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For any collaborative project to succeed, the artists involved need a creative unifier – a meeting point, if you will, of their disparate interests and experiences. In the case of Mondo Love & Betrayal, the joint project of Nottingham musical mainstays Neil ‘Nail’ Tolliday and Henry Claude Scott, there were two creative unifiers: a mutual love of classic 1980s synth-pop, as well as shared admiration for each other’s work.

Even so, such shared interests and respect for prior mutual endeavours is no guarantee of success. Yet as their eponymous debut album emphatically proves, the duo’s disparate experiences, characteristics and musical strengths have not only dovetailed beautifully, but also resulted in serious sonic gold. Put simply, Mondo Love & Betrayal is a stunning debut album rich in emotive songs, colourful melodies, atmospheric chord progressions and infectious grooves. Throw in the sun-splashed warmth and saucer-eyed, loved-up tactility of late 80s dance beats, and you have a breakthrough album whose timelessness is evident from start to finish.

The project’s roots lie in Tolliday’s desire to work with Scott, a virtuoso guitarist, talented producer and secret songwriter best-known for his work alongside Huw Costin as Torn Sail, and John ‘Ming’ Thompson as Brown Fang – both projects known for prioritising organic instrumentation and sunset-ready soundscapes over dancefloor-rooted beats.

Tolliday, of course, is one of British electronic music’s true polymaths – a long-serving house producer best-known for his long-running Bent project alongside fellow Nottingham resident Simon Mills. He initially approached Scott with the idea of providing vocals on a house track he was working on, but quickly suggested something else: an exploration of a classic synth-pop sound inspired by his love of Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Depeche Mode and the producers who worked with them – the likes of Martin Hannett, Arthur Baker, Stephen Hague and John Robie.

Scott accepted the invitation, seeing it as an opportunity to explore a different side of his musical personality. Their first recording session resulted in the ear-catching and memorable brilliance of ‘Correspondence’ – a tongue-in-cheek breakup song inspired by the death of landlines and the rise of mobile communications – and soon they were working on their debut album.

The resultant 10-track set is simply sublime, with Scott’s expressive delivery of his own lyrics on life, love, heartache and rejection working in perfect union with Tolliday’s kaleidoscopic and pleasingly authentic backing tracks – gorgeous and beautifully rendered instrumentals rich in memorable melodies, bittersweet chords, and subtle nods to ‘80s and early ‘90s dance-pop culture, from Shep Pettibone style remixes and Bernard Sumner guitar licks, to Beloved-esque piano parts and Chris Lowe chord progressions. Some listeners may also draw favourable comparisons with 21st century synth-pop practitioners, particularly Parcels, Private Agenda and the deeply emotive songs showcased by Junior Boys.

For proof, wrap your ears around such album highlights as opener ‘Boo Boo’, where Scott warns that “love and betrayal will haunt you” atop sparkling synths and Vince Clarke style grooves, the Behaviour-era PSB melancholy of recent single ‘Your Latest’, the mid-tempo dreaminess of ‘Beyond The Rainy City’, the early Depeche Mode chug of ‘Whatever Happened To Me’ and the tactile warmth of ‘Across The Plane’.

We could go on. In truth, the whole album is – in Scott’s words – “magical musical alchemy”. Wherever they choose to go next, Mondo Love & Betrayal is a seriously good sonic statement of intent.

Archimboldos have clawed their way out of the starcaves of their primordial past and into the tranquil light of a coral garden on their third full length album, Crusta Arcana, a gumbo stewpot of transcendent electronica suffused with tribal rhythms and liquid ambience. Across a stereo field smeared with tolling bells, post-industrial folk percussion, and tinkling keys, Archimboldos soundtrack a science fictional journey, not into the depths of space, but deep beneath the waves.

In the past the Chilean duo of Nicolás Carcavilla and Felipe Crocco have described their music as “liminal shrimp folk.” Here they continue this strange exploration when they visit the court of the prawns, producing stately electronic chamber orchestrations. Perhaps these are the frequencies used for ritual dream initiation into the mystery schools of drowned Atlantis. Weaving an ancient sacred science, Archimboldos take listeners on a mystic vovage into their singular crustacean mythology, the crusta of their hidden arcana.

Archimbolodos are masters of conjoining cyclonic and centrifugal lines of electricity into spellbinding incantations. These deep-sea transmissions envelope the listener into aquamarine forcefields that are as hallucinatory as they are hypnotic. Navigating these strange fantasias could lead one to getting lost at sea, but the work is buoyed by the somnolent melodies of lonely harpsichords and swelling synth pads whose sustained tones reach towards distant shores. Sailing across a vast expanse of oceanic harmonies and percolating percussion, these pieces are as precise as the hand of a sailor on the rudder, moving with the tide.

Casting their net wide across eight pieces, Archimboldos have made a big catch. From the emotive electronic counterpoint found on “Bursting Armor” to the blocks of seaweed tangled sonic sculpture trawled up from the ocean floor on “Aphelion IX.” Other songs are like samples of biological ambience collected from luminous tide pools: resplendent tones placed into a Petri dish of sound, swirled, cultured and fermented until it undulates with the rhythmic movement of microscopic lifeforms. Alternating between rippling minimalist sonority and pounding, progressive, synth-heavy entrancement, Crusta Arcana charts its own idiosyncratic itinerary of instrumental invention.

All the while light is down streaming from the heavens to pierce the waters, here calm, there choppy. The intrepid musical captains commanding Archimboldos have laid a course for new archipelagos of the imagination, guided by heavenly constellations.

-Justin Patrick Moore, author of The Radio Phonics Laboratory, Telecommunications, Speech Synthesis and the Birth of Electronic Music

Moving between lo-fi experimental songwriting, sparse post-punk textures and intimate recordings; Ukrainian artist Regina Collage’s new album ‘Horizont’ is a personal and honest document of rebuilding a life and creative voice in Bristol. The record holds space for themes of burnout, quiet shame, tenderness and the courage of staying emotionally open when the world feels unstable. Sung entirely in Ukrainian, ‘Horizont’ does not ask the listener to understand every word. Feeling carries the songs forward. Across bedroom recordings and borrowed studios, Regina moves between cloudy dissonance and stark minimal arrangements built around bass, fragments of guitar, and an exposed voice. The recordings hold onto their rough edges. Mistakes remain and imperfection becomes part of the story. “Music for me is about not being scared to be vulnerable,” Regina says. “Almost every song I have is about what it means to be open and emotional. I really do not think it is a weakness. I hope people can listen and feel welcome to take a break and just let their emotions exist.” The album takes its name from the Ukrainian word for “horizon,” that unreachable line where sky meets earth. For Regina, the horizon became a quiet metaphor for living with distance and uncertainty. Inspired by one of her collage artworks showing a figure lying in grass and staring toward that far line, the title track reflects a feeling of moving toward something that never quite comes closer. Even without understanding the lyrics, the song carries a slow sense of longing and suspended arrival. m‘Vpiznavaty’, by contrast, initially feels almost light. Beneath that surface is a candid portrait of burnout and depressive exhaustion. The song looks at those moments when even greeting friends feels overwhelming. It captures the quiet embarrassment of withdrawing from people you care about, and the slow recognition that sometimes stepping away is simply how you survive. Other songs reveal different sides of the same emotional landscape. ‘Weak’ strips everything back to bass, a hint of guitar, and a bare vocal. Written and recorded in a single instinctive session, the track circles around the idea that softness might be its own kind of strength. Repetitive and intentionally unpolished, it quietly sets the tone for the whole record. Running through ‘Horizont’ is the reality of Regina’s life between Ukraine and the UK. Her hometown Kharkiv continues to face attacks, and many of her friends remain on the front line.

Sunburst Orange w/ Turquoise Vinyl, limitiert auf 500 Exemplare. Emma Ruth Rundles "These Killing Times" ist mitreißend, emotional und voller anti-patriarchaler feministischer Wut. Das sechste Studioalbum der Multi-Instrumentalistin, Songwriterin und multidisziplinären Künstlerin ist eine reaktive Anthologie, voller Energie, Lebensfreude und Widerstand; es stellt uns Fragen nach unseren Absichten und den Rollen, die wir in den Gemeinschaften spielen, in denen wir leben, und danach, wie wir dem Würgegriff des Kapitalismus begegnen wollen. Schlaflose Nächte, Momente des Grauens und Zeiten der Qual könnten über eine Zeitleiste der jüngsten gesellschaftspolitischen Ereignisse gelegt werden, um die Entstehung von "These Killing Times" nachzuzeichnen: die zunehmende Macht des christlichen Nationalismus, der groteske Zirkus des politischen Diskurses und das damit verbundene ontologische Unbehagen. Aber es gibt auch Liebe - als Balsam und Stärkungsmittel, als Mittel zur Flucht. Das Verlangen nach Gemeinschaft und Verbundenheit, während man mit den gewalttätigsten Seiten der Menschheit konfrontiert ist, bleibt eine ungelöste Spannung. Während sie Anfang 2025 aus der Ferne die verheerenden Auswirkungen einer weiteren Klimakatastrophe beobachtete, reflektierte Emma über die Wurzeln der systemischen Probleme, die sich direkt in so viele katastrophale globale Ereignisse niederschlagen, und traf die bewusste Entscheidung, ein hoffnungsvolles Album zu schaffen. Wo äußere Kräfte sie dazu verleiten wollten, sich nach innen zu wenden, in Richtung Isolation und Hoffnungslosigkeit, streckte sie sich stattdessen nach außen, um ein Album zu schaffen, das den Schmerz anerkennt, aber als Antwort darauf sowohl Gemeinschaft als auch Widerstandskraft bietet.

