Search:the fun years

" New collector Blue Turquoise Vinyl repress, following November 2024 Crystal Clear LP reissue sold out.

" What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?' is the eighth studio album by British post-punk legends Echo & The Bunnymen, released on April 16, 1999. The album saw the band continue a trajectory set with 1997's 'Evergreen', embracing more introspective themes and melodic approach to its arrangements.

" Featuring an inspired selection of collaborators including strings from the London Metropolitan Orchestra and two songs featuring the American rap rock band Fun Loving Criminals, 'What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?' featured two singles, the title track, and the atmospheric fan favourite 'Rust', which would mark the band's final Top 40 UK single.

" Celebrating 25 years of 'What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?', the album is issued on vinyl for the very first time.

Brooklyn-based musician and producer Eliot Lipp has spent the last two decades crafting a signature sound that fuses hip-hop, synthwave, glitch, and electro. His breakthrough came in 2004 when Prefuse 73 released his debut album on Eastern Developments, a then-subsidiary of Warp Records. Since then, he has built an extensive discography across influential independent labels like Hefty Records, Mush Records, Pretty Lights Music, Young Heavy Souls, and his own Old Tacoma Records. Lipp's music, described by Billboard as "funky and experimental, crunchy and distorted, romantic, thoughtful, and all around playful," blends vintage and modern influences, with Kaltblut Magazine noting his inspiration from "sci-fi soundtracks and '70s and BDs funk" to create "weird, high-definition, melodic beats." His work has been featured by Bandcamp, Magnetic, XLR8R, and major radio stations like BBC Radio 6, KEXP, and KCRW. A seasoned performer, Lipp has toured extensively for over 15 years, playing in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Denver, as well as major festivals such as Electric Forest, Forecastle, and SXSW. With a career rooted in both classic beat-making and forward-thinking electronic production, Eliot Lipp remains a vital force in the independent music scene.

On his first release with Bastard Jazz, veteran Brooklyn producer Eliot Lipp delivers Kona, a bright blend of guitar samples, breakbeats, and his signature Korg MS-20 synth lines, evoking the feeling of kicking back on a beach at sunset. The beat hits hard from the start, but as the track unfolds, it eases into a more laid-back, summery vibe. Lipp's signature fusion of retro synth textures and crisp modern rhythms shines through, capturing an effortless, sun-soaked energy perfect for a night drive or a rooftop party. The B-side, Silver Bass, takes a different approach—starting with live drums, electric bass, and a groovy guitar and piano arrangement before morphing into a futuristic, digitally sequenced version of itself. With dueling saxophone and Moog melodies weaving between organic and electronic elements, the track transforms into a breezy electro jam that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking, solidifying Lipp's ability to craft timeless, genre-blending sounds.

Deraps's sophomore album ''Viva Rock N' Roll'' is a trip back to the greatest years of Classic Rock music. The album features a nostalgic but unique sound & vibe, with dominant guitar riffs & solos, angelic vocal harmonies, deep & emotional, as well as fun lyrics, catchy musical hooks and choruses, and a variety of songs & styles that will keep you excited from beginning to end. With it's raw feel & mix, Deraps bring back authenticity, liveness & groove to Rock N' Roll, topped with a fully hand drawn cover artwork that delivers a powerful message. A breath of fresh air in the Rock genre, and in today's music.

Souleance's love of oriental and Mediterranean music is well proven.

The duo Soulist and Fulgeance surprise once again with this new EP with Turkish-funk & disco-psychedelic influences. An instrumental EP that blends Sylvester's funk and disco with intoxicating melodies inspired by Barış Manço or Hamid El Shaery. The result is a raw, powerful sound of mixed funk. KEBAB DISCOTHEQUE is a tribute to the Oriental music that Souleance has loved since its beginnings, be it Turkish, Moroccan, Armenian or Iranian. Each track is a percussive and danceable journey, sometimes lyrical, with smells as sweet and round as a bass sound, as well as the spiced melodies that titillate your musical sweet tooth.

Halumi opens this EP with a guest appearance by the talented Özgür, a promising artist who enhances this first single with his magnificent Anatolian voice for an explosive funk à la Tom Tom Club funk with heady melodies! A perfect warm-up for this dance-dinner! Kaymak open the club doors and takes us on an impulsive, uncontrollable dance step ! A track as catchy as it is transcendent, but also a road trip in a convertible car on which you see the best moments of your life flash by. Souleance recommends this sweet and salty cheese called “kaymak”, and leaves you the joy of discovering it if you happen to be in Turkey (to be consumed on site only*). Belseance is a tribute to the beautiful Marseille’s district, where cultures meet and mingle. This track was bound to be bouncy, joyful, groovy and rhythmically exciting. The ingredients? “Jazz bass sauce”, “moog” peppers & “analog” spices. Neşe (i.e. “joy”, “elation”) is a return to the beat and groove mastered for years by Souleance. A moment of perfect digestion to finally savor the silences between notes, the signature swing of the longstanding duo. A shivering “laid back” track where Fulgeance's bass lines remain as seductive as ever, all this without ever letting you dance with “style” - and why not add a finely sweetened baklava to the mix? And finally, like an invigorating “mint tea”, No Dancing gently slaps you in the face with its “smoky disco” ambience! With its powerful kicks and fluorescent pink lasers ambiance, arpeggio bass and hypnotic “Zurna” flutes, you’re still listening to Souleance, not at “Club Méditerranée”, but in their very own discotheque: KEBAB DISCOTHEQUE.

A refined popular sandwich. An evening to remember

Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18 release their new album "Fontana Rosa". Possibly the world's only musical group to fuse Latin music of all kinds with the Welsh language, this time Rio 18 draw inspiration from slightly different musical corners, including Chicano Soul, Nuyorican pop, and Salsoul disco plus Latin sounds filtered through the cultural spectrum of the USA.

Most significantly though, the album was among the last ever to be recorded by the acclaimed producer Liam Watson at his legendary studio and shrine to all things analogue, Toerag Studios - a huge inspiration and influence on Rio 18's Carwyn Ellis. The "Fontana Rosa" sessions saw Ellis draw together an all-star band at the fabled studio which is perhaps best known through its place in the White Stripes history.

Talking about the story and gestation of the album, Carwyn said:

"I was in Mexico City with Baldo Verdú when I heard that Toerag Studios in London was going to close. It came as a shock - Toerag and Liam Watson, its owner and resident producer had been a massive influence on me. Liam, along with Edwyn Collins, had taught me much of what I know about recording, had hired me as an instrumentalist on countless sessions and had helped me to get started when I began my own solo career. And over the years, I'd still go in to record with Liam whenever the opportunity arose. When I heard that Liam was shutting up shop, I took it upon myself to try and ensure he went out with a musical bang. I rounded up the best band I could get: the aforementioned Venezuelan percussion wiz and singer, Baldo Verdú: American drummer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Shawn Lee: the Isle of Wight's finest drum and percussion master, producer and composer Rupert Brown (whom I'd originally met at Toerag many moons ago): Elan Rhys, one of Wales's finest voices and long term collaborator with Rio 18, as well as being one third of the wonderful folk group, Plu: and Kassin - my Brazilian brother from Rio de Janeiro, bassist and producer with artists such as Jorge Ben, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and a multitude of others, including Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18.

So this was my dream team, assembled to make beautiful music one more time at Toerag (I have to add at this point that Shawn and Rupert hit it off so well at our sessions that they booked their own session shortly afterwards! Look out for the brilliant Shawn Lee's Toerag Orchestra 'Percussion Discussion' album). Toerag, if you're not familiar with the place, made its name as London's foremost analogue studio for some 30 years, recording directly to tape which in essence means musicians playing live, together in a room until they get it right. And the sound? Oh the SOUND!! And this is all Liam Watson's doing, his sonic aesthetic - a real master engineer. The studio is perhaps best known as the place where the White Stripes recorded their monster hit album 'Elephant' but for me it's where I got to record with James Hunter, Lay Low (from Iceland), Quruli (from Japan), Fabienne Delsol (from France) and made many lasting friendships, learnt a great deal about popular music, as well as making a bunch of my own best recordings with Colorama.

Over the course of five days we laid down as much music as we could. We had some visitors too: guitar slinger Little Barrie (Primal Scream, The The and Liam Gallagher among other things, but also my dear bandmate in Edwyn Collins's band): sax and flute maestro Jim Hunt (Amy Winehouse, Primal Scream, Duffy and very many others): and Diego Laverde Rojas, the Colombian Latin harp virtuoso.

