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After their epic run with Channel One beginning in the mid 1970's, the Mighty Diamonds moved to producer Gussie Clarke for a string of albums starting in 1979 and running thru the 1980s. Among the many many great tunes from this run, the title track of their 1982 album "The Roots Is There" is simply one of the Diamond's best ever, and probably the most lyrically militant tune they ever made. This tune was never released as a single at the time, though new mixes were released as a single in 2017. But prior to the release of the album back in the day, this song was played on dubplate in a raw mix without the horns and added percussion that made it onto the final album mix. This raw vocal cut, followed by a raw instrumental version, changes the whole tone of the tune and brings it into another level of militancy right up there with the hardest stuff you can name, even in an era filled with so many extra tough stepping classics. Rather than remaster from an old dubplate, for this 45 we had producer Gussie Clarke and Music Works' close associate engineer Curtis Lynch go back to the original tapes, and with an original dubplate as reference, perfectly recreate the original raw cut, now released in pristine tape quality. Again we present this release on Music Works' original early 1980s dubplate label design, just like the original slate would have been adorned with. If you only know the sweet harmony side of the Diamonds, give this one a try to see their other tuff side, and listen to the lyrics, as relevant to the struggles of right now as they were in 1982.

Sdban Records is proud to announce the first official reissue of Coal Mining, the 1978 debut album by Dutch jazz pianist René van Helsdingen. This album marks a significant milestone-the beginning of van Helsdingen's decades-spanning career as an innovative and independent musician.

Born in 1957 in Jakarta, Indonesia, but holding Dutch nationality, René van Helsdingen began classical piano studies in the Netherlands in the early 1960s. While initially following in his family's footsteps by enrolling in mining engineering at the Technical University of Delft, his passion for music ultimately prevailed. His academic path may have diverged, but it set the stage, both figuratively and literally, for what would become an extraordinary musical career.

Coal Mining was originally released on Munich Records, a respected Dutch jazz and roots label founded by music producer and musician Job Zomer. The album features a blend of jazz influences from giants such as Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, and Bill Evans, and showcases van Helsdingen's distinctive voice as a composer and pianist at the very start of his professional journey.

The record includes contributions from a rich ensemble of musicians, including Wim Essed (bass), Klaus Flenter (guitar), Børge Ring (double bass), Henk Zomer (drums), Martijn Nesenberend (drums), Dick Pluim (bass), and even a student orchestra formed during van Helsdingen's time at Delft University.

Often mistakenly referred to as Piano, a result of the album's back cover design prominentlyfeaturing the word, Coal Mining is both a literal and symbolic title. It alludes not only to van Helsdingen's brief academic past, but to the depth and labor of jazz creation itself: layered, gritty, and forged under pressure.

A year after the album's release, van Helsdingen moved to Los Angeles to continue his jazz studies. While living in Hollywood, he shared a house with future musical collaborators including Kent Brinkley, Essiet Okon Essiet, Brian Batie, John Rigby, Edmond Allmond, David Best and John Butler. Even in the early stages of his career, van Helsdingen displayed the entrepreneurial spirit that would define his path, self-releasing albums and even pioneering an early form of crowdfunding by selling 400 ad spaces on a record sleeve to finance an LP project. After his jazz studies in Los Angeles, he performed extensively in Europe, Canada, the U.S., Australia and Asia, often traveling with his own 'Stage bus', which housedboth a stage and instruments.

In August 2018, van Helsdingen was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Despite the physical challenges brought on by the condition, he continues to perform and compose music. His openness about the diagnosis-shared publicly in a 2019 documentary-has helped raise awareness of Parkinson's and the role of creativity and improvisation as tools for resilience.

Now, nearly five decades after its initial release, Coal Mining is finally receiving a well-deserved reissue. Introducing a new generation of listeners to the raw talent and visionary beginnings of a true European jazz original.

Conceptualized and written during the chaotic fall months of 2020, Hiss Golden Messenger’s O Come All Ye Faithful recorded shortly after the widely hailed Quietly Blowing It is a meditation on grace, loss, hope, and community. Explains songwriter M.C. Taylor, “Big, brash holiday music the type that we hear in big box stores in the middle of December has never resonated with me, and this past year it felt absolutely dissonant. I wanted to make a seasonal record that felt more in step with the way that I, and so many others, experience this time of year: quiet, contemplative, searching, and bittersweet.” Contributors to O Come All Ye Faithful include many members of Hiss Golden Messenger’s extended family, as well as special guests like GRAMMY Award winner Aoife O’Donovan, Nathaniel Rateliff, Erin Rae, and Buddy Miller. The tracklist includes new tunes written by Taylor, classic hymns, and renditions of songs by Spiritualized, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Woody Guthrie, all arranged in the inimitable Hiss Golden Messenger style. Adorned with a beautifully spare design created by celebrated artist Cody Hudson. The deluxe vinyl version of O Come All Ye Faithful includes an additional collection of remixes by Revelators, Taylor’s spiritual jazz and dub-influenced project with Cameron Ralston.

“There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things…They must be fought.” Demon Records presents, for the first time on 2LP vinyl, the complete full-cast soundtrack of this ‘lost’ classic BBC TV adventure, with linking narration by Frazer Hines. The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) is thrown into his first rematch with the Cybermen in the year 2070. Humans have colonized the Moon, and the Cybermen have identified their base as a strategic vantage point from which to invade Earth!

Can the Doctor and his companions Polly (Anneke Wills), Ben (Michael Craze) and Jamie (Frazer Hines) stop them? First broadcast in 1967, this exciting adventure was written by Kit Pedler and directed by Morris Barry, with a guest cast including Patrick Barr, Andrew Maranne, Michael Wolf and John Rolfe. Whilst only two of the four episodes are known to survive on film, thankfully all four are available as sound recordings, complete with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s familiar Doctor Who theme music. With a superb cover illustration depicting the Cybermen on the Moon, these two translucent ‘Blue Moon’ discs are housed in beautifully designed inner sleeves with vintage TV guide-style listings for each episode.

Finally, I was able to devote some time to actually getting some collaborations completed for a new release of the Meeting Of The Minds series, with some brand new names arriving to Future Retro London!

Nebula is one of my favourite artists making new jungle atm, his versatility in music on the darker & lighter sides of the spectrum, the richness of his atmospherics and melodies & the way his drum edits flow throughout his tracks, I consider him a big inspiration in what I make. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to work with him on "Without Fear".

I've been enjoying some of what Stekker's been doing in his music, representing the ruffer lo-fi side of production and he's been putting out some great stuff on his own label Ruff 'n' Tuff as well as on a release he did for Coco Bryce's label Myor. I reached out to him about a collaboration and he had started something, which I was really into and that led to "The Quest".

I owe a lot to DJ Trace, as he was one of the first big names in jungle/d&b to really show me support for what I was doing. He gave me my debut vinyl release when he asked me to remix an old classic of his called "Final Chapta", which he released in 2011 on his label DSCI4. I also had music released on a label he started a few years after that called 117 (which I also helped design artwork for), so we go way back. He's been making more music than ever before recently and I was lucky enough to be able to get a collaboration in with him and "Patterns Of Thought" is the end result of that.

I've known Ark X & Duburban for a number of years, I would see them at a lot of events up north, as well as at events in London that they'd travel down for. They also were good friends with Kid Lib and would drive down with him whenever he was visiting/DJing in London & I was becoming familiar with their music through him, through Ark X's labels Supercharger & Hypercharger (where some of Ark X's music was being released under his previous alias of Black Orchid) & through Duburban's collaborations with Jahganaut. Big up to both of them for collaborating with me on "Come A Dance"

BARRO #12 – Nebula Circuit (with remixes by Orlok 101 & Abraxas)

Limited to 200 units. Exclusive distribution: Melting Pot Records

The label BARRO returns with its twelfth release, reaffirming its commitment to vinyl culture and uncompromising club music.

This time, the spotlight is on Nebula Circuit, delivering a series of tracks that navigate between EBM, techno, and electroclash, all sharply designed for the dancefloor.

BARRO #12 vinyl release features four tracks:

• Three original productions by Nebula Circuit, where electronic darkness merges with tense rhythms and incisive basslines.

• A remix by Orlok 101, pushing the material into an even more abrasive, machine-driven territory that strengthens the label’s underground identity.

A Statement of Intent:
With this release, BARRO consolidates its place within the darker, more combative spectrum of electronic music. BARRO #12 is crafted for DJs, collectors, and all underground devotees — a punk-spirited record with a clear mission: the dancefloor.

BARRO #12 – available soon on vinyl and digital.

The above references have already been supported by artists such as Dave Clarke, Phase Fatale, The Hacker, Lokier, NX1, Unhuman, Alienata, Reka, and many more.

