Search:the take

Brock Van Wey returns as Earth House Hold and his third full album under the alias, continuing to explore the furthest influences of Ambient-infused, deconstructed Deep House in all its varying elements.

“...from the second I descended those stairs, lived it for myself, and the events that followed, I knew my life had changed forever. A life that brought with it a beauty as infinite as its pain”.

Daybreak Basements and Broken Hearts explores a new aspect of Brock’s early Deep House influences, one that meticulous followers of this guise would have been patiently trying to guess since his last outing in 2018. If Brock’s debut Earth House Hold album (When Love Lived, 2012) took the grooves and danceability from Deep House, and his second, (Never Forget Us, 2018), highlighted the powerful progression of vocals and melodies, then Daybreak Basements and Broken Hearts continues to build on the many aspects and inspirations of the Deep House genre, with a raw, dirty and somehow deeper take on the sound that Brock grew up with many years ago.

Brock’s signature vocals once again provide the narration and backbone to an album that is designed to progress; from its patient and spacious beginnings to its energetic and emotional closing chapters. Reverberating synths fill cavernous spaces as basslines rumble, bringing a darker, more abstract, early-morning vibe to an album born from a place of both reflection, and personal experiences.

“This is a house album in the purest sense of the word - just as much as the furthest thing from one that ever existed. As much a deconstruction of what deep house means as an attempt to reconstruct a time, and a life, it built.”

"On August 13th, the first-ever vinyl reissue of UK top 5 album 12 Memories from Travis continues the reissue streak from the Scottish rock band. Cut at London’s Metropolis Studios & features all original packaging replication including photography by Anton Corbijn. As well as the standard black vinyl, a limited white vinyl edition will be available exclusively at Travis’ official store & Independent record shops.
None other than Sir Elton John raved that 12 Memories would “take you on a real journey… like The Beatles’ Revolver”. And, just like The Beatles in 1966, Travis were at a critical juncture when it came to recording their fourth album & the follow up to the multi-Platinum international breakthrough The Invisible Band. 12 Memories is the third vinyl reissue from Travis so far in 2021, it follows 2007’s The Boy With No Name vinyl re-release May 28th & the first ever vinyl reissue for debut album, Good Feeling released April 2nd via Craft Recordings. "

Released for the very first time in the format it was recorded for. The Holy grail of Bolan's unreleased soul recordings as producer for SISTER PAT HALL, includes completely unheard version of Do Your Thing taken from newly acquired original reels features completely reworked version of classic T. Rex Tracks 'Jitterbug Love', 'Get it On', 'Sunken Rags', and the never released in Marc's lifetime 'Sailors of the highway'. Besides some self-released gospel recordings, Pat Hall was a much sought after vocalist in the late 60's early 70's, having worked with Joe Cocker as one of the `Sanctified Sisters' along with Gloria Jones. In 1972 Pat (& Hloria) became backing singers on the u.s T.Rex concerts and in mid to late 1973 Marc Bolan decided he was going to produce an album by Pat, being well ahead of the then interest in black american soul by fellow pop stars David Bowie John Lennon and Elton John. The album was recorded but never released (on vinyl), until now! Pat Hall never released anything again, this album remains the sole released recordings of this extraordinary singer.

The debut album from LIMINA, the new project from film and game score composer Tyler Durham, comprises six pieces that, taken together, reflect on the ways in which inspiration eases into existence and, through collaboration among muse, body and technology, wrangles its way into being. Combining ideas drawn from ambient electronic music, contemporary classical, and new age, the album openly explores transitive passages and the very nature of the creative process. Crafted for single-sitting immersion with each of the six works building on musical ideas expressed in earlier movements and seamlessly flowing from one track to the next without interruption.

repressed !

* The album is titled Timespan and is by the veteran Pittsburgh artist Shawn Rudiman and will be released on November 24th worldwide on 2xLP and digital. The album is a carefully curated journey through almost 20 years of Shawn's music productions. The tracks collected here--the majority of which have not been heard outside of Shawn's studio--showcase a producer with seldom matched knowledge of studio techniques, while also hinting at his world renowned live performances. Having access to a vault of hundreds of unreleased compositions, we believe this is an important step in documenting Shawn's contribution to Pittsburgh and American dance music.

* Artist Statement: "All of these tracks are simply snapshots of my life moments. They go from base-level warehouse to more cerebral sophistication. So, take them as such. Timespan sums it up well. Some songs are almost 2 decades old, some are fresh. It's a paragraph written with words that have years between them. Somehow they still all sort of make sense together." - Shawn Rudiman

* Press / Promotion: HYPE / Jamie Russell + EPM

Maurice De Jong AKA Mories (Gnaw Their Tongues, Cloak of Altering, De Magia Veterum, Dodenbezweerder etc.), and Rene Aquarius (Cryptae, Dead Neanderthals, Imperial Cult, Plague Organ etc.) join forces in Coffin Lurker, a hideous experiment begotten unto a perverse delusion of ushering doom metal beyond extremes of heaviness and horror it has never before seen or fathomed. Overwhelming and abominable in its every aspect, on their hideous debut LP "Foul and Defiled" the dutch terror-doom duo set out on a mission of terrifying extremism to take doom metal to its most harrowing consequences, crossing every threshold of extreme known, to materialize a humongous slow moving nightmare of paralyzing and horrific doom metal horror that will flatten the listener and devour them inside a nauseating void. Emanating with a monstrous and oppressive aura of total death and decay, "Foul and Defiled" is a gargantuan sepulchral abomination of subterranean megaton doom rising from an underworld of ageless and unnameable death and suffering that sonically aims to re-evoke the hideous and death-obsessed immensity of other undreground extreme/experimental doom abominations like Moss and Grave Upheaval, while taking the heinous formula, if possible, even beyond its own already incomprehensible and remote confines of sanity.

Das britische Produzentenduo Jungle meldet sich zurück.
Das kommende Album von Jungle - ihr drittes - „Loving In Stereo" wird wahrscheinlich der Soundtrack zu einem Sommer werden, der anders ist als alle anderen. Das Duo hat das vergangene Jahr im Studio verbracht und ist mit einer unbändigen Dancefloor-Platte für die post „social distancing" Zeit herausgekommen: „With this record we’ve learned to trust our instincts and go with our gut,” sagt T. „We want it to be more raw, open, fun, enjoyable and entertaining, because that’s what music is,” fügt J. hinzu.

