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Something About Livingis an album of live recordings by experimental jazz composer/multi-instrumentalist Robert Stillman. The music was captured over the course of Stillman's time as the solo support act for The Smile (Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Tom Skinner). The album weaves excerpts from various theater and arena shows along the tour's North American routing into a seamless whole, creating a 40-minute program that represents an expanded version of Stillman's ever-transforming live set.

Something About Livingis the product of a steady, on-stage evolution that happened over the course of the nearly 60 shows opening for the Smile across the EU, UK, US, Canada and Mexico. However, the creative origins of the set began in relative isolation during the pandemic, through Stillman's work on projects like his multi-media installationUnseen Forcesand his monthly broadcast for Margate Radio, both of which drew upon solo improvisation using saxophone, cassettes, Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, and effects.

"At the time The Smile asked whether I'd like to open for them on their first tour, I felt like I'd already been preparing without really knowing it," says Stillman. "I'd been doing this music constantly, but always for a hypothetical audience" During the pandemic, Stillman's solo set-up served as the research lab where he worked on all the concepts he was interested in: solo improvisation, creating and manipulating cassettes, FM synthesis, analogue delays chains, no-input mixing, and non-metric rhythmic pulses. So when he was offered the first Smile tour, the idea was to bring "the lab" onto the stage.

What Stillman could not have prepared for was the experience of playing in venues with capacities of up to ten thousand listeners. "The first tour was in summer 2022, so not that long after the worst of the pandemic, when I had pretty much made peace with the idea that I might never be able to perform for an audience again. Then all of a sudden I found myself in front of huge numbers of people, and felt the massive responsibility of being with an audience, of this thing I'd done alone for so longactually being witnessed, and it was completely overwhelming!" On the flip-side, Stillman also recalls, was a new appreciation of how powerful the live performance was as a social phenomenon. "It's a cliche, but also true: the moment of making and hearing music in a shared time and space has a very specific meaning and power; there was a sense that everyone in the venue was necessary to make it real, regardless of what they were doing, or how they felt about it. There was an inevitability about it that I'd never fully appreciated."

Over the course of the tours that followed, Stillman transformed this appreciation of the shared moment into an ethic of spontaneity that guided the development of his live set. "An important reference for this set has always been an Animal Collective show I saw when I first moved to New York, probably in 2001 or so, that has always set the high-water mark for what I wanted to do live- they were improvising a lot, and out of what would seem to be absolute chaos they'd find their way to something structured, and then back out again into the unknown. It was so thrilling to witness".

ThoughSomething About Livingcompiles recordings from different dates along the tour, Stillman has edited and mixed them into a work that seeks to reflect the ebb and flow between 'chaos and control' that characterizes his live set. Among the compositions featured are some from previous album releases ("Time of Waves", "What I Owe", "What Does it Mean to Be American") as well as some new compositions ("The Dream of Waking", "Renaissance 2.0," and the title track, "Something About Living").

The album/track title "Something About Living" is a reference to a line from Stillman's favorite film,My Dinner With André: "André Gregory is explaining the value of life experiences that, as he says, are'to do with living'.That really struck me, the way he articulated it. I strongly believe live music situations can ask these kinds of questions, for performers and audiences. I hope that's reflected in this music."

[a] 01: Time of Waves (Live in Miami FL) [Live]
[b] 02: What Does It Mean to Be American (Live in Forest Hills NY) [Live]
[c] 03: The Dream of Waking (Live in St Augustine FL) [Live]
[d] 04: Something About Living (Live in Richmond VA) [Live]
[e] 05: What I Owe (Live in Chesterfield MO) [Live]
[f] 06: Renaissance 2.0 (Live in Chesterfield MO) [Live]

Vinyl re-release with a new color! Highlighter yellow vinyl version of this raucous, multi-song tale of a young man bitten by the blues bug. A striking collection of songs tell the story in vivid lyrics brought to life by Castro's patented roadhouse rock, soulful ballads and deep, greasy grooves. "One of the brightest stars in the blues-soul genre. Voracious blues energy and ultimate soul power...impassioned vocals and pure inventiveness in his stellar guitar solos." —Blues Music Magazine

New West Records is proud to release Can’t Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney. This album features new versions of David Olney songs recorded by Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Willis Alan Ramsey, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Mary Gauthier, Jim Lauderdale, and Buddy Miller among others. The tracklist is also highlighted by a never-before released live recording by Townes Van Zandt. Originally from Rhode Island, Olney moved to Nashville in the early 70s and fell in with a group of songwriters including Townes Van Zandt, John Hiatt, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, and Rodney Crowell. With his rock band David Olney and the X-Rays he toured tirelessly. He went on to release a string of brilliant albums and his songs were recorded by Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Del McCoury, Linda Ronstadt, and many others. But the bright lights of stardom never shone on David, and he died the way he lived: onstage in a club, far from home, singing a song. This album gathers some of David’s friends and colleagues to pay tribute to his unique vision. Many of these artists are legends in their own right; all are here because of their deep admiration and respect for the man and his songs.

Die Band, welche Alternative Country zum Durchbruch verhalf, ist zurück! 1983 begann Lone Justice in den Clubs von Los Angeles zu spielen und machte sich schnell einen Namen. 1984 bereits wurde man von Geffen Records unter Vertrag genommen, 1985 erschien das selbstbetitelte Debütalbum, mittlerweile ein Klassiker der Rockgeschichte mit geradezu ikonischem Cover. Die LA Times kürte es zum "Album des Jahres". Sie spielten Konzerte mit U2, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers und Willie Nelson. Doch bereits nach dem zweiten Album löste sich die Band früh in 1987 auf, Sängerin Maria McKee und auch die Instrumentalisten begannen ihre Solokarrieren. Nun hat die Band 38 Jahre später ein neues, drittes Album fertiggestellt, mit zum größten Teil inspirierten Interpretationen von Fremdmaterial und Tradtionals, auf dem alle ursprünglichen Mitglieder des Debütalbums noch zu hören sind: Maria McKee, Ryan Hedgecock, Marvin Etzioni und auch der mittlerweile verstorbene Don Heffington. Zu den zusätzlichen Gästen gehören die Streicherarrangeurin Tammy Rogers, der Multihornist David Ralicke, Greg Leisz an der Steel-Gitarre und Benmont Tench am Klavier. Das Eröffnungsstück "You Possess Me" stellt Sängerin McKee in den Mittelpunkt, nur unterstützt von einem Streicher- und Mandolinenquartett. "Rattlesnake Mama" war einst ein dröhnendes elektrisches Stück in ihrem Live-Set von 1983 - diese Version ist jedoch rein akustisch mit Hedgecock an Harp und Tammy Rogers an der Fiddle. Später kreischen sie durch eine juvenile, atemberaubende Coverversion von 'Teenage Kicks' (der 1978er Single von The Undertones). Die Energie hält mit spürbarer Begeisterung für die Musik an und lässt Viva Lone Justice zu einem unerwarteten, inspirierenden Comeback werden. Lass den zweiten Frühling von Lone Justice auch dein Herz berühren, auch deine Scheune mit Folk, Rock, Country & Americana abbrennen.

"The Night The Zombies Came is Pixies’ tenth album, if you count their classic 1987 4AD mini LP Come On Pilgrim, and first new music since 2022’s acclaimed Doggerel LP. 13 new songs that find Pixies looking ahead to the most cinematic record of their career. Songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Black Francis explains: “Fragments that are related and juxtaposed with other fragments in other songs. And in a collection of songs in a so-called LP, you end up making a kind of movie.” Druidism, apocalyptic shopping malls, mediaeval themed restaurants, 12th century poetic form, surf rock, gargoyles, bog people, and the distinctive dry drum sound of 1970s era Fleetwood Mac are just some of the disparate wonders that inform the new songs. For the new album recording sessions the band returned to work with producer Tom Dalgety, who drummer David Lovering refers to as “a fifth Pixie” after producing 2016’s Head Carrier, 2019’s Beneath the Eyrie and 2022’s Doggerel. Early on in the recording process at Guilford Sound studio in Vermont, the band noticed the new songs were dividing into two camps: what they came to call the “Dust Bowl Songs” - country-tinged, ballad-esque numbers such as ‘Primrose’ and ‘Mercy Me’, and on the other side, the album’s furious punk numbers such as ‘You’re So Impatient’ and ‘Oyster Beds’. Only ‘Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)’ keeps its feet in both camps — reminiscent of early 60s Phil Spector, the band hitting the sweet spot between mushy and abrasive, it’s a track that Black Francis allegedly likened to being chased by a swarm of bees.
The Night The Zombies Came sessions also saw Pixies welcoming new bass player Emma Richardson (Band Of Skulls) to the line up; the first British band member to join the group. There’s also an expanded role for guitarist Joey Santiago. After contributing his first-ever Pixies lyrics on Doggerel, for the new record Santiago wrote the words to ‘Hypnotised’ by completing a complex lyrical riddle of sorts, known as a sestina.
The Night The Zombies Came is released via BMG on CD, black vinyl"

Jubiläums Werkschau des Münchener Indie Labels Echokammer. Wie kein anderes Label repräsentiert Albert Pöschls Echokammer den Sound of Munich Underground. Am Außenposten von Popmusik ist Echokammer ein Labor, in dem Schablonen renoviert oder weiterentwickelt werden. Disko wird (in Kenntnis des Sound of Munich selbstverständlich) neu zusammengebaut, von Punk werden die weiterhin verblüffend beliebten Klischees abgeschraubt, Electro wird mit scheinbar unpassenden Elementen versetzt usw. Das alles klingt nach einer sehr ernsten Angelegenheit. Tatsächlich aber könnte man auch einen langen Essay "Über die Komik in der Musik am Beispiel von Echokammer-Platten" schreiben. Wobei die Komik immer karl-valentinesk bizarr-grotesk ist und nie comedy-witzig. In etwa vergleichbar mit der Taktik, Autoritäten nicht mit Gebrüll, sondern mit Verarschung anzurempeln.

One True Pairing, auch bekannt als Tom Fleming, ehemaliger Songwriter, Sänger und Multiinstrumentalist von Wild Beasts, veröffentlicht sein zweites Soloalbum 'Endless Rain' am 25. Oktober 2024 über Domino.

Aufgenommen in Dublin im Jahr 2022 mit Produzent John 'Spud' Murphy (Lankum, black midi, caroline) in den Hellfire Studios in Dublin, bekräftigt "Endless Rain" mutig Flemings künstlerische Vision - mit einem herbstlichen, suchenden und oft erhebenden Album, das von den Einflüssen traditioneller Musik, Klassik und Noise-Rock geprägt ist. Flemings langjähriger Kollaborateur Josh Taylor-Moon arrangierte, produzierte und spielte auf dem Album, ebenso wie Cormac MacDiamarda von Lankum und Eleanor Mylor von Percolator. Klanglich ist "Endless Rain" ein ehrgeiziges und weiträumiges Album, das sich deutlich von Flemings bisherigem Werk abhebt. Das Album enthält die bereits veröffentlichten und hochgelobten Singles "Frozen Food Centre", "Mid-Life Crisis" und "Be Strong".
Flemings Songs haben sich stets mit Ideen rund um Männlichkeit auseinandergesetzt - die traurige und verführerische Musik von Wild Beasts unterlief die akzeptierten Rollenbilder junger Männer aus dem Norden. Nun älter und weiser, nutzt "Endless Rain" diese Basis, um neues Terrain zu erkunden, tritt einen Schritt zurück, schaut tiefer und verwendet die neu gewonnenen Erfahrungen, um etwas völlig anderes zu erschaffen.

Vanishing Twin furthers their exploration of decidedly experimental territories with Afternoon X. Crafted with a playful balance of humour and rigour, with each member embracing the role of the multi-instrumentalist and process, over outcome. Following a series of line-up changes, Vanishing Twin is now the tightly honed collective of singer and multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas, drummer Valentina Magaletti (Holy Tongue, Tomaga, Moin) and bassist Susumu Mukai (Zongamin). Harnessing the diverse touchstones of its members; Lucas’ left-field song-craft, Magaletti’s singular approaches to experimental percussion, and Mukai’s long history in the production of electronic music, the band has refined a hypnotic sound at the juncture of minimalism, kosmische, post-punk, and dream-laden, psychedelic pop. These eight fluttering abstractions, culled, collaged, and built upon from a vast constellation of instruments, samples, and unclaimed sources. Lucas employs her voice as an instrument and a generator of raw sound, weaving surreal imagery and uncanny juxtapositions amongst the dance and propellant drive. From infectious grooves of the album’s title track and the constrained minimalism of “Subito”, to the ambitious heights of pieces like ‘The Down Below’ and Lazy Garden, which unfurl a psychedelic avant-gardism on the scope and scale of David Axelrod and Scott Walker. Vanishing Twin embark upon a new multifaceted journey that collectively culminates as the bands most forward-thinking and groundbreaking release to date

Selection of all winners from the Music Team label - mid 80s to early 90s gems on here!

One of South Africa’s biggest independent labels for more than a decade, Music Team offered working musicians a shot at fame via access to top studios, producers, songwriters and session musicians, as well as distribution via a number of imprints: CTV, Red Label, Solid, Spinna, Mambo Music and others. Artists in the stable who tasted success would typically release a few albums over as many years before moving on to other labels or falling off the radar as times changed. At their peak, according to label boss Maurice Horwitz, Music Team was selling a million records a month, and was at the forefront of South African pop music as it evolved from soul to disco and beyond.

Afrosynth Records’ ‘Music Team Sampler’ dusts off six rare and long-forgotten gems from the Music Team catalogue, originally released between 1986 and 1992. Four are typical of the label’s take on the popular ‘bubblegum’ sound of the day — Isaac ‘Cool Cat’ Mofokeng’s ‘Candy’, ‘I Won’t Let You Go’ by Linda Oliphant, Jappie Lebona’s ‘My Love is Yours and ‘Instant Love (Eyami Lendoda)’ by Thandi Zulu (aka TZ Junior). Two instrumentals — Mr. Ace’s ‘Ace 1’ and ‘Axe Chop’ by The Hard Workers, a studio project by Music Team’s in-house producer Tom Mkhize — meanwhile hint at the imminent rise of kwaito and house.

