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Two decades after its original release, the trance classic “The Morgan’s Wave” returns in a fresh and contemporary form. Born in 2003 from the creative meeting between vocalist Caroline Eloy and producers Patrick Ketels and Xavier Romain, the track first gained attention through David Altrix (Galaxie Radio), and was signed by Diki Records in 2004 on its sub-label Green Valley.
In 2025, the idea to revive the track came from Caroline Eloy—now performing as Ce’Loy—who teamed up once again with David Altrix to envision a remix with a modern twist, keeping the original lyrics and piano melody while exploring a new musical direction.

They entrusted the remix to Narik (Freegrant Music, Bonzai Progressive, EinMusika), whose timeless production style brings a unique reinterpretation of the track. His version features deep, emotional textures and a subtle deconstruction of the vocal part, blending nostalgia with innovation.

Now released on Clair Obscur, this 2025 remix also serves as a heartfelt tribute to Patrick Ketels, who sadly passed away a few years ago.
“The Morgan’s Wave (Narik 2025 Remix)” bridges eras with elegance — a moving reinvention of a beloved track, available soon on both vinyl and digital formats.

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Deux décennies après sa sortie originale, le classique trance “The Morgan’s Wave” revient dans une version fraîche et contemporaine. Né en 2003 de la rencontre créative entre la chanteuse Caroline Eloy et les producteurs Patrick Ketels et Xavier Romain, le morceau s’est d’abord fait remarquer grâce à David Altrix (Galaxie Radio), avant d’être signé en 2004 par Diki Records sur son sous-label Green Valley.

En 2025, l’idée de raviver le morceau germe dans l’esprit de Caroline Eloy — désormais connue sous le nom de Ce’Loy — qui s’associe de nouveau à David Altrix pour imaginer un remix à la fois fidèle et modernisé, conservant les paroles originales et la mélodie au piano tout en explorant une nouvelle direction musicale.

Ils confient cette mission au producteur Narik (Freegrant Music, Bonzai Progressive, EinMusika), dont le style intemporel offre une relecture unique du titre. Sa version déploie des textures profondes et émotionnelles, et déconstruit avec subtilité la partie vocale, mêlant habilement nostalgie et innovation.

Désormais publié sur le label Clair Obscur, ce remix 2025 constitue aussi un hommage sincère à Patrick Ketels, disparu il y a quelques années.

“The Morgan’s Wave (Narik 2025 Remix)” fait le lien entre les époques avec élégance — une réinvention touchante d’un morceau culte, à paraître prochainement en vinyle et en digital.

DJ FEEDBACK
Early support from Jam El Mar, Fedele, Township Rebellion, Themba, Roger Sanchez, Dan Marciano, DJ Fire, Tocadisco, Yalla Techno, Tom Leclercq, ….

Air Texture proudly announces its latest artist-curated compilation, “Hardwired,” assembled by Berlin-based musician JakoJako. This expansive collection celebrates the implicit connection between hardware-focused electronic producers, featuring contributions from Rødhåd, Acid Pauli, The Field, Neon Chambers, and many more.

“Hardwired” draws its conceptual foundation from synthesizer terminology. As JakoJako explains: “A hardwired synth has connections already soldered into the machine—it comes with certain functions without needing to patch cables externally. As a hardware producer, I feel whenever I meet someone who creates music as I do, we have this immediate connection, like a hardwired synthesizer. There’s no need for small talk—we can speak about gear.”

This metaphor of pre-established connections forms the emotional core of the compilation, celebrating the community of hardware enthusiasts who share an intuitive understanding and appreciation for machine-based music creation.

JakoJako has established herself as one of electronic music’s most intriguing voices, exploring the territory between technical precision and emotional expression. Her artistic approach balances rigorous knowledge with unrestrained intuition, creating works that reach beyond genre boundaries.

A Berghain resident with performances at Dekmantel and Fusion, to the Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican, JakoJako has released music on prestigious labels including Tresor, Mute, and Leisure System, and crafted remixes for artists like New Order and Martin Gore. Her deep relationship with analog and modular synthesis, including her ongoing connection to Berlin’s SchneidersLaden, informs her distinctive sound.

Following her recent Mute album “Têt 41,” this curation for Air Texture provides further insight into the musical universe that has shaped JakoJako’s artistic vision.

“Hardwired” showcases 23 tracks for its digital release, with a select 9 tracks pressed to vinyl. The collection spans the spectrum of contemporary electronic music while maintaining cohesive focus on hardware-driven production approaches.

Highlights include collaborative works between JakoJako and fellow producers Mareena and Frank Wiedemann, alongside contributions from established artists like Rødhåd, Acid Pauli, and The Field, plus emerging talents representing the hardware renaissance in electronic music.

Founded by James Parker Healy, Air Texture emerged from New York City’s late ’90s rave scene, carrying forward the fundamental PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect) ethos with a collaborative and curatorial focus. Air Texture has evolved from its roots in Manhattan’s club era and Brooklyn’s warehouse scene to embrace a global perspective, working with producers across diverse styles and regions worldwide through the label and its PLace: nonprofit series.

Dune Castle presents - From A Darebin Cave by Cantrips, an acid folk odyssey. Recorded live with a 7-piece band over two days, "From a Darebin Cave" features members from Surprise Chef, Don Glori, Karate Boogaloo, and more.

Centered around the nylon guitar and voice of Patrick Ryan (Cantrips), this album draws inspiration from late 60s/early 70s acts like Nick Drake, Terry Callier, and Donovan. The album also incorporates string arrangements reminiscent of Frank Sinatra's "Watertown" and late 60s psychedelic pop. This unique sound was crafted by two keyboardists emulating a string quartet with synthesizers, complemented by drums, percussion, double bass, and pedal steel guitar.

The lyricism delves into themes of isolation, loneliness, regret, and joy, inspired by the natural beauty of the Darebin Parklands surrounding the Dune Castle studio, and takes influence from Romantic poets such as Mary Oliver, William Blake, and Pablo Neruda.

Seasons pass and recording sessions flow. Flow one after the other. With each new release Dub Shepards & Bat Records solidify their indisputable position as one of the leading production teams and suppliers of reggae music. From the outskirts of Clermont Ferrand, the Dub Shepherds quench the thirst of roots lovers and soundsystem selecters worldwide. With their authentic sound and their studio built in the tradition of the Jamaican forefathers that is stocked with razor sharp musicians, MCs and singers- they are always ready to go to work. Equipped with an exclusive approach to dub: Jolly Joseph and Doctor Charty have the ways and means to produce and share their own take on this music they love so deeply. Today they produce a handcrafted sound that is made-in-France. Paying tribute to reggae music's foundation stones.

Their new project coming out in May 2025 is the culmination of several years of collaboration between Dub Shepherds and Junior Roy, a regular at BAT Records Studio and a key figure in the global soundsystem scene. This release is the French singer and MC's very first LP, entitled "Troddin On". After the successful release of a 12 Inch 45 in the summer of 2023, the Shepherds and Roy naturally began to ferment new ideas. The arrival of this LP on the turntables is both a milestone and a stepping stone towards the future of this union.

As is customary with BAT Records the sound is warm, the basslines heavy and the riddims groove on solid rhythmic footing. "Troddin On" revives the feel of 80s and 70s Jamaican music. Behind the mic, Junior Roy navigates the highs and explores the sacred themes of the genre. His voice is vibrant, his emotionally charged lyrics soar, embracing instrumentals. Perfectly tailored to fit. This is roots music, this is reggae, no detours—each track is paired with its dub version, giving the project a traditional album showcase format. And when it comes to Dub, with the Dub Shepherds it’s all about "Hardmix"—no compromises, just great mastery!

