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RYUICHI SAKAMOTO'S LANDMARK 1981 ALBUM REISSUED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES OUTSIDE OF JAPAN. THE ALBUM WILL BE REISSUED IN ITS RARE JAPANESE EDITION TOGETHER WITH A 2-LP LIMITED EDITION FEATURING THE ALBUM PLUS A 2ND LP FEATURING ITS NEVER-RELEASED FULL INSTRUMENTAL MIX, ALL REMASTERED BY BERNIE GRUNDMAN.

Wewantsounds is proud to announce the reissue of Ryuichi Sakamoto's third solo album "Hidari Ude No Yume" (Left Handed Dream), originally released in 1981 on the Alfa label. Save for a small-scale Dutch vinyl release in 1981, it is the first time the album's original Japanese edition is released outside of Japan (the European release on Epic Records included significantly different tracks and mixes). Newly remastered from the original tapes by renowned engineer Bernie Grundman, this LP edition comes with original artwork featuring a striking cover shot by famous photographer Masayoshi Sukita (sourced from the original negative), OBI strip and 4-page insert with new introduction by journalist Anton Spice. The album will also be released as a 2-LP limited edition gatefold including the album's full instrumental mix.
Ryuichi Sakamoto's third album, "Hidari Ude No Yume" was recorded at the legendary Alfa Studio 'A' in Tokyo during the Summer of 1981. it came after "B-2 Unit" in 1980 and his debut album "Thousand Knives Of" in 1978, the very year Sakamoto was invited by Haruomi Hosono to join Yellow Magic Orchestra alongside Yukihiro Takahashi. In the process, they became global stars as the group rewrote the rules of electronic pop and toured around the world, yet Sakamoto was keen to remain active as a solo artist.
?In 1981, the musician decided to record an album rooted in Pop, following "B-2 Unit" which had a more of an experimental edge and his landmark electro debut from 1978. For this new album entitled "Hidari Ude No Yume," Sakamoto invited British producer Robin Scott, who had had huge hit with 'Pop Muzik,' to co-produce. They entered the Alfa studio in July 1981, accompanied by a handful of musicians. These included his fellow YMO musicians Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, keyboard programmer extraordinaire Hideki Matsutake who'd been on Sakamoto's first two albums and became YMO's unofficial fourth member, violinist Kaoru Sato, saxophonist Satoshi Nakamura and American guitarist Adrian Belew who'd played with David Bowie, The Talking Heads' "Remain In Light" and more recently, Tom Tom Club’s debut (co-writing 'Genius Of Love').
?Together, they created a fascinating mix of pop, ambient and electronic music with elements of avant garde and traditional Japanese music, the whole firmly rooted in a solid groove. Sakamoto wanted to give the album a spontaneous feel and decided to let ideas flow and evolve organically during the sessions as musicians would develop them together. From the funk of 'Relâché' to the new wave feel of 'Venezia' and the ambient minimalism of 'Slat Dance,' the album is remarkably consistent while displaying a wealth of global influences as shown by the diversity of instruments featured on the credits: Marimba, didgeridu, traditional Japanese instruments such as the Sho and Hichiriki flutes.
?The album was released in Japan in 1981 and Epic Records picked it up for Europe a year later but decided to release it in a significantly altered version. The sequencing was completely reshuffled and two tracks, 'Saru No Ie' and 'Living In The Dark' were completely dropped while three others, ‘Relâché’, ‘Tell 'em To Me’, ‘Venezia’ were heavily remodelled with english lyrics and became 'Just About Enough', 'Once In A Lifetime' and 'The Left Bank'. Last but not least, a new English-sung track, 'The Arrangement,' was added, making the album nine tracks instead of ten for the Japanese edition.
Altogether this International version called "Left-Handed Dream" was a very different album from the Japanese one and although both were successful at the time and further established Ryuichi Sakamoto as a global solo artist, the Japanese edition of "Hidari Ude No Yume" remains largely unknown to international ears.
Wewantsounds is now delighted to release this original Japanese edition for the first time in decades as a single LP together with a 2-LP limited-edition set adding, as a bonus, its fascinating instrumental mix, discovered in the label's vaults a few years ago (Note that 'The Garden Of Poppies', 'Slat Dance' and 'Saru No Ie' are instrumentals but for the consistency of the album we kept them on the Instrumental Mix). "Hidari Ude No Yume" is an essential album in Ryuichi Sakamoto's rich discography. It is now available in its purest original Japanese form.