2026 Repress

Deadbeat & Tikiman's occasional collaborative performances have since blown the minds of many audiences

Deadbeat. Tikiman. Infinity. Dub. A quadrangle of such obvious statement and perfect musical inference may very well never have been uttered for those of the wholly weeded out persuasion. Indeed, when the great book of Dub music is written the names Scott Monteith and Paul St Hilaire will undoubtedly figure highly in its chapters devoted to recent years. Monteith, the last great prodigal son of the doctrine handed down from the Blue Mount of Lord Scratch and King Tubby, St Hilaire the undisputed voice of a generation, those fanatical warrior monks, followers of the most Holy House of Ernestus and Von Oswald incarnate.

Having developed a fast friendship from their very first meeting in Montreal at the premier Micro Mutek event a decade ago, Deadbeat and Tikiman's occasional collaborative performances have since blown the minds of audiences from Berlin to Tokyo and many points in between. No great surprise then that their first album length venture is a Tour de Force of Dub music of the highest order.

Nearly a year in the making, the genetic code of Deadbeat's Infinity Dubs series gets shot through with a Dreader than Dread Kingstonian logic, hi hats dropping back from the three to the one, Tikiman at his most militant, poetic, fierce, and flowing. These are the recordings of two lions uncaged, and none who bare witness shall escape their fiery judgement.

If music is truly eternal, here be two voices which shall echo in infinity with all the weight, reverence, and dire power unleashed with every tectonic bass hit, and every whimsical turn of phrase. And if these eight burnt offerings are any indication of what happens when these two sit down for a session of smoke and reasoning, here's hoping they choose to do it frequently. Dub without end. Ad Infinitum.

Love Glow Vinyl, auf 700 Stück limitiert. Wendecover. Inkl. Poster, Insert, Downloadcode und CD (Album + Film "Im Zeichen des Zwillings". Wer nach dem von der Presse hochgelobten Vorgänger ,Remove The Ties" dachte, das kreative Maximum sei erreicht, wird eines Besseren belehrt. Vibravoid unterwerfen sich nicht dem zerstörerischen Zwang, das Vorgängeralbum übertreffen zu müssen - sie tun es einfach. Auf ,A Reason For Now" zeigt die Band, wie tief die DNA der Jahre 1966 bis 1968 in ihrem Sound verwurzelt ist. Vibravoid kopieren nichts - noch nicht einmal sich selbst. Sie distanzieren sich von den inflationär verwendeten Begriffen, die sie einst selbst popularisiert haben, und erklären die Popmusik zur neuen Droge. ,A Reason For Now" ist ein mitreißender Rausch, der sofort infiziert - ein fieberhafter LSD-Rausch aus Verzerrung und surrealen Traumfrequenzen.

Get On Your Knees' (1968) was the global hit recorded by the Spanish band Canarios, a true anthem that took the British soul scene by storm and still today gets regular plays at '60s clubs. 'To Be A Man,' on the b-side, is a rare gem by Camilo Sesto, packed with fuzz bass guitar and sophisticated arrangements, making it perfect for the dance floor. Canarios, the band led by Teddy Bautista, was one of the first Spanish groups to incorporate the sounds of emerging musical trends-primarily from the English-speaking world-into its repertoire. It was also one of the first Spanish bands to tour the States (they even recorded an album there under the name The Canaries). In 1968, 'Get On Your Knees' was released, a stunning soul track recorded by Swiss producer Alain Milhaud that quickly climbed the charts in numerous countries. Its appeal remains undiminished, and it still gets regular spins in the 60s scene today. 'To Be A Man' is something of a rarity in the discography of Spanish singer Camilo Sesto, whose songs typically lean toward straightforward melodic pop and ballads. Surrounded by an international team of collaborators under the direction of former Brincos member Juan Pardo as producer, he recorded this psychedelic-tinged pop song. Its sophisticated arrangements and sinuous fuzz-laden bass line create an effective and irresistible dancefloor-filler that was released as a 7" single in several countries but, curiously, not in Spain. First-ever single reissue of both songs.

Proudly partnering with the globally acclaimed Forza Horizon gaming series for the fifth time, Hospital Records once again bring their D&B A-game to the world of racing & gaming with a whopping 24-track soundtrack that's getting pressed to a pristine 3x12 triple gatefold vinyl product. For both Forza & Hospital fans alike, this is a physical piece of both D&B and gaming history.

A deep cut from the extensive back catalogue of South African group Splash, significant artists in the narrative of the country’s fiercely independent Gallo Record Company, CWPT presents two uplifting mixes of 1990’s ‘An Eye For An Eye’, arranged by a modern day hero of the craft, Lipelis.

Originally released in parallel with the official beginning of the end of South Africa’s decades-long Apartheid, lead vocalist Daniel Tshanda dispels the philosophy of the track’s title, instead offering a still poignant call for unity; “An eye for an eye is no good… Let’s live together as one.”

Lipelis’s carefully crafted take retains this sentiment front and centre, while nudging the arrangement toward contemporary dancefloors, enriching a steady and bubbling mix of colourful keys, bubblegum percussion and a lifting backing chorus that includes another Gallo sensation, Dalom Kids.

These same voices form the spiritual centre of Lipelis’s 12” dub version, which further demonstrates the track’s irresistible rhythm, making space for complimentary piano melodies from Lipelis, alongside collaborator Eugene Piankov. Here, sunsetting piano lines dance with the analogue techniques of Lipelis’s own production instincts, forging a blissful tribute to a potent moment in South African musical history.

"Portuguesa" enthält 14 Songs und wurde von Carminho
produziert. Der Fado-Star aus Portugal steuerte neben
weiteren Songwriter:innen auch einen Teil der Texte und
traditionellen Fado-Kompositionen bei. Über die Arbeit an
dem Album sagt sie: " Portuguesa ist das Resultat zehn
konzentrierter Tage in den Namouche Studios im März
2022, genauso flossen jedoch die beiden vorherigen
Jahre darin ein. Ich bin immer auf der Suche nach
diesem ganz speziellen Schwindelgefühl, bei dem ich mit
neuen Kombinationen derselben Grundzutaten meine
Identität finden kann. Das hier ist meine Geschichte,
meine Ursprünge, meine Einflüsse und die Musik, in der
ich mich wiederfinde."
Der Fado ist Carminhos Leben, und kaum eine andere
Sängerin verleiht dieser portugiesischen Form des Liedes
so viel Kraft, Leidenschaft und Tiefe wie sie. Indem sie
sich ganz diesem tiefsinnigen Traditionsgenre widmet,
erschafft sie neue traditionelle Fados, denen sie ihren
eigenen Stempel einprägt. In ihren tiefen Reflexionen über
das Wesen des Fado erkundet Carminho unterschiedliche
Kombinationen innerhalb des Kanons, überdenkt die Form
und bewegt sich in dem vertrauten Element so sicher wie
ein Fisch im Wasser.

Originally released in 2012, 1999 is the definitive debut mixtape from Brooklyn MC Joey Bada$$ that helped reshape the modern underground rap landscape. Leaning heavily into the golden era sound, a 17-year-old Joey earned instant critical acclaim by paying flawless homage to the 90s. Beyond timeless standout tracks like “Waves,” “Survival Tactics,” and “Snakes,” the 15-track mixtape boasts production from icons like Chuck Strangers, Lord Finesse, MF DOOM, and J Dilla. It remains a crucial time capsule for the Pro Era collective, featuring memorable verses from Kirk Knight, CJ Fly, Nyck Caution, Rokamouth, Dessy Hinds, Dyemond Lewis, T’nah Apex, and the late Capital STEEZ. A classic that still sounds as fresh today as it did a decade ago. Pro Era Forever.

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.

