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Repress!

The second instalment of Healthy Scratch comes direct from Phoenix Arizona via the godson of house, Kareem Ali. In short order, Kareem has ascended with a relentless production output and focus like none-other.

Here we present his first vinyl release as well as what may be the only release, he does outside of Cosmoflux, his personal imprint. A producer of all music, for us he’s made 4 house tracks, perfect for any occasion and sure to get your feet moving, in the living room or on the dance floor.

After a slightly extended break, CEP Records makes its return! This edition features a trance-inspired release by the hero Arman John, accompanied by two incredible remixes from Janis Zielinski and riko.

Kicking off this release is 'Pump That Soundsystem', a genuine trance driver infused with a hint of techno energy. The soulful pitched vocal and distinct chords add a remarkable touch, making this track poised to burn the dancefloor. Within riko's remix of 'Pump That Soundsystem,' he preserves the positive essence of the original track while infusing it with his personal signature. With rhythmic drums, an unceasing bassline, and an infectious melody, he introduces a touch of old-school sound that keeps the groove alive. For the second original piece, Arman John presents 'Like A Salt Shaker.' Powerful bassline rhythms, textured drums and a significant vocal hustle the track with intensity. The soulful synth, making a notable appearance midway, elegantly includes an unprecedented touch of elegance. Bringing the release to a close is Janis Zielinski's remix of 'Like A Salt Shaker'. A dynamic interplay of fresh chords and synths bringing the track into boundless realms. The transformed synth from the original version fosters familiarity and diversity, adding significant drive that impeccably concludes both the track and the entire release.

'Pump That Soundsystem' by Arman John drops via CEP Records on 20th September 2023.

As Black Truffle returns for his second release on GAMM he loaded up three amazing edits for your dancing pleasure.

Continuing on his personal and distinctive approach these tracks land somewhere between working-class disco and psyche library jazz-funk...either way, it's on the left side of the dance music spectrum.
Especially check out the A1 track Aurora which has been a big fave here at the GAMM HQ...what a jam!
But the two B-side tracks are also not to be overlooked, full-on disco assaults for your DJ sets!

Das neue Album "The Sound of Movies" von Klassik-Superstar Jonas Kaufmann erscheint am 15. September 2023 bei Sony Classical. Großartige Songs aus klassischen Filmen waren schon immer eine Leidenschaft von Jonas Kaufmann, und sein neues Album feiert dies mit unvergesslichen Filmsongs aus fast einem Jahrhundert - Musik, die weltweit das Publikum begeistert hat."The Sound of Movies" enthält Hits aus großen Filmklassikern wie West Side Story, Gladiator, Cinema Paradiso, The Sound of Music, Les Misérables, The Mission, The Great Caruso, Singin' in the Rain, Once upon a Time in America, Breakfast at Tiffany's und vielen mehr! Das Album wurde mit dem auf Filmmusik spezialisierten Czech National Symphony Orchester und Chor unter der Leitung von Jochen Rieder aufgenommen, ein spekatuläres Sounderlebnis ist garantiert. Bei drei Titeln wird Jonas Kaufmann vom bekannten Gitarristen Miloš Karadaglić begleitet. Auch eine Weltpremiere ist auf dem Album zu hören, das Thema aus dem Film "The Cider House Rules" der Oscar®-gekrönten Komponistin Rachel Portman. "Für ein paar Stunden in diese Welt einzutauchen und alles um sich herum zu vergessen, ist unglaublich faszinierend - ähnlich wie im Theater oder in der Oper", sagt Kaufmann über klassische Filmmusik. "Ich bin über viele Jahre viel gereist, oft allein für Wochen und Monate in fremden Städten am anderen Ende der Welt. Neben den Museen war es das Kino - diese großartige Möglichkeit, sich zu unterhalten, wenn man allein ist - das meine Fantasie beflügelte.""The Sound of Movies" erscheint als CD, Vinyl und digital.Die limitierte 2-LP-Gatefold-Edition auf 180 Gramm Vinyl enthält eine persönliche Einführung von Jonas Kaufmann und ein ausführliches Booklet.Das Standard-Jewelcase enthält eine persönliche Einführung von Jonas Kaufmann und ein ausführliches Booklet in Englisch, Deutsch und Französisch.

Melbourne band, Floodlights release their second album Painting Of My Time physically in the UK on September 15th after an initial digital release on April 21.

Painting of My Time encapsulates the sonic and personal progression of the group, masterfully showcasing the signature, evocative lyricism that the band is known for. It’s a journey of observations, reshaping views and identity, elaborating on themes of personal turbulence, self-exploration, and the Australian landscape as a form of escapism.

It’s been nearly eight years since the last Mondo Drag album came out. In that time, the Bay Area psych-prog band toured the US and Europe, performed at major festivals and—once again—reformed their rhythm section. But in the context of the band’s nearly two-decade existence, this period may have been the most fraught. Vocalist and keyboardist John Gamiño lost friends and family members. Meanwhile, humanity suffered the throes of a global pandemic. “It was a dark chapter,” he recalls. “I was going through a lot of stuff personally—there’s been a lot of death, loss of family members, and grief. Plus, the band was inactive. It felt like time was slipping away from me. I felt like I was wasting my opportunities. I felt like I wasn’t participating in my story as much as I could have.” This feeling of time slipping away is the prevailing theme on Mondo Drag’s new album, Through the Hourglass. “For me, Through the Hourglass really encompasses the quarantine/pandemic years,” Gamiño says. “But in a way that includes a couple of years before that for us, because the band was stagnant during that time. Living with that was really impactful on our daily lives. So, the album is reflective. It’s looking at time—past, present, future.” Luckily, Mondo Drag emerged from this dour period reborn. Freshly energized by bassist Conor Riley (formerly of San Diego psych squad Astra, currently of Birth), who joined in 2018, and drummer Jimmy Perez, who joined in 2022, Gamiño and guitarists Jake Sheley and Nolan Girard have triumphed over the seemingly inexorable pull of time’s passage. “Astra was the one contemporary band that we felt was on the same tip as us,” Gamiño says. “We saw the similarities and felt the same vibe. Conor moved to San Francisco in 2018 and heard we were looking for a bassist, so we got in touch. For us, it was like, ‘The synth player from Astra wants to play bass for us?’ We couldn’t think of anybody more perfect.” Perez, meanwhile, brings deep psych-prog knowledge and impeccable skill. “He’s an amazing drummer, and he allowed us to do what we’ve been trying to do,” Gamiño says. “Before he came along, it was like, ‘Where are the drummers who like psych and prog and can play dynamically?’ We ended up trying out metal drummers, but they couldn’t swing. Jimmy was the final piece of the puzzle.” The result is a dazzling and often plaintive rumination on the hours, days, and years—not to mention experiences—that comprise a lifetime. Two-part opener “Burning Daylight” smolders with melancholy, offering a whirl of multi-colored and hallucinatory imagery. “It’s about the California wildfires and a feeling of helplessness,” Gamiño explains. “There’s a juxtaposition between the dark lyricism and upbeat music which is meant to imply a sort of delusional state—and choosing our own delusion to overcome the crushing despair of reality.” Eleven-minute centerpiece “Passages” is a sprawling prog-rock adventure, festooned with lofty guitar melodies, sweeping organ flourishes and a delicately finger-picked outro. But the heaviest song, thematically speaking, might be the mournful and hypnotic “Death in Spring,” which borrows its title from the like-named Catalan novel. “In the novel, people are placed inside opened trees and their mouths filled with cement before they die to prevent their souls from escaping,” Gamiño explains. “The song is about three people I knew who lost their lives to gun violence, addiction, and mental health. It’s my way of cementing their souls in song form.” Mondo Drag fans might be surprised by this blend of hard reality with literary surrealism, but it’s a perfect example of how the last several years have impacted Mondo Drag—and Gamiño in particular. “On all of our previous albums, the lyrical content is more psychedelic and out there,” he acknowledges. “This is the most personal stuff I’ve ever done, so I’m definitely feeling vulnerable on this one.” The title Through the Hourglass comes from the opening of the long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives. It’s less inspired by a predilection for daytime TV than Gamiño’s connection with his late mother, who passed during the time since the last album. “I used to watch Days of Our Lives with her everyday growing up,” he explains. “The song is kind of a reinterpretation of the theme song, although it’s different enough that probably no one will catch it. Now that I’m getting older, I like to put these little Easter eggs in the songs for myself and for archival purposes—for memories.” Through the Hourglass was tracked at El Studio in San Francisco, with an additional ten days of recording at the band’s rehearsal space, which doubles as a hybrid analog-digital recording studio. The album was engineered and mixed by Phil Becker, drummer of space-punk mainstays Pins Of Light. “We’re still here,” Gamiño says. “We’ve been in the studio working on our craft and honing our skills. Now we’re re-emerging for the next stage of our life cycle.”

BOTANICA is the newly established Japanese label created by DJ/ Producer, Iori Wakasa. It was formed for him to utilize it as a foundation for the realization of his own unique, artistic expression.
And now, he has the pleasure to announce his label’s inaugural title with the release of his own BOTANICA EP.

Born in 1988 in a rural Japanese city surrounded by mountains and the sea with a mild climate, Iori grew up playing RPGs with a father who was a devoted game aficionado. And he was introduced to electronic music through game music from an early age and formed his musical sensibilities through playing the classical piano around the same time.

Influenced by the spirituality and idiosyncrasies of punk rock and ethnic and indigenous music in his youth, also gradually influenced by the Tokyo club scene and the music, it didn't take him long before
he made the choice to start DJing at the age of 17 and soon afterwards, started exploring the path of music production as a form of self-expression.

Iori set up Botanica to convey 2 main concepts of 'presenting music that provides each listener with their own viewpoint' and ‘to construct a fusion between 'nature' and 'man-made objects and human
activity’. Through the experience of traveling around Japan, Europe and Asia and connecting with people of different languages and cultures, he became to appreciate that music transcends all languages and grooves, and the framework in which he would like to shape his perspective and embody it as his way of life is what he envisions as the vital expression for BOTANICA, The two tracks and the artwork included in this first EP are the first steps towards hopefully chronicling the story of the vortex that he resides in now and the new forest that he plans to weave in the future with his label.

'The Pure Land' means in Japanese 'Gokuraku-Jodo (= a space where you can live in bliss)', but in English it is closer to 'utopia' or 'paradise'. However, 'The Pure Land' is a musical work that evokes a
hypnotic and pleasant euphoria through the gradual layering of multiple rhythms and soft particles of spatial sound design. It is also shaped with the aim of liberating the listener and guiding them towards their primal self.

In contrast, 'Lunar Down' expresses the changes that occur in the human state of mind during the extended period from moonrise to moonset especially when the moon sets from its zenith and is completed with a focus on maximum dance floor impact via an inner voice that resonates in the brain that echoes throughout a well-textured bass line and rhythm track.

The artwork for the front cover of this EP was created by SHINOZAKI HILOSHI, an illustrator who has been traveling and painting to express his true way of life that he learnt in the 10+ years of commuting between Tokyo (the end) and the Hawaii Islands (the beginning), and the graphic designer hiro, who stands by Iori`s side as his life partner and as the person who understands him the best. Iori`s first steps are complemented by the label design and art direction by graphic designer hiro, who stands by his side as his life partner and most understanding partner, and the proof is the physical cut, which is presented as the foundation for the future.

"If you can imagine a love child between MAC DEMARCO and SPAR-KLEHORSE, then this would be what you're left with." - SO YOUNG MAGA-ZINE
Raised in North Queensland, Australia, Jarrod Mahon is not one to shy away from bold new endeavors. Once parting ways with his previous record label in 2019, Mahon chose to go fully independent, relocating to Berlin in 2019 (where he still resides), despite having no contacts at all in the country. What’s more, having recorded/performed under the pseudonym Emerson Snowe for over a decade - during which time he home-recorded five albums and 13 EP’s, toured with the likes of King Krule or Ariel Pink, played showcases SXSW and the Great Escape, the works - Mahon took that brave, most uncommercial decision to release under his own name and start almost totally anew.
“There was never really a concept to that name Emerson Snowe other than having some kind of separation from who I was as a person,” Mahon explains, “using a moniker gave me that confidence to push myself further mentally and to give myself some kind of a freedom”. And through the process of creating what would become his debut album, Mahon saw that he had outgrown the need for this protective persona. ‘Everything Has A Life’ was meant to be the debut Snowe album”, he admits, “but after I finished mixing it with Syd Kemp, co-producer I realized that I had actually grown a lot and was much more comfort-able with who I am and what my personal beliefs are.”
The choice of ‘Everything Has A Life’ as the album title, pulled from beauteous opening track ‘All I Know’, neatly summarizes this new outlook: moving on from ‘self-pity’ of the past-self by becoming present for the loved ones around you, improving understanding of one’s own self, via the wider world at large.
That track marks the first written during a lockdown stint in LA where Mahon wrote and recorded every day for 2 months, produced nigh on 250 demos and birthed the bulk of the record. It also brought Mahon back to his all-time favorite, Sufjan Stevens’ Ilinois and its blend of widescreen orchestral landscapes and more candid, naked acoustic-leaning variations - an important influence for the album's stylistic contrasts. Another key inspiration for the record too brought Mahon back to his roots - those full-bloom strains of his Mum’s Beloved Neil Diamond, an annual Christmas irritant to Mahon as a child, yet an artist he’s come to respect in adulthood. “Whatever the reason, with age I came to love the big show band sounds,” he says, “the idea of a performer on stage with a mas-sive orchestra with strings was amazing to me.”
With the help of producer Syd Kemp (Ulrika Spacek, Vanishing Twin), such grand designs could be met. - “When we first met, he asked me if I would like real strings on it. I said of course.” Enter Magda Mclean on violin (Caroline/the Umlauts), and Gamaliel Rendle Traynor on Cello (Sweat, Fat White Family), whose strings helped lift the record to romantic new heights.
He continues: “I said to Syd that the only thing I wanted to achieve with this rec-ord was that I wanted it to make me cry at one point. And we got there eventual-ly.” The final culmination of all these strands, ’Everything Has A Life’ is indeed a treasure trove of emotive riches. Locking into that bittersweet, quintessentially ‘pop’ combination of triumphant rhythms and confessional, stream-of-consciousness lyrics plucked straight from the heart, Mahon faces up to years of substance abuse with a series of gorgeous, blushing melodies: “I was using, I was drinking, I was lying to my friends, I was messing up again, I was hiding from myself”, he joyously chants on ‘The Growing’.
A banquet fit for an indie king, Everything Has A Life is loaded with psych-pop lusciousness (‘All I Know’) and anthemic glam fuzz (‘Death Of The Ladies Man’, ‘Deadstar’, or ‘Sonny is my Best Friend’); recalling that foundational Sufjan Ste-vens influence too with shambling flecks of country (‘Charly (Romantic Heart)’). There’s also those lo-fi crepitations of ‘My Man’ and ‘I can’t’ harking back home-recorded demos that lie at the core of Mahon’s creative process.

