Search:the voice

For Synthology's debut, we are thrilled to present “Synthesis Emotion EP,” signed by host Mathi.
An artist inspired by Acid, Electro, and Italo sounds, Mathi takes us on a four-track sonic journey, where futuristic rhythms and deep synths blend in perfect balance.
Robotic voices and sensory nuances accompany the listener, projecting them into the mind and making each vibration a unique experience

SYNTHOLOGY an immersive experience that was born to give voice to electronic stories, exploring every nuance between sound innovation and emotional narration.”

A complex exploration of influences and styles, such as a multisensational journey through spaces, environments and futuristic rhythms

The bridge that connects the mind to sound.

During the 35 years of making music, Dave Lee has constantly been searching for new singers and writers to work with. A search that’s ended up with many fantastic collaborations and releases with the likes of Thelma Houston, Taka Boom, Dianne Charlemagne and Seal. More recently this quest led him to Maurissa Rose and the creation of their album ‘London / Detroit’. After hearing Maurissa's voice on a Theo Parrish record Dave reached out to her and after a few long phone conversations and mp3 swaps they both agreed a visit to London would be much more fun than trying to work together remotely. Maurissa made the journey from her home in Detroit to write and record an album with Dave at his studio in March 2022 - as they both feel that creating music together in the same room is always better. The fruits of their labour yielded 11 brand new songs (and 1 cover) tapping into their collective love of Soul, Disco and R&B, with a sprinkle of Soulful House. This album is a special one for Dave Lee as it’s the first time in his career he’s recorded an entire album with same singer on every track.

In the album’s liner notes Dave talks of how Maurissa is a naturally creative person, full of ideas, warm & unpretentious which is reflected in her vocal performances throughout ‘London / Detroit’. Dave’s expertly crafted music is backed up with a deeply passionate yet effortless delivery from the Detroiter, a marker of someone who has honed and perfected their art. When it comes to the music side of this LP, Dave Lee is once again proving he’s still at the top of his game and shows no sign of relenting. Drawing from his encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Soul/Funk/Disco, we are treated to a range of styles, BPMs and influences from 95bpm street soul to more uptempo disco and boogie flavours. Be it the rippling synth voyage opener of ‘You Decide’, taking the Johnnie Taylor classic ‘What About My Love’ into a modern Boogie realm, upping the tempo on the soulful houser ‘I Feel the Sun” or bringing the tempo back down to the bassy acidic chug of ‘You’re Giving Me Life’. Mr Lee is truly adept at creating a modern disco soul sound without the usage of samples.

London and Detroit might be two very different cities on opposite sides of the Atlantic but this album is proof that creative synergy knows no distance.

Out everywhere on Feb 28th on Gatefold Vinyl, CD and Digital/Streaming.

2025 Repress

The mighty Falsetto voice of Mr Cornell Campbell is another we believe, unsung hero of the Jamaican music scene. Who in our opinion should have broke through to a wider audience, than his cult status currently provides. We have unearthed straight from the master tapes an album that was due for release around the mid 70’s. A few of these cuts, found their way out on limited 7”s, that were mainly for the domestic Jamaican market. But as a complete body of work, never found a release until now. We hope like us, once you have played the tracks, you will feel that this set of cuts, stands up amongst Cornell’s finest work. Cornell Campbell (born 1948, Jamaica), made his first recordings in the early 1960’s for Coxone Dodd at Studio 1. Tracks like ‘Under the Old Oak Tree’, ‘My Treasure’ and later as a duo with Roy Patton ‘Salvation’ and ‘Sweetest Girl’, were local hits on the Jamaican Sound Systems. A short spell with the Uniques was followed by his roll as lead vocalist with the Eternals, under the monicker of Don Cornell. Their finest moment being the classic ‘Stars / Queen of the Minstrels’ cuts which still stand up today as some of Jamaica’s finest.

