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Jan Akkerman (b. 1946) stands apart as a singular figure in the realm of rock and beyond. A Dutch guitarist of unparalleled versatility, he earned international acclaim in 1973 when he topped the prestigious Melody Maker readers’ poll, surpassing icons like Eric Clapton (2nd), Jimmy Page (5th), and Carlos Santana (10th). His fame, however, has never defined his artistry. For Akkerman, it’s always been about the music—any genre, as long as it resonates. He’s a lifelong improviser who approaches each performance as a new adventure. Akkerman first rose to prominence with Focus, a band that embodied the grandiose instrumental rock spirit of the 1970s. Long compositions, dazzling technique, and adventurous arrangements made them a cornerstone of progressive rock. Despite the accolades, Akkerman remained true to his calling. When asked about his success, he has always brushed it aside, preferring to let his guitar do the talking. Side 1 of this record captures Akkerman’s stunning performance on July 10, 2011, at the Nile Hall in Rotterdam. Here, he showcases his ability to take listeners on a sonic journey. The mellow “Tranquilizer” offers a relaxed groove, followed by the heartfelt ballad “You Do Something to Me,” unfolding emotion without words. In “Piétons”—a gospel-tinged blues—trumpeter Eric Vloeimans delivers a fiery solo before the leader propels the piece into uncharted territory. Side 2 brings us back to an earlier moment, recorded in July 2005 at the Paul Acket Paviljoen in The Hague. “Streetwalker” delivers a funk-driven explosion featuring alto saxophonist Benjamin Herman, while “The Zebrah” sends Vloeimans soaring into the musical stratosphere, only to have Akkerman reignite the piece with blistering guitar lines, his band driving forward like a well-tuned Mercedes on an open highway. Akkerman’s live performances are as unpredictable as they are electrifying. Whether sharing the stage with legends or newcomers, his spontaneous creativity makes every concert unique—a master class in musical freedom. Jan Akkerman remains a touchstone for guitarists and fans alike, an authentic improviser whose name still elicits one universal response from any seasoned Dutch rock enthusiast: “He’s the best guitarist in the world.” The North Sea Jazz Concert Series includes officially licensed releases that will be released as standard on 180-gram white vinyl in a sleeve of heavy paper and printed on reversed board. The records are 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 all recordings it’s a first time ever release on vinyl!

What it is, is funky! When the acid jazz scene ruled the world it looked for its inspiration in places that other jazz fans tended to overlook. The soul jazz of the late 60s and early 70s. The music of lounge bars and small clubs that fuelled the night life of black America. This compilation brings together ten examples of the sound and is a high quality listen from start to finish.

In the post-bebop world jazz was often condemned as an intellectual music aimed at the head not the feet, but a strain of the music was always for dancing, coming straight from the legacy of the big bands, and always tipping its head to what was going on in the R&B charts. The tracks included here all stay true to that legacy.

So whether we have Lonnie Liston Smith’s plea for 'Peace & Love' with its Bob Marley echoing horn lines, or Joe Bataan as band leader covering Isaac Hayes’ ‘Theme From the Men’, this is music allied with the contemporary sounds of the day. Oliver Nelson's synth heavy 'Skull Session' or his TV hit 'Theme From The Six Million Dollar Man' covered by Richard ‘Groove’ Holmes show this. At the heart of these recordings are the rhythms − and as such Bernard Purdie is the star either as a solo artist or simply as the man behind the kit with Harold Alexander.

This is Funky Jazz is an entry ticket to a party that everyone should want to be invited to.

"Movements of Air" is the highly anticipated fifth album from Daniel Herskedal's acclaimed trio, featuring Eyolf Dale on piano and Helge Andreas Norbakken on drums and percussion. Marking his tenth remarkable release with Edition Records, this album seamlessly bridges his foundational trio debut, "Slow Eastbound Train," with previous masterpieces like "The Roc" and "Voyage."

Over the past decade, Daniel Herskedal has consistently pushed the boundaries of the tuba, crafting music that is both profoundly introspective and expansively cinematic. At its core, "Movements of Air" delves into themes of hope, the pursuit of a better future, and the very essence of musical creation. With masterful performances from all members and intricate compositions, Herskedal navigates the delicate balance between good and evil, war and peace. Tracks such as "The Olive Branch" and "Peace River Crossing" showcase his ability to create emotionally resonant soundscapes, while pieces like "Elements of Harmony" and "Harmonic Allusions" highlight his innovative approach to harmony and texture.

This album stands as a testament to Herskedal's extraordinary talent, transcending the traditional limits of his instrument to deliver music that is both emotionally compelling and artistically groundbreaking.

Daniel Herskedal's exceptional achievements further underscore his artistic prowess and versatility. His notable arrangement of"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" for the 2019 film "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," produced by Brad Pitt, was later featured in Coca Cola's global 'Open Like Never Before' advertising campaign. His extensive collaborations include performances with prestigious ensembles such as the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Royal Norwegian Navy Band, and the Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow. His collaborative project with Marja Mortensson won the Norwegian Grammy in 2019, and in 2021,he secured The Ambies Award for Best Original Score and Music Supervision for the podcast "9/12." Additionally, his work with artists like Keaton Henson and Emilie Nicolas on their album "Out of the Fog" further highlights his versatility and collaborative spirit.

Northern soul is in the news again, as once more this most resilient of dance floor cults is discovered by a new generation. For four decades now Ace Records has been a natural home for the music and using that experience we are bringing you our first ever all classics collection of some of the scene's greatest hits. All on one LP.

The recordings featured on this release are tried and tested, often in the hot forge of the scene's earliest day, when new discoveries were coming thick and fast, and only the strong survived. These did.

So we have 14 tracks which filled floors in Wigan, Blackpool, Cleethorpes, London's 100 Club and many other legendary venues. From West Coast Mirwood and Kent/ Modern label classics by Jackie Lee, Bobby Garrett, Mary Love and Danny Monday, to the big City Chicago soul of Darrow Fletcher via the super rare recordings by Rita & The Tiaras and Little Ann, which are now accepted standards of the scene.

