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Here we go with the first release for the Hole in One Classix series. Not a lot is known about Icy-K beside he's an Original Playa. A real '95 Memphis classic is now available again on cassette and for the first time on vinyl. An exclusive reissue handled with love and care.

Stank In Here
Have no fear, the stank is here! Temu & Mofak are bringing it with their new single “Stank In Here”. Serving as a long-awaited follow-up to their first collaboration back in 2015, “On the Come Up”, the duo returns with an even smoother, soulful yet futuristic dance smash meticulously composed by Mofak for people of all ages to enjoy. Meanwhile, Temu addresses the listeners directly with a message of love and togetherness while echoing back to the era of EWF, Kool & The Gang, Zapp & Roger, and The Gap Band.

Heralds of the Stank
Temu is back on the scene with his new solo single “Heralds Of The Stank”. Temu recalls the first moments when the stank hit him personally and credits the ones who introduced him as its heralds — his parents — in an infectious funky tribute song. (Ever heard something so good it made you frown and pucker your lips while nodding your head? That’s the stank face!) Standing ten toes firm on his Funk roots, Temu both lyrically and musically draws inspiration from George Clinton, Sly & the Family Stone, Jackson 5, Prince, and James Brown. Be on the lookout for his upcoming album titled “HERALDS”.

Focus Track: Bear Hill Album Description: Raekwon’s The Emperor’s New Clothes is a sharp return to form, showcasing the Wu-Tang veteran’s lyrical precision and timeless street wisdom. The album is powerful with equal parts - high-quality bars and carefully sculpted production. Raekwon recruits a stacked lineup of guests, including Nas, Griselda, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, and Ghostface Killah, injecting the project with gritty energy and legacy chemistry. Marsha Ambrosius and Stacy Barthe provide smooth, soulful hooks, adding emotional layers to the hard-edged verses. Production comes courtesy of Nottz, Swizz Beatz J.U.S.T.I.C.E League and more. The LP is a reminder of Raekwon’s enduring power as a lyricist and curator. A veteran artist showing that mastery doesn’t need excess. The Emperor’s New Clothes is regal, streetwise, and sharply tailored for those who value craft.

Presenting the 3rd outing from the DMV crew, thank you for waiting patiently inline. On the A we have Busta Bus, flexing his lyrical flow all over Rick’s sweet Mary Jane. On the flip side, 90s underground stalwart “Red Hot Lover Tone” gives his approval to the Stars in Herbie’s eyes.

Repress of 2018’s classic compilation from Brownswood.

A primer on London’s bright-burning young jazz scene, this new compilation brings together a collection of some of its sharpest talents. A set of nine newly-recorded tracks, We Out Here captures a moment where genre markers matter less than raw, focused energy. Looking at the album’s running order, it could easily serve as a name-checking exercise for some of London’s most-tipped and hardworking bands of the past couple of years. Recorded across three long, fruitful days in a North West London studio, the crossover between each of the groups speaks to the close-knit circles which make up the scene.

Surveying the way that London’s jazz-influenced music had spread outside of its usual spaces in recent years, this album bottles up some of the vital ideas emanating from that burgeoning movement. Giving a platform to a scene where mutual cooperation and a DIY spirit are second-nature, it’s a window into the wide-eyed future of London’s musical underground.

Ubiquitous, much-lauded saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings is the project’s musical director. His own recent projects span from South Africa-connected, spiritually-minded jazz players Shabaka and the Ancestors to Sons of Kemet, who match diasporically-connected compositions with viscerally-direct live shows. His entry on the album, ‘Black Skin, Black Masks’, is typically difficult-to-define: with an off-kilter, shifting rhythmic backbone, repeated phrases – mirrored between clarinet and bass clarinet – shape the track with an alluring hue. His input ties together a deft, genre-agnostic sensibility that’s shared through all the players on the record.

Theon Cross – who’s also part of Sons of Kemet with Hutchings – starts his track, ‘Brockley’, with the solo, distinctive low rumble of his tuba. Winding and mesmeric, it sees tuba and sax lines winding together in rhythmic and melodic parallels. Ezra Collective – whose drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso has toured with Pharaohe Monch – run a tight, Afrobeat-tipped rhythm on ‘Pure Shade’, with the final third changing gear into a melodic, momentous closing stretch.

Joe Armon-Jones, whose ludicrous chops on the piano have seen him touring with the likes of Ata Kak, showcases earworm-like, insistent motifs on ‘Go See’, balanced with a playful, improvisatory approach with room for ad-libbing and solos a-plenty. Taking a softer tact than many of the other entries, Kokoroko – whose guitarist Oscar Jerome has been making waves with his solo material – spin a lyrical, steady-paced meditation on ‘Abusey Junction’, matching chanted vocals with gently-played guitar.

Nodding to spiritual jazz influences, Maisha’s ‘Inside The Acorn’ is a wandering, explorative rumination, balancing delicate washes of piano and percussion with sharp interplay between flute and bass clarinet. In contrast, Nubya Garcia’s ‘Once’ is taut and carefully-poised, her tenor sax guiding a carefully-built energy to an explosive conclusion. And finally, Triforce’s ‘Walls’ is a performance in two parts: starting with Mansur Brown’s languorous, lyrical guitar, the second half switches up to a low-slung, g-funk-tipped groove.

Dub-Stuy continues its one-riddim series with Punchliner riddim, an original production crafted by DJ Madd, returning on beatmaking duty since his 2021 relick of the classic Answer Riddim. Driven by syncopated rhythms and a rolling bassline, this new addition to the series provides the perfect backdrop for three standout cuts from an international cast of vocalists.

The late Nazamba offers "Thief," a powerful social commentary in the tradition of dub poets like Linton Kwesi Johnson. UK-based Ras Demo showcases his versatility with "Lyrical Designer," while Spanish vocalist Lasai unleashes rub-a-dub energy on "The Punchliner." An instrumental version is also included.

Bahamadia’s 1996 debut album Kollage is rightly regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of the 1990s. For the first time ever, Be With present the definitive double LP version of this eternal hip-hop classic, including the legendary "Path To Rhythm" which never appeared on the original LP or on vinyl, anywhere. An indelible VIBE from start-to-finish, Kollage presents Bahamadia's swirling rhymes delivered with an irresistibly butter flow and razor-sharp assuredness over a steady slew of smoothed-out, jazzed-up, blunted beats. Achingly cool and effortlessly funky throughout, it's an absolute must for true 90s hip-hop fanatics.

The entire Kollage project was recorded at D&D Studios and the ties to Gang Starr are keenly felt, with DJ Premier producing five tracks in addition to the killer songs Guru had already produced with her. Working with the cream of the mid-90s East Coast sound, Kollage is, accordingly, a record that demonstrates a varied musical taste with disparate influences, as Bahamadia has previously stated: “The title Kollage was a reflection of my state of mind. I first got interested in music from playing my parents’ and grandparents’ records, as well what I heard on the radio. I wanted Kollage to reflect that diversity both lyrically and sonically."

With intelligent, poetic lyricism and a laconic verbal style bursting with both warm texture and deceptive energy, Bahamadia’s flow was as inspired by Aretha and Nancy Wilson as it was Q-Tip, Schoolly D and Lady B. Swaggering out the gate, "WordPlay" finds Bahamadia confidently showcasing her considerable old-school battle-rhyme skills over a Guru beat that utilises an infectiously bouncy bassline with splashes of sultry jazz horns and a Jeru vocal snatch for the hook. Up next, the quietly shimmering and ruggedly beautiful "Spontaneity" is one of the most alluring on the record, Da Beatminerz crafting a brilliantly soulful and jazzy soundscape for Bahamadia's effortless vocals to float across. It's followed by "Rugged Ruff", where the rapper carefully constructs a swift off-beat flow over Premier's raw jazzy fire.

