160 gram clear red vinyl, glossy sleeve, Cititrax presents rare live recordings from Birmingham techno legend Regis. The 12" EP features recently uncovered recordings of Regis playing live in New York City on January 4th, 1997 at the famed New York Film Academy. Original tapes discovered by Evan Kreeger, studio work / transfers done by James Ruskin in London and audio mastered by Veronica Vasicka in New York. The EP will be pressed on 160 gram clear red vinyl and housed in a gloss sleeve, featuring text by Evan Kreeger. An excerpt is below: Gymnastics broke techno - first time performed ! Regis has recreated this show for you - from the tapes in storage Over twenty years later - You're welcome! You are born! Now you can say you were there - rather than Skavoovee chore Damage and flame was our desire for this fight Two fans rebuffed tossed cinderblocks thru the front doors that night Locking up the Film Academy was only pageantry and a lie Nothing secure anymore - just crouch down - on your knees - crawl inside"
Since he started producing music, Berlin-based American sound artist Jake Muir has been obsessed with sampling. His 2018 album "Lady's Mantle" was based on manipulated chunks of vintage Californian surf rock, and its follow-up, 2020's midnight symphony "The Hum Of Your Veiled Voice" was sourced from a wide variety of old records, and inspired by the work of experimental turntablists like Marina Rosenfeld, Janek Schaefer and Philip Jeck.
On "Mana", Muir looks back to a misunderstood musical movement. Around 1995, a group of New York producers and DJs - including DJ Olive, DJ Spooky and Spectre - pioneered a genre-dissolving sound by unifying hip-hop techniques with ideas pulled from dub, jungle, ambient music and industrial noise. Badged "illbient", it was a short-lived genre that felt like a high-minded psychedelic cousin of the UK's trip-hop.
Muir uses illbient as the springboard for "Mana", utilizing a selection of samples to inform his frothy drones and foreboding atmospheres. He ushers the material into 2021 by diverting it through his own contemporary worldview, attempting to recreate the hyperreal fantasy histories of Japanese RPGs (think "Dark Souls" and "Final Fantasy") and nod to sensual, tactile soundscapes of European industrial labels Staalplaat and Soleilmoon. The result is a magickal, sensory journey that's as physical as it is representational.
If the illbient producers were encouraging a burgeoning experimental music landscape to emphasize the tactile feeling of turntablism and sample manipulation, Muir is doing the same with "Mana". Each track heaves and breathes not just with his cultural reference points, but with layered, complicated emotions. We can hear joy, sadness, desire and anguish, obscured by disintegrating noise, hallucinogenic harmonies and sub-aquatic bass. It's electronic music that's rooted not in technology, but in touch.
In 1982, Bukky's path led him to London, where he became one of the forerunners in the Acid Jazz scene. A young A&R man named Gilles Peterson signed him to the newly formed Acid Jazz label and his first release "Rejoice In Righteousness" went straight to the heart of the Acid Jazz world, reaching number 1 in the rhythm and blues, dance and jazz charts. The follow-up album "River Nile" led to a nomination at the US African Music Awards in New York. There he became acquainted with the legendary, late tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson who invited Bukky to his home in San Francisco.
Tropical Disco Records have once again delivered four scintillating feel good summer disco jams courtesy of the latest edition of their well loved vinyl series. Perfect for those gloriously sunny outdoor events, BBQ’s and beach parties alike their latest EP is another must have slice of black gold.
Scouring the globe for the freshest cuts Volume 22 is another multinational affair combining the skills of Colombian duo Vagabundo Club Social, Mexico’s Monsieur Van Pratt, Italy’s Infradisco and New York’s Roland & Brother Rich.
Opening affairs are the hugely exciting duo Vagabundo Club Social with their track ‘Costero’. They are producers who nimbly fuse dusty Latin grooves with cutting edge production techniques and dancefloor know-how and here have delivered yet another feel good dancefloor smash. ‘Costero’ is quite simply a DJ’s dream track which will do the business at any end of the set whether you need to get the crowd on the floor or tear the proverbial roof off.
Mexico is currently at the leading tip of the disco charge and Monsieur Van Pratt is one of the stand-out producers from a country bursting with talent. ‘Jazz Player’ pulls absolutely no punches combining jazz cool with disco know-how for a track which wins on all counts. Sublime brass solos sit atop a huge funky gem of a bassline. ‘Jazz Player’ will tear dance-floors up worldwide as the world starts to rediscover its long since packed away dancing shoes.
Italy’s Infradisco is up next with ‘Aungasana’ and it’s the perfect track to follow on combining many of the traits that both Vagabundo Social Club and Monsieur Van Pratt utilised on their tracks. Expect huge jazzy horns, funky bass and tribal vocals building up to a monstrous organ groove which raises proceedings to fever pitch. Infectious and energetic, it’s another seriously classy dancefloor moment.
Closing out the EP are New Yorkers Roland & Brother Rich with the exquisitely titled ‘Roger Moore’s Living Room’. Paying homage to the James Bond legend it’s the ideal track to sip brandy and toast the characters of yesteryear in that velvet smoking jacket you have always wanted. Deep and Jazzy with the essence of the 70s flowing through it’s DNA ‘Roger Moore’s Living Room’ is a track so effortlessly cool that even Blofeld would be throwing some shapes.
Tropical Disco’s Volume 22 is a sublime selection of timeless and wonderfully cool tracks which will be the perfect accompaniment to sun soaked events this summer and well beyond.
The independent label Six Nine Records Ltd. UK, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, proudly presents Petawane (ft. Alura) and his first release on the
label!
Petawane was born and raised in Harlem, New York and started his
singing/music career at the young age of six, when he both performed in church and for friends of the family. The great response and
appreciation he got from his performances made him pursue the dream of becoming a full time performer and musician. He’s always been influenced by the old school greats, such as Sam Cooke, Willie Hutch and Curtis
Mayfield to name a few.
“Lovers Dream” is a stunning mid-tempo track featuring Alura, together they deliver amazing vocals and a tune which definitely makes the
perfect soundtrack to hot summer nights in the company of friends and lovers!
Definitely not to be missed as it is a limited UK press with small hole
and full colour printed picture cover!
