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Man muss sich nur kurz mit dem Indie-Rock-Trio unterhalten, um die innige Wärme ihrer starken Verbundenheit zu spüren, die drei jungen Musikerinnen sind beste Freunde. Diese persönliche Nähe schimmert auch auf ihrem Debütalbum "Versions of Modern Performance" durch. Penelope Lowenstein (Gitarre, Gesang), Nora Cheng (Gitarre, Gesang) und Gigi Reece (Schlagzeug) machen alles gemeinsam, vom Songwriting über den wechselnden Gesang und den Tausch von Instrumenten bis hin zum Sound- und Visual Art-Design. "Versions of Modern Performance" wurde mit John Agnello (Kurt Vile, The Breeders, Dinosaur Jr.) im Electrical Audio-Studio aufgenommen. "Es ist unser erstes Album. Wir hatten bei Agnello sofort das Gefühl, dass er wirklich respektiert, was wir zu tun versuchten", sagt die Band. Horsegirl spielen auf dem Album gekonnt mit Texturen, Formen und Schattierungen und zeigen ihre Vorliebe für Improvisationen und Experimente. Der Opener "Anti-glory" ist schillernder Post-Punk-Song. "Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty)" und "World of Pots and Pans" haben einen rauen Pop-Charme. "The Fall of Horsegirl" besticht wiederum durch seine scharfen Konturen und einem kantigen Sound. Man kann in ihrer Musik Elemente der Independent-Musik der 80er und 90er Jahre hören, die Sounds die Horsegirl so sehr lieben - die schraddelige Melodik dessen, was man früher "College-Rock" nannte, den kühlen und sprudelnden Space-Age-Glanz der 90er-Jahre, das laute Dröhnen von Shoegaze, die sparsamen Hooks und Rhythmen von Post-Punk. Sogar ein bisschen No-Wave ist mit dabei. Horsegirl vermischen die Einflüsse zu einem Sound einer neuen Generation, für die die 90er-Jahre Lichtjahre entfernt zurückliegen und gleichzeitig doch so nah sind.

Man muss sich nur kurz mit dem Indie-Rock-Trio unterhalten, um die innige Wärme ihrer starken Verbundenheit zu spüren, die drei jungen Musikerinnen sind beste Freunde. Diese persönliche Nähe schimmert auch auf ihrem Debütalbum "Versions of Modern Performance" durch. Penelope Lowenstein (Gitarre, Gesang), Nora Cheng (Gitarre, Gesang) und Gigi Reece (Schlagzeug) machen alles gemeinsam, vom Songwriting über den wechselnden Gesang und den Tausch von Instrumenten bis hin zum Sound- und Visual Art-Design. "Versions of Modern Performance" wurde mit John Agnello (Kurt Vile, The Breeders, Dinosaur Jr.) im Electrical Audio-Studio aufgenommen. "Es ist unser erstes Album. Wir hatten bei Agnello sofort das Gefühl, dass er wirklich respektiert, was wir zu tun versuchten", sagt die Band. Horsegirl spielen auf dem Album gekonnt mit Texturen, Formen und Schattierungen und zeigen ihre Vorliebe für Improvisationen und Experimente. Der Opener "Anti-glory" ist schillernder Post-Punk-Song. "Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty)" und "World of Pots and Pans" haben einen rauen Pop-Charme. "The Fall of Horsegirl" besticht wiederum durch seine scharfen Konturen und einem kantigen Sound. Man kann in ihrer Musik Elemente der Independent-Musik der 80er und 90er Jahre hören, die Sounds die Horsegirl so sehr lieben - die schraddelige Melodik dessen, was man früher "College-Rock" nannte, den kühlen und sprudelnden Space-Age-Glanz der 90er-Jahre, das laute Dröhnen von Shoegaze, die sparsamen Hooks und Rhythmen von Post-Punk. Sogar ein bisschen No-Wave ist mit dabei. Horsegirl vermischen die Einflüsse zu einem Sound einer neuen Generation, für die die 90er-Jahre Lichtjahre entfernt zurückliegen und gleichzeitig doch so nah sind.

On their first official collaboration, Japanese noise pioneer Masami Akita aka Merzbow and Australian sound sculptor Lawrence English present a harrowing, surrealist portrait of nocturnal industrial activity, spawned by field recordings made in a sprawling factory complex seven hours north of English's home in Brisbane. He characterizes the area as "uneasy and unsettling," awash in the sickly glow of smelters and refinement machinery, somehow not of this world - a liminal quality vividly captured in Andrei Tarkovsky's sprawling purgatorial opus, Stalker, to which the title alludes. Akita, too, described early drafts of Eternal Stalker as feeling "like the soundtrack to a dystopian science fiction opera." A mood of mechanical dread and ruined futures permeates each of the album's seven potent compositions. Opener "The Long Dream" sets the stage with steady rain on sheet metal, punctured by thunder and metallic echoes, reverberating to the rafters in a collapsing warehouse. Quickly the tempest rises. "A Gate Of Light" and "Magnetic Traps" both convulse in churning furies of electric demolition and rattling chains, roaring and relentless. "The Visit" and "Black Thicket" operate more at a distance, surveying the topography of steam, rust, and liquid metal from above, their flickers of violence swallowed by blankets of darkness. This is noise at its most elemental and unknowable: brooding, bristling, and opaque, stalking forbidden peripheries of chaos and creation. Discussing Akita's music, English refers to its "intense substrata that is purely psychedelic; it consumes and confounds." The seasick swells of friction and fracture subsume the listener, forcing an auditory surrender: "this saturation of the senses can be a euphoria." Proof comes halfway through "The Golden Sphere," when the howling mayhem subtly recedes, revealing an eerie siren drone hovering in the void, like the resonance of a dead star galaxies away. Slowly a seething, venomous wall of volume returns, shredding the signal until its frequencies fray, whipping away into the eye of the storm. The combined effect merges obliteration and liberation, rapture and ravagement; it's the sound of dissolution as resolution, uprooted and unmoored, finally freed from form.

