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African, funky, sarcastic, bewitching, green, ecstatic: these words collide to describe Vaudou Game and all of them are true. Bella is the first vinyl single derived from the upcoming album called Noussin, due to be relased June 11th 2021.
"Bella" is a smashing summer hit, sang in Mina and french. It's an ode to the nature and love in this hard times. "Be My Wife" on the B side, is a trip into a rock /funk universe with an uptempo twist rythm, sang into the voodoo harmonies.
Composed in Lyon on 100% analog equipment during the lockdown, those two songs might be the funky nuggets of all DJ's and radio playlists .

Limited Edition hand numbered 7” – 1000 Copies: Rare groove legends Timeless Legend are best known for “I Was Born To Love You”, but this disco rarity from 1979 has risen to prominence in recent years and near impossible to find on 7” for less than £200. Respect the Mighty Zaf and the late great Phil Asher for their brilliant 2018 remix on 12”. These original versions a must for 7” collectors and disco fans

Future transgender pioneer Jayne County began as Wayne County, starring in Femme Fatale with Patti Smith and fronting the Backstreet Boys at CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, where County was an early punk deejay. Moving to London in 1977, County formed controversial proto-punk band, The Electric Chairs and this immortal self-titled debut LP, released by Safari Records in 1978, has many highlights, like the Teddy Boy-meets-punk of ‘Eddie and Sheena’ and full punk ‘Out Of Control’ and ‘On The Crest’; even the spacy ‘Plain Of Nazca’ is a mighty rockin’ storm, led by JJ Johnson’s pounding rolls and Greg Van Cook’s jagged guitar, though ‘Big Black Window’ somehow ropes in shades of country and blues-rock and ‘Rock And Roll Resurrection’ sums up County’s ethos, excessive, filthy and raw. In a word: indispensable!

Over 1.5m albums sold in the UK and 3 consecutive no 1 albums for Noel Gallagher’s High
Flying Birds – plus a record breaking 10 consecutive chart-topping studio albums in the UK
for Noel.
- Debut eponymous album released 17th Oct 2011, debuted at no 1 with 122.5k sales and
achieved double Platinum status less than 6 months post release
- International Magic DVD release of the 02 Arena gig Feb 2012 certified Gold on shipment
-2011-2012 live schedule saw NG HFB visit 32 countries across 6 continents, playing 150
shows over a 15 month period. 406k headline tickets and 1.2m festival tickets sold
- Chasing Yesterday, released 2nd March 2015, no 1 album on release with 89.1k sales and
certified Platinum
- 2015-2016 18 month world tour covering 122 shows in 28 countries. Almost 400k headline
tickets and 1.25m festival tickets
- Who Built The Moon?’ released on 24th Nov 2017 - no 1 with 77,853 sales (almost 35k sales
ahead of no 2), Silver album after only 4 days and certified Gold 2 weeks post release
- Tour covering 59 shows in 17 countries with 245k headline tickets and 550k festival tickets
- Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds released a series of 3 multi-genre EP’s over the course
of 2019 and 2020
- 2019 saw a host of headline festival dates covering 150k tickets sold across the summer
plus tours of the USA and Australia with Smashing Pumpkins and U2 respectively

In the spirit of old school power metal, Germany’s up-and-comers HAMMER KING have gathered to set fire on their new album Hammer King (out June 11 via Napalm Records)! Ever since HAMMER KING burst onto the scene in 2015, they have proven themselves as an unstoppable force. Hand-picked by thy majesty, the Hammer King himself, the band consists of former ROSS THE BOSS vocalist Titan Fox V and former SALTATIO MORTIS drummer Dolph A. Macallan, alongside Gladius Thundersword on bass and Kleveland's most timeless lead guitarist: Gino Wilde. HAMMER KING keeps it heavy with speedy riffs, energic grooves and fist-pumping choruses, devoting their existence to the one and only myth of the godly Hammer King! The new self-titled album starts off with blasting drums and brisk guitars on “Awaken the Thunder”, with frontman and guitarist Titan Fox V showing off his incredible vocal range, whereas tracks like “Atlantis” prove HAMMER KING’s ability to write catchy and memorable choruses. Hammer King tells the lore of the Hammer King himself, a wrathful and mighty war god, who is praised in tracks like anthemic “Baptized by the Hammer”, energetic and double-bass driven “In the Name of the Hammer” and the hard-hitting “Hammerschlag” featuring the legendary Gerre from TANKARD, Isaac from EPICA and the almighty The Crusader (WARKINGS). Hammer King will be available as a deluxe box edition including, as well as on gatefold vinyl amongst others. Kneel before the king of kings, the HAMMER KING! 1. SINGLE - EN "Kicking off with a tight, punishing drum groove and heavy guitars, “Hammerschlag” gets your blood pumping right from the first second! A catchy power metal singalong hook and guest vocals by Gerre from TANKARD and Isaac from EPICA and the almighty Crusader (WARKINGS), topped off with dizzying guitar solos – HAMMER KING knows how to get your head banging! " 2. SINGLE - EN "On “Atlantis”, power metallers HAMMER KING reveals its melodic side as singer and guitarist Titan Fox V shows off his incredible vocal range. Dynamic songwriting meets multi-faceted, virtuoso guitar solos! " 3. SINGLE - EN “Awaken The Thunder” by HAMMER KING is a heavy, fist-pumping power metal anthem! The double-bass groove will catch the listener off guard, leading seamlessly into the passionately performed verses by Titan Fox V. HAMMER KING at its best!

