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Repress!

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

‘Time Flies… 1994 – 2009’ is Oasis’ complete singles collection.

Now available with remastered audio, this quadruple vinyl deluxe box set is released to celebrate its 15th anniversary and ahead of the band’s eagerly anticipated Oasis Live ’25 tour, and includes a limited edition print. Released on Big Brother Recordings, the tracklisting spans fifteen years across Oasis’ staggering seven consecutive number one albums. 1994’s ‘Definitely Maybe’, 1995’s ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’, 1997’s ‘Be Here Now’, 2000’s ‘Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants’, 2002’s ‘Heathen Chemistry’, 2005’s ‘Don’t Believe The Truth’ and ‘Dig Out Your Soul’ from 2008. Starting with their irresistible debut, ‘Supersonic’ and finishing with their last release ‘Falling Down’, this compilation features all 26 singles - including ‘Whatever’ and ‘Lord Don't Slow Me Down’, which have previously never appeared on an Oasis studio album.

Originally released in 2005, Street Education is the explosive debut from Street Life - longtime Wu-Tang Clan affiliate and Method Man’s onstage partner-in-rhyme. Executive produced by Method Man, the album delivers raw street wisdom, classic East Coast grit and features production from Rockwilder, Allah Mathematics, Inspectah Deck and Fantom of the Beats. Tracks like “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” “A Star Is Born,” and “What’s Up”
showcase Street Life’s sharp lyricism and his undeniable chemistry with Method Man.

THIS SPECIAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION ARRIVES IN
TANDEM WITH THE WU-TANG CLAN’S ENTER THE FINAL CHAMBER FAREWELL TOUR, A GLOBAL EVENT
CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF ONE OF HIP-HOP’S GREATEST COLLECTIVES.

Originally released in 2005, Street Education is the explosive debut from Street Life - longtime Wu-Tang Clan affiliate and Method Man’s onstage partner-in-rhyme. Executive produced by Method Man, the album delivers raw street wisdom, classic East Coast grit and features production from Rockwilder, Allah Mathematics, Inspectah Deck and Fantom of the Beats. Tracks like “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” “A Star Is Born,” and “What’s Up”
showcase Street Life’s sharp lyricism and his undeniable chemistry with Method Man.

THIS SPECIAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION ARRIVES IN
TANDEM WITH THE WU-TANG CLAN’S ENTER THE FINAL CHAMBER FAREWELL TOUR, A GLOBAL EVENT
CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF ONE OF HIP-HOP’S GREATEST COLLECTIVES.

Originally released in 2005, Street Education is the explosive debut from Street Life - longtime Wu-Tang Clan affiliate and Method Man’s onstage partner-in-rhyme. Executive produced by Method Man, the album delivers raw street wisdom, classic East Coast grit and features production from Rockwilder, Allah Mathematics, Inspectah Deck and Fantom of the Beats. Tracks like “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” “A Star Is Born,” and “What’s Up”
showcase Street Life’s sharp lyricism and his undeniable chemistry with Method Man.

THIS SPECIAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION ARRIVES IN
TANDEM WITH THE WU-TANG CLAN’S ENTER THE FINAL CHAMBER FAREWELL TOUR, A GLOBAL EVENT
CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF ONE OF HIP-HOP’S GREATEST COLLECTIVES.

How could H.C. be any worse? " - It could be a hell of a lot worse than this ! Side 1 contains a dozen thrashers by Asocial that absolutely rip. Then side 2 kicks in with the Bedrovlers who if anything, are even more intense. Killer Swedish hardcore ! review by Tim Yohannon, from Max R&R 15, July 1984.

Following on from last year's acclaimed ‘R.O.I.’ album, Manchester’s favourite sons Aerial Salad are set to return to the fray with a brand new 5-track EP titled ‘Roi de l’herb’ to be released June 27th via Venn Records.
Having released their ‘Dirt Mall’ album during lockdown, which was a pretty grim time to put an album out, the release still eventually opened up some exciting doors for the band and captured Aerial Salad at their most Aerial Salad; loud, brash, silly and emotive.
This led swiftly to 2024’s ‘R.O.I.’ album that marked a real evolution in the band’s sound and songwriting.

“R.O.I. is a concept album but rather than being about a band, it’s from the perspective of an individual pushed to the brink of insanity by the ever-present quest from commercial success,” explains singer and guitarist Jamie Munro. “The idea came from my job; I’ve been working in the tech industry in ‘sales’. ‘Return on investment’ was probably my most uttered phrase for a few years, I was sick of it, sick of having no positive impact on the world and sick of the tech bro, double espresso, thirsty thursdays, work hard - play hard bollocks culture that comes with it. ‘R.O.I.’ is me saying ‘know what, you can actually earn a lot of money in life, even without the fallacy of educational infrastructure and financial privilege, however, it comes at the cost of your soul, time and energy. ‘R.O.I.’ is called such because it’s in the opposite pursuit, it’s not about a return on a financial investment, it’s about doing something with your life that’s enjoyable.”
This brings us crashing into 2025, no longer in the same line of spirit destroying work, with some seriously exciting gigs on the horizon, Aerial Salad wanted to kick off the next era of the band with a short, fast and hard EP and have served up 5 absolute bangers that sit somewhere between ‘Dirt Mall’ and ‘R.O.I.’ The EP is called ‘Roi de l’herb’ because of the track ‘King Of The Grass’: “We tour and play a lot in France, we’ve played most of our “best” gigs in France, so out of curiosity I wanted to see if the title would translate well, naturally, when the translation contained both “ROI” and l’herbe” - I though, fuck it, that’s about as spot on a title for this EP as we can possibly muster.”
‘King of The Grass’ is about the band’s bassist Mike Wimbo who works for Rochdale council on the greens team, which means he spends his life in the pouring rain chopping down overgrown hedges and mowing lawns. Elsewhere on the EP, ‘Inject Your Blood’ is another romantic love song inspired by the TV series ‘True Blood’ (“I’d inject your blood, into mine just to feel you close”), ‘Wires’ rages against the world of AI and GPT, whilst the EP’s opening track ‘My Girl’ is a chaotic, high energy catchy punk song, nothing profound, nothing complicated. It’s a punk song as god intended, a few chords and a load of shouting.
“The EP is like the teaser for what’s next,” summarises Jamie. “The overall hook for this EP is one of hope, that by sticking to what you believe in you can do anything.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is the second release that DJ Diplomat made all the way back in the early 90’s. His first release was repressed by Vinyl Fanatiks in 2019. This second repress we are doing for him was originally recorded in 1993 and engineered by Secret Squirrel AKA Hellfish who went on to create the Deathchant label in 1997, a label which Diplomat also recorded for. He was also responsible for the mega mixes on the Street Sounds electro series when it was relaunched in the noughties.

Enthused by the support his first repress received Will Diplomat decided to get back into the studio and start making fresh hardcore that sounded like it was made back in the day for the Vinyl Fanatiks sister label Amen Brother. His first release sold out many moons ago but his collab with former partner in the old 1993 hardcore group NARC (DJ Beagle) under the name Diplomat & Beagle is still in stock via Sequence.

Now check his examples of many samples!

Originally released on Shoebox in 1993, this wonderfully pink piece of vibrant vinyl comes with two hardcore/proto-jungle bangers made by SDR & Subsonic who also own Shoebox. They are also the artists behind the Digital Pressure release on A Guy Called Gerald’s label Juicebox (keep it locked to Vinyl Fanatiks in 2024 for this one).

This release has been sought after for a good number of years with the usual high-ticket price on Discogs. But now the opportunity is here to grab a copy at a fraction of the price with some saying it is also a better sounding release compared to the original pressing.

The fourth and final bubblegum pink vinyl release. Grab yours before they sell out.
Lock N Loaded…

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

EGO IN MIAMI 2025 comes to life by showcasing current music trends through the most hyped EGO
tracks of the moment. Not only: it represents the beginning of the annual series of compilations signed
EGO, as a tradition for ten years. Again this year, at the Miami Winter Music Conference, we have
selected several tracks that will count down with you, accompanying you to the start of one of the most
anticipated EDM events of the year. The MMW brings together thousands of professionals and
enthusiasts who will participate in a series of events in Miami, concluding with the iconic “Ultra Music
Festival”.

The selection presented this year reflects current musical trends. Established names like TR3NACRIA,
Cecilia Krull and Tommy Vee with the talented emerging Defreeze, Bohemoon and just a boy, the great
returns of Sapienza, Solarys and Bacon Popper. The energy of Berin, the good vibes of Roberto Tropea
and the euphoric productions of Ema Feud and B-Rain. The ensemble takes place through the extended
version braid that creates a collection usable by both EDM fans and professionals: DJs and producers.

Dimple Discs is pleased to announce its first release from the legend that is Jah Wobble. It is a completely solo work with Wobble writing playing and arranging. Lee Perry and King Tubby are deep influences with astounding top layer sonics. Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; he left the band after two albums. Following his departure from PiL, he developed a solo career. In 2012, he reunited with fellow PiL guitarist Keith Levene for Metal Box in Dub and the album Yin & Yang. He continues to tour with a two hour show often presenting "Metal Box In Dub" with former Siouxsie and the Banshees guitar player Jon Klein who Wobble calls the greatest post punk guitarist.

OVERVIEW: Daniel Johnston’s legacy is legendary. The quintessential DIY artist started his career in Austin, TX whilst hawking cassettes from his day job at McDonald’s. The rest, as they say, is history and fans of US alternative music from the 1980s onwards know about his work and the people he went on to inspire. This, however, is not a biography; it’s a simple piece of communication to let people know that from Friday 4th July the second pressing of Daniel’s radio sessions recorded for the BBC will released on translucent A project inspired by BBC Radio 6 Music’s Marc Riley, the tracks have been licensed from the BBC and approved by Daniel’s family, management and charity. The sessions were spread across an eight-year period with two sessions for Rob Da Bank and three with Marc Riley (both of whom are executive producers of this album). A few bootleg recordings of these sessions have been available across the years but now they have been lovingly mastered and cut by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios in London. Daniel was a lifelong fan of The Beatles and the overwhelming consensus from those who knew him was that he would be so proud and excited to have his music mastered above the legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road. This project’s objective is to celebrate Daniel’s musical legacy, rather than explore further his well-documented mental health problems.

