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The promise of a Florry show, a now familiar caravan that has been honed over ambitiously trekked zig zags across America and Europe since the release of Dear Life Records debut The Holey Bible, is the redemptive promise and prodigal joy of rock and roll guitar music. Bred in the crackling warmth of the Philadelphia DIY scene, and forged with the alloys of community action, queer liberation and bedroom poetry, bandleader Francie Medosch and her absolute unit of collaborators have put in the work of sharpening their homespun tools to take up the mantle of the great lip-puckering rock and roll tradition pioneered by the likes of The Band and the Rolling Stones, but with proudly displayed Aimee Mann and Yo La Tengo bumper stickers on the rusty frame of the truck. At any second, the wheels could come off but they are steering just fine. For 'Sounds Like' Florry's sophomore effort as a fully realized band, Medosch and co. decamped to Drop of Sun studios in the nest of the Blue Ridge Mountains to record with Asheville wunderkind Colin Miller, a critical voice behind the records of MJ Lenderman, Wednesday and Merce Lemon and a powerful songwriter in his own right. Three powerhouse days in late 2023 solidified writing work done by the band earlier that summer in the now defunct Haw Creek compound under Miller's guiding suggestion. The result is a portrait of a ripping band cresting towards the height of their powers, uniquely equipped to capture a wildly loving, barn-burning camcorder clip of a turbulent trip with your best friends, without dipping into nostalgia bait. Lyrically, Medosch's utterances are both careful and excessive, the product of sifting through the rubble of classic good-time media, and finding what works for both her and her community to reach the heights of abandon. "The Jackass theme song was actually a really big influence on the new album" The expansive personnel and continent spanning footprint of Florry casts a wide net for this community. Florry the band rolls deep in the heard of North American DIY, featuring Jon Cox (Sadurn, Son of Barb) on pedal steel, John Murray on electric guitar, Collin Dennen on bass, Will Henriksen on fiddle, Katya Malison (Doll Spirit Vessel) on Vox, and Joey Sullivan (Bark Culture) on drums. Medosch's recent move to Burlington Vermont entrenches the Philly born project firmly within the ranks of fellow alt-country upstarts Lily Seabird and Greg Freeman, and gives them a vantage just outside of Pennsylvania at the thresholds of New England and the Midwest. There is a new life breathed into this music that confirms Florry as equally rooted in place work, and at home on the vast roads of America. For listeners who fell in love with Florry's infectious charm on sweeping tours with the likes of Kurt Vile, Real Estate, MJ Lenderman, Greg Freeman and Fust, 'Sounds Like', provides a refreshing memento of the band that surely left them smiling. If the support behind 'The Holey Bible' provided validation for the insistent vision of these young artists, 'Sounds Like' finds them reveling in and honing their vocabulary. Praise from outlets like Pitchfork, Stereogum, Paste, and Brooklyn Vegan touched on the potential of their wild idiosyncrasies, and accurately predicted that their next steps would see them continuing to write their own story, like a 10 car pileup that you can't take your eyes off if you tried. Florry proves that they can let the car spin just out of control whenever they want, and you are welcome to ride shotgun while Medosch does donuts in the WaWa parking lot. The ceiling, it turns out, is truly the roof.

The promise of a Florry show, a now familiar caravan that has been honed over ambitiously trekked zig zags across America and Europe since the release of Dear Life Records debut The Holey Bible, is the redemptive promise and prodigal joy of rock and roll guitar music. Bred in the crackling warmth of the Philadelphia DIY scene, and forged with the alloys of community action, queer liberation and bedroom poetry, bandleader Francie Medosch and her absolute unit of collaborators have put in the work of sharpening their homespun tools to take up the mantle of the great lip-puckering rock and roll tradition pioneered by the likes of The Band and the Rolling Stones, but with proudly displayed Aimee Mann and Yo La Tengo bumper stickers on the rusty frame of the truck. At any second, the wheels could come off but they are steering just fine. For 'Sounds Like' Florry's sophomore effort as a fully realized band, Medosch and co. decamped to Drop of Sun studios in the nest of the Blue Ridge Mountains to record with Asheville wunderkind Colin Miller, a critical voice behind the records of MJ Lenderman, Wednesday and Merce Lemon and a powerful songwriter in his own right. Three powerhouse days in late 2023 solidified writing work done by the band earlier that summer in the now defunct Haw Creek compound under Miller's guiding suggestion. The result is a portrait of a ripping band cresting towards the height of their powers, uniquely equipped to capture a wildly loving, barn-burning camcorder clip of a turbulent trip with your best friends, without dipping into nostalgia bait. Lyrically, Medosch's utterances are both careful and excessive, the product of sifting through the rubble of classic good-time media, and finding what works for both her and her community to reach the heights of abandon. "The Jackass theme song was actually a really big influence on the new album" The expansive personnel and continent spanning footprint of Florry casts a wide net for this community. Florry the band rolls deep in the heard of North American DIY, featuring Jon Cox (Sadurn, Son of Barb) on pedal steel, John Murray on electric guitar, Collin Dennen on bass, Will Henriksen on fiddle, Katya Malison (Doll Spirit Vessel) on Vox, and Joey Sullivan (Bark Culture) on drums. Medosch's recent move to Burlington Vermont entrenches the Philly born project firmly within the ranks of fellow alt-country upstarts Lily Seabird and Greg Freeman, and gives them a vantage just outside of Pennsylvania at the thresholds of New England and the Midwest. There is a new life breathed into this music that confirms Florry as equally rooted in place work, and at home on the vast roads of America. For listeners who fell in love with Florry's infectious charm on sweeping tours with the likes of Kurt Vile, Real Estate, MJ Lenderman, Greg Freeman and Fust, 'Sounds Like', provides a refreshing memento of the band that surely left them smiling. If the support behind 'The Holey Bible' provided validation for the insistent vision of these young artists, 'Sounds Like' finds them reveling in and honing their vocabulary. Praise from outlets like Pitchfork, Stereogum, Paste, and Brooklyn Vegan touched on the potential of their wild idiosyncrasies, and accurately predicted that their next steps would see them continuing to write their own story, like a 10 car pileup that you can't take your eyes off if you tried. Florry proves that they can let the car spin just out of control whenever they want, and you are welcome to ride shotgun while Medosch does donuts in the WaWa parking lot. The ceiling, it turns out, is truly the roof.

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Escape Music has the pleasure to announce the re-release of much-loved vocalist Bob Catley (Magnum/Avantasia) “Middle Earth” album. After the great success of ‘The Tower’, Bob and Gary got together again for the follow-up – ‘Legends’. It was during this period that Bob and Gary first discussed their mutual love for the work of JRR Tolkein, which planted a seed in Gary’s mind, which finally led to this full-blown concept album based around Tolkein’s work on ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’.‘Middle Earth’ is, of course, the mythical world where all these events take place, and once again Gary’s wonderfully evocative lyrics fully immerse us into this wonderful and colourful universe. As with the previous album ‘Legends’, the band again mostly consisting of members of Ten, such as Vinny Burns and Steve McKenna, with the drum stool being occupied by Dante Fox’s Jon Cookesy. Artwork has once again been provided my world-renowned artist Rodney Matthews, whose career is inextricably linked with Magnum/Bob Catley. This ‘fellowship’ was once more prepared to take Gary’s evocative work and Bob Catley’s mercurial vocals out into the world once more.

THE CAPELLAS are a rhythm & blues / raw soulful Beat Quartet from the UK, featuring Elsa Whittaker on vocals (The Missing Souls, The Jack Cades), Mike Whittaker on Guitar (Thee Vicars, The Baron Four, The Jack Cades), Mole on bass (The Embrooks, The Baron Four) and Yan Quellien on Drums (The Barracudas, Chrome Reverse) The band have played shows in the UK, Germany and Spain, and they have slowly started conquering crowds with their highly danceable shows, so make sure to bring your dancing shoes! They have released their first EP "Take Your Chance with The Capellas" on Sweet Grooves Records (Spain) which has since then been repressed and they have just finished recording their first LP "Untamed" featuring 9 fabulous self-composed tracks plus one mind-blowing cover version of the classic "Love's Gone Bad" (Chris Clark). What a fantastic debut album by a fantastic group!

Seit ihrer Gründung 2015 haben sich Biertoifel (ganz und gar nicht) "klammheimlich, still und leise" zu eine der beliebtesten deutschsprachigen Street-Ounk / Oi-Bands gemausert. Von ihrem Debüt "unsere Straßen, unsere Lieder", dem Nachfolger "Skinhead Party" bis zur Split mit "Springtoifel" war jede Vinyl-Auflage innerhalb kürzester Zeit vergriffen! Kein Wunder, denn ihr eingängiger "Fäuste hoch und Spaß dabei"-Stil ist schlichtweg "Oi der alten Schule" mit jeder Menge Singalongs und mitreißenden Melodien. Das Leben ist kompliziert genug und ganz ehrlich: Wenn Du die Welt erklärt bekommen möchtest neben all der Fake-News Scheisse, oder jedes Wort bierernst nimmst, dann bist Du falsch hier! Das hier ist die Welt von Biertoifel: Hier gehts um Freundschaft, Spaß und Zusammenhalt von Punx & Skins, Pogo, Party und Skinheadkult mit einem kleinen bißchen Droogie-Romantik! Und zum zehnjährigem Jubiläum dürft ihr auf dem neuen Album "Spaß und Krawalle" genau das erwarten! Spieltechnisch haben Biertoifel sich bei den 13 neuen Liedern natürlich auch diesmal weiterentwickelt. Der Rest bleibt beim Alten: Keine aufgesetzten Attitüden, sondern einfach nur "Kinder dieser Stadt" und "Working Class Anti Heroes"! Keine Ambitionen zum "Popstar" zu werden und die "Stiefel auf Asphalt" bleiben das gewohnte Klangbild. Wem das zu einfach ist, hat's halt einfach nicht kapiert. "Take back the Oi!" ist die Devise, basta und Glückwunsch zum Jubiläum, Biertoifel! Digipack-CD mit Booklet sowie klassisch schwarzes oder mehrfarbiges Vinyl im Klappcover mit Insert gibt's!

Seit ihrer Gründung 2015 haben sich Biertoifel (ganz und gar nicht) "klammheimlich, still und leise" zu eine der beliebtesten deutschsprachigen Street-Ounk / Oi-Bands gemausert. Von ihrem Debüt "unsere Straßen, unsere Lieder", dem Nachfolger "Skinhead Party" bis zur Split mit "Springtoifel" war jede Vinyl-Auflage innerhalb kürzester Zeit vergriffen! Kein Wunder, denn ihr eingängiger "Fäuste hoch und Spaß dabei"-Stil ist schlichtweg "Oi der alten Schule" mit jeder Menge Singalongs und mitreißenden Melodien. Das Leben ist kompliziert genug und ganz ehrlich: Wenn Du die Welt erklärt bekommen möchtest neben all der Fake-News Scheisse, oder jedes Wort bierernst nimmst, dann bist Du falsch hier! Das hier ist die Welt von Biertoifel: Hier gehts um Freundschaft, Spaß und Zusammenhalt von Punx & Skins, Pogo, Party und Skinheadkult mit einem kleinen bißchen Droogie-Romantik! Und zum zehnjährigem Jubiläum dürft ihr auf dem neuen Album "Spaß und Krawalle" genau das erwarten! Spieltechnisch haben Biertoifel sich bei den 13 neuen Liedern natürlich auch diesmal weiterentwickelt. Der Rest bleibt beim Alten: Keine aufgesetzten Attitüden, sondern einfach nur "Kinder dieser Stadt" und "Working Class Anti Heroes"! Keine Ambitionen zum "Popstar" zu werden und die "Stiefel auf Asphalt" bleiben das gewohnte Klangbild. Wem das zu einfach ist, hat's halt einfach nicht kapiert. "Take back the Oi!" ist die Devise, basta und Glückwunsch zum Jubiläum, Biertoifel! Digipack-CD mit Booklet sowie klassisch schwarzes oder mehrfarbiges Vinyl im Klappcover mit Insert gibt's!

K.K. Hammond is a slide guitar playing songstress living in the backwoods of the UK. She takes her influence from the Delta Blues players of the 1930s, the roots music of Appalachia and its ancestors fusing the vibe of the swamp with a sprinkle of Southern gothic horror, K.K. writes traditionally inspired roots music but twists it her own unique way for an untapped sound that appeals to contemporary music listeners as well as classic blues fans.

K.K's music has garnered critical acclaim worldwide as well as airplay on a multitude of blues radio shows internationally. This includes the Cerys Matthews BBC Radio 2 Blues Show and the award winning Gary Grainger Blues Show.
A video of K.K. playing a slide guitar cover of "Nothing Else Matters" with her good friend Kaspar "Berry" Rapkin accompanying her on banjo was shared by Metallica on their official TikTok and described by them as "Incredible"!

K.K.’s biggest success to date arose from the release of her debut album Death Roll Blues. The vinyl and CD run sold out via pre-order prior to the album's official release date. Upon its release, the album hit the #1 spot in the UK iTunes Blues chart and subsequently bagged another #1 spot in the US iTunes Blues chart. It also exceeded her expectations by breaking into the #12 spot in the mainstream iTunes charts (across all genres) and the #18 spot in the UK iTunes mainstream chart. It was also the #3 best seller of all time for an iTunes Blues album pre-sale. Death Roll Blues also enabled K.K.’s first breakthrough into the Billboard Blues Charts with a #7 position.

K.K.'s has also had some great successes with her self produced and directed music videos. The music video for Heart Shaped Box winning a multitude of awards including wins at the Video Nasties Genre Film Festival, the David Film Festival in Turkey, the Euro Music Video Song awards, the Anatolia Film Festival, The Golden Wheat Awards, as well as K.K. receiving an honorable mention at the London Director Awards.
U.K. born, K.K. took an interest in guitar, Americana and roots Blues from an early age. She spent some years exploring the back roads of the USA eventually settling in the remote, forested English Countryside, where she works her farm. A self-professed hermit living in an isolated spot in the woods, K.K. enjoys exploring the wilderness surrounding her home to seek inspiration for her song writing.