The album features 15 tracks, showcasing Bastien’s truly cinematic sound while exploring new sonic territories. The album touches on the melancholic funk drifting between voiceovers of longing and hurt, through surreal, hallucinogenic folk ballads. It’s the juxtaposition of these genres sewn together with ambient synth skits that really makes the album a musical journey. Playful and serious, as the album title suggests, Bastien manages to induce a rye smile with a tear in the eye.


In Seb’s words, “The album tells the story of a failed relationship, as the man narrators missing his other. Whilst he imagines her comforting him, before accepting the end of the relationship, and feeling that the love he feels, she never did.”

Sharing common ground with luminaries such as David Axlerod, Kate Bush, Roy Orbison, Madlib and The Delfonics; Keb plays guitar, trumpet, bass, drums, piano, flute and more Keb’s writing and recording approach is slightly unique. He explains a little about how his records sound the way they do...

“I have a lo-fi approach to recording, for me it’s about the moment, all my records are time capsules of a certain time in my life, so the sound of the recording is secondary. It’s all about heart, that’s all I’m interested in. If I get a melody I have to record it asap, if the mic isn’t plugged in I use the macbook mic, if I’m not by the computer I’ll record into my phone.

For me personally using/sampling other peoples music isn’t making your own music, using your own soul, showing your own heart, it's just my personal opinion. It’s not right for me. No slur on those that do. If there are any samples on my records, it’s me sampling me. For me, this means the music is mine. It’s ‘of me’. That’s really important for me, because I feel that’s where the honesty is. If my music sounds ‘dusty’, that’s why”.

This approach provides us with a wonderfully inclusive record. The album feels almost ‘performed’ to us, live, on each listen. Coupled with Bastien’s capacity to write music which is almost visual, the album is quite enveloping.

Bastien returns to Def Pressé with this new album after the brilliant, Holy Mountain. Released under the name Grandamme, with friend and collaborator Claudia Kane.

Read any article or comment thread about the Seattle noise-rock outfit GREAT FALLS and you're likely to see descriptors like cathartic, heavy, crushing, and unhinged. Maybe even psychotic. And sure, those are all apt: For over a decade, vocalist/guitarist Demian Johnston and bassist Shane Mehling (who also played together in the early-2000s noisecore band PLAYING ENEMY and the experimental duo HEMINGWAY) have honed their sludgy, overwhelmingly intense brand of heaviness, punctuated by delectably discordant riffs, terrifyingly low, thwacking bass lines, and mesmerizingly tight percussion. In the live setting, too, they’re notorious for a stage presence that is so aggressively confrontational and menacing that Mehling once broke his own arm mid-set.

But the most striking aspect of GREAT FALLS, setting them apart from the murky sea of sludge metal and AmRep-inspired noise-rock bands, is their ability to paint a deeply, utterly human story through an all-out assault on the senses: an art the band has perfected on their fourth full-length album OBJECTS WITHOUT PAIN, out September 15 via NEUROT RECORDINGS.

The album is not only their NEUROT debut, but also the first LP featuring drummer Nickolis Parks (GAYTHEIST, BASTARD FEAST), who joined the band prior to the release of their exhilarating, cacophonous 2023 EP,FUNNY WHAT SURVIVES.

OBJECTS WITHOUT PAIN takes us on a bleak, purgative journey through a separation–a snapshot of the turmoil and indecision that occurs after the initial realization of someone's misery, and before the ultimate decision to end a decades-long partnership. From the foreboding intro riffs of “DRAGGED HOME ALIVE” to the end of the 13-minute closer “THROWN AGAINST THE WAVES,” its eight tracks explore the thoughts that come up when a person is staring down the barrel of blowing up their life: How did this happen? Is it too late for a new life? Will the kid be OK? What will make me happier: familiar torment or unknown freedom?

'Nothing left but silence' is Erik K Skodvin’s third solo album for Sonic Pieces and his most quiet to date. Subtitled as "Musical improvisations and quiet collages from the subconscious”, Skodvin reduces his instruments to guitar, reverb and amp - and creates a skeleton of eight hypnotic ragas that meanders in an eternal loop between ephemeral and singular.

Only on the horizon it’s possible to sense that Skodvin has also touched the neoclassical terrain in earlier productions - on Nothing left but silence, however, he acts as a twilight player who is not afraid of the coldness of endless space and who knows how to subjugate the shadowiness of the visible world. Carried by the noise of the amp and the occasional click of the effects pedals, a monolithic, reduced blues emerges, whose mediumistic quality nevertheless reveals that Skodvin's music always comes from the body - and as such is always searching for space. A space that - in this case - blends the vastness of the Norwegian steppe with the brittleness of American wasteland (as if Deathprod and Loren Connors were one and the same person), creating a persistent state between deceleration and absence of presence - that leads Skodvin ever closer to the inner essence of sound.

Initially recorded at Saal 3, Funkhaus, Berlin by Nils Frahm in 2015, the album has itself been subjected to silence as a forgotten relic, re-found and now released in a time where it might connect more with the contemporary state of mind. Welcome to the entrance to the periphery.

Fake Yourself is an act of revolt as much as it is a celebration of life and an expression of human alienation. As usual in most of his work, soFa here reflects contrasts and contradictions as our existence so often does. It’s about sadness and joy, ups and downs and the fine line which connects them to tell a story. Fake Yourself comes as a spontaneous output of an artist escaping a scene of which the constant superficiality is unavoidable. Mistakes and wrong production with a strong DIY flavor are a conscious choice to not lose the spontaneous feeling which defines these recordings. A pure and direct self, exploring a realm of sound with sharp curiosity, emotion and humour. Where simplicity and complexity marry. This album is a good example on how some of the most authentic musical explorations are the most personal ones. soFa leaves all boundaries behind and let many of his influences confluence. Unconsciously or not, traces of IDM, Disco, New Beat, Dub and mostly Krautrock cross heavenly paths, followed by ironic and confronted vocals and his hypnotic signature basslines. Everything seems to make sense, to fill the chapters of an adventurous short novel. What makes Fake Yourself remarkable is not the deep blend of genres, but the definition of one man shaping and finding his authentic sound. Killing boundaries to create this journey in his very own "style-no-style". All tunes were improvised, recorded and arranged within 10 days in a wooden cabin, isolated in the middle of the nature in Alentejo/Portugal in 2022. This album was not meant to happen and one can strongly feel its spontaneous soul. No overdubs.

Memory is malleable. The day you met the person you love, what color shirt was she wearing? At precisely what angle did the sunlight strike his face? How exactly did they glow? These little details are precious, but the strange thing is, the more you cherish them, the more they change. Each recollection is another potential touch point where stories can shift—each replay degrades the truth. Reality's rough edges smooth, with time. Objectivity is a myth: cameras and recording devices all contort image and sound. There's no way to know exactly how things were. And yet we still tell the stories, to try to capture how things felt, even though the truth is always slipping through our fingers.

Lemon Quartet's second albumArts Festseems to unconsciously circle this thematic territory. Full of loose, yet lush repetition, it seems to function like memory—each dizzy melody recalling and rewriting what came before, subtly shaping each piece as time passes. Not that they seem especially concerned with the passage of time anyway. They space out, they work in the realm of feelings, scribbling melodious abstractions that feel familiar. Rich with compassion, harmony, and gestures toward ecstatic—if not objective—truth, it's full of the sort of pieces that demand you return to them, but sound a bit different each time, new details overtaking familiar comforts. Are you hearing them for the first time? Or just for the first time in a long time? Either way, drift away, and try to remember…

2023 Repress

CELESTE have been breaking the outer boundaries of heavy music for over fifteen years. When they first evolved from the Lyon hardcore punk scene, they were absolutely brutal and entirely unique, delivering extremity on their own terms that they pushed further and further with each successive album. “We just wanted to get darker and more violent,” says drummer Antoine Royer, until 2017’s Infidèle(s) saw the incorporation of a more melodic streak. Their most focussed record yet, it was tremendously received, critically adored, and backed with the band’s biggest shows to date.

Its follow-up was always going to be something radical. Even by their own inordinately high standards, however, new record Assassine(s) is one hell of a step forward. Even if this album still contains cyclonic walls of guitar, of battering rhythm, and passages of blissful, rushing release. it’s unlike anything the band have ever released; embracing a modern and forward-thinking production, they're just as complex but more direct, diverse and accessible than before. “Our leitmotif here was to open our minds,” says guitarist Sébastien Ducotté. “We made a real effort to think outside of our box.”

During lockdown CELESTE’s members were forced to each write individually. “We each went further into our personal, inner views of what the songs were,” says bassist and vocalist Johan Girardeau. When eventually they began sessions under producer Chris Edrich, it was gruelling. “We ended up exhausted, physically and mentally” says Johan. “There was no break in two weeks. We didn’t see the sun at all during that time. Every night we were so tired that we didn’t enjoy being together as much as we’re used to.” Nevertheless, in the same way the hardships of isolation led to richer and more complex songwriting, it’s that relentlessness that led to the record’s razor-sharp edges.

Above all else, CELESTE are innovators. Whether by pioneering French avant-garde metal when they formed at the turn of the millennium, by making their boldest leaps despite being seven albums deep into their career, or using two years away from live shows to tightly finetune their stagecraft, they refuse at all costs to rest on their laurels. There can be consequences to this instinct – fans of the band’s older work might be thrown off by their constant shifts of pace – but they’re throwing caution to the wind. A bit of backlash “would be a good thing, because it would mean that we’ve really changed,” says Guillaume . “It's not disrespectful, it's just that we never made music to please people, but just to enjoy what we're doing.” In the end, CELESTE are a band so forward-thinking that they can only be judged on the strength of their latest work. And when it comes to a record as bold as Assassine(s), they’ve hit a whole new peak entirely.

'‘Begin Again’ is the first single to be taken from The Mysterines’ forthcoming LP, and sees the four piece build on their signature introspective lyricism, stripping instrumentation back for an incredibly powerful set up and delivery. It’s the sound of a band truly refining and maturing their craft, and speaking further about the single Lia Metcalfe says: “Written during a full moon in a barn in the West Country, ‘Begin Again’ felt like finding a key to the spirit realm the evening it arrived. It felt like I was embarking on a surreal journey of self dissolution; think of the first verse as a set of instructions, and see how far reality stretches.”
Riding high on the success of their critically acclaimed, UK Top 10 debut album ‘Reeling’ released March 2022, The Mysterines have been achieving remarkable success since the release, including two tours of the UK, two of North America and one in the EU, and now a tour with their personal heroes Arctic Monkeys across UK stadiums this summer.

'A bold voice for a frustrated generation, Mae Muller makes pop music that packs a real punch, and her debut album is no exception. The 17 track LP is full of songs that are deeply personal yet demonstrate her deft ability
to celebrate the female experience at large, capturing the mood of her generation with playful precision. Mae explores love and loss, dating and relationships with fearless honesty, confronting her own experiences whilst also capturing the broader frustrations of young women today. Whilst a fierce feminism often informs her songwriting, her new music exposes a much more vulnerable side. Beginning a dynamic new era, 2023 has been an incredible year for Mae. In January she was chosen to represent the UK at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool with dance-pop anthem, ‘I Wrote A song’. Following the show, the track became the No.1 trending song in the UK and charted Top 10 this week, giving Mae her first top 10 single.

Feiern Sie den 50. Jahrestag der Veröffentlichung von The Joker. Das zeitlose Album wurde ursprünglich im Oktober 1973 veröffentlicht und enthielt die Single ”The Joker”, die im Januar 1974 Platz 1 der Billboard Hot 100 Singles erreichte.

J50: The Evolution of The Joker wurde von Steve Miller kuratiert und enthält 30 bisher unveröffentlichte Demos, Live-Auftritte, Studio-Outtakes und Samples aus stundenlangen Aufnahmen, die jahrelang in Millers persönlichem Archiv schlummerten. Die 3LP + 7ff Box und das 2CD Set sind eine von Miller kommentierte Reise, die die ”Entwicklung” jedes Songs dokumentiert, der auf The Joker erschienen ist.

Die Box und die 2CD enthalten Linernotes von Steve Miller und Anthony DeCurtis. Die Box enthält außerdem eine Reproduktion eines alten The Joker-Covers und eine Lithographie. Ab dem 15.09.2023
verfügbar

Das mit Spannung erwartete neue Album von Staind, Confessions of the Fallen - das erste neue Studioalbum der Band seit 2011 - wird am 15. September 2023 veröffentlicht.



Die 10 Tracks auf Confessions of the Fallen erkunden eine Vielzahl von klanglichen Nischen. Die Debütsingle "Lowest In Me" (derzeit auf Platz 2* der aktiven Rockcharts), "Cycle of Hurting", "Was Any of it Real?" und "Hate Me Too" preschen mit unerbittlicher Wut voran, wobei die Elektronik die frenetischen Angriffe der Musiker noch verstärkt. Tracks wie "Out of Time", "In This Condition" und "The Fray" zeichnen sich durch fließende Arrangements und mitreißende Dynamikwechsel aus, während "Here and Now" und das vorsichtig optimistische "Better Days" uns daran erinnern, dass Staind das Hübsche nicht fremd ist - wenn es angebracht ist, versteht sich. Textlich schöpft Confessions of the Fallen wieder aus den dunklen, nachdenklichen Ecken, die Lewis in Stainds Songs schon immer einbezog, trotzdem sind diese 10 Songs so persönlich wie nie zuvor. "Ich arbeite mich immer noch durch meine Probleme", sagt Aaron. "Und bis dahin träume ich von besseren Zeiten. Ich hoffe, so fühlt sich jeder im Moment... bessere Tage stehen uns noch bevor."



Eine Legion von Staind-Fans wird ihre besseren Tage sicherlich in den neuen Songs der Band finden.

Das mit Spannung erwartete neue Album von Staind, Confessions of the Fallen - das erste neue Studioalbum der Band seit 2011 - wird am 15. September 2023 veröffentlicht.



Die 10 Tracks auf Confessions of the Fallen erkunden eine Vielzahl von klanglichen Nischen. Die Debütsingle "Lowest In Me" (derzeit auf Platz 2* der aktiven Rockcharts), "Cycle of Hurting", "Was Any of it Real?" und "Hate Me Too" preschen mit unerbittlicher Wut voran, wobei die Elektronik die frenetischen Angriffe der Musiker noch verstärkt. Tracks wie "Out of Time", "In This Condition" und "The Fray" zeichnen sich durch fließende Arrangements und mitreißende Dynamikwechsel aus, während "Here and Now" und das vorsichtig optimistische "Better Days" uns daran erinnern, dass Staind das Hübsche nicht fremd ist - wenn es angebracht ist, versteht sich. Textlich schöpft Confessions of the Fallen wieder aus den dunklen, nachdenklichen Ecken, die Lewis in Stainds Songs schon immer einbezog, trotzdem sind diese 10 Songs so persönlich wie nie zuvor. "Ich arbeite mich immer noch durch meine Probleme", sagt Aaron. "Und bis dahin träume ich von besseren Zeiten. Ich hoffe, so fühlt sich jeder im Moment... bessere Tage stehen uns noch bevor."