The album features 15 tracks, showcasing Bastien’s truly cinematic sound while exploring new sonic territories. The album touches on the melancholic funk drifting between voiceovers of longing and hurt, through surreal, hallucinogenic folk ballads. It’s the juxtaposition of these genres sewn together with ambient synth skits that really makes the album a musical journey. Playful and serious, as the album title suggests, Bastien manages to induce a rye smile with a tear in the eye.


In Seb’s words, “The album tells the story of a failed relationship, as the man narrators missing his other. Whilst he imagines her comforting him, before accepting the end of the relationship, and feeling that the love he feels, she never did.”

Sharing common ground with luminaries such as David Axlerod, Kate Bush, Roy Orbison, Madlib and The Delfonics; Keb plays guitar, trumpet, bass, drums, piano, flute and more Keb’s writing and recording approach is slightly unique. He explains a little about how his records sound the way they do...

“I have a lo-fi approach to recording, for me it’s about the moment, all my records are time capsules of a certain time in my life, so the sound of the recording is secondary. It’s all about heart, that’s all I’m interested in. If I get a melody I have to record it asap, if the mic isn’t plugged in I use the macbook mic, if I’m not by the computer I’ll record into my phone.

For me personally using/sampling other peoples music isn’t making your own music, using your own soul, showing your own heart, it's just my personal opinion. It’s not right for me. No slur on those that do. If there are any samples on my records, it’s me sampling me. For me, this means the music is mine. It’s ‘of me’. That’s really important for me, because I feel that’s where the honesty is. If my music sounds ‘dusty’, that’s why”.

This approach provides us with a wonderfully inclusive record. The album feels almost ‘performed’ to us, live, on each listen. Coupled with Bastien’s capacity to write music which is almost visual, the album is quite enveloping.

Bastien returns to Def Pressé with this new album after the brilliant, Holy Mountain. Released under the name Grandamme, with friend and collaborator Claudia Kane.

Geoff Downes ist ein legendärer Keyboarder, der das Genie hinter einiger der denkwürdigsten Pop-Rock-ProgSongs der letzten 40 Jahre war. Chris Braide ist einer der größten Songwriter, die Großbritannien je hervorgebracht hat. Er hat mit Sia, Hans Zimmer, Nicki Minaj, David Guetta, Paloma Faith, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Kylie Minogue und Lana Del Rey gearbeitet. Zusammen bilden sie die Downes Braide Association - eine Kreativpartnerschaft mit einem Stammbaum wie keine andere.

Soundway presents Circus Underwater’s 1984 self-titled masterpiece. Remastered and extended to a double LP, this deluxe version includes six unreleased tracks unearthed from the original ¼” tapes, and presented with an insert, including never-before-seen photos and the fascinating story behind the music.

Featuring artwork from Grateful Dead collaborator, David Lundquist, the album encapsulates a unique moment in time. Echoing the story of a generation that grew up in the 50s and 60s where music was everything, two friends embark on a journey of experimentation which begins in the beatnik suburbs of Washington DC and travels to the heart of hippie San Francisco.

The result is an opus that fearlessly blurs the boundaries of genres and embraces diverse influences. Elements of prog, rock, ambient and wave music culminate in an odyssey that seamlessly bridges the gap between the spaced-out creativity of the 70s and electronic music of today

Ende März veröffentlichte die Multi-Platin-Hitmacherin Bebe Rexha die mitreißende neue Single "Call On Me".

Die treibende und ausgefeilte Club-Hymne besticht durch ihre mitreißenden Vocals, die schwindelerregende House-Produktion und den selbstermächtigenden Text. Es ist das neueste Werk des Popstars aus seinem Album Bebe, das am 15. September endlich auf Vinyl erscheint.

Mit insgesamt 16 Milliarden Streams ist Rexha die am längsten in den Charts vertretene Künstlerin in der Geschichte der Billboard Hot Country Charts und wurde diese Woche mit der David Guettacollaboration I'm Good (Blue)" zur am längsten in den Charts vertretenen Frau in den Billboard Dance/Electronic Charts. Sie war 50
Wochen lang auf Platz 1 der Hot Country Songs-Charts und hat gerade 38 Wochen auf Platz 1 der Dance/Electronic Songs-Charts verbracht.

