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Head back to the floor with this brand-new 2LP compilation featuring 42 more of the world’s most remarkable Northern Soul tunes.

Expand your collection and freshen up your dancing shoes with this must-have sequel including none other than the incredible Stevie Wonder, Dusty Springfield, Freda Payne, Robert Knight, The Supremes, Major Lance and the all-time classic duet between Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

As we saw with their debut release "Breukelen Story", Masta Ace & Marco Polo once again drop a deluxe edition of their sophomore LP "Richmond Hill". This new version includes 4 bonus tracks not previously available on the album—three remixes (one featuring Talib Kweli) and one brand new song from Ace & Marco.

"Richmond Hill", the highly anticipated follow up to Masta Ace and Marco Polo's "Breukelen Story", is inspired by Marco's childhood in the titular neighborhood, a small town in Ontario, just outside of Toronto. Between interstitials about Marco's passion for hip-hop and cartoons, his struggle with addiction, and the support of his parents, Marco Polo and Masta Ace tackle the issues of the day head-on with clarity, the rapper using his decades-worth of rapping experience to slice through the producer's warm soul samples and crisp percussion. A cinematic journey that explores how the past echoes through the present, the album welcomes guest appearances from notable names from all eras of rap history, including Inspectah Deck, Coast Contra, Blu, Che Noir, Speech of Arrested Development, Masta Ace's longtime collaborators Stricklin and Wordsworth, and many more.



















s Below The Clouds [Remix] (feat. Talib Kweli)

[u] Get Shot [Marco Polo Remix]
[v] Below The Clouds [Roselle Remix] (feat. Blu)



















[s] Below The Clouds [Remix] (feat. Talib Kweli)

[u] Get Shot [Marco Polo Remix]
[v] Below The Clouds [Roselle Remix] (feat. Blu)

Satya is excited to welcome Sweden’s very own Chris Llopis, a veteran of electronic music, with his highly anticipated EP Echo Ridge, to its vinyl only catalog.

Chris has been a prominent figure in electronic music since the late ‘90s, releasing on respected labels like Fabric Records, Tooloop, and Micronica. Inspired by a trip to Spain at age 13, Chris began DJing on Technics SL1210 turntables and later immersed himself in Copenhagen’s vibrant techno scene. His first vinyl release on Tatsu in 1998 brought him global recognition. Today, Chris’s sound blends timeless influences with modern techniques.

Echo Ridge is inspired by Chris’s love for funk-driven bass lines and the energy of underground raves. “I wanted to create tracks with strong rhythms and a playful edge,” he says. “The bass line is the soul of a track, and this EP captures the vibe of late-night moments when everything clicks.” The EP combines the groove-heavy minimal style of the late ‘90s with a fresh, contemporary edge, delivering tracks that energize the dance floor.

Chris’s creative process thrives during early morning studio sessions. “It’s the perfect time for clarity and creativity,” he shares. For Echo Ridge, Chris used iconic gear like the Juno 106, Elektron Analog Four, Eventide H3000, and Roland Space Echo RE-201, alongside Ableton 12 and Max for Live, to craft its warm, textured sound.

Out on the shelves June 13, 2025, the EP is a celebration of Llopis’s evolution as an artist and his deep connection to the dance floor. With its groove-driven energy and meticulous attention to detail, the release is a must-have for fans of minimal house and vinyl enthusiasts alike.

