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Transcendental outernational funk and psychedelic jazz from mystery L.A.- based collective Sun Atlas

2nd edition with alternative sleeve and label design.

Little is known about Sun Atlas. The group members are hidden behind masks and costumes to keep their identities secret and to put the focus entirely on the music and oneness. A sense of community and universal spirit as an alternative to idolization and individualism is heavily reflected in their eclectic musical style.

The sound of Sun Atlas is mystical and cosmopolitan, combining afrobeat, cinematic soul, spiritual & ethio jazz with space sounds, hiphop-breaks and a garage funk vibe.

Their cryptic first 45 single "The Mystic Parade" b/w "Grand Theft" sold out immediately after release and has often been mistaken for either "lost" hiphop samples, 70s habibi funk or another project in disguise from the inner circles of the Mocambo, Big Crown or Daptonefamilies (which it is not).

Return To The Spirit picks up where Sun Atlas' first single leftoff, with everyone wondering where the journey might lead. With the door to a colourful universe opened, the full-length format gives time & space for further exploration.

I have a lot of beats lying around that I keep meaning to use for something. File under "Beats to Use". I thought I'd put them together on a little beat tape.

In my folders, my beats have random names like "BEATS 114 S_Z - 82" so in needing to give these ones names and in homage to "Special Herbs" I have named them all after drugs. Broadly these beats are pretty menacing, and have a big electronic influence.

I thought they sat well together and alongside the vocal feature from Jam Baxter. Some beat tapes are full of vocal samples or play continuously. I wanted this one to hark back to some of the beat albums of the late 90s that were meant for beat juggling with, cutting or rapping over. So here we are.

A limited pressing in transparent yellow of Eyedress's album, Let's Skip To The Wedding - a loved up remedy for uncertain times. Limited to 1000 copies worldwide

Lossapardo's new album "If I Were To Paint It" releases on May 17th. Known for blending art and music, Lossapardo has caught the eye of big names like The New York Times Magazine or Netflix and building a strong artist community around him (FKJ, Luidji, Bas, Joseph Solomon, Montell Fish, Olivia Dean…).

His music, filled with feelings of wonder and a bit of sadness, tells stories that connect with people everywhere. From painting to composing music, every piece of his work is a journey into emotions. His album invites listeners into a world where every note and color creates a vivid picture of life's ups and downs. Lossapardo crafts experiences that speak to the soul, promising an album that continues to share his unique vision with the world.

Clutchs "Slow Hole to China", ursprünglich veröffentlicht im Jahr 2003, ist ein Kompilationsalbum, das seltene Tracks und B-Seiten enthält. Das Album präsentiert die charakteristische Fusion der Band aus Rock, Funk und Metal mit einer rohen, undergroundigen Atmosphäre, die ihren eklektischen Stil und ihre lyrische Kreativität betont. Diese groove-lastigen Songs sind remastert und das Albumcover wurde aktualisiert. "Slow Hole to China" zeigt den robusten, energiegeladenen Flair, der typisch für den unverwechselbaren Klang von Clutch ist.

Mit "To The Stars" veröffentlichen NYKTOPHOBIA den Anwärter auf das melodische Death-Metal-Album des Jahres! Aufgenommen in den Sandlane Recording Facilities (Powerwolf, Epica, Blind Guardian ...) und gemischt und gemastert von den Fascination Street Studios (Amorphis, Kreator, Amon Amarth ...) ist ein massiver und authentischer Sound garantiert! Zur Feier der Veröffentlichung wird die Band unter anderem beim Summer Breeze Open Air und dem Rockharz Festival auftreten!

Gegründet im Jahr 2015, ist "To The Stars" nun das vierte vollständige Studioalbum und wird Genre-Puristen nach dem bereits erfolgreichen
vorherigen Album "What Lasts Forever" begeistern. Die deutsche Band bleibt in ihrer Herangehensweise dem Ursprung des
kandinavisch beeinflussten melodischen Death Metal treu, webt jedoch zusätzliche Schichten und Feinheiten ein, um Songs mit einer tieferen Atmosphäre und
fesselnden Momenten zu erschaffen, die unausweichlich im Gedächtnis bleiben.

Mit "To The Stars" veröffentlichen NYKTOPHOBIA den Anwärter auf das melodische Death-Metal-Album des Jahres! Aufgenommen in den Sandlane Recording Facilities (Powerwolf, Epica, Blind Guardian ...) und gemischt und gemastert von den Fascination Street Studios (Amorphis, Kreator, Amon Amarth ...) ist ein massiver und authentischer Sound garantiert! Zur Feier der Veröffentlichung wird die Band unter anderem beim Summer Breeze Open Air und dem Rockharz Festival auftreten!

Gegründet im Jahr 2015, ist "To The Stars" nun das vierte vollständige Studioalbum und wird Genre-Puristen nach dem bereits erfolgreichen
vorherigen Album "What Lasts Forever" begeistern. Die deutsche Band bleibt in ihrer Herangehensweise dem Ursprung des
kandinavisch beeinflussten melodischen Death Metal treu, webt jedoch zusätzliche Schichten und Feinheiten ein, um Songs mit einer tieferen Atmosphäre und
fesselnden Momenten zu erschaffen, die unausweichlich im Gedächtnis bleiben.