Eine Legion von Staind-Fans wird ihre besseren Tage sicherlich in den neuen Songs der Band finden.

There was a certain curiosity about Lewis Fautzi's next step with us. Despite his own personal style, we couldn't imagine that he would choose to release a new atmospheric and experimental album.

The result is absolutely stunning.

'Manner of Death' was produced during one of the worst moments of his life and the feelings he put into it are not relatable for most of us but yet understandable. Besides all this there aren't enough words we can write about it.

All we can do is be thankful for such a masterpiece!

Ronan lands on nascent X-Kalay sub-label Another Place with renewed focus and a new EP. Musing on personal crossroads, ‘Leaves of Life’ is a highly evocative contemplation on the tides of life. It’s the culmination of a personal arc having sat with the material for six years, further refining the lush, introspective sound that’s characterised his output to date.

The outcome feels similarly unhurried; a pristine, genre-spanning exploration rendered with meticulous attention to detail. Soul-bearing stuff interspersed with words of reassurance through quietly spoken vocals.

The opener strives for utopia. Carried away on a warm current, ‘Song of Surrender’ initiates with a gorgeous unfurling of life-affirming trance that begs repeat immersion. Comparatively direct, ‘Cure for Toxicity’ comes on a breaks-driven flex before a fleeting switch-up into 2-step territory.

Supple groove and jazz modalities fuel airily introspective D&B as we shift focus to title track ‘Leaves of Life’. Then, finally, Ronan closes things out with a ritual purification of sorts. Deploying more breaks but bordering on new age, ‘Sacral Dub’ exudes a soothing, massaging quality with dubby tendencies in full effect.

Here is another mystery from the universe comming straight out from London! Popping up from nowhere, don’t expect any infos about the person behind, it’s a very well kept secret… actually Tutu Ta reached us by telepathy to propose this sensationnal album for Macadam Mambo.

A concentrate of punkish dubby tunes combining ruffness, deepness, darkness, light, humour and serious vocals on very heavy beats and supa loud basslines. It’s raw but so gracefull in the meantime, 12 tracks, 47 min of pure bliss that won’t leave you on your knees, grab it fast it’s high demands style of music 

Founding member of Buffalo Springfield and folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Stills' first solo album, Stephen Stills, earned a gold record, is the only album to feature both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, and climbed to #3 on the album charts. Stephen Stills’ single "Love the One You're With" became his biggest solo hit, peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the first track on this collection. 14 tracks from Stephen Still’s First US Tour, previously unissued and recorded Live at The Berkeley Community Theater in 1971, featuring David Crosby on two songs. In 1971 Stephen Stills embarked on a US tour, opening each show with an intimate acoustic first set, and closing each night with a riveting electric set featuring the Memphis Horns. These historic, previously unreleased recordings took place over two nights at the Berkeley Community Theater, with David Crosby joining him on vocals and guitar for "You Don’t Have To Cry" and "The Lee Shore." These recordings find Stills at peak performance in both vocal delivery and musicianship, effortlessly incorporating alternate instrumentation on his instantly recognizable tracks, including a seamless medley of “49 Bye Byes" and "For What It’s Worth” unexpectedly played on piano. Hand-picked by Stills from his personal archives, this album captures timeless and era defining performances. Fans who were lucky enough to catch his historic debut trek, dubbed “The Memphis Horns Tour,” were treated to the balladeer, the raving troubadour, the acoustic bluesman, the soul driver, and by far the most passionate music maker. Backed by a loyal cast of friends, including his usual steady rhythm section—drummer Dallas Taylor and bassist Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuels—along with keyboardist Paul Harris, guitarist Steve Fromholz, and percussionist Joe Lala, these Northern California shows were one of the most unique and intimate stops on the tour This album, rather than being an artifact from a bygone era, sparkles and stimulates. It cajoles you into thinking, feeling and—most importantly—moving. Stephen Stills Live At Berkeley 1971 is a cornucopia of priceless sound—and all of it bears the distinct and loving fingerprint of Stephen Stills.

From the mountains of Utah to the trenches of Vimy Ridge, Elliott Brood's songs have travelled the gore and glory of history in equal measure for nearly a decade. With the stomp and thrash of their early albums, Elliott Brood carved their niche drawing from history and memory. As heavy and harrowing the past can be, for Elliott Brood, it is also a generous companion, giving the gift of appreciation for times of peace and grace. With Keeper, Elliott Brood's seventh album, the trio deals with the past in more personal terms. The title, which speaks to loyalty and longevity, sets the tone for an album that explores the strength of conviction, and how that strength is tested, again and again, over time. Thoughts of worthiness and dedication, and their emotional flip sides, inform a collection that sees the band exploring those battlefields much closer to home.

Showcasing CLT DRP’s unique position at the cutting edge of electronic, noise-infused music, Nothing Clever, Just Feelings seamlessly merges various genres to create a unique sound that is both exhilarating and reflective. Focused on themes of queerness and heartbreak, each track explores the raw emotions that come along with these lived experiences, delivering a personal and poignant message at every turn—newfound feminism in vulnerability and gender fluidity; newfound femininity in humour and the fear of being alone.

Kristin Hersh’s new album is a cinematic road trip; a series of personal vignettes from a fiercely independent auteur, sitting plush with layers of all-consuming strings and mellotron. It’s a watershed moment in a career overflowing with creative firsts and inspirational thinking; an elegant piece of personal reportage, a home movie caught in time. Previously, the juxtaposition of light and dark has been essential to the drama of Throwing Muses and 50FOOTWAVE, but this solo set is something of a departure; more inward looking, quieter but outspoken, underpinned by background noise for ambience and awkwardness. “Passion sounds less angry, more grateful, I think,” Kristin muses, “sweeter, sadder. And somehow, no less alive… over car engines and rain in New England and whistling ducks and wind chimes in New Orleans, it all sounds wistful to me.” ‘Clear Pond Road’ is a life-affirming statement, a further part of the jigsaw, a very personal memoir, from street signs to snapshots; a late blossoming and coming-of-age from a true icon of independence. The record is both intimate yet expansive, written largely within the confines of Hersh’s home, making the proceedings ever more personal. // “Few artists understand the intensity of living one’s art like Hersh” The Guardian // “A fearless rock innovator” New York Times

EACH COPY Personally SIGNED BY LEN FAKI

Len Faki has always been a defining character of the techno underground. His unique approach to DJing, the consistent work as a producer and the quality output of his label Figure has all shaped the current environment.
Starting out as a clubber in the 90's, his inspirations have always reached back to the first encounters with electronic music, when new worlds opened and everything seemed possible.

While these experiences have always influenced Faki's productions and used to be released under many different aliases back in the day, they have been waiting since to be made into a proper album under the Len Faki moniker.

After quickly climbing to the top of the international DJ circuit, busy touring schedules never quite allowed for it. Finally faced with the opportunity of a long overdue creative break, Faki decided tackle the life-time venture with the necessary dedication and focus.

Excited about the new project, he also took the time and energy needed to expand his production methods. Finding new techniques allowed him to truly bring all his different influences to the surface. The process was one of following his own heart, occasionally challenging and surprising himself. Naturally the result emerged as two parallel experiences, which are now presented across two discs. Both still carry all the signature features of Faki's style but with added layers of depth and detail. There's that special contrast of dark and heady grooves, paired with dreamy melodies that transport the listener to places beyond the mind. But we also see all strains of his previous work being incorporated, mixed and molded into something new altogether.

While the first disc focuses on the kind of techno, which Faki has been brought up by and given back to for so many years of his life, the second is more loose and experimental, with forays into house, ambient and broken beats - the sounds he has always kept very passionate about.

It creates two distinct experiences, showcasing the entire breadth of Faki's cosmos. Where some ideas stay straight and kick hard, like the neon bleep opener Tor 8 or joyfully booming Astra, others take the newfound freedom to inspire a wistful broken beat ballad such as Hymn (In the Name of Fantasy) or the soulfully subdued Drum & Bass closer Voices.
Many songs even exist as pairings, with their respective counterpart on the other disc. For example, the duo of Shri Yantra/Yantra, where similar soundscapes have been looked through different lenses, making for a more straight-laced or shuffled rhythm. Also noteworthy are Faki's appearance as a veritable house producer on Hymn (In the Name of Freedom) as well as the inclusion of two very personal pieces:
The Halide tracks were made in remembrance of Faki's late mother, who passed away during the final production stage of the EP. These delicate tracks capture the intense sadness Faki was feeling at the time and helped him to process his grief and eventually to finish off the album.

By doing so Faki has given us a complete artistic statement, one that proves him to be as curious and driven now as ever, taking his sound to all-new realms.

Today, Anjimile Chithambo, better known as Anjimile, announces his new album, The King, out September 8th, his first full-length since 2020’s breakthrough Giver Taker. To herald the announcement, he shares lead single, ‘The King’, accompanied by a visualiser by Daniela Yohannes, whose striking painting takes centre stage on the album cover.

Highlighting the artistic shift from Giver Taker to now, ‘The King’ opens with a lofty, melodic choir, an intro that belies the song’s motives. Suddenly, sinister arpeggios interrupt the reverie, and the voices grow darkly serious. Deeply steeped in the confusion, grief, and rage of being Black in America, ‘The King’ pushes back against the tired adage, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” hissing, “What don ’t kill you almost killed you// What don’t fill you//pains you// drains you.”

“If Giver Taker was an album of prayers, The King is an album of curses.” In his second album, Anjimile continues exploring what it means to be a Black trans person in America. The brutally honest reflection of 2020’s deadly summer is less reminiscent of the pink cloud of early sobriety and more rooted in the reality of seeing brutality with clear eyes. Drawing from influences ranging from religion, Phillip Glass, and lived experiences, the album is a grand step forward for Anjimile. Nearly every sound you hear on The King comes from two instruments: an acoustic guitar and Anjimile’s own voice. Other than a few beautiful contributions from Justine
Bowe, Brad Allen Williams, Sam Gendel, and James Krivchenia (Big Thief), the album is the result of a year in LA working intimately with Grammy and Juno winner Shawn Everett.

Today, Anjimile Chithambo, better known as Anjimile, announces his new album, The King, out September 8th, his first full-length since 2020’s breakthrough Giver Taker. To herald the announcement, he shares lead single, ‘The King’, accompanied by a visualiser by Daniela Yohannes, whose striking painting takes centre stage on the album cover.

Highlighting the artistic shift from Giver Taker to now, ‘The King’ opens with a lofty, melodic choir, an intro that belies the song’s motives. Suddenly, sinister arpeggios interrupt the reverie, and the voices grow darkly serious. Deeply steeped in the confusion, grief, and rage of being Black in America, ‘The King’ pushes back against the tired adage, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” hissing, “What don ’t kill you almost killed you// What don’t fill you//pains you// drains you.”

“If Giver Taker was an album of prayers, The King is an album of curses.” In his second album, Anjimile continues exploring what it means to be a Black trans person in America. The brutally honest reflection of 2020’s deadly summer is less reminiscent of the pink cloud of early sobriety and more rooted in the reality of seeing brutality with clear eyes. Drawing from influences ranging from religion, Phillip Glass, and lived experiences, the album is a grand step forward for Anjimile. Nearly every sound you hear on The King comes from two instruments: an acoustic guitar and Anjimile’s own voice. Other than a few beautiful contributions from Justine
Bowe, Brad Allen Williams, Sam Gendel, and James Krivchenia (Big Thief), the album is the result of a year in LA working intimately with Grammy and Juno winner Shawn Everett.

Belgian jazz veterans W.E.R.F. records and JazzLab are celebrating their 30th anniversary together with three unique creation projects for which they are joining forces. One of them is with percussionist Chris Joris, a veteran of Belgian jazz who is releasing a haunting new project.

Until the Darkness Fades' immediately says something about Chris Joris' career path, in which the musical and the personal invariably overlap. This percussionist has written one of the most colorful chapters of Belgian jazz. For many years he was active within various genres, but is now mostly praised as the percussionist who constantly demolished boundaries. Not only between all those oppressive genre boxes - pop, experiment, theater, world music, jazz - but also between complete worlds.

Chris Joris was playing "world jazz" long before there was that term, and he signed on for some hot-blooded jazz classics, with "Out Of The Night" perhaps the best-known example. That album was originally released in 2003, was then unavailable for years, but is back on shelves in 2023 and on vinyl for the first time. And rightfully so. Joris also eagerly seized the prospect of a new tour and a brand new album for a musical self-portrait. With "Until the Darkness Fades," he highlights different aspects of his musical identity, both expected and unexpected.

Joris composed new material, but also keeps a prominent place for free improvisation. It will be a tantalizing dichotomy full of hybrid sounds, with familiar and less familiar sounds, between romanticism and uninhibited adventure. He explores these in the presence of notable associates on violin and cello. In this way, he combines earthy percussion with the freedom of jazz and the elegance of chamber music. Discover this story of a Belgian master who is far from finished.

It is always our pleasure to have new talents in the house, and we've been following Notzing's development since long ago. His approach to techno is absolutely personal and complex, hard and intrincated, mental and physical.

Protae is the first missile in this box full of weapons, a super busy techno exercise with compacted drums, drilling synth lines and random metallic hits breaking the monotony. The effect on the floor is devastating and has been tested extensively in dancefloors worldwide by label owner Oscar Mulero in the past months. 7 minutes of pure dancefloor mayhem.

Fagus continues with the sickness, with hysterical synth washe repeating an hypnotic chant, adding layers of sound as the groove goes by. Repetition is here the key to proper trance, not exactly with pleasant tones but by aggression.

Ekaterin is gummy and elastic with formant synth sounds chewing frequencies and changing constantly in shape. Another mental mantra with a physical drive.

Molniya slows down the pace and dives into profound sound scapes full of unnatural underwater sounds and washes providing a feeling of scuba diving.

To end this sonic odyssey, Emision goes completely beatless, growing from the profound sub bass frequencies to crispy and crunchy surface noises, creating the soundtrack of floating in outer space with no gravity. Please beware of the super intense bass tones when playing on a big sound system.
The perfect combination of experimentation and punchiness, keep an eye on this guy, is gonna make some proper noise in the coming years.

Der norwegische Singer/Songwriter Marius Drogsås Hagen genießt mit dem Alternative-Pop-Universum seines Projekts Team Me internationalen Erfolg und Aufmerksamkeit und gewann zahlreiche Musikpreise. Der Back-to-Basics-Ansatz des neuen Albums 'Return To The Riverside' ermöglicht ihnen einen reduzierten und organischen Sound, die Texte sind direkt und einfach, das Ergebnis klingt erwachsen, schlank und fokussiert. Die zutiefst persönlichen Songs drücken die Liebe Hagens zu seiner Heimatstadt Elverum aus, aber auch die schlechten Erinnerungen an die dort verbrachte Zeit, und den Versuch, aus einer neuen Perspektive auf die Kindheit zurückzublicken und zu verstehen, wie sie die Höhen und Tiefen seines Lebens beeinflusst hat.

