quête:we like we

Wah Wah 45s present two very special cover versions from our beloved Afro-electronic duo, Raz & Afla, available on 12" vinyl for the very first time! Having recently released their sophomore LP, Echoes Of Resistance, to great acclaim and support ranging from Nick Grimshaw on BBC 6 Music to Tash LC on BBC Radio 1, and the follow up remix project Remixes Of Resistance, the pair offer up their unique takes on two very different slices of club culture on twelve inches of wax.

First up, the pair tackle Aphex Twin's sleazy and sinister turn-of-the-century dance floor bomb Windowlicker and take it somewhere completely unexpected, as Raz explains:

"We wanted to go to a different place from our influences for this one. When we told people we will cover this tune everyone said 'but how?!' In Raz & Afla style. We had an idea of what elements to recreate from the original and how we can reference it within our spectrum of sounds. It was so much fun to do and really kicks off at our live shows."

It's a heavily percussive reinterpretation, replete with spooky wordless vocals, funky guitars and spine tingling synths that builds into something of a future Afro-house anthem, whilst respecting the genius of the original recording.

On the flip, Going Back To My Roots has become a mainstay in Raz & Afla's live sets, and means a lot to them personally, as Raz once again explains:

"We love this song. The lyrics resonate with us, talking about the meaning of connection to a land and its people. The history of this song is also fascinating, from Hugh Masekela and Orlando Julius through Odyssey and Richie Havens. We wanted to give it our own flavour. You can't choose your heritage and where you are born. It is always a part of you and we like to celebrate that."

Written and first recorded by Lamont Dozier in 1977, Going Back To My Roots was famously covered by Richie Havens in 1980 before becoming a huge crossover hit when interpreted by disco outfit Odyssey in 1981. Raz & Afla very much give their version their own unique dance floor feeling. It's one which has received much support on BBC 6 Music.

Released by Hegoa Records and Night School Records.
Greatest Heads is the fourth album by the radical Basque- Berlinesque group Al Karpenter. A deconstruction of structured “rock” music, here Al Karpenter re-imagine “the band” to explore the intersection between Free music, afro-beat, the avant garde and gonzo rock.
If Theodore Adorno wrote “To Write Poetry after Auschwitz is Barbaric” in 1949, Al Karpenter attempts to answer the difficult question today; what kind of music can be done in the face of a genocide? Álvaro Matilla, Marta Sainz, Enrique Zaccagnini & Mattin’s response to the planet’s slipping into a vortex of hate is to create a music ecstatic, a music of protest bursting with multiple musical languages and glossaries, full of overlapping histories and thrilling tensions.
Greatest Heads posits a plurality of musics both in opposition and intertwined: Al Karpenter play rock instruments pulled apart in the studio in post-production. Distorted rhythm chunks bit-crushed and dissipated, segments of freedom oppressed by waves of sound invading from every direction. The interplay between the chief instrumentalists and renowned, storied sound artist Mattin creates something akin to ESP freedom-seekers Cro Magnon playing in Miles Davis’ early 70s groups, The Los Angeles Free Music Society tightening up into a clenched fist of plunderphonics and runaway percussion.
We Are All Karpenters opens Greatest Heads with the most straight-forward song refrain of the record accompanied by a band that soon crash into eruption, imagining Sun City Girls in full free rock mode.
The modulating synth sound soon sucks the band into its wake to create a spine-chilling climax of distorted sound, made fully orgasmic with mastering engineer Rashad Becker’s attention to detail. On Izugarrizko Buruak (Greatest Heads), Matilla intones in Basque over a mangled distorto-beat. A Brand New Astraphobia creates a black space for a heavily processed guitar to blow up before falling to earth at night, a gentle figure serenading the coming end.
On Side B, the band begins by being masticated by a brutal phaser, squelching and stretching the music into new territories. The overt message of Stop The Genocide! is besieged by violence before Worm City aggressively samples the ghosts of soul music, mixing in noise bursts, prepared piano and swiping, abstracted sound. Epic closer Perfect Love feels like a beat poetry performance on a burnt world, still grasping for community, for home, for some sort of human love. A Mad love, then; an angry love fuelled by solidarity and collaboration.
The band’s cascading layers of references and polyglottal musics attempt to create the perfect lover, alive with rage and disorientating ecstasy: Al Karpenter.

