Voykot closes the trilogy with PANICO EN DIRECTO unleashing its darkest chapter: Terror for kids. The definitive third act where terrifying melodies and aggressive soundscapes come with no parental advisory. Sounds mutated into pure shadows, an uncompromising immersion into electronic darkness that completes the cycle of a perfect nightmare.
Originally released on Ezekiel Honig's Anticipate label in 2007, Standing on a Hummingbird is the debut album by Canadian sound artist Mark Templeton, now appearing for the first time on vinyl, newly remastered by Giuseppe Ielasi and cut by LUPO. Working at the intersection of post-glitch, electroacoustic ambient, and textural minimalism, Templeton composes through restraint and erosion, building patient and richly tactile pieces primarily from acoustic sources - fingerpicked guitar, plaintive banjo, muted accordion tones - subjected to careful processes of granulation, filtering, and environmental masking. These gestures never overwhelm the source material; instead, they wonderfully destabilize it. Melodies appear briefly, only to dissolve into dense atmospheres of field recordings: distant streets, birds, water, air. Sounds hover, vibrate, and vanish, much like the wing beating latent in the album’s title.
Tracks such as “Pattern For a Pillow” and “Amidst Things Uncontrolled” articulate this approach with particular clarity, setting languid acoustic figures against churning granular backdrops that feel at once sheltering and unstable. Elsewhere, moments of fragile clarity - fluttering guitar lines, reedy accordion tones - briefly break the surface before being absorbed back into the field.
Heard today, the record offers a clarion, almost spartan strain of textural ambient music: intricate yet unforced, shaped by human touch rather than automated excess. Its refusal of spectacle feels especially vital in a landscape saturated with maximalist digitalia - a reminder that electronic music’s most enduring gestures often occur where sound is allowed to tremble and hold itself just long enough to be felt before disappearing once again. (Alex Cobb, 2026)
Clear Vinyl[27,94 €]
Swedish alt-pop icon Lykke Li, whose career spans the haunting intimacy of Youth Novels to the widescreen ambition of So Sad So Sexy, returns with her most uncompromising statement yet. Signed to Crush Management and already confirmed for Coachella 2026 and a run of South American festivals, her forthcoming album The Afterparty strips things back to raw truth and artist dogma. Built on a shoestring budget but led by high-fashion meets candid, meme-ready visuals, the world of The Afterparty channels early Tumblr and i-D magazine energy—real, raw, and distinctly Lykke Li.
Swedish alt-pop icon Lykke Li, whose career spans the haunting intimacy of Youth Novels to the widescreen ambition of So Sad So Sexy, returns with her most uncompromising statement yet. Signed to Crush Management and already confirmed for Coachella 2026 and a run of South American festivals, her forthcoming album The Afterparty strips things back to raw truth and artist dogma. Built on a shoestring budget but led by high-fashion meets candid, meme-ready visuals, the world of The Afterparty channels early Tumblr and i-D magazine energy—real, raw, and distinctly Lykke Li.
ANNE Returns to Soma Records with "Sleepwalkers EP", Featuring Exclusive SLAM Remixes
ANNE delivers her fourth release on Soma Records, reinforcing her position as one of techno's most compelling new voices. The release also features two special remixes from Soma founders SLAM, adding heavyweight reinterpretations to
ANNE's original vision.
Sharp and uncompromising, this release is a statement moment for ANNE and a
clear reminder of Soma Records' enduring influence at the cutting edge of techno.
Mastered by Conor Dalton @ Glowcast Mastering.
Red Vinyl[27,31 €]
1/2 of seminal electronic act The Knife, Olof Dreijer will be releasing his debut album 'Loud Bloom' via dh2 this May following years of drip feeding solo music under various aliases and lending his production talents across the scene. The 14 track (double vinyl) album consists of equal parts dancefloor ready bangers (some of which have been previously released) and more still, ambient moments that highlight Olof's versatility as a producer as well as the sounds from around the globe that he takes inspiration from.
In a burst of colour and rhythm that cuts a distinctive path through modern club music, Olof Dreijer crystallises his solo work around a gleaming debut solo album, Loud Bloom, out 8 May via dh2.
Across the album, Dreijer toys with the tension between pure pleasure music and his tireless thirst for the new. You might hear the structure of a Chicago house beat or a classic drum machine hit, but at every turn these tropes are remoulded into dazzling new forms. Taking inspiration from Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi and their ability to deliver bold, progressive themes and visionary sci-fi through the accessible lens of romantic fiction, Dreijer makes vividly unconventional dance music utterly instinctive and easy to love.
Black Vinyl[27,31 €]
1/2 of seminal electronic act The Knife, Olof Dreijer will be releasing his debut album 'Loud Bloom' via dh2 this May following years of drip feeding solo music under various aliases and lending his production talents across the scene. The 14 track (double vinyl) album consists of equal parts dancefloor ready bangers (some of which have been previously released) and more still, ambient moments that highlight Olof's versatility as a producer as well as the sounds from around the globe that he takes inspiration from.
In a burst of colour and rhythm that cuts a distinctive path through modern club music, Olof Dreijer crystallises his solo work around a gleaming debut solo album, Loud Bloom, out 8 May via dh2.
Across the album, Dreijer toys with the tension between pure pleasure music and his tireless thirst for the new. You might hear the structure of a Chicago house beat or a classic drum machine hit, but at every turn these tropes are remoulded into dazzling new forms. Taking inspiration from Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi and their ability to deliver bold, progressive themes and visionary sci-fi through the accessible lens of romantic fiction, Dreijer makes vividly unconventional dance music utterly instinctive and easy to love.
Mannequin Records presents Electronic Corporation 1998–2006, a compilation bringing together rare and long unavailable recordings by the German electronic projects H.E.I.M. Elektronik and MAS 2008.
Active around the turn of the millennium, both projects share the involvement of producer Ive Müller while developing distinct collaborations and approaches to electronic music. H.E.I.M. Elektronik was founded in 1996 by Holger Erlenwein and Ive Müller (after the two artists split in 1999, Müller continued using the name), while MAS 2008 is the project of Ive Müller together with René Kirchner. Though separate entities, the two projects explored a similar sonic territory: stripped-down electro, minimal electronics and machine-driven body music shaped by analog hardware and a raw DIY production ethos.
The roots of Müller’s work go back to the final years of the DDR. As a teenager he worked as a licensed DJ — officially known as a “Schallplattenunterhalter” — operating a travelling disco across Saxony. With limited access to official Western releases, music circulated through cassette recordings taped from West German radio stations such as RIAS Berlin, NDR2 and Bayern3. Together with friends he travelled between youth clubs and discos around Leipzig with a “rolling discotheque”: a Russian Wolga pulling a trailer loaded with Electro-Voice sound systems sourced through the black market.
