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'I Choose You' 3 Winans Brothers Feat. Karen Clark Sheard remixed By Louie Vega is the very reason house music is known around the world as A SPIRITUAL THING! House and Gospel have shared a dance floor from the very start thanks to pioneers like Louie Vega who harness the joy and inspiration of Gospel with the motivational energy of House. Never was this more evident than in the 1st project Louie Vega and 3 Winans Brothers Featuring The Clark Sisters came together for in 2015, DANCE which was a world renowned sensation and the catalyst for 'I Choose You'.

'I Choose You' is the result of a combined 20+Grammy Award Winning artists THE WINANS BROTHERS & KAREN CLARK including our very own Louie Vega's Grammy win bringing forth music that not only stands out but is an undeniably exceptional sound that will undoubtedly reaching past the top of the charts to blaze a path for music that celebrates being thankful for the life we are given! The 3 Winans Brothers, Bebe, Marvin and Carvin, have come together yet again with their love for writing, singing, and performing music with 'I Choose You'. Karen Clark Sheard having laid down new vocals produced by Bebe Winans himself coupled with the additional Winans soulful vocals completely enhance the reaffirming message 'I CHOOSE YOU... the POWER of HIS Love, I could NEVER deny it'.

Louie Vega has once again delivered the ultimate composition and arrangements to complement the beauty that lives in the message of 'I Choose You' and brilliantly elevates the powerful voices of the Winans and Karen Clark Sheard that bring that very deep sentiment of hope and light forward. For music with a message as enlightened as the one in 'I Choose You' Louie enlisted Axel Tosca of Elements of Life band, the Cuban born pianist with an intense passion to bring any keyboard to life who transfers that energy into this exceptional piece. Every single harmony, each key, all seamlessly aligned with in various mixes with engineer Yas Inoue of Vega Records on the boards so that 'I Choose You' can be enjoyed by those looking to fuel packed dance floor or their own individual playlists. The icing on the cake are the new vocals by Karen Clark Sheard, where she is testifying and ad-libbing powerful messages to the world! 'I Choose You' 3 Winans Brothers Feat. Karen Clark Sheard remixed by Louie Vega drop at all vinyl outlets ....AND be on the look out for future performance dates in your country and city.... this message is going world wide!

Following the success of his ‘Love Dub So’ EP, Nick Barber’s Doof project returns to Mysticisms, delving back to his earliest recordings of his ground-breaking Trance project, presenting tracks from his previously cassette only release ‘The Love Mixes’.

A youth that had captured the psychedelia of Pink Floyd, Gong, Hawkwind and on to Psychic TV, as a self-taught guitarist, his first trip to India and Thailand in 1989 and witnessing the early electronic dance music at the Full Moon parties, had seemed rudimentary in nature compared to musicality of psychedelic rock.

Returning to England, the electronic / rock crossover of The Shamen’s ‘Progeny’ parties – featuring DJs like Paul Oakenfold and Mixmaster Morris with the live acts of Orbital and Ramjac Corporation – offered something new that turned his head, before finally finding his crew in the legendary squat / underground Pagan parties. There, residents Lol and Yaz first played the new electronic Trance sound, introducing Barber to the music of Eye-Q, Dance To Trance and the hugely influential Pete Namlook.

Recorded between 1990 – 1991, while living in Cambridge to study Philosophy, these are the first versions of tracks that formed the basis of his debut EP on Novamute, in 1993. Working with minimal equipment – an Akai sampler, Roland monosynth, Yamaha delay pedal, all sequenced on an Atari black and white PC and single MIDI output and then recorded straight to an 8-track Tascam cassette multitrack – the exuberance and rawness of the music are full of the excitement and naivety of youth.

Never intended for public release or initially even as a demo, Barber would play the music off the Tascam multitrack for friends at after parties. Dubbing a handful of cassettes himself and personally drawing the covers, around a dozen cassettes were handed out to mates. Eventually one copy found its way to Mute Records, who were looking to launch their dance offshoot, Novamute. Re-edited mixes of Gift Of The Gods and The Nagual appeared on his debut EP and history was made, before Doof went on to release for luminaries like TIP Records and Dragonfly and a career touring the globe was launched.

Remastered from the original tapes, this EP offers a snapshot of that time, the energy and joy of these early recordings is clear and overwhelming. Where Ambient, House and Techno met the birth of electronic Trance that truly stand up some 30 years later as originals then and now.

Trance The Mystery.

Exclusive vinyl with the singles released by the Watford post-punk band between 1981 and 1983.

"Before I began to write this piece I listened to some of the tracks and I admit there was a small tear or two as I remembered… Pet Sounds Studios, an 8 track reel to reel studio in a basement under a pet shop in Kennington, South London, our first studio experience as fresh faced 20 year olds. Surrey Sounds, a studio above a milk depot where Siouxsie and The Banshees had recorded singles, we got some studio time through the night when The Professionals (ex Sex Pistols) weren’t recording. Silo Studio in Hammersmith, the engineer was stoned, I smoked at least three packets of cigarettes during the session and having arrived at the studio with a song we believed in, we came out disillusioned and slightly underwhelmed; maybe greatness wasn’t destined to descend upon us at that stage of our career. Spaceward in Cambridgeshire, an old school building turned into a professional recording studio, where we recorded our first album Epic Garden Music over a weekend working through the night with about an hour of sleep. We returned there to record our second album, Feeding The Flame which took two months rather than two days. But my moist eyes are not for the broken dreams, the incredible highs or even the camaraderie with fellow band members, all of whom I may add we are still in touch with. My slight sadness is for my lost youth and the courageous optimism of those early days so viscerally evoked by this collection of songs. The glory of the world fades but in reality Sad Lovers & Giants goes from strength to strength, albeit in a very understated English way mainly because that’s the way we like it. So enjoy these songs which were created with passion and energy over forty years ago but still remain vivid and exciting to a new generation of listeners today." From Garce/Simon Allard's exclusive liner notes (October 2024)

After a couple of years of silence, the Colombian label Insurgentes, operated by DJ Lomalinda and Verraco, and responsible for putting several South American sound explorers on the map to the world in the past decade, is back for one last release, one last dignified death: la última vez.

And for this last installment, one last album. ‘Fiera’ is the name of the LP that Seph wrote and programmed during 2022 and 2023. For us, his greatest work so far: an energetic and impulsive journey, it's an active listening that never stops, you can never trust the loop. 8 tracks that do honour to the Insurgentes catalogue and consolidate the sound of the celebrated and respected Argentine artist who has been in force for more than two decades, crossing the territories of techno, 90s IDM, dub and ambient. Tags that are masterfully captured and collided in the grooves of these 300 vinyls.

Today is both a happy and a sad day. But the feeling of contradiction has always been the main alkaloid of our artistic work and the result of our search for identity. Without Insurgentes there would be no TraTraTrax. Without Insurgentes, no platform would have been created for many of the dreams that today are a fact and that even dictate our future. We would like to thank all those who have been linked anywhere along the way with our sonic fiction, with our desire to build bridges, with our thirst to connect ass and mind.

Que la tierra te sea leve, querido INS

NAD aka Dan Tyler of the legendary Idjut Boys arrives at Duca with a bouncing 4 track of obscurities, all wrapped in a sheen of echo and reverb.

