Поиск:aud

MD Records, a small independent label started in 2018, are pleased to present the debut single from “Lost in Rio” on the new MD Gold series imprint.
Their debut single which will be out in August, ‘Little Piece of Heaven’ is a festival summer feel good slice of Latin pop featuring energetic musicianship and the vocals talents of Highland based Miss T.It is also something the guys are, rightly, very proud of.
The vinyl release of this single is presented as a double A side as both sides are phenomenal, with the remix bringing a NYC disco mix, designed purely for dancefloors with thumping bass, chic style guitars and soaring strings, think Studio 54 and the heady crossover soul of Philly meeting the early disco of New York.
Early plays by several funk and soul radio stations (Totally Wired Radio and FACE radio) has attracted interest from DJs keen to feedback with so many positive vibes and offers to collaborate on future songs.
Who Are Lost In Rio:
The band herald from the Highlands of Scotland. Inverness provides the base for a collection of musicians that have made their home here, whether they originated from Manchester, Melbourne, Malaysia or indeed the Highlands! The band has taken the funk and soul sound from their former incarnation, The Leonard Jones Potential (LJP) who were BBC6 Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show favourites with whom they undertook several live interviews on the show with Craig and also a popular live session as well as a number of joint live dates at Kendal Calling Festival, Inverness and Aberdeen. The guys were also asked to undertake some prestigious live work with world renowned DJ Carl Cox, on the bill at his personal request and alongside other acts such as Brand New Heavies, Danny Rampling, Gilles Peterson and of course, Carl himself.
The songwriting team behind all this - Anthony, Andy, Neil and Ruairi quickly set up Lost in Rio upon the demise of The LJP and began collaborating with a number of singers and a rapper (MC Butterscotch). They developed their sound into a smaller, tighter, groove based soul vibe.
From 2017 the grouped honed their sound with a number of live appearances across the Highlands including festivals and supporting acts such as Smoove and Turrell. Utilising guitars, bass, drums, Hammond and percussion, the guys set about leaning on key influences - Acid Jazz Corduroy and Brand New Heavies, dynamite disco guys Chic, Northern Soul, rare soul and a whole plethora of funky hip hop acts - The Allergies, The Herbaliser and Tribe called Quest to write a lot of new tunes. Latin influence comes to the fore in much of the groups new sound, particularly highlighting the impressive skills of Aussie percussionist Andy Pearce.
Live, the band have a good reputation and have been much sought after by promoters. Audiences have loved the tight rhythmic groove that these guys produce, meaning gigs are full of dancing and long encores. Recently the guys have been concentrating on driving up the already high standard of songwriting and production. This hard working band has plenty of material they are eager to share with those ears who are partial to quality funk, soul and pop and are looking for the right partners to work with and spread the message. Future releases will seek to exploit the wordsmith alacrity of MC Butterscotch who as well as Lost in Rio, also features as part of Scottish award winning hip hop act, Spring Break.
MD Records specialise in Unreleased soul and funk on its Yellow Series, contemporary soul and funk artists on the Gold Series, re-issue soul and funk on the Black Series and Missouri Soul and Blues via its Blue Lotus UK imprint.

t’s Indian Summer again and it’s like an unwritten rule to please you with another Atelier release at this beautiful time of the year.
So here we are with a collection of superb re-interpretations of a few tracks taken from the duos debut album “Varsam Court”. Delivering the goods we have no one less than Dutch high flyer’s Tunnelvisions, Lisboa’s LuxFrágil resident Switchdance, Heidelberg’s Lopazz & Casio Casino, Lossless co-head Mathias Schober and Alexander Inggs – one half of Atelier.
No doubt that we’re proud about this line-up and couldn’t be happier with the music we’re going to share with you now – enjoy!
Atelier quoting on the remixes:
“After writing the album Varsam Court, it was truly exciting to hear the songs in a different context. Originally, the album was not written for the clubs, but the remixes on the EP transcend that line, bringing the original ideas to a wider audience and into a new space. These reinterpretations by the artists are a great testament to how
everyone really does hear and feel music differently.”

In 1990 Neil Hannon started recording and releasing under the name
The Divine Comedy. Thirty years and twelve great albums later,
Hannon is rightly adjudged one of the finest singer songwriters of his
generation. To celebrate, Divine Comedy Records are remastering
and reissuing nine of the band's classic albums.
The nine reissued albums have been remastered from the original
tapes at the legendary Abbey Road Studios by mastering engineer
Frank Arkwright (Blur, The Smiths). Overseeing the audio throughout
the campaign is engineer / mixer / producer Guy Massey, whose
work on the Beatles Stereo Remasters won him a Grammy Award.
‘Casanova’ was the band’s third album and the first to bring real
success. First released in 1996 it explored and dissected a world of
casual affairs, loose morals and a thousand anxieties in between.
From the NME: “‘Casanova’ fairly teems with sex, with suppressed
desires... with ample evidence of what dicks men can be.” Mojo
described it as a “glorious... sumptuous paean to life, love and
longing.” Select said “Only a barren heart could resist it... Sensible
people simply swooned.” Singles ‘Something For The Weekend’,
‘Becoming More Like Alfie’ and ‘The Frog Princess’ became chart hits
and airplay staples while an alternate version of ‘Songs Of Love’
became the theme music for legendary Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted

GRITTY, ODD & GOOD is a new weird, pseudo-music compilation curated by avant-garde experimental composer and audio artist Francisco López.

As far as creation itself is concerned, big cities do not manifest anymore as the catalytic cultural centers they used to be. Their iconic status as hip locations seems more symbolic than real. The combined mighty forces of neocapitalist gentrification and telecommunication / information decentralization might have generated a substantially different landscape of geographical cultural distribution. And so unlikely places are also sources of physically-isolated, but culturally-interconnected, new creation. This is just but one more example of the larger phenomenon of techno-cultural atomisation (not to be confused with the more restricted so-called “democratisation”) that allows millions of people to create and share, pre- and post-internet. The amateur is the new potential master; and that is decided by the crowd in the circus and the stadium, not at the academy. With all of this comes the potential for new aesthetics, or at least the open-ended evolution of the previous ones, –far better than the current confusion between ethics and aesthetics- from the uninformed and the unknown. Atomization of this kind also brings for some the desire and the right to anonymity. And so it is for the unknown obscure artists of this compilation of weird experimental music –“gritty, odd & good”, with drones, glitches, cut-ups and more- who won’t reveal anything beyond their unlikely locations: San Marino, French Guiana, Philippines, Lesotho, Oman, Faroe Islands, Tuvalu, Liechtenstein, Kyrgyzstan. An innovative compilation presenting a world of unusual experimental de-constructed and recombined music casting a strong and exciting light into the unusual corners of our world. Dive in.

Compiled and Mastered by Francisco López
Vinyl mastered by Rashad Becker

a 1 Ragazza Raddrizza (Live Excerpt) - Giuseppe Moretti San Marino 3:00
b 2 SCVB - Daryana Jean French Guiana 4:39
[c] 3 One One Six Bee - James Ocampo [Philippines] 5:37
[d] 4 Coogan Radio - Thabiso Makhetha [Lesotho] 3:18
[e] 5 micro-Sister (Al'ukht Alsaghira) - Rashid Al Balushi [Oman] 3:59
[f] 6 Mond - Lív Jacobsen [Faroe Islands] 3:10
[g] 7 Sansobavo Mix - Eteroa Apinelu [Tuvalu] 8:38
[h] 8 Sans Titre (Fumée v.3) - Zzodiakk [Liechtenstein] 6:38
[Kyrgyzstan] 1:17

After his acclaimed debut EP « Cotonou » on Alma Negra’s record label, James Stewart comes back with his new EP Atlantic River Drive for Mawimbi Records, featuring two collaborations with Ghanaian kologo musician Ayuune Sule as well as two remixes from Simbad aka SMBD.

