quête:the b 52 s

A space of wonderment and exhilaration, the home of
true heart and a timeless soul, Delays’ ‘Faded Seaside
Glamour’ was an atmospheric and evocative debut
album. Released in 2004, the fragile strength of
frontman Greg Gilbert’s vocals intoxicatedly
intertwined with the forward looking synths of his
brother Aaron, Colin Fox’s bass and Rowly’s
drumming, to create a series of affecting songs that
delivered an immediate pop hit that also left a deep
and wistful impact worthy of the album’s enticing title.
Its iconic singles, ‘Nearer Than Heaven’ and ‘Long
Time Coming’, became immediate yet lasting focal
points for Southampton’s Delays, while tracks
including the melancholic ‘No Ending’, the smooth
beats of ‘Stay Where You Are’ and chiming opener,
‘Wanderlust’, demonstrated the remarkable depth of
this unique debut.
Nearly 20 years have passed since the release of
‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ and much has changed -
most notably the loss of Greg Gilbert, who passed
away in 2021 after a period of treatment for cancer -
but like the idiosyncratic places the album’s name
celebrated, Delays’ music has not only endured but
their art has been loved and cherished as it has
continually connected with audiences.
To celebrate this soaring and smouldering body of
work, Rough Trade Records are pleased to announce
the release of Delays’ ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ on
vinyl for the first time ever.
Also available to independent retailers on orange vinyl
with deluxe packaging, a print of Greg’s art and some
words written by Aaron.

Expanded with 2 original single-version tracks. Digitally mastered from original BYG tapes by Nick Robbins. 16-pages booklet with photos & exclusive liner notes by author and journalist Kevin Le Gendre. CD: Original 1969 BYG album. Expanded with 2 original single-version tracks. Digitally mastered from original BYG tapes by Nick Robbins. 16-pages booklet with photos & exclusive liner notes by author and journalist Kevin Le Gendre. *** Having been part of the fabled ‘Canterbury scene’ along with luminaries such as Robert Wyatt and Pip Pyle the irrepressible Australian guitarist-vocalist-songwriter Daevid Allen formed Gong with Welsh vocalist Gilli Smyth in Paris at the end of the ‘60s as France was in state of ferment. Magick Brother introduced Gong as one of the great oddities of the psychedelic and space rock age. The nucleus of Allen, Smyth and Malherbe was able to create a musical vocabulary very much of its own all the while searching for essential metaphysical truths. “The band made strong political statements that comes through loud and clear on this re-mastered version of Gong’s debut album...” Kevin Le Gendre, 2022

LTD Purple Vinyl

Following on from the recent super-deluxe box set edition of The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari"s "Grounation" Soul Jazz Records are releasing a new edition of the group"s celebrated "Tales of Mozambique". This new limited edition is released as a one-off pressing purple vinyl double album and a one-off purple CD. Sleeve design also comes as a new purple version. Soul Jazz Records are releasing Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation"s seminal 1975 album Tales of Mozambique in an expanded double album/single CD, fully remastered and with the inclusion of two bonus rare single-only tracks, full sleevenotes, exclusive photographs and interview. Count Ossie is the central character in the development of Rastafarian roots music, nowadays an almost mythical and iconic figure. His importance in bringing Rastafarian music to a populist audience is matched only by Bob Marley"s promotion of the faith internationally in the 1970s.

Newly mastered to vinyl from original BYG tapes. Lacquers cut by Alchemy Mastering at AIR STUDIOS. Insert with exclusive liner notes by author, journalist and BYG-authority Kevin Le Gendre. CD: Original 1969 BYG album. Digitally mastered from original BYG tapes by Nick Robbins. 16-pages booklet with photos & exclusive liner notes by author and journalist Kevin Le Gendre. *** Florida-born saxophonist, composer, poet, actor and playwright Archie Shepp was one of the most articulate exponents of politicized black culture in the late ‘60s, a time of enormous upheaval and radical thought. Relocating to Paris he made a number of highly influential albums, such as Blasé, that broached the essential themes of freedom and racial equality, and tapped into the bedrock of African-American music. Gospel and blues were a major part of the work, which also had a strong avant-garde sensibility. The band featured stellar vocalist Jeanne Lee and members of Art Ensemble Of Chicago. These trailblazing artists who combined jazz, poetry and radical politics made a definitive musical statement. “This re-mastered version of a seminal album still has great musical and emotional power... “ Kevin Le Gendre, 2022

First time on LP, and a CD reissue for this classic "mash up made in heaven" where classic soul meets 21st century recording technology. The voice of Ray Charles, from unreleased archive material, is matched with brand new recordings by the Count Basie Orchestra. This 2006 album was a worldwide best seller on initial release, and this new reissue package brings it to vinyl for the first time.

"Sisu" marks the beginning of a new chapter for esteemed Estonian pianist and composer Kristjan Randalu - as his first large ensemble project recording. It"s also the debut outing for the New Wind Jazz Orchestra conducted by Wolf Kerschek and features special guest trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and guitarist Ben Monder.

