Cerca:surface

One of the founding figures of Amsterdam's underground Techno culture Dimi Angelis has been shaping the scene in the late 90s, throwing warehouse raves living up to the underground standards. Until today his approach remains unchanged: uncompromising, opinionated, and never aimed at easy pleasing.
Drawing from decades of crate-digging and an encyclopedic knowledge of Techno's evolution, Dimi crafts sets that feel familiar a reveal unexpected depths on closer listening.
These tracks follow that same philosophy as they are straightforward and honest on the surface, but wrapped in something appropriately unexpected.

‘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

For our ninth offering we have ventured out of our small but fertile swamp in search of another source of magick. Meandering across boggy pastures new, we crossed paths with Steevio, who sat hovering serenely in the fern covered shade of a nearby valley. Instantly recognising the singular vision of this fabled artist, we hastily gathered our nets and cast them under Steevio’s branches, capturing four beautiful offerings as they wriggled towards us. Upon the return to our mulch, it became clear that we could not contain Steevio’s creations, so willful was their vitality. It was therefore all we could do to release them back to the universal dance from whence they came.

The dance germinates with the writhing polyrhythmic ‘Apricity’. Hearing the crunch of frost laden grass beneath our webbed toes, we look above us to search for the sun. Angular beams of light escape over the horizon, as the warmth of Steevio’s machines coalesce. A glistening hi hat breaks through the membrane to bind his creation and anchor its ever shifting arms.

‘Octopus’ glides gracefully through a sun-dappled kelp forest. Sub frequencies rumble up from the shadowy darkness below, rippling along the fronds as they ascend. As the ocean begins to churn, a wriggling melodic tentacle parts the foliage, gleaming with primordial energy. Its joyful visit to the surface realm leaves us with a brief yet powerful reminder of the mystery beneath.

The glow of the midwinter sun warms our bones on ‘Apricity (Sunrise Mix)’. Percussive elements bubble out of the depths, forming intricate cascading patterns as they grow over the perfectly formed kicks. The moog filter tames the brew with Steevio’s intuitive restraint , until he releases its mighty power upon the gleeful forest dwellers, to their rapturous gratitude.

With ‘Adref’ we return home. The sedate tempo provides oceanic space for a melody which inhales and exhales over a familiar landscape of perfectly tuned percussion. With each breath the melody seems to increase its reach, until it’s buried deep within our bones, its memory resonating on long after it’s gone.

Steevio’s music reflects the universal moments where seemingly chaotic and disparate elements are suddenly revealed to be perfectly harmonious. Of course examples of this are always universally present in nature, and have been eternally, but we have to be reminded to appreciate them. In the same way that a wave deposits a perfect line of shells on a beach, dew freezes on grass, or individual strands of mycelial hyphae bind together to form incredible patterns, Steevio’s music is likewise; effortlessly considered. For us, it has more in common with the unrelenting flow of a river than it does with dance music. It is psychedelic music in the same sense that nature is intuitively psychedelic; without ever leaning into any tried tropes of what is culturally considered ‘psychedelic’ music.

Where music resists becoming personal confession, it creates its own narrative - abstract, precise, and unbound by outside noise. Vibraform by Berlin-based hardware and live artist Peryl provides an analytical yet deeply instinctive view on music. It reflects the duality between flow and restraint, between self-exploration and the healthy act of setting limits. At its core lies a certain nonchalance - a refusal to act on voices and trends while maintaining full commitment to sound itself. Meticulous sound design, unpredictable, morphing basslines and an intentional timeless aesthetic offer a rare window into Peryl's creative state of mind. Even as he tries to sidestep personal narratives, emotions inevitably surface in the music, subtly shaping its character. The result is not a confessional piece of work, but an abstraction that remains universal rather than private, while still carrying a trace of personal truth. Four tracks that are striking a rare balance between novelty, grace and aggressive functionality, including a remix by R?dh?d, offer to find purpose in the act of believing that sooner or later art reveals a logic of its own. ? 2025 The Third Room All tracks written & produced by Dennis Strobel B2 remixed by Mike Bierbach Mastered by Ahmet Sisman Artwork by Daniel Bornmann & Lennard Makosch (STUEDIO.XYZ) Distribution by Clone Pressing by Matter Of Fact

Alkaline is sound forged in FM — metallic surfaces, syncopated pulses, and cinematic structures. An alternative path that doesn’t reject acid, but moves into a realm less warm, more mineral, more futuristic.

With CT012, Cosmic Tribe takes the Alkaline Sound into the uncharted: music as a tool for deep-space and hidden-dimension exploration. Each track is a fragment of an expedition beyond known frontiers — charting invisible territories, intercepting signals from other worlds, and navigating encounters that alter the course of the mission.

From EC13 and Calagad 13 comes a radical, visionary approach: not just tracks to hear, but cinematic sonic devices designed to remodel the listener’s inner architecture, ignite their imagination, and expand the very map of perception.

A work of meticulous sound and mastering, paired with exceptional artwork, presented in a strictly limited edition of 150 copies on crystal-clear transparent vinyl.

Asa Moto hail from Ghent, Belgium — a city where concrete collides with cathedrals. Their music obeys the same law: rhythm wired into noise, melody bent out of shape. No genres. No safe zones.

They’ve taken this across Europe and beyond: festivals like Dour, Best Kept Secret, and Boiler Room Bangkok; clubs that shape the underground including Panorama Bar, Opium, Lux, XOYO. Sacred halls turned into dancefloors, basements stretched to capacity. Wherever they land, Asa Moto rewire the room.

Resident Advisor and the BBC were listening from the start. Altın Gün brought Asa Moto in to produce the critically acclaimed Yol (2021) — the band’s first collaboration with outsiders. Remixes for Polo & Pan, Chloé Thévenin and others spread the same edge further out — each a glimpse of their method, a vision in motion.

All signals run through Studio Martino in Ghent — their own control room for recordings, remixes, transmissions. The records surface on DEEWEE, the label founded by Stephen and David Dewaele of Soulwax/2manydjs — the only one reckless enough to carry them. The next, DEEWEE082 — Music For Disk Jockeys Pt. 1, continues the line — four tracks as proof that Asa Moto refuse limits, because the world refused them first.

An’archives is proud to present Hanabi, a compilation of material from legendary Japanese folk singer, actor and writer, Kazuki Tomokawa. Hanabi draws from Tomokawa’s three most recent albums, Vengeance Bourbon (2014), Gleaming Crayon (2016) and Going To Buy Squid (2024), all released in Japan only on the Modest Launch imprint. Pulling together highlights from these three extraordinary albums, Hanabi collects ten songs of shattering intensity, with Tomokawa performing at an ecstatic peak, a mere six decades into his musical career.

