On their sixth studio album "Wanderer", THE INTERSPHERE show with
enormous variety how far the search for innovative sounds can take a
band in the classic rock line-up
The figurehead for modern rock music pursues the approach to electronic
elements with bravura. THE INTERSPHERE 2023 stand for maximum musical
curiosity and a spirit of discovery that could not better depict the ambivalence of
our time. In the lyrics on "Wanderer", singer Christoph Hessler alternates between
personal introspection and a socio- politically alert power of observation - the
work of THE INTERSPHERE is also inconceivable without this perspective. THE
INTERSPHERE don't shy away from the big hook line or dramatic harmony arcs in
their border crossings to post rock, metal and pop. Thus, the quartet remains
internationally on par with acts like Biffy Clyro, Royal Blood and Thrice in every
respect.
LOCUS returns with its latest VA ‘LOCUS Trax Vol. 3’, welcoming label debuts from Jamahr, Mehlor, Project89, Manuel De Lorenzi and Giacomo Silvestri.
Now established as a standalone label in its own right, FUSE’s sister imprint LOCUS continues to prove itself as a go-to stop for forward-thinking and fresh house music with minimal-leaning influences from both established and emerging talent. Returning with the third instalment of its VA series ‘LOCUS Trax’, April brings five new names to the label as Captea boss Jamahr, Leeds-based DJ/producer Mehlor, and Dutch talent Project89 serve up fresh singles alongside a slick collaboration from Italian pairing Manuel De Lorenzi and Giacomo Silvestri.
Jamahr opens the package with an impactful combination of slick drums, resonant vocals and warped basslines across ‘Night Tales’, while Mehlor’s ‘BSOD’ offers up off-kilter electronics, skippy percussion and woozy low-ends. On the flip, Project89’s ‘What’s Going On’ delivers a peppy groove accented by atmospheric pads and spaced-out aesthetics, before closing via the tight, rolling grooves of Manuel De Lorenzi and Giacomo Silvestri’s ‘Sit Down’ as the two unveil a heads-down, hands-up terrance anthem.
LOCUS Trax Volume 3 drops on 26th May 2023 via digital and physical formats.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Reflections of the Sun is a collection of new music that see JOHN ROCCA experiment with a more laid back side to his musical personality. John is best know in Jazz Funk circles for his 1980s self funded, self produced and self released Brit Funk classic 'Southern Freeez', and as the band Freeez's founder.
"The melancholic suburban soul of ‘Southern Freeez’ never gets tired for me....an album that has remained at the top of my Brit Funk pile!" - GILLES PETERSON
Much of the album is also somewhat reflective. A personal and emotional reflection on John's life - the tracks a nod to John's varied musical pasts. Sounds, a pondering upon his collection of global influences and his life experiences over the years; Genre, the pulse of today, societal, musical or otherwise - but not easy to place as is John's character; Lyrics, the present dilemmas we face as humanity, whilst reflecting on our own private and deepest human feelings, of life and, of love in all its wonderous forms.
Musically, the 'Reflections of the Sun' album casts a glimpse back to Rocca's Brit Funk roots growing up amongst 1970s classic Jazz Funk and Soul, while also blending inspiration from his 1980-90s electronic influences topped off with everything else he has seen and heard on his life travels since then.
Giving a nod to John's own past while bringing Reflections of the Sun up to date was completed by adding elements of London's re-surgent and vibrant jazz scene. Not so different from John’s own early days jamming with Freeez, he is accompanied on all the album's tracks by his two young nephews and highly respected jazz musicians, Benjamin Rocca on keyboards and Joel Rocca on Saxophone. The two youngsters are known on the current London Jazz scene as the "Rocca Brothers".
The album's title track, "Reflections of the Sun" refers to how humanity, gorging on the sunshine that brings life to everything, also has a tendency to reflect the hellishness of the sun itself. Comparing our self-destructive nature with our planet's volumes of un-ending beauty.
Initial support for various tracks has come via radio plays on UK stations such as JazzFM, Jazz Funk & Soul Radio (JFSR), Soul Groove Radio and Solar (amongst others).
out of Stock
Last delivered 13 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Under the production moniker of Material Things, 12th Isle co-founder Stewart Brown unveils a part debut album part compendium of musical collaborations spanning from 2015-2020. Some recordings began as long, one-take improvisations (How's Life, Peckham) spliced together and revisited years later. Others were based upon chance opportunities to record with musicians operating a long way from the parameters of 12th Isle.
Cult private-press loner folk guitarist Bob Theil, whose 1982 album So Far counts as one of the Scottish greats of the era, is at the heart of 'Westway'. Synth and guitar fragments recorded by the pair in Stewart's family home one summer form a low-key conclusion to the collection, whilst London based percussionist Pike Ogilvy brings an array of drum sounds and natural percussion to 'No Direction'. Regular 12th Isle affiliate Vague Imaginaires also features heavily, contributing synth work on Grenoble and his own extended digi bonus remix of 'How's Life'.
