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"I have two new records, just full of smells. "
from Scanners Live in Vain by Cordwainer Smith

Lutto Lento's new 2568 E.P. is an album in 7-inch single form. Lutto, real name Lubomir Grzelak, has for years been one of the most acclaimed sonic storytellers around. His first outing on Meakusma is another trip beyond the constraints of musical logic, interweaving elements from industrial music, early avant-garde influences, post-club tendencies, and more, conjuring up a mini-album of huge scope.

Not unlike The Residents, 2568 E.P. touches upon stories from the deep, with an absurdist touch that is at the same time forgiving and inviting. It has a hauntological feel to it, but contradicts it at the same time. It is purring and cold, whispering and layered. Beatific and up close. There is a space ship in the swimming pool, but the cocktail party goes on, kind of. On the edge of industrial music, with a choir thrown in for good measure. On the fringes of club music. Toss the wire-sphere into the air and pay the price for space. Fake composure and dive in.

Lutto Lento is Lubomir Grzelak, a sound artist, composer, music producer, and DJ. Known for his idiosyncratic productions and eclectic sets that break barriers between genres, he has steadily built a reputation for adventurous electronic music that resists easy categorization. Beyond records, he composes for theatre, film, and contemporary dance, weaving diverse influences into a distinctive sonic language.

During the 35 years of making music, Dave Lee has constantly been searching for new singers and writers to work with. A search that’s ended up with many fantastic collaborations and releases with the likes of Thelma Houston, Taka Boom, Dianne Charlemagne and Seal. More recently this quest led him to Maurissa Rose and the creation of their album ‘London / Detroit’. After hearing Maurissa's voice on a Theo Parrish record Dave reached out to her and after a few long phone conversations and mp3 swaps they both agreed a visit to London would be much more fun than trying to work together remotely. Maurissa made the journey from her home in Detroit to write and record an album with Dave at his studio in March 2022 - as they both feel that creating music together in the same room is always better. The fruits of their labour yielded 11 brand new songs (and 1 cover) tapping into their collective love of Soul, Disco and R&B, with a sprinkle of Soulful House. This album is a special one for Dave Lee as it’s the first time in his career he’s recorded an entire album with same singer on every track.

In the album’s liner notes Dave talks of how Maurissa is a naturally creative person, full of ideas, warm & unpretentious which is reflected in her vocal performances throughout ‘London / Detroit’. Dave’s expertly crafted music is backed up with a deeply passionate yet effortless delivery from the Detroiter, a marker of someone who has honed and perfected their art. When it comes to the music side of this LP, Dave Lee is once again proving he’s still at the top of his game and shows no sign of relenting. Drawing from his encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Soul/Funk/Disco, we are treated to a range of styles, BPMs and influences from 95bpm street soul to more uptempo disco and boogie flavours. Be it the rippling synth voyage opener of ‘You Decide’, taking the Johnnie Taylor classic ‘What About My Love’ into a modern Boogie realm, upping the tempo on the soulful houser ‘I Feel the Sun” or bringing the tempo back down to the bassy acidic chug of ‘You’re Giving Me Life’. Mr Lee is truly adept at creating a modern disco soul sound without the usage of samples.

London and Detroit might be two very different cities on opposite sides of the Atlantic but this album is proof that creative synergy knows no distance.

Out everywhere on Feb 28th on Gatefold Vinyl, CD and Digital/Streaming.

In 1978 a newly formed Augusta, Georgia group Marshall, Donovan and Broomfield chose to record cover versions of two songs previously recorded in 1973 and 1974 respectively by Florida siblings group Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. These Eddie Cornelius penned songs “Let me Down Easy” and “Since I Found My Baby” would form both sides of Marshall, Donovan and Broomfield’s first 45 single, released on group founder John Marshall’s own Augusta label. The flipside “Since I Found My Baby” would eventually gain popularity across the pond with aficionados of the UK modern soul scene of the early 1980’s and beyond.

