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Greywind - Severed Heart City LP

Greywind

Severed Heart City LP

12inchFLLP1511T
FLG
16.01.2026
  • 1: Acid Rain
  • 2: I.k.a.m.f
  • 3: Happy :)
  • 4: Waterfall
  • 5: Swerve
  • 6: Make Believe
  • 7: Moon
  • 8: Let's See If You Can Float
  • 9: The Scarecrow
  • 10: Cope In The Coma

Greywind is an Irish emo/alternative rock duo from Killarney, formed by siblings Steph and Paul O’Sullivan. Known for their atmospheric soundscapes, soaring melodies, and deeply emotive lyrics, the band first gained attention with their critically acclaimed debut album Afterthoughts in 2017. Blending post-hardcore energy with cinematic grandeur, Greywind quickly earned a devoted following, praised for their anthemic choruses and powerful emotional honesty. Their long-awaited sophomore album, Severed Heart City, was recorded in Los Angeles with acclaimed producer Sam Guaiana and is set for release via Frontiers Label Group in September 2025. The record showcases the band’s continued growth both sonically and thematically — evolving their signature blend of brooding textures and explosive hooks into something even more dynamic and expressive. From the haunting opener Acid Rain to the cathartic closer Cope in the Coma, Severed Heart City is a visceral, emotionally resonant journey. Themes of mental health, inner conflict, and fragile hope run throughout, elevated by Steph’s impassioned vocal delivery and Paul’s gripping guitar work. With Severed Heart City, Greywind cements their place as one of the most compelling and authentic voices in modern alt-rock. This is a band that turns vulnerability into power — and pain into unforgettable songs

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

dovrebbe essere pubblicato su 16.01.2026

31,72
VARIOUS - DISCOTECA SOUND - ITALIAN DISCOTECA UNDERGROUND 1975-1986 (2x12")

Everyone knows the story of American disco.
But few are aware that, between the late 1960s and the late 1980s, Italy wrote a parallel one — spontaneous, surprising, and incredibly creative.

It is a story that spans two distinct seasons: the Italian disco of the 1970s — melodic, handmade, sometimes naïve yet always original — and the emerging Italo Disco of the 1980s, electronic, futuristic, and lightheartedly projected toward the future.
Two different languages, yet both driven by the same desire for freedom and modernity. Discoteca Sound — Italian Discoteca Underground 1975–1986 brings together 18 rare tracks — including two previously unreleased — that tell this story of transition: from the orchestral and sentimental disco of Italian dance halls to the synthetic and visionary sound of the first drum machines.
A journey through private archives, local labels, regional studios, and forgotten voices — the sonic map of a country that has always danced, but to its own rhythm. From Mediterranean disco to the first Italo Disco, from the dim lights of provincial dance halls to the early home synthesizers, each track opens a window onto an Italy that dreamed of the dance floor as a universal language of connection during the brief season of revolutionary utopias.

This compilation celebrates ten years of work by Disco Segreta — a decade dedicated to the research, recovery, and appreciation of Italian disco and electronic culture. An act of justice owed to all those artists who had their moment yet were never remembered by history — bringing back to light an essential, still too little known part of our musical heritage.
Because dancing today remains, more than ever, a living act of memory.

Limited edition 2LP, features 2 previously unreleased tracks and a new 2025 version of Coscarella & Polimeno – Station to Station.






f Grazia Vitale – Poi (1975) Previously Unreleased










q Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble – Vivo Solo Con Te (1982) Previously Unreleased






f Grazia Vitale – Poi (1975) Previously Unreleased










q Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble – Vivo Solo Con Te (1982) Previously Unreleased






f B2. Grazia Vitale – Poi (1975) Previously Unreleased










q D4. Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble – Vivo Solo Con Te (1982) [Previously Unreleased]






[f] B2. Grazia Vitale – Poi (1975) [Previously Unreleased]










[q] D4. Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble – Vivo Solo Con Te (1982) [Previously Unreleased]