J und T sind das pulsierende Herz von Jungle, wo Musik, Ästhetik und Choreografie als eine unverwechselbare künstlerische Vision nebeneinander bestehen. Mit dem gleichen Ethos wie z.B. Gorillaz oder The Avalanches sind die beiden die Produzenten, Songwriter und Musiker, aber sie sind auch die Regisseure, Content-Schöpfer und Kuratoren. Sie stehen an der Spitze einer größeren Gemeinschaft von Kreativen. Sie sind Weltenbauer.
Mit dem neuen Album wird dies auf eine neue Ebene gehoben, wobei das größere Jungle-Kollektiv von Tänzern ein integraler Aspekt ist, wie die Musik visuell erlebt wird. Mit jedem Video, bei dem Josh Lloyd Watson und sein langjähriger Mitarbeiter Charlie Di Placido Regie geführt haben, schaffen sie es die Fans zu begeistern. Das Video zu „Keep Moving" ist in einem Take gedreht - teils Birdman, teils West Side Story und zeigt zwei Gangs von Tänzer*innen. Es beginnt mit dem Tänzer Che Jones (der im Video zu „Smile" vom letzten Jungle-Album mitspielte) in seinem Schlafzimmer und führt zu einer Szene im Freien, in der wir Mette Linturi (die im Video zu „Casio" vom letzten Album mitspielte) finden. Der Rest ist eine wunderschöne Entfesselung, die so atemraubend zu beobachten ist, dass sie den Zuschauer mit einem Gefühl der Ehrfurcht zurücklässt.

In ihrer bisherigen Karriere haben Jungle bereits auf mehreren Kontinenten gespielt und eine stetig wachsende internationale Fangemeinde gewonnen: Headline Shows von Sydney bis Moskau, vom ausverkauften Londoner Alexandra Palace mit 10.000 Plätzen bis zum 9.000 Kilometer von ihrem zu Hause entfernten ausverkauften Hollywood Palladium und Festivals wie Coachella, Bonnaroo und Lollapalooza. Ihr für den Mercury Prize nominiertes und mit Gold ausgezeichnetes Debütalbum und der Nachfolger "For Ever" von 2018 erreichten beide die UK Top 10. Diese beiden Alben haben seitdem 750.000 Verkäufe und fast eine Milliarde Streams erreicht.

Since its inception in 2019, Beartrax’s Melodize imprint has consistently pushed deep, musical house and techno with contributions from John Tejada, Fort Romeau, Carl Finlow, and many more standing alongside Beartrax’s original productions throughout the label’s back catalogue.

Leading the sixth release, ‘Phantom Night’ sees haunted atmospherics nestled amongst ethereal synth licks, before a cinematic violin takes centre stage. Johannes Albert’s remix peppers elements of the original with slick acid lines and punchy drums, re-imagining the dramatic violin for a fresh and highly entertaining take.

On the flip, the uplifting ‘Valor’ runs through a series of modulating basslines, glistening pads, and sizzling drums, topped off with a majestic cello performance throughout.

Rounding out the release, Lauer adds rubbery low end, floating keys, and hands-in-the air piano stabs to ‘Valor’ for a high-energy end to another stellar EP from Melodize.

There has always been a Reggae inuence in the music of El Michels Affair. From their cover of "Hung Up On My Baby" done in a Reggae style, to the general sound and approach that permeates Leon's production style. While recording Bailey's 2020 Ekundayo album, they did some straight forward reggae tunes inspired by different eras alongside some modern R&B tracks that would t more comfortably next to Frank Ocean than Jacob Miller. It is this same notion that old and new can live so comfortably together that birthed the idea of Ekundayo Inversions. Traditional dub came out of reggae in the late 60s and early 70s when pioneers like King Tubby and Lee Perry started taking the multi track recordings of songs and running them back through the board adding effects and additional instrumentation. These recordings are called "dubs" or "versions" and are typically instrumentals with ourishes of vocals from the original tracks. El Michels decided to use the blueprints left behind and make something using the inuences of today. He wound up straying so far from the traditional format that it didn't seem right to use the word `Dub', hence Ekundayo Inversions. All the songs are tied together by WhatsApp messages between Leon and Liam that perfectly narrate the story of this record and their working relationship. One of the highlights on Ekundayo Inversions is a guest appearance from the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry on the "Ugly Truth" version. L$P switches between singing and talking, proclaiming his powers one minute and playing with the track's title the next. On "Awkward take. 2" Leon takes one of the most experimental songs from Ekundayo and actually straightens it out. A track that once seemed to be oating in space has now been anchored by the addition of drums and bass. "Faded", a version of "Paper Tiger", is given the full EMA treatment with the addition of emotive horns over an uncomfortably sparse rhythm track peppered with Liam's voice drenched in delay and echo. "Champions" features a verse from Black Thought of The Roots and halfway through, El Michels sends the rhythm section 50 years back. At the end of the day, Ekundayo Inversions is a testament to how strong the original songs are. Whether they're in a R&B style, reggae style, stripped down to their bare bones, or loaded with production, the songs will move you.

Glenn Astro returns to Tartelet Records with Purple, a four-tracker of minimal slow burners and futuristic dance music, marking the label’s 50th 12-inch release.

Since releasing his second album Homespun in late 2020, Glenn Astro has been quietly channeling his funky instincts towards new production approaches. Purple, a four-piece compilation of mutant future-boogie daubed in Rogers-Nelson hues, comes through with emotional heft. It also marks the 50th 12" release for Tartelet Records.

“Following up on Homespun, I wanted to try out some more dancefloor- oriented tracks again,” says Glenn Astro. “Keeping it simple and practical, while not being too predictable. I incorporated a lot of modular synth bits and experiments, with ‘Flux’ being an almost exclusively modular-based jam.”

Incorporating tricky sound design and fluid structures, Astro’s new lines of enquiry never come at the expense of the groove. From the opening thump of ‘Penduloop’ onwards it’s apparent that his rugged rhythmic kinks are present and correct to hook in the dancers, while the melodic drops later in the track edge in a little melancholic flavour to take the mind somewhere else entirely. On this opening track, the artist explores new territory with his version of early naughties minimal house – a welcome
slow burner.

The EP title track ‘Purple’ slaps with purpose, not least in the Linn-esque drums and melodic bassline, but it’s a positively dreamy piece which skips on crooked beat formations and floats upwards via a multi-timbral tapestry of yearning synth shapes and robotic vocals. On ‘Out Of Office’ Glenn Astro provides a generous dose of electro nostalgia when he amps up the heavy-hearted feeling with aching string pads and electro-informed machine logic. The track becomes alive with its deep un-synced rhythms and dark bass notes, pushing further into the abyss. ‘Flux’, with its tooly
feel, takes the electronic mantra further and sheds light on the source of much of Astro’s new sound palette.

Crucially, even in its techiest moments, an irrepressible humanity shines through across Purple. Glenn Astro’s soul is the binding agent which links his early, sample-heavy house to his more explorative new angles, and it comes through in abundance on this fully-formed release.

Expansion Records and PIR have got together for a series of souvenir 7” single releases to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the iconic green label. There will be 500 pressed of each. Profile is huge around the PIR around the anniversary with PIR’s Kenny Gamble interviewed on Radio 2, Jazz FM, Smooth FM and in The Telegraph, Mojo, Blues & Soul and Manifesto. There’s also a “Philly 40” film being uploaded to social networks featuring interviews with Kenny Gamble and Tom Moulton around a series of commemorative releases. The 7” series focuses on the label’s most currently in vogue dance floor records and includes one previously unissued recording by The Jones Girls taken from the company’s Philadelphia vaults. Special PIR 40 logo and design will utilised for the label and 7” range sleeve for this collectors series. More to follow.