Pretenders haben die Veröffentlichung eines neuen Albums bekannt gegeben. "Relentless" heißt es und ist das insgesamt 14. der englisch-amerikanischen Rockband.

"Relentless" heißt auf Deutsch? ja, was eigentlich? Das Wort hat eine Reihe von Bedeutungen - "unbarmherzig" etwa, "unermüdlich" oder "unaufhaltsam". Auch Bandleaderin Chrissie Hynde mag diese Mehrdeutigkeit:
"Mir macht es Spaß, die verschiedenen Bedeutungen und Ursprünge eines Wortes zu betrachten. Und ich mochte die Definition: 'keine Anzeichen des Nachlassens von Intensität zeigen'. Das ist das Leben eines Künstlers.
Man zieht sich nie zurück. Man wird relentless."
Nach "Hate for Sale" (2020) ist es das zweite aufeinanderfolgende Album, das in Zusammenarbeit zwischen Chrissie Hynde und dem aktuellen Gitarrenhelden der Band, James Walbourne. Produziert
von David Wrench und aufgenommen in den Battery Studios im Westen Londons, stehen die 12 Tracks des Albums für das, was Chrissie als "The Pretenders Collective" bezeichnet.

Auf dem Album kommt es auch zu einer lang erhofften Zusammenarbeit mit Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead, The Smile), der die Streicherarrangements beisteuert und das 12-köpfige Ensemble für den wunderschönen Schlusssong "I Think About You Daily" dirigiert.

Diesen Sommer waren Pretenders zusammen mit Guns N' Roses im Londoner BST Hyde Park und bei großen Outdoor-Shows zu sehen. Im September werden sie beim Reeperbahn Festival auftreten und eine Show im Berliner Columbia Theater spielen!

Im Jahr 1986 erschien in der Bostoner Times eine Anzeige, in der Charles Thompson (alias Black Francis) und Joey Santiago einen Bassisten und einen Schlagzeuger suchten, die sowohl Hüsker Dü als auch Peter, Paul & Mary mögen sollten. Kim Deal (auf den ersten beiden Platten noch als Mrs. John Murphey) und David Lovering meldeten sich auf die Anzeige, und die Pixies waren komplett. Mit ihrem ungestümen Rock, den brachialen Tempowechseln und den sägenden Gitarrenriffs wurden sie zu der Indierockband überhaupt. Kurt Cobain gab zu, dass er einen Song wie "Smells Like Teen Spirit" ohne die Inspiration durch die Pixies nicht hätte schreiben können: "I was trying to write the ultimate pop songs, I was trying to rip off the Pixies". Ob es ihm gelungen ist, sei dahingestellt. Fest steht, dass die Pixies mit "Debaser", "Here Comes Your Man", "Monkey Gone To Heaven" und "Where Is My Mind?" Indieklassiker produziert haben. (aus laut.de)

A true surprise success for Paharas Musica, originally written during the end of the pandemic, 'White Isle Memories' captured the loss of not being able to visit the white isle of Ibiza and combines the producer talents of Ridney & Inner Spirit (aka Richard Earnshaw).

A production aimed at the beach bar culture of the island the production duo are joined by multiinstrumentalist, vocalist and loop pedal extraordinaire Michael Sebastian. In it’s original guise the track has racked up well over 1.3 million streams and in that gained the attention of German producer SOMMA (1.7 million monthly listeners), who was keen to grab the stems and deliver a special 2023 remix.

Adding to the package Ridney’s sunset reprise from his Café Mambo Ibiza DJ sets and Inner Sprits own incredible 2023 remix.

DJ Support:

Mark Knight (support on Kiss FM), Purple Disco Machine, Mousse T, Ken Fan (Café Del Mar), Ryan McDermott (Café Mambo Resident), Hector Romero, Des Mitchell (Radio One Mallorca), Mr V, Lenny Fontana, Loeca, Jazzy M, Dario D’Attis, Danny Rampling, Chad Jackson, Brandon Block, Booker T, Black Legend, David Dunne, Graham Sahara, Lizzie Curious, Martyn the Hat.5

