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Prykson Fisk & Antiquant - Macrodose
JNM032
U Know Me Records
12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

Hip-HopHip-HopRap

Only 200 copies of black 180g vinyl was made.

"Macrodose" is an album recorded in the classic form of Producer & MC, (Antiquant and Prykson Fisk). JuNouMi Records (est. 2002) gives this hip-hop project the highest mark of quality. Real underground rap album including many guests such as Axel Holy and King Kashmere from UK.

Prykson writes about the album as follows: Macrodose is a lyrical "trip report" with a perfect musical accompaniment, a diary of a total life transformation inspired by the power of medicine contained in entheogens.

To emphasize the urban character of the project, we asked the well-known street artist TYBER to create the graphic design of the album, which is ultimately based on a dedicated mural painted in September in Gdańsk.

Mr. Aleksander aka Prykson Fisk aka Fred Flin100NER is 170 kg of live hip-hop. Beat-boxer, MC and DJ, associated with Hip-Hop culture since 2003. Prykson is an experienced psychonaut and owner of the KOMORA REC home studio. Creator and author of over 20 albums and mixtapes. His official debut K02M02 (2020) landed in the respectable 7th place of OLiS... Representative of the MOST BLUNTED team, KOLOKOS - one of the creators and founder of such projects as: Renegaci Funku, Hedora, Prykson Ifs and Dusty Vibez. He played beats in every genre, from dubstep, grime, drum and bass, through rap, to jazz and funk played live with a band. He has conducted countless workshops in the field of hip hop (beat-box, rap) throughout Poland... A fan of good food, underground music, multidimensional visual art and conspiracy theories. An experienced gourmand of life and a well-known local healer.

Antiquant - 24-year-old producer from Zielona Góra. He has collaborated with artists such as Ryfa Ri, Mada, Asthma, Mareceli Bober. With his beats, he tries to drown the listener in an ocean of cosmic sounds. The axis of its production is the artistic achievements of producers such as flying lotus, monte booker and j dilla. In his songs, he does not limit himself to one style, his beats are often a patchwork of various genres of music. In his productions you can hear boom bap drums, trap eight hundred eighth notes and jazz trumpets coexisting in the strangest musical ecosystems. Antiquant appreciates experiments, loves to push his boundaries, look for undiscovered sounds and use effects in ways they shouldn't be used.

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

29,83 €
Santaka, Manfredas, Marijus Aleksa - Ramybė / Autoportretas
  • Ramybė
  • Autoportretas
CON939LP
The state51 Conspiracy
12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

PopJazz

Santaka is truly the sound of a culture. The name means “confluence” in Lithuanian, and the project has been exactly that from the moment DJ/producer Manfredas and drummer/producer Marijus Aleksa resolved to work together in the early days of 2020.

Not only does it bring together the talents that Manfredas and Marijus have individually honed over their own illustrious international careers in the club underground and young jazz worlds – but their recordings have drawn on talents from across styles and generations within Lithuania, creating a fusion of experimental sounds that represents the living nation. The highest common factors of post rock, jazz, dancefloor and abstract electronics, classical and more all flow together. Now, they are deepening this further, by reworking recordings by composer Rytis Mažulis and the avant-garde choir Melos Collective.

Over two tracks, they create haunting but hopeful, weird but truly wonderful atmospheres that look back to the deep history of their home nation’s music and culture but also forward to sonic science fictions of their own. In “Autoportretas”, disembodied voices emerge from the air around Marijus’s percussion subtly at first but becoming more and more corporeal as the ritual takes shape.

The eight-minute “Ramybė” is less linear, more dreamlike, with orchestral drones, free jazz fluttering and retro electronics joining the voices and drums. But for all their eeriness and oddness, both are built on the pleasure principle too: this exploratory music joining past and future is thrilling and sustaining in the moment.

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

26,26 €
Ludovico Einaudi - Le Onde LP 2x12"
4858915
Decca France
2x12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

PopClassicsIndie

Released in 1996, Le Onde "The Waves" was the first solo piano album released by Ludovico Einaudi. The incredible work featured the following quote from the man himself. "If it were a story it would be set on the seafront of a long beach. A beach without beginning and without end. The story of a man who walks along this shore and perhaps never meets anyone. His gaze lingers occasionally to look at some object or fragment brought from the sea. The footprints of a crab or a solitary seagull. I always take the sand, the sky, some clouds, the sea. Only the waves change, always the same and different, smaller. larger. Shorter. Longer." Now released on Blue Vinyl for the very first time.

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

42,65 €
Ludovico Einaudi - Le Onde LP 2x12"
4858915
Decca France
2x12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

PopClassicsIndie

Released in 1996, Le Onde "The Waves" was the first solo piano album released by Ludovico Einaudi. The incredible work featured the following quote from the man himself. "If it were a story it would be set on the seafront of a long beach. A beach without beginning and without end. The story of a man who walks along this shore and perhaps never meets anyone. His gaze lingers occasionally to look at some object or fragment brought from the sea. The footprints of a crab or a solitary seagull. I always take the sand, the sky, some clouds, the sea. Only the waves change, always the same and different, smaller. larger. Shorter. Longer." Now released on Blue Vinyl for the very first time.

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

37,77 €
Cal Tjader - Catch The Groove. Live At The Penthouse 1963-1967 LP 3x12"
2950367EL1
Elemental Music
3x12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

PopJazz

"PRODUCER ZEV FELDMAN’S NEW IMPRINT, JAZZ DETECTIVE, LAUNCHES NEVER BEFORE RELEASED CAL TJADER LIVE SETS RECORDED IN THE 1960s AT THE PENTHOUSE JAZZ CLUB IN SEATTLE.
THIS IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL RELEASE OF PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED LIVE CAL TJADER MUSIC IN NEARLY 20 YEARS!
Transferred from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman, Cal Tjader: Catch The Groove – Live at the Penthouse 1963-1967 is presented as a 180-gram vinyl limited edition 3-LP SET and will also be available as a Deluxe 2-CD set and as a digital download.
Package includes reflections by producer Zev Feldman and jazz writer Greg Casseus, as well as interviews with Poncho Sánchez, Eddie Palmieri, Joe Locke, Gary Burton, Carl Burnett, and Brent Fischer, and a statement by Tjader’s son and daughter Rob and Liz Tjader. The extensive booklet contains previously unpublished photos by Ray Avery and Fred Seligo.
All of the performances heard on this set are previously unreleased. Legendary vibraphone player Tjader is heard with a variety of quintets, backed by pianists Clare Fischer, Lonnie Hewitt and Al Zulaica, bassists Fred Schreiber, Terry Hilliard, Monk Montgomery and Stan Gilbert, drummers Johnny Rae and Carl Burnett, and percussionists Bill Fitch and Armando Peraza.
Taking its name from Feldman’s handle “the Jazz Detective” and reflecting his determined work unearthing hitherto unheard, award-winning treasures, the Jazz Detective label is an imprint of Deep Digs Music Group, a partnership with Spain’s Elemental Music, with which Feldman has enjoyed a long professional relationship."

