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Following the sold out Theo Parrish remix of Marcos Valle's '1985', here's the second in Far Out's Brazilika 12" with three scorching remixes from UK dance veteran Ashley Beedle. Three peak time excursions into percussive, soulful house on a stylish, cosmic Brazilian party tip.

Following the sold out Theo Parrish remix of Marcos Valle's '1985' back in April, the second release in Far Out's Brazilika 12' series features a highlight from Sabrina Malheiros' 2011 album 'Dreaming': the blissed-out, sun soaked samba classic 'Opara', which gets three scorching remixes from UK dance veteran Ashley Beedle.

Currently celebrating a decade since the release of her critically acclaimed debut album 'Equilibria', Sabrina Malheiros has remained at the forefront of modern, soul-infused Brazilian music. Growing up in Rio, the daughter of Alex Malheiros, bassist of Jazz-funk pioneers Azymuth, Sabrina has taken the legacy of samba and bossa nova and forged her own forward-thinking path, taking with her all the style and substance of the early days.

Produced under his Afrikanz On Marz moniker, Beedle's remix brings all the right elements of the original to the fore. The result is three peak time excursions into percussive, soulful house on a stylish, cosmic Brazilian party tip, infused with rich, warm rhodes, synth and flute throughout.

The vocal mix on the A side provides a spacious backdrop of twinkling keys and buoyant percussion to Malheiros' gently floating strains. The other mixes offer similarly floor-focused variations: the aptly titled 'Galactic Flute Remix' on the flip pairs the titular wind instrument with a deeper groove that retains the loose-limbed appeal of the original, plus a bonus instrumental to boot. A sure fire heat bringer and certainly one of the most colourful dance 12's we've heard this year.

The Brazilika 12' series is the new vinyl home to the previously unreleased dance exclusives taken from the Spiritual South mix on CD2 of Far Out's 20th anniversary double compilation, released in May 2015.

Footballhead is a Chicago-based alternative rock band headed by singer/ songwriter Ryan Nolen - At its heart, the band is a vessel to toil forward through internal and external insecurity It also serves the unrelenting spirit of new- millennium Midwestern youth, with MTV and skatepark dreams in the core of their memories. By blending pop structures with alt and emo sounds, Footballhead channels the frantic, dramatic, and anthemic to map the pressure points of existence. It's outcast music, revitalized in search of a modern, blissful awakening. Nolen was a skate kid from the western Chicago suburbs; the one who only kicked it with older neighborhood kids. The punkish attitude of late-90s and earlyaughts alt- rock galvanized Nolen, from the infectiously fun music down to the fashion.

A teenage relocation to Palm Springs, CA coincided with Nolen inundating himself with all the music he could: Warped Tour, 411 videos, Limewire, and the like. The Footballhead ethos comes from this comfort zone of pop impulses and raucous energy, carried by a DIY spirit that grants Nolen the autonomy to facilitate honesty and reflection. Joined by Adam Siska, snow ellet, Liam Burns, and Robbie Kuntz, Footballhead crafts supercharged rock songs like brief, open secrets. However weathered one is from their struggles and mistakes, this music offers unbridled fun as a reprieve, and salves for the shaken. These are your old friends inviting you in to commiserate, elevate, and believe.

The folks at Castle Face dig a good trance. Hypnosis, mesmerization, and brain trickery are some of their favorite results of deep listening and it is a suggestive, ritualistic and dreamlike vibe that Bronze ooze like pheromones all over their excellent new record. Absolute Compliance is a truly hypnogogic group of tunes from Bronze on their best and weirdest behavior and it hits all Castle Face’s favorite things about them immediately and repeatedly: insistently strange synth voicings emanating from Miles Friction’s mad scientist’s lab worth of equipment, controlled by a homemade-looking oversized knob; Brian Hock’s throbbing, woolly, hall-of-mirror grooves; and above it all Rob Spector’s thousand yard croon, the vaguely familiar touchstone amongst these Lynchian, mutated surroundings—these are songs of dreams and nightmares, hidden rituals observed, futuristic coliseum entertainments displaced in time, sci-fi jams of an uncertain future. Bronze are one-of-a kind great and if unfamiliar, go find their other records (including their great live record for Castle Face) and get caught up. They are real-deal weirdo kings of San Francisco and their spell is not easily dissipated once cast.

Experiences Limited, now 3XL, with a new LP from Exael on a highly atmospheric ambient jungle tip, deploying 30 mins of percussive spasms seeping into smoked-out zoners - highly tipped if yr into anything from Lee Gamble to Malibu.

Clearing their cache of stray bullets, Exael returns with a gyring plunge into percussive wormholes and low-lit mood enhancers .The tracks are broadly cleft along schisms of dark/light and demonic/angelic, switching from restive propellers to more sublime sensations in a fine testament to their practice - making for prob our favourite Exael release thus far.

On the “darker” side, they commit the convulsive, fractious footwork pulses and warped tones of ‘Circle (Squishy Mix)’ in a sort of parallel to 33EMYBW’s insectoid rhythms and combustion systems, while ‘Ice That melts The Tips’ trades in rapid, ice-skating thizz and ‘Ghoul Search (Demonic Attachment Mix)’ fires up the junglist particle accelerator for a proper gauntlet of hyper techstep dynamics.

The contrast is epitomised by ’Composure’, arranging flinty breaks on a luscious waterbed of floating pads, before ‘Eidolon’ renders a sort of airborne dembow pressure in the vicinity of Ben Bondy & special guest dj’s xphresh works. ‘L-theanine’ closes the session on a fine tread inside emo ambient styles and flurries on the same spectrum between DJ Lostboi and Teresa Winter, complete with a reverberating, half-buried vocal.

Twin giant towers of amps grinding out minimal beat bloop, the transient sound molecules smell of burning gear and the floor of the pit—this is organic, electronic music at its finest. Dance? Why not. Freak out? For sure. Brothers from a different mother (Bjorn Copeland and Aaron Warren) à la two-thirds of Black Dice have come together with this fantastic debut Flaccid Mojo for us. These are mean beat vipers, spitting and tumescent on the abattoir floor.