Far Out Recordings continues its reissue campaign of the late Argentinian guitarist Agustin Pereyra Lucena's work with the first-ever vinyl reissue of his singular 1988 private press album, Puertos De Alternativa, now his most sought-after LP. The album features some of Agustin’s most uniquely beautiful compositions, including “Luces de Valeria” and “Preparativos Maritimos,” alongside Baden Powell's “Pequeño Vals” and “O Cego Aderaldo (Nordeste...),” and “Tema Barroco” by his longtime collaborator, Guilhermo Reuter.

By 1988, Agustín had established himself as one of Argentina’s foremost interpreters of Brazilian music. The seventies saw success with his group Candeias, and he gained recognition in Brazil, forming friendships and collaborations with luminaries such as Vinicius de Moraes, Baden Powell, Dorival Caymmi, Toquinho, and Maria Bethania. Following the era of dictatorship in South America, Agustín spent the late seventies and early eighties, living and touring in Norway as part of his European travels with his group Agustín Pereyra Lucena quartet.

Recorded after returning to his native Buenos Aires, Agustin Peyera Lucena’s Puertos de Alternativa emerged from this confluence of diverse experiences and influences, revealing an artist deeply connected to his environment. The album's title, meaning "Alternative Harbours," reflects Agustín's particular affinity for water. He observed that much of his favourite music originated from places with rivers and seas nearby, noting, "There is a flow near water that influences guitar playing for sure."

With a profound connection to both instrument and environment, Agustín’s music is often difficult to place. The album begins rooted deeply in South American soil, drawing clear inspiration from Brazilian guitar masters like Heitor Villa Lobos, Garoto and Baden Powell. But, as it progresses, a sense of journey unfolds, evoking new landscapes and horizons – from the crystalline beauty of glacial Norway to the gentle currents of the Rio de la Plata.

The ensemble on Puertos de Alternativa features notable Argentinian musicians, including drummer Osvaldo Avena, flautist Rubén Izarrualde, and saxophonist Bernardo Baraj.

Mastered by Stuart Hawkes at Metropolis Studios from the original master tapes which had been lovingly kept by Agustin’s nephew José Lucena Perreyra


Tracklist & Credits:

A1. Luces De Valeria (Agustin Pereyra Lucena)
Guitar, Vocals – Agustin Pereyra Lucena
Piano, Bass, Drums, Vocals – Guillermo Reuter
Tamboril – Julio Said

A2. Pequeña Valsa (Baden Powell)
Arranged By Flute – Lucho González
Drums – Osvaldo Avena
Flute – Alejandro Santos
Guitar – Agustin Pereyra Lucena
Tambora – Eduardo Avena

A3. Planicie (El Llano) (Agustin Pereyra Lucena)
Arranged By Flute – Lucho González
Flute – Rubén Izarrualde
Keyboards, Acoustic Bass, Percussion, Arranged By Keyboards – Guillermo Reuter
Guitar – Agustin Pereyra Lucena

A4. Tema Barroco (Guillermo Reuter)
Guitar – Agustin Pereyra Lucena
Percussion – Guillermo Reuter

A5. O Cego Aderaldo (Nordeste...) (Baden Powell)
Guitar – Agustin Pereyra Lucena

B1. Tres Que Quedaron (Agustin Pereyra Lucena, Andrés Laprida)
Drums – Osvaldo López
Flute – Rubén Izarrualde
Piano, Keyboards, Bass, Directed By – Guillermo Reuter
Soprano Saxophone – Bernardo Baraj
Electric Piano, Arranged By – Andrés Laprida
Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocals – Agustin Pereyra Lucena

B2. Preparativos Maritimos (Andrés Laprida, Agustin Pereyra Lucena, Guillermo Reuter)
Guitar, Vocals – Agustin Pereyra Lucena
Keyboards, Acoustic Bass, Percussion, Arranged By – Guillermo Reuter

B3. Puertos De Alternativa (Agustin Pereyra Lucena)
Guitar, Effects – Agustin Pereyra Lucena

B4. Casi-Numbe (Luis González Cárpena, Agustin Pereyra Lucena)
Bass – Lucho González
Bass Flute – Rubén Izarrrualde
Berimbau – Horacio Veros
Keyboards, Piano, Vocals, Drums, Arranged By – Guillermo Reuter
Guitar, Vocals, Arranged By – Agustin Pereyra Lucena

Returning to the Bordello, and the seven-inch, is Real Velour. This secretive figure reappears with two tracks of indie dance that bend and re-shape elements of italo disco, minimal pop and synth wave to create an utterly unique experience. Sleazy basslines and tropical percussion give way to heavily vocodered words in “Lover”, machine amor breaking to spoken human voice as melodies twirl. The romance described is one of passion, of friendship and of fidelity; but, with a hint of control. Clever and addictive, the composition cherry-picks bittersweet sounds to depict this relationship. The flip, “Look What You’ve Done”, maintains the candystore keys of the A-Side; the tone shifting as lyrics adopt a brazen and fortified vigour. It appears maybe that the promises of “Lover” have been shattered. While the love story turns to hurt feelings and regret, Real Velour keep the energy high to revel in the final break-up.

6 months after the release of Ed Rain’s (one of Andrei Rusu, half of duo Khidja, solo projects) debut solo album ‘Met him on a Wednesday’, Malka Tuti records is presenting two Huge remixes for the title track’s collaboration with Fantastic Twins.On the A Side we have Pilooski on the banger duties. Heavy sub bass frequencies and edgy rhythms reminiscing of late 90s UK energies (but with a somewhat modern twist) push forward a dance track with a unique structure and unexpected sonic surprises. Big room IDM. Big Big Tip. On the flip side we finally managed to collaborate with one of our favourites Superpitcher. The Kompakt x Pachanga Boys x Hippie Dance xxx alumni is one of our all time favourite people and producers, and we are oh-so-happy that he joined us on this special ride.His interpretation of the track takes it into more “poppy” realms. The entire track is laid over a beautiful sub bass droney kind of bassline and the result is one of those “this has been on repeat the entire day” kind of songs. A melancholic hue paints the song with a ‘Happy-Sad’ kind of energy and gives it more emotional depth yet always keeps it playful.

First part of the Drexciya re-issue series! Drexciya might need an introduction for some, for others it is the most influential techno project ever. Part of the heritage of Detroit's Underground Resistance, Drexciya explored techno music like no-one else before. Raw and uncompromising music that reflects the harsh environment of the city where Drexciya was conceived. The aesthetics and the mythical approach combined with the unique music made this one of the biggest cult projects in techno music. Drexciya arguably stands for the darker side of techno and electro, music not only made for the club scene, but a further development of the music as an expression and extension of the mind. 20 years after the release of ''Deep Sea Dweller'' (their first release), and 10 years after ''Grava 4'' (their last), we present ''Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller''. This series is an almost complete collection of their early works, and is remastered from the original master tapes. Since the original releases have such a strong character, appeal and stand on their own, this re-issue can never re-create the magic of those originals. So instead we stirred up the catalogue taking the tracks out of their original context, giving the 'in the know' listener a fresh experience and the new listener a document that is the best possible introduction to the aquatic world of Drexciya.

"Three years ago, Jérôme Leclercq and I from Mediatoon Licensing came up with the idea of creating a cinema concert to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Naruto. Why a cinema concert? The music is part of the success of the licence and fans have a particular attachment to the credits and the original soundtracks. The originality of the music by Toshio Masuda, the composer of Naruto, comes from the clever mix of traditional Japanese instruments, such as the Shakuhachi or the Shamisen, with guitar and other pop/rock instruments. So we came up with the idea of bringing this music to the stage with a 50-strong orchestra, accompanied by an original montage of the best moments from the anime. This orchestra is made up of three parts: symphonic instruments, pop/rock instruments and traditional instruments.