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

69,96 €
AURAGRAPH - NEW STANDARD LP
DAISLPC225
Dais Records
12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

HouseDanceElectronica

For fans of post-Chicago post-"Second Summer of Love" acid; Chris & Cosey, Terekke, Cabaret Voltaire, Anthony Naples, JTC, D.K., Luke Vibert, Khotin. The latest by Texan-turned-Angeleno progressive vaporwave producer Carlos Ramirez aka AURAGRAPH finds him shifting focus to the dance floor across eight chrome clockworks of cosmic acid house and liquid rave glide: New Standard. Inspired by lessons learned during a 5K mile American road trip tour in the summer 2022, he set to work in his Simi Valley Tuff Shed of synths and hardware, pursuing an explicitly DJfriendly muse: "I realized I wanted to make a record where every track could go off in a live setting." These cuts do just that, revved and rhythmic, peppered with slap bass, Madchester whistles, filtered acid, gated snares, baggy cowbell, and sample pack classics - record scratches, orchestral stabs, the "Yeah! Woo!" from Lynn Collins "Think (About It)." Ramirez describes the process as immediate and instinctual: "I'd turn on the MPC, pick a tempo, and just improv - it was incredibly fun." From sleek freeway techno ("110 Cruising") to arcade lurker acid ("Coast 2 Coast") to big room bangers ("666 Ambience"), the tracks time-travel across the canon of club music, sifting tricks and styles to fashion fresh anthems of hypnagogic jack. It's an album channeled as much as crafted, tapping into the decks of mythic warehouse infinities past and present, where the system rips all night and acid never dies.

out of Stock

Last delivered 2 years ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

23,49 €
Matthew Shipp Trio - Circular Temple LP
ESP4082LP
ESP DISK
12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

PopJazz

It has become clear that Matthew Shipp is the most interesting and important jazz pianist of his generation, the most continually evolving and pushing forward. (We could also say “best,” even have been known to declare that, but it’s such a loaded term.) Now that he’s in his sixties and something of an elder statesman of the art form, he’s overdue for a retrospective look at his catalog, and to help make that happen, ESP-Disk’ will be reissuing some of his great early work that’s gone out of print:
• The 1990 trio recording Circular Temple (originally self-released on Quinton, then reissued in 1994 by Henry Rollins on his Infinite Zero label) will come out this September;
• His 1994 duo album with William Parker, Zo (originally on Rise, reissued in '97 on Rollins’s 2.13.61 label), will reappear in Spring 2024.

These will both be reissued not only on CD, the format on which they first appeared, but on vinyl as well, since many jazz fans prefer that medium. Additionally, his solo piano album Zero, released by ESP-Disk’ in 2018, will be put out on vinyl for the first time, also in 2024.

Circular Temple has marked many firsts for Matthew Shipp: his first CD release, first piano trio album, first of many times on record with Parker and Dickey, first album to be reissued, and on ESP-Disk’s reissue of it, first CD-only album to finally appear on vinyl and first album to be released by three different labels. And, more trivially, the first Shipp album that current ESP head/reissue producer Steve Holtje acquired, back when the only choices were that and a 1988 LP-only duo by Shipp and saxophonist Rob Brown on the Cadence label.

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

24,79 €
The Haxan Cloak - The Haxan Cloak LP 2x12"
AD002
Archaic Devices
2x12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

HouseElectronicaPopIndie

Originally released in 2011 on Aurora Borealis. This is the new 2LP version on Archaic Devices. Archaic Devices is a new label founded by Bobby Krlic, aka The Haxan Cloak. It will serve as the home for his future releases as The Haxan Cloak alongside reissues of his past work under the moniker. Krlic admits that starting a record label wasn’t something that had occurred to him until he finished building his own home studio in LA and he regained the master tapes to his records from various underground labels. All of his archival releases have been remastered, with aspects of their design and presentation tightened up by Krlic to present his music exactly as he initially intended. Working with revered visual artist Christopher Leckie, Krlic has built a stark, unique identity for his newly minted label Archaic Devices that extends to a new line of merchandise, as well as new visual directions for the label’s first and forthcoming releases.

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

28,15 €
The Haxan Cloak - Excavation LP 2x12"
AD003
Archaic Devices
2x12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

HouseElectronicaPopIndie

Originally released in 2013 on Tri Angle Records. This is the new 2LP version on Archaic Devices. Archaic Devices is a new label founded by Bobby Krlic, aka The Haxan Cloak. It will serve as the home for his future releases as The Haxan Cloak alongside reissues of his past work under the moniker. Krlic admits that starting a record label wasn’t something that had occurred to him until he finished building his own home studio in LA and he regained the master tapes to his records from various underground labels. All of his archival releases have been remastered, with aspects of their design and presentation tightened up by Krlic to present his music exactly as he initially intended. Working with revered visual artist Christopher Leckie, Krlic has built a stark, unique identity for his newly minted label Archaic Devices that extends to a new line of merchandise, as well as new visual directions for the label’s first and forthcoming releases

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

28,15 €
FRATERNITY - SECOND CHANCE LP 2x12"
WST130417
Wrong Side Of The Tracks
2x12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

PopRock

Released here on vinyl for the first time ever, this collection of rare recordings by Australian rock legends FRATERNITY was unearthed and curated by author and co-manager Victor Marshall from the archives of original band manager Hamish Henry whilst performing research for his book on the band, entitled 'Fraternity: Pub Rock Pioneers' (Brolga Publishing 2021). - Original cover artwork by renown Australian artist Vytas Serelis who also designed the cover artwork for Flaming Galah. - Deluxe package includes gatefold jacket packed with original press clippings and previously unpublished period band photos plus extensive liner notes by original band co-manager Victor Marshall. - Album features legendary AC/DC front man BON SCOTT on lead vocals! His work with FRATERNITY put Scott on the radar of George Young, AC/DC co-producer and older brother of Angus and Malcolm, eventually leading to Scott replacing then-front man Dave Evans in 1974.

