

Based on recordings of music from the Lisu communities in China and Thailand captured on site, this mix shows Gong more like a selector or dj, restricting electronic processing to a bare minimum in order to convey different histories, places and timeframes within the same mesmerising continuum. A respectful and deeply vivid evocation of all the richness and diversity found among the different strands of lisu music, from ceremonial vocal incantations through a chibeu string instrument "processed" in loco through saturated street speakers to moments of pure poetic radiance, 'The Lisu' flows gracefully with the keen sense of wonder and knowledge of one of this century's most thoughtful and insightful sonic travellers.

A magus is a wizard…a sorcerer. Magus, the band, is certainly interested in such things (who isn’t), but the name is especially apt due to the band’s approach to alchemy, the blending of rock, gothic, proto metal, and psychedelic styles to create a sound that is, ultimately, unique. Part of that uniqueness comes from the instrumentation. While guitar is often a dominant instrument of the rock oeuvre, the Fender Rhodes generally plays a supportive role. Not so here, where Jessica Weeks’ deft use of the keyboard dovetails with Greg Weeks’ more standard six-string approach. Not standard is the band’s sound. Doomy yet inspirational, dour yet vibrant, the duo’s tunes map sinister realms whose subjects span metaphysical creatures to enigmatic portals. You know, the typical stuff that rubs elbows with a magus.

Formed in late 2024, Magus sprung from a desire by both artists to experiment with darker, heavier sounds. Long enamored of artists like Flower Travelling Band,, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple, the duo delved deeply into trance like riffs and euphoric solos to create the backbone of what has become their debut album, Music for Mandrax. This thirteenth Language of Stone offering features grounded, metronomic grooves, organic, lugubrious synth lines, and tandem vocals (supplied by both Weekses) that, in total, weave a heavy, trancelike spell sure to entice fans of bands as disparate as Sabbath is to Pink Floyd. Recorded at Weeks’ Hexham Head studio (to analog tape, of course), the band enlisted long-time counterparts Jesse Sparhawk (bass) and Ben McConnell (drums) to round out their sound and lock down the grooves that propel the album.

Mixed by Brian McTear and Amy Morrisey at Miner Street in Philadelphia, the band’s fully realized vision came to fruition, which left only the album art to contemplate. The band, wishing to further the gothic aesthetic of their sound, enlisted fashion designer and artist extraordinaire Hogan McLaughlin (Game of Thrones) to create the starkly beautiful line drawings of the front and back covers. The duo travelled to Salem, MA to complete the package with Courtney Brooke Hall, who shot the moody and evocative photographs that grace the gatefold release’s inner panels.

ORDH's debut, "Blind In Abyssal Realms", sets out to redefine what the term 'progressive death metal' truly means. But before ORDH, there was BARISHI. When their bass player threw in the towel to pursue other interests in life, guitarist and vocalist Graham Brooks, "looking for a fresh start", decided the time had come to finally dwell in his favorite genre: death metal. But not just any kind of death metal_ Having drafted BARISHI drummer Dylan Blake, with whom Graham has been playing since he was twelve years old, and Josh Smith from KIEFCATCHER on bass, the trio then spent a few gruelling years working on their debut, with Graham writing most of the music and ironing the songs out with Dylan and Josh. Having toured with COME TO GRIEF when BARISHI was still around, Graham and the latter's singer Jonathan Hébert had hit it off really well, so when the time came to find a vocalist, Jonathan was called upon, "right on time to jump straight into the recording and writing process, as most of the music was ready to go".

“III” is an intimate, cinematic and dream-like body of work — written, produced and mixed by Morita Vargas, and recorded in Buenos Aires between 2014 and 2025. The album was mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll Studio (NY), adding depth and clarity to its carefully built sonic landscape.

The visual world of the record is an essential part of the release. The cover artwork was crafted by Juliana Guglielmi, Ariadna Aylen Barrios, and Noelia Garreffa, whose combined vision creates a unified visual narrative that reflects the album’s emotional depth and atmospheric essence. The LP layout and full manufacturing realization were carefully executed by Ilja Tulit, translating the complex design ideas into their final tangible form of a vinyl release.

“III” marks a special release for Hidden Harmony Recordings. Morita Vargas was among the first artists released when the label began in 2020–2021, and her work played an important role in shaping the spirit and direction of Hidden Harmony.