lim. Colored Vinyl Edition (Oxblood)

Part 2 of our series of official reworks of The Warmer Music catalogue
For this new 12 Inch we are still in the warm Michael Franks land. A full MF compilation will be coming later.
After our first 12 Inch with DoctorSoul Reworks, we now return with more smooth, high class Edits/Reworks by 3 outstanding modern producers of soulful/jazzy dance vibes.
Michale Franks is one of the most prolific musicians of the Californian Westcoast/Jazz/AOR/Yacht scene, the one and only Michael Franks, who approved personally the new version. Over the languorous course of 33 years and 16 albums, Michael Franks has mesmerized an international legion of fans with his one-of-a-kind artistry. Seamlessly weaving lyrics of stunning sensuality, wit, reflection and literary eloquence over music that tastefully utilizes top shelf shadings of jazz, soul, pop, chamber and music from around the globe. His music was covered by countless international stars, like The Carpenters, Shirley Bassey, Rin

Ten City is universally known as one of the foundational House Music artists who helped to preach the gospel of House from Chicago out to the world during the genre’s formative years in the late 80’s. Remarkably Ten City is still recording and performing, with the voice and face of Ten City Byron Stingily delivering classic songs like “That’s The Way Love Is,” “Devotion” and “Right Back To You” to adoring fans from multiple generations around the world.

Throughout his career, Byron has always had a keen sense of where House Music is going both on a musical and cultural level, and the role Ten City could play to stay at the forefront. He saw that now in the year 2025 the time was right to collaborate with a new generation producer who could “walk the walk” in terms of knowing how to utilize to the fullest the multiple emerging production techniques making House Music dancefloors jump. At the same time, whomever he worked with to create a new Ten City album had to be so well versed and respectful of the group’s legacy that they would not stray too far from what the original songs and albums were all about.

He found his man in another Chicago native DJ Emmaculate, who is well known among house music fans as one of the most talented writer / producer / DJs in the genre.

For the new album on Nervous Records, appropriately entitled “The Next Generation,” Byron and Emmaculate have expanded the Ten City sound both musically and in terms of vocal contributors. While “Voice Of House Music” Byron Stingily still delivers slam-dunk hits with his inimitable style, the album also includes supreme vocal contributions from Mon’Aerie, Uneq’ka, DRAMA D. Lylez, and a rap delivery from OVEOUS.

This Double Pack vinyl consisting of 8 songs with a custom jacket is a priceless and must-have addition to anyone and everyone who is a fan of the house music genre.

Angel Bat Dawid's International Anthem debut The Oracle introduced her multifaceted voice to the world. The response to its modest, initial cassette/digital release in January of 2019 was immediate, and immense. Within a month of its announcement, Dawid was being featured on magazine covers and receiving offers from international festivals; and her subsequent activity marked the beginning of an epic run of creative output (including 2020's LIVE double LP, the same year's EP Transition East, 2021's Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology, and the sprawling opus Requiem for Jazz, released in 2023) that continues through the present.

The collection of compositions on The Oracle present a deep blend of powerful and emotive songs alongside heavy and free improvisation. In true DIY fashion, Dawid recorded and mixed the album using only her cell phone.

"Angel's fieldnote approach affirms that the everyday remains a legitimate site of creative production," says South Africa based percussionist, collaborator, and IARC labelmate Asher Gamedze in his liner notes for the album's IA11 Edition. Gamedze - the only other musician to appear on The Oracle besides Dawid, who constructed most of the album's tracks by layering, overdubbing, and arranging lo-fi symphonies of her own voice, wind instruments, percussions, and keyboards - waxes extensively about Dawid's significance in his notes, calling her "a living exemplar and extension of the spacious sonic horizons opened by the likes of the AACM and their refusal of any limitations on their creative vision and the destruction of the demarcation between composer and improviser."
"...a masterpiece, rich with dense improvisation and Afrocentric themes." - Suraya Mohamed, NPR

*Long overdue reissue of the first album by The Hanging Stars to coincide with their tour support slot with Edwyn Collins – initial 300 copies come with 12 x 12 print*

“In late-Sixties California, the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers combined traditional country music with hippy rock to great success. The influence lingered and whatever cultural relevance it has this is a delightful, transporting listen” – The Times 4/5

London-based psych-folk outfit The Hanging Stars re-release their much-loved debut album Over the Silvery Lake on Crimson Crow. Blending folk pastoralism with swampy 60s Americana, they sound like the missing link between the California desert sun and the grey skies of London Town. The album was recorded between LA, Nashville and Walthamstow, with each of these vastly different places leaving an indelible mark on the songs.

