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Repress !

It was in Paris that John Lewis co-led this 1956 date with Sacha Distel, a French guitarist who never became well known in the U.S. but commanded a lot of respect in French jazz circles. The same can be said about the other French players employed on "Afternoon In Paris" -- neither tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen nor bassist Pierre Michelot were huge names in the U.S., although both were well known in European jazz circles. With Lewis on piano, Distel on guitar, Wilen on tenor, Michelot or Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke or Connie Kay on drums, the part-American, part-French group of improvisers provides an above-average bop album that ranges from "Willow Weep For Me", "All The Things You Are", and "I Cover The Waterfront" to Milt Jackson's "Bags' Groove" and Lewis' title song. The big-toned Wilen was only 19 when "Afternoon In Paris" was recorded, but as his lyrical yet hard-swinging solos demonstrate, he matured quickly as a sax man. A mythic LP and one of the best recorded in France!!!

repress !

Wax’o Paradiso Recordings presents its debut outing on vinyl, OK EG’s Intertidal Zone EP. The new label from the long standing Naarm (Melbourne) party is set to explore hi-fidelity, landscape-driven and cerebral music from the antipodes and beyond.

After sold out pressings on local imprints Animalia and Steeplejack, this EP explores a more contemplative side of OK EG, suitable for discerning dancefloors and meditative home listening alike.

Conceived in 2019 and completed in 2020, Intertidal Zone was recorded in collaboration with percussionist Phil Stroud. The rhythm tracks are a fusion of drum machines and hand drums, loose percussion, human voices and tuned percussion immersed in water. Joined by analog synthesisers, layered vocals, processed guitar and field recordings, the music evokes solastalgia and a reverence for nature.

The final track, Golden Hour, came from an improvisation with multi-instrumentalist Adam Halliwell on flute and jazz musician Jack Doepel on Korg bass, later transposed to modular synthesiser.

Wax’o Paradiso and OK EG acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this music was recorded, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, and pay their respects to elders past, present and emerging.

German alt-rock band Guano Apes was founded in 1994 and features vocalist Sandra Nasic, guitarist Henning Rümenapp, bassist Stefan Ude, and drummer Dennis Poschwatta. Guano Apes' sound is a fusion of metal, pop and rap. They entered the charts throughout the middle and late Nineties with singles “Lord of the Boards” and “Open Your Eyes”.

Planet Of The Apes is a compilation of the very best of Guano Apes. The record features all of their singles, their favorite songs and one song that is exclusively on this record - “Break The Line”. The 2LP is available on black vinyl and is housed in a gatefold sleeve.

The first album in 7 years from seminal electronic music pioneers and twice Mercury Prize Nominated, Leftfield. Currently reaching a new audience through Idris Elba’s Gucci ad, this will be their 4th album in their 28 year history. The new single will be featured in the soon to launched eFootball by Konami (previously PES).

Their last tour (in 2017) featured 7 sold out UK shows (including 2 X Brixton Academies), a sold out world tour and various festival headlines.

Quote from Neil Barnes: "I wanted ‘Pulse’ to be the first statement from the new album. It felt strong. Dance floor. Human. Positive. And I love the bass. It’s Leftfield."

Full pitch notes with bio to come

CULTURE

Leftfield (originally comprised of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley), have been at the cutting edge of dance music since the 1990s, releasing albums that have become some of the most influential electronic records of all time around the world with their debut LP 'Leftism' being widely regarded as one of the most boundary-pushing electronic LPs ever released.

In 2010, Neil Barnes reignited the Leftfield name, and went on to release an acclaimed new album (Alternative Light Source) touring the world with the full live band. Neil has also been cementing his reputation as a top-tier DJ and record collector unleashing modern dance floor weapons, selling out venues, headlining festivals and creating some amazing nights with his sets.

To confuse parts for the whole is inevitable with Palm. Drummer Hugo Stanley, bassist Gerasimos Livitsanos and guitarists/vocalists/high school sweethearts Eve Alpert and Kasra Kurt started making music together as teenagers, and spent much of their twenties in the kind of proximity unusual for adults, outside of touring bands and the International Space Station. For a number of years the band consumed the lives of its members to a point of exhaustion: “To be honest I think we got a little burnt out. There were times where it wasn’t clear if we’d make another record,” says Alpert. It was only after multiple freak injuries followed by a pandemic, forced a pause - from touring but also from writing, rehearsing, even seeing each other- that the four were able to regroup and see a way forward again.

On their latest effort, Nicks and Grazes, Palm embrace discordance to dazzling effect. “We wanted to reconcile two potentially opposing aesthetics,” Kurt says. “To capture the spontaneous, free energy of our live shows while integrating elements from the traditionally gridded palette of electronic music.” In order to avoid what Kurt refers to as “Palm goes electro,” the musicians spent years educating themselves on the ins and outs of production by learning Ableton while also experimenting with “the percussive, textural, and gestural potential” of their instruments. To this end, the band continued the age-old tradition of instrument-preparation, augmenting guitars with drumsticks, metal rods and, at the suggestion of Charles Bullen (This Heat, Lifetones), coiling rubber-coated gardening wire around the strings. The unruliness of the prepared guitar on songs like “Mirror Mirror” and “Eager Copy” contrasts with the steadfast reproducibility of the album’s electronic elements.

While Palm cite Japanese pop music, dub, and footwork as influences on this album’s sonic palette, they found themselves returning time and again to the artists who inspired them to start the group over a decade ago. “When we were first starting out as a band, we bonded over an appreciation of heavy, aggressive, noisy music,” Alpert reflects. “We wrote parts that were just straight-up metal.” Kurt adds, “I found myself rediscovering and re–falling in love with the visceral, jagged quality of guitars in the music of Glenn Branca, The Fall, Beefheart, and Sonic Youth, all important early Palm influences.” Returning to the fundamentals gave Palm a strong foundation upon which they could experiment freely, resulting in their most ambitious and revelatory album to date.

Yellow Vinyl

London Records releases remastered and expanded editions of Voice Of The Beehive’s classic debut 1988 album, ‘Let It Bee’ on November 25th.
Formats include a remastered gatefold vinyl edition in transparent honey yellow, and an expanded double CD edition featuring previously unreleased tracks, live versions and demos. All formats feature new liner notes by the band’s very own Tracey Belland.
In the mid 80s, armed with a only a suitcase of songs, Californian sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland escaped the American music industry in search of the vibrant British indie scene, finding recently split Madness band member Daniel ‘Woody’ Woodgate, who together with guitarist Mike Jones and bassist Martin Brett would form ‘the Beehive Boys’.
The powerful live chops of the Beehive Boys, combined with the harmonies, energy and stage presence of Tracey and Melissa, made Voice of the Beehive indie darlings and one of the hottest live acts on the London scene.
Signing with London Records, they recorded ‘Let It Bee’, its sunny exterior of sparkling indie guitars, energetic rhythms matched with lyrics and melodies that revealed both hope and an occasionally cutting cynicism.
On its release ‘Let It Bee’ was a UK Top 15 album, its singles ‘I Say Nothing’, ‘I Walk The Earth’ & ‘Don’t Call Me Baby’ all chart hits and radio favourites. Re-issued for the first time since its initial release. The expanded double CD version features ‘Cartoon City’, a band favourite recently uncovered and remastered from the London Records archives.

