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PRESSED ON MYSTIC EYE COLORED VINYL HOUSED IN A GATEFOLD JACKET WITH LINER NOTES INCLUDING AN INTERVIEW WITH KRS-ONE

Last August marked the 50th anniversary of the birth of Hip-Hop and we continue to honor the artists and albums that had a significant impact on the culture. In partnership with Sony's CERTIFIED, we are following up on our RSD reissue of BDP's Edutainment and KRS-One's Return of the Boom Bap with a long overdue reissue of KRS-One's 1995 self-titled album, KRS-One. Two years after the release of Return of the Boom Bap, KRS-One got back in the studio and behind the boards and enlisted for additional production DJ Premier, Showbiz, Diamond D, Norty Cotto, and Big French Production. In August of '95 KRS-One dropped the Preemo-produced lead single "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" with "Represent The Real Hip-Hop" featuring Das EFX on the B-side of the 12-inch, boasting KRS-One's lyrical skills and backing up his status as one of the best live performers in the game. KRS-One knocked it out of the park on his second solo effort with another Premier single about the current state of Hip-Hop on "Rappers R, N. Dainja" and straight-up Boom Bap rap on the Fat Joe assisted track "De Automatic." He offers political and social commentary on "R.E.A.L.I.TY.", "Hold", and "Free Mumia" with Channel Live and continues to diss sucker MCs on "Wannabemceez" with Mad Lion. Get On Down is proud to present this deluxe reissue packaged in a gatefold jacket with a new interview by Check The Technique author Brian Coleman, complete with a foldout lyrics sheet.

Secretsundaze marks a new chapter in the institution’s storied history with the foundation of imprint 9FINITY. Stemming from founder James Priestley’s daughter Ludo’s toddler-speak of ‘9FINITY’ to define something massive or huge, the label aims to run with this descriptor through no-nonsense, discerning dance records from artists at the vanguard of modern club music.

The label makes a statement with its maiden release, a V/A compiled with the considered curation synonymous with the Secretsundaze name.

9FINITY001 brings together the talents of Eoin DJ, DJ Life, Luca Attanasio, Coffintexts and E-Talking across 5 tracks and digital bonus that act as a distillation of the label’s sonic vision.

The EP kicks off with Eoin DJ’s ‘Red Rubber Roses’ (Rhythm Dub). A deep, yet driving affair that melds a subtle break with an organ bass line. Think Junior Vasquez meets Radiant Love and you’re getting close. Joining Eoin DJ on the A-side is Naarm production wizard DJ Life with ‘Aberration’. A true headspinner, Life pulls out all the stops on this one, brooding D n’ B style low end, his trademark psychedelic flourishes and a mid-track pace change for good measure. A statement of intent for the imprint on its opening stanza.

The flip opens with exciting newcomer Luca Attanasio’s ‘I Like You Mind’. Straight up intelligent modern house music to kick start the B-side with moody keys and sensual vocal samples juxtaposing a rising bassline that emphasizes groove. Next is Coffintexts’ percussive ‘Make U Sweat’. Doing exactly what is says on the tin, a bold club track with a heavy Latinx vibe that implores the listener to move. Last but certainly not least, E-Talking closes out an impressive opening outing for 9FINITY with the balearic tinged, progressive ‘Party’.

The EP also has an exclusive, Bandcamp only digital bonus with Coffintexts providing a dub wise, 140 version of ‘Make U Sweat’.

Once upon a vibrant night in the heart of the Baltic States, a prodigious artist emerged from the depths of the electronic music scene. Meet Electricano, an enigmatic DJ and producer hailing from the picturesque country of Latvia in Europe.

With an insatiable passion for electronic beats, Electricano has become a force to be reckoned with in the world of music. Drawing inspiration from various genres, he weaves together a mesmerizing tapestry of sounds, captivating audiences with his distinctive style. Effortlessly traversing the landscapes of Dubtechno, Breaks, Electronica, and beyond, creating a musical experience that transcends the ordinary, Electricano's sonic palette knows no bounds.

With each track on this EP, he invites audiences to lose themselves in the pulsating rhythms and soaring melodies, forging a connection that transcends language and borders.

Landing on the shelves September 20, 2024, "All Night" is guaranteed to keep you grooving until the break of dawn!

Over a catalog of six albums, Native Harrow have produced a discography of “rich, engrossing records” and “instant classics” while single-mindedly following their own artistic code, acquiescing only to the exigence of the song: each song its own world with its own rules.

Formed a decade ago, Native Harrow spent their first five or six years crisscrossing the United States and Canada on numerous tours, averaging more than 150 concerts per year in 47 states and 4 provinces, on the back of two self-released albums, Ghost (2015) and Sorores (2017). In 2019, they released Happier Now, partnering with London alt-country stalwarts Loose Records. The record garnered glowing reviews, with Rough Trade selecting it for its album of the month, writing “Beautifully soaring... rolling grooves ground languid and dreamy clearwater shimmers of sound.” The critical acclaim and Americana chart success of the album prompted three back-to-back UK tours in 2019 and early 2020, ultimately leading to a three-year stint living and touring in the UK and Europe. In this time, Native Harrow released two more critically acclaimed records with Loose; Closeness (2020) and Old Kind of Magic (2022), playing for audiences ranging from rock clubs in Norway and Sweden to opera halls in Portugal, and every stop in-between, as well as performing at festivals such as BST Hyde Park (supporting the Eagles and Robert Plant & Alison Kraus), Greenman Festival, Black Deer Festival, The Great Escape, Celtic Connections, Moseley Folk Festival, SXSW, and many more.

Following the eruption of its title track, Side A of “Divided Kind” transitions nimbly through hazy tremolo-laden dusty canyons, past an intimate soulful love letter, and towards a moody anthem of devotion buoyed by propulsive grooves, before ultimately settling on a gentle bird’s-eye-view of love and transcendence. Side B opens with the debut single, “Goin’ Nowhere” a soul transmission over incendiary bass and undulating layers of guiro, congas, tambourines, shakers, and handclaps that sidesteps into moments of infinite dial-toned burnished, Rhodes-propelled soul-jazz and self-assured blues rock à gogo before ending in a spectral folk reading on celestial meditation.

“Divided Kind” was produced and recorded by the pair, in their home studio surrounded by the vintage acoustic and electric guitars, dusty semi-functional amplifiers, and out-of-date Rhodes, B3, piano, and assorted percussion they’ve grown accustomed to. Chicago-based Alex Hall was again drafted to add drums and to mix, and Philadelphia drummer and engineer Joshua Friedman mastered the record. London-based musician Joe Harvey-Whyte added the pedal steel to “Borrowing Time”, with all other voices and instruments being performed by Tuel and Harms.

"Glossolalia" ist das dritte Solo-Album von Dale Crover, dem weltbekannten Schlagzeuger der Melvins, Nirvana und Redd Kross sowie Sänger und Gitarrist von Altamont. Das von Crover und Toshi Kasai produzierte Werk strotzt nur so vor Nuggets-Garagenrock, Proto-Metal-Riffs und herrlich verschwommenem Psych-Pop. Die erste Single des 11-Song-Albums ist "Doug Yuletide". Der Track ist einer von zwei "Glossolalia"-Songs, bei denen Crover mit dem Gitarristen Dan Southwick zusammenarbeitet, seinem langjährigen Freund und Altamont-Bandkollegen. Aber Southwick ist nicht der einzige Freund, der auf Glossolalia zu hören ist: Kim Thayil von Soundgarden (Leadgitarre bei "I Quit" und "Rings"), Ty Segall (Leadgitarre bei "Spoiled Daisies" und "I Waited Forever"), Rob Crow von Pinback ("Don't Worry About It", "Rings" und "I Waited Forever") und Tom Waits' ungelenkes, in Zungen gesprochenes Intro beim Titelstück. "Glossolalia" ist Crovers bisher fokussiertestes Statement als Solokünstler. In seiner Gesamtheit zeigt das neue Album, dass Crover, so wie die Melvins in ihrem vierten Jahrzehnt weiter wachsen und sich entwickeln, auch als Solokünstler neue Schritte unternimmt. Inmitten des inspirierten Geplappers von Waits, des glorreichen Schredderns von Segall und Thayil und vielem mehr, sticht vor allem die Robustheit von Crovers Vision hervor. Diese Platte zeigt, dass seine Gesamtästhetik genauso stark wie sein legendärer Schlagzeugdonner ist. ENGAs he began plotting his new solo album, Dale Crover _ world-renowned drummer for the Melvins, Nirvana and Redd Kross, and singer-guitarist for Altamont _ realized that, unlike with his prior two full-lengths, he was starting from scratch. "I didn't have any songs," he says, "so I just went on this writing spree." The result is Glossolalia, Crover's third LP under his own name and arguably his most focused statement yet as a solo artist: 11 catchy yet eccentric tracks that move from Nuggets-y garage rock to crafty proto-metal riffage and gorgeously hazy psych-pop, touching on everything from a bad teenage trip to the charms of the late, great Jane Birkin, and featuring input by illustrious guests including Ty Segall, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil and none other than Tom Waits. What stands out across the record is the sturdiness of Crover's vision. He's modest about his ambitions _ "It's just kind of like extra credit," he says, about having a solo outlet apart from his main band _ but as this record shows, his overall aesthetic hits just as hard as his legendary drum thunder.

Tip!

Polido has been fantasizing with the idea of free music throughout his artistic career. Free from restraints, logos, musical genres, but also from this modern obsession with narratives, plans, business plans, algorithms and bubble wrapped ideas for comfort of those of you that can’t breathe without everything making sense.
“Hearing Smoke” has nothing of that. It has been four years since Holuzam released the double album “A Casa e os Cães / Sabor a Terra” and for four years I have been daydreaming about what would come next. This is it, eleven new pieces about the future of the future of music. It is the result of years of study, research and sound consolidation. Sound as matter, mutating, transforming, absorbing all around, a shapeshifting entity connecting with the principles of freedom.

