Search:the spirit

Limited edition picture disc in full colour printed sleeve

Covered In Stars featuring members of Luna, Spacemen 3, Slowdive, Spectrum, Add N To (X), The Vacant Lots, Spiritualized, Slipstream and more.

This is a wonderfully colourful, beautiful fun and powerfully transcendent album by Fuxa, Featuring driving drum machines, gritty fuzz bitten guitars on The Sun Is Shining and Mary, 80's neon midnight post-punk disco grooves on Shadazz and perfectly blissed out floating in space vibes (Help Me Please and Cluster Fuxa). The synths shimmer and elevate, guitars attack and sparkle and the vocals deliver dark romanticism which evoke often David Cronenberg inspired fantasies such as photographs of car crashes, crushes on perfect strangers and unknown futures. 
 - Simon Scott (Slowdive)


Fuxa returns in 2022 with a new album  'Covered In Stars'
 
Eight new songs and several years in the making, of what can best be described as a full on sonic explosion. Mixing space-rock elements, krautrock rhythms, punchy beats and swirling electronic sweeps and beeps that would make for a perfect soundtrack for any warp speed travelling cosmonauts with phasers set to fun!!
 
For the past 25 years Fuxa front man Randall Nieman has no doubt been on a cosmic journey in sound and space. from his early beginnings a part of Detroit locals Windy and Carl as a guitarist/synth player, running and releasing close to 100 releases on his own label Mind Expansion, to later joining Sonic Boom's (Spacemen 3) group Spectrum for close to a decade. Performing the songs that Spacemen taught him touring across North America and Europe as well as recording and releasing several releases with Sonic under the Spectrum moniker. 
Randall has since worked with and released numerous amounts of material with the likes of Martin Rev (Suicide), The Telescopes and Dean and Britta (Luna) to name a few.
 
It is no surprise that Randall would once again build this new album with friends that he became close to over the years musically and there's certainly no shortage of indie royalty star power on this album
 
Produced by Randall Nieman, Richard Formby and Stefan Persson.
Mastered by Simon Scott (Slowdive)
This album features guest appearances from Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham (Luna), Ann Shenton (Add N to (X)), Mark Refoy and Jonny Mattock (Spiritualized, Slipstream), Roger Brogan (Spectrum/Dean Wareham), Jared Artaud (Vacant Lots) and more! Each adding an unmistakable and timeless element that Fuxa's core members have created. 
It would be hard not to notice the sheer aesthetic glory of this release as once again Randall has chosen the amazing James Marsh (most would remember him as the phenomenal artist responsible for all the Talk Talk albums over the years. His artwork is not only featured on the jacket but on both sides of the limited edition picture disc vinyl.
Covered in stars is a celebration of 25 years of music and friendships made along the way. 

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Fuxa! 

The first album of Web Web is very uncut, raw, live and direct. Oracle is the first output of a German Supergroup. Check the musician credits below and you'll get the score. The initial idea was to record a spiritual-jazz type of album, with all its imperfection as far as intonation, sound, influences of tunes... just like from their big jazz-heroes in the 70ies (e.g. Strata East, Black Jazz).

Web Web's idea was to record a jazz jam session while to found and proclaim being a fictive band, a formation, which did not exist, while telling people, it would be a secret jam session recording of the Seventies. The prompt problem they were facing: Oh, we never would be able to play concerts, doing interviews, or placing photos on sleeves or post likeness images online. So they decided to reveal their real identities:

Web Web are: Roberto Di Gioia (Piano, Synth, Percussion), Tony Lakatos (Tenor- and Sopranosaxophone), Christian von Kaphengst (Upright Bass) and Peter Gall (Drums).

Roberto Di Gioia (Mastermind of Web Web): - The four of us set up very close in a big room, so we could hear and feel each other the best way. The music became more intensive, improvisations became more dynamic and it was impulsive .

The album Oracle' was recorded on one day, only first takes were used!

We want to keep the burning spirit and the loose vibe we had during the recording session. And we play concerts the wild and free way we recorded this album. Web Web will be on tour 2018, but playing a few concerts in 2017.
Furthermore, one main decision to blab their real identities was: The second Web Web album is recorded in June (with guests like the famous and unique Gembri-player and multiinstrumentalist and singer Majid Bekkas from Morocco).
Both albums were engineered, recorded and mixed by Jan Krause (Beanfield, Poets Of Rhythm).

Roberto Di Gioia: - Tony was tuning his Soprano too high, and his (overdubbed) tenor way too flat!
My synthesizers were somewhere in between...HA! We exactly had the sound we had in our minds, we had it exactly there were we wanted it: a bit of Sun Ra here, a bit of Horace Tapscott there. On some tunes Tony's soprano just sounds like a trumpet, since due to his weird tuning the soprano develops different frequencies in relation to other instruments.

Oracle' is the first live jazz release on Compost. Produced by Roberto Di Gioia and Michael Reinboth.

Roberto Di Gioia has been working with numerous jazz-legends, such as Woody Shaw, Art Farmer, James Moody, Johnny Griffin, Charlie Rouse, Clifford Jordan, Clark Terry, Roy Ayers, Gregory Porter and many more.

From 1990 to 2008: member Klaus Doldingers Passport. As a pianist he made recordings with Udo Lindenberg (MTV-Unplugged, 2011), Charlie Watts ( Music Of The Rolling Stones , 2005), Console ( Reset The Preset , 2003), The Notwist ( Shrink 1998, Neon Golden , 2002). Since 2007 he is working together with Samon Kawamura and Max Herre as KAHEDI: Max Herre ( Hallo Welt , 2012), Joy Denalane ( Gleisdreieck , 2017), u.v.m...His own group MARSMOBIL (produced by Peter Kruder) will release his fourth studioalbum in winter 2017.

Tony Lakatos originates from the world famous Lakatos-familiy from Budapest, Hungary. His father was a famous violinist, as well as his younger brother Roby. He started playing saxophone when he was 15 years old. Tony studied at the Bela-Bartok-Conservatory in Budapest, and made his degree in 1979. Since then he played on over 350 jazz albums (!!), to name a few: Al Foster, Kirk Lightsey, Randy Brecker, George Mraz, David Witham, Terri Lyne Carrington, Anthony Jackson. Tony was a member of Jasper Van´t Hofs PILI PILI. Since 1993 he is working with the HR Radio-Bigband as a soloist.

Christian von Kaphengst learned the piano at the Peter-Cornelius-Conservatory in Mainz when he was 6 years old. From 1988 to 1995 he studied upright-bass at the - Musikhochschule in Cologne. He was touring with his own Jazzquartett - Cafe du Sport to Pakistan, India, Turkey and West-Africa. Since 1999 he regularly plays with Patti Austin and The New York Voices in Europe. Von Kaphengst played with the greatest musicians, such as Randy Brecker, Nat Adderley, Roy Hargrove, Joe Sample, Charlie Mariano, Katja Ebstein, Xavier Naidoo, Roachford, Yvonne Catterfeld.

Peter Gall won some important German awards already when he was a youngster, like - Jugend Jazzt . He was touring with the famous - Bundesjazzorchester conducted by German jazz legend Peter Herbholzheimer. He studied at the Berlin University Of Fine Arts and at the Jazz Institute Berlin with John Hollenbeck. Gall made a masterclass at the Manhattan School Of Music with John Riley. He has been working with Seamus Blake, Ben Street, Gabriel Rios, Jasmin Tabatabai, Thomas Quasthoff, Peter Fessler.

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners’ self-titled debut album is an energetic album that celebrates rock’n’roll and as Ginger explains it is in “the spirit of the music that we all collectively love, from childhood to the present day. The latest single, "Six Years Gone" by Georgia Satellites is the first song Ginger wanted to play with the band back when this was just an idea. “I became a bit obsessed with the song while in LA for Lemmy’s funeral, and carried it around in my heart from then until we all congregated at the studio.” Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners were formed in August 2019 when Ginger joined forces with Neil Ivison and Nick Lyndon from the band Stone Mountain Sinners. The line up was completed with drummer Shane Dixon (Tri-City Fanfare) and as Ginger explains “Me and The Sinners met for the very first time in the studio, in preparation for recording an album together. We figured out that if we can’t get along with each other then the music would be ultimately worthless. So we went to the pub and got drunk together. The next morning the music started flowing with ease. This is the sound of friendship.”

