When David Drucker of Painted Faces begins to write and record, every dumb sign, bad horror movie, seemingly innocuous turn of phrase, petty embarrassment, transcendent joke, and musical
influence are drawn together like iron filings to a magnet.
What results is a document of a particular point in time for the artist. There are infectiously haunting hooks and raw atonal passages, cheap synths (and as time goes on less cheap ones), simple but effective chords, ramshackle percussion (a plastic toy maraca passed among audience members that refuses to die), and a host of other elements that all add up to something very special and deeply personal.
It’s a portrait of the artist as a freak.
On his latest album, Normal Street, the story continues. The title track opens with a nebulous cloud of beeps and squeals which slowly give way to more solid melodic form. Drucker, always searching for ever
freakier and liberated pastures, walks a particularly unique line between unpredictably risky experimentation and skillful songcraft. It’s this interplay hat makes Painted Faces truly original and exciting.
What “works” is totally relative, and through his long honed practice of trying things, he has created his own sonic vocabulary.
Normal Street is a fractured collection of songs, sounds, ideas, sometimes brief and other times delicately sustained; its stream of consciousness mischievousness bringing to mind Zappa and the
Mothers filtered through the angst of bedroom pop and tape label minimalism.
quête:spec
- A1: East-West - Can't Face The Night (Club Mix)
- A2: Omri Smadar & Roy Shpilman - Adama
- B1: Herbert - Keep Time (Nobody) (Nobody)
- B2: Dan Curtin - Particle Dawn
- C1: Jensen Interceptor - Lean Before The Interview (Feat Assembler Code)
- C2: Elkka - Hands
- C3: Hodge & Peder Mannerfelt - All My Love
- D1: Elkka & Jeigo - Body
- D2: Villager - Monocyclical
- D3: Breaka - Living
Elkka’s deep intuition is the unifying thread throughout Cardiff-born DJ and producer’s illustrious career. Vibrant releases for Local Action, Ninja Tune and her own label and party, femme culture, have marked her as an unstoppable force within the London underground.
This recognition metabolised when she was awarded BBC’s prestigious Essential Mix of the Year in 2021, spotlighting her radiant blend of classic house, breakbeat and experimental electronica to the world over.
As the next curator of DJ-Kicks, Elkka is voyaging through rave euphoria. “This is a really special moment for me because DJ-Kicks has been a formative part of my musical education,” she says.
An intoxicating journey through Chicago house and disco, leftfield techno, UK bass and electro-punk, Elkka conjures up an atmosphere that is as primed for the club as it is the listener’s interior world.
Brand new album by The Church, their first in 6 years! Presented in deluxe card gatefold sleeve CD with 16 page booklet and as limited gatefold purple double vinyl LP! "Let it first be said that the title track of The Hypnogogue, the first new album from The Church in six years, is one of the most breath-taking singles they've released in years, a darkly psychedelic six minutes that slowly spirals into a menacing descent. That alone is a reason to keep this one on your radar; the Australian neo-psych band have been going for over 40 years, with around a half dozen classic albums and zero bad ones, yet their ability to keep evolving and uncovering new aspects to their sound and approach only serves as a reminder of how vital they remain after four decades". After an epic return to homeland stages, Australian psych-rock legends The Church announce their forthcoming studio album The Hypnogogue. Following on from 2017's widely acclaimed Man Woman Life Death Infinity, the Sydney band's 27th album was recorded just before the world was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging from the darkness is the band's first new studio album in six years and the first to feature the newest line-up led by founder, bassist and vocalist Steve Kilbey. "The Hypnogogue" is the most prog rock thing we have ever done, we've never created a concept album before," says Kilbey. "It is the most teamwork record we have ever had. Everyone in the band is so justifiably proud of this record and everyone helped to make sure it was as good as it could be. Personally, I think it's in our top three records." Picking up substantial international airplay, raising anticipation for the album's release, the digital singles 'The Hypnogogue' and 'C'est La Vie' set the stage for the album's striking science fiction narrative. Kilbey unpacks the themes that tie the album together: "The Hypnogogue is set in 2054, a dystopian and broken-down future. Invented by Sun Kim Jong, a North Korean scientist and occult dabbler, it is a machine and a process that pulls music straight off dreams." This new five-piece line-up is made up of Kilbey along with long-time collaborator, drummer and producer Tim Powles, who's remained a staple across 17 albums