Поиск:the brain

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E.VAX - the project of Ratatat’s Evan Mast - announces his new, self-titled album, out September 17th via Because Music. Performing as half of Ratatat for more than the last decade, Mast’s music has reached an enormous audience with its bombastic merge of rock and electronic music, as well as through his parallel work as a hip-hop producer for artists such as Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Jay-Z . His new solo album, E.VAX is a collection of instrumental songs, dolloped with moments of exploratory dialogue, disembodied moments that are equally disorienting and moving. The throughline between the songs on his new album is not a certain signature sound, but Mast’s feel as a producer. Though one song may lean heavier on snappy drums and another on the coo of an organ, they all share a similar sensibility. The songs are sincere, playful, inviting, curious, and contemplative—all characteristics of Mast himself.

For this album, Mast loosened his attitude towards production, looking to capture some of the excitement of creation. He recorded at home, and then midway through the pandemic he spent time in Montana, recording in a friend’s art gallery. The blank space and isolation after so much studio time in close quarters allowed for a new looseness. He’d play songs at the wrong speed to see how it changed what he heard, or deliberately leave a melody untouched for months and then improvise over it after playing it anew for the first time. Unable to get lost in real life, he got lost in music. “I used to be way more precious,” Mast says about his songwriting. “A lot of this stuff on the record is about trying to skip the brain processes that can get in the way of making something that really feels sincere.”

Welcome to the world of Dave Monolith! This is his 2011 debut album on Rephlex records, appearing on vinyl for the very first time! Smooth and funky melodic electro and warm synthy braindance. When this release just got released most people thought it was another project of Richard D James, but now,10 years later, we know better... Dave monolith is a master on his own! Quite amazing it is the 10 years anniversary of this release while it still sounds so fresh!

Grains is the debut album by Numinos on Mille Plateaux. The Cologne-based producer, DJ, author and lecturer has been writing the tech-reviews in "Groove" for many years, tests equipment for various specialist magazines and teaches at the Institute for Pop Music (IFPOM) and Institute for Computer Music and Electronic Media (ICEM) of the Folkwang University.In his current creative phase, he conceptually deals with the topic of "granular synthesis".
A "grain" is thus, to a certain extent, a tiny spectral snapshot from a larger musical context - an infinitely expandable, flowing intermediate state. This is also where the connection to the cover motif is found that shows the negative of a photograph of a wild field and has been taken Bernd Adamek-Schyma: The negative as an eternal intermediate state between the motif and the developed image. And despite the fact that "Numinos" has a fully equipped studio with a wide range of instruments, the 20 Euro iPad app "Borderlands Granular" turned out to be the creative catalyst that enabled the trained pianist to implement his sound ideas with direct haptic influence.The app gives the Cologne-based sound artist the opportunity to extract tiny fragments from the sample based on their specific tonality, to recontextualize them and thus work out structures that are not audible at the original tempo.
The results are polyrhythmic sound scenes that appear harsh, artificial and strange in a moment, only to transform into contemplative, warm and familiar frequency stratification minutes later. Numinos deceives the listener in many ways. Above all with the supposed rhythm that does not exist. Because in fact almost all granular clusters within the pieces run in completely asynchronous loops. The addition of a simple kick drum then forces the brain to suddenly hear apparent triplets, quintoles or dotted eighths in these mathematically completely chaotic structures, which are purely fallacy.

In December of 2020, The Wild Feathers hauled
off to a pre-civil war-built cabin in VanLeer, TN,
where the ideas and songs from ‘Alvarado’ met for
the very first time.

In the past, the band typically liked to collect all the
tunes they’ve written over the past year,
brainstorm, conceptualize and rehearse isolated in
a cabin before heading into the studio.

This time, for their fourth studio album, they
decided to bring the studio to the cabin. The guys
spent a week jamming and creating while having
the ability to capture the performances while they
were fresh.

Produced by the band, ‘Alvarado’ is the truest
representation of The Wild Feathers to date. No
outside musicians, no outside opinions, just them
playing their new songs in a room with the best
mics they could find.

