Поиск:the abbey

Der finnische Musikveteran Jesse Heikkinen und seine Co-Leadsängerin Natalie Koskinen (Shape of Despair) ließen sich von esoterischen Organisationen, ihrem Glauben und ihren eigenen Praktiken lyrisch inspirieren und verwoben rituelle Geschichten aus den dunkelsten Ecken ihrer selbst mit Musik, die ein provokantes, verführerisches Kaleidoskop aus dunklem, schwerem Rock ergibt. Das Ergebnis ist das mystische "Word of Sin", das neun-track-Debütalbum von The Abbey. Mit dem ehemaligen Sentenced- und The Man-Eating Tree-Schlagzeuger Vesa Ranta, Janne Markus (Gitarre, ebenfalls von The Man-Eating Tree) und Henri Arvola (Bass) wird das Debütalbum der aufstrebenden Progressive-Doom-Rock-Band die Hörer mit Sicherheit in seinen Bann ziehen.

Der finnische Musikveteran Jesse Heikkinen und seine Co-Leadsängerin Natalie Koskinen (Shape of Despair) ließen sich von esoterischen Organisationen, ihrem Glauben und ihren eigenen Praktiken lyrisch inspirieren und verwoben rituelle Geschichten aus den dunkelsten Ecken ihrer selbst mit Musik, die ein provokantes, verführerisches Kaleidoskop aus dunklem, schwerem Rock ergibt. Das Ergebnis ist das mystische "Word of Sin", das neun-track-Debütalbum von The Abbey. Mit dem ehemaligen Sentenced- und The Man-Eating Tree-Schlagzeuger Vesa Ranta, Janne Markus (Gitarre, ebenfalls von The Man-Eating Tree) und Henri Arvola (Bass) wird das Debütalbum der aufstrebenden Progressive-Doom-Rock-Band die Hörer mit Sicherheit in seinen Bann ziehen.

”Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” ist der Soundtrack zum letzten Film der Downton Abbey Serie. Die
Musik wurde erneut vom mehrfach ausgezeichneten Komponisten John Lunn geschrieben, der für seine
bisherige Musik für die Downton Abbey Serie bereits 2 Primetime Emmys erhalten hat.
Der Film begleitet die Familie Crawley in den 1930er Jahren. Die beliebten Charaktere suchen nach
neuen Wegen, um Downton Abbey in den turbulenten Zeiten in die Zukunft zu führen und stoßen dabei
auf allerlei Hindernisse.
Das Album umfasst 21 Tracks und erscheint als CD und auf Vinyl

'Lucinda Williams Sings The Beatles From Abbey Road' features 12 Beatles songs that include classic hits such as “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “With A Little Help From My Friends” and “Something”. Williams and her band also take on beloved deeper tracks such as “I’m So Tired”, “I’ve Got A Feeling," and “Yer Blues”. Being raised on the blues in the South, the latter is a song Williams was clearly meant to sing. Recorded at The Beatles' legendary studio in London, the new collection serves as Vol. 7 of her celebrated 'Lu’s Jukebox' series and is the first new volume in almost four years. While many great artists have recorded in the hallowed Abbey Road Studios, as it turns out, Williams is the first major artist to actually record Beatles’ songs there aside from the Fab Four themselves. As an acclaimed, award-winning singer/songwriter for more than four decades, Williams’ music has been highly influential and covered by a multitude of artists. Williams is also an extraordinary interpreter who, like all great interpreters, has the ability to inhabit a song and make it her own. She does just that throughout this selection of Beatles tracks, as she has done on each 'Lu’s Jukebox' volume.

• The Funk & Soul Sessions was recorded live at the iconic Abbey Road Studios. Originally recorded exclusively for Abbey Road Masters label as two library albums exclusively for TV and Film, the label decided to press just 250 copies for fans and collectors.

* Speedometer also celebrate their 25th anniversary and so this limited edition LP showcases their classic soul sound on side A featuring the powerhouse vocals of SheZar and Angelo Starr. On B side Speedometer deliver their signature sound of hard hitting heavy funk played live as an 8 piece band

It was in the sixties when the New York Pianist/Arranger caught that infamous ‘Beatles Bug’ that had
obviously swept the United States...truly a British Invasion. That bug is in full-effect with 10 catchy
Beatles tracks suitable for jazz piano, with some stellar vocals from CeCe Peniston (“The Fool on the
Hill”), and DC legend Lori Williams on the original piece “Abbey Road” and the sultry grooved out “My
Love”. “Abbey Road” is a must-have for all Beatles and Baldwin fans alike

Ein europäischer Jazzklassiker - zum ersten Mal auf LP!

Auf “Over The Years” (erschienen im Jahr 2000) zog die damals 70 jährige Abbey Lincoln ein beeindruckendes Zwischenresümee ihrer Karriere. Dafür stellte sie ein reizvolles Programm mit Stücken aus den 1940er Jahren, Traditionals, romantischen Standards und eigenen Kompositionen zusammen, das selbst für eine notorische Bilderstürmerin wie Abbey eher ungewöhnlich war. Begleitet wurde sie bei der Aufnahme des Albums, das als eines ihrer besten gilt, von einem jungen New Yorker Begleittrio sowie Tenorsaxophonist Joe Lovano und Trompeter Jerry González als prominenten Gästen.

- Printed Inner Sleeve and Heavy Weight Outer

The now legendary ' Abbey Road' version of 'the Isness' was the originally conceived version before last minute wholesale changes resulted in new tracks , different mixes and/or edits appearing in a wholly different order for the commercial release of 'the Isness '  in 2002 . The 'Abbey Rd 'version had been initially promo'd to ecstatic reviews, receiving an unprecedented 6/5 stars from Mixmag 'it's like a beam of white light from heaven'. 
This is the first time the Abbey Road version has been officially and commercially available .The band themselves ' the Amorphous Androgynous ' ( a psychedelic supergroup conceptualized and produced by the Future Sound Of London ) are said to have always regretted the last minute changes to the album ,the creation of which took five years from 1996-2001 post production of the FSOL album ' DEAD CITIES' and marks an important chapter in the production duos history and 5 year disappearance where rumours of madness and disbandment were rife among fans of the band only for them to finally appear with this radical new vision and what is now considered something of a psychedelic masterpiece which along with subsequent albums ' Alice In Ultraland ' ( on Harvest Records ) and their 'A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble  ( Exploding In Your Mind )' Dj series ( which chronicle and redefine the history of psychedelia from the 60s to the present ) did much to activate a third wave of global psychedelic sonic revolution .
The Isness is a vast samplerdelic sonic galaxy where a huge range of instruments ( from sitars and numerous eastern instruments to flutes, banjos and conventional rock n roll instrumentation)  and countless musicians are employed ,collaged and twisted using the studio as instrument ( much in the tradition and lineage of the Beatles and other 60s exponents) to form a startling new vision of cosmic space music and to redefine the possibilities of what ' the song ' could be in the new millennia with its by turn : cosmic , wildly surreal , absurdist lyrics on epic songs such as ' the Galaxial Pharmaceutical ' ' the Mello Hippo Disco Show ' ' Divinity ' and many others ! 

