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Ein Nachfolger zur 2016 erschienenen Country-Rock-Compilation "Cosmic American Music"! Dieser zweite Band geht weit über Gram Parsons' Country-Rock-Vision hinaus und erforscht die twangigen Falsettos und kommerzielle Neugier, welche auch die Eagles aufsteigen ließ. Obwohl verwurzelt im Westküsten-Folkrock der späten 60er Jahre, präsentierte diese neue Generation einen "Safe-for-the-suburbs"-Sound, der von den politischen Unruhen der Hippie-Ära geprägt war. 20 Tracks, zwei LPs im Klappcover.

Neon Sky Vinyl!. Ein Nachfolger zur 2016 erschienenen Country-Rock-Compilation "Cosmic American Music"! Dieser zweite Band geht weit über Gram Parsons' Country-Rock-Vision hinaus und erforscht die twangigen Falsettos und kommerzielle Neugier, welche auch die Eagles aufsteigen ließ. Obwohl verwurzelt im Westküsten-Folkrock der späten 60er Jahre, präsentierte diese neue Generation einen "Safe-for-the-suburbs"-Sound, der von den politischen Unruhen der Hippie-Ära geprägt war. 20 Tracks, zwei LPs im Klappcover.

Forgetting You Is Like Breathing Water, the self-titled debut from the duo of trumpeter Will Evans and guitarist, synthesist, producer and multi-instrumentalist Theo Trump, arrives like a vault revelation. It feels like a decades-old yet newly unearthed masterwork of gorgeous ambient improvisation, the sort of thing scholars live to research and shepherd into deluxe reissue.

The patient, crystalline chords that swell and resonate like a series of confessions; the textured brass murmurs that suggest a ’60s or ’70s Fire Music master at their most poignant. Provocative found-sound experiments threading arcane religious recordings through dystopian soundscapes. Ear-shattering free-noise tumult. Where and when did this music come from? Who are these voices?

As it turns out, Forgetting You Is Like Breathing Water springs from an engrossing human story, though it isn’t necessarily the one you’d expect. This work of stunning maturity is in fact an entrance by two little-known explorers in their early 20s, who grew up together in Virginia, in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It documents one of those perfect, sparkling moments in post-adolescence when big decisions and responsibilities are right around the corner, but for a spell, two young artists are able to create among the comforts and nostalgia of their shared past.

It also represents a reunion of sorts, as Evans and Trump connected as toddlers, became inseparable as boys, then pursued independent lives and creative paths as young adults. “Theo is my oldest friend,” Evans says, “and I feel like that’s what this band is — us meeting right in the middle of our interests.”

Now, having conjured this magic, they’ve detached once again: Evans, whose other works include the indie/avant-jazz unit Angelica X, is currently based in New York City. Trump recently moved to England, where he’d participated in his family’s theatre company, to go to school and further his solo ambient project. “This album didn’t start out as something super ambitious,” Evans explains. “It was more just an excuse to spend time together again and make music.”

***

In conversation, Evans and Trump are a delight, especially for cynics who might think that Gen-Z is only capable of doomscrolling. They come across as kindly young intellectuals who grew up using the internet as it was intended, for exposure to ideas and art across genres and generations. Trump points to indie-folk and the oracular post-rock of late Talk Talk, Bark Psychosis and Gastr del Sol. Pressed for his guitar heroes, he cites Bill Orcutt, Mary Halvorson and Marc Ribot, and mentions his devotion to alt-country. Heyday electro-industrial stuff like Skinny Puppy and Nine Inch Nails also meant a lot to him.

Evans is equally intrepid, though his background has a greater jazz focus. Ambrose Akinmusire, among today’s most thoughtfully commanding trumpeters, is a favorite. As for the soulful murmur he offers throughout Forgetting You, Pharoah Sanders’ wistful and lyrical contributions to Floating Points’ work is a touchstone.

The two grew up down the street from each other in the northern Piedmont town of Batesville, Virginia. Their families were friends, holidays were celebrated together and they became the most loyal of pals. As children they had a pretend band.

Then life unfolded, they attended different schools and their paths diverged. Evans discovered John Coltrane and became a jazz obsessive, as Trump found punk and hardcore and later began making ambient music. As a dedicated jazz trumpeter, Evans studied formally and widely; Trump was an autodidact, teaching himself guitar and absorbing synthesis and production techniques. The late teens and very early 20s brought moves away from home and back to home, as well as plenty of listening and learning. The Covid pandemic meant an opportunity to reconnect on long walks. Through it all, together and apart, they remained reverent of each other.

By early 2023, they found themselves living again among the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the evening, after giving trumpet lessons in Charlottesville, Evans would make the eerily beautiful trek “over the mountain” to Trump’s home in Staunton, Virginia. They’d talk and eat and begin to improvise, deep into the night. Evans played trumpet and sometimes drums. (Given the wee-hours recording schedule, the neighbors didn’t appreciate the latter.) Trump plugged a rickety, junk-store Telecaster-style guitar into a cheap solid-state amp and explored open tunings; he also layered on lap steel, electric bass, synths and electronics.

They locked in and relished each other’s gifts. In Trump, those include patience and intentionality and sonic decision-making; for Evans, a distinctive trumpet sound that both musicians think of as a singer’s voice. “Will’s playing is so thoughtful and well placed,” Trump says. “My goal from a producer’s mindset is that the trumpet will occupy the space that vocals would take.”

Often, they got lost in the best way. “The thing I look for most when I’m playing is that feeling of disappearing into what you’re doing,” Evans says. “Usually when that happens, the music is good.”

By the same token, they didn’t pursue free improvisation as an ethic, or as a pure process. Their goal was something closer to spontaneous composition. “We were trying to make good songs,” Evans says simply. Later, Trump did brilliant post-production work, expanding a modest setup into an enthralling soundworld. Under his judicious editorship, music that was wholly improvised sounds at times like a carefully composed new-music commission.

The results speak for themselves. “A Happy Death” summons up a swath of American desolation through the viewfinder of Wim Wenders. “Flesh of Lost Summers” and “Partings” are highlights from an essential ECM LP that never was. “A Collapse of Horses” infuses those seminal post-rock influences with the plod of doom metal or slowcore. The album’s final track, “The Mountains Are a Dream That Calls to Me,” was in fact the first thing the duo recorded, as an evocation of those twilit drives across the Blue Ridge Mountains. “Looking back at what we chose to name the songs,” Evans says, “and some of the sounds and how they make me feel, there is an air of impermanence and loss to this album.”

“I’m excited for everything that’s to come,” he adds, “but I recently thought, ‘Damn — that’s not going to happen again.’ It was a privilege for us to have that time together.”

Verve Forecast announces the first in a trilogy of Spoken Word EPs from three-time Grammy nominated artist Tank and the Bangas. ‘The Heart’ is an EP that features Jill Scott and is produced by The Roots' James Poyser (Erykah Badu, Common). Subsequent EP installments feature Yaya Bey, Aja Monet, Samara Joy, J Ivy. Second EP will be ‘The Mind’ and is produced by Iman Omari (Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller). ‘The Soul’ will be the final installment and is produced by Robert Glasper (H.E.R. Brandee Younger). Following the August 30th album release with all three parts, there will be a fall co-headline tour with Jamila Woods and a Blue Note NYC residency (third year in a row)!

Hot off a crazy year of constant touring, Flammer Dance Band returned to the studio, buzzing with spontaneous energy and inspiration.

Seven musicians squeezed into a hot and sweaty soul shack, in pursuit of the funk.

OH TELEPHONE haben ihren Ursprung in den tiefen Tälern des Glarnerlands, wo sie dank dem Veka Club bestens sozialisiert und resistent gemacht wurden gegen jegliche Mainstreameinflüsse. Bookingagenturen schiessen nur so um sich mit Bands mit Psych in der Bezeichnung welche gerne die nächsten Oh-Sees wären und dabei ihren Sound grausig radiotauglich modellieren. OH TELEPHONE hingegen sind "the real shit", Garage-Psych wie er momentan von keiner Band besser gespielt wird. Ihre Schreie wirken nie berechnet sondern wie ein spontaner Ausbruch der Leidenschaft, ihre Gitarren durchlöchern jedes Trommelfell und wenn am Boden so einige Effektgeräte rumstehen wird nicht Shoegaze sondern Steptanz betrieben. Nun haben die beiden Masterminds hinter ihren früheren Bands SHOUTIN' MOE und THE OUTTA MIND ihren Wohnwagen nach Bern gebracht und dort die perfekte Mischung ihrer beiden früheren Bands gezüchtet, zusammen mit Gael am druckvollen Post-Punk Bass und dem kalifornischen Import Timothy U. am effizienten Schlagzeug. Für diese Aufnahmen auf dem Album sind sie ins Tiefe Süd Frankreich gefahren um mitLo Spider in sein Swamp lands Studio (the Monsters, the Spits, Scanners, the Lullies etc) dieses album einzuspielen den schluss fix hatt dann noch Jim Diamond dazu gegeben (The Dirtbombs, Electric Six, The White Stripes, The Sonics, The Devils) Aufgepasst! Abfeiern! (wicked wiggler)

Zum 20-jährigen Jubiläum erscheint das Debüt-Album einer der erfolgreichsten Indie-Pop- Bands der 00er Jahre erstmals auch auf Vinyl. 2004 waren Schubladen noch wichtig. Popmusik war noch nicht dieses eklektizistische, sich aus universell verfügbaren, entkontextualisierten Quellen speisende Internet-Monster. Wer also beispielsweise deutschsprachigen Gitarrenpop spielte, musste sich positionieren: Bewegte man sich eher in der diskursverliebten, kopflastigen Tradition der Hamburger Schule und hoffte auf "Indie-Credibilität"? Oder wollte man Teil der immer größer werdenden Deutschpop-Industrie werden, vornehmlich repräsentiert von "female fronted" Bands wie Mia, Juli oder Silbermond (nicht zu vergessen die stets gut gelaunten Jungs von von Sportfreunde Stiller), die - mal mit eher studentisch-intellektueller Grundierung, mal mit eindeutig schlagerhafter Geste - das Gefühlige in den Focus rückten. Es gab aber auch Acts, die sich nicht entscheiden wollten. Auf der Insel hatten es die Bands der Britpop-Welle schließlich vorgemacht. Hier ging es mit cooler Haltung, jeder Menge Subversion, aber eben auch goldenen Melodien und echten "Hits" in höchste Popstar-Gefilde. Wieso nicht auch in Deutschland Anspruch, Originalität und Gefälligkeit miteinander in Einklang bringen? Hier kommen nun also Anajo ins Spiel, eine 1999 gegründete Band aus dem provinziellen Augsburg, die 2004 mit ihrem Debüt-Album "Nah bei mir" genau diesen Sprung zwischen die Stühle wagte - und dafür mit sehr viel Liebe bedacht wurde, auch wenn die Indiepolizei nicht immer einverstanden war. "Nah bei mir" ist eine durch und durch leichte Platte, die mit catchy Sounds und Melodien bisweilen gewichtige Themen verhandelt: Überwindung tiefer Trauer ("Der Vorhang geht auf"), Entfremdung ("Einmal noch schlafen"), bittere Enttäuschung ("Die Tränen sind immer noch meine") - immer aber präsentiert mit einem süffisanten Lächeln auf den Lippen. Als wahre Meister beweisen sich Anajo auf dem Album in der schwierigen Disziplin der unblöden Partysongs: Auch nach 20 Jahren überkommt einen beim Hören so skurril-absurder Feger wie "Monika Tanzband", "Honigmelone" oder "Ich hol dich hier raus" noch diese unbändige, mitreißende Freude.

The A side, Can't Call My Baby, showcases Adriana Flores' impressive lead vocals and comes straight off of Thee Sinseers debut LP that has already streamed almost 7 million times on Spotify alone in less than three months. The B side features a brand new, never before heard song from the band. Take A Chance emphasizes Joey Quinones' trademark crooning while the track urges you to take a chance on love before it's too late. The expressive notes of a harmonica shines throughout the song and blends classic Motown harmonics with Latin soul. Also Available From Thee Sinseers: For You / Si Llorarás 7”, Sinseerly Yours

Geteyes Einflüsse sind vielfältig und spiegeln seine Liebe zum melodischen Sampling wider. Zu seinen Hauptinspirationen gehören so berühmte Acts wie Madlib, J Dilla, Kankick, Hi-Tek, Mo Kolours, Afta1, KNLO und Iman Omari. In Frankreich haben Künstler wie Onra, Astronote und Barrio ebenfalls einen Einfluss auf Geteyes Schaffen gehabt. Das neue Album ,KID" ist der Höhepunkt eines lang erwarteten physischen Projekts mit dem Musiklabel Dooinit. Inspiriert von seiner kürzlichen Vaterschaft, erforscht Geteye eine eklektische Mischung aus Jazz, Soul, Funk und brasilianischer Musik, um einen einzigartigen Vibe zu schaffen. Das Projekt beinhaltet einige starke Kollaborationen mit Künstlern wie ETO und Guilty Simpson, aber es ist der Track ,Deep Fake" mit dem französischen Rapper Mr JL, der Geteye besonders gefällt. Diese Zusammenarbeit ist die Verwirklichung eines künstlerischen Traums und sein Gast wertet das Instrumental auf. Kurzum, ,KID" bietet eine persönliche und kreative musikalische Erfahrung, die die Authentizität und Unschuld der Kindheit einfängt.

"Waxwork Records is honored to present the release of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to George A. Romero’s horror classic, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Written, filmed, and released in 1968 by a rag tag group of Pittsburgh based misfits, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is an American independent horror film that follows the story of seven people trapped in a rural farmhouse that is besieged by a large and growing group of living dead ghouls. The film is regarded as a cult classic by critics, film scholars, and fans and has garnered critical acclaim. The film has been selected by the Library Of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry and is deemed “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant”.

Filmed and released on a shoestring budget, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD became a smashing success earning over 250 times its budget. The film is a first of its kind and ushered in a new way of writing, directing, and filming horror films. The overused script of romantic, fantastical tales of otherworldly monsters and creatures was completely flipped and tossed aside by visionary George A. Romero. As the film’s writer and director, Romero created a new, obvious threat, and one that is universally recognizable - Our very own neighbors. Due to an unseen force beyond man’s control, the recently deceased arise from the dead in seek of living human victims. These ghouls kill and feast upon the flesh of their victims, and the only way of stopping them is by destroying their brains.

From 2015 to 2018, Waxwork Records worked closely with the remaining members of the independent production company that made NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, Image Ten, to produce a definitive soundtrack album featuring all music from the film. Much of the film’s music was thought to be lost or destroyed but was located in its entirety and faithfully restored and re-mastered for vinyl. This special release of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD features the complete soundtrack, double LP “Black & White Hand Poured” colored vinyl, all new artwork by Robert Sammelin, a booklet featuring never before seen production photos, liner notes by Daniel Kraus (co-author of THE SHAPE OF WATER with Guillermo Del Toro), liner notes by Night Of The Living Dead’s dialogue recorder and sound engineer, Gary Streiner, and deluxe packaging."

* After the stunning success of their critically-acclaimed third album Sharpener, which reached number 3 in the jazz charts and number 14 in the independent music charts, London’s brass juggernauts Hackney Colliery Band blaze back onto the scene with their first collaborative album, ushering in a whole new era for the band.

* Featuring collaborations with a host of key names in jazz and world music including amongst others the father of Ethio-jazz Mulatu Astatke, British jazz funk legend James Taylor, trombonist Dennis Rollins, UK saxophonist Pete Wareham and Beninese singer-songwriter and Grammy Award-winner Angélique Kidjo, Hackney Colliery Band have effortlessly transformed their explosive live energy into 11 original recordings that push the groove and form in an accomplished manner.

*On ‘Collaborations: Volume One’, writers Steve Pretty, Olly Blackman and Luke Christie have between them penned the outfit's most dynamic material to date. ‘Mm Mm’ (feat. Angélique Kidjo and Roundhouse Choir) merges Beninese grooves with wah pedal trumpet textures, and the rousing call-and-response between Kidjo’s soaring vocal and the exhilarating choir adds a richness and depth to the composition.

*On ‘Snowfire’, innovative Norwegian pianist Bugge Wesseltoft brings a euro/nu-jazz feel to the album, while Dennis 'Funkybone' Rollins adds his trademark virtuoso trombone to the carnival-flavoured ‘Ricochet’.

*There’s an energy, respect for tradition and the exuberance of London in Hackney Colliery Band’s work, best exemplified in the evocative and downright thrilling James Taylor collaboration ‘Hypothetical’, with Taylor’s Hammond organ recalling the Acid Jazz era in which he made his name.
*New single ‘Netsanet’ (feat. Mulatu Astatke) is a deep exploration of Mulatu's trademark Ethio-jazz, while ‘Crushing Lactic’, composed by Tom Rogerson (fresh from a recent collaboration with Brian Eno) has a frenzied flow, with big horns and driving rhythm section.

*Elsewhere, Pete Wareham (stalwart of the London jazz revival) lends his free-flowing sax to ‘What’s Gone Before’, leading us into a powerful communion of jazz and brass as Mulatu Astatke’s ‘Derashe’ takes the listener down a vibrating rhythmic path while accompanied by blasts of horns and Mulatu’s trademark vibraphone.

*Two spoken word compositions (‘Why Yellow’ and ‘Climbing Up My Own Life Until I Die’) featuring York born writer and comedian Rob Auton lend an introspective voice to ‘Collaborations: Volume One’.

*A band never content to rest on its laurels, Hackney Colliery Band already have a number of collaborations in the works for ‘Volume Two’, and with further live shows planned for 2019, including the album launch at the famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, 2019 looks set to be HCB’s biggest year yet, both live and on record.