This is an album for the beginner, those who want to know what all the fuss is about, or those older hands who just want to relive some exceptional memories.

The Arockalypse is the third studio album by Finnish rock band Lordi. It includes the hit single "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 for Finland. The album was certified with a triple Platinum status in Finland, Gold in Germany, and Sweden. It reached the number one chart position in Finland, Sweden, and Greece. The Arockalypse has several guest appearances: Dee Snider and Jay Jay French from Twisted Sister, Udo Dirkschneider from Accept/U.D.O. and Bruce Kulick from Kiss. The Arockalypse is available as a limited edition of 666 individually numbered copies on black and gold marbled vinyl.

"Change Today? is the third studio album by the American rock band T.S.O.L. (True Sounds Of Liberty), released in 1984. It was the band's first album with singer/guitarist Joe Wood and drummer Mitch Dean, replacing founding members Jack Grisham and Todd Barnes who had left the band in late 1983.

The album was recorded using money loaned to T.S.O.L. by the Dead Kennedys, and found the new incarnation of the band moving away from the Hardcore Punk associations of the original lineup in favor of a traditional Rock and Gothic Rock sound. Over the course of four nights at Mad Dog Studio in Venice, California T.S.O.L. recorded their new songs with recording engineer Stuart Schanwetter and producer Chris Grayson. The album was mastered by Eddy Schreyer. Change Today? is available as a limited numbered edition of 1000 copies on white coloured vinyl and it contains an insert"

“Heart of Night,” a split EP co-released by Gar Hole Records (Fayetteville, AR) and Mashed Potato Records, offers two prime examples of modern alternative Americana music’s exciting trajectory: the Ozark-induced warbles and clever country stylings of Nick Shoulders, and the swampy pop songs and dreamy harmonies of The Lostines. This collaboration is an homage to the places and people we call home. It’s the ideal accompaniment to steamy slow dancing deep in a pitch black, heavy and humid Arkansas night, or for swinging someone around in a vibrant, neon lit New Orleans dive. It’s also the soundtrack for ruminating on the heart’s capacity for simultaneous strength and fragility, the connections between different modalities, homes, and loves.

For Heart of Night’s cover, intricate, hand-drawn artwork and lettering from tastemaker illustrator Taylor W. Rushing mirrors the duality of the flora and fauna of two terrains — the cypress swamps and the Ozark Mountains — from which this four-song collection springs.

Robson Ponte isn't just anybody. He is the namesake of Reinhard Voigt's first Kompakt 12", one of the label's first big hits. Timeless, cool and unforgettable, the way this snotty, dry football field beat pushes you forward, over it, this constant, almost stoic, mantra-like rap repetition - Robson Ponte, Robson Ponte,...

That was a good 25 years ago. So it's high time to celebrate a bicycle kick with a fitting run to the goal. None other than FC Kompakt centre-forward Juergen Paape has been hired for the remix return match. In the first few minutes of the match, Paape scores with two straight disco-techno crosses! Team captain Reinhard Voigt himself seamlessly follows in the footsteps of the original - dressed in a new, stylish black, white and red sound jersey, he keeps the ball in play with aplomb. From the stands, guest of honour Thore Pfeiffer comments on a hymn-like, sacred ambient lament with an appropriate timbre.

Including art print of the sleeve artwork by Mareena von Cube

Robson Ponte ist ja nicht irgendwer. Und schon gar nicht nur irgendein ehemaliger Spitzenspieler von Bayer Leverkusen, sondern der Namensgeber der ersten Kompakt-Maxi von Reinhard Voigt - einer der frühen, großen Hits des Labels. Zeitlos, cool und unvergesslich, wie dieser rotzig-trockene Bolzplatz-Beat nach vorne schiebt - darüber diese stete, fast stoisch mantrahaft gerappte Wiederholung - Robson Ponte, Robson Ponte,...

Gut 25 Jahre ist das nun her. Höchste Zeit also für einen Jubiläums-Fallrückzieher mit angemessenem Zug zum Tor. Kein Geringerer als FC-Kompakt-Mittelstürmer Jürgen Paape wurde für das Remix-Rückspiel verpflichtet. Der wirft sich gleich voll rein und versenkt schon in den ersten paar Minuten zwei geradlinige Disko-Techno- und eine gedribbelte Schaffel-Flanke aus 25 Metern ins Tor. Mannschaftskapitän Reinhard Voigt selbst knüpft nahtlos an das Original an - verpackt in ein neues, schickes Sound-Trikot in schwarz-weiss-rot, hält er mit souveräner Sicherheit den Ball im Spiel. Von der Tribüne aus kommentiert Ehrengast Thore Pfeiffer mit passendem Timbre ein hymnisch-sakrales Ambient-Lamento.

Get Heavy, released in 2002, is the debut album by Finnish hard rock and heavy metal band Lordi. Known for their theatrical personas and monstrous costumes, Lordi burst onto the scene with this high-energy, anthem-packed release. The album features fan favorites like "Would You Love a Monsterman?" and "Devil Is a Loser," blending catchy melodies, heavy guitar riffs, and powerful vocals from lead singer Mr. Lordi.

Produced by T.T. Oksala, Get Heavy showcases the band’s ability to combine hard rock with a horror-inspired aesthetic, making it a standout debut that immediately captured attention. The album’s infectious energy and memorable hooks laid the foundation for Lordi’s unique style, setting them apart in the heavy metal scene. For fans of theatrical rock and unforgettable anthems, Get Heavy remains a must-listen and an essential part of Lordi’s legacy. Get Heavy is available as a limited edition of 666 individually numbered copies on black & white marbled vinyl.

Idas viertes Album wurde finanziert von Capitol, in 14 Studios aufgenommen, vom New Yorker Label Tiger Style veröffentlicht und ging im Jahr-2000-Trubel unter. Die 14 Songs von "Will You Find Me" sind ein unermüdliches Kompendium und Ode an Schlaf, Sex, nächtliche Gespräche und andere bettlägerige Aktivitäten. Diese erweiterte Deluxe Edition zum 25-jährigen Jubiläum kommt in der Vinylausgabe mit 34 Outtakes, alternativen Abmischungen, 4-Spur-Demos und Covers aus dem umfangreichen Fundus der Band, die sich thematisch über vier LPs verteilt. Das begleitende 24-seitige Booklet dokumentiert Ida's Major Label Album, das es nie gab, mit atemberaubenden Fotos und einem ausführlichen Essay von Douglas Wolk.