[f] B2. Grazia Vitale – Poi (1975) [Previously Unreleased]










[q] D4. Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble – Vivo Solo Con Te (1982) [Previously Unreleased]

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32,35

Last In: 16 days ago
Bloodred Hourglass - We Should Be Buried Like This LP
  • A1: The Crown Is Permanent
  • A2: We Should Be Buried Like This
  • A3: Royally Done
  • A4: Chasing Shadows
  • A5: Dance Of The Dandelions
  • A6: God Has Favourites
  • B1: Mirage
  • B2: Frail
  • B3: Shun The Limelight
  • B4: Vividus

Ltd. Orange Vinyl Finnish powerhouse Bloodred Hourglass (BRHG) return with their seventh studio album “We Should Be Buried Like This”, a bold and unrelenting statement from a band that has steadily evolved into one of the most commanding forces in modern death metal. Hailing from Mikkeli, BRHG have long stood out for their ability to merge the ferocity of thrash and groove metal with the immersive soundscapes of metalcore, alternative metal, and melodic death. Their music is as dynamic and emotionally resonant as it is heavy and entertaining - a mix that has earned them critical acclaim, a devoted international fanbase, and a reputation for explosive live performances. On “We Should Be Buried Like This”, the band takes their darkest, most unfiltered turn yet. Described as “a work of end-time songs,” this album does not aim to comfort or explain. It’s a raw, confrontational piece built around the slow erosion of hope, the fading of love, the repetition of generational mistakes, and a world defined by self-obsession, disconnection, and indifference. “There’s no pleading, no sugarcoating,” the band explains. “We’re not here to prove anything. This is an album born from an urgent drive to rip things open and say them as they are.” Musically, “We Should Be Buried Like This” is the most aggressive and straightforward album BRHG have ever crafted, yet it never loses sight of the unmistakable melodic power that defines their sound. With searing riffs, explosive energy, and sweeping emotional depth, the album pulses with intensity from start to finish. Guest appearances and fresh sonic elements are woven throughout, yet the band remains firmly rooted in the signature style they’ve spent years perfecting.

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

dovrebbe essere pubblicato su 16.01.2026

21,22
Cléa Vincent - Speakeasy

Cléa Vincent

Speakeasy

12inchLESOFA002LP
Le Sofa Records
16.01.2026
  • A1: Les Limites
  • A2: L'autre Banc
  • A3: Ce Que Tu Me Fais
  • A4: Tout Pour Moi
  • A5: Le Pardon Et L'oubli
  • B1: Le Jour Où Tu M'as Regardé
  • B2: The Cycle
  • B3: Motion (Feat Tony Stone)
  • B4: The Love
  • B5: Toute Crue

Five years after her bossa nova single "Tes petites fesses" and a notable appearance at the Colors studio in 2023, singer LYNN releases her debut album: La vie me va si bien. Comprising eleven tracks, it blends French neo-soul, smooth R&B, and minimalist pop, with a confident and sincere approach. For LYNN, each song explores the fragility of moments when tenderness shifts into doubt, expressing the fatigue of loving, the fear of losing oneself, and the beauty of longing. Her writing, precise and nuanced, focuses on detail and restraint. Accompanied by guitars, pianos, and layered voices, she tells stories between childhood and lucidity, in an organic and harmonious soundscape. The album exudes a controlled sincerity, meant to be listened to in calm, establishing LYNN as a distinctive voice, ready to mix gentleness with truth in a hurried world.

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

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26,26
ORCHESTRE TOUT PUISSANT MARCEL DUCHAMP - REVENANT DU NORD/SIILENT
  • Revenant Du Nord
  • Siilent

With this new 7"", Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp continues to blur musical boundaries through bold collaborations. On one side, Revenant du Nord - co-written with Frànçois and the Atlas Mountains - weaves stories of migration, Moroccan memories, and layered polyrhythms into a swirling orchestral movement. On the flip side, Siilent, composed with Jo Burke, dives into darker dub territory, inspired by a late-night Geneva dancefloor and shaped by the ensemble"s signature instrumental finesse. Two tracks from different roots, united by the same drive for organic power and musical vertigo.