Now signed to the Loose Records label and fronted by London-based songwriter, singer and guitarist Richard Olson (The See See, Eighteenth Day of May), The Hanging Stars are essentially a loose collective of people who weave together a blissed-out psychedelic tapestry. The rest of the core band is made up of Sam Ferman on bass and Paulie Cobra on drums, Horse on pedal steel and Patrick Ralla on banjo, guitar. They jam rather than write and hang out rather than rehearse, harnessing a kind of tipsy euphoria resplendent with luscious arrangements and glorious vocal harmonies.

During 2015, prior to this album’s original release the band released two critically acclaimed singles via The Great Pop Supplement (both of which also appear on the album). “Golden Vanity” was premiered by The Line of Best Fit who said; “you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd just unearthed a rare deep cut from the late 60s/early 70s boom of psychedelia infused Americana” and “The House on The Hill” was described by The Guardian as; "a hazy, desert-dream of a song, nicely sharpened with steely-eyed guitars, Mersey-laced harmonies and just a whiff of the Gun Club”.

There are a number of allusions to nature and the weather on the album, borne in part out of the contrasting surroundings in which it was produced. The band’s fascination with Americana led them to record some of the material Stateside, laying down some of the parts at Battle Tapes Studios in Nashville (Lambchop, Paperhead), as well as at Vision Quest Studios in Los Angeles with Rob Campanella. His work with The Quarter After, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Beachwood Sparks The Tyde, and GospelbeacH was a perfect match to capture their sound and they even had San Franciscan legend Chrystof Certik step in on lead guitar for a couple of tracks.

Following the LA recordings, a trip to the Californian desert provided the core notion of what they wanted to produce - a shard of light that they clung on to whilst recording the rest of the album in the significantly more rain-soaked atmosphere of Walthamstow, London, under the watchful eye of Brian O'Shaughnessy at Bark Studios (The Clientele, Comet Gain). As the band explained at the time: “Ultimately we hope you can hear both the sand and the rain in this record.”

The Hanging Stars place themselves firmly as part of a long folk tradition encompassing European and North American influences – as a continuation rather than a pastiche of these styles. This is the sound of a band really coming in to their own, fully formed and in no doubt of their vision. With Over the Silvery Lake they succeeded in producing a record, which has the country, blues and folk traditions at its heart.

Limitierte Loser Edition: "Coke-Bottle Clear & Orange Vinyl" 2LP // 30-jähriges Jubiläum der Neuauflage des Noise-Rock-Klassikers ,Severe Exposure" von Six Finger Satellite aus dem Jahr 1995 auf farbigem Vinyl, Doppel-LP, komplett remastered, inklusive der EP ,Machine Cuisine" von 1994 und einem Download mit 17 Bonustracks // Für Fans von The Jesus Lizard, Gang of Four, Devo, Shellac, LCD Soundsystem, Les Savy Fav. // Sub Pop feiert das 30-jährige Jubiläum von Six Finger Satellites zweitem Album ,Severe Exposure" mit einer erweiterten Doppel-LP-Edition des Albums. Zusätzlich zum Originalalbum enthält ,Severe Exposure: Deluxe Edition" eine Bonus-12"-EP mit der ,Machine Cuisine EP" von 1994 und einen Download mit 17 zusätzlichen Songs, darunter seltene Singles, Compilation-Tracks und unveröffentlichtes Material. Das gesamte Material wurde von JJ Golden neu gemastert und die Vinyl-Platten sind in einem schönen Slipcase mit individuellen Covern für jede LP verpackt. Six Finger Satellite wurde 1990 in Providence, Rhode Island, von J. Ryan (Gesang/Keyboards), John MacLean (Gitarre), Peter Phillips (Gitarre), Chris Dixon (Bass) und Rick Pelletier (Schlagzeug) gegründet und unterschrieb kurz darauf einen Vertrag bei Sub Pop für die EP ,Weapon". 1993 veröffentlichten sie ihr bahnbrechendes Debütalbum ,The Pigeon Is the Most Popular Bird" und 1995 ,Severe Exposure". ,Severe Exposure" war ein Vorbote des Post-Punk- und Synth-orientierten Rock-Revivals der frühen 2000er Jahre, indem es den bissigen, angespannten Post-Punk-Sound der Band um Synthesizer ergänzte. Damals schrieb Trouser Press: ,,Rabies (Baby's Got The)` und ,Simian Fever` sind animalisch aggressiv und chaotisch, während sie gleichzeitig die synthetische Digitone-Lust der New Wave teilen." Und die SF Weekly lobte es als ,ein Party-Album, das man genau dann auflegt, wenn man möchte, dass ,bestimmte Leute` nach Hause gehen." Und es ist das Lieblingsalbum von Seth Jabour von Les Savy Fav! In seinen Worten: ,Ich bin immer wieder überrascht, wie sehr ich es liebe und wie wichtig es für uns während unserer Entwicklung als Band war." Severe Exposure ist das meistverkaufte Album der Band und wurde von der Band in ihrem eigenen Studio, The Parlour, in Providence, Rhode Island, aufgenommen.