The Idjuts’ have released on a myriad of labels, including Noid, U Star and Smalltown Supersound, being one of the originators of the 90s edits revival, DJing the globe including to almost cult-status in Japan, as well as remixing the likes of DJ Harvey, Brian Ferry and Dimitri From Paris

A master of editing, Dan’s move to Oslo has seen him step out solo to remix the likes of Todd Terje (Olson), Mudd (Claremont 56) and King Sporty (Emotional Rescue) and not forgetting running the Record Mission edits label with old friend Nick The Record.

Das Wordy hits with a bump, the gastarbeiter NAD rockin’ like Tom Tom Club on Stasi steroids.

La nouvelle musique of Histoire De Cul sweeps the catwalk, sweeping past Le Palace queue, hitting Cuevas’ dancefloor to “effet sensuel”.

Rocking out is NAD’s nature, Kropps Smack a body with a mind of its own, come down, come all night…boody language.

Release The Pigeon is a smooth ride home, the music nomad, the gypsy man, one of these days he’ll settle down.

Yer yer yer ahhh yer.

Morning Stone is Pacific nostalgia. Now based in Mohkintsis territory on the Eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, Benoit Guimond, under his moniker Angel Science, draws us into his early life in Vancouver. That coast is still home, and his conifer-covered memories have been shaped into the organic textures of this record. Waving filtrations, archival recordings, rewinding spins and ethereal pads signal a return to the stones, sand and organic beach drift of the Pacific Northwest. Environmental rhythm and free-flowing flourishes reveal a musician in the core of his memory, at the forefront of an ever-evolving sonic journey.

Guimond has rapidly become a standout figure in Canada’s underground dance scene, celebrated for his subtle grooves and esoteric soundscapes with releases on PHTM, Echolocations, PPRZ and more. While he’s often linked to techno, Morning Stone reveals a softer, slower side that pushes through any previously held genres he has been confined to. The euphoria of Madrugada, the deep and hypnotic energy that reverberates in tracks Cee Dub and Shale, alongside the ambient textures of Alborz, all come together to strike a specifically pacific balance between the blissful and the raw. It offers a refreshing growth and a hit of balearic beyond conventional techno, while retaining the depth and edge that encapsulate a signature style.

Elena Colombi approved material!
Tondiue “Yesssssss”

With over 2 decades of formal exploration and exhilarating abstraction Get On is, somewhat surprisingly, only the fourth solo Pita full length. Peter Rehberg has always been vouched for pushing the very limits of the technology du jour, be it software or in recent years a complex modular set. Rehberg’s motives are one of unbridled exploration often resulting in extreme and exhilarating audio works.

Having spearheaded the contemporary electronic sound with his uncompromising explorations of noise, rhythm and extreme computer music, he has also worked with numerous experimental musicians in collaboration. Rehberg stands in the wake of a sonic revolution, once fringe, which transformed over time into the sound of a generation of experimental geeks and club freaks worldwide.

Get On follows on from the 2016 release Get In. As with other titles in his ‘Get’ series we have an unwieldy blend of noise, abstraction, gnarled rhythm and blurred melody. Both analogue and digital tools are deployed as a means of expressing something outside of everyday electronics. ‘AMFM’ launches proceedings with some delightfully disorientating ricocheting electronics setting off a subversive sonic spectrum. ‘Frozen Jumper’ presents some ugly skittering electronics which rotate into exquisitely mangled forms before launching into an unsettling euphoria. The last piece ‘Motivation’ is a towering sensitive work, simultaneously haunted and emotionally moving. Get On marks another monumental work in the ongoing evolution from one of the ground zero pioneers of contemporary radical electronic music. As uncompromising as ever this is Pita in his prime. Emotion rung from the most twisted of frames.

Not many labels prooved stustainability over decades and can underline that they have been doing the do since the early ‘90s, always keeping it fresh to this very day. Boogie Back Records is one such shining example, releasing tracks and records from the likes of Mica Paris, Omar, Vivienne McKone back in the nineties taking the Streetsoul movement to the top until today and beyond.

They are boogie back once again with this double header of finest Neo-Boogie sounds, a neo-soul flavoured pearl, doing business as unusual, most serious and extra ordinarry by the grey eminenz of London Streetsoul himself Ernie McKone aka „The Great Ernesto“ and his family affair: Ernie & the Family McKone Feat. Laura Jackson. Both sides an uptempo Soul explosion, funky outfits, superb production, great instrumentalists such like Toby Baker known for endless contributions to the global Soul and music scene. This is another special and exclusive 45/7“ release via Soulkitchen Distribution…

Following the cinematic jazz-funk of Ufo Bar (2021), Banda Maje are back, ready to take you on another sonic journey across Salifornia—and beyond.

Their new 7" single, available starting May 30 via Four Flies, offers an exciting glimpse into the expanded horizons of Banda Maje, serving as a prelude to their sophomore album, Costa Sud.

These past four years, Peppe Maiellano—the band's composer and mastermind—has further refined his unique Mediterranean sound. A deep connection to Italian and Neapolitan roots remains, as evidenced in the heartfelt cover of Peppino di Capri's 1981 track, "Mo…" on Side A. Maiellano keeps things simple, staying faithful to the original, yet manages to freshen the track for today's listeners, making the lyrics resonate with his compelling vocal rendition.

But Maiellano has also embraced new influences, particularly Brazilian music, as showcased in the infectious "(Roda De) Samba Maje" on Side B. This roda-de-samba version of the upcoming album track "Samba Maje," a collaboration with the Amor Pela Roda group featuring Antonio Montuori on percussion and Pasquale Del Solio on cavaquinho, gives us a taste of Maiellano's vision for Costa Sud—a 'music of the South' that transcends geographical and time boundaries, bridging Italy, Brazil, Africa, and contemporary vibes.


Out on 30th May 2025 on 7" and digital.

Shadow Pressings celebrates one year and its 5th release with another killer selection of deep, chunky house from the very same (unknown) producer as the label’s debut release.
My Soul sets the tone with a stripped back late night groove, working up THOSE Freddie Hubbard strings and a hooky sax riff. The sound palette is familiar but put together in a skilful and original way ensuring this banger will stand out in the crowd.
Tears follows with a similarly punchy, paired back groove which leaves space for the chiming melodies and spoken word samples to shine. Flipping over we have Lost In The Dance and What Galaxy Is This? which continue the theme of choice vox samples, shuffling drums and rolling basslines.

With a stream of fascinating appearances Cleyra’s singular production has caught the ears of some of the most adventurous DJs and heads around the world. One of Bristol’s best-kept secrets now lands on Timedance with their sumptuous debut EP ‘remember this body?’. Charged with a juxtaposition between feverish peak time and dreamy downbeat, the producer here displays a sonic palette which is as eerie as it is advanced.

On ’remember this body?’ Cleyra offers a kaleidoscopic view of their diverse approach to crafting songs, nourished with a deep, emotional and seductive energy. Across five tracks we take a deep dive into Cleyra’s idiosyncratic worlds. Subdued pads carry us through lucid-dream-inducing soundscapes where strangeness and elegance go hand in hand. Then come playful twists, as a harder side to their sound is unleashed, engineered to alight the sweatiest and most mutant of dancefloors.