"Polido has been researching Portuguese contemporary composition, its very own sounds and ideas. Its origins, the web of repression, tension and censorship before the April 25th revolution in 1974; secondly, as an afterthought, freedom, equality and a unique sense of community and belonging screaming through the music. He absorbed those states of mind and made an album that listens to the current world and presents globalization as a mental trap.
If the music that inspired him somehow comes from a post-colonial world, “Hearing Smoke” questions how we can create something new in this permanent state of cultural colonization, where new trends or forms of music only thrive if they are accepted by the dominant cultures. The physical world has been transformed, but ideas like “world music” or “ghetto music” still show that dominance, the Strange can only be accepted if it incorporates the rules and codes of that dominant force. What I am saying is that it is hard for Portuguese musicians to present themselves as original. They will never have that credit unless the music relates to something that exists in another

realm. Never for their benefit, but for the power of association. I may sound arrogant here, but Polido is unique, original, one of a kind (all those words, all those redundant synonyms). I knew it four years ago when I got lost in the way “A Casa e os Cães” is assembled and how he makes something memorable out of the most commonplace conversations. “Hearing Smoke” continues the flow and puts us in the centre of these ever evolving masses of sound.
Somehow his music finds you, it starts speaking with you until it asks you to be a part of it. Polido’s beats and harmonics are combined in such a tender way that you mellow out while listening to these beats - thinking of the brilliant “Saque”. Even when he exposes you to something more harsh - “Canto D’Amorte” or the closing moments of the last track “Custa A Crer” - there’s still a cradle effect.
But what keeps me returning to this album is how it seems to transform in my ears. Not every time I listen to it, but while I am listening to it. The sound seems to move, embracing me and controlling my inner thoughts. These start to move along at the same pace, with the same feeling of cloudiness. Nothing new here, the thing is how it feels different from time to time, how the music, because of something that changes or moves, comes as a catharsis/revelation. It drives me nuts how the beats come and go in tracks like “Fogo Firme (Encomendação)” or “The More I Think, The Less I Can Speak“, leaving everything suspended and, simultaneously, relieved. When dramatic - ”Prova De Existência“ - it is sad af and gorgeously epic.

Trap, bass music, dubstep, ambient, hauntology and contemporary music flow side by side here, no pushing around, free of interpretation, and you are free to feel or listen to whatever you want in “Hearing Smoke”. That’s free music for you. Not a hard concept, something for you to enjoy, feel, reflect about. This is what the future will sound like."

André Santos // Holuzam

"Call Of The Champions is an album by legendary American composer John Williams. The piece of the same name was composed by Williams especially for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002 in Salt Lake City. It is the opening track of this album which features over a dozen original tracks by Williams, plus an additional bonus track: ""Summon The Heroes"", the anthem written for the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta. The album also features ""American Journey""; a six-part orchestral composition by Williams that was commissioned by U.S. President Bill Clinton for the 2000 Millenium celebrations in Washington D.C. ""American Journey"" is presented for the first time as a complete concert work on this album.

This album features The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Utah Symphony, The Boston Pops Orchestra and the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles. The album was released as An American Journey in the United States.

Call Of The Champions is available for the first time on vinyl as a limited edition of 800 copies on turquoise coloured vinyl and includes an insert with liner notes by music journalist Jackson Braider.

"Call Of The Champions is an album by legendary American composer John Williams. The piece of the same name was composed by Williams especially for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002 in Salt Lake City. It is the opening track of this album which features over a dozen original tracks by Williams, plus an additional bonus track: ""Summon The Heroes"", the anthem written for the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta. The album also features ""American Journey""; a six-part orchestral composition by Williams that was commissioned by U.S. President Bill Clinton for the 2000 Millenium celebrations in Washington D.C. ""American Journey"" is presented for the first time as a complete concert work on this album.

This album features The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Utah Symphony, The Boston Pops Orchestra and the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles. The album was released as An American Journey in the United States.

Call Of The Champions is available for the first time on vinyl as a limited edition of 800 copies on turquoise coloured vinyl and includes an insert with liner notes by music journalist Jackson Braider.

Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision is the latest in-depth project from Experience Hendrix, encompassing 5 LP / 1 Blu-Ray of previously unreleased music Jimi Hendrix recorded at his newly created recording facility in 1970. The deluxe box set offers 39 tracks (38 previously unreleased) that were recorded by the new-look Experience (Billy Cox on bass, Mitch Mitchell on drums) at Electric Lady Studios between June and August of 1970, just before the legendary musician’s untimely death the following month.

The project also includes 20 newly created 5.1 surround sound mixes of the entire First Rays Of The New Rising Sun album plus three bonus tracks “Valleys Of Neptune,” “Pali Gap,” and “Lover Man”. The Blu-ray includes the critically acclaimed, full-length documentary Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision. The film chronicles the creation of the studio, rising from the rubble of a bankrupt Manhattan nightclub to state-of-the-art recording facility inspired by Hendrix’s desire for a permanent studio. Directed by John McDermott and Produced by Janie Hendrix, George Scott and McDermott, the film features exclusive interviews with Steve Winwood who joined Hendrix on the first night of recording at the new studio, Experience bassist Billy Cox, and original Electric Lady staff members who helped Hendrix realize his dream. The documentary includes never-before-seen footage and photos as well as track breakdowns of Hendrix classics such as “Freedom,” “Angel” and “Dolly Dagger” by recording engineer Eddie Kramer. The 5LP’s were pressed on audiophile grade vinyl by Quality Record Pressings and the box set includes an extensive booklet filled with unpublished photos, Hendrix’s handwritten song drafts, and comprehensive liner notes.

Die deutschen Swe-Death-Metal-Freaks DENOMINATION sind mit ihrem zweiten Album in Bestform zurück. Hört euch 'The Last Companion' an und schnuppert den authentisch, fauligen Gestank des skandinavischen Death Metals der frühen 90er. Sehr empfehlenswert für Fans von NIHILIST, CARNAGE, ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER etc.
DENOMINATION halten die Fahne des Boss HM-2 Buzzsaw-Gitarrensounds hoch und präsentieren auf ‚The Last Companion' 10 neue Songs (+Intros), die euch ordentlich das Knochenmark durchwirbeln werden.
Aufgenommen, gemixt und gemastert wurde dieses fiese Werk bei Mike Utah´s Audio Ranch, von Jörn Michutta (u.a. auch MORGOTH' "Ungod"). Das thematisch düster-moderig umgesetzte Cover- Artwork stammt aus der Feder bzw. Pinsel von Timon Kokott (u.a. auch EVOKED, ILLDISPOSED)

Rain and experimental music have had an interesting connection for decades. Under the umbrella of American film music promotion, Hanns Eisler was already looking for "Vierzehn Arten, den Regen zu beschreiben” (fourteen ways to describe the rain) in 1941. A good 20 years later, The Cascades interpreted the periodicity of rain as a rhythm of mourning. For the Beatles ("If the rain falls, they run and hide their heads"), the precipitation inspired the band to use backward running tapes. However, it seems that there has always been a lot of rainfall in popular music. In the early seventies, David Toop and Paul Burwell even had a band project with the great name Rain In The Face...

That was a long time ago and today, rain, which in the age of climate catastrophe mainly occurs as heavy rain or an enervating endless loop, has lost a great deal of its inspiring quality. Perhaps as a reminder of the musical quality of rain, but knowing full well that it can only be enjoyed in theory, Razen call their new album "Rain Without Rain". In the music of the Brussels collective led by the two multi-instrumentalists Brecht Ameel and Kim Delcour, it certainly pours down on the roofs. In fact, the album opens with the sound of pouring rain before we hear the sequence of an oscillator played through a guitar amp on the first track „Lazy, Lazy Eye“.

The album is the captivating result of an one-night mobile studio field recording in an abandoned pedestrian tunnel in the centre of Düsseldorf, and it is finding beauty with brutal(ist) means: recorder, oscillator, guitar amp and reverberation, two musicians and four microphones, early electronics versus Early Music. “Suicide meet Hildegard von Bingen”, as Stefan Schneider, who recorded the session, admits. “Ghostly occurrences”, he adds.

Brecht Ameel states: “We do put a lot of weight and care on acoustics. On some of our recordings, the room acts as another band member, or as the main ‘mixing board’. Most of the albums we have recorded so far are not mixed in the traditional sense: they are simply „captured”, and we let the room decide what is left on the tapes. The studio recordings, then, give us the possibility of bringing other elements to the fore; precision of interplay, or tiny variations in breathing.”

The group Razen exists since 2010 and has since released numerous records on labels such as KRAAK, Marionette and Hands In The Dark. "Rain Without Rain" is their debut on the Düsseldorf label TAL. If there has been an increased international interest in experimental music from Belgium in recent years, this is not least due to musician collectives such as Razen. In terms of its electro-folkloristic intensity and instrumentation, Razen's music is quite unique worldwide. What does Razen actually mean? “We took the word from a poem by Paul Van Ostaijen, not specifically because of its meaning but because of the way it looked on paper”, Ameel explains. “But the meaning goes in the direction of ‘thundering / raging / speeding’ … although we prefer playing with a strong notion of restraint, building our world from (and with) silence.”

Olaf Karnik, Köln 2024

Coming out on September 6th on Sharptone Records, Sundiver is Boston Manor’s fifth album and one that represents a glimmering dawn for the Blackpool five-piece. Grown from a seedbed of optimism and sobriety, the LP celebrates new beginnings, second chances and rebirth. With two members recently stepping into fatherhood, hope is baked into every note. “Datura came out of these really dark few years over the hangover of the pandemic,” Henry reflects. “I'd been struggling a lot with drinking and not taking care of myself and bad mental health and stuff. We wanted Sundiver to be the next morning of the following day.” He explains that it feels good this time round to write through the lens of positivity. “The themes began to emerge, of rebirth, spring, dawn, sunshine and then other elements just started to fit into that.” It was during the making of Sundiver that Henry found out he was going to be a dad. This album is a significant one for the band. Originally coming out of the emo and pop punk scene, they’ve explored sonics and genres throughout their career, taken risks and achieved more than they could ever had dreamed of. They’ve grown up as Boston Manor – their lives and the world changing around them. They’re now taking stock, at a crossroads of the band they were and the band they could be.
While writing the album, they revisited the bands that shaped them in the late 90s and early 00s. “I was listening to the music I loved when I was a teenager and I just thought, why don't we make music like our favourite bands?”, guitarist Mike Cuniff remembers with a smile. “So we brought our interests to the table that way. Y2K kind of vibe. There are elements of Deftones, there are elements of Portishead in there, some Garbage, The Cardigans.” He laughs and adds NSYNC to the list of inspirations. From this cocktail of classics comes a dynamic and ambitious record, rich with depth, groove and more hooks than Peter Pan’s nightmares. Lyrics that foxtrot from parallel universes to personal growth, vivid dreamscapes to raw grief. Individually they’re single strokes full of meaning and magic. Together they’re a landscape.
Container (out Feb 15th) is the first single and it’s them at their best – impassioned and infectious. “This song is about the stagnancy of life creeping up on you & how that can bring about change.,” Henry explains, citing Ocean Song by US band Daughters as an inspiration.

