quête:the double x

One of the most legendary voices in grime, Footsie is without a doubt a true don. From his early link up with fellow Newham General D Double E to his solo output, the influence of sound system culture has always been prevalent. Having grown up as the son of a system operator obviously had a deep impact, so much so that he now runs Father Waz's renowned King Original Sound himself, playing roots reggae and dub. Making a welcome return to the label is Nottingham's Adam Prescott, who released his very first single with us back in 2010 (the massive "On A Dubstep Tip") who provides the deep and heavy dubwise riddim for Footsie to let loose on. credits

Eurorack tweaker, 8-bit master, king of carnival madness, Dutch producer Solo moderna is back with his female alter ego singer Krage, for some 80s flavored, chiptune infused, electro-latin bangers. Unofficial Electo-Funk anthems? Sweaty remakes from outta space? who knows.. the only unquestionable thing here is that loads of fun await the crowd when dropping this tasty 7” on the turntable. Certainly not your average tropical music, though.

This double sider stands as a foretaste for the album release in May 2024, that will unite this pair in a perfect fusion of Afro-Latin rhythms and modern synth pop.

Disrupt Records presents DJ Chromz - Love & Unity EP, featuring DJ Stretch & Double O!

Following the blueprint established in the first two releases by again providing the platform for the debut EP of one of the hottest new producers around, DJ Chromz!

DJ Chromz brings us four tracks of sublime 94 influenced jungle that take you on a nostalgic journey via the dancefloor to the scene's golden era whilst keeping the sound fresh and dynamic.

Featuring a colab with AKO Beatz General DJ Stretch, plus a remix from Rupture's very own Double-O!

Lush pads, crisp drums, dubbed out sounds that reflect a love of soundsystem influences, analogue sampling and drum programming, big vocals and slamming amens all wrapped up across 4 huge dancefloor tracks.

Lara Sarkissian’s long-awaited debut full-length, ‘Remnants’ is an ornate patchwork of ancient and modern sonic shapes that uses the vernacular of electronic music to reformulate Armenian traditions and memories. Taking digitally modeled instruments (such as the kanun, a large zither, and the duduk, an ancient double reed woodwind instrument), vocals, davul and dhol drums, tenor saxophone (from acclaimed Paris-based player Adrien Soleiman) and myriad electronic elements and techniques, Sarkissian tangles the old and the new, creating an immersive, narrative-driven experience that’s powered by history, mythology and her own familial connection to the West Asian landscape. It’s an album that’s best absorbed like a film; only multiple encounters can reveal its layered themes and references to industrial music, noise, various club styles, ambient and traditional folk.

Born and raised in San Francisco and currently based in Los Angeles, Sarkissian has developed her unique approach to composition over years of relentless experimentation across various disciplines. Her interest in music production initially stemmed from her filmmaking and video editing work, when she began to sculpt her own sound collages and scores to accompany the visuals. Since then, she’s constantly blurred the boundary between dance and experimental music, DJing around the world, producing AV installations and scoring film and video projects that have been exhibited in Berlin’s Gropius Bau, Montréal’s Musée d’art contemporain, the Music Center Los Angeles and other prestigious institutions, and releasing music with labels such as Tresor, Knekelhuis, All Centre, Silva Electronics and CLUB CHAI, the label and event series she co-founded. In recent years, she’s also been able to advance the theory behind her art, publishing a conversation with ethnomusicologist Sylvia Alajaji in the Journal of the Society of Armenian Studies in 2021, and unveiling her methodology in Norient’s ‘This Track Contains Politics – The Culture of Sampling in Experimental Electronica’ a year later.

