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Mike Mooney presents his debut solo album The Cthulu Mythos via Nine X Nine Records. Mike Mooney has had a storied career in the music business, over the years he has had stints in Echo & The Bunnymen, The Psychedellic Furs, Spiritualized and The Wild Swans to name a few. Reknowned for his incendiary guitar work and distinctive style it seems incredible that only now are we seeing a solo debut proper. This record is inspired by the work of American authour and the godfather of the cosmic-horror genre H.P. Lovecraft. Mooney had long been a fan of Lovecraft’s work but through rereading much of his work during the coronavirus lockdown an idea for an album was planted. Using the titles of Lovecraft’s work as a springboard, Mike started recording. The songs came easily, almost as if being channeled via a conduit from some unknowable dimension of Old Gods and unspeakable horrors. The Cthulu Mythos is a larger-than-life, rock n’ roll affair. Purposefully distorted guitars are layered to a create a caucophonous effect that immerses you in Mike Mooney’s world populated by the creatures, characters and cosmic forces of H.P. Lovecraft’s mind.

Jaqee's last album with the promising title "Fly High" leads the inclined listener into a sometimes idiosyncratic fermentation of street-ready R'n'B, pop aesthetics, jazz intellect, world music earthiness, chanting Afro soul and sensitivity and softness of classical music and orchestral warmth, which is defined by Jaqee's voice throughout all tracks, but never overridden. Thilo "Teka" Jacks, who produced "Fly High", is looking for musical salvation and the courage to change things up in order to illustrate unity, also in busy, heated, African sub-currents like High Life, but also in European dancefloor stereotypes and even traces of soca and merengue, all of course always only thought of, because the real main actor is and remains Jaqee's sustained singing, her unique intonation and her voice, which sometimes sounds clear and angry, other times fragile and sensitive - that's the way it should be. Despite or precisely because of this immensely expressive character of the album, it is advisable to listen to the work several times: Jaqee makes music with sophistication and expression and a look that also allows for sheer black music entertainment, "Fly High" proves this with lasting effect. "Fly High" is now available on vinyl for the first time.

Jaqee – is rhythm and life ”Places becoming journeys in themselves… Different places where I have lived and learned, places that have made my heart beat, the emotional realms that I have experienced. This is where it all starts, every time. Where I am is where it happens, because I am, there. Here.” She sings. She laughs! And she cries, too. Jaqee cannot tell when music and singing became her life, it has ”just always been there, in my head” she says. Now with the fourth album she has taken a closer look at herself, from every possible angle. No hiding. Different phases, different sides of her personality and musical creativity are all there. All as one. ”I am a diaspora kid, I fell in love with all kinds of music, I let myself embrace it all, because good music, is good music. All the way from Uganda at age 13 to the new home and culture in Sweden, then leaving Sweden as an adult for Berlin – has made me the Jaqee that I am”, says the Ugandan /Swedish artist who also received a Swedish Grammy nomination for her past work. Being on the move is without a doubt an important part of her life. “For me travelling is about being exposed to different perceptions, situations, cultures and extreme emotions, it has always made me grow. How many times have I not thought that: I wouldn’t have experienced this or that, if hadn’t been here. I love that feeling!” Jaqee’s music reflects this constant movement and progress. The album is inspired by places like Berlin, South Africa and Jamaica. The trip to Jamaica resulted in the only collaboration track on “Yes I am” recorded in Kingston with reggae artist Anthony B. Teka, the “Kokoo Girl” and “Yes I am” Producer says: ”This time around, like on the last album, we have worked with our colleagues in different countries. Musicians we love and musicians that are inspiring like Martin Hederos (The Soundtrack of our lives) who arranged the strings on the album. We also had New York drummer Daru Jones of Rusic Records play on some tracks. All these talents enhance the idea and expression that we wanted for “Yes I am”. With the album done, it is again time to hit the road and tour for Jaqee. “Getting out there and meeting the crowd is a high. We laugh, we dance and we get loud together. This is the best part of working with music – having a good time together. Music is a universal language.” On composing music, she admits that this time, more than ever, the words matter. Newly found motherhood has made this album in particular a significant legacy. Every song has a life punctuation of its own she has not limited herself by thinking in genres. Making the tone very straightforward. “The melodies and lyrics are closely intertwined, how I sing a word makes all the difference. Even though I love word play, it has to be very clear. Since I am not educated in reading music, I instead visualize and hear it, it seems to be the way my system works. It is all about rhythm and life, it is “YES I AM“.

For the fourth time now Jaqee introduces herself to the World with her impressive voice and her unique attitude. Born in Kampala, the Capital of Uganda, she began her vagabond like life the moment she was born. During her childhood, she travelled the rural areas of her home country with her parents. This is where she collected her first impressions of the life as a nomad. From birth on, wandering the earth became a part of her destiny. In the early nineties she undertook a huge step and immigrated to Sweden. The City of Gothenburg would become her adopted home from where she was able to access all the different destinies and directions, which were on offer to her. Through all the borders Jaqee crossed, music has always been her steady companion whereas it never was a stereotype thing that let her get down with any special genre, than more like a special feeling. “To do what I want in a particular moment is my motivation. I like to express myself in all kind of sounds.” So above all, she became a true nomad in the world of music. After several successful co-operations with numerous artists, in 2005 Jaqee made an impact with her debut album “Blaqalixious”, which was mainly a Soul and R&B album. “That was my direct contact to the music that a rural community in the Diaspora plays” she explains. But it did not end up there because a nomad like Jaqee does not settle anywhere. After further creative and fruitful collaborations, Jaqee released her second long player “Nouvelle d´ amour” in 2007. This time, the sound was more of a rocking, bluesy vibe. It seemed to be the total opposite to her debut album but for Jaqee it was only the next step on her path in the circle of life. “Everything is possible as long as it is real. I never wonder about things like genre as long as the vibe fits.” One step further on, she encountered the songs of Billie Holiday, which lead to the album “A letter to Billie” recorded together with Bohuslänbigband, a lovely homage to the great American Jazz Singer. Both of her first two albums each received a Swedish Grammy nomination and several appearances in the Swedish national television increased her standing as a passionate and soulful Singer. So Teka, producer and creator of many successful riddims for his co-found German label, Rootdown Records considered her to be part of his new project “Koala Desperados“, which link Caribbean vibes like Cumbia to Reggae, and while working on it a totally new idea was born. Jaqee and Teka decided to combine both their talents into one album. The results of which you can now hear on “Kokoo Girl” a refreshing mix of Old School Reggae sounds from the seventies combined with up-to-date Beats, electronic twists and turns and of course the amazing voice of Jaqee. For her, this means that she has achieved some of her ambitions. “I grew up with African Gospel, in sad and turbulent environment, so for me, this means I grasp and totally understand the reggae and its non ending struggle for the common man.” No sooner said than done and “Kokoo Girl” will become Jaqee’s fourth and newest release. All the paths she followed, countries she crossed and influences she absorbed are a part of this album. She sings with the freedom of spirit of the travelling people. The word “Kokoo” is the only memory that remains everlasting. It is just a word but its impact is so huge that Jaqee does not really like to explain it. “It implies irony and seriousness as well as sarcasm and fun.” It is more than a gimmick. “Kokoo” is a very special feeling and a clear view of the world from an artist who has seen more of it than all the people that have settled down.

