Cerca:b mus

Anfang 1996 veröffentlichte The Wedding Present "Mini" über Cooking Vinyl Records, eine EP mit sechs Titeln, deren Songs alle einen Bezug zum motorisierten Fahren hatten. Fast dreißig Jahre später hat David Gedge dieses Konzept wieder aufgegriffen! "Maxi" enthält sechs weitere Stücke, deren Titel/Inhalte sich alle auf diese Thema beziehen. Maxi erscheint über Clue Records und folgt kurz nach der Veröffentlichung von 40 - der Zusammenstellung, die den komplexen und faszinierenden Katalog von The Wedding Present in einem Box-Set mit vier Vinyl- und/oder vier CDs widerspiegelt. Der letzte Titel der Compilation ist "Hot Wheels" - ein Song, der nun auch auf Maxi zu finden ist, zusammen mit fünf weiteren Stücken. Obwohl Maxi dem gleichen Konzept wie Mini (1996) folgt, klingt The Wedding Present 2025 deutlich größer. Dies ist wirklich eine Band in ihrer kreativsten Phase, die sowohl die Grenzen ihres eigenen Stils/Sounds als auch die Erwartungen der Zuhörer erweitert, während die Texte auf provokative Weise Bilder zeichnen, wie es nur David Gedge kann. "Wie ich in meinen Sleeve Notes zu 40 gesagt habe, wurden die Songs, die wir für Maxi aufgenommen haben, relativ schnell geschrieben, weil ich mich besonders inspiriert fühlte, sowohl textlich - durch Situationen in meinem Leben - als auch musikalisch - durch das Schreiben mit der damals neu hinzugekommenen Rachael. Die daraus resultierenden Tracks wirken größer angelegt und stimmungsvoller als alles, was wir seit langem gemacht haben ... und sie sind dank der neuen Rockqueen von The Wedding Present und ihrem Arsenal an Gitarren und Pedalen auf jeden Fall temperamentvoller!" (David Gedge). Transparente Vinyl-10" oder CD im Digipak.

The second volume of Bollywood Nuggets is a 14-track collection of instrumental gems spanning three decades, blending legendary composers with hidden talents for a rich musical journey. Volume 2 of this series focused on the amazing sonic treasures Bollywood music has to offer. This second volume is centered on the incredible instrumental gems that populate Hindi cinema soundtracks. 14 tracks of pure Bollywood instrumental genius to continue the dive into the mind-blowing world of Hindi cinema music. Covering a time span of 3 decades, this compilation mixes well-known names (like S.D. and R.d. Burman or O.P. Nayyar), with lesser-known talents from the endlessly thrilling vaults of Hindi movie soundtracks and throws a couple of delicious covers for a truly unforgettable sonic experience. Includes liner notes.

Imagine curating a dream lineup of MCs and producers from every corner of the rap world—sounds impossible, right? Not for artist and illustrator Gangster Doodles, who has been bringing this vision to life for the past decade. Now, with “Gangster Music Vol.3”, the trilogy reaches its grand finale, and it’s bigger, bolder, and more unpredictable than ever before. Gangster Doodles himself puts it best: "It’s hard to believe that I’ve been actively working on this Gangster Music series for the past 10 years. The most gangster music trilogy of ALL TIME is almost complete!! And in my humble opinion Vol.3 is the most exciting out of the 3, both from a music standpoint (special shout-out to all my music heroes on Vol.3) and artistically speaking this is the most fun I’ve had in years”

Since launching Volume 1 in 2019 and following up with the second volume in 2022, Gangster Doodles has been shaping the Gangster Music series into a one-of-a-kind sonic universe—an unfiltered mix of underground titans, unsung legends, and rising stars. Volume 3 is the biggest installment yet, boasting a staggering 30 tracks that traverse the entire spectrum of rap and beat culture.

This time around, the lineup is as eclectic as ever. From legendary pioneers like Lee Perry and Tommy Wright III, to veteran producers such as Mr. Scruff and Peanut Butter Wolf, the album pays homage to hip-hop’s roots while pushing forward into fresh territory. The roster also includes established up-and-comers like Devin Morrison, Low Leaf, DJ Harrison, Quelle Chris, Homeboy Sandman, and Suzi Analogue, ensuring a mix of classic flavors and new-school innovation. The bubbling underground is well represented too, with artists like Raz Fresco, Atlanta’s 645AR, and Pro Era’s Chuck Strangers bringing their own distinct heat.

From pioneering SoundCloud rappers like Pouya to genre-bending composer John Carroll Kirby, from Birmingham’s Romderful to Chile’s RVYO, the album encapsulates a truly global soundscape, proving once again that Gangster Doodles’ ear for cutting-edge talent is second to none.

‘Workaround’ is the lucidly playful and ambitious solo debut album by rhythm-obsessive musician and DJ, Beatrice Dillon for PAN. It combines her love of UK club music’s syncopated suss and Afro-Caribbean influences with a gamely experimental approach to modern composition and stylistic fusion, using inventive sampling and luminous mixing techniques adapted from modern pop to express fresh ideas about groove-driven music and perpetuate its form with timeless, future-proofed clarity. Recorded over 2017-19 between studios in London, Berlin and New York, ‘Workaround’ renders a hypnotic series of polymetric permutations at a fixed 150bpm tempo.

Mixing meticulous FM synthesis and harmonics with crisply edited acoustic samples from a wide range of guests including UK Bhangra pioneer Kuljit Bhamra (tabla); Pharoah Sanders Band’s Jonny Lam (pedal steel guitar); techno innovators Laurel Halo (synth/vocal) and Batu (samples); Senegalese Griot Kadialy Kouyaté (Kora), Hemlock’s Untold and new music specialist Lucy Railton (cello); amongst others, Dillon deftly absorbs their distinct instrumental colours and melody into 14 bright and spacious computerised frameworks that suggest immersive, nuanced options for dancers, DJs and domestic play. ‘Workaround’ evolves Dillon’s notions in a coolly unfolding manner that speaks directly to the album’s literary and visual inspirations, ranging from James P. Carse’s book ‘Finite And Infinite Games’ to the abstract drawings of Tomma Abts or Jorinde Voigt as well as painter Bridget Riley’s essays on grids and colour. Operating inside this rooted but mutable theoretical wireframe, Dillon’s ideas come to life as interrelated, efficient patterns in a self-sufficient system.

With a naturally fractal-not-fractional logic, Dillon’s rhythms unfold between unresolved 5/4 tresillo patterns, complex tabla strokes and spark-jumping tics in a fluid, tactile dance of dynamic contrasts between strong/light, sudden/restrained, and bound/free made in reference to the notational instructions of choreographer Rudolf Laban. Working in and around the beat and philosophy, the album’s freehand physics contract and expand between the lissom rolls of Bhamra’s tabla in the first, to a harmonious balance of hard drum angles and swooping FM synth cadence featuring additional synth and vocal from Laurel Halo in ‘Workaround Two’, while the extruded strings of Lucy Railton create a sublime tension at the album’s palatecleansing denouement, triggering a scintillating run of technoid pieces that riff on the kind of swung physics found in Artwork’s seminal ‘Basic G’, or Rian Treanor’s disruptive flux with a singularly tight yet loose motion and infectious joy. Crucially, the album sees Dillon focus on dub music’s pliable emptiness, rather than the moody dematerialisation of reverb and echo. The substance of her music is rematerialised in supple, concise emotional curves
and soberly freed to enact its ideas in balletic plies, rugged parries and sweeping, capoeira-like floor action. Applying deeply canny insight drawn from her years of practice as sound designer, musician and hugely knowledgable/intuitive DJ, ‘Workaround’ can be heard as Dillon’s ingenious solution or key to unlocking to perceptions of stiffness, darkness or grid-locked rigidity in electronic music. And as such it speaks to an ideal of rhythm-based and experimental music ranging from the hypnotic senegalese mbalax of Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force, through SND and, more currently, the hard drum torque of DJ Plead; to adroitly exert the sensation of weightlessness and freedom in the dance and personal headspace.