"Irritating Post Punk New Wave Kraut Disco Trash Duo from Switzerland in Glitter Tights and Spandex Wigs with obscure and high potential Dancing Beats and and songs that stick in your brain like chewing gum". It's their fifth' full lenght amd second for VVR! DIE GROSSE KUNST DER REDUKTION: BLIND BUTCHER ist ein abstraktes musikalisches Künstler/Musiker-Duo aus Luzern der Schweiz, welches Glitzer-Leggings trägt und das Gesicht hinter einem Leuchfarben-Spandex Vorhang versteckt. Ihre Ästhetik und Outfits werden angefertigt von Corinne Odermatt, aber vor allem überzeugen sie durch ihre Musik, die einem, wenn mensch sie live erlebt, nicht aus dem Staunen herauskommen und perplex im Raum stehenlässt. Wie zwei obskure Kreaturen von einer anderen Galaxie treiben sie ihren Disco Beats durch den Raum, oder wie hier durch die Rille einer Vinyl-Schallplatte. Aufgenommen wurde diese zweite Produktion für Voodoo Rhythm beim renommierten Swamp Land Studio in Toulouse Frankreich mit Lo Spider (Destination Lonely) und gemastert in Detroit von Bill Skibbe at Third Man Mastering. Das Coverfoto und Artwork entwarf Ralph Kuehne. Classic black Vinyl LP 180g including Booklet and free Download Card

Transparent green vinyl. After an uncomfortably long five-year hiatus-likely spent arguing about time signatures, chord progressions, and who forgot to bring snacks to rehearsals-Glutton is finally back. The beloved (by at least a few people) trio is ready to unleash their questionable wisdom upon an unsuspecting world with their upcoming album: "Skiva heter Vishnu!" On their latest outing, Glutton boldly ditches vocals (likely realizing that nobody was really listening to their lyrics anyway) and commits fully to an instrumental format. This time around, it's only guitar, bass, and drums-because who needs keyboards or vocalists when you have enough distortion pedals and élan? Guitarist Eirik Orevik Aadland (Spurv), bassist Ola Mile Bruland (Actionfredag, Jordsjo), and drummer Jonas Eide Hollund (Mt. Mélodie) clearly didn't bother to consider commercial viability while crafting this sonic oddity, delivering tracks like "Hallux Valgus," "Orkensur," and "Rematusenogennatt" with absurd seriousness and delightfully misplaced confidence. Expect a reckless fusion of punk attitude, jazz complexity, and prog rock pretentiousness, presented with complete sincerity and zero self-awareness (well, almost zero). Each track is carefully constructed to give the illusion of a band deeply serious about their art, while simultaneously admitting that they may have no idea what they're doing. Whether you're a sophisticated music connoisseur with an ear for complexity, or just someone who enjoys pretending to appreciate weird music, Glutton's latest record promises to be precisely the type of organized hotchpotch you didn't realize your life was lacking. "Skiva heter Vishnu!" - because of course it does.