Founding member of Buffalo Springfield and folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Stills' first solo album, Stephen Stills, earned a gold record, is the only album to feature both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, and climbed to #3 on the album charts. Stephen Stills’ single "Love the One You're With" became his biggest solo hit, peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the first track on this collection. 14 tracks from Stephen Still’s First US Tour, previously unissued and recorded Live at The Berkeley Community Theater in 1971, featuring David Crosby on two songs. In 1971 Stephen Stills embarked on a US tour, opening each show with an intimate acoustic first set, and closing each night with a riveting electric set featuring the Memphis Horns. These historic, previously unreleased recordings took place over two nights at the Berkeley Community Theater, with David Crosby joining him on vocals and guitar for "You Don’t Have To Cry" and "The Lee Shore." These recordings find Stills at peak performance in both vocal delivery and musicianship, effortlessly incorporating alternate instrumentation on his instantly recognizable tracks, including a seamless medley of “49 Bye Byes" and "For What It’s Worth” unexpectedly played on piano. Hand-picked by Stills from his personal archives, this album captures timeless and era defining performances. Fans who were lucky enough to catch his historic debut trek, dubbed “The Memphis Horns Tour,” were treated to the balladeer, the raving troubadour, the acoustic bluesman, the soul driver, and by far the most passionate music maker. Backed by a loyal cast of friends, including his usual steady rhythm section—drummer Dallas Taylor and bassist Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuels—along with keyboardist Paul Harris, guitarist Steve Fromholz, and percussionist Joe Lala, these Northern California shows were one of the most unique and intimate stops on the tour This album, rather than being an artifact from a bygone era, sparkles and stimulates. It cajoles you into thinking, feeling and—most importantly—moving. Stephen Stills Live At Berkeley 1971 is a cornucopia of priceless sound—and all of it bears the distinct and loving fingerprint of Stephen Stills.

"Die Welt soll durch Zärtlichkeit gerettet werden" Fjodor Michailowitsch Dostojewski In von Krisen gebeutelten Zeiten bietet die Kunst allerhand Möglichkeiten, um dem entrückten Lauf der Welt die Stirn zu bieten. Eine davon liegt in der bewussten Umkehrung von Aggression und Rauheit. Für genau diesen Weg haben sich vier Musiker aus Köln entschieden - und folgerichtig ihre Band nach einer herzerfrischenden Tugend benannt: Die Zärtlichkeit lautet das Credo der Gegenwart. Gewissermaßen ist die Gruppe ein Produkt der Pandemie. Allwöchentlich trafen sich Sänger Andreas Fischer und Gitarrist Tobias Emmerich hinter domstädtischen Wänden, um ihren musikalischen Entwurf auszuarbeiten. Zum Vorbild nahmen sie sich den britischen Jangle-Pop der 80er-Jahre: The Smiths, Orange Juice, Felt. Samtweich klangen jene Formationen und wenngleich ihre Melodien durchaus beschwingt daherkamen, wurden sie doch immer aus Empfindsamkeit geboren. So verhält es sich auch bei Die Zärtlichkeit. Im März 2020 erschien ihre selbstbetitelte Debüt-EP, im November des selben Jahres veröffentlichten sie auf "Die Zärtlichkeit II" vier weitere Stücke. An dieser Stelle bleibe nicht unerwähnt, dass sich das Duo seit dem Beitritt von Bassist Merlin Engelien und Schlagzeuger David Dasenbrook zum Quartett erweitert hat. Mit "Heimweh Meisterwerke" ist nun der Moment für den ersten Langspieler gekommen. Ohne Zweifel steht jene Platte in den Zeichen von Anmut und Grazie. Doch Obacht sei geboten: Am Ende von "Reptil" etwa lauert in Gestalt von "Ulalala"-Chören ein gewiefter Spitzbubenstreich. Vorrangig tut es wohl, dass diese Band keine Bange hat vor Romantik. In Gärten tummeln sich von der Welt verlassene Tiere, der Mai lässt die Bäume hastig erblühen. So lieblich, so leichtfüßig die Lieder aber auch dahinziehen mögen - hinter so manch besungenem Himbeerstrauch hat sich der Pathos versteckt. Hört man etwa die folgenden Verse, möchte man vor Rührung vergehen: "Und ich darf mich nicht verraten, ich träume hier von dir. Und während ich hier träume, befreist du mich von mir" "Ein kurzer Weg" heißt das Lied, dem diese Zeilen entnommen sind. Es offenbart, wie schnell sich die Dinge - freilich durch die Liebe - zum Guten wenden können. Auch bei "Star" nimmt das Schicksal eine rasende Wendung, die hier jedoch schnurstracks in den Abgrund führt. Das Stück nimmt sich einen Menschen zum Protagonisten, der den Sternen näher scheint, als der Erde: "Trotz makelloser Hülle scheint dein Inneres verdorben". Gerade deshalb muss er verglühen - zumindest in dieser mit Scharfsinn vorgeführten Fallstudie. Von einem Besuch in den Gefilden der Kindheit erzählt der Titel "Geteilt". Das Licht am Morgen fällt noch immer wie damals vor dem Schulbeginn. Einige Klingelschilder tragen jetzt andere Namen, ein Baum ist verschwunden. Es ist die Geschichte eines Jemand, der sich aufgerieben fühlt zwischen der Vergangenheit und dem Jetzt. Zwischen Ankommen und Loslassen. Als bittersüße nostalgische Verklärung kommt das Schlusslied "In meinen Träumen" daher. Die letzten Zeilen liefern schließlich den Beweis: Am Ende gewinnt Die Zärtlichkeit. "In meinen Träumen bleiben die Menschen und Orte für immer"