Super Rhythm Trax's sister label Bleeper welcomes Snuff Crew for 3 tough cuts of jacking Techno fit for dark warehouses with smoke and strobes. Off kilter gurn-drones and the wonderfully suggestive 'Where's the Bad' sample take over the A side while the ear-worm strings and bounce of 'Naughty' meet the pacey yet tongue in cheek 'Warehouse Boy' on the flip.

This 2LP set encompasses some of Ray Charles' most popular, influential and seminal recordings. Listen to these recordings by one of music's true greats, from his formative, pre-Atlantic days to his later genre-defying work, and discover why he was known simply as 'the Genius'.

Today, beloved DJ, producer and songwriter Lauren Flax announces her forthcoming EP, Out Of Reality out August 6 via 2MR. Much of Out Of Reality’s cohesion comes from Flax’s expansive production, using simple elements to craft intricate backdrops for the questions posed by her songs. On the EP’s titular track, Alejandra Deheza (School of Seven Bells)’s crystalline vocals are woven against a delicate tapestry of arpeggiated keys, sparse percussion and haunting cello. Watch “Out of Reality” here.

Detachment isn’t always detrimental; sometimes you have to step outside to get a better view. Lauren Flax knows this - as a DJ, producer and songwriter, her discography is notoriously genre-defiant, consisting of an impressive array of solo tracks, collaborations, and remixes. The most recent of these – her mesmerizing take on Pale Blue’s “Breathe” - saw her experimenting with a new style of writing. “I wanted to explore that sound more,” Flax explains, “more of a synth exploration, textures with less beats.” The pared-down songwriting approach lent itself to thematic considerations as well: she’d been thinking about the repetitive nature of the life cycle - the Indian concept of Samsara - and felt a general disappointment at humanity’s lack of progress. On her new EP Out Of Reality, she washes that disappointment in lush sonic hues, stepping outside the quotidien for a new perspective.

Though its themes span beyond the scope of our current socio-political moment, Out Of Reality feels, right now, like an especially tantalizing proposition. Pandemic-driven escapism has bred a new crop of otherworldly music designed to transport the listener somewhere better. But Flax isn’t interested in escapism for its own sake - there’s still work to be done here on Earth, after all. Instead, through a combination of live instrumentation and ethereal synths, Out Of Reality grants us a respite from the real so we can return to it with a clear head.

"Darryl is a crazy mysterious person. From what I know, he grew up alone with his mother without being much in contact with the rest of the world. His father's music record collection was the only connection with the other cultures and the world. Somehow he got a weird idea in his early childhood that this record collection contained all the music that had been ever created. He persuaded himself that the only way to make new music is to combine bits and pieces from that collection together. So he kept listening to those records and after a while, he was able to recollect their parts and combine them in his head — thus creating new music from what was already there. My role in this process is to communicate with Darryl and transfer his ideas into reality". Mr. Ultrafino

Hospital Records are extremely proud to present ‘Smile & Wave’, the
second studio album from drum & bass’ friendliest MC, Inja.
With the biggest smile on his face, the lyricist, vocalist, poet, artist and storyteller delivers
16 tracks, seamlessly weaved together through Inja’s infectiously feel-good flow and sincere
wordsmithery. The entire album was produced by Whiney, further cementing their relationship as one of the most untestable dance music pairings. Also featuring Charlotte Haining,
Eva Lazarus, DRS, Fox, Cleveland Watkiss, Singing Fats, and DJ Marky.
Album title track ‘Smile & Wave’ is the musical embodiment of Inja’s playful demeanour.
Known for being the world’s smiliest artist, Inja wrote and recorded this feel-good bouncer
alongside his daughter who is “pretty much the first person to hear anything” he’s up to
musically. Expect a rude bassline and infectious wordplay.
Teaming up with superstar singer-songwriter Charlotte Haining, ‘Reach Out’ sees two of the
most distinct voices in dance music come together over a bittersweet wobbler written about
times when you feel “so out of place, out of reach” in the words of Inja. Having worked
alongside an impressive array of electronic artists including Hybrid Minds, Sub Focus, My Nu
Leng and Friction, Charlotte’s delicately powerful hooks are the perfect counterpart to Inja’s
heartfelt flows.
Luscious pads and dubbed out pianos and guitars set the scene on ‘Baby Angel’ featuring the
worldwide wave-maker Eva Lazarus who returns to Hospital Records for the first time since
featuring on Etherwood’s ‘Light My Way Home’ back in 2015. Having worked alongside staple
figures including Mungo’s Hi-Fi, Zed Bias and Gentlemen’s Dub Club, Eva infuses her reggae,
hip-hop and jungle flavours alongside Inja’s humbling storytellings.
Inja’s “personal favourite to perform live as it smashes every and any system”, ‘Explode’, is a
140BPM anthem featuring flows that will ignite any room and a killer instrumental that will
have you bobbing no questions asked. Proving himself to be a versatile and skillful microphone controller, Inja’s ability to shell down any tempo is ever more apparent on this upfront
banger.
Three legendary MCs unite on ‘Hands, Lights, Flames, Phones’ where Inja joins forces with
two of Manchester’s very finest - DRS and Fox. Sharp lyricism is rife as the triple threat of
three titan wordsmiths link up, seeing energetic bars bouncing off each other over a cold-cut
drum & bass roller. This is a combination not to be tested.
Inja has established himself as a pinnacle figure within the realms of drum & bass. Loved for
his ability to express his thoughts into honest, relatable lyrics in ‘She Just Wanna Dance’, a
spoken word piece for Amnesty International that was a viral online hit in 2017, and more
recently switching it up to ‘We Just Wanna Dance’ during the UK lockdown, expressing his
desire to be reconnected with ravers again. Then picked up by BBC News and Sky News.
On top of being the MC of choice for drum & bass powerhouse group Kings Of The Rollers,
Inja is no stranger to tearing things up on the airwaves with support from the likes of DJ
Target, Rene LaVice and Danny Byrd on BBC Radio 1 over the years. Since his debut ‘Blank
Pages’ album on Hospital Records in 2018, Inja has flourished as a multi-talented MC, vocalist, singer and songwriter with a series of singles including the Beatport Drum & Bass charttopper ‘Game Face (Stay Alert)’ alongside Whiney, as well as the infamous ‘Lumberjackin’’ on
Serum’s Souped Up.
"To all the supporters that enjoy anything I’m a part of, I would never have had the opportunities to see as much of the world as I have without you. My gratitude has no bounds and I’d
love to share a smile with you all one day.” - Inja

Based on the book by the same name, Minamata follows war photographer Eugene Smith as he travels Japan documenting the devastating effect of mercury poisoning among coastal communities. His efforts to publicize the suffering caused by corporate malfeasance soon draw the attention of the world to Minamata, the city where the effects of the toxin are most pronounced.

