Search:symbol

. For Fans Of: The Weather Station, Weyes Blood, Adrianne Lenker, Phoebe Bridgers, Joan Shelley, Lana Del Rey, Cass McCombs, Angel Olsen & Neil Young. Camelot, the legendary seat of King Arthur’s court in Early Middle Ages Britain, was probably not a real place. A corruption of the name of a real Romano-Briton city, the word “Camelot” accumulated symbolic, mythic resonances over centuries, until achieving its present usage as a near-synonym of “utopia.” In the mid-20th century alone, Camelot inspired an explosion of representations and appropriations, among them the violent, affectless Arthurian court of Robert Bresson’s 1974 film Lancelot du Lac and the absurdist iteration of Monty Python’s 1975 Holy Grail, both of which feature armoured knights erupting into fountains of blood; the mystical Welsh world of novelist John Cowper Powys’s profoundly weird 1951 novel Porius, with its Roman cults, wizards and witches, and wanton giants; and the nationalist nostalgia of President John F. Kennedy’s White House. Unsurprisingly there are fewer Camelots in more recent memory. Camelot, Canadian songwriter Jennifer Castle’s extraordinary, moving 2024 chronicle of the artist in early middle age, charts a realer, more rooted, and more metaphorical place than the fabled Camelot of the Early Middle Ages (or its myriad depictions), but it too is a space more psychic than physical. In Castle’s Camelot, the fantastic interpenetrates the mundane, and the Grail, if there is one, distills everyday experience into art and art into faith, subliming terrestrial concerns into sublime celestial prayers to Mother Nature, and to the unfolding process of perfecting imperfection in one’s own nature. Co-produced by Jennifer and longtime collaborator Jeff McMurrich, her seventh record is at once her most monumental and unguarded to date, demonstrating a mastery of rendering her verse and melodies alike with crisply poignant economy. For all their pointedly plainspoken lyrical detail and exhilarating full-band musical flourishes, these songs sound inevitable, eternal as morning devotions. “Back in Camelot,” she sings on the lilting, vulnerable title track, “I really learned a lot / circles in the crops and / sky-high geometry.” The album opens with a candid admission of sleeping “in the unfinished basement,” an embarrassing joke that comes true. But the dreamer is redeemed by dreaming, setting sail in her airborne bed above “sirens and desert deities.” If she questions her own agency whether she is “wishing stones were standing” or just “pissing in the wind” it does not diminish the ineffable existential jolt of such signs and wonders. This abiding tension between belief and doubt, magic and pragmatism, self and other, sacred and profane, and even, arguably, paganism and monotheism, suffuses these ten songs, which limn an interior landscape shot through with sunstriped shadows of “multi-felt dimensions” both mystical and quotidian. The epic scale and transport of “Camelot,” with its swooning strings, gives way dramatically to “Some Friends,” an acoustic-guitar-and-vocals meditation in miniature on Janus-faced friends and the lunar and solar temperatures of their promises—“bright and beaming verses” versus hot curses which recalls her minimalist last album, 2020’s achingly intimate Monarch Season. (In a symmetrical sequencing gesture, the penultimate track, the incantatory “Earthsong,” bookends the central six with a similarly spare solo performance and coiled chord progression, this time an ambiguous appeal to … a wounded lover? a wounded saint? our wounded planet?). Those whom “Trust” accuses of treacherous oaths spit through “gilded and golden tooth” cynics, critics, hypocrites, gurus, scientists, doctors, lovers, government, the so-called entertainment industry sow uncertainty that can infect the artist, as in “Louis”: “What’s that dance / and can it be done? What’s that song / and can it be sung?” Answering affirmatively are “Lucky #8,” an irrepressible ode to dancing as a bulwark against the “tidal pools of pain” and the “theory of collapse,” and “Full Moon in Leo,” which finds the narrator dancing around the house with a broom, wearing nothing but her underwear and “big hair.” But the central question remains: who can we trust, and at what cost faith, in art or angels or otherwise? Castle’s confidence in her collaborators is the cornerstone of Camelot. Carl Didur (piano and keys), Evan Cartwright (drums and percussion), and steadfast sideman Mike Smith (bass) comprise a rhythm section of exquisite delicacy and depth. This fundamental trio anchors the airiness of regular backing vocalists Victoria Cheong and Isla Craig and frames the guitars of Castle, McMurrich, and Paul Mortimer (and on “Lucky #8,” special guest Cass McCombs). Reprising his decennial role on Castle’s beloved 2014 Pink City, Owen Pallett arranged the strings for Estonia’s FAMES Skopje Studio Orchestra. On the ravishing country-soul ballad “Blowing Kisses” Pallett’s crowning achievement here, which can be heard in its entirety in the penultimate episode of the third season of FX’s The Bear Jennifer contemplates time and presence, love and prayer and how songwriting and poetry both manifest and limit all four dimensions: “No words to fumble with / I’m not a beggar to language any longer.” Such rare moments of speechlessness “I’m so fucking honoured,” she bluntly proclaims suggest a state “only a god could come up with.” (If Camelot affirms Castle as one of the great song-poets of her generation, she is not immune to the despairing linguistic beggary that plagues all writers.) Camelot evinces a thoroughgoing faith not only in the natural world including human bodies, which can, miraculously, dance and swim and bleed and embrace and birth but also in our interpretations of and interventions in it: the “charts and diagrams” of “Lucky #8,” a daydreamt billboard on Fairfax Ave. in LA in “Full Moon in Leo,” the bloody invocations of the organ-stained “Mary Miracle,” and all manner of water worship, rivers in particular. (Notably, Jennifer has worked as a farmer and a doula.) The album ends with “Fractal Canyon”s repeated, exalted insistence that she’s “not alone here.” But where is here? The word “utopia” itself constitutes a pun, indicating in its ambiguous first syllable both the Greek “eutopia,” or “good-place” the facet most remembered today and “outopia,” or “no-place,” a negative, impossible geography of the mind. Utopia, like its metonym Camelot, is imaginary

2024 Reissue

The second album of songs resulting from the collaboration between Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld was released in 2016, three years after the celebrated debut with "Still Smiling". Often the nature of collaborations is fleeting, usually not involving a sequel; in this case, however, we are faced with the evident settling of a bond, human and artistic, that is no longer occasional but has reinvented itself to explore other territories and will not stop there either. The album cover is inspired by the famous 1533 painting by Holbein the Younger, "The Ambassadors": a work celebrating an official visit, a meeting between two friends, the pride of their gazes still strong despite time, distance, despite everything. Teho and Blixa return with an album of new songs, sung in German, English and Italian. "Nerissimo" is the superlative of black in Italian and there is something rather black about the music on this album. Not in the sense of dark, an adjective often used to define certain sounds, but just as it happens with the colour black, which contains all other colours, so this music contains a multitude of possibilities."Nerissimo" is also the title of the track in English that opens the album and closes it, as if between two parentheses, in Italian. A temporal passage between languages that links Rome and Berlin, where the album was recorded, ever more intimately. A crossing of the last three years of work together for Teho and Blixa. This record is also a nocturnal story of apparitions, of colours that disappear from the world just by naming them, of aeroplane flights with the lights off in the cabin, of objects whose symbolism represents the passions and interests of the two artists (starting with the objects reproduced on the cover); a sort of tale through objects, continuous movements and the discovery of sounds, even random ones. Sounds intercepted in the space of these three years and which ended up on the disc as interferences that challenged the structure of some songs, resulting in their adaptation to the invasion of foreign sound bodies. "Nerissimo" does not only contain songs but also features experimental tracks, such as "Ulgæ", in which the lyrics explain, like a subtitle, the sounds that follow one another in a story.

Strange Power!, the fifth record from Durham, NC-based songwriter and poet Anne Malin Ringwalt, emerges from the darkest waters of the self into a world remade. Releasing in conjunction with her second book of poetry, What Floods (Inside the Castle, Oct. 2024), Strange Power! overflows with Ringwalt's teeming and sensuous personal symbolry: glowing lilacs and gentle queens, dolphins wild and girls who grew up brave _ T.S. Eliot sung by Cat Power, backed by Mount Eerie. She sings: "I rose up from water." Ringwalt writes and performs with the authority of a lifetime spent harnessing the alchemy of storytelling; her belief in the power of words to heal and transform is palpable in each achingly- delivered lyric. Made amidst profound inner and outer change, Strange Power! also sees Ringwalt taking up the role of self-producer for the first time, mirroring and supporting the record's Orphic quest by gathering contributions from a coterie of friends wielding an electric range of American instruments. Violins, vibraphones, drum machines, electric guitars dappled with spring reverb, wind-blown shells, and a host of other numinous sounds form an unfurling and shadowy world which was then carefully honed during the mixing process (shepherded by Michael Cormier-O'Leary and Lucas Knapp) _ settling the final record in an eerie meridian between spareness and verdancy. The result is a beguiling and darkly blooming realm: the sound of a personal cosmos being remade, piece by piece. Ringwalt is at the height of her spirit as both songwriter-poet and singer, her willowy voice by turns conjuring and keening as she reckons with her deep past and the stories told since. Opening track "The Pines" sets the stage for a record of truly life-long scope: "I was a child, now I hold her / I was asleep for many years." Some songs, like the gorgeous "North Carolina" and "The Saint," were written as early as 2013 but, Ringwalt says, "insisted upon being remembered" as the record took shape; in its final form, they serve as inciting moments of self-discovery before the journey to come. "The Visionary" recalls one of Ringwalt's earliest musical breakthroughs _ her re-rendering of an Emily Brontë poem into a song at age 15 _ and, she says, "`cites' the melody of that song in the context of this new one _ a holding of the past and present and every layer in between/beyond, in utter solitude _ a solitude that reflects certain aspects of abandon as a child and an adult..." This unusually lengthy time-scale lends Strange Power! a deeply moving sense of narrative fullness. Stretches of the record _ particularly the "Judgment Day" ? "River" ? "Lilac Bloom" trifecta that form the black heart of Side 1 _ may recall familiar wanderings of personal underworlds such as Mount Eerie's Lost Wisdom Pt. 2 or Neil Young's Ditch Trilogy. Yet this hollowed landscape is in turn exorcized by the a capella "I Know," in which Ringwalt sings "I won't be gutted by you / For giving and trying to heal / I won't be gutted, I am not a fool / I deserve a love that is new" before the song concludes with a piano passage that recalls hymnal music _ suggesting a faith in life itself to offer new beginnings. Side 2 features some of Ringwalt's most powerfully introspective writing to date, as the songwriter casts off myth after myth in her search for personal transformation. By the final song, "Stories," the energy that has been gathering all throughout the record breaks loose as Ringwalt reflects: "I wrote so many stories, not knowing what the end was." But at this stage in the journey, we know there is no such thing as an ending; if the healing process is never complete, the storyteller's strange power is what finally offers liberation.

The sea has long been central to Japanese culture, symbolizing both sustenance and spiritual depth. Charles A.D.'s Deep Diver draws inspiration from this, channeling the ancient traditions of diving and fishing into his music. Historically, the sea has influenced everything from Shinto rituals to the livelihoods of coastal communities. In Deep Diver, this reverence flows through aquatic soundscapes, where rhythmic waves of 90s house and Detroit techno meet Japanese minimal production techniques, New Age and Pacific Jazz. Like the tides, the album ebbs and flows, creating a serene yet dynamic homage to the timeless connection between Japan and the sea.
The opening track 'Deep Diver' plunges into the depths, its abstract sound design capturing the sensation of deep-sea propulsion. Rhythmic bubbles pulse gently alongside slow-moving chords, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. The textures are lush yet restrained, setting a tranquil stage that pulls the listener into a submerged world. 'Underwater Ruins' builds on this aquatic theme, introducing rhythmic layers and bass-heavy notes reminiscent of mid-90s Japanese ambient techno. The smooth, melodic flow nods to pioneers like Mr.YT and Susumu Yokota, while subtly incorporating the Detroit techno influence through soulful, deep basslines.
The track feels like a fusion of ambient and techno, balancing serene tones with a rolling groove, emblematic of Japanese techno soul. As the album progresses into 'Bubble Ring', it becomes clear that Charles A.D. is a master of minimalism. The production is timeless, leaning
on analog techniques where echo-drenched chords and carefully layered soundscapes take on an addictive, hypnotic quality. The simplicity of the composition is deceptive, as each element carries weight, drawing the listener deeper into the rhythm and space between the notes.
'Merperson' is where organic rhythms truly come into play. Charles A.D. gently evolves the patterns, allowing each percussive hit to flow naturally into the next. Soothing melodies emerge from within the track’s structure, eventually reaching an emotional peak without ever feeling forced. The organic nature of the arrangement creates an effortless progression that feels deeply connected to the natural movement of water.Starting the second half with 'Deep Exploration', the theme of underwater excursions becomes even more pronounced. Light, steady drumming anchors the track, allowing the melodic layers
to develop gradually. It unfolds with a calm, measured pace, before ending softly, almost as if the sounds are drifting off into the oceanic depths. 'Diffuse Reflection' stands out as the most dub house-influenced on the album, with rolling rhythms and hypnotic elements reminiscent of Maurizio's deep, pulsing sound. Yet here, the production feels submerged, with aquatic effects swirling around the rhythmic core, blending dub house with a fluid, oceanic touch. 'Traitors' delves even deeper into dub-inspired territory. Deep, resonant bass hits combine with wooden drums, while static-like sounds evoke the image of a radio tuning through static to find clarity.
Chords shimmer briefly before fading back into the liquid depths, evoking the ebb and flow of the tide. The final track on Deep Diver 'Levitation', is a fitting conclusion, as the rhythms merge and overlap like waves gently lapping the shore. The minimalistic arrangement allows each element to blend effortlessly into the next, creating a sense of unity and closure. The sounds move with the gentle grace of water, ending the album in a way that feels both complete and
open-ended, like the infinite motion of the sea.

Shining, das neue Album von Swallow the Sun, verkörpert die tiefe Dualität der menschlichen Erfahrung und die anhaltende Brillanz der Band. Das Album erforscht die Herausforderungen des Menschseins und kontrastiert die Schönheit und Reinheit des Individuums mit der Transformation, die eintritt, wenn wir zusammenkommen und einander von der Unschuld vertreiben wie die Ratten von Eden. Es hebt den Kampf und die Desillusionierung in menschlichen Interaktionen hervor. Als Ergebnis von 23 Jahren musikalischer Entwicklung symbolisiert Shining auch den Stolz und die Unverwüstlichkeit der Band und zeigt ihr bisher bestes und stärkstes Werk. Dieses Album ist ein Zeugnis für das künstlerische Vermächtnis von Swallow the Sun, das existenzielle Reflexionen mit ihrem charakteristischen majestätischen Sound verbindet. Erhältlich als Ltd. CD Digipak, 180g black LP sowie als digitales Album.

Fables of the future fuel the present. Lisel (Eliza Bagg) draws from this tradition on The Vanishing Point, a daring musical odyssey of altered singing, experimental pop, broken melodies, and striking electronics. A culmination of her continual dissemblance of genre, Lisel’s new album is an epic composed of allegorical tales, forming a dystopian storybook of life in the shadow of impending catastrophe. It’s a high-concept work of contemporary pop sounds, hyperpop motifs and tropes. Every song reflects the shared psycho-emotional experience of moving towards unsettling futures and looking beyond these outcomes, to the point where the horizons vanish. Evolving the sonic toolkit she employed on Patterns For Autotuned Voices And Delay (2023), Lisel transforms pop into a canvas for operatic storytelling. Along with making her own work, Bagg is a classical singer working in baroque and contemporary experimental opera, and with her project Lisel, she seeks to develop new, expressive qualities out of ancient vocal techniques from the Baroque and Renaissance periods. Her opera experience has infused her with a desire for a big, cinematic sound and holistic world-building, creating a “total artwork,” and she fits that medium into the form of a solo project. From haunting whispers to soaring melodies, she reaches back towards ancient musical traditions while incorporating futuristic sounds in order to imagine how a possible future might look back at contemporary existence. Dystopic stories melt into pop songs, hammered to ruin. Both through sonics and lyrics, the album recounts urgent narratives as ancient mythological fables, chronicling in operatic density the deepening awareness of the world’s looming, inevitable vanishing point. Photographer Carla Rossi further builds Lisel’s world through a series of photographs that similarly draw on Renaissance and Medieval painting, while placing them aesthetically in a digital realm. In these dramatic, hyper-stylized photos, Lisel takes up classical poses and yields iconographic symbols, further exploring the dissonance in her work as these manufactured “paintings” recall storytelling of the past while depicting images from an imagined future.

William Tyler is a Nashville guitarist and composer. He spent years woodshedding and touring with Nashville groups like Lambchop and Silver Jews before breaking away to focus on his own version of instrumental guitar music. In the summer of 2022 he was fortunate to have an artist residency at Epicenter in Green River, Utah, a tiny high desert town three hours from anything, One of the other non-profit friends of Epicenter was The Tank is Rangely, Colorado. The Tank itself is a giant and tall disused water tower from the high days of train travel and used to store water to cool train engines and such. Empty for decades, it is now an internationally recognized destination for sound art and almost unparalleled echo/acoustics. William Tyler decided to book recording time there and chose to re-interpret all of the songs of hie 2019 album "Goes West" in a sparse yet cavernous solo acoustic setting: "Something about the frailty and space I wanted the songs to imply was lost in the over-production of the studio record, This felt like a reclamation of the songs and also a symbolic tribute to the stunning, haunted and vast possibilities of the American West, especially at the twilight of American Empire.’

Einmal im Jahr muss uns GOAT den Weg weisen - das selbstbetitelte neue Album im Oktober 2024! Der Ouroborus - also das Symbol der Schlange oder des Drachens, der seinen eigenen Schwanz frisst - erscheint den einen als Ausdruck der Brutalität der Natur. Für andere, die gnostisch veranlagt sind, symbolisiert er die Dualität des Göttlichen und des Irdischen im Menschen. Am häufigsten wird er jedoch einfach als Symbol für die endlosen Zyklen von Tod und Wiedergeburt verstanden, die das Leben auf diesem Planeten kennzeichnen. In der Welt von Goat, dem geheimnisvollen und immer wieder neu belebenden Kollektiv, das mit seinem neuesten Album ein weiteres Abenteuer jenseits dieser Ebene der Realität erlebt, ist dieses Bild von großer Bedeutung: Die Band, die bereits Alben mit den Titeln Requiem und Oh Death veröffentlicht hat, beweist mit ihrem gleichnamigen Album erneut, dass Transzendenz und Metamorphose ihre Leitmotive sind. Mit Goat beschwört die stets unberechenbare Band rhythmisch getriebene Rituale in einem unverwechselbaren, erhebenden und schillernden Stil herauf, der die Tanzfläche ebenso wie den Geist zu beflügeln vermag. "One More Death" und "Goatbrain` sind spektakuläre Vorboten, die einen hedonistischen Geist verkörpern, der von prägnantem Funk angetrieben wird und von einer gnadenlosen Fuzz/Wah-getränkten Gitarre besessen ist. An anderer Stelle ist die Liebe der Band zum Hip-Hop der Treibstoff für den epischen Albumabschluss ,Ourobourus", der ansteckenden Gesang mit atemloser Breakbeat-Action im Stil von Lalo Schifrin verbindet. Und das bedeutet auch, dass wir am Ende, wie das älteste allegorische Symbol der Alchemie, wieder dort sind, wo wir angefangen haben. Wie Brad Dourifs Figur Hazel Moates in dem Film Wiseblood von 1979 sagt: ,Wo du herkamst, ist nicht mehr da. wo du dachtest, dass du hingehst, war niemals. Und wo du bist, ist es nicht gut, es sei denn, du kannst davon wegkommen". In Goats ewigem Jetzt der Erneuerung und Offenbarung gab es nie ein wirksameres Mittel zur Flucht. Limitiertes, schwarzes Vinyl!