Kurtiss is a shadowy and enigmatic figure working on the boundaries of civilization. A sporadic figure on the House music scene with eccentric habits, Kurtiss’ music is a rarified sonic experience for those who seek it out. The Ameri-can artist is hard to pin down and his music is a tantalizing little secret only for adept diggers who appreciate the style of Hi-Def House music that the artist has cultivated. Although he’s a known Soundcloud fixture, he’s only put out a handful of digital singles as Curtis Vodka in the past, with Mutual Intentions facilitating his latest and immortalizing his music on their next set of releases. A nomadic artist, who’s worked on music ranging from Ghetto Tech to House, his music has spanned the known musical spectrum, forging uncanny relationships with everything from 50 Cent to Mall Grab. Under the pseudonym Kurtiss (or Curtis Vodka), he’s all about HIGH-Fi House, life, aliens, Jazz and no trends. It’s an attitude that he lays bare on this rare contribution to the physical, recorded format for Mutual Intentions on ‘The Curtis Vodka EP’. The EP weaves classic House music influences through a penchant for vintage sound machines and arrangements that evoke a solemn air. Elements of Gospel and New York’s deeper inclinations in House music seep through his sound as archived vocal samples and noisy machines give his work its defining character. Glistening keys and strings that slither through airy textures create dense aural experiences on ‘The Curtis Vodka EP’, calling to mind the musical masterpieces of House music’s golden era when the likes of Kerri Chandler and Mas-ters At Work were producing som
Maxx Mann were the gay New Wave duo of Frank Oldham Jr (vocals, lyrics) and Paul Hamman (music) from New York City formed in 1981. Frank studied voice and acting at the Herbert Bergdorf School idolizing Eartha Kitt, Nancy Wilson, Johnny Mathis and Shirley Bassey. Paul was playing piano for a cabaret singer at a bar in Greenwich Village where Frank met him and their friendship began. Paul and Frank worked together 3 to 4 times a week recording their debut self-titled album released in 1982, limited to 500 copies.
Songs provide interesting insights into the homosexual experience before the AIDS crisis: cruising backroom bars, BDSM and one-night stands. The music is "Neo-realistic rock" heavily influenced by punk, titillating, synthesized body and soul with Frank’s dramatized vocal stylings. The original press release sent to radio stations stated, "Because this is a completely innovative sound, we hope you will give it several listenings. It is adventurous, daring, and certain to cause reactions from your listeners.” For this first time vinyl/CD reissue we’ve added two bonus instrumental tracks, so the album now contains all four original vocal cuts and their corresponding instrumental versions. Paul sadly passed away in 1986 aged 33 from AIDS-related illness and we dedicate this reissue to him. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. Each copy is housed in an exact replica of the 1982 jacket and includes a fold-post poster with photos, lyrics and notes by Frank Oldham Jr.
The long awaited second release on Obscure Unfound comes from the Manchester duo Kander.
Two original Straight up dance floor destroyers & two slamming remixes from RAW’s MAKORNIK & Peryl. The guys have enjoyed an absolutely storming year with gigs in New York, Philadelphia, London, Manchester & Berlin. Recent mixes for the Brvtalist & Instrument of Death along with smashing releases on Marked & ISMUS have gained worldwide support.
Soul Jazz Records' are releasing their long-out-of-print album 'Hustle! Reggae Disco' in a new expanded 2017 edition which now features five extra tracks. This ground-breaking album features non-stop killer reggae versions of original funk and soul classics in a disco style. Reggae disco updates of seminal classics by Anita Ward ('Ring
My Bell'), Chaka Khan ('I'm Every Woman'), Michael Jackson 'Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough,' Sugarhill Gang ('Rappers Delight' here performed by Derrick Laro and Trinity for producer Joe Gibbs) and more, all showing the hidden but inseparable link between the dance floors of New York, Kingston and London.
New bonus tracks to this collection include Derrick Harriott's funky take on Eddie Drennon's 'Do It Nice and Easy', the classic disco reggae of Risco Connection's take on McFadden and Whitehead's 'Ain't No Stopping Us Now' and the London rare groove lovers rock take on Barbara Acklin's soul classic 'Am I The Same Girl'.
'Hustle! Reggae Disco' has been one of Soul Jazz Records' best-selling releases since its first release 15 years ago (and subsequently featured heavily in the early Grand Theft Auto games!). This new edition comes complete fully re-mastered and with all original titles plus new tracks. This new expanded edition now comes a triple album (+ download code), CD and digital album.
'The effect of American R&B and soul music on Jamaican reggae is well documented, but the story doesn't stop there, for disco (and more so now for rap and hip-hop) have also been subsumed into the reggae mix, and while one might suspect that the resulting hybrid would die of its own implausibility, the feral mix of disco with reggae rhythms is so darn infectious that it hardly matters. Once you take your brain out of the frame and just let your feet go, this collection is a dancer's delight all done up in full-blown disco style, but with huge dub-style rhythm tracks ... if you're looking for an impossibly infectious dance collection, this is
it.' All Music
U2 return with their hotly anticipated new studio album 'Songs of Experience'. The Island Records priority release completes a stellar year for the Dublin band, following their return to stadiums with the critically acclaimed, sold out 'The Joshua Tree Tour 2017' playing to 2.4 million fans in just 51 shows across Europe and North and South America, as well as the successful 30th Anniversary re-issue of 'The Joshua Tree'.
Recorded in Dublin, New York and Los Angeles, Songs of Experience was completed earlier this year with its subject matter influenced by Brendan Kennelly's* advice to Bono, to ...write as if you're dead'.
The result is a collection of songs in the form of intimate letters to places and people close to the singer's heart: family, friends, fans and indeed himself.
Songs Of Experience is the companion release to 2014's 'Songs Of Innocence', the two titles drawing inspiration from a collection of poems, Songs of Innocence and Experience, by the 18th century English mystic and poet William Blake.
Produced by Jacknife Lee and Ryan Tedder, with Steve Lillywhite, Andy Barlow and Jolyon Thomas, the album features a cover image by Anton Corbijn of band-members' teenage children Eli Hewson and Sian Evans.
'The Blackout' and 'You're The Best Thing About Me' were the first songs to be made available from the album. 'You're The Best Thing About Me' is the band's first UK Top 20 airplay record in a decade and has also been remixed by Norwegian superstar DJ and producer Kygo.
*Brendan Kennelly - Irish poet, novelist and Professor Emeritus at Trinity College, Dublin.
