Search:bur

Nach 'The Burden of Restlessness' und 'Acheron' aus dem Jahr 2021 folgt mit 'Regenerator' der dritte Teil von King Buffalos "Pandemie-Trilogie". Geschrieben und aufgenommen von der Band mit Mixing und Engineering von Gitarrist / Sänger Sean McVay und Mastering von Bernie Matthews.
Das 7-Track-Album ist nun also die dritte Verschmelzung progressiver Rhythmen, treibende Atmosphären zu einem spannenden Psychedelic Rock-Schmelztiegel.
Das sehr melodische Highlight 'Mammut' - mit McVays selbstbewusstester Stimme schimmert vor verzweifelter Hoffnung, auf 'Hours', entfalten sie klassischen Space Rock und die das abschließende 'Firmament' dient als Zusammenfassung aller drei Alben, die das Finale markieren von einer Trilogie, die wesentlicher Eckpfeiler von King Buffalo's Arbeit ist. 'Regenerator' ist auf CD sowie 180. Gr. LP erhältlich. Weißes Vinyl (inklusive Download).

VISIONS schrieb zum Vorgänger:

"…Umso schöner dann die Nachricht Anfang März, dass das Trio aus Rochester, New York in diesem Jahr drei Alben veröffentlichen will. Das passiert also, wenn man Ideen und - virusbedingt - Zeit hat. (…) Darunter pulsiert ein dichter Groove zwischen Psych und Prog. Tatsächlich sind King Buffalo nicht mehr weit von Tool entfernt. Der Klang von "The Burden Of Restlessness" ist unglaublich. Die Verstärker brummen und grummeln, die verzerrten Schichten sind transparent, der Bass groovt viril und transparent darunter und das Schlagzeug liefert ein sattes Fundament. Aufgenommen, produziert und gemixt hat die Band das Album selbst, was die Sache noch eindrucksvoller macht. "The Burden Of Restlessness" ist ein faszinierender, stimmungsvoller Trip, eine in sich bemerkenswert geschlossene Platte. Dessen aggressivere Ausbrüche sorgen meist ab Mitte und gegen Ende der massiven, mäandernden Songs für Höhepunkte." (VISIONS Juni 2021)

Available on trans blue vinyl with gatefold sleeve. Following the UK chart success & critical acclaim of their last full-length studio album ‘In Vino Veritas’ this new album is another incendiary, 111% proof, guitar-fuelled, alcohol-soaked adrenalin shot. Tyla’s trademark songs of hope & heartache, demons & debauchery and conflict & chaos are taken to new heights by a band in full flow. Big choruses are delivered with power. Tender hearted lyrics with emotion. Track listing: Tree Bridge Cross; Journey to the Centre of the Soul; Stole my Love Away; God Only Knows; Angel Lane; Buried Alive; Raining Fire; Powder Dry; Moth to the Flame; Ghosts - CD Disc 2: Tree Bridge Cross (Acoustic); Journey to the Centre of the Soul (Acoustic); Stole my Love Away (Acoustic with Spike); Angel Lane (Acoustic); Buried Alive (Acoustic); Raining Fire (Acoustic); Powder Dry (Acoustic); Moth to the Flame (Acoustic); Ghosts (Acoustic)

Born of chance meetings in Accra, the band brings together a Burundian producer and vocalist, Betina Quest; with a Ghanaian singer-songwriter, Eli A Free; and a German percussionist and multiinstrumentalist, Ma.ttic. Nyamekye Junction take their name from a bustling junction in the Ghanaian capital, where a number of major roads merge, embodying the musical approach of the band: a singular sound at the junction of their cultural heritages.

In Eli’s words, ‘Dasein’ (from the German for ‘existence’, ‘being there’), captures “the need to live in this moment here and now with a heart full of gratitude” while exploring a number of interlinked themes, including the importance of one's environment – cultural and political, as well as physical - in situating, shaping and explaining each individual’s identity.

The band adeptly channel a wide range of influences, from the Ghanaian legends Ebo Taylor and Osibisa through to US mainstays such as Nina Simone and Erykah Badu; with equal regard given to UK innovators like Benjamin Clementine and Mala. The resulting debut EP ‘Dasein’ is a stunning collage which showcases the band’s impressive range and evolving sound by traversing a diverse range of moods, rhythms and textures.

The lead single ‘GMT’ (short for ‘Ghana Man Time’) is a dancefloor-ready track that carries a deft political message. Driven by a weighty bassline alongside punching drums and percussion, for a rhythm section that would be at home in any broken-beat set, the song explores and emphasises differing conceptions of time between the West and Africa with a playful irony.

In the gutter lie sun dried leaves, scraps of paper, burnt matches and cigarette butts. It is early morning; the sun rises with warm grace. you've come to the right party... you see, the body of a young man sitting by a pool, nobody important, really. Just a movie writer with a couple of "b" pictures to his credit. He always wanted a pool. Well, in the end he got himself a pool, but let's go back some time and find the day when it all started in “Hollywood,” the place where they pay a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.

Three years after he celebrated “Sketch of Japan” EP, Superpitcher returns to Mule Musiq, bringing an epic super-pitched 40 minutes trip named “Hollywood”, that perfectly works as the score for the above remixed opening scene of a famous movie on the trances of Hollywood, the cage, that catch our dreams. It’s a slow grower, incorporating some of core elements of the city of celluloid dreams: action, drama, romance - all epic noir and yet so flooded by light. As ever the producer and DJ from Paris garnished his long building up and going down voyage with se-ducing melodies, glamorous pop, and psychic rhythms, creating the hippy dance ambiences he is famed for. Even though the twelve inch comes in accustomed a/b chapters, “Hollywood” should be perceived in one go to feel the depth of Superpitcher’s tropical leaning story arc, that stretches the idea of a track into a dream of satin teardrops on flickering velvet lights. It paints sonic celluloid pictures of ghostly creatures, while a female/male voice is the music’s constant melodic companion, injection Janus-faced longing dream pop spheres on the overall tripping house melancholy. A heroic electronic drama, elegant as Tamara de Lempicka painting. It asks for endless rides on the Hollywood freeways. in the back the sun – a big orange ball – sinking slowly below the horizon.

You've come to the right party... you see, the body of a young man sitting by a pool, in the back a long, graceful bar, bathed in soft light, filled with elegant customers. There's nothing else, just us and the music and those wonderful people out there in the dark, ready for a divine dance in closeup.

