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APORIAMOR noun 1. The death of love’s contradiction.
| “Embody APORIAMOR”

Etymology
aporia-: an irresolvable internal contradiction or logical disjunction in a text, argument, or theory. from Greek aporos ‘impassable’, from a- ‘without’ + poros ‘passage’
-amor: love. Sentimiento intenso del ser humano que, partiendo de su propia insuficiencia, necesita y busca el encuentro y unión con otro ser. Del latín amor.
-mor: latin for death.

APORIAMOR explores the affective ontological and organic processes of love and lust in the turmoil of an urban existence, through the female lens. It expresses the process of strengthening through heartbreak in its various forms.

With her debut EP The Art of the Concrete, elsas knew that by giving that name to a record which was ironically expansive and experimental, she would be calling for a distilled and clearer path further down the line. This is what she’s been incorporating into the sonic world of this new EP, APORIAMOR, signifying the birth of a more matured and distilled version of herself as an artist.

With APORIAMOR (“the death of love’s contradiction”) elsas conveys a personal process of healing in the romantic space. Through different experiences of heartbreak, elsas builds a language - a coping mechanism attached to its subsequent artistic expression – that isn’t founded on hardness or a closing-off, but instead, on a playful but profound reckoning, and learning of self-worth.

APORIAMOR embraces the complexities of being a lover-girl: of moving through life with an open heart. It celebrates the clarity, sweet hindsight, and detachment that come from processing emotion. APORIAMOR is both an affirmation and a release.

elsas makes canonical blends with a forward boundary-bending vision. Her sound in this record is naturally referential of both her Mediterranean heritage and UK alternative music — intrinsic parts of her lived experience. She has had the opportunity to collaborate with artists she deeply admires, each exchange enriching her creative world.

The experience of working hand-in-hand with Sampha for the last 3 years and ongoingly has been a core of her evolution as an artist. She has also collaborated in many forms with artists like Florence + the Machine, Little Simz, Jordan Rakei, Jockstrap, Obongjayar, Black Country New Road, Genevieve Artadi (KNOWER) and Duval Timothy. Additionally, her ongoing work with the Idrîsî Ensemble, of which she is a core member, continues to inform her artistic depth.

The making of this largely self-produced record unfolded over four years — “it’s a well-kneaded dough,” she says. These songs evolved through exposure to multiple environments: from early writing sessions in her childhood home in the Spanish countryside, to stages across the U.S. while on tour supporting Sampha.

Experimentation and modulation are an intrinsic part of elsas’ method, conceiving songs as organisms that respond to their surroundings. Collaborators on this collection of songs include Shrink, Will Lister, Gabriel Gifford, Ethan P. Flynn and more. The record was mixed by David Wrench (a long-time supporter of elsas’) and Nathan Boddy, and mastered by Matt Colton.

With APORIAMOR, elsas creates a visual world from the fabulation of the past, as an act of playful historical revisionism in which she embeds herself as both subject and storyteller. The songs function like an archive of her experiences across various years, each one unearthed and presented as some sort of archaeological artifact. Through this body of work, elsas begins to conceptualize herself as a legacy artist: one who honors the archive of her own becoming while emerging as a distinct and resonant voice in today’s musical landscape.

