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"NY Psychedelic Art Rock!

Touted as the “new Doors,” Ars Nova’s second release shows the band genre-bending jazz and heavy psychedelia in a style that’s their own. Shifting from a largely classical centric sound, this was the group’s last album before going their separate ways. Pressed on pink vinyl!

Sunshine & Shadows takes the baroque-meets-psych sound of the debut and turns a bit more to the psych side. The stately brass interludes are gone, but horns still figure prominently in the mix. There’s some jazzy New Orleans flavor to a couple of the tunes, albeit twisted into a 7/4 vamp on “You Had Better Listen.”

The instrumentalists in the band, featuring trumpet and trombone, really give the music a unique flavor, setting them apart from the multitudes of other American psych bands. Ars Nova might be likened to Ultimate Spinach (but without the overly serious, pretentious lyrics) or later Zombies (though with less emphasis on the keyboards).

It’s all very well written and nicely played, and when they do a tender ballad like “Temporary Serenade,” the acoustic guitar is very lute-like, much more along the lines of classical than folk (like the later work of Jan Akkerman with Focus), and the trumpet descant adds a lovely spice.

“Well, Well, Well” is the heaviest rock tune in their repertoire, with a great electric guitar riff and hot organ playing, again set apart by trombone and trumpet. This one is definitely worth seeking out for baroque pop fans."

"NY Psychedelic Art Rock!

Touted as the “new Doors,” Ars Nova’s second release shows the band genre-bending jazz and heavy psychedelia in a style that’s their own. Shifting from a largely classical centric sound, this was the group’s last album before going their separate ways. Pressed on pink vinyl!

Sunshine & Shadows takes the baroque-meets-psych sound of the debut and turns a bit more to the psych side. The stately brass interludes are gone, but horns still figure prominently in the mix. There’s some jazzy New Orleans flavor to a couple of the tunes, albeit twisted into a 7/4 vamp on “You Had Better Listen.”

The instrumentalists in the band, featuring trumpet and trombone, really give the music a unique flavor, setting them apart from the multitudes of other American psych bands. Ars Nova might be likened to Ultimate Spinach (but without the overly serious, pretentious lyrics) or later Zombies (though with less emphasis on the keyboards).

It’s all very well written and nicely played, and when they do a tender ballad like “Temporary Serenade,” the acoustic guitar is very lute-like, much more along the lines of classical than folk (like the later work of Jan Akkerman with Focus), and the trumpet descant adds a lovely spice.

“Well, Well, Well” is the heaviest rock tune in their repertoire, with a great electric guitar riff and hot organ playing, again set apart by trombone and trumpet. This one is definitely worth seeking out for baroque pop fans."

Soul Mama #1 struts and shouts over wham-bam drumming and jerky, quirky blues guitar. Destined to have all the kids screaming.

"15 sizzlin’ surf guitar cuts recorded at the crest of the genre! Brothers Richard and Thomas Frost, more known for their work as Powder, shred through these surf-rockin’ standards – all tucked away until now!

Turning in a smoking rendition of studio guitarist Jan Davis’ “The Fugitive,” later covered by the Ventures (and much later, Laika & the Cosmonauts), they also lay down a hot version of “Opus Twist” – also by way of the Ventures, written by Tommy Allsup and J.I. Allison of the Crickets. Three other instrumentals came from the Let’s Hide Away & Dance Away With Freddy King album: “San-Ho-Zay,” “Just Pickin’,” and “Sen-Sa-Shun.” He delivers a lovely “Sleep Walk” sans Santo & Johnny’s steel guitar, and converts pianist Floyd Cramer’s “Last Date” to guitar.

Balancing out the program are live tracks from Big Al’s Gas House in neighboring Belmont, showing the emergence of British Invasion along with credible renditions of R&B warhorses “Linda Lu” and “Come On.” “Route 66” is obviously the Stones version, with Rich playing the Keith Richards guitar solo – “and ‘Roll Over Beethoven,’ you could tell it was the Beatles’ version because my guitar licks are George Harrison.”

Vividly illustrating the band’s meld of R&B and surf are the two versions of “San-Ho-Zay” – the relaxed groove in the bedroom versus the furious live rave. Lord knows what’s going on in “The Fight” – a typical set-opening/closing riff breaking up a brawl?

Though they never released even a 45, these live cuts and “Bedroom Tapes” prove without a doubt that they’d have been up to the task had the opportunity presented itself."

Electronic music composer David Morley returns to De:tuned with the live recorded 'Fashion' EP. In the early 90s Belgian fashion designer Dirk Bikkembergs reached out to David Morley to ask if he could create a special piece of music for the Paris Fashion Week. The 'Fashion - Show' DAT tape recording radiates the energy of David's thrilling live performance and captures an exciting synergy of art and music during an era that shaped an entire generation.

Kevin Foakes (Openmind, DJ Food, Ninja Tune) created all the graphic work. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops. Stay tuned!

Electronic music composer David Morley returns to De:tuned with the live recorded 'Fashion' EP. In the early 90s Belgian fashion designer Dirk Bikkembergs reached out to David Morley to ask if he could create a special piece of music for the Paris Fashion Week. The 'Fashion - Show' DAT tape recording radiates the energy of David's thrilling live performance and captures an exciting synergy of art and music during an era that shaped an entire generation.