To do this, we approached the ODINO orchestra and its conductor Sylvain Audinovski. The ODINO orchestra is one of those capable of mixing musical styles while maintaining a very high level of performance. We have also chosen traditional Japanese instrumentalists to complete the orchestra's core, especially for the show.

The arrangements and musical direction are the fruit of a collaboration between Quentin Benayoun, Sébastien Caviggia and myself. My two accomplices, with whom I formed the group P.U.S.S. in 2007, have a great mastery of rock and orchestral music writing. This mix is essential to keep the promise made to the fans of the series and required several months' work to select the music and write the scores for the whole orchestra.

How do you tell the story of Naruto to fans, but also to those who don't know the anime? That's the real challenge of this unique film-concert. How do you select the best moments in the story of this young ninja apprentice from the vastness of the first 220 episodes? Six months of selection and research enabled me to choose the key images in the narrative, while preserving certain dialectics to match the anime's incredible music.

This original film-concert, lasting almost 2? hours, is a real Rock-Symphonic show paying tribute to the work of Masashi Kashimoto and the music of Toshio Masuda."

“After a stay in Detroit in 2022 (where I met some of the artists whose music I admire the most), I returned to Montreuil, illuminated and brimming with energy. I had my MPC2000XL repaired, found a second-hand Yamaha Motif ES6 at Zikplace in Croix de Chavaux, and a Korg Triton on Le Bon Coin. The three instruments connected together rekindled my practice of electronic music in my home studio. Passionate about the new setup, I tried to record a little each day.

After two years of work, I felt the desire to bring together the eight tracks that brought me the most joy during their recording. A certain nostalgia and/or melancholy can arise from the sounds of the instruments used, each dating from the late 1990s. They plunged me back into the house and R&B clips that played on MTV when I was a pre-teen, which I adored.

The recording is raw and conveys a message of peace, humility, and unity. It pays homage to the early hours of house music.

The title of the project, “please don’t wait,” is simple and refers to the passage of time, urgency, and the present moment. It’s a message that invites movement and action.”

-Mad Rey”

Repress!

In the mid-1970s, a force of nature swept across the continental United States, cutting across all strata of race and class, rooting in our minds, our homes, our culture. It wasn’t The Exorcist, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, or even bell-bottoms, but instead a book called The Secret Life of Plants. The work of occultist/former OSS agent Peter Tompkins and former CIA agent/dowsing enthusiast Christopher Bird, the books shot up the bestseller charts and spread like kudzu across the landscape, becoming a phenomenon. Seemingly overnight, the indoor plant business was in full bloom and photosynthetic eukaryotes of every genus were hanging off walls, lording over bookshelves, and basking on sunny window ledges. The science behind Secret Life was specious: plants can hear our prayers, they’re lie detectors, they’re telepathic, able to predict natural disasters and receive signals from distant galaxies. But that didn’t stop millions from buying and nurturing their new plants.



Perhaps the craziest claim of the book was that plants also dug music. And whether you purchased a snake plant, asparagus fern, peace lily, or what have you from Mother Earth on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles (or bought a Simmons mattress from Sears), you also took home Plantasia, an album recorded especially for them. Subtitled “warm earth music for plants…and the people that love them,” it was full of bucolic, charming, stoner-friendly, decidedly unscientific tunes enacted on the new-fangled device called the Moog. Plants date back from the dawn of time, but apparently they loved the Moog, never mind that the synthesizer had been on the market for just a few years. Most of all, the plants loved the ditties made by composer Mort Garson.



Few characters in early electronic music can be both fearless pioneers and cheesy trend-chasers, but Garson embraced both extremes, and has been unheralded as a result. When one writer rhetorically asked: “How was Garson’s music so ubiquitous while the man remained so under the radar?” the answer was simple. Well before Brian Eno did it, Garson was making discreet music, both the man and his music as inconspicuous as a Chlorophytumcomosum. Julliard-educated and active as a session player in the post-war era, Garson wrote lounge hits, scored plush arrangements for Doris Day, and garlanded weeping countrypolitan strings around Glen Campbell’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” He could render the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel alike into easy listening and also dreamed up his own ditties. “An idear” as Garson himself would drawl it out. “I live with it, I walk it, I sing it.”



But as his daughter Day Darmet recalls: “When my dad found the synthesizer, he realized he didn’t want to do pop music anymore.” Garson encountered Robert Moog and his new device at the Audio Engineering Society’s West Coast convention in 1967 and immediately began tinkering with the device. With the Moog, those idears could be transformed. “He constantly had a song he was humming,” Darmet says. “At the table he was constantly tapping.” Which is to say that Mort pulled his melodies out of thin air, just like any household plant would.



The Plantae kingdom grew to its height by 1976, from DC Comics’ mossy superhero Swamp Thing to Stevie Wonder’s own herbal meditation, Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. Nefarious manifestations of human-plant interaction also abounded, be it the grotesque pods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers or the pothead paranoia of the US Government spraying Mexican marijuana fields with the herbicide paraquat (which led to the rise in homegrown pot by the 1980s). And then there’s the warm, leafy embrace of Plantasia itself.



“My mom had a lot of plants,” Darmet says. “She didn’t believe in organized religion, she believed the earth was the best thing in the whole world. Whatever created us was incredible.” And she also knew when her husband had a good song, shouting from another room when she heard him humming a good idear. Novel as it might seem, Plantasia is simply full of good tunes.



Garson may have given the album away to new plant and bed owners, but a decade later a new generation could hear his music in another surreptitious way. Millions of kids bought The Legend of Zelda for their Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1986 and one distinct 8-bit tune bears more than a passing resemblance to album highlight “Concerto for Philodendron and Pothos.” Garson was never properly credited for it, but he nevertheless subliminally slipped into a new generations’ head, helping kids and plants alike grow.



Hearing Plantasia in the 21st century, it seems less an ode to our photosynthesizing friends by Garson and more an homage to his wife, the one with the green thumb that made everything flower around him. “My dad would be totally pleased to know that people are really interested in this music that had no popularity at the time,” Darmet says of Plantasia’snew renaissance. “He would be fascinated by the fact that people are finally understanding and appreciating this part of his musical career that he got no admiration for back then.” Garson seems to be everywhere again, even if he’s not really noticed, just like a houseplant.

2025 Repress
Growing up on the north Atlantic island of Iceland bestows one with an unusual and often intense relationship with light and colour: Summers come with endless days, Winters with scant sunlight yet increased sightings of the Aurora Borealis; the mysterious and awe-inspiring glow across the sky. Channelling these energies, Exos
comes to Tresor with his Green Light EP, a five-track collection of the sort of spectrally rich techno synonymous with the Northman’s 27-year career.
Across the EP, the five tracks fizz and pulsate driving ever forward, making the release’s title a three-way play on words referencing the continuous travelling of photons, the verdant warping of the Northern Lights, and the universal colour for Go, for forward propulsion. Smart wordplay can also be found in titles like Grátt Silfur, a term in Íslenska (literally “grey sliver”) which signifies a tension between two parties, further extending the colour metaphor and dark/light dichotomy found elsewhere.
The digital release comes with three extra tracks that continue the dynamic energy, pushed along by the same shifting, mutating force where the music often feels like voices calling out from the darkness or the shimmer of light as the sun rises across the horizon.
Green Light EP continues this year’s blazing return from an artist who, similar to his output, is never stagnant: ever changing form yet ever moving forward.

