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Rom Com is the debut album from Disco In Sochi; a Liverpoolborn duo injecting full-throttle glam rock theatrics into modern pop. Built on strutting guitars, neon synths, & unapologetically huge hooks, their sound is loud, glossy, and engineered for the spotlight. Drawing from the lineage of glam’s excess and pop’s instinct for spectacle, Disco in Sochi trade subtlety for swagger. Their songs are designed to hit hard and fast — all attitude, amplification, and choruses made to be yelled back from the front row. It’s music that treats the stage like a catwalk. Disco in Sochi make pop music for outsiders who dress loud, move louder, and don’t believe in playing it cool. Equal parts flash and force, they arrive with the confidence of a band ready to turn volume into a statement.

Bei einem aktuellen Auftritt von DREAM_MEGA stand Joel Kyack allein auf der Bühne und schickte einen Soundstrom auf das Publikum los. Überwältigt von den gruseligen Frequenzen, den eindringlichen Rhythmen und den wilden, verstimmten Vocals, flüsterte ein Besucher seinem Nachbarn zu: ,Ich glaube, der Typ hat Kontakt zu Dämonen." Ob aus Angst oder Bewunderung gesagt, diese Anschuldigung ist angesichts des zweiten Albums von DREAM_MEGA, ,Control / You Are Not the Center", durchaus zutreffend. Die Platte ist voller Bedrohung. Man hört es in den mutierten Kriegsmarschen, im Dancehall-Reflux, im dröhnenden Bass. Man hört es in den kristallklaren Melodien und den sehnsüchtigen Aufstiegen. Man hört es sogar in dem Cover von Guided by Voices. Joels Beziehung zu verstörenden Klängen - dem Channeling von Dämonen - besteht nun schon seit Jahrzehnten. Seine langjährige Tätigkeit bei Landed, der Band, die er 1997 mitbegründet hat, verläuft parallel zu Joels Beiträgen zu Six Finger Satellite, Men's Recovery Project, Megafuckers, Dos Mega und Street Buddy. Diese unermüdliche Hingabe führt direkt zu dem fieberhaften Verfall seiner heutigen Arbeit, aber Dream Mega ist etwas ganz Besonderes. Entstanden aus Joels Nahtoderfahrung im Jahr 2020 - einer Woche der Schwäche, die er isoliert in Thailand verbrachte, Blut hustete und seine Bettlaken durchnässte - erobert DREAM_MEGA einen einzigartigen Raum an der Schnittstelle zwischen Konfrontation und Hingabe. Aufbauend auf seinen eigenen Erfahrungen bei Hardcore-Shows und Straßenauftritten treibt Joel DREAM_MEGA in einen antipodalen Zustand, in dem Hyperbewusstsein und befreiende Transzendenz koexistieren. Die Songs auf ,Control / You Are Not the Center" starren unerschrocken auf unsere dumme, gefährliche Welt, ähnlich wie es ein Song von Dropdead tun würde, aber gleichzeitig heben sie die Last dieser Katastrophe und drängen auf eine luftige Atempause. Ein Teil davon ist Joels kompositorischer Ansatz, bei dem er alte Holzblasinstrumente gegen digitale Synthesizer setzt und unnatürliche Schaltkreise mit menschlichem Atem kreuzt. Aber im Kern geht es um Joels dringendes Bedürfnis, mitten in der Nacht seine Angst und Traurigkeit und die Funken der Hoffnung anzusprechen und sie in etwas zu verwandeln, das sein Herz trotz allem weiter schlagen lässt. Es ist ein Akt der Klarheit und Selbsterhaltung, der so geschickt inszeniert ist, dass jeder Zuhörer die Dämonen spüren kann, die in seinem eigenen Herzen wirken. ,Control / You are Not The Center" enthält Klangbeiträge von Ryan Weinstein (Coffi n Prick), Cordey Lopez und Lisa Anne Auerbach. Es ist empfehlenswert für Fans von Hassell & Enos ,Fourth World, Vol.1: Possible Musics", Houstons Chopped-and-Screwed-Szene und Captain Beefheart.

TÜRBÖWITCH was born in 2016 in Budapest, founded by vocalist Zslöd and guitarist Kommandante Klit as a raw, no-frills tribute to the sonic fury and visual madness of '80s extreme metal. What began as a fun side project between longtime friends quickly evolved into something far more intense and dedicated-without ever losing that unfiltered energy and love for chaos. Under Haunted Skies is a ten-track journey through a world collapsing into darkness and clawing its way toward resilience. A full-scale, post-apocalyptic metal experience - dark, fast, atmospheric, and unforgiving.

