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Greg Mendez war schon immer ein sparsamer Songwriter - er nutzt Zurückhaltung und Einfachheit als Werkzeuge, um den Kern seiner Songs zu schärfen. Auf Beauty Land, seinem neuen Album und Debüt-LP für Dead Oceans, werden wir von einem ironischen, aber nachsichtigen Erzähler begleitet, einem Underdog, der gelernt hat, Zynismus und Glauben in Einklang zu bringen. Diese Songs sind zurückhaltend, ohne selbstmitleidig zu sein, sorgfältig konstruierte Altäre der Unvollkommenheit, vermittelt durch Pop-Melodien, schimmernde, aber eindringliche Gitarren und eine Stimme, die nach der Unschuld eines Chorknaben strebt. Der Großteil von ,Beauty Land" wurde direkt auf Band aufgenommen, fast ganz allein in Mendez' provisorischem Heimstudio in Philadelphia - einem kleinen Raum ohne Tageslicht. Es ist sein erstes Album in voller Länge seit seinem unerwarteten Durchbruch mit dem selbstbetitelten Album im Jahr 2023, das nach 15 Jahren des Schreibens und Aufnehmens von Musik in relativer Unbekanntheit zwischen Philly und New York ein langsamer Erfolg wurde. ,Beauty Land" knüpft dort an, wo wir vor drei Jahren aufgehört haben - es lotet die Tiefen von Trauer, Liebe und Sucht aus -, aber seine intensive, ruhige Klarheit zeigt Mendez von seiner besten Seite als Songwriter. Teile von ,Beauty Land" fühlen sich wie ein luzider Traum an, in dem angeschlagene Charaktere sich ihren Weg durch eine karikaturhafte und verzerrte Welt bahnen - der gebrochene Uhrentakt von ,I Wanna Feel Pretty", das klingende Spielzeugklavier in ,Gentle Love". ,Mary / Dreaming" beginnt als spärliche, fingergezupfte Klage, bevor es abrupt zu einer enttäuschten, Beach-Boys-artigen, aber verkorksten Auflösung übergeht, die sowohl Melancholie als auch Freude hervorruft; ein Gefühl, dass alle Dinge gleichzeitig wahr sein können. Keiner der 14 Tracks ist länger als drei Minuten, aber sie erzählen Geschichten, die ein ganzes Leben umfassen. Der Tod schwebt durch das Album, sei es als Erinnerung oder als Bedrohung. Alles fühlt sich prekär an. Die Art und Weise, wie diese Songs aufgebaut sind, hat etwas Zerbrechliches: die Art und Weise, wie die Begräbnisorgel neben dem Morphium in ,Looking Out Your Window" erklingt, die verheerende Einfachheit von ,Frog" mit seinem verlangsamten Keyboard und dem nackten Refrain: ,Bitte vergib mir meine Fehler." Beauty Land fühlt sich manchmal unmöglich einsam an. Umso mehr zählt es, wenn das nicht der Fall ist - wie zum Beispiel, wenn Mendez gegen Ende von ,So Mean" im Duett mit seiner Frau und Bandkollegin Veronica singt und es sich wie ein lang ersehntes Wiedersehen anfühlt, wie ein flüchtiger Moment der Erlösung, wie eine vorübergehende Teilung der Meere.

Greg Mendez war schon immer ein sparsamer Songwriter - er nutzt Zurückhaltung und Einfachheit als Werkzeuge, um den Kern seiner Songs zu schärfen. Auf Beauty Land, seinem neuen Album und Debüt-LP für Dead Oceans, werden wir von einem ironischen, aber nachsichtigen Erzähler begleitet, einem Underdog, der gelernt hat, Zynismus und Glauben in Einklang zu bringen. Diese Songs sind zurückhaltend, ohne selbstmitleidig zu sein, sorgfältig konstruierte Altäre der Unvollkommenheit, vermittelt durch Pop-Melodien, schimmernde, aber eindringliche Gitarren und eine Stimme, die nach der Unschuld eines Chorknaben strebt. Der Großteil von ,Beauty Land" wurde direkt auf Band aufgenommen, fast ganz allein in Mendez' provisorischem Heimstudio in Philadelphia - einem kleinen Raum ohne Tageslicht. Es ist sein erstes Album in voller Länge seit seinem unerwarteten Durchbruch mit dem selbstbetitelten Album im Jahr 2023, das nach 15 Jahren des Schreibens und Aufnehmens von Musik in relativer Unbekanntheit zwischen Philly und New York ein langsamer Erfolg wurde. ,Beauty Land" knüpft dort an, wo wir vor drei Jahren aufgehört haben - es lotet die Tiefen von Trauer, Liebe und Sucht aus -, aber seine intensive, ruhige Klarheit zeigt Mendez von seiner besten Seite als Songwriter. Teile von ,Beauty Land" fühlen sich wie ein luzider Traum an, in dem angeschlagene Charaktere sich ihren Weg durch eine karikaturhafte und verzerrte Welt bahnen - der gebrochene Uhrentakt von ,I Wanna Feel Pretty", das klingende Spielzeugklavier in ,Gentle Love". ,Mary / Dreaming" beginnt als spärliche, fingergezupfte Klage, bevor es abrupt zu einer enttäuschten, Beach-Boys-artigen, aber verkorksten Auflösung übergeht, die sowohl Melancholie als auch Freude hervorruft; ein Gefühl, dass alle Dinge gleichzeitig wahr sein können. Keiner der 14 Tracks ist länger als drei Minuten, aber sie erzählen Geschichten, die ein ganzes Leben umfassen. Der Tod schwebt durch das Album, sei es als Erinnerung oder als Bedrohung. Alles fühlt sich prekär an. Die Art und Weise, wie diese Songs aufgebaut sind, hat etwas Zerbrechliches: die Art und Weise, wie die Begräbnisorgel neben dem Morphium in ,Looking Out Your Window" erklingt, die verheerende Einfachheit von ,Frog" mit seinem verlangsamten Keyboard und dem nackten Refrain: ,Bitte vergib mir meine Fehler." Beauty Land fühlt sich manchmal unmöglich einsam an. Umso mehr zählt es, wenn das nicht der Fall ist - wie zum Beispiel, wenn Mendez gegen Ende von ,So Mean" im Duett mit seiner Frau und Bandkollegin Veronica singt und es sich wie ein lang ersehntes Wiedersehen anfühlt, wie ein flüchtiger Moment der Erlösung, wie eine vorübergehende Teilung der Meere.