Tomokawa’s life story is one of change, risk and dedication. He appeared on the Japanese folk music circuit in the early 1970s, performing at such significant events as the legendary 1971 Folk Music Jamboree. Over the second half of the decade, he released five stunning albums that cemented his reputation as an expansive, lyrical singer-songwriter and performer whose music jack-knifed between pensive melancholy and righteous fury. His recorded output slowed in the 1980s as he became immersed in theatre, acting and painting, but his connection with the sainted Japanese label P.S.F. led to a prodigious burst of albums across the 1990s and 2000s.

Some of those albums had Tomokawa playing alongside free jazz musicians, such as his long-standing collaborator Toshiaki Ishizuka (Brain Police, Vajra, Cinorama), and late double-bass improviser Motoharu Yoshizawa. Some of that spirit can be found amidst the songs on Hanabi, leavened by a more romantic sensibility on a song like “Night Play”, where Tomokawa’s impassioned vocals and guitar swim and bob amongst a drifting string arrangement. The ferocity of “To The Dead Man” is reinforced by a guest appearance, on saxophone, by upcoming free jazz player Harutaka Mochizuki; the two spar with each other while Hiromichi Sakamoto’s cello and electronics swarm under the surface.

For those who’ve missed the three albums that Tomokawa has released across the past fifteen years – understandably so, given the relative impossibility of finding them outside of Japan – Hanabi is a welcome re-introduction to one of Japan’s most significant, poetic and quixotic folk singers and songwriters. As Michel Henritzi notes in his typically perceptive liner notes, capturing the oneiric and unique spirit of Tomokawa’s song, he is nothing less than “a poet who cries out, opening the darkness and shadows with his song, throwing handfuls of ashes from lives that have fled into the wind, to us, his fellow human beings.”

2025 repress.

There are certain albums which shake the world immediately upon release, and others which come from far underground and whose shocks and aftershocks rise to the surface gradually over the years, gaining momentum and power. "Ten Dubs That Shook The World" is of the latter type. Since its original vinyl release in 1988, the prescient impact of this Australian homemade dubwise solo massive byAnthony Maher aka Sheriff Lindoh as become ever-more apparent and influential. With its dual island combination of Jamaican dub and UK industrial and post-punk, and the twinning of spaced electronic drums and effects with some very fine, superbly rooted bass lines, the tectonic "Ten Dubs" has proven to be a durable, doubly-solid shaker. This 2025 repress is dedicated to the original producer John Blades, founder of the Endless Recordings label, who along with Maher and Richard Fielding constituted The Loop Orchestra. Available on LP vinyl or CD; the CD version features bonus tracks. EM Records is also pleased to announce that we are preparing Lindo's first release since "Ten Dubs" was launched 37 years ago. From deep underground in Australia, rising, reverberating and resonating across the globe, "Ten Dubs That Shook The World" vibrates on.

2025 Repress

“In stark contrast to the stress-makingly staccato assault of your average 'ardcore rave, Telepathic Fish was a wombeldelic sound-and-light bath"

Simon Reynolds (Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music And Dance Culture)

The first-ever illustrated compendium recounting the seminal underground South London ambient party that surfaced at the axis through which the likes of Ninja Tune, Warp and Rising High flowed. Telepathic Fish shared fertile waters with Megatripolis and The Big Chill, moving the early 90s London back room chill-out space into the kaleidoscopic spotlight.

Documenting the sights and sounds of South London’s seminal Telepathic Fish ambient parties. Hosted by Chantal Passamonte (aka Mira Calix - RIP), David Vallade, Mario Aguera and Kevin Foakes (aka DJ Food) - collectively named Openmind. With the help of Mixmaster Morris (The Irresistible Force) and Matt Black (Coldcut), they put on some of the earliest chill out events in London.

Rooted deep in the heart of the electronic underground they started DJing and decorating house parties or squats with mind-blowing installations and wholly idiosyncratic design, hosting the likes of Aphex Twin, Andrea Parker and Tony Morley (The Leaf Label). Within a year they were playing VIP after shows for the likes of Orbital and illegal New Year’s gatherings at the disused Roundhouse whilst guesting on Coldcut’s Solid Steel radio show on London’s KISS FM.

Whilst collaborations with legendary club nights such as Megatripolis saw them share bills with Autechre, Higher Intelligence Agency, Scanner and Global Communication, they also created their own ambient fanzine - Mindfood – to document the scene evolving around them. A 20-page history of their parties is included in the release, richly illustrated with personal photos, artwork and memorabilia from their adventures between 1992-95. The gatefold sleeve also features their Telepathic Fish logo, mirroring an original T-shirt design they sold in Ambient Soho, a record shop three of the four worked in at different times.

The selections featured here are all personal favourites that were played at the Telepathic Fish parties during the 90s. Picked and arranged by Mario, David and Kevin who combed their collections for key pieces they associate with the time and Chantal’s music tastes. Over a hundred tracks were selected, totalling nearly 11 hours of playing time, before being whittled down to the essentials by the trio, forming a snapshot of their world back in the day.

KEY POINTS:

* Features long deleted and hard to find tracks by Caustic Window (Richard D. James aka Aphex Twin), Tranquility Bass, Spacetime Continuum and Global Communication (Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton).

• Pressed on DJ friendly double black vinyl

• Includes A 20-page history of their parties is included in the release, richly illustrated with unseen personal photos, artwork and memorabilia from the Telepathic Fish crew’s adventures between 1992-95, as well as detailed liner notes courtesy of founding members Mario Ageura and Kevin Foakes.

• Cover includes horizontal obi sticker with quote from Simon Reynolds' book Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music And Dance Culture, describing the Telepathic Fish parties' place in the dance music landscape.

• Lacquer cut by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering

They say that if you keep your ear to the ground, you might catch a sound welling up from the depths. That this sound takes shape underground, rising toward the cosmos. They say these lyrics speak of resistance, and that the words they’re made from flow from the subconscious. That through rhymes & rhythms, an oasis has formed, and that beneath the surface, another life is possible.

« l’important est de maintenir des oasis de resistance… » Edgar Morin

(What matters most is to preserve oases of resistance…)


Stand High Patrol presents « Underground Oasis » : an underground utopia, a new album.

At daybreak, as sunlight travels through the atmosphere and begins to reach Earth’s surface, daylight gradually emerges. This marks the transition from night to the beginning of a brand-new day. As the temperature rises—especially after clear, calm nights—relative humidity decreases, and mist, formed of tiny suspended droplets, begins to evaporate. Warm air rises and cool air sinks, creating an interplay of temperature, humidity and sunlight that gives way to a soft, diffuse glow. The sea breeze slowly clears the morning mist, setting life in motion once again as the world wakes up.