First non-major label release (formerly of Warner
Brothers).
 For fans of Blackberry Smoke, Jamestown Revival,
Langhorne Slim

“Is the juice worth the squeeze? Is the honey worth the bees? Is the trip
worth the risk? Is the rub worth the fleas?”
These are some of the big questions CHILDCARE find themselves pondering
at the top of their second album ‘Busy Busy People’. It’s a mantra that returns
later in the record but remains in the back of your brain throughout, a playful
enquiry into the purpose of our everyday activities that highlights the South
London-based group’s knack of marrying the surreal with the ordinary; soberly
tripping out during the big shop.
It’s something the group have been refining as part of their identity since their
genesis, when singer Ian Cares spent the time between school runs at his nannying job writing songs. He started adding other musicians to the project gradually until two EPs (2017’s ‘Made Simple’ and 2018’s ‘Luckyucker’) and one
album (2019’s ‘Wabi-Sabi’) later, Ian, male guitarist Rich Le Gate, bassist Emma
Topolski, and male drummer David Dyson have shaped CHILDCARE into one of
the most unique emerging groups in the UK.
They’ve earned themselves a loyal following of fans, sold out their biggest
show (so far) at London’s Scala and gained support from BBC Radio 1 (Annie
Mac, Jack Saunders), Spotify (several New Music Friday slots) and five SXSW
2020 showcases, which of course, never happened.
Busy Busy People was recorded at Somerset’s Distiller Studios with producer
Dom Monks (Laura Marling, Big Thief, White Denim)
Former BBC Radio 1 Track of the Week with key supporters incl. Jack Saunders,
Annie Mac plus BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq & Radio X’s John Kennedy
Performed on the BBC Radio 1 stage at Reading/Leeds 2019 and were slated
for SXSW ‘20 before the pandemic hit.
They also sold out London’s Scala in Christmas ‘19.
UK tour kicks off September ‘21 Bassist Emma Topolski also performs as touring
member with Bombay Bicycle Club, Dua Lipa & Laura Marling

The 12” singles box features nine replicas of the singles from the original campaign, all pressed on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl – as well as a tenth disc, which consists of a previously unheard remix (and accompanying instrumental) of ‘Shine Like Stars’ by the album’s late and beloved producer Andrew Weatherall. The box also features three art prints by the album’s cover artist Paul Cannell and a download code.

Mixed Colored Vinyl

The London label continues to innovate with their biggest release to date.

10 tracks – 10 incredible artists adding to their string of solid releases by new and established art-ists.

Setting fire to the rage of acceptance.
–
Sublime Creatures, defiant of society’s cages, its definitions of power, beauty and status. A higher stance above bitter re-sentment. A pro-active community of thin- kers. A patch-work of empowered souls, ideas and experiences.

Directly related to one of the sentences in our manifesto, Sublime Creatures is a call to our most powerful selves.
–
The name of the label itself is about us working on bettering ourselves and being united in all our differences. “Reptile” is about our relationship with the reptilian brain and our efforts to understand what truly means to be human (tools to perfect your instinct), becoming aware of our-selves and the others around us. “House of” is a direct allusion to the “house and ball culture” movements in NYC in the early 80s.

The sense of a real family of strangers coming together around a shared sense of purpose.

Already renowned for a ball-tearing live show, The Sniffers
made their international debut as one of the hottest tipped
acts at The Great Escape in 2018. Soon afterwards, they
signed deals with both Rough Trade Records and ATO
Records, made a massively hyped appearance at SXSW,
and finally released their self-titled debut album in 2019,
landing them an ARIA (Australian Recording Industry
Association) Award for Best Rock Album, capping off a wild
year for the lunatic, likeable punks.
Late in 2020, Amyl and The Sniffers went into the studio with
producer Dan Luscombe to record their sophomore album,
‘Comfort To Me’. Written over a long year of lockdown, the
album was influenced by and expanded on a heavier pool of
references - old-school rock’n’roll (AC/DC, Rose Tattoo,
Motörhead and Wendy O Williams), modern hardcore
(Warthog and Power Trip) and the steady homeland heroes
(Coloured Balls and Cosmic Psychos).
Lyrically, the album was influenced by Taylor’s rap idols and
countless garage bands and, in her words, “I had all this
energy inside of me and nowhere to put it, because I couldn’t
perform, and it had a hectic effect on my brain. My brain
evolved and warped and my way of thinking about the world
completely changed.”
Seventeen songs were recorded in the ‘Comfort To Me’
sessions and the top thirteen made the cut. They were mixed
long distance by Nick Launay (Nick Cave, IDLES, Yeah Yeah
Yeahs) and mastered by Bernie Grundman (Michael
Jackson, Prince, Dr Dre).
‘Comfort To Me’ demonstrates the same irrepressible smarts,
integrity and fearless candour as their debut but, as you’d
expect of any young band five years on, their sound has
evolved - in Amy’s words, it’s “raw self-expression, defiant
energy and unapologetic vulnerability.”