Caroline Says' haunting new album, The Lucky One, is a poignant exploration of how the ghosts of past relationships linger, sometimes holding more sway over our hearts and minds than our current connections. We revisit these ghosts through evocative landscapes of our memories - hometown bars, road trips, and late-night swims. Through a series of fractured and persistent memories these songs capture the bittersweet realization that the past, though imperfect, can sometimes be a more comforting and meaningful companion than the present. Opening track, "The Lucky One," confronts death's role in shaping our memories head-on, as it ponders the way death freezes a person in time, forcing us to confront the complexities of grief and its lasting impact on our relationship with the one we lost. Other tracks delve into the complexities of relationships that naturally grow apart as life takes us in different directions. For example, "Faded and Golden" reflects on the bittersweet nature of reunions with old friends, where the idealized memories of youth can clash with the realities of the present. Then, "Actors" takes this a step further, acknowledging the influence of perception and desire in friendships, and the idea that in many ways "all friendships are imaginary friendships," as it confronts the disappointment of inauthentic connections, and the facades we sometimes put on in relationships. "Roses" began when Caroline was looking through her grandma's collection of commemorative Kentucky Derby glasses, each one etched with the name of a winner. The song delves into the story of "Sunday Silence," the horse that won the year Caroline was born. Researching the horse's journey from near-Triple Crown glory to retirement in Japan sparked a metaphor - a pressured being (the horse) desperately trying to please but ultimately disappointing. The owners eventually selling the horse becomes a relatable symbol of unmet expectations, and the sting of falling short despite our best efforts. Album closer, "Something Good," revisits Caroline's Alabama childhood. Lost on a recent trip to Birmingham, unable to find the familiar path to a riverside hangout, the experience becomes a powerful metaphor; we can't always retrace the paths in our memories, but those memories, however unreliable, continue to shape us. In the end, The Lucky One celebrates this enduring power, acknowledging how past relationships and experiences, even those lost to the haze of time, continue to inform the stories we tell ourselves, and the way we navigate the present.

Renegade Methodz is extremely proud to present a record featuring three of the most successful music exports coming from Greece.

ANNE, ENDLEC, SERA J.

Hailing from Thessaloniki, all three artists already have established their name on the international front with releases on some of the best labels of the scene.
This time they united to bring the heat on Renegade Methodz with six cuts of their unmistakable style for a lesson in proper techno production.
Presented symbolically under the name 'Rework Our Unity', this release serves as a united front of Techno music coming from Thessaloniki, aims to inspire future generations and to provide a glimpse of hope for the Greek electronic music scene.

Coke Bottle CLear Vinyl. The breakout success of 2016's Puberty 2 saw Mitski hailed as the new vanguard of indie rock, the one to save the genre from the white dudes who've historically dominated it. But the often overlooked aspect of being a rising star is the sheer amount of work that goes into it. "I had been on the road for a long time, which is so isolating, and had to run my own business at the same time," Mitski explains, "a lot of this record was me not having any feelings, being completely spent, but then trying to rally myself and wake up and get back to Mitski. I was feeling really nihilistic and trying to make pop songs."We want our artists to be strong but we also expect them to be vulnerable. Rather than avoiding this dilemma, she addresses directly the power that comes from appearing impenetrable and loneliness that follows. "With a lot of the romantic infatuations I've had," she says, "when I look back, I wonder, Did I want them or did I want to be them? Did I love them or did I want to absorb whatever power they had? I decided I could just be my own cowboy figure that I so desire." In Be The Cowboy, delves into the loneliness of being a symbol and the loneliness of being someone, and how it can feel so much like being no one.

Let's just keep fighting the end of the World. We will hold hands and we will make plans - for life." Twenty years ago, Montreal indie darlings The Dears' sophomore album "No Cities Left" left off with those words followed by an instrumental marriage of heavenly chorus and symphonic cacophony - symbolic of the journey down a darkened path that finally brought The Dears to promise. Twenty years on, those words still ring true for fans of the band from around the world. On October 11, 2024, The Dears are re-releasing the album as "No Cities Left: The Definitive 20th Anniversary Ed

ition" - a double LP pressed on white vinyl alongside a digital download card with 6 previously unreleased acoustic tracks. The acoustic versions showcase Murray Lightburn's moving vocals and offer a look behind the curtain of The Dears' signature synth-laden and cinematic arrangements, revealing their powerful and heartfelt songwriting. "The Dears, a six-piece orchestral rock treat from Montreal, Canada, led by the enigmatic Murray Lightburn and sounding like Marvin Gaye fronting The Smiths while the London Philharmonic Orchestra has a stab at the Burt Bacharach songbook, are probably the best new band in the world right now." - NME "There isn't a tune on "No Cities Left", the Dears' gorgeous second album, that's not pitched at a minor state of emergency." - SPIN "Sad music has never sounded so uplifting" - Tiny Mix Tapes "An astoundingly complex, deeply evocative pop record" - Filter “The greatest and grandest work from a band for whom ‘epic’ seems too cheap a descriptor ... a seminal album that refines the band’s notorious unhinged onstage catharsis with their lushly-arranged studio sophistication." - Stuart Berman, 2004 Look for The Dears on tour this fall in Canada and the UK.

Longtime enthusiasts of ambient music have much to celebrate as Rafael Anton Irisarri's cherished out-of-print cassette, "Midnight Colours," returns in a meticulously remastered edition and makes its inaugural debut on vinyl. The significance of this album's announcement is accentuated by its historical resonance, coinciding with the same day in 1952 when the world bore witness to the first-ever test of the hydrogen bomb.

"Midnight Colours" is far more than a mere album; it's an exploration of the enigmatic relationship between humanity and time. Conceived as a sonic interpretation of the Doomsday Clock, which symbolizes the world's existential vulnerabilities, Irisarri's work beckons listeners to contemplate the gravity of our existence and the delicate balance that envelops it.

"I wanted to capture the essence of humanity's relationship with time, both the anxiety and the serene beauty that coexists within the shadows of the night," explains Irisarri. "The vinyl format adds a tactile dimension to the experience, inviting listeners to physically engage with the music."

Known for his contributions to the ambient and electronic music genres, Irisarri often explores themes of introspection, nostalgia, and the interplay between sound and emotion.

Recorded in 2017, when the Clock was at 2½ minutes-to-midnight (and at the time, the second-closest to midnight since the Clock's inception in 1947), "Midnight Colours" permeates with the melancholy of memories resurfacing as one approaches the end of life: the regrets, the closure, the uncertainties, the anxieties.

Originally released as a limited tape on the beloved Atlanta-based label Geographic North, "Midnight Colours" swiftly garnered praise and acclaim within the ambient music sphere. Now, with this newly remastered edition on his own Black Knoll imprint, fans, both longstanding and newfound, can rediscover the album's captivating beauty in unprecedented clarity and depth.

"I've wanted to release 'Midnight Colours' on vinyl since it first came out, and I'm thrilled to finally be able to. The remastering process, brilliantly done by Stephan Mathieu, has breathed new life into the work, and I'm eager for listeners to experience it in this format."

The reissue of "Midnight Colours" features band-new artwork and design by the renowned Mexican visual artist Daniel Castrejón. A frequent collaborator and friend of Irisarri, Castrejón's imagery impeccably complements the album's mood and themes, extending a compelling invitation for listeners to explore its aural world visually.

This landmark release serves as a testament not only to Irisarri's enduring impact on the ambient music genre but also as a long-awaited gift to those who have patiently anticipated the album's vinyl debut.

Der britische DIY-Künstler Tom Vek meldet sich nach dem avantgardistischen Klangmix seines vierten Albums "New Symbols" (2020) mit der neuen EP "Confirm Yourself" zurück, auf der er sich auf einen rohen, auf Gitarren basierenden Live-Sound besinnt. Die EP ist eine Sammlung selbstbewusster persönlicher Mantras und erscheint in limitierter, einseitig bespielter 12" Picture Disc-Auflage in durchsichtiger Hülle.

The release will be available on super ltd edition black and clear vinyl, including download code.
Up In Her Room are delighted to bring you the latest offering from Uruguay’s Las Cobras!
Emerging from the Uruguayan city of Canelones in 2017, Las Cobras introduced themselves with their debut album, 'Temporal', a 9-track release that quickly became a reference point in global psychedelia after signing with London’s Fuzz Club Records. A couple of years later, the duo—Leandro Rebellato and Sofia Aguerre—expanded to include Dario Macarín and Diego Mercadal, releasing their second album, 'Selva'.
In their debut, Las Cobras blended proto-punk and shoegaze with hints of afrobeat and Tropicalia. With 'Selva', the band amplified these elements, showcasing their evolving sound. Notably, their track "Al más Allá" is featured in the Amazon Prime series "La Cabeza de Joaquín Murrieta."
For their third album, 'Cárcavas', the band explores the concept of the cárcava—a scar on the earth symbolizing a period of desolation. Teaming up with London label 'Up in her Room', they present a darker, more chaotic record that reflects the tumultuous years they've endured. Most tracks were mixed by James Aparicio (Depeche Mode, Spiritualized, Throw Down Bones Grinderman), lending the album a sharper, more defined sound. Las Cobras continue to delve into their sonic palette, incorporating electronic drums, Latin percussion, penetrating synthesizers, and fuzzed-out guitars, all from a more stripped-down perspective.
Black butterfly for example is an espectrum of a lost friend. Like a ghost...Always in orbit. Diving into darker places... Traveling through the universe...

Four years after their Discrepant debut - 'OOOO' -, Lisbon-based travellers Jibóia return to the fold with another offering of globetrotting psychedelia with 'Salar'. With the core trio of Óscar Silva, Ricardo Martins and Mestre André augmented by a stellar parade of collaborators on various roles, 'Salar' further expands on the transglobal visions by now pretty trademarked by the band. Intersped among shorter vignettes for drums, saxophone and bass, each of the more fully fleshed tracks casts a guest to elevate Jibóia's music to uncharted realms - both in a mystical and geographical sense.

Opener 'Selar' summons the cello of songstress Joana Guerra for a skewed dialogue with Silva's guitar, propelled by Martins' drums and percussion and André's electronic textures into 4 minutes and 20 seconds that feel epic - if there was any psychedelic numerological symbolism needed. On 'Solar', Silva's non-western plucking rides on for Yaw Tembe's trumpet to veer in a multitude in directions, while the mysterious 'Sitar' conjures the voice of moroccan musician Ayoub El Ayadi for a contemplative nighttime prayer. Elsewhere, guitarist Rui Carvalho aka Filho da Mãe injects dissonant guitar lines unto 'Sarar's pummelling dance and Pedro Augusto's electronics hover below the shapeshifting dynamics of 'Sonar', among mesmerising keyboard lines. 'Salir' featuring Daiyen Jone enchanted flute brings the album to a close at its most reflective, all crepuscular synth lines and reverbed handclaps.

Carla Boregas is a Brazilian musician, composer and sound artist. By merging synthetic and acoustic instrumentation and techniques, Boregas builds up sonic scenarios driven by an invisible force, where the sensation of presence and discovery lies between density and delicacy. Her work spans composition, improvisation, performance, sound installation and radio art, and aims to transport the listener to different subjective perspectives of time and space, to invoke memories and to reflect about the nature-human relationship.

Carla Boregas writes: "Using a Tascam Portastudio 4-track cassette recorder, I invited three musicians to improvise alone with the sound recording of the sea that I did in Massaguaçu, the place where I used to live in Brasil. The recorder that I used had a defect in one of its tracks, therefore I could only invite two musicians – Vinicius Cajado (double bass) and Réka Csiszér (cello), plus the sea in another track. While listening to the tracks together, I felt a deep sense of absence ("ausência" in Portuguese). Perhaps due to their sonorous answers surrounded by the tape hiss? Because that's one of the symbolic meanings of the ocean? Maybe "saudades do mar, de estar ao seu outro lado"? Who knows – listening can be something very mysterious. Afterwards I played with and interweaved them all: the sonorous sea, Vinicius Cajado, Réka Csiszér and the absence - "Absência Tape" is the final result." – Carla Boregas, Berlin, 8 August 2024.

For Dutch artist Stefan Vincent, the feeling of melancholy also offers the opportunity for beauty to be found. “Decay and loneliness can serve a purpose. Depression can teach you things. To feel deep sadness also means the ability to feel profound
emotions.” he says. With this in mind, his debut album on MUSAR Recordings, “Post- Melancholy”, unpacks the twists and turns of grappling with this emotion, drawing from breaks, electro and IDM to make his most intricate work to date, after previous releases on Token, Dynamic Reflection, Symbolism, and Non-Series. Throughout “Post-Melancholy” Vincent traces the wave of melancholy and how it moves through the body, which allows for lighter moments alongside darker moods. Perhaps the lightest track on the album is its acidic-breaks opener, “Eyes Unclouded”, with its soaring acid lines and dazzling synths, which acts as a false pretense for the rest of the album. Tracks like “Poise”, “Arpeggino” and the meditative “Yonghegong Lama Temple Exit F” also break up the intensity. However, nestled between the more pacey, bass-weighted tracks on the album, these lighter openings still feel like tear-jerkers.

The more common associations of melancholy show up on tracks like “Another Skin To Wear” and “You Know This Isn’t Going To End Well”, which all create a more ominous feel via IDM and the polyrhythmic structures of drum’n’bass. Particularly on “Another Skin To Wear”, which borrows its name from a Radiohead lyric, the track's swooping motion feels realistic to melancholy’s chaotic and often unpredictable path. But, like all great storytellers, Vincent leaves the most poignant moment of the album for last with the rolling “8AM on the Train… (For Maarten)” devoted to his dear friend, Maarten, who sadly passed away at the young age of 36. This LP is dedicated to Maarten de Vries (1986-2022)

Following Sonescent, Matchess" 2022 album documenting "the final moments in the life of music", Stena goes further, reanimating dying waves with a collage of found sounds, frequency experiments and new music compositions. Pouring over notebooks rife with polarities and doppelgangers, considerations of biological and symbolic ancestry and the spirits that infuse places we leave behind, Matchess crafts an encompassing work of psychoacoustic music.

Mit "The Machine in the Ghost" erreichen HAUJOBB den beeindruckenden Meilenstein des zehnten Studioalbums. Auch ihr neuestes Werk unterscheidet sich von all seinen Vorgängern. Das derzeit in Leipzig residierende Duo verweigert sich weiterhin standhaft jeder Wiederholung. "The Machine in the Ghost" unterscheidet sich bereits durch die Verwendung von Feldaufnahmen, um die Sounds für dieses Album zu erzeugen. Um die gewünschten Effekte zu erzielen, haben HAUJOBB bewusst auf eine Mischung aus Software und Hardware gesetzt - letzteres in Form von mit Alltagsgegenständen erzeugten Tönen. Diese symbolische Anspielung auf eine Zeit, in der es weniger Software und mehr analoges Drehen an den Reglern gab, ergänzt das Thema von "The Machine in the Ghost" um einen Hauch von Retro-Feeling - ohne jede nostalgische Verklärung. Das Album dreht sich um die spannungsgeladene Beziehung zwischen analog und digital, Geist und Materie. Als sich HAUJOBB im ostwestfälischen Bielefeld zunächst zu einem Trio formierten, kamen ihre Haupteinflüsse noch aus der Vancouver-Schule des Industrial - und speziell SKINNY PUPPY sowie FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY. Dies ist auf ihrem ersten Album "Homes & Gardens" (1993) noch hörbar, doch schon bald wurden HAUJOBB selbst als Aushängeschilder eines modernen elektronischen Industrial-Sounds angesehen. Auf den folgenden Alben "Freeze Frame Reality" (1995) und "Solutions for a Small Planet" (1996) entfernten sich die Deutschen zunehmend von den kanadischen Einflüssen, indem sie damit begannen, IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) mit Industrial und EBM zu verschmelzen. Damit katapultierten sich die Deutschen mitten in die internationale Szene und verschafften sich sogar in den USA einen Kultstatus. Auch nachdem HAUJOBB zum Duo mutiert waren, blieben sie einflussreich und insbesondere ihr 2011 in Eigenregie veröffentlichtes Album "New World March" gilt als weitere Großtat. Mit "The Machine in the Ghost" schlagen HAUJOBB ein neues spannendes Kapitel in ihrer bemerkenswerten Karriere auf. Unmittelbar zu Beginn der nächsten industriellen und kreativen Revolution, die der rasante Aufstieg der künstlichen Intelligenz auszulösen verspricht, legen HAUJOBB ihre metaphorischen musikalischen Finger erneut direkt an den Puls der Zeit.

Katy Perry meldet sich mit ihrem neuen Album „143“ zurück!
Mit insgesamt 115 Milliarden Streams und weltweit über 70 Millionen verkauften Alben und 143 Millionen Tracks ist Katy eine der meistverkauften Musikkünstlerinnen aller Zeiten! Was uns erwartet: Kühne,
überschwängliche und gute Dance-Pop-Musik mit der symbolischen Zahl 143 als numerischer Ausdruck der
Liebe, dessen Message sich durch das ganze Album zieht.
„143“ ist ab 20. September auf Vinyl, CD und digital erhältlich.

Mit "The Machine in the Ghost" erreichen HAUJOBB den beeindruckenden Meilenstein des zehnten Studioalbums. Auch ihr neuestes Werk unterscheidet sich von all seinen Vorgängern. Das derzeit in Leipzig residierende Duo verweigert sich weiterhin standhaft jeder Wiederholung. "The Machine in the Ghost" unterscheidet sich bereits durch die Verwendung von Feldaufnahmen, um die Sounds für dieses Album zu erzeugen. Um die gewünschten Effekte zu erzielen, haben HAUJOBB bewusst auf eine Mischung aus Software und Hardware gesetzt - letzteres in Form von mit Alltagsgegenständen erzeugten Tönen. Diese symbolische Anspielung auf eine Zeit, in der es weniger Software und mehr analoges Drehen an den Reglern gab, ergänzt das Thema von "The Machine in the Ghost" um einen Hauch von Retro-Feeling - ohne jede nostalgische Verklärung. Das Album dreht sich um die spannungsgeladene Beziehung zwischen analog und digital, Geist und Materie. Als sich HAUJOBB im ostwestfälischen Bielefeld zunächst zu einem Trio formierten, kamen ihre Haupteinflüsse noch aus der Vancouver-Schule des Industrial - und speziell SKINNY PUPPY sowie FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY. Dies ist auf ihrem ersten Album "Homes & Gardens" (1993) noch hörbar, doch schon bald wurden HAUJOBB selbst als Aushängeschilder eines modernen elektronischen Industrial-Sounds angesehen. Auf den folgenden Alben "Freeze Frame Reality" (1995) und "Solutions for a Small Planet" (1996) entfernten sich die Deutschen zunehmend von den kanadischen Einflüssen, indem sie damit begannen, IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) mit Industrial und EBM zu verschmelzen. Damit katapultierten sich die Deutschen mitten in die internationale Szene und verschafften sich sogar in den USA einen Kultstatus. Auch nachdem HAUJOBB zum Duo mutiert waren, blieben sie einflussreich und insbesondere ihr 2011 in Eigenregie veröffentlichtes Album "New World March" gilt als weitere Großtat. Mit "The Machine in the Ghost" schlagen HAUJOBB ein neues spannendes Kapitel in ihrer bemerkenswerten Karriere auf. Unmittelbar zu Beginn der nächsten industriellen und kreativen Revolution, die der rasante Aufstieg der künstlichen Intelligenz auszulösen verspricht, legen HAUJOBB ihre metaphorischen musikalischen Finger erneut direkt an den Puls der Zeit.

Obsidian, the upcoming album from Pennsylvania's own riff-titans Crobot, and likely the band's most introspective journey yet, is set for release on the extraordinarily lucky 13th Friday. Produced by Crobot, recorded at The Machine Shop Studios in Austin, TX, and engineered, mixed, and mastered by Alberto De Icaza, the 12 tracks on Obsidian dive into the deep, murky waters of the human condition, threading ancient myths with personal demons across its tracks.

While the band's primary songwriters - Bishop and Yaegley - tend to leave their songs somewhat ambiguous, the upcoming album's new tunes touch upon very personal growth, conflicts, and reflections. "Each song descends into the darker reaches of the psyche," Bishop says, "set to a relentless rhythm of heavy, pulsing beats and gut-wrenching guitar solos, and offers a stark reflection of internal struggles." "'Obsidian' is almost a rebirth of our career," Brandon adds. "We were able to take a different approach to the writing and recording of this album, so the experience was very rewarding and different from past projects. Conflicts and reflections make you a better person, even in those darker moments, but I know I become a better person for it. I think that's what symbolizes this entire album for us. It's been a real breath of fresh air."