At the turn of the 2000s this background in underground electronic culture resurfaced in a series of recordings rooted in electro, EBM and minimal machine music. The tracks collected on Electronic Corporation 2000–2002 capture this moment: cold sequences, driving rhythms and stark synthetic textures produced with a direct and uncompromising approach.
Compiled and remastered by Rude 66 from the original sources, Electronic Corporation 2000–2002 documents a small but fascinating chapter of German underground electronics from the early digital era.
The crew behind the freshly minted Secret Vault imprint are keeping their cards close to their chests, with the accompanying press release loosely explaining their desire to prioritise dancefloor "heat" over spoon-feeding information to buyers (and in this case, Juno reviewers). The secrecy makes sense, though, because these uncredited cuts are heavyweight disco edits - and fantastic ones at that. Our shadowy heroes first extend and (we think) lightly speed up a slap-bass-sporting slab of disco-soul gorgeousness full of dewy-eyed female lead vocals, extended breakdowns, glistening guitar solos and punchy. Over on the flip, our scalpel-wielding fiends turn their attention to a bouncy, energetic and infectious disco-funk gem topped off by expressive male lead vocals.
WRWTFWW Records is proud to announce a super limited vinyl release of Christine Aufderhaar and City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra's original soundtrack for the critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning 2022 animated-documentary film Aurora's Sunrise. The release comes as a 45rpm double LP in a heavyweight sleeve with inside out print.
Aurora's Sunrise is directed by Inna Sahakyan, and tells the extraordinary true story of Aurora Mardiganian, a survivor of the Armenian genocide who later became an actress in the United States. The film combines animated storytelling, archival footage, interviews, and rediscovered scenes from the 1919 silent film, and one of Hollywood's first blockbusters, Auction of Souls, in which Aurora starred. Aurora's Sunrise was Armenia's official submission for the 95th Academy Awards for best international feature film. It has won over 20 international prizes.
The composer, Christine Aufderhaar, is an accomplished German composer based in Berlin and Los Angeles, with over 20 years of experience and more than 50 films to her name. Her background spans classical, jazz, film scoring, and contemporary orchestral work, and she has been the recipient of numerous awards for her work.
The soundtrack performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is deeply emotional, blending intimate melodies and majestic orchestral work, and weaving together themes of memory, survival, loss, and hope. A perfect fit for collectors of film scores, contemporary classical music, and limited vinyl releases.
Falter is the 5th full-length album from New Zealand-based composer/-multi-instrumentalist Micah Templeton-Wolfe, working under the moniker Stray Theories.
Templeton-Wolfe has consistently woven together the cinematic sweep of ambient music, the refined structures of neoclassical composition, and the emotional cresting arcs of post-rock. With Falter, those intersections are more deeply blurred, yet more boldly explored.
Transparent Red Vinyl.
The title Falter evokes wavering, hesitation, uncertainty of intent and yet the album stands in sharp contrast to that concept: Templeton-Wolfe’s performance here is marked by a quiet but unmistakable confidence.
From the first notes, the listener is immersed in an atmosphere in which the music feels like a cinematic means of passage, a journey toward redemption. Optimism is present, but ever cloaked in doubt; moments of
contemplative solace sit side-by-side with streaks of melancholia. One senses something looming within the sound-world of Falter. As though the heart itself can tell something is coming.
In this respect, Falter may well rank as the most affecting release in Templeton-Wolfe’s canon to date. While his earlier work had always balanced delicate textures and evocative atmosphere, here he pushes into a more expansive emotional terrain. Only the hopeful refrain “Lifelines” brings the album fully into brighter territory , hinting that redemption is possible, that the journey through doubt is not endless.
Were FEX the Wildest & Weirdest German New Wave Band in 1984?
Few cult mysteries in modern music have captured the internet's imagination quite like "The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet." Eventually identified as "Subways of Your Mind" by the elusive German band FEX, the track became a viral sensation decades after its creation-and even made its way into a recent Hollywood blockbuster (Black Phone 2).
Now, two more lost FEX recordings have emerged from an old demo cassette: "Dead End" and "Sarah." And they're every bit as electrifying as the legend suggests.
On both songs, guitarist and main songwriter Ture Rückwardt joins forces on lead vocals with his former wife and musical partner Ilona Rückwardt, forming a vocal pairing that channels raw energy and eerie chemistry. What they deliver are two of the most urgent, adrenaline-fueled post-punk artifacts you're likely to hear this year-even if they were recorded more than forty years ago.
Opening with a sharp, melodic guitar solo, "Dead End" bursts forward with uptempo drive-catchy, fierce, and full of momentum. Apparently inspired by Orwell's 1984, its lyrics depict urban desolation-loneliness, homelessness, hopelessness-yet still shimmer with defiance in lines like, "Truth is amazing - hoping is like waiting."
The second track, "Sarah," dives even deeper into darkness. Mixing post-punk intensity with psychedelic textures, Rückwardt tells an imaginary story of a couple lost in drugs and spiraling through a bad trip, only to wake and realize that sobriety offers little comfort-the real world itself can be just as brutal and offers no easy escape.
Neither song makes the slightest concession to commercial trends. Instead, they feel utterly uncompromising-wild, strange, and defiantly timeless. In a world obsessed with polish and playlists, "Dead End" and "Sarah" sound like transmissions from a different planet.
Both tracks were originally recorded as demos in 1984 in the band's rehearsal room, with Hase engineering. The newly restored versions preserve the raw spirit of the original tapes while adding subtle layers to enhance their atmosphere without losing the authentic 1980s sound. FEX hint that the untouched demo versions might surface later, possibly on a second volume of their archival
For two decades, Hudd Traxx has stood as a pillar of underground house music – a label defined by longevity, taste, and its ability to bridge the old school with the new. To mark its twentieth anniversary, the revered UK imprint presents ‘20 Traxx From The Hudd’, a specially curated, all-new twenty-track compilation handpicked by label founder Eddie Leader.
The compilation brings together a global, star-studded lineup of artists who embody the Hudd Traxx ethos: soulful, inventive, and uncompromisingly underground. Contributions come from Groove Armada, Seven Davis Jr., Chez Damier, Cinthie, Jovonn, Oliver Dollar and others, offering a snapshot of the label’s wide-ranging influence. From the silky deep house depths of Black Loops’ opener ‘Soul to Soul Communication’, to the unmistakable analog warmth across Cinthie’s ‘Hudd House’, to the raw, stripped-back energy of Seven Davis Jr.’s ‘Infrasound’, the collection captures the many deeper shades of house Hudd Traxx has championed for twenty years.
Founded in 2005, Hudd Traxx has served as a trusted home for pioneering artists such as Nightmares On Wax and Matthew Herbert, guided by Eddie Leader’s consistent curatorial vision and unwavering commitment to craft. As a producer, his releases on Classic, Robsoul, and Balance Alliance have been supported by Laurent Garnier, Josh Wink, Disclosure, and many more. ‘20 Traxx From The Hudd’ isn’t just a celebration of the past; it’s a fervent reminder that Hudd Traxx remains as relevant and vital as ever.