This time the music had a slightly different edge - although we still maintained our Brazilian/Welsh connection on 'Deffro'r Dydd' (written with and sung by Elan Rhys), our Cumbia vibe and some Merengue ('Mariposa' and 'Te Adoro', sung by Baldo Verdú) and even a traditional Afro-Venezuelan tune ('La Quichimba', again sung by Baldo) - the main influence for me this time was Latin music as recorded in the USA, both new and old. 'No More Secrets' is a straight up slice of Salsoul disco, while 'Hei Ti' is a punky funky but of Nu Yorican pop somewhere between ESG and the Beastie Boys. But one of my main influences in the last couple of years has been the current wave of Chicano Soul coming from California, particularly via the Penrose and Big Crown labels. I was turned on to this music when I was in Japan in early 2023 - Takashi-san at Pleased To Meet Me Records in Nara played me the Altons' 'Float' and I was hooked!

And that music has a similar aesthetic to Toerag: music recorded live to tape by excellent engineers, performed by fine musicians and singers. So our songs 'Impossible', 'Heartbreaker' and 'Lovesick' are very much in this vein. And that just leaves the title track, 'Fontana Rosa'."

Calibro 35 unleash a limited 7" feat Piero Umiliani's Italo-Cosmic-Disco classic 'Discomania' and Azymuth Brazilian-Disco stormer 'Jazz Carnival' on the B-side. Calibro 35 continue their journey into the world of cinematic jazz-disco-funk with the release of a new 7" featuring two afro-disco stormers. On the A side Calibro 35 deliver an heavily afro-funk infused version of Piero Umiliani's Italo-Cosmic-Disco classic 'Discomania' while on the flip side the Milanese band drop an equally explosive B-side with their own reinterpretation of Brazialian-Disco hit 'Jazz Carnival' by Azymuth. Both songs are taken from the highly anticipated new album 'Exploration' that drop June 06 worldwide via Record Kicks. The 7" is limited to 500 copies worldwide and is an instant's collector item. Described by Rolling Stone as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing that has happened to Italy in the past few years," Milan-based Calibro 35 enjoy a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent bands around. Active since 2007, during their long career, they 1 have been sampled by Dr. Dre on Compton ("One Shot One Kill" feat. Snoop Dogg), Jay-Z ("Picasso Baby"), The Child of Lov & Damon Albarn ("One Day"), and Demigodz ("The Summer Of Sam"). They 2 have played major venues and festivals all over Europe, and as unique musicians, they have collaborated with, among others, PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish, Stewart Copeland, and Rokia Traoré.

Claire Chicha aka Spill Tab is feeling more free than ever before. The LA-based, French-Korean songwriter and producer,has spent the past five years as spill tab honing a sound that is as raw-edged as it is refined, channelling low-slung guitar-strumming confessionals as well as the earworming melodic hooks of anthemic pop to produce a heady and distinctive mix.

Following the 2019 release of her intimate and infectious debut single “Decompose”, Spill Tab has evolved her spill tab project through three EPs: 2020’s synth-pop influenced Oatmilk, 2021’s playful, uptempo Bonnie, featuring Gus Dapperton and Tommy Genesis, and 2023’s co-produced, sonically-intricate Klepto, which gleefully meanders from the Hiatus Kaiyote-influenced jazz freakouts of “CRÈME BRÛLÉE!” to the guitar-chugging thump of “Splinter”. Live, meanwhile, Spill Tab has been tapped for her explosively energetic presence to open the North American leg of popstar Sabrina Carpenter’s tour, as well as touring through Australia with alt-rock trio Wallows.
With “PINK LEMONADE”, opening single from her forthcoming debut album “ANGIE” , spill tab’s freewheeling sound finds its fullest expression, harnessing this onstage experience and recorded experimentation with her bass-weight and pitched-up vocals. Here we find Chicha only ever chasing that “weird thing”, fizzing with an infectious enthusiasm and intricate musicianship. “The best songs come from writing the main idea in a day, as it’s so instinctual,” she says, such as “PINK LEMONADE” recorded “from a clip taken out of a 40-minute jam that we then chopped and spliced”.
Born to her French Algerian composer father and Korean pianist mother, Claire Chicha spent her early childhood in the mixing room of her parents’ LA post-production studio, bringing coffees to artists as they tracked scores for exciting new projects. “I hung out in that studio all the time until I was around 10 years old, absorbing jazz music my dad was into and classical music that my mom loved,” Chicha says. “My mom had a big hand in making me an adventurous kid, always trying new things from piano to harp and violin, forever soaking up new sounds.”

At 12, Chicha’s life was uprooted as she relocated to Thailand to live with her mother’s family following the collapse of her parents’ business after the 2008 recession. What followed was an unstable and formative few years of early teenagedom, navigating new cultures and life changes. In Thailand, Chicha began learning guitar to cover the Paramore and Green Day tracks she had grown to love while also becoming immersed in Thai traditional music. After a year, she moved once more to live with her aunt in Paris and there she was introduced to the classic sound of Serge Gainsbourg and Édith Piaf before ultimately returning to LA following the untimely death of her father.

“I had to become a real people person to fit in everywhere I was moving, and it immersed me into so many different styles of music,” she says. “I went from listening to the nasal singing of Thai traditional music at muay thai fights in Bangkok, to emotive classic French songs. It definitely informed the need to experiment with my sound as I became more interested in making music.”

At high school in LA, Chicha joined one of the country’s foremost show choirs and realised a natural aptitude for stagecraft and performance as she sang medleys in competitions throughout the US. Going on to study Music Business at NYU, Chicha found a love for the alternative soul and singer-songwriting of the likes of Moses Sumney and Bon Iver, as well as developing her own sound while spending summers interning as an A&R at Atlantic Records and being exposed to the gamut of New York’s live music scene.

“I was going to so many shows as an A&R intern and seeing just how much a lot of music sounded alike,” she says. “It made me realise I wanted my music to feel different, to cut through the noise but still make something that felt honest to me.”

Beginning to independently release tracks, Soill Tab gradually built a loyal fanbase with the release of wistful early numbers “Calvaire” and “Cotton Candy” and soon found herself signed to a major label. Yet, as her career progressed through the COVID pandemic the demands of a corporate major began to conflict with her own searching style. “My last two EPs were under contract and it felt like I was always chasing the carrot,” she says, “I felt a certain pressure to put out tracks quickly and find that ‘hit’. It wasn’t the right environment to truly make what I wanted.”

Ultimately parting ways with her label, Chicha began work on a new album, exploring new sounds and ideas with her LA-based community of collaborators like producer David Marinelli, Solomonophonic, Wyatt and Austin and John DeBold, without expectation. “It became this beautiful experience of only following ideas that I really believed in and exploring all the musical avenues I hadn’t before,” she says. “I’ve never been more excited about songs and I’ve never felt like a project is more mine.”

Writing and recording while touring with Sabrina Carpenter and Wallows, Chicha road-tested her new tracks to see what might land best with an audience who had likely never heard her music before. “You have to win people’s hearts as an opener and you can see what resonates and what doesn’t,” she says. “I would watch people fall in love or not and it’s usually always the song you’re having the most fun with that does the best. That’s what I put on the record.”

« Angie », Spill’s Tab debut album is relased on because Music and expected for May 16th release.

Soul Clap and Haven Star join forces for vibrant collaboration ‘Gone Stumblin’ on Crosstown Rebels.

Landing on 23rd May 2025, the track brings together years of musical evolution, late-night studio magic, and the unmistakable essence of a true party anthem. Genre-blending US house visionaries Soul Clap return to Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels with a deeply groovy and emotionally charged new release, teaming up with South Florida’s rising star Haven Star for the striking ‘Gone Stumblin’ - ushering in a new chapter of collaboration and cosmic storytelling.

Rooted in a near-mythical session at Brooklyn’s legendary Marcy Hotel, ‘Gone Stumblin’ began its journey with keyboardist John Camp crafting the original chord progressions and top-line melody. After years of floating in digital limbo, the track resurfaced thanks to Soul Clap’s Charles Levine, who reimagined it with a fresh twist and brought in Haven Star—whose soulful delivery launched it into orbit.

At just 24, Haven Star brings fresh energy and vintage soul sensibility to the table—having shared the stage with legends like Patti LaBelle, Jeff Beck, and Sam Moore, while cutting her teeth across genres from orchestral pop to funk-fuelled house. The original mix merges heady keys and rich chords with a bouncing, crisp low end, while the ‘Dub’ strips it back and introduces trippy sonics and heavy low-ends for after-hours introspection. ‘Unifying Force’ leans into Soul Clap’s psychedelic ethos, before the ‘Bonus Version’ of the title cut offers yet another club-ready rework with added punch.

Wairunga finds the Freddy juggernaut digging deep to debut five songs and revisit two classics captured in an outdoor performance sans audience but with wild weather elements playing an important creative role in producing this unique live album.

Recorded in Wairunga, high above Waimarama Beach in New Zealand, it is place etched into the DNA of Fat Freddy’s Drop who’ve roamed here for over 20 years; to party, relax between tours, make a song Wairunga Blues in its honour and even to get married. Farmed by the Parker family for a century, Wairunga is an oasis of green pasture and native tree filled valleys that fall away to the ocean below.

