quête:taq 9

,Sharp Pins" ist das äußerst starke Lo-Fi-Pop-Projekt des talentierten Musikers Kai Slater aus Chicago, bekannt von Lifeguard und Dwaal Troupe. Aufgenommen von Kai Slater. Abgemischt von Kai Slater. Gemastert von Amy Dragon. Aufgenommen im Stülo Gulo in Chicago, Illinois. Ursprünglich als Hallogallo-Kassette im Eigenverlag veröffentlicht. ,Youth Revolution Now". Von Kai: ,Der Soundtrack zu meinem 18. Sommer, in dem ich mit einem chinesischen Taotao 50-ccm-Roller durch die Gegend um die Taqueria Moran fuhr und meinen Sta-Prest-Träumen nachjagte. Ich dachte, es wäre cool, eine Reihe von Songs aufzunehmen, die nie wirklich aufgenommen wurden, und zwar auf eine etwas durchdachtere Art und Weise. Aufgenommen auf einem Tascam Porta One im alten Beton-Stulogulo mit einer imaginären Band namens ,Men in Green Striped Trousers". Der ursprüngliche, von Sharp Pins geprägte Garage-Pop-Sound in seiner ganzen rohen, rauen und kreischenden Pracht _ Ich glaube, ich habe davon etwa 50 Exemplare angefertigt. Nun gehört mein Teenagertraum Ihnen.".

Simsara Records is proud to announce Syrr, the new album by Egyptian artist Maryam Saleh, arriving 27 March 2026. A mythic and introspective work, Syrr transforms memory, loss, and lived experience into a shifting world of sound, voice, and embodied emotion. Written and composed by Saleh, the album traces a three-part journey—Origin & Image, Vessel, and Intuition & Echo—in which the self is fractured, questioned, reassembled, and ultimately expanded. Blending raw expression with subtle dramatics, Saleh crafts an immersive sonic autobiography rooted in intuition, embodiment, and human becoming.
Co-produced by Maryam Saleh, Maurice Louca, and Kamilya Jubran—who also perform keys, oud and backing vocals throughout—the album’s songs are set to or inspired by existing Egyptian and Arabic song forms (including mawwal, lullaby, madih, muwashshah, taqtuqa and more). The project underwent a rigorous three-year journey of songwriting and composition by Saleh with Kamilya Jubran as mentor before recording.
“Syrr” is mixed by Mokhtar El Sayeh and mastered by Heba Kadry, with artwork by Pauline Gouablin (photography), Omar Mostafa (image editing, treatment and inserts design), and Maged El Sokkary (typography and illustration). Lyrics translation by Nariman Youssef. Produced by Simsara Music with support from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).

2026 Repress

It’s rare that a certain sound is entirely an artist’s own. Although undeniably a stew of impeccable influences – from blues to folk to Latin to dusty funk, soul and hip-hop – one cannot hear a Tommy Guerrero song without immediately recognising it as his - and his only.
The cult skater from San Francisco is globally renowned as one of the original members of the legendary “Bones Brigade” team. And as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, his laid-back soul is beloved by all who’ve basked in its blissful glow.
There’s something elemental about this music that really stirs the soul. Strikingly beautiful and instantly addictive, it’s a kind of funk-fuelled, melody-driven, groove-based magic. There’s a serenity and heart in the playing that radiates warmth and splendour, as if crafted for endless sunsets. His albums that surfaced on Mo Wax at the turn of the century have been treasured since their release and it’s two of his most vital LPs that we’re honoured to reintroduce.
The originals were quietly pressed on to a single piece of vinyl so we’ve worked closely with Tommy this year to bring you these fresh, limited editions. They have been lovingly remastered, cut nice and loud on to heavyweight double vinyl and presented in deluxe gatefold jackets.
Soul Food Taqueria continued Guerrero’s guitar soul but represented a step forward with its polished production and greater complexity of instrumentation. Denied the promotion it deserved upon release, it flew under the radar. It is now the most wanted record of his wondrous back catalogue.
Guerrero’s atmospheric touch and subtle guitar provide lush, glimmering pieces of musical texture. Within his spacious compositions, uniquely arranged instruments flourish alongside each other to create a languid soundtrack for halcyon days.
As ever, the diversity on display is beguiling. From bossa nova, samba and cumbia rhythms to understated folk, funk and soul grooves, this is another exotic set of mellow gold; perfectly represented by ESPO’s memorable artwork. Furthermore, the title’s hybridity reflects the intoxicating sweep of stylistic flavours served up, reminding us that, however tricky it is to categorise Guerrero’s special blend, it’s always a pleasure to indulge in something so creative and adventurous.
Dubby, bass-heavy instrumentals give way to moody folk-soul – witness “It Gets Heavy”, featuring melancholic vocals from Gresham Taylor – whilst “Thank You MK” is a gentle ode to the tropics, featuring ethereal instrumentation, bright bass and warm, jazzy guitars. The second half in particular contains a number of stunning ambient tracks – check “Lost Unfound”, “Another Brother Gone” and “Broken Blood” - built around minimalist, laid-back grooves and detailed guitar orchestrations which wouldn’t be out of place on the latest Jonny Nash release.
Guerrero closes this flawless set with a moment of true beauty. Restrained and graceful, “Falling Awake” is a pared back piece containing meditative guitar melodies set against melancholic piano arrangements. It brings proceedings to the most peaceful close. Seductively good, it reminds you just how great simplicity can sound.