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

63,82 €
SONIC YOUTH W/ JIM O'ROURKE - INVITO AL CIELO
SYR123
Syr
12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

PopRock

FINALLY BACK IN PRINT in 2023! The third SYR release documents Sonic Youth's first collaboration with Jim O'Rourke. This sharp Esparanto-addled 'Muzikaj Perspektivoj'-series edition contains 3 new songs, and 50+ minutes of music. Invito al Cielo is an album by Sonic Youth. It was released on March 2, 1998, and was the third in a series of experimental releases issued on the band's own SYR label. SYR3 marked the beginning of the band's collaborations with producer and musician Jim O'Rourke; his continuing work with the group after SYR3 resulted in O'Rourke becoming an official member of Sonic Youth by 2002's Murray Street.

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

32,35 €
CHICKEN DIAMOND - SHADOW CITY
BRLP340
BEAST RECORDS
12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

PopAlternative

"Shadow City" is Chicken Diamond 6th album on Beast Records. The idea: put the Mississippi Hill Country Blues to fusion until it reaches the temperature of a Stooges Metallic 2 X KO. That's exactly what Chicken Diamond does! Even if his style is ultimately close to the blues roots, his work always inspires fear and loathing to the Eric Clapton fan base!

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

22,06 €
JOHNNY LAPORTE - THAT'S ME
SHLV066
SOUNDS HAARLEM LIKES VINYL
12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

PopBlues

Blues guitarist JOHNNY LAPORTE (Barrelhouse, Oscar Benton) releases his first solo album.
With twelve bluesy songs on which he proves to be an all-round bluesman. Parallel to this
album, he makes his debut as a writer with an Indian novel.
Johnny makes his debut as an accomplished singer with a slightly weathered voice. He also
presents himself as a multi-instrumentalist. Of course his guitar work is most in the
foreground. But in the quiet 'Storyteller', for example, his piano playing creates a tranquil
atmosphere. In the reggae-like 'We Gotta Tie Her Down' you can even hear a synthesizer.
In the blues ballad 'Forbidden Blues', inspired by the old 'Summertime', you can fully enjoy
his slow-hand guitar playing. Piano and guitar play a leading role in one of the two tracks
not written by Johnny on this album: a wonderful mid-tempo version of Robert Johnson's
traditional 'Ramblin' On My Mind' (from 1936).

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

28,15 €
Atlantic Brain - EP
INT053
Internasjonal
12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

HouseDeepBreaks

With a long and winding career working with Kris Menace, remixing the likes of Depeche Mode and LCD Soundsystem, being remixed by Deadmau5, composing filmmusic,the Munich-based producer Philip Leroi now lands his Atlantic Brain-project for a full EP on Internasjonal. He has previously contributed to our Internasjonal Space Station Compilation 1.
Wonderboy Alan Dixon contributes with not less than 2 remixes of "Brother", while Prins Thomas helped tighten the mixdown slightly.
Internasjonal HQ September 2023

out of Stock

Last delivered 2 years ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

11,39 €
H.Takahashi - Escapism
NNF346
Not Not Fun
12inch24.11.202324.NOV.23

BeatsAmbient

Tokyo architect Hiroki Takahashi is a world-builder both in matter and sound. His latest collection of serene micro-miniatures was inspired by “the dissatisfaction with reality that I feel on a daily basis.” Escapism offers exactly that: percolating patterns of fiberglass synthetics and fluorescent melody, assembled into minimalist bio-domes of refracted light and hanging gardens.

Recorded during metropolitan commutes, afterhours office meditations, and various windows of urban stasis, the album actualizes the ambient muse of its maker, willing space from density, tranquility from tedium. As with his work in exotic atmosphere unit UNKNOWN ME, Takahashi’s touch is hushed, precise, and prismatic, coaxing spectrums of illusion and bliss in its tinted glass spirals: “Extreme tension produces extreme relaxation.”

pre-order now24 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 24 Nov 2023

21,81 €
Salamanda - In Parallel LP
WSDMLP006
Wisdom Teeth
12inch23.11.202323.NOV.23

HouseElectronicaAmbient

Seoul duo Salamanda arrive on Wisdom Teeth with their latest and most focused LP yet: 'In Parallel' - a vividly textural and immersive record that brings a new level of clarity to their typically psychedelic, expansive approach. Since arriving in 2019, the pair - comprised of friends Uman Therma (aka Sala) and Yetsuby (aka Manda) - have been fast at work mapping out their elaborate, dream-state sonic world - prolifically honing their sound across four albums and over a dozen singles to date. Across their already-extensive discography the pair have established a few key calling cards. Mallet instruments and tuned drums play out playful music-box melodies. Thick washes of gaseous ambience invoke otherworldly or ancient soundscapes. And buried fragments of found sound and manipulated vocal give their otherwise synthetic compositions a warm sense of first-person narrative. Ambient and Reich-school minimalism are the music’s most obvious sonic touchstones - yet the pulse of contemporary club and pop music have never been totally out of earshot. All of these themes come in to play here - but 'In Parallel' signals a step well beyond Salamanda’s work to date. Since 2022’s 'ashbalkum' (released on Wisdom Teeth alumni Tristan Arp’s label, Human Pitch), the duo have toured extensively: at classical institutions like London’s Kings Place as well as DIY club dens like Manchester’s White Hotel, all via a series of globally renowned festivals like Mutek, Nachti and Dekmantel. Their creative set-up has grown steadily alongside to incorporate a whole suite of new machines, processes and perspectives, taking their music in bold new directions in the process. The clearest development here is in the duo’s use of vocals - a shift that has been slowly taking place over their last few records, but that comes to a head on In Parallel. The album’s lead single 'Homemade Jam' is the closest the duo have come to writing an all-out pop track: its buoyant beat and autotuned vocals sounding like something SOPHIE and Charli XCX could have written after a particularly potent batch of mushroom tea. It’s a razor-sharp slice of alt-pop that offers a mouthwatering first look at what happens when Salamanda’s sprawling, unbridled creative energy is distilled right down into something concentrated and polished. At other points their sonic explorations lead them to embrace a more upfront approach to rhythm, skirting closer than ever before to the dancefloor in the process. The meandering drums and vocal chops on 'Paper Labyrinth' are underpinned by a firm 4x4 pulse, while the dembow groove of 'Tonal, Fluid' would feel right at home in a Nick León or DJ Plead set. 'In Parallel' is a record about connection, and the warmth and nostalgic simplicity of friendship is felt vividly throughout. Its title refers to the harmony the duo have found between them as friends and collaborators - and sonic parallels are traced throughout the record as testament to this. Motifs come and go before reappearing at later points: take, for example, the melody underpinning ‘Sun Tickles’, which returns in a different key and tempo on album closer ‘Mysterious Wedding’. Parallel lines are traced between each artist and through their music, linking back to their past and pointing ahead to the future. Only Salamanda know where these will take us next.

out of Stock

Last delivered 2 years ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

22,90 €
Bored Lord - Name It LP 2x12"
T4T013
T4T LUV NRG
2x12inch23.11.202323.NOV.23

