Suche:the audience

The official new edition from this rare and great Afrobeat & Soukous masterpiece from Nigeria !

"Vibro Success Intercontinental Orchestra was an extraordinary group from the Central African Republic, founded by the sax player Rodolphe 'Beckers' Bekpa, also known as Master Békers, in the late 60's. The band achieved surprising domestic success after Beckers introduced the first drums to the Congolese Rumba rhythm. His innovation proved to be wildly popular so they were hired as the resident band of “ciel d’Afrique au Km5”, a night club in Bangui. The club was renowned as the temple of the Olympic Réal football team's fans and that visibility propelled them into becoming the official national orchestra.

1970 marked beginning of the band's international fame . Their fame spread beyond national borders until they became so popular that invitations began to arrive from nearby countries like Cameroon and Chad, the former of which the band would then tour that same year. The success of their performances prompted a further tour in 1972. According to Rodolphe Bépka, the audience enthusiasm Vibro encountered was bewildering. "We filled the old military stadium in Yaoundé in 1970, in 1972 the new Amadou Haïdjo stadium ... We are running with great success in the cities.” Their popularity was also growing in Chad, where they would tour several times through the early and mid 70's.

Towards the end of 1976, Vibro Success decided to take their music global and introduce Central African music to listeners worldwide. It worked. The turning point came in Nigeria. There the group achieved extraordinary success, with live performances followed by contracts with local labels like Scottie and Ben/Clover resulting in hit releases. Most of their LP's were originally released on this later label, Ben Limited, owned by Ben Okonkwo.

Ben, also known as Clover Sounds, brought a great number of the biggest bands from the country to market, bands like The Apostles, Akwassa,The Doves, Aktion, The Visitors, Mansion, Folk 77 and many others. Nearly all those groups started their recording careers in the label's studios based in the commercial heart of Aba, Abia State, one of Southeastern Nigeria’s largest cities. Aba at that time was a flourishing city, an important crossroads of people and culture with an intensive and active and cutting edge live music and nightlife.

But after that golden era the group began to lose its popularity. In the 1980's they returned to Bangui and resumed their old-time gigs in dance halls there - only to realize that their music didn't have the appeal it used to. Making matters worse, the domestic economic downturn accelerated, forcing the orchestra to slowly end its activities . Vibro Succès Intercontinental Orchestra disappeared at the end of the 80s and most of its members died in the 90s.

We discovered this LP during our first trip to Nigeria in 2016. While traveling in the east to meet up with a musician, we stopped for a night in a village. As often happens in Nigeria, information has a way of traveling fast. The news that a couple of white guys looking for records had arrived in the village the day before spread like light. When we awoke, we found a couple of elderly music lovers in the hall of our hotel with a little pile of records for sale. The nice cover of the “Drunkard” album was right on top!

At first we thought it was just another really good soukous album made by Vibro Success but after we heard “Drunkard” - we knew we had stumbled onto something very special. That was the “easy” part. Soon after, we had the idea of reissuing this LP and that was a bit harder. There were no credits on the cover and not much information about Vibro Succès. We started to ask to our friends to ask around, see if somebody knew them or the producer. That's when sadly we discovered that Ben Okonkwo had passed. So with no leads to follow and seemingly without any possibility of making progress on the matter, we "gave up" and returned to Italy.

A couple years later, in the summer of 2019, we found ourselves again in Aba. This time we had the chance to meet Nnamdi Okonkwo, the eldest son of the late Ben Okonkwo. After Nnamdi's mother and family agreed, he was glad to cooperate with us for the re-release of this special album."

Brand new album from the Seattle cult band. Filth is Eternal's Find Out is the triumphant reawakening of one of Seattle's most energetic and committed bands. The new testimony whips forward with the force of a breakthrough and is a clear commitment to their own genesis with a deep awareness of themselves, their audience and the shared history
between them. The basic rules of the band: the immediacy must be in the foreground. The songs should have the power to ignite a pit in less than thirty seconds

Brand new album from the Seattle cult band. Filth is Eternal's Find Out is the triumphant reawakening of one of Seattle's most energetic and committed bands. The new testimony whips forward with the force of a breakthrough and is a clear commitment to their own genesis with a deep awareness of themselves, their audience and the shared history
between them. The basic rules of the band: the immediacy must be in the foreground. The songs should have the power to ignite a pit in less than thirty seconds

Brand new album from the Seattle cult band. Filth is Eternal's Find Out is the triumphant reawakening of one of Seattle's most energetic and committed bands. The new testimony whips forward with the force of a breakthrough and is a clear commitment to their own genesis with a deep awareness of themselves, their audience and the shared history
between them. The basic rules of the band: the immediacy must be in the foreground. The songs should have the power to ignite a pit in less than thirty seconds

Brand new album from the Seattle cult band. Filth is Eternal's Find Out is the triumphant reawakening of one of Seattle's most energetic and committed bands. The new testimony whips forward with the force of a breakthrough and is a clear commitment to their own genesis with a deep awareness of themselves, their audience and the shared history
between them. The basic rules of the band: the immediacy must be in the foreground. The songs should have the power to ignite a pit in less than thirty seconds

Since the release of Foodman’s debut album Shokuhin in 2012, the music of this Japanese artist has found ever larger audiences, developing along its own inimitable path, as heard on a growing pile of albums and single releases, as well as at concerts all around the world. Now, more than ten years later, it is worth going back to the fascinating beginning, which sounds as refreshingly weird today as it did back then. While Foodman’s music has often been described as a sort of lopsided relative of the Chicago-based footwork, it doesn’t really resemble anything else, and this idiosyncratic approach was evident right from the start. Here, by being cut and diced into strange rhythmic structures, samples gain a dreamlike life of their own, simultaneously alien and charming, and without any resemblance to the real world from which they came. With this re-release of Shokuhin, the album is not only being reintroduced to new Foodman fans, it is also being released on LP for the first time, in a collaboration between Orange Milk and the new label Xtroplast, which is focusing on vinyl releases of electronic music hitherto not available on that format.

Repress.

"Urban Ethiopian music stands out within the African continent thanks to its creativity and originality. Whatever the shade -- pop, blues, jazz or soul -- it comes from a fusion of local musical traditions mixed with an echo of Western music. It bewitched Ethiopia during the Swinging Addis decade before recently winning the favors of a well-informed audience all over the world. This first vinyl volume of Ethiopian Urban Modern Music presents some of the Ethiopian grooves & jewels drawn from the essential CD Ethiopiques series directed by Francis Falceto and published by Buda music;

An innovative and idiosyncratic pianist, Thelonious Monk has been hailed as one of Be-Bop’s founding figures, with unexpected melodic shifts and dramatic hesitation hallmarks of his work. Monk By Five is one of the lesser-known sessions recorded for Riverside in the late 1950s and is one worthy of a wider audience; it features the bright swing of the new ‘Jackie-ing’ and the more dissonant ‘Played Twice,’ alongside engaging revisits of ‘Straight No Chaser,’ ‘I Mean You’ and ‘Ask Me Now,’ the interplay between Monk, cornetist Thad Jones and saxophonist Charlie Rouse especially noteworthy. Definitely worth investigating.

REPRESS!! Although he is still completely unknown to Western audiences, for Ethiopians, Tlahoun Gèssèssè (pronounced Guèssèssè) is THE VOICE.The first-ever pan-Ethiopian star, he has embodied such nonstop unanimity since the end of the 1950s that is a role-model and a point of reference.

A real soul gem from 1970 on the James Brown affiliated Deluxe label, the first and only album by this mysterious singer: Marie Queenie Lyons.
It is perhaps apropos that Queenie Marie Lyons’s best known song is titled ‘See And Don’t See.’ For all the acclaim that song has accrued, and all the times it has been compiled, reissued and, yes, bootlegged — for all the times it has been seen — Queenie herself has somehow remained unseen. How did a singer from Ashtabula, Ohio record one of the great female-led soul albums and then simply fall off the map, never to record or perform again? Queenie was a natural performer and a gifted singer. At the age of fifteen, she was doing three shows a week at a local venue. In early 1962, Queenie moved to Queens and was soon playing gigs across the city — an early engagement was with Gene Krupa at the famous Metropole Café in Times Square — as well as touring with established acts like Fats Domino and Ray Charles. The following year, Queenie made her debut recording, for a subsidiary of RCA called Groove, credited to an entirely fictitious “Shelley Shoop and the Shakers.” It remained Queenie’s only presence on wax until early 1968, when a Nashville-based label called Sims gave her her first accurately attributed single, “A Minute Of His Goodtime / Good Soul Lovin’.” Although the 45 is now a highly collectible part of the Northern Soul and Lowrider Oldies pantheons, it made no impact at the time, as Sims was focused on more typical Nashville sounds. A few months later Queenie was back in New York City, performing R&B and pop covers with her band when a man passed her his business card at a performance. The card read James Brown Enterprises. James Brown “was my idol,” she says, and someone whose business acumen and stage presence she strove to emulate. Although Queenie ended up on tour with James Brown for only a month or so, when the group reached Cincinnati in mid-’68 she entered the King Records studio there to record what would become the
album you hold in your hands. The songs were a combination of covers, some of which she’d been doing in her live shows, like ‘Fever’ and ‘Try Me,’ and originals written by producer Henry Glover and pianist Don Pullen, who was the bandleader on the session. The album opener, ‘See And Don’t See,’ was also recorded by the veteran R&B singer Maxine Brown, but Queenie’s version blows hers away. “Soul Fever” is a supremely funky and soulful affair, with Queenie’s powerful and captivating voice magnetically attractive, with an urgency that is impossible to ignore. ‘Your Thing Ain’t No Good Without My Thing,’ ‘Your Key Don’t Fit It Anymore,’ and ‘I Don’t Want Nobody To Have It But You’ are as funky and soulful as the best of Tina Turner and Aretha — a statement not to be made lightly!
The album was critically acclaimed — the October 10, 1970, issue of Billboard listed it as their sole “four star” pick in the Soul category — but perhaps due to the tumult at Starday-King, whose stewardship had turned over several times in only a few years, it never seemed to be able to break through to a larger audience.

Repress of Hey Colossus' twelfth studio album from 2019 on a limited coloured edition to mark the bands 20th anniversary. This edition is on transparent lime w/ marbles smoke effect and limited to 200 copies. Genre: Alternative / Noise Rock Hey Colossus are one of Europe's great live bands. Since 2003 the 6-piece has been driving around the continent with their "pirate ship" backline of broken amps and triple-guitar drang, elevating audiences in every type of venue imaginable; a doctor's waiting room in Salford, an industrial unit in Liege and a vast field next to a river in Portugal. Four Bibles is their twelfth studio album and the first to be released by London label Alter. Recorded by Ben Turner at Space Wolf Studios in Somerset, it's their most direct album yet and follows a well-documented trajectory of evolution that began (in the truest sense) with 2011's RRR for Riot Season and continued across three albums for Rocket Recordings. Lead vocalist Paul Sykes sounds more in focus than before, dialling down the effects and using reverb / delay to carry his lyrics rather than smother. The band has also fine-tuned to leave some room for extra depth. Piano, electronics and violin (by Daniel O'Sullivan of This is not This Heat / Grumbling Fur) all find a way in amongst a familiar mesh of interlacing guitars, wrapped round a taut rhythm section. Like every other Hey Colossus record before, the line-up has altered and the sounds reflect this. From the weight of "Memory Gore", to the subtlety and swag of "It's a Low", via the sonic extremes of "Palm Hex/Arndale Chins" this is exactly as the band are live; raging & rail-roading but somehow in control. Grooves for those who want to dance or for those who want to hug a wall and nod...bleak dystopian imagery submerged in relentless rhythms and low-end rattle. The songs breath life and soul - Hey Colossus have never sounded fresher or more on point.

Emerging from the heart of Brussels, Azo is poised to set the electronic music world ablaze with her latest EP, "Astroculture," scheduled for release on SNC Recs. Featuring four vibrant original tracks and a stellar remix from Offenbach Frankfurt's very own Maruwa, this EP takes listeners on an ecstatic journey through the realms of acid, trance, and high-energy drums.

Azo has consistently captivated her audience with a rich tapestry of influences. Renowned for her rock-solid radio shows and dazzling productions, she skillfully blends a myriad of musical elements to create a sound that is uniquely her own.

Inspired by the enigmatic and pulsating vibes of Electro, Trance, and the expressive melodic flavors associated with Rave culture, Azo's "Astroculture" EP promises a sonic exploration like no other. Each track invites her audience to embark on an exhilarating adventure, guiding them through a musical landscape that defies boundaries and expectations—just as the scientific endeavor of astroculture explores new possibilities for cultivating plants beyond the boundaries of Earth.

The EP wouldn't be complete without the hypnotic remix by Maruwa, a vital contributor to the scene. Maruwa's reinterpretation adds a fresh twist to Azo's sonic canvas, enhancing the EP's already electrifying atmosphere.

Azo's "Astroculture" EP is set to ignite dancefloors and inject a surge of energy into the new club season. With its intoxicating beats and boundless creativity, it's a must-listen for electronic music enthusiasts worldwide.

Don't miss out on this sonic adventure. Join Azo on her "Astroculture" journey as she delivers an EP that's as unique and mesmerizing as the artist herself. Experience the magic of Azo's musical journey and get ready to dance like never before.

1STEP Process 180g 45rpm Double LP Pressed on VR900-Supreme Vinyl!
Mastered From The Original Analogue Master Tapes by Bernie Grundman!
Super-Luxe "Monster Pak" Jacket with a Rich 36-Page Booklet & Striking Outer Slipcase!

New lacquers cut for every 500 pressings!

Strictly Limited To 7,500 Numbered Pressings!

There have been more than 40 U.S. releases (and hundreds more worldwide) of Stan Getz's cultural touchstone album and for good reason: few recordings better capture the breezy warmth and easy-going sophistication of Brazilian bossa nova for an American jazz audience. Fewer recordings can replicate the you-are-there presence and flawlessly tight studio acoustics. Only Getz/Gilberto has Billboard Top-10-charting singles like "The Girl from Ipanema." When Impex Records jumps into this densely-populated fray with our own production, we need to bring maximum value and prestige to it. Challenge accepted. We worked directly with Stan's wife Monica Getz and their son Nicolaus to create the most authentic, best-presented Getz/Gilberto ever.

Exclusive to Impex's 1STEP Getz/Gilberto includes an insightful new interview/essay by Charles Granata featuring Monica reminiscences of the making of this record, the subsequent cultural phenomenon, and Stan's battles with some pretty heavy demons. Also unique to this release are two bonus tracks: an alternate mono 7" mix of "The Girl from Ipanema" (without the added echo, thank you very much) and a live recording of "Corcovado" from Carnegie Hall. Finally, the large-format, 36-page booklet features dozens of rare photos, the original album notes, and a fascinating personal remembrance from Monica Getz herself, celebrating her late husband's work and an inside look at Stan's family life while making the record!

Using the original analog master tapes and no computers at all, Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering sought to keep the sense of space and tone on the master tape intact without unnecessary embellishment. Impex 1STEPs get you closer to the source, not the ideal.

We know you have many choices when it comes to enjoying this singular album. The Impex 1STEP of Getz/Gilberto cuts above all other releases with added-value content that takes you deeper into Stan Getz's life and process in a way never previously possible.

The 1STEP Process:



The Impex 1STEP process relies on short, tightly-controlled runs that require a new lacquer after each 500 pressings. This unforgiving format has the lacquer skipping the regular father-mother process, going right to a single convert and then pressing. Though this dramatically increases mastering and production costs, it also assures each run is more consistent from disc to disc, with less noise, clearer details and deeper bass.

Reducing production complexity to just a single "convert" disc between the lacquer and the press greatly improves groove integrity, diminishes non-fill anomalies and increases signal integrity from the master tape to your system.

Features:



The only release of this fundamental jazz classic crafted with the full participation of the Getz family, including never-before-seen photos and notes from Monica and Nick Getz
Exclusive new interview essay about Getz's life and the recording of the album by noted producer and historian Charles L. Granata
Exclusive ultra-luxe Impex 1STEP packaging featuring a deluxe 36-page booklet within a heavy-stock two-sleeve Monster Pack jacket and striking colour-matched slip case
Two all-analogue bonus tracks: an alternate mono 7" mix of "The Girl from Ipanema" and a live recording of "Corcovado" from Carnegie Hall
Limited to 7,500 copies

Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, the legendary King and Queen of Brazilian Jazz, have captivated audiences for over six decades with their vibrant albums and exhilarating live performances. With a dedicated global fan base including the UK's jazz funk and jazz dance scene to Japan's concert halls, the power couple continues to make waves in the industry – Flora's 'If You Will' (2022) album was even nominated for a Grammy! The duo met and came together musically in Sambalanço and the Sambrasa Trio. The mixture of Airto's rural Brazilian background and percussion talents and Flora's classical training and involvement in the underground Bossa Nova movement, created a unique blend of sounds that resonates across generations. They have not only collaborated with music legends like Miles Davis and Chick Corea but have also produced ground-breaking music alongside the likes of Hermeto Pascoal. Despite facing numerous challenges, including Flora's arrest and incarceration in 1974, the duo's close connection with friends-musicians like Thelonius Monk and Cannonball Adderley, their persistence and absolute passion for music have propelled them to the pinnacle of success. They worked with renowned musicians like Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, George Duke and producers such as Orin Keepnews and Creed Taylor. Having been a part of numerous prestigious ensembles, including Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations ensemble, Airto and Flora's journey is a testament to their innovation and devotion to their craft. This collection offers a glimpse of that incredible journey, showcasing their extraordinary talent and unique sound and it’s also the first comp scanning their 60 year careers Compiled by Straight No Chaser editor/publisher Paul Bradshaw & Totally Wired Radio presenter Roberta Cutolo. Àṣẹ.