Nothing Under Heaven is the third full-length album from Scottish ambient and drone multi-instrumentalist Yulyseus.
It follows 2022’s In the Dark Palaces of Both Our Hearts, an introspective and immersive work shaped by travel, displacement, and unfamiliar surroundings. Where that release explored darker and more inward-looking terrain, Nothing Under Heaven opens outward into broader, more expansive soundscapes. Drawing on years spent moving between Glasgow, Berlin, Mexico City and Valencia, Niall Gahagan’s compositions here feel patient and quietly luminous, built from layered electronics, bowed strings and subtle field recordings.
Rather than seeking dramatic gestures, the album unfolds slowly, allowing atmosphere and emotion to emerge over time. Working within a crowded and ever-evolving ambient landscape, Yulyseus continues to focus on texture, weight and gradual movement.
Across eight carefully shaped pieces, Nothing Under Heaven explores how sound can hold both stillness and momentum, inviting attentive listening rather than functioning as simple background music. The opening track, Veillands, sets the tone with a quiet intensity that gently draws the listener inward. From there, the album develops as a continuous, immersive experience, rich in detail and emotional nuance. Nothing Under Heaven reflects an artist still in motion, responding to change, uncertainty and new surroundings with humility and care. It stands as a thoughtful and deeply considered addition to Yulyseus’s growing body of work which is rooted in patience, deep listening, and a continuing search for meaning through sound.
San Diego’s Mrs. Magician has always bent surf music and punk into something delightfully off-kilter — sun-soaked, hook-heavy power pop with a lyrical fixation on life’s darker undercurrents. Their 2012 debut, Strange Heaven, was a nihilistic pop statement that grew into a cult classic. The 2016 follow-up, Bermuda, sharpened the edges with punchy, nervy songwriting. Both records were produced by John Reis (Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu), cementing the band’s place in Southern California’s underground lineage. Now, in 2026, Mrs. Magician reemerges with their long-awaited third LP, Spiritual Hangover. Recorded at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 and Singing Serpent Studios with producer Christian Cummings, Spiritual Hangover finds songwriter Jacob Turnbloom trading youthful nihilism for something more reflective. Where earlier records wrestled with existential dread through anthemic defiance, this new collection embraces uncertainty — an admission of ignorance in the face of the human condition, paired with a genuine longing for connection and understanding. The humor remains. The hooks are sharper than ever. But the perspective has shifted.
These songs feel less like a declaration of dominance and more like a celebration of fragility — an acknowledgment that life is fleeting, confusing, and still worth enjoying. The album features Andrew Montoya (drums) and Mark Rivera (bass) of The Sess, Ian Fowles (guitar) of The Aquabats, and John Reis (guitar). Spiritual Hangover channels the bright urgency of late-’70s power pop through a distinctly Californian lens — warm, melodic, and irresistibly alive. “Super fun, well crafted, with great melodies. It gives me that late ’70s power pop energy I loved so much as a kid. Every track has something joyous to grab onto. In a world full of bleak news, Spiritual Hangover is a warming blast of California sunshine.” — Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits/Quicksand)
Parris returns to his and Call Super’s can you feel the sun imprint with Drippin’. A four-track love letter to the amber-lit glow of communal field maneuvers in the dusk on his most house-focused and personal release yet.
Continuing the themes explored on 2024’s Passionfruit EP, Parris embarks further down his unparalleled sound path on Drippin’. His latest solo outing draws inspiration from vivid memories of yesteryear, particularly experiences at Watching Trees Festival and various trips to Amsterdam, and subsequently constructed with friends in mind to play out. The resulting four tracks encompasses some of his most intimate material to date.
The title track bursts with measured fervour and a raptor-like throb, percussive configurations in tight pistons which induce rave friction hysterics across the dancefloor melee. Got Me Feelin’ dramatically switches tact, a sentimental roller entangled in swooning pads and R’n’B vocals while swigging lovingly from the ecky spring. True Vargo stomps further with acute hedonism, a sun-descending swooner that flows effortlessly in melodic serenity. Closer Crooning In The Trees leans most wayward, an evolving scene architected by Parris’ uncanny samples and disassociated groove that purrs with wide-eyed wonder. Another stand-out release from one of UK club’s most unique voices.
Over the last two decades, The Field has refined a language of repetition that feels not assembled but uncovered. His loops don’t just cycle; they gather weight over time, so the tracks seem set in motion rather than composed – patterns established early, then
gently altered, their emotional temperature shifting almost imperceptibly.
On this five-track EP for Studio Barnhus, the Swedish producer’s first solo release in 8 years, The Field returns to the sonic architecture that defined his seminal debut From Here We Go Sublime, but with a (dare we say
Studio Barnhus-esque) looseness that allows the structures to breathe.
Tracks like In Our Dreams and 333 706 move forward on meditative chords, harmonies stretching their reach until the tracks feel elated by their own momentum.
The B-side tilts the frame. Another Day introduces some melodic immediacy, folding a tender vocal presence into The Field’s glittering matrix of sound, softening the grid without dissolving it. Now You Exist is a grand finale radiating with restrained euphoria.
The Field’s music never insists, it just draws you in and keeps you there. In a landmark crossing of paths for the Stockholm label, Studio Barnhus proudly presents Now You Exist, out May 15 on vinyl and all digital platforms.
Elations Recordings presents "Terra Ignota", the long-awaited new full length album from elusive Melbourne-based fusion ensemble Krakatau. "Terra Ignota" marks a return and an epochal shift for the group, a deep exploration of possible sonic spaces and a portent of things to come.
In the years since 2016's cosmic jazz funk-prog-spiritual 12" "Tharsis Montes/Apogean Tide" Krakatau have worked on refining their craft as instrumentalists and writers, expanding further into the world of jazz and fusing influences from world folk musics, contemporary jazz and the European post-minimalist music of the 1980s and early 90s. "Terra Ignota", literally translated as "Unknown Land", takes its name from the cartographer's notation for uncharted territory, the blank spaces on maps where knowledge gives way to imagination and speculation, gesturing towards the group's studio explorations and search for new sonic worlds in the years spent developing the record.
The results are a diverse yet unified combination of sounds and influences across five tracks that see Krakatau drawing closer to the independent underground "world" jazz scene of the 1980s than anything contemporary. The album opens with the digi-minimalism and fourth world atmospherics of title track "Terra ignota", a percussion heavy latin fusion sound in "Birds of Passage", and melancholic ambient saxophone and synthesiser duo "In Memory". Three-part epic "Cosmetic Surgery" journeys through a long, complex post-minimalist arrangement into latin fusion and contemporary jazz, followed by the contemplative ECM-styled acoustic quartet closer "Trial in Absentia".