HouseGarageBreaksBeatsJungleBreak-Beat

T4T LUV NRG presents “Name It”, the latest album by Oakland’s Bored Lord, aka DJ Daria. The internationally beloved producer and DJ has created a truly stunning album of impeccably produced and mixed work, each song an enticing chapter in a complexly woven story about love. This album of uninhibited, hook-laden tracks conveys a narrative of love that is not only romantic and personal, but also communal and familial— a love that refuses to limit itself to just two people, but instead spills forth into the world, embracing everyone open to its power. With her emotive, tenacious album, Bored Lord reminds us that to truly allow yourself to be enveloped in desire, you have to endure the pain that comes alongside it. You have to adapt and stretch yourself in order to experience the immense growth love has to offer. You have to believe there's more to this world than suffering and isolation. You have to look within and accept whatever you find, even if it is ugly or difficult. Love is the peace you find amidst the chaos of living, and it doesn't just fall into your lap. You have to want it. You have to be ready for it. And if you are ready, you have to name it.

As a producer known in no small part for her edits, Bored Lord presents “Name It” as a work undeniable in its artistry, completely authentic in its messaging, and absent of the industrial notion of production. The songs on “Name It” have instant hooks and each is deeply inspired by the genres Bored Lord loves—broken beat, drum n’ bass, jungle, UK bass, Florida breaks and house among them—but rather than simply reproducing, these tracks expand each genre beautifully. Daria’s technique is decidedly hardcore, with samplers, romplers and a bone dry aesthetic, each song and sound all her own. In the artist's own words “I want the industry people to be confused while the ravers understand the very moment they press play. I want to challenge everyone to name it.” And we expect that indeed they will, play after play after play. Now, close your eyes and believe there is more, more, more….

out of Stock

Last delivered 2 years ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

23,49 €
Groof - When The Uncanny Arises 2x12"
KORYUXL05
Koryu Budo Records
2x12inch23.11.202323.NOV.23

TechnoTechno

For this special release he provides 8 cuts of advanced techno, from mental and hypnotic to broken and industrial or simply arpeggiated and beatless.

WHEN THE UNCANNY ARISES starts with No Gender Role an elastic mental exercise with metallic and processed components flying over a solid kick and white noise percussive elements add some hypnotic pads and you have a powerful mind and body tool.

Blue follows in a similar approach, clean drum programming, bleepy synth lines and a progressive arrangement constantly evolving and changing Flipping the vinyl, it’s time for the broken rhythms of Feel and understand combining distorted kicks with gummy sequences again administered in a quite wise structure.

Klonger closes the B side with obsessive metallic hits repeating until madness, a powerful industrial beat for the experienced dj’s out there.

The second vinyl slice begins with Negative One, returning to the martial beat combining a precise drum workout with floaty and liquid components, followed by Anonimo coercitivo exploring the deepest side of techno using textures and drones to spice the relentless beat.

Zero opens the C side, providing a solid distorted groove with metallic details and sci fi interstellar bell like sequences, proper futuristic vibes here.

Saying goodbye, the beatless Nothing To fear, an arpeggiated synth solo reminiscent of the old Berlin School of electronics from the seventies.

A touchable proof of his craftsmanship in the studio by one of the key figures in the European techno scene.

out of Stock

Last delivered 2 years ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

25,17 €
Siraba - Nase
STM003C
Secret Teachings
12inch23.11.202323.NOV.23

HouseDeepTribal

Malian and French pairing Siraba return to Secret Teachings with a third superb single, ‘Nase’, from their forthcoming debut album, accompanied by US talent Joeski on remix duties.

Malian hunter Boubacar Samake and Damien Vandesande, one half of the French electronic band dOP, use their Siraba project to bring the traditional sound of the Wassoulou - a river valley of West Africa - to the electronic world. They have been friends for 20 years and look to fuse Mali’s rich musical traditions with cutting-edge electronic music, always with an underlying message of love and respect for all. Their stunning work has found a perfect home on Damian Lazarus’ Secret Teachings imprint, a left-of-centre and experimental alternative to his club-focussed Crosstown Rebels, and the pair return in excellent fashion once again to drop the penultimate single ahead of their debut album release.

Joining the package is US house legend Joeski, whose roots in the scene date back to the early 90s. A founding member of The Chocolate Factory DJ collective, he has been a vital part of the scene ever since with releases on Crosstown Rebels, Relief and an array of other heavyweight labels. His sympathetic remix elongates the groove into immersive, deep house sounds richly layered with elegant synths and soul-rousing chords that are delicate yet impactful.

out of Stock

Last delivered 16 months ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

16,39 €
Miss D. - Moving
EHAW008
Edition Hawara
7"-Vinyl23.11.202323.NOV.23

HouseDiscoItalo

Miss D used to work as a model in New York. That she ended up in Vienna was sheer coincidence. That she became a recording artist was never planned, either. She moved to the Austrian capital with a well-known commercial producer in the mid-1980s, and soon she found herself recording TV ads for ice cream manufacturers.

One day in the recording studio, someone had the brilliant idea of making a proper record with her. The outcome was the highly sought-after disco oddity "Moving", most copies of which were destroyed due to a lack of commercial success.

Now getting a second chance, "Moving" is as strong as Austrian disco productions from that era come: slow, bouncy, full of personality and consistently surprising. So, three cheers to coincidences and random ideas in recording studios. This is a most memorable 7".

out of Stock

Last delivered 2 years ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

13,87 €
Marcal - Infectious
MDZN004
Mind Medizin
10inch23.11.202323.NOV.23

TechnoTechno

Lady Tazz's Mind Medizin label welcomes Marcal for an adventurous new techno two-tracker.

Brazilian-born and based, Marcal has now reached a global audience with his spellbinding techno and haunting atmospherics. His intelligently designed sounds on labels like Rekids Special Projects have found favour with everyone from Charlotte de Witte to Richie Hawtin. He has built a local scene in his hometown of Goiânia and now lands on the forward-thinking Mind Medizin label.

Opener 'Infectious' is a mind-altering and wonky techno workout. The unbalanced synths warp and wrap around each other to dynamic effect, while oversized hi-hats ramp up the pressure. The drums hit hard and it results in supple, stylish and high impact backroom techno. The equally excellent 'LambdaCore' is more dark and glitchy, with scraping hits and scuffed-up kicks. The textured sound designs really bring this track alive as ghoulish vocals and hyposonic loops take you down a late-night techno tunnel.