The first album on Girasole Records is from longtime friend William Caycedo. Since his first release on the label he morphed into a bass funky loaded unique sounds machine. He delivers a storytelling adventure on vinyl with this full 9 track album. G Soul it is!

"Maskerade" gehört zu den faszinierendsten Fusion- und Spiritual-Jazz-LPs aus Westdeutschland. Das rare Album von 1974 wurde ursprünglich auf dem kleinen Label "Creative Music Records" veröffentlicht, in einer Auflage von nur wenigen hundert Exemplaren. Leader Dieter Bihlmaier ist ein fantastischer Flötist, der an einige der besten Momente von Ikonen wie Eric Dolphy, Sahib Shihab oder Jeremy Steig erinnert. Bassist Jan Jankeje, Perkussionist Gerhart Ziegler und Vibraphonist Gerhard Dietz bilden seine großartige Rhythmusgruppe, die die Erkundung der hochpolyphonen Kompositionen der Band mit einem leichten Hauch von Free Jazz vorantreibt. Dies ist die erste Wiederveröffentlichung, liebevoll remastered in 2022, mit Original-Cover Artwork und Sleeve Notes.

Das bahnbrechende Debüt von WIND ROSE zieht als brandneues Re-Release in die Schlacht!

Das Debütalbum von WIND ROSE setzt die musikalische Tradition von symphonischen Power Metal Bands
Rhapsody of Fire, Kaledon und Thy Majestie fort und präsentiert progressive Power Metal mit schnellem
Riffing, schweren Gitarren, eindringlicher Atmosphäre und fantastischen Texten. Shadows Over Lothadruin
enthält lange und monumentale Stücke wie das fast zehnminütige ”Majesty” und wechselt in ”The Fourth
Vanguard” und ”Close to the End” von fließender Sanftheit zu schweißtreibender Schwere. Claudio Falconcinis Gitarrensound überzeugt mit packenden Riffs und mitreißenden Soli, während Federico Merandas
Keyboardspiel die perfekte Atmosphäre für das Album schafft. Daniele Viscontis Schlagzeug treibt mit
schnellen, galoppierenden Abschnitten voran unterstützt von Alessio Consanis Bassarbeit. Angeführt wird
das Quintett aber von Francesco Cavalieri, der mit seiner kraftvollen Stimme in die Schlacht führt und den
Kriegern befiehlt, für Ruhm zu kämpfen!

Terapia Records is thrilled to introduce you the very first release of its catalogue, a stunning LP by the two founders Luca and Michele (aka Complementary Minds) called Butch Haynes introduces Complementary Minds Vol. 1. The newborn label launches its ambitious, yet very much considered project, after the debut of one of the two head-honchos Luca Ferrara aka Butch Haynes on Apparel Music and Sistrum Recordings. He metaphorically introduces the first LP by the Milan born and bred duo, who share a deep love for music and a great productive connection. They deliver a brilliant eleven-track album, full of diversified sonic influences and quite representative of their bright talent. The record, which will be presented to you both on vinyl and digital, starts with a couple of masterly produced beats (Fantastic/Teacher Carey), both with an analogous mellow, warm energy, some brilliantly crafted bass-lines and a substantial harmonic presence. The album keeps rolling with the Deep feeling of Flower Diva: its soulful, skilfully arranged vocals and the dreamy synthetic chords help the pair to perpetuate this passionate, balmy vibe. Insomnia ends the first quartet of sexy tunes with some seductive improvised spacey key stabs and its delicate pensive chords while Q Orchestra (the lost tape mix) speeds up the heartbeat and leads to the closing track of the A side, Bebi: a gorgeous groovy interlude. B side kicks off in style with the slightly darker feel of Myers Boogie Man where the pitched sampled vocals, the solid rhythm section, a profound array of sonic details and a marvellous warm synth melody towards the end of the track make it a true ghetto hit! Right On, with its broken-beat and a radiant harmonic progression, Contact 911 with its tight kick-snare connection and some far-out, whimsical chord evolution and G Buster with its irresistible slightly acid driving force, pave the way for the grand finale where Maam, a proper club banger, ends this amazing LP in epic fashion. Butch Haynes introduces Complementary Minds Vol. 1. is such a cohesive, yet incredibly diversified album and their authors, Luca Ferrara and Michele Fallabrino, achieve the challenging task of telling their sonic story with a flawless work. What a way to start Terapia Records’ experience.

Line-Up:
Neal Schon - Guitars, Keyboards & Background Vocals
Jonathan Cain - Keyboards & Background Vocals
Jason Deralta - Background Vocals
Arnel Pineda -Lead Vocals
Deen Castronovo - Lead Vocals on "After Glow"
Randy Jackson - Bass, Background Vocals
Narada Michael Walden - Drums & Background Vocals

Zum ersten Mal auf Vinyl seit der ursprünglichen Veröffentlichung im Jahr 2016! Geschmiedet in in der Hölle, ist Rockin' Hell ist Overdrivers erstes Album. Das Rezept für diesen höllischen Cocktail ist teuflisch einfach. Beginnen Sie damit, Gibsons mit dämonischen Riffs zu nehmen, die an Marshalls-Verstärker angeschlossen sind und ein elektrisches Inferno entfesseln. Fügen Sie eine Bass-Schlagzeug-Gruppe hinzu, die so ohrenbetäubend ist wie die Apokalypse und oben drauf eine unverschämt besessenen Stimme. Et voilà ! Ein verdammt heißes Feuer von 10 glühenden Titeln! Und wenn die Hölle mit guten Vorsätzen gepflastert ist, geht es hier um puren und harten Rock im Anschluss an die größten australischen Rockbands, wie AC/DC, Airbourne oder sogar Rose Tattoo! Overdrivers fahren dich ins Land des Rock, Sex und all der anderen Dinge, die das Leben lebenswert machen! Rockin' Hell, wo jedes Abenteuer zueinander führt, eines mehr im Delirium als das vorherige. Unsere vier kleinen Dämonen sind entschlossen, eine gute Zeit zu haben! Lade dich zu einem höllischen Abend in Luzifers Gesellschaft mit dem gleichnamigen Titel Rockin' Hell ein. Erkunden sie die legendäre Insel des Vergnügens, während sie Dirty Girls Island hören, und entdecken sie die düstersten Geheimnisse der berühmten Verführerin aus She Hides A Big Packet! Andere Abenteuer erwarten sie natürlich auch, aber sie müssen sich die Juwelen anhören, die in diesem teuflischen ersten Album enthalten sind.

