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In the third release of Organic Signs, we embark on a direct journey to the musical heart of Refractor: the annual gathering held in a forest on the outskirts of Madrid to celebrate dancing under the sun and stars for 24 uninterrupted hours.

With four tracks that encapsulate the sound of different mental states you may experience firsthand on this expedition, we begin with label manager Jan Swam's track. He introduces us to ancestral sounds featuring a flute played by himself, gradually accompanied by a penetrating bassline and synth, along with various elements spread across the stereo field. All of this leads to an unexpected finale. Next, we delve into the track by French artist based in Seoul, Pyramid Of Knowledge aka K.O.P. 32, who has crafted a perfect progression of sounds to immerse us in a trance towards the depths of the subconscious. The intensity builds up gradually until reaching its peak in the final moments.

On the other side, we welcome back our beloved Digitalis, responsible for the label's first release. This time, he presents a lost gem from '97 never before released, transporting us directly to the UK rave scene. Get ready to feel the unleashed pulse of the English artist who left an indelible mark on psychedelic music. Finally, we venture into the last chapter where Tadan pilots an interdimensional ship towards the hidden face of a moon that orbits a planet beyond the solar system. Close your eyes to appreciate the depth of the atmospheres and textures, intertwined with a constant rhythmic line that will guide us to the final moments of the record.

Sonic Behavior by Driftmachine & Ammer is an album exploring the origins of sound, noise, and various music genres. Alongside lyrical declarations of love for noise ("Song To Noise"), the album delves into sonic reflections on how beauty and emotion emerge from mundane vibrations in the air ("The Siren Is A Simple Device"). For the first time, the analog sound researchers of Driftmachine (Andreas Gerth, Florian Zimmer) incorporate spoken language and noise into their sound research. They have collaborated with word and sound artist Andreas Ammer, renowned for his radio plays with Acid Pauli, aka Console ("Spaceman 85"), or FM Einheit ("Radio Inferno," "Symphony of Sirens").

In "The Siren Is A Simple Device," the words are spoken by 81-year-old musician and poet legend Ted Milton (Blurt, Loopspool). Despite its simplicity and obvious ability to produce high volumes, the siren has led a marginal existence as a musical instrument. Yet, it is capable of evoking the most intense emotional states in the listener in the shortest possible time, like almost no other sound-producing mechanism. "Sonic Behavior" capitalizes on this fact. The familiar hypnotic sounds of Driftmachine are accompanied by a siren organ inspired by the revolutionary Russian futurist Arsenij Avranov and built by Andreas Ammer, while the lyrics talk about the simple physical reasons behind the sound chaos that has just been unleashed: A siren ... chops the air into sound.

The core of the album is "Song To Noise," an electro-acoustic mini-symphony about the beauties of noise and all its producers, which is based on a poem by the British poet Deryn Rees-Jones and spoken by the poet herself and Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten, Hackedepicciotto). Driftmachine & Ammer develop a soundtrack that is as powerful as it is loud and danceable (which is why the LP also includes a textless version of the composition).

"Sonic Sculpture" is the zenith of the work: a text/music track spoken by Ted Milton, which creates the possibility of a sound sculpture that encompasses the universe: What if one could imagine the infernal sound that encompasses all conceivable harmonies at the same time? A piano does when you throw it down an earthly staircase (the epitome of music is a piano falling down the stairs) through silent space to the next theoretically life-filled, Earth-like planet, Proxima Centauri B. The radio makes it possible. Driftmachine & Ammer tried it. The result will be heard there in 4.24 light-years. On planet Earth, the time has come on May 2, 2024. On this day, Sonic Behavior will be released, a conceptual album by Driftmachine & Ammer exploring sound, its creation, and its power.

In 1984, Jasper Van’t Hof, a prominent European jazz pianist, propelled to fame with the energetic ‘Pili Pili’ a 15-minute trance collaboration with Guinea's Isaac Tagul Group. Inspired by a fiery red pepperoni, the track sold over 100,000 copies, leading the group to adopt the name Pili Pili, becoming a hit in the club and disco scene.

Pili Pili's musical roots trace back to Van’t Hof's 1982-83 tour in Central Africa, where he discovered a love for African music. The band embraced authenticity by collaborating with diverse African musicians from Mali, Congo, Senegal, and Guinea. In 2000, Van’t Hof initiat-ed a project with the young Zulu choir Phikelela Sakhu-la from Durban, South Africa.
Pili Pili's style, described as experimental fusion, blends intricate African rhythms with jazz, fusion, funk, and dance. Van’t Hof emphasized the importance of groove over complex solos, stating that intellectual approaches are lost in their music.

The band's performances, marked by their energetic fusion of jazz and African rhythms, gained acclaim across Europe. Regular tours and festival appearances, such as the Jazz Festival of Montreux, solidified Pili Pili's reputation as an excellent live band. Reviews praised the band's dynamic and explosive music, turn-ing every performance into a rhythmic and fiery expe-rience.

The Los Angeles-based indie-dance duo is comprised of Australian-born Jordan Feller and Southern California native Marc Gilfry. Their sophomore studio album, It’s All A Bit Fuzzy, comes packed with new, epic collabs and sets the stage for their riveting live show.

"With a career spanning more than eight decades, The Isley Brothers have one of the longest, most influential and most diverse careers in popular music. The group began in 1954 as an American family music group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, which began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley. The Isley Brothers have sold over 18 million records in the United States alone. Go For Your Guns is the fifteenth album by The Isley Brothers. Originally released in mid-April 1977, the album peaked a month later at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Soul chart, and at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. The album Includes ""Footsteps In The Dark"" as sampled by hip hop artist Ice Cube for his hit ""It Was A Good Day"". The song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 25 on the 1993 Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Go For Your Guns is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on translucent blue coloured vinyl. The album is housed in a gatefold sleeve and includes an insert. "

Go For Your Guns by The Isley Brothers, released 3 May 2024, includes the following tracks: "Tell Me When You Need It Again (Part 1 & 2)", "Voyage To Atlantis ", "Go For Your Guns" and more.

This version of Go For Your Guns comes as a 1xLP in a(n) Gatefold Sleeve packaging. This release comes with (a) Insert(s).

The vinyl is pressed as a translucent, blue disc.

LORD$'s debut album 'Speed It Up' is out on April 26 via Tricatel. LORD$ is a 5-piece band steeped in references ranging from US rap to 70s soft rock, skateboarding to video games, with Rémi Klein on keyboards and vocals, Jay Adams on bass, Zablon on guitar and vocals, Bastien Bonnefont on drums and Gary Haguenauer on guitar.

