Search:the good men

"Stop Violence Against Women" has been the life-long credo from Rico Puestel and "Make A Way (For Women)" is a stomping protest of 11 minutes and 11 seconds that proclaims the fortitude of women! Playing this one out there is more of an solidary act than just "a track being played"...

What Rico himself has to say about it: "With my 2022 Friebe-projects 'Jenni' and 'Jenni II', I started to make a public appearance on this topic of violence against women musically. Back in childhood days, I already felt an intensely unjust manner and imbalance regarding women in society and an almost predetermined non-equality. The violence always seemed so ever-present, even in the smallest details of behaviour and the associated self-understanding of men within their deeper planted attitude towards. I always felt an honourable glory and profound importance in women that seems impeccable and unreachable for men. It's clear that men would just be memories and ghosts without women... Musically speaking, while grewing up with Gabba and Trance i. a. in the 1990s, I simply feel no charm to nowadays reflection on these times with productions and releases that somehow just sound insincere and scheming. I'm missing the real attitude, feel and groove that doesn't even care if it's Techno, House or whatever and I'm also missing some of the stylistic approaches as well as the spirit from the "Minimal"-era. Based on all those thoughts, "Make A Way (For Women)" became this clenched fist - raised for good!"

With a voice of pure gold and a startling sensitivity for heartfelt pop songwriting, on No Reino Dos Afetos (In the Realm of Affections), Berle firmly embraces earnestness, through starry-eyed Brazilian love songs, ambient vignettes, warm, home-cooked beats and gentle strokes of MPB genius.

Maceió, the capital of Brazil’s Alagoas state on its sprawling east-coast, is home to pastel coloured colonial houses, white sand beaches and a brilliant young composer, poet and multi-instrumentalist named Bruno Berle.
With a voice of pure gold and a startling sensitivity for heartfelt pop songwriting, on No Reino Dos Afetos (In the Realm of Affections), Berle firmly embraces earnestness, through starry-eyed Brazilian love songs, ambient vignettes, warm, home-cooked beats and gentle strokes of MPB genius.

“It’s an album that was built from my desire to find beauty”, Berle explains - his simple, graceful words mirroring the graceful simplicity in his music. But amongst the simplicity, the compositions, arrangements and productions on No Reino Dos Afetos tingle with nuance and detail.

On the contemporary R&B inspired lead single “Quero Dizer” - produced by Berle and longtime friend and collaborator Batata Boy - the swirling, lo-fi, kalimba and guitar-fronted beat is turned into a feel-good hit by the ingenuity of Berle’s honey-soaked vocal melody.

Powerfully intimate, “O Nome Do Meu Amor” (My Love’s Name) is a guaranteed tearjerker, with Berle’s stunning voice soaring over gently plucked acoustic guitar and the textural flutter of soft movement, as if we hear him writing the song in the moment.
Drawing upon a close-knit, collaborative scene of Maceió artists and musicians, (of which Berle and Batata Boy are vital members), Berle also recorded some of his friends songs on the album, including João Menezes’ “Até Meu Violao”, the album’s beautifully laid back sunshine soul opener, which has all the charm of early-70s João Donato.

Having cut his teeth in soft-rock group Troco em Bala, and more recently finding himself embedded in both Rio and Sao Paulo’s contemporary music scenes - collaborating with the likes of Ana Frango Eletrico, who took the photo for the album cover - No Reino Dos Afetos is as musically diverse as Bruno himself. It’s hazy indie rock (“É Preciso Ter Amor”), calming ambient and field recording (“Virginia Talk”) as well as Berle’s own take on West African High Life (“Som Nyame”).

Instantly recognisable as a truly special artist, Berle’s character fills every corner of the sound, which is unsurprising considering he played most of the instruments.

Yellow / black marbled vinyl. The Sensitives is a rough-haired mixed race dog of punk, rock'n'roll, SKA and folk! It's been touring around Europe, playing over 300 shows, spreading its musical wild oat resulting in a solid fanbase of people who, to their knockout punk, raises their middle finger to racism and sexism. The band have always kept the energy on a constant high, jumping between different styles and switching between the two singers Martin and Paulina, driven by the never resting Magnus behind the drums! The new album, Patch It Up and Go! is no different! The frustration from no touring during the pandemic and the emotional shock from a year of heavy touring as soon as the restrictions were lifted resulted in a worn out and damaged band coming home to lick their wounds. But they did what they've always done, turned their experiences and battles into songs, patched themselves up to go for it again! The result is the new album, Patch It Up and Go! and it covers topics like sex, mental health, animal rights and the importance of celebrating the good times we have while we have them! All of that in a high tempo with a positive vibe and high intensity, Patch It Up and Go! is the most personal and probably the best album from The Sensitives so far! Feet will be moving, hips will be shaking and throats will be singing!

‘Blind On A Galloping Horse’ serves as David Holmes’ first solo album since 2008’s ‘The Holy Pictures’.  A 14-track interrogation of the last decade, time spent watching a decaying, fraying Britain visibly buckling in real time while tending to his own battles with mental health. Holmes’ soundtrack to this inquiry is at times claustrophobic, often euphoric, driven by the rattle and snap of analogue drum machines, wild oscillations of droning analogue synths and the voice of Raven Violet, which beguiles and commands in a way that could part oceans.  On this album, there are songs of hope for an age of uncertainty; love songs to leap the barricades to and, on ‘Necessary Genius’, a comprehensive roll call of the great and good - those ‘dreamers, misfits, radicals, outcasts’ that we’ve lost and just a few who’ve managed to cling on in the churn of the 21st century. And there are elegiac electronics evocative of an endless Europe where pulsating, crackling rhythm tracks fuse with dreamlike textures and the underground pulse of psychedelic therapy to form something unique that feels nothing less than radical.  CD in 4pp digisleeve with 8pp booklet.  Double vinyl in 300gsm gatefold sleeve with reverse side print and 180gsm reverse side print inner sleeves.

Following much love for his EPs, remixes and club sets, the virtuosic DJ/producer Simo Cell’s debut album 'Cuspide des Sirènes' doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it takes things to a whole new level.

With a fantastical menagerie of anthropomorphism, sounds create characters and tools; the mermaid-like Sirens, the mind controlling Octopus and the Magic Conch Shell:

“Have you heard of the legend of 'Cuspide des Sirènes'? This is not a simple tale, but an incredible tapestry woven over many years and through countless wondrous adventures. I will recount the legend as it was recorded in the ancient scrolls.

The album’s story explores the themes of magic, enchantment, charm, and allure, but also personal fears. The protagonist (me) embarks on a quest to find the hidden lake and confront his own demons, in order to understand and master his own power.

The protagonist is armed with a powerful conch shell. As he embarks on his journey, he will encounter Sirens who will teach him various chants. These melodies hold unique powers and grant the main character the strength to confront and overcome any danger that may arise.” Simo Cell

Musically, the LP is a continuation of Simo’s journey that began with the ‘YES.DJ’ EP, with a synthesized/modernized take on noughties hip hop, bass music, trap, ghetto house and ghetto tech – but here he broadens the scope, massively.

Exploring new pathways through magical landscapes, via infused melodies, emo and pop, the sensations are bright and addictive, like a sugar and endorphin cocktail. There’s a screen sheen and video game quality too, sounding like the high-octane score to an action flick from the year 3000, with unimaginably wild SFX.

'Cuspide des Sirènes' is the kind of record to stop someone in their tracks, to ask “what IS this?”, provoking bass face, perplexion, fascination and manic glee, all at once. Not so much organised chaos as intricately-crafted-borderline-unhingement, the album is slightly bonkers, in a very good way. There’s a boundless sense of childlike, unencumbered imagination at play, and an abundance of fun, but there are moments of serious-deep-beat-science for the heads, and introspective passages too.

There’s a lot going on, with detail, layers, flourishes, arrangement, melodies and myriad fresh sounds – but it’s never too much; just a really engrossing listen – the kind that that ruins ones appetite for prosaic, vanilla dance music, rendering such 2D pursuits boring and obsolete.

Ideally, the album is meant to be experienced as a seamless narrative from start to finish, so leave any inhibitions or preconceptions at the door, and let the pied piper of electronic futurism lead you way down the rabbit hole.

Acclaimed synthpop trio A-Ha are teasing their latest album, not to mention independent film, 'True North', in what might just be the band's most crowning career achievement thus far. Their first project since 2015's 'Cash In Steel', it's high time they reined in on their success to do some good; the album and project is a relentless paean for the frozen magnetic north, and its ecological importance in connecting us to the environment.