Wigwam's previously unreleased rare live recording from 1976 out in February via Svart Records In the summer of 1976, Wigwam performed not only in Finland but also in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. However, the pace slowed down afterward. The early autumn tours planned for European countries were cancelled, and even the replacement shows in Finland had to be postponed due to bassist Måns “Måsse” Groundstroem's sick leave. In October 1976 an opening appeared in the schedule for a studio session, during which Jim Pembroke’s third solo album, Corporal Cauliflower’s Mental Function, was recorded. After that, Wigwam played five gigs in Denmark at the end of November, followed by an equal number in Sweden. No exact information has survived about the concert setlists, but the band was in a stable phase, and certain songs had become staples in their live repertoire. Albums from Wigwam's deep-pop era, which began in autumn 1974, as well as Pembroke’s first solo records had already been released, and rehearsals were underway for what would become the Dark Album, released in 1977. It can be said that this concert, recorded for Danish Radio, is a strong representation of the band’s era at the time. The recording took place in northern Denmark, in a district called Lundtofte in Lyngby. Before this, Wigwam had performed in Køge and Århus, and after Lundtofte, gigs in Ballerup and Copenhagen awaited. Lundtofte was home to the Danish Technical University (DTU), where a student venue called “Studenterhuset” (Building 101) hosted a one- to two-day music events known as Polyjoint during the 1970’s. The events typically featured Danish bands, but also visiting acts like Wigwam. Most importantly, Danish Radio was sometimes present at these events. Wigwam had performed a studio concert for Danish Radio the previous year, but this particular recording is considered the more energetic of the two. Details have faded with time — for example, the identity of the second act at the concert is unknown. In any case, both guitarist Pekka “Rekku” Rechardt and keyboardist Pedro Hietanen remember the band being in high spirits, in top form, and highly motivated.

Wigwam's previously unreleased rare live recording from 1976 out in February via Svart Records In the summer of 1976, Wigwam performed not only in Finland but also in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. However, the pace slowed down afterward. The early autumn tours planned for European countries were cancelled, and even the replacement shows in Finland had to be postponed due to bassist Måns “Måsse” Groundstroem's sick leave. In October 1976 an opening appeared in the schedule for a studio session, during which Jim Pembroke’s third solo album, Corporal Cauliflower’s Mental Function, was recorded. After that, Wigwam played five gigs in Denmark at the end of November, followed by an equal number in Sweden. No exact information has survived about the concert setlists, but the band was in a stable phase, and certain songs had become staples in their live repertoire. Albums from Wigwam's deep-pop era, which began in autumn 1974, as well as Pembroke’s first solo records had already been released, and rehearsals were underway for what would become the Dark Album, released in 1977. It can be said that this concert, recorded for Danish Radio, is a strong representation of the band’s era at the time. The recording took place in northern Denmark, in a district called Lundtofte in Lyngby. Before this, Wigwam had performed in Køge and Århus, and after Lundtofte, gigs in Ballerup and Copenhagen awaited. Lundtofte was home to the Danish Technical University (DTU), where a student venue called “Studenterhuset” (Building 101) hosted a one- to two-day music events known as Polyjoint during the 1970’s. The events typically featured Danish bands, but also visiting acts like Wigwam. Most importantly, Danish Radio was sometimes present at these events. Wigwam had performed a studio concert for Danish Radio the previous year, but this particular recording is considered the more energetic of the two. Details have faded with time — for example, the identity of the second act at the concert is unknown. In any case, both guitarist Pekka “Rekku” Rechardt and keyboardist Pedro Hietanen remember the band being in high spirits, in top form, and highly motivated.

SACRED COWBOYS are a moody hard rock band with a dry sense of humor. They started playing in murky Melbourne dive bars in 1982 attracting a rabid following. With the release of their iconic first single, Nothing Grows in Texas, they were catapulted to national TV notoriety on Countdown, Australia's version of Top of the Pops. 2025 saw founders Garry Gray and Mark Ferrie enlist Timothy Deane, Anthony Paine, and Damian Fitzgerald. You will soon be holding in your hands the new album, 'In the Manifesto.' 'In the Manifesto' was mastered by Mikey Young, who worked on the last six Mark Lanegan records and plays in Eddie Current Suppression Ring. All new songs are written by Garry and the band. 'In the Manifesto' shows the Sacred Cowboys do not indulge in one musical style. It's a complex, atmospheric soundtrack with Gray's uber cool delivery over sometimes sparse, sometimes weaving guitars and rich harmonies. Channeling a Sonic Youth ethos and grinding the gears in the engine room of the Cosmos Factory, 'In the Manifesto' is as wide and expansive as the Australian desert skies. Radio 3CR's Paul 'Dr Gonzo' Elliott got a sneak preview and says. "Garry Gray returns with Sacred Cowboys and a brand-new album . a 12-track tour de force titled, 'In the Manifesto'. The Sacred Cowboys have performed intense live shows and transported that energy and mood onto this new album, 'In the Manifesto.' It is all killer and a tour de force. Garnering the attention of Andrew McGee at Torn & Frayed Records, Australia and combining with French allies Seb Blanchais and Romain Michon at BEAST Records, France, the rest is about to become history.

