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Re-Issue
IN FLAMES repräsentieren das Beste aus Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft des Metal. IN FLAMES sind heute genauso vital und sogar noch energiegeladener als in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten, als sie Klassiker wie Come Clarity und Clayman herausbrachten.

Die Band hat sich einen umwerfenden Ruf erspielt, indem sie auf der ganzen Welt bei jedem erdenklichen großen Rock- und Metal-Festival mitreißende und inspirierende Auftritte absolvierte, als Headliner auf mehreren Tourneen auftrat und mit Bands wie Slipknot, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Killswitch Engage, Within Temptation und Lamb Of God tourte. Sie treten regelmäßig auf einigen der größten Bühnen und Festivals der Welt auf.

"Foregone", das furiose vierzehnte Studioalbum, verbindet die größten aggressiven, metallischen und melodischen Stärken ihrer bahnbrechenden Alben mit dem ausgereiften Songwriting ihrer postmodernen Ära. "Foregone" schafft es meisterhaft, wenn auch unwahrscheinlich, alle Seiten der IN FLAMES-Fangemeinde zu bedienen, und das mit großer Wucht.

Ein Gefühl des Stolzes, der Errungenschaft und der anhaltenden Vitalität ist jedes Mal, wenn die Band die Bühne betritt, und überall auf "Foregone" zu spüren. Als Pioniere des Melodic Death Metal und innovative Verfechter des Grooves sind die Kunst, der Einfluss, die Größe und die Zukunft von IN FLAMES so groß wie der Heavy Metal-Horizont selbst.

2026 Repress

MOLA's music is the unadorned antithesis to a rosy world. She celebrates herself to death, pulls you into her inner chaos and does without the usual romanticising transfiguration of the merciless disorientation that catches up with you on the way home after the last cigarette.

MOLA knows better than anyone that she is a border commuter - and she has never made a secret of it. Perhaps it was fate that the course of events abandoned her shortly after her birth in Erba, Italy, in Germany's most austere metropolis. In Munich, where flying free and falling free are a little more complicated than in the cesspit of Berlin, where one would naturally place Isabella Streifeneder and her music if one didn't know better.

Temporarily reduced to intimacy, then escalating into iconic 80s "Purpel Rain" pathos, MOLA illustrates the emotional chaos that the inner dialogue of left and right brain triggers in her. Unconventional pop music that bundles the nonchalance of great soul anthems, the grace of the Italo-disco of the eighties and the ingenuousness of lascivious hip-hop bangers instead of trying to sound modern by force.

MOLA celebrates defeat, exposes life lies, criticises adulthood, documents radical mood swings. She balances along the abyss in her ball gown, jokes about things you don't joke about, praises and curses intoxication and love - "Vino Bianco no longer tastes like dolce vita, it only tastes like losing".

You can now see MOLA supporting Fatoni, Roy Bianco & the Abbrunzati Boys, Mayberg and Kaffkiez in a flurry of strobe lights after sold-out "nothing breaks me" shows in Munich, Cologne, Berlin & Hamburg. In addition to a festival season that couldn't have been more beautiful, they finally have a big tour of their own coming up for their next album, which will see the light of day in September.

After more than 40 festivals "Snow in Summer" on well-known stages like Lollapalooza Berlin, Rocken am Brocken, Puls Open Air, but also as support for Udo Lindenberg at the Hermann-Hesse-Festival, "Life is Beautiful", the darned second record, sounds almost cynical, ironic or simply naive? In the end, it doesn't matter, because when you are overcome by this spontaneous feeling that is far removed from any rationality, you don't ask any questions. It tastes like the melancholy of a summer in its last breaths, like the last drink of an uncompromisingly insane night.

There is sweating, pogoing and feeling together. Even where it hurts.
You are not just an onlooker or a silent spectator, but part of this empowering feeling of "we".

On October 15th & 16th 2020, drummed Daniel Villarreal was joined by guitarist Jeff Parker and bassist Anna Butterss for two afternoons of recording in the backyard of Chicali Outpost in Los Angeles. For all three musicians, it was the first ensemble recording session they"d done in-person since the pandemic locked the world down just seven months prior. Some choice moments from the sessions made it onto Villarreal"s critically-acclaimed 2022 album Panamá 77, bust most of the music remained unreleased. Lados B is a deep dive into the high-level spontaneous music made by Villarreal, Parker and Butterss across those two days in 2020. Villarreal is heard leading the group through various rhythmic modes and structures for improvisation - flow as informed by the Latin soul of Fania Records as it is by the otherworldly trance of Brain Records - while Parker and Butterss draw on their extensive experience playing free together (as heard on Parker"s recently-released Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy, and the LA side of Makaya McCraven"s 2018 LP Universal Beings) to build harmonic buoys for their spontaneous melodicism. The result is a beautifully vivid illustration of context, creativity, and collective composition from a particularly rich moment in history.

Bubblegum XX features features members of Queens of the Stone Age, PJ Harvey, Greg Dulli, Izzy and Duff from Guns & Roses/Velvet Revolver, among other assorted rock luminaries. When Bubblegum was released, Mark chose to let it speak for itself and didn"t have much to say aside from within the small handful of interviews he did at the time. In 2017, he released a book of lyrics and writings called I Am The Wolf and wrote about the album then. Shared here are some of his words about the record. Song favorites include "When Your Number Isn"t Up," and "Strange Religion," a love song I wrote in a Tokyo hotel room. While many of the songs came from a place of dejection and ennui at the end of a tempestuous relationship, "Bombed" in particular came about when, after I had written and recorded it in just a few minutes, I put a microphone in front of Wendy Rae Fowler, my soon-to-be-ex-wife, and had her sing along while simultaneously hearing it for the first time. I loved the result as it reminded me of Royal Trux, a band I liked. When I insisted on using the first and only take of the song, it made her slightly unhappy, but to be fair, that was just one of many things I did that had that effect.

Do It With Soul is back with another healthy dose of dancefloor fun featuring a pair of well-executed new edits. On the A-side of this limited edition 7" is 'Get Up Gaff,' a James Brown-inspired rework with some nice analogue 808s driving forward the raw vocal loops and jacked-up drum hits. On the flip, 'Mango In the Jungle' channels more James Brown energy as it collides 'Mango Meat' with 'Give It Up and Turn It Loose.' The result is a wild mix of funk breaks, squealing organs and soulful vocal details that keep things moving and grooving.

The Bait label headed up by Beatrice M looks to Conzi for a fresh new 12" that builds on the label's superb early momentum. It delves deep into timeless 140 bpm sounds with opener 'AU2' layering up the percussion over fathom-deep beats and aquatic dub pads. It's a heady one for late night rolling and 'Drakar' then brings more bright melodies but similar icy beats and organic perc. An N:in remix of 'AU2' makes things more skittish and kinetic and broken, then and Ambit remix sets down with low-end pressure. These are fresh sounds that bring new direction to classic dubstep.

Free-floating. Inspired. Multi-layered. Al Pagoda’s debut Lucky Veil for Bigamo certainly was many different things, but, above all, a highly impressive sleeper album that offered something new with each and every listening. It also felt a bit dizzy and lonely, but maybe that’s what’s happening when you relocate yourself to Berlin as an artist during the cold season.

Four years later, many of these characteristics still remain intact, but the sonic identity of Al Pagoda has evolved: the feeling of solitude made room for something way bigger, precise, and ambitious sounding. This transformation is shaped by the creative partnership with German producer Berend Intelmann, whose rhythmic expertise has become integral to their shared musical vision.

Following up his magical singles Rupees, Las-Vegas by way of Chicago underdog DJ LUCKY brings us his debut album Triple 7. Featuring fellow colleagues such as DJ Manny, Taso, and Weezy, this LP compiles work from a rather undocumented member of the Teklife family. These 10 tracks are pure modern footwork tailor-made for the dancers, but with tons of rave-friendly sonics in-between.

Opening things up with the ethereal DJ Manny collaboration War, Lucky sets the tone for the rest of the album with its thick, moody atmosphere. At times the vibe here is soulful, other times it’s eerie, often it’s all of the above. There’s rolling jungle breaks with a hip-hop lean on tracks like G.B.G.W., and there’s lots of sinister battle dramatics like those on Hit Da Flo. The synth work is masterfully crafted throughout the album, with lots of trance-inducing arpeggios like those on GAWD, and of course the drums are relentless, with huge swooshing snares bombarding your ears on Lost Without U. It’s a perfect soup pot of the emotions that make footwork great: dark and intimidating, yet full of passion. Triple 7 is a great introduction to a member of the footwork community that some fans might have slept on. Lucky grew up in the culture both making music and dancing, and this album proves how crucial his sound is to the art form. It’s uncut floor burning music sure enough to cause lots of trouble in the circle and beyond.

As the new year kicks off its time to return to the party bangers and who better to invite for than the awesome Crash Party. After releasing his debut album Everything Happens for a reason on his own Big Beat Sunday label – we were able to convince the busy producer to return for a 2-track party drop for our infamous Toxic-Funk series.

Kicking off things with instant intoxicating classic break with some timeless "wonder"-ful groove with an equally legendary rap-flows. Now what does that mean? Instant party classic A-side named Tribe Called Wonder!

On the flip-side Crash Party slows down the beats a bit but leaves it equally toxic with some big grooves on the Break On jam. Like the A-Side this jam features some legendary rap hooks which goes smoothly with the oldskool vibes.

Breakbeat Paradise Recording delivers yet another belter for the crate for the funky DJs keeping it real and keeping it vinyl!

A special ‘Submerge” 12” EP featuring a bunch of reworks of this pivotal track from Apta's forthcoming ‘The Pool’ album on Castles in Space.

Kicking things off, Apta's own rework of the original sees the shadowy textures and droning wall-of-sound backdrop turned into a static-strewn dreamland of a piece, underpinned by a flickering guitar riff, cracked snare drums and fuzzed-out Odyssey strokes before launching into the euphoric half-time vocal refrain.

The follow-up sees Clay Pipe boss, illustrator and musician step into her Hardy Tree guise for a beautifully hypnotic waft of wistful folk-tinged electronics and shimmering ambient textures. It's warmly nostalgic, and packed full of all the feel of a lovely Clay Pipe release.

Following on from that, modular wizard Polypores takes pieces of the original and stretches them into an organic swell of texture and movement, warping the low basses and flickering modular plinks (and / or plonks) into a beautiful, undulating wall.

Flip over and It's none other than the brilliant Pye Corner Audio, providing an organically blooming suite of saturated percussion and woozy drifting oscillators, in peak PCA fashion. There are few artists that can do as much as with little as Martin Jenkins can, and hearing his audio sunshine underpinning the vocal line is breathtaking.

It's good to get the ears nice and soothed too before the aural assault and hypnotic spirit-cleansing heft of the legendary Gnod. Dubby throbbing bass and cavernous reverb tear the original into shards and piece it together as a churning, industrial powerhouse before shooting the rest into the endless reaches of space.

Closing things out on a space theme is the ideal way to do things too, with Field Lines Cartographer's remix taking things waaay into the outer reaches. Grounding bass churns and stellar synth sweeps float below the modulated vocal line, resulting in a perfectly crafted drone, rich in melody but untethered to the earth.

Finnish-born producer and pianist Idealism (800K Spotify Monthly Listeners) and French transplant Lucid Green (175k SML) are no strangers to each other’s subtle, yet potent productions. Having worked together on „Untold“ their Sophomore, fully collaborative LP “Unsaid” is a natural journey into the beautiful ambient, downtempo, lo-fi worlds they’ve each created. Through visits to Lucid’s flat in Paris and ideas being exchanged remotely, the duo experimented with different sounds, instruments and aural environments, in the process crafting a natural partnership that sits in a comfortable, melancholic pocket.

With lulling guitar and poignant piano progressions that provide a pillow to rest your ears, and downtempo percussions that keeps you ebbing and flowing along on a subtle current, unsure where one wave ends and the next begins, only the albums progressions dictate the head-nod. The album soars, reminiscent of life’s simple, yet wholly memorable moments.

As with all 823 releases, the project is a visual one as much as it is a musical project. The first singles visualizers are a fusion of Hopes & Dreams Club & 823’s design aesthetics with personal super8 footage captured by Idealism & Lucid Green, beautifully expressed from Hopes & Dreams Club membersi. Each visualizer and single art will easily stand on its own, transporting you to worlds familiar, yet undeniably groovy and sonically comfortable.

823 is a multifaceted Perth-based record label, fashion brand, and artistic community, founded by Australian producer and all-around creative, Ta-ku (630 SML). With an astute attention to detail and an ethos that appreciates the everyday things in life, 823 doesn’t stick to any particular genre. Past 823 releases include “So Far To Go” EP via Cabu (500k SML), Ta-ku and matt mcwaters’s duo project “Black and White,” featuring Masego collaboration “Flight 99” (38mil streams on Spotify), the “All Things Considered” compilations, a curated, collaborative series featuring both budding and well-established artists around the world and have included Idealism, Wun Two, pastels, L.Dre, Flobama, SwuM, Jinsang, Tenderlonious, among a host of others, as well as multiple sold out clothing capsules.

Maud the moth, the solo project of Spanish-born and Scotland-based pianist, singer and songwriter Amaya Lopez-Carromero announces her new album, The Distaff, to be released via The Larvarium (digital +CD) and La Rubia Producciones (vinyl) Amaya has long used the mantle of Maud the moth as an alter-ego, a séance-like conduit to explore themes of rootlessness, identity and trauma. The Distaff in particular refers to the stick or spindle onto which wool or flax is wound for spinning, and an object which has historically been used across multiple cultures as a symbol wielded by the “virtuous woman”, an authoritarian ideal around which much of the trauma surrounding the feminine coalesces. The album takes the form of a sort of self reflective and surreal autobiography. It was in part inspired by the poem of the same name written by the Greek poet Erinna, as she mourns her friend's loss of individuality and agency in exchange for marriage - and therefore safety and acceptance in the eyes of society. The album exists in an ethereal but violent world of aesthetic overlaps where time stands still and fictional and reimagined folk sits at the table with Maud the moth’s usual sonic menagerie. It is the result of a lifetime of obsession with sound and music, where glimpses of musical genre offer insight into Amaya’s artistic interests and her participation in the underground European scene for many years, in bands such as healthyliving. Heavier, darker, and more exposed than any of her previous works it features some highly accomplished artists, such as Seb Rochford (Patti Smith, Polar Bear, Sons of Kemet, Pulled by magnets, etc.) on drums, Alison Chesley (Helen Money) on cello, Fay Guiffo on violin and Scott McLean (Ashenspire, healthyliving, Falloch) on guitar, saxophone and synthesiser. Maud the moth shares the video for "Siphonophores". About the track, Maud the moth says; I wrote "Siphonophores" on guitar, during the first lockdown, a period where I was kind of trapped between an almost empty flat in Edinburgh and Dresden. It was an incredibly harrowing time, but also one of hope and where important new things were being birthed. I felt incredibly sensitive to everything, almost like life was happening in slow motion. I´m not a confident guitarist since I am completely self-taught, but, probably because of this, I feel that this instrument allows me to focus on aspects of the songwriting that I normally overlook when writing on piano, and I think it was a necessary step for this song to exist. Something else which I've been really exploiting lately and features strongly in the album is the percussive capabilities of the piano, and in particular, of the sustain pedal when mic'd up. This can be heard very clearly at the beginning of "Siphonophores". Written and arranged by Amaya, with some contributions in the later role from the aforementioned collaborators, the album presents nine tracks originally written entirely on acoustic piano as accompanied voice pieces, in pure singer-songwriter fashion. The album was co-produced and recorded by Scott and Amaya in different studios across the UK between January and July of 2024, in a process that started shortly after the 2020 pandemic and finished alongside the album recordings in a detailed, organic and at times obsessive process aimed primarily at capturing the natural dynamics and expression of free performance. The Distaff was mixed in its entirety by Scott and mastered at Abbey Road by Alex Wharton (Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Aurora, Kathryn Joseph etc.) Despite being born of a very personal point of view, the album lacks a specific narrator and was conceived almost as a sonic trousseau, where the needle point, silks and other family heirlooms have been swapped for out-of-the-corner-of-the-eye memories of rural Spain by the vineyards, family disputes, old tales of wartime pains, generational breaches and finally the conflict of migration and estrangement. The songs paint dystopian pastoral scenes which evolve throughout the span of one fictional day outside of time and coherent locations and where imagination (often the only account surviving from traumatic events and gaslighting) has become indistinguishable from fact. The Distaff attempts to acknowledge past trauma, comprehend and process some of the more difficult aspects which have contributed to our darker self and offer closure and solace through creative catharsis.