Forged in the fire of a cruel and volatile political system that was gradually unraveling, instead of addressing political realities these indelible pop songs sought to provide an escape to a world where love and music were all that mattered.

Lyrics written by Ontto, except “Voitelu” written by Ontto & Evill

Produced by Oranssi Pazuzu
Recorded by Julius Mauranen and Niko Lehdontie
Additional recording by Juho Vanhanen and Tom Brooke
Sounds captured at E-studio, Astral Studio, Cellar of Deposition and Inner Oscillations between November 2021 and December 2023.

Mixed by Julius Mauranen at Studio Kekkonen
Premix engineering by Niko Lehdontie
Mastered by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers
Album artwork and layout by Jenna Haapaharju
Management by Erin Lynch, FlyingFox AB
Thank you: Mikko Männistö, Tom Brooke, Erin Lynch, Jens Prueter, Jyri Riikonen, Timo “Moit” Alatalo
Evill - grand piano, vocals, effects
Ikon - guitar, sampler, synthesizers
Jun-His - the voice, guitar
Korjak - drums
Ontto - bass guitar, synthesizers

Repress!

Post Punk inspired heat from London's Moin. TIP!

Moin is made of Joe Andrews and Tom Halstead (Raime / Blackest Ever Black) as well as long time collaborator and percussionist visionary Valentina Magaletti (Tomaga / Vanishing Twin). A serendipitous conversation brought the project to life. The band say simply: “The record was made as an experiment really, it felt like the right time to play on the fringes of this kind of music. The priority was to be direct at first and then change the edges perhaps. Make something to experience rather than something as a spectacle.”

Moot! a quick and painless album to create, allowed the musicians to re-appreciate the recording process, using a combination of live recording and studio techniques. As Andrews, Halstead and Magaletti come together as Moin, they’re freed from any past inhibitions or self-made parameters to explore uncharted territory. The album spans psychedelia, alternative rock and post-punk mixed with their signature electronics and sampling practice.

The band conclude: “All of this sounds very matter of fact, which is correct. It’s immediate music that isn’t pretending to be anything but.”

Having established a legacy as one of the most highly regarded contemporary UK Jazz musicians of the past decade, Newham-based pianist Alfa Mist’s discography boasts such stone cold classics as ‘Antiphon’ ‘Bring Backs’ and ‘Nocturne’. Alfa is yet to be boxed into a specific genre as his music spans everything from hip-hop beat-making to producing for artists such as rapper Loyle Carner, composing neo-classical works for the London Contemporary Orchestra, and reworking tracks from composer Ólafur Arnalds and pioneering jazz label Blue Note, not to mention his collaborations with the likes of Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch and drummer Richard Spaven, producer Lester Duval and singer Emmavie.

Now unveiling his next offering, Alfa revisits his stellar 2024 performance with Manchester’s extraordinary string outfit Amika Quartet at heralded venue Kings Place (London), capturing the magic of the evening within this awe-inspiring live album. Featuring a handful of brand new, never-before-heard tracks (alongside a number of expansions of previous releases), ‘Recurring’ sees Alfa drawing inspiration from classic live Jazz recordings, capturing a unique moment in time that can never be replicated or replayed. Creating an authentic, unpolished and electric feel, feeding his long-running mission of real-time musical expressions that evolve with each performance. On the genesis of the record, Alfa says: ‘Some of my favourite albums are captured live performances. I came home from a long year of touring and decided to work on some music for Amika Quartet who I've been working with for years on a few different shows and projects. A lot of the music I release is recorded in whole takes, I think there's something nice about doing the best you can with the moments you have. I wanted to take that one step further by recording it as a live show and seeing what happens.'’

Due for release via Alfa’s own Sekito Records imprint, a potent, raw and spontaneous energy permeates the release. Marking his first project with a full string arrangement, the iconic Kings Place venue’s reputation for spectacular acoustics, as well as intimate setting made an ideal location for the live recording. The decision to record in a live venue rather than a studio was driven by Alfa’s desire to push beyond his comfort zone and explore new creative territories. On first single ‘Checkpoint’, Alfa also takes to the microphone, breaking away from his usual introspective lyrical style to make comments on the current state of the world. He explains: “ 'I've written lyrics before but this is the first time I've ever tried to write a poem and it ended up being about the double standards of violence we see in this world everyday”. This offering is a testament to Alfa’s continuous evolution as an artist, blending his introspective lyric with broader societal observations, all while maintaining the improvisational spirit of jazz.

Music On Vinyl, in collaboration with Warner Music Ben- elux, presents the new versions of the Dance Classics series. Originally released between 1988 and 1990 as a series of cd compilations which included soul, funk, and classic-disco tracks.

Dance Classics Vol. 1 includes floorfillers by Chaka Khan, Change, Sheila & B. Devotion, Sister Sledge, Zapp, Chic, Jenny Burton, Starpoint, Lace, George Ben- son, Sheila E. and more tracks. All songs have been newly selected, remastered and feature a broad selection of dance classics, including hidden gems and rare tracks.This collection includes full length 12”/album versions and unmixed dj-friendly tracks.

The sleeves have been updated with new, yet familiar, artwork and are instantly recognizable. Each edition also includes a 2-page insert with credits and cover photos.

Dance Classics Vol. 1 is available as a limited edition on 2LP’s on gold coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

"Waxwork Records is thrilled to present CARRIE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Pino Donaggio! Expanded and re-mastered for its 45th anniversary, this deluxe double LP album marks the very first time that the complete film music has been released on vinyl. Carrie is a 1976 Horror film adapted from author Stephen King's very first published novel of the same name. The movie stars Sissy Spacek and is directed by Brian De Palma (Scarface, Phantom Of The Paradise).

The score by legendary composer Pino Donaggio (The Howling, Tourist Trap) skillfully captures the pressure of forced innocence, the humor of teen drama, and the trauma of coming of age as a girl in 1970’s America. The album also features the tracks “Born To Have It All” and “I Never Thought Someone Like You Could Love Someone Like Me” by Katie Irving. CARRIE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features the expanded film music re-mastered and pressed to orange smoke colored vinyl, with new artwork by Phantom City Creative, and old-style tip-on gatefold jackets with matte satin coating."

RUN-DMC DOWN WITH THE KING 30th ANNIVERSARY Pressed On Red, White and Black Double Colored Vinyl With Commemorative Numbered OBI Limited To 2000 Copies Thirty years ago on May 4, 1993, Run-DMC made one of the greatest comebacks in Hip-Hop history with the release of their 6th studio album Down With The King. To understand the significance of this feat we have to go back a few years. Coming off an amazing four-album run ending with the platinum album Tougher Than Leather, Run-DMC released their 5th studio album, Back From Hell, to lackluster sales. Did Run-DMC fall off? Did the emergence of gangsta rap push them off to the side? It was sad to see your Hip-Hop heroes take a fall. Then in 1991, a 12-inch remix came out for the single "Back From Hell" featuring Chuck D and Ice Cube and fans took notice. It would be two more years before anyone would hear from Run-DMC again. In March of 1993, a new single and video “Down With The King” debuted on Yo! MTV Raps featuring the new Hip-Hop Gods Pete Rock and CL Smooth paying homage to The Kings calling back verses from Sucker MCs over a dope signature Pete Rock beat. The video would be in constant rotation on Ralph McDaniels Video Music Box, YO!, BET’s Rap City and more. Fans watched it over and over to catch all the cameos, everyone from Eazy-E to the Native Tongues Family of De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. The anticipation was building, but would the album live up to the lead single that knocked it out of the park? On May 4, 1993, the album dropped on CD, Cassette, and Vinyl. Run-DMC enlisted The Bomb Squad from Public Enemy, Q-Tip, EPMD, Jermaine Dupri, Kay Gee of Naughty By Nature, and Pete Rock to produce the album with a special appearance by Tom Morello rocking out his guitar emulating DJ scratches he made famous with Rage Against The Machine. Their rhyming was as enthusiastic and powerful as they were on their debut album 10 years prior. Run-DMC, the self-proclaimed Kings of Rock and original Kings of Hip Hop were indeed back. The album debuted at #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts and #7 on the Billboard 200 and would go Gold within two months. Get On Down is proud to present for the first time on vinyl since its original release, a 30 Year Anniversary pressing on double-colored vinyl with numbered OBI in a gatefold jacket.

Pique is the sensational debut solo album from Dora Morelenbaum, one of the key talents spearheading Brazil’s new musical wave. A member of the Latin Grammy award-winning band, Bala Desejo, Dora showcases a new side to her solo productions on this special LP. Whereas Dora’s first solo EP, Vento de Beirada, was a leap of faith, Pique sees her soaring as one of Brazil’s standout stars, emboldened, emphatic but ever elegant. Building bridges between past and present, it’s a funkier, more groove-based affair, weaved together with those signature, slower, celestial tracks. Touching on disco, MPB, soul, R&B and jazz, the album is enriched with an indie pop aesthetic courtesy of fellow Brazilian star and co-producer, Ana Frango Elétrico.

With an ethereal, enveloping air few can match, Dora’s gift shines through both the serene and the spirited songs contained within. The blissful, sun-soaked ‘Não Vou Te Esquecer’ opens, before the funk-fuelled, feel-good ‘Venha Comigo’ and ‘Sim, Não.’ give a glimpse of the creativity bursting from the production partnership between Dora and Ana Frango Elétrico. Elsewhere, the album reclines into hazy lean-back realms via ‘A Melhor Saída’ and ‘Petricor’, virtuoso jazz funk in the form of ‘VW Blue’ and radiant MPB through the album’s title track ‘Pique’.

The drumming is tight, fresh and swung, the horns and strings deftly arranged, as funk-driven basslines and strutting guitars mesh with playful production touches that give an added vibrancy to the record. It is an album that exhibits every side of Dora and one she has been involved in from the ground up, from the songwriting, singing, arrangement and production to booking the studio time and sourcing the artwork designer, Maria Cau Levy.

An exchange of musical ideas powers every great scene and Rio’s contemporary landscape is no different - a family of interconnected musicians and friends that collaborate on each other’s productions. Pique is graced by a wealth of these leading Brazilian lights including her Bala Desejo bandmates Lucas Nunes, Julia Mestre and Zé Ibarra, as well as Guilherme Lirio, Alberto Continentino and Tom Veloso to name just a handful. This exchange crosses generations merging tradition with modernity. In a full circle moment, Dora’s parents Paula and Jaques Morelenbaum, who featured in countless recordings from Tom Jobim's Nova Banda and Ryuichi Sakamoto to Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil, join on the album through backing vocals and arrangement.

Pique sees Dora embrace a freedom through fresh forms, showcasing the depth and diversity of her creative artistry. An infinitely listenable release that nods to Brazilian greats like Gal Costa, Banda Black Rio and Lincoln Olivetti, fused with the indie pop edge of Ana’s production. The result is truly unique and sure to be a future Brazilian classic.

Masterminded by the prolific collaborators The Fattoruso Brothers, Airto Moreira, and Hermeto Pascoal, Opa’s Goldenwings a latin-jazz-fusion extravaganza that weaves a sonic world that lives at the intersection of lush three-part vocal harmonies, tender flute solos, pulsating percussions, and robust synth textures. Reissued on vinyl for the first time in 50 years as part of Jazz Dispensary’s Top Shelf series, the album was cut from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a gatefold tip-on jacket.

“A huge thing for this record was to make it feel as close to our live show as possible,” says Tom Sharkett of W.H. Lung’s latest album. “We didn’t want it to sound live but we wanted to capture the excitement of the live performances.”

This is something that has become paramount to the group in recent years as they have undeniably blossomed into one of the most joyous and arresting live bands in the country. “The reason I’m in a band is to play live music,” says singer Joe Evans. “For me, music is live music. That’s what it’s for, to be played with people.”

The five-piece band, also featuring Chris Mulligan, Hannah Peace, and Alex Mercer-Main, decided to try something new on their third album after two incredibly successful collaborations with previous producer Matt Peel. In order to capture the energy, spirit and dynamism of their live shows, they relocated to Sheffield to work with Ross Orton (MIA, Arctic Monkeys, Working Men’s Club) who was able to harness this side of the band to remarkable effect. “Ross is the Sheffield Steve Albini,” says Evans. “He’s the king of not overthinking it and trusting the process of the art of recording songs. He was always there to stop us fucking around with cerebral stuff and get it down.” Sharkett echoes this too: “He was the exact producer we needed without us even realising. His productions and mixes are bombastic, lively and in your face and that’s exactly what we wanted.”

However, while this album is rooted in a sense of capturing a moment and a sparky liveness, that’s not to say it’s a raw or ragged record. It is still a meticulously composed, delicately layered and pristinely produced piece of work that, in true W.H. Lung style, runs the gauntlet from dance to pop to indie while still capturing that distinctly unique quality that is unquestionably their own. “It was a really big thing for me to realise what made us sound like us on this record,” says Sharkett. “I think the album sounds a lot more confident and self assured because of it. Some songs sound just so much like Lung and I’m really proud of that. I’m not sure we’ve done that as consistently across the other records.”

While the band have drilled deeper into finding their own singular identity, it’s not a record resting on its laurels. It’s a significant leap forward, expanding on their solid foundations while also breaking new ground. “The big difference with this record is its directness in every sense,” says Sharkett. “The songwriting is more upfront. Previously we’d focused a lot on vibe and production as opposed to just writing songs. The overall mission here was to revert to a classic songwriting structure and for the production to come afterwards.” And so what you have on this record are deeply considered and well-crafted songs, then recorded with blistering intensity in the moment, and then given a touch of experimentation afterwards. Then throw in Orton’s contributions to the band and it’s proven to be a real winning formula. “He brought a real dose of magic to the songs we’d written,” says Sharkett. “And brought an extra bit of wonk and quirkiness each time.”