The concept of the butterfly effect is present on Sundiver – how small actions can lead to big changes. This is no clearer than on their second single, Sliding Doors (out April 5th). It has the golden sound of late 90s Lollapalooza rock – think Smashing Pumpkins - rebooted with crisp 2024 production and a potent heaviness. In the lyrics Henry wonders, what if?, pondering on what could be. The idea that there are infinite versions of you whose lives splinter off in different directions at every decision you make. That there’s another you out there somewhere right now reading this sentence, and another me writing it. “So much is down to chance and circumstance,” Henry says. “You might catch that train and your life totally changes. Or you might miss it and things stay the way they are.”
Heat Me Up (out May 30th) is defiant and victorious, the audio equivalent of quitting your shit job and driving into the hot summer sun with a head full of dreams. “The lyrics are about love and gratitude,” Henry shares. “Another theme on the record is just appreciating what you have. It’s about not taking for granted the things that you've been afforded.”
There was some natural magic in the creation of Sundiver. They worked with their usual producer, Larry Hibbitt, and engineer, Alex O’Donovan, but instead of recording in London again they ended up in the green pastures of Welwyn Garden City. “Because Larry lives out in the countryside now, it was a way different environment and way different experience recording this time,” Mike remembers. “That contributed a lot to the brighter sound of the record.” The daily barbecues they had during their recording sessions imbued the process with harmony – five old friends spending quality time together and making quality music.
However, the album is by no means one-note. Birthing this new world they’ve created wasn’t without it’s pain, and that can be heard in the heavier moments on Sundiver. What Is Taken Will Never Be Lost is the most-stripped back on the album, a slow rock number seasoned with the downtempo Portishead influence. The heartfelt lyrics are Henry’s way of processing the loss of his grandfather, who died in a hospice last year(?). “It was just fucking horrible. It was always cold when I went there and they were always trying to get rid of me. The song title, What Was Taken Can Ever Be Lost, is the idea of his memory fading at the time because of dementia.” Henry goes onto explain that shoeboxes of photographs, diaries and a legacy is what he’s left behind. “He lived a really rich life and it has really impacted me and my father. His legacy is etched into the fabric of history in a very small way.” This song continues the connection between his grandfather and the band, as his painted face is emblazoned on the cover of the very first Boston Manor EP, Driftwood. As well as emotionally heavy themes, there’s heaviness in the music of Sundiver too. The closing song, Oil In My Blood, descends into an intense shoegaze outro with Debbie Gough from Heriot screaming hellfire. It’s in moments like this that the band show us aggression and fury can be as much a part of positive change as quiet introspection. The last lyrics of the song, “It resets and starts again,” leaves us in contemplation as the final chord rings out.
Touring the US, Europe and Japan over the years makes for an impressive CV, but if you know anything about Boston Manor you’ll know that they’re all about their hometown. Their choice to work with Blackpool-based photographer Nick Barkworth is testament to that. They’ve been working with him since the pandemic. “He captures Blackpool in a light that really reflects the weirdness and quirkiness of the town,” Henry says.” He's got a really good way of presenting that.” For the Sundiver cover, Nick photographed a 30ft tall abstract glass sculpture made by the local artist John Ditchfield. A striking and bewitching monolith that’s familiar to them but unusual to most people. “It has such kind of a gravity and power to it,” Henry describes the sculpture which stands in a field just outside of the seaside town. “It reminds me of either an explosion or a star or a supernova. To me it represents new life, power and radiance.” Boston Manor have got a knack for that - connecting the otherworldly and the everyday, the stars and the streets.
They’re a band known for using their music to make bigger statements about society. This time round they’re harnessing the uplifting power of music, and the communion it creates, as an antidote to the daily doom and isolation. “It seems like absolute chaos out there at the moment,” Henry says. “You’ve got Gaza and Israel, you've got Russia, you've got the fact that 40% of the world is going to have an election this year and increasingly most governments are leaning very far to the Right. The internet is dividing everybody, people are getting poorer and more desperate. It's really, really scary.” They considered trying to tackle the weight of it all in their music. “We could’ve written Welcome to the Neighbourhood on steroids, where it's just absolute darkness and misery”. He’s referring to their 2018 concept album that deals with class, inequality and the bleaker side of Blackpool. “But I think it's really important to write something that people can be immersed in and find some sort of solace in. Somewhere they can escape to from the modern day pressures and everything that’s going on. We’re all in this together.”

Kato Hideki's Statement: "The Walk is the first collaboration between me and my brother from another mother, Kramer. We started working together in the late summer in 2023, discussing the thematics and the sonic palette of the album. We shared strong connections with the writings by Robert Walser and Basho - both of them walked, dreamed, lived and died on the road. Ambient music was our natural plane for us to transduce the power of their literature into our music as signifiers. Neither of us imagined just to make 'another ambient record', nor a direct translation of their writings. My instinct was to use various modal colors with modulation - slow yet structured music that sounds deceivingly similar to ambient music. Kramer's genius was apparent to me: his ability to elaborate the music as a composer / musician with his keen ears; to frame the album conceptually, sonically and musically as a producer. What you hear in this album is a true collaboration between two artists who trusted each other to let the music transcend. Here you have it, enjoy YOUR walk - dream, live and die well!" Kato Hideki - Brooklyn, NY on April 3rd, 2024 Kramer's Statement: "Sometime in the latter 20th Century, I became aware of the art of The Brothers Quay, two American animators living in London and making the most beautiful works of art I'd ever experienced in cinema. I noted that some of their work was inspired by_ 'the writings of Robert Walser'. Fast forward to 2024 and I have now read every word there was to read (translated into English) by this unique Swiss-German writer. I'd waited decades to find the right 'environment' in which to create music in dedication to this great prose writer and poet, and in 2023, I found that it was not 'the right environment' that I'd been waiting for, but rather, the right collaborator. Kato Hideki and his extraordinary work as composer for film, dance and just about every other creative discipline you can imagine, was equally as inspiring to me for this project as the words and worlds of Walser and Basho. Our journey in collaborative composition began all over the global map, but arrived at the same physical endpoint, and at the very same point in time. I'm not sure that I would even be interested in music at all, unless there were other artists to partner with as I worked. Working alone means Nothing to me. This months-long act of co-creation i have shared with Kato for "THE WALK" has made me as happy to be alive as Walser and Basho were so happy to be alive while on their walks, as evidenced by their extraordinary descriptive powers, knowing that the world around them - so simple yet so very complex - made life so wondrous, and so well worth the sometimes seemingly insurmountable struggles of finding a way to survive Today, so that we might try again Tomorrow." - Kramer, April 9, 2024 (Asheville, NC)

Isik Kural returns with Moon in Gemini, a luminous scrapbook of slow-flowing narratives couched in intuitive and symbolic storytelling. Bending a playful take on environmental music to the folk song form, Isik's vocals coo atop pastoral field notes, airy chamber instrumentation and archival recordings culled from a curious musical life. A tender pastiche coalesces across the suite of Moon in Gemini's fourteen pieces, and Isik invites the listener to daydream as-deep-as-possible. "The songs on Moon in Gemini don't mind being slower or taking their time to reach the listener," says Isik, who wanted the title to speak to the album's dreamy, liminal nature. "I enjoyed how the phrase could be used to describe an object, a time or a place simultaneously," he explains. Similarly and subsequently, these songs contain a multiplicity of sonic artifacts, moments and spaces that span Isik's rich musical career to date. With the bulk of the album realized between Amasya, Turkey and Isik's current home in Glasgow, in both domestic and studio recording environments, additional tracks unearthed from his personal recording archive lend their lush patina. The record emerged as a fertile space to reimagine a handful of previously unreleased songs and unfinished ideas spanning the past fifteen years of his life and work, including streetside sounds documented while growing up in Turkey and recordings made while studying music engineering in Miami, Helsinki and Glasgow. Looking to the more recent past, Isik found himself wanting to build upon some of the methodologies and textures explored on his 2022 album in february, seeking a newly intimate, vocal-forward sound. He points to the track "film festival" from that album as a door through which to enter Moon in Gemini, where sample-based arrangements are presented in the context of asymmetrical "build ups and progressions" and ambience and vocals intertwine. Inspired in part by listening to iconic, if not sometimes misunderstood, singers such as Nina Simone, Aldous Harding and Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear, Isik aimed to carve out a new space for his voice on Moon in Gemini, experimenting with novel recording and mixing techniques. Captured at his aunt's farmhouse in Amasya during an extended three week recording session, we find Isik's vocal high in the mix, front-and-center and on newly expressive terms. As a songwriter, Isik is an intuitive and playful lyricist who allows his deep love of literature to flow through his off-kilter texts. Here, echoes of Silvina Ocampo's poem "Dialogues of the Silence" reverberate from the margins of "Most Beautiful Imaginary Dialogues". Likewise, Elliott Smith and Virgina Astley shapeshift through "Behind the Flowerpots," some lines of which were based on misheard lyrics from Smith's "Stickman" and Astley's "Some Small Hope." Attuned to the magic of happy coincidences, other unexpected "themes and connections between tracks flourished" during the recording process, resulting in some songs being more "thematically and lyrically connected to each other compared to previous records." The duos "Prelude" and "Interlude" as well as "Grown One Iota" and "After a Rain" explore connected stories, while "Almost a Ghost" and "Behind the Flowerpots" serendipitously emerged out of a conversation with Stephanie "Spefy" Roxanne Ward, whose balmy vocals heard highlighting in february return and call out to Isik's in sweet dialogue. Plumbing these new potentials of structure and songwriting, Isik also developed a taste for an expanded sonic palette, one enriched by the lulling undertones of live woodwinds and strings. The resulting collaborations with flutist Tenzin Stephen, harpist Kirstin McCarlie and clarinet player Giulia Tamborino envelop the record in an altogether "dreamier sound," swaying pastel and awash in lunar light. Moon in Gemini, brimming with natural imagery and lullaby-inflected tones, tunes into states of being where the wonder filled sound of everyday is heard and felt, perfectly imperfect in its poetry; where the invisible steps forward; where dauntless ghosts wait around every corner and play enriches the soul; where bird song fills sun-soaked afternoons and carries us on its wings into each enchanted evening. Isik Kural's Moon in Gemini will be released on vinyl, Japanese import CD, and digital editions on September 6, 2024. On behalf of Isik and RVNG, a portion of the proceeds from this release will benefit Mor Çaty Women's Shelter Foundation, whose social work at their solidarity centers and shelters supports women building lives unhindered by gender-based discrimination and male violence under free and equal conditions.

Rob Zombie and Waxwork Records have partnered to release an exclusive, curated line of classic Horror movie soundtracks! “Rob Zombie Presents” features several never-before-released film soundtracks that were personally selected by the singer, songwriter, and filmmaker.

“I have always been a huge fan of movie soundtracks. So I jumped at the opportunity to work with Waxwork on this project.” Says Zombie, “I can’t wait to release these albums. So many of these films are greatly under appreciated and, they all contain such great music. So, to be able to release these deluxe packages is a dream come true.“ - Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie and Waxwork Records are thrilled to announce the debut vinyl release of THE LAST MAN ON EARTH Original Motion Picture Score by Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter. The Last Man On Earth is a 1964 post-apocalyptic science fiction horror film based on the 1954 novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. Starring Vincent Price, the plot follows Dr. Robert Morgan (Price) who lives in a world where the human population is infected by a plague that has turned them into undead, vampiric creatures that cannot stand sunlight, fear mirrors, and are repelled by garlic. Every day, Morgan follows a routine where he marks days off the calendaqr and sets out to hunt the vampires, killing as many as he can and then burning the bodies.