BBE Music is proud to present the latest J Jazz Masterclass Series reissue, 1978 soul/jazz tour de force album ’Push’ by Noriko Miyamoto. For the first time, this critically acclaimed series that delves deep into the history of Japanese Jazz will be releasing an album by a Japanese female singer, Noriko Miyamoto produced by one of the legendary figures in Japanese Jazz, Isao Suzuki. The release of her incredible debut album, ‘Push’, coincided with a surge in popularity for local female jazz singers such Kimiko Kasai, Yasuko Agawa, etc. that crossed over into the pop market. It was originally released by the now-defunct label, Yupiteru Records in 1978. Since then, it has been reissued a few times in Japan but recently, along with a surge of worldwide interest in old Japanese music, ‘Push’ has been gaining a cult status among foreign music heads, with the price for an original pressing skyrocketing in the second hand record market. This reissue of ‘Push’ will be the first time ever that this album will be officially released worldwide. Long before R&B music went onto enjoy mainstream success in Japan, a soul music and disco loving lady, Noriko Miyamoto who started her music career working as a dancer at the legendary Tokyo disco, ‘Mugen’, was inspired by Tina Turner’s performance there and decided to became a soul singer. It was at a time in the early 1970s when there were only a handful of female songstresses who sang soulfully in Japan. In 1977, Miyamoto was scouted by Isao Suzuki to join his band, Soul Family and subsequently, with their backing, he produced Push, an album that kickstarted her career. It is an album that exquisitely combines her jazzy and soulful vocals with Suzuki’s acoustic bass and precocious playing from his youthful and vibrant group at the time. Along with Sadao Watanabe, Terumasa Hino, Masabumi Kikuchi and George Otsuka, bassist, cellist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer and band leader, Isao Suzuki was considered to be one of the most influential figures in Japanese jazz history. Beloved by many in the Japanese jazz scene as “Oma-san”- Suzuki was renowned for developing young talent.

SPFDJ steps up for her long-awaited debut EP, Heel Thyself, out Friday 7th November on Intrepid Skin.

A core figure in grassroots techno circuits, and an internationally lauded DJ, SPFDJ's ascent reflects a passion for music governed by love and grit in equal measure. At once providing a gleefully chaotic two-fingers to dance music's self-serious establishment, whilst also flexing an ever-expanding knowledge of its roots and potentials, her musical armoury is renowned the world over for inspiring debauchery and sweat-soaked hedonism.

As an artist whose journey has been defined by challenging the norms of electronic music, SPFDJ's rebel spirit is recognised locally and globally, but guiding this attitude is a vulnerability to the realities of the music industry, and the rise of conservatism that permeates every aspect of life. And whilst sensitive to the use of buzzwords like community, it's ultimately a respect for the people who keep these scenes alive that motivates her artistry.

In releasing this EP, she taps into a more vulnerable side. The title - a nod to internal healing processes, and a play on words to motivate queers and women to 'boot up for battle' against increasingly oppressive structures - shines a light on some of the values she holds up to electronic music culture. At once playfully chaotic and deeply energising, Heel Thyself spins us through a cyclone of kicks, punches, and noise.

Opener 'Cluster B Intro' is a tempo-twisting barrage of gabber led by a robotic vocal command, setting the scene for pretty much anything to happen. 'That Stiletto Track' kicks in like a tweaked out distortion of 90s trance before spiralling upwards into a storm of heavy breaks. 'F*ckboi' is hot n heavy electro - classic in its structure, but with the added industrial touch of hammerdrill synths and razor sharp percussion. Swinging into a bouncier state, 'The Hot in Psychotic' flings ricocheting rhythms through frantic claps, with a donk to keep things moving. Rounding things off, 'Mindless Counting' flies higher with pummeling drums lifted by a touch of euphoria.

A debut laced with both defiance and self-reckoning, Heel Thyself finds the rebel looking inwards - vulnerable, but sharpened and ready.

Another side of Steve Rachmad. Preceeds and album of archive tracks that shows the far reaching talents of this master producer.. TIP!


Some things are just too good to be hidden from view. That's certainly the case with 'Things To Think About', the first album from Dutch electronic music legend Steve Rachmad's lesser-known Sterac Electronics project.

Rachmad first rose to prominence in the late 1990s, spearheading a surge in Dutch techno that was heavily inspired by the futurist intent and machine soul of Detroit. Since then, he has continued to successfully explore a wide range of dancefloor-centric electronic styles under a dizzying array of aliases.

It's a while, though, since the public has been treated to a heavy dose of Sterac Electronics
material. He first established the alias at the turn of the millennium, primarily as an outlet for hardware-driven electro music shot through with funk and soul.

A handful of highly regarded 12' singles were released on Music Man and Interpersonal XP, before Rachmad began focusing on other projects. When inspiration struck, he returned to the project, jamming out tracks using a mighty collection of vintage synthesizers and drum machines.

Recently, Rachmad and Tom Trago decided to revisit the Sterac Electronics archive, discovering a killer collection of cuts created at different points over the course of the last 15 years.

Now 9 of those spellbinding hardware jams have been gathered together for the first time on 'Things To Think About', a warm, rich and evocative collection of electro-fuelled workouts that giddily pay tribute to the music of Rachmad's youth.

'Things To Think About' will be released as a limited-edition double album, preceded by this 12' single featuring another previously unheard gem from the vaults.

DYSTORTION
Extrawelt's Latest and Longest-Brewing Album Lands This December on Cocoon

In this beautiful world marked by rising chaos, sometimes the simplest way to escape its troubles is through sonic relief. Germany's renowned electronic duo Extrawelt will offer exactly that with their 5th full-length album, DYSTORTION, via Cocoon Recordings this December.

For over two decades, the humble duo behind Extrawelt, who shy away from making music for clicks, have been a steadfast presence in electronic music. Known as serious studio and tour-focused artists who craft timepiece albums, each a work of enduring craft, that go on to create atmospheric, out-of-the-box live acts, they've been shaping and redefining electronica since their first release.


DYSTORTION is their most diverse and evocative album to date. Imagined over six years and shaped by a world in flux through COVID, political upheavals, social media, and AI, it reflects the contrasts and twists we've all felt while offering surges of serenity and hope. From brooding tension to playful relief, it moves through different states in an evolved Extrawelt manner.

The album's opening credit, "Grand Départ," as if a cinematic prelude, invites us into a world of creeping bass, an explicitly Extrawelt sound that's synonymous with the "anti-genre genre" they work within. The album's second track, "Clapland," sees Extrawelt joining forces with Jimi Jules, a name synonymous with excellence in electronic music, creating a rare collaboration that is felt in every note. Soon, the mood shifts into softer melodies as heard in "Surrounded By Miracles," "Hope Sounds Good," and "Sir Stringalot," which bring bright euphorics to balance the darker moments in an album echoed by industrial influences. Later, as "Dystortion" (the album's title track) unfolds, we're drawn into something few electronic artists can create: raw emotion. This is a gritty landscape as reflective as it is pulsing, glitchy, intense, and richly textured.