John Marshall began his musical career in a high school group called The Fabulous Gardenias who recorded the doowop ballad “It’s You, You, You” backed with the up-tempo R n B mover “What’s The Matter With Me” released on Tommy Brown’s local Liz label (named after his wife future Motown recording artist, Liz Lands) in 1961.The Fabulous Gardenias featured John Marshall, the late Atlanta alumni Calvin Arnold, “Little” Joe Jones Jr (later of the Tams) and a fourth guy only remembered as Harold. John Marshall later sang with another Atlanta group The Tams of “Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me” fame from 1970 through to 1978.

Later in 1978, John Marshall having relocated to Augusta, GA the previous year was casually emptying the contents of his mailbox outside his home when a car suddenly pulled up. The driver called out “Hey I recognize you, you’re John Marshall you used to be with the Tams!” The driver continued to introduce himself as John Donovan stating that he too was a singer, followed by an impromptu performance, and hey! sure enough he could sing! A later introduction to Charles Broomfield (John Marshall’s next-door neighbour at that time) would lead to the formation of the group Marshall, Donovan, Broomfield with the addition of Mary Marshall and Pat Donavan (the then, two John’s respective wives) as backing vocalists. The previously mentioned group’s first release the John Donovan led “Let Me Down Easy/Since I Found My Baby” was recorded at the now defunct Jam Studio’s in Atlanta. Upon release, the “Let Me Down Easy “side received considerable local radio play but only led to the group performing a handful of local shows. On the strength of the group’s first release a second 45 release followed in 1980 “Let’s Dance/That’s Love” both sides of this 45 were penned by Charlston, South Carolina native, Harold Thomas who John Marshall knew from his time with the Tams, Thomas having once been part of Bill Pinkney &the Original Drifters and later the Tams management teams. This second 45 never gained the same local attention of “Let Me Down Easy” and after three years together the Marshall’s, Donovan’s and Charles Broomfield went their separate ways. John Marshall lost contact altogether with his former group members and left the music business taking up employment at International Paper Mill until his retirement in 2013.

Due to the current resurgence in popularity of “Since I Found My Baby” with copies regularly selling for four figure sums, Soul Junction have reacquainted ourselves with John Marshall to you bring you “Since I Found My Baby” backed with “Let Me Down Easy” with the addition of the excellent and lesser, known stepper “That’ Love” making this an excellent value 45 release.

Natasha Pirard returns with her most personal project yet, dedicated to her mother and late grandmother, whose care shaped her life. Fernande, Cecile is a photobook of songs, weaving voice, field recordings, synthesizer, and violin into an ode to her matrilineal line. Pirard lost her grandmother at seven, yet Fernande’s warmth stayed with her as a touchstone. Her mother, Cecile, has been a constant presence, guiding her through difficult years.

Alzheimer’s—her grandmother’s illness—and the fragility of memory permeate the work. A conversation with her mother sparked the album: over coffee, Cecile placed a hand on her heart and said, “If I ever develop this disease, don’t forget I’m still here (inside).” That moment became central to the compositions, which translate Pirard’s gratitude and love into music as tender as possible.

The music moves in fragments—notes, chords, loops—evoking gardens, sunlight, and childhood afternoons. Rhythms shift like life itself, carrying echoes of loss and the persistence of memory. Ambient textures brush against her voice and instruments, sometimes punctuated by her grandmother’s favorite bird.

The album unfolds in two parts: Fernande, capturing her grandmother’s warmth and fading recollections, and Cecile, honoring her mother’s care and resilience. Track titles trace memories while the music drifts through longing and gratitude, articulating what words cannot.

The album was written and recorded by Natasha Pirard, produced and mixed by David & Stephen Dewaele of Soulwax/2manydjs at DEEWEE.

Syncretic marks the debut full-length from Australian duo Bhairavi Raman, a Western and Carnatic violinist, and Nanthesh Sivarajah, a mridangam player and versatile percussionist. Both artists share a Tamil heritage, a current that hums across the album. Raman, from South India, and Sivarajah, from Sri Lanka, draw lines that connect Western practice and Carnatic tradition. This hybrid is central to Raman’s approach as a violinist, an instrument itself caught between East and West since the late 18th century. Her playing folds history, lineage and experimentation into music that acknowledges inheritance while gently rewiring its circuitry.

Expanding on traditional music can be a precarious practice, but Syncretic never feels heavy-handed. Raman and Sivarajah exercise measured restraint, letting the Carnatic framework breathe even as it is refracted through contemporary tools. Delays, looping, subtle layering and synthesized harmonies tilt tradition into a new light without disguising it.