Kevin Foakes (Openmind, DJ Food, Ninja Tune) created all the graphic work. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops. Stay tuned!

Acclaimed electronic music artist Rhys Fulber returns to Sonic Groove with his latest album, "Balance Of Fear". Once again, Rhys delivers a masterfully crafted selection of eight songs that seamlessly blend techno, industrial, electro, and EBM elements, layered with thought-provoking atmospheric melodies. The album serves as a soundtrack for navigating through dark times, decaying cultures, the misuse of technology, the erosion of social structures, manipulated spirituality, and the consequences of disaster capitalism. To stay afloat in these turbulent floodwaters, one requires a "Balance of Fear".

At the frayed bottom-edge of Indiana - just a moderate bike ride north of Louisville, Kentucky - multi-instrumentalist, artist and songwriter Ryan Davis' Americana-noir soundwaves have been emanating for years in a myriad of forms. As driving force for the lauded State Champion, long-running member of Tropical Trash, administrator of the esoteric and excellent Cropped Out festival, and lone proprietor of the Sophomore Lounge label, Davis lays down his first proper 'solo' release with Dancing On The Edge, a rich, 2LP tapestry of tunes that absolutely glows over seven expansive cuts. It's a pure collage of modernity and heritage. Recorded in early 2023 with help both in-studio and remotely from peers like Joan Shelley, Catherine Irwin (Freakwater), Will Lawrence (Felice Brothers, Gun Outfit, John Early), Jenny Rose (Giving Up), Christopher May (Mail the Horse), Elisabeth Fuchsia (Footings, Bonnie "Prince" Billy), and Aaron Rosenblum (Son of Earth, Sapat), the results herein are melancholic, gentle, minimal yet colorful in mood: a lilting highway accompaniment of crisp instrumentation and a relaxed, amiable approach to vocals with rhapsodic wordsmithery. Fans of the aforementioned artists as well as those of Souled American, David Berman, Kurt Vile and 'Comes A Time'-era Neil should all easily find bounty. While bare-boned and uncluttered in presentation, many of these pieces track over 6 minutes allowing a fair amount of expansiveness. Dancing On The Edge stares down into the navel of the American Experience underbelly with a fair amount of outward reach. Besides the Kosmische-synth and violin stabs reaching into a European element, stately organ swells build a musical bridge between 1969 Southern California and Felt's latter era smooth moves, with layers of intelligent gesture taking this well beyond the realm of its archetypal indie troubadour/acoustic songwriter tag. Music and mint juleps never went down so well together." Originally released via Ryan's own label, Sophomore Lounge, in the US late 2023, it picked up some incredible reviews: best of 2023 in both Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, 9/10 lead review in Uncut, and a raft of other notable publications. "This is the sound of someone bearing a torch." - Bill Callahan (Smog) - RIYL Silver Jews, BPB, Lambchop, Cass McCoombs, Sparklehorse.

Neunzehn pointierte Betrachtungen zu allen möglichen und unmöglichen Aspekten des Lebens, und das in unter 44 Minuten: Tempo, verzerrte Powerchords und eingängige Melodien sind die Hauptzutaten für den GRUSS AUS DER KÜCHE, das neue Album von Ernte 77. Die Songs sind wieder kürzer geworden, die Ideendichte dafür höher. Ohne Verschnaufpause geht es von einem lyrischen Mikrokosmos zum nächsten, während sich notorisch durch die (nicht nur) Punk-Historie zitiert wird. Das Album ist eine bandtypische Gratwanderung zwischen harmonischen Refrains und anstrengendem Gekreische. Ernte 77 ziehen in DIY-Manier unbeirrt weiter ihr Ding durch und bleiben deshalb eine der eigensten Punkbands, im besten Sinne des Wortes.

Originally released in 1990, Royal Trux's 'Twin Infinitives' is being re-issued in all its (yet to be translated) alien glory, by Fire Records. A dismantled overture that sprawls out over two records, an avant-garde masterpiece that was the spark for Drag City Records and generations of new sound seeking musicians. Hailed in the same immortal breath as Beefheart's 'Trout Mask Replica', the Velvets' at their frenzied peak and Ornette Coleman at his most avant-garde, the duo of Pussy Galore's Neil "Michael" Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema recorded 'Twin Infinitives' while imbibing all kinds of mind-altering substances to create an inadvertent blueprint for what the duo was building with moog's, guitars and melodicas to name a few ingredients. It is the legendary second album from the masters of the genre mashup - long before "genre mashups" even existed. Arguably, the term "mashup" was coined to describe what Trux, as they subconsciously scrolled through the radio stations of their lives. The album's chaotic sound and offbeat construction laid the foundations for a string of Royal Trux albums that spiralled between genres, tunings, and noise. Through the 90s they would re-invent the rock 'n' roll ethic, straddle alien surf music, re-align boogie rock, not to mention 80s hair metal, and confound critics by their wildly meandering and courageous rites of passage. Remastered as part of a career spanning catalogue deal with Fire Records. The infamous and influential duo of Jennifer Herrema and Neil Hagerty will be delving into the archive with a comprehensive reissue series, unearthing the vaults and revisiting what made them such a compelling benchmark for their contemporaries and imitators. Reawakening their prolific output within a new monochrome vinyl series covering 1988-1993, they begin with their seminal deconstructed rock masterpiece Twin Infinitives. "Sounding like a subway ride inside a television inside an earthquake inside the end of the world and a pounding death rhythm of apocalyptic now." Pitchfork Ltd Double Silver Vinyl, Monochrome edition artwork, DL card.

