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Originally self-released in 2023, Stella Kola, the debut album from Beverly Ketch (Jow Jow, Weeping Bong Band) and Robert Thomas (Sunburned Hand of the Man, Dalthom), now returns in a renewed edition—bringing wider attention to a record that already felt like a quietly essential artifact from the moment it first appeared.

Given the pair’s respective roots—and the presence of collaborators drawn from across the Northeast experimental underground—one might expect “a brutal blast of acid swirl.” Instead, what emerges is something far more unexpected. The album is “steeped, not in noise and dissonance, but in the fragrant, captivating folk of Linda Perhacs, Judee Sill, Karen Dalton, and Bridget St John.”

From the opening moments, especially on “Rosa,” the record reveals its core sensibility: “a ballad that digs deep into the psychedelic-folk tradition until it takes root in a freshly sporous permaculture.” What follows is a set of songs that feel both carefully assembled and organically grown—delicate structures held together by a wide circle of contributing musicians, including Wednesday Knudsen (flute), P.G. Six (harp, guitars, keys), Gary War (synth), Jen Gellineau (viola, violin), Willie Lane, L. Gray, and others.

Rather than functioning as studio additions, these collaborators form a genuine collective presence. “The family affair feeds into the album’s charms,” and the feeling is unmistakably communal. Like many of the ‘60s folk records it echoes, Stella Kola carries “the feeling of community and camaraderie” at its core, shaping a warmth that runs through the entire release.

The album’s emotional palette leans toward a quiet, persistent melancholy: “the best records from that era also carried with them an inherent sadness and Stella Kola’s songs wash over the listener with a beautiful woe.” Its sound edges into the terrain of Fairport Convention and Pentangle, with references to “Beggar’s, Kings, Dark Damsels, and Tarot,” yet never settles into revivalism. Instead, Ketch and Thomas extend the tradition outward, refracting it through their own distinctly American, underground language.

As one early description of the album notes, “the masterful restraint of ‘Rosa’ and the rest of Stella Kola’s shimmering debut evokes Anne Briggs, C.O.B., Pentangle and similar ancestors that knew the best way to honor traditions was to widen the heritage even further.”

Even among a prolific and unpredictable network of underground musicians, Stella Kola stands apart. “It’s early in the year, but it’s hard to see an album, especially a debut, capturing the heart as hard as this one.” With its return in reissue form, the album reasserts itself not just as a hidden gem, but as an essential document of contemporary folk experimentation—an intimate, collective work that continues to unfold with time.

HOT CASA RECORDS is very proud to present two fantastic songs from 2007 by the great singer DULCE NEVES for the first time on vinyl .


Born on January 28, 1960, in Mansoa, in the Oio region, in northern Guinea-Bissau, Dulce Neves is one of the greatest voices in Bissau-Guinean music. Coming from a family of musicians, she began her professional singing career at the age of 16. After the country gained independence on September 24, 1973, she became the pioneer among female vocalists to join the famous group Super Mama Djombo (whose name references the protective god of warriors), with whom she recorded several albums delivering sublime, politically engaged music blending Tina and gumbe styles.


After completing primary school in Bubaque (an island in the Bijagos archipelago), then secondary school at the Kwame Nkrumah national high school in Bissau, and secretarial courses in 1976, Dulce Neves spent ten years working at the National Bank of Guinea-Bissau, all while continuing to sing.


In 1980, she decided to return to her passions — singing and music — and launched a solo career. Four years later, she won the “Prix Calao,” followed in 1985 by the “President of Mali Prize.” It wasn’t until 1996 that Nha Destino arrived, her debut album with its afro-zouk-gumbe flavors, sung in Portuguese Creole. In 2000, Dulce Neves was appointed Ambassador of Modern Bissau-Guinean Music by President Kumba Yala.
In 2007, the album Mundo Rabiba was released, blending gumbe and afro-zouk — and it was a massive success, going gold that same year.

Repress!

THE M.V.P.'s burst into life on the Northern Soul scene back in 1975 courtesy of Blackpool Mecca DJ Ian Levine and has long since divided opinion. Is it pop, is it soul, are they black, are they white, etc etc. Well, it's a rock record from 1971 and has nothing to do with soul... but everything to do with Northern Soul! It packed the floor at the Highland Room and was adopted as a Wigan Casino anthem and immortalized by Tony Palmer in his 1977 Granada TV documentary This England. It was reissued by UK Buddah, due to popular demand, driven in no small part by the TV show and its 20 million viewers. Now, some 40 years on, we present the iconic track, both stereo and mono mixes, as mastered at the time by Bell Sound's senior engineer Joe Breschie.

SALES POINTS:
All time Northern Soul Classics - Two fabulous sides
Massive appeal to ALL Northern Soul fans
As featured in the film Northern Soul

‘Cécile McLorin Salvant ... sings standards, show tunes and old novelties in a taut, flinty, elusively beautiful voice, erring toward material with difficult lyrics and tough places in history. Salvant wins over her audiences by tweaking them slightly: daring them to go there with her—not just into the archive, but toward the darkness of the past.’ – New York Times

‘Although Salvant is known as a jazz musician, her approach to music is defined by her instinct for experimentation ... Her music is beloved for ... embracing theatre and subverting classics with playful renditions.’ – Guardian

Salvant, who has performed with orchestras regularly over the last decade-and-a-half and intended to make an album with one sooner in her career, but logistics and her abundant creative ideas led to other new projects intervening. Having finally found time to make this album, With Every Breath I Take is a different sort of record than it might have been even ten years ago.

“It is a rare opportunity to be able to make an album at this scale, which has been a dream of mine for many years,” Salvant says. “Darcy James Argue wrote stunning arrangements and the Metropole Orkest, conducted by the extraordinary Jules Buckley, gave these stories a cinematic dimension. We overcame quite a few obstacles to even get into the recording studio for this project; it took almost four years for us to do so, and I am so incredibly proud to share it.

“I did not choose these songs because they are beautiful, but because they are crucial to me,” she adds.