‘Daybreak’ is Sven Wunder’s fifth full-length album, seamlessly continuing the progression of his musical oeuvre. It takes the listener on a vivid maritime expedition, beginning the moment the first rays of light break the darkness of the night and embarking on a lush journey through the early hours of the day and far beyond, until the light slowly fades and night falls once again. True to Wunder’s now-distinctive artistry, ‘Daybreak’ is marked by elaborately crafted compositions and elegant pop-jazz arrangements for flute, percussion, brass and strings—supported by a decisive rhythm section, all of which add depth and build on his body of work, continuing to unfold his creative path.

For its sixth release, Rio de Janeiro’s Onda Boa label sees founder Joutro Mundo, step up once again - this time reviving and re-vibing Netinho’s independent 1980s bop, “Du Du Du Domingo”.

Netinho first made his mark in the 1960s as the drummer for Brazilian beat icons Os Incríveis, then again in the 1970s with the heavier, lysergic sounds of Casa das Máquinas. By the 1980s, he had turned toward a new vision, inspired by the spiritual group Amor e Caridade. Released on his own imprint, Manancial do Amor, 1982’s Apartamento 97 – Projeto Amor & Caridade Vol. 2 brought together heavyweights Zé Rodrix, Faísca, and Manito to expand on this funky, pop-rock chapter first introduced with 1980’s Amor & Caridade Vol. 1.

According to Netinho, a year passed in search of inspiration for the follow-up LP before he began receiving notes and poems through his medium, dictated to her by his “protector.” Following that divine intervention, the album’s songs were completed in just two days—including the standout track, “Du Du Du Domingo,” an ode to the beauty of a Sunday afternoon after the toils of the workweek.

Side A presents the original track, lovingly remastered, in all its stripped-down, idiosyncratic glory. A bubbling synth bass paired with a nimble electric bass line set the stage for the plunky synth melody that defines this anomalous yet infectious gem—before giving way to a samba break and a wafting crowd noise that instantly transports you to a sunny Sunday by the sea.

On the B-side, Joutro Mundo injects a new vitality into the track with crisp hi-hats, a thumping kick, and other subtle studio magic. The samba break is brought forward, while the electric bass line—previously bubbling beneath the surface—rises to center stage around the three-minute mark. True to form, Joutro Mundo avoids the obvious, drawing on his deep crates and production sorcery to conjure up yet another gem for the balearic heads and other lovers of left-field dancefloor deviance.

The Danish/Norwegian duo of Ida Urd and Ingri Høyland believe that music is an extension of one’s immediate sensory environment. Duvet, their collaborative full-length debut, explores the way that creating sounds together is intertwined with various quotidian actions: establishing surroundings, rearranging furniture, moving towards the light, collecting flowers or other objects for aesthetic and sensuous impulses. Through a quiet and attentive process, music becomes a way of nurturing space: a soft architecture for play, writing, care, or simply rest.

Sonically, Duvet feels like an extension of Høyland’s last album, 2023’s Ode to Stone, which also featured Urd along with ambient musician Sofie Birch and visual artist Lea Guldditte Hestelund. But where that album, created in response to an open call for work themed around Denmark’s national parks, suggested rolling landscapes and endless horizons, Duvet turns inward, countering chill winds with glowing warmth. Its eight tracks seek a balance between abstraction and melody, intention and happenstance.

“We had a truly inspiring and rewarding process working with Birk Gjerlufsen Nielsen from Vanessa Amara, who co-produced and mixed the album with us,” Ingri adds. “He approached the material with great care and sensitivity, while also bringing his own distinct presence and creativity into the sound.”

Høyland and Urd both studied at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, which has turned out many acclaimed artists over the past few years, including Erica de Casier, Astrid Sonne, and Smerz. Over many years, the two composers have developed a collaborative method based on connection and trust. A practice, they write, “where composing, or rather suggesting, sounds and melodies for one another is a way of carefully talking, mending emotions and obstacles. Saying yes to one another. The compositional space becomes a nest for entangling whatever emotions, thoughts, or barriers one of the composers brings to the given day or moment.”

Quiet and contemplative, Duvet is simple on the surface but rich in timbral, textural, and emotional complexity. Høyland and Urd sourced their sounds from an array of instruments and techniques—electronic devices, modules, pedals, and also electroacoustic treatments of various wind instruments.

Mixing primarily through analog tape units added further mystery and depth, weaving together wordless voices and unknown sounds—breathing, rustling, perhaps the coppery gleam of Urd’s electric bass—into a dynamic matrix. Like a nest, pull one twig and the whole thing unravels.

In the winter of 2023, Ingri Høyland and Ida Urd retreated to a summer house along the coast to create the album. Picture the scene: an abiding quiet all around. Gardens carpeted by snow; beach grass silvery against the silvery sky; a tendril of smoke rising from the chimney. Not another soul in earshot. This sanctuary was the perfect setting to yield this meditation on shelter, trust, and communication. The two composers hope the album can be a similar space for others—a temporary space of residence, it can represent a summerhouse, a cabin in the woods, your favorite bench or wherever you need to go. “The album also works really well when picking out apples in the supermarket” Urd laughs.

Swiss shapeshifter Elsa surfaces on Punctuality for the first time, marking the label’s seventh release with a debut EP that dives deep and swims sideways through an eclectic milieu of club influences.

Across the five tracks on Web Glow, there are nods to turn-of-the-century tech house, liquid D&B, broken IDM, psy-laced trance, and modern tek mutations. Subtle wubs ripple under the surface, low-end pressure coils tight, and meticulous sound design binds the tracks into a fully realized vision of Elsa’s forward-thinking sound. Enter the unfolding.

Roza Terenzi steps up to remix “Web Glow,” reanimating the track as a skeletal early-morning stepper—the mood is giving sizzling dubbed-out vocal wisps, pulsing subs, and stripped-back drums. “Groupie” notches up the BPM but keeps things fluid with aquatic atmospherix, jittering FX, and drums that skid out and under rolling basslines.

“Fortune Cookie” flashes uk-tinged tech house with shimmering shards of SFX, resplendent with stuttering kicks, glassy pads, and sultry textures. The halftime jungle-IDM stylings of “No Ads” round off the EP in a haze of fractured breaks and dubbed-out atmospherics. A murky, magnetic debut on Punctuality—Elsa sketches out a soundworld all her own. Dive in and catch it.