LIMITED REPRINT .Introductions by David Fricke and Adrian Shaughnessy. 224 pages, comes in a tactile Geltex hardcover and is beautifully designed by Hiorthøy. Includes a 7" single with exclusive tracks from Fire! Orchestra, The Last Hurrah!! and Maja S. K. Ratkje. It´s no secret that Rune Grammofon founder Rune Kristoffersen is a big admirer of labels like Blue Note, Impulse, ECM, 4AD and Factory, to mention some labels with strong visual identities. But we can´t recall another label that has worked with one designer exclusively for 25 years and some 250 releases. A singular visual language that's as distinctive as Hipgnosis' 1970s surreal juxtapositions, or the brooding portraiture gracing ECM Records' output. Prog (UK) As well as being a piece of guaranteed coffee table eye-candy for music lovers, the book promises an insight into the fascinating process of bringing a record and its cover to life. Creative Review (UK) RG feels like a dream vision of a record label - fuelled by passion, irreverent in tone yet serious in execution, somehow miraculously buffered from corporate industry expectations. The sound and visuals here cover two decades of inspiration and unpredictability, but they also bristle with creative possibilities for a long time to come.Elephant (UK)

Mel Britt’s magnificent “She’ll Come Running Back”, with its searing strings and anguished vocal it is the complete deal, simply Northern Soul perfection. Cecil Washington takes second credit on the now iconic “I Don’t Like To Lose”.

In the spring of 1954 Jazz-great Dave Brubeck did a tour of North American college campuses. Paul Desmond (alto sax), Bob Bates (bass), and Joe Dodge (drums) joined him and their support of Brubeck’s uniformly flawless, ultimately producing what many consider as the most memorable music in the artist’s cannon. Indeed, the genre gets schooled as the quartet leans in with striking energy and finesse. Enjoyed among college students in the 1950s and early 1960s both the tour and album brought Jazz to a whole new generation. Jazz Goes To College is available on black vinyl.

Repress!

"UMR/Mercury are pressing phase two of Metallica’s studio album back catalogue on limited edition custom coloured vinyl, for the first time for World ex North America; following the 2021 Walmart exclusive coloured vinyl series in the US. Phase one saw their first 5 albums releasing one a month from November 2023 – March 2024.
Phase two includes Garage Inc., St. Anger, Death Magnetic, and Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, releasing April – July 2024."

BOBBY ROBINSON was more than a fixture in hisNew York community, he had been an essential part of its lifeblood for over 60 years. Had he just been the proprietor of the first record store (and reputedly the first black-owned business) on 125th Street, he would have been important enough, but he also had an ear for talent, recording landmark music across four decades, always at home with the music of his neighbourhood, be it doo-wop, R&B, soul or even rap.

He was an entrepreneur involved in over a dozen different labels, sometimes on his own, sometimes with a partner, often with his brother Danny, and he was behind records that became internationally famous by Gladys Knight, King Curtis, Elmore James, Lee Dorsey, Wilbert Harrison and Grandmaster Flash. He made many more that were simply good, and this compilation takes aim at the great work he did as a soul and R&B producer during the 1960s and early 70s. It’s an introduction that shows the quality that he created had depth beyond the headline names.

Vinyl release for this popular bands 20th Anniversary album released on CD earlier this year.

Repress!

HERBERT HUNTER will be forever worshiped by the UK Northern Soul scene for his anthemic 45 'I Was Born to Love You', recorded in the home of country music, Nashville, in 1967. Sometimes things are just meant to be and they collide in perfect harmony. 'I Was Born To Love You' is a case in point. The perfect lyric - 'I Was Born To Love You, You Were Born To Tear My Heart Apart' - the perfect beat, and perfect timing as it crashed onto these shores in the summer of '76 when Northern Soul was at its zenith and Wigan Casino owned the All-Nighter scene! But, Hunter is no one-trick pony, as his list of collectable 45s bears testament, not least 'Happy Go Lucky', also on Spar. Hunter was part of Ted Jarrett's roster of artists and, under Jarrett's stewardship recorded a string of cover versions under the pseudonym Leroy Jones for the neighbouring budget label 'Hit'. He learnt much of his trade from established artists and label mates such as Gene Allison who he toured with as minder and nursemaid, due to Allison's drink problem. Often, when they arrived a venue, Allison was too drunk to perform and Hunter would step in for him.
For our B-side we've chosen a lesser known, but no less wonderful and gritty Northern Soul dancer 'I Know The Feelin'' by THE JADES. Currently very much in demand with a mint copy selling earlier this year for over $900. We know little about The Jades who recorded this incredible slab of up-tempo soul for Ted Jarrett's Poncello label in 1964 featuring, of course, Herbert Hunter's booming lead vocal.
Many thanks to Fred James for making this superb double-sider possible.

** TRILOGY ***
post-punk experiments

VOLUME 1 of a series of 3 re-releases of the 80s underground solo cassette tapes by Menko Konings (aka EM / Menko / eM.)
This first re-release/remaster is the cassette tape “dedicated to Charles Bronson” (1986) by Menko, with almost one hour music

TAPE RESTAURATION / REMASTER (2024) by the grand master RUDE 66

Vocals on Debra by Tonny Timmermans (aka Antonia)

Limited edition of 50 (hand numbered) golden cassette tapes with original J-card

“When I went solo in 1983 I only had a guitar, a bass and a four track cassette tape recorder. Sometimes I borrowed a rithmebox or a synth for a couple of days. These solo cassette tapes were created in that period.” (MK)

Music journalist Oscar Smit described these tapes in the 80s - in his column Dolby of the legendary Dutch magazine Vinyl - s.a.: “Big city music, metropolis beat, drum composers, funking basses, nervous rhythm guitars, radio and TV sounds in the background and intonationless vocals.”