On their first official collaboration, Japanese noise pioneer Masami Akita aka Merzbow and Australian sound sculptor Lawrence English present a harrowing, surrealist portrait of nocturnal industrial activity, spawned by field recordings made in a sprawling factory complex seven hours north of English's home in Brisbane. He characterizes the area as "uneasy and unsettling," awash in the sickly glow of smelters and refinement machinery, somehow not of this world - a liminal quality vividly captured in Andrei Tarkovsky's sprawling purgatorial opus, Stalker, to which the title alludes. Akita, too, described early drafts of Eternal Stalker as feeling "like the soundtrack to a dystopian science fiction opera." A mood of mechanical dread and ruined futures permeates each of the album's seven potent compositions. Opener "The Long Dream" sets the stage with steady rain on sheet metal, punctured by thunder and metallic echoes, reverberating to the rafters in a collapsing warehouse. Quickly the tempest rises. "A Gate Of Light" and "Magnetic Traps" both convulse in churning furies of electric demolition and rattling chains, roaring and relentless. "The Visit" and "Black Thicket" operate more at a distance, surveying the topography of steam, rust, and liquid metal from above, their flickers of violence swallowed by blankets of darkness. This is noise at its most elemental and unknowable: brooding, bristling, and opaque, stalking forbidden peripheries of chaos and creation. Discussing Akita's music, English refers to its "intense substrata that is purely psychedelic; it consumes and confounds." The seasick swells of friction and fracture subsume the listener, forcing an auditory surrender: "this saturation of the senses can be a euphoria." Proof comes halfway through "The Golden Sphere," when the howling mayhem subtly recedes, revealing an eerie siren drone hovering in the void, like the resonance of a dead star galaxies away. Slowly a seething, venomous wall of volume returns, shredding the signal until its frequencies fray, whipping away into the eye of the storm. The combined effect merges obliteration and liberation, rapture and ravagement; it's the sound of dissolution as resolution, uprooted and unmoored, finally freed from form.

Orange Goblin formierte sich 1995 und spielte auf den ersten Veröffentlichungen hauptsächlich Stoner Rock mit stark psychedelischem Einschlag. Seit dem vierten Album 'Coup de Grace' tendiert die Band mehr in Richtung schnörkellosen Hard Rocks.
Sie spielten Live-Auftritte u. a. mit Unida, Queens of the Stone Age, Nebula, Monster Magnet und Cathedral und sowie als Vorgruppe von Alice Cooper. Die ersten fünf Alben erschienen beim renommierten Indie-Label Rise Above Records.
Die erstmalig als im LP-Format erscheinende Live-Aufnahme enthält 13 Tracks, darunter der Bonustrack 'Blue Snow', der auf bei der Digital Only-Version 2020 nicht enthalten war. Limited 2LP in Orange Splatter-Vinyl!

Adrian Quesada announces the release of ‘Boleros Psicodélicos’,
a sprawling and singular tribute to the golden era of balada music.
The brand-new album from the GRAMMY-nominated guitarist,
producer and Black Pumas co-founder serves as a celebration of
the super funky, slightly delirious and deeply soulful sounds that
transcended the cultural boundaries of Latin America throughout
the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Featuring vocals from Puerto Rican icon, GRAMMY-winner and
former Calle 13 member iLe, Colombian-American visionary
Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Mexican R&B star Girl Ultra, as well as
Angelica Garcia, Gaby Moreno, contributions from living legends
such as Marc Ribot and Beastie Boys musician Money Mark, and
many more, ‘Boleros Psicodélicos’ consists primarily of original
Adrian Quesada compositions, as well as covers of La Lupe’s
‘Puedes Decir De Mí’, Jeanette’s ‘El Muchacho De Los Ojos
Tristes’ and other balada classics.

All twelve tracks were produced, engineered, mixed and largely
performed by Adrian Quesada, honouring and extending the
influence of a personal obsession that he has cultivated over the
past 20 years.

Similar to his acclaimed 2018 album ‘Look At My Soul’, which
traced the deep roots and relationship between Latin and Texas
music, Adrian Quesada sees every song on ‘Boleros Psicodelicos’
as both a history lesson and a step towards a newly imagined,
more united future: “I always wanted to pay tribute to that sound
that I was already hearing in my head without realizing that people
had already done it. Balada changed the face of Latin music
forever. If something like that happened today, it would be normal
because everyone’s connected on Instagram. Think how powerful
this sound had to be for everyone to be connected through the
songs. As someone who grew up speaking two languages and
living on both sides of the border, I love how much music can
transcend barriers and boundaries. It really is a universal
language, especially back then.”

Justin Thurgur has been at the heart of the UK's World Music scene for over twenty years; principally in his collaborations with the former Fela and Femi Kuti keyboardist, Dele Sosimi, and with the pianist and composer Kishon Khan, most recently in his groups Lokkhi Terra and Cubafrobeat. He has also worked with the likes of Afrobeat drum legend Tony Allen, and with the Cuban giants Giraldo Piloto, Julito Padron and Changuito. Thurgur is also a member of the seminal English folk group Bellowhead.

'Many Faces' brings together this musical journey, with Afro-infused grooves and nods towards Cuban Jazz and Dub, with Thurgur's early passion for the likes of Miles Davis, Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, et al....

It features both Khan and Sosimi, who have contributed as co-writers as well as bringing their own inimitable sounds on piano, rhodes and hammond organ. Alongside them are some of the leading musicians on the UK's African, Cuban and Jazz scenes, plus collaborations with rising star singers Jade Pybus and Sahra Gure.

Justin Thurgur - trombone (and some additional keys)

Graeme Flowers - trumpet and flugel horn

Simeon May - tenor, baritone and alto sax

James Allsopp - bass clarinet

Jade Pybus - vocals (on 'Woman')

Sahra Gure - vocals (on 'Be A Little Wiser')

Kishon Khan - piano, rhodes and hammond organ (on tracks 1,3,4 and 5)

Dele Sosimi - piano (on tracks 2 and 6) and vocala (on track 6)

Phil Dawson - guitar

Suman Joshi - double bass (except track 5)

Jimmy Martinez - double bass (on track 5)

Tansay Omar - drums (on tracks 1,3 and 4)

Kunle Olofinjana - drums (on tracks 2 and 6)

Yoann Julliard - drums (on track 5)

Afla Sackey - congas and djembe (on tracks 1,2 and 6), shekere and cowbell, and vocals (on track 6)

Oreste 'Sambroso' Noda - congas (on tracks 3 and 5)

Evie Hilyer-Ziegler - violin and viola

Paul Sartin - violin

Track 1 written by J Thurgur and S Gure

Tracks 2 and 6 written by J Thurgur and Dele Sosimi

Track 3 written by J Thurgur

Track 4 written by J Thurgur and J Pybus

Track 5 written by J Thurgur and K Khan

Recorded at Fish Factory by Simone Gallizio and Sean Douglas, at Boneman Studios by Justin Thurgur, at Better Pass Your Own Studios by Phil Dawson, at Thank You Please Studio by Kishon Khan and at 224 Studios by Matteo Musetti.