Acclaimed synthpop trio A-Ha are teasing their latest album, not to mention independent film, 'True North', in what might just be the band's most crowning career achievement thus far. Their first project since 2015's 'Cash In Steel', it's high time they reined in on their success to do some good; the album and project is a relentless paean for the frozen magnetic north, and its ecological importance in connecting us to the environment.

Repress of the sold out Record Store Day release, this time on a different colour. Black Spiders – Those trusted and true sons of the north are back. “We knew the new album had to be special. We’ve been away for a while. The first album was a straight shot, the second on the rocks, with this new one we had to kick down the brewery doors!” Pete Spiby. Back in June of 2017, Sheffield rock beasts Black Spiders waved goodbye to an army of loyal fans with some sonically charged shows before retreating into the shadows. And then, in November of last year, with the world in the grips of the Coronavirus pandemic and after a long year of very little fun from out of the silhouettes they returned with ‘Fly In The Soup’, the first new Black Spiders music in 6 years. Exactly the feel-good shot in the arm the world needed, while we await that other vaccine. The seeds of the Black Spider return were actually planted last summer, when singer and guitarist Pete Spiby began taking to guitarist Ozzy Lister to start writing new material and before they knew it, they had amassed the best part of 40 songs in a very short period of time which they whittled down. And then the pandemic hit. “It’s certainly been a strange process, in unfamiliar territory,” explains Pete. “We started to look at how we could do it given the restrictions and not only that, but we had to replace our original drummer too. For us and probably most other bands, we would usually take a riff or song idea to a rehearsal and thrash it out ‘till we either had something or it ended up in the song graveyard! This time around we couldn’t do that, so myself, Ozzy and on occasion Adam Irwin (bass player) started to send ideas back and forth until we had something to work with in GarageBand. We got to a point where we had enough song ideas with basic structure to go into a studio. It was at this point when we had to look for a new drummer.” With former drummer ‘Tiger’ Si Atkinson unavailable to play, with a week or two of grooming, the band took a chance on Planet Rock DJ Wyatt Wendel to occupy the drum stool. “I've never joined or worked with a band in this way EVER,” laughs Wyatt. “2020 certainly made it surreal. “A Pete/Ozzy writing session at the beginning of the year had produced some promising results, but it felt like barriers were popping up everywhere,” explains bassist Adam Irwin. “We started talking about how we could use technology such as GarageBand to help, and slowly but surely the song writing gathered pace. It was time to hook up with our old producer Matt Elliss and try these new songs out in the studio. “Heading into the studio to record songs we’d written but never played together, with a drummer that we’d never met, is one of the stranger experiences I’ve had while being in a band. Thankfully, Wyatt has turned out to be an excellent addition, who despite his faults (loud, southern) has fit right into the band dynamic. Covid has made life really tough for so many of us in our industry. And yet, this new way of song writing has been liberating, this is the most consistent and prolific we’ve ever been, and I am immensely proud of this album.” Against all of the odds, Black Spiders have crafted an album that features 13 tracks of high-energy, feel-good rock n’roll contrasted by demonic doom that despite the disjointed, isolated way it was recorded. It sounds like a band, firing on all cylinders. “We had to dig down deep to pull out some gems and what would we want from Black Spiders,” questions Pete. War, vengeance, mental health, death, conservation & climate change, where are we from? Relationships, friendships, our flaws. Where are we going? Alien life and Mother Earth - some of which made the record.” Kicking off with the aforementioned ‘Fly In The Soup’ single, this 3rd ST long-player wastes no time in grabbing you by the scruff of the neck and dragging you through an album where good times, hooks and riffs are not in short supply, but the doom-drenched likes of ‘Wizard Shall Not Kill Wizard’ and the psychedelic groove of album closer ‘Crooked Black Wings’ give us an album of many moods and dynamics and a reason to be cheerful in 2021. And why does the album have no title? “It wasn’t hard picking a title for the album, as we decided that the focus should be on the band, not the album title, so we decided not to have one. Let the music do the talking....

Recorded between 2010-2012, Closed Sessions Vol. 2 is a snapshot of a begotten time in Hip-Hop music and blog culture. The album features an eclectic class of artists such as Action Bronson, DJ Babu, Vic Mensa, The Cool Kids, Rockie Fresh, Freddie Gibbs, and others coming to the legendary SoundScape Studios and participating in the Closed Sessions program. Every song was followed by a documentary on MTV2 Sucker Free.

CS Vol. 2 was originally released August 23, 2012 and has been offline since 2015, the album has been re-mastered and is being released on vinyl for the 1st time ever. Limited to 500 copies.

The last twelve months have been a whirlwind for Henry Counsell and Louis Curran, the men who make up Joy (Anonymous). Having established themselves during the Covid-19 era by playing impromptu meet-ups on London’s South Bank, they have graduated to bigger venues, travelled to far-flung locales and recorded their second album, Cult Classics, while maintaining the spontaneous energy and irrepressible joy that made their name. Their music revels in the euphoria of being alive and all the feelings, good or bad, that come with it. It invites us into a community, draws us close and promises the night of our lives.

Recorded over the course of a year, the blueprint for Cult Classics was laid down over a two-week span at Imogen Heap’s Round House in east London. Joy (Anonymous) invited friends old and new to visit - they’d record live instruments in jam sessions upstairs and then retreat to a second room to flip and loop and generally mess with the sounds, moulding them into sizzling dance tracks. “Loads of people were coming up to me like ‘I thought this was going to be a dance record?’” Louis says, remembering the quietly beautiful music they’d be recording. “I’d be like, don’t worry about that, just keep playing.” He’d send it back to people later and they’d be floored - “That was my bit and you’ve made it... jungle!”

It was an organic and creatively fulfilling approach, one that didn’t allow any of the music to get stale or stagnate. As they built the tracks from the sounds they’d collected, Joy (Anonymous) would weave the new songs into their famously improvised live sets, testing them, refining them, taking note of the audiences’ reactions. In a year punctuated by a lot of travel, they’d also incorporate the voices of people they met along the way - “Beazley’s Poem”, which opens the record, features the words of a man who was working security at a Fred Again show at New York’s Terminal Five. “He was basically doing the opposite of his job and being a hype man, climbing on the fence and ramping up the crowd - we ended up hanging out with him - like, who’s this legend?” Louis explains. “He just speaks really amazingly about his life, all these amazing thoughts and opinions - he started jumping on the mic when we were playing, preaching these amazing messages to the crowd, like that we all need to be nicer to each other. The first time we played the record in its entirety, he introduced us and that’s the recording we’ve used.”

Joy (Anonymous) remain dedicated to the spirit of spontaneity. They shut a street down with a surprise waterside party in New York. On a trip to Copenhagen they played an impromptu set in a cafe, which turned into a house party and a night-long good time. In Lithuania, they ended up playing in a decommissioned prison. It’s harder, perhaps, to keep that spirit alive now that they are operating more within the confines of the music industry but they will keep lugging their kit to wherever the party calls for as long as they can. “I think if we lose that, we’ve kind of lost what makes us us,” Henry says.

Bursting with multi-genre reference points and disparate influences, Cult Classics is very much a dance album. The samples we made ourselves or we took from music that is quite different to dance music, but we definitely wanted to shout out a lot of the dance influences that we love,” Henry says. They listened to a lot of Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx as well as The Prodigy (“more rage stuff”), taking songwriting tips from their dance forebears, but also recording bits that felt more like jazz and motown (see: A Place I Belong and the lovely album closer, You’re In Or You’re Out). Emir Taha’s gentle classical guitar runs like a thread throughout Cult Classics, washing into the undertones of the record, tying it all together.

The album follows the beat of a night out, from frenetic, sweaty movement to the gentler winding down as the dawn breaks. At times it is euphoric, celebratory and pure, whirling fun, at others it seeks the joy in the darker emotions that life throws our way. 404 is designed to encapsulate everything about the Joy (Anonymous) journey so far. Skittering beats and ghostly vocals give way to vibrating house chords: sirens blare as we approach a dubstep drop. It’s dramatic and wild, ratcheting up, seeming to settle then hitting you with an intense and frantic breakdown before the ghostly vocal returns to lull us back into the world. It has the feel of a hungry cat playing with a mouse, toying with it before letting it get away.