Death and the Maiden’s Uneven Ground draws back the velvet curtain on the trio’s crepuscular dreamworld with nine songs of their distinctive shadowy slow-motion fusion of underground electronic dance music and post-punk guitars washed through with psychic unease. The trio’s name is taken from that of a nineteenth century engraving by Edvard Munch: an artwork steeped in mythology, exploring the dark boundaries between love and death, strength and frailty, beauty and decay. Their three albums to date each reinforce the symbolism of the name, and Uneven Ground’s title could apply as much to their own journey in the years since Wisteria, their previous album, as to the times in which we live. Bassist and vocalist Lucinda King is the bedrock, guide and storyteller. Guitarist Hope Robertson weaves swooping, soaring motifs and sometimes deconstructed layers of noise to build analogue atmosphere for these alternate worlds. Danny Brady’s beats mix old-school drum machines with electronic tones and distortion, while his synth arrangements blend elements of psy-trance and acid house with more amniotic ambient and industrial textures. While Uneven Ground may be the most overtly “pop”-sounding album in their catalogue, it also ratchets up the ominous atmosphere, noise and experimentation. Once again King’s evocative lyrics appear as cryptic stories, built from events, memories, dreams, moments, warnings, regrets; where questions raised are left unanswered, and possibilities remain open.

Isik Kural returns with Moon in Gemini, a luminous scrapbook of slow-flowing narratives couched in intuitive and symbolic storytelling. Bending a playful take on environmental music to the folk song form, Isik's vocals coo atop pastoral field notes, airy chamber instrumentation and archival recordings culled from a curious musical life. A tender pastiche coalesces across the suite of Moon in Gemini's fourteen pieces, and Isik invites the listener to daydream as-deep-as-possible. "The songs on Moon in Gemini don't mind being slower or taking their time to reach the listener," says Isik, who wanted the title to speak to the album's dreamy, liminal nature. "I enjoyed how the phrase could be used to describe an object, a time or a place simultaneously," he explains. Similarly and subsequently, these songs contain a multiplicity of sonic artifacts, moments and spaces that span Isik's rich musical career to date. With the bulk of the album realized between Amasya, Turkey and Isik's current home in Glasgow, in both domestic and studio recording environments, additional tracks unearthed from his personal recording archive lend their lush patina. The record emerged as a fertile space to reimagine a handful of previously unreleased songs and unfinished ideas spanning the past fifteen years of his life and work, including streetside sounds documented while growing up in Turkey and recordings made while studying music engineering in Miami, Helsinki and Glasgow. Looking to the more recent past, Isik found himself wanting to build upon some of the methodologies and textures explored on his 2022 album in february, seeking a newly intimate, vocal-forward sound. He points to the track "film festival" from that album as a door through which to enter Moon in Gemini, where sample-based arrangements are presented in the context of asymmetrical "build ups and progressions" and ambience and vocals intertwine. Inspired in part by listening to iconic, if not sometimes misunderstood, singers such as Nina Simone, Aldous Harding and Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear, Isik aimed to carve out a new space for his voice on Moon in Gemini, experimenting with novel recording and mixing techniques. Captured at his aunt's farmhouse in Amasya during an extended three week recording session, we find Isik's vocal high in the mix, front-and-center and on newly expressive terms. As a songwriter, Isik is an intuitive and playful lyricist who allows his deep love of literature to flow through his off-kilter texts. Here, echoes of Silvina Ocampo's poem "Dialogues of the Silence" reverberate from the margins of "Most Beautiful Imaginary Dialogues". Likewise, Elliott Smith and Virgina Astley shapeshift through "Behind the Flowerpots," some lines of which were based on misheard lyrics from Smith's "Stickman" and Astley's "Some Small Hope." Attuned to the magic of happy coincidences, other unexpected "themes and connections between tracks flourished" during the recording process, resulting in some songs being more "thematically and lyrically connected to each other compared to previous records." The duos "Prelude" and "Interlude" as well as "Grown One Iota" and "After a Rain" explore connected stories, while "Almost a Ghost" and "Behind the Flowerpots" serendipitously emerged out of a conversation with Stephanie "Spefy" Roxanne Ward, whose balmy vocals heard highlighting in february return and call out to Isik's in sweet dialogue. Plumbing these new potentials of structure and songwriting, Isik also developed a taste for an expanded sonic palette, one enriched by the lulling undertones of live woodwinds and strings. The resulting collaborations with flutist Tenzin Stephen, harpist Kirstin McCarlie and clarinet player Giulia Tamborino envelop the record in an altogether "dreamier sound," swaying pastel and awash in lunar light. Moon in Gemini, brimming with natural imagery and lullaby-inflected tones, tunes into states of being where the wonder filled sound of everyday is heard and felt, perfectly imperfect in its poetry; where the invisible steps forward; where dauntless ghosts wait around every corner and play enriches the soul; where bird song fills sun-soaked afternoons and carries us on its wings into each enchanted evening. Isik Kural's Moon in Gemini will be released on vinyl, Japanese import CD, and digital editions on September 6, 2024. On behalf of Isik and RVNG, a portion of the proceeds from this release will benefit Mor Çaty Women's Shelter Foundation, whose social work at their solidarity centers and shelters supports women building lives unhindered by gender-based discrimination and male violence under free and equal conditions.

Ever wondered what music would sound like if it was ripped from the space directly preceding sleep? The tracks within this album are your gateway to discovery. These recordings, which were laid down especially for the USA radio stations WFMU and WGXC, will melt your speakers and your mind. Released on the ever excellent Feeding Tube Records (USA) & Cardinal Fuzz (UK). BHAJAN BHOY (aka Ajay Saggar) symbolises boundless creative freedom in all the music he has produced to date. This LP is no exception to that rule….in fact, this album showcases an even wider spectrum of sounds and ideas than could ever be imagined. From heavy lysergic guitar excursions, to dub inflected guitar pedal pop, to nu-age minimalism, to electronic experimentalism….all the terms and descriptions in the world don’t do justice to the originality that lies within. When USA radio station WFMU asked Ajay to contribute tracks to a session for the show “Feelings” (co-hosted by Michele and Creamo Coyl), he turned in 5 tracks that received tremendous feedback from around the world on the station’s live chatline when broadcast. In addition, a session for WGXC further showcased the songwriting talent of Ajay. The ensuing 3 week tour of the USA cemented BHAJAN BHOY’s status as one of the most innovative musicians around. This LP marks another giant leap forward in BHAJAN BHOY’s musical development. He’s brimming with ideas and the imagination runs wild. This music is for the listeners who want to follow a path of discovery and be mesmerised and blown away by what they hear. Be sure to be one of the listening party. Presented in a high gloss outer sleeve with 2 sided insert.

The EP lands hot on the heels of her relocating to London after selling out three
Australian headline shows in Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane and a packed out
summer of touring across the UK/ EU festival circuit. The multi- hyphenate has
been releasing left- leaning house & techno over the last few years which has
been causing a stir on dancefloors worldwide alongside playing dozens of
festivals across the UK, Europe & Australia (Glastonbury, Lost Village, AVA,
Parklife, Gottwood & more) With DJ support from Bonobo, Fred Again.., Barry
Can't Swim, George Fitzgerald, Romy (from The xx), Confidence Man alongside
international media support from Resident Advisor, Mixmag, BBC Radio 1, DJ
Mag, Triple J, Dazed & more.
Enveloping the space between all-out bangers and bittersweet love songs, Pretty
Girl's new EP is a six- track missive that demonstrates her ability to balance
romantic mood pieces with euphoric club moments. Glittering vocals, high-energy
drums and masterful production provide the musical backdrop for the new EP,
which is laced with symbols of transformation and personal development.

2024 REPRESS

Fourth corner. Physically, it's where four states in the U.S. come together at one singular point. Symbolically, it's where the four great rivers in China come together as one. Or, it could be the cycle of life during the four seasons of the year. For Trixie Whitley, it's a metaphor for trying to find balance and belonging from the songs that make up her scintillating debut album, Fourth Corner.

Whitley burst into public consciousness in 2011 as the lead singer of Black Dub, super-producer Daniel Lanois' (U2, Bob Dylan) project, blowing people away with a voice and presence beyond her now-25 years.

And it's that voice: an emotional, blues-drenched instrument that ranges from a lilting slap to a knock-you-backwards uppercut. On Fourth Corner, Whitley explores the range of human emotion in another set of four: utter love, total rage, unadulterated happiness, and crippling loneliness. "It's those elements of life I keep coming back to," she says. "Both as a person and musically as well."

Recorded in New York with producer/keyboardist Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman, who's also worked with Glen Hansard, Antony and the Johnsons, Grizzly Bear and the National) engineer Pat Dillett (David Byrne, St. Vincent, Mary J. Blige), and string arrangements by Rob Moose (Antony, Bon Iver), aching songs like "Need Your Love" have Whitley working from a spare beginning that explodes into a blossom dripping with pleading vocals and delicate piano. On tracks like the sassy "Irene" and the sinister "Hotel No Name," Whitley lays down a snarling guitar line on top of scuzzy beats while her voice veers from defiant to remorseful.

It's a tantalizing mix of sounds that can come only from someone who says: "I'm from everywhere but have never felt like I belong." Whitley lived a nomadic life: born in Belgium, she split her time growing up there and in New York but also frequently visiting family in France, Texas, and Mexico. Her mother came from an artistic European gypsy family, filled with musicians, painters, writers, and sculptures, while her father, renowned singer-songwriter Chris Whitley, thrust her into the world of music as a toddler when she joined him onstage in Germany at age three.

After a few years of touring and recording experience with some of the most inspiring artists around, Trixie is ready to presenther anticipated first solo full length.

"I'm psyched and petrified," says Whitley in her archetypal wide-eyed wonderment mixed with a fierce determination. "As a songwriter, I want to go to places people don't expect and with that is complete freedom of expression." Perhaps that place is another version of a fourth corner: something spiritual perhaps, certainly emotional, but most definitely real.

Presenting 3+5, the long-awaited eighth album from Tokyo-based noise-rockers Melt-Banana on their own A-Zap label! The album showcases the duo’s visionary musical approach and extraordinary abilities as performers: Yasuko Onuki’s giddy, hyperactive vocalizing and Ichiro Agata’s glitchy, cyberpunk guitar, delivered at dizzying speed, bathed in aggressive electronic sounds. Their aesthetic approach is exultantly experimental, fusing diverse genres imbued with chaotic energy. As on their previous works, the music on 3+5 is unpredictable, always filled with surprises and excitement. 3+5 synthesizes elements of a variety of extreme music, hyper-pop, classic punk, vintage metal, and noise. It partakes of Japanese culture overall, especially the subcultures of gaming, anime and underground music. Melt-Banana seek to offer possibilities to musicians who won’t start a band if they can’t find a drummer, young women afraid to express themselves in their own unfiltered and unique voices, bedroom musicians and egg punks seeking to blend electronic noise with live instrumentation. 3+5 provides a fresh experience and perhaps inspiration for all. While Melt-Banana hasn’t explicitly explained the meaning behind the album’s title, 3+5, prime numbers symbolize mathematical integrity and independence, which could represent the band’s uniqueness and freedom. Why “3+5” and not “1 + 7”? One is left to ponder.

Kompakt is proud to announce, finally, a reissue of the first, self-titled GAS album. Originally released on electronica imprint Mille Plateaux back in 1996, it’s been unavailable in its original form ever since – the version of GAS included in 2008’s Nah Und Fern box featured several different tracks. Here, however, GAS is restored in all its glory, the debut full-length from Wolfgang Voigt’s most enigmatic, quixotic project.

There had, of course, been signs of what was to come. Back in 1995, Voigt essayed the first GAS release, a slender, yet remarkable four-track EP, Modern. Its centre label featured a reduced symbol – an overhead or lamp light, switched on, its glow radiating outwards in four bold black lines – a perfect representation of the tight, stylised ambient electronic pop contained on that 12”. A few curious compilation tracks were floating around, too, for Mille Plateaux’s Modulation & Transformation and Electric Ladyland series. If you were attentive enough, you could tell something was up.

But nothing quite prepared us for the languorous, effervescing loops and regular-like-clockwork beats that Voigt folded together on GAS. Its six long tracks, all untitled, neither begin nor end but hazily fade into earshot, vibrate majestically in your cochlea for fifteen-or-so minutes – some a bit shorter, some longer – and then meander away, reading the mise-en-scène for the next example of Voigt’s drift and dream logic to unfold. The material is referential in the most distant way, and you can sense only the most evanescent of ghostly presences, haunting these six compositions.

GAS feels, also, like a more pliable hint at what’s to come, as the GAS concept really solidified on its successor, 1997’s Zauberberg, and reach its apotheosis on Königsforst and Pop. Those three albums share a very similar palette – blurred, hazy samples, often of classical music, stacked and cross-thatched across a muted 4/4 thud. GAS, then, is an outlier of sorts: it’s more expansive in its remit, lighter in its mood, perhaps more fleet of foot. This, of course, is part of its charm.

In clearing space for Voigt, by preparing the terrain, GAS sits both at the edge of the forest, and at the verge of an expansive, wide-eyed future; one where GAS would become truly eternal.

Text by Jonathan Dale

Kompakt ist stolz, endlich eine Neuauflage des ersten, selbstbetitelten GAS-Albums ankündigen zu können. Ursprünglich im Jahr 1996 auf dem Electronica-Label Mille Plateaux veröffentlicht, ist es seitdem nicht mehr in seiner ursprünglichen Form erhältlich – die gleichnamige Version von GAS, die 2008 in der Nah Und Fern Box enthalten war, enthielt verschiedene andere Titel. Nun liegt das 3er Album in seinem naturbelassenen Originalzustand wieder vor.

Bereits 1995 zeichnete sich mit der Maxi GAS - Modern auf Profan, sowie einigen Kompilation-Beiträgen auf Modulation & Transformation und Electric Ladyland auf Mille Plateaux dieser frühe, weltentrückte, rätselhafte GAS Sound ab, der sich erst in den sechs scheinbar endlosen, majestätisch-sprudelnden Tracks des Albums voll entfaltete. Die Musik ist von ätherischer Leichtigkeit, in der wie aus einer anderen Sphäre abstrakte Referenzen aus weiter Ferne nur andeutungsweise herüberzuwehen scheinen.

Dieser frühe, eher sphärisch-leichte, gleich einer sonnendurchfluteten (Wald-)Lichtung anmutende GAS Sound, stellt gewissermaßen den Ausgangspunkt der audiovisuellen „Welt“-Reise in den düster-romantischen Acid-Wald dar, in den sich GAS ab 1997 mit den Alben Zauberberg, Königsforst, Oktember und ab 2000 mit Pop an anderer Stelle wieder hinaus und in seine ganz eigene Ewigkeit begeben hat.

Die färöische Folk-Singer/Songwriterin EIVOR bringt mit ,Slor" bereits ihr zweites Studioalbum innerhalb eines Jahres raus. ,Slor" ist eine Sammlung neu komponierter Songs, die EIVOR in ihrer Muttersprache - färöisch - eingesungen hat. Das Album ist der Nachfolger des englischsprachigen Albums ,Bridges". Und auch wenn es sich um zwei unterschiedliche Alben in unterschiedlichen Sprachen handelt, gibt es eine Verbindung der beiden Platten. Wo ,Bridges" leicht und vor allem sehnsüchtig war, klingt ,Slor" eher rau und reflektierter. ,Bridges" wurde von Freundschaft, Liebe und Heimweh inspiriert. Es thematisiert die Brücken zwischen uns, Beziehungen zwischen Menschen, Plätzen und auch Dingen, die uns berühren. ,Slor" hingegen gibt sich der Fernsucht hin, thematisiert Trennungen und die Suche nach Frieden. Ein Schleier kann ein Symbol für eine Grenze zwischen Gegenwart und Vergangenheit sein, doch ein Brautschleier hingegen repräsentiert vor allem Glück und Hingabe. EIVOR selbst erklärt den Prozess der Geschwisteralben: ,Als ich die Songs geschrieben haben, erfolgte das Songwriting erst auf Englisch und direkt danach kam es auf Färöisch in meinen Kopf - wie eine Art Spiegelbild." Somit handelt es sich nicht nur um zwei voneinander getrennte Werke, sondern auch um einen zusammengesetzten Moment im Songprozess.

Not everybody has not one, not two, but twelve producers attached to her debut release. Not everybody has her one and only album pranked by British artist Banksy (who substituted a topless photo for the cover). Nope, not everybody is Paris Hilton, who has lived in the public eye since, well, forever. She first announced plans to make an album in 2003, during her run on the reality TV series The Simple Life. Originally entitled Screwed, and then Paris Is Burning, the record—finally simply entitled Paris—came out in 2006. And it was…uh… good? Yeah, for real. This record goes expensively pedicured cuticle to cuticle with anything Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson or any other pop culture chanteuse of the like ever put out, and the Paris the heiress displays some real savvy both in her taste of material and the Madonna-like manipulation of her sex symbol image. And her voice? Definitely respectable despite what the haters said. Indeed, the single “Stars Are Blind” went top 20, and the album itself went all the way up to #6, selling over 600,000 copies worldwide. Since Paris has finally answered the pleas of her fans and made a second album, we thought the time was right for a revival of Paris, so we’ve taken the fetching photos from the CD package and given them plenty of acreage to show their stuff, with a gatefold jacket and 4-color printed inner sleeve. And for this release, we’re pressing Paris’ album in her favorite color, pink…and of course it’s hot! A pop culture keepsake from an enduring pop culture icon!

Not everybody has not one, not two, but twelve producers attached to her debut release. Not everybody has her one and only album pranked by British artist Banksy (who substituted a topless photo for the cover). Nope, not everybody is Paris Hilton, who has lived in the public eye since, well, forever. She first announced plans to make an album in 2003, during her run on the reality TV series The Simple Life.

Originally entitled Screwed, and then Paris Is Burning, the record—finally simply entitled Paris—came out in 2006. And it was…uh… good? Yeah, for real. This record goes expensively pedicured cuticle to cuticle with anything Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson or any other pop culture chanteuse of the like ever put out, and the Paris the heiress displays some real savvy both in her taste of material and the Madonna-like manipulation of her sex symbol image. And her voice? Definitely respectable despite what the haters said. Indeed, the single “Stars Are Blind” went top 20, and the album itself went all the way up to #6, selling over 600,000 copies worldwide.

Since Paris has finally answered the pleas of her fans and made a second album, we thought the time was right for a revival of Paris, so we’ve taken the fetching photos from the CD package and given them plenty of acreage to show their stuff, with a gatefold jacket and 4-color printed inner sleeve. And for this release, we’re pressing Paris’ album in her favorite color, pink…and of course it’s hot! A pop culture keepsake from an enduring pop culture icon!

In the night, the cadenced orientation of the strobe lights sketches geometric trajectories in the dark room. The icy condensation from the cocktail glass drips onto her fingers, caresses her nail polish, grazes the side slit of her evening dress, and evaporates before it touches the floor, the dance floor.

Her body, that of a femme fatale, stands between the clenched bodies of the dance floor. A beam of light pierces the darkness. It illuminates a Mediterranean chest – stronger than the bridle imposed by the buttons of his shirt – adorned with golden necklaces: symbols of faith turned into instruments of seduction. Sin is the antechamber to holiness.

She turns around, that’s him: Marcelo. She had long heard about him. Their gazes, perfect diagonals, get locked in the crowd. A cheeky smile reveals a golden tooth, the lights a shrouded sex bursting forth. His wink is a magnet. Often, words are a mere formality. Let’s make out.

Que rico.
Que lindo.
Te quiero.

Color Vinyl Repress

Inspired by The Twelve Ornaments, a group of ancient Chinese symbols and designs associated with auspicious qualities and virtues. Aleksi Perala uses the colundi scales to heal and inspire with this specially blended collection of tracks. The power of repetition paired with the selected frequencies makes for a transcendent ambient experience.

