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In den letzten paar Jahren haben wir alle den Sinn für die Zeit verloren, aber es muss so um 2023 herum gewesen sein, dass Robert Rotifer, Journalist, Singer-Songwriter und zeitweiser Gitarrist/Bassist bei allen möglichen Bands, von Louis Philippe & The Night Mail über Swansea Sound, Penrose Web, Papernut Cambridge, André Heller, Keiron Phelan bis hin zu Fay Hallam's Band, seinen Freund Kenji, Ex-Sänger der deutschen Sunshine-Pop-Sensation Friedrich Sunglight, fragte, warum er eigentlich in keinen Bands mehr singt. Das war der Auslöser einer Zusammenarbeit, aus der zuerst langsam, dann immer schneller, eine üppige LP gewachsen ist, auf der neben Robert & Kenji noch der elegante post-Glam Veteran John Howard, das große junge Wiener Talent Leo Schlager alias The Zew, die lebende She-Punk-Legende Helen McCookerybook und der beliebteste singende Drummer der britischen Indie-Szene Ian Button zu hören sind. Die ursprüngliche Idee war, dass Robert Songs für Kenjis glockenklare, wendige Stimme schreiben sollte, was stilistisch automatisch eine melodiöse Baroque Pop-Richtung suggerierte. Als nächstes entwickelte sich ein textliches Thema, vom Opener "Considering", einem Lied an einen Freund, der seinen Weg verloren hat, über Songs der Ermutigung ("Things to do in Winter", "Stay With Us", "The More That I Think About What We Should Do") zu Songs über den feindseligen Zustand der Welt ("The Words", "Listen to the News", "Sense of Time"). Was für Rotifer als eine Reihe von Heim-Demos an Gitarre und Tasten in ungewohnten Tonarten (für Kenjis Stimme) begann, wuchs bald zu größeren Arrangements heran, angereichert durch Ian Buttons Drums, seine Stimme, weitere Instrumente und sein Ohr für einen guten Mix. Kenji und Rotifer hörten noch mehr am Horizont und beschlossen, dass dieses Material noch mehr verschiedene stimmliche Schattierungen gebrauchen konnte. Während Robert seine über den Kontinent verstreuten Freund:innen John (Südspanien), Helen (London) und Leo (Wien) für Vocal-Takes gewinnen konnte, die Ian in den Mix einfließen ließ, schrieb Roberts Tochter Emma gerade eine Seminararbeit an der Uni darüber, wie in der Independent-Musik-Szene Arbeit organisiert ist. Sie kam zu dem Ergebnis, dass das Musiker:innen-Netzwerk, in dem ihr Vater sich herumtreibt, einer Theorie der gegenseitigen Unterstützung gleicht, die man "Radical Friendship" nennt. Also widmete Rotifer dieser Idee noch einen Song, den er diesmal selber sang (nebst dem Schluss-Song "Is This Real Enough?"). Am Ende ergab es sich, dass alle Beteiligten auf jeweils einem Track die Haupt- oder Nebenstimme und auf allen anderen Songs unterstützende Harmonien singen. Auf diese Weise wurde das Album per se zu einer Verkörperung von Radical Friendship, nicht in der Theorie, sondern in der Praxis. Radical Friendship Theory is keine Band. Es ist ein liebevoll arrangierter Reigen von Songs in vielen verschiedenen Stilen, von Baroque Pop zu Psychedelia, Power Pop, Country Rock bis zu Bücherwurm-Indie, interpretiert von einem Kreis von Freund:innen, der sich immer erweitern und wandeln kann. Rotifer, der während der Fertigstellung des Albums von Canterbury nach Berlin gezogen ist, wird diese Songs in verschiedenen Städten mit verschiedenen Musiker:innen spielen, von Wien über London bis Glasgow, Hamburg, wahrscheinlich Berlin und Paris, wo immer seine radical friends zuhause sind. Indessen bringt das britische Label Spinout Nuggets die Studio-Version des Stoff in seiner Original-Besetzung heraus - eine Zelebrierung menschlicher, kreativer Freundschaft als lebensrettende Alternative zu einer Welt der digitalen Pseudokommunikation und künstlich geschürter Konflikte.

Umfangreiches neues Livealbum der kalifornischen Pop-Punk-Helden The Story So Far, aufgenommen in Boston und Los Angeles während ihrer jüngsten Headliner-Tour 2024 durch die USA. Auf ihrem eigenen Indielabel, Oak Grove Records.

Das 1981 erstmals erschienene Album „Give the People What They Want“ setzte den Erfolg der Kinks
aus den frühen 80er-Jahren mit ihrem direkten, gitarrenlastigen Sound und pointierten, zeitgenössischen
Themen fort. Als eines ihrer erfolgreichsten Alben in den USA enthält es herausragende Titel wie „Destroyer“, „Better Things“ und „Around the Dial“. Diese Edition von 2026 wurde von den Originalquellen
neu gemastert und bietet verbesserte Klarheit, Definition und Ausgewogenheit, wobei der Charakter und
die Energie der Originalmixe erhalten blieben.
Das 1979 erstmals veröffentlichte Album „Low Budget“ markierte mit seinem härteren, stadiontauglichen
Sound einen Wendepunkt in der späten Karriere der Kinks. Es avancierte zu einem der stärksten US-Alben
der Band und gilt bis heute als eines der prägendsten Alben ihrer späten 70er-Jahre.
Diese Edition von 2026 wurde von den Originalquellen neu gemastert und bietet verbesserte Klarheit, Ausgewogenheit und Dynamik, ohne den Charakter des Originalmixes zu beeinträchtigen. Titel wie „(Wish I
Could Fly Like) Superman“, „Catch Me Now I’m Falling“ und der Titelsong profitieren von einer detaillierteren und fokussierteren Wiedergabe.

Das 1981 erstmals erschienene Album „Give the People What They Want“ setzte den Erfolg der Kinks
aus den frühen 80er-Jahren mit ihrem direkten, gitarrenlastigen Sound und pointierten, zeitgenössischen
Themen fort. Als eines ihrer erfolgreichsten Alben in den USA enthält es herausragende Titel wie „Destroyer“, „Better Things“ und „Around the Dial“. Diese Edition von 2026 wurde von den Originalquellen
neu gemastert und bietet verbesserte Klarheit, Definition und Ausgewogenheit, wobei der Charakter und
die Energie der Originalmixe erhalten blieben.
Das 1979 erstmals veröffentlichte Album „Low Budget“ markierte mit seinem härteren, stadiontauglichen
Sound einen Wendepunkt in der späten Karriere der Kinks. Es avancierte zu einem der stärksten US-Alben
der Band und gilt bis heute als eines der prägendsten Alben ihrer späten 70er-Jahre.
Diese Edition von 2026 wurde von den Originalquellen neu gemastert und bietet verbesserte Klarheit, Ausgewogenheit und Dynamik, ohne den Charakter des Originalmixes zu beeinträchtigen. Titel wie „(Wish I
Could Fly Like) Superman“, „Catch Me Now I’m Falling“ und der Titelsong profitieren von einer detaillierteren und fokussierteren Wiedergabe.

Le Ceez is one of those OG Chicago House heads that we all know, admire and respect. As a kid, he was soaked in a huge serving of WGCI and WBMX, learning the chops with a mad famous house music cousin and religiously studying Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles’ edits.