Transparent Cloudy Clear "This Water" Vinyl. Idas viertes Album wurde finanziert von Capitol, in 14 Studios aufgenommen, vom New Yorker Label Tiger Style veröffentlicht und ging im Jahr-2000-Trubel unter. Die 14 Songs von "Will You Find Me" sind ein unermüdliches Kompendium und Ode an Schlaf, Sex, nächtliche Gespräche und andere bettlägerige Aktivitäten. Diese erweiterte Deluxe Edition zum 25-jährigen Jubiläum kommt in der Vinylausgabe mit 34 Outtakes, alternativen Abmischungen, 4-Spur-Demos und Covers aus dem umfangreichen Fundus der Band, die sich thematisch über vier LPs verteilt. Das begleitende 24-seitige Booklet dokumentiert Ida's Major Label Album, das es nie gab, mit atemberaubenden Fotos und einem ausführlichen Essay von Douglas Wolk.

Moor Mother is an American musician, poet, and interdisciplinary artist known for her avant-garde and experimental work. The Great Bailout is an expansive meditation that acts as a non-linear word map about colonialism, slavery, and commerce in Great Britain. Featuring guest contributions from Lonnie Holley, Angel Bat Dawid & Sistas of the Nitty Gritty, Vijay Iyer, Mary Lattimore, and more, it"s Moor Mother"s most uncompromising vision to date. Moor Mother has gained recognition for her unique blend of spoken word, noise, and electronic music, addressing themes of race, gender, and socio-political issues. She hails from Philadelphia and has been an influential figure in the city"s vibrant arts and music scene. She has received critical acclaim for her albums, with reviewers praising her fearless approach to sound and her thought-provoking lyrical content on albums like "Jazz Codes" and "Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes", showcasing her boundary-pushing sonic experiments.

Melancholische Gitarrenakkorde, ein introspektiver Gesang, und immer wieder bedrohliche und energische Ausbrüche mit Percussions und Stakkato. Zwischen intimem Songwriting und Soundtrack-inspiriertem Pathos bewegt sich Jerome Reuter, der nun, 2025, das zweite Jahrzehnt seiner Band ROME feiert.

Zwei Dekaden begleitet das Luxemburgische Bandprojekt ROME nun also die Europäische Tragödie. Und während sich die Alben der ersten zehn Jahre noch vor allem historischen Themen widmeten, treten in der nicht mindert produktiven Ära zwischen 2016 und 2025, die auf dieser neuen "Anthologie" dokumentiert wird, auch aktuelle und grundsätzliche philosophische Fragestellungen ins Zentrum. ROME orientierte sich immer am großen Bild. Im Songwriting deutlich inspiriert vom französischen Chanson, dem späten Johnny Cash und Nick Cave, wurden von Beginn an auch literarische Quellen verarbeitet, und werden sie nicht namentlich genannt (wie bei "The Secret Germany" Paul Celan), so schwingen sie doch zwischen den Zeilen mit, die Denker - nicht nur - des 20. Jahrhunderts. Philosophische und gar okkulte Aspekte werden auf den Alben reflektiert ("The Hyperion Machine", "Hall of Thatch", "The Lone Furrow", "Le Ceneri di Heliodoro"), doch immer wieder wird es konkret, sei es mit Blick auf die russische Invasion in der Ukraine ("Gates of Europe", "World in Flames") und grundlegende Konflikte, die mythisch gelesen werden ("Coriolan", "Hegemonikon"). Wiederkehrend ist das mythische Motiv der Sonne, so auch auf dem jüngsten Werk "Civitas Solis".

Mal als volles Band-Line-Up, mal als Singer-Songwriter, und immer wieder im Austausch mit anderen Musikern (etwa Nergal von Behemoth oder der schwedischen Punklegende Thåström), Jerome Reuter erfindet sich beständig neu, und arbeitet kontinuierlich an einer singulären Stimme in der gegenwärtigen Popkultur. Wie ein Januskopf zurückgewandt in die Zukunft blickend.

Teaser Sweet aus Schweden haben in ihrer heimischen Szene bereits gehörig Staub aufgewirbelt. Der Startschuss fiel ursprünglich im Jahre 2013, als Marcus Damberg seine Schwester Therese und den damaligen Bassisten Christoffer Cardell fragte: "Wollen wir nicht eine Band gründen?" Die ursprüngliche Besetzung wurde von Kalle Krantz am Schlagzeug komplettiert. Anfänglich spielte man noch Songs von Kiss nach, ehe sukzessive eigenes Material entstand. Nach dem ersten Demo wagte man sich auf die Bühne und spielte in der Folge drei Alben sowie eine EP ein: "Hit And Run" (2015), "In The Night" (EP, 2017), "Hypnotized" (2018) und "Monster" (2020). Für das neue Album "Night Stalker" haben Teaser Sweet nunmehr einen Vertrag bei High Roller Records unterzeichnet. In Therese Damberg besitzen die Schweden eine Sängerin, deren Stimme an eine Kreuzung aus Acids Kate, Leather Leone und Johanna von Lucifer erinnert.

Teaser Sweet setzen die lange Tradition von schwedischen Bands mit weiblicher Beteiligung fort, angefangen mit Crucified Barbara, über Slingblade und Thundermother, bis hin zu The Gems. Therese Damberg gibt allerdings zu bedenken: "Ganz bestimmt haben ABBA mit dazu beigetragen, dass schwedische Frauen das Selbstbewusstsein besitzen, Musik zu machen. Für mich ist es jedoch selbstverständlich, dass es im Hardrock Sängerinnen gibt - es existieren ja auch genügend Bands, die nur aus Männern bestehen. Ich sehe da jedenfalls keinen Unterschied."
Musikalisch zeigen sich Teaser Sweet von Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Dio und den späten Europe inspiriert. Mit seiner galoppierenden Bassarbeit erinnert ein Song wie "Deep In The Woods" zudem an Iron Maiden.