Lee 'Scratch' Perry's Black Ark Studio opened its doors in 1974. Situated in his backyard at 5 Washington Gardens, Kingston, Jamaica. Using only basic
equipment, a Teac Four-Track Recorder, a Sound craft mixing desk, an Echoplex delay unit and later adding a Phaser effects unit that he used in conjunction with his Roland RE201 Space Echo. He managed mixing down the tracks from Four track to Two track to make his distinctive whirling sound that sets apart the Black Ark Sound from the other Jamaican Studios.

Born Rainford Hugh Perry, 28 March 1936, Hanover, Jamaica. He began his career at the grand age of 16, working for Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd’s sound
system, rising quickly to the position of record scout and organising recording sessions during his 3-year period 1963-1966. Restlessness and unsatisfied with credit he felt due to him he moved on to work with Producers J.J. Johnson and Clancy Eccles, the latter of which would help him set up his ‘Upsetter’ label in 1968, which would see his first of many recordings telling the injustices done to him by previous employers. ‘The Upsetter’ track itself pointed at Mr Dodd but reflected to Perry when he inherited it as a nick name alongside many others during the course of his career, including ‘Scratch’, again taken from one of his recordings ‘Chicken Scratch’ recorded in 1965/1966. Perrys work in 1968 with producer Joe Gibbs was fruitful and resulted in many successful releases, but again feeling a lack of credit and itchy feet, it was time to move on. Still not having a studio of his own, Perry recorded at the various Kingston establishments at the time, Randy’s Studio 17 on North Parade, Dynamics on Bell Road and Harry J’s on Roosevelt Avenue where the bulk of the aforementioned recordings with The Wailers were carried out. His dream was always to build his own studio and not to have to work to the constraints of the other studios and producers.

On opening the Black Ark studios, the hits seemed to come immediately. Firstly with Junior Byles' 'Curly Locks' and in 1975 the massive crossover hit Susan Cadogans' 'Hurt So Good' that reached No 4 in the UK charts.1976 saw Island Records releasing Perrys vast output, timeless material like the Heptones 'Party Time', Max Romeo's 'War Inna Babylon' Bob Marley and the Wailers 'Jah Live', 'Punky Reggae Party' and Junior Murvins 'Police and Thieves' to name but a few.But sometimes missing out on a few classics like Perrys own 'Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Corn Bread' and possibly one of the best reggae albums of all time The Congos 'Heart of the Congos'. Dub releases like 'Revolution Dub' (1975) showed a way forward for his production skills in this formidable arena. Having his own studio allowed him to build up a vast catalogue of tracks to work on. We have culled together some lost productions that Lee Perry carried out with singer Mike Brookes, a fine singer, arranger from that special time in the Black Arks history. Sounding like Junior Marvin in parts and Max Romeo in others but still carrying a distinctive Falsetto voice. Some classic tracks as you can see recorded with the cream of musicians at Lee Perrys disposal. Mr Perry works his magic that gives these songs that distinctive feel that his output.
carried around the mid 1970's.

So we hope you enjoy some more lost treasures from the Black Ark that we feel should be added to that mighty cannon of material that still sound so fresh and strong today.

