"Favourite tunesThe tunes are like my children....there is a whole heap of them !! Iwant to tell you this though...some of them i never released properly but 'A Class Girls' through it was the first one me love that, the rhythm! I don't know how the song never hit in Jamaica but listening to it back now its like you are branding the girls A and B so (perhaps) the girls weren't happy with it.But it was a good tune,wicked tune.
Tony Chin wrote it ,but it was Tony Chin and Chinna who taught me these thingsso I have to lovethose men forever"
Ossie Thomas
Triston Palmer was born in 1962 and grew up in Waltham Park,Kingston.
Triston knew from a very early age that he was destined to become an entertainer and his first visit to an recording studio at the age of 16 was with Ossie Thomas.
Their initial release was 'A Class Girls',which was a hit in England and Triston's subsequent releases on their Black Solidarity label laid the foundation for his rapid rise to dance super stardom.
As the 80's progressed and Dancehall began its inexorable rise to ubiquity the popularity of Triston Palmer who had 9 songs in the top forty was unstoppable.
So sit back and enjoy this selection of killer tunes.....
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Jamaican love songs always came across as heartfelt poetry whether they conveyed a broken heart, unrequited love or even the message ‘it’s all over don’t bother to come back’ anecdotes. But whatever the mood the singers of these songs were so good and versatile that putting such
subject matter over in a few verses was always so moving and believable.
Jamaican love songs were a constant in the ever evolving sounds and
journey’s that reggae music took us on, from ska to rocksteady to the early reggae sounds of the late 1960’s early 1970’s. We have complied a great selection of songs that all deal with that timeless subject matter. Max Romeo’s heartfelt ‘Sometimes’ opens our set in fine style, known more for his roots singing this song proves what a great singer he is. The Melodians a great Jamaican vocal group are featured here with ‘Best Girl’. The Sensations provide us with our title track ‘Born To Love You ‘and the theme for this compilation a great rocksteady tune with fantastic harmonies. Alton Ellis gives us the soulful ‘Room Full Of Tears’. Ken Boothe
provides us with his rendition of Dennis Brown’s ‘Money In My Pocket’ the ode that money cannot buy you everything. Cornell Campbell sings one of his most overlooked classic songs with his prideful `She Wears My Ring’. The great singer of love songs himself Mr John Holt tells us that we should all `Reconsider’, before giving up on love and a great lost singer Monty Morris gives us two great examples of how to find love in `Do It My Way’ and `Magic Moments’.
A great selection delivered as only Jamaica can do with style and feeling…….
Hope you enjoy the set …greetings from Jamaica… love songs for all…
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Dublin-based DJ Jubilee 1997 has previously awed listeners with various releases on ‘Beyond Electronix’ turning in commanding, fierce and atmospheric jungle. Now, following on from his blistering ‘Aerial Warmth’ EP on Lobster Theremin last year, Jubilee services up four club-ready, spell-binding cuts on an emotionally captivating trip through the warehouse doors.
Opener ‘Ravers Theme’ hits hard, a dance floor hex sure to turn the most unbelieving of heads; shadow and smoke permeate the warehouse walls, with its peak-time sonics bouncing around the room and into ravers' minds. ‘Titan’ follows suit with it’s deep lows and wounding highs, its hypnotic and intangible sensibility adding to its allure. Jubilee’s ability to bring together ominous and apocalyptic melodies alongside fierce breakbeat structures, result in a barrage of boundary-defying energy.
As the meandering ravers lose themselves in it’s spell ‘Eastern Lines’ breaches its hold if only for a moment before ’Alchemist’ conjures the room to move; the lights flicker and flash moving from one end of the room to another at undetermined speeds; closing a record that’s both captivating and relentless.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
George Riley ist der am wenigsten kategorisierbare neue Star der Londoner Musikszene. Mit ihrer rauchigen Jazz-beeinflussten Stimme webt sie sich durch Produktionen mit Anleihen aus Jungle, R&B und Ambient. Auf ihrer 8-Track-EP 'Running In Waves', einer neuen Zusammenarbeit mit dem Produzenten Vegyn, schreibt sie mit großer emotionaler Ehrlichkeit über Beziehungs- und Versagensängste und ihre Liebe zu Camper-Schuhen. George arbeitete bereits mit ANZ, Joe Armon-Jones, Lex Amor und Oliver Palfreyman zusammen. Ltd. Auflage.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
The first album in 7 years from seminal electronic music pioneers and twice Mercury Prize Nominated, Leftfield. Currently reaching a new audience through Idris Elba’s Gucci ad, this will be their 4th album in their 28 year history. The new single will be featured in the soon to launched eFootball by Konami (previously PES).
Their last tour (in 2017) featured 7 sold out UK shows (including 2 X Brixton Academies), a sold out world tour and various festival headlines.
Quote from Neil Barnes: "I wanted ‘Pulse’ to be the first statement from the new album. It felt strong. Dance floor. Human. Positive. And I love the bass. It’s Leftfield."
Full pitch notes with bio to come
CULTURE
Leftfield (originally comprised of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley), have been at the cutting edge of dance music since the 1990s, releasing albums that have become some of the most influential electronic records of all time around the world with their debut LP 'Leftism' being widely regarded as one of the most boundary-pushing electronic LPs ever released.
In 2010, Neil Barnes reignited the Leftfield name, and went on to release an acclaimed new album (Alternative Light Source) touring the world with the full live band. Neil has also been cementing his reputation as a top-tier DJ and record collector unleashing modern dance floor weapons, selling out venues, headlining festivals and creating some amazing nights with his sets.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Ibrahim Alfa Jnr released techno music since the age of 17. He started to play piano when was six years old and has a master degree in sonic arts. As a Live Act and DJ he is world wide known.
His first album on Mille Plateaux is a fine example of Hypercussion, which implies a new rhythmic A-logic when beats split or shoot each other off, or when they overlap and mutate into high-pitched hums and rattlesnake breaks; accelerating, before music again blurs into the grains of noise or calm science fiction landscapes and at the same time builds gigantic sound walls. And such music, as far as its conceptualization is concerned, does not have to submit itself to technology at all, but must understand itself as a form that can be recombined with technology.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Bristol don Ramu brings the latest edition of our Killer Cuts series. Bored In A Wormhole takes us on a journey through a kaleidoscopic journey through acid-tinged breakbeat, cosmic house, warped bassline breaks, techno, garage and earworm melody jungle. Strap in!
