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Reykjavík-born, Vienna-based Moff & Tarkin, prolific producer of highly inventive house music, debuts on Studio
Barnhus with the Stockholm label's first release of 2024. Undeniable grooves, dynamic arrangements and some
very resourceful sample flips indeed can be found aplenty across the four tracks on Mango Boy.

Artwork by Stefan Fält

The Three Times collects the first three EPs from Oslo, Norway's Flight Mode. Led by singer/songwriter Sjur Lyseid, each EP contains four songs referencing a year and place in Lyseid's life. It's a coming-of-age novel across an emo/punk rock trilogy of EPs. From youthful exuberance (TX, '98) to jaded indifference (Torshov, '05) to the overwhelming realities of life (Tøyen, ‘13)... Flight Mode presents twelve songs and The Three Times.

"The Three Times" by Flight Mode includes the following tracks: "Animals", "Twentyfour", "Togetherness", "Thirtysomething" and more.

Following the success of Eric B & Rakim covers on 45, touching Hip Hop and rare groove fans, Medline explores new horizons. Well known to be free from styles boundaries, the French Chilean multi - instrumentalist unveil a two side Afro Funk killer.

Marked with the "universal power" title on the label, third 7 inch on My Bags catalog, this new 45 shows Medline's abilities to produce high quality music in a wide range of styles. The compositions are produced with a brilliant contrast. The uptempo "Run For Cover" is a huge Afro beat runner with a hardcore feeling while "Azul", is a heavy downtempo soul funk anthem, and shines like a massive solar energy boost.

Medline brings back the 70's West African sound signature, carried by a hot drum and bass couple, leaded by the Farfisa organ and harmonized with a powerful brass section. The rhythm is wild, mastered by dynamical arrangements when the breaks are hitting loudly around. And yes as always Medline is the ONE playing all.

The artistic fate offered beautiful colors and forms to the music. Clément Laurentin's elegant painting "Run For Cover" reminding Bob Marley and Lee Perry's records, baptized the first composition which includes a "Jamaican" surprise. "Azul" (Blue in Spanish) is the main color of Clément's creation which remind the look of the famous azulejos. The link happens without any previous consultation, all was here to be done this way, connecting cultural areas and eras. To end, the acrylic painting on linen canvas is the perfect organic mirror to this new 7 inch.

My Bags is happy to offer this "tratra" (Ivorian pancake), designed with all the elements of a ready to dig holy grail, Soul inspired, Afro beat to the core.

Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Atlantic Records! 180-gram 45 RPM double LP Mastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tape Contains Otis Redding's posthumous hit "Sittin' On the Dock Of the Bay" Appeared on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, rated 161/500! Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Gatefold old-style "tip-on" jacket by Stoughton Printing Hybrid Mono SACD Mastered directly from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman The guts of the story are this: While on tour with the Bar-Kays in August 1967, Otis Redding's popularity was rising, and he was inundated with fans at his hotel in downtown San Francisco. Looking for a retreat, he accepted rock concert impresario Bill Graham's offer to stay at his houseboat at Waldo Point in Sausalito, California. Inspired, Redding started writing the lines, "Sittin' in the morning sun, I'll be sittin' when the evening comes" and the first verse of a song, under the abbreviated title "Dock of the Bay." He had completed his famed performance at the Monterey Pop Festival just weeks earlier. While touring in support of the albums King & Queen (a collaboration with female vocalist Carla Thomas) and Live in Europe, he continued to scribble lines of the song on napkins and hotel paper. In November of that year, he joined producer and esteemed soul guitarist Steve Cropper at the Stax recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee, to record the song. Cropper remembers: "Otis was one of those the kind of guy who had 100 ideas. ... He had been in San Francisco doing The Fillmore. And the story that I got he was renting boathouse or stayed at a boathouse or something and that's where he got the idea of the ships coming in the bay there. And that's about all he had: 'I watch the ships come in and I watch them roll away again.' I just took that... and I finished the lyrics. If you listen to the songs I collaborated with Otis, most of the lyrics are about him. ... Otis didn't really write about himself but I did. Songs like 'Mr. Pitiful,' 'Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)'; they were about Otis and Otis' life. 'Dock of the Bay' was exactly that: 'I left my home in Georgia, headed for the Frisco Bay' was all about him going out to San Francisco to perform." Redding and Cropper completed the song in Memphis on Dec 7, 1967 with tragedy, unknowingly, looming. Just two days later Redding lost his life on a routine commute to a performance when the small plane he was in crashed. The other victims of the disaster were four members of the Bar-Kays — guitarist Jimmy King, tenor saxophonist Phalon Jones, organist Ronnie Caldwell, and drummer Carl Cunningham; their valet, Matthew Kelly and pilot Fraser. Cropper and bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn completed the music and melancholic lyrics of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay' which was taken from the sessions — Redding's final recorded work. Cropper added the distinct sound of seagulls and waves crashing to the background. This is what Redding had wanted to hear on the track according to Cropper who remembered Redding recalling the sounds he heard when he wrote the song on the houseboat. One of the most influential soul singers of the 1960s, Redding exemplified to many listeners the power of Southern "deep soul" — hoarse, gritty vocals, brassy arrangements, and an emotional way with both party tunes and aching ballads. At the time of his tragic death he was 26. ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’ was released just a month following Redding’s death and became his only ever single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1968. The album, which shared the song's title, became his largest-selling to date, peaking at No. 4 on the pop albums chart. "Dock of the Bay" was popular in countries across the world and became Redding's most successful record, selling more than 4 million copies worldwide. The song went on to win two Grammy Awards: Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. With the album, Redding confirmed himself as a talent lost far too soon. All the hallmarks of a top-notch Analogue Productions reissue are here for you to savor: Mastered directly from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman and cut at 45 RPM. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings, and housed in tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing.

- iam8bit Edition - 2xLP on Ice Crown Blue Vinyl - Featuring Music from World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Music Composed by Russell Brower, Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, Jason Hayes, and Neal Acree - Album Design by Ryan Brinkerhoff // Wrath of the Lich King was more than just World of Warcraft's second expansion. For the game's millions of players, its release was a watershed moment in the MMORPG's then-young history, a defining time that rocketed the game into a new stratosphere of popularity and prestige. Northrend may be cold, but we here at iam8bit are feeling the warm and fuzzy embrace of nostalgia, thinking back on fond memories of countless icy raid nights. To commemorate this feeling, we collaborated with the folks at Blizzard Entertainment to create a 2xLP worthy of the Frozen Throne! Inside, you'll find select tracks from Russell Brower, Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, Jason Hayes, and Neal Acree unforgettable soundtrack, presented across two records and packaged in album design from seasoned talent Ryan Brinkerhoff. This iam8bit version comes on lovely Crown Blue vinyl. Whether you're rolling need or greed, we know you're gonna want this one. Don't miss out on this celebration of one of the greatest expansions of all time!

Batov Records' Middle Eastern Grooves 45s series welcomes the latest addition to its eclectic roster - a two-track EP from Eje Eje, the psych and funk inspired project from Şatellites band leader and producer, Itamar Kluger. Featuring the tracks "That Rainy Down" and "Coral Sex," the EP showcases Eje Eje's unique blend of Middle Eastern melodies, soulful grooves, and psychedelic sounds.

On the A-side "That Rainy Down," The electro baglama player takes the lead, building and building as if, “he is pushing himself to his limit”, says Itamar, “seeking catharsis as he walks to the edge of the cliff with confidence”, whilst the a baladi rhythm plays like an immense march of drummers. On the B-side we find the funkier "Coral Sex", which according to Itamar tells a story of a drunk tramp bothering the refined and self-important occupants of an exclusive hotel lobby. Reflecting this friction, the track juxtaposes a silky and sophisticated R&B sound, with loosely, pr even drunkenly, played take on rebetiko, a traditional Greek music associated with the poorest of city dwellers, played on a long-necked Greek lute known as a bouzouki.