I would call it drug music, but I’m not sure what drugs these humans consume. Stem cell and adrenal gland cocktails I’m guessing. Futuristic and primal it is, beats from the Thunder-Dome, fight music for fuckers. I’ve seen them on two separate occasions blow the power for an entire building. Baller move, boys. Produced perfectly by Chris Coady (look him up to be impressed). This record is a burning car in a field and I love it.

For fans of Black Dice, Container, Whitehouse, Negativland, Ralph Records, minimal beats à la Profan, vintage Japanese noise, Severed Heads, windburn and chapped lips. (John Dwyer)

Straight From the Republic of Bashkortostan (!), the Excellent Dj Producer Apollon Telefax (Who Was Already in the Band Arash & Quasar for Their Last Release on Mellah - One of Our Sub-Label), Is Back This Time on Skylax Records Alone. "Fantasia Planet" Is a Captivating Journey Into the Realm of Balearic-Inspired Melodies and Italo Disco Vibes. This Ep, Meticulously Crafted by the Talented Electronic Artist, Showcases a Fusion of Leftfield House and Disco That Will Transport You to Euphoric Soundscapes. the Mesmerizing Opening, "Mbira," Sets the Tone With Its Intricate Rhythms and Ethereal Melodies. "Not Wet Wipes" Follows Suit, Captivating Listeners With Its Infectious Groove and Hypnotic Basslines. as You Delve Deeper Into the Ep, "Macarena" Unveils a Blend of Nostalgic Sounds and Contemporary Beats, Igniting a Dancefloor Frenzy. the Titular Track, "Fantasia Planet," Takes You on a Cosmic Voyage With Its Cosmic Arpeggios and Pulsating Synths, Creating an Otherworldly Atmosphere. "Sex on Astrakhan Fur Coat" Seduces Your Senses With Its Seductive Melodies and Sensuous Rhythms, Offering an Irresistible Invitation to the Dancefloor. Concluding the Journey, "Moodoom" Embraces a Darker and Mysterious Tone, Immersing Listeners in a Captivating Blend of Intricate Percussion and Haunting Melodies. Apollon Telefax Is a Versatile Musician, Multi-Instrumentalist, Dj, and Illustrator. With an Extensive Collection of Vintage Synthesizers and Drum Machines From the 80s, Pavel Masterfully Combines Elements From Various Musical Traditions, Infusing Them With His Own Unique Touch. His Dedication to Remixes and Constant Exploration of Rare Vinyl Records Ensures a Constant Flow of Intriguing and Innovative Compositions. Experience the Magic of Apollon Telefax's "Fantasia Planet" Ep and Let the Irresistible Rhythms and Captivating Melodies Transport You to a World of Boundless Musical Enchantment. Unveil the Secrets of This Extraordinary Release, Where the Past Meets the Present in a Harmonious Embrace of Sound and Creativity....

This is it. Poly dance theatre 006 arrives. Fresh arrival. For the 6th POLY DANCE THEATRE release, androo has decided to release exclusive dubplates from NS Kroo sound system (androo & baba). Yes. 2 tracks from the smoky, always intense and sometimes very special sessions of the NS Kroo sound system over the last 10 years. Exxxperienceee. Wave Dub style is a blend of synth wave, dub stepper and club elements. A side: Fast Dub, tribute to Kitachi, (Iration steppas). Indeed, NS Kroo didn't wait for the recent re-issues to play Kitachi tracks, and has been inspired by this vibe from the outset. Club meets Dub! Fast Dub is trance, it's raw, it's sporty, it's for the legs, it's good support (aducteurs), it's for nimble feet, it's a book whose last sentence ends on the first, it's repetition, it's different style, it's dance, it's wild, it's club rhythm, it's baba operator, it's androo selector, it's sound system vibes, it's NS Kroo in 2019, it's a discreet, slightly punkish non-chalance, it's distortion, it's "we don't give a fuck about codes", it's that and lots of other things... B side: Wave Dub Style Is Back. It's all in the title. This track is probably from 2014? Wave dub... A mix of new wave/synth pop and dub, with a club mix feel. Again, trance music, the kind you play when the night never ends to end, an epic end-of-session odyssey. Soft and strange synth with strong 808 rhythm. 2 mixes. 1st mix: pop synth experience. 2nd mix: raw trance club mix. Wave Dub Style Is Back was remastered by androo in 2023 with the support of poly dance theatre compagnie.

HJirok is a mythical figure, conceived as a fictional character by Iranian-born Kurdish singer and artist Hani Mojahedy. Together with versatile music producer And Toma of Mouse On Mars, she combined a variety of sounds collected during their joint travels to Iraqi Kurdistan and elsewhere with heavily processed recordings of Sufi drum rhythms and setar melodies. The result is a driving, dubbed-out, and deeply intricate soundscape that perfectly sets the stage for Mojahedy's extended, unconventional vocal techniques and polyglot lyrics. Both informed by tradition and rigorously forward-looking, »Hjirok« (with a lowercase J) is at once a profoundly personal album and a universal utopian promise. As a ghost from the past, HJirok draws on Mojtahedy's memories to mould a new future out of them.

The foundation for »Hjirok« was laid in the city of Erbil in the Kurdish part of Iraq. During one of their stays in the region, Mojahedy and Toma recorded the three percussionists Hadi Alizadeh, Jawad Salkhordeh and Serdar Saydan as well as setar player Ali Choolaei from Motahedy's backing band while they were playingthe rhythms and notes that she had grown up with in the house of her grandfather in the Iranian city of Sanandaj. Her memories of that place revolve around hypnotic Sufi music, dervishes in deep trance, and ecstatic singing. Much like this music seemed to open a portal to other dimensions, the inhabitants of the house lived in a sort of alternative reality: It provided them with a hideaway from political circumstances. Following the Iranian revolution in 1979, a Kurdish rebellion ensued but was met with the utmost brutality by the new regime, which resulted in the death of thousands.

It is no coincidence that the music on »Hirok« would draw on rhythmic patterns that were passed on from one generation to the next for hundreds of years. »The project is rooted in the figures of the Sufi dervishes and thus a culture that precedes today's political, social, cultural, and religious systems,« explains Mohtahedy. »The Sufi sound travelled around the entire world. I like to think of it as a dialogue between peoples-one based on the rhythms of the drums and the sound of their voices.« Toma adds that by electronically transforming the recordings and enriching them with field recordings from both rural and urban spaces, they were able to use the stories told by the drums and the setar to create an entirely new narrative.

