Marion Poncet delivers his heartbeats in full length format as 2x12“ on Smallville's Fuck Reality.
While Traumer might be the most prominent moniker of Romain Poncet- and the one he is currently touring the world as- there is countless other musical projects that the artist is operating as. And its the lesser-known side-projects, that complete the picture of a truly versatile musical mind. So next to Traumer, you'll meet Brako, Amine Laje, Jinger, Redspecs- Marion Poncet - and even more side-projects within the world of Romain. He has always seen his monikers as a form of expression and to showcase his musical broadness. Of course there is House music in all different shades & moods- but Romain also released techno, downbeat & trippy things for the heads as well as broken beat material.
„The Raging Swells Crushing The Cliff Of My Love” was written during a period of longing for his love – so here is a deeply personal album as a musical dedication. Expect thoughtful-but-crunchy house music with a chunk, that sounds as if it was made for Smallville's Fuck Reality imprint.
Fuck Reality LP 02 comes as a 2x12”, as always with a full cover artwork by Stefan Marx.
Love from Smallville - stay positive – Fuck Reality!
Channeling his honed sample craft towards the ominous portent of modern times, Romare returns with his fifth album Oblivion, with the previous 3 out of 4 LP's appearing on Ninja Tune. Across a suite of downtempo, broken beat, bubbling grooves and brooding reveries Archie Fairhurst threads a narrative that wrestles with the big questions of the present moment — the tipping points of the planet and technology, the fight for social justice and the power structures that govern our existence. While his trademark source material continues to cast a long line back through recorded history, this is Romare at his most contextual.
Nothing is placed by accident. 'Machines' hums its throbbing 4/4 pulse along to a German language recital of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 'Blessed Longing' — an enduring reflection on the human condition that rings true from way back in the 19th Century when it was written. 'Computer Love' slinks into a sumptuous trip-hop lull laced with sci-fi flourishes sculpted from samples of old computer documentaries — a bittersweet romantic backdrop to our complicated situationship with the devices in our lives. 'Take Us' goes one step further on its hard-stepping boom-bap strut as a subtle tale of possession by screens unfolds around Romare's signature strain of technicolour mutant funk.
There is space for optimism in the message on Oblivion as well — the strength of the suffragettes as a benchmark for social justice and activism amidst the speakeasy slink of ‘Deeds, Not Words', and spring-loaded acid house joint 'Change' pointing to the need for positive action in the face of imminent calamity.
The artwork for the album follows Fairhurst's thought process, drawing on Edvard Munch's iconic 'The Scream' along with Philippe Halsman and Salvador Dali’s ‘Voluptuous Death’ to help render the ideas of the album visually.
The wild ride of Oblivion races towards a final beguiling opiate on 'The Last Lullaby' — the perfect sedative after the rush of information and emotion that comes with a full-length trip through Romare's vivid, uniquely creative world of sound.
»Memorial« grew out of Nate Wooley’s work alongside Annea Lockwood recording the Columbia River, and in particular from a visit to Kettle Falls in northern Washington, once one of the river’s great salmon fishing and meeting grounds and a place of enormous importance to the Sinixt and other Indigenous peoples of the Upper Columbia. The falls disappeared from view following the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in 1940, submerged beneath what is now Lake Roosevelt, yet beneath the still surface of the reservoir, a fast current continues to move across the buried cliffs. That tension between what remains and what can only be recovered through memory runs throughout »Memorial«.
In the essay accompanying the record, Wooley returns repeatedly to the idea of translation: the attempt to carry an experience from one form into another, from river to recording, memory to sound, landscape to music. He moves between Lockwood’s sound maps, John Ashbery’s rain falling on canal machinery, Ravel’s attempts to make water move through a piano, Christian Wolff’s »Stones«, and the Sinixt First Salmon Ceremony, where rocks struck together recall the sound of salmon once moving through the river in their thousands. These translations cannot restore what has been lost; however, they allow us to revisit what remains beneath in another form.
»Memorial« exists as an uncertainty, concerned with the distance between a place and its recording, between an event and what survives of it, and with the way listening itself becomes entangled with memory. Kettle Falls remains submerged, the river constrained and radically altered, but the water continues to move over the old rock beneath the reservoir. »Memorial« tries to listen for that persisting memory.
Forty years of cassette releases, pressed for the first time on vinyl
First of two instalments exploring the previously unreleased sonic archives of one of Poland’s most enigmatic
living artists - with its first volume focused on his deep listening practice and spiritual reverie (recorded 1990–2013)
The last time Andrzej Dudek-Dürer took a banknote bearing the face of the Polish anarchist Jarosław Dąbrowski from his pocket to trade it for a pair of shoes was in 1969. He bought them for 120zł - the equivalent of 100€ today - and never replaced them since then. Only rebuilt them, year after year, drawing a needle and thread through the leather each time it split, closing one wound before the next one opened. It became a ritual of precision, stitching a record of another year into their soles.
That same year, in Wrocław, he arrived at a conclusion that would recalibrate everything that followed. Convinced he was the reincarnation of Albrecht Dürer, he adopted the surname Dudek-Dürer, stopped cutting his hair and began wearing the same garments every day. It was the first ritual of many, though he wouldn't have called it that yet. Look closely enough, over the decades, and it is always the same gesture, returning in different material: hair growing in a single unbroken strand, a needle drawing thread through leather, sitar strings pulled taut across a neck he built with his own hands and magnetic tape spooling forward inside the cassette boxes stacked against his walls.
None of this began in a vacuum. Dudek-Dürer emerged from the Wrocław neo-avant-garde, in a Polish art world where an exhibition could be cancelled overnight by the stroke of a censor's pen. In 1973, his exhibition Auto-crucifixion was shut down by the state, and for a time he found himself blocked from exhibiting his own art at all - the one force in his life that ever came close to cutting the thread.
He seemed to experience it differently. In 1974, after long, patient research into sitar craftsmanship, he built his first prototype with his brother, a knowledgeable luthier. In 1978, in a smoked-out jazz club, he took his first steps into sound recording with the unreleased album Jazz From Underground with his first band. By 1979, recognition started to travel further than he could.
Turning toward Far-Eastern philosophy, meditation and the idea of reincarnation was another language of freedom for him. It was a way of claiming an inner territory the state could not reach, a border it could not close. Mail Art served a parallel function, reaching further out: in a country that restricted travel and expression, sending and receiving art through the postal system became an act of quiet rebellion.
The body, in his understanding, is only an envelope readied for constant transformation. From this came Metaphysical Telepathy: during the years he could not leave Poland, he treated that confinement as a rehearsal room, sending his mind out ahead on the same thread his body would later follow. Living Sculpture grew from the same root with performances of stillness beside static art objects, until the boundary between the object and the man beside it simply dissolved. Camera Meditation extended the same instinct into photography: a shutter click flattening three dimensions into two so that a single instant could be held forever. Inspired by the pioneers of self-portrait photography like Robert Cornelius, he used it to document time itself, and kept explaining to me: "You know. This is not about vanity. This is about observing time passing.”
The isolation did not end suddenly. It ended the way his own philosophy had already predicted it would, from the inside first. Mail Art quietly solved the problem politics couldn't. Correspondence built during years of confinement slowly worked its way through doors the state itself had kept locked. Contacts made through folded paper and stamps became invitations. Ultimately, invitations became passports.
In 1983 he made his first trip outside Poland, to Germany, in search of the audio technology he couldn’t get his hands on before. In 1985, he was invited by the Indian embassy in Poland to give a sitar concert on an instrument he had spent a decade patiently stringing together - half sitar, half tanpura, built from patience and determination. After the collapse of the People's Republic of Poland, the travels kept unspooling: South Korea, then Mexico, then Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan and the United States - each stop leaving behind its own small knot of tape, tied off and carried home.
In the decades since, recognition arrived at the same unhurried pace: he conducted workshops at UC Berkeley, served as vice-president for artistic affairs of the Union of Polish Art Photographers and the Union of Polish Visual Artists between 2010 and 2014 and received the Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis. His visual work gradually entered collections including the National Museums of Warsaw, the Stedelijk Museum, Tate Modern, MoMA and the Venice Biennale. His musical practice, by contrast, never found that kind of room - left to circulate quietly, sharing his cassette tapes directly, waiting for someone willing to follow it further.
It took months before I could find a way to reach Andrzej Dudek-Dürer - his presence online is very close to nonexistent. Surprisingly, LinkedIn turned out to be the only door still open, a faintly absurd irony given everything else about him. I packed the strict minimum for a three-day trip and an empty notebook and made my way to Wrocław. His headquarters sits in the neighbourhood of Grabyszyn: a two-storey pre-war house that has belonged to his family for generations. The man who opened the door was long-haired, long-bearded, in his trademark leather shoes and patched jeans. We sat in his living room, in front of a computer where decades of recordings sat organised in cryptically named files, surrounded by books and objects that had arrived one layer at a time, leaving room for only two chairs in the middle. His shoes sat by the door, rebuilt so many times they had become their own quiet sculpture. Cassette tapes filled boxes against the walls, almost unlabelled, each one a spool of thread holding decades of sound that had never once been asked for, until now.
I listened for hours: meditating in front of strangers on the porch of a Seoul temple until the tourists stopped taking photos and simply waited with him; a stand-off with border guards at the US–Mexico crossing over an instrument they couldn't identify and didn't trust; a session with the Stockhausen family that he still, decades later, describes like it happened last week. All of it interrupted, occasionally, by the smell of soup boiling and fresh bread warming on the ceramic stove. After two days, it felt like being handed the end of a very long thread and asked, gently, to keep following it. I left with a USB drive holding his full discography, signed with his unmistakable signature.
Astral Meditations From A Living Statue is a length of that thread, drawn out from the boxes stacked against his walls - recordings gathered from different rooms, different countries, different decades. This first record breathes slowly: incense-thick, meditative, built for stillness. A cutting-edge séance in outer space where machines learn how to dream.
It begins with the neo-classical improvisations of Andrzej, space-delayed, recorded at Klub Muzyki i Literatury in Wrocław in 2002. 'When..So' opens the curtains with a deep-rooted meditation accompanied by slow-decaying piano figures illuminated by a candle-lit spirit gathering.
Los Angeles, 1990: a dormant villa, a grand piano, the voice of Bonnie Barnett. 'Exception' is captured in a single room, in a single afternoon - voice and keys circling each other, neither one leading, until the silence between the notes starts to feel like the instrument.
'The Meta...' and 'Tired Of...', recorded at Studio Morandi in Ponte Nossa, Italy, in 1992, settle into a sitar drone built entirely from patience - overtones stacking and beating against each other, strung by a man who never once set foot in India. 'Mastery Of...' follows, recorded the same year at Studio Suski in Łomianki, pushing that same hum further still, until pitch dissolves into a spectral reverie. 'Transcendental Sound', from 2000, closes the first record in a slow bath of celestial frequency - better heard beside the shores of the Odra river.
More than fifty years after deciding that a life could become an artwork, Andrzej Dudek-Dürer continues to inhabit that decision. His shoes keep wearing thin against the earth's crust. His hair keeps growing, one strand at a time. His cassette tapes keep spooling in the dark of their boxes.
Now the thread finds its last shape: a single unbroken groove, spiralling inward from the outer edge to the label at the centre. Never cut - the way nothing else in his life ever was. Drop the needle and it will find that groove and follow it, the same way a needle once followed leather, once followed a border it couldn't cross, once followed string into an instrument that didn't exist until he built it. This record is the other end of a thread that has been travelling for fifty years. For the length of both sides, it rests here, in your hands. This is a timeless proof that the Lord of the New Age was never lost."
Faitiche presents the debut solo album by cellist, sound artist, and composer Topu Lyo: “quiet scenes from tokyo” brings together sixteen miniatures for solo cello and tape echo that oscillate between abstracts drones and rhythmic pizzicato sketches – all recorded at Topu’s Tokyo apartment. The constant traffic noise from a nearby highway has become an accompanying soundtrack for his compositions and can be heard on the recordings. Topu’s playing is marked by a distinctive idiom oriented more towards abstract electronic studio effects than classical technique.
The artist spoke to Jan Jelinek about his work:
JJ: A solo cello album may seem like an odd fit for a label that has to date released only music that is electronic in the broadest sense. But I think “quiet scenes from tokyo” complements the Faitiche repertoire exceptionally well. Its sixteen miniatures showcase the cello in all its complexity: the bowed passages sometimes recall a tape feedback drone; the pizzicato playing conjures up the percussion recordings of Moondog; and the abstract textures might be mistaken for the product of a granular sampler rather than rapid finger work on the cello. I’m constantly surprised by just how rich and varied this album is – without ever losing the charm of its sketch-like quality. Could you say a few words about the making of your album – first of all, from a rather technical perspective: what production tools did you use, and why?
TL: My production tools were very sparse. Just a solo cello and my Roland 301 Space Echo, which I only used at the end, running everything through it during mixing, tape only. After years of working with electronics, pedals, and synthesizers, moving to Tokyo pushed me toward minimizing my setup. But my aesthetics shifted too, toward simplicity. I wanted to strip everything back to just the acoustic cello and see how far I could push it — replicating some of my favorite electronic effects through extended technique: slow portamento, LFOs, filters, detune, noise. I’d also been listening to a cassette of ocean sounds for years. When I moved to Tokyo I was horrified to find myself living directly across from a freeway. Eventually the freeway started sounding almost identical to the ocean — and that ended up playing a prominent part in the recording.
JJ: That’s super interesting: mimicking electronic production as a compositional idea for the cello! You say the sound of the freeway is crucial to the album: I, too, tend to interpret steady traffic noise as a positive soundscape – do we hear the freeway on the album? I can also hear other field recordings, for example on “a street car with announcements”. Can you say a bit about how these field recordings influence your playing?
TL: Yes, you can hear the freeway on the album! The freeway is most prominent in “old trees in lonely spring”, “yuyake koyake”, and “the moon” (you can clearly hear individual cars). When I first began recording I had my balcony door shut tightly, but after a while I began leaning into the highway sound and slowly opening the door little by little to control the amount of noise. “streetcar with announcements” was a moment I was recording and a car passed by making announcements in the background. I loved how it sounded! Same thing with “yuyake koyake”, and later I realized that every day at 5pm the same song plays to mark sunset, telling children it’s time to go home. Having this bedrock of sound puts less pressure on me to put music on top or to play more notes.
JJ: It’s astonishing how much this differs from what I’d imagined: I’d been picturing peaceful landscape recordings, but had never thought of a freeway. Which goes to show how open to interpretation traffic noises are. So the room by the freeway had a major influence on the album – how are you going to perform it live?
TL: The contrast between the freeway and the beautiful landscape in my head couldn’t have been starker. I too was imagining a beautiful landscape in which to create the album, but somehow it still worked out. I've been going back and forth a lot on live shows and I think the most honest way is to have it the most stripped down. I was thinking of using traffic samples etc., but I think the duet really comes from the background sounds from every unique venue/environment. So as it stands, I’ll just be doing acoustic solo cello.
With the stunning Planes In Reverse, Sascha Funke, the Berlin-born producer and DJ, and long-time member of the Kompakt family, releases his first album in almost a decade, since 2017’s Lotos Land. It’s a welcome return for one of the most eloquent and elegant producers in electronic and dance music, someone who’s always been able to say more with less, and the ten tracks here, moving effortlessly between techno, house, minimalism, disco house, and home listening tunes, are all gorgeously sculpted miniatures. With guest appearances from partner Julienne Dessagne (Fantastic Twins), with whom Funke has also worked in Saschienne, there’s something homely and family about it, too; a family of sounds, a home of tone. There’s also something consummate about Planes In Reverse, as though Sascha Funke has perfected the album format. There’s no flab here, no excess – it plays out like a perfectly designed experience, ten tracks, coming in under fifty minutes, an album where every moment matters.
It’s full of variety, but everything has the unmistakable Funke thumbprint, one that was developed during the late ‘90s / early ‘00s minimal techno and microhouse moment, but which was always open to other ideas and other sounds, too. Planes In Reverse came together quickly for Funke: “Last winter, I had two or three new tracks, which gave me a core feeling: ‘Ah, this could be the direction of something like an album.’ Sometimes it can be very easy that you wrap it up and then it becomes something coherent and solid. This happened within two or three months; it was very fast and direct.” Everything fell into place – the ten tracks revealed themselves, the album sat together as a whole, and the final piece of the puzzle was returning home again to Kompakt, who have supported Sascha Funke from the very start, releasing his first single, “Campus”, back in 1999.
Planes In Reverse opens stealthily with “What You See”, where rhythms percolate and bass prowls while gaseous textures fill the sonic spectrum. It’s also the first appearance of Fantastic Twins on the album; here, she speaks a hypnotic mantra, a prelude to the title track, where Dessagne has a pure pop moment, her voice ecstatic and vibrant. Indeed, Planes In Reverse plays out like thesis and antithesis ending in synthesis, the tracks nestling next to each other even as they shuttle between sounds, genres, perspectives. There are some beautiful moments dropped throughout Planes In Reverse – the heavenly textures that make the title track feel so cloud-bound; the glassy and orbital tones that drop from the skies through the disco house inspired “Karat”; the clamour and clatter of hyper-edited voices shuffling through “Splitter”; or the field recordings of Sascha’s son football training session that drop “Zockers” into a different place and space, slowly giving way to a beautifully paced electro-pop mantra. “In Germany,when the kids play a computer game, or when they play football, we describe it as zocken. They’re the players, they’re the Zockers.“ Funke explains.
Planes In Reverse winds down with the beautiful “Kruso”, where ticklish, loving arpeggios careen around the room, and drift-work chords shimmer and shuttle between your ears. It’s a perfect comedown to an album that feels breathes in and out at an organic pace, nothing above 130 BPM, everything sitting together just so. Indeed, that’s the feeling you take away from Planes In Reverse; it sums up the spirit of Sascha Funke productions perfectly, while also existing beautifully as its own world dreamt unto itself. It’s Sascha Funke down to the very essence. Nothing unnecessary, nothing extraneous: Pure Funke.
The chart-topping, multi-Platinum and Ivor Novello-winning Passenger returns with a new album ‘Wild Love’. Passenger - real name Mike Rosenberg - was inspired by recently (and unexpectedly) becoming a husband and father. ‘Wild Love’ captures the whirlwind of emotions as their relationship developed - the excitement, the upheaval, the trepidation and the joy. Passenger says, “Going from a working relationship to a romantic one is scary. The older you get, the more of the spikier sides of love you’ve seen. Things go sour for all sorts of reasons and with someone so close, the stakes are so much higher. ‘Wild Love’ is the title track because it sums up the theme of the album. Do you give in to your doubts and do nothing, or do you face your fears and go for it? I wrote the song as I was realising that the choice was obvious.” While the ‘Wild Love’ album charts the couple’s personal experiences - taking the plunge, cherished early memories together, the realisation that this new love could be one that lasts - the single ‘It Was Gonna Be You’ is an outlier from a previous chapter in his life, a story of discovering that relationships can rapidly unravel. It is set to a classic Passenger sound of bright, buoyant melody coloured with flourishes of piano and Americana-tinged guitar twangs. The uplifting, energised atmosphere of the ‘Wild Love’ album opens with its most direct moment, the infectious ode-to-change of the live favourite ‘Boomerang’. The title track and centrepiece ‘Wild Love’ will also be familiar from shows, a delicate piano-based country song which taps into the elation and fear that came as the couple’s relationship took shape. There are sonic surprises too, such as the way in which the frisky ‘Caution To The Wind’ draws on both ‘70s Elton John and the insistent keys of Bruce Hornsby and the Range’s ‘The Way It Is’, or the ‘80s synth embellishments on ‘Lightning Strikes’. A rare cover is also included with his take on Taylor Swift’s ‘Willow’, the song that soundtracked the couple’s blossoming love.
The chart-topping, multi-Platinum and Ivor Novello-winning Passenger returns with a new album ‘Wild Love’. Passenger - real name Mike Rosenberg - was inspired by recently (and unexpectedly) becoming a husband and father. ‘Wild Love’ captures the whirlwind of emotions as their relationship developed - the excitement, the upheaval, the trepidation and the joy. Passenger says, “Going from a working relationship to a romantic one is scary. The older you get, the more of the spikier sides of love you’ve seen. Things go sour for all sorts of reasons and with someone so close, the stakes are so much higher. ‘Wild Love’ is the title track because it sums up the theme of the album. Do you give in to your doubts and do nothing, or do you face your fears and go for it? I wrote the song as I was realising that the choice was obvious.” While the ‘Wild Love’ album charts the couple’s personal experiences - taking the plunge, cherished early memories together, the realisation that this new love could be one that lasts - the single ‘It Was Gonna Be You’ is an outlier from a previous chapter in his life, a story of discovering that relationships can rapidly unravel. It is set to a classic Passenger sound of bright, buoyant melody coloured with flourishes of piano and Americana-tinged guitar twangs. The uplifting, energised atmosphere of the ‘Wild Love’ album opens with its most direct moment, the infectious ode-to-change of the live favourite ‘Boomerang’. The title track and centrepiece ‘Wild Love’ will also be familiar from shows, a delicate piano-based country song which taps into the elation and fear that came as the couple’s relationship took shape. There are sonic surprises too, such as the way in which the frisky ‘Caution To The Wind’ draws on both ‘70s Elton John and the insistent keys of Bruce Hornsby and the Range’s ‘The Way It Is’, or the ‘80s synth embellishments on ‘Lightning Strikes’. A rare cover is also included with his take on Taylor Swift’s ‘Willow’, the song that soundtracked the couple’s blossoming love.
Futurismo are proud to present DEVO’s NITROUS NIGHTMARE, Halloween Live ‘75. Never before released, or heard in it’s entirety, this legendary live performance is presented here in it’s full chaotic glory on limited edition 2xLP and 2xCD. The live release all hardcore Devo fans have been waiting for, Nitrous Nightmare demonstrates a band harnessing their artistic greatness in the purest of forms. This mythic performance captures Devo perfecting some of their most iconic concepts in the raw. Expertly restored, this live recording makes for a thrilling experience, it also captures Devo as a lightening rod for hostility. On Halloween 1975, Devo took the stage at the WHK Auditorium in Cleveland, in a supporting capacity for jazz legend Sun Ra, to perform for a raucous crowd dressed in the finest of Halloween cliché. Already riding high on Nitrous Oxide and booze supplied by the sponsoring radio station, this unaware horde was expecting to see a slick cover band churning out renditions of Bad Company hits, only to be subjected to an act of subversive performance art that would send the growingly aggravated crowd into eventual meltdown. Physical threats ensued, but Devo played on. Acting as a live companion release to Futurismo’s much lauded Art Devo, the tracklist featured here showcases the origins of de-evolution theory in a live setting. These songs would become some of their most famous material, with this recording believed to be the very first time ‘Jocko Homo’ was performed in front of a live audience; the full 12 minute version documented here is sure to please fans, even if it displeased the urban hippies and horror masked onlookers that evening. Whilst Devo may have felt they were trapped inside a negative energy vortex during that era, it is clear in retrospect that the band was using this energy to carve out the genesis of a sonic and visual art that has truly stood the test of time. The music performed that evening would mutate culture for decades to come, long after the denizens of the auditorium packed away their cheap vampire costumes and returned to their day jobs. Spanning 2xLP’s of unreleased live material, most of which has never been heard before, this wondrous performance draws purely from that integral early history. Mixed and mastered directly from recordings kept in the bands personal vaults, this live collection showcases why Devo was, and still is, one of the most important bands in American history. De-evolution is real. The art of DEVO is real. Here is the evidence. This 2xLP is housed in a gloss laminated wide spined sleeve. It has a tracklist that has been sourced directly from the archives, and contains colour inner sleeves and a fold-out containing archival imagery and liner notes by Gerald V Casale.
The wait is over, Return To The 37th Chamber is El Michels Affair's highly anticipated follow up to 2009's underground cult classic Enter the 37th Chamber. Churning out classic records since then for the likes of Lee Fields, The Arcs, The Shacks, and tons more, it is clear that EMA's signature sound is stronger & sharper than ever. This time, in addition to re-interpreting the Wu compositions for a live band, EMA pays homage to the production and sonic fog that makes a RZA beat so recognizable. Producer and bandleader Leon Michels recorded the album completely analog, sometimes hitting 6 generations of tape before it was ready for mixing, giving the Return to The 37th Chamber it's own hazy sound. Adding to the unique fidelity, the record is laced with psychedelic flourishes, John Carpenter' synths, heavy metal guitars, triumpha0nt horns, and traditional Chinese instruments that make up for the lack of the Wu's superlative vocals. From start to finish it's a dark trip that walks the line between RZA's timeless hip-hop aesthetic and the cinematic soul EMA has become known for. El Michels Affair tackles some classics like 4th Chamber and Wu Tang Aint Nuthin to Fuck Wit, as well as some deeper cuts like Ol Dirty Bastard's Snakes, Raekwon's Verbal Intercourse, and Shaolin Brew, Wu-Tang's contribution to the St. Ide's Hip Hop endorsement campaign from 1994. This time El Michels brings some of the Big Crown family along for the ride. Lee Fields handles vocal duties on Snakes and is joined by Shannon Wise of The Shacks for their version of Tearz, which pays as much homage to the Wendy Rene sample as it does to the Wu-Tang Clan. Lady Wray makes an appearance on the cover of Method Man's hit, All I Need, lending her vocal prowess to what gave the Wu one of their biggest hits of all time. Interspersed throughout the record are some original interludes that are like the rug that ties the room together,' giving Return To The 37th Chamber a cinematic narrative that makes it a proper El Michels Affair record and not just a collection of covers. From the music to the presentation, this album is a perfect example of what can only be achieved through diversity. The end result is as much a kaleidoscope of influences and multiculturalism as the city it was recorded in. El Michels Affair is once again, sounding out the city' that raised them, pulling elements of art and culture from across the country and around the globe to create an album truly unique in it's own right.
Twenty-five years after its original release, Markus Guentner's debut album In Moll returns in a special anniversary reissue on Black Knoll Editions, reaffirming its place as one of the defining ambient recordings of the early 21st century.
Released in 2001 during the formative years of Kompakt's influential Pop Ambient series, In Moll emerged from a period of rapid transformation in electronic music. New technologies, expanding digital networks, and shifting creative possibilities allowed artists to imagine entirely new sonic worlds. Amid this fertile landscape, Guentner's music stood apart. Combining delicate melodic fragments, slow-moving harmonies, and a remarkable sense of spatial depth, In Moll introduced a distinct artistic voice whose impact can still be felt a quarter-century later.
The album arrived shortly after Guentner's contributions to the inaugural Pop Ambient compilation, including the now-beloved "Regensburg 1," named after his Bavarian hometown. Those early recordings immediately captured the attention of Kompakt founders Michael Mayer and Wolfgang Voigt. Recalling his first encounter with the music, Mayer describes listening to a demo CDR with Voigt while wandering through Cologne late into the night, replaying the tracks for hours. "We knew that we had found something outrageously beautiful and we wanted the whole world to listen."
Across its running time, In Moll unfolds like a series of dreamlike landscapes, inviting the listener into a world that feels both familiar and strangely other. Bells, hisses, distant textures, and slow-moving bass tones drift through vast expanses of atmosphere while luminous synthesizer washes seem to blur the horizon in a fine digital mist. The album's transportive qualities are matched by a remarkable sense of compositional discipline. Every gesture feels deliberate, every texture carefully placed. Balancing warmth and melancholy with restraint, Guentner created a body of work that rewards both close listening and complete surrender.
Reflecting on the album twenty-five years later, Wolfgang Voigt describes Guentner as "one of the first, but also one of the most important ambient artists" associated with Kompakt, calling his music "an integral, timeless part of the long history of pop ambient." Music critic and former Pitchfork Editor-in-Chief Mark Richardson, who reviewed In Moll upon its original release, similarly noted that the album "marked the arrival of an important new voice," and today regards it as "one of the finest ambient releases of the decade."
The album's influence continues to extend far beyond its original audience. For many listeners, In Moll served as an entry point into a new understanding of what ambient music could be. Black Knoll boss Rafael Anton Irisarri first encountered the album shortly after its release in 2001. "It immediately opened a door to a world of music I didn't know existed," he recalls. "At a time when I was still discovering my own creative voice, Markus showed me entirely new possibilities for what electronic music could communicate." Simply put, "The Sight Below would not have existed without In Moll paving the way."
Far from a historical curiosity, In Moll continues to feel strikingly contemporary. What once sounded futuristic now feels timeless, its patient pacing, attention to detail, and sense of wonder remaining entirely intact. The album's enduring power lies not only in its influence, but in the curiosity it continues to inspire, inviting listeners to step inside its world and lose themselves within it.
To mark its twenty-fifth anniversary, Black Knoll Editions presents the most complete edition of In Moll to date. Newly remastered in full analog by Rafael Anton Irisarri, this expanded release pairs the original album with a newly reworked interpretation by Markus Guentner himself, revisiting the material through the lens of twenty-five years of artistic development. The anniversary edition also features a new visual presentation designed by Guentner, offering a visual counterpart to the album's continued evolution. Together, these recordings and visuals celebrate both the enduring legacy of In Moll and its ability to reveal new dimensions twenty-five years later.
This 25th Anniversary Edition on Black Knoll Editions celebrates a recording whose quiet impact has only grown with time, preserving a work that remains as evocative, singular, and essential today as it was in 2001.
Twenty-five years after its original release, Markus Guentner's debut album In Moll returns in a special anniversary reissue on Black Knoll Editions, reaffirming its place as one of the defining ambient recordings of the early 21st century.
Released in 2001 during the formative years of Kompakt's influential Pop Ambient series, In Moll emerged from a period of rapid transformation in electronic music. New technologies, expanding digital networks, and shifting creative possibilities allowed artists to imagine entirely new sonic worlds. Amid this fertile landscape, Guentner's music stood apart. Combining delicate melodic fragments, slow-moving harmonies, and a remarkable sense of spatial depth, In Moll introduced a distinct artistic voice whose impact can still be felt a quarter-century later.
The album arrived shortly after Guentner's contributions to the inaugural Pop Ambient compilation, including the now-beloved "Regensburg 1," named after his Bavarian hometown. Those early recordings immediately captured the attention of Kompakt founders Michael Mayer and Wolfgang Voigt. Recalling his first encounter with the music, Mayer describes listening to a demo CDR with Voigt while wandering through Cologne late into the night, replaying the tracks for hours. "We knew that we had found something outrageously beautiful and we wanted the whole world to listen."
Across its running time, In Moll unfolds like a series of dreamlike landscapes, inviting the listener into a world that feels both familiar and strangely other. Bells, hisses, distant textures, and slow-moving bass tones drift through vast expanses of atmosphere while luminous synthesizer washes seem to blur the horizon in a fine digital mist. The album's transportive qualities are matched by a remarkable sense of compositional discipline. Every gesture feels deliberate, every texture carefully placed. Balancing warmth and melancholy with restraint, Guentner created a body of work that rewards both close listening and complete surrender.
Reflecting on the album twenty-five years later, Wolfgang Voigt describes Guentner as "one of the first, but also one of the most important ambient artists" associated with Kompakt, calling his music "an integral, timeless part of the long history of pop ambient." Music critic and former Pitchfork Editor-in-Chief Mark Richardson, who reviewed In Moll upon its original release, similarly noted that the album "marked the arrival of an important new voice," and today regards it as "one of the finest ambient releases of the decade."
The album's influence continues to extend far beyond its original audience. For many listeners, In Moll served as an entry point into a new understanding of what ambient music could be. Black Knoll boss Rafael Anton Irisarri first encountered the album shortly after its release in 2001. "It immediately opened a door to a world of music I didn't know existed," he recalls. "At a time when I was still discovering my own creative voice, Markus showed me entirely new possibilities for what electronic music could communicate." Simply put, "The Sight Below would not have existed without In Moll paving the way."
Far from a historical curiosity, In Moll continues to feel strikingly contemporary. What once sounded futuristic now feels timeless, its patient pacing, attention to detail, and sense of wonder remaining entirely intact. The album's enduring power lies not only in its influence, but in the curiosity it continues to inspire, inviting listeners to step inside its world and lose themselves within it.
To mark its twenty-fifth anniversary, Black Knoll Editions presents the most complete edition of In Moll to date. Newly remastered in full analog by Rafael Anton Irisarri, this expanded release pairs the original album with a newly reworked interpretation by Markus Guentner himself, revisiting the material through the lens of twenty-five years of artistic development. The anniversary edition also features a new visual presentation designed by Guentner, offering a visual counterpart to the album's continued evolution. Together, these recordings and visuals celebrate both the enduring legacy of In Moll and its ability to reveal new dimensions twenty-five years later.
This 25th Anniversary Edition on Black Knoll Editions celebrates a recording whose quiet impact has only grown with time, preserving a work that remains as evocative, singular, and essential today as it was in 2001.
Amidst their illustrious presence in dance music, Âme have been - and seen - a tumultuous evolution in all that surrounds. Genres have splintered and sharpened, melodies reinvented.
Yet, Frank and Kristian continue to stay true to their own meticulously individual art form. The pair muse on all that's been in latest album, "Love Is The Dance", where they reflect on a multitude of sounds that have shadowed their career for 20 years and counting - presenting a collection of tracks that flicker between different worlds and feelings, whilst harmoniously paying tribute to icons such as Underground Resistance and Compass Point Studios.
Between slower gems such as "Water Be My Crown" and "Of Courage", where buttery chords melt into sleek solitude, comes catchy pop-leaning numbers like "Shadow Of Love" and "Pha Na Pha" that carve their own vibrancy; having already painted endless dance floors with endless memories following individual releases. Cemented with club-focused cuts "Asa" and "Love Is The Dance", the album also moves towards familiar Âme territory; and still, threaded through its DNA is the art of collaboration. A substantial essence to Âme's work throughout the years, the duo level-up, as they invite a curated list of friends and artists, including RY X, Henrik Schwarz, Curses and Busiswa. The result forms a curious, all-expansive record that sees Âme creating avenues bolder, stronger - and even more musically diverse.
Amidst their illustrious presence in dance music, Âme have been - and seen - a tumultuous evolution in all that surrounds. Genres have splintered and sharpened, melodies reinvented.
Yet, Frank and Kristian continue to stay true to their own meticulously individual art form. The pair muse on all that's been in latest album, "Love Is The Dance", where they reflect on a multitude of sounds that have shadowed their career for 20 years and counting - presenting a collection of tracks that flicker between different worlds and feelings, whilst harmoniously paying tribute to icons such as Underground Resistance and Compass Point Studios.
Between slower gems such as "Water Be My Crown" and "Of Courage", where buttery chords melt into sleek solitude, comes catchy pop-leaning numbers like "Shadow Of Love" and "Pha Na Pha" that carve their own vibrancy; having already painted endless dance floors with endless memories following individual releases. Cemented with club-focused cuts "Asa" and "Love Is The Dance", the album also moves towards familiar Âme territory; and still, threaded through its DNA is the art of collaboration. A substantial essence to Âme's work throughout the years, the duo level-up, as they invite a curated list of friends and artists, including RY X, Henrik Schwarz, Curses and Busiswa. The result forms a curious, all-expansive record that sees Âme creating avenues bolder, stronger - and even more musically diverse.
A love letter to Canada sees Adams explore new musical territory, drawing on country, folk and rock while telling stories inspired by the people, places and history of home. How's It Goin' could be the most Canadian album ever written! Inspired by the landscapes, characters, stories and current affairs that are all part of Canada's ongoing history, How's It Goin' sees Adams explore a different musical landscape of his own. Alongside the unmistakable songwriting and voice that have been at the heart of his music, the album introduces elements of country and folk, giving the record a warm, roots-y character. Among the songs are "Diesel and Dirt," "How's It Goin'," "Iron Ribbon" and "The Battle of Lundy's Lane". "The idea was simply to make a record about Canada," says Adams. "It started with writing the song for the documentary, 'Canada's Wild Eastern Edge' and after doing so much research, I was inspired to start writing more songs about Canada. Musically it took me somewhere a little different too, which made the whole thing exciting." One of the album's most poignant moments is "The Ballad of Terry Fox," Adams' tribute to one of Canada's most inspirational figures.The song will also be featured in the forthcoming new documentary film about Terry Fox, entitled "Run Terry Run". How's It Goin' acknowledges Adams' roots and delivers an album that is at times personal, cinematic and, occasionally, reflective but always unmistakably Adams.