Even within a contemporary framework, Raman’s rigorous Carnatic training under gurus Sri S. Varadarajan (India), Sri Murali Kumar (Australia) and Sri Gopinath Iyer (Australia) is unmistakable. She captures the spiritual and emotional essence of each raga: on Seven, the playful raga Bahudari becomes both centrepiece and conduit, while on the traditional piece Thunbam Nergayil, drawn from a Tamil poem, we hear a deeply personal iteration, a weeping euphony of mixed emotions hitting all at once. Tradition here is absorbed, expanded and reframed.

Sivarajah’s command of the mridangam, honed by his gurus Sri Jambunathan (Sri Lanka), Sri Balasri Rasiah (Australia) and Sri T. R. Sundaresan (India), is central to his original composition Guardian. He sustains tradition while extending it through layering and sound-spatialisation. The mridangam here functions as both a structural and ornamental force, mapping continuity between inherited form and contemporary sonic architecture.

Syncretic resonates as a space where Tamil heritage, diasporic memory and contemporary practice coalesce. Culture, like sound, circulates, transforms and persists. Tradition is not an archive but living material, a soundworld that lingers in the ears and the imagination.

When Leng Records founders Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy and Simon Purnell marked the imprint’s 10th birthday, they did so via a celebratory compilation that mixed classic catalogue cuts, remixes and exclusives. Five years on, and with the label’s 15th birthday upon us, they’ve decided to look to the future via a compilation made up entirely of fresh productions from Leng’s roster of current and new artists. Presented on limited-edition gatefold double vinyl with a bonus 10” single, the collection offers an updated showcase of Leng’s much-loved trademark sound, a distinctive fusion of mid-tempo sleazy-disco, Balearica and chugging house interspersed with elements of electronic psychedelia and synth-powered space disco. Fittingly for a compilation that wholeheartedly looks to the future, you’ll find first contributions from a handful of label newcomers.

Fast-rising duo Flying Mojito Bros give their spin on ‘Smoke Signals’ by label debutants Joe HarveyWhyte and Bobby Lee, turning in a heady and inspired revision that sits somewhere between dusk-ready cosmic disco and flash-fried desert blues. There’s also an appearance from Swedish producer Bo Wosticz with the dreamy and ultra-deep nu-jazz of ‘Bs As’. Naturally, you’ll also find plenty of heat from those who have already proved their mettle through prior releases on Leng. Danish duo Liminal, who made their debut earlier this year with the much-played ‘Keep Coming Back To Me’, open proceedings with the tactile, slow-disco flex of ‘Tzatziki Bay’ where sweet synth melodies and a heady electric piano riff ride a warming groove.

Roberto Intrallazzi and Dario Piana from Italy’s original Afro-cosmic movement return with ‘Plutos’, a typically deep dubbed-out cosmic chugger. Then there’s Rose Robinson AKA Tigerbalm, whose ‘Mexicana’ featuring singer Joi N’Juno is presented across the package in two different forms. Pete Herbert, who contributed to some of the earliest Leng releases, drops a driving dub disco take on the main compilation, while Robinson’s original mix – a more organic, percussive and horn-heavy affair blessed with plenty of hallucinatory intent – opens the bonus 10”.

There’s a welcome return to Leng for the brilliant Payfone, whose ‘Dime Algo’ is a typically classy, analogue-rich affair in which attractive Rhodes riffs, atmospheric female vocals and pitched-down house pianos rise above shuffling drum machine beats and a slow-motion bassline. Long-serving label contributor Lex (Athens) delivers the loose-limbed nu-disco breeze of ‘Stolen Dance’, while the imprint’s San Francisco connection – the ever-brilliant 40 Thieves collective – drop the dubbed-out Bay Area brilliance of ‘Such A Great Trip’.

Then there are the contributions of the label’s most storied artist, Andrew Meecham AKA Emperor Machine with ‘Eumig’, a deliciously slow, synth-rich chugger full of colourful chords, bubbly electronic melodies and jaunty electronic bass. Then, to round off the bonus 10” single, Meecham joins forces with Paul Murphy (as Mudd) on ‘Road To Nikko’, an extended, Japanese musical culture-influenced slab of pitched-down alien-funk packed to the rafters with squelchy synth sounds, effects-laden percussion, chiming melodies and rubbery bass guitar.