The 1970’s saw Mr Campbell move on to work with producer Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee, for whom he cut most

of his big tunes. He and fellow singer Johnny Clarke, would become Bunny’s 70’s equivalent to his 1960’s stable of singers like Slim Smith, Pat Kelly and Ernest Wilson. They would provide the voice to his many hits of the day. Bunny not being called ‘Striker’ for nothing. Cornell also had a series of hits around his theme as the ‘Gorgon’. The mighty figure unbeatable at the dances in the Greenwich Town district of Kingston. ‘The Gorgon’, ‘The Conquering Gorgon’. ‘Natty Dread in a Greenwich Farm’. These were all firm favourites at the dances in Jamaica. He also worked with other notable producers around this time. Winston ‘Niney’ Holness “I Heart is Clean’, Tappa Zukie ‘Follow Instruction’

and culminating in a massive hit ‘Boxing’ in 1979 for producer Joe Gibbs. But it was his time with Bunny Lee that set the levels for his record output. This unreleased album is from this period in time, when Cornell Campbell never sounded sweeter......

Figure is celebrating its 150th release with a loaded triple vinyl compilation, showcasing artists both old and new to the label – a testament to what the Figure sound is today. The cover art has been commissioned from Berlin-based graffiti artist Erik Winkler, whose spray-painted work is adorning the thick triple-pocket sleeve housing three colored records.

The compilation features some important recent additions to our growing roster: both Jancen and Arthur Robert deliver their unique take on tunneling techno, be it searing or psychedelic. And Brazilian shape-shifter Vinicius Honorio carves out his own gliding bass frequencies while A-STS relies classic drum machine bleep hypnosis.

Label head Len Faki’s own energetic appearance echoes his versatile style found on his recent album release. The all-out production featuring strings and quirky synths sits in contrast with Jeroen Search & Decoder - a pairing of veterans, whose minimal hardware sound slowly builds over trippy acid loops. The flipside belongs to a younger generation of producers, namely IGLO turning out a superb techno roller teeming with life and lush with details. The duo of Munich brothers Glaskin already remixed Faki for his Fusion album, their first original release on Figure comes a skillful blend of distorted stabs and deep grooves.

Equally refined but with a harder edge to it, Scheermann practices a dark, minimalist approach where each element gets time to shine for maximum effect. His bleak track is aptly paired with a rare solo release of Obscure Shape whose fractures of a dreamy, twinkly melody make for one of the most emotional moments of the compilation. The final side holds Roman Poncet’s seasoned understanding of groove, balancing perfectly the dubby stabs and vocal chops for a dazzlingly perfect loop. The final tones to this milestone release come courtesy of another of Figure’s bright new voices: Arkan manages to conjure up a powerful sense of progression, where colourful synths converge in harmonies over an effortlessly bouncing beat.

It is a rare moment for an independent label to make to number 150. But to keep finding new talent who help re-shape the signature sound while expanding the family roster, that’s a true blessing. This package shows how Figure is growing and adapting as a label, staying relevant as one of the leading voices in modern techno.

Natasha Pirard returns with her most personal project yet, dedicated to her mother and late grandmother, whose care shaped her life. Fernande, Cecile is a photobook of songs, weaving voice, field recordings, synthesizer, and violin into an ode to her matrilineal line. Pirard lost her grandmother at seven, yet Fernande’s warmth stayed with her as a touchstone. Her mother, Cecile, has been a constant presence, guiding her through difficult years.

Alzheimer’s—her grandmother’s illness—and the fragility of memory permeate the work. A conversation with her mother sparked the album: over coffee, Cecile placed a hand on her heart and said, “If I ever develop this disease, don’t forget I’m still here (inside).” That moment became central to the compositions, which translate Pirard’s gratitude and love into music as tender as possible.

The music moves in fragments—notes, chords, loops—evoking gardens, sunlight, and childhood afternoons. Rhythms shift like life itself, carrying echoes of loss and the persistence of memory. Ambient textures brush against her voice and instruments, sometimes punctuated by her grandmother’s favorite bird.

The album unfolds in two parts: Fernande, capturing her grandmother’s warmth and fading recollections, and Cecile, honoring her mother’s care and resilience. Track titles trace memories while the music drifts through longing and gratitude, articulating what words cannot.

The album was written and recorded by Natasha Pirard, produced and mixed by David & Stephen Dewaele of Soulwax/2manydjs at DEEWEE.

Elations Recordings presents "Tairen", an evocative cello recording marking the debut solo release of Melbourne/Naarm-based cellist LEM (Lauren Meath). This deeply personal work is an impressionistic reflection on place, memory and self at the intersection of classical technique and folk sensibility; expanding Meath's lateral, avant garde approach to sound with piano and textural percussion, resulting in a work that unintentionally falls into the post-minimalist tradition.