The album features significant contributions from saxophonist Rob Vincs, former Victorian College of the Arts head of Jazz and Improvisation and a collaborator with Australian musician Brian Brown; layered percussion and wordless vocals from Brazilian percussionist and esteemed songwriter Alcides Neto; and a guest performance from trumpet player Reuben Lewis on the title track.
Tom Joyce’s sought after Sounds Benefit label marks their milestone tenth release with “7 Years Of Sounds Benefit”, a carefully curated selection of essential artists and rising talents presented as a double vinyl LP. The two slabs of wax manoeuvre between innovative electro and refined flavours of house and techno for trained ears.
First up is a reissue from S-Max, New Delhi Projects, previously released on Below back in ‘99. A chugging display of sounds that were way ahead of their time. After featuring on SND002, Ben Cohen makes his comeback on the label with Short Night, a breakbeat journey which boasts beautiful and emotive chord progressions. The B side features somewhat of a rarity as Etienne shares a track, Gateway Experience, futuristic energy from the accomplished producer, layered with subtle yet effective acid tones. Label head Tom Joyce delivers 7:15pm, a dreamy quest through melt in your mind synths and punchy electro drum patterns.
As we approach the second vinyl, we uncover further gems from the archive as Lowtec kindly shares his unreleased La Java 2014, which was created circa. 2000. Javier Carballo and Aniano have been making positive movements with their Hdz moniker in recent times, and Moog is another stamp of approval, a warm bass line converses with the crisp drums and spaced out elements. On the flip, Berlin based Englishman Rob Amboule turns out a killer elasticated groove which takes you for a late night shuffle in Scrap It. Huge fun for the hazy hours on the dance floor. Nuversion, formerly known as Juliano, showcases his debut track under this name with Crepuscule, addressing further pensive moods with his classy production. Ending the fantastic release in a meditative state of mind, cruising on sweet melodies.
Uncompromising 2 tracker from the duo FLML, recorded live in their studio through the use of analog synthesizers and drum machine. Both tracks draw influences from early Detroit techno and Chicago acid, moving towards wild trippy and gloomy sonic palette. Vinyl is recommended for the powerful 12″ 45rpm experience. Limited to 150 copies.
Synaptic Cliffs is thrilled to welcome the synthetic humanoid Fleck E.S.C. to its neural family.
He is planet-wide known as a master of Electro Space Cookie productions and a legendary figure among 4D wanderers since his voluntary transmigration to the Tokyo Null Zone. This release is not merely a collection of tracks but a detailed, musically decrypted analysis of post-human consciousness. The pieces were extracted directly from the non-Euclidean circuits of his own, self-constructed Franck Collin Android body. Prepare your brainstems for a complete recalibration and enjoy this perfect fusion of French precision and the wild, uncontrollable energy of Neo-Shinjuku.
"It's like hearing the entire evolutionary history of humanity played backward in a single millisecond while a synthesizer scores the birth of a new star," says
pdqb.
LWS returns to Parris and Call Super’s can you feel the sun imprint with All Of The Chaos. 4 mutant rollers in his
now-singular style, sharp constructions meticulously designed with club drama and devious rave energy.
A year on from Palloon, and Edinburgh’s LWS has certainly left his mark. His inner metronome ticks differently, ornate
club constructions snarling with hypnotic fervour. His music has been ubiquitous across clubs and festivals over the
past twelve months as a result, and on his second EP for can you feel the sun he proves there’s still plenty left in the
tank.
Opener Many Requests goes galactic, a wide-eyed entanglement of melody and rhythm that gallops tough yet supple
through an ever-shifting landscape; an inevitable deconstruction ensues, before the salivating return sets us back on
course. Gooly shifts darker, a looping roller with sultry swagger that deviously maintains its shuffling delirium with
uncanny nous. Sharkbait on the flip cultivates a jaw-gnawing tension, vibrantly edging towards that ecstatic release
with unrelenting ease. Closer All Of The Chaos goes weirdest, a chromatic safari swivelling on its mechanised 2 step
through a carousel of unhinged sound design to its conclusion; signing off on yet another collection of future-shock
missives from LWS.
Early DJ support from Call Super, Objekt, Pariah, Surusinghe, Ploy, OK WIlliams and Pangaea.
Métron Records announces Mycorrhizal Music, the forthcoming album from composer and multi instrumentalist Ess Whiteley. Currently a PhD candidate in Composition at the University of California-San Diego, Whiteley’s practice spans recordings, installations, performances, and scores, a body of work as diverse as the fungal webs that inspire it.
Across seven tracks, Whiteley explores interconnected sound worlds shaped by mycelium networks, rhizomatic structures, and other unseen systems that sustain life. Rooted in experimental electronics, minimalism, ambient and IDM, the record imagines sound as ephemeral connective tissue capable of reshaping how a listener might experience time, memory, and futurity.
At the core of Whiteley’s work is an excavation of what lies beneath perception, the felt but unspoken currents of emotionality and subtle experiences that dwell in the unconscious.
Mycorrhizal Music channels these hidden threads into a speculative ecosystem of kinship and exchange, where joy, play, and spirituality interlace like branching hyphae beneath the soil. Mycorrhizal Music has been conceived as kinetic ambient music, designed to move with the listener while walking, riding trains, driving, cooking, where everyday rhythms align with shifting sonic textures, reminding them of hidden, interconnected, mycelial webs of spiritual vitality beneath the surfaces of daily activity.
Guided by a vision of speculative ecology and interspecies resonance, it thrives in contrasts: tracks like Rhizomatic Harpists and Whispered Messages in Tapestried Fields of Fluid Motion pulse with fluid momentum, while Kaleidoscopic Patterns of Emptiness Dancing drifts into fragile stillness.
With artwork by Kenta Senekt and mastering by Brandon Hocura, Mycorrhizal Music extends Métron Records’ ethos of cultivating subtle, interconnected sound worlds.
'The Endless Dance' is the first collaborative album from Northern Irish producer and composer Hannah Peel and Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang. The record is grounded in the strength of ancient concepts, but comes alive with the joy and freedom of play as together, Peel and Wang travel through the 24 solar terms of the Chinese calendar with a cornucopia of sound in tow – synths and prepared piano alongside traditional and unconventional percussion.
The album is collaged together from recordings made over five days at legendary rural studio Real World, a setting which aligned with the duo’s inspiration from the natural world creating a permanent record of their shared musical landscape, informed by the flora and fauna that emerge and retreat through the seasons.
Both genre-defying, storied artists in their own right, Peel and Wang met while working on Manchester Collective’s 2023 album NEON and 'The Endless Dance' certainly represents a step-change from the duo’s shared classical backgrounds – but their knowledge and training is also the foundation of its freewheeling audacity, giving them the confidence to trust their instincts.
The album is produced by Mike Lindsay LUMP, Tunng, Guy Garvey, Jon Hopkins who, with free rein, brings added energy and creativity to the album, whilst Peel & Wang are also joined by Hyelim Kim on Daegeum, a Korean flute with “colourful overtones on every note”.