Cécile McLorin Salvant, a 2020 MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy Award winner, is a singer and composer bringing historical perspective, a renewed sense of drama, and an enlightened musical understanding to both jazz standards and her own original compositions. Classically trained, steeped in jazz, blues, and folk, and drawing from musical theater and vaudeville, Salvant embraces a wide-ranging repertoire that broadens the possibilities for live performance.

Salvant’s performances range from spare duets for voice and piano to instrumental trios to orchestral ensembles. Her unreleased work Ogresse is an ambitious long-form musical fairy tale that is being made into a feature length animated film. She has performed at national and international venues and festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Village Vanguard, and the North Sea Jazz Festival. Her previous Nonesuch albums, Ghost Song (2022) Mélusine (2023), and Oh Snap (2025) received critical accolades; the former two were both nominated for Grammy Awards. Salvant is also a visual artist, and Oh Snap was named a best album of 2025 by the Guardian, Jazzwise, JazzTimes, and the Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll.

French composer Sylvain Bombled aka Mayerling is back on HITD with ‘Finis Terrae’, marking the project's first album in 8 years.

In the winter of 2025, the musician came up with these five pieces while in solitary retreat on the northern coast of Ouessant, the westernmost island of metropolitan France. The rough weather, the awe-inspiring beauty of the surroundings and the majestic grandeur of the natural elements play a pivotal role in each composition, allowing Mayerling to delve into his innermost thoughts and reflect on humans’ vulnerability facing nature.

In this work, he employs shoegaze synths, field recordings and atmospheric layers to mirror and relate the wide spectrum of emotions he encountered during the adventure of a lifetime on the secluded island. The result is an impressively extensive and personal showcase of electronic music, ranging from krautrock to downtempo and pure ambient music, keeping the listener engaged and the experience captivating from start to finish.

Time spent drifting from the northwest to Mexico to New Orleans and now to Montana has kept her off of the industry's radar until recently. Now, following her Newport Folk Fest appearance, she opened concerts for Big Thief and the Deslondes. Her performances on the Western AF have combined to garner over 200k views with the tastemaker site calling her "the GOAT." Cavazos' fans include Esther Rose, Benjamin Todd (Lost Dog Street Band), Riley Downing, Chris Acker, and Luke Bell. She collaborated as a member of a band (called Sundown) with Alynda Lee Segarra (of Hurray For the Riff Raff) and Sam Doores (of The Deslondes), the latter of whom produced this album.

Released via Sony Classical - Follow Atsu’s path into the north with the Ghost of Yōtei (Original Video Game Soundtrack) – now on LP Vinyl. Composed by Toma Otowa, the score blends traditional Japanese textures into sweeping orchestral themes as the Ghost’s legend and the Yōtei Six take shape. Main Features: • All the songs from the original soundtrack by Toma Otowa • Limited x2-LP set pressed on Gold Shimmer vinyl • Deluxe gatefold jacket with an exclusive illustration of the Yōtei Six • 12” insert with special artwork, liner notes, and credits. A premium LP Vinyl edition for fans ready to bring the sound of Ghost of Yōtei beyond the console onto your turntables. Specialist promo & marketing activity.

Shady Nasty subvert expectations. In a world bound by modded cars, immigrant heritage and digital obsessions, Kevin Stathis, Haydn Green and Luca Watson craft a left-field breed of punk that pushes their formal training in jazz and classical music to its most uncustomary extremes. Influences like King Krule and Low Life surface not as reference points, but as undercurrents absorbed and reconfigured into something unmistakably their own. Debut album TREK has surpassed 2M streams - named one of Rolling Stone Australia's 50 Best Australian Albums of 2025. Fred again.. co-sign ("literally my favourite band in the world right now") drove a major viral surge, leading to collaborative singles "Air Maxes" and "HARDSTYLE 2" (with Fred again.. & KETTAMA), BBC Radio 1 Hottest Record. Sold-out UK debut at The Windmill, London; sold-out album shows across Australia; national support for The Streets (Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Palace Foreshore Melbourne, Fremantle Arts Centre).

Live dates continue into 2026 with Shady Nasty returning to the UK/EU as part of their TREK Tour, hitting up venues in London (Moth Club), Bristol (Strange Brew), Leeds (Hyde Park Book Club), Glasgow (SWG3 Poetry Club), Dublin (Whelan's), Cologne (Garagen), and Berlin (Mikropol), as well as Marrapalooza in Newcastle, Best Kept Secret Festival (NL), and Outbreak Festival in Manchester, before heading to Australia for shows in Brisbane (The Tivoli), Newcastle (King Street Bandroom), Wollongong (UOW Unibar), and Canberra (Fun Time Pony), then back to the UK for All Points East festival, curated by Tyler, the Creator, in August, and a full North American run supporting Militarie Gun (Sept-Oct 2026).

This third album by Ryo Fukui arrived a full 17 years after Mellow Dream, marking his first and only solo piano recording. Alongside signature pieces like “Scenery” and “Mellow Dream”, the album includes “Voyage” and “Nord”, both written during a trip toward the northern regions, as well as “Nobody’s”, a piece imbued with Fukui’s deep respect for his mentor Barry Harris. The selection is nothing short of a delight for fans.

Here, the depth and weight Fukui cultivated as a bebop pianist blend seamlessly with the profound “Hokkaido sensibility” that had always resided within him. It is a masterpiece that truly deserves to be passed down through time.

Sweet Fortune, the fourth studio album by Grammy Award-winning artist Ryan Beatty.
Sweet Fortune arrives after nearly a decade in which he reinvented himself time and time again, traversing the spectrum of the music world. 2023’s Calico became that year’s word of mouth record, and while he toured North America both headlining in clubs and supporting in arenas, he was secretly working on what would become Beyoncé’s blockbuster 2024 album Cowboy Carter. Beatty would go on to win the Album Of The Year Grammy for his contributions to the record.

Fingier Records, released through Acid Jazz Records, has established itself in recent years as a distinctive voice in contemporary soul, drawing from Northern and Rare Soul, 60’s R&B and Raw Funk, Mod Jazz and Boogaloo, conceived by Argentinian producer Kevin Fingier.