James Stewart met Ghanaian kologo musician Ayuune Sule, after booking several shows of kologo music star King Ayisoba in Lyon. Stewart was quick to witness the bluesy tone of Ayuune’s voice and his kindness as a musician, despite his impressive stature. Quite logically, Stewart invited Sule to record vocals on two of his ongoing demos at Bruno Patchworks’ recording studio (Voilaaa, Mr. President, Da Break), with the idea of making a rather unheard crossover between traditional kologo music and contemporary styles that would both appeal to Ghanaian crowds and a Western audience. Stewart then had a number of his arrangement ideas re-recorded by a talented cast of musicians, resulting in a brilliant mix of acoustic and electronic textures, sounding both vintage and modern.

Nodding to Eddie Palmieri’s landmark record “Harlem River Drive”, “Atlantic River Drive” is a stomping dancefloor track, drawing from the 6/8 feel of kologo music and the energy of contemporary club music. The track can be read as a tribute to the musical cross-pollinations between the African continent and its many diasporas, which Stewart has dedicated a long part of his life to, but also as a more intimate story about his life and family. All words were written by Stewart and then translated by Sule in his native Fra fra language from Northern Ghana.

“Where Are We Going?” is a two-part journey that reminds us that we should care about each other, about our communities while we don’t know what the future is made of. An important and much welcome message to navigate through these troubled, uncertain times. Referencing congolese N’dombolo tracks, the track has two parts and rich arrangements, with its first part going deep with syncopated clarinet hooks and playful percussion parts, and its second part moving to a four-on-the-floor pattern and an entrancing baritone saxophone solo.

The EP also features Worldwide FM and Brownswood maestro Simbad, who delivers two dancefloor-ready reworks of the track “Where Are We Going?” under his SMBD moniker, turning it into a spiritual, dubby journey, as well as an emotional house music track.

Award-winning International DJ and Producers The Prototypes release their third album ‘Ten Thousand Feet & Rising’. The Brighton based Drum & Bass duo were previously signed to tastemaker label ‘Viper Recordings,’ home to Matrix and Futurebound.

The Prototypes’ potent, hard-hitting production and broadsword body of work on seminal labels such as UKF, Viper Recordings, Shogun Audio, Ram Records, Technique Recordings and Formation. Anthems that have been supported across the entire D’N’B scene such as ‘Pale Blue Dot’, ‘Pop It Off’ and ‘Kill The Silence’.

Their expansive and versatile remixes of acts ranging from Ed Sheeran to Avicii to Friction by way of their sought-after bootlegs of Fisher and Knife Party and unreleased dubplate remixes of Bad Company and Pendulum. Not to mention their extraordinary debut album ‘City Of Gold’ that exploded in 2015, took them around the world several times over and elevated them to headline status.

‘Shadows’ is the first single from the new album, which they explain as ”a throwback to the Hardcore scene from the late 90s, with a piano line influenced by pivotal names through the history of the UK’s rave scene such as Vibes & Wishdokta, DJ Dougal, Slipmatt, and Nookie, to which we added a straight up banger of a bassline”.

Featuring Ulta Music’s singer Lily McKenzie, known for her collaborations with industry heavyweights including Giggs, Conducta and Wiley, as well as featuring on Crazy Cousinz’s 2017 smash hit, ‘No Way’, alongside Yxng Bane and Mr Eazi signed to Ultra Music.

Previously supported by the likes of Zane Lowe, Annie Mac, Andy C, Roni Size, Friction, J Majik & Wickaman, Pendulum, DJ Fresh plus many more.

John Winston Ono Lennon would have been 80 on October 9th 2020. In celebration of his life and the incredible pleasure his music has brought to millions in his lifetime, a new Best Of will be released. A multi-format collection, entitled GIMME SOME TRUTH., this set has been personally curated by the Lennon estate and mixes the biggest hits like the classic and timeless “Imagine” with campaigning songs such as “Give Peace A Chance” and the evergreen classics like “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” and is culled from all of his solo albums including the posthumous “Milk And Honey”.

John Lennon is simply one of the most recognised and respected musicians of the modern era. As one half of perhaps the most successful songwriting partnerships of all time he deserves his place in history. That this partnership was with Paul McCartney in The Beatles means that he is also one of the most successful recording artists in history. With every succeeding generation falling for their genius, their legend continues to grow and they dominate the pop landscape.

Their split in 1970 allowed each of the band members, by now literally some of the most famous people on the planet, to find their own voice as solo artists and to grow beyond the confines of the band. For John Lennon, this meant throwing himself headlong into life with his new wife, Yoko Ono and eventually a new life in New York City.

Being a solo artist meant that he could delve deep within himself and realise music that was both deeply personal and challenging and which sometimes required a commitment from the audience too. His songs during his solo career mixed accessible pop melodies with sometimes stark and heart-rending simplicity and all points inbetween. His lyrics ranged from deep introspection and self-analysis to subjects that were more concerned with politics (of self, of relationships, of the campaign for peace, of the place of mankind as well as global politics). After a first rush of creativity, he took a step back from the limelight to care for his son, Sean, at home in New York, but when he was ready he returned to recording with one of his most successful and impactful albums. Double Fantasy, preceded by the single (Just Like) Starting Over had been released the month before his life was tragically cut short on 8th December 1980. But this album joins the rest of his solo canon as testament to one of the truly great and truly iconoclastic musicians and personalities of the era.

MEET THE CHOIR THAT HOUSE BUILT

The late great Frankie Knuckles once called house music: “church for people that have fallen from grace.” Anyone who has been caught up in the rapture of a true house classic can testify to its power to unify and uplift.

HGC is an electrifying House meets Gospel experience that never fails to get audiences clapping, dancing and singing along. HGC shows bring together a group of outstanding singers, a full house band and DJ, creating an effortless live fusion of the biggest house and gospel tunes that never fail to raise the roof!

House Gospel Choir’s magic is their ear for production, thanks to the songwriters, producers, vocal arrangers and selectors who make up the collective. The choir have been bubbling away in studios across London, working with a roll call of iconic dance music producers, from global house icons Todd Terry, DJ Spen, Grammy Award winner Alex Metric, to Toddla T and UK gospel icon Nicky Brown. Their monthly public Mass Choir open rehearsal, at Rich Mix in East London, has featured guest appearances from house and techno icon The Black Madonna, and electro pop singer Georgia.

The current House Gospel Choir has grown to over 150 members of all religions and backgrounds. They take us to church, literally and metaphorically and remind us, whatever spiritual inclination we may have, of the sonic swells in our ribcage that truly great harmonies can inspire.

We Are One has become the choirs mantra, Founder & Creative Director Natalie Maddix explains “We can’t all speak at the same time and have our voices heard, but we can sing together as one voice and be understood”.

“The choir have a really unique energy. Beyond the uplifting vibes of Gospel Music…they’re like family” Annie Mac

“I’m so crazy about them” – THE BLACK MADONNA

One year after the landing of his long-awaited eponymous debut album, French producer Zimmer is back with a massive remix package to make the pleasure last, and he’s certainly put on a great spread for the occasion.

Up on duty for this second round of synth-splattered, stargazing goodies, we find none other than Herr Gerd Janson in the saddle for a pair of ‘short' and ‘extended’ dance versions, expert vibist Lauer, Mexican outfit Zombies In Miami, US-based producer Amtrac, with French clique homeboys Kendal and You Man completing the set.

All synths blazing, Gerd Janson gets the ball rolling with a pair of prismatic reworks of ‘Rey’, tailored to take the dancers on a wildly fun and light-hearted space jaunt. No need for an intro, the ’short edit’ goes straight for the audio G-spot and takes no byway to get its point across - pure mellifluous, horizon-widening dancefloor carefreeness on the menu.

Don’t get too easily distracted by its title, the ‘extended version’ is no basement creeper but rather an enhanced summer-flavoured earworm that lays further emphasis on the drums and bass for optimal peak time functionality.

