Buscar:the rub

Repress!

The Skints have grown hugely in the past 3 years, climbing from small venues to sold out Academy and Empire shows and winning over many new fans and press along the way

• Following on from the highly successful first two editions
of Dance Masters featuring the classics mixes from
maestros Shep Pettibone and Arthur Baker the spotlight
turns to another remix legend, John Luongo.
• Boston born, John is one of the truly legendary DJ's and
remixers of the Disco era. John got his break at Epic by
overdubbing percussion from salt shakers and spoons
onto a promo and then passing them back the tape. This
resulted in him being flown to New York, and put in a
studio (of his choice) to mix and produce Melba Moore`s
“You Stepped Into My Life”. From this point everything he
touched was a hit. He went onto remix Disco classics by
Jackie Moore – “This Time Baby”, Dan Hartman “Vertigo
/ Relight My Fire” and Patti Labelle “Music Is My Way Of
Life”.

• John, however was not afraid of remixing artists that
didn’t fit into the disco genre and this attitude is borne out
by the tracklisting of this compilation on which Gladys
Knight and The Pips rub shoulders with ZZ Top and Billy
Idol, and Baltimora appears alongside Bill Nelson and ILevel.
• “…if you played this whole thing, just put it on and
didn’t tell anyone it was me, they’d say ‘boy, what a great
group of songs this is!’” - John Luongo
• The collection is housed in a beautiful lift-off-lid box, with
a 16 page booklet featuring foreword by Arthur Baker, an
in-depth essay written by Alexis Petridis (Rock and Pop
reviewer for The Guardian) and complete with rare photos
from John’s personal collection plus a limited signed insert.

• All tracks remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound
Mastering.
• A 43-track 4CD edition is also available, along with a 2LP
vinyl edition featuring 16 highlights.

Atack’s founder member and lead guitarist Keith Atack has a long pedigree in the rock music scene. He grew up during the sixties and was influenced from an early age by bands like The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Yardbirds and then on to Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore. He has also toured with many pop acts like Bonnie Tyler, Rick Astley and many others. He has a rock / funk / soul style as well as a jazz and blues influence. He is joined by band members that also have strong roots in the rock scene such as Bob Richards on drums who has rubbed shoulders with members of bands like Iron Maiden, Survivor, Asia and Shy. Bassist Chris Childs is well respected and is the bass player with UK stalwarts “Thunder/ Lonerider/Tyketto”, he is an ideal addition to the line-up along with seasoned vocalist Lee Small (Shy/Phenomena/Lionheart and many more). Finishing off the quintet is Nick Foley whose keyboard prowess is ever present throughout the album. The sound of the Hammond for which he is known gives the whole album a feel of Deep Purple and Rainbow with a true classic British Rock sound. “Nine Lives” is an exciting addition to the escape music roster and available in limited edition vinyl and CD formats, something very much to look forward to.

International ensemble Classico Latino are proud to present their new album 'Salsa Classics' featuring salsa legend Julio Ernesto Estrada aka 'Fruko and virtuoso violinist Omar Puente. Drawing on the familiar Bolero and Tango, as well as lesser-known rhythms such as the Pasillo and Joropo, Classico Latino's new album displays the amazingly varied stories and emotions of Latin America.

'Salsa Classics' features collaborations with Colombian multi-instrumentalist and salsa legend Julio Ernesto Estrada aka 'Fruko,' a behemoth of the international salsa scene and an awe inspiring musician, who adds much creativity and authenticity to the project. The recording also features Cuban born violinist Omar Puente, a highly skilled virtuoso with a plethora of achievements, including being first violin with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra, touring with Buena Vista's Ruben Gonzales and performing with high profile figures across a truly diverse range of genres, including John Williams, Jools Holland, and Wynton Marsalis, to name just a few.

Error Subcutaneo was born under the sweltering sun of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but their project portrays the colder, more urban side of life in the Caribbean, where cacophonous violence and Cold War monoliths collide with dreams of a better tomorrow The duo take elements of hip- hop, modular electronics, island syncretism, and bebop to twist and distort contemporary narratives on music composition, representing the greater movement of Latin American resistance directly from its epicentre Temporada Ciclonica is a recollection of alibis from a quenched island imaginarium. Palm trees dance in sync with the gales, an omen of the upcoming hurricane season. Pictographic technologies seek refuge in time's embrace, as eerie scents of petrichor and blood fill the corridors beneath the temple steps.

The cyclone's ravaging beauty and destruction bring rain, fertility and life to the land, an allusion to the cyclical nature of creation. Masters of musical past ride the storm's eye, a semiotic double- entendre on the spinning nature of the vinyl medium. A pupil glimmers from the dark, a kid rubs its belly in the womb. Press: Truth and Lies - review "a challenging but exhilarating journey through the minds of two young artists who's deep knowledge of local and international music places no harness on their creativity. Raw and instant, these boys look at the world as it is and let its contradictions flow into their creations. 9/10" Received airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music (Gilles Peterson), BBC Radio 3 (The Late Junction - Wolf Eyes' Mixtape) + The Lot Radio NYC - Marco Wibel - Darker Than Wax

Nick Leon, Swimful, DJ Znobia. One of the first artists from outside of Africa to sign to Hakuna Kulala, WULFFLUW XCIV brings his borderless productions to the label's ongoing Whitelabel series following a slew of dancefloor agitations from T5UMT5UMU, Menzi & Scratchclart, and others. "Toxica EP" builds on the mutant fusion of 2020's acclaimed "Ngoma Injection", stripping back the woozy psychedelia and chromium ambience and replacing it with pure soundsystem pressure. 'Take a Ride' bends acid techno machinery around rubbery East African rhythms, anchoring block party hedonism with a 4/4 bump that wouldn't be out of place in Kreuzberg and vocal shakes straight from São Paulo. But this isn't a mindless mashup of aesthetics, its a conversation with the world's fringe agitators, using stylistic and rhythmic strokes to highlight commonality, not exclusivity. Hakuna Kulala's own Chrisman appears on 'Tetemeka', and the two producers adapt the syrupy tarraxinha inversions the Congolese engineer perfected on last year's "Makila" full-length. Low, resonant gqom atmospheres underpin the entire track, but WULFFLUW XCIV's squeaky toy synths prevent it from slipping into darkness. Elsewhere 'Kluck' distorts the timeline completely, wedging flute-led Latin American tribal sounds into a riddim vs. trap superstructure, and 'Exp' sublimes speed dembow into delirious trance and minimal techno vapors. The boundaries between dance subgenres are slowly dissolving, and WULFFLUW XCIV's digital-era intermixture sounds like the cyberpunk carnival we're all desperately in need of

Bathed in a green haze, the crowd oozed to the mutant rock and roll roaring from the basement's dusty depths — everything and everyone was sweaty and sticky. But as Speedy Ortiz crammed into the back corner, their grins just inches away from ours, D.C.’s Dougout became a moshed-and-sloshed sauna of 20-somethings delirious on rock euphoria.

After spending much of the new millennium bored out of my skull by network soap indie, Speedy Ortiz — not to mention its pals in Pile, Ovlov, Grass is Green and the rest of New England’s burgeoning basement scene — was rock's wild howl. The songs were unpredictable, yet weirdly memorable, swaggering with a winky and wry sense of self. Riffs would twist with a topsy tenderness, then slam a ruptured discord. Sadie Dupuis' sphinxian-yet-sensitive lyrics were not only matched but accentuated by her coil-sprung vibrato. How could Speedy Ortiz not immediately become my new favorite band?

What began as a short-lived solo project recorded in Dupuis' off-hours as a rock camp counselor became a four-piece band in Northampton, Mass., by the end of 2011: Dupuis on guitar and vocals with drummer Mike Falcone, bassist Darl Ferm and guitarist Matt Robidoux. They made cool mixtapes, cracked inside jokes and gushed about teenagers that opened for them on tour. They freaked out (via LiveJournal) when they met the bassist from Polvo or Helium's Mary Timony, but also rolled their eyes at '90s indie-rock comparisons. The band's first single — the gender-bending got-laid grunge yowler "Taylor Swift'' — elicited that rare response of the simultaneous giggle and headbang. The Sports EP amped up the taut yet rubbery riffery.

Released July 9, 2013, Major Arcana is filled with wedding chapel exorcisms, oiled-down attractants and criminally twisted puny little villains — this is Dupuis' haunted lexicon as she scales the toxic Aggro Crag of a breakup. And while Dupuis wrote these songs, the band's convulsing arrangements and diverse influences sprawled the squigglier edges of feedbacked fuzz to mete out matters of the heart. Falcone — who, it's worth noting, has a knack for vocal harmony — swung as much as he smashed the drums. In easily tipoverable songs, Ferm's burly bass and percussive overdubs gave the unruly glee its momentum. Robidoux ripped skronky guitar solos and countered Dupuis' riffs with decorative splatter. Over a four-day marathon session at Sonelab in Easthampton, recording engineer Justin Pizzoferrato sparked the studio imagination of Speedy Ortiz — not only leaning into gritty tones but layer-caking dense dynamics that made these songs pop and pulverize.

For all her sweet-toothed seething, Dupuis was not easy on herself. Everyone's allowed the idiot growing pains of your 20s and the misery that follows, but I can only imagine the emotional exhaustion that playing these songs on the road, night after night, must have wrought. "But you left something on my lips: a mark so sick," she repeats over the doomy destruction that ends the album. Thinking back to the many Speedy Ortiz shows I caught in those early years, including an unofficial after-after party for my own wedding, "MKVI" often served as the noisy down-and-out closer — heads would bang in solidarity as the crowd became co-authors in the chaos, the biting phrase now a hex, Speedy Ortiz forever our coven. —Lars Gotrich

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Major Arcana, Speedy Ortiz release a remastered edition on Carpark Records.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra came to life in basements and bedrooms, the musical vision of Portlander-via-New Zealand Ruban Nielson that fused guitar-god riffs, choppy percussion, soul and funk. II, the sophomore album from UMO, emerged in an era rampant hedonism and isolationism and became the blueprint for everything Nielson has become renowned for. It was, and is, the solidification of Unknown Mortal Orchestra as an endlessly intriguing, brave and addictive band. Ten years on, it's back with an expanded edition. Written during a punishing, debauched touring schedule during which Nielson feared for both his sanity and health, II illustrates the emotional turmoil of life on the road, painting surrealist, cartoonish portraits of loneliness, love and despair. These conflicting themes are evident immediately; on the album's sleeve is an unnerving image of Janet Farrar, the famous British witch, Wiccan, author and teacher of witchcraft. The chilling refrain of opener "Into The Sun" sees Nielson deliver the line "Isolation can put a gun in your hand," softly, his words starkly intelligible above a warm, slow-burning melody that quickly brands itself onto your brain. His playful imagery ("I'm so lonely I've gotta eat my popcorn all alone") mirrors the melody, before a solo that borders on psychotropic ends II`s introduction. UMO is unafraid to dig deeper than the rest, their intoxicating, opiate groove bringing rock'n'roll's exaggerated myths to life. And as it unfolds, II does find Nielson reenergized. "One At A Time" and "Faded In The Morning" boast dizzying choruses and instrumentals; these crusty hunks could have been excavated from a lost 1960s treasure trove. "Monki" unravels over seven minutes like the yarn from a stoner's cardigan with an eye-frying pattern. "Dawn" is a minute of disconcerting noise that stands out between the nooks and crannies of the choruses, guitar solos, groove-heavy bass and drums that were recorded live by newly-recruited drummer Greg Rogove and Kody Nielson in a move away from the electronic percussion employed on album one. II closes with "Secret Xtians," a tender observational puzzle that fizzes to a satisfied end. In celebration of the album's 10th anniversary Nielson's complete collection from the II era is finally available in one compilation, and features the five acoustic tracks from the Blue EP as well as two additional B-sides. Unknown Mortal Orchestra was once Nielson's closeted concern. With an album that uses his singular musical imagination and extraordinary talent to parade his emotions with unyielding honesty, it is now a fully realized band operating at the peak of its powers ten years on.

Electric, their third album, came out in 1987 and really caused the band to explode to new levels of fame. It contains the massive hits "Love Removal Machine", Wild Flower" and "Lil" Devil" and was produced by Rick Rubin. Electric is a seminal work, featuring some of the band"s most iconic songs. It is a departure from the band"s previous work, with a raw, agressive and stripped-down sound. The album"s opening track, "Wild Flower," sets the tone with its pounding drums, blistering guitar riffs, and Ian Astbury"s wailing vocals. Electric was a commercial and critical success, propelling The Cult to the forefront of the hard rock scene and cementing their status as one of the most influential bands of the era. The album remains a touchstone for hard rock and heavy metal fans, a classic work that captures the spirit of rebellion and the power of rock and roll. The Cult has remained an important and enduring force in the rock music world. The band has sold millions of records worldwide and has earned critical acclaim for its powerful live performances. The Cult continues to tour and record new music, and their influence on rock music shows no sign of diminishing.

Since their formation in 1977 Mark Perry’s group Alternative TV have moved far away from their more direct punk rock beginnings into all manner of other areas of music that have sometimes themselves drawn from improvisation, free jazz, industrial and electronic music. On Direct Action, Alternative TV’s first studio album since Opposing Forces in 2015, we are presented with six instrumental tracks which steadily rip apart all expectations as they shed all allusions to rock music in favour of the kinda sonic mutilations that once helped 1979’s classic (and Nurse With Wound list endorsed) Vibing Up the Senile Man (Part One) stumble into weird and wonderful shapes. Direct Action marries guttural electronics to sounds most artists would consign to the bin and through Perry’s long perfected mastery of pulling together disparate strands to create something entirely alchemical and invigorating delivers a unique stamp to the ATV story. With the help of longtime collaborator Dave Morgan alongside the input of Gareth Matthews, Ruth Tidmarsh and Cos Chapman, abstract patterns of dishevelled sound rub alongside occasional percussion, disembodied plasma guitar strums and even what seems like an oboe groaning in a murky corner. Similar to its distant cousin of Vibing…, everything adds up to a whole that’s demanding yet completely rewarding as every listen prises open the dark scab of contemporary malaise to reveal something fresh. The front cover’s homage to an incredible album by a pioneering electronic group we are not going to name should in itself point to the unpredictable nature of the music here. If you are savvy enough to get that reference, then you’re on the right path to understanding where Direct Action resides. Easy listening this ain’t. Limited to 600

Named for the Grateful Dead song that concludes this inspired double
album, Uncle John's Band features masterful guitarist John Scofield at
his most freewheeling
Wide ranging repertoire finds his trio with Vicente Archer and Bill Stewart tackling
material from Dylan's "Mr Tambourine Man" to Neil Young's "Old Man", from
Leonard Bernstein's "Somewhere" to the Miles Davis Birth of the Cool classic
"Budo". And jazz standards including "Stairway to the Stars" and "Ray's Idea" rub
shoulders with seven Scofield originals that are variously swing, funk and folkinflected. The red thread through the programme is the trio's tremendous
improvisational verve.
"I feel like we can go anywhere," says John Scofield of the group's multidirectional versatility.
Uncle John's Band was recorded at Clubhouse Studio in Rhinebeck, New York, in
August 2022.