Conceived as a single piece across five movements and recorded between 2022 and 2024, "Tairen" reflects on memories of a formative place and period for Meath. Each movement scores part of an imagined landscape, mirroring the cliffs and expansive southern ocean of the coastal Otway ranges, remembered and reinterpreted. While tied to a place and time, ultimately "Tairen" is an exploration and expression of self.

Each piece explores this landscape, retaining its own identity while unified by recurring themes, moods and motifs. Meath emphasises restriction in her approach, creating subtly shifting layers of slowly evolving cello lines with expressive unstructured free playing bursting out. In all but one movement ("Bird"), cello is performed in a single take, utilising joined looping pedals on a semi acoustic cello from luthier Paul Davies. Equal parts meditative and expressive, uplifting and melancholic, the instrument becomes a proxy for the human voice creating a work that is intensely beautiful.

While Meath has a background in classical and pop, LEM has always been a more interior, personal project on the boundaries of minimalism and folk; in the past only as a live project featuring only herself, taking a lateral approach to sound through bow, harmonics and voice. While built on this foundation, "Tairen" expands Meath's typically minimal live approach with piano ("Sky") and additional textural percussion. Produced and engineered by James Tom and Danny Smith and with additional percussion from Dylan Lieberman. Mixed and mastered by Cam Parkin.

F_Phono is an artist who has spent a significant part of his life immersed in the vibrant atmosphere of clubs, where he discovered a deep passion for electronic music. Through years of exploration across various musical genres, he found his true voice in a sound that blends Electro and Synth Pop, drawing clear inspiration from the iconic styles of the '80s and '90s. The result is a modern and distinctive sonic identity—deeply rooted in the past yet forward-looking in its execution.

"Santi e Peccatori" is an album that tells a story—one of ancient duality, where light meets shadow, the sacred meets the profane, and the physical collides with the spiritual. It explores the timeless tension between opposites: black and white, yin and yang, raw and ethereal. Through a seamless blend of driving, hard-edged beats and dreamy, melodic textures, this sonic journey invites both the mind and body to move. Each track is a chapter in a narrative of contrast and connection, where electronic music becomes the language of balance and transformation. Santi e Peccatori isn't just an album—it's a rite of passage through the grey spaces between extremes.

Mastered at : BurbiDub
Artwork : Marcos Pedrero

FJAAK return with FJAAK014, a four-track EP packed with their signature analogue energy, funk-driven grooves and unmistakable Detroit-inspired synth work. This release is raw, percussive and unapologetically dancefloor-focused: Across four tracks, FJAAK once again prove why they remain one of the most vital voices in electronic music. The EP kicks off with 'Soulfriction', a cut built on a groove where power house meets jungle. It's a pure body-mover, all pulse and propulsion, with layered percussion that nods to classic warehouse sets while pushing things forward in true FJAAK fashion. On 'Run To Me', the duo bring soulful vocals in, weaving them into a driving rhythm that fuses housey breakbeats and thick analogue grooves. The result is a warm, kinetic blend of Detroit flair and modern funk sensibility, tailor-made for peak-time dancefloors. The B-side starts with 'Keep The Balance', a track that strips things down a touch. More introspective, but still locked into a deep, funky flow. It's mellow without losing movement, full of crisp drums and glowing chord progressions that let the groove breathe. Closing the EP is 'What's My Name?', a true FJAAK-style banger: Punchy kicks, sharp vocal cuts and a commanding low-end give it that warehouse edge. It's a punchy blend of groove and raw-energy, making it the perfect club weapon. The Berlin duo has been sculpting their sound identity with hardware-heavy, genre-blurring releases that span techno, breakbeat, house and jungle. With FJAAK014, they further refine their groove-forward vision, blending soulful vocal textures, infectious breakbeat energy and timeless Detroit-style synth work, making this EP another bold statement from a duo that remains on the frontlines of electronic music evolution.