It was in 1973, on the 14 of October, late in the afternoon; on a pretty Sunday under the Big Top in the heart of the “Parc de la Pépinière”, in Nancy; it was the “premiere”, the world
first hearing, and it has so far remained the only one commissioned by composer and trumpet player lvan Jullien, for the first international Nancy Jazz Pulsations festival. In order to complete this work of composition and orchestration, Ivan asked the great Eddie Louiss on organ, and chose to do without a double bassist who would have been drowned in a telluric outburst, for the best drummers in Europe and beyond had accepted out of sympathy to offer their contribution to such a festival. The only melodist with Louiss was the English John Surman (born in 1944) here on soprano saxophone, discharging torrents of incandescent lava.
Conversing with drums, cymbals, xylophones, kettledrums, vibraphones, tumbas, djembes and all other percussive things that you’ll like to imagine – a bunch of talents such as those
of the French André Ceccarelli, Daniel Humair or Bernard Lubat, the New Yorker Stu Martin, who reminds of Paul Motian in his “breaks”, South African Louis Mo-Holo, young Lamont Hampton, the great trombonist “Slide” Hampton’s son and the Malagasy Franck
Raholison, the Senegalese Lamine Konte. And we will scrupulously refrain from omitting the four musketeers, here representing
percussion in classical music, namely the Percussion Quartet of Paris under the leadership of Mr. Lucien Lemaire.
This summer fortunea head Klaus Benedek returns with a 2 track single!
The A-side features the title track „At The Shore“ and is not only a fitting piece for sunset and afterhour sessions. It brings back nostalgic memories of a simpler, laid-back and peaceful time on the beach. A smoove guitar is the key element in this track. It builds up to a break that dives into the waves of the ocean. Almost siren sounding vocal cut ups splash threw this journey and a beautiful haunting pad is giving it the icing on the cake.
The B-side -- although in a similar vibe as the title track -- has a more somber feeling to it. „South Bronx Depression“ reflects the mood of the troubled New York neighbourhood during the 70s and 80s. A pompous jazz fanfare has been sampled, filtered, chopped and transformed as the track’s hookline. Eerie synthesizer stings make their entrance, while the narrator tells his story.
Limited to 300 copies. Mastering by Patrick Pulsinger.
Support by Tensnake, Iron Curtis, Loz Goddard, Alkalino, Roman Rauch, Peletronic
Supported by Villalobos, Dorian Paic, Mattia Trani, DJ Tennis, Verrina & Ventura , Giorgia Angiuli, Carola Pisaturo, Julina Perez
There are people who place their soul at a border between two worlds that are completely different one from the other.
Giulio Paternò has always split his heart in two halves: one beating for Pink Floyd's, Dire Straits' and Deep Purple's rock; the other for an electronic sound influenced by the likes of John Talabot, Nicolas Jaar or David August.The final result by mixing these two different souls is all channeled into his project Swoosh, where house and techno meet the psychedelic sound from the '70s. So here is a captivating and a magnetic sound which is shaped exclusively by a live act with Ableton, a Gibson Les Paul and various controllers.Swoosh's peculiarity drew the attention of top national venues and festivals such as Tenax in Florence, Circolo degli Illuminati in Rome, or Amore and Spring Attitude Festivals.By Spring 2016 Swoosh will be releasing his first EP "Over and Above" with Autum Records, a label based in Rome and New York.Feedback:> DJ TENNIS: Great record, Swoosh is a producer to keep watching... / Gran disco, Swoosh è un producer da tenere sott'occhio...> VERRINA & VENTURA: Great, the slow one is fantastic! / Complimenti, traccia lenta fantastica!
> CAROLA PISATURO: Liked it so much. / Mi piace moltissimo.
> GIORGIA ANGIULI: I really enjoyed the whole EP, tracks are so stilish! / Mi piace molto l'EP, tracce super stilose!> JULIAN PEREZ: Good listening, a good listening. / Un ascolto piacevole > MATTIA TRANI:above mi piace moltissimo bell'atmosfera!
tested 'Then After' EP by New York duo Wild Dark.
'...Stemming from a partnership with two decades of experience behind them, Wild Dark takes on contemporary song-writing and gives it a unique, thoughtful, modern-take using a wide spectrum of electronic music to tell a story. The duo, comprised of brothers Corey & Ryan Negrin, stray from cold digital samples in favour of a warmer approach to writing music. This allows them to merge house, techno and natural vocal work into a cohesive concept that uses soulful yet charming songwriting to nurture a sophisticated palate of contemporary work...'
Then After EP includes two tracks featuring Alex Who 'When we first met Alex there was chemistry off the bat. With inspiration of being young and free, the lyrics and vibe to "Why Not"came together with ease. As the production progressed, the darker tribal elements came to life.
We wanted this track to resonate with the free spirited. This track tends to be a favorite of night.
"Born By The River", A Happy Mistake. The vocals, the elements, the soul, all stemmed from animpromptu recording and this beauty was born. With a list of organic household recordings,accompanied by a warm low end, we aimed to create a track that defied all genres.
"Talky Talkie" is the most club oriented track of the EP, with a persistent groove and synth elements that work perfectly on the dancefloor.
"I'll Wait" brings our bohemian flavour to shine, a track that's comfortable being played anywherefrom Burning Man, lost in the desert to the deep warehouses of Brooklyn's underground.
The digital release will include a special remix by Superlounge, a German duo known for their smooth house vibes. This is a must have release, available first on the label's shop online;
t r u e C o l o r s
A Brooklyn / London based record label that channels artist's most honest version of their
creations and shares it with the world through vinyl and digital platforms.
Cute Heels is the project of Victor Lenis, a contemporary electronic artist living in Berlin, Germany. He grew up in Bogotá, Columbia during the 1990s, surrounded by the radial punk scene. Over the years, Victor's passion and fascination for synthesizers and drum machines to produce and compose resulted in his debut album 'Spiritual" for Dark Entries in 2014 as well as the Third Skin' EP in 2016. Inspired by equal parts Liaisons Dangereuses, Drexciya and Black Devil Disco Club, Cute Heels connects the dots between Detroit techno, early Chicago house and Belgium electronic body music.State of Mind' is a 4-track EP featuring the vocal talents of Berlin artist Aga Wilk, of electro-punk projects Walkman Music and 77TM, on the the title track. On the A-side are two fresh compositions recorded in New York and Bogota between 2016 and 2017. Victor says, 'State of Mind refers to the subconscious as dominated by real facts, natural, unnatural ,metaphysical or virtual and dynamism of the body as physical shield.' The track is a slow building foray into techno, elegantly suited for intangible moments. 'Golden Tears' kicks off with Cute Heels' signature metallic EBM funk played with punchy, percussive analog synths. On the flip we present two banging club remixes. The first is from LA-4A, techno DJ and producer Kevin McHugh aka Ambivalent, who adds a strong kick drum and lacerating hi-hats that build up to a mind melting breakdown with a full on acid squelch attack. The second remix comes from Noncompliant, Midwest US-based producer Lisa Smith aka DJ Shiva, who creates a raw, thumping exercise though off-kilter mechanics and punishing percussion. All songs have been mastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The record comes in a custom-made die-cut jacket designed by Eloise Leigh featuring suggestive rope bondage graphic printed spot black matte on black hi-gloss finish. Each copy includes a postcard.