„Foreigner 4“, wie es oft genannt wird, ist das vierte Studioalbum der legendären britisch-amerikanischen Rockband. Es wurde in einer Zeit des Umbruchs veröffentlicht, als die Band bekanntermaßen von sechs auf vier Mitglieder schrumpfte.Aufgenommen in den berühmten Electric Lady Studios in NYC zusammen mit dem angesehenen Musikproduzenten Mutt Lange, enthält es einige der größten Hits der Band, darunter „Urgent“, „Waiting On A Girl Like You“ und „Jukebox Hero“. Jetzt, im Vorfeld des 45. Jubiläums des Albums im Jahr 2026, erfährt diese ikonische Platte die Rhino-Deluxe-Behandlung: mit einem glänzend neuen 5-Disc-Super-Deluxe-Boxset (4CD + 1BR), einer neu gemasterten 1LP sowie einem Dolby-ATMOS-Mix des Originalalbums. Hinzu kommt ein digitales Deluxe-Angebot, das das remasterte Album, unveröffentlichte Tracks, frühe/alternative Versionen, Instrumentalmixe und eine Zusammenstellung von Live-Auftritten der Welttournee 1981-82 enthält.Nach der Ankündigung am Jubiläum des Albums im Juli erscheint „Foreigner 4“ im Herbst – im Anschluss an die offizielle Auftaktveranstaltung zum 50. Jubiläum des bahnbrechenden Sounds und Vermächtnisses von Foreigner.

Belgian drummer and composer Jelle Van Giel presents All I Hear, the first full-length album of his new band, Close Distance.

All I Hear unfolds in ten chapters - nine on vinyl, with an additional track on CD. Each track depicts its own world. Some burst to life, driven by energy that draws you in and melodies that linger. Others take their time, emerging like landscapes through morning mist, shaped by shifting textures and quiet detail.

Subtle soundscapes and cinematic colors blend with improvisation and groove, creating an immersive listening experience that speaks to both head and heart. This is music that paints with sound, drawing the listener deep into the world of Close Distance: a quartet in which Jelle invites his fellow musicians Roeland Celis (guitar), Ewout Pierreux (piano/rhodes) and Yannick Peeters (double bass) to join him on his journey and sometimes lead the way.

"Entweder du machst, was alle machen, besser als alle anderen oder du machst, ganz was anderes..." Was Sergio Leone für den Western war, ist Johnny Indigo für die Rock Musik. Anders, rauher, echt und kompromisslos. Johnny Indigo ist das Soloprojekt von dem Wahlwiener Mathias Kollos, der bereits für viele Künstler hinter den Kulissen und auf verschiedensten Bühnen tätig ist und war. Jetzt hat er den Schritt nach vorne getan und tritt mit seiner Band "The El Dorado Wildfire" mit eigens für Live arrangierten Versionen von seinem Debut Album "American Daydreams" gemeinsam auf. Wie klingt das verschmitzte Grinsen von Terence Hill? Was hört man, wenn Clint Eastwood seine unvergleichliche Miene verzieht? Den eigenständigen Mix aus Alternative Rock, Southern Rock, Country und Blues von Johnny Indigo. Das Album vermischt Roots und Country Elemente mit modernem Rock und Blues. Ästhetisch geprägt von dem Image der Spaghetti Western, ohne in unnötige Cliches zu verfallen. Vergangene Acts wie Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix oder die Rolling Stones werden ebenso nicht vernachlässigt wie moderne Formationen wie Queens Of The Stone Age, The Black Keys oder Rival Sons.

After recent sold-out vinyl and cassette releases garnering plays on BBC 6Music and NTS, among other Radio Play, 0282 are back with another choice double-sider.

Travis Street’s ‘Jackie Morris Said’ is an instrumental mid-tempo soul stomper, with Advance copies being very well received on contemporary Northern Soul Dancefloors throughout the UK. DJ feedback has likened it to all-time classic instrumental Mod & Soul numbers by the likes of Googie Renee and Wynder K Frog.

The flipside sees a remix by Barden Juniors, fresh from recent DJ gigs with the likes of Keb Darge, DJ Food, and Doug Shipton from Finders Keepers records. Their wonky angular deconstruction is in the vein of classic European Library Tunes from the late 60s / early 70s, and feedback on promo copies has seen it described as “a lost KPM out-take”, “the soundtrack to a lost public information film from 1973”, and “a time-travelling Kool Keith instrumental”.

It has already had radio play support from the likes of Markey Funk (Delights).