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

dovrebbe essere pubblicato su 16.01.2026

13,40
ugne&maria - Zotasphere

ugne&maria

Zotasphere

12inchHITD077
Hands In The Dark
16.01.2026

ugne&maria is a collaboration between Marija Rasa Kudabaite and Ugnė Vyliaudaite, both residing in Belgium. Their musical style is characterised by a multilayered, down-tempo, yet danceable approach, incorporating violin, synthesizers and sampling techniques.

We were completely blown away by the duo’s live performance at Meakusma Festival in August 2024. It was one of those rare moments when time seemed to stand still: the music, the atmosphere and the audience merged into a single warm, smooth and radiant aura of positive energy and vibes. This experience made us want to share such exceptional talent on Hands in the Dark and we are over the moon to announce the release of ugne&maria’s new album ‘Zotasphere’, dropping on 16th January 2026.

The 8 songs featured on the record came together slowly, bit by bit. Diary-like, each track reflects on different moments and life events that have followed ugne&maria over the past couple of years. Layers of sound and layers of memory are interlaced into the album, an embodiment of all that feels distant, yet still present. Most of the tracks move around a steady, unhurried pulse, never faster than 120 bpm. Some tracks even ended up being intentionally slowed down, as if the music itself wished to breathe more, mirroring life’s natural pace, with elements stretching, shifting and decelerating. Focused on bass and rhythm, influenced by the depth and warmth of classic house and low-end music, ugne&maria let the sounds drift elsewhere. The violin became a voice, the voice became a texture.

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

dovrebbe essere pubblicato su 16.01.2026

23,32
Katie Schecter - Empress LP
  • 1: Empress
  • 2: Run River Run
  • 3: Kaleidoscope
  • 4: Melting Away
  • 5: Hide My Weapons
  • 6: Taming The Beast
  • 7: Pay It No Mind
  • 8: Like A Crown
  • 9: Shoulda Woulda Coulda
  • 10: Gust Of Wind
  • 11: Hiding Place

Hazy Runway Indie Rock That Oozes Vibes

Katie Schecter is for fans of Sharon Van Etten, Caroline Rose, and Amy Winehouse. Raised in NYC, it feels as if Katie Schecter time traveled to present day from a chicer and more sonically cool yesteryear of the future. She effortlessly blends the half-cool, half-kitsch of her home in Nashville that is neither new nor timeless. Deeply soulful and introspective indie rock vibes await the listener when you drop the needle on this LP. Produced with love and care by Nick Bockrath of Cage The Elephant with an incredible set of musicians (Homer Stenweiss, Leon Michels to name a few!) this LP is one that reveals more of itself the more you spin it.

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

dovrebbe essere pubblicato su 16.01.2026

23,49
Westside Cowboy - So Much Country ‘Till We Get There LP
  • A1: I've Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)
  • A2: Alright Alright Alright
  • A3: Drunk Surfer
  • A4: Shells
  • A5: Slowly I'm Sure

Westside Cowboy return with their new EP ‘So Much Country Till’ We Get There”, released January 16th via their new label home Adventure Recordings. With their particular blend of self-titled ‘Britainicana’ the Manchester-based four piece have been heralded as one of the best live bands in the country, winning Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition, and appearing as a regular fixture on the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist.