Track to track, 'The Endless Dance' is unpredictable and unexpected, which is in part due to the genuine curiosity and outside perspectives that each player brought to the sessions. “I am so familiar with Chinese heritage, but I don't see how it can present in electronics, for instance,” says Wang. “Hannah comes in with that direction, to imagine what the sounds could be together.” The characterful richness of the album stems from the commonalities they found in the sessions. “We both come from cultures where story is really important,” explains Peel. “The attention to detail comes from telling a story, and one note can set that off in a different direction.”
'The Endless Dance' is a major work from two accomplished, singular artists - but it’s also the sound of mutual curiosity and shared fun, or as Wang puts it: “Two women talking in totally different language that had a wonderful chat.”
Shaped from fragile, emotionally charged piano motifs that distort, disappear and transform into dense, cinematic textures, 'CANALS' is a debut that's finely matured, the result of years of friendship and growth. Italian artist Vanja Sturno and Montréal-based Belgian-Spanish composer Pablo Geeraert (aka Sanea Ima) have worked together extensively on various projects up until now, but 'CANALS' is their first official release as a duo. Having both studied music academically, the pair were eager to work more intuitively, so applied their well-honed set of skills to sound that, instead of fitting into a conceptual box, reflected more personal experiences.
Back in 2023, Geeraert travelled to Rome to support his friend at a difficult time and, during the trip, received some bad news of his own. The complicated feelings unconsciously surged through a series of delicate Ryuichi Sakamoto-inspired piano improvisations and a new project began to coalesce. They didn't realize it at the time, but once the record was finished, Sturno and Geeraert began to understand that the entire process had been a form a joint catharsis - a release of pressure. They were able to function so effortlessly and swiftly because they had already provided the space for each other to resonate emotionally and the music flowed from that point.
So the album's title, while remaining ambiguous, suggests its formation: a sequence of eight interconnected channels that feed a creative whole. On the first segment, Sturno and Geeraert's initial recordings can be perceived most nakedly, the melancholy, Satie-like phrases floating peacefully for a moment before the tranquility is agitated by stormy distortions and swelled into thick waves of harmony. The piano provides the record with its emotional anchor, offering focus and clarity as multi-dimensional noise wells up around it before inevitably dissipating, leaving gentle, unadorned sounds once again.
And the familiar instrument is reshaped into a wheezing artificial organ on the animated 'CANALS III', punctuated by percussive, tape-warped pitch fluctuations that seem to bite into its very essence. Gauzy acoustic granulations snowball into a powerful, bass-heavy crescendo on the fourth part, setting the tenor for the album's second half. But after the crushing 'CANALS VI', possibly Sturno and Geeraert's heaviest track, a brief tremolo-heavy vignette that ripples through experimental rock and ambient music's braided history, the duo clear the air with a jazzy diversion, introducing soft woodwind blasts as a palate cleanser before an epic, widescreen finale.
It's an album that's best absorbed as a whole, a vortex of ritualistic, rhythmic repetitions that Sturno and Geeraert appropriately refer to as "spiral listening".
El Elektro Compilado Padrísimo Vol. 1 is a double 12” compilation curated by Spanish artist Elektro’s Grandfather, Dark Vektor featuring his personal selection from today’s scene. A fearless snapshot of the Spaniard national electro scene. Established figures stand shoulder to shoulder with new blood, generating a current where tradition and innovation collide in sparks. Every track is a charged fragment of a collective identity, soldered into one unstoppable groove. A declaration that the Spanish electro underground is alive, mutating, and absolutely padrísimo. Presented in ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid BLACK vinyl. All tracks have been specially remastered for vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).
Rooted in electronic music yet fueled with organic sounds of nature and acoustic instruments, Late Present explores sonic landscapes beyond Mirlaqi’s signature dance moves. Journeying between jazzy hip-hop, psychedelic downtempo and colorful ambient, the twelve-piece work aims at a thorough and sincere representation of the Swiss artist’s musical soul. With simple themes such as love and loss as well as a poetic approach to the inexorable coming of our end, the double LP is a reflection on the unicity of consciousness.
As always with Mirlaqi, talented and caring friends bring their energy and craft to the project. Antoine “Favi” Favennec’s sense of melody adds another level of emotion to Passager de la Terre, Velvet Love and Riddimer. Thomas “Nips” Abbet’s soft as silk trumpet sound delves deeper in the jazzy horizon of Caucasian Tree and Inter Lux. Augustin “Gus” Von Arx’s various percussion turns the heat up on Prendre le Soleil. Finally, Tim Spoerli’s uncompromised trumpet experience overwhelms Prendre le Soleil in glitters.
On the vocal level, Mirlaqi explores various dimensions of expression through spoken words and processed singing, as well as French and English vocals. In Passager de la Terre, Velvet Love and Prendre le Soleil, he receives passionate support from Alice Moeschinger and her touching yet strong crystalline voice.
Once again, fainek’s graphic and conceptual talent turns sound into vision with style. A true masterclass of artistic depth combined with visual clarity.
A multi-layered project to be savoured over and over again.
For SIDE B's fourth release, an EP by Portugal's own DJ Dextro is in line. Ultra efficient, fine tuned techno is put under a microscope by the international mainstay for this record. Using high pressure in the low-end and creative textures to decorate the tracks, Dextro solidifies his place as a mainstay with a biting performance on home turf. Balancing his uncompromising sound with mystical synth work, Dextro opens 'Lost Frame' with the title track. In this A1, he rolls straight into a tunnel with flashing percussion and lurking melodies far out in the stereo field. Dancefloor focused but with a hint of mysticism, 'Lost Frame' creates a captivating ambiance to introduce the project with promises of earworm groove. Quick to follow up, 'Disclosure Of Who We Are' sees more space between the elements, creating a whipping effect in the rhythm and rich in sound design. Synth stabs cut through a booming kick, creating urgency in an EP that was lacking none to begin with.