The classic Fearless Iranians From Hell Die For Allah LP is now back in print after a twenty-five year hiatus. Remastered and repressed on nuclear green vinyl, this hardcore punk arsenal also includes all tracks from their literally explosive Blow Up The Embassy 7-inch debut. FIFH was a mysterious Texan monstrosity formed in 1983 by Iranian expat (and modern day hashashin) Amir Mamori, who gathered to his side various mutants and apocalyptic freaks from the San Antonio punk rock blast zone, even throwing in two Butthole Surfers rejects for good measure (including none other than the notorious Anus Presley himself). The subsequent recording sessions were a chaotic affair, as guitars were rarely in tune and the drums were seemingly scavenged from the trash. It was all directed by Amir who, with fanatical focus, would inspire the band on to victory from behind a stupifying cloud of hash smoke. The resulting releases were widely praised; from places like Maximum Rock n Roll and the Village Voice in the US, to Sounds and New Musical Express in the UK. They were even cited as forerunners of the musical genre known as Taqwacore. After touring the US in the late ’80s—and leaving in their wake crowd turbulence, police intimidation, and even bounties being place on the heads of the members—the band disbanded in 1989 upon the death of the Ayatollah Khomeini (may Allah have mercy on him). “We’re stoned as shit, and we’re ready to roll.” - F.I.F.H. ’87

Presenting a joyous double dose of Brazilian pífano magic by João do Pife, taken from his iconic Folclore Alagoano LP and pressed for the first time on 7” vinyl. The infectious, uplifting energy of the instrumental track 'Garoto Do Pife' has been a dancefloor weapon for revered selectors such as Gilles Peterson, Cliffy and the Mr Bongo DJs, and we are proud to be reissuing it for the first time.

The pífano, pifaro or pife, which creates the distinctive melodies in these tracks, is a simple seven-hole woodwind instrument from the Northeast region of Brazil. Often made out of bamboo or taquara wood, they are rich in folkloric music tradition and paired with percussion instruments to form the Bandas de Pífanos groups, which originated from the Northeastern states of the country. "Pifeiros” such as João do Pife, Edmilson do Pífano, and Carlos Malta brought the pífano into a wider public eye through their albums and vinyl recordings.

A part of pífano maestro João do Pife’s rich legacy, these two mesmerizing and timeless tracks originate from his sought-after 1975 LP Folclore Alagoano, released on the Tropicana label. Born João Alfredo Marques dos Santos in 1943, in Riacho das Almas, João do Pife became an ambassador of Northern Brazilian culture and folklore through his music, which placed the pífano centre stage.

For this 7" issue, we have curated two of our favourite tracks from the album, 'Garoto Do Pife' and 'Homenagem a Ludugero', that exude a driving and joyous dancefloor energy. With lively accordion and organ accompaniments that weave around João do Pife's sublime pífano playing, they channel a folk spirit that will resonate deep within your soul.

As inspiration for the picture sleeve, we have adapted the original cover photo art for this 7 inch issue. João do Pife’s music, which is housed within, will sweep you away to Northeastern Brazil in an instant.