In inimitable Freddy's fashion the new tunes run a gamut of genre busting styles. Coffee Black is layered with cosmic hot buttered soul and cinematic wigged out psyche-blues while Shady continues Freddy's Afro-Acid adventures with Fitchie’s beat-making tapping into a South African township brand of techno Freddys experienced on tour.

Bush Telegraph is a reggae classic featuring MC Slave aka Mark Williams on the mic with freshly minted yum char spiced rhymes of hope. The other new tracks Leave Your Window Open and Dig Deep are loose rhythmic experiments that the band have been working on for a long time. Versions were developed, rehearsed, but then set aside – dismissed, demonised - only to be revived with new energy in some future moment of creative cohesion. The results are loose-limbed; broken and bruised beats smashing into subterranean bass and twisted up melodies.

Bones and Wairunga Blues are the two classics from Freddy's vast back catalogue. Off the Blackbird album, Bones has aged beautifully - like a fine wine - the song’s component parts matured and melded together in harmony and balance. DJ Fitchie rates this 2021 vintage superior to the 2013 original. Wairunga Blues has been a work-in-progress since it was released on Bays in 2015. Kuki dials up some appropriately off-kilter keys to match the wonky-funk laid down by Fitchie’s bass line and the horns. It’s a mighty comeback – and a fitting tribute to this magical place.

For customers of the Rush Hour shop, this item ships for its may 23rd release date. Any items ordered along with this will ship then also

A classic returns. Mystery, one of The RAH Band’s most beloved albums, celebrates its 40th anniversary with this long-awaited reissue - the album's first time on vinyl since its original 1985 release.

The RAH Band, the brainchild of producer and arranger Richard Anthony Hewson, has been synthesizing jazz, funk, and electronic pop into out-of-this-world tracks since the late 1970s. Mystery marked an important moment in Richard's career, following on from The Crunch & Beyond (1978), RAH (1980), and Going Up (1983). With this album, Hewson took his pop songwriting and commercial success to new heights while never compromising his unique and unbound production style.

At the heart of the album are eight perfectly crafted pop songs, each standing strong on its own, with no filler in sight. The lead single, Are You Satisfied?, set the tone for the album’s jazz-funk evolution, but it was Clouds Across The Moon, with its futuristic narrative of love and longing across the cosmos, that became a chart-topping phenomenon, reaching #6 in the UK. The track’s space-age storytelling cemented its place in pop history, with many still recalling that 1985 Top of the Pops performance as the moment they fell in love with The RAH Band - if you know, you know.

From the dreamy synth-jazz of Float, a club and radio favourite to this day, to the smooth saxophone solo on Out On The Edge, recently featured on Steven Julien (aka Funkineven)'s DJ Kicks mix, Mystery remains an essential album four decades later - a testament to the genius of one of the most quietly influential songwriter-producer-arrangers of our time.

Three LPs packed in a trifold jacket. Pressed on Deep Ocean Pearl, Gold & Dark Green Vinyl. Take up your sword, channel your magic or board your Mech. Chained Echoes is a 16-bit style RPG set in a fantasy world where dragons are as common as piloted mechanical suits. The game is set on the continent of Valandis during the time of a multi-generational war between three kingdoms, Taryn, Gravos and Escanya. After a great catastrophe caused by Grand Grimoire shakes the continent, the kingdoms agree to sign a peace treaty. One year later, an unknown force strives to begin a new war. A group of unlikely heroes joins forces and eventually becomes the clan of Crimson Wings in order to stop it. The outstanding soundtrack for Chained Echoes was passionately composed, arranged and recorded over four years by Eddie Marianukroh as well as many other musicians who worked under his direction. It includes 50 tracks at two hours in length. Even the game has been out for a while, Marianukroh's admiration and enthusiasm for the game and his addition to it remain undiminished: "It has been over two years now since the release of Chained Echoes, which is rather difficult for me to believe. Time really flies, and it's honestly a bit frightening when I think about it. But, despite that, when I listen to the music I've written for this game, I still very much remain proud of what I composed. I really did give my all for this soundtrack. I will forever be grateful to Matthias for trusting me with the music for his game. I can vividly remember how I felt when I first came across his project, and how I nervously reached out to him about the composer position. I truly, truly cannot thank him enough for giving me this memorable experience that I will always hold dear. Thank you, my friend."

Two Times Juno awards listed and 2 times Polaris price listed, Canadian Soul Star Tanika Charles unleash the new album "Reason To Stay that drops on May 16 via independent soul label Record Kicks. Reasons To Stay is Tanika Charles' fourth full-length album, and her most introspective to date. Where her songs have typically touched on romantic love and heartache, the core love and loss of this record is family focused. It has taken years for Tanika to be able to publicly reflect on the childhood trauma and family breakup that occurred during her teens. The majority of the album was composed by Tanika with the tight knit team of Scott McCannell (Lydia Persaud, Henry Nozuka), Kyla Charter (Aysanabee) and Chino de Villa (Jessie Reyez). Kelly Finnigan of the Monophonics joined in to mix the bulk of the project and apply some trademark analogue grit to Tanika's sheen. Guests include Quebec-based Soulful singer/songwriter Clerel on the last track "Win", as well as Toronto soul artists Aphrose and Claire Davis providing additional vocals. "I love this album. I love singing these songs. I love that it's made me step outside of my comfort zone. It's forced me to face the root causes of my own insecurities that I carry to this day. Why am I striving so hard to seek validation, and why take it so personally when it doesn't come? That distortion has prevented me from celebrating my own successes at times. This album is me trying to change that." "I love the conversations that have begun with these songs. It's about childhood trauma, but it's not a victim story. I'm doing well, despite the baggage I carry. I want others to be able to carry theirs too." In the last few years, Canadian Soul/R&B powerhouse Tanika Charles has transformed from an emerging solo artist to a commanding performer and bandleader, cementing her status as a staple in the Canadian soul scene. Her previous studio albums - "Soul Run" (2017), "The Gumption" (2019), and "Papillon De Nuit" (2022) - have propelled her to international acclaim, earning her two JUNO nominations, two Polaris Prize listings, and a growing global fanbase. Extensive touring across North America and Europe has further solidified her reputation, with standout performances at festivals such as Trans Musicales in France, Fusion Festival in Germany, Mostly Funk & Soul Festival and Jazz Festival in the UK, Holy Groove Festival in Switzerland, and Canarias Jazz Festival in Spain. She has also shared the stage Estelle, Mayer Hawthorne, Haitus Kayote, Lauryn Hill, Bedouin Soundclash and Macy Gray. Tanika's meteoric rise and undeniable artistry have been widely championed by outlets such as KCRW, KEXP, BBC6 Music, Exclaim!, CBC Music, Uncut Mag, PopMatters, Albumism .. further solidifying her position as a global soul sensation.

De:tuned welcomes the Purveyor of Fine Funk, Midwest house and techno originator Dan Curtin, to the label with his first new album in 15 years entitled 'The 4 Lights'. The now Berlin-based DJ and producer channels his inner DC and opens up his soul on this exceptional eight-track LP. Dan showcases his unique take on techno and early 90s influences rise to the surface. The result is an in-depth masterclass of cosmic funk, spaced-out vibes and warm pads that stimulate the mind, while the distinctive groove moves your body. Stay tuned!

Reissue of both EPs on one single vinyl: "Ruiner." on side A, "Clean." on side B. * Gatefold: cover of "Ruiner" is on the front, cover of "Clean" is on the back. Since their inception in 2010, Whores. has laid waste to both presumption and audial functioning. Beginning with 2011's Ruiner EP, Whores.brought a welcomed new vision to the often-tired "extreme music" scene. Two years later saw the release of the Clean. EP, a six-track musical display of visceral rancor and songwriting brilliance. Highly anticipated by critics and fans alike. For Whores.,the cavalcade of anticipation provides no pressure or expectation as Lembach states: "We don't just want to fill in the blanks." The only pressure here is to maintain authenticity, and to that end, Whores. are the quintessential example of genuine malice. "You have to bring a sense of realness to the music, otherwise it's fake, and it sounds fake. You have to be honest about it, and it's about getting to the really ugly stuff inside of you, and that's what we do." Classic black vinyl, pn: split cover that is the main product image here is just a mockup (original front showing the Ruiner.cover art)

Hyldon, Brazil’s highly revered vocalist, musician and producer, has partnered with Adrian Younge to create a new psychedelic soul album, HYLDON JID023. The duo, highly inspired by Hyldon’s seminal work in the ‘60s and ‘70s, revisits’ the spirit of this epoch while creating a modern-day classic. Hyldon’s unique voice and lyrical depth, combined with Younge’s innovative analogue production, ensures this album will not be forgotten. JID023 is one of the last recordings featuring Hyldon’s long-time collaborator and friend, the late drummer Ivan “Mamao” Conti of Azymuth.