French duo You Man pick up the torch with an equally sturdy and emotional reshape of ‘Wildflowers (ft. Panama)’, nicely contrasting Panama’s suave vocals with thoroughly funk-oozing bass arpeggios that’ll melt any sweatbox down to the ground.

In comes Lauer’s reinterpretation of ‘Mouvement’ - a dynamic late-afternoon weapon meshing the hectic bounce of cascading synths and incendiary bass, hazed-out poolside vibes and pop-indebted melodic motifs. The result is a fast-paced heater primed for extended use from sunset to sunrise with vibrant variations in shades throughout.


A true solar-powered, mystique-imbued affair, Zombies In Miami’s take on ‘Mayans’ propels us in a fascinating continuum of pulsating rhythms, hyper-modern textures and smouldering ritualistic vibrations.

Adding his spin to ’Techno Disco’, rising talent Kendal shoots his shots with deadeye accuracy, luring you into a junglistic intro to better surprise you with his usual tsunami- like deluge of serpentine keyboard chords and epic buildups.

Topping off this variegated sonic journey, Amtrac takes us on a soul-healing trip with his revisit of ‘Make It Happen’ - laying down a particularly tasty downtempo pop jam for you to chill and dream yourself to sleep with, fully enlarged with his trademark streamlined, balmy signature.

The music has gotten thick, guys give me tunes and they’re full of chords” declared Miles Davis interviewed on The Jazz Review in 1958, and added: “I can’t play them...I think a movement in jazz is beginning away from the conventional string of chords, and a return to emphasis on melodic rather than harmonic variation. There will be fewer chords but infinite possibilities as to what to do withthem.”
Miles proved his assertion to be true on Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959), an album that remains one of the most iconic and influential jazz albums of all time.


• LIMITED EDITION CLASSIC LP
• HIGH-DEFINITION PREMIUM VINYL PRESSING
• 180 GRAM VINYL-AUDIOPHILE PRESSING
• INCLUDES 1 BONUS TRACK

THE BEST-SELLING JAZZ ALBUM EVER AND THE MOST IMPORTANT MODERN JAZZ LP!

Born in Paris in 1915, Edith Piaf became “the voice of France”.
She began her singing career on the streets, and her only
musical apprenticeship came from listening to singers on the
capital’s popular radio stations. But Piaf’s emotional reading of
songs typified the French chanteuse style and in 1936 her
recording career began. Soon, she was enchanting audiences
beyond Paris. Enjoy this magnificent 180g clear vinyl LP
including "Non, je ne regrette rien", "La vie en rose" and more.

Arkham Audio presents yet another delicious techno EP by renowned French electronic musician Electric Rescue alongside a solid lineup of remixers. 'Dream Warriors' follows on from Electric Rescue's recent album release on none other than John Digweed's Bedrock Records, and comes bearing more of the intoxicating rhythms that we have grown accustomed to and equally as indulging reworks by Denise Rabe, TWR72, and Arkham label head Cri Du Coeur. This record firmly establishes that his hypnotising yet adrenalizing sound is a force to be reckoned with as he unveils a relentless yet minimalistic techno sound that shows inspiration from his friend and mentor Laurent Garnier.
The rave begins with the original mix of 'Dream Warriors', which leads with an infectious beat and hazy serpentine melody that thrusts your mind into a powerful yet entrancing oblivion. Heavy percussions and lively daunting melodies set the tone for rest of the record. Cri Du Coeur's rework of introduces itself with a pommelling baseline, layers of stimulating hi-hats, and transcendental melodies that create the perfect inebriating brew. The Denise Rabe remix spices things up with a mind-numbing visceral baseline and spooky industrial sounds that echo throughout the atmosphere.
Next up is 'Einoeino' which has a playful beat that contrasts with a dark and fuzzy looping melody to create the ultimate heart-racing and thrilling experience for the listener, leaving you to imagine being chased around a haunted circus. The remix of 'Einoeino' by TWR72 delivers his signature sound that encompasses pulsing rhythms, unyielding muffled baselines, and a slightly off-beat groove that concocts the perfect smoky dancefloor track.
Bringing together an innately well-suited collection of artists, Electric Rescue showcases his industrial techno-wizardry and prowess in putting together enthralling and boundless soundscapes with his new EP 'Dream Warriors' on the newly-founded yet tenacious Arkham Audio label.

Indem er immer neue Kunstformen und Kanäle wählt, um seine Vision zu verwirklichen, ist der Franzose Woodkid im letzten Jahrzehnt zu einer heimlichen Ikone avanciert: Er ist ein audiovisueller Ausnahmekünstler, dessen Werk stets seine Handschrift trägt, obwohl es mit jeder Zusammenarbeit und jedem Release neue Formen annimmt. Dass Woodkid jemand ist, dem es gelingt, eine Brücke zwischen der alten und der neuen Welt zu schlagen, wussten wir bereits. Und das nicht bloß, weil der junge Franzose schon mit etlichen Superschwergewichten der internationalen Popwelt zusammengearbeitet hat: Lana Del Rey und Drake waren da genauso dabei wie Rihanna oder auch Pharrell. Noch entscheidender und außergewöhnlicher ist vielmehr, dass er zu den wenigen Künstlern gehört, die wirklich inter- bzw. multidisziplinär arbeiten, klassische Genre- und Gattungsgrenzen hinter sich lassen, weil ihn einfach so unglaublich viele Ausdrucks- und Kunstformen interessieren und faszinieren. Als Musiker reichte ihm ein einziges Album – The Golden Age –, um damit ein deutliches klangliches und visuelles Zeichen zu setzen und neben unglaublich viel Kritikerlob auch unzählige Fans für sein Projekt zu gewinnen. Und jetzt, nach einer gut fünfjährigen Reife-, Konzentrations- und Experimentierphase, geht er noch mit seinem neuen Album S16 einen Schritt weiter. Aufgenommen wurde S16 in den Londoner Abbey Road Studios sowie in Berlin, Paris, Los Angeles und Island

GES: Anthology of American Pop Music

Six great pop standards remembered: five pop songs are dissected by sampler, stretched, compressed, and re-collaged. In this way, their identity is lost. What remains is a vague concreteness: flashes of déjà vu and remote echoes that evoke the original.
GES (Gesellschaft zur Emanzipation des Samples)
-
Active members: Helmut Schmidt, Jan Jelinek
Founded: 2009
Headquarters: Federal Court of Justice, Karlsruhe, Germany
-

GES Glossary

Acoustic Surveillance Series

A 7-inch vinyl record series curated by GES focussing on historical methods of acoustic surveillance. Each record introduces a surveillance system from the past. Starting with Uguisubari in 2017, the series will continue with the release of Orecchio di Dionisio in 2021. GES is open to further suggestions on this subject.

Bundesgerichtshof (German Federal Court of Justice), Karlsruhe

“The use of audio samples as artistic practice may justify the infringement of copyright and intellectual property rights.” (ruling of the German Federal Court of Justice pertaining to Metall auf Metall II, 2016). The court is also the official headquarters of GES.
Circulations

What happens to copyright claims when music from a passing car is captured in a street recording? Is it legal to use this recording freely or is it necessary to obtain licensing rights? Circulations re-enacts this recording situation: audio players are placed in public spaces, where they reproduce the desired sample material. The acoustically choreographed space is then recorded, creating a field recording in which everyday noises circulate together with seemingly incidental music.

Emancipation of Sampling

Fuelled by its criminalization, the act of sampling existing recordings forfeited some of its artistic prestige (see Sampling). GES wishes to rehabilitate and re-emancipate the practice of sampling as a form of art in its own right. Strategy: 1. Name samples and sources explicitly. 2. Choose samples that are as popular and as recognizable as possible (Beatles, Carpenters, etc.). 3. The editing and manipulation of the sample must not compromise its recognizability (negotiable). 4. Use as many samples as possible. 5. Always name more sample sources than were actually used in the composition.