These formidable instrumentalists have given a handful of concerts, notably at the Petite Halle de la Villette in Paris, one of the hotbeds of the French jazz revival. The group also competed in the prestigious Tiny Desk series of intimate concerts, delivering a performance that impressed American public radio station NPR

Nach zwei von der Kritik hochgelobten Alben, zahlreichen Mini-LPs, EPs und Singles kehrt das Londoner Trio Girls In Synthesis mit seinem neuen Statement, dem dritten Album "Sublimation", zurück. Wenn du dachtest, du kennst GIS bereits, dann irrst Du Dich diesmal vielleicht.GIS gehen weiter und haben eine düstere und intensive, aber dennoch melodische Sammlung von Tracks erschaffen, ihre Interpretation einer kantigen Pop-Platte. Der Opener 'Lights Out' besteht aus zwei Teilen; der erste ist ein Barrett-eskes Gesangs- und Gitarren-Lamento über Schlafmangel, das über eine von 'Faust Tapes' beeinflusste Freeform-Noise-Sektion in einen stampfenden, hochintensiven Showdown übergeht. In Songs wie "Deceit", "We Are Here" und "Picking Things Out Of The Air" zeigt sich die Gruppe von ihrer melodischsten Seite, indem sie einige der chaotischen Noise-Elemente ihres charakteristischen Sounds auf ein Minimum reduziert und leidenschaftliche, schwebende Vocals und Keyboard-Melodien in den Vordergrund stellt. Ihr Markenzeichen, das treibende Schlagzeug und der Bass, ist besonders bei den Stücken "I Judge Myself" und "Corrupting Memories" zu hören, wird aber durch intensive, vom frühen Gothic beeinflusste Keyboardlinien ergänzt, die Einflüsse aus den späten 1970ern/frühen 1980ern mit der zeitgenössischen GIS-Intensität in Einklang bringen. Die langsam sich steigernden Tracks 'I Was Never There' und 'The Prefix' bauen mit spärlichen Arrangements und kreisenden, spiralförmigen Outros Spannung und Atmosphäre auf, während die Band im abschließenden 'A Damning Lesson' zu ihrer intensiven, knüppelnden Soundwand zurückkehrt, nur um sie in eine verschwommene, hallende Drum-Machine zu schicken, die an die frühen Arbeiten von Cabaret Voltaire erinnert. Nächstes Kapitel, nächstes Level für GIS!

Nach zwei von der Kritik hochgelobten Alben, zahlreichen Mini-LPs, EPs und Singles kehrt das Londoner Trio Girls In Synthesis mit seinem neuen Statement, dem dritten Album "Sublimation", zurück. Wenn du dachtest, du kennst GIS bereits, dann irrst Du Dich diesmal vielleicht.GIS gehen weiter und haben eine düstere und intensive, aber dennoch melodische Sammlung von Tracks erschaffen, ihre Interpretation einer kantigen Pop-Platte. Der Opener 'Lights Out' besteht aus zwei Teilen; der erste ist ein Barrett-eskes Gesangs- und Gitarren-Lamento über Schlafmangel, das über eine von 'Faust Tapes' beeinflusste Freeform-Noise-Sektion in einen stampfenden, hochintensiven Showdown übergeht. In Songs wie "Deceit", "We Are Here" und "Picking Things Out Of The Air" zeigt sich die Gruppe von ihrer melodischsten Seite, indem sie einige der chaotischen Noise-Elemente ihres charakteristischen Sounds auf ein Minimum reduziert und leidenschaftliche, schwebende Vocals und Keyboard-Melodien in den Vordergrund stellt. Ihr Markenzeichen, das treibende Schlagzeug und der Bass, ist besonders bei den Stücken "I Judge Myself" und "Corrupting Memories" zu hören, wird aber durch intensive, vom frühen Gothic beeinflusste Keyboardlinien ergänzt, die Einflüsse aus den späten 1970ern/frühen 1980ern mit der zeitgenössischen GIS-Intensität in Einklang bringen. Die langsam sich steigernden Tracks 'I Was Never There' und 'The Prefix' bauen mit spärlichen Arrangements und kreisenden, spiralförmigen Outros Spannung und Atmosphäre auf, während die Band im abschließenden 'A Damning Lesson' zu ihrer intensiven, knüppelnden Soundwand zurückkehrt, nur um sie in eine verschwommene, hallende Drum-Machine zu schicken, die an die frühen Arbeiten von Cabaret Voltaire erinnert. Nächstes Kapitel, nächstes Level für GIS!

"Rantanplan" sind seit fast 30 Jahren eine feste Institution und das schon lange nicht mehr "nur" innerhalb der Subkulturen, haben mit ihrem letzten Album "AHOI" 2023 nur knapp die Top Ten verfehlt (Platz 11 / 03.03.2023). Mit dem unveröffentlichten und exklusiv auf Vinyl erhältlichen Song "Am Meer" meldet die Band sich auf Sunny Bastards Records zurück. "Am Meer" ist genau der richtige Ohrwurm "um am Strand zwischen 3 Elementen zu liegen" und gut gelaunt den Sommer mit einem kühlen Bier zu genießen! Extrem tanzbarer Ska-Punk und klarer Hit von der Waterkant! Die B-Seite "Sand am Meer" greift nur vordergründig das unbeschwingte Sommergefühl auf, denn Rantanplan waren schon immer mehr als nur eine Spaßkapelle und verpacken ihre gesellschaftspolitischen Botschaften subtil statt plakativ in ihre Musik. "Idioten gibt's wie Sand am Meer"_wer will da schon widersprechen? Bislang nur online aus "Ahoi"-Sessions als Single Digital 2021 veröffentlicht, gibt es den Song jetzt endlich auch erstmals auf Vinyl! Streng limitiert auf insgesamt 500 Exemplare erscheint die 7" im Hardcover in bunter Vielfalt als red'n'white inside out und clear with blue & black splatter vinyl (je 200 copies ww). Für Puristen natürlich auch als black vinyl (100 copies ww) erhältlich.

"Rantanplan" sind seit fast 30 Jahren eine feste Institution und das schon lange nicht mehr "nur" innerhalb der Subkulturen, haben mit ihrem letzten Album "AHOI" 2023 nur knapp die Top Ten verfehlt (Platz 11 / 03.03.2023). Mit dem unveröffentlichten und exklusiv auf Vinyl erhältlichen Song "Am Meer" meldet die Band sich auf Sunny Bastards Records zurück. "Am Meer" ist genau der richtige Ohrwurm "um am Strand zwischen 3 Elementen zu liegen" und gut gelaunt den Sommer mit einem kühlen Bier zu genießen! Extrem tanzbarer Ska-Punk und klarer Hit von der Waterkant! Die B-Seite "Sand am Meer" greift nur vordergründig das unbeschwingte Sommergefühl auf, denn Rantanplan waren schon immer mehr als nur eine Spaßkapelle und verpacken ihre gesellschaftspolitischen Botschaften subtil statt plakativ in ihre Musik. "Idioten gibt's wie Sand am Meer"_wer will da schon widersprechen? Bislang nur online aus "Ahoi"-Sessions als Single Digital 2021 veröffentlicht, gibt es den Song jetzt endlich auch erstmals auf Vinyl! Streng limitiert auf insgesamt 500 Exemplare erscheint die 7" im Hardcover in bunter Vielfalt als red'n'white inside out und clear with blue & black splatter vinyl (je 200 copies ww). Für Puristen natürlich auch als black vinyl (100 copies ww) erhältlich.

"Rantanplan" sind seit fast 30 Jahren eine feste Institution und das schon lange nicht mehr "nur" innerhalb der Subkulturen, haben mit ihrem letzten Album "AHOI" 2023 nur knapp die Top Ten verfehlt (Platz 11 / 03.03.2023). Mit dem unveröffentlichten und exklusiv auf Vinyl erhältlichen Song "Am Meer" meldet die Band sich auf Sunny Bastards Records zurück. "Am Meer" ist genau der richtige Ohrwurm "um am Strand zwischen 3 Elementen zu liegen" und gut gelaunt den Sommer mit einem kühlen Bier zu genießen! Extrem tanzbarer Ska-Punk und klarer Hit von der Waterkant! Die B-Seite "Sand am Meer" greift nur vordergründig das unbeschwingte Sommergefühl auf, denn Rantanplan waren schon immer mehr als nur eine Spaßkapelle und verpacken ihre gesellschaftspolitischen Botschaften subtil statt plakativ in ihre Musik. "Idioten gibt's wie Sand am Meer"_wer will da schon widersprechen? Bislang nur online aus "Ahoi"-Sessions als Single Digital 2021 veröffentlicht, gibt es den Song jetzt endlich auch erstmals auf Vinyl! Streng limitiert auf insgesamt 500 Exemplare erscheint die 7" im Hardcover in bunter Vielfalt als red'n'white inside out und clear with blue & black splatter vinyl (je 200 copies ww). Für Puristen natürlich auch als black vinyl (100 copies ww) erhältlich.