This is a brilliant brace of muscular and emotive techno tunes.

out of Stock

Last delivered 19 days ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

14,24 €
JEIGO - Hatchet's Cave
TR003
Tread Records
12inch23.11.202323.NOV.23

TechnoMinimalIdm BeatsDrum&Bass

Jeigo dropped a thrilling debut album Cerulean back at the end of 2022, worked in a tune with Elkka for her DJ-Kicks mix and also remixed Bicep not long ago.

Now he follows all that up with a firing four-track EP on Tread Records that again collides different club sounds, great samples and hooky melodies. 'Hatchet's Cave' is hands-in-the-air house euphoria with blistering drums and warped pads, then 'Move X' is a gritty tech bouncer and 'Compulsions' is a bubbly one with crisp hits.

Nervous Horizons label boss Anunaku remixes the title track into a bass-heavy banger and four locked grooves feature on this 12" for adventurous DJs to play with.

out of Stock

Last delivered 16 months ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

15,08 €
Black Merlin - Distance
TMCC002
Crystal Ceremony Transmigration
12inch23.11.202323.NOV.23

TechnoTechno

Veteran producer Black Merlin aka George Thompson debuts on Transmigration sub label Crystal Ceremony with four dense and hypnotic dance floor cuts.

Informed as much by a deep knowledge of dance music’s history as well as extensive field recording work in some of the most remote parts of the world, the EP’s 4 tracks swerve modern techno’s expectations of high BPMs in favour of a slow, timeless journey through ritualistic drum patterns, atmospheric modular loops and ethereal vocals.

out of Stock

Last delivered 73 days ago
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13,66 €
Leroy se meurt - Voué à rouiller LP
MNQ152
Mannequin Records
12inch23.11.202323.NOV.23

PopRockPunkNew Wave

Leroy Se Meurt is a French musical duo known for their eclectic and experimental sound.

Formed in 2018 in Paris, their music can be described as a fusion of various genres, abrasive and hypnotic, an energetic old school EBM fused with fierce electro and bound by punk ethos.
Retaining the minimalist and raw qualities of punk rock, and replacing the complement traditional punk rock instruments like guitars and drums with drum machine and synthesizers, LSM sound is characterized by a blend of influences, including electronic, experimental, and noise elements, which contribute to their unique and distinctive style. If you enjoy post-punk music or are interested in exploring this genre, you may find aspects of it in Leroy Se Meurt's work, but their music also transcends traditional genre boundaries.

out of Stock

Last delivered 21 months ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

19,75 €
Gary Martin and Javonntte - Zurvan And The Infinite Time
GG-61
TEKNOTIKA
12inch22.11.202322.NOV.23

HouseDeepTech

Exhausted from a 3 years in the making album called Lagarius released in 2023. Gary Martin had a plan to not work in the studio this summer until he realized his Facebook keyboard playing friend named Brian Mars was a.k.a. Javonntte the writer of an exceptional good song on The Mahogany compilation released that year.

Gary created the beat for The Infinite Time and Brian sent the bass line and the keys. Then, picking the exotic scale called Persian was how the creation of Zurvan started. Gary Made the beat and Brian sent the bass line and the keys and Lot’s of Teknotika studio wizardry followed to complete this concept Ep.

out of Stock

Last delivered 20 months ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

13,87 €
Asake - Work Of Art
ERE971
EMPIRE
12inch21.11.202321.NOV.23

PopWorld Music

Work of Art is the second album from Nigerian-born singer-songwriter and global superstar, Asake. Building on the sounds from his explosive debut, Mr. Money With The Vibe (which became Billboard’s highest-charting debut album from a Nigerian artist), the 14-track Work Of Art showcases Asake’s winning formula of fusing traditional and contemporary African music into something equally unique and celebratory. The release also marked Asake’s second straight debut on the Billboard 200, and clocked in Spotify chart debuts at number 2 on the Global Albums chart and number 5 on the US Top Albums chart. With standout singles such as “Amapiano,” “2:30,” “Basquiat,” & “Sunshine,” the album highlights Asake’s innate ability to cut through to global audiences, making him one of 2023’s most intriguing artists to watch. Pressed on Green/White/Green Tri-Color Stripe Vinyl.

out of Stock

Last delivered 2 years ago
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21,43 €
Dragon - Scented Gardens For The Blind
FGBG2043
Musea Records
12inch21.11.202321.NOV.23

PopRock

It was not only in Brittany that progressive rock bands went under the radar in the 1970s This was the case with the New Zealand quintet Dragon, born in 1972 in Auckland. Author of two albums released by Vertigo, certainly appreciated by amateurs, the group unfortunately did not meet with the expected success in its country of origin, which led it to emigrate to Australia from 1975. From there, they would spin the perfect love with the kangaroo public and the rest of the world in the 80s. Since then, between splits and reformations, they are still touring! But let's come back to this second album "Scented Gardens For The Blind" published for the first time in 1975 and today emerged from the shadows by the Replica and Musea labels. Note that from the first title, they try to get out of the shackles of progressive pop with Ivan Thomson's keyboards which push the combo to venture towards very English lands that the Zombies then Argent knew how to borrow. It is both marked by the 70s and a real desire to seduce the charts. What they did next in Australia. For the time being, on most of the album, the work remains a paragon of progressive rock marked by long guitar solos and beautiful flights of keyboards. Masterfully reissued.

pre-order now21 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 21 Nov 2023

24,79 €
Ashtar - Wandering Through Time LP
EISEN234LPG
EISENWALD
12inch21.11.202321.NOV.23

PopHeavy-Metal

Fire and water collide again: On her latest album "Wandering Through Time", Swiss sorceress ASHTAR opens up a menacing yet ethereal world of opposing forces, fans of emotional yet dirty Blackened Doom Metal should willingly enter. ASHTAR - a duo at first - emerged on the scene in 2015 with their critically acclaimed debut album, "Ilmasaari", voted by Tom G Warrior (Celtic Frost, Triptykon) as one of his favorite albums of the year in Deaf Forever magazine The follow-up, "Kaikuja", released in 2020, took the project's unique blend of black and doom metal to the next level. Since then, ASHTAR has shared the stage with renowned bands such as Inter Arma, Primordial, Bell Witch, Bolzer, and Schammasch.

Now, with "Wandering Through Time", frontwoman Witch N. takes the helm as a one-woman band, pushing the limits of her creative expression to new heights. On her latest offering, she aims to express the darkness, power, and magic of most notably female forces in nature in a saturnine and poetic way. The deeply personal songs take listeners on a journey through the darkest corners of the human soul while embracing the beauty of the natural world. They never fail to showcase Witch N.'s accomplished songwriting and her talents in delivering tortured, gritty screams as well as super- heavy, leaden guitar riffs. Consequently, she names metal masters such as Winter, Darkthrone, and Black Sabbath as her major influences.