In March 2023, @ turned heads with their debut album Mind Palace Music that utilized an array of acoustic instrumentation and densely layered harmonies, like the great outsider folk records of the 60s and 70s and placed it in a modern setting. If Mind Palace Music was @ playing on story mode, their new EP Are You There God? It’s Me, @ is the darker, stranger side quest.
Mind Palace Music was written in very specific circumstances. The band was formed while they were confined to their homes during quarantine — Victoria Rose in Philadelphia and Stone Filipczak in Baltimore — exchanging musical sketches over iMessage and email. Even though the world has opened back up and they’ve been able to play together live, this EP was again created remotely while in their respective cities. What did change, however, was the production.
Are You There God? It’s Me, @ is @’s foray into electronic music — consisting primarily of software instrumentation (with the occasional flute, guitar or bass part sprinkled in). The band’s experience producing in this style was minimal, but they found the new process to be a rewarding exercise allowing them to explore new textures and structures made possible by computer music. Where their previous acoustic recordings had a looser and more human feel, these new songs allowed them to experiment with autotune and quantized beats. Rose was able to resurrect her passion for classical choir by singing and recording a capella vocal arrangements to be incorporated into Filipczak’s instrumentals.
Across five songs, @ call upon a higher power, as the title suggests, in search of fulfillment. While they try to remain hopeful, daily suffering casts doubt on whether that high power even exists. On “Soul Hole,” overtop an autotuned vocal loop and hyper-pop-esque production, Rose repeats “I’m going to the soul hole and I’m never coming back,” hoping to leave behind the material world and the desires that comes with it. “Webcrawler,” named after the pioneering search engine, might be considered Are You There God?’s epic. @ sees their search for meaning in life akin to how search engines pull together data from all over the internet to find answers. The music itself is even reminiscent of dial-up internet connection, with droning keys and machine-like drum programming until overheating and erupting into chaos, in the form of heavy-metal shredding, only to cool down again back on a loading screen.
While the band confesses the departure from their usual sound may only be temporary, it’s an exciting listen full of twists and turns that surprised even themselves. “We’re both really dramatic in our musical sensibilities and don’t shy away from ridiculous choices,” Rose recalls, “which can really be exaggerated when working mostly with electronic sounds.” Full of soul searching and sonic experimentation, Are You There God? It’s Me, @ is an encapsulating spiritual saga for the digital age.

Antibody presents this new opus by Berlin based Japanese artist Tot Onyx (Tommi Tokyo, formerly of group A).» Satire Of Desire« is her second solo album to date. Here, performance and sound art meet post-industrial deconstructivism. It’s radical, ferocious, wonderfully free and powerful.

Written under the covid-19 pandemic, "Satire Of Desire" is her radical criticism on the man-made catastrophe and sonic response to the cacotopic world that seemed less realistic than the surreal dreams of flying turtles. »My dreams started to become more realistic than the empty streets of Berlin. That's when I began wondering the difference between dream and reality, conscious and subconscious, how we distinguish them and what that even means. That was the beginning of creating this album. The beginning of the future i was unwillingly stepping into.«

Dalton Alexander is a multi-instrumentalist, field recordist & songwriter from Whitehorse in Yukon, Canada. "Almost Home If I'm Still Alive" is his proper debut album. Recorded in forests, fields, backyards, streets, and rooms between 2016 - 2023.

The 8th full length studio album from RJD2! You may know him from the Mad Men theme. Or "Deadringer". Or those commercials and shows and movies and such. You may not even know the name, but you surely know the tunes. Well into his third decade in the game, RJD2 refuses to let his foot off the gas with quality albums. Ever so funky, mysterious, and quirkily soulful, "Visions Out Of Limelight" continues his tradition of making records free your mind, and you know what will follow. Featuring vocals from the legendary Jamie Lidell, long time collaborator Jordan Brown, and even one song by the man himself, this album is sure to satisfy longtime fans and those new to the party alike.

Remixed and remastered reissue of the legendary ORQUESTA DEL DESIERTO sophomore album. Unable to tour as a group due to commitments to other projects but fueled by the success of the debut release, Brown immediately turned to booking another recording session for the band. Hoping to further expand the group's dynamic sound, Brown and Stahl solicited song contributions from Mike Riley and Country Mark Engel for the second album. While the core of Brown, Stahl, Riley, Engel and Lalli remained intact for the second session, the group's diverse approach benefitted from the addition of drummer Adam Maples (earthlings?) and percussionist/drummer Pete Davidson. Additionally, the group was joined at famed Joshua Tree studio Rancho de la Luna by pianist Tim Jones and Bill Barrett on trumpet.