The story told by these eight pieces is hence a deeply personal, but also inherently political one. Moitahedy herself left Iran in 2004 and relocated to Berlin in 2010. Having continued to use her art as a platform to tirelessly advocate for the rights of the Kurdish people and women under oppressive regimes, she has not been allowed to return to her country of origin ever since. »Hani is singing for equality and there are people who are afraid of that-her femininity, her strength.« Toma says. Much like earlier Hirok sound installations addressed human-made climate change and other systemic ills, also »Hjirok« can hardly be disconnected from far-reaching struggles for liberation and equality.

This is also true on a thematic and even linguistic level. »The lyrics are about a promise,« Mojahedy says, citing Kurdish writer Ebdulla Pesêw as an inspiration. »At their core, these are about that day on which violence and fear become a thing of the past; what they tell you is ot not give up, to keep hoping,« she adds. The promise embedded in them is an emancipatory one. These contents are mirrored on a linguistic level: The lyrics were written in both Kurdish and Farsi, blurring the lines between the two languages and thus, Kurdish and Persian cultures.

Mojahedy, or rather HJirok, conveys these philosophical themes with elegance. Herversatile vocal performance is only loosely basedo n established styles. »Of course everything started with traditional rhythms, but we kept pushing things further and further, so Idid the same with my voice,« Mojahedy explains. »There were no boundaries.« The same can be said of the field recordings that she and Toma used. Whether it's conversations between members of the Pesmerge, the Kurdish armed forces, having a chat in meadow full of bunnies or the humming and buzzing of metropolises like Tehran: »Hirok« paints a sonic picture that is quite literally autopian one; that of a non-place in which different soundscapes, cultures and ways of life coexist peacefully.

What the album conjures up from Mojahedy's memory is not only a very specific place during a unique time in history as experienced by a single person. It is also ametaphorical home open to anyone who wishes to enter - promise of a better, more egalitarian future for everyone. Hence, HJirok will bring it on tour, presenting the material as an audio-visual live show that makes use of the photo and video material that Mojahedy and Toma have collected during their travels through Kurdistan.ja

Two Spanish slow disco tracks from 1977, originally released in 7" format, brought back in 12" format with an additional extended edit, very respectful to the original. "Zorongo" is a re-interpretation of a Andalucian popular folk song with Arabic influence, a gypsy love song from ancient times which was collected and presented by Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca before his death/disappearing during the Spanish Civil War. Jobam's new arrangement gives it a heavy downtempo disco facelift, taking the original gypsy warrior intensities of dealing with love and contrasting them with a beautiful orchestral string driven addition to the theme. Heavy Balearic, emotionally loaded gypsy business, something one could very easily imagine hearing at a 10 hour Harvey set in Pikes, Ibiza.

Dancefloor fire bombs from Kolt, a DJ and producer thus far mostly operating under the crew name Blacksea Não Maya (with Perigoso and Noronha). This is his first Retirement record. No quotation marks here, Kolt is actually stepping down from a fruitful decade-long career as DJ and producer.

Fat, techno-ish, idiosyncratic big room afro mind melt sounding like no other hyped or non-hyped dance cuts out there. Futuristic and decidedly non-European in structure, this set of 4 tracks carries a more synthetic DNA than previous material, if we exclude his quasi-gothic slow burners in BNM's "Máquina de Vénus" LP. But in "Verdadeiro" Kolt is all virtual open arms and bare chest, appearing to satirize this idea of the megastar DJ. But what comes across is distinctive and alive (consequently deadly on the club sound system), wiping out the floor of any zombie-preset-DJ vibes.

Take "Bateste" as an example: an evil bassline, wtf beeps, a vocal snippet prodding the dancers and a final blissful 30 seconds to ease you out. "Shaman" is the final track, its title just maybe nailing the atmosphere felt by people on the dancefloor. Shamelessly epic and in your face, a simulation of a throwback to a more clichéd clubland but just so left of centre that one can't find a complete correlation to fit the picture. Yes, we all go OMG.

NOW Music is proud to present the third in our ongoing series of vinyl compilations, NOW That’s What I Call 80s Dancefloor. Each edition features an essential collection of tracks representing key genres of 1980’s Dance music. This volume, featuring 30 tracks across 2 LPs pressed on flaming yellow and orange vinyl, presents the best from the era of Soul and Disco.

The first LP kicks off with Tina Turner's landmark remake of ‘Let's Stay Together,’ a testament to her timeless vocal prowess. Jocelyn Brown’s ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’, brings a fabulous fusion of Funk and Soul, followed by Gwen Guthrie’s anthem ‘Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But The Rent. Womack & Womack's ‘Teardrops’ blend of captivating lyrics and rhythm, leads into Joyce Sims' ‘Come Into My Life’, before the Stock Aitken Waterman written & produced ‘Say I’m Your Number One’ from Princess. Loose Ends' ‘Hangin' On A String’ offers a smooth, jazz-infused sound, echoed by Will Downing's very first hit, ‘A Love Supreme’, which closes this side.

Side B takes you on a whirlwind trip around the dancefloor with Whitney Houston's ‘How Will I Know,’ showcasing her stellar vocal range. Alexander O'Neal’s ‘Criticize’ and Aretha Franklin's ‘Who's Zoomin' Who?’ bring a blend of irresistible beats. Lionel Richie's ‘Dancing On The Ceiling’ makes you want to move, and Laura Branigan’s ‘Self Control’, alongside Imagination's debut single, ‘Body Talk’, offers a cross of Hi-NRG Disco with a sensual groove. Hi-Gloss's ‘You’ll Never Know’ is a gem of smooth, elegant Soul to finish the first LP.