He’s done a few things out there, but nothing beats his edits, his DJ skills, and his knowledge. Maybe you’ve heard similar tunes before, but don’t be fooled—this is the real deal to all of us who know a thing or two in the Windy City. So, here at Stilove4music, we stick together around Le Ceez and are proud to share his first batch of disco goodies.

born (literally) in fire, soma flared briefly as the alchemical pairing of two unique and dynamic musicians. david thrussell and pieter bourke met through mutual friends in the artistic melting-pot of early 1990s elwood, melbourne, australia. bourke was an integral member of the gothically ambient eden, thrussell frontman of anarchic industrial combo snog. both admired each others work, and though some considered them an unlikely combination, something rather potent was brewing which drew them inexorably together.

initially bourke joined snog live and then in the studio, contributing mightily to their epic second album ‘dear valued customer’. as a natural result of their friendship and muse, thrussell and bourke instituted their own project, soma, to explore the intersections of arcane and mysterious technologies. the first soma album “hollow earth” was released to acclaim.

soon after, thrussell was awoken by a 3am knock on his door. bourke was now homeless - the result of a devastating fire that had just torn through his apartment and studio - and he needed somewhere to sleep. this is when work on ‘the inner cinema’ began, with bourke and thrussell ensconced in the same dwelling, able to write and record around the clock (often only leaving to plan the next session while dining at local vegan eateries).

at the time thrussell was obsessed by the testosterone bravado and haunting alienation of ‘spaghetti-western’ theme songs, while bourke brought his love of all things percussive and the other-worldly atmospherics of arvo pärt (with the outer-space dub of king tubby) to the mix. together, on a diet of blood-plum sago, fortean times and lingering smoke fumes, they concocted their dadaist brew.

magical and unforgettable, ‘the inner cinema’ stands apart and outside of the musical mainstream. since its 1996 release the album has developed a mythical reputation and is spoken of in hushed and adulating tones among acolytes of atmospheric and electronic music. you hold in your hands a lovingly remastered deluxe reissue of this sonorous gem.

time marches on, and after a few more sporadic soma recordings bourke and thrussell moved on to other pastures. bourke would work with dead can dance, lisa gerrard and hollywood auteur michael mann, as thrussell toured regularly with snog and black lung, cut some interesting soundtracks and birthed the idiosyncratic omni recording corporation.

expelled from its fiery crucible, this dark jewel of sound, this soundtrack of the mind, has lain in the soft earth awaiting rediscovery. fluid metabolic rhythms and breathy washes of timeless melancholy pulsing, inviting, in the warm soil. now is your chance.

Jennifer Touch release her next LP 'Aging at Airports' on Fabrika Records. The idea for the record title came before the music even existed as Touch was spending an increasing amount of time in airports while touring. In her own words: "It felt like I waste a large part of my life waiting for the next show to come, to entertain and perform my music and build timeless moments with others. This waiting, the slowly ticking time at the gate, was in complete contrast to what I want to do as an artist: to be in flux, to create things that will last forever. The airport, as a busy hub, was like a symbol of this ambivalence. And a reminder: every second, whether waiting or on the move, I have to accept that I am fading, that my creative power, my face, and my body are fading. As a (performing) artist, everything feels like a strange contrast. While you want to stay true to yourself and speak authentically from the soul, you are also expected to appear forever young, and powerful. Artists are often wanted to distract people, but creating this art forces me to confront my own transience. I feel the struggle to fit into this powerful artificial framework that the world has set and the desire to break free from it."

2026 Repress

Kerouac presents a captivating five-track vinyl-only EP on Murmurations, showcasing groove-rich basslines, intricate percussion and deep rhythmic textures into a dancefloor-ready package. The A-side kicks off with "Gravity", a hypnotic excursion of looping stabs and rolling percussion, before sliding into "Active Meditation", a deep, driving cut built on smooth stabs and an elastic bassline. The flip opens with "Official Line", a tumbling low-end roller with layered vocal chops and crisp percussion. "Chugs" lives up to its name, a relentless groove packed with vocal hooks and a thick, chugging bass. Finally, "Too Sea Bee" winds things down with warm chord progressions and a funky, laid-back vibe that leaves a lasting glow.

Lunatic Music returns with its next transmission — welcoming Remmy of Tokyo's underground into the fold.

A record that captures a sound that feels both loose and locked-in — tripped-out, playful, and quietly powerful. Having already been circulating in the right hands from Shibuya to deeper underground pockets across Asia and beyond, these tracks arrive tested and ready.

When The Dawn Breaks sets the tone with a bumping bassline that will get the room feeling much lighter, Ron Zepplin follows with a tougher edge, drawing inspiration that can only be described as Chicago sounds.Flip it and things get real, Underground is this hypnotic number that will command the dancefloor, vocals accompanied by some mind bending synth lines, time for the lunatics to transcend! Finishing off we got some remix treatment from across Timor sea, Fraktal of Indonesia put there spin on things with a stripped back mix.


Cosmic, Dance, and beyond — Another one for the bag.

High Roller Records, reissue 2022, black vinyl, ltd 250, lyric sheet, poster, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel/ Temple of Disharmony
“Urm the Mad” was Protector’s sophomore album, recorded in the summer of 1989 at the Phönix Studio in Bochum, where the four-piece from Wolfsburg had already recorded their killer full-length debut “Golem”. Urm the Mad” was to become the last album before the split in 2003 that features Martin Missy; he should be replaced by Olly Wiebel in December 1989. Protector did not change too much about their style – genre-defining early thrash/death – but one of the most notable things about “Urm the Mad” was the sound: The album is famous for its heavy, noisy, dirty sound, for its raw production that makes the music all the more evil and menacing, with guitars in the front and Martin’s unmistakeable vocals lying on the riffs like poisonous mould. “Urm the Mad” is thrash metal walking the path of death. Protector’s special blend of thrash and death metal has always set them apart from their compatriots and even inspired German metal tabloid Rock Hard to declare Protector to be “Germany’s hardest band” – and this in 1989, the year both Kreator’s “Extreme Aggression” and Sodom’s “Agent Orange” were released! Protector, too, play fast and energetic thrash, but the overall feel of the album is that of creeping, lurking evil – crawling along on frequently slowed down, heavy riffs and Martin Missy’s sick death-like growls which seem to come straight from the charnel house. “Urm the Mad” does not sport that “positive” aggression usually found in 80’s thrash; on the contrary, the album is grim, dark and desperate, but nonetheless brutal and extreme. Back in the days, Protector’s contribution to the then-proliferating Teutonic thrash was mainly recognized within the underground scene, and the metal press played its own part in keeping Protector a bit below the radar: “We got pretty much the same response as we got for ‘Golem’: Good, positive feedback from our fans and ‘ok’-reviews from the bigger metal magazines.” Time to make up for that.

Crackazat returns to Freerange for his latest EP entitled Shine, and sees the artist in his finest form to date! An absolute anthem in the making the title track appears here in Club Mix and Mana’s Dub form, plus an amazing flip of Crouching Tiger from Baltimore legend Karizma Shine is a soulful, jazz-inflicted epic which will have any dance floor worth it’s salt fully locked in. Crackazat’s own vocals bring hints of Jamiroquai whilst his production calls golden era MAW and Blaze to mind. Add an incredible arrangement, live horns, bass and drums to this already heady concoction and you get an idea of why we’re so excited about this release. These kind of club tracks are few and far between these days! Next up we have one of Crackazat’s own Mana’s Dubs of Shine.

A chance for Ben to strip things back, loop things up and dub things out. Keeping the funk intact, we’re treated to a feelgood party-starting house track which has a classic sound that can’t fail to warm the cockles! Flip over for a proper curve-ball from everyone’s favourite Baltimore house hero Karizma who turns Crouching Tiger into the kind of twisted, rolling, jazzy and leftfield workout we love him for. A driving force of the city’s underground, he always comes with the raw energy and fearless creativity. A staple of the dance floor and a leader beyond it, Karizma represents the past, present, and future of Baltimore House and once again proves why he’s such a don.

Drop this one and run for cover whilst the dancers throw crazy shapes! Closing out the EP we have Crackazat’s Mana’s Dub take on previous single Watchu Say. Looping up the killer piano hook and his live bass line, Ben manages to craft the kind of warm, uplifting slice of house music which simply works. And for those who love a big drop, this one should fit the bill with a trademark Mana’s Dub seratonin-boosting build that hits all the right buttons.

Italian producer Gledd has been quietly carving out a reputation for groove-led house music that balances raw dancefloor energy with rich musicality. Drawing on influences that span gospel, afrobeat, and classic deep house, his productions channel both heritage and forward-thinking club culture. My House Is Your Church marks his debut release on Delusions Of Grandeur - a fitting home for his expansive, souldrenched sound - and signals a bold new chapter in his evolution as an artist.