TÜRBÖWITCH was born in 2016 in Budapest, founded by vocalist Zslöd and guitarist Kommandante Klit as a raw, no-frills tribute to the sonic fury and visual madness of '80s extreme metal. What began as a fun side project between longtime friends quickly evolved into something far more intense and dedicated-without ever losing that unfiltered energy and love for chaos. Under Haunted Skies is a ten-track journey through a world collapsing into darkness and clawing its way toward resilience. A full-scale, post-apocalyptic metal experience - dark, fast, atmospheric, and unforgiving.

all new super sexy girl group vinyl is here xo
includes: 12 inch black vinyl, a sheet with stickers of us on so you can customise your own cover, inner sleeve with lyrics from Think They're Looking, Let's Perform and Little Sticky Pictures which you can read and study for at least 2 hours a day

Die Originalmusik von Dan Romer und Giosuè Greco und der Song "DOA" von St. Vincent, zusammen auf einer "Purple Swirl Vinyl" Schallplatte.

I Made It All Up For You is the new record by Hugo Race Fatalists, their 6th studio album, set for release March 20, 2026 thru Gusstaff Records / Helixed on LP/CD and digital.
"In his 40-year career, Hugo Race has lived a thousand lives and played the role of songwriter, producer, musician, performer, head of a record label (Helixed). His music went from folk to lounge, from "trance industrial blues" to psychedelia, from world music to electronics. Starting from post-punk Melbourne in the 1980s, he took fascinating paths that led him from Africa to Turkey, from Berlin to Romagna…"
Hugo Race returns after highly successful collaborative albums with Michelangelo Russo (100 Years), The Church frontman Steve Kilbey (Speed of the Stars) and Gianni Maraccolo (The Vigil, winner of the prestigious Premio Ciampi) with I Made It All Up For You, an epic album with his Italian band Fatalists - existential songwriting framed by the band's signature fusion of roots music, electronica, Italian soundtracks and desert rock.
"I wanted to create something melodic and beautiful in defiance of our current reality. The songs started as bare acoustic sketches written in a remote mountain cabin in Italy where I had two weeks off during a solo tour. The weather turned into a raging blizzard, the days a struggle to keep the wood fire lit and the smoke out of the house. I wrote about twelve songs, threw them all away, started again with an unplugged electric guitar in front of that
damp fire, searching for the album's theme. When the smoke cleared, I was at the crossroads of a long term relationship unraveling under a blazing antipodean sun.
Fatalists recorded the basic tracks at the floating studio on the Puccini lake an hour out of Florence - Giovanni Ferrario (Scisma, PJ Harvey) on guitars and synth, Francesco Giampaoli (Brutture Moderne) on bass and Diego Sapignoli (Sacri Cuori) on percussion.
Violinist Massimiliano Gallo met me in Sicily for a short tour to learn the new songs, adding layers of his Calabrian magic to the mix. Jennifer Charles (singer of New York band Elysian Fields) and I had been talking for a long time about making new music and this was the occasion when we made it happen. Jennifer's distinctive voice graces this
album on the songs I Collide and Broken Love, the lyrics of which were written by author and designer Alannah Hill. My longtime road brother Michelangelo Russo also dusts the tracks with his otherworldly electric harmonica on Against The World, Born To Fly and Open Field. A lot of joy and pain and reflection went into the making of this album and I hope that comes across; this is about the darkness yes, but also the light. Everything changes and every ending is a new beginning but it's how we experience transformation that really matters. I hope you love this album. I made it all up for you."
Hugo Race, Naples, 2025

Strut Records presents a fresh look at Oblivion Express, the 1971 album that marked Brian Auger’s shift into a new musical frontier. After years spent shaping the sound of British jazz-soul with the Trinity, Auger stepped into the new decade with a leaner, electrified ensemble and a renewed sense of purpose. This record captures the moment that transformation took shape.

Oblivion Express introduced a sound that was distinctly Auger’s own. Rather than echoing the fusion emerging in the United States, Auger developed a language rooted in the UK’s jazz underground, culminating in a spaced out jazz- rock / prog-fusion album awash with larger than life drum fills and Auger’s virtuosic organ playing. Between bassist Barry Dean and drummer Robbie McIntosh the album moves effortlessly between tight, articulated phrases and broader, improvisational passages. The trio’s interplay forms the backbone of the album and sets the tone for the sound that would define the early years of the Express.

Album opener “Dragon Song” launches with a restless drive that immediately signals Auger’s new direction. Auger chose to record this version of John McLaughlin’s piece (his friend and former bandmate in 'The Niddy Griddys') after hearing McLaughlin’s album Devotion during its mix at New York’s Record Plant Studios. Auger was blown away, recalling, “Oh my god, this is amazing. I wanted to record that myself - and I did!”. Pieces like “Total Eclipse” demonstrate the Oblivion Express’ command of dynamic contrast, and title track “Oblivion Express” explores the cinematic and compositional prowess of the group through stripped back, building moments vs. explosive melodic breakdowns. Riff-heavy “The Sword” later became known through Madlib’s usage in 2014 tracks “Yeti Movie” and “Parodies”.

In retrospect, Oblivion Express stands as a jazz leaning, prog-rock masterpiece and foundational moment in Auger’s catalogue. It captures the starting point of a new sound that is more focused, more urgent, and fully committed to the possibilities of jazz-rock at the dawn of the seventies. The album remains a vivid document of a band discovering its identity and setting the stage for the further array of influential releases that would follow.