On the flip side, Cleyra takes listeners on a breathtaking ride over the course of a 17-minute epic ’There Is Nothing Happening Between Us’, navigating between mournful ambience and heads-down pulsating Techno with a grace and delicateness rarely heard. The track fades before bringing things home with lush, dubbed-out, synths, suspending time with a poignant elegance

“ONE OF A KIND” enlarges the Cool Million sound universe and starts a new direction of contributions to a more diverse Boogie Funk style package. Cool Million’s “One Of A Kind”, the newest dancefloor happening features a longtime friend and vocal contributer by the name of Seest, a danish Soul singer, we have heard before. This single walks the funky walk on the path of jazzfull Boogie Funk sounds inspired by such like Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, Crusaders and others and features rich and powerfull horn arrangements, cord changes and driving bass lines. Up-tempo Power-Funk at it’s best proofing that Cool Million is one of a kind ever since… This exclusive single release marks the first release of the next upcoming Cool Million album to be released in early 2026.

Bristol’s techno dreamweaver A Sagittariun returns to the fray with new music. A trio of tracks are featured on ‘The 23 Enigma’, and A Sagittariun’s first release since 2022’s ‘Strange Brew’ EP for Radio Slave’s REKIDS label.

A production career spanning near to fifteen years, with albums and single releases on labels such as Hypercolour, Running Back, Craigie Knowes, Permanent Vacation, Idle Hands and Secretsundaze, A Sagittariun traverses genres with ease, peddling raw and hypnotic techno, ambient dub, breakbeat and deep electronic sounds each tinged with a heavy dose of psychedelia and cosmic power!

‘Fountainhead’ and ‘Mind Games’ take it back to the raw, with panel beating drums, frenetic percussion and wigged out synths designed for the more discerning of dancefloors, whilst lead track ‘The 23 Enigma’ goes down a wormhole of muscular electronica as deep as a wizard’s sleeve.

A Sagittariun ‘The 23 Enigma’ is released from 16th May 2025.

The fryer’s on full blast – Pomme Frite welcomes the Parton Brothers to the kitchen!
Straight from Jolene Records, Danny & Mike make their Pomme Frite debut with a golden-crusted 4-track EP that could’ve rolled right off the Roule press back in ‘98.
The brothers serve up four slabs of vintage French touch – ‘Extraball’, ‘Gemini’, ‘Luniz’ and ‘The World Without You’ – each dripping with filter-funk, crunchy samples, and that unmistakable disco sizzle.
We’ve always had a soft spot for that authentic French sauce – and the Parton Brothers bring it homemade, hot, and with love.

Chancha Via Circuito - Remixes is a new compilation from the Argentine producer Chancha Via Circuito, who has been a key player in the Latin electronic music scene. The album brings together some of his top remixes from the past 11 years, now available for the first time on vinyl. This is Chancha's first physical release since his 2022 album La Estrella, and it features remixes with artists like El Búho, Nickodemus, Fuel Fandango, and Lagartijeando.

Chancha is known for blending cumbia with electronic sounds, a style he pioneered in Buenos Aires' vibrant digital cumbia parties. His music often mixes South American folk influences with environmental sounds. Over the years, he's built a global following, performing in cities like London, New York, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, and São Paulo, where he's played at some of the biggest clubs and festivals.

Corrosiv, the sophomore album from Orchestroll, reveals the duo at their most mature and vulnerable. Originally conceived as a reflection on hybridity and bastardization, the album deploys New Age and ambient compositional tropes as a launchpad, exposing their trite sanctity to the realities of corrosion. Having come of age in the 1970s and 1980s, the New Age movement perdures today as a domain of contradictions; its promise of transcendence riddled with the very commercialized dogma from which its adherents claim to flee. Healing modalities such as reiki, crystal therapy, and sound baths are simultaneously pathways to solace and sites of exploitation; their sonic counterparts—ethereal synth pads, shimmering textures, celestial drones—claim to facilitate meditation and enlightenment while devolving into empty signifiers of vitality. With Corrosiv, Orchestroll displays neither reverence nor disdain toward New Age: they exhume it instead, revealing the saccharine effervescence and commodified murk undergirding its aesthetics. The result is intoxicating—disquieting.

Born from a two-week residency at EMS Studios and expanded through a performance at MUTEK Montreal’s 25th anniversary, Corrosiv has since outgrown its original conceptual nucleus, taking on a broader scope. Its inquiry into New Age ideology’s voided rhetoric and aesthetic mysticism now informs a broader interrogation of cultural mediocrity, anti-authoritarianism, gatekeeping, music industry toxicity, and the crumbling edifice of late capitalism and techno-feudalism—all the mechanisms by which meaning is stripped from ceremony, and once-potent forms of knowledge are subsumed into the machinery of economic extraction, severed from their original essence, and transformed into hollow simulacra. Corrosiv distills these themes through a loose narrative: a soul, fixated on wellness as dictated by cosmetic economism, becomes ensnared in an endless afterlife, unable to transcend and shed its dilapidated consciousness.

Framed as an act of audio dissolution, the album thus engages in an alchemical process, whereby complex waveshaping, morphing synthesis, and distortion enact a ritual of fragmentation. There is also friction: between the rigid, mechanical imposition of systematized order and the untamed, chaotic force of organic metamorphosis. Here corrosion and confinement are not solely conceptual motifs; they are enacted in real time, sculpting the album’s terrain. Scraping, tarnishing, degradation—the languid wear of form and substance—become instruments in their own right: buffing as abrasion, entrapment as transformation, corrosion as a means of reconfiguration. The ‘protagonist,’ if there must be one, is the listener, caught within the throes of structural determinism and the potential for emancipation, unable to pass into something greater as the specters of collapsed futures accumulate in the margins.

Corrosiv extends its reach through collaborations with familiar voices: Heith (PAN), VISIO (Haunter), Femminielli (Drowned by Locals), Habib Bardi (Interzone), and Jiyoung Wi (Enmossed, Psychic Liberation, Doyenne) each leave their imprint on its sprawling landscape. At 1h16m, it is a procession, dense with earworms that burrow into the listener’s unconscious.

Misshapen, broken-down metals leach copper into blood, acid reflux burning through the core. Psyche disaggregates into cosmic turmoil, drifting between planes—tongue on rustline, gullet laced with solvent hymns, molars unlatching, bitcrushed to marrowspill. A spasm of brine, ferrous scripture, venomtext blooming in leaden rivulets, cartilage smoldering in phosphor decomposition, synapses drowning in a quicksilver choir. Crest of bile, churning ore, breath clotting into arsenic mist, vein-thread cinched, a corrosive gospel, limb by limb, oxidized to silence.

Ultimately, as the music exhales its final breath, its residue refuses to dissipate—and stillness alone remains. There are no conclusions here—no resolution, no collapse—only the slow drift outward of a vessel unmoored, lost in the sea of symbolic souring. Corrosiv sings the song of a world barren of prophecy, littered with aesthetic detritus. Whether this magic has been transfigured or simply worn away is unclear: the last breath dissipates, but the oxidation does not stop. The silence, too, will decay.

Conceptualized, composed, performed, recorded, mixed, engineered and produced by Jesse Osborne-Lanthier, and Asaël Richard-Robitaille in 2023 and 2024 at Elektron Musik Studion (EMS) - Stockholm, Sweden and Landsc8pe Studio - Montréal, QC, Canada.
Artwork by Jesse Osborne-Lanthier.
Mastered by Stephan Mathieu @ Schwebung Mastering.