You can't get Deeper if you're standing still. That's intentional, says the Chicago quartet's Nic Gohl. "Does it feel good when you're listening to this song? Does your body want to move with it?" These are the questions he asked himself as he and bandmates Shiraz Bhatti, Drew McBride, and Kevin Fairbairn were writing and recording Careful!, their third record and Sub Pop debut. "I wanted these to be interesting songs, but in a way where a two-year-old would vibe out to it," Gohl adds.

"It's pop music, basically." That "basically" qualifier is working pretty hard, as fans of 2020's Auto-Pain might suppose. On Careful!, they're not reimagining their sound so much as testing its limits. If you want to, you can hear echoes of David Bowie's Low in the snapping rhythm and gray-sky synths of "Tele," but you can also hear a bit of Auto-Pain in the nailed-in, stippling lines being spit out by Bhatti's drum programming and McBride's synthesizer.

"Fame" seems to stumble together and nearly fall apart, the dialed-up noise making the beat feel maniacal and a little invincible, the whole thing a series of short, snipped, autonomous gestures that are by now Deeper's trademark. "Build a Bridge" pushes in the opposite direction, using a prickly guitar line to launch into big, smeary art-pop, its emotional palette clear, well-defined, and easy to latch onto.

On "Sub," Gohl sings above and below the melody like Ian McCulloch, bellowing and wondering and ruminating and rounding into swaggering confidence that the band rises to meet. It's festival headliner music that still feels like it was written in a garage. That fraternal interdependence is near the center of Deeper's music. The musical and lyrical devotion to mutuality makes this restlessly curious, stylistically broad album feels like the most coherent portrait of who Deeper is. Or, as McBride ultimately frames it, "Careful! is about looking out for one another."

You can't get Deeper if you're standing still. That's intentional, says the Chicago quartet's Nic Gohl. "Does it feel good when you're listening to this song? Does your body want to move with it?" These are the questions he asked himself as he and bandmates Shiraz Bhatti, Drew McBride, and Kevin Fairbairn were writing and recording Careful!, their third record and Sub Pop debut. "I wanted these to be interesting songs, but in a way where a two-year-old would vibe out to it," Gohl adds.

"It's pop music, basically." That "basically" qualifier is working pretty hard, as fans of 2020's Auto-Pain might suppose. On Careful!, they're not reimagining their sound so much as testing its limits. If you want to, you can hear echoes of David Bowie's Low in the snapping rhythm and gray-sky synths of "Tele," but you can also hear a bit of Auto-Pain in the nailed-in, stippling lines being spit out by Bhatti's drum programming and McBride's synthesizer.

"Fame" seems to stumble together and nearly fall apart, the dialed-up noise making the beat feel maniacal and a little invincible, the whole thing a series of short, snipped, autonomous gestures that are by now Deeper's trademark. "Build a Bridge" pushes in the opposite direction, using a prickly guitar line to launch into big, smeary art-pop, its emotional palette clear, well-defined, and easy to latch onto.

On "Sub," Gohl sings above and below the melody like Ian McCulloch, bellowing and wondering and ruminating and rounding into swaggering confidence that the band rises to meet. It's festival headliner music that still feels like it was written in a garage. That fraternal interdependence is near the center of Deeper's music. The musical and lyrical devotion to mutuality makes this restlessly curious, stylistically broad album feels like the most coherent portrait of who Deeper is. Or, as McBride ultimately frames it, "Careful! is about looking out for one another."