Another Squid inks its way into existence. The new project from northern operator
Accented Measures, whose synth tower stacks taller than the horizon it’s aimed at. A self
made groove patroller, Aqua Surf releases four well swung jewels of power, an ode to
motion, pressure, and late night systems thinking.

Each track is cut from the same cloth but bent at a slightly different curve, offering a
focused glimpse into the Aqua Surf orbit. You’ll find heavy nods to the Quasimidi
classics, early Korg rompers, quirky Roland workstations and lost dub style vocal
fragments strung throughout the EPs play through. Ultimately, the record is a multi
planetary trip built on MPC sequences, where swing does the steering and texture does
the talking.

Functional but curious, these are tracks designed to travel through rooms, through
bodies, through time slots where the lights stay low and the floor stays sweaty.

Death Is Not The End reissue Mark Vernon's sought-after 2013 collection Sounds of a Modern Hospital on vinyl & cassette formats.

Whilst every effort has been made to record the subject in as great a degree of isolation as possible, the sound recordings you will hear on this record were made in a real working hospital and not under controlled conditions. Therefore, on occasion, you may hear some unavoidable background noise, conversations and other extraneous sounds.

All recordings were made by Mark Vernon at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, Stirling Community Hospital and Falkirk Community Hospital between 2011 and 2013.

Yet another solid gold modern reimagining of the mighty Loleatta Holloway, this time her infamous 1977 smash 'Hit & Run' goes under the knife and is tweaked to devastating effect by 2 of Chicago's finest modern day editors - Jamie 326 & Cratebug. Anyone with even a passing interest in Disco or House will be more than familiar with these 2 guys names. Having edited and remixed numerous cuts in their own original ways, they take this all-time Salsoul classic and strip it right back to the essence, to the very basics, and in the process create a total dancefloor weapon. This edit originally came out a few years ago (2013) on a compilation that showcased the new wave of contemporary talent emanating from the Windy City and naturally it was one of the cuts that stood out, finding favour with a wide variety of DJ's across the board from Motor City Drum Ensemble, Todd Terry, Jeremy Underground Paris, Theo Parrish and more. Drawing comparisons with Paperclip People's anthemic 'Throw' from 1994 in the way it snatches a killer loop from 'Hit & Run's' bassline, 'Hit It & Quit It' is a monster, a record you'll literally play over and over and over again, a relentless Disco juggernaut that oozes power. It made perfect sense for this legit single-sided reissue 12" to come out on Salsoul Records, the home of Loleatta Holloway's finest material and all of her classics. This limited reissue has been made in conjunction with Jamie 3:26 & Cratebug and Salsoul Records, 100% sanctioned and lovingly re-presented for your dancing pleasure. This one is HOT. Sleep at your peril!

Repress

Well. Where do we start with 'Deep Inside' Originally released in the golden NYC House era of 1993, this 5 tracker literally smashed everything in sight. And still does now! The epitome of an evergreen, all-time classic release. Masters At Work Louie Vega and Kenny Dope were on a major roll in this era, producing, remixing, dj-ing and everything in-between, these guys put in ridiculous work. They are joined on this EP by a roll-call of names and collaborators, Erick Morillo engineering the title track Check. Maurice Joshua on co-production duties You got it. Vocals by Ms. Barbara tucker They're there. Killer, rock hard drums Stacks of Soul Masterfully chopped up Disco samples All present. Serious stuff. Sometimes a record just manages to capture and distill the true essence of what this is all about and 'Deep Inside' is one such record, it bears all the hallmarks of golden era MAW, all the signposts of what was happening in NYC's clubs in the early to mid 90's were there within it's grooves. You know a record is good when it's still being, quite literally, hammered nearly 25 years later! Now, remastered, and reissued with the full involvement of Strictly Rhythm this seminal piece of NYC House history is made available again with all original, full sleeve artwork intact as per the 1993 original. This one's a straight up essential for any self-respecting dance aficionado. You know what to do!

Green Arrow Sound System is the DUB sound system from Paris, organising underground parties all around the city and the country. Home-made SUB is the rule here.

The label is directly from DUB DIGGLER, the manager of this project.

StayReo, the official Graphist of Green Arrow, is a major StreetArtist from Montreuil/Paris, as well as a great DJ and party provider

This production is a true Underground Project from Paris defending Street & Sound System Cultures !

Two forward-thinking cuts, pressed loud and unapologetic, straight from the Bristol-based producer who knows exactly how to move a system.

“Paisley Breaks” is a break-driven speaker melter — restless drums, nuff low-end pressure, and just enough chaos to keep the dance on edge. Flip it over and “Sunday Monday”switches the mood: laid-back, hazy, and reflective, capturing that slow-burn feeling after a weekend that went a little too far (in the best way).

From the shadowy edges of Limbo into the basscomesaveme universe, this release balances raw energy with late-night introspection — made for sound systems, afterhours, and everything in between.