Field Recording

A compositional practice widely used in sound art and ethnomusicology that involves the recording of natural acoustical phenomena. Two additional requirements are usually imposed: The recording process should take place outside a studio environment, i.e. outdoors. And the person recording does not generate any of the acoustic material him/herself. GES expands this definition by introducing the concept of choreographed public space (see Circulations).

Gambling

An acoustic event favoured by GES, already used in numerous sound collages (must take place in public). The most popular option is thimblerig, a cup and ball gambling game commonly played in the street. Compositional instruction by GES: Place an audio playback device in the proximity of a thimblerigger. Play works for orchestra (by Debussy or Mahler). Move slowly towards the gamblers with a microphone.

Helmut Schmidt

Multiple identity and fictional character devised by GES. Figures variously within the semiotic system of GES as member, guest artist or public representative. Following the historical example of Subcommandante Marcos (EZLN).

Kraftwerk

The German band founded by electropop musicians Florian Schneider-Esleben and Ralf Hütter (a.k.a. Die Prozessoren) is the natural enemy of GES. Protected by computer-generated avatars, Kraftwerk operates a quote-hostile cultural hegemony. Their strategy: Install a special brand in the collective consciousness by means of a sophisticated system of quotations and references that may in turn not be quoted by anyone else. Other bands with such delusions of omnipotence: U2, Metallica.

Marcel Duchamp

As the inventor of the readymade, Duchamp may be viewed as a precursor to the art of sampling. However, the artist is appreciated above all for his sonorous qualities, as his vocal silence has often been sampled and processed. It was the inspiration for Jelinek's radio play Zwischen.

Orecchio di Dionisio

This 65-meter-deep limestone cave in the Sicilian town of Syracuse, carved out of a hillside in ancient times, has exceptional acoustics: A person standing at the cave entrance can hear every word whispered deep down inside it. The painter Michelangelo da Caravaggio gave it its name (The Ear of Dionysius) in 1608. The cave indeed resembles an ear and – according to Caravaggio – had a specific function: The tyrant Dionysius I imprisoned his political prisoners in the cave in order to spy on them. Orecchio di Dionisio will be featured in the Acoustic Surveillance Series in the near future.

Sampling

Compositional practice whereby recorded music is fragmented, turned into sound collages and transferred into different contexts of meaning. Since the advent of affordable sampling technology in the 1990s, the music industry has been trying to criminalize and/or promote the practice. Both strategies are driven by the same principle: Profit.

Uguisubari

Sound-making floorboards in Japanese temple and castle complexes, featured in the Acoustic Surveillance Series in 2017. In the Edo period, the “nightingale floor” (literal translation of uguisubari) was a popular acoustic warning system. The principle was straightforward: When someone stepped onto the boards, nails would rub against metal clamps beneath the floor, creating a tell-tale squeaky sound that was said to resemble the chirping of the Japanese nightingale.

Wind

A generator of acoustic events and an amplifier/transmitter of existing sounds. A meteorological form of energy appreciated by the GES on account of its unpredictability. A series about wind as an acoustic phenomenon is planned. Working title: Hotel Corridors.

Zwischen (Between)

Radio play by GES member Jan Jelinek based on recordings of various public interview situations. From the speech of the interviewees (all of them eloquent personalities) the pauses between coherent utterances were extracted and assembled. What we hear is an archaic body language: modes of breathing, word particles and onomatopoeic turmoil. A key question for GES: Which comes first, personal rights or artistic freedom? For Zwischen, Jelinek used only recordings by public figures that were already available to the public.

Slinger Francisco, better known as The Mighty Sparrow, has a career that spans over 40 years and counting. He has entertained audiences across the globe and earned his rightful place as « King of the Calypso World » by defeating every other competitor/pretender to his throne.
"I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by Cole Porter in 1936. This song was performed by so many American singers, such as Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, The Ravens, Frankie Valli
and The Four Seasons. Recorded at Trinidad Hilton hotel, Sparrow’s version became a classic for calypso music lovers all over the world.

Trad Vibe records started in Paris in 2005 when two friends and open minded musicians decided to set up a label that would mainly focus on vinyl releases. In times when Serato and other midi controllers dominated the dj booths and when vinyl record sales were experiencing a major downturn, this endevour did not look like an easy bet . "Moar's Remixes", the label's first release allowed Trad Vibe to set foot in the business and to meet people like Grandmaster Dee Nasty, Cortex (Alain Mion), Raashan Ahmad, The Audible Doctor (NYC) amongst many others which resulted in fruitful collaborations."
Ten years and over thirty vinyl releases later we are poud to present you with this compilation that includes unreleased tracks and remixes by Dj Cam, 20syl (C2C/Hocus Pocus), Venice Beach, Lord Funk, Blanka (La fine Equipe / Juke Box Champions) as well as brand new tracks by artists we like among which LS Brigandes (NYC) feat Insight, Moar & Elodie Rama, Dj Suspect & Doc TMK, King Most (San Francisco) and Madjir."

Evolution is our main target and we hope that you will enjoy our new projects as much as we do."

One of the most quietly influential underground artists of recent times, Yamaneko returns with Spirals Heaven Wide, his fourth full-length album. Since breaking through in 2014 with his cult debut album Pixel Wave Embrace, Yamaneko has been one of the key artists re-contextualising ambient music for a new generation, crafting fragile compositions that draw as much from the angular shapes of grime, techno and keygen music as they do the soothing soundscapes of new age cassettes, ambient records and video game soundtracks. Written during Yamaneko’s last winter in London before relocating to Tokyo, Spirals Heaven Wide is his longest and largest-sounding release to date, combining some of his most evocative long-form pieces with the kind of haunting miniatures that made his early music so distinctive. The majority of the tracks were written after Yamaneko's first run of audio-visual shows at the end of 2018, and so are rooted in the same kind of live workflow and production methods that he explored with those sets. As with last year’s Afterglow EP, Spirals Heaven Wide is underpinned by a underlying influence of euphoric dance music, with distant trance and hardcore signifiers - both key influences on Yamaneko from an early age - visible through the album’s thick blankets of wind and fog. These influences come fully to the forefront on ‘This Spring of Love' and 'Fall Control’, two of the most outright spine-tingling tracks Yamaneko has released to date. Elsewhere, the album explores his love of emo music’s bittersweet melancholy, a fascination with constellations and the cosmos and an increasing love of writing extended, long-form compositions: a side of Yamaneko first explored on 2017’s Spa Commissions collection and continued on his contribution to respected ambient series Longform Editions.

Three years after their last collaboration “Lost in the Moment”, part of Darius’ debut album Utopia, the French producer and Nigerian born future soul artist Wayne Snow unveil their stellar single “Equilibrium”.

The message of unity has never felt more relevant than the times we are living through right now. This project composed one year ago, serves as a stark reminder that we can all transcend above our differences and connect through the experience of music together, regardless of colour and race.

The undeniable synergy of both artists create a harmony magnified by the richness of their diverse cultures and musical background.

The beat instantly catches us in a warm and arresting atmosphere. The main melody reveals an uptempo rhythm gently interwoven in Wayne Snow’ emotive voice, born in Nigeria, living in Berlin in preparation for his next album. His lyrics infuse a carefree candor, which only suggests love and euphoria, fruit of an universal balance and a collective caring energy.

After multiple collaborations among “Helios” or the “Nightbirds” improvised live project (feat. FKJ and Crayon), the two artists reunite once again on “Equilibrium”. Heady and joyful, only few seconds are enough to form a timeless memory and make this track an instant classic. Darius holds Wayne’s powerful vocals, which travel through the composition as gospel pipe dreams. His Funk and Disco influences, embodied by his heart-warming and dynamic groove reminds us of his iconic project Romance (2014). Driven by a festive and upbeat energy, Darius finally renews himself with a return to his musical roots, whilst Wayne Snow steps up towards an audacious expression and a peek into his forthcoming artist album.