Misty Lane paves a path to Dark Entries to deliver some quirky Quebecois disco pop. In 1983, producers Michel Bibeau, perhaps best known for his work on Pluton & Humanoids’ “World Invasion,” and Fitz Roy aka Ralph Mashats teamed up with singer Elaine Desjardins, the eponymous Misty Lane.

Mashats reminisces about bringing his Roland TR-808 and TB-303 to Michel’s Studio 21 in St. Eustache, two units he regretted later selling for “a slice of bread.” Michel added hooks with his Roland Jupiter 4 and various studio effects. Their sessions produced “Energy” and “Contrôle,” two cuts of slinky synthpop with French-Canadian flair. “Energy” pops off with proto-house vibes thanks to snappy 808s and Desjardin’s naive-but-enthusiastic vocals, and would fit right into a mid-80s WBMX Radio mix. “Contrôle” is a mid-tempo groover with tropical atmospheres, sitting perfectly next to to Junior Byron’s “Dance to the Music,” which was another Bibeau production.

Energy comes in a sleeve featuring Elaine at The Chivas Club in Montreal. Fans of Italo, Canadian disco, and oddball wave will rejoice in these artfully produced gems.

lim. 2xLP colored yellow and oxblood vinyl with Poster, Sticker & Mp3 Download!

We are back with another chapter in our ongoing series of unearthing smooth vibes from all over the world, this time we go back to the FUTURE for you with: THE SUNSET MANIFESTO Volume 2. After a five year break mainly concentrating on the late 70s/early 80s Westcoast Soul/Yacht/AOR sound, we finally dive deep into the modern world of our beloved sister-label Too Slow To Disco NEO (for the third time after 2018s TSTD NEO - En France and 2020s The Sunset Manifesto excursions). But of course it wasn't a real 5 year break since the first Sunset Manifesto compilation, as in the meantime we also released a few digital TSTD Neo singles, and - more importantly - our "Too Slow To Disco NEO - FM" playlist on spotify (handcurated by Dj Supermarkt every week and now hosting more than 1500 tracks of mellow, modern sunshine vibes) was growing steadily and becoming a new, important fixpoint in the TSTD musical universe. TSTD NEO is the outlet Dj Supermarkt is using to unearth modern laidback, smooth, sunny slow disco vibes with a soulful Westcoast/Balearic touch. For him TSTD always has been about a laidback vibe/feeling, not a certain time period in musical history. And that sunny Westcoast vibe we dug out on those traditional TSTD compilations has become a huge influence to so many modern artists. So it makes sense that we present the cream of new slo/mo NuDisco/Sunset Disco/Daytime Disco acts in the TSTD format, a luxurious compilation, with artists from all across the globe: Not only from the two homelands of that modern slow disco sound, Los Angeles/California and France, but also from Beijing, Montreal, Mexico, London, New York, Stockholm, Rotterdam… the moon, you name it! This music is more a state of mind, a feeling, then a geographical thing. We are happy and really excited to annouce the following passengers are on board with exclusive tracks: Poolside, Woolfy, Prep & Eddie Chacon, Turbotito, Young Gun Silver Fox, Lovetempo, Kimchii, Goodvibes Sound a.m.m.

Crane de Poule releases her first EP on vinyl under her label, CDP REC. The title track, Twerk of The Apocalypse, comes in two original versions - one with a bouncy breakbeat vibe infused with hip-hop energy, and the other built on a 4/4 minimal techno rhythm. The vocals were written and performed by Crane de Poule. Reboot and Enzo Leep deliver their own takes on Twerk of The Apocalypse, offering unique and irresistibly catchy remixes. Mastering by TIJN, Illustration and Artistic Direction by Crane de Poule

Legendary Dutch producer Stefan Robbers returns to De:tuned with his first new Terrace album in almost 15 years entitled 'Branches'. In the early 90s, the well-respected Eevo Lute originator built a firm connection with the first wave of Detroit producers and since then he has put the city of Eindhoven on the worldwide techno map. This new 10-track album represents the trademark Terrace sound, expertly produced throughout extensive hardware studio sessions and completely mesmerizing from start to finish. A classic yet innovative exploration of Motor City techno with a unique Dutch twist.

Al White and 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!

Legendary Dutch producer Stefan Robbers returns to De:tuned with his first new Terrace album in almost 15 years entitled 'Branches'. In the early 90s, the well-respected Eevo Lute originator built a firm connection with the first wave of Detroit producers and since then he has put the city of Eindhoven on the worldwide techno map. This new 10-track album represents the trademark Terrace sound, expertly produced throughout extensive hardware studio sessions and completely mesmerizing from start to finish. A classic yet innovative exploration of Motor City techno with a unique Dutch twist.

Al White and 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!

Mit ihrem fünften Studioalbum machte die Band um Frontmann Nergal einen großen Schritt weg von ihren rohen und primitiven Anfängen. Es war ein wichtiger Meilenstein in der Entwicklung von Behemoth und führte mehr Elemente aus dem Death-MetalGenre ein, während sie sich als Komponisten und Musiker immer weiter von ihren traditionellen Black-Metal-Wurzeln entfernten und entwickelten.

We’re thrilled to announce the ultimate collection for fans of Raz Fresco’s groundbreaking “Pocket Operations” album series! For the first time, all three volumes of this critically acclaimed series have been brought together into one seamless release. Featuring over 40 meticulously crafted tracks, this collection showcases Raz Fresco’s unique production skills, with every beat and sound created on the PO-33 – the world’s smallest sampler, designed by the innovative minds at Teenage Engineering.

This special release comes packaged in a stunning trifold jacket, making it a must-have for collectors and audiophiles alike. Available in your choice of vibrant colored vinyl or classic black vinyl, this exclusive edition is now open for pre-order. Don’t miss your chance to own this iconic compilation – secure your copy today!

Black Josh continues to carve out his own lane with YSL Bootleg, a project that encapsulates his unique presence in underground rap while setting its sights far beyond any imposed labels. This is a release built on the foundations of collaboration and a genuine community of music makers—his years spent with Levelz, the legendary Manchester-based collective that blurred the lines between rap, grime, and rave culture, shaping a generation of artists, and Cult of The Damned, a crew of rappers who raised him, cultivating an audience that has seen him regularly pack venues and tour the UK, AUS and NZ.

The project captures Josh’s signature blend of sharp wit, undeniable Mancunian cadence, and layered references that land harder for those from the North West. It’s the next step for an independent artist who has never signed a record deal yet has amassed millions of streams across tracks like Paul Scholes, Own Ting (featuring Eliza and Jesse James Solomon), and the Skepta-produced, Cigaweed.

This is the first full-length project Josh has released since supporting Danny Brown on tour, an opportunity that saw him sharpen his already unruly stage presence under the mentorship of one of rap’s most unpredictable voices. Their pairing made perfect sense—two outspoken, off-kilter artists with a mutual disregard for convention. That energy is embedded in YSL Bootleg.

The project includes Council Pop featuring Sly Moon, a track that has been doing the rounds since its release last year. A lead single, Aw, Here it Goes, drops Friday February 28th ahead of the full release.

Garfield (track 8), incorporates a genuine jazz breakdown—an unexpected but fitting evolution from the days of sweaty, beer-stained basement shows that were a rite of passage for a young Black Josh. The production across the tape reflects Josh’s versatility, with tracks produced by Blah mastermind Lee Scott and longtime collaborator Sumgii.

With YSL Bootleg, Black Josh once again proves that his music is on his own terms—crafted with his peers, rooted in Manchester but designed to travel far beyond.

