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Midland are an American country music trio. Having released an EP last summer en route, Midland’s Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach and Jess Carson are on the verge of arriving at their ultimate destination with The Last Resort: Greetings From on May 6 via Big Machine Records. The trio spent the pandemic exploring their creative depths, from progressive Country that grew out of “Urban Cowboy” through Dwight Yoakam’s post-traditionalism and arrive with their third studio album. As Midland’s “Sunrise Tells The Story” rises at Country radio, the two-time GRAMMY® nominees dial in their Laurel Canyon-cum-Bakersfield sound for a tension that also promises release. Falling harder than the singer imagined throughout the spicy hook-up song, melting harmonies lean into a more erotically charged proposition. RADIO: BBC Radio 2, BBC local stations (session on BBC Radio Ulster), CountryLine's 'Artist Of The Month', Absolute Radio Country, Downtown Country, Smooth Country PRESS: Entertainment Focus (5* review), Building Our Own Nashville (5* review), Maverick, Americana UK, RNR Magazine, SW London Magazine, country specialist outlets Socials: TW: 62.3K, FB: 307.9K, IG: 276K, TikTok: 91.5K

The second single from the Nicole Willis album Happiness in Every Style opens up the promised spectrum of joy into new ecstatic states. One In A Million is an unapologetic love song, which while connecting to this most traditional mode in soul music, also makes it correct for the dancefloor. Connoisseur terms such as 'crossover' or 'modern soul' might prove to be accurate here, but a membership in the soul scene is not mandatory to get down.

The main thing is that this up-tempo horn-driven groover, propelled by The Soul Investigators (as the usual suspects), should make things move inside, tickling nerves in scenesters as well as the layman, as their breakthrough hit If This Ain't Love did back in the day.

The world and the music business is different for Nicole Willis and the boys from up north. Nevertheless, One In A Million might be the underground hit that nobody saw coming. Or it just as well might not, but this is no excuse for not making quality music. This and more can be anticipated from the new album, dropping on Timmion Records in autumn 2015.

Samantha Togni makes her TITDM debut with five uncompromising cuts, exploring the darkest corners of techno and channeling her artistic expression in a flurry of controlled yet innovative directions. This compulsion to work without boundaries isn't new to Samantha, having always leaned toward a 'do it your own way' attitude, leading to Samantha founding Boudica in 2017; a collective aiming to give visibility to women and non binary artists through their events, conference, radio show and podcast.

'Trust The Heat' rattles through the speakers with its bone twitching bass, spilling out from its kickdrums and marching forward at an unnerving pace. The accompanying grooves give way to primal movements and an added layer of welcomed spice. There's no sing-songy samples here, just a vocal phrase with the energy of a megaphone edging through a busy club; guiding dancers to keep moving. 'No Pressure to Fit In' follows up with its spiraling basslines opening and closing, providing the movement against a backdrop of percussive power. Togni brings back the vocal snippets. this time to greater hypnotic effect.

'Sensible Social Lies' sounds like the type of techno you'd expect to hear on a planet from Dune; shapeshifting its way through sand with a heavy onslaught of newly discovered sounds. 'Cockroaches' scales back, remaining functional and still packing a serious punch, before the record comes to a pupil dilating close with 'In Vivo' a melodic, left-leaning piece honoring what makes techno so great, while remaining fiercely contemporary and unique to the artist who created it.

Soul icon Otis Redding made immeasurable contributions to the form. As a singer-

songwriter, producer, arranger and talent scout, Redding was responsible for some of the

music’s biggest and most lasting hits during the 1960s, though his death in an airplane crash

in 1967 brought his life and career to a tragically premature end. He was born Otis Redding

Junior in 1941 in the small town of Dawson, Georgia, the son of a sharecropper and preacher,

and moved to the city of Macon at the age of two, where he learned to sing at the Vineville

Baptist Church. After singing in the high school band, he performed weekly gospel songs on

radio station WIBB, winning local talent contests after being inspired by Little Richard and

Sam Cooke. Since his father became ill with tuberculosis, Redding began supporting the

family at the age of 15, working as a gas station attendant, a digger of water wells, and

occasionally by playing piano with pianist Gladys Williams at the Hillview Springs Social

Club. Then, in 1958, Redding had a repeat prize run at a talent contest held by broadcaster

Hamp Swain, bringing him first into a group called Pat T Cake and the Mighty Panthers, and

later into Little Richard’s band (during a time when Richard switched rock and roll for

gospel). Moving to Los Angeles in late 1960, debut single “She’s All Right” was issued on

the Trans World label (a subsidiary of Al Kavelin’s Lute Records), credited to The Shooters

featuring Otis; following the birth of their first child and his subsequent marriage to Zelma

Atwood, Redding recorded the popular “Shout Bamalam” for Macon’s Confederate Records

(who swiftly reissued it on the Orbit label since some radio stations objected to the original

label’s confederate flag logo, during a time of terrible racial segregation in the South).

Redding cut the movingly emotive “These Arms Of Mine” at Stax studios in Memphis in

1962, backed by Booker T and the MGs, which surfaced on the subsidiary Volt label in

October, reaching the charts some six months later (and eventually selling a reported 800,000

copies). Subsequent singles “What My Heart Needs” and “Pain In My Heart”/“Something Is

Worrying Me,” recorded in September 1963, formed the bulk of debut album, Pain In My

Heart, which was padded out by standard cover tunes of songs such as “I Need Your Lovin’,”

Ben E King’s “Stand By Me” and Little Richard’s “Lucille.” The album, which surfaced at

the start of 1964, reached the top 20 of the US R&B chart and also hit the Billboard Hot 100;

this edition has an alternate track listing that includes the Trans World debut single tracks

“She’s All Right” and “Getting’ Hip,” as well as “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” the B-side to

“That’s What My Heart Needs.” Carefully remastered, spinning at 45 rpm for enhanced qudio quality.