As each track develops, new layers are revealed, inviting the listener to delve deeper. The effect is intentional. As Itamar says, "there is this kind of music that hooks you in a different way every time you hear it, different places in the songs lighting up in different colors, like slowly revealed layers. In our (Eje Eje) case, it is just such a hazed blend. It could make a very specific atmosphere, color a very specific movie scene that is lost in time or yet to be directed, or a very specific moment with your headphones on a long bus to the desert."

Itamar Kluger is best known for his work with the Şatellites, a six-piece band whose blend of Turkish folk and psych with funk and disco won them champions and listeners across the globe, from KEXP in Seattle to BBC Radio 6 Music, and FIP in France.

Eje Eje’s first 45 promises to be at least as quirky and original, if not more so, since the project is even more unshackled from traditional concepts of a band.

Record Kicks presents two northern soul belters on limited edition 45 from The Tibbs

Record Kicks presents a new Soul 45 from Dutch combo The Tibbs that features two northern soul belters taken from the new album "Keep It For Yourself". The 45 will hit the streets on January 12. On the A side the soul stomper "Ain't It Funny" which is also the first single taken from the upcoming album, while on the B side "Give Me a Reason" an uptempo R&B soul stomper. Copies are limited to 500 worldwide, which makes it an instant collector's item and an essential buy for soul fans and djs.

Produced by Paul Willemsen (Lefties Soul Connection, Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions) both tracks are taken from the new album Keep It to Yourself, the third Long Play from The Tibbs that is set for release on January 26th on LP, CD and digital format. Based around Amsterdam, The Tibbs took off in 2012 working right from the start with producer Paul Willemsen (Beans & Fatback, Lefties Soul Connection, Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions). In 2016, their first LP Takin' Over marked their debut with Milan-based imprint Record Kicks. The release of Takin' Over delivered the band rich rewards, like playing sold-out shows and wonderful festivals across Europe. In late 2018, singer Elsa decided to focus on a solo career and The Tibbs duly began their search for a truly worthy successor, bringing astonishing vocalist Roxanne Hartog and the band together for the first time with their sophomore album Another Shot Fired, released in November 2020. Now, with new recordings in the bag and an astounding third album ready to be released, The Tibbs are once more ready for lift off.

Ada Kaleh, the Romanian composer and DJ, follows up on his recent releases for R&S Records and Apollo with a brand new single, ‘Unravelling’.

Featuring the vocals of Fela Kuti at his most potent, ‘Unravelling’ also includes a featured performance from Eric Leeds, the American saxophone player most noted for his work with Prince, both in the studio and as part of the Purple One’s touring band.

Ada Kaleh constructs a hypnotising and minimalistic rhythm, reminiscent of Tony Allen's drumming style, speckled with dubbed out complexions and kaleidoscopic sonics that provide the perfect bed for Fela Kuti’s distinguished vocal delivery and conscientious lyric. The illustrious jazz musician Eric Leeds lends his prowess to the main mix here, as his smoky saxophone tones glide across ‘Unravelling’ with pure professional class!

ESP Institute artist Bartellow, one third of the project Tambien and otherwise known in the Contemporary Classical sphere as Beni Brachtel, returns to the label with his second full-length release, Noosphere. While currently heading the SVS label and residency series out of Munich, Beni’s resume expands well beyond electronic music to include immersive sound installations such as The Adven- ture Of The Empty House (solo live performance across seven floors of Walter Henn’s Deckelbau building), a slew of compositions for the Bavarian State Opera (for which he doubled as conductor), and a prolific career of over twenty-five theater scores for institutions such as the Münchner Kammerspiele, Schauspiel Basel, Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, Berliner Ensemble, Schauspiel Köln, Schaus- piel Graz and with directors Ersan Mondtag, Alexander Eisenach, Jessica Glause and Tobias Staab among others.

Noosphere is a compendium excerpting from theatrical scores WUT (Elfriede Jelinek, at Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2020), Ödipus and Antigone (Maxim Gorki Theatre Berlin, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2017), Der Zauberberg (Thomas Mann, Schauspiel Graz, directed by Alexander Eisenach, 2017), Hass Tryptichon (Sybille Berg, Wiener Festwochen / Maxim Gorki Theatre, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2019), Wonderland Ave. (Sibylle Berg, Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2018), Die Verdammten (after Visconti ́s film, Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2019) and Roi Ubu (Alfred Jarry, Theater Neumarkt, Zurich, directed by Alexander Eisenach, 2018).

The work traverses homages, infusing everything from Baroque to Impressionism, and while these types of references are certainly built into the canon of Theatre as a discipline, here we gather histor- ic layers in an even wider net. Under the self-referential thumb of Contemporary Classical music, this sort of "hindsight" approach has been largely avoided, however, in today’s all-access arena, the constant stream of historic causal-chained events has opened a delta where anything is possible. This defines Bartellow’s stance among his colleagues as well as his cultural position as a composer.

Beni considers beauty a fleeting objective in the arts, that expression is often expected to follow notions of Destructivism or the unfulfilled. Art will pore over wounds, collective angst, mourn- ing a loss of natural habitat or a fear of technological invasion, yet there is a bitter irreverence for the friction or salvation in beauty itself. Acknowledging this subjectivity — what one audience considers superficial pleasure may be deeply profound to another — he leans into musical instinct as if composing via divine conduit.

Noosphere conjures a array of suspense, ecstasy, melancholy, and dread, but in isolating the work from its theatrical component, Brachtel directs our focus toward formal qualities, clearing unim- peded space to conceive fresh narratives and examine dynamism and interconnectivity. In sympathy with often difficult theatre pieces, the passages can be dark and transgressive, but more importantly they remain relative to Brachtel’s circumstances at their time of creation. The title Noosphere speaks to the evolution of human thought and knowledge, opening a door to subjective points-of-view. For example, Nexus II On The Beach refers to both Roberto Musci’s Water Messages On Desert Sand as well as the film Bladerunner, invoking the image of an android enjoying the sunset, but whether or not this abstraction may be considered beautiful depends the listener’s cumulative life experience and perspective.

This is hybrid chamber music, augmented by electro-acoustic layers, juxtaposing various periods and successively processing their residual themes into a trans-generational rendering of “now.”

Ebony Steel band is one of Europe's leading steel band and one of the first steel bands set up in the UK. The band was founded in 1969 by a group of dedicated Caribbean and British men and women who shared a love of steel bands and steelpan music and wanted to promote steelpan music across the UK and Europe.This time, "The Model" and "Tour De France" are single cuts from their Kraftwerk covers album "Pan Machine". With Japanese imaginary jacket.