Die niederländische Hardcore-Band aus Maastricht wurde 1993 gegründet und löste sich 2009 nach zwei Abschiedskonzerten (Leipzig & Maastricht) auf. 2012 kam es zur Wiedervereinigung mit dem Album ,My Broken World". Nach einigen Besetzungswechseln löste sich die Band 2017 erneut auf. Zwei Jahre später feierten sie jedoch ein Comeback und veröffentlichten 2023 das Album ,Angry Gods". Nun verabschieden sie sich endgültig, denn sie sind auf Abschiedstour und macht ihren Fans ein besonderes Geschenk: Erstmals auf Einzel-Vinyl erscheint ihr 2012-er Reunion-Album "My Broken World" als Special Collectors Edition: Handnummeriert auf insgesamt nur 333 Exemplare mit komplett neudesigntem Artwork, sowie A2 Poster und Inlay - natürlich auf 180gr. Schwarzes Vinyl oder klares Vinyl mit Schwarz-Weißem Kreuz 15x mal brachial-aggressiver Hardcore, very oldschool mit klarer NYHC-Kante.

Formed in Bahia in the late "60s, Novos Baianos became one of the most iconic groups in Brazilian music. Mixing samba, rock, choro, psychedelia, capoeira rhythms, and communal living, they embodied a new countercultural movement that reshaped MPB. Their albums, especially Acabou Chorare and Novos Baianos F.C., are now considered pillars of modern Brazilian music, inspiring generations of artists in Brazil and worldwide. Originally released in 1973, Novos Baianos F.C. captures the band"s communal lifestyle and fearless experimentation. After the success of Acabou Chorare, the group expanded their sound into a vibrant mix of samba, choro, folk, psychedelia, and electric street-soul. With the unmistakable chemistry of Baby Consuelo, Pepeu Gomes, Moraes Moreira, Paulinho Boca de Cantor,and Dadi, the album radiateswarmth and spontaneity. Recorded in the Baianos" legendary "football club" house, it stands as a joyful snapshot of Brazilian cultural freedom in the early "70s.

Full colour sleeve with rare use of the Italian only movie artwork.

A few years ago I issued the soundtrack to Virgin Witch, the score to an underground 1971
kinky British London / posh stately home horror that seemed more like an excuse to show as
many racy cars and devilish nude scenes as possible. This fleapit film was written by Hazel
Adair - the writer of legendary long-running TV series Crossroads, and her business partner at
the time Ken Walton (yes, the wrestling commentator). Virgin Witch was cheap and successful
enough to allow the whole team another go at the sexploitation game through their newly
formed production company Pyramid Films. Sex Clinic was the quick follow up; I say Sex Clinic,
the initial cinematic title was Clinic Xclusive, which was also called With These Hands, which
was also called La Masseuse Perverse. This film also came out in 1971 and they used the
musical services of Ted Dicks once again. Dicks had originally met Adair in 1960 through a cast
member performing in his first musical, Look Who’s Here.

If you are not aware of the great Ted Dicks, his quick bio reads as follows: born London 1928,
was educated through both grammar and art school and after National Service flirted with both
art and music. He worked with a series of very talented song writers - including Barry Cryer -
finally sparking properly with writer Myles Rudge. Together “Dicks and Rudge” had a hit with
their musical And Another Thing which starred Lionel Blair and Bernard Cribbins. Their talents
were spotted by producer George Martin and they followed this show success up with a series
of truly classic novelty pop chart hits, again with Cribbins - “Hole In The Ground” and “Right Said
Fred”. If you are not aware of the classic A Combination Of Cribbins LP they wrote, go and find
it. It includes “Gossip Calypso”, a triumph of novelty song writing that somehow manages to
squeeze in the lyric “Oxy-aceteline welder”, and is possibly the only song ever to do so. They
wrote further hits (winning an Ivor Novello for “A Windmill In Old Amsterdam”) and were in
constant demand throughout the 1960s and 1970s, working with artists such as Petula Clark,
Matt Munro, Bruce Forsyth, Topol and Kenneth Williams.

By the late 1960s Ted had also penned a handful of instrumental library cues including the
classic “Busy Boy” for the Standard Library company that got picked up as the theme for the
brilliant TV kids fantasy show Catweazle in 1970. It’s a light, kooky, hummable tune that lodged
its way deep in the mind of any child under 12 over the following decade.

When I first got the reels for Sex Clinic I’m not sure what I was sonically expecting - much of
Dicks’ music blends musical hall with jazz and some brilliant novelty - and maybe I was also
imagining a different kind of film to the one that was actually made. Turns out Sex Clinic is more
like a sleazy drama than an erotic adventure - I’ve read reviews that call it “nothing more than a
naked Crossroads”. Even knowing this I had no idea what the music was going to sound like. So
I was thrilled when it was almost the musical opposite of what I imagined. We have here a great,
easy jazz score. Not a proggy, wild or free jazz score, this is lightish, vibes-led, bluesy and really
charming, which gets slightly more lively when the naked pool party sequence kicks off, and
drifts effortlessly into more seductive midnight moods as and when required. And having now
seen the film, musically it’s unusually at odds with the on screen nudity, blackmail and revenge.