A love letter to Canada sees Adams explore new musical territory, drawing on country, folk and rock while telling stories inspired by the people, places and history of home. How's It Goin' could be the most Canadian album ever written! Inspired by the landscapes, characters, stories and current affairs that are all part of Canada's ongoing history, How's It Goin' sees Adams explore a different musical landscape of his own. Alongside the unmistakable songwriting and voice that have been at the heart of his music, the album introduces elements of country and folk, giving the record a warm, roots-y character. Among the songs are "Diesel and Dirt," "How's It Goin'," "Iron Ribbon" and "The Battle of Lundy's Lane". "The idea was simply to make a record about Canada," says Adams. "It started with writing the song for the documentary, 'Canada's Wild Eastern Edge' and after doing so much research, I was inspired to start writing more songs about Canada. Musically it took me somewhere a little different too, which made the whole thing exciting." One of the album's most poignant moments is "The Ballad of Terry Fox," Adams' tribute to one of Canada's most inspirational figures.The song will also be featured in the forthcoming new documentary film about Terry Fox, entitled "Run Terry Run". How's It Goin' acknowledges Adams' roots and delivers an album that is at times personal, cinematic and, occasionally, reflective but always unmistakably Adams.
We are finally ready to unveil one of the most exciting projects we have worked on in our label's history: a new release by legendary disco project Hudson People, best remembered for their essential classic "Trip to Your Mind" - which just received its anniversary issue on our label!
Now it's time for "Hold On" - a brand-new single featuring several mixes based on an original recording from the late 1980s, with the completely unheard yet incredibly soulful voice of singer Rickey Owens, whom composer and producer Reginald Hudson worked with at the time.
When we first got in touch with Reg Hudson several years ago, we were originally interested in releasing his "Shake It - Make It Loose" album, which he recorded with John Davis (later known as one of the real voices behind Milli Vanilli). While talking about John Davis (RIP) and other great GI singers such as Karl Keaton, Reginald Hudson immediately mentioned Rickey Owens as one of the best singers he had ever worked with.
Of course, we had never heard of him, as none of his music had ever been released. But when Hudson showed us some old demos and sent us the original DAT recordings, we were immediately hooked.
"Hold On" was recorded in or around 1988 with a simple drum machine and keyboard accompaniment - essentially a demo intended to be recorded properly in a better studio. But the vocal performance was simply stunning, complete with beautifully recorded ad-libs. Owens had a truly remarkable, clear voice with an incredible amount of soul. Luckily, Hudson had his old DAT tapes digitized several years ago, so the acapella recordings survived in excellent shape.
We immediately reached out to several producers to create reworks of the track. The 12" EP compiles some of the most club-friendly of these new mixes - but there is more to come…
First up is Thomas Redfern, a senior producer, professional studio musician and keyboardist from London, UK. His version is a catchy, funky yet deep House track that could easily become a favourite on dancefloors around the globe. Redfern also blessed us with a dub mix that takes things even deeper.
But it gets even catchier on side B of the vinyl. Tom Quick sped up the tempo, added filters and delivered a rework that could make fans of Chromeo, Daft Punk, Stardust and any late-'90s French House afficionado go completely nuts. Yes, we mean it! With a fresh twist on the original, the track has a massive club appeal that we hope both DJs and dancers will dig.
The vinyl single is completed by a mix from German legend DJ Friction, whose version is based on synth layers from the Tom Quick mix. Friction added new drums and bass, giving the track the distinctive modern electro boogie funk vibe he is known for. His mix brings to mind classics such as Shannon's "Let the Music Play" and works of Freestyle's Tony Butler.
The vinyl 12" with 4 mixes is released on The Outer Edge's brand-new sublabel, 1st Floor Records, which focuses on more dancefloor-oriented material. More mixes are available digitally and should not be missed.
PR Feedback:
„Killer“ – Gilles Peterson
„Disco, deep house and boogie all in there! Superb!“ – Groove City Radio
„Dope!!“ – DJ Craze
„The boogie mixes are so good!“ – Selvagem
„Awesome and Huge Package“ - Leon El Ray
„Wow, Trip to Your Mind is so good and this is a real grower“ - Ibiza Sonica
„Really liking the Balearic & Redfern Mix, thanks!“ – Mystic Bill
„Both Thomas Redfern mixes are ace!“ – Deeper Shades of House
Although nearly two decades after its release the legendary album Eksel by D'Arcangelo has achieved cult status, it is worth remembering that it all started in the early 90s in Rome. The twin brothers Fabrizio and Marco D'Arcangelo sculpted this electronic IDM treasure with a minimalist arsenal of hardware and analog synthesizers, achieving a raw though sophisticated sound that immediately caught the attention of Aphex Twin & Grant Wilson Claridge, Rephlex record label heads themselves.
While in 1993 and 1994 a large part of the European scene was carried away by the faster, more commercial rhythms of hardcore or eurodance, the D'Arcangelo brothers preferred to look toward the mental landscapes and abstract textures coming out of Detroit and Warp Records. By fusing the machine-like coldness of electro with melancholic melodies and complex rhythm structures, the Italian duo became one of the undisputed pioneers of braindance music in Mediterranean Europe.
Looking back, Eksel—released on Rephlex in 2007—stood as a challenge to the listening habits of its time. Positioned between mental experimentation and dancefloor functionality, the album moves effortlessly between hypnotic club contexts and intimate, detail-rich home listening. Now twenty years later, its legacy continues to resonate among collectors and lovers of analog sound. Eksel stands as proof that electronic innovation extended far beyond the major hubs of London or Berlin, strengthening the dialogue between British IDM and the Italian school, and establishing D'Arcangelo as architects of a distinctive sound.
Marco D'Arcangelo looks back on the album's origins with characteristic wit: "Eksel was conceived to celebrate our 40th Birthday. At Rephlex, they thought we should include a Roman attribute, just to remind people of our so-called 'ancestry'—which isn't really anything, but being born in Rome did sound cool. The XL in Roman numerals is 40, spelled 'Eksel'. And funnily enough, this year we are turning 60 (oh my god!), and 60 in Roman numerals is LX, spelled 'Leks'."
For this release, the partnership brings together a range of elements into a cohesive and refined sonic language. D'Arcangelo seamlessly blend leftfield electronica, avant-garde techno, and glitch, shaping a forward-thinking sound. Vintage synthesizers intertwine with crisp programmed percussion, while melodic structures interact with classic 808 rhythms. This deluxe reissue also exclusively includes RFLX1902 and Electronic Lounge, two tracks from the same era never before pressed on vinyl. The result is a warm and reflective body of work, deeply rooted in electro's legacy, yet unmistakably oriented toward the future.
I love the shared experience of music more than almost anything, but the longer I exist in the industry, the harder it is to stay emotionally connected to an album once it’s reduced to numbers and statistics. So I wanted to release this in a way that feels more human—and affordable, especially in wartime. Your support helps create more music, not ads for ICE. Someday the machine will get it, but for now I just want this to feel like an experience again.
Reconcile at the Tile Works, Recorded Live, was captured inside Moravian Tile Works in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. A place built by artist Henry Chapman Mercer, who spent the early 1900s shaping tiles by hand, one at a time. No shortcuts. Just craft, fire, and time. That spirit is all over this record. Some of these songs I haven’t played in years because of how they made me feel and what they conjured in me.
Reconcile at the Tile Works, Recorded Live, won’t be on streaming services. Because art and music deserve more. If you want to hear it, go where music still lives:
Support artists directly. Support the shops that keep the culture alive.
Tiger Stripes continues the ‘A Tiger Never Loses Its Stripes’ EP series on Rekids, with part two arriving 30th October 2026. The EP follows part one, released earlier this month, and previews his upcoming sophomore album, his first in two decades, due out later this year.
First up, Tiger Stripes’ 'Strike' is a raw, heavy, swinging warehouse cut with stark lasers and a moody vocal refrain that will lock the floor into a steady march. 'ID' flips the script with funkier bass riffs and dub effects hanging above a lighter, funkier groove, but still locked into irresistible loops. There is a playful touch to 'Nothing To Do', too, where dusty drums, darker synths and prying bass motifs all shuffle and swing with confidence. The soulful 'Free As A Bird' closes with a delightfully dubby skip, lush chords, and expert sound design that brings immeasurable character alongside a well-worked vocal.
Founder of the Strange Idols label, Tiger Stripes has spent over two decades forging his own path with standout releases on Hot Creations, Kaoz Theory, Kwench Records, and more. After stepping back to focus on his indie-rock project Little Lies, he made a full return in 2024 and quickly recaptured the form that’s made him an international favourite.
Radio Slave’s Rekids was founded in 2006 and has since spawned successful offshoots with the Techno-focused Rekids Special Projects in 2017 and its newest sublabel, REK’D, in 2024. With Matt Edwards as the sole A&R, Rekids has been crucial in developing early artist careers and has become a haven for established acts in House and adjacent genres, recently featuring Harry Romero, Tal Fussman, DJ Minx, The Hacker, and many more.
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Nearly six years since his last full EP on Claptrap, Vanity Project returns with a fresh release, featuring a killer remix from Manchester aficionado Ruf Dug.
File Management Blues was born in the malaise that followed an irretrievable loss of studio files dating back over ten years at Claptrap HQ. Made with love in the wake of that back-up drive meltdown, these jams drift between acid, proto house and dreamy balearic sounds, moving from uptempo club rollers with swirling pads and biting acid lines to downtempo dub chuggers. Running through all of it is a melancholic digital string melody, four original versions on a theme, plus that tasty Ruf Dug rework of the A1.
It was through the first volume of the Musique Ambiante Française compilations that we met the hermit Dagerlöff. From a sanatorium and the depths of his own entrails, he delivered the aptly named From The Womb To The Tomb, which you may remember. Out of that dark period came a spark: the fleeting vision of a little girl running happily through a public garden struck Dagerlöff like a trigger. An urge to live, a visceral need for rebirth. From this epiphany came a vibrant ode to childhood and a return to innocence.
To give flesh to that vision, the artist withdrew from the world once more and, pushing his creativity to its limit, set out to recreate the sonic cocoon of his own youth. This debut album, “Solarpunk”, resurrects the magic of the Amblin productions (E.T., Gremlins, The Goonies, Young Sherlock Holmes…) where digital synth arpeggios embraced the warmth of orchestras, while summoning the epic energy of Japanese cartoon theme songs and the luminous aesthetic of Nintendo consoles.
“I am not sure which of us it is that's writing this page” - Jorge Luis Borges. There are places where a river runs through the story even when you cannot see it. Austin Cash grew up in the Arkansas Delta, and Nathan Smerage in the Chicago suburbs, their paths crossing years later in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where both became members of the Ozark Free Music Society, a loose congregation of musicians who made free and experimental music in non-traditional venues across the city. ‘River Season’ began as an impulsive text sent to Smerage in the summer of 2024, Cash suggesting they should make an album of guitar duets. Calling his bluff, Smerage returned a folder of recordings within a week. Cash had a handful of pieces of his own, originally written for an unreleased film about an Ozarks ceramicist. The songs began traveling back and forth between them by email, however, after opening for the Magic Tuber String Band and playing the compositions live for the first time together, realised the decision to record them live was the only true option. For four days, in the basement apartment where Cash lived, they recorded River Season live. The result is a meticulously composed collection of steel-string guitar music: part folk record, part road map.
Fahey and Ackerman are somewhere in the distance, alongside Bert Jansch, Nick Drake, Marisa Anderson, Nathan Salsburg, Loren Connors, and others. But River Season belongs to neither Arkansas nor Chicago entirely. Cash grew up in Arkansas before moving to Chicago, whereas Smerage grew up in Illinois before moving to Arkansas. River Season catches the two musicians at an intersection in their paths; it belongs to the stretches of road and rivers between them, real and imagined. "This new collaboration between Austin and Nathan is intimate and tonally diverse. Many of the tracks see Austin playing acoustic and Nathan on electric. The statements are succinct (all but two clock in under four minutes) and idiosyncratic. "Bell Harp" and "Painting Friend" are two stand out examples for me in which the textures of the electric/acoustic pairing play off each other in a way that I can't say I have encountered before." -Evan Morgan (Magic Tuber Stringband)
Power Ballads and The Wash is the sophomore album from London-based multi instrumentalist James Howard, due for release on 6th November 2026 via boutique
label Faith & Industry. James is known as founder of critically acclaimed 2010’s band Blue House and collaborator with luminaries such as Rozi Plain, Dana Gavanski, Kate Bollinger and Alabaster Deplume.
For Power Ballads and The Wash James has worked with producer Mike Lindsay, co-founder of folktronica group Tunng. Power Ballads and The Wash follows James's debut solo album Peek-A-Boo, released to great acclaim in April 2023.
All eight songs of Power Ballads and The Wash began life as intimate live takes of
guitar or piano and voice, recorded at Howard’s studio in Deptford, south London.
Steeped in the energy of the local environment, each session was preceded by a visit to the Thames to ask for its muddy blessing, with the DLR rumbling by. The sessions at Lindsay’s Margate studio built a widescreen world around Howard’s original performances, from the restless Eventide vocal treatments on Seven Seconds to the Hollywood string samples of The Moon In The Movies and the Moog bass that quietly anchors the record throughout. Howard also praises violinist Magdalena MacClean's (Caroline) contributions.
Beneath this gentle absurdity, though, lies something quietly powerful. Howard’s
song-writing explores the notion that, despite our ever-shortening attention spans,
there is still the possibility of quiet reflection and the discovery therein of revelations hidden in plain sight. The world of these lucid dream-esque reveries is unmistakably London. The record began with a wing-and-a-prayer visit to the Thames, and ends there too: the wash from the Thames Clipper / nearly breaks through your shoe / like some feelings sometimes do.
When Swingrowers released their debut in Sept 2012, electro swing was a bubbling cultural zeitgeist. This Italian band were among the earliest pioneers who helped shape the sound of the vintage-influenced genre. Their debut 12 track collection paved the way for the brilliant albums that followed and indeed for the ongoing popularity of the genre. A little rougher around the edges but with all the early promise on show, this album completes a 4 piece set for fans and collectors.
Swingrowers went on to release a further 3 studio albums, toured internationally, playing major festivals includingMontreux Jazz Festival, Glastonbury, Boomtown and Tokyo’s Blue Note Festival. Their music has to date amassedmore than 100 million streams worldwide on Spotify alonewith videos clocking up many millions more.
Pronounceditself is a revelation. It stood the test of time as one of the earliest complete and fully-realised Electro Swing albums that seamlessly blend 20’s and 30’s influences - violin, gypsy jazz guitar, saxophones and swing music - with polished contemporary production. Here, superb musicianship meets great songwriting meets a unique modern sound from Swing Hop to Drum n Bass with jazz-inflected vocals in English and Italian.
As we approach the 15 year anniversary, Pronounced is being released on wax for the first time.
This releasecompletes Swingrowers’ entire album discography on vinyl, joining existing editions of Remote, Outsidein and Hybrid.
For long-time fans, collectors and anyone who discovered electro swing through artists such as Caravan Palace and Parov Stelar, Pronounced is a chance to finally own the sound of a young band (and indeed an up-start young genre) at the very start of their career.
Futurismo are proud to present DEVO’s NITROUS NIGHTMARE, Halloween Live ‘75. Never before released, or heard in it’s entirety, this legendary live performance is presented here in it’s full chaotic glory on Super Limited edition Deluxe cassette format!
The live release all hardcore Devo fans have been waiting for, Nitrous Nightmare demonstrates a band harnessing their artistic greatness in the purest of forms. This mythic performance captures Devo perfecting some of their most iconic concepts in the raw. Expertly restored, this live recording makes for a thrilling experience, it also captures Devo as a lightening rod for hostility.
On Halloween 1975, Devo took the stage at the WHK Auditorium in Cleveland, in a supporting capacity for jazz legend Sun Ra, to perform for a raucous crowd dressed in the finest of Halloween cliché. Already riding high on Nitrous Oxide and booze supplied by the sponsoring radio station, this unaware horde was expecting to see a slick cover band churning out renditions of Bad Company hits, only to be subjected to an act of subversive performance art that would send the growingly aggravated crowd into eventual meltdown. Physical threats ensued, but Devo played on.
Yes, yes funky people, another super sexy, soul groove makes it onto the DYNAMITE CUTS 7” series. Took a long time get this one across the line. Two versions of the timeless classic “Take me with you”. A – Side is the one we all know, Lyn Christopher - Amazing deep bass groove and vibe. This has been released as a 7” before but on Styrene. Also bootlegged many times over the years, but here at Dynamite cuts we do it right. This official release includes the iconic sleeve, which is a beauty. To top that, our B-side we have the UK version which was released the same year. Tyrone & Carr, first released on Jam records, part of the UK label DJM, now sell for big bucks £350 +
Kraak & Smaak formed in Leiden in pursuit of a particular blend of funk, disco and electronic soul, and over two decades and seven albums, Oscar de Jong, Wim Plug and Mark Kneppers have sharpened a sound that's unmistakably their own: warm, analogue, and always twisting old soul into something new. That sound has carried them from small European clubs to Coachella and American late night TV.
Their 2025 album Velvet Seas was written between Leiden and Los Angeles, and it shows: Californian light and a touch of psychedelia sit easily alongside deep funk and a cinematic reach. The record leaned on a wide circle of guests, among them IVAR, Berenice van Leer, Izo FitzRoy, Butter Bath, The Undercover Dream Lovers, iogi, Kosta G and Kainalu.
Velvet Seas Remixed hands the album's best moments to a curated set of international producers. British disco heritage, classic French touch, Brazilian disco funk, Melbourne club music and homegrown Dutch groove all take a turn, with each producer bending a familiar song toward their own instincts while keeping the album's character intact. Longer, extended versions and alternate mixes round out the full release, letting several of these tracks land in more than one form.
In 2001, Shin’ichi Ogawa of Sugar Plant was working for the SAL Disc record label and came up with the idea of doing an E2-E4 tribute album with his friends. This album would come off the back of a Neil Young tribute album which might have seemed odd but these two artists, Neil Young and Ashra (Manuel Göttsching), would be played regularly as equals at after-parties that Shini’ichi would throw at his house. Longtime friend and collaborator, Taro Yoda, noted that the eclecticism of these after-parties were influenced by the variety of parties they were attending at the time, from the legendary Japanese open-air rave party Life Force to Cream at Amnesia in Ibiza. Taro was obsessed with European trance and left-field downtempo while the two members of Sugar Plant were into ’70s soul—especially Marvin Gaye and William DeVaughn and at the same time, they were listening to Phish and the Grateful Dead too. All three of them were of course inspired by the DJ’ing and selections of Larry Levan.
A- Side – Sugar Plant – “Just Be There” – Production began in my home studio. Since I was frequently attending a house party called “Life Force” (with DJ Nick the Record as the resident DJ) at the time, I thought deep house would be the perfect style for a Sugar Plant cover.
I looped a two-chord electric piano track and applied filters using plugins and outboard gear to create a “sound I could listen to forever.” I recorded the bass on guitar and converted it to an analog synth (Doepfer MS-404).
From there, I layered synths improvisationally, listening to the track over and over again to make fine adjustments. I think I worked on it for days, mostly late at night.
I recorded the guitar at the very end of the track. After playing it a few times ad lib without any set plan, I suddenly had the idea to add vocals during the bridge, so I set up a mic in my hallway and recorded them.
I think this track is packed with the emotions I felt when listening to “E2-E4” back then, as well as the vibe I experienced at that party. – Shin’ichi Ogawa
With Parallel Worlds, RFLX opens a new chapter for Eight of Cups Records, delivering a raw and focused statement built around tension and transformation.
“I wanted to avoid any form of release. With Parallel Worlds, tension becomes the language itself. I was drawn to this constant escalation, something that dissolves linear time and locks me into a different state of perception… where the drop never comes. And that’s exactly the point.”
“By removing resolution, I wanted to keep everything open: a space where perception expands and multiple realities can coexist. Parallel Worlds is not about choosing a direction, but about becoming aware that more than one is always there.”
A four-track immersive EP refusing the conventional payoff, Parallel Worlds unfolds as a continuous escalation, creating a suspended space where perception shifts and different realities begin to overlap.
The release features two original cuts alongside exclusive remixes by JOEY BELTRAM and AT-XYA.
Techno pioneer Joey Beltram strips the title track down to its raw essence, transforming it into a relentless dancefloor weapon driven by physical energy, hypnotic grooves and his unmistakable signature sound.
AT-XYA takes the opposite route, deconstructing and reshaping the original into an ethereal, cinematic journey for those fragile moments when night dissolves into morning and everything suddenly makes sense ;)
Completing the EP is Danxome, a deeper tribal-inspired cut reconnecting with the origin of the concept. In the Fon language, Danxomɛ means “in the belly of Dan”, the cosmic serpent and the origin of the world. Before parallel worlds, there was one.
Parallel Worlds started from a simple thought:
Every day, all versions of you exist. You just don’t see them all. You can stay the same, or you can shift.
With a new alias, TM404, Andreas Tilliander has created enjoyable ambient dub simmering with life and details. The songs have all been recorded live, in real time in the studio. A unique way of operating within today's electronic music. - Everything is recorded in one take. Nothing is post arranged, says Andreas Tilliander, and adds that this might be his most ambitious album ever. The project's name is also a tribute to Roland, although of the more intricate kind. - When they made these machines in the eighties, they avoided the 404, since the sound for four, 'chi', is the same as the sound for death in Japanese. At that time it was therefore taboo and the 404 was never launched. Not until now, due to my album!
Planet Trip Records presents Sydney underground heroes Hugh B & Setwun’s first album, 2020’s Yeah Definitely, and its long-awaited follow-up, 2026’s Nah Maybe, as a deluxe vinyl LP package. Underpinned by the low-end heft of dub and soundsystem culture, their albums draw deeply from an expansive array of sensibilities: tones, textures and patterns shaped by post-punk and ambient music dovetail with abstract, sampledelic hip-hop drum loops. Meanwhile, Setwun’s mysterious neo-soul/modern R&B vocals glide on the beat. Punctuated by dialogue snippets, these songs feel like exploring the multiverse with an interdimensional boombox.
Yeah Definitely began as a batch of instrumentals. Having previously worked with an MPC, drum machines, instruments and Logic Audio, Hugh used a borrowed PC and Renoise, a tracker DAW associated with 21st-century jungle/drum & bass production. Afterwards, he sent them over to Setwun, who sketched vocals on top with ease.
If Yeah Definitely came together quickly, Nah Maybe was a longer process. Still inspired, Hugh B knocked out a second folder of beats with neon-lit city-pop references, slow-jam grooves, and elegant guitar figures. This time, however, something wasn’t clicking for Setwun. The only cure here would be the passage of time.
Over the next six years, Hugh and Setwun continued to collaborate while pursuing solo projects. Hugh released jungle, ambient house, dub and post-punk records through Planet Trip Records, Not Not Fun, and his OTIS Records label, while performing live, DJ, and leading the Modern Pop Ensemble. Similarly, Setwun, also a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and DJ, released a series of records that explore jazz, soul, house, and broken-beat electronica, forming a loose constellation for Mandarin Dreams and Extra Soul Perception. Alongside these efforts, he played shows and began performing with his backing band, The Soulstranauts.
Early in 2026, something clicked, and Setwun drafted vocals for the second batch of beats over an evening. Not long after, he invited Hugh to mix Nah Maybe, every bit as special as Yeah Definitely. By waiting for the right moment and putting themselves outside of their comfort zone, Hugh B and Setwun have bottled lightning twice. We’re very pleased to be able to share Yeah Definitely and Nah Maybe with you.
The robots on late-night television kept saying the future was already here. We believed it. We promised the stars that we will visit. It felt impossible. But Dimi parked a rocket in front of our house, we got in. The stars were twice as bright as we launched the opposite way, towards the underground. A1 - Dimi Angelis - Mastodon A2 - Dimi Angelis - Hollow Earth B1 - Dimi Angelis - Tertiary B2 - Dimi Angelis - Habitable Zone C1 - Dimi Angelis - Subterranean River C2 - Dimi Angelis - Megatherium D1 - Dimi Angelis - Cataclysm D2 - Dimi Angelis - Cenozoic E1 - Dimi Angelis - The Icy Web E2 - Dimi Angelis - Volcanic Tubes F1 - Dimi Angelis - Quaternary Limited numbered version of TAR-LP5 with an extra vinyl lathe disc, an extra of 3 tracks. 2x12inch + 1 lathe cut vinyl. All tracks will be available digitally. including: free digital download code with 3 extra tunes, stickered outersleeve, printed innersleeves, printed labels.
This November, Brownswood Recordings will release Mek Do & Mend, the debut album from self-taught producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and artist Wonky Logic. Although his name may not yet be familiar to everyone, Wonky Logic (AKA Dwayne Kilvington) has spent the past two decades quietly becoming one of the UK's most respected musical collaborators. His career has moved comfortably between London's jazz, electronic and contemporary music scenes, performing and recording with artists including Nala Sinephro, Yussef Dayes, Nightmares On Wax, Shabaka Hutchings and Emma-Jean Thackray. Alongside his work as a producer and composer, he's been musical director for projects with Eddie Chacon, John Carroll Kirby and I.G Culture's LCSM, scored the feature documentary Zandra With A Zed, contributed music to A24's The Smashing Machine, and continues to lead music workshops with young people, refugees and people experiencing incarceration.
Far more than a collection of compositions, Mek Do & Mend is a deeply personal reflection on the people, places and experiences that have shaped Kilvington throughout his life. It's the story of growing up on a Leeds council estate, where music became both a creative outlet and a way of understanding the world. Making music often meant working with whatever was available: a second-hand keyboard, a makeshift studio desk or ageing equipment that simply had to last a little longer. The title itself came from a conversation with his mother, capturing the resourcefulness that defined his upbringing and continued into the making of the album itself, which was written and produced to a tight deadline around touring, family life and Kilvington's work as a musician and educator.
Built from material spanning more than fifteen years, Mek Do & Mend brings together some of Wonky Logic's earliest compositions alongside brand new pieces written during the making of the record itself. Childhood ideas sit alongside music conceived only months before recording, creating an album that draws together a lifetime of writing rather than documenting a single moment. Running throughout are voice notes from family members, teachers, friends, mentors and collaborators—not simply as interludes, but as a reminder that no creative life is ever self-made. Rather than telling his own story outright, Kilvington invites listeners to discover him through the people who've shaped him: an aunt remembering him playing in church as a child, lifelong friends recalling early experiments making beats together, fellow musicians from different stages of his career and his mother describing him in her own words. Together they reveal the invisible network of relationships, philosophies, communities and experiences behind the music. "The album exists somewhere between being a biography and an autobiography," says Dwayne. "The biography is in the voice notes and how other people see me. The autobiography is in the music."
That same philosophy extends to the musicians who appear on the record. Every contributor has played a meaningful role in Wonky Logic's life beyond the studio. Long-time collaborator Luke Wynter, Steam Down drummer Benji Appiah, partner Vanessa Rani, Jonathan Enser, Joe Bristow, Brother Portrait and Nubiya Imani all feature not simply because of their musicianship, but because they form part of the album's story.
Across its fourteen tracks, Mek Do & Mend moves effortlessly between dynamic jazz arrangements, pulsating broken rhythms, delicate, twinkling piano passages, interstellar synth textures and elegant brass lines. Album opener and first single 'Strange Attractor' begins with a shimmering introduction before unfolding into an exhilarating surge of rhythm and momentum. Named after the mathematical concept of the same name, it serves as the conceptual point of origin for the album. Written when Kilvington was just seventeen, the composition reflects the idea that even the most unpredictable lives are guided by hidden patterns that often only become visible with time. Second single 'A Thousand Hands' features the unmistakable vocal tones of Brother Portrait, whose cerebral lyricism drifts over a low-slung, constantly shifting groove as woozy synth lines ebb and flow overhead. At its heart, the track celebrates the family, friends, mentors and collaborators whose often unseen influence shapes who we become, echoing the album's belief that every achievement is, in some way, a collective one. LP focus track 'BAME (Beyond All Marginalised Expectations)' is a lush, spiralling composition, brimming with both emotion and resolve. Reclaiming an acronym long imposed on racialised communities in the UK, the piece transforms it into a statement of possibility rather than limitation: a defiant rejection of stereotypes and a refusal to let identity be defined by other people's expectations.
The album itself only exists because other people believed in it. Isabel Gracefield made the RAK sessions possible, Rick David brought the record together with his characteristically thoughtful mix, and Gilles Peterson committed to releasing it on Brownswood before hearing any of the music. Away from the stage, Kilvington works with the charity Finding Rhythms, writing and producing original records with people experiencing incarceration, while also leading workshops with Arts Train and Dovetail Orchestra.
Recorded live in a single day in Studio One at RAK, Mek Do & Mend was mixed by Rick David through an analogue Cadac console before being mastered by Stuart Hawkes at Metropolis. The aim wasn't nostalgia or audiophile perfection, but to create a record people could return to throughout their lives, discovering something new with each listen.
As Dwayne puts it: "I don't want this body of work to be reduced to a jazz record. It's more like a novel about life told through music."
RADYO BOMBERO - ABOUT THE LABEL
Radyo Bombero is the record label founded by acclaimed filmmaker, author, DJ and record collector Fatih Akin. Born out of his personal passion for vinyl and film music, the label will initially focus on soundtracks from his films: previously unavailable works will be released on vinyl for the first time, while out-of-print titles will return as carefully produced reissues. Its inaugural release is the soundtrack to Akin's new film Geister, scheduled for release in November 2026. Further projects are already in development.
ABOUT THE RELEASE
MALAKOFF KOWALSKI - GEISTER
ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK
Composed by Malakoff Kowalski, the soundtrack to Fatih Akin's Geister is the inaugural release on Radyo Bombero.
Born in the United States, raised in Hamburg and now based in Berlin, Kowalski is a composer, pianist and multi-instrumentalist whose work moves between film music, contemporary classical composition, theatre and pop. He composed the music for eleven films by Klaus Lemke, as well as for productions including Schweigend steht der Wald and Stasikomödie. His solo work has been released by MPS and Sony Classical, and he has collaborated with artists including 2raumwohnung, Igor Levit, Chilly Gonzales and Nils Frahm. His sound combines elegiac melodies with a warm, cinematic atmosphere and a subtle sense of unrest beneath the surface.
For Geister, this distinctive musical language meets Fatih Akin's vision of a deliberately anachronistic and romantic score: a tribute to Ennio Morricone's great love themes that plays a defining role in the film's tragic love story and atmosphere.
LP 1 contains Kowalski's complete original film score.
LP by JUGGLERZ opens up a second musical world, bringing together four productions by the internationally successful Jugglerz on a four-track 12-inch disc at 45 RPM: the film's title song Ya Mami, performed by Aya Samra; Mood by Cloudee, Milaa and Jugglerz; Tip by Jugglerz, Limitlezz, Maureen and Demarco; and Beirut Nights Riddim. The four tracks bring Arabic tarab and contemporary Levantine pop together with hip-hop, urban beats and dancehall rhythms.
FATIH AKIN ON RADYO BOMBERO
"Radyo Bombero is on the air. Don't miss a tune!
"
Music is - alongside cinema and literature - a fundamental source of inspiration for me. Having grown up in the 1980s, the way I listen to music has hardly changed: I buy records, listen to them carefully and then copy them onto a portable device. It used to be a Walkman, then an iPod - today it is my smartphone with my playlists.
I do not use Spotify or any other streaming services. Why that is, I do not know. In most other areas, I try to keep up with technological developments. Not with music. I like unpacking a record, cleaning it before listening, holding the sleeve in my hands and reading who worked in the studio, who wrote the music and where the record was made. These things interest me. And they lower my cortisol levels.
Music plays a major role in my films. It is not that, as a director, I want to impose my favourite music on the audience. The music must always serve the story. In Head-On, for example, it tells us something about the characters and their biographies. Crossing the Bridge - The Sound of Istanbul is the musical portrait of a city. Its music tells us about the people who live there: where they come from, the cultures they brought with them and how those cultures have merged with local traditions. The Cut was conceived as a Western, and the music had to help reinforce that idea.
Geister tells a tragic love story. The music was meant to be gloriously anachronistic. And romantic. Just like the light and colours, it had to shape the atmosphere of the film. My films are often about cinema itself, and Geister is no exception. Its music is a tribute to Ennio Morricone's great love themes.
In Malakoff Kowalski, I found the perfect creative partner. He immediately understood my idea and realised it brilliantly. That made it all the more painful when I was told by the music industry that there could be no soundtrack release for Geister because soundtracks were too expensive to produce and would simply sit on the shelves.
It is not as though I am a spoiled child who absolutely has to have a lollipop. But this music is simply too good to withhold from the audience. The idea that there would be no soundtrack release felt like a great injustice.
Then several friends and collaborators advised me to release the record myself. No sooner said than done. But Radyo Bombero is not a one-off project. Geister is only the beginning.
Finally, I have the opportunity to gradually release all the soundtracks from my films that have remained unavailable. Soundtracks that were previously released but have since gone out of print will also return as reissues.
Hainbach's soundtrack to Amrum is already in development, as is a double album featuring the unforgettable German pop songs from The Golden Glove. And, finally, a vinyl soundtrack to Head-On.
Fatih Akin
Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, to a mother of Indian and Congolese heritage and a father of Slovak and Belgian descent, Siân grew up between Belgium and New York before finally letting her travelling wings come to rest in Paris. What could have become a story of fragmentation instead became a source of creative strength. Singer, songwriter, composer and photographer, Siân has always turned borders into bridges.
She first honed her voice in the jazz clubs of Paris and New York, performing alongside renowned artists such as Richard Bona, Jon Batiste and Mike Stern. Yet her path has always extended far beyond the stage. For nearly a decade, she led cultural initiatives with women and children living through exile, violence and poverty across India and Southern Africa, weaving together music, photography and artistic transmission as tools for dialogue and empowerment.
The true turning point came when she discovered the kamele ngoni, the West African harp whose ethereal sound seemed to echo something long buried within her. The instrument became her musical alter ego—the invisible thread binding together her many inheritances. Guided by Malian master Abou Diarra, Siân embarked on an inward journey towards her African roots. Yet this return to her origins was never an act of retreat into identity. Instead, it gave rise to a body of work that remains profoundly open to the world, where Africa enters into conversation with jazz, folk, soul, alternative pop and the rhythms of Brazil.
Along the way, she has crossed paths with remarkable artists including Rogê, Chico César, Fatoumata Diawara, Lokua Kanza, Flavia Coelho, Thomas de Pourquery and Philippe Baden Powell. On stage and in the studio, Siân continues to shape a musical universe that refuses labels. Like artists such as Björk, Joni Mitchell and Laura Mvula, she moves forward as an explorer, guided not by genre but by intuition.
Today, Siân stands as one of the most distinctive voices of the new Francophone music scene an artist capable of uniting musical sophistication with emotional power, introspection with collective celebration, depth with an irresistible urge to dance.
Animal — The New Album
With Animal, produced by British musician Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, Africa Express...), Siân delivers her most intimate and assured work to date. Every song feels like a shedding of skin, a quiet metamorphosis, exploring self-acceptance, femininity, the freedom to be oneself, cultural heritage, and the reconciliation of one's own imperfections.
From Stereotype, a fearless manifesto against the expectations imposed on women, to the title track Animal, an anthem celebrating the beauty of imperfection ("I've turned my cracks into a crown"), the album gives a voice to everyone who refuses to fit into predefined boxes. In Terre, je danse sur toi, featuring Fatoumata Diawara, Siân pays tribute to Mother Earth and to the roots that unite us all. Oh! Congo, recorded with Lokua Kanza, reconciles her cultural heritage with an ancestral homeland that feels both distant and intimately familiar. En équilibre, with Flavia Coelho, embraces the exhilaration of risk and the courage to leap, while Put a Mask and I Could Kill confront hidden wounds and the invisible violences that quietly shape who we become.
In ADé, Siân addresses Adenomyosis as though speaking to an unwanted housemate. "My body is your battlefield," she sings, giving voice to an intimate shadow lodged deep within herself. This bittersweet lullaby transforms a pain so often left unspoken into an act of profound tenderness towards oneself.