one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden is the name of the second album by Canadian songwriter Alexandra Levy, publicly known by the moniker Ada Lea. On one hand, it’s a collection of walking-paced, cathartic pop/folk songs, on the other it’s a

book of heart-twisting, rear-view stories of city life. Ada Lea has followed up the creative, indie-rock songcraft of her debut what we say in private with surprising arrangements and new perspectives. The album is set in Montreal and each song exists as a dot on a personal history map of the city where Levy grew up. Due on September 24th from Saddle Creek and Next Door Records in Canada, the physical record will be released alongside a map of song locations and a songbook with chords and lyrics, inspired by Levy’s love of real book standards.

Levy penned and demoed this batch of songs in an artist residency in Banff, Alberta. After sorting and editing she made her way to Los Angeles to record with producer/engineer Marshall Vore (Phoebe Bridgers) who had previously worked on 2020’s woman, here E.P. After a long walk to the studio each morning, Levy spent her session days diving into the arrangements, playfully letting everything fall in place with complete trust for her collaborators. She notes “Marshall’s expertise and experience with drumming and songwriting was the perfect blend for what the songs needed. He was able to support me in a harmonic, lyrical, and rhythmic sense.” Other contributors that left a notable fingerprint on the soundscape include drummer Tasy Hudson, guitarist Harrison Whitford (of Phoebe Bridgers band), and mixing engineer Burke Reid (Courtney Barnett). Many songs came together with a blend of studio tracks and elements from the pre-recorded demos.

The resulting sounds range from classic, soft-rock beauty to intimate finger-picked folk passages and night-drive art-pop. And the textures are frequently surprising due to the collage of lo-fi and hi-fi sounds that tastefully decorate the album without ever clouding the heart-center of the song. Tracks like “damn” and “oranges” feel timeless with their AM gold groove and 70’s studio sheen, while songs like “my love 4 u is real '', “salt spring” and “can’t stop me from dying” sound completely modern in their use of electronics, sound effects, and pitched vocals. In their subtle, sonic variety, all of the album’s songs flow together with ease into one big, romantic dream for Levy’s silken vocals to float above.

Inspired by personal experience, daydreams, and Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, the lyrics of one hand... center storytelling on a bigger scale. The experience and emotions of a year are communicated through Levy’s vignettes of city life. Her prose is centered in its setting of the St Denis area of Montreal as it draws up memories from local haunts like Fameux, La Rockette, and Quai des Brumes in rearview reverie. Levy creates a balance through the album’s year by splitting her songs evenly into four seasons. Opening track “damn”, as a song of winter, kicks off the narrative with the events of a cursed New Year’s Eve party. Immediately this timeline becomes jumbled into a Proustian haziness. The listener is then led through the heat-stricken, brain fog of Summer song, “can’t stop me from dying” and then into the autumnal romanticism of “oranges” before returning back to New Year’s on “partner,” which Levy describes as “a woozy late-night taxi blues reflection on moments when timing can be so right, yet so wrong…”. These collected stories as a whole chart the unavoidable growth that comes with experience. “All is forgiven in time. All is forgotten in time. And when the music stopped, I heard an answer” (from “my love 4 u is real”).

Whether to consider these songs fiction or memoir remains unknown. On one hand, Levy says “Why would I try to write a story that’s not my own? What good would that do?” but on the other hand, she is quick to note the ways that language fails to describe reality, and how difficult this makes it to tell an actually true story. The poetic misuse of the word “sewing” in the album’s title serves as a nod to the limitations words provide. What does it mean to sew the garden? And how can we appreciate its carefully knit blooms when the rearview mirror is so full of car exhaust?

one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden is the name of the second album by Canadian songwriter Alexandra Levy, publicly known by the moniker Ada Lea. On one hand, it’s a collection of walking-paced, cathartic pop/folk songs, on the other it’s a

book of heart-twisting, rear-view stories of city life. Ada Lea has followed up the creative, indie-rock songcraft of her debut what we say in private with surprising arrangements and new perspectives. The album is set in Montreal and each song exists as a dot on a personal history map of the city where Levy grew up. Due on September 24th from Saddle Creek and Next Door Records in Canada, the physical record will be released alongside a map of song locations and a songbook with chords and lyrics, inspired by Levy’s love of real book standards.