With smooth spacey synth vibes overseen by former Geto Boys producer N.O. Joe, "I Confess" is, without question, a fly love song and soothing (p)-funk groove. "UKNOWHOWWEDU" is an airy, chilled tribute to her hometown. Produced by Ski Beatz & DJ Redhanded, it rides a gloriously mellow break. It's a true Philly anthem, shouting out a who’s who of the entire city’s scene. Early banger "Total Wreck" follows, presenting a murky Guru instrumental elevated by jazzy horns. Bahamadia invokes the title's suggestion, firing her brilliant bars more aggressively than we’re accustomed to. More Beatminerz-brilliance comes in the way of "Innovation", an opportunity for the MC to invoke Freestyle Fellowship in her forward-thinking and literary verses. "Da Jawn" features hometown buddies The Roots, with Black Thought gliding into a back-and-forth with Bahamadia over ?uestlove’s warm, snapping percussion. With the strut club banger "True Honey Buns (Dat Freak Sh*t)", DJ Premier provides some laidback vibrant boom bap for Bahamadia to share a wild, cautionary tale about a night out with her girl, Kia.

Fan favourite "3 Tha Hard Way" is a hypnotically sinister cut, with Bahamadia, K-Swift and Mecca Star taking star turns to coast over DJ Premier’s raw beat whilst the tender "Biggest Part Of Me" is a heartfelt stunner dedicated to her son. Incredibly, only the European and Japanese CD versions of Kollage was released with the brilliantly breezy “Path To Rhythm”, featuring Ursula Rucker. Whilst ostensibly a "bonus track", it's anything but, to our ears. Very much in sonic conversation with KRS-One's stretched-out sleeper classic "Higher Level", it's absolutely essential so we had to include it, appearing on wax for the first time here, exclusively. Quite a coup.

Somewhat predictably, whilst Kollage was released to significant critical acclaim, it suffered from disappointing sales. In the intervening years - and for far too long - it was a criminally underrated record, an increasingly hidden gem. We hope this double LP reissue - which looks and sounds amazing - will go some way to correct this. This 2024 Be With double LP re-issue has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Cicely Balston and pressed at Record Industry. It's too bold and beautiful to remain overlooked and underserved.

GER NOFX waren sauer (sind es möglicherweise immer noch) und wollten uns das wissen lassen! Ursprünglich 1999 veröffentlicht, war "The Decline" ein mutiges Werk und markierte einen großen Wendepunkt für NOFX. Der Song, der weithin als eines ihrer Meisterwerke gilt, ist ein 18-minütiges Punkrock-Spektakel, das die Entertainmentqualitäten, den lyrischen Witz und die Musikalität der besten Punkrockband aller Zeiten richtig zur Geltung bringt. Der Song, der den Zustand Amerikas satirisch darstellt und die gleichgültigen Massen und Politiker gleichermaßen aufs Korn nimmt, ist auch im Jahr 2026 natürlich leider noch aktuell und kritisiert somit weiterhin die Mächtigen auf eine Weise, zu der nur wenige Künstler den Mut haben. Die Vinyl-Single enthält auf der B-Seite die erste Version von "Clams Have Feelings Too" (das später auf dem Album "Pump Up The Valuum" wieder auftauchte) und ist ein Muss für jeden NOFX-Fan. Erneut auf schwarzem Vinyl wieder da und und limitiert in neuem farbigem Vinyl. Inklusive Beilage mit Texten und Bildern. NOFX were pissed off (possibly still are) and they wanted to let us know! Originally released in 1999,The Decline, was a brave release and marked a huge turning point for NOFX. Widely regarded as their magnum opus, the song is an 18-minute punk rock spectacle that showcases the showmanship, lyrical wit, and musicality of the best punk rock band of all time. Satirizing the state of America and skewering the indifferent masses & politicians alike, the song is eerily relevant in 2026 and continues to critique the powers that be in a way few artists have the courage to do. The vinyl adds first version of "Clams Have Feelings Too" (later resurfacing on the Pump Up The Valuum album) on the flip, the 12" is an essential release for any NOFX fan. Back on black and colored vinyl (ltd), includes insert with lyrics and pics.

"Slime Wave 2" is the highly anticipated sequel to Hus Kingpin's 2019 album, immersing listeners into the gritty, yet hypnotic world of one of the waviest MC’s in underground hip-hop. Building upon the foundation laid by its predecessor, this album pushes boundaries, blending intricate lyricism with captivating production to create an auditory journey like no other.
Backed by an array of talented producers, the album's beats range from soulful and jazz-infused to hard-hitting and gritty, providing the perfect backdrop for Hus Kingpin's lyrical prowess. Each track is a sonic masterpiece, meticulously crafted to evoke a range of emotions and keep listeners captivated from start to finish.
"Slime Wave 2" features a killer lineup of guest appearances, adding layers of depth and diversity to the album's sonic landscape, with Bala No Judas, Shyheim, Supreme Cerebral, Skrilla and Tritty joingin Hus on this journey.
Behind the boards, a stellar lineup of producers brings their A-game to "Slime Wave 2," ensuring a diverse and immersive listening experience. From the legendary Madlib's signature soulful soundscapes to the gritty, boom-bap vibes of Macapella, Owltree, and Manny Megz, each producer leaves their indelible mark on the album, creating a rich tapestry of beats that perfectly complement Hus Kingpin's lavish lyricism.

British alt-rock favourites A return with PRANG, their first studio album in over 20 years, released via Cooking Vinyl. Sparked by the effervescent lead single "Hello Sunshine," the album finds the band rediscovering their identity with the carefree spirit and stylish sloppiness that defined their early days. Written and recorded free from expectation or pressure, PRANG is a vibrant, hook-laden reaffirmation of A"s enduring appeal - balancing punchy, riff-driven anthems with heartfelt, soul-baring moments. Frontman Jason Perry, now a Grammy Award-winning producer known for his work with Don Broco, McFly and Kids In Glass Houses, helms production to preserve the band"s DIY ethos and singular personality. Lyrically, PRANG is A"s most open and reflective work to date. Drawing on two decades of life experience, Perry explores gratitude, resilience, mental health and friendship with warmth and disarming honesty. The result is an album that feels both nostalgic and strikingly modern - each track its own colourful island, yet unmistakably A. Twenty years in the making, PRANG is more than a comeback; it"s a rebirth. Cathartic, melodic and life-affirming, it marks a bold new chapter for one of Britain"s most beloved rock bands.

Chins For Lefty is the debut album and first recording by Gichard, a new duo chronicling the absurdities of end-stage capitalism and mouldering social rituals from their vantage point in Glasgow, Scotland. Recorded primarily in the band’s home studio straight to tape, Chins For Lefty combines gorgeous, ramshackle melody, DIY kosmische punk, drum machine + synth and, in vocalist/lyricist Lisa Jones, an absurdist commentator on the human condition as it navigates the anxieties of the modern world. Instrumentalist Chas Lalli’s swirling music accompaniment stitches an evocative mix of musical styles, the ragged wind beneath the lyrics’ wings.

Although the duo first collaborated in their previous group Dragged Up, their disparate musical and artistic backgrounds make for an alluring mix in Gichard. Lalli has spent the last 20 years in the Glasgow underground, most notably in the noise rock group VOM, while Lisa Jones’s practice was in poetry and spoken word. Beginning as co vocalist in her previous band, in Gichard her lyrics are centre stage; the vision concocted alongside Lalli amounts to a total world-build.

Chins For Lefty scans almost like a novel, with each track elucidating a skewed universe that bears only some resemblance to the one you and I partake in. Like all works of fiction Gichard’s songs are rooted in reality and the lived experiences of its authors, but here characters are exaggerated, social mores and habits are pulled apart to reveal their inherent alienness. Universal emotions are laid bare, the bright light of anxious examination searching out every hairline fracture in our relationships. Distorted and cracked, the mirror that Gichard hold up to our world is also pretty damn funny.

Opener Cholesterol Test launches an expansive, cosmic guitar and synth intro that belies the Tascam-tape recorder it was recorded onto, like a Chromatics cut substituting anxiety for overt sexuality. Here Jones intones an apology to a non-responsive recipient, in the medium of a long voice note forensically deconstructing an interaction from the night before. Over punk guitars and shuffling, lo-fi drum machine splutters, the narrator in Asking The Apes “prefers things to people” before being taken hostage in the city zoo to confess an obsession which consumes the protagonist, ending with the immortal two liner “I sleep in a cocoon of old newspapers at the end of your street / And I think I have been fired from my job,” On album standout Posthumous Hologram, the narrator is faced with a human simulacra, in this case an undead pop star; the face of the encroaching technological singularity. Yes, it does requests, it can do My Way in 200 different language options. But what are the implications? While you’re left pondering, the alternating deadpan verse delivery and undeniably catchy chorus keep you company.