Repress!

The follow-up to last year's influential 'NQ State of Mind' mix project is headed by two of The North Quarter's most enduring artists: Redeyes and Fox. Mixtapes represent an important symbol of the formative years of many of the artists on our label and so it's only right that the tradition is continued by Redeyes and Fox, who both have a long history as music enthusiasts. Consisting solely of TNQ music - including 10 exclusives - this is NQ State of Mind, Vol 2.

“A piece of music never truly comes to An end. Revisiting a theme illustrates this idea that life goes on.” These are the words of Wayne Shorter, uttered in 2018 upon the release of Emanon, his final opus. On this record, the octogenarian uses dusky hues to shade in the passions of his youth - drawing and science-fiction, as well as the causes he has defended all his life - the fight against ecological upheaval and structural racism. This sentiment did not fail to resonate with Julien Lourau, who has reached a stage in life where he has begun to look back over certain pages written by the man he has always considered one of the masters of his trade. Five years later, this Parisian native has also chosen to revisit his glory days, offering reworked versions of specific tracks composed by his titular elder throughout the 80s. “When I play this music, I find myself back in my teenage bedroom. These are my standards, and they remind me of autumn in Rambouillet.” At that time, after practising his scales, Julien would also play Dungeons & dragons, and immerse himself in SF as well as heroic fantasy - epic influences which are not without a certain connection to the dreamworlds Shorter conjured up, as another fan of landscapes beyond the grasp of reality.

This album features four themes taken from Atlantis, which came out in 1985, and two from Joy Ryder, released three years later. To these, he has added a composition penned at around the same time for Sportin’ Life, the penultimate LP by Weather Report. This is rounded off by a tune taken

from Native Dancer, the record which, ten years earlier, in 1975, brought together this saxophonist who learnt his trade alongside Art Blakey, before joining Miles’ second quintet, and Brazilian Milton Nascimento.

“Between Native Dancer and Atlantis, Shorter did not release anything under his own name, but he took the time and care to really perfect his writing. Upon his return, he injected a very Brazilian form of subtlety into his compositions, especially rhythmically. And from a harmonic point of view, these themes are extremely sophisticated, and reveal truly singular colours. In fact, he decided to display the score as if it constituted the liner notes of Atlantis.”

Julien Lourau is a fan of every Wayne Shorter era, from his Blue Note days, where Mr Gone defined the bases of a truly unique repertoire, all the way to his final quartet - a reference like no other. He decided to focus on this “highly electric” period, which is not necessarily Shorter’s best known, nor his most widely appreciated - despite being a unanimous reference, Shorter has nonetheless never had a direct descendent. In Lourau’s line of sight there lies a desire to focus on typically South American tonic accents which characterise this repertoire, twinned with the ambition to switch up their actual sound “by attempting to open up onto a production highly influenced by eighties fusion". However, he admits that modifying the structures of these most unique of worlds constituted a fresh challenge. “There’s this labyrinthine harmonic system where you’ve no idea how it holds together, but where it’s actually impossible to touch the slightest element without the whole edifice wavering. It is in fact a very difficult thing to achieve!”

In order to successfully transcribe all this creativity free of obstacles, Julien Lourau once again called upon the help of Mathieu Debordes. From January 2023 onwards, Mathieu endeavoured to break down all the musical elements, on paper, before creating any actual music. The record was therefore constructed on the faith of these scores, without necessarily transiting through a creative residency - just two live gigs, to make sure the setup worked. Besides Mathieu Debordes and his synthesisers, Julien Lourau has assembled an ad hoc team by his side. On the bass, according to the track, we can hear erstwhile companion Sylvain Daniel or a new acolyte on the fretless bass, Joan Eche Puig.

Stéphane Edouard, on percussion, even dives headfirst into an unlikely proto-rap of sorts, on Pearl On The Half Shell (where, on the original version, Bobby McFerrin adjusted his interventions in a rather madcap style). Aesthete and drummer Jim Hart as well as pianist Leo Jassef also figure on this release - both were present on previous project devoted to label

CTI. “At sixteen, I wanted to sound like Michael Brecker rather than Ben Webster - that was equated with modernity in those days”, adds Julien with a smile, as for him, all this rings out a little like a logical next step, a joyful immersion into the fountain of youth. And if, for this record, he plays the soprano more than ever, the saxophone Shorter set in his sights on, he never tries to replicate an unattainable ideal note by note. What would be the point?

“Wayne Shorter is not just a saxophonist’s saxophonist. In fact, I don’t know a single person who has risen to challenge of his solos. I have not done it myself either, but on the other hand, I have retained a lot of his phraseology. His way of approaching the instrument reveals a more evanescent language, a work on colour and shape. Keeping this in mind has allowed me to gravitate towards certain elements, that in hindsight, I find echoes of in my work, even in Groove Gang.” Shorter etches out these phrases, creating a groove within which Lourau had traced subtle punctuation, managing, from a highly written base, to create fresh apertures, promises of a great escape. Emblematic of this standpoint, his regal version of Ponte de Areia, originally a wonderful dialogue between Milton Nascimento and Wayne Shorter. Here, the Frenchman takes liberties with the original melodies, without ever growing distant from the original spirit, extending one section with delicacy, offering a rubato development and then a groove “like a little suite”. Julien Lourau also renews with an accomplice from last century, Magic Malik, who lends his high-pitched vocals to the track. Though they had not recorded together for more than twenty years, the two of them got on as if they had only ceased collaborating yesterday, everything flowed naturally. The track was wrapped up in just one take, much like other themes, such as opener Who Goes There where the flautist deploys smooth, enchanted and smoky wisps.

Fundamentally, reflecting of the sleeve which features a child playing with a ball, image that could symbolise the sun just as much as the moon, Julien Lourau manages to translate the ambiguous candour which characterizes Shorter’s work - solar and crepuscular at the same time, that of a visionary and poet definitively situated outside of all chronology, but with whom Julien shares surprising and ‘timely’ coincidences. Shorter was born August 25, 1933, the same day as Julien’s father, “if we take time zones into account”, and who died on Lourau’s birthday, March 2, 2023. Should we take this as a random fact? Or could we not see here the sign of a destiny connecting the agnostic Frenchman to the man who, as a fervent Buddhist, believed in the transmission of his spiritual flow ?

and Sebastian Kokus and the prolific Ulf Schütte, the Hamburg-based trio has tirelessly expanded upon its sound and extended its musical style. After 2022’s »S/T« documented the results of their first jam sessions as a newly-founded group, »V.A.« started even more modestly and became an even bigger undertaking. Originally conceived as a small one-off release, it grew into a full record which sees the group embracing dub music, collaborating with Peaking Lights’ Aaron Coyes and inviting other artists—No UFO’s, Seekers International, Coco Em—who reworked select tracks in true dub style. »V.A.« is marked by inconsistency, openness, and heterogeneity in the best sense of those words: ever-changing, constantly surprising and consistently in motion.

The starting point for »V.A.« was a Hamburg concert in December 2022 together with Coyes, who played a solo set as Peaking Lights. On the request of the event organiser, Cloud Management teamed up with him for a jam session after the gig, laying the foundation for a track that the group took to the studio before sending it to Coyes to record vocals for it. Another song quickly followed and even though the band initially intended to release »PST« and »0rten Pitch« as standalone 7” single, they soon decided to have others create versions of the two tunes to round them off in the form of a 12” EP. Once more though, one thing led to another and now »V.A.« collects five original pieces by Cloud Management as well as three—four on the digital version—remixes by other artists.

Collaborating with Leipzig-based Canadian producer No UFO’s, the Canadian Seekers International collective, and Kenyan multi-disciplinary artist Coco Em came about organically. As fans of their friend Konrad Jandavs’ work for labels such as Spectrum Spools, Root Strata and his own Nice Up International, Korf, Kokus and Schütte asked him for a remix and granted him full creative freedom for his take on »PST«. Jandavs also connected them with the prolific Richmond-based soundsystem worshippers, who present their take on the same track on this record as well as a version of »Electric CD.« Also this track appears three times on the record, having been re-rubbed by Emma Mbeki Nzioka, who was introduced to the the trio by its label Altin Village & Mine.

There isn’t really a common thread running through the rough digi-dub of No UFO’s take on »PST«, Seekers International’s traditionally-minded yet infinitely playful dub-psychedelia and Coco Em’s bass-heavy, percussive, pulsating take on »Electric CD.« However, as a group dedicated to staying in flux at all times, Cloud Management ended up embracing the creative differences between their own work and those of their respective collaborators. In calling it »V.A.,« they paid tribute to their somewhat loose, but conceptually consistent concept of giving various artists full creative licence over their own work. Neither a true album in the strict sense of the world nor just a compilation, »V.A.« is actually the essential Cloud Management record: ever-changing, constantly surprising, consistently in motion.

Daneshevskaya (Dawn-eh-shev-sky-uh), the project of New York's Anna Beckerman, writes songs steeped in the folklore of her own personal history. Her artist (and real middle) name comes from her Russian-Jewish great-grandmother, a person whose presence she has always felt although their paths never crossed in real life. Beckerman grew up in a musical family; her father is a music professor, her mother studied opera and her own songs often feel spiritual, less so by any religious connotation and more as a hymn-like, archival record of Beckerman's own past, present and future. Her first release on Winspear, Long is the Tunnel, contemplates how the people you meet impact the pathway you travel. Through songs like the poignant "Somewhere in the Middle," the lilting "Challenger Deep" and the surreal "Big Bird," the EP paints a distinctive collage between traditional songwriting and modern turns of phrase that remain spellbound in the unadulterated luster of self discovery. The seven songs read as both patchwork memories/diary entries and elegies to those in her life. Co-produced by Ruben Radlauer and Hayden Ticehurst of Model/Actriz and Artur Szerejko, the final versions of these initial demos also saw contributions from Lewis Evans of Black Country, New Road (saxophone), Maddy Leshner (keys) and Finnegan Shanahan (violin), adding to the gleaming instrumentation that makes each song sound like a world within itself. Long is the Tunnel is filled with hyperreal imagery that denotes a form of escapism: two of the songs reference birds, which Beckerman describes as about being transfixed by something you can't take your eyes o‑ while also being able to leave at will. Long is the Tunnel prolongs this feeling of being completely immersed: by desire, emotion, and fantasy, though the somber melancholy of her love songs are often more manifestations to her internal self than anyone else.

Daneshevskaya (Dawn-eh-shev-sky-uh), the project of New York's Anna Beckerman, writes songs steeped in the folklore of her own personal history. Her artist (and real middle) name comes from her Russian-Jewish great-grandmother, a person whose presence she has always felt although their paths never crossed in real life. Beckerman grew up in a musical family; her father is a music professor, her mother studied opera and her own songs often feel spiritual, less so by any religious connotation and more as a hymn-like, archival record of Beckerman's own past, present and future. Her first release on Winspear, Long is the Tunnel, contemplates how the people you meet impact the pathway you travel. Through songs like the poignant "Somewhere in the Middle," the lilting "Challenger Deep" and the surreal "Big Bird," the EP paints a distinctive collage between traditional songwriting and modern turns of phrase that remain spellbound in the unadulterated luster of self discovery. The seven songs read as both patchwork memories/diary entries and elegies to those in her life. Co-produced by Ruben Radlauer and Hayden Ticehurst of Model/Actriz and Artur Szerejko, the final versions of these initial demos also saw contributions from Lewis Evans of Black Country, New Road (saxophone), Maddy Leshner (keys) and Finnegan Shanahan (violin), adding to the gleaming instrumentation that makes each song sound like a world within itself. Long is the Tunnel is filled with hyperreal imagery that denotes a form of escapism: two of the songs reference birds, which Beckerman describes as about being transfixed by something you can't take your eyes o‑ while also being able to leave at will. Long is the Tunnel prolongs this feeling of being completely immersed: by desire, emotion, and fantasy, though the somber melancholy of her love songs are often more manifestations to her internal self than anyone else.

Daneshevskaya (Dawn-eh-shev-sky-uh), the project of New York's Anna Beckerman, writes songs steeped in the folklore of her own personal history. Her artist (and real middle) name comes from her Russian-Jewish great-grandmother, a person whose presence she has always felt although their paths never crossed in real life. Beckerman grew up in a musical family; her father is a music professor, her mother studied opera and her own songs often feel spiritual, less so by any religious connotation and more as a hymn-like, archival record of Beckerman's own past, present and future. Her first release on Winspear, Long is the Tunnel, contemplates how the people you meet impact the pathway you travel. Through songs like the poignant "Somewhere in the Middle," the lilting "Challenger Deep" and the surreal "Big Bird," the EP paints a distinctive collage between traditional songwriting and modern turns of phrase that remain spellbound in the unadulterated luster of self discovery. The seven songs read as both patchwork memories/diary entries and elegies to those in her life. Co-produced by Ruben Radlauer and Hayden Ticehurst of Model/Actriz and Artur Szerejko, the final versions of these initial demos also saw contributions from Lewis Evans of Black Country, New Road (saxophone), Maddy Leshner (keys) and Finnegan Shanahan (violin), adding to the gleaming instrumentation that makes each song sound like a world within itself. Long is the Tunnel is filled with hyperreal imagery that denotes a form of escapism: two of the songs reference birds, which Beckerman describes as about being transfixed by something you can't take your eyes o‑ while also being able to leave at will. Long is the Tunnel prolongs this feeling of being completely immersed: by desire, emotion, and fantasy, though the somber melancholy of her love songs are often more manifestations to her internal self than anyone else.