Veyl is pleased to welcome Velvet May for his debut LP on the label. Enchanted By The Muse marks a new and exciting direction for the Italian-born, Berlin-based artist whose aesthetic focuses on post-punk, techno and industrial music. This album embodies May’s exploration and experimentation of various musical directions, reflecting a fusion of industrial, rock and electronic elements. It also symbolizes a new approach, spanning genres and styles and exploring his sound from every angle.
Conceptually, the album reflects a realm of emotional dissonance in an industrial desolation - where harsh electronic textures mingle with gritty industrial and rock elements. Also present are echoes of punk's raw energy and adrenalinic drive, a musical journey through shifting moods and atmospheres, serving as a soundtrack to different aspects of life and capturing the essence of its high and lows.
From the opening track, “Now That You Have Left It All”, we are lured into a thrilling sonic dimension with a shot of energy that sets the stage for journey ahead. “Keep On Falling” injects a dose of rock which we find throughout the record fused with the artist’s signature blend of postpunk, industrial and techno strains. Tracks like “The Outsider” and “Slithering Serenade” conjure raw, distorted rhythms and a menacing fuzz which bleeds out of the speakers while “Scales of Gold” traverses back through infectious body and wave. “Illusion In Control” is the perfect climax, a musical assault that shatters boundaries and blurs the lines between reality and fantasy.

Boxed set of five 7-inch vinyl records, 300 copies limited edition. Artwork poster included.

All tracks remastered from the original master tapes.

Alessandro Alessandroni is no longer remembered simply as 'the whistler' in Morricone's spaghetti western soundtracks – and rightly so, since he was the key figure behind much of Italian 'secret music' from the 60s and 70s, always there in the studio during recording sessions, whether as a multi-instrumentalist or as the leader of session vocal group I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni. Today his pervasive presence and important role has been finally recognized by music professionals and enthusiasts alike, so much so that he is now considered the true father of Italian library music – a genre whose sound he shaped since 1968.


As a film composer, Alessandroni often worked for small productions that had very limited (and often regional-only) distribution, and whose budgets were worlds apart from those in the 'top league' where friends and colleagues like Morricone, Bacalov, Trovajoli or Piccioni thrived. Rarely released as a soundtrack, this music ended up, at best, forgotten inside dusty ¼-inch reels or, at worst, disappearing into thin air.

After a string of releases that have brought back to life forgotten or lost works by Alessandroni (Sangue di Sbirro, Afro Discoteca, Lost and Found, etc.), it was pretty natural for us at Four Flies to start delving into a little investigated area of his filmography: his scores for erotic films, the last genre to gain popularity in the flourishing Italian film industry of the 60s and 70s, and perhaps the most extreme too, the one that, by pushing things too far, eventually put an end to that industry and its genres.

So, we're now very proud to present Alessandroni Proibito, an exclusive boxed set of five 7-inch records. It contains a total of 14 previously unreleased tracks from the soundtracks of 4 soft-core erotic films that included hard-core sequences and, therefore, fell somewhere in-between normal commercial distribution and the underground scene of adult movie theatres.

Taking an artisanal approach to his musical craft, Alessandroni was not afraid of having to deal with spicy subject matter, wobbly productions, implausible plots, improvised actors, or cinematographers who were clearly no disciples of Storaro. And he was so good at making a virtue out of necessity, at turning budget constraints into creative advantages, that he created soundtracks that far surpass the films' quality, with music that at once captures and elevates the spirit of the erotic genre as if into a condensed symbol.

More specifically, the maestro recorded many of the pieces in a DIY fashion at home, using a 4-track Teac tape machine to arrange his compositions. The Teac allowed him to play different instruments on each track, which meant he could basically put an entire soundtrack together all by himself, or almost all by himself.

These recordings often feature drum machines – which provide that retro, early electronic music vibe – as well as funk guitars and exotic-sounding percussion in the rhythm tracks. In addition, there is an extensive, almost bewildering use of synthesizers to replace solo instruments that would have required a paid session player. On top this minimalist arrangement, Alessandroni layered what he could: some piano chords, a little flute and, most importantly, his signature 12-string guitar phrasing.

The result is just stunning: a unique mixture of electronic music and acoustic instruments, in a style that stops short of kitsch and ranges from cinematic ambient pieces like "Tensione erotica" to disco-funk tracks like "Snake Disco" and "One Sunday Morning", both of which feature vocals by Alessandroni himself.

Alessandroni Proibito comes with artwork by Eric Adrien Lee and a matching 30x70cm folded poster inspired to the insert-size posters which used to be hung outside movie theatres to attract cinema-goers.

The boxed set is being released in a limited edition of just 300 copies and will never be reissued. First come, first served.

Temperature On Arrival. The immediate sensory impact as you enter the venue. The vibe, energy and intensity. The movement of the crowd, the atmosphere of the space, the initial impression when stepping onto the dancefloor. The surge as the music hits you.

Temperature On Arrival is here to deliver the feels and control the climate, with the coldest beats and toastiest grooves. The UK-based duo are set to soundtrack the seasons, kicking off with two scintillating house cuts that resonate within the intimate confines of smaller venues, to the vast openness of clubs and summer terraces. Featuring the soulful vocal talents of London's Deli OneFourz on 36 Degrees and the inspirational Minister and singer, Anthony Hainsley on The Tunnel, with Adrian McLeod on keys across both tracks.

The sunshine vibes are high on '36 Degrees’ as Temperature on Arrival move the mercury, whilst setting the vibrations of the dancefloor. Throbbing drums and a thick bottom-heavy bassline are adorned with chimes, rhodes chords and the velvety vocals of Deli OneFourz. All fused together with a serious serving of bump.

Spirits rise further on the Gospel-infused, ’The Tunnel’, as Anthony Hainsley inspires with his message of perseverance.The track's relentless four-four stomp symbolises the resilience and collective spirit to keep moving, “somehow”, and serves as a joyous reminder of the celebration of dancing together.

TOA, the new tone setters, tastemakers, and temperature takers – and the heat is undeniably rising.

The limited edition Deep Purple “Pictures Of You” 12” Maxi Single contains the 2024 Deep Purple songs ‘Pictures Of You’ and ‘Portable Door’ as well as two unreleased live recordings recorded live in Milan, Italy in 2022.

'=1' is the highly anticipated new album from one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Deep Purple. Produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin, this album captures the band's seminal classic sound without relying on nostalgia, embodying the essence and attitude of their 1970s incarnation possibly more than any other recent album. The enigmatic title '=1' symbolizes the idea that in an increasingly complex world, everything can eventually be reduced to a single, unified essence. Everything adds up to one. With three consecutive No.1 albums behind them and a new energy driving them forward, '=1' represents Deep Purple at their peak.

The color green can represent many things. It can symbolize money, of course, but also weed. And envy. It implies newness, the rebirth of spring, but it can also evoke illness and infection. It’s an apt name for a band that is defined by its adaptability, by its knack for doing many different things all at once. On the Color Green’s second full-length—their first as a quartet—they ground their cosmic jams in earthy melodies, drawing from ‘60s SoCal folk-r0ck, ‘70s classic rock, ‘80s underground rock, ‘90s psychedelic dance-rock, and many other sources.

In the two years the band has been touring, it has already shared stages with a range of groups that reflect both the sophistication and the wild malleability of their sound, including Fuzz, Kikagaku Moyo, Circles Around the Sun, and Young Guv. “When we play live, I don’t really know what’s going to happen,” says guitarist Noah Kohll. “You really have no idea what you’re going to get with this band, which keeps things fresh for us and maybe makes the live experience special.”

Adds drummer Corey Rose, “One thing about this band that I really appreciate is that we can camouflage into any environment or any show. We can play with Hiss Golden Messenger and lean into that funky country vibe, or we can play with the Brian Jonestown Massacre and get evil. We all love a variety of music, so let’s not put ourselves in a box.”

That wild, mercurial quality is reflected on Fool’s Parade, a meditation on loss, grief, confusion, frustration, and the clarity to which they all lead. Their songs are vehicles for self-explorations, not just a means of putting their feelings into lyrics and notes but molding them, night after night, into different shapes to get different insights.

Remastered edition on 180 grams double vinyl of 'Euskal Herria Jamaika Clash', released by Talka Records & Films in 2006. To the 12 tracks that appeared in the original CD edition we have added 5 remixes made by producers as renowned as Xabi Pery, Rob Smith, Neil Perch, Peter Rose or Nebukhednezzar and Daniel Díaz. DESCRIPTION "On the wall of the toilet a freshly made graffiti, "Get out of the ghetto, organize the hate", reminded me of the rage we owe to this society. However, I was also at ease, savoring our Original Soundtrack: "ROOTS, ROCK, RAP, REGGAE". This phrase belongs to the song "B.S.O." from the album "Gure Jarrera" by Negu Gorriak. For music fans, the real ones, the ones who spend their fingers searching for rare vinyls in second-hand shops, there are records that have a special meaning. That record has special meaning for me for several reasons, but one of them is singular: it has helped me to discover a multitude of music. It turns out that the credits of that album were full of fundamental names in rock, hardcore, funk, Hip Hop, soul, ska, Latin music... a good guide for the young man of musical discoveries that I was fifteen years ago. But there was also that song, "B.S.O.", with the word "REGGAE" at the end of the chorus. A genre that I had never paid much attention to and that since then, slowly, I have been tasting... from classic figures to new trends, from Jamaican reference records to admirable peninsular formations (Basque Dub Foundation, Lone Ark or The Starlites). A few years ago I had the opportunity to interview Fermín Muguruza and in one of his answers he said: "It's clear that the basis of reggae is going to remain firm, because it's been a constant since Kortatu's first album. Reggae will be there in any of its expressions or derivations, of which there are already many". And it's true. Going through Fermín Muguruza's discography, and his groups, forwards or backwards, we come across reggae in different doses, proportions and orientations, but it has been present in all his albums. And in his "solo" stage, in a more prominent way. Now he releases "Euskal Herria Jamaica Clash", a coherent link in his chain of albums, where he accentuates that proportion of reggae, looking more than ever at the classic conception of the genre, but with some mestizo nuances present (rock strength, some Hip Hop drums or the sound of the trikitixa). The album has been recorded in Jamaica and has featured some renowned figures from those lands: U-Roy, Luciano, Lisa Dainjah, Masta Blasta, Yacine, Toots and the I-Threes (the usual female vocal trio in Bob Marley's albums, to which Rita Marley belongs). The new album offers twelve tracks, where, apart from reggae, one can also feel the optimism of the new lights that illuminate the future of the Basque Country ("Euskal Herria Jamaika Clash")... an optimism that is intertwined with descriptions of local customs ("Azoka Eguna"), rebellious spirit ("Mongolian Barbecue", "Basque Xamuraia", "La Fille Du Quartier Populaire"), songs of hope ("Yalah Yalah Ramallah"), a snapshot of a symbolic triumph ("Beamon Jauzia"), criticisms of alienation ("Askatasun Parabolika"), to the dictatorship of the empire ("Plastic Turkey"), a poetic air of rest on music and feelings ("Baxua eta Lurra"), a final instrumental ("Le Mouv Dub") and a luminous and hopeful revision in reggae key of an old song by Kortatu ("La línea del frente"). "Euskal Herria Jamaika Clash. The soundtrack of the present: DREAMS, HOPE, ROOTS, REGGAE." FM-Hop (2006)

Magic Combo is a vinyl-only label that specializes in limited edition edits of iconic original tracks, symbolizing the rich diversity of musical genres such as Afro, Funk, Jazz, Blues, R&B, and Classic House. This label is a melting pot of emotions, love, and musical improvisations, brought to you by a dynamic combination of emerging Italian and international musicians, DJs, and producers. Each release is a carefully curated selection that represents the soul of its genre, offering a unique listening experience that transcends the ordinary.

The Magic Combo label is not just about music; it’s about creating a connection between the listener and the sounds that have shaped generations. Our limited edition vinyl are a testament to the enduring power of music and the magic that happens when different cultures and sounds collide. It’s a celebration of the past, present, and future of music, encapsulating the essence of each genre while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Join us on a journey through sound with Magic Combo, where every record is a story, every beat a heartbeat, and every spin a new discovery. This is where the magic of vinyl comes alive, and where the love for music is immortalized in every groove.

Introducing "Azerbaijani Gitara vol. 2" by Rəhman Məmmədli, the eagerly awaited sequel to Bongo Joe’s acclaimed debut featuring Rüstəm Quliyev. Born from the vibrant streets of Baku, Azerbaijani gitara culture has evolved into a mesmerizing fusion of indigenous traditions and global influences. From the oil boom era to Soviet rule, musicians have embraced the electric guitar as a symbol of cultural expression.

Rəhman Məmmədli, a legend in his own right, revolutionized the sound with his innovative techniques and impassioned performances. Drawing inspiration from mugham music, Məmmədli's compositions resonate with soul-stirring melodies and electrifying solos.

Join us as we honor the pioneers of Azerbaijani gitara culture while celebrating the continued evolution of this rich musical tradition. "Azerbaijani Gitara vol. 2" promise to captivate listeners with its depth, diversity, and unbridled passion, inviting you on a journey through the heart and soul of Azerbaijan's musical heritage.

Fresh from their US tour supporting Black Sabbath, Brooklyn-based heavy metal trio Sir Lord Baltimore expanded to a quartet for the recording of their self-titled sophomore album, released by Mercury in late 1971. The new addition was uitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Joey Dambra, brother of guitarist co-founder, Louis Dambra, adding a dual-guitar element to their hefty sound. The album begins with the epic “Man From Manhattan,” a symbolic allegory of a resurrected Christian icon in a new setting; in contrast, “Where Are We Going” captured the rawness of the group in live glory and “Chicago Lives” a twin-guitar attack. Somehow, the band did not survive long after its release, though Joey later recorded with John Lennon; this reissue spins at 45 RPM for maximum fidelity.

“More than ever, people need to hear songwriters talk about their lives. We don’t always have to search for monster hits. We can just write about our lives and maybe that might actually work. That’s what this record is a lot of. A lot of massive songs, but also a lot of me just writing authentically and honestly about my life. Flyin symbolizes the next phase of my career. I feel like I'm flying into this chapter where I’m the best version of myself that I've ever been. Y’all better catch-up or you’re getting left behind. I’m on fire!”

SABÏRE has now returned in 2024 with a 15 track epic, self-styled "half-concept" album, "Jätt", 5 years in the making. SABÏRE began at the tail end of 2010 as an idea to have a band that played simply what came naturally on guitar to Scarlett Monastyrski with no set genre or category. Simply the natural music. Shortly thereafter, the concept grew to accompany that sound with a big show and distinctive stylisation. The biting and sharp sound production, along with their personal lyrics, birthed for them a label for their music: ACID METAL. Not to be confused with the mind altering substance, Acid Metal took its name from the concentrated corrosive fluid not unlike the blood of the Xenomorph in the Alien films. The instruments are awash with acidic modulation, "like a drop of acid in the dark." The lyrics all hold a tinge of biting realism that once realised by the listener, stings them like a droplet of acid resting upon their skin. To take their metaphor further, their distinctive production style let's stand apart from the rest of the "modern" sound that degrades the potentcy of many new bands. They call it "brick culture," because it all sounds the same. Concentrated acid burns all the way through anything solid leaving a hot trail behind it, like the band continues to do so with garnering the attention of the world of heavy music. Band leader Scarlett Monastyrski comments : " 'Jätt' is meant to be THE sound of SABÏRE. A monolith to what we stand for artistically. We wanted this album to be its own art piece rather than simply a collection of arbitrary songs, a really 'blue' coloured sound. The physical copies hold beautifully styled texts detailing the concept for those chosen songs, as well as small epistles to accompany each track," says . “ 'Jätt' is a “blue” sounding album; the colour. You may understand that more when listening to the album yourself. The cover of 'Jätt', “Dante and Virgil in the Ninth Circle of Hell” - Gustav Doré, 1861, could be seen through a symbolic lense in which the listener is symbolised as Dante, the artist as Virgil, and the bodies locked within the ice of frozen lake as the music surrounding them; we as the artist are shepherding the listener through the mire. This could be perceived like this, or you may just see it as an attractive album cover. “ "We put our heart and soul into this one and can't wait to give our Wild Ones and Acid Fiends what they've been so patiently waiting for

Music From Memory is pleased to announce the upcoming release of ‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’, a collaborative album from Tim Koh and Sun An.

Tim Koh is an American multi-instrumentalist and visual artist born and raised in Los Angeles. He has been touring, releasing music and showing art works internationally for nearly two decades. Sun An is a Southern California-based graphic designer, art director, and sound designer who has self-released music since 2012.

‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’ plays somewhat like a dreamlike collage; across 18 short compositions, finger-picked guitars melt with electronics and warped samples to create a form of American Primitivism bent and refracted through Tim and Sun’s unique lens.

Their collaborative journey unfolded gradually, exchanging snippets via email over the span of a year or so, Sun in LA and Tim in Berlin. Amidst personal struggles and uncertainties, the act of recording and composing became a refuge, a safe space where they could navigate life's complexities together. Though they didn't converse much, mostly just sending music, their musical dialogue spoke volumes, shaping a narrative that evolved naturally over time. As they shared their musical ideas, they discovered a profound sense of connection and understanding with one another. The music became a conduit for healing, bridging the gaps between them and offering comfort in times of need.

Their musical influences and backgrounds anchored them. From reminiscing about past scenes to exploring cultural intricacies of being Korean American in Los Angeles, infused with a natural sense of shared identity, their collaboration reflected a mergence of old and new memories into a hallucinatory, dream-like experience. Across the 18 compositions that make up the album, incense emerges as a poignant motif, symbolizing the passage of time. Each incense stick becomes a vessel carrying the essence of moments gone by, while the holder becomes the custodian of these ephemeral memories.

‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’ invites the listener on a boundary-transcending journey of introspection, joy, and pain, creating an experience that lingers long after the last note fades.

Sleeve art by Brian DeGraw, design by David McFarline.

Die schwedischen Heavy Rocker GREENLEAF haben mit ihrem neunten Album "The Head & The Habit" den vorläufigen Gipfel ihrer langen Evolution erklommen. Die musikalische Handschrift und Virtuosität von Gitarrist Tommi Holappa, seit mehr als 25 Jahren einer der Vorreiter und tragenden Säulen der europäischen Stoner Rock Szene, zeichnen sich deutlich ab. Die Gitarren werden perfekt ergänzt durch den gefühlvollen, intuitiven Sinn für Melodien und die charakterliche Tiefe, die der klassisch ausgebildete Sänger Arvid Hällagård dem Sound von GREENLEAF verleiht. Neben den erstklassigen Gesangslinien sowie den massiven Fuzz-Power-Riffs hat sich der Frontmann intensive Gedanken zu seinen Texten für "The Head & The Habit" gemacht, die weit über den Standard des oft klischeebeladenen Genres hinausreichen. Wie bereits der Albumtitel ("Der Kopf & Die Gewohnheit") andeutet, sind die neuen Songs als symbolische Kurzgeschichten angelegt, die sich um das Ringen mit Gefühlen bis zu psychischen Erkrankungen drehen. In Hällagårds Lyrik spiegeln sich seine Erfahrungen aus der Arbeit mit Menschen wider, die mit Sucht und anderen psychischen Problemen zu kämpfen haben. Die Heavy Rock Liebhaber GREENLEAF wurden ursprünglich als informelles Privatprojekt unter Freunden gegründet. Alle spielten bereits in anderen Bands, worunter sich so klangvolle Namen wie DOZER, LOWRIDER und DEMON CLEANER finden. Die Schweden suchten einfach nur nach einem Ventil für ihre gemeinsame Liebe zum Hard Rock und Proto-Metal der 70er Jahre, das frei von den Erwartungen und dem Druck ihrer Hauptbands sein sollte. Trotz der Absicht, GREENLEAF nur zum Vergnügen zu betreiben, führte die ungetrübte Freude beim Erschaffen eingängiger Songs dazu, dass ihr gesamtes Umfeld nach Aufnahmen von diesem Material verlangte. Dies führte schließlich zur Veröffentlichung einer selbstbetitelten Debüt-EP im Jahr 2000, der nur ein Jahr später das erste vollständige Album "Revolution Rock" folgte. Die Jahre mit wechselnden Besetzungen waren vorbei. GREENLEAFs stabiler Fokus wurde durch ihr fünftes Album "Trails & Passes" (2014) gekrönt, auf dem erstmals Arvid Hällagård als Sänger zu hören war. Dieser Meilenstein markierte den endgültigen Beginn einer neuen Phase der Band. Mit "The Head & The Habit" verbinden GREENLEAF nun das Bewusstsein für vergangene Triumphe mit reifem Handwerk. Die Schweden wissen, wie sie mehr als je zuvor stärker, härter und auf den Punkt rocken. GREENLEAF verschmelzen donnernde Riff-Magie, mitreißenden und mit Soul getränkten Gesang, frenetische Rhythmen und treibende Takt-Attacken zu einer ohrwurmverdächtigen, funkelnden Legierung von Hardrock-Hymnen!