since 1994. Joining them is guitarist Ian Haug, formerly of Australian rock icons Powderfinger, who has been with the band since 2013. Touring multi-instrumentalist talent Jeffrey Cain is now a full-time member since the departure of Peter Koppes in early 2020. Completing the line-up, newcomer Ashley Naylor is one of Australia's finest guitarists and a long-time member of Paul Kelly's touring band. Formed in 1980, The Church found early chart success in their homeland, before establishing themselves as an international touring entity, earning a worldwide hit with the single 'Under The Milky Way' from their hit 1988 album Starfish, while their stellar live shows have been deemed 'spectacular' by MAGNET magazine and continue to win the hearts of industry and fans across the world. Often seen as the Godfathers of an Australian psych/prog scene generating such internationally successful names as Tame Impala and King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, The Church have gone on to maintain a loyal and far-reaching following as their fanbase has expanded with their evolving sound. Entering their fifth decade as a band, The Church continue to remain a treasured creative force. European tour 2023 - Reviews secured in Mojo, Classic Rock, Uncut, Vive Le Rock, Record Collector, Louder Than War - Press Quotes: "While some may just want The Church to write another "Under the Milky Way", The Hypnogogue's title track is excellent. One of the most anticipated albums of 2023" - Brooklyn Vegan - Treble Zine have named The Hypnogogue one of their most anticipated albums for 2023
"Manchester band The Lottery Winners have announced their forthcoming new album ‘Anxiety Replacement Therapy’, out on 28th April on Modern Sky Recordings, which will feature collaborations with Boy George, Frank Turner, and Shaun Ryder.
A mammoth step forward, ‘Anxiety Replacement Therapy’ is on one level a set of 10 absolute anthems (and three interludes from a mystery narrator). These are mass singalongs in waiting from a band who’ve specialised in bringing people together over their previous two albums. "
Hailing from the gatekeeper city of Malmö towards the European continent - Bathouse story is a long one & a tale of progress. Starting out as a duo venture back in the mid-10’s & then put on hold, Bathouse re-surfaced in 2020 with the release of their self-titled debut album.
Making themselves known as a must experience live band in Malmö for their intense delivery & crushing volume - Philip Lindskog (drums), Jesper Olsson (vocals & guitar) & Denise Madsen Hult (bass) went into Studio Sickan again in 2021 with Joakim Lindberg (MF/MB) and recorded a scorching 13 minutes worth of noise, worthy anyone of the heavyweights.
’Helping Bats Helping People’ is Bathouse
sophomore album & will follow the two singles ’Enjoy’ & ’Ideal Specimen’, taken
from the album.
For fans of The Hospitals, At The Drive-In,
Unsane, Bent Spanner Arty Banner &
Bathouse.
Following two stunning EP’s earlier this year, Federico Albanese now releases his debut album on MercuryKX. Featuring collaborations with Marika Hackman and Ghostpoet, the project centres itself around memory: “ We have the power to change the way we recollect moments of our lives. I like the idea of being able to craft my own memory the way I wanted to remember it. Music is the vehicle I use to find these moments, hold them in time. It allows me to remember something from a very special perspective, creating different possibilities” - Federico Albanese.
Bristol-based producer and DJ 'Drone' present his album on 1985 Music. This 13-track long play, like his previous releases, continues to push the boundaries of underground dance and grime while retaining a sub-heavy, 808-laden coherence within his productions and selections, as anyone who has caught one of his sets can attest to.Since his first release on the imprint in 2020, Drone and his productions have grown from strength to strength. His debut EP ‘Evil Sky’ in 2021 received critical acclaim and support from all the leading figures in underground dance. His production work blurs the boundaries of trap, grime, and dubstep while enjoying support from the likes of Mala, V.I.V.E.K, and Kahn, it seems Drone’s inimitable sounds are becoming favoured by both scene stalwarts and club-goers: an admiration which looks set to grow as he continues to produce thoughtful and original music that promises a reaction in the club. ‘All I Know’ feat. Nottingham’s rising star Snowy kicks off the campaign and is a track that dominated the 2022 festival season. Calling on fellow production friends, this album also sees collaborations with label head honcho Alix Perez, Notion, Hyroglifics, and Deft. Kicking off 2023, Drone undertakes his first North American tour with a month of back-to-back performances and showcases of his new music ahead of release. He returns to the UK with a very special album launch party in his hometown Bristol before taking the party to the capital in early March.