Temple Balls, the high-octane hard rock band from Finland, is back with a brand-new self-titled album. Over the past few years, the band has kept busy both in the studio and on the road, solidifying their reputation as one of the most exciting live acts in the genre. Having opened for legendary acts such as Sonata Arctica, Queen, Deep Purple, and Uriah Heep, Temple Balls have proven they can command any stage—whether it’s a massive festival or an intimate club. Their live shows are explosive, turning skeptics into die-hard fans with their raw energy and undeniable charisma. The journey began with their official debut single, “Hell and Feelin’ Fine,” released in September 2016, which gained heavy rotation on Finnish Radio Rock. Their debut album, recorded in May 2016 at Karma Sound Studios in Thailand, was released on February 24, 2017. Produced by Tobias Lindell (Europe, Mustasch, H.E.A.T.), the album marked the band’s bold entrance into the international rock scene. In the fall of 2017, Temple Balls embarked on a sold-out Finnish tour with Battle Beast, made their live debut in Japan, and completed a five-day tour across Ukraine. Their popularity soared in Japan, where readers of the country’s biggest rock magazine Burrn! voted them the “Second Brightest Hope,” and they were named “Newcomer of the Year” on Masa Ito’s Rock TV. Their sophomore effort, Untamed, released on March 8, 2019, received rave reviews from major music outlets including Soundi and Burrn!. A European tour alongside Sonata Arctica further cemented their reputation as a world-class live band. Their third album, Pyromide, marked their debut with Frontiers Records and was a melodic hard rock tour de force produced by Jona Tee (H.E.A.T.), packed with powerful riffs, massive hooks, and arena-sized choruses. In May 2022, Temple Balls toured Europe with Swedish melodic metal giants H.E.A.T., followed by a busy summer festival season across Finland. The lead single from their fourth album, Strike Like a Cobra, was released in March 2022 to widespread acclaim. That same year, they completed work on their next full-length, Avalanche, released in fall 2023, featuring the single “No Reason,” which dropped globally on June 22. Now, with their new self-titled album, Temple Balls continue the sonic evolution started with Avalanche, delivering an even more personal and refined sound.

BBE Music’s acclaimed J Jazz Masterclass returns with its 20th release, a super rare private press from one of the more laudable female jazz figures of Japan, saxophonist and composer Sachi Hayasaka, together with her band, Stir Up! Released in 1988 on the private label Mobys, Free Fight was Hayasaka’s debut album and announced the arrival of an essential and primal force onto the Japanese jazz scene. Part free jazz, part post-bop, and part heavy groove, Free Fight is one of the most varied yet engaging albums BBE Music has reissued in the J Jazz Masterclass Series, showcasing Hayasaka’s inventive and muscular playing as well as her highly original and surprising compositional powers. Given the album’s eclectic yet cohesive sound, it’s no surprise that it originally found a home at Mobys, the label established by esteemed jazz critic and promoter Teruto Soejima. Mobys only issued a handful of albums from some of the leading free and open players including J Jazz Masterclass alumnus, pianist Aki Takase, as well as free jazz guitar icon Masayuki Takayanagi, and free jazz figureheads Itaru Oki and the great Masahiko Satoh. Born in Tokyo in 1960, Hayasaka took lessons from saxophonist and recording artist Toki Hidefumi and fully immersed herself in the jazz life, working part-time at various jazz kissas including Peter-Cat, a kissa managed by novelist Haruki Murakami. She has performed regularly across Japan at venues like the famous Pit Inn and formed a strong alliance with the classic Tokyo jazz kissa Paper Moon, which continues to this day. Heavily influenced by players such as Roland Kirk, David Murray and Ornette Coleman, Hayasaka has played with free jazz legend Yosuke Yamashita and performed around the world (as well as up Mount Fuji!). In the late 1980s she moved to New York for several years and worked with notable musicians including drummer Pheeroan akLaff and pianist Cliff Korman. She has recorded a number of albums to her name for Japanese jazz labels such as Three Blind Mice and Kitty as well as leading European imprints such as Enja.