Black Truffle is thrilled to announce Drumming Up Trouble, the first release of previously unissued music by Alvin Curran on the label. Collecting works recorded between 2018-2021 and a side-long epic dating back to the early 80s, as the title suggests, Drumming Up Trouble focuses on a hitherto almost unknown aspect of Curran’s encyclopaedic and omnivorous musical world: his experiments with sampled and synthesised percussion. As Curran’s wonderful, wildly sweeping liner notes make clear, his fascination with drumming belongs to the radical investigation of music’s fundamental elements that has marked his output since the beginnings of MEV, who aimed (as he says in a recent interview) to return ‘in some collective way to a non-existent start time in the history of human music’. Whatever kind of music our proto-human ancestors played, he writes, ‘drums were front and centre in the mix. Drums rule!’

In a paradox typical of Curran’s approach, Drumming Up Trouble interrogates this most ancient dimension of music with contemporary technology. On the first side, we hear recent pieces performed using the sampling software and full-size MIDI keyboard setup Curran has refined since the 1980s. Two of them are wild real-time improvisations, primarily utilising an enormous bank of hip-hop samples. Building from polyrhythmic layers of drum machine fragments to wild cacophonies of clashing vocal samples, scratching, and frantic pitch shifting, these energetic and at times hilarious pieces occupy a space somewhere between John Oswald’s Plunderphonics, Pat Thomas and Matt Wand in the Tony Oxley Quartet, and the propulsive Kudoro/Grime fusion of Lisbon’s Príncipe label. They are improvisations are accompanied by two austere, minimal compositions realised in collaboration with Angelo Maria Fallo: ‘End Zone’ for orchestral bass drum and high oscillator, and ‘Rollings’, where a snare roll is gradually stretched and filtered by digital means into ‘floating electronic gossamer’.

The incredible breadth of Curran’s output makes it pretty unlikely that a listener familiar with his work would be surprised to find it branching out in a new direction. But no degree of familiarity with his work can really prepare for side B’s epic and bizarre ‘Field it More’. It’s perhaps best to let the maestro describe this unhinged and infectious offering in his own words: ‘It features an 8 bar funky minimal riff à la James Brown, played on synth and an-out-of-tune piano, synced to a pre-paid patch on the Roland drum machine. Over this is laid a heavily processed track of the voices of dancer Yoshiko Chuma and movie-maker Jacob Burckhardt discussing an upcoming performance of theirs at the Venice film festival, capped by a track of my playing an increasingly out of control blues over the top of all of the above’. Only Pekka Airaksinen’s Buddhas of the Golden Light comes to mind as a reference point that might even vaguely compare to this wild home-brew of drum-machine funk, mad improvisation and squelching electronics, which eventually dissolved into a massive, layered cluster. Ancient and modern, synthetic and human, hysterical and rigorous, Drumming up Trouble is 100% Curran.

The long-running Kompakt imprint will release an EP by German DJ and producer Sascha Funke in September. Sharing five tracks that traverse quirky house and techno, Treets marks Funke’s monumental return to Kompakt since his Zug um Zug two-tracker in 2014.

Speaking about Treets, Funke says he is "very happy to be back on the mothership Kompakt" after an eight-year break. As one would expect with Funke, the EP fits the cosmic world of Kompakt to a tee. The title track conveys a weird, tripped-out atmosphere as an alien-like vocal burbles between an acid bassline and squeaky percussion. It's a tantalising glimpse of Funke's freaky underworld. E_Plus follows a similar wonked-out vein, only this time, the vibe is ominous. Funke pairs an orchestral vocal with bleepy pads and signature acid-drenched melody — a solid offering oddball of energy. On Alles Paletti, a 2-step drum pattern and string of bright claps create a sunny soundscape, complemented by a robust bassline and ethereal synth notes. It's fairytale house music, the kind only Funke can produce. The penultimate track Haus More is subdued, as chugging drums slither between a wobbly melody. The Other Version feels futuristic, as Funke goes full-force electro. Extra-terrestrial vocals return, but the pace is cranked up by strident sound FX and thudding drums. An eccentric end to an eccentric EP.

Sascha Funke is a Berlin-based producer and DJ with two decades' worth of releases building his back catalogue. BPitch Control, Turbo Recordings, Endless Flight, Running Back, and several more esteemed imprints have released his work. Today, he continues to create sleek sounds that weave various genres from house, techno, disco, Krautrock, wave, electro and unclassified anomalies. As a DJ, Funke is just as free-wheeling as his productions. He's played E1 in London, Caos in São Paulo and Renate in Berlin, amongst others, displaying his sweeping sound to a worldwide audience. Having been exposed to euro-dance pop as a youngster, you can hear flashes from the genre stitched throughout his work but blended in a way that's quintessential to Funke. Never one to change his sound according to the latest trend, Funke stays true to his creative vision — one of the most significant challenges for producers today.

Das traditionsreiche Kompakt-Imprint wird im September eine EP des deutschen DJs und Produzenten Sascha Funke veröffentlichen. Mit fünf Tracks, die sich durch schrulligen House und Techno auszeichnen, ist “Treets” Funkes monumentale Rückkehr zu Kompakt seit “ Zug um Zug” im Jahr 2014.

Im Gespräch über Treets sagt Funke, er sei "sehr glücklich, nach acht Jahren Pause wieder auf dem Mutterschiff Kompakt zu sein". Wie bei Funke nicht anders zu erwarten, passt die EP hervorragend in die kosmische Welt von Kompakt. Der Titeltrack vermittelt eine seltsame, abgedrehte Atmosphäre, wenn eine außerirdisch anmutende Stimme zwischen einer Acid-Bassline und quietschenden Perkussionsinstrumenten dahinplätschert. Es ist ein verlockender Einblick in Funkes freakige Unterwelt. “E-Plus” geht in eine ähnliche Richtung, nur dass dieses Mal die Stimmung bedrohlich ist. Funke paart einen orchestralen Gesang mit bleepigen Pads und seiner typischen Acid-getränkten Melodie - ein solides Angebot voller Energie. Auf “Alles Paletti” schaffen ein 2-Step-Drum-Pattern und eine Reihe heller Claps eine sonnige Klanglandschaft, die durch eine robuste Bassline und ätherische Synthesizernoten ergänzt wird. Das ist märchenhafte House-Musik, wie sie nur Funke produzieren kann. Der vorletzte Track Haus More ist zurückhaltend, da tuckernde Drums zwischen einer wackeligen Melodie schlittern. “Treets (The Other Version)” fühlt sich futuristisch an, weil Funke hier voll auf Elektro setzt. Der außerirdische Gesang kehrt zurück, aber das Tempo wird durch schrille Soundeffekte und stampfende Drums angezogen. Ein exzentrisches Ende für eine exzentrische EP.