Leo Blomov studio album, Blomovinho will be released on May 23, 2025 by Tricatel.

Leo Blomov releases his third album, Blomovinho, on Tricatel on 23 May, following on from his first two albums, Carpe Noctem and L'Ermitage, on Label Attitude. This album, which sings of wide open spaces, nature and freedom, is a tribute to Música Popular Brasileira.

It's Brazil, and of course it's not Brazil, any more than the great Guy Cabay and Sean O'Hagan are Brazil. As I listen to 'Sob As Estrelas', I also hear the Brian Wilson of 'Busy Doin' Nothin' and the Paddy McAloon of "Cruel".
Louis Philippe, from his liner notes

A record that effortlessly assumes the undeniable beauty of a classic moment.
Sean O'Hagan, extract from his text for Blomovinho

A bit of background on how this release came about: I was touring Australia & New Zealand and for one of the shows, I was performing in Melbourne, which is where Kloke is based. I finally got the opportunity to meet him in person for the first time ever, after many years of collaborations with him online and having supported/enjoyed a lot of his music.

I got to visit his studio where we worked on a tune together and afterwards, he was playing me some of the music he had been working on recently and I noticed that they were all in one big folder, where he explained that every time he works on music, he exports what he's done so far into this one folder with multiple versions/iterations of each track he does. There were 1000s & 1000s of files in this folder... ????

Of course, I was insistent on taking this folder away with me haha, and even though I didn't get everything off him, he was generous enough to give me a lot of what was in there. After the tour was done and I was back home, I listened through everything I had from him, which took weeks (if not months) of ploughing through it all, with the aim of putting together an album of my favourites and after a lot of back & forth between us, we were able to come up with this release, On Rhythm, which I'm really pleased with & I hope he is too!

Anyway, big respect to Kloke for consistently creating some amazing music, thank you to my girlfriend Marta who handled the design for this release & a special mention to Nergal who brought me to Australia & New Zealand, which led to me meeting Kloke in person, visiting his studio and then putting this release together.

The undisputed, inimitable techno pioneer of Finland, Kim Rapatti, returns with an EP of his trademark dark, soulful and raw sound. IÄTI marks his solo debut for Cold Blow and we couldn't be prouder to present this new music from the legend.

IÄTI is what techno can be when breathing humanity and soul into every inch of it. The EP has lineages to Mono Junk's 2019 album Vanished, moving between deep swirling stompers, emotional compositions and raw, uninhibited electro.

Alongside his own DUM Records established in 92, Kim has over the years released music on labels such as Heckmann's Trope, Skudge White, Forbidden Planet, Rat Life, Plug Research and Stilleben. His breakthrough in the early 90s was ushered in by tracks Monotone Fantastique and Channel B. The latter became a techno classic spotted in mixes and compilations by Richie Hawtin, Marcell Dettmann and others.

Unsighted is the Brooklyn based project of Nicolás Sierra ,and Mutante returns with a new sonic manifesto: an EP that channels the rough energy of EBM, the analog sensibility of Minimal Synth and the hypnotic pulse of New Beat.

This EP is a distorted time capsule, where corrosive basslines, martial rhythms and analog synths coexist in constant tension. It is a statement without nostalgia but with retro DNA, designed for sweaty dancefloors, smoky basements and minds that vibrate on the fringes of the mainstream.

Foreboding EP is a collection of tracks that don't ask for permission, they hit you straight on, like a post-industrial alarm on eternal loop.

Robyn is doing brilliant and important work - the world needs more music like this. Just one word: listen!" Giles Peterson “Even aside from her skills on her instruments and unique approach to music, Robyn devoted an immense quantity of emotional resources to the delivery of this record, and seemed to take its challenges on as a chance for personal growth. It was consistently clear that the personal input of the players was welcome in a fundamental way, and we all responded to Robyn’s efforts that went to the limits of her capacity and her love for bringing her project to you, the listener” Alabaster DePlume “It has been such a joy to work with Robyn, especially when entering the fascinating world of Robyn’s Rocket and Avant Garde jazz. We had our fun moments, like when the fire alarm went off during our recording session of Mystery Man, and we just rolled with it and kept it in. It’s like nothing matters. It’s such an honour to be part of the world of Robyn’s Rocket and to listen to the many stories, expressions and colours that shine throughout the album.”Sebastian Golgiri What happens when you bring together familiar faces at London experimental music venue Café OTO, Charles Hayward (drummer Abstract Concrete, This Heat) and John Edwards (double bass), and the Total Refreshment Centre (hub of new london jazz scene recording studio ) like Alabaster DePlume (singer and saxophonist) and Danalogue (synths from Soccer96, The Comet is Coming), and the learning disability autism art scene like singers/spoken word artists Sebastian Golgiri and Dean Rodney Jnr (Fish Police), on a magic carpet with space trumpeter Robyn Rocket? The answer materialises in the groundbreaking collaboration 'Robyn Rocket and People You May of Heard of'. Recorded across three days in three different studios connected to the three communities Robyn Rocket calls home, each session brought together musicians from these diverse backgrounds—many meeting for the first time. Together, they improvised and created a musical journey that transcends conventional boundaries.

This cosmic voyage features more than 20 musicians and a dog ( Taz from lost socks), gliding through free jazz, danceable tunes, loopy vistas and spoken word doors into different ways of seeing the world. At its heart lies a profound message about community as a vital part of existence and difference as something to embrace and value. The project culminates in the final single and focus track 'We Are All Human', featuring a poignant speech by Rocket from her night 'Robyn's Rocket - a residency at cafe OTO featuring experimental music and live visuals by artists with and without Learning Disabilities/ autistic and non autistic artists ' in the speech rocket talks about supporting each other—words she actively lives by and encourages others to embrace. Like many autistic people, Rocket has experienced abuse, bullying, isolation and feeling unwelcome in the world. “This project is like my nights but you can carry it around with you”, she explains. “I started my own night to share my work. I also recognised, it was a privilege to have my own night, I wanted to help other artists share their work too, and create an environment where people with and without learning Disabilities/Autistic and non autistic people as audience and performers could come together and get to know each other”. Historical Context

‘New Music for the 6 String Guitar’ is the 7th studio album from Radnorshire based guitarist Toby Hay. His debut in 2017 ‘The Gathering’, and 2018’s, ‘The Longest Day’, were both nominated for the Welsh Music Prize. This new album is a follow up to 2019’s ‘New Music For The 12 String Guitar’. Since then, he has released two collaborative albums, 2023’s self-titled ‘Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay’ released on the legendary Topic label, and 2024’s ‘After a Pause’, with Aidan Thorne, released on his own, Cambrian Records.

Like it’s 12 string predecessor, the concept for the new record was dreamt up by state51. The idea was to ask Roger Bucknall of Fylde guitars to build a new custom instrument specifically for a guitarist to write and record music for.

The ‘Curlew’ custom 6 string is made from Macassar ebony and light-coloured cedar and is set up to play in Toby’s unique tunings. The album was recorded over three days in the Wood Room at Real World Studios. All tracks are live performances with no overdubs.