Geckos is the collective spirit of acclaimed songwriter M. Ward, Giant Sand visionary Howe Gelb, and Irish multi-instrumentalist McKowski. Born out of an impromptu recording session that was sparked by an encounter at the wedding of a mutual friend, the project blends the rich flavors of the Southwest with indie folk, Spanish influences, and a touch of Irish mysticism. While initial recordings took place in Tucson, it became a true transatlantic project when the members returned to their hometowns and continued trading ideas. The trio eventually regrouped in studios across Ireland, London, and Bristol, where renowned English producer John Parish mixed multiple tracks. Geckos' self-titled debut is steeped in story, spontaneity, and surreal charm, channeling the spirit of three singular voices discovering a new, shared musical language.

The complete collection of her elementally inspired series channelling Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. Scotland’s own Mha Iri completes her elemental journey with the announcement of her first long player, the Four Elements album – a special vinyl collection bringing together the full force of her Earth (Leader of the Pack), Fire (Elements of Dance), Water (Come With Me), and Air (Fury) EPs. Out on vinyl on December 5, the album marks the culmination of an 18-month sonic and creative exploration through the natural elements that have defined her rise as one of techno’s most commanding new voices. The vinyl release will feature eight stand-out tracks and is pressed on black vinyl and presented in a spined single outer sleeve with printed inner.

Musuq Nuna presents its second vinyl release.

Amid electric pulses and suspended atmospheres, this record unfolds a journey where shadow meets light.

Droove traces three paths of precise, nocturnal energy, where techno breathes with a synthetic soul and time seems to bend upon itself.

On the reverse side, Alquimic, together with the ethereal voice of Brunella, opens a luminous rift, a chant that drifts between light and mystery, between reason and ecstasy.

Each groove of Light in the Darkness holds a small ceremony: the alchemy of sound transforming darkness into a gleam, rhythm into a spell.

Some records are answers to questions no one asked out loud. With Where is Acid Eric, Cornelius Doctor & Tushen Raï deliver a psychedelic missive from a parallel timeline — a time-traveling tribute to Goa’s golden age, filtered through their unmistakable signature.

Returning to their home base, Hard Fist, the duo steps into new territory with this release, and yet, it feels like they’ve been heading here all along. This isn’t a retro-fetishist trip, nor a copy-paste homage. It’s a reimagination of a sound, a space, and most of all, a spirit.

The EP is rooted in the mythic nights of late-80s and early-90s Disco Valley, where British acid house collided with Indian hedonism, where freedom wasn’t a pose but a necessity, and where dancefloors became temporary utopias. But in the hands of Cornelius Doctor & Tushen Raï, this past gets warped, stretched and reanimated with 2025’s tools and sensitivities.

Across three extended tracks, the duo summons a sound that’s dense yet breathable, tribal yet precise, nostalgic yet futuristic.

They weave Goa’s swirling trance lines with broken rhythms, analog squelches, and post-industrial textures. The acid lines are sharp, but never cliché — more mantra than gimmick. Voices float in and out like half-remembered chants. Basslines slide, hypnotize, and then vanish in a cloud of smoke. It’s not a flashback. It’s a vision.

The title, Where is Acid Eric, feels like a lost broadcast — part question, part invocation. Eric is a symbol. IS Eric a ghost ? The true legend of a forgotten raver on a dusty Anjuna morning. What matters is the search. The longing. The dance.

Hard Fist, true to its form, continues to blur the lines between ritual and rave, tradition and invention. And with this record, Cornelius Doctor & Tushen Raï don’t just revive a genre — they reconnect with an ideal: dance music as exploration, as transcendence, as resistance.

One foot in the dust, one foot in the cosmos. The answer isn’t important. The trip is.

‘3' saw the core Lifted duo of Max D & Matt Papich unravel their visions of excess into their most divergent and wide-eyed collection to date. Presented here by Peak Oil in a vinyl edition featuring the painting of Jordan Kasey (yes, related to Martin Kasey, saxophonist on 2019’s LP 2) and packaged for a seamless listen.

First scene ‘Chefs’ places us squarely off-center, landing in a cinematic environment that feels a bit like steadycam Luis Bunuel , wine bottle whoo-ing and horn fanfare. Its music without a hard surface, defined more by its fluidity and characters, found sounds and performed dialogue. “Cymbecko” shifts gears into blissful ambient dub, and paves the way for a Luke Stewart led excursion into the uncanny that is ‘Trip Tongue’. Stewart’s upright bass never stops seeking, while Jordan GCZs Rhodes barely touches down before lifting back up into and out of Jacob Long’s (Earthen Sea, Esau) liquid tone sheets. An outside world of percussion accompanies.