For 15 years, female-fronted quintet LEONOV have been honing their captivating brand of celestial doom metal. Named after Aleksej Leonov, the first human to take a walk in space, the Norwegians combine the melancholic slow burn of King Woman with the ethereal heaviness of Subrosa and an incredible voice that undeniably reminds of Julie Christmas. Shape of Ash showcases the refined sound of a band that has been around for quite a while_ a band whose career has been a similar slow burn as their music, yet a band that has managed to stay together and create music throughout all these years, despite the odds of families and the real world. Like staring into a purgatory bonfire, listening to `Shape of Ash' is a powerfully entrancing experience. Dealing with themes of helplessness, uncertainty, conflict and resolution, these four songs touch upon the many adversities of life. On Shape of Ash, LEONOV create moments of primordial heaviness on which Tåran's unique voice floats atop, blends in effortlessly in some moments and takes reserved distance in others. With the 4 songs that make up this stunning EP, the band sets the bar incredibly high for their upcoming full length album. We can't wait for it! FOR FANS OF GGGOLDDD, King Woman, Marriages, Subrosa, Cult of Luna, Julie Christmas, Chelsea Wolfe, True Widow, Spurv

Back in an unmissable picture disc reissue: THE MOOD MOSAIC
Vol.1 – The Hashish Party, ready to win over collectors and vintage sound lovers. Originally released in 1997 by Yellowstone
Records, this iconic compilation blends jazz-funk, lounge, Latin
jazz, soul-jazz, and psychedelia into a truly unique musical
journey.

The tracklist features legendary artists like Serge Gainsbourg,
Michel Legrand, Gábor Szabó, George Shearing, and Shocking
Blue, delivering an irresistible mix of exotic grooves and retro
atmospheres. The picture disc format enhances the series’ visual
appeal, making every copy a true collector’s item

The Reds, Pinks & Purples is a San Francisco indie band led by Glenn Donaldson (The Ivy Tree, Skygreen Leopards, Art Museums and Painted Shrine). For fans of_ Guided By Voices, The Chills, Teenage Fanclub, The Shins, The Replacements, Leonard Cohen, The Go-Betweens, Robert Wyatt. Having penned over 200 songs in the last six years, The Reds, Pinks and Purples release a collection of tracks previously unreleased on physical format that continues to romanticise the wonders and woes of the world. With song titles that read like chapter sub-heads for a post-Douglas Coupland novella, 'The Past Is A Garden I Never Fed' takes The Reds, Pinks and Purples central orator Glenn Donaldson through the turmoil of small talk and everyday water cooler moments with a fine sense of pathos and irony. Set to a soundtrack that swerves between the dark days of Television Personalities and Byrdsian twang to the Jarvis Cocker-styled rhetoric and vocal tenderness of 'Richard In the Age Of The Corporation' with hints of everything from Husker Du's fuzzed splendour to the chiming majesty of The Chameleons it's an empowering listen. The pathos and irony of the glorious track 'The World Doesn't Need Another Band' sets out the band's store, it's a measured and quietly outspoken rant at lacklustre opposition peppered with a gorgeous guitar break. Meanwhile, 'I Only Ever Wanted To See You Fail' rumbles with an Eddie And The Hot Rods pre-punk riff before dissolving into a tale of self-doubt and remorse, bemoaning others' good luck. 'Toxic Friend' is from the book of the TVP's Daniel Treacey with an upbeat chorus that smacks of all that was good in old school indie in a hail of fuzzy logic and guitars. From humble beginnings as a home recording project, The Reds, Pinks and Purples has blossomed into a sporadic live unit with tours on both sides of the Atlantic and appearances at Pitchfork Fest London and Woodsist Fest as well as support slots for indie legends such as Destroyer, Guided By Voices, and The Feelies. "Donaldson's best work hides allure within a bigger picture, like a jangle-pop egg hunt" Pitchfork.

Lammping, the genre-defying psych-rock project from Toronto, is set to release four unique albums over the next year, each showcasing the eclectic range of influences and talents of its founders, Mikhail Galkin and Jay Anderson. A collaboration with Montreal's Bloodshot Bill kicks off the series with a psychedelic, sample-driven freak-out that’s as unpredictable as it is fun, blending Lammping’s DIY spirit with Bloodshot Bill’s singular style.

LERA is a brand new sardinian quartet forging a unique blend of post-rock, post-metal and doom,weaving hypnotic and heavy riffs with atmospheric soundscapes.
Their music thrives on contrasts--crushing, repetitive riffs that spiral into obsession, dissolving into delicate ambient textures that evokes a dreamlike state.
Their debut album, Reverie, is set for release in May 2025 via Subsound Records.


ABOUT REVERIE
"Reverie" thrives on contrasts-crushing, repetitive riffs that spiral into obsession, dissolving into delicate ambient textures that evokes a dreamlike state.
If you're looking for hypnotic and heavy riffs, slow arpeggios and crushing crescendos, powerful rhythms and ethereal vocals, just go for it - you will not be disappointed.

LERA is a brand new sardinian quartet forging a unique blend of post-rock, post-metal and doom,weaving hypnotic and heavy riffs with atmospheric soundscapes.
Their music thrives on contrasts--crushing, repetitive riffs that spiral into obsession, dissolving into delicate ambient textures that evokes a dreamlike state.
Their debut album, Reverie, is set for release in May 2025 via Subsound Records.


ABOUT REVERIE
"Reverie" thrives on contrasts-crushing, repetitive riffs that spiral into obsession, dissolving into delicate ambient textures that evokes a dreamlike state.
If you're looking for hypnotic and heavy riffs, slow arpeggios and crushing crescendos, powerful rhythms and ethereal vocals, just go for it - you will not be disappointed.

Since first forming in 2016, London's High Vis have steadily polished their palette of progressive hardcore with shades of post-punk, Brit pop, neo-psychedelia, and even Madchester groove, mapping a middle ground between hooks and fury, melodies and mosh pits. Singer Graham Sayle describes their third album 'Guided Tour' as an axis of competing forces: "It's trying to be a hopeful record, while also being incensed." Rounded out by drummer Edward 'Ski' Harper, guitarists Martin MacNamara and Rob Hammaren, and bassist Jack Muncaster, the band's deep roots in the UK and Irish DIY hardcore scenes have kept them grounded but growing, inspired equally by restlessness and righteous anger. As Sayle puts it, "Everyone's scratching, everyone's working all the time, and their idea of relaxing is just getting fucked and avoiding reality. This album is an escape from that."From its opening seconds of a cab door slamming, a car revving away, and a baggy rhythm swinging to life, 'Guided Tour' sounds like a band reaching for new heights, bristling with energy. Recorded across a few weeks at Holy Mountain Studios in London with producer Jonah Falco and engineer Stanley Gravett, the results feel dynamic and dialed-in, like anthems burned into sense memory through sweat and repetition. Harper cuts to the chase: "We had a clear idea going in, every moment got used. Maybe when we're 60 we can sit around and get a drum sound right, but for now it's about getting things done."The album's 11 songs span the spectrum of contemporary guitar music, sharpened by experience, camaraderie, and societal frustrations. From swaggering street punk ("Drop Me Out," "Mob DLA") to jangling indie sneer ("Worth The Wait," "Deserve It") to heavy alt ("Feeling Bless," "Fill The Gap") to shoegazey spoken word ("Untethered"), the group's chemistry transmutes any style to their unique intensity. Sayle champions this evolving fusion: "For years coming from hardcore, we had pretty clear boundaries - other scenes were separate worlds. Now things are getting more blended, drawing from different places."Nowhere is this sentiment flexed more boldly than on "Mind's A Lie," a dance- punk anthem inspired by Harper's love of house, garage, and pirate radio. Stabs of sampled female vocals (by celebrated South London singer and DJ Ell Murphy) build into a razor wire rhythm of low-slung bass, tense drums, and sparkling guitar before Sayle's staunch voice starts barking harsh truths ("Face to face with all I've known / I can't call these thoughts my own"). After a sudden breakdown, the track regroups and takes off, cruising into the horizon in a haze of chiming guitars and Murphy's ascendant voice, from the streets to somewhere beyond.