“It is a beautiful studio, my brother Tim engineered the session. It is a very honest album, just me, in a room, one guitar, a mixture of compositions and improvisations. We were invited to watch the football with Peter Gabriel and a few of his friends on the final evening, a memorable experience!”

The natural world is a recurring theme across these 12 tracks, with inspiration ranging from Hay’s time working for the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, to his recent Masters in Music & The Environment from the University of the Highlands and Islands. Inspiration also comes from Hay’s connection to his local landscape, his home in the Cambrian Mountains, and his sheep dog Bear. But ultimately this is an album that explores the relationship between musician and instrument.

With the guitar being built by Roger Bucknall, the album mixed by Tchad Blake, and the photography by Julian Broad, this album is full of talented contributions from masters in their fields.

Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from flat copies of the original U.K. and U.S. analogue master tapes Third studio album featured advanced studio recording techniques Featuring original U.S. tracklisting with bonus track "Alive And Well And Living In" from U.K. release Plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings Gatefold old-style tip-on jacket by Stoughton Printing Jethro Tull's 1970 classic Benefit was their third studio album in as many years, following the successes of This Was (1968) and Stand Up (1969). For Benefit, Ian Anderson (flute, guitars, vocals), Martin Barre (guitars), Glenn Cornick (bass), and Clive Bunker (drums) were joined by John Evan on piano and organ.

Evan would go on to play on all of Jethro Tull's albums throughout the '70s. It was also the last to include Cornick, who was fired from the band upon completion of touring for the album. Recorded at Morgan Studios, where the band recorded Stand Up, the album featured more advanced studio techniques, such as a backward-recorded flute on "With You There To Help Me" and a sped-up guitar on "Play In Time." Frontman Ian Anderson said Evan had changed the band's style: "John has added a new dimension musically and I can write more freely now.

In fact anything is possible with him at the keyboard." Compared to Stand Up, although containing a similar mix of bluesy hard-rockers and melodic acoustic numbers, Benefit had, as Ian Anderson put it, a "harder, slightly darker feel" compared to previous material. The eclectic fusion of folk, rock, and progressive elements creates a sonic tapestry unlike any other. Anderson's virtuosic flute playing intertwines with Barre's electrifying guitar work, weaving intricate melodies that transport listeners to a world of introspection and imagination. From the hauntingly beautiful "With You There to Help Me" to the whimsical energy of "To Cry You a Song," each track invites exploration of both the inner self and the world beyond.

This Analogue Productions 45 RPM release, plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings, gives this historic album the rich sonic presentation it deserves. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately. Benefit stands as a testament to Jethro Tull's pioneering spirit, pushing the boundaries of musical expression and leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of rock music. This reissue is clean, balanced and richly detailed, the way an Analogue Productions reissue should sound.

Born from a desire to explore her background in film composing to create a music film, Hannah Holland’s upcoming album 'Last Exit On Bethnal’ is set for release via PRAH Recordings on 18th July. Together with director Lydia Garnett, the multi-faceted London producer shaped ideas born out of images the pair weren’t finding in film, inspired by queer icon filmmakers like Kenneth Anger and Derek Jarman. “We wanted to craft something unapologetically for dykes: a poetic, surreal exploration of dyke power and sexuality set in a fantasy underworld,” explains Holland. Once the film was shot, she channelled its stunning imagery and the energy of the cast into making the record. Seductive and bass-driven, its nine tracks merge sleazy guitars with 707 machine drums, beautiful evolving arps, and surreal moments of Lynchian dreaminess and Aphex Twin-inspired atmospherics. "It was a really amazing collaborative experience and coming together of a community to make something totally unique….and hot!” she continues. The first single ‘Biker’ features a filthy synth hook atop Hannah’s signature bass-guitar, perfectly capturing the raw and sexy energy of the album and its visual centrepiece. You can listen to it here. The film will be screened at a one-off club night at London’s ICA on 11th April in association with Culture Divided, Somesuch and Bala Project.

Hannah Holland has played a pivotal role in London’s alternative and queer London club scene since the mid-noughties. Rooted deeply in London’s fertile musical community, musical exploration and the transcendent potential of dancefloor have always been her biggest inspiration. Her recent delve into experimental theatre, film and TV scores has proved a future further artistic voyage to explore her creative vision. Holland first arrived on dancefloors sharing electro-tinged techno, with equal inspiration taken from the sounds of DnB and jungle heard at legendary parties such as Metalheadz, which she had frequented in her early teens. Having already been “borrowing” (and perhaps never since returning) Kraftwerk, Grace Jones and Talking Heads records from her parents, the influence of this metropolitan musical soup ensured that Holland emerged on the decks with a unique musical character and diverse taste, hallmarks of her sound that she has not lost since. This has been reinforced with trusted residencies at iconic parties such as Trailer Trash, Adonis, Glastonbury’s NYC Downlow, or undertaking far-reaching marathon sets at Berlin’s Panorama Bar. In 2006 Hannah started Batty Bass with vocalist Mama. Immediately a roadblock party and then a record label with releases from Josh Caffe and The Carry Nation sitting in its discography, Batty Bass explores the disparate strains of electro, acid, techno and house. Hannah also released her own music on the label including the ever-anthemic Paris’ Acid Ball.

A steady stream of releases have followed on Shall Not Fade, Super Rhythm Trax, Crosstown Rebels, Classic, Nervous, as well as remixes for Blessed Madonna ft. Kylie Minogue, Planningtorock, The Knife and Goldfrapp among others. Hannah also finds the time to play bass in several bands including Black Gold Buffalo whose debut album she also co-wrote. Her much-anticipated debut album, Tectonic, came out on PRAH Recordings in 2021, with a second on the way. Hannah’s latest venture into the world of film scores have included queer icon Bruce LaBruce’s ‘The Visitor,’ Channel 4 series Adult Material and award-winning indie feature Electrician.

Hannah Holland continues to push the boundaries of electronic and live music, telling stories and carving her own path in the deeper frequencies.

Dr. John's Gumbo is the fifth album by New Orleans singer and pianist Dr. John, a tribute to the music of his native city. The album is a collection of covers of New Orleans classics, played by a major figure in the city's music.

Dr John's Gumbo was released in 1972 and is in many ways a tribute by Dr. John, aka the Night Tripper, to his hometown of New Orleans. It features excellent interpretations of New Orleans traditionals ("Iko Iko", "Tipitina", "Junko Partner" and "Stack-O-Lee") and contemporary R&B written or played by the likes of Huey Piano Smith ("Blow Wind Blow" and "Huey Smith Medley") and Earl King ("Big Chief" and "Those Lonely Lonely Nights").

Dr. John delivers a strong set of infectious songs drenched in good vibes and spiced with a pinch of voodoo. His eccentric (stage) appearance adds unique color to his stature as master of the ivories and as an entertainer.

We expect this definitive deluxe 180-gram 45 RPM 2LP Analogue Productions (Atlantic Series) reissue of Dr. John's Gumbo to be a cherished addition to the music collections of all fans of New Orleans classics.