Mixed at Hi Street Studio by Mauro Caccialanza.

Mastered at Gearbox by Caspar Sutton-Jones.

Artwork by Matthieu Dufour

Photos of by Siobhan Bradshaw, Justin Thurgur, Stephanie Sian Smith,

Chantal Azari, Alex Bonney, Heather Hoyle, Nicole Thurgur, Joanna Mendel, Tansay Omar, Richard Gearey, Faye Hilyer-Ziegler and Svetlana Onye.

• Limited edition of 800 copies

KU is paying tribute to one of the most acclaimed and iconic records in the NMS catalogue, with a 2LP vinyl release, with brand new artwork & a bonus remix. The re-release is an opportunity for new fans to be exposed to this masterpiece LP, old fans to explore a NMS classic through fresh ears, and for the band to reflect back on the record they made nearly 15 years ago.

As far as recording the record, there was nothing new about the approach. By this time the band had found a formula for making records that they found to make most sense and suit their chemistry well. Richard Formby was their goto engineer and Hall Place Studios in Leeds, was the space that breeds the desired sounds. This process would remain the same until the band started making records in the United States a few years later.

The KU ‘Plug & Play' Reissue is snapshot in time of a band that was around the 10 year mark of their career. There’s an undeniable chemistry and energy captured in the recordings that could only come from musicians who were tapped in and listening to one another's ideas and playing. With each track leaving you wondering how they were able to find that much pocket, and how much deeper could it possibly go!

3rd album by Have You Ever Seen the Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? Artist: Have You Ever Seen the Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? Genre: Garage pop Formats: Digital + vinyl (Black Vinyl + Ltd Edition Yellow Vinyl) Finnish“flower-garage”3-pieceHave You Ever Seen the Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? have carved out a unique sound for themselves, opting to use keyboards instead of guitars. This is after songwriter Ekku Lintunen and drummer Janne-Petteri Pitkälä, on seeing the film Drive, instantly decided to form an 80ssynth-pop band as a side project to the garage-rock act they were in at the time. When Susse Stemma-Sihvolacame in on vocals, bringing her scuzzed out bass tones with her, it ended up being garage-rock with a twist. They are further shaped by the aesthetic and sonics of the underground cassette culture punkbands in their small town of Kouvolarely on, as well as the thread of styles that have tied the towns musical history together through the decades. Amish-mash of 60s girl-groups, punk, glam, grunge and NYC/Manchester indie coming together generates their electrifying style that has given rise to one of the most exciting and infectious bands to come out of the Nordics in recent years. Lintunen likens his songwriting to crafting surreal movies. Starting with a picture in his mind, he throws out lyrical phrases to create this image for the listener. Enough is held back though that there are more questions than answers. Like all great films, the listener interprets as they do. After their debut album Teenage Sweetheartwas released in autumn 2015and following with their sophomore album Jazzbelle 1984 / 1988the trio have been praised in the international music media, and gathered fans around the world.

3rd album by Have You Ever Seen the Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? Artist: Have You Ever Seen the Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? Genre: Garage pop Formats: Digital + vinyl (Black Vinyl + Ltd Edition Yellow Vinyl) Finnish“flower-garage”3-pieceHave You Ever Seen the Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? have carved out a unique sound for themselves, opting to use keyboards instead of guitars. This is after songwriter Ekku Lintunen and drummer Janne-Petteri Pitkälä, on seeing the film Drive, instantly decided to form an 80ssynth-pop band as a side project to the garage-rock act they were in at the time. When Susse Stemma-Sihvolacame in on vocals, bringing her scuzzed out bass tones with her, it ended up being garage-rock with a twist. They are further shaped by the aesthetic and sonics of the underground cassette culture punkbands in their small town of Kouvolarely on, as well as the thread of styles that have tied the towns musical history together through the decades. Amish-mash of 60s girl-groups, punk, glam, grunge and NYC/Manchester indie coming together generates their electrifying style that has given rise to one of the most exciting and infectious bands to come out of the Nordics in recent years. Lintunen likens his songwriting to crafting surreal movies. Starting with a picture in his mind, he throws out lyrical phrases to create this image for the listener. Enough is held back though that there are more questions than answers. Like all great films, the listener interprets as they do. After their debut album Teenage Sweetheartwas released in autumn 2015and following with their sophomore album Jazzbelle 1984 / 1988the trio have been praised in the international music media, and gathered fans around the world.

A question popular among followers of Thrash Metal is undeniably this, “Which is considered the fastest Thrash Metal album of all time?”. There would be a high percentage of answers supporting “Reign In Blood”, Darkness Descends” or “Pleasure To Kill”. Now here’s a startling reality. Wehrmacht’s debut album makes those albums sound as if they were meant to be listed under progressive Metal. The sheer ferocity of these guys is enough to convince you why they were considered the fastest Heavy Metal band in the underground. So what is it that makes this record worthy of being called an underground classic? Right from production to musicianship, the concoction of several different ideas results into one colossal and inevitably unique style of their own. Many of you would probably wonder that there might just be a natural leaning towards sloppy playing especially considering my description of their astoundingly fast nature earlier. But the major surprise here is that all the musicians are extremely tight and precise with no single riff, solo or beat falling out of place. Tito Matos is one of the most versatile Thrash singers one has ever heard till date. His clarity of words and ability to keep up with the rest of the band with his lightning fast singing is simply commendable. The songs in here are all ridiculously speedy pieces of Thrash Metal with practically little or no remorse for the listener. The title track with that brilliant rendition of the famously eerie “Jaws” theme kicks off the onslaught with a tearing main riff that shreds away with speed and precision. Teutonic, Bay Area and a few east coast Thrash Metal bands have been instrumental in forging the whole genre altogether but taking the intensity a couple of notches higher was undoubtedly achieved by bands like Cryptic Slaughter, Soothsayer and finally Wehrmacht. For a year that was 1987, “Shark Attack” was way ahead of its time and has been highly regarded as the release that influenced many a band in the Grindcore and Black Metal genres. To testify this statement of mine, U.K Grindcore pioneers Napalm Death have covered Wehrmacht on one of their studio compilations, thus proving the exemplary effect this band had in the years to come. Yet the irony still stands out as to why only the most devoted of Thrash Metal/Crossover freaks know about this band. As for some of you guys, quit wasting your time listening to the senseless offshoots of Grindcore and shitty Black Metal and get a hold of this classic instead.

The Long Island Metallers return with brand new album 'Culture of Violence' Essential listening for fans of Slayer, Megadeth, Testament and Pantera.