As a collection, the 8 tracks show a studious, concise vision and combine influences from minimalism, concrete and avant-garde jazz and techno yet also embrace friendship, experimentation and curiosity whilst capturing 5 years of the artists own personal life. Some of the tracks have been circulating in various versions for a number of years now, with DJ support from Bake, Ivan Smagghe, Optimo, Lena Willikens, Huntley & Palmers, Orpheu The Wizard and, of course, 12th Isle.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Sól án varma, übersetzt "Sonne ohne Glanz", ist ein 70 Minuten langes Stück, das von einigen wenigen berüchtigten Namen aus dem isländischen Black-Metal-Underground geschrieben und aufgeführt wird. Gegründet von T.Í. und D.G. (Mitglieder von Misþyrming, Naðra, Núll, Drottinn usw.), prominenten Mitgliedern der isländischen Vánagandr-Elite, ist Sól án varma eher eine konzeptionelle Idee als eine Band oder ein Nebenprojekt. Ursprünglich wurde Sól án varma als eine spezielle, einmalige Show für das Roadburn Festival 2018 in Auftrag gegeben. Das 70-minütige Stück ist weder vor noch nach dieser besonderen Aufführung zu hören gewesen.
Nachdem Misþyrming bereits zwei Jahre zuvor als "Artist in Residence" auf dem Festival zu Gast war, wollte Walter Hoeijmakers, der Direktor des Roadburn Festivals, dass die isländischen Musiker ein neues und fesselndes Phänomen für die 2018er Ausgabe des Festivals auf die Bühne bringen. Nach einem Treffen mit Walter in Island im Jahr 2017 stellten D.G. und T.Í. eine Gruppe sorgfältig ausgewählter Musiker zusammen, um das zu bilden, was später das Sól án varma-Konzept werden sollte. Diese Mitglieder sind: G.E. (Misþyrming, Naðra, Svartidauði), Á.B.Z. (Carpe Noctem, Árstíðir Lífsins), M.S. (Svartidauði, Drottinn), S.V. (Svartidauði, Drottinn) und H.V. (Wormlust).
Nach einer langen und intensiven Schreib- und Probenphase hat die Gruppe das Stück auf dem Roadburn Festival 2018 vor dreitausend Fans in der 013-Venue in Tilburg uraufgeführt. Ein Jahr nach der Aufführung beschloss die Gruppe, das Stück unsterblich zu machen, indem sie es in ein gut vorzeigbares Aufnahmeformat brachte. Die Gruppe ging ins Studio und nahm den Großteil der Instrumentalstücke innerhalb von fünf Wochen auf.
LTM presents a limited edition clear vinyl edition of Sorry For Laughing, the legendary first album by cult Scottish guitar group Josef K, recorded for Postcard Records but destined to become the great ‘lost album’ of the post-punk era.
This remastered edition of Sorry For Laughing replicates the original Robert Sharp artwork (a solarised portrait of the band atop Calton Hill, printed in silver pantone), with detailed sleeve notes on the inner bag, and the added bonus of a 12 track CD, The TV Art Demos, featuring all tracks from the band’s very first recording sessions in 1979.
Recorded at Castle Sound Studios (Edinburgh) in November 1980, Sorry For Laughing should have been issued as Postcard 81-1, but was shelved after the band and label boss Alan Horne decided the 12-song set sounded too polished. Perhaps two dozen white-label copies in unmade sleeves exist, and have sold for as much as £1,000 amongst collectors. Josef K issued their second stab at a debut album, The Only Fun In Town, in July 1981 – only to split after completing a promotional tour.
This remastered edition of Sorry For Laughing replicates the original Robert Sharp artwork (a solarised portrait of the band atop Calton Hill, printed in silver pantone), with detailed sleeve notes on the inner bag, and the added bonus of a 12 track CD, The TV Art Demos, featuring all tracks from the band’s very first recording sessions in 1979.
‘They were The Sound of Young Scotland, together with Orange Juice, whose guitars were also radiant and brittle, whose rhythms were also scrubbed and blunt, whose vocals were also proud and serious, but who sounded like another group entirely’ (Paul Morley); ‘In retrospect, their aborted attempt at a debut album feels much superior to what was finally released. The early versions of the songs sound superbly coiled and keen, the sublime poise of Endless Soul their truly timeless blaze of glory’ (Simon Reynolds)
Bonus CD (The TV Art Demos) 1. Chance Meeting (take #1) 2. Terry’s Show Lies 3. No Glory 4. Final Request 5. Art of Things 6. Romance (take #1) 7. Torn Mentor 8. Night Ritual 9. Heads Watch 10.