The score is composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto composer, electro-pop pioneer, buddy to David Bowie, and synthesizer legend. His work since the late 1970s has taken him from the top of the charts. Sakamoto’s music has consistently exuded a profound empathy. Whether leading Yellow Magic Orchestra’s cheeky pop, collaborating with cranial ambient artists, or, more recently, confronting his own mortality, Sakamoto’s music expresses in a few elegant gestures the haunting richness of life.

In 2012, ten years after its inception, Stand High Patrol released their first album: Midnight Walkers, which featured a multifaceted take on contemporary dub – a versatile sound with heavy bass, named dubadub. Following the success of their first LP, plus several EPs and singles released on Stand High Records, Pupajim, Rootystep and Mac Gyver now return with their second self-produced album, with sleeve art by Kazy.

Recorded in a home studio between June 2013 and July 2014, A matter of scale has brought the emergence of new influences. The three dubadub musketeerz intensify the genre crossovers and strengthen the foundations of their creative process. Theirs is an open approach, free from conventions.

Supported by the rich range of Pupajim’s vocals, the sounds travel incessantly between eras. The dubadub experience takes on new dimensions; jazzy rhythms and melodies stand alongside digital reggae, hip-hop beats, bass music and progressive dubs.

A matter of scale shows how Stand High Patrol design and compose their own music. The album reflects the undeniable penchant of the crew for experimentation and their obvious desire to break down barriers.

For number 89 in the Brazil45 series, we present a no-nonsense Brazilian funk / samba rock double-sider courtesy of the mighty Golden Boys and Silvio C sar. The Golden Boys were a quartet formed in 1958 by the Correa brothers; Renato, Roberto, Ronaldo, and their cousin Valdir Anuncia o. They enjoyed a stellar recording career, from the 50s through to the 90s, with members of the group still involved in music to this day. For this selection we headed to their self-titled 1975 album released on Odeon and cherry-picked one of the group’s funkiest moments, ‘Segura Na Cintura Dela (O Gavi o)’. By now performing as a trio, they enlisted Paulo Deb tio of Lemos E Deb tio 8206;fame as executive producer and, on the controls, producer Milton Miranda. Miranda was a silent figure behind so many of the much-loved classic Odeon / EMI releases of the 60s and 70s. ‘Beco Sem Sa da’ is another Odeon release, and another classic produced by Milton Miranda. Taken from Silvio C sar’s self-titled 1971 album, here the prolific singer and composer delivers a swinging samba rock / groove. With fantastic arrangements by Geraldo Vespar, this addictive swing was reconstructed in the 2000s when Drumagick sampled it for their track ‘Sambarock’. So here we have two slices of Brazilian dancefloor pressure just waiting to take centre stage again.

- Next installment in BRAZIL45 Series.
- Brazilian funk and samba rock double-sider.
- Both tracks produced by Milton Miranda.

Emerging from the frostbitten, dark and brooding woods of Siberia, NYTT LAND ascends as one of the most captivating and haunting musical forces in folk music. On their new album, Ritual, out August 6 via Napalm Records, NYTT LAND effortlessly pulls listeners into a world of ancient percussive instrumentation and vocal tradition: eight songs on Ritual tell tales of gods and heroes, born centuries ago and preserved in traditions, expressed in a unique sonic experience that can best be described by the duo itself as Shamanic Dark Folk. Blurb IG#1: NYTT LAND wear their shamanic Siberian influences on their sleeve on “Ritual” – haunting percussive instrumentation and unique, meditative vocal chants display their Shamanic Dark Folk in its full splendour. With millions of streams and views across all platforms, NYTT LAND is a force to be reckoned with in dark and ambient folk music! Blurb IG#2: Based on the tale of the ancient Siberian tribe known as Khanty, NYTT LAND transform their culture into a musical journey through their spiritual traditions. The dark, ambient atmosphere makes NYTT LAND a truly unique duo in folk, and has earned them multiple millions of streams across all platforms! Blurb IG#3: Right when NYTT LAND starts off “Svartravn” with mysterious whispers, the listener is being pulled into the melancholic atmosphere of the song – a true display of NYTT LAND’s Shamanic Dark Folk. Experimental vocal technique meets deep, stomping percussive instrumentation, inspired by ancient Siberian and Northern European culture. NYTT LAND are a truly unique duo and rightfully earned multiple millions of streams across all streaming platforms with their authentic, traditional take on folk music.

Imbued with the grit of vintage country music and the grace of gospel, Leah Blevins’ debut album is a scrapbook of sorts, a collage of feelings and memories from a decade spent working in the big city of Nashville while missing the small town she left behind. “It’s a timestamp of my twenties,” says the Sandy Hook, Kentucky, native. “Here are all the stories and all the experiences from that decade. Here are all the mixed emotions I’ve felt about things I’ve gone through and people I’ve met along the way.” First Time Feeling turns tribulations into what Blevins calls “bundles of triumphs,” which lend weight to her well-observed lyrics and gravity to her soulful vocals. “It’s about coming into womanhood, but it’s more than just a coming-of-age story. It’s me discovering that I’m capable of writing a song on my own. I’m capable of staying sober. I’m capable of all these things that once felt so far out of reach. Within those walls these songs had to be unapologetically honest.” Or, as she puts it on the bluesy opener “Afraid,” “Have you ever been afraid, with nowhere to hide? Scared of nothing, but you’re running inside?”
. “I want people to find something relatable within these ten songs. But for me they’re a reminder that all the pain that I went through—which isn’t that different from the pain every human goes through—it’s all mine. By making this album, I’ve taken it, I’ve owned that pain, I’ve made it mine, and I’ve wrapped it up with a bow on top.”

Hamburg's very own Christoph Kähler a.k.a. Zwanie Jonson has many names. He is, depending on your perspective, theee eternal drummer, who has toured with legions of seminal German bands of all genres, he is just as well theee eternal underdog, for whose solo debut album "It's Zwanietime" infamous DJ Koze invented his very first label Hoobert in 2007 - out of pure love and just to be able to release it. (Koze taken with it: "The sweetness and kindness that runs through all the songs makes you think Zwanie is on the verge of his enlightenment."). He's been called a fake Swede, JJ Cale from the Waterkant, taller than Jesus (sic!), but above all he's the man who makes Hamburg look like a sweet spot at the end of Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles.

In summer 2011, Zwanie's second album "I'm A Sunshine" was released by Staatsakt. The album track "Golden Song" became a late radio hit in 2015 through its use in the film "Victoria". In 2017 he released "Eleven Songs For A Girl", also on Staatsakt, and now his fourth album "We Like It" is scheduled for early august on Fun In The Church. Recorded virtually alone, just like any of Zwanie's

Bastard Jazz is happy to give a first look at mainstay Japanese producers Aru-2 & Kzyboost's full length album "Hot Pants" (August 13) with a special 7" showcasing a couple of favorites from the album. On the A side is "Shooby Dooby", a slice of future funk with a bubbling analog synth bassline and Aru-2's signature talkbox vocals, while on the B-Side "Boost Step" takes things a little more downtempo into instrumental hip-hop territory, still rife with funk vibes, and synth solos.