ANTI- Records is honored to share a never-before-heard album by Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse titled Bird Machine. Originally recorded in 2010 and mixed by Mark Hamilton (who also worked on It"s A Wonderful Life), Mark"s brother Matt notes "great care has been taken to archive and preserve Mark"s music.

We are very thankful for Mark and the beauty he brought to this world." Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band formed by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous in the mid-1990s.

Born on September 9, 1962, in Arlington, Virginia, Linkous began playing music as a teenager. Described as an artist who "compelled listeners to heed the beauty of darkness" by Pitchfork, Sparklehorse released many influential records, including the renowned albumsn Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot and Good Morning Spider in the "90s, It"s A Wonderful Life and Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain in the early aughts, and a collaborative album Dark Night of the Soul released in 2010.

Throughout his career Mark collaborated with thought provoking artists like Vic Chesnutt, Daniel Johnston, Tom Waits, Danger Mouse, and David Lynch.

While Mark recorded in various studios, collaborating with other musicians and producers, he did much of his work in his home studio, Static King, often playing and recording everything on his own. He was "very much kind of a working-class guy with a very poetic sensibility, who was drawn to artists like himself, who worked in isolation," said NPR Fresh Air"s Ken Tucker.

ANTI- Records is honored to share a never-before-heard album by Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse titled Bird Machine. Originally recorded in 2010 and mixed by Mark Hamilton (who also worked on It"s A Wonderful Life), Mark"s brother Matt notes "great care has been taken to archive and preserve Mark"s music.

We are very thankful for Mark and the beauty he brought to this world." Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band formed by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous in the mid-1990s.

Born on September 9, 1962, in Arlington, Virginia, Linkous began playing music as a teenager. Described as an artist who "compelled listeners to heed the beauty of darkness" by Pitchfork, Sparklehorse released many influential records, including the renowned albumsn Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot and Good Morning Spider in the "90s, It"s A Wonderful Life and Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain in the early aughts, and a collaborative album Dark Night of the Soul released in 2010.

Throughout his career Mark collaborated with thought provoking artists like Vic Chesnutt, Daniel Johnston, Tom Waits, Danger Mouse, and David Lynch.

While Mark recorded in various studios, collaborating with other musicians and producers, he did much of his work in his home studio, Static King, often playing and recording everything on his own. He was "very much kind of a working-class guy with a very poetic sensibility, who was drawn to artists like himself, who worked in isolation," said NPR Fresh Air"s Ken Tucker.

Available only n Germany!

ANTI- Records is honored to share a never-before-heard album by Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse titled Bird Machine. Originally recorded in 2010 and mixed by Mark Hamilton (who also worked on It"s A Wonderful Life), Mark"s brother Matt notes "great care has been taken to archive and preserve Mark"s music.

We are very thankful for Mark and the beauty he brought to this world." Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band formed by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous in the mid-1990s.

Born on September 9, 1962, in Arlington, Virginia, Linkous began playing music as a teenager. Described as an artist who "compelled listeners to heed the beauty of darkness" by Pitchfork, Sparklehorse released many influential records, including the renowned albumsn Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot and Good Morning Spider in the "90s, It"s A Wonderful Life and Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain in the early aughts, and a collaborative album Dark Night of the Soul released in 2010.

Throughout his career Mark collaborated with thought provoking artists like Vic Chesnutt, Daniel Johnston, Tom Waits, Danger Mouse, and David Lynch.

While Mark recorded in various studios, collaborating with other musicians and producers, he did much of his work in his home studio, Static King, often playing and recording everything on his own. He was "very much kind of a working-class guy with a very poetic sensibility, who was drawn to artists like himself, who worked in isolation," said NPR Fresh Air"s Ken Tucker.

Working with Bat For Lashes producer David Kosten (aka Faultline), the recording of Man Alive was completed mainly in a chapel in North Wales. The album sounded unique. Nothing dates like the future, yet Man Alive sounds dateless, placeless, and as a result, stands up perfectly many years later.

Man Alive was only the beginning of the group's adventures in – to use their words – 'Mismatched styles of music mashed together.' The result is often exhilarating; there are Brazilian drums and a prog guitar breakdown in Schoolin', classical influences, as well. Its subject matter is often way outside the realms of conventional songwriting; MY KZ, UR BF explored the different Americas: the cosy self-centred domesticity of programmes such as Friends versus a foreign policy
based on killing; Qwerty Finger examines imperialism. Anglo Saxon guilt is also present.