The mood morphs and the scene cuts in hard with “Born in the Roof”, slacker techno that grows shimmering parts, Perlon for potheads. Voiceover slacks right with it, a half-convo caught in the billowing chorus of fx. “Macarena” snaps things into focus, working almost like an open window to airing out the heady fog. Simplicity in the vignette.

After “Mecha Perfume & Variety”, “Snow Dancing” reignites the drama, with burning guitar by Jonny Nash taking a plucky and sliding lead over wildly fused drums by Max D, we get a test of new depths for Lifted with the somber and exuberant “Whipped Cream”. Crackling like a radio but with modern propulsion in the form of richly evocative pads courtesy of Motion Graphics, it sounds like a dinner, a space trip, a storyboard, a scene, threaded together in bouncing, oblique ways.

"Bobby V" drops refreshingly, timed like a credit roll and leaving an afterglow that feels more tuned-in than ever.

Players on this album include: Luke Stewart (Irreversible Entanglements, Blacks Myths), Jeremy Hyman, Jonny Nash (Melody As Truth), Jordan GCZ, Matt Papich, Josh Levi, Mezey, Hirama, Dawit Eklund (1432 R), Motion Graphics, Max D, Jacob Long (Earthen Sea, Esau)




d 4.Born In The Roof Radio Mix
e 5.Macarena Radio Edit

Ralph Rodriguez aka Ralph Session is a Barcelona-based NYC-born house artist who kicks off this lush new Silver Walker 12" with 'Voices Rising', a smooth and song-driven deep house cut with a summery soul and stylish female vocals that hark back to the earliest soulful OGs. DFRA & MissFly combine then for 'Thinking', which is a more percussive and steamy, intense house sound with jazzy chords. Session's 'Love's Dance Floor' (instrumental mix) then taps into smoky late-night soul vibes with meandering leads allowing your mind to get lost in the moment and DFRA's 'Kiss My Soul' closes with a more playful and jazzy sound thanks to the charming flute leads and nimble, dancing keys.

Neon Castle hones in on a fleeting sub-genre of early to mid-’80s folk-rock. For a brief moment, glistening slide guitar, fretless bass, satin floating over drum machines intertwined with ethereal female voices, conjuring a sound at once familiar and otherworldly—pop structures touched by myth. Some songs sway with the warmth of open ranch-land, crystal visions beneath thundering skies; others shimmer with candlelit mysticism, as if born in a pagan stone tower, crafted with the very staff Kate Bush might have wielded. Together, these pieces reveal a singular cloth.

Compiled by Charles Bals—now in his third collaboration with Smiling C—Neon Castle affirms his rare gift for storytelling through sound. Each track unfolds like a scene from an imagined film: castles glowing with noble gas, kingdoms awash in purple haze, white horses roaming free, hair cascading to the waist. The collection sketches a realm both new and upon a time, a world where fantasy takes shape through music. With Neon Castle, attentive listening becomes narrative.

Esteemed soul man of Panama Mr. Ralph Weeks has in recent years been enjoying a much overdue retrospective of his remarkable six decades-long musical journey with the help of Names You Can Trust. Now onto their fifth record release together since 2019, the label has covered both Weeks' original holy grail material as well as re-cuts and reimagining of some of his rarefied and unreleased songs.

One of Mr. Weeks' two iconic 45 releases on Panamanian label Sally Ruth was a funky soul side called "Let Me Do My Thing," originally recorded in 1971 as Weeks' answer to Charles Wright's big tune "Express Yourself," which had just hit the airwaves in 1970. Weeks' musical response would help define his legacy. He was gonna express himself, he was gonna Do His Thing. This golden age ultimatum recorded with the Dynamic Exciters of Panama as the backing band was a simple, straight ahead number with a defining message that would be carried on throughout Weeks' independent career. The funkified air and creative freedom of the original tune is a prime example of the crossover Combos Nationales sound that flourished in the prolific Panama recording industry of the era, and in the ensuing decades Weeks' tune would live on as a cherished rare groove for souleros, funk fans, and bootleggers alike.