Noema’s new album is a surreal cosmic journey. The music on it is part of a comprehensive art piece that includes remixes, interactive choreography and stage design, theatre, and costumes called ONE.

In ONE, Noema tells the story of his interdimensional space explorations, in which he manifests as four different entities. Because of the energetic state of humanity, these entities became trapped in our dimension and now put on performances to re-power their portal, so that we can all be interdimensional again! During the performance five actors invite up to 120 people from the audience to join the action.

Sun Ra meets Steve Reich meets Larry Levan - imagine it as a “happening” from the 70s.

The music from ONE is loosely based on the minimal music classic “In C" by Terry Riley. It consists of 56 melodic patterns, which are repeated and consecutively played from the first to the last. Every player can move on to the next pattern at their own pace.

Noema’s new album is a surreal cosmic journey. The music on it is part of a comprehensive art piece that includes remixes, interactive choreography and stage design, theatre, and costumes called ONE.

In ONE, Noema tells the story of his interdimensional space explorations, in which he manifests as four different entities. Because of the energetic state of humanity, these entities became trapped in our dimension and now put on performances to re-power their portal, so that we can all be interdimensional again! During the performance five actors invite up to 120 people from the audience to join the action.

Sun Ra meets Steve Reich meets Larry Levan - imagine it as a “happening” from the 70s.

The music from ONE is loosely based on the minimal music classic “In C" by Terry Riley. It consists of 56 melodic patterns, which are repeated and consecutively played from the first to the last. Every player can move on to the next pattern at their own pace.

Sourced from the Original Master Tapes and Presented in Audiophile Sound for the First Time: Mobile Fidelity’s Numbered-Edition 180g SuperVinyl LP Plays with Riveting Detail
Three decades before he released The Philosophy of Modern Song — an insightful book devoted to 66 tunes that both impacted his career and the music world at large — Bob Dylan issued Good As I Been to You. The under-heralded 1992 album, Dylan’s first solo acoustic album in nearly 30 years and first all-covers effort in nearly 20 years, can be seen as a prophetic prelude to what has become the Nobel Laureate’s celebrated late-career arc. It’s also an absorbing continuation of the custom Dylan has embraced since he first picked up a guitar.


Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at RTI, and housed in a Stoughton jacket, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition 180g SuperVinyl LP of Good As I Been to You reveals the immediacy, detail, and stripped-down nature of recording sessions that took place in Dylan’s garage studio in California. Simple, raw, and unplugged, the record presents Dylan in peak form — and showcases a diversity of vocal phrasing, soulful chording, harmonica accents, and close-up ambience that on this reissue emerge like never before. As the first-ever audiophile edition of this almost-lost classic, this LP also benefits from SuperVinyl’s extraordinary properties: a nearly inaudible noise floor, superb groove definition, and dead-quiet surfaces among them.

Recorded and mixed by Micajah Ryan, and supervised by Debbie Gold, Good As I Been to You took shape at Dylan’s home shortly after the singer-songwriter completed sessions in Chicago with a full band. Unaccompanied, he again gravitated to existing works — in this case, traditional folk music — and, with Gold serving as a trusted advisor, performed the songs in multiple keys and tempos until he arrived at what he desired. That careful, determined albeit loose, organic approach emanates from this reissue, on which each note, movement, and space come across more directly, fully, and immediately than on the original formats. It helps draw a through-line to Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964) as well as the similarly themed follow-up, World Gone Wrong (1993) and immersive old-world storytelling of Tempest (2012) and Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020).

Well before Dylan made those renowned 21st century LPs, however, he needed to find a way out of a funk that — save for his 1989 collaboration with Daniel Lanois, Oh Mercy — followed him for years. As author Clinton Heylin reported Dylan admitting in 1997: “My influences have not changed — and any time they have done, the music goes off to a wrong place. That’s why I recorded two LPs of old songs, so I could personally get back to the music that’s true for me.”

Truth: Few, if any, concepts better encapsulate Good As I Been to You. It resonates with the same originality, honesty, resolve, and age- and time-defying relevance as the seminal Anthology of American Folk Music that fired Dylan’s imagination as a kid in small-town Minnesota and, later, per Greil Marcus’ That Old Weird America book, informed Dylan and the Band’s Basement Tapes sessions. This record also contains the type of music Dylan was playing during his acoustic sets at his period Never Ending Tour shows; within a year of the record’s release, Dylan would play half the album’s songs live.

As for those songs: Rife with strange mystery, common circumstance, and epic adventure, the stories appeal to our base instincts. Their themes — jealousy, temptation, sacrifice, love, revenge, identity, opportunity — operate on a fundamentally human level immune to trends, generations, or eras. They’re ancient and modern, serious and comical, open and disguised, simple and multi-layered. They talk of vengeance and justice (“Frankie & Albert”; “Jim Jones”), romance and tenderness (“Tomorrow Night,” “Froggie Went a Courtin’”), the troubled and trouble-free (“Hard Times,” “Sittin’ on Top of the World”). They lend voice to lovers scorned and freed (“Blackjack Davey”), the used and users (“Diamond Joe”), the powerful and powerless (“Arthur McBride,” “Canadee-I-O”), the followed and followers (“Little Maggie”). And akin to much of Dylan’s finest output, things are not always what they appear to be.

Spanning country, folk, sea shanty, bluegrass, and blues motifs, Good As I Been to You re-confirms Dylan’s position as an elite interpreter and sculptor — not of just structure but emotion. Dylan delivers the tunes as if he’s known them forever. He plays with a subtle sense of mischievousness and retains a largely upbeat demeanour; his eyes seemingly twinkle as he sings and picks. His guitar serves as the guidepost for shuffles, boogies, ballads, and mess-arounds while his innate feel for each specific arrangement and melody helps inform pacing, tone, attack.

Like a great author, he understands the importance of adhering to concision, luring an audience, holding their attention, and maximizing the impact of details, actions, and unexpected turns. Though already coarse and ragged, his voice feels ideal for the subject matter and his phrasing — from the clever ways he stretches syllables to underline meanings on the surprise twists of “Canadee-I-O” to the sheer delight he gets from singing “rowdy-dow-dow” on the protest song “Arthur McBride” — outstanding.

iPhupho L’ka Biko, the highly acclaimed Africanist experimental jazz band, is thrilled to announce the release of their debut EP, ‘Azania’ vinyl through Canadian record label, We Are Busy Bodies. Following the success of their two acclaimed singles, ‘Abaphezulu’, released through Brownswood Recordings, and ‘uThixo uKhona’, distributed by Platoon.

The band dedicated the year 2022 to recording and producing this eagerly awaited EP. Azania delves into a rich tapestry of themes that are close to the hearts of the band members, including spirituality, Pan Africanism, freedom, love, ritual, tradition, culture, and displacement. The EP showcases iPhupho L’ka Biko's unique musical fusion, blending jazz with indigenous African music of imvumane in tracks like Qamata, and infusing jazz with gospel influences in songs like Singabakho. This eclectic approach reflects the fluidity and diversity of the band’s sound, promising an immersive and captivating musical journey.

The band’s dynamic sound has been honed and perfected through their numerous live performances across the country, which have garnered them a devoted and loyal fan base. iPhupho L’ka Biko’s ability to connect with audiences through their energetic and soul-stirring performances has elevated them to become one of Johannesburg’s most revered musical collectives. “Azania the EP is an introduction of iPhupho L’ka Biko to the world, marking the beginning of a new era,” shares Nhlanhla Ngqaqu, the band's founder and composer.

The second crushing, soul mangling, neck bustin' album from Texas hardcore thrashers: Power Trip. Quite possibly the best thrash album you will have heard in the last decade. IMMENSE, MAMMOTH, MASSIVE.

Recorded by Arthur Rizik (Inquisition) , mastered by Joel Grind (Poison Idea, Toxic Holocaust) and features cover art by Paolo Girard. 
POWER TRIP is a real band like no other. Their raw energy, musical proficiency, perfect song structure, rich tones, fierce riffs, persecution, and collective attitude have seeded them as one of the most prolific underground staples in the US metal, punk, and hardcore scenes. POWER TRIP has relentlessly toured the world for years with the likes of Anthrax, Lamb Of God, Cro-Mags, Negative Approach, Turnstile, Backtrack, Eyehategod, Bane, Off!, and more, and has performed with countless others, in addition to pummeling audiences at major festivals all over the US, Europe, and beyond. The band will be touring endlessly in support of this new album!

Boris Divider presents a new original release with this 3 tracker ep. New refreshing stu­ for the Drivecom’s catalogue after the more experimental electro works from the “Generative Operations” series, and after the limited 20th anniversary reissues of “Ultralink” and “Take My Beat”.



Now it’s time to hear and feel “Your Light”. A special work that brings back the puristic electro vibe from the early works on Drivecom but with a new sonic spectrum and powerful sound production. Repetitive and syncopated synthlines as Divider’s ID signature, powerful rhythm patterns and an exclusive and unique vocoder treatment that build-up the original track to open the A side. Meanwhile A2 track “Your Light” (The Variant Version) is a slowed and darker deep version that will remind us some kind of an aseptic and much more minimalistic sound design with some similar soundscapes and echoes of the earlier Arpanet’s stu­. In the other side, “Your Light” (The Infrared Version) is a ready-for-the-‑oor soundtrack with more aggressive FM synth modulations and characteristic pitch-shifted voice, a track that keep the essence of the original title but balances the release into a more solid club-oriented tool.



About the message behind this track. The lyrics represent a desire from an entity who wants to know the deal about the deepest wishes and ever growing curiosity of mankind and their di­erent proles, and with such statement the entity wants to feel what are we made of and shows to the audience if they really understand what scientic evolution means for their own, the human race, with all the pros and cons, an always double-sided sword taking the light as a pure and indomable source of energy. This message is also re‑ected in a special Video clip you’ll nd soon on Drivecom’s YouTube channel as a bonus promotional material.

A great balanced 12” Ep which serves as an introduction for what we’ll have in the near future: “Memories from the Dust”.

A long awaited new B. Divider’s album on Drivecom records.

This music unites our common love for the essence of music, which contains harmonic structures and emotionality without borders." — Musique Infinie

Musique Infinie, the new duo consisting of Noémi Büchi and Feldermelder, is rooted in a shared desire to intertwine two composing veins, and to merge them into a new, massive core. While Büchi combined her background in classical and electro-acoustic music with a bold approach to composition on her highly acclaimed debut album 'Matter' (-OUS, 2022), multi-disciplinary musician and artist Feldermelder has been expanding his artistic practice into unexplored realms for over 20 years. Mutually, they've challenged themselves to fully engage on an artistic exploration aimed at making use of the elementary forces that unfold between them.

Their debut album, simply titled 'I', is a musical hybridization. The compositions make use of simple motives that are radically transformed by expanding them into intricate structures and fantastic layerings. The overcoming of genres with eclectic elements from classical music, jazz, film music and traditional music, combined with the vocabulary of experimental electronic music, complete the vertical plunge into this thickness. The emerging pieces lead into a paradoxical world, both disturbing and euphoric. Pieces that don't give in to calculations and expectations, but progress through ruptures and repetitions. The richness of the compositions and their analog, acoustic and orchestral character reflect the density of the world with its violence, its decadence, its fragility, but also its power, its ingenuity and its beauty.

Composer and sound artist Noémi Büchi creates electronic, symphonic maximalism. Her music is defined by a delicate synthesis of textural rhythms and electroacoustic-orchestral abstraction. She explores the potential of consonance and dissonance, contrasts rhythmic physicality with disruption and playfully emphasizes irregularities, creating an expansive listening experience marked by detail and elevation.

Feldermelder is a polymathic creative whose artistry spans composition, sound design, installation and code. He is co-founder of -OUS Records and an active member of Encor.studio, a collective specialising in creating immersive audio-visual installations. Through his work, he explores the idea of secrecy and its impact on our lives, using music and sound to create a thought-provoking and immersive experience for his audience.

12 original festive songs, characterised by Johnson’s characteristic songwriting excellence, ranging in tone from the sardonic to the sentimental, featuring traditional seasonal conventions (50s jazz, Father Christmas, mistletoe, sprouts etc) performed by The Xmas Irregulars: Sian Allen – vocals, trumpet, saxophone // John Forrester – vocals, double bass // Robb Johnson – vocals, guitar, tuned percussion // Fae Simon - vocals // Roger Stevens – vocal, piano with Arvin Johnson- drums, Saskia Tomkins – violin & viola // Recorded by Ali Gavan, Brighton Road Studios. Robb Johnson-Brief biography: Robb’s widely recognised as one of the UK’s finest songwriters. “An English original”, (Robin Denselow, the Guardian) “one of our best singer-songwriters ever” (Mike Harding) “one of this country’s most important songwriters (no argument!)” (fROOTS). His work includes two highly acclaimed song suites, Gentle Men, & Ordinary Giants, -a “masterpiece” (fROOTS), “monumental” (FATEA). Last year Murder at the Grange premiered to enthusiastic, sold-out audiences at The Ropetackle in Shoreham & Chats Palace in Hackney – “a cracker of a show… a delightful extravaganza and a uniquely dark and different way to celebrate the winter season” was Folk Radio’s opinion. The Xmas Irregulars: Sian Allen – actor-musician, resident singer at Walthamstow Folk Club // John Forrester – singer & songwriter, bassist in various bands // Fae Simon - studied opera, hip-hop, soul & jazz recording artiste // Roger Stevens – award-winning children's poet & novelist // Arvin Johnson & Saskia Tomkins are both ex-Irregulars – Arvin now drums with Manchester-based band Tigers & Flies, & Saskia now lives & works -to great acclaim- in Canada

Renowned Berlin-based music discovery platform COLORSxSTUDIOS will release their new vinyl compilation album, ‘MOVE:FEEL1’, just in time for the holidays.

The limited-edition double disc gatefold vinyl will feature 16 beloved A COLORS SHOW tracks, both recent and from the archive, including London-based rapper Kwengface’s ‘Freedom’ that was released earlier this year, critically-acclaimed Malian artist Fatoumata Diawara’s ‘Nterini’ from 2019, and Dominican-Italian star YEИDRY’s breakout 2020 hit ‘Nena’.

The album is truly international—it will feature songs sung in six different languages (including English, Swedish, German, Bambara, French, Vietnamese, and Spanish) and represent artists from 15 different countries across the world.

‘MOVE:FEEL1’ reflects and celebrates the launch of COLORS’ new ‘MOVE’ and ‘FEEL’ playlists that are now available across all DSPs. Updated monthly, these playlists will curate COLORS’ genre fluid output into cohesive listening experiences that cater for varying emotional states.

The songs on the ‘MOVE’ playlist—and hence on the ‘MOVE’ sides of the vinyl—are uptempo, bold, sexy and energetic, and aim to set the tone for daring and unapologetic enjoyment. In contrast, the tracks on the ‘FEEL’ playlist and discs are downtempo and emotive. They are for relaxation, and to help listeners contemplate their internal and external environments

Designed by COLORS’ in-house creative team, the vinyl cover is mirrored, meaning its appearance adapts depending on the light and colors it reflects. This was an important decision to ensure the cover represents all of the featured artists, who all performed their A COLORS SHOWS against different colored backdrops. The mirrored material also enables the audience to literally (and hopefully metaphorically) see themselves in the album.

Each side of the mirrored cover is adorned differently: while the “MOVE” side features embossed lines, stripes and slashes indicative of motion, the more introverted “FEEL” side is debossed with goosebump-like grooves. Even with their eyes closed, people will be able to feel which side of the album is which, adding an extra sensory layer to the listening experience.
MOVE:FEEL1’s design also prioritizes sustainability, using no single-use plastics for its packaging.