Follow-up to their distinct sold out eponymous debut in 2023, and a vibrant expression of their singular song craft - Produced by Ringlets and Michael Logie (The Mint Chicks) in Auckland at The Lab and mixed by Isaac Keating at Abbey Road Studios - Opened/supported in NZ for the Foo Fighters, Black Country New Road, Water From Your Eyes

Eine Hommage an das bahnbrechende Debütalbum von Irlands beliebtester Alternative-Band, The Cranberries. Mit neu remastertem Tonmaterial, das vom ursprünglichen Produzenten des Albums, Stephen
Street, in den Abbey Road Studios in London überarbeitet wurde.
Die spezielle 2CD-Deluxe-Edition enthält neu remastertes Material vom ursprünglichen Produzenten des
Albums, Stephen Street, sowie einen komplett neuen Mix des Albums, beides aufgenommen in den Abbey
Road Studios in London. Diese Ausgabe umfasst Titel, die während der ursprünglichen Sessions aufgenommen wurden, unveröffentlichte Live-Aufnahmen von ihrem Konzert im Londoner Astoria II im Jahr 1994
sowie den gefeierten Iain-Cook-Remix von „Linger“.
Erhältlich als CD, 2CD Deluxe Edition und LP

Recorded between the iconic Abbey Road and Polish Radio studios, Hania Rani"s original music for Joachim Trier"s Cannes and Golden Globe winning, Oscar and Bafta nominated "Sentimental Value" is a deeply intuitive collaboration, composed before a single frame was edited. For Hania Rani composing for the most recent film by Joachim Trier was nothing less than a true joy and a real artistic adventure. As she explains: "It doesn"t happen often that I"m asked to work on a film by a director whose work I know so well and which resonates with me so naturally. What I understood while working with such an intriguing mind and intelligent artist as Joachim is that the role of a film composer is to wander along with the director, hand in hand, rather than follow one another. The collaboration should be a partnership - evenly balanced and able to invigorate people on both ends - otherwise it will always feel superficial, imposed, and timid".

Two rare mid 90?s gems back to back from Berlin label Above the plug, After hours is the stand out track from Hi tech Criminals 1997 Self released extremely Rare Rise Up EP. Still getting played on various radio stations and Dance floors across the world, On the flip is another rare track Back to coney from the 1994 Journeyman release, Cut at Abbey road studios, the track was a dance floor favourite and contained a cheeky warriors film sample, Journeyman later became Hi tech Criminal after another Journeyman popped up, both tracks have been remastered by Analogcut mastering Berlin

Zum ersten Mal seit Jahrzehnten erscheinen DJ Shadows legendäre Mo’Wax-Singles wieder offiziell – in einem umfassenden 8-teiligen Vinyl-Set, das mehrere Stunden bahnbrechender Musik enthält.
Die Aufnahmen wurden in den Abbey Road Studios von Miles Showell halbspeed-remastered und klingen so klar und kraftvoll wie nie zuvor. Die Box enthält zahlreiche bisher unveröffentlichte Mixe und Edits sowie eine exklusive Bonus-LP mit den ursprünglichen Demos von vier Tracks – ein einzigartiger Einblick in die Entstehungsgeschichte des Shadow-Sounds.
Abgerundet wird das Set durch neue Fotografien von Brian Cross (B+), DJ Shadows langjährigem visuellen Wegbegleiter.
Ein essenzielles Sammlerstück für Fans, Vinyl-Liebhaber und alle, die die Wurzeln moderner Beat-Kultur feiern wollen.

"This box wasn’t made for the casual listener,it was made with the hardcore fan in mind. I’ve always felt, if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right, and every step of the process was
made with this philosophy firmly in mind. I had fun locating and resurrecting these songs, some of which still feel close to my consciousness as though they were made yesterday.”
-DJ Shadow

‘Perfect We Are Not’ the latest track from Soulwax, emerges directly from the band’s recent Abbey Road After Hours project - a unique collaboration with the iconic London studio that saw Soulwax take over the building for a series of recording sessions and a landmark live event.

Working across Abbey Road’s historic spaces - from Studio Three, to Studio Two, to Studio One - the band used all three rooms as a continuous creative environment, moving fluidly between them in pursuit of new material. It was within these sessions that ‘Perfect We Are Not’ was written and recorded with their full live band (including three drummers).

The track was cut using the studio’s vast array of analogue equipment before being pressed direct to vinyl and played as the opening moment of their 2manydjs set inside Studio One

Now released as a standalone single, ‘Perfect We Are Not’ carries that immediacy forward — a driving, full-bodied track that reflects the band’s instinctive, performance-led approach in the studio, and will also be released as a limited edition 12” via DEEWEE.

“The Long Transition From Death To Wisdom” marks a new chapter in Dmitry’s evolving sonic world – a contemplative, slow‑burning journey through grief, memory, and the quiet emergence of clarity. Rooted in a brooding fusion of shoegaze, goth, and darkwave, the album drifts through washed out guitars, spectral synths, and poignant vocals – its emotional landscape suspended between sadness and awakening. On vocal duties is Dmitry’s longtime collaborator Valeria Simonova, whose presence deepens the album’s atmosphere. Each track feels like a step forward in the ritual of becoming aware of one’s own existence, moving through silence and ancient memories toward a sense of spiritual renewal.

The album opens with the mysticism and layered metaphors of “Liar,” before descending into the ancient, biblical presence of “Serpent Queen.” Midway, “Zenith” rises with shimmering synths and steady, triumphant percussion, while “Echoes of Yesterday” lingers in celestial melancholy, dissolving the boundary between remembrance and insight. The Bside begins with “The Other Side of Life,” a threshold into a quieter, more reflective space, followed by the meditative, ritual like ambience of “Shrine of Ruins.” Closing track “Cold” offers a final exhale from the fading realm of the past – an acceptance shaped by distance, time, and the erosion of old wounds.

An array of musicians contributed to the recoding of the album: Mathys Dubois (No One Is Innocent, exBlack Strobe), Loïc Maurin (M83), Victor Sologub (Deadушки, Странные Игры), Alexander Titov (Кино, Аквариум), Ben Easton (Deary), and others. The album was mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Miles Showell.

The breakout underground star of the past year, the deservedly hyped Thought Leadership returns with another X ideas: the deck this time chooses the suit of Cups. This new collection is closer to the Post-Punk tonality of Pentacles, than the breezy Balearic Jazz of Swords. Gone are the brushed drum samples and airy synths and in their place are BIG guitars, 808 thumps and a decidedly more prominent use of bass as a melodic device.

As the suit of Cups reflects the emotional heart of the Tarot, presented within are a further X pieces, this time displaying the full range and fervour of Thought Leadership.

You know the drill by now. Originally out on cassette only, we present the first ever vinyl issue. It's a hideously limited pressing of 300 for the world, so don't sleep on this.

Side A explores the emotional levels of consciousness; angst, joy, love, sorrow, relief, regret – they are all represented across the first seven tracks, and often within the same piece. XXI kicks us off with a huge tumbling D minor passage, layers and layers of guitar front and centre, whilst the drums pound away in the distance. Release is provided with a gorgeous G Dorian section, where we hear the bass take flight with a high melodic line.

We’re still in familiar Durutti Column meets Dif Juz territory here, but things switch up with XXII. This piece showcases a darker, more angular palette of guitars; think Alan Rankine (The Associates), or Deb Demure (Drab Majesty) in the unexpected harmonic shifts, knotty arpeggiated patterns and heavy, goth-adjacent modulation. A real love letter to 45+ years of darkly inclined guitar heritage.

XXIII enters the fray with tight, thumping 808s and Marr-esque guitar figures; and again, the bass providing heavy melodic counterpoint to the guitars. Enter chiming, lyrical lead phrasing, reminiscent of the eternal opening to "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". Another accidental perfect pop moment from the Thought Leader. Whilst on the topic of Tears For Fears, XXIV comes swinging out of the gate with some serious Sophisti-chug; we’re reminded of "Shout" in the A section, before being beautifully juxtaposed in the B section with more Vini-eqsue patterns, reminiscent of his timeless classic, Another Setting.