Elations Recordings presents "Tairen", an evocative cello recording marking the debut solo release of Melbourne/Naarm-based cellist LEM (Lauren Meath). This deeply personal work is an impressionistic reflection on place, memory and self at the intersection of classical technique and folk sensibility; expanding Meath's lateral, avant garde approach to sound with piano and textural percussion, resulting in a work that unintentionally falls into the post-minimalist tradition.

Conceived as a single piece across five movements and recorded between 2022 and 2024, "Tairen" reflects on memories of a formative place and period for Meath. Each movement scores part of an imagined landscape, mirroring the cliffs and expansive southern ocean of the coastal Otway ranges, remembered and reinterpreted. While tied to a place and time, ultimately "Tairen" is an exploration and expression of self.

Each piece explores this landscape, retaining its own identity while unified by recurring themes, moods and motifs. Meath emphasises restriction in her approach, creating subtly shifting layers of slowly evolving cello lines with expressive unstructured free playing bursting out. In all but one movement ("Bird"), cello is performed in a single take, utilising joined looping pedals on a semi acoustic cello from luthier Paul Davies. Equal parts meditative and expressive, uplifting and melancholic, the instrument becomes a proxy for the human voice creating a work that is intensely beautiful.

While Meath has a background in classical and pop, LEM has always been a more interior, personal project on the boundaries of minimalism and folk; in the past only as a live project featuring only herself, taking a lateral approach to sound through bow, harmonics and voice. While built on this foundation, "Tairen" expands Meath's typically minimal live approach with piano ("Sky") and additional textural percussion. Produced and engineered by James Tom and Danny Smith and with additional percussion from Dylan Lieberman. Mixed and mastered by Cam Parkin.

Moody and Zeitgeist have had the utmost privilege to bring onboard a team of some of the most accomplished musicians/wordsmiths India has to offer for this album. Working out of Island City Studios in Khar West, Mumbai, the duo assembled a team of musicians including acclaimed and awarded vocalists Vinay Sugatha Ramadasan and Anuja Zokarkar. The pair bring a lyrical depth to the music informed by millennia of North-Indian classical poetry and melody. Metaphor and imagery is intermingled with EX GENERATION's unapologetic rhythm and production style to form something that is profound and complex, whilst also accessible and innate in the way it confronts the listener.

DJ Support: Antal, I Cube, Noel Watson, Colleen Cosmo Murphy, Sean Johnston, San Soda, Takaya Nagase, Tina Edwards, Pete Herbert, Kenneth Bager, Severino, Aaron Paar, Felix Joy, Harri Harrigan, Laroye, Telford, Darker Than Wax, Rocky (X Press 2), Shane Johnson, Dan Tyler, Felix Dickinson and many more

Having previously released selected retrospectives focused on the musical output of Ryo Kawasaki and Joan Bibiloni, NuNorthern Soul has now turned its attention to the vast back catalogue of Jasper Van’t Hof’s pioneering electro-acoustic, Afro-fusion collective, Pili Pili.

The band was established in 1984 by Van’t Hof, a Dutch pianist who began his career in Europe’s jazz scene of the late 1960s, as a way of combining his love of jazz-fusion and the music of North-West Africa. Van’t Hof already had a reputation for combining roles in traditional jazz combos with more experimental and abstract projects. These included a spell in violinist Jean-Luc Ponty’s first band, years spent masterminding jazz-rock outfit Jasper Van’t Hof’s Porkpie, the recording of an all- electronic album (1982’s Visitors), and a celebrated collaborative live album with the great Archie Shepp, Mama Rose.

Pili Pili, though, was another step forward for Van’t Hof. Working with percussionists and vocalists from Benin and Mali (including the now legendary Angelique Kidou) and a string of adventurous jazz soloists (saxophonist Tony Lakoto and trumpeter Annie Whitehead included), Van’t Hof’s collective frequently combined live and programmed percussion, electronic and acoustic instrumentation, and the talented improvisor’s own memorable melodies and impactful solos.