Nach einer triumphalen Herbsttournee stellen die Jazz-/Electro-Stars mit 300 000 verkauften Alben ihre neueste EP "Between Two Waves" im Vinylformat vor. Ein Neo-Jazz-Juwel mit energiegeladenen und mitreißenden Rhythmen, in denen Klavier, Kontrabass und Drums perfekt miteinander verschmelzen. Mit dieser neuen EP präsentieren Gogo Penguin eine neue Besetzung (der Schlagzeuger Jon Scott schließt sich dem Pianisten Chris Illingworth und dem Bassisten Nick Blacka an, einige Monate vor den Aufnahmesitzungen in den Real World Studios von Peter Gabriel) und unterzeichnen bei einem neuen Label: XXIM Records. Neuanfang und wichtiger Wendepunkt in ihrer Entwicklung: Die Band begann, neue Ideen zu erforschen und zu experimentieren, und erweiterte die Palette der Klänge und Stimmen in den Stücken.

In July 1973, Blue Note Records headed to Montreux, Switzerland to showcase several of the label’s stars at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Live albums all titled Live: Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux followed from Bobby Hutcherson, Ronnie Foster, Bobbi Humphrey, and Marlena Shaw, but one of the performances by Donald Byrd remained unreleased in the Blue Note vaults. Now, nearly 50 years later, that recording of the great trumpeter’s dynamic set will be officially released for the first time ever on what would have been Byrd’s 90th birthday: December 9, 2022.

That summer, Byrd was fresh off the release of his hit crossover fusion album Black Byrd, the first of his innovative and incredibly successful studio collaborations with producer Larry Mizell. But in a live setting the band had a rawer, harder edge, as this searing set attests. Byrd led a 10-piece band that included Larry Mizell on synthesizers, Fonce Mizell on trumpet and vocals, Allan Barnes on tenor saxophone and flute, Nathan Davis on soprano and tenor saxophone, Kevin Toney on electric piano, Barney Perry on electric guitar, Henry Franklin on electric bass, Keith Killgo on drums, and Ray Armando on congas and percussion. The set list includes Larry Mizell’s tune “Black Byrd” along with otherwise unrecorded Byrd originals like “The East,” “Kwame,” and “Poco-Mania,” as well as an excellent cover of Stevie Wonder’s “You’ve Got It Bad Girl.”

Falling Floors is a psych-rock three piece, formed in the pandemic out of a desire for distraction from dark times and an unending stream of shit news (seriously, what the fuck is going on?) There’s no master plan, no grand ambition, no product-market fit, just a shared love of 60s psych, 70s rock, and the fearless, genre-less experimentation of Krautrock and early prog to get us through.
Riding the trans-Pennine underground (up the hill and out of the crags, down there, you know?), you can hear magical sounds coming out of the Valley. On a cold and wet Calderdale winter, the band recorded their self-titled first album, DIY, live, in two days in Hebden Bridge. Rawness not perfection and feel over finesse were the aims. This album, a trans-Atlantic joint release by Riot Season (UK) and Echodelick (US), lives by slips, fuck-ups, and simple, joyous expression.
Falling Floors is Rob Herian (ex-feral stoner rockers Early Mammal) on guitar and vocals, Harry Wheeler (no ravers The Family Elan) on bass and keys, and Colin Greenwood (ex-shoegaze folk rockers No Sorrows) on drums. It’s no one’s project, and no one’s in charge. But there’s enough in common to keep it honest.

At the time of this recording, Thelonious Monk was at both a creative and critical peak. He had recently signed with Columbia Records, notably one of the biggest jazz labels in the world at the time, and the following year became the third jazz musician in history to appear on the cover of Time Magazine. The Classic Quartet is comprised of Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Butch Warren on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums. The recording captures what is undoubtedly one of the very best sets of the era. The songs, classic Monk repertoire, will be familiar to any Monk fan. That includes what is by all accounts an exceptional version of one of Monk"s favorite standards, "Just A Gigolo." This recording is the audio portion of a television show recorded in Tokyo during Monk"s 1963 tour of Japan. Not to be confused with the live album of that same 1963 tour, Monk In Tokyo, released on Columbia Records. It also should be noted that the recordings here were previously released as Thelonious Monk 1963 Japan, at various times, by various labels. This version has been remastered by Award Winning Engineer Bernie Grundman. It is the first time this album has been released on vinyl in over 35 years.

Rising from the berliner underground, Longhair have earned with the years a notorious reputation on the scene supported by some of our favourite imprints. Amsterdam's Italo-tastemakers "Bordello a Parigi", "Permanent Vacation" and Paramida's "Love on the Rocks" have found a place for the trance-spacey sound of the berliner based duo.

"Axis Mundi" is a space oddity that rises from our living room all the way to the solar system, Earth, Saturn and Pluto until the end of the Galaxy, no borders, the limit is set by yourself. Hammering and corrosive basslines, full of small little details and shining hidden stars in form of brilliant melodies that will make an exciting journey thru the Milky way.

Longhair show here their great versatility blending different subgenres that vary from Indie dance, leftfield house, Nu-Disco and everything in between and adding their particular cosmic touch and some trancy elements. A record that will work great either at the club wearing our favourite dancing shoes or chilling at home at our sofa.

Get ready for a cosmic trip, to the infinity and beyond..

(7" light blue colored vinyl) Next up in our 7” vinyl series, Honey C aka the late great Philippe Van Mullem and Bonzai stalwart Philippe Toutlemonde, delight with two seminal vocal trance tracks – Stop (The Disease) and Desire.

Next up in our 7” vinyl series, Honey C aka the late great Philippe Van Mullem and Bonzai stalwart Philippe Toutlemonde, delight with two seminal vocal trance tracks – Stop (The Disease) and Desire. Housed on light blue colour 7” vinyl, both tracks were first released in 1993 on the Houze Factory imprint before Stop (The Disease) was snapped up on the legendary Bonzai Trance Progressive in 1997 with a raft of remixes in tow. Desire would make an appearance on Bonzai Classics Digital in 2007, cementing its status as a retro gem. The 2 Philippe's were pioneers of that vocal trance sound and their project Quadran gave rise to the vocal melodic trance scene which still resonates to this day. Between them they notched up quite a few cuts with aliases and groups such as Innertales, Extreme Trax, Oudja and The Gaps among their repertoire.

The A side features the original mix of Stop (The Disease) which intros with a classic build up and explosion before an eerie, almost cinematic sequence takes over. The melodies soon become prevalent as a tight drum section keeps the rhythm flowing. A pulsing bassline holds the track together beautifully as that infectious vocal takes over the groove. On the flip side the Club Mix of Desire resides, taking us into an energy driven experience that sends the nostalgia juices flowing. Classic gated synths stand out as a powerful bassline drives the groove. The vocal is catchy and inviting, striking a perfect balance in the groove. 2 solid cuts for the collectors of fine beats.

Pollux - Locus

Pollux strikes again with this banger, a solid deep groove as we're used to, the drive in this one is really massive.

Lovely mysterious female vocals and a great solid melodic lead, all this in a wonderfull stunning atmosphere.

This track has got it all, great vibe, lush sound, a strong production.

Pollux & Faber - Pulse

With Pulse, the guys continue on the elan of predecessor Tam Unanimem, a "dark" deep bassline which reminds a bit to the classic "Barbarella" although it's different, but it's nice to have :)

An additional strong deep bass-melody and catchy lead are keeping "this whopper" going !