180g audiophile vinyl pressing. Tip-On Gatefold packaging.
A fascinating solo album from the Swiss pianist, composer and
conceptualist best known as leader of the bands Ronin and Mobile,
‘Entendre’ offers deeper insight into Nik B rtch’s musical thinking.
As the album title implies ‘Entendre’ is about hearing as a creative process,
referencing the patient unfolding of B rtch’s modular polymetric pieces, with
alertness to the dynamics of touch, finding freedom in aesthetic restriction,
serving the flow of each piece’s development while also taking the music to
new places.
Recorded at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, in September 2020, and produced by Manfred Eicher.
Nik Bartsch: piano
Press:
“Entendre - his first album entirely played on solo acoustic piano, with no
overdubs - might be his finest yet.” - **** The Guardian
“Nik Bärtsch feels a long way from jazz, but a lot closer to a freewheeling
rhythmic spontaneity on this unexpectedly action-packed set.” - **** (Editor’s
Choice) Jazzwise
“There is nothing lost when Nik Bärtsch, bandleader, becomes Nik Bärtsch,
solo pianist. It’s the same, captivating music, only played through the single
vessel of a piano. Through this prism, more is revealed about the genius of
Bärtsch’s ‘ritual groove music,’ not less.” - Somethin’ Else
“Entendre is a fascinating solo album from Swiss pianist, composer and conceptualist Nik Bärtsch... In these six solo realisations, Bärtsch’s creative music
unfolds with heightened alertness and dexterity as the pieces develop and unfurl with texture and subtlety of touch. The pianist finds freedom in aesthetic
restriction, while also seizing opportunities to guide the music to new places
of discovery.” - UK Vibe
“Manfred Eicher’s production captures the sound of the piano and the room
with forensic clarity. Entendre is, literally, classic Bärtsch. It is also classic
ECM.” - All About Jazz

Repress

Punctual like a Swiss watch, Driftmachine presents a new album that once again astounds and delights. We know their trademark: solid mechanical percussions, forceful bass and melodies systematically built around circular patterns. "Spume & Recollection" is the sixth Umor Rex album by the Berlin duo, and what better way to celebrate the label's 15th anniversary than with a new record from the masters of labyrinthine cables and patches. Regarding "Nocturnes" (UR 2014), their debut album, we described their sound as precise and symmetrical, identical concrete blocks mounted and articulated in a random order. Their already obsessive style continued to evolve with their third record, "Colliding Contours" (UR 2016), now pushing further into abstract dub, ultra-tense grooves, and even more kinetic loops, moving further away from conventional musical structures. Between these two albums they released the remarkable "Eis Heauton" (UR 2015), a kind of hypnotic experiment informed by shadowy atmospheres, chance, and an intuitive dialogue with their musical machines, a unique situation in which they acted as bemused observers in hunt for epiphanies, resulting in an exquisite amalgamation of lucid dream-logic and mechanical precision. A one-of-a-kind soundtrack for minute and wordless scenes unfolding in pitch-black back alleys and hidden, alchemical basements. A similar map was explored with "Shunter" (UR 2018), a superb secret meeting between avant-garde phantasmagoria and concrete experimentation. "Radiations" (UR 2017) offered B-sides and bonus tracks, in addition to collaborations with Shackleton and The Sight Below, a kind of preamble that united Driftmachine’s different expressions and leanings.

When Andreas Gerth and Florian Zimmer come up with new material, one listens with high expectation. Looking back on their discography, one could safely anticipate a high quality album densely layered with their familiar leitmotifs. And yet, "Spume & Recollection" takes us by surprise and finds a new way to transfix. Fresh methods and ideas are introduced to their dynamics and formula. Yes, of course, you can still expect a healthy dose of kosmische, which is one of the dominant features in Driftmachine’s DNA; but this is now entwined with novel materials, semi-material patterns of alien code stretching over exhilaratingly tense and detailed grooves, clouds of gas shifting on top of deep dub architecture and blocking out the sun for prismatic effect. Even more of a surprise is the immediate, streamlined nature of these tracks, making "Spume & Recollection" their most accessible record and, perhaps, the most addictive (and this without sacrificing the essential mystery and strangeness at the core of Driftmachine’s sound).

We have previously described their work as post-industrial-dub; right now, we might just call it hypno-music for man and machine to dance and dream together. "Spume & Recollection" takes this concept as far as it can go without breaking, and finds some strange new feelings, and weirdly danceable grooves, to shed some light on this dark and dazzling ride.