Sascha Funke ist ein in Berlin ansässiger Produzent und DJ mit einem Backkatalog von zwei Jahrzehnten an Veröffentlichungen. BPitch Control, Turbo Recordings, Endless Flight, Running Back und einige andere angesehene Labels haben seine Arbeiten veröffentlicht. Heute kreiert er weiterhin geschmeidige Sounds, die verschiedene Genres wie House, Techno, Disco, Krautrock, Wave, Electro und unklassifizierte Anomalien miteinander verweben. Als DJ ist Funke genauso freizügig wie seine Produktionen. Er hat unter anderem im E1 in London, im Caos in São Paulo und im Renate in Berlin aufgelegt und seinen mitreißenden Sound einem weltweiten Publikum vorgestellt. Da er schon als Jugendlicher mit Eurodance in Berührung kam, sind in seiner Arbeit immer wieder Anklänge an dieses Genre zu hören, die aber auf eine Art und Weise vermischt werden, die ganz typisch für Funke ist. Niemals verändert Funke seinen Sound nach dem neuesten Trend, sondern bleibt seiner kreativen Vision treu - eine der größten Herausforderungen für Produzenten heutzutage.

-Heavy Metal Sampler mit Underground-Hits und Kultsongs
-umfasst die „goldenen Achtziger“ mit Stücken von 1981 bis 1988
-Vinyl only (keine digitale Version)!
-EYECATCHER: attraktives Cover mit Hommage an die Serie
„Stranger Things“
-bedruckte Innenhülle mit Essay über den 80s Metal und viele Fotos
-mit einem neuen Vinyl-Remaster des Manilla Road Klassikers
„Necropolis“
Trotz dem Vinylboom, der in szenestarken Musikrichtungen
noch deutlicher ist als in der Popmusik, gab es in den letzten
Jahren bisher wenige Compilations auf LP. Dabei waren
Zusammenstellungen ein ebenso wichtiger Teil der Siebziger und
Achtziger, eben in der Zeit, als die Schallplatte das gängige Medium
war und ein Mixtape eben nur ein Tape war.
„Heavy Metal Things“ spielt natürlich auf die erfolgreiche TVSerie „Stranger Things“ an, die in den Achtzigern spielt und bei
den Jugendlichen einen ganz eigenen Lifestylewunsch erzeugt hat.
Trotz der spannenden Handlung erlebt man eine Zeit, die in einigen
Punkten doch einfacher und entspannter war – trotz dem Kalten
Krieg und unsicheren Atomkraftwerken. Die Schallplatte (und
erstaunlicherweise sogar die Kassette) gehört in diese Zeit, die sich
mit der Hochphase des Heavy Metal überschneidet. In Szenekreisen
taucht daher oft die Floskel „goldene Achtziger“ auf, denn so
ziemlich jedes Metal-Subgenre wurde hier erfunden oder klang
wenigstens bereits an. Ein ruppiger, teils noch von der Gesellschaft
geächteter Stil wurde zu einem kommerziellen Erfolg. Auch die
Neunziger, gespickt mit Grunge und Crossover, konnten die Rückkeh
des traditionellen Heavy Metal in den 2000ern nicht verhindert. Und
durch die Serie „Stranger Things“ werden Jugendliche auf Songs un
Bands aufmerksam, die in Folge nach über 30 Jahren wieder in die
Charts schiessen.
Trotzdem ist die LP „Heavy Metal Things“ keine Compilation mit
den großen Hits der Mega-Acts in diesem Segment. Im Gegenteil!
Hier wird gezeigt, welche spannenden Acts aus den USA und
Europa zunächst nicht mit dem Massenerfolg gesegnet waren,
allerdings von neugierigen und interessieren Genrefans mittlerweile
entdeckt wurden. So konnte man auch in den letzten Jahren Bands
wie Manilla Road bei Festivals wie dem Hellfest, Sweden Rock
oder Maryland Death Fest sehen. Kultgruppen wie Griffin (USA),
Witchfynde, Malleus oder Dark Wizard kehrten auch zu den
Bühnen zurück. Der Underground ist im Heavy Metal in der Tat
eine größere Sache, als man bei dem Begriff zunächst annehmen
müsste.

FIRST PRESSING ON WHITE VINYL*Regenerator is the fifth full-length from the Rochester, New York-based trio King Buffalo.

Written and recorded by the band with mixing and engineering by guitarist/vocalist Sean McVay and mastering by Bernie Matthews, the seven-song outing is the third in King Buffalo’s stated ‘pandemic trilogy,’ following 2021’s The Burden of Restlessness and
Acheron.

Both of those albums – like 2018’s Longing to Be the Mountain, 2016’s
debut, Orion, and the various EPs and other offerings they’ve made over the last eight years – made bold declarations about who King Buffalo are as a band, and Regenerator is no different. As McVay, bassist/synthesist Dan Reynolds and drummer Scott Donaldson continue to explore the outer reaches of modern psychedelic
music, melding progressive rhythms, drifting atmospheres and
accompanying surges of electricity, this new collection only further establishes them as one of the brightest lights shining in underground rock today.
As the third of three, Regenerator inherently ties together the previous two LPs, and as the band unfold the leadoff title-track across nine and halfminutes, it becomes clear just how truly they have marked out their own sonic presence.

The later melodic highlight “Mammoth” – with McVay’s most confident vocal performance yet – shimmers with hope that somehow doesn’t come across as desperate; on “Hours”, the group engages classic space rock, and the closing “Firmament” acts as a summary
for all three albums, marking the final installment of this trilogy as the
essential cornerstone of King Buffalo's work to date.

Regenerator is available on 180.gr white vinyl (including download) and CD.

Baton Rouge sludge band Thou have released over a dozen LPs worth of music, collaborated with divergent artists like Emma Ruth Rundle and The Body and released covers that run the full gamut of genres. Continuing their practice of bucking typical metal tradition, their latest record, a split release with composer Gewgawly I, is a soundtrack created for the highly anticipated new video game NORCO.