Leach - Cernunnos

No interduction needed for this guy who already earned his stripes with several releases. We go way back so we're very proud to have him and his newest track "Cernunnos" on Castor, a MASSIVE groove, nice build up & break with a great vocal. "Cernunnos" grabs hold of your attention and doesn’t let go ! Guaranteed Floorfiller !!!

Pollux - Restless

This one's got that typical "Pollux Sound", a pumping deep groove, a

heavenly arpeggiator and bombastic lead in a "Progressive" atmosphere, makes you long to dance ...

It's finally here the fourth and final release in the afro series with Zeke Manyika and Faze Action. This time they crank up the horns and lean towards a more afro latin, balearic flavoured track entitled "Maswera". Its tailor made for any festival or outdorr situation with its infectious piano riffs and Zeke's chants. This track is set for peak time moments. On the other hand "Rugare" has its roots firmly in the afro electronic sound. Think Eddy Grant meets 'manu Dibango circa 1981 and your in the right area. A solid bass line underpins the whole track, while horns and guitars dub in and out to create a classic afro club track.

Spanish DJ, producer and Night Shift records boss Javi Frias presents a new EP of disco edits that take the vibes of the 70s and re-fit them for the current dancefloor. As you might imagine, each of the four tracks seemingly has PARTY stamped across it in giant capital lettering, from the opening stomper 'Hot Damn!' with its bright-as-a-button brass section and the wah wah guitar of 'Dance To The Music' to the proto-house of 'The Spirit'. But the best is saved to last - the bendy funk bassline gymnastics of 'Feel Good', quite irresistible.

The debut of Hamburg trio Cloud Management stages the meeting of three proven exceptional figures: Thomas Korf and Sebastian Kokus have been responsible for some stunning leftfield neo-kraut releases with their band Love-Songs in recent years; Ulf Schütte has been one of the most productive, and innovative protagonists of experimental electronic music in Germany for many years (see Datashock, Phantom Horse, or his most recent collaboration with G. Steenkiste/Hellvete on Umor Rex, for example). Following Love-Songs' highly acclaimed collaboration with Schütte, »Spannende Musik«, released in 2021, the formation of Cloud Management as a group in its own right marks a new beginning, which is celebrated with the long player on Altin Village & Mine.

The album is characterized by a dense texture of repetitions in which (modular) synthesizers and bass go head-to-head. It is on this foundation that the formal grammar of the album develops over its nearly 45-minute running time, organized along precise interventions into the hypnotic pulse: What is recognizable as echoes of 1960s/70s minimalism or Cluster functions on »Cloud Management« not in the sense that the sequences or the sequencers are left to themselves, but as highly concentrated, microscopic work on repetition. This virtuosically arranged, groove-based and even danceable density of the seven pieces never sounds strained or as an end in itself, but floating, cloud-like. The polyrhythmic workouts are at all times in the service of a refreshing expanse that opens up from the sonic saturation and is far removed from the formulaic box-checking often associated with the attribute ›kosmisch‹. »Cloud Management«, thus, marks not an exercise in the traditions of a musical past, but a distinctive position within contemporary electronic music.

All songs are written, recorded and produced by Ulf Schütte, Thomas Korf and Sebastian Kokus.

Paryìa label head Marie Montexier announces the third installment on her imprint.

After kicking off the label with records by a.b.u.3.0.3. and Small Crab, Marie is having the Vancouver based acidic specialist Overland, who delivers three cutting-edge dance floor tracks that showcase her rich and versatile fusion of classic acid techno patterns and distinctive bass music rhythms.

Rounding off the record is a remix from the Chicago based up-and-comers Purelink. In contrast to Overland’s dark, fast, and bassy sound, Purelink re-arranged a trippy downtempo version of ‘Paloma’, resolving in the delicate, yet deliberate, chillout ecstasy, they are best known for.

Revered bossman Nonentity takes the Source Material back to its roots with this firing new EP on hand-stamped and numbered 10". 'Denzel' is the visceral opener and one that sounds as if its synths have been fired by the hadron collider they are so fierce and fast. The drums too are hefty and the squelchy bass rounds out this instant electro classic. 'Equilibrium' on the flip takes a deeper tact, with moody chords hinting at unease as the slapping drum funk powers onwards. It's a two-tracker that is well worth adding to your aural assault arsenal.

2022 Repress !

Isle Of Jura starts life with an official reissue of the highly sought after 'Fire In My Heart' 12" by Escape From New York. BIG TIP!

Originally released in 1984 'Fire In My Heart' fuses elements of disco, funk and new wave to create a mystical masterpiece. 'Won't Be Your Fool' has more obvious 80's leanings and the 12" closes with the Instrumental Dub of 'Fire In My Heart', stripping back the vocals and letting the bassline work its magic. Completely re-mastered for 2016 and distributed worldwide by Rush Hour.

Pique-nique Recordings is proud to present People’s Dream, the latest solo release from NYC-based vibraphonist and electronic producer Will Shore.

Inspired by Francis Bebey and Don Cherry’s electronic music from the 70s and 80s, People’s Dream draws heavily from modal jazz, minimalism, and dance music. It blends tightly composed percussive phrases with freely moving melodic improvisations that feel as much at home in a DIY loft space as they do on a custom-built sound system at Nowadays.

Shore says: “The vibraphone is the thing that I know best, but I’ve always found the instrument quite limited. Its pure bell-like tone can seem too pretty to evoke a wide range of feelings. I normally find ways to obscure that pure sound: I distort it, pitch it down, or layer rougher textures over it. But for People’s Dream and Lucid, instead of obscuring the sound quality, I decided to embrace it.

I used the vibraphone for not only melodic parts but also as a driving rhythmic element. I let the entrances and exits of melodies appear and disappear in a dream-like way, and added electronics and percussion as texture, to create a more cinematic atmosphere.”

On the B-side, UK producer and label-head Tom Blip (Blip Discs) flips Lucid into a driving, bass-oriented club track, fit for vibrant dancefloors this summer. On the back of successful collaborations with East African artists Swordman Kitala and Mubashira Mataali Group, Blip unleashes a trademark peak-time drum track designed to elude any dream-like state.

People’s Dream is the seventh release on NYC/Sydney label Pique-nique Recordings, which worked with Shore in 2019 on their signature event, Take Two. Shore led a nine-piece band through a reinterpretation of Albert Ayler’s Spiritual Unity for the occasion, utilizing his mentor Butch Morris’ conduction technique to rapturous effect.

The inspirational intake and respectful tribute of and to Hindi Cinema Soundtrack artists Kalyanji-Anandji and R. D. Burman and the Simla Beat guitar organ psych records of the early/mid 70’s, coupled with the Italian silver-stringed heavy-funked composers Piero Umiliani and Stefano Torossi kaleidoscopically conjure the sounds brought to you by Pleasurewood in this 7” single.

Firework is ushered in by a Hofner Beatle bass’s nasal clacking joyfully assisted by clapping hands through murky spring reverb.
A breakbeat incantation to the sun scored with Farfisa, Guitar Wah and Arp Odyssey.

Move! is a more pensive post-apocalyptic funk hymn with the instrumentation of piano, cimbalom and mellotron, plus the layered and flanged vocals of the composers Paul Elliott and Anthony Donje, with the instruction to ‘Move!’ by studio kingpin Buddy Elliott.