The album's artwork was striking – a photograph of a fox by Swiss photographer, Laurent Geslin, reflecting the track Tin (The Manhole) which deals with the theme of depression, through, as the band said in 2010, "the story of an urban fox that ingests all our pollution and grows massively in a sort of dream sequence. We chose photos of an urban fox for this reason, but we partly attacked the code of the digital image to create a glitch distortion . . . a reference to digital manipulation and chaos as well as our modern lives online".

Released in August 2010, Man Alive made the UK Top 20 and was well reviewed.

For example, BBC Music commented that the group "know more than most how to craft a song, how to make an album. They know how to give it depth, light and dark, and they - crucially - know when to stop." Man Alive was shortlisted for the 20th Mercury Music Prize in 2011.

The original LP edition of the album is super- scarce, released before the 'vinyl revival' kicked in, hence the original pressing now selling in the high three figures.

This re-issue is presented with scrupulous attention to the detail of the original UK first pressing, complete with gatefold sleeve, poster and 8 page booklet. It is pressed on 140gm vinyl.

This song, co- written and produced by Jamie Safir (Kylie, Birdy, Will Young) is from the brand-new collection 'Greek Street Friday' released later this year on all formats. With an ace band, which includes drummer Ian Thomas (George Michael, Van Morrison, Celine Dion) and guitarist David Preston (Melody Gardot, Curtis Stigers), this collection will also feature, on a beautiful new take of Rickie Lee Jones' 'Blinded By The Hunt', the world-renowned saxophonist Iain Ballamy (Everything But The Girl, Hermeto Pascoal, Loose Tubes). 'To Be Held' is a lullaby for our times. The title, inspired by a Truman Capote interview, with Dick Cavett, expands into a beautiful tribute to lost friends, the power of connections, imperfections and navigates the strangeness and beauty of being alive 'on this beaten-up planet of ours'.

Ian Shaw is back with force and with 'the quirks and character tics of every day living, . . . brought into euphoric focus Shaw tours his smart and soulful show' (The Guardian)

Eight years after its original release in 2015, and sold out upon release, Umor Rex finally presents a vinyl repress of Sirens, by Kara-Lis Coverdale and LXV. This new edition is limited to 500 copies and comes with revised artwork.

Inspired by the link between seduction and violence, Sirens comprises a series of timbrally vast anamorphic pieces that poise the voice as a newly imagined tool of multiplicity. Processes of sample manipulation, signal processing, routing, and source design inform instrumental writing and performance in feedback until intertwined, flickering between states of conflict and consonance. Apparitions of the schizophrenic voice are at one moment fractured and cold and at the next full of warmth and vivaciousness, embodying velvet rituals of romanticism in the digital age.

Ultimately, Sirens is music for ambitious dreamers: surreal sound portraits sound like the warmth of the world laid over an ice cold virtual altar. LXV’s vocal truncations and fleshy sound palettes depict the archivation of the breath and aural fantasies of the flesh which Coverdale sets amongst a vast and unconfined landscape of deeper and unknown force. Harmonically active and dynamic orchestrations underpin post-sacred tonalities while brooding pipe organs, sphinx flutes, and hailstorms of metallic percussion characterize uniquely disjointed discussions between disparate compositional ontologies. At times violent and at others serenely peaceful and seductive, these pieces, at their most powerful moments illuminate a felt space between cybernetic energy and the body.

Composed and recorded by Kara-Lis Coverdale and David Sutton. Mastered by John Tejada. Cover photograph by Cody Cobb. Layout by Daniel Castrejón.

Dom of Dom & Roland, (Roland being a machine), has been a drum and bass visionary since the mid 90’s. He remains the only solo artist to have had award-winning albums on both Metalheadz and Moving Shadow. Dom released his ninth album on Overshadow earlier this year. His collaborations range far and wide and have included the likes of Optical, Amon Tobin, and more recently Noisia. Internationally acclaimed for both his records and performance, his epic brand of music has attracted other pioneers along the way, Art of Noise, David Bowie, Laurent Garnier, Goldie, and Clyde Stubblefield, are just a few of the many loyal fans he has collected over the last 30 years. He still travels the world, is not slowing down, and continues to evolve his music to this day.

“Individual” is his new label. Its purpose, in his own words, is “to celebrate the uniqueness and character of individuals or artists, who stand apart from others of the same”

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