Seablite is a four-piece pop band from San Francisco inspired by 80s/90s indie and shoegaze. Seablite was formed in 2016 when Lauren Matsui (vocals / guitar) and Galine Tumasyan (vocals / bass) bonded over a mutual appreciation of early 90's Britpop and UK underground music. The pair began writing songs and soon after Jen Mundy (ex-Wax Idols) joined on second guitar and Andy Pastalaniec (Chime School) would eventually join on drums. They have released an LP (2019’s “Grass Stains and Novocaine”) and 7" single (“Breadcrumbs” c/w “Ink Bleeds”) via Emotional Response Records and a 10" EP (“High-Rise Mannequins” - recorded and produced by Alicia Vanden Heuvel of the Aislers Set) in conjunction with Spain’s Meritorio Records. The band is among San Francisco’s current indie pop renaissance and have opened for the likes of Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Charlatans and Ladytron upon their recent Bay Area visits. Seablite has finished their sophomore album, “Lemon Lights” (due out this summer on Mt. St. Mtn). Recorded over the summer of 2022, “Lemon Lights” contains 12 dreamy pop tracks showcasing the group’s continued growth and maturity and marks a strong progression from their debut album. After recording basic bed tracks with Robby Joseph, the band finished overdubs in their practice space and Lauren's apartment. The freedom of home recording allowed them to experiment, resulting in an organic and intuitive manifestation of the band's emotions and creativity - a sonic inkblot of unfiltered pop appreciation. One may hear Manchester undertones on "Hit the Wall" and “Melancholy Molly”, or the feminine noise-pop of Lush on "Pot of Boiling Water" but Seablite are not to be mistaken for anglophile copycats. Seablite incorporates the jangle of their San Francisco “Fog Pop” contemporaries on tracks like “Hold My Kite” and a relentless and driving guitar on “Blink Each Day”, while the wonderfully dark elements on “Monochrome Rainbow” and the wistful closer, “Orbiting My Sleep” give them a wide range of sounds and vibes. Mastered by Mark Gardener of Ride.

THE OMEGA SWARM, eine atmosphärische Death-Metal-Band aus Deutschland, begann im Jahr 2022, sehr bescheiden, sehr zurückgezogen. T., der bereits vier großartige Alben mit Sulphur Aeon veröffentlicht hat, hatte keinen vollwertigen Live-Act im Sinn, als er frühe Demos komponierte und das Skelett seiner - damals noch namenlosen - neuen Kreatur formte. Im Herzen ein wahrer Schöpfer, umarmt T. die akribische Arbeit an Riffs, Tönen, Klängen, den abenteuerlichen Geist des Aufbaus und der Verwirklichung von Ideen, das Experimentieren mit seinen geliebten Gitarren und Synthesizern, um erstaunliche Vibes und Songs zu produzieren, die bedeutungsvoll und doch extrem, melodisch und doch hart sind und sich in THE OMEGA SWARMs Debütalbum vereinen, einer Platte, einem Zeugnis, das der Essenz der Kunst selbst gewidmet ist.

So bodenständig T. auch ist, er ist nicht der Typ Mensch, der sich an eine Klangformel hält, er sucht nach "etwas mehr", "etwas anderem". Nachdem Sulphur Aeon mit dem monumentalen "Seven Crowns and Seven Seals" von 2023 vorerst abgeschlossen haben, was sie ausdrücken wollten, sind THE OMEGA SWARM jetzt sein Hauptaugenmerk, und das Line-up der Band, das von Sänger Christian Schettler (bekannt durch seine Arbeit bei den Labelkollegen Wound) und Schlagzeuger Max Scheefeldt (ex Misanthrope Monarch) komplettiert wird, passt perfekt zusammen. Musikalisch entstanden THE OMEGA SWARM aus T.s Experimenten mit rhythmischen Mustern, übereinanderliegenden Synthesizern, ausgefeilten Leads und etwas technischeren Riffingstrukturen.

Die wohl einzigen offensichtlichen Parallelen zu Sulphur Aeon sind die Betonung einer dichten, fesselnden Atmosphäre, epische Elemente und eine übergreifende Dunkelheit sowie die Erkenntnis nach der Fertigstellung der ersten Aufnahmen, dass auch THE OMEGA SWARM die Qualität besitzen, mehr als nur ein 'Schlafzimmerprojekt' zu sein.
Aufgenommen in den Studios von Feire Records und s/w records, gemischt und produziert von Langzeitpartner Simon Werner, wurde V. Santura (Triptykon, Dark Fortress) für das Mastering angeheuert und sorgte für den letzten Schliff von "Crimson Demise", einem Album, das stolz und mühelos zwischen Death und Black Metal changiert und von einer herausragenden Gesangsleistung abgerundet wird, bei der Chris eine ähnliche Bandbreite an Growls, Screams und cleanen Parts erreicht wie Peter Tägtgren in seinen besten Zeiten.

Vom Konzept her verzichtet die Gruppe auf uralte Lovecraft'sche Schrecken und wendet sich stattdessen geradlinigen apokalyptischen Themen zu. Ob Viren, bösartige Bakterien, verrückte Diktatoren, Klimawandel, religiöse und politische Ideologien, korrupte Technologie, Terrorismus oder Krieg, die Menschheit hat sich selbst für den Untergang gezeichnet - in leuchtenden Neonfarben, damit selbst eine außerirdische Spezies, die Galaxien entfernt ist, erkennen kann, was für Narren wir wirklich sind. "Die Menschheit kann sich nicht auf eine gemeinsame Wahrheit einigen, geschweige denn auf eine Strategie zur Lösung ihrer mannigfaltigen Probleme", erklärt Chris, "und bildet somit überhaupt keine Einheit. Der einzige gemeinsame Nenner, der uns alle eint, ist unsere Zerstörungswut, die irgendwann die gesamte Existenz der Menschheit gefährden könnte. Die Utopie wurde durch dystopische Szenarien ersetzt. Welche Formen des negativen menschlichen Verhaltens uns und die Gesellschaft derzeit beeinflussen und letztlich in eine zukünftige Endzeit führen, ist Teil des lyrischen Konzepts von THE OMEGA SWARM."
Aber keine Angst, bevor die Weltuntergangsuhr zum letzten Mal schlägt, soll euch das Vergnügen vergönnt sein, ein abwechslungsreiches, intensives und fesselndes Stück Metal zu erleben, das das neu formierte Trio aus dem Schlafzimmer auf die Bühne bringen will!