Gruff Rhys is pleased to announce his new album "Sadness Sets Me Free" which will be released by Rough Trade Records on 26.01.2024. This incredibly will be the 25th album he has released in his 35 year career individually, collaboratively and as a member of various bands. "Sadness Sets Me Free" is also the follow up to 2021"s "Seeking new Gods", his first solo top ten record. The album will be available in a range of formats including a unique Dinked edition on "honeycomb neo-neapolitan" vinyl, an LP sleeve with "container doors" and a bonus 7" with exclusive audio for the first 1500 copies. A gatefold soft pack CD also includes a pull out poster. Lead-off single "Celestial Candyfloss" is a telling four minute glimpse of the forthcoming album, revealing the heady wonders and classic pop sounds within. Soaring strings carry the sweet melodies along, anchored by just enough necessary melancholy to add emotional ballast. The eye-popping video was created by long-time collaborator Mark James and compliments the scope and style of the song on a galactic scale. "Celestial Candyfloss" is, Gruff says, "an attempted pocket symphony about the cosmic lengths that people will travel in the pursuit of love and acceptance. Mark James has brought the Sadness Sets Me Free album cover to life & managed to place me watching TV interference in a shipping container that"s lost in space. For what is apparently the 25th album I"ve had a hand in writing I"ve reverted to a rich seam of inspiration relating to shedding some light on sadness and the general terror of cosmic loneliness." And so it was that Gruff and his band - Osian Gwynedd (piano), Huw V Williams (double bass) and former Flaming Lips drummer turned Super Furry Animals archivist Kliph Scurlock (drums) piled into a van driven by the late, legendary tour manager "Dr" Kiko Loiacono and raced from Dunkirk, where they had just played the final show of a tour of Spain and France, to the outskirts of Paris in the early hours of a March morning in 2022. There, in La Frette Studios, a recording facility installed in a 19th-century house, Gruff and his road-hardened group tracked "Sadness Sets Me Free" in just three days. Backing vocals were added along the way by Kate Stables from This Is The Kit along with additional strings and orchestration and it was mixed between Marseille and Cardiff. What finally emerged from these intense bouts of cross-continental activity was Gruff"s most accomplished and beautiful record to date. In a career that has taken him from the slate-mining towns of north-west Wales, down to the expat communities of Patagonia, up to the Mandan tribe of the Great Plains of North America and across to the Tuareg rock groups of the Saharan Desert, Gruff Rhys, one of Britain"s most beloved and successful singer-songwriters, has always been willing to follow an opportunity, wherever it may lead him. "At this point I quite like working with serendipity," he says. "Not in a cosmic way, but I try and leave things open to chance encounters and chance geography. As I"m around 25 albums in I"m always looking for ways to make a different-sounding record".

Gruff Rhys is pleased to announce his new album "Sadness Sets Me Free" which will be released by Rough Trade Records on 26.01.2024. This incredibly will be the 25th album he has released in his 35 year career individually, collaboratively and as a member of various bands. "Sadness Sets Me Free" is also the follow up to 2021"s "Seeking new Gods", his first solo top ten record. The album will be available in a range of formats including a unique Dinked edition on "honeycomb neo-neapolitan" vinyl, an LP sleeve with "container doors" and a bonus 7" with exclusive audio for the first 1500 copies. A gatefold soft pack CD also includes a pull out poster. Lead-off single "Celestial Candyfloss" is a telling four minute glimpse of the forthcoming album, revealing the heady wonders and classic pop sounds within. Soaring strings carry the sweet melodies along, anchored by just enough necessary melancholy to add emotional ballast. The eye-popping video was created by long-time collaborator Mark James and compliments the scope and style of the song on a galactic scale. "Celestial Candyfloss" is, Gruff says, "an attempted pocket symphony about the cosmic lengths that people will travel in the pursuit of love and acceptance. Mark James has brought the Sadness Sets Me Free album cover to life & managed to place me watching TV interference in a shipping container that"s lost in space. For what is apparently the 25th album I"ve had a hand in writing I"ve reverted to a rich seam of inspiration relating to shedding some light on sadness and the general terror of cosmic loneliness." And so it was that Gruff and his band - Osian Gwynedd (piano), Huw V Williams (double bass) and former Flaming Lips drummer turned Super Furry Animals archivist Kliph Scurlock (drums) piled into a van driven by the late, legendary tour manager "Dr" Kiko Loiacono and raced from Dunkirk, where they had just played the final show of a tour of Spain and France, to the outskirts of Paris in the early hours of a March morning in 2022. There, in La Frette Studios, a recording facility installed in a 19th-century house, Gruff and his road-hardened group tracked "Sadness Sets Me Free" in just three days. Backing vocals were added along the way by Kate Stables from This Is The Kit along with additional strings and orchestration and it was mixed between Marseille and Cardiff. What finally emerged from these intense bouts of cross-continental activity was Gruff"s most accomplished and beautiful record to date. In a career that has taken him from the slate-mining towns of north-west Wales, down to the expat communities of Patagonia, up to the Mandan tribe of the Great Plains of North America and across to the Tuareg rock groups of the Saharan Desert, Gruff Rhys, one of Britain"s most beloved and successful singer-songwriters, has always been willing to follow an opportunity, wherever it may lead him. "At this point I quite like working with serendipity," he says. "Not in a cosmic way, but I try and leave things open to chance encounters and chance geography. As I"m around 25 albums in I"m always looking for ways to make a different-sounding record".

LP auf wolkenweißem Vinyl! Original-Soundtrack für den Film "Past Lives" (2023) kommt von Christopher Bear und Daniel Rossen, die gemeinsam die Indie-Rock-Band Grizzly Bear bilden und deren Musik zuvor in zahlreichen Filmen und Fernsehproduktionen verwendet wurde. Der Originalsong "Quiet Eyes" ist von Sharon Van Etten. Das Artwork enthält Originalgemälde der renommierten Künstlerin Na Kim. Der Debütfilm der Regisseurin Celine Song feierte im Januar 2023 beim Sundance Film Festival seine Premiere und erhielt viel Lob seitens der Fachkritik. In Deutschland wurde der Film erstmals im Rahmen der Berlinale im Februar 2023 vorgestellt. Dort konkurrierte Past Lives im Wettbewerb um den Goldenen Bären, den Hauptpreis des Festivals. Der Kinostart in Deutschland fand am 17. August 2023 statt.

As the BBE Music J Jazz Masterclass Series hits its 19th title, the milestone is suitably matched by a collaboration between two giants of jazz brought together to deliver an exceptional album, working with a band of the very best Japanese jazz musicians. ‘Reminicent Suite’ by American pianist Mal Waldron and Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino was originally released in 1973 on the famed Victor label and was one of several Japan-only albums recorded and released by Waldron over a thirty-year period, most of which have never been available outside Japan. ‘Reminicent Suite’ comprises two extended tracks, both taking up a side each. The title track on Side A is composed by Waldron, and is a dark, brooding heavy groove typical of his early 70s sound. ‘Black Forest’ on side B is written by Hino and is a vivid and energetic piece, layered and textured with dense percussion and Hino’s signature trumpet tone. Mal Waldron started out in the early 1950s working extensively on the Prestige label with notable figures such as Gene Ammons, Jackie McLean and Charles Mingus. Most famously, he worked with Billie Holiday before leaving the States in the mid-60s and relocating to Europe where he established himself as a major figure working across many countries including France, Italy, and Germany, where he made his home in Munich. In 1969, Waldron recorded the first releases for two major European jazz labels, ECM and Enja, before visiting Japan on tour for the first time in 1970. Waldron instantly fell in love with Japan and, over the next three decades, extensively toured and recorded there for numerous labels. Terumasa Hino is one of the towering figures of post-war modern jazz in Japan. Coming to prominence via the Hideto Shiraki and Sadao Watanabe bands in the mid-60s, Hino soon emerged as one of the prime movers in new jazz generation that changed the direction of jazz in Japan. He explored a more open, freer, and improvised sound, mixing psychedelic and rock elements with freeform and post-bop jazz. Hino recorded for many of the leading jazz labels of the era including Columbia, Three Blind Mice, and East Wind and would go on to relocate to the US in the mid-70s, immersing himself with the leading fusion players of the New York scene including Larry Corryell, Mtume, Al Foster, Dave Liebman and many more. In the early 80s, Hino’s jazz funk tracks were dancefloor smashes on the UK jazz dance scene. Joining Waldron and Hino on ‘Reminicient Suite’ is a band made up of the very best Japanese jazzman of their day: Takeo Uematsu on sax, Terumasa’s brother, Motohiko Hino, on drums, and the legendary bass master, Isao Suzuki. Together, they deliver one of the very best albums of the era, a richly articulated and dynamic session that exemplifies the very best that the Japanese jazz scene was doing in the early 1970s. ‘Reminicent Suite’ is pressed on 200g vinyl presented in a gatefold sleeve plus obi strip, with new photos by Tadayuki Naito; translated original sleeve notes; and a 7500-word essay including interview with Terumasa Hino from Tony Higgins, co-curator of the J Jazz Masterclass Series. This is the first time this album has been available outside of Japan