Gewgawly I has created a master work of ambiance, not only reminiscent of some of the best game soundtracks from the 80s and 90s but also a stunning work of contemporary experimental music pushing the genre forward in exciting ways. Thou have rounded out the game’s grit with a wash of downtuned doom and drone. The band has previously been described as “For fans of: alienation, absurdity, boredom, futility, decay, the tyranny of history, the vulgarities of change, awareness as agony, reason as disease,” and these themes
come to life vividly in Thou’s collaboration with the richly illustrated world of NORCO.

“Thou represents an aspect of Louisiana that’s close to my heart. The members know the suburbs of New Orleans and Baton Rouge well. They capture a kind of strange irreverence in their sound and visuals that’s specific to the region and has influenced the game NORCO,” says Yuts from Geography of Robots. ”We’ve been trying to collaborate for a while, and I’m just stoked it’s finally happening!”

Baton Rouge sludge band Thou have released over a dozen LPs worth of music, collaborated with divergent artists like Emma Ruth Rundle and The Body and released covers that run the full gamut of genres. Continuing their practice of bucking typical metal tradition, their latest record, a split release with composer Gewgawly I, is a soundtrack created for the highly anticipated new video game NORCO.

Gewgawly I has created a master work of ambiance, not only reminiscent of some of the best game soundtracks from the 80s and 90s but also a stunning work of contemporary experimental music pushing the genre forward in exciting ways. Thou have rounded out the game’s grit with a wash of downtuned doom and drone. The band has previously been described as “For fans of: alienation, absurdity, boredom, futility, decay, the tyranny of history, the vulgarities of change, awareness as agony, reason as disease,” and these themes
come to life vividly in Thou’s collaboration with the richly illustrated world of NORCO.

“Thou represents an aspect of Louisiana that’s close to my heart. The members know the suburbs of New Orleans and Baton Rouge well. They capture a kind of strange irreverence in their sound and visuals that’s specific to the region and has influenced the game NORCO,” says Yuts from Geography of Robots. ”We’ve been trying to collaborate for a while, and I’m just stoked it’s finally happening!”

(Remastered 2022)

„Breaking Hearts“ von Elton John, welches 1984 veröffentlicht wurde, erscheint am 2. September erneut.

Das Album knüpfte an den Erfolg des im Vorjahr erschienenen Albums „2 Low 4 Zero“ an, das Elton in die oberen Positionen der Weltcharts befördert hatte. Elton nahm das Album im AIR Montserrat mit
Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray und Nigel Olsson auf und folgte der Erfolgsformel des Vorgängeralbums.

„Breaking Hearts” wurde originalgetreu neu verpackt und ist jetzt auf 1LP als 2022 remastered Ausgabe erhältlich.

Big Crown Records is proud to present another strong 7" offering from the legendary Sunny & The Sunliners. Pulling two very in demand tunes from Sunny's Keyloc Records catalog and making one unstoppable reissue 45 that will put these tunes back in the mix around the globe. Since we released the first Mr Brown Eyed Soul compilation in 2017 the price of Sunny's records have skyrocketed. We are sure a lot of people will be happy to be able to get their hands on these tunes and it will be great to see them getting spins in a whole world of new circles. The A side, "If I Could See You Now" is a classic dance floor burner from Mr Brown Eyed Soul. From the first note of the organ intro those in the know will be grinning ear to ear, as soon as the beat drops and Sunny starts singing anyone who never heard this tune before will be hooked. "Give Me Time" is a bit of a sleeper in Sunny's catalog. Not one of the flagship tunes that everyone knows but absolutely worthy of reissue and becoming one of the classics alongside "Should I Take You Home", "Smile Now, Cry Later", etc. The band is as sharp as the man himself on this one, running through the beautiful arrangement while Sunny pleads for time to get over his lost love.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are repressing their sixteenth album, K.G. n 2010. In the wake of a global pandemic, it’s a collection of songs that saw the six members of the band retreating to their own homes scattered around Melbourne, Australia to compose and record remotely. But have no fear! Not a drop of that unnamed alchemical something that makes this band so special is missing. This is the Gizz firing on all sonic cylinders, for if ever a band were built to swiftly adapt to adverse circumstance then it is them. Hell, on paper Covid-19, with its monstrous yet unseen face, ecological implications and new language, even sounds like an abandoned concept for a King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard album.

Truth be told, the practicalities of the creation of K.G. is a side-issue. It is the contents and the sheer visceral power of music that matters. Music that will live on long after a virus has passed. Back in 2017 the band released Flying Microtonal Banana, now one of their most highly regarded albums. That it was the first of five released by the band that year and was only part the story – a story made all the remarkable by the fact it was recorded using a microtonal musical scale that requires quarter tone tunings, on instruments custom-made for the occasion. It spawned a plethora of live favourites such as ‘Rattlesnake’, ‘Sleep Drifter’, ‘Nuclear Fusion’ and ‘Billabong Valley’ and showed the wider world that the Gizz paint from a palette that extends far beyond the musical colours of western rock. Here were songs in tunings more common in traditional Turkish or Arabic music.

“FMB was one of the purest and most enjoyable recording experiences we’ve had, and the ideas just kept coming” explains de facto band leader and multi-instrumentalist Stu Mackenzie. “But we didn’t think we would play it live as the music dictated a new medium that requires different instruments, new flight cases and so. It was a liberating studio-based experiment which surprisingly translated seamlessly and spawned some of favourite songs to play live.”

So now they return to the microtonal tunings on K.G., an album best described as a pure distillation of the King Gizzard sound, one that cherry picks the best aspects of previous albums and contorts them into new shapes and via defiantly non-Western rock scales. There’s walk-on theme song ‘K.G.L.W’, the celestial disco-funk of ‘Intrasport’, the righteous life-giving staccato rock of ‘Ontology’, epic stoner-sludge closer ‘The Hungry Wolf Of Fate’, which ends the album in abrupt burst of white noise. All come together to represent the next-level of the expanding Gizz sound.

K.G. is both a stand-alone work and also part of a bigger musical picture. More news on that shall be forthcoming – fans of the band know by now that King Gizzard don’t do things by halves. If music were organic matter, then their albums are ever-changing entities: initial highlights are often superseded on further exploration, favourite tracks replaced by less obvious moments, while riffs or bursts of noise from four or five albums back might suddenly rear their heads again.