The EP opens with On His Way, a percussion-heavy deep roller built for maximum dancefloor impact. Anchored by fat, heavyweight production and a massive low-end presence, the track surges forward with relentless energy. An incredible gospel vocal cuts through the mix, elevating the groove into something transcendent - equal parts spiritual and physical. On It’s Not That Easy, Gledd leans further into his gospel house influences. Highimpact and rhythmically rich, the track weaves together organ fills and subtle tropical flourishes, creating a vibrant, sun-soaked energy while keeping the pressure firmly on the floor.

It’s a track that feels both uplifting and commanding. Flipping to the B-side, Habibi Gospel pushes into more “outernational” territory. A wild, expressive lead vocal takes center stage, riding atop a heavy, driving groove. Organ stabs punctuate the rhythm, locking dancers into a hypnotic flow that bridges cultures and styles with effortless confidence. Closing the EP, Can You Hear My Noise? brings things to a richly textured finale. Slightly more organic in feel, it blends echoing synth stabs, percussive melodic lines, and chopped vocals into a melting pot of sound. The result is a seamless fusion of gospel, afrobeat, and classic house - deep, emotive, and undeniably danceable. With My House Is Your Church, Gledd delivers a statement of intent: music as ritual, the dancefloor as sanctuary.

Next up on Minato Music is ‘Caught Me Falling’, a new 4-track EP by Naibu featuring 4 cuts of pure drum n bass that will please fans from all corners. Following up his genre bending solo album ‘Abandon’, Naibu returns to pure 170bpm form with this release, going back to a sound he’s well know for: deep, beautiful, breakbeat driven music. Starting off with ‘Descente’, a deep diving, emotional roller that takes you on a musical journey, followed by ‘Les Profondeurs’, a dark, more intense blend of vintage Reinforced and Soul:R flavours. On the flip side, Naibu revisits one of his older, personal favourites, ‘The Way You Turn’, which gets the 2026 treatment in a simplified, straight to the point rolling version. A club weapon tailored for DJs and an absolute joy in the mix.
To finish things off, title track ‘Caught Me Falling’ is a more laid back number, featuring original drums from upcoming talent Joe Mandeno. This track is a serious nod to late 90s 4hero, one for the late evenings and early mornings.

Sleater-Kinney feiern das 30-jährige Jubiläum ihres zweiten Albums ,Call the Doctor" mit einer neuen Vinyl-Ausgabe auf "Northern Light"-farbenem Vinyl. Sleater-Kinney ist eine gefeierte amerikanische Rockband, die 1994 in Olympia, Washington, gegründet wurde. Die Kernbesetzung der Band besteht aus Corin Tucker (Gesang und Gitarre), Carrie Brownstein (Gitarre und Gesang) und Janet Weiss (Schlagzeug). Sleater-Kinney waren bekannt für ihre feministische, linksgerichtete Politik und waren ein fester Bestandteil der Riot-Grrrl- und Indie-Rock-Szene im pazifischen Nordwesten. Call the Doctor ist Sleater-Kinneys zweites Studioalbum. Es wurde von John Goodmanson produziert und ursprünglich am 25. März 1996 bei Chainsaw Records veröffentlicht. Das Album wird oft als Sleater-Kinneys erstes richtiges Album angesehen, da Tucker und die Co-Sängerin und Gitarristin Carrie Brownstein zum Zeitpunkt der Aufnahmen ihre früheren Bands, Heavens to Betsy und Excuse 17, verlassen hatten. Die Besetzung bestand aus Corin Tucker (Gesang, Gitarre), Carrie Brownstein (Gitarre, Gesang) und Lora Macfarlane (Schlagzeug, Gesang). Call the Doctor landete 1996 auf Platz drei der ,Pazz & Jop"-Kritikerumfrage von The Village Voice. 2010 wurde das Album von der Redaktion des Rolling Stone auf Platz 49 der Liste der 100 besten Alben der Neunziger gewählt. ,Sleater-Kinney ist Amerikas beste Rockband" - Greil Marcus, Time (2001). ,Tauscht Sexarbeiterinnen-Rollenspiele, Puppenteile, Gender-Bending und andere gängige Female-Rock-Klischees gegen Geschichten vom alltäglichen Kampf ... Sleater-Kinney beweist, dass Punk immer noch neue Wege bietet, Nein zu sagen" - Johnny Ray Huston, SPIN

Odisea is the new album, actually the real debut from Los Retros, out in April on Stones Throw. It draws inspiration from 1980s Japanese City Pop, and marks a new creative chapter from Mauri Tapia shaped by growth, reflection, and renewed purpose. It's been a journey since Tapia first captured hearts with the lo-fi magic of "Someone To Spend Time With", recorded at the age of 17 on a humble four-track in his parents' living room. Now 25, the Oxnard native has stepped into an entirely new season of life - he married his high school sweetheart, became a father to two daughters, and embraced spiritual faith. Earlier this year, he revisited his start with Early Days (2016-2019), a compilation of unreleased music from Mauri's teen years. "Jazz fusion has become my favorite genre and greatest inspiration of all time," Mauri says. "I made this album for the version of me that first fell in love with music. It's my full-circle moment - a sonic hat tip to my beginnings - as well as a nod to the forefathers of jazz fusion and city pop for leaving us with great music." Through it all, he's kept the same DIY spirit, writing and recording every note himself, only now in a home studio of his own. On Odisea, Tapia blends neon-lit City Pop with the melodic sensibility of Latin American soft rock. Mauri's deep love for 70s and 80s jazz fusion records anchors the album, yet Tapia filters those influences through a modern lens. Odisea features two Japanese vocalists, - Hikari and HITOMITOI. Also check out Los Retros new compilation "Early Days" released simultaneously. RIYL soul, bedroom pop, indie, modern jazz, downtempo, soft rock, Mac DeMarco, Thee Sacred Souls, Skinshape, Men I Trust

Following the release of SUN, Crackazat’s stellar fourth album, we’re proud to present a limited repress of Evergreen — his debut album on Freerange Records, originally released in 2021. Long sought after by collectors and currently fetching up to £250 on Discogs, the LP is finally available once again — and at a far more reasonable price.

Invada Records präsentiert ,Stranger Things 5 - Original Score from the Netflix Series" mit Musik der zweimal für den Grammyr nominierten und mit dem Emmyr ausgezeichneten Komponisten Kyle Dixon und Michael Stein. ,Stranger Things 5" erscheint in zwei Teilen, die den Original-Soundtrack zur 5. Staffel sowie die Originalmusik aus dem Finale enthalten. Band Zwei umfasst 48 Titel, gepresst als 2LP auf ,Metallic Silver"-Vinyl. Musik ist seit der ersten Staffel ein fester Bestandteil der Serie, in der sie einen perfekt passenden Vintage- und unheimlichen Ton angab. In jeder Staffel hat sich die Musik von Dixon und Stein mit der Serie weiterentwickelt und spiegelt eine tiefe Verbindung zum Leben der Charaktere und den immer intensiveren Handlungssträngen wider. In den Annalen von Film und Fernsehen schaffen es bestimmte musikalische Themen, über das bewegte Bild hinauszuwachsen; unvergessliche Soundtracks besitzen die unheimliche Fähigkeit, eine Epoche, eine ganze Ästhetik zusammenzufassen. Die produktiven texanischen Musiker Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein sind verantwortlich für ein Werk, das gleichbedeutend ist mit der fiktiven Stadt Hawkins, Indiana - der übernatürlichen Kleinstadt im Zentrum des Netflix-Hits ,Stranger Things". Doch während die Kleinstadt im Laufe der Erfolgsserie zum unwahrscheinlichen Schauplatz einer übernatürlichen Schlacht wird, haben sich auch die Klangwelten von Dixon und Stein im Gleichschritt erweitert. Mittlerweile komponieren Stein und Dixon Musik für Spielfilme, Dokumentarserien und groß angelegte Installationen und spielen in der Band S U R V I V E. In der Tradition von Vorgängern wie John Carpenter und Zeitgenossen wie Oneohtrix Point Never nutzen Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein ihre lebenslange Leidenschaft für Synthesizer und elektronische Musik als Vehikel für überlebensgroße Visionen.