All songs written & produced by Andreas Gerth & Florian Zimmer in Berlin Mastered by John Tejada Artwork & Photos by Daniel Castrejón

A collection of songs / mixtape from Sunun + Jiinx - made up of all their own material, a combination of fully realised songs (some of which you might recognise from earlier outings on BKV, Idle Hands, Euphonic Rhythms etc) as well as unheard demos / ideas and alternate versions. The mix was compiled by Jiinx over a period of nightshifts - sat in his (now cubed) car with the computer running through the stereo. You can hear the dry eyes as the tape moves through sleep deprived jungle to new-age and ambient interludes - with voices (including Sunun's own) moving in and out like real world sounds intruding into a dream (there's also a cameo from Jiinx's daughter). The tape operates in the spaces between waking and sleeping and night and day - and manages to walk the line between euphoric rave afterglow and sleepless sickness and disorientation. Definitely one for the shift workers / ravers / insomniacs. Dedicated to the roofless Beemer.

Once upon a time, a girl from a magical fortress isle off the coast of Finland envisioned a world of her own… That girl—Lxandra—eventually brought this world to life with soft piano, ethereal vocals, and unfiltered lyrics wrapped in swaths of technicolor production, vibrant textures, and a wondrous vintage presentation. With acclaim from OnesToWatch, EARMILK, and Refinery29 the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist stretched fantasy into reality on her forthcoming full-length debut, Careful what I dream of, Might not wanna wake up, for Vertigo Berlin. r her 2019 EP, Another Lesson Learned. The six-track project spawned a series of fan favorites, including “Dig Deep” and “Swimming Pools”. Meanwhile, it attracted widespread acclaim from Atwood Magazine, CLASH Magazine, Baeble Music, and Wonderland Magazine. Additionally, she covered the U2 classic “Pride (In The Name of Love)” for Amazon’s Man in the High Castle. Along the way, she supported Dua Lipa on tour and performed at international festivals, including Lollapalooza Berlin, Flow Festival Helsinki, and Reeperbahn Festival. She also distinguished herself through adherence to unshakable values. Not only is Lxandra a longtime vegan, but she also remains a strong voice for gender equality

Premieres from Data Transmission and Bolting Bits. Early support from Hospital, Huey Morgan, Rupture, Fanu, Rob Luis, Anthony Kasper (Fokuz), Red Rack'em, Bandcamp Weekly, etc.

150 copies pressed on 180 gram vinyl. Picture shows the HF021VFELT edition which comes with 'Nuthin' But a Jungle Thang' die-cut felt sleeve insert (in assorted colours), with Heard and Felt embroidered fabric tag. HF021V edition is the same 180g vinyl without the felt sleeve insert.

With music from Jonny Faith's recent Night Lights EP appearing in Grand Theft Auto and best of 2020 lists including Gilles Peterson's, you might think Jonny would continue to mine his take on hip hop and broken beat. Well, all in good time. He's been ready to enter the jungle for 20 years, and he's not waiting any longer.

Now based in Melbourne, Jonny first got involved in music in Edinburgh as a DJ and turntablist in the 90s, getting hooked on jungle, drum & bass, hip hop and the hybrids of these championed by the Mo'Wax label. Formative experiences included hearing DJ Hype spinning in Newcastle, seeing the Roni Size/Reprazent live show with two drummers and hanging out at cult Edinburgh club night Manga, where residents G-Mac and DJ Kid hosted the likes of Marky, Grooverider and J Majik.

Jonny was keen to start making his own sounds, signing up for an electronic music production course. But it wasn't quite what he was after.

'The course turned out to be more house-oriented,' Jonny recalls. 'Sampling wasn't on the curriculum, and the students weren't allowed to touch the Akai S900, the sampler used in lots of the early jungle classics.'

When Jonny did start releasing his own productions a few years later, he was starting to explore the experimental beat scene around the time Flying Lotus and Hudson Mohawke (another Scottish turntablist) were starting to make their mark.

Jonny continued to widen his sonic palette, adding elements of dub, jazz, funk, electronica and broken beat, and picking up fans like Radio Nova Paris, KCRW, Vice and Clash Magazine along the way. But he's never been more than one degree of separation from his jungle/D&B roots. He continued to buy and play the music, did the odd D&B remix and snuck sonic elements and techniques into his tracks at various tempos. Over the years his releases have shared labels with the likes of Peshay, Om Unit, Drumagick, Reso, Kid Drama and Danny Scrilla.