The band’s ability to write more traditional and conventional songs is clearly a skill they’ve taken to with ease, at times there’s an almost Springsteen-like quality – but if he'd ever had an ecstasy period – to tracks such as ‘Thinner Wine’ and ‘Bloom and Fade’. While ‘How to Walk’ was constructed with one thing only in mind: that it would absolutely slay on stage. “I can’t wait to play this live,” says Evans. “We wanted a song to represent our live set, a new big one, and this is it.” Once again it leans towards the anthemic, with its driving, propulsive charge complete with incandescent synths and vocal melodies so irresistible you can already hear them being sung in unison by a crowd.

It’s an incredibly difficult feat to pull off a record that is more rooted in traditional songcraft while also capturing the power of a live performance, as well as pushing sonics into experimental new directions while working with a brand new collaborator. But here the band has managed to do just that. And the album’s closing song ‘I Will Set Fire To The House’ is a perfect example of such a thing. It’s a song that feels immaculately constructed but also very much alive and of the moment as its radiating synths engulf from the off, and Evans’ vocal is silky but powerful and in perfect symbiosis with Peace’s. It’s a song that captures the endless joys of music playing long into the night. “It may be a bit of a bloody bombastic way to end an album saying ‘and we’ll dance into the sunrise’,” says Evans. “But fuck it.”

MORE PRESS ON ‘VANITIES’ (MELO131)

"Vanities artily refines an exhilarating brand of up-front electro-dance" MOJO ⅘

'Idiosyncratic yet euphoric electronic pop on triumphant second LP' 9/10 Uncut

''One of the most effective alternative pop albums of the year'' 4/5 Record Collector
'Dance music for the modern age' - The Times (4*)

It's a pleasure, a labour of love and a yearly highlight to present a new volume of the Mr Bongo Record Club series. In this collection, we have curated new finds alongside old, treasured tracks that hold a special place in our hearts, selecting music inspiring us from the Brazilian, Latin, soul, disco, gospel, cosmic, dancehall and downtempo genres. We have chosen a diverse array of artists, including Os Panteras from Brazil, stomping underground disco by Claude Jay, the Danish soul sounds of Gitte & Inger and the gospel excellence of Truth & Devotion, to name a few.

Most of the selections in this volume are older vintage productions, however, there is one very special contemporary production, recorded exclusively for Mr Bongo Record Club 7. For ‘Spring Has Sprung’, we linked three of our cherished musical family together; the legendary cult artist Asha Puthli, the wonderous band SOYUZ and Swedish maestro Sven Wunder. The result, as you’d expect, is completely breathtaking.

Reflecting on Volume 7, it now feels like a record comprised of two themes. Firstly, we have gone quite heavy on the Brazilian selections. This saw us searching further afield and digging into other areas of the endlessly rich Brazilian musical tapestry. The reflection of a more folk / Afro-Brazilian sound than presented in previous volumes in the series, can be heard in the songs of As Sublimes, Romeu Fernandes and Conjunto de Percussão Dora Pinto. The second theme is a representation of the tracks that we have been playing in our club DJ sets and are aimed more at the dancefloor. Disco tracks such as 'Come Inside' by The Shades of Love and The Duncans' 'Too Damn Hot' have been firmly tested favourites in recent years.

We hope these songs, by the sensational artists on display, inspire you as much as they do us. Music is the gift that keeps giving and there is so much more to learn, find, and share.

Chicagos einzigartig erschütternde und technisch grausame Chaos-Einheit Immortal Bird ist zurück mit ihrem mit Spannung erwarteten dritten Album. Auf dem 2019er Album "Thrive on Neglect" manövrierte sich die Band durch ein Amalgam von Klängen, das sich zu einer verzerrten und kantigen Darbietung von vielschichtigen Ängsten entwickelte und nun als Sprungbrett für die weitere Entwicklung auf dem neuen Album "Sin Querencia" dient.

Immortal Bird vereinen Elemente aus Death und Black Metal, Hardcore-Tumult, eine Dosis Noise Rock aus ihrer Stadt und eine kompositorische Komplexität, die an Grenzgänger wie Gorguts und Ulcerate erinnert.

- Nachfolgealbum zu 'Thrive On Neglect' von 2019
- US-Tournee für Ende 2024 und bis 2025 geplant
- Ausgewählt, um für Emperor in Chicago 2023 zu eröffnen
- FFO: Pig Destroyer, Cattle Decapitation, Krallice, Oathbreaker, Converge, Full Of Hell, Cretin, Tombs, Cult Leader

Chicagos einzigartig erschütternde und technisch grausame Chaos-Einheit Immortal Bird ist zurück mit ihrem mit Spannung erwarteten dritten Album. Auf dem 2019er Album "Thrive on Neglect" manövrierte sich die Band durch ein Amalgam von Klängen, das sich zu einer verzerrten und kantigen Darbietung von vielschichtigen Ängsten entwickelte und nun als Sprungbrett für die weitere Entwicklung auf dem neuen Album "Sin Querencia" dient.

Immortal Bird vereinen Elemente aus Death und Black Metal, Hardcore-Tumult, eine Dosis Noise Rock aus ihrer Stadt und eine kompositorische Komplexität, die an Grenzgänger wie Gorguts und Ulcerate erinnert.

- Nachfolgealbum zu 'Thrive On Neglect' von 2019
- US-Tournee für Ende 2024 und bis 2025 geplant
- Ausgewählt, um für Emperor in Chicago 2023 zu eröffnen
- FFO: Pig Destroyer, Cattle Decapitation, Krallice, Oathbreaker, Converge, Full Of Hell, Cretin, Tombs, Cult Leader

Fohn brings connection, displacement and new identities into the moment, on pastoral debut album Seanteach - informed by island life, marine folklore and musical tradition.

Connection to the land, the severing of earthly ties, explorations of environment, mythos and generational memory: under the moniker of Fohn, English violinist and producer Tom Connolly (Quade, AD93) takes to the fiddle on which he learned his craft as a child. Forging new bonds with his family’s island home off the coastal west of Ireland, their story is retold in Seanteach (Irish for ‘old house’), released on Odda Recordings.

“Seanteach explores the nature of my relationship with Ireland, and Connemara in particular, where my dad’s family is from,” explains Connolly, speaking on a long-form work that blends new compositions on traditional Irish fiddle with ambient electronics and evocative field recordings.

“It explores how the island of Maighinis became an almost mythological space for me, growing up in England - we would spend every summer there, but it felt equally present for me when we were back in the UK, a sort of mental solace that I found through music especially.”

Each track on the album is a reflection of aspects of that relationship to island life - where physical features intersect with mythology. Such as, ‘Boreen’, named after a colloquial term for rural byroads sometimes shared with otherworldly neighbours. ‘Aisling at Sea’ draws on the primal, unstoppable momentum of the water, while the folklore of ‘Immram’ reflects on generationally-kept tales of marine bravery and supernatural accomplishment.

“The compositions often sit at the fraying edges of memories I’ve inherited from my own experiences, that of family lore, or from stories that I have come across. I wanted the compositions to tread the space between documentation and fantasy that feels so reflective of my relationship with this place.”

Tying these worlds together is the presence and memory of Connolly’s ‘Mamó’ (Irish for grandmother), Bríd. Despite passing during Connolly’s childhood, this “larger-than-life character” shaped his imagination with anecdotes and stories, representing both a familiar figure, and the poignancies of potential and regret.

“Even at a young age I sensed a sadness emanating from her. Through a series of unfortunate and fortunate circumstances, she found herself leaving Ireland and settling in Boston like so many others. Under the impression she was an illegal immigrant in the US she didn’t return to Ireland for decades.”

‘Between the Shoreline and the Gorse’ channels her early childhood, born to a large Catholic family in the island’s ‘Seanteach’, and cast adrift from her old life - a severance of ties that Connolly attempts to make ethereal amends for, with the album named for her family home.

“It’s something that feels so visibly prominent in Connemara with its landscapes charcoaled with deserted ruins. It’s a feeling I also experience, despite never having lived in Ireland, which prompted me to want to explore the idea of longing for something/somewhere ‘un-experienced’, and to a certain extent, fictionalised.”

In August 2019, he collapsed on stage due to a hemorrhagic stroke, and doctors told him he might never perform again. After undergoing a series of operations to repair his Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) and months of physiotherapy, White has proved them wrong, embarking on a nation-wide tour in support of his 2021 release 'The Optimystic'. New songs "Power of a Woman" and "Hurts the Healing" are the latest tastes of new music from White, who has received accolades including Rolling Stone's 10 Country Artists You Need to Know, The Grammy's Artist of Tomorrow and the British CMA Awards' International Song of the Year. He has shared the bill with Country music superstars like Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Zac Brown Band. In the summer of 2023, White went to a Rienzi, Mississippi studio with producer Jonathan Singleton to record his third full-length record, Low Country High Road

Don Heffington was a musician's musician. Starting his professional career in the late 70s and early 80s as a part of Emmylou Harris' Hot Band and seminal alt-country pioneers Lone Justice, Heffington went on to a session career that included work with Bob Dylan, Dwight Yoakam, The Jayhawks, Dave Alvin, The Wallflowers, and many, many more. Heffington was also a prolific songwriter, and here, his colleagues and friends pay loving tribute to those songs in a benefit for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund (Heffington passed away in 2021 from Leukemia). Artists such as Jackson Browne, Fiona Apple, Buddy Miller, Dave Alvin, Watkins Family Hour, Peter Case, and others interpret Don's quirky songs. In the words of Jackson Browne: "I think of (Don) as inhabiting the same Los Angeles as Warren Zevon, Lowell George and Tom Waits.”

Global superstar, Dean Lewis has today announced his hotly anticipated third studio album The Epilogue will be released Friday October 18 . Following unprecedented worldwide success, critical acclaim, and sold-out tours, Dean continues to write and perform with unmatched vulnerability, vibrancy, and vitality. As such, The Epilogue, represents both the culmination of an incredible journey thus far and a harbinger for where he may go next. In between a packed live schedule, Dean penned music for The Epilogue during sessions in a Hollywood Hills house and in Hawaii. Harnessing a renewed state of inspiration, the troubadour tapped into the spirit of his earliest material from a fresh perspective honed by six more years of experience. , the 12-track The Epilogue LP includes his previous singles ‘Trust Me Mate’ and ‘Memories’ as well as the recently released single ‘All I Ever Wanted’. The heartbreaking new single with lightly plucked acoustic guitar and soft strings accompanying Dean’s delicate delivery, was written and recorded in Los Angeles and co-produced by Dean and acclaimed duo Afterhrs (Maroon 5, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson). Since its release a fortnight ago, the song has already been added to KIIS, Hit Network (Fox, B105, SAFM) and Nova Networks as well as streamed over 2.1 million times globally.

After their critically acclaimed full length vinyl release “Acid Universe” from last year, the American (from Fargo, North Dakota) psychedelic, proggy, bluesy and groovy instrumental stoner rock band El Supremo continues on “Signor Morte Improvvisa” with its strong line-up featuring Chad Heille on drums, Neal Stein on guitar, Chris Gould on organ/keys and Cameron Dewald on bass. El Supremo was originally formed as a one-man project with Chad Heille playing all the instruments and handling recording/production. A self-titled full-length demo was released in 2008, with Tom Canning and Neal Stein only contributing guitar solos. Chad and Neal went on to play in the band Egypt from 2012 to 2018. After Egypt split, it was time for Chad and Neal to continue under the El Supremo name, whose influences are rooted in classic 70’s rock, heavy blues and cinematic (cosmic / desert) stoner rock. “Signor Morte Improvvisa” is their third full-album. Vinyl.

The Moonwalkers is a unique immersive show about the Apollo and Artemis moon missions narrated by Tom Hanks. Anne Nikitin’s rousing soundscape to

this epic experience which offers a unique perspective on humankind’s past and future voyages to the moon, was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

at the iconic Abbey Road Studios. The show opened at London’s Lightroom on 6th December 2023 and continued until 9th June 2024 before moving on to South Korea.



Anne Nikitin is an Emmy and two-time Ivor Novello nominated composer known for her versatility in creating bold and inventive sound worlds spanning a

range of genres across film and television. She was named Classic FM’s “Composer to Watch” and Film 4’s “composer who should be on your radar”.

Recent TV scores include the Netflix hit series ONE DAY, the Apple TV+ thriller HIJACK starring Idris Elba, and the Emmy-winning series THE DROPOUT (Hulu/Disney+) starring Amanda Seyfried.

Following on from last years's "Mondo Organico" compilation, the latest Invisible Inc compilation EP "Mondo Ritmo" sets its sights firmly on rhythm and percussion.

Featuring a global array of artists hailing from Argentina to Senegal and everywhere in between, the influences and styles featured include latin, afro, dub, dancehall, experimental, acid and more.
Proven and tested dancefloor bombs are Mytron & Balam's opening track "Cabasa Loca" which label boss GK Machine has been spinning at his Wrong Party nights and elsewhere for the last 6 months or so...and the house/dancehall hybrid floor filler "Wicked Can't Run" by LA producer Tom Chasteen (Exist Dance/Dub Club) featuring legendary Jamaican DJ and toaster U Brown, and mixed by equally legendary producer/keyboardist David Harrow who first came to our attention through his regular keyboard contributions to all things On-U Sound related in the 1980s.

The rest of the tracks may not be peak time bangers but they are sure to please the more esoteric and adventurous dancefloors out there...it's an honour to have on board Calypso Records head honcho Thomass Jackson, Thomash (Voodoohop) and GATS (Suçuarana / Curuba) who together as Changa Boys bring in Senegalese drummer Ndiaxo dal Jaam, and last but not least a certain Machine with assistance on percussion from the mysterious Congo Caveman.