Die schwedischen Heavy Rocker GREENLEAF haben mit ihrem neunten Album "The Head & The Habit" den vorläufigen Gipfel ihrer langen Evolution erklommen. Die musikalische Handschrift und Virtuosität von Gitarrist Tommi Holappa, seit mehr als 25 Jahren einer der Vorreiter und tragenden Säulen der europäischen Stoner Rock Szene, zeichnen sich deutlich ab. Die Gitarren werden perfekt ergänzt durch den gefühlvollen, intuitiven Sinn für Melodien und die charakterliche Tiefe, die der klassisch ausgebildete Sänger Arvid Hällagård dem Sound von GREENLEAF verleiht. Neben den erstklassigen Gesangslinien sowie den massiven Fuzz-Power-Riffs hat sich der Frontmann intensive Gedanken zu seinen Texten für "The Head & The Habit" gemacht, die weit über den Standard des oft klischeebeladenen Genres hinausreichen. Wie bereits der Albumtitel ("Der Kopf & Die Gewohnheit") andeutet, sind die neuen Songs als symbolische Kurzgeschichten angelegt, die sich um das Ringen mit Gefühlen bis zu psychischen Erkrankungen drehen. In Hällagårds Lyrik spiegeln sich seine Erfahrungen aus der Arbeit mit Menschen wider, die mit Sucht und anderen psychischen Problemen zu kämpfen haben. Die Heavy Rock Liebhaber GREENLEAF wurden ursprünglich als informelles Privatprojekt unter Freunden gegründet. Alle spielten bereits in anderen Bands, worunter sich so klangvolle Namen wie DOZER, LOWRIDER und DEMON CLEANER finden. Die Schweden suchten einfach nur nach einem Ventil für ihre gemeinsame Liebe zum Hard Rock und Proto-Metal der 70er Jahre, das frei von den Erwartungen und dem Druck ihrer Hauptbands sein sollte. Trotz der Absicht, GREENLEAF nur zum Vergnügen zu betreiben, führte die ungetrübte Freude beim Erschaffen eingängiger Songs dazu, dass ihr gesamtes Umfeld nach Aufnahmen von diesem Material verlangte. Dies führte schließlich zur Veröffentlichung einer selbstbetitelten Debüt-EP im Jahr 2000, der nur ein Jahr später das erste vollständige Album "Revolution Rock" folgte. Die Jahre mit wechselnden Besetzungen waren vorbei. GREENLEAFs stabiler Fokus wurde durch ihr fünftes Album "Trails & Passes" (2014) gekrönt, auf dem erstmals Arvid Hällagård als Sänger zu hören war. Dieser Meilenstein markierte den endgültigen Beginn einer neuen Phase der Band. Mit "The Head & The Habit" verbinden GREENLEAF nun das Bewusstsein für vergangene Triumphe mit reifem Handwerk. Die Schweden wissen, wie sie mehr als je zuvor stärker, härter und auf den Punkt rocken. GREENLEAF verschmelzen donnernde Riff-Magie, mitreißenden und mit Soul getränkten Gesang, frenetische Rhythmen und treibende Takt-Attacken zu einer ohrwurmverdächtigen, funkelnden Legierung von Hardrock-Hymnen!

Die schwedischen Heavy Rocker GREENLEAF haben mit ihrem neunten Album "The Head & The Habit" den vorläufigen Gipfel ihrer langen Evolution erklommen. Die musikalische Handschrift und Virtuosität von Gitarrist Tommi Holappa, seit mehr als 25 Jahren einer der Vorreiter und tragenden Säulen der europäischen Stoner Rock Szene, zeichnen sich deutlich ab. Die Gitarren werden perfekt ergänzt durch den gefühlvollen, intuitiven Sinn für Melodien und die charakterliche Tiefe, die der klassisch ausgebildete Sänger Arvid Hällagård dem Sound von GREENLEAF verleiht. Neben den erstklassigen Gesangslinien sowie den massiven Fuzz-Power-Riffs hat sich der Frontmann intensive Gedanken zu seinen Texten für "The Head & The Habit" gemacht, die weit über den Standard des oft klischeebeladenen Genres hinausreichen. Wie bereits der Albumtitel ("Der Kopf & Die Gewohnheit") andeutet, sind die neuen Songs als symbolische Kurzgeschichten angelegt, die sich um das Ringen mit Gefühlen bis zu psychischen Erkrankungen drehen. In Hällagårds Lyrik spiegeln sich seine Erfahrungen aus der Arbeit mit Menschen wider, die mit Sucht und anderen psychischen Problemen zu kämpfen haben. Die Heavy Rock Liebhaber GREENLEAF wurden ursprünglich als informelles Privatprojekt unter Freunden gegründet. Alle spielten bereits in anderen Bands, worunter sich so klangvolle Namen wie DOZER, LOWRIDER und DEMON CLEANER finden. Die Schweden suchten einfach nur nach einem Ventil für ihre gemeinsame Liebe zum Hard Rock und Proto-Metal der 70er Jahre, das frei von den Erwartungen und dem Druck ihrer Hauptbands sein sollte. Trotz der Absicht, GREENLEAF nur zum Vergnügen zu betreiben, führte die ungetrübte Freude beim Erschaffen eingängiger Songs dazu, dass ihr gesamtes Umfeld nach Aufnahmen von diesem Material verlangte. Dies führte schließlich zur Veröffentlichung einer selbstbetitelten Debüt-EP im Jahr 2000, der nur ein Jahr später das erste vollständige Album "Revolution Rock" folgte. Die Jahre mit wechselnden Besetzungen waren vorbei. GREENLEAFs stabiler Fokus wurde durch ihr fünftes Album "Trails & Passes" (2014) gekrönt, auf dem erstmals Arvid Hällagård als Sänger zu hören war. Dieser Meilenstein markierte den endgültigen Beginn einer neuen Phase der Band. Mit "The Head & The Habit" verbinden GREENLEAF nun das Bewusstsein für vergangene Triumphe mit reifem Handwerk. Die Schweden wissen, wie sie mehr als je zuvor stärker, härter und auf den Punkt rocken. GREENLEAF verschmelzen donnernde Riff-Magie, mitreißenden und mit Soul getränkten Gesang, frenetische Rhythmen und treibende Takt-Attacken zu einer ohrwurmverdächtigen, funkelnden Legierung von Hardrock-Hymnen!

Any reasonably knowledgeable fan of post-punk will likely recognise the name of Una Baines. A founder of both The Fall and Blue Orchids, Una's influence in the development of both bands is a matter of historical fact . . . so much so that people scarcely realise how few recordings she's actually made - a solitary 7" with The Fall, one LP and a few singles by Blue Orchids, and that's it, barring her most recent recording, The Fates' obscure album "Furia", released nearly forty years ago on a tiny label until its rediscovery a few years back on the Finders Keepers label. Una's spent much of the last four decades working in community organising, raising a family, and functioning as a symbolic godmother to many Mancunian artists and musicians who cite her as an aspiration and mentor. Her band Poppycock has undergone several line-up changes between their sporadic - almost exclusively local - live appearances. Una was never shy in describing her personal ideals and artistic expression in terms of feminism - even if the term was occasionally derided by some female punk artists. "Magic Mothers" displays a consistency of vision rare traceable back to interviews she did during The Fall. Hearing it, we're reminded of the emotional fierceness set against pop arrangements from acts like Look Blue Go Purple and Dead Famous People, or the spare pop jazziness found in songs by Marine Girls, Tracey Thorn's pre-fame combo. The arrival of "Magic Mothers" will come as a surprise to many. Though recorded in fits and starts over the last fifteen years, it's a cohesive statement with an expansive cast of friends and allies, including Blue Orchids' Howard Jones and The Fall / House Of All's Simon Wolstencroft, plus many others. The original keyboardist for both The Fall and Blue Orchids, Una Baines returns with her brilliant musical partners for her first album in 39 years

Budapest’s Alley Catss wants m Helux to serve as both a new station in their work and an homage to the new age-influenced and sample-heavy synthesis of previous albums (such as 2020’s "compassion & paralysis", 2016’s ℶ, or 2021’s "exophage"), and it already feels like a genre unto itself: Absurd Ambient. Inspired by the emptiness and silliness of theatrical sets left empty, devoid of action, still and incomplete, m Helux is an awkward place of bleak humour; poured over and yet frozen.

Produced by Máté Janky over the course of late 2023 through to early 2024, this is an unpredictable collage of hefty symbolic audio mysticism, 90s sampling, dub influences, fractured R&B vocals. It’s nonetheless interspersed with the knowing cheesiness of new agey bells and chimes, at times cut up to cartoonish levels, melding their most laughable and wonderful connotations.

Influenced by the likes of Klein, Alley Catss’ collaging and sampling techniques seek to sonify utopic scholastic visual concepts –poking a dose of fun at them along the way.

These seven tracks shimmer and shake, but never rumble. Alley Catss’ sui generis approach creates a beautiful parody of reference genres. Myriad tropes are desiccated and reworked into an exquisite corpse of blissed out sounds and voices. This is maddening music that’s monstrous and pretty, often all at once.

2024 REISSUE

Gwendoline ist ein (ehemaliges) Underdog-Duo der Indie-Szene in Frankreich. Micka und Pierre, sensible Verlierer und große Blasierte der Start-up-Generation, erschaffen ihre ganz besondere Art des Elelektro Wave miteindringlichen und poetischen Sprechgesang, wobei ihre Inspirationsquelle in erster Linie die Gespräche an der Theke sind und die Menschen, die sie um sich herum beobachten. Zwischen fatalistischen Texten, Selbstironie, Sarkasmus und Verbitterung über die Mittelmäßigkeit der Welt, ist ihr aufrichtiger Cold-Wave ein Symbol für eine desillusionierte Jugend und der perfekte Soundtrack für Demonstrationen. Schon 2017 nehmen sie diese erstes Album auf, indem sie sich zwei Wochen lang selbst wegschließen und alles in einem Rutsch komponieren, wobei sie sich von ihrem täglichen Umfeld in Rennes, zahlreichen in Bars verbrachten Abenden und den Ängsten unserer Zeit nähren. ,Après c'est Gobelet!" wurde zunächst selbst digital veröffentlicht sowie in Kleinauflage auf Vinyl beim spanischen Underground-Label Dead Waxveröffentlicht. Eine zweite Auflage folgte selbstveröffentlicht 2021 (hier auch CD). Im Vorfeld der neuen, remasterten Ausgabe des Albums ,Après C'est Gobelet" wurden drei Singles und Musikvideos (,Chevalier Ricard", ,Audi RTT", ,Voldebière") veröffentlicht, die das Anliegen der Band zwischen Selbstironie und scharfer Kritik am Lebensstil der Underground-Millenials wunderbar illustrierten. Von da an ging es steil bergauf. Born Bad veröffentlichte das zweite Album zu Beginn des Jahres 2024 und findet sich im Zentrum eines Rummels, der dem seinerzeit um La femme gleicht! Da muss auch das Debut de beiden dann wieder her, nun also in der dritten Auflage.

Introducing "Azerbaijani Gitara vol. 2" by Rahman Mammadli, the eagerly awaited sequel to Bongo Joe"s acclaimed debut featuring Rüstam Quliyev. Born from the vibrant streets of Baku, Azerbaijani gitara culture has evolved into a mesmerizing fusion of indigenous traditions and global influences. From the oil boom era to Soviet rule, musicians have embraced the electric guitar as a symbol of cultural expression. Rahman Mammadli, a legend in his own right, revolutionized the sound with his innovative techniques and impassioned performances. Drawing inspiration from mugham music, Mammadli"s compositions resonate with soul-stirring melodies and electrifying solos.

Introducing "Azerbaijani Gitara vol. 2" by Rəhman Məmmədli, the eagerly awaited sequel to Bongo Joe’s acclaimed debut featuring Rüstəm Quliyev. Born from the vibrant streets of Baku, Azerbaijani gitara culture has evolved into a mesmerizing fusion of indigenous traditions and global influences. From the oil boom era to Soviet rule, musicians have embraced the electric guitar as a symbol of cultural expression.

Rəhman Məmmədli, a legend in his own right, revolutionized the sound with his innovative techniques and impassioned performances. Drawing inspiration from mugham music, Məmmədli's compositions resonate with soul-stirring melodies and electrifying solos.

Join us as we honor the pioneers of Azerbaijani gitara culture while celebrating the continued evolution of this rich musical tradition. "Azerbaijani Gitara vol. 2" promises to captivate listeners with its depth, diversity, and unbridled passion, inviting you on a journey through the heart and soul of Azerbaijan's musical heritage.

For fans of Duster, LSD and The Search for God, The Microphones. Double LP (NO BOOKS!) First official physical copy of fan-made compilation of alternate tracks and demos from cult phenomenon album Deathconsciousness. Freshly remastered. With the broader adoption of the internet around the turn of the century, how people would engage with and discover underground music would change forever. As a result of the new digital era, DIY was now worldwide, and no band embraced this new frontier better than Have A Nice Life. Formed in 2000 by duo Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga, the Middletown, CT-based pair would, throughout the 00s, self-release and share a number of demos and home recordings via early social media channels as well as establish its in-house label ENEMIES LIST HOME RECORDINGS. These first steps set in motion Have A Nice Life’s rise to renown as an icon of underground music in the internet age, culminating with the release of its pivotal 2008 debut album, Deathconsciousness. Through word of mouth and online discussion, Deathconsciousness became subject to viral praise thanks to its synthesis of bleak post-punk, lo-fi shoegaze, and carpets of hypnotic drone music. Eventually, this humble self-released project would attain the status of a post-internet cult classic, amassing Have A Nice Life a fervent online following that the band would interact with in kind. In an effort to thank and continue to engage with Have A Nice Life’s internet cult following, Barrett and Macuga would regularly share links to old demos, works in progress, and outtakes from the recording of Deathconsciousness. Over time, a group of fans would compile these demos into an unofficial release. Dubbed Voids, this fan-made compilation several alternate takes of tracks from Deathconsciousness, as well as a handful of early versions of songs that would appear on Have A Nice Life’s two following albums, The Unnatural World and Sea of Worry. While undeniably reminiscent of their final album version counterparts, the earlier versions of these tracks each feel distinct in a way that makes the moody, decidedly lo-fi aura of Voids an essential slice of the Have A Nice Life discography. Hungry for more from the enigmatic duo, fans swarmed around this compilation, accompanied by loud calls for it to receive a physical release. Seeing that demand and with the band’s blessing, a pair of fan-made tape pressings of Voids would be released via Music Ruins Lives, a DIY label run by Have A Nice Life superfan Thom Wasluck, also known for his band Planning for Burial. Between both instances of the tape swiftly selling out and the compilation’s long absence from streaming services, Voids has historically been an elusive release to track down, only available in the obscurest corners of the internet or physically on the secondary market at eye-wateringly high prices.
Over a decade since its initial, unofficial release in 2011, The Flenser is proud to reissue Have A Nice Life’s Voids for the first time ever in an official capacity in physical form. Originally released digitally in early 2023 and freshly remastered for the occasion, this reissue of the beloved compilation will receive its first-ever wide release on physical formats (CD/LP/Cassette). This release also marks the first time fan-favorite tracks from Voids “Sisyphus”, “I’m Doctor House”, and “Human Error” will be available on vinyl and CD. Like a symbolic passing of the torch, the physical versions of the 2023 Voids reissue come with a foreword essay written by Wasluck, the previous custodian of Voids during the Music Ruins Lives days.

Nestled beside the sea and a cluster of palm trees, La Malvarrosa, the neighborhood in Valencia where Cooper resides, derives its name from a fusion of "Malva," meaning mauve, and "Rosa," meaning pink. Here, La Malvarrosa serves as the primary backdrop for the recordings, symbolizing two distinct colors and artistic approaches.

These hues become the emblematic colors of a fictitious flag from an imagined island located on a forgotten expanse of ocean. From this ethereal site, melodies emerge, seeking to unravel the essence of certain insular music while intertwining with Cooper's post-everything sensibilities and Kòlar's minimalist electronics. "Mauve/Pink" navigates the delicate balance between playfulness, intricacy, and simplicity, blurring boundaries between tradition and innovation, reality and imagination, change and repetition.

The album serves as a showcase for contrasting methodologies and viewpoints, acting as a sonic document of an ongoing conversation between generations, where Cooper and Kòlar's efforts illuminate a boundless creative process and timeless aesthetics.

“Depas strikes a fine balance between raw energy and subtle melodic hooks.” (DMY) “Throughout the pounding track Midnight Ride, the Italian beat smith expertly blends lush synths with intricate rhythmic components and gritty bass.” (EDM com)

“Depas' approach to techno is a veritable melting pot of influences, blending sounds from the 80s and 90s with contemporary symphonic and cinematic elements.” (Magnetic Mag)

Following his recent ‘Rave The Planet’ EP at the end of February, Milanese hard techno producer Maike Depas is back with a brand-new release on well-renowned label The Innovation Studio. His newest EP is named ‘The Age Of Chaos’ and features a five-track banger arsenal – including a special remix by Italo-American producer Matasism, which was also included in his recent BPtich Control mixtape.

“This EP is the result my own experience throughout an inner dystopic reality, where energy-ridden sounds and epics all collide into a very personal version of the hard techno legacy I’m devoted to.”

‘No Redemption’ is a proper big-room belter, with explosive drop divided by a big break and a statuesque vocal that feels like a claim: “Techno is my only drug”. Same goes for ‘Tesseract’ and it’s rave-like atmosphere and hypnotic hook. ‘Dystopia’ is pure groove and makes the listener dive into a distorted and futuristic metaverse, while ‘Cyber Attack’ and its remix include synthetic vocals tha aim to symbolize an artificial imposition: man against machine, fiction against reality.

‘The Age Of Chaos’ will be available from April 19th via The Innovation Studio.

Splatter is a new vinyl and digital underground techno label from Austrian artists Luca Tresque, Joe Haensn and Rotary Motion.

'Exceed Limits' follows their special prequel EP and launches the label catalogue in style.

Florian Meindl is a Berlin-based artist who runs the FLASH record label and who has appeared outside of his own imprint on labels like Stephan Bodzin's Herzblut to Oliver Koletzki's Stil vor Talent. "Gridlock" is a true jackin' cut with a multitude of mechanical elements and raw analogue energy.

Linear System is a Spanish artist who has released music on esteemed labels like Edit Select, Ben Sims' Symbolism and Dynamic Reflection. "Taurinom" is a moody, rolling groove with gripping suspense and haunting touches from gothic effects and an eerie atmosphere.

Leipzig is the home of JANEIN, a respected artist known for releasing on Index Marcel Fengler, Slam's Soma, Fiedel's Fiedeltwo, Exos' Planet X and Electric Rescue's Skryptom. "Neowise" is punchy and percussive track with a metallic, siren-like hook and infectious energy.

Daniel Heinrich is also from Berlin, and shows himself to be a top talent following his EP's on Elektrotribe to Inherit with remixes by Arnaud Le Texier an Hadone. "Close Your Eyes" has a pacey style with superb stabbing chords that create an old-school feel alongside vocal chants for extra impact.

Stuttgart-based Egotot runs the Schimmer label and also lists BCCO, OECUS and Ketch's SYXT in his quality back catalogue. "Name It As You Want" has a quirky, bouncing beat with Detroit-style stabs and a light-hearted vibe ready for the dance floor.

Suffering can be a borderline experience, opening doors to the divine. Canadian black-metal-outfit GIVRE has dedicated its fourth album to this concept, well known throughout Christian history: On "Le Cloitre" (engl. "The Cloister") the band continues its exploration of the atoning side of pain and the austere aspects of faith through music that goes all the way from elegiac elegance to disturbing outbursts. Even the band deals with Christianity, through a historic lense, they should not be understood as religious band in any way!

The group was founded back in 2010 in Rouyn-Noranda by David Caron-Proulx (Composition, guitars, keys), Jean-Lou David (research, vocals), and Mathieu Garon (bass) when they were just 16 years old. They self-produced a demo album, then moved away from their hometowns. David is now a composer for film and mixed media and Jean-Lou is a writer and historian. In October 2020, ten years after their first collaborative endeavors, they reunited and recorded two more albums: "Le Pressoir mystique" and "Destin Messianique".