Hark! Joel Paterson returns to your holiday turntable with "The More The Merrier" (Hi-Fi Christmas Guitar Vol. 2). The guitar wizard from Chicago slides down your chimney once again with this latest program of instrumental gems. Recorded in lifelike "holiday-phonic" high fidelity, these 14 selections are a study in artistry and sound. "The More The Merrier" is a companion piece to the perennial fan-favorite, "Hi-Fi Christmas Guitar". No mere sequel, this new album will soon join its predecessor as an integral part of your holiday gatherings for years to come. This is music to please guitarists, carolers, and hi-fi enthusiasts alike. Limited "Ruby Red" colored vinyl.

The evergreen Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas, the most iconic holiday record in the Verve catalogue, and one of the most successful jazz holiday albums of all time, is presented with extra sparkle this year in a new ruby red vinyl edition with a revamped collectable cover, and a new Frontline marketing approach on par with Louis Wishes You A Cool Yule.

• Following on from the highly successful first two editions of
Dance Masters featuring the classics mixes from maestros
Shep Pettibone and Arthur Baker, the spotlight turns to
another remix legend, John Luongo.

• Boston born, John is one of the truly legendary DJ's and
remixers of the Disco era. John got his break at Epic by
overdubbing percussion from salt shakers and spoons onto a
promo and then passing them back the tape. This resulted in
him being flown to New York, and put in a studio (of his
choice) to mix and produce Melba Moore`s “You Stepped
Into My Life”. From this point everything he touched was a
hit. He went onto remix Disco classics by Jackie Moore –
“This Time Baby”, Dan Hartman “Vertigo / Relight My Fire”
and Patti Labelle “Music Is My Way Of Life”.

• However, John was not afraid of remixing artists that didn’t
fit into the disco genre and this attitude is borne out by the
tracklisting of this compilation, on which Gladys Knight and
The Pips rub shoulders with Fine Young Cannibals and
Billy Idol, and Baltimora appears alongside Banararama
and Serge Ponsar.

• “…if you played this whole thing, just put it on and didn’t
tell anyone it was me, they’d say ‘boy, what a great group of
songs this is!’” - John Luongo

• This cut down 16 track essential edition in pressed on 140g
black vinyl and features foreword by Arthur Baker and an indepth essay written by Alexis Petridis (Rock and Pop
reviewer for The Guardian).

• All tracks remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound
Mastering

Celebrating 'In Utero''s 30th, the album pressed on 180-gram vinyl plus 5 b-sides and bonus tracks pressed on a 10-inch have been newly remastered from 96kHz 24-bit transfers of the original analog tapes by original album engineer Bob Weston.

Original album artwork has been expanded to a premium tip-on gatefold jacket for the first time with new 10-inch jacket art.

There’s a connection between the musical history of the Mediterranean that can’t be explained through academia alone. It’s an expression of simultaneous grief and celebration that trespasses cultures and generations; and demands to be felt, or even better, danced, to be understood. The same spirit weaves Rebetiko from the ashes of the Ottoman empire to the heavy Hafla soundtracks on the Koliphone label in ‘70s Jaffa, or rebellious Turkish psychedelic music to the first generation of surf guitarist migrants in America. It's an infectious feeling that travelled and evolved wherever it was called, and that passion is embodied in “Back to the Taverna”, the new album by Berlin based bouzouki quintet, Cherry Bandora.

On the milestone of their third release, original members Liad Vanounou (Bouzouki) and Lorena Atrakci (Vocals) have bolstered their sound with longtime friends and collaborators Moshe ‘Moosh’ Lahav on Keyboards and flute, Tamir ‘Hassan’ Chen on Bass and Nimrod Lieberman on Drums to create an album celebrating the ecstasy of being able to drink and perform together again, freed from the anathema of the last years. The band has evolved considerably since their beginnings ten years ago as an Agean-influenced part of the local Balkan Swing scene; the most significant addition being the deployment of “The Hardest Working Man in Tropical Music” Alex Figueira as musical director for this album. His scorched fingerprints are unmissable throughout the extended psychedelic breakdowns and percussive overdubs that make “Back to the Taverna” such a dynamic offering.

Cherry Bandora have always been a very personal band; collecting songs from nearby cultures and history and blending them into their own experience by developing new arrangements or lyrics, just as musicians from those times would have. Lorena delights in expressing herself away from her mother tongue or providing modern lyrics for an updated feeling, as she does to the beloved Turkish standard, “Rampi Rampi”. In this interpretation she uses her native Hebrew in a saucy lockdown-delivery-guy romance... This track also features Baris Öner from local Turkish rock band Kara Delik on his signature flanging Saz.

Singing in Greek, English, Turkish and Hebrew was also a natural choice on the album, representing the “multikulti” area of Berlin that the band lives and records in. These languages would all be heard on the street as they walked to record in the analog Studio Wong in Kreuzberg.

“As descendants of Mizrahi Jews (Jewish migrants from non-European countries), growing up listening both to Beatles and Umm Kulthum, playing in jazz music departments in high school, and now living in Kruezkölln, we basically pay tribute and revive this shared heritage in the context of the global music scene of today” says Lorena.

The opening track, The Sound Of Baglama, is an interpretation of the anthemic Tsitsanis homage to the tavernas and sweethearts of Thessaloniki. It lays the ground for what to expect from Cherry Bandora’s exceptional live performances, featuring effortless switch-ups between surf rock choruses and laid-back verses dipping into Persian disco funk. This song will be accompanied by a tour-collage “found footage” style film clip in production at this
time.

Cherry Bandoras show their dedication to the bit with a rousing English version of the canonical rembetiko tune Dimitroula Mou. This amour song, popular with generations of female singers, is accompanied by real studio plate smashing, a ritual which sealed their final session for the album. 2 bonus tracks are included on the digital release, both a little more raw from the band’s home studio: the reeling dervish Rubi Rubi (which will be released as a second single with a video clip) and the emotionally dense and hypnotic slow burner Esý.

The album will be released digitally and on vinyl as a collaboration between Rebel Up Records (Belgium) and Rumi Sounds (Berlin) on Friday 3 november 2023 and is a prime example of what a raunchy, open minded and tireless bouzouki band can do as they hit their prime.

An extensive highlighted review will appear in Songlines magazine #135 December issue and the track ‘Benimde Canim Var’ will be featured on their free compilation. Also radioplay on Radio Campus France playlist (allover) during November and December.

“Azazel” is the second vinyl release of this year and the EP debut from Priorato (MX), with some interesting and outstanding remixes by Colossio, Ludviq, and Chinosynth. This vinyl release will offer a diverse range of remixes, each bringing its own interpretation and style to the original track "Azazel".

A1. Led by Rubén Torres, a DJ and producer from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, focusing on indie dance and techno, the original track for "Azazel" is characterized by a solid bass sequence, hypnotic vocals, and a blend of electronic and organic elements.

The song creates an enigmatic and immersive atmosphere, gradually building a powerful and addictive groove, it offers a musical experience that transports listeners to a trance-like state, inducing feelings of euphoria and escapism.

A2. For the first remix we have the honor to have again on board Colossio, he’s also known as one of Mexico's most talented producers, with previous releases on labels like Duro, Calypso, and Exit Strategy. His remix of "Azazel" is expected to bring a mix of high energy and darkness to the track, showcasing his signature style.

B1. Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico but now based in Barcelona, Spain, Head honcho Ludviq, delivers a remix that promises to be energetic, groovy and psychedelic, incorporating unconventional percussions and sounds recorded from the city chaos and nature calmness environments.

B2. Based in Culiacán, Mexico, Chinosynth's remix aims to infuse a human touch into the track by incorporating analog sounds from studio instruments such as guitars, bass, and synths, while maintaining a dance floor-oriented vibe.

Run-D.M.C.'s Raising Hell remains the turning point at which hip-hop crashed through mainstream barriers and never left. Anchored by the crossover smash "Walk This Way," the 1986 blockbuster still sounds like a revolution unfolding in real time. It has everything – hard-rock riffs, turntable scratching, itchy rhythms, hit singles – not the least of which are the trio's invigorating raps and inseparable chemistry. And now it's the first rap record afforded audiophile treatment, courtesy of Mobile Fidelity.

Sourced from the original master tapes and pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, the reissue label's numbered-edition 180g 33RPM SuperVinyl LP elevates Raising Hell to sonic heights on par with its musical and cultural significance. Ranked the 123rd Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone, 43rd on Pitchfork's Greatest Albums of the 1980s, one of the Top 100 Albums of All Time by TIME – and included on "Best of" lists by Spin, Paste, XXL, Entertainment Weekly, and basically every other significant media outlet – the triple-platinum effort rocks the house.

Benefitting from the ultra-low noise floor and groove definition of SuperVinyl, Raising Hell unleashes a torrent of massive dynamics and tsunami of frequency-plumbing details underlined by Rick Rubin's taut, crisp, albeit raw and streetwise production. Just as the Queens-based group both defined what hip-hop could represent – and displayed just how big it could get – Rubin's work melded ear-worm hooks, savvy drum loops, metal-leaning guitars, and, of course, Run and D.M.C.'s cross-fire lyrical interplay into watertight frameworks bursting with ideas, tones, samples, and beats. Heard anew on Mobile Fidelity vinyl, Raising Hell is in every regard the aural equivalent of a direct-to-console 1970s classic. And it sounds as fresh as hell.

As for the music, it ranks among the most influential, inventive, and invigorating ever released – rap or otherwise. Vanguard artists such as Ice-T, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Public Enemy's Chuck D – who declared it his all-time favorite and "the first record that made me realize this was an album-oriented genre" – have testified on behalf of its brilliance. And never mind the presence of the Top 5 single "Walk This Way," whose power helped make Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry relevant for the first time in nearly a decade – and literally put Run-D.M.C. in bedrooms ranging from the Bronx to Bartlett to Bad Axe.

Look instead to the rest of the entirely filler-free set, be it the corkscrew turns, slippery wordplay, and "My Sharona"-meets-"Mickey" mixology of the boisterous "It's Tricky," the fat-but-minimized bass grooves and warped turntable wobble of the hysterical "You Be Illin'," chimes-accented inertia and boombox-on- shoulder thunder of the now-iconic "Peter Piper," or voice-as-percussion attack of the funky "Is It Live." With Raising Hell, the answer to the question is always affirmative – a sensation bolstered by the fact the group always had something to say.

The definition of Golden Age Hip-Hop in every way, Run-D.M.C. avoids the negativity and misogyny that later plagued the style, spinning assertive tales about identity (the biographical and culture-changing "My Adidas"), work ethics ("Perfection"), and, most notably, pride (the Harriet Tubman- and Malcom X.-referencing "Proud to Be Black"). Pavement-packed inner cities, tree-lined suburbs, and cornfield-rimmed rural areas would never again be the same. And rocking a rhyme that's right on time would become trickier than ever.

This third release from Rubi Records sees Ashley Tindall—aka Skeptical—stepping out of his usual drum and bass territory and slowing things down with three seriously deep dub-infused bass tracks in the 140-150bpm realm. While not the first time Skeptical has dipped his toes in such waters, these are easily among the finest, most musically mature examples to date. For those drum & bass fans out there unsure about Skeptical branching out into other genres, this EP shows that an open mind and listening without prejudice will reward your ears.

First up is the utterly dub-soaked 75/150bpm track 'Tell Me'. This solid stoner groove takes clear elements of Skeptical's more dub-orientated D&B and adds mesmeric pads and soulful vocal hooks, making it one of the deepest head-nodders in his overall catalogue. This is more a refined track for the 'listener' than for the dance floor, and while you can still easily throw some shapes to it, it's great to just immerse yourself in as a purely audio experience.

Next is the 140bpm 'Tapestry', which is somewhat the darker twin of 'Tell Me'. Again, we have a slow dub-infused head-nodder, but this time more menacing in tone thanks to the finely-judged use of some moody sound modules that Skeptical has tweaked and twisted in his inimitable fashion. This one's the audio equivalent of a restless mind in the depth of night.

The final offering is another 140bpm track – the unsettling beast 'Atomic v1'. It begins with a slow-burn build up of an off-kilter metronomic beat, subtly growling bass and haunting strings. This, in turn, gives way to a distorted rendering of Oppenheimer's famous use of 'Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds' from the Bhagavad Gita, before becoming a sinister slow-motion dubstep rumbler. With its dragging beat and the purposefully off-point main sonic hook running over the top, this is a disorientating and unsettling weapon for the discerning DJ.

This EP continues the fresh direction of Rubi Records, showcasing exceptional, forward-thinking music without borders.

Support: Ben UFO, Joy Orbison, Gilles Pererson, dBridge, Break, DLR, Doc Scott, Mefjus, Kasra, Kings of the Rollers, Alix Perez, Jubei, Dub Phizix, Flight, Tasha, Loxy, Randall, Lens.

Radio Support: BBC Radio 6 Music, Rinse FM, Kool FM

1983, New York City, USA. Dj Trebor drops a record that was to become a classic of the New York underground reggae scene. A true gem released on 'Smoker Records' that’s still widely sought after. The main reason for the release's success? The infectious 'Beggarman' that sits on the B-side, a fearsome rub-a-dub tune that gets everyone dancing from the very first gimmicky intro!

When Frederiksberg records, the team working with local Brooklyn virtuoso DJ Trebor to make his catalog of dazzling 80's Dancehall available again, approached Rico to do a remix, it turns out that he had actually done a Trebor bootleg of "Beggarman" years ago.
Since DJ Trebor kept all his master tapes and even some multi-track tapes, Rico was able to work with stems on this one, it became something completely different than the first one. The mutual respect between the two artists even lead to DJ Trebor performing with OBF on their recent US tour. Here's a fresh O.B.F remix version to celebrate this bad tune’s 40th anniversary.