Invada Records präsentiert ,Stranger Things 5 - Original Score from the Netflix Series" mit Musik der zweimal für den Grammyr nominierten und mit dem Emmyr ausgezeichneten Komponisten Kyle Dixon und Michael Stein. ,Stranger Things 5" erscheint in zwei Teilen, die den Original-Soundtrack zur 5. Staffel sowie die Originalmusik aus dem Finale enthalten. Band Eins umfasst 47 Titel, gepresst als 2LP auf ,Metallic Bronze"-Vinyl. Musik ist seit der ersten Staffel ein fester Bestandteil der Serie, in der sie einen perfekt passenden Vintage- und unheimlichen Ton angab. In jeder Staffel hat sich die Musik von Dixon und Stein mit der Serie weiterentwickelt und spiegelt eine tiefe Verbindung zum Leben der Charaktere und den immer intensiveren Handlungssträngen wider. In den Annalen von Film und Fernsehen schaffen es bestimmte musikalische Themen, über das bewegte Bild hinauszuwachsen; unvergessliche Soundtracks besitzen die unheimliche Fähigkeit, eine Epoche, eine ganze Ästhetik zusammenzufassen. Die produktiven texanischen Musiker Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein sind verantwortlich für ein Werk, das gleichbedeutend ist mit der fiktiven Stadt Hawkins, Indiana - der übernatürlichen Kleinstadt im Zentrum des Netflix-Hits ,Stranger Things". Doch während die Kleinstadt im Laufe der Erfolgsserie zum unwahrscheinlichen Schauplatz einer übernatürlichen Schlacht wird, haben sich auch die Klangwelten von Dixon und Stein im Gleichschritt erweitert. Mittlerweile komponieren Stein und Dixon Musik für Spielfilme, Dokumentarserien und groß angelegte Installationen und spielen in der Band S U R V I V E. In der Tradition von Vorgängern wie John Carpenter und Zeitgenossen wie Oneohtrix Point Never nutzen Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein ihre lebenslange Leidenschaft für Synthesizer und elektronische Musik als Vehikel für überlebensgroße Visionen.

Politics. Hatred. Endless war. We doomscroll as our rights are stripped away. Bombings. Kidnappings. Mass shootings. The nightly news is a litany of brutality. Assassination. Subjugation. Deportation. We argue with each other while the rich get richer and cruelty is normalized. These are just a few of the reasons why the title of The Casualties" new album is Detonate. Detonate is the second chapter in a new epoch for The Casualties. As their second album with David Rodriguez at the mic, it solidifies the vocalist"s partnership with drummer Marc "Meggers" Eggers and guitarist Jake Kolatis . "It"s like a new era for the band," Meggers says. "It solidifies that Dave is here to stay." As the follow-up to 2018"s Written in Blood and their first record for Hellcat Records- the Epitaph subsidiary curated by Tim Armstrong of Rancid-Detonate sees this new version of The Casualties locking into place. "We were in the studio for Written in Blood about eight months after I joined," Rodriguez says. "With this new record, we really grew together. For me, it"s the proud moment where we clicked the three Legos together."

CROWD welcomes Gina Demarchi with 'Other Side', a driving 4-track EP that adds a new voice to the label's growing roster. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Gina Demarchi has spent the last nine years refining her signature hypnotic blend of tribal-infused grooves, rolling percussion and emotionally charged energy, showcasing a sound rooted in 2000s techno and dubbed chords. As a resident at the event series Fungi and founder of her own label Seduction, she has built a strong reputation through performances all across South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and beyond. Opening track 'Never Enough' immediately sets the tone. Powered by a tom-driven bassline, huge open hats and uplifting chord melodies, it moves with a propulsive forward energy that plants the listener firmly on the dancefloor from the first bar. Next up on the A-side is 'I'm In Love', where endlessly echoing warm chords churn above a pulsing low end while marching claps and driving percussion lock the track into pure peak-time territory, serving as a reliable anchor for any uncompromising techno set. The title track 'Other Side' leans deeper and groovier, combining a gliding bassline with swinging chord stabs and crisp percussion that give full focus to the track's powerful low-end movement. Sitting somewhere between hypnotic and relentless, it is perhaps the clearest expression of what makes Gina Demarchi's sound so compelling. Closing cut 'Lonely' strips things back but lands with maximum impact: fast-paced chord repetitions, tight closed hats and sub-heavy drums generate a sense of momentum, creating a track that feels explosive and intense without relying on excessive speed. With 'Other Side', Gina Demarchi delivers a high-impact debut that reflects both the raw spirit of her unmistakable sound and the identity of the CROWD universe. The 11th release of the label is another statement from a label that has consistently refused to follow trends, instead carving out a singular identity rooted in raw energy. Join us for a high energy release party on July 5th 2026 al Le Sucre in Lyon!

Mexico’s Phantom bring raw, unrelenting energy to speed and thrash metal, and their 2022 “Hellspeed Death” demo is now hitting a wider audience with a High Roller Records re-release, complete with two bonus tracks. “Hellspeed Death” remains a true demo in spirit: raw drums, gritty vocals and guitars that cut with sharp precision. The songs are steeped in old-school influences — early Slayer, Venom, Tank, Motörhead and Voivod — but still full of the band’s own ferocious personality. Tracks like ‘Payback,’ ‘Reaper’s Bane,’ and ‘Death Crusade’ race forward with galloping, punk-tinged thrash energy, while ‘Onslaught’ and ‘Speedhammer’ deliver blackened, high-velocity assaults that leave no room for compromise. Phantom write what matches the mood of the music: fast, loud, and aggressive themes like war, revenge, horror, and dark chaos, aiming to leave a mark and revitalize the underground. At this stage, the band had already experienced moments that hinted at bigger things to come. Thus, the new edition of “Hellspeed Death” showcases a fledgling band full of energy, attitude, and DIY ethos. Their mission has been clear from the outset: to push their music as far as it can go, play relentlessly, and prepare for a debut album (“Handed to Execution”, 2023) that eventually turned quite a few heads.

Having built a reputation through an impressive run of standout releases on labels such as Life and Death, United Identities, HOME//GRXWN. and Berg Audio, coupled with an ever-growing presence behind the scenes, Dutch DJ/producer M-HIGH arrives on Up The Stuss for his label debut with ‘What’s Going On’ - a four-track collection that shifts shape as it moves.

A friendship dating back years, with Chris having been a key early supporter of M-HIGH’s productions, regularly digging through fresh sketches and unreleased ideas while both artists carved their own individual paths, that connection now comes full circle here with a heavily anticipated first outing on the label that has long felt inevitable - it was simply a case of when.

Never holding still in one form for too long, he plays with tension and release across the individual tracks, balancing airy, vocal-led moments with weightier, more grounded rhythms, allowing each idea room to unfold without losing momentum. There’s a constant sense of motion that runs through the record from the first minute to the last, yet it’s an EP that showcases distinct sides to his growing sound across each production. Melodic passages drift in and out of focus, giving way to tougher, more angular sections before circling back again.

Subtle nods to classic house touches, from organs to retro-leaning motifs, are reframed through a more off-center lens and direction, while flashes of electro influence and low-slung grooves keep things unpredictable for the later hours. It’s a record that feels built for both peak dancefloor use and also the in-between moments, when the energy shifts, the room resets, and the direction isn’t quite locked yet.

Rawbeats Records returns to its main catalog with a heavyweight release from Mar del Plata’s own Juaan. Meticulously crafted between 2020 and 2022, these four tracks are essential peak-time weapons already backed by the scene’s biggest names.

A1. "Decihden" sets a relentless pace right out of the gate. It's built on a foundation of heavy, punchy kicks and a rolling, infectious bassline creating a high-energy, club-ready tool.
A2. "Fui Do Por", which shifts the EP into a slightly more hypnotic and spaced-out territory. Syncopated rhythms layered with dubby, atmospheric chords, create a solid tension that perfectly bridges the gap between warm-up and peak time.

B1. "Knt" goes straight for the business, heavy production, driven by raw drum work, acid-tinged squelches and underground flavor. Mixes into a perfect dark, constant, piece designed to lock the dancefloor into a pure trance-like state.