Over the course of a 19-year career, Marshall Watson has released all manner of musical treats for a similarly wide array of labels, yet it’s the effortless beauty of his downtempo works – and particularly his ambient and Balearic excursions – that have often left a lasting impression.
It certainly caught the attention of NuNorthern Soul founder Phil Cooper, who brought the West Coast producer to the label in the summer of 2021. That EP, Sunsets on Larkin Parts 1 & 2, was undeniably special. The same can be said about his belated return to the label, Foothills, an EP packed to the rafters with slow-burn melodies, sustained chords, becalmed textures and gently unwinding grooves.
Watson’s distinctive take on Balearic naturally comes to the fore on EP opener ‘High Desert’, a soft-focus delight where languid electric guitars, starry electric piano lines, echoing chords and gently pulsing electronics stretch out across a shuffling groove. While tailor-made for watching the sun set off his beloved Pacific Coast – and over the Mediterranean Sea – ‘High Desert’ offers a dose of hazy sonic sunshine that can brighten up even the greyest of days.
Fittingly, the accompanying remix comes from long-time friends of the label Seahawks, whose textured, layered and atmospheric productions similarly blur boundaries between Balearic, ambient, pitched-down dancefloor grooves and glassy-eyed psychedelia. Employing opaque, shape-shifting pads, effects-laden guitars, subtle spoken word snippets and yearning, almost melancholic chords – all atop a crunchy, head-nodding beat and toasty bassline – the duo deliver a remix that’s as emotive and sonically stunning as Watson’s original mix.
The EP’s three other tracks amply demonstrate the subtle variety within Watson’s downtempo output. Vocalist Julie Childe makes her mark on ‘Sweet Sounds’, a brilliant blend of warming deep house and laidback Balearic nu-disco that sports subtle hints to his work as one half of synthwave duo Causeway, while ‘Open Sky’ brilliantly wraps undulating TB-303 acid lines and echoing Spanish guitars around a hypnotic, locked-in dancefloor groove.
Then there’s ‘The Landscape’, a deliciously saucer-eyed slab of breakbeat-powered, TB-303-sporting genius that evokes the immersive, early morning waviness of the ambient house era, the beach party psychedelia of San Francisco’s free party movement, and the bleeping wonder of turn-of-the-90s UK dance music. Like the rest of the EP, it’s an enveloping, head-soothing and mind-expanding treat.
e B2 High Desert Seahawks High Sky Remix
Mammal Hands announce spell-binding new album 'Gift from the Trees', their fifth studio album, pointing to subtle shifts and exciting new departures for the unique trio
"We're at a point now where playing and writing together can sometimes feel almost telepathic, that as individuals we can tune in to a collective resonance..."
Mammal Hands fifth album 'Gift from the Trees' offers a fresh perspective on the unique trio's singular music. The first to be recorded in a residential studio, the band enjoyed the opportunity to go late into the night searching for a deeper, more organic experience, closer to both their writing process but also their trance-like live performances. While some of the music was pre-composed and had even been performed live, the band also enjoyed the opportunity to improvise ideas in the studio. Drummer Jesse Barrett explains:
We wanted to have a more immersive experience that felt closer to our writing process. One thing that was really important to us was feeling free to jam out ideas as they came to us. We're at a point now where playing and writing together can sometimes feel almost telepathic, that as individuals we can tune in to a collective resonance and just follow that thread where it wants to go. Sometimes it's something as simple as a rhythmic, textural flow, like in Sleeping Bear.
There was also a conscious decision to move away from the sound and ambiance of the recording studio, with the band opting to engineer the record with their go-to live engineer Benjamin Capp before mixing the sessions with Greg Freeman in Berlin. The idea was to try and capture more of the energy of the band's captivating shows, saxophonist Jordan Smart explains:
Considering the group of tracks we had, it made sense to try and capture this process as organically and honestly as possible, and so a change in studio environment felt like the right move to us. Some of the tracks have a raw joy and energy that came with being able to play together again after a long period of time of having been apart, and capture that feeling of just being happy to be in a room with our instruments altogether again.