On June 3rd, the GRAMMY-nominated six-piece — Adam Deitch (drums), Ryan Zoidis (saxophone), Adam ‘Shmeeans’ Smirnoff (guitar), Erick ‘Jesus’ Coomes (bass), Nigel Hall (keyboards/vocals), Eric ‘Benny’ Bloom (trumpet) — will be delivering a whole host of new tunes to the world in the form of 'Unify,' the eighth studio album from Lettuce and the third consecutive record made at Denver’s Colorado Sound Studios, completing a loose trilogy starting with 2019’s GRAMMY-nominated Elevate, and continuing with 2020’s Resonate. Fans can expect the same tight, wildly-funky instrumentals Lettuce has always been known for, but in the tightest form they’ve ever taken. And this time around, the guys have gotten the stamp of approval from one of the genre’s most legendary icons, Mr. Bootsy Collins, himself, who can be heard singing on the track “Keep That Funk Alive.” “Dealing with the pandemic, being in separate places, trying to survive without our best friends, without touring, not to mention the political divide in this country,” says Deitch.

Die Musik entstammt weiterhin vom Komponisten Jonathan Larson selbst und beinhaltet 17 Tracks mit Gesang, die jeweils von den Schauspielern selbst eingesungen wurden, wobei der Film eine Starbesetzung zu verzeichnen hat

James Brown hatte das Apollo. Jimi Hendrix hatte das Monterey Pop Festival und Prince hatte den Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York - den Auftritt der "Purple Rain Tour", der per Satellit live an Millionen von Menschen übertragen und im für den Grammy Award nominierten Konzertfilm "Prince and The Revolution. Live" für die Nachwelt festgehalten wurde, und seitdem als eine der kultigsten Live-Aufnahmen in die Pop/Rock-Geschichte einging. Zum ersten Mal wurde dieser kraftvolle Auftritt von Prince und The Revolution von den originalen 2"-Multitrack-Masters komplett neu abgemischt, das Bild wurde auf Blu-ray Video mit wählbarem Stereo-, 5.1-Surround- und Dolby-Atmos-Sound neu restauriert und der Ton wird zum ersten Mal physisch verfügbar gemacht. Die neue Version von "Prince and The Revolution. Live" ist erhältlich als: 2CDs+1Bluray und auf schwarzem Triple-Vinyl - beide Versionen enthalten Booklets mit noch nie gezeigten Fotos der Purple Rain Tour und neue Linernotes. James Brown a son Appolo Theatre, Hendrix son Royal Albert Hall, Prince c'est le concert à Syracuse: la tournée Purple Rain de 1985. L'artiste et son groupe légendaire The Revolution au sommet de leur art. Retrouvez tous les tubes de la période Purple Rain de Prince, tels que ''Purple Rain'', ''When Doves Cry'' et ''Little Red Corvette'', en live avec une image restaurées en HD pour la première fois sur le Live in Syracuse.

The Howling is a collaborative project started by writer Ken Hollings and sound artist Howlround devoted exclusively to their shared love of text, audiotape and trash aesthetics. An intense collision of spoken word and analogue tape effects, the Howling's first performance took place at the Iklectik in September 2019 as part of a special programme to celebrate The Tapeworm's 10th anniversary.

Despite the pandemic, they have managed to continue working and conferring together since then, sharing sound files, texts and mixes online, which has resulted in All Hail Mega Force, their first full-length release for The Tapeworm. The two extended tracks contained on this audiocassette reflect their shared interest in Fluxus and how informal rules and permutations can be set up to work themselves out through loops and repetitions. A straight line connects Terry Riley's tape experiments in Paris from the early 60s with their experimental recordings in the Wimpy Bar on Streatham High Road, one of their favourite meeting places. 'The idea of instant, disposable one-off creations appealed to us a lot at the time,' The Howling explain, 'particularly as both pieces were conceived and developed during different phases of Covid lockdown in the UK.'

The title and source material are derived from the kid's adventure movie MegaForce, starring Barry Bostwik and Michael Beck. Designed to sell a range of Mattel hi-tech action toys, MegaForce tanked at the box office but lives on in the collective consciousness of those who share with The Howling a special love for Trash and Trash Aesthetics.

The two tracks also share similarities in approach and realization.

'All Hail Mega Force' was created by reading combinations of the words 'All Hail Mega Force' into a voice memo recorder, transferring it to tape, cutting the whole thing as a single long loop and then stretching it across three reel-to-reel machines simultaneously, using two pencils and a pint glass full of loose change to try and maintain sufficient playback tension. Over time the loop started to degrade, which accounts for the increasingly slurry and unpredictable playback, plus frequent ruptures caused by the tape becoming jammed and having to be tugged through the machine workings by hand. Twenty-four minutes later and the result was a completed new work and a slight backache.

The text for 'Are You Man Enough For Mega Force?' was recorded live in the Wimpy Bar on Streatham High Road, 28 November 2021. It was cut to tape and looped on 3 December 2021 at Warrior Studios, Loughborough Junction. Dragged by motor and then by hand across two tape machines with copious amounts of closed input feedback provided by a third rushing in to fill the gaps. One take with no effects or overdubs, but one tiny edit in the middle when something fell over.

Kuldaboli, Alek Stark, Mokotron and -=UHU=- together on this heavy hitter with four bombs full of vocoders, analog beasts and 808 beats.

Federico Albanese is a composer born in Milan, Italy in 1982, and currently based in Berlin. His musical versatility is a natural gift that pushes him to explore music in all its facets. Albanese's compositions are airy and cinematic, blending classical music, electronics and psychedelia. Federico started studying piano and clarinet as a child before becoming fascinated by rock music. As a teenager he studied bass and became a self-taught guitarist and soon became one of the leading figures of Milan's underground scene, performing in several bands. Influenced by black music, folk, electronic, modern and contemporary classical music his skills as a composer soon emerged, He worked for 5 years as prop man in several film sets. This experience made him understand the power of the connection between music and images and helped him to develop his personal musical path. In 2007 Albanese met singer and songwriter Jessica Einaudi and together they founded the avant-garde duo ""La Blanche Alchimie"". Composing songs with Jessica he rediscovered his love for the piano, which from that moment on, became his main instrument. Since then Federico has scored several films, short films and documentaries, including a documentary on a project commissioned by Ermenegildo Zegna in the National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome. In February 2014, Federico Albanese will release his debut album entitled ""The Houseboat and the Moon"". He found a place, an imaginary place, where, whenever he wanted to, he could jump on and just float away. On this moving shelter, traveling across memories and imagination, lulled by water and led by the moon, Federico wrote the 13 compositions of his debut. He recorded all of the piano parts with a 1969 German tape recorder, the Uher Royal Deluxe, which allowed him to catch all of the tiny hidden shades, the imperfections, the noises of the piano and its surrounding space. Federico melts this rarefied sound with electronics, live recordings, strings, and homemade instruments. The result is a combination of contrasts and colors with a variety of atmospheres that wonderfully represents Federico's musical universe. Vinyl: thick gatefold covers, 180g vinyl,free download.