But like most of Ted’s work, the music sticks in your mind. Unlike the film. Which I suggest you
try and avoid unless you like watching plump randy middle aged men with terrible hair pursue
women half their age.

TRACKLISTING: There were no notes or titles to any of the cues on the reels. So I have just simply labeled the sides as per the reels that came in:

In the early 1970s, Milan was a city defined by a restless, creative energy. Its recording studios hummed with activity day and night, populated by an elite circle of jazz-trained session musicians who split their time between tracking dates in the studio and jam sessions in the city’s clubs. Among them was Giancarlo Barigozzi, one of the most revered flautists and saxophonists of the scene, who was just then beginning to navigate the enigmatic world of library music.

The Barigozzi Group – formed alongside guitarist Sergio Farina and pianist Oscar Rocchi, both fellow session musicians – became a defining ensemble of Italian library. Commissioned by publishers in Milan and Rome, they produced some of the most exquisite library LPs of all time, records that effortlessly translated the spirit of the era into sound.

Of these, Woman’s Colours stands as arguably their most iconic and celebrated achievement. Originally released in 1974 on the Fonovideo label under the artistic supervision of Fabio Fabor, the album is a cohesive, organic exploration of a single theme: a refined tribute to the female form, with every track associating a specific colour with a different part of the body (“Violet Lips”, “Green Nails”, “Lilac Arms”, etc.).

While the subtitle "Pop Jazz – Pianoforte Elettronico Wurlitzer" might suggest a simple affair, the reality is a surprisingly rich and layered sonic universe. Here, jazz-funk and jazz-rock intertwine with echoes of Afro-rhythms, exotica, and bossa nova. The result is a vibrant mosaic of fusion and lounge, where driving basslines, fuzz guitars, Fender Rhodes, and prog-leaning flutes create a soundscape that balances elegance and groove in equal measure.

Over the decades, the record has attained true cult status, cherished by successive generations of dedicated collectors and listeners. It is now recognized as essential to the very definition of the Italian psycho-beat sound, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of I Marc 4 and Alessandro Alessandroni, while remaining a foundational milestone for acid-jazz and funk enthusiasts. Above all, it is a rare example of a library record so consistent and fluid that the listening journey, from start to finish, remains entirely seamless.

Today, Woman’s Colours is finally available again in its first official reissue, and for the first time in digital format. Presented by Four Flies Records, this edition features a premium tip-on sleeve and meticulously restored artwork by Eric Adrian Lee.

There are two versions of the record - classic black vinyl and transparent green limited edition (100 numbered copies) - both 180g with printed inner sleeve.

"PORTRETY" (Portraits) is a one-of-a-kind series – it focuses on artists known for their strong connection to the drums. Each person invited to the project is given freedom in their work. Ultimately, the track created for the album must be signed with the real names of our protagonists – that's our sole criterion.

This is how a kaleidoscope of sounds and eight original perspectives on music emerges.

LINER NOTES by Bartek Chaciński:"For part III of the compilation series focusing on Polish drummers, I’d like to start, as per usual, with a one liner…

There are three types of drummers: Those that can count, and those that… can’t.

Ok, but looking past the punchline, it turns out that there is, in fact, a third type: Drummers who can count, and pretty well too, but still struggle with triple rhythms. Amongst those who have ascended the heights of triple rhythm perfection you will certainly find, Piotr Gwader. One of the leaders of the movement, we could call an “Oberek Revival. He even proposed a new form: Footberk - splicing of Polish Folk dance and Chicago Footwork. He performed live with the OG of Footwork - RP Boo (Arpebu), but equally, he could successfully form a footberk duo with Jacek Prościnski, another protagonist from “Portraits 3”. Prościnski has been deeply immersed in the world of electronic dance music for years and offers us yet more proof of those interests here.

Triplets are also no stranger to Ola Rzepca (synonymous with the Drekoty Trio), in whose music there is no shortage of rhythmical complications and tempo changes. The same can be said of the improv-friendly contemporary jazz presented by Patrycja Wybrańczyk. These two Polish drummers show how versatile this discipline is on the Polish jazz scene. These qualities have already been well documented by Marcin „Groh” Grośkiewicz, but never so strongly as here.

Szymon „Pimpon” Gąsiorek is a musician who has made unconventionality the foundation of his individual style. Yet even in the piece by Jan Pieniążek (a dynamic and equally versatile drummer), we find an element of surprise in its melancholic atmosphere and construction, which introduces a triple rhythm while pushing the drum parts into the background. Portraits, on the other hand, does the complete opposite with its protagonists - it positions them in the foreground as the creators of specially commissioned original works. From this perspective, perhaps the most familiar names here may be Emade and Albert Karch, who are known as outstanding music producers and among the most interesting in Poland. “Portraits III” has presumably given them a momentary break from producing other artists, while for the music industry, it’s also a pleasant break in the rhythm and a shift of emphasis."

There are two versions of the record - classic black vinyl and transparent green limited edition (100 numbered copies) - both 180g with printed inner sleeve.

"PORTRETY" (Portraits) is a one-of-a-kind series – it focuses on artists known for their strong connection to the drums. Each person invited to the project is given freedom in their work. Ultimately, the track created for the album must be signed with the real names of our protagonists – that's our sole criterion.

This is how a kaleidoscope of sounds and eight original perspectives on music emerges.