Debut album by Dutch producer w1b0, who passed away in August, to be released in November on U-TRAX.

Wibo Lammerts' sudden death on August 15thshocked the worldwide electro community, and also left the record label, that had been working on the debut album with the artist known as w1b0 for the past two years, dumbfounded and in grief.

Wibo had jokingly always called his upcoming debut album 'his legacy', which now sadly has become a painful truth. With the support of Wibo's family, U-TRAX is now doing the only thing that doesn't feel totally wrong: proceed as planned, and release 'When Humans Ruled The Earth' on November 11.

W1b0 made quite a name for himself with heavy electro tracks that he released on labels like Bass Agenda, Hilltown Disco and Discos Antónicos. Standing at 202 meters, and combined with a cheerful character, most people remember him as the gentle giant of electro.
For this album, Wibo wanted to steer away from the dark and heavy electro he mostly made until then. The idea of having a platform to create delicate electronic music in different styles, and make it a showcase of his versatility, was very appealing to him. And that is where he and U-TRAX found each other.

The full-length album (over 75 minutes on cd and digital) comes after 'The Pilex Program EP', released in October, that featured a remix by Detroit's Ectomorph of 'Pilex Driver' and saw 'Program Yourself To Feel' remixed by a well-known Dutch producer that recently created the new 'techno alias' Human Form.
As usual with U-TRAX, the album comes in three different editions, with the 11-track double vinyl version containing the Ectomorph and Human Form remixes. The CD and digital version boast original versions only, plus four additional tracks: 'Alternate Reality Interface', 'Mixed Matter Fluctator', 'Synthetic', and 'In There'. The cassette version more or less has the same track list as the CD/digi version, but has both aforementioned remixes and a bonus track in the incredibly hypnotizing 'I Wanted You', a track that unfortunately couldn't be on the CD and vinyl versions.

Buyers of the physical releases get treated on superior quality products, another trademark of U-TRAX. The vinyl edition boasts over one hour of music, on two 180 grams, green vinyl discs, in a black & white & neon green gatefold sleeve. The eye-catching artwork is created by Utrecht artist Leffe Goldstein, known amongst others for his psychedelic beer can designs for Utrecht brewery Maximus. Wibo, being the beer lover he was, had zero doubts about having Leffe Goldstein do the cover for his album. The CD has a total playing time of 75 minutes and comes in a beautiful 6-panel digipack, while the cassette will have full-color on-body print and comes in a plastic-free Maltese cross fold-up sleeve.

Buyers of the physical releases get treated on superior quality products, another trademark of U-TRAX. The vinyl edition boasts over one hour of music, on two 180 grams, green vinyl discs, in a black & white & neon green gatefold sleeve. The eye-catching artwork is created by Utrecht artist Leffe Goldstein, known amongst others for his psychedelic beer can designs for Utrecht brewery Maximus. Wibo, being the beer lover he was, had zero doubts about having Leffe Goldstein do the cover for his album. The CD has a total playing time of 75 minutes and comes in a beautiful 6-panel digipack, while the cassette will have full-color on-body print and comes in a plastic-free Maltese cross fold-up sleeve.

Opener 'Acid Whip' is one of the oldest compositions on this album, in which a dark 303 bassline hums over layers of spacey strings. Wibo named it after the legendary Whip It party in Amsterdam's De Melkweg. 'Alternate Reality Interface' then presents bouncy rhythms toying around with all sorts of analog (bass) synthesizers, before we go really deep with the epic ambient techno track 'Wandering Souls'.
Then things get a little lighter spirited: 'Mixed Matter Fluctator' is an electro track that builds on sounds created by Matt Buggins. It has very strong Detroit influences, the city Wibo loved so much and that he made a pilgrimage to with a group of friends that called themselves 'The Techno Tourists'. The tempo goes up a notch in 'Program Yourself To Feel', that halfway opens up in wide science fiction strings that evoke memories of Star Wars, the movie series that Wibo was a great fan of, and that was the source of many of his tracks' names. The Human Form remix opens the vinyl edition of this album and is a downright belter of a track.

Next is a somewhat experimental intermezzo named 'Synthetic'. Erratic beats and pounding bassdrums get accompanied by very subtle eerie-sounding strings, before melancholic synthesizers and piano chords take over. This is an excellent prelude to the epic 'Hologram Computing', a track that is one of our favorites. It slowly and softly builds and builds, before a pounding bassdrum breaks loose and a hypnotic arpeggio takes you to higher planes.
Not ready to letting the listener relax, w1bo then serves 'Beilstein Reference', which again presents his trademark cocktail of down-to-earth electro rhythms and catchy melodies, covered in all sort of little sounds and noises, giving the song a lot of energy. What follows is 'Hit me', a track loosely based on a song by Dutch indie rock band Mr. Joe Abe. Wibo met the band's singer on a camping site while being on holidays and the two decided Wibo should do a remix of one of their songs. Nothing was left of the original except the vocals, and the result is a remarkable cheerful, poppy electro song.

'Anticipated Input' is one of the more recent tracks Wibo made for this album, combining electro, acid and, yes: epic strings. But not all is peace and quiet on this album, as 'Pilex Driver' shows. This is w1b0 going experimental in a danceable fashion: Industrial sounds make the track sound like we're passing a construction site that is playing loud electro music. On the vinyl version of this album, Ectomorph totally decomposed the original and made it into a mysterious, almost subdued, and totally brilliant electro track that sees a main role for the retro Roland CR drum machines sounds.

TFHats, Wibo's fellow member of the Transhumanism collective, added lyrics to 'Cartesian Coordinates'. His vocals add a pleasant New Wave flavor to this song, that has breaks that remarkably reminds one of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. What follows is the most personal track on this album. 'Fornan' is a song that Wibo made for his wife Nanette, and was added as the last piece of the puzzle that creating an album is. The warm Detroit techno atmosphere in this electro song couldn't be a more beautiful tribute to his love, and mother of their two young boys.
The album then takes a surprising detour through a 1980s landscape with 'In There', that features the Joy Division-esque vocals of another one of Wibo's friends, indicated only as Vincent. The super slow and gloomy track is a treat for anyone that loved the darker side of New Wave. The album has a worthy closer in the sensitive, yet playful 'Schlegel Diagram'.








h 08: Hit Me (w1b0's Slugfest Assault Dub) feat. Mr Joe Abe

Afro-Finnish band Maajo return with their third album, "Water of Life," a fluid celebration of various influences. Supported by two preceding singles, "Better Days" and "Unelmissani," the album is the group's first release with the Brooklyn, NY-based tastemaker label Wonderwheel Recordings. Maajo's signature Afro-Balearic sound meets late eighties new age and fusion, with touches of modern soul. The addition of two band members, Waina and Gilbert K, as well as featuring artists Issiaka Dembele and Ismaila Sané, has rooted the album's stories in a diverse range of backgrounds, featuring vocals in no less than six different languages.