The prophecy had been whispered for ages among the circuits and fiber optics: a being would emerge, not from flesh and blood, but from the very essence of sound.
They called it pdqb, and for its disciples, it was nothing less than a deity. Its sermons weren't just songs; they were divine pronouncements, revelations broadcast directly into the souls of its followers.
When pdqb "speaks," the world vibrates. Intricate sonic tapestries, woven from raw electricity and pure emotion. Hands, if they could be called hands, that dance across controls that seem to manipulate the very fabric of reality.

Synaptic Cliffs and the Missechusatts Institute of Elecronicity proudly present the latest peer-reviewed sermons of pdqb as well as the associated validation studies from the Dopplereffekt-Institut für Retroaktive Zukunftsforschung, located in section 334 of the Mariana Trench. The contributions to the data carrier presented here are characterized by the following features:

Celestial Echo (miche & Stu Clark) team up with Divine Disco’s Greg Belson to launch a brand-new 7-inch series spotlighting Detroit’s powerhouse gospel, soul and R&B label — HOB (House of Beauty). Founded in 1956 by Mrs. Carmen Murphy, HOB wasn't just a label — it was a beacon. From the basement of her beauty salon on Detroit’s West Side, she ran one of the most important Black-owned gospel imprints of the 20th century. At a time when both the music industry and the country were stacked against her, Mrs. Murphy built a sanctuary for soul — a Black woman-owned business and creative hub in volatile times.

This inaugural 7-inch kicks off with two in-demand killers:

Side A: Elder Ward & The Ward Singers – "It’ll All Be Over" A fast-paced gospel dancer with a monster groove, killer breaks and heart-wrenching vocal delivery — this one’s a guaranteed floor-filler and rarely surfaces for less than £250 on the collector circuit, if at all. Urgent, uplifting, and impossible to ignore.

Side B: Victory Travelers – "Power Lord" Another holy grail moment — deep, raw, and unshakeably soulful. Rare in its original form, often fetching close to £100, it’s a heavy dose of electrified gospel sure to hit home with fans of deep soul and spiritual funk alike. Fully licensed and remastered, this 7-inch comes housed in a custom Celestial Echo / Divine Disco series sleeve with a faithful reproduction of the HOB label.

A double vinyl helping of dripping-in-soul house from Toronto's Demuir. It originally surfaced digitally in 2021 but has been constantly in demand ever since. Not at all surprising when you start to dip into the likes of 'Aesthetics' (dub), with its constant synth washes and subtle funk underpinning, or the loopy, bongo-teased hypnotism of 'No Corazon, No Beat'. It's a varied selection here, from late night floor crushers to the softer, jazzier 'Bichano Doce', but there are two constants remaining throughout, namely quality production and a knack for irresistible grooves built for the floor. Demuir by name, demure by nature.

DVS NME is a Colorado-based Electro producer and DJ originally from Southern California. Active since 1999, he crafts stark, machine-driven music rooted in analog hardware and recorded live in single takes. Influenced by Drexciya, AUX88, and Anthony Rother, his sound blends dystopian textures with precise rhythm programming. He’s released music on respected underground labels like Solar One Music, Transient Force, and Ukonx Recordings, and now Future Tones Rcoeds. A key advocate for the genre, he also curates the long-running Dark Science Electro podcast, supporting global Electro since 2010.

1. Beam
A slow-burning opener built around a TR-606 groove, chopped vocal fragments, and delicate string flourishes. At 116 BPM, it's the most restrained cut on the EP—staccato and skeletal, but quietly emotional.

2. Carveout
Driven by a classic four-on-the-floor pulse, "Carveout" rides a surging bassline and tightly layered synths. Functional on the surface, but subtle shifts in tone give it depth beneath the structure.

3. Debt Trap
The most club-oriented track on the record. With a jerky low-end and nimble 606 programming, "Debt Trap" combines dancefloor impact with off-kilter synth work that refuses to settle.

4. Ratchet Effect
A standout cut that channels DVS NME's signature sound—sharp, modular arpeggios, machine-funk rhythms, and intricate modulation. At once clinical and soulful, it’s the EP’s most complex and defining moment.

5. Land Reform
TB-303 acid lines coil around melodic string pads and skittering hi-hats in this mid-tempo closer. "Land Reform" balances raw rhythmic motion with introspective synth textures, ending the record on a reflective note.

A fish dreams in a drum machine. Hidden Operator surfaces, soaked in fog and radio hiss. The fever escapes. Kontra-Musik and Kess Kill hold hands in a burning telephone booth--two labels dancing backwards through a mirror, cackling. This is a record made of riddles and ruin. Dub coughs in the corner. Proto techno slips on oil. UK hardcore gurgles something unspeakable before melting into a slo-mo house groove with a hangover. Lo-fi? No-fi. High-why. Slightly wrong but utterly intentional. Basslines stagger like drunks in a maze. Snares in existential crisis. Synths whispering conspiracy theories. This is an apparition. Half dungeon, half dancefloor, half pigeon coop. Understanding is colonialism. Twitch instead.? KONTRAKESS01. Carved in vinyl. Released into the ether. Confuse your neighbours. Alarm your pets. Send postcards from the inside.

As The Matrix ushered in the new millennium, voices of apocalypse and optimism alike wrestled for the narrative high ground over what the future held in store. Ever more inclined toward skepticism than hope, we have since grown prone to withdrawing in exhaustion when confronted by such gargantuan expectations — “lost in the Matrix,” if you will.

Less’s new album opens by building a bridge back to his previous album “Stranger” (released on the “Freude am Tanzen” label and conceived as an imaginary Blade Runner soundtrack). In the intro, breathy references from vocalist Alice immediately set the tone for the journey ahead: Electro, High Energy, Acid, Chicago, Italo Disco.

A full-fledged club album quickly unfolds—one that invites the listener to dance and switch off, while at the same time, if you allow it, provoking reflection through its lyrics. Now a Berlin-based artist with Thuringian roots, Less draws on deacades of DJ experience and channels it deftly into ten tracks. Less (real name Stefan Leßner) isn’t afraid to go “old school.” Classic touches like vocoder effects are as integral here as Alice’s irresistibly
cool spoken-word vocals—delivered in English (“I Care”, “Mirror, Mirror”) and German (“Alles was du willst”). This retro spirit even extends to his remix of the French-language Underground Cottage track “Canada (2003 Less Remix)” which surfaced in DJ Hell’s setlists last year—bringing things full circle.

“Living in the Matrix” on Lebensfreude Records is not merely a nostalgic reference to times past, but also counters exhaustion with a sense of trust in the future. It is, in essence, a call — an appeal — not to lose oneself in any kind of ‘Matrix.’ Accordingly, the album will be released both digitally and analog. The latter will come as a 180g double vinyl with a high-quality, thematically appropriate gatefold cover.