* Steve Pretty, the band’s frontman said: “It’s hard to believe that 2019 is our tenth anniversary, but now we’re ten years older it felt like the right time to get back to our jazz roots. It’s been such a privilege to work with so many of our musical inspirations both old and new on this record, and we’re super excited to be ushering in the next ten years with this new collaborative spirit: this is called ‘Volume One’ for a reason…”

Big Crown Records is proud to present the reissue of one of Brooklyn’s most sought after “holy grail” soul records, YIA Talent Hunt Winners. Youth in Action, Inc. (YIA) was formed in 1963 when the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council received a grant to develop a youth services program in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community. It was originally organized to identify and address the social problems that were leading to the high crime rate in Bed-Stuy. Recently the Smithsonian Museum of African American History released an archive of footage filmed by a community activist, which shows the real-world effects of the group’s efforts: young people engaged in sports, the arts, and other activities to better themselves and their world. The appearances by Jackie and Bobby Kennedy point to the group's relationship to the Great Society programs of President Lyndon B. Johnson. What there is no mention of in either the NMAAHC’s collection of YIA materials nor in the Brooklyn Public Library’s also extensive collection is this talent show and the record that came to be because of it.
Local vocal groups chose tunes to cover from the era (1964 - 1968) ranging from The Rascals to The Intruders, from The O’Jays to Billy Stewart. All of these groups were backed by a local act called The Thrillers Band. The winners of the talent contest were then invited into the studio to record their versions which would be pressed up on this record and given away to local radio and TV stations. The hope of the whole thing was that this would help the young groups get discovered by producers and record labels and start their professional music careers. The intro to the album is Reverend Horace Tyler congratulating the winners and asking them “to just remember, when you reach the top and become our big stars of tomorrow, don’t forget YIA”.
What this album may lack in fidelity and production it more than makes up for in charm. The engineers at the recording sessions pump in pre recorded applause and screaming to give the it the feel of the day of the contest while the young groups sing their hearts out, clearly giving their all. From today’s perspective, soul music fans will lose it over the choices of covers on this record and the killer, raw, innocent performances of them by these local Brooklyn groups. The Channels 4, Carla & The Carlettes, The United Souls, Sharon Seabrook & The Starlettes, and The Destinations all won that day and got to take place in this record. It makes you wonder, and even pine for the performances of the groups who didn’t make the cut, even if just to find out what tunes they covered, or better yet, were their original songs written by some of them for this contest?
It is with great pleasure that we make this available to the public again. This is a truly rare record, and an awesome piece of New York History.

Xylitol is the alias of Catherine Backhouse, producer and DJ under the name DJ Bunnyhausen. She was a resident DJ at Kosmische, the now dormant Krautrock club and is a fan of jungle and hardcore. She currently co-hosts the radio show Slav To The Rhythm, which focuses on vintage central and eastern European pop and electronica and she's also co-writing a book on Yugoslavian pop culture. 'Anemones' is a total project from the cover to the music. Backhouse is fascinated by early botanical illustrations of anemones and other aquatic fauna, and how the act of taxonomy reveals as much about human psychology, desire and sublimation as it does about the organic specimen as a thing in itself. Each track is a microcosm of this 'other life', an allegory for the extraordinary potential latent within bodies that the dancefloor has the power to activate. Using early jungle and garage as starting points to connect dots and open up contrasts between dance music and vintage electronics, Backhouse finds a sweet spot which, in her words "feels like something that's simultaneously still and ancient yet propulsive and ecstatic." Not afraid of letting the the hiss and flutter of the music show, 'Anemones' holds attention with ancient bubbling synths and gracefully drifting arpeggiations, occasionally brought to heel by charming melodies, all accompanied by breakbeats that explode like fireworks. 'Anemones' has a lively and unpolished aesthetic that's a kindred spirit to Nondi_'s 2023 album of smeary, water-damaged footwork, 'Flood City Trax'. 'Moebius' pits the spaced out neon chords of the track's namesake against absolutely tearing breaks, allowing time for this almost overwhelming combination to become near enough transcendental, while the bleeping melody and sad slavic chorus motif in 'Okko' feels like an artifact from an alternative future. The Drexciya meets 2-step garage of 'Dobro Jutro' creates a welcome respite at the album's midpoint before the flow builds up again to 'Daša' with its glassy sounds from a lost radiophonic workshop miniature meeting bruising kicks and snares. Meanwhile 'Iskria' has purring synth chords and 8-bit melodies evoking the cosmonaut age. The subliminal influence of the Yugo era is felt in DIY synthesis and Mitteleuropean melody and seen in song titles such as 'Jelena', 'Miha', 'Daša' (named after novelist Daša Drndič) and 'Iskria' (taken from the fictitious Balkan region in Ottessa Moshfegh's bleak fable 'Lapvona'). 'Anemones' very effectively folds experimental genres from different times and places into a very enjoyable new sound.

"A Seamless Symphony of Harmonious Electronica" - Jazziz

Emerging from over a year of creative hibernation following their debut album, Stavroz's upcoming EP "Kick Up the Dust" jolts them back into action. The EP flows gently, yet the overall mood of the journey isn’t always easy to pinpoint. There’s a certain vagueness to Stavroz’ sound which allows for bizarre experiments to seep through without interrupting the course. “We like to keep it lightly twisted, like a wink with a frown,” says the band.



In the title track however, Stavroz boldly steers towards the heart of the dance floor: efficient, remorseless, powerful, intense and most of all... elegant. Guiding you harmoniously through the club is a delightful duet of trumpet and saxophone, timed perfectly to heal you where it hurts most.



"Her Eyes Were Red" does what it says on the cover. There's melancholy - without sadness. Power - without force. Love - without lust. Stavroz's music possesses a distinct power that feels both natural and organic, never resorting to brute force or aggression. In their own way, the Belgian quartet offers an astonishing journey of saxophone & duduk, supported by broken beats and chopped vocals.



In Dae-El, a track featuring the Brussels-based producer and sound designer Poltrock, ethereal-sounding synths and duduk are combined with ghostly high-pitch distortions. Despite a backbone of muffled beats, the tune has vaporous qualities, reverberations that wobble and tinkle into space – it’s an easy listening experience but in a trippy, spaced-out way. “We’re trying to go for the sweet spot between the couch and the club”.



Adding further depth to their EP, Stavroz collaborates with Brazilian singer and composer Castello Branco in "Valente." Here, intimate Sade-like vocals harmonize with rubbery scratches, acoustic guitar, and horn segments, crafting a lush lounge piece that seamlessly balances both relaxation and empowerment, transparency and provocation. It's a testament to Stavroz's versatility and their knack for creating music that defies easy definition, leaving listeners eagerly anticipating the next twist and turn in their captivating musical journey.

DJ support - Jeremy Underground, Alex Kassian, DJ Sprinkles, Willie Graff, Severino Panzetta, Rimarkable, Ella Knight

After a short hiatus To The Rock are back and it’s a lively one!
A repress of the definitive Danny J Lewis UKG classic Best Friends, this time around accompanied by 3 new remixes coming by the way of Chicago’s Garett David, newcomers Late Nite City and multi-instrumentalist Mom Tudie.

If you’re a Garage head, then you already know what the Spreadlove remix is saying. But for those hearing it for the first time it’s the sound of London 1999. Stripped back drums, choppy vocals, dubby synths that’ll transport you straight “back in the day”.

Garett David has done what he does best. Bringing Best Friends straight into 2024 with his unique style of garage and house influences. The elements hit hard on this, coupled with a full vocal it’s already getting love in all the right places

Late Nite City’s remix is a fresh 4x4 take on the original, giving a nod to the old (think 94 MK). Swinging drums, bright keys, thick choppy snares coupled with an organ that rings true of the glory days.
Last but by no means least, Mom Tudie flips the release on its head. This one takes us into new era soul territory that perfectly complements the preceding 3. Mom’s take gives the remix more space to breathe and in true Mom Tudie fashion the trumpet solo hits the spot.

Giuseppe Scarano, an Italian Artist Based in Antwerp, Belgium, Has Established Himself as a Prolific Figure in the Music Scene. Over the Recent Years, He Has Released a Multitude of Vinyl Records on Labels Such as Nice People, Disco Disco Records, and Core Cardiology. His Work Aligns With the Emerging Italian Wave, a Movement Spanning From Rhythm of Paradise to St. David and Gourmet De Funk. What Sets Scarano Apart Is the Distinctive Punchiness of His Style, Which Seamlessly Fits Into This Musical Landscape. an Exemplary Demonstration of His Talent Is the Ep That Kickstarts the Groove With "De Folies," a Jubilant 90s House Track That Artfully Combines the Vibes of Artists Like Sneak and Dimitri From Paris. This Record Is a Clear Invitation to the Dancefloor, Poised to Get Feet Tapping and Bodies Moving. the Ep Maintains Its Momentum With "Pleasure Dreams," Continuing to Weave a Musical Narrative That Captivates the Listener. Flipping to Side B, We Are Treated to the Disco-Infused Hit, "Walking on Music," and the Closing Gem "Timeless." This 12-Inch Record Is a Manifestation of Spontaneity and Boundless Energy, Guaranteed to Captivate and Delight Audiences. Scarano's Music Exudes Happiness and Is Designed for People Who Revel in the Joy of the Moment. as a Nod to His Roots and Influences, He Also Pays Homage to the Legendary Folie's Pigalle Club, Where Skylax Once Held Court and Organized Memorable Evenings Under the Banner of "House De Folies."...

Mark William Lewis’ acclaimed ‘Pleasure Is Everything’ & ‘God Complex’ receives a limited vinyl press on tastemaker London label Scenic Route Records.

Mark William Lewis’ acclaimed ‘Pleasure Is Everything’ & ‘God Complex’ receives a limited vinyl press on tastemaker London label Scenic Route Records.

Scenic Route Records is proud to announce the first vinyl press of Mark William Lewis's critically acclaimed EPs Pleasure Is Everything and God Complex. These releases, which have collectively amassed nearly 3 million Spotify streams, capture the raw and evocative sound that has earned Mark a dedicated following within London’s underground music scene. Influenced by left-field pop, ambient, and indie rock, is deeply personal, reflecting his experiences and the unique perspective gained from living on the 18th floor of a tower block in London.

Mark's music has been widely praised for its emotional depth and innovative songwriting, with support from publications such as Pitchfork and The Fader praising his ability to create atmospheric soundscapes that resonate with listeners on a profound level. This vinyl press offers fans a chance to experience these early EPs in a format that enhances the warmth and texture of his music.

As Mark continues to build his presence with sold-out shows at Cafe Oto & and international tours alongside NYC rapper MIKE, this pressing serves as both a celebration of his early achievements and a milestone in his artistic journey. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to his music, the repress of Pleasure Is Everything and God Complex is an essential addition to your collection, offering a deeper connection to the intricate, emotive world of Mark William Lewis.

SUNANDBASS ambassador FD returns for his latest EP to guide you back to the familiar shores of our annual celebration in Sardinia. Rich and expressive music that works on the dancefloor can be hard to find but FD brings the goodness once again, with this diverse three-tracker.

“All Yours” hits the sweet spot straight away, with dusky vocals and tight beats. Deft guitar licks keep the funk fluid, wrapping around an essential groove, whilst crystal keys shimmer in the heat haze. An ace opener to any set, this track strikes a rare balance between rhythm and elegance.

Flipping the script with an ice-cold intro, “Second Villain” creeps up close and personal before dropping a murderous bassline on your chest. Produced alongside one of Switzerland’s most respected DJs, Ryck, the ‘Villain’ encompasses and embraces influences from Jungle and Drum & Bass alike.

Finalising the ninth release on SUNANDBASS Recordings is “Wah Wah Track”, which puts the music first to prove that the medium really is the message here. Melodic layers rise and fall like waves on this classy and uplifting piece of future soul music.

Following on from his percussion driven 'Rhythm Trainx Vol 2' EP on the renowned Running Back Ketiov returns with something special for the fourth outing on his own self-titled label. The 'King Of Hypocrisy' LP is a journey of personal development and musical discovery built around soundscapes, field recordings and new monotone arrangements. From the start the Ketiov alias has been about free expression and musical direction and in stark contrast to the Running Back EP this record shows the broad spectrum of the artist's influences and inspirations. Each track holds a special meaning and background story, written in private and kept private until totally finished. From the spooky vocals of 'the Wait' to the blissed-out guitars of 'Today' and the analogue arpeggiators of 'Dual Morality' the ten short tracks come together as an exceptional personal listening experience, which leave us wondering... what else does Ketiov have in store for the future

Reissue! Ein exklusives Album zur damaligen (2019) Feier des 15-jährigen Bestehens des CMR-Labels, das von Chinese Man, Baja Frequencia und der Scratch Bandits Crew zusammengestellt wurde! Mit einer Mischung aus Scratch-Musik, Trip-Hop, Dub und tropischen Rhythmen zeigt The Groove Sessions Vol.5 die künstlerische Spontaneität und die stets sprudelnde Kreativität der Künstler des Labels. Im Februar 2019 verbrachten die drei Bands eine gemeinsame Woche in den Bergen. Die Idee war es, Stile und Inspirationen zu mischen, die Spontaneität der Produktionen stand im Fokus. In sechs Tagen entstanden 18 Demos. Sechs Monate später wurden schließlich 15 Songs für das Album fertiggestellt und veröffentlicht. Der Downbeat von Chinese Man vermischt sich mit den dub-tropischen Klängen des Baja Frequencia-Duos, welche von dem unglaublichen Hip Hop-Know-How der Scratch Bandits Crew ergänzt werden. A true banger! Klassisch schwarzes Doppel-Vinyl mit Downloadcode!

Kindred spirits Passepartout Duo and Inoyama Land embody the essence of play - charting a new chapter and reinvigorating the environmental music and electronic landscape.

Passepartout Duo is formed of Nicoletta Favari (IT) and Christopher Salvito (IT/US), who since 2015 have been on a continuous journey travelling the world's corners, engaged in a creative process they term "slow music". Having been guests of many notable artist residencies and with live performances in cultural spaces and institutions, their evocative music escapes categorisation. With no fixed abode their musical pilgrimage brought them to Japan first in 2019, which prompted a deep connection to Kanky? Ongaku 'environmental music', a genre in which Inoyama Land is often associated with, soundtracking the duo's first immersive experience. In 2023 the duo revisited Japan and set out to reconnect in particular with the music of Inoyama Land, performed by Makoto Inoue and Yasushi Yamashita. The highly revered album 'Danzindan-Pojidon' (1983) produced by Haruomi Hosono amongst other well publicized and acclaimed reissues (Light in The Attic Records' Grammy-nominated compilation 'Kanky? Ongaku'), produced a global resurgence and admiration of the environmental music movement. Nicoletta took the lead to seek out Inoyama Land and in making contact successfully their intrigue and eagerness to meet was warmly reciprocated, and the group scheduled to meet in the form of a spontaneous improvisation session. "We're deeply concerned with what it means to be a duo, and what it means for people to connect through music."

Radio Yugawara is a unique one-off transmission from a specific place and point in time, unlikely to ever occur again. The respective duo's approach can really be described as "tuning in", a tuning into each other, to themselves, and to the surrounding nature of Yugawara. Like waves that travel off-world, sounds travel through the universe and can be lost forever if we don't seek them out. In finding a harmonic affinity within their instruments and a spiritual kinship in their interwoven performance, Radio Yugawara at its core is an interpretation of feeling, of close human interaction and the true essence of discovery.

"The album is both a transmission from a location, but also a tuning into the surroundings and to each other. Music in this kind of ephemeral moment is much less about active creation and more about discovering something which is already there in the air."

After almost 2 years in development, Manata’s debut LP - The Golden Age, is by far the most challenging project we had worked on until this day.

This 9 track double vinyl represents perfectly what our vision is through music and what we aim to do as a label. In this album you will dive into Joao’s biggest influences between house and techno, a journey which will take you back to the golden era of electronic music. As you slide into the tracks, you can notice how the album goes from light to dark, with disc 1 delevering a more housy and groovy vibe, and disc 2 beeing more dark and energetic. Reachable to all ears and dancefloors is how we classify this golden nugget.

Die italienische Zwergen-Metal Armee WIND ROSE kehrt aus der Schmiede zurück und liefert ihr neues Album Trollslayer, das am 4. Oktober 2024
über Napalm Records erscheint! Die Power Metaller haben nicht nur die Million Hörer auf Spotify geknackt, sondern auch mehrere Millionen TikTok
Views gesammelt und ihren Status in der Szene in den letzten Jahren zementiert!
Den Durchbruch hatten sie mit ihrem Über Hit „Diggy Diggy Hole“ vom Wintersaga Album, der über 50 Millionen Streams und Aufrufe auf allen
Plattformen erreichte, sowie auf jedem Festival über den Zeltplatz hallt. Mit dem Nachfolgealbum Warfront erreichten sie erstmals die Top 10 der US
Currrent Hard Rock Charts und die Top 25 der Albumcharts in Deutschland.
Das neue Album Trollslayer ist der perfekte Mix aus absoluten Partyhymnen und tiefschürfenden, ernsthaften Tracks und erscheint direkt vor Start
der größten Europa Tour der Bandgeschichte zusammen mit Powerwolf und Hammerfall.