XXV gives us welcome pause to take stock midway through the A side. No drums this time, but instead a heartbreaking conversation between two guitars; think Kevin McCormick and David Horridge’s masterful Light Patterns, or perhaps even the early solo-Bill Connors mid-70s cuts for ECM. The moment of quiet reflection passes, and is quickly shattered by the thudding march of XXVI – this piece comes across like The Associates playing "Wicked Game"; heavy, moody, and utterly compelling. XXVII ends our journey across Side A with more Marr-inspired playing; one for the heads and already featured on mixes, this one is real testament to the vision of Thought Leadership.

Side B again takes us on a trip through three long-form semi-improvised pieces. XXVIII is like those classic Jonny Nash, early Melody As Truth releases, slowly unfurling, additional details introduced deliberately piece by piece, this idea builds across 7+ minutes culminating in some utterly joyous ebow fireworks at the end – well Balearic.

XXIX again, like XXV before it, dispatches the drums with a focus purely on melody and mood. The piece feels like a lost Save Room Theme from the Resident Evil series, pure golden age Capcom Sound Team vibes. Unadulterated aural nostalgia for hours spent with a PS1 in haze of hash.

XXX completes this majestic voyage with another Modal exercise; this time the Thought Leader has opted for the Lydian Mode. Beautifully dreamy, undeniably Soundtrack-y, and arguably the most concise distillation so far of everything this project stands for; drum machines, guitars, pedals, one-take improvised solos – XXX has the lot, and is surely destined for greatness.

So, another X epic statements for guitar, homespun with the humblest of means, for all the dreamers out there. The first ever vinyl release of IV Of Cups has been carefully remastered by Be With's engineer Simon Francis to ensure it sounds better than ever after its initial tape release. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut at Abbey Road Studios whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry, in Holland. The original tape cover artwork, so crucial to Thought Leadership's striking visual aesthetic, has been rejigged for vinyl issue here at Be With.

The last 2 LPs flew. You have been warned.

Strut proudly presents the debut album from producer, songwriter and multiinstrumentalist, Momoko Gill. Fresh from her critically acclaimed collaboration Clay recorded with cult electronic artist Matthew Herbert, Momoko steps forward in her own right for the first time with her remarkable debut solo album. Momoko has long been one of the UK electronic and jazz scene’s best-kept secrets.

A self-taught drummer, producer, songwriter, and vocalist, she has brought her unique touch to collaborations with Alabaster DePlume, Matthew Herbert, Coby Sey, Tirzah, and Nadeem Din-Gabisi (her musical foil in An Alien Called Harmony). Extensive touring behind the drum kit, at the keys and in front of the mic have honed her compositional and production instincts. With Momoko, Gill emerges into the spotlight with an album that is entirely her own. Throughout, you can hear the stylistic flavours of jazz musicians as much as singer-songwriters, experimental artists and electronic producers. Though Gill rejects imitation, sculpting her sound through feel and expression rather than tradition. Based in London and having grown up in Japan and the US, Gill channels her breadth of perspective through her musical ideas and storytelling, with a unique voice developed through instinct, collaboration and solitary study.

The album’s eleven tracks take in a wide spectrum with the jazz-infused groove of ‘No Others’ and harmony-drenched, reflective ‘Heavy’ contrasting with the dark, confrontational sound of 'Shadowboxing' leading into an eerie left-field instrumental beat, ‘Test A Small Area' and the impressive 50-person choir on ‘When Palestine Is Free’ (which includes heavyweights Shabaka Hutchings, Soweto Kinch, Alabaster DePlume, Coby Sey, Marysia Osu and more). It is a deeply personal and poetic recording and showcases the full uncompromising range of Momoko’s vison, presented in her own voice. Momoko was produced by Momoko Gill, recorded at Total Refreshment Centre, mixed by Matthew Herbert and mastered by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road Studios.

Opeth wurde von den Kritikern für ihre Kombination aus progressiven Einflüssen und vernichtendem schwedischem Death Metal gelobt. Diese farbigen 140g Re-Issues sind ein Muss für Fans und Sammler, denn sie wurden von keinem Geringeren als Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia, Amorphis, Sepultura) mit Unterstützung von Mikael Åkerfeldt ein liebevoll remastert. Die Aufnahmen wurden mit halber Geschwindigkeit in den berüchtigten Abbey Rd von Miles Showell (ABBA, Beatles) geschnitten, und das gesamte Artwork wurde von Dan Capp sorgfältig restauriert und so gestaltet, wie es die Band ursprünglich beabsichtigt hatte.

Es gibt nur wenige Bands, die es mit den Schweden von Opeth aufnehmen können oder wollen. Seit ihrer Gründung 1990 in dem kleinen Stockholmer Vorort Bandhagen haben die Schweden alle Konventionen über den Haufen geworfen, sich trotzig gegen alle Widrigkeiten durchgesetzt und - was am wichtigsten ist -12 atemberaubend schöne und intensive Alben geschaffen und sich damit zu einer der besten Bands der Welt entwickelt.

Streng limitierte Stückzahlen!

“The high priest of country cool” - Rolling Stone

“I like him very much. He’s very special. He’s singing with a voice I never heard before” - Townes Van Zandt

“A conscious, soulful brother” - Horace Andy

“He’s a brother to me - one of the best singer/songwriters I’ve ever met” - Adrian Sherwood

“Unearthed mine of gems from inner Wales - a songbook of ideas - that's Jeb!” - Gilles Peterson

Jeb Loy Nichols is a bonafide Country (Got) Soul legend. The Music Maker presents 21 incredibly deep, grooving and soulful songs from the cream of Jeb's catalogue; from its earliest days to his latest unreleased gems via countless rare and unbelievably good lost-classics. This 2LP set is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned artwork courtesy of Jeb himself.

In collecting these uncut, under-heard gems, we hope to do justice to Jeb's jaw-dropping artistic brilliance. A man who, in working with Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Dan Penn, Larry Jon Wilson and countless other legendary characters, has crafted some of the most deeply affecting folk, country, soul, funk, blues, dub, reggae, gospel, rap and electronic music, ever heard.

The first music Jeb really felt a connection with was southern soul: "I used to listen to the radio at night and fell in love with Bobby Womack and Al Green, The Staple Singers and Joe Simon – that whole Nashville/Memphis/Muscle Shoals thing.” But Jeb was so much more than a soul boy, Indeed, he "went to bluegrass festivals with my dad and come home and listened to jazz records with my mother.” And, when he was fifteen, he heard his first punk record: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. “That and The Ramones completely changed me.” In 1979 he got a scholarship to go to art school in New York: “A great time. Punk was over but hip-hop was starting and I got into that in an obsessive way.”

His first recording, in 1980, was an unreleased rap song called "I’m A Country Boy". If that isn't an insight enough into Jeb's kaleidoscopic path through music, in 1981 he visited friends in London and found himself living in a squat with Adrian Sherwood, Ari Up (from the Slits), and Neneh Cherry. “Adrian put me to work immediately, moving boxes of records all across London. It was Adrian that was and is my biggest influence – in his complete disregard for genre purity.” So, presumably you're getting the picture? A veritable musical magpie with a voracious appetite and unimpeachable taste.

"Mine has always been a meandering career. I've done what I've done, and made the music I've made, due to chance meetings. I'm not particularly ambitious; it's more important to me that I work with friends and like-minded people. I've been a big fan of Be With for years. Everything they release is essential. When they asked about rereleasing "Countrymusicdisco45" I was both pleased and flattered. We began talking about how we'd do it; two years and twenty-one tracks later, here we are. I've always thought of the music I make as Country Music. Music conceived in the country, written in the country, recorded in the country. I left London and moved back to the country so I could live among the trees, the grasses, the animals, those things that don't go to war and get greedy. This compilation is the story of that life. Hand made, lo-fi, ramshackle, stripped down, real deal music. Heartworn and funky. Music made in the kitchen, not in the studio. As the great Skip Mcdonald said, Perfect ain't perfect. It's great to see all these tracks gathered together. It feels like a family reunion. Some older members of the tribe, some newer arrivals."