Maud the moth, the solo project of Spanish-born and Scotland-based pianist, singer and songwriter Amaya Lopez-Carromero announces her new album, The Distaff, to be released via The Larvarium (digital +CD) and La Rubia Producciones (vinyl) Amaya has long used the mantle of Maud the moth as an alter-ego, a séance-like conduit to explore themes of rootlessness, identity and trauma. The Distaff in particular refers to the stick or spindle onto which wool or flax is wound for spinning, and an object which has historically been used across multiple cultures as a symbol wielded by the “virtuous woman”, an authoritarian ideal around which much of the trauma surrounding the feminine coalesces. The album takes the form of a sort of self reflective and surreal autobiography. It was in part inspired by the poem of the same name written by the Greek poet Erinna, as she mourns her friend's loss of individuality and agency in exchange for marriage - and therefore safety and acceptance in the eyes of society. The album exists in an ethereal but violent world of aesthetic overlaps where time stands still and fictional and reimagined folk sits at the table with Maud the moth’s usual sonic menagerie. It is the result of a lifetime of obsession with sound and music, where glimpses of musical genre offer insight into Amaya’s artistic interests and her participation in the underground European scene for many years, in bands such as healthyliving. Heavier, darker, and more exposed than any of her previous works it features some highly accomplished artists, such as Seb Rochford (Patti Smith, Polar Bear, Sons of Kemet, Pulled by magnets, etc.) on drums, Alison Chesley (Helen Money) on cello, Fay Guiffo on violin and Scott McLean (Ashenspire, healthyliving, Falloch) on guitar, saxophone and synthesiser. Maud the moth shares the video for "Siphonophores". About the track, Maud the moth says; I wrote "Siphonophores" on guitar, during the first lockdown, a period where I was kind of trapped between an almost empty flat in Edinburgh and Dresden. It was an incredibly harrowing time, but also one of hope and where important new things were being birthed. I felt incredibly sensitive to everything, almost like life was happening in slow motion. I´m not a confident guitarist since I am completely self-taught, but, probably because of this, I feel that this instrument allows me to focus on aspects of the songwriting that I normally overlook when writing on piano, and I think it was a necessary step for this song to exist. Something else which I've been really exploiting lately and features strongly in the album is the percussive capabilities of the piano, and in particular, of the sustain pedal when mic'd up. This can be heard very clearly at the beginning of "Siphonophores". Written and arranged by Amaya, with some contributions in the later role from the aforementioned collaborators, the album presents nine tracks originally written entirely on acoustic piano as accompanied voice pieces, in pure singer-songwriter fashion. The album was co-produced and recorded by Scott and Amaya in different studios across the UK between January and July of 2024, in a process that started shortly after the 2020 pandemic and finished alongside the album recordings in a detailed, organic and at times obsessive process aimed primarily at capturing the natural dynamics and expression of free performance. The Distaff was mixed in its entirety by Scott and mastered at Abbey Road by Alex Wharton (Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Aurora, Kathryn Joseph etc.) Despite being born of a very personal point of view, the album lacks a specific narrator and was conceived almost as a sonic trousseau, where the needle point, silks and other family heirlooms have been swapped for out-of-the-corner-of-the-eye memories of rural Spain by the vineyards, family disputes, old tales of wartime pains, generational breaches and finally the conflict of migration and estrangement. The songs paint dystopian pastoral scenes which evolve throughout the span of one fictional day outside of time and coherent locations and where imagination (often the only account surviving from traumatic events and gaslighting) has become indistinguishable from fact. The Distaff attempts to acknowledge past trauma, comprehend and process some of the more difficult aspects which have contributed to our darker self and offer closure and solace through creative catharsis.

Exploring late-night, after-hours meditations on sound; ‘Everything Above The Sky (Astral Travelling with Luke Una)’ is a new compilation by the titular DJ, promoter and enigmatic cultural curator. Off the back of the E Soul Cultura phenomena, this compilation comes at a timely point in Luke’s rich career as he soars the heights of playing all over the world. Avoiding any chance of his sound being pigeonholed, Luke has put together a tracklist of songs and music that have a transcendental feel, after coming off the grid, going back to source, outside the city walls .

Music has long been believed to aid out of body experiences and many of us have searched long and hard for a combination of those elusive ingredients that might alleviate some of the monotony of everyday life, our daily routines and obligations, and those things that seem to block us from the spirit of the universe. In this collection, Luke selects music with all the right ingredients in just the right quantities, allowing the listener to engage in an esoteric journey of enlightenment through sound. Being a prolific collector of music, Luke initially delivered enough tracks to compile several compilations, making the licensing process the biggest effort to date for the label. The music moves softly and slowly, never becoming too intrusive, exemplifying the wonderful elevating properties of simple songs played from the heart.

Luke’s Everything Above The Sky manifesto reads, “Astral Travelling in the meadowlands with acid folk, spiritual jazz, around midnight hocus pocus, cosmic psychedelic soul, magical spellbound whirling swirling love songs, Brazilian ballads of light into machine soul gospel utopia dreaming, Balearic bossa, Outer Space ancient African drum, the breath of trees, escaping the big bad modern world, gathering round winter fires, walking amongst the bracken in Padley Gorge in late summer twilight, overlooking the Hope Valley, escaping ego, detaching and finally letting go amongst the stars with the slowly floating people. It’s beautiful beyond. Everything above the Sky”.

Beginning his career as an original Sheffield house young blood in the mid 1980s, Luke’s move to Manchester and partnership with Justin Crawford saw the birth of Electric Chair, a cornerstone cult night in the UK underground club scene. Then came Electric Elephant, a Croatian festival paying homage to their wild eclecticism from Balearic to Brazilian to É Soul, house, disco and techno. Luke’s much loved, long-running Homoelectric night and more recently Homobloc sell out festival for 10,000 souls has been at the forefront of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ cultural landscape. Luke’s Friday evening show on Worldwide FM captured imaginations and became a cult four-hour must-listen monthly journey for fans all over the world. Today, Luke remains, as ever, at the forefront of a changing milieu, pairing the momentous legacy of Manchester’s 80s and 90s scene with the delivery of what today’s club communities need to get down.

Our debut single with Senpolya was born out of desire to create some modern Russian pop infused with references to the 80s dance music. While making 80s-inspired tunes is popular nowadays, this decade means different things to different people: be it A-ha and Modern Talking or African boogie and Chicago house. But we ended up making neither one nor the other.

The crowd who contributed to this release is absolutely legendary. Each time I listen to it and think of them, a new dimension opens up in my mind, adding up some deeper layers of context Ive immersed myself in over the past few years.

An italian producer and bass player Marco Boccamazzo created the first remix. By adding bass guitar and strings, he took the track back by another ten years.

DJ Popinjay, an alter ego of a tropical disco master who wishes to remain anonymous, provided the second rework.

The third remix or more like an essentially an entirely new track, comes from Sonestrose, a duo consisting of Andrey Algorithmic, an art director of Moscow Powerhouse, and Alexander Basian, the studio's sound engineer.

Ignat Akimov, also known as DJ Pecan and an art director of Esthetic Joys Embassy, crafted the fourth hallucinogenic remix, which spans from acid house with Indian drums to cool jazz sound.

Lipelis and Scruscru help me in making some key decisions about the tracks structure, arrangement, and mixing.

Ilya Varankin made a photo of us (on film!) and Nikita Demin designed the cover picture inspired by Daptone Records.

At last, I want to thank my wife, Masha Dostoewskaya, without whose love and patience I wouldn't have been able to see this project to an end.

Hereditary is a 2018 American psychological horror film written and directed by Ari Aster in his feature directorial debut.

He later went on to direct Midsommar (2019) and Beau Is Afraid (2023). The movie stars Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, and Gabriel Byrne.

When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry.

The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited.

The soundtrack for the movie was written, arranged, and produced by Colin Stetson. Aster tried to keep it simple for Stetson regarding the music, but he wanted one thing to be apparent: the music had to “feel evil”.

This 2LP is housed in a gatefold sleeve that includes liner notes by the director, Ari Aster.

Here we have Roto, an artist making the audio trips straight out of Spain and has already proven himself on the scene to be one of the most dedicated hardworking men from a recent wave of artists. Already landing a few releases on the respectable modern labels this musician is proving with his actions that hard work and dedication pays off. Being a multi-instrumentalist as well as a DJ, Roto delivering a message of “Dear Suburbia” with four deep and dark cuts which are oozing through with obscure vocals ready to be played loud on any type of chosen sound systems around the world. With the soundtrack which is pressed on this vinyl is the exactly the type of suburbia one can imagine itself living where every door of each neighbour can hold some dark secrets that once you find out about them there might be no way of returning back to the way the things were once before.

Repress!

It's been four eventful years since Keinemusik's Adam Port, &ME and Rampa joined forces and laid down their collaborative debut album ‘You Are Safe.’ Taking time to explore new territories and sourcing material for their second offering, 'Send Return' is the product of this creative 'time-out:' a positive message requiring positive feedback, and hopefully making things a little better along the way. To get that message across, the boys invited a variety of voices from both past collaborative projects and new ties built over the last few years, to take part


Limited Edition, Silver Sleeve with silk-screen printing, flip image sticker on the front

Repress!

The word 'classic' gets thrown around a lot these days, often abused and attached to things that don't deserve the tag.
I think we can all agree that an outfit like Earth, Wind & Fire are truly deserving of such an accolade, since their first tentative steps in the early 1970's as an outfit the Chicago, IL pioneers have made themselves a force to be reckoned with and have sold over 90,000,000 units worldwide! Fusing together Jazz, Funk, Soul, African and Brazilian sounds EWF have been at the top of their game for decades, seeing them inducted into the legendary 'rock n roll hall of fame' at the turn of the millennium. Respect due. On this special, legit 12" reissue we are treated to 2 stellar reworkings by one of Disco and modern dance music's most respected names - Danny Krivit. Danny's tenure in dance music has almost been as long as EWF's themselves so it makes sense that he's on deck to breathe some dancefloor magic into their cult classics 'Brazilian Rhyme' and 'Runnin'. Both tracks are massive club anthems with them being generously sampled over the years and featuring in the playlists of too numerous to mention DJ's and selectors. Both of these amazing edits are extremely sought after and have been legally reissued by Above Board Distribution in conjunction with Danny Krivit and the legal rights holders - Sony Music Entertainment. This high quality repress features original Columbia white label Disco promo artwork and has been remastered from Sony's original sources by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK.

Loyle Carner will release his highly anticipated sophomore record, 'Not Waving, But Drowning' on 19 April via AMF Records.

'Not Waving, But Drowning' follows Loyle's BRIT (Best Male, Best Newcomer) and Mercury Prize nominated, top 20 debut 'Yesterday's Gone'. The bedrock of honest and raw sentimentality that you heard on 'Yesterday's Gone' left an inextinguishable mark on music in general and UK Hip Hop in particular, standing out as an ageless, bulletproof debut.

'Not Waving, But Drowning', Loyle's new album, gives yet more evidence - as if it were needed - of his razor-sharp flow and his unique storytelling ability. Yes, he can rap, but he allies that with the sensitivity of a poet, the observational skills of a novelist, and warmth of your best friend. The album opens with 'Dear Jean', a letter to his mother in which he's telling her that he has found the love of his life, 'a woman from the skies', and he's moving out.

It goes without saying that Loyle's music is hard to categorise, but what is even more impressive is that for someone who grew up listening to Mos Def, Biggie Smalls, Roots Manuva, and Wu Tang Clan, he doesn't sound like any of them. Although he might from time to time give lyrical nods to them, he's no imitator.

Loyle loves cooking. There are two tracks on this album named after chefs. The British-Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi, and the now deceased Italian chef Antonio Carluccio. 'Ottolenghi' the first single from the album was featured on the BBC Radio 1 B-list, BBC 6 Music A-list and has already been streamed over 5 million times.

Loyle refers to real life for everything, the title of 'Yesterday's Gone' came from a song of his step father, the title of his new album 'Not Waving, But Drowning' comes from a poem by his grandfather, which in turn came from a Stevie Smith poem. What you hear on the track 'Krispy' is real. He is pouring his heart out to his best friend Rebel Kleff after their relationship went downhill, he invites him on the track to say his piece but he doesn't turn up, so we get a flugel solo instead.

Loyle also has his own personal black consciousness movement. When he refers to his 'fathers' in the track 'Looking Back' he really is referring to two fathers. His biological father, a black man who he knows, but knows very little of, and his step father, a poet and musician who happens to be a white man but died a sudden unexpected death from epilepsy (SUDEP). With no real emotional ties to his biological father, but a deep connection with a deceased step-father, where does a young child turn He succinctly captures many of the great, unspoken, cultural and historical paradoxes of multicultural Britain on 'Looking Back'.

An album like this is hard to find. It is for those who like their Hip Hop to have soul, and their soul to have spirit. This is because it works on so many levels, but it is reflecting the personality of its creator. There are a host of collaborators here, Jorja Smith, Rebel Kleff, Kiko Bun, Kwes, Jordan Rakei, Sampha, Tom Misch and more, but none are overpowering. They blend righteously into place.
Loyle is not bitter with people who have let him down, or a society that lets so many down, but the combination of anger and love he has gives his voice the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability. This might be a coming of age album, but it's also a coming of ageless album. Loyle's 2019 Spring tour - which includes London's Roundhouse - sold out within 20 minutes of being on sale.