Side A of LP 2 begins with the iconic duo Ashford & Simpson's ‘Solid,’ a celebration of enduring love. Up next is the #1 Disco anthem ‘Fame’ from Irene Cara, and Diana Ross's ‘My Old Piano’ - showcasing her unique ability to blend Pop with Soul on this Chic-produced classic. Donna Summer's Grammy-nominated single ‘Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)’ fuses Disco with a Funk edge, while Odyssey's ‘Inside Out’ provides a smooth, and melody filled dance. Terri Wells's ‘I'll Be Around’ is a soulful delight, and Hall & Oates' ‘I Can't Go For That (No Can’t Do)’ mixes Rock with Soul, and became a hugely sampled and influencial track. The side ends on a romantic note with Fat Larry’s Band's ‘Zoom’.

The final side opens by showcasing Rufus and Chaka Khan’s ‘Ain’t Nobody,’ a masterpiece of Funk and Soul synergy. Womack & Womack make their second appearance with ‘Love Wars’, followed by Steve Arrington's ‘Feel So Real’ - a true example of the era's crossover with Disco and Soul. Miami Sound Machine's ‘Dr. Beat’ injects Latin-infused Pop rhythms, while Jermaine Stewart's biggest hit ‘We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off’ became a global dance-floor smash hit. Billy Ocean's Grammy award winner, ‘Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)’, blends Soul, Disco and Pop, and Sister Sledge's ‘Thinking Of You’ is the perfect closer, uplifting and full of joy.

A Limited edition pressing, and an essential addition to any collection. Perfect for collectors, DJs, and anyone who loves to get down to the greatest dance-floor-fillers of the ‘80s. NOW That’s What I Call 80s Dancefloor: Soul & Disco is released on February 23rd 2024.

Repress!

London based DJ and producer Dan Shake is set to announce details of his new EP ‘Mosquito’, due for release on 13th March 2020 via his Shake Records imprint.

Dan’s latest outing offers three driving, thoughtful Detroit house influenced club tracks: from the synth-heavy adrenaline rush of title track Mosquito, to the jacking, motoric resolve of The Deep
End, and Hide Seek’s kinetic, sample-driven house groove.

Since debuting on Moodymann’s Mahogani Music in 2014 with 3AM Jazz Club / Thinkin About U, Dan made it into a springboard for his ambitions to work crowds the world over. His love of groove – ranging from sparky acid to Brazilian samba, itchy funk to heavyweight house – fuels his drive to make those around him dance as keenly as he does. At a party, Dan Shake isn’t just loaded with peak time weapons: he is one.

This will be the seventh release on Dan’s Shake imprint, following a string of dance floor-igniting releases, the most recent of which continues to scorch the airwaves from Radio 1 to NTS, garnering DJ support from the likes of Annie Mac, Gilles Peterson, Honey Dijon and The Black Madonna, and a searing set of disco-house releases last year on his own Shake imprint and Denis Sulta’s Sulta Selects.

Dan’s infectious charm and expert ear has resulted in a truly international list of shows in locations as far flung from home as Beirut to Buenos Aires, plus armfuls of Balearic visits, including closing the main stage at Dimensions Festival and playing b2b shows with Jeremy Underground, Marcellus Pittman & DJ Boring to name a few. With a never-ending tour schedule ahead, including his debut U.S. and Australia tour, stops at Nuits Sonores, Love International, Printworks, Kingdom Festival, Fly, Boardmasters, Dimensions, Pikes Ibiza and more new music planned for 2020, Dan Shake is set to have an exceptional year.

The spanish Techno/EBM duo formed by Roger Salmeron and Santiago Serrate returns after 11 years of their last release with their first vinyl EP with a compilation of 4 remixes recorded between 2006-2009.

The Edits Collection label is fast becoming essential with a third irresistible offering in a little over a year. This latest one opens with some soul drenched boogie and disco featuring a heart-aching vocal hook and snappy grooves, then gets more deep and jazzy with 'Disco Is A Feeling'. The flip side opens with the steamy 'Take U 4 A Ride' with its explosive Philly strings and busy percussive lines and '10.15' then slow it down with a more steamy and sexy late-night sound that is all big loved-up vocals and freewheeling synths. All four of these are glorious weapons to have handy.

First compiled as a double CD in 2002, Moon's Milk (in Four Phases) is a suite of four EPs that Coil released seasonally via their in-house Eskaton imprint across 1998. The line-up for these sessions were John Balance, Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson, Drew McDowall, and William Breeze. Recorded primarily at their home studio in Chiswick, London on the eve of a permanent relocation to the small seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare, the collection has long loomed as a pivotal and pinnacle work in the group's discography, but has never been officially reissued, or repressed on vinyl. Time has only ripened its tapestry of regal strangeness. Arranged sequentially in tribute to the equinoxes and solstices, Moon's Milk captures Coil at a revelatory crossroads, leaning deeper into improvisation, spontaneity, and sound design. "Moon's Milk or Under an Unquiet Skull" initiates the proceedings on Spring Equinox, a two-part netherworld organ séance woven from vocal drones, cathedral keys, seasick strings, and opiated undertow. From there, Summer Solstice skews lighter but no less incantational, with Balance embracing his voice-as-instrument across lucid dream torch songs ("Bee Stings"), purgatorial spoken word ("Glowworms/Waveforms"), sultry chamber pieces ("Summer Substructures"), and falsetto ravings ("A Warning From The Sun (For Fritz)"). Autumn Equinox exudes more of a pensive and twilit mood, from the Rose McDowall-sung folk ballad "Rosa Decidua" ("I hear your voice sing near to me / I've put away the poisoned chalice (for now) / And lie down amongst the flowerbeds") to hall-of-lords hallucination "The Auto-Asphyxiating Hierophant" to the liminal string-plucked classic "Amethyst Deceivers," featuring excellent alien guitar by Breeze layered with Balance's oft-quoted couplet: "Pay your respects to the vultures / For they are your future." The album's final chapter, Winter Solstice, is its most swooning, remote, and ceremonial. Opener "A White Rainbow" stirs strings, layered choral vocals, and shivering rhythm into an imploding burial hymn. "North" oscillates bleakly, a ghost in the machine murmuring opaque prophecy ("This black dog has no owner / This black dog has no odour"), while "Magnetic North" is its inverse, a guided meditation of gently flickering software and surreal chakra poetics ("Red rose filling the skull / Yellow cube in the lower pelvis / Silver moon crescent below the navel"). The suite fades to grey with a traditional English carol ("Christmas Is Now Drawing Near"), rendered like an executioner's song by Rose McDowall's doomed, beautiful voice. The Dais box set includes the entirety of the rare Moon's Milk Bonus Disc CD-R / 2019 Threshold Archives Copal CD, which includes three collaborations with Thighpaulsandra. This material is as rich and intoxicating as the previous four phases, ranging from electro-acoustic singing bowl rituals ("Copal") to dissonant electronic recitations of visionary Angus MacLise poetry ("The Coppice Meat") to ominous classical melancholia ("Bankside"). Once again, Coil confirm the vastness of their confounding, infinite alchemy, explored and refined across decades of experimentation - both sonic and bodily. From postindustrial to post-everything, theirs is an art untethered, in the wilds of its own design.