Repress on purple vinyl. Limited to 250 copies. "Our upcoming album, titled "Helichrysum," delves deep into the human experience, exploring the wounds we carry and the transformative power that lies within us. It serves as a culmination of the countless creative and personal choices we have made, leading us to a place of greater harmony within ourselves, with each other, and with our collective intentions. Musically speaking, the new album is a testament to our commitment to delivering a sonic experience that is unapologetically raw, adventurous, heavy, groovy and psychedelic. The choice to name the album after the Helichrysum plant, holds a significance as the plant symbolizes endurance, healing, immortality, and the power to overcome adversity, which mirror many of the themes throughout the record."

“It’s hard to find your way, following the ghost,” sings Noah Alves on the title track from Middleman’s debut album, as the band explores ideas of how being chained to the past can hinder your forward momentum into the future. This creates a thrilling duality to the debut LP from the London DIY four-piece made up of Alves, Harper Maury, Rory White and Ted Foster. They are all young, in their early-to-mid-twenties, and very much focused in the now, harnessing an energy, urgency and rawness that feels fresh, alive and viscerally present. However, it’s also clear there’s a deep love of music that was made before they were born: the taut, wiry assault of Mission of Burma; the raspy yet melodic charge of The Replacements; the pioneering punk of Wipers, fleshed out via the more restrained and tender moments of Big Star or Neil Young. The result is a beautiful dichotomy of a record that both pays tribute to a rich musical lineage that the band are a part of, while also resisting the urge to get sucked into a dead end of nostalgia, mythology and recycling past glories.

The beauty, confusion, complexity, and intensity of their youth - lived under the shadow and around the scars of conflict - are entangled in the industrial dance-punk hybrid encoded in the record's DNA, aptly entitled Crystalpunk. "This record is us waving a flag for that generation -- the ones who inherited confusion, resilience, and a fractured sense of self." They're waving that flag as intensely as possible too. For the uninitiated, Chalk mainlines the reaction between genres, eras, and cultures, commuting this collision into their sound. The Belfast group could comfortably power an underground warehouse party after-dark, incite a mid-day festival mosh-pit, or shake an arena on any given evening.

Their power has seamlessly translated to the stage with the group packing venues and delivering alternately sweaty and electrifying performances to a growing rabid fan base. As a group, they've sold out shows across the UK, EU and USA, notched festival performances such as Glastonbury, SXSW, BBK, Trans Musicals and more across 11 countries and were handpicked to tour alongside IDLES and Fontaines D.C.. Coming from dissimilar backgrounds and rallying together naturally, Ben and Ross first crossed paths in film school. As the story goes, Ben had noticed a framed poster of Dublin disruptors Gilla Band in one of Ross's Instagram photos and felt a kinship before ever actually speaking to him.

"Nobody else at our school was into experimental noise guitar bands, so that was all I needed to see," laughs Ben. Emerging in 2022, Chalk initially made waves with songs like "Them," "Velodrome," and "Static." Ultimately, they come-of-age and tell a story that resonates beyond borders. Not just a portrait of the band, but one of their home, a complicated place where the sacrifices made and risks taken by activists, artists, ravers and punks created the only environment that a band like Chalk could emerge from. Crystalpunk is not about choosing a side, it's about choosing the future.

Colombian-Argentinian label We Shine In The Darkness is back with a second serving, and this time they throw it back to 1996 to revisit a classic anthem. It's Julian Sanza and La French Toast who add their own 2025 spin to iconic trance cut 'Seven Days & One Week', maintaining its bleepy and bleary-eyed synth sequences but reworking them into a deep and breezy house groove. On the flip, 'Mad Vibes' is apparently an "homage to a local scene bar" and is an emo-licked post-disco chugger with moody lines and distant vocals tugging at the heart.

‘Call To Arms & Angels’ is the title of the twelfth studio album from South London collective Archive.

 A 17-track double CD / triple LP recorded at RAK studios in London and released on Dangervisit/PIAS.

 Deluxe editions of the album also include a bonus ‘Super8’ album of new and exclusive instrumentals, as featured in the band’s ‘Super8’ documentary that will accompany the release of the album.

 Produced by Archive and long-time collaborator Jérome Devoise, ‘Call To Arms & Angels’ is the band’s first studio set since 2016’s ‘The False Foundation’.

 Talking about the new album, Darius Keeler says, “Writing our twelfth studio album was an extraordinary time for the band. The song writing became an unfolding narrative as the world got stranger and more disturbing every day. With people’s freedoms being pushed to the brink, the suffering Covid caused and the terrible events in the US lead by Trump and the rise of the Right, anything seemed possible.

 “To reflect on these times as artists brought up a darkness and an anger, but also a strange kind of inspiration that was at times unsettling. It really made us appreciate the power of music and how lucky we are to be able to express our feelings in this way.

 “It seems there is light at the end of the tunnel, but there are always shadows within that light.”

 Deluxe 2CD album plus ‘Super8’ bonus CD in 40-page casebound Polaroid bookpack.

 2CD album.

 Deluxe vinyl box set with white coloured vinyl 3LP (exclusive to this box set), ‘Super8’ bonus LP on white vinyl (exclusive to this box set), deluxe 3CD with Polaroid booklet and 12” x 12” art print.