Jakes was the commanding voice behind the Lonely The Brave sound. A master of melody, his lyrical talents enthralled audiences across Europe from supporting Neil Young in Belgium, to arenas with Biffy Clyro, to the main stage at Reading and Leeds festival. Jakes has always been uncomfortable with being the centre of attention; when playing live he would stand at the back of the stage, side on, barely saying a word to the audience between songs. A total juxtaposition to the anthemic tunes he wrote-songs that felt like they could move mountains. As Lonely The Brave grew in reputation and audience, so did Jakes' discomfort with attention and adoration. He left the band in March 2018. Fast forward five years and Jakes is back with Interlaker, a new musical project, with a new musical partner, Jack Wrench of Arcane Roots. Wrench, a skilled drummer, but also a multi-instrumentalist, became the perfect partner for Jakes. Jakes says: “Jack and I got chatting about doing some music over Instagram in the spring of2022. I'd seen Jack, a couple to times, playing with Arcane Roots, so I knew what an amazing drummer he was. It was when he started to send over fully instrumental pieces that he'd done-drums, guitar, bass and all-that I realised we could be onto a really good thing. I think the first demo we put down-we did all the demoing together over the airwaves on Logic Pro-was a track called 'Ghost ride'. So we thought we were off to a good start. It certainly wouldn't be for everyone-putting together music without being in the same room together (me in Cambridge and Jack in Brighton) but it worked out really well for the two of us. Around a year later we had 12 tracks ready to go and began the process go beginning to make a record...”

After her stunning collaborations with Vincent Royer (for Mode Records), Jim O"Rourke and Christoph Heemann (both for Oren Ambarchi"s Black Truffle Records) Brunhild Ferrari returns to the scene with this new solo album. Extérieur-jour is comprised of two previously unreleased compositions, one being the title track the album is named after and the other "Le Piano Englouti (version original)." Extérieur-jour translates to "Outside Day," and indicates an instruction for a film scene, a piece of cinéma pour l"oreille, a movie for the ears. It was recorded at Luc Ferrari"s Atelier Post Billig in January and February 2014. "Le Piano Englouti" ("The Sunken Piano"), another electroacoustic composition which was realized over a period of fourteen years between 1996 and 2010, also brings forth cinematic elements with sound sources recorded in places as diverse as a Greek island by the noisy Agean Sea, a Pachinko place and a quiet island in Japan. It comes across as a meditation on the loss and reappearance of memory and silence. The graphics for the album sleeve were created by the late Wolfgang Meyer Tormin, artist and composer and also father of Brunhild Ferrari. The album was mastered for vinyl from the original source by Jim O"Rourke.

Zander Raymond is an interdisciplinary artist and musician working in Chicago, IL. In his visual work, he improvises with found materials, tools, and images to make drawings, prints, and sculptures that question the idea of productivity in a studio environment and serve as an autobiographical record of experience. His music is similarly rooted in improvisation, utilizing modular synthesizers and open-source sound computers to sample, warp, and build sonic images that embrace non-linear approaches to composition. Since 2018, he has participated in numerous exhibitions as well as performances across Chicago.

FAZI are a post-punk band based in the ancient Chinese city of Xi'an. However, there is much more to their story than meets the eye_ With five immersive full-length records and a brief stint on peak-time commercial TV already establishing the four-piece at the forefront of a truly pioneering wave of alternative music in China, the Euro-pean re-release of their latest offering, `Folding Story', represents an incredible new beginning for a band who have already spent years honing their craft - transforming timeless traditions of love, life and death into a perpetual dance of fre- netic, krautrock energy and sprawling, shoegaze panoramas. Fittingly, `Folding Story' is itself a cyclic experience of rebirth, renewal and a return to origin. Album opener `Invisible Water' is a contemplative start as frontman Peng Liu's yearning vocals reach out across synthesisers reminiscent of sonar and the hypnotic lapping of water on an un- known shore. Described by Peng as an "artistic conception of amniotic fluid in the mother's body", this motif returns at the end of the album's final track, `Way to Atman', this time as a gentle tide washing away the ash of a spent funeral pyre. Just as the album and its protagonist is born at the beginning and dies at the end, by deliberately opening and closing `Folding Story' with the sounds of water, Fazi invite listeners to flow through the record on a never ending loop, to listen to a story without pause, one that rises from a whisper to a roar only to subside as quickly as it arrived. First released in 2022 on pioneering Chinese record label Space Circle, `Folding Story' is a collection of 10 tracks that serve as stories themselves as well as part of a universal narrative in constant flow. A phenomenal accomplishment, its forthcoming re-release in Europe via Pelagic Records will ensure that Fazi continue to blow as many minds and ruffle as many feathers as possible. Gatefold sleeve, silver offset ink, printed on special all-black cardboard. FFO Joy Division, Suicide, Savages, Cabaret Voltaire, Iceage, Gilla Band, Fontän

All true improvisation involves an element of chance: the coming together of a nexus of influences impulses and actions that result in spontaneous creation. Often in the world of jazz these creative sparks blaze briefly in performance, and then disappear as the sonic vibrations fade from the air, but sometimes chance intervenes again, and moments thought to be gone forever can resurface in unexpected ways. As master drummer Jeff Williams sorted through his archive of cassette tapes from his extensive international career, he had no idea that hidden within it would be a recording of a 1991 evening when he joined storied NYC legend David Liebman for a set of spontaneous performances. Reunited together fifteen years after the breakup of their seminal band Lookout Farm in 1976, the two players reaffirmed their deep musical bond with a set of free-flowing exploratory dialogues in front of a receptive audience. Believed lost for many years, these performances can now be experienced again, with all their fearless freshness and pure committed musicianship undimmed by the passage of time.

Jeff Williams has established a formidable reputation as a drummer, composer, educator and bandleader on both sides of the Atlantic. His relationship with Liebman was forged in the exciting, expansive atmosphere of the New York scene in the early 70s: the meeting of Williams, the laid back Midwesterner, and Liebman, the mercurial, quintessential New Yorker, was an inspired coming together of opposites that always made the creative sparks fly. Williams remembers the journey that led to the Bar Room 432 on that 1991 evening:

“Just as I was leaving my home town of Oberlin, Ohio to move to New York City in 1971, I was given David Liebman’s phone number by someone who told me that Dave had started an organisation for jazz musicians there. I knew of Dave, from Ten Wheel Drive and John McLaughin’s My Goals Beyond, but I couldn’t have imagined what a significant role he would play in my musical life. Shortly afterwards, Dave would leave Elvin Jones and Miles Davis to start his own band, with Richie Beirach, Frank Tusa, and myself, (later adding Badal Roy), naming it Lookout Farm. We released two albums on ECM and one on A&M to wide critical acclaim, and toured across Europe, Japan, India and the US.”