Aru-2 and Kzyboost are both Tokyo-based producers, known for their work in the Japanese underground hip hop scene. Aru-2 got his start producing for prominent J-hip hop artists like ISSUGI, SENNINSHO, Tamaki Roy, and KID FRESINO. His first EP, "Arµ-2," arrived in 2013, and was featured in OkayPlayer, while the collaborative album "TANHÂ," with Lee (asano+ryuhei) came out in 2014 and was critically acclaimed by Pitchfork. Kzyboost specialises in the talk-box and is one of the best known talk-box artists in Japan. He's released two studio albums, "Callin' U" (2019), and "Keep Smoovin'" (2020, fusing West Coast hip hop, and 90s R&B and soul. The two artists bonded over their shared love of music through sessions at Aru-2's home studio, resulting in the upcoming collaboration.

"Shooby Dooby / Boost Step" is due out on Brooklyn's Bastard Jazz Recordings in July, ahead of the duo's debut LP "Hot Pants" in August.

Since Grazed is either the 14th or 16th record depending on how you count them (but who’s counting?) by Eleventh Dream Day, a Chicago band with Kentucky roots.
After 2015’s blistering guitar blast Works For Tomorrow, Janet Beveridge Bean, Rick Rizzo, and Douglas McCombs return alongside James Elkington and Mark Greenberg.
The hour of music on this 2xLP takes the long road home, spacing out at the wheel and reveling in the journey - celebrating those along for the ride. This is not a record about what is lost, but what is still there, however nicked up and grazed it may be. Built from the bottom up, the 12 songs here start simply with acoustic guitar and a voice and layer a lush symphony of sound over the band’s most melodic tunes to-date.

For number 90 in the Brazil45 series, we share a couple of lesser-known discoveries that have become recent favourites here at Bongo HQ. First up we head to the north of Brazil with funky Forr / boogie hybrid monster, ‘Vendedor De Mangaios’ by Josan. Originally released in 1981 on the album ‘Rio De Renova es’ on Copacabana Records. This addictive dancefloor gem is still relatively under the radar, but it has become a firm favourite at Bristol’s Worm Disco Club parties and amongst the DJ’s and collectors of Brazil’s underground dance music scene. Taken from the illustrious singer Bart Galeno’s self-titled 1977 album on Tapecar Records, ‘Vou Tirar Voc Daqui’ is an unusual one. Not easily pigeon-holed, he song sits somewhere between MPB / funk and rock, yet isn’t really any of them. Backed with a big orchestrated sound and tripped-out synths, the track has a truly unique feel. We hope you dig these finds. Another testament to the diversity and depth of Brazil’s rich musical heritage.

- Next installment in BRAZIL45 Series.
- Two lesser-known discoveries

Label boss and producer, Double A, takes the reins on a tasteful rework of a ’92 hiphop classic, (which, incidentally, was never released on 7”). This time, the original
drums take a back seat to some equally uptempo classic breaks, while the upright bass sample goes front and center. Expect some (literal) vibes on the chorus. Sure shot party starter

DC / Virginia turntablist and veteran producer, Jeyone, delivers the boom bap goods with this treatment of a hard rock classic. Knocking hip-hop drums and a throwback “rock the house” sample breath new dance floor life into this 1970 banger. This one’s sure to turn more than a few heads and will crossover with just about any crowd.

After multiple lauded album-length cassettes, 'Adaptive Emotional Use' is the first true album from Toronto-based Death Kneel. Several years in development, 'Adaptive Emotional Use' is a maturation of the project. Exhibiting a markedly harsher sonic palette, Death Kneel takes a turn towards violence and tragedy. Presented in heavyweight 350gsm printed sleeve. Black vinyl edition of 250.

After the exploration of snowy mountains of Alpestres, released on Hands in the Dark in 2018, French composer Matthias Puech ventures into new territories, sketching a cartography of the invisible where the journey, in chiaroscuro, is announced as a rite of passage. A Geography of Absence, as introspective as unpredictable, immerses the listener into a unique sensory whirlwind where organic matter becomes almost palpable. A researcher in theoretical computer science and an engineer at GRM, Matthias Puech constructs a dialog between synthetic music and field recording, capturing sounds that surround him and creating his own sonic language with the help of synthesizers he designs and develops; notably the Oscillator Ensemble and the Tapographic Delay, made by the American company 4ms.

Composed during a moment marked by ordeal and mourning, A Geography of Absence retraces an inner journey where the physicality of sound leads the listener into an initiatory tunnel filled with apparitions, ghosts, visions. With sound oscillations as a navigational map, we progress, step by step, through the meanders of an unknown world, dazzled by the prospect of a new synthetic horizon, an electronic biotope teeming with life and incarnations. Playing with time, space and matter in an approach similar to that of musique concrète, Matthias Puech combines ambient and noise, floating sounds and electroacoustic experimentations, thus shaking up our listening perspective, which finds itself walking through a parallel universe, strata after strata, sequence after sequence.

The trip begins with “Hollow”, as if on board a night train travelling at full speed through ghost towns. Or is it a spaceship? Removed from their original habitat, sounds – picked up during walks or moduled by synths – are free to be interpreted differently by everyone, according to the memories that shape us. Granular and metallic, this first piece takes us to an elsewhere in orbit. "Work Song" is built around the pulsation of the void, of space, where strange creatures and liquid emanations abound. We become fetus, cocoon coiled in the placenta, heart beating to the rhythm of the gooey choreography of the human body. "Chrysalis" awakens the racket that lies dormant in us, when the skin changes, when the transition takes place. One seems to recognize certain sounds stemming from nature but they could also be mirages, imitating reality to render the barely perceptible engulfing. “Tunnel Vision” brings out a herd of haunted bells, slowly swelling in a pastoral maelstrom, ending in a deafening buzz. Further on, the chirping of an animatronic bird mixes with the hooting of an owl: "A Faint Beacon" invokes a nocturnal vigil that mixes the crackling of a fire and icy gusts of wind blowing everything away. Like an epic, sucking the listener into the breach of a black hole in the center of the Milky Way, it's up to "Homeostasis" to conclude in the high spheres and contemplative vapors, where the balance of dawn announces a rebirth.

A Geography of Absence is a meticulous and sensitive piece that constructs a delicate symphony of extremes, between introspection and desire for the unknown. Accompanied by the ink work of the artist Léa Neuville, whose folds of prints sketch this imaginary atlas, Matthias Puech becomes a narrator of mental adventures. And succeeds once again in transcending reality to dig a path to the unspeakable.