What sounds like someone playing the spoons on playful, housey How We End Up Here is actually Louis’ restless habit of clicking his rings on everything, one of a myriad of calling cards and easter eggs that day one fans will recognise. They rework Miley Cyrus and Swae Lee’s Party Up The Street into a French-electro-inspired future classic, adding a note of melancholy to a tune that you can imagine hearing blaring from every car on a summer drive. The lyrics on Cult Classic are generally reassuring, inspirational, originally drawn from Henry in stream-of-consciousness freestyles. You’re fine the way you are, they seem to say - the repeated “No need to try” of A Place I Belong, the assurance that “It’s in me all the time” on In Me All The Time. Even the summery but regretful Did You Wrong hints at the growth that is possible from less than ideal behaviour. For Joy (Anonymous), joy isn’t about just being “happy” all the time - it’s about relishing every element of your being.

The name ‘Joy (Anonymous)’ is taken from the work Henry did with Alcoholics Anonymous groups: it is a way to build a community around sharing joy. Their impromptu live sets are known as ‘meetings’; they encourage fans to share moments of joy to their website. They care deeply about the scene they’ve come up in and are determined not to leave it behind. Every show is another chance to reach out and connect with people who love to come together and revel in music as loud as it can go.

Support slots for Fred Again and The Streets, wild B2Bs with Fred and Skrillex, and a set at Four Tet’s Finsbury Park all-dayer this summer have given the duo the opportunity to live out childhood dreams and introduced their infectious live shows to new audiences at huge venues.

With an album as assured and joyful as Cult Classics on the horizon (and a killer collab with The Blessed Madonna coming up), they’re only going to reach higher heights. But the essence of Joy (Anonymous) remains on the South Bank. Between shows at Ally Pally in September, they dragged their camping chairs and gear back down to the banks of the Thames: and it just felt right.

Sven Torstenson's notorious Drugs is a loopdigga's fever dream, bursting with breaks for days and featuring possibly the most iconic cover of all library music's cult classics. First released in 1980, it's now a hyper-rare and seriously sought-after electronic album full of experimental soundscapes and samples just waiting to be flipped. It's both terrifying and terrifyingly good. So much so, it's been brilliantly sampled by Kendrick Lamar and Chance The Rapper.

The sleeve describes Drugs as containing "the newest dimensions of electronic sounds. Dramatic underscores for all problems of today's life and society, at the border between reality and delusion." That's pretty spot-on. The fast moving "Euphoria" is an incredible, unignorable opener. It's loaded with disorientating effects and really needs to be heard to be believed. It's followed by the gorgeous "Soft Hallucinations", containing quiet, meditative and beautiful sounds - as the title suggests. One listen and you'll want to live in the warm embrace of this beatless, harmonic gem. Sinister squelchy synth stabs don't distract from the sheer beauty of the track's main (gentle) thrust. They only serve to elevate its trippy magic.

Next up, "Sky Move"'s agitated and repetitive rhythm makes it an intense listen but with a broad melody that will appeal to many. "Destroyed Dreams" utilises a muffled church organ and it sounds heavenly to begin with but it gradually invites increasingly distorted elements. Yes, you've had trips like this, we're pretty certain. Mental! Talking of bad trips, never have they sounded so good as "Horror Trip"; this fractured drama-synth just needs some some dusty beats to hold it up - get involved.

"Floating Illusions" almost sounds like a beatless Spiritualized bomb from the early-mid 90s; melodic, synthy, church organ-drenched. The mournful, dramatic "Lost Chance" pulses along on a bed of acidy synths whilst "The Morning After" is the sonic equivalent of the extreme fear and doom experienced in the aftermath of the previous night's carnage. Whilst somewhat uncomfortable listening, again, it's pretty compelling thanks to the myriad effects being expertly utilised. Fascinating. The sprawling, fragmented "Random Thoughts" is described as containing "confused melody phrases" - yeah, pretty much sums this one up.

The B-Side is ushered in by "Heroin" and it's as sketchy as you might think, all mysterious minor chords with a dominating - but not overbearing - bass refrain. Next up, the dream-like synthy fanfare of "Night Trip" climaxes after a few minutes of dramatic, ecclesiastical sounds whilst "Day Trip" layers its melody over a repetitive rhythmic base.

Next up, one of the *REAL* highlights makes itself known. Absolutely not to be missed, "Dealer's Corner" is all shifting tenors from quiet to hectic and back around again. The hectic parts are like a totally synthed-out-the-eyeballs jazz-funk collective wigging out with the latest electronic toys from 1980. This one totally SMOKES.

The dramatic "Sad And Hopeless" is appositely replete with dissonant, minor church-organ chords whilst "Riding Pegasus" uses a creepy ostinato bass melody to create irrational bleepy menace that's ripe for sampling. The penultimate track, "Hopeless Chaos" is another disorientating trip, a bleepy confection of sounds and phrases whilst closer "Goin' Mad" is all electronic percussion with an unpleasant rhthymic feel and irritating melody. Music to annoy your partner with!

Established in Munich in 1965 by Gerard and Rotheide Narholz, Sonoton introduced library music to Germany. Initially intended to cater to the country's new TV market, the library also provided an avenue for Gerhard Narholz's astonishing musical prolificacy, and soon became a haven for a wide range of European composers and musicians. In 1969, Sonoton struck a deal with the British label Berry Music for international publishing rights, exposing its catalog to a worldwide audience; when Berry was bought out by EMI in 1973, Sonoton transitioned into a full-fledged international label, with successes in the library and commercial fields and many innovations to its credit. Now a worldwide operation with hundreds of producers and composers under its employ, Sonoton nonetheless remains an independently run business still helmed by its founders - a remarkable achievement in an era when nearly every other major library has been absorbed by a multinational conglomerate.

The audio for Drugs has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Breaking Teeth (3rd Single / Will have a music video & Reddit AMA) Breaking Teeth is the 3rd of 4 singles from their new album The Fear Of Letting Go. Tyler Tate (vox) describes this track as the heaviest song on the record and sounds simply - "pissed off". "When I wrote the lyrics I was so fed up with the world & my life in general. Set back after set back, problems around every corner. Living should be simpler but the society we live in prevents that. We should all be pissed about it.” Band will do Reddit AMA & MV Visualizer We're All Left Suffereing (2nd Single / With Album announce) 'We're All Left Suffering' is the second of four singles from Michigan based metalcore band Hollow Front's upcoming album 'The Fear Of Letting Go'. The release follows their 2022 album ‘The Price Of Dreaming’ (#9 Current Hard Music Albums, #35 Current Digital Albums, #42 Independent, # 48 Current Rock Albums) which received praise from New Noise “a blistering and bruising experience, evoking myriad emotions and conveying a heady and moving blend of euphoria and despair.” and RockNLoad “Hollow Front has dropped nothing short of a phenomenal album with The Price of Dreaming. While the release doesn’t do anything new, it takes an already established formula and polishes it into a perfect shine. If you’re a fan of any of the modern Metalcore titans, you’ll love this release, hopefully as much as I do. Utterly brilliant.” 'We're All Left Suffering' is the first song the band has released since the announce of Dakota Alvarez's departure (former guitarist/singer) and marks the next chapter in the bands journey. The song will be accompanied by a music video and lined up with the announce of their forthcoming record "The Fear Of Letting Go" (Out October 27th). Lead vocalist states “This track is an anthem for the broken spirited. We live in a world riddled with heartache and constant struggle. Whether mentally, physically, or financially; we area collective of human beings doing our best to survive. I think with everything that’s happened in the world over these last three years, things might seem hopeless. It feels like the whole world has gone mad, and we’re all just here suffering along for the ride. It can be incredibly discouraging being a human in today’s social and economic climate. So I think this song is for those people who are sick of dealing with the bullshit life is throwing at them, and just want to truly breathe for once.”

Modernists loved the latest R&B, blues and soul sounds coming from US cities such as Chicago, Memphis and Detroit and when British groups started playing their own interpretations in clubs and dancehalls they gained their own mod followings, their music remaining popular on the mod scene today.

Side 1 of this bespoke collection spotlights the British R&B scene and features a founding father of British blues Alexis Korner with the rare ‘Taboo Man’ alongside ace mod tracks from The Bo Street Runners, The Others, Mickey Finn and The Blue Men (featuring a youthful Jimmy Page on harmonica) and more.

Side 2 starts with British R&B groups developing their own sound by turning up their guitars, employing distortion, feedback and fuzz pedals to take the music in a new direction. Highlights include the Joe Meek produced ‘Crawdaddy Simone’ by The Syndicats (described as proto punk because of its ferocity), The In Crowd’s snarling ‘Things She Says’ and The Artwoods’ fuzz drenched mod favourite ‘I Take What I Want’ featuring future Deep Purple organist Jon Lord on organ.