Círculo Cerrado presents its second album “Circular Economy”, 4 tracks that span a wide range of textures with the common denominator of atemporality.

A1. Rindeau, the Argentinian illustrator and music artist from Strain Collective, presents “Machine soul”, intelligently crafted with the best combination of electro-techno and EBM.

A2. Galdar’s breed Aniano materializes another mind-blowing track with “Encadenado a la Realidad”, a house tune with funk overtones and psychedelic undertones.

B1. Javier Carballo and Aniano aka HDZ brings a darker engine “ La Furnia ”, trailblazingfrom breaks, IDM to acid house for full voltage.

B2. Frenchman Tom Joyce, owner of Sounds Benefit label, captures in “ Good Game“ a hypnotic and minimalistic track with hints of tripping on top of 909 drums.

The Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra was created in 1971 by French free jazz pianist legend, François Tusques. Free Jazz, was also the name of the 1965 recording Tusques made along with and other Michel Portal, François Jeanneau, Bernard Vitet, Beb Guérin and Charles Saudrais. Six years later, in 1971 Tusques would go ahead of free jazz.

Wondering if free jazz wasn’t a bit of a dead end together with Barney Wilen (Le Nouveau Jazz) or even solo (Piano Dazibao and Dazibao N°2), Tusques formed the Inter Communal Free Dance Music Orchestra, an association under the banner of which the different communities of the country would come together and compose, quite simply. If at first the structure was made up of professional musicians from the jazz scene it would rapidly seek out talent in the lively world of the MPF (Musique Populaire Française).French Popular Music, ndlt

As with L’Inter Communal a few years earlier, Le Musichien follows on from the group of varying musicians that Tusques had conceived as a “people’s jazz workshop”. In 1981, at the famous Paris address, 28 rue Dunois, the pianist sang with his partner Carlos Andreu “Le Musichien”, an Afro-Catalan tale over an exceptional bass line from Jean-Jacques Avenel backed by percussion from Kilikus, saxophones from Sylvain Kassap and Yebga Likoba and trombone from Ramadolf which presented a myriad of constellations. The sky has no limits, let’s make the most of it.

“Les Amis d’Afrique” is recorded the following year, at the ‘Tombées de la Nuit’ festival in Rennes, bassist Tanguy Le Doré would weave with Tusques the fabric on which would evolve an explosive “brotherhood of breath”: Bernard Vitet on trumpet, Danièle Dumas and Sylvain Kassap on saxophones, Jean-Louis Le Vallegant and Philippe Le Strat on... bombards. With hints of modal jazz inspired by Coltrane or Pharoah Sanders, the Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra is an ecumenical project which speaks to the whole world.

In Cornish slang it is said that things get done ‘dreckly’; that is, not now, not necessarily tomorrow, but, at some indefinite point...in the future...soon...

Fitting then that when Bristol’s Langkamer decamped to their de facto home-from-home in the picturesque south-west seaside town of Falmouth to record their third album in as many years (with an EP thrown in there too) - there was no particular need to rush things: “The process was much slower and more considered for Langzamer.”, drummer/vocalist Josh Jarman explains: “The first two albums felt pretty urgent, and each was finished in about 6 months, but this one feels a lot more deliberate. It’s taken us two years to get this done.”

Equally fitting too that Langzamer kicks off proceedings with ‘Heart of Tin’: the first bars are languidly lugubrious, so deliciously plucked-out and scuzzed-up that they linger in the air like passing smoke, magically, slowing time down to their own assured and steady will. And in so much time, that also feels like no time at all, comes an opening line of such stark, disarming confessionalism as might be found in the David Berman/Silver Jews songbook: “Do you want the good news or the bad news first? // They’re both bad news, but the bad is worse” It’s Langkamer in a nutshell: embattled, heart-on-sleeve Slacker Rock slaked with twinges of fret-sliding Americana, yet deeply embedded in the folk mythologies, colloquialisms and experiences of the band’s West Country roots.

Throughout Langzamer, confronting the listener again and again is this conflict between the band’s breezy, melodic charm, and the threat of something more sinister lurking in the undergrowth. While those more familiar with Langkamer’s oeuvre to date will have already come to know and love their often self-deprecating yet witty lyricism, the songs on Langzamer take this trademark ebullient gloominess to more challenging plains: “Principally this is an album about grief, and everything that entails...” explains Jarman. “in a sense death brought these songs to life.”

This thread is felt no more so than on ‘Salvation XL’. Inspired by a “particularly bad batch of food poisoning I had in Morocco”, Jarman explains, and beginning with the memorable opening line, “Jesus came to me a Burger King in Marrakech”, the band wind their way through the ‘big topics’: death and God.

“This trip was shortly after a few of my friends had passed away, and I think a lot of my thoughts and actions at that time were being influenced by my grief without me realising it.”, he explains, “Whenever I dwell on grief, and how death has given my life a new context, I come back to that. The ongoing battle between agnosticism and atheism. I wasn’t raised in a very strict religious home, but I come from a long line of methodists, and it’s interesting to think about the way theism and religion have shaped my life without me knowing it. I think that’s being channelled on this album a lot. The uncertainty that comes with disbelief.”

Our collective mortal frailties are also felt on lead single ‘Richard E Grant’. With a trademark bittersweetness, a track that begins as an appreciation of the actor’s humorous social media presence unfolds as a study on “finding healthy coping strategies to deal with loss.”. Elsewhere, ‘At The Lake’ - to the tune of mournful, folk-like balladry - explores binge-drinking culture and the troubled association between unhealthy behaviour and creativity. The listener is left in no mind as to the meaning behind the references to James Joyce and Janis Jopin as “souvenirs stolen from the dark”.

With themes as weighty as these strewn across the album’s 10 tracks, It seemed like a particularly astute move then for the band to personally approach Ben Woods, founder of the Golden Dregs, to assist on production duties. Not only would the delicate intimacies of Woods’ main project - see 2023’s On Grace & Dignity for reference - add an appropriate moodiness, but Woods was also born and raised in Cornwall, where the album was recorded; amidst “eating pasties” and breaks by the sea, Woods and the band transformed the vaults underneath iconic Falmouth venue The Cornish Bank into a makeshift studio for a weeks’ worth of recording. Occasionally friends would drop by to lighten the load; Zander Sharp tracking violin on ’Double Island’ and ‘Flight’; Josh Law and Ben Sadler of Breakfast Records labelmates Getdown Services, both of whom contribute to the soul-stirring ‘mountain’ chorus on ‘Aberfan’.

When compared to the brightness of 2023’s The Noon and Midnight Manual, Woods’ influence on the record seems indisputable. On the aforementioned ‘At The Lake’, for instance, which features backing vocals from Woods. Or, most acutely, on the piano strains of harrowing closer ‘Bluff’, a track with such chilling, spectral severity as to effect the band’s most heartbreaking effort to date. While it’s particularly sombre note on which end proceedings, it's also an appropriate one: Langzamer bravely stands tall as their most restrained, matured, and sincere collection to date. And almost by virtue of its impeccable honesty, those moments of sunshine-joy that creep through the cracks feel that much more golden.

*RED VINYL*Of the plethora of touted "private press hard rock monsters'' out there, very few live up to the swaggering riff-fury of west coast blasters ODA. Commonly known as the "Black Album," the first clobbering platter by the quartet was released on their own tiny Loud Phonograph Records imprint and now commands large sums—but is actually worth the heavy hype. The band naturally centered around Randy Oda, a multi-talented ax shredder and keyboardist, and the lineup was filled out by his brother Kevin on drum assault, Art Pantoja on lead bellows and rhythm guitar, and galloping bassist Kyle Schneider. The Oda brothers were born in Alameda County, California, attending Kennedy High School in Richmond, and started the band while still teenagers at the beginning of the '70s. ODA was influenced by hard UK rockers like Deep Purple, Zep, Free, and the Who, and they gigged all over the Bay Area, with Randy garnering comparisons to Jeff Beck's molten six-string mastery. This 1971 self-titled LP (aka the Black Album) fully displays their blistering talents, but despite some local airplay on KSAN radio, the band packed it in by '73. This would not be the end of the Oda story, as Randy joined CCR's Tom Fogerty in the outfit Ruby afterwards, laying down his licks on two LPs that flirted with the mainstream, while staying true to his highly electric guitar muse. In 1983, ODA actually reformed for one more LP on Loud Phonograph, entitled Power Of Love. The comeback album delves a little deeper into radio friendly power pop, which makes sense, as in '82 Oda co-wrote "Think I'm In Love" with Eddie Money (which, let's face it, is Money's best song by like a mile). Randy would also collaborate with Fogerty as a duo, and the posthumous Sidekicks album (released after Fogerty passed) listed the clearly-integral Randy Oda as "arranger, composer, guitar (acoustic), guitar (electric), keyboards, primary artist, and producer.” In the 2000s, Randy would start another band with his brother called OPO which means "to lay a foundation" in Hawaiian, and ODA would reform to play a benefit in 2015 along with other obscure and heady/heavy Bay Area rockers like Savage Resurrection and Country Weather (some live footage of the event shows the band still rocking hard). At last, Riding Easy is legitimately reissuing ODA's first smoking, gargantuan LP with bonus tracks, so crank this one up in the '70s Camaro with the windows open, and some dirt weed joints a-blazin'. #

Although the seven-inch is the smallest of the vinyl formats, it can pack a real punch. This is certainly the case with Bordello A Parigi’s latest discovery, Real Velour. This mysterious outfit draws on a spread of influences for Champions. Warm strings of throbbing bass and crisp drums dawn into shining synthlines as elements of indie and synth-pop melt. Chords are addictive, memorable hooks of pure joy countered by bittersweet lyrics that tell a sorrow-streaked story of calamitous change and dead-end dreams. The flip sheathes the cold wave edge of the original, letting the superb synthwork sing. Bright and uplifting, embers of electro disco smoulder with italo in this intricate instrumental version. A stunning 7” that marries melancholy with melodies of better tomorrows.

Limited to 200 copies.

Hugo Race (Dirtmusic, Fatalists, ex-Bad Seeds) and Michelangelo Russo (True Spirit), fuse rock, blues, ambient and electronic sounds on their raw, compelling new album "100 Years".
In 2017, the duo released John Lee Hooker's World Today (Glitterhouse/Gusstaff Records), a tribute to the blues legend's delta blues legacy reinvented in a swirling mix of analog grit and deep trance pulses.

100 Years showcases the duo's sonic chemistry against Race's stark songwriting. Inspired by the raw majesty of early blues recordings, the album was recorded in two days in a non-stop live Hugo Race & Michelangelo Russo - 100 Years session. Amplified harmonica, open-tuned guitars, smoky vocals and primal foot beat walk us through a landscape of dreamlike devastation, a hypnotic wall of sound suspended in time and space celebrating endurance and redemption, hand-made from ancient roots. "Tradition does not mean passing the ashes, but the fire."

100 Years. Recorded November 1 & 2, 2023.
Engineered by Andrew 'Idge' Hehir at Soundpark Studios, Melbourne.
Mastered by Giovanni Versari at La Maesta, Milano.
Published by Peermusic.

PRESS about former album:
Rock'n'Roll Monuments, Greece:
"Race and Russo's pioneering electronic atmospheres give the historical Blues something you never imagined possible."

Rolling Stone, Germany: 'Dark Eros and transcendental blues…'
Musikreviews.de, Germany: "A psychedelic ghost blues of a profound sort, a mature, sensitive interpretation of the music and lyrics of John Lee Hooker. (Race and Russo) have blown us away in slow motion, economically instrumented and with painfully beautiful intensity. "

Q, London: "A darkly singular experience then, and one of the best records (Race) has ever made..."

The Music, Australia: "A collection of bluesy, brooding songs from a talented singer-songwriter with three decades of musicianship under his belt."

Eclipsed, Germany: "Hypnotic rhythms and haunting guitars, this album tingles under your skin..."
Focus Kultur, Germany: "No one else makes music like this, and that in itself is an achievement..."

Rock and Folk, Paris: 'This traveler without borders advances through a menacing atmosphere of no-wave electro-acoustics. Here is the spirit, and he does not forget
the body and the soul ... '
Tom Tom Rock, Italy: "An almost epic attack, worthy of the soundtrack of an apocalyptic post-nuclear catastrophe film… a talking blues of the third millennium, filtered by years of psychedelia and industrial music - and the Berlin years of Hugo Race can certainly be felt - hypnotic and dark, but precisely for this reason enveloping and fascinating. A record in which the music of the legendary bluesman is completely transfigured, without, however, the fidelity to his "spirit" and his "message" being questioned in the slightest. In short, JLH is alive and fighting with us, if we find the strength to follow him."

Hugo Race (Dirtmusic, Fatalists, ex-Bad Seeds) and Michelangelo Russo (True Spirit), fuse rock, blues, ambient and electronic sounds on their raw, compelling new album "100 Years".
In 2017, the duo released John Lee Hooker's World Today (Glitterhouse/Gusstaff Records), a tribute to the blues legend's delta blues legacy reinvented in a swirling mix of analog grit and deep trance pulses.

100 Years showcases the duo's sonic chemistry against Race's stark songwriting. Inspired by the raw majesty of early blues recordings, the album was recorded in two days in a non-stop live Hugo Race & Michelangelo Russo - 100 Years session. Amplified harmonica, open-tuned guitars, smoky vocals and primal foot beat walk us through a landscape of dreamlike devastation, a hypnotic wall of sound suspended in time and space celebrating endurance and redemption, hand-made from ancient roots. "Tradition does not mean passing the ashes, but the fire."

100 Years. Recorded November 1 & 2, 2023.
Engineered by Andrew 'Idge' Hehir at Soundpark Studios, Melbourne.
Mastered by Giovanni Versari at La Maesta, Milano.
Published by Peermusic.

PRESS about former album:
Rock'n'Roll Monuments, Greece:
"Race and Russo's pioneering electronic atmospheres give the historical Blues something you never imagined possible."