For Fans Of: Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, New Mastersounds, Soulive, Jimmy Smith, Khruangbin. First reissue since it's original pressing in 2018! The iconic debut LP from the Scone Cash Players. Hammond Organ Stylings By Organ Master Adam Scone. The Hammond Organ is lead singer on this soulful and orchestral journey about industrial decay and the death of the steel town. Deep from the rusted steel mills of Youngstown Ohio, we bring you the much-anticipated reissue of the melting debut from the Scone Cash Players. It's the same organist that brought you the screaming organ on all those Daptone favorites from The Sugarman Three. Scone was behind that organ bench on the modern classics as follows. "Sugar's Boogaloo”, “Soul Donkey”, “Pure Cane Sugar", and "What the World Needs Now." Adam Scone entered the studio on Dunham Street in Brooklyn. He was wearing a blue Adidas jump suit. The studio had just opened. At the helm were his old compadres from The Dap-Kings. Namely Thomas Brenneck, Eric Kalb, Homer Steinweiss and lan Hendrickson-Smith. They make up the "Bliss Machine" behind Scones's groove. It was a truly rare moment to catch these masters of music and taste in between tours of Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Tommy put the mics around. Scone powered up the organ. The analog tape machine turned and turned until they couldn't turn any more. These songs were recorded. We worked all day and all night. Tears were shed. Espresso was made. There was beer on tap. 3 days of life were taken to make this album. We will never get them back. They were distilled to 40 minutes of pure emotion. It's a tale of woe. It's a tale of leaving art for responsibility. It's a farewell to an era. It's a journey that the Hammond B3 organ wasn't accustomed to. You can't compare this album to any other organ record. Don't expect to hear what you want. Free your mind. Be open. Your world is going to feel the heat of the BLAST FURNACE! It never quite feels how you want it to. Don't get burned... Tracks: 1. 1% Crown 2. Bliss Machine 3. The Slitter 4. Heavy Gauge 5. Necking 6. Blast Furnace 7. Jet Cool 8 Call & Receive No Call Back 9. Grinding Wheel 10. Structural Failure

Back in soon, note new price. The second Silver Mt Zion album featured an expanded band, with a similarly expanded band name. The addition of cello, second violin and second guitar allowed SMZ to develop richer, denser arrangements while preserving live ensemble playing. The opening instrumental pieces picked up where the debut left off, with found-sound loops and treatments introducing repeated melodic themes that move slowly through various counter-melodies the greater breadth of instrumentation brought extra subtlety, complexity and harmonic range to bear on these neo-classical dirges. Guitars and vocals moved to the fore on the album’s centerpiece tracks. “Take These Hands And Throw Them In The River” is an astounding juxtaposition of rhythmic thrust and ricocheting vocals, driven by a battered lyrical paranoia that conjures equal parts fear and rage. The calm after this storming piece comes by way of another vocal tune, this time fragile and near-whispered, with dual lines that alternately mask and reinforce each other. A piano and cello interlude prefaces the last side of the record, which features two guitar-driven songs, the first a blazing rock piece that builds to an exuberant distorted climax, the second as close to a pop masterpiece as this band is likely to craft, highlighted by a lovely arpeggio guitar riff and the defiant refrain “musicians are cowards”. While remaining anchored in an underlying sadness and mourning over this failed world, this album reveals an angrier, more urgent face as this unique ensemble charted ever-widening sonic and emotional terrain.



[c] B1 . Built Then Burnt [Hurrah! Hurrah!]

Buraka Som Sistema co-founder and Enchufada label-head Branko presents OBG, his third album. The artist's most personal and reflective work to date, it's a letter of love and thanks to the community around him, to Portugal's breathtaking landscapes, and to the syncopated, window-rattling rhythms that emanate from the clubs and car stereos of Portuguese cities.

OBG is an album of organic textures and invitingrhythms, created in Branko’s signature style, andinspired in part by a series of outdoor DJ-setsperformed and streamed from beautiful locationsacross Portugal.

Features collaborations with his favourite up andcoming artists, including Cameroonian-Guadeloupean producer Ms Mavy, Cape Verdeansinger ÉLLÀH and percussionist Iúri Oliveira

The Hammond Organ is lead singer on this soulful and orchestral journey about industrial decay and the death of the steel town. Deep from the rusted steel mills of Youngstown Ohio, we bring you the much-anticipated reissue of the melting debut from the Scone Cash Players. It's the same organist that brought you the screaming organ on all those Daptone favorites from The Sugarman Three. Scone was behind that organ bench on the modern classics as follows. "Sugar's Boogaloo", "Soul Donkey", "Pure Cane Sugar", and "What the World Needs Now." Adam Scone entered the studio on Dunham Street in Brooklyn. He was wearing a blue Adidas jump suit. The studio had just opened. At the helm were his old compadres from The Dap-Kings. Namely Thomas Brenneck, Eric Kalb, Homer Steinweiss and lan Hendrickson-Smith. They make up the "Bliss Machine" behind Scones's groove. It was a truly rare moment to catch these masters of music and taste in between tours of Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Tommy put the mics around. Scone powered up the organ. The analog tape machine turned and turned until they couldn't turn any more. These songs were recorded. We worked all day and all night. Tears were shed. Espresso was made. There was beer on tap. 3 days of life were taken to make this album. We will never get them back. They were distilled to 40 minutes of pure emotion. It's a tale of woe. It's a tale of leaving art for responsibility. It's a farewell to an era. It's a journey that the Hammond B3 organ wasn't accustomed to. You can't compare this album to any other organ record. Don't expect to hear what you want. Free your mind. Be open. Your world is going to feel the heat of the BLAST FURNACE! It never quite feels how you want it to. Don't get burned... FOR FANS OF: Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, New Mastersounds, Soulive, Jimmy Smith, Khruangbin

