Search:spe

All the shades of green. Plants. Water. The absolute necessities of life. Music, too, is an absolute necessity. To capture both color and sound in a bottle to put atop a piano like a houseplant. A clock. A fern. Synesthesia. This music is meant for that. To close your eyes and see green. To drown in the color of piano. A melancholic covey that pulls hard on the heart strings musically and lyrically, brushed over with a plethora of improvisation in smooth watercolors.

With Tim Hill’s new trajectory, we are offered a fresh neuron sprawl, branching beyond lyrics in interrupted pieces of sound. He takes our reptilian brains and welds them to our unborn futures, placing us inside of his droplet. Here, we're forced to reflect out, something singular multiplies, nature brings her face in, something shifts, our speed changes, the Self refracts and what's left jumps on sustained lines that eventually arch into meditation milk. It becomes a karmic cleanse of the amygdala, a launch from normal feeling life. Tim takes the risk, committing to diving deeper into his own bottomless pool of art, gifting us with sensory treats that dilate our old perimeters. It's sky as theatre, handing out everything but answers to questions. And where do we go? Where starlight mingles. Where minds never land.

A seasoned musician in all forms, Tim Hill has toured the world as a keyboardist, guitarist, saxophonist, and drummer, with a long time stint with LA group the Allah Las, and well known acts such as Nick Waterhouse, Curtis Harding, PAINT, and others.

Being Dead knows how to make an entrance - within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo's new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on "Godzilla Rises" conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead's records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead's psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil' house in the heart of Austin, Texas. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome - a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Ricky Motto (who is immortalized finally on record here, particularly in the giggles on "Rock n' Roll Hurts") The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within, but it's also a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There's heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing - we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don't. From the pummeling garage rock distortion of "Firefighters" to "Dragons II," which appears in its demo form taped on a hand recorder, it's unexpected but intuitive, and, most importantly, singularly Being Dead. Like its animal namesake suggests, the songs on EELS are malleable, the record like slithering through murky waters or strange half dreams, mysterious and beautiful in how it moves, reflective in a wavering sheen. Dipping into each song feels like uncovering a new cavern, plunging into depths unknown but fully open to what will be revealed. On the album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, a stark glimmer against a cloudy darkness. It's a fitting encapsulation of Being Dead, exuding a welcoming, playful energy even if something foreboding lurks just beyond the pale - more out of frame that's left to uncover, no path unexplored, strange and beautiful in the light.

Purple Tree Fog Vinyl. Being Dead knows how to make an entrance - within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo's new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on "Godzilla Rises" conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead's records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead's psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil' house in the heart of Austin, Texas. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome - a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Ricky Motto (who is immortalized finally on record here, particularly in the giggles on "Rock n' Roll Hurts") The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within, but it's also a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There's heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing - we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don't. From the pummeling garage rock distortion of "Firefighters" to "Dragons II," which appears in its demo form taped on a hand recorder, it's unexpected but intuitive, and, most importantly, singularly Being Dead. Like its animal namesake suggests, the songs on EELS are malleable, the record like slithering through murky waters or strange half dreams, mysterious and beautiful in how it moves, reflective in a wavering sheen. Dipping into each song feels like uncovering a new cavern, plunging into depths unknown but fully open to what will be revealed. On the album artwork, an illustration by the artist Julia Soboleva, there are some weird disparate spectral creatures, a stark glimmer against a cloudy darkness. It's a fitting encapsulation of Being Dead, exuding a welcoming, playful energy even if something foreboding lurks just beyond the pale - more out of frame that's left to uncover, no path unexplored, strange and beautiful in the light.

Dies ist die zweite Auflage von The Monsters "You're Class, I'm Trash", dem noch aktuellem Monsters-Album aus dem Jahre 2021 (erste Auflage war gelb und mit einer 7" Bonus-Single). Diese zweite Auflage hat ein neues pinkfarbendes Sleeve-Design, kommt als 180g Vinyl und mit einem zweiseitig bedrucktem Insert. HI-SPEED-BOOGIE-FUZZ-GARAGE-TRASH-ROCK-N-ROLL FROM LEGENDARY BERNESE GARAGE PUNKS PLAYED WITH A CHAINSAW-ON-STEEL 13 SPLATTER HITS INCLUDING SMALL HORROR OPERA BY SWISS FILM COMPOSER MARIO BATKOVIC The Monsters wurden 1986 in Bern der Schweiz gegründet, als Alternative zur damaligen populären Musik (z. B. Disco, Pop, Top 40 Rock). Sie nannten dies "Teenage Primitive Rock n' Roll Chainsaw Massacre Garage Trash Mix up Rockabilly mit Punkrock und Garage" und haben sich zu einer gefragten Garagen-Punkrockband gemausert, die auf Festivals, in Klubs und großen Hallen so weit gen Osten wie Japan, gen Süden wie Brasilien und gen Norden zu den Skandinavier resit und dort audspielt. Sogar im so Wilden Westen wie New York City in Amerika. Und dann öffnet 2020 die Türen, YAHOO!!! Die Welt wurde komplett abgeschottet und die Pläne aller änderten sich! Da es in naher Zukunft keine Tourneen gäbe, war es jetzt an der Zeit, ein neues Album zu machen. So widmete sich die Band zwei Wochen, um ihren Proberaum aufzuräumen und neue Musik zu schreiben, und 3 Tage im Berner Shirt Off Studio um diese aufzunehmen. Voila! Hier hast du Rosemary's Baby den Knüppel aus dem Sack: 13 raue, laute und spritzig klingende Tracks, die live ohne Overdubs (nur der Gesang/das Geschrei') aufgenommen wurden. Textlich ist das Album eine komplette Katastrophe mit nicht viel mehr als 120 Wörtern, welche aneinandergereiht meistenfalls keinen Sinn ergeben! Es ist eigentlich völliger Quatsch, aber THE MONSTERS lieben es! Das Cover stammt übrigens vom Berner Surrealisten Jerry Haenggli.

After two pandemically conditioned ‘reaction’ albums - Yay! (2023) and Neigh!! (2024) - a few non-album singles and a compilation album, a downsized and sleek Motorpsycho is back where we all know and love them, with an epic, sprawling double album, filled to the brim with inventive, organic and ecstatic rock-based music. Rejoyce Psychonaut! This eponymously titled, 11 song work, has exactly as much variety & diversity, accord and discord, as one expects from a band that has released a few albums before, and that these days must be regarded as an institution in European rock. From concise 3min-something pop-rockers, to 20mins plus progressive epics, via acoustic intimacies and psychedelic wig-outs, this is concentrated Motorpsychosis: commenced Rebis, countdown initiated. Ever closer. Ever sharper... Since the traditional 3 or 4 piece rock band seems to be a dying breed these days, and MP always was a band in flux anyway, a new pragmatic era has begun in the Psychoverse. The band has, in what one might call alchemical terms, been ‘dissolved and purified’, and is by now again reduced to the core two founding members HMR & BS. This is nothing new, it has happened a few times before, but these days they are also the owners and creators of the record company NFGS, which is now the hub of all recorded band activity, and Motorpsycho marks the final severance of existing ties to other labels for the first time in 35 years. If ‘freedom is free of the need to be free’, this is it. Yikes! The minimalist title of the album is then not just easy to remember, it’s also a statement: a new era has begun in the Psychoverse, a state of affairs reflected in execution and details as well as title, if not perhaps, in ambition or size: “Senex psittacus negligit ferulam” *. This is a time of new beginnings for a band that has spent two years consolidating and reseting before charging ahead anew on a new path, trumpets blaring (...and trumpets don’t come much more blaring in the Psychoverse than with this grandiloquent hyperbole. Good fun! ). New day rising indeed. The core band was adroitly helped by a gaggle of greats from all over the Scandinavian musical landscape on these recordings: drummers Ingvald Vassbø and Olaf Olsen, string arranger/violinist Mari Persen, vocalist Thea Grant, and - as usual - honorary psycho, brother Reine Fiske, were all fellow travellers on this musical journey. Motorpsycho was co-produced by the band and Deathprod, and mixed by Andrew Scheps. Motorpsycho are not the best at what they do, they’re the only ones that do what they do. NFGS2025 *: “Senex psittacus negligit ferulam,” or “An old parrot doesn’t mind the stick.”