Levy penned and demoed this batch of songs in an artist residency in Banff, Alberta. After sorting and editing she made her way to Los Angeles to record with producer/engineer Marshall Vore (Phoebe Bridgers) who had previously worked on 2020’s woman, here E.P. After a long walk to the studio each morning, Levy spent her session days diving into the arrangements, playfully letting everything fall in place with complete trust for her collaborators. She notes “Marshall’s expertise and experience with drumming and songwriting was the perfect blend for what the songs needed. He was able to support me in a harmonic, lyrical, and rhythmic sense.” Other contributors that left a notable fingerprint on the soundscape include drummer Tasy Hudson, guitarist Harrison Whitford (of Phoebe Bridgers band), and mixing engineer Burke Reid (Courtney Barnett). Many songs came together with a blend of studio tracks and elements from the pre-recorded demos.

The resulting sounds range from classic, soft-rock beauty to intimate finger-picked folk passages and night-drive art-pop. And the textures are frequently surprising due to the collage of lo-fi and hi-fi sounds that tastefully decorate the album without ever clouding the heart-center of the song. Tracks like “damn” and “oranges” feel timeless with their AM gold groove and 70’s studio sheen, while songs like “my love 4 u is real '', “salt spring” and “can’t stop me from dying” sound completely modern in their use of electronics, sound effects, and pitched vocals. In their subtle, sonic variety, all of the album’s songs flow together with ease into one big, romantic dream for Levy’s silken vocals to float above.

Inspired by personal experience, daydreams, and Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, the lyrics of one hand... center storytelling on a bigger scale. The experience and emotions of a year are communicated through Levy’s vignettes of city life. Her prose is centered in its setting of the St Denis area of Montreal as it draws up memories from local haunts like Fameux, La Rockette, and Quai des Brumes in rearview reverie. Levy creates a balance through the album’s year by splitting her songs evenly into four seasons. Opening track “damn”, as a song of winter, kicks off the narrative with the events of a cursed New Year’s Eve party. Immediately this timeline becomes jumbled into a Proustian haziness. The listener is then led through the heat-stricken, brain fog of Summer song, “can’t stop me from dying” and then into the autumnal romanticism of “oranges” before returning back to New Year’s on “partner,” which Levy describes as “a woozy late-night taxi blues reflection on moments when timing can be so right, yet so wrong…”. These collected stories as a whole chart the unavoidable growth that comes with experience. “All is forgiven in time. All is forgotten in time. And when the music stopped, I heard an answer” (from “my love 4 u is real”).

Whether to consider these songs fiction or memoir remains unknown. On one hand, Levy says “Why would I try to write a story that’s not my own? What good would that do?” but on the other hand, she is quick to note the ways that language fails to describe reality, and how difficult this makes it to tell an actually true story. The poetic misuse of the word “sewing” in the album’s title serves as a nod to the limitations words provide. What does it mean to sew the garden? And how can we appreciate its carefully knit blooms when the rearview mirror is so full of car exhaust?

TOTAL turns 21 this year, and Kompakt’s venerable compilation series couldn’t have asked for a more auspicious coming-of-age collection. If TOTAL 20 was consolidation against the odds, the Kompakt crew producing for a dreamt-of dancefloor in an uncertain future, then TOTAL 21 feels abuzz and alive with possibilities. Significantly, it’s the first TOTAL in some time that’s streamlined down to a single disc; this makes TOTAL 21 even punchier than usual, a joyous, reflective, and always thrilling 75-minute audio scan of the world according to Kompakt.

As with every instalment of TOTAL, there’s a deft balancing here of Kompakt regulars and new blood. Of the latter, there’s a first appearance by KOLLMORGEN, remixed by PATRICE BÄUMEL into an astral torch song; Amsterdam’s NICKY ELISABETH, offering up ROMAN FLÜGEL’s pulsating, arpeggiated remix of “Celeste”; and CAPTAIN MUSTACHE swoops down into view, PLAY PAUL in tow, with the dream-like electro lift-off that is “Everything”. JONATHAN KASPAR also drops by with a new track, “Von Draussen”, a stealthy and lethal floor-hugger with prowling bass.

Elsewhere, there’s the lead track to MICHAEL MAYER’s astonishing recent EP, “Brainwave Technology”, which not-so-gently spears the tech-futurist babble of AI, transhumanism and posthumanism, soundtracked by one of Mayer’s typically lush, glimmering soundscapes. JOHN TEJADA reaches back to the heyday of glitch and dub techno with the gorgeous “Spectral Progressions”, while the brothers VOIGT & VOIGT, on “Nicht Mein Job”, seem reinvigorated by the interwoven patterns and funky minimalism of the Profan days. Not to be outdone, JÜRGEN PAAPE kicks TOTAL 21 with “La Guittara Romantica”, a chiming and lilting lullaby for woozy late-night reflection.