Teaser Sweet aus Schweden haben in ihrer heimischen Szene bereits gehörig Staub aufgewirbelt. Der Startschuss fiel ursprünglich im Jahre 2013, als Marcus Damberg seine Schwester Therese und den damaligen Bassisten Christoffer Cardell fragte: "Wollen wir nicht eine Band gründen?" Die ursprüngliche Besetzung wurde von Kalle Krantz am Schlagzeug komplettiert. Anfänglich spielte man noch Songs von Kiss nach, ehe sukzessive eigenes Material entstand. Nach dem ersten Demo wagte man sich auf die Bühne und spielte in der Folge drei Alben sowie eine EP ein: "Hit And Run" (2015), "In The Night" (EP, 2017), "Hypnotized" (2018) und "Monster" (2020). Für das neue Album "Night Stalker" haben Teaser Sweet nunmehr einen Vertrag bei High Roller Records unterzeichnet. In Therese Damberg besitzen die Schweden eine Sängerin, deren Stimme an eine Kreuzung aus Acids Kate, Leather Leone und Johanna von Lucifer erinnert.

Teaser Sweet setzen die lange Tradition von schwedischen Bands mit weiblicher Beteiligung fort, angefangen mit Crucified Barbara, über Slingblade und Thundermother, bis hin zu The Gems. Therese Damberg gibt allerdings zu bedenken: "Ganz bestimmt haben ABBA mit dazu beigetragen, dass schwedische Frauen das Selbstbewusstsein besitzen, Musik zu machen. Für mich ist es jedoch selbstverständlich, dass es im Hardrock Sängerinnen gibt - es existieren ja auch genügend Bands, die nur aus Männern bestehen. Ich sehe da jedenfalls keinen Unterschied."
Musikalisch zeigen sich Teaser Sweet von Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Dio und den späten Europe inspiriert. Mit seiner galoppierenden Bassarbeit erinnert ein Song wie "Deep In The Woods" zudem an Iron Maiden.

4 Jahre nach dem schieren Ansturm von "Sumerian Promises" kehren Sijjin mit ihrem zweiten Werk "Helljjin Combat" zurück. Das Album beschwört sein eigenes Leben voller satanischer Bilder, teuflischer Ausschweifungen und biblischem Fatalismus. Sijjin folgen dem festen Pfad, den sie einst eingeschlagen haben, wenden sich aber endgültig der Hölle zu.

Aufgenommen live in den BlackStorm Studios in Karrantza, Baskenland & verziert mit einer authentischen und völlig trockenen 80er Jahre Analog-Sound Produktion. Obendrein klang Gerickes Gesang noch nie so dreckig wie auf "Helljjin Combat". Sijjins neuere Richtung konzentriert sich auf umfangreichere Songstrukturen, wie sie von den Paten des Metal-Wahnsinns Mitte der 80er praktiziert wurden, dabei kommen einem so berüchtigte Namen wie Infernäl Mäjesty, Nasty Savage, Possessed, frühe Slayer oder Megadeth in den Sinn.

Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass das Trio von Sijjin bei seinem Kampf in der Hölle einmal mehr bewiesen hat, dass es der Dreizack in der linken Hand des Teufels ist!

Unfiltered and raw, Basement's colourmeinkindness, cuts with the emotional honesty of a personal diary backed with a flawlessly representative soundtrack. Featuring the iconic Basement songs "Covet" and "Spoiled."

High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 200, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, 2 inserts

2x 180 g black Vinyl im Gatefold & DVD & Poster

Samurai Music returns to the evocative sound world of Ancestral Voices for an album that splits the difference between cinematic sound design and deadly restraint at 170 BPM. Nemeton continues Liam Blackburn's exploration of ancient Celtic mysticism through snaking rhythms and snarling sound design, conjuring a high-definition sonic image of sacred groves and the druids practicing amongst them.

Blackburn's Ancestral Voices project tracks back to 2015, when he debuted on Samurai Horo with the Night Of Visions album. In stark contrast to his celebrated 140 work as Indigo, this project leaned on the inspiration of pagan spirituality to charge his vivid, advanced production style with a rich and mysterious atmosphere. While he's channelled this approach into a variety of tempos and styles, on his 2016 EP Old Earth Voodoo on Samurai Music he applied the concept to a drum & bass framework, which he returns to on Nemeton with rigorous focus.

Far from a straightforward collection of breakbeat tracks, Blackburn uses negative space and pointillist production to carve out an immersive, tense sound world around the 170 grid. He takes a widescreen approach to percussion, running from pin-prick synthesised one-shots to tumbling, organic drums you'd more readily associate with a Hans Zimmer score. Scene-building is the foremost mission across Nemeton, casting otherworldly forces in sweeps of low-end friction and dramatic melodic blooms amidst tangible real-world field recordings of flora and fauna.

Casting the mind back some 2000 years is an exercise in imagination as much as research, and Blackburn ably summons dark fantasy as he delves ever deeper into Welsh mythology with a studious zeal and avid fascination. It's that drive that makes Nemeton burst forth and take shape so powerfully, bristling with kinetic energy and a barely-concealed, strangely seductive menace that leaves a lasting impression long after the last snatch of bass has bared its teeth.

(10x12" box set, limited to 1000 copies, with premium finishing, uniquely numbered, incl. 10 records in individually printed sleeves, a booklet detailing the club's history & exclusive stickers) Boccaccio has secured its place among legendary venueslike Paradise Garage in New York and The Hacçinda in Manchester. Its bold fusion of emerging electronic genres such as New Beat, Acid, House, and Techno was way ahead of its time, drawing music lovers and clubbers from across Belgium and beyond.



Belgian label Music Man Records presents Boccaccio Life 1987-1993, a new compilation offering a fresh perspective on the legacy of the iconic Belgian club Boccaccio - often associated with the short-lived New Beat movement. The 40-track compilation highlights the raw and futuristic early house and techno sounds that were heard in the pioneering club.

