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Ein brandneues Album von Benny Anderssons Orkester, unter Mitwirkung von Helene Sjöholm und Tommy Körberg. Alle Lieder wurden von Benny Andersson (Musik) und Björn Ulvaeus (Texte) geschrieben. Benny Andersson ist natürlich als Gründungsmitglied von ABBA bekannt. Er hat bereits 10 Alben mit BAO veröffentlicht, sowie ein von der Kritik hochgelobtes Album mit Klaviermusik (bei der Deutschen Grammophon GmbH).

It took four years for The Lumineers to follow up their platinum-plus, multi-Grammy-nominated, self-titled debut. Cleopatra proves Schultz and Fraites - along with cellist/vocalist Neyla Pekarek- are neither taking their good fortune for granted, nor sitting back on their laurels. With the help of producer Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Avett Brothers), the man Wesley calls "our shaman," the band ensconced themselves in Clubhouse, a recording studio high atop a hill in rural Rhinebeck, N.Y., not far from Woodstock. The Lumineers then set about trying to make musical sense of their three-year-plus roller coaster ride. Their skill at setting a visual story to music comes through amidst the delicate, deceptively simple acoustic soundscapes. This time, though, bassist Byron Isaac provides a firm, low-end on the apocalyptic opener "Sleep on the Floor," a ghostly tune about getting out of town before the "subways flood and the bridges break." It's a densely packed, cinematic song that echoes Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" and John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Cleopatra also deals with what Wesley terms "the elephant in the room," the band's success and the way it can sometimes put a target on your back. The syncopated piano rolls in "Ophelia" , the organic sound of fingers squeaking on guitar strings in "Angela" and the Faustian bargain described in "My Eyes" consider the perils of getting what you wish for, with everyone knowing your name, and your songs. The band had total artistic freedom in writing and recording the album, so Wesley and Jer pushed the envelope. "We continue to make the kind of records we want to," says Wesley. "We believe in this music. It's a true labor of love. We just want to keep reaching more people with our songs." Given the evidence on The Lumineers' sophomore album Cleopatra, that shouldn't be a problem.

It took four years for The Lumineers to follow up their platinum-plus, multi-Grammy-nominated, self-titled debut. Cleopatra proves Schultz and Fraites - along with cellist/vocalist Neyla Pekarek- are neither taking their good fortune for granted, nor sitting back on their laurels. With the help of producer Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Avett Brothers), the man Wesley calls "our shaman," the band ensconced themselves in Clubhouse, a recording studio high atop a hill in rural Rhinebeck, N.Y., not far from Woodstock. The Lumineers then set about trying to make musical sense of their three-year-plus roller coaster ride. Their skill at setting a visual story to music comes through amidst the delicate, deceptively simple acoustic soundscapes. This time, though, bassist Byron Isaac provides a firm, low-end on the apocalyptic opener "Sleep on the Floor," a ghostly tune about getting out of town before the "subways flood and the bridges break." It's a densely packed, cinematic song that echoes Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" and John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Cleopatra also deals with what Wesley terms "the elephant in the room," the band's success and the way it can sometimes put a target on your back. The syncopated piano rolls in "Ophelia" , the organic sound of fingers squeaking on guitar strings in "Angela" and the Faustian bargain described in "My Eyes" consider the perils of getting what you wish for, with everyone knowing your name, and your songs. The band had total artistic freedom in writing and recording the album, so Wesley and Jer pushed the envelope. "We continue to make the kind of records we want to," says Wesley. "We believe in this music. It's a true labor of love. We just want to keep reaching more people with our songs." Given the evidence on The Lumineers' sophomore album Cleopatra, that shouldn't be a problem.

In 2011, an eponymous, self-recorded EP led to touring, and before long The Lumineers started attracting devout fans. They're drawn by songs like "Ho Hey" and "Stubborn Love," Americana-inflected barn burners in the vein of the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. The roots revival of the last few yeas has primed listeners for a new generation of rustic, heart-on-the-sleeve music. The Lumineers walk that line with an unerring gift for timeless melodies and soul-stirring lyrics.

In 2011, an eponymous, self-recorded EP led to touring, and before long The Lumineers started attracting devout fans. They're drawn by songs like "Ho Hey" and "Stubborn Love," Americana-inflected barn burners in the vein of the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. The roots revival of the last few yeas has primed listeners for a new generation of rustic, heart-on-the-sleeve music. The Lumineers walk that line with an unerring gift for timeless melodies and soul-stirring lyrics.

Club music reduced to its essential elements, those elements then pushed to their limits! Dangerously malfunctioning DJ tools! The Feeling of Power!
All that and much more on this striking new record from the one and only Barnt, the great reductional absurdist finally appearing on Studio Barnhus, providing concrete proof of the secret, decade-long love-affair between artist and label, after a bunch of Barnt b2b Boman DJ sets over the years, Kornél Kovács’ legendary “disco edit” of classic Barnt track “Chappell”, endless “Studio Barnthus” jokes, etc.

UK DJ & Radio support:Craig Charles, Gideon Coe, Lauren Laverne, Deb Grant, Huey Morgan, Huw Stephens, Amy Lame, Chris Hawkins(BBC Radio 6 Music), Ex Friendly(Radio Alhara),Rita Ray & Max Reinhart, DJ Kobayashi (Soho Radio),Steve Barker(On the Wire),Debbie Golt(Resonance FM),EHFM, Celtic Music Radio, Poppyland Radio

BBC Jools Holland confirmed TV appearance (film 13th May, TX Sat 15th June)
BBC Radio 6 Music Playlist (2 x weeks B list, 1 x C list )
BBC Radio 6 Music Craig Charles interview (Broadcast 1st April)
BBC Radio 6 Musiclive session with Craig Charles (15th May)here
BBC Radio 3live session for Music Planethere
BBC World Service Session and ITW - here
BBC Africa(Africa Daily) Session and ITW -here

The Telegraph feature confirmed here
MOJO Rising feature published
MOJO album review confirmed
MOJO Playlist - Sharaf included here
Far Out Mag album review here
Songlines feature confirmed
Songlines Top of the World here
Songlines album review May 2024 (#197), on sale April 5.


