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After a year of releases exploring recent musics from the USA, Europe and the southern hemisphere the Horn of Plenty presents a survey of archival private, demo, and live tapes from local avant-anarcho-punks The Apostles. The tapes were (poorly) recorded in Islington & Hackney squats between 1981-1983 and they capture the fledgling band exploring various line-up’s, styles & techniques with limited means and ability. In 1983 The Apostles released their first vinyl EP and switched mainly to a more straight-ahead anarcho-punk style. They gained a strong following then called it a day in 1989. Their vinyl output is still regarded highly by fans and collectors and their ‘official’ demo tapes have become highly sought-after, particularly since being namechecked by Ty Segall in a 2014 interview. In a 2009 article charting the band’s history (frontman) Andy Martin gives these early tapes a mere footnote and states that, in his opinion, they are ‘Best Forgotten’. With respect Andy, I beg to differ. Best Forgotten shows the band grappling with the political, racial and cultural tensions of the time whilst exploring radical politics and issues around homosexuality and mental health. Their sympathies with The Angry Brigade’s ‘direct action’ ethos extended to their involvement with the squatted Centro Iberico and The Wapping Autonomy Centre where they worked closely with Crass, Poison Girls, Flux of Pink Indians and The Mob among others. Viewed retrospectively, it’s easy to draw comparisons with early Fall records, The Door and The Window etc… but also at their melodic best they echo 60’s beat groups and even 70’s blues-rock. A keen interest in tape collage (supplied here by Ian Rawes who later became established with his London Sound Survey project) and the avant garde also inform the mix. Highlights include a bleak reworking of Lemon Kittens’ Chalet D’Amour and a live version of Simon & Garfunkel's I Am A Rock segueing into their take on Alternative TV’s Splitting In Two recorded at The Recession Club in Ponsford Street, Hackney. The short-lived Recession Club, which The Apostles co-ran and where Andy Martin worked the door, also hosted the first ever Coil concert. On that night he refused entry to Death In June on account of their ‘inappropriate attire’. Best Forgotten comes in a hand stamped, stickered and assembled edition of 500 copies and includes an A3 poster and 32 page A4 zine collecting archival photos and images from The Apostles tapes & zines along with liner notes and reflections on the tracks written by Steve Underwood (Harbinger Sound), Chris Low (former Apostles drummer) and The Apostles frontman Andy Martin, who thought this whole thing was daft.

Known for creating the soundtrack of a generation, legendary singer/songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member JOHN FOGERTY celebrates 25 years of BLUE MOON SWAMP. As co-founder of Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), the group’s chief musical architect, and as a solo artist, Fogerty’s works rank as some of the most influential in American music history. Originally released May 20, 1997, BLUE MOON SWAMP won Best Rock Album at the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998, with the song “Blueboy” receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance that same year. BLUE MOON SWAMP would go on to receive gold certification by the RIAA. The 25th anniversary release features revised cover art from the 2018 edition, showcasing the famed concert backdrop from the album’s original supporting tour. The album features contributions from Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Howie Epstein of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Donald “Duck” Dunn of Stax Records-fame. With a career spanning more than 50 years, JOHN FOGERTY is hailed as one of the most influential musicians in rock history. As the writer, singer and producer of numerous classic hits including “Born on the Bayou,” “Green River,” “Proud Mary” and “Bad Moon Rising,” Fogerty has been honored as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists, 100 Greatest Songwriters, and 100 Greatest Singers by Rolling Stone. Earning induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Baseball Hall of Fame, he is also a New York Times bestselling author for his memoir, Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music.

Following the triumphant, epic Are the Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings album released in early 2021, The Besnard Lakes have announced the release to an accompanying EP – The Besnard Lakes are the Prayers for the Death of Fame.

The majority of the music found on …Death of Fame were recorded in some form at the same time as their 2021 double album, but have since been either re-recorded, edited, extrapolated, and straight-up psyched out. Going even further into their drone rock influences (think Pure Phase-era Spiritualized and the mellower moments White Hills’ catalogue) the band emerge as a progressive and experimental group not afraid to take things out beyond the 15 minute mark (Silver Shadows).

A band who are getting close to their 20 year mark continue to explore, surprise and excite us – it’s a trip, and we’re all on board.

Fronted by brothers Peter O'Doherty and Reg Mombassa, Dog Trumpet have been playing, writing and recording their
music since the early 90s. Reg and Pete were founding members of iconic Australian band Mental As Anything, who hit
the charts around the world with “Live It Up”. The band made a mark with their left field mix of music, art, video and
humour and leading eventually to ARIA awards and induction into the Hall of Fame in 2009.
• Recorded and produced by Peter at home in his 'South Road' studio, the brothers have created an inventive and original
body of work distinguished by an eccentric and offbeat harmonic warmth and melodic drive propelled by Reg's distinctive
slide guitar and Peter's elegant acoustic guitar and mandolin. Their poetic, yet at times absurdist lyrics are set against a
sonic backdrop that could loosely be described as a meld of rock and roll, psychedelic folk, country and semi-abstract
blues.
• “Shadowland” is the duo’s brand new album, recorded earlier this year, with the guys playing all the instruments
themselves. Amidst a group of songs with all sorts of subject matter (including the sheep of New Zealand, and Nina Simone)
is the very direct “F***ing Idiots”, about the human race and its continuing desire to wage wars.
• The inner sleeve features all the lyrics and wonderful paintings by both Reg and Peter.

"Switch Records was started by myself alongside Bill Campbell in the early eighties", says Aaron Harry - a library music producer who began using Lansdowne Studios in Holland Park for his productions on the renowned Bruton Music label. The studios had been operating there since the late 1950s, becoming the breeding ground for some key & early UK jazz and pop records (owner Adrian Kerridge teamed up with Joe Meek to lay down the first recordings there in 1958). It was here that Harry and engineer Chris Dibble started to work together as a regular team. After spending some time at the studio observing them in acton, Kerridge and (Burton MD) Robin Phillps "recognised what a good team Chris and I had become. So, it was inevitable that I would also make pop music alongside Production Library Music."

The output of the relatively obscure Switch label is the result of this work, and Freestyle has licensed 3 of the most hard to come by 12"s as part of their series of rare & foundation UK funk & soul records. This one, Steppin' Out on the Groove was written by the late Tony Jackson, "a renowned session singer/musician that I had worked with on numerous occasions" says Harry, and also a key brit-funk figure who formed part of a string of UK groups throughout the 70s and early 80s (Sweet Dreams, Midnight, Ritz & Indigo) and later went on to be successful as lead singer in Rage. He died in 2001. Backed up with a killer instrumental that really lets the solid production shine, this one is an essential in any DJ or collector's bag.

Strut continue their work from the archives of Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids with a first ever vinyl release of Ackamoor's debut avant-garde / Afro-jazz recordings from 1971 with The Collective, based out of Yellow Springs, Ohio.