Japanese experimental group Les Rallizes Denudes are the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll enigma. Sometimes referred to as Hadaka no Rallizes or even as Hadaka no Rarizu, each appellation a variant of the name “Fucked Up and Naked” which equates to being high on hard drugs, they are seen as noise-rock pioneers, yet sifting fact from fiction isn’t easy with their oddball tale. Emerging from the radical hippie communes of Kyoto during the late 1960s, the band was formed in November 1967 by university student Takashi Mizutani, taking the overamplified, distorted guitar of the Velvet Underground as a starting point. Early demo recordings apparently suffered from poor sound quality, leading the perfectionist Mizutani to retreat from the studio environment, meaning that most of the group’s output has appeared as live bootlegs, with the occasional studio demo surfacing as well. Performances were initially staged as part of avant-garde theatre, though the band’s propensity for super-loud noise soon put paid to such collaboration; the ever-changing membership saw Mizutani the only permanent force, despite his embroilment in the 1970 Red Army hijacking of a civilian Japan Airlines flight, enacted partly through bass player, Moriaki Wakabayashi, who defected to North Korea in its aftermath. Though perhaps not quite as notorious, fellow improvisational group, Taj Mahal Travellers, has a backstory of random international travels that is almost as intriguing as that of Les Rallizes; formed in 1969 by six experimental musicians and an electronic engineer, they embarked on a series of improvisational gigs across Japan, notably including an all-day marathon held at a Kanagawa beach, and made their way to Europe in 1971, where they crossed paths with Don Cherry and other likeminded practitioners. They later drove from Holland to the Pakistan border, acquiring santoors in Iran on the way to help broaden their already unpredictable repertoire. The Oz Days Live release is culled from the Oz Last Days festival held in the autumn of 1973, to benefit Tokyo’s Oz Rock Café, which had been closed following repeated drug busts. Here the Taj Mahal Travellers are suitably cosmic, their echoing jams featuring looped vocal chants, disjointed string instruments and sparse, off-kilter percussion; in contrast, the contributions from Les Rallizes are more standard examples of instrumental psychedelic rock, which veers more towards the acid rock end of the spectrum as the performance progresses.

Twelve years since Brendon Moeller first appeared on Delsin's Ann Aimee offshoot it's time for a welcome return to Delsin Records. The prolific producer, also active as Echologist and Beat Pharmacy, hereby presents one of his most deep going, spaced out and experimental modular works to date. Crispy noodling electronics diluted with Moeller's trademark minimalist dub scapes, reaching from the mesmerizing the rubbery basslines of 'Route' to the energizing fast paced rhythms of 'Motor'.

Swedish heavy metal band 220 Volt formed in 1979 by guitarists Thomas Dreven and Mats Karlsson. 5 years later, they released their second studio album Power Games on the CBS label. During that same year, 220 Volt performed with Nazareth for
12 concerts, which enlarged their fanbase immensely. Upon the release of Power Games, 220 Volt received critical acclaim for their songwriting skills and high production values.

Power Games is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on crystal clear & white marbled vinyl and includes an insert.

While Sass Jordan is celebrated as a multi-platinum selling premiere rock
singer, her 2020 album, Rebel Moon Blues, demonstrated that she sings
the blues with as much power and authenticity as she personified in the
rock world
Following up on the rave reviews garnered by Rebel Moon Blues, Sass continues
to mine her talent as a blues singer with 8 new tracks on Bitches Blues, on Stony
Plain Records.Reflecting on the impact the past two years has had on us all, Sass
has recorded songs that examine the visceral emotional territory of a pandemic,
and the multiple conflicts that the world is reeling from in the aftermath. "Still
Alive and Well' is Sass's triumphant take on a Rick Derringer song that leads off
the album. Her original song, "Still The World Goes Round" marks the mid-point
with a look at power structures, both within and without, while another new
creation" Change Is Coming" ends the collection with a trance- like chant that
offers an uplifting perspective.
As we have come to expect from Sass, the album features fierce guitar licks,
driving tempo's, the raw and soulful Sass Jordan rasp, and a glorious assortment
of rambling road dogs, known as the Champagne Hookers. This particular
collection of Hookers includes longtime associates and rebel rouser guitarists
Chris Caddell and Jimmy Reid, drummer Cass Pereira, keyboardist Jesse O'Brien
and the magnificent Mr. Steve Marriner on bass and harmonica.
Netherlands tour in June 2022.

A multicultural explosion of West African, French and Brighton sounds
Stranded Horse is a touring machine centered around composer, songwriter and
instrument maker Yann Tambour.Whilst he had developed his own kora playing
and teamed up with local player Boubacar Cissokho (cousin and protege of
erstwhile Tambour collaborator Ballake Sissoko) In terms of repertoire, there is
nothing to stop him from covering Joy Division, the Smiths or even Jackson C.
Frank and the moving "My Name is Carnival".Behind Yann Tambour and his band
Stranded Horse lies a faith in chance encounters, a belief that renewal is born out
of chaos. They strive to skirt conventions and labels and wed together
unexpected genres, rules and habits in an album of erratic wanderings, dance and
trance, at a time when more and more get walled off by reluctance and suspicion.
But a strange spell, it seems, was cast on our stranded horse since he chose to
hit the dancefloor for the first time the very year nobody could. Yann Tambour
was first known as Encre at the turn of the millennium. He was then whispering
and stacking orchestral samples into a kind of spoken word electronica with an
acoustic tinge. But in 2005, he decided to return to his early love for arpeggios
and dusted off his classical guitar, all the while growing a fascination for the kora,
an instrument symbolic of West-Africa.
But Stranded Horse doesn't forget to draw on the indie heritage that is still very
much present, as evidenced by "In A Sharper Fairway", which may remind the
most passionate folk fans of the folk- mindedness of Jackson C Franck. As for
the choice of English or French, it is a natural one, whether it is a question of
immersing oneself into the contemplative and poignant "Sparks Turn To Stone" or
entering the frenzied dance of the irresistible "Rumba du trépas", the richness of
the lyrics is reinforced by a voice stripped of all artifice, making each composition
sincere and authentic. The same is true when, with Youssou N'Dour's permission,
Stranded Horse adapts Star Band de Dakar's heady and vast "Thiely" from Wolof
to French.

A multicultural explosion of West African, French and Brighton sounds
Stranded Horse is a touring machine centered around composer, songwriter and
instrument maker Yann Tambour.Whilst he had developed his own kora playing
and teamed up with local player Boubacar Cissokho (cousin and protege of
erstwhile Tambour collaborator Ballake Sissoko) In terms of repertoire, there is
nothing to stop him from covering Joy Division, the Smiths or even Jackson C.
Frank and the moving "My Name is Carnival".Behind Yann Tambour and his band
Stranded Horse lies a faith in chance encounters, a belief that renewal is born out
of chaos. They strive to skirt conventions and labels and wed together
unexpected genres, rules and habits in an album of erratic wanderings, dance and
trance, at a time when more and more get walled off by reluctance and suspicion.
But a strange spell, it seems, was cast on our stranded horse since he chose to
hit the dancefloor for the first time the very year nobody could. Yann Tambour
was first known as Encre at the turn of the millennium. He was then whispering
and stacking orchestral samples into a kind of spoken word electronica with an
acoustic tinge. But in 2005, he decided to return to his early love for arpeggios
and dusted off his classical guitar, all the while growing a fascination for the kora,
an instrument symbolic of West-Africa.
But Stranded Horse doesn't forget to draw on the indie heritage that is still very
much present, as evidenced by "In A Sharper Fairway", which may remind the
most passionate folk fans of the folk- mindedness of Jackson C Franck. As for
the choice of English or French, it is a natural one, whether it is a question of
immersing oneself into the contemplative and poignant "Sparks Turn To Stone" or
entering the frenzied dance of the irresistible "Rumba du trépas", the richness of
the lyrics is reinforced by a voice stripped of all artifice, making each composition
sincere and authentic. The same is true when, with Youssou N'Dour's permission,
Stranded Horse adapts Star Band de Dakar's heady and vast "Thiely" from Wolof
to French.