The creation of "Le Cloitre" was a lengthy process. While most recordings were made right after "Destin Messianique" in 2021, extensive work was done over an extended period of time to add layers and perfect the album's concept. Each of the six songs corresponds to a holy woman from Christian history. The lyrics are taken directly from their writings or hagiography (an idealized biography), delving into their connection to the divine through suffering. The words are sometimes rearranged, but they are all direct citations without anything new added to them, from the symbolic poetry of Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179) to the disturbing and factual depictions of Marthe Robin (1902-1981).

The compositions vary to reflect these different perspectives: sometimes dark and eerie, other times blissful or sorrowful. Therefore, a crucial addition to the album's atmosphere was the inclusion of female vocal performances. Additionally, samples from the French film "Le dialogue des Carmelites" from 1959 are incorporated. Excerpts of a piece by Hildegard von Bingen are used in the song dedicated to her. The album was recorded in the band members'home studios. Mixing and mastering were done by long-time-collaborator Gael Poisson-Lemay (Gris, Sombre Forets, Miserere Luminis), who also contributed guitars to the song about Marthe Robin. Vinyl mastering was done by Greg Chandler (Esoteric) at Priory Recording Studios.

repress!

Signed by the Cogo protagonist Tonske, Anatman is a work of depth, intensity and a great attention to detail. Defined as well-formed, knowledgeable character with a strong artistic and technical background, Tonske produced a powerful, future oriented techno with atmospheric inserts.


The release is also rounded with two remixes by well known techno pillars.


Most known for his work in the famous Cassegrain project, Magna Pia is a composer, producer and a DJ whos combative dance floor trips are ripping through underground scene for some time now. He left his mark on variety of labels such as Infrastructure NY, Prologue, Killekill, Ostgut Ton, Counterchange and Semantica. His interest in combining contemporary techno music with archaic symbolism and unorthodox sonic nmoods with subtle 90s techno references is making him a true gem of the scene today. Co-founder of the infamous Traum nights in Croatia and Secession label boss, Volster is also a well established protagonist in techno circles. Somewhat mysterious, this broad but no nonsense techno artist is most known for his hypnotic, spiral and somewhat detroit sound which earned him an impressive list of feedback till this day. After two decades of continuous work and dedication, he is pawing his mark further with collaborations with names like Cassegrain, Aubrey and Anthony Linell and gigs from Croatia to the rest of the Europe, most notably the latest one in Berghain.

Longtime enthusiasts of ambient music have much to celebrate as Rafael Anton Irisarri's cherished out-of-print cassette, "Midnight Colours," returns in a meticulously remastered edition and makes its inaugural debut on vinyl. The significance of this album's announcement is accentuated by its historical resonance, coinciding with the same day in 1952 when the world bore witness to the first-ever test of the hydrogen bomb.

"Midnight Colours" is far more than a mere album; it's an exploration of the enigmatic relationship between humanity and time. Conceived as a sonic interpretation of the Doomsday Clock, which symbolizes the world's existential vulnerabilities, Irisarri's work beckons listeners to contemplate the gravity of our existence and the delicate balance that envelops it.

"I wanted to capture the essence of humanity's relationship with time, both the anxiety and the serene beauty that coexists within the shadows of the night," explains Irisarri. "The vinyl format adds a tactile dimension to the experience, inviting listeners to physically engage with the music."

Known for his contributions to the ambient and electronic music genres, Irisarri often explores themes of introspection, nostalgia, and the interplay between sound and emotion.

Recorded in 2017, when the Clock was at 2½ minutes-to-midnight (and at the time, the second-closest to midnight since the Clock's inception in 1947), "Midnight Colours" permeates with the melancholy of memories resurfacing as one approaches the end of life: the regrets, the closure, the uncertainties, the anxieties.

Originally released as a limited tape on the beloved Atlanta-based label Geographic North, "Midnight Colours" swiftly garnered praise and acclaim within the ambient music sphere. Now, with this newly remastered edition on his own Black Knoll imprint, fans, both longstanding and newfound, can rediscover the album's captivating beauty in unprecedented clarity and depth.

"I've wanted to release 'Midnight Colours' on vinyl since it first came out, and I'm thrilled to finally be able to. The remastering process, brilliantly done by Stephan Mathieu, has breathed new life into the work, and I'm eager for listeners to experience it in this format."

The reissue of "Midnight Colours" features band-new artwork and design by the renowned Mexican visual artist Daniel Castrejón. A frequent collaborator and friend of Irisarri, Castrejón's imagery impeccably complements the album's mood and themes, extending a compelling invitation for listeners to explore its aural world visually.

This landmark release serves as a testament not only to Irisarri's enduring impact on the ambient music genre but also as a long-awaited gift to those who have patiently anticipated the album's vinyl debut.

wieder auf Lager Vor drei Jahren veröffentlichte Sebastian Lee Philipp gemeinsam mit dem Produzenten Ralf Beck (Nalin & Kane, Unit 4) das Debütalbum des Bandprojekts Die Wilde Jagd. Bald darauf zog sich Beck aus dem "operativen Geschäft" zurück. Aber dennoch hat er einen gewichtigen Anteil am neuen, zweiten Album: Er hat dieses nicht nur co-produziert und abgemischt, ohne seine analogen Synthesizer, Drumcomputer und Studiotechnik würde Die Wilde Jagd nicht derart kraftvoll und gleichzeitig fein ziseliert klingen. Nächtelang schloss sich Philipp in Becks Tonstudio Uhrwald Orange ein, um seine ganz eigene, zu Klang gewordene Bilderwelt aufzunehmen. Sie gleicht einem nächtlichen Flug ins Unbewusste durch das Geäst des symbolischen "Uhrwalds", hinein in eine "Fremde Welt" und ihren gespenstigen Protagonisten - den "Sauregaulen", "Flederboys" und "2000 Elefanten". Das minimalistische, spannungsgeladene und düster-hypnotische Werk ist natürlich auch eine Ode an das Tonstudio selbst - an die analogen Gerätschaften und den allgegenwärtigen EMT-Plattenhall. Nur hier konnte Philipp sein Klangideal mit den von Beck erstellten Signalketten aus Kompressoren, Vorverstärkern und Kanalzügen nach seinen Vorstellungen verwirklichen.

"IHR SPIEL HAT FÜR MICH ETWAS, WAS FLORIAN SCHNEIDER UND RALF HÜTTER GEMACHT HABEN, ALS SIE NOCH EXPERIMENTELLE MUSIK RODUZIERTEN." - WOLFGANG FLÜR (EX-KRAFTWERK)

Die Band Chogori aus Düsseldorf verschmilzt auf ihrem Album "Minor Green" analoge Synthesizer und Kontrabass zu einem fesselnden Klang. Aufgenommen in den legändären Hansa Studios /Berlin, strahlt die Live-Session des Trios eine zenartige Leichtigkeit aus. Mit dem Bruch des 12-Ton-Systems erhebt sich ihre Musik in himmlische Sphären, angeführt vom visionären Ralf Stritt. Gregor Kerkmanns Bass sorgt für Bodenhaftung. Jeder Track präsentiert Chogoris Synergie und symbolisiert das Gleichgewicht zwischen Mollakkorden und Natur. In einem digitalen Zeitalter feiert "Minor Green" den analogen Reiz und lädt die Zuhörer zu einer immersiven Reise ein. Begleiten Sie Chogori auf eine kosmische Erfahrung, eingehüllt in klangliche Wunder.

Georg auf Lieder ist ein Malocher. Fleißig schraubt er in seinem kleinen Studio an neuen Songs und sucht dabei unermüdlich nach dem eigenen Sound. Er hat sich für die Kreativität als Lebensentwurf entschieden und dabei das tägliche Handwerk zur Kunst erhoben. Mit seinen beiden neuen Mixtapes, dem 8-Spur 22607 Tape und dem 8-Spur 22419 Tape, beweist Georg auf Lieder erneut sein erzählerisches Talent, wenn er fast hörspielartig seine Geschichten in die Welt trägt. Diese Selbstreflexion trifft auf eine musikalische Vielfalt, die absolute Offenheit bedingt. Er ist dabei stetig in Bewegung, auf der Suche nach sich, auf der Suche nach Zugehörigkeit und schärft mit nun insgesamt fünf Veröffentlichungen in nur vier Jahren seine außerordentliche Handschrift als Songwriter.

Das 8-Spur 22607 Tape besticht durch seinen auf den ersten Blick locker beschwingten aber im Kern tief melancholischen Indie-Folk, der an amerikanische Bands wie Wilco oder Eels erinnert. Die Akustik-Gitarre steht im Zentrum und wird von Orgel- und Mellotron-Sounds, schwebenden E-Gitarren und ein aufs Wesentliche reduziertes Schlagzeug unterstützt. Diese Instrumentierung unterstreicht die scheinbare Leichtigkeit der titelgebenden Hamburger Postleitzahl. In seinen Alltagsbeobachtungen berichtet Georg auf Lieder von dem Grundbedürfnis, das uns alle vereint: Ein glückliches, erfülltes Leben zu führen.

Das 8-Spur 22419 Tape und der titelgebende Hamburger Ortsteil Langenhorn stehen symbolisch für seine Sozialisation und die Schwierigkeiten des Aufwachsens, die ihn bis heute prägen und für immer begleiten werden.
Mit „Deutscher Sommer“ startet das Mixtape im beeindruckend düsteren Elektrogewand mit Synthesizer-Arpeggio und setzt die Grundstimmung dieser persönlichen Platte. Georg auf Lieder thematisiert das Aufwachsen mit Migrationshintergrund in Deutschland. Sie „hassen alle Nazis, doch sind nicht meine Freunde“, und der unbewusste Wunsch nach Zugehörigkeit bleibt ihm verwehrt, weil er von den Menschen in seinem Umfeld zum Teil ungewollt oder gewollt ausgeschlossen wird. Hier drückt sich der ganze Schmerz dieses Werkes aus, wenn Georg auf Lieder davon singt, im selben Land sozialisiert worden zu sein, aber nicht die Chance gehabt zu haben, das erwünschte Leben zu führen.

Beide Mixtapes sind der Versuch, unterschiedliche Phasen im Leben des Musikers zu greifen. Dieses Verstehen ist immer auch nur temporär, denn neue Eindrücke und Erfahrungen bieten über die Jahre wiederum verschiedene Perspektiven auf das Geschehene. Was bleibt, sind die Erinnerungen. Die Interpretation ist ständig in Bewegung, wie Georg auf Lieder selbst. Er hat im täglichen Schaffen, Neuentdecken und im Neuzusammensetzen seine Erfüllung gefunden und lässt uns glücklicherweise daran teilhaben.

Ein Albumtitel, der gleich in doppelter Hinsicht perfekt passt: ‚Silver Romance‘ heißt die neue Scheibe der süddeutschen Melodic-Powermetaller Freedom Call. Der Name symbolisiert nicht nur das 25-jährige Bestehen der Band – von Sänger/Gitarrist und Bandgründer Chris Bay augenzwinkernd als „unsere Silberhochzeit“ bezeichnet –, sondern trifft auch inhaltlich zu: „Dem Edelmetall Silber werden Eigenschaften wie Klarheit, Freiheit und Leichtigkeit zugeschrieben“, erklärt Bay und fügt hinzu: „Außerdem soll Silber das Selbstbewusstsein und die Fantasie stärken können. Allesamt
Attribute, die auch zu Freedom Call passen und die wir sowohl musikalisch als auch textlich in unseren neuen Songs haben einfließen lassen.“

Veröffentlicht wird ‚Silver Romance‘ als CD, Doppel-LP, Box-Set und digitaler Download am 10. Mai 2024 über Steamhammer/SPV, bereits wenige Tage später starten Bay und Co. ihre 2024er Konzertaktivitäten. Um den Fans die Wartezeit bis dahin zu versüßen, werden vorab gleich vier Singles ausgekoppelt: Am 21. Februar startet die Reihe mit dem Titeltrack ‚Silver Romance‘ inklusive eines Making-Of-Videos, am 20. März und 10. April folgen ‚In Quest Of Love‘ bzw. ‚High Above’ jeweils mit Lyric-Clips. Zwei Tage vor dem Album-Release, genauer gesagt am 8. Mai 2024, rundet dann der Song ‚Supernova‘ mit einem sehenswerten Video das Single-Quartett ab

Garth Erasmus is an artist and musician based in Cape Town, South Africa. 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' is his first album under his own name. Since 1985 his artistic interests have broadened to include music-making, designing and making his own instruments based on indigenous KhoiSan knowledge. From 1999 to 2012 he was a member of the South African First Nation activist group Khoi Khonnexion. In the past couple of years Garth Erasmus has also been a pivotal part of various international performance pieces and exhibition projects which brought him regularly to Europe. Most of these activities were developed and performed in collaboration with the Hamburg based band Kante and his band Khoi Khonnexion. In April 2024 Garth Erasmus will be part of the group exhibtion 'Oscillations' at Akademie der Künste, Berlin.

His works in music are predominantly characterized by a restless quest for alternative forms of expression and materials including self build instruments, field recordings or various electronic music devices.

In this context the music on 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' takes on a primal and metaphorical meaning. Rather than a formal, physical initiation, this process is more spiritually inclined, yet it is a spirituality which is consistently put into action.. “Ever since I was an art student I have experimented with alternative materials to release me from the Western education values I received. When I started to make these instruments in the 1980s, my intention was to create art objects but when I discovered the sound they made, it unlocked a door that transported me deeper in my quest in the realization that I was on the right path.

In fact all instruments which appear on 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' are products of a process of discovery starting from square one. All this is based and founded on the beauty of simplicity and minimalism as symbolized by the single string Khoisan musical bow and arrow as trance musical instrument. In this sense it soon became manisfest for Garth Erasmus to combine the bow instruments with various electronic instruments. Besides developing his own unique language in music he also shared an expressed interested in experimental sound aesthecis, Avantgarde composition and Free Jazz. However, his non - academic approach towards sound and music was always fueled by the desire for a reconnection to the land and to the idegenious knowledge of the KhoiSan, whose struggle for First Nation status continues.

Song for Morenga
This song is dedicated to a guerilla leader, named Jacob Morenga, who was the leader of the nama/herero anti-german uprisings that occured between 1904 and 1907.

Amaseh Amen
This is a classic mouthbow piece that conjures the spiritual nature of Khoisan cultural praxis.

Gwaing Reverie
It was composed as a personal gift to the other members of newly formed electro-acoustic trio „Gwaing". „Gwaing" is an ancient Khoisan place name, meaning the mouth of the river.

Mcinci Song
A typical meditation on the traditional Mcinci flute. This flute was originally played by shepherds and was made of reed.

The Ascension of Milford Graves
This piece attends to capture the risen spirit of the legendary African American drummer Milford Graves. It was composed soon after his death in 2021.

Song for The Sisters of the Soil
A live improvisation dedicated to Lucelle and Melissa (The Sisters of the Soil) on the occasion of visiting them at their residence, known as „Oppieyaart" on the Cape Flats. On 10 September 2022 there is an online event with them at Kunsthaus Hamburg.

If the Chateau Marmont could sing. This would be it. Loren Kramar's voice vibrates with the shameless hum of a room after a celebrity exits Ecstatic aspiration. Doubt. Proximity. Desire. The album "Glovemaker" is about the skins we craft to be seen by the world, and Loren reminds us that we are all in drag. All exposed. No matter what gloves we slip on. "I'm a slut for all my dreams", Loren Kramar sings with Patti Smith brashness, "I'm a whore for them, I've got more of them". Loren's lyrics move like tinsel, shimmering bravely, then just as quickly, curling, fragile under the spotlight. Loren has always been obsessed with fame. Not with famous people, but with the electricity that perverts attention - the crushing desire to be truly seen. And all of Loren, and this obsession, is in this album. He grew up in the Valley, forced to hide his Barbies from his father, so the closet was a gorgeous Spanish ranch house on a gilded cul-de-sac crawling with celebrities. Naturally this gay boy wanted to be a child star so his mother secretly shuttled him to tap and jazz and figure skating lessons. "I've got hands and feet to put in the concrete", Loren croons, in "Hollywood Blvd", a song which clangs with brawny bravado. But "Gay Angels" reminds us that Loren's infatuation with stardom is inextricably linked with his queerness and his own desire to live outside of fear. To be famous is to be out. To be known. To be himself. "Glovemaker has become a kind of code for art making itself. A glove as a covering or mask that follows the contours of the life beneath it. As a song and a symbol, this is an album about studying and tracing a life - and then sharing what's there," Loren says. And his desire to share truth feels urgent. To listen to Loren is to understand there is no choice; the songs must tear through the air right now. This very second. "I see myself tearing and splitting and becoming a trampoline", he belts in "No Man," breaking our hearts right alongside his. Part poet, part theatrical diva, Loren loops together the tragedy of breathing on this planet, because like Eartha Kitt or Cat Stevens, Loren is at his core - an incredible story teller. This whole album is a shrine, a mantle atop a blazing fire of life, spread with the memorabilia of Loren; all of the pain and lust dazzling on unabashed view. This is a songwriter's album. Loren's lyrics are all his, and you feel it with every bright, Maraschino-cherry-like word that falls from his lips. "Like a lover, You scream and I shatter, I hit like a hammer" Loren sings. And we get to feel what Loren feels We live in his brain, riding his genre bending emotions, on a wave of modern pop. And the songs lift, they are anthems of belief, "Hollywood Blvd", "I'm a Slut", "Euphemism", "Gay Angels", are all odes to triumphing over the corroding powers of fear and doubt. And on this ride, Loren's voice is the guard rail, ever eager to stretch and transform, belting, talk-singing, multiplying, keeping us safe. "Glovemaker" slaps and soars. The album is an ecstatic overture to love and loneliness, to dreams and promises, to everything Los Angeles dangles. Buckle up. Loren knows how to craft space, how to move us through darkened bars, strobing arenas, beige carpeted bungalows and yellow lit highways. "How do you like LA?" Loren asks. I hope you love it.

Red Vinyl

If the Chateau Marmont could sing. This would be it. Loren Kramar's voice vibrates with the shameless hum of a room after a celebrity exits Ecstatic aspiration. Doubt. Proximity. Desire. The album "Glovemaker" is about the skins we craft to be seen by the world, and Loren reminds us that we are all in drag. All exposed. No matter what gloves we slip on. "I'm a slut for all my dreams", Loren Kramar sings with Patti Smith brashness, "I'm a whore for them, I've got more of them". Loren's lyrics move like tinsel, shimmering bravely, then just as quickly, curling, fragile under the spotlight. Loren has always been obsessed with fame. Not with famous people, but with the electricity that perverts attention - the crushing desire to be truly seen. And all of Loren, and this obsession, is in this album. He grew up in the Valley, forced to hide his Barbies from his father, so the closet was a gorgeous Spanish ranch house on a gilded cul-de-sac crawling with celebrities. Naturally this gay boy wanted to be a child star so his mother secretly shuttled him to tap and jazz and figure skating lessons. "I've got hands and feet to put in the concrete", Loren croons, in "Hollywood Blvd", a song which clangs with brawny bravado. But "Gay Angels" reminds us that Loren's infatuation with stardom is inextricably linked with his queerness and his own desire to live outside of fear. To be famous is to be out. To be known. To be himself. "Glovemaker has become a kind of code for art making itself. A glove as a covering or mask that follows the contours of the life beneath it. As a song and a symbol, this is an album about studying and tracing a life - and then sharing what's there," Loren says. And his desire to share truth feels urgent. To listen to Loren is to understand there is no choice; the songs must tear through the air right now. This very second. "I see myself tearing and splitting and becoming a trampoline", he belts in "No Man," breaking our hearts right alongside his. Part poet, part theatrical diva, Loren loops together the tragedy of breathing on this planet, because like Eartha Kitt or Cat Stevens, Loren is at his core - an incredible story teller. This whole album is a shrine, a mantle atop a blazing fire of life, spread with the memorabilia of Loren; all of the pain and lust dazzling on unabashed view. This is a songwriter's album. Loren's lyrics are all his, and you feel it with every bright, Maraschino-cherry-like word that falls from his lips. "Like a lover, You scream and I shatter, I hit like a hammer" Loren sings. And we get to feel what Loren feels We live in his brain, riding his genre bending emotions, on a wave of modern pop. And the songs lift, they are anthems of belief, "Hollywood Blvd", "I'm a Slut", "Euphemism", "Gay Angels", are all odes to triumphing over the corroding powers of fear and doubt. And on this ride, Loren's voice is the guard rail, ever eager to stretch and transform, belting, talk-singing, multiplying, keeping us safe. "Glovemaker" slaps and soars. The album is an ecstatic overture to love and loneliness, to dreams and promises, to everything Los Angeles dangles. Buckle up. Loren knows how to craft space, how to move us through darkened bars, strobing arenas, beige carpeted bungalows and yellow lit highways. "How do you like LA?" Loren asks. I hope you love it.