Located in rural Destelbergen (Belgium), just a stone's throw from Ghent, Boccaccio has secured its place among legendary venues like Paradise Garage in New York and The Hacçinda in Manchester. Its bold fusion of emerging electronic genres such as New Beat, Acid, House, and Techno was way ahead of its time, drawing music lovers and clubbers from across Belgium and beyond. Sundays at Boccaccio were unlike anywhere else-offering sounds you couldn't hear anywhere else.

Boccaccio Life 1987-1993 is carefully curated by resident DJ Olivier Pieters and club regular Stefaan Vandenberghe, standing as the ultimate testament to a club that was more than just a venue. For those who experienced it, it was a community - a way of life. Hence the club's full name: Boccaccio Life.

This compilation stands as a testament to an innovative time in electronic music, capturing the raw, futuristic sounds of early house and techno. It sheds light on another side of Boccaccio, one that goes far beyond the short-lived New Beat scene. A carefully curated selection of 40 tracks, resonating with those who were there by offering familiar classics, while also reaching a new generation-those who never experienced it firsthand.

With tracks from Blake Baxter, Virgo, Frankie Knuckles, Tyree, and A Guy Called Gerald, the unmistakable influence of black American pioneers is clear-the originators of the firstanalog house and techno sounds. On the other hand, UK sound innovators such as The Orb and LFO bring both sharp textures and rough breakbeats to the table.

Club staple tracks include dreamy excursions from Roger Sanchez under his Egotrip moniker, the relentless basement house of Circus Bells by Robert Armani on Dance Mania, an uplifting take on a hip-house cut from The D.O.C. (Portrait of A Masterpiece in the CJ Ed-Did-It Mix), a timeless remix of UK Formation's Age of Chance from 1994, and an alternate take on The Tape by Boccaccio club regular and Belgian producer Frank De Wulf, taken from his B-Sides project.

While not always the obvious hits, these tracks have gracefully withstood the test of time, and were exclusive to Sundays at Boccaccio. Now, they are finally available to experience together in one collection, offering a timeless snapshot of a unique era.

Following the launch of his solo career in 1988, “Moz” would spend the next 10 years composing and releasing six studio albums and a string of hit singles before going on a brief recording hiatus. On November 6, 2001, THE BEST OF MORRISSEY, a collection that brought together his most memorable work as a solo artist up to that point which was originally released on CD in North America only. In celebration of Morrissey’s career, we will revisit that classic compilation this year by releasing it, for the first time ever, on vinyl. THE BEST OF MORRISSEY will be available on 30th August as a black double-LP.



All the other studio albums the singer released between 1988 and 1997 are represented on THE BEST OF MORRISSEY with “Sing Your Life” from Kill Uncle (1991), “Do Your Best And Don’t Worry” from Southpaw Grammar (1995) and “Alma Matters” from Maladjusted (1997). Other tracks on the collection include the non-album single “Sunny” and the B-sides “Sister I’m A Poet” and “Lost.”

Yessss! Here it is! The comeback we have all been waiting for! Borrowed Identity is back! This classy producer and DJ from the German Black Forest has been making his mark some years ago (well it has been nearly a decade now) with releases on labels like Quintessentials (3 EPs to be precise), Circus Company or Foul & Sunk to name but a few. Now he teams up again with his Sandkastenbuddy Mechanical Soul Brother to present some super groovy, deep yet powerful and uplifting House tunes! Grab your copy and enjoy a hot summer!

For their second album 'The Foel Tower', Quade holed up in an old stone barn in the cradle of a Welsh mountain valley.
The valley was a stark and windswept backdrop with little daylight, as the band would huddle around crackling fires each evening. “There was very much a feeling of being on the complete fringes of society,” the band says. “The last vestiges of settlement before the unrelenting barren moors that loomed over us.”
It was an environment that would shape the band – a Bristol four piece made up of Barney Matthews, Leo Fini, Matt Griffiths and Tom Connolly – and the record they have made. It’s an album that is as dreamy as it is melancholic, and as quiet and tender as it is forceful and potent – gliding across genres like winds blowing over those wide-spanning Welsh hills – to arrive at something the band half-jokingly, yet somewhat accurately, describe as “doomer sad boy, ambient-dub, folk, experimental post-rock.”

Quade is a band but it’s also a very close-knit group that have been friends since childhood who use this musical vehicle for interpersonal explorations and connections. “We’ve individually experienced a lot of difficulty over the last several years and Quade has represented a space to shelter from these,” the band says. “This means we often communicate extensively with each other about the issues affecting us individually and collectively. These conversations and concerns are central to The Foel Tower.”

In many ways, the making of this record – or any Quade record – goes way deeper than the simple writing, construction and recording of music. It is a profoundly deep and meaningful experience. “A key theme of the album relates to why we connect with specific places in the way that we do,” the group says. “We often remove ourselves to isolated valleys, sheltered from some of the painful personal struggles that we have experienced as a band. These become spaces in which we collectively purge ourselves of some of these difficulties hoping to make Quade a physical and emotional place of solace. This album celebrates these places that we’ve been able to retreat to and recuperate.”

It is a deep, dense record that is stuffed with musical, cinematic and literary influences – from Ursula La Guin and Cormac MacCarthy through to RS Thomas and Yeats – but despite the heavy, introspective and anxious nature of some of the material, it is also a record that is remarkably deft, agile and considered.

Made with producer Jack Ogborne and mixer Larry ‘Bruce’ McCarthy, there is a pleasing duality to the final sound of the record. One that feels fragile and intimate but also powerful and forceful, as introspective as it is expansive, and a record that is as detailed and textured as it is wide open and spacious.