Green vinyl, limited to 350 copies. Remixed and remastered reissue of the legendary ORQUESTA DEL DESIERTO sophomore album. Unable to tour as a group due to commitments to other projects but fueled by the success of the debut release, Brown immediately turned to booking another recording session for the band. Hoping to further expand the group's dynamic sound, Brown and Stahl solicited song contributions from Mike Riley and Country Mark Engel for the second album. While the core of Brown, Stahl, Riley, Engel and Lalli remained intact for the second session, the group's diverse approach benefitted from the addition of drummer Adam Maples (earthlings?) and percussionist/drummer Pete Davidson. Additionally, the group was joined at famed Joshua Tree studio Rancho de la Luna by pianist Tim Jones and Bill Barrett on trumpet.

Everyone associates Liverpool with the Beat Boom – and that particular wave was led by groups, not solo artists. But Billy Fury is the shining exception. Born Ronald Wycherley on Merseyside in 1941, he was very much in tune with the American Rock’n’Roll that had turned the music world upside-down and, in the late Fifties, was a very credible response to ‘authentic’ American stars like Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson and Elvis. This LP illustrates the two sides of Fury – the dedicated rock’n’roller whose music stood up to comparison with the American pioneers, and the Pop-chart act his record label wanted him to be.

Doo-Wop was and remains the most accessible of popular music formats. You don’t need instruments, just tuneful voices, the ability to harmonise and a street corner on which to perform. Over 10,000 different vocal outfits are estimated to have recorded in the Fifties – be they black, white, Italian or Hispanic. Only a few practitioners like Dion DiMucci, lead singer with the Belmonts, would outlast the phenomenon to bloom in subsequent decades, but Doo-Wop’s legacy would remain. In this collection, you will discover the foundations of popular music as we know it. From coast to coast, Doo-Wop ruled the Fifties – here it is at its very best!

"Today! is Skip James’ second album, originally released in 1966. The album features James solo on all but one track, “How Long,” which includes Russ Savakus on bass. This 180-gram LP pressed at QRP includes an obi with notes by Scott Billington, a paper-wrapped jacket and (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. AllMusic asserts, “wonderful vocals, superb guitar and a couple of tunes with tasty piano make this essential.” "

Dark Distorted Signals proudly presents their 50st release: "Ordin Air - Ordinize" with a sampler vinyl, including 3 tracks, and a full album, 10 tracks as a cd and via downloadcode, all in one sealed package.
The digital release is also available on all mayor platforms. The vinyl comes as a black and white splatter. That same graphical theme extends to the layout of the cd. This special release is of the hand of Ordin Air, who again delivers his craftsmanschip in melodic techno. Hint: for those who bought the fysical package, look for the hidden gemns!
This full album is not a retrospective of himself, nor of the label. But all tracks combined are like a milestone, a beacon for those who need a textbook example of true dark melodic techno. Each track is unique and independently playable and essential for any DJ who wants to play relevant music. These are power tools! Play it loud!

Chelsea Wolfes siebtes Album, Nachpressung in Lavendel Eco Vinyl, LP in Klappcover mit 12seitigem Text-Booklet & DLC! Chelsea Wolfe hat schon immer eine kraftvolle Energie ausgestrahlt, und obwohl sie die Fähigkeit bewiesen hat, diese düstere Schönheit in eine Vielzahl von Formen zu kanalisieren, ist ihr Talent als Songwriterin nie offensichtlicher, als wenn sie ihre Songs auf ein paar Schlüsselkomponenten reduziert. Das Ergebnis ist, dass ihre feierliche Majestät und bedrohliche Eleganz auf Birth of Violence stärker denn je ist.Es gibt ein Kernelement in Chelsea Wolfes Musik - eine Art dringlicher Drehung des amerikanischen Trostlosigkeitsblues -, das sich durch ihre gesamte Karriere zieht. Im Zentrum stehen seit jeher Wolfes wehmütige Sehnsucht und ihre betörende Ernsthaftigkeit, auch wenn sich der Rahmen für die Kompositionen ständig weiterentwickelt hat, je nachdem, welche Ressourcen zur Verfügung standen. Ihre nüchternen Anfänge wurden nach und nach durch Elektronik ergänzt und mit Arrangements für die ganze Band ausgefüllt. Die Musik wurde immer dichter und konzentrierte sich mehr auf Live-Auftritte. Ihr Album, Birth of Violence, ist eine Rückkehr zur Zurückgezogenheit ihrer früheren Aufnahmen.