By the time Break Up With Johnny Dogbirth rattles into view, the band are satirising a suburban inanity blown up to cartoon proportions, soundtracked with a drawled musicality that recalls Rowland S. Howard’s post-Birthday Party balladeering. This approach is furthered on Human Resources: over an angular guitar+bass track, Jones’s short story recalls Dry Cleaning’s erudite lyrical post punk. On Soft Face, Lalli’s guitar and drum machine are swathed in echo and delay, as Jones dissects dating rituals with a west of Scotland drollness. Hamming It Up brings a porcine perspective in a short story that begins with the line “I was breastfeeding discreetly in the service station. She didn’t mind.” What follows is a passage punctured with canned laughter and a narrative involving tribute acts, modern farming techniques.

Brilliant first single Your Private Hell closes the album, the closest the group get to earnest perhaps, filtered through a surreal central Scottishness. While Your Private Hell might seem like a sardonic take down of romance, perhaps it’s the very distillation of love in all its awkwardness, selflessness and weirdness. Here there’s a distinctive Glasgow-ness to this doomed romance: the protagonist falls for an outsider, offers them cheap jarred hot dogs and carbolic soap (the infamous, excoriating soap dished out in schools and government buildings throughout Scotland), offers to cover up a murder, stalks them in the all-night Spar. It’s a short story of intrigue, murder and the irresistible pull of self-sacrifice to share in someone else’s suffering. If that’s not love, what is it? You can see this vision mapped out in black and white on their video for 'Your Private Hell'.

Sometimes the title of an album tells you everything you need to know. Laurence Pike’s Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet is like that: The music within represents a search for freedom, potentiality—liberatory strategies that transcend the ego and the solitary, atomized figure.

But in this case, the album title is also a red herring, because there is no jazz quintet here—just Pike, his drums, and his machines, not so much an ersatz ensemble as a purely notional one, a thought experiment equipped with drumsticks, circuitry, and the desire to go beyond hardwired limits.

And the results, strictly speaking, aren’t really jazz, though they incorporate the vocabulary of jazz, along with that of ambient, electronica, and post-rock. They are some other thing, cognizant of genre but never beholden to it. Again, we’re talking about a search for freedom here.

The Sydney-based musician has a long history of coloring outside the lines, not just in his solo recordings—including four albums for the Leaf label between 2018 and 2024—but also in the trio Pivot (later PVT); Szun Waves (alongside saxophonist Jack Wyllie and Border Community’s Luke Abbott); Triosk, which recorded an album with Jan Jelinek in 2003; and even post-punk titans Liars, whom he joined in late 2018.

Of his first album for Balmat, Pike says, “My loose concept was: What does music sound like when the expectations of late capitalism are removed from it? How might a jazz musician from an idealised culture of the future, or even another world, utilise musical language when the conventions of style and marketing are no longer a factor in music making?”

That inquiry, he says, connects to his “guiding principle: that the purpose of music is to access something bigger than the individual, and reveal a sense of possibility and freedom in the world to the listener. To create an understanding that the future can be something other than what we imagined or expect, even unconsciously.”

Heady ideas, but plug into his stream-of-metaconsciousness flow and you may start to intuit what motivates him. There is a deeply lyrical expression in these pieces—in the ruminative piano of opener “Guardians of Memory,” for example—but also a sense of exploded perspective, of ideas approached from more angles than any one mind could dream up. Of a collectivized consciousness, of mycelial networks branching across tone and rhythm and timbre, of ideas articulated in distributed fashion, nodal points dancing across drum heads.

Pike’s imaginary quintet is hardly without precedent; it’s a continuation of concepts floated across Jan Jelinek’s Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records, Burnt Friedman’s many guises, and much of the recombinant improv of the International Anthem roster, not to mention the far corners of ECM’s catalog in the late 1970s and 1980s, which Pike says have been integral to his development since he was a teenager. Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet is a point in a continuum, a voice in a conversation, a question with no obvious answer: How can the search for otherness in music manifest something true about ourselves?

Take Me, I’m Yours is the first collaboration album between Alan Abrahams and Jan Jelinek. Released through the latter’s faitiche, it builds upon multi-layered vocal sketches by the former. The Paris-based artist, primarily known for his work as Portable and Bodycode, supplied Jelinek with multi-layered song sketches that the German artist subjected to a rigorous process of manipulation, excavating the ambiguities of the original material and transforming its rhythms into subtle pulses. Take Me, I’m Yours is neither a typical Abrahams record nor a classic Jelinek album—it is something third, mediating between the physicality of the voice and the abstraction of electronic sound design.

The two had crossed paths before really getting to know each other after Abrahams invited Jelinek to play at one of his Süd Electronic parties. The idea of a collaboration emerged slowly. “It started as an experiment, and over the past few years grew from a few tracks into this album,” says Abrahams. He describes recording the basic material as a “tantalizing” process, not knowing how Jelinek would transform his material, some of which was based on wordless chanting, while other tracks were working with lyrical content. However, their mutual trust allowed Jelinek to remove the harmonies, radically reduce the rhythms, and concentrate on Abrahams’ voice.

Jelinek heard something “fragile” in this voice, “moments of doubt and dark premonitions.” He points to Forever as an example. “Alan’s original song reminded me of classic vocal house, but his voice seemed to almost break,” he says. “This contradiction made the piece even bigger, because we hear a singer in the moment of an awakening.” He further accentuated such tensions through arrhythmic synth modulations and time-stretching algorithms, while also adding concrete sounds from a variety of sources. With its dedication to both transforming and amplifying the emotional qualities hidden within Abrahams’ pieces, Take Me, I’m Yours functions as a dialogue between those two singular artists.

DJ Support: Paul Woolford, Machinedrum, Kettama, LDLDN, Sinistarr, A.Fruit, Machine Woman, Octo Octa, Paco Osuna, Bradley Zero, Tzusing, Lefto, Synkro, John Tejada, 12x12 and many more

BBC6Music - Gilles Peterson

NTS - LDLDN

BBC6Music - SHERELLE - DJ Mix and Interview

NTS - Ross Allen
Enter the kaleidoscopic world of Lone - returning to Greco-Roman for his first album in five years, ‘Hyperphantasia’

An artist who has been soundtracking dancefloors since the early 2000s, Lonemade his production debut in 2008 with “Lemurian”, a hip-hop inspired release before moving into the vibrant future-facing soundscapes we have come to know. His back catalogue ranges through house, rave, ambient and electronica, and on ‘Hyperphantasia’, Cutler sets himself the challenge to bring all of those influences together for one body of work that he describes ‘like an album in my mind’. Referring back to the album title, the definition of hyperphantasia is a condition characterized by exceptionally vivid and detailed mental imagery and for this album he tested himself to see how close he could get the music to sound exactly like what he was hearing in his imagination.

On Hyperphantasia, Lone deepens his relationship with vocals. Having previously relied on vocal samples or more abstract live vocal treatments, this latest album marks a shift toward richer, more pop-leaning sensibilities. Cutler makes a clear lyrical statement, enlisting a diverse and carefully chosen cast of collaborators: London-based artists and fellow Greco-Roman affiliates Ell Murphy and Lou Hayter, Barcelona’s breakthrough singer Bikôkô, cult Nottingham rapper Juga-Naut, and Hong Kong-born, London-based musician Merry Lamb Lamb. Together, they contribute to what stands as a career-defining project.

The end result is a cinematic experience exploding full of colour. You are introduced to the album with an old school rave anthem ‘Life Spark’ and an interlude welcoming you into this musical world. Like chapters in a novel, the album ebbs and flows beautifully between stripped-back melodies ‘Opening A Portal’, ‘Photographs That Don’t Exist’, ‘Sickly, Sweetly, Summer Movie’ and ‘Fruit Rots, Water Floats Downstream’, bubbling feel-good house ‘Affinity (Cloud Four Four Mix)’, ‘Triton’ and ‘ Wemove’, the rap-influenced ‘Throw The Ember’ and epic future-pop tracks ‘Miracle Mile’, ‘Big World’, ‘Scattergun’ and ‘Home’. The album ends with a full circle moment, back to the early hardcore and jungle rave scene, on ‘Ascenscion.png’.