NuNorthern Soul’s retrospective focuses on the most productive and celebrated period of Pili Pili’s near three-decade history, showcasing tracks originally recorded and released on studio albums released between 1984 and 2002. The six tracks on show offer an essential glimpse into the musical gold to be found across the Pili Pili catalogue.

In keeping with NuNorthern Soul’s previous retrospectives, the vinyl version of Selected Works 1984-95 comes with extended liner notes telling the remarkable story of this most unusual of cross-cultural collaborations. These feature extensive quotes, reflections and memories from Jasper Van’t Hof and were written by music historian Matt Anniss.

DYSTORTION
Extrawelt's Latest and Longest-Brewing Album Lands This December on Cocoon

In this beautiful world marked by rising chaos, sometimes the simplest way to escape its troubles is through sonic relief. Germany's renowned electronic duo Extrawelt will offer exactly that with their 5th full-length album, DYSTORTION, via Cocoon Recordings this December.

For over two decades, the humble duo behind Extrawelt, who shy away from making music for clicks, have been a steadfast presence in electronic music. Known as serious studio and tour-focused artists who craft timepiece albums, each a work of enduring craft, that go on to create atmospheric, out-of-the-box live acts, they've been shaping and redefining electronica since their first release.


DYSTORTION is their most diverse and evocative album to date. Imagined over six years and shaped by a world in flux through COVID, political upheavals, social media, and AI, it reflects the contrasts and twists we've all felt while offering surges of serenity and hope. From brooding tension to playful relief, it moves through different states in an evolved Extrawelt manner.

The album's opening credit, "Grand Départ," as if a cinematic prelude, invites us into a world of creeping bass, an explicitly Extrawelt sound that's synonymous with the "anti-genre genre" they work within. The album's second track, "Clapland," sees Extrawelt joining forces with Jimi Jules, a name synonymous with excellence in electronic music, creating a rare collaboration that is felt in every note. Soon, the mood shifts into softer melodies as heard in "Surrounded By Miracles," "Hope Sounds Good," and "Sir Stringalot," which bring bright euphorics to balance the darker moments in an album echoed by industrial influences. Later, as "Dystortion" (the album's title track) unfolds, we're drawn into something few electronic artists can create: raw emotion. This is a gritty landscape as reflective as it is pulsing, glitchy, intense, and richly textured.

DYSTORTION is a reflection of a complex, divided world, carried through dramatically with Extrawelt's signature techno tension. Like the world right now, it is full of contradictions, surprises, and moments of introspection, an essential listen for fans of mature electronic music that may or may not need a reminder of why, after 20 years, we're still listening.

Now a regular on the label, scene stalwart Chronicle continues his joyful journeythrough a landscape of dancefloor-friendly atmospherics.

A1 - Air Temple

Chronicle opens the EP with Air Temple, an immensely playful track with a superb 2-step hot pants break, programmed superbly with layers of depth generating anenergetic and immensely danceable tone, following the deliciously smooth late 90'sGLO-style intro. Lush female vocal samples perfect for the vibe are present and correctwhile micro melodies pan across the mix adding a wonderful texture.

A2 - Everblue

A delicately ominous intro with pads, whooshing samples and rustic synths precede adensely crafted slew of old-school analogue breakbeats laid in a subtle arrangement,bringing a blend of energy perfect for dancefloors and home listeners alike. Vocalsamples are programmed and twisted like instruments as Chronicle embarks on aspace odyssey with memorable melodies you'll keep discovering listen after listen.

AA1 - Encarta

Next up we have Encarta, which sets out intentions quickly in the introduction with abouncy, clean breakbeat which is quickly bolstered by a superb 2-step old school drumloop to create a pulsating energy. A myriad of samples are collected and fleckedthroughout the mix, while Chronicle's editing techniques mimic a skilled DJ cuttinganother break in and out to satisfying effect towards the back end of the main phases.

AA2 - Angular Momentum

Closing a diverse and uniquely atmospheric EP, Chronicle opens Angular Momentumwith a patchwork of synths and pads, ushering in a serene, simple high note melodyabove the driving breaks - detailed with distinctive cymbals that give the track's nameserious validity. With a slew of samples darting in both the foreground and backgroundfor the listener to enjoy, this is a piece which will live long in the memory.