After reaching its 10th year of existence, Secretsundaze will finally launch its 12" singles label in May 2011, as well as re-launching the critically acclaimed compilation series.
Secretsundaze, created and run by school friends Giles Smith and James Priestley is of course best known for its summertime Sunday parties which have become the stuff of legend, attracting DJs from the world of House and Techno such as Carl Craig, Ricardo Villalobos, Kenny Larkin, Efdemin, Cassy and Chez Damier. The boys have taken the party across the world with regular sessions at Panorama Bar, Robert Johnson, Ibiza and as far a field as Japan and New York.
Now in its second decade, with a steady stream of the most forward thinking and cutting edge techno productions, Drumcode has one of the biggest selections of releases from industry heavy hitters, whilst not forgetting its future by bringing the newest talented producers into the limelight, where Layton Giordani is now a name firmly within that line up.
The young New York based producer first had recognition back in 2014, and his debut release came via Drumcode with his track "Rivington" on the A-Sides Vol5 compilation in 2016.
Full force into 2017, Drumcode has announced the release of Layton's debut album with "Where It Begins" Consisting of 12 original tracks, the album packs a punch when it comes to no-nonsense techno. Successfully weaving relentless drums and catchy vocal hooks into a selection of thick, brooding, atmospheric tracks.
Now in its second decade, with a steady stream of the most forward thinking and cutting edge techno productions, Drumcode has one of the biggest selections of releases from industry heavy hitters, whilst not forgetting its future by bringing the newest talented producers into the limelight, where Layton Giordani is now a name firmly within that line up.
The young New York based producer first had recognition back in 2014, and his debut release came via Drumcode with his track "Rivington" on the A-Sides Vol5 compilation in 2016.
Full force into 2017, Drumcode has announced the release of Layton's debut album with "Where It Begins" Consisting of 12 original tracks, the album packs a punch when it comes to no-nonsense techno. Successfully weaving relentless drums and catchy vocal hooks into a selection of thick, brooding, atmospheric tracks.
Parasole's music fits the bill for cutting-edge electronic music. Infrared Vision is a display of his love for polyrhythmic drum patterns, post-club sketches, twisted dance floor gems and classy, big room-ready tunes.
.
Few words of the artist:
''When I started to conceptualize my album I had a few end goals'', explains Parasole. ''I wanted to string my own style through Infrared Vision, so it would be familiar to the people who like my music. In tandem, I strived to produce a fresh voice sonically and experimented with a few new production techniques. I also grabbed ideas outside of techno and house, because I didn't want to be influenced by anything new. I was listening to a lot of jazz, hip-hop, Nine Inch Nails and Prince for example.''
Parasole took his time to write, produce and record Infrared Vision, dividing the process into three steps. ''First I wrote the album in words, pinning down ideas and track concepts on a notepad. Subsequently I transferred my ideas to my gear. Due to a heavy tour schedule I sometimes brought gear with me on the road, to continue my sketch process on the hardware. I then recorded it at home and at Phil Moffa's studio in New York. When the music was fully finished the album morphed to its final version. Phil Moffa laid down the final mixdown at Butcha Sound Studios, while Marco Spaventi handled the mastering.''
Adam Beyer's Drumcode juggernaut attracts more fans and critical plaudits with each passing year. Holding firm on its future facing ethos, techno's number one label presents a new volume in its acclaimed A-Sides series with 20 prime tracks to signify its 20th anniversary.
Such is the volume of quality music Adam Beyer receives throughout the course of the year, releasing all of it would be impossible. Enter the blue chip A-Sides series: a chance for the quality-obsessive label head to issue a collection of outstanding tracks that couldn't fit in their regular EP release schedule.
With an eye on future talent, as much as the label's established roster of heavy-hitters, the compilation showcases the full breadth of Drumcode's multifaceted techno sound, equal parts inspiring and functional.
Led by the stealth techno funk of 'Nine of You', Beyer's deft collaboration with Mark Reeve, the compilation takes in exciting highlights from big guns such as Alan Fitzpatrick, Dustin Zahn, Bart Skils, Pleasurekraft, Luca Agnelli, Jay Lumen, Kaiserdisco and Gary Beck.
The rich vein of form displayed by emerging techno talent is similarly given prime position. Rising DJ/producer Boxia makes his Drumcode debut, fresh from a well-received warm up set for the crew at the hugely successful Junction 2 festival in London, while the likes of Enrico Sangiuliano, Juan Sanchez, Ian O'Donovan and Timmo also drop fire, establishing their credentials as some of the most promising talent breaking through the ranks in 2016.
Reinforcing the global scope of the label, artists such as The Junkies from Toronto and Layton Giordani from New York, prove techno is winning a place in the heart of the new generation of artists coming out of North America.
Yorkshire's underground has always run deep and this double pack from one of the region's finest new labels, Hearlucinate, makes the case well. For this double album, Leeds mainstay Tristan da Cunha has done a careful excavation of Scott Featherstone's DAT archive featuring music recorded under his Triform alias entirely on analogue hardware. The results are simultaneously timeless and urgently present, and the kind of machine jams that only reveal their full power in dark, hazy rooms. 'Harmony' has a dark and sleazy soul, there's muscular drum weight to 'What Is This', 'Basic House Rocker' has an anxiety-riddled sound that's alive with twitchy acid electronics and 'Chimes' marries vast, swinging kicks with Detroit soul. Wonderful.
Composer and multi-instrumentalist Koen Holtkamp has spent more than two decades shaping a body of work at the intersection of ambient, experimental, and electroacoustic music. Known for his role in the influential duo Mountains, as well as a solo catalog defined by texture and spatial awareness, Holtkamp has long explored how sound interacts with environment and perception. With Nightlife, he enters a new phase of that inquiry, one shaped as much by physical relocation as artistic evolution.