‘Remnants’ is a new stage in Sarkissian’s evolution as an artist; not only is it her first proper album, but it’s the inaugural release on her new platform btwn Earth+Sky. She sees the label as a place to encourage collaborations between musicians and producers and prioritize sound in visual arts realms, and ‘Remnants’ is the ideal proof of concept. It opens with ‘Heaven, or Paradise; and Hell’, a track that’s inspired by the layout of the Armenian sharakan (or hymn) ‘Aravot Luso’. Sarkissian imagines the original piece’s harmonies and melodies as parts of a dreamy electronic opera, using digital kanun sounds to punctuate her woozy, evocative synths. Soleimen joins on tenor sax in the third act, while Sarkissian repeats the chant and Jace Akira adds ghostly traces of electric guitar and bass. And on the rousing ‘Our Dead Can’t Rest (Old Jugha Flute Dance)’, Sarkissian chops urgent davul and dhol drum rhythms with spine-chilling shvi woodwind sounds lifted from a documentary about Old Jugha. The title is a reference to the moving of graves by Armenian families; the area initially housed over 10,000 elaborately carved khachkars (cross stones), one of which is pictured on the album’s cover, provided by historian Argam Aivazian’s archive.

On ‘Miracle’, Sarkissian samples atmospheres from the post-Soviet Armenian comedy film ‘Կիսանդրի’ (Kisandri). She takes this opportunity to lighten the mood a little, powdering her smudged samples with tightly edited breaks and bass thumps. It’s not until the album’s middle section that the duduk, perhaps Armenia’s best-known instrument, makes its appearance. Its familiar reedy tones, popularized by Djivan Gasparyan on his many Hollywood soundtrack appearances, emerge on ‘Unraveling (Interlude)’, weaving through the acidic ‘Zephyr’ and ‘Far from the eye far from the Heart’, a post-punk inspired stomper. Sarkissian mutates the instrument almost beyond recognition, pitching and layering it into a voice-like wail that creeps between her woody, dancefloor-primed percussion on the former, and turning it into a gentle, ghostly moan on the latter. And she brings ‘Remnants’ to a close with two of her most cryptic tracks, marrying digital kanun strings with Soleiman’s resonant tenor hums on ‘What Solace Can I Give’, and looping the same saxophone sounds until they dissolve into the air on the beatless closer ‘…nothing matters more than touching you although i haven’t touched you yet’.

It’s an album that ties up Sarkissian’s various interests and experiences, finding a romantic, poetic glimmer of light in history’s darkness. But most of all, ‘Remnants’ is about the optimism of starting anew, and rebuilding a life from the pieces of everything that’s been left behind.

The first in a four-volume retrospective of Kuduro and tarraxinha pioneer DJ ZNOBIA. Incoming unto the world for a very long time from the musseke of Rangel, home of Casa da Mé&e Ju, in the Angolan capital o Ldanda, one if not the pivotal visionary of his country’s music electronic and digital modernism DJ Znobia, o/fum/an inventor. Usually considered the first purveyor of the fluency regarding tarraxinha (drinking in its foundational slow shuffle from the city of Benguela), as well as a main player in free thinking, spontaneous, funny, depressive, silly, melancholic, hilarious all encompassing beats within kuduro, batida, techno and beyond, his influence as a producer, DJ, MC and public fiuce has had a great imprint in Angolan culture for the better part of the last three ecades. This venture went through over 700 tracks of his archive (more than double are lost in the meantime between his and the NNT library) in order to collaboratively select a fiercely representative albeit balanced affair from his production, between instrumentals for sung kuduro, instrumental kuduro/batida, sung and instrumental tarraxinha, and other creative styling from the late 90’s to the mid 2000’s. Forms now heard around the world which started here, with Znobia a decisively influential contributor, along with several of his peers and collaborators, which will be also in evidence in this four volume retrospective. His story is way too far flung for this endeavor to try and make a simple narrative out of it. You have to be him, you have to be within this territory, and we ask of the people who will approach to ask him what has happened with the history of this music and what is the current reality at ground zero Luanda, as he is a mirror and visionary of its streets, in a country with such complicated dynamics and brutal treatment of its citizens. To try to put in a clean slate for this conversation, let’s talk to a genius of street music. Your question. First, here's the opening collection of what we have to share with you.