Welcome to the first instalment of a new collaboration between The Reflex’ DISCOLIDAYS label and Because Music in Paris, remixing gems from the Zagora catalogue.

Created in 1975 by producer Daniel Vangarde (father of Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter), the Zagora label created some of the most exciting disco music in France, ranging from cult underground artists Who’s Who and Starbow, to massive international hits by the Gibson Brothers, la Compagnie Créole and Black Blood. Unearthing the multitrack for obscure cuts, The Reflex shifts the focus on the great studio musicians involved in these recordings (Wally Badarou amongst others) and delivers stunning revisions of ‘Harlem Bound’, a
131bpm jazz-funk disco powerhouse cut (1977) and ‘Dancin’ The Mambo’, a 122bpm Chic-esque meets early piano House monster laced with that unmistakable French sound, originally released in 1980.

Both first time-ever remixes from the stems, released on 180g vinyl with custom artwork on card sleeve designed by Al Kent / Million Dollar Disco.

Three more releases will follow, to complete the 4 x 12” vinyl and digital package spread over several months in 2024.

In an ever-expanding musical universe, Azymuth have long existed as a celestial giant, drawing countless artists, musicians and followers into their orbit. Marking fifty years since their 1975 debut album Azimuth, their new album Marca Passo proves that the band’s alchemic brew of Brazilian jazz-funk and cosmic samba soul remains as vital as ever, as the group honours the profound legacy of their departed founders.

Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Marca Passo is the first full-length release since the passing of founding drummer Ivan "Mamão" Conti in 2023, following the earlier loss of keyboardist José Roberto Bertrami in 2012. Alex Malheiros, the sole remaining original member, sees his stewardship of the band’s musical legacy as his spiritual duty. He is joined by the equally devoted Kiko Continentino (Milton Nascimento, Djavan) on keyboards, who has been with the group since 2016, and new recruit Renato Massa (Marcos Valle, Ed Motta) on drums.

Yet since their earliest recorded music, Azymuth have always been far greater than the sum of their parts. The "three-man orchestra’s" unmistakable sound is rooted in Brazil's MPB studio scene of the 1970s and early 1980s—a time when artists blended traditional Brazilian rhythms with global jazz, rock, and emerging psychedelic and progressive elements. Marca Passo continues this legacy, seamlessly fusing Brazilian musical traditions with global influences while showcasing the exceptional musicianship that powers Azymuth's distinctive, multi-dimensional sound.

The album is produced by studio mastermind Daniel Maunick, responsible for Azymuth’s two previous studio albums, Fênix in 2016 and Aurora in 2011. Daniel’s credits also include albums by Marcos Valle, Sabrina Malheiros and Terry Callier. Azymuth also invited Daniel’s father, British jazz-funk royalty Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick, of Incognito, to play guitar on a new version of Azymuth’s eighties classic “Last Summer In Rio”, in tribute to the song’s composer, José Roberto Bertrami. Equally, “Samba Pro Mamao” is a new composition dedicated to Azymuth’s beloved original drummer, Ivan “Mamão” Conti.

Credits:

Alex Malheiros - Bass, Acoustic Guitar & Vocals: 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Kiko Continentino - Keyboards, Organ, Vocoder & Vocals: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Renato Massa - Drums & Vocals: : 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
Ian Moreira - Percussion: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
Sidinho Moreira - Percussion: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10
Dudu Viana - Keyboards & Vocals: 1
Victor Bertrami - Drums: 1
Mangueirinha - Repinique: 3
Jean Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick - Electric Guitar: 5
Jose Carlos Bigorna - Soprano Sax: 9
Daniel Maunick: Additional Percussion, Synths & EFX: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Produced, Engineered, Mixed & Arranged by Daniel Maunick
Co-Produced & Arranged by Alex Malheiros
Executive Producer: Joe Davis


Recorded by:
Daniel Maunick & Leonardo Vieira @ Estúdio Nos Trilhos, Santa Teresa, Rio, Brazil
Daniel Maunick & Amadeu Signorelli @ Sigstudio, Niterói, Rio, Brazil
Daniel Maunick & Alex Malheiros @ Estúdio Basslab, Piratininga, Rio, Brazil
Mixed by Daniel Maunick @ The Sugar Shack, Carluke, Scotland


Artwork & Design: Tyler Askew

"Laurel Hell" ist ein Soundtrack zur Transformation. Eine Landkarte für den Ort, an dem Verletzlichkeit und Widerstandsfähigkeit, Trauer und Freude, Fehler und Transzendenz in unserer Menschlichkeit Platz finden und als würdig angesehen werden können - um letztendlich anerkannt und geliebt zu werden. "I accept it all," verspricht MITSKI. "I forgive it all." Auf "Laurel Hell" festigt MITSKI ihren Ruf als Künstlerin, die die Kraft besitzt, unsere wildesten und zwiespältigsten Erfahrungen in ein heilendes Elixier zu verwandeln. "I wrote what I needed to hear. As I've always done." Nach der Veröffentlichung von "Be The Cowboy", einem der meistgelobten Alben des Jahres 2018, das von Outlets wie Pitchfork (u.a.) zum Album des Jahres gekürt wurde, stieg MITSKI vom Kultliebling zum Indie-Star auf. Mit spürbaren Folgen: Die Schinderei des Tourlebens und die Fallstricke die mit der erhöhten Sichtbarkeit einhergingen, beeinflussten ihre Musik ebenso wie ihren Geist, die sich in der ersten Single "Working For The Knife" niederschlägt. Ein Song, wie ein Prüfstein für das Gesamtgefühl von "Laurel Hell": "I start the day lying and end with the truth / That I'm dying for the knife." "Be The Cowboy" wurde von weiblicher Stärke und Trotz angetrieben, lebte jedoch von seinem Spiel mit Masken. Wie der Berglorbeer bzw. die "laurel hell", nach dem das neue Album benannt ist, kann die öffentliche Wahrnehmung, wie das berauschende Prisma des Internets, eine verlockende Fassade bieten, hinter der sich eine tödliche Falle verbirgt. Die sich immer enger zieht, je mehr man sich anstrengt. "I got to a point, where I just knew that if I kept going this way, I would numb myself to completion." Erschöpft von diesem verzerrten Spiegel und unserer Sucht nach falschen Binaritäten, begann MITSKI, Songs zu schreiben, die die Masken abstreifen und die komplexen und oft widersprüchlichen Realitäten dahinter offenbaren. MITSKI dazu: "I needed love songs about real relationships that are not power struggles to be won or lost. I needed songs that could help me forgive both others and myself. I make mistakes all the time. I don't want to put on a front where I'm a role model, but I'm also not a bad person. I needed to create this space mostly for myself where I sat in that gray area." Die daraus entstanden Songs verkörpern genau diesen Raum. Wie die zweite Single des Albums, "The Only Heartbreaker", die gemeinsam mit Dan Wilson geschrieben wurde und der erste Song dieser Art in ihrer Diskografie ist. "The Only Heartbreaker" verbindet treibenden 80er-Pop mit einem trügerisch einfachen Text, dessen aufrichtiger Refrain ins Ironische kippt, sobald dieser "the person always messing up in the relationship, the designated Bad Guy who gets the blame," beschreibt und sich zugleich fragt, ob "the reason you're always the one making mistakes is because you're the only one trying." MITSKI schrieb viele Songs für "Laurel Hell" während und teilweise vor 2018. Das Album wurde allerdings erst im Mai 2021 final abgemischt. Es ist die längste Zeitspanne, die MITSKI jemals für ein Album gebraucht hat und für die Musikerin inmitten einer radikal veränderten Welt endete. MITSKI nahm "Laurel Hell" mit ihrem langjährigen Produzenten Patrick Hyland in der Zeit der Isolation während der Pandemie auf, als einige der Songs "slowly took on new forms and meanings, like seed to flower." Das Album als Ganzes entwickelte sich "to be more uptempo and dance-y. I needed to create something that was also a pep talk" erklärt MITSKI. Die Spannung, die zwischen ihren raffinierten, aber wehmütigen Texten und dem sprudelnden Pop-Sound der 1980er Jahre entsteht, ist eine dringend benötigte Infusion in Zeiten wie diesen und das Werk einer reifen wie unwiderstehlichen Künstlerin, die auch zu fröhlich ansteckenden Dance-Beats immer noch etwas Profundes beizutragen hat.

Mesmerising album of Yokota’s earliest sonic explorations that demonstrates his unique vision and sublime transcendence of boundaries.

‘Image 1983-1998’ is a collection of short miniatures, composed in two different time periods. Tracks 1-5 were recorded with guitar and organ between 1983-4 and tracks 6-12 were composed through 97-98, being inspired by the earlier material.

A musical scrapbook, or sonic design board. The sleeve notes give an insight into Yokota’s belief in a close connection between music, memory and his active imagination: ‘Encountering Acid House made me visualise music – I could clearly see the sounds sparkling… this experience led me to create electronic music.’