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Frankey & Sandrino drop ‘Brainscan’ on Rekids this September.
The German duo have been making music together for over a decade, running the Sum Over Histories imprint and releasing on revered labels such as Innervisions, Mule Musiq, Kompakt, and Diynamic. Now arriving on Radio Slave’s Rekids for the first time, the pair deliver two stunning productions that showcase their ability to craft emotive and punchy dancefloor tracks.
On the A-side, ‘Brainscan’ leads with wonky synths, trippy FX, and dense vocal chants evolving into a lush, chugging track. On the flip, ‘Condesa’ combines slow-motion breakbeats, dynamic progressions, and soaring leads for a riveting piece that perfectly rounds out the B-side.
out of Stock
Last delivered 11 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
‘Runner is a calmly luminous orchestral piece with the pulsating, propulsive
rhythms that animate much of Mr. Reich’s music.’ – New York Times
‘Reich interweaves the two groups to create a dense textural tapestry that sounds like his most native orchestral thinking to date. A beautiful and dramatically charged masterpiece.' – San Francisco Chronicle
Nonesuch Records releases the first recordings of Steve Reich’s Runner (2016) and Music for Ensemble and Orchestra (2018), performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conducted by Susanna Mälkki.
Reich says Runner is written “for a large ensemble of winds, percussion, pianos, and strings. While the tempo remains more or less constant, there are five movements, played without pause, that are based on different note durations. First, even sixteenths, then irregularly accented eighths, then a very slowed-down version of the standard bell pattern from Ghana in quarters, fourth a return to the irregularly accented eighths, and finally a return to the sixteenths but now played as pulses by the winds for as long as a breath will comfortably sustain them. The title was suggested by the rapid opening and my awareness that, like a runner, I would have to pace the piece to reach a successful conclusion.”
“Music for Ensemble and Orchestra is an extension of the Baroque concerto grosso where there is more than one soloist,” the composer continues. “Here there are twenty soloists – all regular members of the orchestra, including the first stand strings and winds, as well as two vibraphones and two pianos. The piece is in five movements, though the tempo never changes, only the note value of the constant pulse in the pianos. Thus, an arch form: sixteenths, eighths, quarters, eighths, sixteenths. Music for Ensemble and Orchestra is modeled on my Runner, which has the same five movement form.”
Nonesuch has recorded every new piece of music by Steve Reich since 1985, beginning with The Desert Music and continuing through 2018’s Pulse/Quartet, resulting in 22 albums and the two box sets Phases in 2006 and Works: 1965-1995 in 1997. Most recently, the label released his Reich/Richter, performed by Ensemble intercontemporain and conducted by George Jackson, in June 2022. The Times said, ‘What a delight to be able to focus on the music, delivered here with a clever mix of pinprick precision and reverberant haze by 14 members of Ensemble Intercontemporain. The more intently you listen, the more subtleties emerge among the shifting, criss-crossing textures and phrases, sometimes coloured with gentle melancholy but decisively upbeat by the end. Reich/Richter is an ear-tickling tonic and a happy companion to Reich’s newly published book, Conversations.’ Nonesuch will put out a collection of Reich’s complete works in 2023.
Reich released a book earlier this year, Conversations, that includes dialogues with past collaborators, fellow composers, musicians, and visual artists who have been influenced by his work, including: David Lang, Brian Eno, Richard Serra, Michael Gordon, Michael Tilson Thomas, Russell Hartenberger, Robert Hurwitz, Stephen Sondheim, Jonny Greenwood, David Harrington, Elizabeth Lim-Dutton, David Robertson, Micaela Haslam, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Julia Wolfe, Nico Muhly, Beryl Korot, Colin Currie, and Brad Lubman. The Wall Street Journal called the book ‘a testament to the influence of an idea – one that triggered a cultural turning point,’ and the New York Times said, ‘The joy of the book is to hear artists from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds rhapsodizing about their relationship to Reich’s music and how it influenced their own creative processes.’
Steve Reich has been called ‘America’s greatest living composer’ (Village Voice), ‘the most original musical thinker of our time’ (New Yorker), and ‘among the great composers of the century’ (New York Times). His music has influenced composers and mainstream musicians all over the world. Music for 18 Musicians and Different Trains have earned him two Grammy Awards, and in 2009, his Double Sextet won the Pulitzer Prize. Reich’s documentary video opera works – The Cave and Three Tales, done in collaboration with video artist Beryl Korot – have been performed on four continents. His recent work Quartet, for percussionist Colin Currie, sold out two consecutive concerts at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London shortly after tens of thousands at the Glastonbury Festival heard Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead) perform Electric Counterpoint followed by the London Sinfonietta performing his Music for 18 Musicians.
In 2012, Reich was awarded the Gold Medal in Music by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has additionally received the Praemium Imperiale in Tokyo, the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm, the BBVA Award in Madrid, and the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale. He has been named Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and has been awarded honorary doctorates by the Royal College of Music in London, The Juilliard School, and the Liszt Academy in Budapest, among others. ‘There’s just a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history and Steve Reich is one of them,’ states the Guardian.
Redefining what an orchestra can be, the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is as vibrant as Los Angeles, one of the world's most open and dynamic cities. Led by Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, this internationally renowned orchestra harnesses the transformative power of live music to build community, foster intellectual and artistic growth, and nurture the creative spirit. This is the third recent recording by the orchestra on the label; the others were the Louis Andriessen pieces The only one and Theatre of the World. Additionally, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s recordings of The Gospel According to the Other Mary and Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?, with Yuja Wang, released on Deutsche Grammophon, are included in this year’s John Adams Collected Works boxed set. Nonesuch also released an LA Phil recording of Adams‘ Naïve and Sentimental Music in 2002.
Susanna Mälkki is sought-after at the highest level by symphony orchestras and opera houses worldwide. About to embark on her final season as Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, she concludes a seven-year tenure with a distinctive dynamism and imaginative flair to her programming. In addition to a full season in Finland, she will lead the Helsinki orchestra on tour to the prestigious Lucerne and Edinburgh festivals, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and Washington’s Kennedy Centre this season.
Deluxe reissue of their 1994 debut album.
Completely remastered under band supervision.
Pressed on burgundy vinyl and Presented in a gatefold matt laminated gatefold sleeve, with spot UV varnish .