DYSTORTION is a reflection of a complex, divided world, carried through dramatically with Extrawelt's signature techno tension. Like the world right now, it is full of contradictions, surprises, and moments of introspection, an essential listen for fans of mature electronic music that may or may not need a reminder of why, after 20 years, we're still listening.

At the beginning of the 1960s, at the Berklee College of Music, Byard Lancaster met some feisty friends: Sonny Sharrock, Dave Burrell and Ted Daniel. It is easy to see why he rapidly became involved in free jazz. Once he was settled in New York, he appeared on Sunny Murray Quintet, recorded under the leadership of the drum crazy colleague of Albert Ayler.



In 1968, the saxophonist and flutist recorded his first album under his own name: It’s Not Up To Us. The following year he came to Paris in the wake of… Sunny Murray. He would come back to France in 1971 (again with Murray) and in 1973 (without Murray for a change). This is when he met Jef Gilson, the pianist and producer who encouraged him to record under his own name again.

On Palm Records (Gilson’s label), he would release four albums: Us, Mother Africa, Exactement and Funny Funky Rib Crib. “Us”, the first of the four records was recorded on November 24th, 1973 with Sylvin Marc on electric bass (a Fender… Lancaster?) and the evergreen Steve McCall on drums.


On the album, the trio works from the John Coltrane model; free jazz shook up by the timely contributions of the bassist, followed by a mesmerizing atmospheric music. Then, Lancaster delivers a sinuous solo path, which is a reminder of his unique tone. On the album’s companion single, the trio launches into great black music of a different genre which would lead the clairvoyant François Tusques to claim that Byard Lancaster is an “authentic representative of soul/free jazz”, to sum up this is Great Black Music!
crédits

The stunning debut album by Peki Momés is back in store after selling out the first edition in a few weeks! This 2nd pressing has a different label design. Featuring twelve outstanding original tunes. Turkish psychedelic, global disco and outernational!

Peki Momés is a Turkish artist living in Germany - who only started to record music by accident in 2024. Blessed with style and intuition rather than formal education, her fresh and uncompromisingly authentic approach to music took hearts and ears by storm.

Ever since her debut 45 on Mocambo Records, Peki Momés has become a little sensation in and outside the organic groove scene: turntablist DJ Koco played doubles of "Göc Mevsimi" in his set, Iggy Pop announced "Rüya" on his "Iggy Confidential" show on BBC and the second vinyl single surprised everyone with a mesmerizing cover of Marco Valle's much loved "Estrelar" in the turkish language. Both records sold out quickly and are in the bags of tastemakers like Coco Maria.

Peki Momés' music is an eclectic mix of sounds from the global underground, tastefully crafted by producer Dustin Braun and a troupe of ridiculously talented jazz musicians. Dirty disco, fuzzy funk, anatolian rare grooves, experimental synth, library music and japanese city pop all blend naturally with her distinct vocals to create a unique ethereal outernational sound that is all her own.

Once dubbed as 'turkish discodelic', Peki's songs have a dreamlike, enchanted and psychedelic quality and instantly take the listener on a journey. In a poetic way, she approaches topics like "dreams and a naive fear of losing or not fulfilling them" or expresses "worries about our weary world and call for solidarity from all" - always with an outlook of hope. You do not have to speak turkish to understand - the message is transported by a universal language.

With her debut album, Peki Momés is now telling her full story. Displaying a young Peki on the cover, the artwork hints at the freshness and enthusiasm of the project. We should consider ourselves lucky that Peki chose to disrespect rules in favor of self-empowerment and made this wonderful longplayer that you never knew you needed.

Riding in on an eviscerating vocal alarm call and originally released in 1988 as the final installment of her Masque of the Red Death trilogy, Diamanda Galás" You Must Be Certain of the Devil is as unflinching now as it was on release in 1988. It remains a swaggering, furious fuck-you to those who might cast aside the sick and dying in the name of faith and scripture. Often misunderstood as simply dark for its subject matter, You Must Be Certain of the Devil in fact shines a light of such total exposure it leaves nowhere to hide, forensically unmasking the fury and pain of real grief and the vast spectrum of emotions rendered by the AIDS epidemic. It is an album that looks you square in the eye, pins you against a wall and makes you look at and feel the horror the virus visited upon a person, the knowledge of certain death in a hostile environment, and the hypocrisy of those who claim to be Samaritans or protectors.

When Niko Moon broke out with his triple-platinum hit “GOOD TIME,” the Texas-born, Georgia-raised singer/songwriter lit up the country scene with his larger-than-life energy and message of radical positivity. Since then, he’s earned a passionate following, major TV performances, and praise from outlets like Holler and American Songwriter. With AMERICAN PALM Deluxe, arriving right before his headline AMERICAN PALM Tour, Niko expands his latest LP with
two new tracks, “BREATHE” and “BARE FEET IN THE SAND,” furthering his mission of creating music that feels like a“mental vacation” filled with sun-soaked serenity and coastal escape.

“Breathe is all about finding that place where you can take a deep breath and let your worries drift away,” says Niko. “I find peace by the water, and I wanted the song to be a mantra of positive self talk and a celebration of the coast.”

Niko partly grew up in Georgia, spending summers on Florida beaches, an influence that shapes the concept-driven AMERICAN PALM. Written during his THESE ARE THE NIGHTS tour with producer Danny Majic and songwriter David J, the record blends coastal sounds—ukuleles, nylon-string guitars, ocean waves—with organic beats and a touch of ‘90s hip-hop, nodding to his Atlanta roots. The result is a seaside getaway in album form, equal parts carefree, romantic,and life-affirming.

Tracks like “I LOVE THIS BEACH” and “YOU, ME & A BEACH” capture that spirit. The latter, a love song linking his wife and the beach as his grounding forces, helped cement the record as his first concept album. “SANDBAR” delivers a euphoric summer vibe, while “SANDCASTLES” reflects on life’s impermanence. “KING OF THE ISLAND” is a family
milestone—co-written and sung with his father, Cris Cowan.

Niko’s journey began early, inspired by his dad, a truck driver and drummer who introduced him to John Prine and Emmylou Harris. Niko picked up drums at eight, guitar at fifteen, and started playing in bars while working construction. A chance encounter with Zac Brown led to songwriting cuts like “Homegrown,” before Niko launched his solo career with “GOOD TIME,” a No. 1 hit on both Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts. From the start, he committed to making only positive music: “In a way a song is like a mantra, and I want mine to carry optimism and encouragement.”

Since his debut, Niko has sold out the Ryman, played major festivals like Stagecoach, and performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Beyond music, he and his wife Anna founded the Happy Cowboy Foundation to support mental health and addiction recovery, and launched Happy Himalayan water and the American Palm clothing line, both of which benefit the foundation.

Japanese detective drama theme song by Yuji Ohno, who composed music for "Lupin the Third" and others, is reissued on 7"!

Composer Yuji Ohno has composed music for many TV series and films, including the "Lupin the Third" series and "Inugamike no Ichizoku" (The Inugami Clan). The theme song for the 1978 TV drama "The Great Chase," for which he was also in charge of music, is being reissued in analog form for the first time in 47 years since its original release.

Kill Them With Kindness is the 18th album from Beans on Toast, recorded at Greenmount Studios in Leeds with The Beans on Toast Band, a collection of musical friends he handpicked from the UK music scene a few years back.