After working together on the successful release of the official soundtracks to Zombie’s films House of 1000 Corpses, The Devils Rejects, 3 From Hell, The Lords of Salem, Halloween 1 & 2, and The Munsters, Zombie explored other ways to collaborate with Waxwork in an effort to unearth, re-master, and release classic, left-of-center Horror soundtracks from films that he is a life-long fan of. The line of soundtracks features deluxe packaging, heavyweight colored vinyl, new artwork by prominent Horror illustrator Graham Humphreys, liner notes and interviews conducted by Rob Zombie with filmmakers and actors. Titles include premiere releases of Spider Baby, Carnival Of Souls, The Last Man On Earth, The House On Haunted Hill, The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, and many selections from the HAMMER film library.

Blue Glitter Vinyl. One Step Closer has always believed that hardcore is limitless. On All You Embrace, the band puts that theory into practice. Every release from the Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania band has seen them exploring the sonic overlaps of hardcore, emo, and '90s alternative rock without an iota of self-consciousness, or pretension, creeping into the mix. All You Embrace is a collection of 11 songs that show One Step Closer reaching for something deeply honest and, as always, authentic."I wanted to showcase One Step Closer in its fullest state," says vocalist Ryan Savitski. "Every single part of the band, I wanted it to be there. I wanted us to be 100% ourselves and be as authentic to our band as we could possibly be." For fans of their first EP From Me To You, there are songs like "Blur My Memory," which show the passionate melodic hardcore the band built its name on is still part of the program. But it's immediately followed by "The Gate," a song that taps into the expansive reaches the band hinted at on This Place You Know and put on full display with the powerful follow-up EP, Songs For The Willow. Every element of One Step Closer is on display throughout the record, as they expound upon every idea until each one has achieved its full potential. The result is a record that's bigger, catchier, and moodier than anything they've done before, while still feeling exactly like OSC.Taken in full, All You Embrace is the sound of One Step Closer honoring their past while building a future that looks more open, more creative, and more expansive. It's a place where records like Start Today, Diary, and Floral Green are all in conversation with one another. Even the album's cover art marks a new direction for the band - the dizzying, frigid blur of blues & blacks colliding is a painting of guitarist Ross Thompson spinning in place, evoking how it feels to listen to these eleven tracks about change, grief, anger and the growing up. One Step Closer feels like the next in a line of revered bands coming from the crescent-shaped depression of Wilkes-Barre - and All You Embrace is the perfect introduction to the most exciting version of the band to date.

Thandii (aka Jessica Berry, Graham Godfrey) first made waves with their debut album A Beat To Make It Better in 2023. The album gained somewhat cult critical acclaim long after its release, with listeners luxuriating in the unusual sound collaged from offcuts of Soul, Lo-fi Hiphop & Psych. Thandii’s world comes bolstered by collaborations with esteemed artists such as Michael Kiwanuka, Inflo, SAULT, Joy Crookes, Jordan Rakei, and Little Simz. The duo’s sophomore offering comes in the form of two companion albums Dream With You & Come As You. The two albums make up a single conceptual statement celebrating dissonance, contradiction, polarity and opposition.

The pair believe that binary thinking has a lot to answer for in today’s world and is often used to divide us as a people. ‘We wanted to explore what it felt like to hold disparate notions in both hands whilst making the music. Starting with the title tracks, we explored the idea of unashamedly being your authentic self in every moment - this is admirable for those that can live their life in an uncompromising way. In contrast to that idea, we explored those moments where we perhaps wished we were more than our reality - a dreamed up, imagined self’. It’s no surprise that duality is central to what Thandii is all about with the pair co-writing, co-recording & co-producing from their seaside studio HaloHalo in Margate, Kent.

The albums each have a distinct flavour of their own. Dream With You is built on cassette-tape-driven lofi beats, art-pop melodies and soulful piano breaks. Whilst Come As You explores more experimental song-form that wouldn’t seem out of place on Tender Buttons - Broadcast or Dots And Loops - Stereolab. Jessica’s voice is the transcendent, ethereal form that shapeshifts between the realms of the two statements; dancing playfully through falsetto harmonies, confessional spoken word, detuned alter egos and haunting choirs. Key collaborators on the albums include bass player Jonathan Harvey and pianist Steve Pringle, both members of Margate’s burgeoning Arts scene. Thandii escaped London nearly a decade ago, their sights set on creating a means for prolific expression, without the distractions that the city can bring. The albums find them in an exploratory stage, throwing paint at the canvas with joyful abandon, gifting themselves permission for uncensored expression. The LPs muse on relationships - romantic, platonic & familial - community, self-worth, self love, healing and boundaries, at times from differing perspectives. This contrast of opinion makes for rich listening throughout a vast emotional landscape

Thandii (aka Jessica Berry, Graham Godfrey) first made waves with their debut album A Beat To Make It Better in 2023. The album gained somewhat cult critical acclaim long after it’s release, with listeners luxuriating in the unusual sound collaged from offcuts of Soul, Lo-fi Hiphop & Psych. Thandii’s world comes bolstered by collaborations with esteemed artists such as Michael Kiwanuka, Inflo, SAULT, Joy Crookes, Jordan Rakei, and Little Simz. The duo’s sophomore offering comes in the form of two companion albums Dream With You & Come As You. The two albums make up a single conceptual statement celebrating dissonance, contradiction, polarity and opposition.

The pair believe that binary thinking has a lot to answer for in today’s world and is often used to divide us as a people. ‘We wanted to explore what it felt like to hold disparate notions in both hands whilst making the music. Starting with the title tracks, we explored the idea of unashamedly being your authentic self in every moment - this is admirable for those that can live their life in an uncompromising way. In contrast to that idea, we explored those moments where we perhaps wished we were more than our reality - a dreamed up, imagined self’. It’s no surprise that duality is central to what Thandii is all about with the pair co-writing, co-recording & co-producing from their seaside studio HaloHalo in Margate, Kent.

The albums each have a distinct flavour of their own. Dream With You is built on cassette-tape-driven lofi beats, art-pop melodies and soulful piano breaks. Whilst Come As You explores more experimental song-form that wouldn’t seem out of place on Tender Buttons - Broadcast or Dots And Loops - Stereolab. Jessica’s voice is the transcendent, ethereal form that shapeshifts between the realms of the two statements; dancing playfully through falsetto harmonies, confessional spoken word, detuned alter egos and haunting choirs.

This collection is reviving the most popular pieces from blockbuster movies by offering a fully fledged state-of-the-art orchestral sound. As the Original Soundtracks for many tracks are recorded in sound quality of the 50s/60s or even in mono – this recording brings a truly revolutionary listening experience to those pieces.

Damien Quintard, who took care of the mastering, co-founded with Brad Pitt “Miraval Studios” in 2021, a recording studio inside Chateau Miraval, bringing back to life the iconic “Studio Miraval”, considered in the 70s till the late 90s as one of the most prestigious studios in the world, recording acts such as Pink Floyd (The Wall), AC/DC, Rammstein, Sting, Muse among others.

Jorge Ben is a name that any lover of Brazilian music will be very familiar with. He is widely regarded as the James Brown of Brazilian music and is famed for writing the Brazilian anthem ‘Mas Que Nada'. For the duet ‘Carolina, Carol Bela' he teamed up with the singer and guitarist Toquinho. Toquinho is best known for his collaborations, as composer and performer, with bossa nova poet Vinicius de Moraes.

'Carolina, Carol Bela' featured on the album Toquinho by Toquinho. It was originally released in 1970 on the small independent Brazilian label, RGE. The song was sampled by DJ Marky and XRS for their Drum & Bass track ‘LK’ (V Recordings, 2002). This went on to be a huge chart hit across the world, and a number one hit in the UK.

João Donato is a Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist. He has collaborated with many of the greats of Brazilian Music, including Tom Jobim, Astrud Gilberto and Gilberto Gil. He was one of the few Brazilian artists who went over to perform in the States during the bossa nova boom of the late 60’s. The song ‘A Rã’ was originally released on his seminal album Quem é quem, (EMI, 1973), an album that is full of great tracks and was considered as one of the 100 best albums of all time by the Rolling Stone magazine.

The impact, influence, and importance of Run-D.M.C.'s self-titled debut – the album that invented hardcore hip-hop and bridged rap, rock, and funk in then-unparalleled ways – cannot be measured. The first full-length record released by Profile Records, the 1984 set permanently changed the sound of music, broadcast streetwise wisdom to every corner of the country, and made the notion of a one-man band a distinct reality. Bolstered by an incendiary blend of staccato deliveries, stark beats, aggressive exchanges, evocative hooks, and socially conscious messages, Run-D.M.C. still hits listeners in the jaw with the same intensity it did nearly 40 years ago when it could be heard booming from ghetto blasters carried around city blocks nationwide.

Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's 180g SuperVinyl 33RPM LP is the definitive-sounding version of the groundbreaking work cited by Rolling Stone as the 378th Greatest Album of All Time. This reissue also represents the first time this gold-certified effort has been presented in audiophile quality. Benefitting from the ultra-low noise floor, superb groove definition, and dead-quiet surfaces of SuperVinyl, Run-D.M.C. now plays with a clarity, immediacy, punchiness, and directness worthy of the artistry, urgency, and intellect of the trio's material.

The brilliance of Russell Simmons and Larry Smith's production comes into view as if the music is being broadcast on a giant system in a small club — only more focused, lively, and unlimited. Free of dynamic constraints and fatiguing harshness, this LP invites you to turn up the volume and experience the raw, rough, invigorating songs that changed the look, sound, and feel of hip-hop overnight. Think the trio’s sparse framework of drum machines, tag-team rhymes, keyboard accents, and turntable scratches is stuck in the mid-80s? Spin MoFi’s SuperVinyl LP and gain new appreciation for the music, messages, and production on display on Run-D.M.C.

Recorded in the wake of two successful and pioneering singles, both included on the album, Run-D.M.C. effectively took a sheet of coarse-grit sandpaper to the polish, sheen, and linear presentation of all the hip-hop that preceded it. Stripped to bare-bones foundations, the songs grab your attention and shake you by the collar with a combination of industrial-leaning rhythms, staggered deliveries, dance drama, and hard, minimalist percussion. Then there are the lyrics.

The LP broadcasts a smart mix of boots-on-the-ground reports, uplifting advice, and then-nascent b-boy culture. In one fell swoop, its narratives and music rendered the scene’s proclivity toward glamor and softness passé. Run-D.M.C.’s tough, cool-minded fashion sense showed the trio walked its talk and gave fans — particularly those living in long-ignored urban areas — heroes which with they could identify. Kangol hats, black jeans, leather jackets, Adidas sneaks, and gold chains were the new currency.