Lovers of pastel and retro aesthetics, we find the artist’s aesthetic language elevated through an impressive video treatment by the esteemed French director Alice Kong set for release on July 23rd. The audio release will precede a week earlier on July 16th, part of his forthcoming project.

‘Hörtest-Edition IV - Visions of Jazz’ is a listening experience to be cherished. It offers a specially curated programme which can be compared across different media and in various formats. Enjoy an audiophile adventure in perfect sound quality: the 180gram LP, cut at half speed, has been subject to the most exacting demands during the pressing process, rendering the quality of a turntable audible. Compare the special features of vinyl with the strengths of a conventional audio CD, or alternatively feast your ears on the sound quality attainable in the hi-res world of 24-bit. For this listening experience, ACT has curated a selection from its current releases by renowned artists, all recorded and produced to the highest standards and with an uncompromising focus on sound quality.  Test… compare… but above all, enjoy the music. Under the motto ‘Visions of Jazz’, ‘Hörtest-Edition IV’ presents a multi-faceted kaleidoscope of current jazz.  This ‘Hörtest-Edition’ includes gatefold 180g LP, CD and 24Bit high resolution digital download files. Curated and compiled by Marco Ostrowski.

Untold’ is an experimental electronic LP from multi-disciplinary artist and author Sophia Loizou. Depicting a series of speculative sonic landscapes; animals, ocean waves and weather systems are abstracted into eco-centric cyber-dreams creating powerful ambient compositions that invite us to see the Earth through the eyes of others.

‘Untold’ is not about the natural or the technological but the relationships between the two; sonic textures, breaks and melodies are shaped by the dynamics of a lion’s roar or the rhythm of a dolphin’s echolocation emissions. “I didn’t want to make it human-centric,” explains Sophia. “I wanted to remove my compositional and structural domination, to find ways to make it about the symbiosis of systems I see in the world.”

‘Untold’ is part of a much bigger multi-disciplinary project that also includes a collection of poems with accompanying audio, artworks, an AV show and a lecture performance.

Mastered and cut by Matt Colton @ Metropolis.

Techno boldness from the depths of Upstate New York. Mysterious L’estasi Dell’oro returns with eight mind-boggling machine songs. Twisted mechanical workouts, enchanted while driving hard like awakened nature recapturing unattended industrial structures. Circular melodies cut through the rectangular metallic clutter. This is the stuff to bring us back together. Following previous releases on Macro, Field, Flaneur Audio, Fifth Wall and Voodoo Down, Christopher Ernst leaves his Brooklyn phase behind and starts afresh with his first long-form release in five years.

Neotnas feat. Philosopher is a new collab of electronic music producers from Russia (Chelyabinsk and Moscow accordingly). As the environment of the cities mentioned as well as social milieu vary significantly a profound personal reflection of the artists results in a very specific outlook sculpted by both history and presence of Russia – a surprisingly nice stuff inspired mainly by jazz, ambient and trip-hop. Four new tracks give a deep insight into the way the artists feel the groove and associate it within a dancefloor culture regarding its roots and worldwide influence. Two of them (Jazz Engine and You're Mine) – are 124 BPM house party cuts place all the emphasis on intensively syncopated TR-808 hi-hats layered with properly selected percussive jazz elements and flavored with brass licks and reverbed chords, catchy vox and driving by a grit kick and pumping low bass patterns. Another one (Spirits Of A Dawn) cautiously takes a listener to a personal journey to the edge of an imaginary big city, leaving its downtown, and moving out of the night shade slowly, coming near a sleepy morning glimmering focusing on a light sparks of a new day. The last but not the least track (Traffic Love) is a dense powerful banger galvanizes trip-hop beats and house chords with a lush and mystic 90`s female vocal all together aimed to stir up a crowd on a dancefloor and make them wet and happy. This release – fresh and diverse – will definitely hits it off with a large audience and joins a marketplace properly.

Finnish DJ/ProducEr duo Cut BEEtlEz droppEd thEir dEbut privAtEly pressed High Jump 7” EP bAck in 2014. ThAnks to A hook up from lEgEndAry MC, DJ, vinyl vEtErAn And All round top fEllA OxygEn thEy sEcurEd A dEAl with AE Productions And rEturnEd in August 2017 with 12” singlE Droppin’ NEEdlEs fEAturing OxygEn And Soundsci crEwmAtEs AudEssEy and U-GEorgE.

SincE thEn Cut BEEtlEz hAvE bEEn mEticulously crAfting thE rEst of this Album whilE concurrEntly working with ThE Good PEoplE on thEir Cut PEoplE EP rElEAsEd in 2019 on FAbyl REcordings.

BEing thAt nEithEr J MAn or HP LovEscrAtch ArE MC’s thEy nEEdEd somE vocAl AssistAncE And rEcruitEd thE immEnsE tAlEnts of rEgulAr cohorts ThE Good PEoplE along with Guilty Simpson, RAh DiggA, El DA SEnsEi, J-LivE, OxygEn, REks, Truck and REtnA – All of whom wE’rE surE nEEd no introduction. ThE Droppin’ NEEdlEs mAin vErsion from thE singlE is Also includEd for good mEAsurE but thE rEmix rEmAins ExclusivE to thE 12”. EyE cAtching Artwork by thE EvEr AmAzing Mr Krum finishEs off thE pAckAgE nicEly!

Berlin techno luminary Jamaica Suk announces her most ambitious project yet: Uncertain Landscape.

This 17-track, 4x 12” vinyl release on her acclaimed Gradient label will be released in four installments from Autumn to Winter 2020 and brings together a host of diverse techno talent. She will release a DJ mix featuring all 17 tracks to complete the series accompanied by a film from Anthony Vouardoux. The project is made up of a wishlist of names whose music she has been heavily supporting in her sets over the last few years. “I wrote specific producers inquiring for tracks that would be fitting to the label and also fit the DJ mix that I’m recording from these tunes. I’m looking to promote music that shares the same vision as I do.”

It marks the first original releases on Gradient from producers other than herself, which is a change of tact from her original plan for her imprint. “Initially I wanted to only release my music on Gradient including remixes - but it doesn’t make sense as there’s so much inspiration out there. By expanding the label’s network we create our own tribe.”

Jittery rhythms with a touch of ‘Spastik’ about them propel BNJMN’s ‘Abyssal Surge’ into life, with a big riverbed sound abounding as the track builds through haunting sustained tones and glitching mechanics.

Arthur Kimskii thundering ‘Natasha’ pummels from the first moment, with shuddering sub bass carving its way through the sound field as hypnotic bleeps pulse in the distance. Rapid-fire. Filtering percussive waves accentuate the bassline’s incessant 16ths rhythms, all the while the resonant kicks hammering away beneath.

Wrong Assessment’s ‘The Eight’ is a dissonant avalanche of warped textures, where grunting synth thrusts rub up against industrious pulses and chattering hi-hat patterns weave in and out of the mix. Stuttering bass and cymbal rides complete the urgent feel.

Introspective respite comes from Electro Indigo’s ‘Volcanite’, a stirring piece of broken beat experimentation where graceful pads slide hauntingly over taut kick and bass patterns and beautiful ghostly analog synth notes.

Look out for parts 2-4 coming soon and special audio + visual showcases.

Freshly signed artist named Ian Ash (also know as “H” and Sunny G) delivers a massive filtered boogie house track. So What U Want will also come with a Lord Funk remix which sound a bit more electro funk to blast the dancefloor.