‘Nothing Like Be Present’ is a new dancefloor-filler from Jo Ann Hamilton (USA), backed by The Kevin Fingier Collective. A powerful slice of Rare Soul tailor-made for Northern Soul all- nighters. Vibraphone, backing vocals and tight horn arrangements keep the energy locked on the dancefloor, while Hamilton’s voice takes the record to another level.

The instrumental was simply too strong to leave out, so it features on the B-side - a DJ-friendly cut that will feel right at home in many 7” boxes.

NBT sound posse first release. Ragga tek and Pumpin Acid Tribe influenced by FKY, with a fatter kick. Hartek Familly there.. No Tribecore and no Electro Techno. Just a fidelity to a sound and to a spirit. Roma power linking south to north, unity ! Limited 300.

Never Sleep charity tape series focuses on the North East's Valenican musical obsession with the man who started it all.

Trendsetter DJ Scott commands respect with a blend of Makina, Hardcore and Bounce. A trance laced session filled with the resonating compere styles from MC Stompin, MC Jet and MC Natz.

Bringing the energy, heart on the sleeve lyricism and maximal Mackem love for the late night surreptitiously crew. Lacing the backdrop with rapid fire crossfade technique, jump up tonal flair and high pace anthemic signals. Scott brings authenticity alongside the finest MC's in the land.

MC Stompin shows the naysayers who owns the night, MC Jet streamlines quality on the mic and MC Natz brings his own signature tones to the prestigious event.

Literally bringing the first ever Makina records back from Spain (8 of them) and starting Hangar13, this mix showcases an incredible time for the localised sonica and the rise of a cultural defining era in the North East.

DJ Scott is known for his huge cultural contribution, youth work and working class pioneership. A true UK legend and local hero.

All proceeds go to The Macmillan Cancer Support who help people across the UK and and provides specialist health care.

Near the end of fifth grade, Eli Edwards’ mom gave him $20 and told him to go find a friend. His team had won its soccer game that day, so they were out celebrating at a local pizza parlor with games. But, more importantly, there had been one other Black kid that day on the pitch in Spanaway, WA, a Tacoma suburb and military-base town at the rainy northwest corner of the United States. That kid just happened to be Xayvien Young. An instant deep connection was formed between Edwards and Young—Eli and Xay, as they prefer to be called were inseparable— and now twelve years later they are the electrifying, boundary-skipping duo Casi.

Along the way, Eli had relocated to Los Angeles with the indie rock band Enumclaw he had helped found, but he found himself flying home maybe a little too much. He was ostensibly visiting his girlfriend, but he spent most of his time with Xay. They cut tracks in every bit of free time they found until they had an epiphany: Maybe this music they’d made together for a dozen years was actually something special. Casi’s 10-track, self-titled debut out on Carpark Records is the electrifying proof they needed.

On the record, they enthusiastically explore every musical interest they have ever had—explosive hip-hop and unbridled hardcore, high-gloss nü metal and a little bit of emo—as a pair. These songs don’t ignore genre lines; they delight in destroying them, in finding ways to slam hip-hop and hardcore, emo and nü metal together until it seems illogical that they were ever apart. Take “Jumper,” where heavy metal guitars and face-kicking drums stir the moshpit for rabid verses about crushing ICE and the lessons you learn riding the poverty line. And take closer “Bridges,” where the melodic imprint of Deftones meets the relentless confessions of Death Grips. Here are the hard, funny, and loud stories of two 23-year-olds, screaming about the world over a breathless composite of all the music they’ve ever loved.

When Eli was in Los Angeles, Xay missed his friend. But in his absence, he also felt the spark of inspiration. Music was something that had just been their childhood hobby, but now Eli was in a rock band that had press accolades and tours. He got serious about the craft. Eli would write about the dislocation and isolation he felt in California, while Xay would document the hardships of being a young Black man with a complicated family while working menial jobs in Spanaway.

This isn’t a coming-of-age album for Casi; it is, instead, a raw and riveting snapshot of that process, painful as it can be. “Eleven87” is a breakup song, a soul beat springing beneath arching emo vocals. And “Intrusive Thoughts” treats that topic like a punching bag, Eli and Xav fighting against the mental habits that keep them down. These 10 songs instantly close that gap.

Deaf Center member Otto A Totland’s 2014 debut LP, an intricate work for solo piano.

Otto A Totland's modern compositional elements are most widely recognized as half of the Norwegian duo Deaf Center, where his melancholic, intricate piano work provides haunting relief to the beds of noise and deep strings from Erik K Skodvin. Pinô is the first full-length release by Totland, though his solo work has been released once, as the 5-minute A-side of Sonic Pieces 7inch Harmony From the Past. Otto's previously brief vignettes are now expanded into a fully personal realization of his own style.

Initial track Open fills itself with heavy, knowing pauses that quickly become overwhelmed with the desire to understand what's to come. Each silence leads into quick flutters of keys, preparing the listener for a vast terrain of giddy beauty, bleak depths, and true contentedness. Pinô quickly recalls deep winter; in front of a fireplace for days on end, you lose how far along you've ventured into the 18 tracks without any idea how far is left to go. The experience feels inevitable, with no other option but to curl up somewhere cozy and appreciate the sense of timelessness that Totland has created. His album is a haunting modern compositional treasure, expressed through instrumentals completely unique to Totland and captured masterfully by Nils Frahm at Durton Studios.

With Pinô, Otto A Totland appears out of the Norwegian landscape, sharing an achievement that will provide a relief during the brooding winter darkness. Though a highly personal endeavor, the recognizable continuation of Totland’s compositions will attract fans of Deaf Center, and the cinematic and classical components of his solo work will hold sway for those familiar with Harold Budd or Dustin O’Halloran.