RAT BOY have recorded in Los Angeles with T im Armstrong of Rancid, played festivals as far afield as Japan and China, and toured North America with The Interrupters. Yet for all those globe-trotting adventures, there"s no place you know quite as well as home. That"s the central topic that R AT BOY explore on their upcoming third album "SUBURBIA CALLING", which will be released on October 4th via Hellcat. "SUBURBIA CALLING" sees RAT BOY exploring stories from their roots in Essex. It"s the land of wheeler -dealers and dodgy geezers, and home to nosey neighbours, rowdy clubs and Joey Essex. For readers outside of the UK, it"s the land of Blur, Depeche Mode and The Prodigy: a place not so far outside of east London, but in other ways it"s a world away. And it"s not only an immense font of inspiration for RAT BOY, but the place where ever ything happens for them.. Just outside of Chelmsford sits a converted barn where the band can jump in and be creative whenever the mood takes them - a HQ that is a recording studio, a rehearsal space, an art studio, a storage space and a hangout spot all-in-one. Frontman Jordan Cardy says, "I wanted to sing about Essex. Essex is where we live and when you"ve grown up somewhere you notice things about it. There"s so much to draw on. Essex is really close to London but it"s different in a lot of ways. We"ve got a lot of freedom here, we built a place where we can record and rehearse and hang out, somewhere you wouldn"t be able to have in London." RAT BOY - completed by Liam Haygarth (bass), Harr y Todd (guitar) and Noah Booth (dr ums) - approached the making of the al - bum in unorthodox fashion. They recorded a home demo and a live performance of each song, which were then sent to producer Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur) to edit together like a tapestry puzzle.

RAT BOY have recorded in Los Angeles with T im Armstrong of Rancid, played festivals as far afield as Japan and China, and toured North America with The Interrupters. Yet for all those globe-trotting adventures, there"s no place you know quite as well as home. That"s the central topic that R AT BOY explore on their upcoming third album "SUBURBIA CALLING", which will be released on October 4th via Hellcat. "SUBURBIA CALLING" sees RAT BOY exploring stories from their roots in Essex. It"s the land of wheeler -dealers and dodgy geezers, and home to nosey neighbours, rowdy clubs and Joey Essex. For readers outside of the UK, it"s the land of Blur, Depeche Mode and The Prodigy: a place not so far outside of east London, but in other ways it"s a world away. And it"s not only an immense font of inspiration for RAT BOY, but the place where ever ything happens for them.. Just outside of Chelmsford sits a converted barn where the band can jump in and be creative whenever the mood takes them - a HQ that is a recording studio, a rehearsal space, an art studio, a storage space and a hangout spot all-in-one. Frontman Jordan Cardy says, "I wanted to sing about Essex. Essex is where we live and when you"ve grown up somewhere you notice things about it. There"s so much to draw on. Essex is really close to London but it"s different in a lot of ways. We"ve got a lot of freedom here, we built a place where we can record and rehearse and hang out, somewhere you wouldn"t be able to have in London." RAT BOY - completed by Liam Haygarth (bass), Harr y Todd (guitar) and Noah Booth (dr ums) - approached the making of the al - bum in unorthodox fashion. They recorded a home demo and a live performance of each song, which were then sent to producer Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur) to edit together like a tapestry puzzle.

Gepaart mit dem unermüdlichen Bestreben der Band, ihre Musik im ganzen Land unter die Leute zu bringen, wuchs der Ruf von Maul schnell und ein Pakt mit 20 Buck Spin wurde mit Blut besiegelt. Die ersten Früchte dieses Bündnisses wurden Ende 2023 mit dem Promo-Tape "Desecration and Enchantment" geliefert. Und nun führen alle Wege zu Mauls zweitem Album "In the Jaws of Bereavement".

Während der verrottete Death Metal im Kern der Band unbestritten ist, schämt sich die Band nicht, wenn es darum geht, eine Vorliebe für die härtere Seite des Hardcore mit moshtauglichen Riffs und massentauglichen Breaks zu zeigen. In the "Jaws of Bereavement" schafft es, die unheimlichen Erscheinungen und die melodische Leadarbeit der Größen des Death Metal mit den strafenden Rhythmen der gewalttätigen Kraft des Hardcore so gekonnt zu verschmelzen, dass es sich völlig organisch anfühlt. Zusammengehalten wird das Ganze durch die ungestüme Stimmgewalt der menschlichen Abrissbirne Garrett Alvarado.

FFO: Sanguisugabogg, Phobophilic, Fulci, Scorched, Warflurch, Kruelty, Terminal Nation, Obituary, Gatecreeper

Gepaart mit dem unermüdlichen Bestreben der Band, ihre Musik im ganzen Land unter die Leute zu bringen, wuchs der Ruf von Maul schnell und ein Pakt mit 20 Buck Spin wurde mit Blut besiegelt. Die ersten Früchte dieses Bündnisses wurden Ende 2023 mit dem Promo-Tape "Desecration and Enchantment" geliefert. Und nun führen alle Wege zu Mauls zweitem Album "In the Jaws of Bereavement".

Während der verrottete Death Metal im Kern der Band unbestritten ist, schämt sich die Band nicht, wenn es darum geht, eine Vorliebe für die härtere Seite des Hardcore mit moshtauglichen Riffs und massentauglichen Breaks zu zeigen. In the "Jaws of Bereavement" schafft es, die unheimlichen Erscheinungen und die melodische Leadarbeit der Größen des Death Metal mit den strafenden Rhythmen der gewalttätigen Kraft des Hardcore so gekonnt zu verschmelzen, dass es sich völlig organisch anfühlt. Zusammengehalten wird das Ganze durch die ungestüme Stimmgewalt der menschlichen Abrissbirne Garrett Alvarado.

FFO: Sanguisugabogg, Phobophilic, Fulci, Scorched, Warflurch, Kruelty, Terminal Nation, Obituary, Gatecreeper

Clear Vinyl. For the first time ever released on vinyl, this brilliant 2012 LP features an all-star cast of musicians and actors lead by Tim Robbins, Dr. John, Bill Frisell, Ralph Steadman, Annie Ross, John Joyce III and Will Forte. Hunter S. Thompson's classic Gonzo reportage on the 1970 Kentucky Derby is summoned brilliantly to life through spoken word and musical composition. Conceived by executive producer Michael Minzer for his Paris Records label, the project was produced by Hal Willner, who brought Bill Frisell in as composer/arranger/conductor. Bill then asesmbled a stellar group of musicians including Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), Ron Miles (trumpet), Eyvind Kang (viola), Doug Weiselman (woodwinds), Jenny Scheinman (violin), Hank Roberts (cello) and Kenny Wolleson (drums, percussion). Ralph Steadman does double duty portraying himself in the narration and contributing original artwork for the project. In 2021, Kramer re-Mastered the original audio for this historic re-release on limited-edition 'Horse-Shit Brown' vinyl for his Shimmy-Disc label.

Those in the know are well aware of Bobby Marin's work, and the fact that he was behind the scenes for some of the best boogaloo and salsa of the '60s and '70s. Yet, until now, no one has explicitly put Bobby's name in the headline and given him his due on the cover of a properly credited Latin soul compilation. This compilation comprises twenty four essential boogaloo, Latin funk, rock and afro disco gems, each one bearing the mark of quality: "A Bobby Marin Production", including songs by Ricardo Marrero, the Ghetto Brothers, Ocho, Louie Ramírez_ A freshly curated overview of his fascinatingly complex back catalog in these genres. Since the late 1980s there have been numerous Latin soul and boogaloo compilations, and certainly much has been written about the history of the music too and an an excellent documentary (We Like It Like That, by Mathew Ramírez Warren) have brought the music to a broader audience. Generally, when discussing the "first wave" of Latin soul and boogaloo, it's the bands and their leaders, the singers and the songs that get all the recognition. But what of the producers, composers, and arrangers behind the music? Over the years, one of the best old-school New York Latin music producers, Bobby Marin, has occasionally been given some well-deserved credit and popped up sporadically in articles or liner notes (Wax Poetics, Fania, Gladys Palmera). However, to the casual public, he is not a household name, even among some fans of boogaloo. There are even some contemporary Latin soul compilations that contain mostly material licensed, produced and / or written by Bobby (or his brother, Richard), and a tip of the hat must go to Bobby's friend Dean Rudland for all his work in this area, as well as to Rocafort Records for digging up the long-lost Nitty Gritty Sextet album. Yet, until now, no one has explicitly put Bobby's name in the headline and given him his due on the cover of a properly credited Latin soul compilation. This collection aims to change that and give the man his Latin soul "props" for the first time on a freshly curated overview of his fascinatingly complex back catalog in this genre.

"OneDa's story is so clearly mirrored in her music: a sprightly flow preaching a message of empowerment, enveloped in a dark, raucous soundscape…interlacing vibrant, punchy lyrics with that classic drum & bass sound has given OneDa a new lease of life." – DJ MAG

“OneDa is solidifying her position as one of the UK’s most thrilling hip-hop artists. With poignant lyrics and charisma that is off the charts, she dives deep into the complexities of life, love, and liberation.” – DIVA

Manchester rapper and poet OneDa is set to soar with the release of her debut album, 'Formula OneDa', on October 4th via Heavenly Recordings. Featuring the singles 'Major Pay' and 'Set It Off.'

On the ethos behind the album, OneDa says:

“In early 2023, while listening to my mixtape demos, the line ‘had to step away, get the levels up fast, Formula OneDa never come last' from my song ‘Off My Light’ stood out. We decided to name my album 'Formula Oneda'. Coincidentally, I discovered that the F1 Academy had just started, aligning perfectly with my album’s vision. For the first time in over 30 years, Formula 1 has created a platform to inspire and support young girls and women. Previously indifferent to Formula 1, I am now excited by the progress these women are making in the male-dominated racing circuit. While becoming a racing driver was never my goal, the F1 Academy metaphor fits my journey from a backmarker to a leader. This year, I plan to support these inspiring women as they drive with Pussy Power to take pole position in motorsports.”

Having supported Kneecap and Baxter Dury, and with standout performances at The Great Escape, OneDa is establishing herself as one of the UK’s most dynamic hip-hop artists. Her music transcends genres, blending hip-hop, drum and bass, afro-trap, and afrobeats, reflecting her Nigerian heritage and Manchester roots. Known for her dexterous wordplay and poetic verses, OneDa's voice is a unique force in the evolving drum and bass scene. Her boundless linguistic talent and poetic verses set her apart. Named by The Face as a key MC in the drum ‘n’ bass renaissance, OneDa is dedicated to empowering others.
Her live performance credits include headlining with Angélique Kidjo at Aviva Studios' launch in Manchester and leading performances at Manchester Pride 2023. She continues to gain acclaim from BBC Radio 6, DJ Mag, The Face, NTS, Wonderland, UKF, and The Line of Best Fit.

Beyond her music, OneDa is dedicated to community initiatives, leading hip-hop therapy for Manchester youth and championing projects like Herchester, which amplifies marginalized voices in music. Her vision extends beyond chart success; she aims to establish a hip-hop therapy school for all ages, showcasing music's potential for positive change. Her drive and authenticity inspire others to embrace their true selves.

Citing 'empowerment' as her greatest inspiration, OneDa channels her struggle with acceptance of her queerness into her music, promoting a message of self-love and freedom: “When you truly love yourself, that overpowers anyone else’s opinion.” Although she only began producing music two years ago, OneDa’s debut LP showcases her mastery across multiple genres. Collaborations with artists like Sam Binga, Songer, Devilman, and Mr. Scruff highlight her versatility. Her standout verse on Vibe Chemistry’s 'Ballin’', with over 35 million streams, further cemented her reputation. Her first fully produced track, 'Rude Girl Flex', earned her a spot on the BBC 6 Music playlist and an appearance at the BBC 6 Music Festival.

"Once more with attitude: April Art have set out to do nothing less than change the world. That may seem bold, true, but you know what: They have the songs to back this attitude. It’s a modern metal sensation like no other, emerging from the underground and led by sparkling frontwoman Lisa-Marie Watz. In, fact, April Art have risen so rapidly in recent years that it could make you feel dizzy just by watching them. Now, however, the time has come for the big leap, for their breakthrough: their third album “Rodeo” unapologetically changes into the fast lane, speeding away from everyone else with huge hits, a brutal bite and peerless power.

Trigger warning: a German band hasn’t sounded this explosive, this hungry, this insatiable for a very long time. “Our music stands for hope,” says the German band. “We want to give strength and courage to believe in yourself and in life. The more people realise that they can take their lives into their own hands, the less room there is for hatred and envy.”


April Art deliver this important message in the best possible way – with uplifting, electrifying, euphoric music somewhere between modern metal and alternative rock. The band are just as averse to blinkers as they are to racism, homophobia or division, spicing up their energising brew with flavours ranging from pop to rap and electro. “Rodeo” gives us all wings. Let’s soar together. In 2022 and 2023 alone, April Art earned two million streams on Spotify, appeared on WDR Rockpalast and will be on stage at the legendary Wacken Open Air this year. "

Produced by Lenny Kravitz (Executive) and Fela Kuti’s original engineer Sodi Marciszewer (Artistic). Worldwide tour in 2024 / 2025 (North America, Europe, Australia). New album from 2018 Grammy nominated album “Black Times”. Seun Kuti set to release highly anticipated album ‘Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head)’ featuring guests Damian Marley and Sampa The Great on October 4th. Afrobeat virtuoso Seun Kuti is gearing up to unleash his latest musical masterpiece upon the world with the upcoming release of his album that will be set to make waves globally via Milan independent label Record Kicks. Coming 6 years after the Grammy nominated album ‘Black times’, this album marks a pivotal moment in Seun Kuti's illustrious career, showcasing his evolution as an artist and activist. Executive produced by legendary musician Lenny Kravitz and Fela Kuti’s original engineer Sodi Marciszewer (artistic producer), ‘Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head)’ promises to deliver a sonic experience like no other. With both Kravitz's and Sodi’s expertise together with Seun Kuti's unmatched talent, the album is poised to redefine the boundaries of contemporary music while staying true to the roots of afrobeat. Featuring a tracklist of six electrifying songs, each track on ‘Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head)’ embodies the spirit of resistance, resilience, and revolution. Each song talks about standing up against challenges and fighting for change. Like the standalone singles ‘Dey’ feat reggae icon Damian Marley, described as “a song about embracing and championing who we are, regardless” and ‘Emi Aluta’, “a song about struggle (Aluta means struggle) that pays homage to all the great revolutionaries”, that features Zambian singer, rapper and songwriter, Sampa The Great, one of best and most innovative lyricists of our time. The song ‘T.O.P.’ is about “how society values money and success more than people”. Seun Kuti wants to change this by promoting empathy and reconnecting with nature. In another song, ‘Love & Revolution,’ he expresses his love for his wife and believes that true love can inspire people to make the world a better place. “This project has been very special to me from the moment I conceived it, speaking to Lenny Kravitz, who has shown me such a brotherly love and respect” Seun says. “He has brought me to his home. I met his daughter Zoe and he has guided us with fierceness. Since we spoke about the album, three years ago, as the executive producer of this project, he has always been by our side and very supportive”. “I want to thank Craig Ross and Sodi, the producer of this project. We had a great time. It was the first time for me in the studio with Sodi and I was really impressed by his work and his fatherly advice and dedication”. Each song on the album is a testament to Seun Kuti's unwavering commitment to using music as a tool for social change and empowerment. Through his powerful lyrics and infectious grooves, he continues to carry on the legacy of his father, the legendary Fela Kuti, while carving out his own path in the world of music. As a musician and pan-African activist, Seun has been involved in a number of campaigns in recent years, including #EndSARS – a social movement against police brutality in Nigeria. Significantly, he’s revived the Movement of the People (M.O.P.), the political party his father set up in 1979, which was quashed by the military government not long after Fela’s failed presidential bid. Fans can expect an album that not only entertains but also inspires and ignites a spirit of activism and liberation. Seun Kuti is a Nigerian musician, singer, and songwriter renowned for his captivating performances and socially conscious music. He is the youngest son of Afro beat pioneer Fela Kuti. Seun has spent most of his life preserving and extending his father's political and musical legacy as the leader of his father's former band Egypt 80. As a developing saxophonist and percussionist, he entered the formal ranks of the band before he was 12. In 1997 when Fela passed, in fulfilment of his father's wishes, Seun assumed the mantle as head of Egypt 80 and he has run it ever since. During his career, Seun Kuti released 4 albums with Egypt 80: ‘Many Things’ (2008), ‘From Africa with Fury: Rise for Knitting Factory Records’ (2011), coproduced by Brian Eno and John Reynolds, ‘A Long Way Beginning’ (2014) and the Grammy nominated ‘Black Times’ (2018) that included a feature from Carlos Santana. They also released numerous EPs. Seun has played for enthusiastically receptive audiences globally and collaborated with many great artists. In 2022, he joined forces with Roots frontman and MC extraordinaire Black Thought in the EP ‘African Dreams’. In 2023, Seun collaborated on Janelle Monae's ‘The Age of Pleasure’ (Grammy nominee for Album Of The Year) with the two singles 'Float' and 'Knows Better', teamed up with Talib Kweli and MadLib for their album ‘Liberation 2’ on the song ‘Nat Turner’ featuring Cassper Nyovest and released a new version of the single ‘Bad Man Lighter’ with Black Thought, featuring Vic Mensa

‘What makes Sex Swing so powerful is that they transcend the limitations of rock music. Their sound is so full of possibilities, violence, sexuality, sacrifice, even religion. If there was a future to look forward to for heavy guitar music, this is it’ The Quietus The locals call it Sop Ruak – eighty thousand square miles of mountains and mystery and unholy medicine. “It really is an endless seam of activity,” Sex Swing frontman Dan Chandler explains of Golden Triangle – both the title of their new album and the region between Myanmar, Thailand and Laos that inspired it. To know this contradictory corner of the world is to understand fully why the cult-beloved noise-rock artisans turned to it when writing their hotly-anticipated third full-length. The real-life Golden Triangle is a groundswell of both natural wonder and drug production, and who combines beauty and narcotic brutality better than Sex Swing? For a decade now, this
collective of revered UK underground musicians, comprising members of Earth, Mugstar, The Keep and Jaaw, have been pulling audiences into drug- like slipstreams with their alchemy of pummelling rhythms, towering guitars, and unrelenting saxophone through which glimmers of light occasionally pierce through. No wonder their Golden Triangle is an album telling distortion-shrouded tales from one of the most storied, enigmatic places on the planet, with enough invention within to fill eighty thousand miles and more.
Where does this violent, hypnotic aural travelogue take you within the Sop Ruak? The seven tracks that make up The Golden Triangle see the band – completed by bassist Jason Stoll, drummer Stuart Bell, guitarist Jodie Cox, synthesist/guitarist Oli Knowles and saxophonist Colin Webster – adventure first to ‘The Confluence of the Ruak and Mekong Rivers,’ full of shimmering orchestration and feather-light ambience. Then come stops in ‘Myawaddy’, named after a small town embroiled in bloodshed on the border of Myanmar
and Thailand, and ‘Boten, Route 13’ – sparked by stories of a seemingly endless stretch of road from Laos into China. Before long, listeners are plunged into ‘Hpakant’, one of the album’s most invigorating and singular moments, lyrically inspired by a jade mine in Myanmar, where the spoils of forced labour are exchanged for prostitution and methanphetamine. The result is a mesmerising slow-burn of sax, snaking rhythms and sinister spoken word courtesy of the Scottish-born Bruce McClure, who “took the theme and turned it into a sci-fi story of exploitation and vice,” explains the frontman. It’s a track that, like the rest of Golden Triangle, underlines the evolution Sex Swing have undertaken since forming in 2014. From the raw and primitive sounds of the self-titled debut full-length, followed up by the coruscatingType II in 2020. Sex Swing’s third effort retains those early primitive elements and adds layers of structure and complexity. Golden Triangle initial formation was that of programmed beats and bedroom recordings shared electronically in the height of the pandemic. Those ideas were then completed during intensive writing sessions at a secluded farm in Oxfordshire.
Album credits consist of recording by Stanley Gravett at Holy Mountain Studios in Hackney, mixing by Wayne Adams at Bear Bites Horse, mastering from James Plotkin, and the continued aesthetic collaboration with artist Alex Bunn. Golden Triangle bristles with a rawness familiar to fans of the British sonic punishers, but adds new elements indicative of a group never resting on their laurels or sitting in one place. Why would they, after all? There’s an entire world of mountains and mystery and unholy medicine out there to be explored. The Golden Triangle, it seems, is just the beginning.