LINER NOTES by Bartek Chaciński:"For part III of the compilation series focusing on Polish drummers, I’d like to start, as per usual, with a one liner…

There are three types of drummers: Those that can count, and those that… can’t.

Ok, but looking past the punchline, it turns out that there is, in fact, a third type: Drummers who can count, and pretty well too, but still struggle with triple rhythms. Amongst those who have ascended the heights of triple rhythm perfection you will certainly find, Piotr Gwader. One of the leaders of the movement, we could call an “Oberek Revival. He even proposed a new form: Footberk - splicing of Polish Folk dance and Chicago Footwork. He performed live with the OG of Footwork - RP Boo (Arpebu), but equally, he could successfully form a footberk duo with Jacek Prościnski, another protagonist from “Portraits 3”. Prościnski has been deeply immersed in the world of electronic dance music for years and offers us yet more proof of those interests here.

Triplets are also no stranger to Ola Rzepca (synonymous with the Drekoty Trio), in whose music there is no shortage of rhythmical complications and tempo changes. The same can be said of the improv-friendly contemporary jazz presented by Patrycja Wybrańczyk. These two Polish drummers show how versatile this discipline is on the Polish jazz scene. These qualities have already been well documented by Marcin „Groh” Grośkiewicz, but never so strongly as here.

Szymon „Pimpon” Gąsiorek is a musician who has made unconventionality the foundation of his individual style. Yet even in the piece by Jan Pieniążek (a dynamic and equally versatile drummer), we find an element of surprise in its melancholic atmosphere and construction, which introduces a triple rhythm while pushing the drum parts into the background. Portraits, on the other hand, does the complete opposite with its protagonists - it positions them in the foreground as the creators of specially commissioned original works. From this perspective, perhaps the most familiar names here may be Emade and Albert Karch, who are known as outstanding music producers and among the most interesting in Poland. “Portraits III” has presumably given them a momentary break from producing other artists, while for the music industry, it’s also a pleasant break in the rhythm and a shift of emphasis."

Toronto’s Ducks Ltd. (formerly Ducks Unlimited), the bright jangle-pop duo of Tom McGreevy (lead vocal, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Evan Lewis (guitar, bass, drum programming), accomplish the impossible. The pair craft songs that play to very specific inspirations without drowning underneath them—immediately evidenced on their critically acclaimed EP, Get Bleak, and sharpened on Modern Fiction, their debut LP. “The Servants, The Clean, The Chills, The Bats, Television Personalities, Felt,” Evan rattles off. “Look Blue Go Purple is one I reference a lot with our production.” Echoes of ‘80s indiepop abound, but they never overwhelm. This is not a nostalgic record, after all, nor is it a derivative one. Instead, across 10 cheery-sounding songs, Ducks Ltd. explore contemporary society in decline, examining large scale human disaster through personal turmoil (hence the title, taken from a university course called Gnosticism and Nihilism in Modern Fiction, influenced by Graham Greene novels. Bookish indie fans, look no further.)

Writing the album was intimate. Tom drafted the nucleus of a song on an unplugged electric guitar and brought it over to Evan’s apartment, where the pair sat in his bedroom, placing percussive beats from a drum machine under nascent melodies, passing a bass back and forth, adding organs and bridges where necessary. “It’s computer music trying extremely hard not to sound like computer music,” Tom jokes. Fearful that limited and expensive studio time would kneecap the project creatively, eroding their charming naivete, the pair re-recorded the album in a storage space owned by Evan’s boss. Ornamentation through collaboration followed: there’s Aaron Goldstein on Pedal Steel in the Go-Betweens’ “Cattle and Cane”-channeling interlude “Patience Wearing Thin,” Eliza Niemi on cello (“18 Cigarettes,” a song loosely inspired by a 1997 Oasis performance of “Don’t Go Away”), and backing harmonies from Carpark labelmates The Beths (on an ode to friendship at a distance, “How Lonely Are You?,” “Always There,” and on the sped-up Syd Barrett stylings of “Under The Rolling Moon.”) While in his native Australia due to covid-19, Evan worked closely with producer James Cecil (The Goon Sax, Architecture in Helsinki) on Modern Fiction’s finishing touches—at one point, in the mountains of the Macedon Ranges in Victoria, recorded a string quartet (featured on “Fit to Burst,” “Always There,” “Sullen Leering Hope,” “Twere Ever Thus,” “Grand Final Day.”)

It’s danceable, depressive fun, with some relief: in “Always There” and “Sullen Leering Hope,” Modern Fiction’s faithful heart. “There’s a tendency in my writing, because of my world view, to be very bleak.” Tom explains. “A quality I don’t always see in myself and really appreciate in others is the courage to go on.” And yet, the record manages resiliency—enough for pop fans to fall in love with.