Pop-punk veterans Teenage Bottlerocket are primed to release their new LP Ready to Roll, the band's first full length for Pirates Press Records. "This time around, there was no big concept, no pressure. We just wrote songs that felt good to play," explains bassist Miguel Chen. "That freedom brought something fresh. It reminded us why we started doing this in the first place. The vibe is all about reconnecting with the joy of making music together. "The band returned to The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, CO, with Andrew Berlin behind the board & Jason Livermore overseeing the final master. "The Blasting Room is like home for us," says Miguel. "Working with Andrew and Jason is always a smooth ride-they know how to pull the best out of us." Fans got their first taste of what's to come via the lead single "She's the Shit." Ray Carlisle wrote the song for his wife Rachel, who he says "loves to give me a hard time-she rolls her eyes when I rock out in front of the mirror, makes fun of the music I love, and calls me an old man when I bring up movies she's never seen. And I totally love her for it." As for the song, Ray says, "It kicks the door open. It sets the tone for the whole record-fast, catchy, and not taking itself too seriously. Just the way we like it." This back to basics approach carries through the album, making it equally satisfying for longtime fans & newcomers alike. "Whether it's your first TBR album or your tenth," says Miguel. "There's something here for you." It's packed with everything you'd expect from TBR with a few surprises the band think you'll love - including a couple of songs where Miguel steps up to the mic for his first-ever lead vocals! "We're lucky to still be here, making music with our best friends, and connecting with people who get it," sums up Miguel. "Ready to Roll is exactly what it sounds like-we're stoked, and, in a way, we're just getting started."

Pop-punk veterans Teenage Bottlerocket are primed to release their new LP Ready to Roll, the band's first full length for Pirates Press Records. "This time around, there was no big concept, no pressure. We just wrote songs that felt good to play," explains bassist Miguel Chen. "That freedom brought something fresh. It reminded us why we started doing this in the first place. The vibe is all about reconnecting with the joy of making music together. "The band returned to The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, CO, with Andrew Berlin behind the board & Jason Livermore overseeing the final master. "The Blasting Room is like home for us," says Miguel. "Working with Andrew and Jason is always a smooth ride-they know how to pull the best out of us." Fans got their first taste of what's to come via the lead single "She's the Shit." Ray Carlisle wrote the song for his wife Rachel, who he says "loves to give me a hard time-she rolls her eyes when I rock out in front of the mirror, makes fun of the music I love, and calls me an old man when I bring up movies she's never seen. And I totally love her for it." As for the song, Ray says, "It kicks the door open. It sets the tone for the whole record-fast, catchy, and not taking itself too seriously. Just the way we like it." This back to basics approach carries through the album, making it equally satisfying for longtime fans & newcomers alike. "Whether it's your first TBR album or your tenth," says Miguel. "There's something here for you." It's packed with everything you'd expect from TBR with a few surprises the band think you'll love - including a couple of songs where Miguel steps up to the mic for his first-ever lead vocals! "We're lucky to still be here, making music with our best friends, and connecting with people who get it," sums up Miguel. "Ready to Roll is exactly what it sounds like-we're stoked, and, in a way, we're just getting started."

2025 Repress

Loose Grooves & Bastard Blues is Tommy Guerrero's sublime debut. Of this beloved masterpiece, the legendary skater himself says: "my 1st album. It was never meant to be released. I was just recording for the fun of it.. still my fave. Oh so naive..." And you know what? It's definitely Be With's fave too. An astonishingly great record. A chill, blissful, deeply moving album, it was rightly garlanded as an instant classic.

A laidback, fusionistic ride replete with loopy drum tracks underpinning Tommy's trademark reflective guitar stylings, Loose Grooves & Bastard Blues remains powerfully evergreen. Originally released in 1997, there's elements of jazz, trip hop, rock and downtempo groove. All shot through with a heavy dose of soul. Thirteen tracks of lo-fi (mostly) instrumental freshness fused with Cuban, Latin and blues, it's a must for fans of Money Mark, J Dilla, RJD2, DJ Shadow and Pete Rock. As ever with Tommy's records, the title sums up the music contained within most aptly. And writing about his songs, his vibes, is one of the trickier things to do, it has to be said. It's just all gorgeous!

A total vibe throughout, to blast Loose Grooves & Bastard Blues is a majestic experience, one that suits a start-to-finish listen and renders the picking out of highlights totally redundant. Featuring nagging, deeply melodic guitar lines - both electric and acoustic - over simple rhythms with such sumptuous elegance, the hypnotic playing against unrushed percussion releases a crystal clear stream of healing frequencies. It's ust divine. This album laid the blueprint from which Tommy Guerrero would subsequently explore further on A Little Bit of Somethin' and Soul Food Taquiera.

Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possibly quality at Record Industry in Holland. The original and iconic sleeve, designed by Natas Kaupas, has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

2025 Repress
Yes! Tommy Guerrero’s much-loved 4th LP – the smooth West Coast classic From The Soil To The Soul - gets its first ever vinyl release. As the follow up to his revered Soul Food Taqueria, this album was originally released by Quannum Records 2006 but only on CD. Working with Tommy directly, the LP has been fully remastered, cut on to heavyweight wax, and comes with artwork freshly reworked by the man himself.
From The Soil To The Soul represents a continuation of Tommy’s blissful guitar-soul whilst demonstrating increasingly complex chops and a slightly darker side to his distinctive sound. His spare, effortless funk is blended here with elements of Americana, heavy psych, lo-fi fuzz and intoxicating Latin rhythms. Combined with his typically breezy, laid-back San Franciscan style, it’s a vibe from start to finish.
Recorded primarily in his home studio, Tommy wrote, arranged and played nearly all the instruments, including bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion and kalimba. Renowned street artist Barry McGee, aka Twist, designed the cover art which Tommy has now recast in a deep, deep red for the vinyl version.
As ever with Tommy, the highlights are many and memorable. From twinkling, sun-drenched opener “Hello Again” to the penultimate, punk-rocking track “Let Me In Let Me Out” (featuring the melodic yet fearsome rapping of Lyrics Born), the variety across the LP is relentless, but satisfying, and without once losing focus.
We’re treated to the gorgeous hip-hop blues of “The Under Dog”, Meters-style Hammond B-3 jams like “War No More” and “No Guns More Glory” and Balearic bangers like Bing Ji Ling’s star-turn on the sleazy “Don’t Fake It.”
Curumin’s soulful guest vocal elevates the already-great Brazilian lounge feels of “Salve” to hitherto unscaled heights and the heavy, driving basslines - funky and warm on “Badder Than Bullets”, sombre and intense in “Tomorrow’s Goodbye” and “Molotov Telegram” – never fail to move both body and soul.
But our favourite track is the beautiful breezy pop of “Just Ain’t Me”. A bittersweet, skipping ballad which boasts an incredibly rare instance of Tommy singing. “What you want from me, I can never give” he repeats throughout, lending the already-melancholic atmosphere greater poignancy. It would’ve been number 1 across the planet in a parallel universe.

As Jess Sylvester finished his Hardly Art debut as Marinero in the fall of 2020, he realized it was time for a change. Sylvester grew up in Marin County, on the doorstep of San Francisco. It was a nurturing community for a high-school punk with a pompadour and, later, for a sober songwriter with a proclivity for moody psychedelia. But he wanted to be challenged and inspired by a new setting and scenario around strangers who prompted him to approach his music in unexpected ways. So in September 2020, as the world continued to reel in lockdown, Sylvester headed several hours south to Los Angeles, a city that, despite the relative proximity, the film buff knew largely from classic and cult films situated there. When he arrived, he kept digging into that cinematic past-Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, with John Williams' classic theme, or classic 90s movies about East LA, many featuring Edward James Olmos. They shaped his understanding of his new town just as it began to open. This is one pillar of the multivalent and endlessly lush La La La, Marinero's new album about sobriety, identity, and fantasy that is playfully named both for the city that helped shape it and the sophisticated pop it contains. Sylvester wrote about characters outside of himself, whether considering the heroine reckoning with her own version of keeping clean or the screenwriters whose work was deemed communist simply as a political convenience. He linked those songs with motivational anthems about self-acceptance and playful numbers about flirting through food, shaping a 12-song set rich with humor, empathy, and encouragement. Sure, La La La is a continuation of the slippery genre play Sylvester started with 2021's Hella Love, 2019's Trópico de Cáncer, or even before that. But it also feels like a fresh beginning for Marinero, as Sylvester realizes how boundless this project can be. He began to think about the music of his childhood, how his mother is from San Francisco with Mexican roots, and how he'd heard so much salsa growing up as an impetuous teenager. So he wrote "Taquero," a red-hot salsa tune that uses tacos and their trappings as a source of endless metaphors for come-ons. And then there was the Ray Barreto or Santana-inspired "Pocha Pachanga," with organ gliding and percussion pulsing beneath his yearning vocals, warped as if by desert winds. In Los Angeles, he found a wealth of players who spoke this music like language itself (including Chicano Batman's Eduardo Arenas), all ready to play with and push these familiar forms. Sylvester has also been sober for 21 years, since a cross-country sojourn to attend college in Boston ended in a chemical haze. Today, he sees friends facing the same decisions he made two decades ago, and he brings bits of that experience to bear in songs that feel like self-help anthems. Recorded with a musical hero (and labelmate) of his, Chris Cohen, "Sea Changes" feels like sunshine breaking through dark clouds, as Sylvester acknowledges the newfound confidence and clarity in a friend who has stepped away from destructive habits. In the past, Sylvester has been intractably linked to his identity as a Mexican-American, born to parents from Mexico and Irish- American descent who settled in San Francisco. That can be limiting, of course, tying him to notions of sound and style that aren't always correct. On La La La, he simultaneously steps into and out of those preconceptions, singing tracks above salsa in joyous Spanish or pondering the dynamics of the Hollywood Ten and blacklists above mysterious lap steel and teasing trumpet. His identity, then, should now be clear: He is a Californian, making music shaped by the diversity of encounters and experiences that are a central part of that state's fabric. Never before has he presented himself so fully and unabashedly on tape as with La La La, an album Sylvester built with new inspirations to deliver new charms.