Taken from the Day & Age EP; African Warrior by Tesfa Zion, Ras Ruben & Ray Ranking is now available on 12" vinyl with an exclusive dub cut!

After being played by many different Sounds around the globe, it was a must we put it out on record. On top there is the Mama Africa Melodica/Nyabinghi Version on the b-side!

Kaipa is a Swedish band from the Uppsala area, which moves in symphonic rock with influences from folk music. The band is mainly influenced by Yes.

The result is as colourful musically and lyrically as Kaipa devotees will expect from the band’s rich discography dating back to the debut opus released in 1975. Formed in 1973, KAIPA never shied away from experimentation, embracing fresh elements and sounds manifesting especially on the albums released in the 2000’s. ‘

"Vittjar" is Kaipa's 11th studio album. The addition of the eminent guest-musicians Fredrik Lindqvist (recorders & whistles) and Elin Rubinsztein (violin) further underlines the folk influences in the music. Now available on vinyl in a new colour!

Kaipa is a Swedish band from the Uppsala area, which moves in symphonic rock with influences from folk music. The band is mainly influenced by Yes.

The result is as colourful musically and lyrically as Kaipa devotees will expect from the band’s rich discography dating back to the debut opus released in 1975. Formed in 1973, KAIPA never shied away from experimentation, embracing fresh elements and sounds manifesting especially on the albums released in the 2000’s. ‘

"Vittjar" is Kaipa's 11th studio album. The addition of the eminent guest-musicians Fredrik Lindqvist (recorders & whistles) and Elin Rubinsztein (violin) further underlines the folk influences in the music. Now available on vinyl in a new colour!

Dark Horse Records feiert den 20. Jahrestag von JOE STRUMMERs (The Clash)2003er Album Streetcore. Der Sound wurde von Paul Hicks (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, George Harrison) neu gemastert und die Grafiken wurden von der Originalveröffentlichung reproduziert.

Dem Vinyl liegt ein exklusiver Druck von Strummers handgeschriebenem Text zu "Coma Girl" bei.

Das dritte Studioalbum von Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, das die Single "Coma Girl" enthält, wurde nach Joes Tod im Jahr 2002 veröffentlicht. Daher wurden viele der Tracks als erste und einzige Gesangsaufnahmen veröffentlicht. Die bei den Fans beliebte Coverversion von Bob Marleys "Redemption Song" und der Track "Long Shadow" wurden von Rick Rubin produziert. Dark Horse feierte kürzlich den 70. Geburtstag von Strummer mit der Veröffentlichung von Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years.

"Frontiers", zu deutsch Grenzen, haben die Mitglieder von Journey stets durchbrochen: Revolutionär "mixte" die Band aus San Francisco härteste Rockklänge mit Jazznoten und gefühlvollsten Melodien. U.a. mit "Faithfully" aus dem Longplayer "Frontiers" (1980) konnten Journey neben einer fulminanten Tour wieder höchste Chartplatzierungen verbuchen.

Im Rahmen der aktuellen Sommer-Europa-Tour erscheint der Journey-Klassiker "Frontiers" in brandneuer geremasterter Version. Für alle Alt-Rocker und Jung-Begeisterte ein Muss!

9 songs of fire, fury and angst. Some of the Songs are reflecting my personal thoughts and some songs are about family and close friends dying and / or committing suicide and some are about My Experience with the corona / sars lock downs. This is a record of real emotion and not for the weak. Nick Oliveri

9 songs of fire, fury and angst. Some of the Songs are reflecting my personal thoughts and some songs are about family and close friends dying and / or committing suicide and some are about My Experience with the corona / sars lock downs. This is a record of real emotion and not for the weak. Nick Oliveri

Fela Kuti lives on! Die Neuauflage eines Klassikers. Das ursprünglich 2013 erschienene Tribute-Album zum 10-jährigen Jubiläum jetzt erhältlich auf bananengelbem und rotem Vinyl. Der gesamte Erlös aus den Verkäufen kommt Red Hot zugute, einer gemeinnützigen Organisation, die sich dem Kampf gegen AIDS verschrieben hat.

Das Album enthält klassische Fela-Hymnen wie 'Lady', aufgenommen von tUnE-yArDs, ?uestlove, Angelique Kidjo und Akua Naru. 'Who No Know Go No' von Childish Gambino und Just A Band; 'Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am', aufgenommen von My Morning Jacket, Merrill Garbus (von tUnE-yArDs) und Brittany Howard (von Alabama Shakes); 'Zombie', aufgenommen von Spoek Mathambo, Cerebral Cortex und Frown; und 'Sorrow, Tears & Blood', neu arrangiert vom Kronos Quartet zusammen mit Kyp Malone und Tunde Adembimpe von TV On The Radio.

Seit seinem Tod 1997 an Komplikationen im Zusammenhang mit Aids hat sich Fela von einem westafrikanischen household name und einem Musiker für Musiker in Europa und Amerika zu einer weltweiten Musikikone entwickelt.

Die letzten 3 Alben im Katalog der Band werden zum ersten Mal seit ihrer ursprünglichen Veröffentlichung wiederveröffentlicht auf 140 gr. black Vinyl.

Little Creatures, ursprünglich 1985 veröffentlicht, enthält die Klassiker "And She Was" und "Road To Nowhere".

True Stories, ursprünglich 1986 veröffentlicht, enthält "Wild Wild Life" und "Love For Sale".

Naked, das ursprünglich 1988 veröffentlicht wurde, enthält "(Nothing But) Flowers" und "Blind".

DJ K-1's (Keith Tucker - AUX88) re-release for modern electro heads Direct Beat Classics label.
1) "K-1 Intro" -Fine metallic percussion and Jeep beats define the groove of this EP's introduction from the year of 1996 featuring Anthony 'Blaktony' Horton (vocals) on this legendary Keith Tucker production. K-1's hauntingly dark strings emerge as you are informed by its mission statement. Mental.

2) "K-1 Agenda" (Instrumental) - Purposely added to enhance variety and balance, this instrumental holds its own. Highlighting his production skill, 'DJ K-1' cuts loose in the minimal groove with traditional Detroit escapism that makes the EP the fine concept it is. Made to dream & jam.

3) "K-1 Agenda" (Vocal Mix) -Written and executed by longtime cohort, 'Blaktony' (AUX88, Alien FM) on vocals. The tune transforms into a classic global jam with android-like vocals planted between the hand-crafted Detroit electronic backdrops. A mainstay in electro bass crates since its release, this track is the description of a man on a mission to jam this world and beyond. Rubbery 'K-1' signature bass lines and strings ride the perfect beat.

4) "The Future I Can See" - K-1's laid back robotic lyrics describe a look into the future paired with thunderous beats and electro bounce. Visionary rocking, Tucker provides the weight to the project that would bare his signature flavor. Hot.

5) "The Future I Can See" (Instrumental) - Focused on an atmosphere of eerie and moody Detroit dark electro, the energetic bass line weaves amongst jamming drums. Imaginative and compelling material made for global dance floors. 100% Electro.

6) "Unreleased track" - A short newly added bonus cut from the original sessions, laced with experimentation in the Motor City Electro sound.

This fall „Nice Girl’s“ highly anticipated follow up to „Ipsum“ is finally going to be out. 2 years have passed since „Ipsum" was released, back then the wild 15 track long ride has been paraphrased as „mind boggling, tongue in cheek, spiritual & danceable“ by RA.
Ruby‘s second Album titled „UPP“ is more lighthearted compared to its predecessor as she moves away from the somewhat darker, earthy tones of „Ipsum“ to create a fun, quirky, bleepy and fast universe where pitched vocals meet breakbeats and cosmic melodies.
The Album includes features by "Eden Burns" as well as "Michael Kime“, who as it happens is Ruby’s father ; ) Enjoy!

Joe Sutkowski (Dirt Buyer)'s new album is a documentation of making it to the other side. Sutkowski grew up in New Jersey, and although he lives in Brooklyn now, he remains " an emo kid at heart ," garnering inspiration from bands like My Chemical Romance and Muse, the latter of whose theatrical, dramatic performances inspired the band's own vocal-forward, soaring takes. Initially working together as a duo while Sutkowski and Ruben Radlauer (Model/Actriz) were at school in Berklee, the band's self-titled 2019 debut album was recorded on an IPhone in their practice room on just drums and guitar, and the quietly striking, nuanced stylings earned them accolades far beyond the " fake record label " the two made up to originally release their music. The band's new album, Dirt Buyer II , was recorded in February 2020, and represents a foray into heavier material that marks a deeper shift for the band. Now working as a trio, Sutkowski is flanked by Tristan Allen on bass and Mike Costa on drums, a fellow Berklee grad who cut his teeth playing in bands across Boston including past collaborations with Sutkowski. Half-recorded while the band was on tour with Surf Curse, the record finds Sutkowski reaching out for places, people and beliefs to ground him. Throughout the album he attempts to wrap his head around the idea of fate and how you can brush up against other people and then leave them behind. The songs themselves play with this concept of light and dark intertwined. Oscillating between urgency and cathartic release and more stripped-back elegies, Sutkowski faces the reality that while the people he'd rather forget can still live on through music, he is able to move on at the same time. Half-recorded in his mother and uncle's upstate house where he turned the living room into a studio, he contemplates the beauty and disaster around him - all refracted through visceral visual imagery of how the physical earth meets the unknown to converge in something greater than ourselves. " This is all a living chronicle of all I want to do, which is feel good and be happy ," he admits. " I'm a completely different person now - a better version of myself ." Processing the past, Sutkowksi has emerged with newfound belief, fully intact and with a new path forward to the future.

Joe Sutkowski (Dirt Buyer)'s new album is a documentation of making it to the other side. Sutkowski grew up in New Jersey, and although he lives in Brooklyn now, he remains " an emo kid at heart ," garnering inspiration from bands like My Chemical Romance and Muse, the latter of whose theatrical, dramatic performances inspired the band's own vocal-forward, soaring takes. Initially working together as a duo while Sutkowski and Ruben Radlauer (Model/Actriz) were at school in Berklee, the band's self-titled 2019 debut album was recorded on an IPhone in their practice room on just drums and guitar, and the quietly striking, nuanced stylings earned them accolades far beyond the " fake record label " the two made up to originally release their music. The band's new album, Dirt Buyer II , was recorded in February 2020, and represents a foray into heavier material that marks a deeper shift for the band. Now working as a trio, Sutkowski is flanked by Tristan Allen on bass and Mike Costa on drums, a fellow Berklee grad who cut his teeth playing in bands across Boston including past collaborations with Sutkowski. Half-recorded while the band was on tour with Surf Curse, the record finds Sutkowski reaching out for places, people and beliefs to ground him. Throughout the album he attempts to wrap his head around the idea of fate and how you can brush up against other people and then leave them behind. The songs themselves play with this concept of light and dark intertwined. Oscillating between urgency and cathartic release and more stripped-back elegies, Sutkowski faces the reality that while the people he'd rather forget can still live on through music, he is able to move on at the same time. Half-recorded in his mother and uncle's upstate house where he turned the living room into a studio, he contemplates the beauty and disaster around him - all refracted through visceral visual imagery of how the physical earth meets the unknown to converge in something greater than ourselves. " This is all a living chronicle of all I want to do, which is feel good and be happy ," he admits. " I'm a completely different person now - a better version of myself ." Processing the past, Sutkowksi has emerged with newfound belief, fully intact and with a new path forward to the future.

The Tables was an underground/DIY pop group formed in Oslo, Norway,
in 1987, by Bartleby (vocals), Robert Birdeye (bass guitar and drums) and
Reg Trademark (guitar)
Holiday at Wobbledef Grunch was their second full length album originally
released in 1997 and quickly became a cult classic within the norwegian
underground scene.
The music of The Tables is a mixture of psychedelic pop inspired by English
groups of the 1960s (especially the music represented on the Rubble compilation
series on Bam-Caruso Records) and early indie pop a la Television Personalities.

Limitierte Auflage einer durchscheinenden, rubinroten Doppel-Vinyl-LP-Pressung. Das Besondere an Mojo ist, dass es live im legendären Proberaum der Band, "The Clubhouse" in Los Angeles, aufgenommen wurde. Es gibt keine Overdubs oder Studiotricksereien. Was Sie hören, ist das, was Tom und die Heartbreakers zu diesem Zeitpunkt live geschaffen haben. Im Jahr 2010 sagte Tom Petty: "Mit diesem Album möchte ich anderen Leuten zeigen, was ich mit der Band höre. Mojo ist der Ort, an dem die Band lebt, wenn sie für sich selbst spielt." Die Songs auf Mojo reichen von Rock 'n' Roll über Country, elektrischen und akustischen Blues bis hin zu klassischen, stimmungsvollen Balladen. Das Album enthält den Hit "I Should Have Known It" und Fan-Favoriten wie "Good Enough", "First Flash Of Freedom", "Something Good Coming" und "No Reason To Cry". Diese limitierte Auflage erscheint anlässlich der Feierlichkeiten zu Toms Geburtstag.

Transluzentes algengrünes Color-Vinyl (140g) inklusive doppelseitigen 12"-Kunstdruck und Download-Code.

Forest Swords (alias der elektronische Produzent/ Komponist Matthew Barnes) kündigt sein neues Album, „Bolted“, an. Nachdem er in den letzten Jahren als gefragter Komponist und Sounddesigner gearbeitet und Musik für Ballett, Film und Videospiele geschrieben hat, wurde „Bolted“ im letzten Jahr in einer Lagerhalle in Barnes' Heimatstadt Liverpool aufgenommen. Auf den elf Tracks taucht er tiefer in sein einzigartiges Klangvokabular ein, um eine Reihe von Tracks zu weben, die gleichermaßen kraftstrotzend und düster, eindringlich und euphorisch klingen.

Wie immer in seiner Musik, fühlen sich Melancholie und Euphorie, Monochrom und Farbe, Vergangenheit und Zukunft mehrdeutig an. Die Emotionen verschieben sich von Moment zu Moment, die Unterschiede zwischen digitalen und akustischen Instrumenten sind verwischter denn je: eine Verquickung von Zeit, Raum und Klang, die sich gleichermaßen spielerisch und absolut vital anfühlt.