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

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23,32
Mighty Joseph, Vast Aire & Karniege - Empire State (2x12")
  • 01: The Uprising
  • 02: Beast (Feat. Poison Pen)
  • 03: Out The Gate (Feat. Genesis Of Lxg)
  • 04: Kids (N.y.c.)
  • 05: Blurr
  • 06: Anything Can Happen?
  • 07: Legend (Feat. Madlib)
  • 08: Blood Sport (Feat. Vordul Mega &Amp; Camu Tao)
  • 09: The Dark Ages (Feat. Murs)
  • 10: Criminal Tales
  • 11: Pandora&Apos;S Box (Feat. Access Immortal, Double A.b. &Amp; Swave Sevah)
  • 12: Night Life
  • 13: General Stripes
  • 14: Rock-It-Science (Feat. J-Zone)

Mighty Joseph is the combination of emcees Vast Aire (Cannibal Ox) with his long-time rhyme ally Karniege. The duo's sole album, Empire State (2008) was released during the tail-end of the last great non-commercial Hip-Hop period.

Never released on vinyl before, the album will be available soon on a double LP edition.

Rooted in the concrete streets but lyrically abstract, features and beats are provided by equal musical foils including Madlib, Camu Tao, Murs, J-Zone, Poison Pen and Vordul Mega (Cannibal Ox) among others.

Fan and critical attention were positive with All Hip Hop summing the album as "solid post-millennium product that bridges the gap between gritty street tales and a paranoid view of the future."

Plug One Magazine added that "Empire State" "unravels a unique perspective, documenting not only much personal change between the two emcees but also the changes in the streets of New York City. From poverty, to the September 11 attacks, to the abuse of Hip Hop culture in general, "Empire State" stands strong as a snapshot of the city."

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

dovrebbe essere pubblicato su 16.01.2026

36,56
Rawtrachs - Ebb and Flow LP

These four, rather different tracks have very distinct personalities but all exist ina similar mood. Surviving amidst the chaos and dread. Tribal decay steeped inrebellion. Inciting passion in the face of all of their efforts to thwart it. Trudgingthrough days and dancing through nights, all of one's own accord. Blending inand striking out. Waiting for the right moment. Ceasing to be and then comingback to life again. Ebb and Flow.

a A1 Mutiny 153
b A2 Ebb and Flow 160
c B1 Konstrucht [147]
[127]

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14,24

Last In: 4 months ago
BURT BACHARACH - CASINO ROYALE (2x12")
  • A1: Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Casino Royale (Main Title)
  • A2: Dusty Springfield - The Look Of Love
  • A3: Moneypenny Goes For Broke
  • A4: Le Chiffre's Torture Of Mind
  • A5: Home James, Don't Spare The Horses
  • A6: Sir James' Trip To Find Mata
  • B1: The Look Of Love (Instrumental)
  • B2: Hi There Miss Goodthighs
  • B3: Little French Boy
  • B4: Flying Saucer/First Stop Berlin
  • B5: The Venerable Sir James Bond
  • B6: Dream On James, You're Winning
  • B7: Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - The Big Cowboys & Indians Fight At Casino Royale/Casino Royale Theme (Reprise)
  • C1: Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Casino Royale (Main Title)
  • C2: Opening Cars Converging/To The Bond Chateau
  • C3: The Black Rose/James Bond In Scotland
  • C4: The Widow Duty Of Lady Fiona/Wassail
  • C5: The Grouse Shoot/Mimi's Lament
  • C6: Gymnasium Training
  • C7: Proposals, Super 8 & Costumes
  • C8: Sir James' Trip To Find Mata/Temple Dance
  • C9: Mike Redway - Have No Fear Bond Is Here (Single Version)
  • D1: Dusty Springfield - The Look Of Love (Film Version)
  • D2: Sitar Background/Old Berlin House/Mata Hari School For Spies
  • D5: Vesper's Kidnapping/End Of Torture Sequence
  • D6: Fight In Casino Manager's Office/Dr Noah's Headquarters/The Lsd Room
  • D7: Mike Redway - The Big Fight At Casino Royale/Even Bond In Heaven/End Title (Have No Fear Bond Is Here)
  • D3: Bond Arrival In France/Vesper In The Shower
  • D4: Le Chiffre's Magic Act

Quartet Records and MGM present the re-issue of the first official complete vinyl edition of Burt Bacharach’s timeless classic soundtrack for the 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale.