The original line up of all women featured Sally Sweet of Minneapolis garage bands THE CAVEGURLS and THE BLUE UP. After some time the original line up morphed into a mixed band of men and women and the group released a 45 on Ramo Records. This caught the attention of Boston record label RUM BAR RECORDS, who would release the BEEBE GALLINI album 'Pandemos', a collection of material made during the worldwide pandemic. A well-received collection ranging from garage nuggets to 60's BEE GEES' hit and original material.

For their next project producer and drummer for the group Travis Ramin brought the group into the legendary Kay Bank Studio in Minneapolis. A studio rich in musical history where everything from DAVE DUDLEY's Six Days on the Road and THE FENDERMEN's Muleskinner Blues to THE TRASHMEN's Legendary Surfin Bird and all of Soma Records' Big Hits Of Mid America were recorded. The early GUESS WHO recorded there and decided on their name in the building even ... the list goes on and on!

Travis' idea for a record was to re- record some Minnesota garage classics that were originally recorded there in the same room and invite some of their garage rockin' friends to join them. Run Run Run by THE GESTURES and Why by THE ACCENTS would feature on lead guitar Keith Patterson (formerly of THE FUNSEEKERS, THE SPECTORS, and THE CONQUERORS). I Believe from THE HIGH SPIRITS would feature Melanie Vammen of THE PANDORAS organ solo and Russell Quan famously of THE MUMMIES, FLAKES and DUKES OF HAMBURG would take lead vocal on THE KAN- DELS raucous Cry Girl. The session was so successful that it expanded into the full- length album "Begged, Borrowed and Stealed" and batch of material expanding beyond the Minnesota borders, with tunes from DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK & TICH, OTIS REDDING, BEEBE themselves and more! Recording in the sacred space made for a special rock and roll party album which also features the artwork of legend Cliff Mott! So, get ready for an all-star cast and a little dose of Minnesota Garage Rock and Soul!

Cindytalk is the mercurial, expressionist outlet of Scottish artist Cinder, inspired by the crossroads of exploratory UK post-punk and early European industrial. Her work thrives on chance and transformation, collaging elements of noise, balladry, soundtrack, catharsis, and improvisation. "We were trying to find our own space," says Cinder of the formative period Camouflage Heart emerged from, amidst a move from Edinburgh to London and Cinder's evolving exploration of gender identity, well before culture at large was equipped to understand. With contemporary discourse we see that the project manifested her transgender ideas as visceral music. The guttural, feral sound marked a notably darker turn from The Freeze's sixyear run on the fringes of punk. Changing the project's name became vital, not just because they kept hearing the former was already taken, but the desire to embody the spiritual and sonic shift, "to uncover new pathways_to feminize it," she says. Cinder, with bandmates David Clancy and John Byrne, arrived at Cindytalk, a winking nod to Sindy, the British fashion doll rival to Barbie known then for its pull-string talking mechanism. "The goal was to have a more interesting narrative, more interesting dialogue. Music was ultimately my only way of talking to people. That was my conversation with the world, an abstracted conversation_an attempt to make some kind of tiny, tiny mark, if possible, you hope somebody will notice." Over the years, Cinder has heard from fans who did pick up on the signals and find refuge in Camouflage Heart. Camouflage Heart plays with tension and pace, from creeping to feverish to claustrophobic. The percussion moves between restless marches and barely-there pulses; for some parts, they scratched and hit a tin bath, among other objects. Guitar lines vibrate and stab as Cinder contorts her voice freely. She pulls poetry from a cerebral abyss, like "make the snake in your eye, pierce the camouflage heart" on the slow-droning centerpiece "The Spirit Behind the Circus Dream." In that register is raw power, both vulnerable and menacing, an ability to locate something deep and emotionally charged within. "I still remember that person who was way too intense for their own good," Cinder reflects. "I couldn't make a record like that now, certainly not vocally, while that anger hasn't dissipated; there's still a kind of warrior." For all the destruction and disintegration of Camouflage Heart, Cinder maintains the objective was never full-on fatalistic; these songs seek not to destroy but to poke and provoke, to transform and heal, to find cracks of light in a crumbling world. She points to the last lines of the opening track, "It's Luxury": "Don't look down," the lyric pines through static and rhythm. Cinder extrapolates, "I'm essentially saying, just keep fucking going. As time went on, for me, that falling became flying. Camouflage Heart is the beginning of believing in flight."

Welcome to this wild ride of cheese, wooden shoes, green gold and a whole lotta Dutch rock 'n roll attitude! This album is a high-octane compilation where today's garage, beat and rock'n'roll artists pay tribute to the rich history of Nederbeat and pop Each covering a classic Dutch tune with their own twist, companied with their own original. Think of it as a musical time machine with a detour through the gritty, reverbing walls of Studio Teepdek, guided under strict supervision by studio guru Arjan Spies and released by Soundflat Records / Topsy Turvy Records; home of the best contemporary Dutch artists. Buckle up, because you're about to hear the Netherlands' musical past and present collide in a glorious explosion of sound with a shot of cheap adrenaline.Enjoy the ride and to turn it up to 11.

The Krontjong Devils:The Greatest thing to come out of Holland since the Dutch Treat! Playing Surfmusic since 1991 and still going strong! Mooon: This young power trio consists of brothers Tom and Gijs and their cousin Timo. These cats take you to the Golden Age of pop music: the psychedelic boom of the 60's and 70's. The Kryng:Three jinxed no-good guys with an insatiable appetite for great popsongs. Their ace in the hole is singer/ guitarist/ cult- hero Mark ten Hoor, an extraordinary craftsman //when it comes to writing catchy and powerful songs. Fleur:She has the looks, the moves and a voice that sounds like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. The Heck:High pace, hectic, energetic and wild 60's garagepunk outfit all the way from Klazinaveen. Feel free to place them somewhere in between The Sonics and Reigning Sound. Frankie:The young and aspiring talent Frankie from the Eindhoven writes double edged songs like a head in the clouds and roots from your feet. Written like a dream but grounded in reality. Les Robots: Mechanical men from outer space, stationed in Rotterdam, presumably programmed by legendary producer Joe Meek to make astonishing instrumental music.

Ecstatic’s dreamiest cadets bliss out on a new album of acoustic and electric guitar, harmonium and synth tapestries, notably nestling a Romance cameo within a genteel toggle of atmospheric pressure.

Back on (side) road after releasing quietly acclaimed kosmische gem ‘I Had too Much to Dream Last Night’ back in 2021 and the lysergic lushness of ‘Listen to the Sky’ a couple of years later, Celestial suggest a more sublime return to earth with the shine-eyed wonders of ‘I Can Hear the Grass Grow’, an album that soothes to the supine in eight shimmering parts of pearlescent melodic motifs marbling harmonious backdrops intended to tenderly comb nerves straight.

The duo take their role as seductive sandmen with a curious melodic wit that leaves something to the imagination whilst nudging it along the album’s narrative thread. A courtly flamenco lick flickers in opener ‘The Endless Stair’, one of the most restrained recordings we've heard from the childhood friends; blessed with just a little reverb and echo, as if a mic's been lowered into some dimly lit basement while Celestial puzzle out mystifying, interlocking harmonies. It hits a mid-point between John Fahey's raga-inspired Americana and Vini Reilly's rain-soaked Northern blues - the emotion throbs from every note.

Celestial's music is never too polished, giving it the fuzzy, uninhibited flair of a long-lost mail order private press and instilling it with a level of humanity that's rare to discover in the new-new age. Even when mysterious labelmate Romance turns up to ornament 'Mermaid Boulevard' with backmasked electronics, it's their low-slung Ry Cooder-esque guitar/bass that provides the narrative anchor, while the title track and spongiform analog textures of ‘Song For The rainy Season’ dial it right down to a Harmonia-via-BoC pastoral sublime. Vini Reilly and Eno’s influence is most surely felt on the swaying elegance of ‘Sweet Sleep, Angel Mild’, with a central motif that lingers on the mind long after it’s stopped playing, whilst their closing couplet perfectly resolves the cycle with a melancholic kiss-off for the ages.

Inspired by Abba, early AC/DC, Beefheart and the dark heart of outsider pop, The Beyond and the Better Way is a record featuring warped orchestrations, extended autobiographical rants and sumptuous performances by a collection of Glasgow's (and Ireland's) finest musicians and singers The Gorgeous Pouting Mr AR is a pseudonym for Ronan Breslin - a recording studio owner, composer and academic who teaches sound and music at The Glasgow School of Art.

Ronan comes from an Irish family of musicians, with the most notable being his brother Niall Breslin, who helmed the iconic Irish band "The Blizzards" before becoming a highly regarded mental health podcaster and now presenter on BBC Radio 3. Niall's stellar guitar playing features on many of this record's tracks. The recording will be released on the 23rd May via Strength in Numbers Records on vinyl and digital platforms and will be accompanied by an online collection of song- related essays (aka rants). The album is distributed by Last Night From Glasgow. "The songs explore OCD, politics, anxiety, grief, regret, rage, lost love, but also reflect on joyous moments that define the transition from fearful child to fuck- you adolescence and finally reluctant adulthood. The album title song 'The Beyond and the Better Way' is morbidly confessional; however, it is also a statement of resilience, positivity and optimism for the human condition. There is always a better way." - Ronan Breslin

More than 20 years after their debut, Witchcraft's seventh album, 'IDAG,' is an awaited full accounting of who they are as a band. Those who have clamored for the return to an earlier sound rooted in '70s classic progressive and heavy rock will delight to the strut of "Irreligious Flamboyant Flame" while the eight-minute opening title-track is the heaviest the band have ever sounded, and a succession of interspersed acoustic-based pieces helps create a vision of a new, soulfully folkish doom taking shape as they continue to move inexorably forward. Founding guitarist/vocalist, Magnus Pelander, says of 'IDAG': "This album will reap souls and destroy wicked minds. And perhaps mend a couple of broken ones." These enigmatic few words from the Swedish band's main songwriter give clues as to the songs' intentions; a reference dropped to Coven's 1969 album, 'Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls.' Coven also had a folkish, proto-doomed take at that point in their history, and that multifaceted nature has been a part of Witchcraft all along. On one level, Magnus is winkingly telling you it's a Witchcraft record. The actual meaning of that becomes clear when you hear the album and find out just how much 'a Witchcraft record' can encompass. The storyline of Witchcraft's growth, from Pelander's starting the band in Örebro in 2000 in the wake of his prior outfit Norrsken's disbanding. A generational landmark of a 2004 self-titled debut helped spark a retroist movement that has become its own subgenre, but Witchcraft never stopped growing. 2005's 'Firewood' and 2007's 'The Alchemist' introduced more progressive sounds, and five years later, the pointedly modern 'Legend' established in 2012 that they had moved beyond the analog worship they had been a part of pioneering within the contemporary heavy rock and doom scene. In 2016, the 2LP 'Nucleus' introduced fuller-toned doom, and 2020's 'Black Metal' diverged into moody acoustic minimalism familiar to some fans from Pelander's early solo work, but different from anything Witchcraft had done prior. 'IDAG,' then, is the tie that draws all of this - more than two decades of exploring and growth - together. Whatever they've done in the past and whatever they'll do in the future, 'IDAG' feels like a nexus for defining who and what Witchcraft are. Even crazier, that might be the point of the thing. JJ Koczan

More than 20 years after their debut, Witchcraft's seventh album, 'IDAG,' is an awaited full accounting of who they are as a band. Those who have clamored for the return to an earlier sound rooted in '70s classic progressive and heavy rock will delight to the strut of "Irreligious Flamboyant Flame" while the eight-minute opening title-track is the heaviest the band have ever sounded, and a succession of interspersed acoustic-based pieces helps create a vision of a new, soulfully folkish doom taking shape as they continue to move inexorably forward. Founding guitarist/vocalist, Magnus Pelander, says of 'IDAG': "This album will reap souls and destroy wicked minds. And perhaps mend a couple of broken ones." These enigmatic few words from the Swedish band's main songwriter give clues as to the songs' intentions; a reference dropped to Coven's 1969 album, 'Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls.' Coven also had a folkish, proto-doomed take at that point in their history, and that multifaceted nature has been a part of Witchcraft all along. On one level, Magnus is winkingly telling you it's a Witchcraft record. The actual meaning of that becomes clear when you hear the album and find out just how much 'a Witchcraft record' can encompass. The storyline of Witchcraft's growth, from Pelander's starting the band in Örebro in 2000 in the wake of his prior outfit Norrsken's disbanding. A generational landmark of a 2004 self-titled debut helped spark a retroist movement that has become its own subgenre, but Witchcraft never stopped growing. 2005's 'Firewood' and 2007's 'The Alchemist' introduced more progressive sounds, and five years later, the pointedly modern 'Legend' established in 2012 that they had moved beyond the analog worship they had been a part of pioneering within the contemporary heavy rock and doom scene. In 2016, the 2LP 'Nucleus' introduced fuller-toned doom, and 2020's 'Black Metal' diverged into moody acoustic minimalism familiar to some fans from Pelander's early solo work, but different from anything Witchcraft had done prior. 'IDAG,' then, is the tie that draws all of this - more than two decades of exploring and growth - together. Whatever they've done in the past and whatever they'll do in the future, 'IDAG' feels like a nexus for defining who and what Witchcraft are. Even crazier, that might be the point of the thing. JJ Koczan