"We've done a few tours together, but this was our first venture into a studio. Each one of them is amazing, and together... well, I'm proper chuffed with how it sounds. Have a listen for yourself," says Beans.

This album is a bit of a juxtaposition, as is the title. "There are songs that deal with the current state of the world: wars, maniac leaders, the rise of AI and the fall of the establishment. Then there are songs about trees, late nights in music venues, art, love and my new cat. As usual, it's a time stamp of my thoughts and feelings from the past year on planet Earth."

'In collaboration with the children of Nico Kasanda, better known as Docteur Nico, Planet Ilunga proudly presents an anthology dedicated to African Fiesta Sukisa, available as a 3LP set and a digital release with bonus songs. This release is the result of many years of preparations and was realized in close partnership with Liliane Kasanda, Nico’s eldest daughter. Marking forty years since his passing, we felt that the year 2025 was the right time to honor Docteur Nico’s legacy with this original collection.
'Almost all of the African Fiesta Sukisa songs were released on Nico’s Sukisa label which translates in Lingala for “the final accomplishment”. The music on Sukisa, crafted by Nico and legendary vocalists such as Chantal, Sangana, Apôtre, Mizele, Lessa Lassan and Josky, embodies the essence of that powerful phrase with genius, class and depth. The label ran between 1966 and 1975 and released approximately 280 songs. Ngoma also issued the group between 1967 and 1971 and, in addition, reissued material from the Sukisa label. Many of these songs have become part of the collective memory of Congolese society and are still heard, discussed, and analyzed daily across digital platforms worldwide, as well as on numerous Congolese radio and TV stations.
'The album we put together features some of Nico’s signature songs alongside never before reissued tracks from the Sukisa catalog. It furthermore contains a large booklet with song commentary, testimonial interviews from well-known musicians, journalists, fans and Nico’s entourage, besides never before published photography about his personal and musical life.
'Alastair Johnston, author of the book ‘A Discography of Docteur Nico’ and longstanding Planet Ilunga collaborator, designed a stylish booklet and cover using all our collected material. Audifax Bemba, longtime admirer, compiler and connoisseur of Nico’s music, and the author of most of the song commentary in our accompanying booklet, offers his portrait of Docteur Nico:
“After displaying technical virtuosity with African Jazz, expert and accomplished guitar with African Fiesta, which musicologist Sylvain Bemba described as a dream guitar, Nico Kasanda was consecrated ‘dieu de la guitare’ by the public in the late sixties. With his band African Fiesta Sukisa, Docteur Nico displays his wide palette of unusual sounds. While exploring the Hawaiian guitar with its clear, airy, plangent, psychedelic effluvia, he continues to replicate the piano comping technique, and adds two missing strings to his bow: a simulation of the sanza (likembé or thumb piano), whose sounds he reproduces right down to the noisemakers of the tiny tin rings, on the one hand, and the sounds of the Luba balafon on the other. The right note, in the right place, at the right time, is the triptych on which Nico Kasanda’s playing is based, a note dressed in the perfect sound. A guitar of pure emotion. With African Fiesta Sukisa, his playing takes a ‘Chopin-esque’ turn, sending out more notes in a sublime adagio. The true artist is the one who simplifies everything. Docteur Nico is a genius of our time, whose style makes him the supreme exponent of the most important guitar school in Congolese music. He is recognized by his peers as the greatest African solo guitarist of all time. Sculpting sound in a tireless quest for beauty, Nico Kasanda has sublimated the guitar throughout his career.”






























[xd] Kamulangu [Outro] (Dr. Kasanda – Sukisa 135) Folklore Baluba

Eine bemerkenswerte Zusammenkunft improvisierender Meister aus unterschiedlichen musikalischen Hintergründen: Zakir Hussains Making Music erschien 1987 wie aus dem Nichts und fesselte die Hörer mit seiner
eigenständigen Klangwelt. „Der Austausch zwischen Flöte, Tabla und Gitarre ist oft atemberaubend“, bemerkte die Philadelphia Tribune und beschrieb Jan Garbareks Spiel als „Linien, die die Töne so biegen, dass
sie zur indischen Vokalmusik und zur Sitar passen – und an anderer Stelle die norwegischen Winter heraufbeschwören.“ McLaughlins elegante Akustikgitarreneinsätze fügen sich mit improvisatorischer Leichtigkeit
ein und verbinden die eindrucksvolle Flötenkunst Hariprasad Chaurasias mit Hussains scheinbar alle Pulse
durchwanderndem Tablaspiel zu einem harmonischen Ganzen. Es ist ein Leichtes, nachzuvollziehen, warum
die FAZ zu dem Schluss kam: „Ohne auch nur einen der vier wäre ‚Making Music‘ nicht vorstellbar.“
Das Album wird im Rahmen der Luminessence-Serie erstmals seit seiner ursprünglichen Veröffentlichung
wieder auf Vinyl aufgelegt und erscheint im hochwertigen Tip-on-Gatefold-Cover

Her music is a form of auditory interpretation, powered by curiosity and her toolkit of modular, analog, and rare synthesizers (including her signature Buchla), orchestral textures, and voice. Since her first self-releases in 2012 (Tides), she has explored the endless possibilities of electronic instruments and the relationship between sound, shape, color, body movement, and expression. GUSH follows Kaitlyn's recent collaboration with Hot Chip's Joe Goddard on the 2024 Neptunes EP, and it marks the first taste of new music since her 2022 full-length Lets Turn It Into Sound, which was nominated for the LIBERA Awards Best Electronic Album of the Year and won the praise of NPR Music, Pitchfork, The Guardian, Bandcamp, and more. In GUSH, she sets her sights on aesthetics, focusing on the heightened awareness of and presence in the world, where every interaction whether with people, objects, or nature has the potential to become a moment of connection, and personification.

Featuring the otherworldly vocals of the legendary jazz singer Norma Winstone whose vocals were recently sampled in Drake's 2023 chart topping single IDGAF (feat. Yeat) and Leo Taylor (Floating Points, Hot Chip, Joy Crookes) on drums, the EP is the amalgamation of Barrott's long term fascination with sunset music, and the ways the change of seasons impact the way we co-exist with the sun. As winter draws closer and we move on from the Autumn equinox to Winter solstice, Barrott's latest release captures the transformative yet paradoxical feeling of melancholy over the end of Summer and the start of winter while creating an eerie sensation of serenity.

The EP follows from the release of Barrott's critically acclaimed and deeply personal 2024 album Everything Changes, Nothing Ends.

The new EP sees Barrott return to his beloved sunset music, as he continues his eternal quest to find new ways to soundtrack this sacred Ibiza moment.



Crowned as the"master of sunset music"by Pitchfork, Barrott's new EP is filled with celestial grandeur that stops you in your tracks. A profound musical meditation and an homage to the sunsets of the Autumn months, the EP captures the sonic poetry of the changing skies and the seasons.

The haunting combination of Barrott's production & arrangement skills, Taylor's jazz drums and Winstone's endlessly ethereal vocals soar in a harmonious union across the title track of the EP while the openerI Am The Starssummons you in for a brief respite from the cacophony of the modern world. The wistful second trackMy Blue Heartlingers with you with its melancholic jazz horns swelling side by side with Winstone's vocals while the closing trackI Am The Airfloats through your ears with its sublime contemplativeness. I Am The Sun, You Are The Moonsees Barrott returning to his sonic ruminations on sunsets, however they are more profound and life affirming than ever.