The infectious main theme performed by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass is just the starting point of an epic comedy ride that includes such highlights as the unforgettable “The Look of Love,” sung by Dusty Springfield, or the epic fight music at the end of the film. Produced by record industry legend Phil Ramone, the original soundtrack LP offered selected highlights, expertly edited to showcase the best parts of the entire score. Thanks to the legendary sound quality of the stereo copies, this record became one of the most highly sought-after collectibles in the industry.

This straight re-issue of our 2019 vinyl edition was produced, restored and mastered by Chris Malone, rebuilding the score from the ground up. The soundtrack album has long been considered a cornerstone of an audiophile’s collection. Lauded by The Absolute Sound, the original Colgems release continues to remain in pole position as the best sounding “popular” LP vinyl disc of all time.

Malone’s work was focused on addressing unintended technical anomalies (such as filling dropouts and covering analogue splices) rather than broadly applying a modern sound palette. He has eschewed dynamic range compression and retained the brilliance of the original recording. The first LP is a fully remastered reissue of the iconic original stereo vinyl, playing in all its splendor. The second LP contains all the unreleased material, in mono, which are still the only available source to date.

This special 2xlp is a limited edition pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, all of it housed in a gatefold jacket, retaining the iconic original cover art by Robert McGinnis

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

dovrebbe essere pubblicato su 16.01.2026

43,66
Georgie Jesson - soft spot for a junkie (BOOK)

Georgie Jesson was born in London to a Bosnian mum and British father. One, a communist turned neurotic capitalist, the other a private school boy cast-off turned heroin addict. Georgie fell in love with poetry through music and lyric writing at an early age. She has since performed her work to music, written extensively for various music magazines as a journalist and culture writer, and written biographies and forewords for acclaimed artists including Baxter Dury and photographer Ewen Spencer.
Her debut collection traverses grief and love in equal measure, reflecting on family memories with a sharp honesty and a blurred edge. The book charts the changing ways the passing of time can affect us. They are conversational and confessional poems, coloured by images of bittersweet family holidays and hospital trips; sleepy Balkans bars and long London nights. Poems from the heart, about the effects of life on the heart.
“we collect figurines to make a monument of memory / to help ignore the wastage of life”.
The collection features illustrations by Greek artist Maro Michalakakos, whose work has been displayed internationally in galleries including MCA - Chicago, The Guggenheim, Tate, FNAC - Paris and many private collections. The book’s foreword is written by musician Grian Chatten, notably the lead singer & lyricist of critically acclaimed band Fontaines D.C. and whom has also released solo work under his own name.

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

dovrebbe essere pubblicato su 16.01.2026

11,13
Volk Soup - 10p Jazz LP

The record captures the raw electricity of their live performances while revealing surprising moments of melody and restraint. Tracks like "Bastard," "Reptilian Brain" and "Professionalism Debunked" showcase the band's volatile edge, while "Holy Building Tourist" offers a brief but memorable shift in tone. The result is a cohesive and unpredictable debut that positions Volk Soup as one of the most inventive underground bands emerging from Leeds

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

dovrebbe essere pubblicato su 16.01.2026

32,14
Elvis Presley - Rocks LP

Elvis Presley

Rocks LP

12inch6785484
VINYL LOVERS
16.01.2026
  • 1: I Got Stung
  • 2: Doncha' Think It's Time?
  • 3: Milk Cow Blues Boogie
  • 4: Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
  • 5: I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
  • 6: Blue Moon Of Kentucky
  • 7: A Big Hunk O
  • 8: Love
  • 9: One Night
  • 10: Wear My Ring Around Your Neck
  • 11: Baby Let's Play House
  • 12: You're A Heartbreaker
  • 13: My Baby Left Me
  • 14: Let Me
  • 15: I Beg Of You
pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

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20,97
Birds ov Paradise - Bayou

Birds ov Paradise

Bayou

12inchHYPNUS020A
Hypnus Records
16.01.2026
 
4
disponibile anche

Savannah[13,03 €]


2026 Repress

The clergy is pleased to introduce you to a new initiate: Birds ov Paradise. This highly anticipated Hypnus debut comes split into three separate EP's which will be released one each full moon starting October.