The album also holds a rare treasure: Reste tel(le), an unpublished text by Pierre Barouh, the founder of the Saravah label. Never before set to music or performed, this elusive poem of free love finds new life through Siân's voice, becoming a dialogue across time between two artists united by the same devotion to freedom, métissage and openness to the world.
Driven by Tom Excell's vibrant Afro-pop pulse, the spiritual breath of the kamele ngoni, organic arrangements and deeply personal songwriting, Animal is an album of liberation. It invites us to lay down our masks, embrace our contradictions and reconnect with the free, instinctive and powerful animal that lies dormant within us all. More than a collection of songs, it is a radiant manifesto for the richness of identity, the passing on of memory, and reconciliation with oneself.
Animal is not simply the title of an album, it is a declaration of independence. An invitation to live fully, unapologetically, and without instructions.
A citizen of the world, travelling freely between continents, languages and memories, Siân Pottok delivers with Animal her most personal, and perhaps her most universal work to date: an album that reminds us that our fragilities, our roots and our differences are, beyond doubt, our greatest strength.
— Christophe Tison
What does it mean to actually experience another City, one of such historical and cultural'd'asignificance as Detroit, A city that truly expands the capacity of Human love and resilience. Just to be there…?'d'aWhat sound do the birds make?…? What colour are the buses ? …?. What sounds do we hear in the streets'd'a?…? It's like one step beyond just experiencing a place but truly absorbing it as if it becomes a little piece of'd'aus. That's the only way you really get to understand the groove, the little everyday things that make the'd'apeople tick, their daily grievances and small moments of collective joy culminating over lifetimes. That is'd'awhere you get to the essence, the secret sauce and Lord knows this City is oozing with it.'d'aIn July 2025 Ziggy undertook a 6 week residency in the motor city with no concrete plan other than getting to'd'athe roots of a deeply layered and rich musical culture. One that has been a guiding light for many of us..'d'aWhether you are coming from the generation of Motown through the 1st generation of techno to hip hop'd'arevolutionaries, the city has left an undeniable mark on the history of American Music.'d'aAfter meeting at a weeknight vinyl session at a downtown bar, Ziggy and Malik realised they already knew'd'aeach other's work and immediately made plans to hook up in the studio. Malik being a Lifelong Detroiter with'd'aa background as a Gospel keyboardist and Singer turned House dancer, producer and DJ it was no wonder'd'ahe was a perfect addition to the Label Roster. To accommodate the sessions local turntablist and producer'd'aDJ Moppy kindly offered up his home studio and we shared many great records and vegan hot dogs in his'd'aleafy backyard.The music is primarily inspired by the enduring and charismatic folks we encountered in the city, their stories'd'aand personalities live on through the continued Musical Legacy of the city.'d'aSpecial thanks to Mike Banks, Cornelius, Crystal, John '?Jammin'? Collins (R.I.P) Rick Wilhite, Wajeed and all'd'aof the Underground Resistance family who hosted us. DJ Moppy, Meftah, Badriyyah, Raj Mahal all in the'd'abuilding!'d'aGospel and jazzy infused electro-funk and deep-house, a collaboration between one of Detroit'?s'd'aunderground dons Malik Alston and Ziggy Zeitgeist of EXREC. The result of a six week pilgrimage to Detroit'd'ain 2025, Zeitgeist set up shop in DJ Moppy'?s living room and the results are deep, dark and funky'd'a'd'a.
Leather-jacket krautrock? Indeed. Welcome to the world of Carrboro NC's Object Hours. These generous saviors consist of three Triangle scene lifers who all worship the riff but imagine what happens if the riff fell into the middle of your favorite CAN LP. Yes, it lives up to the hype.
"Solved By Walking" was recorded in the winter of 2025 at Betty's in the Chapel Hill woods, these are mighty rock slabs ready for all seasons. Rock believers have felt the ripples and knew the day was coming. Object Hours is a band that fits right in on stage alongside acts as varied as Kim Gordon and Tropical Fuck Storm, bringing the house down in these and similar moments. These are songs that groove, peel paint, sandblast, inspire unconscious movement, make your head bob - frequently all at the same time. These are the jams inspired by the time that you heard "Fun House" coming out of that dude's car with the windows down in the middle of the summer, the ones inspired by the kids who own 3 copies of "Daydream Nation," the ones who listen to the last 1:30 of Wire's "Too Late" over and over. This is the band that has a timer on stage so they don't keep each song playing for days on end, the band whose Bandcamp bio succinctly summarizes their approach thusly: "We try to keep songs under 25 minutes for your sake." Every word here should be inspiration for you to *want* and *need* to hear this record and every word here is true. Just you wait.
Real heads know and the rest of the heads are getting ready to find out. Get ready for Object Hours' "Solved By Walking".
Mohammad Syfkhan is back with his second album for Nyahh Records. This collection of new recordings marks a hug milestone in Mohammad’s career as it’s the first album that features all original compositions. And with a full band! We had the great help of Syrian Cellist and composer Naseem Alatrash to help with the string arrangements. The resulting record is a beautiful journey into a timeless Middle Eastern and North African sound akin to the likes of Fairuz or Umm Kulthum with a fast Kurdish Dabke tempo.
I Love You Ireland is an incredibly personal album for Mohammad. The title alone, much like his debut ‘I Am Kurdish’ is as personal as it it’s political. To express such love for a place in music is saying, thank you for making me and family feel safe. Thank you for taking us in. A stand out track titled ‘Ah Yu Donia’ is Mohammad’s first real public moment of grieving for the loss of his son at the murderous hands of Isis. In this song he asks God why he was taken. Trying to figure the sense in the actions of fundamentalists. The strings sections are sad, but not morbid. Acting like a release or companion to the horrific reality of losing a child.
‘Al Huriya’ is Mohammad’s first attempt at using an Irish rhythm known as a Reel, as appose to his usual Middle Eastern rhythms. Again, this is a beautiful way for Mohammad to give thanks to all the musicians and supportive people his has met in Ireland since 2011.
WHO IS MOHAMMAD SYFKHAN
Mohammad Syfkhan is a Kurdish/Syrian Singer and Bouzouki player. He began
playing music in 1980 while he was in college studying nursing. When he got
his degree in 1983, Mohammad moved to the city of Raqqa, Syria where he
began working as a professional singer and started his own band, The Al-Rabie
Band which played concerts, parties, weddings and festivals all over Syria. The
Al-Rabie Band were a much sought-after group. Their live sets included Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish and some Western songs as well as Mohammad’s own original material.
Mohammad continued to play with his band while also working as a surgical
nurse until the war broke out in 2011. This unfortunately brought tragedy to
Mohammad’s family when one of his sons was killed by Isis thus threatening
the lives of the rest of his family. His family had no choice but to leave their
home and seek safety in Europe. Three of Mohammad’s sons were resettled in
Germany while Mohammad, his young daughter and wife were taken in by
Ireland. Mohammad has spoken at length of his confusion and despair with
fundamentalists and how their message is a far cry from the teachings of love
and understanding that he considers the true message of Islam.
Tony Reed is undoubtedly one of those artists whom fans of “heavy music” have, at least unknowingly, encountered on stage or on their turntables at some point. Bands like Pentagram, Mos Generator, Hot Spring Water, and the so-called supergroup Big Scenic Nowhere are just a small part of his discography, which he continues to expand as a producer and mixer.
CONSTANCE TOMB was Tony Reed’s first band, which he founded at age 19 and which was heavily influenced by the gothic movement of the early ’80s. There are recordings online from when they made “boombox recordings” or, later, when he recorded everything “hi-fi” on his own in the garage with just a microphone, preserving it all for posterity on cassettes. You can also find several solo cover versions released under the band’s name. It was a labor of love that Tony Reed never let go of, but there was never a real band that toured or released an album—until now!
Now Tony has breathed new life into his childhood love, CONSTANCE TOMB, and fused his fondness for dark ’80s bands with his heavy metal past. Bands like Southern Cult, Bauhaus, The Cure, Bowie, as well as Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy have shaped his musical tastes. Now, a mix of old and new songs is being infused with fresh energy, reviving a solo project that had taken on a slightly artificial feel.
With Bo McConaghie on bass and Christian Roney on drums, the band has already played its first concerts in the northwestern United States to find their sound as a group. Joint rehe
Step back to the mid-1960s with NOW Yearbook Presents – The 60s – Volume 3: 1965–1966, featuring 54 essential tracks across a 3LP set, pressed on beautiful blue vinyl.
LP1 opens with some of the decade’s most iconic vocal performances; Dusty Springfield leads with ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’, a UK No.1 hit that also reached the US Top 5, followed by The Righteous Brothers’ classic ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’, a chart-topper in both the UK and US. The Walker Brothers’ ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’ was a UK Top 3 hit, while The Beach Boys follow with ‘God Only Knows’, widely regarded as one of their finest moments. Huge chart hits from The Moody Blues, Manfred Mann, Small Faces, The Kinks and The Animals with ‘We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place’ completes the first side…and flip the LP over for The Mamas & The Papas with ‘California Dreamin’, a major hit on both sides of the Atlantic and The Byrds and capturing the rise of folk-rock with ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, another US No.1. Cher announced one of the most successful and enduring careers in music with ‘I Got You Babe’ – a #1 duet with Sonny, and is followed by the pop brilliance of Sandie Shaw with ‘Long Live Love’. Following The Mindbenders and The Fortunes, LP1 closes with a pair of soul standards: ‘My Girl’ from The Temptations was a US No.1(and eventually a UK #2 in 1992), and Percy Sledge’s ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’, another US chart-topper and a UK Top 5 hit in 1987 when it featured in a TV ad campaign.
LP2 opens with the explosive sound of 60s soul and crossover pop. Ike & Tina Turner kick us off with the timeless ‘River Deep – Mountain High’, a UK Top 3 hit. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons had a huge hit with ‘Let’s Hang On’ and Motown is strongly represented with The Four Tops, whose ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’ hit the US No.1 spot, alongside The Supremes, who scored another US chart-topper with ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’, plus Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder and a future Northern Soul Classic from Gloria Jones. Following James Brown, the side closes with the enduring soul classic ‘What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted’ from Jimmy Ruffin… while over on the other side Horst Jankowski’s instrumental smash ‘A Walk In The Black Forest’ leads in to pop classics from Tom Jones with ‘It’s Not Unusual’, a UK No.1, alongside Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames’ UK chart-topper ‘Yeh Yeh’ and Chris Montez with ‘The More I See You’. Sophisticated easy listening pop from Andy Williams and Frank Sinatra’s iconic ‘Strangers In The Night’ come ahead of Elvis Presley’s ‘Crying In The Chapel’, with LP2’s closer’s coming from Roy Orbison and Roger Miller, with the essential ‘King Of The Road’.
The Righteous Brothers’ undeniable ‘Unchained Melody’, a hit on release and a #1 in 1990 following it’s feature in the film ‘Ghost’ opens LP3 ahead of a wealth of huge pop hits from The Walker Brothers, Cilla Black and Cher – and rock oriented chart-toppers from The Troggs with ‘Wild Thing’ and The Spencer Davis Group with ‘Keep On Running’. The Everly Brothers’ ‘The Price Of Love’ leads into era-defining hits from Barry McGuire and Bob Dylan’s hugely influential ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ reflecting the growing social awareness and changing approach to songwriting…and over to the final side opened by The Supremes with ‘Stop! In The Name Of Love’ ahead of The Toys with ‘A Lover’s Concerto’ and The Shangri-Las’ legendary ‘Leader Of The Pack’. Classic singles from Marianne Faithfull, Petula Clark and Sandie Shaw feature before the collection closes with a trio of timeless tracks: The trans-Atlantic top 5 ‘Sloop John B’ from the Beach Boys is alongside The Mamas & The Papas’ ‘Monday, Monday’ (a US No.1 and UK Top 5), whilst the aptly titled ‘Homeward Bound’ from Simon & Garfunkel – their first UK hit - signs off this superb collection.
NOW Yearbook Presents – The 60s – Volume 3: 1965–1966 – a snapshot of a rapidly evolving pop era where pure pop, soul, rock, beat, easy listening and songwriting sophistication converged.
Scott Pilgrim EX, the newest video game from the Scott Pilgrim franchise developed by Tribute Games, is out now with an all new original soundtrack from Anamanaguchi. The sprawling soundtrack, which accompanies a brand-new storyline co-written by series creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, perfectly connects the band's legendary electronic past with their fuzzed out garage rock present while maintaining their unmistakable punchy style. Known for resonant world building across past projects, the depth of emotion and the range of styles displayed on Scott Pilgrim EX are uniquely Anamanaguchi while delivering a host of melodically anthemic and new energetic hooks that are sure to pack a punch for both newcomers and old school fans of the band alike.
Anamanaguchi's collaborative relationship with the Scott Pilgrim universe goes back to the early days of the band. After cutting their teeth programming music with playable Nintendo cartridges and helping to bring a wider audience to a largely internet based 8-bit chiptune scene, the band was brought in to score the fan-favorite soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game. The success of this game soundtrack would help them to launch an early crowdfunding success story with their campaign for their debut album, 2013's Endless Fantasy. From there the band would go on to collaborate with virtual pop star Hatsune Miku (resulting in the perpetually viral, Fortnite featured hit, “Miku”), and later develop the intricately soundscaped compositions displayed across their second album, USA, but throughout it all the connection between the band and the Scott Pilgrim universe would remain a pivotal source of inspiration.
After being brought in to score the animated Netflix series, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, in 2023, band members Peter Berkman and Luke Silas would credit the live kinetic energy they channeled when writing songs for the in-universe garage band Sex Bob-Omb with helping them get back in touch with the roots of how they learned to play music even before Anamanaguchi's earliest releases. This process would eventually lead to Peter and Luke alongside the remaining two band members — Ary Warnaar and James DeVito — flipping their typically meticulous digital writing process for the more collaborative, straight to tape, distorted angst that can be found on 2025's Anyway, marking another significant evolutionary turn for the band to come out of their relationship with Scott Pilgrim.
Now fresh off the heels of a nationwide tour in support of Anyway, Anamanaguchi have returned to the 8-bit beat em up world of Scott Pilgrim with a relentlessly high energy and genre defying original soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim EX. A return to form that comes with a depth of knowledge and innovative skills that have allowed the band to continue to evolve and grow alongside the characters in the Scott Pilgrim universe and the multi-generational fanbase that continues to follow along with them.
The new soundtrack for the latest installment in the Scott Pilgrim franchise, Scott Pilgrim EX
Tectonic Recordings presents Tectonic Sound: Vol. 2, the second instalment of the various artists series curated by label founder Pinch. Following the first Tectonic Sound collection, released in 2025 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the label, the series continues Tectonic’s forward-facing approach; bringing together artists from their wider family and connecting dots across the underground.
Longstanding figures of the UK Bass scene such as J:Kenzo and Roska sit alongside a new gen of artists including Ehua, Manami, Cimm, Denham Audio, Henry Greenleaf and SHXCXCHCXSH. Beatrice M. also returns following the release of their acclaimed debut album Sinking earlier this year, while Jay Carder and Sir Hiss make their first outings as solo artists on the label, after both appearing as collaborators on Sinking.
Pinch says: ““As Tectonic enters its third decade, the spirit and passion behind the music hold true to its roots. I love every single track on this compilation and how it shows off the various corners of the label's sound. Each artist has delivered something truly special!”
Each artist arrives with a distinct sound and history of their own, but across these twelve original tracks there’s a shared understanding of what Tectonic represents. Different strains of the UK bass continuum come together, creating a space where sounds collide, and new forms take shape.
Pinch leads the charge with ‘Hold On!’, an upfront, high-definition 4x4 propulsion tool that pairs rolling momentum with seismic bass pulses. Manami enters with ‘Turning Point’, further solidifying her newer direction, leaning into deep, dubbed-out territory with a sound that feels both vast and exploratory, while remaining heads-down and locked in. Henry Greenleaf steps in with ‘Whist’, an ominous and otherworldly offering, reminiscent of early dubstep productions that fell somewhere between the lines of dark garage, 2-step and grime.
Elsewhere, SHXCXCHCXSH’s ‘NexxxD’ and Sir Hiss’s ‘2TUFF’ form a middle climatic point of pure chaos, with Sir Hiss serving up a raw slab of gnarled grime waveforms and cascading claps. Beatrice M. & Cimm bring things back down with ‘Pad City’, a cool, meandering cut of shuffling house, while Lorem closes the compilation with ‘Console Corners’, exploring the outer rims of sound manipulation and deconstruction before tying it all together.
Since its formation in 2005, Tectonic has been a trailblazing force in electronic music, helping to define and continually redraw the boundaries of dubstep and its surrounding sounds. The compilation arrives in the middle of a serious run for the label. Earlier this year, Tectonic released Beatrice M.’s debut album Sinking, a major moment for the label that was embraced across the electronic music community. Pinch has also continued his long-running creative relationship with legendary grime MC Trim this year, following their joint 2025 EP No Caller ID, with recent single Striker.
Across Tectonic Sound Vol. 2, those different strands of Tectonic’s history and present day meet head-on. The music moves between familiar forms and stranger territory, with rhythms and frequencies refracting across the collection. It’s a record that feels cohesive without being uniform, reflecting a label whose sound has always been defined by forward movement.
Land of Talk is still here. That wasn’t always a guarantee. Over the multi-faceted twenty year history of their project, Lizzie Powell has drifted from and back to music, always interrogating their role as an artist. In the time since 2023’s Performances, they found themselves utterly worn down by the vicissitudes of the music industry and wracked with worry around their aging parents. Yet the music didn’t stop: Powell heard songs in traffic and in birds chirping, in their downstairs neighbor’s daily prayers and in the babble of children on the street. Melodies slowly cohered over time. “Life can become so unbearable, and music is where I go to metabolize it,” they explain. “I know the music was the only thing that was going to help me.” Soon Powell reemerged with the sixth Land of Talk album, LASTS.
LASTS is full of double meanings — both resilience and finality, acting as a noun and a verb. Though LASTS is haunted by crises including climate collapse, political upheaval, and genocide, the mangitude of global turmoil led Powell towards smaller, humane depictions of suffering and grief. As both their parents became ill, Powell reflected on the last time a person might walk, might talk to a loved one. Yet watching their parents near the other side of life’s arc also made Powell consider all they had survived across their own decades on this earth, their new songs channeling both gratitude and rage. LASTS became a phrase, honoring Land of Talk’s circuitous route and all Powell’s reckoned with through the years. “I think of this record as a love letter to life,” they say.
The end result is an album both lean and winding, allowing Powell’s words and melodies to take centerstage, uncrowded in visceral, shot-no-chaser arrangements. LASTS jumps right in with “Broken Tongue,” a wiry track built on thrumming electric guitar and ghostly synths as Powell rails against the lack of justice for victims of abuse. The trio’s interplay is readily evident in “Saffron” and “4:44,” two earworm songs that also allow themselves to unspool into extended instrumental codas. Early in the record, there are seething tracks like “Dogs” — “Just your basic instinct / Even dogs know better,” Powell growls in the chorus, before the song quiets into a plaintive plea of “Leave us alone now” — and later there are more vulnerable, wandering moments. In “Projections” and “Cedars,” Powell ventures deep into their head, inviting their co-conspirators and listeners alike to follow the songs wherever they meander.
“Interpretation”
The act of explaining, reframing, or otherwise showing your own understanding of something. This captured me. We can all look at the same thing but what we see, hear or experience may differ. This word ended up being the title of my new album. I want to share my interpretation of music with listeners and take them on a musical journey. Through my music, I hope to bring about many interpretations. Your interpretation.
With great joy and pride we announce that The Night Service Commute second album Interpretation is a fact. The release is set for November 13th. You can expect cinematic vibes driven by breakbeats, bass, rhodes, violin, poetry, trumpet and field recordings. This turned out fantastic, and gave the album the groove, feel and vibe I was looking for. During the making, It was so great to learn how to capture the sound and get it to sit well in the mix.
The cover was made by my dear friend Saša Ostoja. His illustrations resonate greatly with me and put a smile on my face. The setting of the cover artwork is urban with hints of forest. Behind the windows, you can see the characters playing music and doing studio stuff. It has loads of hidden jokes and details. I can look at it again and again and discover new things every time.
n resurrecting the band Krill—declared dead over 10 years ago—Jonah Furman considered the turritopsis nutricula: the “immortal jellyfish” that reverts to juvenile form instead of dying. “I was always afraid of coming home,” he says. “But home is inescapable.” Now living in the same Chicago suburb he grew up in, Furman ponders the passage of time on Secret Language, a nostalgic and cerebral exploration of family, fatherhood, and fated love.
From 2010 to 2015, Krill recorded three LPs and two EPs, growing into a cult project revered for its complex, rapturous compositions. Anxious, anthemic, mathy, propulsive, they were beloved by Frankie Cosmos, Girlpool, Horse Jumper of Love, and countless others. Personal lives took priority and brought the project to an official close, save for two reunion shows and a 2020 album under the name Knot, but that's retroactively a Krill album, “because it's easier that way.”
The project was revived “on a whim” as Furman puts it: “Theo from Ovlov asked if Krill wanted to open a Chicago show. Then I started writing new stuff.” He recruited Krill’s longtime drummer Ian Becker who, too, had just moved back to town. Both had known guitarist Andrew Clinkman (also of Spirits Having Fun and Moontype) during their collective years in Boston and growing up in Chicagoland, and soon he joined the fold. On Secret Language, the trio tap into their reclaimed city’s famed music community, drawing inspiration from current locals the same way Krill were inspired by their Boston contemporaries like Pile and Speedy Ortiz instead of Pixies or Mission of Burma.
On Secret Language, home can be anything: a place, a person, a feeling. But Krill is “very much” a Chicago band now; a new beginning where it all began.
Veronica Everheart has just announced that her new project Lighter in the Morning (3/2) will be out on November 13th via Pack. Records. The news arrives alongside her link-up with Mumbai-raised electronic artist the sound chalk makes for their new collaborative single, “2222222222222222 + Climbing”. A colorful, club-ready take on “22 & Climbing” from Everheart’s Lighter in the Morning (2/2) EP, the track is also accompanied by an animated music video for the original song, which was made with Source Filmmaker software from the gaming developer Valve using models from their game series Half-Life.
Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Veronica Everheart writes and produces all of her own music alongside her creative partner, Justin "Juni" Neugeboren, and has built a cult following for a distinct sound that pulls from indie rock, electronic, and folk. Released in May, Lighter in the Morning (2/2) was led by singles "NO LOLITA SHIT", "Unknowable Distance", and "12/21” and serves as the sister tape to Everheart’s 2024 EP, Lighter in the Morning (1/2). Now, she’s gearing up to release Lighter in the Morning (3/2) (Deluxe Edition), curating a slate of leftfield producers that includes ideasforconversations, nikki nair, atlgrandma, E_DEATH, and Oskie (alongside the sound chalk makes) to craft remixes for the project.
This album presents 22 live-in-the-studio BBC recordings from 1963–1965 that have never been released before. It includes all the hits and misses from that period, along with three tracks that were never recorded for EMI: Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode, Jagger and Richards’ So Much In Love, and the band’s own composition Falling In Love Again—previously undocumented. For fans of The Swinging Blue Jeans, this long-awaited release is a must-have.
Sleeve notes by Peter Checksfield.
Peach Discs sends their last record of 2026 to the pressing plant in the form of G-Zip's wigg(l)ed-out, tech'd-up, but very much tuned-in "The Mystic Dog" EP.
A new house-focused alias from Stephen Howe – who you may remember from his excellent "Mimesis" EP for Joe Delon's Welt Discos, or his abso-fucking-lutely everywhere remix of Oklou – the G-Zip sound sits in the centre of the Venn diagram between London's tech-house pump and the blissed/blessed relief of deep house.
Hats from early grime instrumentals, interviews in club smoking areas, compilation skit tracks, video essays and jazz interludes – "The Mystic Dog" EP is built from a library of samples that extend far beyond house, tracing a deeply personal line through Stephen's influences and inspirations both past and present. Meticulously sequenced synth lines sit atop tightly woven Digitakt grooves, all mangled together through FX boxes and the Mackie desk that sits at the heart of his Berlin studio.
The EP sets out its stall with "Juiced (Monomania Mix)." Written after Stephen's first visit to Open Ground and inspired by a standout set from Fumiya Tanaka, it pairs stomping, techy drums and phat bass with a restless collage of mono synth patches that donk, squiggle and gurgle throughout.
"Missing Track" leans into contrast as a staccato bassline rubs up against the tighter than tight percussion, before skyscraping synths enter the picture to respond to the rhythm section's call. Flipping the record puts us back into banger territory with "Talking About Drums", as the tuned percussion and heavier-than-heavy subs nail the track to the dancefloor. Until the halfway point that is, when post-dubstep-indebted synths briefly arc across the stereo field – a glistening glow-up amidst the locked-in groove.
Closer "Mystic Dog" showcases Stephen's knack for idiosyncratic melody, as a wonky modular sequence twists and turns across the track while smack-in-the-face drums offer a bashy counterpoint. A classic B2 track if ever there was one, and wicked way to round off the EP.
(Oh, and there's a cheeky alternative mix of "Juiced" as a digi bonus for the hip-house heads).
Across To Remind Myself I Have Lived, aquatic sounds drift through hazy electronics and lush bedroom textures, before giving way to harsher, more industrial British landscapes. Voices appear and disappear. Loops seem to circle memories rather than rhythms. Guitar fragments become dream sequences. Domestic spaces open onto something colder and more distant.
The new album by London-based Michele Tellarini under the Catholic Block moniker gathers works made across five years, moving between composition, improvisation and a more instinctive form of sound collage. Known for his work with concrete punks Qlowski (Feel It Records/Maple Death) and goth-punks Secrecy (La Vida Es Un Mus), Tellarini approaches this material without the conventions of a traditional song cycle, allowing disparate pieces to find their own connections.
There is something strangely timeless in these works: a quality shared with music that seems to exist slightly outside its own moment, from the intimate, confidential organic realm of Mount Eerie to Bruce Gilbert's more abstract electronic and ambient experiments or the haunting digital world of Holly Herndon. To Remind Myself I Have Lived belongs to that same uncertain space, music that feels both deeply tied to the circumstances of its making and somehow detached from them, music for the lonely that shines with crepuscular clarity.
There's Something Going On is the second studio album by Babybird, originally released in 1998.
The album is almost unrelentingly dark and mysterious, in much the same manner as his earlier lo-fi productions. Indeed, two of the tracks here, "You Will Always Love Me" and "There's Something Going On," were recorded straight to four-track. Jones' voice echoes out of lyrical valleys. "Take Me Back" is a horrific tale of an obsessive relationship, with lyrics about eyeballs scratched with rusty nails and a creepy chant of "dead, dead, dead" ad infinitum. It's a conceit that starts with the very first track, "Bad Old Man," where Jones sings of wife-beaters and a drowning in a duck pond. Musically, the album is more of a lean toward the baroque than Ugly Beautiful. One might describe it as stark, disturbed chamber pop. Beautiful melodies appear quite majestically out of Jones' psychological studies. "It's Not Funny Anymore" is bittersweet and touching, with Jones reaching for the album's emotional core over weeping, organic keyboards.
"There's Something Going On" is the tender conclusion, suggesting that Jones knows there's a better way of life than obsession and self-torture. There's Something Going On is definitely Baby Bird's most subtle album, and it's a fascinating listen from start to finish.
There's Something Going On is available as a limited numbered edition of 750 copies on turquoise vinyl and contains an insert.
Originally released in 2005 on Playhouse, isolée's second album we are monster received widespread critical acclaim and was featured in numerous year-end lists, including Pitchfork's Best Albums of 2005, where it is praised for breathing "so carefree, years from now crits might accuse it of sounding timeless-- maybe even of being so." (Nick Sylvester in his Pitchfork review in 2005)
While closely associated with the minimal and microhouse movement of the mid-2000s, the sound on we are monster resists categorization; its musical vocabulary is too expansive to be confined to a single genre. Tracks such as schrapnell, mädchen mit hase, my hi-matic and enrico avoid many of the production conventions that define its period, allowing the record to retain a freshness that continues to resonate with listeners and music producers alike.
We are monster proved to be significant in more ways than one. Alongside its musical legacy, the album introduced the first record sleeve by Stefan Marx, whose artwork would become a familiar presence across countless releases on influential labels like Smallville or Mule Musiq, but also fashion labels like Comme des Garçons and many art galleries in the years that followed.
This anniversary edition revisits an album whose influence extends well beyond its original context!
Originally released in 2005 on Playhouse, isolée's second album we are monster received widespread critical acclaim and was featured in numerous year-end lists, including Pitchfork's Best Albums of 2005, where it is praised for breathing "so carefree, years from now crits might accuse it of sounding timeless-- maybe even of being so." (Nick Sylvester in his Pitchfork review in 2005)
While closely associated with the minimal and microhouse movement of the mid-2000s, the sound on we are monster resists categorization; its musical vocabulary is too expansive to be confined to a single genre. Tracks such as schrapnell, mädchen mit hase, my hi-matic and enrico avoid many of the production conventions that define its period, allowing the record to retain a freshness that continues to resonate with listeners and music producers alike.
We are monster proved to be significant in more ways than one. Alongside its musical legacy, the album introduced the first record sleeve by Stefan Marx, whose artwork would become a familiar presence across countless releases on influential labels like Smallville or Mule Musiq, but also fashion labels like Comme des Garçons and many art galleries in the years that followed.
This anniversary edition revisits an album whose influence extends well beyond its original context!
This album features most of The Searchers’ early hits, along with a selection of album cuts and B-sides—which really come to life in these live recordings. The standout tracks are the ones they never recorded in the studio. What’d I Say was previously released from their 1963 Hamburg Star-Club recordings, but this live version captures even more energy. The album also features radio performances that were never studio recordings, including Memphis, Tennessee, Red Sails In The Sunset, and Let The Four Winds Blow. So, put this record on, sit back and relive the heyday of one of the UK’s finest and most enduring bands: Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you The Searchers!
Sleeve notes by Peter Checksfield
Next year the iconic anthem Cafe Del Mar will celebrate its 30th anniversary, a landmark that will be celebrated with a series of brand new remixes alongside the finest existing remixes in specially remastered versions.
Launching the series of vinyl releases in September is a remastered vinyl-only release of the original mix, as well as the best-known version of this classic track, the iconic Three ‘N One Remix.
Nearly 30 years ago, Paul M aka DJ Kid Paul recording as Energy 52 unleashed a record onto an unsuspecting public that would go on to define club culture for an entire generation of dance music enthusiasts. Named as an homage to the legendary Ibiza sunset spot, Café Del Mar broke down boundaries between the underground and
the mainstream, charting in the UK singles charts on three separate occasions and named as the “best tune ever” by Mixmag at the start of the new millennium. In terms of cultural and emotional impact in dance music, it’s hard to find a record that comes close.
Café Del Mar has come to represent the most euphoric and hedonistic pleasures of dancefloors - in Ibiza and all around the world - and has been remixed by some of the biggest names in the industry. Now, 30 years after its original release, Superstition Records will be putting out a new series of releases, with brand new remixes as well as remastered versions of some of the many remixes from across the last three decades. The vinyl-only remastered version of the original and Three ‘N One mixes will launch the series, with further details about the rest of the series announced in the coming weeks.
In 2021 Paul Van Dyk’s Café Del Mar remixes launched a series of vinyl and digital re-issues on the Superstition Records imprint after an almost 20 years hiatus. From 1993 until 2003 Superstition Records was a groundbreaking Techno, Tech-House and Trance Label and released some of the biggest and most revered records of the early German electronic scene.
Soul Jazz Records’ new ‘Inner Space’ collection is a mixture of Cosmic electronic music and proto-New Age sounds. The album features a wide range of European, British and American auteur electronic artists, including Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Steven Halpern, Michael Garrison, Ose, Klaus Schønning, Bernard Xolotl and others.
Their cosmic, exploratory music sits somewhere between the worlds of personal, inner space and galactic outer space. All of the music featured here was recorded in the 1970s and 1980s, much of it released on small bespoke private-press record labels, often owned by the artists themselves.
The album also features rare tracks from a number of Library Music artists, all of whom used electronic music to explore a variety of common celestial or Gaian themes – cosmology, spirituality, science, mother earth, wellness, technology, consciousness, exploration, healing and harmony – in their work. These include pieces by Sauveur Mallia, Keith Mansfield and Sven Torstenson.
Here on this album you will find the Sun Ra’s of New Age, the Picassos of Library Music and the Burroughs of space-related electronic music. Away from contemporary music fashions, these unique and highly individual artists remained free in their music to explore new ideas of sound and technological experimentation – together with the larger concepts of time, space and matter – a freedom rarely granted, and one that we celebrate here.
Rebolledo is back. And this time, he's bringing his own label: Rated R. What began as a party series — with chapters like Rated R and Wax Upon A Time — now mutates into a record label. Long overdue, if you ask us. Surrounded by talented friends from all corners of the globe, this is the new home for bringing everything back into focus. And yes, on wax too.
Naturally. For the first release, we're kicking things off with something equally overdue: Rub N Tug are back. The track? A certified underground wanderer. Loved, played, and passed around dance floors worldwide for well over a decade, yet somehow never properly released. Or maybe it was. Sort of. It's complicated. Now it returns with a remix of a remix, giving the whole thing a fresh coat of cosmic polish. As if that wasn't enough, Paulor takes things one step further with a particularly special jam of his own. Which means we're now dealing with a remix of a remix of a remix.
Confusing? Maybe.
Necessary? Absolutely.
Makes perfect sense to us.
DiG Records’ latest release is a reissue of one of the most remarkable Russian electronic albums of the 90s. Available on vinyl for the first time, 100 Photography Lessons is the 1993 debut album by the duo Block Four, with a rich sound spanning a wide range of genres, from downtempo and experimental electronics to trance and techno.
Block Four was formed by Oleg Salkhov and Konstantin Smirnov in the early 1990s at Moscow’s SNC Studio. Salkhov was the studio’s first recording engineer, working with bands including Moralny Kodeks and Megapolis, while Smirnov came from Nikolai Kopernik, where he had already been experimenting extensively with electronic instruments.
The album is built around sampling, experimentation, and a broad range of influences. Block Four drew sounds from jazz, classical music, rock, hip-hop, folk and electronic music, as well as films, VHS tapes, and radio broadcasts, gradually assembling their own extensive library of samples and loops. Combined with synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, unconventional rhythms, and harmonic ideas, the duo brought all these elements together to create their own distinctive sound.
100 Photography Lessons captures a brief but important period when Russian electronic music was still developing its own language. Freely blending sampling, electronic instruments, and influences from a wide range of musical traditions, Block Four created an album that still sounds compelling more than three decades later.
'Life As A Duck' marks the return of Fergus Sweetland's imprint Pressure Systems and the label's first vinyl release. The title originates from a joke between two friends - friends that are ducks. These ducks found one another whilst discovering themselves, trying to navigate a world built for humans. Being a duck is another way of saying neurodivergent; existing adjacent to everything whilst trying to make sense of a strange planet, determined to remain as true to themselves at the same time as trying to be accepted in society. The tracks were made in direct response to a challenge presented to Fergus from a close friend: strip it back. The test was to apply brain-licking sound design to as few elements as possible and work them into functional club tracks. 'Tickle My Tism' meets the challenge. Fergus' signature low end captures the hips as the tension builds, expanding into an unexpected soundscape with precise smoothness. 'Trouble In The Bubble' is a dark yet dubby rolling club track full of texture and soundscapes. Nørbak's remix of 'Trouble In The Bubble' strips things down further with the Portuguese Garage (PTG) version, providing a more club-focused slant to the tune. 'Mind Easer' closes out the EP. The concluding track was written to ease the mind of a fellow duck when their feathers were ruffled by life. Its soothing focus allows one to melt into the sound and calm their mind. It tells you that everything is going to be okay. Expect the unexpected as Fergus' distinct sound design carries you through a four-track journey that emphasises that less is more - from a duck just trying to do his best.
A well needed vinyl re-issue of these sought after Break 3000 Electroclash classics from the period 1999-2003.
Originally released on Meuse Muzique in Maastricht, The Netherlands.