Turning his attention to dance for his latest album, Fearless Movement out this May on Young, Kamasi Washington resumes his ongoing study of music as a means of connection. His 2015 album The Epic, as well as 2018’s Heaven and Earth were received by critics and audiences as a reimagination of modern jazz showcasing Washington’s larger-than-lift compositions full of celestial grandeur and his distinct blend of jazz, Latin, funk, classical, hip-hop and soul. Fearless Movement, however, offers something different: terrestrial rhythms and collaborations from rappers, musical icons and even Washington’s own daughter. Features include: Thundercat, Taj Austin, Ras Austin, Patrice Quinn, DJ Battlecat, Brandon Coleman, D-Smoke, George Clinton, Bj the Chicago Kid, and Andre 3000.

Whether you’re on a journey towards self acceptance, or locking yourself away for days, it’s safe to say the human experience can be an emotional rollercoaster; GAMI GANG explores the highs and lows, and all the twists and turns in between. In similar fashion, joyous and anthemic tunes find themselves winding their way into their somber and soft spoken counterparts, swerving through explosive bridges along the journey. Throughout manic momentum shifts, the ride slows down to make way for moments of clarity. Happiness and innocence are sprinkled in with displays of darkness or arrogance, and most of the time we exist in the middle. However, those unexpected jumps of adrenaline are what make this ride enticing. It’s human nature to get back on, and feel that rush one more time.













[m] 13. [spoons rattling]

Scriabin · Scarlatti creates a dreamlike meditation in which the boundaries between pieces, eras and states of mind fade away. Asal’s full performance of the Sonata is framed by a selection of Scriabin’s etudes and preludes, six sonatas by Scarlatti and two improvisatory Transitions by the pianist himself. Julius Asal chose two different Steinways for the recording, one for its sumptuous dark sonorities, the other for its clear, crisp sound. “These miniatures by Scriabin and Scarlatti are like mythical creatures from another dimension, with their own character, their own life, their own past, present and future.” Everything’s possible in a dream”, says the 27-year-old artist, who has a rare talent for innovative programme curation. “Even seemingly different materials from different times and with different densities can merge and create a new substance that’s never existed before.

"Two Sevens Clash" became a huge hit in reggae circles both in Jamaica and abroad. The prophecies mentioned in the song's lyrics so captured people's imaginations that on July 7, 1977 - the day the sevens clash completely (seventh day, seventh month, seventy-seventh year) - a silence fell over Kingston; many people did not go outside, stores were closed, an atmosphere of foreboding and expectation pervaded the city. The song begins with a plaintive, harmonious refrain. Culture sang a new kind of hymn with sublime melodies, prophetic lyrics that connected great historical events to present suffering, complex, driving rhythms that made the hymns danceable, and wonderfully subtle arrangements that transformed the timeless simplicity of the hymn-like melodies into sophisticated statements. Two Sevens Clash, Culture's first LP, set a new standard for reggae music, indeed for pop music the world over. Culture went on to record a series of outstanding albums that are remarkable in their consistency, but Two Sevens Clash remains their masterpiece - an inspired work of enduring power.

Legendary Swiss punk band from the late 70s - "You can't dispute Liliput's status as pioneers of feminist art-punk - Along with fellow travelers like the Slits and the Raincoats, this (mostly) female Swiss group took advantage of punk's anything-goes attitude and created jittery, spirited pop that was both in step with the times and completely singular. The early material is a riot of exuberant energy, taking stylistic cues from peers like Gang of Four and Wire-- propulsive bass, skittering pop rhythms, slashing guitars-- and adding distinctive overlapping vocal patterns, which are sung, shrieked, and hiccupped in three languages and made- up dadaistic slang. More than 20 years on, it still sounds fresh." - Lisa Gidley

Pieces of debris washed up on a coastline shrouded in mist. Gratification comes from an eternal search for solace. Locked away at the top of a lighthouse somewhere on an unnamed isle, Grady Steele broadcasts to those within the beacon’s reach. A soundsystem built of driftwood and salvaged car stereos is pieced together with precision and laboriously dragged to the top of the obelisk. A timeless fugue state spent playing arpeggios on a Spanish guitar, the PA system ebbing out phasing loops across benevolent waters. Layering, occasionally faulting, stopping, recording, starting again. The phosphorescent glow atop the obelisk is ever-present.

Perhaps the first release on Archaic Vaults to feature (at least prominent) use of the guitar, these six compositions feel sketch-like and yet burned into the retina, like that of a passing car’s headlights leaving an impressionistic imprint of the source material. To mention this is Grady Steele’s debut release is not to imply he is new to working with sound, having been the proprietor of one of London’s most important soundsystems for the last decade. An obsession with fidelity can be heard and and at times deliberately perverted amongst the body of work. The warm and melancholic tones of the Spanish guitar evident in almost all songs are juxtaposed with various collaged material, including what sounds like hastily captured iPhone recordings and drum machines neglected at the back of the studio, dragged out for one or two stubborn, lurching takes and then once more committed to storage. The 90s voice-imitator pads glowing with undulance are reminiscent of John T. Gast’s early studio takes, and the synergy and precision in guitar layering could lend a clue as to what Fuck Buttons would have sounded like had they sold off their studio equipment for a couple of wooden 12-stringers. Stare long enough at those Windows 95 screensaver-esque rolling hills, and one might witness some miniscule movement in the growth.

Music composed and arranged by Grady Steele Painting by Antoine Larrera Mastered by Owen Pratt Design by Severin Black

Limited edition Cream and Black swirl PICTURE DISC is for Indie stores only.

Vanishing Twin is songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas, drummer Valentina Magaletti, bassist Susumu Mukai, synth/guitar player Phil MFU and visual artist/film maker Elliott Arndt on flute and percussion; and on this album they have made their first artistic statement for the ages.

Some of its great power comes from liberation. The album was produced by Lucas in a number of non-standard, non-studio settings. 'KRK (At Home In Strange Places)' summons up the spirit of Sun Ra's Lanquidity and Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio was simply recorded on an iPhone during a live set which crackled with psychic connectivity on the Croatian island of Krk.
The magical Morricone-esque lounge of 'You Are Not an Island', the blissed-out Jean-Claude Vannier style arrangement of 'Invisible World' and burbling sci fi funk ode to a 1972 cult French animation, 'Plane`te Sauvage', were all recorded in nighttime sessions in an abandoned mill in Sudbury. The only two outsiders to work on the recording were '6th member' and engineer Syd Kemp and trusted friend Malcolm Catto, band leader of the spiritual jazz/future funk outfit The Heliocentrics, who mixed seven of the tracks (with Lucas taking care of the other three).