Greg Dowling and Shane Johnson return to the Go Deep label for their third album, ‘This Bit of Earth’. Beginning work in the relative normality of 2019 and finishing over the strange summer of 2020, the resulting music mirrors the thoughts that such upheaval brings out - our world and our place in it - while also functioning as a kind of travelogue of journeys past and planned, real and imaginary.

Mixing samples with modular synths, programmed drums with jazz loops, and quirky plugins with outboard gear, the album ranges far and wide while retaining a warm, natural core sound.

The title track opens proceedings on an ambiguous note. A simple double bass motif weaves around a misheard vocal sample, layers of piano and vibraphone take up the call, and the whole thing gradually spins off axis to a distorted, disjointed finish. ‘Suburban Key’ follows on a groove of busy drum work and deep sub bass, the stately piano and strings setting the stage for an undulating synth solo.

Further in, ‘Alice on Jupiter’ takes a deep breath and blends field recordings, gently swelling pads, modular bursts and a recurring picked melody.

‘Back Trace Dub’ strolls the imagined streets of Irish author Kevin Barry’s ‘City of Bohane’, noting the “taint of badness” in the air and revelling in the tense, dub-noir atmosphere. Later on, the spoken word intro of ‘I Could See’ expresses the dread of confinement and the relief and ecstasy of release, a theme the music reflects as it steadily builds to a joyful climax.

And closing the album on an optimistic note, the languid, emotional Culatra Ferry remembers better, beautiful days in the sun and looks hopefully forward to more.

“Highlights are the stunning sonics of Suburban Key, with its dusty groove and fast paced drums, stately piano, and cinematic strings reminiscent of a Four Hero orchestral masterpiece. High As Scaffold is full of warmth and soul and is yet another example of Fish Go Deep going even deeper into the dark blue waters of their brilliant musical minds.” Ban Ban Ton Ton review, Japan

“So good. Real beauty” Laurent Garnier, Radio FG, France

“Really liking this, would love to support on radio” Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy, WorldwideFM, UK

“Lovely album” Osunlade, Yoruba Soul, US

“Very very nice album...love the new directions here” Charles Webster, Openlab, SA

“Absolutely beautiful piece of work” Darimont, RWAV, Germany

“A lovely LP of eclectic sounds” Jimpster, Freerange Records, UK

“Delightful album this. Very much appreciate the musicianship and we need that in the world right now as the commercial music world starts to fire up its nonsense for the new beginning” Vince Watson, Yoruba, Netherlands

“Such a fucking great body of work, and on par with ANY of the great albums I've listened to recently” Billy Scurry, Ireland

“There’s some REAL magic here. Possibly the deepest year from this duo” Charles Levine, Soul Clap, US

“A fabulous surprise. I'm sure if he were still alive Jose Padilla would have hailed this as his number one album of the year, it certainly is mine” Steve Miller, Afterlife, UK

“Great album... will play in next shows” Franck Roger, Real Tone, France

“Beautifully produced and great atmospherics” Ashley Beedle, Black Science Orchestra, UK

Radio and DJ support from Ron Trent, Hector Romero, Ame, Cian Ó Cíobháin, Bill Brewster, DJ Sprinkles, Harri, Honey Soundsystem, Alexkid, Moodymanc, Hifi Sean, Kassian, Freddie Garcia, 6th Borough Project, Stuart Patterson, Lars Behrenroth, Fred Everything, Mark Roberts, Cut n Shut, Will McGiven, Stefano Tucci, Tristan Jong, Matthias Schober, Trevor Fung, Ben Davis, Max P and more.

This year we have the chance to have onboard some of our favorite new talent from the scene with the like of Burrito Eats, Emapea, Oksami, Flughand and Wun Two. We also have the chance to have standard bearers like Okvsho, Saib, Handbook, Phonics, SamuW, Shuko and Vanilla.

We want to thank so much all the artists who took part in this project and that were as enthusiastic as we are in its realization. It’s been such a thrill since this venture started and this is just the beginning. Much love to all of you guys listening and supporting wherever you are.

PEACE.

Hip Dozer Fam.

Fantasound is the fifth full length album from Slovenian Space Disco producer Ichisan. This debut LP on international label Gouranga Music follows recent singles Harmona and Margit Mono. Ichisan's sound is Space Disco Pop Bliss - swooshing synths collide with pulsing rhythms and twinkling melodies, creating a kaleidoscopic universe of pure joy.

The artist explains the process:

"The album was recorded during the 2020 lockdown period. In those long uncertain days I watched all kinds of movies and rediscovered the ‘1940 Fantasia' with my three year old son.

I started researching the story behind the production of the animated musical film and especially the sound production of Fantasia. Fantasound was a stereophonic sound reproduction system developed by engineers of Walt Disney and RCA. That is how I found the album title.

After the album was recorded I knew that the artwork must be related to Fantasia. I always had ‘The Sorcerer's Apprentice' in my mind as an inspiration for the album artwork. Mickey Mouse's dreams in the dark-blue space and Fantasia poster logo were guidelines. The illustrator Meta Wraber delivered the fantastic artwork in her signature watercolour technique."

'Fantasound' is a symphony of disco and italo rhythms, space synth waves and a happy-go-lucky driving rhythms. A sound that doesn't exist in the real world, the Fantasound is very much alive and in our mind during our happiest moments.

After teasing with several EPs, Ichisan blesses the world via Gouranga Music with the full Fantasound, an immersive ecstatic experience filled with twists and turns that will keep you on your Tip Top toes.

Savage is the original ‘80s Italodisco pop star, worldwide famous singer and platinium record producer of Europop and house artists such as Zucchero, Alexia, Double You and Ice Mc. Composer and writer of various multimillion worldwide hits. His real name is Roberto Zanetti. Throughout his career he has used two different professional names, "Robyx" as a producer, and "Savage" as an artist.In 1983 he produced a dance single entitled "Don’t cry tonight", chose the stage name “Savage” and started his career as solo artist. The song was a huge hit in Italy for first and all Europe later and was invited to take part in many TV shows such as "Mister fantasy", "Discoring", "Pronto Raffaella", "Azzurro" and "Festivalbar".