Opener "countrymusicdisco45" is a song Jeb wrote about how his crew lives, tucked up blissfully in the hills: "House parties full of country folk dancing to disco, reggae, soul, country, hip-hop. All night. I recorded it at home under the influence of Stevie Wonder." It's one of the funkiest records you'll ever hear. "Sometimes Shooting Stars" was recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary Dennis Bovell. It's deep, dubby, majestic. A thing of fragile, melodic beauty. The party ramps back up again with the undeniable groove of "Short Cut Home" before the profoundly moving "Disappointment" arrives. One of many songs he's recorded with good buddy Benedic Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77): "We were going for a Leon Thomas meets Richard Brautigan meets Alice Coltrane kind of thing". We think they nailed it. "Days Are Mighty", like a lot of the tracks on this collection, "started life as a demo, an attempt to get something down while it was fresh. No frills, nothing fancy, just feel." And what feels!

The irrepressibly funky "Don't Dance With Me Tonight" is a deeply moving, slow-mo organ-drenched head-nod-funky country-ballad. Next up, the breezy "You Got It Wrong" was recorded in Wales with some of Jeb's good friends and neighbours, The Westwood All Stars, featuring Clovis Phillips and Will Barnes. Skanking fiddle-flecked gem "Ring The Bells" was the first thing Jeb recorded when he moved to Wales. A combination of all his loves; country, reggae, soul. It's followed by "Let's Make It Up", a truly sumptuous string-drenched emotional groover. "When Did You Stop Loving Me" is another Nashville track, written and recorded during a time Jeb was spending a lot of time with the Muscle Shoals crew, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, George Soule and Dan Penn: "It shows, I'm sure, their influence." Oh, you bet it does!

The swaggering country-funk of "Just Beginning" should grace many groove-focused DJs' sets whilst "Wintering Of The Year", again made with Clovis, is pastoral, campfire soul. The glacial, gorgeous "Let It Rain" is from an unreleased record Jeb made with the great British jazz bass player Andy Hamill and "We Tell Each Other Who We Are" is freaky country-soul made by a man with a love for strutting, wonky hip-hop stylings. Rounding out the side, "Trip To You" is pure, uncut amphetamine-propelled drum-machine soul.

The spare, beautiful "Dirt" is from an EP Jeb made with Julian Moore in his house in South London: "All first takes, straight to tape." Swoon! "Heaven Right Here" was a very minor league hit in America: "It was produced by the brilliant and much missed Wayne Nunes. It was started in the countryside of Missouri, finished in the countryside of Wales, and recorded in the countryside of Sussex." Double swoon! "If Later Ever Comes" is electronica meets J.J. Cale business whilst "Remember The Season" is truly wonderful and breezy guitar soul. "A Little Love" was made with Wayne Nunes as well, after a night of listening to Studio One and Northern Soul. Bouncy dub closer "Weary Traveller" was written by Bill Monroe, the hero of Jeb's youth: "Monroe's music was heavily influenced by black southern churches; I've tried to keep some of that feral feel." This was the final recording by Jeb's 1990s Country-Dub band, Fellow Travellers.

The name of this compilation comes from a time when Jeb lived in Peckham, south London and he used to DJ and sometimes perform at a local bar: "The owner of the bar, a Jamaican named Count Percy, once asked me what I called my music. I told him I wasn't sure, I guess just pop music. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 'no, more like mom and pop music'. Rather than call me a country singer or a folk singer he always referred to me as The Music Maker."

With the long overdue deluxe overview of his beloved music, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Jeb Loy Nichols. RIYL Larry Jon Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Charles, country got soul artists, dub, deep soul, disco, dancing, heartbreak. This deluxe collection, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to ensuring Jeb reaches an ever bigger, ever more appreciative crowd of followers. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The artwork has been lovingly put together by The Music Maker, himself, Jeb Loy Nichols. "Be With is the perfect home for this mongrel music. I am forever in their debt." The pleasure is all ours, Jeb.

On a "Balearic-Jazz trip", the phenomenally hyped Thought Leadership returns with another X ideas: the deck this time chooses the Ace of Swords. In the acclaim garnered by III of Pentacles, there were many whispers of “Balearic” from those in the know. As soon as you drop the needle on XI you will be basking in turbo Balearica.

Originally out on cassette only, we present the first ever vinyl issue. It's a hideously limited pressing of 300 for the world, so don't sleep on this.

The sonic palate has been augmented by the addition of synth and bass; there are more guitar layers, more pedals and more organic drums this time – a much fuller production. Still DIY, and still recorded straight to multitrack, just ever so slightly grander in scale; think a rough-hewn, long-lost Claremont 56 cut and you’ll have some idea of how XI opens this future classic LP.

The touchstones so key to the vision of Pentacles (Cocteau Twins, Dif Juz, Durutti Column) are all still present and correct; XII could be a piece from Extractions, XIII is pure Garlands-era Guthrie and, now with the shuffling jazz drums, XV makes TL even more LC – but more disparate influences are found this time out too. ECM guitar legends John Abercrombie and Pat Metheny in the more considered melodic phrasing and harmonic structure of the ideas and a nod to the cosmic Balearic spirit in the overall vibe, means more is offered to the listener across Swords.

XVI and XVII are the biggest indicators to Thought Leaderships’ new found love of The Real Book and their grasp of jazz chords. The former sounds like if Mike Hedges had produced on a heavily sedated ECM date in the early 80s, whilst the latter is Bright Size Life condensed into a most post-punk shard of Strat conversation. The syrupy Phase 90 on the lead parts lends much weight to the guitar melodies, a beautiful tonal counterpoint to the Vox-ish chimes of the plangent chords we’ve all come to love.

The flip again treats us to three extended, improvised jams. XVIII owes as much to Canterbury as it does to Krautrock, another modal voyage through the stars. Light the incense and drift away, guided by delayed cymbals and weaving ribbons of guitar. XIX has almost a New-Wave/Sophisti-Pop energy to it in tone, if not in structure and execution. Something almost Tears for Fears-esque in the chiming chorus guitars. An interesting outlier that has already received a lot of love from those that have heard it. XX is the starkest idea, and the only piece this time with no drums. What we do get, however, is a free exploration over a two chord-vamp. It’s Harvest Time meets Planet Caravan and a fitting end to this Balearic jazz trip.

Be With is honoured to present the first ever vinyl release of Ace Of Swords, carefully remastered by Be With's engineer Simon Francis to ensure it sounds better than ever after its initial tape release. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut at Abbey Road Studios whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry, in Holland. The original tape cover artwork, so crucial to Thought Leadership's striking visual aesthetic, has been rejigged for vinyl issue here at Be With.

The last one flew. You have been warned.

Steve Moore reprises his beloved Lovelock guise by presenting his unique riff on the library breaks genre. Business And Pleasure contains grimy groove and sleazy, funk-laden lounge music.

This vinyl release is hyper-limited, with just 500 pressed for the world.

The LP is ushered in by the spacey synth-funk of the sleazy, woozy title track. This is that serious slo-mo cosmic-balearic head-nod shit. Laidback bass, heavy funk with dreamy synth and electric guitars. An outstanding opener. Up next, the dynamic, swaggering "Last Call" is a sophisticated, elegant stroll - sweeping, mellow strings, a smooth bassline and gorgeous percussion with urgent keys and swelling synths.