Hyldon, a musical pioneer and early contributor to the “Black Rio” movement is a genius in synthesizing the sounds of MPB, Tropicália and Black American R&B. His unique voice, coupled with his rich arrangements and laid-back grooves set him apart from the contemporaries of the time. In ’75, his remarkable debut album, Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda changed the sound of Brazil forever. Hyldon’s earnest and experimental approach in creating that album served as the inspiration for Younge’s production on the new JID023.

Months before Mamão's untimely passing, Adrian Younge and Hyldon invited the legendary drummer to join them at Younge’s Linear Labs studio in Los Angeles. Mamão and Hyldon shared a rich musical history — Azymuth, Mamão’s group, served as the rhythm section for much of Hyldon’s work, including his iconic 1975 LP, Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda. Their goal was ambitious: to craft an album that would stand alongside Hyldon’s finest achievements, one that would captivate fans who love his unique blend of psychedelic and soulful “Música Brasileira.” The result is nothing short of remarkable.

“Producing a Hyldon album was a dream come true. I’ve studied his catalogue for so many years and highly respect the way he mixed the sound of The Beatles, with that of Marvin Gaye and Tim Maia. I’m still enamored by the fact that he is even a better singer now than he was, in what many deem, his prime. Also, we greatly miss our dear friend and contributor Mamão, the late drummer of Azymuth. We dedicated this album to his memory, and we wish he could have had the chance to hear the finished album.” – Adrian Younge

Songs such as “Olhos Castanhos” evoke the ethereal nature of The Beatles “Strawberry Fields” as the mellotron flutes and Hyldon’s vulnerable performance captivates our hearts. Mamão’s gritty and funky drumming on “Nhanderuvucu (The Creator of God)” showcase what made him a leading pioneer in Brazil’s samba funk scene. Apart from the remarkable drumming, multi-instrumentalist Younge accomplishes the unthinkable by playing every other instrument on JID023. The experimental fusion of horns, analog synthesizers and acoustic instrumentation on songs like “Viajante de Planeta Azul” take listeners on a funky journey to the blue planet; a fictional space that Hyldon lyrically describes with passion and conviction.

Hyldon JID023 is an unexpected, yet remarkable addition to the canon of Brazilian Music. Hyldon’s emotional resonance, coupled with Younge’s sophisticated production and Mamao’s outstanding drumming make this a standout album within the deep catalogue of Jazz Is Dead.

Growing up is painful, brutal, and sometimes beautiful _ something Brooklyn-based indie-rock band Bedridden knows all too well. The band's name is even a nod to that ineffable period between childhood and the jagged edges of the real world. "When I was 21, I kind of lost my home," says frontman/guitarist Jack Riley. "I was couch-surfing. I was having a hard time.The next iteration in the band's maturation, then, is their debut, LP Moths Strapped To Eachother's Backs, 10 fuzzed-out (and sometimes gnarly) ruminations on dating, drugs, and survival out April 11 on Julia's War. The title came from a mysterious missive Riley received on astrology app Co-Star. "Last year I was way too reliant on other people _ my partner at the time, my friends," he says. "I was strapped to them in a weird way _ and flying in circles. This album is about that time."The current incarnation of Bedridden encompasses a patchwork of styles, influences, and friends Riley accumulated over the years. A Chicago native who first started making music at age five on a thrift-store guitar emblazoned with Kurt Cobain's name, Riley moved to New Orleans for college where he dabbled in punk before falling in love with shoegaze. There, he launched the first version of Bedridden. Sebastian Duzian (bass) _ a jazz musician and Pasadena native _ linked up with Riley in NOLA along with his bandmate, drummer Nick Pedroza. Pedroza, from Claremont, grew up on rock, metal, and jazz, honing his style after joining the band. Wesley Wolffe _ a guitarist fed on a steady diet of New Wave and `90s alt _ rounded out the crew just a few months back. Bedridden's previous lineup released their first EP, Amateur Heartthrob, in 2023 _ a noise-washed blend of shoegaze, DIY, and indie that Riley says is a "coming-of-age EP _ these formative stories about not having a bed, dating, being kind of a jackass. I was making fun of myself a lot." That release caught the attention of Douglas Dulgarian from Philly Label Julia's War (and TAGABOW), who signed them for Moths."Some of these songs have been around for years," says Riley, adding that they were recorded last February at Studio G Brooklyn; the album was produced by Aron Kobayashi Ritch (Momma). "As opposed to Amateur Heartthrob, we attempted to blend more clean guitars into a driving sound to capture more clarity _ one that also sounds live_ and raw," Riley says. That rawness thrums through the record, which kicks off with the thrashed "Gummy," about an incident when Riley had to gently fend off a co-worker's unwanted advances while both drunk and high on an MDMA gummy. And then there's mournful rager "Etch," which sees Riley daydreaming about beating up a meddler in his personal life _ in the minor key.The annihilating "Chainsaw" revs in next, a lightning-fast Lemonheads-inspired track that recalls Riley moving in with new roommates who were unnaturally obsessed with purchasing a lamp. "For some reason that pissed me off," he laughs; that rage is evident in the album cover, which shows said power tool demolishing a lampshade. Heavy-shredding "Heaven's Leg" showcases the band's affinity for `90s mainstays like Smashing Pumpkins while telling the tale of a gig at a local church. "The lyrics are about a pastor I had met that had lost his leg," Riley says. "The church had signs about not cussing and I had a feeling that neither of us had anything to talk about without potentially offending the other."The band's not afraid to get confrontational, though, on the anger-fueled, drum-heavy "Philadelphia, Get Me Through," which deals with a dead-end relationship and the mistaken assumption that getting drunk in the titular city would be a balm against the pain. And the nasty, brutist, and short hardcore-adjacent "MainStage"? "It's about being disrespected at a show on New Year's and how I lashed out," Riley says. "I then began to take it out on other people, which was a quality that I despise."Things get contemplative and mournful from here on out _ the emo-edged "Snare" is about bringing flowers to a hospital room where you're not welcome, while the Smiths-inspired "Uno" wrestles with self-loathing. "I guess the big finale of that song was my response to dealing with this recurring experience of feeling like I wasn't good enough by getting really into whippets," Riley says. Nu-metal bop "Bonehead," then, recalls an embarrassing dinner that turned into an argument _ the name applies both to that incident and the delicious simplicity of the guitar parts.After all that turmoil and pain, the band caps everything off with their eyes to the future on the jangle-pop "Ring Size." "All my friends are getting married _ do I follow in their footsteps? Or is it all a waste of time?" Riley says of the song. "At the end, through it all, I guess that's what I've been trying to figure out _ how to grow up, how to move on. I'm trying to navigate things as an adult and I'm not very good at it. But this is just the first record. This is just the beginning."And, hey, at least now he has a bed.

The Scream, Siouxsie & the Banshees' first album, was released late enough in the punk era to bear some claim as the first post-punk album, with only a minor traces of 'punk' (one lingering early song, "Carcass" comes to mind) and enough hints of what had come even earlier, Andy MacKay-like saxophone flourishes - to feel utterly new. Not to mention the effort producer Steve Lillywhite must have put into the album, his first fully-credited major label production. Siouxsie was clearly the focus of the band, with her unique vocal style and lyrics, but the real star, we've always known, was John McKay, who wrote most of the album's music (as well as singles like "Hong Kong Garden"), creating a wholly new guitar sound - harsh and brittle, yet melodically intoxicating . . . best articulated by a somewhat confounded Steve Albini years later ". . . only now people are trying to copy it, and even now nobody understands how that guitar player got all that pointless noise to stick together as songs". McKay's influence lives on; many of the most influential guitarists of the past four decades credit him as a major influence - Geordie from Killing Joke, Jim Reid of The Jesus And Mary Chain, U2's The Edge, Thurston Moore, Johnny Marr and even the two guitarists - The Cure's Robert Smith and Magazine's John McGeoch - who followed him in The Banshees. McKay's burgeoning status as the anti-guitar hero was halted when he and Banshees drummer Kenny Morris - at odds with Siouxsie and bassist Steve Severin - fled the band just after the start of a tour supporting the group's second album, Join Hands. It was a weekly music paper scandal, later the subject of a BBC documentary, and Siouxsie's vitriol working its way into the lyrics of a later Banshees b-side, "Drop Dead / Celebration". Aside from a solitary single on Marc Riley's In Tape label nearly a decade later, no music was heard from McKay again. So it comes as a major surprise to learn of a pile of excellent recordings made in the years just after he left The Banshees, unheard by all but a very few, some of which feature drummer Kenny Morris, plus Mick Allen from Rema Rema, Matthew Seligman of the Soft Boys and longer-term collaborator Graham Dowdall and John's wife Linda . . . the latter three of whom now all sadly deceased. Sixes And Sevens is an historic lost album. Brazenly genius and bearing fair claim as the lost treasure of the post-punk era, the album collects eleven studio tracks, carefully mastered from original tapes. It's a masterpiece which best speaks for itself.