Windy & Carl Meet Optigan Conservatory is a purposefully misleading title for the first collaborative work from four friends who met close to thirty years prior. All active participants in Michigan independent music circles since the early ’90s, Windy & Carl are well-known for their foundational contributions to drift and guitar-born ambient sounds, with songs characterized by deep connections to the natural world and a hard to pin down yet impossible to miss emotional vulnerability.

Optigan Conservatory is another duo, made up of Frank Rotondo (leader of Detroit area free music ensemble Laughing Gas) and Fred Thomas (songwriter and producer most often associated with his band Saturday Looks Good To Me), who have been making minimalistic and time-defiant electro-acoustic sounds since 2016. The album came together almost effortlessly in a very short timeframe, but the idea had been building steam for many a year.

In the last days of 2024, Windy & Carl and Optigan Conservatory got together, falling into a mode of sound creation that was almost hyper-natural. Without any discussion outside of the usual stream of jokes and chatter, the quartet set up and started communicating. Added to Windy & Carl’s hovering augmented chord voicings and vaporous guitar drones were electric piano and synth bedding from Frank & Fred. After the initial sessions, all involved parties took time to consider what they’d made, adding new layers and editing the pieces into more definitive articulations.

A beautiful and hermetic energy larger than the sum of its parts is captured in the process. There are echoes of the earliest releases from Windy & Carl as well as refractions of the same opacity that surfaced in the early kranky catalogue.

Almost Starlight is the extraordinary new album by Jem Finer (hurdy-gurdy) and John Matthias (violin). Produced by Jay Auborn and recorded in a Medieval Church, deep in the Devon countryside, in the Summer of 2025, the music is suffused with light, heat and the natural acoustics of the space.

The album defies categorisation; forced to pigeon hole it the nearest approximation would be ‘modern-classical’ but this ignores its myriad influences and explorations which encompass inspiration from Arvo Pärt through Terry Riley to Can via Delius, Alice Coltrane and a subtle reimagining of electronic music played purely with acoustic instruments, bending and shaping their possibilities in surprising and unexpected directions.

Jay Auborn plays cello on a number of the compositions and his production opens up and expands the music through a skilled and imaginative use of space, paying homage to the atmosphere of the church; ‘the sound evolved… chasing the imagined acoustics of that church in my mind; a place for worshipping light with sound.’

Almost Starlight will be released on the 4th September by Touch, available as CD, vinyl, cassette and on streaming platforms.

BIOS OF THE ARTISTS

Jem Finer

Since studying computer science in the 1970s, Jem Finer has worked in various fields, including photography, film, experimental and popular music, sound recording, sculpture and installation.

Much of his work relates to systems, extended processes and extremes of scale and includes Longplayer, a musical composition repeating once every 1000 years, and the Gurdy and Hurdy stones, ancient rocks set upright in fields in East Sussex and Gloucestershire with Jimmy Cauty. Their work together includes a band, The Standing Stones, whose most recent release is Twa Sisters, featuring Iona Zajac and Daragh Lynch.

He was a founder member of The Pogues, with whom he has played, written and recorded since 1981.

Recent music revolves around a fascination with the hurdy-gurdy and includes hrdy-grdy, a cassette released by Benedict Drew’s Thanet Tape Centre. His latest collaboration, with John Matthias, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.

John Matthias

Since studying Theoretical Physics in the late 1980s and 1990s, John has created music and sound in many forms, including for installation, popular music, music for film, for dance and orchestra.

Much of John’s work plays with the physics of complex systems but he is also greatly influenced by stories and song. John has collaborated with Matthew Herbert, Stanley Donwood, Jay Auborn, Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Nick Ryan and many others to create music with a variety of textures and sonorities. He is particularly interested in simplicity and form and how context informs the way music sounds.

His latest collaboration, with Jem Finer, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.

Oscar Later is the solo project of one half of Once Twice, formerly known as Parallels. The EP takes its premise from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which ruled that no nation could claim ownership of the Moon or any other celestial body. Across six tracks, that idea of ownership, distance and free imagination runs through the record, which combines breakbeat and shimmering synths with processed vocals and clips from vintage ads and obscure films.

"I wanted the record to feel like public-domain myths, commercial promises and space-age optimism all colliding," Oscar says, "blurring the line between memory and fantasy."

Opener 'Air Time for Andre' channels chopped-up breaks reminiscent of Skee Mask, combined with processed found audio. 'Wenlocked', named after the East London street where it was written, develops from a downtempo sketch into a heavier club track as the bassline builds, inspired by releases on Voam and Floating Points' live sets. 'It Never Made Sense' steps away from the dancefloor, built around a granulated Orion Sun vocal that, as Oscar puts it, "ties the track into quite a surreal space," leaning towards Burial, Overmono and Radiohead.

The title track, 'The Moon Belongs to You', runs a vocoded 90s ad through a detuned one-note synth. It's the track Oscar says "best encapsulates the intention of the EP as a whole: surreal, wacky and clubby." 'Yaya' keeps the energy up as a straight techno cut, its gated bassline locking in around a chopped vocal and pitched samples. Closer 'That's Quite A Lot Of Zeroes!' expands from a stripped-back Buchla line into something huge, driven by chopped samples and inspired by sci-fi scores like Dune and Annihilation.

The cover is designed by art director Will Millner with designer Josh Lowe, a homage to space food and 80s industrial design geared to survive life on the moon. It's available as a limited vacuum-packed 12" record.

The EP launches alongside a music video for 'It Never Made Sense', directed by Louis Mackay, telling the story of a group of kids who steal the moon for themselves.

"Dance On", the latest single from Canopy continues the label's enthusiasm for re-issuing vintage Afro-tropical funk, reggae & disco, paired with modern remixes and remakes.

Two long out of print and previously un-reissued musical gems from Malian musician Nawari, get an overdue second life. Those gems being the eponymous "Dance On", an upbeat Afro-reggae-disco dancer originally self-released in 1987, and "Fanta Cini", originally released in 1989, which takes a deeper, tougher "proto-Afro-electro-funk" direction.

Sharing creative duties is Russian producer Valique, aka "V" from the best-selling "V's edits series, appearing on Canopy for the first time with a strong contribution to the label. Taking the title tune he reimagined & recreated it, building from Nawari's vocals and recording live horns, skanking guitars and percussion, blended with his signature classy production: crisp, warm, groovy & punchy.

Valique turns in 3 different mixes of Dance On, ranging from reggae disco, to cosmic Afro beat, timbale percussion workouts and beyond.

The release spans a range of moods, segueing between the past & present, organic and electronic, proving itself to be well suited for many environments, from the kitchen party to the bars, clubs & festivals of the world.

'Baroque Sunburst is proud to present Melaponica, the unique and unheard music of the interdisciplinary Brazilian artist João Machado, entirely created by electronically processing the recordings of stingless bees.
'Machado's work with field recordings of native bees form a sound library held in international collections such as the British Library and the Animal Sound Archive in Berlin, and his research into stingless bee communication has unfolded into experimental electronic music, finally finding its way on vinyl for the first time.
'Within its 40 minutes of never-stopping music, Melaponica reveals its unique sonic universe, flawlessly moving from complex percussive rhythms to melodies and soundscapes that seem to come as much from earth as from outer space. With an impressive ability to explore the potential of its original audio sources while pushing it to the limits, João Machado's idea of music never loses musicality and groove, even in its more intimate moments.'

Music From Memory presents ‘Miraggi’, the debut release by Argento, a new project conceived by composer and producer David August. Written between Berlin and the Tuscan coast, the record unfolds as an imagined soundtrack to the Mediterranean, shaped by memory, longing and a profound connection to landscape.

The earliest sketches emerged during extended periods spent along Italy’s Tyrrhenian coast, where the shifting light, vegetation and ever-changing presence of the sea became lasting creative impulses. At the same time, an immersion in Italian library music of the 1970s and ‘80s quietly informed the project’s tonal language, while traces of jazz fusion and Balearic ambience surfaced not as direct references but as distant echoes.

Built around a dialogue between synthesizers, electronics, acoustic percussion and environmental recordings, ‘Miraggi’ balances rhythmic movement with spacious, cinematic composition. During the recording process, August was joined by drummer and percussionist Lorenzo Setti, whose performances and co-writing became an integral part of the album’s evolving rhythmic language. Across extended improvisations and recording sessions, August and Setti gradually shaped a musical language that feels both deeply personal and quietly transportive, allowing atmosphere and place to become as important as melody or rhythm.

The title ‘Miraggi’ (‘Mirages’) emerged organically, evoking a longing for something that remains just out of reach — something that cannot fully be grasped or lived. It suggests a suspended state between perception and imagination, akin to a hallucination or a dream. In this sense, ‘Miraggi’ reflects the project’s inner narrative: an imagined soundtrack shaped by desire, memory and the spiritual abundance of the Mediterranean Sea.