The group was formed after Ackamoor had returned to Antioch from a spell in L.A. under the wing of influential saxophonist Charles Tyler. Pianist Lester Knibbs had been appointed to the Antioch college music department as an assistant professor and had followed a similar path to avant-garde pioneer, Cecil Taylor. "They both came from the classical tradition," explains Ackamoor, "but also understood jazz and avant-garde improvisation." Ackamoor and Knibbs started as a duet before Ackamoor met three musicians from Wright-Patterson Air Force base near Dayton. Ackamoor continues, "They would come to Yellow Springs because they could find marijuana there. They were called 'the three Steves': Steve Maniscoso, an Italian, Steve Rumboat, a white American and Oakland Steve, a black musician playing flute. Oakland Steve left the air force and then Margaux Simmons arrived - that is the quintet featured on these recordings. You also hear a vocalist called Peggy Pettitt, another Antioch student who became quite famous in movies; she starred in the film Black Girl soon afterwards in 1972.

This concert is the only professional recording of The Collective from a performance at Kelly Hall in August 1971. "After this, I think the Steves went back to Wright-Patterson," continues Ackamoor, "and The Collective just naturally evolved and transitioned

This extraordinary NYC trio combines free jazz and post-punk with pointed commentary about issues of race, gender, the pandemic, and political autonomy.

Rose Tang, a Mongol from Sichuan, sings/recites and plays guitar, piano, and percussion. Tenor saxophonist Ayumi Ishito, from Japan, plays in a plethora of bands along the jazz/rock spectrum. Drummer, composer, and educator Wen-Ting Wu, from Taiwan, combines jazz drive and classical rigor.

The group came together to play one song at an event. ESP-Disk’, already familiar with the separate work on the NYC scene of all three members, immediately invited them to make an album. After intensive rehearsals, the members recorded the album in a one-day session, then reunited during the pandemic to add words about its effect to an existing instrumental on “8 Steps/7 O’Clock.” This album is simultaneously part of ESP-Disk's Drive To Revive Weird Rock and an extension of the label's famed free-jazz legacy.

Sababa 5 finally deliver their long-promised, and self-titled album of original instrumentals, built around the band"s distinct mix of Middle Eastern psych, funk and disco groove. Across these eight songs, the group blends the Afro disco, reggae, jazz, funk and a plethora of Middle Eastern traditions, whilst traveling time and space, drawing a musical, cultural and geographical line from Somalia to Iran, via Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt and Turkey, from the late 70s & early 80s to today. Thus Sababa 5 create a unique psychedelic groove that builds on the approach that the likes of the Daptones have taken to working independently, writing, producing and recording original music, with their own modern take on 70s soul and funk.

A+ record ... My first reaction was "since when is Tamil making dance music, what can't he bloody do", I'm so here for it. ‘Robert Street’ and ‘Burning So Hot’ are simply future classics IMO.’ - CC:DISCO!

Born in the heartland of Melbourne suburb Fitzroy, Steady Weather (comprised of scene stalwarts Ben Grayson and Tamil Rogeon) bring to light organic dance music from Melbourne’s rich neo-soul and jazz community. With a lineage that leads directly to the founding of groups like Australian funk royalty The Bamboos and orchestral beat music pioneers The Raah Project, Rogeon and Grayson not only bring that heritage to their music, they bring a philosophy of raw emotion and soulfulness to their productions. Tamil also plays strings for Harvey Sutherland’s Bermuda, with the group’s musical DNA echoing in Steady Weather’s productions.

Tape

Subterranean hip hop group Grand Mantis is a collaborative effort by lyricist/Producer Yikes The Zero, vocal baritone Osevere, DJ Skipmode, and guitarist Thaddeus Cole-Pepper. Dark distorted psychedelic strings, turntable wizardry, and sinister flows woven by two very distinct wordsmiths. The debut album "Fangs" lies somewhere in between a vivid hypnotic soundscape and a loud rebellious unapologetic warning of things to come.

With Canne à sucre, the Parisian Hip-Hop/beats producer delivers his 5th album. This new project maintains a strong presence in Hip-Hop while being inspired by traditional Caribbean music such as Gwoka and Bèlè.

As Valet started his musical career in 2007 with his group Electric Conversation. As a solo artist, he has worked with japanese imprint Moamoo and released electronica / deep-house record for London based Futuristica Music imprint. After A.k.w.a and Inner Journey, Canne à sucre marks the 3rd collaboration between As Valet and a night on canopy.

With each new release, As Valet offers us a new experience, drawing both from its Caribbean roots and personal influences, forming its own golden triangle : New York, LA, Fort-de-France.

"Palomino" ist das mit Spannung erwartete neue Album von First Aid Kit, dem von der Kritik gefeierten schwedischen Folk-Duo, bestehend aus den Singer-Songwriterinnen und Schwestern Johanna und Klara Soderberg. Der erste Track des Albums, "Angel", wurde bereits vor der Ankündigung des Albums veröffentlicht. "Palomino" ist ihr 5. Studioalbum, bestehend aus 11 Songs und vom Schweden Daniel Bengtson produziert. « Palomino » est le cinquième album du groupe suédois First Aid Kit. Écrit et enregistré dans leur pays d'origine, la Suède, « Palomino » a été créé pendant cette période sombre de pandémie mondiale, mais s'avère être l'album le plus pop de First Aid Kit à ce jour. Composé de 11 titres, il a été produit par Daniel Bengtson. «C'est le premier album que nous enregistrons en Suède depuis notre premier album « The Big Black & The Blue » il y a 12 ans ! Nous avons travaillé avec le producteur suédois Daniel Bengtson dans son charmant studio Rymden à Stockholm. C'était une expérience super amusante. Nous nous sommes vraiment laissé le temps d'enregistrer, nous ne voulions pas nous précipiter. Les morceaux ont été principalement écrits pendant la pandémie. Durant cette période compliquée, la musique était synonyme d'évasion, une bouffée d'air face à ce qu'il se passait dans le monde. Nous voulions que cet album soit plus optimiste et joyeux que notre album précédent, « Ruins », qui était un album de rupture. Ce nouveau projet est probablement notre album le plus pop à ce jour. Nous avons trouvé de l'inspiration partout - auprès de groupes tels que Fleetwood Mac, Carole King, Tom Petty, T Rex, Elton John, mais aussi Angel Olsen, Whitney et Big Thief.''

Paving the way for independent artists with songs about love, loss and life, Low Island release their highly anticipated sophomore album, Life In Miniature, promising more ‘delicious alt pop’ (Clash) as the group follow in the footsteps of fellow ‘Oxford bands Glass Animals, Radiohead and Foals’ (Rolling Stone Germany).