James Taylor has been writing/recording albums and touring for the past 43 years, starting with The Prisoners and then The James Taylor Quartet (JTQ) from 1986 onwards, to great acclaim. Taylor was the pioneering force that spear-headed the Acid Jazz movement in the 90's, which saw a renaissance in live music. He has also virtually single-handedly driven the rediscovery of the Hammond organ, his trademark keyboard. He has developed his composition and arrangement skills and with these has recorded over 20 library albums. The most recent of the library albums include the four tracks on this very EP, which feature Taylor's innovative horn arrangement skills, placing JB style horns over a funk groove, but in this case he had the novel idea of incorporating two guitars; one funky, one rocky. Sort of James Brown meets The Rolling Stones, and the result can be heard on this slab of vinyl. The current live line-up for The James Taylor Quartet is James Taylor (keyboards and orchestration), Mark Cox (guitar), Andrew McKinney (bass) and Pat Illingworth (drums).

"Dylan Hayes' album debut LP, We Don't Own, We Create, released on Futurepast, is a sonic trip balancing club functionality with experimentation. The two-discs project is a bold statement of artistic intent-where minimalism, industrial textures, and introspective loopy moods collide.

As the result of 8 years of research and experimentation, We Don't Own, We Create is an electronic sci-fi odyssey, unfolding across eight tracks balancing structure with unpredictability. Co-produced and mixed by Davy Vandegaer, this album is also the story of a friendship rooted in a shared vision-crafting a signature 'futurepast' sound where old-school techno aesthetics meet fresh, yet edgy, sonic treatments. The first disc unfolds like a waking dream. My Ikigai sets the tone with pulsating, introspective club energy, blending loopy synths and a growling bass. Plastic World plunges into eerie depths, weaving spectral vocals and fragmented rhythms. Silent Reverie in To Memory drifts through textured atmospheres and layered percussive echoes. Remind Me Ridley twists hypnotic techno into a dense, mantra-like piece-its reverbs and delays build an intensity conjuring into a foggy, shifting auditive illusion.

The second disc marks the awakening, shaking off the haze with Beautiful Struggle, where abrasive loops, industrial bass surges, and dissonant synth layers build tension. Echoes of Fate condenses the album's ethos, unleashing pulsating stabs and humming rhythms that slice through the mix with razor-sharp precision. The eponymous We Don't Own, We Create is an electronic ode to the creative process, where haunting vocal loops weave through deep, trippy synth lines, blurring the boundaries between organic and synthetic. Closing on Mizze, the journey dissolves into pure introspection, fading into the ether.

The record balances four club-driven tracks and four experimental pieces, crafting a distorted, explorative soundscape-an immersive journey where dance music meets dark, avant-garde sound design."

Once regarded as an up-and-comer to watch, it’s fair to say that the past eighteen months have seen Dutch DJ/producer and live artist Locklead establish himself as one of the most in-demand artists emerging onto the global house stage. From his collaborative ‘Across Boundaries’ with close friend Chris Stussy to music via Dungeon Meat, Pilot, and Up The Stuss, the Utrecht-based talent has set his stall and is showing no signs of slowing. Adding to a first outing on sister label LOCUS two years ago, April welcomes a big debut appearance on FUSE as head honcho Enzo Siragusa invites him to the label for the first time to release his latest EP, ‘Kemickal Affairs’.
Opening the record, A1 ‘Zero’s Delight’ is a funk-fulled and spacey ride armed with resonant chords and swirling leads, while ‘State of Peace’ is a blissful ride through rich yet driving house spheres and showcases the second of two heavily requested anthems that have been go-to records for the likes of Stussy and Siragusa over recent months. The flip sees title cut ‘Kemickal Affairs’ open the b-side with authority, as bumping kicks and slinking grooves go to work beneath swirling synth lines and hazy tones, before wrapping things up with more modulated goodness and off-kilter vocal snippets on the chunky and trippy ‘Morning Krew’ - expect this to come out to play in those weird and wonky early-hours afters!

DJ Feedback:

Laurent Garnier - Very cool Ep

Jamie Jones (Hot Creations / Paradise) - Feeling this.

Joseph Capriati (REDIMENSION) - nice, will try soon. thanks !

Seth Troxler (Circoloco / Lost Souls Of Saturn) - lov

Paul Woolford / Special Request - State Of Peace is a killer house record, lovely chords and groove, thanks!!

Stacey Pullen (Blackflag Recordings / Transmat) - COOL THANKS!

Chris Stussy (Up The Stuss) - already on heavy rotation for the last couple of months, absolute heat!!

Rossi. (HOMEGROWN. / NO ART / LOCUS) - Immense music :)

Trambeat are an original soul band from Croydon, South London, formed in 2012 by songwriting duo guitarist Graham Potter and drummer Des James. The two played together in various bands over the years, eventually bringing together like-minded musicians from the Croydon music scene to form Trambeat. The name "Trambeat" derives from the where the band call home, with all band members living along the tram line that runs through the heart of Croydon. Initially the band operated as a loose collective, recording music and self-releasing it online and on CD. But following the 2013 release of their debut vinyl single, "Walk a Mile In My Shoes", and debut album "Tales From the Comprehensives" on Berlin labels Firestation Records and Sundae Soul Records, things began to move fast. With regular airplay by Gary Crowley on Radio London, offers of gigs began to roll in and they quickly morphed into a tight and exciting live band. Trambeat have supported the likes of Ranking Roger's The Beat, Geno Washington, The Four Aces (Desmond Dekker), Shakatak, The Flatmates and The Popguns and have featured at festivals right across the UK and Germany. Trambeat's debut release with LRK Records in 2023, the uptempo funk/soul crossover song "Don't Hold Back", proved popular at both Northern Soul and Funk clubs and was championed by "Northern Soul Girl" Levanna McLean who released a widely viewed clip dancing to the record. Indeed it became a staple at her very own Bristol Northern Soul Club and Funk Addict nights. The new single, "All Killer, No Filler", builds around a sultry, strutting bass riff bolstered by jazzy horns and a funky Nile Rogers influenced guitar. Vocalist Aimee lays down her manifesto for love without compromise, before building to an anthemic chorus you can't help singing along to.

First-time vinyl reissue of cult UK dance classic.

One of the cult acts of the heyday of London clubland in the early 1990s, the Ballistic Brothers consisted of later-X-Press 2 members Ashley, Rocky and Diesel, alongside David Hill and Uschi Clansen. After the success of underground smash ‘Blacker’ and ‘vs. Eccentric Afros Vol. 1’, The Ballistic Brothers returned with the second volume of their sampledelic good times with ‘Vol. 2’. The group came armed with years of dance floor expertise, and record making acumen, and delivered a further 8 tracks of good time funky grooves.

The opener ‘Delancey Street…The Theme’ paid tribute to their Camden-based record label and was an immediate anthem, while ‘Goodvibes…Goodnight’ was an irresistible mash-up. Elsewhere are jazz, funk, reggae influences and images of the streets of New York.

A vital snapshot of a very unique place in time, specially remastered for this Acid Jazz release, set in a spined sleeve for the first time, with a beautiful expansion of the original artwork

2025 Repress!

Remastered for 2016! Another classic by highpriest Larry Heard. Three tracks that prove again the mans genius and unparalleled talent in squeezing true emotions and funk out of his machines and lift you into a state of euphoria. The a-side holds a long, midtempo 80s electrofunk groove with beautiful richly textures synth melodies. Flip over for a slightly rawer Fingers style workout with highly emotive strings and a perfect end of the night tune with a gorgeous piano solo showing heard's strong roots in jazz. Music from a different stratosphere - a record to treasure!

Following the hyperactive “Blood Karaoke” (2022, Reading Group), “Performing Belief” builds rhythmic thickets from gathered sounds interwoven with synths, drum machines and other samples. Having built these rhythmic nests, Krivchenia then called on two contemporary mages of the low end: electric bassist and fellow Angeleno Sam Wilkes (Wilkes/Gendel) and double bassist/multi-instrumentalist from Krivchenia’s native Chicago, Joshua Abrams (Natural Information Society). Wilkes and Abrams bring the presence of a grounding human witness to the rhythmic undergrowth, providing a centering and even at times melodic voice to the gathering. This alchemy carries a profoundly fresh sense of time, blurring the edges of the quantized grid and the generic boundaries of electronic music.