London based producer Akhavelli’s debut (instrumental) album "Moorthodox Psyence", operates like a recovered transmission from a fractured timeline. The project is built around a fictional rupture in 1996 where memory, signal and culture begin drifting out of phase, framing the music as something intercepted rather than composed. Drawing on the dense collage tradition of sample-based production, the record blends experimental Trip-Hop, turntablism and psychedelic rhythm with the hypnotic repetition of Krautrock and the tactile grit of analogue Hip-Hop. Its palette pulls from Japanese Soul and Funk, ex-Soviet Psychedelia, Turkish and North African sources, Arabic textures and classic 90s vocal cuts and scratches. Beneath the surface sits a subtle Sufi influence, positioning the producer less as author than as receiver: sampling as remembrance, sound as a way of piercing the veil between timelines. The result is what Akhavelli calls Breakbeat Psyence: a hypnotic, transportive body of work that feels less like a conventional album and more like a lost artefact recovered from inside a loop in time.

The name Akhavelli is a layered reference. It plays on Machiavelli, both the historical figure and Tupac’s Makaveli, filtered through his background and perspective. Even though "Moorthodox Psyence" is Akhavelli's first release, he has been working under the name Yvng Face, as a producer and as a professional mixing and mastering engineer for over two decades now. He runs a high-end hybrid analog studio and has mixed and mastered major records across multiple genres. That technical background feeds directly into the precision, sonics, and consistency of this album, even though Akhavelli is a distinct artistic identity.

Michael J. Sheehy has been making records for almost three decades, initially as founder and mouthpiece of mid-"90s cult band Dream City Film Club, then as a solo artist and frontman of rootsy garage rock act Miraculous Mule. He has toured with the likes of Kristin Hersh, Tindersticks, John Cale and Peter Murphy, while his songs have been utilised in films such as "Intimacy" and the TV show "Deadwood". Following a six-year hiatus, Sheehy has just "Don"t We Deserve Some Kind of Love?", his seventh solo album but first for Dimple Discs. "Don"t We Deserve Some Kind Of Love?" features contributions from Fiona Brice (violin), Sandy Mill (backing vocals), Ian Burns (drums) and Patrick McCarthy (guitar). It was recorded at home over a five-year period while Sheehy was a stay-at-home father and working evenings at a bar in Camden, north London.

Get ready to move your feet as Charly Records, in association with Screenbound Pictures, announces the release of a special edition, 4-track vinyl EP celebrating the critically acclaimed documentary, Northern Soul Still Burning released on 15 May 2026. This highly collectible vinyl lands just as the film takes UK cinemas by storm this Spring.


A Piece of Soul History — This special edition vinyl is housed in an exclusive, stunning picture sleeve featuring an original photograph shot inside the legendary Wigan Casino in 1976 by celebrated British photographer Red Saunders. It is a visual and auditory time capsule that perfectly captures the sweat, speed, and style of the movement.

Critically Acclaimed Across the UK — earning a staggering string of 4-star reviews:

"Thumping celebration of the legendary underground club scene" ★★★★ Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"It really tells you what makes the scene so special... a really interesting bit of social history" ★★★★ James King, BBC Radio 2

“Watching the doc you get the sense that you kind of are there… it works really well” Mark Kermode, Kermode & Mayo’s Take

"Wonderful footage... a soundtrack that will keep your feet tapping, director Alan Byron has captured the energy and power" ★★★★ Dan Carrier, Camden New Journal

From The Times to The Daily Mirror, the consensus is unanimous: this film—and its soundtrack—is a passionate, joyous valentine to a youth culture that refuses to die.

For the 61st outing, Klasse Wrecks heads north once again to Sheffield to the People's Republic of Soyo. The South Yorkshire city has churned out some benchmarks in electronic music over the years and the tradition seems to be continuing, judging by the new 'Altec 1138' EP by producers DJ Steve and Kwake. While the purple bleep lineage can be traced in the 4 tracker, it is not ever classic or pastiche. The spacious dancefloor stompers hit more of an old U.K. Techno vibe and sometimes even venture towards John Carpenter soundtracks in mood and atmosphere. It's classic Wrecks in that it's not classic at all, unconventional genre placement advised

To Cherish zeigt Northcote, das Projekt des kanadischen Singer-Songwriters Matt Goud, in einer Phase persönlicher und kreativer Erneuerung. Seit 2008 bekannt für seine warme Stimme, seine aufrichtigen Texte und energiegeladenen Live-Shows, hat Northcote durch Touren in Nordamerika und Europa sowie gemeinsame Auftritte mit Künstlern wie The Gaslight Anthem, Frank Turner und Hot Water Music eine treue internationale Fangemeinde aufgebaut. Das Album entstand in den Rain City Studios in Vancouver unter der Leitung von Produzent Jesse Gander, der den Songs eine kraftvolle, unmittelbare Klarheit verleiht. To Cherish spiegelt eine Zeit des Umbruchs wider - das Ende einer langjährigen Beziehung, eine wichtige spirituelle Übergangsphase und die kreative Aufbruchsstimmung nach der Rückkehr auf die Bühne. Musikalisch knüpft das Werk an die intime Dynamik der Duo-Tourneen an. Langzeitpartner Stephen McGillivray trägt mit seinem charakteristischen Gitarrenspiel maßgeblich zur Atmosphäre bei, unterstützt von Paul Rigby, Percussionist Mike Battle und Bassist Eric Paone. Die Songs vereinen lyrische Tiefe mit emotionaler Intensität und laden dazu ein, die Höhen und Tiefen des Lebens bewusst wertzuschätzen.

Michigan Band EJ & the Echoes: Rediscovering a Soul Legacy

The story of EJ & the Echoes represents a remarkable chapter in Michigan's music history and the early American soul scene. Its origins date back to the late 1950s, when Everett J. "EJ" Gronda was already active as a young musician. While studying at Central Michigan University in the early 1960s, he met the talented vocalist Manuel "Manny" Holcolm. Together with other musicians, they formed vocal groups that soon performed throughout the state and even recorded near Detroit's legendary Motown studios.