* Limited to 500 copies, Double Neon green Vinyl LPs in a 5mm Album sleeve printed with colour on the front and tracklist on the back is printed in glossy ink, 2 x printed inner sleeves

"KCT 3" marks a new chapter for The Hempolics, showcasing their growth as musicians and their commitment to pushing musical boundaries. With each track carefully crafted to perfection, the album offers a mix of infectious rhythms and soulful melodies that are sure to get you grooving.
From upbeat anthems to introspective ballads, "KCT 3" takes listeners on a musical journey through a variety of sounds and styles. Drawing inspiration from a diverse range of influences, the album invites listeners to explore new sonic landscapes and embrace the unexpected.

First Word Records is proud to present 'Nothing Leaves The House - The Anthology'. A vinyl-only album of 16 hip hop instrumentals from Mr Thing, kidkanevil, Tall Black Guy & Eric Lau. This is a collection of a long-out-of print series of beats from four of the most revered beat-makers in the underground scene.

This double-vinyl collection features four brand new tracks specially created for this 10 year anniversary release. The concept behind this project was originally birthed on Record Store Day 2012. First Word label founder Gilla explains "as we dipped in and out of London's Soho record shops, kidkanevil mentioned to me that he wanted to mine Mr Thing's vast record collection for samples. An idea formed to invite a couple of other beatmakers to join him and to press the resulting beats onto vinyl.

Mr Thing enthusiastically agreed to the idea with one stipulation: they could sample what they wanted, but the records had to stay within the walls of his flat. We quickly enlisted Eric Lauand Tall Black Guy to complete the quartet and 'Nothing Leaves The House' was born." The release came to fruition and was released a decade ago, for Record Store Day in April 2014. The quartet met up once again shortly after in another London record shop, to work on a follow up project.

For this one, Mr Thing brought one record for each producer from his collection for them to sample. They reciprocated by picking a record from the racks in the shop for him to use. 'Thing Leaves The House' was then released in 2015. Completing the trilogy of releases, the crew were invited to the legendary John Peel Archive to dig for samples there. After trawling the legendary Peel Acres collection, the producers individually selected sound snippets to create new beats from; this time under the stipulation that 'Nothing Leaves The Archive'. This double 7" release again landed on Record Store Day, 2016. Gilla says "10 years on from the release of the first record, and almost 9 years to the day since we were at Peel Acres, we are now releasing the 4th and final volume.

Whilst Mr Thing is still in England, the other three have travelled far and wide. Eric Lau is now in China, Tall Black Guy has returned to the US and kidkanevil has moved to Berlin. Our indie label budget didn't extend to uniting everyone from the different continents, so instead Mr Thing uploaded a folder of tracks for the trio to work from. With the previous volumes now long sold out, we've added the original beats to this anthology and have moved up from a double 7" to a double 12" LP. One side for each producer; four tracks made across 10 years." 'Nothing Leaves The House - The Anthology' is released on double vinyl, on Black Friday, November 29th 2024.

In 2015, Membranes released their first album for 25 years.
It was a critically acclaimed double album about life, death, and the universe. An ambitious work, it became the band's best-selling album in a long and unconventional career. “Dark Matter / Dark Energy” was both the band’s critically acclaimed return and best-selling release and, due to public demand, it is now reissued as a double vinyl album in stunning and experimental, ground-breaking new artwork and packaging.
The album which will be launched in December with gigs at the Albert Hall in Manchester and Shepherds Bush Empire in London was inspired by Membranes’ John Robb, meeting John Incandela the head scientist from the CERN project at a TEDx talk they were both giving.
Incandela had just completed his work on the Higgs Boson particle project, and Robb became friends with him and other scientists from the project. Their conversations about the universe were mind-blowing, and the album attempted to capture these in musical form.
The band toured the album around the world, supporting The Stranglers, The Sisters Of Mercy, and Mark Lanegan, who called the Membranes one of his favourite all-time post-punk bands and said that ‘John Robb is a legend - I’m truly honored to know him’.
The Membranes were formed in Blackpool in the late seventies and were big John Peel and music press favourites with their innovative bass driven discordant Death To Trad Rock sound providing a template and influence for many bands over the years including Big Black, Mercury Rev, The Wedding Present and even the likes of the Lambchop who covered them.
John Robb is also a well-known face on TV and radio as well as running the Louder Than War music and culture website and writing best-selling books like ‘Punk Rock - An Oral History’ and ‘The Art Of Darkness - The History Of Goth. He is currently working on his mémoires and a new Membranes album.
The new edition of the album comes in revolutionary and stunning new artwork gatefold sleeve, complete with lyric sheet, and a poster of the original album cover, all of which captures its interstellar themes.