This three album Limited Edition Numbered set of Fleetwood Mac live
and studio tracks on Blue Vinyl recorded after the departure of Peter
Green and before the arrival of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham
Fleetwood Mac made it big twice over: first as young kings of the late 1960's
British blues boom – blues fanatics who nonetheless made the pop charts with a
batch of memorable songs penned by founder Peter Green.
Then secondly, as the band that with its Rumours album Californian line- up,
tapped into a whole new market in the mid-1970's which became known as AOR -
adult oriented rock.
The music here is from a pivotal eighteen months in Mac's history as it lost its
original if- it- ain't- blues- we- don't- wanna- know attitude and looked to its own
songwriters - and America's West Coast sound - for inspiration.
After Peter Green's exit in May 1970 the rest of the band bravely decided to carry
on as a 4-piece, and so rented an oast house called Kiln House to try and 'get it
together in the country. Christine McVie joined, and one of the stand-out songs,
'Station Man', would endure for Mac in the bleak years before they moved to
California in 1974 where they struck gold with their eponymous white album and
then Rumours. 'Station Man' eventually found its way into the live set-list of the
Buckingham/ Nicks line- up and listening to it again here you can hear why: in
there, as far back as 1970, are some trademarks of the Rumours sound: threevoice harmonies, in- song tempo changes and ringing guitar sounds. Similarly,
'The Purple Dancer' and 'Jewel Eyed Judy' showcase a vocal harmonies and
melodic sense of things to come for Fleetwood Mac many miles down the line.

With golden voice and silver-dipped pen Grant-Lee Phillips presents
another milestone in a career brimming with the like - Little Moon is track
after track of well-anchored classic American music - rock and folk swirl
under clouds of cinematic strings for a primer on the art of the timeless
tune
His legendary well of melody is in full display on Little Moon, with even the most
lilting piano ballad standing comfortably on a thick, powerful trunk ('Older Now').
Long one of Los Angeles' most sought after songwriters, Grant-Lee meets Little
Moon with positive inspirations including the birth of his daughter Violet ('Violet')
and a creative calm that saw the songs well up organically from earlier live
collaborations with drummer Jay Bellerose, producer bassist Paul Bryan and
keyboardist Jamie Edwards. Captured live in the studio with limited overdubs, the
album keenly chronicles the sunny day feel of the songs and that ever-elusive in
the moment groove of a finely- tuned band working out equally finely- crafted.
Upon Little Moon's 2009 release, American Songwriter named it "His strongest
album ever." This limited edition pressing is on burgundy colour vinyl and limited
to 1,000 copies worldwide.

Green Vinyl Edition - PNFG is frustrated but delighted to bring you a half
of a double treat from The Bathers!In 2022 we aimed bring you the debut
album "Unusual Places To Die" on vinyl and cd - some 35 years after it's
initial release on Go Discs
Accompanying this remastered album we also intended to produce "More
Unusual Places To Die" an 8 track EP featuring early recordings, providing an
incredible insight into the mind and music of Chris Thomson.Both records and
CDs were to be remastered by fellow "Friend Again" Paul McGeechan.
Sadly due to insane problems obtaining licensing contracts from Island Records
via Universal Music, we have taken the decision to make some changes to the
project.The 8 track Mini LP is now a fully-fledged album featuring 12 tracks (14
on CD) Some new never before released tracks, fully remastered and some
alternative versions of previously available tracks. This album is now entitled -
Summer Lightning.

Yves Jarvis is back with his third solo album entitled, The Zug
The Montreal, Canada based artist's unique vision for "psychedelic- jazz- folk"
comes into sharper focus, with elevated production and a waterfall of creative
ideas presented with an ever growing confidence in craft.Jarvis continues to
refine his creative approach to the core of his being, where music and life
intertwine in harmonious fashion. He fuses genre elements into a symbiotic
relationship where wistful folk, tender R&B, and jazz experiments feed into one
another to grow lush new forms. Though he maintains an air of mystery with his
lyrics, Jarvis's whisper-soft words can be interpreted as both deeply personal and
politically motivated.

Winston 'Niney' Holmes AKA The Observer, must be one of Reggaes finest Roots Rebel producers. Capable of making some of the heaviest, innovative music, not only in sound but also in the Cultural/Political sense.
Born George Boswell, Montego Bay, Jamaica 1951, and name checked 'Niney' due to losing a thumb in a workshop accident. He began his career in music by organising bands to play at school dances. But his first steps learning the musical ropes came working under the tutelage of producer Bunny Lee around 1967, organising sessions for Bunny's stable of artists. He moved on to work alongside Lee Perry at Joe Gibb's 'Amalgamated' label setup, where on Lee Perry's leaving in 1969 to start his own 'Upsetter' label, Niney became chief engineer.
Inspired by Perry's success it wasn't long before his own 'Destroyer' label was under way. It was 1970, and his first production entitled 'Mr Brown' by DJ's Dennis Alcapone and Lizzy, proved to be a minor hit, but his own 'Blood and Fire' track released in December of that year would become a major hit. After initial problems with it's likeness to Bob Marley's track ' Duppy Conqueror' being ironed out, it's reissue on his now named 'Observer' label, saw it go on to become, Jamaican Record of the Year 1971. Far out selling Bob Marley's track to the tune of 30,000 copies in Jamaica alone. A roots classic...
Niney's reputation for building great roots tracks, was furthered with more success working with singer Max Romeo. Issuing cuts such as 'Beard Man Feast', the great 'Reggae Matic' and 'Aily Ailaloo' and renewing his friendship with Lee Perry on the track 'Rasta Band Wagon', who's production credit read Perry, Niney, Maxie. In 1973, Niney began working with Dennis Brown, who was already an established star from an early age, they found a chemistry that went on to produce some of Dennis' finest work. The 1973 hit 'Westbound Train' was followed in 1974 by 'Cassandra', 'I am the Conqueror' and the timeless 'No More Shall I rOam'. Another important connection around this time was the great King Tubby who Niney would take his tapes along to and even record some of his tracks at Tubby's house, 18 Drummlie Avenue, Kingston, which doubles as his Studio of Dub.
It's these tracks that we are concentrating on here. Tubby would strip the tracks back to the bone and rebuild then sometimes leaving off the hook line. Whether that be the horn line or keyboard line and adding effects over the top that could disguise the cut even more. Even Niney stating that when Tubby had finished with a cut, he found it hard to recognise the track himself. Its these tracks as dub plate specials that Tubby would play on his Hometown HI-FI Sound System and it's these such tracks that we have compiled for this release. Dub Plated that have not seen the light of day since tragically the great Osborne Ruddock AKA King Tubby was gunned won and murdered on the 06th December 1989. For a few dollars and a gold chain, reggae music has lost one of it's most creative, inventive forces.