Purple Vinyl, limited to 450 copies. More than 20 years after their debut, Witchcraft's seventh album, 'IDAG,' is an awaited full accounting of who they are as a band. Those who have clamored for the return to an earlier sound rooted in '70s classic progressive and heavy rock will delight to the strut of "Irreligious Flamboyant Flame" while the eight-minute opening title-track is the heaviest the band have ever sounded, and a succession of interspersed acoustic-based pieces helps create a vision of a new, soulfully folkish doom taking shape as they continue to move inexorably forward. Founding guitarist/vocalist, Magnus Pelander, says of 'IDAG': "This album will reap souls and destroy wicked minds. And perhaps mend a couple of broken ones." These enigmatic few words from the Swedish band's main songwriter give clues as to the songs' intentions; a reference dropped to Coven's 1969 album, 'Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls.' Coven also had a folkish, proto-doomed take at that point in their history, and that multifaceted nature has been a part of Witchcraft all along. On one level, Magnus is winkingly telling you it's a Witchcraft record. The actual meaning of that becomes clear when you hear the album and find out just how much 'a Witchcraft record' can encompass. The storyline of Witchcraft's growth, from Pelander's starting the band in Örebro in 2000 in the wake of his prior outfit Norrsken's disbanding. A generational landmark of a 2004 self-titled debut helped spark a retroist movement that has become its own subgenre, but Witchcraft never stopped growing. 2005's 'Firewood' and 2007's 'The Alchemist' introduced more progressive sounds, and five years later, the pointedly modern 'Legend' established in 2012 that they had moved beyond the analog worship they had been a part of pioneering within the contemporary heavy rock and doom scene. In 2016, the 2LP 'Nucleus' introduced fuller-toned doom, and 2020's 'Black Metal' diverged into moody acoustic minimalism familiar to some fans from Pelander's early solo work, but different from anything Witchcraft had done prior. 'IDAG,' then, is the tie that draws all of this - more than two decades of exploring and growth - together. Whatever they've done in the past and whatever they'll do in the future, 'IDAG' feels like a nexus for defining who and what Witchcraft are. Even crazier, that might be the point of the thing. JJ Koczan

We are pleased to present again this wonderful and highly sought-after album, born from a promotional campaign by the U.S. Army to encourage recruitment. The recording perfectly captures the spirit of young America through songs written by Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Funkadelic, and Burt Bacharach (via Isaac Hayes, of course). High-level soul and funk performed by brilliant anonymous musicians. Virtually impossible to find in its original edition, we are now reissuing it once again thanks to a collaboration with Now Again. Pressed on 180g vinyl. Often, the most prized records by collectors hold unexpected stories. When they also feature incredibly high musical quality and only a few original copies are available, they become the holy grails of collecting. This is the case with this album, recorded by American soldiers stationed in Germany in the early 70s. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army organized a band competition among its soldiers. The winners would record a promotional album that would be distributed for free to encourage enlistment during such a turbulent time. The result was a double LP shared between the bands SOAP and East of Underground. Although East of Underground's repertoire consists of covers of soul and funk hits, the quality is surprisingly high: raw guitars, crushing drums, brilliant vocal harmonies... The result perfectly captures the spirit of young America through songs written by Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Funkadelic, and Burt Bacharach (via Isaac Hayes, of course). High-level soul and funk performed by anonymous musicians whose final fate has yet to be confirmed. When the label Now Again tried to reconstruct the story of East of Underground, they only managed to contact one of its members after digging through documents in the New York Library and collaborating with the U.S. Army. We are now pleased to present this wonderful and highly sought-after album once again, a surprising case where the covers rival the originals, creating a unique recording that justifies its immense appeal among collectors.

"I loved Julia Sabra’s Natural History Museum—it was released at the end of the year and is quietly devastating. Her lyricism and sensitivity in timbre and harmony is akin for me to the great Linda Perhacs. The songs are intimate and infinite feeling at the same time—I love the raw and soft poetic settings of love and death." Julia Holter (Best album 2024- Fader)

“This album is a collection of songs written between 2020 and 2024 in Beirut. I wanted to capture them the way they were written by keeping the rawness and fragility intact, like the late-night voice memos I send to my bandmates as soon as I have a first draft of a song. Fadi and I decided to record them live on tape, with no overdubs, barely any effect - with all the imperfections. Most of the tracks were done in one take only. Some were recorded in the studio, and some in the church I grew up going to every summer in Dhour Shweir.

This is a collection of songs that slipped through the cracks, and some of the most personal ones I ever wrote. Songs about the port explosion, its aftermath, picking up the pieces and trying to move on, coming to terms with the past, regret and nostalgia for a childhood that lives only in memory, the uncertain future, learning to love, getting married, watching a genocide unfold on my phone screen, having it fill my every waking moment, imagining a better send off for all the dead, processing the violence and terror, and finding solace in community.
These songs would’ve probably stayed in my “songs in limbo” folder on my laptop had it not been for Pascal and Fadi, who pushed me to release them. And for this I’m eternally grateful.”









[h] 8.Dis, quand reviendras-tu? [Barbara cover]

'Heartstrings' is the fourth album from London-based Snowpoet, led by the creative partnership of Lauren Kinsella and Chris Hyson Since their debut EP in 2014, the band has built a devoted audience drawn to their emotionally rich songwriting, intricate production, and distinct sonic identity. With 'Heartstrings', they take a bold step forward, writing and recording in the studio as a collective for the first time, capturing the raw immediacy of live performance while expanding their sound with lush textures, layered harmonies, and deeply personal storytelling. "We wanted to capture the moment to create something that feels real, unfiltered, and alive," says Chris Hyson.

This album marks an evolution in Snowpoet's approach. Instead of the fragmented process of previous records, 'Heartstrings' was born in the moment, with the full band improvising, shaping, and refining ideas together in real time. The result is an album that feels alive - organic, immersive, and deeply human. Sonically, the group leans into rich, analogue synth tones, intricate drum textures, and a dynamic push- and- pull between electronic and acoustic elements. Lyrically, it is their most personal work to date, weaving themes of life, loss, and renewal with poetic honesty. "The sound of this record is richer, bigger, more expansive, representative of the culmination of everything we've done so far," reflects Lauren Kinsella. At the heart of 'Heartstrings' is a powerful contrast - moments of deep emotional weight balanced with luminous joy. Songs like "Host" dive into themes of grief and the body as a vessel for experience, while tracks like "New Tree" radiate warmth and rebirth. The band's signature harmonies and layered production give the album a three- dimensional quality, pulling the listener into a space where vulnerability and beauty coexist. With 'Heartstrings', Snowpoet solidifies their position as one of the most innovative and emotionally resonant bands in the UK's jazz- adjacent and electronic-acoustic crossover scene. This is an album for listeners who crave depth, sonic richness, and lyrical honesty.

Following ‘No Closer To Heaven’, The Wonder Years released ‘Sister Cities’, their most transformative work to date.
Recorded at Sunset Sound with Joe Chiccarelli (Manchester Orchestra, The Shins, Spoon) and Carlos de la Garza (Jimmy Eat World, Paramore), ‘Sister Cities’ is an album about distance, connectivity and the way humanity towers above boundaries.

What The Wonder Years do so effortlessly on ‘Sister Cities’ is no small feat; through poetic lyricism, ambient guitar swells and Jimmy Eat World-levels of crashing momentum. On ‘Sister Cities’, they take a massive, unexpected leap forward both sonically and thematically, now speaking confidently to the world at large.

Vocalist Dan Campbell on the inspiration behind ‘Sister Cities’: “It started with journals and photos. We started by documenting. We didn’t know where it would go or if it would go anywhere at all, but we wrote it all down. We took photos of everything. And
then when it came to put it altogether, we had this catalog of how we felt and what it looked like and sounded like and we built from there. Figuring out what the moments were that stayed with me the most. When did I feel most connected to the people around me and why? What did being in this place during this moment teach me? It was a difficult year personally and globally and we experienced that through this lens of being everywhere but home, kind of floating through places and seeing how being there altered our perspective.”
The album is housed in a 200-page, 13”x13”, full-colour book that includes photos, artwork, journal entries and lyrics. LP pressed onto Shinjuku Street Splatter coloured vinyl.
An overpowering sense of earnestness and vulnerability.” - Pitchfork
There is a lifetime yelled in every punk song, captured in the desperate and catchy ‘Sister Cities’.” - NPR MusicFrom the first notes, it’s already clear that The Wonder Years are stepping into uncharted territory.” - UPROXX

Drone legends Earth, the Seattle group led by Dylan Carlson, ready their first release on Fire Records. Deluxe Ltd edition 'Dark Star' effect vinyl with matte and spot UV sleeve, DL card. Unreleased live recording taken from their show at London's KOKO in 2016. Includes live renditions of fan favourites 'The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull' and 'High Command'. For fans of: Sunn O))), Sleep, Boris, OM, Spacemen 3, Witch, Hawkwind, Boris, Melvins. Seattle drone-rock titans Earth release their latest live document, WEM Dominator (Live in London NW1, 2016), an unrelenting display of the band's seismic force, recorded during their performance at London's KOKO in 2016. Sharing the bill with legendary heavyweights Neurosis, Earth delivered a set of hypnotic intensity, crushing volume, and towering, glacial beauty. For over three decades, Dylan Carlson and his ever-evolving ensemble have been crafting tectonic soundscapes that defy convention, forging a path between meditative drone and colossal doom-laden riffs. WEM Dominator is an album of mesmeric modal patterns, it's a recording that captures the trio's intricate, slowly evolving euphoria in a period when their experimentation swerved through endless possibilities. From the creeping grandeur of "The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull" to the ominous crawl of "Even Hell Has Its Heroes," the album presents Earth at their most immersive and powerful. This record reasserts Earth's mastery of atmosphere and weight, where every note feels tectonic, and silence itself becomes an instrument of crushing tension. It is a hypnotic, stripped down sonic symphony embracing influences as wide ranging as the Velvet Underground, Terry Riley and La Monte Young, a visceral slow-motion reading of the original sound that inspired Sun O))) and the generation that followed. The lineup of this performance was Dylan Carson (guitar), Jodie Cox (baritone guitar) and Adrienne Davis (drums), it was recorded live at KOKO, London on November 7th 2016 and is mixed and mastered by Mell Dettmer at Studio Soli in Seattle.

Something different from Causa Sui. While Causa Sui have always had one foot in heavy psychedelic rock, they've had the other one deep in a wide variety of esoteric styles. On this new double LP set, that other dimension of the band is being explored full-scale. "Szabodelico" paints with a colourful palette, both compositionally and sonically - digging deep into an assortment of cultures, eras and sounds with a true crate-digger mindset. Throughout their 15 year life-span Causa Sui has always been about seeking out new directions, exploring the past and the present in a way that's unique at each step of their subtle progression - forging new paths into an existing map. "Szabodelico" feels like discovering a small room under the stairs of your own house: familiar, yet new and exciting. Their latest vision is an elegantly zoned-out version of itself: a turn inward. Anti-bombastic, yet rich with ecstatic harmonics and dynamics. The band stringed together a long series of sessions in 2019 and early 2020 in their studio in Odense, often prioritizing playful first takes and good vibes rather than clinical perfection.Sparsely dubbed and mixed with a natural, full bodied flavour by Jonas Munk during the summer of 2020, each track has its own aesthetic. There's no simple equation to sum up the 13 individual parts of the album, but as a whole it creates an entity that's as complete as each of its parts. From the windblown opener "Echoes of Light", to the closing slow-motion epic "Merging Waters" you'll find yourself asking where did the time go? The answer of course is: Szabodelico.

Proudly presenting Maravilhosamente Bem the powerful, female-centred third album by Brazilian singer, songwriter, actress, and creative director, Julia Mestre.
Alongside being a member of the Latin Grammy-winning Brazilian supergroup, Bala Desejo, Julia has been steadily building a solo career where her unique vision and alluring soft, sultry voice take centre stage. Drawing inspiration from ‘80s ballads, MPB, pop and disco productions, each song on this third album finds Julia creatively exploring different characters and tones.

A love-song-driven LP at its core, Maravilhosamente Bem holds a playful mirror up to blissful days gone by, artfully reimagined with Julia’s own modern twist. An album filled with love and nostalgia, it pays homage to her love of classic female disco divas such as Donna Summer, Sade, Alcione, Lady Zu, and the Brazilian rock queens Rita Lee and Marina Lima. Of that latter pairing, the late iconic Brazilian vocalist and musician Rita Lee (Os Mutantes) is referenced in the music video for the first single, ‘Sou Fera’, blessing Julia with a magical guitar. Marina Lima then provides guest vocals on the album’s closing track, ‘Marinou, Limou’, with her name transformed into a mantra by Julia.

Channelling a lo-fi ‘80s ballad aesthetic, Julia navigates a multitude of themes across the nine sublime tracks. From the sexy, whispered performances on vintage horror movie-inspired tunes ‘Vampira’ and ‘Pra Lua’ to the delicate, fragile love lullabies of ‘Sentimento Blues’ and ‘Cariñito’, and the seductive disco diva embodiment on dance tracks ‘Veneno de Serente’ and title track ‘Maravilhosamente Bem’. Another hidden highlight is the palette-cleansing mini-suite, ‘Interlúdio dos Amantes’. A luscious strings instrumental piece that lends to the beautiful Sade-esque ‘Seu Romance’.

Produced by Julia and longtime collaborators Gabriel Quirino, Gabriel Quinto, and João Moreira, Maravilhosamente Bem sees Julia embarking on a new era of her musical career. This sensational third album is a captivating showcase of the creative vision and versatility of one of Brazil’s finest stars.

Released on Mr. Bongo (ROW) and Altafonte (Brazil).

Colored vinyl repress of last Pinback album, originally released in 2012. On one hand, their fifth album, Information Retrieved, is the logical and accessible realization of a sound Pinback have been developing and refining for over a decade. However, that consistency that we've taken for granted is what makes Information Retrieved such a euphoric surprise; their finest and most fully realized album, a dozen years deep into a career that includes bona fide modern classics like "Good To Sea" and Summer In Abaddon. Simply put, this is better than we ever could have expected. They could have coasted on automatic pilot to another lauded album that likely would have made it onto plenty of year-end lists, but instead they shot the moon, and the result is a major triumph. The touchstones are still there: Zach Smith's stunningly unique bass guitar acrobatics driving both rhythm and melody in lock-step unison; the incredible immediacy of Rob Crow's voice that could make a phone book sound compelling; and the musical and lyrical interplay between the two of them that made Pinback so special in the first place. The difference now is their exquisite control over dynamics and a greater emotional resonance throughout. It's the most complete and soulful Pinback album by a fair distance, the finest moment in the career of a band whose unfettered brilliance we've come to count on, but will never again take for granted. For Fan of The xx, Deerhunter, Built To Spill, Broken Social Scene

Take a deep dive into the dimmest depths of the swamp where Southern gothic horror and slide guitar come together in unholy matrimony. K.K. Hammond is a slide guitar playing songstress living in the backwoods of the UK. She takes her influence from the Delta Blues players of the 1930s, the roots music of Appalachia and its ancestors fusing the vibe of the swamp with a sprinkle of Southern gothic horror, K.K. writes traditionally inspired roots music but twists it her own unique way for an untapped sound that appeals to contemporary music listeners as well as classic blues fans

Ambient explorers SWIMS unpeel another heady debut, with the maiden effort by Korean artist Soo Kyung Kim, also known as soo:k. The curtain raises on Orchadia with an elysian glow: electro-acoustic compositions painting a golden topography of impossible fruit and uncanny astronomy.

soo:k's utopic brushwork finds obvious comparisons in the work of Hiroshi Yoshimura, and his meditations on the glacial pace of hidden, verdant spaces. Frida Kahlo's portraits of everyday life, intertwined with pain and magic symbology, also resonate in the album's exploration of fleeting moments.