Quality over quantity. That’s what characterises Shamek Farrah and Norman Person’s recorded output. They may have a small discography between them but it’s a stable of recordings that centrally locate them in the development of the black jazz of America. BBE Music is delighted to present a new edition of a rare, relatively unknown, and unheard gem. Recorded between 1988 and 1991 across a series of concerts, ‘Live’ was released in 1991 and was only available for sale at their gigs. Issued on audio cassette on Farrah’s private Heritage Industries label, ‘Live’ is a raw, uncompromising selection of deep, conscious jazz featuring three original compositions and two covers: ‘Aisha’, written by Person, was inspired by Person’s daughter and is a majestic joyous groove that extends out into a percussive jam; ‘Negative Forces’ is a fiercely paced hard bopper worthy of the Jazz Messengers. Written by Person, he tells how “it had to be like a torpedo, man. It had to come out strong and fight against those negative forces”. The one Farrah/Person co-write on the album is ‘Timeless Beings’, a short freeform improvisation that creates a distinct moment of space and light in an otherwise intensely focussed, yet highly accessible album. The two covers on the album reflect the instruments of the co-leaders: sax and trumpet. ‘Footprints’, the classic written by the Newark Flash himself, Wayne Shorter, and first heard on ‘Miles Smiles’ in 1967 is delivered deftly by Farrah and co. Here, the band pays a respectful yet adventurous rendition, with some superbly colourful piano from Sonelius Smith. The second cover is a tribute to the great trumpeter Clifford Brown, who died in a car accident in 1956, aged just 25. ‘I Remember Clifford’ written by Benny Golson, is handled with suitably delicate reverence. “I still listen to Clifford Brown today,” says Person. “He’s still my teacher.” On ‘Live’, saxophonist Farrah and trumpeter Person - friends for decades - capture an energy and vibration that is infused with the spirit of their youth – whether drawing on the hard bop of the late 50s and early 60s or the Afrocentric spiritual jazz of the early 70s, of which Farrah is intimately linked via his albums on Strata East, ‘Live’ is a document of two masters at work. ‘Live’ has flown under the radar to many a fan of prime black conscious and spiritual jazz but now BBE brings back this astonishing set by two giant talents accompanied by a group of musicians who shine with brilliance and verve. Available for the first time on CD, digital, and double vinyl set cut at 45rpm by the Grammy-nominated The Carvery mastering studio, ‘Live’ also comes with an extended interview with Shamek Farrah and Norman Person by Tony Higgins.

“We’ve been reflecting on the relationship between our innerworlds and outerworlds,” says Soccer96’s Danalogue. “How our minds shape our experience and our experience shapes our mind. How caring and nurturing our innerworlds can improve our relationship with our outer experiences. We see the creation of music as the bridge between these two worlds.”

Betamax, who makes up the duo along with fellow Comet is Coming member Danalogue, describes their latest album as “spiritual combat music to steady us through the stormy changes of the outer world.”

For this album the pair co-wrote with The Colours That Rise, Tom Herbert, Salami Rose Joe Louis, Simbad and Rozi Plain.

From the exhilarating electronic charge and propulsive rhythm of ‘Crystal Pyramid’ to the almost cosmic drum n bass of ‘Speak More of Love’ feat The Colours That Rise, the album takes in a vast array of sounds and styles, from jazz to electronica, while never really sitting comfortably within easy genre categorisation. “We are searching for particular spontaneous energies that feel fresh and resonant,” Betamax says. “The hope is that when we reach this experience the music can penetrate the mind and affect the deepest mental processes.”

THE BOBBY LEES, fresh off an extensive European tour that
included the Woodstock, NY-based band’s first stint in the UK,
wowing audiences and critics alike (“screaming feedback,
howling vocals, and a thumping beat suggest that rock’n’roll is
still very much alive” - The Arts Desk), the Sam Quartin-led
quartet announce the release of their Ipecac Recordings’ debut
album, ‘Bellevue’.
 The 13-song album, which was recorded live in-studio, was
produced by Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, The
Raconteurs).
 Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, Henry Rollins… these are just a few of
the punk icons who have shown support for the band. Sam
Quartin (vocals, guitar), Macky Bowman (drums), Nick Casa
(guitar) and Kendall Wind (bass) make music that is punk in
spirit and soul; unfettered and resolutely honest. To say their
sound is wild and untethered is an understatement. It’s the kind
of aural exorcism any listener can tap into, something that
struck a chord with Henry Rollins who brought them to Ipecac
Recordings where Mike Patton and Greg Werckman signed
them.
 Two European tours in the past year plus their first ever UK tour
in Summer 2022.
 “THE BOBBY LEES’ music, with its Sonic Youth-ian freakouts
and barebones grit, is kind of like the best bad trip ever.” -
Consequence
 “... deliciously sleazy garage rock ‘n’ roll. It’s an old-school
adrenaline rush, overrun with jagged guitar work and vocals that
recall the spit and vigor of CBGB’s in the ’70s.” - Guitar World

Perpetual Doom proudly presents the new album from Earl Vallie: Ghost Approaches. Brandishing a new moniker and a reenergized spirit, Vallie teams up with producer and drummer Greg Saunier of Deerhoof to deliver a collection of boldly weird and defiantly life-affirming songs. Earl Vallie cordially invites you on a journey into the depths of the working-class artist, the neon-sludge pit where workaday drudgery mixes with outsized desires and jumbotron dreams. Ghost Approaches is a cry of resilience, what opener “Ready to Die” calls a “blood-curdled promise to set things right.” That song kicks off the record with a Springsteen-esque howl, with charging guitars and an echoing wail. It’s an appropriate sentiment for a record that begun with Vallie’s move from Joshua Tree to LA and the pandemic-borne worry that music might be behind him. But just like the burst of synths that lifts the dancefloor love affair of “Hollow Skies,” Ghost Approaches ascends with a new, bolder sound. Together with Saunier, whose drumming gives the album a gritty pulse, Vallie adds new heft to his desert-lean tunes until even the album’s darkest moments (“Reap the Seeds of Love”) exhibit a bioluminescent glow. But behind it all is Vallie’s unmistakable voice. Ghost Approaches features a remarkable range of musical contributions, from the chilling sax at the end of “My Babys Broomstick” to background vocals of Val Glenn on “Hollow Skies” and Heidi Alexander on the doo-wop inflected “Prom.” “My only goal,” Earl says, “is to uplift people with sounds and melodies that are undeniably relatable and healing for all.” It may be a ghost approaching—but it’s a good one.

New single by Pittsburgh, PA-based band The Commonheart. "They pay soulful tribute to the soul gods without disrespecting their exhumed remains." - No Depression Live and in the studio, the Pittsburgh-based collective is offering feel-good positivity, Golden Rule messaging, and sweat-soaked performances that nimbly ease through blues, vintage soul, and rock. The band is bonded by familial-like ties and a desire to foster spiritual uplift. Among its ranks are female backup singers, drums, bass, guitar, a horn section, and keyboards. Out front is Clinton, a lightning bolt charismatic frontman with dynamically expressive pipes that effortlessly traverse bluesy pleading, and honeyed balladeering. "Hustler" is an anthem for perseverance. Told thru the eyes of a street hustler's mindset; this song offers their interpretation of what it takes to make a living in this world thru the hardest times. The narrative runs parallel for anyone that's finding their way thru life with grit, fearlessness & drive. The new album, produced by Steve Berlin, saxophonist, keyboardist, and record producer, best known as a member of the rock group Los Lobos, entitled 'For Work or Love' will be released on September 16th, 2022.