“Following the dissolution of Lookout Farm, Dave and I embarked on a short duo tour opening for Gary Burton. That would be the last time the two of us would play until the occasion of this recording, fifteen years later.”

“Fast forward to 1991 when I discovered an attractive bar located on the far West Side of 14th Street in Manhattan. Bar Room 432 would become a six night a week jazz club for a few years, providing me, and many others, with the opportunity to perform our music. Catching wind of this, Dave suggested we do a duo performance there.”

“Luckily, I recorded it.There was no preparation, no set music to be played - we simply improvised, picking up where we’d left off. David’s mastery of the soprano saxophone is in full bloom here, as well as his incredibly resourceful musical mind.”

The performances are revelatory, moving in pure improvisation from clear, songlike melody to furious density, from ambience to pulsing groove, from light into darkness and back again. Cleaned up and remastered by Alex Bonney, the sound of the tape captures the warm, wood-lined ambience of the room, allowing the full power and dynamics of William’s drums and the warmth and fullness of Liebmans’ soprano sax to sing out, engaging the contemporary listener just as it engaged the hip Manhattan crowd thirty three years ago.

Celebrated techno producer, sound artist and one half of ORKA, Jens L. Thomsen announces groundbreaking EP ÆÐR, landing 15th December via Kervið. ÆÐR (meaning ‘vein’ in English) is a uniquely atmospheric two-track EP, exploring modernity and post-war freedom through a Faroese lens. Commissioned for Eysturoyartunnil, a 12km subsea tunnel - the largest of its kind - in Jens’ native Faroe Islands, a structural marvel with striking art that has both a voice and aesthetic identity of its own. The EP currently lives as a live audio installation, broadcast around the clock on FM radio for anyone travelling through the tunnel. This is the first time a soundscape has been permanently installed and broadcast via this kind of technical solution allowing the sound to become part of the experience of the space itself. As one half of revered techno duo, ORKA, twice nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize, who recently released their sixth album, All At Once, and an integral part of Yann Tiersen’s live band, Thomsen has already made a significant impact in electronic music. ÆÐR is an expansion of his work as a composer, which includes several site-specific soundscapes, including NORD which was commissioned by the Southbank Centre and installed across the entire fifth floor of the Royal Festival Hall in London.
On ÆÐR, Thomsen brings his talent for one-of-a-kind environmental sonic experiences to a wider audience. A paean to human endeavour and the developmental history of humanity, the tunnel is at once progressive and ancient: a liminal setting where late-modern and pre-modern longings somehow seem to rub off on each other. These intersecting ideas are translated into a striking soundscape of dark drones, creeping frequencies, bleeping ambience, groaning masses of sound, and pulsating echoes from the hidden world beneath us. The underworld that we somehow are able to move through temporarily in our car under the sea, giving the tunnel and the islands a voice of their own, while exploring the parallels between the tunnel and Faroese society today.
This uniquely immersive and compelling work, previously existing only as a transitory experience for users of the Eysturoyartunnil, is now available on vinyl for the first time to be considered and enjoyed in all its fascinating detail. A thought-provoking and groundbreaking piece from one of Europe’s most exceptional composers and sound artists today

Betty & The Code Red is a life and creative partnership between Benin-born Tunde Obazee and his girlfriend Betty. The pair grew up in Nigeria and would play all manner of instruments to entertain people at the local school before staying together as they went on to live in Italy and the US. Obazee performed at colleges and universities despite no formal training and eventually recorded a selection of tunes together including a small album on relatively new bits of gear like the Yamaha RX7. Especial has collated some of their best work across two new EPs, this being one of them.

Oceanvs Orientalis reveals the second single from his forthcoming album on Crosstown Rebels with ‘Heart Pieces’ feat. Idil Mese, accompanied by remixes from Mustafa Ismaeel and Nightmares On Wax.

A producer, live performer and solo act whose productions merge influences spanning Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian and Arabic sonics and beyond, Safak Oz Kutle, aka Oceanvs Orientalis, has crafted a sound that is entirely his own ever since making his debut back in 2014. Following on from his impressive debut appearance on the imprint with ‘Il Lupo’ alongside Italian talent Tooker, revealing the first single from his forthcoming album, the Istanbul-based talent is back on Crosstown Rebels with another gem taken from the project as he reunites with singer-songwriter Idil Mese for the excellent ‘Heart Pieces’ - with remixes from Crosstown and Rebellion regular Mustafa Ismaael, and legendary house talent and Warp favourite Nightmares On Wax.

Slow-blooming and resonant throughout, guided by Mese’s soulful and emotive vocals, vibrant sax melodies and trippy background samples, ‘Heart Pieces’ is a dazzling slice of laid-back, jazz-infused house music full of subtle elements. Remixing the record, Mustafa Ismaeel leans towards late-night hours with a remix drenched in rolling percussion and sweeping leads, while Nightmares On Wax takes the track in two directions - opting for loose drums, hazy tones and chugging grooves across his first take before laying the focus solely on the musical elements with his ‘Club Dub’.

Dutch dance troupe ISOTOOP inaugurates its label with a quaternity of sly rhythms to mystify and elevate. Adhering to ISOTOOP’s unstated yet practised mantra of many growing as one, the culprits behind the pieces are none other than core family members Shoal (Kenny Kneefel) and Vand (Viktor van der Riet), unifying for the first time under the name of Voal.

The longtime friends and compatriots in sound meld together to form a distinct entity; aligned as one, but audibly a product of their individual approaches. Across the four cuts, the two producers share a singular vision of club music, designed to initiate movement and shake the floor, while leaving essential space for thought and imagination.

From the low-down and dirty funk of ‘Carpet Crawler’ to ‘Take My Hand’s bleary and dazed downtempo, evaporating in its final moments into transcendent closing ambience, Voal journey through a wide landscape of club electronics with a fervent pulse. Pinned between the two slower joints are ‘Lucifer’, a consecutive tumble through iterated rolling percussion and minimal basslines, and the kinetic, high-tempo fiesta of ‘Saffron’, a sure-fire favourite for the ecstatic midnight.

Thick like warm tar, and airy as steam, Voal’s debut whets the appetite for more.

Written by Freddie Hudson

Krafty Kuts and DJ Robert Smith have teamed up to highlight the skills they are best at. Krafty Kuts is known for his unique beats from Hip Hop to Ghetto Funk. DJ Robert Smith on the other hand is famous for his scratches and turntable work. After Krafty passed on a few beats to DJRS about 2 years ago, Smith quickly realized that he wanted to create an EP from these beats with the help of his worldwide connections. The first song to receive rap vocals was "Here I Come" ft. Wildelux, who delivered in no time. The vision was strengthened and more feature requests followed: Supastition, 1773, BambuDeAsiatic and Slimkid3 who took Moonbeam Kelly on board. Within a very short time a masterpiece of first-class artists was created. The "Krafty Smith EP"!

This Fear featuring Slimkid3 & Moonbeam Kelly:
I think we don´t need to announce Slimkid3 of the legendary group The Pharcyde. He is the living legend and voice of 1,2 many Pharcyde songs we all can sing along. His songs in collaboration with DJ Nu-Mark, such as "I know, didn't I feat. Darondo" are world famous. "This Fear" wouldn't be a masterpiece without the incredible voice of Moonbeam Kelly, who was brought to this song via Slimkid. She is an outstanding singer with gangster and soul appeal. It's simply beautiful to listen to her voice.

Here I Come featuring Wildelux:
Wildelux has worked on numerous albums and EPs as a producer over the last 15 years, and performed at shows across the UK and internationally during this time. His motto has always been quality over quantity. His latest album is called "The It Factor".