Denny Laine (later of Wings) sings with The Moody Blues calming things down with some soulful beat.

Side 3 focuses on UK soul music - Rod ‘the mod’ Stewart backed by The Brian Auger Trinity takes on Sam Cooke’s ‘Shake’, the godfather of ska Laurel Aitken proves he’s also a natural soul man with his floor filling version of The Mar-Keys’ ‘Last Night’ and the amazing Barry St. John sings the funky ‘Gotta Brand New Man’. Popular club acts Lucas & The Mike Cotton Sound and Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede would regularly bring the house down at mod clubs and also feature.

Side 4 includes mod club dancefloor smashes from The Spencer Davis Group and Rupert’s People (AKA mod group Fleur De Lys) while mod heroes The Action go psychedelic with ‘Look At The View’. A moonlighting Jeff Beck of The Yardbirds plays on John’s Children’s ‘But She’s Mine’ and there are brilliant singles revered by freakbeat and psych collectors such as Double Feature’s ‘Baby Get Your Head Screwed On’ and The Drag Set’s ‘Day And Night’.

Rarities from The Trendbender Band and The Union (featuring Elmer Gantry) appear on vinyl for the first time.

Full Time Men is a part time venture of Fleshtone - Keith Streng (guitar and lead vocals), devoted to “Rock’n’ Roll, Good Times and Wild Music”. The group also features Gordon Spaeth (sax, harp),
Robert Warren (bass, vocals). and Bill Milhizer (drums), all full time members of New York's wild and crazy Fleshtones, and Rich Thomas (lead guitar, vocals) from LESR (That's Lower East Side Rockers
for you out-of-towners), a short-lived rock'n' roll band that would frequent the dingiest of Manhattan's Bowery nightclubs. Dig their honorary guest list: Peter Zaremba (Fleshtones), Pat DiNizio
(Smithereens), Jeff Connolly (Lyres), Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus), Stiv Bators and Pete Buck (now what band is he In again?). This collection is culled from their 1984 self-titled LP and the 1998 album,
Your Face My Fist

Die Aucklander Chillout-Soul-Elektronik-Band LEISURE enthüllt ihr exquisites viertes Studioalbum "LEISUREVISION". Das Album wurde in den letzten 2 Jahren in ihrer Heimat Neuseeland geschrieben und produziert.

Das Album erkundet die menschliche Erfahrung und all die Hoffnung, Freude, das Chaos und die Euphorie, die damit einhergehen, während es Themen wie Wachstum, Erneuerung und Wiedergeburt aufgreift und Balance, Frieden und Gelassenheit verkörpert. Es schöpft Inspiration aus verschiedenen Epochen - von der Geschmeidigkeit
des Blue-Eyed-Soul der Siebzigerjahre bis zur romantischen Energie des frühen Achtzigerjahre Post-Disco, kombiniert mit Drum-Programmierung des Hip-Hop der Mitte der Neunzigerjahre und verankert mit dem mittlerweile signifikanten, üppigen Gitarrensound von LEISURE, der sich durch ihre Diskografie zieht.

"LEISUREVISION" enthält die Single "All the Good Times Never Die", einen hoffnungsvollen, optimistischen Track, der in Zusammenarbeit mit der Londoner Gruppe Night Tapes entstand, sowie "Back In Love", einen souligen Track über die Herausforderungen und Freuden der Elternschaft und die Bedeutung, wieder Zeit füreinander zu finden.

After impressing with recent outings on the likes of Chocolate Star back in September, KNOE1 is back with a fresh new EP that is for DJ Use Only. This one on Truseschool Ltd kicks off with 'Inside Out' (Boogie dub), a fresh take on a classic tune you may well know if you dance in classy places. It's a timeless cut with gorgeous vocals and hip swigging drums and finger claps that oozes warmth and soul, not to mention lush strings at the breakdown. Flip it over and you will find 'Feels So Good' (Diskomix) which his more uptempo but no less full of magical groove and disco dazzle. Another great outing from this ever more vital artist.

‘Reach For The Sun’, their debut album, helmed by produced by Paul Leavitt (All Time Low, Circa Survive) cemented ‘The Dangerous Summer’ in the Pop-Punk scene.  Blending melodic rock, pop-punk and emo, lyricist and vocalist AJ Perdomo explored a wide range of themes in ‘Reach For The Sun’, including love (‘Never Feel Alone’), life (‘Settle Down’), death (‘The Permanent Rain’), the past, the future.  What makes ‘Reach For the Sun’ truly remarkable is its universal appeal and resonance. The album consistently garners recognition on lists of essential pop-punk and emo releases, often being mentioned alongside legendary records by Green Day, Paramore and Sunny Day Real Estate.  For fans of Taking Back Sunday, The Starting Line, The Wonder Years

South London ne-er-do-wells Meatraffle make huge strides forward with this third album of funky trumpet-laced street pop combining a caustic wit with a tender heart. “The best band in the country bar none!” Fat White Family // “A collective of individuals who refuse to be pigeonholed…..they conjure a rich, imaginative and often simply funny world” The Quietus // “Humorous alt-punk…potent…surreal” CLASH // “Their direct and confrontational attitude has not been seen since punk really grabbed England by the balls” FAR OUT // “Your mind will be liberated” Louder Than War // Meatraffle are thrilled to announce they will be releasing 'Base and Superstructure', their third studio album on Blang Records on 29.09.2023. Recorded during lockdown, produced & mixed by Meatraffle keyboardist Chris OC, Dante Traynor (SWEAT, Fat White Family 'Feet'), additional mixing by Angelica Björnsson (Hi - Texas feat. Wu Tang Clan) and mastered by Dean Honer (Eccentronic Research Council, I Monster, The Moonlandingz), ‘Base and Superstructure’ marks a new sonic departure for the band rightly acknowledged as godfathers of the now infamous South London scene, centred around the Windmill in Brixton. The band will be touring in support of the new album later in the year. Founded in 2014, Meatraffle have toured extensively across the UK and Europe as both a headline act and support to the likes of Fat White Family, Sleaford Mods and Warmduscher. Festival appearances include SXSW, Green Man and Liverpool Psych Fest. In addition to their previous two LPs ('Hi Fi Classics' and 'Bastard Music'), the band have released singles on Dan Carey's Speedy Wunderground and Moshi Moshi, plus numerous remixes including 'Meatraffle on the Moon' by the one and only Andrew Weatherall. The band have also played sessions for Marc Riley (BBC 6Music) plus regular plays from other 6Music DJs including Iggy Pop, Gideon Coe and Amy Lamé. “We were looking for labels for a while, sending out demos to small ‘indie’ labels to which we often had the response, “we really like it but we’re not signing anyone at the moment”, which feels like the new “don’t call us we’ll call you!”... We knew we had a good record so didn’t get knocked back and knew it would be a climb as many of these small and large ‘indie’ or ‘alternative’ labels can be even more conservative than the mainstream, I guess having less money and therefore having to ‘play it safe’. We bumped into Blang one night at The George Tavern and instantly had a good feeling about them…and guess what? They loved the music!” - Meatraffle frontman, Zsa Zsa Sapien. Genre-bending independent label Blang Records is a wildly non-commercial label firmly rooted in the DIY/anything goes attitude of punk and antifolk, and has remained consistent in its commitment to releasing outsider music by the likes of David Cronenberg's Wife, Jack Medley's Secure Men, Brix & The Extricated, Milk Kan, Thomas Truax and many more. Live Dates: 13th July 2023 - Peckham Audio, London w/SLEAZE, Brian Destiny, Neuro Placid (headline show).