Fast forward to 2023, when Ralph Weeks and Names You Can Trust prepared for a Bay Area appearance at the wonderful Latinos Con Soul weekender put on by San Francisco's Discodelic record shop, the groundwork was laid in the studio for a revival, a reawakening of Weeks' funky fan favorite. A spectacular ensemble of NYCT's All-Star artists and alumni was convened in the studio, including Caito Sánchez on drums, Victor Axelrod (Daptone Records) on clavinet and Sam Day Harmet (La Banda Chuska) on guitar. Anant Pradhan (The Skatalites), Eric Biondo (The Budos Band) and Alex Asher (Los Cumpleaños) occupied the brass section, and Ralph Weeks even lent his still formidable chops on electric bass and keyboards, a little OG flare to back up his silky voice with a deft musical touch. What came out of the sessions was a chance for NYCT to pay homage to Weeks' iconic original, without replacing it, and build a brand new version from the ground up with the maestro and composer himself!

Verb T – Homer Loan 1 & 2 (Half 'N Half Splatter Vinyl Release)
UK hip-hop veteran Verb T returns with the long-awaited vinyl release of Homer Loan 1 & 2. A definitive collection capturing two distinct creative periods from one of the scene’s most respected voices.

Originally released digitally, the Homer Loan series has become a cult favourite among Verb T fans, offering an intimate glimpse into his trademark balance of sharp lyricism, dry humour, and unfiltered honesty. The vinyl release brings both volumes together for the first time, celebrating the evolution of a prolific artist still pushing his craft forward. Homer Loan 1 is entirely self-produced, showcasing Verb T’s production skills and ear for soulful textures and lo-fi warmth. Built around introspective rhymes and smooth, laid-back beats, it reflects the self-contained creative process that defined its making.

With Homer Loan 2, the palette expands — featuring production from Cuth, Farma G, and Forrest Moon, each contributing their distinctive sonic fingerprints while complementing Verb T’s unmistakable flow and storytelling. The result is a cohesive yet dynamic project that bridges the personal and the universal, the underground and the timeless. The Homer Loan 1 & 2 Yellow and Purple Half 'N Half Splatter vinyl release stands as both a collector’s piece and a testament to Verb T’s consistency and artistry within UK hip-hop’s ever-changing landscape.

For its first vinyl release, Shakshouka Records proudly presents the first ever reissue of the Algerian Kabyle band Syphax, a 7-inch featuring two irresistible disco gems that set the dancefloor alight while channeling a kaleidoscope of psychedelic textures and North African Amazigh spirit.


Born in exile on the outskirts of Paris, Syphax fused psychedelic rock, funk, and North African rhythms with the lyricism of Amazigh poetry and the rebellious energy of the 1970s. This record pairs the celebratory "Thamghra" meaning "party" in Amazigh and originally featured on their long-forgotten LP, with the disco-infused "Skate Dance," released years before skate culture spread across the globe and a testament to the band's cutting edge.


Remastered by Nick Robbins and compiled by Cheb Mimo, this reissue restores the bold sound of Syphax: a voice of diaspora, freedom, and boundless creativity.