*Brand new Emika LP ‘Fountain’

* Part of the Kickstarter campaign ´´How To Make Music Immersive``

*Intimate lyrical songs with piano and synths, the blueprint for a follow-up immersive album in Q4 2026.

*Moody Electronic heavier songs in between the piano.

*For listeners who are tired of presets.

*Handmade, hand-played, honest-craft, 40 year old grown-up Emika. A mother of two, who lost her mother in 2025.

*Grief as a train on the way to the station of understanding love. A record written about the artist's personal life (Not a genre sound).

*If you like number drawings, you can draw on the artwork.

In Lande’s words: “It’s a daydreaming song about wanting a life of excitement and adventure rather than a dull and ordinary life - one where people underestimate you and belittle you. And where you’re forced to buy into capitalism and become a pathetic, losing player in a game that you hate. I’d rather escape and live in a queer space fantasy and be brave.”

Available on limited turquoise vinyl and digipack CD

It is with both pride and excitement that we announce the reissue of ‘House Without A View’, the out-of-print second album by singer-songwriter Lande Hekt – the first of a three-part reissue series on Circuitry, with ‘Going To Hell’ and ‘Gigantic Disappointment’ (first time physically) to follow in the coming months.

With a new album ‘Lucky Now’ released on Tapete in January, supported by an extensive spring UK tour (dates below), Lande’s contemporary twist on the classic C86 indie sound - with a queer feminist punk identity lyrically explicit throughout – is drawing in an ever-growing audience of devotees, such is the consistent quality of her songwriting, and the personality within.

The opening track of the album is ‘Half With You’ which “is about growing into yourself as a queer person, and enjoying who you are after not enjoying it for so long,” says Lande. ‘Cut My Hair’ is about how her relationship with her gender has changed over the last few years, becoming more comfortable in herself and understanding more about what makes her happy. “It’s also about how easy it is to not talk to people when you’re struggling, which is something I did for a long time,” admits Lande.

The title track of ‘House Without a View’ deals with childhood trauma and how events of our formative years “affect us so much into our adult lives and are intrinsic to our personalities and the way we cope (or don’t) with life and relationships,” says Lande. Although there’s darkness and sadness within the record, there’s also some shining beacons of positivity and a light-hearted side, albeit with a side of frustration. ‘Lola’ was written about Lande’s cat shortly after she came to live with her and her girlfriend. “She’s the first pet I’ve ever had and I wasn’t quite ready for how hard it would be to not be able to verbally communicate with her. I worried constantly that she was depressed because all she did was sleep, but my girlfriend assured me that that was regular cat behaviour.”


APRIL 2026 DATES: 4th Cardiff/5th Trowbridge/6th Penryn/7th Portsmouth/9th Ramsgate/10th Cambridge/11th Norwich/12th Nottingham/13th York/19th London/20th Brighton/21st Bristol/22nd Exeter/23rd Manchester/24th Sheffield/25th Oxford

Focus Track: Bear Hill Album Description: Raekwon’s The Emperor’s New Clothes is a sharp return to form, showcasing the Wu-Tang veteran’s lyrical precision and timeless street wisdom. The album is powerful with equal parts - high-quality bars and carefully sculpted production. Raekwon recruits a stacked lineup of guests, including Nas, Griselda, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, and Ghostface Killah, injecting the project with gritty energy and legacy chemistry. Marsha Ambrosius and Stacy Barthe provide smooth, soulful hooks, adding emotional layers to the hard-edged verses. Production comes courtesy of Nottz, Swizz Beatz J.U.S.T.I.C.E League and more. The LP is a reminder of Raekwon’s enduring power as a lyricist and curator. A veteran artist showing that mastery doesn’t need excess. The Emperor’s New Clothes is regal, streetwise, and sharply tailored for those who value craft.

From his birth place in Tokyo, to New York and now Germany, Nao Katafuchi’s sound has travelled across many terrains in music. A dichotomy of tight staccato beats overlaid with sweeping gestural melodies, he leaves an electronic imprint on the mind of the listener, transferring a world of lyrical possibilities from his imagination to ours, bringing us synth full of expansive romantic sensibility.

Following Parnell March’s Back Bar Grooves EP in February and November’s release of the Dust Tears (lead song from Sarah/Shaun’s debut) remixes, Edinburgh’s Hobbes Music label returns with a second EP of dream pop from husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), alias Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced McLochlun), who wooed hearts and wowed critics with debut EP ‘It’s True What They Say?’ last year.

‘It’s True What They Say?’ attracted fans across the board: Artist Of The Week in The Scotsman, rapturous reviews from The Skinny and Tokyo's Ban Ban Ton Ton blog, BBC 6Music airplay courtesy of Nemone (Mary Anne Hobbs' Morning Show), more radio play from Radio Scotland's Roddy Hart & Vic Galloway, plus Simone Butler (Primal Scream) and Jim Sclavunos (Bad Seeds) via their respective Soho Radio shows, not forgetting ringing endorsements from the likes of David Holmes, Youth, Kevin Bales (Spiritualized), Brent Rademaker (Beachwood Sparks) and Julian Corrie (Franz Ferdinand).

They played gigs supporting Glasgow's huge Glasvegas, at festivals (Kendall Calling, Dunbar Music, Hidden Door), plus a slew of venues across the Scottish capital, ending the year with a trio of shows supporting Glaswegian 80s pop legends The Bluebells at Aberdeen’s Tunnels, Dunfermline’s PJ Molloys and Edinburgh’s Liquid Rooms, while The List magazine tipped them among their Ones To Watch For 2025, with journalist Fiona Shepherd suggesting they were “blending the starry-eyed pop of Sonny & Cher with the electronic experimentation of Chris & Cosey.”

Very much the companion piece to the debut EP but arriving a full twelve months later, Someone’s Ghost is emblematic of the duo’s desire not to rush things or release anything half-baked.

“I’ve always wanted to create the perfect pop record and I do really feel that we’ve achieved that with this one,” says Shaun. And he’s clearly not the only person who thinks so.

REVIEWS, FEEDBACK ETC:

"I LOVE that! Dreamy dreamy pop." ROY MOLLOY (Marvellous Crane/Alex Cameron) on BLAST RADIO, Sydney
“the Scottish music scene’s cream of the cool... buzzy drum beats, high, distant chimes, and heavenly electronics…. very ethereal.” THE SKINNY

"Listening to Sarah/Shaun is like eavesdropping on a noir dreampop, long-distance phone call between them both, across two separate sonic locations. On this stunning 4-song EP, Sarah’s voice, effortlessly mesmerising, draws you into these big beautiful and haunting passages of perfect dream-pop. All beautifully produced in a multi-layered-scape of low-fi analogue textures, epic cinematic crescendos, intense electro-pulse grooves and warped psycho-pop guitar riffs. Within the songs lurk a sense of unresolved emotions, longing and pathos. There are shades of classic Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra but also Post-Punk Electronica and Beach House. But what a unique sound they’ve created of their own. I love it" DAVID MCCLUSKEY (The Bluebells)
"Absolutely beautiful" SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"Lovely stuff here! Total quality." MARTYN 'MASH' HENDERSON
"Ooooh. Everything the last record promised is here. Well done" GEORGE T aka George Demure (Accident Machine)
"Vince clark Era Depeche Mode in places" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized)
"Sounds cool. Well done" PETE KEMBER (Sonic Boom, Spacemen 3)
"Glorious, it (Debbie Harry) grabs hold of you and doesn't let go." IAIN DAWSON aka RAVECHILD (Everyone Wants To Play The Hits Podcast)

SOMEONE’S GHOST

Born out of an incredibly anxious, stressful time, the songwriting process for these recordings has been something of a personal tonic for Shaun…

“There was a period when I was having nightmares,” he reveals. “Apparently I was saying there was someone in the room, I was talking to that person and Sarah was seeing all this while I was still asleep.