"Plastique People feat. Zusi" became a club hit again these past few years and saw the original vinyl prices soar on Discogs. "Last Emotion" was previously unreleased and brought back to live again thanks to the great Argentinian label "Calypso's Dream" who did the fine "The Rise Of Poseidon I" release three years ago that also included the fierce banger "Sacrifice", which became a hit back in the days when it was first featured on the massive DJ Kicks compilation by Tiga in 2003. The re-issue by "Calypso's Dream" sold out in a few weeks and was never re-pressed. The vocoder anthem "Emolotion" saw a vinyl only comeback on the cool Italian label "Mondo Phase" from Milan together with "Plastique People" in 2023, these limited copies were gone in days as well.
As a lot of people missed out on these Electroclash anthems by Break 3000 in the first vinyl re-issues we thought now is the right time to give them another run and make them available again. Enjoy!
All tracks were re-mastered by Salz Mastering in Cologne. Music & Art by Break 3000.
WOW! An early ’80s New Wave, Electro, Proto-Electronica, Industrial and Kraut-Pop album that has never been released before is now coming out on Elaste Records and it’s a perfect fit! History is being made.
In the early eighties, Michael Heinkel was one of those quiet electronic musicians hardly anyone knew — at least outside of Munich. While machine rhythms were being perfected in Düsseldorf, dilettantism was elevated into an art form in Hamburg and West Berlin was soundtracking its own feverish coldness, Munich seemed to be a place where, apparently, nothing was happening. Or almost nothing. Because beneath the radar, far removed from the grand narratives of those years, Michael Heinkel was already creating his own electronic cosmos — stripped-down, idiosyncratic and often ahead of its time. Electronic minimalist music, born somewhere between a home studio, nightlife and the longing for a future that could only just be imagined back then. But the recordings disappeared into drawers, onto cassettes and tape reels. For decades, they remained a secret shared only among friends, insiders and a handful of close companions. It was only 45 years later that Andreas Dorau and Ralf Hertwig (Palais Schaumburg) — two defining figures of that early avant-garde — insisted that the recordings finally be made accessible. Not as an exercise in nostalgia, but as the overdue release of a missing piece in the history of German electronic music. This music is not a nostalgic retrospective. It is a delayed signal from a future that had already begun back then. Format: Heavyweight black vinyl incl. printed inner sleeve + download card
Quotes: -"Michael Heinkel's long-lost LP is a treasure trove. I'm constantly amazed at the musical gems from the early '80s that are still waiting to be discovered." - Hans Nieswandt (Whirlpool Productions) - „Some München musical history that somehow got missed at the time finally gets released after 40 years. Great album.“ - Hell (Gigolo) - “Awesome album! Today, we can only imagine just how groundbreaking electronic music at this level was back then. When gems like these are heard for the first time in perfect sound quality, it’s like a trip back in time to the early days of electronic music. Back to the future!!!” - Patrick Pulsinger (Cheap / iO / Sluts’n‘ Strings & 909 / The Private Lightning Six) - “Terrific material!” - Roman Flügel (Acid Jesus / Alter Ego / Sensorama / Warp 69) - “ELASTE has unearthed an 80s electronic gem! A German minimal wave gem-freshly unearthed! Minimal, rare, brilliant - an 80s Krautpop highlight.” - Sankt Otten - „Pure and delicious 80s Electronics from Munich. We love it.“ - Gorilla Aktiv
Andreas Tilliander released »Ljud« in 2001 as the first full-length album under his real name. The year before, the Swedish producer’s »Cliphop« album under his Mokira moniker had established him in the world of adventurous electronic music and the clicks’n’cuts scene. »Ljud« was just as minimalistic, warm, and playful as its predecessor while also notably inspired by house music. It is a timeless record based on happy accidents, playful loops, and lively spontaneity. For its 25th anniversary, Keplar presents a vinyl reissue with adjusted artwork by graphic designer Marc Hohmann and updated mastering by the artist himself.
Tilliander laid the foundation for his two first albums when he got rid of most of his music gear in 1998 after meeting Joel Brindefalk, who was already releasing music on the legendary Börft label. Brindefalk was using a computer as his main instrument and introduced Tilliander to the audio editing suite Sonic Foundry Sound Forge. »What he did with that software is what made me sell most of the hardware except my Nord Modular and a Korg MS-20.« The former synthesizer played an integral role while Tilliander made the tracks for »Ljud,« working primarily in the modular studio environment Jeskola Buzz.
»Ljud« came together in an intuitive process. »It’s still how I work 25 years later: I first make loops, create bits and pieces, and build up my own sound library as a foundation,« Tilliander explains. The Nord Modular and Buzz, which allowed him to swap samples and produce new sounds out of pre-existing ones, provided him with material for loops that formed the basis of the ten tracks. »I would start with a few elements, add more into the mix, then take them out again—arranging the pieces in real time while recording.« The casualness and vivacity of this improvisational approach becomes tangible throughout »Ljud.«
»Ljud« was released on Achim Szepanski’s Mille Plateaux, which had published the seminal »Clicks+Cuts« compilation in 2000. »I was part of that scene and I liked the digital aesthetic of the label,« says Tilliander »Coming from a very analogue setup, working with computer music and this kind of minimalism was very inspiring.« When preparing »Ljud« for the Keplar reissue, he ran the music through an analogue outboard and noticed he was still happy with the way it sounded. »It brought back fond memories. I hope the same is true for people who heard it back then, and that everyone who discovers it now will enjoy it, too!«
Balaise was the original title of Vers le Nord’s debut album. In French slang, balaise means something in between badass and flamboyant. The word keeps popping up throughout the record, like a teenager’s graffiti scrawled on a bus shelter after a few drinks. Balaise robots. Balaise ghosts lurking in the shadows. Balaise is the barfly who fantasies about becoming a street vigilante. In many ways, Matthieu Pellerin's new solo project is entirely contained within that word: a gigantic piece one man against the world cobbled together, a monument shaped by hand using layers of synthesizers sounding like cathedral organs cast in concrete.
Stitching this type of freak together took time. Five years, or what sounds like forever in an age obsessed with career trajectories and content strategies. But for Matthieu Pellerin, it was never about career plans or taking the easy road. Or he would have dug up the rotting corpse of Oi Boys, his now-defunct band, whose brief existence and explosive popularity once united sullen skinheads, gothic street punks, and old school punks alike. Or he would have fully embraced the Metz scene, now that the Great International Triple Alliance of the East (Noir Boy George, The Dreams, The Feeling Of Love...) and rising solo acts like Tune Zitoune, Josy Bazar, Fantôme Josepha, and Tony Gerrano have somehow transformed this sprawling open-air heroin camp into an unlikely capital of cool. But Vers le Nord doesn't point East, and it is as a lone rider that Matthieu Pellerin can fully reveal his songwriting scope.
With Le Seul Élément, his first solo project, the Lorraine native had already shown a rare gift for crafting worlds. Picture vast sonic masses stretching like industrial zones, noise-filled fog pierced by pale neon lights and landscapes caught somewhere between the gnarliest dive bar and a doomsday bunker. And slipping through the soul-crushing slowness and fractured blackened atmospheres, one could perceive a throwback to his years plotting in black metal-tinged Loth and Bishop.
Vers le Nord populates those landscapes that once were rough sketches. Damaged characters reign supreme, with a plethora of exquisite mutts brought to life, rather than outcasts committed to the cause. Where Nuits Blanches —his new supergroup featuring members of Rixe, Lion's Law, Headbussa and La Femme— pulls no punches with raw confessions, Pellerin switches gear for tales of robot apocalypses, vagrants and fam-seeking school shooters, delivered with William Sheller-esque rhymes and striking images. Yet even within fiction, he manages to create something deeply intimate, almost defining, showing very little effort: he is a natural. All in all, à l’aise (at ease). Songs resonate deeply with the listener, perhaps because of Pellerin’s odd way or always addressing someone without ever really naming them, a floating, obsessive and inescapable “you” calling us out.
Despite all of the darkness, Vers le Nord stirs deep emotions. There is something of Type O Negative or Anna von Hausswolff in its constant collision of the ludicrous and the epic gothic, its bleak romanticism that never tells a sordid tale. While the vocals remain rooted in a distinctly French punk lineage—think No Class, La Souris Déglinguée and OG Bérurier Noir—the reactor core is hidden somewhere else. Oneohtrix Point Never feels like a closer relative with his ultra-emotional music made of cold synths and disembodied anthems, swallowing and regurgitating forty years of icy, contemplative new wave across ten songs. It comes as no surprise that Lila Ehjä and Aimable, two rising specialists in lowering the temperature below seasonal norms, appear on “Enterrez-moi bordel” (“Bury Me, for fuck's sake”), a grandiose, spectral and magnificently arrogant finale. And in the end, Vers le Nord starts where the original idea was hiding all along: somewhere amid the ruins, definitely balaise and yet somehow, completely à l'aise.
What's Left is the new album by Tom Henry, releasing November 20th, 2026 on Royal Oakie Records. Where his debut album Songs to Sing and Dance To leaned into big dreams, What's Left is a record about what remains once the dust settles, delivered with the wit and charm of a young rocker in his prime. The familiar influences are still there — Paul McCartney and Big Star loom large (though there's a little more Third/Sister Lovers this time around), but now the songs are lush and polished, with new sounds creeping in around Henry’s trademark power pop hooks. On a handful of tracks you can even hear strains of Syd Barrett influenced acid-folk alongside psychedelic rock that recalls The Brian Jonestown Massacre or The Beatles at their most lysergic.
Produced in collaboration with David Glasebrook (Patti Smith, Peter Case, Sugar Candy Mountain), and engineered by Glasebrook and Stephen Shirk, the album was tracked across two cities at Shirk Studios in Chicago, IL and The Garden Shed in Oakland, CA, where Glasebrook also handled mixing and mastering. The record's cross-continental origins reflect the movements of Tom’s own life over the past half decade, which found him departing his native Chicago for Los Angeles before returning home four years later, and lend the album its distinctive sound of Midwestern grit mixed with California sunshine across all twelve tracks.
Opener "Someone I Need" sets the tone: an old-fashioned, up-beat rocker built for a roadside diner jukebox somewhere out along the backroads of your mind — it's crunchy tape tones and horn arrangement lending warmth to the song as the narrator asks for a dance and beckons the listener along for the ride. By "It's Not Meant to Be," the record turns inward, wrestling with the exhaustion of trying to find love in the modern age — especially for someone who wears their heart on their sleeve and often comes to find their suitor's wardrobe doesn't have room. "Silverlake Song," reminiscent of early Donovan, kicks off with otherworldly sitar — a wry postcard from the west, tracing how the shimmering promise of L.A.'s Silver Lake enchants, bargains with, and ultimately tries to ruin the starry-eyed dreamer — and very nearly succeeds.
In addition to Tom–who sang and played guitar, bass, and keys–the album features musical contributions from co-producer David Glasebrook, Brian Daley, Joe Daley, Finn Swingley, Lewis Patzner, and labelmates Graham Patzner, Charles Lloyd, and Simon Beins. Liner notes come courtesy of Ian F. Svenonius, who — in the guise of one Johnny Sincere of Integrated Star Management Ltd. — recounts his company's failed attempt to sell Tom Henry a gimmick: a space suit, a coal miner's neckerchief, a lounge pianist's dead-eyed shades. Tom turned them all down. As Svenonius tells it, when reminded that every story's been told and every gimmick's been used, that all that's left is to admire the photographs of what's gone before, Tom simply shrugged: rock 'n' roll is an eternal spring, and if this is what's left, that's just fine with him — it's what he likes to do.
Half a century after its original release, legendary Lebanese musician and singer Marcel Khalife—renowned oud player and global icon of both music and activism—returns with a new recording. On this album, he reinterprets four of the five tracks from his debut, Promises of the Storm. A bold defiance of time and history.
Why revisit the same album, 50 years later? The reasons are many, but one stands above the rest: history itself seems to be repeating. The narrative unfolds once more in the same dire circumstances as half a century ago, as if time has folded in on itself, returning everything to its starting point. The urgency, the necessity—it all remains, pressing and inescapable. We must begin again.
In 1976, a young Marcel Khalife found himself exiled in Paris, fleeing the Lebanese Civil War and his family’s Christian village, where his progressive, left-wing ideas had placed him under a kind of house arrest. He was one of the few to openly and unwaveringly champion the Palestinian cause. The situation quickly became untenable, especially since, just a month before the war began in March 1975, Khalife—fresh out of the conservatory—had given his first public concert to great acclaim. Then, everything collapsed. What does one do when trapped at home? Read books, play the oud, and turn those readings into songs. In his family’s de facto prison, Khalife began setting the poetry of the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish to music. These songs, born of confinement, he carried with him into exile, driving to Paris where a producer offered him the chance to record an album. Naturally, the tracks were the ones he had been improvising at home from Darwish’s poems. The album’s title, Promises of the Storm, echoed the war that was just beginning. Khalife recalls that the album became a hit after a concert at the Fête de l’Huma, where 500 copies were sold in a single day. “Everything started there, and it never stopped,” he remembers. He would meet Mahmoud Darwish shortly after, at a dinner organized by mutual friends. From that moment, a deep friendship blossomed between the two men.
With Darwish’s words and Khalife’s music, the songs of Promises of the Storm are imbued with a powerful evocative force—melancholy, tenderness, and poetic resistance in the face of violence. The album catapulted Khalife to international stardom, leading to endless tours and recordings, yet he never abandoned his commitments.
Now, 50 years later, Promises of the Storm returns in a fresh recording, because history is repeating itself. After the Israeli bombings in Lebanon at the end of 2024, Khalife, who was on tour, found himself stranded in Paris. He remembered a recurring request from his son, musician Bachar Mar-Khalife, who had often urged him to re-record his now-classic debut album. One morning, oud in hand, Marcel knocked on his son’s door and said, “Shall we? I’m ready to record.”
These new versions are stripped down, raw, and intimate—just the solitary strings of the oud. Khalife sings as never before, his voice no longer marked by the fragility of youth but imbued with something deeper, freer, unshackled. It soars high yet resonates low, always clear, as if to escape sadness, to evoke love and violence, desire and exile. In just four songs, Khalife encapsulates a lifetime, and a philosophy of life. Rita tells of a love of Darwish’s, with the haunting line (translated from Arabic): “Between Rita’s eyes and mine, a rifle.” Oummi invokes the figure of the mother as a metaphor for the lost land. Promises of the Storm is a meditation on revolution, the hope for change, the melancholy of defeat, and the power of thought. Passport captures, through poetry, the feeling of being stateless—a citizen of everywhere and nowhere.
Time has only strengthened these texts and this music. History never repeats itself without a valid, indispensable reason for the present. That reason is fully contained in Marcel Khalife’s new interpretations, which have never sounded so clear, so right, so essential.
On Expensive Shit, Fela chronicles a failed attempt to imprison him for possession of weed in 1974. At this time, Nigeria was under a military dictatorship that had declared a war on indecency. Fela’s insubordination infuriated the government, and they repeatedly raided his compound, Kalakuta.
During one of the raids, an officer produced a joint from his own pocket and attempted to plant it on Fela, which Fela then swallowed. He was immediately taken to prison, where the police waited three days for him to “produce” an incriminating sample. When the time came, police took Fela’s sample for analysis and found nothing. Each night, Fela and his cellmates had swapped their slop buckets around, allowing Fela to relieve himself without the authorities realizing it. By the time of the public shit, there was no marijuana left in his system. The police had no choice but to let him go.
This 50th Anniversary edition is pressed on gold nugget vinyl, packaged in a trifold jacket that features elements of the original vinyl packaging alongside newly licensed images, a dossier envelope with poster, print, and newspaper clipping, wrapped with a metallic gold foil band.
Smallville presents a very special album project – 'Tumbling Cycles' by Billus is here to stay! Ethereal deep-dubby house music from Australia, that feels like finding the hidden-treasure you were not even looking for.
„When I am most enjoying making music, I have this sense that I'm just watching cycles of sound happen and match up in front me on their own and I'm not really just doing anything and it's really nice. Most of these tracks stem from a small collection of
iteratively distorted percussive jazz and breaks that I kept coming back to and watching them cycle around each other.“
This is Billus' approach while he is out in the studio zone. As a result, we all get the chance to scuba-dive into his soundscapes like a warm blanket, interwoven rhythms and cosmic textures, that seem to have the ability to heal. The fresh feels was real,
every time the album went by.
Billus is praised for his impeccable mixtapes for a lot of very special occasions of doing not a lot- make sure to check these out. And Billus produces sprawling music- he released on Naarm labels Animalia, Vessel and Pollinate and he makes music to shyaway in the woods, picking up lil mushrooms if you feel like- or leave these untouched for the same effects.
So while listening to the Tumbling Cycles LP, make yourself comfy and try to work out your own personal scenario, in which Billus' music and his leftfield approach would flourish best. These tracks come with approval by the sweetest dancefloors
around the world and we can't wait to release these to the world. The 2x12“ comes with a stunning full-cover artwork from Stefan Marx.
Limited Edition 2026 Black Vinyl Repress.
Up in Flames is Dan Snaith's second album, originally released under the Manitoba moniker on March 31, 2003 .
Made with the same modest home setup as its predecessor, it nonetheless sounds like a different artist entirely - a kaleidoscopic rush of sun-bright melodies, tumbling percussion, and psychedelic pop that traded the hushed intimacy of Start Breaking My Heart for something warmer, bigger, and more joyfully overstuffed, encompassing 1960s psychedelia, Madchaster swagger and shoegaze swoon.
Snaith was later forced to change his artist name after a well-documented lawsuit, and Up in Flames stands as the final album released under the Manitoba name - a high point to go out on. The record was met with widespread critical acclaim, and has since been recognized by Pitchfork as one of the standout albums of the 2000s. It remains, by most accounts, one of Snaith's finest and most beloved records.
Volume 1 - Growth
Resurrection is a long-term musical work that has accompanied Christine Benz for almost twenty years. The first track was created in 2007 (track id - Born after Code), with another piece added nearly every year thereafter.
Throughout this time, she continued to produce other music while steadily developing her artistic language.
Musically, the album moves between minimal techno, ambient and experimental electronic music. Across different phases of her life, Resurrection gradually grew into an archive of her personal and musical evolution.
The complete work unfolds as a trilogy across Volumes 1-3.
At its core lies her fascination with sound as material. Rather than thinking in terms of conventional melodies, she works with textures, vibrations, and spatial relationships. A small number of elements give rise to complex sonic spaces, where minimal changes can have a profound effect. Mistakes, chance occurrences, and unexpected responses from the systems she uses also become part of the music. Even from chaos, remarkable structures
emerge. Whenever unplanned beauty reveals itself, she preserves it as a small “miracle” in which control and chance intertwine.
The complete work unfolds across three chapters: Growth, Structure and Resonance, exploring repetition, frequency, perception, consciousness and technological development in the relationship between humans and
machines. It moves from origin through the formation of an internal order towards connection and interaction.
Volume 1: Growth, draws upon the Fibonacci sequence and the spiral as symbols of natural development, with the music growing through repetition and minimal change into increasingly complex forms. Throughout the
project, technology appears as a tool, a partner and a mirror of our perception, raising the question of whether consciousness, responsibility and empathy can evolve alongside technological progress.
During the project’s long evolution, Donato Dozzy developed an interest in Christine’s distinctive sound design.
In 2021, this led him to propose his own interpretation of Our Determination for Volume 1, subtly reworking the track through his own musical perspective.
The artwork developed by Christine also went through a creative process of its own. The original photographs were taken in a basement around 2019, with a wet curtain draped over her. In 2026, she decided to transform
this visual world into a moving-image artwork. For the production, a film crew reconstructed the entire setting.
The video shoot demanded a great deal from Christine: after several hours beneath the wet curtain, the cold was no longer merely part of the staging. This elaborate creative process gives the artwork its distinctive character
and makes it an essential part of Resurrection.
The first chapter will be released in November 2026 as a double-vinyl edition housed in a distinctive gatefold sleeve with an inside-out finish, matte varnish, and partial raised spot UV varnish. Two further double-vinyl
releases, Structure and Resonance, will complete the trilogy. All three volumes will be released on Pirat Records.Records.
The Forbidden Planet is the new album by Tomorrow Comes The Harvest, featuring Rasheeda Ali. The album explores a wide range of electronic and acoustic improvisational conversations, creating expansive and constantly evolving sound landscapes.
The recording carries forward many of the qualities that have made Tomorrow Comes The Harvest so distinctive from its beginnings. The project originated through the percussive dialogue between Jeff Mills and the late Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen. When thetwo creative forces first came together several years ago, what emerged was more than a collaboration or musical conversation. They opened a pathway-a way of creating through instinct, exchange, rhythm and freedom. That pathway continues to lead toward new horizons, and The Forbidden Planet is evidence of just how far it can travel.
The album is the result of an intricate creative process spanning nearly two years, connecting a series of recording sessions at notable studios including Criteria Studios in Miami, Soda Sound, and the legendary Studio Ferber in Paris, France.
The Forbidden Planet explores the more cerebral dimensions of the band's vast musical language. An idea is introduced, and almost immediately it begins to transform. Themes are questioned, reshaped and redirected as the musicians respond instinctively to one another.
As Tomorrow Comes The Harvest is known for, the performances were recorded largely through improvisation, often capturing the energy and spontaneity of an almost one-take process. These recordings were later carefully refined and shaped into the compositional structures heard throughout the album.
The creative seeds have been planted in fertile ground, allowing ideas to grow naturally and without restriction. In rhythm and in spirit, each musician contributes an essential voice to the conversation. Within that collective precision lies something even more important: a shared love of musical freedom and the possibility of creating without boundaries.
Prabhu Edouard - tabla and vocals
Jean-Phi Dary - keyboards
Jeff Mills - percussion and electronics
Featuring Rasheeda Ali on flute, with a special guest appearance by Laurent Vernerey on electric bass.
The Forbidden Planet will be released November 20th, 2026 on Axis Records on Double-Vinyl & CD + DVD. The DVD features selected live footage from Tomorrow Comes The Harvest, featuring Jeff Mills, Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Edouard and Rasheeda Ali.
Filmed & recorded live at London Jazz Café on September 27th, 2025, the footage captures highlights from the band's unique fusion of electronic music, jazz, percussion and improvisation.
"Unique Reason presents his first authorial release at Sudd WAX. His first appearance was Remixing STK at the Sudd WAX Limited 3rd release. From West Zone of Sao Paulo, the underground producer brings much Soul from his Analog MPC. Closer to Moodymann, Buzz Goore, Norm Talley, Rick 'the Godson' Wilhite, the artist sounds very influenced by Detroit Music. The release sounds Deep, House, Techno, bit of it all. The Sound Elements are dirty, lo-res, and RAW. Shinedoe appears reshaping the funky mood. What a brilliant Remix. She turned into 90's House Vibes, and build up that atmosphere back these days. This is a classic underground tune, special tool, killer dance floor weapon."
Astro’, the new double LP by Donato Dozzy, is in many ways a culmination and intersection of life-long interests, and Tresor Records is delighted to announce that it will launch into the cosmos on November 20, 2026.
Donato Dozzy is beloved for his way of blending synthesised sounds into seamless, deep, hypnotic works, whether as a DJ or in the studio. So it might come as a surprise that at the root and source of Dozzy’s musical inspiration, we find Japanese children’s cartoons and toys.
In the late 70s into the 80s, Italian youngsters, including Dozzy, were captivated by a wave of Japanese cartoons featuring Jumbo Machinders, awe-inspiring robots on adventures beyond our solar system. Every episode came dubbed into Italian, and had its own specially written Italian theme song, each pressed onto a 7inch single. This was the launchpad for two lifelong obsessions: vinyl records and vinyl figurines, and still kept in his home today in immaculate, carefully tended collections.
In 2025, Dozzy took a sample from the first of the Japanese themes he ever owned, Astro Robot Contatto Ypsylon. Marking the first time he had directly sampled a song for his own work, later to become the track ‘Astro’, this created an impulse to begin a series of new music, sparked by the robots in his collection.
Dozzy’s meticulous respect for his collections is reflected in the precision of these tracks. Elements within each track are harmoniously organised together while ever retaining a sense of space that reflects the cosmic subject matter. Explorative tracks like ‘Raydeen’, and ‘Himika (M Song)’ exemplify this with powerful yet gentle arpeggios, while ‘Pegasu’ brings forth visions of robots assembling for a deep-space mission launch.
Much like the human characters in the cartoons who piloted the Jumbo Machinder robots, on ‘Astro’, Donato takes control of mighty machines such as the EMS Synthi AKS to create sonic journeys for us all to embark on. ‘Jumbo Crack’, written on the AKS, is a soaring beatless piece built of rising bass tones and white noise that combine to conjure taking off from earth or a long journey through space. The whole collection is rounded out with ‘Ryoma (Lò Song)’, a gigantic trance anthem that could easily be the closing credits of your favourite childhood cartoon.
With ‘Astro’, Donato Dozzy pulls together threads in his life: the warp of music and synthesisers intertwining with the weft of childhood memories. A tribute to that freedom to dream, and to the sounds that, from the turntable of his childhood, led him toward alien and technological musical territories.
DJ Koze's 2013 album opus Amygdala has continued to bewitch all who encounter it since its release. Tipped as his own personal Sgt. Pepper, the sublime long-player revealed a fully-realised and personal body of work, complete with a classic songwriting at its core, House in its heart, and veins coursing with psychedelic color. La Duquesa' was the album's dreamy single standout, a journey into deep, tropical ecstasy. XTC' begins in the same spirit, and captures the all the blissful allusions of its name, but its initial gentility belies the deep intensity to come. Floating pads glow with celestial ambience as a kick drum is gradually coaxed into solid form, and the introduction of spoken text begins the second act. Many people are experimenting with the drug Ecstasy,' it says, ...is the drug like the lie and meditation the truth Or am I missing something that could really help me". XTC' then transforms: sweetly imploring tones become demanding, gentle gradients between chords turn hard-edged, and sharp hi-hats cut through the haze. Complete with Koze's signature percussive quirks, it drives towards the track's final pay off: an undeniable, all-consuming, irresistible high. Knee On Belly' recalls Koze at his most tongue-in-cheek and overt, it is bright, bold and literally brassy, using cut-up horns of all shapes and sizes to patchwork together his own unique arrangement. With the highs and mid ranges accounted for, Koze adds in a swollen, thrumming bass line to mix to bring this floor-filler to life. Knee on Belly' recalls a raw, filtered and funky approach to groove, with a nod to disco house and the art of artful sampling, as it orbits between its own neon highs and simmering lows.
The latest in our series of Limited Edition 7x7" Soul Box Sets celebrates the work of Dave Hamilton.
Dave's musical career in Detroit stretched from the 40s into the 80s. He was involved in all black music styles during that period - blues, jazz, and gospel as well as soul music.
A talented songwriter, he wrote or contributed to ten of the fourteen compositions here and produced them all in his studios.
Though his released output was modest, considering the amount of recording he did, the gems in his tape vaults have been surprising and entertaining black music lovers since they were accessed by Ace in 1990.
That purchase came about due to Richard “Gilly” Gilbert’s detective work in discovering that a big covered-up Northern Soul spin at Wigan Casino was actually Dave’s production on “Little Ann” Bridgeforth. The ensuing years have seen soul tracks in all genres, issued on Kent and BGP and we are still discovering great tracks 36 years on. Witness ‘You Got Me Where You Want Me’ by Chico & Buddy, a fabulous funky number from around 1970 that would have been a soul fan’s favourite whenever it was issued; this is its first public appearance.
Funk crosses over to all dance scenes these days and even jazzier tracks like Dave’s own ‘Soul Suite’, a close relation of his coveted ‘Pisces Piece’ will pick up plays now it is on vinyl. Northern Soul lovers have been demanding J T Rhythm’s ‘I Love The Way You Walk’ on a seven, as have Motown connoisseurs with Rita DuShay’s original of ‘All I Need (Steal Away Tonight)’ as covered by Barbara McNair on her 1966 Motown LP.
Original copies exist of the Ravins ‘Your Love Is What I Want’ but unless you have several grand to spare on this fast and furious dancer, our audio-enhanced release is a great substitute; especially with the Kent 45 deleted.
OC Tolbert delivers a tough and menacing Clarence Reid song ‘Along Came A Woman’ which has huge dancefloor potential, like Dave’s own bluesy vocal on his similarly gritty, R&B composition ‘Take Care Of Your Own Business’.
Dave’s accomplishments into the 70s and 80s are admired by modern soul lovers and his ‘Ride The Disco Train’ by the Moderations, hit a perfect groove for progressive clubs of the genre. Both the Felecia Johnson and New Experience tracks thrive on the laid-back atmosphere Dave was able to conjure up in his home studios and the talented singers present his thoughtful songs with panache.
With enhanced audio for both of Little Ann’s uptempo and ballad classics ‘What Should I Do’ / ‘Deep Shadows’ this box set is irresistible as well as being a tribute to the unsung heroes of Detroit Soul music.
Multi-faceted artist Calibre today shares his sixteenth studio album "Feeling Normal". The album is out now to pre-order on Vinyl, CD and on digital platforms via his own independent imprint Signature Recordings.
The record is his first bonafide 140bpm record and a staggering body of work that shows the genius levels of one of electronic music's most respected auteurs. Across the 13 tracks, he transcends through space and time, creating music that will take the listener on a weighty sonic journey. The album announcement is accompanied by two dub versions "Bad" and "Badder" deconstructed from the track "Badman" with DRS from Mark Ernestus available via his Hardwax store January 29th and Bandcamp February 12th. "Getting to work with Mark Ernestus is a real honour, I collected Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound and his other work for many years and still do. It's hard to avoid the influence of this guy in electronic music across genres and so it is a real pleasure to have him do his thing with the Badman tune which I think sounds closely related."
All of the tracks on the record have been road-tested in Calibre's DJ sets over the last 2/3 years with many of them being sought-out by his hardcore fans. It was only a matter of time then that he put them out for all to consume. With a nod to the dancefloor, the clear idea for the album came about following the release of his most personal album to date "Planet Hearth". "It still works in the headspace but ultimately it's been written for the sweaty club experience we miss now, also after an album like Planet Hearth it felt very liberating to do," he remarks. When writing albums, he often just puts it down to the general chaos of life, not citing any one influence but generally just waits to see what comes. With one of the tracks on the album written 7 years ago on the island of Valentia, It became a project that he spent the intervening years collecting tracks for, not really knowing when he was going to put it together as an album. "The whole album is special to me, everything on there has import and meaning beyond for me, I have spent much time on all these and hope they are special for other people too."
Belfast-born, Berlin-based Calibre - AKA Dominick Martin - shows no sign of slowing down. As a producer, DJ, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter, he is one of the most unique and inspiring living artists. With a career spanning two decades, his ability to remain underground whilst being one of the most-respected is testament to who this enigmatic artist is. To this day, he has never been remixed and has a seriously impressive amount of unreleased music under wraps. With everything on hold and gigs on the backburner, this record is exactly what the world needs right now.
Techno is an experimental journey: deep, moving, cinematic, carried by science-fiction dreams steeped in true melancholy. Over time, much of this heritage has faded away. The soul and spirituality of the music have receded, giving way to the oversized ego of some, and to the constant need to show off on social media: a techno that looks beautiful, but is sterile, limited, meaningless, with no jazz, gospel or disco influence at all. The innovators, whether African-American in Detroit, Chicago and New York, or German with Kraftwerk, bet everything on the hypnotic and mesmerizing side of this music. "Lost Spiritual" was born from this observation, with a simple idea: to give more credit to the music and what it makes you feel than to the musician's look or haircut. This record is a tribute, an inspiration, and the hope that the spiritual dimension, which was the priority in the early 80s, will never die.
La techno est un voyage expérimental : profond, émouvant, cinématographique, porté par des rêves de science-fiction empreints d'une véritable mélancolie. Avec le temps, une grande partie de cet héritage s'est effacée. L'âme et la spiritualité de la musique ont reculé, laissant place à l'ego démesuré de certains, au besoin permanent de s'afficher sur les réseaux sociaux : une techno belle en apparence, mais stérile, limitée, vide de sens, sans aucune influence jazz, gospel ou disco. Les innovateurs, qu'ils soient afro-américains à Détroit, Chicago et New York, ou allemands avec Kraftwerk, misaient tout sur l'aspect hypnotique et envoûtant de cette musique. « Lost Spiritual » est né de ce constat, avec une idée simple : donner plus de crédit à la musique et à ce qu'elle procure qu'au look du musicien ou à sa coupe de cheveux. Ce disque est un hommage, une inspiration, et l'espoir que la dimension spirituelle, qui était la priorité au début des années 80, ne meure jamais.
Cécille Summer 2026 Compilation
Summer and Cécille have always gone hand in hand.
For 2026, we’re back with another carefully selected collection of records that perfectly capture where house music feels today. Eleven tracks from artists we’ve admired for years, longtime friends of the label, exciting
newcomers, and fresh faces joining the Cécille family for the very first time.
Piem opens the journey with his long-awaited Cécille debut. A respected name in the scene for many years, his unmistakable groove has been on our radar for a long time, and we’re proud to finally welcome him to the label with Give Me The Rhythm.
Leon returns to where it all began. Since his very first Cécille release back in 2009, he’s been an important part of the label’s story. Let Bass Kick is classic Leon—timeless, understated and effortlessly effective.
UK duo Late Replies continue their incredible rise with Moment 4 U. Their fresh take on house music has been impossible to ignore, and we’re thrilled to have them on this year’s compilation.
Dutch mainstay Jesse Maas delivers Voices In My Head, another classy slice of groove from one of the most consistent names in the Netherlands’ house scene.
Buenos Aires’ Manu Desrets impressed us so much that one track simply wasn’t enough. His two contributions, Get GG and Voy No Kako, showcase two different shades of his sound and perfectly reflect why he’s become
one of the most exciting producers coming out of Argentina.
Andrew Azara has become a true part of the Cécille family over the years. This time he teams up with Traumer, who makes his label debut with a beautifully understated deep house record. Need You is one of those tracks
that quietly sticks with you.
We’re also excited to welcome Jay de Lys to the family. Together with Simon Kidzoo and Monölitio, the trio delivers Into The Light—a warm, feel-good house record that instantly became one of our favourites. Three
artists from Argentina, the Netherlands and Barcelona coming together exactly the way house music should.
After turning heads on last year’s Costa compilation, Brazil’s Classmatic returns alongside fellow Florianópolis producer Marian. Brazilian Madness is exactly what you’d expect: infectious groove, irresistible swing and that
unmistakable Brazilian sense of rhythm.
One of the hottest young names coming out of the Netherlands right now, Stefan Meser delivers Don’t Hesitate—one of those records that gets stuck in your head after the very first listen.
Closing the compilation is someone who’s been part of the Cécille story since the very beginning. Christian Burkhardt has been a longtime friend of the label and one of Frankfurt’s finest. Specialo lived in our vault for almost two years while we waited for the right moment to release it. This felt like the perfect place for it, and the perfect way to close another Cécille summer.
Eleven tunes. Eleven different stories. One soundtrack for Summer 2026. Welcome to the next chapter of Cécille.
After the worldwide techno hit that was Darc Marc's "Dirty Rocking Bass" comes the next Cluster X instalment from French legend GANEZ THE TERRIBLE. "The Rave..." is another prime time techno monster from the Acid Techno/Techno underground that is going to cause massive dancefloor mayhem with its cheeky 'The rave, the sound, the people, the party" sample and hard funky beats and 303 stabs. With pounding remixes from D.A.V.E. THE DRUMMER, and new kid-on-the-block SEON, and a kicking bonus track "Elevator" from Ganez himself this gives a nod to all areas of harder techno.
FatCat was recorded in a single session-live, with all four musicians together in the same place. What you hear on the record isn't a polished production, but a one-of-a-kind recording of four people playing at the same time in the same room.
This is not a nostalgic gesture. It's a stance. As music is increasingly understood as the output of a prompt, the question of what actually makes music becomes urgent again. Not flawless, efficient production, but the imperfect moment and its context. Not the result, but the process in which four people listen to each other, react to each other, misjudge, and find one another. This fallibility - the hesitation before an entrance, the slight pull in the timing, the glance between musicians that signals a turn - is not a weakness but the substance itself. It cannot be synthesized, because it isn't a data point but a lived relationship: between the instruments, between the people, between their shared history and what emerges new in this one take. The album is thus also a statement on the question of where, in the age of generative music, authorship and art can still be located: not in the result alone, but in the shared risk taken in creating it.