Following a string of acclaimed collaborations, including Agua Dulce with percussionist Laura Robles and Mapambazuko alongside Congolese guitarist Titi Bakorta, Peruvian artist Alejandra Cárdenas (aka Ale Hop) returns with her most personal work to date yet, A Body Like a Home. Marking her first album under her birth name, the project is a sonic memoir exploring the tangled realms of trauma, recovery, and love through autobiographical soundscapes.
A Body Like a Home is the artist at her most exposed. Comprising 13 songs and 15 poems, the album sees her set aside collaborative fusions for solo catharsis, channeling years of turbulence - intergenerational scars left by colonialism, racism, domestic violence, and alcoholism - into a work that oscillates between brutality and tenderness. Cárdenas states: “I grew up under Alberto Fujimori’s dictatorship, when a veil of hopelessness seemed to settle over everything. This is the backdrop of the album. The songs and poems trace the inevitable loop between private wounds - addiction, domestic violence, fractured intimacy - and Peru’s national scars, carved by colonialism. It’s not a straight story or a resolution. Writing and composing became a ritual of digging for meaning, into what’s buried, disguised, or renamed, until the body itself became a living archive.
” At the heart of the album is Cárdenas’s own voice - part witness, part confessor - reciting over layers of electric guitars, electronic textures, the haunting violin of Mexican musician Gibrana Cervantes, and a collage of field recordings, from rainfall, muffled whispers, broken glass, to archival protest footage from Peru. The result is a work that resonates like a diary written in sound.
The first single, "Motherland", is a searing testimony where Cárdenas voice cracks under the weight of history and personal loss. Amid a storm of distorted guitars, she traces the cyclical legacies of colonialism, from state massacres branding Indigenous bodies as “terrorists” to the spiral of addiction as an unavoidable future. The lyrics draw parallels between political and domestic violence: a mother’s drunken knife pressed to her chest, and a motherland where racism is currency. She utters: “sacrifice demands a body.” Yet, amid the wreckage, a willful grip on love and faith persists. Ultimately, A Body Like a Home is a document of transformation. Tracks like "Evangelina" and the title piece "A Body Like a Home" hold space for resilience, spirituality, and love, while "Early Road" and "Going South" thread subtle nods to Peruvian folklore, opening up bright vignettes into a sense of belonging.
The poetry chapbook accompanying A Body Like a Home (five of its pieces are also recited on the album) extends the work, building a parallel architecture. Oscillating between the documentary and the mythic, the intimate and the forensic, the profane and the oniric, these poems practice a theology of the ordinary, where everyday objects - cameras, knives, moth-eaten cotton - are charged withspiritual and historical weight. Here, the body is land, house, battlefield, collective pain, geological territory; and trauma is, in contrast, archival, cellular, ritualistic, inherited. Read alongside the music, the stories refract across two mediums: songs give them breath and poems give them bone.

“The high priest of country cool” - Rolling Stone

“I like him very much. He’s very special. He’s singing with a voice I never heard before” - Townes Van Zandt

“A conscious, soulful brother” - Horace Andy

“He’s a brother to me - one of the best singer/songwriters I’ve ever met” - Adrian Sherwood

“Unearthed mine of gems from inner Wales - a songbook of ideas - that's Jeb!” - Gilles Peterson

Jeb Loy Nichols is a bonafide Country (Got) Soul legend. The Music Maker presents 21 incredibly deep, grooving and soulful songs from the cream of Jeb's catalogue; from its earliest days to his latest unreleased gems via countless rare and unbelievably good lost-classics. This 2LP set is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned artwork courtesy of Jeb himself.

In collecting these uncut, under-heard gems, we hope to do justice to Jeb's jaw-dropping artistic brilliance. A man who, in working with Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Dan Penn, Larry Jon Wilson and countless other legendary characters, has crafted some of the most deeply affecting folk, country, soul, funk, blues, dub, reggae, gospel, rap and electronic music, ever heard.

The first music Jeb really felt a connection with was southern soul: "I used to listen to the radio at night and fell in love with Bobby Womack and Al Green, The Staple Singers and Joe Simon – that whole Nashville/Memphis/Muscle Shoals thing.” But Jeb was so much more than a soul boy, Indeed, he "went to bluegrass festivals with my dad and come home and listened to jazz records with my mother.” And, when he was fifteen, he heard his first punk record: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. “That and The Ramones completely changed me.” In 1979 he got a scholarship to go to art school in New York: “A great time. Punk was over but hip-hop was starting and I got into that in an obsessive way.”

His first recording, in 1980, was an unreleased rap song called "I’m A Country Boy". If that isn't an insight enough into Jeb's kaleidoscopic path through music, in 1981 he visited friends in London and found himself living in a squat with Adrian Sherwood, Ari Up (from the Slits), and Neneh Cherry. “Adrian put me to work immediately, moving boxes of records all across London. It was Adrian that was and is my biggest influence – in his complete disregard for genre purity.” So, presumably you're getting the picture? A veritable musical magpie with a voracious appetite and unimpeachable taste.

"Mine has always been a meandering career. I've done what I've done, and made the music I've made, due to chance meetings. I'm not particularly ambitious; it's more important to me that I work with friends and like-minded people. I've been a big fan of Be With for years. Everything they release is essential. When they asked about rereleasing "Countrymusicdisco45" I was both pleased and flattered. We began talking about how we'd do it; two years and twenty-one tracks later, here we are. I've always thought of the music I make as Country Music. Music conceived in the country, written in the country, recorded in the country. I left London and moved back to the country so I could live among the trees, the grasses, the animals, those things that don't go to war and get greedy. This compilation is the story of that life. Hand made, lo-fi, ramshackle, stripped down, real deal music. Heartworn and funky. Music made in the kitchen, not in the studio. As the great Skip Mcdonald said, Perfect ain't perfect. It's great to see all these tracks gathered together. It feels like a family reunion. Some older members of the tribe, some newer arrivals."