Not Waving, But Drowning



A rapper that raps about family is hard to find. The boys in the 'hood' tend not to be that interested in how much a 'brother' loves his mother, or how much he misses his dad, or even how much he misses his best friend. The boys in the 'hood' tend to be obsessed with the size of their cars, girls, bank accounts, and other personal 'possessions'. Loyle Carner's Mercury and BRIT Prize nominated debut 'Yesterday's Gone' (Released 2017), made it clear that he wasn't that kind of rapper. In fact, every time I talk to him about his work we talk about the world, and we tended to confuse ourselves by calling his work rap, poems, or songs, sometimes in the same sentence. They are in truth all of these things.



Here's some poetry.



Honestly I need them.

I hate them but I grieve them

I think I've finally found the reason

Trust

Like the fire needs the air.

I won't burn unless you're there.





'Not Waving, But Drowning', Loyle's forthcoming new album, gives us yet more evidence, (if it were needed), that he still has what rappers call, flow, but he hasn't lost any of his story telling qualities. Yes, the boy can rap, but a rapper with the sensitivity of a true poet, the observational skills of a novelist, and warmth of your best friend. The album opens with 'Dear Jean', a letter to his mother in which he's telling her that he has found the love of his life, (a woman from the skies), and he's moving out. He really loves the woman from the skies, but he still loves his mum, and so he reassures her that there is no competition, and tells her that 'She's not behind me or behind you, but beside we and beside two', his words. Or to put it another way, moving out without moving out. My words.



It goes without saying that Loyle's music is hard to categorise, but what is even more impressive is that for someone who grew up listening to Mos Def, Biggie Smalls, Roots Manuva, and Wu Tang Clan, he doesn't sound like any of them. Although he might from time to time give lyrical nods to them, he's no imitator. He says finding his own voice was something he always found easy. Although young, (in terms of a musical career), he has confidence in his own words and his own voice, and has never been tempted to sound like he's been hanging out in the USA, or rolling in 'Grime' on the mean streets of East London. And so when it comes to the creative process he doesn't simply find a beat to jump on and ride. Beats are important, but they are tenderly layered with samples, keyboards, or live drums, all imaginatively assembled for the laying on of words. Some tracks start with the idea, some with poetry, and some with a verse from a singer or some other melodic inspiration, but there is no formula.



Here's some poetry.



Don't hold any memories of us

Rather hold you everyday until the memories are dust

Yo we only caught the train

Cos you know I hate the bus





A prolific reader, who has dyslexia is hard to find. Add ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) to that and life should become even more difficult. To deal with your difficulties you devise coping strategies, which can differ from person to person. Loyle loves cooking. There are two tracks on this album named after chefs. The British-Israeli chef Ottolenghi, and the now deceased Italian chef Antonio Carluccio. Loyle describes himself as 'weird' because he is happy to read a cookbook as if he was reading a novel or a book of poetry. He has opened a cookery school for young adults not just because he loves food and wants to make more of it, but because it is one of the few things that can focus the ADHD mind. And when it comes to his other love, football, his approach is the same. Focus. He wanted to be a striker he says, up front scoring goals, but found his best position was in midfield because he was able to focus, check options, and see passes ahead of time, providing passes for other players just when they needed them. He says, 'You don't grow out of ADHD, you grow into it.' Loyle is also working with Levi's® on their music project where he is mentoring young musicians over a six month period, culminating at Liverpool Sound City festival.



More poetry.



When the going is tough

I wait till it falls on deaf ears

Hearsay

Without the boundaries of love



He also said, 'Ask most people and they will say that they love their mothers, but most are not going to rap about her'. On his first album Loyle's mum Jean wrote about the 'scribble of a boy' that growing up would take things apart to see how they worked. On this album she speaks with pride about a man who has found his place in the world.



Yes, poetry.



I'm still looking for the answers

Trying to find the right questions

Still waiting for my fathers

But can't break them in to sections



This poetry is serious. Loyle has his own personal black consciousness movement. He told me that he always felt safe at home, and being the darkest one in the family never meant a thing, but then when he had to face the outside world he felt hostility. It shook him up. Now he had to start asking questions, but what were the questions. This is serious. When he refers to his 'fathers' in the verse above taken from the track 'Looking Back' he really is referring to two fathers. His biological father, a black man who he knows, but knows very little of, and his step father, a poet and musician who happens to be a white man but died a sudden unexpected death from epilepsy (SUDEP). So to whom would a young black (or mixed race) kid turn He succinctly captures many of the great, unspoken, cultural and historical paradoxes of multicultural Britain when he says, 'My great grandfather could of owned my other one.' We are a people descended from enslaved people on one hand, and enslavers on the other, something we are still struggling to come to terms with, and this can be apparent in one family. A big book could have told you that, but here we get it in one line on the track, Looking Back.





Loyle refers to real life for everything. The album is peppered with captured moments that he records on his phone. These moments can range from conversations with taxi drivers, to capturing the moment when England scores a goal in the world cup. The title of 'Yesterday's Gone' came from a song of his step father, the title of his new album 'Not Waving but Drowning' comes from a poem by his grandfather, which in turn came from a Stevie Smith poem. What you hear on the track 'Krispy' is real. He is pouring his heart out to his best friend after their relationship went downhill, he invites him on the track to say his piece but he doesn't turn up, so we get a flugel solo instead. Yes people, this is real.



An album like this is hard to find. It is for those who like their Hip Hop to have soul, and their soul to have spirit, this is an album for those who have, (I'm sorry, I'm going to say it), emotional intelligence. This is because it works on so many levels, but it is reflecting the personality of its creator. There are a host of collaborators here, Jorja Smith, Rebel Kleff, Kiko Bun, Jordan Rakei, Sampha, Tom Misch and more, but none are overpowering. They blend righteously into place. Loyle is not bitter with people who have let him down, or the society that has let him down, but the combination of anger and love he has gives his voice the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability. This might be a coming of age album, but it's also a coming of ageless album. His first album worked, and this second album is a continuation of that work. Not creating a form, but being formless, as someone like Bruce Lee once said.

And here's some poetry from mum.



We talked long in to the darkest hours

Until we saw the burnished sky

And our eyes stung

As our words blurred and became thoughts

As we were silenced by the dawn

We clung to each other like sailors in a storm

Big Crown is proud to present Crown Jewels Vol. 3. As we are approaching seven years as a label these compilations have given us an opportunity to put the different artists on the label together on the same release. These compilations are something of a calling card for the "Big Crown Sound" where we get to put the most well established next to the newest on the roster and through that paint a picture of the overall ethos of the label. It's been extremely satisfying for us when the fans of one Big Crown artist discover another one because they are label mates. We put out these Crown Jewels comps with the hope that it will continue that process. Even though not all BCR artists can be found in the same aisle of the record store, after listening to Crown Jewels Vol. 3, it should be clear how they all fit on the same record label. When we started Big Crown we wanted to have a label that's only boundaries were defined by our taste, not by genre. Seven years later, we can say we have been able to do that. There is a sound, but that sound stretches into a lot of different directions, but that sound is uniquely ours. Thank you to everyone who has supported us thus far and please stay tuned as we continue pushing our sound and putting out tunes we believe in.

The original track came back in February and proved an immediate hit. Next to the original, versions from the likes of DJ Spen & Gary Hudgins also helped make this a breakout tune in the first quarter of 2021. Now comes the turn of Kenny Dope, one half of Masters at Work, the most seminal house duo of all time. Kenny Dope is an obsessive record collector, studio wizard and all-round musical encyclopedia whose influence on the scene cannot be overstated. He has been involved with numerous projects, from The Bucketheads to running his Dopewax label and never fails to impress.

This new remix from the Brooklynite is a glorious one baked in the sun's warming rays. It's built on a loose, Latin-tinged beat with big chords, expressive xylophone stylings and plenty of irresistible syncopation. The buttery smooth vocals bring the soul up top and help make this a timeless tune that will unite all dance floors. An instrumental mix is also included that strips things back, shows off the track's effortless musicianship, and draws out the beats for extra dance floor impact.

These two vital versions are the sort of life-affirming, and feel-good house sounds the world is desperate to hear right now.

2026 Repress
Oscar Mulero keeps busy in his studio facilities as usual. His musical output keeps growing and always wandering into new directions and flavors while preserving his artistic integrity. For this Ep on his very own Pole Group imprint he showcases his combative side after some excursions into more profound and intricate territories.

Poisonality EP is about the wise use of distortion on techno, is about non conforming with the seasonal standards, about investigating new rhythms, new types of arrangements and new boundaries in sound design, always remembering the roots.

Aroma de Falso Amor is the first exercise, exploring the abrasive power of broken distorted beats, overdriven drones and textures and hyper dynamic song structures. The result is a non conventional techno workout, essential to give spice to any set.

Poisonality gives name to the EP and works with asymmetry combined with the right dose of crispiness, creating a super shuffled hi tech jam. Chaotic, hypnotic and mental.

Iris Malicioso opens the B side with an eye on the funkier Detroit tradition combined with the power of the best British influences from the nineties. Here drums and stabs are the main ingredients, interleaving, mutating and constantly evolving. Hi tech funk in its purest expression.

Dos Pequeños Zorros closes the tracklist, again focusing on the dancefloor and keeping the ingredients minimal, continuous and obsessive with a rugged, constantly twisted sequence running over a precise groove, keeping things busy through all the structure

ŽUR (‘Zhure’, party) is absolute cult and one of the most rare Yugoslavian disco funk albums, originally recorded in 1981, reissued on Everland Music for the first time since the original vinyl came out more than 40 years ago. The album was carefully and brilliantly remastered by grammy nominated sound engineer Jessica Thomson.

Boban Petrović is a legend of Belgrade's sophisticated disco funk scene from the late 70s and early 80s.
Back in the second half of the 70s Boban started one of the first disco clubs in Belgrade and he was one of the biggest organizers of private house parties.

The finest balance between Boban Petrović's big-hearted party-maker-turned-philanthropist personality and his hustler one was achieved on Žur.
On Žur, he is at home, in his safe place, since the parties, the music and the people are the first out of many things he had completely figured out in his life. He is at the top of his game, occasionally bothered by a casual heartbreak, but always feeling himself, coming out playful and fundamentally peaceful, satisfied and ready to transcend himself in order to put the rest of the world in the limelight. In fact, Žur isn’t about the party, music, lyrics or its, hands down, beautifully balanced sonics. It’s about Boban and the funk he lived thoroughly. The funk before, but the funk he lived after this album even more so. All the ups and downs that he faced since the moment the first needle dropped on a Žur record to this very day are on this album as the unwritten destiny of that lighthearted character he played.

In short, ŽUR represents the essence of underground club life in Belgrade from the late 70s, when the album was recorded.
The quality of this trust is confirmed by the fact that Boban Petrovic's music is still actively listened to today, not just anywhere, but at the finest club events.
High end production and extremely authentic arrangements outside the mold of classic disco music, and lyrics that literally convey the vibe of his already jet-set lifestyle in Belgrade at the time.

Shortly after his musical career, Boban Petrovic became a businessman of the conscious class. He was living in Spain on his own luxury yacht for years, he had a private airplane, a car park. But all this time living on highest class level he never lost his identity. In all his offices, yacht, airplane and everywhere was playing loud funk music and he was dressed like a musician who just finished or need to start a gig.
Along the way Boban also wrote two books: Rokanje 1 & 2 describing the time when the album ŽUR was created.

The ŽUR album is one of the the holy grails of disco funk music releases on a global level.

ŽUR (‘Zhure’, party) is absolute cult and one of the most rare Yugoslavian disco funk albums, originally recorded in 1981, reissued on Everland Music for the first time since the original vinyl came out more than 40 years ago. The album was carefully and brilliantly remastered by grammy nominated sound engineer Jessica Thomson.

Boban Petrović is a legend of Belgrade's sophisticated disco funk scene from the late 70s and early 80s.
Back in the second half of the 70s Boban started one of the first disco clubs in Belgrade and he was one of the biggest organizers of private house parties.

The finest balance between Boban Petrović's big-hearted party-maker-turned-philanthropist personality and his hustler one was achieved on Žur.
On Žur, he is at home, in his safe place, since the parties, the music and the people are the first out of many things he had completely figured out in his life. He is at the top of his game, occasionally bothered by a casual heartbreak, but always feeling himself, coming out playful and fundamentally peaceful, satisfied and ready to transcend himself in order to put the rest of the world in the limelight. In fact, Žur isn’t about the party, music, lyrics or its, hands down, beautifully balanced sonics. It’s about Boban and the funk he lived thoroughly. The funk before, but the funk he lived after this album even more so. All the ups and downs that he faced since the moment the first needle dropped on a Žur record to this very day are on this album as the unwritten destiny of that lighthearted character he played.

In short, ŽUR represents the essence of underground club life in Belgrade from the late 70s, when the album was recorded.
The quality of this trust is confirmed by the fact that Boban Petrovic's music is still actively listened to today, not just anywhere, but at the finest club events.
High end production and extremely authentic arrangements outside the mold of classic disco music, and lyrics that literally convey the vibe of his already jet-set lifestyle in Belgrade at the time.

Shortly after his musical career, Boban Petrovic became a businessman of the conscious class. He was living in Spain on his own luxury yacht for years, he had a private airplane, a car park. But all this time living on highest class level he never lost his identity. In all his offices, yacht, airplane and everywhere was playing loud funk music and he was dressed like a musician who just finished or need to start a gig.
Along the way Boban also wrote two books: Rokanje 1 & 2 describing the time when the album ŽUR was created.

The ŽUR album is one of the the holy grails of disco funk music releases on a global level.

Soul Quest are proud to present the latest release from Berlin based DJ and producer Jean-Jez, who continues on with a musical journey with flourishing roots and a bright, bright future.

Jean-Jez has made waves in Berlin’s underground for a good while now, with his Kedi Bounce parties (whom he co-founded) quickly becoming a celebratory cornerstone of community and culture. His DJing style and production approach act as a core expressional loop, with Jean-Jez embracing a multitude of styles and sounds with both. Bridging the gap between house, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Afro-Latin and beyond, Jean-Jez is all about nurturing the collective joy found within music - either through his own tunes or deep in the mix at a Kat Nip party.

‘Soul Notion’ wears its heart on its sleeve, and embodies the core musical principles to which Jean-Jez holds so very dear. ‘Did you want to dance!’ kicks things off with a deep melodic embrace, before spreading outwards with brassy frills, evocative simmering drumming patterns and vocal samples which kick the inner consciousness into another gear.

‘Take me to the moon’ contains an up and front piano lead, with uptempo drums providing a twist and flair to proceedings. Some inspired vocals add further to the atmosphere, one of airiness and emotional escapism.

‘What is it tell me’ stirs into life with a wide scope through the low ends, but Jean-Jez cooks up a storm with some wondrous jazz guitar that weaves one final spell to get lost deep within.

To wrap things up, Jean-Jez enlists his own collective: Kedi Bounce to put an Acid twist on ‘Did You Want To Dance’ to close the ep in style. This mix is exclusive to the vinyl mix and won’t be released digitally.

Jean-Jez looks to celebrate and resonate through his music, and this EP is a full demonstration of his abilities to bring things together. Seamlessly blending some of his favourite styles, this record contains all the feels to be wished for, and an experience that leaves plenty of room for return visits, this EP has you covered.