Foyer Red’s debut LP, Yarn the Hours Away, plays out as a collection of short stories, each with its environment and protagonist(s) meticulously crafted by the band, with lead singer, vocalist, and clarinetist Elana Riordan at the helm. Foyer Red’s debut EP, Zigzag Wombat, showcased their playfully chaotic arrangements, which bridge art-punk, math rock, and sweetly sung indie with a dash of the zoomies.
The band synthesizes their homespun take on magical realist indie rock that was centered on their EP with their varied musical influences; taking cues from the otherworldly melodies of Cate Le Bon, Yucky Duster’s jangle-filled crayon rock, and the organized chaos of Deerhoof’s iconic polyrhythms. The songs that makeup Yarn the Hours Away are fantastical, surrealist stories that hinge on contemporary, post-digital life.
The lead single “Etc” captures this dynamic perfectly. Anchored by Eric Jaso’s hypnotizing bass line, the song unfolds with off-kilter call-and-response vocals between Riordan and Kristina Moore, their stilted deliveries bouncing around the mix. The track is searching but discontent with the algorithmic and claustrophobic realities of daily life: singer/guitarist Mitch Myers throws the song for a loop singing, “gathering information / will set you free once you’ve reached / 37 percent / of the database.” While there’s paranoia and cynicism undergirding the lyrics, the song itself is a thrilling and playful listen.
The songs on Yarn the Hours Away are uniformly exciting and compelling; each track feels distinct and sometimes even in direct conflict. The peppy opener “Plumbers Unite!” belies its themes of gamification of our daily lives and delves into the science fiction and fantasy songwriting of Foyer Red’s debut EP. Centered around a relentless rhythm section, their dueling vocals never abate; Moore and Riordan’s honey-sweet but getting more frantic as the song progresses, while Myers’ erratic talk-singing culminates in one final frustrated scream. Juxtapose this with “Gorgeous,” a lovely song about Riordan and drummer Marco Ocampo’s relationship that sees the band slowing their pace into a blissful sway. Riordan coos and sighs over the track while recalling “Marco-isms”; botched colloquialisms that Ocampo uses.
“Gorgeous” shares little in common with “Pocket,” a loose lamentation on late capitalism that touches on time travel and human evolution. Moore and Riordan’s exclamations are chopped up and used as rhythm instruments, layered over the intricately frenetic guitars of Myers and Moore. Foyer Red thrives on these extremes and contradictions. Where their first release was self-recorded, this LP found them in Figure8 Studios with a deadline. “It was really liberating,” says Jaso. “We're all just kind of throwing in our own voices and challenging each other to make the songs better.”
Yarn the Hours Away comes from a lyric on the closer “Toy Wagon.” The song that first marked the time Moore and the rest of the band worked together, a promising spark of a thrilling collaboration to come. “It harkens back to all of us coming together and spending the hours together in music,” says Moore. “There are few moments where you get to relax and exhale,” adds Riordan. “It's what happened when the five of us got together and started writing. We just wrote all of these out there songs and we didn't see a reason to dial that back. Its natural form is in its chaos and layered craziness.”
The Royal Jesters were a household name in the 60s in San Antonio, TX. the 1960s. Formed by Henry Hernandez and Oscar Lawson, the group performed at school dances and downtown clubs and eventually leased and managed their own venue, the legendary Patio Andaluz. The group also started their own label, Jester Records, and recorded various singles, including a take on Vanilla Fudge's "Take Me For A Little While" with the towering Louie Escalante on lead. The group also recorded "We Go Together," a group harmony classic with 16 yr old Luvine Elias, Jr on a Lowrey organ. A must-have hot tortilla to keep in your bag.
The Royal Jesters were a household name in the 60s in San Antonio, TX. the 1960s. Formed by Henry Hernandez and Oscar Lawson, the group performed at school dances and downtown clubs and eventually leased and managed their own venue, the legendary Patio Andaluz. The group also started their own label, Jester Records, and recorded various singles, including a take on Vanilla Fudge's "Take Me For A Little While" with the towering Louie Escalante on lead. The group also recorded "We Go Together," a group harmony classic with 16 yr old Luvine Elias, Jr on a Lowrey organ. A must-have hot tortilla to keep in your bag.
Nucleus's Elastic Rock is undisputedly a milestone in Jazz-Rock. A beautiful and vital debut album, it was first released on Vertigo in 1970. Original copies are now very tricky to score and, like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well. This Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press.
Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. He was a true pioneer and saw the potential in fusing the worlds of jazz with rock, just as Miles Davis and The Tony Williams Lifetime did in the US. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Regarding music as a continuous process, Nucleus refused to “recognise rigid boundaries” and worked on delivering what they saw as a “total musical experience”. We can get behind that.
Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. This constant evolution and revolution was all part of the continuous musical exploration and discovery that took jazz to new levels. And the music has kept relevant. To steal a line from a review of our re-issue of Roots, when it comes to anything Nucleus “it’s basically already hip-hop”.
The very title Elastic Rock could be regarded as the group's MO, describing a melting point between their rock and jazz impulses. Indeed, housed in a memorable gatefold jacket designed by Roger Dean, the die cut molten teardrop shape on the front sleeve opens to reveal a fiery volcanic crater. On the back, Dean's drawing has Carr with saxophonist Brian Smith, guitarist Chris Spedding, drummer John Marshall, bassist Jeff Clyne and sax, oboe and pianist Karl Jenkins in a circle, the central core of a movement and the basis for its activity.
Recorded over four days in January 1970, Elastic Rock didn't sound like any other British jazz album. Exploding out the gate, "1916" opens with Marshall's frantic pounding before melancholic horns enter. The smooth title track, "Elastic Rock" is just a gorgeous electric blues track. Light drums, gentle melodic horns, piano and a solid bassline serve as the perfect bed for Spedding's graceful bluesy guitar melodies. The serene "Striation", a Clyne and Spedding collaboration, is led by bowed bass and is the epitome of calm before the late night laid back vibe of "Taranaki" breezes along sweetly and smoothly with great trumpet and tenor.
The truly emotional "Twisted Track" is elegant with horns, while guitar is gently played with drums and bass. Initially deeply soothing, it gradually builds with various solos and duets. "Crude Blues (Part 1)" features an excellent oboe part by Jenkins with laconic guitar helping out. "Part 2" is livelier, with a heavy backbeat and great wind parts. "1916 (Battle Of Boogaloo)" features a steady bassline and great call and response parts from the horn section.
The highly-charged centrepiece of the record, the mesmeric epic "Torrid Zone" features an hypnotic bassline and hi-hat with some of the ensemble's best soloing. Brilliantly encapsulating the jazz fusion aesthetic so desired by the group, the rhythm section is rock-influenced but magically retains a laid-back jazz vibe. Just perfection. Spacey jazz in the style of In a Silent Way, the semi-ambient "Stonescape" features smooth, muted brass, warm, smokey keys and a barely-there rhythm section. Heavenly.
The bubbling, fragile restraint of "Earth Mother" partially utilises the "Torrid Zone" bassline but takes the energy in a different direction with Marshall's frenetic drumming and Spedding's unpredictable riffing. Next comes the very idiosyncratic drum solo track by Marshall in the appropriately-titled "Speaking for Myself, Personally, in My Own Opinion, I Think." The album closes with the raucous "Persephones Jive", a track that ends the album frantically, riotously, just as it began.
This Be With edition of Elastic Rock has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Cicely Balston's cut at AIR Studios to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. The stunning die-cut gatefold sleeve has been restored in all its molten glory.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
African Singer-songwriter Blick Bassy is back with a fifth album, again sung in the Baasa language of Cameroon. Madíbá brings together twelve songs in the form of fables, dedicated to the theme of water, in which his high and angelic voice dominates, carried by delicate guitar, synthesizer melodies, and sober brass arrangements. The cuts are diaphanous and nevertheless modernist songs, which testify to a contemporary and poetic Africanity at the crossroads of soul, folk, and electro.
Blick Bassy’s albums have a humanist and universal dimension. His fifth and new solo album, titled Madíbá, which means water in the Douala language of Cameroon, comes in the form of songs close to the fable, in which Bassy explores "a theme shared by all” of water, the source of life.
The fables of the album, all born in the imagination of Blick, explore in a more concrete way different themes related to water, its rarity, its necessity, its energy or its vital power. The twelve songs all bring together a series of figures, animals, or various characters, embodied in turn by Blick Bassy. "I have fun stepping into the shoes of a bird, a cat conversing with an elephant, a flower worrying about its declining beauty, a monkey looking for a spring or a storyteller with his grandchildren. In these texts, water can even take on a human appearance.”
Beyond the tale, the texts of the album also refer to our climate crisis, or to the problems of access to water, a way for the artist to approach serious subjects through a poetic form which avoids didactic or moralizing speeches.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
With a mental old school pressure the Bebert Brothers open the game.
Then Damage Circuits goes salme way with mre skills. maybe.
Uzi, calm it down... inspired dark sound. Joker.
Gui Two bring it even deeper in the sweetness...
Support this crazy MOON vinyl...