Eines der besten Metal-Alben des Jahres 2025 wird 2026 als exklusive Metal Hammer Picture Disc geehrt. Klasse Artwork, einmal "The Rat Queen" aka Band-Chefin Riley Pinkerton, einmal die gesamte Band plus Logos und Tracklist. Das Fantasy-Mittelalter-Metal-Phänomen CASTLE RAT präsentiert sein zweites Album! Castle Rat ist die NY Fantasy-Heavy-Metal-Band, die von der Rat Queen angeführt wird, welche die Mission verfolgt, ihr Refugium gegen diejenigen zu verteidigen, die es zerstören wollen. Ihr zur Seite stehen The Count, The Plague Doctor und The All-Seeing Druid. Gemeinsam stellen sie sich mit Heavy Magie dem unerbittlichen Zorn ihrer Erzfeindin - dem Tod in Form von The Rat Reaperess. The Bestiary ist ein riffgeladenes Kompendium mystischer Kreaturen und vorwarnender Erzählungen aus einer vergessenen Welt. Es erzählt 13 allegorische Geschichten von mythischen Bestien und dem Zauberer, der sie beschwört, und verwebt kraftvolle Heavy-Hymnen und dunkle Verzückungen zu einer betörenden und unvergesslichen Heavy-Metal-Odyssee. Als ob Grace Slick mit Black Sabbath ca. 1200 A.D. auf einem Kiss-Konzert Liebe macht. Aufgenommen von Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Wolves in the Throne Room, Björk) und gemischt von Jonathan Nuñez (Torche, Restless Spirit), bietet das Album episches Heavy-Gemetzel und doomy Hard Rock. Hervorgegangen aus New Yorks abscheulichem, kreaturenverseuchtem Untergrund, schlugen die Fantasy-Heavy-Metaller zunächst mit ihren Live-Auftritten und später mit ihrem Debütalbum "Into The Realm" im Jahr 2024 große Wellen. Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2019 haben CASTLE RAT ein lebendiges Labyrinth aus Erzählungen und Mythen geschaffen, welches sie nun rund um die Welt führt. Die MH Picture Disc kommt in durchsichtiger, halbfester PVC-Hülle mit Lasche (semi-rigid transparent PVC sleeve with flap), ansonsten auch noch auf CD (aufklappbares Digipak), MC (mit gefaltetem Inlay) und auf LP (farbiges Vinyl, inklusive ausklappbarem Lyrics-Insert)!

Geboren im Sommer '96/'97 - dem Jahr des Höllenschweins - brannten Mustang als soziales Experiment aus der Innenstadt Tasmaniens heraus. Sie kamen mit ziemlich viel davon, andere hätten für weniger wohl nicht mehr gleich ausgesehen.Sie sauf-ten, machten Sachen kaputt und brachten dieses Chaos in das Schreiben von Banger-Songs - während sie sich bei den ,Proben" XXX Ales reinzogen und bei sehr wichtigen ,Bandmeetings" Protokolle führten.Mustang schütteten Benzin über ihre tasmanische Ödnis, bevor sie 7,69 Millionen Quadratkilometer Landmasse der Erde in sich aufsogen und dort ,dominierten", auf die einzige Art, die sie kannten: laut, wütend und zu ihren eigenen Bedingungen - und nahmen dabei Horden williger Partygänger mit auf die Reise.Über drei Non-Studio-Alben und eine Handvoll kleiner Veröffentlichungen hinweg bauten Mustang einen Katalog auf, der von Bier, Speed und störrischer Unabhängigkeit geprägt war. Kein Glanz. Kein Trendgehechel. Kein Buckeln vor dem Mann. Sie ritten ein, tranken, was da war, und hinterließen klingelnde Köpfe.Cut Up Rough (2015) war ihr Schwanengesang - geboren in einer Heuscheune am ausgefransten Rand von Tasmaniens Rock-Hochburg. Aufgenommen über zwei schlaflose, bierselige Tage wurde das Album mit improvisierten Drum-Takes, aufgedrehten Gitarren und purem Instinkt in die Existenz gerissen. Die Band lebte während der Aufnahmen buchstäblich in der Scheune - schiss ins Gras, schlief zwischen leeren Dosen, und ließ Isolation und Absurdität direkt in billige Mikrofone bluten.