Rolling Stone, Germany: 'Dark Eros and transcendental blues…'
Musikreviews.de, Germany: "A psychedelic ghost blues of a profound sort, a mature, sensitive interpretation of the music and lyrics of John Lee Hooker. (Race and Russo) have blown us away in slow motion, economically instrumented and with painfully beautiful intensity. "

Q, London: "A darkly singular experience then, and one of the best records (Race) has ever made..."

The Music, Australia: "A collection of bluesy, brooding songs from a talented singer-songwriter with three decades of musicianship under his belt."

Eclipsed, Germany: "Hypnotic rhythms and haunting guitars, this album tingles under your skin..."
Focus Kultur, Germany: "No one else makes music like this, and that in itself is an achievement..."

Rock and Folk, Paris: 'This traveler without borders advances through a menacing atmosphere of no-wave electro-acoustics. Here is the spirit, and he does not forget
the body and the soul ... '
Tom Tom Rock, Italy: "An almost epic attack, worthy of the soundtrack of an apocalyptic post-nuclear catastrophe film… a talking blues of the third millennium, filtered by years of psychedelia and industrial music - and the Berlin years of Hugo Race can certainly be felt - hypnotic and dark, but precisely for this reason enveloping and fascinating. A record in which the music of the legendary bluesman is completely transfigured, without, however, the fidelity to his "spirit" and his "message" being questioned in the slightest. In short, JLH is alive and fighting with us, if we find the strength to follow him."

Cool and unsual scratch tool from CZ!!!

Bevor sie eine richtige Band wurden, begannen Greenleaf als loses Kollektiv von Freunden, die von den 70er Jahren inspirierten Hard Rock und Proto-Metal spielten. Unter der Leitung des Gitarristen Tommi Holappa, Mitbegründer der europäischen Desert-Rock-Band Dozer, spielten in den verschiedenen Konfigurationen von Greenleaf Mitglieder von Lowrider, Truckfighters, Demon Cleaner, Dozer und anderen mit. Und trotz der wechselnden Besetzung schafften sie es, über 14 Jahre hinweg mehrere Alben mit hochkarätigem Riff-Rock in ihrer ursprünglichen, unstrukturierten Form zu veröffentlichen.

Bevor sie eine richtige Band wurden, begannen Greenleaf als loses Kollektiv von Freunden, die von den 70er Jahren inspirierten Hard Rock und Proto-Metal spielten. Unter der Leitung des Gitarristen Tommi Holappa, Mitbegründer der europäischen Desert-Rock-Band Dozer, spielten in den verschiedenen Konfigurationen von Greenleaf Mitglieder von Lowrider, Truckfighters, Demon Cleaner, Dozer und anderen mit. Und trotz der wechselnden Besetzung schafften sie es, über 14 Jahre hinweg mehrere Alben mit hochkarätigem Riff-Rock in ihrer ursprünglichen, unstrukturierten Form zu veröffentlichen.

Bevor sie eine richtige Band wurden, begannen Greenleaf als loses Kollektiv von Freunden, die von den 70er Jahren inspirierten Hard Rock und Proto-Metal spielten. Unter der Leitung des Gitarristen Tommi Holappa, Mitbegründer der europäischen Desert-Rock-Band Dozer, spielten in den verschiedenen Konfigurationen von Greenleaf Mitglieder von Lowrider, Truckfighters, Demon Cleaner, Dozer und anderen mit. Und trotz der wechselnden Besetzung schafften sie es, über 14 Jahre hinweg mehrere Alben mit hochkarätigem Riff-Rock in ihrer ursprünglichen, unstrukturierten Form zu veröffentlichen.

Born from of a relentless global tour schedule, Samara Joy took her touring band, made up of other rising young jazz musicians, into the legendary Van Gelder Studios (the venerable studio from which A Love Supreme and so many of the great catalog records from Impulse and Blue Note were recorded) in February of 2024. Recorded across three days, Samara and her musicians were able to capture an incredible snapshot of who she is today and the promise of tomorrow. It’s a collection of standards, as well as one original and some of her first forays into lyric writing and features her singular voice, alongside arrangements and playing from this tight knit young group. The recording is this story of the community she’s created with a new generation of young players and serves as a studio rendering that delivers on the promise of the live show so many fans have seen them perform over the last year.

Come Play With Me present the fourth edition of their compilation album, Side By Side, Vol. 4, supporting women, marginalised genders, LGBTQ+ artists and people of colour with ties to the North of England. The compilation features seven tracks spanning a range of genres including Alternative Rock, R&B, Jazz and more. shaene sensitively captures the feeling of falling back into sync with a distant best friend on the compilation’s lead single “tom”. Set to a backdrop of synthetic soundscapes, fingerpicked and distorted guitars, Maddie Lara’s “Let Go” marks an impressive debut for the Merseyside-based artist. The compilation will be available both digitally and on vinyl via the CPWM website and select stores, alongside all major streaming platforms. With special thanks to our selection partner Future Yard, Arts Council England for their continued support, as well as our judges on this callout Amber Strawbridge, Beth Heaton and August Charles. Due to the random nature of eco-mix vinyl, produced out of leftover wax, the vinyl may not match the featured promotional image.

"Waxwork Records is honored to present the release of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to George A. Romero’s horror classic, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Written, filmed, and released in 1968 by a rag tag group of Pittsburgh based misfits, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is an American independent horror film that follows the story of seven people trapped in a rural farmhouse that is besieged by a large and growing group of living dead ghouls. The film is regarded as a cult classic by critics, film scholars, and fans and has garnered critical acclaim. The film has been selected by the Library Of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry and is deemed “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant”.

Filmed and released on a shoestring budget, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD became a smashing success earning over 250 times its budget. The film is a first of its kind and ushered in a new way of writing, directing, and filming horror films. The overused script of romantic, fantastical tales of otherworldly monsters and creatures was completely flipped and tossed aside by visionary George A. Romero. As the film’s writer and director, Romero created a new, obvious threat, and one that is universally recognizable - Our very own neighbors. Due to an unseen force beyond man’s control, the recently deceased arise from the dead in seek of living human victims. These ghouls kill and feast upon the flesh of their victims, and the only way of stopping them is by destroying their brains.

From 2015 to 2018, Waxwork Records worked closely with the remaining members of the independent production company that made NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, Image Ten, to produce a definitive soundtrack album featuring all music from the film. Much of the film’s music was thought to be lost or destroyed but was located in its entirety and faithfully restored and re-mastered for vinyl. This special release of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD features the complete soundtrack, double LP “Black & White Hand Poured” colored vinyl, all new artwork by Robert Sammelin, a booklet featuring never before seen production photos, liner notes by Daniel Kraus (co-author of THE SHAPE OF WATER with Guillermo Del Toro), liner notes by Night Of The Living Dead’s dialogue recorder and sound engineer, Gary Streiner, and deluxe packaging."

* After the stunning success of their critically-acclaimed third album Sharpener, which reached number 3 in the jazz charts and number 14 in the independent music charts, London’s brass juggernauts Hackney Colliery Band blaze back onto the scene with their first collaborative album, ushering in a whole new era for the band.

* Featuring collaborations with a host of key names in jazz and world music including amongst others the father of Ethio-jazz Mulatu Astatke, British jazz funk legend James Taylor, trombonist Dennis Rollins, UK saxophonist Pete Wareham and Beninese singer-songwriter and Grammy Award-winner Angélique Kidjo, Hackney Colliery Band have effortlessly transformed their explosive live energy into 11 original recordings that push the groove and form in an accomplished manner.

*On ‘Collaborations: Volume One’, writers Steve Pretty, Olly Blackman and Luke Christie have between them penned the outfit's most dynamic material to date. ‘Mm Mm’ (feat. Angélique Kidjo and Roundhouse Choir) merges Beninese grooves with wah pedal trumpet textures, and the rousing call-and-response between Kidjo’s soaring vocal and the exhilarating choir adds a richness and depth to the composition.

*On ‘Snowfire’, innovative Norwegian pianist Bugge Wesseltoft brings a euro/nu-jazz feel to the album, while Dennis 'Funkybone' Rollins adds his trademark virtuoso trombone to the carnival-flavoured ‘Ricochet’.

*There’s an energy, respect for tradition and the exuberance of London in Hackney Colliery Band’s work, best exemplified in the evocative and downright thrilling James Taylor collaboration ‘Hypothetical’, with Taylor’s Hammond organ recalling the Acid Jazz era in which he made his name.
*New single ‘Netsanet’ (feat. Mulatu Astatke) is a deep exploration of Mulatu's trademark Ethio-jazz, while ‘Crushing Lactic’, composed by Tom Rogerson (fresh from a recent collaboration with Brian Eno) has a frenzied flow, with big horns and driving rhythm section.

*Elsewhere, Pete Wareham (stalwart of the London jazz revival) lends his free-flowing sax to ‘What’s Gone Before’, leading us into a powerful communion of jazz and brass as Mulatu Astatke’s ‘Derashe’ takes the listener down a vibrating rhythmic path while accompanied by blasts of horns and Mulatu’s trademark vibraphone.

*Two spoken word compositions (‘Why Yellow’ and ‘Climbing Up My Own Life Until I Die’) featuring York born writer and comedian Rob Auton lend an introspective voice to ‘Collaborations: Volume One’.

*A band never content to rest on its laurels, Hackney Colliery Band already have a number of collaborations in the works for ‘Volume Two’, and with further live shows planned for 2019, including the album launch at the famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, 2019 looks set to be HCB’s biggest year yet, both live and on record.

* Steve Pretty, the band’s frontman said: “It’s hard to believe that 2019 is our tenth anniversary, but now we’re ten years older it felt like the right time to get back to our jazz roots. It’s been such a privilege to work with so many of our musical inspirations both old and new on this record, and we’re super excited to be ushering in the next ten years with this new collaborative spirit: this is called ‘Volume One’ for a reason…”

Y’KNOW returns to Spiritual World on October 4th with Why Now, an 8 track 12” that is so stacked with groove that you can physically feel the claps when you run your hand over the record.

Why Now lifts the fog established on the duo’s digital 2023 two-song debut, pushing their signature beat forward minimalism into digital dancefloor soundscapes. Following in the tradition of dub records, Why Now features four vocal cuts on the a-side backed with four reimagined and stripped back dub versions on the b side.

Lyrically, Bally takes on the narrative of a detective in search of the perfect groove, even if it ultimately leads to their own fictional demise. Y’KNOW is clearly in pursuit of the perfect vibe, and while doing so exceeds the imagination of most traditional guitar-based bands with a mesmerizing mix of dub, post-punk and synth pop.

Limited to 200 12” copies.
RIYL: Colour Box, Maximum Joy, Tom Tom Club, George Clinton & Brenda Ray

Big Crown Records is proud to present the reissue of one of Brooklyn’s most sought after “holy grail” soul records, YIA Talent Hunt Winners. Youth in Action, Inc. (YIA) was formed in 1963 when the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council received a grant to develop a youth services program in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community. It was originally organized to identify and address the social problems that were leading to the high crime rate in Bed-Stuy. Recently the Smithsonian Museum of African American History released an archive of footage filmed by a community activist, which shows the real-world effects of the group’s efforts: young people engaged in sports, the arts, and other activities to better themselves and their world. The appearances by Jackie and Bobby Kennedy point to the group's relationship to the Great Society programs of President Lyndon B. Johnson. What there is no mention of in either the NMAAHC’s collection of YIA materials nor in the Brooklyn Public Library’s also extensive collection is this talent show and the record that came to be because of it.
Local vocal groups chose tunes to cover from the era (1964 - 1968) ranging from The Rascals to The Intruders, from The O’Jays to Billy Stewart. All of these groups were backed by a local act called The Thrillers Band. The winners of the talent contest were then invited into the studio to record their versions which would be pressed up on this record and given away to local radio and TV stations. The hope of the whole thing was that this would help the young groups get discovered by producers and record labels and start their professional music careers. The intro to the album is Reverend Horace Tyler congratulating the winners and asking them “to just remember, when you reach the top and become our big stars of tomorrow, don’t forget YIA”.
What this album may lack in fidelity and production it more than makes up for in charm. The engineers at the recording sessions pump in pre recorded applause and screaming to give the it the feel of the day of the contest while the young groups sing their hearts out, clearly giving their all. From today’s perspective, soul music fans will lose it over the choices of covers on this record and the killer, raw, innocent performances of them by these local Brooklyn groups. The Channels 4, Carla & The Carlettes, The United Souls, Sharon Seabrook & The Starlettes, and The Destinations all won that day and got to take place in this record. It makes you wonder, and even pine for the performances of the groups who didn’t make the cut, even if just to find out what tunes they covered, or better yet, were their original songs written by some of them for this contest?
It is with great pleasure that we make this available to the public again. This is a truly rare record, and an awesome piece of New York History.

Readers of encyclopedic tomes are obviously familiar with exploding animals – there are numerous reports of torn-apart toads (even in Hamburg, Germany!), actual ants exploding altruistically – but humans that decide to jointly detonate, and with no harm done, that’s rare: Kobe’s own o'summer vacation are unique (and volatile) like that, and they’re back to light the fuse for the second time, presenting 13 more musical quarter sticks that have already blown up venues in Europe and Japan.

“Keep it lean, keep it mean,” they say, and that’s what this band loves to take to the extreme: breakneck concision and collective combustion meet freeform noise punk hazards on o'summer vacation's second (not quite) full-length – as the Kobe-based three-piece’s “Electronic Eye” is set to arrive on October 11, 2024. Following a bunch of trips to Berlin, Munich etc., the Japanese fire starters have found a new home with Alien Transistor, and it’s the perfect launch pad for their latest set of guitarless pyrotechnics. Going right for max q (maximum dynamic pressure), “Electronic Eye” is (unlike those Starships) actually supposed to explode right after lift-off ;)

Even though there have been some line-up changes since the group recorded its sophomore album, the energy caught by producer Shinji Masuko (DMBQ, Boredoms) is still unmatched: a very physical and hard-knocking barrage of mosh-inducing madness that leaves you speechless + inevitably twitching towards the pit. Mastering was done by Masaki Oshima aka Watchman (Melt-Banana).