This spirit is maintained on the record's flip to the B side - this time with an added bit of funk and shuffle. 'Liberdade' throws a vicious synth sequence forward for peaktime use and sees Dextro define his space with concentrated transitions and booming percussive hits. Swinging along with the occasional vocal sample to emphasize the obscurity, the producer maintains his delivery of razor sharp focus in all of his elements. To conclude, 'Panoplia Abstracta' settles things with an ambient, even meditative fourth track. Staying insistent with his kick, Dextro lets go of the wheel to drift his record from the body to the mind with progressive arrangement and soothing textures to see off a whirlwind of an EP for SIDE B records. Words by Noah Hocker
The Bug Club sind mit einem neuen Album zurück. Seit ihrem letzten Album sind ganze sieben Monate vergangen. Wo waren sie denn? Every Single Muscle, das fünfte Album der Band, ist das dritte, das von Sub Pop, dem angesehenen Label des walisischen Duos aus Seattle, veröffentlicht wird. Seit Very Human Features, das im Juni 2025 rauskam, sind die Lieblinge von BBC 6 Music und KEXP auf ihrer Nonstop-Tour quer über den Atlantik geflitzt, wie sie es früher auf der Severn Bridge gemacht haben. Verschiedene Festivalauftritte im Sommer haben sie davon abgehalten, Urlaub zu machen - wer braucht schon Urlaub, wenn man in Wales lebt? - bis es Zeit war, wieder ins Songwriting-Studio zu gehen. Das ist wahrscheinlich immer noch ein Schlafzimmer in Caldicott, das von einem Windhund namens Ted frequentiert wird (aufgepasst - er taucht in einem der Songs auf). Die Songwriter Sam (Gitarre, Gesang) und Tilly (Bass, Gesang) sind immer bescheiden und behaupten sogar, dass sie während des Songs ,It's Our Manager David" nur ,herumsassen und nichts taten". Das ist eindeutig eine Lüge. Every Single Muscle startet mit ,Miss Wales 2012" voll durch und bezieht sich dabei auf einen Wettbewerb, den sowohl Tilly als auch Sam tatsächlich gewonnen haben. Es ist der erste von vielen Tracks auf dem Album, die weniger als zwei Minuten lang sind, und gibt den Ton für das bisher punkigste Album von The Bug Club an, das sowohl an die kurzen, knackigen Snaps ihrer allerersten Singles als auch an das Grunzen ihrer jüngsten Veröffentlichungen erinnert. Das Album ist so vollgepackt mit Riffs und eingängigen Hooks, dass Sam tatsächlich um Erlaubnis bittet, im zweiten Track ,A Good Day For Dying" ein Solo einbauen zu dürfen. Er bekommt zwei Sekunden Zeit. Glücklicherweise fragt Sam später noch einmal und bekommt mehr Zeit. Auf achtzehn Songs gibt's genug klassisches Gitarrenspiel von Sam und Tilly, um selbst die lautstärksten Bug Club-Fans zufrieden zu stellen und die Behauptung der Band, sie seien ,nur technisch versiert auf ihren Instrumenten", klar zu widerlegen. Dieses Album ist ein Beispiel für effizienten Maximalismus - so wie wenn dein Vater das Auto für den Urlaub vollpackt. Bring mit, was du willst; der Platz ist knapp, aber sie kriegen es irgendwie rein. Zu den Texten: Während ,Very Human Features" hervorragend alltägliche Dinge aufzeigte und ihre Absurdität hervorhob, schauen The Bug Club auf ,Every Single Muscle" genauer auf sich selbst. Allerdings nicht so sehr auf introspektive Weise, sondern eher so, wie ein Außerirdischer ein gefangenes Exemplar auf einer intergalaktischen Trage untersuchen würde. Horrorfilme haben ihr ,Body"-Subgenre, jetzt bekommen auch Garage-Rock-Alben ihres. In einem völlig neuen Sinne des Wortes selbstbezogen, wird die menschliche Form und Verfassung im Laufe des Albums aus jedem Blickwinkel beleuchtet und untersucht. Wir spüren eine surreale Distanz zum Selbst, die den allgegenwärtigen, von Langeweile geprägten Humor hervorbringt; im letzten Song verkündet Sam, dass er ,es satt hat, ein Mensch zu sein". The Bug Club scheinen dem Konzept, ein Mensch zu sein, fast misstrauisch gegenüberzustehen - als wären sie in einem Kostüm aufgewacht, das sie nicht anziehen wollten und nicht ausziehen können. Ist drei die magische Zahl? Wahrscheinlich nicht. Aber Every Single Muscle - das dritte Sub-Pop-Album von The Bug Club - kommt dieser Vorstellung nahe genug, um den durchschnittlichen seltsamen Menschen davon zu überzeugen, dass es so sein könnte.
Sometimes the title of an album tells you everything you need to know. Laurence Pike’s Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet is like that: The music within represents a search for freedom, potentiality—liberatory strategies that transcend the ego and the solitary, atomized figure.
But in this case, the album title is also a red herring, because there is no jazz quintet here—just Pike, his drums, and his machines, not so much an ersatz ensemble as a purely notional one, a thought experiment equipped with drumsticks, circuitry, and the desire to go beyond hardwired limits.
And the results, strictly speaking, aren’t really jazz, though they incorporate the vocabulary of jazz, along with that of ambient, electronica, and post-rock. They are some other thing, cognizant of genre but never beholden to it. Again, we’re talking about a search for freedom here.
The Sydney-based musician has a long history of coloring outside the lines, not just in his solo recordings—including four albums for the Leaf label between 2018 and 2024—but also in the trio Pivot (later PVT); Szun Waves (alongside saxophonist Jack Wyllie and Border Community’s Luke Abbott); Triosk, which recorded an album with Jan Jelinek in 2003; and even post-punk titans Liars, whom he joined in late 2018.
Of his first album for Balmat, Pike says, “My loose concept was: What does music sound like when the expectations of late capitalism are removed from it? How might a jazz musician from an idealised culture of the future, or even another world, utilise musical language when the conventions of style and marketing are no longer a factor in music making?”
That inquiry, he says, connects to his “guiding principle: that the purpose of music is to access something bigger than the individual, and reveal a sense of possibility and freedom in the world to the listener. To create an understanding that the future can be something other than what we imagined or expect, even unconsciously.”
Heady ideas, but plug into his stream-of-metaconsciousness flow and you may start to intuit what motivates him. There is a deeply lyrical expression in these pieces—in the ruminative piano of opener “Guardians of Memory,” for example—but also a sense of exploded perspective, of ideas approached from more angles than any one mind could dream up. Of a collectivized consciousness, of mycelial networks branching across tone and rhythm and timbre, of ideas articulated in distributed fashion, nodal points dancing across drum heads.
Pike’s imaginary quintet is hardly without precedent; it’s a continuation of concepts floated across Jan Jelinek’s Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records, Burnt Friedman’s many guises, and much of the recombinant improv of the International Anthem roster, not to mention the far corners of ECM’s catalog in the late 1970s and 1980s, which Pike says have been integral to his development since he was a teenager. Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet is a point in a continuum, a voice in a conversation, a question with no obvious answer: How can the search for otherness in music manifest something true about ourselves?
Limited Edition[25,63 €]
The fifth release from Diggers Society Records is signed by one of the most influential duos in the underground electronic scene of the past 20 years: The Analogue Cops. Lucretio and Marieu deliver a finely crafted, dancefloor-oriented EP, strongly defined by the techno, electro, acid, and house sounds that have become their unmistakable signature. The A-side opens with two full-on techno dancefloor bangers, ‘Fake Black Out’ and ‘Do What You Want’, while the B-side leans more towards house, driven by the hypnotic progression of ‘Milano Gipsy’ and the intense bassline of ‘Chinese Coffee’. The duo’s creativity and brilliance shine through in raw, unconventional solutions that surface in every moment of the EP.