From the gloomy and depressive "Into the Gloom" to the tragic tale of the Waterman in "The Submerged Empire", each track is a cathartic work of art. The lyrics transcend metal-cliches of fantasy and lore by telling stories about personal growth, finding soulmates within a cold world, and keeping one's own inner black flame alive. Recording and mixing of the album were handled by V. Noir at Inferno Studio in Switzerland. He also provided additional guitars and jaw harp. The album was mastered by Greg Chandler (Esoteric) at Priory Recording Studios in Birmingham, UK. The front cover photo was captured by Raphael Wolf, while Anti Graphic laid his skilled hands on the new logo design. For Fans of: Oranssi Pazuzu, Wolvserpent, Mizmor, Mantar, Blut aus Nord, Dark Buddha Rising, Eagle Twin, Glorior Belli

pre-order now21 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 21 Nov 2023

26,47 €
Grand River & Sofie Birch - Our Circadian
 
2
MELA02
Melantónia
7"-Vinyl21.11.202321.NOV.23

BeatsAmbientPopWorld Music

Grand River and Sofie Birch are set to unveil their collaborative EP, titled “Our Circadian,” on November 24, through Melantónia.

The two-track release follows Grand River’s final release under the now-discontinued Editions Mego label earlier this year, and Sofie Birch’s two solo albums from 2022. Our Circadian represents the second collaborative release on Melantónia, a platform founded by Hanna Maria & Mattia Onori in 2021, dedicated to music for non-dance environments, featuring early contributions from artists like Polygonia, Plants Army Revolver, and Melantónia co-founders Hanna Maria & Mattia Onori themselves, amongst others.

“Our Circadian” was conceived remotely in 2021 during the lockdown, with the aim of encapsulating two distinct moments of those days – early morning and late afternoon – along with their subtle emotional nuances. The first track of the release – 7PM – conveys dreamy atmospheres that flow into colorful rhythms, recalling the electroacoustic nature of the label’s melancholic sounds. The gloomier 3AM, on the other side of a 7“ record, offers a timeless introspection of a gently intensifying synth sound’s fling.

Grand River, a composer and sound designer, brings her background in linguistics to her work. She draws inspiration from minimalism and ambient music, resulting in atmospheric and rhythmically intricate compositions. Her artistic pursuits traverse the realms of art and electronic music, exploring forms of communication that transcend language, often influenced by nature, scale, and movement. Grand River’s impressive portfolio includes sound installations at 4DSOUND/Monom and Terraforma’s Il Pianeta, as well as performances at prestigious venues like Barbican, Rewire, MUTEK, Le Guess Who?, CTM, Draaimolen, and Atonal’s Kraftwerk. She has also worked on remixes for notable acts like Tangerine Dream. Since 2016, she has curated the label One Instrument, offering a unique creative challenge to artists: creating music using only a single instrument.

Sofie Birch, a celebrated sound artist and producer, is known for her lush ambient releases, art installations, live performances, DJ sets, and her NTS show “Ambient Abracadabra.” Her sonic creations can manipulate space, infuse it with a profound sense of calm, and invite listeners to engage in meditation and introspection through the healing qualities of sound and vibrations. Her music acts as a conduit for understanding the complexities of the mind and body through artistic expression, characterized by a distinct emphasis on stillness, suspension, and sustain. Sofie’s soundscapes open gateways to dream-like states of perception and heightened presence, providing a transcendental journey into an alchemical biosphere. Her extensive repertoire includes performances at renowned events such as Barbican, Roskilde Festival, MUTEK, Unsound, CTM, Rewire, Monom, and Terraforma, as well as award-winning compositions for VR experiences and animated films, in collaboration with artists like Baum & Leahy and animation director Pernille Kjaer.

As Our Circadian takes its final form, it promises a narrative of resilience, creativity, and the indomitable human spirit guided by the artistic mastery of Grand River and Sofie Birch.

out of Stock

Last delivered 2 years ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

14,50 €
Burner - Hittin The Target LP
TTK102LP
Time To Kill Records
12inch21.11.202321.NOV.23

PopHeavy-Metal

So a Burner fan is a Rock'n'Roll fan. When Bjorn (guitar/vocals) and Mats (bass) finally found their drummer Jan, the trio is solid as a rock. In September 2018 they wrote and recorded the songs for their first album which was released via Time To Kill Records in spring 2020. Now the Swedish diesel rockers Burner are back! After their first attack with the debut album "Baptized in Gasoline" the band has received praise from all corners of the globe. And after a successful tour with English monster Orange Goblin the band started focusing on their upcoming new album. Burner say: "After the release of Baptized in Gasoline we continued to write new songs as always. Soon there was enough material for a second album and recording began. We always do everything with a smile and our sick sense of humor. The inspiration it comes from anything really, there are so many bands that have inspired us over the years. Janne came up with the idea for the cover and title and work moved on. We are really happy with the result and our fans will be in for a nice surprise. "Hittin' The Target" will be our second release and once again it will be filled with hard rock'n roll riffs. The perfect soundtrack for gulping cold beer!

pre-order now21 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 21 Nov 2023

17,86 €
Harry James - Complete Harry James In Hi-Fi
772345
Waxtime
12inch21.11.202321.NOV.23

PopJazz

180g limited edition on high-definition premium vinyl for super fidelity Made during the first years of the LP era, Harry James in Hi-Fi (1955) comprises some of the greatest hits of the Harry James Orchestra - a unit that by that time had been working unceasingly with few changes since 1939. Recorded in Los Angeles in July of 1955, among the instrumental figures present on the album were trombonist Juan Tizol,who had made a name for himself as part of the Duke Ellington orchestra, and alto saxophonist Willie Smith who was a major force in the swing era. Also present on some of the tracks was singer Helen Forrest, another veteran of the orchestra and other swing bands, and popularly known as "The Voice of the Name Bands." The program was a mix of the orchestra's previously recorded hits, re- recorded here to take advantage of the recently developed Hi-Fidelity recording techniques. The LP was a best seller followed by a sequel, More Harry James In Hi-FI.

pre-order now21 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 21 Nov 2023

20,59 €
Chartreuse - Morning Ritual LP
COMM573
COMMUNION
12inch21.11.202321.NOV.23