Since releasing their first album There Is a Bomb in Gilead in 2012, the
road-worn Birmingham, Alabama band has built a reputation as being
what NPR calls 'punks revved up by the hot-damn hallelujah of Southern
rock' who carry on 'the Friday-night custom of burning down the house,' a
raw live sound that they captured with Texas punk producer Tim Kerr on
studio albums Dereconstructed (2014) and Youth Detention (2017)
before recording a full-on live album at their favorite hometown dive, Live
at the Nick (2019)
While the Glory Fires have spent a decade propagating what the New York Times
calls 'pandemonium with a conscience,' they've long talked about wanting to
make a classic record'not a transparent document of their playing live with the
occasional embellishment'but a record. So, that's what they did. They contacted
Athens, Georgia's David Barbe, whose work with the Drive-By Truckers, Sugar, Son
Volt, Vic Chesnutt and countless other artists has earned him a legendary
reputation amongst Southern independent rockers, and they agreed to set about
bringing this vision to fruition. While tackling such lofty political, historical and
philosophical concepts, the album is also the band's most intimate, vulnerable
and spiritual to date. The perspective is both outward- and inward-facing, Bains
never taking on the persona or experience of others, but rather writing about the
way his own limited experience and perspective of the band's place can lift the
veils of false narratives, and uncover 'piles of winding stories' through time. In an
age characterized by individualism, and at a time when the past seems to be the
sole domain of the status quo, Old-Time Folks illustrates the deep, thick, tangled
roots of liberation, collectivism, mutuality and solidarity in the Deep South, and
where they are flowering and bringing forth fruit today.Packaging: CD Old- Style
Stoughton-Tip on Jacket

The legendary BORIS celebrate a 30 year career as one of experimental music's most forward-thinking, heavy, and innovative bands with the new album Heavy Rocks (2022). Continuing their series of Heavy Rocks records, BORIS once again channels the classic proto-metal sounds of the 70s into something all new. The album, 10 pulse-pounding tracks, highlight the very trajectory of BORIS and their storied career - from the driving, fuzzed out Rock N' Roll opener "She is Burning", to the punk, raucous "My Name is Blank", BORIS are heavier than ever before. "Question 1" is just kickass - D-beats give way to a doomed, spaced out and heavier-than-anything guitar wailing and feedback, before diving back into their Metal, sending the listener into a complete frenzy. This is unmistakably BORIS, and this is the band at the height of their powers. Elsewhere on the record, a more daring, "out there" side of the band begins to shine on tracks such as the aptly titled "Blah Blah Blah", the industrial "Ghostly Imagination" and the truly wild "Nosferatou". Noisy passages (not unlike prior collaborations with legendary artists like Merzbow,) collide with visceral vocal howls while a relentless, almost Zornian-saxophone shreds harder than any guitar solo ever could. In 2022, BORIS cement what Heavy Rock means to them, and release one of their most captivating records to date.

Following his triumphant performances at the 2022 Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Danny Elfman delivers Bigger.Messier., an ambitious double -album collection of remixed and reimagined tracks from his highly acclaimed Big Mess album. This sprawling, 23 track collection (available on 2 LP or 2 CD) features tracks reworked by some of the most groundbreaking and subversive artists around today. Bigger.Messier. views the Grammy and Emmy Award-winning composers songs through the lens of luminaries from diverse sides of the music business, including Trent Reznor, Iggy Pop, Squarepusher and Ghostemane. Elfman once again has achieved a kind of artistic liberation on the record that had been eluding him for decades, and connecting him to brand new audience. Born and raised in southern California, Elfman began his career as part of a surrealist, avant-garde musical theater troupe known as The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo. The group would eventually morph into the critically acclaimed rock band Oingo Boingo, whose high-energy performances and genre-bending sound garnered them a fanatically devoted cult following in the 1980s and '90s. Among the group's early fans was fledgling director Tim Burton and Paul Reubens (aka Pee-wee Herman), who enlisted Elfman to score their first feature film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure. The collaboration would prove to be the start of a long and fruitful partnership for Elfman and Burton, with Elfman going on to score a string of iconic Burton features like Batman, Beetlejuice, Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. To date, Elfman has scored more than 100 films

With a smooth-as-butter flow, an entrancingly deep vocal tone, and an exceptional ear for production, Big Cheeko is one of the most exciting emcees to emerge from Atlanta in recent memory.

After several outstanding mixtapes and a number of high-profile collaborations, the talented artist is now unveiling his commercial debut "Block Barry White". The album is a smoked-out masterpiece, capturing the full reach of Big Cheeko’s creative firepower, and is executive produced by hip-hop folk hero Mach-Hommy. Throughout the collection, Big Cheeko's powerfully authentic rhymes are accompanied by slow-burning, soul-influenced production and hard-hitting percussion, with all beats provided by Matic Lee, an acclaimed producer who has worked with the likes of Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Rittz, Jarren Benton, and more. Sure to blast out of trunks far and wide, "Block Barry White" features appearances by Mach-Hommy, Smoke DZA, Styles P, and Devin The Dude.

Following several tragedies in his personal life, New York rapper El Gant had a decision to make—face those losses head on or bury them deep within. Luckily for us, he chose the former. The result is O.S.L.O., the emcee’s most gripping and personal project yet. It’s also his most relatable, because it shows what we’re all capable of when we’re equipped with the right tools to cope and, in El Gant’s case, transform that tragedy into something powerful.

The album arrives nearly a decade after his previous solo effort, 2014’s great Beast Academy, and after several years spent touring and recording with his group, Jamo Gang, with Ras Kass and J57. Despite the highs associated with that time, El Gant also experienced major personal losses. In particular, he lost three close friends—The Last Original, Bones, and Jim Misa—all of whom had a major impact on his life and career. In fact, the album’s title, O.S.L.O., references the Last Original, because it’s an acronym for “Our Sun the Last Original.”

But it wouldn’t be an El Gant project without some straight-up dope hip-hop, too. Tracks like “Avirex (feat. Innocent? & King Magnetic)” and “Chromed Out (feat. Ras Kass & Planet Asia)” are absolute bangers filled with shape-shifting flows and crazy wordplay.

There’s a reason for these tonal shifts, too; El Gant didn’t want to simply create a linear album. “I want to take the listener on a few ups and downs, just like life does for most of us,” the emcee says. It’s those qualities that make O.S.L.O. so immediately satisfying, and why it’s his most accomplished work to date.