Artwork by @designattitude_graphic
The fifth release from Diggers Society Records is signed by one of the most influential duos in the underground electronic scene of the past 20 years: The Analogue Cops. Lucretio and Marieu deliver a finely crafted, dancefloor-oriented EP, strongly defined by the techno, electro, acid, and house sounds that have become their unmistakable signature. The A-side opens with two full-on techno dancefloor bangers, ‘Fake Black Out’ and ‘Do What You Want’, while the B-side leans more towards house, driven by the hypnotic progression of ‘Milano Gipsy’ and the intense bassline of ‘Chinese Coffee’. The duo’s creativity and brilliance shine through in raw, unconventional solutions that surface in every moment of the EP.
This special edition also includes a 10" limited to 100 hand-numbered copies, featuring two exclusive productions: “Burning Jack” and “Yes Or Not”.
Artwork by @designattitude_graphic
A truly “Not Normal” label is finally here to unveil its concept of split releases.
The A-side takes you on a transcendental journey led by Balinsky, where melancholic echoes of 90s rave culture intertwine with modern rhythms and carefully sculpted basslines, forming a mysterious and captivating soundscape.
The B-side invites you into the fiery, groovy world of Javier Carballo. Refracted rhythms collide with deep, enveloping sound design, pulling you into a pulsating and uncharted adventure.
Together, the two artists create a delicate balance — their distinctive yet seamlessly blended visions deliver a luminous spectrum of tracks for you to enjoy.
Artwork by Olya Magarik.
Attention Italo-disco junkies: Disco Segreta is back, and we’re kicking off our 10th-anniversary celebration in style with a release you simply can’t miss. We’re beyond excited to present the official reissue of Cecilia Rizzoli’s iconic single, “Così non va”—a tearjerker Italo-disco masterpiece that has haunted the dreams of collectors for decades.
Originally released in 1985 in an ultra-limited run of just 500 copies split on two cult labels, Scarabes Sound and Discokkio, this gem became a mythical treasure for those dedicated diggers uncovering the rarest Italo disco tracks. “Così non va” blends hypnotic Juno synth lines, punchy Linndrum beats and airy arpeggios with Cecilia’s emotionally charged vocals, creating a soundscape that’s pure melanchol-Italo perfection—ideal for winter nights and nostalgic dance floors.
For this reissue, we’ve painstakingly tracked down the original analog master, that we’ve lovingly restored and remastered to deliver the kind of pristine sound quality this track deserves. The release features the remastered original and a fresh, contemporary edit by Latino-Swedish Italo-disco legend Claudio Burgos, aka Mr. Fantasy. Secure your copy now before it disappears into collector heaven—again!
Free Mousse is a Paris-based collective and festival. They have been spreading their signature “Mousse” across the capital over the past three years. This year, they’ve decided to share it with everyone by pressing it on wax. To make it happen Blinkduus Dischetto and Kiss The Future, rising talented producers and close friends of Mousse team joined forces on a unique EP born from their collaboration.
On the record, you’ll find:
A1 – a banger by Kiss that has been tearing up dancefloors for a year now
B1 – a tech-house weapon from Blinkduus bringing the heat every time it’s played
Finally, both artists’ identities come together on A2 & B2 in exclusive cuts that we invite you to uncover.
We deliver mousse <3
DJ Support: Ben UFO, Pearson Sound, Midland, Pariah, Or:la, Ciel, Florentino, HAAi, Tom VR, DJ JM, Peder Mannerfelt and Bradley Zero.
Ikke Sant’s debut release, Sub Cut, delivers three tracks of genre-blurring psychedelia and club pressure from label founder SUCHI. The title track unfolds a didgeridoo-driven strut with unconventional textures, Every Pan Has A Lid layers hypnotic grooves with processed vocals, and Propeller dives deep with celestial arpeggios over driving basslines. Music for adventurous dancefloors.
The Éthiopiques series returns! Essential archive recordings from an extremely fruitful period in Ethiopian music.
Before “Swinging Addis” took over the world, there was Moussié Nerses Nalbandian — the Armenian-born composer who shaped modern Ethiopian music. Mentor, arranger, and pioneer, he laid the foundations of Ethio-jazz.
This Éthiopiques volume revives his forgotten legacy, recorded live by Either/ Orchestra First issue ever with new exclusive photos and in depth liner 8-page insert.
“Ethiopian jazzmen are the best musicians that we have seen so far in Africa.
They really are promising handlers of jazz instruments.”
Wilbur De Paris
(1959, after a concert in Addis Ababa)
አዲስ፡ዘመን። *Addis zèmèn* **A new era.**
The time is the mid-1950s and early 1960s, just before "Swinging Addis" bloomed – or rather boomed – onto the scene. Brass instruments are still dominant, but the advent of the electric guitar, and the very first electronic organs, are just around the corner. Rock’n'Roll, R’n’B, Soul and the Twist have not yet barged their way in. Addis Ababa is steeped in the big band atmosphere of the post-war era, with Glenn Miller's *In the* *Mood* as its world-wide theme song, neck and neck with the Latin craze that was in vogue at the same period. Life has become enjoyable once again, with the return of peace after the terrible Italian Fascist invasion of Ethiopia (1935-1941). The redeployment of modern music is part and parcel of the postwar reconstruction. *Addis zèmèn* – a new era – is the watchword of the postwar period, just as it was all across war-torn Europe.
The generation who were the young parents of baby boomers** were the first to enjoy this musical renaissance, before the baby boomers themselves took over and forever super-charged the soundtrack of the final days of imperial reign. Music is Ethiopia's most popular art form, and very often serves as the best barometer for the upsurge of energy that is critical for reconstruction. Whether it be jazz in Saint-Germain-des-Prés or the *zazous* who revolutionised both jazz and French *chanson* after the *Libération*, be it Madrid's post-Franco Movida, or Dada, the Surrealists and *les années folles* that followed World War I, the periods just after mourning and hardship always give rise to brighter and more tuneful tomorrows. Addis Ababa, as the country's capital, and the epicentre of change, was no exception to this vital rule.
**Two generations of Nalbandian musicians**
Nersès Nalbandian belonged to a family of Armenian exiles, who had moved to Ethiopia in the mid-1920s. The uncle Kevork arrived along with the fabled "*Arba Lidjotch*", the** "*40 Kids*", young Armenian orphans and musicians that the Ras Tafari had recruited when he visited Jerusalem in 1924, intending to turn their brass band into the official imperial band. If Kevork Nalbandian was the one who first opened the way of modernism, pushing innovation so far as to invent musical theatre, it was his nephew Nersès who would go on to become, from the 1940s and until his death in 1977, a pivotal figure of modern Ethiopian music and of the heights it. Going all the way back to the 1950s. Nothing less. And it is Nersès who is largely to thank for the brassy colours that so greatly contributed to the international renown of Ethiopian groove. While the younger generations today venture timidly into the genealogy of their country's modern music, often losing their way amidst a distinctly xenophobic historiographical complacency, many survivors of the imperial period are still around to bear witness and pay tribute to the essential role that "Moussié Nersès" played in the rise of Abyssinia's musical modernity.