‘What makes Sex Swing so powerful is that they transcend the limitations of rock music. Their sound is so full of possibilities, violence, sexuality, sacrifice, even religion. If there was a future to look forward to for heavy guitar music, this is it’ The Quietus The locals call it Sop Ruak – eighty thousand square miles of mountains and mystery and unholy medicine. “It really is an endless seam of activity,” Sex Swing frontman Dan Chandler explains of Golden Triangle – both the title of their new album and the region between Myanmar, Thailand and Laos that inspired it. To know this contradictory corner of the world is to understand fully why the cult-beloved noise-rock artisans turned to it when writing their hotly-anticipated third full-length. The real-life Golden Triangle is a groundswell of both natural wonder and drug production, and who combines beauty and narcotic brutality better than Sex Swing? For a decade now, this
collective of revered UK underground musicians, comprising members of Earth, Mugstar, The Keep and Jaaw, have been pulling audiences into drug- like slipstreams with their alchemy of pummelling rhythms, towering guitars, and unrelenting saxophone through which glimmers of light occasionally pierce through. No wonder their Golden Triangle is an album telling distortion-shrouded tales from one of the most storied, enigmatic places on the planet, with enough invention within to fill eighty thousand miles and more.
Where does this violent, hypnotic aural travelogue take you within the Sop Ruak? The seven tracks that make up The Golden Triangle see the band – completed by bassist Jason Stoll, drummer Stuart Bell, guitarist Jodie Cox, synthesist/guitarist Oli Knowles and saxophonist Colin Webster – adventure first to ‘The Confluence of the Ruak and Mekong Rivers,’ full of shimmering orchestration and feather-light ambience. Then come stops in ‘Myawaddy’, named after a small town embroiled in bloodshed on the border of Myanmar
and Thailand, and ‘Boten, Route 13’ – sparked by stories of a seemingly endless stretch of road from Laos into China. Before long, listeners are plunged into ‘Hpakant’, one of the album’s most invigorating and singular moments, lyrically inspired by a jade mine in Myanmar, where the spoils of forced labour are exchanged for prostitution and methanphetamine. The result is a mesmerising slow-burn of sax, snaking rhythms and sinister spoken word courtesy of the Scottish-born Bruce McClure, who “took the theme and turned it into a sci-fi story of exploitation and vice,” explains the frontman. It’s a track that, like the rest of Golden Triangle, underlines the evolution Sex Swing have undertaken since forming in 2014. From the raw and primitive sounds of the self-titled debut full-length, followed up by the coruscatingType II in 2020. Sex Swing’s third effort retains those early primitive elements and adds layers of structure and complexity. Golden Triangle initial formation was that of programmed beats and bedroom recordings shared electronically in the height of the pandemic. Those ideas were then completed during intensive writing sessions at a secluded farm in Oxfordshire.
Album credits consist of recording by Stanley Gravett at Holy Mountain Studios in Hackney, mixing by Wayne Adams at Bear Bites Horse, mastering from James Plotkin, and the continued aesthetic collaboration with artist Alex Bunn. Golden Triangle bristles with a rawness familiar to fans of the British sonic punishers, but adds new elements indicative of a group never resting on their laurels or sitting in one place. Why would they, after all? There’s an entire world of mountains and mystery and unholy medicine out there to be explored. The Golden Triangle, it seems, is just the beginning.

In January 2023 out of nowhere came a perfectly formed and amazing four track demo from Brussels' CŒUR À L’INDEX. Now they follow it up with an 8 track album for La Vida Es Un Mus. CŒUR À L’INDEX deal in a sound that will make your knees weak and heart melt from the very first note to the last. Fragile pop songs for people who love C86 as much as they love power pop and punk, but who also have a soft spot for French Chanson from the 60’s onward. An instant sugar rush with a bubblegum flavour of a band bought up on a diet of GIRLS AT OUR BEST, DOLLY MIXTURE and CHIN CHIN but also ELLI ET JACNO, LOUISE FERRON or RENAUD from who they lifted their album tittle. Part of a new wave of bands like ALVILDA and RIBBON STAGE their debut LP has bounce, it’s upbeat and it’s the perfect calling card

CECILIA is a nomadic soul. Like in an existentialist epic that traverses different ages on a phantom thread of love, spirituality, desire and rage. She inhabits different bodies, inserts herself in a whole array of different characters. Some are fictional, some are as real as the artists that inspired her, and whose influence appears in CHOEUR under the guise of tiny fragments, direct quotes, dedications and spectral presences. Cecilia channels the poetry of different lives that might have been her own or might have only existed in dreams, and does so within a collection of songs that twist the path of traditional French and Italian songwriting into the inmost recesses of electronic mysticism. The composition of CHOEUR took place mostly around January 2023, a pretty precarious time in the artist life, and happened in a spontaneous and ritualistic manner that could appear as somewhat odd in the realm of electronic music production. Birthing out of ego-free solo jams in hyphened states of consciousness and audience-less performances, these moments of do-or-die energy intake served to funnel the wilderness of her emotions into extremely tight arrangements, ultimately allowing a dramaturgy of fierce and beautiful songs into existence. Striving for the sublime, CECILIA trained her whole body for a paradoxical procedure of disconnection and reconnection. A crucial pin in Melissa Gagné’s system of 7-year creative cycles, CHOEUR marks her debut on Haunter Record as much as the first step towards the possibility of a new artistic identity. A labour of love if there ever was one. CHOEUR is made of Awe, Chants and Ravishment, of Pain until Vision. CHOEUR prays Earth, Water, Stars, Sea. CHOEUR feels Spirits, Lightning, Thunder, Dawn, Dusk, Blood, Flowers. CHOEUR invokes a Return, to Grace. CHOEUR loves Mud and longs to Play. CHOEUR lives in a Dream created by a Dream. CHOEUR lives in a Body created by Love. CHOEUR is about a broken heart, open and ecstatic, about the beauty and the sadness that all is not what could be, about wandering and wondering why were the stars made so beautiful?

"A group of tried-and-true musicians got together and found the sort of camaraderie and kinship you typically only find once in a lifetime. They didn’t overthink it. They didn’t waste a second. They simply left their blood, sweat, and tears on tape—like they’ve always done. For as much as Better Lovers represents the union of former Every Time I Die members Jordan Buckley guitar,Steve Micciche [bass], and Clayton “Goose” Holyoak [drums] with The Dillinger Escape Plan and Killer Be Killed frontman Greg Puciato [vocals],and musician (Fit For An Autopsy/END) and GRAMMY® Award-winning producer, Will Putney [guitar], it really cements the bond of five friends around a shared vision. That vision is as uncompromising, unapologetic, and undeniable as anything they’ve individually done, yet it’s refined by experience and a commitment to a future together. They’re in it for the long haul... “To me, this band is refreshing,” exclaims Jordan. “Looking back, I’m so happy everything got me to where I am. The pandemic and the last few years made me hungrier and more grateful. This isn’t a hobby. This isn’t temporary. This is the next evolution for each of us. Greg and Will rejuvenated me and made me even more confident.



Now, everybody needs to know we’re a wild animal that just broke out of the zoo—there’s no trying to put it back in the cage.” “Better Lovers definitely feels like its own thing,” states Greg. “I’m in so many lanes right now, so it was important that one lane didn’t step on another. However, nothing I’m doing is this vicious. This is full-on scathing. It’s been really fun. I forgot how much I liked that.” As the story goes, Jordan ended up back in Buffalo, NY, jamming in a basement rehearsal spot with Steve and Goose during the winter of 2022. After working with Will on the last two Every Time I Die records, they shared a handful of early demos with him to produce. As the year progressed, Jordan caught Greg on the road with Jerry Cantrell in Las Vegas, mentioning the new music. Once ideas solidified, he shared them with the vocalist who replied at 3am one night in December. “The text said, ‘Let’s give these motherfuckers what they want’,”chuckles Jordan. “I went to bed smiling and laughing. There is no one like Greg on stage, off stage, or over text. Once I told Will, he was like, ‘Can I play?’ We said, ‘Of course!’ That’s how it was born.” “Once I pick up the scent, I’ll go for the kill,” smiles Greg. “We’ve all hung out, gotten to know each other, and it’s all fire now. Everyone has already been through shit. You know yourself better. Your ego isn’t as big as it used to be. You can share your opinions. It’s a cool dynamic.” Fittingly, they introduce this era with the single “30 Under 13.” A seasick guitar groove bleeds into an incisive riff punctuated by Greg’s vitriolic and venomous screams, “Hold onto me, try to let go of me, let go of what you’ll never be. ”This barrage unpredictably subsides on a haunting clean vocal, only to ramp back up into a pit-splitting thrash crescendo and rapid-fire solo played at warp speed. “We always try to up our game,” notes Jordan. “This is the next step for all of us. There’s just constant forward motion, and we don’t want to compromise that. We want to keep going. We’re doing a lot of shit we haven’t done before in Better Lovers. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but get ready.” “For some reason, this song got me,” recalls Greg. “Once that happens, you have the toe of the dinosaur skeleton in the dirt. You start brushing it away, and soon you have a fucking T-Rex.” The name might give you a hint of what’s coming—or it might not. So, what does the future hold for Better Lovers? Well, it’s entirely in their control. Expect a lot of touring. Expect more music. Expect these five guys to leave a trail of destruction in their wake—really would you want anything less? “We feel like we’re going to explode if we sit around any longer,” Jordan leaves off. “This is my life’s work. I learned all of my lessons, passed all of the tests, and took all of the right turns and the wrong turns. It turns out what I thought were wrong turns got me here, and that’s all that matters. I have no regrets. I know this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” “I just want you to view this on its own merits,” Greg concludes. “I hope it reaches some new people. For me, the enjoyment is making the music and putting it out. The second it’s released, I don’t look back. You drop the bomb and keep flying the plane. You don’t circle back to see how much destruction you cause. You keep moving, which is what we’re going to do.” "

Sasu Ripatti presents the fourth volume in his "Dancefloor Classics" series with five 10" releases coming throughout 2023. Music for imaginary dancefloors, released on Ripatti's own label "Rajaton".

”Look up, into the light” she said, while the camera shutter clicked. ”Like this? Does it look holy?” His neck felt stiff. Her reply: ”Yes, just like that. What do you mean holy? Like religious? ”No, more like trying to look very far, somewhere beyond what we can see.” ”Okay, stand still, I’m going to come close to you now. The light hits your face great.” click, click, click.

He noticed her fingernails. They were not polished. Natural. Even somewhat rugged, as if something wore out the fingers slightly. What had these hands held besides the camera? What made the edges of her fingernails drift off?

He thought it’s weird to look straight into the camera. The photographer had closed her left eye, the one not looking into the lens. Then it opened, she looked up, perusing the surroundings, then she closed her eye again, then looked up, closed, looking up, very quickly. It all seemed very professional. Maybe she calculated the light, making sure it’s close to perfect. ”What will these photos look like?” – the thought popped into his head briefly. It was liberating to think it wouldn’t matter.

”What’s that song playing?” he asked. ”Wait a sec, Ol’ Dirty Bastard?” she replied. ”Oh yeah, right. But the sample?” ”Hey, could you look up again, like that. No, lower.”

New directions: ”Look out from the window, turn left.” ”My left or yours?” ”Yours, I always try to think from the direction of my model.” How professional! This is a good shoot, so natural. Should I worry about how the photos look like? No, I don’t want to. His thoughts bounced around. What would the story be like? It’s a big newspaper, everyone will read it. Maybe someone drinks coffee and eats a stroopwafel while they do it. Will they place the waffle on top of the mug for a brief while, so that it gets hot and the syrup melts a little? Then it feels wet, and you can bend the cookie.

She broke his train of thought off midway through: ”Now turn right, but look left, and slightly up, but don’t turn your face right.” ”Umm, like this? Sounds like a set of pilates instructions.” she laughed ”You do pilates?” ”Yeah, it’s hard sometimes. Have you tried?” ”No”, she said. ”I’m not good for sports that are done in groups.” ”Yeah, but in pilates you can just be inside your mind, drowning in your private thoughts.”

”What are you thinking in pilates?” she asked, taking more photos. ”Well, mostly just which way is right. And which left.” click, click.

Q&A with Sasu Ripatti:

1) Tell us something about the EP series ”Dancefloor Classics”, what’s the idea and what can we expect?

I’ve been slowly writing these sort of dance music pieces and finally curated them together for a conceptual release. I like to create music for a dancefloor that exists only in my imagination and doesn’t try to suck up to the standardized reality.

2) Your vinyl format is 10” which is quite special (as opposed to LP / 12”). Why did you choose it?

It’s my favourite format, absolutely. The size is perfect, and you can make it sound really good @ 45 rpm. And you still can make great artwork.

3) You seem interested in sampling/repurposing, what does it mean to you as an artist to approach something already existing from a new angle? How does the source material inform you about the approach to take?

I guess i could flip it around and just say I’ve outgrown synths or electronic sounds to a great extend, and having gotten rid off all my synths already good while ago I’ve used samples as my main source material a lot. It’s obvious on this series that i’ve sampled existing music, but I also sample instruments and things in the studio and resample my own library that I have built over the years, it’s quite large. To me the end result matters, not so much how I get there. Once I have something on my keyboard and play around, it’s all an instrument, though with sampling other music it becomes a really interesting and complex one as you’re possibly playing rhythm, but also harmonic content and maybe hooks or whatever, all at once.
I never sample premeditadedly, like listening to records and looking for that mindblowing 3 sec part. I just throw the cards in the air and see what lands where, just full intuition and hopefully zero mind involved, playing tons of stuff, trying things, just recording hours of stuff. Then comes the interesting part to listen to hours of mostly crazy stuff and finding that mindblowing 3 sec part.

4) What is your relationship with the dancefloor (conceptually and/or in experiences / as a performer)?

Very complicated. I have never really felt comfortable on a dancefloor but have always wanted to. There’s something in club music, in theory, that really speaks to me. It has never really materialized for me – speaking mainly from a performer’s point of view who goes to check on a dancefloor for a moment after a concert. I never have DJ’d or felt much interest towards it. But again, I love the idea and concept of DJing. As well as producing music for imaginary DJs. Lately, as in the past 10+ years, I haven’t even performed in any sort of club spaces. So my relationship to the dancefloor is quite removed and reduced, but there’s quite a bit of passion and interest left.

All tracks composed and produced by Sasu Ripatti.
Artwork & photography by Marc Hohmann.
Mastering by Stephan Mathieu for Schwebung Mastering.
Vinyl cut by SST Brueggemann.
Publishing by WARP Music Ltd.

Sasu Ripatti presents the fifth and last volume in his "Dancefloor Classics" series. Music for imaginary dancefloors, released on Ripatti's own label "Rajaton".