'Flowers', the new EP from Elizabeth Davis, finds itself at the cross-section of many factors. In part, it’s the result of Davis’ obsession with a seminal folk song. But it also coincides with her rediscovery of the voice and language as an instrument. It was recorded during an autumn residency at Sternhagen Gut, the cultural refuge run by Gudrun Gut and Thomas Fehlmann, located deep in the Uckermark countryside halfway between Berlin and the Baltic coast.

The six tracks on 'Flowers' all take Pete Seeger’s ‘60s protest-folk song 'Where Have All The Flowers Gone' as their starting point. However, they veer off in different directions, from vocal loops and deconstructed lyrics, to instrumental drones and glitchy, manipulated rhythm tracks. Like many musicians, Davis has learnt composition by a process of disassembly, analyzing musical works piece by piece, and 'Flowers' began as one such forensic exercise. “But sometimes,” says Davis, “a source is so loaded up on meaning that the studies and experiments can become worthwhile and meaningful works in their own right.” 'Flowers' began to take on a life of its own, raising renewed questions about age-old themes such as war, authorship, translation and historical structures.

Davis is no stranger to cover versions. From studying violin to playing in free jazz and punk bands, interpreting other artists’ works has long been a key part of her musical approach. And since her radio show 'Deep Puddle' recently drew to a close after seven years, her experiments with narration and sound collage have found their way into her musical work once again. For 'Flowers', she cut up the source material (with a nod to Gysin and Burroughs), and reassembled the lyrics, the musical notes, and recordings by different performers, to create uncanny new forms.

But perhaps the biggest influence on 'Flowers' was conversations about music, art and pop subcultures with Gut. These dialogues helped Davis find a balance between far-out sound design experiments and catchy melodies, combining a certain avant-garde element and modern day songcraft. And it’s this sense of conversation, this revisiting of topics and renewal of ideas, that will keep us coming back to 'Flowers' long into the future.

NA ZAROT opens a portal into a universe of darkness, chaos and spiritual upheaval. The sound is raw, jagged like cold iron and radically unpolished-an antithesis to any romanticized or völkisch fantasy, firmly rooted in an anti-fascist stance. NA ZAROT shapes lo-fi black metal infused with traces of punk as a counter-space: a place where archaic directness meets a dense, spiritually charged atmosphere that unfolds a hypnotic pull even within the noise. The production remains deliberately fragmented and unrefined-a kind of emotional excavation protocol that exposes the core of the genre without glorifying it. Lyrically, the tracks revolve around death, decay, isolation, spiritual disintegration and those threshold moments in which the abyss releases a strangely unsettling calm. Musically, sawing guitars, brutal screams, driving drums, sickly strings, ghostly voices and a distorted piano collide. Above it all lies a weight of leaden sorrow, until sudden ruptures drag the pieces without warning into even deeper darkness. Side A presents the tracks from the On Death and Dying tape, where literary spaces intersect with personal experiences. The lyrics brush against literary references such as Mallarmé's death poems, the legend of La Llorona or motifs from Romain Gary's The Dance of Genghis Cohn.Side B offers new, previously unreleased material titled "Alpensterben." The four songs preserve those unheard screams that would otherwise vanish into nothingness. Alpensterben becomes a blood-marked journey through the final hours of an existence scraping against its own ending-an intense, haunting echo of lived despair. Comes with printed 28page 10" magazine!