In every regard, Run-D.M.C. signifies the birth of modern hip-hop. Never more obviously than on the groundbreaking “Rock Box,” where rap and rock were first fused. As the first hip-hop video to receive regular rotation on MTV, the track eviscerated racial and social boundaries, awakened musicians and listeners to new possibilities, and redefined both popular music and, ultimately, popular culture. As the Roots’ Questlove has stated, it “ knocked down many obstacles, enabling hip-hop to become the new gospel."

Such teaching includes the real-world scripture of “Hard Times,” utopian hopefulness of “Wake Up,” and observational truths of “It’s Like That.” Released as the group’s debut single well before its eponymous album, the latter tune established themes and outlooks Run-D.M.C. would embrace during its career. Namely, the keen awareness of various prejudices, economic ills, and disruptive violence as well as the knowledge that education, self-motivation, and hard work were the ways to escape disadvantages and disillusionment.

Inspired and inspirational, the song reflects the spirit and shrewdness that courses throughout Run-D.M.C. That includes a detailed account of the trio’s not-so secret weapon (“Jam-Master Jay”), purpose statement (“Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2)”), and a revolutionary hybrid autobiographical narrative-dis track (“Sucker M.C.’s (Krush-Groove 1)”) widely regarded as one of the best hip-hop songs ever created. The same can be said for every moment on Run-D.M.C.

MoFi SuperVinyl
Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analog lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are virtually indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.

After releasing my album 'ÖÐRUVÍSI,' which was a very personal and emotionally challenging project, I felt the need to make something weird and energetic for the club. I’m really into tunes that feel both slow and fast simultaneously.

The first track on the EP, 'Let’s be Havin u,' was initially hard to place genre-wise, i ended up sending it to Darren, who loved it and wanted to sign it. Releasing on Exit kinda feels like earning a black belt as a producer hah. I never imagined that a decade after buying Exit 12”s in 2014, I’d be releasing my own music on the label.

When I started making the EP, I had just begun performing again. I often saw people on the dance floor, too out of it to enjoy the music and often some of them having to be carried by their friends to backstage. This made me wanna make tunes for the dance floor as a bit of a statement on this. I first tested 'Let’s be Havin u' at Prikið in Reykjavik, sounded mad on the little old funktion one. The moment I knew that I was onto something with the EP was when I was Performing in Bristol at Thekla for my friend Boofy. It was wild, the ceiling started leaking during the show. I Love Bristol, feels like home to me.

Most of the percussion and hats on the EP are made with an Elektron Model Cycles, and the synths and pads are from a 80s Yamaha hybrid FM/sample synth I found at a thrift store. It doesn’t have MIDI, so I have to record perfect takes for chords and melodies. I often use pedals afterwards or resample the sounds for more tonal control.

I enjoy digging for records with unique breaks to sample, as I feel this is lacking nowadays. I usually make all my drums from scratch but when I use breaks I like it to be something I haven’t heard before. The alien percussion sound in the last track is actually me biting my teeth together, resampled repeatedly and ran through pedals and interfaces. I also recorded myself chewing gum for the second track to give it that hand on the hip feel. Most of the EP is made with hardware, outboard gear, or real-life recordings.

I’m not concerned about the EP fitting a specific genre or playlist. Too many artists play it safe by focusing on their Spotify stats and abandoning projects that don’t work instantly. I think also Obsessive nostalgia stifles innovation, keeping things stuck in a loop by replicating to the tee, tunes from 2 decades ago. I get it, but there has to be a middle ground sometimes.

2024 Repress

Thomas Fehlmann remains as one of the most endearing and respected artists on Kompakt. He has inspired generations of fans and musicians over the course of his 30+ year career. From his early days as part of the legendary band Palais Schaumburg, and the pioneering Detroit/Berlin act 3mb (With Juan Atkins and Moritz Von Oswald), to his longstanding membership with The Orb, combined with his contributions as a solo artist to esteemed imprints R&S, Plug Research and of course Kompakt, where we have proudly released two full length solo albums: Visions Of Blah (Kompakt CD 20/Kompakt 67) and Honigpumpe (Kompakt CD 59 / Kompakt 157), his musical works have been prolific, not to mention four singles and a full serving of tracks found on our Pop Ambient and Total collections. Now, after 3 years, Fehlmann returns with 'Gute Luft'…

'Gute Luft' is the result of months of work scoring the hit German TV film 24h Berlin - the longest documentary film in history which featured 80 camera teams following the lives of berliners over a 24 hour period. Obviously a huge challenge for Fehlmann, beyond the scope of the project and hours of music involved in a 24 hour film, there was dealing with the decision making process that went with working with such a large production team. As he shared scoring duties with another musician (separately), inevitably a lot of his music ended up not making the final cut. 'Gute Luft' is about re-tweaking and editing material from the countless hours of recording he had created. In a sense, 'Gute Luft' is Fehlmann's ideal soundtrack to the 24h Berlin documentary.

“while scoring the film and subsequently shaping it into a album, i found myself questioning what holds it all together in Berlin. I figured that 'Air', the good old 'Berliner Luft', is something that is guaranteed to touch everyone and everything in the city. Also with that Berlin is very green, the combination with the unavoidable city dirt makes for a distinctive blend which seems to infuse its vibrant scene unknowingly with a constructive drive. Besides that, 'Gute Luft' was also the title of a song from my old band Palais Schaumburg, of which I have very fond memories. Also (as he says with a wink) “Gut” is one word I have a profound relation to…”

Fans shall rejoice as Thomas Fehlmann doesn't feer far from his signature path of trailblazing the finer links of classic Detroit House and Techno with the submerged beauty of Berlin Dub. One will immediately recognize the classic scoring techniques Fehlmann brings to 'Gute Luft' - various themes and sounds resonate in various forms and versions throughout the tracks. As Thomas states, “There are also More Subtle Connections That Should Give An Overall Feel To The Score. I Also Brought In Elements From Tunes From My Previous Albums In recognition of the fact that I often feel that there would be so many more ways to explore and experiment with certain ideas than just on a single track”. Fehlmann clearly succeeds in synergizing the best of the past 20 years of Berlin's expansive history of electronic and dance music with 'Gute Luft'. A recreational album in every way in which he hopes will make you “Feel at peace with you and your environment, inspire you to lush, imaginative dinners, make babies, or just walk your own way with open eyes”. Well put Thomas!

This is a re-release of " Gute Luft " orginally released in 2010 on Kompakt.

Thomas Fehlmann ist nach wie vor einer der liebenswertesten und gleichzeitig angesehensten Künstler bei Kompakt. Im Laufe seiner über 30-jährigen Karriere hat er Generationen von Fans und Musikern inspiriert. Von seinen frühen Tagen als Teil der legendären Band Palais Schaumburg und dem bahnbrechenden Detroit/Berlin Act 3MB (mit Juan Atkins und Moritz von Oswald), bis hin zu seiner langjährigen Mitgliedschaft bei The Orb, kombiniert mit seinen Arbeiten als Solokünstler für Imprints wie R&S, Plug Research und natürlich Kompakt: Sein musikalisches Gesamtwerk ist beeindruckend. Wir sind stolz, bereits zwei seiner Soloalben veröffentlicht zu haben: “Visions Of Blah“ (KOM CD 20/KOM 67) und “Honigpumpe“ (KOM CD 59 / KOM 157). Ganz zu schweigen von vier Singles und jeder Menge Tracks, die sich auf diversen Pop Ambient- und Total-Sammlungen finden lassen. Jetzt, nach drei Jahren, kehrt Fehlmann mit “Gute Luft“ zurück ...

“Gute Luft“ ist das Ergebnis monatelanger Arbeit für den deutschen Fernsehfilm “24h Berlin - Ein Tag im Leben“ - der wohl längste Dokumentarfilm der Geschichte. 80 Kamerateams verfolgen das Leben der Berliner*innen über einen Zeitraum von 24 Stunden. Die größte Herausforderung stellte für Fehlmann dabei nicht die Komposition für einen solchen Film dar; vielmehr waren es die Entscheidungsprozesse im großen Produktionsteam, die ihm die meiste Arbeit abrangen. Da er sich die Aufgabe mit einem anderen Musiker teilte, endete es unweigerlich so, dass einige seiner Tracks nicht in den Final Cut kamen. Bei “Gute Luft“ ging es nun darum, Material aus den unzähligen Stunden an Aufnahmen neu zu bearbeiten und zu editieren. In gewissem Sinne ist “Gute Luft“ Fehlmanns eigentlicher Soundtrack zum 24-Stunden-Dokumentarfilm.

"Während ich den Film vertonte und anschließend zu einem Album geformt habe, habe ich mich gefragt, was hier in Berlin alles zusammenhält. Ich habe mir gedacht, dass 'Luft', die gute alte Berliner Luft, etwas ist, das garantiert jeden und alles in der Stadt berührt. Die Tatsache, dass Berlin sehr grün ist; gleichzeitig die Kombination mit dem unvermeidlichen Dreck einer solchen Stadt – das ergibt eine unverwechselbare Mischung, die ihrer lebendigen Szene unterbewusst einen bestimmten Drive zu verleihen scheint. 'Gute Luft' war übrigens auch der Titel eines Liedes meiner alten Band Palais Schaumburg, an das ich mich sehr gerne erinnere. Außerdem (das sagt er mit einem Augenzwinkern) ist ‚Gut‘ ein Wort, zu dem ich eine enge Beziehung habe ..."

Seine Fans können sich freuen, denn Thomas Fehlmann entfernt sich nicht weit von seinem charakteristischen Sound, mit dem er die feinen Verbindungen von klassischem Detroit House und Techno mit der versunkenen Schönheit des Berliner Dubs aufspürt. Man wird sofort klassische Soundtrack-Techniken erkennen, die Fehlmann auf “Gute Luft“ verwendet - bestimmte Themen und Sounds durchziehen in unterschiedlichen Formen und Versionen die einzelnen Tracks. Thomas sagt dazu: "Es gibt subtile Verbindungen, die der Erzählung ein zusammenhängendes Gefühl geben sollten. Ich habe Melodie-Fragmente aus früheren Alben einbezogen, um der Tatsache Rechnung zu tragen, dass ich oft das Gefühl habe, es gäbe so viele weitere Möglichkeiten, bestimmte Ideen weiterzuverfolgen und mit ihnen zu experimentieren, als nur in einem einzigen Track.” Fehlmann gelingt es hier, das Beste aus den vergangenen 20 Jahren Berliner Elektronik- und Tanzmusik-Geschichte zu bündeln. Ein wohltuendes Album in jeder Hinsicht, von dem er sich selbst erhofft, dass es seinen Hörer*innen "ein Gefühl des Friedens mit sich selbst und ihrer Umgebung vermittelt, sie zu phantasievollen Abendessen inspiriert, zum Babys machen oder sie einfach nur mit offenen Augen Ihren eigenen Weg gehen lässt." Gut gesagt, Thomas!