For Fans Of: Aasha Puthli / Grace Jones / Minnie Ripperton/ The Supremes/ Love Apple / Kendra Morris. Previous debut 45 garnered much acclaim from KCRW, the BBC, Albumism, and countless more. The band consists of Piya Malik (El Michels Affair, former 79.5 and backing singer for Chicano Batman), Nya Parker Brown (former 79.5), and Sabrina Cunningham. Housed in a spot-glossed LP with exclusive lyric / photo insert. The highly anticipated debut LP from Say She She, the all female discodelic soul band that will transport you with their dreamy harmonies, catchy hooks and up tempo grooves! The band's sound is a hat tip to late 70’s girl groups with the three strong female lead voices of Piya Malik (featured in El Michels Affair, and backing singer for Chicano Batman), Nya Gazelle Brown, and Sabrina Cunningham - whose vocals soar through a set doused heavily with funky bass lines, rhythmic wah guitar, melodic synths and lilting bansuri flute lines, bursting into a seamless blend of dreamy harmonies and catchy hooks. A multicultural, multi-instrumental, collaborative melting pot, pulling sounds and styles from all corners of their record collections. The largely self-produced debut album ‘Prism’ features contributions from Dap Kings Joey Crispiano & Victor Axelrod, Max Shrager (The Shacks) Bardo Martinez (Chicano Batman) Nikhil Yearwadekar (former Antibalas) Andy Bauer (Twin Shadow) and Matty McDermot (NYPMH). “The funkiest sh*t we’ve heard in a while” (KCRW) // “A glorious overload of joyful elation and spiritual elevation”

For Fans Of: Aasha Puthli / Grace Jones / Minnie Ripperton/ The Supremes/ Love Apple / Kendra Morris. Previous debut 45 garnered much acclaim from KCRW, the BBC, Albumism, and countless more. The band consists of Piya Malik (El Michels Affair, former 79.5 and backing singer for Chicano Batman), Nya Parker Brown (former 79.5), and Sabrina Cunningham. Housed in a spot-glossed LP with exclusive lyric / photo insert. The highly anticipated debut LP from Say She She, the all female discodelic soul band that will transport you with their dreamy harmonies, catchy hooks and up tempo grooves! The band's sound is a hat tip to late 70’s girl groups with the three strong female lead voices of Piya Malik (featured in El Michels Affair, and backing singer for Chicano Batman), Nya Gazelle Brown, and Sabrina Cunningham - whose vocals soar through a set doused heavily with funky bass lines, rhythmic wah guitar, melodic synths and lilting bansuri flute lines, bursting into a seamless blend of dreamy harmonies and catchy hooks. A multicultural, multi-instrumental, collaborative melting pot, pulling sounds and styles from all corners of their record collections. The largely self-produced debut album ‘Prism’ features contributions from Dap Kings Joey Crispiano & Victor Axelrod, Max Shrager (The Shacks) Bardo Martinez (Chicano Batman) Nikhil Yearwadekar (former Antibalas) Andy Bauer (Twin Shadow) and Matty McDermot (NYPMH). “The funkiest sh*t we’ve heard in a while” (KCRW) // “A glorious overload of joyful elation and spiritual elevation”

Das zweite Album der Indie-Folk-Supergroup um Anaïs Mitchell ("eine der größten Songwriterinnen ihrer Generation" NPR), Eric D. Johnson (FRUIT BATS) und Josh Kaufman (THE WAR ON DRUGS, THE NATIONAL, TAYLOR SWIFT). Produziert von Bandmitglied Josh Kaufman, ist "Rolling Golden Holy" der Nachfolger ihres von der Kritik gefeierten, selbstbetitelten Debüts, das zwei GRAMMY-Nominierungen (Best Folk Album und Best American Roots Performance) erhielt und von u.a. Paste, MOJO, Uncut Magazine als eines der "Besten Alben des Jahres 2020" bezeichnet wurde. Falls sich das Debüt von Bonny Light Horseman jemals wie das Werk einer kurzlebigen Supergroup oder einer einmaligen Abwechslung angefühlt haben sollte (was sie nie war), widerlegt "Rolling Golden Holy" diese Vorstellung mit überirdischer Schönheit, Charme und Fantasie. Diese 11 Songs - allesamt Originale, geschrieben und realisiert vom Trio als Ganzes - folgen den Pfaden der traditionellen Melodien, die die Band schätzt, zu neuen musikalischen und lyrischen Grenzen, und geben den Klängen und Situationen der Geschichte die Schwere und Form der Gegenwart. "Rolling Golden Holy" bestätigt, dass es sich bei Bonny Light Horseman nicht um ein Projekt, sondern um eine Band handelt, die derzeit an der Speerspitze des modernen amerikanischen Folk arbeitet. Die ersten Schreibsitzungen von "Rolling Golden Holy" - und die beiden darauf folgenden Aufnahmesessions, zuerst in Aaron Dessners (THE NATIONAL) Long Pond Studio und dann in dem, was sie als ihr "spirituelles Zuhause" bezeichnen, der wunderschönen und buschigen alten Kirche namens Dreamland - waren eine Reihe von "Ja, und"-Treffen, bei denen jedes Mitglied die anderen ermutigte, eine Idee aufzugreifen und sie ein wenig weiterzuverfolgen, um die Komfortzonen zu überwinden. Auf "Rolling Golden Holy" stellt das Trio eine wesentliche Frage - und beantwortet sie mit jedem Stück: Wo hört die traditionelle Folkmusik auf und wo fängt die moderne Folkmusik an, falls es eine solche Abgrenzung überhaupt gibt? Diese Lieder suggerieren und verkörpern ständig ein unausgesprochenes Kontinuum. Hier zeigen sich BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN in der vollen Pracht ihres Lebens als komplette Band.

Levitation Orchestra are the next progression of London's vibrant jazz scene. A vibrant collective with a balanced, workshop-orientated approach to composition, members include Axel Kaner-Lindstrom (Cykada), Xvngo (Nihilism, SEED Ensemble), and Maria Zofia Osuchowska (Alabaster dePlume). Their alternative instrumental line-up, spiritual jazz-informed groove, hard-hitting spoken word verses and highly original compositions are taken to the next level with their forthcoming album, Illusions & Realities.

** SISTER FUNK, SOUL-JAZZ and BLUE-EYED-SOUL - OBSCURE RARE GROOVES ALL THE WAY THRU! **

- the double vinyl LP comes with a full album download code
- deluxe double-gatefold LP with detailed liner notes & unseen photographs
- ALL songs appear on LP & digital for the very first-time
- sales notes by Joel Ricci (aka Lucky Brown)

When Tramp Records was founded, there really were very few ways in which the music lover could discover new music besides the traditional methods of digging, good luck, and inheritance. First there were torrent sites such as Napster and Limewire where generous collectors might digitize and upload portions of their accessions, and sometimes you could find entire radio show broadcasts of live vinyl curation made by real Disc Jockeys out there, a lot of the Deep Funk I heard for the first time in around 1999 I found this way via Disc Jockeys on radio shows from the UK, tunes were faded and mixed together and of course veiled with that unmistakable Mp3 'whoosh'. And unless you have been living as an off-grid hermit for the past 20 years, you know the rest of the story.

But though our world has changed, and even though everyone from our grandparents to our 5-year old nieces are curating their own internet playlists, I submit that the role of DJ has become even more vital, not less. We as a culture have always relied on our Disc Jockeys to introduce us to sounds that speak to their souls, to control the vibe and most importantly put forth the narrative that speaks to society as a whole. DJs are our tribal storytellers, and the music they bring us are the stories. And when a DJ like Tobias Kirmayer is telling us that story clearly and with conviction, it speaks to our souls as well.

"Countdown to...SOUL" is a compilation series that, much like Tramp Records' other critically-acclaimed comps such as Movements, Feeling Nice, and the Praise Poems Series' examines a unique facet of the Golden Era of Soul, Funk, Jazz and R&B. Perhaps, in this case the dawning of the Soul era, "proto-soul", "primitive soul", or even "pre-soul" if you will. When they were recorded, many of these tunes were still firmly ensconced in the Black Radical Jazz tradition, but there was a change in the air, something happening in the coming years that would revolutionize popular music forever. In fact, Soul had already taken over the world by the time many of these tunes were released on 45, but for various reasons, the artists and their music occupied the fringes of the idiom and therefore remained obscure. Countdown to...SOUL chronicles that beginning, that buildup, those heady moments before the lid blew off and American Black music would explode across the planet, while scouring the outskirts and tide pools for specimens that were emanating in their own respective neighborhoods and communities, so often overlooked by the American pop music machine.

Side A features barrier-breaking pioneer Frankie Staton and her message of "Love One Another" to the world that is as fresh and vital today as it was when it first came out in the late seventies. In that spirit, Tenison Stevens' appeal "Don't Rip Me Off" reminds us to treat each other as brothers and sisters.