The album title also pays homage to the place that shaped it so greatly. Within this remote Welsh valley stands the Foel Tower, a stone structure filled with valves and cylinders that can raise and lower the level of the reservoir to draw off water. Which it can then send as far as 70 miles to Birmingham. However, in the late 1800s this land was occupied by local farmers and families in the hundreds until the British Government acquired the land, cleared the valleys, and promptly displaced them in order to begin serving the vastly expanding industrial English city. The band dug into the history and politics of this and wove it into the themes they were already thinking about, using what the Foel Tower stands for as something of a contemporary metaphor. “This tension was something that we wanted to explore without the haughty judgement of our more metropolitan lifestyles,” they say. “And to explore how this specifically relates to ourselves: how can we envisage a genuinely ecological future for ourselves – one that is accessible, affordable and in harmony with endangered rural practices.”

What makes The Foel Tower such an incredible record is that it feels born of a time, place and situation that only existed in that very moment. It’s a snapshot of those 10 days spent in rural Wales and all the feelings and anxieties the band were experiencing at that specific time, magically caught on tape. “The album very much feels tied to this valley for us and the conversations and experiences we shared there,” they say. “It brings up a great deal of poignancy for us, an emblem of some fleeting respite from the strains we all have to experience. But there’s also deep sadness knowing how transient these moments are – in fact, there’s just a great deal of sadness in this album. But it’s also a record that while personal, resigned, and emotionally burdened, is ultimately hopeful.”

1000 pressed. Classic Black vinyl, DL card. Toy Balloon receives its long overdue debut vinyl pressing, featuring new artwork. Caught somewhere between traditional folk and Jansch's penchant for the blues, 'Toy Balloon', from 1998, was the elder statesman of British folk's 20th studio album. Featuring a host of fantastic solo performances along with a brace of bigger sounding moments with a band including former Dire Straits' Pick Withers on drums and the legendary Pee Wee Ellis on sax, the mainly self-penned opus also boasts a hypnotic cover of the standard 'She Moves Through The Fair' and an evocative reading of Jackson C Frank's 'Carnival'.

In den letzten 24 Jahren war Tunde Adebimpe vor allem als Mitbegründer, Co-Sänger und Hauptkomponist von TV On The Radio bekannt. Die mehrheitlich schwarze Art-Rock-Band überstand zwei Jahrzehnte des unbeständigen kulturellen Wandels und wurde zu einer der beliebtesten, beständigsten und einflussreichsten Gruppen der New Yorker Rockszene der frühen 2000er Jahre. Obwohl Tundes poetisches Songwriting und seine überragende Stimme im Mittelpunkt von TV On The Radio stehen, wird die Band immer eine Zusammenarbeit zwischen einer Gruppe von Musikern sein. Tundes persönliche Geschichte verläuft parallel dazu, er ist eine Art kreativer Polymath. Er ist Musiker, aber auch Illustrator und Maler. Er ist ein ehemaliger Animator und Stop-Motion-Filmemacher (Celebrity Deathmatch). Er ist ein Fernseh- und Filmschauspieler, mit Rollen in Jump Tomorrow (2001), Rachel Getting Married (2008), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Twisters (2024) und Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (2024). Und jetzt ist er auch ein Solokünstler, mit seinem allerersten Soloalbum, "Thee Black Boltz". Das Album wurde von Tunde Abebimpe & Wilder Zoby produziert, mit Zoby als ausführender Produzent, mit zusätzlicher Produktion und Beiträgen von Jaleel Bunton & Jahphet Landis (von TV On The Radio) und anderen. Tunde hatte die Idee zu diesem Album im Jahr 2019, als TV On The Radio eine Pause einlegten. Zwei Jahre später, als sich die Welt von der Covid-Pandemie erholte, begann er ein Notizbuch mit Worten, Illustrationen und Ideen zu erstellen, das er als "Mixtape der Emotionen, die die Musik hervorrufen könnte. Eine Art Gefühlskarte" bezeichnet. Auf diese Weise beginnt Tunde die meisten seiner Projekte, und 2021 begann er, diese Ideen mit Hilfe des Multiinstrumentalisten Wilder Zoby (Run The Jewels), mit dem er sich in Los Angeles ein Studio teilt, in Musik umzusetzen. "Thee Black Boltz" ist kein TV On The Radio-Album. Aber die Aufregung, etwas alleine zu machen, entfachte in Tunde einen ähnlichen Funken wie in den frühen TV On The Radio-Tagen. Der Songwriting-Prozess ist derselbe, aber ohne seine TVOTR-Bandkollegen hatte Tunde "nicht dieses Gerüst, an dem er sich festhalten konnte. Das war sowohl beängstigend als auch aufregend". Das Herzstück des Albums ist sein Titel, eine Anspielung auf Tundes Neigung, über den Zustand des Menschen zu schreiben und zu singen, in all seinen Formen, unter all seinen großen und kleinen Stressfaktoren. Es ist seine Antwort auf das makroökonomische Unbehagen einer Welt nach der Pandemie, die sich auf einen gewalttätigen Autoritarismus zubewegt, und auf die persönliche Trauer, die durch den Verlust der letzten Jahre entstanden ist, insbesondere durch den plötzlichen Tod seiner jüngeren Schwester während der Aufnahmen zu diesem Album. "Thee Black Boltz" ist Tunde's verzweifeltes Festhalten an kleinen Momenten der Freude inmitten der Dissonanz und Traurigkeit, auf jede erdenkliche Weise. "Es war meine Art, mir einen Felsen oder eine Plattform inmitten dieses verdammten Ozeans zu bauen." Tunde schreibt in sein Notizbuch: "Die Funken der Inspiration/Motivation/Hoffnung, die inmitten von (und manchmal als Ergebnis von) tiefem Kummer, Depression oder Verzweiflung aufblitzen. Wie Elektronen, die sich in Gewitterwolken ansammeln und zusammenstoßen, bis sie einen Blitz abfeuern und einen Ausweg erhellen, wenn auch nur für eine Sekunde." Er fügt hinzu: "Außerdem ist es ein guter Name für eine coole Metal-Band, und ich denke, dass die meisten Leute mich als eine sehr coole Metal-Band bezeichnen würden."