Vanishing Twin formed in 2015 - their first LP, Choose Your Own Adventure, which came out on Soundway in 2016; followed by the darker, more abstract, mostly instrumental Dream By Numbers EP in 2017. The band explored their more experimental tendencies on the Magic And Machines tape released by Blank Editions in 2018, an improvised session recorded in the dead of night, offering a glimpse into their practice of deep listening, near band telepathy, and ritually improvised sound making. These sessions formed the basis of The Age Of Immunology.

Deluxe Edition of Richmond Fontaine"s 2002 album. Red Gold colour vinyl in deluxe gatefold sleeve.

20 Years Of DevilDuck Records. Ltd Anniversary Compilation with 13 Special Tracks put together by the Hamburg based Indie Label.

Dream team trio Better Corners – Valentina Magaletti, Sarah Register and Matthew Simms – have completed a staggering new album Continuous Miracles: Vol. 2 for state51 Conspiracy, and where their debut LP joyfully opened the door to a brand new room, this one strides purposefully inside.

Renowned drummer/percussionist Magaletti (Holy Tongue, Vanishing Twin, Moin), avant rock musician and in demand mastering engineer Register (Kim Gordon, Talk Normal) and multi-instrumentalist and modular obsessed Simms (Wire, MEMORIALS) inject an all-too-rare sense of childlike wonder and joy into their own inimitable collage of experimental rock, wonky dream pop, analog ambient, tape experimentation, avant percussion, modular electronics and noise music.

It is this sense of fun that led to one of the band’s “uncovers”: ‘Modulating De Niro’ began with a solo piano version of Bananarama’s ‘Robert De Niro’s Waiting’ which was then sent on a very long journey through modular synth patches and FX chains until it became the unrecognisable to the original and the majestic beast it is now. The album centres round the colossal 16- minute-long ‘Career Test’, a dynamic trip through glitch-enhanced noise, machine dub and the ambience of amplified rock music, to a transcendent, mind-expanding modern raga.

Like an industrial Gamelan played by a future civilisation who have never heard it, only read about it in ancient books, the song is formed from bowed treated guitars, hypnotic hand drums, water bowl and bells. It also has a suitably macabre genesis, as Register reveals: “I was visiting my aunt's house and slept in her bedroom. In the headboard of her bed are places for curiosities and heirlooms. In these spaces she had box after box of the ashes of pets of hers that I had known over the years…”

Tanz ist das zentrale Thema des fünften Studioalbums "Fearless Movement" von Kamasi Washington. Dass er sich dem Tanz zuwendet und das Publikum mitnimmt, ist eine natürliche Weiterentwicklung von Washingtons fortwährender Beschäftigung mit Musik als Mittel der zwischenmenschlichen Verbindung. "The Epic" von 2015 und "Heaven and Earth" von 2018 waren Alben, die Genregrenzen überwunden haben und eine neue Generation in die Jazz Musik einführte. Beide Platten waren musikalischen Epen mit viel Chor und Streichern, "Fearless Movement" hingegen bietet etwas anderes. Es klingt immer noch gewaltig, aber rhythmischer - denn dieses Mal hat er den Rap in seinen musikalischen Kosmos geholt. "Die Welt ist stehen geblieben, aber ich habe definitiv nicht aufgehört", sagt Washington. "Fearless Movement" begann in den Tagen der globalen Pandemie. "Meine Tochter wurde genau in der Mitte davon geboren. Das sind zwei ziemlich große und monumentale Dinge, die gleichzeitig passieren". Das Elternsein hat Washington ein neues Gefühl der Dankbarkeit gegeben. Während die Tourneen pausierten, verbrachten sie die ersten Jahre damit, gemeinsam Washingtons Lieblingsplatten von John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman und Eric Dolphy zu hören. "Ich wollte ihr all die beste Musik zeigen", sagt er. Und eines Tages, als sie knapp zwei Jahre alt war, fiel ihr eine Melodie ein. "Wir spielten auf dem Klavier, und sie spielte sie einfach immer wieder", sagt er. Aus dieser Melodie wurde der Song "Asha The First". Washington und seine langjährigen Bandmitglieder nahmen die Melodie auf und ließen einige Lücken offen, die ein potenzieller Gast füllen sollte. " In Leimert Park, wo ich aufgewachsen bin, ist die Schnittmenge zwischen Jazz und Hip-Hop sehr groß". Also zog er Taj und Ras Austin hinzu, das Rap-Duo Coast Contra und Söhne des L.A.-Rappers Ras Kass, die er beim Herumstöbern auf YouTube entdeckt hatte. Washingtons langjähriger Freund und Kollaborateur Thundercat ist ebenfalls auf "Asha The First" zu hören. Washington ist nicht der Einzige, der auf "Fearless Movement" mit den Konventionen bricht. Andre 3000, der vielleicht beste Stilist des Rap, spielt sein allererstes Flötenfeature auf "Dream State". "Fearless Movement" vermittelt ein Gefühl der Verbundenheit, das Washingtons Arbeit über die Zeit hinweg mit der Black Music in L.A. verbindet - von der Vergangenheit über die Gegenwart bis zur Zukunft. Auf dem entspannten und funkigen "Get Lit", bei dem es darum geht, das Licht in jedem von uns zu nutzen, um unsere Gemeinschaften aufzubauen, bringt Washington den legendären Bandleader George Clinton und den Rapper D Smoke für einen der coolsten Tracks des Albums zusammen. Dieses Ethos der Elastizität und der Möglichkeiten erstreckt sich auch auf die Mitglieder von Washingtons Band, von denen einige auf dem Album zu hören sind. Unter ihnen auch Sängerin Patrice Quinn, Saxophonist Terrace Martin, Bassist Thundercat und Schlagzeuger Ronald Bruner Jr., DJ Battlecat und BJ The Chicago Kid. Die stetige Bewegung und Flexibiltät verleiht den neuen Songs eine gewisse Geschmeidigkeit, sowohl thematisch als auch musikalisch.