Zusammen mit der Ankündigung über das neue Album kommt „The Low“, eine stimmungsvolle, metallische Triphop-Single aus „Bolted“. Barnes kommentiert den Track wie folgt: „‚The Low‘ basiert auf einem Beat, den ich ursprünglich für Yoko Ono vorgesehen hatte, und enthält Elemente, die ich sowohl am Anfang als auch am Ende des Albums gemacht habe, und verbindet so viele der Sounds und Emotionen, die ich während des Schreibprozesses erforscht habe. Das begleitende Video, das ich zusammen mit Sam Wiehl gedreht habe, vertieft einige meiner Artworks und die visuelle Welt, die das Album begleitet.“.

Known for being part of the INNA DE YARD family for almost 20 years, Jamaican singer extraordinaire DERAJAH is a major figure in Kingston music scene. He is the bridge between the old and new generations, passing the knowledge from the elders to the youths. We are delighted to present his latest effort in collaboration with A-class studio band The 18th Parallel: ‘PROSPERITY’. A showcase album of 6 songs with dub versions produced between Geneva, Switzerland and Kingston, Jamaica. With the expert touch of mixing maestro Westfinga, the 11 tracks of ‘Prosperity’ are sonic masterpieces, timeless and innovative.

In between the raw and brutal sound of 80’s Jamaican rub a dub and today’s sophisticated and polished modern sound. Derajah's raw and emotive vocals paint vivid pictures of struggle and resilience, carrying a profound message of social consciousness and resistance against oppressive forces, while The 18th Parallel's ultra-solid riddims create a rich tapestry of sound that will transport you to the heart of roots reggae. With its impeccable production quality, ‘Prosperity’ captures the essence of reggae's golden era.

This groundbreaking album is a testament to the enduring power of music to inspire, uplift, and ignite change.

The story towards the creation of this album also needs to be shared. As Fruits Records members were in Jamaica on tour and to record their first projects, they crossed Derajah paths a couple times without getting a chance to work together. But this was enough to set a strong foundation to a relationship that goes way beyond the musical side only. A few years after this meeting, one phone call only was enough to start the process. The rest is pure magic! Spontaneity, trust and loyalty became the guidelines for the creation of this gem, which stand out of time and space, and aim to carry on its path anyone seeking for knowledge, love and prosperity.

blur’s classic second album Modern Life Is Rubbish turned 30 this year and to celebrate this occasion, Parlophone are releasing a limited, coloured vinyl edition, for National Album Day in October.

Modern Life Is Rubbish and its singles: For Tomorrow, Chemical World and Sunday Sunday have been featured across blur’s online channels throughout the year, with a colour*, 4K upgrade of the For Tomorrow video getting nearly 350k views in 3 months (*the first time a colour version of this video has ever been seen!).

German post-punk band Onyon scrambled our brains when we heard them for the first time last year, so much so that we signed them & reissued their eponymous debut cassette EP (originally co-released in limited quantities by the Flennen/U-Bac labels) in June of '22. "Last Days On Earth" is the band's latest & first proper full-length for Trouble In Mind. The oddball, synth-soaked world of Onyon is disorienting at first - the band's herky-jerky rhythms may operate in a familiar fashion to bands like Devo, Kleenex/Liliput or label-mates LITHICS, but Maria Untheim's woozy synth squiggles that populate & punctuate the band's songs keeps everything at arms-length. Flirting with the primitive cool of 80's minimal-synth and the wire-haired cretinism of 60s garage, especially on tunes like the manic `Dogman' or first single `Alien, Alien'. Guitarist Ilka Kellner's six-string salvos rage unpretentiously with edges torn & frayed, rarely (if ever) soloing, but never afraid to unleash a spindly lead-line over Florian Schmidt's rubbery bass lines & Mario Pongratz's stuttering drum patterns that phase in & out of time imperceptibly like drunks doing their best to seem sober. Kellner & Untheim share vocal duties (in both English & German - sometimes in the same song), but the real magic comes when the two sing together, voices merging in loosely harmonic gang vocals; one deadpan, the other slightly unhinged. The group's beguiling lyrics add to the mystique - inscrutable neu-world fables about egg machines, ghosts, worms that talk, and urges to consume newspaper that ooze a rural, old-world understanding of life & the imperceptible spaces in between reality & fiction, transmuted thru a modernist sci-fi lensflare. Recorded, mixed & mastered in late 2022 by Martin Müller, "Last Days On Earth" is released on CD, black vinyl & limited purple vinyl (while supplies last) as well as streaming via most digital platforms.

German post-punk band Onyon scrambled our brains when we heard them for the first time last year, so much so that we signed them & reissued their eponymous debut cassette EP (originally co-released in limited quantities by the Flennen/U-Bac labels) in June of '22. "Last Days On Earth" is the band's latest & first proper full-length for Trouble In Mind. The oddball, synth-soaked world of Onyon is disorienting at first - the band's herky-jerky rhythms may operate in a familiar fashion to bands like Devo, Kleenex/Liliput or label-mates LITHICS, but Maria Untheim's woozy synth squiggles that populate & punctuate the band's songs keeps everything at arms-length. Flirting with the primitive cool of 80's minimal-synth and the wire-haired cretinism of 60s garage, especially on tunes like the manic `Dogman' or first single `Alien, Alien'. Guitarist Ilka Kellner's six-string salvos rage unpretentiously with edges torn & frayed, rarely (if ever) soloing, but never afraid to unleash a spindly lead-line over Florian Schmidt's rubbery bass lines & Mario Pongratz's stuttering drum patterns that phase in & out of time imperceptibly like drunks doing their best to seem sober. Kellner & Untheim share vocal duties (in both English & German - sometimes in the same song), but the real magic comes when the two sing together, voices merging in loosely harmonic gang vocals; one deadpan, the other slightly unhinged. The group's beguiling lyrics add to the mystique - inscrutable neu-world fables about egg machines, ghosts, worms that talk, and urges to consume newspaper that ooze a rural, old-world understanding of life & the imperceptible spaces in between reality & fiction, transmuted thru a modernist sci-fi lensflare. Recorded, mixed & mastered in late 2022 by Martin Müller, "Last Days On Earth" is released on CD, black vinyl & limited purple vinyl (while supplies last) as well as streaming via most digital platforms.

GER SMILE zeigen mit ihrem hervorragenden Debut PRICE OF PROGRESS leichtfüßig auf, dass Post Punk im Jahre 2023 noch immer erfrischend klingen kann. Sie nehmen ihre Referenzen nicht als Dogma, bleiben experimentell, eigensinnig. Erzählerisch, eingängig, rough und anschmiegsam verschmelzen dabei die feinsinnigen, poetischen Beobachtungen von Sängerin Rubee True Fegan (USA) mit dem versierten Sound einer Band, die von Produzent Olaf Opal genau dahin gebracht wurde, wo sie hingehört: an den Startblock innovativer, kluger und sinnlicher Gitarrenmusik. In PRICE OF PROGRESS manifestiert sich das Zusammenspiel aus musikalischem Sturm und Drang und der Reife einer reflektierten Erzählperspektive. Was hier entstanden ist, klingt nun, 2023, in seiner jugendlichen Frische durchaus nach einem Debut - gleichzeitig aber nach dem Werk einer erfahrenen, über lange Zeit gewachsenen Band. Nur deutsch klingt es nicht, was sicher im Wesen von Sängerin Rubees True Fegans Heimat Albuquerque (New Mexico) begründet liegt, gleichsam aber in der Vielseitigkeit, die sich SMILE erlauben - und ihrer einhergehenden Virtuosität an den Instrumenten. SMILE versuchen sich dabei - einem Post-Punk britischer Machart folgend - durchaus in homogener Geradlinigkeit (Herrengedeck), lassen Kühle zu (Machine Dreaming) und folgen einem düsteren Ernst (Säge). Diese Facetten aber vermengen sich mit einer heiteren Experimentierfreude (Stalemate, Produce, Hungry Ghosts), mit Humor (Doohickey), mit verträumter Beschwingtheit (Commuter) und Genresprengender Pop-Af finität (Protection). So zeigt sich dieses stilsichere Album in einer Vielseitigkeit, die heute selten zu finden ist - und klingt trotzdem wie aus einem Guss. Auch die ersten drei Singles zeigen gut das Panorama, das SMILE mit ihrem Debut aufmachen: Dog In The Manger erinnert zunächst an Talk Talks Happiness Is Easy, wechselt aber nach dem Drum-Intro schnell die Spur. Der Opener der Platte stellt Rubee als Sängerin vor, die, trotz einer gewissen Gelassenheit in der Performance, von Wut und Traurigkeit getrieben ist. Der Text ist eine politische Reflexion, ausgelöst vom gekippten Abtreibungsrecht in den USA, das sich mit einer alten griechischen Fabel verbindet. So startet das Album mit einem Rätsel und offenbart, das Musik noch immer eine Waffe sein kann - aus Sound, Herz und Verstand. In Doohickey, einem der beschwingtesten Songs der Platte, kramt Rubee in ihrer Erinnerung, besucht ihre verstorbene Großmutter, eine unfreundliche alte Frau, die in ihrem Haus hortete, was sie fand. So entsteht eine Kurzgeschichte über die weirdest person alive und zeigt SMILE als Band, in der Text und Musik nicht konkurrieren, sondern stets Symbiose feiern. Zackig und temporeich wie das erzählte Leben kommen auch Gitarren und Rhythmussektion daher, finden zu einer soghaften Dynamik, ohne mit billigen Sing-alongs zu arbeiten. Protection, die dritte Single, ist wohl das eigensinnigste Stück der Platte, erzeugt, gesanglich pendelnd zwischen Blood Orange und Bands wie Siouxsie & The Banshees oder Bow Wow Wow, eine breite und intensive Palette, bringt einen The Fall-artigen Witz ein und wird zwischen den vermittelten Gefühlen zur Achterbahnfahrt. Das Stück schrieb Gitarrist Lars Fritzsche, mit dem Ziel, einen klassischen Hit zu schaffen (gelungen, wenn auch nicht klassisch!) - und schuf in der Offenheit des Songs dabei eine perfekte Fläche, die nun gleich mehrere Stimmen der Band versammelt. Im Zentrum: Rubee, die hier einen Text performt, der zwischen Traum und Cut-up ihren poetischen Glanz scheinen lässt. Die aus der Hüfte geschüttelte Dramaturgie ist dabei Paradebeispiel für die Innovation einer der spannendsten neuen Gitarrenbands, die nun auf dem Indielabel Siluh (Wien) eine Heimat zwischen Köln, Bonn und Albuquerque gefunden hat. Wahnsinn! (Hendrik Otremba)

ENG SMILE IS A POST-PUNK BAND WITH A SINGER, WHO PREFERS NOT TO SING. INSTEAD, SHE INTONES HER POETIC STORIES SPIKED WITH PERSONAL REFLECTIONS. With their excellent debut PRICE OF PROGRESS, SMILE light-footedly show that post punk can still sound refreshing in 2023. They don't take their references as dogma, remain experimental, stubborn. Narrative, catchy, rough and cuddly, the subtle, poetic observations of singer Rubee True Fegan (USA) merge with the accomplished sound of a band that producer Olaf Opal has put exactly where it belongs: on the starting block of innovative, clever and sensual guitar music. In PRICE OF PROGRESS, the interplay of musical Sturm und Drang and the maturity of a reflective narrative perspective manifests itself. Ltd pink vinyl LP!

GER SMILE zeigen mit ihrem hervorragenden Debut PRICE OF PROGRESS leichtfüßig auf, dass Post Punk im Jahre 2023 noch immer erfrischend klingen kann. Sie nehmen ihre Referenzen nicht als Dogma, bleiben experimentell, eigensinnig. Erzählerisch, eingängig, rough und anschmiegsam verschmelzen dabei die feinsinnigen, poetischen Beobachtungen von Sängerin Rubee True Fegan (USA) mit dem versierten Sound einer Band, die von Produzent Olaf Opal genau dahin gebracht wurde, wo sie hingehört: an den Startblock innovativer, kluger und sinnlicher Gitarrenmusik. In PRICE OF PROGRESS manifestiert sich das Zusammenspiel aus musikalischem Sturm und Drang und der Reife einer reflektierten Erzählperspektive. Was hier entstanden ist, klingt nun, 2023, in seiner jugendlichen Frische durchaus nach einem Debut - gleichzeitig aber nach dem Werk einer erfahrenen, über lange Zeit gewachsenen Band. Nur deutsch klingt es nicht, was sicher im Wesen von Sängerin Rubees True Fegans Heimat Albuquerque (New Mexico) begründet liegt, gleichsam aber in der Vielseitigkeit, die sich SMILE erlauben - und ihrer einhergehenden Virtuosität an den Instrumenten. SMILE versuchen sich dabei - einem Post-Punk britischer Machart folgend - durchaus in homogener Geradlinigkeit (Herrengedeck), lassen Kühle zu (Machine Dreaming) und folgen einem düsteren Ernst (Säge). Diese Facetten aber vermengen sich mit einer heiteren Experimentierfreude (Stalemate, Produce, Hungry Ghosts), mit Humor (Doohickey), mit verträumter Beschwingtheit (Commuter) und Genresprengender Pop-Af finität (Protection). So zeigt sich dieses stilsichere Album in einer Vielseitigkeit, die heute selten zu finden ist - und klingt trotzdem wie aus einem Guss. Auch die ersten drei Singles zeigen gut das Panorama, das SMILE mit ihrem Debut aufmachen: Dog In The Manger erinnert zunächst an Talk Talks Happiness Is Easy, wechselt aber nach dem Drum-Intro schnell die Spur. Der Opener der Platte stellt Rubee als Sängerin vor, die, trotz einer gewissen Gelassenheit in der Performance, von Wut und Traurigkeit getrieben ist. Der Text ist eine politische Reflexion, ausgelöst vom gekippten Abtreibungsrecht in den USA, das sich mit einer alten griechischen Fabel verbindet. So startet das Album mit einem Rätsel und offenbart, das Musik noch immer eine Waffe sein kann - aus Sound, Herz und Verstand. In Doohickey, einem der beschwingtesten Songs der Platte, kramt Rubee in ihrer Erinnerung, besucht ihre verstorbene Großmutter, eine unfreundliche alte Frau, die in ihrem Haus hortete, was sie fand. So entsteht eine Kurzgeschichte über die weirdest person alive und zeigt SMILE als Band, in der Text und Musik nicht konkurrieren, sondern stets Symbiose feiern. Zackig und temporeich wie das erzählte Leben kommen auch Gitarren und Rhythmussektion daher, finden zu einer soghaften Dynamik, ohne mit billigen Sing-alongs zu arbeiten. Protection, die dritte Single, ist wohl das eigensinnigste Stück der Platte, erzeugt, gesanglich pendelnd zwischen Blood Orange und Bands wie Siouxsie & The Banshees oder Bow Wow Wow, eine breite und intensive Palette, bringt einen The Fall-artigen Witz ein und wird zwischen den vermittelten Gefühlen zur Achterbahnfahrt. Das Stück schrieb Gitarrist Lars Fritzsche, mit dem Ziel, einen klassischen Hit zu schaffen (gelungen, wenn auch nicht klassisch!) - und schuf in der Offenheit des Songs dabei eine perfekte Fläche, die nun gleich mehrere Stimmen der Band versammelt. Im Zentrum: Rubee, die hier einen Text performt, der zwischen Traum und Cut-up ihren poetischen Glanz scheinen lässt. Die aus der Hüfte geschüttelte Dramaturgie ist dabei Paradebeispiel für die Innovation einer der spannendsten neuen Gitarrenbands, die nun auf dem Indielabel Siluh (Wien) eine Heimat zwischen Köln, Bonn und Albuquerque gefunden hat. Wahnsinn! (Hendrik Otremba)