With their sophomore full-length "Gotta Light?", dark rock innovators CRONE are cruising in a high octane fuelled hotrod. Channelling their personal musical inspirations that range from ALICE IN CHAINS, via KILLING JOKE, NEW MODEL ARMY, and JOY DIVISION to PINK FLOYD among many others, the Germans leave their very own and personal mark on the genre that has been brought back to the forefront of interest by acts such as GHOST in recent years. While composer, guitarist, and singer Phil Jonas had felt tired, burned out, and empty, working on new songs for CRONE provided the spark that kindled the firestorm of fresh ideas and led to the creation of "Gotta Light?". The album title was inspired by the haunting eighth episode of David Lynch's masterpiece TV series "Twin Peaks". A corresponding element of the mysterious and surreal permeates all of the new songs that revolve around topics such as the hope of receiving signals from the afterlife ('Waiting for Ghosts'), shattered dreams ('Abyss Road'), and a guiding last will ('Gemini'). CRONE was conceived out of a musical collaboration between Phil "sG" Jonas and EMBEDDED drummer and guitarist Markus Renzenbrink. Both musicians wanted to explore musical horizons beyond the metal limits of their regular bands at the time. As a result the "Gehenna" EP was released in 2014 and sparked a first wave of interest. Critics labelled the first effort post-rock, post-punk, and even as shoegaze. The well-received debut full-length 'Godspeed' hit the streets in 2018 and its more focussed and consistent songs got often filed under "post-rock". With CRONE having been elevated to the main band of each protagonist, the band's renewed focus and urgency is clearly audible on "Gotta Light?". With Christian Schmidt a permanent keyboard player has been added to the line-up that now also features lead guitarist Kevin Olasz for added sparkle and sonic depth. From the ashes of SECRETS OF THE MOON a dark reborn phoenix is rising with CRONE and this bird of prey is ready to rock humanity's unstoppable descent into madness: "Gotta Light?"

With their sophomore full-length "Gotta Light?", dark rock innovators CRONE are cruising in a high octane fuelled hotrod. Channelling their personal musical inspirations that range from ALICE IN CHAINS, via KILLING JOKE, NEW MODEL ARMY, and JOY DIVISION to PINK FLOYD among many others, the Germans leave their very own and personal mark on the genre that has been brought back to the forefront of interest by acts such as GHOST in recent years. While composer, guitarist, and singer Phil Jonas had felt tired, burned out, and empty, working on new songs for CRONE provided the spark that kindled the firestorm of fresh ideas and led to the creation of "Gotta Light?". The album title was inspired by the haunting eighth episode of David Lynch's masterpiece TV series "Twin Peaks". A corresponding element of the mysterious and surreal permeates all of the new songs that revolve around topics such as the hope of receiving signals from the afterlife ('Waiting for Ghosts'), shattered dreams ('Abyss Road'), and a guiding last will ('Gemini'). CRONE was conceived out of a musical collaboration between Phil "sG" Jonas and EMBEDDED drummer and guitarist Markus Renzenbrink. Both musicians wanted to explore musical horizons beyond the metal limits of their regular bands at the time. As a result the "Gehenna" EP was released in 2014 and sparked a first wave of interest. Critics labelled the first effort post-rock, post-punk, and even as shoegaze. The well-received debut full-length 'Godspeed' hit the streets in 2018 and its more focussed and consistent songs got often filed under "post-rock". With CRONE having been elevated to the main band of each protagonist, the band's renewed focus and urgency is clearly audible on "Gotta Light?". With Christian Schmidt a permanent keyboard player has been added to the line-up that now also features lead guitarist Kevin Olasz for added sparkle and sonic depth. From the ashes of SECRETS OF THE MOON a dark reborn phoenix is rising with CRONE and this bird of prey is ready to rock humanity's unstoppable descent into madness: "Gotta Light?"

Für Lacrimas Profundere, eine der innovativsten und erfolgreichsten deutschen Dark Metal-Bands der Gegenwart, ging es im Falle des neuen Studioalbums ‚How To Shroud Yourself With Night’ (VÖ. 26. August 2022, Steamhammer/SPV) vor allem um die vermeintliche Bürde ihrer 2019er Erfolgsscheibe ‚Bleeding The Stars‘. Denn deren Bilanz hatte indirekt riesige Erwartungen geweckt: „Album des Monats“ im ‚Metal Hammer‘, ‚Orkus‘ und ‚Dead Rhetoric‘, Top-10-Platzierungen in den anderen wichtigen Magazinen, dazu Charts-Einstieg sowie die bis dato erfolgreichste Headlinertour der Gruppe. Wer würde da nicht automatisch mit einer Fortsetzungsgeschichte liebäugeln? „Für mich ging es darum, sich vom Druck des Erfolges zu befreien und zu versuchen, die Messlatte höher zu hängen, dem Spiel voraus zu sein, sich selbst zu fordern und originell zu bleiben, anstatt auf Nummer-Sicher zu gehen und eine Art ‚Bleeding Part II‘ zu schreiben“, erklärt Gitarrist, Bandgründer und Hauptkomponist
Oliver Nikolas Schmid, der mit seinem Bruder und Texter Christopher Schmid erneut eine unverzichtbare Unterstützung fand. „Die neuen Songs klingen frisch, böse, überraschend und leidenschaftlicher als jemals zuvor. Zudem ist es das zweite Kapitel mit unserem Sänger Julian, der uns inspiriert und sich wundervoll eingebracht hat“, so Schmid weiter. „Wir haben verstanden, was ihm gefällt, und haben uns von alten Denk- und Vorgehensweisen gelöst. Noch nie waren wir eine solch eingeschworene Einheit und bereit, unseren eigenen Sound zu erweitern. Gerade deshalb ist ‚How To Shroud Yourself With Night’ unser mit Abstand mutigstes Werk geworden.“

Das zweite Album von Master, aufgenommen von Scott Burns in den Morrissound Studios! Klassischer Death Metal der 1990er Jahre!
Eines der Probleme beim Rückblick auf ein Musikgenre aus einer Perspektive, die Jahre oder Jahrzehnte vom Kern der Bewegung entfernt ist, dass spätere Entwicklungen dazu neigen, sowohl die Ursprünge eines Genres als auch die Fäden innerhalb einer Tradition zu verwischen, die ohne Nachkommen ausgestorben ist. Das Ergebnis ist, dass interessante und verdienstvolle Alben oft untergehen, wenn Kritiker über die Alben nachdenken, die den größten Einfluss auf spätere Errungenschaften hatten.

Die Death-Metal-Pioniere Master gehören zu denjenigen, die aufgrund dieses Phänomens zu kurz gekommen sind, und ihr 1990er Meisterwerk "On The Seventh Day, God Created... Master" bleibt eine faszinierende Erkundung sowohl der Wurzeln des Genres als auch der Räume, die es hätte einnehmen können, wenn andere Wege eingeschlagen worden wären.