Bebert selecta and feeling ! Respect.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
‘Where is Agartha? What is the specific region in which it lies? Along what road, through what civilizations, must one walk in order to reach it?.’ Saint-Yves d’Alveydre in 1886
Agartha, the debut full-length album by Japanese producer Wata Igarashi, is a mysterious, divine thing. Named for the mythical secret kingdom, understood as a complex maze of underground tunnels, perhaps designed by Martians who colonised the Earth tens of thousands of years ago, it’s a similarly mystical, perhaps even cosmic trip – but this time, exploring an inner, deeply personal cosmos. Beautifully detailed and bustling with rich incident, it takes Igarashi’s music to new places, which still retaining his unique sonic imprimatur; in this respect, it’s perfectly at home with Kompakt, a label that’s always encouraged artists to make the visionary music they need to create, to take risks and make sideways steps into uncharted territory.
An eloquent producer and DJ, Igarashi has been releasing techno for eleven years now, appearing on such imprints as The Bunker NY, Delsin, Midgar, and Time To Express; he has also self-released his productions via his WIP net label. Throughout, Igarashi has consistently explored his unique approach to techno and electronic music, one that’s eloquent and poised, even when it shifts into more psychedelic terrain; he’s a master at balancing the sensual and the functional, and he has an unerring ear for the right texture, the right tone, at the right time. He brings all of this into Agartha, his most thorough-going expression of self to date.
For Agartha, Igarashi had a strong concept he wanted to explore. Visualising specific scenes from an imaginary film based on the titular secret kingdom, he created soundtracks for those scenes, spending time during the pandemic in his studio, working away carefully at the ten tracks here. Given his background in creating music for television and advertisements, Igarashi is well-placed to explore the marriage of the sonic and the visual in such intimate ways, but freed from commercial concerns, he let his imagination run riot. He also drew on a rich palette of musical influences – techno is in there, of course, but you can also hear the smoky, improvised jazz of the likes of Miles Davis (to whom the album’s title is an indirect nod), and the minimalism and systems music of Steve Reich.
The latter is particularly pronounced on the gorgeous, beatless drift of “Floating Against Time”, where an arpeggiated sequence lingers, lovingly, around your ears for nine blissful minutes, coasting across swooning drones and waves of ambient noise. “Ceremony Of The Dead”, originally composed as part of a Sony 360 Reality Audio spatial sound concert, is a deep pass into systems composition, with various patterns overlaid and interlocking, before a wordless vocal rises from the depths, a gorgeous counterpoint to the swarming textures that gather across the track. On the other hand, tracks like “Burning” and “Subterranean Life” nudge toward Fourth World territory, painting deluxe dreamscapes of uncertain provenance; the title cut is an abstract drift-world, Igarashi painting an alien tableau dotted by shape-shifting creatures.
Agartha’s conceptual framework means that everything on the album sits perfectly together; listening to it in one sitting is a dizzying, lush experience. Its imaginings of inner landscapes recall, in some respects, the nautical, aqueous mythologies of the Drexciyan universe, though from different perspectives. But the result is Igarashi’s own creation, a deluxe, enchanting trip through the visionary Agartha of this unique producer’s cinematic mind’s-eye.
Wo liegt Agartha? In welcher spezifischen Region liegt es? Auf welchem Weg, durch welche Zivilisationen muss man gehen, um dorthin zu gelangen?'
Saint-Yves d'Alveydre im Jahr 1886
Agartha, das Debütalbum des japanischen Produzenten Wata Igarashi, ist ein geheimnisvolles, göttliches Ding. Benannt nach dem mythischen, geheimen Königreich, das als ein komplexes Labyrinth unterirdischer Tunnel verstanden wird, die vielleicht von Marsmenschen angelegt wurden, die vor Zehntausenden von Jahren die Erde kolonisierten, ist es eine ähnlich mystische, vielleicht sogar kosmische Reise - aber dieses Mal erforscht es einen inneren, zutiefst persönlichen Kosmos. Wunderschön detailliert und voller reichhaltiger Begebenheiten, führt es Igarashis Musik an neue Orte, die dennoch seine einzigartige klangliche Handschrift bewahren. In dieser Hinsicht hat es bei Kompakt ein perfektes Zuhause gefunden - einem Label, das Künstler immer ermutigt hat, jene visionäre Musik zu machen, Risiken einzugehen und seitwärts Schritte in unbekanntes Terrain zu tun.
Der eloquente Produzent und DJ Igarashi veröffentlicht seit elf Jahren Techno auf Labels wie The Bunker NY, Delsin, Figure und Time To Express; außerdem hat er einige Produktionen über sein Label WIP net selbst veröffentlicht. Dabei hat Igarashi stets seinen einzigartigen Ansatz für Techno und elektronische Musik verfolgt, der kontrolliert und ausgeglichen ist, selbst wenn er sich in psychedelisches Terrain begibt; er ist ein Meister der Balance zwischen dem Sinnlichen und dem Funktionalen und hat ein untrügliches Gespür für die richtige Textur, den richtigen Ton zur richtigen Zeit. All das bringt er in Agartha ein, dem bisher umfangreichsten Ausdruck seiner selbst.