OVERVIEW: Daniel Johnston’s legacy is legendary. The quintessential DIY artist started his career in Austin, TX whilst hawking cassettes from his day job at McDonald’s. The rest, as they say, is history and fans of US alternative music from the 1980s onwards know about his work and the people he went on to inspire. This, however, is not a biography; it’s a simple piece of communication to let people know that from Friday 4th July the second pressing of Daniel’s radio sessions recorded for the BBC will released on translucent A project inspired by BBC Radio 6 Music’s Marc Riley, the tracks have been licensed from the BBC and approved by Daniel’s family, management and charity. The sessions were spread across an eight-year period with two sessions for Rob Da Bank and three with Marc Riley (both of whom are executive producers of this album). A few bootleg recordings of these sessions have been available across the years but now they have been lovingly mastered and cut by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios in London. Daniel was a lifelong fan of The Beatles and the overwhelming consensus from those who knew him was that he would be so proud and excited to have his music mastered above the legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road. This project’s objective is to celebrate Daniel’s musical legacy, rather than explore further his well-documented mental health problems.

LA-based producer Real Bad Man and Detroit artist ZelooperZ release their joint album Dear Psilocybin via the pro-ducer’s own Real Bad Man Records. The album marks the duo’s first collaboration, culminating in a full-length project that also features guest appearances from Boldy James, MAVI and a verse from The Alchemist. On Dear Psilocybin, ZelooperZ invokes unconventional production out of Real Bad Man to match his own unpredictable and outlandish delivery, working outside of traditional song structures and existing in a lane of his own. The Detroit multihyphenate, who is an integral part of Danny Brown’s Bruiser Brigadecollective and also an accomplished visual artist, painted the album’s corresponding cover artwork as well.

“I definitely haven’t made anything like this before, it’s a very subtle version of my music as far as tone, ” ZelooperZ explained in a conversation with Real Bad Man for his RBM Radio show. He elaborates on the off-kilter approach to the way he recorded to say, “the album feels like a movie soundtrack for a film about a man losing his mind and getting spurts of memories along the way. ”

Speaking about how the project differs from the rest of his collaborative catalog, RBM says, “It’s trippy and it’s a little different – but the main goal was for it to be authentic to Z and his process. ” That dedication to authenticity rings true across his catalog, drawing back to the foundations of his beginnings as a producer, learning the fundamentals of sampling, experimenting with chords and learning to piece songs together by ear. RBM builds a cohesive production arc around each artist he works with, catered to their strengths as artists, working with a variety of lyrical stylists includ-ing Memphis rapper Lukah, Pink Siifu, Blu, Kool Keith, Elcamino & more.

Real Bad Man is the production moniker of visual artist and designer Adam Jay Weissman. A designer and visual artist first, he made his foray into music through his On High Alert series of imaginative, multi-generational compilations, which have featured the likes of Roc Marciano, ROME STREETZ, Pink Siifu, Maxo and more. In the years since, he’s partnered with some of hip-hop’s most talented and adventurous artists on full-length projects, refining and shaping the trajectory of some of rap’s most exciting independent artists.

Kota The Friend and Statik Selektah reunite for their third collaborative album, "Once In A Blue Moon", a stunning fol-low-up to their acclaimed projects "To Kill A Sunrise" and "To See A Sunset". This album sees the duo refining their sig-nature blend of introspective lyricism and golden-era-inspired production, creating a sonic landscape that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly modern.

Highlights include the electric energy of "BLAH," featuring rap superstar Logic, who delivers sharp, unforgettable vers-es alongside Kota. Violinist Phearnone adds a hauntingly beautiful touch to "What You Need," merging classical strings with Statik's soulful beats for a standout moment of artistic fusion.

"Once In A Blue Moon" is a musical reflection on the rarity and beauty of those transformative experiences that stay with you forever, a vivid journey, showing Kota The Friend and Statik Selektah at the peak of their creative synergy.

Bobby Lyle is a keyboard legend from the fusion period of jazz in the mid to late 1970s. He was the pianist with Young Holt Unlimited and played with Jimi Hendricks, booked to go on the road with him just ahead of the untimely death. In 1974 he moved to Los Angeles and went on the road with Sly & The Family Stone, and then through dates with Ronnie Laws he met ex-Crusader Wayne Henderson who took him to Capitol Records where this, the first of three iconic albums was released in 1977. Bobby also became Wayne’s keyboard player of choice on his solo albums and productions through the remainder of the 70s and early 80s, contributing to the ‘At Home Production’ sound which defines these albums. “The Genie” was rediscovered in the ‘rare groove’ period of the 80s and is from which Bobby gets his nickname for the lightning pace and magic of his playing. This album is ultimate jazz funk from a period that gave us artists like Lonnie Liston Smith, Joe Sample and Bob James. Bobby still tours to this day with artists like George Benson and Anita Baker.

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

Black Truffle is pleased to announce a new edition of Kassel Jaeger’s Fernweh, returning François J. Bonnet’s electroacoustic project to the label five years after the acclaimed Meith (BT069). Originally released on Giuseppe Ielasi and Jennifer Veillerobe’s impeccably curated Senufo Editions in 2012, Fernweh stands near the beginning of the gradual expansion of Bonnet’s approach after the austere acoustic textures of Aerae and Algae (both released on Senufo), leading to the lush, layered environments of recent solo works on Shelter Press and the epic electronic expeditions undertaken in duo projects with Stephen O’Malley and Jim O’Rourke.

A major work in the Kassel Jaeger oeuvre, stretching over two LP sides, Fernweh draws together synthesized and musique concrète materials into a drifting assemblage. Its title’s meaning is close to the concept of ‘Wanderlust’, fitting for this music that moves freely and unexpectedly between what Bonnet calls ‘climates’. Beginning with fizzing electronics whose rhythm of gradual approach suggests breaking waves, the clinical atmosphere is soon haunted by intangible traces of lived reality. Textures call up wind, water, insects, the crunch of feet on sand or the clinking of glasses, yet they can never be identified with any certainty. At times these concrete elements possess a vivid ‘closeness’; at others, the sounds shade into a formless distance. Though the listener forms no clear picture from the concrete sounds, these elements aerate the music, lending it their space.

Drawing from the rigorous formal language and conceptual apparatus of the French musique concrète tradition—with which Bonnet, as director of the GRM and researcher into its deepest archival recesses, is intimately familiar—the music of Kassel Jaeger is equally informed by how underground experimental music has rethought electroacoustic techniques, with Fernweh at times calling up the grit and grime of para-industrial eccentrics like Maurizio Bianchi or the Toniutti brothers, and at other moments suggesting the slow-moving grandeur of early Olivia Block. Subtle features of dynamics and rhythm act as connective tissue between the numerous ‘scenes’, with wave-like envelopes, rapid pulsations, and short, tape-loop patterns all recurring throughout the piece, shared ambiguously between electronic and concrete sounds. Amid these shifting, often inharmonic textures, the electronic elements sometimes cohere into melodic shapes and chordal patterns, cutting through the fog in distorted arcs or underpinning the layered surface with slow-moving harmonies. Like his friend and collaborator Jim O’Rourke, Bonnet displays a radical openness at odds with academic tradition, allowing unabashed emotion to coexist with rigorous experimentation. As Fernweh dies away with mysterious shudders, listeners are left at once moved and unsure of exactly what they just heard.

Mexican enfant extraordinaire Iñigo Vontier is rolling in with his debut EP for Feines Tier and it’s a match made in heaven. Just judging on the name alone, as he seems to be from some kind of royal Tier family descent. But enough with the mind-numbingly bad puns and on to some brain-meltingly good music.
Rolling. Everything’s rolling. Zongato is rolling. We don’t know who or what a Zongato is (a Google search just led to a Twitch streamer with that name and 0 followers), but they are definitely rolling. It’s got this special combination of straight and uncompromising beat and bass paired with psychedelic synth sirens floating around your head that somehow only the Mexicans really know how to nail.
Astrolo is rolling. Like a well-oiled machine. Well, maybe like a not so well-oiled machine, one that’s shrieking and creaking, but has been running since forever and reliably will do so until we’re all gone from this Earth.
If you ask Google Translate, Mucha Onda means „very cool“ in English, „molto bello“ in Italian or „valde frigidus“ in Latin and there is nothing more to add to that.
The psychedelics are back (were they ever gone?) and kick in in full swing on Hedonist Lizard. A dangerous cocktail of high-proof alcoholic drum and bass patterns paired with some sugary spicy herbals of unknown origin, better not down it in one go. You were warned.
On The Sounds Are Good, the sounds are good indeed! And rolling.

Chicago-based composer/producer Joey Meland makes music under the moniker Cocojoey. Treating genre conventions and ostensible barriers between disparate musical vocabularies like playthings to gleefully smash and reshape at will, Meland channels decades of experience as a polymathic professional musician adept in styles like metal, jazz, synthpop, and experimental sound design into their infinitely combinatory compositions. STARS, their first album on Hausu Mountain, follows the self-released COCOJOEY’S WORLD with a spellbinding burst of heart-on-sleeve self-expression. The album finds Cocojoey indulging their most adventurous impulses in production and technical instrumental performance, launching into a constantly morphing program that contrasts day-glo earworm hooks against cathartic moments of screaming intensity. Cocojoey’s music exudes warmth and finger-wagging mischief as it exhumes the depths of their psyche with the pure-hearted goal of making their audience smile — when those listening find a chance to breathe within the ecstatic overstimulation.