‘Miraggi’ will be released on vinyl and digitally via Music From Memory on September 10th 2026.

Frazer Ray lands on Time Is Now with Masha EP. Four tracks of killer, stripped back FWD facing proto/future garage effortlessly pushing the sound into a new direction.

FACTS:

1. Frazer Ray knows how to make a dance. IYKYK…. Recently he’s been shelling Live UKG cooked right in front of you on a custom modular rig. Mad energy. 100% party business.

2. Frazer Ray knows a thing or two about making UK soundsystem music. The artist FKA Soundbwoy Killah is now a decade deep in his discography. And first as ‘Soundbwoy Killah’ and now as ‘Frazer Ray’ he is 2 for 2 with aliases that never miss.

3. New Frazer Ray is always something to get excited about. For 10+ years he’s kept it super tight. Quality over quantity. Always holding dubplates. When releases have landed they drop on only the best labels; including both Rinse and Rinse’s new INGRAM imprint, Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint, Sneaker Social Club, Interplanetary Criminal’s Locked On and IPC & Main Phase’s ATW Records. (side note - his Soundbowy Killah - ‘Halcyon Daze’ LP on Sneaker is IMO an all time classic - do not sleep on that one). Aaaannd… if the dubplates got too heavy he’s also occasionally dropped weight on his own U-Phorix label.

Also…..what has always struck me about Frazer’s music is that it’s simultaneously integral in the hardcode continuum while also pushing it forward. It’s always complete. Fully formed. You never bristle. There’s no failed experiments. Just a firm nod to the future for anyone looking.

OK… Run the tracks.

Masha’s vocal licks tell it straight, this one is “Fire”. Proper club business to test the stacks. The drums roll steady in front of a wall of sub bass. A killer mix of post dubstep era goodness, techno sound design and the shuffle & swing of proto dubstep.

Settle Down There’s something 90’s tek step about this one. Dark and moody with a wall of bass. It bristles with texture and atmosphere before – a moment of reprieve in this absolute weapon – Frazer opens up into a dubwise oasis before skittering back into the darkness.

Syren Song is exactly what it says on the tin, alluring Dancehall vocals chatter and roll. Who knew auto-tune and Garage paired so well… Frazer did that’s who.

No Reasons Left is an ethereal closer for the end of the night / start of the morning after. Gliding warm & introspective dubwise breaks with a Reese bassline that hangs in the space between garage and hardcore.

Frazer says…

“This EP feels like I've finally nailed integrating my modular setup (and VCV rack for all you nerds out there) into my productions. I wanted to create deeper production while still ensuring the tracks translate well in the club.”

If this is only the beginning then strap in.

“I like to work with a variety of instruments and set ups,” says Mark Van Hoen, sometimes known as Locust or Autocreation but here working under his own name on the excellent Plan For A Miracle, his first physical release of solo music since 2018’s Invisible Threads. ”Sometimes it’s literally in my studio, with all the hardware electronics available. Sometimes the laptop, using software instruments. Some of the tracks on this record were recorded in the desert (Joshua Tree) using a 4-track tape machine and small modular synthesiser set up. Each track was recorded in different location using different instruments, which accounts for the distinction between each piece. It’s also about my own reaction to my environment, and what’s going on in my life at the time.”

The Croydon-born Van Hoen started musical life in the early 1990s, signing for R&S records in 1993 but developing his own, myriad and distinctive style across a range of releases on Touch, Editions Mego and other labels, using a battery of instruments, including analogue synthesizers and taking a number of different approaches to recording, rather than ploughing a single sonic furrow. He has worked on a number of collaborations, including with Nick Holton and Neil Halstead of Slowdive, under the moniker of Black Hearted Brother - their Stars Are Our Home was released in 2013. “I have known Neil Halstead since 1992,” says Van Hoen. “He shared a house with me for a couple of years, and the music I was making and listening to along with clubs I was attending had an influence particularly on Pygmalion, the final Slowdive album on Creation.”

Each track on Plan For A Miracle does indeed sound like a world unto itself, a mini-environment, a weather condition, an ecosystem created for the moment. It’s a collection of tracks recorded over the past few years, released on Bandcamp - despite his apparent absence, Van Hoen works constantly. Opener “Climates”, in its exquisite limpidity, feels like a homage to Brian Eno, one of his most formative influences in his teen years, commencing with Music For Films, which he bought in 1979. “This Is For Them”, feels like a ghostlike throwback to early drum & bass or electronica, reminiscent of his own, earliest outings. “There have been a number of requests from labels to make some more music like my very early releases on R&S,” says Van Hoen. “This is part of ‘letting go’ and realising that there’s nothing less creative about going back to those styles again.”

“Pencil Of Spheres” is something else again, a magnificent, imaginary glass structure, shimmering, refracting, without visible means of suspension, a thing of impossible beauty. “Electric Lights” evokes an abandoned fairground, its lights still pulsating, its music lingering. “The Underpass”, meanwhile, insofar as it reminds of anything at all, is faintly reminiscent of Cluster or Neu’s! West German ambience, the urban mundane rendered magical, the sodium lights, the whitewashed walls. The reverberant, faintly oriental chimes of “Insight” transport us yet again, burgeoning and intensifying.

The landscapes, the skyscapes rendered on Plan For A Miracle feel unpopulated as a rule - but when he does introduce vocal elements, Van Hoen has a history of doing so to spectacular effect - think of “Real Love” from 1998’s Playing With Time, the seductive intonation of its title recurring throughout like a series of massive holograms, echoing, stuttering, breaking up, surging. Here, there are just the faintest of vocals, barely distinct, disquieting. “There’s been a bit of a game changer in recent times,” explains Van Hoen. “AI software that enables you to extract vocals and instrument parts from virtually any recording. That means sampling individual parts from existing sources is no longer limited to the original mix exposing certain parts soloed. The vocal parts I use are from multiple sources and often pitch shifted altered rhythmically and melodically.“ There’s further vocal chatter on “I Really Do”, proceeding at a faster pace as if giving chase, or being pursued - distant, enigmatic. “The Music”, meanwhile, its beat tolling, lost in its own fog of static, features a curious intonation, like the ghost of a lost Walker Brother.

Sadly, the album’s title is in reference to a personal tragedy on Van Hoen’s part - the loss of his wife. Titles such as “I Won’t Give Up”, which faintly reminds of another Eno masterpiece, Another Green World, in its nautical hurly-bury, or the pastoral strains of “Mrs Who”, heavily clouded with sadness, seem to allude to this. “In fact the record was recorded entirely before she passed away,” says Van Hoen, “most of it before she even became very ill. The title was given to the album when it started to look like she wasn’t going to make it beyond a few months. It was something Osho said - “plan for a miracle” - so it was a statement of hope. Unfortunately it was not to be.” Although the album is non-thematic, non-specific in its atmospheres, sound paintings, elegant structures it most certainly stands as a magnificent monument to Osho’s memory.

-David Stubbs.