"The question was always: how do I bring my work as a producer and beatmaker onto the stage? How can something that usually happens alone behind closed studio doors become a live experience?" With the album FatCat, Sepalot pursues this question to its logical conclusion: what began as a live performance now becomes the recording itself - the studio becomes a stage for a day, and the stage becomes the definitive version of the album.
The love for electronic music remains, the raw pressure of hip hop is still palpable - and yet everything on FatCat sounds like a fresh start, captured in the very breath in which it was played.
On stage as in the studio, the four characters fit together like a puzzle. Sepalot's signature as producer and mastermind is unmistakable. On drums, Fabian Füss, longtime partner behind the kit and the voice that makes Sepalot's radio hit "Rainbows" so unforgettable. On bass, Robin Jermer. On trumpet, Matthias Lindermayr, multiple award-winning jazz virtuoso with his own albums on Enja Records. And then there's Sepalot himself, who turns it all into more than just the sum of its parts.
The eclectic beats, the pulsing bass, Sepalot's passion for atmospheric sound design - all of it remains, now joined by an element of jazz and captured in its most immediate, unpolished form. The album shows what four people in one room are capable of: a sound born of shared experience, and precisely for that reason, unique.
Bill Withers was a modest, gentle, and yet towering musical figure responsible for some of the most important, universally known soul hits ever written. It’s no wonder that “Just the Two of Us” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” won him two Grammy awards and undoubtedly played a huge role in getting him inducted into both the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Naked & Warm is Withers' fifth studio album, released in 1976. A year earlier, the Sussex label—home to Bill's first four landmark albums—ceased operations. Withers then signed with the mighty Columbia Records, which would remain his home until the end of his recording career. While Naked & Warm retains Bill's unique, earthy approach to soul that made him Sussex's biggest star, it's clear that musically too, he was in transition; the first half of the album is full of synthesized jazz-funk vamps, while "City Of The Angels" is an almost 11 minutes long cosmic funk excursion combining biting Rhodes chords with swirling synth pads and Dorothy Ashby's spiritual harp work. All in all, Naked & Warm might be one of Bill's most underrated records, simply because his previous work for Sussex was just that impactful.
Naked & Warm is available as a 50th anniversary edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on blue vinyl and includes a 4-page booklet featuring lyrics and new liner notes written by Marcia Withers.
Aura Safari are taking it back to the source with new album Spaced Out Disco on Hell Yeah. The eight-track record is inspired by the iconic sound, feel and studio techniques of the original 1970s disco and was played entirely live with real instruments.
Aura Safari are Andrea Moretti, Lorenzo Lavoratori, Daniele Melloni and Nicholas Iammatteo, and they have been releasing EPs, LPs and remixes on this label since 2020. They have long been entrenched in the local scene of Perugia and are live specialists with a unique chemistry that allows them to translate funk, jazz, soul, disco and house into their own timeless and universal musical language.
Integral to the album is the live performance aspect. All the band members hooked up in the studio and played together, often laying down tunes in one take and then adding some post-production for a modern edge. Disco, dub, jazz-funk and instrumental grooves define the sounds while the creative use of classic delay, echo, spacey FX and dubbed out arrangements lead the record the same Jamaican character that inspired original dub-disco pioneers like Arthur Russell, the Compass Point Studio and labels like Prelude and West End.
'Starlove' opens with low-slung grooves and squelchy bass that twist you inside out before 'Spaced Out' shimmers with astral melodies and synths that rise like a rocket disappearing into the night sky. Funky claps and flashes of Dexter Wansel-inspired soul complete the picture, while 'Santa Barbara' eases the pace with a brain-bending dub workout full of weighty low-end and warm, sun-kissed chords. 'Cosmic Affair' lives up to its name, gliding through the galaxy on uplifting guitars and slinky drums, all wrapped in irresistible retro-futurist magic and lit by the moon.
'Disco Mirage' turns inward with simmering bass, dusty open hi-hats and hazy synth trails drifting through effervescent jazz keys that rise like champagne bubbles. 'Magik Space Dust' stretches towards the stars with soaring leads and knotted bass locked into an effortless groove.
Spaced Out Disco does exactly what it promises and plots a richly imagined journey that never stops looking towards the stars while keeping its feet firmly on the dancefloor.
Francesco Messina is perhaps best known for his split album with fellow composer Raul Lovisoni, Prati Bagnati del Monte Analogo, originally released on the seminal Italian label Cramps in 1979. Along with contemporaries Franco Battiato, Juri Camisasca and Giusto Pio, Messina helped reshape the world of modern composition with an organic rawness and haunting beauty.
In November 2023, Messina performed Prati Bagnati live for the first time in Milan, Italy – along with pianist Michele Fedrigotti, who appeared on the original LP. The concert was a tremendous success and led the composer to further reflect upon the music he made over 40 years ago. From his home piano – a hundred-year-old Schimmel with magnificent resonance – new pieces began to emerge out of these meditative sessions.
As Messina says in the liner notes, "The idea of making a new album wasn't the driving force at all; what mattered was trying to reconnect with the 'freedom' I had experienced back then while creating that music. I started over without haste or deadlines, simply trying to find a deeper, inner connection."
W.25TH / Superior Viaduct is honored to present Le api dell'invisibile. From the hazy drone of "For Florian" and the title track to the gentle swells of "Letter for an Absent Friend," the album is a lush amalgam of new age and ambient minimalism that is vividly reminiscent of Messina's earlier work.
The title draws inspiration from a famous reflection by Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke: "We are the bees of the invisible. We ceaselessly gather the honey of the visible, to store it in the great golden hive of the Invisible." It is a phrase that has long shaped the way Messina looks at his music – transforming lived experience into sound, making audible what normally eludes the eye.
Truths and secrets often reveal themselves at night, under the freedom of shadowy darkness, away from prying eyes. In creating Given to the Night, sisters Valentine and Clementine Nixon have crafted a world that drifts through the in-between: between dream and reality, between day and night and the undefined, and ultimately a world that embraces the discomfort of being untethered. A process that follows simplicity and intuition rather than pre-determined narratives. “We recorded songs as they appeared, which sometimes felt like catching light. Before we realised it we had a record”, the duo explain.
While making the record Valentine and Clementine gently pushed away from the world- deleted social media, retreated into the trees of their native New Zealand - and only invited a couple of people in during the recording process. From that space, the album came together in an eerily easeful way.
There is a dream-like drift and sonic timelessness to the the record, as reflected in its nocturnal title, which can be read in two ways:
“Being taken by, or being inclined towards nighttime, preferring its blurry cloak of shadows to the harsh light of day; or giving oneself up to night, in sacrifice, letting go of fear and melting into the darkness.”
Written during a time of personal transition there was “a sense of finding the light in the shadow” they add. Guitar lines float, synth lines entwine, tapes hiss and vocals stream creating a kaleidoscopic montage of transient memories and emotions. A spectrum of feelings arise - isolation and joy, insomnia and manic highs, confusion and fleeting clarity, grief and healings. In the record, these feelings all merge and fade into one another in a nonlinear manner, as life tends to do; creating something deeply human that simultaneously gestures towards the transcendental.
Turbo was a part of Joe Robinson and Sylvia Robinson’s All-Platinum Records set up in New Jersey which operated from 1967 to 1979. At one stage the fiercely independent and proudly black owned label threatened to become another Motown or Philadelphia International. That never happened, but the Robinson’s dream of worldwide success came later when Sylvia discovered Rap, recorded Rappers Delight by The Sugarhill Gang and Sugar Hill records was born.
Music historian Steve Guarnori describes All Platinum as "probably the most unusual record company there ever was. Dysfunctional, but at the same time wonderful."
The All-Platinum chaos extended to Turbo. But despite anarchy - some superb albums went straight from manufacture to be deleted and sold as cut-outs - sublime music was created. This 10" 6-track release collects together some of the most hallowed Turbo releases which between them have become cherished by collectors.
Brother to Brother "The Bottle" captures the label at its most astute. Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s original version was an album only track on Strata-East so Turbo seized the opportunity to quickly make a worthy cover version and rush release it a single which enjoyed success.
"Ton Of Dynamite" by Frankie "Love Man" Crocker was Turbo’s debut release in 1968 (it actually sounds a later recording). At the time Frankie was a DJ on WWRL radio station in New York and the release was essentially a reward for his previous support of All-Platinum releases. The record (a b-side) is actually made Willie & The Mighty Magnificent who went on to re-record it as
"Funky 8 Corners". It took until 1975 for "Ton Of Dynamite" to get recognition when it became an anthem as the UK Northern Soul scene adopted it as part of the movement away from old skool 1960’s Soul. Whatever its’ provenance, "Ton Of Dynamite" is now revered by the Rare Soul and Funk communities.
The Optimistics "Man" from 1971 is another b side single. The group specialised in smooth harmony Soul but "Man" is a funkier affair which won support from Rare Soul aficionados and will cost you £600 plus if you are lucky enough to locate a copy of the hard to find 45.
Willie & West "Attica Massacre", also from 1971, is an even more elusive single. It is a powerful protest against the killing of 29 prisoners, many black, following a riot at a prison - Attica Correctional Facility in New York. The deaths and a subsequently discredited cover up caused outrage. John Lennon was amongst the first musicans to make a recording about the bloodbath, but the most emotional protest is this Willie & West track. Only 300 copies were manufactured of one of the most powerful civil rights recordings ever made. The vocal sounds like anti-War Edwin Starr at his most bristlingly aggressive.
Perhaps the strangeness of All-Platinum is best illustrated by the later success of Lonnie Youngblood "Sweet Sweet Tootie" which is essentially the backing track of "Attica Massacre" plus exquisite sax playing by Lonnie. Despite it selling 100,000 plus copies the label did not see this as a reason to reissue "Attica Massacre". Strange. Or as Marvin asked "What’s Going On"?
The New Sounds "Don’t Take Your Love From Me" was only issued by Turbo as an album track. Despite good music on it the LP was poorly (it at all)/ promoted and flopped. The superb "Don’t Take Your Love From Me" is a long time Northern Soul / X-Over favourite.
Larry Saunders mesmerising "On The Real Side" made no impact when released on Turbo in 1974 but was nevertheless issued in the UK by London Records. The Northern Soul discerning dancers instantly latched on to its combination of uplifting lyrics, heartfelt vocal and clomping beat and since then its’ appeal has extended across the whole of the Soul community. Without doubt an all time classic.
So six treasures from a label that despite frequently advocating cash out of chaos frequently conjured up awesome music.
ANORAX is grateful to have the opportunity to present this very special Soul selection.
Often credited as the father of multi-media theatre, Alwin Nikolais (1910-1993) took complete creative control over his productions - including cutting-edge approaches to lighting and costume that transformed human bodies into shifting sculptural shapes, while also composing wildly innovative electro-acoustic and synth-based audio as accompaniment.
After initially experimenting with musique concrète and tape manipulation (as demonstrated on the 1959 LP Choreosonic Music of the New Dance Theatre of Alwin Nikolais) Nikolais became the first owner of Robert Moog's synthesizer at the Audio Engineering Society convention in New York in late 1964. Relying heavily on the Moog and later the Synclavier synth/sampler, these 21 tracks document Nikolais' highly-prescient compositions across the mid 1960s through to the late 1980s - existing not only as extensions of his other-worldly choreographic productions, but standalone pieces of foundational mid-century American electronic and experimental music.
"Born in Southington, Connecticut in 1910, Nikolais’s early years and early career were in acting, music and puppetry. It was not until the late 1930s that he began his work as dancer/choreographer in Hartford, Connecticut, where he was commissioned by the Avery Memorial Theatre, a part of the Wadsworth Atheneum, to create an evening-length work to the music of Ernst Krenek. Previously his work and study as a pianist-organist found him accompanying silent films. This sort of accompaniment required from the musician not only a playing skill but also a versatility in improvisation, matching movement to sound, and evoking mood to situation.
Nik was drawn initially to dance by his involvement with the percussion scores used by the illustrious early twentieth century German dancer Mary Wigman. In trying to learn more about percussion, he was lured into dance class and thus his career began. His development of music and dance occurred simultaneously. His introduction to the twelve-tone technique opened his mind to the expanding areas of atonal music, and his dealing with music as sound per se. In 1948, after being appointed director of the Henry Street Playhouse in New York, Nikolais formed the Playhouse Dance Company, later known as the Nikolais Dance Theater, and began his aesthetic orientation toward dance as a study of motion. By the 1950s, he had ceased creating literal dances and began his explorations and eventual milieu as an abstractionist.
Sound became an important part of his abstract theatre. For his first dances, which involved his new thinking of dance as both a visual and kinetic art, he used live percussion scores in which he directed his dancers to play instruments of all nature. There was a combination of children’s toy instruments as well as harsh and resonant automobile brake drums, and other pitched auto parts which he also used to accompany classes. Once he installed his own tape recording machines, he quickly used the limited range these instruments provided in a new way, slowing and increasing speed and reversing sound. He also made the sounds adhere to the choreographic structure (not the other way around), thereby giving the dance its independence from the musical phrasing. But the real need remained: the search for new sound. Nik made a sound library, recording noises and percussion and vocal sounds, which the French aptly called musique concrète. Needless to say, he became a master at splicing bits and pieces.
From 1956 to 1962 Nikolais composed eleven major scores for his theatre pieces using such techniques. In 1963, James Seawright, who at the time was assisting Nik in his productions and also working at the Columbia-Princeton Center for Electronic Music, recorded a sound bank for the production Imago (1963). With this material, Nikolais created his first synthesizer score. Imago won the Paris Grand Prix in 1968 and launched the Nikolais Dance Theatre towards its national and primarily international acclaim.
During the same period, Seawright came to Nik and told him of a young man who had invented and constructed a simplified synthesizer and insisted that Nik visit the electronic fair currently being held in New York. Nik did so and met Robert Moog. He was completely taken by the new machine and after making some suggestions to Moog, (which Moog made), Nik bought the inventor’s first machine with the aid of a Guggenheim Fellowship. Moog himself was astonished by what his machine could produce for Nik. This machine was later acquired by the Museum of Musical Instruments at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor as the first Moog synthesizer. The Synclavier was Nik’s next source of sound and since the mid-1970s remained the major instrument in the Nikolais soundroom.
Alwin Nikolais has been honored and awarded throughout the world. He has received the French Legion of Honor, the Kennedy Center Honors, National Medal of the Arts, two Guggenheim Fellowships, as well as Mellon, Ford, and Rockefeller grants. He has been a recipient of NEA grants since 1966, been awarded five honorary doctorates, all for his remarkable achievements in Dance Theater. His genius has influenced several generations of artists."
—Murray Louis
There are two version of the LP - limited to 100 numbered copies with transparent wax and classic black wax edition. Both 180g with special OBI strip.
Maciej Envee Goliński is an artist who probably needs no introduction. He has been working with U Know Me practically since the label's inception. His last album ("Time & Light") made a huge impact worldwide, but we had to wait eight years for the next vinyl release. In the meantime, Maciej has certainly been busy – he has released numerous club singles under several aliases, and has helped record and mix numerous albums from the world of jazz, soul, and electronica. "Wyszymory" is a carefully crafted concept album, inspired by our roots. "Wyszymory" is an album on which every open-minded listener will find something that has been playing in their soul for a long time...
"Of all things visible and invisible, my life is most filled with music and a fascination with sound. It matters not whether they are natural or artificial, isolated or resonating through space. Sounds that evoke
memories, as well as those entirely new. Some of them have resonated unchanged for thousands of years. Certain resonances and rhythms have remained unaltered for generations so distant that they have left no other trace in human civilization.
This bond with our ancestors truly fascinates me. Ever since I realized it, I have become more attuned to inspiration. Listening to traditional and classical music, I kept finding new anchor points. I was constantly surprised by new invitations to ponder what connects – or divides – the pulse of our region’s traditional music with the rhythms of Africa, the tribes of the vast East, or the frozen North. My great authority, Tomasz Stańko, in interviews conducted by Tomek Michałowski, used beautiful parables of love and creativity to bring me closer to the Cro-Magnon cave artists. The Icelandic literary magician Andri Snær Magnason, in his book On Time and Water, captivated me with the fascinating observation that through emotional contact, words, ideas, or memory, we reach back and forward two or even three generations – spanning a period of about 270 years. Then there is Sam Kowalski, who with his wonderful obereks played on the gitalele, took me on a hypnotic journey, from which one returns with a deep admiration for the art of musical storytelling, passed down from generation to generation. Finally, my own children surprise me with talents, behaviors, and increasingly distinct features of those generations that now dwell only in my hazy memory and on old photographs.
I wanted the protagonists of this album to be the very phenomena that modern humans share with their ancestors, regardless of the level of civilization. Most vital among them is the relationship between humans, nature, and their own emotions. Wyszymory has nothing to do with an academic study, though I did delve into Slavic mythology, archaeology, and history in search of inspiration. Nor is it an album of traditional music, even if such music is present thanks to wonderful instrumentalists. I managed to invite artists who cross boundaries daily, working not only with Polish music but also with Hindu and African traditions, and even jazz, with its long history of blending influences. Naturally, the album became a kind of sonic comic book, where individual scenes and stories – the sounds, pulsations, and ideas on how to use them – came to me over time, often under unique circumstances and in inspiring contexts."
Envee
In this post Sounds world, the boundaries of Post Punk have not only broadened but splintered. And over the course of (now) four releases, Index For Working Musik have seen to using the sprawling boundaries to great effect, flexing a polyglot of styles to convey the language of the moment. On Which Direction Goes The Beam, the murky, distant ambience that was 2023's Indexé has been fleshed out, incorporating everything from the Brian Aldiss laced, ground lightning shudder of Dome, to the chamber-like arrangements of This Kind Of Punishment. There's even a candle flickering in the window for Think Fellers Union Local 282 that warmed these ears. And if you're a fan of the great Dutch band, Trespassers W (who isn't?), the collective consciousness IFWM enunciates on here is a similar testament of a band growing more sure footed in the pursuit of not only knowing all the ways in, but carving a few of their own on the way out. And it's discerning releases like Which Direction Goes The Beam that keep us in the hunt. Long may they forge. - Tom Lax. RIYL: Brian Jonestown Massacre, Velvet Underground, TOY, John Cale, Wire, Dome
The robots on late-night television kept saying the future was already here. We believed it. We promised the stars that we will visit. It felt impossible. But Dimi parked a rocket in front of our house, we got in. The stars were twice as bright as we launched the opposite way, towards the underground. A1 - Dimi Angelis - Mastodon A2 - Dimi Angelis - Hollow Earth B1 - Dimi Angelis - Tertiary B2 - Dimi Angelis - Habitable Zone C1 - Dimi Angelis - Subterranean River C2 - Dimi Angelis - Megatherium D1 - Dimi Angelis - Cataclysm D2 - Dimi Angelis - Cenozoic Digital 1 - Dimi Angelis - The Icy Web Digital 2 - Dimi Angelis - Volcanic Tubes Digital 3 - Dimi Angelis - Quaternary This is the main version of TAR-LP3, 2x12inch with a download code including 3 extra tracks. All tracks will be available digitally. including: free digital download code with 3 extra tunes, stickered outersleeve, printed innersleeves, printed labels.
For nearly 30 years, SUNN O))) – Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson – have pushed the boundaries of heavy music, straddling the worlds of the avant-garde and rock to forge a style instantly recognisable as their own. Now, SUNN O))) return with their first album of new material since 2019’s acclaimed Pyroclasts. Their tenth album – their debut for Sub Pop – demonstrates the duo’s mastery of time and space, light and dark, and their willingness to evolve their unmistakable sound into bold new forms.
The eponymously titled SUNN O))) was tracked at Bear Creek Studios, Woodinville, Washington with Brad Wood (HuM, Tar, Sunny Day Real Estate, Liz Phair). This location proved crucial to the recording process. “The vast tracking room had big windows looking out on trees,” says O’Malley. “We could go hiking and be out in the woods, spend time outdoors. That became a big part of it.”
SUNN O))) have long welcomed collaborators into their self-contained world: past work has featured, Attila Csihar (Mayhem), composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, multi-instrumentalist Steve Moore, polymath Mark Deutrom, Silkworm’s Tim Midyett and legendary singer-songwriter Scott Walker. But on this album O’Malley and Anderson found fresh possibilities in the primal territory of the duo format, performing all the instrumentation themselves. “What’s been happening with our performances over the last couple years with the two of us and no other collaborators has been really fresh and exciting,” says Anderson.
The compositions on SUNN O))) are expansive and panoramic yet finely detailed, reflecting the arboreal setting in which they were recorded. Amidst howling feedback and glacial crunch, one finds surprisingly delicate moments: a field recording of water trickles beneath, piano interludes lend a hushed, solemn feel. All while the duo attains fresh heights of telepathic intensity as they shape music that breathes the bracing, earthy air of the Pacific Northwest.
Framing the album visually are two paintings by the late American artist Mark Rothko. Liner notes are by award-winning British writer Robert Macfarlane, famed for his works concerning landscape and the relationship between humanity and nature. Through the work of the band, Macfarlane, and Rothko, sound, word and visual combine into a fully immersive experience that is undeniably, completely SUNN O))).
*TIP* Previously released on Low Company in 2023, now back... a weirdo lo fi gem
Naturestrip, Naarm, Australia write:
"purely physical teeny tapes perform an invaluable public service in exhuming static cleaner lost reward’s ‘breathing under honey from the heady year o’ 2023’, a slack-jawed riddle within the all-consuming enigma that is thee world of tarquin manek™.
few records command a reissue so soon after their release, the soil heaped atop the (sainted) low company corpse still remaining more than a little damp, but this one’s discreet-to-the-point-of-fury initial release justifies the flogging of the proverbial carked horse, boiled back down into glue for a fresh round of rollicking mucky. arriving as the last release on that fine imprint, ‘breathing under honey’ represents (obliquely, natch) something of a convenient summary of that aforementioned elegantly sloshed world™, condensing as it does the artist’s proclivities exercised among the sweetest of contemporary depth-dwellers, articulated alongside/within y.l. hooi, bum creek, carla dal forno, f ingers, kallista kult, under endless solo monikers…the fun never ends.
let loose here in a suitably gonzo/spellunked mood, the second full-length under the static cleaner moniker (see debut $mile$ from 2013 thru altered states) is compiled of delirious half-thoughts & riddimic gestures accumulated between 2013 & 2020, everything wet & awash with a fine sprouting of lysergic mush between its digits. the implication thereof might suggest something schlonky or amateurish, but fear not, prospective listener, for your ears are in the sticky hands of one of the finest shit-savant prodigies these times have known, crud-caked technoid shapes & blissed pop-glob nous submerged in sublime dubbed-out grog, the resulting sonar-pong shards positively chemical in their ability to simultaneously slant + seduce.
think: martin denny face-deep in a paper bag at the black ark, graciously fucked tropicalia, liquid dub techno housed in vat of spiked quaff, the skaters infiltrating urban tribe, lopsided + caked to the nines in glitter for the gutter.
utterly tranced, sumptuous/sweet & patently ill. a classique of this modern horror epoch if there ever was one."
"ASSEMBLE MUSIC 15 YEARS - Part III : Founded in Lisbon in 2011, Assemble Music celebrates its 15th anniversary with a three-part vinyl compilation, bringing together fifteen artists who, in different ways, reflect the label's past, present and future. Released simultaneously in November 2026 and distributed worldwide by Clone Distribution, the three records are less a retrospective than a continuation of what Assemble has been building since the beginning: music with character, made by artists with their own language, away from trends and easy categorisation. Across fifteen years, Assemble has moved freely between house, techno, electro, dub and more experimental forms of electronic music. The catalogue has never been defined by one particular sound, but rather by a certain approach, personal, uncompromising and built to last. Part III brings together another five artists particularly close to Assemble's musical universe. Lowtec has spent decades developing one of the most distinctive languages in European house and techno, both through his own productions and his own label Workshop. His music shares something fundamental with Assemble, restraint, depth and an unwillingness to follow obvious paths and thats exactly what he delivers with "Dutch Angle" exploring the more ambient and abstract side of house. Welsh modular artist Steevio, co-founder of Freerotation, approaches electronic music through improvisation and live interaction with machines. His contribution to the compilation reflects the human, unpredictable side of electronic music that has always fascinated the label. Reedale Rise returns after becoming an important part of Assemble's recent chapter. Moving naturally between electro, techno and house, his music combines precision with an unmistakable melodic and emotional quality. With his track he explores a slightly darker path here, with deeper, more shadowy melodies revealing a different side of his distinctive sound. Lerosa's "Love Money" and Vera's "Take Me" are two very special tracks in our back catalogue, and we felt it was time to bring them back to life for our 15th anniversary. Vera was one of the first artists to collaborate with Assemble, with Lerosa joining not long after. Over the years, both have become an important part of the label's story, through releases, many shared showcases, and above all, a great friendship that has grown along the way."
Rosa Balisteri was one of the brightest stars on the Italian folk scene of the 1960s and 1970s, certainly far too little known given her talent and expressive power. Her life story is marked by a tormented nature, punctuated as it is by traumas, anguish, injustices, and wounds that forever scored her turbulent existence. Through her songs, Rosa relives the suffering and despair for the devastating challenges and trials of her harrowing life. The archaic and expressive power of her dialect stirs the emotions, exuding anger and pain, but also love and devotion. Through her, all of Sicily sings as well, that of the marginalized people, of peasant struggles, of miners, of cart drivers, and of war. The significance of her protest places her alongside the similar experiences of the historic voices of American blues, the great folk singers of the 1960s such as Odetta and Joan Baez, and the social commitment of two South American heroines like Violeta Parra and Mercedes Sosa. The edition includes a 20-page booklet that tells the story and features the lyrics.
Repress! Back by popular demand–VSR 001 is designed to take you to the outer reaches of where you need to go. Wiersma has created a world where with your eyes closed and head down, the dance-floor can transport you to the outer reaches of space and back again for another beautiful night with all your favorite people.
Vermilion Sun Records was started as a passion project in 2025 with a belief in the magic of physical media juxtaposed against the incursion of AI. The original release featured just 100 copies and utilized US-only distribution; it was sold out in less than 5 months. After being brought across the pond from Boston to Brussels by local DJ & tastemaker Rasaaq, it was subsequently shared, quickly gaining popularity on Discogs. This repress is a testament to Vermilion Sun’s core belief; that is meant to be shared and enjoyed by everyone, and there is magic in that ritual.
Wiersma is a cherished member of the electronic music scene in Boston/Cambridge, MA. A DJ, partygoer, and prolific producer, he has played many of the city’s favorite nights sharing bills with other local talent and setting the stage for international acts like Bradley Zero, Garrett David, and Cinthie. Tapping all of these channels brings forth a creativity where memories from nights in Boston and other global travel transform his unique productions. His release VSR 001 showcases this style, exploring the darker and proggier sides of the house universe while making sure to stay tethered to a reality with firm roots on the dancefloor. A1 begins with Once Around Vega where a cinematic opening draws you into groovy and spacey loops demanding you to move. Syntactic Roles churns more deeply, incorporating layered dystopian vocals, rolling basslines and light acidity that is sure to help you close your eyes and put your head down for a dance. The B side keeps the space station grooving with Transmission from L3, and closes out with Rules of Teleportation incorporating more vocals over chugging electro infused grooves.
Epicentre was an R&B/funk group formed in Seattle, Washington by keyboardist Ric Ulsky. The band developed a loyal following, playing the extensive NW club, concert and dance venues throughout the mid-to-late 1970s. Their sound was a blend of melodic R&B and powerhouse funk that dependably filled music venues throughout the Western US. Bernadette Bascom was the lead vocalist, who captivated audiences with her powerful yet velvet-smooth voice and commanding, magnetic stage presence.
In 1978, Epicentre worked with Seattle producer Don McKinney to record their music in Seattle's now legendary Kaye-Smith studios. The result was seven strong, fully -produced R&B songs, with occasional horn and string orchestrations tastefully added to the final versions.
Their music quite literally sat on a shelf for decades until McKinney decided that all the hard work and talent should no longer remain undiscovered and it needed to find its audience. He restored and digitized his copies of the master tapes and looked for an opportunity. A chance call to the former leader of the group, Kell Houston, led to a serendipitous introduction to UK boutique/funk/R&B label founder Russell Paine. The result was an agreement to release their music, starting with two songs, "When You Were In Love With Me", and "Magic Carpet."
And now the follow up single of "Searchin/Tongue Tied"
Footnotes: Lead singer Bernadette Bascom became a protegé of Stevie Wonder, and was the first artist to be signed to his label Black Bull , starting a period of collaboration between the two. Bermadette is the daughter of Reverend Dr. Marion C. Bascomb (1925-2012), one of Baltimore's major civil rights voices and pastor emeritus of Baltimore's Douglas Memorial Community Church. Ric Ulsky eventually left the group to play keyboards and tour extensively with The Association. You can also find Epicentre's music on the compilation album "Seattle Funk, Modern Soul & Boogie: Volume II 1972-1987." In addition to Bernadette, the musicians on the 1978 sessions are Kell Houston, keyboards, Michael Cox, bass, John Carmondy, guitar, and Ricky Lynn Johnson, drums and vocals. While their recorded material is primarily original, Stacy Christensen from Seattle's Gabriel contributed two of his compositions.
SHORT INFOS
Because Music celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Cerrone's debut album "Love In C Minor (Cerrone I)" .
A record which is one of the mots important of its time. It brought French Disco to the World and established Cerrone as the French King of Disco.
- Pressed in exclusive 2026 Apple Green Crystal Clear vinyl
- Original 1976 artwork - Digitally remastered from original tapes.
BIOG
Cerrone I
Love in C Minor (1976)
The story behind Cerrone's first album could be summarised in the libertarian atmosphere and the creative energy of the 70s, inherited from the 60s revolutions, spiritual, aesthetic or sexual. Looking back now, this record is one of the most important of its time. It helped creating the sound of an era and brought French disco to the world. It is also, and this is fundamental to understand its success, the result of a man's vision: Marc Cerrone, a free spirit inhabited by music, who ended up with a major work of art. With this album, Cerrone accumulated the main elements that make a record timeless, even bigger than its creator: the pure originality, the madness of a vision without compromise, a sense of the market and a great dose of luck too. To some extent, this is the perfect record to start a career, even though Cerrone's one already existed in an implicit way. He actually began in a rather popular band, Kongas, signed by Barclay. Between 1972 and 1974, the band was famous and made it abroad, particularly in Japan, where people loved its sound. Despite this success, probably fed up with the music and not ready to follow the orders of a label that wanted the band to sound more pop, Cerrone disbanded Kongas. He had the sound of his instrument in mind and mostly its central element: the bass drum. The idea of this first solo album came to him after a detour via selling records. Wishing to forget about the studios, he took the head of a small chain of stores, selling records imported from the States. That's when he discovered a daring new sound coming from New York: disco music. This energy inspired him to record again. He then remembered the crazy reaction of the audience when, during the Kongas' concerts, he used to hit his bass drum hard. Cerrone felt like going back into the studio but to make something different. He decided to record a sixteen minutes long track, driven by its beat, that would fit on its own on one side of a LP (during these vinyl days, musicians used to think in terms of sides…), with girls' voices simulating sex. This concept of musical and physical orgasm was recorded at Trident Studios in London (where pop stars used to record at the time… ) with Don Ray, of Kongas, man in the shadows and brilliant arranger who'd follow Cerrone during his whole career. Obviously, like always in pop music (it happened to the Beatles), record companies started by turning this weird track down, convinced that radios would never play sixteen minutes of beats and moaning. Cerrone, a born fighter, decided to trust his instinct (a mix of ego and business sense) and chose to believe that if the radios wouldn't play the track, people would dance to it in the clubs. He released the record himself, with a sexy cover a bit provocative where he wore a black bathrobe, a young short-haired girl leaning on him. Being played here and there, thanks to Cerrone's own network, the record started to work a bit in France. But luckily, things really happened in the States. Due to a mistake, a box of "Love In C Minor" albums were sent to the States via Cerrone's record shop instead of some unsold American LPs. Once in New York, the box was opened and the record with its intriguing cover was instantly loved and passed through the hands of radio and club DJs. All of a sudden, and unknown to its creator, the track that was turned down by every French label, became a hit on the New York disco scene. Casablanca, the US disco label, released a cover recorded by an ad hoc band because nobody knew Cerrone of how to find him. Once he discovered what was happening in the States, Cerrone flew to New York. He realised he had a hit, one of the biggest then, that opened the doors to every record company and especially Atlantic. He was welcome by Ahmet Ertegun, one of the main visionaries of the American music who, among other artists, signed Aretha Franklin and John Coltrane. It's believed that Ertegun understood that the French young musician, like some Atlantic artists, was about to define the sound of his time and that his work would live long after its birth date. "Love In C Minor" was the first step, adamant and successful.
Analog Africa's latest essential compilation began with a ruined needle. Samy Ben Redjeb, who was newly back from a 2002 digging trip, dropped a stylus into a groove that censors at the SABC had gouged with a blade. The record had been marked "not suitable," and the story behind it runs through the whole compilation. The 22 tracks pull American soul, funk and disco toward jazz, reggae and local rhythm until the result sounds utterly Jo-burg. 'How Long?' and 'Take It' are the early standouts, though the Beat Set two-parter and Dudu And The Big Time Boys hold their own. The 16-page booklet fills in the context nicely on this well assembled deep dive.
Isle of Jura is proud to present the first official reissue of Esa’s self titled LP originally released in 1987. Following the 2024 reissue of iconic single 'A Muto', this full album release marks a bittersweet milestone for the label. Developed in close collaboration with the estate of the legendary producer Martin Socko Moukoko following his passing last year, this reissue stands as both a definitive archival release and a respectful tribute to his legacy in Cameroonian music.
Originally released on Atesa in 1987, Esa is a pristine encapsulation of the "Paris Makossa" phenomenon. In the mid 1980s, Cameroon’s finest musical minds migrated to Parisian studios, cross pollinating traditional rhythms with cutting edge European studio electronics and Antillean Zouk sensibilities. At the absolute center of this movement was visionary producer Martin Socko Moukoko. The album is driven by the dancefloor anthem 'A Muto', which showcases a brilliant fusion of horn heavy Makossa and slick Antillean Zouk. Across the five other expansive, spiritual tracks, the sonic template expands significantly. Striking a perfect balance between the urban, brass led grooves of Douala Makossa and the fast, driving, syncopated polyrhythms of Cameroonian Bikutsi, the LP delivers a unique rhythmic energy. These traditional backbones are seamlessly laced with Martin Socko Moukoko’s advanced studio programming, bubbling digital synthesisers, slinky slap bass, and rich, layered harmony vocals.
By bringing the full LP back into print alongside Martin Socko Moukoko’s family, Isle of Jura ensures that his musical legacy is preserved, allowing this timeless intersection of Cameroonian tradition and electronic innovation to be heard exactly as it was intended.
A 180 gram pressing in a 3mm full sleeve designed by Bradley Pinkerton.
I SPLIT MY ORGAN IN TWOS - a sonic world where animals could speak and parents would never grow old. Music is playing beneath the trees. Creeks are flowing towards the treehouse. Bears are singing and Owls are sailing through the wind like miniature spaceships. Solitude is a chosen path of clarity. And when this world collapses, all memories will vanish. Left behind is the Sting that keeps us separated from the insane.
The debut album I SPLIT MY ORGAN IN TWOS by Munich indie project plainhead is a freak folk inspired rockrecord fusing key aspects of 00s experimental indie with 90s indie rock.
The organic soundscapes remind of yetto-be-refined the Microphones from the album It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water (2000). Acoustic Guitars fuse with the sound of fuzz and distortion. Clarinets and pianos can be found somewhere buried beneath the noise,
while the vocals remain dry and tired in the front. The 18-track double LP features easy-listenable songs such as the single Ghost / Smoke, short playful instrumentals named after animals and long ever-evolving operas such as River and Sunsick. The album was released on Munich local DIY recording label new basement.
Highscore is one of the newest-and quite sensational-discoveries in funk of the 1980s out of Germany. Two tracks Breakin' Out and Girls So Fine, both recorded about 40 years ago and shelved ever since, are finally receiving a long-overdue 12" release.