Second VHF solo LP from the Pelt/Black Twigs mainstay, following 2022’s acclaimed “Evening Measures.” “April is Passing” builds on the striking solo Hardanger-style fiddle performances on the previous LP to take the music even further out, with deep drones and extended techniques defining a vocabulary that is Americana-adjacent, but a unique and special sound that Mike is pursuing almost alone. Joined on selected tracks by Cara Gangloff’s Sruti and Kaily Shenker’s sonorous Cello, the all-original, all-live performances are resonant with both overt melody and a cloud of thick string overtones, whether on the more upbeat tunes like “Ironto Dancer” or the epic 11+ minute LP closer “Helen’s Song.” “September Air” is a mournful slow build, the fiddle embroidering a minor-key melody over the drone of the Surti box and a low cello counter point. “A Fallen Palace of Snowville” is a solo performance where the additional sympathetic strings of the hardanger fiddle are strongly heard as a ghostly accompaniment, as Mike’s elegant melody switches back and forth from minor to major. “Helen’s Song” closes side 2 with a complex, ever-changing swirl of melodic and harmonic invention, with Mike’s keening, languorous bowing leading the way through multiple moods and sounds.

A special ‘Submerge” 12” EP featuring a bunch of reworks of this pivotal track from Apta's forthcoming ‘The Pool’ album on Castles in Space.

Kicking things off, Apta's own rework of the original sees the shadowy textures and droning wall-of-sound backdrop turned into a static-strewn dreamland of a piece, underpinned by a flickering guitar riff, cracked snare drums and fuzzed-out Odyssey strokes before launching into the euphoric half-time vocal refrain.

The follow-up sees Clay Pipe boss, illustrator and musician step into her Hardy Tree guise for a beautifully hypnotic waft of wistful folk-tinged electronics and shimmering ambient textures. It's warmly nostalgic, and packed full of all the feel of a lovely Clay Pipe release.

Following on from that, modular wizard Polypores takes pieces of the original and stretches them into an organic swell of texture and movement, warping the low basses and flickering modular plinks (and / or plonks) into a beautiful, undulating wall.

Flip over and It's none other than the brilliant Pye Corner Audio, providing an organically blooming suite of saturated percussion and woozy drifting oscillators, in peak PCA fashion. There are few artists that can do as much as with little as Martin Jenkins can, and hearing his audio sunshine underpinning the vocal line is breathtaking.

It's good to get the ears nice and soothed too before the aural assault and hypnotic spirit-cleansing heft of the legendary Gnod. Dubby throbbing bass and cavernous reverb tear the original into shards and piece it together as a churning, industrial powerhouse before shooting the rest into the endless reaches of space.

Closing things out on a space theme is the ideal way to do things too, with Field Lines Cartographer's remix taking things waaay into the outer reaches. Grounding bass churns and stellar synth sweeps float below the modulated vocal line, resulting in a perfectly crafted drone, rich in melody but untethered to the earth.

Bunny Wailer, respectfully called "The Blackheart Man", produced Johnny Scar's one-off recording 'United Africa'. The mystic singer wrote this heavy roots song and sang in his unique chant with a stylistic nod to the roots reggae icon, Burning Spear. The song appeared as 12"on the Solomonic Production imprint in 1986.

After appearing with Archie Shepp at the landmark Pan-African Cultural festival in Algiers in 1969, African-American trumpeter-cornetist Clifford Thornton recorded a set of his own compositions in Paris later that year. The result was Ketchaoua, an important political and spiritual as well as musical statement that reflected the inspiration that he took from Islam. Indeed, the title of the album refers to the awe-inspiring mosque in Algiers.
Clifford Thornton’s superb band comprised his compatriots, saxophonists Archie Shepp and Arthur Jones, drummer Sunny Murray, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, pianist Dave Burrell, and bassist Earl Freeman, as well as French bassist Beb Guérin. Together they brought energy and ingenuity to the leader’s compositions, which were characterized by vivid atmospheres, exploratory, mysterious sounds and haunting themes. And the song titles conveyed an important social and cultural message. Pieces such as ‘Brotherhood’ pointed to the sense of unity and kinship that African-American artists felt with the citizens they encountered on their journey to North Africa and Europe.
This newly remastered deluxe edition of Ketchaoua provides an opportunity to hear one of the major entries in Clifford Thornton’s relatively small yet nonetheless highly impressive discography. It is an album that marks him out as a figure in the avant- garde movement of the late 60s and early 70s who deserves far wider recognition.

Music is storytelling, and some of the best stories have been told through centuries-old traditional folk songs. On their new album ‘Northern Sky’, The Wellermen have given this rich traditional musical history a new sound, hoping to continue to captivate millions of fans around the world. It helps that The Wellermen’s four members all bring their respective experience and perspectives to the table. The fact that they’re from different corners of the world really adds something to the music - there’s something romantic about the way the members have to go on a voyage to see each other.

The Wellermen’s history is well-known: having been the originators of the sea shanty trend on Tiktok, they’ve since gone from strength to strength, gaining a huge following across social media with new trends linked to their music. Their versions of ‘Misty Mountains’ and Ed Sheeran’s ‘Nancy Mulligan’, along with their spine-tingling rendition of ‘Hoist The Colours’ have racked up billions of views across Tiktok and youtube and over 110m streams of their debut album, and led them to appearances on shows like Ant and Dec, LAst Week Tonight with Jon Oliver, The Colbert Show and more.

The group have now returned with their new album ‘Northern Sky’, where they have gone above and beyond to show they are indeed masters of their craft. Recorded in a cottage in the picturesque hills of Surrey, they poured their considerable knowledge and prowess into the album’s 12 tracks, all of which fit their love of storytelling. On the Scottish folk song ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’, for example, the group’s harmonies and rich vocals capture the nostalgic, wistful nature of the song, which speaks of love and nature’s beauty. The group’s tribute to Johnny Cash on the song ‘Hurt’ is set to be a fan favourite - melding the raw and uninhibited torment of the original with the dignified but heart-rending grief of Cash’s version.

Elsewhere on the record the original song and title track ‘Northern Sky’ is a perfect demonstration of the Wellermen’s gift for creating a real dynamic, steering it gently from the darker, more ominous numbers into something truly uplifting. ‘Tall Tales’, another original, is a wonderful portrayal of humorous one-upmanship - a call-and-response that is likely to get crowds’ feet stomping and hands clapping. Say the Wellermen: “It’s all about connection and storytelling, and we hope the listeners are able to find something meaningful.” One thing is absolutely certain: these talented young men are in it for the long haul.

Reissue

Phonogramme is thrilled to announce a special reissue of the iconic "Analog Trax 1" by Abacus including the original tracks with an exclusive instrumental version. Originally celebrated for its rich, analog sounds and deep, emotive grooves, this classic release is a cornerstone of house music. Abacus, also known as Austin Bascom, delivers timeless tracks that continue to resonate with both old and new fans alike. Don't miss this chance to own a piece of house music history, lovingly reissued by Phonogramme for a new generation of listeners.

Tradition shapes your work. For saxophonist and bandleader Shabaka Hutchings, that's something he's long understood. After years spent in the orbit of London's jazz circuit, he examines and reimagines his influences with a dexterity that's unique. Drawing out the vision underlying his new album, he says, I see energy as being a form of wisdom to be passed down through the ages.'

Unpicking the album's title, he continues, "When we study the music, the lives, the words of our master musicians we obtain a glimpse of that artist's essential energy source. This is the core vitality of the individual which leads them to utilise the musical specifics of their chosen genre in a way that mirrors their inner source of power. This is an intuited wisdom that's handed to us from the legacies of our elders.

The album is a document of sessions combining Hutchings with a group of South African jazz musicians he's long admired. His connection to the group was Mandla Mlangeni (bandleader of the Amandla Freedom Ensemble), whom he'd flown there to play with over the past few years. Recorded across just one day, the group drew on their South African lineage - heroes like Zim Ngquwana and Bheki Mseleku - to bring their own slant to the American jazz lineage which is reconfigured in Hutchings' compositions themselves.