Whereas for pianist Nick Smart there was also the chance to really go deep into the band's music:
The new studio environment really opened us up to different ways of working and thinking because we could record at any hour of the day or night. I think this allowed us much more freedom to try unusual ideas and push elements of the music to extremes because we had the time to really focus in on the detail and work on things without time pressure. With some tracks, we were trying to find the boundaries of our playing ability and push beyond that point. With others, it was just getting into the right mindset and putting as much energy and emotion into the take as possible.'
The Welsh environment outside the studio doors seeped into the music presented on Gift from the Trees, with two recording sessions (one in winter and one in the spring) bringing different moods: one bleak and wintery, the other more hopeful and bright – an energy that permeates through tracks such as Kernel and Dimu.
Gift from the Trees opens with wonderfully elevating The Spinner which grew from one of Nick's piano parts and was developed and arranged into a complete tune without losing the feeling of constant flow and motion. It is almost like a dance, with the interaction of different melody parts and the doubling of certain parts melding together and fitting into the overall energetic flow, while Jesse's drums are both floating and deeply melodic. Riser aims to capture the band's raw energy and intriguingly is influenced by both breaks and modern drum production but also minimalist classical composition. Nightingale features the band at their most delicate and lyrical – a band favourite it draws heavily on modern folk with a beautifully realised melody that came unforced to pianist Nick Smart before being jammed out together. It was recorded early one morning, bringing an extra light and brightness to this beautiful performance.
Another album highlight is Dimu which utilises one of drummer Jesse Barret's favourite rhythmic devices from the Tabla repertoire and draws inspiration from Indian, Greek and Arabic music as well as modern folk arrangements. Dimu starts with saxophone over a bed of drones and percussion and moves through many different sections that frame and present the melodies in unique ways. The beguiling, intimate Deep within Mountains aims to place you in the room with the band as they play; it was recorded late at night to capture a dreamlike, liminal ambiance. The piano solo really reflects this mood and energy while the tenor is some of the softest and closest on the recording. Elsewhere, the remarkable Labyrinth started with what Nick describes as "some weird recording on my phone from a soundcheck, where Jordan was playing some crazy sounding bass clarinet part and I quickly recorded him", giving birth to a captivating, complex slice of propulsive 'almost' contemporary classical that like so much of the music on Gift from the Trees really couldn't be any other band than Mammal Hands.
Finally, the album draws to a close with the glorious Sleeping Bear, a tune that was wholly improvised in the studio. Nick and Jesse entered a simple but 'weird' locked groove and Jordan improvises melodies over the top. The track came about without any planning or thought; it was one of those special things that came by surprise and the band felt offered the perfect ending to their latest gift to us all: a deeply enthralling album that captures so much of what makes Mammal Hands a special band while mapping out new routes and paths for their beautiful, beguiling music.
New York painter and musician exploratory industrialist Tor Lundvall initially envisioned his 14th album, Beautiful Illusions, as an entirely instrumental affair, "inspired by memories of sitting in a church or cathedral watching the shifting sunlight through stained glass." Although he ultimately chose to wreath the majority of the tracks with hushed, poetic vocals, his original muse still resonates. These are certainly songs of shadowplay and vaulted skies, the quiet grandeur of dusk deepening on the horizon. Lundvall characterizes the lyrical subject matter, too, in ways both specific and surreal, exploring "the doubts, the anxieties and even the bleak fantasies the mind spirals into during moments of isolation, separation and distance." Tricks of the eye, mind, and ear, magnified by silence and the looming long winter. Shivering pulses and muted bass lines tread the twilight while icicle synths and wiry guitar map the melody until the voice enters, narrating oblique moods of essence and absence, tenderness and truth. Glimpses of dark humor flicker in the wordplay but the greater sonic landscape is one of falling leaves and failing light, small gestures rendered as revelation, cloaked in reverb and spatial fog. Lundvall's mastery of nuance and negative space continues to heighten, whispered brushstrokes of the invisible and the unsaid, what lies beneath and what lies beyond: "Behind the shields and false fronts is usually a sadness. The heartbreaking reflections of what might have been."