Label founder DJ Scientist tells the story of how the tracks were uncovered:
"Several years ago, while researching the Crea label-after we had already licensed 'You're Not The One For Me' by Peter Patzer-I also wanted to find out more about another band on the label: Nuages, who had released the stunning jazz-funk/fusion album Cumulus.
Interestingly, a Discogs user had uploaded a hand written promo letter from one of the band members along with the LP. In it, drummer Mike Bach mentioned plans for a second album, as well as a single featuring a 'coloured singer'-which caught my attention. (A note on language: the original letter from 1985 uses the term 'coloured.' We've chosen to quote it directly as a historical document, but want to be clear that this reflects the terminology of the era and not language we would use today.)
Digging deeper, more information was found on Bach's own website, where a project called 'High Score' was mentioned. I immediately got in touch and asked if the recordings from that project still existed. Unfortunately, Bach couldn't locate any of the material at the time.
Years passed before we reconnected, when we featured 'Strange Weekend' by Nuages on our recent yacht rock compilation. I still had the Highscore project in mind and asked again. Once more, Mike had to deny-but he made another effort and reached out to former collaborators. A few weeks later, guitarist and composer Hermann Behrens discovered cassette tapes containing tracks from the Highscore project. I couldn't wait to hear them…"
To go back a bit: Nuages were a jazz-rock band from Bremerhaven, originally formed by guitarist Joachim "Fussy" Fuß in 1982. The lineup included Mike Bach (drums and percussion), Klaus Hinners (bass), and Frank Fischer (keyboards). In 1984, John Dillard, a U.S. GI stationed in Germany, joined Nuages for several live performances as a soul singer.
Around 1985/1986, Dillard and Bach then teamed up with Hermann Behrens with a new focus on electro funk and disco: Highscore was born.
When the three demo recordings were finally sent to us, they immediately blew us away. Breakin' Out stood out as an incredible electro-funk boogie gem-exactly what we had been looking for. What's more, it didn't sound like a rough demo at all, Breakin Out was a well-arranged and almost perfectly recorded track, driven by fresh, vibrant synths, drum machines and guitar. The cassette mix wasn't entirely final, but the remaining details could be refined during mastering.
The B-side, Girl So Fine, impressed just as much-equally strong and just as captivating as the A-side. Our reaction was immediate: this had to be released without delay!
Most importantly, there are a few more recordings from Highscore. However, these only exist as multi-track studio reels, which currently cannot be transferred. In the best case, more material from the band may surface soon-hopefully without another long wait.
The 12" release Breakin' Out / Girl So Fine" comes with a newly designed picture sleeve, featuring an original photo of the band members, including background singer Ruben Hopkins who does not appear on these two recordings.
Iconic Argentinian DJ/producer Flug drops full EP on Mutual Rytm Raw with ‘Dew At Night’. Flug, aka Sebastian Lopez, has long been part of the fabric of underground techno with a signature sound that is deep, driving and atmospheric, ensuring that the Argentinian has crafted his own story across the globe. Following his track ‘In Control’ on Mutual Rytm’s ‘Federation Of Rytm IV’ compilation, he follows the likes of KiNK & Raredub and Deetron to make his appearance on sub-imprint, Mutual Rytm Raw, with his ‘Dew At Night’ EP featuring a rare rebuilt version of an unreleased sketch dating all the way back to 2009. ‘Dew At Night’ was unearthed while searching for another track among sessions from over a decade ago. After hearing it again, it sparked a new creative age to rebuild it from scratch, and while experimenting with synthesisers, the main arpeggio appeared. "At first it was hypnotic but harmonically repetitive; the groove and phrasing felt incredibly catchy, so I decided to push the harmony further and change some chords until I found the exact point where emotion and tension could coexist naturally.” Around that bright arp are darker, more raw percussive textures and drums that make for a great contrast and melancholic atmosphere that marries emotion with physical structure. "In my mind, the track was always conceived as a closing track - that moment when the darkness is still there, but the first light of the day starts to appear and the whole atmosphere changes.” After hearing the original, label founder SHDW suggested the Argentinian should remix and reinterpret the record to complete the full EP, and so he steps out of his comfort zone across the remaining tracks, exploring different versions of his musical universe and showcasing all sides of his sound. First up is the ‘Dub Version’, which represents his contemporary sound - the melodic and emotional essence of the original track remains but is translated into a more hypnotic and club-oriented language. The ‘Instrumental Version’ is a brings more progressive-leaning sounds with piano, sax and live percussion textures that, says the artist, allowed him to "rediscover myself as a producer by using tools and influences gathered throughout my long journey in electronic music”. Closing the package, the digital-only ‘Raw Version’ strips away the melody and gets much more primal, introducing a tunnelling groove for when the dancefloor gets dark and moody.
‘veneration for the sacred action’ is the first compilation release by london-based independent record label ‘lifeis beautiful records’ released in celebration of the three-year anniversary of the label (& the gesamtkunstwerk that it exists within), the compilation brings together members of the life is beautiful septet collective, as well as various collaborators and special guests from previous life is beautiful events of the past three years. it highlights a range of the various solo, group projects, and alias’ of the septet, as well as various artists from the wider orbit of the life is beautiful constellations. the project was executively produced and curated as an album by label founder aloisius, as a selected works of the life is beautiful constellations. it stands as a comprehensive yet intentionally incomplete representation of the past three years of life is beautiful
Subtle Beginnings is the second of the ReKab albums originally released on Móatún 7 to be reissued on vinyl for the first time by System One. Analogue Isolation came in May & sold out everywhere almost immediately
Label head D. Howard first came across ReKab while deep diving through Bandcamp, and like many lovers of deep, late night, soulful electronic music immediately fell for the emotional pads, pristine melodies & immaculate productions, simultaneously summoning up the essence of early 90s electronic while sounding thoroughly contemporary.
They connected and a plan hatched to make the Móatún 7 albums available on vinyl for the first time, something that avid record collector James was delighted about. Unfortunately James sadly passed away late August last year, but following conversation with the family & friends of James, it was decided to honour his wishes & make the albums available on vinyl & across all digital services once again. Proceeds after costs will be paid through to the trust fund set up to support James’ surviving son.
System One is a new label dedicated to soulful electronic music, late night grooves & intergalactic beats, drawing its inspiration from the early 90s techno & ambient sounds of Uk, Frankfurt, Detroit & beyond
“One foot out the door, another in the otherworld…”
So begins Hannah Lew’s debut, self-titled solo record, soaked in imperious, wide-eyed pop songwriting and a girl-group/post punk aesthetic that belies the artist’s history in the U.S. underground. A towering, hook-laden album, it’s infused with an optimism and surrealism that conversely deals with the times we find ourselves in.
Recorded at home in Richmond, CA and in The Best House studio with Maryam Qudus in Oakland CA, with the assistance of a crack team of West Coast musicians, this album sees Hannah Lew stepping out from behind the legacy of her two groups Grass Widow and Cold Beat. While musically bearing similarities with her previous work, “Hannah Lew” is a bold leap into direct pop territory, making ample use of a vocal style that teases out the inherent melancholy in her melodies. Mastered by Sarah Register, each song is a perfectly honed nugget that frequently pulls the heart in two directions at once.
Themes of change, breaking up, shattering old ways of being are shot through the record. For the front cover, a photograph of the artist’s face was printed, ripped up and re-assembled, resembling the creative process embarked upon by Lew for her first “solo” material. The album feels instinctual, almost dream-like in its assemblage of sweeping synths and pulsating, propulsive drum machine beat patterns with Lew’s vocal performances sensitive and caressing over the top. Increasingly relying on the subconscious and dreams to guide her creative process, Hannah Lew frequently abandons literal interpretations or linear narratives, the songs seeming to exist in a swooning, effortless flow-state while remaining emotionally hard hitting.
On an album where every song could be a single, there are kaleidoscopic shades and varying emotional tones in abundance. First single Another Twilight is carried along a pumping, Italo-disco-style 4/4 beat and mono-synth bass line, the low end pulling at the heart and body. Lew’s vocal melody teases the track before swan-diving into a gorgeous chorus as she sings “it’s all over baby and I don’t mind… in decline, I take my time…” The album is suffused with moments like this. On slow builder Damaged Melody, an arpeggiated synth elongates the verse before a cascading synth showers down melodic glitter. The stunning Replica uses dual swirling synth patterns before a driving, synthpop chorus for the ages carries Hannah Lew’s vocal into the stereo field, sailing in on a high register singed with the embers of a break up.
In a departure from previous groups, her solo songs are guided by dreams and free association inspired by Dada and the Surrealist movement and sculpted afterwards. As such, the songs reveal themselves on repeated listens, revealing traces of heartbreak inspired by both personal and global elements - Hannah Lew regards the album “a wartime album.” On Move In Silence, Lew intones “there’s a war outside, just out of view,” revealing the dichotomy at play throughout. With the songs evolving naturally and in a flow state, the pressures and sadnesses of the modern age bleed through, mixed in with Lew’s inherent love, sensitivity and fractured-but-intact optimism. On the swooning, sublime Sunday layers of Numanoid synths open up for the commanding vocal performance pontificating on grief, love, pain as she “feels the ache on Sunday…” As the chorus builds and Lew’s call-and-response vocal adds to the emotional tension, it almost feels like too much to take.
Elsewhere, there are echoes of Hannah Lew’s previous work. On Time Wasted a bass guitar comes in with a heavy, punk attack before the synths and vocal harmonies reminiscent of later Cold Beat elevate everything. The glassy, sweetly resigned closer The Clock sounds like so classic it could be cover, a sweetened Jesus & Mary Chain tune perhaps, before it erupts into volcanic chorus that could only come from Hannah Lew in 2026.
Common Language is a project of the Community Library label. We started it as a way to reconnect with the ideas that drove ComLib’s inaugural releases back in 2005, uncompromising and eclectic DJ 12’s. We’ll be focused on this imprint for a while, and near-term, putting the emphasis on releases by label cofounders and our closest friends.
On CLANG02, the Middlemarch 12” EP, Solenoid transmutes his signature buoyant syncopated acid, electro, and mutant techno into moodier, reverberant territory. If you previously knew Solenoid for his restless, sophisticated Braindance-adjacent stuff, this EP is totally consistent with his long discography. Here though, he gets into a dreamier, and also bassier zone that is equally rewarding either in the innerspace immersion of headphones or in the warmth of your favorite local underground club’s sound system--lots of detail and atmosphere to sink into.
“Middlemarch” is moody deep techno-- a clatter of distant percussion encircles eerie pads and an extra-bassy, double-filtered TB303 bassline. “Ways and Means” rotates perplexing polyrhythmic patterns driven by bright, elasticchords that keep it moving (reminding me of The Martian’s stuff on Red Planet a bit). “A Winter Walk” offers a skeletal, skittering rhythm that wouldn’t be out of place next to a Livity Sound track; and the closer, “Dvv Waltz” reserves a 3/4-time experiment for the bravest / most inquisitive DJs.
Edition of 300 vinyl copies includes special full- color insert
Mastered by Dietrich Schoenemann
About Solenoid
Solenoid is the primary musical vehicle of David Chandler, a lifer underground producer, musician, and visual artist. As a lone electronic voice in the wilderness of early-90s Portland (which was at the time a grunge-saturated third backwater) he started out releasing adventurous, now- unobtainium tapes on his DIY Pharmacy label. Solenoid then became known internationally at the turn of the millennium as one of Portland’s persistent ambassadors for underground crossover electro and techno, releasing on labels like Outward Music Company, Emanate, Orac, and many others (most recently, on the Paris label Partout). He’s a real legend honestly--doggedly clocking in almost 40 years of uncompromising experimentalism with a signature sound and vision running all the way through.
-- Paul Dickow (Strategy)
Emotional Rescue returns after a much-needed year hiatus, refreshed and ready, as it moves into its 15th year, to further explore the environs of oft-forgotten musical secrets and present them to new heads and minds.
To celebrate, the label looks back to one of its favourite collaborations, the music of French ‘Ethno-Industrialists’ Vox Populi! in presenting a truly unique EP of “In Dub”, inspired remixes by 4 fellow Paris based artists of today in Full Circle, Froid Dub, Krikor and Shelter.
“In Dub” takes a selection of songs from the series of albums reissued or compiled on Emotional Rescue and sister label, Platform 23, and gives the Master tapes to this talented ensemble to offer their own, unique dub reworks. The project explores the on-going advances in technology offered, mixed with pure talent and a respectful homage.
Formed by Axel Kyrou and including wife Mitra, as well as long-term music and art partners Pierre Jolivet aka Pacific 231 and Francis Lafont aka FR6 Man, they forged a path from obscure, drum and drum-based cassette releases on to fully realized albums and compilations on their now cult Vox Man Records.
Alexis Le Tan and Joakim’s Full Circle project starts, with their electronic dub remake of Soleyman Dub from the ‘Alternatif Réalisme’ compilation (ERC079). With releases on Good Morning Tapes, Offen and their own “Released” label, their plaudits as master diggers and producers of dubby tripped-out inspired electronics – releasing slowed Trance some 10 years before anyone else – is inspired. Tuning in and turning on the original dub into a mantra style slow-breaks (Digi)dub is the perfect experimental flavour.
Jube Man is next, a twisted, psychedelic dub out by rising stars Froid Dub. The stand-out from the ‘Magiques Creations’ release (ERC052), an album that explored Vox Populi’s furtive post-industrial period of 1984 to 1988, Jube Man was the perfect selection by the duo of François Marché and Stéphane Bodin.
Froid Dub have steadily developed their “cold” Digidub style to acclaim –
releasing a steady flow of dub inspired electronics on their own label Delodio, as well as recently appearing on sister label Emotional Response’s 10th year anniversary collection, ‘All Trades’. Their haunting, shuffling and murky acid / piano dub, with the drifting “Space Echoing” of Mitra’s vocals from the live desk mix, creates a ghostly version to effect.
Next, master mixer, producer and engineer Krikor serves a steppers remake with his “OverDub” of Zen-Dub. With a career that spans releases on Tigersushi, LIES and Soul Jazz, his sound has developed from Electro, House and Techno, to Acid, Bleep, Dancehall, Dub and touches of Gabba.
Taken from Vox Populi!’s master-opus Aither (ERC030), the first of our reissues dating back to 2016, Zen-Dub’s pacey, lo-fi dub experience is transformed and overdubbed into an incessant sound system throb, a true bass quaking “steppa”.
To close, Micro Climax is put through Shelter’s increasing avant dub exposition. Appearing on the likes of Growing Bin, Emotional Response and his own Protopost, as well for – and being in-house designer – on the much-missed Séance Centre, Alan Briand aka Shelter productions have developed from Balearic, Edits and House to explore Avant, Raga and live Dub productions.
Appearing on the recent ‘Ethniques Pyschedeliques’ compilation on Platform 23 (PLA032), in original form Micro Climax is a sprawling 10-minute ethno-dub of whispered vocals, drone and sub bass. Shelter strips it back, keeping background effects, adding live bass and percussion to create a wonky, slow, shuffling ska-lite excursion to complete a true “In Dub”.
The latest game in the stylish Katamari Damacy series in which you roll your katamari and collect items to become large enough to form a star for the cosmos, Once Upon A KATAMARI, is getting its own vinyl record release called Katamari Once Again! A total of 23 wondrous songs have been personally selected by the game"s sound composer, Yuu Miyake. The album features BGM stage music in addition to songs performed by an all-star lineup of various artists such as Saya Asakura, Amane Uyama, KAF, Clémentine, Kocchi no Kento, Masashi Sada, San Francisco Boys Chorus, Katamari Damacy feat. suis from Yorushika, Daoko, chelmico, Kenji Niinuma, Saki Hanami, Shigeru Matsuzaki, and Yakushimaru Etsuko. Once Upon A KATAMARI immerses you in the colorful worlds and eras of time and history. Product shown is a luxurious gatefold sleeve housing two records inside. The cover was designed by Kazuki Takakura with supervision from Yuu Miyake, the game"s sound composer. When you think of Katamari Damacy, you think of the colorfully chaotic artwork that comes hand in hand alongside it, and this packaging offers a high-quality, must-have item for a fan"s collection.
‘An Undying Love For A Burning World follows Converge’s Love Is Not Enough this year as a pivotal metal album about acknowledging the darkness for what it is and trying to accept it.’ - the QUIETUS
‘Neurosis Know You’re Hurting. Their Stunning New Album Is a Life Preserver.
An Undying Love for a Burning World, the band’s first album with new member Aaron Turner, is a reminder of how even the darkest music can be a guiding light’ - 9/10 ROLLING STONE
Evolution can be ugly and beautiful, painful and euphoric. An Undying Love For A Burning World is the first new release from Neurosis in a decade, and a potent statement of intent and rebirth - one that marks the first new steps of resolve and resilience.
An Undying Love For A Burning World is an epic album of colossal hypnotism - beautiful, fearsome and utterly compelling in a way that only Neurosis can be. Aaron Turner (Sumac, Isis) joins the band on vocals and guitar, a name whose legacy is intertwined with the band’s own and a true kindred spirit.
“From the moment I first heard Neurosis over 30 years ago, I felt this was the music my heart and mind had been seeking but not yet heard. Now after many years travelling along various musical paths of my own, the singular sound and spirit embodied by Neurosis continues to speak to the depths of my being. It is an honor and a true pleasure to have been welcomed so warmly into a band that not only shaped my perspective on the limitless possibilities of music - but has lived and exemplified the necessity of upholding creative integrity and camaraderie above all else.” - AARON TURNER
Neurosis have never been afraid of change, and here they embrace endless regeneration, surrendering to the emotional exorcism through heaviness and distortion that their music incites. Just as the universe tends towards balance, Neurosis’cacophony of noise, rhythm and dissonance always resolves towards moments of beauty. The addition of Turner's powerful vocals and wildly creative and unhinged approach to guitar proves to be a vital force as Neurosis find themselves again at the mercy of evolution and expression.
On every song in the band’s history, Neurosis shifts restlessly between tension and relief, invoking a feeling both feral and transcendent in listeners. The band describe their songwriting process as an inescapable impulse to create with each other - a need rather than a choice. Indeed, the band insist that their return is “not a reunion - we never broke up.”
The album was recorded by Scott Evans (Kowloon Walled City, Sumac, and Great Falls) at Studio Litho in Seattle during three weekends this winter, and mixed in three days just six weeks before release at Evan's Antisleep Audio in Oakland.
Neurosis will play their first show in seven years on the traditional lands of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana as part of Fire in the Mountains festival by special invitation of Firekeeper Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to reducing youth suicide in Indian Country.
FITM, is a unique festival known for bringing epic music to epic landscapes with the intent of reconnecting and immersing oneself with the natural world, and strengthening our ancestral roots as human beings - an aim which aligns directly with Neurosis’ deep-rooted power.
Stay tuned for further news over the coming months.
PREVIOUS PRESS:
‘In less skilful hands, this relentless sonic oppression would be gruelling, but by expressing human frailty with such visceral abandon, Neurosis have once again turned darkness into euphoria.’ - 4/5 THE GUARDIAN
‘The Oakland band has evolved from gritty metallic punk to harrowing post-hardcore prog to the majestic doom of their current phase’ - 7.9 PITCHFORK
‘It’s not often an album of such stature exceeds one’s anticipations, but Honor is too astounding to not be revered.’ - The QUIETUS
“Fires Within Fires is the summation of thirty years of experimentation in tonality and texture. Yes, NEUROSIS are firmly positioned within the extreme metal underground yet their music, with its ability to generate images of beauty akin to those many of us have experienced in our own lives – not to mention the loss that accompanies them – challenges this categorization. ‘’ - WIRE MAGAZINE - FULL PAGE REVIEW.
"Their intensity remains undimmed on Fires Within Fires...The already converted will take heart from the evidence that age is unable to wither the fury of this heaviest of bands." - KERRANG! 4K REVIEW
"Every monstrous sludge riff gnashes menacingly for the right amount of time and every delicate moment of folk-inspired drift is emotionally exacting. Neurosis continue to create art without equal, and Fires Within Fires is another worthy addition to an awe-inspiring canon containing a number of truly pioneering and timeless albums." - METAL HAMMER - 8/10 LEAD REVIEW
Following the massive, multi-platinum success of the global hit "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" and his breakout contributions to Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER, Shaboozey returns with his most ambitious work to date: the new concept album, The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales. Building on the genre-bending foundation of Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, this project cements Shaboozey’s status as a pioneer of New Americana through a cinematic outlaw revenge story with a tragic love at its center.
The narrative follows Cherie Lee, who, after witnessing her sheriff father’s murder by the Bootcut Boys, abandons the badge to hunt the gang down one by one. In the heat of her vengeance, she falls for an outlaw—not the killer, but a man guilty by association. While he seeks redemption through her love and she seeks a cure for her darkness, both find that violence is not so easily escaped. When her lover kills the real murderer in her name, he proves that bloodlust doesn’t end; it only evolves. In a devastating final act, Cherie chooses her vendetta over her heart, killing the man who loves her most and fully becoming the very monster she set out to destroy. Gritty, soulful, and narratively daring, The Outlaw Cherie Lee is a bold evolution from one of music's most dominant current forces.
Curió Curió came to flight by chance. Two artists, Rio-born, Austria-based singer and actress Luiza Monteiro and German producer Dustin Braun, had separately reached a fork in their journeys. An opportune encounter soon blossomed into an uplifting, heartfelt Brazilian MPB-groove project shaped by psychedelic disco and studio experimentation. In their own words Curió Curió’s sonic vision “is not straight disco, not straight samba, not strictly old-school but inspired by all of them, creating something contemporary but still nostalgic”.
A modern fusion influenced as much by Gal Costa and Jorge Ben Jor as Say She She and Bala Desejo, their sound deftly plots a course all of its own. A celebration of freedom, movement, love and life, intertwined with introspective moments of reflection. Treating tradition as something alive, migratory and unresolved, the album is not simply bound by a shared love of Brazilian music, but by a deeper question that runs through every track; where does one belong when home becomes plural? As a Brazilian living in Europe, Luiza's lyrics explore themes of identity, culture, and existence. The tracks move between cities and emotional registers without settling, tracing a sense of identity that shifts rather than resolves. Songs like ‘Amor Doente’ and ‘Mar sem Dar Pé’ circle around relationships that resist clarity, while ‘Menina Passarinho’ captures the fear and necessity of committing to music as a path. For Luiza, deepening her commitment to music alongside years in theatre was both inevitable and difficult. Braun’s production follows a similar logic. Initial ideas were often built without obvious reference points, only later incorporating rhythmic and vocal elements that hint at Brazil without reproducing it. Analogue techniques, tape, ribbon microphones and live ensemble recording bring a tactile quality that reflects the duo’s interest in process as much as outcome. Highlights include ‘Bem Querer’, built on an authentic samba street vibe with a super-catchy sing-along chorus, and ‘Vem pra Casa’ with its cosmic-tinged Brazilian boogie flavour. The album closes with ‘A Cor do Meu Sonho’, a quiet act of insistence. A refusal to shrink in unfamiliar environments, and a belief in the strength of difference. It is less a conclusion than a continuation, leaving the central question open. “I started to understand that I can belong to many places at once”, Luiza reflects. “And that can be something to embrace”. Lyrics from the song ‘Raiz’ translate in English to “I value a burning sun and the cold in the air. Constant change is my companion”. With Curió Curió, that idea is lived through sound, story and collaboration. A debut that feels both searching and assured, grounded in heritage yet shaped by distance.
After a year in the making, Laolu completes his Mascara EP with the release of its final single, ‘Mental'. A beautifully instinctive collaboration with Benni Ola that captures the magic of spontaneity and creative connection.
The foundations of the track were first laid in Bali, where Laolu began experimenting with a guitar recording from another project. Drawn to Benni Ola’s unmistakable vocal energy after repeatedly playing his music, the producer immediately felt a connection between the unfinished instrumental and Benni’s voice. Months later, the pair met during a writing camp in Portugal, instantly establishing a creative chemistry that would eventually lead them to Los Angeles, where Mental was recorded in a single, fluid session.
Built around intuition and emotion rather than overthinking, the collaboration unfolded almost effortlessly. What began as a loose idea quickly transformed into a record overflowing with memorable hooks, as both artists leaned fully into the moment and trusted the energy in the room. Benni Ola described the experience as feeling “electrified” from the instant the track played, recalling the session as something almost channelled rather than consciously written. One of those rare creative moments where everything simply falls into place.
That sense of immediacy and freedom runs throughout Mental. Warm, soulful, and emotionally charged, the track balances hypnotic grooves with expressive vocal delivery, creating a record that feels both intimate and euphoric.
Together with previous singles Mascara and Velvet Blooms featuring Paul Brenning, Mental completes the ‘Mascara' EP. A rich and deeply expressive body of work that highlights Laolu’s ability to fuse emotion, groove, and collaboration into something truly timeless.
As with all releases on Siembra, the single is tied to artwork inspired by Magic Carpet - a painting by Laolu’s late father, created in Nigeria in the early 1980s. It’s a personal and cultural thread running through each release, defining the visual identity of Siembra as the label evolves.
Younger Than Me announces his debut full length "The Golden Age Of Love", to be released on 90's Wax this coming March 2024. The record is the perfect example of the breadth of his irrepressible and unique sound. Featuring collaborations with Massimiliano Pagliara, Brame & Hamo and Pablo Bozzi. The artist is an Italian native known for a modern interpretation of '90s club music' - a dynamic blend of Progressive House, Trance, EBM, Breakbeat, and Techno ideas. This first album is a love letter to a deep-rooted passion for the idiosyncrasies of rave culture and the crossover points with contemporary electronic music.
Younger Than Me, an artistic project by Francesco Mingrino that is steeped in the nostalgia of ‘90s rave, yet not at all trapped in that past. A project that has cemented a special place in the electronic music scene with a string of records on labels like Bordello A Parigi, Amsterdam-Utrecht based platform XXX, Rotterdam’s Bar and Jennifer Cardini’s Dischi Autunno. To this point Francesco has pushed his fun yet forceful sound, with many releases on his own 90's Wax, and collaborations with people like Skatebård, Francesco Farfa, Timothy Clerkin and Curses (as Y2C).
"The Golden Age Of Love" as a package is curated in Younger Than Me's characteristic style. Opening with "Long Life Death", a track that sets the stage with a cinematic soundscape in a classic Carpenter vibe. Picking up the tempo "Zarathustra Dance" takes you right into the golden age itself, its low slung beat and carefully sequenced lead line pushes an ever building tension designed to crack any dancefloor. The track with Massimiliano Pagliara, "Eternal Sunshine Of Solitary Mind", is one of the highlights, perfectly building around a catchy lead with tight arpeggio and sequenced acid. Leading us into the 2nd half of the record "Sadness Is The Only Way To Happiness" is a proto-trance beast, inspired by that period in the early 90s when Trance was less bright lights and big stages and more dark rooms and smoke filled spaces, an ever building progressive run of haunting vocals, rave stabs and rolling bass.
Whilst YTM is at home presenting dancefloor focussed material, we see him explore the other side too, with "Memory Is A Clock" like the earlier "Vortix", he ditches the 4x4 for breakbeat territory. Whilst the bass keeps the solid metronome you would expect, "Memory Is A Clock" is a track that takes a few moments, contemplative melody and trademark arpeggios take the lead. When it comes to the other collaborations on the record, the appearance of Brame And Hamo on "Raver's Heart Is A Mess" sees them lean into the Progressive nature both artists love so much. Then Pablo Bozzi lends his own unique outlook to "We Don't Know The Way, We Just Stay" in one of the standout tracks, epitomising Younger Than Me’s ability to create profound experiences.
The album concludes with "Music Will Never Stop, Heartbeat Will Never Fade, Party Will Never End", less of a title and more of a personal philosophy – the perpetual essence of rave culture and its timeless impact on music. A rhythmic belter, juxtaposed with incendiary synth-lines and staple catchy sequence work, finishing the record with one of the true highpoints. In addition the release also features four digital bonus tracks, including "The Other Face Of Loneliness" and a Prog Dance Reshape of one of the records more eclectic cuts "Zarathustra Dance" all offering an extended exploration into the creative landscape YTM inhabits.
"The Golden Age Of Love" is a debut album that ticks all the boxes; it's a celebration of a bygone era through the lens of the contemporary. Younger Than Me stands as a testament to the enduring spirit and evolving nature of the music that began in the ‘90s rave scene, with an LP that pushes Love, Progression and Fun to the forefront.
Key To World Peace is the third release by Prophetic Justice Ministry - aka Australian musician Sam Perry. An atmospheric, cinematic album that belies a striking pop songwriting nous at its core, its conductor Prophetic Justice Ministry is at the centre of a new wave of creative, rule-bending Melbourne artists. Romantic, smudged and hazy, Perry emerges from behind a wall of
half-light with a clutch of earworms and affecting emotions.
Recorded in home studios in Belgrade (Serbia), Christchurch (New Zealand) and Melbourne (Australia) over the course of three years, Key To World Peace offers a dichotomy in approach. Shifting on a dime between ambient, filmic washes of sound and more traditional song structures, the approach feels natural, casually acid-tipped and emotionally revealing. While Perry’s
distinctive keys and production melding with melody is evidenced in Melbourne group Who Cares?, as Prophetic Justice Ministry there’s a heightened sense of mystery and space being used.
Swirling in a psychedelic fog with dry iced chords falling down like melting stars, the album pulses with an ominous, distorted intro that sculpts air into blocks of sound before Psyop offers a glimpse through the gloom at the artist navigating through crushed, shoe-gazing chords, singing a consolation into an abandoned building. Side A’s more abstract tone veers from industrial tracks (T-A) to pastoral, impressionistic pieces (Trance) before album highlight Life’s A Party showcases the effortless, classic songwriting lurking in Prophetic Justice Ministry. Built on the tension between the upbeat lyrics and suppressed, rich delivery, the song lopes on an alluring loop with acoustic guitars and Perry’s voice walking a tightrope between irony and sincerity. The song blooms into a bright burst of light, almost inducing synesthesia in the listener and reminding a little of The Beta Band’s most outre and catchy moments.
Opening Side B, Naked Shine’s scintillating guitar is punctuated by a sub bass swell that offsets the yearning vocal performance. With palpable sensitivity the song is shepherded into short, atmospheric passages before Love Drum’s direct delivery: Perry’s vocal and guitar, dancing over a hint of distortion feels like Syd Barrett at his most casually brilliant. Carrying on the tradition of a single cover on every Prophetic Justice Ministry release, here Lana Del Rey’s Mariner’s Apartment Complex is given a stripped back but faithful treatment. With a sound that feels like a hushed, Chris Isaak classic it’s testament to Perry’s own compositions that the cover doesn’t outshine the rest of the album. Album closer and single Spirit House Party combines a classic chord progression with Perry’s double-tracked vocal into a murky but brilliantly catchy chorus. While nowhere near as lush in its production, there’s something in the atmosphere of Prophetic Justice Ministry’s vocal sitting in the mix just so that reminds us of The Electric Prunes’ Holy Are You-era work with David Axelrod.
Key To World Peace flits between displaying a spectrum of blurred emotional resonance in its instrumental passages and vulnerability in the shape of raw, melodic songwriting. With his first release outside of Australia and vinyl debut, Sam Perry’s Prophetic Justice Ministry is a beguiling dance in and out shadows.
20:20 Vision has been defining the house underground for decades now, and much of its earlier material remains as revealing as its newer output. A case in point is this reissue of the rare Echo Beach release. Founder Ralph Lawson and his old pal Carl Finlow's recordings from The Farm in the Rhubarb Triangle retain a warmth and analogue weight that contemporary production struggles to replicate - all hands-on-deck live passes through drum machines, synths and outboard desks, the process audible in every groove. The discovery of unreleased cut 'Blues Dimensions', which was rescued from corrupted DATs, is the real find here: rasping Moog bass, P-Funk refrain and heavy Rhodes that sounds anything but archival. Top drawer excavation.
As Selofan's fifth studio album, Vitrioli, from 2018, is a testament to the tragedy of life. The Greek duo, Joanna Pavlidou and Dimitris Pavlidis, who recorded the album in the Fabrika Records home studio, continue on in their poetic, but heartbreaking, music set to a dance beat. Between languages (Greek, English, German, and Spanish), Selofan feels on the brink of mania with Vitroli. However, the madness is controlled, the songs are restrained hysterics that culminate into the alchemic perfection of the band's specific moody sound.
From synthpop to synthpunk elements, the twelve-track LP leads listeners through dark corridors and into haunted, empty beds. There is a resignation to a doomed destiny with Vitroli—a trait that connects all Selofan releases—as a bitter pain and loneliness that cannot, or will not, subside.
The album begins with "Give Me a Reason" whose lyrics feel universal in this day and age: Give me a reason, to get out of bed / I could just watch the ceiling instead. Its heartbreak is profound as bells and voice pads echo under Joanna's voice. The adjacent music video for the song was directed by Dimitris Chaz Lee, and the band describes the video as "depicting the fragile nature, conflicts, emotional demands, and vulnerability of each person in a relationship."
"Billie Was a Vampire" is a story about an undead creature who works at a nightclub followed by the urgency of "Black Box." Brass sounds moan against the fast beat and suggest a frenzied need to escape.
"I'm Addicted" became the second single for the LP. I am addicted, you are mine, Joanna demands of the lover. The music video, also directed by Dimitris Chaz Lee, depicts a clean, white photoshoot primed for the most beautiful creatures of the Athenian wave scene. Alex Macharias, from the legendary Greek band In Trance 95, acts as the photographer for the session, as the models pose and flail under the bright bulbs. The director states: "Addiction is a mental state, something inside all of us. It altered our perception and created a parallel world of avant-garde beings and flashy lights making us part of this everlasting bond."
Crypt of the Wizard is proud to make available two legendary underground albums by Slutet on vinyl and digital formats.
Slutet originated in Uppsala well over a decade ago, first emerging as a loose idea around 2010. The original cluster of strangely like minded individuals - Dingir, Ryttersson, J.P., Sviatopolk, were equally set on starting a cult as they were a band, the former emerging as a loose collective known as The End Commune, while the latter eventually began rehearsing together as Slutet on September 1, 2013.
From this constellation three notorious demo tapes sprung which were self-released in very limited numbers, and only available by trading bodily fluids, blood, and/or hair for the cassettes. “A very loose guess but we made probably around 20-30 hand-drawn/custom demo tapes of the first three releases. We got blood and hair from many places, actually the very first offering was from INDONESIA. Slovakia, Germany, USA, Argentina, Norway, Canada, Finland followed.... if my memory serves..... hazy years indeed”
J.P. left early 2015. Later that year, after trying the band as a bass-drum-vocals outfit for a while, Fjalar joined on guitar. This is the classic constellation. Dingir, Ryttersson, Fjalar, Sviatopolk. The same troupe playing to this very day.
Following on from the compilation Slutet began work on their next offering entitled Jihad. While the departure of J.P. left them temporarily without a guitarist, a chance meeting with Fjalar at a rave ushered in a new era for the band. “I met the drummer and the bass player at a psytrance rave in the forest. I didn’t have any band and I wanted to play music and I saw this fucking weirdo with long dreads and a Hellhammer shirt and I just went up to talk to him”.
After Fjalar joined the rather chaotic fray, songwriting duties were spread out more broadly and Jihad was rehearsed and recorded in a haze. First released as a cassette by Manifest Of Hate Creations, and later on vinyl in an edition of 100 by Goatowarex the release quickly sold out and became as legendary, and as incredibly difficult to obtain as the previous releases. “It has got some psychedelic improvs, some very unorthodox and quite genius vocal work, some electronic undertones, some noisy ambience, a message of existentialism; all this wrapped up in some sloppy but very authentic and intense black metal-ish music.”
“After the vinyl compilation was out (early 2015) we felt probably a bit directionless, and, having parted ways with a befriended and talented guitar player, we felt maybe a bit morally weakened to continue. First, for a year almost, we toiled on without the 6-strings and rehearsed quite lengthy material for a proposed upcoming LP. However, that material never surfaced. Then we got a new guitar player (Fjalar) and created and recorded this mess”.
It is with great pride that we make these albums available to a general audience and in a wider pressing without need for bloodshed.