Side B meets us at the altar of the formidable Hammond Organ with an Unknown and uncredited Organist found languishing on a one-of-a-kind unreleased acetate and moving on to explore the nexus of Soul, Bebop, and R&B with Don Patterson's "Paddy Wagon".

Side C satisfies our hunger for the blaring horn sections, big beat drums, wailing Hammonds, pleading vocals and gritty guitars of authentic Soul music (both brown and blue-eyed) with Marva Josie, Shirley Wahls and The Echomen, among others, but then takes a hard left turn into undoubtedly uncharted territory with the hybrid folk/country/soul story of Sherrif Black and poor Sally who, though she is tragically met with a terrible fate, thanks to the careful and conscientious mastering of our German engineers, the song itself remains alive and is a genuine addition to the canon.

For the remaining side, I'm gonna just let you discover this music on its own terms, as you won't find these tunes anywhere else, not on Napster, not even on Limewire, or anywhere else. I want to personally thank you for putting your trust in the DJ and for continuing to listen, study, appreciate, and share the work and mission of Tramp Records.

-Joel Ricci (May 2022)

Nathan Fake's fourth album, Providence, crafted in the wake of a crippling two year spell of writer's block. Is his most personal and profoundly emotional work to date.
.
Providence sees the British producer collaborate with vocalists for the first time, joining forces with Prurient (aka Vatican Shadow / founder of Hospital Productions) and Raphaelle Standell-Preston from Braids. Both arose from chance meetings in Geneva and Osaka as their tour schedules crossed. Prurient contributed the heavily distorted vocal to 'DEGREELESSNESS' - I was a huge fan of Dominic's (Prurient) music before we met and I love the way he situates his vocals in his productions. I really like how you can't make out what he's saying at all...' - whilst Raphaelle, who lends her voice to 'RVK', was introduced to Nathan by their mutual friend Jon Hopkins. I deliberately kept the first half of the track instrumental and I love the way her vocal lands,' he says. It's quite unexpected when she starts singing.'

It's the quickest album I've written and because of that it's got a close thread running throughout,' says Nathan of his creative process. It also has a distinct sonic signature as a result of the producer refreshing his set-up. I was feeling nostalgic and bought a cheap Korg Prophecy on a whim and it ended up being the backbone of the album,' he explains. I remember reading an article in Sound On Sound back in 1995-96 and I didn't really know much about music production then, but I remember thinking that it must be AMAZING. As it turns out, it's actually quite crap really... It's very hard to program, looks unimpressive, doesn't sound great (laughs), but I recorded it through loads of different pre-amps and tape and mixers and roughed it up. I'm always intrigued by low-end gear, I like the challenge and the limitations it poses.'

Norfolk born and bred, Nathan's first encounters with electronic music came via the radio (hearing the likes of Aphex Twin and Orbital) and reading about the equipment that they used in magazines. This was the stimulus for him to buy some gear and begin his own sonic experiments and, linking with James Holden in 2003, Nathan's early output came via his fledgling Border Community label. His debut album Drowning In A Sea Of Love' (2006) was a triumphant record, drawing a rapturous reception from the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian and Mixmag (who hailed it among the best of the year). Recording two further albums for Border Community, Hard Islands' (2009) and Steam Days' (2012), Nathan found himself in frantic touring mode for two years and, in this nomadic state, found it impossible to write any new music. On his return, events in his personal life intertwined with, and exacerbated, this creative block. I didn't write any music at all for about two years,' Nathan explains. Overall there was roughly a three year break from writing.'

Emerging from this extended period of inactivity with renewed vigour and lust for life, Providence was recorded during the first six months of 2016 in Nathan's home studio / living room. The meaning behind the title is two-pronged: on the one hand it's a nod to the aforementioned Korg Prophecy synth that features so heavily on the record. But on a deeper level it means guidance or divine guidance' - not necessarily in a religious sense but more to be guided by a higher power - or more specifically to Nathan, music as therapy and a path out of a dark period in his life.

Following the release of their critically acclaimed self-titled debut EP in 2021, Antwerp's Lucid Lucia are set to release their debut album 'Ever-changing Light' on the 7th October via the groove-obsessed Belgian tastemaker label, Sdban Ultra.

Searching to unwrap the mystery that is a human life, across nine tracks of jazz and space funk-infused grooves, Lucid Lucia look to the sound of Herbie's 'Head Hunters' and Miles' acid funk of the mid-70s for inspiration.

'Ever-changing Light' is a mind-expanding celebration centered on freedom and rhythm. Free-spirited saxes, futuristic-sounding keys, monstrous bass lines and shifting drum beats unite, resulting in an uplifting and joyous celebration of jazz, funk and groove. From the loose, laidback stylings of 'Mumpsimus' and the jazz-funk odyssey that is 'Pigeons' to the sonic wonders of 'Reminiscence' and urgent flow of 'Quanked', Lucid Lucia is a marvelous journey of luminous sounds and vibrant rhythms. Elsewhere, the warped aesthetics of 'Oneironauts' and improv 'Pukti part 1' showcase a tight rhythm section, inventive horns, funky keys and guitar while the spiritual magnum opus 'Voor Pieter A.' is a magical example of the virtuosity of Lucid Lucia.

Born from the ashes of fusion outfit BRZZVLL, Lucid Lucia were founded by saxophonist Vincent Brijs, a household name in Antwerp and the Belgian jazz scene. Former winners of the Jong Jazztalent Gent, BRZZVLL released their debut album 'Days of Thunder, Days of Grace' in 2008 and would go on to release five more albums including teaming up with Trinidad-born poet, novelist and musician Anthony Joseph on the 2014 critically acclaimed album 'Engines' and with hip-hop MC, writer and producer Amir Sulaiman on the 2016 album 'First Let's Dance'. The 2017 album 'Waiho', the band's first instumental album and final album received glowing praise from numerous tastemakers including UNCUT magazine, The Line of Best Fit, XLR8R and Record Collector magazine.

To the present day and Lucid Lucia marks a brighter, clearer sound for the sextet. Consisting of Vincent Brijs: saxophones and EWI, Bart Borremans: saxophones, Stijn Cools: drums, Dries Laheye: bass, Dries Verhulst: guitar, Jan Willems: keys and James Williams: drums and percussion, they have honed their skills performing with numerous artists from home and around the world including Ursula Rucker, Joseph Bowie (Defunkt), Amir Sulaiman, Anthony Joseph, Zena Edwards, Ayanna Witter Johnson, Baloji, Mo & Grazz, Kain the Poet (The Last Poets), Marie Daulne, Dizzy Madjeku, Ida Nielsen and many others.

“Pure psychotropic madness.” A screaming head on fire penetrated my chest, jolting me from the universal plane back to earth.” Guitarist/Singer/Sonic Alchemist Dave W’s vivid fever dream ignited The Revenge of Heads on Fire, WHITE HILLS’ latest release, which harnesses the energy of ferocious, hedonistic rock with blissful passages of dark ambience. Exploring themes of mortality, transformation and rebirth, the band reveals a spiritual depth unparalleled in previous works. The roar of fire, swirling of oceans and hallucinogenic visions can be heard throughout the 75-minute journey. From the intrepid prelude “The Instrumental Head” to the closing punk blaze of “Eternity”, the album ebbs and flows, smouldering and seething in the middle with the 21- minute mammoth opus “Don’t Be Afraid”. “’Don't Be Afraid’ alone makes this an essential listen for fans of contemporary psychedelia.” -All Music The Revenge of Heads on Fire consummates Dave W’s prototype for the 2007 release on Rocket Recordings, Heads on Fire, later picked up by Thrill Jockey. Six rediscovered songs accompany re-mixed versions of the original material, fulfilling the master arch of the pyre lit long ago. Recorded during the band’s tumultuous early years, the music vibrates with the energy and volatility of a sonic boom. The album will be released on Heads on Fire Industries, distributed worldwide via Cargo Records.

Based in Miami, Sole Aspect is an independent vinyl-only label, owned / A&R by Amare; driven, spirited, and focused on deep soul music.

We are an artist first and forward-looking label, where evolved aspects vibrate at a purer, more loving frequency and assists you as a guide on your current sole journey.

Trinidadian Deep New York, NY brings the bruk to Sole Aspect's 2nd release with 3 Caribbean infused broken beat cuts. Trini's music is singular, no one does it like him.