2LP+2CD+Booklet[100,80 €]
180 g black Vinyl
Die legendären Jethro Tull melden sich nach ihrem Top-10-Album 'The Zealot Gene' von 2022 mit ihrem 23. Studioalbum 'RökFlöte' zurück. Zwölf Tracks erinnern die Welt an den kultigen Sound, den die legendäre Band in die Rockmusik einbrachte, aufgenommen mit der aktuellen Tull-Besetzung von Ian Anderson, David Goodier, John O'Hara, Scott Hammond und Joe Parrish James. Präsentiert in zwei Deluxe-Formaten: Ltd. Deluxe dark red 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook inkl. 2 Kunstdrucken, und außerdem als Ltd. Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook, beide mit ausführlichen Liner Notes inkl. einer CD mit Demos und einer Blu-ray mit Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound und alternativen Stereomischungen von Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief), sowie einem ausführlichen Interview mit Ian Anderson. Auch erhältlich als Special Edition CD Digipak, Gatefold black 180g LP & LP-Booklet und digitales Album (einschließlich räumlicher Audioversionen).
With Cruisin', their second album for Telephone Explosion, Toronto's Bernice distils their playful sense of composition resulting in the most affecting collection of their young career. Across fifteen tracks, a special kind of contemporary, jazz-inflected pop unfolds, miraculous for being both fun and musically adventurous, all in the name of emotional resonance. Each groove in the bassbin is matched by a little scratch at the listener's heartstrings. The album was recorded at home with Phil Melanson (Sam Gendel, Andy Shauf) and Thom Gill (Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Joseph Shabason), led by songwriter and vocalist Robin Dann (Martha Wainwright) and producer Matthew Pencer, with additional contributions from longtime members Dan Fortin and Felicity Williams (Bahamas) being captured remotely.
Throughout their eleven years as a group, working at the intersections of several scenes and spotlights (many of which begin and end at Toronto's beloved Tranzac Club), Bernice have developed an idiosyncratic musical language that feels immediately inviting and wonderfully refreshing. The group's two previous releases, Eau De Bonjourno (2021) and Puff: In The Air Without A Shape (2018) received generous nods from both Stereogum and Pitchfork, who described the music as "unusually mesmerizing". With the songcraft a little more crystalline and the vulnerability notched up, Cruisin' feels like the right record to open Bernice up to a much wider audience.
Development of the album began in Spring, 2021 during a writing retreat at the family farm in Bond Head, Ontario. Members of the band luxuriated in slow time, tinkering with lyrics and melodies, sharing meals, knitting. From this communal gathering, the concept of 'dedication' emerged as a guiding theme. Specifically, developing songs in an almost epistolary form; as love letters or check-ins for friends, community members, pets and other more elusive acquaintances (a longtime working title for the project was 'Songs For People').
Lead single 'Underneath My Toe', one of the first pieces developed under this theme, finds the group at their most graceful and direct. Beginning with songwriter/vocalist Robin Dann singing simply 'Hi / I miss you all the time', the composition proceeds to shift subtly between soft jazz balladry and low-bit funk, revelling in the intimate beauty of a long-time-no-see letter to a dear old friend.
Though being a band that so deeply values the art of fartin' around, Bernice couldn't settle on such a straightforward approach. During the creative process, a clarifying question arose: 'Can you cruise to it?'. This somewhat ambiguous aesthetic criteria became a guiding light for the album. 'Sure, it's a beautiful song about building trust with a new nonagenarian friend... but can you cruise to it?'.
Case in point, both follow up singles, 'No Effort To Exist' and 'Second Judy', fall into a more nebulous, bewildering category of song. Undoubtedly affecting, emotionally charged, existentially searching, yet also undeniably juicy. Drum patterns skitter into place while synth tones shift on a dime to meet thematic twists. There's errant whistling and curious overdubs. Then in come elegant backing vocals, elevating the narrative while an unlikely, left-field groove is established. Miraculously, the listener is not just moved, but Cruisin'.
Therein lies the marvel of Bernice: they remind us that the rec room funk of Mario Kart 64 need not exist in mutual exclusivity to a rich tapestry of human emotions. Even as we live through this most cursed timeline, we can look into the heart of things, dwell on the challenges we're called to witness, and find a little levity to carry us through; grab a lil' mushroom and cruise the existential soup.
- A1: The Chronic (Intro)
- A2: F____ Wit Dre Day
- A3: Le Me Ride
- A4: The Day The Niggaz Took Over
- B1: Nuthin' But A "G" Thang
- B2: Deez Nuuuts
- B3: Lil' Ghetto Boy
- C1: A Nigga Witta Gun
- C2: Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat
- C3: The $20 Sack Pyramid
- C4: Lyrical Gangbang
- C5: High Powered
- D1: The Doctor's Office
- D2: Stranded On Death Row
- D3: The Roach (The Chronic Outro) (The Chronic Outro)
- D4: Bitches Aint's ____
Legendary 7X GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning artist/producer Dr. Dre celebrates the 30th anniversary of his magnum opus, The Chronic by announcing the album will be re-released. The Chronic, which is not currently available on streaming services, will again be available to fans on all major DSPs .