It comes fresh off the back of their debut album, If You Could Have It All Again, which placed #17 in the Official UK Album Sales Chart and won them plaudits from Gigwise (‘truly engrossing’), Line of Best Fit (‘arena ready’), Double J, KCRW, Radio1, 6music and Zane Lowe, who described the bands ‘intellectual, soulful creativity.’ Their second album, Life In Miniature, sees Low Island continue to broaden the scope of their ambition, with a record that exquisitely balances stirring electronics, euphoric indie and infectious pop. It’s a record described by the band as a ‘timecapsule, a sonic photo album that captures three years of accelerated change that felt like a lifetime. Leaving home, falling in love, losing loved ones, trying to capture full complexity of emotion that all of those experiences engender.’

Setting that heartfelt lyricism against such a diverse range of sonic backdrops is something that Low Island have been devotedly fine-tuning over the years, firmly rooted in an independence that extends to everything from managing themselves and releasing their music on their own label, Emotional Interference. Its lead to an electrifying live show, which has seen them play festivals from Glastonbury to Lollapalooza Berlin, support synthpop legends Hot Chip and pack out their own shows everywhere from London to Berlin, Prague and Paris, prompting 6music’s Tom Robinson to prophesise that ‘we’ll have them rocking the Pyramid Stage yet, mark my words’.

Emotional Rescue finally gets around to reissuing some House music with the start of a 3 x 12 series from Miami's Dancefloor Records. Covering House and Freestyle, this is music as worthy as any other explored to date.Founded by British ex-pat Jeffery Collins in 1983, Dancefloor Records was the culmination of a music industry journeyman's long career from swinging sixties London to bohemian seventies NYC before relocating to the sunnier climbs of Miami.Taking in the City's unique mix of American, Latin and Caribbean sounds, Dancefloors early success came via a long association with reggae turned disco star King Sporty. While his legacy will be looked at in future, this series concentrates on Dancefloor's shift to the growing club sounds emanating from Chicago and NYC.First is the little is known Eighth Ray. As often the case, a project by a group of musician friends who went on to release under various pseudonyms. From the opening spoken word intro of Axis Of Love, the spaced-out 4/4 and spiritual, pulsing arps, this could be mistaken for the then in-vogue 'Italian House'. With Rimini in its sights, the vocals are the journey, underpinned by simple, up'n'back bass and Mateo and Matos style keys, pure 6am sunrise. Backed with the deeper 8th Ray, the EP eschews the bumpin' House then coming from NYC and looks to the sound system vibes out across the Atlantic. Deep House before the term had grabbed hold, been twisted and contorted and donned head-to-toe in black. Simply, real House music.

Library Music: Volume One is a sixteen track double LP collecting the North London drone pop band’s 7” singles, one-offs and compilation tracks spanning the first 14 years of the group’s existence. It includes synth pop, indie fuzz and moody motorik workouts, alongside pastoral folk sketches, dubby electronics and the occasional drone experiment. More immediate than their stretched out and slow-burning recent album tracks, the music here is taken from limited vinyl releases, album bonus tracks and music for compilations on labels as diverse as Bezirk Tapes, Second Language, Modern Aviation, and Concrete Tapes as well as the band’s current home, Where It’s At Is Where You Are. The compilation is a happily cohesive document of an inventive band that rarely stand still for long. The band says, “We wanted to gather all our early, scattered work before we move on to our next album, to remind ourselves (and others) of some of the poppier and less characteristic things we’ve done. We’ve always felt a lot more relaxed and freer making one off things for people – it’s a chance to try things that might otherwise be daunting on a full record”. Always a prolific group this is by no means an exhaustive collection, the title giving a clue to how much more they have left to share. “We have been introduced to loads of bands that we love initially through non-album compilations – Broadcast, The Chills, Stereolab, Piano Magic, Flying Saucer Attack amongst others – we wanted to add our own to that (admittedly slightly daunting) lineage.” The Leaf Library are formed around the core group of singer Kate Gibson, former Saloon and Singing Adams guitarist Matt Ashton, guitarist SJ Nelson, drummer Lewis Young and bass player Gareth Jones. They have released three studio albums (Daylight Versions, About Minerals and The World Is A Bell) as well a number of electronic and experimental albums and EPs, remix compilations and long form tracks. They have also released five Monument CDRs; an on-going series of experimental solo and side projects on their Objects Forever imprint. The band have collaborated with musicians as diverse as Alasdair MacLean of The Clientele, singer Ed Dowie, noise group Far Rainbow and string collective Iskra Strings, and have provided music for a number of exhibitions, films and performances. A collaborative album with Japanese artist Teruyuki Kurihara is due in late 2022 on the Mille Plateaux label. Tracklisting: 01 Agnes In The Square 02 Goodbye Four Walls 03 City In Reverse 04 Walking Backwards 05 Soundings 06 Diagram Loop 07 The Greater Good 08 Losing Places (ISAN Remix) 09 A Stone In Water 10 Architect Of The Moon 11 Tired Ghost 12 The Still Point 13 Wave Of Translation 14 Badminton House 15 Tranquility Bass 16 A Gap In The Trees

Leatherette are, by their own description, “five shy guys who sometimes get off the stage and punch people,” a quintet whose car-crash of jagged noise, twisted love and dark, anguished melody has delivered a remarkable – and eminently combustible – debut album. The group are based in Bologna, but all hail from different towns in Italy. These five young men – singer/guitarist Michele, bassist Marco, drummer Francesco, guitarist Andrea and saxophonist Jacopo – are united by a profound need to make music, to express themselves naturally and honestly. The group bonded over wildly differing influences – everything from midwestern emo gods American Football, to Berlin-era Bowie, to James Chance & The Contortions, to rap and electronic music – to create a dense, passionate, articulate sound of their own. You can file them near fiery post-punk kindreds like Shame and Squid, or unhinged 90s noisers like Unwound or Hoover, or squalling No Wavers like James Chance, but the truth is there are few bands like Leatherette that walk this Earth. Their first full-length, Fiesta follows an EP, Mixed Waste, recorded during lockdown. The songs on Fiesta precede the Covid era, though the group spent the pandemic rewriting and overhauling their maiden batch of songs at leisure. The result is an astonishing and remarkable debut: poetic, caterwauling, broken and beautiful. The album title is “a reference to the bullfights in Pamplona,” the group say. It’s no empty metaphor. “Bullfight is a strange ritual,” they elaborate. “And we’re against bullfights, but they’re fascinating in an iconographic way. And also metaphorically, violence flows on both sides, but in a feastful way. It’s similar to a concert, really – you’re expressing violent things, in a physical way. And people react to that, which is wonderful, which is fantastic.”