Tanz ist das zentrale Thema des fünften Studioalbums "Fearless Movement" von Kamasi Washington. Dass er sich dem Tanz zuwendet und das Publikum mitnimmt, ist eine natürliche Weiterentwicklung von Washingtons fortwährender Beschäftigung mit Musik als Mittel der zwischenmenschlichen Verbindung. "The Epic" von 2015 und "Heaven and Earth" von 2018 waren Alben, die Genregrenzen überwunden haben und eine neue Generation in die Jazz Musik einführte. Beide Platten waren musikalischen Epen mit viel Chor und Streichern, "Fearless Movement" hingegen bietet etwas anderes. Es klingt immer noch gewaltig, aber rhythmischer - denn dieses Mal hat er den Rap in seinen musikalischen Kosmos geholt. "Die Welt ist stehen geblieben, aber ich habe definitiv nicht aufgehört", sagt Washington. "Fearless Movement" begann in den Tagen der globalen Pandemie. "Meine Tochter wurde genau in der Mitte davon geboren. Das sind zwei ziemlich große und monumentale Dinge, die gleichzeitig passieren". Das Elternsein hat Washington ein neues Gefühl der Dankbarkeit gegeben. Während die Tourneen pausierten, verbrachten sie die ersten Jahre damit, gemeinsam Washingtons Lieblingsplatten von John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman und Eric Dolphy zu hören. "Ich wollte ihr all die beste Musik zeigen", sagt er. Und eines Tages, als sie knapp zwei Jahre alt war, fiel ihr eine Melodie ein. "Wir spielten auf dem Klavier, und sie spielte sie einfach immer wieder", sagt er. Aus dieser Melodie wurde der Song "Asha The First". Washington und seine langjährigen Bandmitglieder nahmen die Melodie auf und ließen einige Lücken offen, die ein potenzieller Gast füllen sollte. " In Leimert Park, wo ich aufgewachsen bin, ist die Schnittmenge zwischen Jazz und Hip-Hop sehr groß". Also zog er Taj und Ras Austin hinzu, das Rap-Duo Coast Contra und Söhne des L.A.-Rappers Ras Kass, die er beim Herumstöbern auf YouTube entdeckt hatte. Washingtons langjähriger Freund und Kollaborateur Thundercat ist ebenfalls auf "Asha The First" zu hören. Washington ist nicht der Einzige, der auf "Fearless Movement" mit den Konventionen bricht. Andre 3000, der vielleicht beste Stilist des Rap, spielt sein allererstes Flötenfeature auf "Dream State". "Fearless Movement" vermittelt ein Gefühl der Verbundenheit, das Washingtons Arbeit über die Zeit hinweg mit der Black Music in L.A. verbindet - von der Vergangenheit über die Gegenwart bis zur Zukunft. Auf dem entspannten und funkigen "Get Lit", bei dem es darum geht, das Licht in jedem von uns zu nutzen, um unsere Gemeinschaften aufzubauen, bringt Washington den legendären Bandleader George Clinton und den Rapper D Smoke für einen der coolsten Tracks des Albums zusammen. Dieses Ethos der Elastizität und der Möglichkeiten erstreckt sich auch auf die Mitglieder von Washingtons Band, von denen einige auf dem Album zu hören sind. Unter ihnen auch Sängerin Patrice Quinn, Saxophonist Terrace Martin, Bassist Thundercat und Schlagzeuger Ronald Bruner Jr., DJ Battlecat und BJ The Chicago Kid. Die stetige Bewegung und Flexibiltät verleiht den neuen Songs eine gewisse Geschmeidigkeit, sowohl thematisch als auch musikalisch.

Sheherazaad ist eine US-amerikanische Komponistin und Sängerin, derenzeitgenössische Folk-Pop-Synthese, produziertvon Arooj Aftab, einer neuen Welle der klanglichen Innovation aus der Diaspora Teil wird. In der modernen Welt ist Migration omnipräsent. Sie durchzieht sämtliche Lebens- und Alltagsbereiche, steckt oftmals verschlüsselt in unseren Gewohnheiten. Während unzählige Menschen sowohl mental als auch körperlich mit nie da gewesener Aggressivität die Globalisierung vorantreiben, werden einst stabile "Genres" und Identitäten jeder Art zerlegt - aufgespalten und abgeschafft, überflüssig gemacht und wieder neu geboren. Alles migriert, alles ist in Bewegung. In genau diesem fluktuierenden Feld findet Sheherazaad Inspirationen für ihre Songs. Ihr Minialbum Qasr entstand während einer Phase der familiären Entfremdung. Auch die Trauer über einen Todesfall in der Familie und die rassistische Polarisierung ihres Landes, das plötzlich kaum wieder zu erkennen war, prägten die Aufnahmen. Der Titel des Albums bedeutet auf Urdu (der Nationalsprache in Pakistan und einigen indischen Bundesstaaten) so viel wie "Burg" oder "Festung". Und tatsächlich ist Qasr ein Monument: Es verkörpert die Last der Vertreibung, die widersprüchlichen Sog- und Anziehungskräfte der Diaspora - und das schreckliche Problem der Auslöschung, des Vergessens der eigenen Wurzeln. Um genau diese Art der Erfahrung geht es, um die Gewalt, die Hysterie, auch um die Romantisierungen, die damit einhergehen, wenn Sheherazaad klanglich eintaucht in jenes In-Between - ins Reich des Dazwischen. Die Aufnahmen fanden im Herzen von Brooklyn im Glass Wall Studio statt. Die unbeschreibliche Energie der nächtlichen Sessions speiste sich dabei vor allem aus der einzigartigen (und einzigartig internationalen) Konstellation der Mitwirkenden: u.a. mit dabei waren auch Basma Edrees (Ägypten), Gilbert Mansour (Libanon) und Firas Zreik (Palästina); gemastert von Heba Kadry (Björk, Ryuichi Sakamoto). Auf Qasr lädt uns Sheherazaad in eine betörende und vollkommen neue Klangwelt ein: in ein Reich der Musik, das genau genommen noch gar nicht von dieser Welt zu sein scheint. Zugleich lässt sie die Fackel der nomadischen Erfahrung auflodern, gibt auch diesem Feuer einen sehr viel prominenteren Platz. Insgesamt entwirft die Künstlerin mit diesem betörenden Album ihre eigene Festung. Denn sie will auch uns dazu ermutigen, unsere eigenen Festungen, unsere eigenen klanglichen König:innen-Reiche und unmöglichen Traumwelten zu entwerfen

Getting into an album by Cyril Cyril is being invited to a party where you thought you didn't know anyone, only to realize that this chap's gal is your bro's cuz, and leave with everyone's cell. Their music seems familiar because it's not deaf to its neighbors, in the broadest sense : Geneva, their lair, Europe, their playground as a duo, and the world, their grocery store. There's plenty in those two heads, but just the two of them on stage. For their third Born Bad album, they have invited two lads from Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp, Ines Mouzoune, multi-instrumentalist from Amami, and Violeta Garcia's cello on Le Futur ca marche pas. On the ruins of Switzerland, people dance hard but consciously, and won't complain about them having a go at the homeland - notably in " Sweetzerland Bunker Love ", where they claim it's time to "free the money from the banks". There's something rotten in the state, wherever it may be, and they prefer to put its fall to music. And they're not shy about it, either: this album features heavy guitar/drums text-driven ballads (beautiful "Mensonge" opens the album with a certain gravitas), polyrhythmic noisy drum splatter with crafty vocal knitting ("Plus rien a? faire"), deconstructed and harmonically ambitious compositions ("Les Phoenix de l'amour"), and latino frogs croaks, because yes, why not. Since their previous efforts "Certaine Ruines" and "Yallah Mickey Mouse", it turns out that the future isn't working out so badly for the two Cyrils. (Not so) Quietly sitting on crates of records, they patiently build their sound. Never tired of sick networks and never-ending struggles, Cyril Cyril is a rousing mess, shouting out the common spleen while still managing to have a good laugh.

'One Deep River' is Mark's sixth consecutive studio album to be recorded at his British Grove Studios and his first since 2018's 'Down The Road Wherever.' When Covid restrictions eased, Mark reconvened at BG with longtime band members and collaborators such as Guy Fletcher, Danny Cummings, Richard Bennett, Glenn Worf, Jim Cox and others, with the addition of first-time contributor Greg Leisz on pedal and lap steel and acoustic guitar.

Says Mark of the new album, which he co-produced with longtime confidant Fletcher: "It was back to the old-fashioned idea of a band making a record together in the room, which maybe in the more youth-oriented side of the industry has become quite rare, because everyone uses loads of technology. We do too, but what we do is we combine the old and the new. If it works, I use it.

"With these songs, you can see them coming together very quickly, with a band like this. You're in a game where you're making the thing and it's happening whether you like it or not. You could push the pace, but I try and give myself a little bit more breathing room. The fatal thing a lot of the time would be to want to rush everything. Something creative always happens by not panicking."