Anchored by the powerhouse precision drumming of Felix Lehrmann and the resounding groove of electric bassist Thomas Stieger, augmented by kaleidoscopic contributions from Raphael Meinhart on vibes, marimba, MalletKAT Pro and synth and pyrotechnic shredding from six-string marvel Arto Makela, this potent collection of intelligent high- energy music conjures up favorable comparisons to everyone from Philip Glass and Frank Zappa to Joe Zawinul, Allan Holdsworth, King Crimson and Tribal Tech.

And while those varied influences may seep into the fabric of the ten
compositions here, the members of Marriage Material apply their own personal touch to the material, which they've come to define as "cinematic jazz."

Die Glorious Sons aus Kanada haben von Anfang an alle positiven Prinzipien des Rock'n'Roll konsequent verkörpert - Kreativität und Abenteuer, Leidenschaft und Wahrheit, Energie und Ausdruck, Individualität und Gemeinschaftssinn. Nach einer vierjährigen Reise mit vielen Zwischenstopps meldet sich die Band aus Kingston, Ontario, nun mit Glory zurück, einem von Brett Emmons und Frederik Thaae koproduzierten Album, das die Tiefe und Breite ihrer gewaltigen künstlerischen Vision voll und ganz einfängt.
Beflügelt von einem lebendigen Sound und einer rohen, zu Herzen gehenden Lyrik, leuchten die neuen Songs hell mit glühenden emotionalen Wahrheiten, die sowohl zutiefst persönlich als auch völlig universell sind.

The Glorious Sons wurden 2011 von Jay Emmons und Adam Paquette gegründet und kurz darauf durch den Sänger Brett Emmons ergänzt.
Mit ihrem immensen Ehrgeiz und ihrem leidenschaftlichen Songwriting sorgten sie sofort für Aufsehen und veröffentlichten drei Studioalben, die ihnen zwei #1-Rock-Airplay-Hits in den USA und dreizehn aufeinanderfolgende Top-10-Rock-Radiohits in Kanada einbrachten. Das Debütalbum "The Union" aus dem Jahr 2014 bestätigte ihren bahnbrechenden Erfolg mit einer prestigeträchtigen JUNO Award-Nominierung für das "Rockalbum des Jahres", die zum Teil durch Singles wie "Heavy", "Lightning" und "The Contender" angeheizt wurde, von denen letzteres die erste Nummer 1 im kanadischen Rockradio überhaupt war.

Zwei Jahre nach "It's a Long Way to Happiness", das über 20 Millionen Mal gestreamt wurde, meldet sich der Pianist Alban Claudin mit seinem wunderbaren zweiten Album "Room of Reflection" zurück. Während sein erstes Werk als eine Reise gedacht war, die sich der Natur und der Welt öffnete, ist dieses zweite Album persönlicher und stellt Fragen zu unserer Identität in der Gesellschaft: Wie kann man in einer Welt, die von Bildern sowohl in den Medien als auch in den sozialen Netzwerken überflutet wird, seinen Platz finden, Abstand gewinnen und sich selbst finden? Dreizehn Titel, die wie eine intime Reise konzipiert sind. Im Vordergrund steht die Melodie, berauschend, eingängig und teuflisch wirksam! Melodien, die man auf der Straße pfeifen kann, so wie man einen Beatles-Song pfeifen würde. Die Stärke von Alban Claudin: Er verleiht jedem Stück die Kraft eines Pop-Hits. Mit nur wenigen Klaviernoten gelingt es ihm, uns mehr zu sagen als jeder geschriebene und gesungene Titel. "Room of Reflection" erzählt uns vom Leben eines jungen Mannes in den Dreißigern: von seinen Freuden, seinen Zweifeln, seiner Beziehung zur Welt. Ein Album, das in seiner Zeit verankert ist und von Sanftheit und Träumerei geprägt ist.

Vinyl includes lyric booklet with hand-written lyrics and exclusive photos and download card. Has collaborated with MF Doom, Czarface, Ghostface Killah, Dennis Coffey, and more. Kendra Morris, the Brooklyn-based Artist is back with her fifth LP, entitled I Am What I’m Waiting For, on Colemine/Karma Chief Records. Co-Written and Produced by Torbitt Schwartz (Run The Jewels, Killer Mike, Rubble Kings, Chin Chin), this collection is Kendra’s most personal album to date. It was spring of 2022 and Kendra had just released Nine Lives, her first new album in almost a decade and her first release on Colemine Records. She felt an urgency to get back into the studio, but something felt different this time. Returning to her usual ways, places, and people that she had been creating with felt like dragging herself back to a familiar and comfortable place - but that wasn’t what she was looking for. “I had to step into a new, unknown process because I knew it was the only way that I’d continue to grow,” she explained. She took a small batch of songs to Torbitt’s studio and the two began to write. “He challenged me to find the best version of every lyric,” she shared. “When I listen back, I’m so proud of the time we spent, because every single line is deliberate. I challenged myself to write just to write. No love songs this time around. Torbitt and I wanted to create a record that felt like you cracked open the ooze in my head. There are a lot of layers to me but I only recently through age and experience have fully accepted the weird little nuances that I’m made of. I’m a messy introvert that pretends to be an extrovert so I can feel like I fit in.” From top to bottom, I Am What I’m Waiting For is sincere. It’s a fresh take on a timeless sound, and Kendra exudes power. “My heart has always been in soul music,” she shared. “On this record, you’ll hear my influences and then some. You’ll hear all the bits of me….the vulnerable bits, the silly bits, all of it.This record is my melting pot.” Whether you’re a longtime listener or just now beginning to explore the whimsical world of Kendra Morris, the relatable lyrics and modern soul sounds on I Am What I’m Waiting For are sure to turn you into a fan

In Rumi's poem A Great Wagon he writes of a place of total acceptance. "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there," It is a boundless, liminal space where we can release the judgments we make and carry of ourselves, and the comparisons to others. When we think of this field, there is a sense of tranquility that only comes when we are undisturbed by the shadow self and see existence as neither bright nor dim, white nor black. But as lead singer Greg Bertens explains, arriving there is a whole different story. "This is a poem I've returned to over the years, and I love the idea of this place, but getting there is life's journey." Bertens adds "I think the longing for and elusiveness of this field is a recurring theme in our music." Field is enveloped by themes of regret, disconnection and frustration but with the space to understand that these feelings are a natural part of the struggle between reconciling the inner and outer self. The Los Angeles/San Francisco-based group have been indie shoegaze stalwarts since their formation in 2001. After two decades and a handful of line-up changes, their extensive discography presents a dynamically textural, lush psychedelic rock that has featured guest appearances by members of Pavement, My Bloody Valentine, and Snow Patrol, among others. 2021's LP We Weren't Here was hailed for its dense instrumental blanket, where unrelenting hi-hats and heavy kicks exist alongside dreamy drone guitar. This propulsive nature permeates Field, as members Bertens, Noël Brydebell (vocals), Nyles Lannon (guitar), Jason Ruck (synths), Justin LaBo (bass), and Adam Wade (drums) produce a kaleidoscopic sonic landscape. Patient, sprawling instrumentation builds a foundation in which Bertens' themes of endurance, perseverance and clarity can bloom with a considered poise. As a lyricist who writes in response to the instrumental arrangements, rather than a focus on a specific theme or person, Field is a testament to Film School's ability to create in the moment, and to showcase the magic that stems from when we are truly present. Album opener "Tape Rewind" is a swirling rush of color, as sustained guitars, darkened bass lines and urgent, percussive swells dance alongside each other. "This is the newest of all the songs on the record and feels like a new level of heaviness for the band," Bertens explains, noting that its lyrical context of struggling to move past trauma adds to its cathartic essence. Field is bookended by heavier themes, with closer "All I'll Ever Be" taking on the perspective of those we hurt when we embrace our own toxic behaviors. Originally written to be a simple acoustic guitar and vocals song soon turned into an ethereal, effects-laden composition, with Noël's hazy lead vocals ushering in a new-found acceptance. "It's all I want / To be released / And all I can be," she laments, cementing Field's message of accepting ourselves in whatever form we find ourselves in. "Defending Ruins" is a murky relentless underworld, inspired by the freewheeling tones of Texas-based band Holy Wave. "Defending the ruins, defending remains," Bertens spits, among a richly-layered outro. "Don't You Ever" confirms Film School's ability to merge both delicate and growling instrumentation throughout the album, with the song's softly spoken section hovering above sparkling guitar. "Is This A Hotel" bends towards the electronic aspects of the band, with wailing synths accompanying a story of bitter desire. With over two decades in the industry, Field cements Film School as a distinct, dominant force in the shoegaze scene. Soaked in an emotionally open, imaginative atmosphere, the album is both singular and expansive, and leaves the door open for a constantly evolving interpretation. Film School have never confined themselves to the rigidity of specifics, and it's on Field that they urge us to look beyond the binary of certainty, and to take a second look

King Krule, Interpol, Alex G, Orion Sun, Snail Mail, Toro Y Moi, Unknown Mortal Orchestra. “Transparent Yellow” Indie Store Colour. (LPC1) available while stocks last. For Lutalo, creating music is an act of hope in and of itself. Throughout their meticulously crafted folk, rock, and soul, on which they sing and play all the instruments, the Twin Cities-raised, Vermont-based musician embeds golden lines of poetry that inspire curiosity about the world and empathy for everyone searching for a way through it. After releasing their 2022 debut EP, Once Now, Then Again, Lutalo emerged as a rising talent in the indie world, catching the attention of Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold and Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker, who invited the young musician on tour. Following a vinyl release with that breakthrough project, they are releasing its companion EP, AGAIN, on August 25 via Winspear. On the ambitious AGAIN, a collection of kinetic indie rock tracks, Lutalo makes bold critiques of systemic oppression, capitalism, and the digital attention economy. Though these topics are heady, their writing always sits at an accessible place of personal introspection. Like on the arresting single “Push Back Baby,” whose fuzzy electric guitar lines twist and unfurl in intricate patterns, Lutalo paints a complex portrait of our current reality that’s “rooted in the greed or narcissism of capitalists,” they explain. “I’m analyzing those systems and patterns, and also asking, ‘Can we continue to not perpetuate this?’ Because it’s hurt a lot of people historically. I’m just asking people to question it.” Through their music, but also through their lifestyle that’s alternative to America’s economic and political systems, Lutalo asks listeners to imagine new possibilities. “I want to help people question the way they’re living,” they say, “so we can create a better reality for us to exist in together.”

King Krule, Interpol, Alex G, Orion Sun, Snail Mail, Toro Y Moi, Unknown Mortal Orchestra. “Transparent Yellow” Indie Store Colour. (LPC1) available while stocks last. For Lutalo, creating music is an act of hope in and of itself. Throughout their meticulously crafted folk, rock, and soul, on which they sing and play all the instruments, the Twin Cities-raised, Vermont-based musician embeds golden lines of poetry that inspire curiosity about the world and empathy for everyone searching for a way through it. After releasing their 2022 debut EP, Once Now, Then Again, Lutalo emerged as a rising talent in the indie world, catching the attention of Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold and Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker, who invited the young musician on tour. Following a vinyl release with that breakthrough project, they are releasing its companion EP, AGAIN, on August 25 via Winspear. On the ambitious AGAIN, a collection of kinetic indie rock tracks, Lutalo makes bold critiques of systemic oppression, capitalism, and the digital attention economy. Though these topics are heady, their writing always sits at an accessible place of personal introspection. Like on the arresting single “Push Back Baby,” whose fuzzy electric guitar lines twist and unfurl in intricate patterns, Lutalo paints a complex portrait of our current reality that’s “rooted in the greed or narcissism of capitalists,” they explain. “I’m analyzing those systems and patterns, and also asking, ‘Can we continue to not perpetuate this?’ Because it’s hurt a lot of people historically. I’m just asking people to question it.” Through their music, but also through their lifestyle that’s alternative to America’s economic and political systems, Lutalo asks listeners to imagine new possibilities. “I want to help people question the way they’re living,” they say, “so we can create a better reality for us to exist in together.”

- Panda Bear, Voice of the Seven Woods, Mammane Sanni Abdoulaye. File under: Jazz / Electronic. Titi Bakorta almost didn't make it. Born in and raised in Kinshasa, the Congolese multi-instrumentalist was on his way to Uganda when he fell off the boat as it traversed the mighty Congo River. Unable to swim, Bakorta was saved by a friend who dragged him to the closest city Kisangani, where he was unexpectedly acquainted with local singer Dancer Papalas. Soon they were performing in bands together, traveling across the continents and settling in Tanzania, South Sudan and Dubai - they even appeared in front of General Defao, the beloved Congolese vocalist who fronted legendary soukous bands Grand Zaiko Wawa, Choc Stars and Big Stars. Now based in Kampala, Bakorta offers his own unique take on Congolese pop and folk sounds, weaving traditional elements through a psychedelic lattice of guitar loops, mangled voices and eccentric beatbox rhythms on his debut full-length. He bends woodblock snaps on 'Kop' into stuttered blurs, wailing emotionally over twanging riffs and bizarre, theatrical xylophone twinkles. It's still pop music on some level, but curved around Bakorta's unwieldy personal narrative - there's a sense that everything could unravel at any time but it all hangs together, strengthened by Bakorta's confident, contemporary production smarts. 'Elles Vais' is more airy, with celestial soukous vocals that float above tight, electronic drums. Tangled guitar echoes overlap each other like dense, weaved tapestries, contrasting perfectly with Bakorta's urgent, driving pulse. Occasionally, he transcends completely, like on 'Molende' where his chants and phrases neatly flutter between praise music and contemporary R&B. "Hustling, hustling, hustling, everyday I'm hustling," an angelic voice coos over phased electric guitar plucks and looped, AutoTuned chorals. It makes perfect sense that Bakorta should team up with Metal Preyers' Jesse Hackett on the album's final track, the aptly-titled 'Titis Haunted House'. The two artists share a similar obsession with moonlit, carnivalesque soundscapes, and Hackett's eerie synths provide a suitably eccentric foundation for Bakorta's ghostly wails and fuzzy guitar sounds.

Re-mastered by Kramer in 2022. Recommend If You Like: Raymond Scott, Mort Garson, Joe Meek, Robert Moog, Perrey and Kingsley, John Cage, Brian Eno, Sun Ra, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Hawkwind, Pete Seeger, William Shanter, Fred Rogers. An electro-surrealist musical journey from the mind of Bruce Haack "The Captain" - capturing his inventive genius musically in tandem with tapping into the voice of his inner child, innovative story songs inspired by Bruce Haack's diverse musical interests and a love of Science and explorations of the Natural World, songs to excite the imaginations of listeners, both young and old. Ahead of his time and beyond categorization- Haack continued to create trying to find new platforms in order to promote his electronic music. He scored many commercials during the 1960s and promoted electronic music on TV, even demonstrating his inventions on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in 1968. He self-released his first children's music album later that year. Haack constantly added new genres and inspirations to his compositions and was greatly influenced by the psychedelic rock of the era. He constantly created new work that reflected not only his varied interests, but his shifting musical horizons. He created multiple youth oriented albums, dipping into science fiction, psychedelia and electronica, using traditional song structures in order to capture children's attention to educate them, while wrapped in one of his many personas. Bruce Haack wanted people to know him through his medium: music. He dedicated his life to exploring, inventing and sharing his eclectic brand of humor and many musical points of view. In failing health, he never stopped pursuing his distinctive musical dreams.