All Again. That's the title of the upcoming full-length record from Philadelphia's Queen of Jeans. The LP tracks an entire arc that, by the final hazy vibrato wash of "Do It All Again," bleeds back into the ambient first seconds of the record. "Thought I'd call tonight, hear how you're dealing," Miriam Devora sings to a distant lover on opener "All My Friends" in a neon-lit, melancholy tenor, the precise sound of lonesome love. The full band joins her in a beautiful night time sway, but it's still no use: "I got all my friends around, but I'm not home til I'm alone with you."The rest of the record follows this relationship as it tumbles through loneliness and longing, to elation and joy, to pain and anger, and finally to its foggy close, where Devora admits, "If I got to do it all again, I'd find you there like I did back then."Releasing on Memory Music, All Again is principally an enveloping, rich indie-rock record, changing dance partners between cheek-to-cheek '60s pop sweetness, '90s alt-rock dirt, spacious and pained emo, and the songcraft and melodicism of the sharpest acoustic singer-songwriter acts. Devora (vocals, guitar, keys) and Matheson Glass (lead guitar, piano) took extra care this time to create a Queen of Jeans full-length that reflected in sound and structure the emotional depths they were exploring.It's the first time since their 2015 debut, Dig Yourself, that they've had a full band, with drummer Patrick Wall and bassist Andrew Nitz, to build with. Where on releases like 2022's sparkling lockdown-pop Hiding In Place Devora and Glass had gone into producer and mix/master engineer Will Yip's Studio 4 with sketches and worked with Yip to arrange the songs in studio, this time, they went in with a complete vision for the record. That allowed them to use studio time to expand the record's sonic boundaries. "We had a lot more room to play with some of the ear candy we've always wanted to explore and get weirder in the studio," says Glass.Those elements lend a physicality and playfulness to the memory and emotions that unfurl through All Again. "We're trying to tell the story of when you look back at an important relationship," says Glass. "Years go by, and the more you reflect on it, it becomes more warped and the facts become a little bit more murky. We wanted to play with that and get surreal with the story." (Literally: listen for a "monster" voice in the already-released banger "Karaoke.") The record's artwork, conceptualized by Devora, renders this idea with devastating clarity.

Step into the unknown with URN's latest masterpiece, 'Surprise Me.' In this kaleidoscope of sound, genres intertwine like threads in a tapestry of boundless creativity. Led by the enigmatic Jakub Volovar, each track is a journey into the depths of emotion and imagination.


From haunting melodies to pulsating rhythms, 'Surprise Me' defies classification, inviting listeners on a sonic adventure through uncharted territory. Like a meticulously crafted collage, it weaves together elements of jazz, trap, and beyond with effortless grace.

While a sense of doom lingers in the shadows, it never overwhelms; instead, it adds depth and texture to an already mesmerizing landscape. With 'Surprise Me,' URN proves once again that true art knows no boundaries.

"Different Breed", das während ihrer Europatournee 2022 Abend für Abend akribisch ausgearbeitet wurde, würdigt alle charakteristischen Merkmale, die die Band ausmachen: wuchtige Riffs, Orchestrierung, Indus-Passagen und mitreißende Refrains, und bringt sie gleichzeitig mit dem über die Jahre erworbenen Know-how auf den neuesten Stand.

Abgemischt und gemastert von Chris Coulter (Arcane Roots, Idles) in London, bietet "Different Breed“ dem Hörer ein kompromissloses Eintauchen in eine Welt, die rau und dunkel, aber auch melancholisch und voller Hoffnung ist.

Artwork wurde von dem Maler Mathieu Questel gefertigt.

We're excited to unveil our inaugural vinyl release, introducing the first Neptune ‘Disc’ to the world. Trance-inducing progressive genres, which dive into the magnetic allure of '90s progressive sounds with a distinct tilt towards the club scene. Four tracks resonating through the depths of a festival ambiance, enveloped in an enigmatic mist and bathed under shimmering purple strobes.

A1 introduces Cybernet, an emerging force hailing from the vibrant scene of Aus. Delving beyond the sounds of the '90s Cybernet brings forth a distinctive sonic narrative, intertwining intricate vocal hooks before unleashing the pulsating acid-line. An instant classic unfolds, resonating with the essence of the dance-floor.

Glen S swiftly becomes a Neptune Disc regular with "Uh!" on A2. Tailored for the club, he infuses his signature alien scattered pulses and a rolling bassline. With a deft touch, he creates a surge of energy by cutting off all elements on the drop, leaving only the bass and kicks. Expertly crafted.
Aiden's "Fanks" on the B-side boasts a mesmerising appeal, again reminiscent of the 90s-2000s era, with its pulsating bassline and entrancing soundscape. It delves into the realm of trance, offering a hypnotic journey that echoes the allure of that bygone era. With its captivating blend of trippy elements, the track creates a nostalgic yet timeless vortex of sound, drawing listeners into an otherworldly experience that resonates with the spirit of classic electronic music.

B2 showcases Tourman's prowess as a versatile producer, seamlessly delving into different genres. Overflowing with progressive energy and adorned with scattered UFO sounds, this track stands as a testament to Tourman's evolving artistry—a dynamic force ready to command diverse sonic landscapes. An ideal opener for peak-time set.

A feverish essay of transcendent drumming: Chris" solo approach, rooted in the exploration of elements of extended technique, sought another level, via possibilities facilitated by a self-made string drum! The Key (Became The Important Thing & Then Just Faded Away) brings his encompassing focus on free improvisation and noise into a granular fusion with acoustic experiments and hot-wired ideations of hard rock riffing and the post-punk sound.

Deb Demure's powerful presence and hypnotic sound has firmly defined the identity of Drab Majesty. After releasing the debut album, Careless, Drab Majesty split time between touring and studios, piecing together the ideas for the follow-up album, "The Demonstration", an album depicting Deb Demure as only one part of Drab Majesty's overall being and storytelling saga.With "Induction", Drab Majesty sets up an ethereal backdrop for which the rest of the album follows. Tracks such as "Dot In The Sky" and "39 By Design" (a song pointing to the doomsday Heaven's Gate cult) use lush, shoegaze approach to portray the fragility of humanity's loss of self, looking only to the heavens for answers. "Cold Souls" flawlessly executes Drab Majesty's arpeggiated finger picking signature, complete with washes of hazy noise and atmospheric reverb. With the addition of Mona D. to Drab Majesty's mysterious portfolio, songs from The Demonstration perpetually create new meanings and depth with every listen. After Drab Majesty wraps up The Demonstration with "Behind The Wall", one is left wondering what kind of identity is truly their own Compact disc features two bonus tracks plus four exclusive remixes by Cold Cave, Drew McDowall, Silent Servant and Martial Canterel.