The album’s tightly constructed song cycle blasts the listener with moment after moment of novel juxtaposition, both in terms of genre and emotional energy, that keep us reeling in a state of delirious whiplash. Warp-speed piano solos over bossa nova-inflected chord progressions segue into detonations of death metal that front-load Meland’s ferocious screaming vocals and meticulously programmed double-kick drum patterns. A strain of iridescent prog emerges in the sheer overload of notes and ideas, as drum n’ bass breaks collide with labyrinthine multi-time signature keyboard lines and bright flashes of clean vocals. Despite whatever contrasting styles might hit within any given Cocojoey song, Meland returns again and again to the upheaval and release provided by extreme metal — though that idiom lands with joyful exuberance, an abrasive yet heartwarming flavor whose positive energy carries through even to those who might not encounter screams and hyper-technical drum breakdowns in their typical listening regimen.

Texas-based Ben Hixon and Atlanta's Stefan Ringer collide on this new split EP for the increasingly vital Dolfin label. It is Ringer who starts with a tight, grinding groove on 'Moving Walkway' with spoken word snippets and kaleidoscopic synth sequences bringing a trippy and unusual energy to the menacing bass. His 'PLGLY' (SR Big Room mix) is then a heavy beatdown with synths that snap and crack while jazzy percussion and dark vocals bring extra character. Hixon's 'Feels Extremely Good' is a busy, off-balance mix of deep house drums and mind-melting synth refrains while 'My Family' offer a blissed-out and soul-drenched closer.

Joe Stilgoe and the Entertainers - the new powerhouse jazz supergroup - have put together a record like no other; a pure love letter to jazz clubs around the world, and the people who frequent them. Titans of the UK jazz scene, singer and pianist Joe Stilgoe and clarinettist Giacomo Smith have come together to form The Entertainers, which features members of Kansas Smitty's House Band, Joe's own band, and guest vocalists Emma Smith and Pete Horsfall. 'Can We Entertain You?' is the first single from the forthcoming album 'Welcome to the Club' and this signed vinyl edition is now available.

Throughout their history, Booker T. & The MG's racked up Top 40 hits, had their songs covered by artists as diverse as The Ventures, Count Basie, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award, and continued being the band of choice in collaborations with legends such as Bob Dylan & Neil Young. 1965’s Soul Dressing features the legendary The Mar-Keys’ horn section, who add gravity to their soul sound, while Side Two might be the most fantastic late-night come-down album side of all time. And bonus points for the hints of ‘mod’ sprinkled around (even the U.K.’s Small Faces covered their original track “Plum Nellie”).

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

Mark Robinson and Trevor Kampmann are Uncomfortable Police. They have been collaborating for years. First as Fang Wizard (2011) and then Party Milk in 2023. While those LPs are primarily instrumental, this new 15-song Michelin Star Hardcore album sees them both getting in front of the microphone as lead and background singers. Mark started and starred in the bands Unrest (who just released the 30th Anniversary edition of their Perfect Teeth album with 4AD), Air Miami, Flin Flon, Grenadine and more. Trevor’s records his solo material until the moniker hollAnd for years and has produced and mastered albums by the likes of Cat Power and Explosions In The Sky. On Mark’s seminal Teenbeat label that he formed at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia, just outside DC. This physical phonograph record contains one extra song that will not be available digitally.

It’s been a short time since the van-dwelling singer-songwriter Olive Klug has fully pursued the life of a touring musician. Their DIY career has resulted in a huge following with over 20 million Spotify streams and 100,000+ Instagram followers. Self-described as “someone who floats on the breeze, letting the wind take me wherever I’m meant to be,” Klug’s sophomore album and label debut, Lost Dog finds them contemplating this propensity for adventure no matter which avenue of love and loss it leads down. Although still very young, Klug artfully addresses “aging as a neurodivergent free spirit” on the road with a compelling ability to voice honest emotions through captivating storytelling. Audiotree praised, ”equal parts vulnerable and powerful, ebullient and heartbreaking, reminding us how powerful the journey of music can be.” Olive Klug is a singular voice for the future of folk: honest, fearless, often unsure, but willing to try anyway.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SMFORMA returns with Quiet Collapse, their third EP, continuing to explore the boundaries between techno, industrial, and EBM. With a career defined by hard-hitting, direct sounds, their new work reinforces their identity through three original tracks where rhythmic tension and raw energy merge uncompromisingly.

Additionally, the EP features remixes by Statiqbloom, Radical G, and Nghtly—key names in the European EBM-Techno scene—who each bring their own vision to SMFORMA’s sonic power. Expect sweeping bass, electric textures, and a sound crafted for both the club and immersive listening.

Für damalige Verhältnisse derbster, schneller, krachiger Hardcore-Deutschpunk diese Band ist ganz oben in europäischen Thrash-King-Historie. Die Gitarren dominieren, während das Schlagzeug und der Leadgesang darum kämpfen müssen, gehört zu werden. Unglaublich kraftvolle Musik, die ihre früheren Werke in den Schatten stellt. Von Anfang an rasen OHL auf dem Highway der antikommerziellen Musik. "1. Oktober" ist zugleich Auftakt und erster Höhepunkt. Wer einmal die hysterischen "Deutschland, Deutschland"-Rufe des Deutscher W. gehört hat, wird sie nicht mehr vergessen. Viele Songs folgen dem manischen Rausch des Eröffnungstitels. "Freut Euch", "Glocken der Revolution" oder "Neue Macht" gehören zu diesen Liedern und sie zelebrieren eine energiegeladene Orgie aus kompromissloser Geschwindigkeit und grimmig entschlossener Kampfeslust. Klappcover, neues Artwork & Linernotes. Rough, fast, noisy hardcore German punk for the time, this band is at the top of European thrash king history. The guitars dominate while the drums and lead vocals struggle to be heard. Incredibly powerful music that puts her previous works to shame. From the start, OHL race on the highway of anti-commercial music. "1. Oktober" is both the start and the first highlight. Anyone who has ever heard German W.'s hysterical calls of " Deutschland, Deutschland " will never forget them. Many songs follow the manic rush of the opening title. Freut Euch", "Glocken der Revolution" and "Neue Macht" are among these songs and they celebrate an energetic orgy of uncompromising speed and grimly determined fighting spirit. Comes in an nice inside/out gatefold sleeve with new Artwork and linernotes.

Following the great success of BBE’s 2023 reissue of Remi Kabaka’s 1976 lost masterpiece 'Son of Africa' comes yet another neglected and hitherto-hidden slice of pure Kabaka goodness: 1980’s 'Roots Funkadelia'. While the 1976 album was recorded at Island Studios London, roots was recorded and mixed in L.A. in the midst of a golden period for the Motown studios, and the sheer quality of the mix shows in spades. An unexpected but welcome bonus is the appearance throughout of the ‘mean machine’- Motown artists the commodores’ brass section alter-ego. Released in 1980 on Polygram Nigeria with no international distribution deal, and lurking almost unnoticed in a handful of dedicated afro vinyl collections, this is the first-ever reissue outside Africa of an album that regularly fetches £500 plus on the ‘those who know’ market’.

With Wait A Minute EP, Italian trio Joyfull Family (Chico Perulli, Guido Nemola and Cristian Carpentieri) lay down a proper slice of timeless house, laced with modern flair and proper dancefloor heat.

The Original Mix of "Wait A Minute" is pure deep-house goodness – lush grooves, fat basslines and silky vocal cuts stitched together into a classy, late-night roller. A real warm-up weapon for heads who know.

G&D’s Remix (Gino Grasso and Dino Angioletti flexing their chops) roughs it up with a raw, funk-fuelled twist – dusty drums, elastic bass and chopped-up vox that slap just right. Proper vintage vibes without sounding played out.

Relative’s Peaktime Mix takes the tune up a gear: chunkier kicks, clever delay work and pressure-cooker build-ups that scream peaktime weapon, all while keeping the original’s soul intact. Certified floor-filler.

Closing the EP is "The Prince" (GN Mix) – a deeper, more heads-down affair packed with hypnotic grooves and a cheeky, slinky bassline that’ll keep the afterhours crowd bubbling nicely.

In a nutshell:A rock-solid EP that tips the hat to 90s house roots while keeping the production crisp and forward-thinking. Groove is the name of the game here, and each remix brings its own spice without losing the heart of the original. Whether you're warming up the floor or setting it ablaze, there’s plenty to pull from here.

Credits:

Tracks A1, B2 produced by Joyfull Family (Chico Perulli, Guido Nemola, Cristian Carpentieri)

Track A2 remixed by Gino Grasso & Dino Angioletti

Track B1 remixed by Simone Guerra aka Relative

Mastered by Francesco Brini at Spectrum Studio, Bologna.

Design by Matteo Pozzi

Words by Matteo Garavini

New entry in the legendary fabric presents mix series, home to standout releases from SHERELLE, Overmono, Saoirse, Kode9, and more.
- Curated and mixed by Pretty Girl – rising star producer/DJ/vocalist known for emotionally rich dance music and a global touring presence including Coachella, DC10, Lost Village, Glastonbury, and more.
- Mix includes exclusive unreleased material, the brand-new single “Innadream”, and hand-selected tracks from Australian and UK scenes.
- A journey through melancholic club textures, groove-heavy house, UK garage, and lo-fi rhythms – all tied together with Pretty Girl’s signature melodic flair.
- Backed by recent remix work for Romy and George Fitzgerald, and the acclaimed EP Get Back To Me.
- Launch party at fabric London (June 6)

o Resident Advisor: “A star in the making”
o Dazed: “Crafting nocturnal soundscapes for the party, the after-party, and the morning train ride home”
o The Sunday Times: “Succession of brilliant tracks”

Pretty Girl is the alias of Melbourne-born, London-based producer, vocalist, and DJ who’s rapidly emerging as a defining voice in emotive club music. Fusing dreamy textures with deep house, UKG, and lo-fi rhythms, her sound bridges dancefloor euphoria with introspective detail. A regular at global festivals like Coachella, Glastonbury, and DC10, she’s earned acclaim for both her immersive live sets and expressive studio work. Recent highlights include her Get Back To Me EP, remixes for Romy and George Fitzgerald, and now her most expansive statement to date: a mix for the revered fabric presents series.