NA ZAROT opens a portal into a universe of darkness, chaos and spiritual upheaval. The sound is raw, jagged like cold iron and radically unpolished-an antithesis to any romanticized or völkisch fantasy, firmly rooted in an anti-fascist stance. NA ZAROT shapes lo-fi black metal infused with traces of punk as a counter-space: a place where archaic directness meets a dense, spiritually charged atmosphere that unfolds a hypnotic pull even within the noise. The production remains deliberately fragmented and unrefined-a kind of emotional excavation protocol that exposes the core of the genre without glorifying it. Lyrically, the tracks revolve around death, decay, isolation, spiritual disintegration and those threshold moments in which the abyss releases a strangely unsettling calm. Musically, sawing guitars, brutal screams, driving drums, sickly strings, ghostly voices and a distorted piano collide. Above it all lies a weight of leaden sorrow, until sudden ruptures drag the pieces without warning into even deeper darkness. Side A presents the tracks from the On Death and Dying tape, where literary spaces intersect with personal experiences. The lyrics brush against literary references such as Mallarmé's death poems, the legend of La Llorona or motifs from Romain Gary's The Dance of Genghis Cohn.Side B offers new, previously unreleased material titled "Alpensterben." The four songs preserve those unheard screams that would otherwise vanish into nothingness. Alpensterben becomes a blood-marked journey through the final hours of an existence scraping against its own ending-an intense, haunting echo of lived despair. Comes with printed 28page 10" magazine!

After decades deep in the game, few names carry the same weight as D.I.T.C. veteran O.C. and East New York’s own PF Cuttin, the DJ and producer behind countless underground classics. Long respected for their consistency and craftsmanship, the two finally joined forces for Opium — a nine-track masterclass that channels the essence of true-school hip-hop.

Originally released to remind heads of what the real sound of the streets was, Opium plays like a time capsule from the era of block parties, 40s, and cipher sessions on the corner — where bars mattered and the beats hit hard. PF Cuttin’s rugged, sample-driven production perfectly complements O.C.’s sharp lyricism and timeless flow, delivering a record that bridges nostalgia with enduring relevance.

Reissued in 2025 with the same iconic artwork by Scarful, this edition celebrates a collaboration that captures the raw soul of New York hip-hop — pure, uncut, and eternal.

The late pedal-steel guitarist Susan Alcorn leaves a final surprise hinting at new directions left underexplored on her collaboration with Nomad War Machine, the improvising metal duo of drummer Julius Masri and guitarist James Reichard. Their death-metal-influenced pummel adds new fire to her molten flow across a suite of improvised tracks that show off the vast range and simpatico of the trio. Julius Masri and James Reichard of Nomad War Machine: “An unexpected opportunity arose out of a catching-up conversation where Susan had revealed a recent fascination with death metal, confessing, ‘I’m 70 years old—I think about death!’ She had learned a couple of Arch Enemy songs on her pedal steel, particularly compelled by their frontwoman’s intensity and vigor as a performer. Voicing an appreciation for the hook-oriented sound of Swedish death metal made sense for a melodic thinker whose roots as veteran pedal steel player reached into the Texan Western swing circuit in the ’60s and ’70s. For her, ever the explorer, metal was a new, appealing point of departure into fresh musical territory. When she expressed an interest in playing with Nomad War Machine, it felt like there was a whole world of shared or complementary interests to explore.” Though known for her fluency in jazz, country, and free improvisation, Alcorn had also studied Arabic, the oud, and maqam, with all holding a deep curiosity for her. Pre-’70s country & western music had also been a lifelong presence for both members Nomad War Machine. Masri, a Lebanese free-jazz and metal drummer, and devoted fan of Texas swing legends like Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant, Leon Rhodes, and Joe Maphis, was also steeped in Arabic music traditions. James Reichard, before coming to “freely” improvised metal, xenharmonic music, and non-Western tuning systems, had grown up being subjected to countless singalongs to numerous pre-’70s country records, entranced by the pedal steel.