Of the track 'Ahead Of The Game,' Mark adds: "That all goes back to bands playing live. In some way, I was thinking about Nashville, because when I first went out there, it must have been in the early '80s and all the bands in the bars downtown were playing the hits. And that's fine. What I was trying to say is that's an achievement to actually get to a place where you've got employment, and you've got yourself a gig. I mean, statistically, what are the odds of making it? If you stopped to think about that, you'd hardly take a step further, would you?"

G Version III from Kyoto Japan arrives on Digital Sting via a correspondence going back a few years that grew out of mutual musical connections and a deep appreciation for the Jamaican soundsystem diaspora. G Version grew up with a love of Hip Hop, R&B, and Reggae and had a musical revelation at a Lake Biwako sound clash event as a teenager that was formative in spurring a deeper dive into Dancehall and soundsystem culture.

After some time spent studying in the UK and returning to Japan, working at Jet Set records along with meeting heavy weight producer Element the beginnings of her future musical output began to take shape. Downtime during the pandemic provided the time to concentrate on production. G Version's sound has a retro futuristic feel, equal parts Dancehall history and esoteric dub leanings, particularly in tune with the more experimental branches of 80's-90's UK Dub and Steppers. Influences being stated G Versions sound is thoroughly distinct and imaginative, not content to conform to any obvious genre tropes. Also included in this release are two dubs of G Version tracks by Digital Sting mainstays Feel Free Hi Fi.

G Version III- Scenery From Double Glazing DS008 Digital Sting Records

Following a 2021-2022 global tour that reaffirmed St. Vincent’s status as one of live music's preeminent forces with headline appearances at the likes of the Hollywood Bowl and Radio City Music Hall, Clark would begin work on album number seven: Her first fully self-produced album (having co-produced every one of her previous efforts), All Born Screaming is St. Vincent at her most primal. Featuring Clark leading “a curated group of rippers” through the brawny “Broken Man,” the mordant catwalk sashay through the deafening assault of self-loathing that is “Big Time Nothing,” the sublime, elegiac earworm “Sweetest Fruit," All Born Screaming is equal parts spiritual desolation and rapturous acceptance. ‘Sublime seventh album’ - Uncut ‘Emotionally lacerating’ - Guardian Culture ‘A voracious, visceral seventh record fuelled by the colours and sounds of fire and fervour’ - DIY

Following the force of their introductory singles 'Tabernacl' and 'St Agatha', the band return with an invitation to explore their landscape of violent poetry and gothic propulsion to the fullest extent yet. Prepare to be lulled under their spell once more with the slow-burn of forerunning single, 'Remoter Heaven'.

Produced by long-time collaborator Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard's Tom Rees. It begins in a dream state of hypnotic repetition that mounts in intensity, with vocalist Jack Shephard presiding over it all with his distinctive, poetic drawl. His protagonist is revisiting a memory of the pain inflicted by a thorn as a child; "I was awake with feeling", he confesses, before the song takes on the momentum that feels like a triumph over the numbness attendant to adulthood.

Of the track, Shephard shares: "I liked the idea of writing a very simple narrative to a big, epic song - something as modest as the story of a child playing in some flowers and then bursting into tears when a thorn pricks their leg. The words are an ode to that sensitivity we embrace when we are young. Then, when we become adults, we insist on subjugating all of that wonderful, absurd rage."

'Remoter Heaven' follows on from 'Tabernacl' and 'St Agatha' which earned Slate rave write-ups and support from publications including NME, CLASH, So Young, DIY, Buzz Magazine, The Most Radicalist and more, as well as early radio plays from the likes of Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq on BBC 6Music, Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1, John Kennedy on Radio X and Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1.

As we continue the five part journey to say goodbye to the Telomere Plastic series we have Telomere 020.3 now available for preorder!
This five tracker VA, features producers, Hiroyuki Kato, Six Dreams, Ty Senrna Sherman C & Konerytmi!

We begin off the record with ‘Black from Hiroyuki Kato. This long play is over 9 minutes and is a beautifully structured deep & house tune. Perfect for your summer day time sets!

Next on the A2 we have ‘Static Es’ by Six Dreams, This moody minimal breakbeat tune is filled with heavy bass & lush chords, the perfect track to slow things down for a few minutes during your sets!

On the B1 we have Ty Senrna who delivers a whacky groover! This acidic tech tune will work wonders and bring the spooky & trippy energy to the dance floor!

B2 is a tripped out phat acidic break beat tune from the mighty Sherman C. With some tripped out vocals & classic Sherman breaks & bass, this one will get the dance floor rockin’ full speed!

Lastly, we close out the release with a classic tune from Konerytmi. As expected we are gifted with his signature electro & bass beats!

Very limited black copies with a few colored copies available via the Wex bandcamp, be quick!

A humanity-reminding suite of miracle moments, Someone Like Me unites a geographically unbound cast of real people in pursuit of a meaningful connection. Taping their lived experience in economic studios in quiet English counties, Pacific Northwest woodland retreats and the big city bustle of Sydney and Los Angeles, these kindred spirits rendered sheer beauty in the process. Custom pressed folk songs of love, loss and the lord saviour.

Illuminating minor works from seasoned players such as former Syndicate Of Sound chart-topper Sharkey and late-era Canned Heat lynchpin James Thornbury, the collection simultaneously honours the fleeting amateurism of hobby musicians. With their one shot at tangible vinyl, freshman Lynne Ann Kingan realised her loose bubblegum rocker on campus time, while U.S. Navy recruit Fred Potts cut his unconditionally serene ballad remotely stationed on a Spanish naval base. Spartan production continues to reign with Jon Betmead’s hair-raising gospel, howling into infinite space, and Goldrust’s stripped back garden hymn.

Throughout the hour-long reflection, faith has an intermittent yet revelatory presence, most overtly with the divine choral soul of Seventh-day Adventist quartet Remnant. More subtly, Gary Ramey and Jim Kennedy both turned to song in their spiritual quests, offering their all to a universal power. An irrefutable compilation cornerstone, the National Office For Black Catholics showcased Charles Murphy’s lionhearted account of the Black experience at a 1971 concert. Five years earlier, high school seniors The Superwomen would use their hauntingly angelic harmonies to address racial inequity with a breathless take on ‘Lowlands’.

Reaching the furthest corners, Someone Like Me secures the inaugural licence of three homespun masterpieces. Discovered by fluke in the digital haystacks of Youtube and Soundcloud, Jim Huxley’s bedroom pop earworm melds peacefully into Charlie Webster’s synthesized reverie. Meanwhile, Hollywood’s John Agostino introduces us to the bizarre world of tax scam records, with the artist only now learning that his tender psych-folk demos were leaked via a 1977 bootleg.

Compiled and lovingly restored by armchair digger Mikey Young (Eddy Current Suppression Ring/The Green Child), Someone Like Me pays due service to seventeen rarefied journals of truth and devotion. Adorned with visual artist Chris Fallon’s figure and flora dream extractions, the uniting songbook is further detailed by expansive track-by-track liner notes and a forward from San Franciscan poet Rod Roland.

In 2012 we at Soul Junction were able to release two previously unissued songs on the Internationally renowned recording artist, Oliver Cheatham. The songs recorded in Detroit circa 1974/75 were cut under the supervision of Olivers cousin William R. Miller. “Don’t Pop The Question (If You Can’t Take The Answer)” went on to become Soul Junction’s biggest seller, selling in excess of over a thousand copies, but such is the enduring quality of the song that there hasn’t been a week gone by where we haven’t received a sales enquiry for a copy. So, after much deliberation we have decide to re-release the 45 again with a nifty 300 limited press run to hopefully satisfy this continuing demand. During the ensuing years the soulful sweet soul ballad b-side “Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers” has also grown in stature with collectors of this genre with many of the sales enquiries received coming from the direction of the West Coast’s lowrider scene.