In response to the current political and ecological turmoil, the famous Malian quintet BKO appeals to the magical spirit of the djinn with Djine Bora (the appearance of the genie). An explosive and mystical third album, embodied by a music of resistance, the fruit of their unique experimentation with Mandingo music and their extraordinary history

The three letters B.K.O. are the code for Bamako airport. It is in the Malian capital that the group has been rehearsing since 2012. In the same year that Mali declared a state of emergency, no one could have imagined that these musicians would be responsible for three albums and over 450 concerts in 25 different countries. BKO fights, does not fail, unifies and looks like no one else.

In this album, the band delivers an abrasive music where tradition is tinged with rock, polyphonies, distortions and shrill breaks. They invoke ancestral spiritualities by marrying for the first time in Mali
two diametrically opposed traditions.

In the course of the ten tracks of Djine Bora, BKO propels the traditions within a powerful and hybrid universe, just like Bamako. In this bewitching atmosphere, crackling concrete and ritual ceremonies
meet. The group has released one of its most accomplished albums, tinged with trance, enigmatic melodies (Ntiaro's Peulh prayer) and unifying messages (Maya, Bamako, Toumaro).

Emapea made his way into the world of beat-making after several releases and a first album in 2016.


The producer comes back with a second full-length record ‘Dreaming Zone’ to be released on the 18th of March 2022. Emapea didn’t lose his spark and brings a long player that reminds his connection to an old-school Hip-Hop style, yet always pushing towards freshness brought by the typical use of groovy piano leads and the addition of smooth vocals.

Between breakbeat and jazz, the thirteen tracks succeed each other in a delicate soundscape that favours dreaminess. ‘Dreaming Zone’ achieves a certain airiness yet thoughtfulness that will carry your spirits up in another auditive dimension.

LP on 180g white vinyl, standard sleeve, printed inner sleeve. 8 minimal is maximal salvos in 23 minutes that coalesce into a stun-blast soundtrack for today's shattered society. New York City's artistic skyline may have changed immeasurably since the last century, yet the minimalist post-punk/synth-pop duo vividly gouge into the city's immortal outsider spirit and underground cultural tropes, set against a pulsating backdrop of modern apocalypse. Laced with evocatively concise and lacerating lyrics delivered detached and deadpan, 'Closure's spine-chilling onslaught of towering guitar shrapnel, ethereal metallic synth melodies and cold electronic turbulence comes infused with shades of New Order and Jesus And Mary Chain; the kind of modern disco and post-punk grooves that pillaged New York clubs in the 80s. Inevitably, the penetrating spirit of New York electronic trailblazers Suicide haunts the new record with its subterranean gravitational pull, having previously manifested physically when the two-piece befriended the late Alan Vega - leading to collaborations, support spots and Artaud now co-curating the 'Vega Vault' of unreleased material and co-producing and mixing the 2021 lost 'Mutator'

Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp tapped into the frustration of living through the pandemic in 2020 with their well-timed cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation.” The Grammy winning guitarist and Hollywood Vampires co-founder are back with their first album together, appropriately titled, JEFF BECK AND JOHNNY DEPP. On the new record, Beck’s first studio effort in six years, the artists coax unexpected performances from one another on 11 covers and two originals that touch on everything from Celtic and Motown to John Lennon, the Beach Boys and The Velvet Underground.

The result is a wild roller coaster ride through different genres where hairpin juxtapositions deliver some of the album’s biggest thrills. A remarkable example comes early on when the industrial stomp of Killing Joke’s “Death And Resurrection Show” gives way to the intense heartache of Dennis Wilson’s “Time.” Each performance stands on its own, but the sharp contrast created by sequencing them together heightens the emotional impact of both songs.

The duo recorded most of the album in Beck’s studio over three years while Depp lived on and off in the guitarist’s English cottage. Robert Adam Stevenson co-produced several tracks on the album and engineered many of the sessions remotely from Depp’s studio in Los Angeles. When the basic tracks were finished, they were fleshed out by musicians who’ve played with Beck through the years, including drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and bassist Rhonda Smith.

The album title will be “18.” The cover illustration (attached) was done by Jeff’s wife, Sandra and pictures them when they were both 18. Here’s Jeff’s comment on the title from the PR: Beck explains the album title: “When Johnny and I started playing together, it really ignited our youthful spirit and creativity. We would joke about how we felt 18 again, so that just became the album title too.”

Master’s second album recorded by Scott Burns at Morrissound Studios! Classic 1990’s Death Metal! One of the problems with looking back on a musical genre from a perspective years or decades removed from the core of the movement itself is that subsequent developments tend to obscure both a genres origins and threads within a tradition that died out without offspring. As a result, interesting and deserving albums often get lost in the shuffle as reviewers reflect on those albums most “influential” upon later achievements. Death metal pioneers Master are among those who have been shortchanged as a result of that phenomenon, and their 1990 masterpiece “On the Seventh Day, God Created... Master” remains a fascinating exploration both of the genre’s roots and of spaces it might have occupied had different paths been taken. There are a couple of things that leap out immediately to even the casual listener. The first is the seeming primitivism of the music, with songs consisting of relatively brief, bludgeoning pieces driven by relentless rhythms, cyclic riffs and simple melodic hooks. The second is the realization that someone is playing some seriously insane, brilliantly constructed leads. In this case, that someone is Paul Masvidal, far exceeding anything he ever achieved with Cynic. Beneath the surface simplicity, lies a creative spirit that at once recalls the primal birth of death metal (which Master was both present for and very much a driving force behind) and points the way to what the genre might have become. Very apparent are the genre’s hardcore roots, Master here eschewing the Slayer-derived technical architecture that came to dominate most “modern” death metal in favor of structures that would not have been out of place on Discharge’s landmark “Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing” release (there are even a few appearances of the infamous D-beat). Within the unrelenting storm of brutal repetition, the music’s core meaning is encoded, a sheer primal rage dripping from thunderous cycles of power chords and the open throated roar (again the hardcore influence) of vocalist and chief songwriter Paul Speckman.

Chronophage’s third LP is a scarcely anticipated revelation full of poise and delicacy. Tough,tender, precise and unconstrained, it concentrates the tragic ingredients of the past two yearsinto ten songs. Each one is a decisive, well-cut crystal: sharp, clear, weighted. Can you envisiona midpoint between Big Star and the Homosexuals? Imagine Nick Lowe constructing defiantrejections of the civil structure? Chronophage’s unconstrained melodies and gleefullyimaginative structures enact such original, liberatory music.Chronophage began five years ago in Austin, Texas. Stout participants in the transgressive DIYpunk community patchworked throughout the world, the band have released two LPs and ahandful of cassettes, always demonstrating a kind of risk-taking that feels both gleeful and dire.It’s clear that they delight in making hard, unexpected decisions, but there’s a colder sense thattheir existence depends on this daring.Defying the band’s scratchy, 4-track history, ‘Chronophage’ blooms, distilling the warmest, mostcompelling, most vulnerable qualities of their music. It’s a product of their unhurried approach torecording this album, a six-week process of tinkering and clarifying. It’s also a product of thematerial conditions of their songwriting phase—”the pandemic making it where we just saw eachother all the time and were less influenced by scenes,” as explained by guitarist/singer ParkerAllen. Undoubtedly their most immediate record, but without sacrificing the mortalconsequences or thrills of their past. The danger and vigor remains, the spring is wound eventighter. It’s evidence of the band’s growing confidence, but speaks most clearly to the strength ofthe songs. Producer Craig Ross articulated this strength through his own experience of workingon ‘Chronophage’: "When I would run into a block, in terms of arrangement, the narrative of therecord told me exactly what to do. I realized I just had to stick to the record, it has all theanswers."‘Chronophage’ is released simultaneously by Post Present Medium (US) and Bruit Direct(Europe). TRACKLIST: A1 Love torn in a dream A2 after a storm A3 swimmer A4 summer to fall A5 cop in psyche B1 spirit armor B2 old city back again B3 black clouds B4 burst the shell B5 fear + agony Dooms horn

Tresor Records are proud to reveal the outcome of a new collaboration between two of techno music's most remarkable artists, Maedon and Adam X. The Lion & The Ram is a unique and exciting hybrid of industrial, rave, and hypnotic techno sounds. This LP marks the full debut for both artists on Tresor Records, with Adam X having appeared for a remix of Neil Landstrumm in 1997. Both Berlin-based, Maedon and Adam X have worked tirelessly over the forced Lockdowns, finding a kindred spirit in locating and sculpting the most badass kick. This album is undoubtedly an impressive representation of the range of kick drum synthesis, from thunderous impacts to carefully tuned pulses.
The duo's competitiveness over kick drums has led to a masterpiece of mesmerising techno. Across the thumping drums and sparse, mechanical soundscapes,
every track on the album follows a journey into the dark and unknown.
Tracks grow with increasing power sourced from dystopian samples, such as Human Replacements, "people are being duplicated, there is something missing". It reflects the stifled time we all spent, haunted by uncertainty, cooped up and seeking expression. Corrupt Pigs emphasises this with the refrain, "welcome to the land of fuck". Crunching bass and rusty percussions gather as a herd, like a rallying call to signify that, at last, we may let loose. With its unrepentant rhythms and ruthlessly brutal sound design, The Lion & The Ram discharges Maedon and Adam X into daring new terrain.