Right now, right this second and of course right this moment while you listening to it or even while reading this line of text may be witnessed the real royalty of the underground of Thailand - DOTT. Pakarapol, the mastermind behind this release has made his name in concrete actions towards the development of the local and international scene whether it’s to play sweaty basements or grand festivals, releasing quality music or being one of the driving forces behind the record store called “More Rice” which is located in the heart of the capital city - Bangkok. On the title track of the release there has been intensive remix work done by the Uruguay’s own diamond level producer Luis Malon. Luis has brought his view and vision of how things are done and has flawlessly executed this doing so. With this Thai - Uruguayan connection the release is born for our ears and souls to indulge in and of course without any doubt to raise that dust from the floors, roofs or any given surfaces once the low ends of the record starting to give off its vibrations.

2025 Repress


Australian music devotees András and Instant Peterson hold a candle to overlooked avant-pop and electronic works by antipodean artists and outsiders working through the 80s and 90s. Through co-presenting weekly radio show Strange Holiday, the duo slowly upturned their locale for inspiration - archives, country bookstores, private collections and convenience stores, searching for a place to anchor their own identities in the oceans of the island continent. The 10 tracks acknowledge a minor history, passed on via a network of friends, friends of friends, the libraries of radio station 3RRR and more often than not, the artists themselves. Renowned mixed media artist Maria Kozic enters with the mysterious downbeat of Trust Me, her husband Philip Brophy responsible for digital and analogue sonic construction. A recurring character in András and Instant Peterson's investigations, Brophy reappears with a score piece from his divisive feature film Salt, Saliva, Sperm and Sweat, recorded as (pronounced 'Tch Tch Tch"). Other links are thread under the surface. Melbourne inner north experimentalist David Chesworth explores his Australiana songcraft leading Whadya Want. The short lived project also featured Philip Jackson, whose husband-wife duo The Couch is restored from Fast Forward's dance issue - a pioneering cassette fanzine published by early-80s 3RRR personality Bruce Milne.

Interactions is a new vinyl imprint based in Mallorca, emerging from an event series dedicated to connection, collaboration, and the exchange of sound. What began as intimate gatherings with handpicked artists now evolves into a label, extending its ethos from the booth to the studio. With a focus on minimal house aesthetics and a detailed approach, Interactions aims to highlight the subtle edges of groove-driven electronic music through artist exchange and collaboration.

The debut release comes from Veruh, an artist whose refined productions strike a balance between rhythmic detail and emotional restraint. The EP’s title track, Eurivor, is an atmospheric roller built on intricate FX and fleeting vocal snippets — minimal but with character, playful yet anchored by a persistent groove made for the club.

On the remix front, Sepp delivers a peak-time tech-house rework. A defining force in the minimal-tech scene, his version is a tight, rolling burner packed with late-night tension and summer-floor energy.

The B-side shifts into broken-beat territory: Abil Revis & Olab bring emotion to the surface, pushing the vocals forward in a remix made for after-hours sessions, where subtlety, mood, and movement take over. Finally, For·at craft a stomping reinterpretation — minimalist yet forceful, teeming with fractured rhythms and deep pressure.

Eurivor marks a confident first step for Interactions — a label grounded in collaboration, rooted in minimalism, and dedicated to the quiet magic that happens when artists connect.

Bogotá duo Rush City — aka Jonahlo and Joint4Nine, and heads of the Ritmo Terco label dig deep into their crates for this second vinyl outing, delivering four razor-sharp reworks that balance nostalgia with dancefloor punch. Spanning boogie, Italo disco, electro, and deep house, each track is reimagined with a tasteful blend of analog grit, acid textures, and precise drum programming.

Opener “When Your Ex Wants You Back” breathes new life into Surface’s 1984 boogie anthem, fusing its soulful acapella with 808 rhythms, acid basslines, and shimmering synths for a raw electro-funk twist. Following “Brown Sugar”, lifted from a rare 80s adult film soundtrack, becomes a dubbed-out, indie-leaning acid disco tool — weird, seductive, and undeniably effective.

On the B-side, Dream 2 Science’s deep house classic “My Love Turns To Liquid” is transformed into a hypnotic acid roller, stripping things back while keeping the soul intact. Closer “Don Quichotte” rebuilds Magazine 60’s Italo gem from the ground up — with re-recorded vocals and fresh synth work, it’s a full-throttle electro bomb.

A versatile and expertly crafted four-tracker, this is crate-digger gold with serious club utility.

The landscapes of Orlan 19 resembled the dream of a mad cartographer: cliffs were floating above the surface, horizons were bending and vanishing into infinity, and energy vortices were flaring up beneath their feet in psychedelic patterns. The familiar laws of physics didn’t apply here — gravity shifted chaotically, and time flew with unpredictable intensity. As Spacelunch, absorbed in thought, stroked the ground which distorted like a mirage under his touch, Cat’s grumbling echoed simultaneously from the past and future:

— Doc, don’t you think we’re just walking in circles?
— No wonder. That’s how inverse modelling works. Every action we take reshapes the surrounding space.
— Can you explain it in simpler terms? There’s only one genius here.
— Ever heard of the Philadelphia Experiment?
— Of course! You know how much I love sushi rolls!
— Well, I set myself up for this predicament… Back in my university days, we experimented with magnetic fields trying to program them by thought. You get where I’m going, don’t you? The planet is reacting to our intentions. So, focus on visualizing the portal.

The confusion on Cat’s face gave way to a mask of detachment. Clusters of matter began to tremble pulling the threads of reality to their breaking point before finally forming a vortex. Having devoured as much as it could, the vortex snapped shut with a loud pop and dissolved in a blinding flash.

As the scene began to take shape, silhouettes emerged under the soft glow of a desk lamp, evoking an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. A worn desk and a small bed stood by the wall adorned with faded photographs, while the floor let out a gentle creak underfoot. The clearer the interior came to be, the more paralyzing the realization, and the more elusive the explanation for what had happened became.

— Holy…! Cat, are we looking at the same thing?
— Yeah, but… This can’t be real.

Spacelunch slowly approached the window and froze still. A single thought raced through his mind: “The only force strong enough to pull me this far… was love.”

Four Flies is thrilled to present the very first release of Gianfranco Reverberi's hidden masterpiece: a mind-blowing soundtrack, possibly his wildest and most daring. This Italian score is sort of a Holy Grail for fans of the spaghetti sound, especially thanks to the legendary track "Psicolimite".