Closing things off is DC Salas Remix of KNT, Diego steps up to completely reinterpret the original, injecting a distinct percussive bounce and twisting the core stems into a darker, expansive journey. It serves as the perfect cerebral closer to a heavyweight EP.

Whether you’re cheering for Montreal or Boston, Hollanov always comes out on top. Relive every beat of Shane and Ilya’s yearslong rivalry--turned--romance with the official Heated Rivalry soundtrack on vinyl, featuring a curated selection of needle--d-rops from the series by Wolf Parade, Feist, t.A.T.u, Harrison and more, alongside selections from Peter Peter’s pulse-pounding, heart-m-elting original score, from the Vegas penthouse all the way to the cottage.

Pressed on two striking block-c-olored discs (Montreal Metros Blue/Red and Boston Raiders Black/Yellow), the deluxe gatefold edition includes printed sleeves, two trading cards, a fold-out poster, and liner notes by show creator Jacob Tierney.

Funky Trip steps into the spotlight with the hypnotic “Things will change EP”. Crafted for collectors and late-night selectors alike, this release unfolds a deep, immersive journey through hypnotic underground soundscapes.

Something Very Bad is Going to Happen is a brand new 2026 Netflix horror series produced by the Duffer Brothers, the creative minds behind the global hit Stranger Things. From the Executive Producers of Stranger Things, and the Director of Baby Reindeer, Something Very Bad is Going to Happen is on Netflix from March 26th. Created by Haley Z. Boston.

The music for the series is composed by Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Colin Stetson, renowned for his idiosyncratic use of saxophone in his projects. He has collaborated with acclaimed artists such as Bon Iver, Arcade Fire and The National, amongst others. Scoring Something Very Bad is Going to Happen builds on Stetson's extensive experience in film and game music. He has composed soundtracks for films like the psychological horror Hereditary (2018) and the dark thriller The Menu (2022), as well as the epic Rockstar game Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018). For this series, Stetson delivers a suspenseful soundtrack, perfectly complementing the Duffer Brothers' signature storytelling. A must-have release for fans!

The soundtrack of Something Very Bad is Going to Happen is available as a limited edition on red vinyl and includes an insert.

These days – on the new, ninth Fink album – Greenall is operating within a lineage of authentic, quietly revolutionary artists from England’s verdant southwestern toe. Artists like Michael Chapman. In 1970, the elusive acoustic guitar wizard released an album called Fully Qualified Survivor. The cult-classic served as a lodestar for Greenall – along with bandmates Tim Thornton and Guy Whittaker – as he began jigsawing together The City Is Coming to Erase it All, the follow-up to 2024’s Beauty In Your Wake. He even considered covering a song from it, but in the process, inadvertently stumbled into what became the album’s opener. ‘Wishing For Blue Sky’ circles a universal teenage ache: waiting for life to start. “No point dying of patience” goes the first lyric as crunching footsteps cue a resonant, open-tuned acoustic swaying into view. By 18, Greenall was fed up with waiting, so he left suburban Bristol and saw the world, sending postcards from the edge, waiting tables, squirreling away tips for the next flight. Thornton had similar experiences when the guitarist/drummer busked across Eur

This is nowstalgia more than nostalgia, though; there’s a parallel between these 18-year-olds and Fink’s autumn-aged family men. “You’re expected to be boring and settling down at this age,” Thornton says. “But we’ve still got this tremendous wanderlust. We want to go and discover, and also achieve things. It’s a nice life – home and family – but fuck, I can’t wait to get back out there.” City is a product of this hunger for discovery, and idolatry of the album as a form – like we had in 1974. City’s cover mirrors its interior, the first song is the greeting, the instrumental closer the conclusion. It’s a story. It’s a record for people who, like its creators, are curious. People who happily face a little cold for music, who light a crackling fire back home, who sit with these songs until they’re ready to chase after their own blue sky

LTD Edition, Artwork by John Frusciante

LP1 New album
LP2 Available on vinyl for the first time
LP3/4 Debut album on green vinyl
LP5 Second album on red vinyl

When I recorded the first 2 Trickfinger records, I had recently discovered that you could make electronic music in a room with a bunch of synced machines going at the same time, record it on a
CD burner and have a finished track. I've heard this process described as “overdubbing into the air”. It was as exciting to me as my first 4 track was when I was 14. I wasn't trying to be good, or
original. I was just excited that music could be made that way; it felt like I was a whole group of musicians playing together… or like I was jamming with ghosts of myself. This has actually been a
very common way of making electronic music since the 80s, particularly in the main pioneering genres like Chicago Acid and Detroit Techno, but anyways I didn't figure it out until 2006. In 2007,
I started doing it myself, which resulted in what was eventually released as Trickfinger, and Trickfinger II. I was just home from tour and was still in the middle of recording The Empyrean.

A couple of years later I started making music by overdubbing onto a computer, but using the same machines. I tried to make music that didn't sound like anything else. I saw a way of combining
Progressive Rock and Synth Pop which nobody had done. And I was combining my songwriting and guitar playing with these old machines in a way which I was sure was unique. I had reached a point
where it was more important to do something original than to do something good, whatever “good” means.

Some of this music did not get a proper release, and is compiled here as the vinyl record High Low. I don't think I have ever tried so hard at making music as I did during that period. This in contrast to
those two Trickfinger records, where I wasn't trying at all. There’s something to be said for both mental states. When you're in one, the other seems impossible. I was really pushing myself on High
Low. Looking back, it was as if I had an audience inside myself, driving me to go beyond my abilities, while at the same time I had a total disregard for any concept of an actual audience. It
was one of those periods in life where things come together in a certain way that feels natural at the time, but seems foreign in retrospect. It felt like I was going to die if I didn't do something musically
different.

The fourth record in this box is me breaking in a new mixing console, making live-to-stereo music. The record is called Rotation, and it is all new music. These tracks are more in the “not trying”
category, since we're on that subject. I had just come home from tour, and was just really glad to be in the studio with my machines. Acid Test thought it would be nice to do a box set commemorating the 10th anniversary of the release of Trickfinger, and so we put together this box set, with homemade cover art.
John Frusciante 2026

A catalyst for all sorts of noise-making endeavors, Bob Bellerue embraces chaos as a positive force. As a musician, he harnesses the violent timbres and textures from feedback clashing against piano wires, amplifiers, metal, zithers, electronics etc. He's also been central in harnessing community through his long standing Ende Tymes festival in New York, providing an intersectional platform for all voices to utter their noise. To a polite society, things such as chaos, noise, and anarchy threaten the normative structures that can assert control and maintain power over others. Bellerue qualifies his practice as a form of sonic animism, in which engages with that which is unheard in materials, equipment, and their relationships, developing a process of amplified discovery. The unhinged, the unquantifiable, and the unknowable are all possible outcomes in Bellerue's expansive works.

Chaos Is A Law is a macrotonal album, whose expressive de-centralization originates from rasping noise, intense textural accretions, brutalist drone, and inharmonic ambience. For all of the sustained harmonics and dissonant frequencies, the album is in constant motion, with Bellerue pushing dynamics that build, rupture, collapse and reform with an almost organic morphology. At times, it boils with a feral intensity. At others, its muscularity collapses into peculiar almost half-melodic figures, mutated within all the distortion. One could look to the free noise practitioners from New Zealand (e.g. A Handful Of Dust, Birchville Cat Motel, Surface of the Earth) or to the alchemical dronescaping of Stephen O'Malley and Organum. Yet, Bellerue's work maintains a bespoke tactility that is uniquely his.

In Bellerue's words, "The universe is a feedback loop. Creating and destroying. Growing and decaying. Loving and dying. Expanding and contracting. The big bang is the end result of everything merging together in the biggest black hole ever and then erupting into being over and over again. Praise chaos!"

Between Tides marks the next chapter for Deep Steppe—a various artists cut balancing forward motion with the deeper foundation the label’s built on. The A-side leans into a newer lane. Mungo Sound Machine opens with a direct, no-frills party starter. Ballan follows, bringing an overseas touch that stretches the palette—loose, rolling, and just off-center in the right way. On the flip, things return to deeper territory. Kerouac kicks off the B-side with a funky, stripped-back groover—effective across a range of settings. Closing the record, Adam Rose, Miro, & JJ Selects come together on a collaborative tune. Subtle, patient, and dialed in. Two sides, one current.