The Vee-Gees (previously known as the Versatile Gents) were from Greensboro, N.C. The versalite Gents started the Group in 1967 originally as "the African Americans" performed at a talent show at Gillespie Park School, Geensboro, North Carolina. Soon After Virginia Massey a Senior Music Major at A&T joined the group and the name was changed to Gin And The Gents. After one year Massey left the Band and their name was changed to The Versatile Gents. They reformed and called themselves the Vee Gees in the early 70’s. The Members are Robert Evans (Vince Evans of the NFL's brother), Nathaniel Herring, Anthony Quick, CC Stewart, Cecil Young.In their band. Carlton Morales that wrote "Vallotte" and played with Julian Lennon on guitar. Kevan Tynes on drums. Walter Carlton on bass. They recored a beautiful sweet soul side call It’s hard to say so long on Jump in 1973. They came back to the studio in 1974 and cut the incredible Talkin on Jump off records. Vee Gees Talkin is the ultimate crossover tune, Spun by some of the best deejays in the world in the last 3 decades including Arthur Fenn, Keith Money, Andy Burns, Buey, Andy Dawes, Alexander Dimitriades Bentley, Jens Chreisti, Steven Clancy and many others. We’re sure you will be singing all day “Hey brother, brother, just had a talk with the man yesterday.. what did he saaaaaay? “

Originally released in 1965 and unavailable on vinyl since 1967, Frost and
Fire, A Calendar Of Ritual and Magical Songs,was the debut album from
the then new group on the folk scene
Originally from Hull, two sisters, Norma and Elaine (or 'Lal'), their brother, Mike
and cousin, John Harrison, had been singing family songs all their lives and as a
new folk group had been attracting attention for their powerful and exciting
performances. They were taken into the studio by Bill Leader to record an album
for Topic Records and what came out of the sessions was incredible. Frost and
Fire was essentially a concept album, the songs following the passage of the
year. It's effect was seismic, standing the folk scene on it's head and influencing
not just folkies but the ever growing and eclectic rock scene as well, particularly
Traffic whose magnificent "John Barleycorn Must Die" came directly from Frost
and Fire.
Sympathetically and carefully re- mastered from the original master and cut at
45rpm for optimal quality, the resulting sound on this new release of Frost and
Fire is nothing short of a revelation. Belying it's years, the power and sonority of
he voices hits the listener just as hard now as it did in 1965.
Ground Zero for anyone discovering English folk song and culture" - Tradfolk.co

San Francisco-based R&B / Funk / Rock group SASS was formed in 1974 by lead singer Fred Ross and producer, guitarist, vocalist Andy “Andro” Ernst. During the mid 70s SASS recorded three now rare demo singles released on San Francisco’s INS label. The group performed live alongside well-known artists such as Lionel Ritchie & The Commodores, Esther Philips, The Main Ingredient, Brass Construction and Tower Of Power. In 1976 SASS got signed to 20th Century Records which released remixed versions of their demo songs “I Only Wanted To Love You” and “Do It” on a 45. A full-length album was later recorded in 1977 but none of these songs ever saw the light of day...until now. The unreleased tracks featured on this present issue were the last songs recorded by the band for their major label album project that was unfortunately abandoned. Transferred directly from the only existing 2 track master tape of the sessions, these never before heard songs can now be listened to in their full glory. At long last, High Jazz Records is happy to present the complete recordings from SASS.

Repressed finally. Sometimes a single is released that reaches such dizzying heights of success that it becomes a pinnacle of the decade they're indelibly tied to. "Groove Is In The Heart" by dance-house trio Deee-Lite is one such single. The infectiously quirky, and eminently danceable track is prominently based around samples of "Bring Down The Birds" by Herbie Hancock, and "Get Up" by Vernon Burch, among many others, (Courtesy of dual producers DJs Dmitry and Towa Tei) paired with top-tier guest contributions from JB's veterans Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, background vocals from Parliament-Funkadelic's own Bootsy Collins, and even a guest rap from Q-Tip, not to mention frontwoman Lady Miss Kier's own siren-like vocals. All disparate and disconnected elements, but ones that would come together to form dancehall greatness, and chart-topping success worldwide for Deee-Lite. "Groove Is In The Heart" managed to reach #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but excelled at its best on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it reached to the #1 spot. On top of its success in America it was a smash internationally, climbing the heights of the charts in the UK, Canada, Australia, and a variety of other countries. It remained in heavy rotation for much of 1990 on MTV as well. As the decades went on, "Groove Is In The Heart" would be ranked among the greatest dance tracks of all time, as well as one of the greatest songs of the 1990s by VH1, Pitchfork, Buzzfeed, and many more. "Groove Is In The Heart" was a potent single for Deee-Lite to lead with, but the album bearing it was nothing to slouch at either. The group's debut record, 1990's World Clique was released to major commercial and critical success, owing just as much to its addictive hybrid of seductive retro aesthetics, modern dancefloor flair, and esoteric, socially conscious messaging, on the back of celebratory club staples like "Power Of Love", "Good Beat", "E.S.P.", and of course "Groove Is In The Heart." World Clique would reach top 20 charts in the US, UK, and Canada in sales, as well as earn rave reviews from NME, Chicago Sun-Times, Rolling Stone, and Slant Magazine, who called it an "essential pop album." A1. Good Beat A2. Power Of Love A3. Try Me On…I’m Very You A4. Smile On A5. What Is Love? B1. World Clique B2. E.S.P. B3. Groove Is In The Heart B4. Who Was That? B5. Deep Ending

Promise & Illusion is the first LP from Ecka Mordecai, following the release of her solo Critique + Prosper on Takuroku in 2020. Cello, voice, horsehair harp, violin and field recordings combine to spin narrative melody, rich intimacy and melancholic landscapes. Composed around an exploration of la charnière (from the French ‘hinge’), Promise & Illusion begins with the sound of footsteps and a door opening and closing repeatedly, unsure whether to let us into the mysterious interior beyond. We are reminded of the house of Penny Slinger in An Exorcism, an abandoned mansion of gothic hallways and inky corridors. “woe are we” twists violin and voice together into the sort of tension and high drama heard in “The Executioner” - Henning Christiansen’s soundtracks made for the films of his partner Ursula Reuter Christiansen in the 1970’s. Then things begin to soften, almost despite themselves. Distortion on ‘a unit has no unity’ can’t quite smother a rising tune on warped harp. The cello on ‘indigos’ - its voice pizzicato with a velvety sustain - brings comfort and clarity. Mordecai hums a line, feeling out the edges of a song in an intimate release of tension. We are across the threshold - into a romantic sort of nocturnal gloom that feels somewhat out of place in London’s experimental music scene. Trained on viola da gamba as part of a renaissance youth group in the historic midland town of Stafford, Mordecai went on to study performance art in Brighton, later graduating in sound art in London. She performed with David Toop and Rie Nakajima as part of Allan Kaprow’s Yard at the Hepworth Gallery, as well as performing scores by Yoko Ono and George Brecht solo at White Cube Gallery as part of Christian Marclay’s Liquids exhibition. Later, various moves across the north of England found her working with Andrew Chalk and Tom James Scott (forming the trio CIRCÆA), Miles Whittaker (of Demdike Stare) and performing alongside free improvisers. A myriad of influences have crossed her path, her work slowly taking shape across music concrète, improvisation and performance art. A more recent recording with Valerio Tricoli as ‘Mordecoli’ made during the development of Promise & Illusion found its final form as a cassette - a collage of sustained tones, ominous atmospheres and brief 4th wall dissolving vocal interaction. With both CIRCÆA and Mordecoli, Mordecai deals with landscapes - playing with the imaginary over the real and using improvisation as a useful way to dream. On Promise & Illusion, Mordecai sharpens her focus and pivots toward the interior over the exterior - the landscape becoming a personal, psychological one - both comforting and strange. Tracks 4, 5, 7 & 10 recorded and mixed by Adam Matschulat in December 2020. All others recorded and mixed by Ecka Mordecai. Mastered by Shaun Crook at Lockdown Studios, London. Artwork by Ecka Mordecai. Layout by Zofia Sobota.