Now, more than 20 years after those early experiences in Edinburgh, Jonny unveils his first jungle/D&B EP, On Lock. And it sounds like he's been making this music the whole time. In a way, he has.

The single 'Open My Eyes' bursts out the gate, chopping not only the breaks and the soul for a tune that sounds like Amerie's '1 Thing', or some Just Blaze chipmunk soul, reimagined for the 174 BPM crew. Jonny started this one as a hip hop beat for a live routine on his MPC, but it only really came together when he reframed the groove around a D&B rhythm. Next up, Jonny tries a similar trick on his own boom bap tune 'Stay in Your Lane' from the 'Night Lights' EP. His new Step Off Mix totally recontextualises US MC Lady K's slinky soulful rap and hooks with a tough and funky junglist groove. One for fans of the old Roni Size/Bahamadia collab. 'Create' then spaces things out just a touch, with atmospheric but propulsive drumfunk. Vinyl bonus track 'Nuthin' But a Jungle Thang' layers cascading amen breaks, timestretched vocals and a massive double bass-line over the wah guitars and synth whistling of a G-funk era classic.

With early support for Jonny Faith's take on jungle/D&B coming from Hospital Records, Rupture (Rinse FM) and Fanu (Metalheadz), Jonny is ready to be welcomed (back) into the scene.


b A2: Stay in Your Lane (Jonny Faith Step Off Mix) feat. Lady K

RED FANG return with their highly anticipated new album, Arrows! Their first album in five years, everyone's favorite beer-crushing, zombie-killing, air-guitar-contest-judging metal heroes are back in action, doing what they do best- AND MORE. “This record feels more like Murder The Mountains to me than any record we’ve done before or since,” bassist/vocalist Aaron Beam ventures. “It doesn’t sound like that record, but Murder the Mountains was us doing whatever the fuck we wanted, and that’s what this is, too.” Arrows was recorded at Halfling Studios in the band’s hometown of Portland, OR, with longtime collaborator Chris Funk, producer of Murder The Mountains and 2013’s Whales and Leeches. “Chris is a major influencer as far as the weird ambient stuff in between the songs and the creepy incidental noises within the songs,“ guitarist Bryan Giles points out. “I think he definitely creates an added layer of atmosphere that we wouldn’t have otherwise.” Arrows is also a proper title track, which is new territory for the band. “This is the first time we’ve named an album after a song that’s actually on the album,” Beam explains. “We have other albums that are named after songs of ours that are not on those albums. So this time we’re really fucking with you because we didn’t fuck with you.” Similarly, fans might not believe what the song “Arrows” is partially about. “If you’re confused by some of the lyrics to the song, that makes sense,” Beam explains. “But it makes reference to meditation. I started meditating six years ago, but I can only do it when I’m not feeling too anxious. So, when I don’t need it, that’s when I can do it.” Elsewhere, “Fonzi Scheme” was named after legendary Happy Days cool guy Arthur Fonzarelli—if only because it’s in the key of his famous catchphrase, “Aaay.” Producer Chris Funk came up with the idea of bringing in string players from the Portland Cello Project to class up the track. Meanwhile, the opening riff of closer “Funeral Coach” was written 11 years ago. But it took until recently for the song to blossom into its full double-entendre glory. “I was driving around and I saw a hearse that said ‘funeral coach services’ on the back,” Beam explains. “So the first thing that popped into my head was a dude with a headset and a clipboard going, ‘Alright, dudes—more tears! Five minutes in is when the tears are critical, or no one’s gonna believe that anyone cares that this person died.’” In a nod to tradition, Arrows will be available in formats that include all the drums, bass, guitars and vocals. But it could’ve gone another way. “Our original idea was to release the album with no vocals or guitar solos,” Beam explains. “If you want the guitar solos, it’s an extra five bucks. If you want the vocals, it’s an extra ten bucks. So basically people should feel lucky that we didn’t do that. You get to buy the whole thing altogether.” RED FANG think of it as a generous display of gratitude toward their fans. “Yeah,” says Sherman, “Thank you for buying our album, you lucky bastards.”

Kolonel Djafaar’s ‘Cold Heat’ packs a mighty punch, combining the irresistible charm of Ethio jazz and psych rock with the power of a big band brass section, that has made them a formidable live force across Belgium. As they come into their own cinematic sound, now is the time for them to be enjoyed more widely, thanks to masters of exotic groove, Batov Records.