Dave Davis, a legendary name in Belgian electronic music, made his mark with classics on Bonzai Records, including the iconic "Transfiguration." Known worldwide for his DJ sets and as a vocalist under the alias JD Davis (Chab’s "Closer to Me," David Guetta’s "The World Is Mine"), he now teams up with ID10-T, a Swiss producer making waves with his raw, no-compromise techno style.

This release features two tracks crafted for peak-time dancefloors:

• "Insane": A dark, powerful underground techno bomb with deep basslines, sharp textures, and relentless energy. Built to shake the walls and ignite the crowd.
• "RDH": A groovy jackin’ techno weapon, combining bouncy bass, funky patterns, and infectious rhythms. A fresh yet respectful nod to classic techno foundations.

With this electrifying collaboration, Vibes Addikt continues to push boundaries, showcasing a cross-generational vision that fuses rave culture heritage with modern sound design.

Français

Vibes Addikt, le label de N.O.B.A reconnu pour sa ligne artistique mêlant techno et trance de manière percutante et novatrice, présente sa nouvelle sortie : un single explosif signé Dave Davis & ID10-T.

Dave Davis, figure incontournable de la scène électronique belge, connu pour ses classiques sur Bonzai Records — notamment l’intemporel "Transfiguration" — et pour ses prestations aux quatre coins du globe, s’associe ici au producteur suisse ID10-T, talent émergent dont le style se distingue par une techno brute, percutante et sans concession. Dave Davis est également connu sous son alias JD Davis, voix emblématique de titres cultes tels que "Closer to Me" de Chab ou "The World Is Mine" de David Guetta.

Ce single comprend deux titres taillés pour les dancefloors les plus exigeants :

• "Insane" : Un banger techno underground, sombre et puissant, construit pour retourner les clubs à coups de basses profondes, de textures métalliques et d'une tension hypnotique. Ce morceau capte l’essence même de la rave moderne : brut, direct, sans artifice.
• "RDH" : Une véritable arme jackin’ techno, groovy et irrésistible, mêlant rythmiques incisives, bassline bondissante et arrangements funky, qui captiveront autant les puristes que les amateurs de sonorités plus organiques. Un hommage contemporain aux racines du genre, avec une touche résolument actuelle.

Cette sortie marque une nouvelle étape dans l'évolution de Vibes Addikt, toujours en quête de projets audacieux et authentiques. Avec cette collaboration intergénérationnelle, le label affirme une fois de plus son engagement envers une techno de caractère, entre héritage rave et innovation sonore.

Crafted for the depths of the club, the album pulses with raw analog energy - warm, gritty, and immersive. Each track is designed to resonate through concrete walls, blurring time and space, guiding listeners through dark corners and waves of bass.
But Lost Echoes goes beyond the dancefloor. It's a journey into the invisible - a sonic excavation of forgotten memories and buried emotions. Some echoes are loud and shaping, others faint whispers lost in the flow of time. This album revives them, layer by layer, melody by melody.
A deeply personal and physical experience, Lost Echoes invites you to dive into sound, movement, and memory - to lose yourself and perhaps find something long forgotten.

Serenda is a London-based DJ and producer of Guyanese and Greek heritage, known for her rich, eclectic sound rooted in house but never confined by it. Her sets fold between soulful depth and experimental edge, always delivered with a bold, contemporary vision.

Her sets are grounded in rhythm and instinct, built less around genre than sensation. She blends percussive house, warped club music, and raw, organic textures; crafting dancefloors that feel immersive and visceral and emotioanlly charged . There’s a physicality to her sound that edges toward the primal. For Serenda, DJing is a form of play - fluid, responsive, and deeply connected.

She deconstructs and distorts house music with intent, letting in pressure, dissonance, and emotional rupture. Her sets draw on the “timeless mindless states” of Mancuso’s The Loft, unfolding as rituals that don’t smooth over the chaos, they work with it.

Following the release of her debut EP The Prophecy on Josh Caffe’s Love Child label, she made her mark with a headline show in Fabric’s Room 2 and a Rinse FM residency. A regular in London’s queer underground, Serenda is also shaped by New York’s experimental club scene, where experimental sound and unfiltered expression mirror her own ethos.

Afro-diasporic and South American ritual in tension with city life, instinctive rhythm against digital overstimulation. Her fascination with world-building and quantum physics runs through everything she creates, fusing sonic design and sensory experience into one evolving landscape

Wishbone Ash reigned supreme through the 1970s — centered on inspired musicianship, joyful spirit and inventive songs. Their concerts were uplifting and their recorded work sublime. Argus remains a stunning high point in the band's startling repertoire. Argus was a 1972 tour de force, a hard-rocking masterpiece that has gone on to have a huge impact on rock bands moving forward. If you've never heard Argus, you've surely heard music that it inspired.

The British quartet's trademark harmony guitars became a touchstone for many: Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Opeth, and Lynyrd Skynyrd have all acknowledged an Ash influence, and tracks such as Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town," Maiden's "The Trooper," and even Steely Dan's "Reeling in the Years" all have twin-guitar moments that hark back to Argus. But Wishbone Ash were different from the start. They were never strictly a hard rock band; their soaring vocal harmonies and musical grandeur placed them close to progressive rock.

But they weren't strictly prog either: They had no keyboards, no real classical influence and weren't into side-long suites. Their roots were in the blues, and their calling card was twin lead guitars in harmony (played in the original lineup by Ted Turner and Andy Powell). Even the hardest Ash rockers — like "Blowin' Free," the most famous track from Argus — had an ethereal touch. They could rock the big stages, but they did it with subtlety and grace. This is reflected perfectly in the classic album sleeve by prog-associated designers Hipgnosis: The front cover shows a Greek sentry — the "argus" of the title — staring off into the distance. It's a mythic, old-world kind of image until you look closely at the back cover, and see that he's heralding the arrival (or perhaps watching the departure) of a spaceship.

Two worlds colliding. Exactly what the band and album were all about. By the time of Argus, Wishbone Ash were stars in England and cult heroes among Anglophiles in the US. What made Argus a step forward was its flow of moods. The songs don't run together, but there's an emotional connecting thread from the album's somber beginning to its heroic end. The band insisted at the time that lyrics were something of an afterthought: Shortly after its release, main lyricist Martin Turner told NME that he wrote them mainly to fit the mood of the music: "The music that was coming out was very English, very medieval, and the lyrics had to reflect that." Added Powell at the time, "The expression comes out in the guitars. We wouldn't play it if it didn't express something." Now, Analogue Productions has applied all of its vaunted craft and technical expertise to make this epic album shine! Two 45 RPM LPs pressed on virtually silent 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings make the remastered audio sparkle. Quieter lyrical sentiments and softer musical passages are rendered precisely, while majestic riffs and fist-waving anthems fully reveal the energy of the music! Argus isn't just another rock record — it's a journey through a sonic landscape rich with depth, emotion and technical prowess. It's the album that solidified Wishbone Ash as masters of twin guitar harmony. Discerning audiophiles will find Argus an essential addition to their record collection. It's a masterclass in sound engineering that fully captures the intricate interplay of dual guitars with pristine clarity and a warmth that only analog recordings can provide.

Legendary postmodern, post punk, post human, past caring collective Mekons return with a brand-new album for 2025. Their first release on Fire Records, ‘Horror’ a collection of songs written in late 2022 but providing a horribly prescient reflection of the world in its current miasma and how we got here. ‘Horror’ looks at history and the legacies of British imperialism with mashed up lyrics set against a typically eclectic sound that amalgamates everything from dub, country, noise, rock & roll, electronica, punk, music hall, polka and you can even take your partner for a nice waltz on ‘Sad And Sad And Sad’. The roots of their global sound reflect their nomadic journey through time and space from Leeds to California in the West and Siberia in the East and is woven into the fabric and intricacies of their song creation… Sounding like The Chills and R.E.M circa the I.R.S Records years, ‘Mudcrawlers’ sees just about the whole band joining Jon Langford on vocals speaking of Irish famine and refugees journeying to Wales. ‘War Economy’ shivers in the cold of such Boroughs spiked one-liners: “Clinical coercion will not achieve dominance!” Sounding like its straight off a Jenny Holzer neon sign (she of Abuse Of Power Comes As No Surprise), it’s held together by a disgruntled swaggering riff that underpins an explosion of disquiet. Meanwhile, Rico takes the lead on the maliciously luscious ‘Fallen Leaves’ an appalled and appalling Hammer Horror take on climate breakdown reminiscent of Rolling Thunder Dylan, that recalls The Pogues at their most introspective, its Celtic twilightism augmented by Susie Honeyman’s keening violin as the dying sun sinks down and the river Styx flows on in the pitch black night. Almost 50 years in the making, these Mekons continue to astound, their sound, sentiment and method of delivery blended to perfection by bass player and studio wizard, Dave Trumfio. The Mekons are Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Tom Greenhalgh, Dave Trumfio, Susie Honeyman, Rico Bell, Steve Goulding, and Lu Edmonds. "Effortlessly eloquent post-punks" Pitchfork // “The Mekons are still vital” Rolling Stone // “The most revolutionary group in the history of rock ‘n’ roll,” Lester Bangs // UK Tour 8-15 May 2025 (including London, Manchester, Glasgow, and more).