Dissonance and experimentation take hold as the record progresses, Soo's Edenic vision creaking open to reveal ripe, fetid spaces between ribs of earth. Recommended if you like Ulla, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Visible Cloaks, Perila...

Brooklyn-based musician and producer Eliot Lipp has spent the last two decades crafting a signature sound that fuses hip-hop, synthwave, glitch, and electro. His breakthrough came in 2004 when Prefuse 73 released his debut album on Eastern Developments, a then-subsidiary of Warp Records. Since then, he has built an extensive discography across influential independent labels like Hefty Records, Mush Records, Pretty Lights Music, Young Heavy Souls, and his own Old Tacoma Records. Lipp's music, described by Billboard as "funky and experimental, crunchy and distorted, romantic, thoughtful, and all around playful," blends vintage and modern influences, with Kaltblut Magazine noting his inspiration from "sci-fi soundtracks and '70s and BDs funk" to create "weird, high-definition, melodic beats." His work has been featured by Bandcamp, Magnetic, XLR8R, and major radio stations like BBC Radio 6, KEXP, and KCRW. A seasoned performer, Lipp has toured extensively for over 15 years, playing in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Denver, as well as major festivals such as Electric Forest, Forecastle, and SXSW. With a career rooted in both classic beat-making and forward-thinking electronic production, Eliot Lipp remains a vital force in the independent music scene.

On his first release with Bastard Jazz, veteran Brooklyn producer Eliot Lipp delivers Kona, a bright blend of guitar samples, breakbeats, and his signature Korg MS-20 synth lines, evoking the feeling of kicking back on a beach at sunset. The beat hits hard from the start, but as the track unfolds, it eases into a more laid-back, summery vibe. Lipp's signature fusion of retro synth textures and crisp modern rhythms shines through, capturing an effortless, sun-soaked energy perfect for a night drive or a rooftop party. The B-side, Silver Bass, takes a different approach—starting with live drums, electric bass, and a groovy guitar and piano arrangement before morphing into a futuristic, digitally sequenced version of itself. With dueling saxophone and Moog melodies weaving between organic and electronic elements, the track transforms into a breezy electro jam that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking, solidifying Lipp's ability to craft timeless, genre-blending sounds.

Originally released Earth Day '95 (4/25/95) on CD, this was reissued on double LP vinyl in 2006 by Sub Pop. This is the more recent reissue of the LP, which has a few differences from the 2006 pressing. This comes with transparent, thick inner sleeves, and includes a one-sided 29.2cm x 29.2cm black & white insert with a photo, plus track listings and some notes on the release (all of which are the same as the photo and notes from the CD version and 2006 LP version).

"Maintenant" (meaning: Now) defines it all: A snapshot in time, 13 piano pieces, completely improvised by Rico Friebe in one take! Three years after recording "The Silva Sessions", this new album serves as some kind of sequel to the improvisational and aesthetic characteristics - presenting a vast and meditative soundscape solely on the piano with some subtle electronic manoeuvring within. A truly unique moment that got captured here and a special album, you won't come along too often these days...

When Das Rad toured across the North of England in September 2024, their avant progressive take on the old psych garage classic "Buzzsaw" by The Turtles proved to be a popular live number - so much so that they decided that while it might not fit on an album, it would make a great vinyl single

Oath’s latest release takes flight with Elfenberg’s signature proggy, euphoric sound. Known for his expertly crafted, otherworldly grooves, Elfenberg seamlessly blends trance-laden progressive house and techno, delivering dancefloor-ready yet deeply immersive experiences.

His new EP, *Ritmo Paradiso*, showcases his signature style while exploring fresh sonic landscapes. The title track pulses with deep bass, evolving percussion, and acid-tinged melodies. *Vasastan* shifts into IDM territory, layering swirling synths over a hypnotic rhythm. *Styggforsen* builds on acid-driven grooves with delicate pads and intricate keys, creating an endless sense of immersion. Closing track *Thank You For Your Patience* ups the tempo, featuring rolling basslines and dynamic breaks for an electrifying finish.

As always, Elfenberg crafts a journey of rhythm and melody, and Oath is thrilled to share this latest chapter.

Windy City collective Future Rootz are all about mixing up worldly electronic sounds, Latin, tropical bass and global jazz. This second volume in their new series does just that with two expressive remixes of iconic Afro-Colombian tracks. On Side A, Sound Culture delivers a modern take on Son Palenque's legendary 'A Pila el Arroz,' which was originally composed by Justo Valdez for Palenque Records. He infuses it with fresh and bubbly bass and hypnotic vocal chants. On side-B, Afroqbano reimagines 'Tropical Scenes' by adding a vibrant, rhythm-heavy twist to the original that sympathetically blends traditional Afro-Colombian sounds with electronic influences into a wiggling bit of irresistible and sunny global fusion.

"Platinum Rare 1" enthält extrem seltene Aufnahmen aus dem Privatarchiv von Andy Scott, eingespielt von den vier SWEET Originalmitgliedern. Fans der Band werden von dieser Sammlung von seltenen und alternativen Takes und Mixen begeistert sein.

Mr Bongo proudly presents the third album by Melbourne/Naarm multi-instrumentalist, Don Glori, entitled ‘Paper Can’t Wrap Fire’. A kaleidoscopic genre-surfing odyssey that brings together the worlds of jazz, soul and funk. Feeling both contemporary and classic, familiar yet novel, it’s an assured third release that sees an artist in full flight, showcasing their creative prowess and the uniqueness of their musical voice.

Steering in a new direction, Don Glori (aka Gordon Li) has delved headfirst into his songwriting with ‘Paper Can’t Wrap Fire’. Deftly showcasing his talents as a writer and bandleader, he brings with him a whole host of friends from the creative crossroads that is Naarm. It’s an album enriched with more soul, R&B, and funk-oriented songs than his previous jazz-rooted productions, yet there’s still plenty of jazz material for those familiar fans of Don's earlier works.

The album’s title is an old Chinese proverb, roughly translated as 'you can’t deny the truth'. This underlying thread is woven between the songs. “A lot of them are in some way about truth-seeking, observations and the masks you put on to deal with life (hence the cover art)”, Don mentions. Take, for instance, the sensational soul single 'Brown Eyes' featuring silky lead vocals by ML Hall. A dissection of the minority experience, and the power and comfort in building those communities. Elsewhere, 'Disaster' is a satirical take on the structures serving everyone but the artists, and 'Flicker' tackles notations of truth and clarity after introspection.

To marry that meaning with the level of musicianship on these tracks is what really stands out. Don has set out his stall here as an artist who can write songs that hit home in the heart, as much as they do in the head. It’s a journey infused with a glistening jazz finesse, layered with nourishing vocal harmonies and powered by an instantly relatable human soul.

Recorded over two hot summer days in Rolling Stock Studios in Collingwood, Naarm, the lineup of musicians is built up of Don's friends and family. Featuring the backbone team of Tim Cox, Al Kennedy, Joel Trigg, Robyn Cummins and Lachlan Thompson, who were part of Don's touring band before he relocated to London, and a stunning selection of vocalists in the form of ML Hall, Ruby Dargaville, Isadora Lauritz, and Bianca Kyriacou. Also gracing the album are trumpeter extraordinaire Audrey Powne, saxophonist Joshua Moshe, and Alcides Neto who sprinkles some Brazilian magic into the record.

Taking influence from artists including Azymuth, SAULT, Jordan Rakei and Lynda Dawn, as well as from London musical beacons such as NTS and Total Refreshment Centre, Don has run with this, leaned in and come out with a record truly unique to himself and his distinctive core, with no mask necessary.

NOW is pleased to announce the next addition in the Millennium series NOW –the ultimate celebration of the finest pop hits from the 2000s . NOW – Millennium 2008-2009, bringing the first decade to a close – out September 27th! Available on STD 4CD set and a special edition 84-track 4CD set is housed in ‘hard-back-book’ packaging, including a 28-page booklet summary of the years and a track-by-track guide and 30 tracks across 2LP’s, pressed in a Gorgeous Gold and a White Vinyl, showcasing some of the most iconic sounds of the noughties!

A multifaceted artist, who over his career has traversed between singer-songwriter, hit producer, DJ and curator, Ben Westbeech now arrives on Glitterbox Recordings with a fully realised artistic vision on his new album Everything Is Within You.

Encapsulating Ben’s appreciation of the power we all have within us to achieve joy and peace, as conveyed sonically by all the musicians involved, Everything Is Within You came together organically. His first full length solo LP since the acclaimed There’s More To Life Than This on Strictly Rhythm in 2011, Everything Is Within You showcases Ben’s artistic development as a songwriter, curator and producer as he steps into his role as producer and arranger, away from lead vocalist.

“This album is about speaking the truth. The truth from within. Luckily, I have been blessed to come across the paths of other artists that shared the same sentiment over the seas that dwell. These artists all feature heavily on this record. It isn’t about me or you. It’s about everything that is within.” – Ben Westbeech

Spotlighting featured artists such as Dames Brown (recorded by Moodymann in Detroit), RAHH, Karen Harding, DAVIE and Obi Franky, with co-production credits including Honey Dijon, Luke Solomon and Chris Penny, as well as Mousse T., the record was born out of a Glitterbox writing camp in London at Defected’s studios. The collection of records that were made that week became a catalyst for the full album, now arriving on Defected’s Glitterbox Recordings.

An artist with a rich musical history, from the release of his mature debut album Welcome to the Best Years of Your Life for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood, to his chart-topping club records as Breach, and work as The Vision on Defected, the path to this new album has included periods of sobriety, self-work, spiritual exploration and the integration of a healthier outlook all round. Now based in Ibiza, the omnipresent energy of the magical island has permeated into the music on his new album, as well as the influence of his personal and spiritual growth.

Exploring a range of genres across the LP, from neo soul to house influences, the breadth of Ben’s musical knowledge is demonstrated throughout the eight tracks. From the blissed-out piano grooves of ‘Times Are Changing’, since remixed by house royalty Louie Vega and Josh Milan as Two Soul Fusion, to the uplifting ‘Do Me Right’ and the emotional soundscapes of ‘So Good To Me’, Everything Is Within You puts the emphasis on the guest vocalists. With exquisite live instrumentation and songwriting that give the record an evergreen feeling, this is a timely album that exudes a contagious, positive feeling throughout, something the world needs right now.

''Stop'' is the emblem of Italo-Disco par excellence even if in 1983 it was inserted by Carlo Favilli and Stefano Zito on the B-side of the 12''of the nascent label House of Music. However, the song, although recorded in a hurry and with evident sound defects, is the perfect example of the musical genre that was developing in Italy in those very early 80s. ''Stop 4 Remixes'' is long-awaited answer that followers have been waiting for over 4 decades and now it lives with its own light with 4 new versions that testify how the piece was a driving force for the entire Italo-Disco movement."Pushed Up'' is the remix by Woody Bianchi, who according to Claudio Casalini (who does not allow any discussion on this matter) is the best Italian disc-jockey for the technical quality of the mixes and the artistic choice of the pieces to play. It would take a book to retrace the stages of his prestigious career. So here just a bravo' to Gino (Woody Bianchi). Ditto with potatoes for Danilo Braca who works assiduously in the clubs of the Big Apple, spinning only tracks by Italian composers and arrangers. Once again this Italian DJ-producer (Danyb is his old nickname), author of two very pregnant extensive versions: ''The Remix'' and ''Re-Visited'', shows his ability as a 'remixer', known everywhere, but especially in Ibiza especially where the DJs ((DJ Harvey included) often use his ''edits' existing only on pen drive. Among those who have madly loved ''Stop'' near Florence there are certainly Luca Pardini (Dirtyelements), Guido Sonato and Edoardo Guccione (Drunkdrivers) who when they are together form the renowned they Tuscan trio of DJ-producers Dirtyelements & Drunkdrivers with very interesting and successful experiences on Pusic Records, Masterworks Music, Samosa Records and Lego Funk. The approach to sounds in their ''Acid Re-Solution Remix'' is absolutely decisive. Here too, skill and passion seasoned with a pinch of art and... why not?... madness !!!

One of the very rare chances, and quite possibly the only chance to listen to the genius of Ennio Morricone engaging with the musical world of jazz. His soundtrack for the film The Blue-Eyed Bandit (Il Bandito Dagli Occhi Azzuri by Alfredo Giannetti, 1980) is marked by a relentless rhythm that perfectly matches the atmosphere of the film. The film was shot in Genoa – one of the most iconic cities of the Italian detective (poliziottesco) film genre – and stars Franco Nero, one of the leading stars of the whole genre. The main theme, Città Viva, is a vibrant and metropolitan piece, beautifully arranged for big band + trio of soloists, hand-picked by Morricone himself; his friend and collaborator Enrico Pieranunzi (piano), Roberto Gatto (drums) and Riccardo Del Fra (double bass). This is one of the very few times in which Ennio Morricone, who was famously suspicious of jazz improvisation, asked his musicians to be free and improvise, adding their solos to the original structure – the solo viola of Dino Asciolla, one of the greatest violists of all time, in particular stands out. This is the first time the soundtrack has been released on vinyl since its original release in 1982

A SIDE: "Smooth Co-Operator" 124 BPM
Deep within the Co-op laboratory, a timeless classic was lifted from the ether and reborn under the alchemists’ touch. "Smooth Co-Operator"
takes the silk and smoke of Sade’s iconic Smooth Operator and fuses it with the pulse of an uptempo soulful house rhythm. Sprinkled with the
magic dust of hip-hop and funk samples, the track moves effortlessly—grooving on a smooth, rolling bassline, locked into a four-to-the-floor
heartbeat. The result? A dance where elegance meets momentum, where the past is reimagined for the now. Let yourself be carried away—
this is RnB soul jazz, remixed for the future.