Opener "countrymusicdisco45" is a song Jeb wrote about how his crew lives, tucked up blissfully in the hills: "House parties full of country folk dancing to disco, reggae, soul, country, hip-hop. All night. I recorded it at home under the influence of Stevie Wonder." It's one of the funkiest records you'll ever hear. "Sometimes Shooting Stars" was recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary Dennis Bovell. It's deep, dubby, majestic. A thing of fragile, melodic beauty. The party ramps back up again with the undeniable groove of "Short Cut Home" before the profoundly moving "Disappointment" arrives. One of many songs he's recorded with good buddy Benedic Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77): "We were going for a Leon Thomas meets Richard Brautigan meets Alice Coltrane kind of thing". We think they nailed it. "Days Are Mighty", like a lot of the tracks on this collection, "started life as a demo, an attempt to get something down while it was fresh. No frills, nothing fancy, just feel." And what feels!

The irrepressibly funky "Don't Dance With Me Tonight" is a deeply moving, slow-mo organ-drenched head-nod-funky country-ballad. Next up, the breezy "You Got It Wrong" was recorded in Wales with some of Jeb's good friends and neighbours, The Westwood All Stars, featuring Clovis Phillips and Will Barnes. Skanking fiddle-flecked gem "Ring The Bells" was the first thing Jeb recorded when he moved to Wales. A combination of all his loves; country, reggae, soul. It's followed by "Let's Make It Up", a truly sumptuous string-drenched emotional groover. "When Did You Stop Loving Me" is another Nashville track, written and recorded during a time Jeb was spending a lot of time with the Muscle Shoals crew, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, George Soule and Dan Penn: "It shows, I'm sure, their influence." Oh, you bet it does!

The swaggering country-funk of "Just Beginning" should grace many groove-focused DJs' sets whilst "Wintering Of The Year", again made with Clovis, is pastoral, campfire soul. The glacial, gorgeous "Let It Rain" is from an unreleased record Jeb made with the great British jazz bass player Andy Hamill and "We Tell Each Other Who We Are" is freaky country-soul made by a man with a love for strutting, wonky hip-hop stylings. Rounding out the side, "Trip To You" is pure, uncut amphetamine-propelled drum-machine soul.

The spare, beautiful "Dirt" is from an EP Jeb made with Julian Moore in his house in South London: "All first takes, straight to tape." Swoon! "Heaven Right Here" was a very minor league hit in America: "It was produced by the brilliant and much missed Wayne Nunes. It was started in the countryside of Missouri, finished in the countryside of Wales, and recorded in the countryside of Sussex." Double swoon! "If Later Ever Comes" is electronica meets J.J. Cale business whilst "Remember The Season" is truly wonderful and breezy guitar soul. "A Little Love" was made with Wayne Nunes as well, after a night of listening to Studio One and Northern Soul. Bouncy dub closer "Weary Traveller" was written by Bill Monroe, the hero of Jeb's youth: "Monroe's music was heavily influenced by black southern churches; I've tried to keep some of that feral feel." This was the final recording by Jeb's 1990s Country-Dub band, Fellow Travellers.

The name of this compilation comes from a time when Jeb lived in Peckham, south London and he used to DJ and sometimes perform at a local bar: "The owner of the bar, a Jamaican named Count Percy, once asked me what I called my music. I told him I wasn't sure, I guess just pop music. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 'no, more like mom and pop music'. Rather than call me a country singer or a folk singer he always referred to me as The Music Maker."

With the long overdue deluxe overview of his beloved music, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Jeb Loy Nichols. RIYL Larry Jon Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Charles, country got soul artists, dub, deep soul, disco, dancing, heartbreak. This deluxe collection, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to ensuring Jeb reaches an ever bigger, ever more appreciative crowd of followers. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The artwork has been lovingly put together by The Music Maker, himself, Jeb Loy Nichols. "Be With is the perfect home for this mongrel music. I am forever in their debt." The pleasure is all ours, Jeb.