Coltrane, Shorter, Hubbard, Davis & Perkins from a Latin perspective! The Mantecas represent one of the finest concentrations of experience and talent in Latin and Jazz music ever to be based in the UK. A pure uplifting Latin Jazz music celebration. NOT-TO-BE-MISSED!! Recorded at different locations in London during 2022/23. Mixed at Abbey Road Studios in March 2023. The Mantecas (formerly known as "Manteca") is an eight piece, London-based, Latin Jazz, Soul and Boogaloo band well known for creating a party mood at festivals and gigs everywhere they go, from Glastonbury, Ealing Festival and Tropical Pressure Festival to The 606 Club and The Jazz Café in London. They have a particular ability for bridging the culture gap with any audience getting all crowds up hitting the dance floor in a jive. The Mantecas will blow your mind with a mesmerising mix of salsa, Cumbia, Funk, Latin jazz and Boogaloo. For this new release album, the band is exploring the legacy of some of the Jazz giants through a Latin lens, reworking timeless pieces by Coltrane, Shorter, Davis, Hubbard and Perkins, giving them the infusion of Latin rhythms while remaining true to the Jazz language. The band is made up of some of the best musicians in the Latin, Jazz and Pop scenes in London: TRYPL HORNS: Paul Booth (Incognito/Brand New Heavies), Trevor Mires (Jamiroquai/Incognito), Ryan Quigley (Gregory Porter/Beverly Knight) Dave Oliver: Keys (Lisa Stansfield/Snowboy) Satin Singh: Percussion (Jazz Jamaica/Roberto Pla/Pucho and the Latin Brothers) Javier Fioramonti: Bass and arrangements, MD (Alex Wilson/Jack Costanzo/Joe Bataan/Salsa Celtica) Flavio Correa: Vocals (Omar Puente/New Regency Orchestra) Will Fry: Percussion (Tom Misch, Tony Allen) Rob Luft: Guitar (Dave O'Higgins, Byron Wallen) "Expect loads of hard-hitting salsa, exploding drums and outrageously funky boogaloo". Time Out * "Ripping new Latin Jazz band from the finest musicians of London". Fact Magazine * "One of the best Latin Jazz-funk bands working the scene today". The Jazz Café, London Ltd Ed.

The band quickly garnered attention with their explosive live performances and a unique sound that effortlessly blends elements of hardcore punk and metal.

The band's lineup features members from the renowned group Cult Leader, bringing a wealth of experience and a collective passion for creating music that resonates with listeners on a visceral level. With their debut album, 'Pessimist', set to release on October 27th via Church Road Records, RILE is poised to make a resounding impact on the music world.

Pessimist is a cathartic journey through the depths of human emotion, delving into themes of inner turmoil, existential struggles, and the darker aspects of the human psyche. From start to finish, the album showcases RILE's exceptional musicianship and their ability to craft songs that are both haunting and sonically crushing.

Drawing influences from bands like Converge and Trap Them,
essimist delivers a relentless onslaught of churning riffs, blistering drums, and gut- wrenching vocals. The band's tight- knit chemistry and artistic cohesion shine through on tracks like lead single 'Climb Out', where they seamlessly weave together melody and aggression to create an unforgettable sonic experience.

With their heartfelt and thought- provoking lyrics, RILE lays bare their
vulnerabilities and fears, inviting listeners to confront their own inner demons. The album's dynamic production enhances the intensity of each track, immersing the audience in a maelstrom of sound that leaves a lasting impact

ME LOST ME led by Newcastle-based artist Jayne Dent announces a new album RPG via Upset The Rhythm on 7th July, and is touring across the UK including support dates with Pigs x7. RPG (recorded in Blank Studios with Sam Grant of Pigs x7) is ME LOST ME’s fourth outing as a collective, having transitioned from an ambitious solo project in 2017, Jayne now regularly collaborating with acclaimed North-East jazz musicians Faye MacCalman and John Pope.
ME LOST ME delights in experimenting with songwriting and storytelling, creating a beguiling mix of soaring vocals and atmospheric electronics that playfully weave together disparate genres, drawing influence from folk, art pop, noise, ambient and improvised music. Hauntological in part, RPG is concerned with tales and with time - are we running out of it? Does insomnia cause a time loop? Do the pressures of masculinity prevent progress? Jayne Dent asks these questions and more on RPG, her homage to worldbuilding and the story as an artform, calling back to those oral traditions around a campfire, as well as modern day video games - bringing folk music into the present day as she does so.
ME LOST ME presents sound reaching in opposite directions, straddling time towards the archaic and timeless traditions of folktales, and towards the possible and potential futures of pastoral Britain and the world at large. Part speculation, part reminiscence, what results on the new album RPG is music that sounds ultimately displaced and yet omnipresent, adjacent to a hapless Vonnegut hero whose life is scattered throughout time and history, but full of wonder and curiosity rather than fear.
On track “The Oldest Trees Hold The Earth”, we see time stretched out between the branches of impossibly old beings in the woods. This track was co-written in Aarhus, Denmark with fellow Newcastle folk musician (with Danish heritage) Ditte Elly. The pair wordlessly passed a sheet of paper between each other to write the lyrics, inspired by Højbjerg and Mosegård, the woods they were sitting in. “How long should I wait/Before the moss grows?/On my skin, on my outstretched arms,” the lyrics are sung in a round, the close harmonies delicate and detailed.

A central thesis of this album is the joy of creation, something which is paid homage to in the album’s final track, “Science And Art” (Not because we need it to last/just because we needed to make it - so we invented the words/this language). It is also reflected in the definition that Jayne gives for “folk” itself. She comments, “To me, folk is quite an expansive idea. I think of it as creative work that's often made ad-hoc, with things that are at hand and more often than not it's born of a DIY ethos. It is songs and stories of the people, as in the traditional sense, but also creative coding, game design etc. Whatever outlet someone has for their creative expression could be described as folk. It's the things we make because humans need to make things, and the stories we tell about ourselves and the world around us.”
Crucially, on latest album RPG, Dent expands her songwriting and looks towards the unreal locations of worldbuilding in video games for inspiration. She comments, “I think the main similarity is the importance of a song's setting/environment to inform its narrative and textures, I'm often most inspired when out walking in the natural landscape, in cities and travelling to places I've never been before - the environment I'm in really impacts the work I make. While writing this album, however, I found myself inspired by imaginary landscapes, those in video games, paintings, etc. I was writing stories into these unreal locations instead. Even the songs inspired by real places, like The Oldest Trees Hold the Earth, have a very surreal quality to them in the songs, like they're being warped and turned into something not of this world. I think that's the main difference for me in terms of the thematic content and inspiration behind this album - I've been getting more and more interested in balancing surreal and fantastical environmental elements with ordinary and everyday settings.”
RPG upends the concept of the eternal return - we may be in the midst of inevitable repetition, but we tell stories whilst awaiting the passage of time.
"Being familiar with, and a fan of Jayne's earlier work, it was great to get the opportunity to work with her on the production of her new record. I had in mind a sense of what the record might be, but what came of the sessions, led by the vision Jayne had for the record, totally exceeded my expectations. As far as albums go, it has a breadth of writing and a sonic depth that made it a truly brilliant record. Having Jayne join us on a leg of the Pigs x7 tour in April is going to be ace. The creative nature, the sincerity and bold strokes of ME LOST ME put it in that space outside of any genre pigeonholes, and between our two sets I imagine the audience is going to have a proper sonic bath..."
Sam Grant, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, 2023
“The music of Me Lost Me is beguiling, idiosyncratic and cinematic - or should that be video-game-omatic? This suite of songscapes often hits the sweet spot between ancient and modern with its masterful blend of stark folk, neon electronic burbling and unusual arrangements. Jayne's singing is refreshingly straightforward and nuanced - it's exquisite! - and perfectly punctures the nebulae of synths and brass which billow around the old wooden frames of the songs. Whilst listening I had images in my mind of what Northumberland might look like through the eyes of Simon Stalenhag - foggy moors, a robot looking across the sea to Lindisfarne, twinkling lights on metal towers.... that sort of thing. It's a really great album.”
Richard Dawson, 2023

BERTUS DISTRIBUTION INTRODUCES NORTH SEA JAZZ CONCERT SERIES

Bertus Distribution, in collaboration with NTR, AVROTROS and MOJO, presents a new vinyl series consisting of live recordings of legendary artists through the decades made at the renowned North Sea Jazz Festival.

The North Sea Jazz Concert Series will include officially licensed releases that will be released as standard on 180-gram white vinyl in a sleeve of heavy paper printed on reversed board. The records will be captured in mainly black-and-white artwork by Hans Pol in his signature style of the festival with inspiration from the covers of classic older jazz releases from the Blue Note label, for example. The liner notes are written by journalist and jazz expert Jeroen de Valk.

For the first release in this series, the honour is given to one of the most famous jazz singers ever, Ella Fitzgerald. On Friday 13 July 1979, she gave a raucous and peerless performance at the festival then still held in The Hague. The "First Lady Of Song" worked her way with verve through standards like 'There Will Never Be Another You', 'Satin Doll', ''Round Midnight' and 'Mr Paganini'. Her accompanists that night were Paul Smith on piano, Keter Betts on bass and Mickey Roker on drums; a trio line-up with the power of a big band.

Future releases will include NSJ recordings by such notables as Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich, Ray Charles, Dexter Gordon and Jan Akkerman. It will be a long-running series with the aim of releasing the most extraordinary NSJ performances on vinyl.

The first edition of the North Sea Jazz Festival took place in 1976 at The Hague’s Nederlands Congresgebouw with some 9,000 visitors. In the first year, jazz legends such as Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz performed alongside a host of artists from the Dutch avant-garde.

The festival, officially NN North Sea Jazz since 2018, has now developed into a major international event that is also known beyond the Dutch borders as an event where jazz from the past, present and future merges with other genres such as blues, soul, funk, hiphop, pop and more. Over the years, it has grown to fifteen venues, around thirteen hundred musicians and an annual audience of between eight-five and ninety thousand. Since 2006, the festival has been held in new wider venue, namely Rotterdam Ahoy.

Retro house sounds from Italy on this release... tunes that still go down well with some of the big name festival dj's during their summer tour! A track that remained unpublished for 33 years until Devil Dee decided to make it public and bring his own voice to the spotlight joined by jazz-blues singer Joan Faulkner (former supporting voice of Boney M and Milli Vanilli, also known by her stage name 'Dee-Vah'). Devil Dee is Davide Mancori - a cinematograph with a flattering career as a club-dj from 80s-90s onwards - who lovingly produced this release which differs from most of the releases on Best Record by its housey vibe. 'And The Beat Goes On' was written in Germany in 1989 by Leonie Gane and Ryan Paris laying the crucial foundations for an evolutionary step of the italian disco music. A step forward for the 'Italo' movement considered obsolete and defunct. In fact, the track is also referring to the latest Italo-Disco which entirely covered the scene of the 1980s with furious activity, If the meeting between Devil Dee and the famous interpreter of 'Dolce Vita' - Mister Ryan Paris - creates the alchemy, the explosive mix is completed with the precious work of Marco Magrini. The arrangement by Pierluigi Cerin and the executive work of Claudio Casalini close the magic circle. Five friends and a great singer from Indiana to fill the dance floors all over Europe, while the images of the provocative and surreal video-clip capture the audience by splitting in two. There are those who do not want to see certain issues publicized and those who appreciate their cheekiness, such as Best Record which by publishing the vinyl printed at 180 grams celebrates the 40 years of activity.

In the early 21st century on the bustling streets of New York City, Jennifer Vanilla is a container, a portal, a joy delivery system, a self help regimen, a social mirror, a Times Square celebrity, a shark-toothed advertiser, a kicky talk show host and an ebullient mascot. Collaboratively crafted with co-writer/co-producer Brian Abelson , Jennifer Vanilla's debut full length Castle in the Sky is a deft and mercurial "jennifreaky" journey, traversing 90s dance music, no wave, post-punk, art pop, new age and experimental R&B. "Consider this an invitation, I'll be your guide," Vanilla beckons on the album's "Take Me For A Ride," which, like much of the album, is driven by their nimble and virtuosic vocal delivery. Variously steely, theatrical, sensuous and authoritative, Vanilla's vocals harken the sparkling precision of Ann Steel, the growling tenacity of Laurie Anderson and the wispy tenderness of Shelley Duvall in Faerie Tale Theatre. Jennifer Vanilla performances often are exercises in the transformation of reality through fantasy, testing the limits thereof, while the songs of Castle in the Sky are an artifact of that laboratory. Many of these songs took on numerous incarnations over the course of years before arriving at their album form, mutated in direct response to audience reaction. A year after the initial release of Castle in the Sky via Sinderlyn Records, a vinyl edition of the record arrives on December 1, 2023, featuring bonus remixes and reworks from Jerry Paper and musclecars.

The live reunion of Bob Dylan and The Band during 1973-74 yielded one of the decade's most celebrated, dynamic, and astonishing tours. Captured on Before the Flood, the results portray the two artists' shared chemistry as well as Dylan's instinctive ability to challenge audiences, his group, and himself via inventive rearrangements of classics that simultaneously ward off nostalgia and renew with meaning. Said by noted critic Robert Christgau to be "at its best, the craziest and strongest rock and roll ever recorded," Before the Flood crackles with intensity, relevance, and unhinged performances.

Arriving at a crucial time for both Dylan and The Band, Before the Flood is the furthest thing possible from a nostalgia trip. It's where Dylan begins his now-trademark feat of turning songs upside-down, taking risks, challenging expectations, and leaving audiences riveted to the edge of their seats in anticipation of what might come next. He sings with unabated passion, the moods spanning bitterness to jubilation. And his willingness to play fast and loose with the music gives way to compelling shifts, under-the-surface textures, complementary intricacies, and a sense of newness and discovery on par with that of an adventurer embracing total freedom.

Before the Flood buries any notion of limits, safeguards, or borders. It is an open map, each song a route begging for exploration without need or concern for exactness or an appointed leader. Collaborative in every sense, it's a portrait of six inimitable musicians feeding off one another, trusting in their past history as they hurdle towards uncharted territory, using soulfulness as a compass and opportunity as their vehicle.

Wholly different than the live episodes heard on Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert, Before the Flood is equally seminal and, from the perspective of witnessing an artist dare not only his audience but himself to break through to a new plane, even better. Utterly astounding.

Mr. Joe Jackson Presents: MAX CHAMPION in ‘WHAT A RACKET’! The genre started in the pubs and streets of London in the mid-19th century and grew into the first form of mass entertainment to be created by the working classes. By 1900 it regularly drew huge audiencesfrom acrossthe whole spectrum ofsociety, from prostitutes to princes, allsinging along with superstar performers in gorgeoustheatres (some of which still survive). Like its American cousin Vaudeville, Music Hall featured magicians, acrobats, and ventriloquists – elements that we still see today in musical theater and cabaret shows. One of the most fascinating of the Music Hall performers was Max Champion. We know little about him, except that he was born in London in 1882. Champion was almost completely forgotten until the sheet music of his songs was found in Valletta, Malta, in 2014. How it got there is a complete mystery. “What A Racket!” presents eleven of Max Champion’ssongsforthe first time in more than a century. According to producer Joe Jackson, ‘These were wonderful songs in their time, but they’re surprisingly modern, too. Sometimes it’s almost as if Max is speaking, from his London of the early 20th century, directly to us in the early 21st’. What may sound different to the Joe Jackson you know at first listen, in fact corresponds to his consistent artistic development. This record is 100% Joe Jackson. And perhaps you already guessed it: Joe Jackson and Max Champion have more in common than it appears at first glance. Formats; CD, LP.

In this collection, Piaf presents ten characteristic chansons in English. Whether in French or English her command of her art and of her audience are equally profound, and these songs present a fresh approach to Piaf’s work. Her singing of La vie en rose has already taken its place among the classic performances; this presentation is no less rewarding, and, being in English, has a slightly different atmosphere. Similarly, The Three Bells, loses no part of its drama. Indeed, all of Piaf’s performances in this collection brim over with the fervour that she brings to her singing, the controlled intensity that pervades her work

The Brazilian Singer Ed Mottais one of the greats in Jazz / Funk, not onlyin the South American Music-Scene, but world-wide.He has been one of the leading artists at the forefront in Brazil with a hugefollowing in his Home-Country and around the world With his new album "Behind The Tea Chronicles" he embarks on a new musical journey, crossing genres from Jazz to Funk, over to Soul. Having worked with many renowned musicians over the course of his career (Greg Phillinganes, Chucho Valdez, Roy Ayers and many more) he established his own style of creating music with a message. On this latest album Ed Motta is singing in English, telling stories that resonatewhich a broad audience. Recording the rhythm in Brazil, backing vocals in LA -featuring the legendary Paulette McWilliams and Phillip Ingram - strings in Prague and horns in Detroit, he worked with the best musicians he could find to find an astonishing sound, that will be recognised by the audiophile audience as top of the class. Being recorded with the highest standard, Ed Motta made sure to raise the bar once more.

CUT THE ENGINES is the third album by All Structures Align, following the critically acclaimed Details And Drawings and Distance And Departure (both released on Wrong Speed Records in 2022). All Structures Align began as a studio project reuniting brothers Tim and Adam Ineson of 90s underground rock heroes Nub. Their debut album Details And Drawings took everyone by surprise.