Steve Berman, Vice Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M, said: “Dr. Dre is without a doubt one of the most iconic and groundbreaking artists in the modern era. He has also used his platform to fuel some very impactful philanthropic efforts that will ensure his legacy is felt for generations to come. Dre’s solo career all started with the The Chronic, one of the most celebrated recordings of all time.
First released on December 15, 1992, The Chronic peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and has spent 97 weeks on the chart since its release. The album also spawned three top 40 hits on the Hot 100, including top ten records with "Nuthin' But a “G” Thang" (No. 2) featuring Snoop Dogg and "F— Wit Dre Day" (No. 8). The Chronic topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for eight weeks, while "Nuthin’ But a "G" Thang" hit No. 1 for two weeks on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Last June, Rolling Stone placed The Chronic on its 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time List, boasting how the album "redefined the West Coast Hip Hop sound." Pitchfork also holds the seminal album in high standing, saying The Chronic lives on as a “timeless show of strength” and “gave shape to L.A.’s present and future.” Videos from The Chronic are also available on Dr. Dre’s official YouTube channel.
Last year, Dr. Dre dazzled during the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show in Los Angeles. His enormous set was star-studded, as Dre performed alongside some of music's biggest stars, including Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, and 50 Cent. Dre commanded the stage – just a few miles from his birthplace of Compton – with a groundbreaking setlist anchored by hits such as "The Next Episode" and the 2Pac-led "California Love." The historic performance earned Dr. Dre his first-ever Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). The Hollywood Reporter called the halftime show "thrilling and nostalgic," while Billboard credited Dre for his "seismic impact" on music.
- A1: Youre Stronger Than You Think
- A2: Glimmerings
- A3: Saturnine
- A4: Glow
- A5: Friday Film Special
- A6: Soon Comes Night
- A7: An Unbroken Thread Of Awareness
- B1: We May Not Stay
- B2: Everything Is Going To Be Ok
- B3: Last Breath
- B4: You're Stronger Than You Think (Revisit)
- B5: Parasite
- B6: Sanctuary
- C1: Erased By Sunlight
- D1: Long Walk
Black Vinyl[24,92 €]
LP[25,00 €]
180 g black Vinyl
Die legendären Jethro Tull melden sich nach ihrem Top-10-Album 'The Zealot Gene' von 2022 mit ihrem 23. Studioalbum 'RökFlöte' zurück. Zwölf Tracks erinnern die Welt an den kultigen Sound, den die legendäre Band in die Rockmusik einbrachte, aufgenommen mit der aktuellen Tull-Besetzung von Ian Anderson, David Goodier, John O'Hara, Scott Hammond und Joe Parrish James. Präsentiert in zwei Deluxe-Formaten: Ltd. Deluxe dark red 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook inkl. 2 Kunstdrucken, und außerdem als Ltd. Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook, beide mit ausführlichen Liner Notes inkl. einer CD mit Demos und einer Blu-ray mit Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound und alternativen Stereomischungen von Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief), sowie einem ausführlichen Interview mit Ian Anderson. Auch erhältlich als Special Edition CD Digipak, Gatefold black 180g LP & LP-Booklet und digitales Album (einschließlich räumlicher Audioversionen).
Limited Vinyl
Polly Records, the new Hamburg based music imprint kicks of with a 2 Track 7'' record added by 3 digital jams called "Bumpers". On this release, producer Speckman captures a part of his 2020 outlet, which includes a heavy UK influence, driven sound-textures as well as fast and shaking beats. At some point it might feel like you would touch the power supply with wet fingers. The producer and Golden Pudel Club resident Speckman also happens to be a member and co-founder of the Polly Records Crew. Accompanied by his fellows and partners Natalie Andruszkiewicz and Malte von der Lancken, who both are heavily involved in the Hamburg club and art scene, they built the group behind the promissing new label. Andruszkiewicz, graphic-designer and artist, known for her exquisite and unique style in colors, forms and typography evolved in a surrounding of bands and musicians, her talent and high demand led into works such as Booklets, Party-Flyers and Album-Covers for bands like Aroma or Pool. Malte von der Lancken, does bookings for the highly reputed club Uebel & Gefährlich and is responsible for tons of great parties that clearly pushed the landscape of electronic dance music around the city of Hamburg since years.