The core of the album is a lush, opulent matrix of percussion ranging from the familiar—hand claps and drum machines—to the mysteriously verdant, sampled largely from Krivchenia’s own performed field recorded collection. For years, he would record any and all of his musical encounters with natural objects: performing on a particularly resonant log on a hike, throwing rocks into a pristine pond, tap dancing in the mud. This archive of “natural” sounds became the fertile soil out of which the tracks on “Performing Belief” grew. What is gained in the process is not just a novel set of sounds, but a new rhythmic language. The particular give, the anticipatory rustle, the extra breath of a hollow log when functioning as a kickdrum provides a greenness that overtakes the rhythmic grid, giving this music a peculiar kind of stickiness. This rhythmic language, set in Krivchenia’s long-fermenting electronic musical palate, feels like a revelation, even while it calls back not only to his wonderfully elastic timekeeping behind the kit with his beloved band Big Thief, but also to his prior work in computer music as well as his deep study and love of the vast human archive of drumming. “Performing Belief” is in good company in the rank and file of the legendary Planet Mu label. From the foundational early releases of the likes of Jega and Venetian Snares, to the contemporary envelope-warping work of Jlin and hundreds of brilliant releases in between, Planet Mu has been a beacon of forward-thinking rhythmic music for decades, informing Krivchenia’s own sense of the weird metaphysics of musical time since he was a kid. Krivchenia’s contribution to this history calls to mind the principle of organic danceability that subtends Mu’s whole catalogue, while bending our sense of rhythm in new and gracious dimensions. Krivchenia brings out the loamy complexity of natural rhythms, a clearing as generous as it is inviting. Let the drummer give you some.

Limited edition milky-clear 2LP of The Adicts’ only official live album for RSD2025.

First time on vinyl for 35 years; now with bonus disc with 13 additional tracks!

Remastered, and with improved packaging with previously unseen photos.

The Adicts came from Ipswich on the east coast of England, dressed in white in an amalgam of The Joker and Clockwork Orange imagery. Their previous studio albums had made a big impact in the UK, with singles entering the lower reaches of the national charts on Sire Records – (who insisted they change their provocative punky name to ADX or The Fun Adicts for children's TV!).

With catchy, glam-punk singalong tunes and theatrical shows, they were dramatic and exciting live – the best way to experience them. The Adicts still continue to grow their audience and regularly tour the USA, UK and Europe.

Recorded live at the Alabama Halle, Munich, Germany. Mixed from multitrack by The Adicts.

**Gangster Music Vol.3: The Most Gangster Music Trilogy of All Time Comes to a Triumphant Close**

Imagine curating a dream lineup of MCs and producers from every corner of the rap world—sounds impossible, right? Not for artist and illustrator Gangster Doodles, who has been bringing this vision to life for the past decade. Now, with “Gangster Music Vol.3”, the trilogy reaches its grand finale, and it’s bigger, bolder, and more unpredictable than ever before.

Gangster Doodles himself puts it best:
"It’s hard to believe that I’ve been actively working on this Gangster Music series for the past 10 years. The most gangster music trilogy of ALL TIME is almost complete!! And in my humble opinion Vol.3 is the most exciting out of the 3, both from a music standpoint (special shout-out to all my music heroes on Vol.3) and artistically speaking this is the most fun I’ve had in years”

Since launching Volume 1 in 2019 and following up with the second volume in 2022, Gangster Doodles has been shaping the Gangster Music series into a one-of-a-kind sonic universe—an unfiltered mix of underground titans, unsung legends, and rising stars. Volume 3 is the biggest installment yet, boasting a staggering 30 tracks that traverse the entire spectrum of rap and beat culture.

This time around, the lineup is as eclectic as ever. From legendary pioneers like Lee Perry and Tommy Wright III, to veteran producers such as Mr. Scruff and Peanut Butter Wolf, the album pays homage to hip-hop’s roots while pushing forward into fresh territory. The roster also includes established up-and-comers like Devin Morrison, Low Leaf, DJ Harrison, Quelle Chris, Homeboy Sandman, and Suzi Analogue, ensuring a mix of classic flavors and new-school innovation. The bubbling underground is well represented too, with artists like Raz Fresco, Atlanta’s 645AR, and Pro Era’s Chuck Strangers bringing their own distinct heat.

From pioneering SoundCloud rappers like Pouya to genre-bending composer John Carroll Kirby, from Birmingham’s Romderful to Chile’s RVYO, the album encapsulates a truly global soundscape, proving once again that Gangster Doodles’ ear for cutting-edge talent is second to none.

As always, the cover art is a vital piece of the puzzle. This time, Bootleg Garfield & Friends take center stage, bringing the same playful irreverence that has defined Gangster Doodles’ artwork for years. Fans are encouraged to engage, remix, and make the cover their own, staying true to the spirit of interactive creativity that has always fueled the series.

After years of meticulous curation, countless DMs, emails, and behind-the-scenes wrangling, Gangster Music Vol.3 is here to complete the trilogy in legendary fashion. Expect boundary-pushing beats, next-level lyricism, and a lineup that celebrates hip-hop in all its many forms.

“Thanks to everyone who’s actively supported and continues to tap-in. Believe & trust when I say I've got more dope stuff cookin’. STAY TUNED!! GANGSTER DOODLES 4EVER. 1LUV."

Gangster Music Vol.3 is out April 7th on All City. Stay tuned, stay tapped in, and get ready for the most gangster music experience yet.

Listen to This.” As the original working title for Bitches Brew, the instruction and invitation remains to this day as the best way to approach a record that shattered conventions, altered music history, and, 55 years later, still sounds far ahead of its time. The template for jazz fusion, Bitches Brew is rightly ranked by virtually every significant outlet among the 100 greatest albums ever made. Sewn together with vibrant colors, voodoo textures, and ethereal moods, the 1970 landmark emerges with supreme detail and nonpareil feeling on Mobile Fidelity’s UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM 2LP vinyl set.

Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 5,000 numbered copies, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, this definitive-sounding 55th anniversary reissue enhances every element of a double album that established new possibilities for studio recording techniques. You’ll hear wide and deep soundstages, separation between instruments, and an extremely broad dynamic range. If ever a jazz album can be said to have gone to outer space and back, this is it.

Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 5,000 numbered copies, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, this definitive-sounding 55th anniversary reissue enhances every element of a double album that established new possibilities for studio recording techniques. You’ll hear wide and deep soundstages, separation between instruments, and an extremely broad dynamic range. If ever a jazz album can be said to have gone to outer space and back, this is it.

Davis conceived Bitches Brew by having the musicians stand in a semi-circle. There, he pointed at them with vague directions for tempo, solos, and cues. The collective improvisation and interplay spawned a galaxy of melodies and grooves that were later spliced together by producer Ted Macero. Benefitting from the ultra-low noise floor and superb groove definition of this pressing, these distinct creations take shape with utmost realism. Compositions stretch across jet-black backgrounds and paint canvases laden with millions of colors and shades. Juxtaposed percussion, loose jams, and melodic segues explode with impressionistic verve.

Bitches Brew also boasts visionary artwork. By design, the lavish packaging and gorgeous presentation of the UD1S Bitches Brew set call attention to such matters. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, it features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. It is made for discerning listeners who desire to fully immerse themselves in everything surrounding the album, from the images to the tones. And this is one effort where every last detail matters.

Gathering a Hall of Fame-worthy lineup of musicians and tweaking it according to his desires, Davis follows through on his idea to “put together the greatest rock and roll band you ever heard.” Central to his proposition is the presence of two (and sometimes three) drummers and two bassists, a tactical move that makes rhythms a central focus. Akin to the futuristic album cover art, the drum-driven suites head toward distant universes and uncharted territories. At once hypnotizing and grooving, they chart maverick adventures via quixotic rock, funk, and R&B elements.

A without-a-net experiment involving interchangeable double-quintet lineups, Bitches Brew explores the previously unimaginable with electrified instruments — Fender Rhodes piano, processed trumpet, dissonant guitars, and bass among them — and an emphasis on feeling over composition. Mesmerizing and soothing, jarring and smooth, overt and subtle: The music seemingly covers an entire map of emotions and sensations, and like no record before, ties together the groundbreaking creativity of the multiple disciplines that were changing popular culture at the end of the 1960s and dawn of a new decade.

Conceptually, Davis described Bitches Brew as “a novel without words” and “an incredible journey of pain, joy, sorrow, hate, passion, and love.” The vast psychedelic expanses of warped echoes, liquid reverb, and tape loops confirm such ambitious contrasts of light and dark, fear and hope. Yet the most absolute characteristic of the watershed effort lies in how it resists definitive interpretation and encourages free thought — the very principles Davis used to conceive Bitches Brew.

More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called “converts”) are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity's UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.

Luke's Anger (real name Luke Sanger) delivers his first outing on Love Love, Ceiling Walker. Sanger is a relentlessly interesting hero of the underground, probably best known as a techno and electro producer and an active player in the live experimental techno scene across Europe, notably including multiple appearances at Berghain/PanoramaBar. Based out of Norwich, UK, Luke has put out a plethora of banging records for two decades in styles from across the rave spectrum on some of our favourite record labels like Tigerbeat6, Don't and Sneaker Social Club, as well as an increasing amount of more ambient-leaning releases under his real name in recent years. Recognised as a true techno stalwart, Luke has received support from the likes of Surgeon, Dave Clarke, The Advent and Jerome Hill.