South London ne-er-do-wells Meatraffle make huge strides forward with this third album of funky trumpet-laced street pop combining a caustic wit with a tender heart. “The best band in the country bar none!” Fat White Family // “A collective of individuals who refuse to be pigeonholed…..they conjure a rich, imaginative and often simply funny world” The Quietus // “Humorous alt-punk…potent…surreal” CLASH // “Their direct and confrontational attitude has not been seen since punk really grabbed England by the balls” FAR OUT // “Your mind will be liberated” Louder Than War // Meatraffle are thrilled to announce they will be releasing 'Base and Superstructure', their third studio album on Blang Records on 29.09.2023. Recorded during lockdown, produced & mixed by Meatraffle keyboardist Chris OC, Dante Traynor (SWEAT, Fat White Family 'Feet'), additional mixing by Angelica Björnsson (Hi - Texas feat. Wu Tang Clan) and mastered by Dean Honer (Eccentronic Research Council, I Monster, The Moonlandingz), ‘Base and Superstructure’ marks a new sonic departure for the band rightly acknowledged as godfathers of the now infamous South London scene, centred around the Windmill in Brixton. The band will be touring in support of the new album later in the year. Founded in 2014, Meatraffle have toured extensively across the UK and Europe as both a headline act and support to the likes of Fat White Family, Sleaford Mods and Warmduscher. Festival appearances include SXSW, Green Man and Liverpool Psych Fest. In addition to their previous two LPs ('Hi Fi Classics' and 'Bastard Music'), the band have released singles on Dan Carey's Speedy Wunderground and Moshi Moshi, plus numerous remixes including 'Meatraffle on the Moon' by the one and only Andrew Weatherall. The band have also played sessions for Marc Riley (BBC 6Music) plus regular plays from other 6Music DJs including Iggy Pop, Gideon Coe and Amy Lamé. “We were looking for labels for a while, sending out demos to small ‘indie’ labels to which we often had the response, “we really like it but we’re not signing anyone at the moment”, which feels like the new “don’t call us we’ll call you!”... We knew we had a good record so didn’t get knocked back and knew it would be a climb as many of these small and large ‘indie’ or ‘alternative’ labels can be even more conservative than the mainstream, I guess having less money and therefore having to ‘play it safe’. We bumped into Blang one night at The George Tavern and instantly had a good feeling about them…and guess what? They loved the music!” - Meatraffle frontman, Zsa Zsa Sapien. Genre-bending independent label Blang Records is a wildly non-commercial label firmly rooted in the DIY/anything goes attitude of punk and antifolk, and has remained consistent in its commitment to releasing outsider music by the likes of David Cronenberg's Wife, Jack Medley's Secure Men, Brix & The Extricated, Milk Kan, Thomas Truax and many more. Live Dates: 13th July 2023 - Peckham Audio, London w/SLEAZE, Brian Destiny, Neuro Placid (headline show).

STUNNA is the 4th studio album from Bay Area Heavyweight and Certified Legend, P-Lo. Known for being one of the main pioneers of the modern West Coast Hip Hop sound, P-Lo assembles an all-star cast to deliver not just an album, but a frequency – an energy. With standout tracks like "Good (feat. Larry June)," "Again (feat. E-40 & LaRussell)," & "Stunna Anthem," STUNNA continues P-Lo's mission in spreading positivity and shining a light on what makes the Bay Area a special place. The album features appearances by Larry June, Michael Sneed, Too $hort, Lucky, Kamaiyah, ALLBLACK, 22nd Jim, E-40, & LaRussell.

Full of shimmering guitars, opulent harmonies, and good ol' rock 'n' roll, the band was limited to a handful of singles before going their separate ways. Here you'll find a full LP's worth of The Gestures on vinyl, all killer no filler!

In California, The Gestures were especially well- received, maybe because "Run, Run, Run" had the lightness, the hook, and infectious drive of the California surf and car band hits. Record World's hot picks column called it a surf-like sound that should endear them to teens. The slice is a hard-driving ditty. Cash Box said The Gestures bow was a hard- rock- ing, Liverpool- sounding affair... powerhouse instrumental support on this haunting entry. There's a complete change of pace in the soft-sounding uptempo undercut.

"'Run, Run, Run' hit #1 in the Twin Cities, #3 in Los Angeles, #1 in New York and #3-5 in Oklahoma City. It reached the top of the local C&N Sales jukebox charts, cracked Billboard Magazine's top 40, and as I mentioned before, was even played on Bandstand. It was right up there with records by the Hondells, Gene Pitney, Jay & the Americans, and all the early British bands - including the Beatles."
- Dale Menton (of The Gestures)

Morcheeba has sold over 10 million albums and toured the world the last two decades. They mix trip hop, rock, folk rock and downtempo, and have produced nine studio albums since 1995. Two of which reached the UK top ten.

Morcheeba's The Antidote is a special one. It is the album which features Daisy Martey on vocals, who replaced Skye Edwards. Martey´s psychedelic influences were added to Morcheeba´s standard mix of soul, hip hop, country, and electronics. In addition, The Antidote was recorded live altogether and features furthermore “Wonders Never Cease” and “Everybody Loves A Loser”.

The Antidote is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on crystal clear vinyl and includes an insert with lyrics.

Hjalte Ross neues Album "Less" erscheint im Oktober 2023 und zeigt sein bisher direktestes, verletzlichstes und ausdrucksstärkstes Songwriting. Selbst-produziert, minimalistisch, schön und tödlich - das ist das neue Album von Hjalte Ross. Bereits mit den beiden Alben, dem Debüt "Embody" (2018) und dem Nachfolger "Waves of Haste" (2020), etablierte der preisgekrönte junge Künstler seinen Namen sowohl in Dänemark als auch in der internationalen Songwriter-Szene. Auf die Platten folgten von der Kritik gefeierte Konzerte und große Aufmerksamkeit. KEXP, MOJO, Uncut, Clash Magazine, sind nur einige derer, die ihre Liebe zu dem dänischen Songwriter gezeigt haben. Wild und sanft ist der neue Hjalte Ross, der beschreibt, dass Less" eine Sammlung von Liedern für deine heilige Stunde ist, die sich mit deinen Gefühlen verbindet. Hjalte Ross stellt sein Album vor: "'Less' umfasst Songs, die in schwierigen und herausfordernden Zeiten entstanden sind, aber trotzdem geschrieben wurden. Less' enthält nicht nur ein bestimmtes Gefühl, sondern vielmehr eine Sammlung von Gefühlen, die alle unter das Thema der Unzulänglichkeit fallen." Ross legt seine innersten Gedanken offen und schafft so eine Atmosphäre gemeinsamer Intimität. Ross' künstlerische Reise wurde nicht allein unternommen. Die Zusammenarbeit mit seinen Musikerkollegen Mads Lang, Astrid Matthesen und Jonas Kardyb sowie das geschickte Händchen des Toningenieurs D. James Goodwin haben "Less" einen Reichtum verliehen, der in jeder Note nachhallt. Der Titel ist keine bloße Beschreibung, sondern ein Tor zum thematischen Kern des Albums. Ross erforscht die Komplexität von Emotionen und stellt die Vorstellung in Frage, dass diese Gefühle nur seine eigenen sind. "Less" ist eine Einladung zu einer gemeinsamen Erfahrung - Trauer, Hoffnung und Wachstum - die über das Individuum hinausgehen und uns als Menschen verbinden. In einer Welt, die oft das Spektakel schätzt, ist "Less" ein unaufdringlicher Triumph - ein Spiegelbild von Ross' Entschlossenheit, sich seiner eigenen Verletzlichkeit zu stellen und die Schönheit darin zu beleuchten. Dies ist "Less". Klappcover, rauer Karton, 140 gr klassisch schwarzes Vinyl mit 28seitigem 12"-Booklet!

Roy Davis Jr. & Byron The Aquarius and Jamie 3:26 & Danou P remix Radio Slave’s Wildlife.

‘Wildlife’, released a few months back, found Radio Slave tapping into his house and disco roots. It proved a dancefloor smash that got support from a wide array of artists, from DJ Bone and Tim Sweeney to Roman Flugel and Axel Boman. As such, the artists chosen to remix come from similar backgrounds and bring all new perspectives to this irresistible gem.

First up are Chicago house legend Roy Davis Jr. and keys playing maestro Byron The Aquarius. Both make the sort of dusty, feel-good deep house that will never grow old and have done so on the scene's best labels. Their sizzling seven-minute rework of 'Wildlife' has jazzy, life-affirming keys and smeared synths that bring the warmth. The drums are rubbery and inviting, and the whole thing brings real musicality to the floor.

The second remix is from original Chicago innovator, deep digger and edit king Jamie 3:26 and a young Dutch artist he has long since mentored, Danou P. Between them, they have cooked up gems like 'What It Is' together on Shake Records and remixed for Defected, all with a healthy respect for disco, funk and soul from the 80s onwards. Their take on 'Wildlife' is a piano-laced and upbeat party starter. Noodling bass riffs,zippy synth details and lavish chords make for a sophisticated sound that will swell the heart.

Play Loud wird die gesamten Aufnahmen (siehe Liste unten) der Manchester-Post-Punk-Band GODS GIFT (1979-1985) veröffentlichen, einige davon zum ersten Mal überhaupt. Mark E. Smith von The Fall war Fan. Gods Gift-Gitarrist Steve Murphy hat 11 Songs für ihre allererste LP zusammengestellt.