 Triple LP on gold vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.
 Triple LP on green vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.
 Triple LP on black vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.

It will expand your mind into the depths of psychedelic solitude and the haunting chambers of darkness within. If you so dare, mastermind Astral Shadow will be your guide through the untamed worlds of Black Metal and Darkwave. But beware, for if you choose to travel this path you may lose yourself and forever go mad

So… what are we actually supposed to tell you about HCL? Honestly, it’s a pretty nice story. A collaboration the way it’s meant to be.

HCL stands for Horkheimer, Consti aka Zeitstill, and Delenz — not hydrochloric acid, but liquid music. One shared idea of sound, without a fully mastered plan. Most of the tracks were born during long studio sessions — long nights, extended jams, ideas taking shape naturally. No big concept, just working it out together and seeing where things go (or not).

After the first two HCL tracks found their way onto various samplers — including the 25 Years of Live at Robert Johnson compilation and Freeride Millennium’s own Queer Base Vol. 2 — it felt like the right moment to take the next step and release the first pattern. Not as a conclusion, but more as a checkpoint. This is far from the end. There are more patterns, more sessions, more ideas already waiting to be published.

Describing the genre is, as always, not that easy. It drifts somewhere between techno and all the other things orbiting around it. Purely electronic music, rooted in the club, but not obsessed with functionality. In a way, it reminds us of the early 2000s — deep, slightly twisted, hypnotic, driving but never aggressive. Music that takes its time, creates space, and pulls you in rather than pushing you forward.

For moments that are meant to last — tracks you don’t want to hear mixed out. For getting lost on the dancefloor, for forgetting the noise and madness outside for a while, for drifting into yourself and letting time fly. Honest club music, built for immersion.

Enjoy the music. Enjoy yourself. Love.

Yours, HCL

TALKSHOW is Haexler's 3rd EP and clearly marks an evident deep dive into the environment of purist Powerviolence. While the Hardcore influences were overtly visible on their previous releases, Haexler now turn their heads towards fully submerging in a primitively harsh tone that flirts with lo-fi soundscapes and noisey elements. On TALKSHOW, Haexler return with their concise and accurate deconstruction of political frameworks, frontally addressing the scope of formations of the liberal democracy, following the foundation of Agnoli's classic "Die Transformation der Demokratie." The full set of disputes regarding the scheme that builds the foundation of liberal democracies from lobbyism all across the possible impact of the media (talkshows), rituals of parties, political pluralism to western values is ferociously dissected with cynical implementations of snippets off the TV series "Mad Men". TALKSHOW will only take a comparably short amount of time to fittingly blast your head off. Make sure to be prepared! Classic black one-sided 11-Track 12" w/ b-side etching and lyrics insert!

REVNOIR is one of the most exciting new forces to emerge in the rock and metal world. Officially unveiled in September 2023, the project has been quietly evolving behind the scenes for nearly two years, led by the talented trio Maxime Rodriguez-Medallo, Julien Ho-Tong, and Kaz Nakazawa. Blending elements of modern rock, crushing metal, and dark electro, REVNOIR crafts a powerful, melodic sound that resonates with both emotional depth and cinematic intensity. Since their formation, the band has made impressive waves—already surpassing 1 million Spotify streams across their four latest singles and building a loyal listenership with over 70,000 unique monthly listeners on the platform.

Their explosive live energy was on full display when they joined Future Palace on a European tour and later proved their rising star status with a sold-out headline show at La Maroquinerie in Paris (550 capacity) in April 2025. Now signed to Arising Empire, REVNOIR are gearing up for their next big chapter: supporting Coldrain on their massive UK/EU headline tour this winter. Spanning 17 dates across 10 countries, including major stops in the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, and more, the tour marks Coldrain’s first European run in over four years and is set to draw thousands of fans each night. As main support on every date, REVNOIR will be performing in some of the biggest venues of their career so far—introducing their sound to a whole new wave of international listeners and firmly cementing their place among the most promising heavy acts of this new generation.

Collecting Orders For 2025 Repress

Ruff n’ ready torque collides with the nocturnal as Argentinian donny JUAAN enters the fray.

A properly intoxicating melange of boisterous, straight-for-the-jugular biz and late-night seduction. Four distinct, durable traxxx tailor-made for the witching hour. Icily moody with a bit of menace and dread about it. It’s also very slick, optimised and fine-tuned for maximum dancefloor impact.

Critics often highlight his ‘90s-indebted approach, and while those influences remain ever-present, this one has more in common with dancefloor styles prevalent a decade prior. Shades of darkwave, Detroit In Effect and the nascent years of Chi-Town house depending on the track, but never do we run the risk of falling into pastiche.

Pure forward momentum with a decidedly mean streak coursing throughout. Plenty of sci-fi flourish, funked-out where it counts. Flush with dystopian romance and a decent dose of weirdo flex.

Quintessentially Kalahari.