The latest by Texan-turned-Angeleno progressive vaporwave producer Carlos Ramirez aka AURAGRAPH finds him shifting focus to the dance floor across eight chrome clockworks of cosmic acid house and liquid rave glide: 'New Standard'. Inspired by lessons learned during a 5K mile American road trip tour in the summer 2022, he set to work in his Simi Valley Tuff Shed of synths and hardware, pursuing an explicitly DJ-friendly muse: "I realized I wanted to make a record where every track could go off in a live setting."These cuts do just that, revved and rhythmic, peppered with slap bass, Madchester whistles, filtered acid, gated snares, baggy cowbell, and sample pack classics - record scratches, orchestral stabs, the "Yeah! Woo!" from Lynn Collins "Think (About It)." Ramirez describes the process as immediate and instinctual: "I'd turn on the MPC, pick a tempo, and just improv - it was incredibly fun."From sleek freeway techno ("110 Cruising") to arcade lurker acid ("Coast 2 Coast") to big room bangers ("666 Ambience"), the tracks time-travel across the canon of club music, sifting tricks and styles to fashion fresh anthems of hypnagogic jack. It's an album channeled as much as crafted, tapping into the decks of mythic warehouse infinities past and present, where the system rips all night and acid never dies.

The heavyweight trio of Keiji Haino, Jim O’Rourke and Oren Ambarchi return with their 12th and most epic release to date, the triple LP With pats on the head, just one too few is evil one too many is good that's all it is. Documenting the entirety of their final performance at the dearly departed Roppongi home of Tokyo underground institution SuperDeluxe in November 2018, the music spread across these six sides splits the difference between the guitar-bass-drums power trio moves and experiments with novel instrumentation that have defined the trio’s decade of working together. Containing some of the most delicate music the three have committed to wax since the gorgeous 12-string acoustic guitar and dulcimer tones of Only wanting to melt beautifully away is it a lack of contentment that stirs affection for those things said to be as of yet unseen (BT011), this wide-ranging release also offers up some of their most blistering free rock performances yet.

The side-long opening piece finds Haino on a single snare drum in duet with O’Rourke on unamplified electric guitar, playing in the lovely post-Bailey vein heard on his classic 90s recordings with Henry Kaiser and Mats Gustafsson. Spiky dissonance and ringing harmonics interweave with flowing melodic fragments as Haino single-mindedly explores the resonance of the snare like an untutored Han Bennink. On ‘Right brain, left brain; right, left; right wing, left wing. Just how many combinations can be made from these?’, O’Rourke moves to synth and electronics, joined by Ambarchi on drums, who at first focuses on sizzle cymbals before hypnotic cycles of gentle tom rhythms combine with electronic burbles and flutters to suggest a dream collaboration between Masahiko Togashi and Jean Schwarz. Ambarchi’s percussion is then joined by Haino on wandering, overblown flute, before the man in black switches back to the snare for a bizarre, stuttering drum duet.

For the first trio performance, Haino makes another new addition to his seemingly infinite catalogue of instruments, this time a homemade contraption he refers to as ‘Strings of Dubious Reputation’. Joined by O’Rourke on increasingly spaced-out electric guitar and Ambarchi on skittering percussion, Haino’s wonky, slack strings adds a definite ‘musique brut’ edge to this side-long performance, certainly one of the most enchantingly odd in the trio’s discography. When the group reconvene for the second set, spread out across the final three sides, they seem ready to breathe fire from the first instant. O’Rourke slashes distorted chords on the six-string bass, Ambarchi breaks into his signature irregular caveman thump, and Haino squeals and squawks on heavily delayed oboe before unleashing an overpowering electrical storm when he first picks up the guitar. For over half an hour, the trio pound out one of their most relentless performances, a constantly rearranging kaleidoscope of tortured fuzz guitar, insanely busy bass riffing and propulsive, tumbling drums. A hushed atmosphere initially reigns on the final long piece, given the mournful title ‘There are always things I wish to say but I can only convey them in this language August 6 August 9’. Haino’s clean guitar strumming calls up the shimmering tones of his PSF classic Affection, gradually building to a surging wall of sound, bass and drums lumbering through a roar of jet-engine guitar. Arriving in a deluxe trifold package with photos by Lasse Marhaug alongside inner sleeves with extensive live images, this epic release is perhaps the most remarkable document yet of this unique trio’s stamina and continuing inventiveness.

Delasi, the Koforidua-based producer, singer and rapper has released his new single ‘Amplifier’ featuring Nii Noi Nortey.

Prophetic, spiritual and frenetic, ‘Amplifier’ is Delasi’s testimony in musical form. A manifestation of Delasi emerging triumphant after many years in limbo as he searched for a long-awaited breakthrough in the music industry.

Produced by Delasi himself alongside Morgan Greenstreet, ‘Amplifier’ is underpinned by the texture of coastal rhythms indigenous to Accra and tightly ornamented with bustling drum breaks, electronic synth lines and jazz sensibilities.

Veteran Ghanaian multi-instrumentalist and sound designer Nii Noi Nortey appears on the track to deliver an explosive and rhythmically intense saxophone performance throughout as it tastefully builds to an emphatic crescendo.

Self-described as a prayer, the track’s maximalist and percussive instrumentation is cleverly juxtaposed with minimal lyrics where Delasi’s faint vocal repeats a series of repeated phrases like evoking the mood and semblance of a meditative chant and religious experience. Harkening to the work of afrofuturistic jazz musicians like Sun Ra and Pharaoh Sanders.

Speaking on the track’s meaning, Delasi said: “‘Amplifier’ is my prayer and like with other songs of mine it can scare me because I write things and then it’ll manifest in exact detail. The song is basically outlining how hard I’ve worked and how I need an amplifier to have my desires fulfilled. It's like a mantra and that’s why it's not so lyrical”.

‘Amplifier’ marks Delasi’s first release as a lead artist since his 2015 self-released project ‘#thoughtjourney’ which garnered support and praise from Rolling Stone, BBC6 Music, Worldwide FM, KCRW, Afropop Worldwide, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, NRK and legendary French DJ/Producer Laurent Garnier. Additionally parlaying into touring and festival gigs across Nairobi, Berlin, Morocco, Denmark and Sweden.

Delasi is an artist that has been quietly prolific for over a decade. Honing his musicianship exploring sonic possibilities with Ableton and Teenage Engineering. Eventually entrenching himself in the Ghanaian rap scene via collaborations with Hammer of The Last Two, Reggie Rockstone and Yaw P with whom he would release a joint project ‘Imperfections: The Break Up Vol 1’ in 2013.

He was musically raised on a diet heavily influenced by his father who exposed him to the sounds of Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Bobby McFerrin, Jim Reeves and Billy Ocean alongside the soundtracks for movies like Doctor Zhivago, The Sound of Music and La Bamba. Delasi’s own tastes would be heavily informed by linchpins of US Hip-Hop like Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Onyx and M.O.P in addition to alternative R&B artists Frank Ocean and James Blake.

After many years of operating as a proudly independent and self-contained artist, Delasi has now partnered with Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings. One of the world’s leading indie labels, famed for their instrumental role in breaking the likes of KOKOROKO, Yussef Dayes, Swindle, Joe-Armon Jones, Shabaka And The Ancestors, Zara McFarlane and Ghostpoet.

With Delasi now being granted resources to give his music the grand and worthy footing, he is now on the cusp of the artistic breakthrough that was long out of reach. Speaking further on how the deal with Brownswood inspired the new single, Delasi said:

“The music I’ve created this go round is so strong that I can’t handle it all by myself. Though I had a lot of fun doing it all by myself with ‘#thoughtjourney’, this time around I needed it to be with a home who could properly amplify it.”