So, I was thinking that this was my ghost. I started writing songs because I was going through something and I was dealing with something and writing songs was a comfort. My ghost was a comfort, whether it was real or not. The idea of it was a comfort.”

“I firmly believe that everyone has someone who watches over them but all of the songs are essentially about being there for someone,” he says. “Everybody needs someone but also everyone needs to stay real and keep what you have, keep it close, never let it go. If you don’t have it, continue to tell people you’re there for them. It’s about loving and hoping people will be good to you in return.”

While Shaun took the songwriting lead on Filter Of Love and EP closer The Sound Which Stresses The Sound Of My Ears, Debbie Harry was originally instrumentally conceived by producer Jaguar Eyes, alias Ali Chisholm, later lyrically completed by Shaun, and the EP’s lead track, Anhedonia, and one of its stand-outs (much like Starbed on the debut) was conceived by Sarah, as a result of experiencing a bit of a spiritual epiphany of her own.

“When I first heard the word Anhedonia, I didn't know what it meant but when I found out I thought about it quite a bit. How sad it would be to have no enjoyment in anything,” she explains. “This song is really about my own personal beliefs. When I have been down, that's one of the things that helps me the most. It talks about trying to make amends but realising, for some things, you can't. But I think with any kind of faith comes hope… which is always a good thing.”

A record about hope, truth, honesty, a belief in something bigger than oneself… and all set to a soundtrack that wouldn’t feel out of place in a David Lynch or Eighties feature film. What more could anyone ask for, really?

There’s equally a desire to offer something universal and positive to anyone who tunes in. The labels for the 12” edition reveal the dual mantras “Who just wants to survive?” and “It’s about time to live a little”, with both messages also engraved in each record’s run-out grooves. T-shirts accompanying debut EP It’s True What They Say? bore the slogan “Kill Them With Kindness” - leading caps intentional. Shaun carries the acronym KTWK everywhere he plays, as a reminder: it’s stitched into his guitar strap. And this particular wee pebble has already caused a few ripples: people have been approaching him at gigs to acknowledge their appreciation and respect for it.

"We feel we have made an honest, open, colourful, body of work,” say the duo. “We hope to go out and play the songs with the guys (our band) and then potentially make more records. We are taking things as they come. Everything has been organic so far, after all. We are looking forward to whatever this brings."

Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley was still establishing his unique identity on his early Blue Note sides including the 1957 sextet album Hank Mobley (BLP 1568) featuring saxophonist Curtis Porter, trumpeter Bill Hardman, pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Taylor. The set swings mightily while showcasing Mobley’s lyrical flow throughout.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is mono, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl.

Returning with his first artist album in 13 years, revered techno innovator Mike Parker continues to shape out his explorations around 170 with his latest work for Samurai Music, Echo Disintegrator. Transcending genre lines with his unmistakable sonic stamp, the seasoned US producer crafts an extended trip through his exacting, lithe frequencies and brutalist rhythms. As evidenced on recent EPs Envenomations and Sabre-Tooth, Parker can comfortably slip into a hard-stepping D&B structure and make it his own. 'Earth Energy Imbalance' leaps forth with precision and purpose, wrapping atonal synth shapes around the stark beat in staggering high definition. 'Positronic Tentacles' finds a similar rolling momentum, even threading ruthlessly trimmed vocal snatches into the lyrical pulse of the lead tones. 'Radiative Force' teases its own mutant funk out of the envelopes shaping the molten sonics coursing through the middle of the frequency range. Elsewhere, Parker explores a variety of accented grooves around typical D&B tempos, remaining reliably broken while dipping into half-time space on 'Lunar Nocturne' and finding a low-slung swagger in the carefully deployed pressure of 'Ghost Rain' and 'Echo Disintegrator'. 'Beat Activator' pivots on a dense bed of bass with a crooked, off-beat slant before 'Dragon Bravo' casts a similarly dembow-informed beat into a dense tapestry of cyclical machine shrieks and snarls. There is a ruthless consistency to Parker's approach across Echo Disintegrator, riding the loops without flinching and forcing the focus deep into the minutae of every sonic element. Both brilliantly functional and profoundly subtle, there's a visceral, physical quality to the sound design that makes it a listening experience like no other.

Leopard DaVinci is the official keyboardist of Dabeull's Band.

“Casual Conversation” pairs Leopard DaVinci’s high-gloss funk production with Moniquea’s signature vocal charisma for an instantly addictive modern funk single. Flirty, confident and groove-heavy, the track balances retro-inspired synth textures with a contemporary boogie pulse, making it a strong fit for editorial playlists centered around funk-forward, danceable and soulful music.
Moniquea already holds a respected position in the global modern funk community, and this release delivers exactly what that audience wants: attitude, melody, replay value and undeniable groove. “Casual Conversation” has crossover potential between dedicated funk listeners, nu-disco audiences and feel-good R&B selectors.

“Flaws” pairs Leopard DaVinci’s signature synth-led funk production with Helena’s fresh and expressive vocal presence for a release that feels both timeless and relevant. Built around a message of self-acceptance and inner strength, the track transforms vulnerability into groove, offering a refined mix of modern funk, boogie and soulful pop energy.
Its lyrical theme makes it especially effective beyond niche funk circles, opening space for playlisting tied not only to groove and retro-funk aesthetics, but also to confidence, empowerment and uplifting mood. “Flaws” is melodic, elegant and emotionally direct — a strong crossover track with both artistic identity and listener accessibility.

Leopard DaVinci is the official keyboardist of Dabeull's Band.

“Casual Conversation” pairs Leopard DaVinci’s high-gloss funk production with Moniquea’s signature vocal charisma for an instantly addictive modern funk single. Flirty, confident and groove-heavy, the track balances retro-inspired synth textures with a contemporary boogie pulse, making it a strong fit for editorial playlists centered around funk-forward, danceable and soulful music.
Moniquea already holds a respected position in the global modern funk community, and this release delivers exactly what that audience wants: attitude, melody, replay value and undeniable groove. “Casual Conversation” has crossover potential between dedicated funk listeners, nu-disco audiences and feel-good R&B selectors.

“Flaws” pairs Leopard DaVinci’s signature synth-led funk production with Helena’s fresh and expressive vocal presence for a release that feels both timeless and relevant. Built around a message of self-acceptance and inner strength, the track transforms vulnerability into groove, offering a refined mix of modern funk, boogie and soulful pop energy.
Its lyrical theme makes it especially effective beyond niche funk circles, opening space for playlisting tied not only to groove and retro-funk aesthetics, but also to confidence, empowerment and uplifting mood. “Flaws” is melodic, elegant and emotionally direct — a strong crossover track with both artistic identity and listener accessibility.

Glasgow reggae collective Mungo’s HiFi celebrate 25 years of pulsating music with a follow-up to game-changing second studio album Soundsystem Champions. Released in 2008, the original Sound System Champions became an instant 21st century classic - thanks to its industrial strength basslines, blazing horns and lineup of scorching microphone talent. To commemorate a quarter century of rocking dances and building rhythms, Mungo’s have created Soundsystem Champions 2. They’ve lovingly assembled some of their biggest dubplates, previously only heard in a soundsystem situation, now available to the world. Fans of the first Sound System Champions will hear musical echoes in the new version. Irrepressible Junglist General Levy rides the Belly Ska riddim that kicked off the 2008 edition, with the militant Gideon Boot. Italy’s Marina P returns to the new record on the expansive Searching, as does Kenny Knots, closing the track list with heartfelt roots anthem Rise and Gravitate. For Soundsystem Champions 2, Mungo’s have invited many more voices from their epic journey. Bristol’s Eva Lazarus revisits Althea and Donna’s immortal Uptown Top Ranking. Reading’s Solo Banton turns his lyrical versatility to hip hop banger Bubble N Wine. The beautiful grainy tones of Ireland’s Cian Finn reimagine the Wailers’ Rainbow Country. With this historic sequel album, Mungo’s look back while going forward, the exclusive becomes the inclusive, and the Sound System comes to you!