Joshua is the follow-up album to Olympic. While the second album, typically, often shows what critics call “maturity”, here Simon has released instead an album of adolescence. The musician opened up his own memory box to contemplate his childhood souvenirs, and dust them off of all nostalgia. At that time, he would VHS-record movies from TV and tape record soundtracks directly from the TV speaker, so he could listen to them in his bedroom. This is when he “discovered the power of music, the way it makes you enter another world, far from reality. I wanted to pay tribute to the era I shaped myself in – the ’80s and ’90s”. Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk and Soft Machine. Logically, these are the sonic signatures that seem to haunt the album. The timeless pioneers of synthetic music constitute the sound references, without any established chronological timeline, that blend with the atmosphere of typically “French Touch” movie soundtracks – long before the term was even coined. “I use a musical palette that acts as a flashback to my favourite teenage movies: the synth sounds of Close Encounters of the Third Kind; the synth pads in Jean-Jacques Cousteau’s fascinating documentaries about the sea world; the melodies in the manner of François De Roubaix; the themes that evoke the soundtracks of late-night TV sessions (those by Verneuil, those with Belmondo, Depardieu, etc.); and the sci-fi ambiences like in Blade Runner.” In short, an aesthetic was decided on by Simon very early on: French analog synths instead of North American symphonic orchestras.

The name Joshua has two meanings for French 79: one is linked to the idea of nostalgia, the other to adventure. On the one hand, the computer in the 1983 movie Wargames, and on the other, the boat of French sailor Bernard Moitessier.

The track titled Joshua synthesizes the spirit of the album – an odyssey, a neverending crossing of the world in search of oneself, a spontaneous escape into the future, under the benevolent eye of the past. This epic invites everyone of us to a specific place in our imagination, which is also the source of an indescribable pleasure for French 79: a gust of wind, a sailboat ride, a skateboarding trick, the smell of freshly fallen snow, or the dull roar of an impatient audience.

The same aesthetic preferences are found in the videos that illustrate Joshua’s first tracks: for Hold On, the skateboarder chose to recall the cult ’90s skate videos that he would watch on repeat as a teenager, while Hometown hints at Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Although he now calls Marseille home, Simon continuously draws with passion from the anachronic contemporaneity of his childhood in the Eastern French region.

“I need escape to be able to create. A two or three-day sailing trip gives me enough inspiration to lock myself in the studio for a week when I’m back on dry land.” His boat takes him far away from everything, far from the Old Port where she moors, the rest of the time Simon would escape by walking the streets of his city or climbing the Alpine mountains.

Not only does the new version French 79 reveal a few biographical pieces of Simon henner's history, but it also inaugurates the first vocal track for the musician. One feels a guilty pleasure when hearing him take the lead on the first track, The Remedy. The electronic fugue that opens the album sets the tone: Simon has found the cure for his inner turmoil and wants us to discover our own treatment too. Hold On is a sonic explosion that celebrates the feeling of freedom - what's more of a teenage dream than this feeling - and it eventually command one to feel the same way too. Echoing Olympic, the electronic argonaut invites his muse again, singer Sarah Rebecca. On By Your Side and Touch The Stars, the native of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, now based in Paris, hoisted the mainsail of dream pop. First, though a dialogue that surfaced their unfailing attachment to the bonds of friendship, then through the light hearted atmosphere that leaves us with no choice but to believe in our own dreams and do anything possible to fulfill them. The quest for peace in the midst of the daily din is heard in both Code Zero and the title track Joshua, two majestic journeys in search of hedonism, combined with introspection.

LP on white vinyl! What if a song was not a culmination but a singe, an imprint, or a crater left in the wake of creative process? On her new record "Jade", Pan Daijing composes at a different scale than that we've come to know. Since the release of her groundbreaking LP "Lack" in 2017, Daijing has expanded her operatic vision into a series of major commissioned exhibition-performances at institutions including the Tate Modern, Martin Gropius Bau, and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. Developed for full casts of opera singers and dancers, and reaching for an all-encompassing durational experience of intensity for both performer and audience, the development of these works was for Daijing as emotionally disarming as it was thrilling. In order to continue accessing her own limits, Daijing had to develop a place of sanctuary within her own practice. Its nine tracks written and recorded over the last three years, "Jade" is the sound of solitary release and refuge, of creative self-sustenance. Written without the imperatives of direct address to performers or audience, "Jade" speaks inward, while inviting a kind of rhetorical listening. The artist draws on materials familiar from her previous work: namely, ascetic electronic textures that rumble and pierce, and voice bent in irreverent directions. In place of catharsis, however, her arrangements here linger in tension, extending curiosity towards the delicate void that nourishes extremes. They toy with the minor capacities of song: repetition, chant, observations that conclude without resolving. "Jade" comes from a vulnerable place, tender as in an undressed wound caught in the midst of healing over. Vocals, mostly Daijing's own, arrive as wordless sequences of notes soaring alongside a drone, or plain laughter, or in a few places spoken word. What is said or sung provides fragments of experience and reflection. In the process of piecing together these fragments, the listener is confronted with the tender parts of her own. "Solitude is like an immense lake you're swimming through," says Daijing of these songs. "Sometimes you dip your head in and sometimes you lift it above. On album centerpiece "Let," she speaks to us over the sound of rippling water, returning between anxious scenes to a refrain: "I take my bath in the ocean." We are not just consuming Daijing's story; we are being invited to join her in the water. The album is mixed and mastered by Rashad Becker, featuring artwork by Pan Daijing, cinematography by Dzhovani Gospodinov & design by NMR.

2023 Repress

Black Truffle is pleased to announce the first-ever vinyl reissue of Alvin Curran’s classic Fiori Chiari, Fiori Oscuri, originally issued in 1978 on Ananda, the cooperative label run by Curran, Roberto Laneri, and Giacinto Scelsi. Fiori Chiari, Fiori Oscuri (Light Flowers Dark Flowers) – its title inspired by an intersection in Milan – is the second in the series of four solo recordings Alvin Curran issued in the 1970s and early 1980s, preceded by Songs and Views from the Magnetic Garden (1975), followed by The Works (1980) and Canti Illuminati (1982).

Each of these solo works combines field recordings with performances on synthesiser, various acoustic instruments, and voice, arranged in languorously paced, dreamy sequences. Far from the bracing pointillism of much musique concrete, the elements encountered on the meandering course followed by Fiori Chiari, Fiori Oscuri – whether a frenetic piano improvisation, dense layers of Serge synthesiser and ocarina, or a monologue from Frederic Rzewski’s five-year old son, Alexis – often occupy the foreground of our attention for minutes at a time. As Curran explains, his approach is like that of a filmmaker in the editing process, working with “whole blocks of recorded time”. The purring of a cat, toy piano, a child counting, plaintive synthesiser tones, the cacophony of exotic birds at the London Zoo – each disappears into the next, until, on the LP’s second side, a solo piano performance takes centre stage, moving unexpectedly from percussive minimalist permutations to a halting rendition of Georgia on My Mind. A subtle yet stunning work that more than forty years on still seems charged with possibility, Fiori Chiari, Fiori Oscuri arrives in a loving reproduction of the original sleeve, featuring Edith Schloss’ beautiful cover painting, remastered audio and with new liner notes by Alvin Curran and Francis Plagne.