B SIDE: "Dream Alchemy" 120BPM
Summoned from the realm of dreams, "Dream Alchemy" is a hypnotic, Kubrickian voyage through sound and shadow. Co-op bends time,
doubling the original tempo into a driving force of tech-house vibes. J Diggns layers ethereal, cascading keys—melodies that flicker like lucid
visions—while Whiskey Drop layers in A$AP Rocky and grounds the experience with a deep, rolling bassline that pulses from the underground.
The groove is relentless, the atmosphere cinematic. Step inside—The dream and the Sandman await.

Over and through the hot cement of North East L.A., an almost-dry riverbed winds like a snake through the city. Coyotes lap at its trickling stream by moonlight, as pedestrians rush past it by day without a second glance, their thoughts tangled up in the distractions of life in a sprawling metropolis. Here, amongst the many avenues and gentle hills, we find Coffin Prick (alias: Ryan Weinstein).

Loose Enchantment, this latest Coffin Prick record, is music conceived of in a different frame of mind for humans living in a world nearly-disenchanted with itself. The album consists of eleven new pieces of music recorded by Coffin Prick himself at his home in Los Angeles, a great city of quicksand-like commitments and those who love them enough to uphold the ends of their collective bargains. A record as much about the confusion of modern life as it is endeavored to expose the lusts in the very loins of creation. Sounds enchanting enough for you? Let’s look a little more closely…

On the heels of 2023’s Laughing (Sophomore Lounge), Coffin Prick got busy. And fast. Playing shows into the year with a newly minted live band, while simultaneously working day and night in his home studio laying the ground for what would become Loose Enchantment. Whereas he was essentially a recording know-nothing at the inception of his last LP, he’d learned a thing or two about better capturing his ideas by this point, taking the sidesteps and victories born of the experience Laughing provided and turning the bright lights on them. As many of Los Angeles’s drivers choose to do, it was time to take some surface roads. Odes to self-delusion, the mysteries of creation, cleanliness, and the secrets in other people’s lives.

A little Loose Enchantment for everyone, basically.

wetdogg was born in a grotto in Detroit, Michigan with a mission to information to the masses. Through sonic awakening, wetdoggs mission is to enlighten the subconscious and shine light on the deepest crevices of the human psyche. Allowing pathways back into animalistic intuition and away from the technocracy, dig a hole, plant a seed, run in circles and free your mind.

Coming out of Detroit based label Hold Me Records started by Detroit Techno aficionado MGUN and Underground don of all dons Ryan Spencer, wetdogg releases her first Album pssssssp…

From the artist:
"When a dog runs into a river and comes out and shakes itself dry, there is no data collected, technology does not aim to control those that it cannot. Numbers are definite and infinite, a linear path to doomsday. With every move we make, we are tracked and traced and categorized in order to sell ourselves into data hell. Intimacy used to have meaning, the present moment, truth and love but so much of it has been taken captive by technology that seeks to psychologically manipulate and control. A dog runs into the water because that is what dogs do, but it seems these days we are starved from our natural instincts, instead relying on someone else's answer that we of course seek online. "

Using the primitive technology of the password journal (often marketed to little girls to keep their secrets) wetdogg uses the idea of the password journal to imagine a utopia free of the surveillance state in her upcoming album pssssssp…

Founded in 2022, Hold Me Recordings is an independent record label based in southwest Detroit, MI. It is run by Manuel Gonzales (MGUN) & Ryan Spencer, who with a deep-rooted connection to the city's musical history, showcase innovative sounds that challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of contemporary electronic music. Focused on promoting both emerging and established artists, Hold Me is releasing genre-defying tracks that blend unconventional productions with the sincerity of Detroit's legacy. From experimental techno, to downtempo and ambient, Hold Me is committed to offering music that sounds fresh, exciting, and unlike anything you've heard before.

With Harmonia, Trikk takes us on a rich, multi-faceted trip of club music. Spread across five singles, the project explores a wide spectrum of styles, tempos, and textures—all while staying rooted in the heart of the dance floor.

Sagrado marks the peak of the project, with Trikk once again on quality control. It hits the heart and essence of the project—club music to the core. The track begins with a tight framework of kick drum, claps, and a bubbling bassline, a welcoming foundation for the elements that follow. Gradually, it opens up into a wide musical sunrise, as Trikk demonstrates his sure instinct once more—balancing warmth with his distinctive style.



The project took off with Rigor, a peak-time statement that paired massive, tactile sound design with surprising moments of piano serenity—setting the stage for both bold and nuanced. Luxo followed, weaving together industrial grit and organic warmth, further expanding Trikk’s musical language. With Fortuna, the project stepped into the glow of summer, as Trikk joined forces with Kenyan vocalist Sofiya Nzau. The latest single Raiva unites two worlds, blending Trikk’s rhythmic, new-wave-infused sound with MEUTE's commanding brass power.



Harmonia is a carefully woven narrative of rhythm, design, and identity—an artistic statement built to move.

With Harmonia, Trikk takes us on a rich, multi-faceted trip of club music. Spread across five singles, the project explores a wide spectrum of styles, tempos, and textures—all while staying rooted in the heart of the dance floor.

Sagrado marks the peak of the project, with Trikk once again on quality control. It hits the heart and essence of the project—club music to the core. The track begins with a tight framework of kick drum, claps, and a bubbling bassline, a welcoming foundation for the elements that follow. Gradually, it opens up into a wide musical sunrise, as Trikk demonstrates his sure instinct once more—balancing warmth with his distinctive style.



The project took off with Rigor, a peak-time statement that paired massive, tactile sound design with surprising moments of piano serenity—setting the stage for both bold and nuanced. Luxo followed, weaving together industrial grit and organic warmth, further expanding Trikk’s musical language. With Fortuna, the project stepped into the glow of summer, as Trikk joined forces with Kenyan vocalist Sofiya Nzau. The latest single Raiva unites two worlds, blending Trikk’s rhythmic, new-wave-infused sound with MEUTE's commanding brass power.



Harmonia is a carefully woven narrative of rhythm, design, and identity—an artistic statement built to move.

Side-A features Alex Désert and Deston Berry of Hepcat, in addition to Malik Moore of The Lions. Side-B features Asdru Sierra, vocalist of Ozomatli. Produced, Mixed, and Recorded by Dan Ubick (The Lions, Connie Price and the Keystones). Previous steady radio play on BBC Radio 6, KCRW, SoHo Radio, etc... Very popular among DJ’s and collectors worldwide. To round out their second wave of 7" singles, Night Owls bring the heat once again with their signature sound and vision.

Re-imagining two Aaron Neville classics, “Hercules” feat. Alex Désert and The Lions b/w “Tell It Like It Is” feat. Asdru Sierra from Ozomatli, Night Owls up the ante by bringing in some heavy hitters for both sides of this 45. Side A's "Hercules" features long-time collaborators and bandmates from The Lions (Stones Throw, Ubiquity, NYCT) - the soulful tenor of Alex Désert (also Hepcat) on lead blending seamlessly with the familiar voices of Deston Berry (Hepcat) and Malik Moore (Ocean 11) on backing harmonies. The Lions front line locks in tight from the many years performing together on top of a darker and grittier interpretation of Allen Toussaint’s masterpiece complete with fuzzed-out guitar, Space Echoes and rhythm drops. On the flip, "Tell It Like It Is" keeps the momentum going and hips swaying with added Colombian percussion elements and California lowrider vibes. Featuring L.A. family and multi-talented vocalist of Ozomatli, Asdru Sierra, on lead and Night Owl Dan Ubick on backing vocals Side B creates a unique blend of reggae and Cumbia into a very fresh take on this multi-generational hit

'Quiet Pieces' initiates Abul Mogard’s personal imprint Soft Echoes with a definitive self-portrait of calm, contemplative, and discreet inner landscapes made audible. It is the first solo album on vinyl in four years. RIYL Alessandro Cortini, William Basinski, The Caretaker.

While sifting through archived material left idle from earlier projects, a chance encounter with a late uncle’s trove of beloved 78rpm classical and opera records prompted the reworking and completion of what would eventually become the album. Spinning dusty records at 33 and 45rpm, Abul Mogard recombined their enduring spectres with unfinished sketches from his archive. The resulting soundscape blurs distinctions between his memories and those of another, exquisitely short-circuiting the senses with its waking, dream-like lucidity.

This was a process I hadn’t explored in my earlier works. I began sampling brief moments from these records, altering them with studio effects and playing them at slower speeds. In many cases, I wasn’t entirely sure how the original music sounded. These fragments, once further processed, became a source of inspiration for my new compositions. Over time, I realised that the old pieces from the archive and the new material derived from the samples naturally complemented each other.”

The resulting pieces hover over a threshold, a liminal space that harmonises the old and older material. Voluminous waves of quiet and loud undulate between consonance and dissonance, conjuring imagery of a decaying grandeur that humanity’s decadence has surrendered to the elements. Abul Mogard’s seemingly abandoned yet vast landscapes are nevertheless intimate with timbral frissons of red-lined distortion. Elusive, yet as tangible as sea spray or smog, they affect the olfactory senses with a rarified, synesthetic quality that modestly engages one’s emotional register – a hypnotic, distinguishing feature long hailed as one of the hallmarks of his work. A fidelity to memory and dream recall is sensitively probed in the journey from the stately symphonic stasis of 'Following a dream' to the almost industrial, untethered brutality evoked by a looming silhouette that’s never fully visible in 'Constantly slipping away', culminating in the foreboding coda of 'Like a bird'. Those pieces appear to shield the album’s sentimental core, where the tempestuous play of light and shadow of 'In a studded procession' escalates to breathtaking, panoramic climax, while 'Through whispers' evokes an out-of-body-like experience encountered with visceral poignancy.

Looking back, Mogard notes an unexpected influence: “I realise being inspired by Phill Niblock, whose work I had barely known at the time but explored after his passing in 2024. His album 'Boston Tenor Index' changed the way I approached dissonance. It encouraged me to push my sound further, to the edge of a space where I began to feel uncomfortable.”

The album artwork, created by longtime collaborator Marja de Sanctis, features a photograph taken at the Temple of Jupiter Anxur, an archaeological site overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Captured with an iPhone, the image traces the residual presence of construction techniques and architectural forms of the Romans, where material history is transcribed through contemporary tools. The convergence of ancient and modern technology aims to reverberate the site’s lasting spiritual presence – an echo persisting in what is now perceived as a quiet, emptied space. The spiral gestures towards infinity and light. Past and present dissolve into one another, reflecting 'Quiet Pieces' meditation on sound, memory, and time.

RIYL Alessandro Cortini, William Basinski, The Caretaker

The most pivotal moment yet in the journey of one of dance music's most in-demand duos, Shogun Audio are proud to present 'Overgrown', the highly-anticipated fourth studio album from Pola & Bryson.
Having always strived to encapsulate the experience of euphoria they felt in their early raving days, ‘Overgrown’ is Pola & Bryson’s way of paying homage to music that’s shaped their lives. Across all fifteen tracks, the UK-based duo showcase their stunning approach to electronic music production like never before. Innovative, unique, and just as addictive on the hundredth listen as the first, the UK-based duo continue to cement their position as some of the best in the business.
Featuring one of drum and bass' most notable recent singles, the scene-shattering 'Phoneline w/ Emily Makis', an incredible slice of euphoric drum and bass in the form of 'The One I Need w/ Kelli-Leigh', the massive crossover hit 'Want It w/ IYAMAH', and the sound-system destroying sounds of ‘This Chance w/ Break & Cimone’, the singles released before the full album drop have already accumulated over 75M streams, mass DSP editorial support, consistent UK specialist and playlist radio support, and 100s of millions of views online.
Fresh cuts, including ‘Listen w/ goddard.’, ‘How It Was w/ Monroe & Charli Brix’, ‘Falling 4 U w/ MPH’, as well as superb solo offerings like ‘Insomnia’, ‘Temple Stomp’, and ‘Aurora’, all flawlessly gel together under the umbrella of big synths and pure euphoria to create what is sure to be one of the most talked about and repeatedly listened to moments in electronic dance music this year.
“This album is the evolution of us branching off to a more euphoric and club-orientated sound, which heavily influenced the album title. ‘Overgrown’ as a title also represents the relationship between the digital and organic sounds in our music, which in turn, also represents the contrasting factors of nature and urban environments that we both grew up in, both of which have influenced our sound massively.” - Pola & Bryson
A coming-of-age moment for some of the most talented artists the scene has to offer, the act that Sub Focus once claimed was "leading the new wave of liquid drum and bass" has now taken centre stage.

In the Andes of Peru, in a valley formed by the Huallaga River, lies the city of Huanuco. There, a little over fifty years ago, the emblematic cumbia band Los Darlings de Huánuco was born, and since then their compositions have gone around the world, bringing their homeland to the ears of music lovers and collectors. Adversities kept them away from music for two decades, but in spite of this, they marked a parallel path and created their own history in the maximum splendor of Peruvian cumbia. In a valley formed by the Huallaga River lies a temperate land located on the eastern slopes of the central Andes of Peru: Huánuco. A little more than seventy years ago, in that land of mountains and starry skies at almost 2,000 meters above sea level, Juan Nájera was born. A multifaceted musician by profession, he did not always have the privilege of being able to dedicate his life to music. For almost ten years he ran a family hardware store in Huánuco and then a mechanic shop on La Marina Avenue in Lima. He was also a truck driver. A decade of military dictatorships in Latin America made the artist's path very hard in the region, and Peru was no exception. Nájera was only nineteen when his first son was born. He had to make a living and the possibilities for entrepreneurship were slim. But if we go back in history, Juan Nájera was, first and foremost, a boy who dreamed of becoming a musician. Later, he was a boy who made it. Los Darlings de Huánuco managed to cross borders, not only in the capital of Peru, but also abroad. There are many collectors and music lovers around the world who seek and appreciate their songs, musical gems that have toured different latitudes and have managed to position this band from the Peruvian countryside in the most remote places on the planet. In a country characterized by its centralism, where opportunities in the countryside are much scarcer than in the capital, where the foreigner is greeted with more warmth than the local, and where getting ahead, especially in the musical field, implies an extraordinary effort, Los Darlings de Huánuco managed to take their sound to where they never thought it would be possible. From the Andes to the skyscrapers, from the heart of Huánuco to the immensity of other continents.