Given the year of his birth (15 March 1915), no one knows for sure if Nersès Nalbandian was born in Aintab, today Gaziantep (Turkiye/former Ottoman Empire) or on the other side of the border in Alep, Syria... What is certain is that his family, like the entire Armenian community, was amongst the victims of the genocide perpetrated by the Turks. Alep, the place of safety – today in ruins.
Before Nersès then, there was uncle Kevork (1887-1963). For a quarter of a century, he was a whirlwind of activity in music teaching and theatrical innovation. *Guèbrè Mariam le Gondaré* (የጎንደሬ ገብረ ማርያም አጥቶ ማግኘት, 1926 EC=1934) is his most famous creation. This play included "ten Ethiopian songs" — a totally innovative approach. According to his autobiographical notes, preserved by the Nalbandian family, Kevork indicates that he composed some 50 such pieces over the course of his career. This shows just how much he understood, very early on, the critical importance of song as Ethiopia's crowning artistic form. Indeed, for Ethiopian listeners, the most important thing is the lyrics, with all their multifarious mischief, far more than a strong melody, sophisticated arrangements or even an exceptional voice. (This is also why Ethiopians by and large, and beginning with the artists and producers themselves, believed for a long time — and wrongly — that their music could not possibly be exported, and could never win over audiences abroad, who did not speak the country's languages).
Last but not least, one of Kevork's major contributions remains composing Ethiopia's first national anthem – with lyrics by Yoftahé Negussié.
Nersès Nalbandian moved to Ethiopia at the end of the 1930s, at the behest of his ground-breaking uncle. Proficient in many instruments (pretty much everything but the drums), conductor, choir director, composer, arranger, adapter, creator, piano tuner, purveyor of rented pianos,... he was above all an energetic and influential teacher. From 1946 onwards, thanks to Kevork's connexion, Nersès was appointed musical director of the Addis Ababa Municipality Band. In just a few years, Nersès transformed it into the first truly modern ensemble, thanks to the quality of his teaching, his choice of repertoire, and the sophistication of his arrangements. It was this group that would go on to become the orchestra of the Haile Selassie Theatre shortly after its inauguration in 1955, which was a major celebration of the Emperor's jubilee, marking the 25th anniversary of his on-again-off-again reign.
At some point or other in his long career, Nersès Nalbandian had a hand in the creation of just about every institutional band (Municipality Band, Police Orchestra, Imperial Bodyguard Band, Army Band, Yared Music School…), but it was with the Haile Selassie Theatre – today the National Theatre – that his abilities were most on display, up until his death in 1977. To this must be added the development of choral singing in Ethiopia, hitherto unknown, and a sort of secret garden dedicated to the memory of Armenian sacred music, and brought together in two thick, unpublished volumes. Shortly before his death (November 13, 1977), he was appointed to lead the impressive Ethiopian delegation at Festac in Lagos, Nigeria (January-February 1977).
His status as a stateless foreigner regularly excluded him from the most senior positions, in spite of the respect he commanded (and commands to this day) from the musicians of his era. Naturally gifted and largely self-taught, Nerses was tirelessly curious about new musical developments, drawing inspiration from the very first imported records, and especially from listening intensely to the musical programmes broadcast over short-wave radio – BBC *First*. A prolific composer and arranger, he was constantly mindful of formalising and integrating Ethiopian parameters (specific “musical modes”, pentatonic scale, and the dominance of ternary rhythms) into his “modernisation” of the musical culture, rather than trying to over-westernise it. It even seems very probable that *Moussié* Nerses made a decisive contribution to the development of tighter music-teaching methods, in order to revitalise musical education during this period of prodigious cultural ferment. Flying in the face of all the historiographical and musicological evidence, it is taken as sacrosanct dogma that the four musical modes or chords officially recognised today, the *qǝñǝt* or *qiñit* (ቅኝት), are every bit as millennial as Ethiopia itself. It would appear however that some streamlining of these chords actually took place in around 1960. It was only from this time onward that music teaching was structured around these four fundamental musical modes and chords: *Ambassel*, *Bati*, *Tezeta* and *Antchi Hoyé*. A historical and musical “details” that is, apparently, difficult to swallow, especially if that should honour a *foreigner*. Modern Ethiopian music has Nersès to thank for many of its standards and, to this day, it is not unusual for the National Radio to broadcast thunderous oldies that bear unmistakable traces of his outrageously groovy touch.
Black Vinyl[28,36 €]
“I've always dreamed of making an album where I could bring together artists I deeply admire, curating voices, energies, and sensibilities that have inspired me,” says Brussels-born producer and multidisciplinary artist ShunGu of his new record, Faith in the Unknown. “It took time, and it grew into something very human, rooted in trust, patience, and creative risk. These songs are conversations, not just between me and the artists, but between worlds, eras, and ways of feeling.”
That spirit of dialogue and discovery is what defines Faith in the Unknown. Emerging from years of steady, meticulous work in the underground, the album is both a bold statement of identity and an invitation into Shungu’s world. Across 14 tracks, each a self-contained vignette, ShunGu guides the listener through shifting moods and perspectives- moments of intimacy, defiance, reflection and release, coalescing into a much larger story.
His distinct touch threads through the surefire cast of collaborators - Pink Siifu, Liv.e, Fly Anakin, Chester Watson, Fatima, Maxo, Navy Blue, Dreamcastmoe, Ruqqiyah, Zekeultra and Goya Gumbani — each track unfolding as a new dimension in the same universe.
ShunGu has long been a boundary-pusher, known for weaving jazz-inflected samples, skilfully constructed textures, and MPC-driven grooves into production that feels timeless yet untethered. With Faith in the Unknown he pushes further still: a project as much about collective energy as it is about personal vision. It’s a leap into uncertainty, carried by trust in the process and the people involved.
From the lo-fi beat tapes that first won him a cult following, to collaborations that span the globe, Shungu has forged a body of work rooted in exploration and community. Faith in the Unknown crystallises those qualities into his most ambitious statement yet; a record that doesn’t just blur boundaries between genres, but asks what happens when vulnerability and experimentation are treated as shared ground.
The result is a record that trades in subtlety. Each artistic contribution adds its own shade to the larger mosaic, pulling the listener deeper into an expanding narrative. If Faith in the Unknown has a message, it’s that art can thrive in uncertainty - that in the spaces where trust, risk, and vulnerability intersect, something entirely new can emerge.