This EP fits firmly into the 'banging' camp - more than a nod to classic stateside sci-fi electro stylings as well as UK dance music's bleep techno bass foundations, this is popping, caustic, mechanical phunk expertly engineered to make you shake and wiggle. Particle Swarm kicks the EP off with strung-out synth chirps and plenty of latex squelch before moving onto the bounciest number, Threshold Rider, with buoyant bassline droplets poking through a solid 808 framework. On the flipside, title track Ceiling Walker utilises rushing crescendos and fluttering analogue rhythms to keep the dancefloor in rapture while closer, Silicon Boogie, achieves maximum levels of funk by aptly juxtaposing digi vocal snippets against square wave bass.

"Released in 2007, Past Lives: The Best Of The RCA Years is a compilation album that highlights Level 42’s work during their time with RCA Records. The British band, renowned for their sophisticated mix of jazz-funk, pop, and rock, delivers a collection of tracks that showcase their musical versatility and technical brilliance. This compilation features hits and fan favorites from the RCA era, including songs like ""Guaranteed"" and ""Overtime,"" which reflect the band's signature blend of infectious grooves, smooth vocals, and intricate basslines by Mark King. The album captures Level 42’s ability to create catchy, yet musically rich songs that resonate with both longtime fans and new listeners. Past Lives: The Best Of The RCA Years is a must-have for anyone looking to explore Level 42’s catalog and revisit the band’s innovative contributions to the jazz-funk and pop genres. Past Lives: The Best Of The RCA Years is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on yellow coloured vinyl."

PURPLE TRAP, the powerful trio of KEIJI HAINO (voice, guitar), BILL LASWELL on bass and RASHIED ALI (drums), recorded live on stage at The Stone.


Recorded in december 2005, this furious live album by what can easily be called a super group remained unreleased till in 2023 BILL LASWELL made it accessible in a rough-mixed digital version for his bandcamp subscribers program exclusively. For this vinyl version, the music has been newly mixed by DIRK DRESSELHAUS (SchneiderTM) and mastered / cut by RUY MARINÉ at Dubplates & Mastering Berlin.


PURPLE TRAP, the trio of LASWELL / HAINO / ALI, reunited for this one-off gig as part of a 5-day-HAINO-festival at John Zorn's venue "The Stone", seven years after its only album Decided ... Already The Motionless Heart Of Tranquility, Tangling The Prayer Called "I" had been recorded (released on Tzadik in 1999).
The six untitled tracks (+ one as digital bonus) deliver what can be expected from such musical masters:
RASHIED ALI, iconic free jazz drummer who played with JOHN and ALICE COLTRANE, PHAROAH SANDERS, SONNY ROLLINS, JAMES BLOOD ULMER and countless more, is all drums, from quiet tiny sounds to high-energy rhythm patterns.
KEIJI HAINO, one of the most prolific artists of the Japanese experimental / noise scene for almost 50 years now, switches between truculent guitar splatters and full-on psychedelic outbursts.
BILL LASWELL, who as producer and musician created a massive body of work in fiields as diverse as ambient, world music, funk, jazz (and often hybrids of these), has proven his mastery in improvisation in projects like MASSACRE, PAINKILLER or (early) MATERIAL and provides the low-end grounding with his signicature bass sound, or adds effect-laden ornaments to the whole.
An overdue addition to a very small body of work by a clearly under-documented supergroup!

Credits:
KEIJI HAINO: voice, guitar BILL LASWELL: bass RASHIED ALI: drums

Recorded at The Stone, New York, december 15th, 2005. Edited by James Dellatacoma at Orange Music, West Orange, NJ. Mixed by Dirk Dresselhaus at the Zone, Berlin. Mastered & cut by Ruy Mariné at D&M, Berlin.

Layout & design by kaidoh. Cover photography by Jasmin Bär.

Fly Anakin is a rapper and producer who approaches his craft in a way few contemporaries can. Vigilant yet unorthodox, DIY-minded yet prolific, the Richmond, Virginia multihyphenate’s razor-sharp lyrics, ear for soulful production, and collaborative synergy are the result of over a decade of fundamental mastery. Described by Madlib as “one of the illest MCs,” the Mutant Academy cofounder was in his pocket well ahead of his acclaimed solo debut, Frank (2022). After years of consistent releases with his collective, Anakin broke major ground in 2020 with his and Pink Siifu’s joint project FlySiifu’s, followed by their $mokebreak EP in 2021. A student of the East Coast’s golden age, Anakin transmutes its spirit into music that’s both classicist and pioneering, having worked with the likes of Freddie Gibbs, redveil, BbyMutha, and MAVI. With the release of a Mutant Academy debut album completed, and his solo album (The) Forever Dream imminent, Anakin has cemented his place as a leader in rap’s underground Renaissance.(The) Forever Dream commemorates a new era of freedom for Anakin, who rarely approaches bodies of work without a preconceived concept. Executive produced by Quelle Chris, the project, which features the likes of Denmark Vessey, The Alchemist, BbyMutha, and Pink Siifu, includes songs that Anakin believes are some of his most experimental and ambitious. “The album is me and Quelle kicking it, smoking, learning each other, and playing video games,” he says of the project’s inspiration and recording process. “It was time to make some mindless music, to tackle production I would’ve otherwise picked up.” The long anticipated project comes after years of Anakin and Quelle developing a strong rapport, stemming back to 2019. “Quelle is one of the best collaborators ever—he’s not biased but he knows what he likes, open minded but stubborn at the right times,” Anakin says of his collaborative relationship with the Grammy nominated producer. “On the low we just alike but polar opposites, we can do no wrong together.”

Fly Anakin is a rapper and producer who approaches his craft in a way few contemporaries can. Vigilant yet unorthodox, DIY-minded yet prolific, the Richmond, Virginia multihyphenate’s razor-sharp lyrics, ear for soulful production, and collaborative synergy are the result of over a decade of fundamental mastery. Described by Madlib as “one of the illest MCs,” the Mutant Academy cofounder was in his pocket well ahead of his acclaimed solo debut, Frank (2022). After years of consistent releases with his collective, Anakin broke major ground in 2020 with his and Pink Siifu’s joint project FlySiifu’s, followed by their $mokebreak EP in 2021. A student of the East Coast’s golden age, Anakin transmutes its spirit into music that’s both classicist and pioneering, having worked with the likes of Freddie Gibbs, redveil, BbyMutha, and MAVI. With the release of a Mutant Academy debut album completed, and his solo album (The) Forever Dream imminent, Anakin has cemented his place as a leader in rap’s underground Renaissance.(The) Forever Dream commemorates a new era of freedom for Anakin, who rarely approaches bodies of work without a preconceived concept. Executive produced by Quelle Chris, the project, which features the likes of Denmark Vessey, The Alchemist, BbyMutha, and Pink Siifu, includes songs that Anakin believes are some of his most experimental and ambitious. “The album is me and Quelle kicking it, smoking, learning each other, and playing video games,” he says of the project’s inspiration and recording process. “It was time to make some mindless music, to tackle production I would’ve otherwise picked up.” The long anticipated project comes after years of Anakin and Quelle developing a strong rapport, stemming back to 2019. “Quelle is one of the best collaborators ever—he’s not biased but he knows what he likes, open minded but stubborn at the right times,” Anakin says of his collaborative relationship with the Grammy nominated producer. “On the low we just alike but polar opposites, we can do no wrong together.”

Fly Anakin is a rapper and producer who approaches his craft in a way few contemporaries can. Vigilant yet unorthodox, DIY-minded yet prolific, the Richmond, Virginia multihyphenate’s razor-sharp lyrics, ear for soulful production, and collaborative synergy are the result of over a decade of fundamental mastery. Described by Madlib as “one of the illest MCs,” the Mutant Academy cofounder was in his pocket well ahead of his acclaimed solo debut, Frank (2022). After years of consistent releases with his collective, Anakin broke major ground in 2020 with his and Pink Siifu’s joint project FlySiifu’s, followed by their $mokebreak EP in 2021. A student of the East Coast’s golden age, Anakin transmutes its spirit into music that’s both classicist and pioneering, having worked with the likes of Freddie Gibbs, redveil, BbyMutha, and MAVI. With the release of a Mutant Academy debut album completed, and his solo album (The) Forever Dream imminent, Anakin has cemented his place as a leader in rap’s underground Renaissance.(The) Forever Dream commemorates a new era of freedom for Anakin, who rarely approaches bodies of work without a preconceived concept. Executive produced by Quelle Chris, the project, which features the likes of Denmark Vessey, The Alchemist, BbyMutha, and Pink Siifu, includes songs that Anakin believes are some of his most experimental and ambitious. “The album is me and Quelle kicking it, smoking, learning each other, and playing video games,” he says of the project’s inspiration and recording process. “It was time to make some mindless music, to tackle production I would’ve otherwise picked up.” The long anticipated project comes after years of Anakin and Quelle developing a strong rapport, stemming back to 2019. “Quelle is one of the best collaborators ever—he’s not biased but he knows what he likes, open minded but stubborn at the right times,” Anakin says of his collaborative relationship with the Grammy nominated producer. “On the low we just alike but polar opposites, we can do no wrong together.”