Rather than sounding like a tentative bedroom project, it arrived fully formed and with its own identity. It was an album of unhurried patience, of mounting tension (and eventual release) and it possessed a depth that rewarded repeated listens as irresistible hooks revealed themselves almost casually to the listener.

It also felt slightly out of time: no rush to the chorus, no gimmicks, no desire to pack out every second of space with sound. Lots of people agreed and the limited vinyl pressing sold out almost instantly. The follow-up came within the same year with the brothers recruiting drummer extraordinaire Neil Turpin (Objections, Bilge Pump, Polaris) to bring swing and pulse to their songs.

Distance And Departure was the result and widened their audience and acclaim further. So much so that the brothers decided to venture out and play live. To do so they brought in Oli Heffernan (Ivan The Tolerable, King Champion Sounds) on bass and Andrew Pollard (Polaris) on guitar and additional vocals.

If you’ve been lucky enough to see All Structures Align live over the last year, you’ll know this expanded band bring the songs to life beyond simple recitation. Those dynamic shifts in the music are now larger than life and fully multi-dimensional. Cut The Engines is the first All Structures Align release to capture the five-piece live band in the studio. Eight songs as spacious and measured as their previous work but with an increased directness and drama that seems to come from the interplay between people in a room.

Whilst never getting down to Ramones levels of brevity, the songs are compact and sharper than before, as though the addition of extra personnel has allowed their musical language to become more concise and effective. The songs still feel like rich novels condensed into short stories, but the band format has brought a confidence and ease to the telling that increases their impact. The resulting record is their most accessible yet, a slow-core indie-rock masterpiece that will intrigue and delight existing fans and newcomers alike for decades to come.

Anything Can’t Happen is the long-awaited debut album from Dorothea Paas, one of Canada’s most beloved singer-songwriters. For over a decade, Paas has played her unique, prismatic style of folk songcraft for audiences across North America, and lent her talents as a guitarist and vocalist to artists like Jennifer Castle, U.S. Girls and Badge Epoque Ensemble. The songs on this album have been through a near-infinite number of forms – Paas has played them solo and with a full band, electric and acoustic, at house shows and in sold-out venues. they manage to fit inside each context, like water taking the shape of its container.

All of this makes Anything Can’t Happen feel far more mature and complex than a debut album. It’s a statement of purpose, a next step in a decade-long process of artistic growth and evolution, and a bridge between the DIY style of Paas’s previous cassette releases and a more refined studio sensibility. Recorded in studios in Hamilton and Toronto, and mixed by Max Turnbull of Badge Epoque and U.S. Girls and Steve Chahley, these songs bring a diverse range of musical influences into conversation: inflected with the layered reverberations of Grouper, shot through with the piercing harmonies of the Roches, electrified with the searing energy of Sonic Youth. You can hear Neil Young in the grittiness of the title track’s guitar; Joni Mitchell’s Hejira in the album’s lyrics, Fairport Convention in Paas’s voice. The influence of Stevie Wonder - one of Paas’s greatest musical role models - is present too, in the album’s conceptual foundations.

Satoshi Suzuki (鈴木慧) described his musical practice perfectly on the OBI strip of his 1987 privately pressed LP - Tokyo Contemporary! consisting of 40% Jazz, 30% Soul, 20% Brazil, and 10% Kayokyoku - a musical mixture not too far off from what is now referred to as City Pop.

However, this archival compilation of Satoshi Suzuki's works presents a perspective of the City Pop sound not from affluent 1980s Japanese bubble economy-era studios and highly paid studio musicians, but from a one-person band making the most of the instruments in their home studio, inspired by musical traditions from around the world.

With notes of city pop, AOR, jazz, soul, bossa, and kayōkyoku - Satoshi Suzuki's intimately recorded pop songs are charming and full of wit, with a seasonal and poetic approach to these musical forms using only a drum machine and an array of digital synthesizers. Sounding a little like Pacific Breeze played on a Casio keyboard and drum machine, Uku Kuut soundtracking a SEGA video game, or the wonderful lo-fi works of Suzuki’s lo-fi homemade pop & jazz contemporaries Ronald Langestraat, Lewis, and Joe Tossini — though most of all, SUZUKI's works show a new and singular perspective of the bubble-era city pop of the Showa period.

Distant Travel Companion (​遠​い​旅​の​同​行​者​) introduces Suzuki's musical works to a wide audience for the first time, featuring remastered songs originally released over three privately pressed LPs from the 1980s, as well as a previously unheard CD from 1993. The original works were released in an impossibly limited edition of 100 copies each - printed and assembled on printing equipment at Suzuki’s company office and scarcely distributed, recording these songs at his home studio in his free time. The compilation's design and accompanying OBI and liner notes are a direct homage to the original releases.

Satoshi SUZUKI is a Japanese keyboardist, singer, songwriter, and music arranger. He is also an author of literature and winner of the "Shin-nihon-bungaku" (New Japanese Literature) Award. He was born in 1958 in Tokyo, Japan.

Mostly known for his work as founder, vocalist and main songwriter for The Legendary Pink Dots, Edward Ka- Spel has long forged an equally prolific career as a solo artist given to sometimes exploring similar sonic realms as his group but clearly working at such a pace the need to channel ideas and songs in this capacity must be enforced. And just as well too, because Edward Ka-Spel is one of those rare and exceptional artists whose high workrate doesn’t betray a keen sense of quality control. Long known as somebody unafraid to venture wherever he pleases, his work has for a few decades now long traversed the more outward-bound or so-called ‘fringe’ areas of electronic music, psychedelia, hypnotic rock, kosmische sounds and the avant-garde. Heartily sewn into all of this is Edward’s fantastic grasp of spinning a twilight tale or spiralling deep into the mind’s recesses to craft a song from comparatively nimble melodies and words of Kafka-esque proportions. It’s a strikingly rich blend that’s always deserved far more attention than the cult audience it thankfully at least has.'Tales from the Trenches' is the second release by Edward for Lumberton Trading Company. Following on from the abstract-flavoured ‘Permission to Leave the Temple’ 10” released at the start of 2023, this LP collects eight tracks of a personal nature mostly pinned into place by some refined electro rhythms, molten cosmic textures, plaintive strings, introspective keys and a late night hue that sways effortlessly between the beautiful, haunted and even, a couple of times, a steam-pumped and sweat-ravaged dancefloor. Limited to 500 only, 'Tales from the Trenches' delivers exactly as the title indicates. Everything may at first feel ominous or sombre in tone, but there’s also a glimmer of hope laid bare in all its sun-drenched glory poking between the cracks.

2023 Repress!

DJ Mo Reese excites crowds with his unique brand of House music. A Detroit native, his music is steeped in the tradition of his hometown and blended with his own soulful, funky style.

Influenced by such legends as Dennis Ferrer, Kevin Saunderson, Todd Terry, Derrick May, Roger Sanchez, and Terrence Parker, DJ Mo Reese has entertained around the world for over 25 years. Most recently, he performed at Tresor, in Berlin, Germany and Kitsch in Eindhoven, Netherlands. A crowd of over 100,000 was blown away as he performed his special four turntable set at the Detroit Movement Festival. He banged the box at the Cornerstone Event near Chicago before a crowd of 600+. DJ Mo Reese shined at the Winter Music Conference in Miami, and has been featured on stations WGPR, WJLB and won the Mixidome contest on WHYT. As a performer/producer, DJ Mo Reese inspires audiences with his uplifting and soulful style of House music.

After almost 25 years a new studio album of the German prog rock legend in original lineup! Agitation Free was one of the leading representatives of German experimental rock
music in the early 1970s. The Berlin band developed long, for that time unusual, free
instrumental improvisations from the end of 1967. They achieved cult status as early as
1972 with an independent mixture of improvised rock paired with electro, ethno, jazz and
trance elements.
Extensive live activities gave the band a steadily increasing level of recognition throughout
Europe. For example, the group performed in the cultural program of the Olympic Games
in Munich in the summer of 1972, toured France for two months in early 1973, performed
at the "German Rock Super Concert" in Frankfurt in May, produced the second album "2nd"
and then went on tour through France and major German cities. In 1974, the band began
to show signs of fatigue, which led to their temporary breakup at the end of the year after
a farewell concert.
Although a number of albums (with recordings from 1972 to 1974) were released after the
group's breakup and the studio album "River of Return" was released in 1999, it took
almost 35 years for the original band to reunite for concerts. In February 2007, Agitation
Free, with the original lineup from 1974, gave a series of concerts at Tokyo's "Shibuya
O'West."
In retrospect, it became clear that the experimental circle Agitation Free was one of the
important bands of the "Berlin School" and furthermore a career springboard for several
German musicians. Christopher Franke, for example, helped the band Tangerine Dream
achieve worldwide recognition. Michael Hoenig worked with Klaus Schulze and Tangerine
Dream before he became known as a film composer in Hollywood after a solo album
(among other things, the film music for the blockbuster "9 1/2 Weeks" with Kim Basinger
and Mickey Rourke). Axel Genrich moved to Guru Guru, Burghard Rausch became a
founding member of Bel Ami. Gustl Lütjens, toured with Shirley Bassey and Nena and later
found a large audience with his new age band Living Mirrors, especially in the USA. Lutz
"Lüül" Ulbrich joined Ashra, worked with ex-Velvet Underground singer Nico, produced
solo records in addition to theater music, and has enjoyed success with the 17 Hippies since
the late 1990s.
In the line-up Michael Hoenig (keyb, syn, el. perc), Burghard Rausch (dr, el. per), Lutz GrafUlbrich ((git, acc. git, bj), Gustl Lütjens (git acc. git, vocals) and Daniel Cordes (b, syn) the
new studio album "Momentum" was recorded.

After almost 25 years a new studio album of the German prog rock legend in original lineup! Agitation Free was one of the leading representatives of German experimental rock
music in the early 1970s. The Berlin band developed long, for that time unusual, free
instrumental improvisations from the end of 1967. They achieved cult status as early as
1972 with an independent mixture of improvised rock paired with electro, ethno, jazz and
trance elements.
Extensive live activities gave the band a steadily increasing level of recognition throughout
Europe. For example, the group performed in the cultural program of the Olympic Games
in Munich in the summer of 1972, toured France for two months in early 1973, performed
at the "German Rock Super Concert" in Frankfurt in May, produced the second album "2nd"
and then went on tour through France and major German cities. In 1974, the band began
to show signs of fatigue, which led to their temporary breakup at the end of the year after
a farewell concert.
Although a number of albums (with recordings from 1972 to 1974) were released after the
group's breakup and the studio album "River of Return" was released in 1999, it took
almost 35 years for the original band to reunite for concerts. In February 2007, Agitation
Free, with the original lineup from 1974, gave a series of concerts at Tokyo's "Shibuya
O'West."
In retrospect, it became clear that the experimental circle Agitation Free was one of the
important bands of the "Berlin School" and furthermore a career springboard for several
German musicians. Christopher Franke, for example, helped the band Tangerine Dream
achieve worldwide recognition. Michael Hoenig worked with Klaus Schulze and Tangerine
Dream before he became known as a film composer in Hollywood after a solo album
(among other things, the film music for the blockbuster "9 1/2 Weeks" with Kim Basinger
and Mickey Rourke). Axel Genrich moved to Guru Guru, Burghard Rausch became a
founding member of Bel Ami. Gustl Lütjens, toured with Shirley Bassey and Nena and later
found a large audience with his new age band Living Mirrors, especially in the USA. Lutz
"Lüül" Ulbrich joined Ashra, worked with ex-Velvet Underground singer Nico, produced
solo records in addition to theater music, and has enjoyed success with the 17 Hippies since
the late 1990s.
In the line-up Michael Hoenig (keyb, syn, el. perc), Burghard Rausch (dr, el. per), Lutz GrafUlbrich ((git, acc. git, bj), Gustl Lütjens (git acc. git, vocals) and Daniel Cordes (b, syn) the
new studio album "Momentum" was recorded.

»Arches« is the first collaborative album by brothers Simon and Tobias Lanz. It was written for and performed on self-built prototypes of wind instruments that were inspired by the classic pipe organ, but allowed the two composer-performers to go beyond its limitations in several ways. The music on this 40-minute long album for the Swiss Hallow Ground label was conceived and recorded by the two co-founders of the CRTTR collective and label during an artist residency in May 2022 in their home town of Bern. More than a mere document of a performance however, »Arches« combines the artists’ interest in exploring uncharted new creative and tonal ground inside of and beyond the realm of drone music with their background in visual art and design as a conceptually concise whole.

Simon and Tobias have a combined background in electronic music as well as a shared penchant for drone music. They hence designed these novel instruments in a way that allows for microtonal tuning to be able to overcome the restrictions inherent to the dominance of a twelve tone-based scale in Western music and work with a sonic palette that is much wider and nuanced than that of the conventional pipe organ. Furthermore, the physical design of these instruments widely differs from that of those which inspired them. This allows—or more precisely, forces—the musicians to freely invent and explore entirely novel playing techniques.

These factors, of course, also have an impact on the compositional process, which by design needs to be unconventional. The Lanz brothers worked with a graphic score for the four movements of the piece that forms »Arches« so as to adequately visualise the manifold tonal nuances of their instruments. This graphic score in turn was reinterpreted for the album release by Ramon Keiming, adding another dimension to it. Read from left to right, this remix of the score allows the listeners to follow an interpretation of the evolution of these dronescapes while the record plays, urging them to add their own interpretation.

This retroactive visualisation and thus spatialisation of the music is perfectly in line with its performance, which at all times factored in the acoustic affordances of the Prozess Bar in Bern. In many different ways, the Lanz brothers now invite their audience to join them there and explore the near-infinite possibilities of their curious instruments together with them. Much like Hallow Ground label mates such as Kali Malone or FUJI||||||||||TA, they are dedicated to enriching and expanding upon the musical and sonic qualities of pipe organs, but with widely different aesthetical results. To call »Arches« a unique record with an unheard-of sound is not hyperbole, but only factually correct.

2LP with poster + iron-on print, gatefold sleeve. On their 2015 self titled debut EP, Hällas lay the foundation of the saga bearing the same name as the protagonist crusader as well as the band themselves, which later grew into a trilogy composed of the two last songs on the aforementioned EP and the two following albums Excerpts from a Future Past and Conundrum. To celebrate the completion of the trilogy the band decided to do a one-off show in front of a seated audience at Cirkus, a classic venue in Stockholm. Due to worldwide restrictions the show had to be replanned and postponed several times until it finally happened on April 10th 2022. After more than two years on hiatus and with the exception of a minor festival gig the year before, this was the band's first performance during that whole period, and it was by far the longest set to date in the band's entire career. All first three releases of the band were to be performed from back to back divided into two acts. Act I consisted of Hällas and Excerpts from a Future Past while Conundrum and two songs from their newly released album Isle of Wisdom were performed in Act II. For the first time people were able to experience these new songs live. Some of the older songs such as Insomnia and Tale of a Tyrant had not been performed for several years. Strider and Blinded by the Emerald Mist had never even been played live before. So Hällas fans from all over the world attending the show were in for an unforgettable evening. With this record you get a slice of that pie in the comfort of your own living room. So please have a seat and enjoy this time capsule, as it is a very good representation of how this band sounded live back then.

2LP with poster + iron-on print, gatefold sleeve. On their 2015 self titled debut EP, Hällas lay the foundation of the saga bearing the same name as the protagonist crusader as well as the band themselves, which later grew into a trilogy composed of the two last songs on the aforementioned EP and the two following albums Excerpts from a Future Past and Conundrum. To celebrate the completion of the trilogy the band decided to do a one-off show in front of a seated audience at Cirkus, a classic venue in Stockholm. Due to worldwide restrictions the show had to be replanned and postponed several times until it finally happened on April 10th 2022. After more than two years on hiatus and with the exception of a minor festival gig the year before, this was the band's first performance during that whole period, and it was by far the longest set to date in the band's entire career. All first three releases of the band were to be performed from back to back divided into two acts. Act I consisted of Hällas and Excerpts from a Future Past while Conundrum and two songs from their newly released album Isle of Wisdom were performed in Act II. For the first time people were able to experience these new songs live. Some of the older songs such as Insomnia and Tale of a Tyrant had not been performed for several years. Strider and Blinded by the Emerald Mist had never even been played live before. So Hällas fans from all over the world attending the show were in for an unforgettable evening. With this record you get a slice of that pie in the comfort of your own living room. So please have a seat and enjoy this time capsule, as it is a very good representation of how this band sounded live back then.

Legendary international DJ, Keb Darge, fell under the spell of this music when his Japanese girlfriend forced him to go down to a ‘Rockabilly’ night back in 1989. As soon as the DJ dropped the needle on Johnny Burnette’s ‘Rockabilly Boogie’ Keb was mesmerized. He was soon hunting down the hideously rare top tunes and slipping thousands of pounds into specialist collectors like Boz Boorer’s back pocket, when the legendary guitarist was not recording or touring with Morrissey. Of course, Keb was then taking these records and introducing them to new audiences in his DJ sets worldwide.