In 2015, Membranes released their first album for 25 years.
It was a critically acclaimed double album about life, death, and the universe. An ambitious work, it became the band's best-selling album in a long and unconventional career. “Dark Matter / Dark Energy” was both the band’s critically acclaimed return and best-selling release and, due to public demand, it is now reissued as a double vinyl album in stunning and experimental, ground-breaking new artwork and packaging.
The album which will be launched in December with gigs at the Albert Hall in Manchester and Shepherds Bush Empire in London was inspired by Membranes’ John Robb, meeting John Incandela the head scientist from the CERN project at a TEDx talk they were both giving.
Incandela had just completed his work on the Higgs Boson particle project, and Robb became friends with him and other scientists from the project. Their conversations about the universe were mind-blowing, and the album attempted to capture these in musical form.
The band toured the album around the world, supporting The Stranglers, The Sisters Of Mercy, and Mark Lanegan, who called the Membranes one of his favourite all-time post-punk bands and said that ‘John Robb is a legend - I’m truly honored to know him’.
The Membranes were formed in Blackpool in the late seventies and were big John Peel and music press favourites with their innovative bass driven discordant Death To Trad Rock sound providing a template and influence for many bands over the years including Big Black, Mercury Rev, The Wedding Present and even the likes of the Lambchop who covered them.
John Robb is also a well-known face on TV and radio as well as running the Louder Than War music and culture website and writing best-selling books like ‘Punk Rock - An Oral History’ and ‘The Art Of Darkness - The History Of Goth. He is currently working on his mémoires and a new Membranes album.
The new edition of the album comes in revolutionary and stunning new artwork gatefold sleeve, complete with lyric sheet, and a poster of the original album cover, all of which captures its interstellar themes.

Presented for RSD Black Friday as a double lp in a color in color pressing - record one in ultra clear w/ tangerine & record two in ultra clear w/ blue jay - housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket with a full-color OBI strip. Keith Murray first came up in the world of Hip Hop as a part of the group Def Squad. Other Squad members were Redman and Erick Sermon (from EPMD). On The Most Beautifullest Thing In The World Sermon serves as the main producer, with a contribution from Redman also in the mix as well as a contribution from Busta Rhymes. Murray’s debut tore right up to the number 34 slot on Billboard’s Top 200 and a Top 10 position on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of this stellar recording Get On Down presents The Most Beautifullest Thing in the most beautifullest fashion yet seen - as a double LP in a Black Friday exclusive colored pressing housed in a gatefold jacket with an OBI. To keep things more beautiful, the reissue closes out with selections previously issued only on 12 inches.

Presented for RSD Black Friday as a double LP in a gold coloured vinyl. pressing housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket with full-color OBI strip. Also includes a four panel full color insert with lyrics. In 1999 Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon issued the follow up to his now legendary solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx with Immobilarity. Dropping in November of 1999 the record hit the Top 10 on US album charts and was certified gold by the RIAA within a month. For the 25th anniversary of this landmark recording Get On Down presents Immobilarity as a double LP in a never to be repeated gold vinyl run housed in a gatefold jacket with lyrics included and topped off with a collectable OBI.