After several killer EPs and tracks on labels such as Tresor, Multi Culti, Hard Fist, or Playground Records, Antonio De Oto aka A-Tweed finally delivers "Spring Music" his first solo LP via Abstrakce Records, changing perspective on his music and way of producing. A minimal approach, where echoes and reverbs become some of the main characters of the full journey, mixing up weird acid, experimental downbeat, electro, dub, and tribal vibes across a wide range of tempos.

Slow-motion beats pulse beneath swirling acid lines, while dubby echoes and reverberations sculpt a landscape that is both immersive and mysterious. A-Tweed’s meticulous production draws from the label’s tradition of organic textures and ambient vibes, yet carves a distinct path balancing deep bass, shimmering synths, and a subtle sense of psychedelia that lingers long after the needle lifts.

A cohesive journey, crafted for those who seek introspective voyages without giving up new forms of dancefloor communion. A manifesto about the power of slow rhythms, dub sensibilities, and acid-tinged experimentation, out of any hype and trend, aiming for a distinctive sound. An essential addition to the ever-evolving Abstrakce catalogue. The spring has just arrived.

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

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

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

Hot summer rain hits the cracked pavement in uneven rhythms. A neon sign flickers above a café that never seems to close, its warm white light reflected in the wet ground like a fever dream. The air smells of summer and the world hums with an easy tone, as if the city itself is holding its breath. A light flooded film noir-ish scene, that needs a soundtrack like "POOL JAMS", the new album of INIT, the Berlin based duo, that already caused quite a stir with their albums for Hivern Discs and Optimo Music. This time, they bring their latest creations out on R.i.O. - a label, with whom they are deeply associated. Their fourth longplayer is a playful one. One that brings trip hopping feelings. That has r'n'b grace, without catering regular trademarks of the genre. Dub, trance, drone, is all there too. Yet, nothing is present in pure definition. Rather suggested, interwoven, or newly twisted in a songwriting style, that haunts and seduces. On top the voice of Nadia D'Alò dances, steps and hums tempting to the grooves she created with her partner in crime Benedikt Frey. Together they fashioned a record, that, as INIT puts it, is "some kind of old photo from an old dry empty pool that got faded by sunlight ". A dreamy, sunny piece of song art, made for endless smoky LA freeway drives, and other adventures that seek for infinite riddance. You can dream it. You can trance it. You can't escape it, as soon as it rotates in your dream device for sound and vision.

Bump, skip, hats, jack, jack, jack. Danny. Kenny. 'Little' Louie. Junior. FK. Sound Factory. Twilo. Body & Soul jus'born. When a walk to the Alphabets still has you checking your shoulder. NYC going through changes, condos just on the horizon.
Strictly, King Street, MAW and a myriad of the City's labels were ahead of the pack. Like many, Ear Candy had its moment. Chopped vocals sampled, looped and riding a bass and kick as only an analogue can do. 'Yer can I listen to the new Maxi' Boom, talking, talking, talking. Reasons to release Brian, Persian or whoever comes next, alongside today's producers is that the lineage carries on. Right FYI Chris!Better than today No. Different. Keep digging, keep debating, keep on keeping on as only that 4/4 kick and rumble can move...you.
Discover the Mystery.

The Inner Sounds Of The Id / The Alternate Sounds Of
The Id
2CD - Groundbreaking 67 psych album gets the deluxe edition with a
whole bonus album of unheard Alternate Sounds! The gatefold jacket
features unseen photos and new liner notes written by Mike Vernon with
the aid of Id bassist Glenn Cass

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BUDDHA-BAR SUMMER SESSIONS - MONTE-CARLO BY RAVIN A MUSICAL ODYSSEY TO CELEBRATE SUMMER & THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF BUDDHA-BAR MONTE-CARLO Under the starry sky of the Riviera, lulled by the warm breeze, an invitation to travel rises. A beat, a melody... and the mind drifts away. Buddha-Bar, the temple of world music and sonic elegance, celebrates 15 years of magic in Monte-Carlo with an exceptional compilation: Buddha-Bar Summer Sessions Monte-Carlo by Ravin. Conceived as a musical odyssey, this double compilation weaves captivating atmospheres, blending ethereal lounge, organic electro, and world sounds, in an intimate dialogue between East and West, tradition and modernity. Each track (including more than a dozen unreleased tracks) has been carefully selected by Ravin, who creates a captivating and chic experience, a true invitation to dance and escape.

Biz is one of a number of Australian artists who are having a big impact on the sound of contemporary techno, and he has been playing a key role in the scene since the late 1980s. His sound mixes deep basslines with uplifting melodies and he has collaborated with a number of legends as well as releasing music on labels like Transmat and COD3QR. Now on Acquit, he explores the outer edges of our galaxy with celestial synth lines, sci-fi melodies and deep, Detroit-inspired techno grooves that are brilliantly cinematic and evocative. 'Soul Within' is our favourite with its widescreen synths and floating pads.

Tommaso is an exciting young talent who has brought plenty of freshness to the underground scenes of both Florence and Chicago. Now he debuts on Rocksteady Disco with more of his signature organic and soulful sounds. This one kicks off with 'G Class' which is a peak-time house pumper with lovely liquid bass and sunny strings. 'Fierro Viejo' is more twisted with rumbling bass and a peppering of percussion that will twist dancers inside out. 'Giente Que' is an arp-fuelled Italo-inflected banger and last of all is the more slow, seductive and absorbing sound of Snake Pit' for late-night lovers. Another fine EP from Tommaso.

The blues, born in the cotton fields of the American South, emerged from makeshift instruments and simple harmonies rooted in African heritage. It captured the struggles, hopes, and fleeting joys of laborers enduring harsh conditions, with its hallmark "blue note" adding a unique dissonance to this evocative musical style.

As industrialization progressed, the blues migrated to urban centers like Chicago and New Orleans, evolving with modern instruments and expanding themes to reflect urban struggles, sensual nights, and existential despair. This period birthed many of the musicians who later formed the American Folk and Blues Festival (AFBF), an initiative started in 1950s Germany to introduce Europe to the genre and counter its reductive reputation as a precursor to jazz.

The Lost Recordings celebrates these legendary artists through restored performances from the 1962 Olympia in Paris and the 1963 Stadttheater in Bremen. Featured artists include John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, T-Bone Walker, Helen Humes, and others, showcasing the depth and evolution of the blues.

From intimate duos like Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry’s harmonica-guitar interplay to T-Bone Walker’s electrifying group performances, each act demonstrates the genre's versatility and influence. John Lee Hooker’s solo mastery mesmerized audiences, while T-Bone Walker pioneered the electric guitar's place in blues, inspiring legends like B.B. King.

The album also highlights Sonny Boy Williamson, whose charismatic harmonica and profound sensitivity defined his performances. These concerts take listeners on a journey through the authentic sound of the blues, traversing America’s history and foreshadowing its transformative impact on global music.

The High Class duo, Saucy Lady & Slynk, are back to bless our ears, this time tackling Mariya Takeuchi's legendary Japanese city pop treasure, 'Yume no Tsuzuki' (Endless Dream). Producer Slynk doesn't just cover this tune, he gives it a full-blown sonic facelift where his signature thicc bassline is the backbone of this operation, while Saucy Lady's vocals elevate the track to a whole new funkdom. This dream team delivers, making you wish this 'Endless Dream' never ends.

The highly sought after 'Tech This Out Pt. 1' by Karizma is back again on Atjazz Record Company. This limited blue vinyl edition will give people a chance who weren’t fortunate enough the first-time round, to now have a copy for themselves. With the first pressing selling for £50 on the second-hand market, this new version will not be around for long. As always, buy or cry.

"At Newport" (Chess LP-1449) is one of Muddy Waters’ most celebrated albums. The blues portion of the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival took place on Sunday afternoon, July 3, at the end of the long weekend of jazz performances (and teenage riots too). The program included standout shows by John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Rushing, Sammy Price, Otis Spann, and Butch Cage & Willie Thomas, as well as Muddy Waters and his band, who were billed as “Muddy Waters and His Orchestra”.

If there is one quality that best sums up the personality and music of Michel Petrucciani, it is generosity.
It was on stage, in the moment, in close proximity to the audience, in the warm intimacy of a club setting, that he most truthfully expressed his passion for sharing.
Many musicians, he confessed, play too selfishly. They play only for themselves and a few happy few. I play to please and to communicate. I’d like to think I’m a very happy person.

That’s why it’s essential for me to transmit and give others the generosity that is vital in art, music, and life.”
This is proven by these magnificent moments captured live in 1997 in Tokyo.
Accompanied by Anthony Jackson and Steve Gadd - two close friends with whom he shared an almost telepathic musical relationship - Michel Petrucciani delivers an intense hour of pianoforte, performing both standards and original compositions to unleash his boundless generosity and sensual lyrical expression live on stage.

Once again, one is struck by the solar clarity of his phrasing, the vigour and percussive precision of his touch (this master of tempo played ‘deep in the note’), and the breadth of his long lines where each note remains distinct and articulate. Michel infused everything he played with great emphasis and nuance - but above all, with sincerity. His heart sang immediately through the piano. This record is the most brilliant demonstration of that.
· Until now, this album had never been released on vinyl. Now available as a 180g double vinyl edition, mastered specifically for vinyl, housed in a 350g leather-textured sleeve with Struktura finish, offering an elegant texture and refined feel.