"Slinky Strut" is another spaced-out, sleazy funk groove with jazz rock by way of a heavy, heavy guitar riff, mellotron and bass breakdowns which build to brass crescendos. Gigantic. "First Class" closes out the side, and, like classic Hawkshaw / Bennett noir, it's got that mysterious and murky stretched out sleuth / detective soul with a great bassline and percussive elements, with swelling strings, ace synths and smooth Rhodes piano melodies entering the mix halfway through. Dramatic guitars and groovy percussion add extra intrigue. It's 7 minutes of funk!

Side B opens with the stretched-out psychedelic funk and jazz groove of "Stank 49". It takes its sweet time to unfurl, creating enormous - almost sensual - anticipation for the ensuing beauty but, as it does, we're left beguiled and straight-up hypnotised. Heaven-sent synth flourishes and a laidback bassline over smooth drums cement its simple, vivacious grace. "Dangerous Man" is that creeping crime funk we all love; heavy bass and fuzzy guitar riffs, mellow strings and sumptuous piano/synths. It's irresistible, it's ominous and it's pretty gargantuan. It's basically like an El-P hip-hop instrumental. We need to get some rappers over this stuff, stat!

"Stinkbug" is a dazzling and funky groove-fuelled jazz-rock workout with fizzing synth riffs joined by full percussion and drum breaks, building with strings to a strong swagger. Vigour! To close out this remarkable set, the breezy "Win Or Lose" is laidback soul-inflected funk, utilising urgent, skipping drums and galloping basslines. Just stunning.

This collection was written and recorded in Spring and Summer of ’24. Everything was tracked at Steve's home studio in Albany, NY except the drums and percussion, which were recorded by Jeff Gretz at his space in NYC. The whole collection is basically a rhythm section feature, so Steve's Rickenbacker 4003 and Fender Jazz Bass play very prominently. The bass guitar serves as lead instrument in a lot of these tracks. Also, lots of Rhodes and stringers (Solina, Logan etc) and guitar (Strat and Les Paul). He even dusted off my sax for this one, which he doesn’t do as often as he’d like!

This type of groove-oriented library music has been a steady part of Steve's diet since the late 90’s. In heavy rotation while writing this collection were the following classics: “Time Signals” by Klaus Weiss, “Tilsley Orchestral No. 10” by Reg Tilsley, and “Heavy Truckin’” by Simon Haseley. “Voyage” by Brian Bennett was also a big one.

Lovelock started as a dedicated Italo-disco project, but over the years Steve expanded it to include anything directly informed by the commercial/pop side of the music of his childhood (70s/80s). Writing and recording this album was, like a lot of Steve's music these days, basically a test to see whether or not he could do it.

The song titles, like the music, are meant to be evocative yet vague. But there is a bit of a travel theme. Steve imagined this record being the soundtrack to a sleazy salesman’s business trip. The kind of guy who, when asked if he’s traveling for business or pleasure, responds “both.” Beyond the traveling salesman comparison, the title directly relates to the creation of this album. This was something he wanted to do just for his own enjoyment. Yet, like our sleazy salesman, he still found a way to get paid.

The album’s cover was designed by Chris Stevenson, with no little direction from Steve. He knew that he wanted to go with something photography-based for this cover so, in true DIY/cheapskate spirit, Steve started by looking through his own photos. He found the cover image on his phone, taken through an almost empty bottle of beer, and it clicked. The whole album has a very boozy vibe (especially with titles like “Last Call”) so this shot seemed appropriate. We, hic, agree.

Mastering for this vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis, and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry.

2026 Repress

Due to high demand, MEU has revisited two of Mr. K’s classics, previously only available as 12-inch extended mixes, and asked the master editor to pare them down to 7-inch size.

A true top-five peak record at the Garage, Thelma Houston’s “I’m Here Again” was “a highlight whenever Larry played it,” Danny Krivit recalls, “and he played it a lot!” Danny’s edit is a homage to Larry and Frankie Knuckles – in particular a similar private edit that Frankie did back in the day and shared with Krivit. “It was on reel to reel and I didn’t copy it correctly and lost it,” Danny remembers. “Reels were problematic! When I tried to get it again from him, unfortunately he had lost it too.” The song (likely an attempt by Motown to capitalize on the previous year’s monster hit “Don’t Leave Me This Way”) is, in its original form, a virtual retake of Thelma Houston’s breakout single, from the subdued, schmaltzy intro to the “oooh BABY!” leading to the chorus. What sets “I’m Here Again” apart though, is the incredible second half of the song. Naturally, it is here that Mr. K’s edit focuses. Over a vicious groove reminiscent of the Originals’ “Down To Love Town” breakdown (Michael Sutton wrote and produced both “Love Town” and “I’m Here Again”) Houston delivers soul-stirring ad libs as the band crackles with electricity behind her, the piano chasing a descending string riff so eagerly. Pure dancefloor peak energy! And the very first time having all these parts on a 7"!

For our flip, Danny has reached deep into the earliest foundations of his voluminous collection, and come out with a psychedelic pop classic rearranged for today’s sound systems and setlists. Recorded in the Beatles’ Abbey Road studio at the height of the Summer Of Love, the Zombies’ “Time Of The Season” is firmly linked in pop culture to the late ‘60s and the Vietnam era, breaking big in the summer of 1969. Krivit’s edit highlights the parade of lush sonic textures that ornament the hip composition, from the iconic, exquisitely echoed bass-clap-exhale riff that opens the song to the cascading Hammond organ solos of Rod Argent. “It’s a song from my childhood that really struck a chord,” Danny says. “Over the years I often played a rough edit which always seemed to go over great. The song seemed to get better and better, and age like fine wine.” We agree!

These two songs have both appeared on previous (separate) MEU 12-inches, but are presented here in custom new edits for the 7-inch format.

First time vinyl reissue, expanded and deluxe double gatefold 140g double vinyl, remastered audio with restored artwork and fresh liners written by Paul Hillery (Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours)
Alan James Eastwood's glorious Seeds is a certified folk-funk lost-classic.

But who was Alan James Eastwood? He had never hit the big time and commercial success eluded him. By the mid-1970s, his musical career was pretty much over and he was almost unknown except among deep heads, amongst whom he would gain cult status.

Original copies of the 1971 vinyl release of Seeds exchange hands for high sums, if you can find one. This expanded 2LP contains an extra record, collecting 9 rare non-album singles and is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned liner notes courtesy of Paul Hillery (Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours).

With the long overdue deluxe reissue of this prized artefact, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Alan James Eastwood. RIYL Nick Drake, Rodriguez, Richie Havens.

Alan James ‘Bugsy’ Eastwood was a renowned musician and singer who came to prominence in the late 1960s with The Exception, an unsung but excellent band from Birmingham. The Exception released many singles, the first featuring friend Robert Plant on tambourine, before an album, The Exceptional Exception. However, by this time, Bugsy was feeling constrained and restless; he left the band within weeks of the release.

Having vanished from the scene, he was honing a deeper, introspective edge to his songwriting. His demos found their way to the sound engineer and producer Mike Cooper at Pan Music Studios in Denmark Street. Loving what he heard, Eastwood soon entered a recording session with Cooper. The session was just Alan, his guitar and harmonica and - by all accounts - it was remarkable. With the songs, the voice and such an exceptional talent, it was hard to go wrong. Says Mike: "We had John Hawkins do the big string arrangements and Richard Hewson arranged the string quartet. We overdubbed the orchestrations on Alan's original session recordings, adding Chris Karan on tabla and various percussion. We considered re-recording the vocals but found that the magic on that original session was so exceptional overdubbing would not be as good as the atmospheric 'live' performance."