Lenticular Sleeve / White Vinyl. When Jack Tatum began work on Life of Pause, his third full-length to date, he had lofty ambitions: Don't just write another album; create another world. One with enough detail and texture and dimension that a listener could step inside, explore, and inhabit it as they see fit. "I desperately wanted for this to be the kind of record that would displace me," he says. "I'm terrified by the idea of being any one thing, or being of any one genre. And whether or not I accomplish that, I know that my only hope of getting there is to constantly reinvent. That reinvention doesn't need to be drastic, but every new record has to have its own identity, and it has to have a separate set of goals from what came before." What came before: a rightfully acclaimed, much beloved display of singular pop craftsmanship. Tatum's dreamy, unexpected 2010 debut, Gemini, was written while he was still a student at Virginia Tech University. Its equally disarming follow-up, 2012's Nocturne, marked the first time he'd been able to bring his bedroom recordings into a studio, to be performed and fully realized with the help of other musicians. There has been a set of wonderfully expansive EPs in between_each hinting at new directions and punctuating previous ideas_but with Life of Pause, Tatum delivers what he describes as his most "honest" and "mature" work yet, an exquisitely arranged and beautifully recorded collection of songs that marry the immediate with the indefinable. "I allowed myself to go down every route I could imagine even if it ended up not working for me," he says. "I owe it to myself to take as many risks as possible. Songs are songs and you have to allow yourself to be open to everything." After a prolonged period of writing and experimentation, recording took place over several weeks in both Los Angeles and Stockholm, with producer Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Beachwood Sparks) helping Tatum in his search for a more natural and organically textured sound. In Sweden, in a studio once owned by ABBA, they enlisted Peter, Bjorn and John drummer John Ericsson and fellow Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra veteran Pelle Jacobsson, to contribute drums and marimba. In California, at Monahan's home, Tatum collaborated with Medicine guitarist Brad Laner and a crew of saxophonists. From the hypnotic polyrhythms of "Reichpop" to the sugary howl of "Japanese Alice" to the hallucinogenic R&B of "A Woman's Wisdom," the result is a complete, fully immersive listening environment. "I just kept things really simple, writing as ideas came to me," he says. "There's definitely a different kind of `self' in the picture this time around. There's no real love lost, it's much more a record of coming to terms and defining what it is that you have_your place, your relationships. I view every record as an opportunity to write better songs. At the end of the day it still sounds like me, just new."

With an ageless magnificence and rich musical imagination, Mastodon unleash Leviathan, an unabated testimonial to the band's earthshaking ability to rock. Their thundering musical muscle, talent and vast sea of ideas triumphantly unite on Leviathan, delivering heavy, organic music that melds exhilarating ambitiousness with a well-honed accessibility.

SABÏRE has now returned in 2024 with a 15 track epic, self-styled "half-concept" album, "Jätt", 5 years in the making. SABÏRE began at the tail end of 2010 as an idea to have a band that played simply what came naturally on guitar to Scarlett Monastyrski with no set genre or category. Simply the natural music. Shortly thereafter, the concept grew to accompany that sound with a big show and distinctive stylisation. The biting and sharp sound production, along with their personal lyrics, birthed for them a label for their music: ACID METAL. Not to be confused with the mind altering substance, Acid Metal took its name from the concentrated corrosive fluid not unlike the blood of the Xenomorph in the Alien films. The instruments are awash with acidic modulation, "like a drop of acid in the dark." The lyrics all hold a tinge of biting realism that once realised by the listener, stings them like a droplet of acid resting upon their skin. To take their metaphor further, their distinctive production style let's stand apart from the rest of the "modern" sound that degrades the potentcy of many new bands. They call it "brick culture," because it all sounds the same. Concentrated acid burns all the way through anything solid leaving a hot trail behind it, like the band continues to do so with garnering the attention of the world of heavy music. Band leader Scarlett Monastyrski comments : " 'Jätt' is meant to be THE sound of SABÏRE. A monolith to what we stand for artistically. We wanted this album to be its own art piece rather than simply a collection of arbitrary songs, a really 'blue' coloured sound. The physical copies hold beautifully styled texts detailing the concept for those chosen songs, as well as small epistles to accompany each track," says . “ 'Jätt' is a “blue” sounding album; the colour. You may understand that more when listening to the album yourself. The cover of 'Jätt', “Dante and Virgil in the Ninth Circle of Hell” - Gustav Doré, 1861, could be seen through a symbolic lense in which the listener is symbolised as Dante, the artist as Virgil, and the bodies locked within the ice of frozen lake as the music surrounding them; we as the artist are shepherding the listener through the mire. This could be perceived like this, or you may just see it as an attractive album cover. “ "We put our heart and soul into this one and can't wait to give our Wild Ones and Acid Fiends what they've been so patiently waiting for

Tekno substances, from 150 to 170 BPM.
A deep Hard Tekno/Tribe one, mental and hypnotic, daring textures and structures... mMny surprises for a "Mental" EP, addictive ideas that need to be scanned really :)

Super soundcut !!

A must have !

The Death Doom Punks are back! “Quintessenz“ is the raw and unfiltered manifestation of the artistic
identity of ARROGANZ. Infused with brutal aggression and ominous atmosphere, it unleashes a sonic
apocalypse that transports the listener into a haunting realm. With a blend of old-school death metal,
doom metal and black metal, the band redefines their boundaries and showcases their creative
maturity. FFO Celtic Frost, Asphyx or Darkthrone, as well as for lovers of Napalm Death, Totenmond or
Wolfbrigade.

The hugo toolbox - A lasting place.

Just as my dad with words unspoken gave the tools to me, I’m passing these down to you.

A place to keep ideas safe, to hold the music, to give you space away from your phone.



Contents:

• 1x Toolbox

• 1x Chess Board with Custom chess pieces (Made by Sunny)

• 1x Incense (Made by Cremate)

• 1x Incense Burner

• 1x hugo car key with keychain

• 1x Pin Badge

• 1x Certificate of authenticity

• 1x Notebook

• 1x hugo Process Book

• 1x Georgetown Flexidisc

• 1x Plastic Flexidisc

• 1x hugo: reimagined (Live at the Royal Albert Hall) Vinyl LP

• 1x hugo Picture Disc Vinyl LP

• 1x Hidden Message

Placid aka Paul Wise is chief in command at ‘We’re Going Deep’ – an expanding online community and record label, born from lifelong affair with the many shades of electronic rhythm and obsession for collecting records since 1988. He’s spent the last 3 decades moving heads and feet at venues, parties and fields across the UK and beyond.
On a mission to share and release new music via his label, you’ll find only the best in Acid, Electro, IDM, Techno and Deep House for the dance floor, front room or your headphones making the cut. For the 10th and final edition of his much prized various artist series, he unearths more machine fuelled magic: offering another set of equally excellent music from stellar talent.
Starting the dance, Dutch maestro Boris Bunnik dons his Versalife mantle to opens with ‘Skirmish 101’. Setting the machines to cycle, Bunnik fires a hefty slab of bass to bring down the walls whilst pristine robot like rhythms set your body in motion, all enveloped with sparse synthesis and shimmering effects. Crashing the joint with ‘Acid Baby’ - The Acid Pimp drops a no holds barred, riotous 303 workout that’s nothing short of a tour de force in exorcising the power of Roland’s most celebrated silver box. Putting pedal to the metal with drums and reverb, a smiley face or grimace is guaranteed!
Longtime collaborators Jamie Anderson & Owain K reset the dial on the flip with ‘Basement Dub’, a house paced workout that glides at a steady pace. Evoking the spirit of Mood II Swing whilst immersed in the depths of an underwater realm. Ending on the upbeat note of Konerytmi’s ‘Aamunkoitto’, the Finnish producer reflects a breezy disposition with a joyful melody, step-to electro beat and rolling acid bassline – all perfectly balanced to keep your calm and head out in the right direction, a great way to sign off on this highly collectable series.

Music From Memory is pleased to announce the upcoming release of ‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’, a collaborative album from Tim Koh and Sun An.

Tim Koh is an American multi-instrumentalist and visual artist born and raised in Los Angeles. He has been touring, releasing music and showing art works internationally for nearly two decades. Sun An is a Southern California-based graphic designer, art director, and sound designer who has self-released music since 2012.

‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’ plays somewhat like a dreamlike collage; across 18 short compositions, finger-picked guitars melt with electronics and warped samples to create a form of American Primitivism bent and refracted through Tim and Sun’s unique lens.

Their collaborative journey unfolded gradually, exchanging snippets via email over the span of a year or so, Sun in LA and Tim in Berlin. Amidst personal struggles and uncertainties, the act of recording and composing became a refuge, a safe space where they could navigate life's complexities together. Though they didn't converse much, mostly just sending music, their musical dialogue spoke volumes, shaping a narrative that evolved naturally over time. As they shared their musical ideas, they discovered a profound sense of connection and understanding with one another. The music became a conduit for healing, bridging the gaps between them and offering comfort in times of need.

Their musical influences and backgrounds anchored them. From reminiscing about past scenes to exploring cultural intricacies of being Korean American in Los Angeles, infused with a natural sense of shared identity, their collaboration reflected a mergence of old and new memories into a hallucinatory, dream-like experience. Across the 18 compositions that make up the album, incense emerges as a poignant motif, symbolizing the passage of time. Each incense stick becomes a vessel carrying the essence of moments gone by, while the holder becomes the custodian of these ephemeral memories.

‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’ invites the listener on a boundary-transcending journey of introspection, joy, and pain, creating an experience that lingers long after the last note fades.

Sleeve art by Brian DeGraw, design by David McFarline.

Released in 1999 on Taylor Deupree’s 12k label, »optimal.lp« was the debut album by Dan Abrams under his Shuttle358 moniker. For its 25th anniversary, Keplar presents it on vinyl for the first time with three previously unreleased tracks—the digital version also includes a alternative version of »Tank«—as well as a new artwork recreated by Daniel Castrejón and a remaster by Andreas LUPO Lubich based on the original pre-masters that were been restored and cleaned up for the reissue project by Abrams. »optimal.lp« was inspired by the rich tradition of ambient music and the rhythmic complexity of 1990s electronica while also sharing many traits with the then-emerging clicks’n’cuts movement, making it a true sui generis piece of work—both informed by tradition and visionary, idiosyncratic and seminal for many artists after him.

Abrams developed an interest in ambient music when he was still a child, scouring through cassette tapes of environmental sounds, new age music, and world percussion. Discovering Brian Eno’s »Thursday Afternoon« as a young teenager marked a turning point for him. »It gave me the idea that ambient music could be an intentional creative act, that tone itself is a legitimate form of expression,« he says today. During the 1990s, he increasingly immersed himself in the electronica scene and the output of labels such as Instinct, where Deupree worked as an Art Director and released his first records as Human Mesh Dance. Abrams found a home on 12k after sending Deupree a demo tape that would later evolve into »optimal.lp,« released as the label’s fifth catalogue number.

Abrams was still in college when he started experimenting with a sound module, his laptop and a mixer as well as a MIDI card and a small controller. »Each note was composed in MIDI and played back when I was ready to record,« he explains his working process at the time. »The tracks could be replayed, but the sound interactions with glitches and noise would be a little different each time. I decided to base the concept of the album on these interactions.« Each piece started with a single sound or tone that, as Abrams puts it, already contained the entire composition: »I let these interactions guide me, and tried to complement them as I added sounds. It’s a conversation of sorts with the medium.«

While refining this technique that he would go on to use on every album until 2004’s »Chessa,« reissued by Keplar in 2021, he also used the first-ever Native Instrument product, the Generator soft synth, to write the record’s title track—possibly making it the first album on which it was being used. »optimal.lp« is marked by this curious interplay of cutting-edge technology, the limitations with which every college student with a small budget is faced, and boundless creativity. »I’ve talked with other artists about how we feel about our early work,« Abrams says today. »We all agreed that there were elements that remain a part of us in a timeless way, despite our techniques—or lack thereof—at the time. ›optimal.lp‹ has a lot of things that will always be with me, that are me. I think I left some clues in there for my future self.«

This sense of timelessness remains tangible after a quarter of a century after the album’s original CD release and is even being expanded upon by the vinyl reissue, which is complemented by three pieces that were made while Abrams was working on the album. The digital release even features an entirely new take on the original album’s final piece, »Tank.« While Abrams let one of the masters go through his customised reverb unit when preparing the reissue, he started recording the results of this accidental dialogue between past and present. It’s a fitting tribute to an album whose delicate circular rhythms, rich textures, and ethereal melodies are precisely so exhilarating because their interplay seems to suspend the passing of time altogether.

New music from veteran Scottish IDM producer Pliiant, who throughout the years has had releases on Pub's Ampoule label and his rare as f&ck Talent Hoover series.

This new one dips and dives between Spanners era Black Dog and early Bola / Skam Records type madness.

31st century electronic soul in 4 new sound purses from Pliiant.

On her sophomore album "Germ in a Population of Buildings", upsammy moves through her surroundings with the curiosity of a place-bending landscape architect. The album is rooted in her interest for ambiguous environments in constant shift, and the feeling of discovering strange patterns in different ecosystems. Often, the Amsterdam-based artist finds herself zooming in and out beyond a place's most recognizable surface features to inhabit the microscopic and gigantic. Gathering field recordings and evocative environmental sounds, she shapes this source material into vibrating electro-acoustic rhythms and unstable, psychedelic textures. upsammy's debut album, 2020's critically-acclaimed "Zoom", was praised for its careful reimagining of IDM, evolving vignettes that nodded towards the dancefloor without being shackled to its rigid set of rules. On "Germ in a Population of Buildings" her process has evolved considerably; the skeletal trace of IDM is still present but it's been trapped in amber, allowing her unique sonic landscape to develop organically. 'Being is a Stone' is a proof of concept in many ways, layering upsammy's contorted voice in rickety patterns beneath a lattice of fragile rhythms and faintly melancholy synths. It's never immediately obvious where the sounds are coming from - a hiccuping beat might be glass cracking underfoot, and larger pulses could be wet concrete, rusted iron or bent plastic. As the sounds develop they morph into each other, demolishing what came before and building on top of the ornamental wreckage. On the dynamic 'Constructing', upsammy's sound design fluxes through hyperactive bass music structures, abstracting expectations at every turn. Often her sounds are whisper quiet, rattling and vibrating until heavier masonry drops and disrupts the structure. And when discernible rhythms subside into the background, like on the album's eerie title track, they become almost illusory, morphing between the real world and the electronic. upsammy's processed voice works like a bridge between these realms, snaking between stark, whimsical melodies on 'Patterning', arching from AutoTuned detachment into cooing, dreamy intimacy. By considering the harmonies between each location she's visited, upsammy has been able to build a unique topology that's an uncanny digital amalgam of her lived experience. It's a thoughtful alternative in an era more concerned with flatting the landscape than crumpling it and examining its peaks and troughs.

After releasing “Columbo No.5” last September, the band went into the infamous Tunbridge Wells Forum to record their debut album. Having never recorded a debut album before, perhaps the idea of nailing it in 5 days may have been optimistic but with the budget blown and the studio engineer committed to other work for the rest of the year the band were left scratching their heads.