Dies ist die Wiederveröffentlichung von “Gute Luft“, erstmals erschienen 2010 auf Kompakt.

Dive into the pulsating depths of the electronic cosmos with "Star Travel," the groundbreaking double album vinyl release from the visionary techno maestro Orlando Voorn. Renowned for his innovative soundscapes and masterful command of the genre, Voorn takes listeners on an electrifying journey through the uncharted realms of techno music. Across two meticulously crafted vinyl records, "Star Travel" delivers an immersive sonic experience that transcends boundaries and defies expectations. Each track is a sonic odyssey, meticulously designed to ignite the senses and propel listeners into a state of euphoria. From the hypnotic rhythms of "Aerosol Waveforms" to the relentless energy of "Extraterrestrial" Voorn's mastery is on full display as he seamlessly blends intricate melodies with driving basslines and hypnotic beats. With a keen sense of experimentation, he pushes the boundaries of the genre, infusing elements of ambient, acid, and industrial techno to create a truly immersive sonic tapestry. As the needle glides across the vinyl grooves, listeners are transported to a dimension where time and space dissolve, and the only thing that matters is the pulsating rhythm of the music. Each track unfolds like a sonic revelation, inviting listeners to lose themselves in the hypnotic vibrations of Voorn's musical universe. With its lush artwork and meticulous attention to detail, "Star Travel" is not just an album, but a testament to the enduring power of techno music to inspire, uplift, and transcend. Whether experienced on the dancefloor or in the solitude of a dimly lit room, this double vinyl release is sure to leave a lasting impression on all who dare to embark on its exhilarating journey. Experience the future of techno music with "Star Travel" - a testament to Orlando Voorn's boundless creativity and unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of electronic music.

It’s abundantly clear from the first bars of their 5th studio album Through Other Reflection, that this is, and could only ever be, The Soundcarriers. From the enchanting vocal duets of folk-bidden Chanteuses Leonore Wheatley and Dorian Conway; to the precise bass lines of Paul Isherwood and the limber, jazz-cool, Hal Blaine-esque drums of his his co-songwriter Adam Cann; from the fairy-like flutes, 60s-garage guitars and organ sounds pilfered from the archives of exotica - listening to the Soundcarriers resembles a rediscovery of all the most prized, esoteric corners of the 1960s, all bundled up, warped and refracted through the quartet’s astutely modern cultural lens. Channelling Tropicalia, Middle Eastern psychedelic Jazz/Funk, The French Library sounds of Nino Nardini, and a whole host of lavish obscurites beside, Through Other Reflection delivers another sonic adventure from one of the most unique and distinctive voices of British Psychedelia. After an 8 year wait for their album 4 - 2022’s Wilds - it thankfully didn’t take so long for the follow-up this time round. In many ways, this feels like a companion to Wilds; recording again at their Nottingham warehouse studio, Through Other Reflection retains that same organic glow, all the passions and imperfections of a tightly clipped unit jamming out these living, breathing pop-art nuggets as if straight onto the acetate.”We wanted to keep an air of spontaneity with this album and not get too bogged with the recording process”, explains Cann, “It was more a case of getting the songs as tightly written and arranged as possible first so we could get them down quickly in the studio. It always takes longer than you think” Less packed with strident pop hooks as its predecessor however, the music of Through… has been given extra licence to breathe, stretch out, and wander more uncharted terrains. While gleaming psych-pop of tracks like ‘The City Was’, or ‘Already Over’ confidently carry on from where they left off, from the album’s 2nd track ‘Always’, the trip becomes a little less predictable. Starting out as a smoky Procol Harum-meets-French-Psych organ ballad, the music drifts, as if of its own accord into an eerie, garage trance that lingers, cycles, and hypnotises, growing ever stranger, reaching ever-further away from its point of conception. And almost every track on Through Other Reflections holds that outer-body moment, where the band fix themselves on a limber, lysergic groove, lose all grip on time and reality, and melt themselves away into a liquid state of blind euphoria. There are sequences on this record that feel more like rituals than songs, built upon a single hypnotic rhythm which, like the centre of a vortex, pulling everything under its beatific command. Take the finale to ‘What We Found’ for instance, sounding like a ghostly march across the psychedelic moors, or ‘Feel The Way’, where a single athletic drum-loop rises and rises, growing ever more urgent and suspenseful underneath its frantic harpsichords and rasping flutes. Full of such rich stylisms as these, The Soundcarriers showcase themselves as abstract storytellers par excellence by virtue of their textures and arrangements alone. Resembling Romantic composer Maurice Ravel, but if he had just a four-piece rock band at his disposal, Through Other Reflects is rich with detail; there’s shakers, rattles, clarinets, booming drums; there’s synthesiser swarms, chiming xylophones, vintage organs and experimental Cluster & Eno-esque ambiences. Within all this nuance the music flows like some undisclosed narrative swathed in a magnetic secrecy. “It almost comes across like a story in some ways”, says Cann of the album, “the music is quite sectional with elements of exotica and cinematic type layers, it's a good balance of grooves, tunes and weirdness”. No more is this “epic cinematic feel” heard more proudly than on short instrumental ‘Sonya’s Lament” - its innate, hauntological atmospheres befitting a Peter Strickland soundtrack, or the classics of Lex Baxter, the so-called ‘Founder of Exotica’ himself. On the other hand, providing a greasier undercurrent to all these bucolic sounds is a leaning towards a more “direct” lyricism referencing more “external concerns. Laying down the first tracks for the album in the wintry gloom of pre-lockdown 2020, and drawing inspiration from time spent in Berlin, Through Other Reflections returns to some of the post-apocalyptic futurism explored in 2014’s Entropicalia - a loose concept album inspired by J.G Ballard’s The Drowned World. “The songs explore a disillusionment with the way things are going particularly after 40 years of neoliberalism”, says Cann, “They follow that folk-song tradition of wanting to escape to an imagined time, but here it’s more urban than pastoral. The first couple of ideas I came up with when doing some music in Berlin and had some time to wander aimlessly. And think the atmosphere seeped in, particularly on The City Was and Already Over. He continues, “One aspect of the title, ‘Through Other Reflections’ is about synthesis and layers of influence. How things can be filtered through other things and change the perspective. This is something you get in cities as well.” Though, as with everything The Soundcarriers make, “It can mean anything. It also just sounds kind of cool.”

It’s abundantly clear from the first bars of their 5th studio album Through Other Reflection, that this is, and could only ever be, The Soundcarriers. From the enchanting vocal duets of folk-bidden Chanteuses Leonore Wheatley and Dorian Conway; to the precise bass lines of Paul Isherwood and the limber, jazz-cool, Hal Blaine-esque drums of his his co-songwriter Adam Cann; from the fairy-like flutes, 60s-garage guitars and organ sounds pilfered from the archives of exotica - listening to the Soundcarriers resembles a rediscovery of all the most prized, esoteric corners of the 1960s, all bundled up, warped and refracted through the quartet’s astutely modern cultural lens. Channelling Tropicalia, Middle Eastern psychedelic Jazz/Funk, The French Library sounds of Nino Nardini, and a whole host of lavish obscurites beside, Through Other Reflection delivers another sonic adventure from one of the most unique and distinctive voices of British Psychedelia. After an 8 year wait for their album 4 - 2022’s Wilds - it thankfully didn’t take so long for the follow-up this time round. In many ways, this feels like a companion to Wilds; recording again at their Nottingham warehouse studio, Through Other Reflection retains that same organic glow, all the passions and imperfections of a tightly clipped unit jamming out these living, breathing pop-art nuggets as if straight onto the acetate.”We wanted to keep an air of spontaneity with this album and not get too bogged with the recording process”, explains Cann, “It was more a case of getting the songs as tightly written and arranged as possible first so we could get them down quickly in the studio. It always takes longer than you think” Less packed with strident pop hooks as its predecessor however, the music of Through… has been given extra licence to breathe, stretch out, and wander more uncharted terrains. While gleaming psych-pop of tracks like ‘The City Was’, or ‘Already Over’ confidently carry on from where they left off, from the album’s 2nd track ‘Always’, the trip becomes a little less predictable. Starting out as a smoky Procol Harum-meets-French-Psych organ ballad, the music drifts, as if of its own accord into an eerie, garage trance that lingers, cycles, and hypnotises, growing ever stranger, reaching ever-further away from its point of conception. And almost every track on Through Other Reflections holds that outer-body moment, where the band fix themselves on a limber, lysergic groove, lose all grip on time and reality, and melt themselves away into a liquid state of blind euphoria. There are sequences on this record that feel more like rituals than songs, built upon a single hypnotic rhythm which, like the centre of a vortex, pulling everything under its beatific command. Take the finale to ‘What We Found’ for instance, sounding like a ghostly march across the psychedelic moors, or ‘Feel The Way’, where a single athletic drum-loop rises and rises, growing ever more urgent and suspenseful underneath its frantic harpsichords and rasping flutes. Full of such rich stylisms as these, The Soundcarriers showcase themselves as abstract storytellers par excellence by virtue of their textures and arrangements alone. Resembling Romantic composer Maurice Ravel, but if he had just a four-piece rock band at his disposal, Through Other Reflects is rich with detail; there’s shakers, rattles, clarinets, booming drums; there’s synthesiser swarms, chiming xylophones, vintage organs and experimental Cluster & Eno-esque ambiences. Within all this nuance the music flows like some undisclosed narrative swathed in a magnetic secrecy. “It almost comes across like a story in some ways”, says Cann of the album, “the music is quite sectional with elements of exotica and cinematic type layers, it's a good balance of grooves, tunes and weirdness”. No more is this “epic cinematic feel” heard more proudly than on short instrumental ‘Sonya’s Lament” - its innate, hauntological atmospheres befitting a Peter Strickland soundtrack, or the classics of Lex Baxter, the so-called ‘Founder of Exotica’ himself. On the other hand, providing a greasier undercurrent to all these bucolic sounds is a leaning towards a more “direct” lyricism referencing more “external concerns. Laying down the first tracks for the album in the wintry gloom of pre-lockdown 2020, and drawing inspiration from time spent in Berlin, Through Other Reflections returns to some of the post-apocalyptic futurism explored in 2014’s Entropicalia - a loose concept album inspired by J.G Ballard’s The Drowned World. “The songs explore a disillusionment with the way things are going particularly after 40 years of neoliberalism”, says Cann, “They follow that folk-song tradition of wanting to escape to an imagined time, but here it’s more urban than pastoral. The first couple of ideas I came up with when doing some music in Berlin and had some time to wander aimlessly. And think the atmosphere seeped in, particularly on The City Was and Already Over. He continues, “One aspect of the title, ‘Through Other Reflections’ is about synthesis and layers of influence. How things can be filtered through other things and change the perspective. This is something you get in cities as well.” Though, as with everything The Soundcarriers make, “It can mean anything. It also just sounds kind of cool.”