The record is both a wonderful evolution in Tom's songwriting, and perhaps his most personal, heartfelt work so far. Inspired by pivotal moments, the album examines everything from family strife to heartbreak and abandonment, and exhibits some of the most confident, refined songwriting of his career. Set against lush soundscapes of beautifully textured guitars, agile strings and bright piano notes, these songs delve into the wonders of new love; reach out to a beloved sister; celebrate a close friend's good news. "I've touched on things in this record that I've never spoken about before," he says. "It's without doubt my most personal to date."Title track 'Love & Light' is dedicated to Speight's older sister, Cathy. Like "Tomorrow", it reaches out to a loved one with an emotional acuity that is startling for its candour. "My sister was the one who gave me my first guitar," he explains. "She used to pick me up from school... sometimes she'd forget and be a bit late, but I didn't mind." The song (like the album) is full of unconditional love, powerful enough that it stays with you long after the final note.

"Featuring Nate Morgan on piano, Jesse Sharps on reeds, Danny Cortez on trumpet, Rickey Kelly on vibes, Joel Ector on bass and Derek Roberts on drums. This music was recorded in Santa Barbara in July of 1987. Since the passing of the great pianist /composer / bandleader Horace Tapscott, the Nimbus West label has continued to document the underground L.A. jazz scene that Mr. Tapscott was once at the center of. A number of great musicians who once collaborated
with Tapscott, like Jesse Sharps & Nate Morgan, have recorded albums as leaders on Nimbus West. The short liner notes state that "trying to play serious music in an area as shallow & fad-driven as Los Angeles, were too much for this band to deal with..." so they didn't last too long. No doubt. This LP is proof that this collective's music was strong, spirited, original and had a great deal to offer. I
can't say that I've heard of any of the rhythm section players but all six members of the collective are excellent musicians nonetheless.
Nate Morgan's "Retribution, Reparation" is first and it has one of those McCoy Tyner-like 70's ensemble vibes with spirited piano and Trane-ish tenor sax sailing on top. The entire sextet is in great form with impressive solos from trumpeter Danny Cortez, vibist Rickey Kelly and pianist Nate Morgan. How musicians as incredible as this escaped notice, I will never understand. The sextet is ultra-tight and swings furiously throughout. Bassist John Ector's "Big Spliff" has a most memorable theme that had me smiling all the way through. The long & inspired soprano solo by Jesse Sharps and that great piano interplay & solo makes this piece even more special. The only cover on this LP is Monk's "Well You Needn't" and it too is done exuberantly. There are over 100 minutes of outstanding music on this wonderful release. Another buried treasure to add to your collection of great gifts from the gods." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

Synod was created at Concordia Teachers College by three sophomores. The band had a few personnel changes in its first couple of years, but remained very stable for more than four decades. In the 1970s they released two 45 RPM singles and one full length album. This 45 RPM single contains the fantastic "Sheryl Song". On the A-side you find a previously unreleased recording titled "Anchors Away". This fantastic double-sider is certainly made for fans of the Praise Poems series but also everybody else who is into soulful AOR / yacht rock.

The show, which rolled over the open-air stage of the Greek Theatre night after night in the late summer of 1963, attracted fans as if on a pilgrimage to the mountains of Hollywood. Many who could not get hold of a map climbed the surrounding trees to be able to admire the Calypso man at least from a distance.

Also on the lookout and with sound equipment at the ready were the people of the company RCA, which released the eagerly awaited album the following year. Some of the songs like the wriggling "Zombie Jamboree", "Look Over Yonder" and the wonderfully dripping Schmonzette "Try To Remember" were previously only available as studio versions. Most of the other numbers were brand new and sounded for the first time in a sparkling live atmosphere, which is authentically reproduced on this record.

Here a laugh as a receipt for a casual saying, there a rumble of boards, then again concentrated silence of a spellbound listening audience - something like this only happens on stage.

For Belafonte connoisseurs, these recordings are regarded as the crowning glory of the artistically highly productive phase of the years 1959 to 1963. Of the many good albums, this is one of the best.

Personnel: Harry Belafonte (voc); Howard Roberts (cond); William Eaton (clavietta); Ernest Calabria, Jay Berliner (g); John Cartwright (b); Percy Brice (dr); Ralph MacDonald (perc), choir and orchestra

The story of Existence dates back to 2016 when a group of young Stockholm hardcore heads wanted to get into some good old Cro-Mags worship. After some changes in personnel, the current line-up of deranged idiots has been paving the way for a violent future since early 2017. They currently share members with several other bands, including Blood Sermon and Speedway and are all active in the local DIY community in different ways, for example running Alive and Well Fest. With an EP under their belt in 2018, several tours across Europe and beyond, as well as appearances on such stages as Outbreak, the sound began to evolve leading up to the masterpiece that is the debut LP, ‘Go to Heaven’. Clocking in at nearly 40 minutes we don't think anyone can truly be prepared for this insanely epic body of work. From Slayer, to Merauder, to H8000, to Arkangel to Integrity, this is a masterclass in metallic hardcore songwriting by the strong beating heart of Stockholm HC. Songs that take you on a journey from a classic metallic breakdown riff to acoustic guitar sections to sword samples needed a hand that was not afraid of the complexity, leading to Jonah Falco of Fucked Up on mixing duties giving this the depth that it deserved. At times introspective, and at other times classic brute force, the themes of the lyrics are well summed up with the painted artwork by Nora Löwenberg of a face behind shattered glass, exploring the multifaceted nature of humanity and the ever changing place of the self in today’s global world. So if this all sounds like your kind of hardcore, then listening to this LP will truly be… heaven.

Svitlana Okhrimenko (artist name: Svitlana Nianio) is a Ukrainian artist, musician, and signer. She is one of the most prominent representatives of the independent music scene of Kyiv in the late 1980s — early 90s. She has repeatedly recorded and performed in collaboration with other musicians and bands, such as Oleksandr Yurchenko, Sugar White Death (Cukor Bila Smert’), Ivanov Down, GeeNerve & Taran, and Blemish. Svitlana still performs and publishes new recordings today.

“Transilvania Smile” is one of the first solo works recorded in 1994. During this time, Svitlana repeatedly visited Germany, where she had the experience of playing in parks and on the streets, gathering contacts of the local art scene. Her cooperation with the international choreographic group Pentamonia, based in Cologne and consisting of several girls who performed in theaters, took part in various performances, and were engaged in music. They met in the 1990s during joint performances with "Sugar-White Death." After that, they corresponded, and the idea of doing something together arose. Svitlana attended several of their performances, which inspired her to write music for a new project, and the band members helped to realize their creative ideas. Later, they started rehearsing together.

The name “Transilvania Smile” was invented by the project participants, and it symbolized the mold on the mirror and the reflection of a smiling vampire. However, shortly before the premiere, they changed it to “Firefox”, as the participants actively used flashlights and the play of light and shadows in the scenography.

The premiere occurred in the local Urania theater, previously a gallery. Isabel Bartensein directed the choreography, and Svitlana played, sang, and improvised. She said it was an excellent experience for her and the band. Besides Cologne, they also performed in Aachen.

Later, Michael Springer offered Svitlana to record this material in his "Phantom" studio. They had already worked together and recorded music for their project (Svitlana Okhrimenko / Phanton). Michael was also interested in the Ukrainian independent scene and participated in the creation of several compilations that featured bands from Kyiv and Kharkiv. Svetlana played the piano and harmonium in the studio and also sang. After the recording, the material was never released in its entirety. Two compositions appeared on the cassette compilation “Shovaisia” (Hide) in 1995, some episodes were re-recorded for the “Kytytsi” album in 1999, but for a long time, the full version of this recording remained practically unknown to listeners and was kept in Svitlana's and Michael’s archives.

This album is one of the most personal and insightful works of Svitlana Nianio from the 90s, which you can now get to know in its original form and sound.

Dedicated to Nora Forster, John Lydon's wife of nearly five decades, who passed away on April 5th 2023! Public Image Ltd. (PiL) announce their 11th studio album and first album in 8 years, End of World, to be released on 11th August 2023 on PiL Official via Cargo UK Distribution, followed by a 37-date UK and European Tour. The band began writing and recording End of World in 2018, during their 40th anniversary tour.

After The Great Pause, the band regrouped in the studio and "there was just this massive explosion of ideas," Lydon says. The result finds PiL set to release 13 of the best tracks they have ever written. The announcement comes with the release of new single Penge, which John describes as, "something of a mediaeval Viking epic." Earlier this year, PiL released Hawaii, the most personal piece of songwriting and accompanying artwork that John Lydon has ever shared. The song is a love letter to John's late wife, Nora, who had been living with Alzheimer's since long and sadly passed away on April 5th this year.

A pensive, personal yet universal love song that has resonated with many since its release in January, the song sees John reflecting on their lifetime well spent and in particular one of their happiest moments together in Hawaii. The powerfully emotional ballad is as close as John will ever come to bearing his soul. "It is dedicated to everyone going through tough times on the journey of life, with the person they care for the most," John says. "It's also a message of hope that ultimately love conquers all. As I say in the song, all journeys end and some begin again, but this is the beginning of a new journey with us. And, oddly enough, as bad as Alzheimer's is, there are great moments of tenderness between us. And I tried to capture that in the song." Celebrating their 40-year anniversary in 2018, the band is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential bands of all time. PiL's music and vision has earned them 5 UK Top 20 singles and 5 UK Top 20 albums.

With a shifting line-up and unique sound - fusing rock, dance, folk, pop and dub - Lydon guided the band from their debut album First Issue in 1978 through to 1992's That What Is Not, before a 17 year hiatus. Lydon reactivated PiL in 2009, touring extensively worldwide and releasing two critically acclaimed albums This is PiL in 2012 followed by their 10th studio album What The World Needs Now_ in 2015, which peaked at number 29 in the official UK album charts and picked up fantastic acclaim from both press and public. (The album also peaked at number 3 in the official UK indie charts and number 4 in the official UK vinyl charts). What The World Needs Now_ was self-funded by PiL and released on their own label 'PiL Official' via Cargo UK Distribution.

In 2018 PiL celebrated their 40th anniversary with a career-spanning box set and documentary, both called 'The Public Image Is Rotten', and a 32-date UK/Europe tour, plus dates in Japan. John Lydon, Lu Edmonds, Scott Firth and Bruce Smith continue as PiL. They are the longest stable line-up in the band's history and continue to challenge and thrive. PiL will be touring the UK and Europe in September and October 2023.

Dedicated to Nora Forster, John Lydon's wife of nearly five decades, who passed away on April 5th 2023! Public Image Ltd. (PiL) announce their 11th studio album and first album in 8 years, End of World, to be released on 11th August 2023 on PiL Official via Cargo UK Distribution, followed by a 37-date UK and European Tour. The band began writing and recording End of World in 2018, during their 40th anniversary tour.

After The Great Pause, the band regrouped in the studio and "there was just this massive explosion of ideas," Lydon says. The result finds PiL set to release 13 of the best tracks they have ever written. The announcement comes with the release of new single Penge, which John describes as, "something of a mediaeval Viking epic." Earlier this year, PiL released Hawaii, the most personal piece of songwriting and accompanying artwork that John Lydon has ever shared. The song is a love letter to John's late wife, Nora, who had been living with Alzheimer's since long and sadly passed away on April 5th this year.

A pensive, personal yet universal love song that has resonated with many since its release in January, the song sees John reflecting on their lifetime well spent and in particular one of their happiest moments together in Hawaii. The powerfully emotional ballad is as close as John will ever come to bearing his soul. "It is dedicated to everyone going through tough times on the journey of life, with the person they care for the most," John says. "It's also a message of hope that ultimately love conquers all. As I say in the song, all journeys end and some begin again, but this is the beginning of a new journey with us. And, oddly enough, as bad as Alzheimer's is, there are great moments of tenderness between us. And I tried to capture that in the song." Celebrating their 40-year anniversary in 2018, the band is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential bands of all time. PiL's music and vision has earned them 5 UK Top 20 singles and 5 UK Top 20 albums.

With a shifting line-up and unique sound - fusing rock, dance, folk, pop and dub - Lydon guided the band from their debut album First Issue in 1978 through to 1992's That What Is Not, before a 17 year hiatus. Lydon reactivated PiL in 2009, touring extensively worldwide and releasing two critically acclaimed albums This is PiL in 2012 followed by their 10th studio album What The World Needs Now_ in 2015, which peaked at number 29 in the official UK album charts and picked up fantastic acclaim from both press and public. (The album also peaked at number 3 in the official UK indie charts and number 4 in the official UK vinyl charts). What The World Needs Now_ was self-funded by PiL and released on their own label 'PiL Official' via Cargo UK Distribution.

In 2018 PiL celebrated their 40th anniversary with a career-spanning box set and documentary, both called 'The Public Image Is Rotten', and a 32-date UK/Europe tour, plus dates in Japan. John Lydon, Lu Edmonds, Scott Firth and Bruce Smith continue as PiL. They are the longest stable line-up in the band's history and continue to challenge and thrive. PiL will be touring the UK and Europe in September and October 2023.

2024 BLACK VINYL REPRESS.
One can hardly imagine the genre-busting, culture-crossing musical magic of Outkast, Prince, Erykah Badu, Rick James, The Roots, or even the early Red Hot Chili Peppers without the influence of R&B pioneer Betty Davis. Her style of raw and revelatory punk-funk defies any notions that women can’t be visionaries in the worlds of rock and pop. In recent years, rappers from Ice Cube to Talib Kweli to Ludacris have rhymed over her intensely strong but sensual music.

There is one testimonial about Betty Davis that is universal: she was a woman ahead of her time. In our contemporary moment, this may not be as self-evident as it was thirty years ago – we live in an age that’s been profoundly changed by flamboyant flaunting of female sexuality: from Parlet to Madonna, Lil Kim to Kelis. Yet, back in 1973 when Betty Davis first showed up in her silver go-go boots, dazzling smile and towering Afro, who could you possibly have compared her to? Marva Whitney had the voice but not the independence. Labelle wouldn’t get sexy with their “Lady Marmalade” for another year while Millie Jackson wasn’t “Feelin’ Bitchy” until 1977. Even Tina Turner, the most obvious predecessor to Betty’s fierce style wasn’t completely out of Ike’s shadow until later in the decade.

Ms. Davis’s unique story, still sadly mostly unknown, is unlike any other in popular music. Betty wrote the song “Uptown” for the Chambers Brothers before marrying Miles Davis in the late ‘60s, influencing him with psychedelic rock, and introducing him to Jimi Hendrix — personally inspiring the classic album ’Bitches Brew.’