‘Perfect We Are Not’ the latest track from Soulwax, emerges directly from the band’s recent Abbey Road After Hours project - a unique collaboration with the iconic London studio that saw Soulwax take over the building for a series of recording sessions and a landmark live event.
Working across Abbey Road’s historic spaces - from Studio Three, to Studio Two, to Studio One - the band used all three rooms as a continuous creative environment, moving fluidly between them in pursuit of new material. It was within these sessions that ‘Perfect We Are Not’ was written and recorded with their full live band (including three drummers).
The track was cut using the studio’s vast array of analogue equipment before being pressed direct to vinyl and played as the opening moment of their 2manydjs set inside Studio One
Now released as a standalone single, ‘Perfect We Are Not’ carries that immediacy forward — a driving, full-bodied track that reflects the band’s instinctive, performance-led approach in the studio, and will also be released as a limited edition 12” via DEEWEE.
BOY Records was founded by Michael Zosel back in 1987 but it was after a few releases that he started to work with producer Arno Müller. “Brian” by Absurd was the first techno release on the label and a great success in the German techno scene. The cooperation continued with singles by Hypnopedia and New Scene that worked very well and put the name of BOY Records in the charts and clubs all around Germany and abroad. In 1990 another massive success came with the single “Kennedy” by Deep Thought and since there the label did not stop to release hit after hit by lot of names like Time Modem, “O”, Cybex Factor, Sonic System, Moskwa TV, MCL and lot more.
“Timeless Technology 1988-1991” compiles some of the best singles released on label’s most fruitful years. A selection of 24 classic tekkno traxx. Four records with printed inner sleeves packed on a silk-screened transparent Pet-Gag box. Limited edition of 500 copies.
After a very long silence, Wasser Bassin proudly presents Christine Fowler‘s third album, Anthology Of Oddities!
Almost ten years after her last effort, Christine returns with a handful of diverse and unique tracks. On the A-side, the skillfully crafted field recording, ‘Arctic Exortation”, which, literally, breaks the listener’s ice, is followed by the morse encoded distress of “Sinking Vessel Mayday. “Now There Has Been A Delay” and “Elegy For Dead Guitars” both work as somewhat melodic, somewhat tense acoustic guitar innuendos.
The B-side starts off with the long and epic ‘An Unfinished Portrait For Peter And Jean-Luc’, an actual soundtrack for things that never came to life; whilst, the brief and minimal, “Crevasse” ends the album in a sort of synth-like meditation.
So, there you go. It is all brand new and limited to 100 copies!
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Lena Willikens & Sarah Szczesny feat. Viktoria Wehrmeister and Detlef Weinrich
"Phantom Seance Ballett is a boombox orchestra, Nō mimes, Vicky’s protection spells, Detlef’s psychic shuffles, a smoke machine, a strobe light chamber, painting, Margit Carstensen’s chiffre, Susie Greene’s insults, Schleim, Ebichu’s echoes and Anna Oppermann’s limbo."
Thus we welcome Lena Willikens & Sarah Szczesny's ethereal Phantom Kino Ballett project to Utter with 'Phantom Seance Ballett', an unusually tangible manifestation of what has become an on-going series of live performances and installations that incorporate sound, video, costume, still imagery and beyond. The themes explored weave in and out of grasp, touching on the otherworldly and mysterious, on hypnotic rites and ceremonies, on the fetishisation of cultural tropes and curios.
While carefully documented, these happenings had not been distilled or presented in a cohesive format until now. Of course, an attempt to harness and package such an experience required an imaginative leap beyond the traditional 'record-in-sleeve' approach and Lena and Sarah have overseen every aspect of this remarkable collection themselves.
Working with designer Till Sperrle, Lena and Sarah have conjured up a fold-out box containing an LP, a riso-printed credits poster detailing the samples and snippets collaged into the sound, a 36 page book with imagery from various shows and an essay by Thomas Vorreyer plus sticker pack. The limited 50 copy artist edition contains an additional 10 special riso-prints within an artist stamped hand-numbered box. For all, the LP contains twenty hidden locked grooves cut into the run-out on each side presenting snippets from the artists' archive.
The first of these pieces - 'Identikit Arkaden Seance' - took place on the 2nd of October 2019 at NAK Neuer Aachener Kunstverein and is a live recording. This performance was part of their exhibition "Chambers of Phantom Kino Ballett", where they showed new video works and displayed the now infamous costumes and slippers worn by Lena, Sarah and a rotating cast of guest phantoms.
At this performance, the seven performers carried boomboxes playing individual audio tracks inside and outside the Kunstverein, while Viktoria Wehrmeister and Detlef Weinrich improvised music alongside the phantoms' moving soundtracks of sonic snippets, poetry, field recordings and soundscapes.
The second piece - 'Studio Chamber Seance' - contains diverse audio tracks of performances that were held by Willikens and Szczesny in collaboration with Wehrmeister and Weinrich. It has been deconstructed and rearranged with additional sound material from the Lena Willikens & Sarah Szczesny archive, then edited and mixed by Lena and Sarah in Amsterdam and Cologne last year. Additional music by Detlef Weinrich and Viktoria Wehrmeister features throughout, recorded live in Aachen 2019 and Frankfurt 2020.
Mastered by Gordon Pohl. Transfer, additional mastering & lacquer cut by Helmut Erler at D&M.
The moment the instantly recognizable intertwined guitar passage on the title track to the Eagles' Hotel California begins, the record's genius becomes obvious all over again. Ranked the 118th Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone, certified by RIAA as the third best-selling LP in history, and considered the foundation on which the Golden State's mid-‘70s music scene was built, the 1976 landmark is a music staple immune to shifts in trends, eras, and styles. Fearlessly addressing the chaos and consequences of American life, its songs remain strikingly prescient and gain creedence with each passing day.
Mastered from the original analogue master tapes, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, and limited to 17,500 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP vinyl box set ensures you will want to permanently check into and never leave this particular Hotel California. Up to the herculean task of standing head and shoulders above all prior reissues, this collectible edition plays with extreme clarity, organic richness, tube-like warmth, massive dynamics, and microscopic levels of detail. You'll be able to practically smell the colitas and feel the breeze in your hair. Songs come across with an epic sweep and feature immersive, front-to-back soundstages that allow the music unprecedented air, roominess, and separation. As for the noise floor? It's basically as invisible as the spirits that waft in the corridors of the unforgettable title song.
Aesthetically, the premium packaging and presentation of the UD1S Hotel California pressing befit its esteemed status. Housed in a deluxe box, it features gorgeous foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendour of the recording. From every angle, this UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artefact meant to be preserved, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in the art – and everything involved with the album, from the renowned cover art to the meticulous finishes.
Indeed, the opportunity to zero in on all the particulars of the 26-million-selling Eagles record dubbed "a legitimate rock masterpiece" by vaunted Los Angeles Times scribe Robert Hilburn has never been better. A global phenomenon that marked the band debut of guitarist-singer Joe Walsh, Hotel California continues to resonate and connect with listeners of all generations taken by its narrative depth, stark directness, picturesque melodies, daring majesty, and ardent emotionalism. Adorned with a breathtaking exterior photograph of the Beverly Hills Hotel that serves as the simultaneously haunting and alluring cover art, and rounded out by a rear-cover shot of the Lido Hotel lobby that reinforces a notion that teeters between permanence and transience, Hotel California is brilliantly tied to a specific place that functions as a universally understood metaphor for the American Dream.
Confronting the darker undercurrents and oft-ignored constructs attached to that romantic notion, the record's songs revolve around a host of shared themes: excess, mobility, stability, illusion, fame, destruction, and idealism included. Notably, Hotel California appeared at a crucial junction in American history: During the country's bicentennial and amid escalating controversies related to the Vietnam War, energy crisis, and governmental corruption. That the Eagles manage to channel such cultural, social, and economical matters into a cohesive, stately, big-picture statement is alone a stupendous feat. That the album's reach, boldness, vitality, accessibility, and understated intensity have never waned make it a marvel.
Reflecting on Hotel California 40 years after its original release, and indirectly explaining its enduring appeal and increasing relevance, singer-songwriter Don Henley confirmed the record pertains to the "loss of innocence, the cost of naiveté...the difficulties of balancing loving relationships and work, trying to square the conflicting relationship between business and art; the corruption in politics, the fading away of the Sixties dream of ‘peace, love and understanding.'"
It can be argued that Henley and company squarely hit on and drove home those ideas in the surreal title track, chart-topping "Life in the Fast Lane," and grand "The Last Resort" alone. But that would miss the forest for the trees. Experienced as an unbroken whole, complete with the pristinely shot imagery and physical grooves, Hotel California unfolds like a geography-conscious saga by James Michener and plays like colour-saturated movie shot on 70mm film by Martin Scorsese. It's about our collective and individual decisions – and the shape of our past, present, and future. And, just like that conjured by our imaginations, Hotel California continues to take on a life of its own.
More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called "converts") are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity's UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.
MoFi SuperVinyl
Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analogue lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.
In 2023, Kraków-based composer Martyna Basta and Los Angeles-based sound artist claire rousay were invited to Poland by Unsound for a short residency, where they spent a few days trading ideas and concepts, and brainstorming their first collaboration. Initially motivated to create lengthy, expansive pieces together, they also ended up experimenting with shorter vignettes, and ‘hotel room’ expresses these two extremes, featuring three long-form tracks and three brief, euphoric songs. “It wasn’t something we specifically planned,” explains Basta. “It just unfolded that way.” The most important stage of the process, however, was the period that followed the residency, when rousay and Basta began working on their sketches in isolation, trading drafts and sculpting the sounds independently before rousay handled the final mixdown. In the comfort of their own bedrooms, they were better able to reflect their individual creative routines, organically reaching a junction where their music felt truly unified. Even while they were in Poland, the duo joked that it might have been easier if they’d been holed up in separate rooms emailing each other.
Both artists have had an energetic few years: after steadily building a reputation for her diaristic and candid concrète experiments, rousay signed to Thrill Jockey in 2023, releasing the acclaimed ‘sentiment’, ‘a little death’ and the more eaze collaboration ‘no floor’; Basta, meanwhile, followed up 2023’s hallucinatory ‘Slowly Forgetting, Barely Remembering’ and her debut for Belgium’s Stroom imprint, ‘Diaries Beneath Fragile Glass’ with a studio album on !K7’s 7K sublabel: ‘Winged in Collapse’. The title of their collaboration reflects rousay and Basta’s hectic touring schedules in the wake of these releases, the constant feeling of displacement and the emotions that emerge when the environment is in flux. “I know we aren’t the only musicians traveling and creating work at the same time,” says rousay, “but being able to speak about that experience and all the things that come with it was comforting.” And the music itself, assembled from hypnagogic field recordings, spectral voices, electronics and filtered instrumental improvisations, sounds bewitchingly unmoored, not tied to a specific location but hovering around the uncanny space in-between.
Scratchy ASMR sounds introduce us to the opening track ‘zoom’, initially obscuring the duo’s elegiac harmonies. They are careful to let the various elements evolve at their own pace, with the fictile guitar drones melting into the foreground while Basta’s dissociated whispers and rousay’s illusory synths pick out the subtlest subliminal shades. It all builds to the piece’s dramatic third act, when layered chords ring out like organ blasts, enveloping the negative space. The shorter, more anxiety-provoking ‘denim’ is remarkably divergent, a dismantled folk memory pieced together from skeletal piano notes, vaporous choral echoes, haunting string plucks and pulsating feedback. Where the music aligns is in the mood itself, capturing a feeling that’s neither completely abstract nor fully referential. Not ambient exactly, ‘hotel room’ is a suite of soundscapes that gesture towards structure while repeatedly folding in on themselves.
On ‘Lost and Found’, wordless Autotuned ad-libs spiral around delicate guitar plucks and washing waves, coalescing into a faded Polaroid of opiated Americana, and on ‘Where Are You Now’, operatic squeals and corroded orchestral scrapes are juxtaposed with nauseous low-end tones. Evaporating until only industrial whirrs and music box chimes remain, the latter encapsulates the entire album’s chilling liminality, smudging saturated voices with casual electro-acoustic interjections before it erupts abruptly, transforming into a dense, pitch-skewed hymn. ‘hotel room’ plays like a surreal travelogue, teasing listeners with airy familiarities as it humidifies dry, awkward spaces. More a labyrinth of catacombs than a single, fixed chamber, it’s Escher-like – cryptic and seductive – and decked out with personal asides and intimate details that reward the most patient, curious listeners.
Backing it up can mean so many things. According to the urban dictionary, it means to carry on drinking the next day in spite of a rather large one the night before. According to Apple, it means to take your I-phone and attach it to an I-pad or Apple Mac - and copy the information to the cloud. Or the device. But in music.....what we mean is basically this....."Damn......that was a big hit......how the hell are they going to emulate that success on the next one."And it's hard for so many reasons. Was it luck Timing That one in a million sample With all the pressure, soon the artist can start second guessing themselves........and that's when backing it up becomes a real problem.But not for our boy PURPLE DISCO MACHINE. If BODY FUNK, his last outing on CLUB SWEAT, wasn't one of THE biggest songs of last year, from Ibiza to Miami and back again.....played by every single DJ under the sun, from BLACK MADONNA to JAMIE JONES to your mama......then I'm not sitting at my lap top writing this shpeel....which I'm very sure I am. AND I'm going to back myself (see what I did there) - and say that DISHED (MALE STRIPPER) is the best way to back up a hit ever. With another hit. Doesn't sound the same....doesn't worry about what the last one did...just does what it does.....which to be honest - is GO OFF!!!! It builds and builds and builds and......In the same way that BODY FUNK masterly made the sum of 2 disco songs bigger than their parts had ever been, this time PDM takes some Italo Disco from MAN TO MAN MEET MAN PARRISH's MALE STRIPPER and mashes it with the aptly named ELLIS D's DISHAPELLA to create a 12/10. Back it up PDM - you are a legend!!!!
Curió Curió came to flight by chance. Two artists, Rio-born, Austria-based singer and actress Luiza Monteiro and German producer Dustin Braun, had separately reached a fork in their journeys. An opportune encounter soon blossomed into an uplifting, heartfelt Brazilian MPB-groove project shaped by psychedelic disco and studio experimentation. In their own words Curió Curió’s sonic vision “is not straight disco, not straight samba, not strictly old-school but inspired by all of them, creating something contemporary but still nostalgic”.
A modern fusion influenced as much by Gal Costa and Jorge Ben Jor as Say She She and Bala Desejo, their sound deftly plots a course all of its own. A celebration of freedom, movement, love and life, intertwined with introspective moments of reflection. Treating tradition as something alive, migratory and unresolved, the album is not simply bound by a shared love of Brazilian music, but by a deeper question that runs through every track; where does one belong when home becomes plural? As a Brazilian living in Europe, Luiza's lyrics explore themes of identity, culture, and existence. The tracks move between cities and emotional registers without settling, tracing a sense of identity that shifts rather than resolves. Songs like ‘Amor Doente’ and ‘Mar sem Dar Pé’ circle around relationships that resist clarity, while ‘Menina Passarinho’ captures the fear and necessity of committing to music as a path. For Luiza, deepening her commitment to music alongside years in theatre was both inevitable and difficult. Braun’s production follows a similar logic. Initial ideas were often built without obvious reference points, only later incorporating rhythmic and vocal elements that hint at Brazil without reproducing it. Analogue techniques, tape, ribbon microphones and live ensemble recording bring a tactile quality that reflects the duo’s interest in process as much as outcome. Highlights include ‘Bem Querer’, built on an authentic samba street vibe with a super-catchy sing-along chorus, and ‘Vem pra Casa’ with its cosmic-tinged Brazilian boogie flavour. The album closes with ‘A Cor do Meu Sonho’, a quiet act of insistence. A refusal to shrink in unfamiliar environments, and a belief in the strength of difference. It is less a conclusion than a continuation, leaving the central question open. “I started to understand that I can belong to many places at once”, Luiza reflects. “And that can be something to embrace”. Lyrics from the song ‘Raiz’ translate in English to “I value a burning sun and the cold in the air. Constant change is my companion”. With Curió Curió, that idea is lived through sound, story and collaboration. A debut that feels both searching and assured, grounded in heritage yet shaped by distance.
For WOLFEP088, we’re welcoming an Italian stallion to the WOLF stable. DJ Soch is a renowned DJ, producer, and label owner whose roots in house music run deep. Beginning his journey behind the decks in the mid-1980s, he has spent more than four decades honing a sound shaped by house, techno, disco, funk, hip-hop, and the timeless influence of Detroit and Chicago. As the founder of Black Angus Records and a resident DJ at the renowned Italian club Serendipity, he has shared lineups with some of the best to ever do it, helping to shape Italy’s underground electronic music scene.
When his tracks hit the WOLF inbox, we knew we were onto something special. The first one we heard, ‘Let Me Tell You’, was an instant yes, must sign moment. There’s skippy drums, warm keys, church organ, a heavy bassline and a pleading, soulful male vocal. One of those tracks that should come with a neck-brace. Soulful, but powerful. There’s also a ‘Power Mix’ version that keeps all the elements we loved, but strips back the vocal and ramps up the church organ. Absolute Holy Ghoster! This is the type of track that would have torn up the dance floor at the Shelter, a real Timmy Regisford tops-off jam.
On the flip, there’s a hypnotic deep house groove entitled, ‘Chewing Gum’. This is proper stuff, heads-down, deep house for the dance floor. We’ve paired it with a remix from Prince Palmer, one of the standout remixers of recent years, and a great group of guys. The Prince has delivered a reinterpretation that gives a nod to 90s US Garage, complete with all the trademark production chops you would expect from a regular on the stellar Bobby Donny label. It’s a track that wouldn’t sound out of place on a peak-period Strictly Rhythm 12”, so that’s all you need to know.
Four belters, all on one record, designed for maximum listening pleasure.
Due to high demand, MEU has revisited two of Mr. K’s classics, previously only available as 12-inch extended mixes, and asked the master editor to pare them down to 7-inch size.
A true top-five peak record at the Garage, Thelma Houston’s “I’m Here Again” was “a highlight whenever Larry played it,” Danny Krivit recalls, “and he played it a lot!” Danny’s edit is a homage to Larry and Frankie Knuckles – in particular a similar private edit that Frankie did back in the day and shared with Krivit. “It was on reel to reel and I didn’t copy it correctly and lost it,” Danny remembers. “Reels were problematic! When I tried to get it again from him, unfortunately he had lost it too.” The song (likely an attempt by Motown to capitalize on the previous year’s monster hit “Don’t Leave Me This Way”) is, in its original form, a virtual retake of Thelma Houston’s breakout single, from the subdued, schmaltzy intro to the “oooh BABY!” leading to the chorus. What sets “I’m Here Again” apart though, is the incredible second half of the song. Naturally, it is here that Mr. K’s edit focuses. Over a vicious groove reminiscent of the Originals’ “Down To Love Town” breakdown (Michael Sutton wrote and produced both “Love Town” and “I’m Here Again”) Houston delivers soul-stirring ad libs as the band crackles with electricity behind her, the piano chasing a descending string riff so eagerly. Pure dancefloor peak energy! And the very first time having all these parts on a 7"!
For our flip, Danny has reached deep into the earliest foundations of his voluminous collection, and come out with a psychedelic pop classic rearranged for today’s sound systems and setlists. Recorded in the Beatles’ Abbey Road studio at the height of the Summer Of Love, the Zombies’ “Time Of The Season” is firmly linked in pop culture to the late ‘60s and the Vietnam era, breaking big in the summer of 1969. Krivit’s edit highlights the parade of lush sonic textures that ornament the hip composition, from the iconic, exquisitely echoed bass-clap-exhale riff that opens the song to the cascading Hammond organ solos of Rod Argent. “It’s a song from my childhood that really struck a chord,” Danny says. “Over the years I often played a rough edit which always seemed to go over great. The song seemed to get better and better, and age like fine wine.” We agree!
These two songs have both appeared on previous (separate) MEU 12-inches, but are presented here in custom new edits for the 7-inch format.
There was nothing in contemporary music like Chris Isaak’s Heart Shaped World when it hit shelves in June 1989. More than three decades later, the singer-songwriter’s third album still sounds unique — and claims a backstory nearly as fascinating as the retro-leaning material and standout performances that propelled it to sales of more than 2.5 million copies. Home to the Top 10 smash “Wicked Game,” the set remains a masterful mood piece that invites you to pour a late-night drink, sit in a dimmed room, and relish Isaak’s elegant albeit raw ruminations on love, relationships, and questionable decisions.
Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, and featuring the bonus track “Diddley Daddy,” Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP box set of Heart Shaped World unearths the staggering inner details, saturated tones, and brilliant atmospherics of the crisp production. It brings you up close and personal with Isaak’s spectacular singing — impeccably controlled, tense, brooding, steamy, smoldering, haunted — situated amidst stripped-down backdrops that allow every note to fully bloom and decay.
While Isaak’s ever-steady baritone remains the anchor, the contributions of his trusty backing band, the aptly named Silvertone, come across with just as much cool, command, and realism. The indispensable playing of guitarist James Calvin Wilsey particularly emerges with superb clarity and dimensionality. The character of his 1965 Fender Stratocaster, shivering twang of his spring-coiled fills, and his signature use of reverb, delay, and vibrato seamlessly match Isaak's patient deliveries and the band’s unhurried rhythms. Experienced on UD1S with ultra-black backgrounds and a nearly invisible noise floor, Heart Shaped World is in every regard a demonstration disc.
The premium packaging of this UD1S pressing befits its elevated status. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, it features foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics. Aurally and visually, this reissue is for discerning listeners who desire to immerse themselves in everything involved with the album, not the least of which is the cover art depicting a lost-in-thought Isaak staring ahead and sitting in what appears to be an efficiency apartment. The image epitomizes the record’s lonesome temperaments and pensive themes.
Of course, if not for director David Lynch hand-picking two cuts from Heart Shaped World for his 1990 film Wild at Heart, the record would’ve probably suffered the same fate as Isaak’s prior efforts and gone unnoticed by the mainstream. Despite receiving raves from outlets such as NME, Chicago Tribune, and Rolling Stone upon its original release, the album stalled in the lower quadrants of the Billboard charts and, after a few weeks, dropped off.
Cue the ear of Lee Chesnut. Then the music director for a large Atlanta radio station, Chesnut heard the instrumental version of “Wicked Game” on Lynch’s soundtrack and started airing the album rendition at all hours of the day. Aided by a sensual video featuring Isaak and supermodel Helena Christensen, the song found its way into the public consciousness by early ‘91 and helped make Isaak a most unlikely mainstream star in an era where his techniques had little to nothing in common with popular tastes.
Despite its vintage vibes and shared DNA with legends such as Roy Orbison, Chet Baker, and Glen Campbell, Heart Shaped World transcends nostalgia, rockabilly, and throwback tropes. For all the melodrama and sadness at hand, Isaak’s gorgeously transparent singing dives deep underneath emotional surfaces. He mines subtleties that indicate his feelings go beyond heartbreak and anguish, and occasionally suggest frustration, menace, and anger. You can hear it in his quivering falsetto, and the slow and methodical ways he allows delicate whispers to break into shadowy phrasing that crosses over to the darker sides of romance and desire.
That approach bolsters the title track, which suggests calm yet moves on ominous currents — its simmering pace and snare-drum snappiness foreshadowing Isaak raising the volume and urgency during the coda. The southwestern-tinged “Wrong to Love You” plays with similar concepts of hesitation, unease, and discord, Isaak careful never to fully erupt and give anything away. His poised deliveries offer a master class in the art of insinuation and hurt on “Nothing’s Changed,” sent up with a wordless backing chorus and crackling guitar lines straight out of a Memphis blues joint.
Heart Shaped World further boosts its merit via its abundant stylistic variations, from the upbeat country-and-western trot of “I’m Not Waiting” and Spanish acoustic shimmer of the jazz-based ballad “Blue Spanish Sky” to the swinging horn-accompanied grooves of “Don’t Make Me Love You” and desert smokiness of the understated “Kings of the Highway.” On the latter, Isaak comes across as resigned and absolute. His singing and pain worm their way into your soul, and echo akin to the way the music prepares to strike when you least expect.
“Trouble going 'round,” Isaak croons right as the album begins. “Trouble going down.” Damn straight.
Designed for her 5 Hour extended sets and refined on dancefloors worldwide, "Can't Stop Loving You" - out today on slash - captures KI/KI's signature nostalgia-meets-future sound. Self-written and produced, it's an emotive trance burner built for peak time joy, unity and release, a sound that has defined her rise across global rave culture.
"Can't Stop Loving You" has become the closing moment in KI/KI's 2025 sets. From her Radio One Essential Mix, her two 5 Hours at the Woolstore, Melbourne - the only artist to ever do two back-to-back - to her AMF headline set to 40,000 fans at the Johan Cruijff ArenA! "Can't Stop Loving You" has been the emotional closer all year long.
On the track KI/KI says:
I wrote this track during the biggest heartbreak of my life. Back then I was working on music for my liveshow, and needed a track to close the show with. Can't stop loving you was the result.
Every note, every sound, every vocal helped me through how I was feeling and listening back now reminds me that eventually things will be okay again. The song evolves from an emotional track to an optimistic 172bpm banger and this perfectly describes my process - and maybe the story of almost every heartbreak?
This record is living proof to me that music can be healing. I hope it does the same for you
In just a few years, KI/KI has become one of the most exciting and influential voices in electronic music. She's sold out 20,000-capacity shows and graced the cover of DJ Mag. In 2026, she'll headline London, Dublin, Belfast, Paris, LA and NYC - all selling out in minutes.
With new music coming and her fanbase surging, "Can't Stop Loving You" now closes both her sets and her year - the emotional full stop on 2025 before an even bigger 2026.
Looking back on her career in the early 90s, Stevie Nicks described the first track of Rock a Little as “the most exciting song that I had ever heard.” This coming from a superstar who was already closely affiliated with several bajillion-selling Fleetwood Mac albums — to say nothing of her own benchmark solo debut. Her remarks attest to the enthusiasm and effort she invested in her third record, a 1985 work that quickly furthered Nicks’ profile and cemented itself as a piece of 80s pop lore.
Mastered at MoFi’s California studio, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents Rock a Little in audiophile sound for its 40th anniversary. Helmed by a cadre of producers and engineers, and recorded for a reported one million dollars, the platinum-certified album teems with a head-spinning array of colors, tones, dreamscapes, and accents. This reference-grade reissue marks the first time they are all brought to light and conveyed with proper balance, dimensionality, and positioning.
Though Rock a Little doubtlessly has period characteristics of a mid-80s LP, Nicks and company spare no expense when it comes to distinguishing the music with expansive sonics distinguished with lush melodies, high-tech percussion, echoing vocals, sampled keyboards, and layers of sophisticated accents. The degrees of spaciousness, headroom, and dynamics are nothing less than inspiring, while the newly enhanced detail, texture, and clarity make the songs sing like never before. As for Nicks’ voice? Wait ’til you experience the transparency and depth.
Those advantages extend, of course, to the aforementioned “I Can’t Wait,” a statement-making opener shot through with modulating synthesizers, splashy drums, metallic guitars, and serious drama. Holed up in a massive studio, Nicks required just one take to nail her part, which she called “magic and simply not able to beat.” The singer-songwriter also distilled the reverberating emotional essence of the Top 20 tune, stating “when I hear it on the radio, this incredible feeling comes over me, like something really incredible is about to happen.”
The same can be said for nearly all of Rock a Little. Crafted by the likes of Songwriters Hall of Fame multi-instrumentalist/producer Rick Nowels, Heartbreakers organist Benmont Tench, bassist Bob Glaub, jack-of-all-trades Greg Phillinganes, and session-pro guitarists Waddy Watchel, Les Dudek, and Danny Kortchmar — along with another two dozen or so participants — the record spills with diverse ideas, shapes, and moods. Everything is in the right place, as evidenced by the swirling glide and sensual undertow of the slightly funky title track to the snapping rhythmic pace and big hooks of “Imperial Hotel,” one of Nicks’ standout moments.
“What was it she wanted?” Nicks queries on “No Spoken Word,” continuing a theme of contemplation that runs through the narratives. Nicks never lands on a definite answer, but hearing her explore loneliness, love, and the secrets we keep to ourselves proves continuously rewarding. Take her passionate performance on a cover of Chas Sanford’s “Talk to Me,” a Top 5 smash furthered by tasteful saxophone lines and understated folk elements. Immersive yourself in the grand sonic corridors of “If I Were You,” laden with Nicks’ signature mysticism.
Moreover, surrender to the gravitas of the closing “Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You,” a piano ballad composed about the death of Joe Walsh’s three-year-old daughter. As Nicks asserts earlier on the album, she sings for things money can’t buy.
So, rock a little, yes, but dare to feel even more.
Carly Simon’s No. 1 smash “You’re So Vain” lingers as one of the most clever and famous songs ever recorded. The subject of mass speculation ever since its release, soon after which it occupied the top spot on multiple Billboard charts for weeks, the anthem kept a captive public guessing at the identity of its smug subject for decades. The question surrounding the protagonist’s identity remained perhaps the only mystery on the otherwise sexually open and autobiographically daring No Secrets, Simon’s commercial breakthrough and ‘70s singer-songwriter staple.
Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set affords the platinum-certified 1972 effort the finest sonic treatment it’s received on vinyl. Helmed by Richard Perry and recorded at London’s Trident Studios — where Beatles, David Bowie, and Elton John captured landmark LPs — No Secrets touts exceptional production qualities highlighted by this restorative reissue.
Audiophiles and record collectors, take note: This is the first time No Secrets has been available on 45RPM. The wider grooves and dead-quiet surfaces pay instant dividends. Simple, elegant, and disarming, songs seemingly float amid wide, deep soundstages. Simon’s voice takes on a confident, assertive tenor that emerges with accurate imaging, balanced tonality, and palpable presence. String arrangements and backing vocals come through with similar realism.
Enhanced by an all-star cast — Simon’s then-husband James Taylor, Paul and Linda McCartney, Mick Jagger, Lowell George, Klaus Voorman, Bobby Keys, Jim Keltner, Nicky Hopkins, and Bonnie Bramlett are among the renowned musicians who lend a hand — No Secrets advances Simon’s themes of personal introspectiveness, no-holds-barred reflectiveness, and feminist-inspired boldness. She makes every moment of No Secrets worth savoring. Simon invests her all in the songs, handling beautiful ballads, sassy folk-rock numbers, and bluesy fare with calm, composure, and candor.
While acknowledging her own regrets (“You’re So Vain”) and loss (“The Carter Family”), Simon champions the highs (“The Right Thing to Do”) and pains (“His Friends Are More Than Fond of Robin”) of love in a sincere manner indicative of her maturity as both an artist and singer. The New York native distinguishes “When You Close Your Eyes” with deep-rooted spirituality, recalls childhood joys via charming sentimentality on “It Was So Easy,” and and takes ownership of her persona on a cover of Taylor’s “Night Owl.”
“We have no secrets
/We tell each other everything,” Simon sings at the record’s midpoint, encapsulating both the themes and bravura of an effort that was nominated for four Grammy Awards and saw her write or co-write every song but one. Combined with Perry’s savvy instrumental arrangements, her self-assured performances and forthright lyrics grant No Secrets an edginess and relevance immune to the ravages of time.
SKYLAX RECORDS proudly unveils the final chapter in its monumental 4-part saga — SKYLAX BLACK 4: Enlightenment Theory. This visionary series, bringing together two of France’s most iconic electronic artists — ARNAUD REBOTINI and ACID WASHED — was never just a collection of records. It was a journey through the deepest layers of the underground — a conceptual project where each release was a coded message, each track a fragment of a greater whole. On the A-side, Enlightenment Theory explodes with fierce urgency — an anthem forged in the spirit of Underground Resistance, echoing the soulful intensity of early ’90s Detroit without imitation. It’s bold, emotional, and militantly underground — a future classic cloaked in defiance and elegance. On the B-side: B1. Space Is The Place channels the weightless gravity of dub techno at its purest — all echo chambers and endless delay, a direct line to the Berlin school of Basic Channel, Maurizio, and Deepchord. B2. Beyond Current Biological Constraints closes the chapter in deep space — an electro masterwork evoking Drexciya, full of aquatic melancholy and cybernetic funk. It’s not retro — it’s timeless. With this last installment, the puzzle is complete. The meaning is revealed: R.A.V.E. — four records forming one powerful word. One timeless idea. A tribute to everything this culture stands for: raw energy, emotional truth, sonic innovation, and spiritual depth. This project could only be born on SKYLAX RECORDS — a label that has always stood apart. Uncompromising. Devoted to physical formats. Fiercely loyal to the culture. While others chase trends, SKYLAX continues to chart a different course — one rooted in the sacred codes of house, techno, electro, and beyond. It is no exaggeration to say that SKYLAX is one of the last true purist strongholds of underground music — and this series, with its layered meanings and fearless artistry, is proof. From Redshifts to Blueshifts to Artificial Darwinism then Vision Quest, every chapter has pointed toward this moment. Now, with Enlightenment Theory, the full vision is revealed. RAVE is not just a word — it is the truth. A philosophy. A myth reborn. The circle is complete. The message endures. The legacy lives on.
For our second release, not only do we have a true artist with an extensive catalog of big releases and support. He is also our close friend. From first connecting with Joolmad as he walked through our villa in Croatia, we instantly had a bond and from that moment, we both knew sooner or later we will be bumping heads. The label was still a developing idea but Joolmad was one of the first to hear about it and see the vision. And for that we couldn’t be more thankful to have him on the second release, shaping the early chapters of Human Behaviour.
A1 taking a stripped back approach with a fast pace tempo, complimented by hypnotic sounds. A2, as soon as we heard this track we knew we had to sign it. A track that blends sub genres for a truly unique listening experience. An old war sample, techno bass line with a touch of techy drums is almost guaranteed to get hands in the air. B1 a swung feel good rhythm that fits nicely in any part of a set. Floor filling drums and light melodies is sometimes all you need! B2, taking you behind the wheel of driving you through the sun set.
LP,180g, 2027 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART
When Alan Parker recorded the killer library soul-funk LP The Voice of Soul with session vocalist Madeline Bell in 1976, some bright spark at Themes decided to also release all of the backing tracks as a separate, and equally innocuously title LP called The Sound of Soul. Thank goodness for bright sparks.
Released as a collection of unobtrusive musical backings in various rhythmic styles', the LP's original description dryly explains these tracks have been issued without melody and are therefore particularly suitable for use behind commentary. Female vocal versions of these tracks are issued on TIM 1021 The Voice Of Soul and it is possible to edit from vocal version to instrumental version or vica versa where commentary or scene changes occur'.Madeline Bell was backed by The Rhythm Section, who were for all intents and purposes the Themes International Music house band. So what we end up with here is entire album of instrumental work-outs by a band comprised of the formidable talents of Alan Hawkshaw on keyboards, Alan Parker on guitars, Barry Morgan on drums, Les Hurdle on bass guitar and Frank Ricotti on percussion.
Without Bell's vocals these backing tracks are given all the room they need to breathe. Each one more than stands up on its own.
The Sound of Soul is a real diggers' delight and, unsurprisingly, a must-have counterpart to The Voice of Soul.
As with all ten re-issues, the audio for The Sound of Soul comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity.
The Temptations Get High on Psychedelic Soul: Cloud Nine Soars with Ambitious Arrangements and Production, Features Standout Vocal Performances and Instrumentation by the Funk Brothers
The Temptations’ Cloud Nine announced that Motown — and “The Sound of Young America” — would never be the same. Influenced by the emergence of cutting-edge rock and pop currents, as well as increasing sociopolitical turmoil, the album broke down barriers between rock, psychedelia, and soul while heralding the arrival of visionary arrangements and production techniques. Bookended by traditional R&B numbers, the 1969 record sent the Temptations in bold new directions and signaled the advent of psychedelic soul.
Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45PM 2LP set presents Cloud Nine in audiophile sound for the first time on a domestic pressing. This collectible reissue bestows Norman Whitfield’s extraordinary production with the grand-scale dynamics, natural tonality, expansive openness, and low-end weight it deserves. The timbre of each of the five members’ voices is readily identifiable — even within the group harmonies — bestowing a realism never experienced outside the recording studio.