Eines der besten Metal-Alben des Jahres 2025 erhält eine hochwertige Zoetrope Vinylversion. Ein farbenfroh animiertes, detailreiches Sammlerstück für Musikliebhaber. Das Fantasy-Mittelalter-Metal-Phänomen CASTLE RAT präsentiert sein zweites Album! Castle Rat ist die NY Fantasy-Heavy-Metal-Band, die von der Rat Queen angeführt wird, welche die Mission verfolgt, ihr Refugium gegen diejenigen zu verteidigen, die es zerstören wollen. Ihr zur Seite stehen The Count, The Plague Doctor und The All-Seeing Druid. Gemeinsam stellen sie sich mit Heavy Magie dem unerbittlichen Zorn ihrer Erzfeindin - dem Tod in Form von The Rat Reaperess. The Bestiary ist ein riffgeladenes Kompendium mystischer Kreaturen und vorwarnender Erzählungen aus einer vergessenen Welt. Es erzählt 13 allegorische Geschichten von mythischen Bestien und dem Zauberer, der sie beschwört, und verwebt kraftvolle Heavy-Hymnen und dunkle Verzückungen zu einer betörenden und unvergesslichen Heavy-Metal-Odyssee. Als ob Grace Slick mit Black Sabbath ca. 1200 A.D. auf einem Kiss-Konzert Liebe macht. Aufgenommen von Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Wolves in the Throne Room, Björk) und gemischt von Jonathan Nuñez (Torche, Restless Spirit), bietet das Album episches Heavy-Gemetzel und doomy Hard Rock. Hervorgegangen aus New Yorks abscheulichem, kreaturenverseuchtem Untergrund, schlugen die Fantasy-Heavy-Metaller zunächst mit ihren Live-Auftritten und später mit ihrem Debütalbum "Into The Realm" im Jahr 2024 große Wellen. Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2019 haben CASTLE RAT ein lebendiges Labyrinth aus Erzählungen und Mythen geschaffen, welches sie nun rund um die Welt führt. Zoetrope-Vinyl kommt in durchsichtiger, halbfester PVC-Hülle mit Lasche (semi-rigid transparent PVC sleeve with flap),auch noch auf CD (aufklappbares Digipak), MC (mit gefaltetem Inlay) und auf LP (farbiges Vinyl, inklusive ausklappbarem Lyrics-Insert) erhältlich.

For the first time ever, Roxette release ‘Baladas En Español’ on vinyl. The relationship between Roxette and Spanish-speaking audiences has been a love story since the early ‘90s and this release celebrates that special relationship. The release is timed with Roxette’s 40th anniversary and their return to South America for live shows in April. The album will be available on vinyl and CD, featuring 4 bonus tracks compared to the original release. The vinyl will be released in both a limited coloured edition and standard black.

Roxette have some exciting plans to celebrate their 40th Anniversary this year, including extensive touring, further anniversary re-releases, video upgrades, contemporary remixes and much more!

Mit "Alles und Nichts" veröffentlichen Eckstein am 17. April ihre erste EP - eine Sammlung, die das bisherige Schaffen des Wiener Duos bündelt und zugleich neue Kapitel aufschlägt. Die EP vereint die vier bereits erschienenen Singles "Einbruch","Reigen", "Ein Ganzes Leben" und "Zinnober" sowie die bisher unveröffentlichten Songs "Tyrann" und"Kirchenglocken". Ergänzt wird das Werk durch eine intime Akustik-Live-Session des Stücks "Hund". "Alles und Nichts" zeigt Eckstein in ihrer ganzen Spannweite: existenzielle Dringlichkeit, zarte Melancholie, eruptive Emotionalität. Sänger Hagen Eckstein verbindet poetische Bildsprache mit einer Stimme, die zwischen Verletzlichkeit und Wucht changiert. Multiinstrumentalist Jannik Rieß erschafft detailreiche Klangräume, die organisch, atmosphärisch und zugleich präzise komponiert sind. Eckstein stehen für eine spezielle Form deutschsprachiger Musik, die Ambiguität nicht auflöst, sondern zelebriert. "Alles und Nichts" ist mehr als eine EP - es ist ein Manifest ihres künstlerischen Selbstverständnisses und ein eindrucksvoller Beweis dafür, dass dieses Duo zu den aufregendsten neuen Projekten im deutschsprachigen Raum zählt.