In 1963, Gronda founded EJ & the Echoes, a band that quickly gained popularity at dances, clubs, and weddings across Michigan. With Manny Holcolm as lead singer, the group developed a distinctive harmony-driven sound, blending influences ranging from the Beatles to James Brown. The band served as a house band in Traverse City, opened for national acts, and performed regularly at well-known Detroit venues.

Between 1964 and 1967, EJ & the Echoes released several singles on the Diamond Jim Records label. Although major commercial success eluded them at the time, their recordings later found international recognition. Today, their songs remain staples of the British Northern Soul scene.

After the band dissolved, the members pursued different paths. EJ Gronda became a schoolteacher but remained devoted to music throughout his life. In 2006, the musicians reunited for an emotional jam session. EJ Gronda passed away in 2022, followed by Manuel Holcolm in 2024. Their musical legacy endures-on this vinyl release, dance floors, and in the memory of a remarkable era.

Our sincere thanks go to author and blues historian Fred Reif. He wrote the accompanying text and provided all the pictures of the band printed in the gatefold cover. Without him, this project would not have been possible.

Newly signed to Heist or Hit (Westside Cowboy, Her’s, Nature TV), Georgian's forthcoming debut EP 'Crackled Grounds' reads like an anthology in the vein of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. These aren’t just songs, but scenes, self-contained worlds that glimmer with strange detail before dissolving into mirage. “We recorded on a farm just north of Amsterdam” states James. “It gave us space and focus and helped us channel the Western feel we wanted to impress upon the tracks. Arno gave us lots of pedal board options and guitar choices. Those things in particular helped us fine-tune the sound we were chasing.” The resulting collection chronicles the ups and downs of existence and blooms with natural imagery. ‘Strike a Wound’ seethes with revenge. The slow attack on the guitars has the onomatopoeic effect of enacting each blow. ‘Crackled Grounds’ conjures an apocalyptic wilderness that wouldn’t be out of place on the ‘Kill Bill’ soundtrack. ‘Medusa’ is a parable of strong women overcoming obstacles and jolts with the energy of those early Johnny Cash Sun recordings. ‘Gardens’ lingers on the awkward tenderness of running into a long-lost lover; while ‘Californian Jeans’ pays homage to denim as talisman, armour, and second skin.

New album from Dutch indie pop favourites Maureens. Warm, jangly guitar pop filled with rich harmonies and bittersweet melodies. Recorded with producer Frans Hagenaars, Don't Give Up captures the band's timeless sound perfect for fans of Teenage Fanclub, The Go-Betweens, and Real Estate. Maureens craft guitar-driven pop that feels like the soundtrack to a perfect late-summer evening - warm, melodic, and quietly nostalgic. Their songs blend bright, jangling guitars with rich harmonies and a subtle undercurrent of melancholy, creating a timeless sound that feels both classic and unmistakably their own. Formed in the Utrecht music scene, the band now celebrates fifteen years together and five albums deep into their journey. At the heart of Maureens are the songs of singer and guitarist Hendrik-Jan de Wolff, whose love of melody and harmony shapes the band's distinctive sound. For their latest record, Don't Give Up, Maureens reunited with producer Frans Hagenaars, recording much of the album live in a secluded wooden cottage in the Belgian Ardennes, capturing a raw and immediate energy.

"raqs", which translates to the Dari noun for "dance" is written the same way like its Arabic original made of the three root letters: ra qa sa - to dance. under this premise of cultural kinship Afghan-German producer artist Farhot is about to addanother sonic layer to his discography, this time designed for the dance floor - a space, where culture can be shared by many, which invites movement and connection.while his earlier work was heavily influenced by the various traditions of hiphop, which later was enfused with sounds inspired by his Afghan roots, on "Raqs" he explores the vibrant musical heritage of mostly Arabic speaking regions from North Africa to West Asia, where as his fascination for Somali music also took him to East Africa. Like a well versed HipHop producer Farhot"s approach to "raqs" was guided by a virtual sampling journey which allowed him to connect and fuse sounds from Egypt, Lebanon or Somalia carefully woven into an EP that stands apart from his previous work but nevertheless carries his sonic signature: productions, that can sound as complex and immense as they sound playful and simple or creating intensity through unconventional ways of chopping and distorting vocals - amongst others one will find samples of Lebanese legend Fairuz dressed in an almost experimental uptempo production. Whoever followed Farhot"s work around the release of his sophomore LP Kabul Fire Vol. 2 via his own label Kabul Fire Records will know that he releases music intentionally alway ensuring a new quality to music, especially when he samples from cultures that are often times overshadowed by conflict or simply forgotten. With "raqs" he reminds us of the rich musical traditions that always existed beyond the west. he also reminds us of the ways that music can connect beyond borders, like an Afghan producer from Germany, who loves Somali music and Fairuz.

Nicolini is back with 'Quita Maldicion' - an album of hyper riddim tracks, mixing up Memphis-tinged beats, pitched vocal chops, blown-out bass, and fever dream Dembow. With guest appearances from Chimira, Sharp Shin, Cheba Tmax, and Toff Youth, 'Quita Maldicion' hits like the zaps of an alien rave defibrillator, reanimating your lifeless body for the dance. Remove the curse on this world!

#andifyouknowyourhistory#detroit#raresoul

We are talking Holy Grail territory…

Edwin Starr and JJ Barnes were two of the main stars at Ric-Tic, the legendary 1960s Detroit Soul label that ended up being purchased by Motown to take out the competition.

JJ Barnes REAL HUMDINGER Ric-Tic 45 is a standout gem from the Motor City’s Soul heyday years and an all time Northern Soul classic. Edwin’s Ric-Tic 45s and subsequent gems for Motown made him such a Northern Soul icon that he moved to live in England.

What Anglophile Edwin never revealed is that he actually recorded the first version of REAL HUMDINGER for Ric-Tic. It never got released and its’ very existence was unknown. After painstaking detective work WEST GRAND found about the recording and have now managed to licence it from Universal Music / Motown for its debut worldwide release News of the discovery has created huge interest amongst Soul fans globally, As a bonus the flip side is another “wow find” that had been stuck, also unknown and unloved, in the tape vaults for nearly 60 years. It is a preciously unused alternative take on SCOTT’S ON SWINGERS.