Tesfa Williams celebrates his personal ancestry and the diversity of black electronic music with a name change on his Heist Recordings debut.

First things first. T. Williams is now Tesfa Williams. And although the dot is gone after the T, by taking that away, the artist openend up a whole world of meaning, personal storytelling and recognition of his roots.

“Originally when I started "T.Williams" it felt like my African first name Tesfa wouldn't be welcomed in the scene. Something I've experienced in general from school, college, work etc….. I grew up in a Rastafarian family with Carribean heritage and my parents decided to give me and my siblings African names to connect us to our African ancestry. I now feel like I’m ready to embrace this part of me as an artist and share it with the world.”

Tesfa Williams is an artist with a long history in UK club music. Long before his critically acclaimed debut album in 2024 ‘Raves of future past’, he was knee-deep in the UK grime scene and throughout the years, he has built a strong reputation in UK funky, soulful house and Garage with remixes of Latch for Disclosure and Sam Smith (yes, that track), bumping originals on Strictly Rhythm, Local Action with Julio Bashmore, and much more. On his debut for Heist, we see the artist dig deep into his black roots and deliver an EP that celebrates his eclectic sound with 4 originals full of high notes.

The ’Beyond today’ EP kicks off with ‘Moments Ahead’, a classic filter-house jam with lovely soulful chops and the perfect amount of grit. It’s the type of funky, peak-time house track that will ignite any dancefloor with its irresistible groove. ‘Get it together’ sees the artists layer some classic R&B vocals over an infectious warehouse groove. It’s the kind of track that’ll grab anyone’s attention on a first listen. The breakbeat loop in the background gives the percussion its dry immediacy and the sparse melodic hits and irresistible vocal chops turn this track into an absolute dancefloor monster.

On the flip, the London producer merges his love for soulful house with contemporary electronics on ‘Brighter life’. There’s something deliciously breezy about this song, where the vocals, chord hits, sweeps, and hits deliver a groove that’s laidback and powerful at the same time. The electronic parts of this track are cleverly laid out to contrast the syrupy sweet vocal and underline the class of the artist’s ability to effortlessly blend genres.

The EP closes with ‘Futures’, a bottom-heavy late-night burner much in the style of Dam Swindle’s 2023 Heist outing ‘Soul’s lament’ or the percussive goodness of Alma Negra tracks such as ‘Conversation’. There’s a nice blend of trippy electronics and driving Rhodes hits, which makes this a track perfect for those moments you simply want to go deep, heads-down, and feel the music.

With ‘Beyond Today’, Tesfa Williams has written a piece of music that pays homage to so many of the genres that have influenced him as well as to his black roots. ‘Beyond Today’ is a contemporary club record that oozes positive energy just the way we like it and we can’t wait to play this one out to all of you.

Enjoy the music and get ready to dance!

Lars & Maarten

Mantar erreichten mit ihrem letzten Album Pain Is Forever... (2022) Platz 2 in den Offiziellen Deutschen Charts!- Year End "Best" Listen: Metal Hammer Deutschland, LAWeekly (US), Exclaim (CA), Terrorizer (UK)- Vorgestellt auf: All New Metal/Black & Dark Metal/The Pit/Metal Planet (SPOTIFY), Breaking Metal/New Music Daily/Optimus Metallum/Breaking Hard Rock (APPLE MUSIC)- Mantar hat 8,5 Millionen Streams auf Spotify erreicht- Massive Underground-Fangemeinde in Europa und Nordamerika, die auf einem jahrzehntelangen DIY-Ansatz und ausgedehnten Tourneen beruht- Vergangene Festivalauftritte: Hellfest, Download, Full Force, Oya Festival, Getaway Rock, Roadburn, The Fest (US), Wacken, Maryland DeathfestCharts (Pain is Forever...):Germany:#2 Official German Album ChartsAustria:#69 Official Album ChartsSwitzerland: #45 Official Album ChartsUS Billboard:#60 Current Hard Music Album#84 Top New ArtistsQuotes for Pain Is Forever and This Is The End (old):- Album of the Month - Metal Hammer (GER)"So präsentiert sich das räudige Doom-Duo auf PAIN IS FOREVER AND THIS IS THE END in Bestform. 'Art Is Hard', das wussten bereits die Indie-Rocker Cursive. Aber Mantar sind härter." - 6/7pts - Metal Hammer (GER)- Album of the Month - Metal.de (GER)- "Pain Is Forever.. skillfully keeps the balance between brute destructive fury and dense atmosphere in widescreen format with real underground hit potential." - 8.5/10 pts Rock Hard (GER)"So hält "Pain Is Forever..." gekonnt die Waage zwischen brachialer Zerstörungswut und dichter Atmosphäre im Breitwandformat und hat oftmals echtes Underground-Hitpotenzial zu bieten." - 8.5/10pts Rock Hard (GER)- "The blackened doom punk duo's biggest rock moment to date is not a betrayal, but an accomplishment" - Visions (GER)"Der bislang größte Rock-Moment des Blackened-Doom-Punk-Duos ist also kein Verrat, sondern eine Vollendung" - Visions (GER)- "A tremendous hit rate, as if we were not dealing with a regular longplayer, but with a "Best-of MANTAR". Very Strong!" - 8.5/10 pts Deaf Forever (GER)"Und so kann man "Pain Is Forever And This Is The End" eine enorme Trefferquote attestieren, so als ob man es nicht mit einem regulären Longplayer, sondern mit einer "Best-of MANTAR" zu tun hätte. Stark!" - 8.5/10 pts Deaf Forever (GER)"- "Compact and to the point interpretation of Black'n'Roll, which can not only split your skull, but also animate you to headbang and even sing along." - 9/10 pts Powermetal.de (GER)"Ein weiterer Volltreffer aus dem Hause MANTAR!" - 9/10 pts - Powermetal.de (GER) - "Auf dem neuen Album haben MANTAR nichts an Angriffslust und brachialer Wirkung verloren, ihr Repertoire jedoch eindrucksvoll erweitert, sind gewachsen und zu etwas in seiner grundlegenden Ehrlichkeit und massiven Härte unfassbar Schönem geworden, ohne auf ihren urgewaltigen Sound zu verzichten. " - 10/10 pts - Slam (AT/GER)- "Thicker grooves, anthemic refrains, head nodding rhythms and a greater exploitation of the fist-in-the-air-ology school of song writing." - 8/10 pts - Metal Injection (USA)- "...their latest studio album may be their best yet... a burning Molotov cocktail of black metal, sludgy hardcore and classic metal hooks..." - Decibel (USA)- "...they've made the album of their career so far; so buckle up and get ready for forty minutes of blackened punk that'll give you the kick up the ass you've been waiting for." - Distorted Sound (USA)- "I love how far my mind roams while listening to the same album on the repeat; the more I spin "Pain Is Forever And This Is The End", the more things I discover, driving me deeper into MANTAR's moving sand." - 10/10pts - Metal Kaoz (USA)- "Pain Is Forever... clearly takes some inspiration from their recent album of Grunge, Punk, and Riot Grrl covers by elevating this aspect of their sound a little more too, without dulling the unapologetically in-your-face edge of the music." - No Clean Singing (USA)

Mantar erreichten mit ihrem letzten Album Pain Is Forever... (2022) Platz 2 in den Offiziellen Deutschen Charts!- Year End "Best" Listen: Metal Hammer Deutschland, LAWeekly (US), Exclaim (CA), Terrorizer (UK)- Vorgestellt auf: All New Metal/Black & Dark Metal/The Pit/Metal Planet (SPOTIFY), Breaking Metal/New Music Daily/Optimus Metallum/Breaking Hard Rock (APPLE MUSIC)- Mantar hat 8,5 Millionen Streams auf Spotify erreicht- Massive Underground-Fangemeinde in Europa und Nordamerika, die auf einem jahrzehntelangen DIY-Ansatz und ausgedehnten Tourneen beruht- Vergangene Festivalauftritte: Hellfest, Download, Full Force, Oya Festival, Getaway Rock, Roadburn, The Fest (US), Wacken, Maryland DeathfestCharts (Pain is Forever...):Germany:#2 Official German Album ChartsAustria:#69 Official Album ChartsSwitzerland: #45 Official Album ChartsUS Billboard:#60 Current Hard Music Album#84 Top New ArtistsQuotes for Pain Is Forever and This Is The End (old):- Album of the Month - Metal Hammer (GER)"So präsentiert sich das räudige Doom-Duo auf PAIN IS FOREVER AND THIS IS THE END in Bestform. 'Art Is Hard', das wussten bereits die Indie-Rocker Cursive. Aber Mantar sind härter." - 6/7pts - Metal Hammer (GER)- Album of the Month - Metal.de (GER)- "Pain Is Forever.. skillfully keeps the balance between brute destructive fury and dense atmosphere in widescreen format with real underground hit potential." - 8.5/10 pts Rock Hard (GER)"So hält "Pain Is Forever..." gekonnt die Waage zwischen brachialer Zerstörungswut und dichter Atmosphäre im Breitwandformat und hat oftmals echtes Underground-Hitpotenzial zu bieten." - 8.5/10pts Rock Hard (GER)- "The blackened doom punk duo's biggest rock moment to date is not a betrayal, but an accomplishment" - Visions (GER)"Der bislang größte Rock-Moment des Blackened-Doom-Punk-Duos ist also kein Verrat, sondern eine Vollendung" - Visions (GER)- "A tremendous hit rate, as if we were not dealing with a regular longplayer, but with a "Best-of MANTAR". Very Strong!" - 8.5/10 pts Deaf Forever (GER)"Und so kann man "Pain Is Forever And This Is The End" eine enorme Trefferquote attestieren, so als ob man es nicht mit einem regulären Longplayer, sondern mit einer "Best-of MANTAR" zu tun hätte. Stark!" - 8.5/10 pts Deaf Forever (GER)"- "Compact and to the point interpretation of Black'n'Roll, which can not only split your skull, but also animate you to headbang and even sing along." - 9/10 pts Powermetal.de (GER)"Ein weiterer Volltreffer aus dem Hause MANTAR!" - 9/10 pts - Powermetal.de (GER) - "Auf dem neuen Album haben MANTAR nichts an Angriffslust und brachialer Wirkung verloren, ihr Repertoire jedoch eindrucksvoll erweitert, sind gewachsen und zu etwas in seiner grundlegenden Ehrlichkeit und massiven Härte unfassbar Schönem geworden, ohne auf ihren urgewaltigen Sound zu verzichten. " - 10/10 pts - Slam (AT/GER)- "Thicker grooves, anthemic refrains, head nodding rhythms and a greater exploitation of the fist-in-the-air-ology school of song writing." - 8/10 pts - Metal Injection (USA)- "...their latest studio album may be their best yet... a burning Molotov cocktail of black metal, sludgy hardcore and classic metal hooks..." - Decibel (USA)- "...they've made the album of their career so far; so buckle up and get ready for forty minutes of blackened punk that'll give you the kick up the ass you've been waiting for." - Distorted Sound (USA)- "I love how far my mind roams while listening to the same album on the repeat; the more I spin "Pain Is Forever And This Is The End", the more things I discover, driving me deeper into MANTAR's moving sand." - 10/10pts - Metal Kaoz (USA)- "Pain Is Forever... clearly takes some inspiration from their recent album of Grunge, Punk, and Riot Grrl covers by elevating this aspect of their sound a little more too, without dulling the unapologetically in-your-face edge of the music." - No Clean Singing (USA)

Poet, novelist, musician and academic, Anthony Joseph teams up with legendary UK producer Dave Okumu for forthcoming album, ‘Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back’

Dave Okumu, known perhaps best as frontman for The Invisible, though digging deeper into his production credits, huge names emerge such as; Grace Jones, Amy Winehouse, Jesse Ware, Rosie Lowe and Eska. On this album, the magic and alchemy of Dave’s production style showcase subtle sonics and deep layering resulting in a contemporary sound to carry Anthony’s afrofuturistic metrical meanings.

Anthony and Dave first came across each other when working with Shabaka Hutchings during Covid broadcasts, and then after Anthony performed some poems on Dave’s 2023 album ‘I Came From Love’, the seeds of collaboration were sown.

With a little more psychedelia, a little more experimentation, Dave’s eclectic vision focuses on the actual sounds on these pieces. Anthony stated that “The best producers guide you, not push you” now add to that the fact that both these humans were born on the same day, a concoction of laid back attitudes in people with strong purpose, some real magic can happen, naturally.

Early writing sessions for this record took place in 2022, around Mount Blanc in France. Anthony was away touring with long-time collaborator, Jason Yarde. Ideas were a little thin and they found themselves somewhat repeating previous work resulting in Anthony rethinking things a little, and so entered Dave Okumu.

LP opener ‘Satellite’ is a fine example of how this new partnership pans out. New musicians have been enlisted; Dan See (Drums), Aviram Barath (Synths), Nick Ramm on Fender Rhodes and Byron Wallen (Trumpet). Add to that the mighty vocal power house of Eska and we have a whole new dimension of soul and depth, to carry Anthony’s statements. “You build a wall, we go under, you build it higher, we go higher, like a satellite” .

On the album's second single, ‘Tony’ - there’s a nod to all drummers and creators of African rhythms, from the point of view of Afrobeat legend Tony Allen. Highlighting this is drummer’s drummer Richard Spaven as Dave’s choice of skin beater. He successfully reminds us that Tony was someone who understood the real power of rhythm and how it is used to unite people.

As well as the new musicians on this LP, Dave Okumu played all the guitars and used the studio as his tool. On ‘A Juba for Janet’ - a poem to Joseph’s mother, and a track so bass heavy that it feels as though it could sit in a deep dubstep set in Plastic People days, - Anthony’s voice reaches straight down your ear canals next to dark drums, huge synths and delayed saxophone stabs from Colin Webster. Slightly more introspective verses on ‘An Afrofuturist Poem’ see Dave’s beats show off the real future sound of this record, kalimba, moog bass and guitars all played by the man himself.

Mellower and deeper moments are also present, Anthony’s cryptic yet informative storytelling is at its absolute best on ‘Churches Of Sound (The Benetiz-Rojo)’ - Caribbean and Windrush history reeled off alongside a linear musical timeline of Black music in the diaspora.

A reminder that this body of work is first of 2 volumes, ‘Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back’ is not a follow up to Anthony’s previous album, but more a development of his 2006 novel, ‘The African Origins of UFOs’ a book where experimental elements of afro-futurism, metafiction, science fiction, surrealism, mythology are rewritten in Anthony’s innovative language. Look out for Volume 2 also coming in 2025.

Anthony Joseph releases, ‘Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back’ (Vol. 1) via Heavenly Sweetness 7th February 2025 and he will play live at Ronnie Scotts in London on 14th March 2025, with Dave Okumu as a special guest.