The Bug Club sind mit einem neuen Album zurück. Seit ihrem letzten Album sind ganze sieben Monate vergangen. Wo waren sie denn? Every Single Muscle, das fünfte Album der Band, ist das dritte, das von Sub Pop, dem angesehenen Label des walisischen Duos aus Seattle, veröffentlicht wird. Seit Very Human Features, das im Juni 2025 rauskam, sind die Lieblinge von BBC 6 Music und KEXP auf ihrer Nonstop-Tour quer über den Atlantik geflitzt, wie sie es früher auf der Severn Bridge gemacht haben. Verschiedene Festivalauftritte im Sommer haben sie davon abgehalten, Urlaub zu machen - wer braucht schon Urlaub, wenn man in Wales lebt? - bis es Zeit war, wieder ins Songwriting-Studio zu gehen. Das ist wahrscheinlich immer noch ein Schlafzimmer in Caldicott, das von einem Windhund namens Ted frequentiert wird (aufgepasst - er taucht in einem der Songs auf). Die Songwriter Sam (Gitarre, Gesang) und Tilly (Bass, Gesang) sind immer bescheiden und behaupten sogar, dass sie während des Songs ,It's Our Manager David" nur ,herumsassen und nichts taten". Das ist eindeutig eine Lüge. Every Single Muscle startet mit ,Miss Wales 2012" voll durch und bezieht sich dabei auf einen Wettbewerb, den sowohl Tilly als auch Sam tatsächlich gewonnen haben. Es ist der erste von vielen Tracks auf dem Album, die weniger als zwei Minuten lang sind, und gibt den Ton für das bisher punkigste Album von The Bug Club an, das sowohl an die kurzen, knackigen Snaps ihrer allerersten Singles als auch an das Grunzen ihrer jüngsten Veröffentlichungen erinnert. Das Album ist so vollgepackt mit Riffs und eingängigen Hooks, dass Sam tatsächlich um Erlaubnis bittet, im zweiten Track ,A Good Day For Dying" ein Solo einbauen zu dürfen. Er bekommt zwei Sekunden Zeit. Glücklicherweise fragt Sam später noch einmal und bekommt mehr Zeit. Auf achtzehn Songs gibt's genug klassisches Gitarrenspiel von Sam und Tilly, um selbst die lautstärksten Bug Club-Fans zufrieden zu stellen und die Behauptung der Band, sie seien ,nur technisch versiert auf ihren Instrumenten", klar zu widerlegen. Dieses Album ist ein Beispiel für effizienten Maximalismus - so wie wenn dein Vater das Auto für den Urlaub vollpackt. Bring mit, was du willst; der Platz ist knapp, aber sie kriegen es irgendwie rein. Zu den Texten: Während ,Very Human Features" hervorragend alltägliche Dinge aufzeigte und ihre Absurdität hervorhob, schauen The Bug Club auf ,Every Single Muscle" genauer auf sich selbst. Allerdings nicht so sehr auf introspektive Weise, sondern eher so, wie ein Außerirdischer ein gefangenes Exemplar auf einer intergalaktischen Trage untersuchen würde. Horrorfilme haben ihr ,Body"-Subgenre, jetzt bekommen auch Garage-Rock-Alben ihres. In einem völlig neuen Sinne des Wortes selbstbezogen, wird die menschliche Form und Verfassung im Laufe des Albums aus jedem Blickwinkel beleuchtet und untersucht. Wir spüren eine surreale Distanz zum Selbst, die den allgegenwärtigen, von Langeweile geprägten Humor hervorbringt; im letzten Song verkündet Sam, dass er ,es satt hat, ein Mensch zu sein". The Bug Club scheinen dem Konzept, ein Mensch zu sein, fast misstrauisch gegenüberzustehen - als wären sie in einem Kostüm aufgewacht, das sie nicht anziehen wollten und nicht ausziehen können. Ist drei die magische Zahl? Wahrscheinlich nicht. Aber Every Single Muscle - das dritte Sub-Pop-Album von The Bug Club - kommt dieser Vorstellung nahe genug, um den durchschnittlichen seltsamen Menschen davon zu überzeugen, dass es so sein könnte.

London Jazz Classics originally came out in 1993 - the first album ever to be released on Soul Jazz Records. The album brought together rare and obscure dance tracks in a unique mix of jazz dance and fusion, funk, Brazilian and Latin grooves. 

The album was ironically titled - none of the music was from London, none of the music was traditionally classified as jazz, and all of the tracks were at the time practically unknown to most people. Instead these were tracks that were filling dancefloors in a nascent jazz dance scene in London being created by a small group of DJs – Paul Murphy, Gilles Peterson, Sylvester, Patrick Forge and a few others.

As demand for these rare groove jazz tracks grew, previously unknown records such as Alive!’s ‘Skindo Le Le’, Doug Richardson’s ‘Salsa Mama’, Carlos Franzetti’s ‘Cocoa Funk’ and Emilio Santiago’s ‘Bananeira’ became sort after and even-harder-to-find items with original copies going for £100s of pounds. 
These tracks became part of the soundtrack to this jazz dance scene which has now spread across the world. This music paved the way for the arrival of many of the UK’s new wave of current artists such Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia and Ezra Collective who today offer a uniquely London sensibility of fusing jazz with wide-ranging cultural influences – everything from afrobeat to soul.

London Jazz Classics was the first album to bring this jazz dance music featured here to a wider audience. More than 30 years since its initial release Soul Jazz Records are releasing this new 2026 edition, bringing the music once more to a new generation of listeners.

Aho Ssan ist der Künstlername von Désiré Niamké, einem in Paris lebenden Komponisten und Elektronikmusiker, der sich im Laufe des letzten Jahrzehnts als zentrale Figur an der Schnittstelle zwischen experimenteller Elektronikmusik, Klangforschung und zeitgenössischer Komposition etabliert hat. Zu seiner Diskografie gehören ,Simulacrum" (Subtext, 2020), ,Limen" mit KMRU (2022) und ,Rhizomes" (Other People, 2023) mit Moor Mother, Angel Bat Dawid und clipping. Er trat bereits im Lincoln Center (NYC), im Muziekgebouw (Amsterdam), in der Krakauer Philharmonie, bei Atonal Berlin, CTM, Rewire und Sonic Acts auf - und war Support von Autechre im Le Trianon (Paris, 2024). Aho Ssans künstlerisches Schaffen lässt sich als hochpräzise Klangskulptur beschreiben, in der gewaltige Ströme digitaler Klänge in rohe Texturen zerfallen, um die Themen Identität und Chaos zu erforschen. The Sun Turned Black basiert auf field recordings, die während einer Reise nach Ghana, der angestammten Heimat von Aho Ssan, gemacht wurden. Aufgebaut um einen klanglichen Dialog mit der international gefeierten Geigerin ASIA, wobei alle perkussiven Elemente bewusst weggelassen wurden, nimmt das Album einen einzigartigen Platz zwischen Ambient, Noise und elektroakustischer Musik ein. Das Projekt wurde ursprünglich von der Maison de la Radio für das Hyperweekend-Festival in Paris in Auftrag gegeben, das Album in Coop mit Subtext Recordings aus Bristol veröffentlicht.