The track is in effect an extended jingle for Detroit back in the day star radio DJ Scott Regan based on Edwin’s smash S.O.S (Stop Her On Sight). The released take came out on a limited edition RIC-Tic giveaway single that now commands a £400 price tag.

Under the mentorship and executive production of Grammy-winning hip-hop producer 9th Wonder (Jay-Z, Destiny's Child, Kendrick Lamar) come North Carolina's fastest-rising hip-hop duo! THE ZENITH is produced entirely by 9th's daughter JADA and includes 15 tracks of lyrical raps from Fayetteville's own S14H over JADA's smooth sampling.
With features from established and revered hip-hop acts such as Murs and Swank & King Draft as well as from fellow members of THE COLLECTIVE, KMac, Carri Starr, and Iris Moon, THE ZENITH is living proof that the soul of lyrical hip-hop lives on in the next generation through artists like JADA X S14H.

In May of 1966, the unknown singer Jack Wood recorded two songs at Great Lakes Studio in Sparta, Michigan. These unique, otherworldly songs 'Born to Wander' and 'So Sad' would be self-released by Wood on his own Lawrence Records imprint in an edition of 100 copies. Going nowhere and being quickly forgotten, it would take Wood ten years to pay back the $250 he borrowed for the entire endeavor. Fast-forward to the 21st century and the deepest of record collectors are intrinsically moved by the power behind Wood's single, vacillating between Northern Soul, garage, big band and country music all within the same song. Featured in the new Bacardi Rum advert as well..

Daughter of Swords ist das Soloprojekt der Singer-Songwriterin Alex Sauser-Monnig aus North Carolina (they/she), die auch mit Bands wie Mountain Man und The A's Musik veröffentlicht hat. Ihr Solodebüt, Dawnbreaker, war eine ruhige Folk-Platte, die 2019 veröffentlicht wurde; in den Jahren seither hat Sauser-Monnig ein neues Selbstverständnis gefunden, persönlich und musikalisch. In den letzten Jahren ist die Musik von Daughter of Swords dorniger geworden, ein unvorhersehbares Gewirr aus Synthesizern, berauschenden Gitarren und blubbernden Rhythmen, ein Glanz, der Songs über die rohe menschliche Intensität im großen Stil umhüllt - Verknalltheit, Verlangen, Wut, Entfremdung, die Schrecken des Spätkapitalismus, die kaskadenartigen Paradigmenwechsel, auf die wir alle zuzusteuern scheinen. Eine Neubewertung innerer Systeme und Beziehungen aller Art - mit Kunst und Kreativität, mit anderen Menschen, mit dem Geschlecht - all dies ging einher mit Sauser-Monnigs Hinterfragung der spätkapitalistischen Kultur, die das Leben für arbeitende Künstler zu einer ungerechten Plackerei macht. Gezwungen, ihre gewohnten Denk- und Lebensweisen aufzugeben, fanden Sauser-Monnig neue Energie darin, alte Beschränkungen aufzulösen - sei es in Bezug auf das Musikgeschäft oder ihr Konzept von Geschlecht. Ihre Priorität war es, die Stimmung jedes Tracks zu maximieren, was in "Alex" Schichten aus synthetischen Texturen und unorthodoxen Schnörkeln zum Ausdruck kommt.

Das vierte Album des Frank Popp Ensemble auf Unique Records. Geschrieben. aufgenommen und produziert 2024 in Spanien. Wie beim Vorgänger sind diverse Gastsänger auf den il brandneuen Stücken zu hören.
Gerry Love, einst Leadsänger der legendären Teenage Fanclub, der laut Popp fast alle Lieblingsstücke der Glasgower Kult-Band geschrieben und gesungen hat. verleiht hier seine hinreißende Stimme einer orchestralisch-souligen Version von „Save", ein eher unbekanntes aber geniales Stück, welches Love 2004 für die Schotten schrieb. Gerard Love trug bereits mit einem Cover von Frank Popp's "The World Is Waiting" zur Under Covers' Compilation bei und hat nun auf Waves ein weiteres Mal wundervolle Arbeit geleistet.
Ein weiterer Held aus Popp's Plattensammlung ist Nicke Andersson. Früher Schlagzeuger bei den Death&Rollern Entombed, dann bis heute Sänger der unvergleichlichen Hellacopters und Mastermind hinter weiteren top Bands wie The Solution, Imperial State Electric, Lucifer, etc., ist auf „Caught In AWeb" zu hören. Ein Northern Soul Stomper in klassischer Magic Touch* Manie.
Emma Noble, eine aufstrebende Soul-Sängerin aus London singt auf dem girl-groupigen Soul-Anthem Unstoppable*. Die zweite Single-Auskopplung vom Album hat das Zeug zum nächsten UK-Floorfiller und wurde bereits Ende 2024 in Craig Charles Soul Show auf BBC gespielt und angepriesen.
Ein absoluter Ausnahme-Künstler ist J Mahon, der auf 5 Stücken des Albums zu hören ist und erheblich zum Album beigetragen hat. Seine zuckersüße Stimme funktioniert sowohl auf seinen Stücken, als auch bei _Going Going Gone". welches die erste Single-Auskopplung ist und durch die eingängigen Bläser-Hooks und J's androgyne Soul-Vocals an gewisse junge Motown-Künstler in den frühen 70s erinnern.
Audrey Ollesen aus Köln, eine alte Bekannte aus der rheinischen Mod-Szene. kam durch Zufall hinzu. nachdem Popp durch private Aufnahmen auf ihre Gesangs-Skills aufmerksam wurde. Auf .C|om|mon Stranger* ist Audrey zum ersten Mal auf einem Tonträger zu hören.
Auf "Waves" vereint Frank Popp Northern Soul. Psychedelia, 90s Indierock und orchestralischen Soundtrack-Feel zu einem homogenen, überzeugenden Werk, was vielversprechend wirkt und sich verdammt gut anfühlt in einer nicht so rosigen Zeit. Wir sind alle gespannt...