Although it has taken an age to persuade him, Keb has now applied his perfectionist compiling skills to pick 14 killers to grace this fantastic collection. Ranging from the bopping Glen Glenn’s ‘Blue Jeans and A Boy’s Shirt’ to the almost hillbilly Jimmy Johnson’s ‘All Dressed Up’. This is a must-have compilation not only for those who have been oiling their quiffs for decades, but also those wondering what this “rockabilly” is all about. Keb drops you in at the deep end with no easy-going fillers, and you’ll be glad he did.

Keb has written the sleeve notes and with cover art by the legendary Robin Banks – this album looks as good as it sounds.

Relive all the emotion of Jane Birkin's final concert " Oh ! Pardon tu dormais... Le Live". Staging a moving performance for a last meeting with her audience Special 2 CD+DVD, featuring the full concert.Reviews and Ads – R2, Mojo and London Macadam. Formats; 2CD+DVD, 2LP.

We are delighted to share a new concept classical series which is aimed at a new audience for classical music. These titles focus on composers and their most famous pieces of all time, whilst encompassed in beautiful packaging in an expressionist style which we aim to deliver for years to come. These hand-drawn artworks will have a premium feel whilst being accessible and interesting for new younger audiences.

Lady Tazz's Mind Medizin label welcomes Marcal for an adventurous new techno two-tracker.

Brazilian-born and based, Marcal has now reached a global audience with his spellbinding techno and haunting atmospherics. His intelligently designed sounds on labels like Rekids Special Projects have found favour with everyone from Charlotte de Witte to Richie Hawtin. He has built a local scene in his hometown of Goiânia and now lands on the forward-thinking Mind Medizin label.

Opener 'Infectious' is a mind-altering and wonky techno workout. The unbalanced synths warp and wrap around each other to dynamic effect, while oversized hi-hats ramp up the pressure. The drums hit hard and it results in supple, stylish and high impact backroom techno. The equally excellent 'LambdaCore' is more dark and glitchy, with scraping hits and scuffed-up kicks. The textured sound designs really bring this track alive as ghoulish vocals and hyposonic loops take you down a late-night techno tunnel.

This is a brilliant brace of muscular and emotive techno tunes.

Work of Art is the second album from Nigerian-born singer-songwriter and global superstar, Asake. Building on the sounds from his explosive debut, Mr. Money With The Vibe (which became Billboard’s highest-charting debut album from a Nigerian artist), the 14-track Work Of Art showcases Asake’s winning formula of fusing traditional and contemporary African music into something equally unique and celebratory. The release also marked Asake’s second straight debut on the Billboard 200, and clocked in Spotify chart debuts at number 2 on the Global Albums chart and number 5 on the US Top Albums chart. With standout singles such as “Amapiano,” “2:30,” “Basquiat,” & “Sunshine,” the album highlights Asake’s innate ability to cut through to global audiences, making him one of 2023’s most intriguing artists to watch. Pressed on Green/White/Green Tri-Color Stripe Vinyl.

‘A Concrete Pasture’ by Coen Oscar Polack is the follow-up to ‘Haarlemmerhout’ (2020), an album named after a park close to his home in Haarlem in the Netherlands. ‘A Concrete Pasture’ brings Polack’s interest in exploring the larger world around him back into his music. Polack is a magician in combining field recordings from all over the world, be it a temple in Bangkok, the Dutch Wadden Islands or a the percussive Gamelan instruments, and electronic processing of these recordings. With all these ingredients he creates a vivid, nostalgic, futuristic but familiar world of sounds and emotions.

At first, the colors of the recordings seem scattered, the sounds unrelated, but there is a deeper train of thought running through the music. It is the persistent impression of a travelogue; of places, family and friends, helping Polack in co-creating his music. In ‘Cuore Nero’, nostalgic powerchords are composed into tapestries of ambient-noise, ‘Unseen Shores’ uses a recomposed recording of Polack’s children on the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog and develops into visceral, almost spiritual music, and a field recording of Wat Po in Bangkok in ‘Phra Buddhasaiyas’ becomes a luminous homage that the incorporated guitar sound burns into your skull.

While listening, it becomes evident that Polack is being reflective in auditive images and memory, giving a meaning to a music that is liberated of its formalities and charged with a poignant imagery by transformation, one that is bright and lucid and respects the process from recording until ornamentation.

The longest piece of the album ‘Kraaiennest’, starts with the recording of a Hong Kong traffic light, later to be cut up and transformed into a technoid Musique Concrète piece, with a slow progression into a warm crescendo-decrescendo themed electroacoustic piece, which takes on a life on its own. The finale is Polack on this tenor saxophone putting a stamp on the completion of his work, a performance reminiscing of the raw expressiveness of Albert Ayler.

‘A Concrete Pasture’ points to a landscape, or to a person’s current situation in life. Coen Oscar Polack did himself justice by writing an elegant, vibrant album, a tribute to his reflection of reality, his aesthetics, and with raw authenticity and skill, leaving a great space for the audience’s imagination.

Most of Gen X-ers who grew up in the mid-1980s Indonesia must have seen Soedjarwoto Soemarsono, known with his nom de guerre “Gombloh” performing on a state-run television station, playing some of his biggest hits from that era, pop gems like “Kugadaikan Cintaku (I Pawn Off My Love)”, “Setengah Gila (Half-Crazy).”

But of course, it is not fair to judge Gombloh only from these hits. Dig deeper and you will find buried treasure in his early stuff from Indra Records, and there are many of them.

His album with the band Lemon Tree’s Anno ‘69 (yes, that’s the name of the band) is all remarkable, but what he did for Chandra Records was no less spectacular. How can you go wrong with songs like “Kebyar-Kebyar”, the unofficial national anthem for Indonesia, dan “Berita Cuaca” one of the better epic songs in a catalogue full of epochal songs? These were all long out of print and in our journey to source the original master for these albums we met Bob Djumara of Nirwana Records, the Surabaya, East Java-based label which broke Gombloh into the mainstream in the mid-1980s. Almost all albums Gombloh recorded for his early labels, Indra Records and Chandra Records were critically acclaimed, but commercially they bombed, big time. Nirwana Records came up with an ingenious plan. What if they recorded Gombloh performing live and release it as is. After all, the first song in Gombloh debut record Nadia & Atmospheer is him strumming on his guitar backed by the cheering of a crowd, who could be heard going wild when he hurled that epithet “bastard” at the end of the song

The end result is a brilliant recording which despite being recorded live the sound quality so pristine leading many to doubt the claim of being live. Regardless, Nirwana shipped a decent number of units and Gombloh could buy his first car, a Katana Jeep, with money from the royalty.

One of the best things about Live Gila is its perfect sequencing, beginning with Gombloh’s social commentary on the rich’s debauched lifestyle of preying on young boys and girls, one of the most popular subjects allowed by the censoring machine of the New Order authoritarian government. The second song “Untuk Persada” is a soaring ode to the nation. For this song, Gombloh could be heard drawing his inspiration from The Police, which was undoubtedly popular in the early 1980s, even in a faraway port city like Surabaya.

Listening to this record as a whole (we omitted the last song from the original master tape “Bagimu Negeri” which sounds too jingoistic), we could not help but point to some of similarities it has with Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. Not a single composition in this record sound indigenous (the Malay-influenced rock of Panbers or Koes Plus come to mind); they all sound modern and effortlessly catchy, and had it not been for the language, this album could be mistaken for a musical output from someone growing up in Laurel Canyon or Southern France.

There are only limited copies of vinyl records in the second-hand market today available for Gombloh music, if at all. For his ardent fans, they have to scavenge for old cassettes to continue to be able to enjoy his music and have to pay top dollar for that. In Indonesia, where he was a superstar in the early 1980s, Gombloh was largely forgotten. With this project, we can only hope that the time is ripe for Gombloh to reemerge and now, more than ever, his music could speak to a bigger audience.

GER "Wir suchen nach Glitzer, nach dem hellsten Geröll und Blitzen. Wer sich heute Nacht verliert, wird sich nicht finden. Ihr sucht in uns die Perfektion der Generation Maximum.." An was noch glauben. Mit ihrem dritten Album Generation Maximum nehmen CULK den Druck von einer Generation, die den Horror der Gegenwart wie durch Magie doch noch zu etwas Positivem wandeln - und richten ihn bewusst auf diejenigen, die ihre Zukunft zerstört haben. "... Ihr sucht in uns die Revolution, bürgt uns auf, was ihr nicht leisten wollt. Wer sich heute nicht mehr wehrt, wird übrigbleiben." Generation Maximum ist sicherlich kein Album, bei dem im SUV laut mitgegrölt wird, weil der Refrain so schön in die Sonnenuntergangsstimmung passt. Niemand klatscht vor Freude über den nächsten Waldbrand die Hände zusammen. Stattdessen beobachtet Sängerin Sophie Löw ihre Umwelt durch ein Brennglas und nimmt die Zuhörer:innen mit auf eine lyrische Rückblende der letzten zwanzig Jahre, in denen sie selbst vom Kind zur Zeugin wurde. Das selbstbetitelte CULK Debut (2019) erschien beim Wiener Label Siluh Records, einer der verlässlichsten Quellen für spannende Indie-Musik in all seinen Facetten. Vom Spiegel-Magazin gab es dazu das Attribut "Suchtsound". Mit ihrem zweiten Album "Zerstreuen über Euch" (2020) schuf die Gruppe ein famoses Konzept-Album. Es wurde von vielen Seiten als eine Kampfansage an tiefverwurzelte patriarchale Strukturen gedeutet und schaffte es u.a. in die TOP 5 der Jahresbestenliste des Spiegel-Magazins. Mit "Generation Maximum" übernimmt Jakob Herber die Rolle des Bassisten von Gründungsmitglied Benjamin Steiger. Herber ist von Anfang an ein wichtiger Wegbegleiter im engen Zirkelder Band, Sängerin/Gitarristin Sophie Löw hat im August 2022 als SOPHIA BLENDA ihr Solo-Debüt-Album "Die neue Heiterkeit" veröffentlicht. "Die neue Heiterkeit" ist eines der stärksten deutschsprachigen Pop-Statements der jüngeren Zeit" - Spiegel. Für ihr neues und nun drittes Album "Generation Maximum" hat sich die Band mit dem Produzenten Wolfgang Lehmann, vormals Wolfgang Möstl, zusammengetan, der unter anderem für seine Arbeit mit Voodoo Jürgens, Clara Luzia, Jungstötter, Dives uvm. bekannt ist. Und bringen es musikalisch nach draußen zu den Menschen, die vor lauter Existenzkämpfen fast vergessen hätten, die Revolution zu starten ("Generation Maximum"). Kein Ausbaden. Generation Maximum ist ein progressiv lauter werdendes "Nein" zur auferlegten Bürde, ein Appell an mehr Verletzlichkeit ("Eisenkleid") "Jede Rüstung erzählt von Verletzlichkeit. Stärke zeigt, wer Narben teilt." und weniger Elend im Privaten wie im Öffentlichen. Letztlich aber auch eine Suche nach einer neuen "Ode an die Freude" und Mut um uns. "Wir erheben Stimmen, auf dass sie für immer klingen. Wo sollen wir heute Zukunft finden?" Wer genau hinhört, findet sie: Lieder über unausgesprochene Träume, die durch epische Gitarrenklänge und Löws entrückten Gesang näher wirken, als sie eigentlich sind. LP klassisch schwarzes Vinyl.


With their third album Generation Maximum, CULK take the pressure off a generation that magically transforms the horror of the present into something positive after all - and deliberately direct it at those who have destroyed their future."... Ihr sucht in uns die Revolution, bürgt uns auf, was ihr nicht leisten wollt. Wer sich heute nicht mehr wehrt, wird übrig bleiben." Generation Maximum is certainly not an album to be bawled along to loudly in the SUV because the chorus fits so nicely into the sunset mood. No one claps their hands together in joy over the next forest fire. Instead, singer Sophie Löw observes her environment through a burning glass and takes the listeners on a lyrical flashback of the last twenty years, during which she herself went from child to witness. The self-titled CULK debut album (2019) was released on the Viennese label Siluh Records, one of the most reliable sources for exciting indie music in all its facets. Spiegel magazine gave it the attribute "addictive sound". With their second album "Zerstreuen über Euch" (2020), the group created a fabulous concept album. It was often viewed as a declaration of war against deeply rooted patriarchal structures and made it to the TOP 5 of the Spiegel magazine's best of the year list and gained the band a following in various scenes and audiences. With "Generation Maximum", Jakob Herber takes over the role of bass player from founding member Benjamin Steiger. Herber has been an important companion from the beginning. Singer/guitarist Sophie Löw released her solo debut album "Die neue Heiterkeit" as SOPHIA BLENDA in August 2022. "Die neue Heiterkeit" is one of the strongest German-language pop statements of recent times" - Spiegel. For their new and now third album "Generation Maximum", the band teamed up with producer Wolfgang Lehmann, formerly Wolfgang Möstl, who is known for his work with Voodoo Jürgens, Clara Luzia, Jungstötter, Dives and many more. And they take it musically outside to the people who almost forgot to start the revolution because of all the struggles for existence ("Generation Maximum"). No payback Generation Maximum is a progressively louder "no" to the burden imposed, an appeal for more vulnerability ("Eisenkleid") "Every armour tells of vulnerability. Strength shows who shares scars" and less misery in private as well as in public. But ultimately also a search for a new "Ode an die Freude" and courage around us. "Wir erheben Stimmen, auf dass sie für immer klingen. Wo sollen wir heute Zukunft finden?" Wer genau hinhört, findet sie: Lieder über unausgesprochene Träume, die durch epische Gitarrenklänge und Löws entrückten Gesang näher wirken, als sie eigentlich sind. RIYL Nu Wave, Independent, Shoegaze

GER "Wir suchen nach Glitzer, nach dem hellsten Geröll und Blitzen. Wer sich heute Nacht verliert, wird sich nicht finden. Ihr sucht in uns die Perfektion der Generation Maximum.." An was noch glauben. Mit ihrem dritten Album Generation Maximum nehmen CULK den Druck von einer Generation, die den Horror der Gegenwart wie durch Magie doch noch zu etwas Positivem wandeln - und richten ihn bewusst auf diejenigen, die ihre Zukunft zerstört haben. "... Ihr sucht in uns die Revolution, bürgt uns auf, was ihr nicht leisten wollt. Wer sich heute nicht mehr wehrt, wird übrigbleiben." Generation Maximum ist sicherlich kein Album, bei dem im SUV laut mitgegrölt wird, weil der Refrain so schön in die Sonnenuntergangsstimmung passt. Niemand klatscht vor Freude über den nächsten Waldbrand die Hände zusammen. Stattdessen beobachtet Sängerin Sophie Löw ihre Umwelt durch ein Brennglas und nimmt die Zuhörer:innen mit auf eine lyrische Rückblende der letzten zwanzig Jahre, in denen sie selbst vom Kind zur Zeugin wurde. Das selbstbetitelte CULK Debut (2019) erschien beim Wiener Label Siluh Records, einer der verlässlichsten Quellen für spannende Indie-Musik in all seinen Facetten. Vom Spiegel-Magazin gab es dazu das Attribut "Suchtsound". Mit ihrem zweiten Album "Zerstreuen über Euch" (2020) schuf die Gruppe ein famoses Konzept-Album. Es wurde von vielen Seiten als eine Kampfansage an tiefverwurzelte patriarchale Strukturen gedeutet und schaffte es u.a. in die TOP 5 der Jahresbestenliste des Spiegel-Magazins. Mit "Generation Maximum" übernimmt Jakob Herber die Rolle des Bassisten von Gründungsmitglied Benjamin Steiger. Herber ist von Anfang an ein wichtiger Wegbegleiter im engen Zirkelder Band, Sängerin/Gitarristin Sophie Löw hat im August 2022 als SOPHIA BLENDA ihr Solo-Debüt-Album "Die neue Heiterkeit" veröffentlicht. "Die neue Heiterkeit" ist eines der stärksten deutschsprachigen Pop-Statements der jüngeren Zeit" - Spiegel. Für ihr neues und nun drittes Album "Generation Maximum" hat sich die Band mit dem Produzenten Wolfgang Lehmann, vormals Wolfgang Möstl, zusammengetan, der unter anderem für seine Arbeit mit Voodoo Jürgens, Clara Luzia, Jungstötter, Dives uvm. bekannt ist. Und bringen es musikalisch nach draußen zu den Menschen, die vor lauter Existenzkämpfen fast vergessen hätten, die Revolution zu starten ("Generation Maximum"). Kein Ausbaden. Generation Maximum ist ein progressiv lauter werdendes "Nein" zur auferlegten Bürde, ein Appell an mehr Verletzlichkeit ("Eisenkleid") "Jede Rüstung erzählt von Verletzlichkeit. Stärke zeigt, wer Narben teilt." und weniger Elend im Privaten wie im Öffentlichen. Letztlich aber auch eine Suche nach einer neuen "Ode an die Freude" und Mut um uns. "Wir erheben Stimmen, auf dass sie für immer klingen. Wo sollen wir heute Zukunft finden?" Wer genau hinhört, findet sie: Lieder über unausgesprochene Träume, die durch epische Gitarrenklänge und Löws entrückten Gesang näher wirken, als sie eigentlich sind. LP klassisch schwarzes Vinyl.