"At the end of the summer, on a clear bright starry night I climbed to the top of a mountain in Ibiza with a pair of headphones and listened to these tracks and lost myself in the vastness of the night sky and the endlessness of Norma's voice. At that moment everything made sense in my world for the first time in a long while and it just felt right",Mark Barrott says.

"I was surprised and delighted to be asked to participate in this very musical project and to be given such a free hand. Trying to integrate the voice into what were already beautifully formed pieces was creatively very interesting", Norma Winstone says

Colin Curtis Jazz Dance Fusion Vol 4

Colin Curtis is back! with another finely curated selection of the best Jazz Dance Fusion records he could find.

Volume 4 reflects a combination of new music, unreleased music, and tracks that have never been on vinyl before or have not attained the recognition they deserve. Packed with great Jazz Dance music from the UK and all around the world. The whole purpose of these compilations is to introduce you to fantastic talent and allow you to then go and explore all their works and keep this movement moving!

With brand new & exclusive releases, extremely rare tracks, and many only available on Vinyl for the first time from Brazil, Cuba, Japan, Italy, USA, UK, and beyond. Showcasing another insight into Colin Curtis's world of Jazz Dance Fusion and highlighting the sheer diversity & talent on offer from Vocal Jazz, Salsa, and Latin Spoken Word to Sambas & Fusion, It's All Here!

"Fasten your Seatbelts for a Jazztastic ride !!" - COLIN CURTIS









i 09: Chris Bangs & Nova Vida - My Only (Geemix) feat. Klei









i 09: Chris Bangs & Nova Vida - My Only (Geemix) [feat. Klei]









[i] 09: Chris Bangs & Nova Vida - My Only (Geemix) [feat. Klei]









[i] 09: Chris Bangs & Nova Vida - My Only (Geemix) [feat. Klei]

Xexa is still undefined, gliding over her origins, influences, and points of reference. Her music is informed by uploads from all that, processing heritage and future in much the same democratic way, sure of its (her!) path. Synthetic as it may sound, »Kissom« contains the very human element of Xexa's presence, not only through her instantly recognizable ethereal vocals but also manifest in the web of grooves stopping short of »dance«. »Kizomba 003« is the closest she comes to the dancefloor, a reduced take on the popular style of kizomba, a low-key interpretation but with the vocals atypically high in the mix. A brief breath of nostalgia. »Kissom« (title track) prolongs the slow pace, almost as an extended mix of »Kizomba 003«, stretching the sexy bounce for close to 4 extra-delightful minutes.

Everything seems to dissolve into space, as if every track gently expires only to be reconfigured somewhere else, molecule by molecule, perhaps in a different location within our mind. The artist somehow corroborates the feeling, particularly regarding »Será«, »Xtinti«, and »Txe«, which she says »finish exactly where I wanted. They all end with an EQ that mutes the frequencies until they cease to exist«. Here, there, sparse beats, successive waves of ambience, half-machine lips singing close to our ears, a blend of classic 4AD and a metallic environment warmly wrapping around the music. Extra-long, »Quem és tu?« poses the question – Who are we? Who is she? And the title »Kissom« stems from another question Xexa often hears from people, »Ki som é este?« (What is this music?). The answer might well be the artist's own paste of the words »kiss« and »som«. Lovely.

From 1968 through to the mid 1970’s the reggae beat began to slow down,some say due to the extreme heat hitting down onto Kingston Town and its surrounding enclaves. People needed something less strenuous to dance to. The Ska and Rocksteady Sounds (see 101 Orange Street KS007) that rocked Jamaica previously, had now found a slower tempo and become more ‘Dread’ lyrically to suit the times. Reggae music has always moved within the social climate it found itself in and this set here, as we ‘Return To Orange Street’ was ROOTS ROCK REGGAE TIME....

The Rastafarian message that runs through this collection of ‘Reality’, sometimes labelled ‘Sufferers’ music,is strong and works on many levels. It can come across on a heavy rhythm and vocal cut. Its example represented here by Prince Jazzbo’s ‘Dread in a Earth’ and ‘I Roy’s ‘Roots Man Time’, moving through to the popular new sounds of the DJ’s working over an old rhythm and alongside its existing vocal. As with Busty Brown working with Delroy Wilson's ‘Know Your Friend’ and Mr Jah Stitch working over Johnny Clarke’s ‘Roots Natty Roots’ to produce an even more dreader ‘True Born African’. The heartfelt lyric can also convey this message as we can see when Horace Andy laments ‘Where is the Love’ and Delroy Wilson again shows us on his ‘Who Cares’ cut. The great Twinkle Brothers also put the message across on their two cuts we have here, ’Too Late’ one of their lost classics if ever there was one and the thoughtful ‘It’s Not Who You Know’,being another prime example.

Orange Street itself is always at the heart of all reggae's musical changes and some singers also ride these waves as Mr Cornell Campbell shows us here with two cuts. The mournful ‘Too Be Loved’ and his uplifting ‘Girl of My Dreams’, which uses the same rhythm as our previously mentioned Prince Jazzbo’s 'Dread in a Earth’. Showing us that firstly you can’t keep a good rhythm down and secondly that two if not more great songs can work from the same source point. The light hearted ‘Vengeful’ lyric also worked in this period when artists spared off to each other on records to vent their frustrations. As we can hear here with Mr Lee Perry’s ‘You Funny Boy’. The song snipping back at a previous employer over what he felt were his misdoings to an under appreciated Mr Perry. We have culled these tracks together to show that the Dread Roots feel of the 1970’s came across in many guises and even in earlier songs these sentiments were also prevalent. As represented in Slim Smith’s almost bluesy feel in ‘Trying To Find a Home’, never a truer statement in Kingston's ghetto areas.

Well we hope you enjoy this musical journey and make a connection with messages portrayed here, as Mr Monty Morris points out on his contribution to this collection ‘Times Are Dread’.... Dread indeed.....

Limited to 500 copies Side A/B is solid red vinyl and side C/D is solid green vinyl. Track listing is different to the CD and digital. ‘Harmonics of the Night’ is the third in what he conceived of as a trilogy of recordings from guitarist Andy Summers. Following on from ‘Metal Dog’ and ‘Triboluminescence’, ‘Harmonics of the Night’ began its life as a guitar improvisation for a museum installation of Andy’s own photos. He did not like the music they had chosen in the gallery so sat down and recorded some guitar improvisations. Summers says that he built this set out from there. These songs and the photos that inspired them have become a staple of his solo guitar shows. Stand out tracks: ‘A Certain Strangeness’, ’Harmonics of the Night’ and ‘City of Crocodiles’. The music for Harmonics of the Night came from a real-life situation, which was the occasion of a retrospective exhibition of my photography at the Pavillon Populaire in Montpellier. I was able to visit the museum in advance of the opening and decided this time (instead of the usual unsuitable music being played by the whatever gallery!) that I must make a music installation to accompany the photography on the wall, a piece that could be looped and thus provide a continual musical counterpoint to the visual. I made a twenty-minute single guitar improvisation, A Certain Strangeness - This piece put a certain approach in my in my head and pointed me in the direction of eleven more tracks. These pieces which vary from minimalist approaches to African influenced dance pieces and are what I consider the sonic parallels to the photography.