Track list: 1 la charnière I 2 woe are we 3 a unit has no unity 4 indigos 5 study of a flame 6 la charnière II 7 promise & illusion 8 hush now you say 9 tempera 10 mistakes & continue

The Trashmen's defining moment, 1963's "Surfin' Bird," is perhaps the
ultimate lightning-in-a-bottle record
Their first true studio recording, it captures the group's interminable energy and
mastery of live performance. But it also is the culmination of spirit and
experiment that turned it into something new and, from the perspective of 50
years, unique.
This collection shows them to be variously a first- rate surf band, a great
protopunk outfit, solid rockers with the raw essence of the earliest originators of
the sound, and adept enough to work in some comedy and country. This scope of
ability and interest is probably the true basis of the band's following now. But
"Surfin' Bird" has more tenacity than other bands' entire better- performing
catalogs, and with it, the Trashmen created a work that is arguably today the
most relevant release from that storied decade.

First vinyl single off the debut album from La Pambelé!

Bogotá's La Pambelé steps into the ring for their debut release on Names You Can Trust, and with it, they've joined a storied history in Colombia's prized salsa tradition. This new generation of talented musicians have come out for the 1st round with fire, grit and determination. Brass, keys, percussion and lyrics blast at you from all angles, evocative of the way the orchestra's namesake, the legendary Palenque boxer, used his flashing fists within the squared circle.

Featuring a full album of original compositions that have been faithfully recorded and mixed under the guidance of Mario Galeano Toro (Frente Cumbiero) and Daniel Michel at Mambo Negro Records, the approach is a return to the roots of salsa dura that continues to thrive in Colombia's deep musical training grounds. The promising future of the genre shines in the capable hands of La Pambelé and its players, and this introduction is sure to help vault the group from up-and-comer to title contender status.

Presto from San Diego has consistently stayed true to his soul and jazz-inflected formula of ethereal beats over the years. Presto's first record, the self-pressed EP "Breakin' Concrete", came in 2000 and featured the underground cut "Relax Your Mind," which DJ Mark Farina grabbed for his mix CD "Mushroom Jazz 3" (2001). More interest in the record resulted in the launch of his record label, Concrete Grooves and subsequent releases for Bastard Jazz, Miclife Japan and Names You Can Trust.

Presto resurfaced recently from the beat lab with a new unreleased 10-track instrumental album - "Basement Beats". This album was recorded in 2020 while living in New York. He wanted to give listeners a view into his daily commute in pre-pandemic NYC from the early 5am walks to Union Square to his daily E Train commute to Times Square. Two tracks from this album are presented here for Mukatsuku Records in a limited edition pressing of 400 only copies . "Official" stands out as a gritty drum loop which provides a bed for a melodic sample that sings as a soulful synth melody is played on the chorus by his daughter. "Floating" provides a smooth backdrop with programmed drums as Presto plays the wah-infused Rhodes piano along with Avatar on the bass guitar, giving a nod to their previous live fusion group Wayward Saints. The new release brings a dose of the old school as it travels into the future while comfortable in the present….

After Quiet Places (2020) Andreas Vollenweider has grouped his music
on his new album according to atmosphere and character: Slow Flow is a collection of pieces with a relaxed, flowing feel, while "Dancer" is full of movement and rhythm All 11 songs on "Slow Flow" and "Dancer" were created between 2010 and 2021 in collaboration with British producer Andy Wright (Eurythmics, Simply Red, Jeff Beck, Simple Minds, among many others). The two were supported in their
creative process by Vollenweider's talented circle of friends, who laid the foundation for the songs: Walter Keiser (drums), Andi Pupato (percussion), Daniel Kueffer (bass clarinet), Oliver Keller (guitars) and the young Swiss rapper and beat boxer Steff La Cheffe, a.k.a. Stefanie Peter. The music of "Dancer" also reflects Vollenweider's connection with Africa. The South African vocal harmony band Africapella and singer Ayanda Nhlangothi embody this connection. The London Session Orchestra, consisting of musicians from the Royal Symphonic
Orchestra under the direction of James McWilliam, filled out the sound.
Renowned British producer and arranger Peter Vettese is responsible for most of the orchestration. The recordings took place at Andreas' Lakeside Studios in Switzerland, as well as at SABC Studios in Johannesburg, South Africa, and finally at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. Andy Wright's long-time sound engineer Gavin Goldberg has set new sonic standards for Vollenweider's music
with his work, and is able to delight even the most discerning audiophiles with a punchy yet transparent, dynamic soundscape.

After selling millions of records, playing to countless fans, and fronting
some of the most influential rock bands in history, award-winning
songwriter and vocal dynamo Joe Lynn Turner speaks his mind as loudly
as possible on his eleventh full-length offering and Mascot Label Group
debut, 'Belly of the Beast'
This new solo album has is the heaviest music Joe Lynn Turner has ever
recorded. Joining forces with iconic producer Peter Tägtgren Hypocrisy, PAIN,
Lindemann, the New Jersey- born powerhouse conjures up the kind of heavy
metal that not only makes you throw your fist in the air, but also makes you think.
He states "It’s Good versus Evil. We’ve all got an Angel on one shoulder and a
Devil on the other. We’re in the Belly of the Beast, trapped in the System, and
there’s no way out of it."

Starting where it all began, Toca opens with the group’s number 1 hit “Toca’s Miracle”, now a bonafide Ibiza club classic. The record also features further top 10 hits “Everytime You Need Me” and “You Are Alive”, plus bonus remixes from Above & Beyond & Inpetto.

Speaking of the release, Fragma’s Ramon Zenker says: “It’s a bit surreal that this is 20 years ago - time flies. I’m still proud of this album, and happy to have it available on vinyl for the first time.”