"The Moth" ist Devin Townsends bislang ambitioniertestes Werk, ein Projekt, das er als sein Lebenswerk betrachtet - ein immersives Orchester-, Chor- und Theaterprojekt, an dem er über ein Jahrzehnt lang gearbeitet hat. Was als fernes Ziel begann, wurde Wirklichkeit, als Townsend zur Zusammenarbeit mit dem North Netherlands Orchestra and Choir eingeladen wurde.

Im Gegensatz zu seinen früheren genreübergreifenden Werken wurde "The Moth" von Grund auf als vollständig orchestrierte Erzählung konzipiert. Townsend verbrachte Jahre damit, die Grundlagen der Musik neu zu erlernen, um die Partitur selbst zu schreiben: Harmonie, Kontrapunkt und Orchestrierung wurden von Grund auf neu aufgebaut, fachkundig unterstützt von Joseph Stevenson. Das Ergebnis ist ein sorgfältig ausgearbeitetes, emotionales Werk, in dem jedes Instrument und jede Stimme ihren Platz hat.

Das Album wurde in mehr als zehn Ländern aufgenommen und vereint eine außergewöhnliche internationale Besetzung: das bereits erwähnte North Netherlands Orchestra and Choir, die langjährigen Mitwirkenden Darby Todd, Mike Keneally, James Leach und Gäste wie Steve Vai, Anneke Van Giersbergen und Lynn Wu (Ou). Hunderte von Musikern, Toningenieuren, Mixern und Künstlern haben zu dem riesigen kreativen Ökosystem dieses Projekts beigetragen.

Im Kern handelt "The Moth" von Transformation. Durch seine hochfliegenden Arrangements und intimen Momente erkundet das Werk Selbstakzeptanz, Hingabe und den Mut, sich Unbehagen zu stellen, ohne sich abzuwenden.

"The Moth" handelt von der Reise - aber auch von der Ankunft.

"The Moth" wird in verschiedenen Formaten erhältlich sein, darunter als limitiertes Deluxe-Artbook mit 3 CDs + Blu-ray (CD1: Studioalbum, CD2: "The Moth - The Afterlife" Redux Orchestra & Choir Version), CD3: "The Moth - The War (Live)"). Die Blu-ray enthält den kompletten Live-Film "The Moth - The War" sowie Dolby Atmos- und hochauflösende Stereomischungen von "The Moth" und "The Moth - The Afterlife". Es wird

Fust ist ein Songwriting-Projekt von Aaron Dowdy, das er zusammen mit seinen Freunden Frank Meadows, Avery Sullivan und John Wallace macht. Es fing 2017 als Heimaufnahme-Experiment von Aaron an, der sieben EPs mit jeweils vier Songs auf Bandcamp selbst veröffentlichte, bevor es zu einer Live-Band wurde. Die vier hatten über ein Jahrzehnt lang in verschiedenen Bands in Virginia und North Carolina zusammen gespielt. Diese Konstellation entstand 2018 in Brooklyn, wo sie alle zu dieser Zeit lebten, und sie trafen sich in Gowanus, um die einsamen, etwas hoffnungslosen Songs so leise wie möglich zu spielen - oder, wie die Band es bösartig nennen würde, da es eine Verletzung zu sein scheint, Songs über Fehlverhalten und Verzweiflung sanft zu spielen. Aber Fust interessiert sich auch für diese Themen und Stimmungen als Tropen und greift das Melodram der Country-Musik auf, vor allem die Idee, dass das Leben nicht viel bringt oder dass die eigene Güte nicht genutzt wird. Fust - das Wort für den muffigen Geruch, der an unbenutzten Dingen haftet - hat jetzt seinen Sitz in Durham, North Carolina, und Evil Joy ist sowohl ihr Plattenlabel-Debüt als auch die ersten gemeinsamen Aufnahmen der Band.

Iqnovara is a band to watch: their debut album, Onderstroom (2024), was immediately picked up and praised by Belgian public radio broadcast Klara. On May 29th, their follow-up album, O Innocent Heart, will be released by W.E.R.F. records. This album explores the boundaries between jazz and North Indian classical music. For three years, they refined this music in close collaboration with Pakistani sarod maestro Asad Qizilbash. Bandleader, guitarist, and composer Haroun Iqbal deepened his understanding of the North Indian tradition during this period, including a study trip to New Delhi to learn from Shubhendra Rao, aprotégé of Ravi Shankar. O Innocent Heart connects both musical worlds in each piece in its own way, always seeking how each musician can shine.

The epitome of a modern artist, Jana Bahrich does most things herself, no matter how painstaking - writing, producing, directing, often hand painting t-shirts the day of shows when the band have run out of merch. This has helped give her band Francis of Delirium a unique identity, with her rock confessionals breathing a new life in to the genre and her paintings creating a striking design aesthetic. Released as she was finishing high school, 2020’s single 'Quit Fucking Around’ was a great introduction and it remains one of her most enduring songs.

Shortly after it’s release, she signed to artist-first indie Dalliance Recordings (Gia Margaret, HighSchool, lilo) and three EPs - All Change (2020), Wading (2021), The Funhouse (2022) and a striking debut album - Lighthouse (2024) - on and Jana has Francis of Delirium flying. While the EP’s fizzed with promise, her debut album Lighthouse landed its punches. Seeking a more vulnerable and open sonic palette, she wove in pop elements to create anthems that celebrated heartbreak and love. Lead singles ‘Real Love’ and ‘First Touch’ were the first tracks she made with an outsider - working with GRAMMY winning producer Catherine Marks (boygenius, The Killers, Wolf Alice) - while the rest of the album was produced by Jana herself and day one collaborator Chris Hewett. The critics were impressed too - “Bahrich’s choruses, almost every one, are lumpin-your-throat gorgeous.” NME; “Jana Bahrich seems too young for this tremendous debut’s ambitious anthems.” Uncut; “A rewarding experience that captures a talented, young artist at the crossroads between adolescence and adulthood." Paste. Live, Francis of Delirium are Jana (guitar and vocals), Jeff Hennico (bass) and Denis Schumacher (drums). Together, their brilliant quiet-loud dynamic and tight interplay only elevate her songs and over the last 5 years, they’ve toured across Europe and North America, playing headline shows, festivals and tours with the likes of Blondshell, Briston Maroney, The Districts, Horsegirl and Soccer Mommy. They’ve also supported The 1975, Alanis Morissette, DIIV and Wolf Alice.