--

”Look up, into the light” she said, while the camera shutter clicked. ”Like this? Does it look holy?” His neck felt stiff. Her reply: ”Yes, just like that. What do you mean holy? Like religious? ”No, more like trying to look very far, somewhere beyond what we can see.” ”Okay, stand still, I’m going to come close to you now. The light hits your face great.” click, click, click.
He noticed her fingernails. They were not polished. Natural. Even somewhat rugged, as if something wore out the fingers slightly. What had these hands held besides the camera? What made the edges of her fingernails drift off?
He thought it’s weird to look straight into the camera. The photographer had closed her left eye, the one not looking into the lens. Then it opened, she looked up, perusing the surroundings, then she closed her eye again, then looked up, closed, looking up, very quickly. It all seemed very professional. Maybe she calculated the light, making sure it’s close to perfect. ”What will these photos look like?” – the thought popped into his head briefly. It was liberating to think it wouldn’t matter.
”What’s that song playing?” he asked. ”Wait a sec, Ol’ Dirty Bastard?” she replied. ”Oh yeah, right. But the sample?” ”Hey, could you look up again, like that. No, lower.”
New directions: ”Look out from the window, turn left.” ”My left or yours?” ”Yours, I always try to think from the direction of my model.” How professional! This is a good shoot, so natural. Should I worry about how the photos look like? No, I don’t want to. His thoughts bounced around. What would the story be like? It’s a big newspaper, everyone will read it. Maybe someone drinks coffee and eats a stroopwafel while they do it. Will they place the waffle on top of the mug for a brief while, so that it gets hot and the syrup melts a little? Then it feels wet, and you can bend the cookie.
She broke his train of thought off midway through: ”Now turn right, but look left, and slightly up, but don’t turn your face right.” ”Umm, like this? Sounds like a set of pilates instructions.” she laughed ”You do pilates?” ”Yeah, it’s hard sometimes. Have you tried?” ”No”, she said. ”I’m not good for sports that are done in groups.” ”Yeah, but in pilates you can just be inside your mind, drowning in your private thoughts.”
”What are you thinking in pilates?” she asked, taking more photos. ”Well, mostly just which way is right. And which left.” click, click.

Dame Area's highly anticipated fourth studio album, "Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area" ("The Whole Truth about Dame Area"), a collaboration with the renowned labels Mannequin Records and Humo Records.

Formed in 2017 within the vibrant underground scene of Barcelona's Màgia Roja club, Dame Area comprises the Italian-Catalan duo Silvia Konstance and Viktor Lux Crux. They fuse industrial-tribal polyrhythms with minimalist synth basslines, drawing profound inspiration from avant-garde masters such as Esplendor Geometrico, Throbbing Gristle, Suicide, Einstürzende Neubauten, Can, Coil, Swans, Big Black, and Wolf Eyes.

This record represents a new phase in Dame Area's discography. It's a big step up in terms of sound, composition and ideas. This record it's the perfect representation of what they have been playing live the last three years and what most people know them for. Also it serves as a companion piece to 2022’s Toda la mentira sobre Dame Area ("All The Lies About Dame Area"), which had a stronger focus on melody, while this latest record is more aggressive and industrial-influenced, with a greater emphasis on percussion.

Tracks like the Suicide-influenced "Si no es hoy cuando es" and "Sempre Cambiare" are an onslaught of industrialism and experimentalism—formidable, volatile, and unpredictable avant-garde subversion. Silvia explains, "One of our biggest influences is doing what our influences wouldn't do. We're more into dynamics and structures atypical of electronic music, with changes in time signatures, starts and stops, and dynamics more typical of rock music. We use any musical idea from any genre. Some songs on the album are based on flamenco rhythms, others influenced by '60s experimental pop, heavy metal, or contemporary electronic music."

The confrontational "Vengo dall'aldilà" accelerates with heavy percussion, while "Tu me hiciste creer" builds into a rhythmic, transcendent noise of yelled vocals and hypnotic beats. Viktor adds, "This song took us more time to complete than any other we have recorded. It was a very organic process, evolving slowly from some instrumental percussive stuff we were doing live. Then we started using feedback as a rhythmic element (through a metallic sheet), and this was the first song where we incorporated this element, typical of noise-rock and experimental rock."

Elsewhere, "Esto Es Nuestro Ruido" represents a manic, eclectic form of contemporary industrial music, post-punk, and EBM. Silvia notes, "It's the first album we recorded outside a studio. Although we've been playing live with metallic percussion and floor tom from the very start, in the studio, with some exceptions, it was mostly sample-based until now. On Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area, all drums and almost all metallic percussion have been recorded live."

With a growing reputation as one of the best live bands around since their inception, Dame Area has toured extensively across Europe, performing at renowned festivals like Atonal, CTM, Nuits Sonores, Dour, and Fusion, as well as legendary clubs such as Berghain, Tresor, Apolo, and Spook Factory.

Recorded at Sol de Sants Studios and Estudio Hermetic between August and November 2023

Silvia Konstance: vocals, synths, percussions, electronics, production
Viktor L. Crux: synths, drums, percussions, electronics, production
Mixing and additional production by Guillermo Sánchez Rojo
Mastering by Paul Mac at Hardgroove Mastering
Designed by Leo Sousa
Photography by Fabio Calabretta
Photo concept by Dame Area

Senking and DYL team up again after first collaborating for a track on 2020’s »Uniformity Of Nature« EP that also featured different solo productions by the two producers. »Diving Saucer Attack« is the first full-length record by the German artist and his Romanian collaborator, released through the Berlin-based Karaoke Kalk label, home to the former’s work for more than a quarter of a century. The six pieces, two of which were produced individually, both showcase the duo’s shared interests for dub-heavy, adventurous electronic music while also emphasising the productive friction generated by the subtle differences between their respective approaches.

Cluj-Napoca-based DYL, real name Eduard Costea, cites his colleague Jens Massel’s work and especially his »Ping« EP—released in 1999 through Karaoke Kalk—as a crucial point of reference for his own development. »He’s one of the producers who inspired me to start making music,« he says. Massel was already familiar with his partner’s eclectic productions when he was approached by him with the idea of collaborating for a piece in 2020. They didn’t stop there, as Massel explains »It went very well and ever since we’ve been sending each sounds and tracks.« As their first joint album, »Diving Saucer Attack« documents the multi-faceted results of this on-going process.

The album opens with a track in true Senking style. Throbbing bass frequencies, haunting synth melodies and carefully placed rhythmic elements form a slow, but driving groove. Before DYL’s »a7r380R« introduces the listener to his anthemic take on IDM, the collaborative second track »2024« showcases how well their respective philosophies complement one another: the two create a detailed soundscape in which an intricate interplay of percussive elements and melodies can unfold. The title track transforms rattling drums and growling bass sounds into a laid-back, spooky trip-hop tune with a live-jazz feel, while »Astral Project« sees the duo venture into the uncanny regions of dub techno. »Not Just Numbers« closes on an even more sombre note—a fitting closing statement to an album full of twists and turns.

»Diving Saucer Attack« is a special album on more than the musical level. Massel released his first records under different guises such as Fumble, Kandis, and Senking through Karaoke Kalk between 1997 and 2001, after which he focused on his work as Senking, putting out a string of iconic albums through raster-noton, among others. 23 years after his last Senking LP for Karaoke Kalk, 2001’s »Silencer,« his return is as non-nostalgic as you’d expect it from such a forward-thinking producer: together with DYL, he continues to explore the possibilities and outer limits of electronic music in an intergenerational dialogue.

Born in London to Scottish parents, Bishop Briggs grew up in Japan and Hong Kong. Days after graduating high school, she moved to Los Angeles where, after years of performing at any venue that would have her, she was discovered in a small hole-in-the-wall by a former-A&R rep and the rest was history. The music of Bishop Briggs transcends the limitations of singular genres, blending folk, pop and electronic music into a wholly unique sound. Her debut track “Wild Horses” reached #1 on Spotify's US Viral Chart and #2 on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 charts, with airplay on Sirius XM’s Alt Nation, Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 Show and a prized spot in Acura’s 2016 TLX and ESPN’s NFL Playoffs ads.

UK-born, Lisbon-based DJ, Producer, Songwriter, and activist Megatronic joins the RNT roster with her ‘Do I Belong To You?’ EP, a bold statement of her soulful and visionary sound. Side A opens with the deeply emotive ’The World’ featuring soulful and melancholic vocals by Stavros, then moves to the pulsating and freewheeling groove of Nuffin’ But Love (co-produced by Jitwam) and finishes with the jazzy vibes of Organic, with Meg’s sultry spoken poetry floating over live instrumentation. On the flip side two superlative remixes by heavyweights Jimpster and Kiko Navarro take Meg’s music straight to the dance floor, with Jimpster bringing is his signature lush deep textures to ‘Been Thinking’ (the original of which is available as part of the digi EP only) and Kiko delivering an acid afro-house banger of a mix on ‘The World.’ A gorgeous listen from beginning to end, this EP captures a sound that feels both classic and futuristic all at once.

The Danza Nativa label is fresh off the back of a fine fifth birthday celebratory compilation but wastes no time getting back to business. Alderaan is the man in charge with his second for the label and 'Transition' kicks off with some mad LFO business melting your mind. Psyk remixes it into a more paired back and spooky subterranean techno prowler. With 'Vortex' there is yet more nocturnal menace with ticking hi-hats seeing rhythm as squelchy, unsettling sounds peel off the beats. 'Futurismo' closes down with a gurgling lead line and distant sci-fi sounds that complete this most futuristic EP.

Wann genau die Langhalslaute Bouzouki nach Griechenland kam, ist unklar. Ihre Wurzeln gehen bis ins vierte Jahrhundert vor Christus zurück. Die heutige Form des Instruments, benannt nach "Βυζί", dem griechischen Wort für die weibliche Brust, ist relativ jung und seit etwa 1920 in Athen und auf dem Peloponnes verbreitet. Ursprünglich in Bars und auf privaten Festen gespielt fand es durch das Revival des „Rebetiko“, dem „griechischen Blues“ ab den 1960er Jahren weitere Verbreitung. „Ursprünglich wurde auf der Bouzouki viel improvisiert“, meint Georgios Propkopiou, „viel mehr als später. Denn ab den Fünfzigerjahren wurde ihr Spiel professionell unterrichtet. Da wurde vieles festgelegter“. Seitdem ist der metallische Klang des Instruments fast zum Synonym für die griechische Folklore als Begleitung von Liedern und Tänzen geworden... vor allem bei dem Komponisten Mikis Theodorakis, der mehr als nur ein paar Ohrwürmer hervorgebracht hat.

Die Jazzkarriere der Bouzouki hingegen stand bislang noch aus. Es brauchte einen Umweg über Stockholm, damit etwas in Bewegung kam. „Die Kombination Bouzouki und Jazz liegt erst einmal nicht so nahe“, meint der Pianist Joel Lyssarides. „Für mich persönlich hängt sie mit meinem Großvater zusammen, einem griechischen Zyprioten. Er kam in den 1940ern nach Schweden. Griechische Musik mochte ich immer, ich war aber damit nicht wirklich vertraut. Jedenfalls fand ich die Bouzouki faszinierend. Während der Pandemie habe ich mir ein Instrument gekauft, um es ein wenig zu lernen. Beim Stöbern im Internet entdeckte ich dann Georgios durch ein TV-Konzert, ein Tribute an Theodorakis. Ich war total begeistert und habe in Stockholm herumgefragt, ob ihn jemand kennt. Tatsächlich spielte er zufällig ein paar Tage später in der Nähe in einer Hotelbar ein Konzert“.

Das war im Herbst 2022. Joel Lyssarides hörte Georgios Prokopiou zu, sprach ihn an und sie verabredeten sich zu einer Session. Sie jammten und improvisierten, fanden musikalisch schnell zusammen und im Sommer 2023 spielten sie ihr erstes gemeinsames Konzert. „Es ist sehr unüblich, dass jemand mit der Bouzouki über Changes improvisiert,“ erzählt Joel Lyssarides weiter. „Sie ist ja ein traditionelles Instrument mit klar definierter Rolle, meistens Begleitung mit gedoppelten Terzen und Sexten. Georgios aber macht viel mehr. Ich hatte zunächst keine Ahnung, wie unglaublich virtuos und stilistisch variabel er ist. Seine Vielseitigkeit öffnet viele Türen. Wir hatten von Anfang an sehr viel Spaß an den neuen Möglichkeiten. Und ich hatte vorher noch niemanden gehört, der so spielt. Dafür musste ich unbedingt Musik schreiben“.

Lyssarides erzählte ACT-Chef und Produzent Andreas Brandis von der Idee für das Duo und auch dieser war sofort begeistert: „In der Lesart von ACT steht der Begriff Jazz vor allem für ein Vokabular mithilfe dessen Musiker:innen ihre eigene Geschichte vor ihrem persönlichen kulturellen Hintergrund erzählen. Es ist faszinierend, dass hier immer wieder Konstellationen entstehen, die es vorher nicht gegeben hat. Und die Musik, die Joel Lyssarides und Georgios Prokopiou gemeinsam kreieren ist einerseits absolut überraschend und neu, klingt jedoch gleichzeitig so organisch und natürlich, als hätte es diese Konstellation schon immer gegeben.“

Es sind aber nicht nur die Instrumente Klavier und Bouzouki, die sich getroffen haben, sondern auch die speziellen Charaktere und Geschichten der beiden Duopartner. Der Stockholmer Joel Lyssarides verbindet in seinem Spiel größte Virtuosität mit beeindruckender Leichtigkeit und einem starken Gespür für Stimmung und Dynamik. Er arbeitet mit so unterschiedlichen Künstler:innen wie Anne Sofie von Otter, Benny Anderson, Nils Landgren, Viktoria Tolstoy und ist Teil des Esbjörn Svensson Tributes „e.s.t. 30“. Das ACT-Debüt „Stay Now“ von Lyssarides‘ eigenem Trio wurde seit seinem Erscheinen 2022 allein auf Spotify eindrucksvolle 25 Millionen Mal gehört. Der Athener und Wahl-Stockholmer Georgios Prokopiou spielte zum ersten Mal mit sechseinhalb Jahren Bouzouki, gab mit acht seinen Konzerteinstand und hatte als Zehnjähriger bereits feste Musikengagements in Bars und Bordellen. Seitdem arbeitet er im klassischen Kontext ebenso wie in der Folklore und dem Experimentellen, spielt neben der Bouzouki außerdem Saz und andere Saiteninstrumente.

Die Voraussetzungen für das Album „Arcs & Rivers“ waren daher so vielfältig und offen, wie nur möglich. Nach einem Probekonzert in der Berliner ACT Art Collection, von dem das Live-Stück „Zafeirious Solo“ auf das Album übernommen wurde, trafen sich die beiden noch einmal am selben Ort, um mit Studio-Equipment auch andere Facetten aufnehmen zu können. „Wir wollten zum Beispiel leise Stellen dabeihaben, nah mikrofoniert. Außerdem den großartigen Klang des Flügels, der früher einmal Alfred Brendel gehört hat. Insgesamt aber war vieles sehr spontan. Das ganze Album wurde in einem Rutsch aufgenommen, innerhalb von vier Stunden, meistens mit den ersten Takes. Ich bin sonst oft Perfektionist und verbringe Tage mit der Nachbearbeitung von Musik im Studio. Diesmal hingegen sollte es so direkt und spontan wie möglich sein“. Und es funktionierte: „Arc & Rivers“ ist ein Dialogskizzenbuch mit normsetzender Wirkung. Egal ob neue Kompositionen oder Verarbeitungen traditioneller Rhythmen und Muster wie in „Kamilieriko Road“ – diese Musik hat eine schillernde, klangmagische Kraft. Und das Duo selbst strahlt eine Selbstverständlichkeit der Kulturverknüpfung aus, die die Enge der Stile hinter sich lässt. Und es macht klar: Es ist tatsächlich Zeit für etwas mehr Bouzouki im Jazz, in der Improvisation und auf den Bühnen der internationalen Musikwelt.

2024 Repress

Undoubtedly the darlings of electro-pop, Satin Jackets finally unveil their debut artist album, 'Panorama Pacifico' featuring a string of cameos from vocalists familiar and exotic, jetting in from LA, Berlin, London, Belgium and Australia.

Scaling the heights of the Hype machine from their first release to the latest, and clocking up almost ten million plays on spotify, Satin Jacket's original brand of diva funk and smooth disco has whetted the tastebuds of the likes of Majestic Casual and i-D mag who said the duo's "super sexy, infectious house music is filled with the vibe of summertime." Their smash single, 'You Make Me Feel Good' has accumulated close to three million plays on Soundcloud (soundcloudsatinjackets/you-make-me-feel-good) and Youtube concurrently.

"The idea came from our character, Mr. Satin Jackets, who's been travelling the world quite a bit the past two years," explained Tim Bernhardt, the founder of the duo. "Four continents, about twenty countries in, he's on the West Coast and takes a break. He watches the ocean to put his mind at ease and out pours Panorama Pacifico."

This idyllic perspective is launched by the vocals of Scavenger Hunt, the Los Angeles-based electro-pop 4-piece, charted by Billboard and featured by the likes of Nylon mag. They explain about their contribution, "Feel Good' feels like jumping into a cool pool on a hot summer day- refreshing, exhilarating and sexy." Nigerian born and Birmingham based UoB's Got Talent winner, IsaacO contributes to 'Keep Moving On'. He explains it's, "a song about having a nonchalant attitude towards life regardless of what it throws at you. Best listened to on a nighttime drive on the highway."

The album also takes a peek into the past successes of Satin Jackets, with last year's smash single, 'Shine On You' featuring UK born and Berlin based talent Esser, dubbed by Clash magazine as "an exploratory glimpse into the mind-expanding side of Satin Jackets' electronics," and recent single 'We Can Talk' featuring vocals from Emma Brammer.