After leaving Brooklyn for the relatively rural setting of New York’s Hudson Valley, Holtkamp found himself immersed in nature and embracing a slower way of life, a shift that directly informed the album’s creation. Rather than rushing into a new project, he allowed the space itself to guide him, focusing on experimentation and play instead of a fixed outcome. Over time, a new instrument emerged from his modular system, built around physical modeling techniques that emulate plucked string sounds. Drawing on a deep affinity for acoustic traditions, from guitar soli to the kora and other chordophones, he began translating those influences into an electronic language, creating music that feels tangible, effusive, and even intimate, despite its synthetic nature. As the pieces took shape, Holtkamp expanded the project into a kind of imagined ensemble. Composed with specific collaborators in mind, the album features extensive contributions from drummer Greg Fox and saxophonist and flutist Matt Bauder, whose performances subtly reshape the material and draw it toward more fluid, song-like forms, alongside a guest appearance from Ben Vida on synth bass. Yet even as Nightlife occasionally resembles a band in motion, its construction resists traditional cohesion. Acoustic and electronic sources coexist to create a hyper-dimensional sense of space, with each element deliberately placed in its own distinct environment, yielding a complex yet inviting setting that feels both otherworldly and completely natural.
Much of the album was created during late-night sessions, which became a kind of personal ritual and ultimately inspired its title. Nightlife unfolds as a series of finely detailed environments, where stillness, texture, and subtle interplay take precedence over momentum. Each piece invites close listening while remaining open and unforced, reflecting both a change in pace and a deepening of focus. The result extends Holtkamp’s ongoing interest in how sound can shape, and be shaped by, the spaces we inhabit.
"Cinematic Visionaries Calibro 35 and Noir Master James Ellroy Pay Homage to L.A. with a Pure Crime-Funk Original Soundtrack. Out October 9" There are collaborations that feel inevitable like they were waiting to happen in some shadowed corner of culture. The union between Italian cinematic funk visionaries Calibro 35 and internationally acclaimed master of noir fiction and New York Times bestselling author James Ellroy is undoubtedly one of them. When Calibro 35 were invited to compose the original soundtrack for Francesco Zippel's documentary Ellroy vs L.A., they didn't simply write music for film. They stepped directly into Ellroy's universe the most dangerous corners of American crime fiction and discovered, to no one's surprise, that its darkness felt strangely familiar. The result is Ellroy vs L.A., the band's new album out October 9 on Record Kicks. Twelve brand new tracks of cinematic crime funk, psychedelia, and hypnotic groove that don't accompany Ellroy's world so much as inhabit it. The soundtrack's move through Ellroy's fictional and real-world mythologies with deliberate precision. Stylistically, the album finds Calibro 35 in their most natural yet most cinematic state: crime funk, psychedelia, and hypnotic groove pushed into darker, more narrative-driven territory by the weight of Ellroy's world. From the gloomy, suspense-laden groove of the opener Black Dahlia to the evocative closing piece Moonlight Sonative, the album unfolds as a complete cinematic arc, showcasing Calibro 35 at their very best. L.A. Confidential delivers a super-suspenseful, thrilling tension that feels like a chase through neon-lit streets, while Riots erupts into explosive cinematic funk, capturing chaos and urban unrest in full force. LSD on Sunset Boulevard drifts into a hazy, instrumental soul journey psychedelic, warm, and disorienting, like a late-night hallucination of the city itself. The Big Nowhere (Part I & II) expands the narrative into a slow-burning, atmospheric descent, unfolding like a two-act crime saga. Welcome to the Land of Vacation and Probation hits with kick-ass, uptempo crime-funk madness, urgent and relentless in its propulsion, while White Jazz is a mood of suspended, noir-infused jazz tension cool, shadowy, and unresolved. Together, the tracks map Los Angeles as a fractured yet hypnotic landscape suspended between glamour and violence, beauty and decay, myth and reality Born in Milan in 2007 with the mission of excavating the golden age of Italian film music Morricone, Piccioni, Trovajoli, Calibro 35 have spent nearly two decades transforming that initial obsession into a singular artistic language. Their work bridges vintage Italian soundtracks with contemporary jazz and cinematic funk, earning them a global following rare for an Italian instrumental act. Their music has been sampled by Dr. Dre (Compton, "One Shot One Kill" feat. Snoop Dogg), Jay-Z ("Picasso Baby"), and Damon Albarn's The Child of Lov. Rolling Stone described them as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing that has happened to Italy in the past few years," while Far Out Magazine called them "one of the most skilful and innovative instrumental outfits on the planet right now." The band (Enrico Gabrielli, Massimo Martellotta, Fabio Rondanini, and Tommaso Colliva) continue to evolve without losing their core identity. In 2025 they released the critically acclaimed Exploration, further expanding their sonic universe, and were invited to perform at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games at the Arena di Verona, confirming their growing international stature. With Ellroy vs L.A., Calibro 35 don't just compose a soundtrack they translate a mythology into rhythm, tension, and groove. Between fiction and reality, they find a city that never truly sleeps, only pulses in darkness. Press play, and Los Angeles begins to unfold in sound.
Bella Kay will release her first-ever full length on vinyl, My Reckless Abandon on 9th of October via Atlantic Records.
At just 20 years old, Bella has quickly established herself as an unmatched songwriter and one of the most emotionally resonant new voices in pop
The Texas-born singer-songwriter experienced a meteoric rise after her series of 3-Pack song releases and singles, but My Reckless Abandon lives as a complete 13-song journey to self-acceptance and introspection after a lot of messy and ‘reckless’ ups and downs.
The album was written and produced by Bella Kay and executive produced by Idarose (Becky G, Suki Waterhouse, Joji) and was recorded between New York and Los Angeles throughout 2026.
Blume returns to James Tenney's Postal Pieces with a second volume: the three Swell Pieces and Koan, written for Alison Knowles, Pauline Oliveros, La Monte Young and Malcolm Goldstein, on vinyl for the first time from one of the key suites of 20th Century avant-garde music.
In 1970, James Tenney (1934-2006) reversed the entropy of his own life and went west. After spending the majority of the post-war years at the centre of cultural ferment in New York, he accepted a position at the newly inaugurated California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), alongside Allan Kaprow, Simone Forti, John Baldessari, Nam June Paik, Alison Knowles, Morton Subotnick, Harold Budd and Charlemagne Palestine. While the move began an enduring period of relative obscurity, Tenney quietly remained one of the most distinct and groundbreaking composers of his generation, producing a remarkably focused body of work inquiring after the elemental character and perception of sound.