Presented for RSD Black Friday as a double lp in a tide pod colored vinyl pressing housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket with a full-color OBI strip. 1995 saw Oakland crew Souls of Mischief follow up their stellar debut release with No Man’s Land, an all too often overlooked gem from the golden era of hip hop. The release landed in the Billboard Top 200 - peeking at a respectful No. 27 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album Chart. No Man’s Land was not commercially released on vinyl in the US when first issued, in fact the record has never seen an official US reissue. Get On Down now presents No Man’s Land as a double LP in a gatefold jacket with an OBI - and of course in a colored vinyl run exclusively for RSD Black Friday.

Note Orders will be randomly supplied on each variant. MF DOOM's 1999 classic Operation: Doomsday presented for RSD Black Friday in two unique variants across three formats! The double gatefold LP housed in the original cover art comes in a silver pressing with purple accents on record one, green accents on record two. The double gatefold vinyl featuring variant cover art by Jason Jagel are in a gold nugget with red splatter pressing. The CD editions are packaged in a collectable full color long box featuring the original and variant cover art. The cassette editions feature full color shells in silver (orignal art) or a gold (variant cover). These eye popping editions of one of Hip Hop's most seminal recordings are available only for RSD Black Friday.

To give you an idea of what the New Jersey, USA band Cowardice sound like, “Atavist” exists somewhere on the spectrum between the sombre strains of Bell Witch and the tormented tones of Body Void, with the first half of the album (“Suzerain”) erring more towards the bleakly melodic style of the former, while part two (“Sentinel”) shifts the focus towards a darker, dirgier approach; somewhere on the edges between melancholic doom and experimental sludge metal. Perhaps inevitably, it’s not quite that cut and dry - the gut-churning grind of “Unforgeable Key” for example, is just as nasty and gnarly as anything found on “Sentinel”, while the desolate disharmonies of “The Diminutive Principle” channel a similarly angst-ridden aura as much of “Suzerain” - but this distinction between the two halves, subtle as it may be, plays a big role in giving the whole album its sense of direction and progression.

And while it is always recommended to listen to the totality of “Atavist” so as to get the most out of it - especially if you’re a fan of the likes of Cavernlight and/or Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean, both of whom also serve as useful touchstones for any prospective listener - also pay extra attention to the gorgeously gloomy slow-burn of opener “To The Hilt Of Humanity”, the haunting melodies and heaving grooves of the sludge-soaked “Clairvoyance Anxiety” and the morbid majesty of “Hall Of Mages”, as some of the record’s major highlights. Indeed, it’s this last track which will both test your resolve and prove, once and for all, that “Atavist” is more than worth every second you’ve invested into listening to it so far, with every crushing, cathartic chord and ringing, harmonic note… every tortured, suffering snarl and trembling, melancholy melody… coming together over the course of seventeen absolutely massive minutes to demonstrate that, despite its imposing size and intense sound, “Atavist” is nothing to be afraid of. Green and red coloured double vinyl edition.

First Word Records areproud to present a new double-AA sided collaboration from K S R and Konny Kon (Children of Zeus) - 'Part of the Plan / Faded from the Jump', available on 7" vinyl and digital.

Two of Manchester's finest r&b ambassadors, the duo team up for two tracks displaying very different styles of soul music.

'Part of the Plan' has a timeless classic feel, nodding back to the likes of Stax and Atlantic, akin to the contemporary sound of Daptone artists like Jalen Ngonda or Thee Sacred Souls. Waves crash on the dock of the bay, with [ K S R ]'s soulful tones and Konny's laidback production (accompanied by Son of Zeus, Tyler Daley on the backing vox).

'Faded from the Jump' is another three and a half minutes of bliss, taking on a sound that's more signature to the duo's previous work, individually and collectively, sitting somewhere between future r&b, neo-soul and classic Manny street soul. [ K S R ] again takes the lead on this smoothed-out cut, with Konny behind the boards on production.