Kolonel Djafaar’s debut release for Batov is an all-killer-no-filler EP. On "Bactrian Camel’’ the four-man brass section picks up a thundering groove, only for the organ-led rhythm section to answer with their own snaking retort. Joris Wendelen’s electric guitar riffing adds a further Middle Eastern flavour to the stew. Written by trombonist Willem De Mol, who delivered the song after two months alone in Russia, "Lamentation" continues the Ethio vibe with a little
Latin panache. The brass-led tone here is mysterious, the melody lingers. An almost surf-esque guitar solo transports the listener before the main groove on organ and brass recalibrates us to the solid rhythm.

Comparable to, but distinct from, The Budos Band and The Comet is Coming, the low-slung sounds of "Recording 68" in particular reveal Kolonel Djafaar coming into their own. The tempo drops, emphasizing the depth of the groove. The EP is appropriately closed in cinematic style on "The Heist". The pace picks up. Drums of death, in the mode of DJ Shadow or Unkle, hold up the distorted synths and that sharpest of horn sections. A song ready for the dirtiest of chase scenes. "Cold Heat" is suitably titled. Fast or slow, killer grooves that will take no prisoners. A taste of Kolonel Djafaar’s power on stage and the clearest picture yet of their direction in sound.

Magda Drozd is deeply concerned with listening in her artistic practice. Her second album, 18 Floors, Drozd focused on the apartment building she called home for several years, compiling a corpus of field recordings in and of the building, which she approached as a living organism rather than static material. The result challenges current assumptions about living together in urban settings. The field recordings were woven into eleven speculative tracks consisting of sounds including violins, guitars, synthesizers, drum machines, and Drozd’s voice. The music moves between sound art, ambient, indie rock, and R&B.
18 Floors presciently emphasizes the importance of the home, which has become glaringly obvious in the age of Corona. Her foresight constitutes her avant-gardism as much as her preference for documenting what might be over what actually is. The result is an album that creates a space for what is transient, uncertain, and unstable. And it creates a space for opportunities, which we need now more than ever.

delving is a new project by Nick DiSalvo, best known as the frontman
of the heavy rock band Elder. Hirschbrunnen, his debut album, draws
from a wide swath of influences and sounds ranging from psychedelic
and krautrock to early electronic and ambient music, all while showcasing
the evocative melodies and songwriting he’s become known for.“I’m an almost obsessive songwriter,
working on music every day and
amassing a huge collection of song
fragments and ideas that often don’t
get the attention I’d like because of
the time I spend with my main band.
‘Thanks’ to this pandemic, I’ve had
plenty of time to pick up some of the
songs I’ve written over the past years
and finally make an album that I’ve
been telling myself forever I’d do.
From my earliest moments as a
musician, I have been obsessed with
home recordings, begging my parents
for a Tascam 4-track cassette
recorder for Christmas when I was
12 and making my own albums. delving
is a continuation of this creative
spirit: experimenting all on my own,
forgetting bands, fans and expectations
and making whatever music I
want to.
Hirschbrunnen - ‘stag fountain’ - is
the colloquial name of a large fountain
that presides over a large green
area near where I live. For me, it’s
been strange to see my world, which
normally consists of a fair amount
of travel and external stimuli, reduced
to one city, one district, one
block for so long. Frustrating as that
is, you might start to find inspiration
and surprising beauty in your
everyday surroundings that you
otherwise would have ignored. Just
as all the music I make is influenced
by my experiences, Hirschbrunnen is
a product of this unique and strange
time in which we all have been forced
to delve more deeply into our own
thoughts.”

Based in Berlin via rural Israel, RAS are comprised of of multi-instrumentalists and producers Dekel Adin, Eden Leshem, and Guy Gefen. They came together as RAS in 2018; a deep appreciation of international sounds that cross common ley lines has resulted in a melting pot of influences. Armed with vintage drum machines, guitars, synths, bongos and a Tascam Portastudio 424 tape machine, they quietly released this eponymous debut album in early 2019.

RAS’ creative palette is relatively minimal, opting to work with a toolkit of analogue instruments and improvisational recording styles. Mixing surrealism, in-jokes and nonsensical word patterns, their lyrics are sung in Hebrew. The vocals are there to support the music, acting as another instrument in the overall sound.

Dekel, Eden and Guy managed to create an intricate balance between lofi soul and brighter mediterranean leaning club-jams, ending up with a record we might mistake as a lost treasure of the early 90’s.??A record that perhaps has an unconscious connection to the past, but more importantly to an onward looking story of friendship and a musical journey which has spanned many continents throughout the last ten years.