Born at Theme Ltd, one of London’s most exciting new music studios in the heart of Camden, ‘Driver’s Seat’ is an unapologetically bold and enduring work. MICHAEL, staying true to his name, delivers a debut project that is authentic and unfiltered, offering a glimpse into his true self. Staying true to the ethos of Theme Ltd, he channels his optimistic spirit into tracks that radiate hope and possibility. ‘Driver’s Seat’ combines infectious raw technique with a mesmeric, intimate journey into the mind of a true artist. The collaboration with Theme Ltd is unmistakable, evident in the crisp precision of the audio. This is elevated by the use of their new Live Studio, acoustically treated to perfection by audio legend Paul Gilleron, who also lent his expertise to iconic venues like the O2 and Roundhouse.

‘Drivers Seat’ opens with ‘In The Rain,’ where veteran vocalist Chili graces the track with her soothing yet powerful voice, perfectly complementing a timeless R&B instrumental reminiscent of Anita Baker / Patrice Rushen. MICHAEL uses this introduction to immerse listeners in his musical utopia. The next track, ‘Drivers Seat’—the project's namesake—oozes effortless cool, with a memorable chorus and a captivating melody that leaves listeners both intrigued and enamoured by the enigmatic MICHAEL character. The B side continues the motif of positive self-expression and praise with ‘Satisfaction’ an optimistic celebration of love. The prospect of joy is more ambiguous in the ultimate track ‘And I Love You’ cruising down an infectious baseline, crafted in collaboration with resident producer Theme, the soft beautiful vocals take us to the natural end of a uniquely wonderful debut project.

Long, long overdue reissue of this gem from the depths of The Skaters dreamweaving dimension, released as a limited tape through Spencer Clark's Pacific City imprint back in 2008. Comprising a period of extreme and vital activity for both Clark as Monopoly Child Star Searchers and Black Joker and his kindred spirit James Ferraro under his own name - 'Marble Surf' or 'Discovery' - and a myriad of identities like Liquid Metal or Edward Flex, this split finds these intrepid explorers on each side of a scrying mirror.
Conjuring the Angel Snake entity as a vessel for unlocking the unconscious, Ferraro takes up the A-side with hypnotic wooden percussion sustaining queasy tape processed keyboard lines that intertwine amidst a growing haze of hiss. About halfway through the digression an announcer boombox voice cuts up the scenery for a serpentine dance around the discarded remnants of civilisations past and future. Clark's Monopoly Child rides a beaming synth and muffled percussion accents on his trademarked keyboard thrills, all ascending and descending runs brimming on the horizon, not quite here, not quite out of reach, fading out to a galloping murk smeared by hallucinatory flute-like sounds and portamento accents that float in harmonic suspension.
Truly visionary and arresting stuff from these true purveyors of the netherworld, due to be rediscovered in these times of poor half-reassessments of the given past. It was never a dream, it was always a dream.

This edition explores identity, presence and the fragmentation of self.
It features a standout work by iconic Los Angeles photographer Parker Day, whose hyper-saturated portraits dissect the construction of persona and the tension between surface and essence.
Design is handled by legendary New York illustrator Braulio Amado, injecting the project with bold typographic energy and haunting visual language.

The zine includes poetry by Cristiano Grim, alongside original music by:
Foie Gras – drone and reimagined Americana from San Francisco / Los Angeles
Machino – Mexican electronic producer out of LA, blending distorted guitars, psychedelic riffs, and cinematic pulse into a sound that feels like driving through a neon fever dream
Valley Latini – dark Latin pop performer from New York
David Oliver Rose – post-punk rude boy from New York
Nick Hadad – dark ambient producer based in New York

FAKE4-MASK VS PERSONA presents a 25-page, 11x11” offset-printed, paired with a 12” 180g vinyl record featuring all contributing artists.
Audio mastering by Spaventi Studio.
It operates as both an aesthetic object and a critical inquiry, merging the disciplines of literature, music, photography, and design into a single act of publication as performance.

Claire Chicha aka Spill Tab is feeling more free than ever before. The LA-based, French-Korean songwriter and producer,has spent the past five years as spill tab honing a sound that is as raw-edged as it is refined, channelling low-slung guitar-strumming confessionals as well as the earworming melodic hooks of anthemic pop to produce a heady and distinctive mix.

Following the 2019 release of her intimate and infectious debut single “Decompose”, Spill Tab has evolved her spill tab project through three EPs: 2020’s synth-pop influenced Oatmilk, 2021’s playful, uptempo Bonnie, featuring Gus Dapperton and Tommy Genesis, and 2023’s co-produced, sonically-intricate Klepto, which gleefully meanders from the Hiatus Kaiyote-influenced jazz freakouts of “CRÈME BRÛLÉE!” to the guitar-chugging thump of “Splinter”. Live, meanwhile, Spill Tab has been tapped for her explosively energetic presence to open the North American leg of popstar Sabrina Carpenter’s tour, as well as touring through Australia with alt-rock trio Wallows.
With “PINK LEMONADE”, opening single from her forthcoming debut album “ANGIE” , spill tab’s freewheeling sound finds its fullest expression, harnessing this onstage experience and recorded experimentation with her bass-weight and pitched-up vocals. Here we find Chicha only ever chasing that “weird thing”, fizzing with an infectious enthusiasm and intricate musicianship. “The best songs come from writing the main idea in a day, as it’s so instinctual,” she says, such as “PINK LEMONADE” recorded “from a clip taken out of a 40-minute jam that we then chopped and spliced”.
Born to her French Algerian composer father and Korean pianist mother, Claire Chicha spent her early childhood in the mixing room of her parents’ LA post-production studio, bringing coffees to artists as they tracked scores for exciting new projects. “I hung out in that studio all the time until I was around 10 years old, absorbing jazz music my dad was into and classical music that my mom loved,” Chicha says. “My mom had a big hand in making me an adventurous kid, always trying new things from piano to harp and violin, forever soaking up new sounds.”

At 12, Chicha’s life was uprooted as she relocated to Thailand to live with her mother’s family following the collapse of her parents’ business after the 2008 recession. What followed was an unstable and formative few years of early teenagedom, navigating new cultures and life changes. In Thailand, Chicha began learning guitar to cover the Paramore and Green Day tracks she had grown to love while also becoming immersed in Thai traditional music. After a year, she moved once more to live with her aunt in Paris and there she was introduced to the classic sound of Serge Gainsbourg and Édith Piaf before ultimately returning to LA following the untimely death of her father.

“I had to become a real people person to fit in everywhere I was moving, and it immersed me into so many different styles of music,” she says. “I went from listening to the nasal singing of Thai traditional music at muay thai fights in Bangkok, to emotive classic French songs. It definitely informed the need to experiment with my sound as I became more interested in making music.”

At high school in LA, Chicha joined one of the country’s foremost show choirs and realised a natural aptitude for stagecraft and performance as she sang medleys in competitions throughout the US. Going on to study Music Business at NYU, Chicha found a love for the alternative soul and singer-songwriting of the likes of Moses Sumney and Bon Iver, as well as developing her own sound while spending summers interning as an A&R at Atlantic Records and being exposed to the gamut of New York’s live music scene.

“I was going to so many shows as an A&R intern and seeing just how much a lot of music sounded alike,” she says. “It made me realise I wanted my music to feel different, to cut through the noise but still make something that felt honest to me.”

Beginning to independently release tracks, Soill Tab gradually built a loyal fanbase with the release of wistful early numbers “Calvaire” and “Cotton Candy” and soon found herself signed to a major label. Yet, as her career progressed through the COVID pandemic the demands of a corporate major began to conflict with her own searching style. “My last two EPs were under contract and it felt like I was always chasing the carrot,” she says, “I felt a certain pressure to put out tracks quickly and find that ‘hit’. It wasn’t the right environment to truly make what I wanted.”

Ultimately parting ways with her label, Chicha began work on a new album, exploring new sounds and ideas with her LA-based community of collaborators like producer David Marinelli, Solomonophonic, Wyatt and Austin and John DeBold, without expectation. “It became this beautiful experience of only following ideas that I really believed in and exploring all the musical avenues I hadn’t before,” she says. “I’ve never been more excited about songs and I’ve never felt like a project is more mine.”

Writing and recording while touring with Sabrina Carpenter and Wallows, Chicha road-tested her new tracks to see what might land best with an audience who had likely never heard her music before. “You have to win people’s hearts as an opener and you can see what resonates and what doesn’t,” she says. “I would watch people fall in love or not and it’s usually always the song you’re having the most fun with that does the best. That’s what I put on the record.”

« Angie », Spill’s Tab debut album is relased on because Music and expected for May 16th release.

Jump Source is back with their 6th instalment: a collection of 4 tracks fine-tuned for the chaotic club. “Bleach” and “Condenser”cyclically build tension through their sneaky yet brazen tangents – no momentum lost from start to finish. The latter was born from a session with frequent collaborator Sabola, exploring the possibilities of the Roland sh- 05, which would become the backbone of the song. On the b side, the pair enrolled Martyn Bootyspoon and Frankie Teardrop to deliver vocals that break the fourth wall, sending you down an introspective dance-floor experience. “On” takes the foreground approach, while “Get It Done” comfortably hangs back, but the question remains : “What are you on?

2 Super Story tellers to take your time and enjoy the sound morphing... Smart sound !

In 2022, Osàre! Editions founder Elena Colombi approached artists and musicians with a prompt: Every body, everyone needs love to flourish. In her book The Will to Change, the eminent author and social activist, Bell Hooks, invites men to excavate their innermost selves, challenging the way that patriarchal society limits their capacity for intimacy, tenderness, care and emotion. As hooks lays out, feminist thought and work requires the collective participation of all genders in order to realise a liberated world. How can we imagine cross-gender solidarity through music and art? And how can we tell sonic stories that facilitate our full potential as desiring beings? These are the questions that The Male Body Will Be Next starts out from.

The title of the record draws connections between hooks' writing, a film by Rebecca Salvadori and Peter de Potter's stunning photo series of the same name. In de Potter and Salvadori's depictions, men's bodies appear as vulnerable, naked and exposed.

Divided into two parts, the first instalment of The Male Body Will Be Next hinges on colliding energies – the melding of club dance floors and haunting ambient textures, agile techno and noisy experimentation.

'The sun on my skin… it’s so warm and gentle,’ speak-sings Olivia Salvadori on ‘Su Di Te M’Infrango’, visualising utopias. Laurel Halo crafts a dreamscape spun from golden threads of synth and strings. Pensive and reflective, Ben Bertrand’s bass clarinet roams searchingly, its piercing tonality full of longing. Yet, in between these lucid, cinematic passages and spoken word, The Male Body Will Be Next finds space to dance together. Moving in fervent, rhythmic patterns, Sepehr’s ‘Divooneh’ pivots between tension and release. Filmmaker unleashes a wave of energy and The Spy delivers a potent take on vintage electro, the track title hinting at the double-bind of gendered expectations. Propelled between these eclectic styles, the record encapsulates the full spectrum of sonic expression.

The project by Jens-Uwe Beyer and Thomas Venker boasts a remarkable origin story. In 2017, Venker, co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of Cologne’s Kaput magazine, hosted a gathering at Beyer's house, bringing together journalists, creatives, and musicians. To mark the occasion, the pair decided to join forces for an impromptu ambient-electronic performance, presenting themselves as a two-man band. That evening, donned in special costumes designed by artist Sarah Szczesny and fuelled by a generous amount of Japanese whisky, Hasan Poppu was born. Over the course of the pandemic, the duo thought about creating a record based on the live recording of their premiere show. However, the synergy of their collaborative creative energies led them in entirely novel directions. Their self-titled, double-sided album traverses a wild and raucous terrain, moving swiftly from hybrid noise-techno to giddy party ecstasy, to strange and shadowy atmospheres.

Including remixes by YPY, Hibotep, Lena Willikens, Efdemin and Barnt, the 11 tracks span a dizzying array of experimental dance-facing styles. 'Die-Biden' kicks off as a high-vibrational vocal experiment seemingly voiced by a sentient German vocoder. 'Kodō' follows, featuring Venker's playful mantra set against a stomping beat. Willikens' reimagining of 'Teiko' transports the track to obscure realms inhabited by strange creatures emitting ungodly sounds. Meanwhile, Efdemin's take on 'Ekusutashī' pulsates with a kinetic buzz. Flipping over to the B-side, 'Sakura' is a euphoric wall of drone punctuated by eerie whispers and mystical singing. Then, the second installment of 'Kodō' takes a fresh trajectory with a touch of Barnt’s electronic groove stylings. Finally, Hibotep's 'Shojo no yo ni flp' serves as the finsher – an unrepentant trance belter that disintegrates into sampled fragments. Loosely translating to "broken pop music," Hasan Poppu is informed by Beyer and Venker's shared love for Japan. The band takes their cues from the country’s rich sonic cultures while also drawing on Venker's wordsmith background and Beyer's flair for melding melodic tech-house with song-based synth-pop. Originally out on Beachcoma Recordings, Hasan Poppu’s debut album gets a new lease of life on Osàre! Editions with a digital and limited edition cassette tape release. Sarah Szczesny reprises her role in shaping the visual identity of Hasan Poppu by creating beautiful, painterly artwork for the record. words by Hannah Pezzack

Originally released in South Africa in 1984 and produced by Jabu Sibumbe of Stimela fame. Difficult to find on vinyl, which saw only small pressings at the time of release, these works are now remastered and reissued for the first time.

This original versions show off some of the glossy disco & boogie-funk vibes that were being produced in South Africa in the mid-eighties, inspired by sounds being imported from the US and Europe at that time.