Nachpressung: Cloudy Red & Clear 2LP, Vinylversion im Klappcover, mit bedruckten Innenhüllen, Etching auf D-Seite & DLC! "The reigning dark priestess of goth-scarred art rock." - Rolling Stone "Hiss Spun" ist das sechste Album von CHELSEA WOLFE und der Nachfolger des 2015 gefeierten "Abyss". Aufgenommen von Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE) wurde das Album als emotionale Säuberung konzipiert, ein Mittel, sich mit dem Tumult der Außenwelt auseinanderzusetzen, indem es die Komplexität der inneren Unruhen erforscht. "Ich bin im Widerspruch zu mir", erklärt sie. "Ich war es Leid zu versuchen zu verschwinden, deshalb wurde das Album sehr persönlich. Ich wollte mich mehr öffnen, aber auch meine eigene Realität schaffen." "Hiss Spun" bietet außerdem prominente Gitarrenbeiträge von Troy Van Leeuwen (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, FAILURE) und einen Gastauftritt auf "Vex" von Aaron Turner (OLD MAN GLOOM, SUMAC). Während frühere Alben wie ,The Grime And The Glow" und ,Unknown Rooms" auf der Intimität reduzierter Folk Musik basierten oder wie bei ,Pain Is Beauty" und ,Abyss" mit dem pochenden Puls ergänzender Elektronik operierten, wartet ,Hiss Spun" mit einer Palette von ächzendem Bass, hämmerndem Schlagzeug und krachender Verzerrung auf. Einen Teil seiner Aura zog es aus dem kalten Weiß des Winters in Neuengland, obwohl das Herz des Albums aus den Umwälzungen in WOLFEs persönlichem Leben entstand und ihre Verwundbarkeit, Wut, Selbstzerstörung und dunkle Familiengeschichte preisgibt. "Das Album ist zyklisch, genauso wie ich und meine Stimmungen", sagt sie. Es stellt für die Sängerin eine Art Exorzismus ihrer selbst dar.

Octet supergroup lead by Eric Quach aka Thisquietarmy. Including 3 drummers, guitar, synth & brass players (who also play in bands such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Exhaust, Hanged Up, Avec Le Soleil Sortant De Sa Bouche & more); Pangea De Futura brings together the merged and emerging territories of Montreal's exploratory music scene.

War Milk is the debut studio album from the supergroup Pangea de Futura, an octet that has been exploring since 2019, the many ways of - slowly - constructing massive textural musical shapes and droning tribal post-rock ambiances. Each track simultaneously encapsulates its structure emerging from and within a flux, alongside its impending entropy, creating a suspended moment. This intense experience is crafted through the combined rhythmic contributions of Aidan Girt, Eric Craven, Samuel Bobony, the merging brass arrangements of Véronique Janosy, Reüel Ordoñez, Neboysha Rakic, the electronic textures provided by Charles Bussières, and the intense drones / soundscapes created by Eric Quach's guitar playing. Eight musicians, involved - in total - in some fifty projects from the Montreal scene (a.o. : Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Silver Mt. Zion, Fly Pan Am, Some Became Hollow Tube, HRSTA, BLD, Black Givre, Avec le Soleil Sortant de sa Bouche...)

Earth, Water, Air, Fire... the genesis of a complex and perpetually evolving life.

The mercurial talent that is SW. back in the building with a new album, and if it weren’t already apparent, OYSTER45 goes some way to assert his place in the pantheon of pioneering producers. In fact, nobody can question his position right at the vanguard of forward-facing dancefloor dynamics.

myDEFINITION part II catches the SUED co-founder as vital as ever. Keeping it on that dusty, low-key flex that has long been his trademark, it harnesses ingenuity to conjure some of the most intriguing gear you’re likely to hear from a limited studio setup. Gone are the hi-tek jazz and ambient flourishes of the near-mythical ‘Untiled’ album, opting, instead, for pure dancefloor headiness. Precision-tooled breakbeats, opulent IDM cybernetics, tuff bleep n’ bass and late nite electro across 10 distinct trax.

Side quests into more abstract realms are fleeting. Dappled melodies evoke warmth in hues of pink and orange but any ambient-dub ephemera quickly dissipates into the peripheries in favour of club-ready pressure. The spectre of mid-‘90s dance music looms large but the SW. blueprint, with its captivating free-form approach, spins those vintage tropes into a distinct sound unto itself. Masterful, cinematic and hallucinatory.

Often drawing comparisons with B12’s seminal brand of ambient techno, SW. will surely be a stylistic reference point in his own right for years to come. Such is the indelible influence he has cast on contemporary electronic music.

“I GOT A FEELING” was penned by Holland/Dozier/Holland for the Four Tops and first appeared on their 1966 album On Top. Great as that is – what’s not to like about the Four Tops – it is Ms. Randolph’s 1967 cover, and debut Motown recording, that stole the hearts of the emerging Northern Soul scene at the turn of the Seventies. A non-hit at the time, it has come to represent the sound that underpins and defines a Northern Soul dance record. Almost sixty years on it still fills the floor, compelling young and old to spin, stomp or shuffle to its joyous beat.

Our flip-side – “My Love Is Your Love (Forever)” – is best known by the Isley Brothers and is perhaps the most treasured of their rare soul recordings (also available from Outta Sight, SEV014). Barbara’s unreleased take was completely unknown to the scene until Universal America unleashed it as a digital download in 2015.

Barbara Randolph only released two singles for Motown on their Soul imprint. Perhaps Berry Gordy couldn’t see past her acting career? Whatever the reasoning at the time, a further 15+ songs were recorded and sadly remained in the vault until after Barbara’s passing in 2002.

One can hardly imagine the genre-busting, culture-crossing musical magic of Outkast, Prince, Erykah Badu, Rick James, The Roots, or even the early Red Hot Chili Peppers without the influence of R&B pioneer Betty Davis. Her style of raw and revelatory punk-funk defies any notions that women can’t be visionaries in the worlds of rock and pop. In recent years, rappers from Ice Cube to Talib Kweli to Ludacris have rhymed over her intensely strong but sensual music.