Sahra Halgan, Somaliland's iconic singer, freedom fighter, and cultural activist, returns with third album Hiddo Dhawr, a culmination of enduring friendship and global exploration

Seamlessly blending age-old Somali traditions with abrasive guitar riffs, sun-drenched percussion, and vintage keys, the album offers a fresh take on the music of Somaliland, the independent but not internationally recognizedd state in the Horn of Africa

Inside a large, tent-like structure in downtown Hargeisa, Somaliland's tranquil capital city, the atmHiddo Dhawr, Somaliland's first music venue. Halganoured head scarfs, revealing elaborate hairdos and impeccable eyebrows, as they rise to their feet and start to dance. On the stage at the far end of the room a drummer and oud player up the tempo, while the singers pass the microphone to one another. The atmosphere is electric, and as the evening progresses, the joy in the room is palpable.

This is Hiddo Dhawr, Somaliland's first music venue. "I started it because I wanted to bring back our culture, so that people can be proud of it," says Sahra Halgan, cultural activist, musician, and founder of this lively Hargeisa cultural hub, which opened in 2013.

Hiddo Dhawr, which translates to "promote culture", is also the name of Halgan's new album, an electrifying blend of Somali melodies, distorted guitar riffs, thumping West African percussion, and Halgan's unique, warbling vocals. Halgan chose this name for the album to honour the women of Somaliland.

Episode three for Leeds-Barcelona collective MASS connects both cities at the heart of their project with two artists from each scene.

A1 features the talented Leeds-based producer Ollie Burgess aka Zuul/R.O.E as he adds another alias to his belt, AS Groove. He is joined by Barcelona-based Driahn, a seasoned artist in the heart of the city and one-half of the DJ Service project.

Monile brings her dreamy visions to the B-side, an artist who continues to blossom with her infectious and spirited taste. Resident Nikol concludes the EP with a timeless breakbeat cut to finish this Leeds-Barcelona connection.

1976 nahm Rogers sein Debütalbum „Fogarty’s Cove“ auf und
startete damit eine Karriere, die auch heute noch, 41 Jahre
nach seinem Tod, ein begeistertes und fesselndes Publikum
findet. Das Album dreht sich ausschließlich um das Leben als
Seemann und enthält sein berühmtestes Seemannslied
„Barrett’s Privateers“, das a cappella gesungen wird, wobei
die „Friends of Fiddler’s Green“ die Stimmen der rauflustigen
Schiffsbesatzung übernehmen. Das Album etablierte die
beiden gemeinsamen Themen, die sich durch Stans
Lebenswerk ziehen: das Leben auf See und die bedrohten
Traditionen einer spezifisch kanadischen Erfahrung. Dieses
Album enthält die Fanfavoriten „Make And Break Harbour
“ und „Giant“. Die Aufnahme wurde neu gemastert und von
Borealis Records neu aufgelegt. Es ist ein Beweis für Stan
Rogers’ Einfluss als Songwriter, dass 40 Jahre nach seinem
plötzlichen tragischen Tod 1983 im jungen Alter von 33
Jahren immer noch Menschen – jung und alt – seine Lieder
singen und seinen Einfluss feiern.

ER gladly welcomes Juan Barraco aka Bunda to our catalog. Bunda is an Uruguayan producer/live performer who’s been linked to music since a young age through a classical approach with a later interest into electronic music production.

Origen EP is his debut vinyl release delivering a solid four-tracks record: dancefloor-oriented pieces on each side’s first half and two downtempo tracks as second choices.
A1 ‘No hay salida’ is a proper dancefloor piece featuring a stomper and sticky kick drum along with a non-stop bassline hypnotic pulse. A2 ‘9º Mandamiento’ features a different sound landscape with a hint of Arabic melodies in synths and basslines programming.

On the flip side B1 ‘Stardust’ crafts a more sci-fi-bleepy grooving Techno sound while keeping an hypnotical atmosphere all along. Bunda shows a different facet in B2 with ‘Xep Nuit’, where he shows his skills and creativity in musical composition and sound picking.

Es ist ein Beweis für Stan Rogers’ Wirkung als Songwriter,
dass 40 Jahre nach seinem plötzlichen, tragischen Tod bei
einem Flugzeugbrand im Jahr 1983, als er gerade einmal 33
Jahre alt war, immer noch Menschen – ob jung oder alt –
seine Lieder singen und seinen Einfluss feiern. Seine Lieder
„Northwest Passage“, „Barrett’s Privateers“ und „The Mary
Ellen Carter“ sind tief in der nordamerikanischen
Seefahrtskultur verwoben. Jetzt erhältlich: Neupressungen
seltener Stan Rogers-Aufnahmen auf Vinyl. „For The Family
“ erschien erstmals nur Monate nach seinem Tod und enthält
Interpretationen traditioneller kanadischer Volkslieder,
darunter auch solche von Rogers’ Onkel Lee Bushell und
Großvater Sidney Bushell. „Coffee House to Concert Hall“ ist
ein Kompilationsalbum mit Live-Auftritten, und der letzte Titel,
„Down the Road“, wurde fünf Tage vor Stan Rogers’ Tod live
in McCabe’s Guitar Shop aufgenommen. „Home in Halifax“ ist
ein Live-Album, das im März 1982 im Rebecca Cohn
Auditorium in Halifax, Nova Scotia, aufgenommen wurde.

Es ist ein Beweis für Stan Rogers’ Wirkung als Songwriter,
dass 40 Jahre nach seinem plötzlichen, tragischen Tod bei
einem Flugzeugbrand im Jahr 1983, als er gerade einmal 33
Jahre alt war, immer noch Menschen – ob jung oder alt –
seine Lieder singen und seinen Einfluss feiern. Seine Lieder
„Northwest Passage“, „Barrett’s Privateers“ und „The Mary
Ellen Carter“ sind tief in der nordamerikanischen
Seefahrtskultur verwoben. Jetzt erhältlich: Neupressungen
seltener Stan Rogers-Aufnahmen auf Vinyl. „For The Family
“ erschien erstmals nur Monate nach seinem Tod und enthält
Interpretationen traditioneller kanadischer Volkslieder,
darunter auch solche von Rogers’ Onkel Lee Bushell und
Großvater Sidney Bushell. „Coffee House to Concert Hall“ ist
ein Kompilationsalbum mit Live-Auftritten, und der letzte Titel,
„Down the Road“, wurde fünf Tage vor Stan Rogers’ Tod live
in McCabe’s Guitar Shop aufgenommen. „Home in Halifax“ ist
ein Live-Album, das im März 1982 im Rebecca Cohn
Auditorium in Halifax, Nova Scotia, aufgenommen wurde.