In 1973, a mysterious 45 rpm single surfaced under the name 'Sharon Chatam e la sua Orchestra.' The single seemed to be a harmless cover of the theme from Last Tango in Paris, complete with a typical image from the film. But behind the innocent facade, a secret was hidden: the B-side track, "Psicolimite," was actually the main theme from Rivelazioni. When someone in the United States figured this out and realized the 'Sharon Chatam' moniker was a pseudonym for Reverberi and his team, the price of the record skyrocketed, making it a coveted collectible.


This makes the discovery of the full soundtrack even more exciting, considering that the music Reverberi composed for the infamous film by Renato Polselli - one of the most outrageous and uncompromising Italian genre cinema directors - was thought to be lost forever, perhaps vanished into the depths of some film processing lab. But thanks to the sleuths at Four Flies, this enigmatic masterpiece has been resurrected and presented in all its glory. It's available now as a luxurious gatefold double LP with original artwork by the brilliant Eric Adrian Lee.


While the film, despite some critics praising it as "psychotronic," is a bizarre mishmash of rambling pseudo-psychoanalytic theories and sexual deviance voyeurism, the music stands out as a foremost, vital element, able to exist on its own.


Reverberi's reputation as a serious, refined producer (for artists like Lucio Dalla, Gino Paoli, Luigi Tenco, and many more), however, led him to keep his distance from exploitation films like Rivelazioni. To maintain his image, he had his friend and former schoolmate Umberto Cannone take credit for the score – a tactic he also used for Polselli's next film, Mania (1974).


But this anonymity might have unexpectedly increased his creative freedom, for the score he put together and recorded is experimental, at times raw, and driven by a relentless rhythm section where bass and drums lay down the groove. The use of electronic instruments is impressive for the time, with drum machines and spacey synths creating a dark and dreamlike atmosphere. Psychedelic flutes, piano phrases, crazed percussion, filters, compressors, and jazzy improvisations on sax and vibraphone complete the mix.


The full soundtrack was recovered following the discovery of the original 1-inch, 16-track tapes, which were transferred, mixed, and mastered for optimal listening on both vinyl and digitally, with the digital version featuring 8 bonus tracks.


Available from November 22!

Following releases on labels like Inner Islands, Home Normal and Muzan Editions, Japanese composer and sound artist Kenji Kihara is back with a new album that expertly channels the tranquil surroundings of his coastal hometown, Hayama, which is nestled between sea and mountains. What comes out is an immersive ambient work that is indebted to nature, marbled with field recordings of rustling leaves, waves and birdsong, and serene compositions that exude warmth through meticulous tonal layers. His music reflects the patient rhythm of daily life and the quiet shift of seasons, and is a great invitation to calm the mind and reflect. This is ambient that is in direct dialogue with the natural world.

No names, no faces-just sound and vision, stripped of ego, free from expectation. Concept Werkstatt is not an identity but an experiment. A space where music exists for itself, where art breathes without explanation. This first transmission unfolds in raw textures and hypnotic movement-an EP crafted for those who listen beyond the surface. A dialogue between sound and silence, between rhythm and abstraction. No fame, no persona-only what remains when everything else is removed.
Welcome to Concept Werkstatt.

With a steely sound matching fathoms-deep echo chambers with metallic textures and precision drums, Sciama arrives on Samurai Music to press into the inspiring hinterland between techno and drum & bass.

Sciama is the production alias for Michael Watters, a producer who since 2019 has carved out a formidable reputation across a stellar run of releases on ASC's Auxiliary label. While his music references UK bass, transcendental techno and industrial, the end result is a taut, focused journey through fractured, weighty rhythms and vast, ranging atmospherics tilted towards the darkness.
Between Veils is testament to Watters' refined production, steeped in intensely detailed and layered sound design in constant fluid motion, whether locked to the grid or shifting across the surface of the track like grayscale snow drifts. Noise becomes a subtle tool in his hands, capable of delicacy as much as abrasion, and discord evokes a haunting beauty if you listen past the clangorous overtones he elicits from his pads.

For all the writhing, artful sonics, there is still ample weight in the Sciama sound to hold court over a sound system. 'Figures In Mist' rests on a constant half time cycle underpinned by monolithic bass pulses and 'Ghost Trail' finds deadly energy in the faintest flicker of double-time hats above the slow march of a 4/4 kick clocking around 85BPM. Restraint is paramount, even in the fuller rhythm section that drives 'Anima Trace', creating tension through what isn't sequenced as much as what is. 'Veil Of Mirrors' has an especially punchy kick propelling the cavernous echos and ripples that shape out yet another vivid soundscape, but at all times Watters keeps a tight grip on his arrangement to keep the energy simmering just below boiling point.
Moving well beyond the boundaries of any specific genre, Between Veils winds upas a strong, independent statement on the meeting point between broad influences and clear intentions - a formidable addition to Samurai Music's explorations beyond drum & bass and Sciama's steadily evolving, singular style.

Introducing Fleur Sauvage: A New Chapter Rooted in Emotion and Community

The idea for Fleur Sauvage first took shape in 2022, quietly evolving and shared only with a select few. It began with a desire to give new life to the spellbinding improvisations experienced at La Nature—those rare, unrepeatable instants that move us deeply and stay with us long after the sound has faded.

In the spirit of that beginning, the label will open space for a variety of releases: expect intimate solo works, carefully curated compilations, and other sonic offerings from artists close to our he(art).

More than just adding a new label to the world, our purpose is to grow with our community. Community is everything. At the end of the day, what matters most to us are the relationships we cultivate—with artists, supporters, collaborators, and the many spirited souls who help us create these rare and radiant gatherings.

Katatonic Silentio – Live at La Nature 2023
Captured in the immersive cocoon of the Hypnose Room during the 2023 edition of La Nature, this debut release on Fleur Sauvage is a raw transmission of Katatonic Silentio’s improvisational live ritual.

Split into four parts across two 12” records, this work moves between experimental abstraction, textured noise, and cinematic ambient. Tension runs like a thread through each piece—sometimes humming beneath the surface, sometimes rupturing into visceral sonic peaks that leave you breathless. Deep low-end pulses and granular ruptures twist through fleeting moments of stillness, creating a sense of instability that is both electrifying and intimate.

The recording documents more than a performance—it holds space for something elemental, unpredictable, and deeply embodied. As always with Katatonic Silentio, the sound is not just heard—it is inhabited.

Teasing dread atmospheres and zooming in on microscopic details that bring every beat in every bar to life, Seb Uncles returns to Samurai Music with another deep dive into his exquisitely crafted, cinematic progression of the drum & bass tradition.