Born at the turning point between apartheid and democratic South Africa, the Xitsonga bubblegum-disco duo Chibuku embodies the energy of a time of change,as Nelson Mandela was released from prison and kwaito began to emerge. Althoughthey did not achieve the fame of figures such as Paul Ndlovu or Penny Penny, their only album Maxambe (1992) is now considered a precious time capsule, a raw disco treasure rediscovered by lovers of forgotten music. Behind the project is Dr Joe Shirimani, a guitarist, singer, composer and producer of genius from Tzaneen and Soshanguve, recognised as one of the major architects of South African disco and bubblegum. Long overlooked, Maxambe nevertheless bears witnessto an era and a social perspective: migration ("Lekomfere"), debt and economics ("Xikweleti"), and family relationships ("Mhamazala"). The music is festive in appearance, but deeply rooted in the reality of its time. Released on Tusk/Diamond Music, an iconic label of the 1980s and 1990s bought out by Gallo Record Company, Chibuku is now emerging as a diamond rediscovered from the archives of South African disco. Its name, borrowed from a millet beer popular in several southern African countries, sums up the spirit of the group: popular, sincere and deeply rooted in local culture.

Sabine McCalla creates her own version of multi-cultural American roots music. It's a sound that crosses borderlines, pulling everything from Brazilian samba to southern soul to British rock & roll into its orbit. On Don't Call Me Baby, Sabine filters those influences through the lens of her Haitian heritage and her music community of New Orleans, creating a debut album that's every bit as multi-faceted as the woman who wrote its songs.

The daughter of first-generation Haitian immigrants, Sabine was raised in the suburbs of New York City, where she grew up alongside her sister Leyla McCalla (Sons of Our Native Daughters, Carolina Chocolate Drops). Introduced to chamber music at an early age, Sabine began playing classical violin in orchestras, music camps, and conservatory classes as an 8 year old. Back at home, she filled her head with Motown classics, girl group hits, Bob Marley albums, Beatles standards, and Haitian folk music. It was a wide constellation of sound that spanned more than a half century, and Sabine made it all her own, drawn to the connections binding everything together.

Don't Call Me Baby shines a light on those connections. The follow-up to her critically-acclaimed Folk EP, whose pre-war sound earned her a slot at the Newport Folk Festival in 2019, the album transcends genre and generation, creating a raw, rich mix of country, R&B, folk, and soul that exists on its own timeline. Co-produced by Sam Doores of the Deslondes and featuring a cast of New Orleans’ most spirited and gifted (including guest vocals from Riley Downing, Leyla McCalla, and The Lostines), Sabine McCalla reaches beyond her beloved New Orleans Americana scene with Don't Call Me Baby, building a bridge between the world-spanning sounds that have captured her attention.

Wishbone Ash's self-titled debut album, released in 1970, introduced a distinctive sound that would become highly influential in British rock. This re-issue faithfully replicates the original UK release in it's gatefold sleeve and is pressed on 180gm vinyl. Blending blues-rock, folk melodies, and emerging progressive elements, the album is defined by the bands signature twin-lead guitar approach, with Andy Powell and Ted Turner weaving melodic, harmonized lines rather than relying on a single dominant lead. Tracks like Blind Eye and Queen Of Torture balance hard-edged riffs with spacious, reflective passages, while acoustic moments add a pastoral, almost medieval atmosphere. The rhythm section, understated yet precise, allows the guitars to breathe and develop organically. Rather than chasing commercial immediacy, the album favours mood, texture, and musical interplay, giving it a thoughtful, exploratory character. As a debut, Wishbone Ash feels confident and forward-looking, laying the groundwork for the bands later classics and helping to shape the twin-guitar sound later adopted by countless rock and metal acts.

American singer, songwriter and guitarist Boz Scaggs rose to fame in the 1970s with several top 20 hit singles in the United States. In 1976, he teamed up with a group of session musicians who would later form Toto and recorded his seventh album, Silk Degrees, which became a huge hit. The album reached #2 on the US Billboard 200, #1 in a number of countries around the world, and spawned three hit singles: “Lowdown,” “Lido Shuffle,” and “What Can I Say,” as well as the MOR standard “We’re All Alone,” which was later recorded by Rita Coolidge and Frankie Valli.