PopIndie

On their long-awaited debut album Morning Ritual, Chartreuse have found the light in the darkness, sifting through the ruins of an anxious age in order to find the hope in it "There's a strange optimism in pulling all of your negative traits out, revising and reviewing them, and then putting them back, in order," says Mike Wagstaff, of the band's intricate, gorgeous songwriting. Chartreuse resist easy definition. The Black Country four-piece have been close friends since they were at college. In 2013, Mike and Harriet Wilson started playing folk music together ("We were not good at all," laughs Harriet), and a year later, they added a rhythm section, with the addition of Mike's brother Rory on drums and Perry Lovering on bass. Mike and Rory live together in Kidderminster in the West Midlands, while Harriet and Perry live just ten minutes away. They are very close friends and the songwriting is an extension of this intimacy. Their songs might find Harriet singing Mike's lyrics, or vice versa. "It takes a lot of trust, because the songs are not short of emotion," says Harriet. Morning Ritual has been a long time coming, with Chartreuse honing their craft over the course of four well- received EPs and the standalone 2022 single 'Satellites', a collaboration with Orlando Weeks. Having experimented with partly producing their previous EPs, Mike stepped up as sole producer on 2021's 'Is It Autumn Already?'. But they had big decisions to make. Should they build on the tracks from the last EP, and turn it into a full-length album? Would they work with a producer, or would Mike do it himself? They had more than enough new material to start an album from scratch, and Mike was ready to produce it. The framework for Morning Ritual was starting to take shape. "It was a natural progression," says Perry

pre-order now21 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 21 Nov 2023

24,79 €
Thelonious Monk Quartet - Monk's Dream LP
4613LP
JAZZ WAX
12inch21.11.202321.NOV.23

PopJazz

Limited edition 180g audiophile pressing, high-definition premium vinyl for super fidelity - the complete LP + 2 bonus tracks 'Monk's Dream' was the first album Thelonious Monk released on Columbia Records after his less than amicable departure from Riverside Records. Even though Monk had already recorded all the tracks on the album before (apart from Bright Mississippi), in a variety of settings, the powerful cohesion of the quartet this Columbia session produced a first-rate work worthy of the praises it received when released, and which it still receives today. It was Monk's best-selling album ever. "This important album, Monk's first after a long absence from the recording studio, is a stunning reaffirmation of his power as a performer and composer. It is a brilliant and absorbing program of five Monk originals and three standards (and they might just as well be originals, so startling is their transformation at his hands). This is a beautiful album in every respect, completely stimulating in each second of its more than 47 minutes" - ***** Pete Welding, DownBeat

pre-order now21 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 21 Nov 2023

20,59 €
Mersinary - Tear Down The Walls
REALM065LP
LOST REALM RECORDS
12inch21.11.202321.NOV.23

PopHeavy-Metal

This metal treasure has been well kept in our vault Since 2017 we are preparing this release. There's no reason to wait any longer... Launching this sonic bomb is mandatory! Avid vinyl collectors, U.S. Metal enthusiasts and thrash metal devotees know MERSINARY pretty well and how they sound. This is one of the most powerful thrash bands of the late 80's, capable of rivaling classic bands like SLAYER, DARK ANGEL or DESTRUCTOR! Released in 1988, the original vinyl edition of the "Dead Is Dead" album has become a rare collector's item, in addition to a series of EPs and limited edition singles released by the label Iron Works (Azra Records). Available in CD for the first time, this limited edition on 2CD will comprise remastered audio of "Dead Is Dead" album, additional studio recordings and an unreleased live concert in Las Vegas. A 12-page booklet with band biography and rare photos will also be included

pre-order now21 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 21 Nov 2023

25,63 €
Dayglo Abortions - Hate Speech
UNRESTLP072
Unrest Records
12inch21.11.202321.NOV.23

PopRock

In this climate of social change, one of the greatest Canadian purveyors of offence, the Dayglo Abortions, release their new album, "Hate Speech" Even after more than 40 years, Murray "The Cretin" Acton and company don't seem to have lost a step; they're still angry AND funny, a rare and wonderful combination. While Dayglo Abortions are definitely punk in attitude and delivery, Hate Speech has enough killer riffs to appease the most militant metalhead. Here you will find some of DGA's best work, well after most of their peers have called it a day. This is what punk is supposed to sound like! It's been said that the best punk bands comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable. Dayglo Abortions Hate Speech certainly fits that bill.

pre-order now21 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 21 Nov 2023

24,79 €
CHRIS - SAN FRANCISCO NIGHT
EHAW006
Edition Hawara
7"-Vinyl21.11.202321.NOV.23

Hip-HopDownbeatPopDiscoSynth-Pop

Edition Hawara’s third 7“ release is a slow-moving synth gem from 1983. Its producer, Chris Duchatschek or just “Chris”, is hardly a household name in Austrian pop music. But Duchatschek was not only an early member of Drahdiwaberl, the legendary anarchist band that was headed by Falco before his global breakthrough.

He also produced a string of almost-forgotten hits, not least José Feliciano’s “The Sound of Vienna”. “San Francisco Night” is one of Duchatschek’s few solo productions. It’s the soundtrack for a party in a dark, smoke-filled basement in early 1980s Vienna, but it should work just fine in today’s smoke-free basements too. Or in your living room, as long as you turn the lights off.

out of Stock

Last delivered 2 years ago
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13,87 €
Blush Response - Dimensional Research LP 2x12"
KR01
Kondaktor Records.
2x12inch21.11.202321.NOV.23

TechnoTechnoIndustrialExperimental

Things ephemeral, beyond perception.Blush Response' latest body of work, full length album DIMENSIONAL RESEARCH will be released on 24th of November 2023 on Kontaktor Records. The label is a further extension of Erica Synths showcasing boundary-pushing artists who fearlessly challenge the status quo of contemporary electronic music.

out of Stock

Last delivered 2 years ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

28,53 €
COEN OSCAR POLACK - A CONCRETE PASTURE LP
MFR107
Moving Furniture Records
12inch20.11.202320.NOV.23

BeatsExperimentalAmbient

‘A Concrete Pasture’ by Coen Oscar Polack is the follow-up to ‘Haarlemmerhout’ (2020), an album named after a park close to his home in Haarlem in the Netherlands. ‘A Concrete Pasture’ brings Polack’s interest in exploring the larger world around him back into his music. Polack is a magician in combining field recordings from all over the world, be it a temple in Bangkok, the Dutch Wadden Islands or a the percussive Gamelan instruments, and electronic processing of these recordings. With all these ingredients he creates a vivid, nostalgic, futuristic but familiar world of sounds and emotions.

At first, the colors of the recordings seem scattered, the sounds unrelated, but there is a deeper train of thought running through the music. It is the persistent impression of a travelogue; of places, family and friends, helping Polack in co-creating his music. In ‘Cuore Nero’, nostalgic powerchords are composed into tapestries of ambient-noise, ‘Unseen Shores’ uses a recomposed recording of Polack’s children on the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog and develops into visceral, almost spiritual music, and a field recording of Wat Po in Bangkok in ‘Phra Buddhasaiyas’ becomes a luminous homage that the incorporated guitar sound burns into your skull.