Library of the Occult Records unviels ‘Music to Accompany the Poems of Edgar Allan Poe’ a haunting double LP that threads the legendary poet’s dark romanticism through the minds of some of the most evocative contemporary electronic artists.
The Library’s ever-expanding circle now united as the Library of the Occult Electronic Orchestra, bring their own haunted visions to Poe’s bleak and beautiful world. Ivan The Tolerable stretches krautrock pulses and experimental noise into something hypnotic and strange, while The Heartwood Institute channels vintage occult nostalgia. Sermons by the Devil drapes everything in a ritualistic haze and Klaus Morlock, ever the maestro of unease, paints in slow-moving shadows, melancholic, cinematic, and tinged with the surreal. It’s a record for twilight listening, flickering candles, and the spaces between.

Ukrainian composer Katarina Gryvul presents her third LP, SPOMYN, on Subtext. SPOMYN ('recollection') is an exploration of memory’s fragile, fragmented nature, revealing how it shapes the core of who we are. Each track is a fragment — a flicker of something lost, distorted, or forgotten — brought to life through unmediated emotion, acting as an invocation of continuity, connecting us to those who came before us and the fleeting moments of their existence that still resonate within us, and become elements in the lattice of our own selves. Gryvul’s corrupted choral pop compositions, augmented with full frequency electronic and organic experimentation, characterize SPOMYN’s uncanny and chimeric sound. Much like the blurred edges of memory itself, SPOMYN resists resolution, inviting listeners to disintegrate into worlds that linger in shadow and evoke the beauty of the unknowable.

Following her last LP Tysha (‘silence'), released in early 2022 on the Ukrainian imprint Standard Deviation, SPOMYN finds itself in a changed and fractured world in which the urgency to maintain a clear remembrance of the past in the face of erasure and misinformation is ever increasing.
Katarina Gryvul explores the simultaneously fixed and fluid nature of collective and personal narratives by filtering the remembrances of her cultural and musical experience through an idiosyncratic and intuitive approach to music production. The result is aggressively iconoclastic while holding dear the essence of the traditions she has inherited. Katarina Gryvul is a classically trained composer, violinist, and music producer. She blends concept of holophony with avant-garde techniques to develop distinct soundscapes through instruments, voice, analog synths and spatial audio.

Embark on a funky synth-drenched journey as the cosmic count Jimi Tenor reunites with Timmion Records’ soul architects Cold Diamond & Mink for yet another album. When placed side by side with the fellows’ recent effort “Is There Love In Outer Space? “July Blue Skies” glides on a slightly more raw and mystical plane.

Crafted over fiery sessions between Tenor and Cold Diamond & Mink, this vinyl release offers six soul-grasping tracks ranging from mellow groove to soundtrack funk. The album’s opening title song kicks off with an extended analog synth intro which eventually develops into a sweet romantic invocation, painting a sonic canvas reminiscent of a boundless summer sky. The most vocal tune of this quite instrumental set of songs “Sky Train Baby” propels the listener on a locomotive ride through the star systems while “Venus of Barsoon” with its drum breaks and fuzz sounds blast you straight into sci fi movie funk territory.

The album’s B-side opens with “Ikuchi,” where Tenor’s always trusted flute and tenor sax take the spotlight over the slinky library beats. Closing the album we discover two single releases, the sublime “Summer Of Synesthesia” and the demonic “Tsicroxe” both completely worthy to hear sequenced inside this album as well. This album might be just the Spring jam that you needed in your life.

Bad Company's Burnin' Sky, released in March 1977, continued to showcase the band's bluesy rock roots, with Paul Rodgers' soulful and powerful vocals leading the way. The album's musical style is characterized by its gritty, guitar-driven sound and blues-infused melodies.

The 12 songs were recorded in France at studio Château d Hérouville, where David Bowie would record Low later that same year. The album's hit single and title track "Burnin' Sky" reached No. 78 on the U.S. Billboard pop singles chart. The album peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 chart.

This 180-gram 45 RPM 2LP of Burnin' Sky is the definitive reissue of this chart-making classic.

Planning For Burial is the solo project of Thom Wasluck, emerging from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It’s Closeness, It’s Easy is the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Below The House. If Below The House was about returning home, following in the footsteps of one’s father and joining a union, and leaving behind youth’s wild days, It’s Closeness, It’s Easy embraces what comes next—the weight of all years, the quiet shifts, the reckoning with what remains. This record is many things. It captures the slow drift of time, the unnoticed shifts in a loved one—the creeping changes in mental health, the quiet pull of addiction, the kind of grief that settles in the bones rather than announces itself.
At its core, It’s Closeness, It’s Easy is about stepping into middle age and taking stock. It confronts the reality of living with the hand that’s been dealt and searching for meaning in what remains. It speaks to loss—the crushing weight of saying goodbye to a beloved 17-year old cat, the slow-motion grief of watching friends self-destruct, the inescapable passage of time as it bears down on aging parents and the self. But it also reflects the warmth of reconnection, the kind of love that never burns out but instead deepens. The feeling of picking up where things left off, untouched by the years in between.

While written over the course of two years, the recording process reflects a sense of immediacy. Rather than assembling songs piece by piece over time, the album took shape in singular, immersive sessions—less an act of construction, more an unveiling of something already waiting to take shape.
Rooted in a staunch DIY ethos, Wasluck handles every aspect of Planning For Burial project himself—recording the music, designing the artwork, and performing live as a one-man band. He books his own tours, ever and independent creative. This hands-on approach has led Planning For Burial to play hundreds of shows solidifying his place in the underground music scene. A defining moment came in 2018 when he performed at the Meltdown Festival in London, curated by Robert Smith of The Cure.

Planning For Burial is the solo project of Thom Wasluck, emerging from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It’s Closeness, It’s Easy is the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Below The House. If Below The House was about returning home, following in the footsteps of one’s father and joining a union, and leaving behind youth’s wild days, It’s Closeness, It’s Easy embraces what comes next—the weight of all years, the quiet shifts, the reckoning with what remains. This record is many things. It captures the slow drift of time, the unnoticed shifts in a loved one—the creeping changes in mental health, the quiet pull of addiction, the kind of grief that settles in the bones rather than announces itself.
At its core, It’s Closeness, It’s Easy is about stepping into middle age and taking stock. It confronts the reality of living with the hand that’s been dealt and searching for meaning in what remains. It speaks to loss—the crushing weight of saying goodbye to a beloved 17-year old cat, the slow-motion grief of watching friends self-destruct, the inescapable passage of time as it bears down on aging parents and the self. But it also reflects the warmth of reconnection, the kind of love that never burns out but instead deepens. The feeling of picking up where things left off, untouched by the years in between.

While written over the course of two years, the recording process reflects a sense of immediacy. Rather than assembling songs piece by piece over time, the album took shape in singular, immersive sessions—less an act of construction, more an unveiling of something already waiting to take shape.
Rooted in a staunch DIY ethos, Wasluck handles every aspect of Planning For Burial project himself—recording the music, designing the artwork, and performing live as a one-man band. He books his own tours, ever and independent creative. This hands-on approach has led Planning For Burial to play hundreds of shows solidifying his place in the underground music scene. A defining moment came in 2018 when he performed at the Meltdown Festival in London, curated by Robert Smith of The Cure.