With their upcoming album Waves, Moonchild enters a bold new chapter. A deeply personal and emotionally raw project, Waves explores themes of grief, healing, resilience, and self-worth, eschewing the love songs that once dominated their catalog. "This album is about processing loss and stepping into your power," says Amber. "It's a lyrical departure, but it reflects what I've been going through these past few years."

The project also marks a return to in-person collaboration and a new embrace of sampling and sonic experimentation. The result is an album that feels more vulnerable and grounded than ever, while still pushing the boundaries of their signature sound.






f 06: Fear (Hey Friend) feat. PJ Morton






f 06: Fear (Hey Friend) feat. PJ Morton






f 06: Fear (Hey Friend) [feat. PJ Morton]

With their upcoming album Waves, Moonchild enters a bold new chapter. A deeply personal and emotionally raw project, Waves explores themes of grief, healing, resilience, and self-worth, eschewing the love songs that once dominated their catalog. "This album is about processing loss and stepping into your power," says Amber. "It's a lyrical departure, but it reflects what I've been going through these past few years."

The project also marks a return to in-person collaboration and a new embrace of sampling and sonic experimentation. The result is an album that feels more vulnerable and grounded than ever, while still pushing the boundaries of their signature sound.






f 06: Fear (Hey Friend) feat. PJ Morton






f 06: Fear (Hey Friend) feat. PJ Morton






[f] 06: Fear (Hey Friend) [feat. PJ Morton]

Black Truffle is pleased to present Radis, the first recording by the Oslo-based trio of Andrea Giordano (voice and organetto), Kalle Moberg (accordion) and Jo David Meyer Lysne (guitar and snare drum). Now based in Norway, Giordano is a native of Cuneo, in the Piedmont region in the north-west of Italy and her exploration of the Piedmontese language provides the starting point and conceptual anchor of the trio improvisations heard on Radis, which make use of the words of 20th century Piedmontese poets Nino Costa, Bianca Dorato and Oreste Gallina. As the musicians explain, the project is an attempt to preserve the beauty and singularity of a language at risk of extinction.

Fittingly, the first sound we hear on the opening piece ‘Fiorìa’ is Giordano’s unaccompanied voice. She sings a poem from Oreste Gallina as a kind of floating cadenza, the accompanying silence sensitizing the listener to the pellucid quality of Giordano’s voice and the unique sound of the Piedmontese language. The voice dies away and into the silence swells a single tone, sounded by Moberg’s accordion and—special guest on this opening piece—the alto saxophone of Mario Gabola. Extended techniques and preparations create unexpected timbres from the acoustic instruments: Gabola’s saxophone is augmented with tin cans and springs and Moberg’s unorthodox techniques allow the accordion to generate wheezing, buzzing textures and patterns of microtonal beating. Giordano’s voice returns, picking up the thread of the languorous opening melody, coexisting for a while with the shifting drone before the piece takes an unexpected yet organic left-turn into a delicate saxophone solo of sorts.

Recorded in several locations across Italy and Norway over the course of three years, Radis documents an ensemble who have developed both a distinctive sound-world and a remarkably sensitive group dynamic. Moving from folkish duets between accordion and Giordano’s organetto (the small accordion used in Italian folk music) to episodes of metallic guitar scraping from Meyer Lysne, the music is both quietly contemplative and gently chaotic. Ensemble roles shift with disarming ease. If on ‘Profij dëspers’ Meyer Lysne’s prepared guitar adds a haywire noise element to a lyrical episode of organetto and accordion, the next piece, ‘D’antorn a lor’, is grounded in chiming guitar chords of stunning beauty; once Giordano’s joins, the result calls up the most spacious moments of Maria Monti’s Il Bestiario. Throughout the seven pieces, the trio explore countless possibilities of group interaction and the margin between conventional euphony and pure abstraction: at times the voice floats against silence or seems almost disconnected from the gentle clatter of the instruments (sometimes reminiscent of Nikiforas Rotas’ haunting settings of Cavafy), while at other points the instruments touch on conventional harmonic accompaniment. What is perhaps most striking of all is the way that voice and instruments relate to each other, the extended technique reframing the voice as a kind of abstract sound object, while the melodic beauty of Giordano’s voice lends a contemplative, almost melancholic air to the wheezing and scraping of accordion and guitar.

Captured in gorgeously intimate recordings, Jim O’Rourke’s careful and beautifully spacious mix highlights the wealth of textural detail in each element. Accompanied by notes, session photos and the text of the Piedmontese poems, Radis is a work of stunning beauty that demonstrates the vitality of exploratory music in Norway today.

The breakout underground star of the past year, the deservedly hyped Thought Leadership returns with another X ideas: the deck this time chooses the suit of Cups. This new collection is closer to the Post-Punk tonality of Pentacles, than the breezy Balearic Jazz of Swords. Gone are the brushed drum samples and airy synths and in their place are BIG guitars, 808 thumps and a decidedly more prominent use of bass as a melodic device.

As the suit of Cups reflects the emotional heart of the Tarot, presented within are a further X pieces, this time displaying the full range and fervour of Thought Leadership.

You know the drill by now. Originally out on cassette only, we present the first ever vinyl issue. It's a hideously limited pressing of 300 for the world, so don't sleep on this.

Side A explores the emotional levels of consciousness; angst, joy, love, sorrow, relief, regret – they are all represented across the first seven tracks, and often within the same piece. XXI kicks us off with a huge tumbling D minor passage, layers and layers of guitar front and centre, whilst the drums pound away in the distance. Release is provided with a gorgeous G Dorian section, where we hear the bass take flight with a high melodic line.

We’re still in familiar Durutti Column meets Dif Juz territory here, but things switch up with XXII. This piece showcases a darker, more angular palette of guitars; think Alan Rankine (The Associates), or Deb Demure (Drab Majesty) in the unexpected harmonic shifts, knotty arpeggiated patterns and heavy, goth-adjacent modulation. A real love letter to 45+ years of darkly inclined guitar heritage.

XXIII enters the fray with tight, thumping 808s and Marr-esque guitar figures; and again, the bass providing heavy melodic counterpoint to the guitars. Enter chiming, lyrical lead phrasing, reminiscent of the eternal opening to "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". Another accidental perfect pop moment from the Thought Leader. Whilst on the topic of Tears For Fears, XXIV comes swinging out of the gate with some serious Sophisti-chug; we’re reminded of "Shout" in the A section, before being beautifully juxtaposed in the B section with more Vini-eqsue patterns, reminiscent of his timeless classic, Another Setting.

XXV gives us welcome pause to take stock midway through the A side. No drums this time, but instead a heartbreaking conversation between two guitars; think Kevin McCormick and David Horridge’s masterful Light Patterns, or perhaps even the early solo-Bill Connors mid-70s cuts for ECM. The moment of quiet reflection passes, and is quickly shattered by the thudding march of XXVI – this piece comes across like The Associates playing "Wicked Game"; heavy, moody, and utterly compelling. XXVII ends our journey across Side A with more Marr-inspired playing; one for the heads and already featured on mixes, this one is real testament to the vision of Thought Leadership.

Side B again takes us on a trip through three long-form semi-improvised pieces. XXVIII is like those classic Jonny Nash, early Melody As Truth releases, slowly unfurling, additional details introduced deliberately piece by piece, this idea builds across 7+ minutes culminating in some utterly joyous ebow fireworks at the end – well Balearic.

XXIX again, like XXV before it, dispatches the drums with a focus purely on melody and mood. The piece feels like a lost Save Room Theme from the Resident Evil series, pure golden age Capcom Sound Team vibes. Unadulterated aural nostalgia for hours spent with a PS1 in haze of hash.

XXX completes this majestic voyage with another Modal exercise; this time the Thought Leader has opted for the Lydian Mode. Beautifully dreamy, undeniably Soundtrack-y, and arguably the most concise distillation so far of everything this project stands for; drum machines, guitars, pedals, one-take improvised solos – XXX has the lot, and is surely destined for greatness.

So, another X epic statements for guitar, homespun with the humblest of means, for all the dreamers out there. The first ever vinyl release of IV Of Cups has been carefully remastered by Be With's engineer Simon Francis to ensure it sounds better than ever after its initial tape release. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut at Abbey Road Studios whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry, in Holland. The original tape cover artwork, so crucial to Thought Leadership's striking visual aesthetic, has been rejigged for vinyl issue here at Be With.