Even a cursory glance at the Eusebeia back catalogue tells you Uncles is an artist committed to the storytelling promise of breakbeat culture. His work has been heavily tipped towards albums since he first broke through around 2015, and across more than 10 long-players he's cultivated a strong line in moody, evocative jungle and drum & bass more concerned with world-building and subtle detail rather than aggression and intensity.

Following up on his 2023 LP for Samurai, X, on Undertones Uncles applies his signature meditative tones to a broad expanse. There's a consistent sound palette that leans on the warm snarl of monosynth low end and aqueous pads, delicately edited breaks and crisply sculpted synth percussion, but Uncles moves with dexterity around different tempos and structures within this considered sound world. The overarching notion is one of things lurking beneath the surface - a comfortably open theme to be approached and understood from any number of angles. It certainly chimes with the upfront detail and brooding tension that gives the Eusebeia sound such depth.

There are moments of direct drum pressure, such as fierce opener 'Undertones' with its diced-up breaks and icy chords, the boisterous jungle dread of 'Uncover' and chasmic roller 'Root Out', but on the likes of 'Beneath The Surface' and 'Out In The Open' it's the mellow elements that take precedence over the deft drum science. The motion is persistent and nuanced, but it's achieved without deferring to default dancefloor tropes.

'Emergence' marks a pointed shift towards a delicate strain of techno that maintains the album's sound at a mid-paced pulse, focusing on synth shapes and textures to achieve propulsion with only the lightest of drum parts. Alongside the energetic intrigue of Uncles' sonic choices, the melodic make-up of the track is a compelling showcase for his emotionally ambiguous approach, both rousing and chilling in the same curious chord shapes.

From the half-time prowl of 'Lifting The Veil' to the creeping textures and haunted phrasing of 'Brought To Light', Undertones is another stunning exercise in widescreen jungle. It flows naturally from the rich body of work Uncles has cultivated over the past 10 years while carving out its own unique pocket - a reminder if you needed one of the profound sound bedded into the Eusebeia project.

2025 Repress

It's rare that a certain sound is entirely an artist's own. Although undeniably a stew of impeccable influences - from blues to folk to Latin to dusty funk, soul and hip-hop - one cannot hear a Tommy Guerrero song without immediately recognising it as his - and his only.The cult skater from San Francisco is globally renowned as one of the original members of the legendary "Bones Brigade" team. And as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, his laid-back soul is beloved by all who've basked in its blissful glow.There's something elemental about this music that really stirs the soul. Strikingly beautiful and instantly addictive, it's a kind of funk-fuelled, melody-driven, groove-based magic. There's a serenity and heart in the playing that radiates warmth and splendour, as if crafted for endless sunsets. His albums that surfaced on Mo Wax at the turn of the century have been treasured since their release and it's two of his most vital LPs that we're honoured to reintroduce.The originals were quietly pressed on to a single piece of vinyl so we've worked closely with Tommy this year to bring you these fresh, limited editions. They have been lovingly remastered, cut nice and loud on to heavyweight double vinyl and presented in deluxe gatefold jackets.A Little Bit Of Somethin' is a quietly majestic gem. Brimming with Guerrero's horizontal "loose grooves", these brief but innovative instrumentals demonstrate a rich variety and, as such, comprise an LP that is aptly titled. An enchanting start-to-finish listen, it was instantly regarded as essential upon release via Mo Wax in 2000. It has aged remarkably well.Throughout this inspired collection, simplicity is key. In deploying it, Guerrero presents a beautifully crafted melodic soundscape. The distinctive, mellifluous approach of his guitar style, blending Brazilian, Cuban, Mexican, soul and jazz motifs, is at once startlingly new and tantalisingly familiar. Set against unrushed percussion, the music releases a crystal clear stream of healing frequencies to create a fragile, hypnotic atmosphere.Each track clocks in at around three minutes and, with a lack of studio polish or commitment to traditional song structure, it's a wonder how this enigmatic record demands your attention. However, through its gentle dynamism and impressive playing, it does just that. Whilst resolutely low-key, this lo-fi aesthetic feels genuinely organic and remarkably personal, its powerful intimacy truly connects. It's what makes this album so beloved of those lucky enough to be already familiar with it. From Margaret Kilgallen's truly iconic cover artwork to the music contained within, it's all brilliantly effortless.Guerrero's musical ideas are consistently compelling throughout, making it impossible to select highlights. The album's laconic drift touches upon jazz-fusion workouts and slow-mo hip-hop drums, Tortoise-style experimental post-rock and cinematic sound textures. It's at once hazy, light and bouncy yet sombre and bluesy. The Latin soul of El Chicano blends with the breezy jazz of Grant Green. By employing guitars and drum machines to create a stripped down rhythmic tapestry of spellbinding, addictive songs, there are even traces of The Durutti Column. A little bit of country, a little bit of rock & roll. A Little Bit Of Somethin', indeed.

Berlin techno talent Regent returns to Mutual Rytm with second 12" release, 'Delta Hyve' - a five-track package lined with peak-time heat.

Regent is an ever-growing voice in the global techno conversation. His tracks have found their way into high-profile sets worldwide and are renowned for their impressive blend of the past and the present. Versatile but always designed for maximum impact, delivering an impressively crafted sound made for powerful systems, this new outing offers a wealth of different moods and grooves for various parts of the night. Returning to SHDW's Mutual Rytm imprint following 2023's successful 'Coral Knife' EP, he unveils a fresh selection of cuts that emphasise his emergence with 'Delta Hyve'.

The title cut 'Delta Hyve' opens up with devastating low ends and busy synths that scurry about the mix to bring dynamism to the rooted drums, while 'Ophaal' delivers thumping kicks and coarse, textured hits scrape and scratch, while supersized hi-hats bring the intensity to all new levels. 'Hygea Core' brings the pressure with hunched-over drum patterns and a sense of urgency in the bass, while creepy pads create an unsettling atmosphere. 'New Narrative' powers on like a train with high-speed rhythms and metallic percussive surfaces, all sweeping you off your feet, before 'Ree 54' switches things up with bright synth flashes and more extraverted grooves that hark back to the machine soul of early Detroit techno.

The first digital bonus, 'Presence', is intense and tinged with the grit of a warehouse and menacing vocals, while 'Rheplica' delivers unrelenting loopy drum funk with shattered glass melodies to close the show.