Fabienne Delsol ist mit ihrem fünften Soloalbum zurück! Seit der Veröffentlichung ihres ersten Soloalbums "No Time For Sorrows" im Jahr 2004 hat Fabienne ihren einzigartigen Mix aus Neo- und klassischem Psych, Ye-Ye und vom 60er-Jahre-Beat inspiriertem Pop immer weiter verfeinert. Jetzt steht sie kurz vor der Veröffentlichung ihres brandneuen Studioalbums "Indigo Red". Fabiennes Aufnahme von ,I'm Gonna Haunt You" (aus dem 2004er Album No Time For Sorrows) war in der zweiten Staffel der erfolgreichen BBC-Serie Killing Eve zu hören und machte ihre Musik einem breiteren Publikum zugänglich. Seit ihrem 2019er Album "Four" hat Fabienne an Tracks für ihr neues Album "Indigo Red" gearbeitet. Dies ist ihr erstes Album, das in den Gizzard Studios unter der Leitung von Ed Deegan (ehemals Toe Rag Studios) aufgenommen und von Delsol und Deegan gemeinsam produziert wurde. Mit dabei ist ein erstklassiges Team von Musikern, darunter Thomas Gardner, Carwyn Ellis, Bradley Burgess und Rupert Brown. Das Album vereint neue Originalsongs mit Coverversionen von Künstlern wie Silver Apples, The Count Five, Sharon Tandy und Francoise Hardy.

"It began somewhere between sleep and memory.
After first meeting in dreams, in Brussels and Berlin, on landscapes that felt strangely close to Vilnius, Marija Rasa aka emer and Ugnė Uma leisurely rewrote those visions into songs.

What followed became a collection of moments suspended in idle summers, familiar faces, gentle motions, skin touched by golden sun. These songs wander through closeness and distance, tracing the delicate emotional shifts between us, who almost understand each other completely.

‘you and me’ lives in the space where magical realism meets everyday intimacy: honey-colored evenings, recurring thoughts, and the slow surrender to things unfolding on their own."

Kassel Jaeger (alias François J. Bonnet) kehrt nach ,Swamps / Things" (SP119), ,Shifted in Dreams" (SP144) und der jüngsten Neuauflage des Klassikers ,Zauberberg" (SP068) - einem gemeinsam mit Akira Rabelais und Stephan Mathieu komponierten Werk - zu Shelter Press zurück. Mit diesem bedeutenden neuen Album mit dem Titel ,Sub Re" setzt Bonnet seine langjährige Erforschung der musikalischen Möglichkeiten von Klang fort. Dabei erweitert er den konkreten Ansatz, den er bei der Groupe de Recherches Musicales (dem historischen und bedeutenden Pariser Studio, das Bonnet seit 2018 leitet) entwickelt hat, und belebt ihn neu durch eine Herangehensweise, die sich weniger auf die klare Manifestation von Klangmaterial als vielmehr auf dessen mehrdeutige Evokation konzentriert. ,Sub re" kann im Lateinischen ,unter dem Ding, unter der Substanz, unter der Materie" bedeuten. Genau dieser direkte Zugang zur Musik, der sich auf die Gewinnung von rohem Klangmaterial stützt, bildet die Grundlage dieses Albums. ,Under the matter" verweist somit auf den konkreten Aspekt der Musik, jedoch nicht auf das Konkrete, das verklärt wird und zu Dampf und Form wird, zum Substrat einer Idee. Vielmehr verweist es auf das Konkrete unter dem Konkreten, in der Immanenz der Klänge, in ihrem Werden, als treibende Kraft, wie eine Flut, wie ein Gewölbe aus gebieterischer und mächtiger Materie. Um dies zu erreichen, greift Bonnet auf eine Vielzahl von Klangquellen (akustisch, elektronisch, natürlich oder künstlich, absichtlich geschaffen oder zufällig gefunden) und eine Vielzahl von Kontexten und Anlässen zurück, um ihnen Gestalt zu verleihen. Der Satz ,a shell, a bell, a spell" (etwa: eine Muschel, eine Glocke, ein Zauber) war beispielsweise erstmals während eines Konzerts in Venedig zu hören, das im Zusammenhang mit Latifa Echakhchs Beitrag zum Schweizer Pavillon auf der Kunstbiennale 2022 organisiert wurde, während der letzte Satz auf der Platte, ,signalmirror", ein Stück abschloss, das 2023 auf der ersten Sound-Biennale in Sion (Schweiz) präsentiert wurde. Diese Elemente, geformt und losgelöst von ihrem ursprünglichen Kontext des Erscheinens, von den Orten und Menschen, die sie ermöglichten und ihnen lauschten, tragen zu einer komplexen Schichtung von Stimmungen und Klangwelten bei und helfen, ein kontrastreiches Album zu schaffen, in dem Dichte und Zartheit in einer Abfolge bewegter Wellen koexistieren, mal voller Erinnerungen, mal voller Bedauern, stets in Bewegung gesetzt durch ihre eigene Morphologie. Sub Re bezieht sich auch auf ein Kapitel in Victor Hugos ,Die Arbeiter des Meeres", eine Schlüsselstelle, in der sich die Hauptfigur angesichts einer kolossalen Aufgabe allein mitten auf dem Meer wiederfindet, unter einem gigantischen Schiffswrack, das in den Klauen eines isolierten Riffs gefangen ist, umgeben von Wasser, Strömungen und Winden, allein, um sich dem Unmöglichen zu stellen. Denn tatsächlich ist es unter der Oberfläche, wo Handlungen entstehen, Entscheidungen getroffen werden und die Intuition uns leitet.

Ever since the late 1950s bossa-nova revolution, Brazil’s influence on French music has been undeniable. Pierre Barouh, Georges Moustaki and a vast array of lesser known artists, all made the Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB) an axis of promotion at the service of a cool and metaphysical, modern and mixed Brazilian lifestyle. Some were seduced by the poetic languors of the bossa, some were looking for fun, and others just loved the American hybridization of jazz-bossa, jazz-samba.



What is bossa nova? One of its creators, Joao Gilberto said: "Its style, cadence, everything is samba. At the very start, we didn't call it bossa nova, we sang a little samba made up of a single note - Samba de uma nota so .... The discussion around the origins of bossa nova is therefore useless”. It is nevertheless useful to remember that these magnificent Brazilian songs, which the guitarist describes as samba, were shifted and balanced around improbable chords. "I like things that lean, the in-betweens that limp with grace," said Pierre Barrouh, quoting Jean Cocteau.



With emotion, arrangements for violin and supple guitar licks, bossa nova rapidly changed. A transformation that can be heard in the Tchic, tchic, French Bossa Nova 1963-1974 compilation, the result of a cultural reappropriation, which traveled through the United States and supplemented itself in France.

A musical revolution that has remained significant, bossa nova was born in Rio. From 1956 to 1961, Brazil lived through its golden years. In five years, the country had invented its modernist style. Elected president in 1956, Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, an elegant man with a broad forehead, brandished a promising slogan: "Fifty years of progress in five years". He quickly got to work. Not worried about increasing debt, he launched the project for a new federal capital, Brasilia, designed by the communist architect Oscar Niemeyer. Volkswagen opened state-of-the-art factories and created the “fusquinha”, the Beetle. In Rio, the Vespa made its first appearance. The Arpoador Surf Club crew run into the “girl” from Ipanema, Helô Pinheiro - the tanned garota ("chick"), between a flower and mermaid, who at 17 walked by the Veloso bar, where the fiery author and composer, Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, were getting drunk on whiskey. From then on, bossa symbolized cool.

In 1958, Joao Gilberto recorded Chega de Saudade, which the directors of Philips denied, calling it "music for fagots". The marketing director, who believed in it, secretly pressed 3000 78-inch vinyls and distributed them at schools around Rio, creating a tidal wave.