Gods Gift gab es, als viele Manchester-Gruppen Ruhm und Reichtum erlangten. Manchester brachte einen düsteren Soundtrack für die musikbegeisterte Jugend dieser Zeit hervor. Die gotischen Katakomben waren der Nährboden für viel Zorn. Gods Gift wollte seine Wut und seinen Hass gegen eine Welt zum Ausdruck bringen, die auf nichts so Belangloses wie die Menschen hört. Wenn die Leute beim Konzert plapperten, wurde die Lautstärke auf ohrenbetäubende Lautstärken eingestellt, wodurch eine Wand aus dissonantem Lärm entstand, unterbrochen von den hymnischen Schreien eines weiteren wütenden Refrains

Das siebte Studioalbum von US-Ausnahmemusiker:in LP, erscheint am 29. September 2023 bei BMG. Auch mit dem Nachfolger zu Churches (2021) widmet sich LP der Komplexität menschlicher Erfahrung und vertont ein sehr viel klarer umrissenes Selbst- und Weltbild als je zuvor.

Das neue Album vereint insgesamt zwölf Tracks, die tiefe Einblicke in LPs bisherige Lebensgeschichte erlauben, wenn es immer wieder auch um zurückliegende Beziehungen geht - romantische Beziehungen, familiäre Beziehungen, auch um die Beziehung zu sich selbst.

Unterstützung bekam LP von Ashton Irwin (5 Seconds Of Summer), Andrew Berkeley Martin (Palaye Royale) sowie vom GRAMMY-nominierten Produzenten und Songwriter Matthew Pauling. Das Resultat ist ein fesselndes, extrem emotionales Werk, das vor allem zeigt, wie sehr LP gewachsen ist - und was sie alles auf ihrem Pfad der Selbstfindung herausgefunden hat. Love Lines verknüpft LPs unverwechselbare Stimme, aufrichtiges Storytelling und unverblümten Rock & Roll mit so viel emotionalem Tiefgang, dass LP selbst von einem essentiellen Meilenstein spricht.

Pressed On Clear Vinyl! To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of UGK's first album, Get On Down goes the extra mile, presenting it for the first time ever on vinyl. AND 2LP clear vinyl at that, giving the strutting, funky grooves the chance to really stretch out on your system. Back in 1992, Southern hip-hop was still proving to the world that it could sustain a fan base that was chiefly raised on rap from New York and LA. The Geto Boys and 2 Live Crew had made strong cases by the earliest '90s, and Pimp C and Bun B were ready to make their own. Most of the trunk-bumping bass comes from drum programs and basic sampling on these tunes - in later years they would build their sound into something even fuller and deeper. Self-produced with additional work from Houston locals Bernie Bismark and Shetoro Henderson, the tracks here are minimal, slow and menacing, which matched their lyrical approach quite nicely. You can hear the beginnings of the group's true greatness in these early lyrical workouts - several taken from the regional cassette-only EP The Southern Way that got them signed to Jive - with tales of street hustles, relationships and self-reliance in a world stacked against them. They may have been done early-on, but that doesn't mean they aren't crucial to UGK's legacy - cases in point being the three singles: Something Good', a charismatic update to Bill Withers' Use Me Up', and Pocket Full Of Stones' (the latter featured on the Menace II Society soundtrack). Beyond the singles, deeper cuts like I'm So Bad,' Feels Like I'm The One Who's Doin' Dope' and Cramping My Style' made it clear to the world that this crew had the attitude and charisma to make even bigger waves in the years to come.

Known principally as a smooth titan of blue-eyed soul, Bobby Caldwell transcended genre tags with consummate ease; he was a musical icon of real class and versatility, cherished the world over. Tragically passing away in March 2023 at the too young age of 71, it still feels as if Bobby's true artistry is profoundly under-appreciated. His double platinum self-titled album from 1978 is a timeless masterpiece of sophisticated jazzy soul brilliance and is strictly canonical. Yes, it's perfect, yet it's been out of press on vinyl for years. We're deeply honoured to present the long-awaited reissue this summer.

Whilst Ned Doheny is known in Japan as "Mr California", native New Yorker Bobby Caldwell has always been "Mr AOR" to his Far-Eastern friends. His distinct charm is an irresistible blend of soul, jazz, and pop influences. He possessed phenomenal songwriting prowess, smooth vocal performances, was both a great soul guitarist and dextrous keyboard player and known for genius chord progressions. It all added up to a multi-layered brilliance entering the studio, and the singular sound he landed on was laced with soulful, sweeping strings and funky horns, touching lightly on disco, while allowing his supple voice to carry the stunning tracks he'd crafted.

String-swept opener "Special To Me" immediately sets the tone with its lush instrumentation, rich harmonies, and Caldwell's velvety-smooth vocals. Next up, a huge one. The infectious, mid-tempo bounce of "My Flame" showcases Caldwell's ability to effortlessly blend catchy pop hooks with soulful arrangements. It's an exquisite, emotive ballad that, at the same time, absolutely SLAPS. Game recognise game, and all that, so, accordingly, Notorious B.I.G. memorably ran with “My Flame” for his 1997 single “Sky’s The Limit”. The rolling, disco-very "Love Won't Wait" is a slick, uptempo track containing heartfelt lyrics intertwined with elegant strings and a horn section to die for. Aching - and achingly cool - single "Can't Say Goodbye" is a real fan favourite, and it's no surprise. It's a laconic, slow-mo jazz-funk stepper, with fantastic, very deliberate playing that closes out the A Side quite exceptionally. "Come To Me" slows proceedings down elegantly to open Side B before the universally agreed-upon masterpiece enters proceedings.

"What You Won't Do for Love," the standout hit that became a classic in its own right, perfectly captured Bobby's ability to infuse a contagious groove with introspective and relatable lyrics. With its instantly recognisable horn riff and Caldwell's soulful delivery, this timeless, chiller anthem continues to captivate audiences and define his musical legacy. He scored huge with the track, taking over the pop and R&B airways with this mellow soul stepper. It has remained a perennial favourite and has been heavily sampled, such is its unique allure; Aaliyah sang over snatches of it on "Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number" and you can hear Caldwell’s vocal sample used for the hook on Tupac’s posthumously released “Do For Love”.

Upon submitting the finished album to his label, they requested more material in hope of a big single. As Bobby remembered to Wax Poetics a few years ago: “Now at this point, I’m mentally exhausted...and bear in mind that I got so close to all the songs I’d written. I gave each song a profound amount of thought, and maybe too much. So, in haste, I went in and cut this song, "What You Won’t Do For Love". Wrote it in a day, cut the rhythm track, overdubbed the horns, I sang the song, and literally turned it in three days after. And lo and behold, the one song I gave the least thought to,” Bobby laughed, “ended up being a national anthem.”

The mysterious, magical "Kalimba Song" is a cosmic, kalimba-driven melodic-funk instrumental - short but oh, so sweet. It's followed by the supreme tear-jerker "Take Me Back To Then", Bobby's otherworldly voice deeply longing for a simpler time, "when life was mellow". I think we can all get behind this sentiment. The final cut is arguably its deepest, its low-key finest moment. For us, it is, anyway. The glorious, driving, effortlessly funky guitar-soul jam "Down For The Third Time" is a huge melancholic Be With favourite and has been played by discerning genre-hopping DJs with significant glee for years. Hypnotic, melodic, beautiful. Like the album it elegantly rounds out.

Bobby sadly passed away on 23rd March 2023, after a long struggle with mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, due to an adverse effect from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The reissue of his wonderful eponymous album will be available on vinyl across the globe, ensuring that fans of his incomparable talent - and soul music enthusiasts worldwide - can radiate in the deep beauty of this seminal album. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possibly quality at Record Industry in Holland.

2023 Repress

CELESTE have been breaking the outer boundaries of heavy music for over fifteen years. When they first evolved from the Lyon hardcore punk scene, they were absolutely brutal and entirely unique, delivering extremity on their own terms that they pushed further and further with each successive album. “We just wanted to get darker and more violent,” says drummer Antoine Royer, until 2017’s Infidèle(s) saw the incorporation of a more melodic streak. Their most focussed record yet, it was tremendously received, critically adored, and backed with the band’s biggest shows to date.

Its follow-up was always going to be something radical. Even by their own inordinately high standards, however, new record Assassine(s) is one hell of a step forward. Even if this album still contains cyclonic walls of guitar, of battering rhythm, and passages of blissful, rushing release. it’s unlike anything the band have ever released; embracing a modern and forward-thinking production, they're just as complex but more direct, diverse and accessible than before. “Our leitmotif here was to open our minds,” says guitarist Sébastien Ducotté. “We made a real effort to think outside of our box.”