Es ist ein Beweis für Stan Rogers’ Wirkung als Songwriter,
dass 40 Jahre nach seinem plötzlichen, tragischen Tod bei
einem Flugzeugbrand im Jahr 1983, als er gerade einmal 33
Jahre alt war, immer noch Menschen – ob jung oder alt –
seine Lieder singen und seinen Einfluss feiern. Seine Lieder
„Northwest Passage“, „Barrett’s Privateers“ und „The Mary
Ellen Carter“ sind tief in der nordamerikanischen
Seefahrtskultur verwoben. Jetzt erhältlich: Neupressungen
seltener Stan Rogers-Aufnahmen auf Vinyl. „For The Family
“ erschien erstmals nur Monate nach seinem Tod und enthält
Interpretationen traditioneller kanadischer Volkslieder,
darunter auch solche von Rogers’ Onkel Lee Bushell und
Großvater Sidney Bushell. „Coffee House to Concert Hall“ ist
ein Kompilationsalbum mit Live-Auftritten, und der letzte Titel,
„Down the Road“, wurde fünf Tage vor Stan Rogers’ Tod live
in McCabe’s Guitar Shop aufgenommen. „Home in Halifax“ ist
ein Live-Album, das im März 1982 im Rebecca Cohn
Auditorium in Halifax, Nova Scotia, aufgenommen wurde.

Baraka returns with a fresh Rock infused EP named Psycho. Six new songs blending big beat, drum’n bass and trance with their touch of madness. A powerful piece shaped for the live with a nameless energy from start to finish. Psycho dives the duo into a new sonic and visual universe in which they reveal their alter egos. A more sharpened and distorted sound that would transform a concert hall into a dance floor or build up a club's energy to the level of a punk show. The first single going by the same name is supported by a bonus digital remix from acclaimed dj and producer Roza Terenzi. A way for the duo to push the boundaries of their music and give it a real club aspect, trademark of the band.

Here comes JIN09: a four track solo EP from Seoul’s Cosmo. Cosmo began her DJ career in 2017 and has since become one of the most active and consistent artists in the Seoul club scene, having residency at BBCB: Beton Brut + Concrete Bar.

JIN09 sees Cosmo's productions take on an ethereal and cosmic atmosphere drawing from the traditions of house and balearic music. While A side is lush, and dreamingly chugs along, B side sees Cosmo venture into techier and grittier sounds.

We are excited to present our first solo EP from such a talented producer, and can't wait to see what will come next from one of the region's rising stars.

Köhncke rides again with another 12“ having 2 sides that couldn‘t be more different: the A-Side, „Timecode“, is a clock-ticking electronic disco tease promising a joyous release by building up tremendous expectations over its course of 8 minutes – and of course not delivering the final dance floor orgasm since the night has to continue in mutual happiness and expectations on the floor. But well, surely lots of „pre-cum“ spreaded...

The „flip“, „The Answer Is Yes“, displays Köhncke‘s love with The Beatles or Prefab Sprout and the likes, in a masterly programmed digital simulation of the „played“ sound of the likes (Köhncke cannot play any „real instruments“ except for a bit of Barré-Punk-Guitar). It‘s a love metaphor about 2 photons in „entanglement“, which is a proven very psychedelic effect in quantum physics. The photons are „entangled“ and „know“ each other‘s „spin“ in immediacy, thus not bent to the speed of light, even if they are 100000 light years from each other - a theory that even Einstein considered absurd when the pioneers of quantum physics came up with this in the 1930s. So Justus put his fascination with quantum physics into a pop love song metaphor – how much more do you want?

Köhncke kommt zurück mit einer 12“ - 2 Seiten, wie sie unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten: Die A-Seite, „Timecode“, ist eine tickende elektronische Disco-Versuchungs-Zeitbombe, die über ihre Laufzeit von über 8 Minuten extreme Erlösungsversprechen macht, sie aber selbstverständlich nicht in einem endfinalen Floor-Orgasmus auflöst, denn die Nacht soll ja weitergehen in gemeinsamer Glücklichkeit und Erwartung auf der Tanzfläche. Allerdings, eine Menge „pre-cum“ wird schon versprüht in dieser unwiderstehlichen Spannungserzeugung von Track.

Die „flipside“, „The Answer Is Yes“, stellt Köhnckes Liebe zu den Beatles oder Prefab Sprout etc. ins Licht, in einer meisterhaft programmierten digitalen Simulation des „gespielten“ Sounds der Großmeister (Köhncke kann keine „echten Instrumente“ spielen außer ein bißchen Baréegriff-Punk-Rhythmusgitarre, sein Instrument ist der Sequenzer). Es ist eine Liebesmetapher über zwei Photonen im Zustand der „Verschränkung“, was ein heute wissenschaftlich nachgewiesenes extrem psychedelisches Phänomen aus der Welt der Quantenmechanik ist: die Photonen sind „verschränkt“ und „kennen“ ihren aktuellen „Spin“ (Rotationsrichtung des Teilchens) unmittelbar, also nicht gebunden an die Lichtgeschwindigkeit. Auch wenn sie 100000 Lichtjahre voneneinander entfernt sind – eine Theorie, die sogar Einstein absurd fand („Spukhafte Fernwirkung“), als die Pioniere der Quantenphysik sie in den 1930er Jahren postulierten. Köhncke verewigt seine Faszination für Quantenphysik hier also in Form eine Retro-Pop-Lovesong-Methapher – was will man mehr?
Downloads

Layton Giordani continues his rich vein of outstanding form with ‘Freaks at Night’.

‘Freaks at Night’ continues his adventures in sound. Unmistakably a peak-time record, the track still manages to traverse a rich ethereal energy, highlighted by an otherworldly synth line and striking vocal that sets it apart from so many. Teased in sets by Giordani and Beyer going back to last summer, this one’s hugely anticipated.