Für Agartha hatte Igarashi ein starkes Konzept, das er erforschen wollte. Er stellte sich bestimmte Szenen eines imaginären Films vor, der auf dem titelgebenden geheimen Königreich basiert, und schuf Soundtracks für diese Szenen. Während der Pandemie verbrachte er Zeit in seinem Studio und arbeitete sorgfältig an den zehn Tracks. Mit seinem Hintergrund als Komponist von Fernseh- und Werbemusik ist Igarashi prädestiniert dafür, die Verbindung von Klang und Bild auf solch intime Weise zu erforschen, aber frei von kommerziellem Dünkel ließ er seiner Fantasie freien Lauf. Er schöpfte auch aus einer reichen Palette musikalischer Einflüsse - Techno ist natürlich dabei, aber man hört auch den rauchigen, improvisierten Jazz von Miles Davis (an den der Titel des Albums eine indirekte Anspielung ist) und den Minimalismus und die Systemmusik von Steve Reich.
Letzteres ist besonders ausgeprägt in dem wunderschönen, beatlosen "Floating Against Time", wo eine arpeggierte Sequenz neun Minuten lang liebevoll um die Ohren fliegt und über schwelende Drones und Wellen von Umgebungsgeräuschen gleitet. "Ceremony Of The Dead", ursprünglich als Teil eines Sony 360 Reality Audio-Raumklangkonzerts komponiert, ist ein tiefes Eintauchen in eine Systemkomposition, bei der sich verschiedene Muster überlagern und ineinander greifen, bevor sich ein wortloser Gesang aus der Tiefe erhebt, ein wunderschöner Kontrapunkt zu den wimmelnden Texturen, die sich über den Track legen. Andererseits bewegen sich Tracks wie "Burning" und "Subterranean Life" in Richtung der Vierten Welt und malen luxuriöse Traumlandschaften ungewisser Herkunft; der Titeltrack ist eine abstrakte Scheinwelt, in der Igarashi ein außerirdisches Tableau malt, das von formwandelnden Kreaturen übersät ist.
Der konzeptionelle Rahmen von Agartha ermöglicht, dass alles auf dem Album perfekt zusammenpasst; es in einem Zug durchzuhören ist eine schwindelerregende, opulente Erfahrung. Wata's Vorstellungen von inneren Landschaften erinnern in gewisser Hinsicht an die nautischen, wässrigen Mythologien des drexciyanischen Universums, wenn auch aus einer anderen Perspektiven betrachtet. Aber das Ergebnis ist Igarashis ureigene Schöpfung, ein luxuriöser, bezaubernder Trip durch das visionäre Agartha dieses einzigartigen Produzenten mit seinem cineastischen Blick.
out of Stock
Last delivered 12 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Sometimes I sink into the dark side of life,
Lucky me to have music to pull me back into the light” Kutiman
Following on from his critically acclaimed Open LP released in October, revered polymath Kutiman returns to Siyal Music with his Dense EP. Kutiman continues to push forward with developing his sound as we see the artist creating his first ever electric leaning release. Not the only first, as the haunting vocals layered throughout are a result of Kutiman debuting his very own voice. Kutiman pulls elements from various musical inspirations, be it moody electronica, garage and 2step, modern classical music, ambient or twisted r'n'b. The outcome is a unique, cutting edge blend of emotional pitched down vocals, melodic airy pianos and glitching sound effects.
“This EP expresses emotions from a dark period that I went through. At the time I was into dark electronics and also found inspiration from Rhythm and Sound, Burial, The Blaze, Plasticman and more. The EP all started from a little "Volca" drum machine, which I hooked up and set up a mostly analogue setup around it with some synths and drum machines that enabled me to "jam" a lot of the music without the need to stop for overdubbing or editing”. Kutiman
With an illustrious career spanning over a decade, Ophir Kutiel aka Kutiman moved to Tel Aviv as a teenager to study jazz at the prestigious Rimon music college. It was during this time that he was able to immerse himself in music, with influences cited as Massive Attack, DJ Shadow, Amon Tobin and Parliament. Fast forward to 2007 and his self-titled debut album received a 8.2 rating from Pitchfork and set the precedent for what was to come. Other tastemakers to highlight over the years include; The Guardian, Billboard, The New Yorker, The Wire, Uncut and XLR8R among others. Kutiman is forever pushing boundaries with his music, and draws on a range of world influences from spiritual jazz to psychedelic funk. ‘Dense EP’ sees Kutiman adding yet another string to his musical bow, as we enter the era of electronic inspired music.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
n this Second Edition of eli.sound we bring you High-End Music with the Best exponent of Our Catalog in this moment, This time Our Happy House Side our Leader Son of Elita releases a Party Deep House with many changes of analog Synthesizers and pads chords and so on close Side A with a Incredible Argentinian Collaboration Trentz & Cajal induce to wear out all your Sneakers with a very emotional Fast Groove.