With forced powers the trio is now setting up Polly Records, a label that is willing to push boundaries and provide a platform to artists that really try to outbreak specific genres or styles, visually and audio vise. Aware of a long-lasting tradition of great hamburg based institutions such as Smallville Records, Dial or the Golden Pudel Club, Polly will certainly continue that road but perhaps in another vehicle for example a sportscar with butterfly doors.
After Speckman's "Bumpers" EP which is going to be released in late summer, the label wants to introduce another hamburg based talent, that been kept hidden for too long. Stay tuned.
- A1: Ana Frango Elétrico – Saudade
- A2: Pedro Fonte – Clichê
- A3: Bala Desejo - Lua Comanche
- A4: Ava Rocha - Boca Do Céu
- A5: Exército De Bebês - Avós Da Experiência
- A6: Thiago Nassif - Soar Estranho (Feat. Arto Lindsay, Vinicius Cantuária & Gabriela Riley)
- B1: Negro Leo – Mulato
- B2: Mari Romano – Amélie
- B3: Rosabege - Sigo Num Site / Mármore
- B4: Dora Morelenbaum - Vento De Beirada
- B5: Cadu Tenório & Juçara Marçal - Candombe - La Cacundê Iauê
- B6: Jonas Sa – Gigol?
- C1: Troá – Bandeide
- C2: Marcelo Callado - Simbora (Feat. Silvia Machete)
- C3: Ovo Ou Bicho – Moços
- C4: Lê Almeida - Apreço Antigo
- C5: Vovô Bebê - Briga De Família (Feat. Ana Frango)
- D1: Joana Queiroz - Dois Litorais
- D2: Raquel Dimantas - Flecha Azul
- D3: António Neves & Thiaguinho Silva - Das Neves
- D4: Letrux - Dorme Com Essa
- D5: Os Ritmistas - Sambolero
The popularity of Brazilian music from the 60s, 70s and 80s has experienced quite the renaissance; artists such as Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Arthur Verocai, Joyce et al, have become household names to an international audience passionate about global sounds. However, even for die-hard fans and collectors of Brazilian music of the past, discovering contemporary Brazilian artists is not always easy, nor accessible. But, if you know where to look, you will see that there is a resurgence well underway that can be epitomised by an exciting new wave of Brazilian artists beginning to break through and gather momentum overseas. It’s with thanks to Sound and Colours, a website devoted to promoting Latin American music and culture, that we can help shine a light on one particular collective, bursting with creativity and camaraderie.
‘Hidden Waters: Strange and Sublime Sounds of Rio de Janeiro’ is compiled by Joe Osborne (founder of specialist Brazilian music platform Brazilian Wax) and Russ Slater (editor at large of Sounds and Colours). Focusing solely on the 'Rio Scene', rather than taking on the mammoth task of tackling Brazil as a whole, this collection presents 20-plus ground-breaking artists selected from Rio’s resurgent music scene. By presenting a snapshot into the pulse of the city and the vibrant musicians that live in it, ‘Hidden Waters’ collates tracks from a wide spectrum of musical genres from the avant-garde edge to bossa nova, samba, Candomblé, lo-fi rock, jazz and funk.
‘Hidden Waters’ showcases musicians such as iconic Rio mainstays Negro Leo & Ava Rocha, Brazilian jazz upstart Antônio Neves, critically lauded Avant-pop trailblazer Thiago Nassif, breakthrough artists Ana Frango Elétrico and Letrux, lo-fi psych rocker Lê Almeida, plus the Latin Grammy-winning Bala Desejo who are set to explode onto the world stage. The music featured on ‘Hidden Waters’ is unequivocally Brazilian, swelling with samba, bossa nova, funk, and jazz. But it’s within the album's blend; from sunny psychedelia to dusky synth-pop via experimental electronics, that marks the compilation as the sound of modern, multicultural Rio.
This comprehensive compilation comes with album artwork designed by Rio music’s leading album artwork designer, Caio Paiva. It features essays by professor and music critic Bernardo Oliveira and music journalist Leonardo Lichote, plus extensive notes on each track by the artists themselves.