Unveiled Nuance is the newly founded imprint by Manchester’s Means&3rd, a platform solely for his own productions. The Eastern Bloc Records staff member inaugurates his debut vinyl release with 3
tracks covering a balance between hypnotic and driving techno, in keeping with his adopted style of recent years.

‘Thought contortion’ opens the EP with a thunderous low end, propulsive rhythms and immersive sweeps of sound design, teamed with modulated synth patterns that assist the unfolding of its persistent structure. ‘Fragility of perception’ follows with its elastic 3 step synth groove and reverb rich textures which provide the bed while the percussion provides an airy dynamic. ‘Aural Dissociative’ closes the EP with an all together headier affair, a dynamic drone providing the backdrop while flickers of rhythm supplement its evolution and heavily modulated lead lines take the focus.

Pressed on 140g Black Vinyl, reverse board full colour print sleeve with poly-lined inner sleeve

**LONG OVERDUE REPRESS - CLEAR VINYL 300 COPIES ONLY** “With Ela’s music I feel emotional, engaged… I can’t help but feel she’s always looking for a sense of belonging and it
seems to inform all the music that she makes. Glasgow must have more of that belonging feeling than most
cities because she’s spent the most time here, an exotic bird in a rainy city she maybe finds a lttle bit of comfort in. It’s
a pleasure to have her here, in this awful time to be living in Britain, her illuminations feel important and hopeful. A
stubborn light; someone making great timeless music out of the humdrum of the everyday.” - Stephen Pastel
Movies For Ears is a retrospective collection of works by Polish-born, Glasgow-based artist Ela Orleans which
navigates almost two decades of songwriting in the heart of the global pop underground. This remastered collection casts
an ear over what Orleans might call the ‘pop sensibility’ within her back catalogue. Released previously on a number of
small DIY labels, Orleans’ music coincided with the explosion of auto-didactic musicians finding their voice in the age of
the blogosphere, artists emboldened by the democratisation of music-making afforded by the internet. From the outset,
Orleans’ childhood studying formal music mixed with cut-up techniques, sampling, sound-art and experimentation to
create a distinctive signature cloaked in an innate melancholy and playfulness. Fully remastered by James Plotkin,
featuring extensive sleeve-notes and rare photos from Orleans’ archive, Movies For Ears presents an appraisal of the
musician’s work, painting a portrait of an artist with an uncanny ability to evoke emotions and ghosts of memories in the
listener.
Each song pulls sunshine from its surroundings, moments of pleasure plucked from eulogies. The Season employs a
hypnotic loop with Orleans’s prophetic voice heralding the season we’re doomed to repeat. In fact the singer is often cast
as the changing protagonist in her songs: on Walkingman, a hazy ballad heavy with ennui, the narrator is laden with the
world’s weight, forever pacing a groundhog day world blank, a pissed-off actor in a Kafka-esque melodrama. On Light At
Dawn we’re in a seedy kitsch bar-room go-go scene, a ghostly rock’roll romance with shimmering percussion, poledancing
in a Lynchian half-dream. Movies For Ears’ moods straddle memory and fantasy: scratchily invoking halfremembered
exotica, the flickering shadows of europhile cinemas screens, a delicately woven world anchored in Orleans
existential meditations on longing, intimacy, solitude and the search for love. These rich textures in every song don’t
overpower some crystalised moments of emotion however: on In Spring Orleans sings simply “I have been happy two
weeks together,” summarizing that feeling of elation when emerging from a depression, a long winter. It’s a moment that
perfectly illustrates the lightness of touch and clarity in the singer’s voice.
The power of the loop and Orleans’ weaving songwriting that breaks its spell is illustrated perfectly by I Know. Over an
aching chord progression, the vocal takes flight into bittersweet loneliness, Pachelbel’s Canon played at a wedding where
only one person shows up. The repeated refrain “I know, I know” ascends to the heavens as the chords descend to the
dumps and the listener is left in the middle, happy but not knowing why, maybe a little changed, two weeks together. On
Movies For Ears, Ela Orleans lets us into a secret: the rare moments of joy to be found in the joins of the loop, the spaces
between things, the spring after the winter are the moments that last after the day has faded.

* Pressed on special RSD color wax.
* Includes bonus limited edition flexi of an ultra rare recording performed by Roky Erickson.
* Pressed at RTI.

Texan Roky Erickson was one of the true mind-blowing pioneers of psychedelic music. The original leader of the Austin-based 13th Floor Elevators formed in 1965, Erickson and band invented a brand new style or rock & roll, one that was slightly unhinged while it explored the consciousness-expanding influence of LSD on music. After three years, the group imploded with mental issues and legal challenges, ending with Erickson being incarcerated for several years in the Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Rusk, Texas. When he was released in the early '70s the musician continued on his own trail, recording songs that had come to him in his far-flung cerebral wanderings. Erickson, who passed away May 31, 2019, is now celebrated on this 12-track tribute to one of the most original rockers ever.

The participants range the whole world of modern music, and each chose one of Erickson's originals to stamp their own imprint on. They include Billy F Gibbons, Lucinda Williams, Mosshart Sexton (a/k/a Alison Mosshart & Charlie Sexton), Neko Case, Mark Lanegan & Lynn Castle, Jeff Tweedy, Margo Price, Gary Clark Jr & Eve Monsees, Ty Segal, Chelsea Wolfe, The Black Angels and Brogan Bentley. The album is co-produced for release by Bill Bentley, executive producer of the 1990 Roky Erickson tribute album Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye on Sire Records, and Matt Sullivan, co-founder/owner of Light in the Attic Records.

The songs range from Erickson's debut iconic original, "You're Gonna Miss Me," recorded when he was a member first in The Spades and then the 13th Floor Elevators during the early '60s in Austin, to some of Erickson's later songs, like "If You Have Ghosts," which heard him exploring some of the outer limits of the human psyche. Each new recording is a stunning modern take on the sound that Roky Erickson gave the world over a half-century of writing, recording and touring. No one has ever equaled those explorations.

This truly is the music of the spheres, as Erickson once sang about his sound, as seen through the eyes and ears of those who are united in their love and respect for a person who dedicated his life to rock & roll. Roky Erickson, through the trials and tribulations of a man both imbued with greatness and haunted by darkness, never quit in his quest to share with others what he heard and saw. As he sang on the 13th Floor Elevators last recording, "May the circle remain unbroken."