Horse Vision – Another Life
Limited Edition Clear Vinyl – via Scenic Route Records

For the first time, Horse Vision’s Another Life—the Swedish duo's critically acclaimed 13-track debut—is pressed to vinyl. The limited edition clear vinyl comes housed in a sleeve designed by the band themselves, complete with an inlay featuring extensive liner notes that offer a rare glimpse into the album’s creation plus an exclusive vinyl-only acoustic rendition of “Partly Get By.”

Released in March this year, Another Life set out “to depict the world of music, rather than the world itself.” The result was met with critical acclaim from the likes of The Guardian and Pitchfork, who hailed it as “a well-studied, lovingly referential album—feels like a gift—a way to strengthen the bond between past and future.”

The reissue arrives fresh off the band’s standout performances at Way Out West, by:Larm, and Les Nuits Botanique, and ahead of their debut UK tour with Danish duo Snuggle.

Another Life on vinyl is a chance to hold one of 2025’s most celebrated debuts in physical form.

The song sets the tone of this album. A simple structure, over which a web of rhythm is woven using an instrumentation of old drum machines in dialogue with live drums and percussion. Lots of sax, tenor and baritone! A pumping bass. A frisky pizzicato violin. And some classic keyboards: the Fender Rhodes, the Hohner Clavinette D6, the L-100 Hammond organ. And lots of analogue synthesisers: a rippling Juno-106 marks the path to follow, which is crossed with phrases from other museum pieces: Crumar's Stratus, Farfisa's Synthorchestra, Sequential's Prophet-10. Or still the Casio Club M-100, which is basically a toy, but has been subtly colouring SKC's songs for years!

SKC has often dived deep into the repertoire of artists he holds in high esteem, looking for pearls, forgotten or not, to work on. Likewise on this album with versions of songs by Prince, Dez Mona, Alain Bashung…

Matt Watts (1987–2024) was born in Philadelphia, in the USA. He recorded his first songs along the banks of the Missouri River in Montana when he was 15, touring the north-western states extensively as a young troubadour. He arrived in Belgium at the tender age of 19 and grew into a full-fledged singer-songwriter that combines a profound respect for the folk tradition with contemporary influences.

His solo album, Songs from a Window, was released in 2014 by Starman Records and received glowing praise in the press.

Matt Watts played dozens upon dozens of shows in the Benelux, often together with Stef Kamil Carlens and Nicolas Rombouts. While his predecessor Songs from a Window was a true solo album, How Different It Was When You Were There includes personal stories by Watts that have been subtly seasoned with wonderful musicians such as Nathalie Delcroix, Bjorn Eriksson, Geert Hellings (Stanton, Guido Belcanto), Maarten Moesen (Guido Belcanto), and bassist and this album’s producer, Nicolas Rombouts (formerly with Dez Mona, Stef Kamil Carlens, The Colorist, Guido Belcanto, and many others).

One of the highlights of this album, which truly showcases Matt Watts’ awakening, is “Many a Friend Too Kind”: a fabulous duet with Stef Kamil Carlens. Watts also performed in Zita Swoon Group’s production, The Ballad of Erol Klof. Sadly, Matt Watts passed away in June 2024.

MORE QUOTES

“Watts, who washed up in Belgium, sings his personal, poetic lyrics in a high, whispering voice that immediately brings Nick Drake to mind.” 4/5 **** (De Standaard)

‘This is an album full of sincere sentiment and stimulating, evocative stories in fine songs that have been beautifully coloured by Watts and his band, and on which he brings the narrative aspect to the fore more than ever.’ (daMusic)

‘Sensitive songwriter, exceptional storyteller... Introverted, dark, more country, less Nick Drake.’ (OOR)

‘This is real, raw, authentic. Well done, Matt, very well done.’ (Keys And Chords)

‘And no matter how young Matt Watts may be, the singer/musician writes timeless songs reminiscent of those by David Blue and John Martyn...’ (Rootstime)

‘Matt knows how to strike that chord in the same way as Cohen, which immediately moves you. From the beginning to the end of this record.’ (Gigview)

‘A singer-songwriter who believes in simplicity (not a note too many), but grabs you by the scruff of the neck from the start and confronts you with the painful beauty of romance.’ (Luminous Dash)

‘Let's be honest here: Belgium has simply become too small for an album like “How Different It Was When You Were There”. Song material of this calibre deserves a much, much wider audience!’ 4.5***** (ctrl.alt.country)

Hilit Kolet and The Illustrious Blacks team up for the ‘Transatlantic Kiki’ EP. Dropping on Rekids late August, the package is remixed by Floorplan.
London-based artist Hilit Kolet returns to Rekids, collaborating with New York’s The Illustrous Blacks, the project formed by Manchildblack and Monstah Black, for the ‘Transatlantic Kiki’ EP, landing 29th August 2025 via Radio Slave’s Rekids. Legendary father-daughter duo Floorplan remix the single, with the release following up Kolet’s 2024 ‘Snap Talk’ EP, which won support from artists like Dam Swindle, Chloé Caillet, Bradley Zero, and more.