Mia Zapata was the greatest rock singer of her time. She may have likely been the greatest blues singer in punk rock history, the woman who married the 78 and the '78. Tragedy did not make this true. Mia Zapata made this true, and the ferocious, spring-loaded shrapnel frame that was built around her by Andy Kessler (guitar: metronomic and furious), Matt Dresdner (bass: fluid, punching, beat-addicted and melodic), and Steve Moriarty (drums: martial and explosive) - who, with Mia, combined to form The Gits - made it true. The Gits were formed at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio in mid-1986, grabbing and swapping pieces of art, thrash, noise, punk rock, classic rock, and all the sorts of magical silly and bookish jingle bells that an old-school liberal arts education handed you; for the next few years they worked on turning it all into something tough, sensitive, both brutal and kind. Andy, Matt, Mia, and Steve moved to Seattle in middish 1989, landing in a house on Capitol Hill where they (and fellow travelers) wood-shedded and rehearsed for the next few years. The Gits put out three EPs in 1990 and '91 before signing with C/Z Records and releasing their first full-length album, Frenching the Bully. Seattle quickly claimed the quartet as their own and embraced the Gits blend of ferocious fangs and soft heart, the slug/slap of the guitars, and the gorgeous, soft underbelly of the poetic emotions. These qualities not only fit in with the doe-eyed/sharp-clawed grunge ethos but earned the Gits the respect of their peers, including Nirvana, who tapped them to open a major local show in 1990. Then other stuff happened, and their frantic, confessional barbed-heart snowball began rolling up hill very, very fast; the Gits "quickly" (hah! After half a decade learning to implode and explode hearts and stomping their boots on manifold beer-softened, Marlboro-weeded wood stages!) inspired rapture, awe, and the levitation that happened when peak emotion meets peak grindage in front of amps spitting out something that sounded like the mad marriage of Bolan swagger and Dischord tension_ all fronted by a genuinely incomparable woman who held her heart in her mouth and shared it, in all its celebration and fear, without hesitation. The Gits were an angry, inflamed slinky fully in tune with and tuned by the Bessie Patti Smith of her time, truly the only singer who could summon Joplin, Poly Styrene, Sam Cooke, Iggy Pop and Ian MacKaye all in the same goddamn song. In 1993, less than four weeks after accepting an offer from Atlantic Records, Mia died. I leave it at that, because this is not about death; it's about an extraordinary life. I do not say, "You should have been there," I say, "We are lucky so many of us were, and I am so glad we have this extraordinary evidence of the power and gifts of Mia and the Gits that you now can hold in your hands." And I note that Frenching the Bully, this extraordinary testament to the soul, shock, fury and feeling of the Gits, has been long out of print on vinyl and CD, and this new edition - remastered by legendary Seattle engineer Jack Endino - joyfully rectifies that. -Tim Sommer

A mix of metallic doomgaze, epic gothic soundscapes and post punk attitude. Loud and crushing, yet sharp enough to stick in your head for days. There are two kinds of heavy bands: the ones that make a lot of noise and the ones that drag you somewhere you didn't know you needed to go. Cwfen (pronounced 'Coven') are the latter, and Sorrows is a record that doesn't just crush - it haunts long after the final note. The allure of Cwfen's sound lies in contrasts: the glacial ferocity of Amenra, with the velvet-and-razor vocals of King Woman, and the rotting grandeur of Type O Negative. It's as hypnotic as it is harrowing, but somehow even better than the sum of those parts. Since emerging from Glasgow's underground just 18 months ago, Cwfen's reputation is growing, selling out shows and pulling growing audiences into their doom-laden fever dream. Released in October, the band's debut single 'Reliks' was a hit with fans and critics, landing a spot on Kerrang!'s release of the week playlist. And rightly so. Their sound devours and delights in equal measure. "Cwfen have emerged from the darkest depths of the Caledonian underground with a beguiling blend of doom metal and gothic post-punk for those who like to live deliciously." Kerrang! Sorrows lives in the space around doom where the weight of the riffs is matched by the weight in your chest, where the lyrics and the songwriting are as important as the music itself. Loud and crushing, yet sharp enough to stick in your head for days. It builds, burns, collapses, resurrects. Big on riffs, bigger on feeling. The kind of songs you carry with you. Singer and rhythm guitarist Agnes Alder bears her claws one minute, then whispers the next, as the band follows like a storm front, rising, breaking, drowning you in the weight of it. From the guttural Penance to the lush Whispers, to the feral Wolfsbane and the insurrectionist Rite. It includes a long reworking of Embers and Bodies, the two self-recorded demos that launched them into the scene with a bang and their growing legion of fans already adore. Intricate vocal arrangements, heavy and harsh guitars, a mix of atmosphere and heft, it undoubtedly punches above its weight for a debut. As Agnes says: "When we stopped trying to fit into any one space, what came out was this beautiful mix of dark and light. Something visceral and cathartic." This is a band that sits right in the boundaries between the heavy genres, pulling in everyone from the young goths and to the die-hard metalheads alike and 'Sorrows' truly does deliver in spades. Make no mistake, Cwfen are set to be one of the names to watch in 2025. FFO: Chelsea Wolfe, Zetra, King Woman, Type O Negative, Alcest, Faetooth, Liturgy. Limited vinyl pressing, 500 copies in transparent red vinyl. Full colour Gatefold outer sleeve, with a full colour printed inner sleeve, Full download included as well.

The cassette format SPCS1680 features "With Trampled by Turtles" on the A Side and last years 'White Roses, My God' SP1655 on the B Side! No one can help you build something beautiful quite like those who know you best. Alan Sparhawk knows this well. In his years in Low, he built decades of stirring music with his wife and lifelong creative partner Mimi Parker. In recent years, he has performed around Minnesota with his son Cyrus in DERECHO Rhythm Section, a funk band that also frequently features his daughter Hollis on vocals. There's an irreplaceable naturalism that comes with this kind of dynamic. Those who know you understand you. They love you. They want to help you bring your greatest passions to fruition. So it made sense that Sparhawk would turn to fellow Duluth musicians Trampled by Turtles to realize his latest record. As friends and mentees of Low's, taken under Sparhawk and Parker's wing from their earliest days as a bar band, Trampled by Turtles have performed with Sparhawk countless times over the years. The Duluth ties run deep: "There's a certain vibe that has to do with underdog syndrome, coming from a small town," Sparhawk muses. "Some of it is the weird grind and slackness that being at the mercy of Mother Nature puts in you. It humbles you." The two artists hold the kind of ironclad bond. Following Parker's passing in 2022, Trampled by Turtles invited Sparhawk to join them on tour to give him a space to be surrounded by friends. Occasionally, he would join them onstage. The outpouring of love was palpable every time they played together, a surge of warmth. When playing together is that powerful, why stop there? In winter, 2024, Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles created With Trampled by Turtles, a record exactly as its name implies: Collective. Communal. Fraternal. Empathetic. A vessel for comfort, a reminder of the harmony that can exist when surrounded by those closest to you. Where White Roses, My God, Sparhawk's last album, plunged headfirst into electronica and radical vocal modulation, With Trampled by Turtles leans into the folk and bluegrass stylings of its backing band, Sparhawk's voice now completely unvarnished. With Trampled by Turtles is far more than just Alan Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles. It's an affirmation of all the people who have been vital in Sparhawk's life and music, and an opportunity to hold each of their gifts into the light. It's producer Nat Harvie, who has been collaborating and performing with him for years. It's Sparhawk's daughter Hollis, who duets with her father on "Not Broken." And it's Mimi Parker, too: "Too High," "Princess Road Surgery," and "Not Broken" were all tracks she and Sparhawk had been working on in the last few years. These songs finally found a setting that stirringly commemorates them, bolstered by a full ensemble to make every note sing. Their presence is a kind of eternal connection to Parker, a way her musical grace will keep flourishing.