Squid announce their debut album, ‘Bright Green Field’, already one of 2021’s most highly anticipated releases.
Produced by Dan Carey, ‘Bright Green Field’ is an album of towering scope and ambition, it is deeply considered, paced and intricately constructed. With all band members playing such a vital and equal role, this album is very much the product of five heads operating as one.
Some bands might be tempted to include previous singles on their debut - and the band already released two more in 2020 via ‘Sludge’ and ‘Broadcaster’ - but instead ‘Bright Green Field’ is completely new. This sense of limitlessness and perpetual forward motion is one of the key ingredients that makes Squid so loved by fans and critics alike, from 6 Music, who have A-Listed previous singles ‘Houseplants’, ‘The Cleaner’ and ‘Match Bet’, to publications such as The Guardian, NME, The Face, The Quietus and countless others. The band was also on the longlist for the BBC Music Sound Of 2020 poll.
‘Bright Green Field’ features field recordings of ringing church bells, tooting bees, microphones swinging from the ceiling orbiting a room of guitar amps and a distorted choir of 30 voices, as well as a horn and string ensemble featuring the likes of Emma-Jean Thackray and Lewis Evans from Black Country, New Road.
Squid’s music - be it agitated and discordant or groove-locked and flowing - has often been a reflection of the tumultuous world we live in and this continues that to some extent. “This album has created an imaginary cityscape,” says Ollie Judge, who writes the majority of the lyrics and plays drums. “The tracks illustrate the places, events and architecture that exist within it. Previous projects were playful and concerned with characters, whereas this project is darker and more concerned with place - the emotional depth of the music has deepened.”
For all the innovative recording techniques, evolutionary leaps, lyrical
themes, ideas and narratives that underpin the album, it’s also a joyous and emphatic record. One that marries the uncertainties of the world with a curious sense of exploration as it endlessly twists and turns down unpredictable avenues.

Following on from Vince Watson’s sell-out 2020 release, that saw tracks lifted from his 9th studio album ‘Via’ taken to a whole new level with remixes by the mighty Joe Clausell, Steve Bug & Langenberg, Osunlade and Manoo, he unleashes two fresh, new, feel-good cuts on Everysoul Audio!

Defining them as House or Techno would be a mistake, as Vince effortlessly bridges the gap between both worlds in a way that he does so very well. ‘Make A Wish’ was born out of the same studio session as his ‘Teardrops’ track for Sacred Rhythm, taking the initial sketch into a different direction with powerful drums, big basslines and silky synth stabs, adding to the orchestral strings that build. ‘Forever’ was originally a studio jam that made it into his live shows pre-covid, but this gave him the chance to finish it the way he always wanted. It’s an upbeat, jazzy cut with funky 909 drums and acid bassline.

It’s a given that timing is everything in music – most obviously in terms of composition and production but often just as much in regard to conception and release – the latter two doubly poignantly so in the case of this massive DOOM vs The Sugarcubes mash-up LP from turntablist and producer Krash Slaughta.

Which is why the tale of this project’s gestation is perhaps what should be told about it before anything else.

Begun last August and finished on 25 October, the album started life as an idea born from a casual listen to final Sugarcubes album Stick Around For Joy that Krash had bought a copy of years before in a charity shop. Contemplating the cover art while listening to the LP and the track Hit in particular, it came to him that here might be the musical basis for a concept LP in the grand tradition of the hip-hop mash-up album. Thus the project was born, becoming something of an obsession as lockdown restrictions recommenced through a sanity-testing autumn. As it developed, the provisional title of Stick Around For DOOM morphed into Sugar Coated DOOM and Brighton artists Leigh Pearce and Rob Crespo were roped in to create the artwork. So pleased was Krash with the results that he decided to self-finance the pressing of the LP to vinyl which in turn would allow him to send a copy to DOOM in the most fitting format. On that basis, along with his dad’s advice that if you want something done properly; do it yourself’, he initiated the process for a limited press run as soon as the project wrapped and telephoned his dad (who’d been shielding and who he hadn’t seen for months) to say he’d done precisely that. In a tragic twist, this turned out to be their last ever conversation, for Krash’s dad died suddenly the next day. Two months later of course, while waiting for the Covid-slowed vinyl pressing process to complete, came a further tragic twist as the world received the delayed news that DOOM himself had also passed away back in October – in the event, only five days after Krash’s father. So it’s no understatement to say that Sugar Coated DOOM carries significant emotional resonance for its maker, forever linked as it will be to the deaths of two of his personal heroes.