CREDITS:

Vocals - Anthony Joseph

Additional vocals, vocal arrangements - Eska Mtungwazi

Producer - Guitars, Bass, Moog, Synthesisers, Programming, Percussion - Dave Okumu

Drums - Dan See

Drums on ‘Tony’ - Richard Spaven

Synthesiser - Aviram Barath

Fender Rhodes, Synthesisers, Nick Ramm

Trumpet - Byron Wallen

Saxophones - Colin Webster

Trombones - James Wade Sired

A maelstrom of music and metaphysics, a crushing conduit for connection, contemplation and catharsis; ritualistic sludge-metal juggernauts Pothamus return to this plane of existence with new album `Abur', the highly anticipated spiritual successor to their colossal debut, `Raya'. The search for meaning stands central as a pillar of belief in the enigmatic world of Pothamus. Whilst blending eastern philosophy and western esotericism into a unique ontology, the band stay true to the fundamentals of music: sounds, instruments and bodies coming together just as they too drift away. To experience Pothamus is to open yourself to an immersive, out-of-body experience that transcends the ordinary and delves deep into the profound. `Abur', Pothamus' sophomore full-length is an odyssey of truly epic proportions. As well as honing their already formidable live sound in the intervening years, the band have widened their musical palette in order to explore a truly original take on heavy music that steers them ever further away from well-trodden post-metal paths. On `Abur' the Pothamus' signature ritualistic sound is elevated by the glacial sounds of the Surpeti, an drone instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent traditionally used for mantra singing, whilst drummer Van Hulle adds his voice in harmony with guitarist Coussens' to create an astounding richness and depth. Capturing Pothamus at their creative zenith was musical contemporary and close friend Chiaran Verheyden (Psychonaut, Hippotraktor) who recorded, mixed and mastered `Abur'. A 44-minute pilgrimage through nature, animism and the depths of the human soul, `Abur' is Pothamus' answer to the big, existential questions that keep us all awake at night. Titanic, all-consuming heaviness is met with ethereal, airy beauty as the band contemplates the interconnectedness of all things, creating a singular sonic universe balanced perfectly between cosmic creation and absolute destruction. FOR FANS OF: Amenra, Heilung, Om, Wardruna, Briqueville, The Black Heart Rebellion 3-panel gatefold CD + 28 pages booklet, gatefold LP + 28 pages booklet

Ivory coloured vinyl! A maelstrom of music and metaphysics, a crushing conduit for connection, contemplation and catharsis; ritualistic sludge-metal juggernauts Pothamus return to this plane of existence with new album `Abur', the highly anticipated spiritual successor to their colossal debut, `Raya'. The search for meaning stands central as a pillar of belief in the enigmatic world of Pothamus. Whilst blending eastern philosophy and western esotericism into a unique ontology, the band stay true to the fundamentals of music: sounds, instruments and bodies coming together just as they too drift away. To experience Pothamus is to open yourself to an immersive, out-of-body experience that transcends the ordinary and delves deep into the profound. `Abur', Pothamus' sophomore full-length is an odyssey of truly epic proportions. As well as honing their already formidable live sound in the intervening years, the band have widened their musical palette in order to explore a truly original take on heavy music that steers them ever further away from well-trodden post-metal paths. On `Abur' the Pothamus' signature ritualistic sound is elevated by the glacial sounds of the Surpeti, an drone instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent traditionally used for mantra singing, whilst drummer Van Hulle adds his voice in harmony with guitarist Coussens' to create an astounding richness and depth. Capturing Pothamus at their creative zenith was musical contemporary and close friend Chiaran Verheyden (Psychonaut, Hippotraktor) who recorded, mixed and mastered `Abur'. A 44-minute pilgrimage through nature, animism and the depths of the human soul, `Abur' is Pothamus' answer to the big, existential questions that keep us all awake at night. Titanic, all-consuming heaviness is met with ethereal, airy beauty as the band contemplates the interconnectedness of all things, creating a singular sonic universe balanced perfectly between cosmic creation and absolute destruction. FOR FANS OF: Amenra, Heilung, Om, Wardruna, Briqueville, The Black Heart Rebellion 3-panel gatefold CD + 28 pages booklet, gatefold LP + 28 pages booklet

Heavyweight Black Vinyl / Original glued prints on Thick Cardboard 700 gram / 2 Separated parts hand-glued / Glossy lamination / PVC outer sleeve / Insert with 10 pages Booklet 30 x 30 cm printed on Gmund Colro Felt Red Purplea d 90 Gram Favini papers with detailed interview between Tony Higgins and Mustafa's family (his sisters and children are all musicians), as well as an insight into the recording of the album with Gregory Bufford, the drummer for the session, lyrics and exclusive pictures.


Colored Vinyl Details:
Heavyweight "A side - B side solid purple + transparent blue" vinyl / Original glued prints on Thick Cardboard 700 gram / 2 Separated parts hand-glued / Glossy lamination / PVC outer sleeve / Insert with 10 pages Booklet 30 x 30 cm printed on Gmund Colro Felt Red Purplea d 90 Gram Favini papers with detailed interview between Tony Higgins and Mustafa's family (his sisters and children are all musicians), as well as an insight into the recording of the album with Gregory Bufford, the drummer for the session, lyrics and exclusive pictures.

Peronnel:
Mustafa Abdul Rahman - Tenor Saxophone, Percussion, Producer
Ahmed Abdullah - Trumpet
Malachi Thompson - Drums
Gregory Bufford - Bass
Richard Radu Williams - Piano
Rafik Abdur Rahim
Tony Smith - Guitar
Larry Banks - Synthesizer
Khalil Abdullah - Congas
Babafumi Akunyon - Percussions
Odell Grier Backing Vocals – Fred Harley, Hilda "Asia" Richbow , Linda Hall

Notes:
In the course of our deep research, we sometimes discover a hidden thread that unites musicians, songwriters, artists, and poets linked by music. Mustafa's 'Polygamy' is no exception. Apart from the music - the main reason we decided to work on this first ever re-press, a jewel at the crossroads between jazz funk, spiritual jazz and proto rap - are the many other things that make Mustafa an intriguing and fascinating character. For starters, he was a childhood friend of the Ayler brothers with whom he played in different formations. He also played with other beloved figures such as Noah Howard and Charles Tyler, on a still unreleased album recorded for Amiri Baraka's Jihad label, and worked with The Legendary Master Brotherhood and Steve Reid. This and much more will be revealed in a detailed interview between Tony Higgins and Mustafa's family (his sisters and children are all musicians), as well as an insight into the recording of the album with Gregory Bufford, the drummer for the session.

The Velveteers bring a visceral energy to their explosive sophomore album, A Million Knives. The album is a blistering rock anthem infused with melodic indie songwriting. With GRAMMY Award-winning producer Dan Auerbach at the helm, the Boulder, CO trio encapsulates the raw, forceful, and profoundly heavy energy of their live performances and laser-focuses a spotlight on tightly crafted songs as they carve out their own distinctive niche. Driving The Velveteers is the commanding presence of frontwoman Demi Demitro, a no-bullshit, five-foot-something spitfire with thunderous guitar riffs and soaring vocals, backed by the incendiary duo of Baby Pottersmith and Johnny Fig on drums. The band's signature dual drum setup creates a thunderous foundation that propels their gritty, dynamic garage rock sound. On A Million Knives, this setup melds seamlessly with a more modern indie rock influence-the attitude of Wolf Alice, the colossal sound of Queens of the Stone Age, and the singular lyrical voice of Hole. The Velveteers have built a dedicated following through relentless touring and electrifying performances, sharing stages with renowned acts such as Smashing Pumpkins, The Black Keys, Greta Van Fleet, Guns N' Roses, and Des Rocs. With A Million Knives, The Velveteers offer a compelling testament to their rising stardom, a rock 'n' roll album as beautiful as it is terrifying.

Black vinyl / 505mcn paper / 30 x 60 cm Insert with Liner Notes by Tony Higgins printed on 250 mcn Lenza Top Recycling Paper / Condensed interview to Spata Sisters and exclusive pictures.

Personnel:
Enzo Randisi - Musser Percussion Keyboards
Riccardo Randisi - Acoustic Piano, Rhodes, ARP & Korg Keyboards
Marcello Pellitteri - Drums
Giuseppe Costa - Acoustic Bass & Electric Bass Guitar
Mimmo Cafiero - Congas & Percussions
Sandro Palacino - Tenor and Soprano Saxes
Loredana Spada - Vocalist
Cinzia Spata - Vocalist
Mary Lo Giudice - Vocalist
Mariella Gueli - Vocalist

Notes:
Did someone say Summer? Sicily is what Cuba is to the Caribbean, sun, sea, easy and friendly people with lots of troubles! You won't find anything better around that identifies the summer more than this album by Enzo Randisi who at the beginning of the 80s put together a Swing Ensemble as a tribute to that "cheerful" movement of Jazz music. But Enzo and his fellas just couldn't stay on track and put in the best that the alternative Palermo area could offer in that historical period, like the sisters Cinzia and Loredana Spata, who brought the production to a next level in the vocal version of All Blues or in Chic Corea's Spain. But what really struck us was Charles Cables' version of "Quite Fire" (here missspelled as "Quite Fair"), released a few months earlier only in Japan and which would only become famous in the 90s with the Acid Jazz movement, and this tells us a lot about how hungry Enzo and Riccardo were of musical knowle, to be able to find some pearls in a city with basically no record shops and isolated...well...it's on an island! For this re-press we enlisted Tony Higgins, who recently finished a very long commitment and greenlight to delight us with his polished English...Welcome back Tony!

JORDY arrived as a pop disruptor with the 2018 breakout “Just Friends,” gathering tens of millions of streams in the process. He continued to progress from Mind Games 2021 to the critically acclaimed BOY 2023. Huffington Post hailed the latter as “an introspective listen that doesn’t skimp on sonic joy,” and Rolling Stone applauded its lead single “Story of a Boy” as “a welcome twist with lyrics that speak to JORDY’s all-too-relatable experience as a queer person coming of age.” Meanwhile, JORDY not only shined on stage at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Firefly, OUTLOUD at WeHo Pride, and Bottle Rock, but he also ignited television on NBC’s TODAY and The Kelly Clarkson Show. And during his ascent, his diaristic, authentic voice earned him nominations at the GLAAD Media Awards (Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist), the iHeartRadio Music Awards (Social Star), and the Queerty Awards (Favorite Music Video i get high + Best Anthem [Story of a Boy]).

JORDY's third studio album, SEX WITH MYSELF, is a bold and uninhibited exploration of love, pleasure, and self-discovery. Packed with danceable, retro-infused tracks that delve into hookups, heartbreak, and unapologetic self-love, the LP showcases JORDY’s signature diaristic lyricism, creative evolution, and newfound artistic confidence. SEX WITH MYSELF includes the singles, “NICE THINGS,” & “SECOND MINUTE HOUR.” Pressed on Coke Bottle Clear Vinyl.

Two underground artists with many years in the scene behind them in Darwin Chamber and DJ Spun come together for the second in their Episode series on Rong Music.

Once again they dig into the sounds of their formative years while also looking to the future as they blend dub, trance and techno into lithe new forms. 'The Revolution' is a mid-tempo and atmospheric roller with hypnotic vocals, while 'The Playa' is a deft bit of electronic minimalism with a deep space feel and ticking 808 sounds. Things get more loose with the warped synths and dusty tech beats of 'Dysfunction' while 'Acid Tounge' closes with trippy designs, a skeletal rhythm and a sense of late-night melodic and afterparty mischief.

This new 12" on US label Season Limited brings together two of deep house's most accomplished and tasteful names in French legend Franck Roger plus Arnold Jarvis who he last collaborated with in 2007, while UK mainstay and Freerange label boss Jimpster remixes. It is one the label has been cooking up for a while but proves more than worth the wait. 'Living My Life' is the one original collab and is smooth, buttery deep house with lush vocal tones. Jimpster brings a little more bounce and a fat bassline on one mix, then dubs things out to prefect for the second. A timeless set of grooves that will level-up any collection.

Emmanuel Mario returns to Karaoke Kalk with his third album under his Astrobal moniker for the Berlin-based imprint. »L’uomo e la natura« (»Man and Nature«) sees the prolific drummer and producer, who has worked with artists such as Laetitia Sadier and label mate Pink Shabab, take a different musical route than before. The French electronic music composer pays homage to the spirit of library music while also making concessions to different strains of pop and even classical music. With only two of the ten songs putting words to the music, »L’uomo e la natura« is a masterful exercise in the evocation of atmospheres: expressing much while saying very little outright—show, don’t tell.

The album was born out of a desire to push the envelope. »I wanted to make music that was both pop and ambitious in its chord progressions as well as surprising in its construction,« explains the Paris-based artist. Taking inspiration from library music artists such as Alessandro Alessandroni or Bruno Nicolai as well as the more cosmic strains of electronic instrumental music, he strove »to create a soundtrack that would immediately bring to mind outer space.« The first of the three singles released ahead of the full album, »L’abeille pourpre,« captures this spirit with funky rhythms and an overjoyed interplay of different melodies, all tied together by wordless yet terminally catchy vocals.

The second single, »Miami 2064,« traverses through many different moods in its six-minute run-time: Starting off as neo-noir synth-wave piece, it then proceeds to pay its dues to the masters of the cosmic music tradition such as Tangerine Dream or, of course, Jean-Michel Jarre before slowly descending back to Earth with guitars and dreamy synthetic vocals, playfully punctuated by a plethora of wistful melodies. It is the perfect encapsulation of the open-ended approach Mario follows throughout the entire album, taking full creative licence in regards to songwriting and arrangements. »I wanted to surprise myself,« he shrugs. He succeeded.

»L’uomo e la natura« rewards multiple listens not only emotionally, but also intellectually. »I also wanted to talk about politics and ecology, because it’s impossible not to,« Mario notes. Some of the track titles express this more openly than others and the two title tracks sung by Mario and Nina Savary use French and Italian lyrics, respectively. However, as a whole the album leaves things open to interpretation. Does »The End of Capitalism« sound elegiac or triumphant? And what do you actually make of this musical vision of the Floridian metropolis, whose mere existence is threatened by climate change already today, four decades from now? Mario doesn’t necessarily answer these questions—he doesn’t tell, he shows.

The influence of the UK’s Steel City on electronic music is well documented and undisputed and continues to push the envelope with key figures such as Winston Hazel (Forgemasters, The Step), DJ Parrot/Crooked Man, Richard Benson (RAC, SWAG, Altern 8), Chris Duckenfield (RAC, Popular Peoples Front, SWAG, All Ears Distribution), a thriving underground club scene and the likes of Synaptic Voyager reinforcing the city’s rich musical legacy.

Matt White and Paul Baines have been making off-kilter, emotive, late night electronic jams since meeting in the early 90’s and while life took them on different paths for a while, they have recently blown the thick layer of dust from their synths and drum machines and got busy in the studio to create some amazing new music which draws influence from that classic UK techno sound which played such an important part in the development of dance music culture around the world. With recent releases on Frame Of Mind, Acquit and Telomere Plastic the duo are clearly on a roll, wearing the heritage of their city on their sleeve and delivering what can only be described as heartfelt, authentic machine music made with love and soul.

From the opening beats of lead track Dawn Till Dusk we are drawn in to another place which feels comfortably familiar yet organic, fluid and loose in a way that tugs on the heartstrings. A million miles from cookie-cutter tech house, this is two guys in a bedroom studio, digging deep on hardware machines to create a sound to get completely lost in. Lonely Promontory takes things deeper still with immersive pads, taught electro beats and blissed-out melodic lines which give just hint of optimism and recall those beloved sounds of B12, Redcell and Likemind.