The boys are seated under the shade of a family tree that bears its fruit on the branches of Kings of Leon & the Black Crowes; deeply rooted in an unwavering respect for Lynyrd Skynyrd & Led Zeppelin. Founded as an edgy, hard rock band in 2018, Mojo Thunder have built up a rabid fanbase in the time since with its enthralling live shows and down-to-earth humility. During that time the band has become one of the most entertaining new acts to emerge from Kentucky -- a state otherwise known for its bluegrass and country music. On the album's 10 tracks, the band explores everything from the dark side of activism ("Holy Ghost") and civil rights ("Memphis") to the healing power of a live concert experience ("Greetings from Western Art") and the feeling of not being enough ("Step by Step"). A definitive journey of growth, the project sees the band as their most authentic selves yet as they push themselves -- and their listeners -- to be the best versions of themselves. Mojo Thunder's sophomore effort, The Infinite Hope will please fans of rock music as they return to some familiar sounds while also ambitiously reaching for new heights.

2024 REPRESS

Fourth corner. Physically, it's where four states in the U.S. come together at one singular point. Symbolically, it's where the four great rivers in China come together as one. Or, it could be the cycle of life during the four seasons of the year. For Trixie Whitley, it's a metaphor for trying to find balance and belonging from the songs that make up her scintillating debut album, Fourth Corner.

Whitley burst into public consciousness in 2011 as the lead singer of Black Dub, super-producer Daniel Lanois' (U2, Bob Dylan) project, blowing people away with a voice and presence beyond her now-25 years.

And it's that voice: an emotional, blues-drenched instrument that ranges from a lilting slap to a knock-you-backwards uppercut. On Fourth Corner, Whitley explores the range of human emotion in another set of four: utter love, total rage, unadulterated happiness, and crippling loneliness. "It's those elements of life I keep coming back to," she says. "Both as a person and musically as well."

Recorded in New York with producer/keyboardist Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman, who's also worked with Glen Hansard, Antony and the Johnsons, Grizzly Bear and the National) engineer Pat Dillett (David Byrne, St. Vincent, Mary J. Blige), and string arrangements by Rob Moose (Antony, Bon Iver), aching songs like "Need Your Love" have Whitley working from a spare beginning that explodes into a blossom dripping with pleading vocals and delicate piano. On tracks like the sassy "Irene" and the sinister "Hotel No Name," Whitley lays down a snarling guitar line on top of scuzzy beats while her voice veers from defiant to remorseful.

It's a tantalizing mix of sounds that can come only from someone who says: "I'm from everywhere but have never felt like I belong." Whitley lived a nomadic life: born in Belgium, she split her time growing up there and in New York but also frequently visiting family in France, Texas, and Mexico. Her mother came from an artistic European gypsy family, filled with musicians, painters, writers, and sculptures, while her father, renowned singer-songwriter Chris Whitley, thrust her into the world of music as a toddler when she joined him onstage in Germany at age three.

After a few years of touring and recording experience with some of the most inspiring artists around, Trixie is ready to presenther anticipated first solo full length.

"I'm psyched and petrified," says Whitley in her archetypal wide-eyed wonderment mixed with a fierce determination. "As a songwriter, I want to go to places people don't expect and with that is complete freedom of expression." Perhaps that place is another version of a fourth corner: something spiritual perhaps, certainly emotional, but most definitely real.

The collection spans the decade-plus career of this remarkable band, whose goth-tinged, theatrical punk-pop sound earned them legions of devoted fans. It features their most beloved songs, including the hits 'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)', 'Helena' and 'The Ghost Of You' from 2004's 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge'; 'Welcome To The Black Parade', 'Famous Last Words' and 'Teenagers' from 2006's 'The Black Parade'; and 'Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)' and 'Sing' from 2010's 'Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys', plus many others.

It also includes a previously unreleased song, 'Fake Your Death', one of the last songs the band worked on in the studio together, three songs from the infamous 'Attic Demos', as well as a long-form DVD with two hours of never-before-seen outtakes from MCR's official music videos.

'The title is fitting, because as sad as it was to say goodbye to the band, we look at this collection as a celebration of our best songs, and hope the memory of them continues to bring joy to you all as they have for us,' said band members Gerard Way, Mikey Way, Frank Iero and Ray Toro in a statement. 'We hope you take the journey with us into MCR's past, and enjoy the small taste of what might have been.'
Vinyl:
1. Fake Your Death 
2. Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two Of Us 
3. Vampires Will Never Hurt You
4. Helena 
5. You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison
6. I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
7. The Ghost Of You 
8. Welcome To The Black Parade
9. Cancer 
10. Mama
11. Teenagers
12. Famous Last Words
13. Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
14. SING
15. Planetary (GO!)
16. The Kids From Yesterday
17. Skylines And Turnstiles (Demo)
18. Knives/Sorrow (Demo) 
19. Cubicles (Demo)
 
DVD:
20. I'm Not OK (I Promise) Version 1
21. I'm Not OK (I Promise) Version 2
22. Helena
23. The Ghost Of You
24. Welcome To The Black Parade
25. Famous Last Words
26. I Don't Love You
27. Teenagers
28, Blood (previously unreleased)
29. Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) and Art

Human Worth are proud to present the killer debut EP 'God Pile' from Leeds duo Grub Nap, featuring members of Thank, Dvne and Cattle, with a portion of proceeds donated to charity. Grub Nap are a 50/50, double headed, four legged, semi haggered, party at the front business at the back mash up of Dan Barter (Dvne, Joe Pesci) and Steve Myles (Thank, Cattle, Groak, Khuda). They first played together in a hardcore band in their late teens and have teamed back up to churn out sludgecore for folks with short attention spans and no interest in wizards or flag waving. A reunited earful, a midlife distraction, a questionable whiff from the back of the fridge. Crawl on in, the water’s foul. 'God Pile' is a golden brown, 15 minute, crumbly, introspective riff lattice. Snappy(ish) songs about greed, crippling anxiety, suburban nuclear mishaps and flagellant rozzers – 6 knuckle dragging clods of down tuned insolent rage. So pummelling is their racket, that they caught the ears of "supergroup" Empire State Bastard (featuring members of Biffy Clyro, Oceansize and Slayer) who invited the duo on the debut UK tour. Human Worth have pressed up a limited edition of black vinyl, with a stunning etching on side B featuring the art of Steve Myles, with 10% of all proceeds donated to Leeds Mind – promoting positive mental health and wellbeing and providing help and support to those who need it most.

People that like their electronic music extreme are definitely familiar with underground legend DEFORMER. Those who hear the name for the first time have been looking in the wrong direction for the last 25+ years! DEFORMER has been a source of inspiration for many groundbreaking artists for its ever evolving originality.
Rooted in Jungle, Breakcore and putting any genre possible into the mix, DJMAG fit-tingly stated: 'DEFORMER operates in a category of one'. This time around some classic DEFORMER tracks formed the starting-point for some of the most legendary hardcore producers to create a selection of devastating remixes. From Hardcore kings Angerfist and Neophyte, to Tripped, The Outside Agency, Terror pioneer Drokz and others, this record will be on heavy rotation for the years to come.
Instant classic!

Introducing ‘Total Blue’, the Los Angeles-based trio of Nicky Benedek, Alex Talan, and Anthony Calonico. Despite collaborating for over a decade, ‘Total Blue’ represents a new chapter in their artistic journey together as a trio.

Embracing chance, inviting the unknown, and guided by a spirit of sheer play and exploration, ‘Total Blue’ was driven by a desire to ‘touch the beyond’ in pursuit of an elusive vibe the three had been chasing for years.

Alex, Nick, and Anthony envision ‘Total Blue’ as the all-encompassing full picture, a place where the real and the imaginary begin to blur; a destination reached not through escapism but by expanding one's perspective; a widened scope of vision where personality both shines and disintegrates.

Across the album, their mission statement is expertly achieved with subtlety and delicate human touch; painting with a lush palette of digital synths, Akai EVI wind synthesizer, fretless bass, and guitar, the trio masterfully balance texture and color, evoking wide expansive vistas that stretch from Los Angeles right out to the furthest reaches of sky and sea. This is ‘Total Blue’ - a place of time and timelessness where echoes of history and tradition merge with rootless inhuman sonics.

Art and design by Michael Willis.

Get a taste of everybody's favourite terrestrial with something extra, Jimi Tenor and his fresh brand of galactic balladry with two single versions from his upcoming album on Timmion Records, "Is There Love In Outer Space?". On the A-side, the title track effortlessly merges cosmic synth flourishes with a soulful backbeat, Jimi's smooth vocal and flute stylings, delivering a splendid questioning continuum to Sun Ra's similarly named statement. Flipping to the B-side, the mostly instrumental "Orbiting Telesto" launches us to the outer rings of Saturn with a healthy helping of vintage sci-fi movie soundtrack and library music themes. Accompanied by the down and dirty energy of Cold Diamond & Mink, Jimi's seasoned artistry shines through, showcasing his ability to blend celestial sounds with gritty moondust funk. With these two tracks, Tenor teases our appetite for the two cosmically themed albums in the pipeline for 2024. These songs crafted together with the Timmion crew serve as a testament to Jimi's unique ability to create captivating moods that transcend the usual.

The latest full-length from Kishi Bashi, Kantos is a work of exquisite duality: a party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful. In a sonic departure from the symphonic folk of his critically lauded 2019 LP Omoiyari - a career-defining body of work born from his intensive meditation on the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II - the Seattle-born singer/songwriter/producer's fifth studio album encompasses everything from Brazilian jazz and '70s funk to orchestral rock and city pop (a Japanese genre that peaked in the mid-'80s). Informed by an equally kaleidoscopic mix of inspirations - the cult-classic sci-fi novel series Hyperion Cantos, the writings of 18th century enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, a revelatory trip to ancient ruins on the island of Crete - Kantos ultimately serves as an unbridled exaltation of the human spirit and all its wild complexities. During the earliest stages of creating songs for the album, Ishibashi's main intent was to return to his highly eclectic musical roots, in part by tapping into his jazz background and by delving into the dance-rock-leaning sensibilities he previously embraced as co-founder of Brooklyn-bred indie band Jupiter One. But not too long into the songwriting process, he stumbled upon an AI-equipped website capable of composing catchy song hooks based on a prompt - a turn of events that quickly catalyzed the existential inquiry at the heart of Kantos. Although his ruminations on AI, transhumanism, and humanity's troubled fate indelibly guided the making of Kantos, Ishibashi nonetheless views the album as "less of a warning about this kind of hubris but more a celebration of the very characteristics that make us human: desire, passion, empathy, and love." "If there's anything I want people to come away with when they hear this record, it's a feeling of excitement about the possibilities of human-created art," he says. "Even as we're learning more about all the amazing things AI can do, I think humans will always be one step ahead in terms of our creativity and innovation. There's still no limit to what we have to offer."