Among the most celebrated of his efforts are the Postal Pieces, a suite of eleven compositions completed in 1971. Citing his strong dislike of writing letters, Tenney sent his friends short scores on the back of postcards. The eleven pieces are composed around three themes: his concept of swell form (utilizing repetition and progressing through a structurally symmetrical arch), intonation, and the desire to produce "meditative perceptual states."
Composed for a group of friends - the visual artist Alison Knowles, the composers Pauline Oliveros and La Monte Young, and the composer and violinist Malcolm Goldstein - the four works on this second volume are intimate, poetic and discreet. They were written roughly contemporaneously with the formation of minimalism by many of Tenney's closest friends, and share its elements of chance, durational tone, repetition and constraint, but they approach them on different terms, anticipating the more complex forms of post-minimalism. Rooted in gestalt theory, they are music in which the composer almost entirely disappears, offering greater attention to the artists to whom they were sent and to the subjective experience of the listener.
A student of Carl Ruggles, John Cage, Harry Partch and Edgard Varèse, an active member of Fluxus, a pioneer of computer music at Bell Labs and a collaborator of Carolee Schneemann, Tenney represents a winding thread connecting the entire history of American avant-garde and experimental music. The second collection by Blume attending to the Postal Pieces, recorded by The Barton Workshop under the direction of James Fulkerson, follows the long sold-out first volume (BLUME 022). It comes with exact replicas of the original postcard graphic scores and newly commissioned liner notes by Bradford Bailey.
Almost Starlight is the extraordinary new album by Jem Finer (hurdy-gurdy) and John Matthias (violin). Produced by Jay Auborn and recorded in a Medieval Church, deep in the Devon countryside, in the Summer of 2025, the music is suffused with light, heat and the natural acoustics of the space.
The album defies categorisation; forced to pigeon hole it the nearest approximation would be ‘modern-classical’ but this ignores its myriad influences and explorations which encompass inspiration from Arvo Pärt through Terry Riley to Can via Delius, Alice Coltrane and a subtle reimagining of electronic music played purely with acoustic instruments, bending and shaping their possibilities in surprising and unexpected directions.
Jay Auborn plays cello on a number of the compositions and his production opens up and expands the music through a skilled and imaginative use of space, paying homage to the atmosphere of the church; ‘the sound evolved… chasing the imagined acoustics of that church in my mind; a place for worshipping light with sound.’
Almost Starlight will be released on the 4th September by Touch, available as CD, vinyl, cassette and on streaming platforms.
BIOS OF THE ARTISTS
Jem Finer
Since studying computer science in the 1970s, Jem Finer has worked in various fields, including photography, film, experimental and popular music, sound recording, sculpture and installation.
Much of his work relates to systems, extended processes and extremes of scale and includes Longplayer, a musical composition repeating once every 1000 years, and the Gurdy and Hurdy stones, ancient rocks set upright in fields in East Sussex and Gloucestershire with Jimmy Cauty. Their work together includes a band, The Standing Stones, whose most recent release is Twa Sisters, featuring Iona Zajac and Daragh Lynch.
He was a founder member of The Pogues, with whom he has played, written and recorded since 1981.
Recent music revolves around a fascination with the hurdy-gurdy and includes hrdy-grdy, a cassette released by Benedict Drew’s Thanet Tape Centre. His latest collaboration, with John Matthias, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.
John Matthias
Since studying Theoretical Physics in the late 1980s and 1990s, John has created music and sound in many forms, including for installation, popular music, music for film, for dance and orchestra.
Much of John’s work plays with the physics of complex systems but he is also greatly influenced by stories and song. John has collaborated with Matthew Herbert, Stanley Donwood, Jay Auborn, Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Nick Ryan and many others to create music with a variety of textures and sonorities. He is particularly interested in simplicity and form and how context informs the way music sounds.
His latest collaboration, with Jem Finer, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.
Between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s, musicians across the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten created music that crossed stylistic boundaries, forming a close-knit network shaped by common histories and identities, while rarely receiving wider recognition.
From the psychedelic funk of local stars Sugar Ice Tea and Cryptus Confession to the Latin influences of visiting musicians like Puerto Rican star Mon Rivera via Surinamese-influenced soul and the garage rock of Los Honda, the islands nourished a huge array of styles and talent.
Antiyano Progresivo unfolds against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming Caribbean. During the twentieth century, oil industries, migration and tourism reshaped the islands, creating unparalleled cultural exchange while deepening social divisions. African, Latin American, North American and European musical traditions intertwined with local forms, producing a rich and distinctive musical landscape. Tambú, tumba, calypso and Caribbean dance music coexisted alongside soul, funk, psychedelic rock, reggae, Latin music and American and British pop. Musicians moved fluidly between these styles, developing sounds that were unmistakably local while remaining connected to wider currents across the Caribbean and beyond.
The period also coincided with growing movements for cultural and political self-determination. Events such as Curaçao's Trinta di Mei uprising in 1969, the emergence of Black Power movements and increasing calls for greater autonomy fostered renewed pride in African heritage, local languages and cultural expression. These ideas resonated through music, inspiring artists to challenge conventions and create work that reflected changing identities.
South Asian super-producers Lapgan and Baalti – the former a Madlib-disciple spinning hip-hop grooves out of dusty desi samples, the latter duo purveyors of intricately tapestried dance music – holed up in the California desert in early 2024 for a songwriting session to blend their complimentary styles. They ended up with several albums worth of club material built upon decades of Indian music history – floor fillers that move like early Four Tet meets The Avalanches. They’ve been teasing this material around the world during live sets – from Paris Fashion Week to Glastonbury, London Clubs to BK Warehouse parties, sessions at Lot Radio and Karachi Community Radio, and anywhere else they find an aux. The result has been endless ID requests for unreleased gems like “Ipa Ma” and “Lime Tikka”, calls which should finally be answered with the release of Threads.