The seductive sounds of Portugal swing to Dark Entries on Rock Rendez Vous: Música Moderna Portuguesa 1985-1986, a compilation of vintage Iberian synth, wave, and postpunk gems.

The legendary club Rock Rendez Vous (RRV) opened its doors in Lisbon in 1980, heralding a new era in the Portuguese underground. Although touring acts like Killing Joke, Danse Society, or Echo & the Bunnymen graced its stage, RRV more vitally served as ground zero for a new generation of Portuguese bands, one simultaneously in touch with broader international musical movements while being invested in establishing a national sonic identity. Rock Rendez Vous culls 9 tracks of prime Portuguese indie tunes from the Música Moderna Portuguesa compilations released in 1985 and 1986, documenting the heyday of this movement. Jangly and brooding postpunk gems like “Levante” from Jovem Guarda, Projecto Azul’s “New Sides,” and Essa Entente’s “Festa Final” are well-represented here. Meanwhile, quirky Balearic-laced synthpop gems like D. W. Art’s “Mate” or Zona Proibida’s “Musak” add a subtly regional flare. Rock Rendez Vous: Música Moderna Portuguesa comes housed in a sleeve designed by Eloise Leigh featuring a photo of the club RRV, and also includes a double-sided insert with lyrics, photos, and liner notes.

DIY scene in San Jose, CA. Saoirse, Thomas, Chris and Jeremy are four best friends that spent their formative years together in a house called Hotbox. They are in­uenced by 90s power pop, jangly UK twee, Lorena's Taqueria, Ono Hawaiian BBQ, South Bay hardcore, 4th street bowl, skramz, road trips, J Mascis, and the feeling of sitting in a dirty backyard with your homies on a beautiful day. Star 99 makes music for their friends. “The 26-minute LP whips by and feels like a trip back to the indie-punk era of bands like Lemuria and Swearin’, with great hooks and a scrappy, lo-‑ aesthetic

Always timely reissue of Muqata'a's first self-released EP from 2017. After years of fertile digital existence on his own Bandcamp, 'La Lisana Lah' now gets a much deserved tactile version through Souk, the Discrepant sublabel responsible for the already classic 'Inkanakuntu'. One of the most prominent figures of the Palestinian electronic scene, Muqata'a's trajectory has been one of resistance and urgency, leaving a sonic imprint of his own from pretty much the beginning.

Without anything tentative or vestigial about its sonic fictions, 'La Lisana Lah' deploys an arsenal of Muqata'a's traits that would be explored on subsequent releases: the glitchy thick textures verging on noise of 'Tib Al Huroof', the narcotic broken beats of 'Taqdirahu Anta' and 'Zyadet Naqs' or the alluring disruptive harmonic suspension of 'Dijla Wal Fada', everything cared for with an essential attention to space and evoking the heritage of Palestinian resistance through his use of samples and scales. A visionary from the get go.