SWEARING AT MOTORISTS haben einen langen Weg hinter sich, seit der Name 1994 auf Plakaten für eine Fake-Band erschien Die hingen auf mysteriöse Weise in Plattenläden und Musiklokalen in Dayton, Ohio, Ein paar Monate nachdem die Plakate auf auftauchten kritzelte Dave Doughman den Namen auf eine Kassette mit homerecordings, die er an Freunde verschenkte, und 1995 war die Band dann offiziell geboren. Ende der 90er Jahre veröffentlichten S@M eine Reihe von 7"-EPs bei verschiedenen Labels, und nachdem sie wiederholt von John Peel gespielt wurden und die Presse weltweit positiv über sie berichtet hatte, erhielt die Band einen Vertrag mit dem damals neuen Label Secretly Canadian. Sie veröffentlichten 2 EPs und 4 LPs auf Secretly Canadian, darunter Number Seven Uptown aus dem Jahr 2000 und This Flag Signals Goodbye aus dem Jahr 2002, die beide in den Jahren ihrer Veröffentlichung vom MOJO Magazine zum Underground Album of the Year" gewählt wurden. Swearing At Motorists zogen 2005 nach Berlin, Deutschland, und veröffentlichten im folgenden Jahr ihre letzte LP für Secretly Canadian, Last Night Becomes This Morning, bevor sie leise in der nicht enden wollenden Berliner Nacht verschwanden... 8 Jahre später war die Band plötzlich in Hamburg wieder aufgetaucht, mit einem neuen Album: "While Laughing, The Joker Tells The Truth", das 2014 auf Anton Newcombes Label A Recordings Ltd. erschien. Co-produziert von Dave und Rick McPhail (von Tocotronic), erzählt das Album die Geschichten dieser verlorenen" 8 Jahre im klassischen Motorists-Stil. Der Autor Camden Joy, vielleicht eine weitere Underground-Figur der 90er/00er Jahre, beschreibt es am besten: "Like Iggy Pop's great lost Nashville record or the legendary demos for the Strokes masterpiece that never was, this recording is full of catchy courage, significant low notes, bedroom rhythms, hooks, and so on, all of which make for an impossible amount of pleasure. This Swearing At effort towers heads and squirrels above whatever that was you were just listening to. I see why Rolling Stone gave it five stars." - Camden Joy 11 Jahre später ist die Band in Hamburg erneut aufgetaucht, aus einer weiteren Auszeit und mit einem neuen Album, das im Herbst 2025 über BB*ISLAND erscheinen soll. Vor der Veröffentlichung stellen wir euch das Album von 2014 noch einmal, oder zum allerersten Mal vor. Vielleicht lag Camden Joy genau richtig. Zu gut, um vergessen und vergriffen zu sein. Das Beständige an Swearing At Motorists sind ihre Auszeiten als Band. Alles andere ist Bonus, aber das ist natürlich der beste Teil. "...While Laughing...demontrates Doughman's unerring abilitity to turn autobiographical minutiae and emotional turmoil into exquisitely heartfelt rock'n'roll poetry. From the warmly familiar powerpop chug of Groundhog Day (Damn The Piper) and Great Actress, to the tearjerker wistfulness of Wrote You A Letter and acoustic closer It's Love That Chooses You, this is classic Swearing At Motorists throughout...." - Andrew Carden/ MOJO

ANORAX is privileged to issue a very special 7” single.

Piano virtuoso Gail Jhonson’s stunning reimagination of EXPANSIONS celebrates the 50th anniversary of LONNIE LISTON SMITH releasing his groundbreaking epic classic. His revolutionary fusion of Jazz Funk & Soul with a cosmic message is in the music was hailed as an instant classic when released in 1975. Since then after being adopted across diverse dance music genres it has become an anthem of anthems.

Gail grew up listening to Lonnie’s music on quiet storm radio in Philadephida. After attending his concerts she began jamming with the great man and they became friends. Now based in Los Angeles and leader of all female jazz outfit Jazz In Pink she came up with the idea of paying homage to and reinventing EXPANSIONS.

“I decide to cover one of his many compositions and EXPANSIONS spoke to my spirit. As a smooth jazz artist I was able to slow the tempo down and reharmonise some of the chord voicings and play his vocal melodies as a piano lead. The bass line is infectious and carries the groove, accompanied by a four on the floor beat, a little wah guitar and the reimagining began…”

Covering a song as sacred as EXPANSIONS could be regarded as herey but when it is recreated with such reverence as this it simply adds to the legend.

Cosmic Echoes indeed.