Last summer saw a memorable UK tour with Bôa, the 90s band resurrected by a huge TikTok moment for their track ‘Duvet’. There was a real sense of excitement for these shows with young crowds snaking outside every venue hours before doors and bringing the sort of energy Jana thrives on, she road tested new material to an overwhelmingly positive response, giving her the impetus to go and finish album two. An artist who seeks to connect with her listener on a deeper level, it’s no surprise then that she’s made hope and inner strength central themes on her new album, Run, Run Pure Beauty. Jana says the title track is “an imagining of the world after it has been destroyed by humans and technology. Thrashing against what humans have left behind, ultimately the pure beauty of nature wins out.”

Wanting to bring different perspectives into her songwriting with this record - informed by both her travels and the tumultuous times we find ourselves in - she’s also brought about a progression in her sound with these new songs somehow sounding larger, with undeniable harmonies and more orchestration. Featuring the singles ‘Little Black Dress’ and ‘It’s a Beautiful Life’, Run, Run Pure Beauty serves as an excavation of hope in bleak times. Produced by Jana and Chris, and mixed by Nicolas Vernhes (Deerhunter, Dirty Projectors, Silver Jews, Wild Nothing), its eleven songs of discovery, despair and perseverance ultimately serve as a mirror on its creator and is a brilliant next installment in the Francis of Delirium arc.

New vinyl colorways of Demigod's Slumber Of Sullen Eyes out in May 2026 The crown jewel of Finnish Death Metal, Slumber of Sullen Eyes by Demigod, reissued in a band-approved edition. Features a vinyl master from the original source by Noise for Fiction, comes in a gatefold sleeve with a booklet featuring a lengthy feature by Hippo Taatila and some visual memorabilia. Available on Svart exclusive Pink/Green/Black Marble edition, Transparent Red edition and Classic Black edition. Together with bands like Demilich, Abhorrence, Disgrace, Xysma and Sentenced, Demigod from the wastelands of Loimaa, southern Finland, put Finland on the map in the global death metal scene in the late 80's and early 90's. Having risen to underground fame with their demo Unholy Domain, Slumber of Sullen Eyes was a hugely expected debut album. When it was finally released in 1992 after a complicated creation process at Tico-Tico Studios in northern Finland, it was received with open arms and drooling excitement by the then very active underground death metal scene. That scene was, however, short lived,and by 1994 pretty much every band had switched from death metal to something else entirely. What was left after the bands had left the building was a number of classic albums that constitute the legacy of Finnish Death Metal. Among them, Slumber of Sullen Eyes is one of the most original and ferocious. There was nobody like Demigod.

New vinyl colorways of Demigod's Slumber Of Sullen Eyes out in May 2026 The crown jewel of Finnish Death Metal, Slumber of Sullen Eyes by Demigod, reissued in a band-approved edition. Features a vinyl master from the original source by Noise for Fiction, comes in a gatefold sleeve with a booklet featuring a lengthy feature by Hippo Taatila and some visual memorabilia. Available on Svart exclusive Pink/Green/Black Marble edition, Transparent Red edition and Classic Black edition. Together with bands like Demilich, Abhorrence, Disgrace, Xysma and Sentenced, Demigod from the wastelands of Loimaa, southern Finland, put Finland on the map in the global death metal scene in the late 80's and early 90's. Having risen to underground fame with their demo Unholy Domain, Slumber of Sullen Eyes was a hugely expected debut album. When it was finally released in 1992 after a complicated creation process at Tico-Tico Studios in northern Finland, it was received with open arms and drooling excitement by the then very active underground death metal scene. That scene was, however, short lived,and by 1994 pretty much every band had switched from death metal to something else entirely. What was left after the bands had left the building was a number of classic albums that constitute the legacy of Finnish Death Metal. Among them, Slumber of Sullen Eyes is one of the most original and ferocious. There was nobody like Demigod.

Blue Vinyl

After a three year hiatus, the rap trident known as Death At The Derby is back with another full LP, this time entirely produced by Toronto based producer Finn. An 11 track project, “Capitano” is themed behind some of the games most respected & legendary captains to rock the honorary armband.

Inspired by their previous 2020 release “Ballon D’Or”, this latest LP is both the first official drop, yet second installment to their newest series entitled Club & Country. With the third & final season of their celebrates derby series around the way, this record is the next phase in their wave of worldwide work.

Cuts provided by their resident DJ, DJ Dubplates, the project is both a rare & raw blend of potent underground production, cultured sound bites, top flight lyricism & love for the beautiful game. Whether El Salvador, Romania, North Ireland or Argentina, the roster is monster. Centered around a tracklist aligned by the player’s actual jersey numbers, this collection of stars shine bright as any constellation.

More Modern Soul madness from the team at Celestial Echo. No Stranger To Love is one of those rare tracks that crosses over both Modern and Northern scenes & has long been a favourite of collectors and selectors with original copies regularly changing hands for £100 + on the second hand market.

This lead to the synth laden funk track being picked up by Dam Funk & the Stones Throw crew, who shone a new light on the track via online mixes which has only increased the demand.

Officially reissued for the first time in 40 years and as always, officially licenced and remastered by Celestial Echo Records. Needless to say, buy or cry.

Repress on Transparent Red Vinyl

Northern Front records 9th Vinyl release comes in the shape of Response & Pliskin Designer Manipulation EP and consists of 4 drum & bass tracks. The release will also have full front and back artwork by Mark McGuinness who also makes an appearance as Suspect on the EP which was mastered by Simon @ Exchange……..