The last 2 LPs flew. You have been warned.

Black Truffle is thrilled to announce Dalbergia Retusa, an extensive double LP selection of the solo guitar music of Hans Reichel, compiled by Oren Ambarchi. Last heard on Black Truffle as one quarter of the joyously anarchic Bergisch-Brandenburgisches Quartett, Hans Reichel (1949-2011) is one of the great figures of experimental guitar music. Though perhaps lesser known than peers like Derek Bailey, Fred Frith and Keith Rowe, Reichel’s rethinking of the instrument was in some ways the most radical of all. Early on, he dispensed with existing guitars to build a series of his own that explored the use of additional strings and fretboards, moveable pickups, extra bridges, special capos, and other innovations documented in the extensive booklet accompanying this release.

Reichel was a long-term resident of Wuppertal, the small Western Germany city that became an unlikely centre of European free jazz in the late 1960s, also home to Peter Brötzmann and Peter Kowald. His solo debut Wichlinghauser Blues was an early entry into the FMP discography and began a relationship with the label that stretched into the 1990s; all the solo performances heard here were first released on FMP. As Reichel says in the charming archival interview with Markus Müller included here, he was ‘always a cuckoo’s egg at FMP’, a label that began as an outlet for roaring European free jazz. What strikes the listener right from the opening selection on Dalbergia Retusa—‘Return of the Knödler show’, from 1987’s The Dawn of Dachsman—is the extraordinary beauty of Reichel’s music, at once alien in the shimmering sonorities and unconventional pitch relationships made possible by his invented instruments, and deeply lyrical, even romantic in its harmonic content. Growing up in West Germany in the 1960s, Reichel’s formative influences were mainly British and American rock bands, a background that shines through in many of the pieces included here: ‘An old friend passes by’ is haunted by the ghost of Hendrix’s rhythm guitar, and the wild closer ‘Heimkehr der Holzböcke’, taken from a rare 1975 7” and the only piece to use overdubbing, layers errant hammer-on and slide tones over a Canned Heat boogie chug.

Reichel was an important source for the development of Oren Ambarchi’s own extended approach to the electric guitar. Appropriately enough, his selection opens with the very first piece by Reichel he ever heard, on a flexidisc included with a 1989 issue of Guitar Player magazine. Though Reichel collaborated with others extensively in many settings and also performed on violin and his other major contribution to instrument invention, the daxophone, his music for solo guitar remains at the core of his oeuvre. Focusing exclusively on solo pieces recorded between 1973 and 1988, the 23 pieces on Dalbergia Retusa showcase the range and consistency of Reichel’s work, allowing the listener to see how his performances developed hand-in-hand with his instrumental inventions. On a piece from his very first LP, played on an 11-string instrument (partly strung with piano strings and using a schnapps glass a slide), we hear his intensive exploration of fret-hammering to create zither-like, chiming tone, which Reichel would hone further in later years with a double fretboard guitar specifically designed to be hammered rather than fretted and picked. On a piece from 1979’s Death of the Rare Bird Ymir, Reichel uses two steel-string acoustic guitars at once, with beautiful results: ‘some even say too beautiful’, he jokes in the interview included here. Many of the pieces from the 1980s make use of varieties of the ‘pick behind the bridge guitar’, instruments of uncanny harmonic richness primarily designed to be played on the ‘wrong’ side of the bridge. At times the unexpected behaviour of attacks, resonance, and decay can almost seem electronic, conjuring up the technology-assisted work of Henry Kaiser or even Fennesz, but realised solely through Reichel’s unorthodox techniques on his invented instruments. Extensively illustrated with photos and Reichel’s own plans and drawings of his instruments, Dalbergia Retusa is an essential introduction to the unique world of Hans Reichel. Rarely has music been at once so strange and so beautiful.

The second chapter after “neverlost”, “closer” blends samplebased production with classic songwriting – like a sonic mosaic of warmth and groove. Lyrically “hippiesque,” Sepalot explores natural beauty, unity, equality, and self-determination. Guest features shine: Blu delivers sharp lyricism, and Illa J surprises
with soulful vocals on “My Own Way.” For fans of The Avalanches, Caribou, and Madlib – Closer is lush, human, and unforgettable.

Sepalot is one of those rare artists whose sonic palette refuses to be boxed in. His music exists in the fertile space between multi-layered sophistication and playful unpredictability – a quality rooted in his eclectic upbringing. From skate-punk beginnings to soul all-nighters, from obsessive vinyl digging to
deep immersion in hip-hop’s golden era, Sepalot has carried the art of sampling like a badge of honor. His beats are mosaics – meticulously pieced together fragments of sound forming an intricate whole. Beyond the studio, he’s explored these influences as DJ, producer, and live performer, leading the
Sepalot Quartet across Europe’s jazz festivals, and more recently with his experimental band Tikhet alongside Angela Aux

With “closer”, the upcoming second chapter following his 2023 album “neverlost”, Sepalot distills his broad musical world into a sample-based yet song-driven statement. The production feels warm and tactile – think needle-on-vinyl crackle meeting modern songwriting clarity. Lyrically, it’s “hippiesque” in the best
way: themes of natural beauty, unity, democratic awareness, equality, and spiritual introspection weave through the tracklist.

The guest list is just as inspired: legendary wordsmith Blu delivers razor-sharp verses, while Illa J – brother of the late J Dilla – steps away from his signature rap to surprise with soulful vocals on “My Own Way.” Together, they amplify the album’s humanist core, balancing groove-heavy production with
lyrical depth.

Fans of artists like The Avalanches, Caribou, DJ Shadow, or Madlib will find plenty to love here, but Closer carries its own unique fingerprint – a testament to Sepalot’s ability to merge hip-hop grit with songwriting grace. If “Neverlost” was a map, “Closer” is the destination: lush, thoughtful, and deeply human.
Highly recommended for anyone ready to hold hands, open their mind, and let the beat guide them.

The Drowning In Your Love EP features longtime collaborator and magnetic vocalist Shaun J. Wright (Hercules & Love Affair / Classic / Midnight Magic), whose heartfelt delivery and lyrical poise ensure the title track sticks in your head long after the needle has left the record. The trio have created a timeless club track evoking the spirit of the tripped-out sounds of golden-era west coast house — dubby FX, a hint of breaks, soulful vocals, and that unmistakable Soul Clap swing — all put together with a flair that will move any dancefloor worth it’s salt.

Drummer-composer Tom Skinner announces Kaleidoscopic Visions, his second solo album, out 26th September 2025 via Brownswood Recordings and International Anthem

Kaleidoscopic Visions unfolds across two distinct sonic landscapes. Side A presents entirely instrumental compositions performed by Skinner's live Bishara band—bassist Tom Herbert, cellist Kareem Dayes, and Robert Stillman and Chelsea Carmichael on various woodwinds and reeds—with electric guitar on two tracks courtesy of Portishead's Adrian Utley. A drummer-composer bringing his wealth of experience to bear on the role of bandleader, Skinner composed primarily on guitar, embracing the freedom that came with writing on his secondary instrument.
These compositions include "Auster," dedicated to late novelist Paul Auster, and "Margaret Anne," which honours Skinner's mother Anne Shasby, a former classical concert pianist prodigy who abandoned her own promising career in the face of systemic misogyny, only to impart on her son what Skinner calls "the gift of music."

Skinner’s musical world opens further on Side B, where a collection of poised vocal collaborations stretch out from jazz and improvisation towards a more dream-like, soulful sound. The centerpiece is "The Maxim," a ten-minute collaboration with Grammy Award-winning Meshell Ndegeocello, a dubby, spacious meditation on life and death, delivered with a free-spirited grace. For Skinner, working with Ndegeocello—whom he first saw at Glastonbury as a teenager in 1994—represents a full-circle moment, indicative of the indirect paths and inspirational detours that have shaped his life.
The album goes on to feature South Carolina-based singer Contour (Khari Lucas) who appears on the low-lit soul ballad ‘Logue’, and closes with ‘See How They Run’, featuring London keyboardist-vocalist Yaffra (Jonathan Geyevu). It is the album’s most overtly lyrical track, an articulate exposition of jazz-inflected spoken word that speaks not only to the genre-fluid nature of the music but the breadth of Skinner’s palette.
This should come as no surprise. On Kaleidoscopic Visions, one of London’s most vital musical figures gives us a sparkling glimpse of the multi-coloured lens through which his unique sound is now refracting.