While listening, it becomes evident that Polack is being reflective in auditive images and memory, giving a meaning to a music that is liberated of its formalities and charged with a poignant imagery by transformation, one that is bright and lucid and respects the process from recording until ornamentation.

The longest piece of the album ‘Kraaiennest’, starts with the recording of a Hong Kong traffic light, later to be cut up and transformed into a technoid Musique Concrète piece, with a slow progression into a warm crescendo-decrescendo themed electroacoustic piece, which takes on a life on its own. The finale is Polack on this tenor saxophone putting a stamp on the completion of his work, a performance reminiscing of the raw expressiveness of Albert Ayler.

‘A Concrete Pasture’ points to a landscape, or to a person’s current situation in life. Coen Oscar Polack did himself justice by writing an elegant, vibrant album, a tribute to his reflection of reality, his aesthetics, and with raw authenticity and skill, leaving a great space for the audience’s imagination.

pre-order now20 Nov 2023

expected to be published on 20 Nov 2023

25,42 €
Battle Weapons - Vol 2
 
2
also available

Vol 1[12,40 €]

Vol. 3[12,56 €]

Vol. 4[12,19 €]

Vol. 5[11,72 €]

Vol. 6[11,72 €]

Vol. 7[11,72 €]


BW002
Battle Weapons
7"-Vinyl20.11.202320.NOV.23

Hip-HopMash UpFunkSoul

Brand New Label coming straight out of Woodside, Queens, New York but bringing together some real international flavour. Ibiza resident Mr Doris with Australian D Funk deliver a classic funk / hip hop mash up that will work a treat on dancefloors, whilst on the flip British mash up artists Dunproofin brings you the soul / punk mash ups you never knew was so essential, limited press so be quick!

out of Stock

Last delivered 14 months ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

11,72 €
Wally Badarou - Colors Of Silence (LP)
BEWITH120LP
Be With Records
12inch17.11.202317.NOV.23

BeatsSynthPopSynth-Pop

Synth pioneer and musical polymath, Wally Badarou is a genius. But you know that already. A vinyl version of his majestic Colors Of Silence has been craved by the Balearic cognoscenti ever since its low-key 2001 release. Indeed, when we first started work on Be With, we asked some pals with exquisite taste what their dream release would be. We asked Balearic legend Moonboots and, without hesitation, he said Colors Of Silence by Wally Badarou. We didn't know Wally had made this album. And most still don't. But that's about to change.

Colors Of Silence is ostensibly a new age album. As ever though, Wally's sophisticated synth textures and expressive keyboard runs are so full of character, so full of life, that this work of art transcends any easy genre categorisation. It's simply stunning, throughout. It sounds like A.r.t. Wilson or Suzanne Kraft, with traces of CFCF and Jonny Nash. But it was made a good decade earlier than the work of these modern giants. Sometimes, it doesn't seem far from some Larry Heard albums.

Island Records founder Chris Blackwell's friend Nathalie Delon asked Wally to provide music for the yoga DVD she was to release. Lack of time on both sides made them agree on using "quality demos" Wally had in his ideas bank. It's understandable why Colors Of Silence remains somewhat of a lost gem. As Wally explains: "Total lack of promotion made it an 'intimate' release, which was exactly what I was looking for: just a buzz-maker and time-buyer that would allow me to concentrate on the real thing as soon as I'd have time, which could also turn into a rare collecting item later, once the final versions made their way to success. You never know."

Over the years, Colors Of Silence has become a true cult record for the ambient/Balearic heads.

The beguiling but brief "Dance In The Dust" is the shuffling, hyper-percussive, hypnotic opener. It gives way to the deep serenity of "Amber Whispers". It's a gliding, divine, mini melodic masterpiece. It'll make you swoon in its extreme beauty. The bright and breezy "Where Were We" follows, a tropical, reggae-tinged bounce through the islands.

The uptempo groove is maintained on the keys-drizzled soca-funk of "The Lights Of Kinshasa" before Side A is rounded out with "Pictures Of You". It starts with stately, melancholic, unadorned piano and this alone would make for a beautiful song. But Wally always gives us that bit extra and he effortlessly introduces warm, dreamy pads and minimal, slo-mo percussion to augment a frankly stunning piece of work.

Ushering in Side B, Wally's mesmeric piano playing is to the fore again, in the intro to uber-chilled "Serendipity For Two". The playing becomes more mellifluous as the track progresses and adds warmth through exotic percussion, woodwind, sweeping synths and digi-drums. It has echoes of, er, Echoes. It segues seamlessly into the more propulsive, wavy "Smiles By The Millions". If you're not nodding and grinning along widely to the gently throbbing bassline underpinning this, we can't help you. The meditative "Higher Still" follows, cinematic in feel and ever so slightly sinister with the strings. It sounds particularly Badalamenti-esque, if you ask us.

That unmistakable, almost peculiar Badarou funk - so lyrical, so texturally rich and so rhythmically spacious - is all over "Oriental". Next up, "Days To Wonder" brings the serenity back, insistent yet melodic keys, as if played in a place of worship, coupled with birdsong, conjure a kind of instant nostalgia for halcyon days of youth. The contemplative "Dawn Of Europa" is a sombre, beatless, ambient journey whilst the glorious, too-brief "Crystal Falls" features soft percussion and sparkle before fully glistening with some gentle head-nod beats. Wally brings this incredible collection to a mellow, tender close with the graceful "Purple Lines".

There can be few artists more under-appreciated given their vast influence than Wally Badarou. His solo work practically defined the sound of the Balearic DJs of the 1980s, and thus the more sophisticated sound of dance culture thereafter. A synth specialist, Badarou was the long-time associate of Level 42. He was one of the Compass Point All Stars (with Sly and Robbie, Barry Reynolds, Mikey Chung and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson), the in-house recording team of Compass Point Studios responsible for a series of albums in the 1980s recorded by Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, Mick Jagger, Black Uhuru, Gwen Guthrie, Jimmy Cliff and Gregory Isaacs. Badarou's keyboard playing could also be heard on albums by Robert Palmer, Marianne Faithfull, Herbie Hancock, M (Pop Muzik), Talking Heads, Manu Dibango and Miriam Makeba. He also produced Fela Kuti. Phew!

Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possibly quality at Record Industry in Holland. Special thanks must go to Apiento from Test Pressing who first introduced us to Wally and facilitated all those early zoom meetings. It couldn't have happened without his help. Not least on pulling the art together, too, which features striking original photography by Mads Perch. Benji Roebuck of Roebuck Press did his thing brilliantly in art working the whole package to completion. All in all: essential.

out of Stock

Last delivered 22 months ago
available to reorder, subject to availability

23,40 €

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