Which brings us to the content. The album contains seven vocal tracks, with an alternate version of one and instrumental versions of five of the seven across two sides of an album with the music, track names, LP title and cover art mashing up musical, lyrical/ textual and visual elements of The Sugar Cubes’ Stick Around For Joy with DOOM acapellas, track names and references. Listeners won’t need long to appreciate that Krash Slaughta was right to be proud of his creation, almost certainly correct in thinking DOOM would dig it and no doubt The Sugarcubes too. Also, who would have thought The Sugarcubes had so much potential for beat-mining? But then seeing potential in the unexpected was always a vital skill from the golden era of sampling in hip-hop and those who follow in the tradition. The first track proper, for example, swipes Madlib’s lo-fi beat from underneath the vocals for Figaro and replaces it with the looped and beefed-up opening bars of the Cubes’ I’m Hungry. The result is a natural fit. But then the blending of elements in every track on this release provides evidence of the effort and love put into its creation, reinvigorating DOOM’s classic vocals while re-purposing The Sugarcubes in a manner that will delight. Indeed, if you’d didn’t know the work of Bjork’s former band, you’d be unlikely to pin an early 90s alt-rock LP as the sample source. I imagine listeners will have a hard time picking a favourite too. Perhaps Hit It (based on the track which triggered the project idea in the first) which splices the Bond-theme-ish Hit with My Favourite Ladies might prove the most popular, or the monkey’s favourite, Nurse Chong, which blends Happy Nurse with Raedawn (named for Tommy Chong’s daughter) from Viktor Vaughn LP Vaudeville Villain. Whichever one punters pick though, anyone who hears anything off this will know it’s one to rank alongside your other favourite hip-hop mash-up albums. And who knows – perhaps even Mr Daniel Dumile himself might have considered it a not unfitting epitaph.

The venerable composer and keyboardist Stale Storlokken follows up his previous Hubro release (and solo debut recording), The Haze of
Sleeplessness, with a second solo album performed entirely on pipe organ and recorded at Steinkjer Church by Stian Westerhus.
He describes the album as “a cavernous cathedral of sound”. While the Norwegian Grammy-nominated ‘The Haze of Sleeplessness’ used a whole keyboardmuseum’s worth of antique synths and contemporary digital software to create
its vast array of sounds, everything on ‘Ghost Caravan’ is the product of one organ’s pedals, pipes and sonic plumbing.
“There’s not so much of a relationship to ‘Haze’, says Stale Storlokken of the new album. “That album was more based on improvised ideas that were tweaked and arranged , while this one is all improvised with almost no editing at all. Everything you hear is from the church organ, with no additional instruments.
The basic concept of the record, and the arrangement of the titles and pieces, is done in such a way that they alternate between a fluent, “on the move”, abstract mood and a more recognisable, concrete and grounded mood. At the same time it should be so open that listeners will hopefully have their own unique experience. The organ at Steinkjer is not a big organ but it has some really nice sounds, with a number of quirks and mechanical eccentricities that suit my music.”
The organ is partly a reconstruction based on a Wagner organ in Nidarosdomen built originally in 1741, the organ is housed in the strikingly modernistic Steinkjer kirke, designed by Olav S. Platou in 1965, and featuring glass panels by the artist Annar Millidahl. What Ghost Caravan does share with its predecessor is a seemingly limitless acoustic space for the listener’s imagination to roam in, with Storlokken creating a cavernous cathedral of sound.
The audio dynamics span an enormous range, capable of stretching from the quietest breathy whisper to a basso profundo squawk or scream, sometimes within seconds of each other. Similarly, the incredible variety of sounds that Storlokken coaxes from the organ can defy rational analysis, with the resolutely analogue instrument appearing to echo the industrial, found-sounds of clanking machinery or buzzing electronics that one might expect to encounter through digital sampling or the tape-based experiments of musique concrete.
Over ten separate improvised pieces which connect into an informal suite through the repetition of key elements and sequential titles (with four ‘Spheres’ and four ‘Cloudlands’, plus ‘Ghost Caravan’ and ‘Drifting on Wasteland Ocean’), Storlokken has made a strikingly unified, self-referential aesthetic world that can stand as a true work of art.