Going beyond the jazz greats Hutchings cites, influences are drawn from plenty of other sources: Caribbean calypso, central African song structures and Southern African Nguni music all play a part. Bringing together those ideas with the contributions of his bandmates is, he explains, crucial to what he sees in the role of an album artist. Even though I wrote all the music, for me, the leader of the project isn't the person who writes all the music but the one who has a vision for how certain musical elements will be combined."

A regular sight on stages around London and beyond, playing - and often leading - groups like The Comet Is Coming, Sons of Kemet and Melt Yourself Down, he's part of a generation whose idea of jazz is pointedly unrefined. That's to say, Wisdom of the Elders comes from an artist interested in the indefinable gaps more than fitting into boxes.

Repress!

The word 'classic' gets thrown around a lot these days, often abused and attached to things that don't deserve the tag.
I think we can all agree that an outfit like Earth, Wind & Fire are truly deserving of such an accolade, since their first tentative steps in the early 1970's as an outfit the Chicago, IL pioneers have made themselves a force to be reckoned with and have sold over 90,000,000 units worldwide! Fusing together Jazz, Funk, Soul, African and Brazilian sounds EWF have been at the top of their game for decades, seeing them inducted into the legendary 'rock n roll hall of fame' at the turn of the millennium. Respect due. On this special, legit 12" reissue we are treated to 2 stellar reworkings by one of Disco and modern dance music's most respected names - Danny Krivit. Danny's tenure in dance music has almost been as long as EWF's themselves so it makes sense that he's on deck to breathe some dancefloor magic into their cult classics 'Brazilian Rhyme' and 'Runnin'. Both tracks are massive club anthems with them being generously sampled over the years and featuring in the playlists of too numerous to mention DJ's and selectors. Both of these amazing edits are extremely sought after and have been legally reissued by Above Board Distribution in conjunction with Danny Krivit and the legal rights holders - Sony Music Entertainment. This high quality repress features original Columbia white label Disco promo artwork and has been remastered from Sony's original sources by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK.

DOVS are the duo of Vienna’s Johannes Auvinen, aka Tin Man, and Mexico City’s Gabo Barranco, aka AAAA. Psychic Geography is their second album together, but it differs considerably from both their respective solo work and their 2019 debut LP together, Silent Cities: Where that album’s hardware-based acid kept its gaze focused squarely on the dancefloor, Psychic Geography is a strictly ambient affair.

The album has its roots in a trio of beatless tracks that peppered Silent Cities; this time, the duo decided to try making an entire album with no drums. “It opened up the chance to make a different, more narrative style of music with more complex structures,” Auvinen says. Ambiguity and uncertainty are key watchwords for their music, which moves with eerie, liquid grace. Untethered from 4/4 kicks, their music drifts and morphs; familiar acid sequences give way to surprising shifts in tone and mood. And with no drums to distract the ear, the seeming simplicity of their silvery synth lines opens up to reveal remarkable depth and dynamism.

Barranco and Auvinen recorded the album together in the studio utilizing machines like the Roland TB-303, Juno G, Prophet 5, Elektron Octatrack MKII, Make Noise DPO and René, Mutable Clouds, Roland SH-101, Behringer TD3, and Sherman Filterbank. Listen on good speakers or headphones, and you can tell: Their gear yields a tonal richness that recalls the ambient and cosmic music of decades earlier. You can practically feel the heat from their circuits warming the air.

The meaning behind the name DOVS is as ambiguous as the duo’s music. (Dig, if you will, the picture of Picasso’s dove of peace—or, perhaps, the outline of a bird pressed into a small white pill.) But Psychic Geography needs little explanation. DOVS’ album is a collection of mental maps of imaginary places. Set your coordinates for the mirage on the horizon and prepare to dissolve.

Cali Lanauze makes label debut on Crosstown Rebels with his ‘Borderline’ EP.

The three-tracker, landing on 14th February 2025, features a first-time collaboration with Cari Golden alongside two solo cuts.

Hailing from the vibrant shores of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Cali Lanauze has spent over a decade carving out his space in the global electronic scene. A trailblazer since his teens, Cali’s rich, eclectic grooves reflect both his Caribbean roots and his deep connection to underground music. Now, with his debut on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels, he follows an impressive outing via sister label Rebellion with his ‘Borderline’ EP, cementing his position as one of his nation’s finest electronic exports.

The title track sees Cali team up with LA-based singer/songwriter Cari Golden, whose credits include collaborations with Groove Armada, Camelphat, Anja Schneider, Audiofly, and more. Having debuted on Crosstown Rebels with Fur Coat on ‘You and I’, Cari’s second appearance sees her soulful, evocative vocals intertwine effortlessly with Cali’s melancholic yet uplifting production. On the flip, Cali showcases his solo prowess. ‘Temple of Confessions’ takes listeners on a hypnotic journey with trippy grooves inspired by the otherworldly energy of Hï Ibiza’s Club Room, while ‘Talk To My People’ delivers a heady mix capturing the essence of his dynamic artistry.

Cali’s journey from a young producer in Puerto Rico has welcomed releases on labels like Flying Circus, Visionquest, and My Favorite Robot, garnering support from legends such as Carl Cox, Radio Slave, and DJ Sneak. Curating groundbreaking events in Puerto Rico, gracing iconic venues like Hï Ibiza and Brooklyn Mirage, and heading up his own label, Opulenc, Launauze has created a platform for his innovations and genre-spanning productions.

There are very special records that achieve mythical status amongst collectors and vinyl diggers. THE SHARPEES GO ON AND LAUGH is top of that tree.

Welcome to the strange world of Nothern Soul…

The story began some years ago when legendary UK record dealer John Anderson discovered an acetate in Chicago with the record title GO ON AND LAUGH scrawled on it but no artist name.

He sold it to cutting edge Northern Soul DJ John Vincent who credited the track to THE JUST BROTHERS when playing out.

The acetate, by now popular amongst the Rare Soul cognoscenti, was traded back to John Anderson who passed it on to Mark Dobson, aka Butch. His DJ sets around the World made it an in-demand dance floor filler and a subject for many years of much conjecture as to the ID of the mystery artist who had recorded this masterpiece which was not just a one-off uber rarity but also the epitome of Nu-Northern Soul cool.

Fast forward to 2016 when USA record label Secret Stash gained access to 200 plus master tapes recorded in the 1960’s by the Windy City’s ONE-DER-FUL set up.

They were forwarded to UK Soul entrepreneur Mark Bicknell who to his amazement found GO ON AND LAUGH in the haul. And finally the whodunit mystery was over with the artist identified as THE SHARPEES, who far from being obscure unknowns aee fondly well known in Soul circles for their much loved DO THE 45 and TIRED OF BEING LONELY singles. Secret Stash promptly issued GO ON AND LAUGH in America but demand far outstripped simply and it quickly sold out with copies now fetching northwards of £150.

ANORAX - living up to its #eatsleepcollect mantra - have snapped up the rights and are delighted to issue it as a 500 run limited edition 7”.

GO ON AND LAUGH is coupled with the timeless classic TIRED OF BEING LONELY. It follows the release by ANORAX of gems from DRIZABONE, JAY. J Feat. BIG BROOKLYN RED and DON CARLOS

Semi Delicious kick start 2025 with a very special EP from Amsterdam based producer D Stone. Following a slew of releases on labels like 803 Crystal Grooves and Cecille he delivers a killer 4-tracker that epitomises his deep, percussive house productions. Teeming with superb sampling, rolling drum grooves and basslines that’ll keep the dance flowing!

Loyle Carner will release his highly anticipated sophomore record, 'Not Waving, But Drowning' on 19 April via AMF Records.

'Not Waving, But Drowning' follows Loyle's BRIT (Best Male, Best Newcomer) and Mercury Prize nominated, top 20 debut 'Yesterday's Gone'. The bedrock of honest and raw sentimentality that you heard on 'Yesterday's Gone' left an inextinguishable mark on music in general and UK Hip Hop in particular, standing out as an ageless, bulletproof debut.

'Not Waving, But Drowning', Loyle's new album, gives yet more evidence - as if it were needed - of his razor-sharp flow and his unique storytelling ability. Yes, he can rap, but he allies that with the sensitivity of a poet, the observational skills of a novelist, and warmth of your best friend. The album opens with 'Dear Jean', a letter to his mother in which he's telling her that he has found the love of his life, 'a woman from the skies', and he's moving out.