Max Schreiber is the more introspective guise of Mule Driver, reserved for drifting into fragile and haunted sonic territories. Variations on Memory Vol.2 deepens Schreiber’s exploration of collective sound and personal distortion.

This time, fragments of lullabies and children’s songs resurface along side memorial songs—distorted by time, memory, and a quiet sense of unease. Schreiber treats these melodies not as sacred relics, but as raw material: vulnerable to noise, decay, and reinterpretation.

Recorded in intuitive, often single-take sessions, the album challenges the listener’s sense of nostalgia. Sentimentality collapses into abstraction, and familiar tunes unravel into drifting soundscapes—like half-remembered scenes from a film that never existed.

Variations on Memory Vol. 2 is less about what these songs once meant, and more about what they might conceal.

The Isle Of Lewis is the largest such of the Outer Hebrides archipelago, and a place where myth and folklore are abundant, The Callanish Stones, a cruciform circle reckoned by tradition to be the forms of petrified giants who would not convert to Christianity, once prompted notable chronicler of the ancient Julian Cope to pronounce himself “Lashed by wind and rain but surrounded by vibe”.

This was where Holy Scum decided to take a pilgrimage for the recording of their second album proper for Rocket Recordings, All We Have Is Never. Frustrated by the physical and logistical challenges keeping the band members from collaborating, they decided the best way forward was at the residential Black Bay Studios on Great Bernera, a two hour plus ferry ride from anywhere. “The isolation of Black Bay was our salvation, a much-needed cleanse after a year of relentless misfortune” reckons the band’s Peter Taylor. Taylor describes the Holy Scum approach jokingly as ‘No riffs’ yet this belies an ability to carve abstraction and minimalism into monolithic and ominous shapes. Whilst the band are as handy as ever with excoriating and ear-splitting experimentation - as on the feverish guitar scree that underpins the taut‘Thieves’ - they also excel in a grittily vital charge as analogous to the ballsy kinetics of Fugazi and The Ex (the primal ‘I Am The Land’) as the overcast catharsis of Killing Joke and Voivod (the infectious ‘Witches’). “The title is a nod to the fact that everything ends - good, bad, ugly, beautiful “ reflects vocalist Mike Mare (Dälek) of their most focused work to date. “That is not a bad thing - it is a rebirth every time. We can spend a lifetime 24/7 together having shared experiences but living separate realities”. “I don’t think it is nihilistic,” he adds. “The despair turns into hope for sure”.

DESCRIPTION
The O-est of Gs, Schoolly D, originally released his second full length, Saturday Night!. The Album on his own imprint in 1986. Schoolly - and this release - are considered by many to be the genesis of gangster rap and were highly influential to all who followed. Schoolly was picked up by Jive Records in 1987, and an expanded version of Saturday Night!. The Album was released. This album contains 10 tracks of all killer no filler! All beats made by Schoolly D and his legendary TR-909 drum machine. This album is a perfect blend of raw and funky from the King of Philly.

Introducing ''Sleek Vibra,'' the debut vinyl EP from Alessandro Gramaccioni (AFM), a compelling young Italian artist whose unique sonic vision has been forged through his involvement with the Amen Rave collective and a previous digital EP on Lapsus Records' CEE imprint. This powerful six-track offering for Adepta Editions sees AFM expertly fuse and reimagine a spectrum of genres, weaving together IDM, rave-oriented sounds, bass music, techno, and Afro-Arab rhythms. The result is an immersive sonic tapestry, where memory and tangible form converge into a cohesive audio-tactile experience. ''Sleek Vibra'' invites listeners on a futuristic journey through shadowy sonic landscapes, where the mechanical relentlessly intertwines with the organic. This intense sonic declaration holds nothing back, painting a vivid and uncompromising picture of sonic annihilation in its wake.

"Polymath artist, musician and iconoclast Raed Yassin releases Eternal Ghost, two long-form pieces of modular minimalism via Fourth Sounds. Drawing on influences of Terry Riley, Suicide, no wave and synth pop, the double A-side 12” reverberates with urgent, high-octane loops, repeating patterns and distorted vocal frequencies, each track unfurling over 15 frantic Minutes of maximalist electronics.

Born in Lebanon and based in Berlin, with a musical practice that spans free improvisation, Arabic pop and sample-based cultural archaeology, Yassin is an artist who refuses to be contained, working across disciplines to interrogate ideas of personal identity, collective memory and consumer culture.

Eternal Ghost is the latest addition to a shape-shifting body of work, released to accompany Yassin’s debut London exhibition of the same name at Cedric Bardawil in June 2025."

New Traditions is a collection of pipe music, electronic music, mouth music and folk music from five emerging and prominent Scottish artists.

It started in Sutherland with a recording of The Waters of Kylesku. “Do you learn any Gaelic at the school?” asks Hamish Henderson of Christine Stewart. “No,” she answers. “That’s a shame,” he responds, “Isn’t it?” she says. Then she sings. Her voice is of the peat itself, grown from the earth as the language was. It soars raptor-like above drenched ground and scoured pink rock.

Next, to Nancy Dorian, a linguistic missionary of sorts, who came from America to watch a language die. She charted the decline of Gaelic in a cluster of Sutherland villages from 1963 to 2020 when the terminal native speaker passed. Gaelic has origins in nature, with each letter of the alphabet named after a tree. It seems significant that the land of the north is now all-but devoid of forest.

Enter Alan Lomax, who travelled the world documenting indigenous music. Material from his archives feature on (fucking) Moby’s platinum selling Play. Despite the record’s worldwide commercial success we know very little of the music he essentially exploited.

Then musician Martyn Bennett, who built tracks around Lomax recordings of Scots and Gaelic voices, and did so with love that shared his blood with the cancer that killed him. His records both popularised and preserved obscure indigenous Scottish music.

This collection of tunes has similar intent: to consolidate ephemeral words in physical grooves - real as the rigs that still scar the earth - but also a desire to interpret. These versions have the greatest reverence for the originals at heart, but like the architecture of a great gallery, serve to protect and elevate.

"Wind, Again" is Sary Moussa’s fourth studio album and second album on Other People. Based between France and Lebanon, Moussa returns with a riveting electro-acoustic album informed by his ever-changing relationships to space, listening, and resonance as well as his growing interest in the study of harmonics in electronic and electro-acoustic music.

Years in the making, “Wind, Again” approaches distinct musical worlds and languages by bringing together improvisations by musicians performing on Western and West Asian instruments such as the Hammond organ, clarinet, saz, and buzuk with electronic arrangements and textures. Rather than force a rapprochement of these musical worlds through the instruments, and keenly aware of the weighty sonic histories they carry, Moussa proposes another way through which they can exist together in contemporary electronic composition.

Composed of six tracks, each of which demonstrate an array of recording and processing techniques, the album generates moments of tension produced by the synthesis of textural, tonal, and harmonic encounters that Moussa calls “shadows”, which outline an impressionistic musical language, existing at the edge of familiarity. Such moments permeate tracks like “Everywhere at once” and “Violence” that open with the Hammond organ and the saz respectively and slowly reveal an expansive field of sounds that showcases each of the musicians’ characteristic performances and Moussa’s densely layered textures. It is a latent yet unrelenting tension through which the composer invokes rather than represents a collective experiential state, especially familiar to those who know his environment. In “Wind, Again” these shadows are articulations of sounds steeped in traditions they are never quite tethered to. Such articulations are implied and alluded to, they play within a musical reference without the latter explicitly existing in the recording, always teetering, never completely here nor there.
Sonically and musically, the album is fueled by the cultural, social, and personal realities that Moussa was brought up and lives in.

Both personal and musical ties with the musicians who feature on the album is central to Moussa’s practice. In the title track “I will never write a song about you”, musician Julia Sabra opens with rolled piano chords, followed by Paed Conca on clarinet and Abed Kobeissy on buzuk, before Moussa’s electronic processing pieces together, lifts, and sustains the melodic direction of the track that emerged from the musicians’ separate improvisations. For Moussa: “The initial connection between the three performances was made on a track that no longer existed, the original recording was both an obstacle and necessary step for the track we hear on the record. It’s as if we were all telling different stories and I pulled on the thread that held them together”. The track, and more generally the record, is tinged with a melancholy of things lost, though it never fully succumbs to it.
“Everything inside a circle”, Moussa’s most personal track and for which he provides the only vocals on the record, harkens back to a childhood memory of listening to music with his mother in a car: “There was a sound I was looking for — a memory of a sound and how I first heard it. This track is a hybrid of that memory and what I wanted to make of it”. The track relies heavily on generativesystems and perhaps embodies most the ambiguous quality of the record’s music in its refusal to be pinned down by one musical tradition or another.
“Wind, Again” is both familiar and alien, cold and warm; it pays homage to the mechanics, materials, and tactility of the instruments and converges acoustic and synthetic spaces. What anchors the sound of the album are the elements of a whole that cannot find its own idiosyncrasy and that is precisely why Moussa’s album is a tour de force.

"Lionel Bart’s musical masterpiece, freely adapted from Charles Dickens’ novel, Oliver! tells the story of the orphaned Oliver Twist, who escapes the harsh Victorian workhouse and takes refuge in London’s murky underworld with the wily gang leader Fagin and his team of resourceful pickpockets led by the Artful Dodger. He finds a friend in the kind- hearted Nancy and when he’s wrongly arrested for stealing, Oliver meets an unexpected saviour; but is happiness truly within his grasp?

With a sensational score, including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You’ve Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two, I’d Do Anything, Oom Pah Pah, As Long As He Needs Me, and many more, the Olivier, Tony and Oscar-winning masterpiece vividly brings to life Dickens’ ever-popular story of the boy who asked for more.