Flipping over we have Stellar Engine which goes a littler heavier on the beats and bass whilst still retaining a floating quality, once again highlighting the hardware jam workflow that Synaptic Voyager utilise in their studio. Once Exposed takes us back to those heady days of the early 90’s when techno, house and ambient electronics combined to create a heady blend of deep atmospherics and driving beats which could work on both dance floors and car stereos alike. Rounding off the EP we have Cognitive Network which goes for a straighter four on the floor techno groove and a killer bassline to lose yourself in. These recordings were delivered to the label in unedited long form (some tracks totalling 15 minutes or more in length!) which Jimpster lovingly edited into the versions which you hear on this release.

Rats on Rafts descend further into the brooding wasteland on their new album ‘Deep Below’, a darker, slower, eroded sound from the Rotterdam band. Highlighting different shades within the monochrome landscape compared to their previous, more colourful albums: they dive deeper into their psyche, questioning our relationships with nature, religion and each other. Echoes of The Cure, Cocteau Twins and Slowdive seem present yet so many different influences make up an album that only they could create. It sees Rats on Rafts coming of age whilst raising their heads from the underground. Forever drifting into new territory, ‘Deep Below’ is certainly their darkest and most cohesive work to date. True to their analogue recording process, the tape machines, reverbs, echoes and vital new ingredients: the Soundcraft 1s mixing desk (Used by Lee Perry) and the eerie sounding Eminent String Ensemble synth all amplify the authentic sounds of the 1980’s without sounding like a relic. ‘Japanese Medicine’ is a haunting minor chord piece driven by debris of icy chiming guitars, galloping drums and waves of lush synths. lyrically it gathers memories of teenage friendship, littered with cigarettes, life-changing records, punctuated with the dark thoughts and the demons they summon up. Though the band have kept the songs relatively slow-paced and sparse, deeper ruminations of mortality and alienation creep through the cracks. ‘Nature Breaks’, the most propulsive song on the record, thematically locks into this notion, as Fagan meditates on human impulse in the face of abject survival, and how those situations often unlock one's true self. You may conclude Rotterdam’s Rats on Rafts relationship with the past is complicated. ‘The Moon Is Big’ (2011) ‘Tape Hiss’ (2015) and ‘Excerpts From Chapter 3’ (2021) are truly gripping analog timestamps of a band refusing to give in to the supposed ‘progress of the world’ instead forging their own way each time. ‘Deep Below’ is Rats on Rafts’ most minimalist work since their 2011 debut. Where the latter album was fuelled by a brash bravado, these recordings meditate on sentiments of doubt, loss, and ageing. “One of the great contemporary European rock bands” Louder Than War

Veyl is pleased to welcome Harlem back to the label with a new 8 track LP titled Cage. The Stockholm-based duo of Martin Thomasson and Johan Skugge last appeared on the imprint with 2021’s, Bait, and the project now returns diving deeper in to their infectious cocktail of menacing electronics.

Bringing with them a vast body of work, ranging from dub to minimal techno, with Harlem the pair fuse electro, no wave, post-punk, disco, proto-body, dub, hip-hop, and grime, creating a unique sound that cannot be categorized. Cage opens with “Shut Your Body”, a muscular piece which drills into the surface, setting the stage for what’s to come. Next up is “Fantasy Scan” a dance floor ready jam that picks up the pace and lures us into the pleasure dome. “Blow by Blow” brings a nihilistic energy to a fictional scenario that takes its cues from the past while remaining firmly in the now.

“Kiss The Steel” continues on the slow burning path, dropping us into a dream like state, blurring the lines of reality and plunging us into a surrealist nightmare or reverie? “Dummy Up” comes roaring back, injecting a dose of electro and body that sounds like a soundtrack to your favorite cult gathering. With “Sleuth”, we hear the repetitive grind of a man at work, searching for the unknown, unlocking new mysteries along the way. As we head toward the finale, “Contact High” brings back a seductive dance, ready to movie bodies and stir emotions. Closing things out is “Wiggle Walker”, returning us to a drifter’s journey, a wanderer’s melody that carries us to the end, or is it just the beginning?

HTRK step into their 21st year on reflective terms, launching a series of collaborations, covers/remixes, installations, and performances alongside the new repress of their full-length debut, Marry Me Tonight. First released in 2009 via Blast First Petite, the album saw its first vinyl pressing in 2015 via Ghostly International and has since been out of stock. In late 2024, Marry Me Tonight becomes available in limited edition pink and black vinyl, also finally on streaming services. Few groups in history elevate mood to such singular, smoldering supremacy as the Australian duo of Jonnine Standish and Nigel Yang, aka HTRK (or "hate rock" if informed). Across two decades of work and wounds, HTRK’s sound has shape-shifted between densities and intensities, noise and nakedness, but never wavered in its delicate poetic gravity. In HTRK’s sound world, cavernous reverberations of dub techno are mixed with frosted post-punk motifs and the gravelly imperfections of industrial, reimagined in the setting of a dingy basement. Like all HTRK albums, Marry Me Tonight was singular in sound and circumstance. It's the only album the outfit recorded from start to finish as a trio, and it's the only HTRK record that bears the co-production stamp of Rowland S. Howard. Breathy, caustic, and rife with contradiction, Marry Me Tonight took the raw material recorded on 2005's Nostalgia and transformed it into a pop record — pop that buckled and warped beneath the glare of Howard, fellow producer Lindsay Gravina, and the HTRK trio: Jonnine Standish, Nigel Yang and Sean Stewart. Howard died at the end of 2009; Stewart died the year after. Things would never be the same. The band would carry on and reach new heights despite it all, but as a trio, this is their definitive document.

Celebrate a decade of Going To Hell with this exclusive 10th-anniversary collector"s item. Features include material-wrapped cover with a debossed logo, a stunning 32-page spread of rare behind-the-scenes photos capturing one of the decade"s most iconic album covers, and the album in the UK and Europe-exclusive Gold and Purple Marble Vinyl. Going To Hell is the second album from New York City rock band The Pretty Reckless. It went straight into number 5 on the Billboard 200 upon release, as well as #8 on the Official UK Albums Chart, becoming the band"s first Top 10 album in the US and UK. This collector"s piece merges the visual and sonic essence of The Pretty Reckless designed for those who live and breathe rock & roll.

Four years after "The Watchful Eye Of The Stars", Adrian Crowley returns with a new John Parish-produced album "Measure of Joy" to be released on the brand new label Valley of Eyes Records. This is album 10 for Crowley: an achievement number and maybe even a career high, but the music doesn"t bother with that. They are just great songs. Crowley is a songwriter and a poet. Here, also, he is in the company of John Parish, who is always more than a producer. "Measure of Joy" is a nocturnal album. Not in the usual commonplace sense of dark and moody though it can be. The night is present in the sounds that can only be noticed when most things rest. In the lost transmission and the ghost lips that talk on the phone over sleepy jazz.

Limited edition classic black vinyl mini-album of cathartic slowcore by The Declining Winter, the new vehicle of Richard Adams, formerly of Domino Records post-rockers, Hood. The next release on the acclaimed boutique English independent label, Second Language Music, will be ‘Last April,’ the new mini-album by The Declining Winter, a raw, deeply emotional monument of loss, grief and heartbreak that treads in the footsteps of Red House Painters’ ‘Down Colorful Hill,’ Low’s ‘I Could Live In Hope’ and Songs: Ohia’s ‘Didn’t It Rain.’ This is not a heart-on-your-sleeve record. It does away with the sleeve and goes straight for carving a heart on the arm. Recordings which emerged out of a period of shock, grief and trauma, these six songs were all written on the same night and form a stately tribute to a loved one lost. The Declining Winter strip things back to just Richard Adams’ plaintive voice and acoustic guitar, alongside the beautiful, irrefutably melancholy string arrangements/playing of Sarah Kemp (Brave Timbers). There’s been no attempt to plane off any rough edges – here and there, the creak of a chair, a guitar note missed, a voice almost cracking with emotion – these recordings are like cathartic scrawls in a diary. Only this one has been left out for anyone to read. As with his previous band, Hood, Adams has a way of evoking a particularly pastoral, English melancholy, of lonely morning hikes in inclement weathers, of rain on slate in the West Yorkshire streets where he was raised and still lives.

Seattle's Chastity Belt and Austin's Holy Wave split a dreamy 7-inch for Suicide Squeeze Records. Chastity Belt's offering, "That Guy," rings with the band's signature laid-back-yet-precise style. Jangly, intricate guitarwork plays off easy rhythms; an upbeat tranquility buoys wistful riffs. The lyrics are honest and introspective as Julia Shapiro admits to being "that kind of guy"_the type who just wants to feel alive, despite the pull of screentime, and the tendency to hold onto something until the life has been sucked out of it. "Maybe quitting is okay, but I don't like giving things away," she sings, backed by warm vocal harmonies. "I'd rather hold on for too long, until all the feeling's gone." For their side, Holy Wave contribute the lush and hypnotic slow burner "Time Crisis Too." Smears of warped synth over meticulous percussion and guitar form a dense tapestry of sound; melodic vibraphone perfects the cinematic nostalgia while the lyrics lament the too-hurried passage of time. Microdoses of experimentation tucked into the layers_seaside waves, swells of distortion, a disembodied second vocal_add intrigue and enhance the vibe.

Celebrate a decade of Going To Hell with this exclusive 10th-anniversary collector"s White and Purple Marble LP housed in a Gatefold Sleeve. Going To Hell is the second album from New York City rock band The Pretty Reckless. It went straight into number 5 on the Billboard 200 upon release, as well as #8 on the Official UK Albums Chart, becoming the band"s first Top 10 album in the US and UK. This collector"s piece merges the visual and sonic essence of The Pretty Reckless designed for those who live and breathe rock & roll.

HONESTY are not a band in the traditional sense. With four core members - George Mitchell, Matt Peel, Josh Lewis and Imi Marston - and a rotating cast of collaborators which have included musicians and visual artists like Kosi Tydes, Softlizard, Rarelyalways, Florence Shaw and Liam Bailey, the Leeds-based collective emerged as an exercise in doing things differently on a journey towards self-acceptance.

HONESTY’s debut album, ‘U R HERE’ is released on Partisan Records. With influences that range from Mount Kimbie and My Bloody Valentine to Björk and Burial, ‘U R HERE’ represents a renewed sense of creative expression amidst a world that can sometimes seem like it’s crumbling apart.

The songs on ‘U R HERE’ are a fluid, exhilarating, and uniquely introspective take on club music - sonically mapping the psychological impact of the modern age and harnessing the vitality and freedom that comes with new beginnings. ‘U R HERE’, right now, and that is all that matters.

Black LP in a gatefold sleeve with spot gloss finish.

Debut studio album by the Irish singer and rapper. Biig Piig is London-based songwriter Jess Smyth, who, since 2017, has made smouldering hip-hop and neo-soul jams with homespun production. Biig Piig is a genuinely unique modern era pop star. Having come of age through musical experimentation, self-exploration and collaboration she started 2023 with the release of her critically acclaimed debut mixtape ‘Bubblegum’ and continues with the release of her upcoming debut studio album, 11:11. Radiating creative might throughout her releases, Biig Piig has seamlessly woven through various genres and languages to deliver stories and songs that speak effortlessly of youth culture. Her unpredictable and excellent discography encompasses tracks with NiNE8, Meronomy, Emotional Oranges, Lava La Rue and her musical versatility, from nonchalant rap to melancholic lament and melody, has garnered attention from Billie Eilish, Bella Hadid, Lil Nas X and the late Virgil Abloh to name a few. Biig Piig has built a nascent global audience for her instantly identifiable sound via world- wide tour dates and promo across platforms such as Triple J, Studio Brussels, 3FM, DLF, Radio 4, KCRW and more. She splits her time between the US and UK having established a support network of creatives and inventive energy that keeps things feeling fresh and fluid. A standard Black, x11 trk LP Vinyl & CD. The Retail exclusive format is a Transparent/Clear LP Vinyl. Extensive promo & marketing activity.

Available on Bedroom Isolation Frosted Silver Still Void Crystal Clear vinyl for indies only. Genre: Indie Rock / Electronic. Following his post-hardcore heroics with Indian Summer and Calm, Marc Bianchi unplugged his distortion pedal and switched on the four track. From his boyhood San Mateo, California bedroom, Her Space Holiday explores the bewilderment of young adulthood through a dreamy prozac lens. This expanded 25th anniversary edition of Home Is Where You Hang Yourself includes an extra LP of remixed songs from Duster, Bright Eyes, Micromars, and Mahogany, an elegant tip-on jacket, lyrics, and 20 milligrams of millennial malaise. Ask your doctor if Her Space Holiday is right for you

Available on Bedroom Isolation Frosted Silver Still Void Crystal Clear vinyl for indies only. Genre: Indie Rock / Electronic. Following his post-hardcore heroics with Indian Summer and Calm, Marc Bianchi unplugged his distortion pedal and switched on the four track. From his boyhood San Mateo, California bedroom, Her Space Holiday explores the bewilderment of young adulthood through a dreamy prozac lens. This expanded 25th anniversary edition of Home Is Where You Hang Yourself includes an extra LP of remixed songs from Duster, Bright Eyes, Micromars, and Mahogany, an elegant tip-on jacket, lyrics, and 20 milligrams of millennial malaise. Ask your doctor if Her Space Holiday is right for you

Available on Bedroom Isolation Frosted Silver Still Void Crystal Clear vinyl for indies only. Genre: Indie Rock / Electronic. Following his post-hardcore heroics with Indian Summer and Calm, Marc Bianchi unplugged his distortion pedal and switched on the four track. From his boyhood San Mateo, California bedroom, Her Space Holiday explores the bewilderment of young adulthood through a dreamy prozac lens. This expanded 25th anniversary edition of Home Is Where You Hang Yourself includes an extra LP of remixed songs from Duster, Bright Eyes, Micromars, and Mahogany, an elegant tip-on jacket, lyrics, and 20 milligrams of millennial malaise. Ask your doctor if Her Space Holiday is right for you.

Available on Bedroom Isolation Frosted Silver Still Void Crystal Clear vinyl for indies only. Genre: Indie Rock / Electronic. Following his post-hardcore heroics with Indian Summer and Calm, Marc Bianchi unplugged his distortion pedal and switched on the four track. From his boyhood San Mateo, California bedroom, Her Space Holiday explores the bewilderment of young adulthood through a dreamy prozac lens. This expanded 25th anniversary edition of Home Is Where You Hang Yourself includes an extra LP of remixed songs from Duster, Bright Eyes, Micromars, and Mahogany, an elegant tip-on jacket, lyrics, and 20 milligrams of millennial malaise. Ask your doctor if Her Space Holiday is right for you.