Throughout, it feels as though Kompakt are taking a moment to both breathe in the dust of the past and look forward to a bright future. Perhaps that’s why, on “Fasson”, SASCHA FUNKE seems so confident, with pinprick melodies bouncing around a hall of audio mirrors, or why THE BIONAUT returns with “Blue Sky Motor Lodge”, a song so moistly melancholy, so enduringly lovely, it’ll make you weep tears of joy. ROBAG WRUHME gets a little delirious on the ticking, twisting “No”, and then GUI BORATTO mops everything up with the bubbling, bumping glam-stomp “Wake Up”.

That’s not all – spring for the digital and/or vinyl edition and you’ll get a new cut, “Happy”, from MICHAEL MAYER, and MARC ROMBOY & C.A.R.’s “I Am A Dancer”. But however you choose to play it, now TOTAL’s turned 21, it’s your duty to throw it the celebration to end all celebrations. Let the party begin, and don’t forget to bring a party favor…

“Impressions / I Am Thousands” is the new release from Berlin-based electronic producer and multi-instrumentalist sUb_modU, aka the brainchild of Italian Romeo Sandri. Both songs form part of the jazz musician’s debut album ‘Descent To The Centre’, a record that is an autobiographical and existentialist account of oneself, blending the electric/psychedelic spectrum of jazz with house, avant-garde and ambient leanings.

Following on from “Pidgin Synths EP”, a releases that entangled a homage to afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti with synth-heavy original material, sUb_modU has amassed an impressive list of tastemaker support through his unique reinterpations, from the likes of Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music), Ross Allen (NTS) and Virgil Abloh (Off White). Alongside the release of his debut album is a special edition, double A side single, 7” featuring an exclusive 45 Centre Edit of the iconic “Expensive Shit” paired with a sUb_modu original “RAM Generation”.

"This is another one that went down a storm” – Ross Allen (NTS), Best of 2020
“"Quite a lot of people have been asking me about that Fela Kuti cover…”
– Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music)
“A killer electronic-filled reinterpretation” – Twistedsoul
With further support from Virgil Abloh (Off White), TRENCH & DJ Mag

“After many years and EP released, the idea of working on something bigger was growing in me. This project is a natural way for me to introducing myself by showing my musical signature, a generous & mesmerizing sound, taking influences into ethereal colors in order to impact the listeners with a powerful & vibing sound, also by bringing some ideas I never dare to put here. “

Nikitch is a versatile musician, making his unique signature by using classical music as much as Jazz & electronic music. He rapidly get supports by tastemakers Gilles Peterson & Laurent Garnier, playing his music all around the world, and also working with labels like Ninja Tune, Brownswood or Soulection. France based but open to the whole musical world, his projects and collaborations goes from Brussels based producer Kuna Maze to french Rapper Grems passing by UK singer Andreya Triana. After a bunch of remixes ( DJ Cam, Submotion Orchestra, Ghost Of Christmas) and some releases on prestigious labels as Chateau Bruyant, Cascade Records or Tru Thoughts, he just joined the Casamance team to release his first LP, which will be out in September 24th.

MyBrothertheCow isthefourthstudioalbumbytheAmerican grunge band Mudhoney. The album includes several direct references to bands that influenced Mudhoney’s sound. For instance, “F.D.K. (Fearless Doctor Killers)” refers to the Bad Brains song “F.V.K. (Fearless Vampire Killers)”, “Orange Ball-Peen” alludes to Captain Beefheart and Led Zeppelin, and “1995” pays tribute to The Stooges.

Available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered
copies on turquoise coloured vinyl.

93 minute collection of the electronic, ambient, prog, and kosmische side of the 80's-90's Paul Chain catalogue. Paul Chain is widely revered in the Doom Metal underground, and rightly so, but this collection aims to highlight the many 'other' sides to his work. Anyone interested in NWW list or Mutant Sounds should investigate. Officially licensed collection bringing these gems to back to vinyl for the first time in 30 years.

Numbered edition of 300 copies.

Repress

Following up on his contribution to the first Five Years Of Tears compilation, Randstad steps up to the bill and delivers his first solo release for Pinkman Records. 6 tracks ranging from twisted industrialized beat trax to brain melting weirdo dance. A great cross-over record for adventurous DJs and fans of the cold, minimal DIY sound of the 80s alike.