Brooklyn band Office Culture is made up of four longtime collaborators
(and all solo artists in their own right) lead singer and songwriter Winston
Cook-Wilson (vocals/keyboards), Ian Wayne (guitar), Charlie Kaplan
(bass), and Pat Kelly (drums)
Following the electronic avant-pop experimentation of their debut album I Did the
Best I Could, the band's critically acclaimed sophomore LP "2019's A Life of
Crime "unveiled a lush, jazz- inflected sound that Pitchfork described as "sleek
music for a cursed place, opulent like a ritzy hotel lounge." Cook-Wilson's wry and
contemplative songs reflect the bandmates' shared points of musical reference,
including Nite- Flights- era Scott Walker, mid- 70s Joni Mitchell, Curtis Mayfield,
and ECM-label jazz. The FADER wrote: "Office Culture spends the best moments
on A Life Of Crime sounding like the most vital lounge-pop act of all time. Big
Time Things "the band's third album and Northern Spy debut "is a more
maximalist affair. Written and recorded across the course of three years, it's a
meticulously orchestrated and groove- forward record featuring nine of CookWilson's most ambitious compositions to date. Tracks like singles Elegance, Big
Time Things, and Little Reminders draw together a disparate collection of
influences, integrating soulful vocal harmonies, horns straight out of 70s spiritual
jazz, string arrangements informed by modernist classical music, and beats that
reflect the band's enduring love of neo-soul and hip-hop.
The playful experimentation of the arrangements elevates the melodrama and
humor of Cook-Wilson's songs "his most emotionally direct to date "which trace
the complexities of our efforts to better ourselves by learning from our worst and
least rational behavior, and how we attempt to apply that knowledge to nurturing
close personal relationships. The record features a dense cast of supporting
players, including Carmen Q. Rothwell, Caitlin Pasko, Alena Spanger (Tiny
Hazard), and members of Cuddle Magic / Mmeadows. The album releases via
Northern Spy.

A violin, a fife, and the endless sky opens up to us. Two voices cross it, a duet of swallows playing their perpetual encounters, joined by percussion that crashes like waves on jagged coasts. This is the opening of the album Déliryom, the beginning of this "watia watia" - meaning joyful mess or tasty mishmash, opened by six "zoreys": in Reunion Island Creole, it means metropolitan people from France. But these zoreys claim their creolity as a family of the heart, a chosen homeland. And they celebrate it. Rosemary Standley (Moriarty) and Marjolaine Karlin met at a concert where Reunionese maloya was resounding in Paris. It was in 2008, and their fascination for the island, its rhythms, its language born for poetry was bound to bring them together. A character too, a majestic poet and celestial wanderer, who for them would be a spiritual father - Alain Peters. Or rather his ghost, since he died in 1995 of a heart attack, leaving behind a daughter and some twenty songs that have shaped a fertile horizon for all the musicians of the Reunion Island... and elsewhere! Six years after giving birth to their first album (Zanz in Lanfèr, 2016), the two singers continue this great journey, exploring other pieces forged over the years, always alongside percussionist and rhythm doctor Salvador Douézy, and new zoreys who have joined them. There is Gérald Chevillon, who plays bass saxophone, Chadi Chouman as a guitarist who has no equal in awakening the colors of his native East, and finally Jennifer Hutt, whose energetic violin evokes the Cajun colors of New Orleans. For even if this new album tells of other facets of the Peters totem, it also ventures towards other Creole lands, other islands where music and song are much more than entertainment: they are a way of being in the world.

Noah & The Whale were one of the leading protagonists of the small but
perfectly formed indie-folk scene of the early days of the 21st Century
Formed in Twickenham, the five-piece, led by vocalist and guitarist Charlie Fink,
originally boasted Laura Marling in their line- up, before she left to begin her
successful solo career.
Containing the Top 10 single L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N., Last Night On Earth was partially
recorded in LA with producer Jason Lader. On its release in 2011, Fink spoke of
capturing "that excitement of being young and being in the night," and being
influenced by Bruce Springsteen. That can be heard on Wild Thing, which blends
Springsteen and Lou Reed into something that is unmistakeably the group's own.
The Telegraph called it "Heartfelt, spirited, lyrical, moody and mostly magnificent
pop rock."
This re- issue faithfully recreates the original 2011 Mercury Records UK release
and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl. Also includes the original's bonus 7"
single featuring demo versions of Tonight's The Kind Of Night and Wild Thing.
...

"Formed more than three decades ago in 1989 only to fall into a slumbering hibernation lasting until last year, Swedish hard rock outfit NESTOR decided to reunite, reinvent the iconography of rock and restore its glory in 2021 with their debut album – yes, their debut album – Kids in a ghost town. With friendship as the fundament of this unique, seemingly unbreakable bond, NESTOR are back for good and better than ever! Upon its initial release, NESTOR’s acclaimed first album, Kids in a ghost town, sent their fans on a journey back in time to the 80s, both in sound and spirit, as well as with their completely self-produced music videos – all of which spurred a nomination for a Swedish Hard Rock/Metal Grammis-Award! This is an album of such impressive scale in fact, that Napalm Records has decided to re-release Kids in a ghost town in various exclusive edition, set for release on September 30, 2022! NESTOR embraces influence from the 80s with a sense of nostalgia and authenticity. With glossy production, NESTOR takes you straight back to the golden age of rock music, openly displaying their influences – from Bon Jovi and Aerosmith to Journey and Foreigner. With over 30 years of existence, NESTOR turn back time while being one of the hottest newcomers of modern rock music, with millions of streams on Spotify and hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube to boot, even having shared stages with the almighty ALICE COOPER, hard rock powerhouse H.E.A.T. and supporting the legendary KISS in Stockholm on their 2022 stadium tour! The re-release of Kids in a ghost town includes the critically acclaimed full-length album as digital album, CD, Black Vinyl LP and cassette tape, as well as a limited edition wooden boxset (+ exclusive 7"" sun yellow transparent vinyl, 3 guitar picks, CD - Digisleeve & wristband) and Die Hard red transparent vinyl (+ exclusive 7"" vinyl & patch)." Single Blurb: "Swedish rock ambassadors NESTOR embrace influences from the 80s with a sense of nostalgia and authenticity on their single ""Signed in Blood""! With glossy production, NESTOR takes you straight back to the golden age of rock music - openly displaying their influences - from Bon Jovi and Journey to Aerosmith. NESTOR turn back time while being one of the hottest newcomers of modern rock music with millions of streams on Spotify alone! "

12" Widespine Gloss Jacket, Full Color Printed Record Sleeves, 1x Red & Black Marbled Vinyl, 1x Blue & Black Marbled Vinyl and Free Digital Download Card. Growing up in his hometown of Atlanta, artist/producer Sol Messiah has always been inundated with the rich and energizing spirit of Hip Hop culture. Breakdancing from a young age eventually led him joining the legendary Rock Steady Crew out of New York City and learning and mastering the skill of DJing. From there, he began taking an interest in production too, which ultimately led him to working alongside legendary Atlanta producer, Dallas Austin. While Sol Messiah's time with Austin created a deep catalog filled with timeless tracks for TLC, Madonna, Boyz II Men and more, he eventually chose to pursue his own path independently and spent years building a stunning catalog of his own, producing popular tracks for Chamillionaire, David Banner, Nappy Roots, Dead Prez and more. Soon, Sol Messiah would embark on a fruitful musical partnership with a fierce lyricist named Sa-Roc. Together, Sa-Roc and Messiah have released over a dozen projects thus far, including Sa-Roc's groundbreaking 2020 debut on Rhymesayers Entertainment, The Sharecropper's Daughter. As a duo, Sa-Roc and Sol Messiah have amassed a global reach, touring internationally and rocking crowds across continents. They have performed at the legendary Jazz Cafe in London, performed live for BBC, and have shared the stage with luminaries such as Common, The Roots and Jay Electronica. On GOD CMPLX, Sol Messiah connects with some of the finest MCs in the game to create an impressive collection of Hip Hop music that's both innovative and inspiring. Featuring guest performances from KXNG Crooked, Sa-Roc, Evidence, Locksmith, Slug (Atmosphere), Murs, Aesop Rock, Baba Zumbi (Zion I), Che Noir, Lyric Jones and more, GOD CMPLX is a powerful and engaging project serving as a testament to Sol Messiah's skills both as a producer as well a visionary.