Tennessee Ernie Ford, will go down in music history for his bestknown song ‘Sixteen Tons’. Penned by country legend Merle
Travis, it put Ford at the top of the Billboard chart for seven
weeks in late 1955-early 1956, selling a million copies in just
three weeks. It was also Capitol Records’ first Number 1 of the
rock era. He also hosted a Thursday-night variety show, which
ran for nearly five years, and had several big hits in the US and
UK. His music endures, and this vinyl collection of his very best
songs is testament to a unique performer.

Following their 2021 collaboration on “To Kill A Sunrise”, Brooklyn native Kota The Friend runites with iconic Boston producer Statik Selektah, now also a full time BK resident, on the follow-up “To See A Sunset”. The two have crafted yet another classic album, picking up where they left off with some fresh and soulful boom bap anthems, continuing with the always inspiring theme of turning your dream into a reality and the realisation that you’re living your best life!

Man singt und es wird: Im Zuge eines Zusammenbruchs hat Max Gruber den Soloartist Drangsal gekillt und die Band Drangsal gegründet. Am Ende des Tunnels steht das im Juni 2025 erscheinende Album, Aus keiner meiner Brücken die in Asche liegen ist je ein Phönix emporgestiegen.

 Seit über zehn Jahren sichelt Max Gruber mittlerweile die Zick-Zack-Schneise Drangsal durch die deutsche Poplandschaft: Harieschaim aus 2016, Zores aus 2018 und zuletzt Exit Strategy – das ihm 2021 Platz 6 der Albumcharts bescherte – erdachte Gruber größtenteils im Alleingang. Und dann war da noch etwas nach seiner Exit Strategy: Ein Zusammenbruch. Max Gruber wusste nicht mehr, ob und wenn ja, wie er weiter Drangsal machen will, veröffentlichte im Ullstein-Verlag sein literarisches Debüt »Doch«, gründete Die Benjamins, holte so gemeinsam mit Charlotte Brandi, Thomas Götz und Julian Knoth Hans-A-Plast Frontfrau Annette Benjamin aus dem Ruhestand und reaktivierte unlängst das 2016 mit Stella Sommer gegründete Duo Die Mausis.

Und doch, von innen wie von außen, immer wieder die Frage nach einem neuen Drangsal-Album. Wenn es denn überhaupt nochmal eines geben soll, erkannte Gruber, musste er die Arbeitsweise, auf deren Grundlage Drangsal-Songs entstehen, fundamental verändern. Auf alles Ringen folgte, was unvermeidbar war: Der Reset. Max Gruber hat den Soloartist Drangsal gekillt und die dreiköpfige Band Drangsal gegründet – zusammen mit zwei Mitmusikern, die ihn aus seinen Gewohnheiten gelöst haben: Lukas Korn und Marvin Holley.
Erstgenannter ist Gitarrist und Produzent, spielt in der Band Lyschko, produzierte zuletzt das Album silber von Mia Morgan und hat seit 2020 als Bassist an der Drangsal-Liveband partizipiert. Zweiterer studierte Jazz- und klassische Gitarre sowie Komposition in Stuttgart und Wien, stand mit Sam Vance-Law und Fil Bo Riva auf der Bühne und arrangierte für Film und Theater. Lukas Korn und Marvin Holley haben dafür gesorgt, dass sich die zentrale Figur im Kosmos Drangsal dreiteilt.

Das Liedermachen in Bandkonstellation ließ alle Angst platzen: Getragen von Euphorie nahmen Gruber, Holley und Korn ab Ende 2022 etliche Songskizzen und damit den Unterbau eines siebzehnteiligen Albums auf. Nach Kreativurlauben an der polnischen Grenze und Ostsee stand eine von Max Rieger produzierte und von Lukas Korn Co-produzierte vierte Drangsal-LP. Sie trägt den schwergängigen Titel Aus keiner meiner Brücken die in Asche liegen ist je ein Phönix emporgestiegen und erscheint im Juni 2025. Gruber, Holley und Korn haben sich auf das Credo so wenig wie möglich, so viel wie nötig verständigt – und dadurch einen Umbruch im Klangkosmos Drangsals manifestiert, der völlig neue Dynamiken mit sich bringt. Aus keiner meiner Brücken die in Asche liegen ist je ein Phönix emporgestiegen hält Leerstellen aus, in seinem Zentrum stehen, statt Synthesizer, Akustikgitarren, die immer wieder an der Grenze zu Blues und Jazz wandeln. Wo speziell auf Exit Strategy noch überzuckerter Synth-Pop preschte, ist nun Klavier zu hören; Orgel, Klavinet und Cembalo; Xylophon, Violinen und Celli; von Ralph Heidel gespielte Querflöten und Saxophone.

