Unersättlich sind VLAD IN TEARS immer auf der Suche nach neuen Klängen und Arrangements, die von 80s Wave bis zum härtesten und modernsten Rocksound reichen. Der stärkste Part der Band ist die Stimme des Sängers Kris kennt. Die Band veröffentlichte zwischen 2007 und 2020 insgesamt sieben Studioalben. PORPORA wird nun der nächste große Schritt in der Karriere der Band sein.
“Good evening Black Buddha” is Black Jesus eXperience’s seventh studio album. Inspired by the land we live on and the connection to all that have gone before and will follow, inspired by the multicultural power of our community, inspired by the paradox of the story of the Black Buddha. From the perversity of the pandemic and its imposition of separation comes "Good Evening Black Buddha", celebrating togetherness. Darkness is light.
At the heart of Black Jesus eXperience’s inspiration is Ethiopian/Australian singer Enushu Taye. Enushu’s openness and poetic insight, delivered with unique beauty in her own Amharic tongue, lie at the core of "Good Evening Black Buddha" and all that Black Jesus eXperience (BJX) do. MC Mista Monk (Liam Monkhouse) compliments and contrasts with rhymes and flow born of Africa and outback Australia. BJX are joined by their great friends powerhouse singer Vida-Sunshyne, and crystalline new voice Gracie Sinclair.
The songs on “Good Evening Black Buddha” rove from the lightness of touch of a trio to BJX’s full fourteen piece polyrhythmic, polymetric, polytonal Ethiofunk juggernaut with six-piece horn arrangements. Soloists include living national treasure Bob Sedergreen on keyboards, Peter Harper on saxophone, Ian Dixon on trumpet, Zac Lister guitar, Larry Crestani guitar and his own invention ‘kraartar’, over the deep grooves of Richard Rose bass, James Davies kit, and Kahan Harper percussion. Black Jesus eXperience is also proud to be joined by our friends conga player Louis Poblete, kraar and masinko virtuoso Endalkachew Yenehun, proud Kuku Nyunkal man and master yiki yiki (dijeridu) player Sean Ryan.
A generous DJ/party-friendly 6-pack from Biesmans’ brilliant, intense contribution to Watergate’s revered mix LP series, selecting from the 17-track LP collaborations with Adana Twins, Shubostar, Dusky, Kasper Bjørke & Jacob Bellens and Zombies in Miami, plus a solo from the Belgian Indie dance maestro.
Mixed Colour Vinyl[28,36 €]
High Roller Records, reissue 2022, black vinyl, ltd 200, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet, poster, Mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in September 2020. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels... Featuring original lead vocalist Alan Marsh
Black Vinyl[27,27 €]
High Roller Records, reissue 2022, black vinyl, ltd 200, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet, poster, Mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in September 2020. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels... Featuring original lead vocalist Alan Marsh
High Roller Records, 3 tracks, lyric sheet, ltd 460, Picture Shape Schallplatten sind besondere Accessoires, welche einzigartig aussehen, aber sicherlich nicht die Klangqualität einer herkömmlichen Pressung darbieten werden. Vor allem sind sie als Sammlerstücke mit optischem Faktor zu betrachten.Leichte Verkrümmungen durch den Herstellungsprozess, die jedoch die Bespielbarkeit nicht beeinträchtigen, können auftreten.
All Tracks are written by - Thee Church Ov Acid House - (Oliver Bradford. Jörn Elling Wuttke) Klangfabrik Frankfurt am Main 2021
Published by Copyright Control - Exept A2 Produced by Jörn Elling Wuttke Oliver Bradford, Jörn Elling Wuttke by Courtesy of Vexed FM
Beat Poetry written and performed by Georg Heunoske
Mastered by Andreas Lubich In Memory Ov Andrew Weatherall and Genesis P-Orridge
Dass die Band aus Minneapolis, Minnesota kurz davor ist eine ganz große Nummer zu werden, zeigen nicht nur die fast 200.000 monatlichen Hörer*innen auf Spotify. Der Sound, den Villain of the Story liefern, ist unwiderstehlich und kombiniert das allerbeste aus modernem Metalcore und einem radiotauglichen Rocksound, den sonst nur Bands wie I Prevail so ausgeklügelt kombiniert bekommen.