Improvisation, composition, language and culture meet, merge and
influence each other
Under The Surface knows no boundaries. On their extraordinary third album, the
group reflects on their own background and finds their own "folk".After the
group's first two completely free-improvisation albums, Under The Surface (2017)
and Trinity(2019), both nominated for an Edison, the nextstep for Under The
Surface is a fully composed album: Miin Triuwa.
Under The Surface was formed in 2015 and since then the band has enjoyed a
great deal of international success. Drummer Joost Lijbaart recognised the
group's potential early on and organized more than 200 concerts in 25 countries
on 4 continents: from Africa to South America, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Inspired by their many travels and the cultures they encountered, the group
developed a unique improvisation language thatcombines jazz, folk, ethnic and
electronic music.
With Miin Triuwa, Under The Surface embarks on a new musical journey with
compositions by guitarist Bram Stadhouders. He wrote a suite of eightpieces in
which the characters and qualities of the band members are transcendent. The
constantly changing improvisations that are so characteristic of the band are now
captured in a powerful musical statement that showcases what the band stands
for. Instead of traveling to other worlds, in this project the group looks inward and
explores how their own roots influence their music.
Under The Surface has a common drive to find the universal essence of different
cultures. Thus, for this album the connection was made with theband's own
"forgotten" language, Old Dutch. With the help of historical linguist PeterAlexander Kerkhof and the Dutch Language Institute, Sanne Rambags carried out
research and wrote beautiful lyrics for the album in Old Dutch. This is the
language that was spoken in the Netherlands from circa 600 to 1150 CE and
sounds similar to Gaelic and Icelandic. Below is a short excerpt from Track 3,
"Fear and Trembling," from the album Miin Triuwa.

LP colour is Transparent Blue. Stu Spasm (Lubricated Goat) + Russell Simins (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) + Kate Bjelland (Babes In Toyland). One off garage-sleaze rock masterpiece. Remastered. Crunt began in 1993 as a kind of indie rock supergroup and had their 1994 debut album touted by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Crunt's members included guitarist/vocalist Stuart Gray (aka Stu Spasm) and bassist/vocalist Kat Bjelland. Gray was well-known in Australia by the start of Crunt for his past involvement in the bands Salamander Jim and the horn/guitar punk rock of Lubricated Goat, which included drummer Martin Bland who went on to play in the Monkeywrench. As for Bjelland, she was the frontwoman/guitarist for the Minnesota-based Babes in Toyland. Crunt was rounded out by drummer Russell Simins, who was the full-time sticksman for New York City's Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Each of Crunt's members were temporarily residing in Seattle when Gray conjured up the idea of starting a new group. After writing almost a dozen songs, the trio entered Seattle's Ranch studio in February of 1993 with Simins and Gray acting as the producers, and their friend John Dunleavy -- known for his work with the Supersuckers -- filling the role of engineer. A year passed before the group's self-titled album was released on February 15, 1994, on Austin, TX label Trance Syndicate, owned by Butthole Surfers' drummer King Coffey. The record was the imprint's first release from a non-Texas group. The debut of the full-length album coincided with the "Swine"/"Sexy" single on Australia's Insipid label, which was known for releasing singles by other bands such as the Cows, Urge Overkill, and the Jesus Lizard. Prior to the releases, there had been talk that the band was not going to just be a side project, but a full-time band in the same tradition as Babes in Toyland and the Blues Explosion. The trio had even planned a full-scale tour. By January of 1995, however, Crunt came to an end.

Collapso Calypso is the long-awaited third album from dreampop artist Chorusgirl. Initially planned for release in 2020, but the pandemic and a nervous breakdown brought everything to a screeching halt. It took Silvi Wersing - aka Chorusgirl - the rest of 2020 and 2021 to rebuild her life and reconsider everything, including her music and the band. She decided to relocate from London to her small hometown in Germany, to become a carer for her increasingly ill father and to take Chorusgirl back to its roots as a solo project, just like in 2014. She revisited old demos and wrote a few more songs, and steadily worked to complete the album as an anchor at a time of turmoil. With the album charting her progress back to health, she decided to call it Collapso Calypso, a riff on taking her despair for a dance. The album includes a multitude of references from music and film and features Silvi's trademark self-reflective lyrics on the themes of coming through a crisis, grief, resilience, and ultimately letting go, or the inability thereof, all set to the sounds of 60s girl groups and her favourite bands from the 80s. The release follows on from 2018 album Shimmer and Spin (Reckless Yes) and the self-titled 2015 debut (Fortuna Pop). “Chorusgirl pertain to a certain kind of cold, detached dreaminess you’d associate with a label like 4AD in its prime: their overall sound being seemingly informed by Lush’s successful hybrid of classic pop, fiery punk and shimmering soundscapes. … Yet, rather than reliving a sound there’s a sense here that Chorusgirl are more intent on reinventing it. Look no further than their debut self-titled LP for conviction.” (8/10) Line of Best Fit “Chorusgirl’s sound is distinctly London (although, more the London of the 80s than of now) but it’s also the sound of escaping London. (…) It’s the feeling of sleeping with the bedroom window open for the first time in months and waking up with a fresh wafting across your face.” Noisey “Chorusgirl explore universal themes with the catchiest of tunes, thundering rhythms, a wry sense of self and fascinating multi-meaning lyrics.” (8/10) Louder Than War “There’s no slack on the album – from the starting gate to the finish line, Chorusgirl bristle with static and nerves.” … Chorusgirl are simple, until they’re not. You might recognise the distant spirits, the razor chords, the surfy snarls. But where other bands coast on borrowed sound, Wersing bends it to her own life, creating a space that resonates with insight and empathy. Ever felt separate from the human race? Be comforted, for here is your kind.” (7/10) Drowned In Sound This is a record with teeth… one of the most impressive first albums of a year rich in strong debuts.” (5/5) NARC Magazine “Sparkling with bright rhythms and jangling pop…with hints of something shadier, bittersweet and more potent.” London In Stereo “Lovingly smudged guitars” (7/10) Loud & Quiet