This performance is a co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre, where Oliver!’s run as part of their 2024 Summer Season was the biggest success in the theatre’s history. The production was said to have “genuinely breathed new life into this staple of British musical theatre.” (What's On Stage). It will be running at the Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, throughout 2025.
"

Over the past near-decade, Lancashire's medieval metal phenomenon WYTCH HAZEL have been honing an uncommonly wholesome, rustic and devotional brand of timewarped hard rock that's all their own, with 2016's Prelude and 2018's II: Sojourn summoning to mind fevered images of Robin Hood and his Merry Men grooving to Jethro Tull and Thin Lizzy. Yet within moments of pressing play on their third LP, III: Pentecost, the musty mystical minstrelsy takes a back seat in favour of a rich, sumptuous, anthemic late-night drivetime vibe, passionately embracing the most high-end smash-hit classic rock and metal circa its late 1970s heyday. "I thought I put a lot into the second album, but this album has been an absolute obsession," stresses the band leader, Colin Hendra. "Every aspect had to be as good as possible. We've gone back and forth, Ed was tinkering with it for months on end. There's quadruple tracking going on with the rhythm parts, then we've doubled, tripled and quadrupled all our lead parts to get that richness and fullness of sound, all meticulously planned with pages and pages of organisational notes. It wasn't just `get in the studio and see how it goes!'" he laughs. "One day I did 14 hours of vocal recording. All vocals are double-tracked, I can't express how much hard work that is. The last album feels like a breeze compared to what we've done with this - and I don't plan on ramping it down!" Musically there are gorgeous self-professed touches of Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, AC/DC and early Scorpions_"With the soloing I was trying to go for Michael Schenker" beams Colin_while the scampering headbanger I Will Not initially took a nod from Angel Witch, who Hendra was helping out on second guitar back in 2015 when the track was composed, before studio treatment made it sound "a lot more Wytch Hazelly". But perhaps the most lateral comparison is to a band from the opposite spiritual realm, with Archangel an explicit homage to Swedish faux-Satanic devil cult Ghost. "I find them fascinating, Ghost; musically great, the songwriting is spot-on," enthuses the frontman. "We share an intrinsic connection, with Bad Omen honcho Will Palmer being the person who discovered us both. "Music is created for all, it's a common grace for everyone," he affirms, "which is why the music that shows the glory of God the most, in my opinion, is not music created by Christians. It's Black Sabbath!"

This is an album made during a crucial period in South Africa’s history during which there was a palpable feeling of a slow turning towards the collapse of the apartheid state side by side with an increasingly well-organised culture of resistance through the formation of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and various affiliated bodies. However, as a result, there was increased pushback from the state security establishment, a turning to dirty tricks and the formation of hit squads whose members murdered and tortured many of our friends and created chaos throughout South Africa as well as neighbouring countries.

This album is situated in this political environment however it took advantage of the new do-it-yourself music technologies available at that time. Technologies that made it possible to make and release records without interference from traditional record company executives. Two musician friends of mine pooled their resources after their respective bands had broken up. Ivan Kadey (National Wake) and Lloyd Ross (Radio Rats) built an 8-track recording studio control room and fitted it out in a second hand caravan and called it Shifty. They parked it in a garage attached to the only house left in a demolished and derelict mining village near Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
All the work on this album was completed there, mainly after hours and mostly alone where I enjoyed an exhilarating freedom to develop a whole new set of musical skills and ideas, incorporating my love of a wide range of music I’d grown up with. Influences of 1970s progressive/kraut/and psychedelic rock combined with mbaqanga bass styles, early reggae/dub and Indian tabla rhythms. Stockhausen, early Zappa and Holgar Czukay were radio text and shredding influences, and Chris Cutler’s band Henry Cow & Art Bears helped me see a way to political expression. Mostly though was the exciting post-punk and no-wave music coming through to us from Europe and America: bands like This Heat, the Mekons, Raincoats, Sonic Youth and Pere Ubu were immensely important to me as was my reading from the period: J.M.Coetzee’s first 3 novels are strong influences on Free State Fence; the stark landscape, superstition, ritual, and sexual repression are in many of his settings. JG Ballard was a constant presence throughout that period, especially whilst living in such a surreal environment, surrounded by mine dumps, but mostly I think the whole French post-modern philosophical movement—Derrida, Foucault and of course, Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation—set out a new sense of possibilities, possible ways to express oneself, ways to think, and ways to try and analyse the political intersection of public and private life. Most important at that time was the influence of sound recordings I had made and experiences garnered from working as a sound recordist on documentary films. These financed my work and later the studio and were consistent employment throughout the 1980s. Film work also enabled me to experience much of South Africa that was hidden from most. The track Independence Day is a good example; drawn from some time spent in the rural homeland of Venda. This then was the first full length Kalahari Surfers album, completed in summer of 1984 it was taken to EMI pressing plant but rejected by the cutting engineer as being ""political, pornographic and anti religious"". Chris Cutler at Recommended Records took up the challenge and released the album through his label. He wrote the original liner note

Let me take you back to 1992, via 2019! We are back on the Heritage Pressings again this month and this is one from way back in the day... a 2019 Kickstarter project to be precise. Who remembers the mighty Holy Quattro??? The bundle that kicked off the Quattro craze! 3rd Rail alongside KZ1 were a part of that bundle, release 008 on the label to be precise. Can't believe what started out as a bit of fun turned into Vinyl Fanatiks! None of which would of been possible without your support.

Steve Queralt, bass player of pioneering shoegazers RIDE, and the writer and film-maker MIchael Smith have joined forces for a stunning four-track EP, released on Bytes in October. Over Steve’s exceptional electronic soundscapes, Michael provides spoken-word vocals in his lulling Hartlepool tones, distilling excerpts from his new book to fit with the music.

The duo were introduced by Joe Clay from Bytes during lockdown, when Steve revealed that he was looking for vocalists to work with on some music he was putting together. Joe had met Michael when he collaborated with the late, great Andrew Weatherall, who composed a soundtrack to accompany Michael reading melancholic musings from his 2013 novel, Unreal City. Joe felt that Michael could be the perfect foil for Steve and after an experiment on Vespertina, a track that had previously featured sample dialogue from Penélope Cruz, they realised they had something special and decided to work on a full release together - four tracks in the classic RIDE EP format.

“Michael’s voice has so much depth and character and I love his eye-rolling, withering view of the world,” Steve reveals. “The subject matter seemed to glue itself effortlessly to the music as if we’d been together writing in a studio working towards some grand concept.”

Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue another Warda classic from the 70s, We Malo, originally recorded in 1975 by the legendary Arabic Diva who has sampled by Jay-Z and J Dilla. The album blends traditional Arabic music with 1970s grooves, showcasing Warda's distinct vocal style. She is accompanied by a full-sized orchestra, updating the classy traditional sound with modern instruments (electric guitar, organ). We Malo was penned by composer Baligh Hamdi. This reissue features newly remastered audio, original cassette artwork and a two-page insert with a new introduction by Mario Choueiry from the Institut du Monde Arabe

WRWTFWW Records is very happy to release Swiss cult band Grauzone’s recording of their April 12th 1980 live show at Gaskessel in their hometown of Bern. The 9-track album, documenting the very beginnings of the group, is available as a limited edition white vinyl LP in heavy 350gsm sleeve with special artwork by band member Stephan Eicher.

Experience the early Grauzone days, live from Bern, Switzerland, with a concert recorded at legendary local venue Gaskessel, with Martin Eicher on guitar and vocals, Christian G.T. Trüssel on bass, Marco Repetto on drums, Stephan Eicher on synth, and Claudine Chirac on saxophone. The performance is a true time capsule of the early 80s underground, showcasing the punk side of Grauzone with renditions of songs that were never officially released, as well as future fan-favorite “Moskau”. A piece of Swiss music history, This limited release is a must have for all Grauzone fans and DIY archivists.

About Grauzone:

The pioneering band from Bern (Switzerland) had a short-lived but highly-regarded career which birthed a cult discography that still fascinates and resonates today. Consisting of core members Martin Eicher, Stephan Eicher, and Marco Repetto, and on-and-off participants Christian GT Trüssel, Claudine Chirac, and Ingrid Berney, the elusive group broke new grounds in the early 80s, experimenting with punk and industrial music, early techno sounds, minimalism, new wave, pop, and various electronics. With an innovative and polished approach to design, visuals, performance, and all around style and philosophy on top of their superb music, the constantly transforming unit developed a whole experience - the Grauzone experience: wild and unpredictable, yet sophisticated and cohesive, or as Swiss music historian Lurker Grand would call it, "an Art band with a Punk attitude".

Completely rejecting the music industry rules and refusing to play the game of promotion, touring, release schedules, and TV appearances even though they had a multi-platinum international hit with the song "Eisbär", the band quickly disintegrated in full convention-defying glory, leaving behind an inspiring music legacy for the world to discover and discover again, one generation after the other.

Stephan Eicher went on to be, arguably, the most successful Swiss musician ever, with an international career extending from pop chanson to experimental escapades and collaborations with Moondog, artists Sophie Calle and Sylvie Fleury, and author Martin Suter among many other luminaries. Marco Repetto flourished as a techno and ambient producer, releasing multiple projects including releases on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label.

“The Rough And The Smooth” was the highly anticipated 2nd album from Outside. Written, produced, mixed and engineered by a 22 year old Matt Cooper, who journeyed through dub, jungle, hip hop and latin rhythms and vibrant, modal jazz. Playing much of the instrumentation including keys and drums, Matt was joined by some of the scene’s finest players from Jhelisa, Imaani, Greg Osby, Cleveland Watkiss, Byron Wallen, Tony Remy and Gary Crosby.

Upon release, ‘The Rough And The Smooth‘ received huge acclaim and was hailed as a masterpiece by the music press from GQ, MOJO, The Face and Mixmag and fans alike, taking Outside to another level.

From the complex funk of ‘Journeyman‘ parts 1 and 2, to the Nu Yorican hit of ‘The 29/8 Steps‘, to the powerfully emotive violin led jungle of ‘To Forgive But Not Forget‘ and the epic jazz and beats fusion that is ‘Moodswing‘, the album was impossible to pigeonhole and influenced a generation of music heads and artists.