"In a world where it is easier than ever to say something, it is actually the hardest time to be heard.
We are constantly bombarded by so much information and/or distractions that people can hardly be blamed for not tuning in.
The box has been constructed to be safe, so why step outside it?

The vibe shift is undeniable but everyone is free to choose which frequency to tap into.
Music can be nourishment for the soul if you have the right ingredients. Even then you need the right chefs to cook it properly to be served.
Meftah and Ideeyah have taken their time to create something that feels complete.
Something intentional. Meditative.
Another piece in the great chain of the African Diaspora.

Where else but Detroit could something like this come from?
A complete concept that is unabashedly of the present but still honors the past. This is Soul music. Crafted with love for community, for heritage, for fulfillment.
There was a method to the madness, a reason for the gradual formation of artistic merit that is presented to you now.
This music contains a universal message if you can open your eyes and mind to it.

Less talking, more doing.
Go out there and be somebody again.
Reclaim your light under the sun.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.
For Funk is it’s own reward,
if you want it to be.

- Turtle Bugg"

This project started in 2022 in the basement of Graham Jonson's (Quickly, Quickly)'s home in Portland, Oregon. They made `Scared (To Admit It)' in a day, and let it sit for a long time. Ava's song `From Me' blew up online, which led to new creative friendships. Ava started to work with Acrophase Records, it all felt very new and unreal. What followed was a writing frenzy, going through old voice memos looking for promising song ideas, and working with four different producers that each allowed Ava to tell a different story with their incredible help and talents. Ava spent a month in Nashville recording the majority of the project with Josef Kuhn. She felt free to experiment, ask questions, change her mind, and they ate so many epic sandwiches on lunch breaks. "Dragonfly" feels like a patchwork quilt of post-college. Surviving sexual harassment and assault, and allowing herself to speak about it freely after spending almost a decade being ashamed. It's kinda all over the place, but so is she. Ava feels no longer afraid to say everything on her mind since working on this project.

This authorised vinyl reissue of the ultimate Finnish death metal cult LP comes with the original cover art and all the lyrics. In the late days of the early life of death metal in the early nineties, the death metal "community" had strayed from an appreciation of the majestic possibilities of sound, and were making a mundane product instead. They wanted the most "brutal" sound so the largest crowd could hear it, consider themselves "extreme," and go back to work with a hangover. This made the music escape its tiny audience, but killed off exploration as well. In addition, it was defensive and under-confident, feeling its chops lagged behind the rock, blues and jazz genres. Stagnation struck even as the genre accelerated. Enter the dark horse, Demilich. These inventive Finns reintroduced amazement at the possibilities of music. Where most people look at a forest and see wood for sale, a death metal fan after Demilich sees an intricate organism in itself, with the smallest details corresponding to the broadest concepts. The labyrinthine riffs of Demilich corresponded to a worldview that saw the connection between details as a design, and a design as conferring a purpose to life, cycling between birth and death as it spelled out the cryptic intricacies of ancient mysteries. Demilich was like finding a submerged city, or discovering a new path through the mountains, or even confronting a glowering enemy on the open plain. It brought risk, uncertainty, ambiguity and a sense of sublime beauty back to death metal, pulling it away from the slump in which it treated itself as a hammer and every listener as a nail.

This authorised vinyl reissue of the ultimate Finnish death metal cult LP comes with the original cover art and all the lyrics. In the late days of the early life of death metal in the early nineties, the death metal "community" had strayed from an appreciation of the majestic possibilities of sound, and were making a mundane product instead. They wanted the most "brutal" sound so the largest crowd could hear it, consider themselves "extreme," and go back to work with a hangover. This made the music escape its tiny audience, but killed off exploration as well. In addition, it was defensive and under-confident, feeling its chops lagged behind the rock, blues and jazz genres. Stagnation struck even as the genre accelerated. Enter the dark horse, Demilich. These inventive Finns reintroduced amazement at the possibilities of music. Where most people look at a forest and see wood for sale, a death metal fan after Demilich sees an intricate organism in itself, with the smallest details corresponding to the broadest concepts. The labyrinthine riffs of Demilich corresponded to a worldview that saw the connection between details as a design, and a design as conferring a purpose to life, cycling between birth and death as it spelled out the cryptic intricacies of ancient mysteries. Demilich was like finding a submerged city, or discovering a new path through the mountains, or even confronting a glowering enemy on the open plain. It brought risk, uncertainty, ambiguity and a sense of sublime beauty back to death metal, pulling it away from the slump in which it treated itself as a hammer and every listener as a nail.

In 2021, Luke (aka Lukid) recorded a mix for Dekmantel, which had some of his jungle tunes (under his Refreshers alias) featured in the set, including an unreleased tune of his called Crumbling Down. I couldn't find any information about this tune anywhere and was unsure if it ever came out or if there were ever any plans to release it.

So out the blue, in 2023, I reached out to him about this track to find out about what the situation was with it, and he replied saying that there were no plans for it to come out. I offered to release it on Future Retro London, which Luke was thankfully up for & here we are!! It was quite a gamble considering I'd never seen any Refreshers tunes released anywhere else besides on his own label (which I have all the releases of and can recommend strongly) but I'm grateful that he was willing to work with me on putting this one out.

Big thanks to Luke for allowing me to have put out Crumbling Down, to Andrew (aka Yedsy, who does all the artwork for Refreshers) for the design of this release's artwork and to Phineus II for his heavyweight remix on the b-side.

Singer James Ambrose Johnson, born on February 1, 1948, in Buffalo, New York, fled to Toronto, Canada, to avoid the draft. There, he started The Mynah Birds, a rhythm & blues band and changed his name to Rick James. In 1966, Neil Young joined the band, but their journey ended when James was exposed as a draft dodger and jailed. After serving his time, Rick James joined several bands, including The Great White Cane, and developed his unique funk style. In 1978, Motown signed him to their Gordy Records, releasing his debut solo album Come And Get It! featuring the hits “You and I” and “Mary Jane.” The album climbed to number 13 on the U.S. charts. Rick released multiple successful albums, such as Bustin’ Out Of L Seven and Fire It Up, with hits like “High On Your Love Suite' and “Bustin’ Out (On Funk).” His 1981 album Street Songs marked his internationally breakthrough, blending funk, rock, and new wave. It produced hits like “Ghetto Life,” the massive “Give It To Me Baby,” and “Super Freak,” earning gold records and Grammy nominations.

His follow-up albums included Throwin’ Down, featuring “Dance Wit’ Me” and "Standing On The Top" with The Temptations, and Cold Blooded, with “Ebony Eyes”a collaboration with Smokey Robinson. Furthermore Rick wrote and produced “Party All The Time” for Eddie Murphy, reaching number 2 on the Billboard charts. Also included on this Collected album are the hits “Glow”, “Loosey’s Rap” featuring the queen of hip hop Roxanne Shanté and his collaboration with Busta Rhymes of “In The Ghetto”

Rick James Collected includes most of his hits and early songs and the 2LP, is available on black vinyl and includes liner notes.