Features the original LP plus a bonus disc with the Cherry Red E.P tracks, plus a 16-page booklet containing photos, reviews, and sleevenotes from Mick Derrick, Steve Mack & John Robb.
Combining a metronomic krautrock beat played by a monster drummer, looping guitars and a boy/girl vocal that sounded like a bickering bed-sit argument turned into song, Prolapse had all the manic intensity of a nervous breakdown set against a backdrop of inventive guitar work and a really tough rhythm section. There were hints of the Fall, krautrock, PiL and a touch of the pure golden pop of Blondie along with the sense of restless dislocation shared by many of the post-punk bands.
Prolapse arrived in the middle of the Britpop era and their tense, almost neurotic music clashed with the stadium-filling, jolly knees- up pop that dominated the indie mainstream of the time. By 1996 indie had become the mainstream in terms of record sales and sound and was strutting around at the opposite end of the cultural spectrum to the indie bands of the Eighties and their war against popular culture. Late arrivals Prolapse were the last gasp of this genuine independence.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
WRWTFWW Records is proud to announce the worldwide reissue of Midori Takada’s solo album from 1999, Tree of Life, available on vinyl for the first time ever in a new audiophile mix by the Japanese percussionist herself, and in full half-speed-mastered glory. The 180g LP comes in a heavy sleeve with a beautiful design by Kohei Sugiura. Tree of Life is also available in CD (digipack) and digital formats.
Originally recorded in September 1998 at legendary Ginza (Tokyo) studio Onkio Haus (founded in 1974 and where Ryuichi Sakamoto’s "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" and many more were recorded) and released on CD only for the Japan market in 1999, Tree of Life is Midori Takada’s best kept secret, a lost gem of minimalism and percussive ambient. The album is separated in two parts, the first one finds Takada exploring her trademark environmental soundscapes with precise mastery of marimba, drums, and bells, notably on the magnificent fan-favorite "Love Song Of Urfa". The second half is a collaboration with Chinese virtuoso Erhu player Jiang Jian Hua, allowing Midori Takada to unveil new layers of her artistic mind with a slightly more theatrical approach and a beautiful crystallization of complex simplicity.
The entire album was given a fresh new audiophile mix by Midori Takada herself and was mastered at Emil Berliner Studios, with half speed cutting for the vinyl version, to ensure an audio presentation aligned with the Japanese pioneer’s vision.
This Tree of Life reissue follows two newly recorded Midori Takada albums, Cutting Branches For A Temporary Shelter and You Who Are Leaving To Nirvana, both available on WRWTFWW Records, along with her 1983 masterpiece, Through The Looking Glass.
out of Stock
Last delivered 21 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Copenhagen-based HVAD releases a new solo album entitled YUG, an electro-acoustic shrine. The double LP also serves as the second release on HVAD's newly founded, self-owned label ULLLU. The album YUG consists of nine separate tracks but breathes as one unified piece, presenting something for the brain, something for the body and something for the soul in alternating measures throughout the one hour long release. YUG is Hindi for era or an age of time, framing the musical material by HVAD made over the last few years. The album reflects a continuum of creating a personal, musical language; building a new home by drawing upon classical Indian instrumentation as well as electronics, in total making for an expression that has been the foundation of HVAD's practice for more than a decade. The cover of YUG portrays HVAD's grandmother and her two sisters, bringing to the foreground family roots as a cornerstone of the album, ancestral ghosts running through the music. As a prerequisite of eerie emotion, this weaves together material across a broad musical spectrum with both determination and sensibility. Some tracks are in steadfast 4/4 while others are stretched out in free form with each their pulse or ambience, always seeking ahead towards some place that is even more free than the last.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Personal Passage is an imaginary journey that starts from a station and goes to a place that is not well defined, but is elsewhere.
The sounds of the record pass through calm and timeless places at frantic and often anxious moments. It crosses the moods of which it seeks to change, and often has to face light and dark.
Enthusiasm and fears mix and merge in a long time space, like a train journey, which sooner or later arrives at its destination.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
No nonsense, no faking, no timewasters: the raw classic techno energy of Nuno dos Santos and Cosmic Force's Ultrastation project continues to tear holes in the space time continuum with their latest EP - 'Red Skies'. Hot on the heels of 'Stellar Logic' on Nuno's Something Happening Somewhere label earlier this year comes another uncompromising selection as the pair of Utrechtian veterans link up and tear down on Deeptrax offshoot label Tech UM. 'Sonorous' sets the pace with its outstanding sense of pounding, gritty momentum. The sound of 35 years of warehouses melting under sheer bass heat, it's a savage statement piece that's backed up by three more undiluted techno treats. 'Muladhara' realigns our chakras with its earthy stomp, hopeful arpeggio and relentless energy, 'Blood Flow' takes on a little more industrial charm as it rattles away, twisting and turning with a subtle sense of psychedelia while 'Lake Falls' brings the EP to a euphoric Detroitian finale that's characterised by shimmering synths and some epic dynamics.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Germany based MC Fava releases his first solo EP on Beatalistics, the imprint he co-runs with Freiburgs soulful tag team partner Enea. This has been a long time coming and it couldn't be more emotional. The 5 track strong "Destiny EP" reveals more of the hopeless romantic songwriter's soul and once again showcases his immense versatility. Finish Drum 'n Bass legend Muffler adds his inimitable minimal melodic touches to the title track and underlines Fava's personal lyrics with his trancy trademark signature. Shooting Star Mountain from Japan shows his unique talent and musical approach on the 80s Synth-Pop influenced "Midnight", a rock-bass driven song characterized by its harmonised vocals arrangement. Teaming up with British vocalist Becca Jane Grey and Slovakian Smote, "Sarah" is a soul touching piano based liquid roller with a long acoustic drum intro which perfectly leads into the highest emotions. Enea himself takes you into deeper shades of colour with the moody "Green Velvet". Hypnotizing pads complete the warm bassline pattern which wraps the simple but distinctive drums perfectly around Fava's mesmerizing vocals. The Green Man from Cologne, Germany concludes the emotional rollercoaster ride with the Downtempo Chill-Hop "Alone in the Dark". Smooth horns and breathy pads create the perfect atmosphere for the German vocalist who playfully mixes melodic singing hooks with calm spoken words and repetitive chants. Outstanding on all levels!
out of Stock
Last delivered 2 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Módulo 1000 were not messing around when they made 'Não Fale Com Paredes’. It holds its own, not just as a raw, heavy, experimental “Brazilian” psychedelic rock album, but as a raw, heavy, experimental psychedelic rock album, full-stop!