Thanks to the catchy melody and timbre of his voice, Savage quickly
became one of the most appreciated singers in Europe, one of the creators of the “Italodisco” movement. From 1983-85 Savage was continuously on tour, performing about 300 shows throughout Europe, in Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Greece, Portugal, Yugoslavia, Sweden and, of course, Italy. In the meantime other singles, "Only you", "Radio" and "A love again", were released and included in his first album “Tonight". In Eastern Europe Savage is still one of the most popular contemporary artists. After more than 30 years, DWA is proud to announce the re-print of this album on vinyl, a special gift to all collectors of Italodisco’s hits.

Vor zwei Jahrzehnten starteten die Baltimore-Death-Metaller Misery Index ihre ehrwürdige Karriere, und sie präsentieren nun ihr 7. Studioalbum (und Century Media-Debüt) 'Complete Control'. Es entpuppt sich als ein riffgetriebener Angriff, der die Spannungen der modernen Zeit einfängt und in 9 Songs mitreißenden Endzeit-Death Metals kanalisiert. Voller Orwellscher Invektivitäten und messerscharfem Songwriting ist 'Complete Control' der dringend benötigte Hammer ins Gesicht; ein Weckruf für die Unzufriedenen und Besitzlosen. Das Album wurde von Will Putney (Fit For An Autopsy, Thy Art Is Murder, Body Count) gemischt, von Jens Bogren in den Fascination Street Studios (Kreator, Opeth, Arch Enemy) gemastert und mit einem bedrohlichen Artwork des Künstlers Matt Lombard versehen. 'Complete Control' ist erhältlich als Ltd. Deluxe 2CD Box Set, als LP in 180g Vinyl mit Poster, als Standard CD Jewelcase sowie als Digitales Album.

Mikey Dread is known as one of the most multi-faceted artists, comfortably taking in both the positions of producer and artist. By the late Seventies he had started his own label, working with artists such as Edi Fitzroy, Sugar Minott and Earl Sixteen, as well as producing his own work. On his own label he released World War III in 1980. The album includes the tracks “The Jumping Master”, “Money Dread” and “Break Down The Walls”.

World War III is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on translucent yellow coloured vinyl.

Ennio Morricone composed and arranged scores for more than 500 film and television productions, making him one of the most influential and best-selling film composers since the late 50s. The Legend of 1900 (Italian: La leggenda del pianista sull’oceano).

The Legend of 1900 is a 1998 Italian drama film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore and starring Tim Roth, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Mélanie Thierry. The film is inspired by Novecento, a monologue by Alessandro Baricco. The Legend Of 1900 was nominated for a variety of international award, winning several for its soundtrack, including a Golden Globe for Best Original Score - Motion Picture. This release includes the song “Lost Boys Calling” featuring Roger Waters & Eddie van Halen.

Throughout his career, Morricone received an unprecedented amount of awards, including Grammys, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs. Ennio Morricone has influenced many artists including Danger Mouse, Dire Straits, Muse, Metallica, Radiohead, Hans Zimmer, and many more.

The Legend of 1900 is available limited edition of 5000 numbered copies on smoke coloured vinyl. The package includes an insert.

Healing Together is a benefit compilation for mental health recovery featuring 23 ambient-electronic artists from around the world. Recognizing that music is a bridge to normalizing conversations about the challenges people are going through, each artist was prompted to create a song that would help someone with mental health struggles know they're not alone. This sprouted into a collection of ambient music holding space for the many emotional landscapes we experience as humans. Healing Together features new compositions specially prepared for the compilation from the incredible line-up of women artists Nailah Hunter, Penelope Trappes, Clarice Jensen, Drum & Lace, Sofie Birch, Hollie Kenniff, Clariloops, more eaze, Ami Dang, Karen Vogt, Patricia Wolf, Zoe Polanski, Sachi Kobayashi, Christina Giannone, Ai Yamamoto, Cat Tyson Hughes, IKSRE, Inquiri, Belly Full of Stars, Claire Deak, Pechblende, Caminuata and marine eyes. Net profits of the compilation will go to Sounds of Saving, a non-profit fueling hope for mental health both by celebrating the power of human connection to music and directing people towards the resources they need before it's too late.

From the very beginning in 2011 the concept was simple and crystal clear.

Mad Mats & Tooli's new label Local Talk had two main focus points.
First, the actual music was to be inspired around those magical 4/4 house rhythms...and beyond.

Second, the logo! The idea was that a simple and direct visual point together with a strong dance MUSIC message would make the label stand out among other labels in their northern neck of the woods.
In Scandinavia, the main theme is electronic 4/4 rhythms (techno, tech-house etc) and with Local Talk being more inspired by black dance music this has made them the black sheep in the hometown of Stockholm.

To set the musical direction straight from the very start they released Bassfort's 'Moon Shadow' which got instant attraction from both house heads and the more open-minded clubbing community.
With its warm, melodic chords, infectious piano theme and big strings it's always been the label's fave jam from their now +150(ish) releases.
When they decided to choose a track that would define the label for their 10-year anniversary, the choice was simple.

Mats & Tooli thought long and hard about who they wanted to interpret 'Moon Shadow' and after months of discussing options they decided that the only one they could trust to give the track a quality boost was NYC legend Joe Claussell.
Back in the late 90's, Mats used to book Joe for his legendary Raw Fusion parties in Stockholm so the connection and mutual respect were already in place. The result is a +11 minute long musical house journey that builds and builds until those characteristic piano chords make an entrance and transform the dynamics into a rainbow of sounds. Epic is not a word big enough to explain this grand musical production !

But the goodness does not end there, we're only halfway in on this anniversary release. The blood brothers Javi & Luis aka Kyodai (and 2/3 of Bassfort) made their own mix on the B side track from the original release, Moonlight.
As schooled jazz musicians they diverted from the electronic soundscape and went for a live jazz-funk production.
The final product is a warm and musical version with live drums, bass, piano, strings and even vocals from the brothers themselves.
The track almost comes across as something 4 Hero would put out back in the day.

All we can say, enjoy the dance!

Gondwana Records sign LA bassist and composer Seth Ford-Young's Phi-Psonics project and announce a remastered deluxe-edition of The Cradle featuring bonus material

Phi-Psonics is a meditative, immersive instrumental group from Los Angeles, led by bassist Seth Ford-Young and featuring Sylvain Carton on woodwinds, Mitchell Yoshida on electric piano, and Josh Collazo on drums. Their deeply soulfulmusic draws on jazz and classical influences together with Ford-Young's own musical experiences, relationships, and his introduction to spirituality, yoga and philosophy at a young age, to create something uniquely its own. Phi-Psonics' name and ultimate aim is to find 'Phi' – the golden mean – in art, nature and self. Ford-Young explains:

"It's a bit of a cliché, but music saved my life many times and instilled in me a belief in the great power of healing through art. It is my hope and intention that this music provides healing to someone somewhere."