Opening with sizzling hi-hats and heavy ripples of breathless bass, singer Ami presents a non-sequitur kind of lullaby over the math rock-style interlocutions of “宿痾 (Shuku - A)” – which at 6+ minutes makes up more than a quarter of the album. A shapeshifting frenzy of voice (Ami), unbridled, pedal-powered bassline insanity (Mikkki, formerly Mikiiiii), and hot-blooded drums (Manu, meanwhile replaced by Karry), the album features mosh-inducing blows (previously released “Luna,” “Anti Christ 大体 Super Star”), 30-sec mini noise punk anthems (“竦(shou)”, “Days Go By Fast”), and continues to surf at breakneck pace up and down scales (“@ The”), which often feels like catharsis served with a hammer (“Ultra”). Whereas some tracks are bigger more song-y than others (“Song#2,” that full-throttle “Poodle”), “Vs I” is on time like Tierra Whack (exactly 60 seconds of pick-grinding action), and “Rage” indeed feels like Zack is about to join the party – only to see Ami wipe the floor with pure onomatopoetic fire. Finally, “Aloooooone” and “Humming” (that opening lilt!) are sure going to be live favorites, shifting up and down via hardcore speeds and various break-downs.

Quite hotheaded and terminating things on a high note, o'summer vacation point out that the quick-fire lyrics of their “songs have no meaning. It’s called onomatopoeia in English. Ami, our vocalist, does not like to communicate her thoughts through her music.” Although she considers her contribution “a part of the instrumentation,” they still have strong messages and concerns (unrest, discontent, willingness to shake, wake up, enliven anyone near the audible bomb crater): “That doesn’t mean we don’t have a point of view, but we choose to express ourselves through sound rather than words. Generally, but not exclusively, we are anti-racism, anti-war, gender-free, angry at the companies we work for and their bosses, etc., which are very common sentiments held by so-called rock bands.”

It’s only three ingredients, just like sonic gunpowder: bass, drums, voice – but they tend to explode a few bars into each new track. In a perfect world, there’d be giant colorful clouds of dust gracing the sky over each venue they descend upon.

Timeless soul, 'Cool Cool' is the standout title track from James Alexander Bright's recent album. It's an immediately enchanting gem, with tendermusicianship and a stripped back production highlighting James' voice, pitchedsomewhere between Eddie Chacon, Beck and Michael McDonald. Athens of theNorth's in-house band East Coast Love Affair add a delightfully psychedelic Balearicpiquancy with an beautiful dub version on the flip.

'Cool Cool' has been enjoying a plethora of worldwide support; seeing James insession for Gilles Peterson, suppling a Block Party mix for Huey Morgan, interviewedby Bandcamp Weekly, and played across tastemaker shows on stations includingBBC 6 Music, FIP, Jazz FM, KCRW, KEXP, Les Inrocks, NTS, Soho Radio, Triple R,WDET, WNXP.

The past six years has seen James release a veritable treasure trove of music:'Mallorca' and 'Strange Folk' EPs, debut album 'Headroom', joyous second 'Float', analbum of collaborations and reworks with cosmic Americana-disco DJ/producer duoFlying Mojito Bros, and a new project with Groove Armada's Tom Findlay as Bright &Findlay. 'Cool Cool', his third solo album since 2020, was released on 26th July 2024.

DJ Support from Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Mistajam, Pete Tong, Charlie Hedges, Kraak & Smaak, Maxinne, Todd Terry, Alex Preston, Full Intention, GW Harrison, DJ Rae, Rudimental, Alaia & Gallo, Illyus & Barrientos, Johan S, David Penn, Sam Divine, Riva Starr, Claptone, Nice7, Dario D’Attis, Mousse T, SMan, Huxley, KC Lights, Friend Within, Dombresky, Gorgon City, Chris Lake, Format:B, Pirupa, TCTS, Alan Fitzpatrick, Low Steppa, Mat.Joe, Raumakustik, Eskuche


Kicking things off on Toolroom’s next 4-track vinyl sampler series is Mark Knight’s hugely successful rework of Groove Armada’s seminal classic ‘Get Down’. Considered one of the holy-grail records of their back catalogue so it’s an absolute honour for us, and Mark Knight, to be re-presenting this incredible record to a new audience. Fusing those unique vocals from Stush and classic Groove Armada synth line, coupled with the energy and insatiable groove of a Mark Knight record, this is a sure-fire dance floor weapon for 2024! Next up are a fan favourite of the label, the mighty duo Illyus & Barrientos who make their long overdue return with ‘When You Gonna’. Tracks such as ‘Shout’, ‘Promise’ and most famously, ‘So Serious’, propelled them to be one of the most exciting and sought after acts in the World. This record is trademark Illyus & Barrientos and reflects their personalities as artists perfectly. Think high energy house music filled with fun and peak-time dance floor vibes! Leading the charge on the b-side is an incredible collaboration from 2 heavyweight house artists, working together for the very first time! David Penn has a career spanning over 25 years. He was recently crowned the #1 house artist on Beatport and boasts over 1 million monthly listeners across leading streaming platforms. OFFAIAH appears on Toolroom for the first time in his career under this alias, although he was a firm part of the original Toolroom Family line up as Michael Woods. So this is a SPECIAL ONE! The record screams sun-drenched terraces, pool parties and chilled cocktails! A huge bass line, infectious tribal vocals and some lush house pianos for good measure. Last but not least, Long-standing Toolroom Family member and fan favourite, Ben Remember returns to the label with ‘Waiting 4 You’. As with all of Ben’s records, this is super creative and super original. Based around an infectious disco vocal sample and all created using out-board, analogue studio gear which gives the track a real gritty
undertone.

Countless radio plays on Radio 1 from Danny Howard, Sarah Storie, Pete Tong Other notable radio plays – Kiss FM, Toolroom Radio, Sirius XM, Data Transmission Radio, Radio 1 Dance Anthems, Radio 1 Party Anthems, Rinse FM, Select Radio, Tomorrowland Radio

It's a pleasure, a labour of love and a yearly highlight to present a new volume of the Mr Bongo Record Club series. In this collection, we have curated new finds alongside old, treasured tracks that hold a special place in our hearts, selecting music inspiring us from the Brazilian, Latin, soul, disco, gospel, cosmic, dancehall and downtempo genres. We have chosen a diverse array of artists, including Os Panteras from Brazil, stomping underground disco by Claude Jay, the Danish soul sounds of Gitte & Inger and the gospel excellence of Truth & Devotion, to name a few.

Most of the selections in this volume are older vintage productions, however, there is one very special contemporary production, recorded exclusively for Mr Bongo Record Club 7. For ‘Spring Has Sprung’, we linked three of our cherished musical family together; the legendary cult artist Asha Puthli, the wonderous band SOYUZ and Swedish maestro Sven Wunder. The result, as you’d expect, is completely breathtaking.

Reflecting on Volume 7, it now feels like a record comprised of two themes. Firstly, we have gone quite heavy on the Brazilian selections. This saw us searching further afield and digging into other areas of the endlessly rich Brazilian musical tapestry. The reflection of a more folk / Afro-Brazilian sound than presented in previous volumes in the series, can be heard in the songs of As Sublimes, Romeu Fernandes and Conjunto de Percussão Dora Pinto. The second theme is a representation of the tracks that we have been playing in our club DJ sets and are aimed more at the dancefloor. Disco tracks such as 'Come Inside' by The Shades of Love and The Duncans' 'Too Damn Hot' have been firmly tested favourites in recent years.

We hope these songs, by the sensational artists on display, inspire you as much as they do us. Music is the gift that keeps giving and there is so much more to learn, find, and share.

Nachpressung in neuen Farb-Kombinationenen des aktuellen Fu Manchu-Werkes! The Return Of Tomorrow ist das erste neue Album von Fu Manchu seit sechs Jahren, und sie haben sichergestellt, dass sich das Warten gelohnt hat. Ihr 14. Album ist ihre erste Doppel-LP mit neuem Material und wurde als Vinyl-Hörerlebnis konzipiert. Die erste LP enthält sieben Songs in ihrem ikonischen Heavy-Fuzz-Sound, darunter die erste Single "Hands Of The Zodiac" und das unerbittlich eingängige "Loch Ness Wrecking Machine". Auf der zweiten LP wird die Band mit sechs langsameren Stücken, darunter das Synthie-beeinflusste "Solar Baptized" und der Titeltrack, etwas ruhiger. Beide LPs haben 45 Umdrehungen pro Minute für den bestmöglichen Sound. CD-Hörer brauchen sich keine Sorgen zu machen, da diese Version des Albums speziell für dieses Format gemastert wurde.Wie das letzte Album der Band, Clone Of The Universe, und die dreiteilige Fu30 EP-Serie wurde The Return Of Tomorrow im Racket Room in Santa Ana, Kalifornien, von Jim Monroe (Adolescents, Ignite) aufgenommen und gemeinsam mit Fu Manchu produziert. Nach ihren 30+-Jubiläums-EPs und zugehöriger Reissue-Serie sind FU MANCHU endlich mit brandheißem neuem Material zurück! Diese limitierte Vinyl-Veröffentlichung ist in einem glänzenden Gatefold-Jacket mit bedruckten Hüllen mit Live-Fotos der Band verpackt und enthält eine White with Black Spinner/Splatter LP sowie eine White with Blue Spinner/Splatter LP

The Smile haben ihr neues Album "Cutouts" für den 04.10.2024 angekündigt. Mit "Foreign Spies" und "Zero Sum" sind zugleich zwei neue Tracks erschienen, wobei der Künstler Weirdcore zu letzterem auch ein Video kreiert hat. Bereits erschienen sind "Don"t Get Me Started" und "The Slip", zwei Stücke, die Anfang des Monats als limitierte 12"-Single kurzzeitig weltweit in Plattenläden auftauchten. Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood und Tom Skinner haben einige der Songs von "Cutouts" erstmals auf der März-Tour in UK gespielt. Insgesamt enthält das von Sam Petts-Davies produzierte Album, das auf "Wall of Eyes" aus dem Januar und das 2022er-Debüt "A Light For Attracting Attention" folgt, zehn neue Tracks. "Cutouts" wurde zur gleichen Phase wie "Wall Of Eyes" in Oxford und den Abbey Road Studios aufgenommen und enthält String-Arrangements vom London Contemporary Orchestra. Das Artwork von Stanley Donwood und Thom Yorke entstand während der Aufnahmen. "Cutouts" ist bereits das zweite Studioalbum der Band in weniger als einem Jahr. Sein Vorgänger erreichte Platz 4 der deutschen Albumcharts und die Nummer 3 in UK. Thom Yorke veröffentlichte im April außerdem den Score zu Daniele Luchettis Film "Confidenza" und kündigte eine Solotour für Neuseeland, Australien, Singapur und Japan an. Jonny Greenwood arbeitet aktuell am Score zu Paul Thomas Andersons kommenden Film "The Battle of Baktan Cross". Tom Skinner hat das Album "Voices of Bishara Live at mu" veröffentlicht und tourt mit seinen Soloarbeiten im Rahmen internationaler Jazz-Festivals.

Mötley Crüe werden ihre neue EP „Cancelled“ veröffentlichen!
Die EP markiert die erste neue Musik der Band seit 2019 und ihr Debüt bei Label Big Machine Rock. Die
Platte enthält den aktuellen Top 5 Rock Radio Hit „Dogs of War“, ihre neue Single, eine Coverversion von
„Fight For Your Right“ von den Beastie Boys und den Titeltrack „Cancelled“.
Mötley Crüe sagten: „It was really great getting in the studio and working on some tracks together. What
started out as a couple demo ideas turned into this EP produced by Bob Rock. We look forward to getting
back into the studio again soon and writing more new music, as well.”
Mötley Crüe melden sich mit ”Dogs of War” zurück, ihrer ersten Single seit 2015!
Seit über 40 Jahren sind Vince Neil (voc), Nikki Sixx (bass), Tommy Lee (drums) und Mick Mars (guitar) als Band aktiv und on the road mit bahnbrechenden Show Highlights wie Tommy Lee‘s Achterbahn
Schlagzeugperformance oder Nikki Sixx’s Auftritte mit seinem flammenwerfenden Bass.
Mötley Crüe hat über 5 Milliarden Streams auf digitalen Plattformen erreicht und hat über 8 Millionen
Follower in den sozialen Medien. Sie haben weltweit über 100 Millionen Alben verkauft, 7 Platin- und
Multi-Platin-Alben in den USA und 3 GRAMMY®-Nominierungen erhalten. Auch ihre Biografie „The Dirt
– Confessions of the Worlds Most Notorious Rock Band” wurde 2001 ein New York Times und weltweiter
Bestseller und erschien als Biopic 2019 auf Netflix.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Talk Talk's iconic "It's My Life" album, it has been cut at Half-Speed by Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios, overseen by Talk Talk drummer Lee Harris and Charlie Hollis, son of Mark Hollis, giving the album a greater depth. Originally released in February 1984, "It's My Life" is the band' second album and followed the 1982 release of their debut "The Party's Over" which initially received moderate success in the UK reaching number 21 in the UK chart and finding some global success.

By the time they came to writin and recording "It's My Life" the band had gone from the four piece to a three with Simon Brenner leaving the band. The album initally found considerable international success. "Such A Shame", the album's first single was a top 10 hit across Europe and the album's title track entered global Top 40's including in the US.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit lassen dem 2018 erschienenen Album Live from the Ryman einen zweiten Teil mit Live-Aufnahmen von ihrem jährlichen
Auftritt im Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN folgen.
Live from the Ryman Vol. 2 enthält Favoriten von Weathervanes und Reunions aus den Jahren 2022 und 2023 sowie „The Last Song I Will Write“
(2019) und eine Coverversion von Tom Pettys „Room at the Top“ (2017).