With their third album Generation Maximum, CULK take the pressure off a generation that magically transforms the horror of the present into something positive after all - and deliberately direct it at those who have destroyed their future."... Ihr sucht in uns die Revolution, bürgt uns auf, was ihr nicht leisten wollt. Wer sich heute nicht mehr wehrt, wird übrig bleiben." Generation Maximum is certainly not an album to be bawled along to loudly in the SUV because the chorus fits so nicely into the sunset mood. No one claps their hands together in joy over the next forest fire. Instead, singer Sophie Löw observes her environment through a burning glass and takes the listeners on a lyrical flashback of the last twenty years, during which she herself went from child to witness. The self-titled CULK debut album (2019) was released on the Viennese label Siluh Records, one of the most reliable sources for exciting indie music in all its facets. Spiegel magazine gave it the attribute "addictive sound". With their second album "Zerstreuen über Euch" (2020), the group created a fabulous concept album. It was often viewed as a declaration of war against deeply rooted patriarchal structures and made it to the TOP 5 of the Spiegel magazine's best of the year list and gained the band a following in various scenes and audiences. With "Generation Maximum", Jakob Herber takes over the role of bass player from founding member Benjamin Steiger. Herber has been an important companion from the beginning. Singer/guitarist Sophie Löw released her solo debut album "Die neue Heiterkeit" as SOPHIA BLENDA in August 2022. "Die neue Heiterkeit" is one of the strongest German-language pop statements of recent times" - Spiegel. For their new and now third album "Generation Maximum", the band teamed up with producer Wolfgang Lehmann, formerly Wolfgang Möstl, who is known for his work with Voodoo Jürgens, Clara Luzia, Jungstötter, Dives and many more. And they take it musically outside to the people who almost forgot to start the revolution because of all the struggles for existence ("Generation Maximum"). No payback Generation Maximum is a progressively louder "no" to the burden imposed, an appeal for more vulnerability ("Eisenkleid") "Every armour tells of vulnerability. Strength shows who shares scars" and less misery in private as well as in public. But ultimately also a search for a new "Ode an die Freude" and courage around us. "Wir erheben Stimmen, auf dass sie für immer klingen. Wo sollen wir heute Zukunft finden?" Wer genau hinhört, findet sie: Lieder über unausgesprochene Träume, die durch epische Gitarrenklänge und Löws entrückten Gesang näher wirken, als sie eigentlich sind. RIYL Nu Wave, Independent, Shoegaze

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Major Arcana, Speedy Ortiz will release a remastered edition, on Carpark Records.

On their debut full-length, Western Massachusetts' Speedy Ortiz manages a bit of magic by conjuring the spirits of classic American indie rock, while twisting those ghosts into new shapes. It's easy to hear the influences of Helium, Jawbox, and Chavez on this album, as well as nods to their contemporaries including Grass is Green, Pile, and Roomrunner. Sweet vocal harmonies run up against gnarly distortion, aided by basic, chunky bass parts and heavy, fill-laden drums.

The album was recorded in a few days in November at Justin Pizzoferrato's (Dinosaur Jr., Chelsea Light Moving) studio, Sonelab, a huge space in an old factory in Easthampton, Mass. The sessions went from very early in the day until very late at night, with the band taking its time to experiment. Pizzoferrato's collection of old distortion pedals were utilized on both the record's guitars and vocals.

The theme of the occult and the supernatural runs deep through Major Arcana, inspired by singer-guitarist Sadie Dupuis' reading on black magic. Dupuis' sometimes knotty and abstract lyrics bring to mind fellow wordsmith Stephen Malkmus, while referencing horror film tropes, chemistry, and neuroscience. Major Arcana's literal translation is 'major mysteries,' a phrase from tarot cards. 'I don't write in a narrative way and am more concerned with use of language than meaning,' Dupuis says, 'so I like the open-endedness of the title and the way it invites interpretation.'

After too much time freelance writing and watching re-runs in a windowless Brooklyn basement, guitarist and songwriter Sadie Dupuis left New York City for the wilds of Northampton, MA in order to pursue a master's degree in poetry. In doing so, she began Speedy Ortiz, a self-recorded lo-fi project named after a minor character from the Love and Rockets comic series. Speedy Ortiz soon became something else entirely as bassist Darl Ferm, guitarist Matt Robidoux, and drummer Mike Falcone teamed up to form a full band, balancing abrasive noise with infectious earworms. The newly minted Speedy Ortiz quickly found an audience in the Boston DIY scene, playing frequently with their friends Pile, Grass is Green, Fat History Month, Sneeze, Krill, and Arvid Noe.

Almost immediately, the band recorded a two-song single, 'Taylor Swift' and 'Swim Fan,' with Paul Q. Kolderie (Pixies, Hole) and Justin Pizzoferrato (Chelsea Light Moving, Dinosaur Jr.), and self-released it in March of 2012. Shortly thereafter they spent a few weekends at the dingy yet atmospheric Sex Dungeon Studios in Philadelphia recording the Sports EP, a five-track, loosely conceptual 10' released that June on Exploding in Sound Records.

The creation of Major Arcana, their full-length debut, marks the evolution of Speedy Ortiz into a wholly collaborative effort. Darl leans toward basic, chunky parts, while Mike, a talented songwriter in his own right, helped arrange while also providing aggressive, boisterous drums. And Matt is a classically trained guitarist, but his experience in noise and experimental music comes through in his anti-melodic guitar solos, which counterbalance Sadie's angular, scalar guitar riffs and poppy vocals.

The end result is a band able to distill their influences and creative impulses into something at once dissonant and melodic, noisy yet undeniably pop.

Len Faki recently put out his mammoth LP Fusion, but his new moniker Hardspace finds him harking back to his signature style of specifically editing tracks for his personal club usage.
Working on the album may have helped open him up creatively, but this new project has him investing countless hours and a lot of passion into building the most efficient club tracks imaginable.

Long-time fans of Faki know that he's always edited all of his sets' tracks to uniquely suit his personal mixing style, making his sets sound as tight and cohesive in a way that stands out from the rest. Decades of experience as a producer and DJ for the dancefloor have gone into these edits, re-arranging and re-mixing sometimes forgotten tracks for a new audience. Incorporating his singular understanding of frequencies and floor dynamics, Hardspace is meant to express this side of his musical personality, while Len Faki will continue to explore a more varied approach to producing.

Swapping a lot of weekends away busily touring for much more studio time, the result marks both a technical and also personal achievement for Faki. Improved production skills, tears and emotions all have been poured into Hardspace, which will see a slew of releases in the forthcoming months.

The first volume includes a total of six reworks, both previously unreleased tools of colleague Viers or Helena Hauff's modern acid chug, as well as some 90's classics from Perry & Rhodan, Resist 101 and Ectomorph. All of these tunes have been meticulously pieced together to keep the originals' flavor and ideas, but infuse them with the undeniable power and presence that all Faki produtions have come to hold.

Stacey Kent is a classic jazz singer with a legion of fans, international honors and awards, sales in the
millions, and chart-topping albums spanning a 25 year career. As the title suggests, 1998’s Let
Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire, is a tribute to one of Kent’s heroes. The album features songs
from The Great American Songbook made famous by Astaire on film. Like Astaire, Kent seamlessly
and easily takes the audience along with her, creating an elegant intimacy in her performances.
Thanks to the tight arrangements, effortlessly executed by Kent's skilled section, the recording exudes
a remarkable sense of musical cohesion and sophistication. Kent's interpretation of the songs is
marked by her understanding of the lyrics, conveying their emotional depth and subtle nuances.
Produced by Kent’s long time companion and collaborator Jim Tomlinson and recorded at Curtis
Schwartz Studios, England, the album has been remastered and is available on vinyl for the first time
in over a decade as a 2xLP set. Remastered by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering. Vinyl cut by
Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl

- Includes songs from Mackjunt., Tommy Martini, YungGrunge, and Professor Creepshow.
-This is the fourth album of Jazz Playaz.
-Similar artists are Mackjunt., Dam Funk, Knxwledge, ohbliv, DJ Harrison, DJ Screw, J Dilla.
-Limited edition of 250 solid baby blue colored vinyl.
This album presents a fresh perspective on the current state of modern and contemporary jazz music, thanks to the innovative contributions of the quartet. Their unique blend of styles seamlessly merges the smooth, dreamy sounds of vaporwave with the bold, rhythmic beats of hip-hop, creating a truly captivating listening experience. The result is a dynamic fusion of genres that pushes the boundaries of traditional jazz and appeals to a wider audience. The quartet's masterful musicianship and fearless experimentation make this album a must-listen for anyone interested in exploring the ever-evolving world of contemporary jazz.
STARRING: Mackjunt., Tommy Martini, YungGrunge, Professor Creepshow.

After her album with producer High John on MPM in 2019 and collaborations with agajon, Àbáse, KUOKO, Cap Kendricks and Move 78, soul singer douniah returns with her debut solo project!

douniah imparts her debut solo project "A Lot, Not Too Much" to an unexpecting audience. Thoughtfully, the singer-songwriter invites us to embark on our own saviour. The collection of songs is steeped in artistic and emotional integrity. Production was ledand executed by Dhanya Langer, one half of band project Modha, and producer of JujuRogers' 2019 album "40 Acres N Sum Mula". Written amid the pandemic, this piece is aneffort of immense proportions - experimenting with her sound in time, wading through spirals of arduous personal challenges. 'A first impression of how my journey sounds.'Agadir-born and Hamburg-raised, douniah engages in the practice of interpreting herspirit, impressively, in German, Darija and English. We find here, a body of work that threads together the tenets of free-form poetry and romanticism, backdropped by neo-experimental jazz tendencies. In euphony, a worldly array of instruments act insymbiosis to carry us through "A Lot, Not Too Much". douniah's voice is one to fall into; her message is enunciated with every word, delivered delicately with an inventory ofriffs and ranged tone. The utilisation of choppy, note-like, freestyles bridges the EP's strong singles, into a rhapsodic whole.

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Wish” is an all-new musical-comedy welcoming audiences to the magical kingdom of Rosas, where Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force—a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. Featuring original songs by Grammy®-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and Gramm winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice.

First heard by global audiences on Sahel Sounds' Music from Saharan WhatsApp series, Malian guitar hero Bounaly (the stage name of Ali "Bounaly" Traore) makes his full-length debut with "Dimanche à Bamako" ("Sunday in Bamako"). Recorded live on location, the music on "Dimanche à Bamako" is a mix of regional favorites, traditional standards, and originals. Long songs with looping rhythms, pounding kick, and electric shredding guitar, punctuated by shout outs to the guests of honor. A raw and frenetic take on Northern Mali desert sound, playing for the diaspora at a Bamako wedding.

Born in Roma in 1959, Guiseppe “Peps” Cotumaccio arrived in South Africa when he was two years old. He was the mastermind behind the band “Sweet Reaction”, singing and playing keyboards.

In the early 80’s, the group used to back various artists including one of the South African top singer “Neville Nash”. Both artists were on the same record label: Music Team. Throughout his lengthy career, Peps has collaborated with Johnny Clegg, Ronnie Joyce, Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse, P.J. Powers, Mark Alex, Neville Nash, and Mara Louw just to name a few.

The lead singer of the band, Dion Williamson, started performing in Johannesburg’s nightclubs and got quickly very successful, always in demand! People loved his gravel and sensual voice as he used to sing some of Joe Cocker’s popular songs. Unfortunately, during the Apartheid, the South African Government were not allowing black and white audiences, and the band split.

On this BIG5 Boogie#2, Enoch Ndlela produced 2 Modern Soul killer tracks.
Recorded in 1981, "Take it easy", where the music is evidently influenced by Willie Hutch (Easy does it - 1978) offers Dion a way to fully explain himself doing his own version of the tune. And what an explosive result!

On the same side of this 12”, our 2 Frenchies in Cape Town aka Simbad & Fred Spider enjoyed delivering us a fat broken beat version of the track, while the very “En Vogue” Aroop Roy from London turned it into a funky house summer hit.
Side B starts with a superb composition from the band: “African Sunrise” where Dion Williamson is on top, this tune is a bomb!
To finish this E.P, the well-known Kid Fonque from Johannesburg, who freshly moved to London working for the glorious house record label Defected, couldn’t wait to produce a super groove deep house refix. The result is a second essential dancefloor release from Voom Voom Records!

Boy bands and girl groups were a huge factor in 90’s and 00’s pop culture. From the Backstreet Boys and Take That to the Spice Girls, Sugababes and many more great pop-bands, they sparked mass hysteria among their young fanbase. Being one of the first bands in the late 80’s, New Kids On The Block kicked off the hype, although in the 60’s bands like Jackson 5 and The Supremes had been around for quite some time.

The pop genre sparked a whole new breed of both boys and girl bands, with #1 hits all around, fueled by the sing-a-long lyrics, catchy videos on MTV, magazines and tours targeting a young audience around the world. Girlz ‘n Boyz Collected represents the legendary 90’s and 00’s girl- and boy bands including Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Sugababes, Take That, Atomic Kitten, New Kids On The Block and many more acts.

The 2LP Girlz ‘n Boyz Collected is available as a limited edition on blue
(LP1) and pink (LP2) coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

What are the differences and similarities between human and artificial sound, between oscillations generated by vocal cords and synthesizer voices, voltage amplified by speakers? On Silencio, his latest album for Tresor Records, Moritz von Oswald works with a 16-voice choir to explore this concept.
Drawing from the ensemble works of long-standing inspirations Edgard Varèse, György Ligeti and Iannis Xenakis, von Oswald and Vocalconsort Berlin delve into the space between sounds, creating a deeply textured collection that shifts between light & ethereal and
dark & dissonant.
As masterfully demonstrated in the early work of von Oswald and Mark Ernestus’ influential Basic Channel project, repetition and reduction are key elements here, much in the tradition of techno and minimalism. The vast dynamism of the human voice adds to the
profound weight of electronics while offering up a rhythmic source and sonic noise palette unexplored in von Oswald’s repertoire. In Silencio, von Oswald dredges a dank murk, pulling clouds over a distant pulse. It hangs, ready to take on new forms.
The compositions were written in von Oswald’s Berlin studio on classic synthesizers, such as the EMS VCS3 & AKS, Prophet V, Oberheim 4-Voice and the Moog Model 15. These abstract recordings were transcribed to sheet music for choir by Berlin-based Finnish composer and pianist, Jarkko Riihimäki and performed by Vocalconsort Berlin in Ölberg church in the city’s Kreuzberg district, only few metres down the road from where Dubplates & Mastering and Hard Wax opened their doors for music enthusiasts for many years so long. The recordings of the choral versions were then incorporated into the synthesized parts of the album and brought into anew electronic context; in Silencio, the focus is not on using one means to imitate the other, but to sonically discuss the tensions and harmonies between the two worlds and create a dialogue between them.
The relationship between von Oswald and Tresor Records goes back thirty years, all the way to Blake Baxter’s Dream Sequence in 1991 - which von Oswald engineered alongside Thomas Fehlmann. The collaboration with Fehlmann lived on, seeing the duo team up as 3MB with Eddie Fowlkes or Juan Atkins. More recently, the Detroit-Berlin connection continued as Juan Atkins & Moritz von Oswald present Borderland.
For von Oswald, Tresor Records and also the participating guest musicians of the choir, this release brings together audiences from other musical areas, cross-pollinating; Silencio is an album that stands for itself beyond the musical genre boundaries.

Morikawa Seiichirou, vocals, bass
Yamagiwa Hideki, electric & classical guitar
Takahashi Ikuro, drums & percussion

je prie pour que la goutte ne tombe pas
(I pray that the drop does not fall) is the first international release by Japanese trio Chi To Shizuku. While they have released five albums and a 7” in Japan, their spectral, haunted rock songs haven’t yet reached a much wider audience overseas. With this album, then, a live recording taken at Koenji HIGH, Suginami, Tokyo on 23rd November 2021, the unique, quartz-like character of Chi To Shizuku’s music is writ large, the bleak bliss of their songs carved onto twelve-inch vinyl.
Perhaps the best-known member of Chi To Shizuku, at least for audiences with an ear turned to Japanese psychedelia, is drummer Takahashi Ikuro, known for his membership of almost every group worth a damn from that scene – Fushitsusha, Nagisa Ni Te, Ché-SHIZU, Kousokuya, High Rise, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, LSD March, the list goes on. But the core of Chi To Shizuku’s music is the collaboration between vocalist, bassist and lyricist Morikawa Seiichirou, and guitarist and arranger Yamagiwa Hideki. Morikawa is a member of long-running punk/goth group Z.O.A., and has also played with YBO , Zzzoo, and as collaborator with Takeshi and Atsuo of Boris in A/N; he’s also recently been performing with Mitsuru Tabata. Yamagiwa’s history takes in stints with Katsurei and Cock C’ Nell, and he also recently guested with la scene 裸身.