Originally from Washington DC area, Ford-Young moved to California in the early 90s and fell in love with the deep sounds of the upright bass and the music of Charles Mingus, John and Alice Coltrane, and Duke Ellington along with Bach, Chopin, Pärt, and Satie. He immersed himself deeply in music and keen to learn combinedintense personal study with collaborations, tours, and recordings with artists such as Tom Waits, Beats Antique, and John Vanderslice. In 2010 he moved from the San-Francisco Bay area to the Los Angeles hills and continued his explorations. But great music is rarely just about music and Ford-Young's meditative, soulful music draws on more than just the twin wellsprings of jazz and classical music:

"My mother was a yoga teacher from the early 70's until recently and taught me yoga and meditation at an early age, my stepfather is an Aikido instructor and student of the teachings of Gurdjieff. Those were all early areas of study that I came back to many times throughout my life. Phi-Psonics has been a project that unapologetically synthesizes some of these ideas into our music".

It's this mixture of influences, musical and extramusical, that gives the music of Phi-Psonics it's immersive quality and quiet power. Revealingly the music that would becomeThe Cradle, wasn't written specifically for an album, originally Ford-Young was just writing down what was coming through. As time went by and the album began to take shape, the world situation seemed to be getting darker and his compositions aim to offer hope as a response to the negative influences that abound today. Remarkably for such a beautiful sounding record, it was recorded at the composer's home, rather than in a studio, but the relaxed nature of this process gives the music an airy lightness that propels the music to some magical spaces.

Originally self-released on vinyl in a limited run just as the world went into lockdown, The Cradle reached Matthew Halsall (founder of Gondwana Records) when he aws looking for music for his Worldwide FM show and he was blown away, hearing a kindred spirit at work. Halsall explains:

"Phi-Psonics make beautiful, humble and honest music, it's not showy, but it has a deep vibe that will elevate your mind and soul if you let it. When we heard The Cradle we reached out and are really super delighted to welcome Seth and his band to our label". Whereas for Ford Young: "Connecting with Matthew and the Gondwana records family has been a light in the darkness of the last years - to have my music make connections even as we are more isolated."

Ford-Young is currently putting the finishing touches to the second Phi-Psonics record, but aware that only a select few had heard The Cradle, let alone had the chance to buy a copy, and entranced by its deceptive simplicity and elevating energy, Halsall suggested that Gondwana present the album as a remastered 'deluxe edition' with an extended running time featuring extra tracks and new artwork from Daniel Halsall.

The Cradle starts with First Step, perfectly setting the tone for the whole album, it is a beautiful, soulful slice of musical calm gently propelled by Ford-Young's resonant bass and elevated by sublime flute and Wurlitzer electric piano solos. The seductive title track The Cradle was written way back in 2011 during a time of great personal change that led the composer to a feeling of newness and nurture. The magical, winsome Desert Ride is inspired by many rides through the grandly cinematic Mojave Desert. You can experience how incredibly full of life it's harsh landscape is if you slow down to its tempo. The gentle, sublime Mama is a tribute to mothers of all kinds, beautiful and heroic. Drum Talk was largely improvised, Ford-Young and the band agreed on a topic and recorded their conversation. Choosing their notes based on how Josh's drums were tuned. Like Glass is named for the special properties of Glass. Like some music, glass is delicate, yet has structure. The first of the two bonus tracks Still Dancing was written during the early days of 2020 in response to the challenges we all were facing then. It's a reminder that the figurative dance continues and that real dancing is essential. And the second, The Searcher, also written as a response to 2020, is a gently hypnotic song about the introspection and growth that can spring from a difficult situation.

This then is The Cradle, a quiet self-contained masterpiece, life-affirming and elevating in equal measure and the first offering from a wonderful new voice in spiritual jazz and the latest members of the global Gondwana Records family.

The first volume of Back To Mine was released back in 1999 by Nick Warren, designed to showcase a selection of tracks you’d find and be heard playing at the artist's home. Selectors have come in the form of New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Fatboy Slim, and Faithless who all dug deep to find their essential at-home listening.

The latest compilers in the Back To Mine series are none-other than the renowned four-piece, Horse Meat Disco. The horsemen are known for their incredibly fun, deep-diving selections, and this shines through in their Back To Mine compilation in flamboyant style.

Over the course of 16 years of their nightclub tenure, they have become a global brand as pinnacle players of the queer party scene in London and beyond, holding down residencies in New York, Berlin, and Lisbon. Their flamboyant nature and incredibly fun, deep-diving selections have made them one of Disco’s most beloved acts.

Across 15 eclectically brilliant tracks, Horse Meat Disco, which comprises Jim Stanton, James Hillard, Luke Howard, and Severino Panzetta expertly traverse through classic disco cuts, wonky dancefloor groovers, and silky smooth soul.

Vega Records is proud to present its newest release “Time To Let Go” with Mike Lindup, singer, keyboard player composer and founder member of the legendary band Level 42. Formed in 1980 with Mark King, Phil and Boon Gould, the band has sold over 30 million albums and still performing worldwide. Mike Lindup has performed onstage with many artists including George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ringo Star, Sting, and more. Even on theater stages in London’s West End, Mike Lindup has played on shows Thriller Live, Let It Be, and has completed four tours on the Thriller Live tour production, twice as Musical Director. “Time To Let Go” is taken from the new Mike Lindup album “Changes 2” with smokin’ remixes by Two Soul Fusion AKA Louie Vega & Josh Milan. The Remixers deliver two versions, one taking you to the soul house funky grooves of Two Soul Fusion and the other catapulting you into the world of Afro House. It’s all about Mike Lindup’s unique voice and his powerful, brilliant lyrics that make a huge statement well needed in the world today. Grooves to make you dance are no problem for Two Soul Fusion but when you have award winning lyrics its a whole other level here. The man who sang the lead vocal on New York City’s favorite dance club culture classic “Starchild” by Level 42 has now blessed Vega Records with the new gem “Time To Let Go”.

The early days of the man affectionately known to his peers as Tubbs' are chronicled in some detail in the notes to this LP's predecessor and companion volume, not unreasonably titled "King Tubby's Classics Chapter 1". It's unlikely that anyone who buys Volume 2 will not already have Volume 1, but for the few who don't it's only fair that we start the note with a short précis of the early life and career of the boy born to be 'King ...