Following on from FR023, Soulox & Soeneido are back once again on Future Retro London with a solid 2 tracker release. They sent me "It Been" last year, shortly after their first release had gone into manufacture and I really liked the tune and was playing it a lot in DJ sets but I didn't really have any plans to release it.

At the same time, I remember there being a track in Phineus II's set from the Future Retro London event that took place in February 2023 and I really really liked it but had no idea who it was by. When I later found out it was by Soulox & Soeneido and it was called "Why", it give me the idea for this release as neither track was signed to any other label and I felt that both tracks needed to see the light of day.

Big ups to the both of them on their solid output & many thanks to Shireen for the design of the b-side artwork.

A“This album is about what it means to be human, and its creation is my offering. I attempt to tell a tale of the human experience in the reflection of my own.”

‘In the Andean mythology, condors are believed to be immortal. It is said that once they feel old, without energy, and useless, they climb to the highest peak and let themselves fall to death.’

The Allegorist is a visionary, enigmatic, transmedia, and boundary-pushing artist known for crafting deep, immersive dark sonic tales. Embracing a wide array of influences, weaving together the mysteries, art and spirituality, the art project defies categorisation, resonating with those who seek the unconventional.

From Birth Until Death is an introspective and immersive concept album that reflects on the essence of the human experience. Crafted over six years by The Allegorist (aka Anna Jordan), the album traces the arc of life—from its fragile beginnings to its inevitable end—using sound art to explore existential and philosophical terrain. Inspired by the Andean mythology of the condor – a symbol of immortality – the album blends electronic soundscapes with raw field recordings, evoking a deep sense of connection between the natural world and human existence.

The album’s progression mirrors the stages of life, starting with the birth of new beginnings and culminating in death, with each track offering a unique reflection on the moments in between. From the dynamic energy of Momentum, to the ethereal, illusionary world of Fata Morgana, the tracks guide the listener through emotions, perceptions, and experiences that shape the human condition.

A distinctive feature of From Birth Until Death is its intricate production. The album incorporates field recordings from Grunewald Forest, a distant roar of a jet, barking dogs, blending the sounds of nature – footsteps in the snow, birdsong, ocean waves – with layered synthesisers and electronic beats. The bass and ambient textures are crafted using an array of analog hardware, while all vocals, both lead and backing, are performed and recorded by Jordan. Some of the vocal takes were intentionally left raw, capturing the spontaneous energy of early recordings, while others were re-recorded to balance the album’s organic yet polished feel. Each element is meticulously crafted, revealing its deeper meaning as the album unfolds like a multidimensional, living sculpture.

At its core, From Birth Until Death is a meditation on the full spectrum of life. The album’s title track, From Birth Until Death, encapsulates this journey, reflecting on the passage of time and the unique experience of being human. The final track, Death, offers a melancholic yet beautiful exploration of endings, not as finalities, but as moments in the grand cycle of life. With its combination of evocative sound design and deeply personal themes, From Birth Until Death invites listeners to contemplate their own lives, offering a moving experience of reflection, growth, and transformation.

About From Birth Until Death
Words By Robin Rimbaud (Scanner)

From Birth Until Death is a deeply personal and reflective album and beautifully crafted. A detailed listen reveals that Jordan was in search of a profoundly human and authentic expression. In an era when so much around us seems defined by speed, Anna Jordan, aka The Allegorist, stands apart – aware that skimming the surface of life is neither sufficient nor rewarding. She reminds us of the value of deep, authentic listening.

The track Andean Condor seductively draws us into a smoky, blurred rhythmic soundscape, capturing the essence of the darkest Berlin nightclub, while Birth pulses with an almost shamanic transformation of sound, moving from the organic to the musical. It features a recording of Jordan’s footsteps in the snow in Grunewald Forest, Germany.

At times, the music feels almost sculptural in shape and tone – lifting, pushing, lilting, opening, and closing – where each piece is given room to fully develop. Many of the works blend synthetic sound with the natural, incorporating the human voice alongside environmental recordings: the wild waves of the ocean, a jet flying overhead, and barking dogs.

With From Birth Until Death, Jordan, like an alchemical architect revealing in the process of getting lost and relinquishing control, leaves us with a taut, immersive soundtrack in which to lose ourselves.

About the album ‘From Birth Until Death’
words by The Allegorist

“The album From Birth Until Death did not come easily to me. I started working on it in 2019, and it underwent many alterations over the years. I produced multiple versions of the tracks each year, but the album name, the track titles, and the album cover art stayed the same for 6 years. Not everything I did fit into the album’s final form, but I hope the heavy selection just made it better. I played this piece live in my techno live set between 2019 and 2020, and in the years after, I performed different art, ambient, and vocal versions of it, most notably the one at the church St. Marienkirche in Berlin in 2022. It just wanted to live and didn’t want to be finished. As I aged, this album aged with me. And now I’m ready to let it go.”

When we did the first ever vinyl reissue of this 1972 masterpiece back in 2012 it sold out so fast and so many lost the chance to grab a copy has translated into continuous messages asking us to do a repressing of this marvel - which we did and, again, it sold like hot bread. So here is a new edition of this UK jazz masterpiece, this time with a twist :

- Silk-screened cover art : we respect the original design, but have upgraded the printing from regular offset to silk screen to give it an artistic touch!

- In adition to the limited black vinyl edition (400 copies), we offer an ultra limited clear vinyl version (100 copies-only!)

One of the big names in UK Jazz, Neil Ardley was offered the leadership of the seminal New Jazz Orchestra in 1964. Under his direction the Orchestra moved though different styles and changes of personnel, bringing in musicians such as Mike Gibbs (trombone), Harry Beckett andHenry Lowther (trumpets) or even Jack Bruce (bass), some of them also contributed with the writing of some original compositions, making the NJO the root from which the UK's 70's jazz scene was to blossom.

By 1972 the NJO was already defunct, but his legacy remained in the works of its members. Ardley's 'A Symphony Of Amaranths' is a perfect example of what was boiling in the UK jazz scene. It was Ardleys tribute to his idols Duke Ellington and Gil Evans, and featured the skills of some great musicians of the scene including Don Rendell,Stan Tracey, Henry Lowther, Harry Beckett, Jeff Clyne & Jon Hiseman. Side B is inspired by the words of Edward Lear, W. B. Yeats, James Joyce and Lewis Carroll that are musicated by Ardley and feature, among other highlights, Ivor Cutler's narration of 'The Dong With A Luminous Nose' and Norma Winstone's vocals on 'Will You Walk A Little Faster'.



Musicians that participated in the recording session :

- Derek Watkins, Nigel Carter, Henry Lowther, Harold Beckett (trumpets)
- Derek Wadsworth, Ray Premru (trombones)
- Dick Hart (tuba)
- Barbara Thompson, Dave Gelly, Don Rendell, Dick Heckstall-Smith (woodwind, saxes)
- John Clementson (oboe)
- Bunny Gould (bassoon)
- Dave Gelly (glockenspiel)
- Neil Ardley (prepared piano)
- David Snell, Sidonie Goossens (harp)
- Stan Tracey (piano, celeste)
- Karl Jenkins (electric piano)
- Alan Branscombe (harpsichord)
- Frank Ricotti (vibraphone, percussion)
- Chris Laurence, Jeff Clyne (bass)
- Jon Hiseman (drums, percussion)
- Eric Gruenberg, Jack Rothstein, Kelly Isaacs (violin)
- Ken Essex (viola)
- Charles Tunnell, Francis Gabarro (cello)
- Ivor Cutler (narrator)
- Norma Winstone (vocal)
- Jack Rothstein, Neil Ardley (conductors)

Triple LP pressed on oxblood red, silver and deep ocean pearl vinyl. Pearl Abyss, in collaboration with Black Screen Records, is announcing the release of a special vinyl album set, commemorating the 10th anniversary of its flagship MMORPG, Black Desert. The 3xLP collection celebrates a decade of the game's rich musical legacy, marking a milestone in the globally successful Black Desert IP. Music has been a core pillar of Black Desert's immersive experience since its inception. The anniversary vinyl set pays tribute to that legacy, offering fans an opportunity to revisit their in-game memories through the iconic compositions that have accompanied them on their adventures. The album features a handpicked selection of tracks, composed by Hwiman Ryu and his team, spanning a wide range of genres including jazz, ethnic fusion and alternative rock. Each piece reflects the emotional depth and cultural vibrancy of the Black Desert universe. "I believe vinyl is a journey through time, through music," said Hwiman Ryu, music director at Pearl Abyss. "Since it's common to listen to one side in its entirety, each track builds on the next, complementing each other and deepening the emotional experience. When you listen to the Black Desert soundtrack on vinyl, we hope it will stir something in your adventuring heart and bring about unforgettable memories." In addition to the music, the album's richly designed sleeves are collectible artworks in themselves, making the 10th anniversary set a must-have for audiophiles and longtime fans alike.