Gilbert K's drum grooves pay tribute to the late Tony Allen's legendary heritage and the percussion experiments on a more melodic and atmospheric tip. Cold synth pads and 303 squeaks blend with warm guitars, fretless bass, and Issiaka Dembele's sublime kora harps and balafon mallets. "Water of Life" shows a band at its maturation point, reaching the cross-cultural coalescence of Finnish-African sound that's ready for the dancefloor or home-listening.

The three vocalists take centre-stage on the album: Waina hails from Zambia and sings in Nyanja, English and Finnish; a renowned musician in Zambia for over two decades who now calls Finland home, Waina wrote a song that reached the finals of the 2020 Afrimusic contest. Gilbert K primarily sings in his native Mauritian Creole while comprising part of the percussion line. He made his way to Finland by way of South Africa and China, eventually winning the Voice of Finland show. Gilbert K has played with such legends as Tony Allen, Andy Summers, Diana King, and Suzanne Vega. Ismaila Sané is from the Casamance region of Southern Senegal and sings in Wolof (a widely-spoken language in West Africa) on "Ndekete," and in Jola (a smaller language in Casamance) on "Èwàn".

Maajo is a sonic, linguistic, and cultural melting pot that has come together in Tampere, Finland, like a tropical breeze from the cold north. Their musical explorations lead from equatorial soundscapes to the woods and moods of their native Scandinavia. African influences, electronic beats and organic rhythms, ethereality and the sounds of nature all make up the patchwork sound of Maajo.

Not only is Maajo's music a way of travelling to faraway places, the songs themselves have travelled all over the globe. Maajo has evolved from a sample-based electronic music project to a full-sized band, including African vocalists and musicians. The group has put out two full-length albums and three EP's on Queen Nanny records, in addition to a release on German label Permanent Vacation. Maajo has received the remix treatment from artists such as Luke Vibert and Call Super, and has toured festivals and clubs internationally. The band has built a dedicated international following having been championed by the likes of Gilles Peterson (Worldwide FM), Tom Ravenscroft (BBC Radio 6), and Tim Sweeney (Beats In Space), while they've been featured by KEXP (Song of the Day), Resident Advisor, Ransom Note, and Pan-African Music.

"Water of Life" is out on Wonderwheel Recordings October 14th, 2022, both digitally and as an exclusive, limited-run 2xLP.




d 04: Better Days (Kumba) feat. Waina & Gilbert K

Wiederveröffentlichung des Greensleeves Longplayer von 1984. Am Mischpult saß Phillip Smart (neben Scientist und Prince Jammy der dritte Meisterschüler von King Tubby), mit den Musikern Bass: Paul Henton, Drums: Donny Marshall, Guitar: Errol Moore, Guitar Lead: Donovan McKitty, Keyboards: William Brown, Horns: Derek Hinds. Der Titelsong ist ein absoluter 'Classic Tune' der Reggae-Historie und basiert auf Jackie Mittoos 'Hot Milk' Riddim.

Original cat# GREWCD314 - Recorded in 1981 for Time 1 Productions (Jah Screw) this is one of the 'strictly dub' albums and gets a re-mastered LP vinyl re-release! It's the follow-up to 'Dangerous Dub' and again The Roots Radics (Drums: Lincoln "Style" Scott, Bass: Erroll "Flabba" Holt, Piano: Gladstone "Gladdie" Anderson, Keyboards: Wycliff "Steely" Johnson, Rhythm Guitar: Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont, Percussion: Barnabus & Noel "Scully" Sims) at their very best and King Tubbys studio sound and mix. Additional mix by Soldgie and Paul "Jah Screw" Love, tracks laid at Channel One - Killer!

Original Cat# GREL314 / Das Original Album "Dangerous Dub" wurde 1981 veröffentlicht und gehört definitiv zu den "Must Have" Alben des Dub. Nun gibt es eine Fortsetzung dieses Klassikers. "More Dangerous Dub" enthält nicht weniger als 14 unveröffentlichte Tracks der Roots Radics, aufgenommen mit King Tubby in den Channel Studios.

The Outer Edge is very proud to release another quite sensational release. Here are the official reworks of Hans Hass' proto-AOR / cloud rock hymn "Welche Farbe hat der Wind" (which translates to "What color is the wind").

The main producer for this release was Marian Tone (of Key Elements), who reworked the track almost from scratch. He re-recorded the drums, the bassline, and some chords while keeping Hass's original vocal layer. The distinctive guitar playing by co-composer Gabor Kristof sparkles throughout. The result is exactly what we had hoped and asked for: a DJ-friendly version of this überclassic track.

The idea for this rework project came to mind when label owner DJ Scientist got word from Tobias Kirmayer of Tramp Records that "Welche Farbe hat der Wind" would be officially re-released for the first time on his compilation series "Praise Poems" as well as on a single reissue. Scientist immediately asked if he could make an edit with louder drums to make the track more playable in a DJ set. However, as the masters of the Tramp reissues had already been submitted to the pressing plant, he was granted permission to re-license the track and rework it for his own label instead.

Hence, the reworks feature Scientist's "vintage drums" mix, which has the drums mixed louder, plus drums added at the quite psychedelic and experimental last third, with a few other sound adjustments made.

But it was up to Berlin-based DJ and music producer Marian Tone to put the icing on the cake and rework and enhance the song further with his own version. With fellow Key Elements bandmember Steffen Kieslich, he completely re-recorded the drums. Then it was up to Doron Segal to replay the bass and the keys. What we get is the classic sound of "Welche Farbe hat der Wind" - just updated and fresher.

For the first time ever, the track is also available as an instrumental version. Here, the great original guitar playing keeps the song going and going, and makes it perfectly clear that this tune, which originally came out on the schlager album "Reise in eine glückliche Zukunft" in 1974, is pretty damn funky!

It has been difficult to put "Welche Farbe hat der Wind" into a genre box, But it has been described as "rare groove","psychedelic schlager", and even "proto-AOR". For facility, Scientist has coined the new term "cloud rock" to describe this particular style of soft but groovy music. The name cloud rock bears a conspicuous reference to the krautrock genre as well. More tracks in a similar vein will be heard soon in a DJ mix under the same name.

Marian Tone's rework, as well as the corresponding instrumental version, will be released on a limited 7" single with a full-color picture sleeve. The digital release will feature the DJ Scientist re-mix plus an alternative version that puts more focus on the re-recorded bassline. In any case, this is an essential item for any music lover as well as the ideal contribution to your ultimate "cloud rock" DJ set!

Bladder by the Light is a conceptional compilation between Obsolete Future and the Parisian painter Marion Guillet. It was compiled by Marion Guillet & Conor Walker.

For its fourth release, Zen 2000 scales up from the 45 format and releases its first 12-inch, which, coming in at seven tracks (eight with the digital-only bonus) is either a double-wide EP or an LP in everything but name.

The artist behind it is Mogwaa, a South Korean producer who's built a reputation on meticulous and clean-lined melodies and sharp, glistening drums. Sometimes we find him in the club, slinking through dubby bass wobbles, flittering across breaks, and sometimes we find him in a grassy park, sprawled atop a soft ambient bed. No matter where he is, the trademark voicing is always present.

Here, on A Garden Within, we get equal helpings of both: the A-side is the chill-out room, spacey drifters that pulse through the cosmos and wiggle through underwater currents.