Dazwischen drei Episoden, in denen sich Gospel Chöre und Technobeats breitmachen. Max Rieger hat die drei dazu motiviert, Echtheit, auch Imperfektion im Moment der Aufnahme zuzulassen – und großen Anteil daran, dass »Aus keiner meiner Brücken die in Asche liegen ist je ein Phönix emporgestiegen« ein realistisches Abbild des Trios bietet. Die Stimmung? Dagegen eher ein Wechselbad. Max Gruber singt von Selbstentfremdung, vom Für und Wider des Stillstands, vom Sichhingeben und Sichwegschmeißen – mal auf deutsch, mal auf englisch, mal zart, mal angewidert. Grubers Stimme klingt, nach einer klassischen Gesangsausbildung, die der Einunddreißigjährige angetreten hat, zielbewusster. Umarmungen Marke »Ich hab von der Musik geträumt und Inkomplett treffen auf Gewitterwolken à la Mein Eid und dem Sophia-Blenda-Feature Mein Mo(nu)ment. Entlang rigoroser Entkernung und Hexenjagd geht es Bergab – für dich, für mich, für Max Gruber sowieso. Er ist über weite Teile der Platte hinweg auf der Flucht vor sich selbst, den alten Geistern, dem leidigen Wachzustand: Wär’ ich doch bloß nimmermehr erwacht, ich schliefe in ewigem Glück. Gruber sucht und sucht: Nach innerem Frieden, nach Gnade, nach unverbranntem Boden, nach neuen Versionen seiner Selbst – und das vergeblich. Immerhin scheinen Erinnerungen mit der Zeit zu verschwimmen: Grubers Worte – zu sich und zur Welt – klingen im hinteren Teil der Platte sanfter, vergebender, resümierender. Ein Schlüsselmoment? Das von der Schauspielerin Rosa Lembeck eingesprochene, Monolog artig formulierte Klanggedicht Rosa – Es ist so: Man singt und es wird.

Soulseller Records, white/ black bi-color vinyl, reissue 2025, NOTE: barcode sticker has been glued on the back cover

The legendary London based Get Fucked is set for highly anticipated reissue, bringing back two timeless classics and sought after tracks from the early 2000s. This special edition features a meticulously remastered version of the classic Charlie’s Knickers, alongside a previously unheard take on Nils Hess’ Alcohol Is My Favourite. Expertly restored and reimagined by the revered reissue series Endell Street, this is a pure gold collector’s number.

"Mixes Of A Lost World", konzipiert und zusammengetragen von Robert Smith, ist eine neue Remix-Sammlung von Tracks aus The Cure's gefeiertem #1 Album "Songs Of A Lost World", das im November 2024 erschien. Das neue Set enthält 16 brandneue Remixe von Künstlern wie Four Tet, Paul Oakenfold, Orbital und vielen anderen. Die Deluxe-Edition enthält zusätzlich Remixe und Reworks von Chino Moreno (Deftones), Mogwai, 65daysofstatic und vielen mehr. Bei den Künstlern handelt es sich um Freunde von Robert, die die Songs in einer atmosphärischen und stimmungsvollen Art und Weise kreiert haben. Sie sind es, die diesem unglaublichen Album ihre Tiefe verleihen. Die meisten von ihnen stammen selbst aus Bands und begeben sich mit ihren Kreationen auf einen neuen Weg der Entdeckung.