It goes without saying that Loyle's music is hard to categorise, but what is even more impressive is that for someone who grew up listening to Mos Def, Biggie Smalls, Roots Manuva, and Wu Tang Clan, he doesn't sound like any of them. Although he might from time to time give lyrical nods to them, he's no imitator.

Loyle loves cooking. There are two tracks on this album named after chefs. The British-Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi, and the now deceased Italian chef Antonio Carluccio. 'Ottolenghi' the first single from the album was featured on the BBC Radio 1 B-list, BBC 6 Music A-list and has already been streamed over 5 million times.

Loyle refers to real life for everything, the title of 'Yesterday's Gone' came from a song of his step father, the title of his new album 'Not Waving, But Drowning' comes from a poem by his grandfather, which in turn came from a Stevie Smith poem. What you hear on the track 'Krispy' is real. He is pouring his heart out to his best friend Rebel Kleff after their relationship went downhill, he invites him on the track to say his piece but he doesn't turn up, so we get a flugel solo instead.

Loyle also has his own personal black consciousness movement. When he refers to his 'fathers' in the track 'Looking Back' he really is referring to two fathers. His biological father, a black man who he knows, but knows very little of, and his step father, a poet and musician who happens to be a white man but died a sudden unexpected death from epilepsy (SUDEP). With no real emotional ties to his biological father, but a deep connection with a deceased step-father, where does a young child turn He succinctly captures many of the great, unspoken, cultural and historical paradoxes of multicultural Britain on 'Looking Back'.

An album like this is hard to find. It is for those who like their Hip Hop to have soul, and their soul to have spirit. This is because it works on so many levels, but it is reflecting the personality of its creator. There are a host of collaborators here, Jorja Smith, Rebel Kleff, Kiko Bun, Kwes, Jordan Rakei, Sampha, Tom Misch and more, but none are overpowering. They blend righteously into place.
Loyle is not bitter with people who have let him down, or a society that lets so many down, but the combination of anger and love he has gives his voice the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability. This might be a coming of age album, but it's also a coming of ageless album. Loyle's 2019 Spring tour - which includes London's Roundhouse - sold out within 20 minutes of being on sale.

Not Waving, But Drowning



A rapper that raps about family is hard to find. The boys in the 'hood' tend not to be that interested in how much a 'brother' loves his mother, or how much he misses his dad, or even how much he misses his best friend. The boys in the 'hood' tend to be obsessed with the size of their cars, girls, bank accounts, and other personal 'possessions'. Loyle Carner's Mercury and BRIT Prize nominated debut 'Yesterday's Gone' (Released 2017), made it clear that he wasn't that kind of rapper. In fact, every time I talk to him about his work we talk about the world, and we tended to confuse ourselves by calling his work rap, poems, or songs, sometimes in the same sentence. They are in truth all of these things.



Here's some poetry.



Honestly I need them.

I hate them but I grieve them

I think I've finally found the reason

Trust

Like the fire needs the air.

I won't burn unless you're there.





'Not Waving, But Drowning', Loyle's forthcoming new album, gives us yet more evidence, (if it were needed), that he still has what rappers call, flow, but he hasn't lost any of his story telling qualities. Yes, the boy can rap, but a rapper with the sensitivity of a true poet, the observational skills of a novelist, and warmth of your best friend. The album opens with 'Dear Jean', a letter to his mother in which he's telling her that he has found the love of his life, (a woman from the skies), and he's moving out. He really loves the woman from the skies, but he still loves his mum, and so he reassures her that there is no competition, and tells her that 'She's not behind me or behind you, but beside we and beside two', his words. Or to put it another way, moving out without moving out. My words.



It goes without saying that Loyle's music is hard to categorise, but what is even more impressive is that for someone who grew up listening to Mos Def, Biggie Smalls, Roots Manuva, and Wu Tang Clan, he doesn't sound like any of them. Although he might from time to time give lyrical nods to them, he's no imitator. He says finding his own voice was something he always found easy. Although young, (in terms of a musical career), he has confidence in his own words and his own voice, and has never been tempted to sound like he's been hanging out in the USA, or rolling in 'Grime' on the mean streets of East London. And so when it comes to the creative process he doesn't simply find a beat to jump on and ride. Beats are important, but they are tenderly layered with samples, keyboards, or live drums, all imaginatively assembled for the laying on of words. Some tracks start with the idea, some with poetry, and some with a verse from a singer or some other melodic inspiration, but there is no formula.



Here's some poetry.



Don't hold any memories of us

Rather hold you everyday until the memories are dust

Yo we only caught the train

Cos you know I hate the bus





A prolific reader, who has dyslexia is hard to find. Add ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) to that and life should become even more difficult. To deal with your difficulties you devise coping strategies, which can differ from person to person. Loyle loves cooking. There are two tracks on this album named after chefs. The British-Israeli chef Ottolenghi, and the now deceased Italian chef Antonio Carluccio. Loyle describes himself as 'weird' because he is happy to read a cookbook as if he was reading a novel or a book of poetry. He has opened a cookery school for young adults not just because he loves food and wants to make more of it, but because it is one of the few things that can focus the ADHD mind. And when it comes to his other love, football, his approach is the same. Focus. He wanted to be a striker he says, up front scoring goals, but found his best position was in midfield because he was able to focus, check options, and see passes ahead of time, providing passes for other players just when they needed them. He says, 'You don't grow out of ADHD, you grow into it.' Loyle is also working with Levi's® on their music project where he is mentoring young musicians over a six month period, culminating at Liverpool Sound City festival.



More poetry.



When the going is tough

I wait till it falls on deaf ears

Hearsay

Without the boundaries of love



He also said, 'Ask most people and they will say that they love their mothers, but most are not going to rap about her'. On his first album Loyle's mum Jean wrote about the 'scribble of a boy' that growing up would take things apart to see how they worked. On this album she speaks with pride about a man who has found his place in the world.



Yes, poetry.



I'm still looking for the answers

Trying to find the right questions

Still waiting for my fathers

But can't break them in to sections



This poetry is serious. Loyle has his own personal black consciousness movement. He told me that he always felt safe at home, and being the darkest one in the family never meant a thing, but then when he had to face the outside world he felt hostility. It shook him up. Now he had to start asking questions, but what were the questions. This is serious. When he refers to his 'fathers' in the verse above taken from the track 'Looking Back' he really is referring to two fathers. His biological father, a black man who he knows, but knows very little of, and his step father, a poet and musician who happens to be a white man but died a sudden unexpected death from epilepsy (SUDEP). So to whom would a young black (or mixed race) kid turn He succinctly captures many of the great, unspoken, cultural and historical paradoxes of multicultural Britain when he says, 'My great grandfather could of owned my other one.' We are a people descended from enslaved people on one hand, and enslavers on the other, something we are still struggling to come to terms with, and this can be apparent in one family. A big book could have told you that, but here we get it in one line on the track, Looking Back.





Loyle refers to real life for everything. The album is peppered with captured moments that he records on his phone. These moments can range from conversations with taxi drivers, to capturing the moment when England scores a goal in the world cup. The title of 'Yesterday's Gone' came from a song of his step father, the title of his new album 'Not Waving but Drowning' comes from a poem by his grandfather, which in turn came from a Stevie Smith poem. What you hear on the track 'Krispy' is real. He is pouring his heart out to his best friend after their relationship went downhill, he invites him on the track to say his piece but he doesn't turn up, so we get a flugel solo instead. Yes people, this is real.



An album like this is hard to find. It is for those who like their Hip Hop to have soul, and their soul to have spirit, this is an album for those who have, (I'm sorry, I'm going to say it), emotional intelligence. This is because it works on so many levels, but it is reflecting the personality of its creator. There are a host of collaborators here, Jorja Smith, Rebel Kleff, Kiko Bun, Jordan Rakei, Sampha, Tom Misch and more, but none are overpowering. They blend righteously into place. Loyle is not bitter with people who have let him down, or the society that has let him down, but the combination of anger and love he has gives his voice the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability. This might be a coming of age album, but it's also a coming of ageless album. His first album worked, and this second album is a continuation of that work. Not creating a form, but being formless, as someone like Bruce Lee once said.

And here's some poetry from mum.