Formed in Rio de Janeiro in 1969, Módulo 1000 honed their craft as the house band in clubs and resorts in São Paulo where they predominantly covered American artists such as Jimmy Hendrix as well as British giants, Led Zeppelin. After acquiring a taste for fame following the performance of one of their tracks at the Rio International Song Festival, the band focussed their attention on composing original material. Their manager, Marinaldo Guimarães, encouraged the band to explore their experimental and creative sides. This, in parallel with the explosion of experimental music in Brazil, resulted in the band performing alongside heavyweights such as O Têrço; there was a happening in the air.
Módulo 1000 recorded just one album. Released on Top Tape records in 1972, it featured Eduardo Leal on bass, Candido Faria on drums, Daniel Cardone on guitar, violin and vocals, and Luiz Paulo Simas on organ, piano, and vocals. 'Não Fale Com Paredes' was produced by the popular DJ, Ademir Lemos, and came housed in a fold-out cover featuring tripped-out artwork and design by Wander Borges. However, due the uncompromising nature of its wild, heavy psychedelic rock sound, the album was destined not to be played on the radio in Brazil. Rumours suggest that the label didn't understand the album, and as a result, it wasn't promoted or marketed. Thus, like many other underground cult classics, it was lost in the ether, only later to be rediscovered by a new audience at a different time.
One thing is certain, you definitely know when you've heard Módulo 1000. The sound is raw, heavy and at points quite aggressive, more Black Sabbath than Os Mutantes. It floats between psychedelic rock, prog rock, early metal, and dare we say, displays elements of proto-math-rock.
The band’s discography includes a 7" single, as well as their music being featured on several compilations for Odeon Records, additionally they released a 7" single under their alias 'Love Machine' for Top Tape Records. These compositions are included as bonus tracks on the CD version of our reissue.
Limited Green Vinyl Edition of Munich-based quintet Fazer’s second album.
Nadi' follows the underground success of their self-released debut 'Mara', which quickly sold out on vinyl and became one of the most streamed jazz records of the year. Moving freely between composition and improvisation, the band's spacious, organic sound pitches lyrical melodies from guitar and trumpet over double-drummer polyrhythmic grooves and dub-like basslines. The album title 'Nadi' references a term rooted in traditional Indian medicine. Nadis are channels that connect points of intensity within the body. This reflects the band's feeling while playing of moving as one body. Contrary to the creation of the group's debut album 'Mara', both the writing and recording sessions for 'Nadi' were completed in relatively short periods of time.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
First solo release from Melbourne pop-rock singer/songwriter SIMON JULIFF Produced by Joel Silbersher (GOD / Hoss) and released on the newly revived Australian label Dog Meat Records Much-loved Melbourne rock 'n' roll label Dog Meat Records returns with first solo release from former singer/guitarist/songwriter of The Roys and God / Hoss / Powder Monkeys associate, Simon Juliff The first new Dog Meat release in over a quarter of a century is the new single “Stars”, taken from the forthcoming album of the same name, from reticent Melbourne pop-rock singer/songwriter Simon Juliff. Juliff, who was singer/guitarist/songwriter for Melbourne band The Roys in the ‘00s, was a friend of many of the ‘90s Melbourne bands on Dog Meat and nearly a Dog Meat signing with his first band The Evil Dead. Produced by long-time friend Joel Silbersher (God, Hoss, Tendrils etc) and featuring backing from members of Hoss and Kim Salmon & the Surrealists, “Stars” – both the new single and the forthcoming album - combines brightly dappled glimmers of classic pop-rock melodicism with a darkened, frazzled vibe.
Black Screen Records has once again teamed up with Focus
Entertainment to release the soundtrack to A Plague Tale:
Requiem - the sequel to the award-winning adventure game A
Plague Tale: Innocence - by IFMCA award-winning and BAFTA
nominated composer Olivier Derivière on 180g double vinyl and
CD. After signing the soundtrack for A Plague Tale: Innocence,
Olivier Derivière is back to enrich the intense emotional journey
of A Plague Tale: Requiem with his poignant compositions.
Olivier Derivière is a passionate video games composer and an
international star in the field, who won multiple awards and a
nomination for the 2017 BAFTA. His degree of implication is rare
among video games composers, putting the gameplay at the
center of his considerations and even influencing the
development through his input. The compositions also feature
the cellist Eric-Maria Couturier, and the Estonian Philharmonic
Chamber Choir. Eric-Maria Couturier is a distinguished member
of the Ensemble intercontemporain, a contemporary music
ensemble founded by Pierre Boulez, whom Eric-Maria Couturier
collaborated with among other eminent modern music icons.