Die Cut Sleeve with download. It’s a strange betweenworld, bookended by sleep and the jolt of being wide awake in a place where you wonder how you got there. You know the feeling… It seems familiar but the colours are, well, unreal. In a high-ceilinged room, a grand piano plays lush melodies as, meanwhile, somewhere, an Alice In Wonderland clock ticks, cellos are bowed, a swarm of something vibrates and the hallucinatory crowd around Rosemary’s Baby babble. An echoey electronic hum builds and falls like a 50s refrigerator passed through and effects board, things run backwards, staccato strings are plucked… and that’s not the half of it. “I’ve never been happy staying in one particular school of musical thought. The fun has been turning things on their heads, to try something you were not supposed to do.” We’re on an immersive and adventurous travelogue with the former member of the legendary Tangerine Dream, Paul Haslinger - this is a man who knows how to build tension, hold moods, illustrate contempt, lies, passion and pleasure; He can create fear, loathing and love - he’s been unlocking the nuances of such emotions in a hugely successful career as a TV and film soundtrack composer (Halt And Catch Fire, Underworld and the Golden Globe-nominated Sleeper Cell). ‘Exit Ghost’ is his long thought out opus, a moment caught in time, flicking through reference points, taking an ethereal excursion that permeates musical genres as it becomes awash with intricate sounds and cross-pollinating rhythms. Built originally from the warmth of his grand piano ‘Exit Ghost’ resonates with purity and power, from an eerie and evocative betweenworld, that’s at once expansive and rolling, then intoxicating and suffocating in equal measures; modern composition at its most uplifting; cerebral, celebratory, intense and beautiful. “The soul searching in connection with this record was extensive. Finding places of resonance, giving a colour to your memories. It was more challenging because it’s not somebody else’s narrative. Finding the core of your own story can be the most difficult task of all.” Created over the span of eight years and filled with literal and personal references, the album itself is a testament to the search - a quest filled with hints, particles and suggestions.

Cintura Interna is João Hã’s new release for Sucata Tapes, a work shaped by accident, drift, and unlikely connections. Its guiding notion comes from “Música Careca” (Bald Music) — a strange term apparently used by Jean Dubuffet to describe his own sound experiments. Dubuffet wasn’t a musician, but he was bald; the phrase lingers as an apt description for music that is naïve without innocence: amateur bruitism, soft sound, raw and direct, where intention is left exposed to errancy.
The piece itself came together without project or plan, eventually forming what Hã calls an “accidental Frankenstein” — or perhaps Frankenoise. Built from recordings made more than 15 years ago on cassette and obsolete equipment, mixed with more recent material, Cintura Interna bridges time and decay, refusing diaristic or documentary framing.
As an unexpected detour, the release also includes a version of the garage classic Louie Louie.

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of Tokyo Funk Diva, a compilation highlighting the work of Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama, one of Japan"s leading funk voices of the 1980s. Blending funk, boogie and soulful grooves, Penny brought a distinctive energy to Japan"s music scene during the decade. Compiled by Nick Luscombe-who previously curated Tokyo Dreaming for the label-the set marks the first time Hitomi"s music has been compiled outside of Japan. Featuring newly remastered tracks and liner notes by Luscombe, the release offers fresh context to Penny"s work and its role in the evolution of Japanese funk and groove culture.

Introducing: Temporary Blessings, the new project by stalwart Naarm / Melbourne trumpet player and composer Liam McGorry.

Assembled to realise McGorry's compositions drawing on 1960s Italian & French soundtrack music, Temporary Blessings brings together trusted instrumentalists and fellow travelers from Melbourne's rich enclave of cinematic soul. With Liam at the helm, the group is composed of members of Surprise Chef, Karate Boogaloo, Saskwatch and Let Your Hair Down.

The resulting recordings realise McGorry's sonic visions of film noir, giallo, library music and cinematic soul, captured live in one room with what the maestro describes as "a shared spirit". The recordings, produced by paragon Henry Jenkins, bring together emotive string arrangements, tough horns and a steadfast rhythm section with an acute attention to detail McGorry has developed over years in the saddle.

Liam says: "I find great comfort in collaborating with good friends and playing together in the same room and taking these blessings as they come."

A veteran of Melbourne soul, McGorry's steady hands have touched some of the city's most revered projects over the last 15 years; McGorry-led projects Saskwatch, Dorsal Fins and Ex-Olympian sit aside Sampa The Great, Ella Thompson and Adrian Eagle on Liam's heavy list of credits and collaborators. He has contributed more than his fair share of bricks to the great structure of Melbourne soul, always playing the background, true to his humble nature.

LP available in black or orange and brown splatter vinyl.

Introducing: Temporary Blessings, the new project by stalwart Naarm / Melbourne trumpet player and composer Liam McGorry.

Assembled to realise McGorry's compositions drawing on 1960s Italian & French soundtrack music, Temporary Blessings brings together trusted instrumentalists and fellow travelers from Melbourne's rich enclave of cinematic soul. With Liam at the helm, the group is composed of members of Surprise Chef, Karate Boogaloo, Saskwatch and Let Your Hair Down.

The resulting recordings realise McGorry's sonic visions of film noir, giallo, library music and cinematic soul, captured live in one room with what the maestro describes as "a shared spirit". The recordings, produced by paragon Henry Jenkins, bring together emotive string arrangements, tough horns and a steadfast rhythm section with an acute attention to detail McGorry has developed over years in the saddle.

Liam says: "I find great comfort in collaborating with good friends and playing together in the same room and taking these blessings as they come."

A veteran of Melbourne soul, McGorry's steady hands have touched some of the city's most revered projects over the last 15 years; McGorry-led projects Saskwatch, Dorsal Fins and Ex-Olympian sit aside Sampa The Great, Ella Thompson and Adrian Eagle on Liam's heavy list of credits and collaborators. He has contributed more than his fair share of bricks to the great structure of Melbourne soul, always playing the background, true to his humble nature.

LP available in black or orange and brown splatter vinyl.

„Tell ‘Em I’m Gone“ wurde in Zusammenarbeit mit der Legende Rick Rubin produziert und zeigt Yusuf,
wie er einige seiner bluesigeren Einflüsse erkundet. In vielerlei Hinsicht knüpft das Album an „Foreigner“
und „Numbers“ an, da er seinen bekannteren Folk-Sound vorübergehend beiseitelegt, um sich anderen
musikalischen Traditionen zuzuwenden, die ihn maßgeblich geprägt haben. Eingefleischte Fans wissen
vielleicht, dass Leadbelly schon immer einer von Yusufs Lieblingskünstlern war, und zum ersten Mal wird
dies in seiner Musik deutlich spürbar.
Neben Eigenkompositionen enthält „Tell ‘Em I’m Gone“ eine Reihe von Coverversionen von Songs, die
Yusuf am Herzen liegen, wie Edgar Winters „Dying to Live“ und Luther Dixons/Al Smiths „Big Boss Man“.
Sogar eine bluesige Neuinterpretation von Jimmie Davies/Charles Mitchells „You Are My Sunshine“ ist
dabei.
(Eingeweihte Fans wissen, dass Leadbelly schon immer einer von Yusufs Lieblingskünstlern war, und zum
ersten Mal wird dies in seiner Musik deutlich.) Klanglich besticht das Album durch kraftvolle Grooves und
schlichte Arrangements, die authentisch für das Blues-Genre wirken, doch Yusufs einzigartige musikalische
Handschrift ist unverkennbar.
Das Albumcover wurde von Yusuf entworfen und vom Künstler William Stout illustriert. Es unterscheidet
sich von der Sony Legacy-Veröffentlichung, die ein Foto von Danny Clinch verwendete.