Four years on from Layton Giordani’s critically acclaimed ‘New Generation’ album, Space 92 – one of techno’s most impressive new artists – steps up for a fitting remix. A masterclass of techno futurism, the 2020 album was a defining release of that year and was an impressive marker of Giordani’s ever-evolving talents in the studio. The title track was a memorable highlight, mixing ambient textures with head scrambling synth effects make it an enduring dancefloor classic. One of techno’s future stars Space 92 has added his touch to ‘New Generation’. With very special results. The Frenchman has super-charged the original, adding in plenty of laser-kissed energy as a barrage of powerful chords and silky pads take the cut into steamrolling territory.

This is the limited edition pressing of the Rob Hardt album track
„Weekend“ which became the family barbecue anthem and the title theme
song of the first 45 Weekender Hamburg festival.
With remixes from DJ/producer greats like Rob Hardt, DJ Friction and
producer duo EFBNMXMIX this double 7“ vinyl is a must have for the
summer season and should be put on during every family barbecue,
blockparty or in smooth DJ sets in general.
This special edition in coloured vinyl and with a 4C full cover was pressed
originally for the festival and hit the opening party on July 12th 2024.
Fresh from the press plant it was handed out to the 30 international
participating 45Soulciety DJs and took their heart and the audiences
during the festival by storm.
Limited to 300 copies it already is a classic

By it's very nature "Radio Chevére", the new album by Rio 18 and their host of guests cannot be categorized simply: at once both a Latin mixtape and a radio show, it's also an internationalist love letter, an offering to the goddess of Tropical Music and all that it encompasses. Ambitious, yes. Foolhardy, possibly. But sincere, committed and FUNKY? Definitely.

With the voice of guest DJ Coco Maria as our guide, "Radio Chévere" takes us on a journey through myriad musical styles and stories. Stopping off at Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, California, New York and countless other sonic destinations via Samba, Salsa, Funk, Cumbia, Joropo, Disco, Psychedelic and Electronic stylings, "Radio Chévere" is also a musical metaphor for migration - a journey from one continent, one life to another.

This album features songs in no less than four languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Welsh and English) and includes collaborations with Brazilian legends the +2's (Moreno Veloso, Kassin and Domenico Lancellotti) on the tender samba ballad, "Oh Minha Querida", transatlantic Yacht Rock gods Young Gun Silver Fox ("She's In LA"), "Sao Paulo's finest" Silvia Machete on the sweaty funk "Maybe Man" and Venezuelan Llanera and Joropo queen Luzmira Zerpa sings "Padre Tiempo", set to an incessant Afro-Venezuelan pulse. Why this torrent of eclectica now? Having recorded three albums in Welsh, predominantly inspired by Brazilian music, Rio 18 founder, Carwyn Ellis had a hard time following 2021's "Yn Rio": "We'd made a concept album with an orchestra. How do you follow that?" he says. "So I retreated to my laboratory, learned as much new music as I could, started learning Spanish too, and ended up writing tunes in a bunch of languages and styles, all of which reflected things I've learned or experienced over the last couple of years."

Since the group's inception in 2018, on the suggestion of Chrissie Hynde when he toured South America as a member of the Pretenders, Carwyn has been on a voyage of musical discovery through the styles of that continent. And in those five years he learnt a lot! But in a radical new move, Carwyn has stepped back from the mic, preferring to focus on writing and producing, handing over the vocal duties to band members Baldo Verdu (Venezuela) and Elan Rhys (Wales) plus a host of collaborators. "They can sing and express what I'm feeling so much better than I can, and both Elan and Baldo bring an authenticity and strength to our songs that surprise and elevate me. Collaborating with so many other inspiring artists on this album has helped us to grow and assimilate more styles - we're halfway through our next album already."

Rio 18 is an internationalist collective with Celtic and Latin roots and love at their core. With eye popping carnivalesque cover art by the brilliant Colombian graphic artist, Yoda, "Radio Chévere" is both timely and timeless.

Following his record "Tien Seconden" in 2022, Kid Sundance is back with "Meer Seconden" and more SP1200 delicacies on our Ilian Beat Series.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio to Russian parents, Alina Baraz has been around music all her life. With both parents having classical training, she was destined to find her voice through music. Almost immediately after the release of her first single, “Roses Dipped in Gold” at age 19, Baraz and her family moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career as a singer/songwriter full time.In 2015, Baraz released her debut project, Urban Flora. The acclaimed project was praised by the Guardian, NPR, Huffington Post, Harpers Bazaar and many more, and sat on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart for over 125 weeks, peaking at #2. In January of 2017, she released the viral single “Electric” ft. Khalid, which has been streamed over 190M times and counting. In 2018 she released The Color of You, enlisting Grammy-nominated producer Robin Hannibal (Kendrick Lamar, Calvin Harris, Cee Lo Green) to help produce the project Baraz has been in the works of a special project, leading with her single “Trust” as her first release of 2020.

Coke Bottle Green & Transparent Orange Vinyl. This soundtrack features 54 tracks from the game "Headbangers - Battle of the Dancers", the latest game mode in "Headbangers: Rhythm Royale". This exceptionally diverse album was entirely composed and performed by Charles Bardin and Valentin Ducloux, with additional vocals by Priscilla Cucciniello on several tracks. Get ready to ruffle your feathers to the rhythm of all these pigeon-themed songs! Composer Charles Bardin: "With Battle of the Dancers, we wanted to create the most varied soundtrack in the history of video games. This was our intention from the very beginning. The 54 tracks on this album draw their inspiration from a wide range of musical styles: rock, funk, electro, pop, folk, reggae, punk and many more. We conceived this soundtrack as a tribute to music in all its diversity, all combined with silly lyrics about our pigeon friends."

Repress!

Leif Vollebekk, the Montreal singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist had hit a wall. In the midst of endless touring Leif found himself retreating to his lonely hotel rooms after shows and listening to Nick Drake's 'Pink Moon' alone in the dark. His own songs didn't sound right and he felt the bright spots in his sets were the covers he'd end with: songs by Ray Charles or Townes Van Zandt. In this deep blue mood he booked a secret show at a Montreal dive bar, only playing covers with a band that rehearsed once.  The experience led Leif to change his approach to songwriting: explore the ideas that came spontaneously to him, and let the songs shape themselves. Soon the songs came pouring out of him. This approach is what created the lush, freewheeling and often devastating 'Twin Solitude,' out February 24 on Secret City Records.

"By the time the last notes die away, all that's left should be you," Leif says. "And I'll be somewhere else. And that's Twin Solitude.' 