Some of you may be acquainted with the music of Birds ov Paradise already as he's put out two stellar records on Jens and Aniara Recordings in 2016-2017, as well as making a contribution to our podcast series The Memoir where his sound was put on a grand display. Those of you who are new to the fantastic dream world of this very talented artist will quickly get lost in the flowing rhythms that drives his magical deep techno sound.

Early support from Etapp Kyle, Ness, Slam, Iori, Refracted, Svreca, Cio D'Or and Dorisburg to name a few.

We hope that you enjoy the trip into the Bayou.

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13,03

Last In: 65 days ago
Birds ov Paradise - Savannah

Birds ov Paradise

Savannah

12inchHYPNUS020B
Hypnus Records
16.01.2026

2026 repress

The clergy is pleased to introduce you to a new initiate: Birds ov Paradise. This highly anticipated Hypnus debut comes split into three separate EP's which will be released one each full moon starting October.

Some of you may be acquainted with the music of Birds ov Paradise already as he's put out two stellar records on Jens and Aniara Recordings in 2016-2017, as well as making a contribution to our podcast series The Memoir where his sound was put on a grand display. Those of you who are new to the fantastic dream world of this very talented artist will quickly get lost in the flowing rhythms that drives his magical deep techno sound.

Early support from Etapp Kyle, Ness, Slam, Iori, Refracted, Svreca, Cio D'Or and Dorisburg to name a few.

In stock dal29.05.2026

13,03

Last In: 24 days ago
KEROSENE HEIGHTS - Blame It On The Weather LP

"Produced by Billy Mannino (Oso Oso, Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Macseal), Kerosene Heights' LP Blame It On The Weather cements the band's place as one of the greatest of this current wave of punk/emo revival. BrooklynVegan writes ""...it’s been a minute since I’ve heard a band do mathy Midwest emo as clear, punchy, and hook-driven as Kerosene Heights are doing it.” Blame It On The Weather (their first LP with SideOneDummy Records) releases August 15, and they'll be on the road supporting this rollout every month the rest of the year including tours with TRSH, Free Throw, Dikembe, Michael Cera Palin and more, and appearances at Warped Tour and FEST in Gainesville.

FFO: Joyce Manor, Glocca Morra, Fiddlehead, Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Michael Cera Palin, etc."

pre-ordina ora16.01.2026

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25,63
DREW PULLIAM - Back Of My Mind LP
  • A1: Third Arm
  • A2: Evil Eye
  • A3: A Certain Light
  • A4: Hopeful
  • A5: Nightmares
  • A6: New Lover
  • A7: Heart's Ease
  • A8: In Your Arms Again
  • A9: The Appleblossom Rag
  • A10: Bonfire
  • A11: In Your Arms Awhile
  • A12: Joy To You Baby
  • A13: Lights

"“Back of My Mind” represents a bold, inward journey—a turning point in his evolving artistry. Gone is any trace of uncertainty: instead, Drew channels a quiet confidence, and understated shift in his music style while sharpening his sense of self and sound with remarkable clarity. As a testament to his growing talent, Drew played almost every instrument on the album, giving each track a deeply personal and authentic feel.

With a debut for the ages, Drew Pulliam is about to make his mark on the music scene as a triple threat – singer, songwriter and instrumentalist. Pulliam said, “I feel like this album is finally approaching what I hear as my sound. I just hope I’m on the right path
because it’s the only one I know.”"

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25,00
MULUKEN MELLESSE - MULUKEN MELLESSE WITH THE DAHLAK BAND (ETHIOPIQUES)

Swan Song

The vinyl LP at the heart of this éthiopiques 31 tracks 2 to 11 was one of the very last vinyl records ever released in Ethiopia. But above all it represents, we felt, the absolute masterpiece of the Ethiopian Groove – the Swan Song of Swinging Addis. The album leaves a clear idea for posterity of the level of sophistication and mastery that modern Ethiopian music had achieved, before being crushed under the Stalino-military heel of the Derg – as the bloody revolution that was unfolding came to be called.