This track is a radio killer and should be loved by many musiclovers including DJs, producers or simply people who like to listen to mainstream vocal house as French touch production. A bunch of samples and played instruments make it efficient and support the
sweet voice of the singer Djemaïli. He is known first as an R’n’B singer, but he liked to perform on this future classic – and you can hear it! Ian Ash is known as a resident DJ of the World-famous Montreux Jazz Festival where he has spun records yearly between 2001 and 2019. Including 1st and 2nd parts of George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic, Spearhead feat. Michael Franti, Doctor L, Tony Allen,Jean Grae, Raphael Saadiq, Will Calhoun, Common,Dj Cam, Mister Mike, Benji B, Souljazz, Andy Smith,Buddah Monk, Jimmy Cliff back band, Jamie Lidell, and Claude Nobs himself! He spun also at Cargo (London), SPACE (Ibiza), NL (Amsterdam), Divans du Monde
(Paris), etc. He surely is in the top 10 Funk DJs in Europe. He also has been stage and studio audio engineer for 2 decades and has mixed a couple of live artists such as Joe Sample, Mandrill or even AIR. He has mixed more than 90 concerts at Montreux Jazz Festival 2002 and deeply participated in producing 4 Days in Geneva by Ohmega Watts
more recently.

“Not The Nine O'Clock News gave the world alternative comedy and made the media scene we have today.” – Mark Lewisohn, Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy Celebrating over 40 years since the ground-breaking comedy series arrived on BBC TV, Demon Records proudly presents The memory Kinda Lingers - lovingly mastered on 2 x 180g heavyweight Hedgehog Splatter vinyl.
Let the famous signature tune take you back to the heady days of 1979, when Labour gave way to the Conservatives, striking workers created the Winter of Discontent, and Not The Nine O’Clock News inherited the BBC2 time slot vacated by Fawlty Towers. It quickly became a trailblazing smash hit, running for four series and making stars of Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Pamela Stephenson and Griff Rhys-Jones.
Among the many famous, and much-loved, sketches included on the LPs are David Bloody Attenborough (aka Gerald the Gorilla), Points of View, General Synod’s “Life of Python”, Constable Savage, University Challenge, Hi-Fi Shop, That’s Lies, Not The Parrot Sketch, Open Marriage, Question Time, Game For A Laugh, Two Ninnies, McEnroe’s Breakfast, What A Load of Willies, The Pope’s Visit, Simon and Garfunkel and – yes – The Return of Constable Savage.
Produced and devised by John Lloyd and Sean Hardie, Not The Nine O’Clock News won a Silver Rose at the Montreux Festival and a BAFTA for Best Light Entertainment Programme. Its large writing team included such future luminaries of TV comedy as Richard Curtis, David Renwick, Andrew Marshall, Guy Jenkin, Laurie Rowley, John Lloyd and Andy Hamilton. Presented as a faithfully reproduced facsimile gatefolds, and remastered from the original tapes

Pavlov’s Dog, the 70’s AOR / Prog-rock band, was an odd crew. The band combined guitar, keyboards, percussion and bass with mellotrons, flutes, and violins. Pampered Menial was their first album, originally released on ABC Dunhill and re-released on Columbia in 1974. At the time the band was signed, they received a $600,000 advance from ABC which was a record advance for any new group signed at that time. The songs “Julia” and “Theme From Subway Sue” received the most airplay. Pampered Menial is a crossover albums of 70’s hard rock and progressive rock and is strongly recommended to fans of either of those genres.

Available as a limited 45th anniversary edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on transparent & black marbled vinyl.

• 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
• GATEFOLD SLEEVE WITH DELUXE LINEN LAMINATE
• LEGENDARY PROG-ROCK ALBUM FEATURING “JULIA” AND “SONG DANCE”
• LIMITED 45TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF 1000 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON TRANSPARENT & BLACK MARBLED VINYL

West coast composer, artist, and producer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith has chartered a pioneering career with multiple critically-acclaimed albums since 2015. Following the release of The Kid in 2017, Smith focused her energy in several directions. She founded Touchtheplants, a multidisciplinary creative environment for projects including the first volumes in her instrumental Electronic Series and pocket-sized poetry books on the practice of listening within. She's continued to explore the endless possibilities of electronic instruments as well as the shapes, movements, and expressions found in the physical body's relationship to sound and color. It is this life-guiding interest that forms the foundational frequencies of her most recent full-length, The Mosaic of Transformation, a bright, sensorial glide through unbound wave phenomena and the radiant power discovered within oneself. "I guess in one sentence, this album is my expression of love and appreciation for electricity," says Smith. While writing and recording, she embraced a daily practice of physical movement, passing electricity through her body and into motion, in ways reflecting her audio practice, which sends currents through modular synthesizers and into the air through speakers. Not a dancer by any traditional definition, she taught herself improvisatory movement realizing flexibility, strength, and unexpectedly, a "visual language" stemming from the human body and comprised of vibrational shapes. Understood as cymatics, as Smith says, "as a reference for how frequencies can be visualized," much like a mosaic. Smith describes her first encounters with this mosaic; "the inspiration came to me in a sudden bubble of joy. It was accompanied by a multitude of shapes that were moving seamlessly from one into the other...My movement practice has been a constant transformation piece by piece. I made this album in the same way. Every day I would transform what I did yesterday...into something else. This album has gone through about 12 different versions of itself." As it has arrived, in a completed state, The Mosaic of Transformation is a holistic manifestation of embodied motions. Smith's signature textural curiosity that fans have grown to adore pivots naturally into a proprioceptive study of melody and timbre. Airy organ and voice interweave with burbling Buchla-spawned harmonic bubbles. "The Steady Heart" quivers to life, peppering blasts of wooden organ between winding vocal affirmations. As with a body, moving one portion requires a balance and counterbalance; here, subtle tonal twitchy signals fire in conjunction with coiling arias to create a mesmeric core. When the beat arrives at the midway mark, a swooping and jittery waltz, a sense of stasis in motion, a flow state, is sonically achieved. As soon as it syncs, it disappears back into the swirling ebbs of electric force. Other tracks stray into more ruminative physical realms. "Carrying Gravity" is built around string-like pads that expand and contract like a solar plexus, becoming taught and then loose. If the record could be summarized in a single movement, it is the 10-minute closing suite, a rapturous collage called "Expanding Electricity." Symphonic phrases establish the piece before washes of glittering electric peals and synthesized vibraphone helix into focus. Soon, Smith's voice grounds it all with an intuitive vocal hook, harmonized and augmented by concentric spirals of harp-and-horn-like sounds. Smith's music doesn't capture a specific emotion as much as it captures the joys of possessing a body, and the ability to, with devotion and a steady open heart, maneuver that vessel in space by way of electricity to euphoric degrees.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- GATEFOLD SLEEVE
- ALBUM FEAT. SKRILLEX, EXCISION, DATSIK, NOISIA,
KILL THE NOISE, AND 12TH PLANET
- FIRST TIME ON VINYL
- LIMITED FIRST PRESSING OF 2.500 INDIVIDUALLY
NUMBERED COPIES ON COLOURED (SILVER AND
BLACK MIXED) VINYL

The Path of Totality is the tenth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. Originally released in 2011, the album finds Korn shifting gears and exploring new territory.

On The Path of Totality band collaborated with some of the leading dubstep and electronic producers in the world, including Skrillex, Excision, Datsik, Noisia, Kill the Noise, and 12th Planet. This resulted in something completely new, yet utterly and definitively Korn.

The title The Path of Totality refers to the fact that in order to see the sun in a full solar eclipse, you must be in the exact right place in the exact right time,' Korn frontman Jonathan Davis explained.

The album includes the singles Get Up!', Narcissistic Cannibal', Way Too Far' and Chaos Lives In Everything'.

The Path of Totality won Album of the Year at the 2012 Revolver Golden Gods Awards. This was Korn's first victory at the Golden Gods Awards, a ceremony that celebrates the best in hard rock and heavy metal music. Korn was also inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame during the 2011 Kerrang! Awards.

Available on vinyl for the first time, the first 2500 individually numbered copies are pressed on coloured (silver and black mixed) vinyl! Strictly limited!