All this contextual information does relatively little, though, to prepare you for the unique vibration of Chi To Shizuku’s lustrous songs. They shimmer in the same half-light, perhaps, as Shizuka and the quieter moments of LSD March, sharing a similar poise and classicism, and there’s a tenderness and wracked poetry to Morikawa’s voice that reminds of the emotional intensities both of traditional Japanese folk, and of British folk music: on “Musuu No Nemuri No Naka De Kumo Wo Tukamu”, the combination of his singing, backed with gorgeously plangent guitar, reminds of no-one so much as it does The Pentangle or Spriguns Of Tolgus. Chi To Shizuku’s love for the ballad as form gifts their music an archaic, sometimes arcane resonance, and from what you can hear on this album, it’s clear they’re in love with graceful melancholy.

But this is not a folk album, by any means; it just shivers with the same eternal spirit. There are also hints of prog rock, and you can catch some passages of scratchy, distended free rock, on the extended spirit invocation of “Nanhito Hanhito”. je prie pour que la goutte ne tombe pas is an extraordinary album, a melancholy surprise, that reminds dedicated listeners of the seemingly bottomless well of great music to be found via the Japanese underground in its many forms. Perhaps Michel Henritzi says it best, though, in his liner notes, when he writes, “Chi To Shizuku’s music reminds us that our life is a dream that lasts only a season, and that oblivion will follow.”

Recorded at Koenji High Suginami, Tokyo, 23 November 2021
Mix & Mastering: Taku Unami, photography : Noriko Akiyama
Liner notes by Jon Dale Printed by Alan Sherry

Famous Last Words is a fully realised expansion of the dystopian futurism that has captivated audiences since CASISDEAD first announced himself in 2013. Over the past decade, he"s dipped in and out of the shadows, blessing fans with cult hits while maintaining his anonymity, shunning media attention and donning various masks; a rejection of the spotlight that"s helped to create folklore around a rapper who"s widely regarded as one of the UK"s most inventive lyricists. Famous Last Words is as much a sci-fi film as it is a rap record, a labyrinth of vice, crime and faded glamour. The listener steps through a portal into a realm narrated by CASISDEAD, whose command of storytelling drops you right into the underground of a city where he is the main character in a shady network of gangsters, girls and drug deals. However, Famous Last Words isn"t a story of bravado or posturing; much of the album deals in themes of loss, regret and paranoia, a persona constantly self-reflecting amongst the madness that surrounds him. The album features a carefully and idiosyncratically curated roll call of collaborators including Pet Shop Boys" Neil Tennant, Connie Constance, Kamio and Desire. The vocalists are immersed in CASISDEAD"s hallmark 80"s-inspired synthpop soundscapes, aided and abetted by a production cast that includes Stranger Things composer Kyle Dixon and producer, composer and Italians Do It Better label founder Johnny Jewel. Meanwhile, actors Ed Skrein and Emma Rigby"s narrative weaves through the record, amplifying the widescreen, cinematic experience.

A hidden gem of Uruguayan music, Los Terapeutas's second album, released in 1990, is an original take on candombe and its hypnotic groove, blending pop songcraft with expansive soundscapes, never losing their rhythmic pulse. Los Terapeutas is a band of songs, where new wave, candombe beat, funk and rock were mixed in a unique way, with a strange frontman who had traces of Eduardo Mateo, Damo Suzuki, Frank Zappa and David Byrne. "Candombe del no sé quien soy" is related to what the group did live at that time: looking for a state of hypnotic hanging with their songs. The playing of the candombe drums was obviously an inspiration to look for that trance state, as was the music of Mateo and that of Opa, but influences can also be traced from the rhythmic experiments of German band Can of the 70s. The album was released in the late 1990s, a complicated time for Uruguayan music. The album was released on vinyl, a format that was losing weight compared to the CD. They would not release an album together again until 1997. In the 2000s, Los Terapeutas slowly expanded their audience, while also leaning towards a more electric sound. The new generation of Uruguayan musicians recognized the pioneering work of the band and Alberto Wolf was seen as a kind of godfather by several of the rock groups that were beginning to become massive.

The band’s true skill, though, lies in how their instruments interlock, the structuring of movements that grow songs from rotted dirges to triumphant war cries, rhythmic tension building until a riff explodes it into something unexpected and completely satisfying. Notably, the band welcomes Andre Sanabria to take over vocal duties, “Andre has been a musical force in all his previous bands. His vocal intensity is compelling,” Howell says. Sanabria screams like he’s trying to tear the songs apart, though he manages to find moments of almost zen-like contemplation. It’s a deft and mesmerising performance, aided by his deeply thoughtful lyrics about, as Howell says, the steady dismembering of the things that bind us.Whilst the album is a depiction of people losing connection with each other, the shows that the band put on see their audiences coming together in catharsis and fighting back against this separation. In this case, hope inspires action - a knock-on effect of community through art.

Blue Cloud Vinyl. Hailing from Bozeman, MT, Kitchen Dwellers embody the spirit and soul of their home with a sonic palette as expansive as Montana's vistas. The quartet_Shawn Swain Mandolin, Torrin Daniels banjo, Joe Funk [upright bass], and Max Davies [acoustic guitar]_twist bluegrass, folk, and rock through a kaleidoscope of homegrown stories, rich mythology, American west wanderlust, and psychedelic hues. After amassing 5 million-plus streams, selling out shows, and receiving acclaim from Huffington Post, Relix, American Songwriter, and more, the group brings audiences back to Big Sky Country on their third full-length album, Wise River, working with Cory Wong of Vulfpeck as producer.In the end, Kitchen Dwellers share timeless American stories from the heart of one of its greatest treasures."When you listen to Wise River, I hope you hear some of the original qualities that made us who we are, but you also recognize aspects that are new and adventurous," Max leaves off. "I hope you hear what it sounds like when the four of us are at home and have the space to create something together. This album is really how we sound as a band."

*LTD BLUE VINYL* Having cut her teeth as part of dream pop band Snakadaktal then as half of Two People, Melbourne’s Phoebe Go solo break out has seen her discover her own voice and potential, a process that has been both daunting and liberating for her. Her self-released debut, the Player EP, opened the world to Phoebe’s vulnerable, sincere and gut-wrenchingly honest songwriting; posing questions about her career, relationships and existence, yet still emerging with heartfelt hope for the future. A word-of-mouth success when released late last year, the likes of NME, Notion, Wonderland, triple j Unearthed, Double J and Under The Radar have already sung her praises. Having just wowed audiences at The Great Escape, her Player EP is finally getting the vinyl release outside Australia it deserves, being released by tastemaker label Dalliance Recordings (Gia Margaret, HighSchool, Francis of Delirium, lilo). Formats Available: Limited edition (300) 12” Blue Vinyl with a lyric sheet and an exclusive track ('To Love Me Now’).

The tracks on this album may arouse a number of emotions; they were not sung purely for the pleasure of making music, but to convey, with drama and joy, that life is stronger than ever and continues with a live Spirit... Recorded in New York after 9/11 in front of a small audience, Espíritu Vivo marries Susana Baca"s wonderful vocals and Peruvian backing band with the downtown sounds of John Medeski and guitarist Marc Ribot-for a recording that transcends time and place, with Baca giving every iota of herself to the music. This is the 20th anniversary edition, on vinyl for the very first time.

Jacques Renault draws inspiration from the rich heritage of Latin Underground music, Renault embraces the vibrant rhythms, soulful melodies, and irresistible beats to create a captivating soundscape that bridges the gap between eras. He weaves together a collection of handpicked Latin Underground Classics, each chosen for its historical significance and cultural impact. With great respect for the original compositions, Renault breathes new life into these hidden gems, preserving their authenticity while crafting alluring edits that speak to contemporary audience

Rising indie artist BROCKHOFF. Her sound combines the 90s influences blossoming in the American pop scene with contemporary themes – performed by her predominantly female band.

The rocking sound of BROCKHOFF can do both: appealing a young indie audience identifying with US artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy or beabadoobee, as well as cross-generational followers of artists like Fleetwood Mac, Sheryl Crow or The Cardigans.

Worthy re-issue of Robert Cotter's second late 70's soul album! Comprising five songs, with four of them being quite lengthy and well-structured for the dance floor, was entirely recorded in the United States by top-notch American musicians. "Timeless", a fresh and lively expression of late 70s soul music, was recorded at the Sundragon Studio in New York. This studio was home to legendary bands such as Talking Heads and Ramones, as well as a few 'disco studio groups' like Andrea True Connection, Tony Valor Sound Orchestra, and Camouflage, who recorded songs that later became considerable hits. For this reason, it's believed that the positive outcome of the album can be partially attributed to Ned Liben, an eclectic New York musician and co-founder of the studio in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, served as an exhaustive interlocutor for any artistic and technical needs. He was also the arranger of "Rock Me With Your Love", the most significant song on the album. Ned's successful mission was to capture the maximum timbral fidelity of Robert Cotter's voice using appropriate recording techniques, assisted by Michael George Ewing, a talented engineer who had previously worked on similar projects with well-known artists like Carol Williams, Maryann Farra & Satin Soul, Touch and Tony Valor. In fact, the piece features original and melodious lines, coupled with an excellent steady rhythm, spanning approximately 8 minutes and 30 seconds - in short, "a delightful sound for every beat." This ensured that the performance of the young singer-songwriter from New Jersey was faithfully reproduced without neglecting the overall musical landscape. The other four songs, arranged by Ben Lazzaroni with the same musicians as the first piece, are no exception. Best Record also delivered on the promise to Robert's older brother, Karl Potter, a powerful percussionist transplanted to Rome, for whom the roman label produced "Sweet & Salty Cha-Cha-Cha" (12", 1986). Robert Cotter, an artist about whom almost nothing has been written, is poised to gain recognition once word spreads about his album, which has been entirely remastered by Dom Scuteri and features a more congenial tracklist. This album is destined to be truly 'timeless', ready to captivate audiences around the world. Even the new cover artwork, created by Nerina Fernandez, pays homage to an artist who, despite expressing himself with elegance and simplicity, radiates energy and exudes love. "Timeless" is an inevitable revelation for anyone who missed it at the time, and for the next 40-plus years, it will remain an absolute must-listen for Robert Cotter's many fans, leaving them all in awe. In addition to the reissue on the classic glossy black vinyl, a strictly limited edition on red vinyl will be released exclusively by Clone Distribution.

Worthy re-issue of Robert Cotter's second late 70's soul album! Comprising five songs, with four of them being quite lengthy and well-structured for the dance floor, was entirely recorded in the United States by top-notch American musicians. "Timeless", a fresh and lively expression of late 70s soul music, was recorded at the Sundragon Studio in New York. This studio was home to legendary bands such as Talking Heads and Ramones, as well as a few 'disco studio groups' like Andrea True Connection, Tony Valor Sound Orchestra, and Camouflage, who recorded songs that later became considerable hits. For this reason, it's believed that the positive outcome of the album can be partially attributed to Ned Liben, an eclectic New York musician and co-founder of the studio in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, served as an exhaustive interlocutor for any artistic and technical needs. He was also the arranger of "Rock Me With Your Love", the most significant song on the album. Ned's successful mission was to capture the maximum timbral fidelity of Robert Cotter's voice using appropriate recording techniques, assisted by Michael George Ewing, a talented engineer who had previously worked on similar projects with well-known artists like Carol Williams, Maryann Farra & Satin Soul, Touch and Tony Valor. In fact, the piece features original and melodious lines, coupled with an excellent steady rhythm, spanning approximately 8 minutes and 30 seconds - in short, "a delightful sound for every beat." This ensured that the performance of the young singer-songwriter from New Jersey was faithfully reproduced without neglecting the overall musical landscape. The other four songs, arranged by Ben Lazzaroni with the same musicians as the first piece, are no exception. Best Record also delivered on the promise to Robert's older brother, Karl Potter, a powerful percussionist transplanted to Rome, for whom the roman label produced "Sweet & Salty Cha-Cha-Cha" (12", 1986). Robert Cotter, an artist about whom almost nothing has been written, is poised to gain recognition once word spreads about his album, which has been entirely remastered by Dom Scuteri and features a more congenial tracklist. This album is destined to be truly 'timeless', ready to captivate audiences around the world. Even the new cover artwork, created by Nerina Fernandez, pays homage to an artist who, despite expressing himself with elegance and simplicity, radiates energy and exudes love. "Timeless" is an inevitable revelation for anyone who missed it at the time, and for the next 40-plus years, it will remain an absolute must-listen for Robert Cotter's many fans, leaving them all in awe.

The last twelve months have been a whirlwind for Henry Counsell and Louis Curran, the men who make up Joy (Anonymous). Having established themselves during the Covid-19 era by playing impromptu meet-ups on London’s South Bank, they have graduated to bigger venues, travelled to far-flung locales and recorded their second album, Cult Classics, while maintaining the spontaneous energy and irrepressible joy that made their name. Their music revels in the euphoria of being alive and all the feelings, good or bad, that come with it. It invites us into a community, draws us close and promises the night of our lives.

Recorded over the course of a year, the blueprint for Cult Classics was laid down over a two-week span at Imogen Heap’s Round House in east London. Joy (Anonymous) invited friends old and new to visit - they’d record live instruments in jam sessions upstairs and then retreat to a second room to flip and loop and generally mess with the sounds, moulding them into sizzling dance tracks. “Loads of people were coming up to me like ‘I thought this was going to be a dance record?’” Louis says, remembering the quietly beautiful music they’d be recording. “I’d be like, don’t worry about that, just keep playing.” He’d send it back to people later and they’d be floored - “That was my bit and you’ve made it... jungle!”

It was an organic and creatively fulfilling approach, one that didn’t allow any of the music to get stale or stagnate. As they built the tracks from the sounds they’d collected, Joy (Anonymous) would weave the new songs into their famously improvised live sets, testing them, refining them, taking note of the audiences’ reactions. In a year punctuated by a lot of travel, they’d also incorporate the voices of people they met along the way - “Beazley’s Poem”, which opens the record, features the words of a man who was working security at a Fred Again show at New York’s Terminal Five. “He was basically doing the opposite of his job and being a hype man, climbing on the fence and ramping up the crowd - we ended up hanging out with him - like, who’s this legend?” Louis explains. “He just speaks really amazingly about his life, all these amazing thoughts and opinions - he started jumping on the mic when we were playing, preaching these amazing messages to the crowd, like that we all need to be nicer to each other. The first time we played the record in its entirety, he introduced us and that’s the recording we’ve used.”

Joy (Anonymous) remain dedicated to the spirit of spontaneity. They shut a street down with a surprise waterside party in New York. On a trip to Copenhagen they played an impromptu set in a cafe, which turned into a house party and a night-long good time. In Lithuania, they ended up playing in a decommissioned prison. It’s harder, perhaps, to keep that spirit alive now that they are operating more within the confines of the music industry but they will keep lugging their kit to wherever the party calls for as long as they can. “I think if we lose that, we’ve kind of lost what makes us us,” Henry says.

Bursting with multi-genre reference points and disparate influences, Cult Classics is very much a dance album. The samples we made ourselves or we took from music that is quite different to dance music, but we definitely wanted to shout out a lot of the dance influences that we love,” Henry says. They listened to a lot of Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx as well as The Prodigy (“more rage stuff”), taking songwriting tips from their dance forebears, but also recording bits that felt more like jazz and motown (see: A Place I Belong and the lovely album closer, You’re In Or You’re Out). Emir Taha’s gentle classical guitar runs like a thread throughout Cult Classics, washing into the undertones of the record, tying it all together.

The album follows the beat of a night out, from frenetic, sweaty movement to the gentler winding down as the dawn breaks. At times it is euphoric, celebratory and pure, whirling fun, at others it seeks the joy in the darker emotions that life throws our way. 404 is designed to encapsulate everything about the Joy (Anonymous) journey so far. Skittering beats and ghostly vocals give way to vibrating house chords: sirens blare as we approach a dubstep drop. It’s dramatic and wild, ratcheting up, seeming to settle then hitting you with an intense and frantic breakdown before the ghostly vocal returns to lull us back into the world. It has the feel of a hungry cat playing with a mouse, toying with it before letting it get away.

What sounds like someone playing the spoons on playful, housey How We End Up Here is actually Louis’ restless habit of clicking his rings on everything, one of a myriad of calling cards and easter eggs that day one fans will recognise. They rework Miley Cyrus and Swae Lee’s Party Up The Street into a French-electro-inspired future classic, adding a note of melancholy to a tune that you can imagine hearing blaring from every car on a summer drive. The lyrics on Cult Classic are generally reassuring, inspirational, originally drawn from Henry in stream-of-consciousness freestyles. You’re fine the way you are, they seem to say - the repeated “No need to try” of A Place I Belong, the assurance that “It’s in me all the time” on In Me All The Time. Even the summery but regretful Did You Wrong hints at the growth that is possible from less than ideal behaviour. For Joy (Anonymous), joy isn’t about just being “happy” all the time - it’s about relishing every element of your being.