Leif's third album, features 10 delicate and expansive original songs, with lyrics that pour out of this singer songwriter that are often compared to Jeff Buckley.  Leif's words lay on a bed of elastic instrumentation full of piano, synthesizer, guitar, rich electric bass and strings.

Several songs on the album came to Leif and were written in one sitting. 'Into the Ether' came to be while he was exploring a Moog synthesizer. 'Elegy' is a bedside soliloquy, of love slipping through fingers and came to Leif while he was riding his bike through Montreal.  The meditative 'Michigan' was written on a half-tuned guitar and fully written as he was about to go to sleep.  Other songs on the album capture the countless hours Leif has spent on the road, crisscrossing North America. 'Big Sky Country' recalls a trip to Vancouver with his family when he was young, never forgetting the expanse of Montana and listening to Ian Tyson's song 'The Gift' in the car over and over again.
'Twin Solitude' features Olivier Fairfield from Timber Timbre (drums), Sarah Page from the Barr Brothers (harp) on 'Rest' Shahzad Ismaily of Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog and SecretCheifs3 (bass) on several tracks and the string duo Chargaux throughout the album as well.  It was engineered by Dave Smith and recorded at his Breakglass Studios in Canada.  Produced by Leif Vollebekk.

Vollebekk made his album debut in 2010 - and since then has performed at the Newport Folk Festival, and shared stages with Daniel Lanois, Beth Orton, Sinéad O'Connor, Patrick Watson, Coeur de Pirate, William Fitzsimmons and Sam Amidon. His debut 'Inland' was described as  beautiful, memorable and moving' by NPR and  timeless and monumental'  by The Independent.

What an unbelievable record. From the wild cover to the iconic breakbeats, Roots from Ian Carr’s Nucleus is one of the dopest albums we know. This is seriously thick, funky-prog jazz-rock heaven. Originally released on Vertigo in 1973, other than a couple of versions at the time for other territories, Roots was never re-pressed since so it’s gone on to become another one of those impossible to find records.

Maybe it was a little too out there for the time, but it’s aged very, very well indeed and this Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press.

Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. He was a true pioneer and saw the potential in fusing the worlds of jazz with rock, just as Miles Davis and The Tony Williams Lifetime did in the US. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Regarding music as a continuous process, Nucleus refused to “recognise rigid boundaries” and worked on delivering what they saw as a “total musical experience”. We can get behind that.

Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. This constant evolution and revolution was all part of the continuous musical exploration and discovery that took jazz to new levels.

Working together with producer Fritz Fryer and engineer Roger Wake, the seven compositions by Carr, Brian Smith and Dave MacRae that make up Roots flirt with perfection, and Nucleus at that time made up of the cream of 1970s UK jazz with Brian Smith on tenor saxophones and flutes, Dave MacRae on piano and electric piano, Jocelyn Pitchen on guitar, Roger Sutton on bass, both Clive Thacker and Aureo De Souza on drums and percussion, Joy Yates delivering the vocals and of course Carr on trumpet.

The spellbinding title track immediately renders the album indispensable. Riding the illest of loping breakbeats, “Roots” is low-slung, doped-out heist-funk. An absolute monster. If it sounds familiar then that’s likely down to it being sampled by Madlib for Lootpack and Quasimoto’s “Loop Digga”, as well as by a whole host of beat manipulators. “Roots” conjures prime instrumental hip-hop / beat music, only 20 years ahead of its time. Truly, these are the roots. Through sinuous bass, twinkling keys and a hypnotic guitar riff, a smoky brass motif weaves its way into a gloriously deep haze around Carr’s solos. “Roots” is over 9 minutes long, but there’s not a single wasted second, not surprising given that this is a condensed version of an originally 40 minute long commissioned composition.

The soothing vocal fusion delight of “Images” follows. Meticulously constructed, with gorgeous flute work from Brian Smith, with Joy Yates’ silky vocals and Dave MacRae’s Rhodes never sounding better. The cool, driving “Caliban” closes out the first side. Originally the third movement in a four part commission to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday it stands up on its own, all robust rhythms and blended brass. Keyboard colour and Carr’s trumpet are splashed across the funk drums and basslines (and there’s even some bamboo flute). This really is fusion: the elements of jazz and rock coming together in beautifully synthesis.

Side two opens in riotous fashion with the short, thrilling samba of “Wapatiti”. Next up, “Capricorn” forms a smoothed-out, jazzy constellation. Mellow and dreamy, its twinkling percussion and languid horns slowly build the vibe before head-nod drums and a killer bassline enter the fray. With a distinct heaviness that Black Sabbath would’ve envied, “Odokamona” is a venomous slice of riff-soaked jazz metal (yes, you read that right), elevated by Carr’s wah-wah horns.

The album closes with MacRae’s exceptionally cosmic “Southern Roots and Celebration”. Very much in conversation with Weather Report, it opens as a languorous, spiritual jazz of chiming keys and serene guitar that turns slowly, gorgeously into a mid-paced, brass-laced banger. It’s another sure-fire party starter and the sound of the band having a righteous blast, building an ecstatic chaos that ends with Yates screaming.

And of course we need to talk about Keith Davis’ cover for Roots. Perhaps the coolest record cover of all time? Certainly one of the most bonkers. Just your run-of-the-mill high-gloss, acid-tinged airbrush dystopian/utopian living-room party scene. Consider this your chemical flashback trigger warning.

Front-and-centre the hip-to-death green robot holds court with their giant ball of yellow barbwire wool, hooked up to… something(?) being teased out from under the stairs (probably best not to ask). A thoroughly zoned-out, long-legged Pop Art party-goer lounges half-plugged in to the painting behind her as a pair of legs flail into shot from the the top of the stairs opposite. We won’t even begin to guess what the chap’s up to in the middle, but the view out of the windows is rather nice, and someone’s already got the hoover out ready to tidy up. All of the Nucleus sleeves are something special, but this particular one? Crikey.