American jazzmen then took over. In particular, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and guitarist Charlie Byrd. In November 1962, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded a "Bossa-Nova" concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, inviting the genre’s pioneers. Unprepared, the show soon turned to disaster. But the troupe was invited to the White House by Jackie Kennedy. The first lady loved "the new beat" and in particular Maria Ninguem, a song by Carlos Lyra, later covered by Brigitte Bardot.

In Brazil, the 1964 military coup quickly ended this euphoria. The destructive atmosphere that ensued pushed many Brazilian musicians to leave, if not to exile. Thus, Tom Jobim, Sergio Mendes and Joao Gilberto arrived to the United States. In New York, Joao Gilberto met saxophonist Stan Getz. At the time, he was married to the Bahianese Astrud Weinert Gilberto, who had a German father. She had never sung before, but she knew how to speak English. Getz therefore asked her to replace her husband on The Girl From Ipanema. The Getz/Gilberto record with Tom Jobim on piano, was released in March 1964. Phil Ramone, the "pope of pop" was in charge of sound.

Bossa nova arrived in Paris through the classic “guitar-voice” channel (Pierre Barouh, Baden Powell, Moustaki…) But France loved jazz and Paris had already welcomed its American contributors. All these good people were to pass through Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The cabaret l'Escale became the Mecca of Latin American sound where one could find Pierre Barrouh and his friends, such as the Camara Trio, samba-jazz aces, whose only record was published by the Saravah label. With a band strangely called Les Masques (a band that included Nicole Croisille and Pierre Vassiliu, among others), the Camara Trio recorded an interesting Brazilian Sound, including the track Il faut tenir which is present on this tasty compilation of rarities.

Other enlightened musicians can also be found on the compilation, such as Jean-Pierre Sabar (songwriter for Hardy, Auffray, Leforestier ...) and the French pop rock organist Balthazar. In 1975, Sabar recorded Aurinkoinen Musiikkimatka on a Finnish label, which featured the crazy Vai, Vai, included on this record. We are now following the footsteps of Brazilian electronic musicians such as Sergio Mendes, Eumir Deodato or Marcos Valle who created funk and disco sounds on their keyboards and synthesizers. A style that influenced Véronique Sanson when she wrote Jusqu’à la Tombée de la nuit in 1969 for Isabelle de Funès, the niece of Louis and a great friend of Michel Berger - Sanson did end up singing this track on her 1992 Sans Regret record.


The pinnacle of exoticism and travel, Sylvia Fels’ Corto Maltese includes bongos, sea mist and ocean sounds. The title was taken from Jacky Chalard’s concept album written in 1974, Je suis vivant, mais j’ai peur (I am alive, but I am scared), based on Gilbert Deflez’s science fiction novel.


However, bossa nova extended the scope of popularity. "In the 1970s, I was a fan of Sergio Mendes, Getz / Gilberto. I fell in love with this music that I knew because I had been an orchestral singer, " explained Isabelle Aubret, who in 1971 delivered a composite record of covers by the very funky Jorge Ben, Orfeu Negro, Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Morais and Jean Ferrat. "I recorded this album for Meys Records in Paris, far from Brazil, with wonderful musicians, François Raubert, Roland Vincent, Alain Goraguer...". The latter wrote the arrangements for Casa Forte, a very percussive title borrowed from Edu Lobo, one of the initiators of the bossa who spent time in California. "Jazz and bossa came together and produced very rhythmic music. I love singing, it allows me to dream, to have fun, to feel a high on stage, and these songs brought me joy, made me swing, my singing felt like a dance.”


The world tours of French singers and their desire for the tropics, often brought them to Rio with its hills, forests, caipirinhas and tanned bodies. There are surprises though, like this Iemenja (Iemenja is the goddess of the sea in the Afro-Brazilian candomblé religion). Not unlike the composer and musician Jean-Pierre Lang, based in Sao Paulo, Claire Chevalier taught Brazil to Brazil. In 1970, the singer and painter published a 45-inch vinyl, Mon mari et mes amants (My husband and my lovers), under the improbable pseudonym of Clarinha (little Claire). She was then living in Rio, with her husband, Joël Leibovitz, who founded a band called Azimuth, and who owned a record label specialized in "sambas enredos" songs for samba school parades.


For its B side, she asked Pierre Perret to come up with lyrics for a song composed by Carlos Imperial: "Oh goddess of the sea, o goddess Iemenja, I bring a white rose to adorn your long hair ..." . "Perret came to see us, and we had fun, remembers Joël Leibovitz. We wrote Lemenja for fun, we recorded it at the Havaí studio, behind the Central do Brasil the central station. Erlon Chaves, the arranger who worked with Elis Regina, joined us" adding his share of Afro-Brazilian percussions and funky brass to the mix.

There is a common misunderstanding in Franco-Brazilian history: that bossa, admittedly hedonistic, is perceived as funny, even though the poets who wrote the texts are often philosophizing on the human condition. Its French interpreters pull it towards a carnival inspired universe, far removed from its fundamental essence. Thus, Jean Constantin covered the famous Samba da minha terra, an ode to the art of samba written by the classic Bahian composer Dorival Caymmi, renaming it with the enticing title of Pas tant de tchi tchi pompon: "On your pier there is no tchi tchi / when you arch your back, you know everything is alright ”(lyrics by Gérard Calvi). This expedited bossa aims for the absurd, but retains a certain elegance.

Indeed, Jean Constantin was not an idiot, the rather large man had a huge mustache and liked fantasy, (Les pantoufles à papa, Le pacha, inspired by cha-cha-cha-cha, salsa and jazz) but he was also the lyricist of Mon manège à moi interpreted by Edith Piaf, the composer of Mon Truc en plume by Zizi Jeanmaire and the soundtrack of François Truffaut’s 400 Blows. Le Poulpe, published in 1970, from which this bossa is extract, was arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier, an accomplice of Serge Gainsbourg’s Melody Nelson. In short: "There is enough of samba / By looking at the parasol / Because my poor cabeza / Is going to die in the sun".

Even the American actress Marpessa Down, who was at the heart of the bossa nova revolution with her role as Euridyce in Marcel Camus’ film Orfeu Negro, winner of the 1959 Cannes Palme d'or, fed the clichée with Je voudrais parler au petit cuica - "Tell me how you manage to always make people want to dance / It's true, I must admit that I cannot resist your magic" - in consequence, once can hear the cuica, a little drum inherited from the Bantu.


But bossa nova had many angles. Societal, of course, pushing actresses who were symbols of women's liberation like Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne Moreau, or Sophia Loren to engage in the exercise of accelerated bossa. In February of 1963, Sophia Loren made a record in French in Rome, Je ne t'aime plus, featuring the song De jour en jour, a bossa written by two Italians, Armando Trovajoli and Tino Fornai, which was released a little later by Barclay. Bossa accompanied the 1960s, a decade of moral liberation. Ann Sorel, who interpreted La Poupée des favellas, caused a sensation with L’amour à plusieurs, a provocative song written by Frédéric Bottom and Jean-Claude Vannier. As for the actress Andrea Parisy, she displayed her bourgeois cheekiness in Marcel Carné's Les Tricheurs before interpreting Les mains qui font du bien. And Magalie Noël, the friend of Boris Vian, who sung Johnny fais-moi mal, was hired to sing Une énorme Samba, composed by Alain Goraguer (arranger to Gainsbourg, Bobby Lapointe and Jean Ferrat) with lyrics by Frédéric Botton.

But in the end, of what wood is bossa nova made of? The answer is given by Christianne Legrand, daughter of Raymond the conductor, and sister to Michel the composer: "With me, with jà" - jà means "immediately" in Portuguese. In 1972, the singer, an expert in vocal jazz and a member of the Double Six, published Le Brésil de Christianne Legrand. Two songs included on the Tchic Tchic compilation that demonstrate how bossa, jazz, funk, rock, etc. work like a swiss army knife: the music is used to denounce broken systems, or miracles, HLM et ciné roman, Cent mille poissons dans ton filet, two songs from the O Cafona soundtrack, a successful telenovela broadcast, at the time in black and white, on TV Globo. The first was adapted in French by the fighter and friend of the Legrand tribe, Agnès Varda. The second is content with a play on words, jostling them into a summer fun.