Chopping Mountain, das neue Album von Ibibio Sound Machine, ist die bislang deutlichste Umsetzung der langjährigen Mission des Londoner Kollektivs, Liebe, Einheit und Widerstand durch Musik zu fördern. Es ist das sechste Album der Band in voller Länge und das erste, bei dem Max Grunhard seit ,Doko Mien" aus dem Jahr 2019 als Produzent mitwirkt. Nach ihrem von Hot Chip produzierten Durchbruch ,Electricity" (2022) und dem düstereren, clubbigen Einschlag des von Ross Orton produzierten ,Pull the Rope" (2024) fühlt sich ,Chopping Mountain" an, als stamme es direkt aus den Herzen und Erfahrungen der von Eno Williams und Grunhard angeführten Band. Williams ist wie immer eine Sirene - eine Frontfrau, wie sie nur einmal in einer Generation vorkommt, deren Ruf, sowohl auf die Tanzfläche als auch nach einer besseren Zukunft, unmöglich zu widerstehen ist. Wie sie das macht, ist ein Rätsel. Nimm zum Beispiel einen Song wie ,Return to Sender". Inspiriert von einem Autounfall, bei dem sie spürte, wie ihr das Lenkrad buchstäblich aus den Händen sprang - was sie mit ,einem spirituellen Angriff durch unsichtbare Kräfte" verglich -, ist der Track ein kraftvoller, kathartischer Rager, ein Ganzkörper-Workout und eine lautstarke Ablehnung des Bösen in mehreren Sprachen, Englisch und ihrer Muttersprache Ibibio. Sie ist natürlich kaum allein am Fuße des ,Chopping Mountain". Ibibio Sound Machine - Grunhard (Saxophon, Keyboards), Alfred Bannerman (Gitarre), PK Ambrose (Bass, Keyboards), Joseph Amoako (Schlagzeug), Afla Sackey (Percussion), Scott Baylis (Trompete, Keyboards) und Tony Hayden (Posaune, Synth) - sind übernatürlich eingespielt und schöpfen aus ihren Wurzeln und Inspirationen in Highlife, Disco, Afrobeat, Funk, Post-Punk und Electropop, um um ihre Stimme herum gewaltige Klangkathedralen zu errichten. Vor dem Hintergrund einer entmutigenden Welt bleiben Ibibio Sound Machine hoffnungsvoll, auf der Suche nach Bewusstsein und Verbundenheit. Sie setzen den Weg fort, den sie erstmals auf ,Pull the Rope" eingeschlagen haben: Viele Songs auf ,Chopping Mountain" entstanden aus Jam-Sessions, bei denen sie sich auf einen Groove, ein Instrument oder einen Text konzentrierten. Auf ,Concept of Love" formen sie einen Afro-Disco-Song, auf ,Love" vertiefen sie das Konzept und liefern ein ätherisches Stück Highlife. Bei ,Give Me Peace" ist sogar Dele Sosimi von Fela Kutis Egypt 80 zu hören. Diese berauschende Mischung aus unterschiedlichen Stilen und Herkunftsorten verschmilzt über das gesamte ,Chopping Mountain", wobei die Songs darin vereint sind, dass sie die schärfsten Werkzeuge sind, die Ibibio Sound Machine im gegenwärtigen Moment einsetzen können. Sie stellen den Kampf um Freiheit als einen gemeinschaftlichen dar. Der Weg zur Befreiung ist lang und beschwerlich, aber er ist nicht ohne Freude - hier ist ein Album, das vor ihr nur so strotzt.

Nach 17 Jahren Band-Bestehen veröffentlichen Suralin ihre erste 7-Inch. Zeitgemäß, möchte man zynisch anmerken, aber darum hat sich die Chemnitzer Band generell nie geschert. Every Day Slices Me enthält vier neue Songs, getragen vom Motorik-Beat im Spannungsfeld von krautig-stringentem Postpunk-Pop-Etc. Ein kompaktes, stimmiges Release, das den Facetten- Reichtum der Band zeigt. Das sanft treibende "The Sentiment's a Lie", gehüllt in eine warme, süßliche Decke aus Melancholie, begleitet von Zeilen zwischenmenschlicher Entfremdung, steht Songs wie dem fordernden "Driving Home" gegenüber, dass auf dem Weg nach Hause den Tod findet. Es sind die gegensätzlichen Emotionen und Stilmittel, die Suralin in den vier Songs verbindet und daraus eine ganz eigene Spannung und Intensität entstehen lässt.

Mit „Everglow" veröffentlichen Lifespark. ihr Debütalbum - einen Longplayer, der modernen Alternative Rock und Post-Hardcore mit atmosphärischer Tiefe und internationalem Anspruch verbindet. Die Band aus Koblenz hat sich mit starken Singles und intensiver Live-Präsenz bereits europaweit einen Namen gemacht.

Für Sänger David Lukacs markiert „Everglow" einen echten Neuanfang. „Everglow eröffnet uns zum ersten Mal die Möglichkeit, unsere Vision von Lifespark auf einer deutlich größeren Skala zu leben", sagt er. Er beschreibt das Album als eine Art Lifespark 3.0: Nach den Anfangsjahren zwischen 2018 und 2022 - geprägt von Corona, Besetzungswechseln und ersten kleinen Shows - festigte sich von 2023 bis 2025 das heutige Line-up, mit erster großer Support-Tour, erster eigener Headline-Tour und der Debüt-EP. Mit den „Everglow"-Singles beginnt 2026 die nächste Stufe - mit dem klaren Ziel, Lifespark. auf die ersten großen Festivalbühnen zu bringen.

Nach Support-Shows für We Came As Romans, Our Last Night, Hands Like Houses, Escape The Fate und Rain City Drive hat sich die Band eine stetig wachsende internationale Fanbase erspielt und sich europaweit als vielversprechender Newcomer etabliert. 2026 setzen sie diesen Weg konsequent fort – unter anderem als Support für Acres auf großer Europa-Tour im Herbst 2026 mit Stopps in Großbritannien, Deutschland, Österreich und weiteren Ländern.

„Everglow" ist weit mehr als ein Debüt. Es ist das geschlossene Statement einer Band mit klarer künstlerischer Vision: Musik zu schaffen, die verbindet, Kraft spendet und lange nachhallt - und die Menschen für einen Abend zusammenbringt, ganz gleich, woher sie kommen. Zwischen Verletzlichkeit und Stärke entsteht ein Sound, der ehrlich, packend und bereit für die nächsten großen Bühnen ist.

The newest sound suite by Night Foundation, the solo project of visual artist and Noir Age label owner Richard Vergez. Inspired by reality and light. Mental objects that traverse our minds in the form of sound. Things familiar, but new to your ears. Interest in the things left behind. Some were just accidents that fell on the tape. Manipulations of time.

A memory archive containing exposed wires, slightly broken machines, and those slow, morose moments in film or the happy accidents in dreams. Live, improvised sequences for liminal synths, one-string guitar, mutated trumpet, metal objects, drum box. That type of thing. Under the spell of Brussels, Leeds, and Berlin.

Night Foundation is a current collaborator with Little Annie and has releases on labels such as Psychic Liberation, Jungle Gym, and Amulet of Tears.

For fans of:

Bourbonese Qualk, Klaus Schulze, x.y.r., Tomaga

Limited edition cassette with Rispgraph cover and newsprint insert.

Set for release Sept. 11, 2026

An emotional transmission wrought with the persistence of existence. Anasisana returns to Noir Age for his third release with the label. For Self Exploration, the Tunisian artist is focused here on existential alchemy; processing grief, encountering the unknown, and (possibly) experiencing growth through his simplistic and downtrodden approach to sound composition.

Anasisana constructs a plaintive sonic trajectory; leading in with harsher passages before settling into the restrained yet powerful ambient approach that we have come to love about Anas’ work. A skeletal, leftfield grunge deconstruction, echoing the corridors of HTRK’s darkest secrets crossed with the perpetual bliss of Isorinne, Canadian Rifles, or the warped dementia of The Caretaker.

A palindrome hypnotic.

Anasisana’s music has been published by labels such as Vaagner, Casement Exchange, Perfect Aesthetics, Trust Collective & Amulet of Tears.

Limited edition cassette with Rispgraph cover and newsprint insert.

Tommy McCook was not only a founding member of the legendary Jamaican Ska group The Skatalites, but also a brilliant musical arranger. His informed understanding of Jazz, R&B and in fact most music styles would always add another layer to any song put his way. This made him the go to guy for most of the Jamaican producers, who would use his arrangement skills to pepper up their latest tunes.

Tommy McCook, (b1927, Havana, Cuba) came to Jamaica with his mother from Cuba aged 11 and entered renowned Alpha Boys School for underprivileged children, a school that placed great emphasis on musical tuition. At the tender of 14, such was his talent he has left to join Eric Deans Orchestra and took on stints with other bands led by Don Hinchman and Roy Coburn. All the bands played in the Swing and Jazz style of the times. He relocated to the Bahamas in 1954 where he further developed his Jazz technique and upon his return to Jamaica in 1962 began working Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One and became involved in the development of Ska. His knowledge of Jazz, R& B and Jamaican musical forms helped set the tone for the group of musicians he was working with and would name the Skatalites. The group, consisting of Don Drummond (Trombone), Roland Alphonso (Tenor Saxophone), Jackie Mitoo (Piano), Lloyd Brevett (Bass), Lloyd Knibbs (Drums), alongside Tommy himself on Tenor Saxophone. The group would back all the major Ska vocalists pf the day and would also go on to cut a catalogue of instrumental music. The Skatalites split up in 1965 and Tommy McCook moved over to work with Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle Studios where he formed The Supersonics. A set of musicians under his guidance that consisted of Lynn Tait and Ernest Ranglin (Guitar), Neville Hinds and Winston Wright (Organ), Gladstone “Gladdy” Anderson (Piano), Hugh Malcolm and Arkland “Drumbago” Parks (Drums), Clifton “Jackie” Jackson (Bass), and Tommy and Hernon Marquis (Saxophone). The more laid back sounds from 1966-1968 would be given the name Rocksteady of which again McCook was at the forefront. The top producers like Bunny Lee would use the musicianship of Tommy McCook and his arrangement skills to enhance this new sound.

We have compiled a great selection of rhythms that featured McCook blowing over tracks stripped of their vocals and replaced with some fantastic lead lines played by Tommy and some of his fellow horns men.
We hope you agree like we do that they do this in fine style.