But her songwriting ability was way ahead of its time as well. Betty not only wrote every song she ever recorded and produced every album after her first, but the young woman penned the tunes that got The Commodores signed to Motown. The Detroit label soon came calling, pitching a Motown songwriting deal, which Betty turned down. Motown wanted to own everything. Heading to the UK, Marc Bolan of T. Rex urged the creative dynamo to start writing for herself. A common thread throughout Betty’s career would be her unbending Do-It-Yourself ethic, which made her quickly turn down anyone who didn’t fit with the vision. She would eventually say no to Eric Clapton as her album producer, seeing him as too banal.

In 1973, Davis would finally kick off her cosmic career with an amazingly progressive hard funk and sweet soul self-titled debut. Davis showcased her fiercely unique talent and features such gems as “If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up” and “Game Is My Middle Name.” The album Betty Davis was recorded with Sly & The Family Stone’s rhythm section, sharply produced by Sly Stone drummer Greg Errico, and featured backing vocals from Sylvester and the Pointer Sisters.

With I Will Make a Baby in this Damn Economy, Fat Tony embodies the kind of quixotic figure he would rap about; a singular entity who’s motivated, confident, and hungry; a perpetual-motion-machine locked in a staring contest with his country. It’s the latest album in his catalog produced entirely by L.A-based producer Taydex since 2020’s Wake Up. Later that same year Fat Tony released Exotica, and ever since he’s demonstrated he is in his own lane as a professional rapper with the mind of a magician, as quick to conjure an image as pull it out from under you, deftly manoeuvring through so many details and references a listener feels as if they have witnessed the work of an illusionist. He paints these canvases inside of songs that rarely spill past three minutes; they’re pocket-sized diaries replete with acute observations, character studies, microdoses of storytelling, and single-minded ruminations on a topic that bud, blossom, and fade before too long. Fat Tony & Taydex’s I Will Make a Baby in this Damn Economy cements Tony’s status as someone whose albums are not so much lyrically-lyrical as they are picaresque.
As with any Fat Tony project, the bars are tight as ever, but are so fluid for the 34-year-old it’s almost easy to take for granted the details, warmth, and humanity inside his free-associative tales of day-one friends who’ve passed, edgelord grifters who want to spit game, and nights on ketamine. Taydex’s production sprints through disparate yet simpatico styles, dipping its toes into Pi’erre Bourne-esque bass (see lead single “Spectacular”), house (“Loosen Up”), and even hyperpop. Meditations on loss and grief are woven throughout, but Tony throws a few curveballs as well: Consider “Alexis,” which sweetly reflects on a long-term platonic friendship. Taydex finds a Teddy Riley-indebted New Jack Swing groove just deep enough for the feeling to land and underlines the song’s sincere candor. This is the appeal of Fat Tony writ-large: his boisterous voice and genial personality invite you to the party, then you stick around to hear what he’s saying, which is frequently more introspective and complex than one assumes.
Written and recorded in Taydex’s new studio in North Hollywood, Tony says, “We had much more freedom and flexibility in making this album and you can hear it. It felt like a family project.” If the album is comfortable and loose, it is also dense and substantial. The album’s final two tracks contextualize the immediacy of what came before it—the mezcal with ices drank, Paul Wall swangin’ through to drop knowledge, the Polaris Prize-winning rapper Cadence Weapon providing a vibe check. “Make a Baby” accounts for Tony who’s seen everything, and knows he’s met the one to be a father with, and yet chooses to take his time to get it done. Taydex’s beat recalls turn-of-the-century R&B and the millennial promise of an endless good time. Sombre closer “Jasper, TX” is Tony coming to grips with the story of James Byrd, Jr., a Black man from East Texas dragged to his death by three white supremacists in 1998. These songs are not only trademarks of Tony’s fastidious rapping—they are deeply personal examples of his approach to artistry and life itself, where every decision is made in the shadow of history.
It’s here the mission statement of I Will Make a Baby in this Damn Economy comes into focus—you get the sense he means it, he’s ready for it, he’ll fight for it. He’s waiting to take the world at its word.

Everybody loves a good comeback story. After releasing five genre-defining albums and building a fiercely loyal fanbase, Turnpike Troubadours — the Tahlequah, Oklahoma kings of Red Dirt music — all but fell apart in 2019, taking a three-year hiatus to find clarity amidst the noise of a red-hot career. But after the break, something remarkable and even unprecedented happened: the band returned more popular than ever. Not to mention stronger. The proof is in the group’s sixth studio album, A Cat in the Rain. Produced by three-time Grammy winner Shooter Jennings and recorded at the legendary FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and in Los Angeles, the 10-song album is a tale of reliability, rebirth, and redemption. It’s the story of brothers — frontman and chief songwriter Evan Felker, fiddler Kyle Nix, steel player Hank Early, guitarist Ryan Engleman, bassist RC Edwards, drummer Gabe Pearson — six musicians who ran the gauntlet of success, scrutiny, and even personal troubles, and would fight tooth and nail for one another. Turnpike Troubadours’ fans can feel this. That bond is in the band’s songs and in their live performances — they’ve racked up 1.5 billion streams globally and are selling out arenas and headlining festivals. Still, to some, they remain a mystery…the most popular band they’ve never heard of. But with A Cat in the Rain, that’s all about to change.

Vinyl includes lyric booklet with hand-written lyrics and exclusive photos and download card. Has collaborated with MF Doom, Czarface, Ghostface Killah, Dennis Coffey, and more. Kendra Morris, the Brooklyn-based Artist is back with her fifth LP, entitled I Am What I’m Waiting For, on Colemine/Karma Chief Records. Co-Written and Produced by Torbitt Schwartz (Run The Jewels, Killer Mike, Rubble Kings, Chin Chin), this collection is Kendra’s most personal album to date. It was spring of 2022 and Kendra had just released Nine Lives, her first new album in almost a decade and her first release on Colemine Records. She felt an urgency to get back into the studio, but something felt different this time. Returning to her usual ways, places, and people that she had been creating with felt like dragging herself back to a familiar and comfortable place - but that wasn’t what she was looking for. “I had to step into a new, unknown process because I knew it was the only way that I’d continue to grow,” she explained. She took a small batch of songs to Torbitt’s studio and the two began to write. “He challenged me to find the best version of every lyric,” she shared. “When I listen back, I’m so proud of the time we spent, because every single line is deliberate. I challenged myself to write just to write. No love songs this time around. Torbitt and I wanted to create a record that felt like you cracked open the ooze in my head. There are a lot of layers to me but I only recently through age and experience have fully accepted the weird little nuances that I’m made of. I’m a messy introvert that pretends to be an extrovert so I can feel like I fit in.” From top to bottom, I Am What I’m Waiting For is sincere. It’s a fresh take on a timeless sound, and Kendra exudes power. “My heart has always been in soul music,” she shared. “On this record, you’ll hear my influences and then some. You’ll hear all the bits of me….the vulnerable bits, the silly bits, all of it.This record is my melting pot.” Whether you’re a longtime listener or just now beginning to explore the whimsical world of Kendra Morris, the relatable lyrics and modern soul sounds on I Am What I’m Waiting For are sure to turn you into a fan

With 15 tracks of pure pop perfection, “Feed The Beast” moves beyond the characters found in Kim’s past music to draw more from her personal life and is a declaration about being willing to be consumed by her biggest passion. With pop music as her driving force, the album is Kim’s offering to her own beast that sees her embody a modern-day pop Andromeda – a spin on the classic Greek tale where the princess was about to be sacrificed to her beast. Unlike the tale, however, Kim has set out to rescue herself with a body of work that is heavily inspired by the euphoric Eurodance hits that she would lose herself in growing up.

With 15 tracks of pure pop perfection, “Feed The Beast” moves beyond the characters found in Kim’s past music to draw more from her personal life and is a declaration about being willing to be consumed by her biggest passion. With pop music as her driving force, the album is Kim’s offering to her own beast that sees her embody a modern-day pop Andromeda – a spin on the classic Greek tale where the princess was about to be sacrificed to her beast. Unlike the tale, however, Kim has set out to rescue herself with a body of work that is heavily inspired by the euphoric Eurodance hits that she would lose herself in growing up.

Tripped's second full length album has arrived, roughly one year after Unboxed (PRSPCT273) and is once again ready to take you on another journey through hard techno, industrial, acid, breaks & hardcore techno.

Tripped digs deeper into raw & analog techniques that will teleport you back to the wastelands of 90's warehouse raves.
While slowly building in Bpm and intensity, It features both emotional and kickheavy tracks ready to take on any dancefloor.
It also includes a Slave To Society remix of 'Tank', earlier released on MADINCH003.

While we once again recognise the artwork style from past releases (painted by himself) we notice another personal concept linked to the album . 'A Thing About Something' addresses mental health issues, anxieties & depression and aspires to keep fighting the daily struggles.

Conundrum EP, a self-constructed puzzle, bringing together various conceptual elements. Going from detailed drum programming to live recorded synth-arp ambiences, Marijn S showcases the many colors of her being and spirit translated into sound.

Breakbeat, percussions, strength and focus but with some personal outlandish choices on the A side, followed by flowy-ness and playfulness, choices of musical elements lead by emotion on the B side.

BREFORTH – Für den Metal geboren

Jürgen Breforth ist seit mehr als 40 Jahren ein fester Bestandteil der Metal Szene. Begeistert und inspiriert von der „New Wave Of British Heavy Metal“ mit Bands wie IRON MAIDEN, SAXON und JUDAS PRIEST gründete er 1982 seine Band MAD MAX, die bis auf eine kurze Pause auch heute noch erfolgreich Platten veröffentlicht und die ganze Welt betourt. Da MAD MAX im Laufe der Jahre mehr den melodischen Weg eingeschlagen haben, Jürgens Herz aber aus purem Stahl ist, wurde es Zeit für ein zweites Standbein. 2023 präsentiert er auf „Metal In My Heart“ seinen authentischen Mix aus NWOBHM-Einflüssen und Teutonic Metal! Zusammen mit seinem kongenialen Songwriter-Partner und Sänger Peter Lenzschau hat er zehn zeitlose Heavy Metal Hymnen mit autobiografischen Texten geschrieben, welche alle Metalheads begeistern sollten.

Die drei bereits vorab veröffentlichten Singles „Reset My Sanity“, „Wheel Of Fortune“ und der hymnische Titelsong zeigen, dass hier keine Kompromisse gemacht werden. Auch heute ist bei Jürgen das Feuer noch da und gemeinsam mit BREFORTH-Leadsänger Peter Lenzschau, Arne Fleischhut am Schlagzeug, Erik Blumenthal an den Leadgitarren und Jens Lükermann am Bass brennt er darauf, das mit der ganzen Welt zu teilen. Einfach „Play“ drücken und Jürgen auf seiner persönlichen „40 Years In Metal“ Reise begleiten!

. It started in a cafe in Chico, California, with a flier, covered in glitter, wires, feathers, and assorted melted items, with a three-word advertisement: “Noise person wanted.” It wasn’t a sign. It was a sample. A tiny piece lifted from the visionary environment that the band XDS would continue building over the next couple of decades, hoarding an eclectic stockpile of collage materials/influences/approaches for assembling psychedelic dance-punk jams played with homemade instruments, blown-out samples, off-kilter drumming and dub baselines. Shoko Horikawa had come from Japan to (the small, music-crazy college town) Chico for school, and responded to Jesse Hall’s mysterious flier and a pitch to collaborate on making interesting sounds. The partnership would end up featuring her syncopated polyrhythmic drums alongside his vocals (through a duct tape-and-PVC-pipe mic) and custom-built Guitar-o-bass, plus synths/samplers and various noise-making devices. The two-piece Experimental Dental School eventually morphed into XDS as the duo moved the operation from Chico to Oakland to Portland and back to Chico, touring the world (playing alongside the likes of Deerhoof and other innovators) and releasing 11 recordings (on Cochon Records, German label TCWGA, etc.) as they went. On the new XDS album, Bicycle Ripper, the band’s genre-bending roots are as deep as ever, but the goal now is to be less “noise” people and more “fun” people. The songs are weird yet cohesive, with jittery grooves and inventive hooks. Throw a dart at the album and hit “Hot Panther, Cold Moon” for one random sample: an unrelenting fuzzed-out bass dances with a insistent drums; a sharp turn into sparse tin-can-guitar break; then a return to the dance floor with a bonus overdriven bass riff and full-throttle drums. The Panther stays hot whether she’s under the “hot hot sun” or the “cold cold moon.” It’s all very irresistible and, yes, really really fun

Lovely Little Girls is a theatrical art-rock band from Chicago that features
members of Cheer-Accident and The Flying Luttenbachers - They
specialize in odd harmonies and catchy melodies served with a histrionic
flair
"Effusive Supreme", their third LP for SKiN GRAFT Records, delves into more
personal and abstract territory, highlighting the utilitarian and fetishistic
relationship to shoes on one track, while enthusiastically accepting ego- death's
indifferent embrace on the next. Equally informed by Magma and Dead Kennedys,
Lovely Little Girls pull from a range that runs the gamut yards past the finish line -
everything from Esquivel to Toto.
PRESS QUOTES:
"What makes Lovely Little Girls unique is the care for complex arrangements,
creating quirky prog- no wave hybrids... impressive psychodramas of melodic
detours and anguished explosions - full of theatrical uneasiness" - ChainDLK
"Stuns listeners into submission with heavy doses of horns and lyrical flogging.
Equal parts jazz, prog, and avant- garde, this horde of provocateurs revels in
disturbing the peace" - Razorcake
"Lovely Little Girls deal in absurd and jarring contrasts. The group's knotty,
intricate songs heave and dance and skitter - sometimes gracefully dexterous
and sometimes grotesquely lumpy - but clearly the work of formidably talented
musicians with vivid imaginations. Jacobsen's demented lead vocals flicker from
frighteningly histrionic to carefully declamatory, with eruptions of abject mania or
borderline obscenity, while behind him a chorus of singers might deliver a
pristine, almost angelic chant of "the pain, the horror"... - Chicago Reader
"Lovely Little Girls are your favourite cartoon villains, plotting the takeover of the
city before the Joker does" - The Organ

Shamir's art is a synthesis of the full spectrum of human emotion;
sensual, furious, yearning, joyful and yet tethered together by a very
distinct style (similarly to the greats such as Miss Nina Simone, Prince,
and Taylor Swift) - Shamir's music is based almost entirely in a hyperspecific, fully autonomous, embodied expression of personhood
On his forthcoming album, Homo Anxietatem, Shamir takes the Latin translation
of the title, "anxious man", and transmutes his anxiety to pop songs. The creation
process serves as a balm or elixir, converting internal anxieties to an 11- track
sonic playground.

Remastered with extra tracks - extra disc also includes Sound Sun Pleasure LP. Features the original space nymph cover art, which only appeared in cropped and washedout reproductions on an early 60s version. Cosmic Myth Records is dedicated to issuing remastered and fully authorized out of print titles from Sun Ra's independent Saturn Records catalog. Sun Ra's Jazz in Silhouette was enshrined in the Penguin Jazz Guide's "Core Collection" as an album that "will someday be recognized as one of the most important post-war jazz records." Jazz in Silhouette is the quintessential record of Sun Ra's late 1950s Chicago period. Recorded and issued in 1959, it marks a coda for the bandleader's bebop/hard-bop stage, as his interstellar traveller persona began to transform the band (and the music). It also charts the future, showcasing the brilliant tenor sax stylings of John Gilmore, and introduces the iconic playing of Arkestra mainstays Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, and Ronnie Boykins. Many of the early works on these recordings would remain staples in Arkestra set lists for the rest of Sun Ra's life. This expanded edition includes the complete, contemporaneous Sound Sun Pleasure, rare stereo mixes, and bonus tracks.