Im Mai 2026 würde Miles Davis seinen 100. Geburtstag feiern. Einen Monat vorher gratuliert ihm bereits
Decca Frankreich mit der LP-Wiederveröffentlichung eines besonderen Albums innerhalb seines Schaffens.
Auf “Michel Legrand meets Miles Davis” treffen ein amerikanisches und ein europäisches Musik-Genie
aufeinander. Zum Jubiläum erscheint das ursprünglich als ”Legrand Jazz“ veröffentlichte Album aufwändig
remastert als 140g-LP im neuen Artwork mit Foto beider Künstler.
1958 war Legrand erstmals in die USA gereist und hatte dort die größten Stars des Jazz zusammengetrommelt: neben Miles Davis waren das John Coltrane, Phil Woods, Bill Evans, Ben Webster, Art Farmer,
Donald Byrd u.v.a. “Legrand Jazz“ präsentierte einige der größten Jazzklassiker aller Zeiten in fantastischen Legrand-Arrangements, gespielt von der damaligen Crème de la Crème des Jazz.
Speziell die Zusammenarbeit von Michel Legrand und Miles Davis auf vier Tracks des Albums gilt als
historisch, da sie kurz vor den Aufnahmen zu Davis’ Meisterwerk ”Kind of Blue“ (1959) stattfand und
bereits die harmonische Tiefe und den orchestralen Ansatz vorwegnahm, den Davis später weiter verfolgte

For the first time ever, Roxette release ‘Baladas En Español’ on vinyl. The relationship between Roxette and Spanish-speaking audiences has been a love story since the early ‘90s and this release celebrates that special relationship. The release is timed with Roxette’s 40th anniversary and their return to South America for live shows in April. The album will be available on vinyl and CD, featuring 4 bonus tracks compared to the original release. The vinyl will be released in both a limited coloured edition and standard black.

Roxette have some exciting plans to celebrate their 40th Anniversary this year, including extensive touring, further anniversary re-releases, video upgrades, contemporary remixes and much more!

For the first time ever, Roxette release ‘Baladas En Español’ on vinyl. The relationship between Roxette and Spanish-speaking audiences has been a love story since the early ‘90s and this release celebrates that special relationship. The release is timed with Roxette’s 40th anniversary and their return to South America for live shows in April. The album will be available on vinyl and CD, featuring 4 bonus tracks compared to the original release. The vinyl will be released in both a limited coloured edition and standard black.

Roxette have some exciting plans to celebrate their 40th Anniversary this year, including extensive touring, further anniversary re-releases, video upgrades, contemporary remixes and much more!

April Records proudly presents the new album from Danish trombonist and composer Lis Wessberg. Her most personal album to date, In The Wake of Blue is a song-driven work exploring transience, love, and transformation. Expanding her writing while remaining rooted in her distinctive instrumental voice, Wessberg creates an intimate musical landscape where lyric, melody, and texture carry equal weight. Wessberg has established herself as a leading voice on the European jazz scene through her band Yellow Map and a series of acclaimed releases on April Records. Her previous album, Twain Walking (2024), marked her first step into English-language songwriting and earned a Danish Music Award nomination in 2025 for the track Behind the Walls. In The Wake of Blue develops this direction further. The album draws on images from nature - sea, tides, clouds, mist, and birds - used as emotional anchors rather than abstractions. These elements frame songs that move from uncertainty and loss toward openness, connection, and renewal. The title reflects this arc: "blue" as melancholy, depth, and memory, and what emerges in its wake. Vocalist Veronika Rud is central to the album"s sound, bringing vulnerability and clarity to the songs. Rather than a traditional singer-led project, the music unfolds as a dialogue between voice and trombone, with Wessberg"s warm, airy tone mirroring and extending each song"s emotional core. At times the two move in close unison; elsewhere, they diverge and reconnect. The core ensemble - Steen Rasmussen (piano and keys), Lennart Ginman (bass), and Jeppe Gram (drums) - provides a responsive, understated foundation, while string quartet Live Strings appear on two tracks, expanding the ensemble"s depth and resonce. In The Wake of Blue offers a quietly assured statement from an artist continuing to refine a voice that speaks as clearly through brass as it does through words.