The fresh-faced folk pop band Stornoway seem promising: They play with guileless vigor, have a light-stepping chemistry as a unit, harmonize well. Their lead singer Brian Briggs has a lovely, pure high tenor, the kind of voice that effortlessly conveys simple longing. And yet, on their second album, Tales from Terra Firma, they continue to be almost crushingly dull, making well-appointed and cheerfully empty music that successfully communicates next to nothing.

Their Achilles Heel is a simple and unfortunate one, the same on Tales as it was on 2010's Beachcombers Windowsill. Stornoway are clearly in love with Celtic and British folk, and yet they can't write a memorable melody to save their lives. Try to sing along to the verse melody of "Zorbing", their most well-known tune, and pay attention to what your face muscles are doing; most likely furrowing with the effort of recall. Each of Tales' painstakingly arranged nine songs sinks underneath the weight of this insurmountable problem, which is a shame.

If you're making folk-pop, an inability to write a catchy melody is a difficult deficiency to overcome. Stornoway try valiantly with their complex arrangements, which quickly grow exhausting. “You Take Me as I Am” is cluttered with horn charts and pointlessly banging piano. “(A Belated) Invite to Eternity” builds to a full Explosions in the Sky crescendo, with glimmering tremolo guitar and a “Tonight, Tonight”-style sweeping string section, but having built zero momentum and generated zero heat until that point, their planned fireworks display fizzles.

“Farewell Appalachia” follows the same pattern, with celesta, finger-picked acoustic and electric guitar all tracing an emptily pretty circle with nothing in the center. The melody of "The Great Procrastinator" is almost cleanly written enough to be memorable-- and then the ersatz Dixieland jazz interlude crashes in. Stornoway are deft players, and the transitions are tightly managed, but this is praise on the same order as praising the brushwork in a hotel-room painting.

Briggs’ lyrics are filled with uncomplicated images of the good old British countryside, but his lyrics trample over all these dew-covered fields with wordy, awkward phrasing: "And in the gathering dew, I was lucid as a floodlight,” goes a line from “(A Belated) Invitation to Eternity”. “There's a hunger in the air/ A lemon swollen in the trees" he bleats on “Knock Me on the Head”. On “The Great Procrastinator”, he sings that he is “a scientist with far too many metaphors and far too little data to conclude in time.” They don’t read particularly well, and they don’t sound much more natural when sung.

Tales From Terra Firma is a peculiar record-- carefree music that feels leaden; tuneful-sounding songs that offer no tunes to hold onto. They seem an odd fit for 4AD, a label mostly home to singular voices. They may be a mercenary signing, an attempt to ride the coattails of Mumford and Sons' success. But Mumford and Sons, as head-smack simple and pandering as they are, have a pretty crucial ingredient in their arsenal: they write anthems. In that regard, they have Stornoway pretty thoroughly beat.

Wewantsounds continue its extensive Meiko Kaji reissue program in partnership with Teichiku Records and Meiko Kaji herself, with the release of "Gincho Wataridori," her debut album from 1972. This is the first time the album is reissued since release and it comes with its original Japanese artwork and newly remastered audio. Famous for her 70s exploitation movies ("Lady Snowblood", the "Female Prisoner Scorpion" and "Stray Cat Rock" series) and revered by Quentin Tarantino, Meiko Kaji also released a string of great albums on Teichiku mixing Japanese Pop and cinematic grooves. This reissue comes with deluxe Gatefold sleeve LP, OBI strip and a 2-p insert featuring new liner notes by Hashim Kotaro Bharoocha.

For the 15th anniversary of this timeless classic, !K7 Records are re-issuing Tosca’s seminal album ‘No Hassle’ in an audiophile 3LP format.

Multi-instrumentalists Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber have been friends since their Vienna schooldays. Richard later became half of the globally acclaimed DJ-producer duo Kruder and Dorfmeister, while Rupert worked in piano composition and sound-art installation. ‘No Hassle’ is Tosca’s fifth studio album.

A luxurious tapestry of analogue and digital sounds, submerged samples and live instruments, it evolves and expands into an hour-long ambient symphony. The title reflects not only the duo’s laidback approach to making music but their whole philosophy of life.

‘No Hassle’ is all about contemplation and concentration. While recent Tosca releases like J.A.C. (2005) and the remix collection Souvenirs (2006) were a move towards classic song structures and club-friendly grooves, their latest is a much more introspective journey into inner space.

DJ Yirvin is one of the most prolific and important music producers that have emerged out of the Venezuelan underground since the early 2000s. Alongside DJ Baba, DJ Deep, DJ EL Mago, DJ Yoiser and others, he is one of the true originators of Venezuelan dance music continuum known as Changa, with subgenres such as Street House and Raptor House, though his sound later evolved into a unique style of his own known as Hard Fusion.

Get ready to experience the electrifying thrill of ''Return Of ElectroBass''! Straight out of Sunny South Florida where the low riders are fueled by the vibration of bass & the sweat of strippers. Exzakt x BFX is teaming up with international sensations Vema Diodes from Spain and the legendary Dynamik Bass System from Germany to deliver an adrenaline-fueled 12'' record like no other. Side A kicks off with the block-rocking beats of ''TIME TO COLLECT'' and ''REDLINE DISTRIKT,'' igniting the dance floor with infectious energy and mesmerizing rhythms. Then, brace yourself for Side B as Dynamik Bass System brings their signature ElectroBass sound to ''FAR FROM HUMAN'' and the mind-blowing ''ROBOTMACHINE REMIX.'' This collaboration promises a wild ride through the cutting-edge realms of electro and bass music, this is a must, in the bag, for any Electro fanatic!