ENG SMILE IS A POST-PUNK BAND WITH A SINGER, WHO PREFERS NOT TO SING. INSTEAD, SHE INTONES HER POETIC STORIES SPIKED WITH PERSONAL REFLECTIONS. With their excellent debut PRICE OF PROGRESS, SMILE light-footedly show that post punk can still sound refreshing in 2023. They don't take their references as dogma, remain experimental, stubborn. Narrative, catchy, rough and cuddly, the subtle, poetic observations of singer Rubee True Fegan (USA) merge with the accomplished sound of a band that producer Olaf Opal has put exactly where it belongs: on the starting block of innovative, clever and sensual guitar music. In PRICE OF PROGRESS, the interplay of musical Sturm und Drang and the maturity of a reflective narrative perspective manifests itself. Ltd pink vinyl LP!

A-side from recent album Soundtrack To The New Cold War! B-side exclusive to this release! TRACKLISTING 1 – Hope You’re Having Fun 2 – Don’t Tell Me Everything’s Alright (Exclusive track) Tell us about your influences Phil… “Influences hmm well, we don’t just listen to punk rock, neither did the early bands because there wasn’t any. We like the usual suspects obviously, our favourites are the Belgian band The Kids, X-Ray Spex and Buzzcocks. We like Satan’s Rats, The Tours, Knots, The Fingers, Panic, Kleenex, Crime, The Terrorways, Victims, Wipers, The Briefs, The Spits, The Plugz, Bad Nerves, Nasty Rumours, stuff like that, loads of stuff, Syd Barrett, The Kinks, MC5, Stooges, Bowie, Ruben and the Jets, Kim Fowley, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf. The list goes on and on and on.” We love that you still release singles. Are they fun to do? Why do you keep doing them? “Ian and Duncan Damaged love singles. We love singles. Where else would you put a B side?” (As told to Bruce Turnbull from Vive Le Rock Magazine) The band play the UK in September and December, Europe in November, and will also be heading to the US for the first time in October to play some west coast shows! UK TOUR DATES: 7th Sep 2023 @ The Salty Dog, Northwich. 8th Sep 2023 @ Redchurch Brewery, Harlow (w/ The Courettes). 15th Dec 2023 @ Hope and Anchor, London. 16th Dec 2023 @ Leeds Punk Rock Xmas (Brudenell Social Club), Leeds. 17th Dec 2023 @ Waterloo Bar, Blackpool.

Eine spannende Compilation verschiedener Reggae-Künstler mit Coverversionen klassischer Beatle-Songs. Mit Reggae-Stars aus ganz Europa: The Pioneers, Gentleman, Patrice, Pierpoljak und mehr

In our little history, the number 7, besides a kind of esoteric fascination, has marked important milestones in our evolutionary journey. This is why Raw Culture has decided to pay homage in grand style to its seventh year as an independent sound guarantor. To do so, it weaves a co-production with Oderso Rubini, historical memory of the Italian New Wave and head of Italian Records in the 80s. Out of this synergy comes our 24th release, Ping Pong, a dancefloor of dissonant bounces, where free-form suggestions, electronics and rhythmic improvisation find synthesis in a high-intensity competitive match. Starting from the sampling of Korean ping pong matches and the voices of the speakers, Renzini and Passini build a framework where the sound or voice of the electronically harmonised hoover amalgamates with powerful and syncopated drumming, a sound experiment poised between improvisational heavy jazz and Korean-style electronics.

The record is ideally divided into two converging visions highlighting the duplicity of the game, side A or Master Ping collects the first improvisations made by the duo in 2018 leaving almost unchanged the improvisational spirit close to a kind of degenerate free jazz. Side B or Master Pong made later explores more musical forms, with influences of the krautrock and electronic disco matrix, and sees the collaboration with other musicians from Bologna’s historic rock scene such as Gianluca Patini (Surprize, Slava Trudu, Volkwerk Folletto) on guitars, Giorgio Lavagna on vocals (Gaznevada, Stupid Set) and Enrico Serotti on electronic samples (Confusional Quartet, Stupid Set).

Jdotbalance left the moon and the sky for a city that works. This is their first offering for the ESP Institute. On side A, 'Sublimate' combines two aspects of a digital pipe and mallet assortment—both as the percussive base for a groove, and as an interstitial layer where inherent resonances are massaged into melody. Bubbles and squeaks dance around the sound-stage periphery, occasionally pierced by high frequency statements, presenting as either ghostly yelps from the aether or as bursts of kaleidoscopic shards. A third of the way through the track, the instrumentation truly does sublimate, crystallizing into a new self—bolder and naughtier, abandoning its pensive optimism for a detour around the spectrum's dark end. On the flip, 'Precipitate' continues with its predecessor's primer of metallic percussion, but accelerates the pace to reveal Jdot’s attitude leaning toward cunty malice. The kick drum relentlessly pounds us as 16th note droplets metamorphose from chrome-dipped hail into full-blown acid wind. As intensity retreats beneath the digital rubble and the track draws to a close, so does our stream of Jdot’s consciousness. These two songs will accelerate your nervous system.

Die Heavenly Remixes-Reihe präsentiert weiterhin die besten Remixe, Versionen, Meditationen, Re-Rubs und Dubs von Künstlern aus der ganzen Welt, die auf der Liste des aufregendsten Plattenlabels des Landes stehen. In den meisten Fällen handelt es sich bei den Alben um die erste physische Veröffentlichung eines Remixes, die sie von den Streaming-Playlisten in ihr rechtmäßiges, spirituelles Zuhause auf superschwerem Vinyl (oder glänzender, supergepackter Compact Disc) befördert.

Heavenly Remixes Volume 7 führt nach Belfast, wo David Holmes - ein Produzent, der 1994 zum ersten Mal auf Heavenly auftauchte und den Acid von Saint Etiennes Like A Motorway aufpeppte - als Solokünstler und als ein Drittel von Unloved auftritt, die von Horse Meat Disco direkt in das Herz eines Vauxhall-Schwitzkastens befördert werden.

The Tables was an underground/DIY pop group formed in Oslo, Norway, in 1987, by Bartleby
(vocals), Robert Birdeye (bass guitar and drums) and Reg Trademark (guitar). Holiday at Wobbledef
Grunch was their second full length album originally released in 1997 and quickly became a cult
classic within the norwegian underground scene. The music of The Tables is a mixture of psychedelic
pop inspired by English groups of the 1960s (especially the music represented on the Rubble
compilation series on Bam-Caruso Records) and early indie pop à la Television Personalities.

Die Heavenly Remixes-Reihe präsentiert weiterhin die besten Remixe, Versionen, Meditationen, Re-Rubs und Dubs von Künstlern aus der ganzen Welt, die auf der Liste des aufregendsten Plattenlabels des Landes stehen. In den meisten Fällen handelt es sich bei den Alben um die erste physische Veröffentlichung eines Remixes, die sie von den Streaming-Playlisten in ihr rechtmäßiges, spirituelles Zuhause auf superschwerem Vinyl (oder glänzender, supergepackter Compact Disc) befördert.

Heavenly Remixes Volume 8 beginnt mit Space Afrikas üppiger, ambienter Neuinterpretation von BEAM/S der Orielles, bevor Justin Robertson Amber Arcades' Turning Light zu acht Minuten elektronischem Dub dehnt.

Never Before Reissued On Vinyl! After the smash success of Deee-lite's debut record World Clique, and their now-iconic dance club hit "Groove Is In The Heart", anticipation was high for a follow-up from the New York-based dance music trio of vocalist Miss Lady Kier, and producers DJ Towa Tei and Super DJ Dmitri.

For their sophomore record Infinity Within, Deee-Lite opted to venture in a different direction of sorts. The club-embracing disco-funk sounds and groovy vibes of World Clique were everpresent, but while that record contained themes of global togetherness, Infinity Within took a more socially aware route, with politically charged themes of environmentalism, (To show their bonafidese, Infinity Within was one of the first titles to be issued in an ecologically friendly Eco-pak.) sexual liberation, voting rights, and critique of the juidicial system.

Taking major inspiration from the ancient Chinese divination text I Ching, Miss Lady Kier would later explain that Infinity Within was a natural progression for the group, not a departure. Elaborating in an interview with Reflex Magazine, she remarked: "The reason why we titled this new album Infinity Within to balance out World Clique’s idea of looking outward and thinking about unity is if you look outward, you should look inward to see what you’re doing as an individual.

Because people seem to be so passive I’d like to see people turn their TV sets off and start protesting." Infinity Within was not the overwhelming commercial success that World Clique was, but it's tracks shined on the Billboard Dance Club charts, with it's lead single "Runaway" reaching #1 on the chart, bolstered by a Gus Van Sant-directed music video.

The record also featured a slew of top-tier collaborators, including Parliament veterans Bernie Worrell, Maceo Parker and Bootsy Collins (Returning from their appearances on World Clique) as well as Bootsy's brother Catfish Collins, legendary house DJ Statoshi Tomiie, and rap verses from Michael Franti, Jamal-Ski, and a pre-"Tennessee" Arrested Development.

Even though critical reaction at the time was cooler than their debut, over the years Infinity Within has been considered an underrated
gem of 90's dance, a classic of early club and house music, and a remarkable follow-up for Deee-Lite.

Heavenly Recordings release the next two volumes in their series of remixed classics and unreleased versions. ‘Heavenly Remixes 7 & 8’ sees the label going back into the archive, as well as picking off some more recent remixes, and both albums primarily feature either previously unreleased versions or re-workings available for the first time on vinyl and CD.

Heavenly have always seen immense value in the remix, a value way beyond what it might bring commercially. Since their first release in 1990 (where Andrew Weatherall overhauled a one-off single by club kids Sly and Lovechild) Heavenly remixes have been carefully curated and treated as a key part of the A&R process. It’s an opportunity to view an artist through a different prism, to play out a musical ‘what if’ scenario. It’s the kind of exploration that’s happened consistently through the thirty plus years the label has released music.

The ‘Heavenly remixes’ series continues to showcase the very best remixes, versions, meditations, re-rubs and dubs from all around the world of artists right across the roster of the country’s most exciting record label. In most cases, the albums offer the first physical release for a remix, elevating them from streaming playlists to their rightful, spiritual home on super heavy vinyl (or shiny, super-packed compact disc).

Heavenly remixes 7’ heads to Belfast, where David Holmes - a producer who first appeared on Heavenly in 1994 amping up the acid on Saint Etienne’s ‘Like A Motorway’ - appears as solo artist and as one third of Unloved, who get a lift right to the heart of a Vauxhall sweatbox by Horse Meat Disco. It draws a line between Amsterdam and Frankfurt as Ludwig A.F. amps up the electronics on Pip Blom’s ‘Keep It Together’. It stops off in a south London studio where super producer Dan Carey plays the desk with Toy, then relocates LA psych rock band Fever The Ghost to an Ibizan shoreline as the sun sets on the horizon. It cements Sheffield’s reputation as the home of modern British techno with the return of true originators Forgemasters. And it pitches up in front of a renegade soundsystem late night at Glastonbury as Erol Alkan’s mighty rework of Con Man gets its third rewind of the night.



‘Heavenly remixes 8’ opens with Space Afrika’s lush, ambient reimagining of the Orielles’ ‘BEAM/S’ before Justin Robertson stretches Amber Arcades’ ‘Turning Light’ into eight minutes of electronic dub. Elsewhere, Baxter Dury’s peerless ‘Miami’ becomes a string-laden electro skank in the hands of French producer Pilooski; Edinburgh’s bedroom techno genius Eyes of Others’ ‘Safehouse’ turns into an East End bathhouse courtesy of disco deviants Decius; Ashley Beedle’s Black Science Orchestra turns Unloved’s heartworn torch song into seven minutes of glimmering dreamlike percussive house and Katy J. Pearson’s freak flag is flown high thanks to The Umlauts’ throbbing filtered electro mix. It ends similarly to how it began as TONE takes

Fran Lobo’s ‘All I Want’ on a gorgeous slow motion spacewalk.

The inaugural release on KMRU's own fledgling OFNOT imprint, 'Dissolution Grip' is an ambitious project that emerged from his studies at Berlin's prestigious UDK. The Kenyan composer and sound artist is best known for his field recording work, and as he traveled across Europe and the wider world for regular live performances, he made a point to snapshot each city. But the more he studied and the more he examined his practice, the more KMRU began to wonder what the purpose of these recordings were, and what bearing they might actually have on his self-expression. Simultaneously, he'd begun to dive more wholeheartedly into the world of synthesis. In a way, synthesis is the most basic form of sound, and KMRU started to wonder not just how he could harness these sounds but how he might be able to more dynamically combine them with field recordings.