Trumpeter Booker Little made only a few albums during his tragically short life including his astounding debut Booker Little 4 & Max Roach recorded in 1958 for United Artists. Little came to prominence in Max Roach’s band and the drummer joins him here along with George Coleman, Tommy Flanagan, and Art Davis. This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on jacket.

Der Assistent scheint am Ende. In der dubiosen Klinik unter Palmen kommt er umnebelt zu sich. Diagnose: Amnesie am Amazonas! Eine Kakteensaft-Kur soll helfen bei der Spurensuche im Sumpf der Erinnerung. Am Ende bleibt nur die Erkenntnis: "Nichts holt mich ab, so wie die Melancholie."
Wie bei seinem Debut wird der Assistent auch beim zweiten Teil seiner Odyssee von den Klängen der späten siebziger und frühen achtziger Jahre begleitet. Ein Sound wie auf einem Mixtape, das zu lange in der südamerikanischen Sonne auf der Heckablage eines verbeulten Citroën Visa lag. Sein Sofrito aus Library-Muzak, Dub-Rhytmen, japanischem Reggae und Yachtrock, gewürzt mit Latin und Bossanova, serviert er auf zartem Weißbrot-Soul. Die Texte sind bisweilen absurd, stets sehnsuchtsvoll und mindestens doppeldeutig. Hier und da wurde ein Easter Egg versteckt: Jörg Fauser, Raymond Chandler und Agatha Christie lassen grüßen. In bekannter Marlowe-Manier driftet der Erzähler verstrahlt durch die (Alp-)Traumwelten seiner acht Lieder. Ist es Tom Hessler selbst, der dort im Zerrspiegel der Cocktailbar erscheint, oder sein Alter Ego? Der Assistent kehrt zurück als relaxed-verzweifelter Fitzcarraldo, der versucht einen Urlaubsdampfer voller Grooves aus der Spree über einen Zauberberg im Regenwald zu hieven, und dabei in Welten jenseits von Raum und Zeit entschwindet. Dabei helfen Wolfgang Pérez (Golf), Magic Manfred (Stella and the Longos), Pedro Goncalves Crescenti (The Düsseldorf Düsterboys, International Music) u.v.a.

Taylor Hollingsworth, the fingerpicking songwriter hailing from the vibrant city of Birmingham, AL, is back with an electrifying, foot stomper of an album titled "Yahola." With his unique blend of folk, rock, and blues, Taylor has carved out a distinct musical niche that he calls "folk n' roll" or electric folk. In a world full of manufactured pop sensations and cookie-cutter artists, Taylor Hollingsworth stands apart as a true maverick of original music.Taylor's dedication to his craft has earned him accolades and recognition both within and outside the local music scene. His immense talent on the guitar, coupled with his remarkable songwriting abilities, has earned him a rightful place among music connoisseurs. Notable achievements in Taylor's musical journey include having his works featured in popular TV shows, podcasts, and movies, showcasing his ability to strike an emotional chord with listeners. Esteemed artists such as Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers have recognized Taylor's songwriting prowess by covering one of his songs.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit lassen dem 2018 erschienenen Album Live from the Ryman einen zweiten Teil mit Live-Aufnahmen von ihrem jährlichen
Auftritt im Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN folgen.
Live from the Ryman Vol. 2 enthält Favoriten von Weathervanes und Reunions aus den Jahren 2022 und 2023 sowie „The Last Song I Will Write“
(2019) und eine Coverversion von Tom Pettys „Room at the Top“ (2017).

Doppel LP, limitiert auf 500 Exemplare. Handnummeriert! Inkl. Downloadcode! Draggo wird nachts im Hauptquartier überfallen. Doch nicht nur die Platten seiner Lieblingsband sind verschwunden, schnell wird klar: Es geht um mehr. Viel mehr. Eine ägyptische Gottheit, eine historische Rede, ein archäologischer Geheimbund und der ewige Erzfeind Klöten Klaus. Das neue Abenteur von L.B. Steel und seiner Brigade Steelforce. Metal, Alter... METAL! mit: Reiner Schöne, Bernd Egger, Steffen Lehmann, Björn Jung, Patrick Winczewski, Josephine Hochbruck Special Guest: Andreas "Gerre" Geremia & Tommi Piper

ReleasedexclusivelydigitallyinDecember2023,thiscountry/americananuggetcouldn'tgowithoutavinylpressing. Theo Lawrence presents a new album, Pickin' & Singin'. Recorded in the living room of his Bordeaux home, alone with his guitar, he embodies the figure of the lone cowboy with disconcerting naturalness and irresistible charm. Blessed with a velvety voice and magnetic melodies that evoke lasting love, lovers on the move, and the moonlight on the roof of a roadside bar, this album is a jewel with Theo Lawrence'sunique signature.

Following up on last years debut release, Chontane returns with Manx, the second EP on his label, TANE. This five-track collection continues his exploration of sound design, moving into fresh territory while retaining the distinctive energy that marked TANE001.

With TANE002, Chontane invites listeners into a diverse sonic landscape, emphasizing mood, texture, and the subtle intricacies of rhythm.
Manx marks a significant progression in Chontanes artistry, expanding on the
foundation set by TANE001, which echoed the nostalgia of 90s and early 2000s rave culture. While his first EP blended old-school, rave-inspired techno, atmospheric tracks, and a touch of jungle, TANE002 boldly ventures into new, uncharted territories. It challenges traditional genre boundaries, delving deep into the potential of sound design, and offering a forward-thinking perspective that feels attuned to the future.

The EP highlights Chontanes dedication to capturing a wide spectrum of moods and textures within a single record. The title track, Manx sets the stage with a dark, hypnotic presence. Rich in layered textures and atmospheric undertones, the track fuses a powerful kick with resonant toms, deep subs, and eerie pads. Haunting, glitchy vocal snippets add an extra dimension, making Manx a compelling, immersive experience.

On Gazebo, the EPs A2 track, Chontane shifts the energy, delivering a composition that balances driving rhythms with a melodic core. The combination of dynamic drums with an epic, mystical theme creates a piece thats both uplifting and introspective, standing out for its ability to evoke grandeur while maintaining a sense of optimism.

The B-side leans into a more shadowy atmosphere, with Oolean blending metallic
percussion and a throbbing bassline. The tracks ominous pads and powerful kick drum propel it forward, creating a narrative thats intense and captivating.
B2 offers a fitting conclusion to the vinyl release, presenting a track that blends dreamy, atmospheric melodies with a robust kick and driving sub-line. The mystical qualities of this composition make it an evocative and memorable closer.
The digital-only track, Thumb Print, rounds out the EP with a relentless, peak-time experience. Its hypnotic rhythm and expansive sense of scale make it a standout track, perfect for igniting dance floors and capturing listeners attention.

2025 Repress

For Fuse's fifth release, Brussels' Altinbas returns for a whirlwind of meditative and harmonious techno. Solidifying his identity of focused yet vibrant club music, the Fuse resident and label co-curator offers his second contribution 'Sustain' as a dancefloor-enveloping take on modern techno. Known for rich chords, whipping pads, and dry percussion, Altinbas proves once again that his touch as a producer revolves around balance and calculated effect.

'Trail of' kick starts the EP with flourishing synthwork and a taste of dub as has become the Belgian artist's signature. Dotting toms as rhythmic accents and a low to the ground shaker make for a swaying introduction with an infectious groove. Breaking things up in the second track, 'Life Force' presents Detroit style chord stabs and playful rhythmic work. With a mental synth at the foundation, the track presents 909 drums to reinvigorate atmospheric synths that make 'Life Force' a subtle hybrid of classic club genres. With a wink at Fuse's heritage and a peak into its future, Altinbas' focus on enduring music can be felt throughout 'Sustain' and truly understood in the Brussels club. As a fitting follow up, 'Purpose' opens the B-side with illuminating chords and rounded sound design and a pulsating low-end. With almost a lighthearted tone, the record fits across genres and rooms, claiming movement instead of mood as its sole medium. The title track 'Sustain' proves just that - a melodic sequence and progressive arrangement make for an intensely euphoric closing. Evolving melodies, opening filters, and big but calculated buildups sum up Altinbas's work for Fuse's fifth release on the new label. The record brims with warmth and yet it finds its way on darker dance floors with ease, providing a refined style of music that belongs only to him across the international scene.

Blending a mix of street intellect into pop music, Naughty by Nature delivered raw-edge but accessible East Coast rap and created some of the biggest and most contagious hits of the 90s. Naughty By Nature's brand new greatest hits compilation The Naughtiest, which has not been produced physically in over 20 years, contains the groups best known songs including "O.P.P" which hit #1 on the Billboard Rap Charts & #6 on the Hot 100, "Uptown Anthem" "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" from their self-titled album, along with "Feel Me Flow" & "Craziest" from Poverty's Paradise. And of course, select tracks from 19 Naughty III including "Hip Hop Hooray" which hit #1 in several countries and has become a defining anthem for hip hop music.

The Finns have crafted a top-notch piece of powerful heavy metal with the incomparably strong roars of frontbeast Noora Louhimo, catchy keyboards and earworm invasions. From the opening classical up-tempo opening track, 'Straight To The Heart,' to the last note of the closing ballad 'Far From Heaven,' BATTLE BEAST’s new opus is full of heaviness and emotions. Recorded and produced at JKB Studios by keyboardist Janne Björkroth, the album was also mixed by him alongside Viktor Gullichsen and Mikko Karmila, while mastering was done by Mika Jussila at the world famous Finnvox Studios. “Bombastic and brilliant heavy metal with a killer singer! »Bringer Of Pain« is gigantic!” MYROCK (F) “BATTLE BEAST at their best - majestically melodic and 'Straight To The Heart'!” ROCK IT! (D)

Dame Area's highly anticipated fourth studio album, "Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area" ("The Whole Truth about Dame Area"), a collaboration with the renowned labels Mannequin Records and Humo Records.

Formed in 2017 within the vibrant underground scene of Barcelona's Màgia Roja club, Dame Area comprises the Italian-Catalan duo Silvia Konstance and Viktor Lux Crux. They fuse industrial-tribal polyrhythms with minimalist synth basslines, drawing profound inspiration from avant-garde masters such as Esplendor Geometrico, Throbbing Gristle, Suicide, Einstürzende Neubauten, Can, Coil, Swans, Big Black, and Wolf Eyes.

This record represents a new phase in Dame Area's discography. It's a big step up in terms of sound, composition and ideas. This record it's the perfect representation of what they have been playing live the last three years and what most people know them for. Also it serves as a companion piece to 2022’s Toda la mentira sobre Dame Area ("All The Lies About Dame Area"), which had a stronger focus on melody, while this latest record is more aggressive and industrial-influenced, with a greater emphasis on percussion.

Tracks like the Suicide-influenced "Si no es hoy cuando es" and "Sempre Cambiare" are an onslaught of industrialism and experimentalism—formidable, volatile, and unpredictable avant-garde subversion. Silvia explains, "One of our biggest influences is doing what our influences wouldn't do. We're more into dynamics and structures atypical of electronic music, with changes in time signatures, starts and stops, and dynamics more typical of rock music. We use any musical idea from any genre. Some songs on the album are based on flamenco rhythms, others influenced by '60s experimental pop, heavy metal, or contemporary electronic music."

The confrontational "Vengo dall'aldilà" accelerates with heavy percussion, while "Tu me hiciste creer" builds into a rhythmic, transcendent noise of yelled vocals and hypnotic beats. Viktor adds, "This song took us more time to complete than any other we have recorded. It was a very organic process, evolving slowly from some instrumental percussive stuff we were doing live. Then we started using feedback as a rhythmic element (through a metallic sheet), and this was the first song where we incorporated this element, typical of noise-rock and experimental rock."

Elsewhere, "Esto Es Nuestro Ruido" represents a manic, eclectic form of contemporary industrial music, post-punk, and EBM. Silvia notes, "It's the first album we recorded outside a studio. Although we've been playing live with metallic percussion and floor tom from the very start, in the studio, with some exceptions, it was mostly sample-based until now. On Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area, all drums and almost all metallic percussion have been recorded live."

With a growing reputation as one of the best live bands around since their inception, Dame Area has toured extensively across Europe, performing at renowned festivals like Atonal, CTM, Nuits Sonores, Dour, and Fusion, as well as legendary clubs such as Berghain, Tresor, Apolo, and Spook Factory.

Recorded at Sol de Sants Studios and Estudio Hermetic between August and November 2023

Silvia Konstance: vocals, synths, percussions, electronics, production
Viktor L. Crux: synths, drums, percussions, electronics, production
Mixing and additional production by Guillermo Sánchez Rojo
Mastering by Paul Mac at Hardgroove Mastering
Designed by Leo Sousa
Photography by Fabio Calabretta
Photo concept by Dame Area

New Milestone AOR Album Release by Joseph Williams, Bill Champlin, and Peter Friestedt!

Exciting Collaboration: TOTO singer Joseph Williams teams up with former Chicago singer Bill Champlin and Swedish guitarist/producer Peter Friestedt for an exhilarating new milestone AOR release! This collaboration follows the immense success of their album "CWF II" and the "Live In Concert" DVD, which soared to the top of the Swedish charts.