“Extremely highhgrade psych” (MOJO, 2024) “Immaculate sounding new psychedelia“ (Maggot Brain, 2024) “Alexander succeeds in capturing the post-psych grandeur that he’s aiming for while also creating one of his headiest offerings yet” (Raven Sings The Blues) “Psych lifer in a bloozy Americana mode. The whole thing hangs loose like a frayed rope tied to a river tube… essentially, a choogler’s dream.” (Viking’s Choice / NPR Music) “Plug in and space your face” (Aquarium Drunkard) Originally on Tape via Arrowhawk (please go check more releases on this wonderful label) - Now on Vinyl Presented in a high gloss laminated outer sleeve with artwork by Jake Blanchard - Both sets of art joining together to complete the picture. 36 minutes of sonic bliss for your ears and brain. Side 1 - Dark Star Side 2 - Dark Star (continued) "Jeffrey Alexander is a lifer. He has been flirting around the underground for the past thirty years - starting in Baltimore in the mid-90s and later percolating in Providence, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and, now, Philadelphia. Throughout this span, he has run various record labels, worked in a bunch of record shops, organized music festivals, managed live venues, FM deejayed, jammed econo, booked endless tours and performed in a gaggle of groups from Black Forest / Black Sea to Dire Wolves to Jackie-O Motherfucker to The Iditarod and points in-between. And now we have The Heavy Lidders. Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders takes the freaked improvisation of Alexander’s instrumental band - DWLVS / Dire Wolves Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band - into the world of song. Heady songwriting, ethereal jazz and Trad Gras-y blues stomps all feature. Backed by members of Elkhorn and Kohoutek. This vinyl (in 2 volumes) you hold in your hands is a collection of live Lidders that will surely wax your stem, and how! When Record Crates United invited JA+THL to perform at their inaugural garden party, not only did the Lidders show up with a one-off Live/Dead cover as a surprise gift for Keith and Sarah, but they rolled in with the Jesse Sheppard mobile multi-track truck, as well. Fucking pros, mate. Most of the material here was captured that sunny afternoon in suburban New Jersey - and thank the Godz that we have this plastic burner. I missed the set, but Kenneth Higney was there and gave it two thumbs up! I know them Lidders have a deluxe studio LP lined up for September, but til then, this little box will comfortably help you break on through. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is a mere EP. It’s SEVENTY SIX minutes of pure medicated goo. Now dose your capstan and pinch your roller. Shit is about to get Lidded." - Glen Burnout (on Sun Ra’s arrival day 2023)

Underground Pacific is back with a new double vinyl compilation titled ‘The Only Good Wave is a Dead One’ that confirms, once again, its uncompromising taste for bold electronic music, psychedelic textures, and raw, electrified rock ‘n roll. This release brings together a varied group of artists, each of them adding something special to the journey.

The trip begins with “Excursions” by Gregory Moore, a piece that floats into a humid sonic world, between the nostalgic tones of vintage video game soundtracks, the Fourth World atmospheres of Jon Hassell, and the shimmering calm of ’90s Japanese ambient à la Takashi Kokubo.

Next comes Talee, the Rotterdam-based regular of the label, with “Makes Me Wonder”. Here, grunge-soaked vocals meet a tight dark disco groove, pierced by crystalline guitar chords that shimmer at the track’s heart. A song with its soul in the past and its feet in the club.

Label founder Cantor teams up once again with German duo New Hook on “Achtung! Achtung!”, an homage to the eponymous track by Italian producer Black Saagan. Fueled by vintage drum machines, punk-infused vocals, and melodies echoing the krautrock minimalism of Cluster, the track channels pure Cold War disco energy.

On “Scavengers”, Berlin based World Wild Web and Rasp Thorne deliver a pure mix of electro-rock noir – Suicide by way of David Lynch. Picture a never seen before episode of the series where Martin Rev and Alan Vega are playing live at the Roadhouse in Twin Peaks, while Laura Palmer slowly moves her head to the music, with a devilish smile on her face.

All the way from Grenoble to Berlin, H.L.M. deliver a dirty bass-driven anthem called ‘Fronde’. French spoken vocals spitfire over layers of distorted drones and hypnotic rhythms. The result is rough, hypnotic, and brings to mind the grooves of Death in Vegas.

New Hook return, this time solo, with ‘Unity’: a blend of groovy downtempo percussions, melancholic guitar riffs, and their signature brand of spoken word, a style that’s quickly become their sonic fingerprint.

Then it’s the turn of mexican-wave exponents Montessori featuring Vongold on “Ad Libitum”: a techy sunrise piece with soft pads, subtle build-ups, and an ecstatic sense of endlessness. After-party music for vast, open spaces.
Next up are SX2 from Ireland with their ‘Buttons’, offering a rolling tech-house banger laced with desert guitars. Psychedelic FX’s and whispered vocals drenched in delay slow the pace in a breakdown full of tension, preparing the floor to an euphoric release.

A dream from the pandemic era reappears: Cantor’s “Hannett’s Dream”, originally released in 2020 by Modular’s Project’s imprint ‘Nothing Is Real’ together with their own reworked version present also in two very limited vinyl-collector editions released by Underground Pacific. The introspection and hypnotic structure of the original cut here is replaced by a more stripped down arrangement, with a four-to-the-floor groove that is perfectly crafted for peak-time ignition.

Closing out the release is “Carissima” by the man behind iconic label Wonder Stories, Aimes – a Moroder-esque bassline and sensual vocals play on top of a warm groove that suddenly fractures into jazz-tinged, breakbeat mood, in the style of early Warp Records, just in time to get back into its disco-ish swing.

Contrary to what the title of this release might suggest, the wave isn’t dead at all. It’s well alive in the underground, reanimated by labels like Underground Pacific who are always ready to welcome artists who aren’t afraid to crash genres together and, above all, who are driven by the desire to make free-form, inspired pieces of music.

When Alanis Morissette took direct aim at an ex who wronged her on the eviscerating “You Oughta Know” in 1995, everything about the Top 10 song communicated it wasn’t the usual narrative about love gone south. Or the typical wounded singer wallowing in self pity. Morissette, and both the lead single from and her entire American major-label debut — the profoundly personal Jagged Little Pill — represented a sea change. They kickstarted a movement, one whose impact continues to echo throughout the mainstream nearly three decades later.

Ranked the 69th Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone, included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of 200 Definitive Albums, and featured in several books about essential albums, Jagged Little Pill remains more than a blockbuster that has sold more than 17 million copies in the U.S. and 33 million units worldwide. It’s a statement, an attitude, a soundtrack for anyone seeking inspiration, an outlet, or permission to be themselves.

Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP box set of Jagged Little Pill presents the landmark effort in audiophile-grade sound for the first time. A key part of the record’s appeal and accessibility — Glen Ballard’s smooth production, touches that help Morissette’s exposed-nerve fare seem more accessible and melodic — comes through on this special 30th anniversary edition with an openness, presence, and dynamic explosiveness that make the vocalist’s songs that much more real and visceral.