Mike and Alan viewed each track as a different entity, giving the album a diverse sonic palette. Assessing each song individually, they decided which would be suitable for each arranger. Top-flight session musicians were added to the roster to complete the sound, with Byron Lye Fook (father of musician Omar) on drums, bassist Mike Ward, Brian Pickles on marimba and jazz drummer Chris Karan on tabla and percussion. Recorded in a matter of days in Pan's small 8-track studio, they carefully added overdubs, rhythm sections and four string sessions arranged by Hawkins, with Hewson's arrangements recorded at Trident Studios.

Seeds was Alan James Eastwood's debut solo album – indeed, his only solo album - and was originally issued on President in 1971. It melded Eastwood’s impressive rock sensibilities with a folk thread to superb effect. His arresting voice - its deep, rough-hewn soulfulness - coupled with gorgeous string-drenched backing, make this a phenomenal listen. It really is a great 70s singer-songwriter record - with touches of acid-folk and folk-funk throughout.

It opens with "She's Getting Married In August", a mellow tune with Richard Hewson's strings arranged around Alan's straightforward guitar structure. Up next, the joyous, sun-dappled guitar and strings workout "Evenin' Rain" glides by before the fragile, accordion-enhanced "Les Papillons" breezes out of the speakers. The bluesy "Zeena" follows, featuring vocals and acoustic guitar and showcasing Eastwood's effortless harmonica. Starting out as a ballad, "Virgin Morn" builds with soaring strings and gospel-tinged backing vocals from Marilyn Powell and jazz singer Josephine Stahl. The A-side closes with the title track, "Seeds". With a chugging mid-tempo beat, soulful vocals and a beautiful Bacharach-esque string arrangement, it truly is stop-you-in-your-tracks spectacular.

Side B opens with "Crystal Blue", gilded by Lye Fook's marimba, lush gospel-esque backing vocals and handclaps. Eastwood's acoustic guitar begins "Lady Carole", which starts as a bluesy ballad and builds with more string arrangement, lifting the track to another height. A towering highlight of epic proportions, "Lotus Child" is a true masterpiece of arrangement. It opens with simple yet stunning do-do-dah vocal harmonies blended with John Hawkins's strings, bass lines and rhythmic beats, forming a vibe very much in conversation with the sounds coming from LA's Laurel Canyon. Next up, the heartwarming "Last Prayer", dedicated to Alan's first and last love, contains a melancholic vocal with a wistful string-drenched arrangement that would sit comfortably in a Federico Fellini score. Bringing the album to a close, "Hymn For Today" is a melodic raga with tabla, strings and a soft-psych feel. Eastwood's prophetic whisper - "I am real. At last, I am real" - profoundly hits home.

Kicking off the extra disc is the sparsely funky and country-tinged "Boston", released as the flip to the astonishing "Seeds". Next up are the two tracks that comprised Alan’s debut solo 7" single from 1968. The laconic, Bobby Charles-esque "Blackbird Charlie" evidences a real depth and charm in Eastwood's songwriting whilst the starkly brilliant flip, "My Sun", was a horizontal, atmospheric folk-tinged soundtracky precursor to his later work on Seeds.

In 1972, two further standalone singles followed. The first was the evergreen flute-driven folk-funk bomb, "Closer To The Truth", backed by the funky blues of "Strange News". The second, a deeply moving Havens-inspired "Moonchild" - rightly fawned over to this day - was flipped with "Red Shoe Truckin'", a groove-infused track. Eastwood also paired up with Marilyn Powell for a single produced by Powell's partner, Mike Cooper. Under the name Eastwood & Powell, they released their staggering rendition of "Beautiful", a rock-blues-pop song arranged by Ivor Raymonde and written by Carole King. Over on the flip, a funky Eastwood original "Opal Blue Sunday" lurked. This is not to be overlooked.

Over the years, Alan remained active on the music scene, but problems with alcohol and health complications from diabetes severely impacted his career. He spent his latter years living in London until his untimely death from heart failure on 25 October 2007, just one day before his 62nd birthday and without his music having received the real acclaim it so dearly deserved.

This deluxe reissue, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to rectifying this tragic fact. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The original artwork has been lovingly brought back to life at Be With HQ, with the addition of passionately written liner notes specially for this landmark reissue by none other than Paul Hillery.

Norman Connors' Mr. C is a masterclass in sophisticated modern funk and boogie-infused soul that was way ahead of its time. Originally released in 1981, the album finds the renowned jazz drummer/producer at a creative crossroads, boldly diving deep into street-level boogie-funk without losing his soulful, jazzy touch. What once might have puzzled jazz purists now delights soul/funk aficionados; it has quietly become a cult favourite and now, nearly 45 years later, Mr. C sounds fresher than ever. Brimming with infectious heavy funk, lush arrangements and soul-stirring performances, it's an album that flirts with perfection, ensuring its enduring significance in the boogie/jazz-funk-soul canon.

From its opening moments, Mr. C makes one thing clear: this is Norman Connors at his funkiest. The majority of the album is a straight-up party: think dancefloor-ready beats complemented by punchy horn riffs and slick early-80s boogie vibes. There’s heavy use of synths and drum-machines, demonstrating Connors' gleeful embrace of contemporary funk trends. Each track shines in uniquely thrilling fashion, showcasing Connors’ versatility and happy knack for blending genres whilst crafting unforgettable melodies.

Irresistible thumper “She’s Gone” opens the album with a dyno-Rhodes electric piano groove and a seriously thick boogie-funk rhythm. Lush string accents and horn stabs weave through the funky bassline, while the vocals (handled by a young Beau Williams) soar with gospel-tinged emotion. Over four decades later, it endures as a masterpiece. Living up to its name, the shimmering “Party Town” brings deep Electro-Funk Energy by layering bubbling synth bass and shiny lead synth lines. The groove is downright addictive, a brisk, brass-kissed jam that implores you to move. Up next, the sophisticated funk of “Keep Doin’ It” is a low-slung post-disco glider, propelled by a sleek vibe, leaning into the late-night boogie sound. Funky guitar, tight drumming (with Connors’ jazz-honed chops in the pocket) and smooth vocals urge you to “keep doin'” whatever it is that's working. “Stay with Me” works a bit of island flavour into the mix, riding a thick Caribbean groove complete with tropical percussion and an upbeat tempo that could almost be calypsoul. The fusion of Caribbean rhythm elements into an R&B context demonstrates Connors’ willingness to experiment with global sounds while keeping things soulful and danceable.

Side B opens with the sassy funk-deluxe workout, "Anyway You Want" dripping with that soulful strut. Bringing a real quiet storm swagger, “Sing a Love Song” slows the tempo ever so slightly into a sexy, swaying jazz-funk gem, featuring a young Glenn Jones on lead vocals. The arrangement is elegant, built on warm keys and an undeniable groove. The celestial “Love’s In Your Corner” is all about soulful uplift. Featuring the legendary Jean Carn's powerhouse vocals soaring over a brass-kissed driving funk, it's an R&B burner. The refined, jazzy instrumental “Mr. C” is a slinky, smooth, funk-filled mid-tempo groove, with sax and warm keys gliding effortlessly. Connors combines jazzy arrangements into the post-disco/boogie framework one last time, and the result is sublime. It’s sophisticated and cool and, as a finale, “Mr. C” wraps up the album in classy style.

On release, Mr. C flew under the radar but time has been exceptionally kind to this record. DJs, collectors and soul connoisseurs alike have since rediscovered its magic. As ever, this crucial reissue has been lovingly remastered by Simon Francis, cut by engineer of the year Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios and pressed to perfection by Record Industry in Holland. Norman Connors was something truly extra. He was a visionary. And Mr. C is proof.

Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII, the groundbreaking 1972 film directed by Adrian Maben. Digitally re-mastered from the original 35mm footage, with enhanced audio newly mixed by Steven Wilson. Set in the hauntingly beautiful ruins of the ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy, this unique film captures Pink Floyd performing an intimate concert with additional rare behind-the-scenes footage of the band beginning work on The Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road Studios. The accompanying album release will see the performance presented on vinyl for the first time.

Multi platinum-selling musician and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Cullum today announces The Pianoman At Christmas - The Complete Edition. Due for release on 19th November via Island Records. The deluxe album completes last year’s critically acclaimed hit album The Pianoman At Christmas Part 1, with its Second Part - featuring 11 covers of classic Christmas songs, as well as two original songs, including lead single ‘Christmas Don’t Let Me Down’, out now.

Drawing from the past and inspired by the present, The Pianoman At Christmas - The Complete Edition sees Jamie team up with London jazz innovators Kansas Smitty’s, as well as composer and producer The Vernon Spring and acclaimed LA-based jazz singer Lady Blackbird to complete a piece of work that is imbued with seasonal sophistication. Alongside his two original tracks, Jamie breathes new life into classics such as ‘Winter Wonderland’, ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Frosty The Snowman’, ranging from ‘Amazing Grace’ to ‘Man With The Bag’ and ‘Sleigh Ride’. The Complete Edition will be released on double CD and double black vinyl formats, alongside a limited run of 180G Heavyweight coloured vinyl in red and gold.

Speaking on the release, Jamie said -

“I had a huge amount of fun creating part two of TPAC. Recorded live, all in the room together - it’s the party after the big show, with friends, drinks and some of the finest musicians on planet earth.”

Released almost a year to the day before The Complete Edition is due out, The Pianoman At Christmas featured 11 original songs played by 57 of Britain’s best musicians, recorded in Abbey Road’s famous Studio 2 and produced by Greg Wells whose The Greatest Showman soundtrack spent 28 weeks at number 1. The album sold over 37,000 copies, spending 6 weeks in the album chart and peaking at number 11. In December Jamie broke the Guinness World Record for the largest music lesson ever, when he held a virtual piano lesson for 2,282 people, teaching them the carol ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ with special guests Robbie Williams, Sigrid and Dodie.
With 10 million album sales and over 890 million streams to date, Jamie is a celebrated musician the world over with loyal fans in every corner of the globe. With a career spanning over 20 years, his legendary live shows have seen him perform and work alongside artists as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Pharrell Williams, Kendrick Lamar and IDLES - Jamie writing on the latter’s album Ultra Mono. The success of Jamie’s major label breakthrough, Twentysomething in 2003 and its follow up Catching Tales saw him nominated for a BRIT, Grammy and numerous other awards around the world. In 2020 he won an Ivor Novello Award for his track ‘Age of Anxiety’, taken from his acclaimed 9th studio album Taller. In addition to his enduringly successful recording career, Jamie has also established himself as a multi-award winning music broadcaster; his BBC Radio 2 show celebrated its 11th year on air this year.

With her debut album Black Acid Soul earning critical praise, Lady Blackbird is a revelatory new talent with music that transcends the jazz scene through which the LA-based artist is rooted. Reflecting influences as varied as Billie Holiday, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner and Chaka Khan, with critics drawing comparisons to Adele, Amy and Celeste, Lady Blackbird’s distinct and beguiling voice is not one to be missed.

UK band Kansas Smitty’s have developed a musical voice wholly unique from what’s happening around them. They are led by band leader and producer Giacomo Smith who's cinematic compositions feature on their releases, most recently 2021's acclaimed Things Happened Here for Berlin based label !K7. In 2015 they launched their own east London venue and bar, of the same name, which became one of the conception points for the current UK jazz boom.

Londoner Sam Beste aka The Vernon Spring is a polymath in music who has production, writing and performance credits as eclectic as Amy Winehouse, Matthew Herbert, Kano, Joy Crookes, Beth Orton, Blood Orange, Gabriels and MF DOOM. Since 2019 he has been making waves with solo project The Vernon Spring, which foregrounds his rare capacity to hold sophistication and simplicity in the same hands through highly intimate muted-piano compositions and improvisations.

Over three years in the making, Needle Mythology Records is delighted to announce a super deluxe, expanded remastered reissue of The Lilac Time’s 1991 masterpiece, Astronauts. Released as a triple vinyl, triple CD or single vinyl, only 1000 copies of each format will be produced, there will be no further pressings. Both the 3LP and 3CD editions will come with an extensive 11,000 word oral history of Astronauts and liner notes by Needle Mythology co-founder and longtime Stephen Duffy fan, Pete Paphides.

All three albums including a 2024 remaster, a collection of works in progress entitled‘Softened By Rain The Making Of Astronauts’ and a live compilation ‘Any Road Up The Lilac Time Live 1990/91’ have been mastered for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Roadand will be housed in a triple gatefold sleeve with a colour inner sleeve and new artwork for each disc, which has been especially created by designer Mike Storey. The main sleeve for Astronauts itself will replicate the original artwork but with the four distinctive “blobs” rendered in a red “foil” texture. In addition to these three disc sets, 1000 single vinyl remastered copies of Astronauts will also be made available, in a cherry red vinyl edition to match the outer sleeve.

With the shoegaze and baggy movements at their zenith, The Lilac Time’s fourth album was released at a moment when the left-field music zeitgeist was shaped by the nascent shoegaze, baggy and grunge movements. Whilst Astronauts conformed to none of those trends, neither was it the record Stephen had in his head when he finally finished working on it. We’ll never know how that record would have sounded, but it’s hard to imagine a better version of the album he did end up making. The songwriter who brought ‘A Taste of Honey’ and ‘Hats Off, Here Comes The Girl’ into the world envisaged the sort of choruses that would jump from the single speaker of your favourite transistor and lodge themselves into the collective memory bank.

But while he really was writing some of his most beautiful melodies, Astronauts is a family of songs that demands to be kept together in the sundazed cloud of inspiration that created it. It constitutes a partial retreat from the outwardfacing utopianism of its predecessors, choosing instead to dwell on the journey taken to get to this point. That this is an audibly different band to the pastoral expeditionaries of the group’s previous releases is almost entirely down to the departure of Nick Duffy and the arrival of Sagat Guirey. Suddenly, accordions, banjos and mandolins are out; jazz guitar is in. Sagat’s filigree work on the outro of ‘A Taste for Honey’ acts as a sublime parting shot to a lyric which acts as a wiser, wistful companion piece to Stephen’s 1985 solo hit ‘Kiss Me’, something tantamount to the camera retreating to reveal the years elapsed between the time depicted and the present day. The distance between the carefree youth of pop stardom and the first intimations of mortality can be measured between the first and second verses of the quietly devastating ‘Madresfield’; from the depiction of the deserted cricket pavilion obscured by fresh snowfall to the sudden shift in perspective from subject to protagonist: ‘No one ever told me/That killing time is harmful/For time cannot recover/What soon the ground will offer.’ For all of that, however, the resulting album didn’t correspond to the vision its creator had for it. At a loss as to what to do with it, Stephen surrendered Astronauts to Creation with no plans to promote or draw attention to it. The consciousness shift of which Stephen had hoped The Lilac Time might be a precursor hadn’t happened. Or, rather, it had – but it had happened elsewhere, in the Haçienda and Shoom and in Ibiza. Not on the hills of Herefordshire. In a nod to that sea change, Stephen handed over one song, ‘Dreaming’ to Hypnotone, who

Neuauflage zum 30-jährigen Jubiläum!

Zum ersten Mal seit seiner ursprünglichen Veröffentlichung im Jahr 1994 auf Vinyl erhältlich und jetzt auf über 2 LPs verteilt, um ein besseres Klangerlebnis zu bieten.