On August 21st rising DJ/producer Haider presents the ‘Endless Clouds’ EP on his own label Breaker Breaker, where pristine future electro meets high tech funk and raw, jacking house. This new release follows praise from a wide selection of world-class DJs and media for his past 12”s, not to mention achievements as label owner, party promoter, canny early spotter of talent and general proactive instigator. Now based in Berlin but originally from Sheffield via a stint in London, there’s a commonality throughout all of Haider Masroor’s music that links both thematically and geographically. His
productions recall both Steel City bleep and its distant younger cousin bassline, using only sparse elements, with beats and bass at the fore, to deadly effect. London is audible too via
the spiky energy of grime and the swinging shuffle of UK funky, and so is Berlin, evident in the sleek sheen and efficient precision.
On ‘Maracuja’ lush pads, pitched-up vocal snippets, bleeps and proper electro beats ride atop a deep, purring bassline that unfurls like giant waves, with sub bass punctuation adding further hefty depth.
The bouncy, punchy beats and pristine gleam of ‘I Came To Destroy’ are somewhere between celestial Miami bass and the aquatic grooves of Drexciya, again propelled by gigantic slo-mo bass tones.
A modern take on the cut-up samples of 90s house, on ‘Grove Street’ Haider mixes elements of classic French touch, Chicago rawness and low fi outsider grit, to create something very enticing indeed.

GROUNDSWELLS’ is the third chapter in Wren’s seasonal lore exploration, and their first through Gizeh Records. These six melancholy-shrouded sonic ruminations swell between intimate performances devoid of adornment, and evolving soundscapes of auditory ruin. Tracing an elemental arch, 'GROUNDSWELLS' captures Wren delving into earthen awakenings.

Launching into a monochromatic dirge, ‘Chromed’ announces the LPs stylistic intentions, forgoing the trappings of traditional harmony with deliberate pendulums of pitch and tone. Swarms of percussion drag the track to its conclusion in a collage of insidious feedback, with oscillations sculpted by the record’s producer, Scott Evans of Kowloon Walled City.

Elsewhere, swift variance is displayed in Wrens’ deft handling of genre and form, refusing to be solely one of either. The record courses between rigid post-punk, broad waves of dreaded sludge, and austere choral reverberations. Pulsating Krautrock themes present in their previous work are revisited, with a focus on embracing archetypal motorik technique, as the LP stretches compositions to their furthest tensions through profuse repetition, straining the cracks between.

Inviting physical, elemental surrounds into ‘Subterranean Messiah’, Wren allow space for the sudden cloudburst of Middle Farm Studios in the introductory passage via location recording, embracing the interplay between source and locality. Combined with the painterly fretwork and ghostly chants of Fvnerals, the collaboration seeks an emotive new path of melodic vulnerability. In contrast, the closing elegy is layered with disharmonious cycles of agonised cello from Jo Quail. As with other conclusions on the LP, the track's commitment to strained repetition is rewarded with sonic climaxes of blackened psychedelia, led by stalagmitic spirals of atonalism.

Throughout the LP, Wren draws from their long-standing apologue, with a partnership of vocalists showcasing a lyrical and vocal interplay thick with a dense lore new to their compositions. 'GROUNDSWELLS' brings Wren to an equinox in their earthly contemplations. Ruminating on the decaying inanition that engenders renewal, this record is a revelry in the cyclical, repetitious infinity of planetary permanence.

(Record Store Day 2020)

Mannequin Records is proud to celebrate 40th years of Nocturnal Emissions with more reissues setup for 2020.

"Tissue of Lies" is the Nocturnal Emissions first album, released on the band's own Sterile Records label as EMISS001 in 1980. "Tissue Of Lies"
shows you Nocturnal Emissions Industrial roots, from noisy collages to classic power noise, reminding the early Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire, Faust ('Tapes' period) or Conrad Schitzler's 'Schwarz'.

The Nocturnal Emissions project, masterminded by Nigel Ayers, has been on the cutting edge of new music since the 1970s. Nigel Ayers has been described as a Guerrilla Sign Ontologist, cutting-up and pasting the contents of the human psyche. With a background in avant-garde art, his work has grown from audio visual installations through underground video works which changed the shape of British television.

In the early eighties Nocturnal Emissions hit London with a barrage of seminal funk; pioneering the use of sound samplers, multi-cultural
collage and electronic noise. They became a shape shifting chameleon lightening the darkness of post-industrial music, combining extremist performance art and video displays with apocalyptic beat music. Nocturnal Emissions have since been credited as a catalyst for a
generation or two of sound workers.

However, at the height of their success, the Emissions decided to shun the crass commercialism that had developed around them, and to develop their work as a secret alchemy. Nigel Ayers has continued to work with a strong underground of cult support, avoiding music industry fashions, and following his own creative path he concentrated on creating a strong sense of a wilderness identity through sound.

Limited edition of 600 copies, on solid white vinyl.

Introducing the first release on MARICAS Records from the Barcelona queer collective. After three years of living the Maricas techno-pervy-loving lifestyle and spreading their message of freedom and love in their hometown and beyond, it was time to share the music they love and live by. With their very own imprint, they strive to lift up and showcase their family of queer artists and spread their sound to parties and after parties all around the world.

The first EP is delivered by none other than resident and co-founders ISAbella. She makes her debut with a solid five tracker, which bounces between house and breaks, all with a touch of old school. Hard-hitting drums and crispy perc are blended with just the right amount of dirty Rave and Electro flavours.

The A side kicks off with the dance-floor-banger Extrema, a driving house weapon rich in synth textures and stabs. Each layer takes its turn to be heard over the fat bass line, before combining into a dense melodic texture at the climax. This is sure to crush any dance floor.

Side B features Contacto, which perfectly encapsulates the Maricas sound. Deep, dreamy layers of atmosphere and the ethereal, euphoric melodies floating above are driven forward by a crunchy breaks riff and an airy but tough four to the floor kick.

A 38 minutes exorcism, dionysac sexyness fueled with romanticism, made of mechanical incantations mixed with spectral vocals of forgotten imaginary tribes, words from a physicist (Incomprehensible Image), and mystical breathings… To remind you that music is demanding your soul and body, fully.

A master irritator, disclosing this talent all the way, down to every chosen title, for the album itself and all of its components (would you put Milk in Water ?). As repetitive or minimalist music may already make some of you feel nervous, it seems more accurate to talk here about primitive music – notwithstanding a non violent anarchism. But those are only words and vain attempts to attach TLT to a region or a family. Neither the burden of classical European music legacy, which eventually lead to pop music, seemed to interfere with his wild mind, and if it is no surprising to hear Bach in German electronic music, there is here a clear statement that you are out of this sirupy prison…

For D.W. is a sorcerer. He’s been empirically learning the speaking of trance with years of touring and experimenting with all kinds of audience and venues, from clubs to museums, from Mongolia to Brazil, from his performances with his bands Kreidler or Toresch to solo ones, sustained by a steady limited set up, as the one used when he’s recording : one MPC, rudimentary synths, few effects and a mixer. No sound engineer on stage as only he knows his secret language… Raw dubmaking, leaning towards hip hop, indubitably underlining here a significant distanciation from his previous industrial inspirations. The bewitchment of this record is operating with no warning from the very first seconds until the last epiphany of Sales Pitch.

He is using his knowledge of techno, psychedelism (Inverted Sea), UK bass (Jumping Dead Leafs), only to bring you out of it. We all tend to be slaves, without even being conscious about it, and a balance must be existing between being a slave and showing off. Mr. Weinrich’s answer is unsettling because it is an utter call to this balance, in our world of black and white and political correctness. There is no morality in music… Don’t expect anything else than an unaccountable liberating immediate experience. Don’t expect any kind of music because you are already in the past or the future… From his recording technique mainly relying on one takes, his adoration of mistakes and jeopardy, to the core essence of repetitive music, it is all here about being in the present. No ears no glasses.