REBIRTH is the debut EP from grime/nu-metal sensation Native James, the Ipswich-based artist making his way through festival stages such as Glastonbury and Download and support slots for everyone from letlive., Skidred, and Don Broco to Hyphen, Bob Vylan and Nova Twins. This non-stop onslaught of energy features fan-favourites "Hammer" and "Power".

There is a pivotal scene in “August in the Water” (dir. Sōgo Ishii, 1995) where the surface of a pool turns into a stone wall. The water that gave the protagonist's life its meaning becomes a threat. As you fall through this stone wall, you appear in a set of underwater coral-reef corridors, and one of the most beautiful musical themes begins to play: Aquatic Ambience, composed by David Wise for Donkey Kong Country (1994). It's a theme that represents the weightless vibe of your new deep-sea life, where you go about your mundane errands, collecting bananas while driving on a swordfish, or, as HerzMayhem put it: "Poor monkey... always swimming, never going anywhere..."

Synthetic Water Music is the second of three compilations, following Synthetic Bird Music and timed to mappa's 10th anniversary. As with the birds, it gathers friends of the label, artists who have released with mappa or played our shows. Most of the music is new, made to measure for this compilation, much of it from Central and Eastern European hands. Birds and water mix well, so please feel invited to play them together, creating your own environments.

Where the birds were in one flock, water is dispersed across four chapters. You live your life as a droppity drop: vapour in the heavens, condensing in clouds, falling into a swamp, trickling into the deepest sea.

Tlālōcān (Cassette 1, Side A)
A place of eternal spring, of aquatic energy that nourishes everything and allows all things to bloom. Bubbly and splishy-sploshy, it is full of dripping sounds and moist caverns (“Emerald Pool” by Pauline Anna Strom), a landscape filled with living fountains (“Oh, to be a Fountain” by Eva Sajanová) and winding streams that flow through the area, forming part of its organic architecture. It is also a paradise reserved for those whose deaths were water-related, where the aquatic and terrestrial beings live in symbiosis and perspectives shift rapidly, from observing a single droplet (Shakali, Lau Nau) to dew (Feronia Wennborg & Lucy Duncombe) and on to flowing currents (Visible Cloaks) that gradually transform into river music (Ursula K. Le Guin & Todd Barton).

Nephelora (Cassette 1, Side B)
A celestial anti-gravity sound world made of evaporation, steam and the formation of clouds, as if looking at “The Sky At The Bottom of the Well” (by Natalia Beylis) or at “The Cloud That Never Rains” (by Henrique Vaz).

If a cloud never rains,
it is not a cloud at all, but a veil that parches the earth with its gaze.
It generates only its own shadow —
a looming mass of suspended longing,
a sky that hoards but never yields,
a reservoir that swallows every river and returns nothing but echoes.

The water in this world is often invisible but sometimes all the more present, as Bint Mbareh describes it: “Recently been obsessed with invisible waters because I come from a place where you have to imagine the water is there even though you cannot see a river, a sea, usually no rain, so water is in the air, the voice and the imaginal realm, drought is imagined to be negotiable.”

Žaboglach Zha-bo-glahch (Cassette 2, Side A)
A fusion of Scottish lochs and Slovak ponds: a misty, foul-smelling, swampy realm, the kind of place that swallowed Artax from The NeverEnding Story. Stagnant waters full of decay become a blooming habitat for sirens (“thereby losing the weightless delight of being swept along with it” by Adam Badí Donoval) and beings straddling the line between fauna and flora, inventing their own communication systems (“Water-lily phase” by Action Pyramid).

R'lyeh (Cassette 2, Side B)
A brooding sunken city at the bottom of the ocean. It’s a journey to get there. Let this chapter guide you, from the shore down to the depths, to the gates of an unexplored world that is inherently dark, unfathomable, and beyond the limits of human perception: starting with seasickness ("Seasick" by Nikolaienko), passing through a classic Poe-esque maelstrom ("Flurry at the Whirl-pull" by Atte Elias Kantonen), a gateway into the darkness and emptiness of the ocean floor, and finally traversing the city itself (“last waves of 2025” by Jules Reidy).
But what is pulling you to a place like this that only a few explore and even fewer leave? Maybe “the darkness that water can contain, the expanse of things we don't know and that can trigger fear instincts even as we try to rationalise them and think we are in control of the rest of nature” (“supercritical fluids” by Diane Barbé).

Dive in and surface wherever you like. Always swimming, never going anywhere. Just don’t forget to take water breaks.

P.S. Birds, then water, can you guess what comes next? Synthetic Soil Music, an elegy for insects and worms? Synthetic Glaciers, or maybe Pollinators? Which sounds would you miss the most if they disappeared? Or what if the third one never comes at all, and somebody, or something, makes Synthetic mappa Music instead. Don't you worry, with the right training data, it can all be replicated, better than the real thing.

The compositions recorded here are a product of work with computers in synthetic speech, song and vocal sounds and were created between 1972 and 1975. The music was realized on two different computer music systems and takes advantage of, and attempts to extend and explore their features. The system employed to realize speech songs was created at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for research in synthetic speech and speech communication. Since the system was not designed for musical purposes, its limitations were severe and its musical use a great (and often rewarding) challenge. The system used for In Celebration and The Story of Our Lives was designed with the expressed purpose of creating synthetic musical voices, and was therefore much better suited to the task at hand. As with any high technology project, there was extensive collaboration in the production of the works.

The works on this disk are called computer music because the sounds were created numerically in a computer before reaching magnetic tape and loudspeakers. The computer did not compose the music. However, it was only used as a sound synthesis and analysis medium. In order to hear the sounds which are represented in the computer as successions of numbers it was necessary to attach a digital-to-analogue converter to the computer. The converter transformed the succession of numbers into a fluctuating voltage which was recorded directly on to audio tape.

The technique used to create the synthetic voices is called speech synthesis-by-analysis. For this method of speech synthesis, only those words, phrases and sentences which have been spoken into the computer previously (via an analogue-to-digital converter) may be synthesized. First the digitally-recorded speech is analyzed by programs which extract the attributes (parameters) of the speech for short time segments (.01 sec.). From these parameters the speech may be recreated in a form which resembles the original recording very closely. But for musical purposes the parameters are most often altered before synthesis. It is possible, for example, to change the natural pitch contour of the speech into a melodic line or to change the speech speed without altering the natural pitch level.

The variety of musical patterns which may be created from the analytic parameters is limited only by the composer's imagination. Most of the speech sounds on the recording were created by changing the pitch and duration attributes of the original on resynthesis, but for a few, the resonances (the formants) of the speech were altered as well. The voice of the book in The Story of Our Lives was created by replacing the program which simulates the sound of the human vocal cords with one consisting of 64 sine tones glissandoing at different rates. All the textures in which more than one voice is heard were obtained by mixing the synthetic voices together digitally.

Donkey Inching', the Cellophane Suckers' ninth studio album, is set for release in September 2026. Unwavering and stubborn as a donkey, the Cellophane Suckers follow their very own path at their very own pace. The band, decried as "lead-swallowing" high-speed rock 'n' rollers, stoically let chords linger and celebrate feedback, reducing rather than harmonising, then picking up the speed when you least expect it and slowing down shortly afterwards to roll on in a Dadaist fashion the drums become a machine, the guitars increasingly embodying yin and yang. With "Execution Day", they pay tribute to Spencer P Jones, whom one might well cite as a musical influence, and Neil Young is also honoured, whose Wall of Sound goes down well with the Suckers. The fact that a text by Charles Bukowski is also "set to music" may be down to their love for red wine "Donkey Inching"... creeps stoically and stubbornly, like a donkey, into your ears. In July 2026, the Cellophane Suckers will once again be touring Brittany, and in September they'll be hosting a release party at the Sonic Ballroom in Cologne. Further concert weekends are planned for autumn/winter 2026...

Le Sacre du Tympan est mon orchestre et mon instrument d’expression depuis 25 ans.
Avec cet ensemble a géométrie variable qui possède une dizaine d’albums a son actif, et de nombreux concerts en France et a l’étranger, je m’exprime en tant que compositeur mais aussi
arrangeur.
En 2008, nous avions crée un programme au festival Jazz a la Villette, avec cinq musiciens, en privilégiant la musique électronique et les synthétiseurs dans la musique de De Roubaix, pionnier du home studio et des Synthés. En 2015, nous avons enregistré ce programme.
Pour le cinquantenaire du compositeur qui aura lieu en 2025, j’aimerais élargir le programme autour de la musique orchestrale également très présente dans son oeuvre, ce qui permettra d’accentuer l’aspect intemporel de sa musique, tout en la confrontant aux œuvres de quelques autres compositeurs, pour démontrer l’influence qu’il a pu avoir y compris auprès de légendes telles que Morricone, Michel Legrand, ou John Barry.