With lyrics that connect London and New York, ‘Transatlantic Kiki’ is a tough, funk-fueled roller true to Hilit Kolet’s signature production style, infused with an unmatchable personality via The Illustrous Blacks’ playful, vogue-like vocals. It’s hypnotic, bold, and irresistible, with the pair supplying a loopy ‘First Class’ mix that introduces vocal elements not featured in the original, amplifying the track’s qualities to hit even harder, and works the dancefloor into a sweat.

Robert and Lyric Hood, known together as Floorplan, remix Hilit Kolet & The Illustrous Blacks’ ‘Transatlantic Kiki’. Equally infectious as the original, they transform its rhythm into a drummy late-night cut. Stabs and vocal chops ride the groove, culminating in a proper lose-yourself-in-the-dance House cut that also comes with an instrumental version.
London’s Hilit Kolet came up through the former Soho Black Market Records shop, and has since become synonymous with the city’s House scene via releases on Defected, Snatch!, Domino, and Rekids, with a #1 debut on Music Week’s Upfront Club Chart and support from BBC Radio 1, Jamie Jones, HAAi, Skream, and more. NYC duo The Illustrious Blacks, comprising Manchildblack and Monstah Black, blend Afro-Electro, Funk, Disco, and House across releases on Soul Clap, Classic Music Company, and Defected, as well as collaborations with artists such as Osunlade, DJ Minx, Seven Davis Jr., and David Morales.

Everything Is Recorded, the collaborative music project centred around producer Richard Russell, returns with a brand new single, “Porcupine Tattoo” - a stripped-back lament featuring two American musical icons - Noah Cyrus and Bill Callahan - who appear on record together for the very first time. The collaboration came together while Russell was hosting sessions for a forthcoming Everything Is Recorded album, one set to build on previous acclaimed releases including 2018’s eponymous, Mercury Prize-nominated debut album. Reaching out to Callahan - an artist he’s long admired and whose song “I’m New Here” was covered by, and provided the title for, Gil Scott-Heron’s final, Russell-produced studio album - Russell asked the simple question “who would you like to write a song for?”. “Noah Cyrus” was Callahan’s reply. The final single features Callahan’s original demo vocal, pitched down and resting on layers of sub bass and complemented by Cyrus’ crystalline counterpoint vocal. It was recorded during a rainy week of sessions in a bungalow at Los Angeles’ Chateau Marmont, which Russell described as “comfortable but haunted”. The song continues a lineage of Russell productions – from “I’m New Here” to Bobby Womack’s “Deep River” and Damon Albarn’s “History of a Cheating Heart” – that explore a sparser, more acoustic side of his sound. The limited edition 7” vinyl single is released on XL Recordings in partnership with Drag City, Bill Callahan’s long term label home. The 7” exclusively features a second collaboration between Everything Is Recorded and Callahan in the form of “Norm”, a tribute to the Austin-based singer songwriter’s favourite comedian Norm MacDonald”