Niney also cut tracks with many other Reggae giants such as Gregory Issacs, Michael Rose, Junior Delgado, Horace Andy and Delroy Wilson to name but a few. As in house producer at the legendry Channel Studios and supervising sessions at Dynamic and Randy's Studio 17, his magic touched many. DJ, Arranger, Producer, his Roots Rebel music still stands the test of time.
Hope you enjoy the set.....

Welcome To Our World is the debut studio album by the Norfolk, VA duo Timbaland & Magoo. First released in 1997 by Blackground Records, the platinum selling album features guest appearances from artists such as Missy Elliot, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, and Playa. Known as a classic among duos in Hip-Hop history, the album features singles such as "Up Jumps Da Boogie," "Clock Strikes," & "Luv 2 Luv Ya."

Having kicked off in Galway and then quickly on to Brisbane, we travel across the pond to Durham, to pick the brains of one dance music’s freshest minds and most exciting talents, Tommy 2000, for the all-encompassing GTOWN 003 - ‘2K Musik’.

5 tracks that will travel the length and breadth of your brain; from the epic opener and lead single, ‘Whales’, to the algebraic break sequences of ‘T-2000’, Tommy’s follow up to his debut EP on DJ Haus’ Dance Trax is about as mature a sound you could expect from any artist, let alone an 18 year old just dipping his toes in the water.

‘Whales’ leads the way as an almost orchestral breakbeat builder-style track that reaches its peak gradually and really takes us for a ride as we step into the world of 2K Musik. Following on from that, is the most classically-conventional track of the lot, ‘Baff’. The four to the floor backbone lulls the listener to be sucked into what is an entirely unique club track they’ve never even come close to hearing before. That is then spun on its head entirely when Tommy’s almost bookmark sound comes into play on the title track, ‘2K Musik’. Hammering us with breaks and unapologetic bass, this marriage of old school sounds with entirely dynamic arrangement and all around ingenuity tells us exactly what 2K Musik is all about.

We swap over to the B side then, without much of a break for air, and kick off with the ever-nautically themed ‘Tuna’. At this point, it’s more than evident that Tommy 2000 is entirely worthy of his placement as an artist that’s here to stay, as if he’s pulled us underwater to listen to what the sea creatures have to say to us. Totally transforming even more modern sounding breakbeat drum patterns and bending them to his will, GTOWN003 is almost like a portal into the mind of a music genius, not just an EP you sit down and listen to; this is an immersive exhibition into the world of Tommy 2000. The final stop on the line is ‘T-2000’. You want to stop and get off, but you can’t. Everytime you think you’ve got this track figured out, you haven’t. Snares coming crashing down and attacking the breaks just as you’ve began to comprehend the synthlines and pads that eb and flow off of each other as this crescendo takes us home and back to reality, as the needle lifts on what is only the beginning for one of dance music’s brightest stars on one of its realest labels.

GTOWN003 - 2K MusiK by Tommy 2000 lands on G TOWN RECORDS on June 24th. Are you Ready?

BEST OF SURF MUSIC! BETWEEN CLASSICS AND RARITIES, BE CARRIED AWAY BY THE WAVE OF SURF ROCK !

Drummer "Drummie" Joe Isaacs had already created history as the house drummer at Studio 1 in Jamaica on countless pre-reggae classics before moving to Canada in 1968 and is credited with slowing down the fast pace of ska during the rocksteady era. With Risco Connection, Isaacs released a series of choice reggae / disco covers, from 'Ain't No Stopping Us Now' and 'Good Times' to 'I'm Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair)' and 'It's My House' as limited 12" singles on his own Black Rose imprint. "Arriving in Canada, we were one of the first set of musicians out of Jamaica coming here," explains Isaacs. "With Risco Connection, we wanted to try something new, songs that would have a crossover between disco and the rocksteady feeling and the right lyrics. We had trouble getting them well distributed widely at the time but people still picked up on the sound." 'Risco Version' brings together all of the vocal versions, dubs and extra tracks from the singles. Both formats feature an interview with Joe Isaacs and liner notes by journalist Angus Taylor. Audio is restored by Sean P and fully remastered and cut loud and proud by The Carvery.

The sound aesthetics of ‘Playground’ wants to restore Rookley’s dimension, made of dark, isolated environments, which echo his inner world. Where introspection is combined with the anger and anxiety of those who do not feel at ease in the here and now. Victim and executioner of an imprint made of dissatisfaction and the constant search for a peace that does not come. In the darkness and the discomfort, there is tension and, at the same time, warm abandonment, reassurance. The care for sounds and evoked emotions is the result of research aimed at achieving the exact representation of visceral, intimate, and extremely sincere sensations. There are no filters, everything is authentic, exposed living flesh, made up of significant experiences, alienation, nostalgia for an unwritten future. The language is personal and hermetic, but never encrypted.

In a genre belonging to crooners like Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, James Brown and Otis Redding, authenticity is a requirement.
Enter Anduze, a unique vocalis whose riffs evoke the retro sounds of the aforementioned artists, but reverently done his way
– a fresh brand, re-imagines and crefted into a modern depiction of the era.

Anduze was raised on his father’s native land of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. His distinctive upbringing still lines the
threading of his creative fabric, which continues to expand into all corners of taday’s musical landscape.

It’s been over a decade since Anduze last released a full album. A lot has changed and progressed since then. He left behind the LA/Hollywood nights in exchange for a better quality of life in Athens, Greece. Also, during this span, he’s been a multi-featured artist on collaborations with producers such as Satin Jackets, Art of Tones, LTJ Xperience, Gramatik, and more…

However, his most noteworthy ascent is as lead singer (and songwriter) of Austrian act, Parov Stelar, with whom he tours
worldwide. Still, with all his accomplishments within the electronic world, it was time for Anduze to get back to his own sound – SOUL.