Further new collaborations include Ghent-based collective I will, I swear, Melbourne's Kids At Midnight and diamond in the rough of Belgian pop Marble Sounds. Fellow Eskimo artist and Greek producer NTEIBINT and KLP from Australia also feature. Each plots a similar narrative about the struggles of love. "'Say You' is about being afraid of being happy,' explains Jane Elizabeth Hanley AKA Kids At Midnight; 'Coast To Coast' is "a sweet love song that could also work on the dancefloor," says George Bakalakos AKA NTEIBINT; and Emma Brammer explores the concept of, "the exciting and painful first love - maybe it's not so good for you but it feels historical."

Pieter Van Dessel of Marble Sounds digs further on 'Find Out'. "The lyrics 'Shut your eyes, and you'll find out' started as a reference to childhood memories: as kids we often had to close eyes when somebody wanted to surprise us with a gift. But it can also mean that you could learn more about reality when you disconnect and close your eyes, instead of gathering (too) much information."

Three quarters of the tracks are fresh and introduce exciting guest vocalists and producers. These are complemented by the much-loved staples from the duo, 'Girl, Forever' and 'You Make Me Feel Good'. Tim of Satin Jackets explains, "We're ending the journey of this album with 'You Make Me Feel Good',

German music producer, Tim Bernhardt and lead performer Den Ishu are Satin Jackets. Their eponymous live show has relentlessly toured the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe, opening their fluid pop appeal and accessible four-to-the-floor groove up to the world at large. Their debut album, 'Panorama Pacifico' is set for release on 8th April on their home label, Eskimo Recordings. The Belgian imprint has been a purveyor of disco, house and everything in between for over fifteen years.

The Decades Collected compilations are part of the Collected compilation series, which is a collaboration between Universal Music and Music On Vinyl. The compilations bring together the biggest names of each decade, combined with forgotten hits and less discovered gems, giving the listener an experience of listening to their favourite tunes while uncovering new musical grounds at the same time.

Der renommierte und preisgekrönte elektronische Musiker Ben Böhmer, ist zurück mit seinem neuen Studioalbum „Bloom“. Nach einer rekordverdächtigen Welttournee im Jahr 2023, bei der alle Termine seines letzten Albums bereits Monate im Voraus ausverkauft waren, nahm sich Ben Böhmer Zeit für sich selbst und kehrte an den Ort zurück, der ihn am meisten anzieht: sein Studio. Dort kann er seine Leidenschaft für spontane Kreativität voll ausleben und sich unermüdlich darauf konzentrieren, sein Handwerk zu verfeinern, das es ihm erlaubt, tiefe, komplexe Gefühle auszudrücken.
Der Erfolg dieser Alben mit fast einer Milliarde Streams und mehr, und seine Fähigkeit, das Publikum live zu erreichen - er spielte über 200 Shows im Jahr 2022 -, trieben ihn auf einen Weg, der sich nicht mit dem deckte, was er wollte. Trotz der Auszeichnungen und ausverkauften Veranstaltungen wurde er in eine Richtung gezogen, die nicht zu ihm passte. „Bloom“ ist ein Neustart, ein selbstbewusstes Bekenntnis zu seinen eigenen Wünschen und improvisierten Ursprüngen. Auf „Bloom“ hören und fühlen wir Ben Böhmers Entwicklung, sein freudiges Streben nach Neuem, das ihn Tag für Tag immer wieder ins Studio zurückzieht. Klanglich ist „Best Life“ ein mutiger Schritt in eine neue Richtung für Ben Böhmer, der aus den vorgefertigten Schubladen, in die er gesteckt wurde, herauswachsen will. Sein Songwriting- und Kompositionstalent tritt auf „Bloom“ in den Vordergrund, zusammen mit angesehenen Künstler:innen wie der Indie-Legende Lykke Li, dem Alt-Pop-Duo Oh Wonder, Enfant Sauvage (vom französischen Duo The Blaze) und anderen. Das Album enthält eine Vielzahl von Stilen und Tempi, die nur noch entfernt an frühere Tracks seiner Karriere erinnern.

From Cape Town to Cairo, and now to fans, stages and screens around the world, PJ Morton shares his newest album, fully made in the motherland. Cape Town to Cairo is a collection of songs that he created in 30 days throughout 4 countries in Africa — South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Egypt. Described as the best trip of his life, this transformative journey began as just the seed of an idea last fall, but instantly grew into his most sonically-sprawling and immediately-inspired record to date. With no music, lyrics or preconceptions, he stepped foot onto the continent with two thoughts: a wild dream to write and record his next LP in less than a month, and a mission to immerse himself in as many different cultures, stories and communities as he could.

Surrounded by featured collaborators like Fireboy DML, Mádé Kuti, Asa, Ndabo Zulu, and Soweto Spiritual Singers, as well as additional producers including P.Priime and The Cavemen., his own live band and local musicians, PJ Morton used music as his common language. Always his greatest way of communicating, he expressed his feelings and experiences of Africa through songs he and others were forming together on the spot, side-by-side in different studios, cities and towns for the very first time. None of the tracks were written before he arrived or after he left, and the arrangements showcase both the countries’ native genres as well as the innate, stylistic instincts that have made Morton a 5x GRAMMY-winner and 20x GRAMMY-nominee, whether it be his soul, R&B and gospel roots, or the pop prowess he has further honed as a member of Maroon 5.

“When you’ve been in music as long as I have, you’re constantly looking for inspiration,” says PJ Morton. “And you’re looking for the things that made you want to do it in the first place. I’ve made albums every type of way you can think, so I wanted to try something I hadn’t done before. As a Black American who had never been to South or West Africa, I knew there was something there waiting for me. So I put a little pressure on myself to make a full record in a month, but I also said, ‘If I’m gonna go to Africa, I want to see Africa.’ We made music, but we also formed connections. We made new friends, and this is just the start.”

ESSENCE adds, "This trip is not just a physical move, it's a spiritual return…The soul of Africa pulses through every note he plays and every word he sings,” and VIBE adds that “the multi-faceted artist is fully embracing a new phase in his life.” Cape Town to Cairo marks PJ Morton’s first album since 2022’s Watch The Sun, which featured collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Nas, JoJo, Wale, Jill Scott, Alex Isley and more. Since then, Morton has become the first Black composer to write an original song for a Disney attraction, having just finished making the music for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, opening on June 28th, 2024 at Disney World and Fall 2024 at Disneyland. He also won his latest GRAMMY earlier this year, worked with Samara Joy on “Why I’m Here” for Regina King’s Netflix film Shirley, and landed a cover of his song “Don’t Let Go” as the soundtrack to Apple’s iPhone 15 commercial.

PJ Morton recently returned from headlining his debut shows in Asia, New Zealand and Australia, and announced an extensive Cape Town to Cairo Tour for North America summer and fall 2024. Following iconic performances at New Orleans Jazz Fest, The Kennedy Center, Roots Picnic and Newport Jazz Fest, Morton will embark on a run of more than 25 dates across the country, including New York City’s Beacon Theatre, Chicago’s Chicago Theatre, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Los Angeles’ The Wiltern, and dozens of others.

On the heels of his headline tour and Maroon 5’s Las Vegas residency, PJ Morton will publish a life-spanning new book titled Saturday Night, Sunday Morning. The memoir sees him recounting and reflecting upon a trailblazing path that continues to defy expectations and straddle the tensions of music and faith, race and culture, expression and identity. As the son of two pastors and gospel artists, Morton grew up grounded by the sound of the Church, but soon found himself drawn to R&B, pop and soul, writing songs that the industry, his family and community struggled to understand. In the face of mounting pressure, rejection and constant miscategorization, he committed himself to a steadfast path of independence: making music on his own terms, launching his own record label, joining one of the biggest bands in the world while staying true to his New Orleans roots. The risks he took paid off, and through his transformation from preacher's kid to the busiest man in showbiz – performing everywhere from his local congregation to the Super Bowl, collaborating with everyone from his father to Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Jon Batiste and Lil Wayne – he hopes to encourage readers and listeners to overcome obstacles as they seek their dreams.

Tahiti 80, the cult French group, is back with a tenth album entitled Hello Hello.

Since their formation in Rouen in the 90s, Tahiti 80 have built a substantial discography, collaborating with artists such as Cornelius, Tore Johansson, Adam Schlesinger and Richard Swift. The indie pop quintet offers us today twelve irresistible and captivating songs on a solar tenth album. With its welcoming title, Hello Hello presents itself as a desire to merge the spontaneity of live performances with the chemistry of a band working in the studio. Xavier Boyer, lead singer and songwriter, explains: “We felt a slight frustration with our previous album, Here With You, released in 2022. The pandemic had forced us to record separately at home. When we realized our new demos were going in this live direction, we looked for the perfect place to capture that spirit."

It is at the Paraphernalia studio, located in the French countryside, that the members of Tahiti 80, including in addition to the singer, Pedro Resende, Médéric Gontier, Raphaël Léger and Hadrien Grange, perfected their musical interactions for ten days during the summer 2023. Integrated very early in the process, Stéphane Laporte, aka Domotic, brought his distinctive experimental touch to the arrangements and production. The vocals and additional synthesizers were then finalized between Paris, Rouen and Montpellier in the fall

The twelve songs that make up Hello Hello form a homogeneous suite, highlighting the creativity, diversity and maturity of a group which has just celebrated twenty-five years of career. Opening the album, “Every Little Thing” subtly mixes shoegaze guitars and synth pop. It’s also one of the rare Tahiti 80 tracks that keeps the same chords from start to finish. The singer confides: “It was an exercise in minimalism, with the constraint of finding varied vocal melodies revolving around the same chords. Singing the line ‘I Love Every Little Thing About Us’ made me realize that it could also be about us as a group.” The title song also plays the simplicity card with Boyer’s unique timbre, complemented by a drum machine passed through a tape echo and a catchy recorder theme – proof that years of practice of this instrument in French schools was not in vain!

The other distinctive trend is Brazilian: “Lose My Head”, “Soft Echo” or “Poison Flower” each display tropicalist attributes: swaying rhythms, rounded bass, soft guitars, all enhanced by a reverberated sound treatment. “From Caetano Veloso to Tim Bernardes, there is a unique way,” notes the vocalist, “of linking rhythm and melody that has always inspired us.”

However, the Tahiti 80 touch is not being put aside. “About Us”, sung by guitarist Médéric Gontier who can also be heard on “1+1” and “Anyway”, marks a return to the roots of indie pop. An impression confirmed by the hit “Vertigo” and its signature all in major sevenths supported by the elastic groove of bassist Pedro Resende. The song which sounds like a quick return trip between late 70s California and Tokyo City Pop, will find its place after “Crush!” and “Heartbeat” in the Rouennais’ songbook. Xavier Boyer concludes: “ if we manage to surprise ourselves, it will also work for the listener. but when you reach the tenth album, you must also manage to renew ourselves without denying ourselves what we did previously.”

With their innovative and unique approach to indie pop, their timeless melodies and their sophisticated productions, Tahiti 80 has never ceased to resonate with fans around the world. Their latest collection, Hello Hello, should easily consolidate their status as a singular group and esteemed personalities on the international music scene.

Limited Grey Marble Vinyl. Modern Baseball was formed in 2011 by friends and guitarists Jacob Ewald and Brendan Lukens, who were soon joined by Ian Farmer on bass and Sean Huber on drums. The band self-released their first EP The Nameless Ranger in 2011 while still in high school. Shortly after the members relocated to Philadelphia to attend college and quickly gained a strong following in the Philadelphia music community, teaming up with locals Marietta to release the Couples Therapy split in the spring of 2012. Modern Baseball released their debut full-length Sports later that year on Lame-O Records, which they self-recorded and produced. After spending the summer of 2013 touring heavily across the US, the band headed into Studio A in Philadelphia to self-record You're Going to Miss It All. Mixed by Jonathan Low at Minor Street Recordings and mastered by Will Yip, You're Going to Miss It All features 12 tracks that showcase the band's signature witty indie-pop.

2 x LP on 180 g gold nugget vinyl with insert

Deluxe Anniversary Edition. Jade Green Swirl Vinyl. LP+7". - Deluxe Anniversary Edition of LP celebratiing 10 years since it's initial release - Enclosed in hardcover photobook with 96 pages of photos from the era with liner notes from each member of Modern Baseball - Includes exclusive 7" with. It's been ten whole years of us listening to Modern Baseballl's iconic record You're Gonna Miss It All, and to celebrate Run For Cover has teamed with the band to deliver a deluxe anniversary edition worthy of it's legacy. This version of the band's second album is a collector's delight - two discs enclosed in a heavyweight, hardcover 12" x 12" book with 96 pages of photos from longtime collaborator Jess Flynn. Each member of Modern Baseball also contributed notes to provide context to the countless photos taken while touring, recording, skateboarding, napping, swimming and a whole lot more. This deluxe edition also includes two never-before released demos of "Rock Bottom" and "Pothole" pressed on an exclusive 7". These early, intimate versions show how the ideas behind these two favorite tracks progressed into the final takes that made it onto You're Gonna Miss It All. Modern Baseball was formed in 2011 by friends and guitarists Jacob Ewald and Brendan Lukens, who were soon joined by Ian Farmer on bass and Sean Huber on drums.The band self-released their first EP The Nameless Ranger in 2011 while still in high school. Shortly after the members relocated to Philadelphia to attend college and quickly gained a strong following in the Philadelphia music community, teaming up with locals Marietta to release the Couples Therapy split in the spring of 2012. Modern Baseball released their debut full-length Sports later that year on Lame-O Records, which they self-recorded and produced. After spending the summer of 2013 touring heavily across the US, the band headed into Studio A in Philadelphia to self-record You're Going to Miss It All. Mixed by Jonathan Low at Minor Street Recordings and mastered by Will Yip, You're Going to Miss It All features 12 tracks that showcase the band's signature witty indie-pop.

On March 24, 2023 Rob Mazurek assembled his endlessly psychedelic and explorative large ensemble Exploding Star Orchestra under the dome of Chicago’s Adler Planetarium to perform material from their recently released album Lightning Dreamers along with a number of new pieces.

A digital projection flashed an ever-changing stream of vividly colored, abstract shapes derived from Mazurek’s paintings and animations over the audience’s heads, while the Orchestra, which on this night numbered eight musicians besides its leader, transformed the stylistically disparate pieces from Lightning Dreamers into an enveloping maelstrom. Electric pianists Angelica Sanchez and Craig Taborn pushed layers of plush texture back and forth over the intricate, tripartite grooves of bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and two drummers, Chad Taylor and Gerald Cleaver. Mazurek’s trumpets and wordless cries, Tomeka Reid’s cello and Nicole Mitchell’s flute and voice periodically surfaced out of the flow, issuing sharp, energetic statements, while Damon Locks’ proclamations flickered in and out of the mix like an erratic signal from some interstellar radio announcer. Together, they reimagined the brooding sound of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew as a force for transcendent uplift.

At one point, Mitchell put down her flute, spoke into Mazurek’s ear and pointed up to toward the dome. As he looked up, his own horn came down, and for a moment, the two of them gazed with undisguised awe at the spectacle that the Orchestra had unleashed. In a time when so many forces conspire to bring people down, this concert was an invitation to look up and out past the horizon.

France-based, prog-rock power trio LIZZARD are out to reclaim the creative, collaborative energy that has fueled them for over a decade. On `Mesh', the band's fifth full length album, LIZZARD capture the energetic, lightning-in-a-bottle optimism of the late `90s post-punk/art-rock scene and reinvigorate it as something empowering, inspiring and simmering with potential. Recorded by the band in the abandoned factory they use as their creative base and produced again by now long-time friend and collaborator Peter Junge, `Mesh' is LIZZARD unleashing the raw, spontaneous might of their pent up live sound through the production precision of their studio experience. As such, themes of duality and control, whether it's regaining it or letting it go, run right through the album. Resounding with Elwell's inimitable, thundering drums and a barrage of colossal riffs, `Black Sheep' explores the dichotomy of body and mind, of black and white, that we all wrestle with on a daily basis whilst the mellow polyrhythms and plaintive melodies of `Mad Hatters' ask pressing questions of the people who are supposedly in charge of society. Epic album closer `The Beholder' captures the reinvigorated LIZZARD at their bracing best; bittersweet guitar refrains are bolstered by Will Knox's signature driving basslines and crashing half-time grooves as frontman Ricou considers the great cycle of life from his own perspective. Testament to the band's formidable compositional prowess, `The Beholder' ends as it starts, a closed loop. With only Ricou's playful, pithy refrain of "What goes around, comes around" left ringing in our ears, LIZZARD masterfully frame `Mesh' as both a poignant conclusion to the last chapter and as a bright new beginning.

France-based, prog-rock power trio LIZZARD are out to reclaim the creative, collaborative energy that has fueled them for over a decade. On `Mesh', the band's fifth full length album, LIZZARD capture the energetic, lightning-in-a-bottle optimism of the late `90s post-punk/art-rock scene and reinvigorate it as something empowering, inspiring and simmering with potential. Recorded by the band in the abandoned factory they use as their creative base and produced again by now long-time friend and collaborator Peter Junge, `Mesh' is LIZZARD unleashing the raw, spontaneous might of their pent up live sound through the production precision of their studio experience. As such, themes of duality and control, whether it's regaining it or letting it go, run right through the album. Resounding with Elwell's inimitable, thundering drums and a barrage of colossal riffs, `Black Sheep' explores the dichotomy of body and mind, of black and white, that we all wrestle with on a daily basis whilst the mellow polyrhythms and plaintive melodies of `Mad Hatters' ask pressing questions of the people who are supposedly in charge of society. Epic album closer `The Beholder' captures the reinvigorated LIZZARD at their bracing best; bittersweet guitar refrains are bolstered by Will Knox's signature driving basslines and crashing half-time grooves as frontman Ricou considers the great cycle of life from his own perspective. Testament to the band's formidable compositional prowess, `The Beholder' ends as it starts, a closed loop. With only Ricou's playful, pithy refrain of "What goes around, comes around" left ringing in our ears, LIZZARD masterfully frame `Mesh' as both a poignant conclusion to the last chapter and as a bright new beginning.