Lapgan Bio
Chicago-based archivist and producer Lapgan has become renowned for his signature style: unearthing rare and forgotten Indian & Pakistani sounds and recontextualizing them into hip-hop and dance beats that evoke J Dilla and Madlib. He has cultivated a reputation for quietly revolutionary sample-work across his beloved solo projects History and Duniya Kya Hai, as well as LAFANDAR, his critically acclaimed team up with Heems (of Das Racist / Swet Shop Boys). He has worked with a range of artists from both the West (Your Old Droog, Saul Williams, Cool Calm Pete, Kool Keith, Open Mike Eagle, Blue, Quelle Chris) and the East (EXCISE DEPT, Baalti, Sid Sriram, Sid Vashi, Dynoman), and has been featured in global media including Pitchfork, FADER, Stereogum, Passion of the Weiss, Mixmag, Homegrown, and Vinyl Me, Please. Over the past year he has headlined clubs and performed at festivals across the world from Chicago and New York to London and India, and was personally invited to soundtrack back to back Paris Fashion Week shows for the similarly norm-shifting designer Kartik Research. In 2026 he will soundtrack his third Kartik Research runway show, as well as reissue Duniya Kya Hai for its five-year anniversary alongside a companion EP featuring remixes from peers and supporters Arushi Jain, Loris, Mera Bhai, Malkfunktion, and Maral.
Baalti Bio
Baalti makes electronic music built around rhythm, pressure, and collective release – weaving through leftfield bass, dusty hip hop, tripped out dub and raw house all while maintaining a throughline rooted in South Asian culture seen through the lens of a sweaty dancefloor. In the last year they have experienced a whirlwind rise and growing global recognition: from their EP Mela vividly evoking West Bengal’s sound system culture to their Tamil-cinema-infused filter-house project with Anish Kumar Stunt Doubles, in addition to wide-ranging collabs and remixes alongside DJ ADHD, Naya Beat, and A.R. RahmanThey have also built a reputation for their frenetic live show, with appearances at international festivals like Glastonbury and MELT, headlining shows across Australia and Europe and supporting influences turned peers like Four Tet and Disclosure across North America. Their explosive, percussion-heavy sets have been platformed by Rinse FM, NTS, The Lot Radio, Beats In Space, and Refuge Worldwide, and their music has been renowned by publications including Pitchfork, Bandcamp Daily, RA, and MixMag. Their forward momentum continues into 2026 with slated headline tours in India, Australia, and Asia along with appearances at Coachella, Party in the Paddock, Fvded in the Park, and We Out Here festivals.
Deathbomb Arc has a long history of bringing unlikely artists together for collaborations. From True Neutral Crew featuring Grammy winner Daveed Diggs (clipping.), SB The Moor, and members of Ratsmagick to the Arc Mountain album which paired artsts from the Deathbomb and Hausu Mountain rosters including Fire-Toolz (WARP) and They Hate Change (Jagjaguar). Now Deathbomb is excited to share this surprise crew release from BBBBBBB, Fatboi Sharif, and Ratsmagick, entitled 'Christmas in Sodom'.
All three acts come together for the title track, and then contribute solo efforts to expound on the dark absurdist themes in their own manner, providing a deconstruction of how all the styles were combined.
The duo of BBBBBBB are leaders of the underground electronic hardcore scene Japan, often playing alongside their peers and collaborators, Dos Monos. BBBBBBB released 'Positive Violence' on Deathbomb Arc last year and will release their followup with the label this coming fall in conjunction with their 2nd tour of the UK/EU.
Fatboi Sharif's most recent full lengths are an impressive one-two punch released by Deathbomb Arc and then Backwoodz. Sharif returns to the EU/UK this Sept, after a special appearance at the Clipping. curated 'Splendor & Misery' fest in New York in Aug.
Relative newcomers, the Philadelphia based Ratsmagick, are masterminded by Dennis Martinelli of Knifeplay. This loose 7ish piece group includes Deathbomb Arc founder Brian Miller of Foot Village (Fat Cat) as one of their two, dueling drummers. Outside of Knifeplay's extensive touring schedule, Dennis has found time to finish a Ratsmagick full length due on Deathbomb this winter.
"Life Is Beautiful Again" is the debut album of Nadine El Roubi, a Sudanese-born, New York-based singer, rapper, songwriter, and multidisciplinary artist.
The album is the culmination of music created over the last three to four years. While the album can be categorized as primarily neo-soul, its true genre remains fluid — shaped by influences in hip-hop, neo-soul,and indie music.
Both melancholic and powerful, introspective and self-assured, Life Is Beautiful Again explores personal and external chaos, womanhood, belonging, and the determination to maintain faith through struggle. Thematically, it marks a shift from her previous work. Where earlier releases were overtly political, defiant, and outward-facing, this album turns inward. It is softer, more reflective, and rooted in the belief that vulnerability can be its own form of strength.
Written and recorded over three years across four cities, the album carries the imprint of many different versions of a Sudanese woman navigating change, loss, love, ambition, and growth, these songs became a way of making sense of the world.
At its core, the album’s message is simple: even through the ugliest of times, life will always become beautiful again.
From the discovery of her smoke 'n' honey battlecry, through her baptism of fire in the Bronx blues clubs, onto backup vocals for giants like Joe Louis Walker and Popa Chubby - before finding her own voice with the solo career that exploded in 2016 - the award-winning New York singer-songwriter's road-scuffed leather boots have barely touched the ground. Now, Schorr releases Running Wild: the highly anticipated third album whose songs pulse with empowerment in dark times. "It's about defiance, selfdiscovery, reflection, resilience and freedom," she says. "I want these songs to lift people above the grind.
Lord Sko’s Sophomore Album ‘UNITED PALACE’ is a record chock-ful of homage, past & present pop culture references & youthful exuberance expressed with a vintage New York attitude. With contributions from Meyhem Lauren, Da$H, Wiseboy Jeremy, LIFEOFTHOM & Kuriousul references to the entire cityscape, this is an album that thoroughly represents both Classic & Modern NY culture through the eyes of a Young Uptown MC. With contributions from Meyhem Lauren, Da$H, Wiseboy Jeremy, LIFEOFTHOM & Kurious Jorge, UNITED PALACE could sonically & aesthetically fit anywhere from the Golden Age to the Blog Era & Far Beyond into the future.
- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- 4 PAGE INSERT WITH RAP LYRICS
- FEATURING THE CLASSIC HIP HOP TRACKS TRUE
FUSCHNICK', RING THE ALARM' AND LA
SCHMOOVE'
Even before they made it to the record bins, three-man New York crew Fu-Schnickens created quite a buzz in the hip-hop community with the oddity of their group name. Once they dropped their debut album, F.U. Don't Take It Personal, their music turned out to be every bit as curious and intriguing.
F.U. Don't Take It Personal is the debut studio album from American hip hop group Fu-Schnickens, released February 25, 1992. Recording sessions for the album took place at Battery Studios in New York, New York.
The album peaked at number sixty-four on the Billboard 200 chart. By late 1992, it was certified gold by the RIAA, for shipping 500,000 copies in the United States. The album spawned three popular singles, including Ring The Alarm', True Fuschnick' and La Schmoove'.