Give bread and circuses to Brazilians in 1968, and they"ll turn it into an anthem. Under the yoke of a monstrous dictatorship, this foundational album of the tropicalist movement forever changed the way music was thought of and made. Looking for bossa nova and bolero? Fine, but they added Batman, macumba, yé-yé, and psychedelic rock. With an album cover inspired by Sgt. Pepper"s, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Tom Zé, Nara Leao, Torquato Neto, Capinam, Os Mutantes, and their brilliant arranger Rogério Duprat etched their names into history.

Give bread and circuses to Brazilians in 1968, and they"ll turn it into an anthem. Under the yoke of a monstrous dictatorship, this foundational album of the tropicalist movement forever changed the way music was thought of and made. Looking for bossa nova and bolero? Fine, but they added Batman, macumba, yé-yé, and psychedelic rock. With an album cover inspired by Sgt. Pepper"s, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Tom Zé, Nara Leao, Torquato Neto, Capinam, Os Mutantes, and their brilliant arranger Rogério Duprat etched their names into history.

Get In Where You Fit In, was originally released in October of 1993 andwould be his fourth album in a row to be certified platinum. Productionwas handled by Ant Banks and The Dangerous Crew, which featuredlive instrumentation, incorporated P Funk samples, and G Funk synths.The lead single "I'm a Player" sampled Bootsy Collins' funky bass of"Hollywood Squares" and Quincy Jones' son QDIII produced the epicBay Area G Funk laden classic track "Just Another Day". And itwouldn't be a Too $hort record without some pimp and sex tales like"Blow Job Betty", "All My Bitches Are Gone" and the upbeat "Gotta GetSome Lovin". Bay Area legends Spice 1, Ant Banks, and Mhisani akaGoldy join in on the posse cut "The Dangerous Crew" followed by atrack with more Bay Area legends Rappin' Ron and Ant Diddley Dogdissin' ex Dangerous Crew member MC Pooh on the title track. Get OnDown has repressed this Too $hort 90's fan favorite album on PurpleIn-Clear Colored Vinyl.

Howdy punkè rocke fans, welcome to FORCED COMMUNAL EXISTENCE - the wonderful and frightening world of ALIEN NOSEJOB’s EP’s & singles. Anti Fade and Agitated Records are teaming together to bring you a paint stripping, mind altering, rare collection of EP and compilation tracks recorded in various Australian bedrooms and garages between 2017 and 2022. The sound of goofy obnoxiousness will soon be permeating your bedroom airwaves and perforating your eardrums. Kicking off this long player is an EP that was recorded by Billy from Anti Fade in his childhood bedroom in July 2017. The songs came to fruition while AUSMUTEANTS were on tour in Japan 2016.

There was a lot of ‘WALLABY BEAT’ / ‘MURDER PUNK’ being played in the background while seeing the sites of Mount Fuji and ‘Bar Fuck Yeah’. In between shows Jake was organising the release of DANNY GRAHAM and PLASTIC AND THE EP’S records on the label he co-ran XEROX MUSIC. Both artists played parts in the sound and ethos of the PANEL BEAT EP. The goal was to make the songs sound unapologetically Australian without pretending to be something they’re not. There’s no fake accents or songs about VB and mullets. Instead, there’s songs about every day struggles, like dealing with fickle fashion followers, having too many fucking records, playing PlayStation, resentment and manipulation.

500 copies were pressed and self released, with a photo slipped inside each copy at random. Next is THE DEATH OF THE VINYL BOOM which was self recorded in a shed in November 2017. This is the only Alien Nosejob release (besides this comp, smartarse) to feature a cover - Flyblown by Adelaidean arty weirdo band JACKSON ZUMDISH. The idea behind this EP was to incorporate the simplicity and scrappiness of the late 70’s DIY Australian sound, but give them the complicated structures of prog songs. Scum stats - 500 copies, self released. Several copies were smeared with Jake’s blood and had smashed pieces of vinyl glued to the front cover.