We Release JAZZ is very happy to announce an exciting new body of work by Joseph Deenmamode aka Mo Kolours. The singular musical spirit’s new 21-track album Original Flow is available as a double LP housed in a heavy 350gsm sleeve with original artwork by Mo Kolours himself and the classic WRJ obi strip, as well as in digipack CD and digital formats.

A catalog of critically acclaimed records, including his self-titled debut (2014), ‘Texture Like Like Sun’ (2015), 2018 album ‘Inner Symbols’ and three companion EPs, established Deenmamode as a prodigious musician and vocalist. Pitchfork extolled his “hypnotic, tribal-infused dance grooves”, DJ Mag appreciated the “colourful celebration of soundsystem culture”, and Resident Advisor advocated that “no one sounds quite like Mo Kolours”. Musical analogies were drawn by The Guardian as “The best album Curtis Mayfield never made with A Tribe Called Quest and Lee Perry” and Mojo as “like Marvin Gaye produced by J Dilla”.

Five years ago, Deenmamode moved to the Japanese countryside. Far away from familiarity, he contemplated his place and further questioned his identity. “I had none of my ‘own’ people around. I had time to really find what makes me tick musically. Japan has helped me go back to those subconscious leanings, really go deep, and reflect the aspects that make up my story”.

The tracks on ‘Original Flow’ have been constructed from sessions, improvisations and soundbites captured around the world during this time; collecting contributions from musicians including Deenamode’s brothers Reginald Omas Mamode and Jeen Bassa plus Andrew Ashong, Charles Bullen, Dwaye Kilvington, Eddie Hick, Stefan Asanovic, Myele Manzanza, Ross Hughes, and Tom Dreissler. Deenamode says “I’m proud of this album’s creative process. Coming from a tradition of scouring through hours of records, I wanted to create my own samples, to find that perfect loop that no other producer could put their hands on. I decided to invite a group of friends and acquaintances, who also happen to be incredible musicians, to a studio in Crystal Palace to improvise based on some loose ideas I had. We spent all day, and recorded everything”.

‘Original Flow’ is an album of UK street-soul nouveau, future indigenous jazz fusion, Rasta Segga, Nyahbinghi jazz, Malagasy Hebrew hip hop. While retaining a spirit of exploration and improvisation, it sees Deenmamode grow and flex beyond beat tape brevity, expanding composition and stretching his musical muscle to play live with other musicians. Themes of empowerment, overcoming adversity, and mental liberation coexist with notes from ancient history, futurism, and science, as well as musings on family and togetherness.

‘Magik Momentum’ springs from a discussion that features at the start of the song, an inspiring mentor answering a question from Deenmamode about improvisation and what role it plays in life when planning and manifesting the future. ‘Rockets to Mars’ questions the lack of care for the billions of people with nothing, while governments plan to explore space. “This sparked a comparison in my mind to a Sonny Okuson song that I would reference when performing. Okuson’s song talked of the lack of resources in many communities in the world, while governments go to the moon”.

He says the music behind ‘The News These Days’ is “possibly my favourite on the album”. Looped like he would a late sixty jazz-fusion sample, there was nothing added and the track was complete within a matter of minutes. “It was the first and best moment from the entire Crystal Palace session”, he adds. The album’s contrasting title track with minimal instrumentation played solo by Deenamode. While frustratingly searching for gems in past recordings, he thought in a burst of ego, “I don’t need no-one else to make a dope beat!” picked up his ravanne, (the traditional frame drum of his fathers home-land of Mauritius), pressed record, and started to play. He says, “In my thoughts were the rhythms of the Nubians in Upper-Egypt and Sudan, the swing of the huge drums played by Mauritanian women, of-course the Sega beat of Mauritius, and the ever inspiring beat of James Yancey”.

Driven by UK broken beat, Cuban congas, Nigerian and Mauritian inflections, ‘Love Vibration’ follows the concept that all emotions carry a vibratory frequency and pays homage to the frequency of creation and the power of love. The two part ‘Tatamaka’ tells of the history of Deenmamode’s ancestors, the maroons of Mauritius. “We are people who managed to run from our oppressors and find refuge in a corner of the island called ‘Le Morne’ where they could not reach us. One bloody day they came in numbers to re-capture, to revenge. Many of us chose to jump to our deaths, rather than be taken back into subjugation. The poem by Creole Richard Sedley Assonne says; “there were hundreds of them, but my people, the maroons chose the kiss of death over the chains of slavery”. Tatamaka was the name of a famed maroon leader who was murdered for claiming his, and our people’s freedom. The song is the imagined journey of escape and freedom by an ancestor of the maroons of Le Morne”.

Born in the west midlands and raised on the traditional sega music of his father’s Indian Ocean homeland of Mauritius alongside records by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Santana and Michael Jackson; his influences expanded with late 90s jungle and drum and bass nights in Bristol, experiments at art college in Camberwell, and the rich culture of Peckham, “at the time we called it the Afro Quarters of London” says Deenmamode, adding hip hop, dub, soul and soundsystem styles to his individual sound.

He explains, “I love drum music, from hand-drums to 808s. I love music from the ancient past, heritage music, indigenous music, traditional music passed down from the beginning of time. Music from the body, hand claps, grunts and foot stomps. Music with audible depth, busy, bustling, highly charged. Music from the soul, the music from beyond. I love music from the islands and the mountains. The music of the streets, hustle music, alleyway beats. Club music”.

He describes the creative process as thinking in images. “The visual world and the world of sound seem to intermingle in my thought process. When I play the drum with my eyes closed, a world of imagery dances and moves with beat. Improvised drumming feels like I am listening to what I want to hear, rather than trying to play what I want to hear. Following the rhythm and finding new pathways to walk within the patterns is what I experience. In this way I often feel I am just a listener, instead of the player”.
Original Flow is pressed on biovinyl, a sustainable alternative to traditional vinyl. Biovinyl replaces petroleum in S-PVC by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste gases, resulting in 100% CO2 savings in bio-based S-PVC production. Furthermore, it is 100% recyclable and reusable, embracing the circular economy ideology.

Schwerer, auf Blues basierender Rock, zu dem man sogar tanzen kann! Die Quebecer Rocker Tonnerre spielen kräftigen, von den 1970ern inspirierten Rock, der sich an AC/DC und Blue Öyster Cult orientiert - komplett mit französisch gesungenen Texten! Das Album wurde bemerkenswerte sechs Monate nach der ersten Jam-Session der Band aufgenommen und vermittelt die Art von unbestreitbarem, lockeren Hardrock, der erstmals in den 1970er Jahren aufkam. Und hinter Sängerin Annick französischem Gesang fängt das Album perfekt das Gefühl und den Geist von 'eine Nacht in der Wildnis' ein, denn das ist die Titel-Übersetzung. Es symbolisiert Nächte, wilde Geister, Tiere, die nachts jagen, die Nordlichter, die Sterne und die langen Schatten, die das Feuer wirft.

Rock Hard:
"Die Kanadier fingen erst richtig an, als Arnaud Geoffroy sich hinters Schlagzeug klemmte, ein Bierbrauer im Brotberuf. Die Einstellung stimmt also. Und ihre Musik passt dazu. Die Gitarristen spielen trockene AC/DC-Riffs, aber nicht mit der wilden Unbedingtheit der Australier, sondern eher mit der Contenance und harmonischen Akribie des Siebziger-AOR. Sie selbst zählen noch Blue Öyster Cult zu ihre Vorbildern, und tatsächlich besitzt die Melodieführung von Sängerin Annick mitunter einen leichten BÖC-Vibe (etwa bei ´Ceux Qui Sommeillent´). TONNERRE gehören zur französischsprachigen Minderheit Torontos, und so kommen auch noch ein paar Trust-Reminiszenzen hinzu. Ganz schöne Mischung. Etwas energischer könnten sie hin und wieder zur Sache gehen, aber sie wollen sich wohl ihren Pegel nicht wegschwitzen."

"Nothing and no one can extinguish this flame within you," sings Emilie Simon from the opening title of Polaris, her first true album in ten years. An apparent long eclipse that the French singer, musician, and producer has nevertheless used to explore new territories, open uncharted paths, and reinvent her musical vocabulary and narrative threads. Like Ariane in a dreamlike world, she stretches these threads along her journey, inviting us to blindly follow.

After composing music for the film "The Jesus Roll" with John Turturro, and a musical journey between Earth and Mars through a series of singles, in 2023, Emilie Simon chose to revisit her debut album, both in the studio and on stage, to definitively close a chapter begun twenty years earlier. She also published "Phoenix," a gothic tale with a "vampiric" theme, sung and spoken in alexandrines. The central character, Lily Mercier, is the same one found at the heart of the Polaris adventure. Clearly, Lily is a projection of Emilie, on a quest for the North Star that symbolizes the never-extinguished desire to find her way. The dazzlement too, when one is a musician always eager to ignite again for the infinite mysteries of sound and to translate its shivers into songs.

This album, sung in both French and English, succeeds in combining the clarity of melodies with the demands of production. It immediately captivates (the irresistible burn of the Sun) and enchants over repeated listens, like a lasting iridescence of a thousand sonic fragments. Recorded in New York (where Emilie lived for a long time), Los Angeles, Montreal, Rome, and Paris (where she returned to settle), Polaris has its own cartography. Its universe is the standard scale, its pulsation inspired by cosmic rhythms, and its unique poetry both disturbs and captivates. A sign that nothing and no one can extinguish this flame within her.

Music is a form of world building. I love to develop sonic characters and set them into fictional ecosystems with unique textures, acoustics and atmospheres. Each song forms a different landscape, through which a vocal character guides us and tries to tell us its stories." — Ludwig Berger

Ludwig Berger's 'fictional' debut album "Garden Ediacara" unfolds as a musical eco-fiction, guiding listeners through a speculative ecosystem with synthesized vocals. Infused with storytelling techniques from sci-fi and fantasy, the album intertwines melodic songwriting with electroacoustic sound design. Inspired by hydrofeminism and eco-fiction novels, such as "A Door Into Ocean" by Joan Slonczewski, the album delves into the geological period of Ediacara around 600 million years ago — an era so remote it resonates as a glimpse into a possible future. The Ediacaran period was characterised by a peaceful and thriving ecosystem inhabited by soft-bodied creatures without eyes and bones, which were completely wiped out through the appearance of a new species. "Garden of Ediacara" alludes to this period, celebrating both the pleasures of biodiversity as well as mourning its inevitable loss. The narrative unfolds as an exploration of growth and interconnection in the shadow of a coming extinction. The track titles, written by Daisy Lafarge, reveal themselves as a cohesive poem and contribute to the album's narrative.

Informed by his practice of field recording that focusses on intimate encounters with plants, animals and geological phenomena, as well as his studies in electroacoustic composition, Berger expands his palette for his debut in 'fictional' music. The album prominently features a post-human, non-binary death metal voice synthesizer, physical modeling instruments, and microscopic field recordings of plants, insects, as well as aquatic and geological life. With impressionistic strokes, Ludwig Berger crafts vibrant worlds using glassy timbres and more-than-human voices, guiding listeners through emotionally ambiguous terrain, seamlessly oscillating between moments of intimacy and irritation, melancholy and playfulness.

Ludwig Berger is a landscape sound artist, educator and musician. In his compositions, installations and performances, he enables intimate and playful sonic encounters with plants, animals, buildings and geological entities. He is founder and curator of the label Vertical Music, which releases field recordings and experimental music. Berger holds degrees in electroacoustic composition, as well as musicology, art history and literature. As a sound researcher and teacher at the Institute for Landscape Architecture at ETH Zurich from 2015-2022, he studied the sonic dimension of Japanese gardens, alpine glaciers and urban landscapes, which among other things led to the release of the acclaimed album trilogy 'Melting Landscapes', 'Dammed Landscapes' and 'Buried Landscapes'.

Reissue of the first three 12” in the record series dedicated to musicians who took part in the Greetings festival. It happened in 1987, it was time for Materiali Sonori 10th anniversary, an historic goal for the label/collective born in the small Tuscany village of San Giovanni Valdarno. The small celebration brought to life a box collecting the first 3 Eps of the Greetings from S.G.V. series. The series was intended as symbolic sound postcard, made with various musicians with whom the collective label shared a path, whether small or long. The Durutti Column, The Stockholm Monsters and Blaine R. Reininger (Tuxedomoon) are among the artist who took part to the project, here collected for the very first time. Lantern is pleased to pay tribute to the work of people whose passion, attitude, commitment and genuineness inspired this adventure still true to these days. "Our presence in this small tuscan town is almost casual... physically we were born and grew up here, while our hearts and our minds were travelling to Paris, Berlin, Brussels, New York or London" (Giampiero Bigazzi of Marteriali Sonori , taken from the original inner sleeves notes).

In the ever-evolving landscape of the underground music scene, few bands have made an impact quite like Selofan, an immensely talented duo of Joanna Pavlidou and Dimitris Pavlidis, has carved a niche for themselves within the international pantheon of darkwave, post-punk, and '80s synthpop, blending these influences to create a sound uniquely their own. Their journey, marked by a commitment to artistic integrity and evolution, has taken them from the cozy confines of local venues to the grand stages of international festivals, earning them a dedicated following and critical acclaim along the way. Their sixth album, Partners in Hell, released in October 2020, navigated the band through unprecedented times, testing their adaptability and resilience. Despite the hurdles to performing live and the global pandemic's challenges, Selofan emerged stronger, embarking on international tours with a newfound appreciation and connection with their global audience, during this period of introspection and isolation, Joanna Pavlidou embarked on a new venture, GIOVANNA, released under Selofan’s house label, Fabrika Records. GIOVANNA, which places Pavlidou at the helm of vocal and lyrical composition, represents a full on foray into synth-pop. showcasing a different facet of her artistic identity, with lyrics entirely in Greek. In 2023, Selofan hit the circuit hard, lighting up revered festivals with their presence. They stood shoulder to shoulder with heavy hitters like Molchat Doma and Lebanon Hanover at Grey Scale and performed with with the likes of The Sisters of Mercy, VNV Nation, and She Past Away at the Death Disco fest in their hometown of Athens. With each album they have released Selofan made significant strides in their evolution, deepening their engagement with their art. And their forthcoming seventh full length studio release, Animal Mentality, is poised to be their most compelling work yet. Animal Mentality unfolds as a labyrinthine journey through the elemental aspects of human emotion and experience, set against the backdrop of Selofan's signature darkwave sound. Each track on the album delves into different facets of the human condition, from the depths of desire to the pangs of isolation, encapsulating the duo's profound understanding of the intricate spectrum of human emotion and subjective experiences. The album kicks off with "Sticky Fingers," a track that melds cinematic scope with a haunting storyline, reminiscent of Jean-Michel Jarre's icy synths and a lyrical nod to Joy Division. This opening salvo revisits the tragic allure of classic car accident songs, weaving a tale of joy turned to sorrow amidst the snowy Alps. "Love's Secret Game" delves into the depths of forbidden desire, with vocals that echo the melancholy timbre of Xmal Deutschland, Lebanon Hanover, and Nico. It's a tale of passion and ephemeral connection, promising an enduring presence despite the inevitable fracture of time and distance. In "Lucille," sung by Dimitris Pavlidis, the plot is ensnared in the machinations of a tempestuous affair, with gothic undertones evoking the dramatic soundscapes of Ultravox and Clan of Xymox. The lyrics are steeped in danger and desire - a dance with the shadows. "Sacrifice Me" plunges into the abyss of despair, driven by a Bauhaus-esque bassline. It's a plea for release from the chains of alienation, a yearning for a final gesture of solace in the face of overwhelming darkness. "Bluebirds" offers a poignant reflection on solitude, with the fleeting imagery of bluebirds symbolizing the elusive quest for happiness. The song serves as a meditation on the internal struggle to maintain hope in a world shaded by sorrow. The narrative shifts with "Glassplitter," where German lyrics paint a portrait of deceptive allure and toxic entanglement. We are confronted with irresistible danger, masked by a veneer of beauty. "Ignoranz" continues the exploration in German, pondering the universality of misunderstanding. It's a reflection on the subjective nature of truth and the shared human experience of ignorance. "Behind My Eyelids" closes the odyssey, a contemplation on melancholy and metamorphosis. The phoenix rises from the ashes of betrayal to the brighter realm of renewal - a beautiful homage to the resilience of the human spirit amidst the often harrowing cycles of life. More than just an album, Animal Mentality is a milestone in Selofan's career, marking a decade of musical innovation and growth. It's a testament to their enduring spirit and a bold step into new realms of artistic expression. As Selofan continues to evolve, they remain at the forefront of their genre, pushing boundaries and exploring the depths of the human psyche through their haunting melodies and poignant lyrics.

In the ever-evolving landscape of the underground music scene, few bands have made an impact quite like Selofan, an immensely talented duo of Joanna Pavlidou and Dimitris Pavlidis, has carved a niche for themselves within the international pantheon of darkwave, post-punk, and '80s synthpop, blending these influences to create a sound uniquely their own. Their journey, marked by a commitment to artistic integrity and evolution, has taken them from the cozy confines of local venues to the grand stages of international festivals, earning them a dedicated following and critical acclaim along the way. Their sixth album, Partners in Hell, released in October 2020, navigated the band through unprecedented times, testing their adaptability and resilience. Despite the hurdles to performing live and the global pandemic's challenges, Selofan emerged stronger, embarking on international tours with a newfound appreciation and connection with their global audience, during this period of introspection and isolation, Joanna Pavlidou embarked on a new venture, GIOVANNA, released under Selofan’s house label, Fabrika Records. GIOVANNA, which places Pavlidou at the helm of vocal and lyrical composition, represents a full on foray into synth-pop. showcasing a different facet of her artistic identity, with lyrics entirely in Greek. In 2023, Selofan hit the circuit hard, lighting up revered festivals with their presence. They stood shoulder to shoulder with heavy hitters like Molchat Doma and Lebanon Hanover at Grey Scale and performed with with the likes of The Sisters of Mercy, VNV Nation, and She Past Away at the Death Disco fest in their hometown of Athens. With each album they have released Selofan made significant strides in their evolution, deepening their engagement with their art. And their forthcoming seventh full length studio release, Animal Mentality, is poised to be their most compelling work yet. Animal Mentality unfolds as a labyrinthine journey through the elemental aspects of human emotion and experience, set against the backdrop of Selofan's signature darkwave sound. Each track on the album delves into different facets of the human condition, from the depths of desire to the pangs of isolation, encapsulating the duo's profound understanding of the intricate spectrum of human emotion and subjective experiences. The album kicks off with "Sticky Fingers," a track that melds cinematic scope with a haunting storyline, reminiscent of Jean-Michel Jarre's icy synths and a lyrical nod to Joy Division. This opening salvo revisits the tragic allure of classic car accident songs, weaving a tale of joy turned to sorrow amidst the snowy Alps. "Love's Secret Game" delves into the depths of forbidden desire, with vocals that echo the melancholy timbre of Xmal Deutschland, Lebanon Hanover, and Nico. It's a tale of passion and ephemeral connection, promising an enduring presence despite the inevitable fracture of time and distance. In "Lucille," sung by Dimitris Pavlidis, the plot is ensnared in the machinations of a tempestuous affair, with gothic undertones evoking the dramatic soundscapes of Ultravox and Clan of Xymox. The lyrics are steeped in danger and desire - a dance with the shadows. "Sacrifice Me" plunges into the abyss of despair, driven by a Bauhaus-esque bassline. It's a plea for release from the chains of alienation, a yearning for a final gesture of solace in the face of overwhelming darkness. "Bluebirds" offers a poignant reflection on solitude, with the fleeting imagery of bluebirds symbolizing the elusive quest for happiness. The song serves as a meditation on the internal struggle to maintain hope in a world shaded by sorrow. The narrative shifts with "Glassplitter," where German lyrics paint a portrait of deceptive allure and toxic entanglement. We are confronted with irresistible danger, masked by a veneer of beauty. "Ignoranz" continues the exploration in German, pondering the universality of misunderstanding. It's a reflection on the subjective nature of truth and the shared human experience of ignorance. "Behind My Eyelids" closes the odyssey, a contemplation on melancholy and metamorphosis. The phoenix rises from the ashes of betrayal to the brighter realm of renewal - a beautiful homage to the resilience of the human spirit amidst the often harrowing cycles of life. More than just an album, Animal Mentality is a milestone in Selofan's career, marking a decade of musical innovation and growth. It's a testament to their enduring spirit and a bold step into new realms of artistic expression. As Selofan continues to evolve, they remain at the forefront of their genre, pushing boundaries and exploring the depths of the human psyche through their haunting melodies and poignant lyrics.