South African born, London based producer Kai van Dongen follows up two killer releases on 1Ø PILLS MATE and Ei8ht Records with a massive four tracker on CYBERDOME spanning lo-fi electro, gabber-influenced techno and Detroit acid.

‘Command’ gets started with the typical Cyber-aesthetic; a bruising, otherworldly electro cut that sounds like it was sampled from an intergalactic star-ship battle on a galaxy not so distant. Spooky, raw and uncompromising - classic horror synth lines creating a haunting atmosphere before its pulsating rhythm brings the listener back down to earth. ‘Losing Power’ again makes use of Kai’s knack for crafting emotionally captivating synth patterns, but this time under a lo-fi identity with hefty influence from the synthwave golden era; neon shapes and patterns blooming in the night as we continue our journey into darkness.

What sounds like an angry swarm of bees approaches on ‘Body Moving’ - a track title fit for purpose. Face-melting, brain-spinning techno creates a dark, psychedelic environment where sweat drips from the ceiling and faces react with a blend of euphoria and disgust, before we head to the Motor City on ‘Breathe’ - a cut of acid techno-electro that borrows from the icons of the past for a typically punchy and raw experience.

Could the missing link between Eric Dolphy and Albert Ayler be the Michel Portal of 1970? After having worked alongside François Tusques defending a free jazz “made in France”, we find him here, heading up an international quintet of which each member is on fire: John Surman, Barre Phillips, Stu Martin and Jean-Pierre Drouet. The quintet had full leeway to break out the free-form in long ambient tracks to compose this Alors!!! which leaves listeners with just one word to say: More!

Do we still need to present Michel Portal?... Clarinetist destined for the classical and contemporary world after his passage in the Paris Conservatory, he decided to try his hand at jazz, with an incendiary flamboyance! After his first experience with André Hodeir and Pierre Michelot, he would break all the codes with François Tusques (Free Jazz, in 1965) before starting the emblematic Michel Portal Unit. It is the Portal of those years that Alors!!! offers us the chance to listen to again.

“There are periods of insolence”, the musician declared and the year 1970 was one all on its own. Heading up an impetuous international troupe, a quintet consisting of John Surman (saxophones, bass clarinet), Barre Phillips (double-bass), Stu Martin (drums) and Jean-Pierre Drouet (percussion), Portal moves from alto sax to clarinet in the compositions shared with his partners.

From the off, the group sparks an explosion with the sound of “OO Bam Ba Deep” battered by the horns and percussion. Next up is the fabulous free jazz of “Yes, Oh Yes, You Wonderous Sun Kissed Maiden!” and the fantastic disjointed march of “Ça Boom?” which shakes up the musicians every which way. The quintet imagined that listeners would need to catch their breath, and thoughtfully added: “Billie the Kid” and “Undercurrent”, marvelous moments of ambient mystery.

Audacious from beginning to end, including the sleeve – the bird-man and his quintet brain designed by Avoine, –, the album is a fabulous object, to which the label Futura gave wings at the time. And as it is being reissued today there is just one word to use: the French translation of the title, So!!!

Constructed from the brains and limbs of Wayne Adams and Henri Grimes, Big Lad is difficult to frame in words and perhaps much better served by their actions. Their live show having been continually captured, cropped and chopped over the years since their formation in 2015.

The project was rather appropriately founded off the back of a chance email, when Drummer Grimes (formerly Shield Your Eyes) suggested that the duo collaborate on a crossover project, having heard Adams’ vast Breakcore back catalogue. Adams had, somewhat serendipitously, been busy writing a Drum Trigger programme shortly before the email had hit his inbox and he jumped at


the chance to test the creation in a practice room. With Grimes strapped into this new system, songs started to appear thick and fast, and Big Lad was swiftly born.

2015’s recorded debut announced their collaboration, consciously marrying the collective excitement of both underground Punk and Electronic subcultures. 2018’s Pro Rock saw Big Lad extend the euphoria of their live show, using primal energy as an antidote against the jargonistic culture of our present.

After a year away from the heat of the stage lights, 2021 sees the triumphant return of the duo, announcing a brand new LP titled Power Tools. It’s a collection that sits as an unashamed monument, chiselled and stripped back to present the raw strength of what Big Lad has become. The results range from more familiar high octane tracks that nod to history of the rave community, to more brooding moments that appear (and vanish) like the ghosts of warehouses long since vacated.