Rhiannon Giddens reunites with her former Carolina Chocolate Drops bandmate Justin Robinson on What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, an album of North Carolina fiddle and banjo music. Produced by Giddens and Joseph "joebass" DeJarnette, the album features Giddens on banjo and Robinson on fiddle, with the duo playing eighteen of their favourite North Carolina tunes: a mix of instrumentals and tunes with words.

Many were learned from their late mentor, the legendary North Carolina Piedmont musician Joe Thompson; one is from another musical hero, the late Etta Baker, from whom they also learned by listening to recordings of her playing. Giddens and Robinson recorded the album outdoors and on location at Thompson’s and Baker’s North Carolina homes, as well as the former plantation Mill Prong House. They were accompanied by the sounds of nature, including two different broods of cicadas, which had not emerged simultaneously since 1803, creating a true once-in-a-lifetime soundscape. The duo, along with four other string musicians including the multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, will embark on the Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue North America tour in April.

“With the assaults on reality going on in the world today, we wanted to offer another kind of record, like walking back onto a gravel or dirt road while a stampede goes the other way,” Giddens says. “With the cicada choir, this record could’ve only happened at a certain time in the last 120 years. We doubled down on place, time, realness, and old-fashioned front porch music. It’s a reminder that another way exists, with music made for your community’s enjoyment and for dancing–not solely for commercial purposes.

“What is the role of music in our society?” she wonders. “How do we de-couple it from unfettered capitalism, where music is a product and musicians are incidental? How do we use the tools and system that we have been bequeathed in a way that reminds us of other ways of being?” Robinson adds, "Recording this album felt like being back in the saddle. Just this time Joe is not here, and his fiddle is under my chin. The album is about home, the cicadas, the storms, the music, and the people who make it feel like home."

Thompson was one of the last musicians of his era and his community to carry on the southern Black string band tradition. He played a crucial role in the lives of Giddens and Robinson, who, along with their Carolina Chocolate Drops bandmate Dom Flemons, spent their formative years learning from Thompson in traditional apprentice/mentor relationships. His influence has guided all of their artistic journeys as well as their mission to keep the legacy of the Black string band tradition alive.

In further tribute to Giddens’ North Carolina roots, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow will arrive just a week before Biscuits & Banjos, the inaugural edition of her first festival, which highlights the deep roots and enduring legacy of Black music, art, and culture while fostering community and storytelling. The sold-out festival will feature a much-anticipated Carolina Chocolate Drops reunion, their first performance together in more than a decade.

R&B duo THEY. — songwriter Drew Love and producer Dante Jones — have developed a smooth, future-facing sound for nearly a decade. In the early days, it was simple; two artists aligning on an appreciation for '90s R&B, new jack swing, and the height of soul-sampling hip-hop. Jones making beats and Love on the lines, a basic, balanced, and open-ended setup, free from major label expectations (which they'd feel on their 2017 breakout Nü Religion: Hyena) and high-profile collaborations (explored on 2018's Fireside, 2020's The Amanda Tape, and 2023's Nü Moon). They're proud of every stop along their story, while hindsight and a fresh perspective after signing to Secretly-affiliate label drink sum wtr have afforded them some distance to reflect on where THEY. goes next. The answer is LOVE.JONES. Here the duo exudes a whole new energy by reasserting their artistry in its most potent and pure form, just Love and Jones, making straight-fire, love-making music indebted to the golden neo-soul era that gave us the namesake 1997 film. “Forget the features, forget bringing in the big producers and writers. It's really just a return to our original dynamic," says Jones. Refined and reinvented, THEY. have arrived at their boldest work, a stacked, high-energy collection celebrating Black art, culture, and "the intense feelings of Black love."

B-Real of Cypress Hill and Psycho Les of The Beatnuts have joined forces for REAL PSYCHO,

a 14-track album that merges their iconic styles into a bold bicoastal fusion. B-Real, known for West Coast classics like "Insane in the Brain,"

blends his Latino-influenced rap with Psycho Les’s hard-hitting production, shaped in Queens on tracks like "Watch Out Now."

The album features guest appearances from Bay Area legend Too Short, Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter,

Demrick, and Son Doobie. Singles like "You Might Know Us" and "Lyrical Hammers"—

the latter enhanced by Carpenter’s gritty guitar riffs—offer a preview of the album’s genre-defying sound.

For vinyl collectors, REAL PSYCHO is available in four editions, including black and yellow 1LP versions

and two deluxe 2LP editions in black and limited silver marble vinyl, featuring a gatefold cover and instrumental tracks.

This collaboration celebrates hip-hop’s ability to bridge coasts, eras, and styles, delivering an album that feels both nostalgic and fresh.

B-Real of Cypress Hill and Psycho Les of The Beatnuts have joined forces for REAL PSYCHO,

a 14-track album that merges their iconic styles into a bold bicoastal fusion. B-Real, known for West Coast classics like "Insane in the Brain,"

blends his Latino-influenced rap with Psycho Les’s hard-hitting production, shaped in Queens on tracks like "Watch Out Now."

The album features guest appearances from Bay Area legend Too Short, Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter,

Demrick, and Son Doobie. Singles like "You Might Know Us" and "Lyrical Hammers"—

the latter enhanced by Carpenter’s gritty guitar riffs—offer a preview of the album’s genre-defying sound.

For vinyl collectors, REAL PSYCHO is available in four editions, including black and yellow 1LP versions

and two deluxe 2LP editions in black and limited silver marble vinyl, featuring a gatefold cover and instrumental tracks.

This collaboration celebrates hip-hop’s ability to bridge coasts, eras, and styles, delivering an album that feels both nostalgic and fresh.

B-Real of Cypress Hill and Psycho Les of The Beatnuts have joined forces for REAL PSYCHO,

a 14-track album that merges their iconic styles into a bold bicoastal fusion. B-Real, known for West Coast classics like "Insane in the Brain,"

blends his Latino-influenced rap with Psycho Les’s hard-hitting production, shaped in Queens on tracks like "Watch Out Now."

The album features guest appearances from Bay Area legend Too Short, Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter,

Demrick, and Son Doobie. Singles like "You Might Know Us" and "Lyrical Hammers"—

the latter enhanced by Carpenter’s gritty guitar riffs—offer a preview of the album’s genre-defying sound.