There is one testimonial about Betty Davis that is universal: she was a woman ahead of her time. In our contemporary moment, this may not be as self-evident as it was thirty years ago – we live in an age that’s been profoundly changed by flamboyant flaunting of female sexuality: from Parlet to Madonna, Lil Kim to Kelis. Yet, back in 1973 when Betty Davis first showed up in her silver go-go boots, dazzling smile and towering Afro, who could you possibly have compared her to? Marva Whitney had the voice but not the independence. Labelle wouldn’t get sexy with their “Lady Marmalade” for another year while Millie Jackson wasn’t Feelin’ Bitchy until 1977. Even Tina Turner, the most obvious predecessor to Betty’s fierce style wasn’t completely out of Ike’s shadow until later in the decade.



Ms. Davis’s unique story, still sadly mostly unknown, is unlike any other in popular music. Betty wrote the song “Uptown” for the Chambers Brothers before marrying Miles Davis in the late ’60s, influencing him with psychedelic rock, and introducing him to Jimi Hendrix — personally inspiring the classic album Bitches Brew.



But her songwriting ability was way ahead of its time as well. Betty not only wrote every song she ever recorded and produced every album after her first, but the young woman penned the tunes that got The Commodores signed to Motown. The Detroit label soon came calling, pitching a Motown songwriting deal, which Betty turned down. Motown wanted to own everything. Heading to the UK, Marc Bolan of T. Rex urged the creative dynamo to start writing for herself. A common thread throughout Betty’s career would be her unbending Do-It-Yourself ethic, which made her quickly turn down anyone who didn’t fit with the vision. She would eventually say no to Eric Clapton as her album producer, seeing him as too banal.



Her 1974 sophomore album They Say I’m Different features a worthy-of-framing futuristic cover challenging David Bowie’s science fiction funk with real rocking soul-fire, kicked off with the savagely sexual “Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him” (later sampled by Ice Cube). Her follow up is full of classic cuts like “Don’t Call Her No Tramp” and the hilarious, hard, deep funk of “He Was A Big Freak.”

With Pere Ubu on hiatus since 1982’s excellent ‘Song Of The Bailing Man’, David Thomas had recorded a` much-praised solo album and the band had now signed to a major label. In a period of rampant world commercialism, what would happen next? Another crucial era for the band unravelled, Pere Ubu’s journey charted new undulating territory and so began a three-album escapade that retooled our understanding of what pop music is. “Solid as the band can be, it's also likely to dissolve songs from the bottom up. For all Pere Ubu's uncertainty, the band isn't arbitrary; its music has the off-the-wall unity of a Marx Brothers routine,” said Jon Pareles of The New York Times. In 1991, ‘Worlds In Collision’ became “the most atmospheric, carefully sculpted recording in the band's 13-album catalog.” (Tom Moon, Spin).

Reflets de ses voyages, reflets de ses imaginaires, et figures tutélaires, notre bagpacker préféré prend un peu plus la route du western africain avec ses synthétiseurs comme unique boussole . Le fil rouge qui s'impose rapidement à lui c'est cet instrument qui
a traversé les siècles : le balafon. Il invite également leseprésentant.es du monde moderne, icône de la scène afro électronique à participer à l'écriture de cet incroyable deuxième album .


La production débute en novembre 2022 par une résidence à Korhogo, au nord de la Côte d'Ivoire. À cette occasion, Praktika invite le balafoniste burkinabé Innocent Kimpe pour sept jours de jam session. La transe s’opère et se matérialise dans 4 tracks aux sonorités très organiques.

Le voyage se poursuit par la rencontre avec le grand balafoniste malien Lansiné Kouyaté (Kouyaté & Neerman,Salif Keita, Fatoumata Diawara, Damon Albarn…).

Dans une atmosphère plus soutenue, techno de détroit et touches acides viennent colorer le timbre des lames de bois de vène, donnant vie à deux nouveaux morceaux.

Reprenant ses recherches, Praktika découvre par hasard l’existence de Zélé de Papara, chanteuse ivoirienne des années 90 méconnue du grand public, dont la voix et l’histoire singulière éveillent sa curiosité.
De retour à Abidjan, il propose à la chanteuse Jahelle ainsi qu’à la rare griotte Burkinabé Dafra Keita de poser chacune leur voix sur un morceau en hommage à la chanteuse Zélé de Papara, la cantatrice Sénoufo.

Nourri de l’énergie des rencontres, il collabore enfin avec Sly A 10, ancien batteur de (Tiken Jah Fakoly) et grand percussionniste en Côte d'Ivoire, qui lui partage ses rythmes dans un Track sombre teinté de bass music.