[ K S R ] hails from Moss Side and has been steadily building a strong rep for himself over the past few years with a slew of releases, including an EP and several singles via First Word. He was named "R&B act to watch" by Complex, and hand-picked by Mahalia to perform an event she curated personally at London's Jazz Cafe. He's toured with artists including Pip Millet, Etta Bond, Mica Miller & The Mouse Outfit, and also collaborated with various d&b artists, such as Zero T, Lenzman, Searchlight and Makoto. Music aside, [ K S R ] has also been creative ambassador for New Balance, Foot Locker, Nike, Size? and Manchester United.

Konny Kon is best known for being one half of hip hop soul duo, Children of Zeus. With performances for Colors and Soulection, and support from peers Jazzy Jeff, Jazzie B, Loose Ends & countless others, Children of Zeus have released two highly-acclaimed albums and two EPs on Worldwide Award winning-label, First Word. Additionally to writing, performing and producing, Konny is a formidable DJ, hosting a popular monthly show on NTS Radio, and performing at numerous events; most recently supporting Mercury Award-winner's Ezra Collective at every date on their European tour, culminating in a show with Children of Zeus at Wembley Arena, London.

Both artists have had wide support across the board from numerous tastemakers, including 1Xtra, BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Rinse, Represent, Unity, Mixmag, Notion, Hypebeast and tons more. The duo have previously collaborated on 'All on You' (from the CoZ album 'Travel Light') and single 'CGWY' (from [ K S R ]'s EP 'Peace + Harmony').

This single showcases the vocals of [ K S R ] and the production of Konny Kon to a degree that exudes pure quality and class, exemplifying the power of modern British soul music.

'Part of the Plan / Faded from the Jump' is released on 7" vinyl and digital, 22nd November 2024.

Repress! It's safe to say that hip-hop has never seen an album like Ol’ Dirty Bastard's 1995 solo debut Return to the 36 Chambers. The brief glimpses of ODB's unhinged genius provided by Wu-Tang Clan's landmark Enter the Wu-Tang album two years earlier were begging to be expanded on to a larger canvas, and, with RZA guiding production, the album promised to give Dirty the creative license to make one of the most bizarre, entertaining and original LPs in hip-hop history. With his raspy, drunken flow and dark sense of humor, Dirty fearlessly attacks from all angles, throwing himself fearlessly into punchy rhyme attacks (“Damage,” with GZA), drugged-out party jams (the monster singles “Brooklyn Zoo” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”) and bizarre, grimly hilarious fantasies of sex and violence (“Don't U Know” and the R&B-tinged “Sweet Sugar Pie”). Backed by RZA's appropriately gritty, dissonant beats and appearances from the Clan, Return became an instant hit, selling over 1 million copies and earning a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album in 1996. The album stands as a high water mark in the Wu-Tang Clan's collective creative output and was selected as one of the Best 100 Rap Albums by The Source magazine in 1998. In honoring the legacy of one of hip-hop's most innovative releases, Get On Down is proud to present this incredible and unique special edition of Ol’ Dirty Bastard's Return to the 36 Chambers as a double LP which contains the complete original album, remastered for optimal sound quality.

As is now a well-established tradition, when 7 appears in the catalogue number it is the turn of handyman Asymmetrical.

The title takes its inspiration from a tag that appeared in the bathroom of the historical Knick Knack Yoda after one of the (in)usual nights, and is a leap in time, a project born from the layering of different sessions that took place between 2018 and 2020 and only sees the light of day today.

7 is also the number of inches of PVC on which this double is engraved, hosting on one side the track that gives the album its name, on whose rhythms the sound of Luigi Gargano’s saxophone echoes. On the other Estetica Della Notte, is a journey into the phenomenology of tumultuous nights in the shadow of Rome’s Dome. The covers of the 170 numbered records are embellished by Ester Reset’s photographic project, available for extended fruition in the editorial project accompanying the 30 limited edition copies.

We’re happy to cordially invite you to the REGRESSION SESSION, hosted by eternal Philadelphia scene flag bearers ZILLAS ON ACID!