Als sich die wahrlich einmalige Band PSYCHOTIC WALTZ 1997 auflöste, klaffte eine Lücke, die erst mit der Gründung von DEADSOUL TRIBE im Jahr 2001 wieder geschlossen werden konnte. Sänger, Flötist und Aushängeschild Devon Graves, auch als Buddy Lackey bekannt, war in der Zwischenzeit wegen einer Beziehung nach Wien gezogen, wo er dann auch geeignete Musiker für DEADSOUL TRIBE fand. Auf dem Debüt „Deadsoul Tribe“ spielte Davon Graves noch einige Instrumente selbst, aber man war bereits eine Band mit vier Mitgliedern.

Auch wenn sich der Stil in manchen Punkten von PSYCHOTIC WALTZ unterscheiden mag, ist die Zielgruppe automatisch definiert. Und sogar etwas erweitert, denn neben Metal und Prog kann man auch Einflüsse von Tool heraushören. Das sehr organisch klingende Album bekam sehr gute Kritiken und wurde von den Fans ohne Umwege angenommen. Im Anschluss spielte man auf dem Prog Power Europe Festival in Holland. Es ist erstaunlich, dass die Alben von DEADSOUL TRIBE bisher noch nicht als Vinyl veröffentlicht wurden, zumal der Katalog von PSYCHOTIC WALTZ 2024 eine neue Aufarbeitung bekommen hat (Inside Out/Sony Music). Golden Core schließen diese Lücke nun mit den ersten beiden Alben, natürlich gemastert für Vinyl und mit bedrucktem Einleger. Die LPs sind auf 300 Stück limitiert, die sicherlich schnell ausverkauft sein werden.

Rich in melody and instantly classic in feel, Luca dell’Orso debuts on CWPT with an extended EP of lush Italo, sensitively summoned from the Netherlands. Having impressed with previous releases on labels including Bordello A Paligiaria and Red Laser Records, these six tracks demonstrate a delicate approach to his studio, flitting between pop songwriting and analog experimentation.

From the soft fanfare that announces ‘Solitair & Solidair,’ ‘Actors’ establishes a confident groove that gently pushes an Alfa Romeo pedal toward Balearic ecstasy. On the instantaneous lead single ‘Dear Rosie,’ dell’Orso blends the signature palette of the vintage Yamaha-X7 synthesizer with longing vocals from collaborator Jolisa. A paean to a special person from a distant past, ‘Dear Rosie’ is blessed with a wistful melody befitting an Eric Rohmer classic, a musical postcard of a treasured connection. From wistful midsummer memories, dell’Orso easily transports listeners to another season entirely with ‘Winter Scent’, a deep meditation reflecting the artist’s walks in the few hours of available sunlight, thoughts beautifully vocoded beneath a heavy sonic layer.

Out of this lavish gloom blossoms the inevitable sound of spring on the driving, optimistic ‘Love by Association’; an enduring recipe of distinct drums and pitch-shifting synthesis, frozen in time for frenetic Eurodisco dancefloors. On ‘Propaganda’, dell’Orso offers a more forceful take on the same instincts, skipping inner-Schengen borders to simmer via industrially-tinted pleasures as revealed in Dusseldorf, 1984. For a sublime finale, ‘This Time (Things Will Be Different)’ takes to the piano, where Luca dell’Orso finds space to demonstrate the elegant minimalism that easily coexists alongside his timeless energy.

Singer, songwriter and composer Melike Şahin is set to releases her new album AKKOR via Gülbaba Records in partnership with Day Dreamer

An empowering assertion of survival that propels traditional Anatolian pop and folk influences into the future, AKKOR rises like a phoenix from the flames to reintroduce the Turkish superstar diva to an international audience. An expression of Şahin’s personal growth, the album is an affirmation of her growing status as the voice of a generation, and hose lyrics have been adopted as a callto rights for the women’s movement in Turkey.

Recorded live in London with producer Martin Terefe (London Brew, Buika, Jamie Cullum), AKKOR features a selection of the most talented and forward-thinking musicians on the scene, including guitarists Dave Okumu and violinist Raven Bush, as well as terling Campell (David Bowie) on drums, Glen Scott (Eric Bibb) and Nikolaj mTorp Larsen on keyboards. Bringing an international feel to her mheart-rending performances, the record represents the most focussed and complete expression of Şahin’s sound to date. Melike Şahin has made a career of facing down criticism and censorship to make sumptuous and provocative music that captures the defiant tone of progressive creativity in contemporary Turkey. Having performed around the world with Turkish psych legends BaBa ZuLa, Şahin released her debut album Merhem in 2021, gathering billions of streams and building a reputation for unforgettable live performances in the process. Influenced by the style of Sade, cutting an elegant and beguiling figure on the stage. Where Şahin describes Merhem as about healing, she says AKKOR is about survival, both on an emotional level, coming to terms with difficult relationships, childhood trauma and the pressures of newfound fame, and on a social level, in continuing the champion the rights of the oppressed in the face of state and media violence. Powerful and vulnerable in equal measure, AKKOR demonstrates an orchestral grandeur and a dramatic flair drawn from Şahin’s love for traditional Anatolian pop and folk music, injected with the urgency of contemporary production. Bound together by Şahin’s inimitable voice AKKOR skips between Middle Eastern melancholy and classic disco hedonism, for an album that is as stylistically open, pluralistic and affirmative as the messages the music carries.

Although she does not describe herself as an activist, Şahin’s poignant lyrics have come to define the women’s movement in Turkey, with the words, “I deserve each and every inch of this smile,”adorning protest banners on International Women’s Day and celebratory posters at Pride.

“This is the moment that I told myself, Yes, I am an artist,” Şahin says. “I am bearing all of the other things because of this, because I am affecting people's lives, and I am giving some power.” AKKOR – which translates as candescent – finds Melike rising again and burning brighter than ever before.

Overall though, Şahin says AKKOR is her rebirth album – a statement of self-empowerment, through which she hopes tocontinue to raise up the voices of those around her. “You are seeinga woman who falls down, but who rises again and flies,” sheexplains. “Maybe she doesn't win, maybe she doesn't lose, but she's a survivor,” Şahin concludes. “She is a phoenix.”

HTRK step into their 21st year on reflective terms, launching a series of collaborations, covers/remixes, installations, and performances alongside the new repress of their full-length debut, Marry Me Tonight. First released in 2009 via Blast First Petite, the album saw its first vinyl pressing in 2015 via Ghostly International and has since been out of stock. In late 2024, Marry Me Tonight becomes available in limited edition pink and black vinyl, also finally on streaming services. Few groups in history elevate mood to such singular, smoldering supremacy as the Australian duo of Jonnine Standish and Nigel Yang, aka HTRK (or "hate rock" if informed). Across two decades of work and wounds, HTRK's sound has shape-shifted between densities and intensities, noise and nakedness, but never wavered in its delicate poetic gravity. In HTRK's sound world, cavernous reverberations of dub techno are mixed with frosted post-punk motifs and the gravelly imperfections of industrial, reimagined in the setting of a dingy basement. Like all HTRK albums, Marry Me Tonight was singular in sound and circumstance. It's the only album the outfit recorded from start to finish as a trio, and it's the only HTRK record that bears the co-production stamp of Rowland S. Howard. Breathy, caustic, and rife with contradiction, Marry Me Tonight took the raw material recorded on 2005's Nostalgia and transformed it into a pop record _ pop that buckled and warped beneath the glare of Howard, fellow producer Lindsay Gravina, and the HTRK trio: Jonnine Standish, Nigel Yang and Sean Stewart. Howard died at the end of 2009; Stewart died the year after. Things would never be the same. The band would carry on and reach new heights despite it all, but as a trio, this is their definitive document.

Londoner come Margatean Ben Sun returns to RNT with a full-length offering of introspective analog electronic textures. Moving through various tempos and rhythmic styles, Ben crafts a sonic palette that feels alternatively meditative and melancholic, dark and brooding, or meditative and euphoric, while always rooted in a solid groove. With gorgeous artwork designed by Ben himself, this record is a gorgeous listen, and essential warmth for the frigid winter months

Forever was a record that was written and recorded one track at a time with my husband Coley. After scrapping about 20 songs or so I had written the last few years, I wanted to get to the heart of things. I had a great talk with a friend on the phone and she mentioned she just wasn’t sure where I’d been. I realized I wasn’t really certain of that either. It’d been a foggy few years after 2020, and the pieces seemed to just be starting to be picked up. I had fallen in love, gotten married, had a dog, a house…things I had always dreamed of. But it took my quite some time to accept them as my life. For a bit, I felt like an outsider watching myself stumble though everything, and was constantly critiquing myself, to the point where I could hardly leave the house for a bit. But then I realized my life was passing me by, and the love I was living in required presence to accept. I started to do the little things you have to do to just show up for people: listen, grow, change, write….get outside of my own problems. Time is flying, and I want to be here for it all rather than lost in my thoughts all the time. My love is forever. When I was a kid I used to say to my mom and dad “I love you forever and always” then neurotically changed it to “I love you forever and always and it’s true and I mean it”…because I wanted to make sure they knew how much I wasn’t messing around! I still feel that way when I say “I love you” to anyone and hope it comes across on this record. Love y’all forever!

Some things take a long time. And some things are meant to last. But how you know that, or learn how to find out, that’s a more intangible thing. That’s A Shaw Deal – intangible. A communal meeting place for two old friends and their different musics. A Shaw Deal is the first album by Geologist and DS. They go back a long ways – back before Highlife, before Shaw joined White Magic – back to the early childhood of Animal Collective. Basically, Doug Shaw touched down in NYC around 2003, and he and Brian Weitz have been friends ever since.

“DS” first released his own music under the moniker “Highlife” on the album “Best Bless” EP, in 2010. Listeners were lifted by the sound – a vital new transmission imbued by the popular African guitar music, British folk-pop, desert blues and the ritual spirit energy that Doug had been evoking in White Magic with Mira Billotte. And really, if you knew Doug, this incredible alchemy was just one of the amazing ways he could come through on the guitar.

A couple years back, Doug was posting bits of his playing on Instagram, and Brian found them to be a much-needed escape from reality – he’d just let them loop for stretches of time, get lost in there, and emerge with recharged energies. They were such perfect mini-encapsulations of Doug’s fantastic spirit. Brian was inspired. Eventually, he ran them through his modular system, editing and tweaking and looping as he went, creating new shapes and juxtapositions, instinctively rewiring Doug’s original sounds to extend the feeling of peace they’d given him. Once it was all together, it would make a cool birthday present to regift to Doug! And once the gift was given, it was sounding like an album too…

From start to finish, A Shaw Deal taps into DS’s guitar playing and the vibe of his expression, drawing out meditative waves in new forms while exploring the worlds within them. Geologist and DS collaborate in a manner that’s brought comfort and release to them both. A Shaw Deal leaves no doubt, as it radiates further into the world and beyond – it will bring a new range of views and feels to everyone who listens in.

LP in printed inner sleeve + CD. Ultimate Survival is an experiential album that takes you along on the undulations of a tale.With keyboard player Hendrik Lasure and drummer Casper Van De Velde (together: Schntzl), APQ pretty much has the core of 'The New Wave of Belgian Jazz' in its ranks.



What a person needs in 2024, according to singer-pianist An Pierlé? "Less regret. Less fake. Less fear. And the courage to live in the now." She sings about it all with the wisdom of a woman who no longer has to be a girl. Four years after Wiga Waga, the An Pierlé Quartet (APQ) is back with Ultimate Survival, its second album already on the prestigious W.E.R.F. records.

Compared to the APQ debut, the grooves are deeper and the lyrics more confronting. That has in part to do with the turn that Pierlé's life took. The illness with a capital C was warded off and the realisation that you can best enjoy your days while you have them has been all the more urgent since. Pierlé doesn't let something so dark dominate the new album though: the title doesn't refer to that period, but was given to her as a gift by artist Patrick Van Caeckenbergh, who designed the cover. Pierlé: "He drew his inspiration from an old book about animals that take care of other animal species. We all need some of that these days."

Ultimate Survival is an experiential album that takes you along on the undulations of a tale. First single The Sting immediately sets the tone. The song is about accepting the stupid things people do, even though they know better. The album celebrates the liberation of being able to start again with a clean slate, alternating husky warmth with the virtuoso outbursts of a seasoned voice. This is not classical jazz, but it is the work of a bona fide jazz band. With keyboard player Hendrik Lasure and drummer Casper Van De Velde (together: Schntzl), APQ pretty much has the core of 'The New Wave of Belgian Jazz' in its ranks.

The godfather of that jazz wave is producer/reed-blower Koen Gisen. "Casper and Hendrik are international class acts ", says Gisen. "The great thing is: they almost never play the same thing twice, not even in the studio. Live, this will be a wonderful derailment. In the knowledge that, thanks to these two, they will always land on their feet." Pierlé: "Our boys also have old souls. And that is exactly why they're our mentors, instead of the other way around. So we can opt for adventure. And to live in the now."

First Word Records is extremely proud to welcome aboard Takuya Kuroda.

A highly-respected trumpeter born in Kobe, Japan, Takuya is a forward-thinking musician that has developed a unique hybrid sound, blending soulful jazz, funk, post-bop, fusion and hip hop music.

After following the footsteps of his trombonist brother playing in big bands, he relocated to New York to study jazz & contemporary music at The New School in Union Square; a course he graduated from in the mid-noughties. It was here that Takuya met vocalist José James, with whom he worked on the 'Blackmagic' and 'No Beginning No End' projects.

Following graduation, Takuya established himself further in the NYC jazz scene, performing with the likes of Akoya Afrobeat and in recent years with DJ Premier's BADDER band (also including acclaimed bass player, Brady Watt). Premier said "The BADDER Band project was put together by my manager, and an agent I've known since the beginning of my Gang Starr career. He said, 'What if you put a band together that revolved around a trumpet player from Japan named Takuya Kuroda? He's got a hip-hop perspective and respect in the jazz field…"

Takuya Kuroda is already incredibly prolific, releasing five albums in the past decade and fortifying a solid reputation in the global jazz scene. 2011 saw the release of Takuya's independently-produced debut album, 'Edge', followed by 'Bitter and High' the following year and 'Six Aces' on P-Vine in 2013. Takuya was signed to the legendary Blue Note Records in 2014 for his album 'Rising Son', as well as appearing on their 2019 cover versions project, 'Blue Note Voyage'. He released his 5th album 'Zigzagger' on Concord in 2016, which also featured Antibalas on a reimagining of the Donald Byrd classic 'Think Twice'.

Late Summer 2020, Takuya Kuroda returns with his sixth album 'Fly Moon Die Soon'.

In his words, "this album is about the irony between the greatness of nature and the beautiful obsceneness of humanity. Melodies and grooves fly back and forth from being spiritual to being vulgar."

It took two years to make this album. In 2018, I decided I just couldn't make albums the same way I had been in the past anymore. As a birthday treat to myself, I booked a studio in Brooklyn for two days, with only myself and an engineer, Todd Carder. I brought along some tracks I'd been building at home to see if we could complete them within that time. We began replacing sounds and adding texture, sampling noises from all over the studio; me sipping coffee, hitting a 26" kick drum, speeding up snares. At the end of the two days we were like "wow, I didn't know we could make tracks this good in this way". This is how the process of the full album started. Everything was based on my beats I made at home, inviting musicians in one by one, adding or replacing parts. I was very careful when developing these tracks; just note by note, part by part. I wanted to make the music effectively from a blend of two different recording methods; one very slickly produced part and one very organic part played by live musicians. I remember mixtapes from when I was kid, and wanted to make an album that wasn't just a bunch of flashy singles, trying to catch people's attention in the first 30 seconds, or full of guest features. Instead, I'm essentially just trying to let the grooves breath."