Le Magnifique is a cult film. Many a viewer has memorized the lines of this character, whose role was tailor-made for Jean-Paul Belmondo. In the year of our Lord 1973, Belmondo reunited with director Philippe de Broca, a pair who, decades before the Jean Dujardin version of OSS 117, were unknowingly making meta cinema. The film's soundtrack, by Claude Bolling, successfully navigates between the first and second degree, without ever sinking into the clumsiness of "fantasy music". For the record, Claude Bolling is none other than the chief composer of the all-female group Les Parisiennes and of some 100 film scores, including Borsalino, which is certainly the best-known. Above all, he is a genius of French jazz, whose talent makes his music sound relaxed and familiar, even when you're listening to it for the first Tme. From the very first track on the album, "TaQana", postcard images of Mexico spring to mind. Claude Bolling plays with the codes of film music without ever losing a certain communicaTve jubilaTon. With the soundtrack to Le Magnifique, Claude Bolling equals the Anglo-Saxon masters of the easy-jazz pop genre, such as Henri Mancini. Fans of jerks to dance to at the ambassador's parTes will be delighted by the composiTon "Pop Mod". Even today, those who invented the term "lounge core" would go out of their way to own an original Claude Bolling vinyl. Thanks to Claude Bolling and his original French Touch, before thedays of Dimitri From Paris and Bob Sinclar who, if they hadn't been able to take advantage of this musical and cinema to graphic heritage, wouldn't have had anything to sample.

2023 Repress

The portuguese matador "VIL" is on the 6th episode of Shlomi Aber's limited vinyl only series "Lost Episodes", with a 4 tracker EP of stomping Techno groovers.
Not to be missed.

RIYL: A Hawk And A Hacksaw, Leonard Cohen, Daniel Kahn, Xylouris White, Arooj Aftab, Tindersticks, Nick Cave, Alasdair Roberts, Geoff Berner, The Klezmatics. Deluxe 180gLP with 350gsm Arktika jacket/inner + 36”x12” art/lyrics fold-out + DL. CD in gatefold jacket + art/lyrics fold-out. Recorded by Greg Norman (Jason Molina, Nina Nastasia, Electrical Audio). Everything Returns reunites the original Black Ox Orkestar lineup following a 15-year hiatus. Arising from the fertile Montréal post-punk agit-prop scene of the early 2000s, the band comprises Scott Gilmore, Jessica Moss and Thierry Amar of Thee Silver Mt. Zion (Amar also continues to compose and play bass for Godspeed You! Black Emperor) and Gabriel Levine of Sackville. Black Ox made two acclaimed albums of roiling acoustic avant-folk in the mid-2000s, exploring Eastern European and North African folkways through the lens of a gritty, resonant indie rock sensibility, juxtaposing interpretations of instrumentals from various Jewish, Romani and Arabic traditions with originals led by Gilmore’s politically-charged Yiddish vocals. These early albums have since become lodestars for many among a new generation of Yiddish, Klezmer and radical Jewish diasporic music practitioners and fans. First revealing its resurrection in February 2022 with a surprise flexi 7” single issued by left journal Jewish Currents as a gift to its thousands of subscribers, Black Ox has indeed fully and fruitfully reunited. Exquisitely recorded by Greg Norman (Jason Molina, Nina Nastasia, Electrical Audio), Everything Returns picks up right where the band left off: an incisively atmospheric, melancholic yet resolute album of uniquely modern Jewish folk music, with piano, violin, upright bass, clarinet and cymbalom making up the core instrumentation, and the vocal tunes sung primarily in Yiddish, alongside album centerpiece “Viderkol” and closer “Lamed-Vovnik” where English also features. This is not fusion music, but diaspora music: a cross-cultural call and response of musical lexicons, emerging from the history of Jewish persecution and displacement, the musicology of 19th century repertoire from Jewish shtetls, the improvisational traditions of nusakh in Jewish music and taqsim in Arabic music, and a wider polyglot dialogue of Jewish, Slavic, Arabic, and Central Asian musical traditions. Lyrically and stylistically, Everything Returns connects key current issues from refugees forced to leave their homes, to the return of fascism and exclusionary nationalism—with the legacy of modernist Yiddish poetry and song. The new Black Ox Orkestar album is a sublime, poetic, politically-informed statement of re-energized diasporic musical intent, where Gilmore’s voice and the band’s simmering arrangements conjure an ardent, doleful balladry that echoes the sound and sensibility of artists like Tindersticks, The National, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. Everything Returns is a haunting, richly textured, darkly sparkling song cycle at once from a vanished world and very much of our time and place. Tracklist: 1 Tish Nign 2 Perpetual Peace 3 Oysgeforn / Bessarabia Hora 4 Mizrakh Mi Ma’arav 5 Skotschne 6 Viderkol (Echo) 7 Epigenetik 8 Moldovan Zhok 9 Lamed-Vovnik