Using the pandemic as an opportunity, instead of a crutch, Anduze recorded “Aura,” a nine-song album that blurs the lines of
soul, funk, pop, folk, and R&B, with 20 contributing musicians.
If you like Prince, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Lenny Kravitz, Terence Trent D’arby etc…this album takes influences from
all their best moments and combines them into one mighty explosion that is simply, ANDUZE.
These days he is also living the new life of his song in collaboration with LTJ Xperience entitled Bad Side which has been
included in the new game update for Play Station GTA 'Los Santos' starring the DJ producer Moodyman and in the soundtrack of the new series And Just Like That, a popular follow-up to Sex And The City, which aired worldwide.

Applied Magic is proud to present the first full EP of one of the most promising duos out there: Last Men On Earth.

And not only is it their first EP - it will also be the first Applied Magic release available on vinyl. What a way to celebrate catalog number ten!

Applied Magic is proud to present the first full EP of one of the most promising duos out there: Last Men On Earth.
And not only is it their first EP - it will also be the first Applied Magic release available on vinyl. What a way to celebrate catalog number ten!

Originally hailing from Argentina, with Euge holding it down in Buenos Aires and Seba making waves in Tulum, they have been on a roll this year, releasing some incredibly well-produced and sparkling music along the way.
With tracks on Frau Blau, Amancay and most recently the incredible "Kakra" on Nandu's Out Of Options label, they have been supported by everyone from Dixon to Mano Le Tough, Trikk, and last not least Applied Magic labelhead Aera.

Pixel has actually been the highlight of Aera's sets for a while now, setting a unique vibe with its mix of breakbeats and a wistful melody that won't leave your head for a long time.

Here PT. I & II are the perfect flipside to this gem.
Part I is straight dancefloor fire. Distorted synths, big drums, and high-pitched crazy vocals driving you into a frenzy, with PT. II the introspective counterpart, a beautiful cinematic journey.

This time, the artwork is provided by Malaga based graphic designer Miguel Angel Salido.

JB Dunckel, half of electronic iconic french band Air releases a new solo album.

Carbon, JB Dunckel's first album in four years, considers the recent uncertainties that have befallen the planet and explores diffuse visions of how a better future might look.
There are meditations on existential bliss (the airy, chiming Cristal Mind) and egotistical escapist fantasies (Sex UFO, which can't help but recall Jeff Bezos phallic rocket). Yet Carbon also considers the subversive pleasures of nihilism: revelling in man's insignificance compared to the cosmos (the languid Space) and wondering whether big tech might save us yet (the triumphalist Corporate Sunset). The album is a psychological test that reveals the listener's own outlook, says Dunckel - an artist who taught pop fans how to dream more than 20 years ago as half of the trailblazing cosmic pop duo Air.
Since then, he's become a lauded, César-nominated composer for films such as François Ozon's film Summer of 85 . With Carbon, the accompanying images are entirely of the listener's creation: "I want them to feel ready to travel in space," he says.

Joona Toivanen Trio makes their We Jazz Records debut with their new album "Both Only", out 25 Feb 2022. A landmark work for the long standing group, the album showcases a new sound for the band, trekking deep into new ideas for an acoustic jazz piano trio. Since their formation as teenagers in mid-1990's, the trio of pianist Joona Toivanen, bassist Tapani Toivanen and drummer Olavi Louhivuori (of Superposition, Ilmiliekki Quartet and Linda Fredriksson "Juniper") has developed their remarkably coherent band sound step by step, touring the world over. Nowadays, the trio is geographically split between Gothenburg, Sweden (Joona), Copenhagen, Denmark (Tapani), and Helsinki, Finland (Olavi), but the unit has never sounded so together as one, and as adventurous as on "Both Only".

"Both Only" by Joona Toivanen Trio is a cocoon, a welcoming shelter of sound that opens up naturally for the listener to inhabit. The album is moody and introspective, even dark at times, but by the time you get to the closing track, "This and This", you'll likely notice something hopeful brewing up. This is not music dealing with nostalgia or a world lost. Instead, it's a body of work with delicate dynamics, taking a minute just to listen and to look inwards to learn something, to move forward.

The first single "Enlightened" is perhaps the most traditional piece on the album, yet it flows like a vessel beyond genre, conveying a mood, a feeling and an idea. Listen to how the piano, bass and drums discuss, how the groove moves with the instruments having their clear roles but also supporting each other and documenting a musical aging process exactly as that of a quality bottle of red wine. As a song like "Direction" proves, the melody is there all the way, yet there is nothing obvious about how it's carried by the trio. Things remain surprising, fresh and moving at all times. "Except For" keeps its intensity, while nearly erupting into a full on 4-to-the-floor banger. Nearly! The key here is how the energy sustains itself, building the intensity within the music.

"Both Only" is a powerful statement from a band ready to renew itself time and again, and one willing to do it slowly, outside of the hype. This process makes the impact enduring, nuanced and lovely.

WJLP37 Joona Toivanen Trio "Both Only" is available on vinyl as a black vinyl edition and as a LP+7" bundle also including WJ0716 "Except For (7" Edit)" / "Keyboard Study No. 2".

“More excellent poetic soundscapes from We Jazz! Love the flow through the tracks here – textural pieces moving into more rhythmic jazz abstractions. Beautifully recorded too.”
Quinton Scott — Worldwide FM

“Following on from the excellent Linda Fredriksson album We Jazz extend the journey with this innovative Joona Toivanen Trio set.”
Paul Bradshaw — Straight No Chaser

“You’ll look in vain here for extravagant splashes of color or bright swathes of sound, but what you will discover are a finely-chiselled set of compositions that make the most of the trio’s limited palette: flint-sharp melodies hewn from the ice, crisp and crackling rhythms.”
Cal Gibson — Ban Ban Ton Ton

“Incredible album from Joona Toivanen Trio and a strong start to the new year from We Jazz.”
Kerem Gokmen — Dubmission

“Encapsulating a new movement in jazz.”
Jay Scarlett — Sounds Supreme

“Interesting listen on the shortest day of the year. They have a very definite and saturated style.”
John Chacona — All About Jazz

“Airplayed the track”
Tom Ravenscroft — BBC6 Music

“Jazz album of the year released already in February?”
Ralf Sandell — Hufvudstadsbladet

“★★★★★”
Iida Simes — Voima Magazine

Höga Nord Rekords kindly welcomes Teecwa back to the label, following up his last full length-album “Beyond the Altai” with “Elysian on Moon Lake”. He is still exploring the intersections between house, electro, techno and dub and once again he manages to harness the analogue electronics in his machines to produce modern psychedelia.