Carlita’s meteoric rise through the electronic music space continues with her impressive new ‘Bon Trip’ EP and also marks her first-ever vinyl release.

The EP kicks off with the title track, a spacey slice of progressive house drenched with a classic-era piano line - it’s exactly what you want to be listening to when the sun rises and sets at your favorite outdoor party. Next, ‘Run Run Run’ immediately kicks into high gear with an irresistible bassline that offsets Duddha’s spiritual, leftfield vocals which help make the track quite the trip. The package is rounded out by two remixes - Krystal Klear offers a punchy, electro-interpretation of the title track while Red Axes dips ‘Run Run Run’ into a vat of acid for their 303-inspired version of the song.

The “Bon Trip EP” comes on the heels of Carlita and DJ Tennis’ incredible remix of Diplo feat. Jungle “Don’t Be Afraid”.

Auf ‚Hurt & The Merciless' bannt das britische Soul/Rock Quartett The Heavy den Spirit ihrer gefeierten Liveperformances auf Platte!

The Heavy haben während der Vorbereitungen zu - Hurt & The Merciless', ihrem nunmehr vierten Album, schwere Zeiten durchlebt. Als wollten sie ihrem Bandnamen alle Ehre machen. Scheidung, Trennungen und alles, was der Alltag sonst noch an Steinen ins Flussbett des Lebens wirft, konnte die Band aus dem englischen Bath jedoch nicht davon abhalten, ihr bislang aufgedrehtestes und aufgekratztestes Album einzuspielen. Kelvin Swaby, Gitarrist Dan Taylor, Bassist Spencer Page und Drummer Chris Ellul hatten für das Album ein erklärtes Ziel: Sie wollten endlich den phänomenalen Furor ihrer Liveshows eins zu eins ins Studio übertragen. Tatsächlich lässt es das Quartett richtig krachen und die pure Rock'n'Roll gewordene Lebensfreude dringt hier bei jedem Song, jeder Performance durch die Poren.
Im Jahr 2009 war der Band mit der monströs guten Single - How You Like Me Now' der internationale Durchbruch gelungen. Wie populär der Song schließlich wurde, zeigte sich auch daran, dass er auf etlichen Filmsoundtracks, in Fernsehserien, Games und Werbespots auftauchte. - Hurt & The Merciless' markiert in seiner nahtlos verzahnten Mischung aus Rock'n'Roll-Klassizismen, Funk- und Soul-Grooves sowie feinen Zusätzen experimenteller Klangelemente den vorläufigen Höhepunkt im Schaffen dieser Band. Das Feuer ihrer Liveshows haben sie in ein knappes Dutzend ihrer bis dato besten Songs infiltriert. Sie klingen fürwahr gnadenlos gut. The Heavy dürften mit diesem furiosen Opus mehr denn je schwer angesagt sein.

Grammy-nominated blues, soul and Americana singer is revered
worldwide for her defiant music and fire-breathing performances
' Done Come Too Far' continues Shemekia's riveting, clear-eyed testimony about
our troubled world while celebrating the blessings that keep hope alive. The new
album, available in Clear Vinyl and CD, is again produced by Will Kimbrough, and
an all-star supporting cast includes slide guitar whiz Sonny Landreth, Hill Country
blues great Cedric Burnside and Hi Rhythm Section organist Charles Hodges.
'Done Come Too Far' is another exhilarating Shemekia Copeland showcase, as
her rousing vocals bring the heat in an infectious array of muscular rockers,
stomping blues, swampy soul and heartbreaking ballads. Intense, topical new
originals make up most of the tracks and spirited versions of songs by Ray Wylie
Hubbard and her father, Johnny Copeland, fit right into the mix.
MOJO - September review
BLUES MATTERS - upcoming review
BLUES MATTERS - upcoming feature with interview
BLUES IN BRITAIN - upcoming review
BLUES IN THE SOUTH - upcoming review
BLUES' BLUES - upcoming review
BLUES BYTES - upcoming review

Die aus Nordirland stammende Band Darkest Era hat sich den Ruf erworben, einen der gefühlvollsten,
atmosphärischsten und kraftvollsten Heavy Metals des Undergrounds zu kreieren. „Wither on the Vine“
präsentiert die Band auf dem Höhepunkt ihres Songwritings und ihrer Performance. Das Album, das sich mit
Themen wie menschlicher Tragödie, bitterer Misanthropie und heidnischer Spiritualität auseinandersetzt,
ist ein Album von verheerender emotionaler Wucht und musikalischer Katharsis. Über das kommende
Album sagt Gitarrist Ade Mulgew: „Das Album ist ein düsteres Spiegelbild der heutigen Welt, politisch,
sozial und ökologisch. Stilistisch mischt das Album Black-Metal- und Doom-Metal-Elemente mit einem
fast klassischen Rock-Stil.“

Monster Truck tick all the musical boxes that have garnered the Hamilton-based band a reputation as one of Canada’s hardest-hitting rock outfits, live and on record.

On Monster Truck’s fourth full-length album Warriors, the band (bassist and lead singer Jon Harvey, guitarist Jeremy Widerman, keyboardist Brandon Bliss, and former drummer Steve Kiely), take their signature, riff-driven brand of rock to new heights and bombastic lows. With blazing shared riffs, massive gang vocals, and an ‘all for one, and one for all’ spirit, Warriors reads like a mission statement; one that telegraphs the tireless work ethic Monster Truck has displayed since starting out in 2009, as well as where they’re at and where they’re heading, sonically, in the future.

Reissue of 1997 album on 180 gram RED vinyl by Toots & The Maytals.

Lead Vocals: Toots Hibbert
Background Vocals: Raleigh Gordon, Jerry Matthias
Guitars: Hux Brown, Carl Harvey, Rad Bryan
Keyboards: Winston Grennan
Bass: Jackie Jackson

Produced by: Toots Hibbert
Executive producer on tracks 2,3 & 4 Wayne Chen
Track 1 produced by Peter Simon
Art/Design Gordeuk/Keane Visuals
Photos: Mike Cacia
Mastered by: Dale Ashley at Grace Note Productions

Explosive, unpredictable, and persistently candid throughout, I Owe You
Nothing is a lesson in introspection and identity -The Denton, Texasbased Record Setter are unflinchingly inventive with every new release,
creating intricate compositions which balance their fierce spirit and
delicate emotions
Frenzied and impassioned vocals soar over thunderous guitars, ferocious
percussion, and bone-shaking basslines, comprising fervent songs that oscillate
between raw powerful screamo and affective post- rock melodies. Through
introspective lyricism and turbulent sonic soundscapes, Record Setter chronicle
the lifelong journey of coming to terms with yourself, your anxieties, and your
mistakes, ultimately rewarded by a sense of empowered independence.

Recommended If You Like: Deerhoof, Tune-Yards, CAN (if they were a band in like, 2070), Blonde Redhead, Horse Lords, Tigue, Lil Nas X (in spirit). Over eighteen boundless albums as experimental as they are pop, Deerhoof has continuously quested for radical sounds and daring storytelling.