Originally released in 1987, Life Time is the full-length debut by Rollins Band. This reissue—released on ROLLINS’ 2.13.61 label—has been remastered for vinyl by TJ LIPPLE and includes updated artwork by JASON FARRELL. Henry Rollins on Life Time: “Life Time is the first studio record by the Rollins Band. We did our first practice on 04-07-87 and went out on a long tour of America and Europe. On the road we wrote songs and put them into the set. By late October we finished the shows in London, UK. We went up to Leeds where Chris had a place to live and booked studio time at the same place that he and I did the Hot Animal Machine recordings a year before. I had no producer for this record and feared that since everyone in the band had strong opinions on how it all should be done that if we tried to do it ourselves we would do more harm than good. I called Ian MacKaye and asked for help. He got on a plane and came right out. That's Ian. We got straight to work as we had little time or money. All twelve songs were cut and mixed in a few days. We would do a take and Ian would tell us that it was good and we were moving on. When someone would say that they wanted to do it over again, he listened patiently and then asked again which song we wanted to do next. We got it all done and dragged it back to America for about 3,200 dollars. My, how things have changed. The album cover was drawn on the back of a diner place mat by Stephen Myers as a gift for my then roommate, Laura. Only the offset reproduction of the piece remains as the original went with her when she gave up her room. She shot herself a few years ago. Special thanks to Ian for coming to the rescue on such short notice. Thanks to you for checking this out.” Download code for full album plus live tracks. Also comes with lyric insert.

Los Angeles April 18, 2024The origin of this record is a weird one. In 2019, we had just returned from two long European tours when we decided to take a “little break” from the road. You all know what happened next. That “little break” turned into a couple of years and during that time Dane, our drummer, decided to quit the band and music in general (no hard feelings).. Sean and I had a discussion and thought about ending the band as a whole, but I knew I had to go out on my own terms. I had an ace in the hole, though. Jeff Murray, drummer from LA rippers The Shrine. I had been friends with Jeff and The Shrine’s founder, Josh Landau since our “Scavenger” 7” came out, around 2012. We had run into them in Berlin a few months back and I knew they weren't playing anymore. I called Josh first, ‘cause asking a dude if you can take his drummer, is like asking your girlfriend's Dad if you can marry her. And Josh said “go for it”. And Jeff was in. Honestly if he had said no, that would have been the end. I had written a ton of stuff since our last album but I had shelved most of it. I was trying too hard - basically. Eventually Sean, Jeff and I said, ‘Fuck it, let’s make a “Fake Live” record’ - like Kiss or Slayer did. John Dwyer from Osees was opening his new studio, Discount Mirrors and it seemed like the perfect place to record it. We settled on re-recording a bunch of old stuff while simultaneously demoing our new material, as the three of us were now starting to really get in the groove. The result is Strange Masters Vol. 1. These are not new songs. These are Zig Zags classics re-recorded with a ripping-ass band that’s old and angry and just wants to get on with it. We are already on to recording the next album of new songs. That one is coming soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this one…while you still can!-Jed Maheu-Guitars-Vocals-Zig Zags

"On “We Are Where We Are,” a glimmering mid-tempo highlight from Annabel’s new album, Ben Hendricks sings of “a modern way to fill the empty space.” Worldviews, the band’s fourth LP and first in nine years finds the band reconciling with the ways the world has changed in the decade since they’ve been away. His protagonists are trying to determine the boundaries between what’s real and imagined, navigating their worldviews and the dominant ones around them, fighting for an escape or at least a distraction, wondering where the time goes, “going through the motions, running in a circle.” That could’ve been Annabel’s fate, too. But the core of the Ohio band is brothers Ben and Andy Hendricks, and as long as they’ve got each other, we’ve still got Annabel. In a world that feels so uncertain and so disconnected, where else is there to turn but back to Annabel? Think of Worldviews less like a comeback and more as the product of years spent gestating.

Hendricks spends the chorus of “All Time” promising to “make up for all the lost time,” and Annabel makes good on that promise for the next half hour. Worldviews is the most locked in the band has ever sounded, perfecting and building on their indie-emo sound. The title track and “Dog” are classic Annabel, sprightly and jangly midwestern rock songs, while “Defense Mechanism” is a rougher-edged update; when they go in the opposite direction, it results in some of their best work: “Every Home Needs a Ghost” is spartan and spectral, worthy of its title, and the beautiful “Small Victories” dabbles in downtempo electronics. They don’t sound like a band returning after nearly a decade; they sound at the same time hungry and lively like scrappy upstarts and wizened and seasoned like they never left."

Es ist das Jahr 2007. Die Welt gehört dir und der Rest deines Lebens beginnt. DIY ist das Motto der Stunde. Nach dem überbordenden Vorgänger „Geräusch“ wirken die ärzte harmonischer und kompakter denn je zuvor. Genau dieser Moment, er ist perfekt.

Mit „Jazz ist anders“ präsentiert sich die Beste Band der Welt in exzellenter Spiellaune und vervollkommnet das System BelaFarinRod. Es gibt die irre vielen zwingenden Melodien, die elektrischen Gitarren, den Quatsch, das Nachdenken, das Rausbrüllen, die ganz großen und die ganz kleinen Gefühle.