For vinyl collectors, REAL PSYCHO is available in four editions, including black and yellow 1LP versions

and two deluxe 2LP editions in black and limited silver marble vinyl, featuring a gatefold cover and instrumental tracks.

This collaboration celebrates hip-hop’s ability to bridge coasts, eras, and styles, delivering an album that feels both nostalgic and fresh.

B-Real of Cypress Hill and Psycho Les of The Beatnuts have joined forces for REAL PSYCHO,

a 14-track album that merges their iconic styles into a bold bicoastal fusion. B-Real, known for West Coast classics like "Insane in the Brain,"

blends his Latino-influenced rap with Psycho Les’s hard-hitting production, shaped in Queens on tracks like "Watch Out Now."

The album features guest appearances from Bay Area legend Too Short, Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter,

Demrick, and Son Doobie. Singles like "You Might Know Us" and "Lyrical Hammers"—

the latter enhanced by Carpenter’s gritty guitar riffs—offer a preview of the album’s genre-defying sound.

For vinyl collectors, REAL PSYCHO is available in four editions, including black and yellow 1LP versions

and two deluxe 2LP editions in black and limited silver marble vinyl, featuring a gatefold cover and instrumental tracks.

This collaboration celebrates hip-hop’s ability to bridge coasts, eras, and styles, delivering an album that feels both nostalgic and fresh.

How does one approach the morning after a party for the end of the world? This is a question which Mamuthones had to ask themselves, in the wake of their last album for Rocket, 2018's Fear On The Corner. Nonetheless, from the aftermath of this uncertain period has risen the still more flourishing realm of From Word To Flesh - a colourful and multi-faceted creation very much befitting the outsider spirit of Rocket's new Black Hole imprint. “I believe that with this album a circle has been closed” reflects Mamuthones mainman Alessio Gastaldello. “We returned to the atmosphere of the first Mamuthones albums with the skills acquired throughout the journey, with new sounds and with new creative processes. I would say that what remains constant – and at the core of our music – is the obsessive rhythms and the search for a sonic rituality: this is for certain our trademark”. This is clear right from the curtain raiser 'Burn From Inside', which beams the emotive approach of the band through the shamanic prism of Coil's Ape Of Naples. From there, hypnotic repetition marries to abstract abrasion and mournful laments with equal finesse, as redolent of the spiritual zest of Popol Vuh and Ash Ra Tempel as the gnostic folk of Six Organs Of Admittance. Elsewhere, 'A Symmetry Of Faith' summons a union of post-punk and psychically charged folk aligned with the recent work of Bristol's Beak. The Sardinian ritual of the Mamuthones – in which sinister masked figures weighed down with cattle bells conduct a ceremonial procession to ward off evil forces - has gone on for some two thousand years, and it may be that these ghoulish avatars are engaged in a celebration of the endless cycles of death and rebirth, fortifying spirits for a new epoch. Amidst the chaos and tumult of the 2020s, the band of this name has undergone just such a change themselves, and ‘From Word To Flesh’ is the fruit of their struggle. As Alessio says “With this album I think the Mamuthones have never been so unmediated, so naked: all masks gone”

Limited edition of 500 copies.

Hard Top assembles the previously unreleased 1975 recordings of legendary South African saxophonist Kippie Moketsi (also spelled Moeketsi). The 2LP vinyl edition is presented in a gatefold sleeve featuring artwork by Mafa Ngwenya and comes from As-Shams Archive on the heels of the Tete Mbambisa's previously unreleased African Day album in 2024.

By 1975, at the age of 50, saxophonist Kippie Moketsi had already earned his stripes as a South African jazz figurehead. His tenure with the Jazz Epistles and the cast of the "South African Jazz Opera" King Kong in the late-1950s had not only marked his own rise to fame but also seen him help catalyse the ambitions of a younger generation of iconic artists who would go on to become the defining figures of modern South African jazz. While he didn't enjoy the same international attention as his protégés Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim, his humble and challenging career on the local jazz scene until his death in 1983 saw him forge an enduring legacy.

Owing to the efforts of record producer Rashid Vally, Kippie Moketsi's journey through the 1970s is beautifully documented, most notably on the albums Dollar Brand + 3 (1973), Tshona! (1975) and Blue Stompin' (1977), in which he shares the spotlight with Abdullah Ibrahim, Pat Matshikiza and Hal Singer respectively. As a featured performer on Soul of the City's Diagonal Street (1975) and Dennis Maple's Our Boys are Doing It (1977), Moketsi is seen embracing the popular orientations of South African jazz in 1970s but, having come up in the 1940s and 1950s, he never forgot his roots as a dedicated admirer and scholar of traditional American jazz.

While Moketsi did write some memorable compositions, it was in the role of interpreter that he shone most brightly. With its title derived from a good-natured nickname that nodded to Moketsi's elder status by way of his receding hairline, Hard Top is a covers album that looks back in time to the era of rhythm and blues while also indulging 1970s pop and funk with a decidedly South African vibe. Officially joining Kippie Moketsi's catalogue 50 years after it was recorded, Hard Top provides an opportunity to celebrate the multiple dimensions of a South African jazz legend and reflect on the unwavering support of his fan, producer and friend Rashid Vally, who passed away in December 2024.

Neil Young and Reprise Records announce the 18th April release of Coastal: The Soundtrack, featuring 11 live recordings from the tour film of the same name

Coastal is a personal, behind-the-scenes documentary on Neil Young as he cruises the coast on his 2023 solo US tour. The film gives an intimate view of the maverick musician, as he navigates a return to the stage post-Covid. From his everyday observations on the bus to his candid banter with his audience. Coastal is a rare peek behind the curtain of this unguarded iconoclast. The film was shot and directed by Daryl Hannah.
Coastal: The Soundtrack features 11 Neil Young songs including "Song X", "Vampire Blues" "Expecting To Fly", "Throw Your Hatred Down", "I Am A Child", and "Prime of Life". The album is released on black vinyl, limited edition clear vinyl (includes poster), CD and digitally.