Eine Sammlung von 21 Titeln mit Klassikern aus „Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood“.• Gepresst auf opaken gelben Vinyl.• Begleittext von dem mit einem Oscar und einem Grammy ausgezeichneten Regisseur Morgan Neville und dem Fernsehkritiker Robert Bianco aus Pittsburgh.„Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood“ feierte vor über fünf Jahrzehnten seine Fernsehpremiere. Auch wenn es manchen noch wie gestern vorkommt, als die Sendung brandneu war, ist es doch herzerwärmend zu wissen, wie sehr sie Teil des Lebens unzähliger Kinder und Erwachsener war, die die Sendung über die Jahrzehnte hinweg erlebt und daraus gelernt haben.Obwohl seine Popularität nie nachließ, hat der 2018 erschienene Dokumentarfilm „Won’t You Be My Neighbor?“ des Oscar- und Grammy-Preisträgers Morgan Neville unsere Liebe zu Fred Rogers neu entfacht und ihn einer neuen Generation vorgestellt. Mit dem bevorstehenden Kinostart von „A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood“ (mit Tom Hanks als Fred Rogers) im November werden der geliebte Mister Rogers und seine Nachbarschaft wieder einmal im Mittelpunkt der Herzen, Gedanken und Ohren aller stehen.„It’s Such A Good Feeling: The Best Of Mister Rogers“ versammelt 21 Lieder des beliebten Moderators (begleitet von seinem langjährigen Partner und Pianisten Johnny Costa, Carl McViker am Bass und dem Percussionisten Bobby Rawsthorne). Neben Klassikern wie „Won’t You Be My Neighbor“, „You Are Special“ und dem Titelsong enthält diese Veröffentlichung auch fünf bisher unveröffentlichte Titel, darunter den ursprünglichen Schlusssong der Sendung, „Tomorrow“.Diese LP ist auf opaken gelben Vinyl gepresst und die Verpackung enthält Fotos, eine Einleitung von Neville sowie einen Essay des Fernsehkritikers aus Pittsburgh (und langjährigen Mitarbeiters von USA Today) Robert Bianco. Also, steigt in den Trolley zum Land Of Make Believe, denn es ist wirklich so ein gutes Gefühl.

Superhero? Supervillain? Super WHAT? CZARFACE & MF DOOM's newest team-up record Super What? is, much like the Avengers' arch-enemy Thanos...inevitable (and all-powerful!).

The icon MF DOOM unleashes his wizardry and wordplay throughout the record, while CZARFACE (bolstered by the legendary Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck and Esoteric) slash through each of the Czar-Keys' produced tracks as the team raises the bar on their previous LP, Czarface meets Metalface (2018). Featuring golden-age superhero DMC (of RUN-DMC) and Hieroglyphics' leader Del The Funky Homosapien, with art by longtime CZARFACE co-creator Lamour Supreme, this album will bring all
the thrills of a cosmic summer blockbuster.

Recorded and slated for an early 2020 release, and paused while COVID raged, this collaboration of masked men is finally finding its way to you on all formats.

Heavyweight psychedelic improvisers EarthBall are back with their third and most monstrous record to date: ‘Outside Over There’, released on Upset The Rhythm (Nov 7th). Born from the haunted basements of Nanaimo, Canada, the quintet thrives on spontaneity, shaping improvisation into jagged hallucinations and ecstatic eruptions.
Recorded live-off-the-floor in 2024 in Jeremy, Izzy, and Kellen’s basement, and mixed by drummer John Brennan, ‘Outside Over There’ is an album that feels both summoned and inevitable. Each track lands with uncanny purpose, as if uncovered rather than written.
The opener, 100%, features a cameo from comedian and English icon Stewart Lee, who lent his blessing for the band to use a fragment of his stand-up. The album was mastered by John Dieterich (Deerhoof), with liner text contributed by longtime comrade John Olson (Wolf Eyes). Olson describes the album in his unmistakable style:
“This eight-track odyssey unfolds like a dreamscape, where whispered incantations brush against the shadowy fringes of the cosmos, and wild, Cézanne-inspired rock anthems erupt like geysers of color in the midst of a western warm and wet rain storm… culminating in the sprawling eleven minute masterpiece, ‘And The Music Shall Untune The Sky,’ aptly dubbed the Earth Crusher. A creation so utterly deconstructed and intertwined with the pulse of nature itself that if AI was called upon to conceive ‘Outside Over There’ anew, it would just spit back, “F.U. in Tree Font”. An enchanting invitation for even the flat-earthers to join the circle, if only just a little.”
EarthBall’s trajectory has been relentless. Their 2024 album ‘It’s Yours’ was praised by The Quietus as “fully aggressive and fully life-affirming,” and by The Wire as "a boisterous mind-melting album”. The band’s live double set LP ‘Actual Earth Music Vol. 1 & 2’ (2025) captured blistering performances: a performance opening for Wolf Eyes at the Fox Cabaret, and a Café OTO improvised throw-down featuring Chris Corsano and Steve Beresford. These releases on their own confirm them as one of Canada’s most vital experimental exports, not to mention the impressive self-released discography on their Bandcamp. The band’s reach has stretched far beyond their west coast roots with a UK tour May 2024, plus this past June, EarthBall closed Montreal’s Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Raven Chacon. This November they will perform at Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, with a European tour to follow (tour dates below). Outside of EarthBall, each member carries their own torch. Jeremy Van Wyck, founding member of the legendary Shearing Pinx, has toured extensively, released over 100 records, and has been a vital force in the Vancouver and West Coast underground for the past 25 years. He and Isabel Ford (Izzy) play together not only in EarthBall, but also in Psychedelic Dirt, Shearing Pinx, Behaviours, and Crotch.
John Brennan collaborates widely, including recently with Endlings (Raven Chacon and John Dieterich), Evichen (Victoria Shen), Francesco Fonassi, Plan Your Future (with Greg Saunier of Deerhoof), Brennan/Corsano duo and Physics with John Dieterich. Kellen Maclaughlin performs with KVMP and Ora Corgan, while saxophonist Liam Murphy is a west coast staple, playing with the best across Vancouver Island and the mainland. On three of the tracks of ‘Outside Over There’, the band is joined by their comrade Justin Patterson, who also plays with Brennan in the duo Modale. This cross-pollination fuels EarthBall’s sound - a collective improvisation, psychically overdriven, and grinding into bloom.
Outside Over There’ is more than an album though, it is a ritual, a gathering of sound at the forest’s edge; where feedback, saxophone screams, and ecstatic vocals dissolve the boundary between chaos and clarity. EarthBall invite you into their circle, to share in the joyful terror of spontaneous creation. ‘Outside Over There’ will be released on November 7th through Upset The Rhythm digitally and as a limited blue-in-black vinyl LP.