Revisiting a press release for the Nightingales' last album, Four Against Fate, we recalled hesitant anticipation for the forthcoming King Rocker, a film documentary of Robert Lloyd and Nightingales, made by Michael Cumming and Stewart Lee. After forty years of activity, Robert and the band had seen hyped recordings go lost, scant commercial success. Royalties? Ha. Yet response to King Rocker was immediately positive. Fab reviews galore, a long process regaining master rights which led to a series of expanded reissues with Fire. A tour postponed three times finally took place, to fully-packed houses. It was a very good year. The band felt a degree of anxiety prior to the sessions, which took place at Valencia's Elefante Studios. With bassist Andi Schmid isolated during Covid, the band had yet begun working out individual rough sketches, typically battered into songs over a period of months. They went into a new studio blind, with a new producer, Jorge Bernabe, without rehearsals . . . and produced a top-to-bottom masterpiece. Thirty seconds in, "Sunlit Uplands", is already a classic showcasing Fliss Kitson's increased songwriting power and the core dichotomy of the groups's best songs: perverse as fuck, catchy as fuck. I � CCTV is highlighted by a fab Jim Smith astral-garage guitar riff . . . and that's a one-two punch few albums ever equal, let alone carry over to the affectionate "Frances Sokolov", Robert's ode to mentor Vi Subversa, the playground riff that underlines "Spread Yourself Out" and then "Bloody Breath", the best encapsulation of all the band's genius in developing a kind of "pop" that no other combo has ever cracked. Other highlights include the lopsided mysterious beauty of "Magical Left Foot", the courtly raver of "I Need The Money At The Time" with a wonderful motorik groove driven by bassist Andi Schmid, and the album closer, "My Sweet Friend", a rockabilly lullaby which sounds like a magical outtake from Robert's one and only solo album It's a corker, it's a marvel, it's the best Nightingales record to date. Try and deny it. Tracks: 1 Sunlight Uplands (Turn That Frown Upside Down) 2 I � CCTV 3 Frances Sokolov 4 Spread Yourself Out 5 Bloody Breath 6 Mind Of Stone 7 I Needed The Money At The Time 8 The Very Nature 9 Magical Left Foot 10 Mark Meets No Mark 11 My Sweet Friend

While she might be best known as an improviser (most notably in the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, the Feminist Improvising Group and more recently with the likes of Les Diaboliques), Maggie Nicols’ talents stretch into song, dance, poetry, performance and composition. When Cafe OTO was shut over lockdown we invited her to follow up the wonderful solo ‘Creative Contradiction’ with some time spent singing alone at the piano. ‘Are You Ready?’ comprises an LP of songs and a 2CD edition which includes a companion disk of freely improvised meditations entitled, ‘Whatever Arises.’ Songs - seemingly contradictory to the practices of free improvisation - have been a vital part in Nicols’ relationship to music. It was singing bebop with pianist Dennis Rose which nurtured and challenged Nicols, allowing her to develop her own skills and sound amongst a repertoire of standards sung in clubs and pubs. Singing alongside Julie Tippetts in Centipede showed her how heady experimentation could be woven into composition, and a more recent gig with pianist Steve Lodder played out ‘The Maggie Nicols Songbook.’ Are You Ready? recalls Nicols’ own compositions from memory, working out tunes and turning them over. New routes down old paths form in moments of improvisation and all wrong turns are played out with joyous discovery. What John Stevens dubbed Maggie's “ability to find the ‘rhythmelodic’” meets a willingness to be understood and to understand. Solo at the piano, Nicols is still firmly rooted in the collective however - “Sans Papiers” sets the words of poet Vicky Scrivener to tune; a story of migration and struggle which is as important to Nicols as the songs her mother wrote. Such an intimate recording of her own compositions came with a certain amount of reflection and anxiety - best confronted with time spent freely improvising. ‘Whatever Arises’ - a companion disk to the ‘Songs’ - is a meditation of sorts, a process of ‘following the energy’ which has its roots in John Stevens’ work. “Improvisation gives the confidence to compose,” Nicols told us in an interview about some of her archival tapes, and here the two are as important as each other. Beginning with breath and repetition, ‘Whatever Arises’ allows Nicols’ to find new voices, accompanied by the piano and over dubbings of her tap shoes on the concrete floor. Brilliantly she is able to share her moments of discovery with the listener, finding comfort in vulnerability. Whilst rooted in Stevens’ work, Nicols’ improvisational techniques also remind us of Pauline Oliveros’ Sonic Meditations. They are what has allowed Nicols to find her own sound, to ‘teach herself to fly.’ They have allowed Nicols to grow and share and to be able to keep close the songs that mean so much to her, now shared with us. Recorded at Cafe OTO on July 15th, 16th and 17th 2021 by Shaun Crook. Mixed by Shaun Crook. Mastered by Sean McCann. Artwork by Annalisa Colombara. Lettering by Rosella Garavaglia. Layout by Maja Larrson. ‘Slow Within The Urgency’ inspired by mindfulness teacher Jeff Warren. Original poem ‘Sans Papiers’ by Vicky Scrivener. Original poem ‘You Darkness’ by Rainer Maria Rilke. Music and lyrics to ‘Music Is The Healing Force of The Universe’ by Mary Maria Parks.

Throughout the last decade, Strange Ranger have been crafting seamless
indie music that feels both already classic and precisely of its time
From Daymoon's strains of the Microphones by way of the Pacific Northwest-era
indie scene to the dark elation and Cure-reminiscent stylings of Remembering the
Rockets' they've become one of the rare standouts of a crop of bands that have
managed to grow up with us. More than just a stopgap along that progression,
the new mixtape entitled No Light In Heaven holds some of the band's most
experimental and ambitious work yet. Stitched together through a series of
sessions at both a house in rural NY and Strange Ranger's home studios in both
Philadelphia and NYC (where Eiger and Woodman moved in 2021, the mixtape
possesses something both abstract and astute; the product of a band in
transition and a group of people making something effortlessly transcendental
out of their new surroundings. Heralded as unpredictable and expansive, a
thrilling document of a band with an ever- changing muse,with songs that are
packed with hooks and an abundance of feeling (Stereogum). This outpouring of
evocative emotion makes the band's more traditional song structures read like a
new breed of pop music in its purest form. From Needing You 's effervescent
euphoria to string- laden album close It's You, the record seamlessly fuses
together a multitude of genres, where the industrial punch of In Hell sits
alongside the chopped up vocals and melodic keys of Get Right Up to the Mic.
"No Light in Heaven" marks the beginning of a bold new era for the band & the
groups first release with Fire Talk.

FULL PLATE presents: the 10th Anniversary edition of the debut full-length from Qwazaar & Batsauce - pressed on wax for the 1st time ever! Originally released in 2011 on Chicago's Galapagos4 label, 'Bat Meets Blaine' features Onry Ozzborn of Dark Time Sunshine, KP of The Pacifics, Denizen Kane of Typical Cats, Offwhyte, DJ Bizkid & Lady Daisey. Initially available on CD only, this dueling 'Red Meets Black' colored vinyl edition is the proper treatment to celebrate a decade of an indie underground classic.
It was around 2010 when Qwazaar, hailing from Chicago’s celebrated rap supergroup, Typical Cats connected with the up & coming beatmaker, Batsauce - who was making noise in a rap group called The Smile Rays helmed by Paten Locke, and producing for icons such as George Clinton. The two auteurs met in Europe on tour and formed an instant chemistry, rapidly amassing a formidable catalog of music - a pair of mad scientists, working feverishly in Bat's Berlin abode. What culminated from those sessions was a collection of EPs (Style Be the King, Stress Chasers) and the capstone LP, Bat Meets Blaine - the prelude to their 2021 release, Stoned Giant.