We talked long in to the darkest hours

Until we saw the burnished sky

And our eyes stung

As our words blurred and became thoughts

As we were silenced by the dawn

We clung to each other like sailors in a storm

The original track came back in February and proved an immediate hit. Next to the original, versions from the likes of DJ Spen & Gary Hudgins also helped make this a breakout tune in the first quarter of 2021. Now comes the turn of Kenny Dope, one half of Masters at Work, the most seminal house duo of all time. Kenny Dope is an obsessive record collector, studio wizard and all-round musical encyclopedia whose influence on the scene cannot be overstated. He has been involved with numerous projects, from The Bucketheads to running his Dopewax label and never fails to impress.

This new remix from the Brooklynite is a glorious one baked in the sun's warming rays. It's built on a loose, Latin-tinged beat with big chords, expressive xylophone stylings and plenty of irresistible syncopation. The buttery smooth vocals bring the soul up top and help make this a timeless tune that will unite all dance floors. An instrumental mix is also included that strips things back, shows off the track's effortless musicianship, and draws out the beats for extra dance floor impact.

These two vital versions are the sort of life-affirming, and feel-good house sounds the world is desperate to hear right now.

Wie lässt sich eine Ahnung von Schönheit finden inmitten von Angst und Grausamkeit. Wie lässt sich all das Unsagbare hörbar machen, aber auch Wut, Zuversicht und unbedingter Lebenswille. Mit seinem dritten Album "Temple Of Hope_Ç hat der iranische Komponist Saba Alizadeh eine bewegende Hommage an die Menschen seiner Heimat geschaffen. Die Geschehnisse während der "Woman Life Freedom_Ç-Bewegung, aber auch die Kämpfe der Bevölkerung in den Jahren zuvor setzt er in eindringliche electro-akustische Musik um. Intensiviert durch Gesang und Lyrik von Andreas Spechtl, Sanam Maroufkhani und Leila Rahimi. In seinen Kompositionen kombiniert Saba Alizadeh das traditionelle Saiteninstrument Kamanche und Streicher mit modularem Synthesizer und No-Input-Mixer. So entsteht ein spannungsgeladener Sound, der vor allem die Sprachlosigkeit und Zerrissenheit zwischen Leid, Aufbegehren und Hoffnung auslotet. Historische Radio-Sequenzen verwurzeln seine Stücke in der Kultur und Geschichte des Landes. Die starke Verfremdung und Dekonstruktion dieser akustischen Elemente verweist wiederum auf das Unbegreifliche. Auf existentielle Erschütterungen und Auflösungsprozesse. In seinem "Temple Of Hope_Ç versammeln sich Mut und Zuversicht. Denn Saba Alizadehs vielschichtige Stücke mögen zwar oftmals wie ein Widerhall des Entsetzens wirken. Doch zugleich entfalten sie eine eigene erschütternde Schönheit.

'Erotic Probiotic 2' is Nourished By Time’s debut album on Scenic Route, following up from last year’s two track EP, Erotic Probiotic, which had support from Jamz Supernova on BBC 1Xtra and NTS shows; Yaeji, Shy One, Macca, Anu, and more. 2023 has already been a busy year for the singer/songwriter/producer, supporting 4AD’s sardonic post-punk band, Dry Cleaning on their 20 stop tour of North America. As well as remixing their playful album track, Gary Ashby, dropping on March 1st. Nourished By Time also collaborates with progressive electronic artist Yaeji on her debut album, With A Hammer, out on April 7th on XL Recordings.

Erotic Probiotic 2 showcases the range of this rising Baltimore pop star, telling his transformative story through impeccable songwriting, infectious ear worm melodies, vivid storytelling and intimate DIY production. The album traveresses a broad spectrum of sound, allowing his songwriting to dictate the ever changing mood he orchestrates; whether it is love or loss. Sitting somewhere between indie, pop, alternative RnB, ultimately carving out a fresh sound defined by his vulnerable vocals, raw guitar licks and undeniable groove. Quantum Suicide is the lead single with a bitter sweet sentiment brought to life through fuzzy shoegaze guitar riffs, glimmering synths and beautiful melancholy vocals, leaving you with a dizzying sense of possibilities.

The album was recorded mostly in 2021 - 22 in his parents basement in Baltimore. “At this time, I was in a beautiful and formative relationship that was running its course. Songs like ‘Unbreak My Love’ and ‘Rain Water Promise’ come from that place of dealing with the end. A story of lovers parting and making sense of the battling feelings of resentment and longing. As well as the existential aspect of having to end of a relationship. All while with dealing long-time depression, songs like lead single “Quantum Suicide” and “Shed That Fear” exhibit the importance of choosing to live and that getting out of pits of despair requires tremendous amounts of effort and intention and is a very difficult lifelong task. Whilst other tracks such as ‘The Fields’ and ‘Daddy’ and ‘Workers Interlude’ are attempts at trying to aim my anger at productive targets like Capitalism which both songs are a critique of.”

The next release from 29 Speedway is Break, the new EP from NY’s Relaxer, the long running alias of Daniel Martin-McCormick (Black Eyes, Ital and co-founder of Dripping), and it signals a decisive shift in his music. The tape features two remixes by the singular DJ Marcelle.

What happens when dubby drum & bass meets Dischord’s post-punk colossus Black Eyes? “Break” is the new EP from NY’s Relaxer, the long running alias of Daniel Martin-McCormick (Black Eyes, Ital and co-founder of Dripping), and it signals a decisive shift in his music.

Prompted by friends to write a drum & bass live set just as Black Eyes was reuniting, the results didn’t quite fit the d&b genre. But it felt right. Quick, nimble, with room for the ferocity of his favorite post punk and some of the spaciousness of dub. Evergreen vibes, really, but seen from a fresh perspective.

Honed over a period of two years, the five tracks on “Break” fuse Relaxer’s careening, technoid sounds with free jazz-tinted drum programming, snarling sound design and spacious echo trails. It’s a perfect fit for 29 Speedway’s future-facing, exploratory anti-genre approach to electronics. The tape features two remixes by the singular DJ Marcelle and mastering by Dubplates & Mastering.

Black Vinyl / 350 mcn double white coated paper / Poster sleeve / PVC outers / Original artwork / Exclusive 30x30 cm insert with Q&A by Tony Higgins with Ole Matthiessen printed on on 250 gram Gardamat coated paper. Archive picture from original recording session printed on 350 gram Gardamat paper. Archive pictures printed on 375 gram Vintage Bindakote Monolucido. All papers are acid free an printed with food based inks.

Personnel: 

Jesper Nehammer - tenor saxophone
Ole Mathiessen – piano
Jon Finsen – drums
Henrik Hove - bass

Notes:
Danish jazz band founded in 1969. Band line up: Henrik Hove on bass, Ole Mathiessen on piano, Jesper Nehammer (later Thors Hammer, Alrune Rod and Entrance) on tenorsax, and Jon Finsen on drums. Played for a while every Monday in the famous Jazzhouse Montmatre in Copenhagen.
Tordenskjolds Soldater only made this record (1970).
The small record label Spectator Records was founded in 1969 by Jørgen Bornefeldt a former journalist from Danmarks Radio in coorporation with the jazz musician Carsten Meinert. Meinert recorded two albums on the label. He only joined the company in the beginning. Cindarellaistudiet The studio was destroyed august 6th 1972 by a major fire. And that was the end of Spectator Records. From 1969 to the end, the label recorded at least 23 lp albums and 9-11 singles/EP's. The picture shows Henning Kragh Pedersen from Cinderella in Spectators studio. The great Danish rock band Gasolin recorded their first single – Silky Sally - on Spectator Records. It was no success and sold only 155 copies. Silky Sally is now one of the most sought after Gasolin singles among collectors and is of course very expensive.
The music from Spectator Records is mostly jazz, progressive rock and hippie free style. But they also made strange records for children, education etc. Most records were issued in very small numbers (300-500). Some of the best progressive rock in Northern Europe was recorded here.
Quality of vinyl was often poor - even new looking records can have audible problems. Covers and labels are primitive and cheap. On the other hand the creativity could be outstanding - check the Furekaaben cover gallery or the artwork of William Skotte Olsen from Green Grass. Several record from the labels are cult today. A perfect copy of certain records costs a fortune.
Master tapes was never found after the fire in 1972. Unofficial reissues and bootlegs are therefore made on the base of the original records. Recordings that never made it to the vinyl got lost in the fire. Both Cinderella and The Copenhagen based band, Lines lyst, had material readdy for lp's which was never recorded. (Tony Higgins)

The Dutch band Time Bandits, formed by Alides Hidding, had national and international success. In 1981 the Time Bandits scored a big dance hit with “Live it Up”, which ended up in the number 1 spot of the American Dance Charts.