36 and Past Inside The Present label head Zake return to their Stasis Sounds For Long Distance Space Travel project which is music designed not for the distracted world we inhabit, but for the still moments we so often neglect. Crafted with intention and restraint, it is a universe that suspends the listener in time across glacial soundscapes in which the duo conjures a sense of cosmic awe. Soft, slow-moving drones and textural washes drift like solar winds through the vacuum, suggesting the boundless calm of deep space. The production is rich, gentle with tonal shifts and barely-there harmonics that evoke both distance and intimacy, wonder and melancholy. It feels like music beamed in from the edges of the known universe. If you fancy a contemplative journey from the edge of Earth's thermosphere into the unknowable beyond, tune into Stasis Sounds on your best headphones.

Formed by George Thompson, Kyle Martin and Jonathan Nash, Kommune were active between 2014-2015. As close friends living near each other, their musical journeys were intertwined; Nash and Martin had recently completed their debut album as Land Of Light, while Thompson (aka Black Merlin), at that time putting the finishing touches to his debut album ‘Hipnotik Tradisi’, was also working with Martin as part of the duo Spectral Empire. Sharing equipment and ideas, Kommune arose organically, serving as a creative outlet for exploring analogue machine music in an improvisational context.

Sessions in their North London studios led to a handful of gigs at venues including Hamburg’s legendary Golden Pudel and London’s LN-CC. This fleeting chapter of musical history may well have gone entirely undocumented had it not been for the fortuitous decision to meet up for a recording session in October 2014. Filling a car with their machines, they drove to a converted barn in the south of England, proceeded to set up, settle in and hit the record button. Over the course of two days, fuelled by the experiences of recent performances, the trio immersed themselves in the machines, crafting subtly evolving, long-form compositions with an enchanting balance and flow.

Across the four long-form compositions that make up ‘Oast’, the trio summons barely controllable scrapes, acid-like bubbles, and bleeps from their machines, leaning on dub mixing techniques to give the tracks a sense of depth, dynamism and organic ambience. Mastery of the TR-808 drum machine is central, with remarkably nuanced drum programming imparting a hypnotic rhythm to the work, allowing other elements to emerge and unfold at a beautifully measured tempo.

Recorded entirely live and improvised without any overdubs, ‘Oast’ offers a profound journey into minimalist electronic music while serving as a tribute to friendship, curiosity, and the spirit of experimentation.

Sleeve art and design by Michael Willis.

Classic black 2LP in gatefold! "Her darkest, heaviest and most personal album yet . . . a haunting, doomy exercise in loud-quiet dynamics." Rolling Stone Sleep paralysis plagues singer/songwriter Chelsea Wolfe, and that strange intersection of the conscious and the unconscious has inadvertently manifested itself within her work. Across the span of her first four albums, there is an underlying tension, a distorted and nebulous territory where dark shadows hover along the edges of the sublime and the graceful. But until now, Wolfe's trials and tribulations with the boundaries between dreams and reality have only been a subconscious influence on her work. With her fifth album, Abyss, she deliberately confronts those boundaries and crafts a score to that realm she describes as the "hazy afterlife. an inverted thunderstorm. the dark backward. the abyss of time." Chelsea Wolfe's material has always felt intensely private, from the almost voyeuristic bedroom-production aesthetic of her debut album The Grime and the Glow to the stark themes and atmospheres of 2013's Pain Is Beauty. "Abyss is meant to have the feeling of when you're dreaming, and you briefly wake up, but then fall back asleep into the same dream, diving quickly into your own subconscious," says Wolfe. To conjure this in-between world, Wolfe continued her ongoing collaboration with multi-instrumentalist and co-writer Ben Chisholm and drummer Dylan Fujioka, with Ezra Buchla brought on board to play viola and Mike Sullivan (Russian Circles) enlisted to contribute guitar. The ensemble traveled to Dallas, TX to record with producer John Congleton (Swans, St. Vincent). In the back of her mind burned the words of designer Yohji Yamamoto: "Perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion." The resulting eleven songs reflect that philosophy as they smoulder with human frailty, intimacy, quiet passion, anxiety, and deep longing. "Sleep and dream issues have followed me my whole life," remarks Wolfe as she revisits notes from the writing and recording sessions. In a way, these issues have become a part of Chelsea Wolfe's identity, for whom the notion of sleep as an escape has been subverted. Abyss captures this dichotomy, this battle between the soothing and the upsetting, and demonstrates why Chelsea Wolfe has become one of the most intriguing songwriters of the decade.

Hamburg-born composer, pianist and producer Niklas Paschburg announces his latest project, 'Mexican Alps' EP due for release on July 11th. 'La Hormiga' is a rhythmic exploration of life in motion. Pulsing beats and textured synths create forward momentum, echoing the journey through the winding paths of Oaxaca's mountainous surroundings, where tradition and nature intertwine. 'Mexican Alps' combines inspirations gathered from the picturesque mountains of southern Mexico and the majestic peaks of the Swiss Alps. The EP is a mesmerizing journey through those landscapes; drawing inspiration from nature's grandeur and the vibrancy of Día de los Muertos, Niklas blends electronic textures, atmospheric samples, and innovative instrumentation to create a soundscape that is both grounding and transcendent. Without relying on his signature piano, this EP explores new creative territories, evoking deep emotional resonance and moments of introspection. -- If his first album, 'Oceanic '(2018), was conceived as an ode to the Baltic Sea, for his next release, 'Svalbard' (2020), produced with Andy Barlow of Lamb, the Hamburg-born musician, now a Berliner by adoption, sought refuge on an island in the Arctic Ocean, surrounded by snow, ice, darkness and breathtaking landscapes. This time, however, the setting is completely different. "It all started with an invitation to play at a festival in Oaxaca," Niklas says. "Since I had never been to Latin America, I began considering how to take advantage of the opportunity to stay for a while and write something there. I started looking for houses, but I quickly realized it was almost impossible to find one with a piano—it's not a common instrument in Mexican culture. I thought, why not try immersing myself in a writing process that doesn't involve one? I was so excited about the idea that I jumped in." 'Mexican Alps' is the result of a challenge in which Paschburg harnessed his collection of synths and effects to create an ambient-electronic record. On the one hand, an evolution of the work primarily carried out in 'Svalbard' and 'Panta Rhei'; on the other hand, an episode in its own right, distinct from its predecessors due to the absence of the piano and the greater role played by improvisation, by coincidence, it became his first work created without his signature instrument. "Not having the opportunity to write chords, harmonies, and everything else on the piano, I improvised more, focusing on the sound. This was the approach I used to record demos in Mexico, which I then brought with me to Switzerland, where I carried on working on the EP. In addition to my usual setup (the OB-6 by Dave Smith and Tom Oberheim and the OP-1 by Teenage Engineering, plus my ever-beloved Hohner accordion, inherited from my grandfather), I was also guided by the purchase of a new Moog Matriarch with a unique delay. All this helped me build the sound I had in mind: a spacious, abstract, 3D sound that is definitely immersive." He expands. It is an emotional landscape that translates into music. In some of the tracks, Paschburg has also included field recordings collected during the Día de los Muertos, a deeply felt Mexican holiday: "A great celebration, a colorful parade of skeletons, skulls, flowers, and decorated altars, so engaging and intoxicating that I felt compelled to use its sounds in my music." It was precisely from this blend of influences that the fourth track, "Oaxaca de Juárez", emerged—a single characterized by a catchy funk procession and enhanced by the guitar work of Tal Arditi, a rising European jazz artist and singer-songwriter based between Basel and Berlin. 'Mexican Alps' is his new calling card, featuring an enveloping sound crafted by Paschburg in collaboration with Gijs van Klooster, who mixed the EP in a studio specifically designed for Atmos music. Mastering was handled by Bo Kondren at Calyx Studio in Berlin.