When Aretha Franklin passed away on August 16, 2018 we lost the Queen of Soul, acknowledged as the foremost female singer of her generation, someone who sold over 75 million records in her glittering career. The sadness that so many soul fans felt at that time was most acute knowing that we would never hear her beautiful voice on any new recordings. So it is with great pleasure that we present a live set from Aretha never before heard on a commercial CD. And it is with pride that we can say that the recordings, made in a TV studio in Cologne during her first European tour in 1968, are smack in the middle of soul’s Golden Age. The musical quality - the great artist at her peak – is so high that this issue can only enhance her reputation. This is prime Aretha Franklin – and soul music doesn’t get much better than this. Notes by John Ridley.

"""Sam Salmon & the Grand Manan Bandits is a bare-bones country band made up of beloved Canadian alt-rock band Motherhood and “delta doom” guitarist Keith Hallett (Echodelick Records)

DOWN FOR LIFE features foot-stompin’ tracks like “No One Likes Losing,"""""""" a self-deprecating look at being competitive yet never managing to get ahead, “Waste Your Time,” about the confusion of suddenly losing someone you love, as well as a reflection on familial personality traits, and “If I Needed You Now,” showcasing country music at its finest - three chords and the truth. Or, in this case, two chords.

Sam Salmon & the Grand Manan Bandits features Penelope Stevens (bass/vocals), Brydon Crain (vocals/guitar), Keith Hallet (lead guitar, console steel), and Adam Sipkema (drums).

DOWN FOR LIFE also marks a trifecta of releases this year from Motherhood Music Inc., following the band’s “wildly entertaining!” (Bandcamp) fifth album Thunder Perfect Mind and side-project Penny & the Pits’ “delicate and
demanding” (LOUD Women) debut Liquid Compactor."""

Johnny Cash (1932–2003) was a legendary singer-songwriter whose deep voice and storytelling made him one of the most influential figures in American music. Blending country, rock, folk, and gospel, he created timeless songs like “I Walk the Line,” “Ring of Fire,” “Folsom Prison Blues.”, “I Got Stripes,” and “Oh Lonesome Me.” Known as The Man in Black, Cash’s music spoke to themes of love, faith, and redemption, leaving an enduring mark on generations of artists.

Far from being a nostalgic exercise, the record reasserts their daring artistry, merging legacy and rebirth. Known for melodic minimalism, elegant melancholy, and pulsing electronics, the band has often been compared to Depeche Mode, New Order, or Joy Division, yet their singular identity has always set them apart. On this new album, they reinvent their sonic language, blending vintage synths with classical textures and luminous modern production. The result is a sensory journey where light and shadow converse, where poetry meets pulse, reaffirming their timeless relevance. Their influence extends across genres: sampled by Madlib, reinterpreted by Tricky, reimagined by Theophilus London, and remixed by DJs such as Marcel Dettmann. Tributes, reissues, and appearances in cinema and fashion underscore their resonance, from Lucie Borleteau's Chanson Douce movie to catwalks by Chloe.

Born in Marseille in the early 1980s and led by Alain Seghir alongside Catherine Loy , Brigitte Balian , and Beverley Jane Crew , Martin Dupont left a mythic legacy with tracks like ' Inside Ou't and 'Just Because...' before dissolving in 1987. Rediscovered through Minimal Wave reissues, their music captivated a new generation of underground and electronic enthusiasts. Today, Martin Dupont are reborn. Seghir and Crew, joined by Sandy Casado, Thierry Sintoni, and Olivier Leroy, embark on a world tour that affirms their unique ability to move and inspire. You Smile When It Hurts proves that their visionary sound has never been more alive

Reissue of the highly-regarded 2003 live album by Canadian technical death metal masters Cryptopsy. Capturing a crushing 2002 Montreal performance featuring their then-new vocalist Martin Lacroix and a career-spanning setlist including tracks from None So Vile, Blasphemy Made Flesh, and Whisper Supremacy, showcasing incredible energy, technicality, and a notable drum solo by Flo Mounier. It's considered by many fans to be a definitive live death metal album, representing their best material from previous albums in one powerful recording.

Trio Sfera – Verschwiegene Lieder is a richly atmospheric album that weaves classical melodies, world music influences, and intimate soundscapes into a deeply expressive listening experience. With pieces such as Verschwiegene Liebe, Oblivion, and Assyrian Woman, the trio invites the listener into a world of quiet intensity, emotional depth, and subtle beauty. Each track unfolds with sensitivity and nuance, creating a musical journey that speaks softly yet leaves a lasting impression.

Von der Disco in den Jazz Club - Flore Benguigui ist zurück!
2024 platzte in der Welt des französischen Pop eine Bombe, als Flore Benguigui ihren Ausstieg aus der
erfolgreichen Elektropop-Band L’Impératrice bekanntgab. Mit ihrem ersten Solo-Album ist sie jetzt in
Bestform zurück und verbindet swingende Jazz-Songs mit Pop- und Elektro-Elementen.
Die ausgebildete Sängerin und Pianistin hegte schon immer eine tiefe Liebe zu Evergreens und zu Unrecht vergessenen Klassikern von Nina Simone bis Chanson-Legende Barbara. Ihr erstes Album unter
eigenem Namen greift diese Musik jetzt auf und transportiert sie ins Hier und Jetzt. Ihre unverwechselbare
Stimme, flirrend und mädchenhaft, aber punktgenau und selbstbewusst, ist die Basis der Jazz-Ohrwürmer
mit einer Dosis Indie-Pop, die sie mit ihrer Band The Sensible Notes erarbeitet hat. Für Pop- wie für
Jazz-Fans ist ihr ein sehr hörenswertes Werk gelungen.