Words by Chris Hayes (Spatial / Red Mist)

Figure is celebrating its 150th release with a loaded triple vinyl compilation, showcasing artists both old and new to the label – a testament to what the Figure sound is today. The cover art has been commissioned from Berlin-based graffiti artist Erik Winkler, whose spray-painted work is adorning the thick triple-pocket sleeve housing three colored records.

The compilation features some important recent additions to our growing roster: both Jancen and Arthur Robert deliver their unique take on tunneling techno, be it searing or psychedelic. And Brazilian shape-shifter Vinicius Honorio carves out his own gliding bass frequencies while A-STS relies classic drum machine bleep hypnosis.

Label head Len Faki’s own energetic appearance echoes his versatile style found on his recent album release. The all-out production featuring strings and quirky synths sits in contrast with Jeroen Search & Decoder - a pairing of veterans, whose minimal hardware sound slowly builds over trippy acid loops. The flipside belongs to a younger generation of producers, namely IGLO turning out a superb techno roller teeming with life and lush with details. The duo of Munich brothers Glaskin already remixed Faki for his Fusion album, their first original release on Figure comes a skillful blend of distorted stabs and deep grooves.

Equally refined but with a harder edge to it, Scheermann practices a dark, minimalist approach where each element gets time to shine for maximum effect. His bleak track is aptly paired with a rare solo release of Obscure Shape whose fractures of a dreamy, twinkly melody make for one of the most emotional moments of the compilation. The final side holds Roman Poncet’s seasoned understanding of groove, balancing perfectly the dubby stabs and vocal chops for a dazzlingly perfect loop. The final tones to this milestone release come courtesy of another of Figure’s bright new voices: Arkan manages to conjure up a powerful sense of progression, where colourful synths converge in harmonies over an effortlessly bouncing beat.

It is a rare moment for an independent label to make to number 150. But to keep finding new talent who help re-shape the signature sound while expanding the family roster, that’s a true blessing. This package shows how Figure is growing and adapting as a label, staying relevant as one of the leading voices in modern techno.

b A2 How We Met Sunrise Mix
c A3 Sacrificed Everything [Heaven Mix]

Various Small Whistles and a Song, the new album by Chicago-based artist Lia Kohl, incorporates notions of space, social relations, and humor. As the title suggests, the album responds to Ed Ruscha’s 1964 photographic artist book Various Small Fires and Milk, which Kohl sees as a wondrous celebration of ordinariness, one that reveals Ruscha’s trademark deadpan humor and depth. In the spirit of that publication, Kohl created her own series of sonic vignettes, with guest appearances from her close community of collaborators including claire rousay, Macie Stewart, Patrick Shiroishi, and others, reflecting the same sense of humor and mundanity.

The structure of the album—16 one-minute tracks—directly mirrors Ruscha’s book, which comprises 15 photographs of fire and one of a glass of milk. Ruscha’s “small fires” are represented here by recordings of whistles—mostly human whistling, with occasional appearances by train whistles, emergency whistles, and a woman selling penny whistles on the street in Guangzhou, China. About this choice of material, Kohl writes: “I’ve always been captivated by whistling—it’s musical but often a bit unconscious; usually solo but often done in public places. There’s something tender and human about hearing someone whistle, a socially acceptable version of hearing their mind wander.” As with Ruscha’s photographs, the whistles are not random snapshots but windows into social situations, narratives, or spaces.

The “milk” of the title — the 16th photograph in Ruscha’s book — is interpreted here as a single recording: a group of people singing together in Barcelona around 6 a.m. on New Year’s morning, captured through the floor of an Airbnb. Kohl describes this as a social, collective sound that contrasts with the solitary nature of whistling. The song functions as a counterbalance—a quiet celebration of shared experience.

Lia Kohl is a composer and sound artist based in Chicago. Her wide-ranging practice includes composition and performance, installation, improvisation, and collaboration. She tours nationally and internationally, working in theater, jazz, rock, and experimental contexts. Her work centers curiosity and patience, an exploration of the mundane and profound possibilities of sound.