“Elysian On Moon Lake” is rawer, less airy and not as sparkling as his last album. This is a tighter, and slightly darker experience than Teecwa’s previous work, maybe caused by being in quarantine for extensive time during production, letting some of the dreaminess aside for the harsher reality in a pandemic world. Still, you get a mind-altering experience in a lot of tracks since the album starts off in a lighter tone than how it later develops. Switching from the A- to the B-side works as a rite of passage going from dusk to night; the sun rays through the blinders are replaced by neon light dancing on the walls and ceiling.

Regarding the dramaturgy of “Elysian On Moon Lake”, this album has movielike qualities; a well-directed piece from the opening impact and setup through the confrontational part where intensity builds up to the climax in “Hythmdoser” to the cooling down effect of the peaceful closer “Celestial Trails”. The trip eventually ends up in a safe and happy place after the cathartic finale.

This is not a just collection of songs, this is an album made to experience in full length without interruptions.

“I’m closing a chapter in my life,” Barbie Bertisch says to me from a park bench in Greenpoint, “I spent the last four years working towards gaining confidence around my ideas and my creative perspective. This feels like a culmination of that process” The “this,” in question is Bertisch’s debut record Prelude, a collection of eleven songs that chronicle 5 years of Bertisch’s life. The legendary musician Anna Domino describes the record best: “Prelude is a record of layers and depths. The melting phases and soaring distances.”


Raised in Buenos Aires and Miami, Bertisch has called New York home for most of her adult life. When she started piecing together Prelude, she was in her Brooklyn kitchen. It was early quarantine. Stuck at home instead of DJing at clubs, she found the space to parse through the archives. What she previously considered unworthy of attention in the era of distractions, finally made sense as a whole once all the noise was turned down. Compiling a list of songs in various states of completion, Bertisch dreamed up an album, a chronicle in growth and healing frustrations of the past, an honest account of someone trying to find her own voice. That in and of itself was a journey. It took years for Bertisch to accept that she was an artist. “I felt like I was surrounded by men who ruled every space. I constantly felt like I had to ask permission to enter, always around bands but never the girl in the band” she says.


Prelude is an introspective record. It explores all of the valences of being and feeling. Some songs are chaotic and choppy. Others are soft and searching. There is rage and innocence, and moments of forced stillness, like capturing the aftermath of panic attacks, as in “After The Storm”. Bertisch also focuses on rhythm, bass guitar being her main instrument, and no stranger to the power of the beat. The record also draws on influences as varied as Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Cocteau Twins, Berlin School, and pioneering producer François Kevorkian. Both sonically and conceptually, Prelude is a portrait of who Bertisch is as a person.“Is This What You Wanted?” is fiery, a pointed provocation to domineering figures from her past. It’s full of strobing, strident synths, and heady lines of bass. It gives off the same vibe as a fire alarm, as a big room dance track that subverts your expectations of what it means to dance in a sea of bodies. “28,” the record’s opening track is more peaceful. It’s all languid keyboard arpeggios with the occasional flourish of a cascading synth effect.


Since most of the songs already existed in some form or another, Bertisch’s job on Prelude was to refine and reimagine music that had previously been private. She spent time rearranging, rewriting, adding elements newly available to her, such as the saxophone, and pushing the limits of the rough mixes to mold the universe she envisioned. Along the way, Bertisch grew more excited about her abilities as a musician. The resulting record is one that is inherently confident.


Prelude is also a homespun release. It’s coming out on Bertisch’s own label, Love Injection Records, which she runs with her partner Paul Raffaele. The two also DJ and make zines under the name, which started in 2015. Love Injection is a love letter to New York. Prelude is a word of encouragement to those struggling with self-actualization. The record was mixed by Justin Van Der Volgen and mastered by Walter Coelho. Love Injection Records holds the remix tradition in high regard, and they’ve enlisted reworks by some of Barbie’s favorite producers. It’s all a labor of love for Bertisch. Prelude is her: Barbie the musician.
©℗ Love Injection Records 2022

After an initial link up last summer, Altrimenti Records present four more remixes of cult Italian synth maestros Cabaret Du Ciel. Once again the focus is on experimentation, testing unusual crossovers between artists, eras and styles in pursuit of compelling new sounds.
The results across all four of these versions are distinct from each other, and distinct from wider trends in dance music.
First up, Benedek approaches 'Great Plains' as a low-tempo space-boogie excursion. Following in the wake of his releases on Leaving Records, L.I.E.S. and People's Potential Unlimited, the LA-based artist lays down thick slabs of Moog while retaining the ethereal swirl of the source material.
Rome's L.U.C.A. (aka Francesco De Bellis) has established his new wave-inspired sound on his own Edizioni Mondo label, not to mention working in other projects such as MAT101 and Jollymusic, and he brings a sprightly, motorik energy to 'Climatic Variation'.
Lorenzo Fortino's 'Suspacid Revisitation' version of 'Lakota' is aqueous and psychedelic, but remains elegant and understated in its execution. The emergent producer has already released on Wo-Land and most recently Miniera, and this remix ably embodies the entrancing qualities inherent in his sound.
The remix package concludes with a playful, leftfield electro diversion from elusive Montreal-based producers Sentena. Hailing from an emergent scene orbiting the Doo label and projects like SnP 500 and Fashion, their crooked take on machine music perfectly meets the adventurous aims of Altrimenti in testing out crossovers of styles and creative processes.

"The album features the two sides of Mingus' compositional genius: the beautiful balladry that I always feel has a bit of a film-noir feel to it, alongside those joyous upbeat numbers that are filled with an organized chaos that categorizes much of the bassist's best work. ... Throw in the fact that it also features Jaki Byard (who is just phenomenal on this recording and remains criminally underrated), Booker Ervin, Dannie Richmond and Eric Dolphy and you have some of Mingus' finest sidemen driving his compositions to the fantastical places they seemed preordained to go. ... Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus is a record that has more than stood the test of time and is an everlasting testament to the talents of Mingus and the players who had the ability to follow his musical vision." — The Jazz Record

Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus was Charles Mingus' last major studio recording of the 1960s (the solo Mingus Plays Piano would also be released the same year in 1964) and it's a real treasure in the great jazz bassist's discography

Two of the tracks ("Celia" and "I X Love") were recorded at the sessions for The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady, while the rest were laid down eight months later with a group that included Booker Ervin, Eric Dolphy and Jaki Byard (Byard also played on the two earlier tracks). Both sessions featured groups of 11 players, all of whom were in top form in performing Mingus' notoriously complex compositions, writes jazzrecord.