Silk Degrees is available as a limited edition of 750 copies on translucent blue coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

Refracting beatifically through realities and mirages flickering along his aural parade route, Animal Collective"s Geologist rides the high country on a hurdy gurdy of many colours. Via the mystery science of musical engagement, we take his sonic kaleidoscope of encounters into our own experience as we listen. That"s the beauty of Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights?, the debut solo transmission of the heart and soul and life and times of Geologist.

David Zé - Mutudi Ua Ufolo / Viúva da Liberdade is a major milestone in Angolan music, intensely blendingsemba, rumba, and bolero, recordedat the height of the country"s liberation struggle. Both soulful and political, the album resonates far beyond Luanda, carrying a universal spirit akin to that of Bob Marley. Originally released on CDA with Conjunto Merengue, it captures David Zé at his creative peak. Sung in Portuguese and local dialects, it combines rhythmic elegance with deep commitment, weaving links between Afro-Brazilian and Latin American traditions. After his assassination in 1977, the album was banned for several years, before being reborn as an essential work of resistance and beauty. In 2008, his legacy found a new echo when Damian Marley and Nas sampled "Undenge Uami" on Distant Relatives.

2026 Repress

White Marble Vinyl


Dutch electronic music trio, Noisia, have announced the release of their long awaited new album, 'Outer Edges' on their own label, Vision. The 18 track album is their first in six years, and the band's second in total.
With a peerless reputation and countless awards under their belts, Noisia have transcended their genre and grown into a phenomenon in their own right. Drum & Bass is at the core of Noisia's sound, but Nik, Martijn, and Thijs's visceral brand has always ventured further.

"It's called Outer Edges because it's us exploring the outer edges of what Noisia, the three of us together, is. It's about the idea that all the songs are little islands that we take to their individual edge... They're all like expeditions to far sides. That doesn't mean that it's everything; it's just that every song, if it goes in a certain direction, we've taken it all the way there. There's no real concessions, we haven't been super DJ- or radio-friendly at all and we've done no collaborations or hardly any vocals on the album." - Noisia

Swiss artist Lukas Traxel releases his powerful debut album One-Eyed Daruma on We Jazz Records, March 10. The trio features Traxel on double bass, Otis Sandsjö on sax and Moritz Baumgärtner on drums. Compact, deep, and organic to the bone, Traxel & co's sound echoes the innovations of rhythmically driven avantgarde jazz while keeping things moving at all times. There's both drive and freedom to this sound.
ONe-Eyed Daruma features eight new compositions by Traxel, who crafted the outline for the album while dealing with the loss of his father. The group came together after an open invitation from the Zurich jazz club Moods to present a new group. The trio of Traxel, Sandsjö and Baumgärtner creates a full, symphonic, and powerful body of sound despite the instrumentation without a harmony instrument. The trio functions as a collective where the boundaries between composition, melody, and accompaniment are in flux, while keeping the common goal of creating new music together in sight at all times. Traxel reports that after playing bass in various groups with guitar and/or piano, he wanted to create a counterpoint of sorts with his new group and specifically go about it with a more sparse setup. As One-Eyed Drama proves, the idea behind the trio dynamic is a strong one and the unit makes use of their extra space in creating evocative, moody, swinging creative jazz with a distinguishable fingerprint of its own.
Lukas Traxel says:

"The process of composing this music while dealing with the loss of a loved one resulted in a writer's block at first. The notes would just not flow out of my pen until I noticed a mysterious-looking figure in the right upper corner of my piano. It was a daruma, an eyeless figure that in the Japanese tradition brings luck and prosperity. According to the myth, the first eye must be drawn onto the figure while expressing a wish. The second eye can be added only if the wish comes true. My daruma is meant to stay one-eyed as my wish, strongly connected and intertwined with my now gone father, is not meant to be fulfilled. The feeling of unfulfillment and imperfection of life serves as a common thread throughout this album, right down to its title. In a similar fashion, a composition remains incomplete until it is interpreted by musicians, and given form as music. That being said, for me playing together with this trio symbolises the upside: the sense of fulfillment in music and life.