The first ever live album from this fiery and popular Melbourne punk quartet. On this the band run through a raging live set to reveal the full extent of their unparalleled live show. Real heads know that their records rule but their live shows positively shred. The proof is fully on display within the confines of this high energy pudding. A glorious package ready to reward the diehards (130k monthly Spotify listeners) and make new converts alike. 4-Panel Digipak with Clear Tray and Foil Stamped Cover

"In partnership with Milan Records, Waxwork Records is proud to release KINDS OF KINDNESS (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by multi-instrumentalist, producer, and Oscar®-nominated composer JERSKIN FENDRIX. The album reunites Fendrix with director Yorgos Lanthimos following the breakout success of Poor Things, which earned the first-time composer an Oscar® nomination and marked Lanthimos’ first-ever collaboration with a composer. For Kinds of Kindness, Fendrix has crafted a soundscape rooted in solo piano and choral music, peppering the 22-track collection with hymnals throughout. Rounding out the soundtrack album are pop tracks like Cobrah’s “Brand New Bitch” and Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” both of which were featured in the film’s trailers, plus a cover of “How Deep Is Your Love” by film star Margaret Qualley as well as a demo from Fendrix’s personal discography. Searchlight Pictures’ Kinds of Kindness is available in theaters now.

Similar to Poor Things, Fendrix began working on Kinds of Kindness with relatively few materials, utilizing only the film’s script, black and white photographs from set, and conversations with Lanthimos as a guide. This time around, however, Lanthimos provided Fendrix with specific guidance on instrumentation, instructing the composer to craft a soundscape rooted in piano and choral music.

“I love working with Jerskin, and I guess he’s the reason why I am now working with a composer – I’ve found someone that works for me,” says director Yorgos Lanthimos, continuing, “Jerskin worked on this in the same way he worked on Poor Things, which is before even seeing a frame of the film. I gave him the script and started sending him black and white pictures that I shot on set. Our agreement in the beginning was, ‘This time, I want to use piano and choir, and go down that direction,’ which was very different to Poor Things. When I went into the edit, he had this library of music that he created to work with, and it turned out great.”

Also helpful to Fendrix at the start of the project was a conversation with Kinds of Kindness star Jesse Plemons, who helped the composer wrap his mind around the complexity of Lanthimos’ triptych story.

“I was very lucky to go on set at the very beginning of filming, and I asked Jesse about the emotions because I was struggling to understand where so many of these characters were coming from,” composer Jerskin Fendrix confesses. “He spoke to me about his interpretation, and how he planned to embody his characters, which was great. I ended up thinking about the abstract space between the emotions and whether that space was empty or noisy. From there, I utilized the piano and choir to explore those spaces.”

Waxwork Records is thrilled to release KINDS OF KINDNESS as a picture disc featuring artwork and design by Vasilis Marmatakis housed in a crystal clear poly-bag.

ABOUT KINDS OF KINDNESS

KINDS OF KINDNESS is a triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader."

Greasy Mike präsentiert 18 Scheiben Rott n' Roll-Platten aus Weirdsville, USA. Rockabilly, Garage, Psych, Surf, Horror, Swamp, Weirdo, Exotica - von Vampiren, Werwölfen, Ghostridern, Hexern und Monstern. "Hier ist niemand außer uns Monstern!", rief ich verzweifelt. "Monster? Hier sind keine Monster!", kam die Antwort aus der Dunkelheit, "Das sind meine Kinder! Meine Babys!!" Ich drehte meinen Kopf zurück und schrie die schattenhafte Gestalt an, die ich zurückgelassen hatte: "Das ist Hexerei, du verrückter Vollidiot! Du durchgeknallter, schizoider Abschaum!" Und damit verschwand ich durch die Leere und in die Nacht.

Die gefeierte Pop-Rock-Band Pale Waves aus Manchester trat 2018 mit ihrem Debüterfolgsalbums „My
Mind Makes Noises“ auf die Bildfläche. Zwei Top-Five-Alben später und einer Unmenge an Unterstützung
von BBC Radio 1, Apple Music, Spotify, NME und mehr, ist die Band mit einer neuen Reife zurück, um
ihr viertes Studioalbum „Smitten“ zu begleiten.
Während sich die ersten drei Alben von Pale Waves auf die unmittelbare Gegenwart der Band konzentrierten, beschäftigt sich „Smitten“ viel mehr mit vergangenen Leben - einige davon sind jünger als andere.
Zwei Jahre nach „Unwanted“ und nach der darauffolgenden Tournee schrieb Heather an einem Punkt,
an dem sie endlich durchatmen und nachdenken konnte, als würde sie die Seiten eines längst vergessenen
Tagebuchs durchblättern und von dem, was sie fand, überrascht sein. „Ich ertappte mich dabei, dass ich
nicht nur über einen bestimmten Zeitraum schrieb, sondern über mein ganzes Leben, das Jahre zurückliegt“, sagt sie. „Wenn ich mich verliebe, verliebe ich mich zutiefst, und ich finde es interessant, dass man
von jemandem so fasziniert und verliebt sein kann, und dann kann er einem völlig fremd werden. Ich habe
das Gefühl, dass Smitten wirklich perfekt zusammenfasst, was ich an einem bestimmten Punkt für andere
empfunden habe.“

Der Soundtrack zur dritten Staffel von der Netflix Hit-Serie „Bridgerton” erscheint endlich auf Vinyl!
Mit einer frischen Mischung aus orchestralen Pop-Covern u.a. von Billie Eilishs ”Happier Than Ever”,
BTS’ ”Dynamite” und Sias ”Cheap Thrills”, neu interpretiert vom Vitamin String Quartet, und einzigartigen Originalkompositionen ist der Soundtrack wie gewohnt eine stimmungsvolle Symbiose zwischen
klassischer und zeitgenössischer Musik.
Weitere Highlights sind u.a. die Coverversionen zu Nick Jonas’ ”Jealous” von Shimmer und Taylor Swift,
und Lana Del Reys ”Snow On The Beach”, gecovert vom Atwood Quartet, bis hin zum #1 Global Viral
Spotify Hit ”Give Me Everything” von Pitbull, gecovert von Archer March.
Der Soundtrack ist ab dem 27.09.2024 als goldfarbene 2LP erhältlich.

Global superstar Ed Sheeran will release the ‘‘+-=÷× (TOUR COLLECTION)’ on 27th September on CD and Bright Blue 2LP. Sheeran made the announcement last night (Sunday 8th September 2024) after enthralling fans on the closing leg of his 2024 Mathematics World Tour in Cyprus.

‘+-=÷× (TOUR COLLECTION)’ brings together some of Ed Sheeran’s biggest songs to date from his decade-spanning mathematical album era. It will be available on CD, 2xLP (Bright Blue vinyl), Download and streaming partners. The physical formats will include access to exclusive voice notes from Sheeran. A brand new selection of related merchandise will also be available.

Ed Sheeran is an era-defining artist who has sold nearly 200 million records across the globe. After starting his record-breaking Mathematics Tour in Dublin back in 2022, Sheeran has taken his blockbuster show all over the globe with an astonishing total of 133 performances under his belt so far. With one more show this month in Rio De Janeiro, Sheeran has announced another run of European shows for 2025 which will form part of the final leg of his Mathematics tour, all while continuing to break records and make history.

‘+-=÷× (TOUR COLLECTION)’ features 22 tracks including the tracks ‘Shape Of You’, ‘Perfect’ ‘Thinking Out Loud’, ‘Photograph’, ‘Shivers’ and ‘Bad Habits’. The song ‘Afterglow’ appears on vinyl for the very first time. The tracklisting includes 9 UK Number 1 singles with 11 tracks that have been streamed in excess of 1 Billion times on Spotify.

"Co-produced by Jerry Finn (Rancid, Green Day, Jawbreaker) and Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins), Sing the Sorrow retains the Bay Area outfit’s signature aggression and pathos – forging ever forward into uncharted territory like the virtuoso guitar intro of “The Leaving Song Pt. 2” or the industrial-leaning break and Dead Can Dance-worthy outro of “Death Of Seasons.”
Meanwhile, from its sublime intro through beautifully subdued verses and infectious choruses, first single “Girl’s Not Grey” is a standout that both recalls AFI coming into its own on 2000’s The Art Of Drowning and hints at a myriad of future directions. For the purists, “Dancing Through Sunday” and “Bleed Black” come strapped with generous chant-along opportunities and heavy-as-hell, bolt-tight riffs and rhythms. And as with virtually every track on Sing The Sorrow, these are all imbued with alternately brooding and celebratory lyrical imagery of rebirth, resurrection, apocalypse, all somehow deeply personal – in other words, classic AFI.
“When you’re playing a style of music that doesn’t really fit anywhere, you run a risk. You’re challenging people to leave their niche, to leave their predetermined ideas of what they’re supposed to like. Luckily, we have a lot of people who just focus on the music and appreciate us for what we are. So we get fans from all different genres of music, the jocks, the spooky kids, skaters, college kids, punk rockers, hardcore kids, metal kids, all that.” — Davey Havok"

Global superstar Ed Sheeran will release the ‘‘+-=÷× (TOUR COLLECTION)’ on 27th September on CD and Bright Blue 2LP. Sheeran made the announcement last night (Sunday 8th September 2024) after enthralling fans on the closing leg of his 2024 Mathematics World Tour in Cyprus.

‘+-=÷× (TOUR COLLECTION)’ brings together some of Ed Sheeran’s biggest songs to date from his decade-spanning mathematical album era. It will be available on CD, 2xLP (Bright Blue vinyl), Download and streaming partners. The physical formats will include access to exclusive voice notes from Sheeran. A brand new selection of related merchandise will also be available.

Ed Sheeran is an era-defining artist who has sold nearly 200 million records across the globe. After starting his record-breaking Mathematics Tour in Dublin back in 2022, Sheeran has taken his blockbuster show all over the globe with an astonishing total of 133 performances under his belt so far. With one more show this month in Rio De Janeiro, Sheeran has announced another run of European shows for 2025 which will form part of the final leg of his Mathematics tour, all while continuing to break records and make history.

‘+-=÷× (TOUR COLLECTION)’ features 22 tracks including the tracks ‘Shape Of You’, ‘Perfect’ ‘Thinking Out Loud’, ‘Photograph’, ‘Shivers’ and ‘Bad Habits’. The song ‘Afterglow’ appears on vinyl for the very first time. The tracklisting includes 9 UK Number 1 singles with 11 tracks that have been streamed in excess of 1 Billion times on Spotify.

Modern Baseball was formed in 2011 by friends and guitarists Jacob Ewald and Brendan Lukens, who were soon joined by Ian Farmer on bass and Sean Huber on drums. The band self-released their first EP The Nameless Ranger in 2011 while still in high school. Shortly after the members relocated to Philadelphia to attend college and quickly gained a strong following in the Philadelphia music community, teaming up with locals Marietta to release the Couples Therapy split in the spring of 2012. Modern Baseball released their debut full-length Sports later that year on Lame-O Records, which they self-recorded and produced. After spending the summer of 2013 touring heavily across the US, the band headed into Studio A in Philadelphia to self-record You're Going to Miss It All. Mixed by Jonathan Low at Minor Street Recordings and mastered by Will Yip, You're Going to Miss It All features 12 tracks that showcase the band's signature witty indie-pop.

LTD BLOOD-SPLATTER VINYL W/ LYRIC BOOKLET & CUT OUT MASK JEWEL CASE CD W/ LYRIC BOOKLET Just in time for Halloween. Zombina and the Skeletones are returning from the dead to bring you their first full-length album in ten years ‘The Call of Zombina’. The Band Under Your BedTM returned to the studio (or in this case a creepy old church in Liverpool) to make their first album in ten years, with Stephen Cole from the avant garde “post-music” act a.P.At.T producing. ‘The Call Of Zombina’ is Hammer Horror melodrama as art-therapy, the pank roots of goth-rock meets the strings and harpsichords of baroque. ‘The Call Of Zombina’ seeks to mirror the clamic portmantean horror of ‘The House That Dripped Blood’ or ‘Asylum’, with each track telling its own self-contained story. Musically it’s death rock/ baroque, Joe Meek and James Bernard meets The Damned uptown. Lyrically, the schlocky Americanistas of old have been eschewed in favour of the no less pulpy vernacu lar of Pan Classics paperbacks... and of course the whole thing was recorded in an old spooky church, to captare some of that creaky atmosphere and gigantic reverb.

A collection of 18 rare disco tracks from Yugoslavia. Compiled by Leri Ahel & Zeljko Luketic from original master tapes. Fox & His Friends label owners Ahel & Luketic selected obscure 7'' singles, b-sides, out-of-print releases and digged deep into the vaults of Jugoton to tell the story of how disco infiltrated clubs and pop music. This compilation is vinyl counterpart to their pioneering research and work in two major exhibitions tracing roots, influences and social significance of disco in music, fashion and design held in 2015 in Klovicevi Dvori Museum and HDD Gallery in Zagreb. "Socialist Disco - Dancing Behind Yugoslavia's Velvet Curtain 1977-1987" double gatefold LP with extensive liner notes contains tunes from KIM Band, Gabi Novak, Arian, Ljupka Dimitrovska, Ana Sasso, Moni Kovacic, Milka Lenac, Rok Hotel, Ivica Surjak, Grupa ST, Nano Prsa and many more in various sub-genres including classical orchestrated disco, dance reworkings of international chart hits and synth-filled italo-disco stompers performed by Yugoslavian music stars, fashion models and even sports and football heroes. Disco, a vital Trojan horse (in local notion: a pop music you can dance to), stayed quite a long time In Yugoslavia, refusing to be silenced and refusing to jump into the bandwagon of expected. It was influenced by American and European disco sound, for example, by the Boney M, Amanda Lear or Love Machine, who all visited Yugoslavia and had live concerts. The producers and the big record companies like Jugoton, PGP RTB, Diskoton or ZKP RTVL, noted the hype in music and they constantly probed the market with limited run of seven inchers or special performances. Some artists were quite successful, but the rest were in the 7'' single empire which was free enough to experiment with all things disco had to offer - genre hybrids, use of electronics, sexual innuendo, bizarre lyrics and most importantly, great musicians and major composers having fun. The no-restrictions policy of disco was there to evade the rules and surely it did.

Created by the dynamic duo of DAVE MAZE and Grammy-nominated SPIKE REBEL, this album is a one-of-a-kind fusion of funk, disco, afro, and soul, all wrapped in the mesmerizing art of spoken word. “WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE” is a spoken word tribute album to the talented JERWAYNE BALENTINE, also known as J-EPIC. JERWAYNE, who authored the book "WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE," was a remarkable poet, author, producer, and illustrator. Tragically, he passed away in 2020 at the age of 23 due to Muscular dystrophy. All proceeds from the sales of this album will be directed towards funding music programming for young adults with developmental impairments and supporting Muscular dystrophy research.

A cover of MF DOOM's "Rapp Snitch Knishes" from his 5th album "Mm..Food" released in 2004! Includes a cover produced by Mac DeMarco.

This release, by pianist Christian Rowell based in Florida, was released in 2021. With vocals that show respect for Quasimoto and a jazzy touch added to the boom-bap, this is a amzing cover. The B-side includes a version produced by Mac DeMarco, a Canadian treasure and a key figure in the indie scene of the 2010s, and an instrumental version that has been streamed close to a million times on Spotify. This 7-inch release is now available!

Rick Holmes’ breath-taking track, ‘Remember To Remember’ gets its first ever officially licensed, remastered reissue on Gold Mink Records. With prices of the original topping £60 this one will be a welcome sight for many.

Title track, ‘Remember To Remember’ is a celestial, emboldening downtempo cut. Beginning with the timeless line, ‘Pass the information, extend the knowledge…’ Rick dives into a spoken word stream of inspirational black artists and key figures whose most memorable words and song titles are framed into snippets of wisdom that get ever more significant the greater in number they become. A powerful monologue, in Rick’s warm reassuring tones, shining a light on those men and women who have made ‘strong contributions to mankind because of their compassion and humanitarianism’, laid over instrumentation you lose yourself in just as easily.

‘Remember to remember, to never forget.
How Long… how long… how long will it take man?
For us to come together.
It will take us as long as you make it…’

Words that ring just as true today, as they did 40 years ago, yet with a new sense hope in the air and prospect of progress approaching.

The B side houses another of Rick’s mesmerising monologues – ‘To The Unknowledgeable One’ motivational, moving and smooth as you like.

Licensed from Uno Melodic Records, Inc, courtesy of Expansion Records.

Repress!

Leif Vollebekk, the Montreal singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist had hit a wall. In the midst of endless touring Leif found himself retreating to his lonely hotel rooms after shows and listening to Nick Drake's 'Pink Moon' alone in the dark. His own songs didn't sound right and he felt the bright spots in his sets were the covers he'd end with: songs by Ray Charles or Townes Van Zandt. In this deep blue mood he booked a secret show at a Montreal dive bar, only playing covers with a band that rehearsed once.  The experience led Leif to change his approach to songwriting: explore the ideas that came spontaneously to him, and let the songs shape themselves. Soon the songs came pouring out of him. This approach is what created the lush, freewheeling and often devastating 'Twin Solitude,' out February 24 on Secret City Records.