Die Originalbesetzung von Black Ox Orkestar ist nach einer 15-jährigen Pause wieder zusammen. Die aus der fruchtbaren Montréaler Post-Punk-Agit-Prop-Szene der frühen 2000er Jahre hervorgegangene Band besteht aus Scott Gilmore, Jessica Moss und Thierry Amar von Thee Silver Mt. Zion (Amar komponiert und spielt auch weiterhin Bass für Godspeed You! Black Emperor) und Gabriel Levine von Sackville. Black Ox Orkestar haben Mitte der 2000er Jahre zwei gefeierte Alben mit aufgewühltem akustischem Avant-Folk veröffentlicht, auf denen sie osteuropäische und nordafrikanische Folklore durch die Linse einer düsteren, resonanten Indie-Rock-Sensibilität erforschten und Interpretationen von Instrumentalstücken aus verschiedenen jüdischen, rumänischen und arabischen Traditionen den Originalen gegenüberstellten. Auch dank Gilmores politisch aufgeladenem jiddischen Gesang sind diese frühen Alben für eine neue Generation von Musikern und Fans der jiddischen, Klezmer- und jüdischen Diaspora-Musik zu Meilensteinen geworden. Das von Greg Norman (Jason Molina, Nina Nastasia, Electrical Audio) hervorragend produzierte Album Everything Returns macht genau da weiter, wo die Band aufgehört hat: ein einschneidend atmosphärisches, melancholisches und doch entschlossenes Album einzigartiger moderner jüdischer Folkmusik, bei dem Klavier, Geige, Kontrabass, Klarinette und Cymbalom die Kerninstrumentierung bilden und die Gesangsstücke hauptsächlich auf Jiddisch gesungen werden. ENG Everything Returns reunites the original Black Ox Orkestar lineup following a 15-year hiatus. Arising from the fertile Montréal post-punk agit-prop scene of the early 2000s, the band comprises Scott Gilmore, Jessica Moss and Thierry Amar of Thee Silver Mt. Zion (Amar also continues to compose and play bass for Godspeed You! Black Emperor) and Gabriel Levine of Sackville. Black Ox made two acclaimed albums of roiling acoustic avant-folk in the mid-2000s, exploring Eastern European and North African folkways through the lens of a gritty, resonant indie rock sensibility, juxtaposing interpretations of instrumentals from various Jewish, Romani and Arabic traditions with originals led by Gilmore's politically-charged Yiddish vocals. These early albums have since become lodestars for many among a new generation of Yiddish, Klezmer and radical Jewish diasporic music practitioners and fans. First revealing its resurrection in February 2022 with a surprise flexi 7" single issued by left journal Jewish Currents as a gift to its thousands of subscribers, Black Ox has indeed fully and fruitfully reunited. Exquisitely recorded by Greg Norman (Jason Molina, Nina Nastasia, Electrical Audio), Everything Returns picks up right where the band left off: an incisively atmospheric, melancholic yet resolute album of uniquely modern Jewish folk music, with piano, violin, upright bass, clarinet and cymbalom making up the core instrumentation, and the vocal tunes sung primarily in Yiddish, alongside album centerpiece "Viderkol" and closer "Lamed-Vovnik" where English also features. This is not fusion music, but diaspora music: a cross-cultural call and response of musical lexicons, emerging from the history of Jewish persecution and displacement, the musicology of 19th century repertoire from Jewish shtetls , the improvisational traditions of nusakh in Jewish music and taqsim in Arabic music, and a wider polyglot dialogue of Jewish, Slavic, Arabic, and Central Asian musical traditions. Lyrically and stylistically, Everything Returns connects key current issues_from refugees forced to leave their homes, to the return of fascism and exclusionary nationalism_with the legacy of modernist Yiddish poetry and song. The new Black Ox Orkestar album is a sublime, poetic, politically-informed statement of re-energized diasporic musical intent, where Gilmore's voice and the band's simmering arrangements conjure an ardent, doleful balladry that echoes the sound and sensibility of artists like Tindersticks, The National, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. Everything Returns is a haunting, richly textured, darkly sparkling song cycle at once from a vanished world and very much of our time and place. Thanks for listening.