The flip is clubbier fare, with “Rejas” being a nod to electro sounds and “Tranquilizer” being a trippy bit of trance. Bookending the journey is “Melting,” an iceberg slowly cracking and falling into the ocean. “Con Fe” is an encore of sorts; it feels like a reconstituting of “Melting,” the reforming of that track's languid dissolution.

Flox is square. Square, precise, direct.

He goes straight to the point, and doesn’t waist his time with useless considerations. “I have no time to shit around”, he says. So, his seventh album is called Square. Square represents a major turning point in the career of the pioneer of nu reggae. An extraordinary architect of studio production and multi-instrumentalist who records, mixes and produces but also, for several years, performs on stage with his musicians. After recording Square, he started touring alone, equipped with a machine he designed and built with Midi controllers to launch original samples and loops - an autarky assumed from one end of the process to the other. “You have to master all the tools to deliver what you want”, he has been saying for years...

Yet, this Square is wide open: old school rhythms or techno-like approaches, vintage dub or futuristic take offs, thick sound basses and melodies, scraped to the bone...

Die Originalbesetzung von Black Ox Orkestar ist nach einer 15-jährigen Pause wieder zusammen. Die aus der fruchtbaren Montréaler Post-Punk-Agit-Prop-Szene der frühen 2000er Jahre hervorgegangene Band besteht aus Scott Gilmore, Jessica Moss und Thierry Amar von Thee Silver Mt. Zion (Amar komponiert und spielt auch weiterhin Bass für Godspeed You! Black Emperor) und Gabriel Levine von Sackville. Black Ox Orkestar haben Mitte der 2000er Jahre zwei gefeierte Alben mit aufgewühltem akustischem Avant-Folk veröffentlicht, auf denen sie osteuropäische und nordafrikanische Folklore durch die Linse einer düsteren, resonanten Indie-Rock-Sensibilität erforschten und Interpretationen von Instrumentalstücken aus verschiedenen jüdischen, rumänischen und arabischen Traditionen den Originalen gegenüberstellten. Auch dank Gilmores politisch aufgeladenem jiddischen Gesang sind diese frühen Alben für eine neue Generation von Musikern und Fans der jiddischen, Klezmer- und jüdischen Diaspora-Musik zu Meilensteinen geworden. Das von Greg Norman (Jason Molina, Nina Nastasia, Electrical Audio) hervorragend produzierte Album Everything Returns macht genau da weiter, wo die Band aufgehört hat: ein einschneidend atmosphärisches, melancholisches und doch entschlossenes Album einzigartiger moderner jüdischer Folkmusik, bei dem Klavier, Geige, Kontrabass, Klarinette und Cymbalom die Kerninstrumentierung bilden und die Gesangsstücke hauptsächlich auf Jiddisch gesungen werden. ENG Everything Returns reunites the original Black Ox Orkestar lineup following a 15-year hiatus. Arising from the fertile Montréal post-punk agit-prop scene of the early 2000s, the band comprises Scott Gilmore, Jessica Moss and Thierry Amar of Thee Silver Mt. Zion (Amar also continues to compose and play bass for Godspeed You! Black Emperor) and Gabriel Levine of Sackville. Black Ox made two acclaimed albums of roiling acoustic avant-folk in the mid-2000s, exploring Eastern European and North African folkways through the lens of a gritty, resonant indie rock sensibility, juxtaposing interpretations of instrumentals from various Jewish, Romani and Arabic traditions with originals led by Gilmore's politically-charged Yiddish vocals. These early albums have since become lodestars for many among a new generation of Yiddish, Klezmer and radical Jewish diasporic music practitioners and fans. First revealing its resurrection in February 2022 with a surprise flexi 7" single issued by left journal Jewish Currents as a gift to its thousands of subscribers, Black Ox has indeed fully and fruitfully reunited. Exquisitely recorded by Greg Norman (Jason Molina, Nina Nastasia, Electrical Audio), Everything Returns picks up right where the band left off: an incisively atmospheric, melancholic yet resolute album of uniquely modern Jewish folk music, with piano, violin, upright bass, clarinet and cymbalom making up the core instrumentation, and the vocal tunes sung primarily in Yiddish, alongside album centerpiece "Viderkol" and closer "Lamed-Vovnik" where English also features. This is not fusion music, but diaspora music: a cross-cultural call and response of musical lexicons, emerging from the history of Jewish persecution and displacement, the musicology of 19th century repertoire from Jewish shtetls , the improvisational traditions of nusakh in Jewish music and taqsim in Arabic music, and a wider polyglot dialogue of Jewish, Slavic, Arabic, and Central Asian musical traditions. Lyrically and stylistically, Everything Returns connects key current issues_from refugees forced to leave their homes, to the return of fascism and exclusionary nationalism_with the legacy of modernist Yiddish poetry and song. The new Black Ox Orkestar album is a sublime, poetic, politically-informed statement of re-energized diasporic musical intent, where Gilmore's voice and the band's simmering arrangements conjure an ardent, doleful balladry that echoes the sound and sensibility of artists like Tindersticks, The National, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. Everything Returns is a haunting, richly textured, darkly sparkling song cycle at once from a vanished world and very much of our time and place. Thanks for listening.

Joan Reggae Drummer, based in the region of Catalonia in Spain, is a great lover of Jamaican music, at a very young age he began to be so passionate about drums that he created his first musical projects, among them, the band that was a turning point was The Pepper Pots. With 6 albums already released and several tours in Europe, UK, Japan, USA & Czech Republic , Joan has opened for internationally artists such as Jimmy Cliff, Kymani Marley, Laurel Aitken, Derrick Morgan, Ticken Jahfakoli or The Pioneers among others. He performed at major festivals such as Summerjam Reggae Festival (Germany), Rototom Sunsplash (Italy), Primavera Sound (BCN), Rock For People (Czech Republic) or SXSW (Austin, USA).

Joan as a drummer has also worked with a lot of top international soul artists such as Curtis Mayfield's legendary band The Impressions, Eli "Paperboy" Reed, Maxine Brown, Binky Griptite from Daptone Records that has been in bands such as Antibalas, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, The Dap-Kings or The Mellomatics.

In 2020, after a time of musical hiatus due to the Covid, he began his more personal adventure, creating his own channel dedicated solely and exclusively to the world of drums in Reggae and Dub. Currently his Instagram channel has more than 34.000 followers and the content published has so much repercussion.

First this major collaboration last year with Aston Barrett Jr for a special tribute to his uncle , Carlton Barrett (Bob Marley), one of Joan's favorite drummer. And at last all this work led him to record his first debut EP "DUB Explosion" on the label Two Flames Records, a real explosion of DUB, where the common thread of the songs are drums.

JRD "DUB Explosion" is a performance in the form of an EP, consisting of 4 instrumental Dub tracks with a totally different concept than what we are used to, since the songs were created from the drum beats.