This Be With edition of Roots has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Pete Norman’s cut to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. The crazy cover has been restored at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

HOUSE OF COMMANDO, produziert von Oli Rüger & Tobi Wehner und gemastered von Howie Weinberg (bekannt für seine Arbeit mit Nirvana und U2), knüpft nahtlos an das erfolgreiche Debütalbum RED LIGHT HABITS von BIRD'S VIEW an.
Die deutschen Alternative-Rocker BIRD'S VIEW veröffentlichen ihr mit Spannung erwartetes zweites Studioalbum "House of Commando". Der Sound ist dabei eine einzigartige Kombination aus dem Punk von REFUSED, der Intensität von RED FANG und der Atmosphäre der FOO FIGHTERS.
Nachdem BIRD'S VIEW mit ihrem Debüt einen ersten kleinen Erfolg verbuchen konnten und mittlerweile von Wizzard Promotion vertreten werden, haben sie seit dem Release unter anderem mit SOULFLY, SKID ROW & GREEN LUNG getourt. Mit HOUSE OF COMMANDO machen sie nun einen weiteren Schritt in Richtung Rock-Olymp.
Die 11 neuen Tracks auf HOUSE OF COMMANDO hinterlassen bereits beim ersten Hören einen nachhaltigen Eindruck. Zu den Highlights des Albums gehören Stücke wie "Vienna", "Pin Drop“ und "Come Back Home"

Aesthetically, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat hates to tread water. At the same time, the Baltimore-based two-piece of vocalist Ed Schrader and bassist Devlin Rice won’t force their songs to fit a preconceived style. “The next album’s always gotta be different from the last one. We’re different people from record to record. So, writing authentically to ourselves will always bring our work to a place that we haven’t been to yet,” Rice said. Schrader added, “We’re terrified of turning into AC/DC. We never want to be married to one scene or time or sound. We want to be the Boba Fett of bands! Constantly altering the way in which we make records has been pretty key in that process.”
For Orchestra Hits, the band’s latest, that alteration was welcoming longtime musical comrade Dylan Going into the fold as a co-writer and co-producer. A songwriter in his own right, a guitar sideman for ESMB on their last two tours, and a collaborator with Rice in the noise riffage band Mandate, Going had both a unique vision and an intimate familiarity with the ESMB vibe.
“Dylan came to every show we’ve ever played in New York—no matter how weird it was,” Schrader said. “He’d be standing there ready to move an amp or feed us barbecued cactus after the gig and toss on some Golden Girls so we could decompress. It felt like family as soon as we began working, but I honestly had no idea how damn good he was at tossing out these hooks.”
According to Schrader, the songs “just poured out of us” over the course of a highly caffeinated three-day weekend in a tiny room in Devlin’s house while his cat, Sandy Goose, screamed continually. “It was like three kids hiding from the world to get into some lovely mischief,” they said. The lack of external pressure in the process gives Orchestra Hits an almost paradoxical vibe. For all of the album’s layers, that mix live and sequenced instruments, it never loses the raw energy of a small handful of friends in the same room plugging in, cranking up, and playing until they pass out.
Lyrically, the album finds Schrader, now 45, meditating on experiences in their youth to make sense of the present moment. “We are not into the garden,” Schrader wails on the relentless “Roman Candle,” a song about the sad debacle of Woodstock ’99, and a direct response to Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” a utopian ode to hippie idealism. A 19-year-old Schrader, having snuck into Woodstock ’99 through a hole in the fence, was there the night members of the crowd used candles intended for a vigil for victims of the Columbine High School massacre to set fires all over the grounds. Even before the fires, Schrader remembered feeling disconnected from the music, the nostalgic cash grab, and the meatheads in the crowd. After watching a press tower collapse, they boarded a random shuttle bus and were dropped off near a Denny’s. “It was a far cry from the Garden of Eden,” Schrader said. “That experience defined what I didn’t want to be a part of, and yet America is more like Woodstock ’99 than ever.”
With percolating synthesizer arpeggios, and climbing bass grooves, “IDKS” is the album’s dance-floor slapper. “’IDKS’ is a funny one,” Schrader said. “We already had a pretty satisfying suite of songs when Dylan was packing up to head back to New York, but he missed the train because of a freak snowstorm. Realizing he’d be stuck in town another day, he says to me, ‘Here’s this other weird thing I have.’ It was ‘IDKS.’ The hooks were so good I felt like Homer Simpson at a free donut convention. I just dove right in, and we cranked that baby out in like 20 minutes.”
Lyrically, “IDKS” is a letter from the true self to public-facing self. “It’s an angry song,” Schrader said. “Because the public-facing self is always looking for an easy escape, but it forces the true self into a cage. I honestly thought my lyrics were corny and was about to change them, but Dylan was digging it just the way it was. So that’s what you hear.”
With the soaring “Daylight Commander,” the band went against all of their musty-basement-bred instincts. “I went full High School Musical with the vocals,” Schrader said. “At first it felt almost embarrassing, but I remember reading somewhere that Bowie recommended always floating a little bit above your comfort zone, and that’s what we did here.” The song is part exercise in absurdity and part pop Trojan horse. “If ever we had a ‘Shiny Happy People’ moment, I guess this is it,” Schrader said.

Lutalo's highly visceral folk goes electric on The Academy, the Vermont multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer's debut LP. Recorded in January 2024 at the storied Sonic Ranch and self-produced along with Jake Aron (Snail Mail, Protomartyr, L'Rain), The Academy feels like watching the best underground film you've seen in years; establishing Lutalo as a singular voice of this generation of indie rock. Lutalo describes The Academy as their "first chapter" - a time capsule of the lessons they've learned in their 20-something years of life. "This record is exactly that: a `record' of my early life," they say of their debut album, out via Winspear. "The experiences, thoughts and feelings I was holding at those times and am currently processing. To me, this is the first big stamp of my existence I'm sharing." While Lutalo's 2022 EP Once Now, Then Again introduced them as a lo-fi acoustic guitar wunderkind, The Academy is bigger and bolder without compromising Lutalo's inviting sense of emotional intimacy, inspired by alt-rock veterans like Thom Yorke and Rob Crow as well as electronic greats like Aphex Twin and Bowery Electric. The Academy's grander arrangements are heard in the biting adrenaline rush of "Ocean Swallows Him Whole," or the anti-war jangle of album closer "The Bed." Their lyrics are often deeply intuitive, flowing as a stream of consciousness, albeit with weighty meanings. With their unique baritone and finesse for lyrical world building, Lutalo cuts to the bone-while only just beginning to reveal the depth of their artistry and vision.