Warehouse Find!

MME Recordings lands on planet earth with their first release from Berlin based Italian producer Cesare Muraca. The spacey four tracker opens with an immediate dancefloor smasher in the form of Space Message. The trippy yet melodic synths balance out the killer drums and addictive bassline to hypnotize dancers in the groove. The rest of the EP comprises of euphoric synth structures and chunky bass, offering a solid allrounder that simultaneously works for any moment in the night.

One of New Zealand’s fastest-rising electronic producers, Sanoi aka Jonas Fischer announces the release of his new album, ‘Echoes Of Home’. Rooted in melodic house and techno, the album is a journey through electronic music, one that is as at home on the dancefloor as it is on headphones.  Having previously released on labels such as Bar 25, Stil Vor Talent, Beat & Path, Magician On Duty, Sounds Of Sin and Tube & Berger’s Zehn Records, Loop are proud to present Sanoi’s second full-length. The New Zealand-based, German-born producer has crafted deeply personal electronic music that pushes the boundaries of creativity, skill and production techniques, while influenced by organic deep house and electronic techno from Berlin.  Created at his home in Auckland, and road tested across countless live performances across New Zealand and Australia over the past two years, ‘Echoes Of Home’ sees Sanoi’s songwriting step up to another level. Constantly developing as an artist and finding expression through music are some of the key factors that drive him, whether it be in the studio or behind the decks. His deeply danceable, meticulous though mischievous DJ sets see him move seamlessly across warm, melodic, groove-driven techno and beyond.  Featuring vocals by Beacon Bloom on ‘Silver’.

6-track EP compilation with Terada's work for the Ape Escape games, tip!

Outside of the international house underground, where his early ‘90s works for the Far East Recording label he co-founded with Shinichiro Yokota are rightly celebrated as bona-fide classics, Soichi Terada is best-known for his work composing music for video games. Yet until now, few of his productions for video games have been released outside of Japan, especially on vinyl.

Apes In The Net, a six-track EP featuring music composed for the popular PlayStation 1 series Ape Escape, sets the record straight. It not only showcases Terada’s quality as a composer and producer, but also his versatility. Like much of Terada’s work on the Ape Escape series, the tracks featured don’t explore deep, New York and New Jersey influenced house sounds, but rather his lesser-celebrated love of jungle and drum & bass – a sound he fully explored on 1996 album Sumo Jungle.

“The producer of the Ape Escape games heard that and got in touch,” Soichi remembers. “They asked me to make the soundtrack, and then work on the music for the sequels after that. I used to love making music with AKAI hardware samplers, synthesisers, and computers, so I played and recorded the tracks using almost the same methods as I did when I made house music. Using breakbeats and audio samples with a sampler was the most useful way to make the soundtracks.”

The six tracks on show, which were originally recorded in the ‘90s but reconstructed and remastered for Japan-only CD and digital releases over a decade ago, mix elements of Terada’s familiar deep house style – think warming chords and pads, memorable melodies, and emotive musical motifs – with blistering D&B breakbeats, 16-bit synth sounds, electronic bleeps and undeniably weighty basslines. They’ve stood the test of time and arguably sound just as fresh now as they did at the turn of the millennium.

For proof, check the soaring, spellbinding ‘Spectors Castle’, where uplifting lead lines and sumptuous chords dance atop punchy beats and growling bass, the jazzy and saucer-eyed rush of ‘Mount Amazing’ (all twinkling piano motifs, alien synth sounds, squelchy bass and skittish drums) and the intergalactic, liquid D&B excellence of ‘Time Station’, whose whistling melodies and stargazing chords are undeniably alluring.

There are plenty of other delights to be found across the EP, too, from the bustling, race-to-the-finish breathlessness of D&B/bleep techno fusion workout ‘Spectors Factory In’, and the rumbling sub-bass, creepy pads and suspenseful melodies of ‘Haunted House’, to the bombastic, all-out-assault on the senses that is ‘Coaster’, the set’s most “purist” jungle workout – albeit one that also doffs a cap to the pulsating world of big room techno.

Apes In The Net, then, celebrates Soichi Terada’s mastery as a video games composer and early Japanese junglist. Props are well and truly overdue.

Donny Benét is an adult Entertainer, Hit-Maker, Attentive Lover- and one of Australia’s most acclaimed- and experienced Jazz-Musicians. He has toured Europe- and the UK five times through 2017/2018, playing Festivals & Headline-Shows in 14 different Countries- and will be returning in 2020! The Don’s gigs are rammed with 20-somethings partying like a scene out of Miami Vice.

Recorded in the infamous Donnyland-Studios using the finest Japanese, American & Italian synthesizers, The Don speaks to the heart, promising love as soft as Italian leather. Donny’s immaculate Armani grooves hint at the dancefloor and the bedroom The Don is transportive. ‘Night In Rome’ opens the shutters of your hotel room onto a view of The Colosseum, ‘Reach The Top’ thrusts you on a frenzied race to success through the streets of NYC.

‘Working Out’ urges you to break a sweat wherever you may be. ‘Konichiwa,’ is a song assmooth as the silken tofu from whence the song’s spirit is inspired, and ‘Santorini,’ an ode to love worth fighting for along the crystal-waters of the Aegean Sea.

New album “Mr Experience” due for Release on 22nd May, 2020

Love Makes Magic, the debut LP by JIM - aka Jim Baron of Crazy P & Ron Basejam notoriety - was released in June 2023 and the album has connected with an ever growing number of fans; lured in by great songs, Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter acoustics, 60’s psychedelic folk-rock, a dash of Balearic, discoid funk and a healthy dose of yacht-rock.
The album was voted Album of the Year in the Bill Brewster Furtive 50 chart for 2023 - like a Balearic BAFTAs - and Still River Flow (Generalisation Dub) came 2nd in the tracks of the year... which was nice.