Girls of the Internet’s Tom Kerridge announces the release of forthcoming album When I Was Lost, I Found Myself on Classic Music Company, Luke Solomon’s revered imprint. Following the acclaimed, self-released 2020 album ‘Girls FM’, ‘When I Was Lost, I Found Myself’ delves into a deeper and more personal journey for Tom. Spanning 12 blissed out genre-blending house records and featuring stellar vocalists such as Sadie Walker, Allysha Joy, shiv, ALLKNIGHT, Anelisa Lamola and more, Tom continues to demonstrate his innate ability to nurture talent and collaborate on this latest LP. With heavy support from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing, Girls of the Internet’s previous singles from the LP, in particular ‘Never Ever Ever’ featuring Irish singer-songwriter shiv (which also saw a remix from legendary producer Henrik Schwarz) have seen the group reach new heights in recent months. Selected as BBC Introducing’s Track of the Week, both ‘Never Ever Ever’ and the following garage-inspired ‘Gravity’ featuring ALLKNIGHT have formed a path laden with anticipation for the full LP. Girls of the Internet’s manifesto is clear; to create dance music that calls back to how it was made at its inception, but with the knowledge and experience of the past 50 years of the genre.

As the 21st century was born, so Kreator underwent what was nothing less than a seismic creative rebirth. By this time, the iconic German band had released nine studio albums in the 1980s and '90s, which had established them as one of the most important metal names of these decades.In the first period, they had helped to shape and pioneer the thrash scene through such releases as 'Pleasure To Kill' (1986), 'Terrible Certainty' ('87) and 'Extreme Aggression' ('89). During the following decade, the band had opened up exciting horizons of experimentation on albums like 'Coma Of Souls' (1990), 'Renewal' ('92) and 'Endorama' ('99).
Now, though, it was time to move into a fresh era, as vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza explains.
“During the 1990s, we were definitely experimenting with what the band were doing. But (drummer) Ventor and I decided that for this album – our first of the new millennium – we wanted to go back to the sort of sound that we had at the start of Kreator. In other words, to get back to the reason why we began the band in the first place.”

There was also new guitarist introduced, as Sami Yli-Sirniö (who had made his reputation with Finnish band Waltari) took over from Tommy Vetterli. The latter (also known as Tommy T. Baron) had joined in 1996 and played on the 'Oucast' (1997) and 'Endorama' albums.

The producer for this album was Andy Sneap, who was now making a name for himself as one of the pre-eminent masters of this art in the modern metal world.“I had known and liked Andy since the days he had been the guitarist in Sabbat, as they were signed to Noise Records as Kreator were on that label. He was our first choice to work on this new project. I liked what he'd done for Testament on their album 'The Gathering' (released in 1999). He had given them a sound they'd never had before, and that really was what we were after. It was natural and organic, and also very modern. I remember phoning him at his Backstage Studios in England (Ripley in Derbyshire). And Warrel Dane, the vocalist in Nevermore, answered. Andy was producing their new album at the time ('Dead Heart In A Dead World', 2000). And when I heard this, again I was very impressed. So, I was delighted when he agreed to produce the new Kreator album.”

The album title came from something Petrozza had read. “In a book I came across a comment that John F. Kennedy said (in 1962). This was: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable”. I thought 'Violent Revolution' would make a good title for an album. So, I kept it in my mind for this record. I think 'Violent Revolution' is a title that makes a real impact.”

One interesting aspect of the track listing was that the 52 second instrumental 'The Patriarch' actually came after the opening song 'Reconquering The Throne'. Fans might have been expected that it would have opened the album. But for Petrozza, there was a logical reason for this not to happen. “We really wanted to lead off with a thrashing track, to show everyone what we were now doing musically. After 'Endorama', it was important that everyone should recognise this was a new era for Kreator.”

'Violent Revolution' is without question an excellent album. While in some ways it does hark back to the glories of the band's earlier days, nonetheless it does not sound at all nostalgic. The performances and production values are very much part of the contemporary era, and the strength of the compositions themselves are of the highest values. Rising to the challenge offered by a new generation of ambitious metal bands, Kreator proved they were far from being a spent force. Unlike so many of their peers, here was a band who still had so much creativity to offer, and were also clearly excited themselves by what they were doing. And when you hear the band themselves enjoying the entire process, then you know this is a bona fide revitalisation.

American singer, songwriter and guitarist Boz Scaggs rose to fame in the 1970s with several top 20 hit singles in the United States. In 1976, he teamed up with a group of session musicians who would later form Toto and recorded his seventh album, Silk Degrees, which became a huge hit. The album reached #2 on the US Billboard 200, #1 in a number of countries around the world, and spawned three hit singles: “Lowdown,” “Lido Shuffle,” and “What Can I Say,” as well as the MOR standard “We’re All Alone,” which was later recorded by Rita Coolidge and Frankie Valli.

Silk Degrees is available as a limited edition of 750 copies on translucent blue coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

Phantastic Ferniture, the delightfully lightheaded project of Julia
Jacklin, Elizabeth Hughes, Ryan K Brennan and Tom Stephens,
release their self-titled debut album via Transgressive Records.
The mission is obvious: don't overthink it. These artists' shared
want to shake the shackles of their meticulously crafted solo
work to experience a second, giddy adolescence is evident in
the garage-pop perfection introduced today.
I'd gone straight into folk music,' says Jacklin, 'so every
experience I'd had on stage was playing sad music with a
guitar in my hand. I thought, I would love to know what it's like
to make people feel good and dance.'
Phantastic Ferniture's spiritual home may be the garage but
they were born in a bar, specifically the hallowed basement of
Frankie's Pizza in Sydney. One late night in 2014, on Jacklin's
birthday, a group hug manifested amid the pinball machines,
with all ten participants vowing to form a band. 'Only four of us
remembered the next day,' notes Hughes.
United by fern puns and a love of leisurewear, the band met up
whenever schedules would allow, writing songs and playing
smatterings of dates to an increasingly devoted audience.
Eventually it was decreed that this was no side project and an
album should follow. The result is one of the most enjoyable
albums of 2018. 'It feels really good,' Jacklin says with
satisfaction. 'It's like having an alter ego.'
A slice of defiant brilliance that feels effortless in its
execution.' - London In Stereo
LP pressed on pink vinyl with digital download code.
Press - Reviews in Clash, DIY, Q , Loud & Quiet, The Skinny. Radio - 6Music Lauren Laverne Track Of The Day
Online - DIY, Too Many Blogs, Most Radicalist, Giglist, London In
Stereo, Loud and Quiet, The Skinny, God Is In The TV Zine.

Die britischen Hardrocker Doomsday Outlaw präsentieren ihre beiden Alben "Suffer More" (2016, Frontiers) und "Hard Times" (2018, Frontiers) in neu abgemischten, remasterten REDUX-Versionen, betreut von Dave Draper (The Wildhearts, Terrorvision). Zwei Alben vollgepackt mit ihrem typischen Sabbath-meets-Clutch-Riffing, gepaart mit gefühlvollen Vocals, die Geschichten von Herzschmerz und Erlösung erzählen. "Suffer More" erscheint erstmals auf Vinyl, "Hard Times" enthält einen vorher Japan-exklusiven Bonustrack. Mit neuem Artwork und ausführlichen Linernotes von Mike Hayes (Cheap Trick). Remixed. Remastered. Reborn. Redux.

“I am OBSESSED with the 80s. I love the loud neon colours and fashion and the kinetic energy of the music. It’s uplifting and bittersweet with a ton of keyboards, what’s not to like?” reasons Morgane when asked what it is she likes about the decade. This exuberance is brightly reflected in the mirror ball synthpop of her third album released at the end of September. It is her second long player to appear on vinyl after the release of Between The Funk And The Fear debut on the Polytechnic Youth label.

Morgane was the keyboard player in Stereolab between 1995 and 2001 during which time they released Emperor Tomato Ketchup (her favourite) and Dots And Loops. As a teenager though she first played the drums, then guitar and bass. She only learnt the keyboards one month before joining the group. “They gave me 40 songs to learn, it was a baptism of fire”.

After leaving Stereolab, Morgane first moved to New York for nine years; she’d always planned to move to America having spent a lot of time there with her parents and of course those space-pop pioneers. The warmer weather of LA enticed her though and you can hear its pulse in Day-Glo Chaos. The album’s thumping heart is pumped by the city’s night sky and when asked she cites three particular albums as her favourites: the oddball analogue electro of Jacno’s 1979 debut; John Carpenter’s ‘Escape From New York’ and The B-52’s ‘Cosmic Thing’. There’s also a strong nod to the playful computerised harmonies of Yellow Magic Orchestra whilst she’s somewhat partial to the synth prog of Yes and Soft Machine. “I actually created a synth on Ableton Live named after Rick Wakeman’. I should create one after Mike Ratledge next!”

Throughout her work (but especially on this record) you can hear the influence of computer games. “I’m an avid gamer and have been one since I was a teenager and fell in love with my Commodore 64”. Though not a fan of Hotline Miami or the GTA series (“too violent”) she liked Hang On and loved Outrun which she used to play a lot on her Sega Master System. “I just got the soundtrack reissue from Data Disc and it is beautiful” she enthuses.

You’ll see and hear such influences on the lead single from the album ‘Midnite Rogue’ the video to which pays (im)perfect juddering homage to such arcade culture. Car tyres glued to sticky tarmac, French pop music lost in the air. The title was inspired by a Fighting Fantasy book which she adored as a kid. “I love the idea of this entity causing mischief during night time”, she beams. It’s not hard to see why.

New Milestone AOR Album Release by Joseph Williams, Bill Champlin, and Peter Friestedt!

Exciting Collaboration: TOTO singer Joseph Williams teams up with former Chicago singer Bill Champlin and Swedish guitarist/producer Peter Friestedt for an exhilarating new milestone AOR release! This collaboration follows the immense success of their album "CWF II" and the "Live In Concert" DVD, which soared to the top of the Swedish charts.

This album is about memories. About a feeling of nostalgia and longing, both beautifully comforting and devastating. It is an attempt to transform an unspoken sensation of the past to a solid object serving the future, an urge to remember and hold onto moments that we can't keep forever. On the 6th of October 2023, the release date of her third solo album ‘Ghosts’, Hania performed a very special album release concert with a string ensemble in a uniquely special location - Witold Lutosławski's Concert Studio at the Polish Radio in Warsaw. Over the years, the spaces of Polish Radio have become an important part of Hania’s life - both privately and professionally.

Visiting for the first time as a student of Chopin University of Music and returning to make her first recordings in late 2018, just before the release of the debut album ‘Esja’. It was also in these studios that Hania recorded her Live from Studio 2 video and EP. But whereas that featured a much-loved solo performance, for this very special recording from the larger Studio 1, Hania is joined by her regular collaborator Ziemowit Klimek on double bass and moog as well as a luxurious eight-piece string ensemble featuring Karolina Gutowska violin Jan Pietkiewicz violin Marta Piórkowska violin, Paweł Czarny viola, Tomasz Rosiński viola, Dobrawa Czocher cello, Marianna Sikorska cello, Mateusz Błaszczak cello.
Beautifully mixed by Greg Freeman in Berlin the music takes on a new life as Hania’s ethereal vocals, beautiful playing and exhilarating compositions are brought fully to life by the beautiful sweeping strings of the expanded ensemble. The concert is included here in its entirety with the addition of one beautiful extra performance – the title track ‘Nostalgia’ a beautiful interpretation of a much-loved piece from the Ghosts album taken from her concert at the Roundhouse in London. In addition the LP features a beautiful 16 page booklet of photographs of the Polish radio studios taken by Hania herself and featuring her thoughts on the recording, studios and the compositions themselves and the CD includes the photos in a beautiful glued in 12 page booklet.

On March 24, 2023 Rob Mazurek assembled his endlessly psychedelic and explorative large ensemble Exploding Star Orchestra under the dome of Chicago’s Adler Planetarium to perform material from their recently released album Lightning Dreamers along with a number of new pieces.

A digital projection flashed an ever-changing stream of vividly colored, abstract shapes derived from Mazurek’s paintings and animations over the audience’s heads, while the Orchestra, which on this night numbered eight musicians besides its leader, transformed the stylistically disparate pieces from Lightning Dreamers into an enveloping maelstrom. Electric pianists Angelica Sanchez and Craig Taborn pushed layers of plush texture back and forth over the intricate, tripartite grooves of bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and two drummers, Chad Taylor and Gerald Cleaver. Mazurek’s trumpets and wordless cries, Tomeka Reid’s cello and Nicole Mitchell’s flute and voice periodically surfaced out of the flow, issuing sharp, energetic statements, while Damon Locks’ proclamations flickered in and out of the mix like an erratic signal from some interstellar radio announcer. Together, they reimagined the brooding sound of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew as a force for transcendent uplift.

At one point, Mitchell put down her flute, spoke into Mazurek’s ear and pointed up to toward the dome. As he looked up, his own horn came down, and for a moment, the two of them gazed with undisguised awe at the spectacle that the Orchestra had unleashed. In a time when so many forces conspire to bring people down, this concert was an invitation to look up and out past the horizon.

Rob Woodward, AKA Demetae, dons his Tasteless Talk alias for the first time for the ‘Love’s Destination’ EP on La Mano’s Sound Du Jour label. Alongside the single, Woodward is joined by PBR Streetgang and 1⁄2 of PBR Streetgang, Magari, for the remixes. It follows Demetae’s recent ‘Space-time Sleaze’ EP on Sound Du Jour, which won support from Chloé, Mufti, Captain Mustache, Posthuman, and many more.

As Tasteless Talk, Demetae writes 80s-inspired Italo, Disco and Electro Funk, lacing the ‘Love’s Destination’ single on Sound Du Jour with retro synths and the passionate vocals of vocalist MILLICENT. Bodied drums hang down low, airy melodies and nostalgia-rich lyrics at the forefront before Bonar Bradberry and Tom Thorpe’s PBR Streetgang remix the track. Their version ups the energy via an organic breakbeat and layers of additional harmonies while maintaining MILLICENT’s timeless vocal. Bradberry then goes solo for the final track on the EP as Magari, his Scena Finale mix of ‘Love’s Destination’ features bold rhythms, chugging bass and an EBM-tinged feel.

The EP has gained the support of many respected artists such as Solomon, Groove Armada and Claptone. Love’s Destination is expected to be the perfect sound to serenade the closing of the summer season.