Oliver Cheatham will forever be remembered for his timeless 1983 R & B hit “Get Down Saturday Night” on MCA records, which he co-wrote with fellow Detroit musician and ‘One Way’ group member Kevin McCord. Oliver’s own career began way back in the mid 1960’s when his future brother-in- law Allen Cocker invited Oliver to join his group the ‘Young Sirs’ to recorded the mellifluous “There’s Something The Matter (With Your Heart)” for Ernest and Barbara Burt’s Magic City label with Oliver now being the groups lead singer.

Into the 70’s the Young Sirs, briefly became ‘Butch & The Newports’ who under the auspices of George McGregor recorded “I’m Only A Man/Out Of My Mind” on the Black Rock label, with Butch being Oliver’s nickname. “I’m Only A man” was released for a second time on Marvin Higgin’s Grand Junction label, this time credited to ‘The Gaslight’ along with a further two releases. A subsequent Gaslight release “Just Because Of You/It’s Just Like Magic” reputedly came out on the local T.E.A.I label before being picked up for national distribution by Polydor Records. Under the guidance of influential Detroit radio DJ and record producer Al Perkins, Oliver firstly became the lead singer of the group Sins Of Satin later re-named Roundtrip and then following a further re-naming just becoming known as Oliver.



Following on from “Get Down Saturday Night” Oliver continued to score chart success with “SOS”, “Celebrate Our Love” followed by two duets with Jocelyn Brown “Turn Out The Lights” and “Mind Buster”. Further chart success came in 2003 when Oliver featured as a guest vocalist on Room 5’s UK No1 hit “Make Luv” which incidentally sampled Oliver’s “Get Down Saturday Night”. Oliver at this juncture was residing in England and had previously recorded a garage version of the old standard “Our Day Will Come” with the London based band, Native Soul. Sadly, Oliver passed away in November 2013.

Long Gone (Are The Old Traditions) is a label out of London.

A label focused on DIY electronics, post punk, dub and techno from now and before.

The first release is from West London artist, singer and songwriter Tutu Ta. A mini LP of out there, dubbed up, post punk mutations meeting old sounding industrial electronics following from his highly acclaimed debut album last year.

Its already seen the light of day on soundsystems across the city and further afield as well as stations like NTS, Rinse & Tom Ravenscroft's BBC 6 New Music Fix.

2x7"
Not so long ago Marlena Shaw was a forgotten figure. The talented vocalist had made several LPs for respected labels such as Cadet and Blue Note, and she'd performed regularly throughout the '60s and '70s. But she hardly had what you might call diva status. Falling into the unfortunate category that slips uneasily between soul and jazz, she was accepted - but not especially admired - by aficionados of either genre. Then came the '90s, and an open-minded enthusiasm for soul and jazz - and more importantly - everything in between - soon changed that. Marlena Shaw became an icon, and the diva status soon blossomed amongst her new-found soul-jazz fans.

Respect is a word that means much to any singer. The artist who stands up in the bright lights before an audience that has handed over their hard-earned cash has only their physical presence and naked voice to rely on. There is no hiding when you're on stage, you're the focus of attention and everybody is gawping at you. The singer yearns to communicate and entertain, and in return not only asks for appreciation and acceptance, but respect. To this end Marlena Shaw has endured decades of singing in the shadows, and she has only recently finally found her niche.

On Disc One we have 'California Soul', probably the most enduring and well-known of her many songs, but just a few seconds listening will tell you that it is much more than that. It's already a classic amongst those who have already seen the light and have danced and swayed to its timeless swing. Upon hearing it all lovers of soul, jazz – or any other kind of good music - will feel an aural glow as warm as the Californian sun. The song 'Liberation Conversation' on the flip was only ever available on her highly revered 1969 LP 'The Spice of Life'. This is where the 'Blues ain't nothing but a good woman gone bad' launches into an irresistible, relentless uptempo funk groove.

Disc Two showcases 'Wade in the Water', an ancient song rumoured to have been developed and popularised by slaves in the American south. The message is to pass on the notion that by fleeing in a bid for freedom through streams and rivers, the scent that bloodhounds use to follow their victims will be obscured. Marlena's version has long been a favourite dancefloor filler since its 45-only release back in 1966.

'Woman of the Ghetto' is one of her best-known songs and ends the set on the other side. The opening number from 'The Spice of Life', it's since been recognised for the classic it is, and as such has been afforded anthemic status. We release the original 45 version here, as used to promote the LP back in the day.

This special 2x7" product from Jazzman is dedicated to the memory of Marlena Shaw, b. 22 September 1939, d. 19 January 2024.

2024 repress

Melody As Truth founder Jonny Nash returns to action with his first solo album in four years.

Over the course of eleven mesmerising tracks, Nash points the compass gently inwards, casting aside any conceptual frameworks in favour of exploring an imaginative and idealised “personal folk music” that combines elements of traditional acoustic music with the producer’s richly immersive interpretation of ambient, a sound he has been developing for well over a decade.

From the smudged acid-folk bliss of ‘Theories’ and ‘Eternal Life’, to the layered acoustic guitars of ‘All I Ever Needed’ and the delay-soaked, Durutti Column-esque ‘Light From Three Sides’, a wide variety of musical textures weave their way throughout the album.

Point of Entry is much more than a mere ‘guitar album’ – it draws on a rich and diverse palette to achieve its purpose. The delicate saxophone work of ambient-jazz contemporary Joseph Shabason swells on ‘Ditto’ and ‘Light From Three Sides’. Cascading piano lines ripple through the crystal clear sonic waters of ‘Face of Another’, whilst echoes of Nash’s work with Gigi Masin and Young Marco as Gaussian Curve appear in the dancing synth sequences of ‘Ditto’ and ‘Golden Hour’. Nash’s reverb-laden voice also appears for the first time since 2016’s critically acclaimed Exit Strategies, used delicately throughout the album to conjure up a world of dusk and golden light.

Combining the delicate human touch and naivety of earlier Melody As Truth releases with widened scope and vision, Point Of Entry is arguably Nash’s most complete work to date – an album that’s as much a statement of his “personal folk” vision as a future ambient classic.

Erlend Øye & La Comitiva - 'La Comitiva': In einer kleinen Stadt wie Siracusa, Italien, findet das gesellige Beisammensein meist in den Häusern der Menschen statt und besteht aus: Zutaten für ein Essen kaufen, das Essen zubereiten und reden, das Essen essen und reden, die Instrumente holen und stundenlang am Tisch sitzen und spielen und singen. Erlend spielt eine Ukulele, Marco spielt Nylonsaitengitarre, Luigi spielt Cavaquinho, ein brasilianisches Samba-Instrument, und Stefano spielt Bass auf denselben Stahlsaitengitarren, die Erlend bei Kings of Convenience verwendet. Die Band wurde während einer Tournee 2018 durch Chile, Argentinien, Kolumbien und Mexiko professionalisiert. Während dieser Tour entstanden viele der ursprünglichen Songs der Band, wie Altiplano, dessen Arrangement in einer staubigen Grenzstation zwischen Chile und Peru stattfand. Nach vielen unfreiwilligen Pausen (Covid, Veröffentlichung des Kings of Convenience-Albums, Veröffentlichung des Marco Castello-Albums) wird die Full Length LP "La Comitiva" im Frühjahr 2024 endlich das Licht der Welt erblicken. 2016 wurde Erlend während des kollaborativen Festivals "People" in Berlin auf das freigeistige Klassik-Ensemble Stargaze aufmerksam und er begann, einige der Mitglieder in Studio-Aufnahme-Sessions und Live-Konzerte mit La Comitiva einzubinden.