Energetisch, eingängig und explosiv – so ist der erste Eindruck von „Losing Control“, der ersten Single des vierten Villain of the Story Albums „Divided“. Zwischen poppigen Rock Parts finden sich groovige Metalcore Elemente, die einen Sound auf der Höhe der Zeit abbilden und mit Spannung erwarten lassen, wie dieser Sound auf voller Länge klingen wird.
Die zweite Single „Karma“ zeigt sich hingegen mit harten Metalcore Elementen und einem catchy Pop Chorus, der sich schnell ins Gedächtnis einprägt. Auch Tracks wie „Never Again“ folgen diesem Ansatz. Es gelingt Villain of the Story unfassbar gut, diese harten Breakdowns mit poppigen Refrains zu verknüpfen und dabei enorm frische Metalcorehymnen zu kreieren. Dabei bleiben die US-Amerikaner jedoch nie eindimensional.
Im Sound von „Divided“ finden sich mitunter progressive Elemente, die mit dezentem Deathcore Einschlag an Bands wie Veil Of Maya und Born Of Osiris erinnern, was insbesondere durch die dezent platzierten elektronischen Elemente und Synthesizer unterstützt wird. Neben den leicht djentigen, bouncy Grooves, die Tracks wie „Jester“ und „Under My Skin“ zu wahren Moshpitmagneten werden lassen, sind es die unwiderstehlichen Vocals der beiden Sänger, die den Sound von Villain of the Story so einzigartig werden lassen.
Mit „Wrong“ liefern Villain of the Story jedoch auch einen krassen Kontrast, der noch mehr Farbe mit in das Bild von „Divided“ bringt. „Wrong“ ist eine herzzerreißende Ballade, die mit minimalistischer Klavierbegleitung dem Gesang seine ungeteilte Aufmerksamkeit gibt und die Band von einer vollkommen zarten Seite zeigt. Eine Seite, die spätestens aber vom schmetternden Beginn von „Don’t Go“ schnell wachgerüttelt wird. Es ist eben dieser Kontrast, der die Spannung im acht Track starken Album aufrecht hält und es so überzeugend macht.
Villain of the Story gehen mit “Divided” den nächsten Schritt in der Karriere ihrer Band und beweisen, dass Metalcore im Jahr 2022 noch lange nicht auserzählt ist. Stattdessen ist das vierte Album der Band ein wahres Genrehighlight das sowohl Fans von harter, als auch rockiger Popmusik vor allem in puncto Emotionalität bestens unterhält.
Though Beauty is Useless is only his second solo record, James Devane has been producing and performing music for over two decades, both in isolation and collaboratively (most notably as his duo "En" with Maxwell August Croy). While his first record (s/t on Bremsstrahlung) explored digital manipulation of guitar based loops, Beauty finds Devane replacing the computer processing and aural landscape projection for a couple vintage keyboards, modular based effects and most notably a drum machine. Evoking elements of German minimal techno, Beauty is a rich, focused discovery of process and restraint where less is refreshingly more.