They knew a local bee keeper was the mother of a producer who was raised on metal but recently had engineering credits with artists such as Stefflon Don, Stormzy and Skepta...
..... A call was made, and Jake Jones delivered!

Wytch Pycknyck are LOUD yet maintain a trashy garage feel. Off the blocks with Rawkuss, almost distort with the guitar cacophony hitting the redlight in parts, and ending with Frostbite a spoken word / rap intro metamorphosis into a space rock psychedelic wig out with bassist Ewan Fitzgerald’s passion for analogue synths coming to the fore.

Sometimes the guitars shred and sometimes the bass takes pole position. Two and half minute thrash-outs sit shoulder to shoulder with nine-minute psych monsters AND it all makes sense.

2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Schizo, the first full-fledged album by Heideroosjes on Epitaph Records. The album features fan favourites “Time Is Ticking Away”and “Fistful Of Ideals”, the track “Iedereen Is Gek” was in high rotation on the Belgium radio station Studio Brussel, and “Jerry Rules In The Land Of The Free” even made it on the famous Jerry Springer TV Show. This landmark album introduced them to the rest of Europa and United States and was followed-up by an extensive tour, playing with kindred spirits such as Pennywise, The Misfits, and The Offspring. Celebrating its anniversary, Schizo is available as an expanded edition for the first time, including live versions of “Sjonnie & Anita” and “Fistfuckparty At 701”, recorded at Pinkpop Festival in 1999. Schizo (Expanded Edition) is available as a limited edition of 667 individually numbered copies on white coloured vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve featuring updated and revised artwork.

After ‚Running in Waves‘ the Cologne based label ‚Serial Sound’ is back with the second release. ‚´till things ghost‘ is going to be Jonas Landwehr´s debut solo EP. After publishing collaborative works or various artist EPs he is now ready to take the next step. The newest project is tied around the idea of a diverse taste and inspirations while it’s centered around playing with different rhythms. Multiple styles such as House, Techno or Reggaeton as well as various tempos come together on this project. ‚ginko‘ serves as an intro and shows what kind of contrast the rest of the record will be about with it’s airy chord pads that cut to a growling bass accompanied by a slow burning reggaeton groove. ‚disaronno straight‘ adopts this idea but gives it a faster UK influenced twist with a wobbly bassline and chopped vocals ready for the club. ‚sin tí‘ closes the A-Side and aims for summer vibes and floating lightness. ‚overcome?‘ opens the B-Side with a hypnotic pulsing bass and percussion interaction and leads into ‚something about u‘, a soulful vocal feature from LAINE which sits on a broken beat with deep chords and House accents. ‚seeds‘ is closing off the record with an aggressive, faster paced metallic Dancehall rhythm contrasted with enthralling pad sounds.

Mick Harris is one of the world's greatest compositional treasures. Starting his career as the energy dynamo behind the drum kit of the UK's Napalm Death, he made the term Blastbeat a household reference, wrote the band's music on his mother's one string guitar, and joined the Guinness Book of World Records for composing the world's shortest song. In the decades succeeding, he has re-inventedmusic several more times, from the wild abstract jazz of Painkiller with John Zorn and Bill Laswell, to the drowning ambience of his Lull project, all while continuing to build a world that he can truly call his own - the dark post-dub of SCORN. "Reaching 54 this year - this won't stop the challenge, driving me more so now than ever" - says Mick Harris, commenting on the recent phase in his creativity. The pandemic isolation and lockdown pushed the work of the maestro more than anything else could have. In 2021, his output is ever-increasing, releasing the newest collabs with Justin K. Broadrick and the single "Distortion", featuring one of the most outstanding voices of hip-hop - Kool Keith - his closest collaborator, Ohm Resistance founder - Submerged. Commenting on the release of "Distortion", Mick Harris said to mxdwn: "I enjoy collabs - they bring something different to the swim." Working on his own and collaborating with everyone from Sleaford Mods' James Williamson, on the previous SCORN release or with Kool Keith and Submerged on "Distortion", Mick Harris never had problems with putting energy into beats and sound landscapes, combining various surreal elements with three basic elements that always push Harris further, that are extremely crucial for both Mick Harris and SCORN as a project - frustration, anger and anxiety. Combining the signature soundscapes of Scorn with tartareous textures, the newest album "The Only Place" reaches a psychedelic groove, based on what Harris calls "Pushing an original idea further" with his own shades of light and dark and celestial electricity of what SCORN is. These 10 new tracks add elements unheard in Scorn since Evanescense and Gyral - ethereal ambiences and floating, near-melodic-but-not-quite moments, a signature of Harris' abilities to generate feelings in a lost world of his own creation. 2024 vinyl version on orange coloured vinyl!

Die 5-köpfige südafrikanische A-cappella-Band The Joy kündigt ihr selbstbetiteltes Debütalbum an, das am 21. Juni auf Transgressive veröffentlicht wird. Das 11-Track-Album wurde live in den renommierten Church Studios in Crouch End in London aufgenommen und enthält keine Instrumente oder Overdubs.

Die Songs kommen dabei nur mit dem erstaunlichen Gesangstalent der Mitglieder - Pastor (Ntokozo Bright Magcaba), Duzie (Melokuhle Mkhungo), Guduza (Sphelele Hlophe), Sthombe (Phelelani Sithole) und Marcus (Sanele Ngcobo) aus, die seit ihrer Schulzeit zusammen Musik machen. Fünf Teenager aus dem südafrikanischen Township Hammarsdale, die damals früher als alle anderen zu ihrer Schulchorprobe erschienen - früh genug, um spontan einen neuen Song zu erschaffen und zu merken, wie gut das funktioniert.

Aufgewachsen sind die Fünf in einem Teil Südafrikas, in dem die Zulu-Tradition des A-cappella-Gesangs für die kulturelle Identität des Volkes von zentraler Bedeutung ist und Ladysmith Black Mambazo seit Jahrzehnten verehrt werden.

Limitiertes Farbvinyl von Teil #4 der "Here, Hear" Serie von einer der renommiertesten und ältesten Emo-Post-Rock-Bands der Szene, La Dispute. Die 2007 ins Leben gerufene Serie gibt interessierten Hörern Einblicke hinter dem Vorhang des Songwritings, um durch zusätzlichen musikalischen und lyrischen Kontext das Verständnis für Themen und Ideen der Alben zu vertiefen.

Die aktuelle Version des Projekts ändert im Laufe seiner Geschichte regelmäßig Formen, Ansätze und Medien und besteht aus Aufforderungen zum kreativen Schreiben, die von einem einzelnen Mitglied eingeführt und befolgt werden, bevor sie nacheinander an die anderen weitergegeben werden, um in einer Art musikalischem Telefonspiel Beiträge zu leisten. Das Endergebnis sind Songs, die Schicht für Schicht, Mitglied für Mitglied, geschrieben und aufgenommen wurden, rund um einen zentralen Vorschlag oder eine zentrale Einschränkung, die ausführlich auf Patreon und in aufgezeichneten Podcast-Gesprächen diskutiert werden, in denen die Erfahrung analysiert wird.

Compassion combines ethereal pop with ‘80s synth textures, and slacker-rock charm. It's got a bit of Matthew E. White, chilled out BC Camplight and Conor Oberst.