Zwei Plattenspieler und ein Mikrofon. In der Klarheit dieser einfachen Schlussformel liegt eine Wahrheit - eine Wahrheit, die zugleich erahnen lässt, wie groß die Möglichkeiten innerhalb dieser Grenzen sind. Manchmal muss man daran erinnert werden.I Guess U Had To Be There, das neue Album des New Yorker Rappers ELUCID und des erfahrenen Produzenten Sebb Bash, ist genau so ein Fall. So frisch, als wäre es morgen entstanden - und doch kann man darauf wetten, dass man es auch 1989 hätte auflegen können und sofort alle Köpfe mitgenickt hätten.Es gibt Momente in der Musik, in denen Meister ihres Fachs sich auf dem Höhepunkt ihrer jeweiligen Schaffenskraft begegnen - Alben wie Madvillainy, Liquid Swords, Dr. Octagonecologyst oder Hell Hath No Fury -, bei denen das Ergebnis mehr ist als die Summe seiner Teile. ELUCID und Sebb Bash bewegen sich auf I Guess U Had To Be There genau in dieser berauschenden, scheinbar mühelosen Sphäre.Alles wirkt zugleich vertraut und bahnbrechend. Die Beats verschieben und wenden sich unter ELUCIDs Füßen, doch er balanciert sie wie auf einem Drahtseil - seine Performance so beweglich wie die einer Bergziege, Produzent und Rapper in perfekter Synchronität. Einige leuchtende Stars haben unvergessliche Gastauftritte: billy woods, Breezly Brewin, Estee Nack und Shabaka Hutchings. Doch im Kern ist dies eine Zwei-Mann-Show, und das Duo hält den Fokus genau dort, wo er hingehört.I Guess U Had To Be There ist ein fesselndes, konventionssprengendes Hörerlebnis und ein neuer Höhepunkt im Schaffen zweier der besten Künstler dieses Genres.

Y2K25: The Music That Made The Millennium (Various Artists) - VinylOops!we did it, again! Get ready to relive the magic of the millennium with Y2K25: The Music That Made the Millennium. Say Bye Bye Bye to your playlistthis is the way you want your music. Featuring pure nostalgic bliss from NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, TLC, P!nk, Ricky Martin, and so many more. Let that genie out of the bottle, grab your Tamagotchi, flip phone, and CD player to enjoy the biggest anthems from the biggest stars. Order now and escape the everyday existential dread for 78 minutes and 48 seconds of pure nostalgic bliss. 20 chart-topping hits on 1 unforgettable CD (or 12 hits on 1 totally awesome vinyl!) Dont Wait for Tonight. Dont be a Teenage Dirtbag. Celebrate Y2K, 25 years later.

Tartelet is pleased to kick off 2026 with a display of warm-hearted tech funk from Italian house maestro Paffetti. Having made his name with a strong run of sample-rooted deep house as Black Loops, Riccardo Paffetti unveils a new alias to explore a more club-focused, trippy sound.

Even with the shift in sonic focus, Paffetti maintains a razor-sharp instinct for low-downgrooving deep house dynamics that course through every inch of the UTOPIA EP. It's plain to hear in the rolling bassline and shuffling drums that mark out 'B.Y.M. ' and the disco-licked strut of 'Escucha Me'. The difference is the decoration on top, where mind-massaging zips and pings and artful samples add a subtle touch of psychedelia to the sophisticated house music blend.

Across five cuts, UTOPIA unfolds with a strong sense of momentum and melodic intent, marking a confident new phase in Paffetti’s ongoing exploration of deep, hypnotic club sounds.

Further exploring his signature darker peak-time Cocktail D'Amore sound with highly effective collages of samples and added elements, Trent comes on strong at 127BPM with "BB Disco" on the A side, a disco percussive heavy 8 minute galloping excursion with an array of trippy layers, guitar and sound effects. B side goes more in the cosmic hole chugger realm with two hypnotic tracks at 111 and 106 BPM. Big sounding club tools ood for the healthy DJ bag, mastered at man made mastering.

Soft Echoes presents the first physical edition of ‘In a Few Places Along the River’ by Abul Mogard as a limited run of 500 vinyl copies. Originally released digitally in 2022, the album now appears in its intended form, marking the label’s second release.

Three long pieces, composed between 2019 and 2022, emerged from Mogard’s meticulous experimentation with analogue and digital instruments. Slowly evolving harmonic fields of layered drones and spectral textures drift across the record. They are enhanced by reverb from Scotland’s Inchindown oil tanks, which hold the longest reverberation of any man-made structure, giving the music a haunting resonance and a sense of suspended space.