Somewhere close to Manchester’s ever changing city centre, as the sun fades and peeks through the newest glass facade, you’ll find Shaking Hand. One part in shadow, the other basking in prisms of light as they sketch out their own sonic landscapes in the dusty redbrick mill they call home. One that is just about clinging on from the encroaching developments that surround them.

Against this back-drop where buildings are constantly torn down & built back again, the three piece craft away. Pulling from early post-rock, and 90s US alternative rock, crafting their own brand of Northwest-emo. Assembling something new, yet nostalgic. Looking ahead towards the transforming horizon. Shaking Hand’s music is built on tension and release – quiets that stretch, louds that overwhelm. Repetition that feels both hypnotic and destabilising.

The band’s musical DNA runs through experimental guitar outfits like Women, Slint, Sonic Youth, Pavement, and Ulrika Spacek, balanced with the melodic sensibility of Big Thief and the dynamic intimacy of Yo La Tengo. Their compositions push against structure: sudden jolts of tempo, polyrhythms that almost fall apart, and riffs that unravel into something fragile or ecstatic. Yet, as Ellis notes, there’s an underlying warmth too: “Like walking through an empty city late at night but catching flickers of life in the buildings you pass.”

Early ideas like ‘Night Owl’ and ‘Sundance’ grew out of George’s lockdown “bedroom years,” where new tunings (open E, drop D, and stranger Pavement-inspired set-ups) opened up uncharted textures. Later, in grim rehearsal rooms, the murky epic ‘Cable Ties’ and the hypnotic ‘Mantras’ absorbed the gloom and grit of the band’s surroundings.

The album was recorded with producer David Pye (Wild Beasts, Teenage Fanclub) at Nave Studios in Leeds, housed in a converted church. “The live room was huge and perfect for capturing our sound,” says George. Determined to bottle their onstage energy, the band tracked the foundations live, layering vocals and guitars later. Soviet-era microphones, odd mic placements, and even phone-recorded demos fed into the mix. “You’ve got to watch out for David though,” Freddie laughs. “He made me play four tambourines in one hand, really hurt, man.”

Lyrically, the record drifts between abstraction and lived moments. George’s words often spill out instinctively, words falling into place before their meaning becomes clear. “A lot of the lyrics look like they’re buried in abstraction,” he says, “but when I look back I can see what they were about — whether that’s an emotional response at the time or just an observation of what was happening around me”. There’s contrast at the heart of it all – optimism vs. doubt, the lightness of youth vs. the monotony of work, a city in constant redevelopment vs. the people drifting through it.

The album artwork is taken from unused plans for the 1970s redevelopment of Los Angeles by architect Ray Kappe, entitled ‘People Movers’. Hypothetical buildings for real people, it feels a complement to the band’s own constructions. One thing’s for sure, Shaking Hand’s debut is built to last.

2026 Repress
A notoriously jaw-dropping folk-funk classic, long treasured by the Balearic fraternity, the self-titled LP from the brothers Batteau nevertheless remains a criminally underheard gem. Appealing to fans stuck on Ned Doheny's scorching blue-eyed soul as well as Gene Clark's rich country-rock, it's an honour to present the first officially licensed vinyl reissue of this undoubted masterpiece of proto-Yacht-Rock.

Like a forgotten piece of baroque folk caught in 1973, Batteaux's eponymous album somehow sounds magically timeless. A full 45 years after the fact, it remains a mystery as to why they weren't better known. The lush production and virtuoso playing conforms with the ruling aesthetic of the time - well-crafted, melodic songs performed with precision and balance - whilst the shimmering AOR atmosphere and sun-dappled vocal washes align neatly with the best Crosby, Stills & Nash records.

Throughout, the beautifully penned tracks hold traces of Jimmie Spheeris, America and Seals & Crofts. The immaculately orchestrated percussion and additional instrumentation (electric piano and fiddle to name a few) are performed by perennially celebrated West-Coast cats including Tom Scott, John Guerin and Andy Newmark.