Comprising of sisters Eva and Grace Tedeschi, The Cords are the brightest new indiepop band from Scotland and this is theri debut. They started playing drums when they were little kids and later found that they liked 80s and 90s indie music more than their peers did, and so formed a band, just the two of them, with Grace on drums and Eva on guitar - and the songs started to flow. With only a cassette and a flexi single released so far (both of which sold out in a matter of hours), Eva and Grace honed their skills by playing a whole series of gigs with some of the biggest names in Scottish pop. Their first show was with The Vaselines, and since then they have played with Camera Obscura, Belle and Sebastian, BMX Bandits and others, while also sharing stages with the new generation of indiepop stars: the Umbrellas, Chime School, Lightheaded. Like all great pop bands, The Cords have taken familiar ingredients and created something utterly fresh. Older indie fans will hear echoes of The Shop Assistants, The Primitives, Tiger Trap and Talulah Gosh, but they will hear something else too: a yearning, dreamy melodic power that takes the songs into darker, stranger places. Younger pop fans won't care about these old reference points: what they will hear is the sound of two young women doing something utterly exciting: playing loud guitar and loud drums, taking analogue instruments and hitting them hard in the service of immediate and infectious pop tunes, and not giving a second thought about the digital world that wants to own everything we do. The Cords sound free: they remind us that pop music, played right, is expressive, liberating, joyful and deeply personal. First single `Fabulist' is a sweet and catchy pop song that races along, so headlong and hooky that, on first listen, you could miss the fact that it's a wholehearted take-down of people who lie for a living. And the album is a fun rollercoaster ride from that point onwards, with the real stars of this record being Eva's sinuous guitar and silky vocals, and Grace's clattering, expressive sing-song drums. It's the sound of two sisters having an intense musical conversation with each other, pushing each other on to greater heights, exhilarated by the set of perfect pop songs they have magicked up. DIGIPAK CD, LP on BABY BLUE VINYL.

Uzed is the fourth album by Belgian band Univers Zero. It was released three years after 'Ceux du Dehors', due to a change in line-up and a new repertoire, although the EP 'Crawling Wind' had been released in the meantime.

The album marked a turning point for the band. Univers Zero explored new electric colors, giving it a more rock feel with the addition of new musicians such as Jean-Luc Plouvier, who introduced the synthesizer, guitarist Michel Delory, who played a memorable solo in 'Célesta (For Chantal)', and André Mergen on electric cello and alto saxophone, who enriched the orchestral texture. Dirk Descheemaeker on clarinet and soprano saxophone, the return of Christian Genet on bass, this evolution can also be explained by the arrival of new musicians. UZED'is entirely composed and arranged by Daniel Denis

The recording and mixing were done at Daylight Studio in Brussels in 1984, but to bring out UZED, the sound had to be improved by giving it more dynamic range, which was done at ICP Studios in 2024.

"We're in the joy business," says frontman Ketch Secor, who launched the Grammywinning band in 1998. "From the very start, a lot of the virtues of Christmas -- the revelry, the singalongs, the happiness -- have been present in our show." Nowhere is that more apparent than OCMS XMAS , the group's first holiday album. Decorated with seasonal spirit and string-band stomp, it's the rare breed of Christmas record that packs a punch all year long, shining new light on the band's chart-topping version of American roots music. Old Crow Medicine Show aren't just reinterpreting their favorite yuletide standards; they're adding new songs to the canon, too, from "Jolly Man" -- a country-blues number inspired by Mississippi John Hurt and laced with harmonica, sleigh bells, and resonator guitar -- to the Zydeco- flavored "All About A Baby." They're telling fresh stories, too. On "Corn Whiskey Christmas," a bootlegger drives his Chevrolet through the snow on Christmas Eve, bringing moonshine to those craving a cup of cheer. On the John Prine-worthy "Bethlehem, PA" -- a sly reimagining of Jesus' birth story, with lyrics that substitute Steel Country for Jerusalem -- the band heads to the Keystone State to witness the Nativity, making stops at Wawa and Motel 6 along the way.

"Grandpa's Gone" grapples with the loss of a family figure during the holiday season, while the wicked "Krampus Night" puts a minor- key spin on the Christmas catalog, paying tribute to a folkloric creature who, according to Secor, "just might leave ya coal and steal your soul." Old Crow have thrived for more than a quarter century. Like many of their heroes, they've become torchbearers of classic folk music, reshaping those sounds for the modern world. They're creators, not replicators, and OCMS XMAS finds them tackling another tradition -- the time- honored Christmas album -- with humor, hillbilly twang, and novel ideas. Supported by the band's first-ever "Holiday Hootenanny" tour, OCMS XMAS just might be the start of a new tradition itself: a celebration of the seasonal sounds, shared joy, and holiday rituals that bring us all together. Christmas just got a new soundtrack.

The re-release of 'Flamma Flamma' by the Intuition Music labe was to mark the 30th anniversary and featured a remastered and re- edited version of the original album released worldwide in 1994. It's appearing for the first time on double vinyl, as well as on CD. The composer himself supervised the remastering and re-editing. After its initial release on CD in 1994, 'Flamma Flamma' climbed numerous international charts and quickly developed from an insider tip to a major bestseller and has been compared with Orff's'Carmina Burana'. The gothic world - both romantic gothic and trash gothic - also embraced the work during long 'Flamma Flamma theme weekends' in castles across Europe.

Nicholas Lens began his trilogy 'The Accacha Chronicles' (Flamma Flamma / Terra Terra / Amor Aeternus) with the first part, 'Flamma Flamma', as a search for harmony between the contradictory elements in nature and human nature. The fusion of nonEuropean musical cultures with Western classical music has been described and appreciated as highly unique. Finally, unlike almost every other requiem, 'Flamma Flamma' not only deals with grief and pain, but also presents death as anatural part of the cosmic life process.

Recorded and mixed by John Paul Peters at Private Ear Recordings and mastered by Jon Markson, the album showcases the band's collective songwriting and meticulous musicianship. Critics have praised Repose for its "brilliant ideas and exceptional musicianship" (Thoughts Words Action), and Fecking Bahamas ranked it #13 in their Top 100 Math Rock Albums of 2022 , cementing its place as one of the year's standout underground releases. Across ten tracks, Fox Lake balance technical precision with heartfelt energy, making Repose both a document of the band's growth and a highlight of Canada's underground scene.

Following their two previous releases, the group--led by the charismatic vocalist Ms. Kennedy and her brilliant musical partner Ondre J (known as Gregory Porter's longtime Hammond organist) - presents a work that fuses funk, soul, and jazz with gripping pop songs and heartfelt ballads, all driven by groove, depth, and Ms. Kennedy's unmistakable voice. The album will be released on CD and LP via Leopard Records. Born from genuine conversations, spontaneous ideas, and a desire to move people through authenticity, 'Humanity' was recorded in the band's Brooklyn home base. The album tells stories of joy and sorrow, self- doubt and self- love, loneliness and connection.

With 'Humanity', Kennedy Administration deliver a record that feels like a soul party, an embrace, and an existential reflection all at once. It's music for overthinkers, outsiders, smartphone scrollers, dancers, and anyone who wants to feel a little less alone. Highlights include Mark Lettieri's (Snarky Puppy) fiery guitar solo and a moving duet with US gospel singer Doobie Powell. Having herself overcome a period of homelessness during the pandemic and rediscovered her voice through music, Ms. Kennedy turns this album into a profoundly personal yet universal statement.