- A1: Dotlights - Come In & Stay
- A2: Bao, Broken Transient - Mantilla
- A3: Poldoore - Warmer Days
- A4: The Doppelgangaz - Dole Out
- A5: Afroham - Satisfaction
- A6: Flavors, Floridomi, Chief - Softly Spoken
- A7: C Y G N - Time To Chill
- B1: Birocratic, Soren Sostrom - Want To
- B2: Nymano, Suuna - Moving On
- B3: Sofasound - The Loveliest Dream
- B4: Chromonicci - Northern Lights
- B5: Invention - Igloo Palace
- B6: G Mills - Long Grain Game
- B7: Oddfish - Pine Away
- C1: Moderator, Thomas Prime - Drowning Eyes
- C2: Psalm Trees - I Go To Rio
- C3: Odyssee, Lucid Green - Slowly
- C4: Parkbench Epiphany - Ether
- C5: Kendall Miles - Avalanche
- C6: Masked Man - Fuyez
- D1: Yoann Garel, Aphrow - Soul Reflection
- D2: Blue Wednesday - Window Seat
- D3: Stan Forebee - Swirl Solstice
- D4: Mama Aiuto, Hm Surf - Napping Bell
- D5: Swum, Takeo - Long For
- D6: Less People - Special Person
Cozy up for winter with our newest Chillhop Essentials seasonal compilation 2022. The calming and laid-back lofi instrumentals welcome winter leaves and comfy hoodies. It's time for some coffee or tea and an evening to relax. All the song project features an impressive list of producers.
- A1: Liquid Liquid - Optimo
- A2: The Contortions - Contort Yourself
- A3: Konk - Elephant
- A4: Implog - Holland Tunnel Dive
- B1: Chain Gang - Son Of Sam
- B2: Bush Tetras - You Can't Be Funky
- B3: Material - Reduction
- B4: Mars - Helen Forsdale
- B5: Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Wawa
- C1: Theoretical Girls - You Got Me
- C2: Konk - Baby Dee
- C3: Mars - 3-E
- C4: Bush Tetras - Too Many Creeps
- D1: Arto / Neto - Pini, Pini
- D2: Alan Vega - Bye Bye Bayou
- D3: Implog - Breakfast
Soul Jazz Records’ new 20th anniversary one-off limited-edition heavyweight special-edition coloured vinyl pressing + download code exclusively for Record Store Day 2023 of Soul Jazz Records’ New York Noise: Dance Music from The New York Underground 1978-82.
‘New York Noise is a comprehensive look at the post-punk and no wave era, a short period in time whose influence is still immeasurable and sensed today.’ The Guardian
‘One of the most satisfying archival collections, Soul Jazz’s compilation New York Noise 1978-1982, gathers far-reaching tracks from such diverse acts as Liquid Liquid, Material, and Glenn Branca.’ Pitchfork
This new 2023 edition features classic New York post-punk, punk funk, synth wave and no wave tracks from Arthur Russell/Dinosaur L, James White and the Contortions, The Theoretical Girls, Mars, Konk, Material, Bush Tetras, Lizzy Mercier Descloux alongside rare tracks by the likes of Alan Vega (Suicide), Chain Gang and Implog.
‘New York Noise’ sums up the point in time and space where dance music and punk rock first met as New York’s No Wave artists such as Glenn Branca, James White alongside new york dance music’s experimental pioneers such as Arthur Russell (Dinosaur l), Bill Laswell (Material), and Konk created new musical art forms out of this union.
‘Compilations like this are necessary because they document bygone fragments of time and keep them alive for younger generations. Compilations like
this are dangerous because they tend to fall in the hands
of young bands who spend more time looking behind
than ahead.’ All Music
“ABBEY ROAD’S world-renowned engineers have been cutting grooves into discs since the studios first opened their doors in 1931. This record was pressed from a master cut using a precision technique known as half-speed mastering. The procedure requires the source master and the cutting lathe to run at half speed on a specially adapted Neumann VMS-80 lathe.
This rare and specialised technique transforms difficult to cut highend frequencies into relatively easy to cut mid-range frequencies. The result is a cut with excellent high frequency response and very solid and stable stereo images. In short, half-speed mastering produces a master of the highest quality that enables the pressing plant to produce a superlative record.”




