Was lief musikalisch in 2025? BRAVO The Hits gibt Aufschluss! 48 Tracks aus den Charts auf 2 CDs,
4 LPs und Download. Hier ein paar Beispiele: Ed Sheeran ”Azizam”, Oimara ”Wackelkontakt”, Jazeek
”Akon”, Alex Warren ”Ordinary”, Gracie Abrams ”That’s So True”. Aber auch brandneue Titel, wie Lady
Gaga ”The Dead Dance” und Sabrina Carpenter ”Tears” sind zu finden. 2026 kann also kommen!

Magnificent Fall, The Notwist's new rarities compilation, compiles some special and wild moments from this unique German indie group's rich history. They've always snuck gorgeous songs and thrilling remixes onto split singles, extended plays, and other formats, across their career, and pieced together here – compiled thoughtfully, with sensitivity to flow and the listening experience – these thirteen selections work as a kind of ‘shadow narrative’ of The Notwist, an alternative index of the possibilities this shape-shifting group uncovered during their time together.

They've been smart to let go of chronology when sequencing Magnificent Fall, so the songs here move across phases and stages of The Notwist's career, helmed by brothers Markus and Micha Acher. This approach makes plenty of sense, as this music compiled here abstracts from two impulses – to push forward and not repeat what has come before, while building from the group's very specific musical language. Just one example: the loveliness of the instrumental “Avalanche”, from 2020's Ship, follows elegantly from the happy-sad glitch-pop of “Blank Air”, from a 2010 split with former member Martin Gretschmann's project Console. Different phases, different memberships, shared concerns.

The Notwist have always been interested in and open to community, and one of the many ways they reach out to others is through the remix. There are three here, sent back to The Notwist from different corners of the world, both aesthetically and geographically: Grizzly Bear take on “Boneless”, Ada tackles “Run Run Run”, and Odd Nosdam submerges “Sleep” in noise and clatter. Another connection, of course: Odd Nosdam is part of The Notwist's extended family, through Markus and Micha Acher's 13 & God project with fellow Anticon artists Themselves and Subtle.

So, the music on Magnificent Fall traverses varying terrain – abstract hip-hop, chamber pop, sweet and simple folk song, indietronica, free-floating improvisation. There are several unreleased songs, as well, drawn from across the group's history. Core to it all, though, the thing that makes The Notwist so singular, is the thumbprint of the Acher brothers, their gently poetic way of moving through the world and welcoming other musicians and artists into the fold, expressively and with generosity.

Historically aware without being nostalgic, Magnificent Fall is the perfect way to introduce The Notwist's reissue programme with Morr Music, too, including a box set, and the group's eight albums, documenting their three-and-a-half decades of music and community-making. Looking back to move forward? It's a very good idea.

London duo Babeheaven — vocalist Nancy Andersen and producer/multi- instrumentalist Jamie Travis — return after four years with their highly anticipated 5-track EP ‘Slower Than Sound’, released via Scenic Route on October 24.

Following their singles ‘Beloved’ and the 6 Music-premiered track ‘Picture This’, ‘Slower Than Sound’ marks a deeply personal and intimate turn for Babeheaven. Written and recorded largely in Nancy’s home studio, the EP embraces minimal instrumentation, acoustic textures, and spacious arrangements, capturing the emotional vulnerability and euphoria the duo describe as “Post Rave” — the music you listen to on the ride home from a
party.

“It feels like a rebirth in a lot of ways,” says Nancy. “Writing at home gave me space to experiment, make mistakes, and rebuild confidence. Once I brought the songs to Jamie, we shaped them together into what you hear now.”

The EP explores love, reflection, and personal growth. Beloved conjures a comforting, almost mythic presence, while Lost For Words reflects the struggle to connect with the world and oneself. Picture This offers snapshots of a relationship, looking back while imagining its future. The cover Tiny Demons by Todd Rundgren blends seamlessly with the EP’s introspective mood, and Loud Thoughts, featuring Samba Jean-Baptiste, captures heartbreak, burnout, and creative pressure. “I hope people can find their own meaning in these songs,” Nancy says. “I’m writing for myself, but music is for each listener to interpret.”