Véronique Mortaigne

Some words from Nat about the music – “For this recording I composed some songs using more “exotic” (for want of a better word) modes,
which I have always meant to explore in more depth but never really got around to very much. The first song for instance, Red, Gold & Green, uses an Ethiopian scale.
The title comes from the colours of the Ethiopian flag, which is also symbolic in Rastafari so has a kind of double meaning, like a lot of my songs.The title track, Path of Enlightenment, uses several modes,
starting in a major key then moving to the Phrygian mode, then to a minor key. The piano solo is in a 28 bar minor blues form. Menat is based on a mode of the Byzantine scale,
I’m not sure if it has a particular name or not. Amenhotep was the name of several Egyptian pharaohs,
Amenhotep IV being the original given name of Akhenaten.When I was writing this song it put me in mind of my song, Akhenaten, simply because they are both in 5/4 time,
so I decided to give this one a pharaonic name too. Spheshile is a Zulu word (and sometimes name) that means “beautiful gift”, the title was suggested by a friend from South Africa.
All this means nothing of course if the music doesn’t tell a story, I think the unfamiliar modes allowed us to speak of interesting things that may not have come to us otherwise.
Finally, I chose to use the quartet format for this recording because it occurred to me that it tends to make for a more cohesive group sound, and it had been a while since we recorded this way.”

Straight from the weedy fields of swampville Bruxelles we bring you 8 ‘tranches de vie’ of deep zone-hall by weirdtronic bass veteran Michael Crabbé’s best fitting sound costume to date: the mighty Rudi J! You might know him from earlier outfits but that’s not the main issue here. Rudi J is!

When this swamp thing touches the pads, it’s off-road after three seconds, even if you’re in the middle of Europe’s capital. Mixing analog dirt and digital sound bits in a very loose and personal take on dancehall, we’re pretty far away from the dance floor but definitely swinging. It’s a trippy affair wandering around concrete flowers with a deep ambient flavor, but it’s edgy.

A hot summer fever dream following his own lusty path, full of life and wonder but with something sinister hiding around every corner. Often reaching for the stars, a deeper shade of bass keeps things nicely grounded. These sounds are built with a sound system in mind and bass culture at heart. Even if you can definitely surf on it from your couch, picking out all of its ear-pricking details, it will very much come alive on a big sound.

A layered affair with almost jazzy and orchestral elements peeping through the stereo-field, spectral and dissonant but also playful. Like early dubstep, some of these tunes can destroy a clubsound, keeping you skunking out in pedestrian mode and snorting up the atmospherics, finally forgetting about that damn phone.

Danish quintet David Miilmann Group return with You Belong, their third album and a vibrant, uplifting statement built around guitarist David Miilmann"s distinctive slide guitar voice. Rooted in soul and blues but shaped within a genre-defying jazz context, the band brings a life-affirming energy to music that moves between groove, melody, and open improvisation with ease. Set for release on April Records on June 12th, 2026, You Belong centres on Miilmann"s approach to the guitar, drawing on the phrasing of singers like Curtis Mayfield, Freddie King and Aretha Franklin. His slide playing - developed as a way of emulating the human voice - sits at the core of the group"s sound, cutting through a warm, rhythmically grounded backdrop that blends jazz, rock, and Brazilian influences. At its core, the album captures a working band in motion. The five musicians move fluidly between composed material and looser, more exploratory sections, guided by close listening and a shared sense of direction. That chemistry comes into focus on "It"s Happening Again," a groove-led track steeped in a warm, 1970s-inspired production style. Built on a relaxed but propulsive feel, it captures the simple joy of time spent with close friends - familiar, unforced, and full of possibility. "The Day After" offers a more spacious counterpoint. Written as a reflection on those rare, quiet mornings following a meaningful moment - a concert, a celebration - it unfolds with a sense of ease and openness, led by Miilmann"s melodic slide guitar and supported by a restrained, attentive rhythm section. The band"s take on "My Favorite Things" reshapes the well-known material through their own ensemble sound, acknowledging the influence of John Coltrane while carving out a more textural, guitar-led approach. The album"s title, You Belong, points to the group"s broader outlook: an inclusive, community-driven approach to making music. That idea runs through both the compositions and the band"s dynamic - less about spotlighting individuals, more about building a collective sound. Since their debut Waiting for Myself (2021), David Miilmann Group have carved out a space with their emotionally direct, genre-fluid approach - earning two DMA Blues nominations, reaching the finals of the Jazz Competition, and receiving regular airplay on P8 Jazz. With You Belong, they refine that approach into something more defined: a warm, groove-driven sound shaped by song, feel, and the unmistakable voice of Miilmann"s slide guitar.

For some time now, followers of Field Medic have been piecing together clues about Floral Prince. The name has been mentioned in late night Twitter hints, secret YouTube leaks, teaser riddles, Instagram live sets, and standalone single drops. This unconventional approach paints a bigger picture for the 11-track project as a whole, set for release October 2nd from Run For Cover Records. Part mixtape, part album, part collection, part musical patchwork quilt, Floral Prince is the latest offering from Field Medic, aka the preeminent Bay Area freak folk artist Kevin Patrick Sullivan. It’s a reflection of his unique approach to songwriting and a creative drive that can’t be contained to the traditional album format. Field Medic’s songwriting rarely slows down; even after the release of his 2019 full-length fade into the dawn and the busy touring schedule that followed, Sullivan still found himself flush with new songs and ideas. As he attempted to earmark certain songs for his next release Sullivan began to chafe at the pressures of a follow-up album. Longing for the spontaneity of Field Medic’s earlier work, Sullivan found inspiration in what he calls the “full-time freestyle” mindset where he writes and records songs on the fly with a four-track, usually with a self-imposed limit of three takes. “This style lends itself to more off-the-cuff lyrics and recordings that communicate their point much clearer to my ears,” he explains. “It’s also fun.”

The process proved surprisingly satisfying, often capturing the diary-like nature of Sullivan’s songwriting more accurately than some of the music he’d been poring over. “The songs born from this method aren’t always ‘hits,’ he says. “But they feel much more important to me…closer to how I really feel.” Some of these charming homespun missives made their way onto the internet, spurring fans to follow the breadcrumbs towards these first glimpses into Floral Prince and the ever-expanding Field Medic mythology. “I realized the songs I was saving for another album were much less focused and effective than some of the freestyles I had been creating and subsequently leaking,” Sullivan says. “I think that’s because I really enjoyed the process of writing and recording the freestyles, whereas the ‘hits’ I was attempting to make were being approached as more of a chore.” Floral Prince officially began to see the light of day through a series of stand-alone singles released throughout early 2020 in tandem with episodes of Sullivan’s homemade webseries, the field medic show. To invite fans further into Field Medic’s unique world of achingly beautiful melodies and conversational lyricism, songs like the atmospheric ballad “better way” and the Alex Menne (pickleboy/Great Grandpa) collaboration “talkin johnny & june (your arms around me)” were shared alongside the YouTube show’s accompanying live versions. Other tracks—like rousing opener “-h-o-u-s-e-k-e-y-z-” and the longing “i want you so bad it hurts”—were repurposed from the fade into the dawn sessions to finally find a home on Floral Prince. Elsewhere “it’s so lonely being sober” exemplifies the unvarnished appeal of the full-time freestyle attitude. The song’s direct lyrics and single-take phone recording preserve the deeply personal storytelling, relatable details, and palpable emotions that make Field Medic’s work so intimate and enthralling.

Although Floral Prince is culled from several years of Field Medic songs, its 11 tracks have a sense of cohesion that can be attributed to Sullivan’s singular vision and willingness to allow the listener into his life. “These songs were written through different seasons of my life but they all share a common theme of quiet, nagging, yet somehow defiant insecurity,” he explains. “To hear them all grouped together reminds me that I’ve always felt more or less the same way, and have had the same obsessive tendencies my whole life that have often led to self-destructive behavior. Maybe this is catharsis.” In the end Floral Prince is actually many things at once: a snapshot of an artist shaking off the perceived boundaries of his medium; a document of years of Sullivan’s life preserved in musical form; the closing of one songwriting chapter and the start of another. Or perhaps as Sullivan puts it, “All songs have their day…”