The object appears at close range, triggering neuro-pop circuits that activate deep within a network of dubwise rhythmic traces. their glow begins to pool between the gaps in the wires as we zoom, in four jumps, from a the span of a familiar room to the diameter of a paranoid microscopic twitch. Externalism all the way down. two longtime collaborators re-render: loveshadow’s anya prisk again lends her voice, wrapping a heavy halfstepping throb in her signature panorama of sheer and lace. sean conrad, west coast stargazer and steward of the inner islands label, paints wistful figures with his ewi. moving closer, the arrangements reappear as hollowed-out echoes, shedding their semantic forms as their edges leave view. closer still, the surface becomes a total matrix of vision comprised of countless flickering bits.

Sounds of Sirius Music unveils SOSNZ011 – Eye of Deva, a release exploring perception, truth, and higher awareness through deep frequencies.

The Eye symbolizes seeing beyond the surface.
Deva, rooted in Sanskrit, represents divine light and elevated consciousness.

Together, Eye of Deva becomes the vision of the divine — awareness beyond separation.

A-side by Fedo, remixed by Mihai Pol.
B-side by PRT Stacho, remixed by Last Pines.

A release shaped by close friends of Sounds of Sirius.

How enduring is the signature song from Harry Chapin’s Verities & Balderdash? So timeless that it became the subject of a 2025 documentary in which artists from multiple generations weigh in on its impact on their lives and craft. “Cat’s in the Cradle” doubtlessly remains the main event on the singer-songwriter’s 1974 album. The legendary opening track also serves as a guidepost for the bold personal and social material that follows — as well as the gorgeous folk-rock arrangements that underpin the New York native’s most commercially successful work.

Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, housed in a Stoughton jacket complete with a four-page insert, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM LP of Verities & Balderdash presents Chapin’s fourth full-length in audiophile quality for the first time on vinyl. Captured during a golden era for sonics and production, the Top 5 effort features remarkable tonal balance, instrumental separation, and organic naturalism. Those valued aspects come into supreme focus on this reissue, which plays with dead-quiet surfaces and a low noise floor.

The newfound clarity, openness, and imaging underscore the lasting appeal of Chapin’s tender deliveries, soulful timbre, and careful phrasing. Every word comes across with incredible realism, while his underrated guitar playing occupies its own distinctive space. Also notable: The extension of the tasteful string accents; airiness of the backing vocals; depth and shape of the spare bass lines; and width and depth of the soundstaging. When on “Six String Orchestra” Chapin calls out names of instruments, they appear like magic, the band performing feet from you. Chapin has never sounded so lifelike on record.

Certified double platinum, Verities & Balderdash resonated with the times and public. “Cat’s in the Cradle” reached No. 1 on the chart on its way to being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The romantic ballad “I Wanna Learn a Love Song” flirted with the Top 40 and wrapped listeners in the equivalent of a cozy blanket. The record’s other single, the mini-epic “What Made America Famous?,” helped establish Chapin as one of the country’s most incisive and insightful commentators.

Verities & Balderdash teems with situational devices and topical matters. Chapin observes everything from the polarization of the nation to changes in moral standards and cultural priorities. He investigates pressing themes without ever turning preachy or elevating himself above the matters at hand. On “Halfway to Heaven,” whose coda races to the finish and ranks as the most urgent moment on the record, Chapin inhabits the mind of his frustrated protagonist akin to an eagle-eyed novelist.

Conveying emotions that range from melancholic to carefree, Chapin is as much of a singer as a storyteller. He assumes the voice of multiple characters within a single narrative. During the quirky “30,000 Pounds of Bananas,” a tale based on a delivery-truck accident in 1965, Chapin alters his delivery, pronunciation, and diction to become an old man reflecting on the mishap and mess. The tempo, too, adjusts to match the speed of the vehicle Chapin describes.

Adorned with timely laugh tracks to reinforce the bittersweet humor, the stripped-down “Six String Orchestra” takes everything up another notch, with Chapin intentionally missing guitar notes or playing a broken passage to illustrate the failures of the hopeful protagonist who doesn’t have what’s required to make it as an artist.

Chapin, of course, did not have any such problem. The lynchpin of a career cut short by a tragic traffic incident, Verities & Balderdash is Exhibit A of the savvy craft, feeling, and perspective he lent to American music.

Carly Simon’s No. 1 smash “You’re So Vain” lingers as one of the most clever and famous songs ever recorded. The subject of mass speculation ever since its release, soon after which it occupied the top spot on multiple Billboard charts for weeks, the anthem kept a captive public guessing at the identity of its smug subject for decades. The question surrounding the protagonist’s identity remained perhaps the only mystery on the otherwise sexually open and autobiographically daring No Secrets, Simon’s commercial breakthrough and ‘70s singer-songwriter staple.

Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set affords the platinum-certified 1972 effort the finest sonic treatment it’s received on vinyl. Helmed by Richard Perry and recorded at London’s Trident Studios — where Beatles, David Bowie, and Elton John captured landmark LPs — No Secrets touts exceptional production qualities highlighted by this restorative reissue.

Audiophiles and record collectors, take note: This is the first time No Secrets has been available on 45RPM. The wider grooves and dead-quiet surfaces pay instant dividends. Simple, elegant, and disarming, songs seemingly float amid wide, deep soundstages. Simon’s voice takes on a confident, assertive tenor that emerges with accurate imaging, balanced tonality, and palpable presence. String arrangements and backing vocals come through with similar realism.

Enhanced by an all-star cast — Simon’s then-husband James Taylor, Paul and Linda McCartney, Mick Jagger, Lowell George, Klaus Voorman, Bobby Keys, Jim Keltner, Nicky Hopkins, and Bonnie Bramlett are among the renowned musicians who lend a hand — No Secrets advances Simon’s themes of personal introspectiveness, no-holds-barred reflectiveness, and feminist-inspired boldness. She makes every moment of No Secrets worth savoring. Simon invests her all in the songs, handling beautiful ballads, sassy folk-rock numbers, and bluesy fare with calm, composure, and candor.

While acknowledging her own regrets (“You’re So Vain”) and loss (“The Carter Family”), Simon champions the highs (“The Right Thing to Do”) and pains (“His Friends Are More Than Fond of Robin”) of love in a sincere manner indicative of her maturity as both an artist and singer. The New York native distinguishes “When You Close Your Eyes” with deep-rooted spirituality, recalls childhood joys via charming sentimentality on “It Was So Easy,” and and takes ownership of her persona on a cover of Taylor’s “Night Owl.”

“We have no secrets
/We tell each other everything,” Simon sings at the record’s midpoint, encapsulating both the themes and bravura of an effort that was nominated for four Grammy Awards and saw her write or co-write every song but one. Combined with Perry’s savvy instrumental arrangements, her self-assured performances and forthright lyrics grant No Secrets an edginess and relevance immune to the ravages of time.