In a release inspired by the smooth rhythms of the region's past, Atlanta-based Dog Bite offers more music medicine in the form of Tranquilizers. The sophomore release transcends the reverie state of Velvet Changes in pursuit of a darker, more full-bodied experience. Tranquilizers migrates into a dreamy sonic realm enveloped in its own soulful influence. Frontman Phil Jones found his extensive listening to iconic R&B musicians such as Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes to be the original muse for the album. In its formation it began as a soul record; however, at its core the release remains grounded in Dog Bite's beloved shoegaze landscapes. With the support of Woody Shortridge on bass and Tak Takemura on drums, Dog Bite purposefully evades sedation through its blend of smoky textures across divergent genres. Being an album submerged between the differences of classic funk and rock music, it is Jones' customary croon that weaves a common mesh in the record's diverse artistry. First making music at the end of his high school days, 23-year-old Phil Jones began Dog Bite after dropping out of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Influenced by the work of J Dilla, Portishead, Caribou, Panda Bear and The Roots, Jones began self-releasing tracks, followed-by a 7-inch and CD on Young Turks. While later touring as the keyboardist to Washed Out he picked up an acoustic guitar and composed his debut-full length, Velvet Changes, released on Carpark in early 2013. In support of Velvet Changes, Dog Bite embarked on an extensive North American winter tour with labelmate Toro Y Moi. The two marked the occasion with a split 7. Jones returns with his newest release on Carpark, the LA EP. In addition to his time with Washed Out, Jones has appeared on a matthewdavid release and produced for Mood Rings and Bosco. As one half of Acid Flashback, he's crafted tunes for the voice of Karen Jacobs (of Toronto's Free Kisses). Dog Bite performs live as a four-piece, featuring Jones' friend Woody Shortridge formerly of defunct Atlanta band Balkans.

Repress.

Adam Beyer invites the legendary DJ Rush to make his Drumcode debut, as the pair link for a stirring maiden collaboration, ‘Restore My Soul’.

The DC boss holds a deep respect for the iconic Chicago artist, the relationship stretching back 25+ years to their time touring the German techno circuit in the 90s.

The title track builds dramatic tension via elastic synths that oscillate alongside Rush’s vocal, taking things to heady levels. ‘Control’ is a thick wedge of industrial-edged rhythms, with Rush’s famous vocal providing a commanding presence throughout.

On the B side, ‘Take Me There’ is stirring in composition, transitioning from crushing percussive loops to deep techno funk, before working towards a teased out crescendo as Rush’s hypnotic refrain echoes in the air. A deliciously pumping DJ Rush remix of ‘Restore My Soul’ rounds out the package.

Adam Cook aka Tommy Rawson returns to Bergerac with another killer EP of uplifting, tropical deep house, broken beat and Brit funk vibes. Following on from 2018s Gilles Peterson hammered 'Deep Blue' EP, he returns to Red Rack'ems Bergerac label with an absolutely killer 3 tracker which showcases the Watford, England based producers world class musical chops. Surely a contender for THE summer record with a sun kissed Brit funk A side which is tailor made for the WWFM and We Out Here crew. A tropical house and broken beat burner make up an equally strong flip. We are very happy (and relieved) to be presenting to you an absolutely belting EP of UK soulful dance music.

It's nothing short of a miracle that the A side track 'Illusions' has ever made it on to vinyl. Jonna from City Fly remembers 'Adam had this on a CDR at Southport in 2008 and it became our official track of the festival as we all partied together the whole weekend it got played again and again back at our Chalet parties'. But then as these things often sadly go, the funk diamond was lost for a few years in the digital ether. Fast forward to 2014 and Danny Berman aka Red Rack'em is playing a 320 of 'Illusions' everywhere but alas it's just a demo and Adam can't locate the arrangement to complete the track as it's on a broken computer in his Mums attic.

Then finally this year, after many pleading emails and plenty of gentle cajoling, there's some amazing news! Adam has located the broken computer and after a day of digital open heart surgery, and then a re-edit over Zoom (no really) we finally had the killer, classic UK soulful anthem you're listening to today. A voice over from a disco documentary cleverly introduces each instrument on the intro before Tommy pushes the button marked 'biggest bassline of the year' and takes us into boogie heaven.

'Sound Crazy' on the flip is another one of those classic Afrobeat tinged Tommy rollers. Big room vibes but with a lot of soul. Rolling broken drums and a huge bassline combine with plenty of spicy, tropical atmosphere on top. The trademark Rawson uplifting chords begin after an anticipatory vibe filled breakdown, taking you to the stratosphere.

'Ads Mood' is the most 'classical' broken beat track on the record, but they are all playable in multiple environments and transcend mere genres. Heavy bass and extra funky syncopated beats climax into a beautiful almost orchestral feel to close off an exemplary EP of higher quality moods and emotions. Don't sleep.

Ltd Black Vinyl Gatefold edition + 32 Page Booklet + Download Code

The LP contains original compositions by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pascal Comelade, Laurie Spiegel, Lyra Pramuk, Chassol, Nicolas Godin and Pierre Rousseau, Pedro Vian and Pierre Bastien, Visible Cloaks, Kelman Duran, Raul Refree, Lucrecia Dalt, Lafawndah.

+ a booklet with writings by contemporary thinkers like Shumon Basar, François J. Bonnet, and pictures by, Araki, Juergen Teller, Elizaveta Porodina, Dani Pujalte, P Jack Davison, Zhong Lin, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Adrià Cañameras, Javier Tles among others. Lacquer cut by Josh Bonati & Mastered by Rashad Becker

'PRSNT' is a unique global artistic project combining the input of artists across the worlds of music, video and written word which acts as a statement on how we, as consumers, engage with music in the 21st century. Vital electronic musicians including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Lafawndah, Lyra Pramuk, Lucrecia Dalt and Visible Cloaks have each contributed tracks, which are approximately 32 seconds long.

The concept was devised by Created By Us and the Barcelona-based label Modern Obscure Music. They read a study which identified that the overwhelming volume of instantly accessible information online is shortening attention spans and altering how audiences engage with music digitally. Their curiosity about the state of online consumption developed further on discovering that around a third of all listeners using digital platforms skip to the next track, within the first 30 seconds of playing.

Each musician was given a fascinating challenge to create engaging compositions with real artistic merit, inside the confines of this shortened span. Akin to Brian Eno's famous Windows 95 start-up music, the time constraints are crucial, and the compositions are deceptively complex and more substantial than expectations of their nano nature would suggest.

'PRSNT' acts as a critique of flighty feed culture, but is simultaneously constructive, providing something which is either proposed solution, or "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" resignation. Every artist has interpreted the brief differently, resulting in an intriguing blueprint for the potential future of digital music. Could abbreviated micro compositions satisfy, inspire and nourish like their longer counterparts? They certainly take up much less of listeners' busy lives, which are often spent tackling ever-increasing workloads.

For their first new release in twenty years, Toko turn to the talents of their original 'in house' producer Si Brad, who calms and charms with the butter smooth Balearic soul of 'Falling Down'.
Featuring the rich vocals of Azeem, this sublime sundowner takes Curtom Horns on a Moon Safari, a nimble bassline chasing crunchy keys across the horizon before the sublime vocoder soul of the final third transports us from Sheffield to Shibuya. Slow burning, deep and meaningful, 'Falling Down' is your new summer soundtrack.

Balearic trailblazers Psychemagik take the controls for the B side, creating an atmospheric extension which is low slung and laid back but still dressed for dancing. Building a haunting riff into the main refrain, they lead us through nearly 12 minutes of floatation tank funk awash with heart-swelling strings and cascading keys. As the breaks and bass intensify, the track swells into a true end of night anthem for the horizontal dancers.

Welcome home.