The Bluebells' Sisters is a perfect snapshot of early '80s "Sound of Young Scotland": Glasgow indie pop with bittersweet spirit, sharp hooks, and heartfelt harmonies. Signing to the then-nascent London Records, and working with a procession of esteemed producers (including Elvis Costello who became a mentor and teacher to the band), The Bluebells enjoyed three UK hits in the 1980s ('Cath', 'Young at Heart' and 'I'm Falling') before touring widely throughout Europe and North America, developing their live sound and signing to Seymour Stein's Sire Records in the U.S.

A decade later in 1993 that 'Young at Heart' hit the U.K. No 1 spot following its use as a T.V. advert for Volkswagen. Fast forward to this decade The Bluebells have reformed with a flurry of shows across the past two years including a triumphant return to Glasgow at Barrowlands for Celtic Connects, and just announced for the Acoustic Stage for Glastonbury Festival 2025.

This new edition of Sisters has been remastered and produced in consultation with the band, using the best audio sources available, including non-album singles and B-sides, bonus tracks from the original cassette edition and new liner notes from Will Hodgkinson.

"Chasing the funky symphonies that filled my head and my dreams..."

December 25th, 2023 - an Instagram post. Stimulator Jones shared half a dozen FIRE tracks from his beat tape archive. We were immediately drawn to the rough hewn boom bap.

"I'd release that", Rob commented.

Hours of material was shared and the result is this: Cool Green Trees (1999-2005). A collection of beats and loops Stimulator Jones created between the ages of 14-20 at home in his basement, bedroom and computer room in Roanoke, Virginia.

You will not believe the profound soulful genius contained within these naive schoolboy melodies.

December 25th, 1998 - 25 years ago to the day and his much-coveted Yamaha SU10 sampler was finally bestowed upon young Stimmy AKA Sam Lunsford: "I immediately hooked up a CD Walkman to the input jack and looped the beginning two bars of Grover Washington Jr.'s "Mercy Mercy Me". I don't know what exactly was so thrilling about hearing two measures of music repeating over and over but it was so infectious and hypnotizing and enthralling to me. I'll never forget that ecstatic rush of making my first loop - an uncontrollable, gleeful smile plastered all over my face." When you hear the pocket breakbeat symphonies featured here on Cool Green Trees, you'll feel the same sense of frisson.

In the wake of his Stones Throw breakthrough - Exotic Worlds & Master Treasures - Stimulator Jones was pegged by many as a 90s throwback artist. However, he literally IS a 90s artist. He's been recording music most of his life and he's now 40. He created the bulk of Cool Green Trees as a teenager. Everything before 2004 was recorded when Sam was still in school. He was in 8th grade when he made the 1999 tracks - he didn't even have his learner's permit. This album is a snapshot of a young man in a simpler time. Things were still mysterious back then and he was flying blind, relying on his ears and having to figure things out for himself: "I had no road map for becoming a beatmaker. I have been collecting music since I was a kid, I am a lifelong digger and seeker of cool and interesting sounds. I was there in the golden age of Hip Hop, and while I may have been a suburban white kid in Roanoke, Virginia, I was tuned in and I bought so many classic albums when they came out. I was attracted to Hip Hop because of the musical and poetic quality. I was hypnotized by the rhythms, partially because I was a drummer. I didn't brag about collecting my breakbeat records or making beats - it was something I did in isolation. It wasn't something I generally wanted to bring attention to and it didn't really score me any cool points. I certainly wasn't flexing on social media about it."

Hell, he can do that now!

Opener "Pharoah Jones" was inspired by Yesterday's New Quintet and Madlib's ability to capture that classic 70s sound whilst playing all the instruments. Sam created this one stoned afternoon by laying down a 2 bar loop and a shaker loop on his Yamaha SU700 sampler. He hung a microphone from the ceiling and played his Yamaha Stage Custom drum kit over the top before adding ender Rhodes and playing his dad's Selmer tenor sax through an Electro Harmonix Memory Man echo pedal. Yes! Up next, "Ghost Gospel" utilises a dope loop from a gospel record and adds some soul-funk drums overtop, whilst working that filter knob. Says Sam: "The loop reminded me of something Ghostface would rap over. The sample was in 3/4 waltz time but I flipped it for a 4/4 groove, a technique I picked up from RZA. "Ill Feeling" uses sped-up pieces from a dusty old funk record and putting them over a classic NOLA drum loop; gain chopping up a slow, bluesy 3/4 time signature and bending it to a 4/4 groove. Classy shit. "Capital Punishment" features drums tapped in live, inspired by MF Doom's Special Herbs series. "Do Not Adjust" consists loops found on a compilation of 70s French music at Happy's Flea Market, a classic Roanoke digging spot.

The sublime, evocative title track, "Cool Green Trees" was created when Sam was still living at home. He dumped samples off his SU10 into the family desktop and arranged them in a demo version of Pro Tools: "This track was sort of my ode to the DJ Shadow style of sample based production. Super spacey, slow, and moody. The heavily filtered drums were inspired by Alec Empire's 'Low on Ice' album. I later added some scratches and sounds from a Spider Man storybook record." "Chill Scratch" snags the final bit of a bossanova record and pairs it with a drum loop before adding experimental scratching run through an Electro Harmonix Memory Man echo pedal. "Poisonous Fumes" was made using a sampler, mixer and a turntable; a kind of mixtape beat collage with added scratches and sounds from various records. Using dialogue from superhero records was a nod to Madlib. "Welcome Aboard The Starship" is dark, downtempo trip-hop with a spooky bent. Sam paired a slow, hard drum loop with a guitar sample grabbed off a psychedelic rock record. To finish, he added various backwards sounds and weird atmospheric effects and a little scratching. Swoon.

Side B opens with "Keep On Runnin", made on a borrowed Roland SP202 sampler. Having always loved the sound of the Lo-Fi filter on those machines, reminiscent of the Emu SP1200, Sam always imagined Del or another of the Hieroglyphics crew rapping over this beat. You can certainly hear why. "Sounds Impossible" sees Sam experimenting with layering multiple kick samples at different volumes to create patterns similar to those heard by Showbiz and Lord Finesse during their God-level 1995 period. "Painted Faces" was made by chopping up a REDACTED record which he had gotten from Happy's Flea Market and paired it with a REDACTED drum loop. By the time Sam recorded "The Knew Style", he had acquired a shitty old 1960s portable turntable off eBay. It didn't function properly when he bought it but his brother opened it up, cleaned it out and got it working: "I remember he told me that there was a bunch of sand inside of it when he opened it up, as if its previous owner had taken it to the beach. I would take that turntable on my Happy's Flea Market digs so I could preview records...that's how I found this loop."

"Chicken Wing Blues Sauce" loops up a classic blues joint and pairs it with some REDACTED drums. A bit of filtering and arranging et voilà! "Kool Breeze", from 1999, is one of Sam's oldest surviving beats, as is "Sexx Bullets". The Roots sampled the same record, leaving Sam frustrated yet vindicated. "Soul Child" was an early SU10 creation, looping a dusty old Soul Children 45 and pairing it with 70s rock drum loops to great effect. "Take Off Runnin" was another loop found digging with a portable turntable. Paired with some boom bap drums it makes for a hypnotic head-nod groove. "Centurian" was intended to be a little beat interlude a la Pete Rock. The sample is from a sun-dappled soft-psych record and it's paired with a Robin Trower drum loop that just happens to fit perfectly. Sometimes you slap things together kind of haphazardly and magic happens. "Bozack" was the first beat Sam made using Pro Tools, his first foray into using chopped sounds instead of loops, an exciting new world. "Church" is beat interlude using a Phil Upchurch loop with the "Long Red" drums - a favourite break of Dilla et al. Sam was really on a tear in late 2004, probably because he was unemployed and phoneless and able to just make beats all day. He made "Splash One" on a borrowed Yamaha SU700 and again was experimenting with tapping the drums in live with his fingers, instead of using a loop or sequenced pattern. Channeling 9th Wonder, Sam used a water splash sound effect from a Batman record as a percussive element, hence the title (also a 13th Floor Elevators reference). The main loop is a backwards portion of one of his favourite Roy Ayers songs.

"Hank" is another fun little beat interlude thing, created on a borrowed Roland SP202 sampler with the fantastic Lo-Fi effect that resembled the Emu SP1200 at a fraction of the price. "73 goatee", from 99, is another of his oldest surviving beats, created in his bedroom with his Yamaha SU10 and his brother's Vestax MR-300 4-track recorder: "This one will always feel special. I can remember having a feeling all the way back then on the night that I created it that this was a solid beat with a catchy loop. There was something in the Fender Rhodes melody that resonated with me emotionally, and I had never heard a producer sample that portion before. I felt like I had found my own unique sound, my own unique loop. It came from an Ahmad Jamal '73. I actually even recorded myself rapping and scratching over this beat way back then, I still have that version in all its imperfect sloppy glory."

Sam explains just how much these tracks mean to him: "They all have immense historical and sentimental value and I'm proud of them. These beats come from an innocent, simple time when I was just figuring out how to craft these sounds. They're something very personal to me. They are the initial part of a journey that I really was taking *alone*. There was no YouTube. I couldn't Google shit. I didn't even know any other beatmakers, producers or DJs in my town that could teach me anything. It was always just me, alone, in a room with some equipment - chasing the funky symphonies that filled my head and my dreams. What I was doing wasn't cool. Most of my peers thought I was a weirdo and couldn't care less. Creating these sounds was an anti-social endeavour. In a sense, I felt like it was me against the world, and all I had to instruct and assist me were the recordings produced by my heroes - RZA, DJ Premier, Erick Sermon, Beatminerz, Showbiz, Diamond D, Beatnuts, Prince Paul, The Bomb Squad, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, E-Swift, Mista Lawnge, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Peanut Butter Wolf, El-P and so many more...I dedicate this collection to them, and to my older brother Joe who has always been a musical and technical guiding light for me.