"By the time the last notes die away, all that's left should be you," Leif says. "And I'll be somewhere else. And that's Twin Solitude.' 

Leif's third album, features 10 delicate and expansive original songs, with lyrics that pour out of this singer songwriter that are often compared to Jeff Buckley.  Leif's words lay on a bed of elastic instrumentation full of piano, synthesizer, guitar, rich electric bass and strings.

Several songs on the album came to Leif and were written in one sitting. 'Into the Ether' came to be while he was exploring a Moog synthesizer. 'Elegy' is a bedside soliloquy, of love slipping through fingers and came to Leif while he was riding his bike through Montreal.  The meditative 'Michigan' was written on a half-tuned guitar and fully written as he was about to go to sleep.  Other songs on the album capture the countless hours Leif has spent on the road, crisscrossing North America. 'Big Sky Country' recalls a trip to Vancouver with his family when he was young, never forgetting the expanse of Montana and listening to Ian Tyson's song 'The Gift' in the car over and over again.
'Twin Solitude' features Olivier Fairfield from Timber Timbre (drums), Sarah Page from the Barr Brothers (harp) on 'Rest' Shahzad Ismaily of Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog and SecretCheifs3 (bass) on several tracks and the string duo Chargaux throughout the album as well.  It was engineered by Dave Smith and recorded at his Breakglass Studios in Canada.  Produced by Leif Vollebekk.

Vollebekk made his album debut in 2010 - and since then has performed at the Newport Folk Festival, and shared stages with Daniel Lanois, Beth Orton, Sinéad O'Connor, Patrick Watson, Coeur de Pirate, William Fitzsimmons and Sam Amidon. His debut 'Inland' was described as  beautiful, memorable and moving' by NPR and  timeless and monumental'  by The Independent.

Das sechste Studioalbum von Shellac "To All Trains" besteht aus 10 Songs und hat eine Gesamtspiellänge von 28 Minuten. Die Band ist immer noch: Steve Albini (Gitarre), Todd Trainier (Schlagzeug) und Bob Weston (Bass). Aufgenommen und gemischt wurde "To All Trains" bei Electrical Audio in Chicago an einigen langen Wochenenden im November 2017, im Oktober 2019, im September 2021 und im März 2022. Das Album wurde von Bob & Steve bei Chicago Mastering Service gemastert. Artwork und Aufmachung von LP und CD sind identisch (die CD ist kleiner). Bob hat alle Fotos gemacht, einige mit einer schicken Kamera und andere mit einem Telefon. Wie immer hat die Tonqualität bei Shellac höchste Priorität. Die LPs werden von Green Vinyl Records in einem Spritzgussverfahren hergestellt. Dieses neue Verfahren verwendet zu 100 % recycelbares PET (wie Limonadenflaschen) und ist umweltfreundlich, da es kein PVC oder Phthalate enthält. Außerdem verbraucht das Verfahren 79 % weniger CO2 als herkömmliche hydraulische PVC-Vinylpressen. Die Platten wiegen 180 Gramm. Wie zuletzt bei Shellac, wird es für dieses Album keine Werbung, keine Presse- oder Radiopromotion, keine E-Promotion, keine Werbe- oder Rezensionsexemplare, keine Werbegimmicks und auch sonst kein kostenloses Mittagessen geben. Die Band wird weiterhin sporadisch und entspannt Shows spielen oder auf Tour gehen, so wie immer. Es gibt bei Shellac keine Korrelation zwischen Shows und Plattenveröffentlichungen. Shellac haben keine Website. Vielleicht sollten sie sich eine zulegen.

Die niederländische Singer-Songwriterin und ehemalige DELAIN-Stimme CHARLOTTE WESSELS enthüllt 2024 ihr erstes Studioalbum! The Obsession
erscheint am 20. September über Napalm Records und folgt auf die beiden Compilation-Alben Tales From Six Feet Under und Tales From Six Feet
Under Vol II, die Wessels als Solokünstlerin veröffentlichte. Beide enthalten Songs, die zunächst exklusiv ihrer loyalen Patreon-Community
vorbehalten waren, bevor die Sammlungen 2021 und 2022 auch für die breite Öffentlichkeit physisch und digital zugänglich wurden. Damals hat
Charlotte alle Instrumente eigens eingespielt oder programmiert und in Eigenregie in ihrem Six Feet Under Studio produziert. Neben Patreon hat sich
die charismatische Künstlerin mit über fünfzigtausend monatlichen Hörer*innen auf Spotify und allein mehr als einhunderttausend Follower*innen
über Instagram eine treue, stetig steigende Fangemeinde aufgebaut – jetzt treibt sie ihre Solokarriere mit The Obsession voran!

Eclipse kehren zurück mit ihrem neunten Album "Megalomanium". Nach ihrem bisher erfolgreichsten Album "Paradigm" (das die massive Single "Viva La Victoria" enthält, die allein bisher über 26 Millionen Streams auf Spotify hat)) veröffentlichten die schwedischen Hard Rocker ihr letztes Album "Wired" Ende 2020 (Platz 23 der deutschen Charts). Trotz der fehlenden Tourneen gelang es ihnen, weiter zu wachsen. Das neue Album bietet den fröhlichen, hooklastigen und gitarrenorientierten Sound von Eclipse in seiner reinsten Form, 80er beeinflusster Melodic Hard Rock. Die Band ruht sich jedoch nicht auf Lorbeeren aus und bietet einige neue Elemente für einen Sound, der vor allem in Europa bereits Massen von Fans gewonnen hat. Während die erste Single "The Hardest Part is Losing You" einfach zeigt, dass die Inspiration intakt ist - eine der besten Hymnen von Eclipse überhaupt! - Songs wie "Got It!" oder das von Victor Crusner gesungene "High Road" zeigen, dass die Band sich nicht scheut, neue Wege zu gehen. Trotzdem können sie im hymnischen "Children of the Night" mit einem Riff, das die Erinnerungen an den besten Dio/Sabbath-Sound weckt, sehr hart rocken. Weitere Highlights sind das sofort erkennbare "Hearts Collide" und das treffend betitelte "Anthem", das die Fans, die die Shows der Band genießen, in Brand setzen wird. Megalomanium hat absolut alles, was man von den Jungs aus Stockholm erwarten würde, und noch mehr. Erik Martensson (auch W.E.T.) zeigt einmal mehr, warum er einer der gefragtesten Autoren und Produzenten der Szene ist. Sein Geschmack für Melodien, Songwriting und Harmonien ist absolut herausragend und wenn er sich mit Magnus Henrikssons Gitarren duelliert, ist absolute Magie da. Große Europa Tournee von Juni bis November.

Swiss intergalactic 3 piece experimentalists lean on a Dadaist theme for their late-night, jam-inspired, and smokey beat laden trip to the cosmos.

Distilling surf rock, jazz and ambience, energised and patched together with spoken word samples, wind instruments and, blunted hip hop beats, ali dada’s album SUM is their invitation to dadaversum’ - their eccentric universe of sound and emotion.

Featuring Orlando Ludens (guitar & ambient soundscapes), Rulla (beats & field recordings) and Max Licht (brass & trombone), experimentation is the trio’s constant and SUM is the result of jams and associative distillation’ always with a fluid sense of genre.

Whilst SUM clearly takes new and furtive steps, ali dada’s sound is wholly their own. Nothing feels rigid here and rules don’t apply. Improvisation lingers in the air, even after the last note fades. A series of sound sketches, dense in detail, stylistically rich, SUM gives licence to couch-melt, sungaze or for those used to wintry climes, add another log on the fire.

“The songs often emerge from imperfect elements or mistakes, like from a loop or glitch. or something I played that wasn’t quite clean and building on that becomes the challenge ” recalls Orlando. Rulla adds “I play a lot of instruments, very, very badly and in music production, I’m trained to craft something awesome out of wonky sounds. That’s how songs emerge from unusual sounds”.

As for who played the double bass, no one remembers. Who belongs to the band and who doesn’t is open to interpretation. Though a core group exists the spotlight remains on experimentation through jam sessions. ali dada is a construct, a dadaverse.

Highlights include the album’s opener 'abolish the police', a mix of guitars, weirded-out wind instruments and Häuserfrau’s ever chilled vocal presence. 'tone print' is the band’s first single from the album, which combines sliding guitar, the infamous psychedelic Tim as a narrator, some early CPU game sound-splats and a meteoric dope beat, providing the head nodding groove. 'ohnedi'’s ambient charm features some gorgeous manipulated choir moments and some fidgety electronic synths.

Kordhell is an anonymous musician, artist, and record producer based in
Los Angeles. He's previously played in various extreme metal acts, until
abandoning these projects for his mysterious Electronic music project,
under the new moniker "Kordhell". In early 2022, Kordhell's song
"Murder In My Mind" exploded on TikTok and YouTube, helping the song
reach the top of the Billboard Dance charts, UK top 100, and its recent
RIAA platinum certification in the US.
Boasting a massive 9 million+ monthly listeners, and over 2 billion Spotify
streams to-date, Kordhell is one of music's fastest growing streaming
stories and artists of the past few years. In 2023, Kordhell provided the
opening song for the popular movie "Fast X", the newest film in the Fast
& Furious saga. Since the start of 2024, he's provided music for various
productions and games, including Asphalt 9, Netflix, VALORANT, Arcane
and many more upcoming.

A/B Side Effect, Black & Gold, limited to 200 copies. More than 4 years after "Sculpture Of Violence," GIVER from Cologne, Germany, announce their third album "The Future Holds Nothing But Confrontation" for September 20, 2024, on End Hits Records. In recent years, GIVER have not only refined their hardcore sound to be more brutal and atmospheric with elements of metal and post-punk, but thematically, it's clear that their new album serves as an even more drastic political manifesto. Capitalism, culture wars, the climate crisis, and their societal implications and consequences are central themes on "The Future Holds Nothing But Confrontation." GIVER critique the prevailing neoliberalism and its ongoing agitation for the uncompromising pursuit of happiness and satisfaction. The band explains: "What neoliberalism has established is a lonely place. Its driving force is the individualized pursuit of constant fulfillment, altering the way we interact with each other. Whatever we do to achieve satisfaction, there's always a lingering sense of something missing. Happiness and contentment are never the goal; they've been replaced by profit margins and excess. These are endless and extremely unevenly distributed. Anger arises in this vacuum. With this album, we want to remind that it's the economic conditions and inequalities that should be the target of our collective frustration. They create depression, despair, and a downward spiral. Being anti-fascists is not enough; we must also be anti-capitalists." This anger is also reflected musically in the furious 11 new tracks. Filled with powerful guitar riffs and sometimes bilingual lyrics, some of the songs also introduce a new, deep style of spoken word for GIVER, making the eventual eruptions that much more impactful. With the release of their third album, GIVER venture into fresh and melodic territory, integrating elements of post-punk, black metal, and hardcore into a sound that sits somewhere between bands like Oathbreaker, Converge, or Chelsea Wolfe. Although "The Future Holds Nothing But Confrontation" builds on a foundation of biting, powerful metal, it also incorporates dark vocal lines that could be found on a Fontaines D.C. or IDLES record. "The Future Holds Nothing But Confrontation" was produced by Lewis Johns (Rolo Tomassi, Employed To Serve, Funeral For A Friend).

Île Flottante is Mr. Beatnick´s 5th album, following 2023’s Joy In Variation (including the notorious cover of Love on a Real Train) and his well-received off-beat collaboration with London-based avant-garde agitator Richard Greenan – Coasty – this is his first contribution to the International Feel trademark. Probably best known for some big deep house revivalist tunes circa 2013 on the now dormant Don’t Be Afraid record label, Beatnick now converts that aural quality and dimensionality into the Balearic system.
Île Flottante takes its name from the tastiest French pudding of Mr. Beatnick’s childhood holidays. The name, also a jeux de mots - floating island - hinting at the album’s inspirations and sense of identity, as a danceable soundtrack to a fictional island. Explored with high intensity and over a yearlong process, the sounds of the well-worn, but never failing Balearic universes were a mind expanding influence. Think of genre staples like Software, Manuel Goettsching, Mark Barrott, Len Leise, Don Carlos, Gaussian Curve, Joan Bibiloni or Yasuaki Shimuzu.
„I spent a year listening to a lot of synthesized island music, and marveling at the many twinkling wonders of the Balearic musical universe. Struck by a sense of belonging that had often eluded me on my musical journey thus far, as the weirdo at the back of the club who had orbited many scenes for 20 years, but never felt like I fitted in, I found music that made me feel like I had come home. The songs that came out of this process are presented in the order that they were written - an open book of ocean hymns, honest and spoken from the heart.“
Île Flottante tries its very hardest to avoid being any one thing in particular. At one point, it is a gentle beach walk accompanied by polyrhythmic drum plod and flourishes of Guzheng. At another, the infamous James Yancey septuplet swing is repurposed against a marimba melody that wouldn’t be out of place in one of Link’s forest adventures.
Elsewhere, there are the bellows of distant whales, touches of Italian dream house and a splash of vintage madchester, all working to create a space that feels both familiar and loaded with well worn tropes, but with its own quirky sense of personality, facets which are often attributed to Mr. Beatnick’s holistic b-boy approach. This is his understanding of a Balearic (b-boy) stance. Just with a float instead of a freeze.

Individually, JD Simo and Luther Dickinson are building their own legacies as solo artists, sidemen, songwriters, and guitar heroes. Together, they're a creative force to be reckoned with, making their own version of amplified American roots music. On the pair's first collaborative album, Do The Rump!, the musicians trade blistering guitar solos, take turns at the microphone, and turn their classic influences -- including hill country blues, spirituals, swamp rock, and Afrobeat -- into something contemporary, reinterpreting a number of their old-school favorites into eclectic, electrifying anthems. The partnership began onstage, where Simo and Dickinson first shared the spotlight as touring members of Phil Lesh and Friends. Dickinson had already established himself as co-founder of the Grammy-winning duo North Mississippi Allstars, as well as a celebrated guitarist for acts like Black Crowes and John Hiatt. Similarly, JD Simo had built an audience not only with his solo project, but also as a session musician for Jack White, Beyonce, Chris Isaak, and Baz Luhrmann's Elvis movie.

Dutch rock band Shocking Blue was at their peak in the 60s and 70s and gained major cross-Atlantic success. The band was founded in 1967 and is most known for their single ""Venus"" (with which they became the first Dutch band ever to reach the first spot on the American Billboard Hot 100). The band had a series of subsequent hits and their influence reached well beyond their generation. Music On Vinyl proudly presents their legendary Scorpio’s Dance album as a 2024 remastered edition from the original 1970 mix by Robbie van Leeuwen. It includes none less than four bonus tracks that were not featured on the original LP: ""Send Me A Postcard"", ""Mighty Joe"", ""Hello Darkness"" & ""Pickin’ Tomatoes"". Scorpio’s Dance (Remastered) is released as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent red coloured vinyl.

For as much as Sammy Rae & The Friends may be a band, this collective of dreamers and artists considers themselves a family first. That all-for-one and one-for-all camaraderie ignites their unforgettable and can’t-miss live shows, which serve as a catharsis for both the musicians and their fervent audience. Fronted by singer/songwriter Sammy Rae and honed through years of touring, the group is capable of flourishing in any spotlight thanks to its signature blend of palpable chemistry, deft virtuosity, and vocal fireworks.

Their sound, which has attracted new fans by the thousands in the past few years, is a unique mélange of Sammy’s influences: classic rock, folk and funk and sprinkled with soul and jazz. Rae has been building toward this moment since moving to NYC from Connecticut in her early 20s. Finding herself without a built-in peer group, she simply built it herself: the literal and proverbial Friends. When she started playing shows, she made sure the audience was part of the family too. Everything that’s happened since, from the EPs The Good Life (2018) and Let’s Throw a Party (2021) to sold-out shows in major markets and secondary markets alike across North America and the UK & Europe, to high-profile festival sets around the world, including Bonnaroo’s main stage, Sound on Sound and more, has been based on friends telling friends. As they prepare for the release of their long-awaited debut full-length album in 2024, Something for Everybody, Sammy Rae & The Friends have come to represent more than just a band: they are a full-on movement being adopted with a refreshingly diverse clientele.

Few bands are as primed to capture their ecstatic live energy in masterful sonic detail like Terry Gross. Composed of three renowned engineer/producers (recording artists like Wooden Shjips, Moon Duo, Earthless, Big Business, and more) whose studio doubles as their jam spot and communal gathering place, the trio"s penchant for longform psychedelic escapades is able to be recorded with granular precision. The potency of the fellowship formed by drummer Phil Becker (Lower Forty-Eight, Peace Creeps, Pins of Light), bassist Donny Newenhouse, and guitarist Phil Manley (Trans Am, Oneida, Life Coach) lies in their ability to utilize their prowess as both players and record engineers to translate feeling with immaculate clarity. On Huge Improvement, Terry Gross embody a complex web of emotion with songs as ferocious and precise as they are agile and care-free, delighting in the catharsis of excising tension alongside one"s most trusted peers. Huge Improvement"s tongue-in-cheek title is rightfully earned. Like their debut Soft Opening, the pieces on Huge Improvement began as improvised studio jam sessions without expectations. The trio"s ability to plug in, play and have each experiment thoroughly documented opens up unparalleled avenues for further exploration and honing. The four mammoth slabs that make up Huge Improvement are driving, unrelenting excursions into the unknown. Whether burning white-hot or smoldering in plumes of smoke, the pieces stretch as much inwardly as they do cosmically, embracing every surprising turn. Terry Gross"s Huge Improvement morphs the trio"s search for communal connection and reprieve into a transcendent respite, a burst of focused energy to be enveloped in while facing the senselessness around us with a smile.