The first ever vinyl reissue of Troum's »Symbiosis« EP includes unreleased extra track.

The 5 tracks were recorded from May 2000 – August 2002 and consisted of guitar-only solo pieces by both members. Forming a unity out of singularities, merging the contradictions, this first re-issue has an additional unreleased bonus track, a reworking of older material recorded with the same approach. Finalized in march 2023.

Troum is a duo located in Bremen, Germany, established in early 1997. The two members GliSch and Baraka

The original »Symbiosis« CDEP was released in January 2003 as a limited edition in a handmade 3D pyramid-box (200 copies) as Transgredient TR-02. An additional standard edition came in a stickered & handcoloured cardboard cover with obi.

Northwest & Nebulous is Liverpool-based musician Luce Mawdsley’s sixth studio release, a lush and accomplished instrumental album suffused with radiant and fluid possibilities, where expansively cinematic instrumentals conjure queer cowboy landscapes via the Northern English coastline. The album is a world-building piece of work, pulling from folk, Americana and soundtrack influences, fusing their romantic and exploratory energies to signal the beginning of a new journey for composer, with an open invitation for listeners to come along for the ride. The album was recorded and mixed by Luce Mawdsley in the Grade II listed Scandinavian Church in Liverpool, with a core chamber trio of Luce on guitar, organ and percussion, Nicholas Branton on clarinets, and Rachel Nicholas on viola. A self-taught musician, Mawdsley has released a host of both solo and collaborative albums (Mésange, Cavalier Song), and in 2023 started Pure O records, an independent record label dedicated to the nurture of queer and curious music based in the Northwest of England. “Wordlessly fashions heady, droney atmospheres that could soundtrack a film where a man walks through a monochrome desert” - The Quietus “The spindly guitars and knotty progressions of ‘Insect Fire Dance’ and ‘Heathen’ explore an unprissy English prog with soil under its fingernails” - 8/10 UNCUT "A triumph of imagination – a wide-eyed stare at the skies, in love with sound and possibility." - **** The Skinny “It’s not a stretch to suggest that no one is making music like Mawdsley. While the Liverpool visionary’s 2020 release, Vulgar Displays of Affection (Maple Death Records), was something likened to splintered bones passing through a meat grinder, Mawdsley’s Luke Two is far removed, solidifying the notions of an artist leaping from one sound world” - Sun 13 “Hallucinatory echoes of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s dream-realism symbolic El Topo share room with otherworldly portals and the all-too real depressive, bleak traps of a run-down, unloved English seaside town.” Monolith Cocktail

Anna Gréta goes gentle...into her second album on ACT, “Star of Spring”. The Reykjavik-born pianist, singer and a songwriter, who has lived in Stockholm since 2014, has her own way of approaching the art of quiet, artful, deeply personal songs, often drawing inspiration from the beauty and power of Iceland’s natural landscape. Her 2021 ACT debut "Nightjar in the Northern Sky" was named after a bird, and this follow-up album lands gracefully on a flower, the “glory of the snow”, also known as the "star of spring", which symbolises the ending of winter and the arrival of spring.

But look closer, and there are always other levels of meaning. Her "Nightjar”, the rare bird she once saw in front of the northern sky, was a metaphor for the search for the things which are special and essential. In fact, almost all of Anna Gréta's lyrics have more than one significance, and her storytelling has now taken a leap forward on "Star of Spring". She says of the little flower on the title track: "I wasn't just inspired by the way it takes over the meadows in spring and turns them from green to blue, but also by the fact that it blooms because it is compelled to do so. It cannot do anything else."

Anna Gréta's starting point to creating music was and is the piano. She first studied classical music, then switched to jazz. She only started singing later, when she was writing the songs for Nightjar and wanted to express herself in words. Anna Gréta's debut as a singer, pianist and songwriter earned her international acclaim: Downbeat Magazine called it „an album with the metamophoric diversity of a year’s seasons and a voice like the everchanging colours of the Northern lights“, France Musique “a remarkably immersive experience” and Jazzwise “starkly beautiful”.

On "Star Of Spring" Anna Gréta has further developed her individual style. Her vocal lines can resemble piano motifs, often doubling them and resonating with an impressively quiet vibrato, sometimes quirkily reminiscent of Björk, at other times with the brooding ease of Norah Jones. The album also bears a very distinctive production style. For each of the songs, Anna Gréta has created her own little world of choirs, rhythmic textures and various smartly used keyboard instruments. The album ranges from the hymnal and elegiac - in "She Moves" or in the title track - to the playful and cheerful "Space Time" or the extremely pared-down melancholic ballad "Denouement". And even if the general mood of the music exudes above all warmth and comfort, Anna Gréta also deals with serious topics, such as the forced birth control of women in Greenland during the 60s and 70s in the song "The Body Remembers".

There is a directness of expression and emotionality, even sensuousness about the new album, and that is not least because Anna Gréta’s band has developed and become a properly played-in unit with the experience to take this album’s more complex arrangements in its stride. The sheen and brightness of her piano playing is contrasted with a deeper voice, that of her father Sigurður Flosason's bass clarinet, on three tracks. "This album is more playful and experimental," she says. "A lot of things were easier for me than on the first album. And while I was still completely focussed on my own world then, now I was even more conscious and aware of what was going on around me."

The result is music that is rooted in jazz, but at the same time goes far beyond it in a very subtle and deeply touching way.

Marilyn Monroe (born June 1, 1926, Los Angeles, California, U.S.—died August 5, 1962, Los Angeles). Known for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She had a good voice that matched her seductive visual appeal, and her limited catalog includes effective interpretations of the work of such songwriters as Harold Adamson and Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer; Irving Berlin, Sammy Cahn and Cole Porter. Marilyn Monroe's singing constitutes a significant part of her overall appeal as a performer. On this album “Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend”," I Wanna Be Loved By You", “Happy Birthday (For President Kennedy) ”, “The River of No Return ”, “Two Little Girls From Little Rock (ft. Jane Russell)”. a.o. Limited Edition on Blue Transparent coloured vinyl.

Das Londoner Electro-Pop-Duo Strange Boy präsentiert - nach bemerkenswerten Kollaborationen mit Terry Riley, Nils Frahm, Clark, Squid, Jeremy Deller und Aurora - auf seiner Debüt-LP 'Love Remains' eine Welt voller Symbolik, Erhabenheit und Verbundenheit, entstanden aus den kühnen Erzählungen von Sänger/Songwriter Kieran Brunt und den atmosphärischen Klanglandschaften von Matt Huxley. Die intim-reflektierende Art des Geschichtenerzählens wird in der lofi-Vocalproduktion mit üppigen Streichern, 'November Skies' feat. Anna B Savage, deutlich, während Blunt seine Liebe zu James Blake, Anohni & The Johnsons und The Magnetic Fields mit einer Coverversion des Kultsongs '100,000 Fireflies' unterstreicht, die er in einem einzigen Take aufnahm und über gefundene Tonbandaufnahmen legte, die er mit halber Geschwindigkeit rückwärts abspielte.

Anastasia Zems lands on Alzaya with a new EP resulting from a self-reflective journey marked by hypnotic electronic rhythms that echo the passage of time and the change of life.

ALZC03 – Atlantika EP is a rolling cycle of inspiration, mirroring new experiences and sonic explorations that oscillate from warm memories to dark atmospheres aligned to current events. The EP ends by inviting us to slow down, reinterpreted in a separate track by Eklektique, who uplifts its essence and message.

Pastel de Nata is a track resonating with trance-tech rhythms to evoke warm and welcoming memories in a new home that smells of the Atlantic Ocean.

With Bairro Alto, the piece evolves, wandering and experimenting with old-school trance soundscapes across borders—a memento of the past days spent in local record stores searching for new rhythms.

Casa Amarela tunes into a dark, oppressive atmosphere pronounced by classic acid and arp-bass sounds. A symbol of sorrow and pain tuned to the current times.

The hypnotic, acid, mid-tempo sound in Push The Tempo Down stands high in the sky to remind and invite us to slow down before rising again.

Push The Tempo Down Remix is a unique reinterpretation by Eklektique, injecting hypnotic and acidic components crossed with a groovy bass line to reinforce the track’s essence and message.

12 tracks originally released on the indie dance label GOMMA RECORDS between 2001 and 2010. (Gomma was the label Toy Tonics did before starting Toy Tonics.)

Along with DFA and Output records Gomma released a wild mix of electronic dance music, indie rock, undergound disco, post punk and new wave funk that was big in the 2000s. The Y2K sound!

Gomma released music by artists like Peaches, Whomadewho, The Rammellzee, James Murphy, LCD soundsystem and artists like Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand.

Now it’s 2023 and its feels fresh to put a spotlight on some of these tracks again.

And so here comes a 2nd compilation part of Gomma tracks:
Nancy Whang the singer of LCD Soundsystem, WhoMadeWho (the band started their career on Gomma), Italian disco producer Bottin, UK Indie Disco hero The Deadstock 33s aka Justin Robertson, NY Disco hipsters In Flagranti, German producers Munk and many more on this compilation.

Gomma not only was a record label, but was also a home for cutting edge design, wild T-shirt styles, underground exhibitions with new artists from the Berlin scene and crazy poster and fanzine design.
Many graphic design trends of the last years were preceded by what the artists on Gomma were doing. And many record and street wear labels of today look a bit like Gomma was looking before ... copying the images that Gomma preceeded: ironic cartoons, trash aesthetics, greek symbols, ugly design ideas and lot of ironic things.
The Gomma visuals world was exposed in a couple of exhibitions around the world and at a big exhibition at #hausderkunst München before the label was closed in 2015. (when Toy Tonics took off...)

Color Vinyl

Das Jahr 2024 steht für Il Civetto im Zeichen eines neuen Albums mit neuer Single und einer Tour: »Liebe auf Eis«. Im April und Mai 2024 begeben sich Il Civetto dann auf ihre bislang größte Tour. Schon immer ging es in der flirrenden Pop-Internationale von Il Civetto um Fernweh, Sehnsucht und das Gefühl, unterwegs zu sein. Die Musik dieser Band imaginiert gleichzeitig den Vibe einer lauen Sommernacht und den Kater danach. Mit ihrem letzten Album »Späti del Sol« hatten sie diesen Möglichkeitsraum bis in die letzten Winkel ausgelotet, mit »Liebe auf Eis« geht die Berliner Band noch einen Schritt weiter. So kann man den Titel als Symbolbild für alles verstehen, um das es bei dieser Band geht. Euphorie und Melancholie sind bei Il Civetto kein Gegensatzpaar, wo Licht ist, ist auch Schatten. Gesellschaftlich, privat, auf allen Ebenen - darin liegt der besondere Zauber dieser Gruppe von Freunden. Es geht in ihrer Musik darum, Widersprüche auszuhalten, Gräben zu überbrücken, die gesellschaftliche Kälte in polarisierten Zeiten mit Liebe zu überwinden - »Liebe auf Eis«. Überhaupt sind Il Civetto auf dem neuen Album persönlicher geworden, noch näher an ihren Themen. »Es wird einen Song über meine Jugend geben, einen anderen für meinen Vater und auch die Liebeslieder sind noch von eigenen Erfahrungen geprägt«, sagt Keiditsch. Aufgenommen haben sie »Liebe auf Eis« erneut mit dem Produzenten Ralf Christian Mayer (u.a. Clueso, Cro, Zimmer90, F4), der die Vision dieser Band schon immer am besten verstanden hat. Produkt-Nachhaltigkeit: FSC zertifiziertes Material, Umweltfreundliche Farbe & Lacke, Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien bei Herstellung.

Rock & Roll, indeed. Ruth Brown’s sizzling full-length debut — also known by its eponymous title — symbolizes what was exciting, fresh, invigorating, and raw about the burgeoning style in its halcyon days. Originally released in 1957, and reissued here in audiophile quality for the first time in partnership with Atlantic Records’ 75th anniversary, the set remains a testament to one of the most pioneering and talented vocalists to ever command a stage.

Mastered on Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's renowned mastering system in California, pressed at RTI, housed in a Stoughton jacket, and strictly limited to 2,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g mono LP of Rock & Roll plays with an immediacy, vibrancy, and fullness that showcase the reach, power, and emotionalism of Brown’s voice. The sound of her support musicians — brassy horns, swinging rhythm combos, echoing backing vocalists, rollicking pianists, jaunty guitarists — is made clear and vivid, helping the upbeat fare to jump, juke, and jive with newfound energy and exuberance. In a related manner, Brown’s slower, more understated material crackles with an intimacy and passion that let you know you're in the presence of a woman who has lived what she sings. The longtime Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member deserves nothing less.

In an era dominated by big-throated vocalists, few — if any — came grander than Brown. The singer, whose repeat million-selling ‘50s success with Atlantic Records led many to call the then-indie label “The House That Ruth Built,” charted two dozen R&B hits in the span of a decade for the fledgling imprint. Rightly coined “Miss Rhythm,” the extroverted Brown put Atlantic on the national map, became the best-selling female musician of the ‘50s, and established a precedent that would ultimately lead to Grammy and Tony Awards. Her early works have lost none of their fire or flair.

Akin to many full-length LPs of its era, Rock & Roll doubles as a collection. Its 14 tracks comprise some of the more famous sides Brown recorded for Atlantic, beginning in 1949 with the all-time-great rendition of the ballad “So Long,” and continuing through 1956. After the song caught the public’s ear, the Virginia native briefly became known for her smoldering style with lovelorn material and torch songs, approaching them (see “Oh What a Dream,” “Old Man River”) with a combination of pained sadness and hardened resilience that had no contemporary equal. Encouraged to pursue the style by Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmt Ertegun, her R&B-driven material soon made her a constant chart presence.

Demonstrating what fellow legend Bonnie Raitt deemed “sex with class and dignity,” Brown merges blues and jazz, swing and gospel in electrifying fashion. She dares you not to move, dance, and get on your feet. A majority of Rock & Roll explodes with uptempo runs and jaunty readings of hot-blooded R&B numbers. Sweaty and sultry, bawdy and bold, Brown eclipses the anthemic blare of the saxophones and joyful clatter of the 88s, singing with a slight catch in her voice and hurricane-gale force that threatens to blow the roof off whatever room her voice occupies.

Evidence abounds. Listen to her prod the band and encourage the band members to blow a fuse on a sizzling “Hello Little Boy,” complete with cries and wails; stretch her phrasing to the heavens on the swaying “Wild Wild Young Men,” laden with romp-and-stomp beats; plead and persuade on the snaking “5-10-15 Hours,” which flips the script on the age’s notions of dominance; use her raspy tones, high notes, and breath control to mesmerizing effect on the smash “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean,” recorded with a group led by Ray Charles; survey the scene and take charge on the steaming “As Long as I’m Moving”; and tap a classy albeit flirtatious vein on “Lucky Lips,” which dented the pop charts as her first crossover hit.

Throughout Rock & Roll, Brown knows the lyrical connotations and spirited architecture of the songs inside-out. Her assertive voice — never harsh, strident, or false — is the epitome of the passionate desires and sonic strains that turned into nascent rock ’n’ roll. Brown played a pivotal role in helping the style develop, the record a timeless reminder of a lasting legacy that will never be forgotten.

Of the countless accolades and analyses that surround Blue, no point is more significant than the fact that the 1971 Joni Mitchell album continues to become more popular, revered, referenced, and relevant with each passing day. Such vitality is not only extremely singular; it is the ultimate measure of great art and, in the context of Blue, indisputable proof of the record's accessibility, integrity, and timelessness. If the most brilliant and everlasting music seeks to find truths shared by all of humanity, Blue can be said to be universal doctrine.

Sourced from the original analogue master tapes, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 12,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP box set presents the landmark album with reference-grade detail, tonality, and directness. Marking the first time the beloved LP has received audiophile-quality treatment, it's one of six iconic 1970s Mitchell records Mobile Fidelity is reissuing on definitive-sounding vinyl and SACD sets.

Everything about Blue sounds more intimate, involving, and inescapable on this transparent pressing, which benefits from a virtually non-existent noise floor and superior groove definition. Mitchell's voice, positioned front and center, and primarily accompanied by minimalist acoustic guitar, piano, and dulcimer playing, comes across clearly and prominently. Suspended notes and radiant chords double as question marks, commas, and phrases. The in-the-room presence and spatial dimensionality make absolute the full-range spectrum of introspective emotions — hurt and distress, self-awareness and joy, difficulty and uncertainty, warmth and desire — Mitchell navigates, queries, and contemplates throughout the record. The defencelessness the singer once spoke about is laid bare here like never before.

The packaging of the Blue UD1S set complements its distinguished status. Housed in a deluxe box, both LPs come in special foil-stamped jackets with faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. This UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artifact for listeners who prize sound quality and production, and who desire to engage themselves in everything involved with the album, including the unforgettable cover photograph of a ruminative Mitchell shot by Tim Considine.

Deemed the third Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone; universally celebrated by critics, fans, artists, and educators; and defined by a spell of disarmingly vulnerable songs that are at once confessional, intense, spare, honest, painful, hopeful, and exquisite, Blue charts love, spiritualism, independence, and loss like no record before or since. Widely considered the album that established the singer-songwriter template, the largely autobiographical LP changed everything shortly after its original release in June 1971. Amazingly, it continues to do so more than five decades later.

An incalculable influence on generations of artists, it stands as the through-line from Carole King, Elton John, James Taylor, Joan Armatrading, and Leonard Cohen to Patti Smith, Carly Simon, Emmylou Harris, and Rosanne Cash to 21st century contemporaries like Brandi Carlile, Taylor Swift, Sharon Van Etten, and Courtney Barnett. Teetering between agony and optimism, it is — to borrow a phrase from Mitchell's eternal "A Case of You" — a bottomless "box of paints."

The beauty of the stripped-down arrangements, intoxicating melodies, and Mitchell's wisdom on Blue didn't go unnoticed. Critical acclaim, coupled with the depth of the material and Mitchell's reputation, propelled the album into the Top 20 in the U.S. and Top 10 in the U.K. Yet while so much pop music diminishes with age, Blue has defied norms and headed in the opposite direction. Its 50th anniversary year witnessed an outpouring of tributes, reflections, and testimonials that helped frame the record's escalating importance and symbolism — apt in an age in which women have become the prominent trailblazers in rock, R&B, and hip-hop.

Perhaps most succinctly, in a 2021 article celebrating the LP, the Los Angeles Times declared: "In 1971, nothing sounded like Joni Mitchell's Blue. 50 years later, it's still a miracle." Nothing, indeed. Yet "miracle" suggests Blue partially owes to a divine agent or inexplicable circumstance. And though Mitchell's bracing conviction and forthright sincerity can appear otherworldly, her musical approach and lyrical storytelling is nothing if not personal and human. What we hear is pure truth — no matter how aching, complicated, or stark.

Much has been written about the circumstances that inspired the songs on Blue: Mitchell's romances; her time overseas; her disdain for celebrity; her lingering sense of loss at having given up her daughter for adoption; her treatment by the very same industry that her music made uncomfortable; her prolonged search for resolution. These situations and experiences pushed Mitchell to question everything — especially big-picture concepts that have always obsessed mankind: fulfilment, autonomy, love, honesty, being.

"I wanna make you feel free," Mitchell sings on the record-opening "All I Want." Mission accomplished. Blue is liberation — and the start of a freedom that continues to impact music, culture, and identity today.

More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called "converts") are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity's UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.