A Roman Side dresses up by hosting one of the best Romanian Exponents the great Direkt already known by all in the Underground environment releases a track with Experimental Minimalistic Trends and Organic Groove, to close our Project SOEm launches Breakbeat cut with Arpeggios and Organic Synthesizers. We assure you that this LP cannot missing from your Selection.
out of Stock
Last delivered 14 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Glam Rock is the style of rock music, mainly developed in the UK, and was performed by artists and groups wearing outrageous costumes, makeup, glitter and hairstyles. Glam Rock Collected contains the biggest Glam Rockers from groups such as Sweet, T.Rex, Roxy Music, Mott The Hoople, Kiss, Mud, Slade, Wizzard and artists as diverse as Elton John, Suzi Quatro, Lou Reed, Alvin Stardust, Alice Cooper and many more.
"Es ist einer der herrlichsten musikalische Klänge, die es je gegeben hat", sagte Chick Corea selbst über den Sound großer Orchester.
Nur folgerichtig also, dass bei THE CHICK COREA SYMPHONY TRIBUTE. RITMO neben einem Jazztrio auch ein komplettes, 80-köpfiges Symphonieorchester in der Konzerthalle aufspielte - und den ikonischen Songs Coreas so eine ganz neue Klangfülle und Eleganz verlieh.
Unvergessene Stücke, die nicht zuletzt durch außergewöhnliche Solisten neue, schillernde Klangfarben bekommen.
Der Fokus der Songauswahl lag dabei auf einer Zeit, die wohl Coreas produktivste war, auf den Jahren 1971 bis 1976. In der Zeit komponierte der Pianist Songs wie "Spain", die innerhalb kürzester Zeit zu Jazzstandards wurden.
ADDA Simfònica interpretierte gleich vier Songs seines "My Spanish Heart"-Albums, auch mehrere der berührenden "Children's Songs" sind vertreten.
RITMO begeistert durch elektrisierende Bläsersoli von David Pastor, Antonio Lizana und Paquito D'Rivera. Der kubanische Saxophonist, ein fünfmaliger Grammy-Gewinner, sagte über das Projekt: "Wir alle
lieben Chicks Musik.
Die fantastischen Arrangements von Emilio, die Qualität und Hingabe eines sehr jungen, talentierten Orchesters und der typische Enthusiasmus der Spanier in einer prächtigen Konzerthalle - das alles
hat sich zu unserem Vorteil ausgewirkt."
25 Jahre Garish - dazu haben zahlreiche Prominente und Gäste Songs (mit) der prägenden österreichischen Indie-Band neu aufgenommen.
Für das Compilation-Album 'Hände hoch ich kann dich leiden' haben Prominente und Weggefährten wie Thees Uhlmann, Amadeus-Preisträgerin Ina Regen, Schauspielerin und Filmakademie-Präsidentin Verena Altenberger u.v.a. ihre Versionen von Garish-Songs eingespielt. Die Jubiläums-LP erscheint im Mai, eingebettet in eine Jubiläums-Tournee der Band.
Österreich-Tournee (teilweise bereits ausverkauft). Garish waren mit 7 verschiedenen Alben insgesamt 8x für einen Amadeus Austrian Music Award nominiert, haben aber nie einen gewonnen - und gelten daher als 'Scorseses der österreichischen Musik'; die Band gilt als verlässlicher Top 20-Album-Act in den österreichischen Charts und als strukturelle und ideelle Wegbereiter des "österreichischen Popwunders" der 2010er-Jahre.
First repress since its original release in May 1998
Celebrating twenty-five years since its release as rgirl2 – the label’s first LP – Rocket Girl is reissuing its seminal compilation A Tribute to Spacemen 3 on double vinyl with spot varnish sleeve in May 2023.
Widely acclaimed at the time of its release (garnering rave reviews in the UK, US, Canadian and European music weeklies and monthlies), the collection sounds as fresh and inventive as it did three decades ago. Launched at a time when tribute albums were prevalent, A Tribute to Spacemen 3 stands apart from other covers albums in that it not only redecorates S3’s songs in a bold new palette of colours, but also acts as a time capsule documenting a very specific wave of 90s US and UK bands that shared many sensibilities – ‘post-rock’ might be the catch-all genre, but their music also encompassed psych, slowcore, analogue electronica, dream pop and space rock to varying degrees – and many of whom (Mogwai, Low, Arab Strap, Bardo Pond) have gone on to reap major critical and commercial success, and are still thriving today. In 1998 the LP was a gateway for fans of Spacemen 3 to discover these relatively unknown experimental artists operating on small independent labels either side of the Atlantic – today it is a celebration of the timeless innovation and longevity of that scene.