Disco Pogo, Piccadilly Records and Mr Bongo all gave the LP honourable mention in their end of year charts too.
As you’d expect with an artist who has 25 years of dance music connections the accompanying remixes weren’t bad either... Crooked Man, Ruf Dug, Flying Mojito Brothers and Generalisation all came up with fine reinterpretations. Luke Unabomber hailed The Crooked Goth version of Phoenix as his track of the year. The vinyl run of the Crooked Mixes sold out in record time.

As the remixes racked up we considered collecting them together for a remix LP. And so here we are...
presenting Love Makes Magic - The Remixes.

The five aforementioned mixes will be joined by five brand new ones from X-Press 2, Mang Dynasty, Chris Coco, Begin ( James Holroyd) and Brown Fang. Spanning pumping club bangers, perfect sunsets soundtracks and left-field electronica.
We love them.
We hope you do too..

Tucked away in a corner of northwestern Europe and so small you could drive through it in minutes without noticing you were ever there, Luxembourg is often overlooked. This is also true for Luxembourg’s music scene, and even more so in the early 1980s. Aside from a string of victories at the annual Eurovision song contest or the mighty Radio Luxembourg that had for decades been blasting jazz, rock and other modern music into stolid Western European ears, very little else seemed to be going on. But even in a country of barely 350,000 people, musical adventurers had picked up on the spaced-out jazz-funk of bands like Return to Forever, Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi, Weather Report, George Duke, and the electric Miles Davis. Under the leadership of trumpet player Gast Waltzing, a handful of them put together a band called “Atmosphere” and used the sound of their inspirations as a launchpad for their own musical exploration.

What you hold in your hands is a “best of” the Atmosphere band, which released two albums and a 7” single between 1981 and 1986. Privately pressed and long out of print, with original copies very hard to come by even in their country of origin, these records have for years been unheard by anyone outside hardcore collector circles. With no master tapes available, it was a real labor of love to track down the best quality vinyl copies and to reissue a selection of our favorite tracks in professionally remastered form.

Editions de Lux is a new label dedicated to unearthing and releasing records we love and believe deserve more attention, with a focus on Luxembourg and the surrounding countries. We are just the latest in a long line of immigrants who have come to work in Luxembourg and who are trying to find our own path into the heart of this mysterious little country that has much more to it than dark forests, medieval castles, rusting steel mills, and shadowy banks.

The funky, atmospheric, evocative and sometimes downright weird output of companies such as DeWolfe, Cavendish, Burton and the ubiquitous KPM have always been a guiding inspiration for ATA Records, as evidenced in the spooky soundtrack works of The Sorcerers, the big band brass of The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and even in the soul-jazz of The Lewis Express ('Theme From The Watcher).

Everything released on ATA is written and guided by the label heads Neil Innes and Pete Williams, who frequently dip their toes in the Library pond while working on other projects. These occasional one-off tracks have accumulated over the past few years and have now found a home on the first volume of an ongoing series : The Library Archive

Ranging from heavy big band brass (Whack, Slap & Blow, Kaye Okay) to evocative thriller soundtrack (Midnight Heist, Wiretap, The Needlenose) via introspective ethereal soundscapes (Nuclear Wind, Siren's Sea) these 11 tracks faithfully recreate the feel of the Library music catalogues of the 60s and 70s.

PREGOBLIN II is a strange name for a debut album. For the artist who created it, Alex Sebley aka PREGOBLIN, its astonishingly heartfelt and brilliantly catchy assemblage of songs is the culmination of a tortuous genesis period. Its release finally, he hopes, will usher in a fresh, more positive chapter for him, a sequel to all the misery and bullshit up to this point – hence the title. The creative journey to this point has been labyrinthine and frequently painful. As far back as the early ’10s, Sebley was registering his embryonic talent alongside Lias and Nathan Saoudi in The Saudis, the chaotic pre-Fat White Family ensemble where he played guitar and co-authored raw, post-punk material including FWF’s breakthrough tune ‘Touch The Leather’. PREGOBLIN receive a healthy 50,000 plays a month on Spotify. Previous singles include: Combustion which to date has amassed 2.2M streams and was dubbed ‘Single of the year’ last year in The Quietus. Other PREGOBLIN songs include Anna (flowers Won’t Grow), Love Letters, Snakes & Oranges and Wimpy & Wimpy Love with the Pop Group. “PREGOBLIN II’s genre-straddling dexterity and melodic riches mark it out as a loser classic fit to rank alongside Beck and Daniel Johnston. The tunes are memorable and the execution’s forward-facing and inspired” ★★★★ MOJO MAGAZINE // Live Shows February: 2nd Friday London - Amp Studios (with Harry Merry) 17th Saturday Leicester - Academy 2 (with Pip Blom) 19th Monday Cambridge - Junction 2 (with Pip Blom) 20th Tuesday Brighton - Chalk (with Pip Blom) 21st Wednesday London - Heaven (with Pip Blom) 24th Saturday Bristol - Simple Things Festival 25th Sunday Milton Keynes - MK11 (with the Libertines)

PREGOBLIN II is a strange name for a debut album. For the artist who created it, Alex Sebley aka PREGOBLIN, its astonishingly heartfelt and brilliantly catchy assemblage of songs is the culmination of a tortuous genesis period. Its release finally, he hopes, will usher in a fresh, more positive chapter for him, a sequel to all the misery and bullshit up to this point – hence the title. The creative journey to this point has been labyrinthine and frequently painful. As far back as the early ’10s, Sebley was registering his embryonic talent alongside Lias and Nathan Saoudi in The Saudis, the chaotic pre-Fat White Family ensemble where he played guitar and co-authored raw, post-punk material including FWF’s breakthrough tune ‘Touch The Leather’. PREGOBLIN receive a healthy 50,000 plays a month on Spotify. Previous singles include: Combustion which to date has amassed 2.2M streams and was dubbed ‘Single of the year’ last year in The Quietus. Other PREGOBLIN songs include Anna (flowers Won’t Grow), Love Letters, Snakes & Oranges and Wimpy & Wimpy Love with the Pop Group. “PREGOBLIN II’s genre-straddling dexterity and melodic riches mark it out as a loser classic fit to rank alongside Beck and Daniel Johnston. The tunes are memorable and the execution’s forward-facing and inspired” ★★★★ MOJO MAGAZINE // Live Shows February: 2nd Friday London - Amp Studios (with Harry Merry) 17th Saturday Leicester - Academy 2 (with Pip Blom) 19th Monday Cambridge - Junction 2 (with Pip Blom) 20th Tuesday Brighton - Chalk (with Pip Blom) 21st Wednesday London - Heaven (with Pip Blom) 24th Saturday Bristol - Simple Things Festival 25th Sunday Milton Keynes - MK11 (with the Libertines)

Repress.