The discovery of Doris Dennison's score represents a genuine musicological breakthrough—what once would have been "a tree falling in the woods" thirty years ago now holds the potential to render "a thunderous clap in our minds." While researching Anna Halprin's lesser-known collaborators, scholar Tom Welsh uncovered the archives of AA Leath, one of Halprin's principal dancers. Buried within these materials was Dennison's handwritten score for Earth Interval, dated May 1956. Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1908, and raised near Seattle, Dennison (1908-2009) encountered John Cage while teaching Dalcroze eurythmics at the Cornish College of the Arts. She joined Cage's earliest percussion quartet—alongside Margaret Jansen, the composer and his wife Xenia—in the group widely regarded as having performed the first complete concert of percussion music in the United States. This historic December 1938 concert was followed by tours and the landmark May 1941 performance at the California Club, comprising Cage and Lou Harrison's Double Music, the premiere of Cage's Third Construction, and Harrison's 13th Simfony.

As Bradford Bailey observes in his extensive liner notes, Earth Interval demonstrates "an extraordinary balance of elements that imbues the piece with a sense of clarity, directness, and constraint that is both distinct and ahead of its time." The work's most remarkable innovation lies in its approach to extended techniques, particularly Dennison's notation for the central movement: "In 2nd movement, 1st player lowers + raises a gong into a tub of water while beating." This technique, absorbed from Cage's experimental vocabulary, generates what Bailey describes as "fields of acoustic abstraction that bend and warp time through sustained resonances, beat, and space." The temporal sophistication of these manipulations anticipated Karlheinz Stockhausen's Mikrophonie I (1964) and Annea Lockwood's water-based sound investigations by over a decade. After joining Mills College as dance accompanist, Dennison maintained crucial connections to the Bay Area's experimental scene, collaborating with figures like Merce Cunningham and programming Cage's music throughout the 1950s.

Comprising three movements—Land Form, Air Tide, and Earth Play—Earth Interval is scored for recorder, drums, gongs, maracas, muted gongs, and bowl gongs. In total, the piece is just under eight minutes: "a fleeting glimmer of moment in time, a life spent at the cutting edge, and a singular creative vision that packs a powerful punch." When viewed in historical context, placed in contrast to roughly contemporaneous avant-garde percussion works by Cage, Harrison, Louis Thomas Hardin (Moondog), and Harry Partch, or important precursors like Edgard Varèse's Ionisation (1931) and Henry Cowell's Ostinato Pianissimo (1934), it's clear that Dennison was following her own path. Earth Interval is not derivative. It is a precursor to what was yet to come, alluding to developments of avant-garde and experimental music that wouldn't begin to appear on the cultural landscape until the 1970s and '80s, with the emergence of Post-Minimalism and more idiosyncratic artists and ensembles like Midori Takada, Ros Bandt, Peter Giger, Frank Perry, Christopher Tree, Michael Ranta, Gamelan Son of Lion, and Niagara.

This recording by Chicago's Third Coast Percussion, captured in March 2022, represents the first complete documentation of this pioneering work. The ensemble's interpretation reveals the piece's remarkable contemporaneity while maintaining its historical specificity. Where Cage, Harrison, and Partch employed "self-consciously off-kilter polyrhythms," Dennison's rhythmic sensibility anticipates minimalist developments by nearly a decade, yet integrates "forceful rests, as well as sharp shifts in sonic character, tempo, and meter, that break the momentum and breathe a sense of life into the piece's structure." This positions her work closer to Post-Minimalism decades before its emergence. The architectural approach demonstrates Dennison's understanding that "the composer almost entirely disappears" in favor of phenomenological listening experience, creating what might be called an egoless music that places its realities and meaning entirely in the ear of the beholder. The present recording, realized by Chicago's distinguished Third Coast Percussion ensemble, represents a significant achievement in experimental music scholarship and performance practice. As specialists in the Cage tradition and contemporary percussion repertoire, Third Coast Percussion approached Earth Interval with the historical sensitivity and technical precision required to illuminate Dennison's subtle compositional innovations. The March 2022 recording sessions, engineered by Colin Campbell, capture both the work's intimate chamber music qualities and its bold exploration of extended techniques. The ensemble's interpretation reveals the piece's remarkable contemporaneity—its ability to speak directly to current musical concerns while maintaining its historical specificity.

This recording serves multiple scholarly functions: it provides the first complete documentation of Dennison's compositional voice, offers insight into the broader network of experimental music practitioners surrounding Cage and Harrison, and demonstrates the sophisticated level of compositional thinking that was occurring within the Bay Area's dance-music collaborations of the 1950s. The work's emphasis on phenomenological listening—what might be called an "egoless" approach to musical experience—places it within a lineage of American experimental music that prioritizes perceptual process over compositional personality. The work's original obscurity—limited to AA Leath's performances at venues like the 1957 Pacific Coast Arts Festival at Reed College—paradoxically allowed it to remain "entirely on its own terms," free from the constraints of historical categorization. Drawing on Jacques Derrida's Archive Fever, the argument emerges that "the archive can acknowledge, celebrate, and resurrect" overlooked voices, transforming our understanding of experimental music history. The present Blume edition, featuring Third Coast Percussion's authoritative interpretation, includes a lavishly illustrated 16-page booklet designed by Bruno Stucchi / dinamomilano, containing complete scholarly apparatus, historical photographs, and detailed production notes. This recording enables "cross-temporal intersectionality," allowing Dennison to "belong to a newly formed and more dynamic understanding of the present and past," demonstrating how forgotten voices can reshape entire historical narratives when given proper scholarly attention and performance advocacy.

"After the success of his album Le Bal des Crocodiles in 2023, the Parisian label Teenage Kicks Production has announced the imminent release of the new album by the artist Homme Bleu, titled Dark Matter. Recorded at Garage Studio in Montpellier, this album will feature 12 tracks in English. The mixing was done in New York by Alex Conroy, except for the track The Life in Me, which was mixed by Steve Lyon (Depeche Mode, The Cure, etc.). A resolutely rock album that highlights guitars with modern arrangements. Introspection, existential questions, human relationships, and the passage of time are the artist's favorite themes, with a distinctly pop-rock influence infused with an electro whirlwind. Three singles have already been released from the album: The Life in Me, a high-energy rock track dominated by guitars; I Ride: a groovy mid-tempo ballad reminiscent of Radiohead's universe, an ode to inner freedom and resilience; titletrack Dark Matter, an eponymous track, a piano-vocal ballad. The album cover was designed by Frank Loriou (Manu Chao, Miossec, etc.), with whom Homme Bleu has collaborated since the beginning of his career." Double-LP in gatefold sleeve, blue vinyl.

WRWTFWW Records is very excited to announce its third release from visionary Japanese ambient/experimental/environmental composer/producer Yutaka Hirose, this time with brand new album Voices, available on limited edition heavyweight-sleeved double LP as well as double CD, both with liner notes from the artist.

Voices finds Yutaka Hirose expanding his signature spatial layering into a three-dimensional videography of sound, blending field recordings, electronic manipulations, and abstract narratives. The 12-track album is a journey through a crumbling library where books whisper, history collides, and sonic textures weave new realities. Chaos, memory, and transformation – Hirose’s voices echo throughout the space, creating a fully immersive sonic experience.

The pioneering experimental and abstract electronic piece with deep hints of ambient and IDM is beautifully represented by the original artwork by Koji Shiroshita and Mifuku gracing the double LP and double digipack CD sleeves.

Voices marks Yutaka Hirose’s third full-length release on WRWTFWW Records, following his kankyõ ongaku classics Nova + 4 (an expanded version of his genre defining Soundscape 2: Nova album) and archival compilation TRACE: Sound Design Works 1986-1989, both available in vinyl, CD, and digital formats.

Moto Music proudly presents Time Synthesis, a sonic collaboration of the living legends Dan Piu and DJ Estimulo, creating a future past guaranteed to last. Experience the dynamic aurora of class, seamlessly guiding your senses through savory flavors of funky Detroit and atmospheric Techno hybrids to the smoothest of sunset coastal Deep House designs marinated to move bodies on the dancefloor and influence the mind. Indeed a synthesis of good times where the future of authentic house and techno was never left behind. Perhaps the dreamy chords and confident bassline of Strobes" unlocks your center of rewards via groovy techno modes, or its the Estimulo Ambient class pass of Wayne" that's the perfect sound for your late spring sunsets and nights in the rain; never the less with Moto Music since 1994, complete quality is here to adore in this ep menu of four…

Written and produced by Dan Piu & Estimulo

Compiled by Philip King
“And then came the rise of synth pop : blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated
machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese
passing gas in a wind tunnel. Whoopee! This is the way the ‘70s ended : not with a blood-curdling bang
bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.”
NICK KENT, NME.