When dubwise music really started to come into its own in the early to mid 70s, it made overnight stars of backroom boys who had hitherto worked behind a mixing desk to serve those who were beginning to hoist reggae to an international stardom that it had long deserved, but that it had only achieved on short and non-sustained bursts until Chris Blackwell decided to throw a lot of promotion and money at the work of Bob Marley and his fellow Wailers in 1972. Of those men, there was no bigger star than the late Osbourne Ruddock, the great King Tubby’s and the man who, from a tiny home-made studio in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, did more than most to reposition the boundaries that production and mixing of Jamaican recordings.

Enraptured Records presents a Limited Edition RSD Coloured vinyl LP titled 'Coldharbourstores Remixed', it's an exclusive LP of remixes all appearing on vinyl for the first time ever, released especially for RSD 2022. All remixes were commissioned especially for this album (except L-Shape's remixes of Castle and ZERO) and are outstanding with each guest remixer adding their individual flavour to the mixes.

Never released on vinyl before and pressed on black wax, an essential pressing from seminal songwriter Maria McKee. A lost gem, never released on vinyl, from the re-awakened singer/songwriter that falls between her Americana incarnation as Lone Justice and her near-operatic five-star stunner ‘La Vita Nuova’. From 2005, ‘Peddlin’ Dreams makes a vinyl debut in all its unbridled glory, as AllMusic mused, it’s “moving, utterly beautiful and carefully, artfully wrought. It is the work of a masterful songwriter whose senses of time, place and character are impeccable.”

Back on vinyl for the first time in 3 decades, Hysterics is pressed on double silver vinyl LP. As essential vinyl reissue from the recently revived King Rocker stars. Following the release of the critically acclaimed King Rocker documentary (staring Stewart Lee), Robert Lloyd’s cult post-punk are selling out tours and receiving the long-overdue recognition they deserve. Long out of print, rarity-packed deluxe edition of their second album is a worthy follow-up to that of their debut and a harbinger of great things to come.

New compilation, pressed on black vinyl. Featuring many unreleased recordings and rarities from the cult favourite and all endorsed by the Tom Rapp estate. The grand masters of acid folk, Pearls Before Swine outline the genius of leader Tom Rapp on an album created from a dusty box of tapes left behind by the incisive tunesmith. Never before heard recordings remastered to create the perfect route into the essential ‘Balaklava’ and ‘One Nation Underground’ albums that kick started a whole genre. This new vinyl compilation was made in collaboration with, and fully endorsed, by the Tom Rapp estate.

Rock'n'Roll hits adapted and sung in Italiano to seduce an exotic and difficult music market. A tradition that saw many stars (Mick Jagger, Françoise Hardy...) test their pronounciation skills with swinging (but always very fun) results. Now its The Courettes' turn, to translate two of their newest songs for a special limited single 7'', released in time for their southern Europe tour and the Record Store Day 2022. Anzi, LE FAVOLOSE COURETTES, volevamo dire “the real deal” (Vive Le Rock, UK) “the real sound of now busting through your door” (Rolling Stone, USA)! “the world’s greatest two person rock n’ roll ensemble” (The Next Big Thing, UK) “Your new favourite band once you ve heard them!” (Louder Than War, UK) The Courettes. “A force to be reckoned with. Matching the garage rock ferocity of The Sonics to prime early 60s girl group, the band’s output is utterly feral in the most addictive possible way. Reminiscent of The Ronettes given a Ramones style overhaul, their evil charms arrive covered in blood-soaked glamour. Twanging guitar and raucous percussion, a wild head-long charge into the unknown.” (The Clash Magazine, UK) The Courettes is an explosive rock duo from Denmark and Brazil who found the perfect blend between garage rock, 60s Girl Group, Wall of Sound, surf music and doo wop. Like The Ronettes meet The Ramones at a wild party at Gold Star Studios echo chamber. Praised by the biggest music magazines around the world, in 2020 the band signed with legendary British label Damaged Goods, putting them on the same roster as top international rock icons like Buzzcocks, Manic Street Preaches, Atari Teenage Riot, New Bomb Turks, Amyl and the Sniffers, Billy Childish, Captain Sensible and many others. Their last and third album, “Back in Mono” was released in the Fall 2021 and is a truly milestone in the career. The album brings the band in top form, showing great songwriting skills and with broader nuances, influences and sound qualities to their garage rock recipe. Their last singles, “Want You! Like a Cigarette”, “Hop The Twig” and “R.I.N.G.O.” all got airplay at BBC 6 Radio in England and radio stations in Europe and the USA. “Back in Mono” got top reviews in the main music magazines like Mojo, Classic Rock and Shindig and was featured in countless Best Albums of 2021 lists: “Exuberant third release, a giddying rush of noise” (MOJO, UK) 4 out of 5 stars “Seems like the best record you’ve ever heard. A rock n’ roll sacrament from your new favourite band.” (Classic Rock Magazine, UK) 9 out 10 stars “Sensational good album!” (Ox Magazine, Germany) 9 out of 10 stars “Just keeps getting better and better” (Shindig!, UK) 4 out of 5 stars “Fantastic album” (Louder Than War, UK) 4,5 out of 5 stars “A complete riot” (The Arts Desk, UK) 4 out of 5 stars “14 new original tracks–all killer” (Add to want list, UK) “The whole album is one long highlight” (UK Rock n’ Roll) “Exciting combination of Wall of Sound and Fuzz” (El Periodico, Spain) 4 out of 5 “A collection of perfect songs, full-blown instant classic” (Triste Sunset, Italy)

The Pharaohs only managed one release during their short lifetime, 1971's masterful Awakening. But when the San Francisco-based jazz-funk reissue label Luv N Haight reissued Awakening in 1996, they also came out with a brand-new CD of mostly previously unreleased material called In the Basement. Most of this album was recorded live in 1972, after the already enormous 11-piece band had grown to include four more players, including a sixth drummer. The live tracks are fascinating, because where Awakening sounds like an earthier and more Afrocentric version of Earth, Wind & Fire (which several members of the Pharaohs would go on to found in 1973), the much loopier and more jazz-oriented tracks here sound more like Sun Ra jamming with the P-Funk All Stars. The 11-minute take on the Stylistics' "People Make the World Go Round" is absolutely indescribable, a mix of otherworldly horns and psychedelic guitars over a non-stop African-style groove. Other highlights include the all-rhythm "Drum Suite," a hypnotic blend of organic polyrhythms and chanting. – AllMusic.