The album consists of nine tracks of excellence. The uptempo jazz-funk of 'ABC' and 'Moody' sit alongside soulful jazz cuts like 'Fade' and 'CHANGE', also featuring Corey King on vocals. The title track is a downtempo groove lead by a heavy Moog bassline, whilst 'Do No Why' contains an infectious piano riff throughout. Aside from Takuya's original compositions, he revisits two classics from Ohio Players ('Sweet Sticky Thing' featuring Alina Engibaryan on vocals) and Herbie Hancock ('Tell Me A Bedtime Story') whilst the album closes with the epic 'TKBK'.

Takuya adds "this special cover was inspired by the Golden Moon I saw during a photoshoot in Death Valley with my homie Hiroyuki Seo".

Takuya Kuroda is a truly unique talent, and this album is a realisation of the evolution of his sound.

'Fly Moon Die Soon' is released on Worldwide Award-winning UK label First Word Records on vinyl & digital in September 2020.

Repress!

Mint Condition - A brand new record label focussed on excavating the outer fringes of classic House and Techno. Unreleased mixes, classics and overlooked gems mined from the last 20+ of contemporary dance music are the order of the day. From Chicago, Detroit and New York to London and beyond, Mint Condition have got their expert digging hats on to bring you exclusive heat and those rarer than rare jams that have been on your wants list for years! Dig in.... Another dyed-in-the-wool house classic here, from all the way back in the golden mists of 1987 on the tiny, cult Danica label. Don't forget, Mint Condition's mission is to bring you the classics too, a nice, new copy to play out in the club so you can keep your original nice and fresh! We care about these things. That's why we're happy to present this monumental slab of Chicago house history from one of the absolute gods of this culture - Mr. Frankie Knuckles - this time operating under his Night Writers alias. We're not sure too much needs to be said about this one, it's all here really, that classic Knuckles deep touch, the musicality, the vibe... Ricky Dillard's vocals encapsulating that feeling when the music takes over, pure abandon. The pairing of these two talents results in what would eventually become a bona-fide house CLASSIC. No arguments. If you're not familiar you're in for a treat, if you already know then you're nodding your head and agreeing with everything you've just read. Simple really - YOU NEED THIS ONE ! 'Let The Music Use You' has been legitimately re-released with the full involvement of all license holders for 2017 and remastered by London's Curve Pusher from the original sources especially for Mint Condition. 100% legit, licensed and released. Dug, remastered, repackaged and brought to you by the caring folks at your new favourite reissue label - Mint Condition!

2024 breakout superstar Teddy Swims announces the second part of his debut album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2), arriving January 24, 2025. It follows the massive success of Part 1, which includes his global smash hits “Lose Control” and “The Door.” The news arrives on the heels of his acclaimed new single, “Bad Dreams.”

Swims recently released his new single “Bad Dreams” - watch the video HERE. The new track debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, giving him three songs on the chart, in addition to hitting #1 on the UK airplay charts.

It builds on the momentum of his global smash hit "Lose Control,” which he performed last month on the MTV VMAs, along with his recent charting single “The Door” and a rendition of Rihanna’s “Stay.” He was nominated for four awards at the show, including Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Best Alternative, and PUSH Performance of the Year.

2024 has been a whirlwind for Swims, who celebrated the success of his multi-Platinum chart-conquering hit “Lose Control” from I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1). In addition to claiming the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #2 on the UK official chart, the song has amassed over 2.3 billion global streams, reached #1 on five radio formats (Top 40, Hot AC, AC, R&B, and Rhythm), and was recently inducted into Spotify’s “Billions Club.”

2025 Cream VINYL REPRESS.

When Alex Stephens (A.K.A. Strawberry Guy) self-released his debut single last year, he was merely doing it out of a love for songwriting. What he wasn't expecting was a million Youtube streams and an avid fanbase. Now, the South-Wales born, Liverpool-based songwriter is ready to release a full EP of his compelling, lushly produced dream-pop.

Born outside Cardiff, Strawberry Guy moved to Liverpool to study music and grow as a writer. 'I knew that it was a very artistic city with all it’s creative history, it seemed like the perfect place to move to.' he says. Whether it's playing keyboards in The Orielles or just being part of the city's growing musical scene, Alex plays music for the love of music, something that heavily translates into his adept songwriting.


The intense emotional feel of the tracks he writes is down to Alex's songwriting process, recording the entire EP in his bedroom & producing it himself. 'I feel that it’s important to me to only write/record when you’re channeling some kind of emotion, so I would only work on it when I was in the right mood to do so.' He answers when asked about the isolated environment into which he put himself for the recording process.

Much of the inspiration for Alex's work comes from experience rather than other artists. 'When something significant happens to me, all I want to do is make music.' In terms of musical touchstones however, there's the obvious dream-pop contemporaries such as Beach House and Weyes Blood, coupled with great songwriters of old like Nat King Cole or Harry Nillson. Sonically, a blend of orchestral & synthesized melodies layer together to act as a platform for his heartfelt lyrics.

Opener 'Without You' is a fine example of this, a break-up song of sorts, with an infectious keyboard melody and swirling synths over which Alex contemplates whether it's even possible to find lasting love. The lyrics 'Do you really have to talk about the things you do with him? Do you really have to talk about your love?' hit particularly heavily.

Contrast this with the final track, the titular 'Taking My Time To Be', a powerful song of self-discovery. Beginning with downtempo piano and drums, the song breaks out into a saxophone and synth solo that wouldn't go amiss on a Badalamenti soundtrack. 'The song is about me learning to be comfortable with myself, but then wondering if I'll be accepted for being myself' Alex imparts. It's a fitting closer to a EP driven by emotion and experience.

Beirut Birds (طيور بيروت) is a sonic memory capsule honoring (inter)personal stories of migration, displacement, and the cyclical turbulent circumstances in Lebanon. Transforming her multi-year project, multidisciplinary artist and composer Nour Sokhon crystallizes the performance Beirut Birds (طيور بيروت) into her long-awaited debut album. When presented and performed live, it is accompanied by juxtaposed images of the Lebanese capital’s city life and avian migration across the Mediterranean Sea, representing themes strongly woven into the music.

In her variegated artistic process, Nour has undertaken and recorded interviews with diasporas and repatriates to commemorate, share, heal, and envision. These source materials become the album’s core elements that loop, narrate, and return throughout time, with Nour responding with both instruments and her voice. Chanting in dialogue with the interviewees, crafting near-mantras, Nour further congregates these materially-rooted soundscapes by including field recordings that she gleaned during 2018–2021 in Lebanon and her subsequent move to Berlin.

Embedded within the composition are manipulated sounds from objects that symbolize migration, such as office bells, a luggage wheel, car parts, and bureaucratic paperwork. Musically, the songs are enriched by Nour’s improvisations on classical piano, electronics, synthesizers, violin, and various percussion instruments. As time is sculpted and the layers blur, words become specters, while an entropic orchestra of drums and melody rises, giving shape to an in-between space for those who have left, and stayed.

Music and artistic research by Nour Sokhon, 2018–2024. Recording, editing, and mixing by Rabih Beaini at Morphine Raum, Berlin. Mastered by Rashad Becker at Clunk.

Heather Maloney’s new album, Exploding Star was never intended to be released. Written after the death of her father, the songs were the most vulnerable body of work she had ever created - meant and written only for her. The idea of releasing an album went against her instincts to keep this art close. Luckily for us, her family convinced her otherwise. Maloney was able to track for 2 days in her childhood home - recording songs, backing vocals, the crickets in the yard and even percussion played directly on the walls and floors of the house itself. Maloney also played her father’s guitar and a keyboard that she had since she was a child. The result is raw and exquisitely personal, a collection of twelve songs urgently written at the time to help ease the “greatest heartbreak” of Maloney’s life but are thankfully and transcendentally now ours as well.

Pharoah Sanders' Love in Us All was recorded in 1972 but released on the Impulse! label in 1974. It consists of two extended compositions, "Love Is Everywhere" (which Sanders also recorded that year in a different version for his album Wisdom Through Music) and an homage to John Coltrane, titled "To John." Both serve as an aural representation of the way Sanders' music polarized the jazz world at the time. Ted Davis of Paste Magazine included "Love Is Everywhere" in his list of "The 10 Best Pharoah Sanders Songs," stating that it "captures his sound at its most wonderfully cosmic, esoteric and enlightening—a perfect distillation of all the things that made him such a singular and unforgettable artist." According to AllMusic writer Nathan Bush, "Coltrane himself never created a work as emotionally direct as 'Love Is Everywhere'.

Hip Hop Legends is a limited 45 series that reissues classics from the classic era of 90s rap and 'I Am I Be' comes with silky bars and storytelling lyrics over warm melancholic chords and subtle boom-bap beats. On the flip, things get stripped back a little as the same cut gets an instrumental. It's a version that allows those chords and some gentle horns as well as big guitar licks to really shine while the groove continues to roll on.

Robot 84 has fired up his machines and kicked out four superb new jams for this latest Magic Wand release. Opener 'AGAL' is a slow, percolating jam with shimmery synths and squelchy bass then 'Galaxies' brings some dusty broken beats and sugar chords for a nice laidback vibe. 'Feels Good' is another loose-limbed rhythm with wispy pads, DIY percussive sounds and bass that is rich in reverb. Last of all is 'Where Is The Dub' which slows things right to a crawl with plucked guitars and loads more echo to sink into.

After a string of celebrated releases for labels like Eglo, Neroli, and Sounds Familiar, Patrick Gibin unveils his debut album on his own Mother Tongue imprint, showcasing his signature dedication to all things deep and soulful.


Standout collaborations include tracks with Kaidi Tatham, such as “Gear Up Rudi!” and “Let It Go,” with Kaidi also delivering a rare vocal performance on the title track. Patrick’s early house and acid influences shine on “No Matter What” and “Joint Purpose (Alternative Mix),” while his notorious love for boogie is on full display in “Team Spirit” and the Sandra St. Victor collaboration, “Come Mornin’.”


Sandra, best known as the powerhouse voice of The Family Stand, brings her unmistakable vocal brilliance to the album, enhancing its emotional depth and soulful energy. The album closes with the mellow outro “In This Together,” another title that shows the mindframe and ethic behind Mother Tongue in all its endeavours. This collective spirit is further reflected in the contributions of Italian talents Edoardo della Bitta and Alberto Lincetto, whose musical artistry added a vital dimension to the album’s rich and soulful sound.
It’s all about Strength in Numbers!

The first Jazzamor Vinyl Release!
12 selected and newly edited songs from 20 years of Jazzamor history.
"20 years of Jazzamor with over 100 songs and 13 albums released. Concerts all over the world. Encounters with many interesting people in many countries. Places we look back to with loving memories. And although we currently cannot travel them all music connects them. Music goes beyond borders. Thankfully!
20 years in which we were fortunate to collaborate with fantastic musicians and technicians who inspired us and enriched our music. We are grateful to have had you with us and we look forward to discover new things with you."

Paris-based talent Manda Moor arrives on Hot Creations for the first time this May with the three-track The Climax EP, continuing a standout 2022 for the Danish-Filipino artist.

Rustling with tribal undertones and a rolling four-four groove, The Climax instantly transports us to the dancefloor and beyond. Jungle-like melodies live beside infectious lyrical samples before the minimal-sounds of Sandy Groove soon arrive, as fast-paced drums drift beneath a pummelling bassline throughout. Besame rounds things off, ratcheting up the tempo with bell-like percussion and driving kick-hat combos, forming an upbeat, club-ready cut.

Manda Moor has fast-become an esteemed force in contemporary house circles. Racking up acclaimed releases on labels such as Kaluki, Tamango and DJ Pierre’s Afro Acid, her MOOD EDITS series - in conjunction with Sirus Hood - has garnered support from true industry heavyweights, including Pete Tong, The Martinez Brothers and Loco Dice to name a few. Each edition of MOOD EDITS has reached the number one spot on Bandcamp’s House / Deep House / Minimal chart, proof of Manda’s keen ear for production, whilst her club and festival sets include performances at Amnesia, The BPM Festival, Elrow and many more besides.

Securing his place in the scene as a mainstay after consecutively acclaimed releases on his own record label and beyond as well as lengthy touring around the globe's best venues, Altinbas returns to Token the only way he knows how. The Fuse resident's ethereal mark on driven techno comes this time with an aquatic touch, diving further into his bubbly architecture and melodic intrigue.

'Voyage' can mean many things; the past few years have been an incessant trip across the world's greatest sound systems and most dedicated audiences for the Belgian producer, or then perhaps it's a reference to the climactic and emotional nature of his productions. In any case, it's also the title track for his third EP on Token Records. Balancing warmth and anticipation, Altinbas is able pack in all the elements of a timeless record while still providing the space to breathe. Smooth and introspective, 'Voyage' kicks off the EP on a cloud of a club roller. 'Stygious Night' shares the first side with a more minimal but nonetheless effective approach. The tonal synth work on this record begs for a powerfully round system worthy of only the best dancefloors, and the space that washes around in the background gives it true dimension. Maintaining minimalism with structure through drum arrangement, 'Stygious Night' is reminiscent of a not so distant past in Berlin crafted with a clearly modern approach. As the record flips, 'Venus Ballroom' takes us by surprise with an uncommonly resonant sound at the forefront. This stylistic switch blends perfectly with historic tracks on the label that have come to define its sound since 2007. Hypnotic, psychotic, quirky, and mental - 'Venus Ballroom' proves a deep understanding of the music and appreciation of versatility. 'Psychosphere' closes down the EP with a classic sound of dissonant stabs to resonate through a foggy room. Altinbas highlights his sound with frantic clap sequences and short rides to keep his percussion rolling but dry while his synths create the acoustic he's been known to craft for the past few years. To have everyone agree on level of taste and technical capability is tough, which is why this certainly won't be the last time Altinbas will team up with Token to roll out his cutting-edge work.

Another instant classic 45 guaranteed to be all over DJs set lists. With their sophomore full length coming in September, they treat us to another bomb of a two sider. Side A is a cover of the Dr Dre hit XXplosive done up in proper BRSB fashion, smashing drums and steel pans playing the lead and bass lines. They take this one into new territory by adding synth parts and dubbed out horn lines playing Nate Dogg's infamous vocal hook melodies. Side B takes on one of NYCity's grimiest Hip Hop club anthems, Mobb Deep's Burn . We decided to do this tune and demoed it out long before the unfortunate passing of Prodigy. Unfortunately, he will never get to hear this cover, and that has been one of the nicest things in covering some of these more current Hip Hop tunes. Rest In Peace P. BRSB manages to do it again.....a version equally as raw and punchy as the original. Pans bang out the iconic riff from the original, theremin ushers in the changes, and the low rubble of the synth bass is sure to crush the subwoofers.