Joi N'Juno steps up for his first remix on Canopy, channelling the attitude of Quincy & Niles to create a dynamic arrangement that takes the original and reinvents it for modern disco-house dancefloors. Live synth, keys and horns add to the crisp and warm production for what looks to become a modern day classic.

Razor N Tapes' JKriv stays truer to the original and with his characteristic production finesse modernises the originals to tastefully update them for contemporary sound systems, bringing just the right balance of past and present to add a new dimension to these boogie gems

REPRESS of the highly acclaimed album. Black Metal is one hell of an album. It's a downbeat, dark folk album, that manages to capture the vibe of the band's earlier work quite well. Pelander has managed to make a "doom album" without actually making one in the traditional sense. Black Metal manages to capture the world weary, woeful, attitude and vibe of doom better than a ton of albums that crank up the Sabbath worship to ridiculous levels. It's a work of darkness and despair and therefore it is another captivating chapter of this band's discography. (New Noise Magazine)

Gold nugget vinyl, limited to 200 copies. Black Metal is one hell of an album. It's a downbeat, dark folk album, that manages to capture the vibe of the band's earlier work quite well. Pelander has managed to make a "doom album" without actually making one in the traditional sense. Black Metal manages to capture the world weary, woeful, attitude and vibe of doom better than a ton of albums that crank up the Sabbath worship to ridiculous levels. It's a work of darkness and despair and therefore it is another captivating chapter of this band's discography. (New Noise Magazine)

2025 Repress.
Originally released in limited formats in 2017 and having since been repressed several times, 2025 sees
a new pressing to acknowledge the enduring legacy of this recording. In 2024, the song Trees & Flowers
became an unexpected hit on Tik Tok and introduced a new generation to these timeless songs.

“1982 4-Piece Demo” is the first official, fully-licensed and unreleased material to be released under the name
Strawberry Switchblade in 30 years. Since disbanding amid major record label acrimony and personal differences
in 1986, the already-cult band have since grown in stature and legend. Trailblazers in many ways, the band’s
mythology justifiably centers around the charismatic duo of Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, but that isn’t a
complete picture.

Bryson and McDowall’s growing friendship, having met some years earlier on the punk scene, became a creative
partnership: Bryson’s art school background and McDowall’s history in avant-punk group The Poets meant
Strawberry Switchblade was a band pitted against many established norms. The band’s very first incarnation,
an all-female 4 piece, recorded one demo at Glasgow’s Hellfire Club and played a handful of gigs. Friends
Janice Goodlett and Carole McGowan completed the line up on bass and drums respectively. Strawberry
Switchblade would eventually pair down to a duo and go on to chart success but it’s in these raw, passionate
recordings that the songwriting and vocal elements were being hammered out and explored in real time.
“Spanish Song” is a previously unreleased song. With Rose McDowall’s instantly recognizable lead vocal
dovetailing with Bryson’s harmonies and lead guitar, it’s the first glimpse at an alternative history of Strawberry
Switchblade. This incarnation could easily have been featured on a Nuggets compilation or a precursor to the indiepop revolution that would take over British bedrooms a couple of years later. Trees & Flowers is instantly
recognizable, a bona fide classic that would earn the band its first record deal. Here it’s given a more forceful rhythm
section: Goodlett and McGowan’s playing is in fact accomplished and doesn’t hint at the bands’ youth. Go Away
would also surface later on the band’s debut LP but here it is a moody-garage stomper with a psychedelic, haunting
refrain.

These 3 songs point to a tantalizing future of the band that was never realized.
Remastered and restored by Sean Pennycook from the original cassette, with artwork based on a single
photographic contact sheet (the only visual evidence of the band in this form) and with a booklet of photographs and
new text from contemporary Stephen Pastel.



Spanish Song' is a previously unreleased song. With Rose McDowall's instantly recognizable lead vocal dovetailing with Bryson's harmonies and lead guitar, it's the first glimpse at an alternative history of Strawberry Switchblade. This incarnation could easily have been featured on a Nuggets compilation or a precursor to the indie-pop revolution that would take over British bedrooms a couple of years later. "Trees & Flowers" is instantly recognizable, a bona fide classic that would earn the band its first record deal. Here it's given a more forceful rhythm section: Goodlett and McGowan's playing is in fact accomplished and doesn't hint at the bands' youth. "Go Away" would also surface later on the band's debut LP but here it is a moody-garage stomper with a psychedelic, haunting refrain. These 3 songs point to a tantalizing future of the band that was never realized.


Remastered and restored by Sean Pennycook from the original cassette, with artwork based on a single photographic contact sheet (the only visual evidence of the band in this form) and with a booklet of photographs and new text. Pa

Two Times Juno awards listed and 2 times Polaris price listed, Canadian Soul Star Tanika Charles unleash the new album "Reason To Stay that drops on May 16 via independent soul label Record Kicks. Reasons To Stay is Tanika Charles' fourth full-length album, and her most introspective to date. Where her songs have typically touched on romantic love and heartache, the core love and loss of this record is family focused. It has taken years for Tanika to be able to publicly reflect on the childhood trauma and family breakup that occurred during her teens. The majority of the album was composed by Tanika with the tight knit team of Scott McCannell (Lydia Persaud, Henry Nozuka), Kyla Charter (Aysanabee) and Chino de Villa (Jessie Reyez). Kelly Finnigan of the Monophonics joined in to mix the bulk of the project and apply some trademark analogue grit to Tanika's sheen. Guests include Quebec-based Soulful singer/songwriter Clerel on the last track "Win", as well as Toronto soul artists Aphrose and Claire Davis providing additional vocals. "I love this album. I love singing these songs. I love that it's made me step outside of my comfort zone. It's forced me to face the root causes of my own insecurities that I carry to this day. Why am I striving so hard to seek validation, and why take it so personally when it doesn't come? That distortion has prevented me from celebrating my own successes at times. This album is me trying to change that." "I love the conversations that have begun with these songs. It's about childhood trauma, but it's not a victim story. I'm doing well, despite the baggage I carry. I want others to be able to carry theirs too." In the last few years, Canadian Soul/R&B powerhouse Tanika Charles has transformed from an emerging solo artist to a commanding performer and bandleader, cementing her status as a staple in the Canadian soul scene. Her previous studio albums - "Soul Run" (2017), "The Gumption" (2019), and "Papillon De Nuit" (2022) - have propelled her to international acclaim, earning her two JUNO nominations, two Polaris Prize listings, and a growing global fanbase. Extensive touring across North America and Europe has further solidified her reputation, with standout performances at festivals such as Trans Musicales in France, Fusion Festival in Germany, Mostly Funk & Soul Festival and Jazz Festival in the UK, Holy Groove Festival in Switzerland, and Canarias Jazz Festival in Spain. She has also shared the stage Estelle, Mayer Hawthorne, Haitus Kayote, Lauryn Hill, Bedouin Soundclash and Macy Gray. Tanika's meteoric rise and undeniable artistry have been widely championed by outlets such as KCRW, KEXP, BBC6 Music, Exclaim!, CBC Music, Uncut Mag, PopMatters, Albumism .. further solidifying her position as a global soul sensation.

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hozier’s self-titled debut album with this special limited-edition release. Featuring “Take Me To Church,” now RIAA certified DIAMOND, and four exclusive bonus tracks released on vinyl for the first time, including “In The Woods Somewhere” and “Arsonist’s Lullabye”. Custard colored vinyl in a gatefold jacket.

In 2012 Gruff Rhys embarked on a solo 'investigative concert tour' through the heart of America following the route taken by his distant relative John Evans. Every night he presented songs augmented by a power point presentation that detailed his relative's unbelievable history, along with any new piece of information that had come his way during the day. He was ultimately looking for Evans's lost unmarked grave. Along with many major cities, the tour took him to play shows at the Mandan and Omaha tribe reservations, a Missouri vineyard, villages that no longer exist and lay at the bottom the Mississippi river and a New Orleans bordello. What transpired from that ‘investigative concert tour’ was a 2014 album, American Interior, plus a book, film and exhaustive tour of the same name. With the aid of the dusted-off power point presentation, Gruff Rhys and a full band revisits the project in 2025 to perform the songs that formed both the album, and the soundtrack to the film.

Gruff says of the reissue -

“Revisiting American Interior 11 years later, feels very prescient. In following the unusual story of explorer John Evans (1770-1799) it becomes clear that faked narratives can have profound and unpredictable consequences in real life. His barely believable journey of verification in searching through continental scale wilderness for a fictitious Welsh speaking tribe believed to be living on the Great Plains of North America (an ancient folk tale perpetuated by the Elizabethan court following the subjugation of Wales, to make colonial claims on behalf of the British on the Americas) had a dramatic political effect on the fledgling USA and a devastating impact on himself and some of those who helped him on his way. I wrote an album of songs inspired by his life; American Interior, which also served as a soundtrack to a documentary film based on a book that detailed his journey, intertwined with my own investigative concert tour, all three of which I worked on simultaneously during a 2-year fever 2012-14. By far the most ambitious undertaking I’ve ever attempted. Living with one foot in the 18th century, wearing the same clothes (for cinematic continuity) for that entire period, left me pretty exhausted. (Imagine a cold extra from The Revenant movie). It took me a while to process the whole experience and its lessons and feel I owe it to my former self to take these songs back on the road for a couple of months and re-tell the story for a new decade. To celebrate it further Rough Trade will reissue a remastered version of the album with previously unreleased tracks.”

Three LPs packed in a trifold jacket. Pressed on Deep Ocean Pearl, Gold & Dark Green Vinyl. Take up your sword, channel your magic or board your Mech. Chained Echoes is a 16-bit style RPG set in a fantasy world where dragons are as common as piloted mechanical suits. The game is set on the continent of Valandis during the time of a multi-generational war between three kingdoms, Taryn, Gravos and Escanya. After a great catastrophe caused by Grand Grimoire shakes the continent, the kingdoms agree to sign a peace treaty. One year later, an unknown force strives to begin a new war. A group of unlikely heroes joins forces and eventually becomes the clan of Crimson Wings in order to stop it. The outstanding soundtrack for Chained Echoes was passionately composed, arranged and recorded over four years by Eddie Marianukroh as well as many other musicians who worked under his direction. It includes 50 tracks at two hours in length. Even the game has been out for a while, Marianukroh's admiration and enthusiasm for the game and his addition to it remain undiminished: "It has been over two years now since the release of Chained Echoes, which is rather difficult for me to believe. Time really flies, and it's honestly a bit frightening when I think about it. But, despite that, when I listen to the music I've written for this game, I still very much remain proud of what I composed. I really did give my all for this soundtrack. I will forever be grateful to Matthias for trusting me with the music for his game. I can vividly remember how I felt when I first came across his project, and how I nervously reached out to him about the composer position. I truly, truly cannot thank him enough for giving me this memorable experience that I will always hold dear. Thank you, my friend."

In 2012 Gruff Rhys embarked on a solo 'investigative concert tour' through the heart of America following the route taken by his distant relative John Evans. Every night he presented songs augmented by a power point presentation that detailed his relative's unbelievable history, along with any new piece of information that had come his way during the day. He was ultimately looking for Evans's lost unmarked grave. Along with many major cities, the tour took him to play shows at the Mandan and Omaha tribe reservations, a Missouri vineyard, villages that no longer exist and lay at the bottom the Mississippi river and a New Orleans bordello. What transpired from that ‘investigative concert tour’ was a 2014 album, American Interior, plus a book, film and exhaustive tour of the same name. With the aid of the dusted-off power point presentation, Gruff Rhys and a full band revisits the project in 2025 to perform the songs that formed both the album, and the soundtrack to the film.

Gruff says of the reissue -

“Revisiting American Interior 11 years later, feels very prescient. In following the unusual story of explorer John Evans (1770-1799) it becomes clear that faked narratives can have profound and unpredictable consequences in real life. His barely believable journey of verification in searching through continental scale wilderness for a fictitious Welsh speaking tribe believed to be living on the Great Plains of North America (an ancient folk tale perpetuated by the Elizabethan court following the subjugation of Wales, to make colonial claims on behalf of the British on the Americas) had a dramatic political effect on the fledgling USA and a devastating impact on himself and some of those who helped him on his way. I wrote an album of songs inspired by his life; American Interior, which also served as a soundtrack to a documentary film based on a book that detailed his journey, intertwined with my own investigative concert tour, all three of which I worked on simultaneously during a 2-year fever 2012-14. By far the most ambitious undertaking I’ve ever attempted. Living with one foot in the 18th century, wearing the same clothes (for cinematic continuity) for that entire period, left me pretty exhausted. (Imagine a cold extra from The Revenant movie). It took me a while to process the whole experience and its lessons and feel I owe it to my former self to take these songs back on the road for a couple of months and re-tell the story for a new decade. To celebrate it further Rough Trade will reissue a remastered version of the album with previously unreleased tracks.”