Now we have a cover of the DEAD KENNEDYS. The conspiracy theorist wet dream Government Flu. Recorded September 2020 during lockdown in one-man-band with a tape recorder fashion for a 20 minute unedited ‘live set’ video where all instruments were played one by one, sung and mixed in the space of a couple of hours. The HC45 7” was recorded at the same time as a disco 12” maxi, which I hear were originally meant to come out on the same day. Shit happens I guess? This EP came out in Feb 2020 and sounds somewhere between early GANG GREEN, DIE KREUZEN and the BEASTIE BOYS old bullshit. Self recorded on a 4 track with a broken pinch roller. Lyrically this thing is cynical and choc-a-bloc full of satire and hate. A year later a sequel was recorded the same way, on the same machine.

No fucking disco this time though. Cold Bare Facts is the most recent recording on this comp. Self recorded in Jake‘s bedroom 2022 It has the same mid paced tempo as DYS or SSD when they’re at their slowest (pre-Boston Curse, of course!). Both songs take a stinky shit on the Australian state police. 300 copies. Finishing the record is a cover by THE AINTS. Originally written by ED KUEPPER for THE SAINTS Eternally Yours album, but it sounded too similar to Lost and Found. Originally released on ‘ALTA’ cassette compilation during the lockdown. FORCED COMMUNAL EXISTENCE binds this mouthful of releases into one neat package from June 6th, 2025. Catch the ALIEN NOSEJOB band on tour in Europe & UK from June 13 - July 2nd, 2025.

Howdy punkè rocke fans, welcome to FORCED COMMUNAL EXISTENCE - the wonderful and frightening world of ALIEN NOSEJOB’s EP’s & singles. Anti Fade and Agitated Records are teaming together to bring you a paint stripping, mind altering, rare collection of EP and compilation tracks recorded in various Australian bedrooms and garages between 2017 and 2022. The sound of goofy obnoxiousness will soon be permeating your bedroom airwaves and perforating your eardrums. Kicking off this long player is an EP that was recorded by Billy from Anti Fade in his childhood bedroom in July 2017. The songs came to fruition while AUSMUTEANTS were on tour in Japan 2016.

There was a lot of ‘WALLABY BEAT’ / ‘MURDER PUNK’ being played in the background while seeing the sites of Mount Fuji and ‘Bar Fuck Yeah’. In between shows Jake was organising the release of DANNY GRAHAM and PLASTIC AND THE EP’S records on the label he co-ran XEROX MUSIC. Both artists played parts in the sound and ethos of the PANEL BEAT EP. The goal was to make the songs sound unapologetically Australian without pretending to be something they’re not. There’s no fake accents or songs about VB and mullets. Instead, there’s songs about every day struggles, like dealing with fickle fashion followers, having too many fucking records, playing PlayStation, resentment and manipulation.

500 copies were pressed and self released, with a photo slipped inside each copy at random. Next is THE DEATH OF THE VINYL BOOM which was self recorded in a shed in November 2017. This is the only Alien Nosejob release (besides this comp, smartarse) to feature a cover - Flyblown by Adelaidean arty weirdo band JACKSON ZUMDISH. The idea behind this EP was to incorporate the simplicity and scrappiness of the late 70’s DIY Australian sound, but give them the complicated structures of prog songs. Scum stats - 500 copies, self released. Several copies were smeared with Jake’s blood and had smashed pieces of vinyl glued to the front cover.

Now we have a cover of the DEAD KENNEDYS. The conspiracy theorist wet dream Government Flu. Recorded September 2020 during lockdown in one-man-band with a tape recorder fashion for a 20 minute unedited ‘live set’ video where all instruments were played one by one, sung and mixed in the space of a couple of hours. The HC45 7” was recorded at the same time as a disco 12” maxi, which I hear were originally meant to come out on the same day. Shit happens I guess? This EP came out in Feb 2020 and sounds somewhere between early GANG GREEN, DIE KREUZEN and the BEASTIE BOYS old bullshit. Self recorded on a 4 track with a broken pinch roller. Lyrically this thing is cynical and choc-a-bloc full of satire and hate. A year later a sequel was recorded the same way, on the same machine.