Das Doppelvinyl wurde von Frank Arkwright in den Abbey Road Studios geschnitten und von Robin Proper-Sheppard aus der Band betreut.

The God Machine waren eine alternative Rockband, die 1990 in San Diego gegründet wurde und in ihrer kurzen Lebensspanne zwei sehr einflussreiche Alben auf Fiction Records veröffentlichte, 'Scenes From The Second Storey' (1992) und 'One Last Laugh In A Place of Dying' (1994).

Jim Chancellor, Chef von Fiction, schreibt: "The God Machine sind einer der unbekanntesten Influencer dessen, was heute als Post Rock / Metal bekannt ist." Er zitiert Lobeshymnen von so unterschiedlichen Künstlern wie Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Mogwai, Converge und vielen mehr.

Arun Starkey von Far Out – The Independent Voice of Culture trifft den Nagel auf den Kopf, wenn er sagt: "The God Machine klingen wie nichts, was vor ihnen kam. Sie klingen wie The God Machine, was auch immer das ist, und der Name hätte nicht passender sein können."

Obwohl sie begeisterte Kritiken für ihre zwei bahnbrechenden Alben und Live-Auftritte als Support von Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Cramps, The Fall, My Bloody Valentine und The Jesus and Mary Chain erhielten, litt die Band darunter, zwischen zwei Stühle zu fallen, weil sie "zu Indie für das amerikanische Publikum und zu rockig für das britische Publikum" war.

70s Nigerian psychedelic soul rock to be filed next to Shuggie Otis’ Inspiration Information. Some albums are more than the sum of their parts. This is one of them. Nothing quite explains the luscious layers of sounds. The wholesome feeling that exudes from the first note to the last. Shuggie Otis meets Grotto/Ofege is what comes to mind.

The band was a ragtag band of teenage musicians who hung around Federal Palace Hotel in classy Victoria Island, listening to the resident band, led by the incomparable Yom Yem with Papa Doe and Gboyega Adelaja on keys. Frank who had some experience stringing around studios in Lagos, approached the George Veira (Vocals, Guitar), Nadi brothers (Clifford and Gerrard) with the idea of making a record. Odion Iruoje had enjoyed massive success with Ofege and Frank knew he might be open to the idea of producing the band. “It happened very fast, as Georges had songs already written or half completed. We started jamming with a few gigs at Surulere Night Club, which was run by Tee Mac at the time. Odion heard the material and did not need any convincing. We Then we went into the studio to lay the vocals, drums and guitars. The keys and further production was done in London.

“My routine at the time was to finish records in London, at Abbey Road Studios. It was the best way to get the sound I wanted and allowed my use London based musicians which brought a special flavour. I liked to lay the rhythm tracks and vocals at our Wharf road studio in Lagos. That was the core of the work”. Mr Odion Iruoje

(Resident A&R exec/Producer, EMI Nigeria)

DLR drops his first album since starting Sofa Sound Bristol - ‘Money Till I Got None’.

The album is a tongue in cheek reflection on modern life, society, politics and of course MONEY. The never ending thirst and need for it; the stress and freedom it can bring; its power, its illusion and all its contradictions.

Drawing on life experiences from a relatively privileged position, but also from travelling and meeting many types of people across the UK and worldwide, the album explores different perspectives about money from varying sections of society.

In the 7 years since his last album, DLR has been through highs and lows, played big shows, struggled, released classic tracks and spent, spent, spent, spent. 'Money Till I Got None' is his journey of frustration and realisation and his first fully solo album in terms of production, but with a stellar lineup of vocalists and musicians to bring invaluable perspectives and experiences to the project.

Established poets, story tellers and MCs such as Fox, Rider Shafique, Jakes and Gusto bring unique insight, upcomers Freddy B & Kathryn Brenna add crucial flavours and we welcome Hal (Snazzback) on keys plus additional musical direction, with further instrumentation from Abbey Neave & Joe Bradford.

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Jhelisa's classic debut album 'Galactica Rush' the album has been remastered at Abbey Road by Miles Showell, who mastered the original version, and remixed in Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio by Jimmy Douglass.

Remastered from the original 1/2" tape, the album will be available in Hi Res digital and re pressed on Vinyl.

'An album of exquiste quality and class from one of the UK's finest Soul singers' Music Week Oct 8 1994

Anonymous British funk studio outfit Ultrafunk was spearheaded by Blues & Soul magazine proprietor John Abbey, who ran a fashionable record shop and label called Contempo in London’s West End during the 1970s; he conceived of the group as the UK counterpart to US studio bands like Mfsb. Arranger Gerry Shury, who had worked with Barry White and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, drafted guitarist Chris Rae and bassist Frank McDonald (who often composed library music together) and future Rubettes drummer John Richardson to form the group, in situ. A lack of band photos, suggestive song titles and a predilection for American cover tunes led many to believe the band was US-based. Their self-titled debut LP is where the myth all begins, with a number of truly atmospheric and cinematic hard funk instrumentals, given added textural depth through full orchestration, including covers of Bill Withers’ “Use Me” and Stevie Wonder’s “Living In The City.” Though not quite as compelling as the better-known follow-up set, Meat Heat, there is still plenty to savour on Ultrafunk, making this debut companion disc a must-have for all true funk aficionados.

"Stronger Than Pride" erschien 1988, drei Jahre nach "Promise". Dieses dritte Album markiert mit den Titeln "Promise" und "Nothing can come between us" eine groovigere Richtung. "Stronger Than Pride" wurde erneut mit mehreren Platin-Alben ausgezeichnet und bestätigte Sades Status als sicherer Wert in der internationalen Musikwelt. Gemastert mit halber Geschwindigkeit von den Original-Mastern in den Abbey Road Studios. Das Mastering mit halber Geschwindigkeit erzeugt einen außergewöhnlich klaren Klang, der die Dynamik der Originalmischungen bewahrt. 180G Vinyl. Die Originalcover wurden einschließlich der Papierqualität und Druckmethoden reproduziert.

The band’s sixth single and their first collaboration with DJ Arthur Baker. Originally released in August 1983, this new reissue remastered from the original master tapes at Abbey Road Studios.

Guava is the moniker for Bradley Hutchings, a British producer, composer, multi-instrument performer and DJ based in Berlin. Following up on a string of celebrated club-centric releases, Guava is now set to unveil his first solo album “Out Of Nowhere” in October 2023.

This confident and carefully crafted debut stands as the culmination of a colourful journey kickstarted age 17 years old. From early days in cover bands to European tours as a session musician supporting Men I Trust, Band of Horses or Nathaniel Rateliff, Bradley went on to perform on stage at the legendary Hammersmith Apollo, Abbey Road’s Studio 2 and BBC Maida Vale, as well as in many prestigious festivals such as Green Man, Latitude and more.

In parallel, and while still collaborating with songwriters, Bradley embraced electronic and dance music, finding in those modern and cutting-edge sounds a form of escape-ism as well as a sense of community that fed his creative practice in a whole new way. While refining his sound and enriching his production skills, Guava became a regular behind the DJ decks in parties in both London and Berlin and performed in Corsica Studios, :// about blank or Berlin’s hottest ambient café kwia.

The last few years, have seen him release several well received club records on revered underground labels such as Martyn’s 3024 imprint, Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section and Control Freak Recordings amongst others.

The time has now come for Guava to synthesize years of teachings and crafting in both live performances and electronic production, all brought together in a deeply personal debut, released through his brand new imprint Guava Noise, a home for his own musical explorations. Enriched with several collaborations and informed by his experiences as a songwriter, this confident and explorative debut sees Bradley Hutchings embrace new directions, gracefully blending the best in UK underground club sounds with an electronica feel.