The two-time Grammy Award-winning Estonian Philharmonic
Chamber Choir is one of the best-known Estonian ensembles in
the world. With a repertoire that extends from Gregorian chant
to contemporary music, it le
Die Originalbesetzung von Black Ox Orkestar ist nach einer 15-jährigen Pause wieder zusammen. Die aus der fruchtbaren Montréaler Post-Punk-Agit-Prop-Szene der frühen 2000er Jahre hervorgegangene Band besteht aus Scott Gilmore, Jessica Moss und Thierry Amar von Thee Silver Mt. Zion (Amar komponiert und spielt auch weiterhin Bass für Godspeed You! Black Emperor) und Gabriel Levine von Sackville. Black Ox Orkestar haben Mitte der 2000er Jahre zwei gefeierte Alben mit aufgewühltem akustischem Avant-Folk veröffentlicht, auf denen sie osteuropäische und nordafrikanische Folklore durch die Linse einer düsteren, resonanten Indie-Rock-Sensibilität erforschten und Interpretationen von Instrumentalstücken aus verschiedenen jüdischen, rumänischen und arabischen Traditionen den Originalen gegenüberstellten. Auch dank Gilmores politisch aufgeladenem jiddischen Gesang sind diese frühen Alben für eine neue Generation von Musikern und Fans der jiddischen, Klezmer- und jüdischen Diaspora-Musik zu Meilensteinen geworden. Das von Greg Norman (Jason Molina, Nina Nastasia, Electrical Audio) hervorragend produzierte Album Everything Returns macht genau da weiter, wo die Band aufgehört hat: ein einschneidend atmosphärisches, melancholisches und doch entschlossenes Album einzigartiger moderner jüdischer Folkmusik, bei dem Klavier, Geige, Kontrabass, Klarinette und Cymbalom die Kerninstrumentierung bilden und die Gesangsstücke hauptsächlich auf Jiddisch gesungen werden. ENG Everything Returns reunites the original Black Ox Orkestar lineup following a 15-year hiatus. Arising from the fertile Montréal post-punk agit-prop scene of the early 2000s, the band comprises Scott Gilmore, Jessica Moss and Thierry Amar of Thee Silver Mt. Zion (Amar also continues to compose and play bass for Godspeed You! Black Emperor) and Gabriel Levine of Sackville. Black Ox made two acclaimed albums of roiling acoustic avant-folk in the mid-2000s, exploring Eastern European and North African folkways through the lens of a gritty, resonant indie rock sensibility, juxtaposing interpretations of instrumentals from various Jewish, Romani and Arabic traditions with originals led by Gilmore's politically-charged Yiddish vocals. These early albums have since become lodestars for many among a new generation of Yiddish, Klezmer and radical Jewish diasporic music practitioners and fans. First revealing its resurrection in February 2022 with a surprise flexi 7" single issued by left journal Jewish Currents as a gift to its thousands of subscribers, Black Ox has indeed fully and fruitfully reunited. Exquisitely recorded by Greg Norman (Jason Molina, Nina Nastasia, Electrical Audio), Everything Returns picks up right where the band left off: an incisively atmospheric, melancholic yet resolute album of uniquely modern Jewish folk music, with piano, violin, upright bass, clarinet and cymbalom making up the core instrumentation, and the vocal tunes sung primarily in Yiddish, alongside album centerpiece "Viderkol" and closer "Lamed-Vovnik" where English also features. This is not fusion music, but diaspora music: a cross-cultural call and response of musical lexicons, emerging from the history of Jewish persecution and displacement, the musicology of 19th century repertoire from Jewish shtetls , the improvisational traditions of nusakh in Jewish music and taqsim in Arabic music, and a wider polyglot dialogue of Jewish, Slavic, Arabic, and Central Asian musical traditions. Lyrically and stylistically, Everything Returns connects key current issues_from refugees forced to leave their homes, to the return of fascism and exclusionary nationalism_with the legacy of modernist Yiddish poetry and song. The new Black Ox Orkestar album is a sublime, poetic, politically-informed statement of re-energized diasporic musical intent, where Gilmore's voice and the band's simmering arrangements conjure an ardent, doleful balladry that echoes the sound and sensibility of artists like Tindersticks, The National, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. Everything Returns is a haunting, richly textured, darkly sparkling song cycle at once from a vanished world and very much of our time and place. Thanks for listening.
The elusive SW. returns to Avenue 66 with okALGORYTHM. His third LP for the label is a semi-opaque wandering through the shadowy byways of memory, driven by tough-yet-supple production and his unmistakable, unerringly original voice. Inspired by all night electronic radio shows of the '90s, okALGORYTHM pulses with rich imagination and a sense of purposeful meandering. Speaking in cryptic fragments, the artist hints at elusive reminiscences "back then on the autobahn, to Berlin, with friends" while also noting that some recollections are "of things that didn't happen that way."
To this end, the album drifts from the knotty synth spirals of opener "WHAtADAY" through the tense, technoid tropics of "stepCLASSixMOtor," the brightly melancholic Larry Heard-isms of "TROPyCALLhytsrIA" to the stately skronk of closer "What endingENDs." The rhythmic undergirding never lets up, suggesting a limitless night drive tinted in deep greens and refracted reds. Each of the album's ten tracks comes alive with warm, analog finesse and a palpable atmosphere, though they play out by turns urgent or unhurried, coaxing or inscrutable. Yet throughout, there's a consistently hypnotic quality which draws the listener deeper into the album's unique balancing act.
If listeners are trained to expect throwback anthems every time the '90s are referenced, here they might find a more apt touchstone in the wilder, left-of-center corners of Chicago's foundational epoch. Throughout the album, the spirit of jacking house is absorbed, metabolized and transmuted. Drawing on lineages of taut, nervy synth-and-drum machine workouts, SW. manipulates his hardware with the delicate, considered touch of a painter. Perhaps the memory that lingers longest from that bygone era is the sense of profound possibility that dawns before forms become rigidly calificed and commodified. Either way, adventurous listeners will find that okALGORYTHM blooms with a uniquely affecting grace and SW.'s inimitably obscure loveliness, infused with a somber glow and marked by shimmering, untraceable contours.
out of Stock
Last delivered 5 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
* King General’s follow-up to the classic `Money Run Tings’ (1996) arrives in the shape of `Broke Again’, originally emerging in 2009 on CD only.
* So now, on vinyl for the first time: 6 vocals from the General with 6 dubs from The Bush Chemists
* Including the singles `Them Wrong’ and the title track `Broke Again’
* Two tracks that couldn’t fit on this vinyl release: `Got to be Conscious’ and `Long Way to Go’ will appear separately on a forthcoming 12” (PRTL12014).
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Inspiration comes in many forms; the city in which we live, the culture from countries across the globe and our love for TV, film and books.This rings true for FFF as a move from his home of Vlissingen in 98 to Rotterdam, combined with his love for UK sounds and comic books created a unique, outward-looking perspective. The DJ, producer and long term party thrower now turns in a record for Low Battery; so come and see for yourself.
Opening track 'In Toom' launches a satellite straight into deep space, picking up transmissions from an unknown source. The track deploys alien electronics and other-worldly vocal snippets, building a curious and ghostly atmosphere. Bass lures heavy around the mid-way point creating an increasing sense of unease, as unidentifiable objects head straight for earth. The aptly titled 'Desperately Seeking Summer' is a giant leap toward the good times ahead. You can sense its energy in the air; the smell of freshly cut grass, the charcoal from a newly lit BBQ and the coastal breeze on a warm summer's day. Summer is almost here and we could all do with a serotonin boosting elixir.