Ethiopia1976.

The Revolution that broke out in February 1974 rolled on in a ruthless march. The whole of Ethiopian society was utterly stunned. The bouquets of flowers handed joyfully to the first tanks of the coup d'état were to wilt very rapidly. From September 1976 to February 1978, 18 months of Red Terror (the name given by the junta itself) spilled blood throughout the country. This fratricidal conflict took its heaviest toll among students and youth. The shift from feudalism to a cruel and primitive Stalinism left the country's citizens deeply traumatised, and snuffed out any pretence of activism, whatever the sector of society. This ice age was to last for seventeen long years.

ሙሉቀን፡መለሰ Mulukèn Mellèssè Muluqän Mälläsä

It was three tracks by Muluken that served as the opener for éthiopiques-1 more than 25 years ago. Seven more tracks appeared on éthiopiques-3 and 13, all accompanied by The Equators, which was soon to become the Dahlak Band.

The first track, Hédètch alu, also the very first piece that Muluken ever recorded, left audiences both unsettled and amazed. Reflecting the singer's extremely young age (he was just 17 at the time), this angelic voice mystified many, who thought they were in fact listening to a feminine voice. He was not yet 22 when he released his last vinyl record in 1976 with Kaifa Records (KF 39LP), one of the very last to be issued in Ethiopia, before the cassette tape became the dominant medium for music distribution – and before the new revolutionary regime put a stop to all independent musical life, via an unspeakable barrage of prohibitions and other persecutions.

Mulu qèn, literally, “A well filled day”. This tender maternal intention wasn't enough to ward off the cruelty of fate. His mother's premature death drove Muluken to leave his native Godjam, in northeast Ethiopia, to live with an uncle in Addis Ababa. Born Muluken Tamer, he took his uncle's last name – Mèllèssè.

The spelling Muluken appeared in his administrative records. Transcription of Amharic to the Latin alphabet, both in Ethiopia and for scholars, gives rise to controversies and quibbles that can never be neatly settled. French allows for a closer approximation of the original pronunciation, thanks to its battery of accent marks, confusing as they may be to anglophones.

Between rather accommodating administrative record-keepers and the various versions that pop up in interviews given by the artist, Muluken's year of birth oscillates between 1953 and 1955…

1954? One thing is certain: the artist's talent made itself known very early indeed, because he got his start in 1966-67, at the age of 13 or 14. Photos from the period attest to his extreme youth. It's a strange sort of initiation for a very young teenager to become a sensation in the heart of Addis's nightlife at the time, Woubé Bèrèha – the Wilds of Woubé. And what's more, in the club of the Queen of the Night, the Godjamé Assègèdètch Alamrèw herself, the very same that was portrayed by Sebhat Guèbrè-Egziabhér in his novel-memoir Les Nuits d’Addis Abeba2… The legendary female club owner who is remembered to this day by the capital's ageing boomers.

Muluken first tried his hand at the drums, before he grabbed the microphone. He emigrated briefly to the Zula Club, across the street from the old Addis Post Office, one of the ground-breaking bars of the burgeoning musical scene, before joining the Second Police Band in 1968, for around three years. He spent a few months with the short-lived Blue Nile Band founded by saxophonist Besrat Tammènè. As the musical scene grew increasingly successful, and pulled slowly but decisively away from its institutional ties, Muluken released his first 45rpm single in February 1972 (Amha Records AE 440). It was included in two LP Ethiopian Hit Parade compilation albums in September of the same year. All in all, Muluken released eight two-track 45s and the same number of original cassette tapes between February 1972 and 1984, the year that he departed for permanent exile in the USA. After converting to Pentecostalism in 1980, Muluken gradually abandoned all secular musical activity. In 1985, at the end of a concert in Philadelphia, he decided to quit concerts and recording for good. Mèlakè Gèbré, the historic bass player from the Walias band who was playing with him that night, recalls that everything appeared so irredeemably diabolical in Muluken's eyes, that it was to be the end of his contribution to Ethiopian Groove.