Guided by Jasmine Guffond at Berlin's Universität der Künste (better known as UDK), KMRU looked at waveforms - the visual representation of sound itself - and embarked on a process where he would write scores from the shapes, gradually turning the scores into raw synth sounds. Considering the spaces he was inspired by and shuttled through, KMRU decided that instead of using environmental recordings as an aesthetic marker, he would use these captured moments to guide the waveforms. So each sound is birthed from a field recording, but none of those recordings are audible in their original form. For example, on the digital bonus track 'Along A Wall', KMRU recorded in an old shack on his family's compound in Nairobi, where wind was shaking the building to its foundations. Listening to the finished piece, we can hear subtle electronic tones that rub and vibrate against each other, slowly saturating and mimicking the erratic motion of the wind. The original recording has been removed, but the feeling remains.

The album's opening side 'Till Hurricane Bisect' is a 15-minute epic that evolves at its own glacial pace, carefully transforming blustering wind sounds into gasping drones, glassy oscillations and choked distortion. Cosmic and meditative, it's a testament to KMRU's skill as a sound engineer and patience as a composer, combining the gentle world building of his acclaimed Editions Mego album 'Peel' with the rumbling energy of 'Limen', last year's collaboration with Aho Ssan. On the title track, KMRU takes the opportunity to flex his orchestral muscle, conducting a cast of warbling synth tones into a durational symphony. Starting as quietly as a whisper, 'Dissolution Grip' expands at its own pace until it's a dense wall of harmony, powerful but never completely overwhelming. It's music embedded with a rich sense of place that informs us of KMRU's past and present, and signals where his musical philosophy might take us in the future.

Essential South African jazz, funk and soul - An anthology dedicated to the legendary Black Disco ensemble. Distilling the group’s recorded output into a single commemorative document, Discovery 1975-1976 compiles cuts from the lauded Night Express album alongside rare gems from the group’s long-out-of-print first and third albums. The newly remastered selection features previously unissued single versions of the mighty “Night Express” itself, a funk juggernaut with piercing flute whistles and rapturous sax cries as well as “Dawn” from the album Black Disco 3, a trippy, flute-driven awakening of soft light and gentle colours.

With a Yamaha organ and a dream, Pops Mohamed started his musical journey in the mid-1970s as the bandleader and composer of Black Disco, creating a hip melange of chill-out jazz with futuristic drum machine sounds and spiritual overtones. His cosmic organ transmissions were accompanied by two of the most sought-after session players on the South African scene, the sax and flute wizard Basil Coetzee, who had risen to fame in 1974 as one of the soloists on the hit “Mannenberg,” and Sipho Gumede, the young bass prodigy who was already rubbing shoulders with the old guard at the outset of his career. Backed at first with polyphonic beats from Mohamed’s electric organ and later taking on a drummer, Black Disco created a signature sound and a trilogy of innovative albums in a burst of studio creativity between 1975 and 1976.

On the heels of their epic various artists compilation, As-Shams Archive have produced a doozy of a compilation of some very essential South African jazz.

Roy Davis Jr. & Byron The Aquarius and Jamie 3:26 & Danou P remix Radio Slave’s Wildlife.

‘Wildlife’, released a few months back, found Radio Slave tapping into his house and disco roots. It proved a dancefloor smash that got support from a wide array of artists, from DJ Bone and Tim Sweeney to Roman Flugel and Axel Boman. As such, the artists chosen to remix come from similar backgrounds and bring all new perspectives to this irresistible gem.

First up are Chicago house legend Roy Davis Jr. and keys playing maestro Byron The Aquarius. Both make the sort of dusty, feel-good deep house that will never grow old and have done so on the scene's best labels. Their sizzling seven-minute rework of 'Wildlife' has jazzy, life-affirming keys and smeared synths that bring the warmth. The drums are rubbery and inviting, and the whole thing brings real musicality to the floor.

The second remix is from original Chicago innovator, deep digger and edit king Jamie 3:26 and a young Dutch artist he has long since mentored, Danou P. Between them, they have cooked up gems like 'What It Is' together on Shake Records and remixed for Defected, all with a healthy respect for disco, funk and soul from the 80s onwards. Their take on 'Wildlife' is a piano-laced and upbeat party starter. Noodling bass riffs,zippy synth details and lavish chords make for a sophisticated sound that will swell the heart.

The mystery continues to deepen, as you hear whispers beckoning you out to the sea...

After refining their dark and seductive vision of alternative/gothic metal to surreal, cinematic levels with three EPs and a full-length album, The Cause of Shipwreck, behind them, the Assen-based Blackbriar continue to set their sails towards the future in 2023, signing with Nuclear Blast Records and working towards their second full-length album, again accompanied by long-time collaborator Joost van den Broek.

Formed in 2012 by Zora Cock, René Boxem, Bart Winters, and Frank Akkerman, they crafted their first single in 2014 with “Ready to Kill,” but it was 2015’s second single “Until Eternity” that truly propelled them into the scene. A sweeping track with an equally compelling and beautiful video, it continues to draw many to the act with over 18.1 million views since its debut. Taking advantage of the growing buzz surrounding the band, they independently recorded and released their first EP, Fractured Fairytales, as well as acquiring a second guitarist in Robin Koezen. This EP layed down an impressive foundation for the band’s ethereal and breathtaking sound and brought about new opportunities for the act, including tour dates in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and more, where the band played alongside Epica, Halestorm, In This Moment, Delain and MaYan. To keep moving ahead with full control of their creative ideals, the band successfully crowdfunded their follow-up EP, We’d Rather Burn, and brought it to life in October 2018. This EP would be the first time the band worked alongside esteemed producer Joost van den Broek to arrange and produce the effort, and this fruitful collaboration allowed Blackbriar’s whimsical and enigmatic sound to reach new sonic heights. Released the same day as their self-made video for “I’d Rather Burn,” this EP showcased a stronger sense of dreamy atmosphere and brought listeners beautifully grim tales of witches, banshees, and sea sirens. In the time following, keyboardist Ruben Wijga (ex-Re-Vamp) took a larger role within the band and began playing shows, after being involved in the songwriting process since Fractured Fairytales.

A busy 2019 followed, the band released a haunting single in May entitled “Snow White and Rose Red.” A duet with Ulli Perhonen, their take on the Grimm’s fairytale featured striking cinematic visuals to accompany the spellbinding track. Continuing to dig deeper into fairytale realms, Blackbriar closed the year with their third EP, Our Mortal Remains. Ever-sharpening their intoxicating blend of storytelling and breathtaking musicianship, the EP brought about new live exposures for the act as well. Small, sold out tours with Epica in 2019 and 2020, as well as a sold out opening for Delain’s Apocalypse & Chill release show in Utrecht followed, with more future plans then being put on hold due to COVID-19. Championing their continued independence, which included everything from songwriting, maintaining their web presence, overseeing merch, as well as shooting and producing their own videos and photos, Blackbriar reached out to their ever-growing and loyal fanbase for assistance to make their full-length album a reality in 2020. Fans fervently heeded the call, reaching the € 25,000 goal in under 24 hours and ending with a total of € 70,000 and achieving all five stretch goals. An impressive accomplishment for an independent act, which also showcases a strong internet presence with over 214,000 YouTube subscribers and 46.1 million channel views as well as 27.6 million Spotify streams and 150,000 monthly streamers on the platform.

The Esbjörn Svensson Trio, e.s.t. for short, are still
celebrated today as one of the most important and
influential European jazz bands of the last 20
years.
 In 1999, the three Swedes achieved their
international breakthrough with ‘From Gagarin’s
Point Of View’. A star rose in the musical sky and a
unique world career followed. But sometimes stars
shine for much longer than one thinks. On ‘e.s.t.
Live 95’ there are recordings that prove that this
was also true for the Esbjörn Svensson Trio.
 The band, founded in 1993, found their very
specific sound early on but it was not initially
noticed outside its home country. In 1995, when
the trio’s namesake still wore long hair and a
headband, these recordings were made at various
locations in Sweden. And whoever hears how the
trio played back then is left breathless.
 Much of what distinguishes e.s.t. was already
strongly pronounced here: the coherence and
powerful grip of the playing; the catchy themes that
immediately jump out at the listener and yet do not
become clichéd; the fusion of the music of role
models like Thelonious Monk and Keith Jarrett into
a style of their own, always infected by the forward
thrust of rock. Magical moments were saved for
eternity by these recordings.
 Now this e.s.t. early work is available on double
vinyl.

Repress!

Adam Beyer continues his prolific year in the studio with ‘Robotic Arms’, his third release of 2023.

The boss continues to set the standard. Following ‘Legend’, one of the year’s standout techno tracks, we were treated to a supreme collaboration with Green Velvet ‘Simulator’.

Now as 2023 hits the halfway mark, he returns with a pair of aces. The title track is both expansive and immersive, as pin-sharp drums and a powerful chord melody rub shoulders with a vocal that references AI entering the creative space and the intriguing unknown consequences that will result. “I’m fascinated by this and curious to see how it develops, as it’s both a threat for artists, while also being an opportunity to utilise this technology when making art,” Beyer shares.

‘No Hate’ is the perfect sonic contrast, a raw and dirty roller propelled by rhythmic percussion and a strident vocal line. A stomping ‘Trippy Mix’ of ‘No Hate’ rounds out the release.

Hotflush continues its celebratory 20th anniversary year with a vinyl-only sequel to Scuba’s Record Store Day UK release, “Hardcore Heaven”.

‘Hardcore Heaven II’ develops the theme of that first release back in April. Taking influence from producers like Top Buzz, Nookie, and Foul Play, the familiar collision of hard-edged beats, euphoric breakdowns, and helium vocals gets a Scuba-in-2023 update.

The tracks on this EP add a twist of twisted breaks, early 2-step, and classic broken beat to the mix, as well as some moody vocal rubs and the customary dancefloor flavours.

The six tracks included here are presented on red and black splatter vinyl, limited to 500 copies with definitely no represses.

Tibi Dabo unveils his long-awaited full-length ‘Vista’ on Crosstown Rebels this September, with the kaleidoscopic nine-track album showcasing his diverse and rich sound palette.

Born in Barcelona, DJ, producer, and musician Tibi Dabo has proven himself adept at mixing the classic and the cutting-edge. From his early days touring Europe and the US with a band in which he plays the drums, the foundation for his experimentation for his work within the electronic sphere, he has since grown to become an exciting and much-loved DJ and producer, adding to his growing reputation as a Crosstown Rebels favourite. Stepping things up once more, his spirited new album ‘Vista’ is a perfect fusion of futuristic synths and compelling house grooves, all of which are masterfully designed and full of character. Following three well-received singles across the summer, the full-length is a complete sonic statement that explores deep house, leftfield sonics and widescreen cosmic vistas.

Opener ‘Water Is’ layers up fresh sound sources and playful melodies on nimble basslines that soon make you move. ‘Somewhere Beach’ is then a silky groove layered up with diffuse pads and aching synths that convey real romance, while ‘Licht’ is another masterful display of original drum programming with bursts of cosmic synth and elastic bass. ‘Useless Ideas’ then gets deeper on more low-key drums and bass. Instead, the focus is on the deft percussion and well-treated vocals that swirl and smudge around the mix to a woozy late-night effect.

The elegant ‘Mundo’ channels the machine soul of early Detroit techno, before ‘Mangabeira Manifesto’ featuring Dudu Bongo layers up wonky drums and bass with curling, soft acid sounds and a playful vocal line. ‘Triple Frontier’ picks up the pace and heads out on a high-speed cosmic house journey, all before ‘Overture’, another far-sighted astral trip with starry melodies and rich, rubbery bass, closes the package in fine style.

An expressive and adventurous yet coherent long player with a range of moods, feelings and grooves taking you to all corners of the house world, ‘Vista’ showcases Dabo’s most in-depth project to date and an album which provides the perfect platform for him to display his rich sonic universe.

Topaz Jones is a rapper, producer, and filmmaker from Montclair, NJ. Rooted in an independent ethic, Jones’ oeuvre moves to document and preserve the intimacy and intricacies of Black life. His music builds from a deep investment in community, concerning itself with all measures of time at once; his vantage effortlessly weaves through the (sur)real with generous detail and the sensitivity of one who’s lived many times before. It’s hip-hop for now, as informed by the depths of tradition - funk, soul, jazz - and a grand imagination for what’s to come. To experience Topaz Jones is to be greeted with unseen flavors of a collective familiar performer both decorated and versatile, Topaz Jones is a trailblazer across medium and genre. He shapeshifts with ease, rendering no stage or space unfit for his presence. He’s shared stages with Future, David Bryne, The Roots, and Moses Sumney, and been featured at Bonnaroo, Wireless Festival, and Rolling Loud. Jones’ music has amassed over 50 million streams, earning features in the likes of Vogue, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Pitchfork, The FADER, and Okayplayer. In 2021, Jones released his critically- acclaimed second album Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma. The album’s accompanying short film, a collaboration with directorial duo rubberband., received a Short Film Jury Award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, and was acquired by The New York Times Op-Docs

Yo! Bum Rush The Show was the debut album from Public Enemy, originally released in April 1987 on Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted the sample-heavy sound by production team The Bomb Squad and was very much a Rick Rubin-directed production. Each track is comprised of kicking heavy guitars toward the front, honing the loops, rhythms, and samples into a roar with as much in common with rock as rap.

LOS ANGELES BASED PRODUCER MINION DEBUTS ON EVAR RECORDS WITH THE FOUR-TRACK EP 'NITE LYFE.' RELEASED ON AURA T-09 AND TRICKFINGER'S REVERED RECORD LABEL, 'NITE LYFE' MERGES HARDCORE, TECHNO AND GABBER WITH SOFT TEXTURES AND GOSSAMER SHEENS, EVOKING AN INTENSE, WAVEY TRIP. THIS ONE IS SUITED TO A CHURNING, POST-3 AM DANCEFLOOR, OR IN MINION'S OWN WORDS, "WARM SUMMER NIGHTS IN LOS ANGELES WAREHOUSES."