All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985 is a new compilation that charts the
underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by Philip
King (previously seen compiling All The Young Droogs, Glitterbest and Boobs - The Junkshop
Glam Discotheque), the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with
new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new
music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare
tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter
chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure.
Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks
were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master
tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the
emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels
that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the
globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led
revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms,
ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels
jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The Clash (both on major labels, of course)
these artists struggled to stand out from a new gold-rush with next to no budget or PR team. With radio
and labels desperate for the new Yazoo, what resulted was a testament to necessity being the mother
of invention.

At the time, the synthesiser was the music of the future, a shiny new machine that could paint like an
orchestra with a single finger and a 4-track. In the hands of Manchester avant-pranksters Gerry & The
Holograms it’s a pulsing, sardonic weapon.. the only instrument on the Messthetics classic lampooning
of New Wave fashion. In Hamburg, a 16 year old Andreas Dorau used it to write and record (with his
female classmates on vocals) a global smash in Fred Vom Jupiter (later licensed to Mute Records).
The hard-to-find English version (Fred From Jupiter, natch) is included here. Many artists with alreadystoried careers caught the bug and recorded synthesiser-fuelled peons to space, computers, the future
and, of course, love-interests. Harry Kakoulli, late of Squeeze, recorded a solo album in 1979 that
included the incredible power-synth-pop smash-that-never-smashed I’m On A Rocket. Similarly, Ian
North of Neo and American Power Pop stalwarts Milk ’n’ Cookies bought a Korg MS20 and used a
tape machine to record We’re Not Lonely, an absolute lost-classic of minimal synth pop. We’re Not
Lonely also features on the Junkshop Synth Pop sampler 7” twinned with John Howard unreleased
track You Will See, released April 12th 2025.

There are plenty of compilation debuts in evidence. Sole Sister were a mysterious trio who were
featured on the Scaling Triangles compilation of female-fronted, queer-adjacent post-punk /
underground music that also featured The Petticoats. Selwin Image were from San Francisco and
featured members of the recently defunct power pop/punk group The Pushups. Their stupidly catchy
The Unknown fizzes with New Wave energy - think XTC to Sparks but remains unreleased until now.
Dream Unit’s A Drop In The Ocean is an early synth wave cut, positively teaming with Joy Division
instrumentation, previously only released on a long-forgotten and super rare, self-released EP.
Incandescent Luminaire’s Famous Names belies an archetypal struggle of a small-town trying to
make it in a cruel industry but is a thrilling New Romantic-Synth Wave cross over with a OMD
gloominess that’s a joy to hear. Feminist Minimal Wave track I Am A Time Bomb by performance artist
Peta Lilly and Michael Chance is a revelation destined for new found cult status. It was released on 7”
and lost until now.

The flipside to the subterranean, never-made-it synth pop mentioned above are the ambitious, even
fruity attempts at success that have a perennial elegance to their confidence. New Jersey-ite Billy
London (real name Ed Barth) tried to cash in on the synth boom with Woman, released by a major
label, a lurching new wave track built on the Louie Louie rhythm and a wonderfully camp Lou Reedstyle sleazy vocal before exploding in the synthesised chorus. The song bombed but with a chorus like
this, you have to wonder why? Ex-Glitter Band member John Springate’s My Life is truly epic, with
doomed chord progressions and massive sounding drums turning into at least 3 different songs in the
course of the track. Before you wonder what’s going on the song resolves with a glorious return to the
main refrain.

The dry-ice-dressed dance floor is well catered for too. Design’s Premonition and Vision’s Lucifer’s
Friend are stone-cold minimal synth bangers, well loved but given a new lease of life here. The
Warlord’s The Ultimate Warlord was released in 1978, a homespun proto Hi NRG banger that was
later re-recorded by The Immortals in Canada who had a club hit with it. One-man- band Disco
Volante’s No Motion was re-issued by Synth wave label Medical in 2012 but makes its first vinyl
compilation appearance here. Close your eyes and you can imagine what Lawrence of Felt would have
sounded like with some cheap Korgs a little earlier in his career. Gibraltar-based trio The Microbes
imagined a computer programming people to dance - how prescient - and ended up with a propulsive,
robo-funk track with splendid rubbery bass playing over a tectonic drum machine. Previously picked up
by Belgian label Stroom TV, Dee Jay Bert & Eagle’s heavily Euro-accented I Am Your Master
demands the listener to “come to paradise!” In a frankly terrifying manner.
All The Young Droids is the first compilation to peel away from the narrative that dour, Minimal Synth
and Cold Wave were the only musical children of the first rush of synth pop. Philip King and School
Daze Records describe a much more complicated world: along with the austere, Brutalist children of
Daniel Miller (who produced Alan Burnham’s Bowie-Low-influenced Science Fiction here) was a
plethora of desperate cash-ins, accidental mainstream hits, ambitious pop dramas and major label
punts that went nowhere. Crucially, the compilation blurs the line between junk and treasure. What if the
two things are interchangeable. What if it’s all science fiction?

In the world of Pharaoh Overlord, little is ever as it seems. This band is less comprised of tricksters or mischief makers than fearless obsessives whose musical instincts take twisted and wild pathways. Now, fresh from forays into Italo-disco and synth-pop, they have thrown another still more mighty statement of intent into the universe. Louhi is a thunderous and majestic epic of joyful repetition and earth shaking power. A two-track minimalist-rock monolith forged from guitars, synths and hurdy-gurdy, inspired by the band’s eternal touchstone influence Outside The Dream Syndicate by Tony Conrad and Faust, and constructed around a single riff and melodic idea, it builds and evolves to fearsome pinnacles of elemental intensity.Luminaries and constant compatriots in the Pharaoh Overlord
headspace were recruited for this voyage into the ether. Vocalist and longtime collaborator Aaron Turner (SUMAC, Isis, Old Man Gloom)and Tyneside maverick Richard Dawson were equally keen to get on board, the former taking a spontaneous and improvisatory approach to his vocal parts, and the latter largely playing a part consisting of one guitar chord. Yet whatever routes Pharaoh Overlord take to their destination, a common theme is the consciousness-warping singularity of the riff and the mantra, and the temporal disorientation this can provoke mirrors the broader designs of this record, which takes traditional folk elements and transports them in the band’s singular time machine. “It’s our 25th Anniversary this year, and from time to time we hear wishes that if just we could play more of the stuff that we did twenty or more years ago” relate Jussi and Tomi. “We totally understand this. You could say we used Louhi to reset ourselves to the past, to be able to continue again to the future.” Aaron puts it another way, evoking simplicity in the chaos – “The world of Pharaoh Overlord is a magical one - every album is an invitation to enter that place and rejoice in doing so…”

Award-winning producer and composer Giorgi Koberidze offers up a head-spinning debut of Georgian modern classical music shot through with 360° electroacoustic textures.

Giorgi Koberidze is an electronic and classical music composer from Georgia. He currently serves as a professor of music at Tbilisi State Conservatoire, as well as at Ilia State University, and the private music school "303 Herz". Giorgi's work is rooted in the Georgian musical tradition, cross-pollinating indigenous instrumentation with electronic and western classical timbres. He recently won first prize in the Tbilisi Conservatoire Composers Awards, and received Georgia's most prestigious cultural gong, the Tsinandali Award.
The Album was premiered in Georgia at the Kutaisi Film Festival, and later showcased at the Tbilisi Film Festival. Working from graphic scores, Giorgi's ensemble includes strings, woodwind and traditional instruments from the Caucasus (doli, chuniri). Fleeting voices, field recordings and skittering percussion converge to paint a storied map of Tbilisi, and its surrounding terrain of forested polyphony and microtonal peaks and crags.

Each listen of the album is projectively rich, like a dizzying series of sonic inkblot images. The piece is designed to be absorbed in the surround sound of darkened movie theatres, conjuring a multiverse of narratives in the half-light of sensory acuity. At home, Giorgi invites listeners to set aside time to experience the record in a dark, comfortable space absent of external stimuli.

This album was made with the support of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. The recordings were funded by Nicolas Jaar. Thank you. We are beyond proud to present this incredible project.

Recommended for fans of Pierre Bastien, Roméo Poirier, Jan Jelinek.

2025 repress. Expo 70, held in Osaka, was a pivotal event for the Japanese people and their relationship with the rest of the world, demonstrating both the nation's ongoing economic recovery from World War Two and the creative spirit of Japanese society and its artists. The event gained international acclaim for its adventurous architectural design, visual art and electronic music. Some of Japan's most renowned composers were involved, but also present were the now-legendary rockers, the Flower Travellin' Band. A series of performances, billed as "Night Events" were held at the Expo; the most radical of these was "Beam Penetration and Mad Computer, plus the Minimal Sound of Motorcycles", but its anti-establishment feel and general madness took the Expo organizers by surprise and it was cancelled after only one night, despite being scheduled for a longer run. An air of myth developed around the event, but a recording of the event has been discovered and this release is the result. And what an event it was: a night-time sound-bomb with a fabled band, electronic sound and 50 motorcycles with horns blaring,spotlights, electronic billboards and a robot ― all flashing, roaring andhowling at the night sky. This release comprises a CD, a 10-inch record with fold-out sleeve and large obi, plus fascinating notes in Japanese and English by Kenichi Yasuda, an expert on Japanese rock music, and Koji Kawasaki, a renowned researcher of Japanese electronic music, as well as rare photos.