The name ‘Joy (Anonymous)’ is taken from the work Henry did with Alcoholics Anonymous groups: it is a way to build a community around sharing joy. Their impromptu live sets are known as ‘meetings’; they encourage fans to share moments of joy to their website. They care deeply about the scene they’ve come up in and are determined not to leave it behind. Every show is another chance to reach out and connect with people who love to come together and revel in music as loud as it can go.

Support slots for Fred Again and The Streets, wild B2Bs with Fred and Skrillex, and a set at Four Tet’s Finsbury Park all-dayer this summer have given the duo the opportunity to live out childhood dreams and introduced their infectious live shows to new audiences at huge venues.

With an album as assured and joyful as Cult Classics on the horizon (and a killer collab with The Blessed Madonna coming up), they’re only going to reach higher heights. But the essence of Joy (Anonymous) remains on the South Bank. Between shows at Ally Pally in September, they dragged their camping chairs and gear back down to the banks of the Thames: and it just felt right.

Sven Torstenson's notorious Drugs is a loopdigga's fever dream, bursting with breaks for days and featuring possibly the most iconic cover of all library music's cult classics. First released in 1980, it's now a hyper-rare and seriously sought-after electronic album full of experimental soundscapes and samples just waiting to be flipped. It's both terrifying and terrifyingly good. So much so, it's been brilliantly sampled by Kendrick Lamar and Chance The Rapper.

The sleeve describes Drugs as containing "the newest dimensions of electronic sounds. Dramatic underscores for all problems of today's life and society, at the border between reality and delusion." That's pretty spot-on. The fast moving "Euphoria" is an incredible, unignorable opener. It's loaded with disorientating effects and really needs to be heard to be believed. It's followed by the gorgeous "Soft Hallucinations", containing quiet, meditative and beautiful sounds - as the title suggests. One listen and you'll want to live in the warm embrace of this beatless, harmonic gem. Sinister squelchy synth stabs don't distract from the sheer beauty of the track's main (gentle) thrust. They only serve to elevate its trippy magic.

Next up, "Sky Move"'s agitated and repetitive rhythm makes it an intense listen but with a broad melody that will appeal to many. "Destroyed Dreams" utilises a muffled church organ and it sounds heavenly to begin with but it gradually invites increasingly distorted elements. Yes, you've had trips like this, we're pretty certain. Mental! Talking of bad trips, never have they sounded so good as "Horror Trip"; this fractured drama-synth just needs some some dusty beats to hold it up - get involved.

"Floating Illusions" almost sounds like a beatless Spiritualized bomb from the early-mid 90s; melodic, synthy, church organ-drenched. The mournful, dramatic "Lost Chance" pulses along on a bed of acidy synths whilst "The Morning After" is the sonic equivalent of the extreme fear and doom experienced in the aftermath of the previous night's carnage. Whilst somewhat uncomfortable listening, again, it's pretty compelling thanks to the myriad effects being expertly utilised. Fascinating. The sprawling, fragmented "Random Thoughts" is described as containing "confused melody phrases" - yeah, pretty much sums this one up.

The B-Side is ushered in by "Heroin" and it's as sketchy as you might think, all mysterious minor chords with a dominating - but not overbearing - bass refrain. Next up, the dream-like synthy fanfare of "Night Trip" climaxes after a few minutes of dramatic, ecclesiastical sounds whilst "Day Trip" layers its melody over a repetitive rhythmic base.

Next up, one of the *REAL* highlights makes itself known. Absolutely not to be missed, "Dealer's Corner" is all shifting tenors from quiet to hectic and back around again. The hectic parts are like a totally synthed-out-the-eyeballs jazz-funk collective wigging out with the latest electronic toys from 1980. This one totally SMOKES.

The dramatic "Sad And Hopeless" is appositely replete with dissonant, minor church-organ chords whilst "Riding Pegasus" uses a creepy ostinato bass melody to create irrational bleepy menace that's ripe for sampling. The penultimate track, "Hopeless Chaos" is another disorientating trip, a bleepy confection of sounds and phrases whilst closer "Goin' Mad" is all electronic percussion with an unpleasant rhthymic feel and irritating melody. Music to annoy your partner with!

Established in Munich in 1965 by Gerard and Rotheide Narholz, Sonoton introduced library music to Germany. Initially intended to cater to the country's new TV market, the library also provided an avenue for Gerhard Narholz's astonishing musical prolificacy, and soon became a haven for a wide range of European composers and musicians. In 1969, Sonoton struck a deal with the British label Berry Music for international publishing rights, exposing its catalog to a worldwide audience; when Berry was bought out by EMI in 1973, Sonoton transitioned into a full-fledged international label, with successes in the library and commercial fields and many innovations to its credit. Now a worldwide operation with hundreds of producers and composers under its employ, Sonoton nonetheless remains an independently run business still helmed by its founders - a remarkable achievement in an era when nearly every other major library has been absorbed by a multinational conglomerate.

The audio for Drugs has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Shrouded in darkness for over a decade, ever since the disturbing events that lead to the band's inception, B R I Q U E V I L L E have been bewitchingaudiences with a hypnotizing dirge that evokes the heaviest elements of doom metal and post-rock before mixing them with eerie field recordings, found sounds and haunting traditional instrumentation. On November 3rd, 2023, as winter takes back the night, B R I Q U E V I L L E will unveil `IV' - their latest exploration into the darkest depths of the soul. The Belgian collective's pulsating, repetitive rhythms and penetrating, guttural guitar work return alongside a more prominent vocal presence with ethereal melodies and brooding lyricism further exploring the deeper, richer sonic palette first heard on 2020's `Quelle.' Drawing from members of different local scenes, B R I Q U E V I L L E first assembled with the ambition of improvising around a single, droned note. Having latched onto something raw and powerful, the band suddenly found themselves confronted by a stranger telling tales of a hatred years in the making. Floored by such a fateful meeting, B R I Q U E V I L L E have anonymised themselves behind sweeping black robes and occult golden masks ever since; unifying the collective as one sound, a singular faceless force hellbent on converting audiences around the world. With `IV' however, B R I Q U E V I L L E are beginning to lift the veil. Alongside the aural despair that the band have been handcrafting ever since their eponymous debut full-length in 2014, `IV' is imbued with an intriguing duplicity. Within the mournful melancholy and grinding, icy orchestration is the faintest glimmer of hope as the collective explores the idea of creativity free from the confinement of morals, expectations and time. `IV' sees subtle, tonal shifts and brief periods of warmth and richness now intersperse the band's fearsome outbursts of unrivalled heaviness in a new, intoxicating transformation of their formidable sound. DO be careful though, B R I Q U E V I L L E may be stepping out of the shadows, but they can easily drag us back. FFO Sleep, Bong, ISIS, Pelican, Mogwai, Sunn O))), Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Amenra Ltd Single Coloured XX Edition Vinyl, sleeve w/ gold foil embossing!

There's no denying Marcel Fengler's profound impact on the ever-changing techno landscape. A pioneer in his own right, Fengler's works have flooded dancefloors and set lists worldwide for decades, and that shows no sign of changing anytime soon. His latest work is an all-encompassing four-track EP titled "Unleashed", including a remix from sought-after Stuttgart duo SHDW & Obscure Shape.

Kicking off with the title track, "Unleashed" introduces the EP with high-octane rhythms, pulsating low frequency sonics and rave like harmonic layers. An unrelenting onslaught of fast paced thumping techno, built around long, sweeping notes, vocal injections and a piston-like bassline, this one was made for the height of the party. "Caution" is next to feature, presenting itself as a robust industrial number with harsh percussive drive and endless layers of cadence throughout the mix. Weighty yet groovy in a unique up-tempo way, its robotic vocal splashes make the perfect accomplice for its potent warehouse vibes.

"Cypher" pulls you into the second half of the EP with rattling rhythms and more gritty sweeping musicality. Exhibiting the depth in his production skills, Fengler loads up the mix with a kaleidoscope of percussive elements alongside thumping kicks, surging synths, and another haunting robotic vox before SHDW & Obscure Shape get their teeth into a signature remix. Taking it deeper and darker, the duo's emphasis on subtle progressions and increasing intensity throughout the mix with offbeat trickery and creative unpredictability make their remix of "Cypher" a certified peak-time bomb.

"It has been quite a journey with this EP, as I've been exceptionally discerning about the sound and the entire production process. My goal was to create a release tailored for the dance floor, with the right amount of energy for peak-time moments, while also ensuring a profound and well-structured sonic experience. After testing potential tracks in my DJ sets, I distilled what I believe captures the essence I want to share with the audience. Furthermore, I'm thrilled to have SHDW & Obscure Shape on board for a formidable remix. Their work carries echoes of the raw and forceful sonic textures from earlier times, which I hold in high regard. I'm genuinely delighted with how everything has come together, and I hope you enjoy it!" - Marcel Fengler
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Collignon is a three-piece band with Yves Lennertz on guitar (and bass), Gino Bombrini on drums (and percussion) and Jori Collignon on the keyboards (and taking care of the production). The three friends have been making music together for some time, collaborating in different groups and settings, Jori and Gino as part of the band SKIP&DIE, Gino as a producer for Yves’ former group, YĪN YĪN.

After a decade of touring the world, Jori settled in the quiet and dusty village of Lagoinha, Portugal, where he built a studio complete with a guesthouse, a small piece of land, and a few chickens. From here, Jori worked with a global range of artists from La Reunion, Colombia, Argentina, Mozambique, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guiné-Bissau, and beyond. All these experiences led to the creation of his first album, suitably named ‘Lagoinha’.

Shortly after its release, Gino and Jori jumped on the tourbus again, and later, Yves joined them to complete the band. They initially started developing new material live on stage, allowing for improvisation and exploration. After finalizing these new songs in the studio, the result is an explosive and high-energy mix of sounds that has surprised audiences all over Europe during the past summer.

Roe Kapara"s debut vinyl release on Epitaph Record brings the songs from his wildly successful 2023 digital release, i hope hell isn"t real ep, together with his catalog of singles from 2021- 2022. "Nobody was born cool" proclaims . "Where"s the fun in that?" After relocating from Nashville to Los Angeles just before the pandemic, the St. Louis-born singer/songwriter did what any reasonable 20-something would: find solace online and build a community. Soon, his burgeoning digital fanbase hit six digits, enthralled by his endearingly unpretentious personality but also by his irresistible music, a modern swirl of indie, psych, dream pop, and alternative. Dwelling on the death of his own past is a common theme through "s music, throughout a catalog of DIY singles like "Everyone"s Dying" and "Past Grow" that helped boost his streaming listeners into the 2 Millions and TikTok audience over 350,000 (with 5.8 Million likes.) But just as he"s willing to expose vulnerable parts of himself in his songs, he"s quick to shine the mirror outward to address the creeping dread of modern life: consumerism, corporate greed, climate change, the general feelings of the younger generation in 21st-century America. Combining these two sides of his musical personality - deeply relatable yet unafraid to stand up and ask life"s big questions - into pop songs makes for a musical journey that"s a little off-kilter, sure, but all the better and more interesting in the end.

The funk fans have been waiting for this one. Finally available on vinyl, Grant Green’s near perfect slice of jazz funk and soul, Live at Club Mozambique, remastered and rendered back in the Motor City. Grant Green’s band had been playing a series of live dates at Detroit’s Club Mozambique, (before it became a fabled Male dance club) when this session was recorded live on two cold January nights in 1971. Powerhouse drummer Idris Muhammad and soulful tenor star Houston Person were brought in to supplement Green’s current band featuring Ronnie Foster on organ and Clarence Thomas on Soprano and Tenor Sax and Blue Note producer Francis Wolff recorded. This treasure was never released, though, and (conjectures aside) remained in the Blue Notes vaults for 35 years before a 2006 CD release. Sounding incredibly fresh and live, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more real stamping of Grant Green at the top of his game. The lp blends extremely hypnotic and wild funk such as their opening cover of a local funk hit “Jan Jan” by the Fabulous Counts next to laidback renditions of early 70’s soul favorites “Walk on By”, “Patches” and “One More Chance” by the Jackson 5. It perfectly captures the magic of hearing a legendary band effortlessly doing their thing in a small club while the audience unwinds after a long work day. Green pulls it all together with his melodic genius and perfect delivery. Great artists make it seem so easy. No pretensions here, just a great band burning up the stage with unmistakable chemistry on what might be the ultimate jazz funk time capsule. Maybe you can’t go back in time, but if you close your eyes and light a cigarette, you might be convinced you’re sitting in a wood-paneled club on Detroit’s Westside enjoying Grant Green and his band tear it up. Grant Green - Guitar Ronnie Foster - Organ Idris Muhammad - Drums Clarence Thomas - Soprano Sax, Tenor Sax Houston Person - Tenor Sax Recorded live at Club Mozambique - Detroit, MI 1971 by Francis Wolff

The funk fans have been waiting for this one. Finally available on vinyl, Grant Green’s near perfect slice of jazz funk and soul, Live at Club Mozambique, remastered and rendered back in the Motor City. Grant Green’s band had been playing a series of live dates at Detroit’s Club Mozambique, (before it became a fabled Male dance club) when this session was recorded live on two cold January nights in 1971. Powerhouse drummer Idris Muhammad and soulful tenor star Houston Person were brought in to supplement Green’s current band featuring Ronnie Foster on organ and Clarence Thomas on Soprano and Tenor Sax and Blue Note producer Francis Wolff recorded. This treasure was never released, though, and (conjectures aside) remained in the Blue Notes vaults for 35 years before a 2006 CD release. Sounding incredibly fresh and live, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more real stamping of Grant Green at the top of his game. The lp blends extremely hypnotic and wild funk such as their opening cover of a local funk hit “Jan Jan” by the Fabulous Counts next to laidback renditions of early 70’s soul favorites “Walk on By”, “Patches” and “One More Chance” by the Jackson 5. It perfectly captures the magic of hearing a legendary band effortlessly doing their thing in a small club while the audience unwinds after a long work day. Green pulls it all together with his melodic genius and perfect delivery. Great artists make it seem so easy. No pretensions here, just a great band burning up the stage with unmistakable chemistry on what might be the ultimate jazz funk time capsule. Maybe you can’t go back in time, but if you close your eyes and light a cigarette, you might be convinced you’re sitting in a wood-paneled club on Detroit’s Westside enjoying Grant Green and his band tear it up. Grant Green - Guitar Ronnie Foster - Organ Idris Muhammad - Drums Clarence Thomas - Soprano Sax, Tenor Sax Houston Person - Tenor Sax Recorded live at Club Mozambique - Detroit, MI 1971 by Francis Wolff

Shelf Life is the vibrant new album from Kevin Micka's ever-evolving vehicle for musical exploration, Animal Hospital. Full of alien textures and bursting with riffs, its four maximalist epic compositions are
performed solo, as a trio, or for upwards of thirty musicians that play on the perimeter of venues, recreating the components of each song with the audience encircled. Shelf Life works as The Most Animal Hospital Record to date and a gateway into the project’s universe for the uninitiated.

Idina Menzel is a Tony-Award winning, powerhouse multi-hyphenate: a singer, an actress in film and TV, a songwriter, a Broadway star, and a philanthropist. Drama Queen is Idina Menzel’s celebration of love filled with original pop/electro-pop anthems meant for the dancefloor!

“I am a Drama Queen…I’m dramatic and emotional and passionate. I love the stage and the spotlight. I love the attention and the roar of an audience. I have big feelings. I sing my ass off through tears of joy, heartbreak, anger, and sadness. This project is the most fun I’ve ever had writing and recording an album. I want everyone to move and sing with me and embrace their inner Drama Queen. From this Drama Queen to anyone and everyone who wants to join me in celebration: I’ll meet you on the dance floor or at the stage door or wherever you will have me. This album is for you.”

His much-anticipated second album, Steady Away, moves inward and takes on a more self- reflective quality, whilst retaining glimmers of soaring figures and pastoral imagery.

Brain's distinctive warm vocal and finger- picked guitar style are sustained alongside expansive strings and delicate piano arrangements, taking shape through evolving and introspective impressions on tenderness, loss, pain and awe in nature.

The album was recorded at The Nave, an old refurbished church which is now a studio. Glancing off The Nave's eaved ceilings with natural reverb, Steady Away's 11 tracks, recorded by Tom Orrell, capture the intimacy of Chris' songwriting.

Musicians appearing with Chris on the album are, on piano - Simeon Walker, violin - Mary-Jane Walker and on double bass - Alice Phelps.
Steady Away further embeds Chris Brain within the contemporary folk scene, whilst gesturing towards the folk tradition. His commitment to folk is only deepened by the two folk clubs and folk festival in Leeds that Chris founded and runs, attracting a wide range of audiences and musicians alike.