Revenir sur les compositions de François de Roubaix permettra de mettre en avant la richesse des thèmes, des harmonies, et des timbres qui émanent de ses oeuvres, qui ont traversé les décennies en mettant en valeur leur portée intergénérationnelle auprès de tous les publics.
Fred Pallem, janvier 2025

Die A-Seite stammt von den weitgehend unbekannten Modettes – einer von George Kerr produzierten Gruppe, die über eine außergewöhnliche Leadsängerin verfügte. Die Dame lässt ihren Emotionen freien Lauf und beklagt die Unvernunft ihrer jüngsten Beziehung. Auch die Shaladons sind eine rätselhafte Formation; sie nahmen drei exzellente Songs für Larry Banks bei GWP Productions auf – noch bevor das Label überhaupt offiziell an den Start ging. Es handelt sich um eine großartige Sweet-Soul-Interpretation von Banks’ Titel „Showdown“, der bereits ein Highlight der ersten CD aus der Reihe „Dave Godin’s Deep Soul Treasures“ darstellte.

Bei ihrer Ankunft in den USA anlässlich der ersten landesweiten Tournee von The Tubs sagte Frontmann Owen Williams gegenüber dem ,New Yorker": ,Wir sind hier, um das Land zu vereinen. Wir werden so etwa dreimal kommen. Bis dann, denke ich, wird dieser Ort anfangen zu heilen." Und genau das taten sie dann auch voller Freude: Sie quetschten sich in einen Transporter und durchquerten die Vereinigten Staaten kreuz und quer, um den Massen ihren literarischen, verschlafenen, lebensmüden, ,Nacht-deines-Lebens`- Hochseilakt zu präsentieren, als dieser am dringendsten gebraucht wurde. Den Tubs hat es nie an Ehrgeiz gefehlt - auf ,Hard Life" geht es ihnen darum, das ,Tub-ullar"-Erlebnis zu verkomplizieren. Nachdem sie ihre Chemie über zwei vorherige Alben, Hunderte von Auftritten und ein ständig wachsendes Universum von Bands aus dem Londoner Gob Nation Collective (The TSG, Sniffany & The Nits, Spike und Garden Centre) perfektioniert haben, dringt die in London ansässige keltische Jangle-Boyband - Williams (Gesang, Gitarre, Keyboards, Bass), Dan Lucas (Gitarre), Taylor Stewart (Schlagzeug) und Max Warren (Bass) - dringen noch tiefer in das schillernde Herz des virtuosen Indie-Rocks vor. Zu ihnen gesellen sich die regelmäßigen Mitstreiter Lan McArdle (Gesang), George Nicholls (Gitarre) und Rachel Kenedy (Keyboards), die alle schon seit den Tagen von Joanna Gruesome an verschiedenen Projekten im Umfeld von ,The Tubs" mitgewirkt haben; doch das Geheimnis der Üppigkeit von ,Hard Life" ist die Mitwirkung des Geigers Chris Haigh, eines Musiklehrers und Session-Musikers, der mit dem Steps-Hit ,5, 6, 7, 8" unauslöschliche Spuren im britischen Pop hinterlassen hat. In Anlehnung an Williams' Einsatz von Trillern in den Gesangsmelodien untermalt Haighs Geige den wehmütigen Gesang des Sängers wie ein blauer Fleck. Bei ,Stoop to Me", dem folkigsten und klimperndsten Popsong des Albums, ergänzen Haighs Licks Williams in seinen selbstironischsten Momenten - das schiefe Lächeln eines Mannes, der versucht, nicht zu zeigen, wie sehr ihn die unerwiderte Liebe verletzt. Beim Album-Opener und Titelsong ,Hard Life" ist es die Süße der aufsteigenden Geigenlinien im Mix, die die Härte von Williams' Texten mit den mitreißenden Hymnen von The Tubs verbindet. Die harte Linie, die Williams hier und an anderen Stellen auf ,Hard Life" einschlägt, stellt die Vorstellung vom typischen Tubs-Song weiter auf den Kopf. Die Figur, die den Hörern von ,Cotton Crown" und ,Dead Meat" vertraut ist - um Williams: ,die Nabelschau über romantische Erniedrigung, Londoner Elend und die Demütigungen von Trauer und Zwangsstörungen" - ist nach wie vor präsent, doch ebenso gibt es eine zweite Stimme, die härter und erfahrener ist. ,Die zweite Figur hat nicht viel Zeit für die erste", erklärt Williams, ,und hält ihm oft seine Selbstgefälligkeit und Unreife vor; manchmal zu Recht, manchmal zu Unrecht." Es ist dieser Nörgler, der auf der Lead-Single ,Who's Gonna Love You Now?" im Mittelpunkt steht. Seine Fragen - von der im Titel genannten bis hin zu konkreteren Sorgen wie ,Wer bezahlt die Miete?" - stehen in spöttischem Gegensatz zu Ideen wie dem Umzug in die Stadt und dem Beginn eines wirklich erfüllten Lebens. Obwohl Williams den Griesgram spielt, ist der Song ein echter Raver, bei dem Gitarren über einem von Orgelklängen erhellten Horizont erklingen. ,Es ist dein Leben", singt Williams, während das Leben unter ihm vor sich hin tuckert und dabei außerordentlich lebhaft klingt. Er hätte wohl wenig Mitgefühl für den liebeskranken Williams aus ,If You Don't Love Me" - verdammt, seine gesamte Existenz wirkt wie eine Warnung, dass die Art von romantischen Verstrickungen, unter denen man in jungen Jahren leidet, in Einsamkeit, Scheitern und einem Posteingang enden wird, der mit ungelesenen Substacks überfüllt ist. Auf ,Hard Life" streiten diese Stimmen, bedrängen sich gegenseitig, verschmelzen miteinander und lösen sich wieder voneinander, manchmal sogar im Laufe eines einzigen Songs. Sie sind zwei Seiten derselben Medaille, Menschen, die Trauer, Enttäuschung, Reue und Scham erlebt haben und als veränderte Menschen aus den Trümmern hervorgehen. ,Mich interessiert, wie Mitgefühl und Geduld für jemanden, der leidet, immer irgendwann zu Ende gehen", sagt Williams. ,Wie das sowohl etwas Gutes und Befreiendes als auch etwas Trauriges und Brutales sein kann. Aber im Grunde sind es einfach nur Popsongs." Exquisite, unwiderstehliche Popsongs. Man höre sie sich so lange an, bis die Heilung beginnt, und dann noch einmal.