No fucking disco this time though. Cold Bare Facts is the most recent recording on this comp. Self recorded in Jake‘s bedroom 2022 It has the same mid paced tempo as DYS or SSD when they’re at their slowest (pre-Boston Curse, of course!). Both songs take a stinky shit on the Australian state police. 300 copies. Finishing the record is a cover by THE AINTS. Originally written by ED KUEPPER for THE SAINTS Eternally Yours album, but it sounded too similar to Lost and Found. Originally released on ‘ALTA’ cassette compilation during the lockdown. FORCED COMMUNAL EXISTENCE binds this mouthful of releases into one neat package from June 6th, 2025. Catch the ALIEN NOSEJOB band on tour in Europe & UK from June 13 - July 2nd, 2025.

Rico Friebe has more to tell to a whole generation and crafted a musical superlative for this in the guise of the sequel record ANTHEMS FOR A LOST GENERATION2 - including 10 new future pop songs that continue the stories from part one!

I must admit to being a sucker for two-guitar bands. Ok, Hendrix pulled off a trio. But I don’t care what anybody says: The Yardbirds were a better band than anything that came out of them (Ok, maybe not Zep. But Cream?).

Maybe the reason I go back so far in my references is that, within the two-guitar band format, original new roles are difficult and rare. There’s the classic (socially problematic and often boring) “rhythm/lead” solution. There’s the JB’s or Nile Rodgers’ chicken pickin’ vs comping solution (which avoids chordal clashes by relegating one of the guitars to the role of single-note percussion instrument). There’s Ornette’s Prime Time division between Bern Nix’s rolled-off “jazz” tone and Charles Ellerbee’s trebly wah. Almost everything else is a variation on one of these.


In Ches Smith’s record Clone Row, each piece is built around a different concept for guitar interaction. The delightful and gifted weirdness of Mary Halvorson’s playing is counterpointed, contrasted, unisoned with, played off, juxtaposed (that is to say, enters every relationship possible) with Liberty Ellman’s equally amazing sound palette, chops, and imagination. This definitely ain’t your father’s guitar band.
The overall vibe of the record—despite Halvorson’s occasional noise outbursts or Ellman’s distorted guitar lines (see Mixed Fridge) is neither punk/funk, nor Zorn-ish metal—and certainly not the looser parameters of Ornette’s improvised harmolodics. Smith’s vibraphone playing, Halvorson’s guitar tone (whammy pedal squiggles aside), the brilliant electronics, and (most of all) the compositions themselves are somehow strangely West Coast cool. It’s as if I’m hearing a Jim Hall concert in which one of us did a lot of mushrooms, or (dare I write this?) some post-punk post-Dave Brubeck post-trip-hop experiment with classical form.

This recording is, most of all, about Ches as composer. He’s picked up a lot on his long, strange trip of the last few decades. The Haitian funkiness of his work with We All Break is audible—but deeply buried, encoded in the polyrhythms (check out Heart Breakthrough). His long-running side musician collaborations with John Zorn and Tim Berne are also evident but sublimated here into something new.

Not that improvising is absent. Check out the compelling collective statements in Sustained Nightmare and Ready Beat. Check out the brilliant interplay and bass soloing on Abrade With Me (a Weather Report for the age of extreme weather?) Nick Dunston is my favorite bassist of the new generation, and he plays brilliantly throughout. And Ches’ drumming here has all the groove, energy, and incredible range that have kept him in demand from Saturday night Vodou services to jazz and new music recording sessions (…the thinking man’s rock barbarian?).
The sus chords in Abrade With Me do build, for a moment, towards a fusion type of climax...but just at the moment I was gritting my teeth in anticipated defense against some horrible synth solo, the drums drop out, and we’re transported to the ambient lounge at the rave, and we suddenly understand we’re in the hands of a composer with the power to transport us just about anywhere.
So, this is a composer’s record most of all; a composer’s record performed by musicians who happen to be great improvisers. Ches Smith builds here on his reputation as a gifted new voice with an important vision, while showcasing some of the most creative musicians of our time.