Tuk Smith is the kind of rock 'n' roll ambassador you didn't think existed anymore. Punk maverick from rural Georgia, Biters frontman, producer and solo artist, he's seen the best and worst of a music industry in constant flux. By turns it's left him critically acclaimed, poised for stadiums, dropped, burned out, back in the game and beloved by those for whom rock is still everything. Now based in Nashville, and with his own label Gypsy Rose Records, he creates from a more real place than most. "I want to do something that means something to people," Tuk says, "because a lot of shit nowadays is so disposable and so plastic. I just don't connect with that. I'd like to do things that impact people positively. It's a weird time on the planet, so to have songs about hope, but not be cheesy about it, it's something I think we need with songwriting. That's the kind of music I want to hear." Again, there's that dichotomy he speaks of. "Rock 'n' roll is essentially the illusion of not giving a fuck, right? Like, you know Axl Rose was doing sit-ups and jump rope, and Paul Stanley was on a cardio machine, and they come out and act like it just happens. The point is I sit at that piano many hours, working on this stuff."

Uzed is the fourth album by Belgian band Univers Zero. It was released three years after 'Ceux du Dehors', due to a change in line-up and a new repertoire, although the EP 'Crawling Wind' had been released in the meantime.

The album marked a turning point for the band. Univers Zero explored new electric colors, giving it a more rock feel with the addition of new musicians such as Jean-Luc Plouvier, who introduced the synthesizer, guitarist Michel Delory, who played a memorable solo in 'Célesta (For Chantal)', and André Mergen on electric cello and alto saxophone, who enriched the orchestral texture. Dirk Descheemaeker on clarinet and soprano saxophone, the return of Christian Genet on bass, this evolution can also be explained by the arrival of new musicians. UZED'is entirely composed and arranged by Daniel Denis

The recording and mixing were done at Daylight Studio in Brussels in 1984, but to bring out UZED, the sound had to be improved by giving it more dynamic range, which was done at ICP Studios in 2024.

Building on the promise of nearly 10 years testing limits within club music, Batu presents his debut album Opal. Experimentation is a well-established facet of Omar McCutcheon's identity within the leftfield techno zeitgeist, but more than ever on Opal he seizes the opportunity to incorporate ideas beyond dancefloor impetus into his animated, forward-leaning sound.

Through the course of 11 tracks, rhythmic forms are mutated and manipulated, sonic matter bends across the frequency range and narrative structures coalesce and dissolve according to Batu's own internal logic. Unpredictability lies at the heart of all this music, bound together by a consistent modernist glint. It's a sound intrinsically connected to the superlative string of club 12"s, EPs and collaborations Batu has spun behind him thus far, even as it moves into unfamiliar terrain, guided by abstract inspiration from coastal landscapes and the mineral matter all life on Earth is built on.

Debut album from Batu on his own Timedance imprint following releases for Livity Sound, Hessle Audio or XL Recordings.
UK & Worldwide press campaign led by Dawn Creative. International press cover TBA and strong media (RA, Mixmag, DJ Mag, XLR8R) and radio coverage around the release (Jamz Supernova, KEXP, Dublab, Rinse France)
Extensive touring schedule for 2022 includes US, Mexico, UK, Europe, and features headline slots in multiple high profile festivals (Sonar, Dekmantel, Outlook, Dimensions, Waterworks and more)

Paul Murphy’s Claremont 56 label welcomes a genuine legend of UK music to its roster – Chaz Jankel, the man whose dizzying musicality and love of soul, funk and disco did much to shape the sound of Ian Dury’s Blockheads band in the late 1970s and early ‘80s.

A virtuoso keyboardist with a deep love of Black American music, Jankel’s arrangements and compositional skills were key to the success of their records, the funkiest of which not only became crossover pop hits – see ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’ and ‘Reasons To be Cheerful, Part 3’ in particular – but also saw heavy rotation in now iconic New York clubs including the Paradise Garage and Studio 54.

This continued during the formative years of his solo career, with ‘My Occupation’, ‘Questionnaire’ and ‘Glad To Know You’ (later famously re-edited and dubbed out for nu-disco dancefloors by Todd Terje) all becoming club hits. The great Quincy Jones also covered Jankel’s infectious single ‘Ai No Carrida’, while experimental, club-ready synth-jam ‘3,000,000 Synths’ was also influential during the early years of the electro movement.

For his Claremont 56 bow, Jankel has delivered an all-new workout recorded earlier this year, the simply titled ‘Rhumba Jam’. A typically warm, groovy and rolling affair, it features Jankel delivering infectious, stretched-out Rhodes electric piano solos over toasty bass, clipped guitar licks, warm bass, accordion-style synth motifs and a densely layered Rhumba rhythm. While relaxed and sun-soaked, it also has bags of Balearic dancefloor potential.

Murphy remixes under his now familiar Mudd alias, leaning into the track’s languid Balearic vibe while keeping a firm focus on the dancefloor. Beginning with an enticing mix of metronomic drums and jangly acoustic guitars, Murphy slowly layers up key elements of Jankel’s original – think rubbery bass, rhythmic handclaps, mazy synth sounds and those wonderful, stretched-out solos. It’s a version that pays due reverence to the quality of Jankel’s musicianship, production and arrangement while subtly extending it and reframing it for 21st century Balearic dancefloors.

Since her debut in 1983, Madonna has been one of the most important and revolutionary artists within pop music, influencing fashion and freedom of expression.
Bedtime Stories, Madonna's sixth studio album, was released in 1994 and saw collaborations with Babyface and Bjork. The lead single from the album, "Secret", gave Madonna her record-breaking 35th consecutive top ten single on the UK Singles Chart, while "Take a Bow" spent seven weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.

It was December 2015 when Simon Weiss delivered his first EP for Voyage Direct, an impressively intergalactic affair full of supersonic synthesizer arpeggio lines, Motor City influences and robotic drum machine hits. Two years on, the experienced Dutch producer returns to action for the first time since, in the process delivering another quartet of starry-eyed productions.
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Through releases on Deepermotions, Rush Hour and Hometaping is Killing Music, Weiss has established a reputation for combining a deep understanding of dancefloor dynamics with a sci-fi inspired futurist aesthetic. Both of these complimentary traits are much in evidence on his second outing for Voyage Direct.

Weiss blasts off via Brain Fever', where raw, mind-altering arpeggio bass, fuzzy drum machine hits, spacey chords and alien electronics thrust our hero skywards. Think of it as techno for funk-fuelled, Italo-disco loving astronauts whose journey to the end of the universe is only just underway. This intergalactic funk blueprint is explored further on the deeper and more melodious You Want A Cigarette', where Weiss's vocoder vocals wrap themselves around mutant TB-303 lines, rush-inducing chords and clattering machine percussion.

On Space Ghetto (Booty)', our hero celebrates the discovery of previously unknown worlds in the only way he knows how. With kaleidoscopic, full-throttle electronic motifs and funk-fuelled synth-bass to the fore, Weiss offers his own unique take on electrofunk. Pleasingly fuzzy and tightly wrapped in the syncopated drum machine handclaps of ghetto-house, it's a typically far-sighted and attractive proposition.

With just two minutes to go until his spacecraft touches down on alien territory, Weiss rounds things off via the melancholic chord progressions and heartfelt vocoder vocals of Intro', a beat-free excursion just tailor made for dramatic set openings and spine-tingling mix endings. He may be stepping into unknown territory, but it won't be the last you'll hear from Simon Weiss.