It's no surprise that the heavenly "High Tide" is such a Balearic touchstone. A free soul aqua-space groover, its sophisticated rhythms predict the swing of CSN's canonical "Dark Star" by a full four years. An alternative measure of its enduring magnificence can be gauged by MF Doom sampling Paul Horn's wonderful version, subsequently used by Ghostface Killah.

The highlights are many and memorable. Gorgeous opener "Tell Her She's Lovely" is the perfect example of the addictive, melody-driven songwriting which really should have earned them stardom. Moody ballad "Living's Worth Loving" is nothing short of heartbreaking whilst the chugging elegance of "Wake Me In The Morning" showcases their bewitching harmonies. The hypnotic yearning of "Lady Of The Lake" is an exquisitely string-drenched, piano-laced favourite that achieves a peculiar strutting-funk. It's that good.

This lovingly curated reissue enables a long overdue reappraisal of the hitherto buried genius of Batteaux. The serene aqua artwork which adorned the original jacket - their father worked on a dolphin-human communication project in Hawaii, hence the infamous design - and sumptuous inner sleeve have been faithfully restored. Whilst, with access to the original tapes, Simon Francis' sensitive mastering elevates the sound throughout and, as ever, it has been pressed at a reassuringly weighty 180g.

Between Bodies als Geheimtipp der europäischen Punk/Indie-Szene zu bezeichnen, ist mittlerweile ein großes Understatement. Nach ihrem Debütalbum, "Electric Sleep" von 2022, war die Band in aller Munde derer, die ein Herz für melodischen, treibenden, emotionalen Punkrock mit DIY Spirit haben. Spätestens über das Jahr 2025, als die Band aus Köln, Toronto und Paderborn, etablierte Acts wie Touché Amore, The Get Up Kids, The Hotelier oder Captain Planet in ausverkauften Clubs supportet hat, auf zahlreichen Szene-Festivals zu sehen war und seine Hörer*innenschaft noch einmal deutlich erweitern konnte, sind Between Bodies zu einer der spannendsten up-and-coming Punk-Bands hierzulande geworden. Die Songs und Texte der Ende 2019 gegründeten Band haben - wird oft behauptet, hier stimmt es einmal - internationales Format und erinnern an Lieblinge wie Joyce Manor, The Menzingers oder Tigers Jaw. Ihr Sound lässt ebenso an 90er Jahre Emo-Punk Klassiker denken, zeigt sich beeinflusst von 00er Jahre Post-Punk/Indie und verfügt dabei über reichlich Charakter und ein Ideenreichtum, der Between Bodies schlicht zu einer außergewöhnlichen Band macht.

Ten years ago, Adolph Robert Thornton Jr. planted his flag. Released on February 19, 2016, King of Memphis wasn't just a debut studio album; it was a bold declaration of independence and a flawless blueprint for self-made success. To celebrate a decade of this foundational Southern rap masterpiece, Paper Route Empire is honoring Young Dolph’s legacy with a series of exclusive, limited-edition 10th Anniversary vinyl variants.

Before King of Memphis, Dolph had already built a massive underground following through a relentless run of mixtapes. But this official debut elevated him from a local hero to a national powerhouse.

By bypassing the major label system and releasing the project entirely through his own Paper Route Empire (PRE), Dolph proved that undeniable talent, relentless hustle, and business savvy were all you needed to take the crown. The album peaked in the Top 50 of the Billboard 200, an incredible feat for a fiercely independent artist at the time, and cemented his status as a CEO who called his own shots.

King of Memphis is all killer, no filler. Over 11 tracks, Dolph's signature slow-flow delivery and larger-than-life charisma glide over heavy-hitting, trap-defining production from a legendary lineup of producers, including Mike WiLL Made-It, Zaytoven, TM88, and Cassius Jay.

With zero guest features, the project relies entirely on Dolph’s magnetic presence. From the motivational hustler's anthem "Get Paid" to the menacing confidence of "Let Me See It" and "Royalty," the album plays like a victory lap for a self-made king.

AAls "Inbegriff des Southern Soul" (VIBE) und "bluesiger Geniestreich" (Okayplayer) gefeiert, mit "einer Stimme, die von der Gospelkirche geprägt ist, und einem fast übernatürlichen Umgang mit der tiefen Intensität des Blues" (KCRW), baut "Miss Black America" KIRBYs Mission weiter aus, ihre Wurzeln zurückzugewinnen und die Musik und Kultur von Mississippi den Massen näherzubringen. Wie Elton John kürzlich verkündete, ist KIRBY "zu Großem bestimmt", und mit diesem Album schlägt sie ein neues, tiefgründiges und persönliches Kapitel auf, in dem sie die Zuhörer dazu herausfordert, das Stampfen, Summen und Sehnen zu hören und diese Klänge in Sinn und Kraft zu verwandeln. Während KIRBY bereits mit Rihanna, Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Beyoncé, Black Thought, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Donald Glover und vielen anderen zusammengearbeitet und Songs mitgeschrieben hat und Millionen von Fans, darunter Hayley Williams und unzählige andere, für sich gewinnen konnte, ist "Miss Black America" ganz und gar ihr eigenes Werk. Dieses Projekt, bei dem Hymnen statt Hits, Geschichten statt Samples und Wahrheit statt Trends im Vordergrund stehen, ist das inspirierendste Werk ihrer Karriere und begleitet dich vom Grillfest am Samstag über den Gottesdienst am Sonntag bis hin zur Arbeit für "den Mann" am Montag. Es ist Blues- und Soulmusik für die Zukunft, gemacht für diejenigen, die vor ihr da waren: die Vorfahren, die auf dem Land der Dockery-Plantage, von der sie abstammt und die viele als Geburtsort des Delta-Blues bezeichnen, tanzten, weinten und sangen.