The B-side opens with 'Voices' as candy-floss vocals topped with xtra sugar taste even better with every play; while ascending basslines and frenetic drums join hands to produce that FFF energy we all know and love. 'Full of Light' provides tranquility at the end of a wild ride, as shimmering synths shine with radiant bliss with the power to transcend "bathed in light and lifted in what I can only call another dimension."
out of Stock
Last delivered 2 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue "Mawood" one of the cornerstones of Egyptian music, recorded in 1971 by legendary Arabic singer Abdel Halim Hafez. Famously sampled by Jay-Z on "Big Pimpin"" for one of his 60s tracks, Hafez is captured here live with his full orchestra including Omar Khorshid on guitar. the album mixes traditional Arabic music with modern instrumentation and shades of 70s groove. "Mawood" is one of Hafez"s all-time classics, written by the legendary composer Baligh Hamdi. This release has been newly remastered for vinyl and features the original LP artwork with a 2 page insert featuring a new liner notes (English/French) by Mario Choueiry (IMA, Paris) who curates Wewantsounds" Arabic series of reissues.
Wu Tang & Staten Island MC/Producer come together again in new vinyl release Wutang x Remedy. Remedy is a MC/producer from Staten Island, New York who first made his mark with the song "Never Again" off the Wu-Tang Killa Beez' debut album The Swarm in the summer of '98. He eventually made his full-length debut The Genuine Article in the spring of '01 & followed it up with Code Red about 2« years later. The last we heard from him on his own was when It All Comes Down to This was released in 2010. But as the 12-year anniversary of that approaches in a few weeks, he's enlisting a star studded cast of veterans to be featured on his 4th album. Ghostface Killah tags along for the opener "Modern Day Miracle" working in an occultist loop to verbally abuse anyone who wants to challenge them whereas "Death Defying" with Inspectah Deck finds the 2 over an operatic instrumental talking about choosing whether to kill or be killed. "Sparrow" takes a more soulful route feeling comparing himself to the titular bird leading into Ghostface returning alongside Conway the Machine for "The Pulpit" incorporating some orchestral samples talking about the street life.The penultimate track "Noir Story" is a full-on Killah Priest solo cut with a drumless instrumental & his lyricism on here is a reminder as to why he's this reviewer's 2nd favorite affiliate right behind Killa Sin in terms of lyrical skill, the previous cuts. "Never Again" then ends the album by mournfully paying tribute to those we've lost along the way.If you're a diehard Wu fan like I am, then you're gonna come away from this highly impressed. It's great to hear Remedy completely rejuvenated & he does an awesome job of paying homage to my all-time favorite hip hop group from the guests to the production.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Emerging from the forced exile of 2020-2021, Barton found himself with a large number of songs. Taking inspiration from the line of English singer-songwriters that runs from Nick Drake through Lloyd Cole to Pete Doherty and beyond, he chose 10 that lent themselves to an indie-folk aesthetic and began work on the new album, “Manchester Sun”.
Ever the storyteller, Barton weaves tales of first kisses, of soldiers trying in vain to remember their hometown, of missed opportunities and unreliable childhood memories. He casts Orson Wells as a modern day dictator, perched on high in a carousel, and tells the story of the spray-painted marriage proposal that appeared overnight on a motorway bridge 50 miles from London.
Manchester Sun was recorded in England with Barton playing most of the instruments himself, moving through guitar, bass, drums, percussion and Hammond organ during an intensive week-long session in the peaceful, rural setting of Echo Studios. The album places Barton and his acoustic guitar centrestage, with additional contributions from long time collaborators
100% GALCHER was by all accounts a game-changer when it landed in 2013 as an hour of original music from a relatively unknown producer ushered in by the beloved mix series Blowing Up The Workshop. Galcher Lustwerk's signature sound — a smoky stream-of-consciousness baritone shadow-boxing with beats, informed by funk, rap, rhythm, and blues — felt like an epiphany, impossibly hypnotic and complete. Resident Advisor writes, "100% GALCHER laid out a louche, lysergic and resolutely black take on deep house." Pitchfork remembers the music's immediate impact: "It's the sort of gem you felt inclined to pass around” — and by year-end list time, word-of-mouth intensified. It was Resident Advisor and Juno's mix of the year, and earned a top-ten placement in FACT Magazine's albums list, as well as Philip Sherburne's personal rundown for Spin." Since then, select songs from 100% GALCHER have seen small-run pressings, while the album has lived primarily on SoundCloud and YouTube as a low-key cult legend. The gateway into Lustwerk's now well-established catalog, known for its reliability as a late-night listen and its prophetic vision for the near future of underground dance music. RA would later name it a mix of the decade, citing its influence and imagination: “Original in every sense — unknown, unheard and unbelievably good.” In late 2022, marking ten years since he first recorded the material, Lustwerk returns to Ghostly International to release 100% GALCHER as a remastered limited-edition double LP.
Lustwerk is a product of the Midwest. Growing up in Cleveland, he'd tape over his parents’ cassettes and spend hours at his family computer recording loops and designing artwork for the jewel cases of burned CDs. In high school, he turned to Ableton Live and absorbed every electronic music magazine he could find at the local Borders Books store. In excerpts from the 100% GALCHER liner notes, Lustwerk looks back: "My dad drove me to this shop on the westside Bent Crayon, where I would get anything the blogs told you to get + whatever the clerk recommended. CDs stayed in their packaging, there was always an overflow of vinyl stacked on the floor. I was too shy to listen to anything before buying."
As a college student at RISD, he played in noise bands, plugged into Providence's DIY scene via Myspace, and started DJing weeknights at bars downtown. There he connected with Young Male and DJ Richard, who would go on to found White Material Records and offer their third release to Galcher Lustwerk, an alias realized via CAPTCHA test, a perfect artifact of its internet age. By 2012, Lustwerk had drifted to New York City and settled into a graphic design job, quickly growing disenfranchised by office culture. "Some days I felt like a token, other days I felt invisible." At night, he and his friends were carving out their own space
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Recorded between 1956 and 1960 in the mythical halls of the Alhambra and Bobino, these singing towers are inspired by his collaboration of the time with Boris Vian.
A true American entertainer, Salvador mixes jazz, rock and sketches through 24 tracks remastered especially for this vinyl edition.
Mondo, in partnership with WaterTower Music, is proud to present Michael Giacchino's absolutely brilliant score to Matt Reeves’ highly anticipated THE BATMAN. Featuring the music of Academy, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, whose credits feature some of the most popular and acclaimed film projects in recent history, including THE INCREDIBLES, COCO, JOJO RABBIT, RATATOUILLE, STAR TREK, JURASSIC WORLD, ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY, SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, and WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. This is the fifth film Reeves and Giacchino have collaborated on.