Attarazat Addahabia & Faradjallah's album came to us as quite a mystery. Our friends from Radio Martiko got access to the studio archive of the Boussiphone label and a reel labeled “Faradjallah” was among the items they had found there. After listening to the selection of reels they borrowed, Radio Martiko felt it was not a fit for their label and helped us licensing it from Mr. Boussiphone instead. We knew nothing about the band. We just had the reel with the music but very little information. What we knew was that the music was incredible and very unique. Gnawa sounds were combined with funky electronic guitars, very dense layers of percussions and female backing vocals more reminiscent of musical styles further south than Morocco. We started asking around whether anyone knew the band with no immediate success until we asked Tony Day, a musician from Morocco who helped us during our search for Fadoul’s family. His sharp memory came through once again, remembering all the names of the Attarazat Addahabia band members and even how to contact the bands singer and leader Abdelakabir Faradjallah. After visiting him at his home in Casablanca with our Moroccan colleague Sabrina multiple times, he shared his personal story. His father arrived in Casablanca from Aqqa at the age of six and his mother came from Essaouira. Abdelakabir was born in the neighbourhood of Benjdia in 1942. Abdelakabir Faradjallah studied fine arts in Casablanca, graduating in 1962. He also played soccer in the second team of "Jeunesse Societe One". His brother-in-law Ibrahim Sadr worked for one of the biggest football teams of the time in Morocco called "Moroco Sportive Union", which allowed him to travel to France occasionally. While Ibrahim was never part of the band he brought along a few instruments from trips.


Yet the majority of the instruments they could not afford to buy were build by Faradjallah and Abderrazak, Faradjallah's brother who passed away early. For instance they had built a Spanish guitar and a drum made of wood barrel and sheepskin by themselves.During the 1950s Faradjallah was booked as a singer for surprise parties with friends. He started to write his first songs including "L’gnawi" in 1967 and wanted to make people discover Gnawa culture, or maybe rather his take on the culture to be more exact. Faradjallah recalls his first interaction with the genre in the streets of the Dern neighbourhood, where he used to go to elementary school. Gnawa is one of the essential musical genres of Morocco. It combines ritual poetry with traditional dances and music linked with a spiritual foundation. Musically a lot of influences originated from West Africa as well as Sudan. Gnawa is usually played by a selection of specific instruments such as the qaraqab (large iron castanets centrally associated with the music), the hajhouj (a three string lute), guembri loudaâ (a three stringed bass instrument) and the tbel (large drums). People would put shells on their clothes and instruments and use incense at their parties. "Sidi darbo lalla - lala derbo khadem..." came from Gnawa verses Faradjallah used to sing when he was 14. The lyrics tackle a global (im)balance of power and the question of social status in this course. The band Attarazat Addahabia was formed in 1968. The original line-up included 14 members, all from the same family. They played their first small concerts here and there starting in 1969. Later in 1973 they performed bigger shows for instance at the Municipal Theatre followed by the "Al Massira Show" at Velodrome Stadium in downtown Casablanca. Their first album "Al Hadaoui" (the one you are listening to) was recorded at Boussiphone studios in 1972 and was never released before. Nobody seems to remember the exact reason why Boussiphone ended up deciding not to put the album out. The album's title track also served as the basis for Fadoul's "Maktoub Lah", who frequented the same circles as the band for some time.

Their shows sometimes could go as long as 12 hours, starting at 5pm in the afternoon, with an occasional break here and there. In the 1980s the band took a brief break. Faradjallah recalled the reason for that break like this: "Zaki, the bands drummer, had fallen in love with a young girl from Mohammedia. Soon after, he fell very ill. The group members were convinced that the girl had given him ‘s'hor’ (a kind of local Moroccan version of "black magic"). For four years, the whole group stopped playing. It was unthinkable to find another drummer to replace Zaki, even temporarily." So they waited four years for Zaki to "get back on his feet" before going back on stage. Apart from very few gigs here and there Faradjallah stopped playing music in the mid 1990s. Some members from the younger generations formed a new band and still play frequently to this day. Faradjallah runs a television repair shop coupled offerings beverages and snacks in the Belevedere /Ains Sbaa district of Casablanca. While Faradjallah was primarily a musician, he would work for the local cinema and paint their posters for new movies by hand and he designed all artworks and cover posters of the band.

And this eventually led to him participating actively in our first exhibition dealing with Habibi Funk’s work in Dubai 2018. He helped us by creating calligraphic complementations on large photo prints for that show.

Neurotwin is a Trilogy:

Part I
In the fight against Alzheimer's, epilepsy, schizophrenia and other diseases characterized by an imbalance in neuronal activity, there are chemical weapons, such as those that try to prevent the protein fragments known as beta-amyloid plaques from developing in the cerebral cortex , and physical, such as electrical stimulation that allow to restore the functionality of brain cells. This last resort, which has already been shown to be effective in modifying the activity of the cerebral cortex, is today a weapon of general intervention. Converting it to precision requires the development of individualized and predictive brain models that allow identifying where and how much to stimulate each patient. To achieve this, an international European team is working on the creation of virtual replicas of the most unknown organ in the body: the Neurotwin project.

According to recent research, the decrease in power in the neuronal oscillations of the gamma band of the cerebral cortex (a pattern whose frequency ranges between 20 and 50 Hertz) favors the development of protein fragments related to Alzheimer's.

Transcranial application of weak electrical currents has proven to be an effective and painless way to modulate brain activity without side effects.

The objective is to create complete computational models of the brain with real data of living beings (human patients) and that allow to anticipate and specify the effects of non-invasive stimulation techniques on neurological mechanisms.

"Never turn your back on a friend."
- Alfred Hitchcock

Part II
The Neurotwin project is the successor to an initiative that encompasses many projects called Virtual Physiological Human, which was based on the idea of creating a complete model of a human being on a computer, to perform non-invasive tests at the computational level. Now the concept has been derived to "Digital Twin", which seeks not only to have an equal computational model for everyone, but to create "twin" digital models of each patient in order to be able to make personalized medicine from the genome of each individual. Specifically, in our project, we have focused on digital twin brains, which would be representations of patient brains created from data extracted with current neuroimaging and brain activity monitoring techniques.

"Mirrors are used to see the face, Art to see the soul."
- George Bernard Shaw

Part III
A digital twin is a computer system programmed in such a way that, receiving the same inputs as the physical object or process it is a twin of, it provides the same outputs.

Characteristics of digital twin technology
1 Connectivity
2 Homogenization
3 Reprogrammable and intelligent
4 Digital traces

"There is no light without shadows and no fullness of mind without imperfections. Life requires for its realization, not perfection, but fullness. Without imperfection, there is no progress or growth."
- Carl Gustav Young

Pink Siifu’s latest release, GUMBO!, is another sprawling Afrocentric vision from one of the boldest voices in contemporary rap. Following up on 2020’s NEGRO, the album’s songs are as rich and varied as its titular stew. Siifu’s boundless style makes for an unpredictable but rewarding ride across the album’s 18 tracks, as he explores the diverse sounds of his influences and breaks new ground with a unique class of co-stars.

Siifu, born Livingston Matthews and raised between Alabama and Cincinnati, has already notched a conspicuous list of collaborations in his burgeoning career, from legendary producer the Alchemist to Australian electronic group the Avalanches. Siifu also embodies various inspirations through a range of alter-egos, often producing under the moniker “iiye,” or as half of the duo B. Cool-Aid with Ahwlee, both of which appear on GUMBO!.

The variety of guest features and production on GUMBO! only elevates Siifu’s ability to push the boundaries of genre and song structure. “Voicemails Uptown” (produced by Soulection’s Monte Booker) is the second of two back-to-back posse cuts, sporting five plus vocalists each. “Lng hair dnt care,” the album’s first single, was produced by Ted Kamal, who first garnered attention for his outside-the-box edits of contemporary rap staples. And while several of the album’s tracks are well within his bag, the jazzy, drumless loop on “Fk U Mean/Hold Me Dwn” could’ve been a cut off of his collab album with Virginia rapper Fly Anakin, FlySiifu’s.

Though rife with standout tracks, GUMBO! is greater than the sum of its parts. Siifu’s ambitious range and impressive pool of features create an otherworldly listening experience. Overall, it reflects an intense desire for self-expression and creative growth, one which he shares with many of his influences. Like Outkast, Sun Ra, Baraka, or Bad Brains, his unique soundscapes re-imagine a genre without restrictions, breaking new ground in search of artistic and personal freedom.

Verwirrung - das Gefühl, perplex und verwirrt zu sein - ist die Inspiration für das neue Album von Pale Jay. Es ist eine gefühlvolle Erkundung des allmählichen Zerfalls einer Familie aufgrund von jahrelanger Vermeidung und Missverständnissen. Während dieser schwierigen Zeit begann Pale Jay, die Geschichten, mit denen er immer gelebt hatte, zu hinterfragen und seine Identität neu zu untersuchen. Das daraus resultierende Werk, Bewilderment, ist sein erstes komplettes Album, das Antworten auf diese und andere Fragen geben will. Pale Jay ist ein ausgebildeter Jazzsänger und Pianist und hat alle Songs des Albums geschrieben, aufgenommen und produziert, mit Ausnahme von "By The Lake", das in Zusammenarbeit mit seinen Labelkollegen Okonski - Steve Okonski, Aaron Frazer und Michael Montgomery - entstanden ist. Die Musik von Pale Jay ist von einer Vielzahl von Songwritern beeinflusst, darunter Labi Siffre, Carole King und William Onyeabor. Bewilderment ist eine nahtlose Mischung aus Pale Jays Markenzeichen, staubigem Soul, langsamer Disco- und Afrobeat, wobei die Streicherarrangements von Raven Bush den beatlastigen Produktionen eine zusätzliche Ebene der Magie verleihen. Pale Jays Debüt-LP ist eine fesselnde Reise der Selbstentdeckung. Jeder Song auf Bewilderment erzählt eine eigene Geschichte, aber alle haben ein gemeinsames Thema: persönliches Wachstum und Selbsterkenntnis.

"Der Tod ist seit meiner Kindheit ein hautnaher und persönlicher Teil meines Lebens. Als ich mit dem Schreiben von Ghost at the Gallows begann, war das Gespenst des Todes so präsent wie eh und je. Dieses Album navigiert durch eine Welt, in der Geister real sind und uns in Form von Trauer, Trauma und Verlust heimsuchen. Trotz des Themas sind die Songs nicht nur düstere Klagelieder. Die Musik ist vielfältig und dynamisch und reicht von schwermütigen, von Southern Rock getönten Akustikpassagen bis hin zu aggressiven Speed-Metal-Attacken... und allem, was dazwischen liegt. Und wie bei jedem Eintrag im Spirit Adrift-Katalog geht es in den Texten darum, das Gute im Schlechten, die Stärke in der Schwäche und die Hoffnung in der Dunkelheit zu finden. Erst als ich die Platte beendet hatte, wurde mir klar, dass alle Phasen der Trauer auf diesem Album vertreten sind. Vielleicht waren diese Lieder mein unbewusster Versuch, meinen eigenen Trauerprozess zu erleichtern. So oder so, dieses Album hilft mir, und ich hoffe, es hilft auch allen anderen, die es brauchen." - Nate Garrett

PAURA explores the horror repertoire from the precious CAM Sugar archives taking us on a hypnotic journey into the labyrinths of fear, through the different variations that Italian horror took on from the esoteric and supernatural to the slasher films of the early 1970s; to reinterpretations of Romantic literature and gothic fiction to the splatter films of the ‘80s; and from witchcraft to metropolitan horror. This is not a real “best of” but an eclectic menu full of mysterious voices, childlike lullabies, sweet melodies, obsessive music boxes, obstinate harpsichords, crazy distortions and threatening synthesizers, conceived as a succession of sequences, as if a film edit. The new collection includes some of the most creative music ever written and strives to do justice not only to some of the best known composers in this genre, but also to many great unsung composers: From celebrated composers like Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani & Stelvio Cipriani to long-forgotten personalities who fed the industrial backbone of Italian cinema such as Daniele Patucchi, Marcelo Giombini & Berto Pisano. The collection includes 6 previously unreleased tracks plus 3 tracks released on vinyl for the first time and 5 tracks available commercially for the first time (originally released only as a limited promo item).

Auch musikalisch bricht man mit „Syberia: The World Before“ zu einem Abenteuer in andere Epochen
auf. So unterstreicht der originale Game Soundtrack durch seine Variation von bombastischen OrchesterInszenierungen bis hin zu intimen Solo-Piano Stücken den vielseitigen Charakter der Kult-Videospielreihe
Syberia. Komponiert vom EMMY-Gewinner Inon Zur in Begleitung der GRAMMY-nominierten Pianistin
Emily Bear, ist diese exklusive 2LP ein absolutes Sammlerstück. Sie enthält eine blaue und eine braune
Vinyl-Platte, sowie Zeichnungen des Game-Designers Benoît Sokal.

Paper Route Frank is the first posthumous studio album from legendary Memphis, TN figurehead, rapper and mogul, Young Dolph. Gone from us way too soon, the album serves as a testament to the larger than life person and leader that Dolph was, illustrated in tracks such as “Hall of Fame,” “Get Away,” & “Love For The Streets.”

At 13 tracks, the album features appearances from PRE labelmates Key Glock, Big Moochie Grape & Snupe Bandz, and taps heavyweight guests in 2 Chainz & longtime collaborator Gucci Mane, who in many ways helped provide the blueprint for Dolph’s own illustrious career. A truly independent foundation in the rap game and unquestionably one of one individual, we may never see another artist like Young Dolph. Long Live Dolph Forever.

Back in 2003, during an incredible period of growth and reinvention for legendary artist MF DOOM, he introduced us to one of his numer- ous alter egos, Viktor Vaughn. As the story goes, Viktor Vaughn was an interdimensional time-traveling MC from an alternate realm where Hip-Hop was banned. He’d been exploring time and space looking for new dimensions to sharpen him to 90s era NYC, where he found himself stranded due to a mechanical mishap with his time machine. He began hitting open mics and small venues, battling other MCs and picking up a few side-hustles in order to raise enough funds to repair his time machine and get back to his travels.

Vaudeville Villain is a concept album like no other, where MF DOOM re-envisions himself as a younger, hungrier, more brazen persona, in order to explore subjects new and old from a different point of view. Of course, developing a second self from a more technologically advanced universe, he wanted to take a new approach to the produc- tion too. Viktor Vaughn fittingly raps over next-school beats that move freely in spaces between Electronica and Hip Hop, all courtesy of Sound-Ink producers King Honey, Heat Sensor and Max Bill, with the exception of one track produced by RJD2. Featuring all original lyrics by DOOM, with a few notable guest appearances from M. Sayyid (Anti-Pop Consortium), Lord Sear, Apani B Fly MC, Louis Logic, and more, Vaudeville Villain is one of the more uniquely creative entries in the MF DOOM universe.