All but two tracks on Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus were re-interpretations of songs from the bassist's earlier catalogue, only "Celia" rates as a new original number, and "Mood Indigo" is a cover of the famous tune by Mingus's hero Duke Ellington. If you happen to have lost your Mingus decoder ring, the remaining tracks correlate to their past counterparts as such:


For Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus Mingus collaborated with arranger/orchestrator Bob Hammer to score the music for the large ensemble of brass and saxophones. Recorded January 20 and September 20, 1963 in New York City.

In 2014, rock torchbearers Gov't Mule celebrated their 20th anniversary
with a series of dynamic live archival releases that highlight the group's
versatility and epic, fearless live performances
No two Gov't Mule shows are alike, as the band draws on the more than 300
songs in their repertoire (and often a host of special guests) to create a unique
experience each and every time. Their steadily expanding fan base knows that
the Mule always has something special waiting for them. Expect the unexpected.
Dark Side of the Mule, will be re-released on Glow-in-the-dark vinyl, and features
90 minutes of Pink Floyd covers recorded during the band's Halloween 2008
show at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, MA.

'Mellow Moon' is the debut album from Alfie Templeman - an album that
"feels like something of a miracle, landing somewhere between an
otherworldly trip and a joy-filled ode to life back on earth"
Like all journeys, the change in mood is palpable throughout Mellow Moon, with
songs like the nostalgic '3D Feelings' or 'Broken', which is about "all the little
wobbles of being a teen and figuring yourself out," that bristle with the energy of a
life being lived again.
There's nuance in there, too. Candyfloss suggests that life can sometimes appear
too good to be true, something Alfie has felt since was a kid. "There's always a
downside to the cool shit," he says. "Candyfloss is what it all appears to be until
you get deeper into it."
The result is an easily accessible comfort place. Across 14 tracks Alfie closes his
eyes and imagines another world, one where he's at ease and not distracted by
life's many challenges.
Inspired by modern influences like Steve Lacy, Khruangbin and Leon Bridges, as
well as Alfie's constant cosmic guide Todd Rundgren, Mellow Moon flows with an
ease that belies its difficult creation. "It's a moment in my life that I want to
remember forever. I've put so much effort into this and it's a real experience to
listen to."
Acting as both an intimate diary entry and a communal call to arms, Mellow
Moon is Alfie's most complete work to date and a platform from which he will
surely use to propel himself further into the stratosphere. If ever proof were
needed that music is a salvation or a transportative force, this is it.
Live sessions with Radio 1, Radio 2 and Virgin have now aired.
TV performances confirmed with Sunday Brunch (22 May) and Blue Peter (20
May), the week prior to album release (EMBARGOED!!!!!).
135M total global career streams

Sean Thompson's Weird Ears self-titled full-length debut centers the
seasoned singer-songwriter/guitarist in the immediacy of he present
moment - Born and raised in Nashville, Thompson cut his teeth playing in
a slew of projects around the city's rock, folk, and experimental scenes
both as creative collaborator and session player, spanning from the
experimental math-rock of Gnarwhal to the psychedelic country rock of
Teddy & the Rough Riders, Promised Land Sound, or Skyway Man, to
more Recently joining singer-songwriter Erin Rae as a one-man-righthand band
When asked about the connective throughline in his projects, Thompson doesn't
hesitate: "From Gnarwhal to now, I've always wanted to make something that
feels alive." Taking equal inspiration from the improvisational grooves of the
Grateful Dead as well as the craft of songwriters like JJ Cale & Joni Mitchell,
Thompson's songwriting debut marks the arrival of a unique voice grounded by
wide-reaching, generous ears.

(T Groove Edit)

Floating Points reissued the 1976 debut album Open Soul from Chicagoan soul/jazz-funk fusionists six-member outfit Tomorrow's People on his Melodies International imprint. Now P-Vine serve up a couple of singles from it, one of which has had a T Groove edit. Spanning a wide range of soul and jazz-funk styles, 'Open Soul' has a rubbery bassline and sock chord work with some big vocals and smooth grooves. It is an epic trip into space-soul territory. On the flip is 'It Ain't Fair', a much more slow and sentimental cut with romantic vocals and yearning chords.

"The past 5 years we have taken our music all over the world: Europe, Asia, Africa besides our homeland Denmark, and even though we cannot speak with many of the people we meet, our music is a universal language that transcends borders. The meetings we have had (and continue to have) all over inspire us to create new music. But of course we are the composers of the music, so this is our representation of those meetings.

Our 3rd album is called AFROTROPISM. Tropism is a biological phenomenon that indicates growth of a plant in response to the environment; so when you see a plant turning for the sunlight, this is tropism. In other words, this is not so much about the plant's roots but more about how it reacts when it touches the air, feels sunlight or rain - in other words the outside world. So AFROTROPISM refers to the fact that we are drawn towards the African traditions, but we are "growing" our own music.

On our first two albums we have recorded extensively with African musicians, and AFROTROPISM is centered around The KutiMangoes (TKM) as a band. We are developing our artistic direction by going more in depth with how we can mix our inspirations with our own musical heritage. Our musical mission is (and has always been) to mix cultures and create our own sound.

With our background in jazz music, TKM counts virtuoso instrumentalists with a heartfelt intent and sound innovators with our horns, effect pedals, synthesizers, drums and percussion from all over the world. AFROTROPISM is a further and deeper development of our trademark bold sound that experiments with synthesizers, soundscapes and a bit of electronic effects without losing it's focus on groove, melody, atmosphere and musicianship."

The KutiMangoes, July 2019


About each track:

STRETCH TOWARDS THE SUN
This track opens up with a synthesizer groove that is inspired by the polyrhythmic grooves played by the balafon (a predecessor of the piano) from West Africa. Our rolling sequence could not be played on the balafon because of the key changes, but the basic idea comes from that instrument. Quick and light, we wanted to write a song where you can feel the sun coming out and feel the energy it's rays give. The combination of the programmed groove, the horn-arrangement, the huge percussion section and the live instruments makes for a sound that we have not heard before, and it illustrates what this album is all about (and what the track's title refers to): that we stretch towards the things that give us energy – and that although our roots are in Denmark, when we encounter a musical tradition as rich as in West Africa, it changes us and our music.