A timeless classic created and arranged by GLENN UNDERGROUND originally released in the mid-90s on a BOO WILLIAMS' EP. The track took Europe by storm and now on a special 1-sided 12" from STRICTLY JAZ UNIT MUZIC it's available again. CLOUD BURST' is the ultimate peak time Chicago warehouse sound from the innovator GLENN UNDERGROUND. Grab this low end heavy, snappn', uplifting groove. A Chicago jacking anthem. Mastering by the Gorilla Oven Studio.

The Rolling Stones embarked on the Licks World Tour in 2002 & 2003 to celebrate their 40th anniversary, featuring the band performing in arenas and stadiums, in addition to the occasional theater. In November 2002, the Stones arrived in Los Angeles to perform at a packed Wiltern Theatre, treating fans to a set heavy on rarities which feel right at home in such an intimate setting. While some of the hits are performed, this night at the Wiltern is for the rarely played classics, including “Stray Cat Blues”, “No Expectations” and a cover of “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” featuring a guest spot by the legendary Solomon Burke, who opened the show that night.

The Rolling Stones embarked on the Licks World Tour in 2002 & 2003 to celebrate their 40th anniversary, featuring the band performing in arenas and stadiums, in addition to the occasional theater. In November 2002, the Stones arrived in Los Angeles to perform at a packed Wiltern Theatre, treating fans to a set heavy on rarities which feel right at home in such an intimate setting. While some of the hits are performed, this night at the Wiltern is for the rarely played classics, including “Stray Cat Blues”, “No Expectations” and a cover of “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” featuring a guest spot by the legendary Solomon Burke, who opened the show that night.

Étrange Hiver (Strange Winter) is UK songwriter, Tom McRae's 9th studio album. An exquisite collection of original duets with renowned French artists, such as Keren Ann, Chien Noir, Alex Beaupain, Clou and more. McRae decided to collaborate on these 11 new songs with various artists as a way of acknowledging his deep love of French music, and deepen his relationship with mainland Europe, following Britain’s disastrous decision to leave the EU. Tom’s debut album went Gold in France in 2001, selling over 60,000 copies, and he has divided his time between Paris and Wiltshire since 2021. Says Tom: “I grew up being intrigued by classic French songs. Before streaming services made all music readily available, only the huge crossover pop songs made it across the channel, but while my friends were listening to Vanessa Paradis, I was listening to Serge Gainsbourg. It seemed exotic, adventurous, and to be from another planet, let alone a country only 21 miles away from my own.” During Covid, McRae released a single with his Belgian friend, Wannes Cappelle, a reworking of one of Tom’s songs in English and West Vlaams, as well as an album of duets with a Welsh artist, Lowri Evans. Both projects sparking his interest in collaboration with other artists. “It’s not been a great time to be British since 2016”, says McRae. “We’ve become politically, economically and culturally isolated since Brexit - and I want to show that I feel more of a European than simply just an English person.” “But mostly this album, Étrange Hiver, is about beautiful songs, some in English, some in French. Sung as duets with friends (some established artists, as well as some new or undiscovered voices) and creating 11 little emotional moments in a crazy world. Some cinematic, some more intimate and personal, all of the songs addressing the important things in life: love, loss, political populism, impending climate collapse… written at a time when it feels as if the world may never escape from this long, strange winter.“ Artists duetting on this album with Tom include: Keren Ann, Chien Noir, Clou, Alex Beaupain, Rose, Naya, Vanille, Helena Noguerra, Alma Forrer, Aïtone, Julien Brocal, and now more are lining up to sing with Tom on a volume 2

Scottish alt/post/progressive-rock outfit Midas Fall release their Fifth studio album, ‘Cold Waves Divide Us’ on March 8th, 2024 worldwide on Monotreme Records. Michael Hamilton joins founding members Elizabeth Heaton and Rowan Burn for the follow-up to their 2018 Prog Magazine Awards ‘Limelight Award’ winning album, ‘Evaporate’. ‘Cold Waves Divide Us’ sees Midas Fall at their most confidently visceral, each song moving beautifully between quiet and loud, gentle and crushing. “This album is a heavier and bigger experience than the last album”, says Heaton. “We kept the atmospheric strings and 80s synths of Evaporate but wanted to add heavier layered elements, to represent more what we sound like live.” Opener ‘In the Morning We’ll Be Someone Else’ starts quietly with serene piano and vocals, ominously ratcheting up the tension to walls of crashing guitars and Heaton’s soaring vocals. ‘I Am Wrong’ thunders along on pounding rhythmic drums swirling around heavy swathes of low and delicate melodic highs. On ‘Monsters’, the band are more contemplative, with an ethereal beginning making way for gorgeously syncopated guitar and drums, whilst ‘Cold Waves Divide Us’ builds slower, allowing Heaton’s voice to gracefully float over the growing force beneath it. ‘Avalanche’ is a bittersweet lullaby showcasing Heaton’s heart-rending vocals in one of the quieter moments on the album. ‘Point of Diminishing Return’ sees a more electronic influence, with glittering shimmered synths taking the space where guitar melodies were, but with all of the Post Rock beauty that the duo are known for, something ‘Little Wooden Boxes’ showcases perfectly, expertly hovering between gentle clean guitar and piano, and exhilarating, uplifting full-band, full-bore epic. Credits: Elizabeth Heaton - vocals, guitars, strings, synths, piano, drums // Rowan Burn - guitars, synths, piano, drums // Michael Hamilton - bass, synths, drums // Music by Elizabeth Heaton and Rowan Burn/Lyrics by Elizabeth Heaton