We are very happy to announce the re-issue of this new age / synthpop masterpiece from the early nineties. An uptempo and timeless floorfiller with extra unreleased mixes on vinyl: Low Spirite Remix and the German lyric version of Golden Dreams.
The band come up with a totally new cover design making this release truly special. Limited copies.

We are very happy to announce the re-issue of this new age / synthpop masterpiece from the early nineties. An uptempo and timeless floorfiller with extra unreleased mixes on vinyl: Low Spirite Remix and the German lyric version of Golden Dreams.
The band come up with a totally new cover design making this release truly special. Limited copies.

Experience the magic of a timeless classic reborn: this exclusive 7" vinyl features a brand-new remake of the iconic "I Believe in Miracles", produced by French groove maestro MonsieurWilly and performed by the radiant soul vocalist Natalie Nova. With a perfect balance of vintage disco vibes and fresh production finesse, this release breathes new life into the legendary track, making it both nostalgic and clubready. Adding to its irresistible charm, the remake is infused with a Latin summerinspired rhythm—a driving, syncopated beat that designs the heartbeat of Latin music. Ment to be upbeat and danceable, the track incorporates percussive grooves, rhythmic guitars, and tasteful electronic elements to create a vibrant, sun-soaked atmosphere that feels right at home from beach bars to dancefloors. The collaboration between MonsieurWilly and Natalie Nova delivers a unique blend of soulful warmth, infectious energy, and rhythmic flair. Natalie Nova’s powerful vocals shine with emotion and style, while MonsieurWilly’s production wraps it all in a groove-heavy, analog-inspired soundscape. This 7" is pressed on high-quality vinyl and is ideal for collectors, DJs, and lovers of soul, disco, and feel-good summer anthems. Don't miss this limited edition release - proof that miracles still happen on wax.

“My hero’s back,” Madeline Kenney sings on the second track of her newest effort, Kiss from the Balcony. In a sense, she means herself; made with friends Ben Sloan and Stephen Patota across just a few in-person studio sessions in Oakland, these tracks represent a culmination of Madeline’s musings on growth and resilience reaching back years, brought to life through this generative and vibrant collaboration. Close listeners can hear the breadth of stylistic elements and themes carried through from various eras of her work, which all come together in a cohesive and timeless record.

In two week-long intensive sessions, the three collaborators grew these nine songs from fragments, sketches, and seeds. With a background in experimental percussion and sound design, Ben Sloan brings an electronic sound to Kenney’s writing; Stephen Patota provides ingenious guitar melodies throughout and grounds the project in acoustic elements. Kiss from the Balcony was originally intended to be an EP, but the sessions brought forth such fruitful ideation and play that the project was expanded to a full length album. It sits in Madeline’s discography as a thematic and musical progression that sees her iterate on ideas about love and explore new sonic motifs through her work with Patota and Sloan.

Much of Kiss from the Balcony is a meditation on modern relationships, a feminist and utterly human contemplation of power and who holds it. “Hereditary backward leaning,” she describes in ‘Slap,’ of the female condition; “But no-one ever likes to see the girls break down / So they keep it to the bathroom floor” she sings in the rapturous opener, ‘Scoop.’ While the songs are shrouded in metaphor, the ubiquity of heartbreak and resilience decode much of the internal conflict Kenney depicts. The album sees her recognize the precarity and peculiarity of life and take it by the horns, realizing she controls her own narrative:


She explores the relationships between joy and suffering, choosing to see them as inseparable, two sides of a single coin. “It’s never over / When will they love me?” Kenney asks on ‘They Go Wide,’ describing her positionality both as a woman in relationship and as an indie artist in the modern music industry.

A playful hopefulness pervades the record, providing a sense of revelation in the journey throughout, Kenney’s radical acceptance of life as it is like a lyrical tongue out at the absurd.

For the fourth release on her celebrated record label Uppers and Downers, Dr.Rubinstein returns to the producer's seat with Take This Pill, a new 3-track EP that showcases the dynamic, ever-widening range of her signature acid sound. Lacing lively dancefloor cuts with a dose of personal storytelling and a playful yet honest take on mental health, Take This Pill delivers on Rubi's distinct ability to honor classic rave sensibilities while also always imparting her own unique twist.

The title track journeys from dark, acid-laced electro breaks into a shimmering wash of euphoric synths, energized along the way by drumrolls, hoovers, and a vocal refrain repeatedly voicing the Doctor's prescription: "Take this pill!" More than just a nod to classic XTC bangers, "Take This Pill" explores the emotional spectrum of neurodivergence and the pharmaceutical pathways many embark upon on a quest to "fit in," mirroring the lived experience of internal struggle giving way to external composure.

Things shift up a few gears on track two, the aptly-titled "No Brainer," a relentlessly energetic, no-nonsense stomper designed with the soul purpose of making you move. The track features sidewinding Goa-tinged acid lines swirling through a hard trance kick scape adorned by with soaring strings and shimmering cymbal rolls.

The EP concludes with a gorgeous, melodic rave-infused cut that shows a more tender, reflective side of Rubinstein's repertoire. Referencing one of Rubi's favorite tunes, The KLF's iconic "3 AM Eternal," diaphenous ambient vocals soar over a melancholic acid ballad that, never to be taken too seriously, is punctuated by humorous woops and cheeky rave whistles.
With Take This Pill, Dr. Rubinstein invites listeners into her world-one where vulnerability, humor, and acid rave euphoria collide. A perfect addition to her label's growing catalog, Take This Pill upholds the mission of Uppers and Downers: to collect and circulate timeless, tried-and-true tunes that celebrate the uplifting, affirmative power of rave music.

Dive into the ultra deep field with the third release by Alphawaves. A0708EP, exemplifies Alphawaves' unique ability to sculpt atmospheric textures and intricate rhythms, seamlessly merging the organic with the synthetic. Yet another masterclass in balance, where cutting-edge sound design meets the warmth and depth of analog undertones. The result is an immersive sonic landscape that transcends time, presenting a vision of the future that feels both unsettling and profoundly familiar.

Repress alert! For the first time since its initial release in 2019, Voyage proudly present a repress of Huerta’s debut album Junipero. With copies changing hands on the second-hand market for £90, here’s a chance to own this cult classic!

Huerta’s debut album for Voyage is a righteous journey along the coast of California; a psychosomatic blend of melodic rhythm, natural sounds and ambient textures.

Recorded throughout 2019, Huerta combines a blissful wash of west coast inspired ambient with the more affable, rhythmic house cuts he has been previously known for. Drawing on the surrounding landscapes of his upbringing, Huerta’s ode to the Juniper tree is an immersive and introspective experience; a long player capable of taking you to an elevated state of mind.

Composed, arranged and recorded by Steve Huerta at Diesel Studios Berlin, 2019

Sleeve Design: Sam Donaldson

Never Sleep charity tape series heads for Etruria with a late 90s mix from one of the masters.

Gaetani sophist Claudio Coccolutto quantifies joy with a blend of Balearic, House and Prog. A frivo- lous journey through the golden spectrum of dance music and hosted by ??.

Showcasing a smoother than buttered muffuletta mix style, deep grooved sequential ecstatica and layered love for the summertime balcony terpsi-chorean. Utilising Pioneer 800 sound design filter elements, slowly simmered percussion and magne-tised around the good time driving force of House music. Coccolutto brings the positivity, uplifting vocal tenderness and cavorting XTC for a master-class in slow burning velocity.

Claudio Cocculutto passed away in March 2021 and is well known for his community work, politics and love of dance music.

Sneaker Social Club is pleased to direct your attention to this sparse and weighty club gear incoming from a sizeable new talent on the scene, Beton Brut.

Following on from his previous drops on Plasma Sources and Coyote Records, Beton Brut steps onto this latest platter with a surefooted sound. It’s informed by weightless grime, minimal techno and brittle electro, but he carves his own incisive path towards the hoods-up-heads-down Dancefloor.

This is stark, moody gear to get lost in — the dexterous sound design slipping around the rhythm core of ‘Tobacco Earthworm’; gleams in high-definition, but never at the expense of the eerily stripped-back atmosphere. ‘Booters’ snips up a clutch of clippings from grime and scatters them across the timeline in a scrapbook style, making a deadly, dislocated love letter to the sound in the process. Approaching mutant, hybrid club music with a considered poise, this is exactly the kind of forward-thinking bassweight gear that Sneaker thrives on.