The end of the story, the beginning of a legend.

Dahlak Band, forgotten by History

Aside from his personal history and vocal talents, it must be remembered that Muluken Mèllèssè was one of the biggest names in the musical innovations that marked the end of the imperial period. These éthiopiques aim to convince those who are just discovering this hidden gem... As for Ethiopians themselves, they are to this day captivated by this singular and atypical figure in the Abyssinian pop landscape – even though he withdrew from public life some 40 years ago. Incorrigible devotees of poetic twists, of more or less hidden meanings, Ethiopians appreciate above all the care Muluken took in choosing his lyrics and the writers who penned them, such as Feqerte Haylou, Alemtsehay Wodajo and, here, Shewalul Mengistu (1944-1977). Love songs, written by women, a far cry from the conventional drivel that pleases sappy sentimentalists.

Muluken is equally acclaimed for his perfectionism when it came to music, the opposite of the overly casual approach that is all too common. He remained a faithful partner of musicians who came from a lineage that borrowed from several inventive and pioneering bands (Venus, Equators, Dahlak). Amongst them were certain artists who began their musical lives with Nersès Nalbandian at the Haile Sellassie Theatre and who come of age in around 1973 – at just the wrong time, you might say. Among them were the pillars Shimèlis Bèyènè (trumpet), Dawit Yifru (keyboards) and Tilayé Gèbrè (sax & flute). Most notably Tilayé Gèbrè, certainly one of the most important musicians, composers and arrangers of his generation, of the end of the imperial era, and of the early years of the Derg.

It was only in 1981 that a miraculous opportunity arose for Tilayé to escape the Stalinist paradise of the dictator Menguistou Haylè-Maryam. Once again it was Amha Eshèté (1946-2021) who provided a solution. The spirited and courageous producer, who had been in exile in Washington since 1975, succeeded, thanks to his incredible perseverence, in bringing the Walias Band to the USA. It was, in fact an extended Walias Band comprising ten musicians3, six of whom chose to slip away after a few concerts and the recording of an LP (The Best of Walias, WRS 100). Tilayé Gèbrè was one of these. He has been living in the USA ever since. There he joined the then-nascent Ethiopian diaspora, which lived largely unto itself, and was making only very modest headway in the American musical market. It seems unfair that Tilayé Gèbrè and the Dahlak Band were not able to benefit earlier from the public recognition that they do deserve.

A similar draining away of the top-rate talents would lead to the reorganization of the major groups of the “Derg Time”. The remaining artists spread themselves around between Ibex Band (renamed Roha Band), Ethio Star Band and a remodeled Walias Band. That spelled the end of the Dahlak Band.

With this record, produced by the essential Ali Abdella Kaifa a.k.a. Ali Tango, we can appreciate everything that the Derg not only destroyed, but also prevented from flourishing. This gem of Ethiopian-style afrobeat came out in 1976 (and, by way of a parenthesis, before the FESTAC 1977 in Lagos, which was attended by an impressive delegation of Ethiopian musicians — although Fela was already personna non grata in his own country). Despite everything that might distinguish this ethio-groove from Fela’s music – no colonial axe to grind, no question of political confrontation with the authorities, no claims to negritude or Africanism for the Ethiopian musicians, and less extrovertion! –, this LP fits beautifully into the saga of intense and electrified soul of the new “African” groove that Fela and Manu Dibango embodied so well from that point onwards.

In restoring this record to its place in the afrobeat epic, it can be seen that, if nothing else, the timeline bestows a legitimate pedigree and a historical primacy to works that had no international impact when they were originally released.

Warning! Masterpiece!

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