A fully licensed, analogue reissue -- sure, on cassette and not on vinyl, that's a
long story -- of the first Index LP, originally released in 1967
The "Black Album" is one of the all-time holy grails of psychedelia, with originals going
for more than $4,000. It is an album "with a really druggie sound, full of feedback and
fuzzy guitars. The vocals, when present, are not easily heard. The cover of 'Eight Miles
High' is very good, probably one of the best cover versions I have ever heard. The
original songs all follow a similar pattern as the covers, with hazy guitar riffs and loud
rhythms. The last track is particularly noisy and unstructured. Hidden in amongst the
echoing canyons of sound there's some really snotty punk attitude wrapped up in
trippy velvet fuzz."
This record is magnificent-- bizarre, atmospheric, amateurish (in the best of all
possible ways). It has a wonderful bleak sound, both droning and murky... the atonal
sound of 1960's rock that would leave the most lasting impression on what would
become future punk, post-punk and indie rock artists.
"Much has been written about this incredible band. Much of it isn't true. Index was
formed in the early spring of 1967 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. I was 18 years old
when I met a chain-smoking 16-year-old named Gary Francis. Our conversation soon
got around to rock and roll. He told me that he and his friend, John Ford, were forming
a band. I told him that I played drums and we arranged a jam session at John's home
on Lakeshore Drive. Our first meeting was incredible. Our sound was full and
powerful. John's lead guitar techniques were fresh and innovative. After our first
sessions we knew we had something special. Index was born. Soon we hit the local
'sock hop' circuit, playing at high schools and teen clubs in the area. We poured our
unique sound out at The Hideout, Undercroft and G.P. War Memorial every weekend.
One afternoon John pulled out a new album he had been listening to. It was a new
band with a mind-shattering sound called 'The Jimi Hendrix Experience.' John played
some songs he had written inspired by this 'psychedelic' sound. Over the next few
days, 'Fire Eyes,' 'Shock Wave' and 'Feedback' were written. This album was recorded
in December of 1967 at the Ford estate. It is recorded in mono with literally one
microphone and with all instruments and vocals recorded at the same time. The cover
photo is of founders of a singing group John joined at Yale. The stiff, board- like
figures seem to characterize the exact opposite of this musical collection. This
reissue is taken from the original recordings. Nothing has been added and all songs
are in their original length. Over the years various bootleg copies of this album have
surfaced but this is the original work." --Jim Valice

Quickly on the heels of their debut, Cuneiform Tabs return with Age, an LP that takes a massive leap forward in both melodic sensibilities and inventiveness. Bathed in late night psychedelia and the looping repetition of a drone sample, the group's experimental penchants remain, yet this time wrapped around tunes too sweet to be denied. In pulling back a little of the crackle and haze that made their first album so inviting, the Tabs have revealed more of their pop instincts. The overall effect is a perfect set of early Animal Collective demos or Syd Barrett attempting a Television Personalities cover at 3am.

The duo of Matt Bleyle and Sterling Mackinnon continue their system of trading 4-track tapes between the Bay Area and London, a furtive correspondence until sonic nuggets are fully formed. While these songs are very much the product of the Tascam and rudimentary software that is integral to the band, this album is truly the embrace of their songwriting talents – not unlike the recent breakthrough of labelmate Cindy Lee.

With the dream-like strum of "Ivy," slow shimmer of "Orbital Rings" and enchanting, madcap swirl of "Blended Medal," this is hypnagogic pop at its finest. Age is the record Bob Pollard hears in his head every time he steps down to the basement to pick up a guitar. This is the sound of riding in an elevator hearing McCartney singing "Blackbird" in the distance, only to have it draw closer and closer with each floor as you finally race down the hallway, putting your ear to each door searching for the source. This is Leonard Cohen smoking in the middle of the street outside a Suicide show. If all of this sounds phenomenal, it is.

Outtakes is a retrospective album featuring nine previously unreleased tracks
from Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip - This unique collection contains songs,
recorded over the years but for various reasons, were left off past albums,
capture the band's evolving sound and dedication to blues-rock excellence
We usually had a few extra songs when we went into the studio to record the album in
case some of the songs didn't "take off" as expected. Sometimes the direction of
production can also change as the process progresses, which affects the album as a
whole. However, a lot of effort has been put into these songs and they have been
carefully prepared for the album and produced to completion. It is at least justified to
give them another chance to reach listeners, and we felt they deserved a platform of
their own. Although the songs are from different eras, I think they formed a very good
and balanced whole" says Micke Bjorklof.
Spanning from the early 2000s to the present, Outtakes showcases the shifting styles
and influences of one of Finland's most celebrated blues-rock bands. Outtakes is not
only a collection of rare tracks but also a kind of time travel through the arc of the
band's musical and sonic evolution from the early 2000s to the present day. Each
song reflects the shifting moods, styles, and influences the band has embraced over
the years, capturing the essence of one of Finland's most celebrated blues-rock bands
over 30-year journey in the blues-rock scene.

AAA Gripper have seemingly dropped out of nowhere but the story goes back. The idea was conjured in the summer of 2023 at the first Wrong Speed Records festival in the town of Glastonbury. Inspired by a weekend of radical sounds and fine company a decision was made - 'let's try something'.
Recording hours and hours of bass and drums in deep Somerset then editing it down to a sharp and concise 32 minutes. From Can's Lost Tapes boxset to No Means No's 0+2=1 via a thousand song structure decisions. Wild guitar strafe and precise hyper vocal added. Nine tight tunes magically appeared. The band raised a glass of tea. The band was born. The 'something' had worked.
We Invented Work For The Common Good is a deep dive into the world of the working person. How we end up. Why we climb onto the conveyer belt and never get off. The front cover is one of many of the same photo taken every day, on the walk to work, the dark mills looming - KEEP THEM BUSY, THEY WON'T RISE UP.
Music is therapy. They think it's part of the bread and circuses. We know it's armour. We know it's weaponry.
Gigs being planned.

1982 4-Piece Demo' is the first official, fully-licensed and unreleased material to be released under the name Strawberry Switchblade in 30 years. Since disbanding amid major record label acrimony and personal differences in 1986, the already-cult band have since grown in stature and legend. Trailblazers in many ways, the band's mythology justifiably centers around the charismatic duo of Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, but that isn't a complete picture. Bryson and McDowall's growing friendship, having met some years earlier on the punk scene, became a creative partnership: Bryson's art school background and McDowall's history in avant-punk group The Poets meant Strawberry Switchblade was a band pitted against many established norms. The band's very first incarnation, an all-female 4 piece, recorded one demo at Glasgow's Hellfire Club and played a handful of gigs. Friends Janice Goodlett and Carole McGowan completed the line up on bass and drums respectively. Strawberry Switchblade would eventually pair down to a duo and go on to chart success but it's in these raw, passionate recordings that the songwriting and vocal elements were being hammered out and explored in real time.


Spanish Song' is a previously unreleased song. With Rose McDowall's instantly recognizable lead vocal dovetailing with Bryson's harmonies and lead guitar, it's the first glimpse at an alternative history of Strawberry Switchblade. This incarnation could easily have been featured on a Nuggets compilation or a precursor to the indie-pop revolution that would take over British bedrooms a couple of years later. "Trees & Flowers" is instantly recognizable, a bona fide classic that would earn the band its first record deal. Here it's given a more forceful rhythm section: Goodlett and McGowan's playing is in fact accomplished and doesn't hint at the bands' youth. "Go Away" would also surface later on the band's debut LP but here it is a moody-garage stomper with a psychedelic, haunting refrain. These 3 songs point to a tantalizing future of the band that was never realized.


Remastered and restored by Sean Pennycook from the original cassette, with artwork based on a single photographic contact sheet (the only visual evidence of the band in this form) and with a booklet of photographs and new text. Pa

The anniversary edition comes in a gatefold-sleeve on clear / golden marbled vinyl with an exclusive poster. It all started in Gothenburg, Sweden back in 2003. After various incarnations the band we've now come to know as EF hit their stride by opening up their heavy distorted guitar palet to a much richer, textural approach with haunting melodies and harmonies. The band started touring and built up a dedicated fanbase throughout the years. The experience and confidence gained from these 22 odd tours have taken them all over Europe and Asia. It has shaped them to become the explosive, energetic and cathartic live band they are now today. As it goes with age and experience also comes growth. Although the sound of the band has evolved away from the hardcore infused post-rock of their early days, EF have always kept their hardcore d.i.y. ethics alive. By running their own record label, And the Sound Records, and setting up their own worldwide distribution they sold thousands of records along the way. In 2010 EF started to collaborate with German label Kapitän Platte by releasing the third album "Mourning golden morning" on vinyl. Now 15 years later, especially as the record is long time out of print, it's time to celebrate this anniversary with a new edition of this album that reached in the meantime the status of a post-rock masterpiece, to name in a row with bands like Caspian, Mogwai or Explosions in the sky.

There are bands that you feel you have known forever -- recent ones, new
ones even -- because you are already so familiar with what you know they are
going to offer, familiar with the anticipation and the need, with the pleasure
you expect them to, quite rightfully, provide the masses (by which I mean
people who have once considered calling their first-born Kang)
VERDICT is such a band. It has members of MEANWHILE, NO SECURITY,
WARCOLLAPSE, 3- WAY CUM, TOTALITAR, and too many other bands, and even
though I have never actually met any of them, I still have had more interactions with
them through (over)playing and rocking to their records than I have had with some
members of my family, which, to be honest, is definitely for the best. VERDICT is a
rather new (but experienced in the things of the D) kang hardcore band, and they know
exactly what they are doing and how to do it. Had they produced something different,
that would have completely taken me aback -- something horrendous like ska- punk
would have made so little sense that I would have had to quit punk altogether. Alright,
what about The Rat Race, then. This is the follow-up to last year's Time to Resign, and
this one has even more punch, fury, and pummeling power than its predecessor.
Unoriginal, in a good way, and thoroughly checking all the correct boxes: the
drumming is pure and relentless, the riffs' efficiency is religiously executed in a
"Scandicore 101" way, the vocals are angry, direct, and raspy. Think a joyous orgy
between NO SECURITY, UNCURBED, and TOTALITAR.
This is the kind of record that makes the world a better place to rock. Thank you
Phobia Records. Kang up your life.

2023, past and future merge into one. Stripped of temporal markers, today's artists unabashedly draw from the past while boldly gazing into the future. Amid revivals and

innovations, trends and undercurrents, the game is intricate, the nuances abundant. Orphia's music is no exception. Behind the synthesizers, the Genevan weaves a musical tapestry on a tightrope. Cold wave, synth-pop, post-punk, eurodance, Indochine, Depeche Mode, Boards of Canada, Eurythmics... it all blends in a grand synthetic ritual where the festivities happily don't stop at the first light of dawn. Charging forward, swiftly, strongly, into an uncertain future, no questions asked but with a quick glance in the rearview mirror, just to be sure.

"L'Aventure des Gens Modernes" resides in this retro-futuristic melancholy, between nostalgia and a thirst for tomorrow. Without ever falling into foolish nostalgia or soulless revival, the EP reflects an absolute urgency. Urgency to produce, first and foremost, as studio work has become a true raison d'être for Orphia. Urgency to also shout out a certain rage against a world devoid of hope, and this on stage where the artist performs alone, synths in hand and sharp beats for the dancefloor. In an era where the past enables facing the future, the 5 tracks of "L'Aventure des Gens Modernes" breathe a breath of fresh air into a scene in ruins. Cyberpunk or punk in general, Orphia wants to go fast and take everything in its path.

Silver Vinyl. Metalhorse is Billy Nomates' third studio release, following 2023's critically acclaimed, CACTI, and her self-titled 2020 debut. A concept album revolving around the image of a dilapidated funfair, representing the tumultuousness of life - risk and pleasure, danger and exhilaration. The 11 new songs here explore blues, folk and pianodriven arrangements that take Billy Nomates' stark punk sound in a more pastoral direction. Metalhorse is the first Billy Nomates album to be made in a studio and with a full band, the line-up inc. bass player Mandy Clarke (KT Tunstall, The Go! Team) and drummer Liam Chapman (Rozi Plain, BMX Bandits) plus a special feature from The Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell on "Dark Horse Friend". Metalhorse is a balancing of extremes. Reckoning with loss, material insecurity, and trying to stay true to yourself against an increasingly unpredictable backdrop of global chaos, the scales could easily have tipped towards darkness, but the more Maries has had to weather, the more precious those smaller moments of happiness have become. Metalhorse begs the listener to find their own funfair; there will always be things that feel perilous. At the same time, you have to marvel at the lights while they're still on. Dancing with those feelings of uncertainty and joy, Metalhorse is awash with both pain and perseverance.

Silver Vinyl. Metalhorse is Billy Nomates' third studio release, following 2023's critically acclaimed, CACTI, and her self-titled 2020 debut. A concept album revolving around the image of a dilapidated funfair, representing the tumultuousness of life - risk and pleasure, danger and exhilaration. The 11 new songs here explore blues, folk and pianodriven arrangements that take Billy Nomates' stark punk sound in a more pastoral direction. Metalhorse is the first Billy Nomates album to be made in a studio and with a full band, the line-up inc. bass player Mandy Clarke (KT Tunstall, The Go! Team) and drummer Liam Chapman (Rozi Plain, BMX Bandits) plus a special feature from The Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell on "Dark Horse Friend". Metalhorse is a balancing of extremes. Reckoning with loss, material insecurity, and trying to stay true to yourself against an increasingly unpredictable backdrop of global chaos, the scales could easily have tipped towards darkness, but the more Maries has had to weather, the more precious those smaller moments of happiness have become. Metalhorse begs the listener to find their own funfair; there will always be things that feel perilous. At the same time, you have to marvel at the lights while they're still on. Dancing with those feelings of uncertainty and joy, Metalhorse is awash with both pain and perseverance.

A double LP package from Bardo Pond, combining two of their super rare jam volumes on vinyl for the first time. A further edition in this celebrated series, ‘Volume 4’ and ‘Volume 5’ feature more freeform improvisational pieces from the hypnotic Philadelphia outfit.

Capturing the raw essence of the band, whose fearless exploration blurs the lines between structure, chaos, melody and noise. Bardo Pond's music traverses space rock, acid rock, post-rock, shoegaze, noise, Krautrock and psychedelia.

‘Volume 4’ hails from self-released sessions recorded in January 2002, its five tracks include the supremely tripped out heaviness of ‘K2’ and the balance-shifting ‘New Drunks (Revisited)’ with Isobel Sollenberger’s exquisite and, frankly, quite disturbing vocal. They’re shorter interrogations of sound by Bardo terms, almost succinct in their mesmerising riffage and off-kilter arrangements.

By contrast, ‘Volume 5’ consists of two lengthy mantras recorded between 2000 and 2004 and released as the tape spool spiralled out. ‘FUFO’ sounds like Cluster unravelling with Merzbow mixing, a post-industrial slew of hypnotic proportions, while ‘Monarch’ begins as a Current 93-like neo-folk mood piece before evolving into a wailing slice of drone-drenched Americana by way of a Velvets’ jam.

“We were pushing improvisations as far as we could. It was glorious having the studio. The more that our heads were spinning after a session, the better we knew that session would sound when we listened back. We were getting together two nights a week, usually three or four hours working on material and songs and the other half the time letting loose. Volumes 4 and 5 gather together some of these improvisations, and one early song that we felt like doing.” Adds Michael Gibbons of Bardo Pond.