Since debuting with Friday Sky in 2016, Babeheaven have steadily built a loyal following through their acclaimed albums Home For Now and Sink Into Me, amassing over 65 million Spotify streams and earning support from BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, and KCRW. Their live shows have sold out Village Underground,

Bush Hall, and Jazz Cafe, and they’ve shared stages with Cigarettes After Sex, Loyle Carner, and Nilüfer Yanya. Visually, Babeheaven’s world has been shaped alongside creatives including Margot Bowman, Frank Lebon, Tegen Williams, Sacha Beeley, and Joyce Ng, cementing their reputation as one of the UK’s most distinctive acts.

After facing cancelled tours, industry pressures, and a period of creative doubt, Slower Than Sound represents a return to the core of their artistry: intimate, honest, and self-produced. Jamie reflects: “Not putting out music for so long was hard, so we hope this is the start of a more prolific period for us, reconnecting with the London music community and beyond.”

‘3' saw the core Lifted duo of Max D & Matt Papich unravel their visions of excess into their most divergent and wide-eyed collection to date. Presented here by Peak Oil in a vinyl edition featuring the painting of Jordan Kasey (yes, related to Martin Kasey, saxophonist on 2019’s LP 2) and packaged for a seamless listen.

First scene ‘Chefs’ places us squarely off-center, landing in a cinematic environment that feels a bit like steadycam Luis Bunuel , wine bottle whoo-ing and horn fanfare. Its music without a hard surface, defined more by its fluidity and characters, found sounds and performed dialogue. “Cymbecko” shifts gears into blissful ambient dub, and paves the way for a Luke Stewart led excursion into the uncanny that is ‘Trip Tongue’. Stewart’s upright bass never stops seeking, while Jordan GCZs Rhodes barely touches down before lifting back up into and out of Jacob Long’s (Earthen Sea, Esau) liquid tone sheets. An outside world of percussion accompanies.

The mood morphs and the scene cuts in hard with “Born in the Roof”, slacker techno that grows shimmering parts, Perlon for potheads. Voiceover slacks right with it, a half-convo caught in the billowing chorus of fx. “Macarena” snaps things into focus, working almost like an open window to airing out the heady fog. Simplicity in the vignette.

After “Mecha Perfume & Variety”, “Snow Dancing” reignites the drama, with burning guitar by Jonny Nash taking a plucky and sliding lead over wildly fused drums by Max D, we get a test of new depths for Lifted with the somber and exuberant “Whipped Cream”. Crackling like a radio but with modern propulsion in the form of richly evocative pads courtesy of Motion Graphics, it sounds like a dinner, a space trip, a storyboard, a scene, threaded together in bouncing, oblique ways.

"Bobby V" drops refreshingly, timed like a credit roll and leaving an afterglow that feels more tuned-in than ever.

Players on this album include: Luke Stewart (Irreversible Entanglements, Blacks Myths), Jeremy Hyman, Jonny Nash (Melody As Truth), Jordan GCZ, Matt Papich, Josh Levi, Mezey, Hirama, Dawit Eklund (1432 R), Motion Graphics, Max D, Jacob Long (Earthen Sea, Esau)




d 4.Born In The Roof Radio Mix
e 5.Macarena Radio Edit

MAIDEN is Laurine Frost's third instalment of the 'LENA' series - where the narrative conceptually revolves around the fictional musical journey of his imaginary daughter over the course of a series of albums. ‘MAIDEN' is deemed to be the most intense piece of the series yet, with the figure of the unstable, hesitant protagonist teetering between light and shadow. Dramatic depths and heights, often dark tones, composed chaos and rumbling polyrhythmia - somewhere far on the edge of jazz and rusty contemporary electronica.

*Mastered and cut by Stefan Betke at Scape Mastering

* 12” 180gr heavyweight vinyl, with printed inside-out cardboard cover

The Mighty Ryeders' rare groove classic Help Us Spread the Message has been remastered and reissued here because it forever remains a favourite with DJs and dancers. It's a timeless soul and funk blend with many a standout jams, not least 'Evil Vibrations,' a super cool and breezy groove famously sampled by De La Soul in 'A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays' and later covered by The Rebirth. Alongside funk staples like the aching beauty of 'Help Us Spread The Message' and the collector-favourite 'Let There Be Peace' the album blends rich horns, clavinet and deep grooves with great songwriting and vocal harmonies. Do not sleep on this masterpiece of funk.