Blue Vinyl
In den letzten fünf Jahren hat sich Kenny Beats zu einer der wichtigsten Persönlichkeiten im Rap entwickelt. Er hat karrierebestimmende Musik für Leute wie NBA Youngboy, FKA twigs, Dominic Fike, Rico Nasty, Freddie Gibbs und Vince Staples produziert, absurden christlichen Rap mit dem Komiker Zack Fox gemacht und Agit-Punk für IDLES aus Bristol aufgenommen. Er hat auch neu definiert, was es heute bedeutet, ein Produzent zu sein, indem er eine Generation von Heim-Beatbastlern durch seine verschiedenen Tutorial-Livestreams und die episodische Produktionsserie "The Cave" angeleitet hat. "LOUIE" ist Kennys allererste Veröffentlichung als Solokünstler. Er schöpft aus der reichen, soulgetränkten Tradition von Ausreißern wie J.Dilla, Madlib und D"Angelo, um zum ersten Mal Themen seiner eigenen Familie, Kindheit und Erziehung zu erkunden. "LOUIE" ist eine Hommage an Kennys Beziehung zur Musik insgesamt und bietet mit einem Ensemble von Kollaborateuren und Musikern von Mac De Marco bis Thundercat ein neuartiges Produzentenalbum, das seiner eigenen, immer noch wachsenden Stimme ganz neue Schichten hinzufügt.

34-song SUPERSTORE is the Sam Gendel all genre follow-up album to 2021's 52-song Fresh Bread. SUPERSTORE is more unreleased music from the enigmatic producer/saxophonist collected from personal archives of solo recordings and collaborations in various venues. Contributing players on select tracks include Blake Mills, Gabe Noel, Kevin Yokota, and Philippe Melanson.

Sam Gendel - All Music
Marcella Cytrynowicz - Original Drawings
Philippe Melanson - E-Percussion Gu Shi, Saiko
Gabe Noel - Electric Bass [Saiko]
Blake Mills - Synth Guitar [Gu Shi]
Kevin Yokota - Drum Kit [Two-Tone]
Matthewdavid McQueen - Mastering

Zum 20jährigen Firmen Jubiläum legt die Hamburger Indie Institution Grand Hotel van Cleef 20 Klassiker Alben als limitierte marbled Vinyle neu auf. Alle 3 Monate erscheinen je 5 legendäre Alben. In der ersten Rude sind Klassiker von Fortuna Ehrenfeld, Escapado, Kettcar, Thees Uhlmann und Tomte mit dabei.

Zum 20jährigen Firmen Jubiläum legt die Hamburger Indie Institution Grand Hotel van Cleef 20 Klassiker Alben als limitierte marbled Vinyle neu auf. Alle 3 Monate erscheinen je 5 legendäre Alben. In der ersten Rude sind Klassiker von Fortuna Ehrenfeld, Escapado, Kettcar, Thees Uhlmann und Tomte mit dabei.

Faitiche presents Groupshow’s Greatest Hits: The ten tracks on this first vinyl album by Groupshow (Hanno Leichtmann, Andrew Pekler, Jan Jelinek), recorded between 2005 and 2018, document concert recordings and studio improvisations by the trio.

In improvisation there are no mistakes, only missed opportunities. Groupshow found their first opportunity in the routines of live performance and they used this opportunity to break with these routines. The trio consisting of Jan Jelinek, Hanno Leichtmann and Andrew Pekler came together in the context of Kosmischer Pitch, playing live versions of the music from Jelinek’s 2005 studio album of that name. During this project, the musical interaction between the three participants quickly emancipated itself from the original programme, departing from fixed roles and finding a distinct form in constant change.

Groupshow sessions – rehearsal, concert or recording – are always improvised. The interplay of the various sound sources, converging from the directions of “electronics”, “percussion” and “guitar”, does not follow the Krautrock wave logic of crescendo and morendo. Jelinek, Leichtmann and Pekler have established a method of transparent density in which links and breaks are not concealed but remain audible. The music works through attraction and repulsion, with a loosely organized structure that always leaves enough room for the next intervention.

The principle here, repeated even in the smallest units, is that of duration. Groupshow think of their music in terms of an installation: no starting point, no dramaturgy, and ideally no end. Concerts take place not raised up on a podium, but in the middle of the room on a level with the audience, who only enter the space with the musicians and instruments once their interaction is already underway. In 2008, Groupshow used this approach to create a live soundtrack for Andy Warhol’s film Empire, over the full length of eight hours and five minutes.

Recordings in general and the “Greatest Hits” format in particular are another key aspect of this ongoing work on a collectively modulated continuum. The ten tracks on this first vinyl album by Groupshow, recorded between 2005 and 2018, document the ephemeral capturing of opportunities that were not missed. Extracts and essences of an endless movement of searching. The sprawling form of the whole, suspended in succinct, separate units.
To paraphrase Lao Tzu and Roland Barthes, one might say: Once their work is done, they are no longer attached to it. And because they’re not attached to it, it will remain.

Arno Raffeiner, 2022

Massimo Vanoni come back in excellent shape by producing this amazing EP "I Wanna Funk" for his label, Atop Records.