During lockdown CELESTE’s members were forced to each write individually. “We each went further into our personal, inner views of what the songs were,” says bassist and vocalist Johan Girardeau. When eventually they began sessions under producer Chris Edrich, it was gruelling. “We ended up exhausted, physically and mentally” says Johan. “There was no break in two weeks. We didn’t see the sun at all during that time. Every night we were so tired that we didn’t enjoy being together as much as we’re used to.” Nevertheless, in the same way the hardships of isolation led to richer and more complex songwriting, it’s that relentlessness that led to the record’s razor-sharp edges.

Above all else, CELESTE are innovators. Whether by pioneering French avant-garde metal when they formed at the turn of the millennium, by making their boldest leaps despite being seven albums deep into their career, or using two years away from live shows to tightly finetune their stagecraft, they refuse at all costs to rest on their laurels. There can be consequences to this instinct – fans of the band’s older work might be thrown off by their constant shifts of pace – but they’re throwing caution to the wind. A bit of backlash “would be a good thing, because it would mean that we’ve really changed,” says Guillaume . “It's not disrespectful, it's just that we never made music to please people, but just to enjoy what we're doing.” In the end, CELESTE are a band so forward-thinking that they can only be judged on the strength of their latest work. And when it comes to a record as bold as Assassine(s), they’ve hit a whole new peak entirely.

Enter the realm of Illa J, the musical force shaking the foundations of the industry. His latest offering, 'No Traffic', is a testament to his boundless talent and versatility, showcasing his singing, production and rapping abilities on 19 tracks written and produced entirely by Illa J himself. This album marks his debut on BBE Music and a new chapter in his musical journey. Meet Illa J: a musical prodigy raised in a family of talented musicians. With a jazz bassist father and a gifted singer mother, it's no surprise that Illa J was destined for greatness. He's best known as the younger brother of hip-hop legend J Dilla and has made a name for himself as a former member of Detroit's iconic hip-hop group, Slum Village. With a lifetime of exposure to quality music and top-tier musicians, Illa J is a force to be reckoned with. Created amidst the chaos of the pandemic, Illa J's 'No Traffic' serves as a beacon of hope, a roadmap for creatives seeking their path. He enlists the help of Detroit legends Amp Fiddler, Frank n Dank, British soul sensation Harleighblu, and introduces the rising stars of Detroit, Serious, Joz B, Maine Soul, and more, all matching Illa J's energy and passion on the tracks. The focus track of the album, "Star Struck", is a prime example of Illa J's signature style. The astral pentatonic soundscape and precise drum programming transport you to new heights, while Illa J's beats, melodies, and bars will leave you in awe. 'No Traffic' is a musical journey that takes you to a place where Illa J's playful and versatile sound reigns supreme. The album is expertly mastered by Grammy-award nominated The Carvery Studio and is a refreshing experience of a true artist reveling in their artistry. Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to delve into Illa J's musical realm."

Die britische Indie-Rock Band „The 1975“ meldet sich zurück!

Als Schulband haben sie im Jahre 2002 begonnen und feiern nun das 10. Jubiläum ihres Debut Albums.
Eine ganze Dekade ist vergangen, seitdem das gleichnamige Debut Album „The 1975“ das Licht der Welt erblickte und mit Hits wie „Chocolate“ und „Robbers“ die britischen Charts im Sturm eroberte. Dave Reynolds vom Bearded Magazin beschrieb das Album wie folgt:
”A debut album with 16 tracks should never be able to capture and hold a listeners attention, but The 1975 make a damn good stab at it, with a record littered with pop hooks and imagination. MJ would be proud.”

„The 1975“ wurde mit zweimal Platin in der UK, einmal Platin in den USA und Neuseeland und diversen Gold-Awards ausgezeichnet.

Mit über 14 Millionen monatliche Hörer: innen auf Spotify, 19 Millionen verkaufte Tonträger und hunderttausenden Menschen, die jedes Jahr auf die Konzerte der vier Jungs aus Manchester strömen, prägt „The 1975“ seit Jahren die Indie-Rock Szene auf der ganzen Welt.
Momentan befindet sich die Band auf großer Amerikatournee bis Ende 2023. Auf dem Tourplan stehen riesige Festivals, wie das Lollapalooza, aber auch diverse ausverkaufte Arenen.

Das Album „The 1975 (10th Anniversary)“ ist als 4LP seit dem 01. August vorbestellbar und erscheint am 01. September im Handel.

The anticipation is there in Elizabeth Stokes’ solo guitar riff under the opening lines of “I’m Not Getting Excited”: a frenetic, driving force daring a packed Auckland Town Hall to do exactly the opposite of what the track title suggests.

As the opener of The Beths’ Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 expands to include the full band, the crowd screeches and bellows. It’s a collective exhalation, in one of the few countries where live music is still possible.

The album title, and film of the same name, deliberately include the date and location, lead guitarist Jonathan Pearce says. “That’s the sensational part of what we actually did.” In a mid-pandemic world, playing to a heaving, enraptured home crowd feels miraculous.

In March 2020, everything seemed on track for another huge year for The Beths. Home after an 18-month northern hemisphere tour, they had just finished recording sophomore album Jump Rope Gazers and were primed for more extensive touring. But within days, New Zealand’s lockdown split the band between three separate houses. All touring was cancelled.

“It was existentially bad,” Stokes says. As well as worrying about economic survival, they lost something crucial to the band’s identity: live performance. “It's a huge part of how we see ourselves... What does it mean, if we can't play live?”

The band found an outlet through live-streaming, returning to the do-it-yourself mentality of their early days to connect with a global audience. The album and film have their genesis in that urge to share the now-rare experience of a live show, as widely as possible.

The fuzzy-round-the-edges live-streams pointed the way aesthetically. Native birds, wonkily crafted by the band from tissue paper and wire, festoon the venue’s cavernous ceiling while house plants soften and disguise the imposing pipes of an organ. The presence of the film crew isn’t disguised: much of the camerawork is handheld; full of fast zooms and pans.

With much of the material still fresh, the band was less focused on re-invention than playing “a good, fast rock show”, Pearce says. The tempo is up on crowd favourites “Whatever” and “Future Me Hates Me” (released as a live single on its third anniversary) as both band and audience feed off the mutual energy in the room.

Certain songs have taken on special resonance post-Covid. Pearce has found “Out Of Sight”, a tender rumination on long-distance relationships, hits particularly hard with live audiences.

Album closer “River Run” visibly brings Stokes to tears as a mix of achievement and relief kicks in. “You can finally relax at that point … You play the last note, breathe out a sigh and look up - and you’re in a giant room full of people happy and smiling.”

Featuring contributions from Brittany Howard, Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves, Demi Lovato), Julien Baker + more. Since moving to Nashville to start their music career in 2012, Becca Mancari has been lauded for their dextrous songwriting and prodigious guitar playing. Their sophomore album The Greatest Part, released in 2020, was an indie rock opus that garnered acclaim from The New York Times, NPR, and more. After its release, however, Mancari was despairing. An illness in their family, coupled with a realization that their alcohol dependency had become untenable, led Mancari to begin the hard work of taking ownership of their existence by mending broken relationships and investing in their mental health. "I didn't realize it then, but looking back, I was a passenger in my own life," Mancari says. The transformative period of self-reckoning was the catalyst that ultimately steered Mancari to write and produce their triumphant new album, Left Hand. After a disheartening studio session with an outside producer, Becca became convinced that they were capable of rendering their vision independently. Close friend and musical ally Juan Solorzano, who has played on all of Mancari's albums since the debut of Good Woman in 2017, joined them in the studio to co-produce the majority of the record. In addition, Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves, Demi Lovato) co-wrote and co-produced the song "Don't Close Your Eyes," encouraging Mancari to track every instrument on the initial demos. As much as self-producing this album was an act of resilience and growth in one's own craft, Mancari brought trusted friends like Brittany Howard, who they play with in Bermuda Triangle, Julien Baker and Zac Farro into the process. Insecurities that had dogged Mancari since childhood couldn't weather the force of energy in that studio, where they executed decisions with newfound certainty. The title track, "Left Hand," is named for the Mancari family crest. After a lifetime spent feeling like they didn't belong, Mancari unlocked a perfect metaphor in the crest: "In many cultures children born with a dominant left hand were taught not to use that hand, and were told that using the right hand was `normal' and `correct.' Similarly, queer children are often times told that it's not `normal' for them to love who they love and that they need to `change.'" On Left Hand, Mancari offers the listener a collection of songs that should be played in moments when we are in need of reassurance and encouragement. No song exemplifies this better than the ebullient track "Over and Over," which is a reminder to friends that happiness doesn't need to be fleeting. "I wanted to write a queer pop song that has meat on its bones," they say. Inspired by one of many reckless and joyful hangs with dear friends in Nashville, the enlivening pop song makes a promise to them, and to the greater community Mancari embraces on this album. "There is something to the feeling/ Head hanging out of the window/ Being ok that we don't know," sung on the chorus over a beat replete with congas and shakers. What follows is a promise to anyone who ever feels like the greatest moments of their life are disappearing in the rearview: "We can have it like we used to, over and over and over and over again." For Fans of boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, Julia Jacklin, Caroline Rose, Miya Folick, Molly Burch, Widowspeak.