Real Lies’ new album ‘WE WILL ANNIHILATE OUR ENEMIES’ will arrive on April 16th 2025 via Tonal. The album is about taking the hand of someone you love intensely and running headlong into the chaos and noise and grinding forces that dominate modern life. It follows gilded 2024 collaborations with Mall Grab, Kettama and Drain Gang’s YEAR0001 label. Lyricist Kevin Lee Kharas and producer Patrick King created the record in their studio, hidden away under a railway bridge somewhere in London’s Zone 3. Three pictures stared down at them from the walls throughout, including an image of a young Sasha Shulgin in the relief print style of Che Guevara t-shirts sold at Camden Market, and a photo of an orbiter fairground ride in flight, taken sometime in the early 2000s. Kharas’ lyrical inspiration comes when he steps away from the tsunami of data flooding his consciousness and paces London’s rain-soaked streets late at night. “I wanted the songs on WWAOE to confront modern reality head-on, unflinching,” he explains. “I didn’t want to whine about a lost past. I didn’t want nostalgia. I wanted to learn to love the modern world, with all its horrors and futility.” After a teenhood spent playing in hardcore bands, the duo found ecstasy at a squat party for the first time, and moved to London. Since then, they’ve made music about finding romance and fun when the moon is up, becoming a cult act in the process.

This holiday season, global hip-hop icon Ice Cube makes a powerful return with Man Up — a brand-new album from a cultural trailblazer whose influence spans music, film, and activism. With over 10 million albums sold and six Platinum plaques, Cube’s legacy is undisputed, from his revolutionary work with N.W.A. to timeless solo anthems like “It Was a Good Day.” Now, sharper and more unapologetic than ever, he’s back to deliver a project that fuses his raw lyrical power with a message rooted in resilience and authenticity.
To mark the release, Man Up will be available exclusively as an ultra-limited vinyl drop this holiday season. Each record features a one-of-a-kind hand-crafted cover — a unique blend of artisanal design and proprietary technology (created without A.I.) — alongside city- and country-specific sleeves that pay homage to Cube’s global impact in places like LA, Tokyo, London, and France. The campaign will be amplified through a global social media rollout, city-focused influencer activations, and Ice Cube’s upcoming North American tour. Major press coverage and podcast appearances will further elevate the conversation, making Man Up not just an album, but a collector’s piece and cultural moment fans won’t want to miss.

Brixton Heights Records proudly presents the brand new single ‘Am I the Same Man?’, a soulful roots-reggae gem featuring a heavyweight all-star lineup including: Mafia & Fluxy on drum and bass respectively, the Ital Horns on brass, Gussie Clarke on mastering and Gaudi on falsetto vocals + BVs, dub mixing, piano and co-production alongside The Brixton Heights Orchestra.

Drawing inspiration from the timeless instrumental groove ‘Soulful Strut’ by Young-Holt Unlimited, the track channels vintage soul through a deep lovers-rock lens. A fresh and earnest reinterpretation of Barbara Acklin’s 1968 classic ‘Am I the Same Girl?’, this version flips the narrative with an adaptation on the lyrics voiced by none other than Gaudi singing in falsetto, resulting with a smooth, dub-infused love song that combines classic soul and international reggae into a modern masterpiece.
Gaudi is not stranger to falsetto-singing and backing vocals, in fact he has lent his distinctive vocal talent to albums by reggae giants such as Steel Pulse, Horace Andy, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Don Letts, Johnny Clarke, Mad Professor, Hollie Cook, Michael Rose, Creation Rebel, Africa Unite, Awa Fall, African Head Charge, Lion D & Capleton.

Mixed and co-produced by Gaudi at his Metatron Studio in London UK and mastered by Gussie Clarke at Anchor Studios in Kingston Jamaica, ‘Am I the Same Man?’ is more than a cover version, it’s a heartfelt transformation that captures the emotional core of the original song while creating a whole new vibe that speaks to today’s lovers and soul seekers alike.

The B-side presents a meticulously crafted dub version by Gaudi, produced exclusively with analogue equipment and vintage studio hardware. The mix brings forward the intricacies of the original instrumentation and enhances the lyrical elements through spacious delays and warm, analogue textures. Last but not least, in order to maintain the highest level of authenticity and an organic sonic texture, all recordings were done at 432Hz, tuned to resonate naturally.

This holiday season, global hip-hop icon Ice Cube makes a powerful return with Man Up — a brand-new album from a cultural trailblazer whose influence spans music, film, and activism. With over 10 million albums sold and six Platinum plaques, Cube’s legacy is undisputed, from his revolutionary work with N.W.A. to timeless solo anthems like “It Was a Good Day.” Now, sharper and more unapologetic than ever, he’s back to deliver a project that fuses his raw lyrical power with a message rooted in resilience and authenticity.
To mark the release, Man Up will be available exclusively as an ultra-limited vinyl drop this holiday season. Each record features a one-of-a-kind hand-crafted cover — a unique blend of artisanal design and proprietary technology (created without A.I.) — alongside city- and country-specific sleeves that pay homage to Cube’s global impact in places like LA, Tokyo, London, and France. The campaign will be amplified through a global social media rollout, city-focused influencer activations, and Ice Cube’s upcoming North American tour. Major press coverage and podcast appearances will further elevate the conversation, making Man Up not just an album, but a collector’s piece and cultural moment fans won’t want to miss.

The White Chief project has been defined by her creator as the background character for self_sabotage deconstruction. Deeply inspired in early Industrial, Noise and Power Electronics taking, musically and conceptually some development model acts like Throbbing Gristle or Whitehouse, and certain complex lyrical compositions like could be some Fad Gadget tracks, Maria Barros, a colombian dj and producer known as Gatasanta delivers 5 dense, raw, noisey and dark cuts with the aesthetical connotation of the violent modern times, created among other analogical sounds with multiple Moog bass lines. This record includes also, two tracks from AMAS, Gatasanta's first live project with artist performer Ivana Ray Singh, both artists based in Barcelona. These two tracks appears on the EP as a tribute to the duo's early years of electronic production and performance tours around. All tracks has been produced 100% hardware.

UK-based DJ and producer Wallace debuts on Phantasy Sound with an irresistible double A-side single, ‘Cravings (ft. Love Letters) / Concourse.’ Bubbling with sensuality and euphoria, both tracks reinforce Wallace’s burgeoning reputation as one of electronic music’s most impressive new voices, a crowning moment on Erol Alkan’s long-running label following a stellar run of singles for imprints including Cooking With Palms Trax, Rhythm Section, and Moxie's much-loved On Loop.

Led by a longing, inquisitive performance from vocalist and underground house music luminary, Love Letters, ‘Cravings’ builds from a simple throbbing bass line to an eruption of lyrical and musical joy. Exploring onset desire – risk, uncertainty, and ultimately, reward – Wallace’s deep and celebratory arrangement interweaves with Love Letters’ queer perspective to deliver universal satisfaction.

While ‘Cravings’ looks inward to find release, ‘Concourse’ goes for the jugular with a darker, more epic sensibility than Wallace has previously indulged. His flawless production touch seamlessly gifts magic to a widescreen techno epic that might not sound out of place on the terrace at Circoloco or else a field near early-nineties Frankfurt, repeatedly working his acid-oriented machines into a lather and conjuring cosmic drama from eerie, choral voices beneath a powerful groove.

A must have double sider from Harvey Scales & The Seven Seas, containing two of the rarest tracks from their much sought after back catalogue. Originals have sold for eye watering sums of over £1700 in the past, attaining to its rarity but also the sheer quality of the music pressed into its grooves. ‘Trying To Survive’ is one of the great social-consciousness anthems and a slice of pure lyrical genius, whilst ‘Bump Your Thang’ hits with a heavy funk workout, channelling James Brown-esque energy in Chicago shoes. Red label version original black sleeve.