Dates Aug 28 Summerhall, Edinburgh, Aug 29 The Cluny, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Aug 30 Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, Aug 31 Electric Ballroom, London, Sep 01 Hare and Hounds, Birmingham.

This album marks the debut recording for Venezuela's Velvet label by pianist Ray Pérez and his trombone-led salsa band Los Dementes. Heavy dance numbers and the distinctive vocals of Perucho Torcat make this historic 1967 rarity a sought-after collector's item. Now the LP has been lovingly restored, mastered from the original tapes, with its original artwork intact, preserving the legacy of Los Dementes for today's generation of salsa lovers everywhere. First time reissue. Salsa pianist, vocalist, composer and arranger Ray Pérez, acquired his nickname "Loco" by being a free, independent spirit, an innovator and iconoclast who was initially branded as "crazy" for the freshness and audacity of his sound. Amazingly, he is not that well known in the US, where he spent some time in the late 1960s and salsa was king during the 1970s. Yet he was quite popular in his home country from the beginning, especially amongst the working class of Caracas and Maracaibo, who adopted Cuban music played by New York Puerto Ricans as their own and called it "salsa" years before the term was employed by US labels like Fania as a marketing tool. Pérez is revered in Venezuela, as well as in Mexico and Colombia, and his storied career, which spans seven decades and thousands of concerts, has yielded more than 35 albums recorded by his various bands, including Los Dementes, Los Kenya, and Los Calvos, all of which are collector's items today. At the start of 1967 Pérez debuted Los Dementes, with vocalists Claudio Zerpa and Perucho Torcat backed by an ace band featuring only trombones in the brass section. Titled "¡Alerta mundo! Llegaron los 'The Crazy Men'" the record was released on the small Venezuelan label Prodansa. Soon after, Prodansa folded and Los Dementes were left without representation or much compensation for their efforts, being paid only in records. In the end of February of that year, Pérez returned to Caracas from a stint in Maracaibo in order to finish his first LP with the well-established and larger Velvet label, entitled "Manicomio a locha". In the first quarter of 1967, Velvet unleashed a trilogy of salsa records in order to compete with rival label Palacio and their recent success with Federico y su Combo Latino: "Porfi '67 Salsa & Boogaloo" by Porfi Jiménez y su Orquesta, "Guasancó" by Sexteto Juventud and lastly "Manicomio a locha". The LP begins appropriately with the boisterous title track, written by the band's conguero Carlos "Nené" Quintero, who would become a legend in coming years. Torcat describes a jam session in mental institution and introduces the band, with tasty solos by trombonist Rufo García followed by Ray on piano. Already you can hear something was different about Ray and his "Crazy Men"-a sound as wild and innovative as what was happening in New York with Eddie Palmieri, but with a more unhinged, raw feeling in line with Willie Colón and other younger Nuyorican bands. Next up is an intriguing track sung in a mix of Italian, English, Spanish and Papiamento by Pérez himself, performed in the complicated rhythm of the mozambique, an Afro-Cuban carnival beat developed in the early 1960s. This is followed by the heavy dancer 'Rico guaguancó', penned by Angelito Pérez, which changes from the guaguancó to the mozambique rhythm mid-way through, proving that Los Dementes were "different from the rest" as the lyrics say. 'Puerto Libre', sung by Torcat, is dedicated to the Venezuelan island of Margarita in the Oriente region, and the independent spirit of its working people. The rhythm changes from guaguancó to guajira and back again but remains danceable all the way through. The side closes out with a "3 in 1" medley inspired by the popular formula of the mosaicos of Billo's Caracas Boys, seamlessly knitting together several different tempos, rhythms, moods and compositions. Side two starts strong with the fierce yet satirical 'Corte e' patas', then 'Alma Cumanesa', a typical folk song refashioned as a guaguancó. This is followed by the funky 'Guajira con Boogaloo'. The tune echoes the sound of young Latin New York, pointing out the connection between Cuban and African American soul music. The pace picks up again with 'Fiesta de trombones', a hot descarga and then the album closes with another medley. Though this marks the end of a rather short album, it also signaled the emerging success of Los Dementes and their involvement with the salsa boom in Venezuela, quickly selling out of its initial run of 1000 records and making for a memorable debut on the Velvet label. Now this rare and sought-after LP has been lovingly restored, mastered from the original tapes, with its original artwork intact, preserving the legacy of Los Dementes for today's generation of salsa lovers everywhere.

There’s no escaping the motherlode - that eternal continuum of high drama and overheated amp stacks fit to raise the pulse and revivify the spirits. It’s merely an unmistakable band chemistry that transforms base hard rock into gemstones, and this process is an increasingly rare phenomenon in the here and now. Luckily for Stockholm’s alchemists LUGNET, they are one of the few. Here in these steamrollering grooves and strident anthems is just the kind of swagger and bravado on which rock built its foundations in the ‘70s, yet without any of the cliches or the bloated self-importance. The roots of LUGNET may be visible to see, and the primal stomp of early Deep Purple, the apocalyptic sermonising of Black Sabbath and the cinematic majesty of Rainbow can easily be detected in the almighty sturm-und-drang. Yet this sound is delivered with charisma and maverick energy that effortlessly summons fresh vibrant life to a classic form. The spark that lit LUGNET originates in 2009, when Fredrik Jansson-Punkka (also drummer of Angel Witch, and whose storied history includes stints in Witchcraft, Abramis Brama and Count Raven) met bassist Lennart ‘Z’ Zethzon at Sweden Rock Festival and the two first discussed getting together to jam. Three years later this finally came to fruition and guitarists Bonden Jansson and Mackan Holten joined the fray, alongside vocalist Roger Solander. An original plan to play ‘70s blues-rock with Swedish lyrics was ultimately warped and transformed into the monumental attack of 2016’s self-titled debut proper on Pride & Joy Music. The road to ‘Nightwalker’ saw changes afoot in the band, as Solander was replaced by the soulful pipes of Johan Fahlberg, who matches the swashbuckling charm of the Dio/Coverdale tradition with flourishes and personality all his own, whilst Bonden Jansson made way for wunderkind new guitarist Matti Norlin. This was a quantum leap on from the debut, replete with fiery interplay and incisive song writing, from the slow Zeppelin-esque catharsis of ‘Death Laughs At You’ to the monstrous ‘Stargazer’-esque grandeur of the mellotron-assisted finale ‘Kill Us All’. The aftermath saw Lugnet traverse from strength to strength, a notable highlight being packing out their tent at Sweden Rock Festival in 2018 even whilst a certain Birmingham-birthed Prince Of Darkness himself occupied the main stage across the field. Michael Linder (formerly of Troubled Horse) soon replaced Mackan Holten, and this line-up has subsequently amassed enough material for two albums, with all members throwing their hat into the ring song writing-wise. One of these ‘Tales From The Great Beyond’ has already been recorded at SolnaSound Recording with the dream-team of Simon Johansson (Wolf/ Soilwork) and Mike Wead (King Diamond/ Mercyful Fate) at the helm / mixed by Marcus Jidell (Avatarium/ Candlemass). Just like for the debut album, the front cover artwork was designed by Vance Kelly. Whatever the future holds for Lugnet, only a fool would bet on the result not being a spectacular explosion of righteousness. This machine is firing on all cylinders, and rockers of all persuasions would be well advised to get on board or get out of the way. Track listing: Still A Sinner; In Harvest Time; Another World; Out Of My System; Svarv; Eaten Alive; Pale Design; I Can’t Wait; Black Sails; Tåsjö Kyrkmarsch

REISSUE

Following on from the runaway success of Soundway"s Kiki Gyan 24 Hours In A Disco, another Ghanaian legend looks to have his time to shine. One of the most well-known disco and burger highlife artists of the time, Charles Amoah originally began his career as a drummer. Playing with Alex Kunadu"s band, as well as the Precious Jewels and even Nana Tuffour, he then moved to Germany in the early 80s. His first album Sweet Vibration spawned several hits which went on to be released as separate singles, namely "Scratch My Back" and "Shake Your Body To The Beat". From the irresistible funk hooks of these singles, to the Lionel Richie-esque instrumentation of "Life"s Like Being In A Boxing Ring", or the kraut-rock stylings of "Jungle Rock" - there is little doubt that the blend of disco, funk and highlife that was unique to the Ghanaian-German scene can be experienced in its full splendour on Sweet Vibration.