‘Against a White Cloud’ and ‘In True Contemplation’ open the album with their nocturnal tones that gradually intensify into dense, immersive waves of sound. Side B is devoted to the 21-minute elegiacal piece ‘Along the River’, which flows between weight and silence, unfolding with reflective depth and moments of subtle transcendence. As one listener observed, “His music doesn't break the wilful suspension of disbelief: you stay in its trance.”

“Recording for this album began in 2019, when I was still living in London,” Mogard explains. “The first version of ‘Along the River’ was created at my studio near Brick Lane. It started with experimenting around a chord progression inspired by a classical piece I had once been recommended, though, strangely enough, I no longer recall what it was. Early in 2022, I revealed the identity behind Abul Mogard and wanted to mark this new period, so I decided to release it quickly, by myself, as digital-only.”

After returning to Rome, Mogard created the other two pieces, working with new digital instruments alongside his modular synthesiser, and integrated recordings from the London sessions. The music reveals a patient attention to texture and space, defining his usual restraint. Mogard adds, “I was trying to explore very subtle changes in the spectral characteristics of the music using extremely slow, intertwined tones.”

Described by critics as one of Mogard’s most melancholic and absorbing releases, the album maintains an austere beauty and contemplative weight, leaving a lingering impression that lasts far beyond the final note.

The music has extended beyond the album itself, with tracks appearing in films and contemporary artworks. Most notably, Swedish artist Peder Bjurman’s ‘Slow Walker’ audiovisual installation and French filmmaker Fleuryfontaine’s politically charged animated film ‘Soixante-sept millisecondes’.

Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri and cut to vinyl by Lupo, the record emphasises the clarity and depth of Mogard’s frequencies, with each layer precisely balanced. The cover artwork and design are by Marja de Sanctis, who has collaborated with Abul since his first cassette release in 2012.

‘Call To Arms & Angels’ is the title of the twelfth studio album from South London collective Archive.

 A 17-track double CD / triple LP recorded at RAK studios in London and released on
Dangervisit/PIAS.

 Deluxe editions of the album also include a bonus ‘Super8’ album of new and
exclusive instrumentals, as featured in the band’s ‘Super8’ documentary that will
accompany the release of the album.

 Produced by Archive and long-time collaborator Jérome Devoise, ‘Call To Arms &
Angels’ is the band’s first studio set since 2016’s ‘The False Foundation’.

 Talking about the new album, Darius Keeler says, “Writing our twelfth studio album
was an extraordinary time for the band. The song writing became an unfolding
narrative as the world got stranger and more disturbing every day. With people’s
freedoms being pushed to the brink, the suffering Covid caused and the terrible
events in the US lead by Trump and the rise of the Right, anything seemed possible.

 “To reflect on these times as artists brought up a darkness and an anger, but also a
strange kind of inspiration that was at times unsettling. It really made us appreciate
the power of music and how lucky we are to be able to express our feelings in this
way.

 “It seems there is light at the end of the tunnel, but there are always shadows within
that light.”

 Deluxe 2CD album plus ‘Super8’ bonus CD in 40-page casebound Polaroid
bookpack.

 2CD album.

 Deluxe vinyl box set with white coloured vinyl 3LP (exclusive to this box set), ‘Super8’
bonus LP on white vinyl (exclusive to this box set), deluxe 3CD with Polaroid booklet
and 12” x 12” art print.

 Triple LP on gold vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.
 Triple LP on green vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.
 Triple LP on black vinyl in triple gatefold sleeve.

Emerging artist Beifer presents his highly anticipated debut album "constant.transition": an eclectic fusion of electronic music with strong influences from dubstep, garage and drum&bass, enriched with captivating jazz elements. This cross-genre work takes listeners on a journey through dark atmospheres and avant-garde soundscapes, brought to life by the artist's complex percussion layers and interesting chord structures.
With great experimentation and a desire to break new ground in electronic music, Beifer has created an album that captures the listener's attention with its unique textures and unconventional soundscapes. Each track is an exploration of musical possibilities, with Beifer masterfully blending a wide variety of genres while creating a cohesive and infectious atmosphere.

The album also features notable collaborations with renowned musicians. Wanja Slavin, Moritz Stahl (Ark Noir/Lyder) and vocalist Enji have collaborated with Beifer to add an additional dynamic and layered dimension to the album. Their unique talents and empathy blend seamlessly with Beifer's vision, opening up new worlds of sound for the listener. Beifer has managed to push the boundaries of electronic music and make an impressive artistic statement with his debut album.

"constant.transition" is the first release on the newly founded tunnel.visions label. Starting as a event-series, the three members of the electronic alternative experimental jazz band Ark Noir have made it their mission to present progressive, contemporary music that includes acoustic and electronic instruments, takes up compositional and improvisational concepts and thus breaks down the boundaries between academic and autodidactic practice.
Over the past year, Ark Noir has featured Beifer several times at concerts and brought the music of "constant.transition" to the stage with live instrumentation. The program was enthusiastically received by the audience.