The inviting and perceptive songs on Rui Gabriel’s debut LP Compassion all tackle growing up. It’s about how the older you get, your priorities shift, friendships evolve, and responsibilities become inescapable. For Gabriel, the Indiana-based, Venezuela-born artist and co-founder of the acclaimed band Lawn, the changes in his own life inspired him to write a solo full-length that sounds like nothing the indie rock journeyman has done before. Across 10 vibrant tracks that combine ethereal pop with slacker-rock and piano-driven dance music, it’s a galvanizing showcase of personal growth and the grace you give yourself to push forward.

Work on Compassion started in 2018 when Gabriel was living in New Orleans. “I was living a pretty teenage life in many ways,” says Gabriel. “I worked at a pizza restaurant and would just go to shows or parties. I wasn’t doing anything other than music. I didn't have many responsibilities.” The songs he was working on at the time—tracks that didn’t fit Lawn but Gabriel still liked—initially went unfinished. But as Gabriel’s life changed, so did his songwriting and his desire to see his ideas through. “When I was writing lyrics, I was settling down with my partner and about to become a dad,” says Gabriel. “I was making choices about my life that contradicted the existence I had before. I had a different set of priorities.”

The songs on Compassion deal with youthful carelessness ("Dreamy Boys") and coming face-to-face with newfound responsibilities ("Change Your Mind"). It's consistently a biting, observant look at getting older thanks to Gabriel's unique perspective as a South American immigrant who's lived across the United States for the past 13 years. “When you are Hispanic, English isn't your first language, and you're in a music scene with a bunch of white people, you're going to stand out a little bit,” he says. On “Church of Nashville,” “Hey, Leonard Cohen is singing poems by the gentrified alley” he humorously aims at scene pretension and industry gatekeepers.

Compared to Gabriel’s work with Lawn, where he writes frenetic post-punk songs and yells, for Compassion he explores more straightforward pop sensibilities and showcases his singing voice. “I wanted to do a solo record to prove to myself that I could sing,” says Gabriel. Take the meditative, piano-based lead single “Target,” which is inspired by Dido and finds Gabriel gorgeously harmonizing with singer Kate Teague. He reaches similar infectiousness on the sunny rocker “Summertime Tiger,” which guests Stef Chura. Co-produced by Gabriel and Nicholas Corson (The Convenience, Video Age), Compassion is consistently warm, generous, colorful, and adventurous.

“Compassion is a record about change,” says Gabriel. “It's a coming-of-age record but for somebody who's coming of age into their thirties.”

First full-length release on new Rise Above Records subsidiary label: Popclaw Records. An eight-song trip through the mind of a music obsessive with ideas to burn, Caldwell is both a paean to the past and a quietly subversive contribution to the future. This is deftly
evolved psychedelia, fed through many decades years of sonic mischief and rendered in the bright, warm colours of garage rock and baroque pop. Drawing from dust-covered psych explorations on both sides of the Atlantic, Caldwell has hit a rich vein of inspiration.
Debut album from this enigmatic New Orleans purveyor of psychedelic pop and rock. Tour dates to be announced soon. For fans of The Kinks, Small Faces and 1960s garage pop & psychedelia

The Dutch-American legend Orlando Voorn is back on the block with a very, very yummy 4-tracker that is masterfully channeling his deep love for Detroit techno and Chicago house. “No Cellphones” recalls Green Velvet’s classic Relief Records sound, applying a sinister bouncer voice that commands everybody to put their f***ing cellphones away. It’s quite a tantalising idea to drop this tune at an Afterlife party. “Raise The Bar” is a primo minimal heater for prime time usage, classic Voorn intensity through and through. The flipside harbors two gorgeous, summerly house tracks with plenty of soul for those sun flooded festival floors. Orlando Voorn reigns supreme.

Die niederländisch-amerikanische Legende Orlando Voorn ist zurück mit einem wirklich sehr schmackhaften 4-Tracker, der seine tiefe Liebe für Detroit Techno und Chicago House meisterhaft kanalisiert. „No Cellphones“ erinnert an den klassischen Relief Records-Sound von Green Velvet, mit einer düsteren Türsteher-Stimme, die allen befiehlt, ihre f***ing Handys wegzulegen. Es ist eine ziemlich verlockende Idee, dieses Stück auf einer Afterlife-Party zu spielen. „Raise The Bar“ ist ein erstklassiger Minimalheizer für die Primetime, klassische Voorn-Intensität durch und durch. Die Flipside beherbergt zwei grandiose, sommerliche House-Tracks mit viel Soul für die sonnenüberfluteten Festival-Floors. Orlando Voorn liefert.

Bed Maker's origins date back to summer 2019, when bassist Arthur Noll (Light Beams, Kid Congo Powers) and drummer Vin Novara (The Crownhate Ruin, 1.6 Band), each having played in Alarms & Controls, invited guitarist Jeff Barsky (Insect Factory, Time Is Fire) to collaborate and see what might happen. By autumn, they invited Amanda MacKaye (Desiderata, Routineers) to join them, and the chemistry was immediate. In February 2020 at DC's Rhizome, Bed Maker played their first show and then paused their activities the follow- ing month, as did most people.
Due to the state of the world in 2020 and 2021, they continued writing music through sharing recordings. Mike Schleibaum assisted by assembling home recordings of their individual parts into working demos. This allowed them to keep momentum, and by the time in-person rehearsals resumed, a handful of songs and new ideas were close to fruition. Bed Maker resumed playing shows in November 2022.
Following a self-released digital single ("Miss Dickens") and an EP (Three on the Tree) -- each recorded with Schleibaum and Matt Michel at Viva Studios -- Bed Maker began work on their self-titled LP in May 2023 with Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara at the original Inner Ear Studio in his basement in Arlington, VA, and with Mike Schleibaum at his home studio in Maryland.
That their debut LP even exists is only possible thanks to the support of family and many friends, and also serves as an act of defiance to the horrors of the last four-plus years.

Originally released on Firstcask Records in 2003. A selection of my styles and ideas at the time, ranging from drum n bass, ambient, acid etc etc

Nocturne, the critically acclaimed sophomore album by Wild Nothing, is a window into singer/songwriter Jack Tatum's "ideal world" of pop music. Written largely while living in Savannah, GA during 2011, the songs that became Nocturne blur the lines between Tatum's influences and personality. The album features some open references to past music just as his hit debut Gemini did, but it's also an album that feels much less rooted in anything in particular, and marks a distinct evolution in songwriting for Wild Nothing. Gemini was written before there were Wild Nothing fans or even a live band; Nocturne is different. With an unexpected new fan base to turn to, Tatum spent more time perfecting his craft. The obsessiveness of Nocturne is inherent in it's gentle harmonies, orchestrated synths, wandering voice, and songs that speak to his post-Gemini experiences as he explores new paradoxes of pop. And yet, Nocturne isn't obvious, it is a strange and distinctive musical beast, the product of an obsessive pop vision that creates its own reality. Over the past 10 years, Nocturne has distinguished itself as the quintessential Wild Nothing record, and includes catalog highlights "Shadow", "Paradise", and "Only Heather" - all of which have become dependable standouts in Tatum's live performance through the years. This 10th anniversary pressing is limited to 5,000 copies, pressed on blue marble vinyl, and includes brand new marble art inserts, expanded liners written by Tatum, and a 2022 moon chart.