Wired was an ephemeral improvisational music project formed by Michael Ranta, Karl-Heinz Böttner, and Mike Lewis. On 28 April 1970, the trio recorded an extended studio session of approximately 140 minutes, in collaboration with Conny Plank, who engineered and mixed the recording in real time, incorporating elements of live electronics. This session was subsequently edited to album length and released in 1974 as part of the Free Improvisation 3LP box set issued by Deutsche Grammophon, alongside recordings by Iskra and New Phonic Art.

Owing to its exploratory electric sound world and Plank’s distinctive spatial production techniques, the Wired recording acquired a degree of underground cult status, particularly among listeners associated with krautrock and psychedelic improvisation.

Shortly after the studio session, Ranta and Böttner travelled to Japan, where they spent approximately six months performing with Karlheinz Stockhausen at Expo ’70 in Osaka. In addition to these activities, they engaged in various independent musical projects and performances.

The present release, sourced from the personal archive of Michael Ranta, documents a live duo performance by Ranta and Böttner, recorded on 27 July 1970 in an outdoor setting in Kyoto (the exact location remains unknown), before an audience of approximately 200 music teachers. The recording exhibits sonic and aesthetic characteristics closely aligned with the previously recorded studio material, retaining the distinctive “Wired” sound while situating it within a live, site-specific context.

Michael Ranta: percussion, voice, home-made instruments, tapes, tape delay, effects Karl-Heinz Böttner: guitar, organ, ocarina, voice, effects

"Weejuns is all about interplay,"erklärt Gitarristin Mollestad. ,Bitches Blues besteht aus sechs Instrumentalstücken oder Musikabschnitten mit einer extremen Bandbreite an Dynamik. Einige basieren auf kräftigen Beats, während andere Stücke weitaus lyrischer und rubato sind. Die Bandbreite reicht von riffbasierten rockigen Stücken über lautes Chaos bis hin zu melancholischen Balladen und sogar völlig freien Improvisationen." Mit einem kultivierten und dennoch erfrischend instinktiven Ansatz, Instrumente und Einflüsse miteinander zu verflechten, wechselt Bitches Blues (ein ironischer Verweis auf Miles Davis' Album Bitches Brew) unvorhersehbar zwischen langsamen und sanften, klar gegliederten Songs mit disziplinierten Akkordfolgen und explosiven Ausbrüchen kathartischer und komplexer Strukturen. Weejuns (eine Slang-Abkürzung für ,Norwegians") stellten sich 2023 mit einem selbstbetitelten Doppel-Live-Album vor. Ursprünglich von Mollestad für das Kongsberg Jazz Festival zusammengestellt, wo sie mit dem renommierten Musicians Prize ausgezeichnet wurde, hat sich die Chemie innerhalb von Weejuns als dauerhaft und verlockend erwiesen, auch als Gegenpol zum bisher härtesten Album des Hedvig Mollestad Trios, Bees in the Bonnet aus dem Jahr 2025. Mollestad hat mit ihrem gleichnamigen Trio acht gefeierte Alben veröffentlicht. Das Markenzeichen ihrer 15-jährigen Karriere ist die Verschmelzung von ernsthaftem Können mit einem offensichtlichen Fokus darauf, Spaß am Klang zu finden. Als Tochter eines Jazzmusikers vertiefte sie sich in dessen Plattensammlung und studierte klassische Werke von Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Joe Pass und Jim Hall, bevor sie in ihren 20ern Riff-gewaltige Titanen wie Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath und Mahavishnu Orchestra entdeckte. Dies führte zur Gründung des Hedvig Mollestad Trios, dessen unermüdlicher Aufnahme- und Tourneeplan seit Anfang der 2010er Jahre der Gitarristin eine Reihe von Auszeichnungen einbrachte, darunter zwei norwegische Grammys (Spellemannprisen) und die Ernennung durch das DownBeat-Magazin zu einer der 25 Künstlerinnen, die ,den Jazz für Jahrzehnte prägen könnten". Ståle Storlokken (Bass, Synths) ist Gründer und langjähriges Mitglied von Supersilent und Elephant9, seit Mitte der 90er Jahre die ,rechte Hand" von Terje Rypdal und hat mit Motorpsycho auf Platte und auf der Bühne sowie mit unzähligen anderen zusammengearbeitet. Ole Mofjell (Drums) ist das jüngste Mitglied und spielt bei Krokofant, Signe Emmeluths Amoeba und seinem eigenen Free-Jazz-Trio 3 Days Of Maceration.