Repress of the out of print 2nd reformation album, initially released in 2017. The duo of GODFLESH, Justin K Broadrick and Ben Green, augmented by Machines, are seen as a pivotal entity in the world of 'heavy' music, impacting entire cultures of heavy music since the bands inception in 1988. It is regarded as a cultural icon, and its impact can be felt across generations of 'heavy' music, both mainstream and underground. It is credited as being one of the first bands to cross old British industrial music with down tuned primitive minimal metal, accidentally pioneering the 'industrial metal' sound, yet the band has so much more to offer than what that term displays.

Opaque Lime vinyl. The Loneliest Girl is the third studio album by New Zealand musician Chelsea Nikkel, better known as Princess Chelsea. It was recorded by Chelsea between 2016 and 2017 in her home studio in West Auckland, New Zealand. The Loneliest Girl examines the loneliness and ultimately the artistic satisfaction a strong work ethic can bring, the result of which is this eclectic collection of pop songs. As a studio based artist Chelsea was conscious of not wanting to fall too deep into a production hole for her third album and wanted to more than ever before capture moments of inspiration, madness and spontaneity on record. Chelsea's trademark arrangements featuring classic 80s Synths (Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50), ambient guitars, and orchestral instruments are all here but are presented in a more refined and simple manner than on her previous releases. Stylistically The Loneliest Girl moves away the more uniform synth sounds of The Great Cybernetic Depression to more eclectic territory similar to her first release Lil' Golden Book and certainly sounds like a record made by a lover of pop music across all genres from 60s girl groups to 80s power ballads, and late 80s acid house to 90s pop. Like her earlier work, adult issues are presented in a humorous and sometimes childlike manner, and this juxtaposition rather than softening the blow makes jarring social commentary hit harder.

Tigers Jaw is the second full-length by American emo band Tigers Jaw. It was released 2008. Five young friends from Scranton, PA known as Tigers Jaw play their brand of upbeat yet melancholy indie-rock. The subtle yet massively clever lyrics combine with music that moves with such youthful exuberance even the most jaded listener will look back to their more careless days. The debut from Tigers Jaw may wear is influences on its sleeve, but instead of a repetitive list of sound-alike bands, themes such as death, friendship, and growing up are tackled from an endearing and hopeful perspective that is almost impossible not to relate to.

Repress! Soul, funk and rock recorded by US Army Servicemen during the height of the Vietnam War and released as a recruitment tool by the US Army as a recruitment tool. United States Army soldiers made the music contained on this album during the politically turbulent early 70s, towards the end of the Vietnam War. East of Underground was comprised of soldiers stationed in bases across Western Germany. While little is known about the band, the players, and the milieu they came from - other than what can be pieced together from a handful of photos and documents found in a box in the New York Public Library, and the vague recollections of some of those involved – we at Now-Again Records have worked diligently with the United States Army and researchers the country over to present this important document – and some damn good soul and funk music.

Into the void hits from second one. Strong beats lead the way into this dreamlike soundscape, where metallic drum elements and effortless reverb tails take us on a journey. We get lost in a slow build and an unassuming bass-line drives us home, until the track collapses just to hit twice as hard coming back in. Dreamy vocals float over dirty synth lines, melodies that feel familiar guide the way to continuous build ups, where we can’t help but move our bodies to the gritty, thumping bass-line pushing us forward relentlessly.

Tempest is all about the beat. Simple, yet endearing, it reels us in and guides us on an endless rise where fragile synth swells and powerful percussion elements tease our ears. High-pitched glimmers dance across the soundscape with ease. A track that rises again and again, yet never quite implodes in-between. Instead it builds, in the most natural way, skilfully and exquisitely, whilst sirens add a well-rounded urgency, that’s hard to resist.

Soliton maximizes the compact format by further illuminating lesser-traveled paths. Contemplation and exploration weave harmoniously through five mysterious tracks. Influenced by a wide range of styles and sounds, such as Japanese ambient, the muted dissonance of Pharoah Sanders, and the chilly dub of the Scape catalog, Soliton evokes visions of lonely night drives punctuated by bright moments of bliss. The Calque EP from January 2023 saw them pursuing the minimal electronic side of their work even further. The opening track, "Kottbusser Tor,” showcases a conspicuous absence of the processed guitars that characterize most of their work, and instead explores sequenced filters, tape delays and analog synth patterns for eight minutes. On "Ammosel", they dive directly into dubby soundscapes, with crackling electronics and deep basslines, while "Kiyosumi" and "Fade Into Air" pay a visit to more familiar ambient territory. A darker undercurrent pervades on this EP, but one that goes particularly well with the coldest of seasons and its frosty air. The duo, consisting of Jason Kolb (Michigan, US) and Jonas Munk (Denmark) started working together in 2006, sending each other tracks across the Atlantic, eventually resulting in a full-length release on Felte in 2012. What started out as a side project to their respective main projects (Auburn Lull and Manual) have slowly become the main activity for both artists, now with a total of four full-lengths under their belt. Their music has also evolved and matured over the years, reaching a level of perfection that’s only granted producers who've been in the game for decades. Billow Observatory have by now established themselves as purveyors of highly refined ambient music and the Soliton EP sees them elegantly blend new and old, electronic and organic, into a gently drifting, enveloping whole. “.. mind drenching sunrises, glittering constellations, and sailing clouds, richly furnishing the familiar sense of hovering over vast natural orders that you're also inside. – Pitchfork // “So the world it inhabits is essentially that one between states, simulating a quietly vibrant ecology of sub-aquatic bass rumbles, washed out expanses of mid-range swirl and keening top end whose elusive colours seem to fade and coruscate in the low light. Lovely

Limited Transparent Blue vinyl. “Pop” is a tag that’s been assigned to Minus the Bear throughout their career. It’s been used to set a distinction between the unique brand of complex indie rock they introduced on their first EP, and the more angular and aggravated sounds of their previous bands Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. It’s also a tag that was thrown around frequently in the wake of their streamlined fourth album, OMNI. And it’s a descriptor that immediately comes to mind within the first few seconds of their classic second formal EP, They Make Beer Commercials Like This. Beer Commercials is the evolutionary step between Minus The Bear’s first two landmark albums, Highly Refined Pirates and Menos El Oso. Opening track “Fine + 2 Points” remains one of the band’s strongest opening tracks in their discography, charging out of the gates with a syncopated stomp that comes across as a more agitated take on Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Outta My Head.” If Minus The Bear were looking to make pop music without any of its major-scale bubblegum trappings, they nailed it here. The band follows it with “Let’s Play Clowns” and “Dog Park”—nods to Highly Refined Pirates’ formula of frenetic clean guitar work, bombastic choruses, and Jake Snider’s lyrics of detached romantic nostalgia. These tracks may represent Minus the Bear’s original trademark version of pop but on songs like “I’m Totally Not Down With Rob’s Alien,” the band eschews its restless energy for atmosphere and dynamics, creating a sound that’s inspired more than a handful of contemporary melodic post-rock bands. By the time the band belts out “Pony Up!” the listener has watched the three-year sonic transition between Minus the Bear’s first two full-lengths transpire within under half an hour, with their earlier math rock predilections yielding to the tightly wound club-banging pedalboard trickery that defined their sophomore album. Even if Beer Commercials doesn’t fit within your definition of pop music, the unorthodox energetic charm of this relatively low-profile release serves as an exciting reminder of why Minus the Bear became one of the most important and influential indie rock bands of the new century