Four special reworkings for fiery dancefloors. He opens the dance with a Tribal Funk with the insertion of a female Disco

voice recognizable by the most. Moving on to a theme plus Nu Disco Electronic for guaranteed warm up effect. While the

B side starts off as openly Funky without compromise, the title is right "Let There Be Funk", followed by a dark Disco Funk

track "From The Ghetto" to close this beautiful work. Coherence and research make Massimo Vanoni a producer always on the piece.

Strut revives a lost recording from the archives in January with a 2002 collaboration between acclaimed South African folk singer Vusi Mahlasela, singer songwriter Norman Zulu and Swedish jazz / soul collective Jive Connection. Sotho folk singer Vusi Mahlasela, dubbed "The Voice" Of South Africa, performed at Mandela"s inauguration in 1994 and has enjoyed his own long relationship with Sweden, regularly embarking on cultural exchanges and forging a strong bond with the Jive Connection band, featuring guitarist / bassist Stefan Bergman and Little Dragon drummer Erik Bodin within its line-up. Although touring regularly, the collaboration has rarely been documented beyond a lone studio album in 1994. This "lost" recording, discovered in the archives of producer Torsten Larsson, also features songwriter / vocalist Norman Zulu and showcases their natural musical chemistry together. Vusi"s songs have traditionally addressed the struggle for freedom and the need for reconciliation and, here, his lyrics are as powerful as ever, ranging from parables ("Prodigal Son") to an unflinching lament on child abuse ("Faceless People"). Jive Connection vary the soundtrack, bringing in hints of reggae, jazz and post-punk alongside traditional township arrangements.

Thy Socialite!, the first release from Field Music"s new record label Daylight Saving Records, is not the sound of Lloyd Webber quivering and sweating in a rotting Berlin flat but instead, a fun, joyous, audacious record of hard rock, glam, and pop that ranges from arena to art school. "I wanted to include a more rockist palette," Black says. "My last album, Higgledypiggledy, had influences including The Cardiacs, Prince and The Residents. For this one I wanted to see what I could get out of less indie audience friendly artists such as Toto, Sweet, Wings, Def Leppard and ZZ Top and merge it with a SLUG sensibility. Due to the more rock approach, I was happy for the album to become a big classic rock unit - pompous even." However, simply a pastiche and nostalgic throwback this isn"t. Despite the playful nods to some of the more grandiose, theatrical and overblown elements of the aforementioned genre, it"s also an album with a contemporary pop edge, slick production and a tangible connection to SLUG"s previous deft mix of indie, rock and art pop. The result of all of this is an album that is fun and unpredictable but also conceptually smart, ambitious and adventurous. A place where classic hard rock and smart art-pop are treated equal, and where taking the piss doesn"t have to equate to being novelty or disposable. It was all part of the challenge that Black set himself from the off when he asked himself "how could I challenge the SLUG listener but bring them on a new fresh journey which will confuse them at first but they will ultimately love?"

Following on from the first edition released earlier this year, Les Disques Bongo Joe are pleased to announce "Ayiti Kongo Dub EP#2" by Chouk Bwa & The Ângströmers. Following on from 2020s acclaimed album Vodou Ale, Chouk Bwa turn up the heat for this exhilarating trip into their bush of ghosts by introducing a new stripped down line-up to fire up the dance floor, based exclusively on the drums and rhythms of the Haitian kongo rite and deep electronic dub expansions by their trusted Belgian counterparts The Ângströmers. As Afro-Caribbean polyrhythms meet bass-weight dub electronics, the two part EP has documented the group experimenting with a stripped back form which focuses on the dimension of trance. Opening with a cermonial chant and designed to enduce dancefloor delirium, the first track taken from the EP is the raw, high-octane, primordial techno of "Zemedo".

Double vinyl LP pressing. Wagram music present a release chock-filled with jazz tunes that have been appropriated and live on in the sample-heavy world of hip-hop! Includes tracks by Nina Simone, Bob James, Doris Day, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, and many others.

Debut solo album by Dave Rowntree, best known as the drummer in Blur. It"s a record set to surprise many people, being an electronic-based album with orchestral fringes, filled with great, tuneful songs delivered by Rowntree"s assured and expressive vocal performances. While down the years he"s provided backing vocals on many of Blur"s albums and onstage during their live sets, this is the first time the drummer has stepped up to the microphone as a singer in his own right. He says he didn"t particularly find the prospect daunting. Produced by Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Ghostpoet, Wild Beasts), featuring co-writers including Gary Go and Högni Egilsson and stirring orchestrations recorded in Budapest, Radio Songs is a sonically expansive, but also deeply personal record.

New York City"s tape_hiss makes his debut on Darker Than Wax with A Linear Progression, a deep and meditative dance record born out of the pandemic"s paradigm shift. tape_hiss is an accomplished producer by any measure, with early releases on Love Notes from Brooklyn making his hardware-driven sound known worldwide, and a string of follow up releases on Axe on Wax, Just Jack, Lost Palms, and Echocentric Records solidifying his reputation as one of the deepest in the game.




b 1.2 W 4th Street Ace

Distant Echoes returns to non series with his second solo ep on the label on a stunning, deep and hypnotic 5 tracker ep.