Hauptsächlich mit dabei sind: Kobi Arditi (Posaune), Maaike van der Linde (Flöte), Romain Bly (Trompete, Horn und Percussions).

With $10 Cowboy, Charley Crockett didn’t set out to make a themed record. He had released a concept album in 2022, the critically acclaimed Man From Waco, propelling Crockett to new heights and establishing him as one of the leaders of a sparkling revival of traditional country and folk music. For the follow up album, Crockett wrote freely, over a two-month period, as he wound his way across the United States on the back of a tour bus. The resulting songs—raw, personal, vivid portraits of a country in transition—ended up being connected after all. “This material is written at truck stops, it’s written at casinos, it’s written in the alleys behind the venues, it’s written in my truck parked up on South Congress in Austin,” explains Crockett. “A ramblin’ man like me, a genuine transient, is in a pretty damn good position to have something to say about America.” As the album unfolds, you begin to understand that a $10 Cowboy is anyone who has hustled to get by, who didn’t fit in, who has slept on other people’s couches, or the street, who has fallen down, gotten up, and ventured from home chasing a paying gig, or a new start. “Being out on the road gives you a first-hand experience of how different kinds of Americans see themselves as going through some kind of great struggle,” Crockett says. “The roughneck working the oil and natural gas fields in West Texas. The single mother raising kids by herself. The young man working a street corner because he thinks it's his only option. I would be dishonest if I said I couldn’t see the thread. Each of ‘em feel invisible. I am struck by the battles they are fighting internally, and the ways they have been entrapped by what America says they are.” The album was recorded at Arlyn Studios in Austin, produced by Crockett and his long-time collaborator Billy Horton. It was recorded live to tape, with anywhere from 6-12 musicians and backup singers on each track, giving the songs the feel of a live performance. It’s a sound Crockett has been after for years. “Reason I cut it on tape is because when you got the right people in the room, and the great players rise to the occasion when that red light is on and the tape is rolling, you get the magic of a great performance.” It's exactly what he achieved with $10 Cowboy. Regular bandmates Fox, Nathan Fleming, and Mayo Valdez are joined by some of the genre’s most talented players—Rich Brotherton, Kevin Smith, Dave LeRoy Biller, T. Jarrod Bonta and others, including a string quartet. Lauren Cervantes and Angela Miller sing on the album. While the musicianship and accompaniment are exquisite, they are also subtle, placed joyously, yet judiciously across the album. No, Crockett didn’t set out to write a themed record. Or, through his studied eye, to find America. But with $10 Cowboy, he might have done both.

Printed Sleeve-Artwork-LP Version (Nachpressung) auf schwarzem Vinyl, Inside-Out-Cover, Textblatt und Aufkleber! Nach 26 Jahren Warten endlich ein neues komplettes Hammerhead Album: 14 Songs die gleichsam Bestandsaufnahme und Abrechnung mit dem aktuellen Zeitgeist sind und dabei gekonnt die Faust in die Wunde legen. Und die Band bleibt ihrem Stil und Sound treu, auch wenn anstelle von Headbert jetzt David von KMPFSPRT eine Gitarre bedient. Die lang erwartete Rückkehr dieser Hardcore-Punk-Legenden begann mit ,Autofahrerhose", gefolgt von "Alle pissen an den Dom", welche beide beweisen, dass die Band die Energie und Intensität einfach so wieder aufnehmen kann, ganz so, als ob sie gerade erst anfangen. Dazu kommen Songs wie ,Kinderstrafe", ,Wozu sind Kriege da?" und ,Spaß und Politik", die zugleich Vintage-Hammerhead wie auch Hammerhead 2.0 sind. "Nachdenken über Deutschland" ist eine eindringliche Rückkehr, die das langjährige Warten wert war. Mit einer vielfältigen Trackliste, die von provokanten Statements bis hin zu nachdenklichen Momenten reicht, beweisen Hammerhead einmal mehr ihre Bedeutung für die Hardcore-Punk-Szene. Die Kombination aus unverkennbarem Sound und textlicher Schärfe macht dieses Album zu einer essentiellen Ergänzung in der Diskografie von Hammerhead und zeigt, dass sie auch nach all den Jahren nichts von ihrer Relevanz verloren haben." _blattturbo/Otte

You get older, you have a family, and you start to slow down-that's how things are supposed to go, right? Not for Montreal band Corridor, who have returned on their fourth album, Mimi, with a sound and style that's more widescreen and expansive than anything that's preceded it. The follow-up to 2019's Junior is a huge step forward for the band, as the members themselves have undergone the type of personal changes that accompany the passage of time; even as these eight songs reflect a newfound and contemplative maturity, however, Corridor are branching out more than ever with richly detailed music, resulting in a record that feels like a fresh break for a band that's already established themselves as forward-thinkers. Mimi immediately recalls the best of the best when it comes to indie rock-Deerhunter's silvery atmospherics immediately come to mind, as well as the spiky effervescence of classic post-punk-but despite these easy comparisons, Corridor remain impossible to pin down from song to song, which makes Mimi all the more thrilling as a listen. "The goal was to work differently, which is the goal we have every time we work on a new album-to build something in a new way," Robert explains. "This time, we took our time." And so in the summer of 2020, Corridor's members-Robert, vocalist/bassist Dominic Berthiaume, drummer Julien Bakvis, and multi-instrumentalist Samuel Gougoux-holed away in a cottage to engage in the sort of creative experimentation that would lead to Mimi's ultimate creation. Corridor tinkered with the songs' raw parts digitally and remotely over the next few years, with co-producer Joojoo Ashworth (Dummy, Automatic) lending their own specific talents in the theoretical booth. The process was a byproduct of not having access to their rehearsal space due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a result of the four-piece leaning harder into incorporating electronic textures than on previous records. "For a long time, we identified as a guitar-oriented band, and the goal of making this whole record was trying to get away from that," Berthiaume states. Berthiaume also describes Mimi as a record about "getting older" and "figuring out new parts of life"-but despite any claims of transitional growing pains from the band, Mimi is a record bursting with new energy and life, a vibrance that's owed in no small part to Gougoux joining the band full-time after pitching in on live performances in the past. "I come more from a background of electronic music, so it was nice to involve that with the band more," he explains, and Mimi contains a distinct rhythmic pulse reminiscent of classic era-post-punk's own melding of dance and rock textures. Over bright, chiming guitars and ascending synths, Robert addresses his looming mortality on "Mourir Demain": "I wrote it when my girlfriend and I were shopping for life insurance," he laughs. With our little daughter growing up, we also considered making our will. I said to myself, 'Oh shit, from now on I'm slowly starting to plan my death." Don't mistake this as music about dead ends, though, as Mimi embraces and champions unfettered creativity while paving a way for Corridor's own bright future. "We just focused on making a record that sounded the way we wanted," Gougoux exclaims while discussing the band's aims. "There were no limitations when it came to what was possible."