A SNAKE IS JUST A STRING
The first time we saw Mali-bluesman extraordinaire Vieux Farka Touré on stage was just after we had played at a huge festival in Burkina Faso, and we almost literally caught on fire. Their groove was so strong and insistent that we were mesmerized, and it inspired us to come up with the opening guitar part of this song. Basically a bluesy tune with some unusual chord changes and a crazy synthesizer solo by Johannes Buhl Andresen reminiscent of that fuzzy guitar-sound we love so much in the Mali blues. The title is an homage to the Nigerian writer Chinua Acheba, who in his masterpiece novel "Things Fall Apart" tells that in the village during the night, to ward off the fear of darkness, people would call dangerous animals by a different name: don't be afraid, a snake is just a string.

KEEP YOU SAFE
It is a basic human necessity to have a place where you can feel safe. But there are far too many people in our world that fear for their safety, their livelihood, their children, their relatives – and this is surely not a feeling that helps us to flourish as humans. With this song we are saying that we all need to make it a priority to help our fellow humans to feel safe. And of course, if our song can offer a feeling of safety and comfort for a short time to those who listen, we are truly thankful.

MONEY IS THE CURSE
This track is directly inspired by Fela Kuti's ability to create music that is both physical and political. Dance music with a serious message about our times. For the solo part we wanted a more melancholy, pensive feel (than the full-on baritone-trombone melody) and also wanted to experiment with some choppy, stuttering effects to make the horns sound desperate. Money is the curse because it can become the objective of our life; money is the curse because it changes the relationships we have with our fellow humans. Money is the curse.

THORNS TO FRUIT
This melody is inspired by the scales and developments of a traditional Bambara folk-song. We love the way these melodies constantly evolve with small developments and changes. We felt like an accompaniment that is really dry, sparse and earthy would fit well and then made a contrasting solo part. As a group we are interested in how to develop our improvisations together and create sonic landscapes that evoke a distinctive atmosphere – so here, we have no soloist, but a collection of synthesizer parts, saxophone lines and guitar-sounds that together create a dreamy and lush ambience.

SAND TO SOIL
We started out with a short ngoni riff played by our good friend and master musician Aboubacar Konaté. We then sampled it, built soundscapes and our own both meditative and pumping groove around it. We created a melody with both melancholy and joy, with afterthought and impulse and then the brilliant Aske Drasbæk added an emotive and blistering saxophone solo. The title refers to the contrasts in our humanism. As part of our human nature, we have a dark side that drives us (and each other) towards destruction – making the fertile soil into barren sand. The title is an encouragement to emphasize the opposite movement in our nature: to create life and help it flourish. We keep ourselves human by insisting that we must never forget this side of our nature no matter how tough, tiresome or trying it might be. Let's keep our focus on the light, the warmth, the positive energy – that can turn the cold stone into fertile ground.

repressed !

A nice collection to relax in a warm and cosy musical atmosphere

As the z-axis of our planet tilts away, and a gulf of dusty earth, air and searing fire is revealed before us, Minimal Violence holds a unflinching stare, unveiling upon us Phase Three in an act of pure psychic release. Consecutive of the destruction of Phase One and the restructuring of Phase Two it only seems appropriate that the third phase of the series finds the project reaching a state of transcendence and transition as it also aligns with the shift from a duo to the solo venture of Ash Luk following the departure of co-founder Lida P.

This third EP of the DESTROY ---> physical REALITY psychic <--- TRUST series launches straight into the 145 bpm stomper Flatline. It is a track founded by a family spirit, with lyrics co-written with Luk’s mother and their step-father Mad Johnny on vocals and guitar. It draws a hoarse chant of passion, ".. nothing matters .. I still love you .. resuscitation .. resurrection .." in answer to arching melodic euphoria. Cold (sex) follows down a scorched earth driveway into distorted whistles, detuned melodies and some of the best sequencer abuse out there.
We Suocate on the Violence of Light reveals perhaps the finest expedition so far in Minimal Violence’s particular vein of acid-singed euphoric trance. Its synths smeared and merged unholy, where the drums meddle with the tensions between drum and bass and nail to the ground four to the floor rhythm. Focus On That Form pummels hard within a deep noise volley, scratching hard to rid its environments of any longer lasting lustre.

As ever, the transformative sound of Minimal Violence emerges deep from fire. Denying any uncertain embers an escape route, Luk casts anew from a seemingly unending source of unique energy.

FRENCH COMPOSER, PRODUCER AND MULTI INSTRUMENTALIST ADRIEN DURAND’S THIRD ALBUM

"Our last album, “La Course” was released in 2020 during the lockdown. Inspired by the feedback from listeners, who received the music with special attention, the idea and need for “(Loin des) Rivages” was born.” - Adrien Durand

Bon Voyage Organisation is the story of the construction of an ensemble, the quest for harmony, through music, between beings. This story has been the central leitmotif in Adrien Durand's composition and production work for almost ten years. Adrien Durand is a renowned Parisian bass keyboard player, composer, producer and mixing engineer having worked with noteworthy projects such as Amadou & Mariam and Papooz among others. Known for his knowledge of ensemble recording and arrangement techniques, BVO is his attempt at meticulously creating a musical dialogue around his compositions with a distinguished cast of musicians from di?erent backgrounds without the pressure associated with pop music recordings reminding us of the musical ensembles of the 70’s such as that of Carla Bley, Soft Machine or Irakere. (Loin des) Rivages was recorded over five days in June 2020 at Studio Atlas, the studio of Air’s Jean- Benoit Dunckel and mixed the following summer by Adrien Durand in his Parisian studio, Bureau 12. It was an orchestrated performance considering that all ten tracks of the album were played live, gathering up to thirteen musicians in the same room. The album follows what was initiated with BVO’s previous album La Course: an entirely instrumental sound free from any constraints. The close collaboration between Adrien Durand and the members of the ensemble allowed for an exquisite completion. Together, they deliver the incredible energy of "Le Sentier des Orpailleurs", the depth of melancholy of "Apacheta", and the originality of "Et s’éveillent"... Inspired by the great explorers of the soul: Sun Ra, Moondog and Coltrane - a cover of his Naïma actually opens the album - Adrien Durand mixes humanity’s first instruments (percussion and the wind) with its latest ones (mixing desks and synthesizers). Thus, he continues the most interesting yet rewarding artistic journey: The journey inward, far from the standards of civilization, in the heart of what some can take for madness, reaching into a jungle of the soul so marvelously represented in Clément Vuillet’s artwork. This is not an intellectual record but rather a spiritual e?ort, because, as Adrien Durand likes to repeat in his concerts: "Let us step into music as we step into a sanctuary."