"The album was created in this back and forth of snapshots - we made most of the decisions impulsively without much questioning. That takes a lot of trust." — Violeta García & Hora Lunga

"I'll Wait For You In The Car Park", the first full length collaboration between Argentinian cellist, improviser and composer Violeta García and Swiss musician and composer Hora Lunga, is a work of extremes. Drawing from the realities of life on two continents, and embodying moods ranging from stoic desire to violent bursts, the album enciphers so-called ordinary moments from everyday life into an alluring collection of musical scenes. Seemingly inconspicuous moments are condensed into a tale of synchronicity: colliding time zones and seasons, metropolitan rhythms raining down onto a glacier's ice field, exploring places through street view, the serendipity of loitering at a kiosk. As such, "I'll Wait For You In The Car Park" brings documentary film essays to mind that carefully observe the private and everyday occurrences.
Violeta García and Hora Lunga crossed paths by chance in 2023 and began discussing and sharing music shortly afterwards. What started as a loose exchange of ideas, sending back and forth sketches and demos between South America and Europe, grew into several studio sessions in 2024. Being sucked into a "quite extraordinary flow", the two musicians recorded, arranged and intervened on a level playing field, using the studio as a playground to record musical layers and interweave them with field recordings and audio notes gathered over the course of a year. Speaking a kindred musical language, they quickly realized how their ideas clung to each other like two familiar souls, complementing, intertwining and merging. From gauzy and eerie textures, musical miniatures floating through time, howling and screaming strings, to tumbling and thundering basses – the sound of the ordinary shapes a body that vibrates, writhes and breathes.

Violeta García is a cellist, improviser and composer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Based in Spain, she tours a lot with her band Blanco Teta. She is a performer in many art forms, including free improvisation, contemporary and trans-media experimental repertoire in violoncello and electronics and collaborations with dancers, film makers and visual artists. After years of studying classical and popular music on violoncello and, later, contemporary composition and improvisation, Violeta has developed her own musical voice needed to emerge beyond outside specific genres.

Throughout Swiss composer and musician Hora Lunga's work, the focus lies is on exploring boundaries, both musically and in terms of performance and content. Above all, genre designations lose all meaning, as the music always takes place within a dramaturgically conceived overall framework. In recent years, his projects have ranged from pop music productions to experimental works and sound performances, as well astheatre and film productions. His ensemble WIRREN consists of up to fifteen performers.

“The future of Rock music is in safe hands” (10/10 Powerplay Magazine)… It’s time to embrace the next chapter of one of rock’s hardest-working bands. H.E.A.T storms back into the spotlight with the explosive new album “Welcome To The Future” – and it hits with full force!
In recent years, the Swedes have been impossible to ignore. At the front is Kenny Leckremo, undoubtedly one of the best rock and metal voices of his generation, with a stage energy that has been sorely missed in the scene.
Those lucky enough to meet the band know their passion for the ‘80s runs deep. H.E.A.T masterfully channels the spirit of rock’s most fun era, a time where exuberance reigned the stage, crafting a distinctive sound that melds power metal with melodic hard rock.
With “Welcome To The Future”, H.E.A.T brings you a heavy and melodic album packed with anthems that beg to be belted out. It’s an invitation to all who crave the rush of true arena rock.

“The future of Rock music is in safe hands” (10/10 Powerplay Magazine)… It’s time to embrace the next chapter of one of rock’s hardest-working bands. H.E.A.T storms back into the spotlight with the explosive new album “Welcome To The Future” – and it hits with full force!
In recent years, the Swedes have been impossible to ignore. At the front is Kenny Leckremo, undoubtedly one of the best rock and metal voices of his generation, with a stage energy that has been sorely missed in the scene.
Those lucky enough to meet the band know their passion for the ‘80s runs deep. H.E.A.T masterfully channels the spirit of rock’s most fun era, a time where exuberance reigned the stage, crafting a distinctive sound that melds power metal with melodic hard rock.
With “Welcome To The Future”, H.E.A.T brings you a heavy and melodic album packed with anthems that beg to be belted out. It’s an invitation to all who crave the rush of true arena rock.

Born in the vibrant alternative scene of 1980s Sao Paulo, Mercenárias is an iconic band in the history of Brazilian punk and post-punk. Formed by Sandra Coutinho (bass and vocals), Rosália Munhoz (vocals), Ana Machado (guitar), and Edgard Scandurra (drums), the group stood out for their rebellious attitude, incisive lyrics, and raw sound that blended punk, post-punk, and experimental elements. Mercenárias is an iconic band in the history of Brazilian punk and post-punk. They gained global recognition after being included in several compilations outside Brazil. Their debut album, "Cadê as Armas?" (1986), is considered one of the most important records in Brazilian music history. Three years earlier, they recorded their first demo tape at the studio of the funk/pop band Placa Luminosa. The recording turned out great, it's the best you can wait from a Brazilian punk record: raw, aggressive, yet catchy, well-played and produced. Recommended for fans of The Slits, DNA, Malaria!, Kleenex, and Minutemen, this early recording by Mercenárias is more punk than their albums, but still super catchy. It has been remastered from the original tape and includes an insert with previously unseen photos and a short text by Edgard Scandurra.

Lean back on the beat. Inhale, exhale. A new voice from an old soul. Kick drum rolls deep with Fender Rhodes. Charlotte Day Wilson sparking up a blunt, skateboarding at midnight with Brittany from Alabama Shakes. Jazzy intonation on a funky tip. Utterly confident in its own sense of time. Just in time. 

You may not have heard of GC O'Connor before, but ask any working musician in Sydney and they know her name. A stalwart of the scene, multi-instrumentalist and composer O'Connor has been putting in the work for years, quietly dropping gems as she readies her debut EP, a self-described 'bedroom soundtrack'. Soul Lament is the kind of assured, accomplished record we delight in putting out into the world. It's representative of a fertile scene in Australian music that deserves celebrating. 

Includes an individually-numbered, specially-designed obi strip.

Whether Re-defining Experimental Fusion Sounds With The Hugley Acclaimed Yussef Kamaal, Or His Catalogue Of 12's For Imprints Such As Mcde, Eglo, And Rhythm Section As Henry Wu, South London's Kamaal Williams Has Been A Key Figure In His Thriving International Scene For The Past Few Years. The Return Is A Natural Evolution From The Yussef Kamaal Project, Mining The Influence Of Visionary Jazz But Blended With All Kinds Of Texture, Sounds And Signals From The Over-saturated London Streets.
At Times The Keyboard Work Evokes The Classic 70s Fusion Work Of Lonnie Liston Smith Or Roy Ayers, But Underpinned By Rhythms More Reminiscent Of Blunted Hip-hop And Arrangements Subliminally Laced With The Cut-ups Of Pirate Radio. Progressive, Funky, Cosmic, Exploratory And Effortlessly Musical, This Is The Sound Of A Musician Honing Their Craft Into Thrilling New Shapes.
In The Us The Like Of Kamasi Washington And Thundercat Have Made Great Strides In Opening A Whole New Dialogue Between Jazz And Hip-hop, Drawing In A Young, Highly Engaged New Audience In The Process. Kamaal Williams Mine A Similar Seam On The Other Side Of The Atlantic Alongside Other Exciting London Talents Such As Ezra Collective, Ruby Rushton And Shabaka Hutchings.
The Return Is Exactly That: A Return And Refinement To The Sound Yussef Kamaal Were Progenitors Of, And First Set The Scene For One Of The Most Exciting Musical Movements London Has Had In Years.
Notable Tracks For Old And New Listeners Are 'slow', 'situations', 'medina', 'london Shuffle' Which Features Mansur Brown (of Mansur's Message) And For Those Die Hard Yussef Kamaal Fans - They Should Hear The Interpolated Roots Of 'strings Of Light' In The Title Track 'the Return'. And That Signature Wu Funk Can Be Heard On Broken Theme, And High Roller.
The Return Will Be The Debut Album Released On Wu's New Label Black Focus Records.

Repress!


10 Year anniversary - Green vinyl

'Coups Et Blessures' is the debut 7" EP from Paris Oi! band RIXE. The four track EP harks back to the glory years of Bologna's finest NABAT mixed with the classic 80's French Oi! sound via RAS or L'INFANTERIE SAUVAGE and a heavy BLITZ vibe. The sound is rough, direct and angry and driven by a distorted bass and a vocalist that chews on glass for fun. Like the now defunct CRIMINAL DAMAGE and newbies Pittsburgh's NO TIME and Brest's SYNDROME 81, RIXE are the new voice of a Generation.