Bei ihrer Ankunft in den USA anlässlich der ersten landesweiten Tournee von The Tubs sagte Frontmann Owen Williams gegenüber dem ,New Yorker": ,Wir sind hier, um das Land zu vereinen. Wir werden so etwa dreimal kommen. Bis dann, denke ich, wird dieser Ort anfangen zu heilen." Und genau das taten sie dann auch voller Freude: Sie quetschten sich in einen Transporter und durchquerten die Vereinigten Staaten kreuz und quer, um den Massen ihren literarischen, verschlafenen, lebensmüden, ,Nacht-deines-Lebens`- Hochseilakt zu präsentieren, als dieser am dringendsten gebraucht wurde. Den Tubs hat es nie an Ehrgeiz gefehlt - auf ,Hard Life" geht es ihnen darum, das ,Tub-ullar"-Erlebnis zu verkomplizieren. Nachdem sie ihre Chemie über zwei vorherige Alben, Hunderte von Auftritten und ein ständig wachsendes Universum von Bands aus dem Londoner Gob Nation Collective (The TSG, Sniffany & The Nits, Spike und Garden Centre) perfektioniert haben, dringt die in London ansässige keltische Jangle-Boyband - Williams (Gesang, Gitarre, Keyboards, Bass), Dan Lucas (Gitarre), Taylor Stewart (Schlagzeug) und Max Warren (Bass) - dringen noch tiefer in das schillernde Herz des virtuosen Indie-Rocks vor. Zu ihnen gesellen sich die regelmäßigen Mitstreiter Lan McArdle (Gesang), George Nicholls (Gitarre) und Rachel Kenedy (Keyboards), die alle schon seit den Tagen von Joanna Gruesome an verschiedenen Projekten im Umfeld von ,The Tubs" mitgewirkt haben; doch das Geheimnis der Üppigkeit von ,Hard Life" ist die Mitwirkung des Geigers Chris Haigh, eines Musiklehrers und Session-Musikers, der mit dem Steps-Hit ,5, 6, 7, 8" unauslöschliche Spuren im britischen Pop hinterlassen hat. In Anlehnung an Williams' Einsatz von Trillern in den Gesangsmelodien untermalt Haighs Geige den wehmütigen Gesang des Sängers wie ein blauer Fleck. Bei ,Stoop to Me", dem folkigsten und klimperndsten Popsong des Albums, ergänzen Haighs Licks Williams in seinen selbstironischsten Momenten - das schiefe Lächeln eines Mannes, der versucht, nicht zu zeigen, wie sehr ihn die unerwiderte Liebe verletzt. Beim Album-Opener und Titelsong ,Hard Life" ist es die Süße der aufsteigenden Geigenlinien im Mix, die die Härte von Williams' Texten mit den mitreißenden Hymnen von The Tubs verbindet. Die harte Linie, die Williams hier und an anderen Stellen auf ,Hard Life" einschlägt, stellt die Vorstellung vom typischen Tubs-Song weiter auf den Kopf. Die Figur, die den Hörern von ,Cotton Crown" und ,Dead Meat" vertraut ist - um Williams: ,die Nabelschau über romantische Erniedrigung, Londoner Elend und die Demütigungen von Trauer und Zwangsstörungen" - ist nach wie vor präsent, doch ebenso gibt es eine zweite Stimme, die härter und erfahrener ist. ,Die zweite Figur hat nicht viel Zeit für die erste", erklärt Williams, ,und hält ihm oft seine Selbstgefälligkeit und Unreife vor; manchmal zu Recht, manchmal zu Unrecht." Es ist dieser Nörgler, der auf der Lead-Single ,Who's Gonna Love You Now?" im Mittelpunkt steht. Seine Fragen - von der im Titel genannten bis hin zu konkreteren Sorgen wie ,Wer bezahlt die Miete?" - stehen in spöttischem Gegensatz zu Ideen wie dem Umzug in die Stadt und dem Beginn eines wirklich erfüllten Lebens. Obwohl Williams den Griesgram spielt, ist der Song ein echter Raver, bei dem Gitarren über einem von Orgelklängen erhellten Horizont erklingen. ,Es ist dein Leben", singt Williams, während das Leben unter ihm vor sich hin tuckert und dabei außerordentlich lebhaft klingt. Er hätte wohl wenig Mitgefühl für den liebeskranken Williams aus ,If You Don't Love Me" - verdammt, seine gesamte Existenz wirkt wie eine Warnung, dass die Art von romantischen Verstrickungen, unter denen man in jungen Jahren leidet, in Einsamkeit, Scheitern und einem Posteingang enden wird, der mit ungelesenen Substacks überfüllt ist. Auf ,Hard Life" streiten diese Stimmen, bedrängen sich gegenseitig, verschmelzen miteinander und lösen sich wieder voneinander, manchmal sogar im Laufe eines einzigen Songs. Sie sind zwei Seiten derselben Medaille, Menschen, die Trauer, Enttäuschung, Reue und Scham erlebt haben und als veränderte Menschen aus den Trümmern hervorgehen. ,Mich interessiert, wie Mitgefühl und Geduld für jemanden, der leidet, immer irgendwann zu Ende gehen", sagt Williams. ,Wie das sowohl etwas Gutes und Befreiendes als auch etwas Trauriges und Brutales sein kann. Aber im Grunde sind es einfach nur Popsongs." Exquisite, unwiderstehliche Popsongs. Man höre sie sich so lange an, bis die Heilung beginnt, und dann noch einmal.

Iris is back! This time with a brand-new long-player under the name Irisplus with many featured guests.

Lazy, stumbling slacker songs with multilingual vocals, expanding the melodic, riff-driven sound of previous Iris releases like “Surrender”. Watch out for the full-band live version!

Flute by Falyakon: Music/Ghost
Vox by TRii: Fog, Spoof, EG Land
Extra guitar/percussion by TRii: Deeds
Vox by Falyakon: يا ليل ,قرش و عتيق
Vox by Employee: Fernando, Crossings
Vox by Mo Chan: 今日も明日も

All songs written, produced, mixed and recorded by Iris. Mastered by The Bastard and Maximilian Schweizer. Graphics by Non-CN. Pressed by Disk Media Service.

Klar, die Mitglieder von Pegboy waren schon in anderen Bands. Manche würden sie vielleicht sogar als ,wegweisend" bezeichnen. Man würde erwarten, dass Pegboy allein aufgrund ihres Werdegangs beträchtliche Aufmerksamkeit auf sich ziehen würden (Gitarrist John Haggerty war bei Naked Raygun, Schlagzeuger Joe Haggerty spielte bei Bloodsport und Effigies, und Sänger Larry Damore sowie Bassist Steve Saylors waren bei den Bhopal Stiffs). Ihr erstes Album ,Strong Reaction", das ursprünglich 1991 erschien, zeigte, dass die Band ihr beachtliches Gespür für knallharten, melodischen Punk in Songs wie ,Superstar" und ,What To Do" verfeinerte und sich gleichzeitig an ein mitreißendes Instrumental wie ,Locomotivelung" wagte - so würden Slayer klingen, wenn sie sich die Haare schneiden lassen und einen Job annehmen würden.

Entstanden aus nächtlichen Harmonien, geteilten Sprachmemos und einer langjährigen Freundschaft, die auf gegenseitiger Bewunderung basiert, haben Haley Blais und Sam Lynch die Supergroup True Mountain Laurel gegründet. Ihr Debütalbum ,Angel So Bad" ist eine zarte, staubige Erkundung all der Gefühle, die durch die Maschen fallen. Das Projekt, das zu gleichen Teilen aus folkiger Träumerei und countryhafter Sehnsucht besteht, schöpft aus ihren jeweiligen Solokarrieren. Sams poetische Selbstreflexion und Haleys messerscharfe, intime Texte verschmelzen zu etwas Sanfterem, Seltsamerem und ganz Eigenem. Beeinflusst von Künstlern wie Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams und kanadischen Singer-Songwritern der frühen 2000er geht es bei dem Projekt weniger um das Genre als vielmehr um das Gefühl. Akustikgitarren, mit Besen gespielte Drums, Pedal Steel und gelegentlich klirrendes Klavier untermalen Texte, die wie Tagebucheinträge wirken, ohne bekenntnishaft zu sein: Sie fangen den Schmerz des Älterwerdens ein, das seltsame Gefühl, immer noch mehr zu wollen, und die Freude, in der Stimme eines anderen ein Zuhause zu finden. Diese Songs haben eine Lässigkeit, die bewusst wirkt. Während Sams Solowerke eher filmisch und atmosphärisch sind und Haleys eher clever und orchestral, treffen sie sich hier in der Mitte: warm, minimalistisch und ein bisschen rau an den Kanten. Live nimmt das Projekt eine noch intimere Form an - ohne Setlists oder starre Arrangements. Einfach zwei Freunde, die die Wahrheit singen, so wie sie sie an diesem Abend empfinden.

orange in white splatter coloured vinyl

GoldFord’s soul music is rooted in truth. His raw, unvarnished songs are a balance of introspection and catharsis, grappling with heartbreak, healing, and the quiet revelations that come with growth. After spending a decade in corporate America, the St. Louis native (now based in Los Angeles) turned to music as a means of survival following a devastating personal loss. “I was more afraid of dying with regret than I was of failing,” he says of his decision to finally choose the path at 30, a choice that set his entire trajectory in motion.

That initial fearlessness has since fueled extraordinary momentum. With over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, GoldFord has rapidly become one of the most compelling emerging voices in contemporary music.

Mit der auf Metalville erschienenen LP "Godslave Limited Clear W Orangegreen Marble Vinyl Edition" präsentiert Godslave das nächste Level seiner Kreativität, bleibt aber im Großen und Ganzen seinem Stil treu. Godslave sind eine deutsche Thrash‑Metal‑Band, die sich durch geradlinige, riffgetriebene Kompositionen und eine ausgeprägte Nähe zur klassischen Teutonen‑Thrash‑Tradition auszeichnet; prägnante Lead‑Parts, treibende Rhythmusgitarren und rauer Gesang prägen das Klangbild. Die Arrangements setzen auf klare Strukturen, schnelle Tempiwechsel und gezielte melodische Einsprengsel, wodurch die Stücke zugleich eingängig und kraftvoll wirken. Live hat die Gruppe einen Ruf für energetische Auftritte, die die rohe Aggressivität der Studioaufnahmen unmittelbar transportieren. Auf ihren Veröffentlichungen bei Metalville zeigt die Band immer wieder, wie sich traditioneller Thrashsound mit moderner Produktion verbinden lässt, ohne die ursprüngliche Direktheit zu verwässern. Diese Edition wendet sich an Hörer/innen, die Wert auf handfeste Gitarrenarbeit und unverblümte Songstruktur legen.