As author Richard Milward states in Rocket Girl 20, the 2019 book illuminating the history of the label: ‘In no way is the LP a collection of imitators simply regurgitating Spacemen 3’s songs sound-for-sound – rather, the compilation celebrates the purity and bravery of Pierce’s and Kember’s song writing (themselves never averse to a transformative cover version) while showcasing the originality and diversity of those bands they have inspired.’ It is the simultaneous simplicity and otherworldliness of S3’s songs that make them perfect fodder for reinterpretation, the band’s ‘three chords good, two chords better, one chord best’ mantra providing a solid, tantalising foundation for these bands to experiment with freely. Throbbing and humming with equal parts euphoria and melancholia, over the course of the album’s 69 minutes the tracks slide from slithering stoner psych (Asteroid #4’s ‘Losing Touch With My Mind’) to hymnal delicacy (Amp’s ‘So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears)’ and Mogwai’s crisp, glockenspiel-chiming ‘Honey’) to zero-gravity lounge jazz (Transient Waves’ closer, ‘Billy Whizz’). There are radical reworkings: the oozing fuzztone lava of Bardo Pond’s ‘Call the Doctor’, and not least Arab Strap’s startling take on S3 live mainstay ‘Revolution’, replete with aggressive, crunching drum machine and the lyrics delivered down the telephone in Aidan Moffatt’s laconic Falkirk drawl – ‘a change, a solution, a wee… a wee revolution’ – before its explosive climax.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Blanc Manioc present NYAMAKALA BEATS N°3 their third compilation, and frst-ever vinyl release, due in the spring of 2022.
The label, once again, brings together its extended global musical family - Cardozo, La Dame, Asna, Mc Waraba, Praktika, Aunty Razor, Sheitan Brothers and Pedro Bertho. Blanc Manioc also showcase new family members - Sly A10, Chabela, Pangar and AnyoneID. Rising starts of Abidjan, Oyoki Onanayo and Stelair, and South African heroes, Aero Manyelo, Shujaa Bora, Pulo N'Dj and Mc Swordman also join the family with contributions to the release.
Running parties, festivals and courses in Abidjan (Le Maquis Electroniq), Blanc Manioc pioneer extraordinary talents between Africa and Europe. As well as presenting their frst vinyl release, Blanc Manioc will launch "Blanc Manioc party” this year, a live event following the "Nyamakala" principles (Nyamakala" means "the antidote of evil” in Mandinka) curing the people through dance.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Father, author, podcaster; producer, TV pundit and presenter, entrepreneur; lyricist, victim and survivor of racist violence. In just thirty-three years, the highly-acclaimed Guvna B has lived a life which has been as varied as his elite talents.The Village Is On Fire, his tenth studio album, is his richest and most rewarding work to date. Against a soundscape that evokes London in all its agony and glory - a seamless blend of soul, house, grime, Afrobeats and more - he grapples with the aftermath of an unprovoked and racially motivated attack.
This is Come Play With Me Records' first release since the partnership with EMI North has been announced. The compilation 10” is funded by Breed Media and features local Leeds artists Hang Linton, Claudia Fenoglio, Fehlt and Tirikilatops, with the vinyl featuring exclusive spoken word pieces from Jack Collins and Lily Fontaine (English Teacher). Key Quotes: “With summer on the horizon, ‘As Good As This’ possesses a most welcome warmth, its gentle familiarity as intoxicating as it is reassuring.” - God Is In The TV
It features compositions by the great Stan Tracey - The Godfather of British Jazz - inspired by Dylan Thomas' drama 'Under Milk Wood', including the timeless "Starless and Bible Black" with its acclaimed solo by tenor saxophonist Bobby Wellins.
Like Thomas's characters, the themes vary greatly in tempo, in mood, in dramatic depth. The title song is a triumph, not only because it stands by itself as a beautifully conceived jazz ballad, but because it sets the scene for the rest of the writing and playing. Some of the other themes are impressionistic and highly subjective sketches of Thomas seen through the prism of jazz.
It was awarded 69th place in Jazzwise magazine's The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook the World: "Tracey is indispensable, a one-man mission statement. Here he showed how much could be achieved within the basic jazz quartet format.
Reaction at the time seems to have been along the lines of where on earth did this come from? Coherent, vital and mind-stretching."
"The haunting Starless and Bible Black remains probably the finest single recorded performance by a British jazz group." - The Observer