This was a time before every kid was a self-described producer and beatmaker, before everyone had a DAW, before Kanye and "chipmunk soul", before Red Bull beat battles, before there was any social media beyond chat rooms and AOL Instant Messenger, before Soundcloud, before SP-404 mania, before lo-fi beats to study to, before Splice, before targeted ads for MIDI chord packs, etc. In 99 when I told people that I had a sampler and made beats I was mostly met with bewildered confusion and indifference. Kids and adults alike would wonder why I got this weird machine for Christmas instead of something worthwhile like a Playstation or a mountain bike or even a guitar for that matter because at least that could be used to make "real music". Back then, sampling was still not widely respected as an art form - it was seen as lazy, talentless and unoriginal at best and outright criminal theft at worst. I had gotten respect for playing drums and guitar and things of that nature but this was a step in the wrong direction in the eyes of many."

The cover photo is a picture of Sam standing on his back porch in the latter part of 1998, just before he got his first sampler. He was 13 years old, in 8th grade. His dad took the picture with his 35mm film camera: "I actually wanted to be pointing my dad's .22 pistol at the camera lens but he wouldn't let me. He gave me an old walking cane to use instead. The Tommy Hilfiger puffer jacket came from the lost and found at William Fleming High School where my mom worked as a secretary. I was thrilled when she brought it home because we never spent money on expensive name brand clothing like that - we were for the most part strictly a sale rack, bargain bin, thrift store, yard sale, flea market kind of family when it came to clothes. My watch is some cheap off-brand fake gold department store watch." Mastering for this vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry.

One of Norways most acknowledged and established drummers, is finally ready to unleash his debut album as an
solo artist. DUMMY THICC - who’s real name is Sigmund Vestrheim - has played for acts such as Boy Pablo,
AURORA and with his own R&B/Soul-group Giddy Gang.

This album tells the story of DUMMY THICC, with crisp
snares and drums being the focal point of the soundscape. He invites a bunch of his friends in on the
journey, members from Giddy Gang, Ivan Ave and Vuyo jumps on the mic and instruments to help DUMMY
THICC complete his awaited debut album. The album is a travel in sound, and a perfect introduction to the world
of DUMMY THICC as a producer and artist.

Sit back and enjoy 44 minutes of beautiful beats, R&B and hiphop in the spirit of DJ Harrison, Ohbliv, Madlib and other inspirational figures that have been a key source
for Sigmund.

The third Edita vinyl contains 2 tracks previously released digitally, Rebolledo's version of Holiday Rap and Sascha Funke’s version of Pump up the Volume + 2 vinyl only tracks which are a real stone by Marcello Giordani aka Italodeviance who gets his hands on Aventure Prodigieuse, a rare Funk Synth Pop diamond and a fresh and engaging unreleased dub version from Perel of the Britney classic "Toxic".

Grade 2 is a UK punk band from the Isle of Wight, formed in 2013. The young three-piece is made up of Sid Ryan - Bass & Lead Vocals, Jack Chatfield - Guitar & Vocals and Jacob Hull - Drums. Their music can be described as a classic punk sound, hard and fast whilst also including melodic guitar and vocal parts. Influence taken from classics such as The Clash, The Jam and The Stranglers. While touring, the band met Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) who took an interest in Grade 2 and ultimately played some of their music videos to his bandmate Tim Armstrong. Armstrong liked what he saw and not only agreed to produce the band"s forthcoming record but signed them to his label, Hellcat Records. Last December, Grade 2 flew to Los Angeles, and over the course of two weeks, tracked the dozen songs that comprise Graveyard Island. "He"s one of the most efficient people we"ve ever worked with. He knows exactly what he wants. In the studio, he wanted to capture how we sound onstage, so we were tracking songs live with a scratch vocal," vocalist/bassist Sid Ryan said on working with Armstrong.

Noumena is the second volume of music capturing percussionist Tim Barnes in a variety of collaborative settings recorded in extraordinary circumstances over the past few years. Since the 90s, he has collaborated with a range of talents in the indie rock, improvised & experimental music scenes. In 2021, Tim was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer"s at the age of 54, and he and his family went public with this immediately. The response from Tim"s network of friends and musical peers was overwhelming, and, beginning in late 2021, collaborative recordings were undertaken, coordinated and assembled by Tim"s longtime friend Ken (Bundy) Brown, with whom Tim had worked in the past as a member of the group Pullman, early pioneers of the new Americana movement in the indie scene of the late 90s. The recordings for Noumena feature the playing of Joshua Abrams, Oren Ambarchi, Ken Brown, John Dieterich, Darin Gray, Glenn Kotche, Robert Carlos Lange, Ro(b)//ert Lundberg, Douglas McCombs,, Matt Mehlan, Rob Mazurek, Tara Jane O"Neil Jim O"Rourke, Chad Taylor, Thollem, Britt Walford and Mike Watt. As with Lost Words, Noumena cuts a dramatic swath through a sweep of music styles, all of which are deepened by Tim"s versatile, intensely stimulated percussive feel.

VERY LIMITED 2025 REPRESS ON BEAM OF LIGHT VINYL .

Everything changed for The Beths when they released their debut album, Future Me Hates Me, in 2018. The indie rock band had long been nurtured within Auckland, New Zealand’s tight-knit music scene, working full-time during the day and playing music with friends after hours. Full of uptempo pop rock songs with bright, indelible hooks, the LP garnered them critical acclaim from outlets like Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, and they set out for their first string of shows overseas. They quit their jobs, said goodbye to their home town, and devoted themselves entirely to performing across North America and Europe. They found themselves playing to crowds of devoted fans and opening for acts like Pixies and Death Cab for Cutie. Almost instantly, The Beths turned from a passion project into a full-time career in music.

Songwriter and lead vocalist Elizabeth Stokes worked on what would become The Beths’ second LP, Jump Rope Gazers, in between these intense periods of touring. Like the group’s earlier music, the album tackles themes of anxiety and self-doubt with effervescent power pop choruses and rousing backup vocals, zeroing in on the communality and catharsis that can come from sharing stressful situations with some of your best friends. Stokes’s writing on Jump Rope Gazers grapples with the uneasy proposition of leaving everything and everyone you know behind on another continent, chasing your dreams while struggling to stay close with loved ones back home.

"If you're at a certain age, all your friends scatter to the four winds,” Stokes says. “We did the same thing. When you're home, you miss everybody, and when you're away, you miss everybody. We were just missing people all the time.”

With songs like the rambunctious “Dying To Believe” and the tender, shoegazey “Out of Sight,” The Beths reckon with the distance that life necessarily drives between people over time. People who love each other inevitably fail each other. “I’m sorry for the way that I can’t hold conversations/They’re such a fragile thing to try to support the weight of,” Stokes sings on “Dying to Believe.” The best way to repair that failure, in The Beths’ view, is with abundant and unconditional love, no matter how far it has to travel. On “Out of Sight,” she pledges devotion to a dearly missed friend: “If your world collapses/I’ll be down in the rubble/I’d build you another,” she sings.

“It was a rough year in general, and I found myself saying the words, 'wish you were here, wish I was there,’ over and over again,” she says of the time period in which the album was written. Touring far from home, The Beths committed themselves to taking care of each other as they were trying at the same time to take care of friends living thousands of miles away. They encouraged each other to communicate whenever things got hard, and to pay forward acts of kindness whenever they could. That care and attention shines through on Jump Rope Gazers, where the quartet sounds more locked in than ever. Their most emotive and heartfelt work to date, Jump Rope Gazers stares down all the hard parts of living in communion with other people, even at a distance, while celebrating the ferocious joy that makes it all worth it -- a sentiment we need now more than ever.

The first and most independent of all independent producers, Joe Meek needs little introduction. He was the first to chart in both the UK and the USA with an independently produced song -which was actually recorded in his home’s kitchen- when The Tornados' Telstar took the world in 1962. Meek was, of course, one of the most in vogue producers of the first half of the 1960s, providing the soundtrack to the evolution of UK Rock’n'Roll to Swinging London, scoring hits with actors like John Leyton (Johnny Remember Me), showmen like Screaming Lord Sutch and bands like The Outlaws and The Tornados. He also produced a wide stream of R&B and freakbeat 45s that are nowadays hardly sought after by the collectors with the biggest bank accounts.

Joe Meek experimented with all kinds of recording techniques in his home studio, his tricks and gimmicks won his productions chart placement and critical and public acclaim, but none of his projects was so advanced and way out as the avantgarde experimentation showed in his I Hear a New World electronic symphony from 1960. Aided by The Blue Men formed by Rod Freeman (group leader, guitar, vocals), Ken Harvey (tenor sax, vocals), Roger Fiola (Hawaiian Guitar), Chris White (guitar), Doug Collins (bass), Dave Golding (drums) -also known as Rodd-Ken and The Cavaliers- who provided a tight base to his electronically produced sounds, Meek came up with what he envisioned as the soundtrack of the future, the sounds he envisioned were to be heard in outer space. It was too way out for its time, certainly. To the point that of all the opus, only four tracks saw the light of day on a 7" EP released on Triumph, Meeks very own label. It wouldn’t be until 1991 that the whole recordings from the I Hear a New World sessions would see the light of day on a CD issued by the RPM label.

Wah Wah offers a new reissue of this now classic early electronics masterpiece, housed in a beautiful front-laminated back-flapped sleeve and offered as a limited 400 copies only black vinyl version and an ultra-limited 100 copies only transparent purple vinyl. Get yours before they fly!

RIYL : Delia Derbyshire and The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Louis and Bebe Barron’s soundtrack to Forbidden Planet, Raymond Scott, Tom Dissevelt & Kid Baltan, Morton Subotnick…