In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau praised
Fu-Schnickens' ideas and illusory rhymes, calling the group 'rappers whose visions of fun, agape, and aural conquest remain open-ended, playful, and, face it, silly'.
Having reworked stone-cold classics and forgotten gems for the first two instalments in the series, the mysterious B returns for 003 with something truly special: an exotic tapestry of sounds and samples, woven together into something fresh and ready to play at the fashion week afterparties in New York, Paris, London and Milan.
**SELECTED BY... Shy One, Tim Sweeney, Bradley Zero, Alexander Nut, Ruby Savage, KON, Ross Allen, Auntie Flo, Adam Port, Benji B, Jamz Supernova, Kasper Borke, Bill Brewster + More...**
Phill Niblock completed BLK+LND in late November 2023. It is one of Phill Niblock's final compositions and was commissioned by bassist Robert Black (who passed away in the summer of 2023). The piece is based on recordings of acoustic bass and bass clarinet performed by Neil Leonard and Robert Black under Niblock's direction in 2021.
Phill Niblock (1933-2024) as an artist whose fifty-year career spanned minimalist and experimental music, film and photography. He has been a maverick presence on the fringes of the avant-garde. In the history books he is the forgotten Minimalist. Since 1985, he served as director of Experimental Intermedia, a foundation for avant-garde music based in New York with a branch in Ghent, and curator of the foundation's record label XI. Known for his thick, loud drones of music, his signature sound is filled with microtones of instrumental timbres that generate many other tones in the performance space. He said: 'What I am doing with my music is to produce something without rhythm or melody, by using many microtones that cause movements very, very slowly.' In 2013, his diverse artistic career was the subject of a retrospective realized in partnership between Circuit (Centre d'art contemporain Lausanne) and Musée de l'Elysée (Paris). The following year he was honored with the prestigious Foundation for Contemporary Arts John Cage Award. Since 1968 he also put on over 1000 concerts in his loft space in New York.
"On January 6, 2024, two days before his passing, Phill called me to discuss the premiere and tour of BLK+LND. To distract him from his rapid decline, I engaged in his touring plan, only for him to reveal that all the details were still in his head and none of the events had been confirmed. He was entrusting the project to me. Phill would have been thrilled and honored by this concert at the Donaueschinger Musiktage. The thought of one more performance with Robert Black, whom he greatly admired, presenting his new work for low-pitched instruments that he was particularly fond of, andreconnecting with old and new friends in Donaueschingen would have meant the world to him." - Neil Leonard, Berklee College of Music, Boston
Possibilities Vol. 1 is a transatlantic collaboration between legendary Brooklyn MC Finsta (of the iconic 90s duo Finsta Bundy) and Finnish boom bap production collective Recluse Crew. This powerful joint effort blends gritty New York lyricism with soulful, sample-heavy beats rooted in classic hip hop tradition. Finsta, known for his sharp delivery and timeless voice, brings raw energy and wisdom earned through decades in the game. Recluse Crew complements his bars with expertly crafted instrumentals that honor the golden era while keeping things fresh for today’s underground heads. Released by the new Finnish record label Mood Monarch, Possibilities Vol. 1 is a must-listen for fans of true school hip hop, offering head-nodding beats, reflective rhymes and a rare synergy between two scenes, New York and Finland, connected through a deep love for the culture.
In August 2025, Lee Bains decamped to the Cherry Street Tavern in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a scene known for holding a light for collective good and personal freedom, in order to record a live album. Over that weekend, a group of anti-war activists, union workers, queer rights organizers, inclusive pastors, and people of goodwill—old-time folks—came from Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia to gather at the Cherry Street Tavern. That weekend, that small group of people on Cherry Street, just like innumerable other groups that day and throughout history, demonstrated to each other and to the microphones, that, in 2025, the South was comprised of free people, no matter what. Free South 2025. Free South 2026. Free South forever. Lee Bains is a poet and songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama, who since 2012 has released four studio albums of what Rolling Stone calls “Southern gospel punk," and will publish his debut poetry collection Work Lunch with Hub City Press in 2026 after several of the poems were first published by the New Yorker in 2021. A cult songwriter forged in independent scenes, his work has carried him all over the U.S. and Europe, has received acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, The New York Times, NPR, The New Yorker, and The Guardian, and has led him to be a supporting musician for other artists like Lonnie Holley, Moor Mother, and Algiers. Lee has lent his work to support striking coal miners, immigrants’ rights groups, abortion funds, and anti-racism organizations. He has performed and read at Emory University, the University of Mississippi, Tulane University, Auburn University, and The Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden). He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he works between tours as a handyman.
Surprises are nice. Unexpected, delightful - Vision Fortune last released music in 2015, and so odds were off that we’d hear from them again.
But against all odds, Vision Fortune III is coming out on Gringo Records, following the release of their last album ‘Country Music’ on ATP Records.
The trio first agreed to record a new album as somewhat of a dare over a marathon pasta and wine heavy luncheon in Palermo, Sicily. Waking up with sore heads, they realised in mild panic that flight tickets had been purchased, a cottage in rural Wales was booked, and it was too late to pull out.
And so it was - the Fortunes arrived in Machynlleth Wales in Spring of the following year. The rules were simple - takes were live, songs minimal and the fireplace kept roaring.
Drummer Andres Ayerbe’s strict roast lamb dinner cooking schedule resulted in an album less frenetic and agitated than previous work - instead, III explores a softer, more subdued and subtle side of Vision Fortune. Additional overdubs were recorded in New York City and Birmingham, by AC Williams and Alex Townend. III was completed - a new, leaner Vision Fortune. Like a good lamb dinner - more meat, less fat.
Press Quotes for Country Music:
"An impressively brutal record" NME 8/10
"Immersive and introspective musique concréte rippling rippling with dub rhythms, orchestral strings, tolling bells and discordant drones coming close to the alien beauty of Mica Levi's sonically extreme soundtrack work." Uncut 7/10
"Unsettling, strangely cathartic and hook-free (in a good way)." Dazed ("Twenty albums to look out for in 2015")
"Assembling whole scrapyards of sound and turning them into something better than what went before" The Guardian
"Swaddling the senses in soundwaves, Minimal ambient sketches and harsh electronics abound on this fascinating 12-song affair" The FADER
"Basically just one long, connected droney throb. But it's an awesome long droney throb." Brooklyn Vegan