The singer’s distinctive mezzo-soprano deliveries — the octave-rippling highs, dark-hued lows, dramatic crescendos, belted choruses, wispy reflections, occasional yodels — resonate with full-range ardor and depth. As crucial as anything on the record, Morissette’s confessional words take center stage like never before. Ditto the instrumentation and atmospherics that form the magnetic backgrounds of the songs. Key in on the contributions from Red Hot Chili Peppers Dave Navarro and Flea on “You Oughta Know” to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' co-founder Benmont Tench’s organ playing on six tracks.

The deluxe packaging of Mobile Fidelity’s Jagged Little Pill UD1S set underscores the work’s distinguished status. Housed in a slipcase, the LPs come in special foil-stamped jackets with faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. Benefitting from an ultra-low noise floor, superior groove definition, and dead-quiet surfaces, this UD1S reissue is for listeners who prize sound quality and desire to engage themselves in everything involved with the album, including the now-iconic cover art that juxtaposes two portraits of the then-21-year-old singer-songwriter and features typewriter font.

That script — which suggests a raw, blood-on-the-floor document created without modern aids like spell check or language correction — hints at the heightened level of unvarnished intimacy, honesty, and catharsis Morissette offers throughout Jagged Little Pill. Named after a phrase uttered on the astute “You Learn,” the album explores the frank emotions, inherent contradictions, and wishful desires people feel everyday but are often too afraid to express. Morissette displays no such fear or shyness.

Akin to a woman reading from a diary, Morissette leaves nothing to the imagination as she skewers hypocrisy during the poignant “Forgiven,” seeks recompense on the vengeful “You Oughta Know,” and spills her guts on the soul-purging “All I Really Want.” For all the anger and bile ascribed to the singer and record, Jagged Little Pill is incredibly healthy and upbeat. Morissette uses the catchy pop-rock frameworks and moody ambience to suss out situations, to learn, to give hope. There’s the clever yearning of “Hand in My Pocket”; wry contrarianism of “Ironic”; kind-heartedness of “Hand over Feet”; the live-and-let-live spirit of “You Learn” – all positive and amiable.

Throughout Jagged Little Pill, the ever-approachable Morissette connects with listeners who recognize themselves in her — and has an intelligent conversation with anyone who wants to participate. It seemed almost everyone did. In addition to the mammoth sales that make the effort the 17th-best-selling album in American history, Jagged Little Pill collected four Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, and eight Juno Awards. In 2018, the record became the basis for a musical that netted 15 Tony nominations on Broadway.

Ironic? Anything but. Jagged Little Pill transcends generations, gender, and trends. As Morissette sings on the opening “All I Really Want,”, the album represents “deliverance” — “a place to find common ground.”

Collecting Orders For 2025 Repress

Paris-Based Record Label Phonogramme Proudly Announces Its Milestone 50th Release, a Spectacular Various Ep Featuring 4 Exclusives and Unreleased Tracks From Legendary Artists Abacus, Fred P, Byron the Aquarius, and Felipe Gordon. This Special Edition, Showcasing the Finest in House and Deep House Music, Will Be Available on Limited Red Marbled Vinyl. Dive Into the Rich Sounds and Exceptional Artistry of These Iconic Musicians, Each Bringing Their Unique Style and Creativity to This Landmark Release. Don't Miss Out on This Collector's Item, a Testament to Phonogramme's Enduring Legacy and Bright Future in the World of Electronic Music....

The German band Schatterau returns to Hands in the Dark with their latest release, »Übers Jahr« (»Throughout the Year«), which follows their acclaimed debut album from last year.

This sophomore effort, as its title implies, delves into the cyclical nature of time and the duality of the transient and the eternal unfolding of events. The album comprises 17 vignettes that reflect on the seasons, capturing their unique light and sounds, the passage of time, and the interplay of movement and stillness, as well as the perpetual transformation that leads to new beginnings.

Continuing the approach of their inaugural album, the compositions are constructed around endless cassette loops, allowing the band to explore intricate textures and weave them into a surreal, dreamlike tapestry. In this release, the warmth and melancholy of the compositions have developed into a more intricate existence, showcasing a wider array of textures and sounds, while the songwriting exhibits greater maturity, inviting listeners into a more immersive and cohesive experience.

»Übers Jahr« transcends being a simple collection of auditory moods; it serves as an intimate portrayal of the seasons that cyclically unfold, embodying a mystery that surpasses both memory and time.

Efficient Space charts Ghost Riders’ North American roadmap, crashing into 1973 New York to ignite the unfiltered teen dreams of Dennis Harte.

In the late ’60s, 11-year-old prodigy Dennis Harte was handed a Sears-bought Silvertone 1448, its in-case amplifier primed for street-level incantations. Recruiting two neighbourhood friends, the trio hammered out raw rhythms, drawing in Brooklyn’s wandering bohemians, keen to glimpse a prepubescent Alex Chilton in the making.

Also jamming with his older brothers, Bart and John, a family friend introduced the siblings to budding music exec Carl Edelson, who had spent the better part of two decades hustling through a string of local labels. A father figure of sorts, Edelson backed them immediately, facilitating sessions at the famed A-1 Sound Studios and Sanders Recording Studio and pressing four 7”s on his newly minted Roundtable Records. To maximise his chances of courting major labels, he strategically assigned each release a different artist name - Dennis Harte, Pure Madness, Harte Brothers and the wryly titled Harte Attack.

Dennis’ emotional maturity and sheer talent bleed into the defining ‘Summer’s Over’, penned by Edelson and once recorded by mid-'60s New Jersey garage vocal group The Wouldsmen. Morphing into an unfathomably teenage, blue-eyed soul/psych lament, it aches for a season slipping away forever. Its Harte Attack edition counterpart - the candied ballad ‘Running Thru My Mind’ - delivers unison harmonies and kinetic guitar interplay with a streetwise punch, channeling the spirit of NYC-area icons The Rascals, The Lovin’ Spoonful, and The Youngbloods.

Roaring like the Spencer Davis Group, Pure Madness’ organ-driven bruiser ‘Freedom Rides’ screams of biker gangs, yet its true subject - ’60s civil rights activists the Freedom Riders - looms as another towering theme for an adolescent perspective. Meanwhile, the loose, bluesy ruckus ‘Treat Me Like a Man’ digs back into Edelson’s catalogue, covering the Beatles-inflected Levittown group The Shandels.

Though Dennis later found success touring with Wilson Pickett and now doubles as a piano tuner to the stars, these four snapshots frame ambition on its outer edge - a heartfelt homage to an unbreakable brotherhood.

Mit ,Backstage" hat Jay-Jay bereits sein 15. Album veröffentlicht, und seine Inspiration wird ständig erneuert. Hier finden wir die grundlegenden Elemente seines musikalischen Universums: Jazz, Triphop, Pop und sogar einen Hauch von Easy Listening. Die erste Single ,How Long Do You Think We're Gonna Last?" bietet einen köstlichen Soul-Sound, der auf den ersten 14 Alben von Jay-Jay nicht zu hören war. Auf ,Backstage" singt Jay-Jay zum ersten Mal in seiner Diskografie einen Song komplett auf Französisch, der Rimbaud gewidmet ist. Der Text stammt von dem französischen Schriftsteller Renaud Santa Maria. Schließlich liefert Jay-Jay eine persönliche Version von ,Lujon", dem Kultsong zum 100. Geburtstag des Komponisten Henry Mancini. Aufgenommen in Stockholm im Winter 2024, wurde das Album in Paris von Alex Gopher (Air, Phoenix, Bob Sinclar...) gemastert. Für JJJ-Hardcore-Fans: In der Auflage von 1000 LPs gibt es 20 goldene Tickets zu gewinnen, die nach dem Zufallsprinzip verteilt werden. Die goldenen Tickets berechtigen zu einer VIP-Einladung zu einem beliebigen Jay-Jay Johanson-Konzert + Backstage-Treff mit Jay-Jay Johanson. Die CD-Version hat indes zwei Bonustracks aufzuweisen.