Leon Michels ist still und leise zu einem der gefragtesten Produzenten der Musikszene geworden.Sein unverwechselbarer Sound hat die Aufmerksamkeit des Mainstreams auf sich gezogen und inspiriert gleichzeitig weiterhin die Underground-Szene. Seit dem 2023 erschienenen Album Glorious Game von El Michels Affair & Black Thought war Michels als Produzent für andere Künstler aktiv - darunter Norah Jones' Grammy-prämiertes Visions, Clairos Grammy-nominiertes Charm, Kali Uchis' ,Moonlight" sowie Alben für seine Labelkollegen Brainstory, Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek, Thee Heart Tones und Liam Bailey. Sein neues Album 24 Hr Sports markiert die langersehnte Rückkehr unter seinem eigenen Namen: El Michels Affair.24 Hr Sports wurde inspiriert von Mode und Grafikdesign der Sports-Illustrated-Magazine der 80er- und 90er-Jahre, MF DOOMs Special Herbs-Alben, den dort verwendeten Sample-Quellen und Gospelmusik à la Pastor T.L. Barrett. Die Summe dieser Einflüsse, gepaart mit Michels' unfehlbarem kreativen Gespür, ergibt ein Rezept für einen Instant-Klassiker - ein Werk, das zweifellos zu den meistgefeierten Veröffentlichungen des Jahres 2025 zählen wird.Der Album-Opener ,Drum Line" ist ein hymnischer, mitreißender Track mit Marschband-Schlagzeug und donnernden Bläserarrangements, die sofort alle Aufmerksamkeit auf sich ziehen und den Ton für das folgende Album setzen. 24 Hr Sports bedeutet eine deutliche Abkehr von der bisher überwiegend instrumentalen Musik im Katalog von El Michels Affair. Mit einer Vielzahl von Gesangsfeatures spiegelt das Album das schwer einzuordnende Genre seiner Musik wider.Das erste dieser Features ist ,Mágica" mit dem brasilianischen Künstler Rogê, der die ohnehin energiegeladene Nummer mit seinen fußballinspirierten Lyrics auf ein neues Level hebt. Weiter geht es von Brasilien nach Ghana: In ,Say Goodbye" feiert Florence Adooni ihre Individualität mit lässigem Selbstbewusstsein und wechselt mühelos zwischen Frafra und Englisch, besonders eingängig im Refrain: ,never gonna find a girl like me_".Labelkollege und weltbekannter Trompeter von The Roots, Dave Guy, veredelt den 70er-Jahre-Groove von ,Oakley's Car Wash" mit seinen charakteristischen Bläserlinien, bevor der Track in ein Dub-artiges Outro übergeht. Vom wilden zum sanften Klang: ,Anticipate" mit Clairo knüpft an die musikalische Chemie an, die das 2024er-Album Charm hervorgebracht hat. Clairo gleitet über die typischen EMA-Arrangements, während sie sich nach unerreichbarer Liebe sehnt - getragen von einer perfekt eingespielten Band.,Eastside" ist ein Stück, das einen Sonnenaufgang am Meer vertonen könnte - Leon Michels' Sinn für Raum und Arrangement wird hier besonders deutlich. Aus Japan ist der Suginami Children's Choir auf dem üppigen Track ,Clean The Line" zu hören - sie singen ein Lied über den Mond, die Sonne und Vögel. Danach reißt ,Cortex" mit verzerrten Gitarren und donnernden Drums die Tür auf - ein Moment purer, filmreifer Intensität in der Mitte des Albums.Leon Michels übernimmt selbst den Lead-Gesang auf ,Shining", einem Song über die Suche nach einem Freund, mit dem man die Freude eines sonnigen Tages teilen kann. Der international gefeierte Shintaro Sakamoto ist auf ,Indifference" zu hören - ein lässiger Song mit federnden Basslinien und gefühlvollen Flöten, in dem Sakamoto zwischen Gesang und gesprochener Poesie über eine vergängliche Liebe reflektiert.Das Grammy-prämierte Duo Norah Jones und Michels kommt auf ,Carry Me Away" erneut zusammen: Jones' honigsüße Stimme schwebt über einem schwer einzuordnenden, aber sofort liebenswerten Track. Michels lehnt sich hier wieder mehr in Richtung El Michels Affair-Stil, der sich klar von seinen bisherigen Produktionen für Norah Jones abhebt. ,Take My Hand" stellt den Gospel-Einfluss in den Vordergrund - mit dem Fabulous Rainbow Singers Choir im Refrain und einem Saxophon-Solo der verstorbenen Jazzlegende Rahsaan Roland Kirk.,Open Season", ein Piano-getriebener Midtempo-Track mit Gruppenrufen wie ,we want the gold, we want the gold_", könnte den perfekten Soundtrack für eine Slow-Motion-Highlight-Reel liefern. Der treffend betitelte Albumabschluss ,Victory Lap" schließlich ist ein traumhafter, euphorischer Ausklang, der dem gesamten Werk würdig ist.Am Ende spricht die Trophäe auf dem Albumcover Bände: El Michels Affair ist Champion Sound - und 24 Hr Sports macht das unmissverständlich klar.