Black Screen Records is excited to announce that Damián Sánchez' chill and joyful orchestral soundtrack to Crema's massively multiplayer creature-collection adventure Temtem will be available on limited edition 3xLP Picture Disc vinyl. You get 47 songs and the three starters Crystle, Smazee and Houchic in one beautiful trifold set with gorgeous artwork by Alex Muñoz and Cristina Jiménez. The vinyl and CD both come with a download card for the full digital soundtrack including all tracks. ABOUT THE SOUNDTRACK: Temtem's original game soundtrack is a melodic journey through the adventures on the Airborne Archipelago. A mixture of musical styles and flavors ranging from the chill and joyful orchestral sounds from Deniz to the most vivid and chrer-ish celtic dances from Arbury, through the folk and peacefulness of Omninesia, the mysterious glassy mallets of Tucma, the warm drums and flutes of Kisiwa, and the modern-versus-traditional Asian tunes in Cipanku. Discover the traditions of each isle through its instrumental palette and melodies, and vibe with the rhythms of the combat themes while you become the greatest Temtem tamer. The aim of this physical edition it's always been to give our fans not only another way of listening to Temtem's soundtrack, but to make a piece of art they would love to display on their shelves or even hang on a wall. Both teams at Crema and Black Screen Records worked really hard for a long time to cherry-pick the best ideas and come up with these incredibly beautiful editions. We are really proud of these products and we really hope you enjoy them! - Damián Sánchez ABOUT THE GAME: Temtem is a massively multiplayer online adventure where you'll get to explore the colorful and exciting Airborne Archipelago with all your friends and other players! Discover, tame and battle the Temtem that inhabit these islands, and maybe save the Archipelago in the process? Temtem offers a lengthy story campaign in a fully online world, and the possibility of playing the entire adventure in Co-op with a friend; a rich, complex, RNG-free combat experience, and competitively oriented gameplay, with challenges for all play styles; a bustling economy and trading environment; advanced character customization, housing and a myriad of ways to express yourself!
140gm gold vinyl in gatefold. MENTALIST, the Saarbrücken Germany based Melodic Metal group, like maybe no other recently new band has managed to leave big, positive marks in the Power Metal scene! After the big success of the debut album ‘Freedom Of Speech’ (2020), the German/ Swedish foursome consisting of Peter Moog (guitars), Thomen Stauch (dr., ex BLIND GUARDIAN), Kai Stringer (guitars) and Swedish exceptional singer Rob Lundgren just scraped past the German official media control album charts with their 2021 effort ‘A Journey Into The Unknown’ (trend charts: #63)! On iTunes, MENTALIST reached an impressive #2 as highest position at the Metal charts, and the fans of the Facebook group ‘Power Metal’ with 110K followers voted ‘A Journey Into The Unknown’ as best Power Metal release of the year 2021. ‘Empires Falling’, the third full length by the German/Swedish outfit, now continues where its predecessors have stopped! Oliver Palotai (keys, Kamelot) und Mike LePond (b., Symphony X) again joined MENTALIST as energetic guests on keyboards and bass. On this release, outstanding musicianship teams up with fabulous melodies and fine, subtle arrangements as parts of epic, stirring and energy-driven songs which reinforce the high quality of MENTALIST. The front cover artwork again was designed by Andreas Marschall (Blind Guardian, Running Wild), the mix & the mastering once more was handled by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Pretty Maids etc.). ‘Empires Falling’ will be released on September 16th, 2022 on CD, digital, and as gold vinyl 2-LP. A tour for Autumn 2022 is currently in preparation. Track listing: Solution Revolution; Stairs Of Ragusa; Tears Within A Paradise; Empires Falling; If You Really Want; Columbus; Noah’s Ark; Generation’s Legacy; Heavy Metal Leia; Out Of The Dark; Years Of Slavery; Forbidden Fruits (Bonus Track); Bumblebee (Bonus Track)
Once more we’ve balanced old and new school producers into a limited 150 copies 12"….Thrilled to have legendary Shaka opening the EP, followed by Barcelona’s esteemed producers Jorge Gamarra and D-Ufo under their JGRE moniker, South Italy's rising machines overlord Filippo Bologna and to close it all another producer who needs no introduction, Tommy Vicar Jnr.
Under The Sun is the follow-up to the astonishing Roots and contains yet more absolutely essential Nucleus material. Originally released on Vertigo in 1974, Under The Sun was never re-pressed and of course those original copies are now very tricky to score. Like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well and this Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press.
Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. He was a true pioneer and saw the potential in fusing the worlds of jazz with rock, just as Miles Davis and The Tony Williams Lifetime did in the US. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Regarding music as a continuous process, Nucleus refused to “recognise rigid boundaries” and worked on delivering what they saw as a “total musical experience”. We can get behind that.
Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. This constant evolution and revolution was all part of the continuous musical exploration and discovery that took jazz to new levels. And the music has stayed relevant. To steal a line from a recent review of our re-issue of Roots, when it comes to anything Nucleus “it’s basically already hip-hop”.
Under The Sun opens with the crisp, medium tempo “In Procession”. It’s a typically inventive Carr track with layers of dramatic, riff-led themes and repeating brass blasts. Bryan Spring’s “The Addison Trip” is a moody funk piece, with Kieran White guesting on wordless vocals. Roger Sutton contributes some fine bass guitar on this track, particularly the great solo at around the two minute mark. The excellently-named cool, jazzy ballad “Pastoral Graffiti” paints bucolic pictures with its mellow sonics, plaintive horns and Bob Bertles’ flute.
Sutton’s superb, bass-driven “New Life” brings a different dynamic. Horns, guitar and electric piano swirl over the head-nod bass motif and a killer Ken Shaw guitar solo. A false fade out halfway through brings in a new bass riff that’s picked up by the whole ensemble as Carr wah-wah noodles over the top. It’s full-on. The gorgeous, laidback “A Taste of Sarsaparilla” is exactly that - closing out the first side with a cute blast of what is to come over on the killer flip.
The whole of Under The Sun’s second side is a suite of three “Themes” written by Ian Carr. The uptempo first theme “Sarsaparilla” is comfortably one of Nucleus’ best. What would’ve been a cluttered mess in the hands of most is instead an effortless lesson in clarity and zing. Between Geoff Castle’s electric piano solo, the relentless funky drumming and more wild wah-wah trumpet from Carr, Nucleus show you how it’s done.
The languid groove of second theme “Feast Alfresco” is much more typical of “classic” Nucleus and sounds like something that might’ve been on Roots. A Bertles baritone solo and a guitar solo from Shaw weave around the core, serpentine brass theme.
The darker “Rites of Man”, the third and final theme, is a slow build to a solid bass and electric piano riff, shored up by some tricky brass. Carr takes the theme even further and there’s still plenty of room for soloing from all corners of the Nucleus. As usual, the dynamic Sutton/Spring, bass/drums duo is holding down the rhythm for the rest to jam around.
This Be With edition of Under The Sun has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Pete Norman’s cut to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. The bleak, rain-dappled cover matches the melancholic vibe of the record and has been restored as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.
Labyrinth is dark, brooding, beat-heavy, melancholic mood music courtesy of Ian Carr and the Nucleus crew. A favourite of Madlib, it goes without saying that this is one magnificent record. Originally released on Vertigo in 1973, Labyrinth was never re-pressed and of course those original copies are now very tricky to score. Like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well and this Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press.
Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. He was a true pioneer and saw the potential in fusing the worlds of jazz with rock, just as Miles Davis and The Tony Williams Lifetime did in the US. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Regarding music as a continuous process, Nucleus refused to “recognise rigid boundaries” and worked on delivering what they saw as a “total musical experience”. We can get behind that.
Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. This constant evolution and revolution was all part of the continuous musical exploration and discovery that took jazz to new levels. And the music has kept relevant. To steal a line from a recent review of our re-issue of Roots, when it comes to anything Nucleus “it’s basically already hip-hop”.
At this point Carr had parted ways with guitarist Alan Holdsworth and as a result the Nucleus sound found itself returning to the core elements of groove and melody. Carr had become bolder and more self-confident in his compositions and it shows in the sheer ambition of Labyrinth. Composed by Carr, and with lyrics written by his wife Sandy, Labyrinth was the result of a commission from the Park Lane Group and funded by the Arts Council of Great Britain. Originally a live performance by an augmented Nucleus, some of the expanded cast were brought back for the recording sessions, including vocalist Norma Winstone. So as the front cover of the finished album says, this is literally “Nucleus Plus”.