Making its debut on 45RPM, the album further benefits from the wide groove space by playing with greater separation and more realistic presence than prior editions. Everything from the brassiness of the horns to the dry snap of the snare comes across with reference-grade clarity and positioning. And since Motown’s renowned Funk Brothers backing band plays on many of the cuts, you’ll want to savor every note. The imaging, soundstaging, and organic bloom-and-decay of the notes make that possible.
Amid Cloud Nine, the instrumentation and architecture stand out as much as any element. Never before had a Motown album contained such ambitious patterns and complex passages. Seemingly conscientious of the departure from their past methods, the Temptations and Whitfield bunched together the tracks that mark a deep dive into psychedelic territory and counterbalance them with seven sterling soul cuts that dovetail with Motown tradition drenched with heartfelt vocals, swelling strings, and finger-snapping beats.
On the original 33RPM release, traditional Motown soul — laden with heartfelt vocals, swelling strings, and finger-snapping beats — occupies Side Two. These songs reveal an ensemble still very much on top of delivering pristine pop-soul material graced with romantic sweetness, persuasive insistent, and soaring highs. Re-energized after the departure of lead singer David Ruffin, who was fired for a variety of reasons in June 1968, the Temptations seamlessly meld with his replacement, Dennis Edwards, on one melodic gem after another.
The collective tackles five songs co-written by the legendary Motown team of Barrett Strong and Whitfield. Not the least of which are the smooth, shuffling “Why Did She Have to Leave Me (Why Did She Have to Go)” and deceptively simple, horn-spiked “Gonna Keep on Tryin’ till I Win Your Love.” On these tracks, as well as on a lush rendition of the ballad “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing” and pleading, tender send-up of the Gerry Goffin-Carole King classic “Hey Girl,” Edwards and Paul Williams take turns on the lead with the estimable Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams providing backing support.
All five vocalists trade-off leads on the simmering title track, a groundbreaking composition shot through with wah-wah-pedal effects, liquid funk, deep bass lines, Cuban percussion, saturated reverb, and gang choruses. Whitfield mines each member’s natural vocal range with spectacular results, keeps time with cymbals, and channels both the heated temperatures and escapist desires of a society embroiled in war, conflict, and experimental drugs.
Amazingly, the Temptations top themselves on the similarly revealing “Run Away Child, Running Wild.” Nearly 10 minutes in length, the song explodes R&B parameters and harbors a cinematic scope. Urgent pianos, distorted guitars, stripped-down percussion, steamy Hammond organs, minimal bass motifs, five distinct voices narrating the tale of a boy who fled home and now finds himself amid the scary, unforgiving external world: They combine to give the urgent tune a walls-closing-in atmosphere where fear and desperation reign. Bolstered by an extended instrumental section that precedes a climactic return of the singers’ voices, “Run Away Child, Running Wild” equaled the success of the record’s title track, with both reaching No. 6 on the pop charts.
Holic Trax presents its 36th release, featuring Tuccillo.
On the A-side, “Eves Sky” returns, a track that was played on the terrace at DC10 Ibiza in the early 2010s. Now reissued on a full 12” cut,
the one-sided pressing allows the low-end bassline to be pushed to its maximum.
On the B-side, “Percussholic” and “Musicly” are included.
The former was previously vinyl-only, while the latter was released digitally.
Both tracks are now brought together on the same format for the first time.
A three-track house EP
It's the solo debut that confirmed Q-Tip could flourish well beyond the formidable confines of A Tribe Called Quest: Amplified. The signs had been there for years, of course, though this was the first time his instinct for jazz-inflected grooves and immaculately sculpted production stood entirely on its own, embracing a more radio-facing disposition and preserving the musicality that had long distinguished his work. 'Breathe And Stop' and the irrepressible 'Vivrant Thing' became the obvious calling cards, then 'Higher' and the Busta Rhymes-assisted 'N.T.' show just how effortlessly Q-Tip could reconcile crossover appeal with genuine artistic finesse.
Phonica unveil the first in a series of three 12" samplers featuring a selection of tracks from their new compilation 'Ten Years Of Phonica'.
Tigersushi and Crowdspacer boss Joakim kicks off the first 12" with melancholic masterpiece 'EAHR'. A prolific and sonically diverse producer, his balearic-flavoured remixes over the years for the likes of Antena and Max Berlin shines through on this one. Up next is the enigmatic Panoram, a shop favourite since his brilliant 'Accents' 12" arrived back in 2012. The lysergic 'Alpha Marmara' hits all the right spots once again.
On the b-side edit-masters and rare record connaisseurs Psychemagik contribute the string-laden 'Triumph Of The Gods', an ambitious Axelrod-esque modern funk gem. Finally, Alex Egan resurrects his work as The Draughtsman one last time with the previously unreleased track 'Fade To Green' - a deep, atmospheric house/techno cut recorded during the same 2010/11 sessions as his '1694 EP'.
Phonica Records was established in September 2003 and set up shop in Soho, London, adding to the high concentration of independent records stores that inhabited the area. Founders; Simon Rigg, Heidi Vanden Amstel and Tom Relleen joined The Vinyl Factory with the aim of creating an exciting outlet for innovative dance music, traversing all sub-genres and cultures. Over the past decade the emporium has developed into a well-respected destination for DJs and enthusiasts, and has subsequently become a bustling hive of conversation and inspiration as part of a wider community of music lovers.
While trends and movements in music have grown and faded over these years, Phonica has always remained in a state of evolution. It is this openness to change alongside a commitment to it's original ethos and an enduring ardour for quality, cutting-edge sounds that has fuelled the shop's staying power.
To celebrate reaching this milestone, Phonica Records have invited some of their favourite artists to produce a track for an eclectic yet cohesive compilation, which will hopefully go some way towards sonically unfolding the 'Ten Years of Phonica.'
For their debut EP on Tectonic, Beatrice M. drops four deep, dubby cuts bringing weighted bass energy together with techno sensibilities and advanced percussive manoeuvres. Elegant but powerful tracks built for sound systems and curious ears!
Midnight Swim is an ode to the “softer” club sounds, repetitive aquatic grooves that remind Beatrice of their go-to sport: swimming. No phones, just back and forth in the cold water, settling into a mechanical groove. The opening track, Oval, carries its title from the appreciation of soft edges, little distortion, minimal rhythmic pattern.
Upon hearing Pinch’s tune 136 Trek, (itself a nod to Zinc’s 138 Trek), Beatrice decided to name a tune 132 Trek, to continue the lineage of their musical heritage. The tune was already called Trek because it was made after moving from France and spending their first months in London, and realising “everything is a bloody trek”!!
The EP’s title track is about warm-up music and enjoying the earlier hours of the party - a quick immersion and then time for bed, rather than banging club tracks all night long. Beatrice likes to show up early at the club, watch it fill and then leave as it packs out. Midnight Swim is a dip into a roller.
The last tune of the EP features Sub Basics, the first artist to have a vinyl release on Beatrice’s own label, Bait, and one of their biggest musical inspirations. Sub Basics’ immersive progressive sounds fit simultaneously in the deep techno world and the dubstep world. A beautiful in-between.
Nobody thinks it is strange anymore that an artist changes his nom de plume to reflect a new direction; a metamorphosis of his art. As listeners, we must resist the temptation to compare a new expression with previous works but instead allow the artist the necessary leeway to follow where his muse leads. So it is with Lone Wolf & Friends. There is a departure from his previous work that is his alone to define. We are simply recipients and must let the work wash over us like waves on the beach and be slightly moulded by the force of each one.
By definition, a Lone Wolf has no friends so we are left with the nagging question of why the name has significance. Perhaps Lone Wolf’s friends are his previous artistic incarnations and although he alone created this work, those earlier versions were there to encourage his creative drive. We are never truly loners, are we?
Written, composed and produced in Vancouver, Canada, by Lone Wolf & Friends.
Mastered in Groningen, the Netherlands, by Johanz Westerman at Balyhoo Studio Mastering.
Designed in London, UK, by Irene Fo + Agente Morillas + Positivland.
Electric Mud is the fifth studio album by Muddy Waters, with members of Rotary Connection serving as his backing band. Released in 1968, it imagines Muddy Waters as a psychedelic musician. Producer Marshall Chess suggested that Muddy Waters recorded it in an attempt to appeal to a rock audience. The album peaked at number 127 on Billboard 200 album chart. It was controversial for its fusion of electric blues with psychedelic elements.
Very very very pleased to be able to put this release out, as so many of these Phineus II tracks have been mainstays in my sets for a number of years & it feels good to finally have them out for everyone else to be able to hear and enjoy.
To me, these tunes fully represent the unique sound and style that only he can capture in his music. It was hard to narrow the track pool down to a 4 track EP, so it had to be expanded to an 8 track release, featuring some of my favourite tunes of his, some of which have been unreleased for close to a decade!
Big up to Phineus II for his one of a kind production skills & ideas & to Kid Lib for his archiving of these tunes & for allowing me to release some of these tracks, as some of them were marked for release on his label Green Bay Wax.
Birchy is a relative newcomer to the Kniteforce label, although his previous release (KF266) that played with the Terminator theme tune was a big seller. It's not overly surprising, as Birchy may be new to the label, and a new name to many old skool heads, but he is an experienced producer who has been around for decades, with releases spread far and wide...
This EP samples the classic news broadcast surrounding the famous Castle Morton event in the UK, and the whole EP is deeply old skool and classic in feel. Full on breakbeats, pianos and authentic rave sounds are the name of the game here, and Birchy creates a timless feel to all of it!
Desertshore is Nico's third solo album, recorded and released in 1970. It was co-produced by John Cale and Joe Boyd. Like its predecessor The Marble Index, it is an avant-garde album with chamber music elements. The back and front covers feature stills from the film La cicatrice interieure by Philippe Garrel, which starred Nico, Garrel and her son Ari Boulogne. A few of the songs from the album were included on the soundtrack of the film.
Dope Purple's new album 'Children In The Darkness’ was recorded when the band hosted a live midnight recording session at Revolver, Taipei City, Taiwan on Friday 3rd March 2023.
Amidst the tense silence of the middle of the night, the five members of Dope Purple, two guest musicians: saxophonist Yong Yandsen from Malaysia, British drummer Darren Moore from Singapore, and a familiar audience, came together to produce the album 'Children In The Darkness’.
The album is a ferocious space psychedelic rock, no starlight, no glamourous psychedelic paradise, just a meditative journey of infinite darkness and ear-splitting tinnitus. Unlike our last album, I didn't have a specific theme or idea for this album, however I named it 'Children In The Darkness’ because all the songs on this album share the same lonely, disorientating chaos that reminds me of children forgotten in the darkness, and Dope Purple has always been a messenger for those children, playing sedative music for their ghosts.
At the end of each performance, I can clearly feel my furious brain melting away and only the calming spirit remains in my body.
Deetron is a venerated veteran who has been crafting sublime house and techno for three decades on a range of influential labels. 2025 brought another busy year for him, with another standout EP on Ilian Tape followed by his latest album which landed via Running Back in October. Back in 2024, he dropped his 'Translate Rhythms' EP on Mutual Rytm's X series and now takes charge of the second release on SHDW's new sub-label Mutual Rytm Raw - following the first 12" 'You And Me', which was a true summer anthem courtesy of KiNK & Raredub.
In its original form, the bright, expressive 'Flow' is a fulsome techno cut that pairs a driving rhythm with sophisticated synths. It sparkles with cosmic energy, while a textured, screwy lead winds through the mix and euphoric female vocals burst out to big emotional reactions. The 'Chord Dub' is a tight, bouncy rework with vamping chords lighting up the drums with real warmth and soul, while the 'Breakbeat Mix' fizzes with rich, old school energy. The dusty breakbeats demand physical reactions, while the pads bring a grand sense of scale and the vocals tug at the heart. All three are classy, effective and offer yet more timeless sounds.
If there is one thing that WAX RDM loves to do, it is split, they love splitting bills, middle splits, banana splits and most of all a good old split EP, and they made sure to deliver on their first one. Not only is he responsible for saving the Netherlands from becoming an aquatic civilisation, the land creature known as Deltaplan also claimed the whole A side for his boombastic electrofied vinyl only rendition of Sexual Seduction, which could get any dance floor drenched in dripping sweat. The Hague city's APK Boys have split the split in 2 on side B. If Flipper was a fun loving dolphin who always dreamt of moving to The Hague City, this is what he would sound like, hard hitting, just a tad frustrated and ready to snap at any moment. Yes Yes finishes of the split with a sure-shot Electro heater which will take your mind into a dreamlike state, thinking of ways to make Flippers dreams come true. And if you think things couldn't get any better, APK provided us with a 3rd digital only track for good measure. Stay dry and keep swimming.
Curió Curió came to flight by chance. Two artists, Rio-born, Austria-based singer and actress Luiza Monteiro and German producer Dustin Braun, had separately reached a fork in their journeys. An opportune encounter soon blossomed into an uplifting, heartfelt Brazilian MPB-groove project shaped by psychedelic disco and studio experimentation. In their own words Curió Curió’s sonic vision “is not straight disco, not straight samba, not strictly old-school but inspired by all of them, creating something contemporary but still nostalgic”.
A modern fusion influenced as much by Gal Costa and Jorge Ben Jor as Say She She and Bala Desejo, their sound deftly plots a course all of its own. A celebration of freedom, movement, love and life, intertwined with introspective moments of reflection. Treating tradition as something alive, migratory and unresolved, the album is not simply bound by a shared love of Brazilian music, but by a deeper question that runs through every track; where does one belong when home becomes plural? As a Brazilian living in Europe, Luiza's lyrics explore themes of identity, culture, and existence. The tracks move between cities and emotional registers without settling, tracing a sense of identity that shifts rather than resolves. Songs like ‘Amor Doente’ and ‘Mar sem Dar Pé’ circle around relationships that resist clarity, while ‘Menina Passarinho’ captures the fear and necessity of committing to music as a path. For Luiza, deepening her commitment to music alongside years in theatre was both inevitable and difficult. Braun’s production follows a similar logic. Initial ideas were often built without obvious reference points, only later incorporating rhythmic and vocal elements that hint at Brazil without reproducing it. Analogue techniques, tape, ribbon microphones and live ensemble recording bring a tactile quality that reflects the duo’s interest in process as much as outcome. Highlights include ‘Bem Querer’, built on an authentic samba street vibe with a super-catchy sing-along chorus, and ‘Vem pra Casa’ with its cosmic-tinged Brazilian boogie flavour. The album closes with ‘A Cor do Meu Sonho’, a quiet act of insistence. A refusal to shrink in unfamiliar environments, and a belief in the strength of difference. It is less a conclusion than a continuation, leaving the central question open. “I started to understand that I can belong to many places at once”, Luiza reflects. “And that can be something to embrace”. Lyrics from the song ‘Raiz’ translate in English to “I value a burning sun and the cold in the air. Constant change is my companion”. With Curió Curió, that idea is lived through sound, story and collaboration. A debut that feels both searching and assured, grounded in heritage yet shaped by distance.
Straddling an intriguing intersection of Drum & Bass, Jazz, Fusion and unidentifiable electronica, ‘You Won't Find Your Way From Here’ is the debut album from Jhauk.
An extremely talented multi-instrumentalist from Sheffield, UK, Jhauk came to Blu Mar Ten’s attention when, in 2017, he created a wild prog-rock inflected remix of BMT’s track ‘Titans’
Further conversations with Jhauk revealed the depth of his unorthodox approach to electronic music and unearthed a treasure trove of production skills, culminating in the album before you.
Oscillating between the late-night, moody calm of late 50s Miles Davis, John Coltrane & Bill Evans, the riotous 70s instrumentation of Weather Report, the modern cool stylings of Matthew Halsall and the gritty edges of modern D&B production, it’s scarcely believable that this collection of tracks came from one person working alone in their studio. With tempos and time signatures skittering all over the place, Jhauk uses genres as catalysts rather than containers, he finds the interesting stuff in the hinterlands of their structural relationships and tensions.
Talking about the album, Jhauk has strong opinions:
“Drum & Bass emerged as club music, and club music comes with its own logic. Specific structures, specific build-ups, a formula that supports that context.
That's fair enough, but almost 40 years later, why is 99% of D&B still made the exact same way when 99% of the time it's never heard in a club? The same structure, the same formula, barely any development beyond the core idea. Tracks where you can hear 10 seconds of the drop and know almost beat-for-beat how the next 5 minutes sound. No real musical depth or exploration. People regurgitating the same material ad-nauseum but never actually saying anything for themselves.
This period of composition for me was about taking what I love about D&B, the rhythmic energy and potential for creative freedom it presents and really stretching it to its limits. Of taking drum & bass as a starting point and seeing where it ends up without an idea of what that destination might be. Most people would probably never call a lot of the results D&B, but that's okay because it was never the point.”
Dripping with melancholy, euphoria, longing and pure urgency ‘You Won't Find Your Way From Here’ is unlike anything else you’ll hear this year. The sound of an artist entirely unconcerned with impressing peers or performing on ‘socials’; you're hearing a true musician at work, expressing ideas through the skill of his hands, mind and ears. The album’s secrets aren’t revealed with a single play-through, but bears (or even requires) multiple listens to expose its layers.
In previous times, they called this ‘art'.
Straddling an intriguing intersection of Drum & Bass, Jazz, Fusion and unidentifiable electronica, ‘You Won't Find Your Way From Here’ is the debut album from Jhauk.
An extremely talented multi-instrumentalist from Sheffield, UK, Jhauk came to Blu Mar Ten’s attention when, in 2017, he created a wild prog-rock inflected remix of BMT’s track ‘Titans’
Further conversations with Jhauk revealed the depth of his unorthodox approach to electronic music and unearthed a treasure trove of production skills, culminating in the album before you.
Oscillating between the late-night, moody calm of late 50s Miles Davis, John Coltrane & Bill Evans, the riotous 70s instrumentation of Weather Report, the modern cool stylings of Matthew Halsall and the gritty edges of modern D&B production, it’s scarcely believable that this collection of tracks came from one person working alone in their studio. With tempos and time signatures skittering all over the place, Jhauk uses genres as catalysts rather than containers, he finds the interesting stuff in the hinterlands of their structural relationships and tensions.
Talking about the album, Jhauk has strong opinions:
“Drum & Bass emerged as club music, and club music comes with its own logic. Specific structures, specific build-ups, a formula that supports that context.
That's fair enough, but almost 40 years later, why is 99% of D&B still made the exact same way when 99% of the time it's never heard in a club? The same structure, the same formula, barely any development beyond the core idea. Tracks where you can hear 10 seconds of the drop and know almost beat-for-beat how the next 5 minutes sound. No real musical depth or exploration. People regurgitating the same material ad-nauseum but never actually saying anything for themselves.
This period of composition for me was about taking what I love about D&B, the rhythmic energy and potential for creative freedom it presents and really stretching it to its limits. Of taking drum & bass as a starting point and seeing where it ends up without an idea of what that destination might be. Most people would probably never call a lot of the results D&B, but that's okay because it was never the point.”
Dripping with melancholy, euphoria, longing and pure urgency ‘You Won't Find Your Way From Here’ is unlike anything else you’ll hear this year. The sound of an artist entirely unconcerned with impressing peers or performing on ‘socials’; you're hearing a true musician at work, expressing ideas through the skill of his hands, mind and ears. The album’s secrets aren’t revealed with a single play-through, but bears (or even requires) multiple listens to expose its layers.
In previous times, they called this ‘art'.
The free folk/jazz sound of modern Los Angeles. Featuring a heavy bunch of musicians and vocalists including Moor Mother.
"Fearlessly Accessing the Divine Spirit From Here on Out" is the vinyl debut from pianist, composer, and producer Diego Gaeta. He has previously released projects as Club Diego and with the trio Human Error Club (whose members Mekala Session and Jesse Justice helped produce this record). He has quickly become a fixture in a number of Los Angeles musical environments, working with Lionmilk, The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Carlos Niño, Black Nile among others. This album is a synthesis of these many LA environments, and carries chamber, jazz, ambient, and folk influences, ultimately giving it an uncategorizable feel similar to works by Arthur Verocai or David Axelrod.
Gaeta recorded the initial ideas for the album by himself after experiencing a burst of creativity during the lockdown of 2020, in the aftermath of a season of protests in Los Angeles, on a piano at his home in El Sereno. "I was constantly not in tune with myself, always awaiting outrage and tragedy in a very unstable world. However, hitting the streets in support of various ongoing pandemic community actions felt necessary and it marked a point in time that ushered in large societal changes. The weight of that era made me feel allergic to making art at the time. All of these ideas came after that period, expressing my reflections subconsciously. I remember that the ideas came in a short amount of time, and then they developed."
Once he had created the tracks as Ableton sessions, he realized the gravity and context of how he was processing his ideas so he, as he puts it, "felt like taking them outside the hands of midi and into the hands of friends." Gaeta was able to assemble his dream band, which ended up being a 9-piece ensemble, or a nonet. "I felt that at some point I was channeling the geometrical balance of that nonet...it's almost as if I had a sextet and then the three of the sextet that's not the rhythm section were doubled. It's a really dense sextet, that's how I see it."
The recording process began the following summer in June 2021 as the musicians were all adjusting to the newfound dynamic of getting tested for COVID, waiting a few days, and then meeting up to record. "We were eating Indian food, some of us were smoking, it was a nice memory, but I felt a little stressed, because I was the bandleader, and I felt the emotional weight of my music."
The title track and single, featuring vocals by Jimetta Rose, begins with a speech by Gaeta delivered when playing with Black Nile in 2019 at the Levitt Amphitheatre in MacArthur park. Gaeta provides the following account: "Even though it was in 2019, socio-political tensions and issues were at the forefront for me at that time. I wrote a speech that was intended to be critical of the US but it ended up becoming a collage inspired by different women that had messages of freedom that spoke to me the most. I quoted Nina Simone and Georgia Anne Muldrow, it wasn't something that I read but something that she said "kicking it with consciousness and style" that phrase stuck with me, so I used it in that speech. Although critical, the speech had a positive feeling to it, and it was hopeful. I gave that speech while fireworks were going off."
Moor Mother & Zeroh are found on their respective tracks, Memory Screen & Eccolo - both delivering a distinct, commanding vocal performance. Low Leaf colors the track Soft Spot with harp, a beautiful ballad nestled in the center of the album. Other players include Gregory Uhlmann on guitar, Jon Kaye on violin, Devin Daniels on alto saxophone, Caleb Buchanan on bass, Dante Luna on vibraphone, Patrick Behnke on viola, Bryan Baker on tenor saxophone/flute, and Mekala Session on drums.
"I’d like for us tonight to embody a freedom oriented life. Freedom isn’t just a dream, it’s a place we must all arrive at together, as one by one the people of the Earth help each other to be Free of power, hate, and insecurities. Let’s kick it with consciousness and style. Can y’all dig that? YEAH. I can too. So now we’d like to present to you a spiritual transmission I like to call: 'Fearlessly Accessing the Divine Spirit of Freedom From Here On Out.' YEAH" - Diego Gaeta
Peach Discs celebrates peak western-hemisphere summer with the perfectly-timed-and-titled "Soft Serve Summer" EP from I. JORDAN. We were delighted when they sent us these tunes, which represent a brighter, housier and more personal side to their sound than many have seen before. Inspired by their recent tour of Australia, the EP (named after the title track that got the ball rolling on the other side of the planet) bottles a loose, sun-kissed feeling across all five tracks that's keen to be unleashed at festivals, beaches and dancefloors worldwide.
Opener "Your Love" boots things off in style, sitting somewhere between Power House and French Touch as layers of oscillating synths, percolating drums and vocal chops take turns in the spotlight – but when all's said and done it's the bassline that gets the flowers, duh.
Things turn a little more introspective on "Little Tinker", as the titular bells sprinkled throughout summon up something…else? Whatever you think that is, the muscular bassline once again keeps us grounded, as washes of dreamy synths lap at the shore and everything is in its right place, before the urgent organ stabs and diva moans of "Soft Serve Summer" pull us straight back to the middle of the floor.
Riviera Records is a brand new label that kicks off with ‘Move’ - a statement of intent from founder X-Coast. Continuing to perform across the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia, X-Coast is an unconventional character and little is known about the mysterious Serbian other than the concept for the alias is that it exists “somewhere in the deep blue Caribbean Sea, between your imagination and what’s real.” Having released on labels like Hot Haus, Lost Palms and Steel City Dance Discs, X-Coast now launches Riviera Records with a promise to be an uncompromising clash of sounds” and the label stays true to that from the get-go.
There is no mucking about here as X-Coasts demonstrates his versatility as a producer with three varying mixes of ‘Move’ making up the bulk of the package. First up is the Trans Mix: an arms-in-the-air, throwback trance track with euphoric vocal stabs all primed to inject real energy into any set. House Mix then bounces and bumps with a refracted garage vox and endless old school dynamism, before the twisting and turning Breaks Mix follows with its thumping drums, hits and rattling dub sounds that all explode to life. Finally, ‘Naos’ totally flips the script with a slow, deep, cosmic workout build on a rugged bassline. A breathy voice, warm chords and balmy pads all wash over you like a Balearic breeze and take you to hedonistic dance floor somewhere in 80s Ibiza.
Gala – Freed From Desire was first released in 1996 on NiteLite Records in Italy. 2024 and Ministry of Sound Recordings / B1 Recordings are happy to release two fresh new remixes for the first time on limited edition yellow transparent vinyl. Gala wrote this song when she was drawing on a Buddhist concept that challenges the constant craving for more and encourages us to value our principles and our own freedom instead. She believed that ‘Freed From Desire’ could resonate with people all over the world. Arguably one of the biggest sporting songs of all time, it has become a unifying sensation across the world. The main mix has been re-recorded for a whole new generation but is still very true to that original of ’96, whilst on the flip, Diplo; the American superstar, showcases his trademark, energetic, thumping style. A huge club and radio hit.
Anthony Hüseyin presents their new album O Geliyor (Making O), in which they return to the rediscovery of their gender, their childhood, and their attachment to Zeki Müren.
Müren is widely regarded as the most important queer exponent in the history of Turkish Art Music (Türk Sanat Müzigi). This genre of music was open to musical hybridism, and Müren himself also included elements of jazz and pop music.
Stylistically, O Geliyor (Making O) is a combination of contemporary discoid electro-pop music, based on Turkish Art Music by Zeki Müren. After successful current re-interpretations of Turkish music styles like neo-Anatolian pop and neo-Arabesk, this album provides a first take on neo-Turkish Art Music.
The album title is referring to the third genderless person pronoun in Turkish called "O", which encompasses all gender possibilities in one word. The album reflects on the memories that haunt us and the indescribable wounds of displacement. Set against the backdrop of Berlin, home to many immigrants and political and queer refugees, it exposes the profound emptiness in a metropolis wishing to imagine itself as a safe haven for the free-spirited, yet always reminding the Other that they don't belong. At the same time, it delivers anthems for the displaced, for the queer migrants who traverse internal and external landscapes in search of a place called home.
Anthony Hüseyin is a non-binary musician and performance artist of Kurdish-Turkish and Arabic descent who works with voice, text, film, dance, and installation. Raised in Urfa in Southeastern Turkey, where they learned traditional local music, they went on to study both classical and jazz singing in Istanbul and Rotterdam. Their works combine the personal and political to explore memory, identity, community, collective consciousness, and the body.
There are records that do not so much belong to an era as they pass through it, leaving traces rather than statements, circulating in the margins where function outweighs discourse. World Cup, written at the end of the 1990s by Kiko, emerged in precisely that way — as a techno track whose presence was felt less through promotion than through repetition, carried from booth to booth, absorbed into the working vocabulary of DJs who recognized in it something immediate and self-evident. Its architecture is minimal yet insistent, driven by tension and release, a form of clarity that resists ornament and instead privileges duration, pressure, and movement.
When it resurfaced in 2006, it did not return as a revision but as a continuation, reaffirming its role within the ecology of the dancefloor. The same internal logic remained intact, allowing it to re-enter circulation without friction, as though it had simply been waiting to be picked up again. In both instances, the track operates less as a fixed object than as a tool — something to be used, extended, and recontextualized in real time.
Bringing together these two versions alongside Tainted Life, the release traces a subtle but telling trajectory. If World Cupdefines a certain techno functionalism, Tainted Life reveals another dimension: a proto-Italo sensibility that gestures toward what would later coalesce as electroclash, not through stylistic declaration but through texture, tone, and attitude. Long absent from digital circulation and largely confined to obscurity, it appears here not as a rediscovery, but as a piece whose relevance has simply remained latent.
Nothing has been added, nothing has been altered beyond what was necessary to restore presence. The recordings are allowed to exist in their own continuity, detached from the temporal markers that might otherwise confine them.
The artwork, conceived by H5, extends this approach into the visual field. Its restraint is not aesthetic minimalism for its own sake, but a form of structural clarity, where composition and absence articulate a space in which the record can be encountered without interference, as if resurfacing from a parallel timeline that never fully closed.
Nectax returns to Up Ya Archives with a single that throws three of the most physically demanding genres in club music into the same crucible. Juke’s stuttering vocal chops collide with footwork’s 160bpm grid-locked percussion and jungle’s time-stretched breaks. When asked on his process behind ‘Schematics’, Nectax said:
“I really like how Schematics turned out, it sounds like it was done on an old MPC but in truth was just trusty FL 11. Re-chopping all the breaks into triplets was a meticulous quest, but it’s given the track quite a unique flow & pacing.”
One of modern jungle’s most in-demand producers, Nectax has built a reputation for releases that treat adjacent genres as raw material rather than reference points - as featured on the upcoming EP.
Nectax on the EP:
“Newcastle Juke Party EP taps into the synergy between Chicago Footwork & UK Jungle, two styles I personally love & feel don’t get enough credit for how well they compliment each other.”
Recent output on Over/Shadow, play:musik and Future Retro has cemented him as a key figure in the current wave of UK club music pushing junglism forward.
¿DONDEDOS is young dude/unc duo hailing from the Mission. Pascual Martinez (young dude) and BPT head honcho Jeremy Castillo (unc) have spent the last few years in the stu, cooking up this deep fried, groovin' 4 tracker. Fans of 2011-16 LIES and Future Times releases, “Biology" era Young Marco, Juju and Jordash, and the Wah Wah Wino crew are in for a treat.
In an era where literally every aspect of dance music is overly programmed and manicured, ¿DONDEDOS take a massively refreshing approach marked by true experimentation. All drums were recorded on the Roland R8, and the melodies were live played with a loose, jammy feel not felt on many electronic 12" releases in 2026. They're a jam band baby!!!!!
The fun starts with "Drifting Nowhere," a fried oddball deep house record with one of the year's most infectious basslines. Be ready for it to be on a loop in your brain long after the track has stopped playing.
2nd track "Dies Varos" was described by BPT fam Izaak from Loveshadow as sounding like "part of the Mediterranean touching Mexico." Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. (that was a deep relaxed sigh, not a scream for once!!!)
"Music for Patios" sounded pretty good on a walk and not on a patio so, just FYI, only a suggestion not a requirement.
Ender Noche Caminando features Diego Herrera (AKA Suzanne Kraft) on sax. In Jeremy's own words, this track features "oddball dancehall drums on the R8 with 80s synth pop dub melodic sensibilities."
Inweys is the new project from Scottish musicians Conal Blake (Feedback Moves, Domestic Exile, Infant Tree) and Murray Collier (Dip Friso, Grim Lusk, Real Landscape). Their debut self-titled 12’ was recorded in the summer of 2024 at La Chunky Studios in Glasgow.
They asked Fielding Hope of Counterflows Festival to write a short summary of the record:
“Inweys debut release arrives as four pieces of broken body music. Lurking, barely human fragments brought into the present. Using a short drum-machine improvisation as core material, the pieces are formed from a processes of mining and re-mining for small details, with each fragment zoomed in on and turned into new pieces. There’s a transformation taking place, but one that doesn’t obscure the materiality of the recording tapes as sticky, corrosive matter. On skewed and stretched fabric they enact their palimpsestic play, sketching and altering the grid with itchy technologies. What their edits and improvisations don’t say they let space say the rest, with vacuum aerated frames for bass to diffuse and beats to wriggle. More King Tubby than Cage, more Mantronix than Reich: minimalism with molten tips.
Both Conal and Murray’s past work has embraced malleable and iterative technologies; music whose feeliness figures itself out in space in a messy precomposed/improvised dialectic. This is the sort of thing most “new music” experimentalists (or anyone who spends most of their time obsessively manipulating tapes in expensive studios) often can’t achieve; a liveness, birthed from learning in situated play. Like the lore of Phuture’s Acid Trax, a poverty of material is at the heart of this, rendering the work with an abortive conviction: a corpse waking to consciousness becomes amphibious. Instead of the composer we have a relation, two people navigating the awkward spooling between the two reels of tape. Inweys is scots for “inwards”, and in their working process this is what they do. But the result is circular motion. Until the tape runs out, all in ways move out.”
Bikini Kill Records is excited to reissue of The Singles, on both vinyl and compact disc. This is the first time that it has been released as a 12-inch (special note for all you vinyl fanatics, we managed to keep it at 45rpm for better sound quality)! The Singles was initially released in 1998 as a CD only compilation of all of BIKINI KILL's 7's. Once called "their defining document" by Pitchfork it includes Bikini Kill's legendary collaboration with JOAN JETT on the New Radio (1993) single as well as the long out of print Anti Pleasure Dissertation (1995) and I Like Fucking (1995) singles.
Last year Ace Records were delighted to reissue The Brides of Funkenstein’s debut LP from 1978, “Funk Or Walk”. Featuring their hit single ‘Disco To Go’, this album put the Brides on the map and sold strongly.
Before sessions commenced for a second album, Lynn Mabry left the group before sessions commenced for a second album, leaving Dawn Silva alone at the altar. George Clinton added P-Funk backing singers Jeanette McGruder and Sheila Horne to the mix, creating a three-pronged vocal attack.
Sessions featured the cream of the P-Funk players including keyboard wizard Bernie Worrell, bassist Bootsy Collins and guitarist Garry Shider. The resulting album, released in 1979, was even better that their debut.
The title track ran for over 15 minutes on side one, showcasing the vocal and musical prowess of all concerned. Other tracks included ’Party Up In Here’, ‘Smoke Signals’, ‘Mother May I?’ and the gorgeous ballad ‘Didn’t Mean To Fall In Love’.
Although it did not spawn a hit single, “Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy” sold as strongly as “Funk Or Walk” and over time has been hailed as a classic P-Funk album.
With liner notes from Ace’s Ian Shirley, we are delighted to release it on orange vinyl and CD. You don’t need your mother’s permission to buy it either.
What's the point of the howl of string to speaker, the hammering of stick-on skin? Is it transcendence, elevating the human spirit by catharsis in sound? Or is it summoning chaos, a purgatory in which to bask in all that’s unclean, the better to feel alive?
Why not both? Because that’s what’s on offer on Diet Of Worms, the second Rocket release by The Shits, Leeds via Newcastle’s titans of disgust and deliverance. This is a feast for the senses in the worst way possible - primal rock boiled down to its essence and flung full in your face. Using repetition, tortured vocal invective and heads-down intensity as blunt instruments, these eight tracks are an unprecedented torrent of acidic salvation. Whilst lurking somewhere on the decadence-destruction axis between the nihilism of prime Stooges and the bloody blackout of Braimbombs, Diet Of Worms is possessed of a legitimately uncompromising hostility that both elevates and debases it to co-ordinates unknown.
There are revelations here in the riffage and the rancour, even if they are the kind that occur in the bleary miasma of the lock-in, or witnessing the streetlight blur of the subsequent stagger home. Even more single-minded and remorseless than the band’s Rocket debut ‘You’re A Mess’, this is a record that demands full immersion. Whether it’s ‘Then You’re Dead’ hammering on a pulverising garage-stinking riff until it begs for mercy, or ‘Change My Ways’, whose Creedence-In-Hell swagger and lurch is that of abjection transmuted into joy, this is psychedelia forcibly removed from its comfort zone of pastiche, and thrust into a bad-trip realm of the vivid and nightmarish.
But rarely has the process of making beauty and horror indivisible seemed like so much fun. If Werner Herzog was right, and the only harmony in the universe is that of overwhelming and collective murder, then The Shits are the true music of the spheres.