Aiko Takahashi is a Nova Gorica-based musician, a spirit that has released albums on various labels. Just like the line that separates the two cities where Aiko lives, Gorizia and Nova Gorica, divided between two countries yet united as one, Aiko’s music exists on a boundary. A line that separates silence from peculiar, almost imperceptible sounds. Too quiet to be Ambient, too Ambient to be Sound Art.

Two years ago, after a first complete release on IIKKI with "It Could Have Been A Beautiful", Aiko Takahashi comes back with a second complete album, this time, on LAAPS.

"This album is a delicate, meditative collection recorded between March and November 2024 in Aiko's former studio, a secluded spot near the River Isonzo, between Gorizia and Nova Gorica in Slovenia. The Grass Harp was made specifically for LAAPS, who asked Aiko to create a new complete piece of sounds. As always, it was largely recorded using dense layers of manipulated loops that weave in and out of the recordings, shaping them in a singular way through effects pedals, tape decks, and tape loops. The Grass Harp is a meditation on decay and silence, blending warm soundscapes with soft, playful melodies. That’s Aiko’s signature sound."

“We go through life. We shed our skins. We become ourselves.”

This line from Patti Smith was going round and round Felix Manuel’s head as he gradually constructed Under Tangled Silence, his first album in six years and a record of a literal creative rebirth. Felix originally began it in earnest in 2020 Covid lockdown, but a catastrophic hard-drive meltdown destroyed almost all his work and sent him close to psychic collapse himself. However, ultimately this pushed him to rebuild from scratch and in so doing to confront and reassess every part of his musical and psychological processes.

The result is utterly extraordinary. Felix was a child prodigy as an instrumentalist and his advanced musicality has always been prominent in his music, but here he has put himself front and centre as pianist, harpist and more. And this sense of exposure as a performer interweaves with an unflinching emotional openness too. Where sometimes electronic production as advanced as this can use intellect and techniques as shields from soul-baring, this is the sound of someone who can boldly say “I feel things, I cry all the time, and I'm not afraid to say it or show it in the music.”

But this doesn’t mean there’s a move away from the soundsystems and dancefloors where Felix made his name as a uniquely innovative vinyl DJ. Even just in the opening track “A Tune for Us”, minimalist piano ripples and jazz drumming flow into the breaks of vintage jungle – and as the structure of the LP unfolds, a deep ambient meditation like “Hold” can sit very naturally in between the futurist dancehall of “L’Ancienne” and the high-definition acid house mind movie of “Galaxy in Silence”. In fact, as with the hands-on musicianship, that gutsy big-speaker electronic impact is delivered with more certainty, more expertise, more personal flourishes than ever. And all of those elements are more integrated than ever too: the sound of a total musical personality emerging afresh is truly something to behold. An already remarkable talent has been refreshed, reborn and is making the music of his life.

First Word Records are incredibly proud to bring you ‘I Swear To You’; the stunning sophomore album from Georgie Sweet.

Georgie is a singer / songwriter currently based in Brighton, with a uniquely smooth, soulful vocal tone.

Whilst working on her debut record (‘Misunderstood’), Georgie began a songwriting partnership with multi-instrumentalist Marc Rapson, who is on the boards throughout this project. The duo discovered a natural musical connection instantly, and began working on an abundance of beautiful new material shortly after the release of the first album; writing and creating at Rapson’s home in Hertfordshire at various sessions from 2021 onwards, culminating in this new 12-track album, ‘I Swear To You’.

Despite being one of the UK’s best kept secrets, Georgie’s already been pricking the ears of some highly-respected selectors. The first single from this record (‘Smaller / All That We Were’) received love from tastemakers such as BBC 6 Music's Gilles Peterson (“this one melts”), Jazz FM's Tony Minvielle ("supremely talented”) and Clash Magazine (“exudes soulful grace”), whilst previous material found itself in the crates of legendary luminaries like DJ Jazzy Jeff & DJ Spinna amongst others.

At the end of 2024, Georgie signed to Worldwide Award-winning independent London-based label, First Word Records; although she previously featured before on the label, via the title track of the highly-acclaimed 2021 sophomore album by Children of Zeus, 'Balance', along with Akemi Fox. Prior to this her debut album 'Misunderstood' dropped back in 2020 on Futuristica Music; an independent imprint run by Deborah Jordan & Simon S, on which Georgie also collaborated with acclaimed producers like K15 and Mecca:83.

An all-round creative soul, away from creating music, Georgie also works as an illustrator and animator. However, her lifelong love of music is unquestionable. She’s been a vocalist from a young age, initially working with her musical parents (a producer and professional singer respectively).

With a hugely diverse set of inspirations ranging from Stevie Wonder to Michael McDonald, Hiatus Kaiyote to Chappell Roan, Mac Miller to Sampha, and George Duke to EW&F, Georgie's respect, love and admiration for a wide range of music is clear; from jazz to soul to pop to hip hop.

Mr Bongo proudly presents Ritmo Italiano ‘Unspoken Sounds of Italian Tamburo’ a captivating compilation of percussive-driven, Italian gems curated by Sardinian multi-instrumentalist, percussionist and producer, Gabriele Poso. A journey into the heart of Italian musical history, it celebrates Italy’s rich rhythmic traditions, showcasing a selection of genre-traversing, Italian treasures from the ‘60s to the early ‘90s. Honouring the timeless rhythms of Italian percussion masters, alongside a brand-new exclusive composition by Gabriele, ‘Ritmo Italiano’ shines a light on the universal, primal language of the drum.

A connection sparked from an early age; percussion has always deeply resonated with Gabriele. It led to years of studying percussion traditions across Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Brazil, crafting his own songwriting skills in the process. An acclaimed producer and compiler, his releases on Yoruba Records, BBE and Soundway Records have garnered global support. Yet a growing need to rediscover the essence of his country’s cultural heritage laid the foundations for this new compilation.

In Gabriele’s own words, “Italy has always been a crossroads of civilizations, with influences from the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe converging over centuries. Ports like Naples, Genoa, and Venice played a crucial role as gateways for musical exchange, a melting pot of sounds and cultures brought by sailors, merchants and travellers. These influences blended with Italy’s own folk and religious traditions, creating Italy’s unique and emotionally resonant rhythms.”

Across the 12 absorbing tracks, there’s jazz influences, Italian library music aesthetics and experimental beats mixing with Afro-Cuban and Mediterranean rhythms. It’s a broad selection anchored by the drums. The synth-heavy, ‘80s jazz funk flavours of Gegè Munari's ‘Police Man’, sit side-by-side with the samba-infused ‘Napulitano D' 'O Brasil’ by Don Marino Barreto Jr. Tribal, earthly energy radiates from Naco’s ‘Volando Con Milton’, with Tullio De Piscopo serving up cosmic disco brilliance, and blistering jazz funk mastery coming courtesy of Agostino Marangolo. Taking the name of the compilation, a new original track by Gabriele, ‘Ritmo Italiano’, blends traditional rhythms with contemporary energy, Afro-Latin influences with Italian jazz essence. Recorded live in one take, it captures a raw, unfiltered vibe.

“Each track tells a story, connecting the past with the present, and highlighting the deep-rooted traditions that shape Italy’s rhythms. The collection also offers a glimpse into the diversity of Italian music with a variety of styles from the organic, earthy beats to the more experimental and modern takes on traditional rhythms. It’s a reflection of how these rhythms have not only shaped Italian culture but also influenced global music.”