Lutalo's highly visceral folk goes electric on The Academy, the Vermont multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer's debut LP. Recorded in January 2024 at the storied Sonic Ranch and self-produced along with Jake Aron (Snail Mail, Protomartyr, L'Rain), The Academy feels like watching the best underground film you've seen in years; establishing Lutalo as a singular voice of this generation of indie rock. Lutalo describes The Academy as their "first chapter" - a time capsule of the lessons they've learned in their 20-something years of life. "This record is exactly that: a `record' of my early life," they say of their debut album, out via Winspear. "The experiences, thoughts and feelings I was holding at those times and am currently processing. To me, this is the first big stamp of my existence I'm sharing." While Lutalo's 2022 EP Once Now, Then Again introduced them as a lo-fi acoustic guitar wunderkind, The Academy is bigger and bolder without compromising Lutalo's inviting sense of emotional intimacy, inspired by alt-rock veterans like Thom Yorke and Rob Crow as well as electronic greats like Aphex Twin and Bowery Electric. The Academy's grander arrangements are heard in the biting adrenaline rush of "Ocean Swallows Him Whole," or the anti-war jangle of album closer "The Bed." Their lyrics are often deeply intuitive, flowing as a stream of consciousness, albeit with weighty meanings. With their unique baritone and finesse for lyrical world building, Lutalo cuts to the bone-while only just beginning to reveal the depth of their artistry and vision.

Lutalo's highly visceral folk goes electric on The Academy, the Vermont multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer's debut LP. Recorded in January 2024 at the storied Sonic Ranch and self-produced along with Jake Aron (Snail Mail, Protomartyr, L'Rain), The Academy feels like watching the best underground film you've seen in years; establishing Lutalo as a singular voice of this generation of indie rock. Lutalo describes The Academy as their "first chapter" - a time capsule of the lessons they've learned in their 20-something years of life. "This record is exactly that: a `record' of my early life," they say of their debut album, out via Winspear. "The experiences, thoughts and feelings I was holding at those times and am currently processing. To me, this is the first big stamp of my existence I'm sharing." While Lutalo's 2022 EP Once Now, Then Again introduced them as a lo-fi acoustic guitar wunderkind, The Academy is bigger and bolder without compromising Lutalo's inviting sense of emotional intimacy, inspired by alt-rock veterans like Thom Yorke and Rob Crow as well as electronic greats like Aphex Twin and Bowery Electric. The Academy's grander arrangements are heard in the biting adrenaline rush of "Ocean Swallows Him Whole," or the anti-war jangle of album closer "The Bed." Their lyrics are often deeply intuitive, flowing as a stream of consciousness, albeit with weighty meanings. With their unique baritone and finesse for lyrical world building, Lutalo cuts to the bone-while only just beginning to reveal the depth of their artistry and vision.

The 20th Anniversary Edition of Beyond Good & Evil and its official soundtrack offer a refreshed yet faithful rendition of the game's original music. Utilizing a full orchestra, we preserved the unique, intimate feel of the compositions, often created through improvised sessions. The soundtrack includes new tracks, some recorded with unconventional instruments, celebrating the creativity that made the 2003 original and the franchise special.

“Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition and its official soundtrack are a true labor of love that give a beautiful new sheen to the notes and melodies of the game, yet always staying true to the emotions that resonated with the fans back then. While we had the means to work with a full-fledged orchestra this time around, we made sure to keep the quirky, intimate feel of the compositions that were, more often than not, the results of improvised jams and family reunions around an iron anvil or a toy ukulele. This soundtrack is an ode to a sort of colorful, artisanal and unbridled creativity, completed here with new tracks (including parts recorded on a broken guitar with an unconventional tuning), and the perfect celebration of all the little things that made the 2003 original and this franchise so special.”

-Christophe Héral

Eternal champions! (power metal)
Ewige Meister!
(Power Metal)
Nach dem Erfolg des fulminanten Debütalbums "Emperor Rising" liefert "Return Of The Heralds" noch mehr schnelle, melodische Melodien, die im
Bereich des traditionellen Power-Speed-Metal leben und gedeihen.
Das neue Krilloan-Album ist einmal mehr eine herzliche Hommage an die "guten alten Zeiten" des klassischen Heavy Metal und der Sword &
Sorcery-Unterhaltung, die sie geprägt haben. Epische und grimmige Schlachthymnen über Conan den Barbaren, Elric von Melniboné, "Warhammer
40.000" und die nicht enden wollenden Tage in einer Welt jenseits unserer eigenen: das ist die konzeptionelle Grundlage der schwedischen Band um
Gitarrist Klas Holmgren, mit einem klaren Fokus auf ein ausgefeiltes und stets ausgewogenes Songwriting. Eines ist sicher: Langweilig wird es einem
beim Hören eines Krilloan-Albums nie!

Limited Edition of 1000 Opaque Pink 180 Gram Vinyl LP. Kiss Each Other Clean, Iron & Wine's fourth full length record was originally released in 2011 and came three years after his biggest selling record up to that point, The Shepherd's Dog. The bands two earlier albums had been sparse, intimate solo affairs that offered no hint of the direction he would take with records three and four. Like The Shepherd's Dog, Kiss Each Other Clean is layered with textures, poly-rhythmic sounds and a more is more approach. His lyrics sprung to life in ways initially unimaginable to early fans and critics helping each song tell its story and build to climaxes thru various sounds and editing techniques. However what remained at the core of KEOC, and what fans of the band had come to love, was the song writing and singing of principle songwriter Sam Beam. Beam's ability to invite you in with his hushed singing tone and knack for a melody remained front and center even in his drive to replicate something in the vein of Waits' Swordfishtormbones Principle recording for KEOC was at home in Dripping Springs, Texas where Beam resided at the time. After laying down the bulk of the record Beam moved recording to Chicago to work with Brian Deck. A cast of musicians helped Beam find his sound and see his vision for KEOC including Joe Adamik (Califone), Jim Becker (Califone), Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), Stuart Bogie (Antibalas), Rob Burger (Tin Hat Trio), Benny Massarella (Red Red Meat/Califone), Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground Duo) and Matt Lux (Isotope 217). With KEOC Beam and company brought in soft rock smoothness, dub reggae textures, and instruments that hadn't been featured on previous records. The vintage synths on 'Monkeys Uptown', the Stevie Wonder funk on 'Big Burned Hand,', the strum and drang of 'Walking Far From Home' all give the otherwise very organic-sounding arrangements a welcome cheesy kick. The record also produced the biggest radio single of the bands career with the vintage AM friendly vibes of 'Tree by the River.' It was an adventurous period in the career in Iron & Wine and one in which Beam was defying categorization.