And if you think this sounds awfully lot like a scam, you’re probably right: „Regression Session“ is just a front of their illegal black market operation, trading raw uncut gems on a large scale. Just listen to the opener and title track and you won’t exactly have a strong case for the Zillas selling out, but rough as it is, this thing is capable of destroying any dancefloor it touches.

Looking at their recent releases it’s fair to say the Z’s are on quite a run, putting out music on labels like Permanent Vacation, Throne Of Blood, Multi Culti or Ivan Smagghe’s Disques de la Mort. Tunes like the sneaky rough slow burners „Underling“ or „Start Digging“ sound like they could be lifted from the latter’s infamous DJ sets, while the deceptively titled „Cha Cha Cha“ or closer „Casual Observer“ justify the „Acid“ in the artist name. „Shining Snakes Across The Lake“ is what some years might have been called a mid-tempo house roller and probably counts as downtempo these days. Speaking of tempos, the penultimate „Sweet Days Of Discipline“ starts of masquerading as reaaally downtempo, but ends up throwing 155bpm kick drums at you, so better watch out, all you k-hole ravers! Let’s not forget to talk about „bquiet“, which is what you’d call mid-tempo house these days (125bpm) and uses the eternally banging combination of a jacking beat, a polyrhythmic bass line, some lead-synth stabs and talking vocal slices. You can practically smell the sweat.

So what’s left to say? What you see is what you get: They are Zillas, and they are on Acid. And they provide a collection of eight tunes that probably each don’t necessarily have a double-digit amount of tracks in their DAW projects, and that’s exactly what makes them so forceful. Join the regression session!

Following the success of Highly Refined Pirates' forward-thinking guitar gymnastics and Menos El Oso's groundbreaking glitch rock, Seattle's premier pop revisionists Minus The Bear dug into some of rock music's most ostentatious years for inspiration for their 2007 album, Planet of Ice. The title alone conjures images of Yes's Relayer album art, and the influence of the elder statesmen's symphonic scope can be felt throughout Planet of Ice's lush and intricate arrangements. You can also hear the band channel the ominous instrumental interplay of Lamb-era Genesis on "Dr. L'Ling", the deceptively savvy musicianship and pristine production of Steely Dan on "White Mystery", and the tightrope walk between ethereal space and pre-metal riffage of Pink Floyd's "Echoes" on "Lotus". Not that Minus The Bear completely abandoned their earlier style_elements of Menos El Oso's sample-driven technique can be heard on the lead single "Knights". But the heart of the song ultimately belongs to the haunting Fripp-esque guitar lines spliced between verses. After being out of print on record since 2010, Suicide Squeeze is proud to reintroduce Planet of Ice's creative marriage of classic motifs and modern musical wizardry with a vinyl remaster courtesy of Bernie Grundman.

'We are thrilled to be able to bring you Yara Asmar's first two cassette releases in a deluxe remastered double vinyl gatefold package featuring all new art and design from Yara herself.

Both albums were originally released on Hive Mind Records in 2022 and 2023 and received critical acclaim around the world':

“Melancholic drifts sound through the overcast skies of synth waltzes and accordion laments, infusing ageless melodies with a sense of falling backward through time. History is stitched through gilded aural silhouettes and elegiac drones. Asmar’s music is visceral. While electronics beckon beyond the sunrise stretched through a metallic shimmer, synth waltzes and accordion laments sticks with us while we remain lost in the hazy doldrums, always crawling forward tethered to our past lives. Highest recommendation.”
Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis

"...these tracks are a cushion against reality. Asmar creates music that unfurls in evanescent bliss, an invitation to a safe space both isolated and welcoming."
Daryl Worthington, The Quietus

"...a set that transmutes the instrument’s droning tones into a sweep of introspective, breath-catching moments of beauty"
Eric Torres, Pitchfork Best Jazz & Experimental Albums of 2023

"The combination and contrast of highly familiar and highly alien elements give Asmar's music a quality not quite like anything else I can name. The way she channels found voices into her surreal mix of sounds is particularly striking."
Byron Coley, The Wire