Next up on Aris is a particularly special one - Ireland's first electronic music 12''- Carrier Frequency's Telecaster Man, a particularly Irish take on the acid house sounds of the late 80's, that still does the job 35 years later. ''A nine minute tune with two chords, it's just f-ckin' madness mostly - distortion and drum machines.'' simply put by one of the artist himself, but it's much more really. The record originally released in 1989 was a collaborative effort featuring the talents of Mr. Spring, Leo O'Kelly of 70's folk heroes Tir Na nOg, and Trevor Knight of 80s synth pop band Auto Da Fe, Mr. Spring, a veteran of pirate radio since his early teens and the local go to studio guy for dreamers and the Depeche Mode and Talk Talk clones of the time, spearheaded the project. Drawing from his extensive experience and technical prowess, Spring had already established his own studio in 1987, equipped with state-of-the-art gear including an Atari sequencer and an Akai s900 sampler. They decided to work together on it as Spring says ''We wanted to get a Cabaret Voltaire sound to it and have a bit of fun.'' Fueled by a shared passion for experimentation and sonic exploration and inspired by the dynamic energy of the club scene and the rapidly evolving sounds of electronic music, the late-night recording sessions in Spring's studio characterized by spontaneity and innovation. The result of their collaboration was ''Telecaster Man,'' a nine-minute tour de force combining distorted guitars, hypnotic rhythms, and pulsating synthesizers. The 12 inch comes with the original and Sinewave mixes plus a new Mr. Spring remix from the original multi tracks rounding it out with the replication remix and a bonus acapella. Full colour sleeve and comes with extended liner notes.

"Artist, multi-instrumentalist and astral traveller E Ruscha V releases a hypnotic suite of flow-state synth improvisations for Fourth Sounds.

Building on Ruscha’s 2022 collection Thinking A View, also accompanying an exhibition at Cedric Bardawil, Seeing Frequencies is as intuitive and it is experimental, as Ruscha follows melodic and rhythmic modulations like desire paths across 13 spacious recordings.

Drawn in part from the CocoQuantus synth, built by a man Ruscha describes as 'too weird for Buchla', Seeing Frequencies rides high on tremolo waves and organic vibrations, rooted in ambient, Balearic and Kosmische music traditions, while simultaneously engaging in a dialogue with the synaesthetic qualities of Ruscha’ painting practice.

Allowing the music to flow through him, Ruscha describes the optimum moment of creation as one he imagines for the listener too. 'I really love when music forces you to forget,' he explains. 'There's this beautiful moment where everything coalesces, and you just don’t think about anything.'

To immerse yourself in Seeing Frequencies is to understand exactly what he means."

Edition of 300 marbled vinyl with risograph insert, liner notes by Anton Spice.

In contemporary usage, genius loci refers to a location's distinctive atmosphere, or a "spirit of the place"...

Genius Loci is a new audio work by sound artist Brian d'Souza (fka Auntie Flo). Referencing the notion of the protective 'spirit of place' from ancient Roman times, d'Souza used a vintage accordion to capture the acoustic properties of the Het Hem building in Zandaam, Netherlands. A former munitions and gun testing factory, Het Hem is a space full of character made up of a range of rooms that each hold a different acoustic property. d'Souza is interested in the connection between sound and space, using the accordion as a sound source with a variety of microphones placed around each room to capture the resonance and reverberation. The results are presented as part of an immersive audio visual website which incorporates generative audio technology developed by d'Souza's Swell Studio in collaboration with The University of Arts in London and is now available at https://thecouch.hethem.nl/genius-loci/ .

The original artist versions of Genius Loci are available on this release for the first time, available on 12 inch vinyl and download.

A State of Flo supports Earth Percent. 10% of the revenue generated from this release will be paid to environmental charities.

Pirates Press Records is proud to re-release Close My Eyes, the 2002 album by NYC ska-reggae legends The Slackers - a complex and nuanced album that shows the band's versatility and capacity for both commentary and introspection. It is often said - to the point of cliche - that New York City is a "character" in the work of the city's most noted filmmakers. A similar statement could be made about the artistic symbiosis between the city and The Slackers. From the Bronx-born accent of lead vocalist Vic Ruggiero to the band's embrace of cosmopolitan musical traditions from a melting pot of cultural origins, New York defines The Slackers at least as much as the band have contributed to defining the sound of New York for well over 30 years.Therefore, it bears mentioning that - aside from a 2002 collaborative album by "The Slackersand Friends" - Close My Eyesis the band's first proper studio LP released after the traumatic terrorist attacks on their home city in 2001, and the band took enough time to reckon with the global fallout of this tragedy. "So feel free go steal and rob, revolution ain't my job," sings Ruggiero on the title track. "And if I sing your happy song, please don't tell me I am wrong." It is the statement of an artist searching for a way to still sing about joy and life in uncertain times of great upheaval. And ultimately the band must reckon with these times. On "Real War," toaster Marq Lyn takes lead vocals as the band addresses the march to war that was omnipresent in those early days of the 21st century, stating in no uncertain terms that it was "Time to fight the real war_ Against hunger and poverty_ For racial equality." The Slackers make it clear that while the machinations of hawkish politicians grind on, the real needs of people all over the world are left behind. This tension between a dangerous world and the struggles of one's personal life are present throughout the record, and the band weaves stories from the whole spectrum of human emotion, war, heartbreak, joy, and everything in between. Bookended by instrumental tracks, opening with the energetic "Shankbon" and ending with moody dub reggae, these veteran virtuoso players ultimately take listeners on a masterful journey through the human experience.

Repress

Songs ’94-’98 is a smart selection of material from The Cat’s Miaow, an Australian indie-pop group that gifted their decade with some of its finest songs. Released on World Of Echo, the album draws from the group’s string of excellent seven-inch singles, a small clutch of compilation contributions, and features one previously unreleased song, “I Take It That We’re Through”, recorded in 1998. Part of the burgeoning international pop underground of the nineties, The Cat’s Miaow’s legend has only built over subsequent decades, as more people discover this most quixotic and curious of groups: a recent appearance on A Colourful Storm’s compilation of Australian indie-pop, I Won’t Have To Think About You, is testament to their enduring influence. In part emulating the selection of tracks on the 1997 CD-only compilation, Songs For Girls To Sing, Songs ’94-’98 is also the group’s first ever full-length 12” vinyl collection. The Cat’s Miaow started out in 1992 as a home-recording duo, Bart Cummings (guitar, bass, vocals) and Andrew Withycombe (bass, guitar) taking time out from duties with Girl Of The World and The Ampersands (respectively), knocking out songs on Withycombe’s four-track. Soon joined by Kerrie Bolton (vocals) and Cam Smith (drums), the quartet spent the next five years quietly, slowly working away in the suburbs of Melbourne, recording gem after gem of independent pop. Like many of their Australian precursors or peers – The Particles, Even As We Speak, The Cannanes – The Cat’s Miaow were more successful overseas, a sadly typical phenomenon within the Australian musical landscape. The Cat’s Miaow were always worldly and stylish, anyway, each seven-inch single a refined artifact, each song a peaceable jewel. You could hear some relationships with other music – someone (if not everyone) in The Cat’s Miaow was a Galaxie 500 fan; there’s a minimalism to the playing and melodies that recalls Young Marble Giants, Marine Girls, Beat Happening – but the spirit in these songs is endearingly individualised, the result of a hermetic vision, an ideal of what a simple, unadorned pop song could be. They had a winning way with simplicity, songs like “Autumn”, “Crying” and “I Can’t Sleep Thinking You Hate Me” passing by in the blink of a moistened eye, and when they stretched out, as on “Firefly”, you can hear hints of the drifting ambience they’d perfect in their other band, Hydroplane. It’s not much of a surprise that The Cat’s Miaow found a receptive audience, and no small amount of support, from the networked communities of indie-pop labels and fanatics that developed in the nineties – they released records on imprints like Drive-In, Darla, Bus Stop and Quiddity, shared a flexi-disc with Stereolab, and appeared on countless compilations over the years. But they also understood the importance of the local: their first few cassettes reached the world’s mail routes via Wayne Davidson’s legendary Melbourne tape label, Toytown; they turned up on a split single with Davidson’s group, Stinky Fire Engine; they appeared on a tribute cassette for one of Australia’s finest, The Sugargliders, and indeed that’s Josh Meadows of said group playing wah guitar on “Stay”. The Cat’s Miaow also rarely played live – one launch gig, for the Munch video compilation, and a few parties – which is a great way to maintain mystique. Cosmopolitan yet homely, dedicated to their craft, The Cat’s Miaow always felt a little like a group moving in slow motion, using that pace and focus fully to embrace the art of the perfectly stated pop song – every element in place, no flash and no fuss, no excess, just the core of the thing. Few managed to tease such fierce poetry from such understated, elegant means. From Australia or anywhere.

"Two-time GRAMMY Award Winner and multi-platinum selling performing artist Lauren Daigle will release a very special collection of reimagined songs entitled Sessions, on August 16th. Recorded live in front of a limited audience, the 8-tracks highlight the beauty in the songcraft and purity of Daigle vocal prowess. In a first for Daigle, Sessions will be available on numbered limited- edition vinyl variant in addition to digital platforms.
“I love that we’re able to share versions of these songs that people might not have heard before,” shares Daigle. “I think it’s what makes them special. I also thought it’d be cool to add something a little different, something we’ve never done before, so I thought what better, more poignant song is there than Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful”. It’s up there on my list of all- time favorites.”
Sessions marks the debut release of the recordings captured at SiriusXM, which were previously only heard during the original performances. The Apple Music performances will now be available for the first time across all streaming platforms. Sessions includes her rendition of Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful,” two new versions of her recently Gold Certified hit “Thank God I Do,” her current radio single, “Be Okay” and the first new recording of her 6x Platinum smash “You Say.”
Daigle recently wrapped the long-awaited European Leg of The Kaleidoscope Nights Tour including sold out performances in London, Manchester, and Amsterdam. The tour will make its debut in the US on July 29th in Columbus, OH with stops in Amphitheaters across the states including Brandon, MS, Colorado Springs, CO, and Santa Barbara, CA before wrapping September 5th in Honolulu, HI. The Kaleidoscope Nights Tour features many of Daigle’s #1s including her groundbreaking 6x Platinum smash “You Say,” 2x Platinum hit “Rescue,” “Look Up Child,” her latest No.1 and Gold Certified GRAMMY Nominated “Thank God I Do.”"