This album could easily have turned top-heavy. After all, here’s a record which, in just under 40 minutes, covers anything from Arabic scales to Japanese sounds, from free jazz references to concepts by Finnish pianist Kari Ikonen’s favourite painter Vasiliy Kandinsky.
To realise his vision, Ikonen even personally developed a device allowing him to play micro-intervals on his piano. And yet, things turned out differently: If anything, the results sound dream-like and mesmerising rather than stodgy and severe.
The album’s genesis may serve to explain this paradox. In August of 2019, Ikonen suddenly found himself with a month of free time. Without thinking twice and as if in a premonition of the Covid-lock-down, he recorded ‘Impressions, Improvisations and Compositions’ at his own home. His only companion was his beloved Steinway, captured by a personal selection of high-end microphones. Just a few days after the final session, the pieces landed on the desk of ECM- and Blue-Note-engineer Johannes Lundberg who mixed the album at his Gothenburg Epideminstudios. Clearly then, the music is spontaneous. But it’s also refined and deep. The influence of Kandinsky inspired
Ikonen to write some of his most complex and monumental pieces.

Italian producer and musician DJ Rocca (AKA Luca Roccatagliati) is back on Nang. Rocca has been around the dance music block a few times; having collaborated with the likes of Howie B, Zed Bias, Daniele Baldelli and Jazzanova. He has also remixed a whole host of artists such as Oliver Koletzki, Luke Solomon, Blaze and even Flock of Seagulls.

Now our friend gets his own spotlight to shine with his debut solo artist album, Isole.

'Isole' consists of eight eclectic songs; the steady, deep beats of 'Alcatraz','Taquile' and 'Hong Kong' juxtapose the euphoric 'Tokyo', a warm sunset of a track. 'Nassau', written with fellow Rome-based Rodion showcases sensual and percussive waves of synth, whereas 'Favignana', written with Kool Water (aptly named after an Island off the southern coast of Italy) takes you deep underwater through its distorted build-up. 'Stone Town', written with Dimitri from Paris who is influenced by 1970s funk and disco, encompasses the marimba in keeping with the beachy feel of the record. Finally, the jazzy track 'London' written with Jukka Reverberi could have been inspired by DJ Rocca's work with the critically acclaimed jazz musician Franco D'Andrea, with whom DJ Rocca created the 'Electric Tree Project' which fuses jazz and electronics.

DJ Rocca has been touring his energetic sets globally over the last few years in clubs in Berlin, Paris, London, Oslo, Bruxelles, Vienna, Zurich, Bern, Helsinki, Brazil, Turkey and Croatia. Stay tuned for more solo and collaborative venture on Nang too.

The Lemonheads' first record in 10 years!
Covers album - Includes versions of Nick Cave, Yo La Tengo, The Bevis Frond, Eagles and more.

Extensive world tour over the 12 months, including Europe, USA and Asia. Banana scented scratch & sniff vinyl sleeve!

'The Lemonheads are no strangers to a cover, the grunge-pop heroes perfect the art.' NME

The Lemonheads follow up the critically acclaimed 'Varshons' from nearly ten years ago with another eclectic collection of covers.
Produced by director Matthew Cullen and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Beastie Boys, Nirvana, The Ramones), their tenth studio album brims with the slowly-matured vocal of Evan Dando as he lures a host of personal faves to his melodic lair. He really has become one of the great expressive singers of our time.
What they said about Varshons:

'Gram Parsons, Wire, and GG Allin: You'd be hard pressed to find three more disparate rock acts, yet on 'Varshons' they all sound like the Lemonheads - boppy, overcast alt-rock delivered at a fast clip and sung in a whiskey tenor.' Pitchfork

'Varshons 2' is a hokey jukebox filled with unique versions of Yo La Tengo, Nick Cave, The Bevis Frond, NRBQ, The Eagles, Paul Westerberg, The Jayhawks, Lucinda Williams and John Prine.
Like Hank Williams slumped in his car between gigs, strumming and hollering, reasoning and weeping, humming it on over, Evan and his Lemonheads make every tune their own.