Giacchino proves himself, once more, as one of the greatest living composers, by introducing a powerful and instantly canonized new theme to one of the most musically iconic superheroes. When director Matt Reeves heard the theme for the first time, he was with film producer Dylan Clark. “I was blown away!” He exclaimed. “It was so emotional. The two of us literally cried…it was amazing.”
Though it's not only the world's greatest detective who emerges with a new theme - Selina Kyle / Catwoman's new string heavy theme is slinky and haunted like that of a classic noir's femme fatale. And Giacchino's take on The Riddler is far more haunted, accompanied by the Tiffin Boys choir, a truly terrifying and dread-inducing motif for one of the scariest takes on a Gotham villain, to date.
With nearly two hours of score, housed on three discs, featuring all new artwork by Henry Abrams.
Composed by Michael Giacchino
Artwork by Henry Abrams
Manufactured in Czech Republic
NYC based singer, multi instrumentalist and prolific producer Heidi Sabertooth brings her experimental and grungy sound to the fore, with a fierce EP examining the grainiest textures in dance music. It's been over three years since she brought her unique brand of raw techno to the underground, and now Heidi deepens her relationship between art and modern-day living in a blend of controlled chaos.
Opening track 'Screaming Into The Abyss' does exactly that, with its use of muddled voices and melancholic allure, glued loosely together with vintage acid and the producer's deep love of hardware. There's a playfulness to follow up 'Slide Into My DM', Heidi's elements seemingly communicating telepathically in a game of mutant-chess. Grooves and otherworldly dynamics flux and spill while splashes of reverb make it anything but predictable.
B side opener 'Pissed' maintains this raw aesthetic, sounding both mechanical and free-flowing with its foreboding melodies, melting between heavy bass and screeching pads; remaining functional but full of beautiful, unconventional touches. The record comes to a close with title track 'Insane In The Cat Brain' a disorientated affair encapsulating the restlessness and uncertainty of our times, spearheaded by an artist never afraid to take risks.
out of Stock
Last delivered 9 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Jazzrausch Bigband has more or less invented a new art form,
techno jazz, and has become well-known for performances of it. But
the band also has another, different story to tell. It has invented its
own tradition of hitting the road and touring at the end of each year
with a programme consisting of Christmas music, and has been doing
this ever since the band first emerged eight years ago. Bandleader
and founder Roman Sladek explains: “Whereas our regular projects -
the most recent album, ‘Emergenz’, is a good example - are all about
working through a specific theme and finding new ways to reinvent
ourselves, our Christmas thing is something we do for one reason
alone: to have fun. It was our very first programme, we still love it, and
we’re still nurturing, developing and growing it. Being able to devote
one month a year entirely to the big band tradition is something we’re
all really passionate about.”
Some bands might have been tempted just to throw together an
album of Christmas chestnuts any old how, but the Jazzrausch way of
doing things is not like that at all. Unlike any other album by the band,
for the first time we hear purely instrumental music. Furthermore,
Kuhn has taken ten classic Christmas songs - each one of them
rarely heard in jazz, and tunes which can often come across as a bit
staid in their original settings - from ‘Tochter Zion, freue dich# to
‘Adeste fideles’ or ‘Ihr Kinderlein, kommet’. The title track, ‘Alle Jahre
wieder!’ (based on the 1830s carol to music by Silcher which is very
familiar to children and adults in the German-speaking world) appears
here in completely new orchestral garb.
Sometimes the listener will recognise the kind of swing typical of
Glenn Miller. At other moments it is the incomparable big band
elegance of, say, Artie Shaw. ‘Es wird scho glei dumpa’ (an Austrian
carol) is given the full extra high pressure Tijuana brass treatment.
‘Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging’ gets the touch of the Thad Jones /
Mel Lewis Orchestra after a Henry Mancini-like intro, and ‘Ich steh’ an
deiner Krippe hier’ recalls more of the great swing heritage.
Once again Jazzrausch Bigband has succeeded in a way that only
very few in the jazz field can, notwithstanding the openness of the
genre: they have brought young and old together, tradition and
revolution, the familiar and the new. Which is why it feels so
completely natural and right that they should continue to do this
‘again every year’, as the album title tells them: ‘Alle Jahre wieder’.
‘Stranger Things 4 (Original Score From The Netflix Series)’ by
Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, is now available.
Split over two volumes - this is Volume 1.
The double CD comes housed in a jewelcase.
The vinyl comes in a gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves.
The vinyl is available on ‘one disc clear / one disc blue’ coloured
vinyl and black vinyl.
“A pretty spectacular score from Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein”
- Collider
“A stunningly creepy original score by Kyle Dixon and Michael
Stein” - Billboard
Score written, performed and produced by Kyle Dixon and
Michael Stein (‘Native Son’, ‘Valley Of The Boom’, ‘Spheres’,
‘Butterfly’, and their band S U R V I V E).
‘Stranger Things’ has won seven Emmy Awards, and has been
nominated for 216 various awards, with 77 wins.
Starring Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Sheriff
Jim Hopper), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Millie Bobby Brown
(Eleven), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), among many
others
‘Stranger Things 4’ is Netflix’s most-viewed English language
series of all time.
‘Stranger Things 4 (Original Score From The Netflix Series)’ by
Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, is now available.
Split over two volumes - this is Volume 1.
The double CD comes housed in a jewelcase.
The vinyl comes in a gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves.
The vinyl is available on ‘one disc clear / one disc blue’ coloured
vinyl and black vinyl.
“A pretty spectacular score from Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein”
- Collider
“A stunningly creepy original score by Kyle Dixon and Michael
Stein” - Billboard
Score written, performed and produced by Kyle Dixon and
Michael Stein (‘Native Son’, ‘Valley Of The Boom’, ‘Spheres’,
‘Butterfly’, and their band S U R V I V E).
‘Stranger Things’ has won seven Emmy Awards, and has been
nominated for 216 various awards, with 77 wins.
Starring Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Sheriff
Jim Hopper), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Millie Bobby Brown
(Eleven), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), among many
others
‘Stranger Things 4’ is Netflix’s most-viewed English language
series of all time.
‘Stranger Things 4 (Original Score From The Netflix Series)’ by
Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, is now available.
Split over two volumes - this is Volume 1.