Characteristic of the Time Bandits is the professional sound of funk, disco, soul and rock and the unmistakable voice and guitar sound of Alides Hidding. In 1983, the song “I’m Specialized In You” came in second in the dutch top 40. It was a monster hit with more than 90,000 copies sold in the Netherlands and 450,000 in France. The following single “Listen To The Man With The Golden Voice” also made it to the top 10.

In October 1983 the single “I’m Only Shooting Love” reached the top 10 while the band also continued to break through internationally. The single did very well in France, Portugal, America and Australia and reached the number 1 spot in the New Zealand single charts. The Time Bandits went on tour to Australia and New Zealand and another string of hits followed.

The “Endless Road” music video was filmed in Australia during the band’s 1985 tour. The video has been viewed over 2,5 million times on Youtube.

The vinyl edition of Greatest Hits features all their hits, various remixes and 3 fan-favorite bonus tracks; “Reach Out”, “Dancing On A String” and “Endless Road (High Energy Dance Mix by Ben Liebrand)”.

This is limited edition of 500 copies, pressed on transluncet pink coloured vinyl. This 2-LP set includes an insert.

South-London, British-Bengali musician Tara Lily shares her debut album 'Speak In The Dark'. The LP is about "speaking your truth" and combines alternative R&B, jazz, electronica and traditional Indian sounds into a unique fusion. The record, produced by Dom Valentino, features American jazz trumpeter Theo Croker, UK rapper Surya Sen, and Archy Marshall (aka King Krule) on guitar.

Growing up in Peckham as part of a British Bengali family has given Tara Lily a unique perspective on music and global culture. She has spent her life absorbing a multitude of sounds and genres from her surroundings, ranging from electronica to jazz and RnB to traditional Bengali folk music. From training at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music (where she studied jazz piano and voice) to learning Indian classical music and being the first act signed to Motown Records UK. Tara is a musical anomaly.

Debut album from South-London, British-Bengali musician and rising star Tara Lily, featuring American trumpeter Theo Croker & UK rapper Surya Sen
LP produced by Dom Valentino with additional contributions from Bad Sounds, Jaz Lee, Archy Marshall, Chiranjeeb Chakraborty, Akash Parekar, Mei Kerby, Ian Stratford
European Tour supporting JP Cooper (1st week of October, 2024)
UK Tour w/ Juabi - Manchester, Barbican (London) - Sept 2024
Artwork by Jay Vaz (Dreaming Vinyl)
"No Way Out" video shot in association with The North Face in the Himalayas, Nepal. Directed by Siddanth Ghosh
Press support - The Guardian, Evening Standard - "One to watch", Wonderland, ID, Notion, Clash
Radio support - 'Double Time' was track of the week on BBC Radio 1, other spots plays - BBC 6Music, Jazz FM (playlisting), BBC Asian Network, NTS
Recipient of the FAC x Amazon Music - Step Up Fund
Tours - UK, India (Echos Of Earth / Vh1 Supersonic festival / Jazz
Weekender), Nepal, Bangkok, Hong Kong, EU
Festivals - Glastonbury (3 sets - BBC introducing - Televised / Leftfield B2B Billy Bragg / PRS), We Out Here, Shambala, Daytimer Dialled In, Wilderness, Cross The Tracks
Career highlights - SHAKTI JAZZ NTS show, joined King Krule on stage at Apollo Theatre and supported RAYE at the Royal Albert Hall, Jazz Cafe w/ Mahalia, playing live on TV on BBC2 (The Kia Oval)

Berlin based label "Matasuna Records" kicks off the new year 2025 with a soulful 7inch featuring songs by Barcelona's "The Blaxound" and singer "John Vermont". Their common love for vintage soul from the 60s and 70s brought them together for this project to compose and record classic soul sung in Spanish. This 45 shows that the concept worked out wonderfully: Spanish Soul at its best, sounding authentic and contemporary at the same time!

Matasuna Records, known for its reissues of musical treasures from the past, also has an eye for exciting new discoveries in contemporary music. With "The Blaxound & John Vermont" the label has once again found an interesting project for soulful & contemporary music that fits perfectly into the label's sound spectrum and will appeal to lovers of authentic soul music.

The two songs "No Es Por Ti" and "Qué Más Te Da?" from their recently released album will be released for the first time as a 7-inch vinyl single on Matasuna Records. The instrumentation and the lovely harmonies are the ideal basis for John Vermont, who with his versatile voice, sometimes powerful, sometimes smooth - but always soulful - can fully develop his vocal spectrum and fill the songs with his presence. Instrumental and vocal arrangements are beautifully balanced and harmonious. Beatific!

Artist info


"The Blaxound" is a Barcelona-based music project with deep ties to the city's Funk and Soul sceney. The project started in 2003 under the direction of musician, songwriter and producer "Marta Roman". The Blaxound has released four studio albums between 2007 and 2024 on different labels.

Years ago, Marta focused on the idea of recording a classic soul album sung in Spanish, respecting as much as possible the original production and sound of the late 60s and early 70s. Luckily, she met singer "Ivan Espejo" aka "John Vermont", which was the turning point and led to the full vocal album "Déjalo Ir" released on "Love Soul Productions" in 2024.

All songs were composed, recorded and produced by Marta Roman in her own studio, Black Flamingo Recordings, in Barcelona, Spain.

Off the back of storming the UK charts once again with latest single 'White Noise feat AlunaGeorge' - DISCLOSURE are extremely excited to announce the title, artwork and release date for their eagerly awaited details of their debut album.
'SETTLE' - the brothers' first full-length recording - will be released on June 3 via PMR records (home to Jessie Ware and Julio Bashmore among others).
Leading the charge into the album is the single 'You & Me' featuring Eliza Doolittle, and as you'd expect, Disclosure continuously prove their ability in bringing the best out of their vocal collaborators, with Eliza's lustrous vocal immersed among Disclosure's trademark 2-step garage rhythms, once again showing beyond doubt their capacity in delivering yet another anthem alongside previous singles Latch and White Noise.

Having steadily built a name for themselves as purveyors of a standard of music production way beyond their tender years, they've spent a solid couple of years honing their already prolific output into what's sure to be one of the debuts of 2013 - in any genre.
Highlights:
'You & Me' was released on Sunday 28th April
The single was the week's HIGHEST new entry in the official chart midweeks at number (J) CD 10
Single remix roll out as below:
16th May Zane Lowe exclusive Baauer
w/c 20th May online exclusive Flume
'You & Me' Remix EP and 12' Vinyl available June 24th
R1 Zane Lowe Session (May 15th), R1 Zane Lowe Album Of The Week (May 27th) and Radio 1/1Xtra Live Lounge (June 5th) all confirmed

'Latch' featuring Sam Smith and 'White Noise' featuring AlunaGeorge have now sold over 650K combined (making both Silver certified singles).

White Noise' which entered the UK singles chart at #2 on release remained a Top 15 single for the consecutive 10 weeks.

Repress!

Just six months after her huge Rave On Time EP, Charlotte de Witte is back on her own KNTXT label with another standout release featuring three thrilling new tracks.

Despite the global pandemic, Charlotte did not let up in 2020. Her label continued to serve up techno from the cutting edge, she held down various high profile streams during lockdown and also got voted as the World's Number 1 DJ by DJ Mag's Alternative Top 100 poll. After picking up the Best Producer title at the Red Bull Elektropedia Awards, her Selected EP picked up the silver medal in the Best EP category and she was awarded bronze in the Artist of the Year category. She ended the year with a spectacular set on the virtual Main Stage of Tomorrowland on New Year’s Eve and now races out of the blocks with yet another vital EP.

Says Charlotte, "I've always been fascinated by the high adrenaline racing world. Rapid movements, living in the moment, racing through life, eyes on the future. As far as concepts go for an EP, this is one of my favourite ones so far."