Everybody loves a good comeback story. After releasing five genre-defining albums and building a fiercely loyal fanbase, Turnpike Troubadours — the Tahlequah, Oklahoma kings of Red Dirt music — all but fell apart in 2019, taking a three-year hiatus to find clarity amidst the noise of a red-hot career. But after the break, something remarkable and even unprecedented happened: the band returned more popular than ever. Not to mention stronger. The proof is in the group’s sixth studio album, A Cat in the Rain. Produced by three-time Grammy winner Shooter Jennings and recorded at the legendary FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and in Los Angeles, the 10-song album is a tale of reliability, rebirth, and redemption. It’s the story of brothers — frontman and chief songwriter Evan Felker, fiddler Kyle Nix, steel player Hank Early, guitarist Ryan Engleman, bassist RC Edwards, drummer Gabe Pearson — six musicians who ran the gauntlet of success, scrutiny, and even personal troubles, and would fight tooth and nail for one another. Turnpike Troubadours’ fans can feel this. That bond is in the band’s songs and in their live performances — they’ve racked up 1.5 billion streams globally and are selling out arenas and headlining festivals. Still, to some, they remain a mystery…the most popular band they’ve never heard of. But with A Cat in the Rain, that’s all about to change.

Tripped's second full length album has arrived, roughly one year after Unboxed (PRSPCT273) and is once again ready to take you on another journey through hard techno, industrial, acid, breaks & hardcore techno.

Tripped digs deeper into raw & analog techniques that will teleport you back to the wastelands of 90's warehouse raves.
While slowly building in Bpm and intensity, It features both emotional and kickheavy tracks ready to take on any dancefloor.
It also includes a Slave To Society remix of 'Tank', earlier released on MADINCH003.

While we once again recognise the artwork style from past releases (painted by himself) we notice another personal concept linked to the album . 'A Thing About Something' addresses mental health issues, anxieties & depression and aspires to keep fighting the daily struggles.

Vom kultigen Live-Act in seiner Heimatstadt Kapstadt bis hin zu einem Album, das im Inland die Charts toppt – Jeremy Loops legt mit seinem musikalischen Werdegang eine Bilderbuch-Karriere hin. Als Tour Support von Twenty One Pilots gelang Jeremy Loop sein internationaler Durchbruch. Es folgte eine eigene ausverkaufte Headline-Show mit 30.000 Besuchern, die eine ebenso ausverkaufte Headline-Show in Londons zur Folge hatte. Es ist die Kombination aus verschiedenen Genres, die er stimmig in einanderfließen lässt
– moderne Folklore mit einer urbanen Note, die von sanften, mitreißenden Balladen bis hin zuhymnischen, arenafähigen Knallern reicht. Mit seinen Shows erobert und begeistert Jeremy sein Publikum – denn diese sind absolut nicht Genre-typisch! Statt langsamen und bedachten Shows erschafft er eine einmalige und energiegeladene Atmosphäre, die seine Fans mitreißt.Mit seiner Hit-Single„Down South“ aus seinem Debütalbum „Trading Change“ wurde Jeremy zu einem gefeierten Star in seinem Heimatland Südafrika. Sein zweites Album hingegen schaffte es weit über die Grenzen hinaus und begeisterte auch den Rest der Welt.Durch seine Kollaborationen, darunter mit Will Hicks (Ed Sheeran’s Perfect) und Jake Gosling (The
Libertines, Shawn Mendez), machte er sich einen hervorragenden Namen in der Musikszene. Jeremy Loops hat ein wahrhaftes Händchen für musikalische Meisterwerke.

Men at Work already had an album in the Top Ten when the Australian ensemble released Cargo, which continued the momentum gained by its record-setting debut. As ambitious and even more diversified than its initial salvo, the 1983 effort firmly established the band as new-wave pioneers – a group whose goofy playfulness, sharp hooks, brass accents, and memorable choruses helped define the decade's landscape. Any doubts about Men at Work's quirky sensibility were promptly answered by the iconic cover art gracing this multi-platinum set.

Mastered on our world-renowned mastering system and pressed at RTI, this LP not only brings the artwork back into full-scale glory but also takes the enjoyably melodic pop-rock to new sonic heights courtesy of improved imaging, separation, and balance. Previously obscured details jump to the surface, and leader Colin Hay's unique voice takes on life-like dimensions that hover between the speakers.

While remaining true to the approach that garnered them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, Men at Work expands the creative palette on Cargo by giving guitars a more prominent role and increasing the rhythmic textures. With the sweeping ballad "Overkill" and politically savvy cynicism of "It's a Mistake," the band furthered their radio domination and extended their run of Top 10 singles. A third hit, "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive," cracked the Top 30. Well-tailored melodies and whimsical imagination definitely had a place in the public's consciousness, and no group understood this more.



As the final album captured by the original lineup, Cargo remains an indelible piece of the 1980s audio terrain and a reminder of the era's endless fun. Bolstered by lively saxophone solos, self-effacing humor, and instantly catchy refrains, the album is as good as excuse as any to turn on the stereo, sit down, forget your worries, and dance to leisurely pursuits so perfectly captured by this beloved group.

"Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You", das neue Album von Bonnie Prince Billy, erscheint am 11. August 2023 bei Domino und ist ein Album, das so gemacht wurde, wie es gehört werden sollte, in einem Raum. Der Klang von Menschen, die zusammen sind, die miteinander spielen, kommunizieren. Streicher, Holz, Tasten und Stimmen singen.

Das Album wurde in Louisville von Nick Roeder aufgenommen, mit Sara Louise Callaway an der Violine, Kendall Carter an den Tasten, Elisabeth Fuchsia an Bratsche und Violine, Dave Howard an der Mandoline, Drew Miller am Saxophon und Dane Waters' Stimme. Die 12 Songs umfassen ein breites Spektrum von Musik. Von der Klassik bis zum japanischen Acid-Folk und darüber hinaus. Und was vielleicht noch wichtiger ist: sie vermitteln ein Gefühl von Gemeinschaft, Zusammenhalt und dem Triumph des Vermächtnisses, das das Mark und das Herzblut dieser Musik ist.

"Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You", das neue Album von Bonnie Prince Billy, erscheint am 11. August 2023 bei Domino und ist ein Album, das so gemacht wurde, wie es gehört werden sollte, in einem Raum. Der Klang von Menschen, die zusammen sind, die miteinander spielen, kommunizieren. Streicher, Holz, Tasten und Stimmen singen.

Das Album wurde in Louisville von Nick Roeder aufgenommen, mit Sara Louise Callaway an der Violine, Kendall Carter an den Tasten, Elisabeth Fuchsia an Bratsche und Violine, Dave Howard an der Mandoline, Drew Miller am Saxophon und Dane Waters' Stimme. Die 12 Songs umfassen ein breites Spektrum von Musik. Von der Klassik bis zum japanischen Acid-Folk und darüber hinaus. Und was vielleicht noch wichtiger ist: sie vermitteln ein Gefühl von Gemeinschaft, Zusammenhalt und dem Triumph des Vermächtnisses, das das Mark und das Herzblut dieser Musik ist.

Die von Tim Burton produzierte Serie zeigt Wednesday Addams, die Tochter der Addams Family, wie sie als Teenager auf ein Internat für außergewöhnliche Menschen kommt (Zauberer, Werwölfe und mehr). Neben den beeindruckten Streamingzahlen auf Netflix, ging die Serie auch auf TikTok und Instagram monatelang viral. Komponiert vom Oscar-nominierten und Emmy-Gewinner Danny Elfman (Men In Black, Good Will Hunting, Desperate Housewives) und Emmy-nommiertem Chris Bacon (Bates Motel, Sherlock Gnomes) erscheint der Score zur Serie auf farbigem Doppelvinyl (purple smoky marbled) und in bedruckten Sleeve mit Gatefold.