Black Truffle is thrilled to present the first vinyl reissue of David Rosenboom’s unique Future Travel, originally released on the short-lived Detroit label Street Records in 1981 and here presented in an expanded edition with an additional LP of wild, previously unheard live and studio material from the same period.

Future Travel emerged from the confluence of two important streams in Rosenboom’s work at this time. First, his exploration of ‘propositional music’, defined as ‘complete cognitive models of music’ that start from the radical question, ‘What is music?’ In this case, the music belongs to the universe of Rosenboom’s In the Beginning (1978-1981), in which proportional relationships determine the material available to the composer in all musical parameters (harmonic relationships, melodic shapes, rhythmic subdivisions, dynamics, and so on). Second, the work documents a key moment in Rosenboom’s long collaboration with synthesizer pioneer Don Buchla. Having played a role in developing concepts for some of the modules of the Buchla 300 Series Electric Music Box (an innovative analogue modular system controlled by micro-processors), Rosenboom went on to write the software for Buchla’s hybrid analogue-digital keyboard synthesiser, the Touché, the instrument heard most prominently here.

In a way that no purely analogue synthesizer could, the 300 Series and Touché allowed Rosenboom to work with the In the Beginning algorithms in real time, the synthesizers becoming ‘intelligent instruments’ that actively collaborate with the performer. Developing the open structures of the electronic pieces from In the Beginning, Future Travel explored the possibilities of simply ‘playing the system’, recording live at Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope studio in San Francisco. Working from loose sketches, Rosenboom added acoustic instruments to the electronic sounds and, on some pieces, the processed voice of Jacqueline Humbert. Like Rosenboom’s collaboration with Humbert on the abstracted synth-chanson of Daytime Viewing, this music set out deliberately to challenge the ‘stratified and illusorily coagulated identities in the musical culture of the time,’ refusing distinctions between ‘serious’ and popular music. But where Daytime Viewing achieves this in part through genre references, Future Travel is bracingly sui generis, existing in a unique universe where radical formalisation à la Xenakis spontaneously gives rise to expressive jazz harmonies and old-timey folk melodies.

The crystalline quality of many of the Touché sounds gives Future Travel a sparkling, immediately enticing surface, its layers of shifting ostinato patterns pulsating outside conventional meter, rippling like waves on the surface of water. On opener ‘Station Oaxaca’, ping-ponging synth arpeggios and hand percussion accompany a sentimental violin melody, abruptly overtaken by layered keyboard runs, before the entry of tinkling marimba-like sounds reframe the scene as sci-fi Martin Denny exotica. ‘Time Arroyo’ begins as an austere study in staccato synth sounds in multiple overlapping tempi, reminiscent of Ligeti’s famous ‘clock’ rhythmic effects. Before long, it opens up into a melodic passage with the gentle heroism of classic Roedelius, which proves to be only a brief interlude before the layers of rhythmically distinct synthesiser patterns begin to build and accelerate into an increasingly dense cacophony. The wildest twists and turns are saved for the epic closer ‘Nova Wind’, where the arrangement focuses on Rosenboom’s virtuoso piano playing, perfectly embodying the project’s radical disregard of stylistic orthodoxies as he moves from hyperactive pointillistic flurries to a kind of space-age gospel.

At several points throughout the record, the distinctive voice of Jacqueline Humbert is heard reading passages from the text component of In the Beginning, a dialogue between The Double (an embodiment of humanity’s timeless desire to replicate itself in spiritual and technological copies) and two Spirit Characters. Fittingly, as all are conceived as embodiments of a future form of techno-human collective consciousness, distinctions between the three characters are not immediately evident in Humbert’s delivery, just as the music blurs the boundaries between intelligent computing and human spontaneity. Adorned with a striking retro-futurist cover (and here accompanied by extensive new liner notes and archival images), Future Travel is a time capsule of radical imaginings at the birth of our digital age, reminding us of utopian possibilities of which our own present seems so often to fall short.

Alternative were a Scottish anarcho-punk band of the early 80s that often drew comparison to Crass for their black attires, logos, firm political beliefs, as well as having their own open house, “The Pad”, where like-minded radicals would join and discuss ideas surrounding pacifism and anti-nuclear armament. The ‘In Nomine Patri’ EP is dark, furious, and articulate.

Penny continues; “Largely through their fierce commitment to ‘changing the world’, Alternative were often referred to as the Scottish Crass. Knowing that talking the talk could only be a half of it, Alternative resolutely walked the walk. Based in Dunfermline, they set up The Pad, an autonomy centre where, over tea and buns, revolutionary visions of peace and love could fester and grow. Theirs was a studied and often poetic form of anarchy which concentrated on people not power. Their interest was not in themselves, but in others. They knew all too well that the only way forward was to do it yourself, and that’s precisely what they did, a’plenty. After all these years, give ‘em your ears.”

Critically acclaimed, influential alt metal lifers earthtone9 return.

In Resonance Nexus, released via Candlelight/Spinefarm finds the band in fiery form. Their first new material in a decade sees the band not only harking back to their angular, chaotic, and ferocious roots but injecting an energy, urgency, and intensity beyond anything the band has released before.

The vitality of the songs is palpable, earthtone9 have both retained the essence of their musical identity, and channelled and distilled what they love about heavy music. In Resonance Nexus is a love letter to metal, a soundtrack imbued with persistence, love, pain and loss, determination and community.

Produced by Lewis Johns (Employed To Serve, Svalbard, Ithaca, Modern Error), In Resonance Nexus is a remarkable blend of stellar songwriting, crushing riffs and soaring melodies.

Critically acclaimed, influential alt metal lifers earthtone9 return.

In Resonance Nexus, released via Candlelight/Spinefarm finds the band in fiery form. Their first new material in a decade sees the band not only harking back to their angular, chaotic, and ferocious roots but injecting an energy, urgency, and intensity beyond anything the band has released before.

The vitality of the songs is palpable, earthtone9 have both retained the essence of their musical identity, and channelled and distilled what they love about heavy music. In Resonance Nexus is a love letter to metal, a soundtrack imbued with persistence, love, pain and loss, determination and community.

Produced by Lewis Johns (Employed To Serve, Svalbard, Ithaca, Modern Error), In Resonance Nexus is a remarkable blend of stellar songwriting, crushing riffs and soaring melodies.

Alphawaves, is a new project by dj and electronic music producer Alex Tsotsos combining both the meditative as well as the healing power of music! The idea behind Alphawaves is to stimulate mind, body and soul through broad and repetitive soundscapes that unfold on top of elegantly pulsating rhythmics.
Each track is recorded live in the studio and moves along the lines of techno in the ultra deep field. Single takes performed in real time until the tape stops rolling. Alphawaves is inspired by the analog sound pioneered by acts like Rhythm and Sound, Maurizio and Alpha and Omega.

A01020304 EP is the sophomore release of Lowpass recordings. A record label that explores the analog realm of underground electronic music and deep techno.