The double CD comes housed in a jewelcase.
The vinyl comes in a gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves.
The vinyl is available on ‘one disc clear / one disc blue’ coloured
vinyl and black vinyl.
“A pretty spectacular score from Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein”
- Collider
“A stunningly creepy original score by Kyle Dixon and Michael
Stein” - Billboard
Score written, performed and produced by Kyle Dixon and
Michael Stein (‘Native Son’, ‘Valley Of The Boom’, ‘Spheres’,
‘Butterfly’, and their band S U R V I V E).
‘Stranger Things’ has won seven Emmy Awards, and has been
nominated for 216 various awards, with 77 wins.
Starring Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Sheriff
Jim Hopper), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Millie Bobby Brown
(Eleven), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), among many
others
‘Stranger Things 4’ is Netflix’s most-viewed English language
series of all time.
‘Stranger Things 4 (Original Score From The Netflix Series)’ by
Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, is now available.
Split over two volumes - this is Volume 1.
The double CD comes housed in a jewelcase.
The vinyl comes in a gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves.
The vinyl is available on ‘one disc clear / one disc blue’ coloured
vinyl and black vinyl.
“A pretty spectacular score from Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein”
- Collider
“A stunningly creepy original score by Kyle Dixon and Michael
Stein” - Billboard
Score written, performed and produced by Kyle Dixon and
Michael Stein (‘Native Son’, ‘Valley Of The Boom’, ‘Spheres’,
‘Butterfly’, and their band S U R V I V E).
‘Stranger Things’ has won seven Emmy Awards, and has been
nominated for 216 various awards, with 77 wins.
Starring Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Sheriff
Jim Hopper), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Millie Bobby Brown
(Eleven), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), among many
others
‘Stranger Things 4’ is Netflix’s most-viewed English language
series of all time.
White Lung are back! This winter brings their fifth and final,
chaotic, bold and hook-driven album, ‘Premonition’. It’s a
whirlwind of driving drums, intricate guitar work, and noholds-barred lyrics about motherhood, pregnancy, and
growth. The themes are deeper. The interplay between
guitarist Kenneth William and drummer Anne-Marie
Vassiliou is more complex, the sound more cohesive.
During an unintentional five year hiatus, White Lung
managed to grow up without settling down, and the trio
has emerged out of its transformative period with raw, feral
energy.
When the members convened in their hometown of
Vancouver in 2017 to begin work with long-time producer
Jesse Gander on their fifth album, they had no idea what
kind of changes were in store for them. Frontwoman Mish
Barber-Way was in the studio preparing to record vocals -
when she realized she was pregnant with her first child. A
pandemic followed, then another baby, then the series of
massive societal meltdowns that we’ve all come to call
“everything that’s been going on.”
‘Premonition’ is about birth and rebirth. It’s about leaving
behind nihilism while refusing to give up the freedom that it
offers. It’s about raging against the world while still finding
space within it for hope and love.
CD into printed inner wallet into outer wallet and 8-page
folded poster booklet.
LP includes 24” x 36” poster.
Press - Reviews in MOJO, Loud & Quiet, Uncut. Features in
Stereoboard, Upset, NME, DIY, The Line of Best Fit, Our Culture,
CMU, Yahoo, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The FADER,
SPIN, Stereogum, Consequence, Brooklyn Vegan, Alt Press,
Exclaim!, Treblezine, Femmusic, Ultimate Guitar, Broadway World,
Northern Transmissions.
Radio - BBC 6 Music.
The debut of Hamburg trio Cloud Management stages the meeting of three proven exceptional figures: Thomas Korf and Sebastian Kokus have been responsible for some stunning leftfield neo-kraut releases with their band Love-Songs in recent years; Ulf Schütte has been one of the most productive, and innovative protagonists of experimental electronic music in Germany for many years (see Datashock, Phantom Horse, or his most recent collaboration with G. Steenkiste/Hellvete on Umor Rex, for example). Following Love-Songs' highly acclaimed collaboration with Schütte, »Spannende Musik«, released in 2021, the formation of Cloud Management as a group in its own right marks a new beginning, which is celebrated with the long player on Altin Village & Mine.
The album is characterized by a dense texture of repetitions in which (modular) synthesizers and bass go head-to-head. It is on this foundation that the formal grammar of the album develops over its nearly 45-minute running time, organized along precise interventions into the hypnotic pulse: What is recognizable as echoes of 1960s/70s minimalism or Cluster functions on »Cloud Management« not in the sense that the sequences or the sequencers are left to themselves, but as highly concentrated, microscopic work on repetition. This virtuosically arranged, groove-based and even danceable density of the seven pieces never sounds strained or as an end in itself, but floating, cloud-like. The polyrhythmic workouts are at all times in the service of a refreshing expanse that opens up from the sonic saturation and is far removed from the formulaic box-checking often associated with the attribute ›kosmisch‹. »Cloud Management«, thus, marks not an exercise in the traditions of a musical past, but a distinctive position within contemporary electronic music.
All songs are written, recorded and produced by Ulf Schütte, Thomas Korf and Sebastian Kokus.
Tuhka, like its titular cinder or ash symbolises new beginnings, fertile ground and creativity after a long lapse. In the same vein, the tracks on this edition were created after a long fallow period.
Tuhka was created out of archival snippets and new vocal loops created on the sunny top floor of Merlijnstraat in early 2022. Late lockdown there was spent writing on the balcony and walking or playing in nearby parks. This creative but relaxed time is embodied in the feeling on ’Tuhka,’ a release wrapping itself around the core of two long-form tracks:
Kärpässieni is a soft, pensive number, with an archival cheap synth track and a chopped-up mystery field recording mingling with a simple subdued vocal loop. There is a titular reference to amanita mushrooms, a fungi encompassing the mystery and the melancholy bitterness present in the track. The feeling is akin to a frosty morning spent on a walk to the Mercatorplein library and feeling your toes start numbing.
Varisevalehti means ’shudderingleaf’ and it consists of an airy, optimistic voice loop that progresses and winds around the length of the track. Alongside it, at times you can hear tape-manipulated samples from a ’learn Italian’ record I used to own. The feeling is more of a wander around Westerpark when the blossoms have started come loose and fly around in the air, forming soft pink deposits in the corners of streets.
Thanks to Haron Aumaj for enduring support and for the copious quantities of Banjaan borani.