Der britische Singer-Songwriter James Bay ist nicht zurück zu halten: Am 8. Juli veröffentlicht er sein lang-ersehntes drittes Studioalbum „Leap“ und springt voller Mut ins Kalte.

Mit ganzen zwölf Songs berührt er Herzen weltweit und macht seinem Gold-ausgezeichneten Debütalbum „Chaos and the Calm“ ehrwürdige Konkurrenz. Auch ihn rissen die letzten Jahre mit – persönliche Umstände, die Pandemie, Ängste, Selbstzweifel: Alles Gefühle, die er eigentlich nie so teilen wollte oder konnte waren auf einmal die neue Normalität. Mit „Leap“ wagt er jedoch nun den Absprung und verarbeitet das Geschehene mit motivierenden, hoffnungsvollen und von Liebe geprägten Songs.

Spätestens seit seinem Top 10-Hit „Hold Back The River“ ist James nicht mehr zu unterschätzen und zählt mehrere BRIT Award Auszeichnungen, GRAMMY Nominierungen, sowie den deutschen ECHO-Preis der Kategorie „Best International Newcomer“ zu seinen vielen musikalischen Erfolgen.

2022 setzt er den Hut wieder auf; James Bay ist zurück!

Die gemeinsamen Alben und Auftritte des legendären Filmkomponisten John Williams und der Stargeigerin Anne-Sophie Mutter gehören zweifellos zu den Highlights der letzten Jahre. Dieses Album ist das neueste Ergebnis der langjährigen Freundschaft und Zusammenarbeit der weltweit gefeierten Künstler: Mutter spielt das Zweite Violinkonzert von John Williams, das der Komponist für sie geschrieben hat. Williams sagt über sein Violinkonzert: „Für mich geht es in diesem Stück vor allem um Anne-Sophie Mutter und
um die Violine als Meisterwerk der Geigenbaukunst. (…) letztlich wurde diese große Künstlerin selbst zu meiner Inspiration und Antriebskraft.“ Die vorliegende Aufnahme für die Deutsche Grammophon, mit dem Boston Symphony Orchestra unter der Leitung von Williams selbst, entstand kurz nach der Uraufführung
des Zweiten Violinkonzertes im Juli 2021 in Tanglewood. Der Boston Globe schrieb: „Selbst in dieser Uraufführung trug Mutter das Solo wie eine alte Freundin und formte jede Phrase mit Absicht und Elan.“
Dem lyrischen und sehr persönlichen Konzert folgen auf dem Album drei fantastische Zugaben: Beliebte Filmthemen von Williams, u.a. aus Star Wars und Indiana Jones, die er alle komplett neu für Anne-Sophie
Mutter arrangiert hat. In diversen Details des Violinkonzertes, aber auch in den schönen Filmmelodien, spiegelt sich die Ausdruckskraft von Mutters Spiel ebenso wie ihre virtuose Brillanz und die lyrische Wärme ihres Geigentons.

Bob Dylan was at several crossroads in the mid-1970s. Artistically, he was largely written off as being past his prime. Emotionally, he was suffering through a painful divorce from his then-wife Sara Lowndes. Creatively, he appeared at a stalemate, his previous decade's unprecedented run of transformational brilliance finished. Then came Blood on the Tracks.

A start-to-finish cycle that documents a lover's pursuit of, entanglement with, and loss of a woman, the bracingly intimate 1975 effort remains one of the most encompassing break-up albums ever made and ranks as the most personal statement of the Bard's career. To hear it is to experience the agony, frustration, trauma, highs, lows, confusion, sadness, and, ultimately, requisite redemption associated with intimate relationships gone astray. Dylan maintains it's a work of fiction, but it's evident close-vested autobiographical premise is what helps make it universal: It's the icon singing through tears, going out of his mind, battling hallowing emptiness, firing shots across the bow, and accepting culpability. It is, in short, a consummate expression of love's darker sides and the consequences of what happens when dreams unravel.

As part of its Bob Dylan catalogue restoration series, Mobile Fidelity is thoroughly humbled to have the privilege of mastering the iconic LP from the original master tapes and pressing it on dead-quiet LP at RTI. The end result is the very finest, most transparent analogue edition of Blood on the Tracks ever produced – and the first-ever proper analog reissue. Fantastically presenting both the solo acoustic and band-supported songs with the utmost clarity, dynamics, presence, immediacy, spaciousness, imaging, and balance, this version shines a high-powered light on the fluid vocal phrasing, timbral shifts, functional rhythms, and inward-looking strumming that contribute to every song here serving as a wound-exposing confessional.

For all the melancholic pain, unresolved questions, shattered memories, wasted times, unrequited dialogues, and weary regret within, Blood on the Tracks remains as daring as it is reflective. Rather than follow for a monotone caustic vibe, Dylan's songs burrow into the subconscious for the manners in which they are even-keeled, mellow, and occasionally, even peaceful. Dignity, honour, poignancy, and fairness – all traits uncommon in any situation in which partners dissolve histories, change hearts, and attribute blame – instil the record with equilibrium on par with the consistency of the flowing melodies.

Throughout, tunes come on and proceed as if they could continue forever, Dylan spinning poetic verses and conversations amidst finely tied knots of acoustic notes, chords, and fills, the deceivingly simple architecture conjuring the intertwined refractions of a bezeled jewel, various angles, colours, and textures conjoining into a gorgeously inseparable whole. Backed by Tony Brown's flexible albeit subtle bass, Buddy Cage's country-streaked pedal-steel guitar, and Paul Griffin's soul-baring organ – an instrument used to shadow, tuck-point, and illuminate here as effectively as any time in rock history – Dylan pours soulful emotion, open his veins, and bleeds.

Ranked 16 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and replete with existential thought, piercing directness, raw singing, and majestic arrangements,

Given the sonic and artistic merit of this album, we anticipate huge demand.

Nabihah Iqbal veröffentlicht ihr lang erwartetes neues Album „DREAMER“ auf Ninja Tune. Fünf Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung des Debüts „Weighing Of The Heart“ der in London geborenen Künstlerin, Kuratorin, Radiomoderatorin und Dozentin und nach zwei Jahren Arbeit ist „DREAMER“ Iqbals bisher rohestes und reflektiertestes Werk. Das Album ist eine intime Reise durch Schnappschüsse und Erinnerungen aus ihrem Leben und erforscht die persönliche Identität und die Trauer durch die Weichzeichner-Linse der Melancholie und ist nicht auf einen bestimmten Sound festgelegt. Ihre unkonventionelle Lo-Fi-Ästhetik zieht sich wie ein roter Faden durch das Album, und sie schafft es, zwischen den Tracks zu wechseln, ohne jemals zusammenhanglos zu klingen. Zurück in Großbritannien, begab sie sich für die Fertigstellung des Albums auf einen Aufenthalt in Schottland und Suffolk, wo sie sich vom Internet abschaltete. Iqbal moderiert seit 2013 Radiosendungen auf NTS und BBC (u.a. bei Radio 1, 1Xtra, Asian Network, World Service und 6Music). Seit der Veröffentlichung ihres Debütalbums bei Ninja Tune im Jahr 2017 ist Iqbal sowohl als Live-Act als auch als DJ ausgiebig durch die Welt getourt. U.a. hat sie bereits im V&A Museum, MoMA PS1 und SXSW sowie beim Glastonbury Festival, Warehouse Project, Printworks, Boiler Room, Worldwide Festival und Sónar gespielt.

Formate:

- Standard CD im Digisleeve
- Schwarzes Standardvinyl im Gatefold Sleeve

Julian Cannonball Adderley's only Blue Note album, Somethin' Else, would likely forever be famous in music lore if just for the presence of Miles Davis. The iconic composer/trumpeter steps into the role of sideman on the 1958 set, one of just a handful of times he'd make such a move after the calendar passed the mid-1950s. Yet evaluating Somethin' Else strictly on Davis' involvement misses the big picture. Plain and simple, Adderley's jubilant work remains a jazz landmark due to the chemistry of its Hall of Fame personnel, enthusiasm of its participants, and sophistication of its arrangements – not to mention the reference-grade production and inclusion of the definitive renditions of two all-time jazz standards.

Limited to 6,000 numbered copies, pressed on dead-quiet MoFi SuperVinyl at RTI, and mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity's ultra-hi-fi UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP collector's edition pays tribute to the record's merit and includes the bonus track "Allison's Uncle." Offering reference-calibre sonics, this spectacular collector's version provides a clear, transparent, ultra-dynamic, and up-close view of a cornerstone effort that witnesses Adderley and Davis sharing horn duty alone for the only time in their fabled careers – an arrangement that occurred as a result of Adderley having joined Davis' majestic sextet a year prior.

The premium packaging and beautiful presentation of the UD1S Somethin' Else pressing befit its extremely select status. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, it features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendour of the recording. No expense has been spared. Aurally and visually, this UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artefact meant to be preserved, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in the art – and everything involved with the album, from the iconic photos to the gorgeous finishes.

The vibrant potency reveals itself openly on an analogue set that provides full-range reproduction of an ensemble that also includes pianist Hank Jones, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Art Blakey. Each and every snare hit, downbeat, and cymbal splash registered by the latter take on realistic proportions, blooming and decaying as they would right in front of you on a stage. Jones' foundational bass lines register with uncommon depth and palpability, the litheness of the strings and fullness of the instrument epitomizing the definition of rhythm. Stellar, too, are the surefooted 88s. Sublime in scale, tonality, and attack, with the delineation such you can practically separate the white and black keys in your mind. As for that liquid interplay between Adderley and Davis? Breathtakingly lifelike in timbre, naturalism, purity, and presence. This collector's version takes you there – there being Rudy Van Gelder's legendary New Jersey studio in March 1958 to witness it all unfold, again and again.

For reasons that extend far beyond the outstanding playing and flawless repertoire, Somethin' Else is without question a record you'll always want to watch and hear come together. As veteran critic Bob Blumenthal observed writing about the album four decades after its release, "The instant rapport achieved by the quintet is thus the product of much shared and common history, though the tensile strength that they create throughout created a totally unique feeling that can be attributed to the sensitive musicianship of all concerned, including the supposedly hard bopping leader and drummer." Such inimitable feeling, or emotion, courses throughout every passage, and no where more obviously than on "Autumn Leaves" and "Love for Sale."

Without question, the discreet interpretations of the Johnny Mercer and Cole Porter songs, respectively, found on Somethin' Else have long been considered part of jazz's alluring mystique. Adderley and Davis bring contrasting approaches to the table yet sound of a singular mind on "Autumn Leaves," with the latter's muted trumpet and the headliner's lush alto saxophone dovetailing into a performance that endures as a blueprint for expression, counterpoint, sophistication, fluidity, and linearity. Blues, melody, and romance pour from their horns. Their bandmates, picking up on the intimate vibe and calm mood here – as well as on the spry, head-over-heels spirit of "Love for Sale" – join in on the conversation with sharp economy and float-on-air roundedness.

Not to undersell the other three numbers, all deserving five-star status. Twelve measures in length, the title track offers a slow burn in swing. Written by Adderley's brother, Nat, the 12-bar "One for Daddy-O" transmits funk flavors. The closing "Dancing in the Dark" pops with lushness and temptation, its stream of bold colours and understated textures calling for a moonlight twirl, or at least fantasies suggestive of a memorable night. Somethin' else, indeed.

Sean Huber, best known as the drummer of the beloved & defunct band Modern Baseball, has been releasing music with his band Steady Hands since 2013.

Back for the first time since 2018 with new album “Cheap Fiction,” Huber pays homage to all of the deities you’d expect someone with a New Jersey birth certificate and a dog named Bruce to wor- ship, with rollicking saxophone and piano over tales of hard- on-their-luck neighborhoods, and stadium-rock-ready guitar zaps over odes to the misrepresented people of Florida.

He grapples with lapsed religion like so many with Irish names have done before him. And he fits in real nicely with the mod- ern heroes of Philadelphia’s punk scene, blending the best of heartland rock and straight-up punk with his own penchant for the tropical. Huber’s lyrics tell stories of a very real world where people in power use it for evil, the people who need help don’t get it, but the person at home makes life beautiful despite it all, and

With the label MPS, post-war musical history was written in Germany:
noble music productions with many international greats come from the
Black Forest and are timelessly legendary
Some treasures from the archive of the label are released by HGBSBlue on highquality vinyl.
The Hampton All Stars played at the first concert of the festival "VS swingt" back
then. MPS boss Brunner- Schwer was there at the mixing desk. Some of these
recordings were released in 1978 as the MPS LP "Alive and Jumping" (MPS
15469).
"Hamp" and his All Stars were really into it and brought the audience in the Black
Forest, known as rather reserved, to a frenzy, especially after the break. The old
master worked his magic on the vibraphone, of course, but also played drums
and piano and sang with an irrepressible sense of rhythm as one who had
unmistakably internalized swing. The top trumpeter Cat Anderson was another
internationally known musician in the eight-piece all-star band with which "Hamp"
toured Europe at the time. And there was someone else who was one of HGBS's
personal favorites: pianist and organist Milt Buckner. Buckner's block chords had
not only influenced Oscar Peterson and George Shearing, but also inspired the
passionate piano freak Brunner- Schwer. The live recording with Hampton's All
Stars in Villingen was the last record of Buckner, who died a few weeks later in
the USA of acute heart failure.
The musicians can be heard in exuberant joy of playing, with "Hamp" standing out
sovereignly on vibraphone and drums, as well as Buckner with soulful organ
playing. Everything sounds unspent fresh and cheerful and shows Hampton and
his fellow players in top form. This rousing swing, which should appeal not only to
jazz fans, is available exclusively on LP.
- Unreleased live recording from 1977 in Villingen, Germany
- The last recording of organist Milt Buckner
- High-end vinyl quality 180 gr. vinyl in gatefold, matt finish with embossed
printing

Santilli returns to Mad Habitat after a European sojourn on Growing Bin! The Eora-based multi-instrumentalist is one half of Angophora, but his solo work exists in the lineage of electro-acoustic visionaries like Steve Tibbetts. With each subsequent release, Santilli strikes the balance between mining his well-defined personal aesthetic and expanding his vision.

The instrumental palette of this record is centered around guitar and synthesizer, bolstered by an incredible array of idiophones and membranophones. There is no shortage of spellbinding moments, like the glacial synths that pan across “Mirrors”, the cascading beauty of “Colours” or the woodland symphony of “Hollow” - the latter even recalls the environmentally-focused work of Waak Waak Djungi’s Peter Mumme.

There’s a common thread across this album in the way it evokes the expanse of nature that Santilli spends much of his time in. All 9 tracks feel like a glimpse into an exquisitely realized scene and across all of them, Santilli's music is suffused with an unhurried sense of ease. The music here feels immersive and panoramic as a result, and we’re grateful to share a glimpse into the worlds Santilli captures.