Labyrinth is presented as a suite, based on the ancient Greek legend of the Minotaur with musical instruments representing the various elements of the mythology. According to the LP’s original sleeve notes, the bass clarinet represents the tragic element, the trumpet represents the heroic element and the voice represents the human element. The rest of the musicians represent the two societies of Athens and Crete and their comments on the story as it unfolds.
The album opens with the experimental, sumptuously dissonant “Origins”. Teasing strands of atmospheric bass clarinet introduce the first theme before swiftly fading out with a startling blast of staccato fanfares and big drums. Heavy. The album soon finds its rhythm as it alights on the spell-binding and groove-friendly “Bull-Dance”, showing off the best Nucleus has to offer: subtle trumpet melodies, compelling rhythms, a psych-rock vibe and tight soloing. And of course there’s Norma Winstone’s stunning wordless vocals, that also take the lead in the next track “Ariadne”, a spacey-jazz song with beautiful piano, flute and clarinet, and the only recognisable lyrics on the album. You might recognise a snatch of it being looped by Madlib on Quasimoto’s “Astro Travellin”. The first part of the improvised “Arena” closes out the first side of the album, a short experimental piece with piano and horns.
Over on the flip-side, the powerful second part of “Arena” introduces a new theme. It swiftly builds, with vocal melodies, piano and horns all pronounced over the thick drums snapping your neck. It comes on like an alternate take on “Bull-Dance”, noisier, with a looser rhythm. The triumphant, shuffling Latin-jam “Exultation” leans on more scintillating vocals from Winstone, and a chunky counter melody from the rhythm section. It’ll get you moving.
The final track, the haunting, twelve minute “Naxos”, is an incredible way to close out this remarkable record. A circling bass guitar loop inspiring the group to a meditative psychedelic jazz rock improvisation in a silent, Miles kind of way, with a great flugelhorn solo from Carr and an ace synth climax.
This Be With edition of Labyrinth has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Pete Norman’s cut to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. Another great Keith Davis sleeve has been restored in all its airbrushed Golden Age of comics, gatefold splendour. Complete with Minotaur of course.
Black Vinyl[25,17 €]
LP ltd colored vinyl, 140 gram, gatefold, mp3 Download PostCard
After smooth detours into Soul covers, French Neo-Disco, modern Sunset Disco and Brazilian AOR, in 2022 DJ Supermarkt's Too Slow to Disco series makes a joyous return to its original Westcoast AOR/Yacht roots. Celebrating the 10th TSTD compilation. Who would have thought….
The Berlin curator releases a killer 4th edition of the original compilation art form, "Too Slow to Disco", featuring forgotten and overseen gems from the mid 70s to the early 80s from a global world of smooth, brilliant lost and overproduced tracks from Finland via London and L.A. to Trinidad and beyond.
The great 'un-vanisher' of lost lazy classics, DJ Supermarkt once again unearthed some incredible music that labels, publishers (in many cases also those, who actually own the rights to those tracks…) and streaming services have often long overlooked. You're welcome, world!
Musician and visual artist Andy Ash has been around for quite some time and may be considered as a „hidden gem“. With his forthcoming album „All The Colours“, this will change! Andy fuses differnet styles from past to present easily and this teaser 12“ is just an small bit of what will blossom on the album. Andy has worked with vocalists, bringing a new dimension to his music. Whether it is the old school inspired „The sound“ which features vocalist Erik Rico, or the deep and moody „I’m Here“ featuring Liverpool vocalist Amber Kuti, these tracks are designed to be played on the dancefloor and bring people together – this is what House Music has always been about!
With their album "B-3 Vol.1" the Hanoverian Lutz "Hammond" Krajenski aka krajenski. on the B-3 organ, Ben Kraef from Berlin on the saxophone and Peter Gall from southern Germany on the drums break new ground even if the old path of the Hammond-infected Blue Note refinement always remains in view.