OPENER 'SAD B0I MASSIVE' BLENDS DISTORTED, GABBER-FLECKED DRUMS WITH CRUNCHY SNARES, WHILE A HAZY, DAFT PUNK-ESQUE SYNTHLINE CONJURES A DREAMY VIBE. THIS SIGNATURE MINION MOVE CONVEYS HIS KNACK FOR SERVING UP HARSH YET ROMANTIC ATMOSPHERES, PAIRING TWO OPPOSITE MOODS THAT MELT INTO ONE ANOTHER LIKE ACETONE AND WATER.

ON 'MAGNETAR', WE'RE CAUGHT UP IN THE THUNDERDOME CIRCA 1990, BUT JUST FOR A MOMENT. WHILE RUBBERY KICK DRUMS AND WHOOSHING HOOVER SOUNDS SHAPE THE TRACK, MINION COMBINES THESE OLD-SKOOL ELEMENTS WITH A MORE MODERN QUIRK, PRODUCING A TWINKLING MELODY THAT AROUSES EMOTION AND EUPHORIA.

THE PENULTIMATE TRACK 'GREY GOO' IS THE TOUGHEST OF THE FOURSOME. BUILT WITH OFF-KILTER, GRAINY KICKDRUMS AND CINEMATIC PADS THAT SLINK BETWEEN RUSTY BEATS, IT BRIDGES HARDCORE MOTIFS WITH DELICATE SHADES OF GREY, MINION-STYLE.

FINAL TRACK 'SATURDAY NIGHT IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE' DISPLAYS MINION'S VERSATILITY AS A PRODUCER. DELVING INTO A POTENT PALETTE OF ELECTRO, BREAKBEAT, TECHNO AND 2-STEP, HE WELDS RAPID-FIRE CLAPS, FIZZING HI-HATS AND A HEARTFELT MELODY, WEAVING THROUGH BLEEPS AND A CHUNKY BASSLINE—A SIGNAL TO END A LONG TRIP, SOMEWHERE IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE.

ALTHOUGH MINION PRODUCED THE TRACKS FOUR YEARS AGO, 'NITE LYFE' STANDS THE TEST OF TIME AND DOESN'T FOLLOW ANY ONE TREND OR GENRE. INSTEAD, IT'S AN ALCHEMY OF SONIC PATTERNS AND CONTRASTING COLOURS, NODDING TO MINION'S PUNK, HARDCORE AND EXPERIMENTAL INFLUENCES THAT CULTIVATED ODDBALL ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN THE 80S. THE AFTERGLOW OF THESE SOUNDS CULMINATES IN AN EP THAT RIPPLES WITH INTRIGUING HOOKS, CORROSIVE QUALITIES AND STRANGELY BLISSFUL MELODIES. IT REFLECTS THE EXPANSIVE ETHOS OF EVAR DOWN TO THE FINAL BAR.

Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey might be better known as members of legendary post-punk group The Sound, but the two were childhood friends and had been playing together even earlier in The Outsiders, and continued their deep musical rapport as a duo, creating these intense and engaging songs as Second Layer at the same time as their higher profile band output. Following our release of Courts Or Wars, combining their early material, we are proud to reissue their only full length album, World Of Rubber.

Fueled by experimentation in both song construction and recording techniques, the duo leave you enveloped in what The Quietus described as, “a monochrome worldview morbidly obsessed with the dehumanizing effect of war, nuclear weapon annihilation, and the fracturing and negation of the self within an increasingly distorted and technologically mediated society.” Indeed, the goal had been to make each album a concept album, with this to be titled: Second Layer’s World Of Rubber. Alas, this was to be the first and last of those efforts. New detailed liner notes from Graham Bailey shed considerable light on the creation of this cold classic and its immediate aftermath.

Bailey’s inventive construction and deconstruction of various electronics, effects boxes and tape loops form the propulsive base for these songs. Borland’s guitar playing is jagged and unleashed. Above it all is an undeniable sense of melody and Adrian’s distinctive vocals. Soon, they would wonder where Second Layer ended and The Sound began, but World Of Rubber would stand as a document of this fertile period. It would also be a lasting testament to their desire to push the boundaries of their creativity. Dark and brooding the result is what Bandcamp described as “brutally bleak, blank-eyed post-punk that remains chillingly compelling.”

In the swirl of underground music emerging from Dunedin, New Zealand in the 1980s, Peter Gutteridge stands as one of the era’s most intense and shadowy figures. Despite being a founding member of The Clean and The Chills, Gutteridge would eschew indie-rock fame for the hypnotic and driving sounds of his later bands such as Snapper.

Fittingly, it is Pure—Gutteridge’s lone solo album of intimate home recordings—that serves as the most revealing and celebrated release of his career. As Peter Jefferies writes in the liner notes, “That’s what’s so good about Pure. Not only the songs, but the name, the name for the recording. It is as pure as you can get. That’s the real deal, when it goes from nothing to something and he catches it on his machine.”

Originally released on cassette in 1989 on Xpressway, Pure documents Gutteridge’s stunning use of 4-track as instrument. Featuring lo-fi pop gems and interstitial sketches, the LP combines densely layered keyboards and guitars, distorted drum machines and possessed-sounding vocals to create a truly singular work of undistilled artistic vision.

While Gutteridge denied that he was the architect of the “Dunedin Sound,” Pure sits comfortably next to the most revered Flying Nun releases of its time. Shifting exquisitely from churning rattle to an airy ease without losing momentum, these twenty-one songs hold a lasting place in the canon of DIY music. Recommended for fans of Syd Barrett, Jim Shepard and early Fad Gadget. Includes drawing chosen by Peter’s family.

Owl Records has another 12" that will get your head swiveling and booty shaking. It comes from the BBC 6 Music host, TV legend turned funk and soul tastemaker Craig Charles who has put totters a couple of sizzling edits. First up he layers a classic Hot Chocolate sample over a rolling and rubbery beat and bassline that will pump any dance floor. On the flip is a more slow and seductive sound in 'Rok On' with its funky bass and sleazy vocals over low-slung and slo-mo beats. Add in the playful trumpets and muted string and you have a brilliantly curious and compelling cut.

Pressing Info: 180g black vinyl double LP, etched D-side, hand-numbered gatefold sleeve, limited to 500, download card included. Porto-based trio 10 000 Russos will release their new 'Live In Berlin' double LP on March 24th 2023 via Rubber Duck, a new live album imprint by Fuzz Club Records. The record captures the band storming through their subterranean motorik psych-drone live at Berlin's Astra Kulturhaus on October 16th 2021. Recorded whilst out on a European tour, 'Live In Berlin' finds 10 000 Russos performing their 2021 'Superinertia' LP in full the album's five songs expanded and taken to even more transfixing and hedonistic heights in a live setting. These shows were 10 000 Russos' first with the new, more-electronic line-up and sound, with newly-recruited synth player Nils Meisel making his debut on the 'Superinertia' LP and completing the line-up alongside founding members Joao Pimenta (drums/vocals) and Pedro Pestana (guitar). Across the hour-long set, Pimenta's deadpan sprechgesang vocal and machine-like percussion, Pestana cascading psych guitar-loops and Meisel's repetitive synth basslines all combine on a performance that will pull you into a trance at times and get you on your feet at others.

A long-in-the-works project of ours, here comes A Tribe Called Kotori's first foray into full-length territories, as the immensely talented Rampue takes us on a melancholy-riddled ride across his phantasmatic mindscapes. A true sound explorer, deftly steering his ship down the junction of electronica, abstract and balearic-infused prog house, the Berlin-based vibist has us transfixed and elevated throughout the twelve cuts that form the backbone to this lushly textured promenade in sound - at times understatedly euphoric, at others rivetingly exotic.

Of the creative process that lead to 'Bubblebath Trance', Rampue explains "It all started and ended in the same moment: my cherished feline companion, my laptop awash with an unintended bath, and alas, a dearth of backups. The resultant calamity, an echo of chaotic tranquility." Under the generous layer of irony lies some unaltered truth about Rampue's debut long-player for A Tribe Called Kotori: this sense of serenity that goes with stepping into this warm and bubbling primitive chaos of sorts infuses the listening experience far and wide. Distantly emulating the "euphonious strains" of iconic PS1 video games soundtracks from his youth days, the album has us surfing a constant paradox of emotions, wistful but not abandoning itself to sorrow, dynamic yet suspended in some sort of mind-expanding stasis. As if you were looking at the world beneath you in exploded view, conscious of all thing, slowly moving up the many layers of our atmosphere towards uncharted skies.

A paragon of Rampue's most poignant take on classic electronica tropes, 'Harmonie' blazes with a poetic fire that engulfs about everything in its wake. Just figure yourself riding a chocobo across the sand-covered expanse of North Corel (toasting to the FFVII nerds here) as this blasts out in the distance. From this trancey bubblebath emerge lots of musical shades and nuances, from the nicely dubbed-out, brass-heavy coastal jazz of 'Schattenschranz' to the choppy, trip-hop-adjacent future electronics of 'Inside', via the exuberantly joyous mess of faux-organic number 'Tripomatic' and cinematic charisma of 'Ich hasse Sonne' high-flying orchestrations.

Connecting the dots between that trance-indebted ebullience and further downtempo-friendly attraction, 'Verfahren' perhaps encompasses best what 'Bubblebath Trance' is about: gracefully walking the tightrope in-limbo nostalgia-soaked inner movements and a powerful outward thrust, burning to let the feelings ooze out from the shell that holds them.Clad in purely 90s-compatible breaksy motion, 'Salz' is another attempt to reconcile emotional and physical dissonance, like kneading all states - solid, liquid and vaporous - into an impossible mega-vibe of its own; malleable, strong and enveloping in equal measure. Borrowing from two-step and UK garage, 'Take Away' is a definite high in Rampue's master unfolding of musical twists and turns, summoning a Boarder Community-esque atmosphere and clashing it alongside floor-ready footwork motifs to fascinating effect.

An ode to his studio companion, 'Buchla Trip' finds Rampue's exploring his machinic friend's quirky yet soulful array of electronic potentialities - making it sound like a conversation you'd have with R2-D2 in the heart of a Sandcrawler, whereas 'Kajal' beams us up to a fragmented headspace, halfway altered PC-Pop and arps-loaded electronica on amphetamines. Effusive and transporting, the title-track 'Bubblebath Trance' could well figure as the album's no.1 medley in essence: a bountiful lucid dream of dancing forms, colours and sentiments to wrap your head around, confidently drifting from a liminal state of consciousness down the rapids of one's troubled inner workings.

Rounding off the package, the languid ambient finale of 'Die Leiden des hungrigen Fruehstuecks' rubber-stamps the feeling that 'Bubblebath Trance' belongs to that rare category of albums. The ones that mint their own alphabet aside from typical norms and expectations, teaching you the ropes of their new language as it unreels between your ears - real and unreal, elusive to any other meaning than the one your guts and brains will be inclined to give it to, in real time. A crystal-pure object if you will, that shall not reveal its secrets, even after a thousand listens and just as many wowing moments.

The first vinyl release from American artist Sydney Spann, Sending Up A Spiral Of well encapsulates Spann’s body of work thus far. On their music, which reacts to themes of family systems and care work, Sydney writes, “people who have done care work —nannies, sex workers, therapists, nurses— may possess their own musical knowledge, developed over time through particular modes of voicing practiced to achieve a desired outcome in their labor. Attending intimately to these ways of voicing and listening and bringing them into a sound practice could be a way to legitimize a less recognized kind of musical knowledge.”

Sending Up A Spiral Of explores this unarticulated expression through sound and song. The titular piece traces Spann within some quixotic woodland, as if beginning inside of some urban fairy-story. Self-soothing singing quivers under dragging branches, peeling cement and other tactile grit. The work drops into a new proximity half-way through as electronic contours overtake the environment. Sine-tones smolder in a pulsating choreography, perhaps reminiscent of Richard Maxfield’s “Night Music” played at half-speed.

The second section of the record depicts a series of five smaller portraits, expressed (or disguised) as lullabies. An oceanic humming permeates them. “Possession” and “Purposeful Evening” are the most song-like lullabies, with their verse-chorus repetition and melodic simplicity. Innocuous words “baby” and “honey” are encoded with deeper, often painful connotations. Sydney’s voice and vision for this album is ambitious, cloaked in the strains and contradictions of what love means in the nuclear family.

A 16-page artist pamphlet of rubbings, photographs and sheet music accompanies the LP, along with a digital PDF of Spann’s thesis “Sending Up A Spiral Of: A Musical Epistemology Made Through Care Work.”

Here John Cohen, Mike Seeger, and Tracy Schwartz provide backing for Cousin Emmy, the skilled banjo player, fiddler, and singer, whose legacy as a country music pioneer is cemented in the memories of those who heard her animated performances onstage and on the radio. This album contains some of her only recorded material, including several of her own compositions along with selections of old-time and bluegrass repertoire.

From the towering influence of Charley Patton and Son House to lesser- known artists shrouded in mystery, these seminal recordings helped lay the foundations or the electric blues and rock explosion to come.

Das kanadische Trio Half Moon Run präsentiert sein 4. Studioalbum. Salt ist ein ausladendes, ein umwerfendes Statement von einer Band, die sich auf dem Höhepunkt ihrer kompositorischen Kräfte befindet.
Die Reifezeit dieser neuen Songs umfasst zum Teil die gesamte Geschichte dieser Band - indem sie ihre allerneusten und ihre allerersten Songideen miteinander verbinden. Indem sie auf Kontraste und Kongruenzen setzen, auf Zurückliegendes und Zukünftiges zugleich. "Die Arbeit an diesem Album fühlte sich so an, als ob wir einen riesengroßen Kessel mit Songideen einkochen würden, bis nur noch ein elementarer Bodensatz übrigbleibt", sagt Bandmitglied Molander und bezieht sich damit auf den Titel Salt. "Was danach noch übrig war, das war nur dieses essenzielle Salz -Salt.