New Heavy Sounds is super stoked to announce a very very special team up between our favourite punk sisters, Shooting Daggers and Death Pill. Both bands have recorded a brand new song, and what better way is there to present them (or any kind of punk) than a good old split single. So kicking off the Shooting Daggers/Death Pill split, is this never before recorded Death Pill track 'MONSTERS'. Ukrainian punk trio Death Pill certainly made a stir when they hit the UK as part of their first ever European tour. Articles in the likes of the Guardian and Sunday, featured in all the music mags, plus the band showed that they were a pretty ferocious musical outfit, as those who were witness to the full on live experience can testify. Whilst in London, the band also had time to cut 'MONSTERS'. Recorded live in the studio with Wayne Adams (Pet Brick, Big Lad and producer of Green Lung) at the helm, MONSTERS is a short, sharp shock. An angry, sardonic and skewed amalgam of riffs and full on blast beats … it growls and it rips. The band says .. “This track is about how our parents knowingly or unknowingly lose their children. As an example - here are the most painful things you could hear from your folks: "When will you finish your music games?” "You will never achieve anything!” "When are you finally going to do something useful?" Therefore, when there was an opportunity to record a one live song in London, the choice of a song became obvious. Just imagine the "surprise" on the faces of our mums... Many thanks for Ged and Paul from the NHS label for supporting this idea, and to Wayne from Bear Bites Horse for the sick and fat sound” What makes this release all the more exciting, is that Shooting Daggers are dropping their first new music since last year's EP 'Athames'. Sal, Bea and Raquel are most definitely on the way up, their exciting blend of hard as nails hardcore, punk attitude and a neat melodic sense have made them a much sought after outfit, for gigs and festivals here and across Europe. They are slowly but surely proving themselves to be one of THE bands to watch in 2024. If the EP left their growing legion of fans gagging for more, new track 'NOT MY RIVAL' will not disappoint. It's a catchy, pogo-tastic, queercore punk banger, full of feminist grit and a killer earworm chorus. The band says ... "Not My Rival, is a song about dismantling the male gaze, fighting against the internalised patriarchal messages that we all unconsciously absorb. It's about breaking the cycle of female rivalry. We want to encourage lifting each other up instead of tearing each other down" The Shooting Daggers debut album is due in the new year .... you have been warned, this is the shape of things to come. But there’s more ... a very special 7” single strictly limited to 250 copies. Classic black vinyl, with a reversible foldover sleeve with artwork from each band on each side so you can choose your own cover, full colour printed labels housed in a poly overbag

BADBADNOTGOOD is a young supremely talented trio of musicians made up of Matthew Tavares on keys, Chester Hansen on bass, and Alex Sowinski on drums. Since their inception at Humber College’s Music Performance program in 2011, the three have challenged the rule book on improvised instrumental music and taken jazz tradition into the future.
With early champions including acclaimed BBC broadcaster Gilles Peterson and Tyler The Creator who helped fuel their discovery with a series of live jams that instantly went viral and dubbed them the “Odd Trio”, the band released their first EP BBNG in June 2011 to wide praise. The marriage of jazz virtuosity and hip hop source material offered a fresh take on the traditional “standard” applied to hip hop classics by taking on choice cuts from the golden era rap cannon and writing inspired arrangements for them instead of one-dimensional covers.
The band hit a landmark by introducing original material into their composi- tions with BBNG2 in 2012. New songs like “Rotten Decay”, “Vices” or “UWM” carried on the proud heritage of musical juxtaposition by bringing together jazz, hip hop, punk, and dance music into vigorous balance. Since then, they’ve won praise from the four corners of the globe and collaborated with Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, MF Doom, Pharaoh Monch and RZA among many. Their no- torious live performances have brought fans across the whole musical spectrum together, taking the band around the world from Coachella to Glastonbury.
Now, the inseparable friends are prepping to release their biggest project to date III on prodigious young label Innovative Leisure, a highly-anticipated project ushering in the group’s newest explorations which are proving to be limitless.

Certainly going out to all Imperial Junglists, this track first started doing the rounds on dubplate in 1993, making an immediate impact on dancefloors across the UK and beyond. Whilst this track made waves, there were several other mixes, which were confined to DAT, never to see the light of day… Until now! Now, after many years, it’s time to liberate these mixes, as they’re just too good to be forgotten! Featuring the vocal talents of none other than Stevie Hyper D, with the original concept and premise from Remo Don and Colin Grainge. Remix production comes from Danny Styles and Eternal Bass.

Story Of Collapsed Dimention unfold in 4 tracks multi-genres musical accompaniment and 12 frame comics, as artwork. The EP symbolizes a journey of personal transformation, the courage to confront the unknown and fight against circumstances and suffering. In order to become something new, we need to give up what we are now.

The tracks span across various styles, including funky house with a live-band feel, featuring infectious rhythms and vibrant instrumentation. There is a breakbeat track infused with a groovy bassline seized from NBA Live 95 on Sega Genesis, accompanied by turntablism hard drops and scratchy sounds that add an edgy and gritty vibe.

B-side explores psychedelic frequency modulations of polyharmonic intertwined with jungle-oriented breaks, creating a mesmerizing fusion of intricate melodies and rhythmic complexity. Finally, the EP concludes with an electro banger that has been accidentally reinvented with its captivating energy and a profound message.

Overall, the EP showcases a diverse and dynamic musical journey through these genres, offering a rich and immersive listening experience or valuable universal DJ-tool.

The artwork features hand-drawn comics by the talented artist Larisa Shalyapina, script and production by CDA.

The unique texture, blurriness, and overall quality of the illustration are meticulously preserved through a process of manual assembly and duplication, resulting in a visually captivating and tactile experience.

Used gear: Roland MC-808, Roland MC-505, Moog Subphatty, Waldorf Wave XT, MAM33, Volca FM, Volca Bass, Tascam Midistudio 644, Jomox t-resonator II, Boss Digital Delay, Teletron SAQ-206B Amp, KME Sound GBA 80 Bassbox, Culture vulture distortion, Distress compressors. DAW Ableton.

conceptualization:

Tracks are written during frequent relocations, capturing experienced moments and raw emotions. As the physical changes in our living environment are comparable to the collisions and evolving paths within the domain of knowledge reflected in the trials of spiritual awakening.

In Berlin, a city of expats, it has a special relevance to people who came here to find themselves. It also resonates with those who have been brought here by circumstances.

Record id released with all Ukrainian brothers and sisters in heart.

While we find comfort in our safe spaces, it is inevitable that some stress will eventually provoke us to take action. We may long for that period of comfort and feel a sense of anger or sadness for what once was. Once the truth is revealed, much like the unveiling of light, there is no turning back — a path to enlightenment shall be accepted.

Within the EP, each track serves as a chapter for this path.

A1

First track encapsulates escapism by chasing a feel-good sense in the run from responsibilities into fantasy-land. In the moment of careless life in careless time, where the future is sacrificed in the name of immediate pleasure.

A2

Robotboy incorporates a superficial state of mind with a reactive personality rooted in a narcissistic ego, dishonestly denying the righteous path. Subconscious struggle from hedonistic lifestyle with no relief.

B1

A deeply intimate and personal, embodied introspective sentiment kept hidden from the world, revealing when we’re alone and usually stifled with distraction and entertainment. Nostalgic feeling of loss follows us during the abandonment of a beloved place. Overwhelming weight of regret in presents.

B2

Taking action of the first step makes us unstoppable and disclosure of knowledge leads to destruction of the illusory world. Finding out the truth, same as seeing the light, excludes the retreat into darkness. As comprehension is the way to enlightenment.