That plays out across the electrifying tracks, starting with ‘Doppler,' a heavyweight techno weapon with shuffling drums and urgent alarm like synths shooting over the bulky groove. It's one to keep you on edge as the strobes flash on a vast dance floor. 'RPM' ups the ante further with blistering acid lines flashing about the mix. Rooted drums roll on in unrelenting fashion and a lead synth takes you down a deep, dark rabbit hole. 'Formula' then rounds out in urgent fashion with the sound of revving engines, hammering hits and haunting melodic loops all making for a vast and vital wall of techno sound.

With this arresting and powerful new EP, Charlotte de Witte once again remains in techno's pole position.

Southern-bred, alternative R&B singer-songwriter Mereba artistically embodies self-understanding on The Breeze Grew a Fire, her grandest work and first release on Secretly Canadian. To hone in on this latest album, it was necessary for Mereba to reconnect with her whole many-sided self, from her inner child to her inseparable relationships. Mereba peacefully transmutes her beginnings, looking upon her closest kinships and friendships with a keen understanding of their steadying, inspirational force. Surrounded by the gentle Breeze of these relationships and recollections, Mereba is empowered as both an artist and mother, while also being reminded to nurture her childlike wonder. Mereba gracefully shines on the follow-up to her bounteous 2019 debut, The Jungle Is the Only Way Out. In escaping the Jungle, Mereba faced the paradigm shift of birthing a son in 2021 and getting accustomed to a rapidly changing self-outlook. Mereba's creative output has always relied on her innermost reflections and ideas on whatever was happening around her; but in motherhood, the singer's perspective widened while her inspiration became more focused, and more individually powerful. "Even though I'm fully an adult, I had to grow up in a way overnight when he my son came," Mereba explains. "The process of watching him open up to the world, learn how to engage with the world, it is very tender. I feel like it's the most reminded I've ever been of when I was a child and the first memories I have of life." The transformation brought Mereba to the intimacy of DIY recording sessions, providing an honest and organic foundation to Breeze. Mereba tapped her longtime production collaborator Sam Hoffman to co-assemble the album's rich production, which parallels its folk-like warmth. Although Mereba is a true double Earth sign-Virgo and Virgo rising-the development of Breeze was anchored by experiences and memories that span from Atlanta to L.A., Addis Ababa to Greensboro, an intention that speaks to the album's fluid nature. While nowhere near the end of her musical trek, The Breeze Grew a Fire is a loving, inspiring return to origin, one where Mereba frees a painful past, eases into future possibilities, and goes with life's flow.

Southern-bred, alternative R&B singer-songwriter Mereba artistically embodies self-understanding on The Breeze Grew a Fire, her grandest work and first release on Secretly Canadian. To hone in on this latest album, it was necessary for Mereba to reconnect with her whole many-sided self, from her inner child to her inseparable relationships. Mereba peacefully transmutes her beginnings, looking upon her closest kinships and friendships with a keen understanding of their steadying, inspirational force. Surrounded by the gentle Breeze of these relationships and recollections, Mereba is empowered as both an artist and mother, while also being reminded to nurture her childlike wonder. Mereba gracefully shines on the follow-up to her bounteous 2019 debut, The Jungle Is the Only Way Out. In escaping the Jungle, Mereba faced the paradigm shift of birthing a son in 2021 and getting accustomed to a rapidly changing self-outlook. Mereba's creative output has always relied on her innermost reflections and ideas on whatever was happening around her; but in motherhood, the singer's perspective widened while her inspiration became more focused, and more individually powerful. "Even though I'm fully an adult, I had to grow up in a way overnight when he my son came," Mereba explains. "The process of watching him open up to the world, learn how to engage with the world, it is very tender. I feel like it's the most reminded I've ever been of when I was a child and the first memories I have of life." The transformation brought Mereba to the intimacy of DIY recording sessions, providing an honest and organic foundation to Breeze. Mereba tapped her longtime production collaborator Sam Hoffman to co-assemble the album's rich production, which parallels its folk-like warmth. Although Mereba is a true double Earth sign-Virgo and Virgo rising-the development of Breeze was anchored by experiences and memories that span from Atlanta to L.A., Addis Ababa to Greensboro, an intention that speaks to the album's fluid nature. While nowhere near the end of her musical trek, The Breeze Grew a Fire is a loving, inspiring return to origin, one where Mereba frees a painful past, eases into future possibilities, and goes with life's flow.

Ein verspieltes Album mit klangschönen Träumereien, komponiert für Mandoline und Akkordeon, poetisch und unbändig zugleich. Es ist das erste Mal, dass der stets kreative Komponist speziell für die Mandoline geschrieben hat. Auf dem Album ist auch Vincent Beer-Demander zu hören, dessen Mandoline zu einem Orchester multipliziert wird, um eine einzigartige Klangpalette zu schaffen, die sorgfältig mit dem Akkordeon von Grégory Daltin kombiniert wird.

Mike Patton, der mit Vannier an dem 2019 erschienenen Album 'Corpse Flower' gearbeitet hat, sagt über die Veröffentlichung seines neuen Albums auf Ipecac: „Jean Claude ist ein guter Freund, Mentor und ein wunderbar talentierter und exzellenter Komponist. Eine Legende. Es ist eine große Ehre, mit ihm gearbeitet zu haben. Seine Texte und Arrangements haben eine Vielzahl von Künstlern beeinflusst, und ich kann mich zu den Glücklichen zählen, die seinen Weg gekreuzt haben. Er hat schon bahnbrechende Sachen geschrieben, bevor ich überhaupt geboren wurde. Er hat mich tief beeinflusst und ich bin ihm für immer dankbar und voller Ehrfurcht“.

Jean Claude Vannier, der von der Presse als „the rare bird“ bezeichnet wird, hat in den letzten 60 Jahren unter anderem mit Serge Gainsbourg und Jane Birkin sowie mit Künstlern wie Beck und Sean Lennon zusammengearbeitet. Er hat an unzähligen Soundtracks mitgewirkt, sechs Soloalben veröffentlicht und ist eine Ikone der französischen Popkultur, die für den Eurovision Song Contest komponiert, Videos gedreht, Gemälde ausgestellt, Radiosendungen moderiert und Kurzgeschichten veröffentlicht hat.

Wer Lacuna Coil kennt, weiss, dass jedes Album ihrer beeindruckenden Karriere mehr als nur einen typischen Bandsound liefer-te: Jedes Album ist ein reichhaltig strukturierter Soundtrack zur jeweiligen Epoche und zu einem bestimmten Ort. Bei "Sleepless Empire" ist dieser Ort düster, cineastisch und verströmt unverkennbar die Stimmung, die Lacuna Coil zu einem so gefeierten Eintrag in die Chronik der harten Musik gemacht haben. Ohne ihre spezielle Art von Gesang, Gitarrensound oder Schlagzeugarbeit wäre "Sleepless Empire" - der orchestrale Teil - ein cineastischer Soundtrack. Von den kolossalen Refrains des Album-Openers "The Siege" über das verrucht eingängige "I Wish You Were Dead" bis hin zum unbändig klassischen Feeling des Titeltracks von "Sleepless Empire" - die Souveränität von Lacu-na Coils neuestem Werk ist unüberhörbar, und doch hat es auch einige Überraschungen zu bieten. Sie erscheinen in Form zweier ganz besonderer Gastauftritte von niemand Geringerem als der New Years Day-Banshee Ash Costello auf ihrem Epos "In The Mean Time" und einem ohrenbetäubend überdrehten Beitrag von Lamb of God-Sänger Randy Blythe auf "Hosting the Sha-dow". Und wenn "Sleepless Empire" etwas Besonderes ist, dann ist es mehr als nur diese gesangliche Kreuzbefruchtung. Wie Sänger Andrea Ferro erklärt, liegt der Schlüssel zu Lacuna Coils ewig jugendlicher Ausstrahlung in ihrer Neugier und ihrer Fähigkeit, kreativ auf neue Inspirationen zu reagieren, ohne dabei die langjährigen Qualitäten aus den Augen zu verlieren, welche die Band zu dem machen, was sie ist - und er zählt Sleep Token, Spiritbox, Bad Omens und Bring Me The Horizon als Beispiele für andere Bands auf, die dasselbe tun, um die Szene und ihren eigenen Sound lebendig zu halten. Dieser unabhängige Geist ist der Schlüssel, um Lacuna Coils künstlerisches Vorrecht gegen das Gewicht der Erwartungen abzuwägen, und Ferro beschreibt mit Nachdruck, wie diese seltsamen Zeiten eine Fülle an Material hervorgebracht haben, die die gewichtigen Texte und die Stimmung von "Sleepless Empire" beeinflusst haben. Der Sound von Lacuna Coil ist düster, er spiegelt die Gesellschaft wider, in der wir leben - er ist ein Porträt unserer Zeit. Er zeugt von der Veränderung unserer Gesellschaft, dem "Sleepless Empire", in dem jeder immer am Handy ist, immer scrollt, immer et-was tut - von morgens bis abends, es hört einfach nie auf. Eine Philosophie, die sich in jedem Aspekt von "Sleepless Empire" widerspiegelt.