Our musical influences include the American composer and singer Caroline Shaw, Swiss pianist Colin Vallon's trio, and composer/singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane. In addition, I have listened a lot to the trio albums of Jimmy Guiffre and Sonny Rollins. Besides that, my musical heroes like Charlie Haden, John Coltrane, and Keith Jarrett always flow into the music. Another very important influence in the music is the work of American visual artist Agnes Martin, in whose works the imperfection of a multiplicity of repetitions results in a lively big whole in the end. (See "Wild Flower")

Live, the trio takes a lot of freedom in interpreting this music, yet we have a deeper, almost pop-like attitude towards the live performance as an experience. For me it's always important to build a strong narrative with the band while on stage."

One-Eyed Daruma by Lukas Traxel is released on 10 March 2023 by We Jazz Records on LP/CD/digitally. The LP edition is shelved in an inside-out sleeve and pressed on white vinyl. The CD is housed in a cardboard digisleeve with UV lacquer finish.

Gothenburg trio Dark Horse present their new album "Listen", released by We Jazz Records on 13 November. The band, comprising of John Holmström (piano), Alfred Lorinius (bass) and Mårten Magnefors (drums) recorded their second album in a remote cabin by the ocean in Norway, owned by Holmström's family. The natural sound of the album owes a lot to the relaxed surroundings and the result is some high degree of improvised music turning into collective composition as the music unfolds.

The album recording took place at a very active spot in the trio's calendar, following extensive touring in Europe, Japan and their native country Sweden. The two days of improvising were edited down to highlights that easily fill an album's worth of quality listening and reveal what playing live brought to the three musicians: A natural ability to react to ideas, build on them and form coherent, compositional tracks on the spot. A task much easier said than done.

"We're a non-conceptual basement band all the way", laughs pianist Holmström. "We have been moving from free form music into collective composition and this is our pinnacle recording with that idea thus far. We just set out to play as honestly as possible and this is what followed."

A testament to the power of a fixed band unit developing over time, "Listen" comes across as a work by a group constantly keeping its nose to the wind when it comes to developing their music. The long-form opener "Allas Favorit" is a monumental piece building and releasing tension along its 12+ minute length. First single "Brutet Groove" assumes a fascinating, almost mechanic-sounding swing while assembling and reassembling the pieces of the puzzle, and the closing track "Fjäll-låten" gives us something of an ever-shifting sonic landscape in glorious colors, much akin to its name ("Mountain Song" in Swedish).

"That one Fjäll-låten includes some of the best musical moments of my life so far" confirms bassist Alfred Lorinius. "It's actually an edit of a 20-minute improvised sequence, and it has the real feeling of the band coming together and doing something new and fresh in the moment. I feel it's something you can revisit as many times as you like and there's always something to find in there."

Dark Horse formed in 2012 after Lorinius joined Holmström and drummer Mårten Magnefors to complete the group. Things quickly started taking shape musically from there on, but the group took their time in honing their craft with a method they now refer to as "tryout development". Their self-titled debut album appeared in 2015 and the current We Jazz album "Listen" marks the first internationally distributed release for the trio.The roots of Dark Horse lay firmly in the buzzing creative music scene of Gothenburg, Sweden, where the members have close ties with local establishments such as the legendary venue BrÖtz, and the city's vast scene of highly-regarded musicians.

In brief, "Listen" presents Dark Horse gloriously putting into use their musical philosophy what they describe "improvising as composing together".

"Listen" by Dark Horse is released by Helsinki's We Jazz Records on 13 November 2020 on vinyl and digitally. The vinyl comes in a heavy duty tip-on sleeve and the album design features the painting "Overwhelming Structure" by the Helsinki-based visual artist Maija Lassila.