„Lied vom Scheitern“ ist die schmissige Hymne zur Selbstermächtigung, „Niedliches Liebeslied“ hebt das Genre Rodballade auf ein neues Level, „Licht am Ende des Sarges“ probt den Perspektivwechsel zum lustigen Vampir. „Tu das nicht“ ist ultimatives Statement zur Lage der Musikindustrie im beginnenden Breitband-Zeitalter. Und „Junge“ protokolliert nicht nur pedantisch allseits bekannte elterliche Sorgen, sondern schafft auch ohne Versmaß und echte Reime die Aufnahme in den Klassiker-Kanon der deutschen Popmusik.

die ärzte: Jetzt gegen Angst, Hass, Titten und den Wetterbericht. Immer noch ohne Festanstellung und Barry Manilow. Dafür mit Schalala und Schalalu und ein bisschen breit. Und ständig dieser Lärm.

It got away! The hounds are back on the leash for another session, as Montel makes a bid for better days with this all-out charm offensive of serenades, blissed up patter and emotional blackmail, Palmer-style.

The result is 12 tracks steeped in mind games, romance power plays and neurotoxin rollercoasters, with additional bonus strategies to dissociate with minimum dignity.
Big up Kiwi’s Kiosk..

As the winds of music blow, a wise heart navigates the spiral, finding wisdom in each of its twists and turns.

As the releases of DUBBLACK’s catalogue pile up, the novelty and exploration for new music keeps on thriving.


A brand-new record is approaching, as always available both on a 12” vinyl – limited to 300 copies – and in digital format, featuring the presence of two Masters from the Electronic Music scene: A2 Abd El Monim and Tocchitek.


The two-track EP baptised “Dark Side” includes the gems “Euriale” and “Steno”; two expansive compositions that, also due to their length, masterly observe the task of narrating two complementary stories, each with its distinct moments, yet marked by a strong rhythmic temper. Both tracks are planned to share similar sonic elements: a pulsating 160 bpm kick drum, ghostly pads serving as an inevitable backdrop, and indispensable rhythmic details enriching the whole structure and arrangement.


A2 Abd El Monim, born Alan Abd El Monim, is an Italian-Egyptian artist/composer. He expresses himself through the creation of music ranging from electronic to purely instrumental, and through the interaction between the arts. His poetics opens in a “dark” dimension that considers and interprets the facts through the notion of shadows and darkness but also through penombre. His “dark” vision stands as a filter through which he reads the world and its interactions, therefore using also the notion of light. His music has been performed in Festivals including Musica d’arte (Riccione – Italy), Luci d’Artista (Salerno – Italy), GAMO (Firenze – Italy), Spazio Musica (Cagliari – Italy), On Air – On site (Den Haag -Netherlands), Sound Spaces (Malmö – Sweden), etc.


He composed songs for the solo exhibition “La pelle degli oggetti” and for works Lui&Lei by the artist Giovanni Oberti. In 2020 he undertook a collaboration with the poet Milo De Angelis , putting to music the lyric “A volte , sull’orlo della notte, si rimane sospesi”. He wrote music for several theatre performances by director Emily Tartamelli and has written music for several directors films including Reto Gelshorn, Enea Francia, Paola Piscitelli and Fabio Corbellini. He collaborated with the London based fashion brand B DODI and was invited as an artist to participate in the collective exhibition “Instructions to Light-Keepers” (Milano – Italy). In March 2023, “Periodo Nero”, its interactive and generative installation music and video, was selected for the tribute to Picasso in the city of Florence, will be presented at the Certosa of Florence in September of the same year. In 2017 he won the International Competition of Composizione Silenzio Musica, in 2020 the diploma from President and Artistic Director of Winterreise International Composition Competition Moscow, in 2021 the Call For Scores banned by the Cultural Association Esecutori di Metallo su Carta. A2 Abd El Monim is signed to international label F.M.T Records and Dubblack Records, with which he regularly publishes his electronic music.


Tocchitek is an underground Tekno producer and performer born in Milan, Italy. He started playing live in 2007 as part of the “Approdo Caronte” sound system based in Milan. His first significant appearance as a live performer was at a “Mayday Parade” in 2008 in Milan. In 2009, he joined the “R909 Records” chapters crew based in Milan, bringing his live set to many local club dance floors. Meanwhile, he collaborated and played with many crews around Europe, spreading his music in the free Underground Tekno movement. In 2021, in Milan, he launched “F.M.T Records”.


Simplicity is often the hardest thing to achieve when producing this type of music, primarily designed for uncompromising dance-floors, but the duo successfully channels their message with purity and truthfulness.


The visual aspects of layout and design are once again entrusted to Vittorio Valigi, who puts a greyscale spiral at the center of the cover. A spiral within which one an eye can be glimpsed – the eye of the musical soul of DUBBLACK harmoniously fused with that of A2 Abd El Monim and Tocchitek, who become worthy ambassadors of the Dubblack’s sonic mission.

GRAMMY-award nominated Jordan Rakei is a renowned multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter who, over soon-to-be-five studio albums, has been on a wide-ranging journey that explores the outer reaches of his inner psyche, traversing themes of emotional evolution, personal growth and family with unwavering sincerity.

Always positioning himself in and amongst the bigger questions in life, he has navigated his musical journey with passion and precision, unveiling something new about himself through his songwriting at every turn. The Loop is by far Rakei’s most cohesive and evolutionary work to date following an impressive career of previous releases, each of which have demonstrated his natural curiosity and capabilities in exploring new sounds.