TRACKLIST: 1. A Choice 2. I Know 3. What Love 4. Chop Em Down 5. Eye to the Sky 6. Never Weaker feat. ONRY of Dark Time Sunshine, Offwhyte & DJ Bizkid 7. Surrealism feat. Lady Daisey 8. Power 9. If it Seems Wrong 10. I'm Gone 11. A Feeling feat. KP of The Pacifics & Denizen Kane of Typical Cats 12. The Dream 13. Til it's Done 14. Thank You

Birthed from the creative and genre-bending New York DIY scene, L.O.T.I.O.N. Multinational Corporation has become one of the most exciting bands of the underground - gaining notoriety for their unique brand of industrial cyberpunk and intense live shows. Masterminded by visual artist Alexander Heir, the group has gained recognition internationally for their fiercely political lyricism and striking visual aesthetic. Blending noisy electronics with live instrumentation, the band draws inspiration from the harsh minimal electronic music of Detroit and the thrashing riffs of hardcore punk. Following their last LP World Wide W.E.B from 2019, W.A.R. In The Digital Realm delves even further into their techno-dystopian universe fusing elements of D-Beat with EBM and 90s Rave. Do You Want To Die In World War III???

An Indie-pop daydream desperate melody with true love's aim. A voice subtle in its delivery and powerful in its affect. Hooks, lyrics, melody, tears. I'd call it a teen tragedy but everyone's getting older, Hearts are getting bigger but head and heart can't ever line up. 11 tracks 45RPM. Ribbon Stage are a trio from NYC with no small amount of love for the noise pop days of Dolly Mixture and the Shop Assistants. The group does perfectly what only punks playing pop music can do–create chaotic noise in tandem with the sweetest hooks and most sophisticated nihilism. Ribbon Stage makes noise pop so catchy you swear you've heard before. Forever trapped in the space between your ears. Featuring Mari Softie (Ratas del Vaticano, Tercer Mundo, Exotica, and Pobreza Mental) as well as scene stalwart Jolie M-A (Juicy II, Boys Online) and vocalist Anni Hilator. Recorded by Hayes Waring on 1/2” 8 track tape in Olympia WA. Mixed by Capt. Tripps Ballsington. Mastered by Amy Dragon. Look for the video for singles “Playing Possum”, “Stone Heart Blue”, and “Dead End Descent” as well as a Fall West Coast tour, if touring is at all still possible in the new future. Whatever happens it is quite assuring that whatever these times may bring bands can still put out music as good as this EP. 2500 vinyl copies. “It’s an indie-pop joy ride” -SVL (Rollingstone) // Tracklist: 1. Playing Possum 2. Nothing Left 3. No Alternative 4. Nowhere Fast 5. Sulfate 6. Stone Heart Blue 7. Clock Tower 8. Hearst 9. Exaltation 10. It's Apathy 11. Dead End Descent

"It's an album that will no doubt inspire the creation of new bands and artists, a collection of songs that record store employees will recommend to unsuspecting kids looking for something out of the mainstream, and who are ready to have their minds warped." – Flood // "Medicine Singers push powwow music into the avant garde" - The Fader // The debut album by Medicine Singers is a genre-smashing kaleidoscope of sound combining traditional powwow music with elements of psychedelic punk, spiritual jazz, and electronics in a stunning blend. Building on years of collaboration between Yonatan Gat and Eastern Algonquin powwow group Eastern Medicine Singers, the album features contributions from an all-star cast including jaimie branch, Laraaji, Ikue Mori, Thor Harris (Swans), Joe Rainey, and Ryan Olson (Gayngs). "I look at it like this, everybody is my brother and sister, no matter where they come from," says Medicine Singers leader Daryl Black Eagle Jamieson. "If their culture or music is different, I want to learn about it, and I want to play with them. I think it's our responsibility as artists to show the world that life is not about war and hate. Life is about music, peace, and culture. We need to communicate with people of different cultures and backgrounds. We need to show people how we can work together and make something beautiful." One Dollar of each Medicine Singers album sale goes to the Pocasset Pocanoket Land Trust. Tracklisting: 1. A Cry 2. Daybreak 3. Hawk Song 4. Sanctuary 5. My Brother 6. Shootingstar Press 7. Sunrise (Rumble) 8. Shapeshifter 9. Sunset 10.Reprise of a Cry

Similar in concept to her earlier classic NIGHTCLUB, CLIQUE! gives Patricia and her long-time band (Jon Deitemyer, drums; Patrick Mulcahy, bass; Neal Alger, guitar; Jim Gailloreto, tenor sax) a stellar showcase for their telepathic musical communication and consummate jazz chops. Barber said of recording an all-standards album:

"The harmonic language of jazz, as well as that of the Great American Songbook, is certainly rich - look how much has come out of it - but it's circumscribed. I started wanting to hear something else."

These are relaxed, communal sessions. Her core trio ride up and down, in and out of Barber's complex, sensitive playing and singing. Their support allows her to shine brightly while digging out striking moments for their own unique contributions. The chemistry is palpable, all encompassing. This group's long-developed synergy - painstakingly curated by these musicians for years - provides both a metaphor and the perfect title for her new album.

Impex Records, Patricia Barber, and Jim Anderson invite you to experience the music, revel in the mastery, and join the Clique!

DJ X-Rated is back with a new album – Backstory! Full of feel-good funk & Hip Hop swagger with dusty, gritty vintage production, Backstory is everything you need right now.
Think funky, flowing vocals, warm heavy drums, funky melodies, and fat basslines. The style is progressive instrumental Hip Hop like DJ Shadow, Jurassic Five & 90’s Boom Bap! What makes “Backstory” different is the unique production style of DJ X-Rated. Set across 15 tracks, Backstory is a journey deep into the soul of DJ X-Rated & his incredible collective group of artists.

Nashville-based instrumental rock combo Los Straitjackets have been
proving for years that rock & roll is a truly universal language by doing
away with vocals, but for this album the masked guitar manglers have
decided to focus on a more specific tongue - namely Spanish
For Rock en Español, Vol. 1, Los Straitjackets have recruited three talented friends
to perform a set of rock & roll classics in Spanish -- Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos,
Big Sandy of retro-country kings Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, and Little Willie G.,
lead singer with legendary East L.A. soul-rockers Thee Midnighters. While most
folks will be familiar with these tunes in their English-language originals, many of
the versions that appear on this album were taken from Spanish rewrites
recorded in the '60s by Mexican teen groups such as Los Teen Tops, Los Locos
del Ritmo and Los Rebeldes del Rock. This 15th anniversary edition LP is the first
ever reissue of Los Straitjackets' 2007 classic album and is pressed on purple
vinyl.