We Release Jazz is delighted to announce the official reissue of Ryo Fukui’s final album, the very personal contemporary jazz offering, A Letter from Slowboat, sourced from the original masters and available on limited edition 180 gram vinyl mastered at half speed for full audiophile sound, as well as on digipack CD.
Known for his miraculous albums Scenery (1976) and Mellow Dream (1977), legendary Hokkaido pianist Ryo Fukui, with the help of his wife Yasuko, opened his very own jazz club in Sapporo in 1995, Slowboat. This is where Ryo Fukui spent the latter half of his career, playing again and again, welcoming peers for unforgettable sessions, and perfecting the craft he lived for: jazz.

A Letter from Slowboat is a poetic, soulful, and honest love letter to Hokkaido, to Fukui’s jazz club, and to endless hours of practicing artistry in a place called home. Backed by longtime collaborators Takumi Awaya on bass, and Ittetsu Takemura on drums, Ryo Fukui flows through classics and originals with natural class, fluidity and absolute precision, expressing a smooth balance between skills and heart. Slowboat, full of breathtaking solos and exquisite moments of clarity, is another crucial piece in the career of one of the most fascinating jazzmen to ever grace the piano. It was released in 2016, sadly the year Ryo Fukui passed away, leaving behind a legacy of works that is sure to captivate jazz lovers for generations to come, and Slowboat, where the magic still happens to this day.

This is reissued in conjunction with Ryo Fukui’s Ryo Fukui in New York (1999), also available via We Release Jazz.

The 5Rhythms movement practice founder Gabrielle Roth's dance meditation soundtrack from 1996. Previously only available on CD, first release on audiophile 45rpm double heavy-weight vinyl

Black Truffle is pleased to announce Ashioto, the first international solo release from Japanese drummer-percussionist-composer Tatsuhisa Yamamoto. Active for over a decade, Yamamoto has performed and recorded extensively with artists such as Jim O’Rourke, Eiko Ishibashi and Akira Sakata, as well as participating in innumerable improvised and ad hoc groups.

Ashioto presents two wide-ranging pieces that combine Yamamoto’s percussion work with piano, field recordings, electronics, and contributions from guest musicians Daisuke Fujiwara and Eiko Ishibashi.

Beginning with a passage of chiming metal percussion, the first side slowly builds into a rolling, open groove reminiscent of Yamamoto’s work on Eiko Ishibashi’s acclaimed Drag City LP The Dreams My Bones Dream. Spacious piano and synth notes, along with Ishibashi’s spare melodic figures on processed flute, hover above this propulsive rhythmic foundation, the whole effect adding up to a more abstract take on the area explored on Rainer Brüninghaus’s ECM classic Freigeweht. The LP’s second side opens up a cavernous space filled with ominous electronics and shimmering metallic percussion, which organically transitions into a passage of rumbling piano chords and mysterious concrète sound. Later in the piece, Daisuke Fujiawara’s saxophone enters, playing melancholic melodic fragments that are looped and layered, creating a seasick swaying effect familiar to listeners of James Tenney’s works with tape delay systems. Beginning as delicate bass drum pulses, Yamamoto’s accompanying percussion eventually builds the piece into a raging torrent of free-improv splatter, processed sax and fizzing electronics.

Though grounded in instrumental performance, Ashioto is very much a studio construction, making inventive use of electro-acoustic principles in its editing and mixing. Together with its sister Ashiato – a different take on the same ‘script’ released simultaneously on Japanese label Newhere – Ashioto demonstrates to an international audience for the first time the true breadth and ambition of Yamamoto’s work.

Mastered by Jim O’Rourke. Cover photos by Kuniyoshi Taikou. Design by Lasse Marhaug.

Etrusca 3D is a new band that merges two current Audio and visual artists from the 21st Century, Francesco Cavaliere and Spencer Clark.

The album is the first to be released by Spencer Clark's label Pacific City Discs, as a subsidiary and in collaboration with Discrepant. 

‘’One cannot underestimate the result of stating the names of certain gods at high voices. Something that sinuous and quiet enters into this disc for you to listen. What if the Etruscan Civilization instead of transforming or amalgamating into the roman one, was instead passed on to other worlds? Were the tombs, their spiral idols and funeral decorations a meticulous method for transmuting to something else?

Etrusca 3D is the juxtaposition of two imagineers friendship, as Francesco says, 'because I am Etruscan and you (Spencer) are 3D."  There is a piece of the future of Etruscan civilization contained within this disc. It is with Spencer's remote viewing of a past and future creative culture and Francesco's birthright that we find a true insinuation of civilizations world body. 

We decided to invoke various Etruscan deities or spirits by sampling Francesco's voice uttering their name. We put them inside the Emax 2 3D machine and we began to play these deities and thus incorporate a fresh and ancient music language to present the 21st Century Etruscan experience.  In the meantime, these musical stories turned into Francesco's imaginary storytelling style to further present a narrated record of the intuited activities of Etruscan Gods...’’ - Francesco Cavaliere & Spencer Clark

All songs by Spencer Clark & Francesco Cavaliere

Recorded at Stockholm’s legendary Vattenfestival, or Water Festival, during a European tour, ‘Swedish Fist’
captures Dinosaur Jr on ear-bleeding form, months before the group disbanded and undertook an eight year
hiatus.
• Performing material from across their career, including the classic ‘Freakscene’ and long-term live favourite
‘Sludgefeast’, this is a group doing what they do best – playing loud and hard in front of an enthusiastic
audience.
• “Swedish Fist” will be available exclusively on Record Store Day 2020 and pressed in limited quantity on
coloured vinyl.
• RECORDED LIVE AT VATTENFESTIVAL, STOCKHOLM, 1997.
• PRESSED ON COLOURED VINYL.
• NINE SLICES OF FEROCIOUS, HEAVY DINOSAUR JR AT THEIR LIVE BEST.
• INCLUDES THE CLASSIC SINGLES ‘FREAKSCENE’, ‘OUT THERE’, ‘FEEL THE PAIN’ & ‘GET ME’.
• LIMITED AVAILABILITY WORLDWIDE.

Having earned BBC Radio 6 play from Gilles Peterson for last year’s track ‘Vortex’ , Japanese duo
Ohnesty today announce their next release, ‘Movin’ On’ EP, out on 22nd May on Highball. The
project unites two influential talents from Fukuoka’s burgeoning underground scene: BRISA, the
adventurous and eclectic producer/DJ who spans everything from nu-jazz to acid house, and shigge,
founder of the Yesterday Once More label.

The EP makes an immediate statement of intent with the title track. Underpinned by a lurching,
mechanised groove, it swings unexpectedly into a stuttering, pitch-shifted vocal cut alongside insistent
hi-hats and the kind of soulful female vocal sample that’s a hallmark of deep house. The track demonstrates Ohnesty’s unique style. On one hand, they’re constantly pushing an audacious sense
of creativity into a progressive-focused track. Yet at the same time, they never lose sight of the
importance of making it sound both engrossing and energising.

Its second track ‘K&T’ focuses those traits in a completely different direction, blending elements acid
jazz, late ‘70s disco and French Touch into their own vision. And finally ‘Need You’ echoes yacht rock
and ‘80s movie scores with sweet synths and the booming gated reverb drum sounds.

The ‘Movin’ On’ EP is completed by a remix of ‘Need You’ by British producer Happa . One of the
youngest artists to have ever DJed at Berghain, Happa’s production talents have also been called on
by the likes of David Byrne, FKA Twigs and Trim.

Ohnesty released their debut EP ‘Time To Be Honest’ last September on Yesterday Once More. It
was followed by an accompanying remix package , which included intreprations from the likes of
Metome and Daijo Kaisei.

The ‘Movin’ On’ EP is the second release from the new London-based Highball Records. Aiming to
highlight essential, forward-thinking new music from Japan, the label debuted in March with
Foodman’s ‘Dokutsu’ EP.