Wer Lacuna Coil kennt, weiss, dass jedes Album ihrer beeindruckenden Karriere mehr als nur einen typischen Bandsound liefer-te: Jedes Album ist ein reichhaltig strukturierter Soundtrack zur jeweiligen Epoche und zu einem bestimmten Ort. Bei "Sleepless Empire" ist dieser Ort düster, cineastisch und verströmt unverkennbar die Stimmung, die Lacuna Coil zu einem so gefeierten Eintrag in die Chronik der harten Musik gemacht haben. Ohne ihre spezielle Art von Gesang, Gitarrensound oder Schlagzeugarbeit wäre "Sleepless Empire" - der orchestrale Teil - ein cineastischer Soundtrack. Von den kolossalen Refrains des Album-Openers "The Siege" über das verrucht eingängige "I Wish You Were Dead" bis hin zum unbändig klassischen Feeling des Titeltracks von "Sleepless Empire" - die Souveränität von Lacu-na Coils neuestem Werk ist unüberhörbar, und doch hat es auch einige Überraschungen zu bieten. Sie erscheinen in Form zweier ganz besonderer Gastauftritte von niemand Geringerem als der New Years Day-Banshee Ash Costello auf ihrem Epos "In The Mean Time" und einem ohrenbetäubend überdrehten Beitrag von Lamb of God-Sänger Randy Blythe auf "Hosting the Sha-dow". Und wenn "Sleepless Empire" etwas Besonderes ist, dann ist es mehr als nur diese gesangliche Kreuzbefruchtung. Wie Sänger Andrea Ferro erklärt, liegt der Schlüssel zu Lacuna Coils ewig jugendlicher Ausstrahlung in ihrer Neugier und ihrer Fähigkeit, kreativ auf neue Inspirationen zu reagieren, ohne dabei die langjährigen Qualitäten aus den Augen zu verlieren, welche die Band zu dem machen, was sie ist - und er zählt Sleep Token, Spiritbox, Bad Omens und Bring Me The Horizon als Beispiele für andere Bands auf, die dasselbe tun, um die Szene und ihren eigenen Sound lebendig zu halten. Dieser unabhängige Geist ist der Schlüssel, um Lacuna Coils künstlerisches Vorrecht gegen das Gewicht der Erwartungen abzuwägen, und Ferro beschreibt mit Nachdruck, wie diese seltsamen Zeiten eine Fülle an Material hervorgebracht haben, die die gewichtigen Texte und die Stimmung von "Sleepless Empire" beeinflusst haben. Der Sound von Lacuna Coil ist düster, er spiegelt die Gesellschaft wider, in der wir leben - er ist ein Porträt unserer Zeit. Er zeugt von der Veränderung unserer Gesellschaft, dem "Sleepless Empire", in dem jeder immer am Handy ist, immer scrollt, immer et-was tut - von morgens bis abends, es hört einfach nie auf. Eine Philosophie, die sich in jedem Aspekt von "Sleepless Empire" widerspiegelt. Sleepless Empire ist erhältlich als Ltd. Deluxe CD Box mit Symbolwürfel-Orakel, als Ltd. CD Digipak, als schwarze LP + LP-Booklet, als limitierte farbige LP + LP-Booklet sowie als digitales Album.

Denison Witmer returns with a new collection of ten vibrant and pensive folk-pop songs recorded and produced by Sufjan Stevens, his long-time friend and collaborator. Anything At All finds Denison in a suitably reflective mood, mining sublime revelation from an ordinary, domesticated life. Topics like bird watching, carpentry, houseplants, and hiking offer insights into bigger, existential questions about life, death, meaning, and purpose. What are we doing with the precious time we have left on this earth? Whether it's spent making clocks, gathering berries, planting trees, or putting the kids to bed at night, these songs suggest that a life lived with thoughtfulness and care can lead to deeper joy and fulfillment. Recorded sporadically over a period of two years, Anything At All was primarily created at Sufjan's Catskills studio during the pandemic, with additional sessions recorded by Andy Park, in Seattle, WA. Contributors include Stevens and Park as well as Sam Evian, Hannah Cohen, Sean Lane, and Keenan O'Meara, amongst others. The album's musical aesthetic marries Denison's folksy, Mennonite vibe with Sufjan's signature bells and whistles: lush strings and woodwinds, women's choir, and an occasional jazzy saxophone weave their way around Denison's matter-of-fact vocals and acoustic guitar. These are simple folk songs with bursts of awe and wonder.

Colin McCann, Brian Gossman, and Eric Fiscus periodically return to the grid from the remote mountains of Northern California to document their evo/involution as Vulture Feather. Touring the states throughout much of 2024, they brought the sharpened machine back to Tim Green's Louder Studios to capture their second album, It Will Be Like Now. In literary terms, the record is a work of man versus nature, except man and nature are both secret identities of a third, unnamed thing. Tears and the ocean and death are the main characters, and the initiated may get the sense that these too, belong to the absolute. It all ultimately resolves as a terrifying and beautiful love story. Sonically speaking, It Will Be Like Now reports from a place where PiL and Jah Wobble never parted ways, where Johnny Marr righted the ship, where songs only need one part: the good part. The heads will know McCann and Gossman from their time in the prehistoric Don Martin Three (recently re-issued catalog by Numero Group) and later, Wilderness (Jagjaguwar). While prior efforts are beside the point, this is undeniably the sound of people who have been making music together for 25+ years. Glistening as much as howling, the guitar and vocals function as duet, delivering The Only Story Ever Told over a concise and thunderous rhythm section. It's the sound emulating from everywhere, all the time, through thick carpets of clouds, reverberating off canyon walls, through troubled waters, and finally to your devices, your ears, your heart, if you choose to hear it.

Soul Quest are proud to present the latest release from Berlin based DJ and producer Jean-Jez, who continues on with a musical journey with flourishing roots and a bright, bright future.

Jean-Jez has made waves in Berlin’s underground for a good while now, with his Kedi Bounce parties (whom he co-founded) quickly becoming a celebratory cornerstone of community and culture. His DJing style and production approach act as a core expressional loop, with Jean-Jez embracing a multitude of styles and sounds with both. Bridging the gap between house, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Afro-Latin and beyond, Jean-Jez is all about nurturing the collective joy found within music - either through his own tunes or deep in the mix at a Kat Nip party.

‘Soul Notion’ wears its heart on its sleeve, and embodies the core musical principles to which Jean-Jez holds so very dear. ‘Did you want to dance!’ kicks things off with a deep melodic embrace, before spreading outwards with brassy frills, evocative simmering drumming patterns and vocal samples which kick the inner consciousness into another gear.

‘Take me to the moon’ contains an up and front piano lead, with uptempo drums providing a twist and flair to proceedings. Some inspired vocals add further to the atmosphere, one of airiness and emotional escapism.

‘What is it tell me’ stirs into life with a wide scope through the low ends, but Jean-Jez cooks up a storm with some wondrous jazz guitar that weaves one final spell to get lost deep within.

To wrap things up, Jean-Jez enlists his own collective: Kedi Bounce to put an Acid twist on ‘Did You Want To Dance’ to close the ep in style. This mix is exclusive to the vinyl mix and won’t be released digitally.

Jean-Jez looks to celebrate and resonate through his music, and this EP is a full demonstration of his abilities to bring things together. Seamlessly blending some of his favourite styles, this record contains all the feels to be wished for, and an experience that leaves plenty of room for return visits, this EP has you covered.