Das dritte Album von La Inquisición, ein Album, das langsam in den tiefsten und ältesten Katakomben des Punks in Barcelona heranreift. Dieses Mal verfeinert La Inquisición die Formel, die sie in diese unsichtbare Welt gebracht hat, wo wir zehn Tracks dunklen Punk mit melodischen Ausbrüchen finden. Die Texte heben sich von den typischen Genrethemen ab, mit soliden Basslinien, kraftvollen Gitarren und einem Schlagzeug, das wie eine Dampfwalze über alles hinwegschreitet. Man sagt, das dritte Album einer Band sei das schwierigste. Und dieses Mal nehmen uns La Inquisición an der Hand in ihr besonderes Universum, voller Licht und Schatten, aber auch Ehrlichkeit, Erlösung und Beharrlichkeit in einer Musiktradition, die kurz vor dem Aussterben steht. Ein Haufen Freunde, die etwas zu sagen haben, auf eine laute, schöne, aggressive und ehrliche Art und Weise, denn wie sie sagen: "Wut, Lärm und Blut ... werden uns retten." LP tiefschwarz oder dunkelrot sowie CD erhältlich!

Das dritte Album von La Inquisición, ein Album, das langsam in den tiefsten und ältesten Katakomben des Punks in Barcelona heranreift. Dieses Mal verfeinert La Inquisición die Formel, die sie in diese unsichtbare Welt gebracht hat, wo wir zehn Tracks dunklen Punk mit melodischen Ausbrüchen finden. Die Texte heben sich von den typischen Genrethemen ab, mit soliden Basslinien, kraftvollen Gitarren und einem Schlagzeug, das wie eine Dampfwalze über alles hinwegschreitet. Man sagt, das dritte Album einer Band sei das schwierigste. Und dieses Mal nehmen uns La Inquisición an der Hand in ihr besonderes Universum, voller Licht und Schatten, aber auch Ehrlichkeit, Erlösung und Beharrlichkeit in einer Musiktradition, die kurz vor dem Aussterben steht. Ein Haufen Freunde, die etwas zu sagen haben, auf eine laute, schöne, aggressive und ehrliche Art und Weise, denn wie sie sagen: "Wut, Lärm und Blut ... werden uns retten." LP tiefschwarz oder dunkelrot sowie CD erhältlich!

Das dritte Album von La Inquisición, ein Album, das langsam in den tiefsten und ältesten Katakomben des Punks in Barcelona heranreift. Dieses Mal verfeinert La Inquisición die Formel, die sie in diese unsichtbare Welt gebracht hat, wo wir zehn Tracks dunklen Punk mit melodischen Ausbrüchen finden. Die Texte heben sich von den typischen Genrethemen ab, mit soliden Basslinien, kraftvollen Gitarren und einem Schlagzeug, das wie eine Dampfwalze über alles hinwegschreitet. Man sagt, das dritte Album einer Band sei das schwierigste. Und dieses Mal nehmen uns La Inquisición an der Hand in ihr besonderes Universum, voller Licht und Schatten, aber auch Ehrlichkeit, Erlösung und Beharrlichkeit in einer Musiktradition, die kurz vor dem Aussterben steht. Ein Haufen Freunde, die etwas zu sagen haben, auf eine laute, schöne, aggressive und ehrliche Art und Weise, denn wie sie sagen: "Wut, Lärm und Blut ... werden uns retten." LP tiefschwarz oder dunkelrot sowie CD erhältlich!

The unconscious and unknown must be really nice places. In any case, if you take the second album of Menelaos Tomasides under his given name as travelogue. A trip into dreamlike territory, yet concrete enough, a journey without target yet looking forward and looking back into familiar places, „dreamhike“ both continues and departs from the style Menelaos has found earlier, in “When the Moon Comes Through”, or his more conceptual-intentional “31 Minuten” works. As the album title - which roughly translates to “dream hiking” but also hints on “walkabout” and “songlines” – suggests, we are rambling between the real and the imaginary. From the bucolic border triangle of Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands to the buzzing streets of the capital of Cyprus, where Menelaos has lived for many years, the tracks are about real places, about real experiences and emotions yet interwoven with a dreamlike fabric. Something that is just not tangible, yet substantial and palpable. Something concrete that manifests in the genuine and special sound design of this records - basically all of Menelaos’ works - his really special treatment of dynamics and loudness. It is one of the very few records where the established language of music making, specifically Techno, House, Dub, and early 2000’ Electronica, the clicks, thumps and plops from an earlier age of electronic music, transmogrify into slow movements of something new. Something that is gentle and truly personal, looking inwards. There are four-to-the-floor beats, there is wobbly bass, and dubby chords, even sublimated clarion calls. There is an immense energy in these tracks, the sheer materiality of low frequencies of a massive sound system manifested in a tiny room. Yet it is without any aggression, stripped bare of sonic pressure. It is quiet music no matter how high you turn up the volume. A rare treat, that requires exceptional skills and exceptional restraint and control on the technical side of music making. Probably it is a result of Menelaos specific combination of instinctual, intuitive approach to making music, which meets a genuine love for sound in seemingly endless loops of refinement that can lead to such a result as „dreamhike“. The elegant floating balance of control and playful experimentation manifests for example in a track that continues the ongoing collaboration with seasoned Cologne improviser Achim Fink on bass trumpet. Not only in this respect, the album can be described as a product of openness. It comes from a lot of taking in the world, of travel, of places and people met, of friendship and conversation (not necessarily with words). The deep trip of “dreamhike” further manifests Menelaos as one of the truly independent voices of electronic Cologne and beyond. Somewhat alike in character and attitude probably to what late Pete Namlook has established for Frankfurt with his label Fax +49-69/450464 (though ultimately warmer and much less uncanny) Menelaos has found his very own sound and vision. Music that answers to no one but speaks to everyone. Uncompromising yet gentle to the core: kind sounds from a kind spirit, arguably the most extraordinary and valuable quality music can have these days.