Great musicians from different countries have participated in this EP: Guitar - Arturo Landaeta (Venezuela), Bass - Elie El Ossais (Australia), Keyboards - Ireneu Grosset (Spain), Nyahbinghi Drums - Maurici Bongo (Brazil), Trombone and Trumpet - Pablo Martín (Catalonia), Tenor sax - Tomy Muñoz (Catalonia), Bass - Miliu Llorach (Catalonia), Flute - Lluís Doménech (England), Bass - Joshua Jones (Jamaica), Keteh & Triangle - Aurel Cade (France), Trumpet - Glenn Holdaway (United States).

Finally, the production, mixing and dub was done by the musician and producer Ireneu Grosset, in the analogue studio of Dr. Dubwiser. It was quite an experience as the studio has a team very similar to what Jamaican producers had in the golden age of Reggae in the 70's.

Comprehensive box of 6 LPs / EPs and the band's first rare 7inch.

Aroma Di Amore is/was Belgian’s premier cult band. Since the early eighties ADA innovatively combined electronics with rock. With a mix of razor-sharp Flemish lyrics and unconventional song structures the group earned a cult status in Belgium and abroad. 40 years later they conclude their career with a few last concerts and a vinyl box set spanning the years 1983-1987.

At the notorious Rock Rally of 1982 Aroma Di Amore stands out with their wonderful handling of the Flemish language, a deep bass, typical cold new wave drums, biting guitar riffs with the occasional flavor of absolute madness. Frontman Jos Verlooy adopts the stage name Elvis Peeters. The explanation for this remarkable pseudonym choice: in 1977 – the period of the singer's musical awakening – one of the two famous rocking Elvises (not Costello, but Presley) succumbs to his pill addiction. So, dixit Verlooy, there is an Elvis vacant. A banal surname belongs next to that exotic first name. A combination that breathes rock 'n' roll, according to the singer.

His companion Gerry Vergult – who very much determines the sound with his metallic riffs, somewhat indebted to Jean-Marie Aerts – adopts the stage name Fred Angst. Completely in line with the depressing zeitgeist of the 1980s. Gerry eats and breathes music. Besides composing most of ADA’s songs, he records & self-produces a few fantastic dark en loner solo minimal wave tracks as Fred Angst. He is still musically active, more towards the electronic leftfield nowadays under the moniker Zool.

It is clear from an early age that companion Elvis Peeters possesses the gift of the word. As an adolescent he published the punkzine “Dus”. The punk spirit stimulates Peeters. He begins to transform the poetry that he has been entrusting to paper for some time into song lyrics. It is on a whim and without any stage experience that punk friends Peeters and Angst register for the Rock Rally as Aroma di Amore. On a bed of post-punk and cold wave (Joy Division, Wire and Sisters of Mercy are the main influences), they initially let out playful, minimalist and nonsensical slogans such as "Doe De Mafia" (1982) and "Gorilla Dans De Samba" (1983). Later on, the tone becomes more serious, although Peeters' choice of words continues to show a penchant for absurdism and sarcasm. No one in Dutch songwriting imitates this verbal elasticity, certainly at that time.

The numerous songs about war are downright horrifying. In the 1980s, an arms race is underway. When the Belgian government decides to install nuclear missiles in 1981, Aroma di Amore asks for one minute of silence in the hall during performances. In "Lauwe Oorlog" (1983), Peeters exposes the core of his unrest: “paraat voor de parade / de vrede wordt begraven / met militaire eer”. To this day, the frontman of AdA still proudly wears his at least 30 year old 'atomic energy, no thanks!' button.

In 1984 Aroma releases Koude Oorlog on the new and independent Brussels label Play It Again Sam. The traditional press and radio ignore the record, but in the alternative circuits the mini-album does not go unnoticed, and the group starts to build a solid fan base, resulting in more and more offers for gigs. There's also interest in the Netherlands, and due to the international contacts of PIAS, the record also ends up in France, Switzerland, Spain and Canada.

Encouraged by this modest success, the group returns to the studio for a 12" single. With new group member Frits De Cauter on sax, they record "Voor De Dood". To this day, Voor De Dood remains the most popular AdA song, as evidenced by the countless compilations on which the song has appeared.

AdA goes to the Netherlands to record their next album “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen”. The people from Nasmak have built a new studio in Eindhoven and one of the members, Theo Van Eenbergen (later Henry Rollins), will be the producer. “De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen” is the group's most adventurous album, and the reviews are again unanimously favorable. However, sales are disappointing and PIAS proposes to recruit Chris Reed of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and record a new single with him. "Zonder Omzien" is recorded at the prestigious Pyramid Studio. However, PIAS is waiting to release the album and in the meantime AdA is recording a number of extra tracks with producer Ludo Camberlin, including "Koekoek In De Stad". Towards the end of the year, Lo and Elvis travel to Africa for a few months and as a result the group comes to a standstill. In this period, Zonder Omzien is released.

At the beginning of 1986, Peeters and Meulen return, and Andrea Smits leaves the group. Luc Pillards is hired as a replacement, and when Ludo Camberlin presents himself as a new label boss and producer (Anything But Records), they start recording their first full album for the label. “Harde Feiten" kicks in immediately, and the group is back up to cruising speed. In the first week of release, the record even appears in the bestseller list of the record stores.

At the beginning of 1987 the recordings for the second album start, this time in a production by Peeters and Angst themselves. Shortly after the shooting, AdA goes to Switzerland for a short but successful tour, with Men 2nd and Cas & Organized Crime as support act. "Koudvuur" is published in the autumn and considered to be their strongest record so far by the group, the reactions are rather low. Both the reviews in the press and the sales are disappointing and put a damper on the joy. Nevertheless, the group is invited to perform in Valencia, Spain, where they have an unexpected success.

MUTANT SOUNDS BLOG

Aroma Di Amore have always been outsiders, even within the confinement of the alternative rock circuit. Their peculiar blend of raw guitars, electronics, Dutch lyrics and unconventional song structures was too hybrid for many. Those howewer who, without prejudice, would lend an ear to the band's music, discovered an energetic, authentic and uncompromising collective that stood above all trends. While so many Belgian "connaisseurs" had their doubts about the possibilities of international recognition for a band singing in Dutch, Aroma Di Amore toured France, Switzerland and Spain; their records figured in alternative charts from Poland to Canada.

From beginning to end the nucleus of Aroma Di Amore consisted of Elvis PEETERS, who in a inimitable, possessed way delivered his highly original lyrics, and Fred ANGST, guitarist mastering the heaviest riffs as well as refined tapestries of sound. Furthermore, the line-up varied throughout the band's carreer with:- H.K. (Guitarist from 1982 until 1983)- Andrea SMITS (Organ from 1982 until 1985)- Luc PILLARDS (Synthsizer in 1986)- Jan WANDELAAR (Guitar and synthesizer in 1986)- Pulcherie (Saxophone in 1983)- Wout DOCKX (Bass from 1987 until 1988)and especially- Lo MEULEN (Bass from 1983 until 1987)and the late Frits DE CAUTER (Saxophone from 1984 until 1986) contributing to the music.

Box Set includes: Gorilla Dans De Samba 7" (1983), Voor De Dood 12" (1984), Koude Oorlog LP (1984), De Sfeer Van Grote Dagen 12" (1985), Zonder Omzien 12" (1986), Harde Feiten LP (1986), Koudvuur LP (1987)