Es gibt ein paar Dinge, die selbst dem Gelegenheitshörer sofort ins Auge springen. Das erste ist der scheinbare Primitivismus der Musik, mit Songs die aus relativ kurzen, knüppelnden Stücken bestehen, die von unerbittlichen Rhythmen, zyklischen Riffs und einfachen melodischen Hooks angetrieben werden. Das zweite ist die Erkenntnis, dass jemand einige wirklich verrückte, brillant konstruierte Leads spielt. In diesem Fall ist das Paul Masvidal, der damit alles übertrifft, was er jemals mit Cynic erreicht hat.

Hinter der oberflächlichen Einfachheit verbirgt sich ein kreativer Geist, der gleichzeitig an die ursprüngliche Geburt des Death Metal erinnert (bei der Master sowohl anwesend war als auch eine treibende Kraft war) und der den Weg zu dem weist, was aus dem Genre hätte werden können.

Ganz offensichtlich sind die Hardcore-Wurzeln des Genres,
Master meidet hier die von Slayer abgeleitete technische Architektur, die den meisten "modernen" Death Metal dominierte, zugunsten von
Strukturen, die auch auf einem Discharge's Meilenstein "Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing" nicht fehl am Platz gewesen wären (es gibt sogar ein paar Auftritte des berüchtigten D-Beats). In dem unerbittlichen Sturm brutaler Wiederholungen ist die Kernaussage der Musik verschlüsselt, eine schiere Urwut, die aus den donnernden Zyklen der Powerchords tropft und dem offenkehligen Gebrüll (wieder der Hardcore-Einfluss) von Sänger und Hauptsongwriter Paul Speckman. Dazu kommen Momente des Nachdenkens, in denen die Songs in einer Art High-Dezibel-Gedudel kollabieren, und ein angeborenes Gespür dafür, wie man Melodien aus den infernalischen Tiefen der Dissonanz herauskitzelt, und die bereits erwähnten Masvidal-Soli (und es kann nicht genug betont werden, wie sehr diese Leads zerreißen). Was dabei herauskommt, ist etwas, das über
seine eigene scheinbare Rohheit hinwegtäuscht und nicht so sehr eine Aussage über blinde Wut, oder gestörte Entfremdung, sondern eine meisterhafte Erklärung von Gewaltbereitschaft.

Acclaimed composer, artist, and producer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith returns to Ghostly International with Let’s Turn it Into Sound, her most ambitious, intuitive, and inviting work to date. Though ambient and modern new age circles have embraced Smith’s catalog, Let’s Turn it Into Sound favors a more baroque and robust form of avant-pop. The music bursts with vertiginous vocal harmonies and detailed sound design, forming a truly unique sonic vision.

Acclaimed composer, artist, and producer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith returns to Ghostly International with Let’s Turn it Into Sound, her most ambitious, intuitive, and inviting work to date. Though ambient and modern new age circles have embraced Smith’s catalog, Let’s Turn it Into Sound favors a more baroque and robust form of avant-pop. The music bursts with vertiginous vocal harmonies and detailed sound design, forming a truly unique sonic vision.

BLACK VINYL REPRESS

ITS 25 YEARS Since the first Heads album was released.. .so.. for 2021..Rooster has decided to get the album back in print on vinyl.. but changing the artwork. With some silver foiling and bordering, the single sleeve has been boosted to a sweet gatefold, Rooster also got the Radio 1 sessions from the time remastered, and re-cut along with the huge b-side to their Television 7” “Jellystoned Park”.
So there you have it, a double vinyl silver jubilee reissue of a fantastic debut album!

From the original reissue sales notes:
“The Heads had self-released a couple of 7"', and then Cargo Uk's inhouse label Headhunter UK got to release a further 7", and then the Debut album in 1996. Amidst a world suffocating in Britpop smarm, the Heads cut a timely swathe with their unkempt rock psychedelique. The album contained 10 tracks of guitar driven, amp destroying rock, with cues taken straight from the US underground, Stooges, MC5, Mudhoney, Pussy Galore, early Monster Magnet too but with a disitinctly British stamp, some of the drone and fuzz from Loop / Spacemen 3, some of the attitude of the Fall, Pink Fairies and Walking Seeds and overlaid with the spaced rock of early Hawkwind. It was obvious that the four members of the Heads were music obsessives. The debut album was recorded at Foel studios (owned by Dave Anderson from Hawkwind) and engineered by Corin Dingley, it was mastered by John Dent at LOUD.”


We’ve asked for some new appraisal of the Heads for the Silver Jubilee edition from good friends....

Stewart Lee February 2021
“The Halley's Comet victory orbits of historic heavy artefacts from Detroit, like The Stooges or The MC5, leave grateful onlookers aghast. But, hidden away in Bristol, The Heads are still with us now, our homegrown acid-garage godfathers, an ongoing thirty-two year old concern with a back catalogue arguably more consistent than the super-dense psyche-rock groups that inspired them. The Heads arrived fully formed and have spent three decades becoming more like themselves, a musical black hole that sucks in all surrounding matter. I love The Heads “

Phil Alexander February 2021
“The Heads make music for freaks in the know. If you were there in 1996, you’ll know just what that means…

Back then, they were gloriously out of step with the pop-cheese of the time and geezerly lumpiness of Britpop. Theirs was an altogether different take on music – a take inspired by the glorious burn-out of the ‘60s, the sonic overdrive of the ‘70s and the axis of joy created by the combination of excess volume and repetition.

We could name-check some inspirations and kindred spirits: The Stooges, Hawkwind, Floyd, Loop, Sabbath, Amon Düül II, Spacemen 3, Walking Seeds, Mudhoney, Monster Magnet among them... But in all honesty, The Heads have always existed in a world of their own, surfacing as and when the mood takes them, before returning to their subterranean rehearsal room to jam their way through yet more mind-altering riffs and mood-altering rhythms.

Relaxing With The Heads is their first defining statement. It is also possibly their most straight-forward release, the sound of a band attempting to find structure in their playing rather than abandoning themselves to their wildest impulses. That would come later…

And yet, 25 years on, this album blasts forth like few records from that time, its slacker charm welded to super-fuzzed riffs that propel its 10 tracks ever onwards. Righteous is probably the only word for it…”

1972-1985 KATEBEGIAK - Prog-Rock, Psych-Folk & Jazz-Rock Music from the BASQUE COUNTRY. The album KATEBEGIAK, now published by ELKAR, contains 13 tunes on double LP gatefold edition from Haizea, Izukaitz, William S. Fischer, Magdalena, Enbor, Itoiz, Koska, Itziar, Errobi, Lisker, Amaia Zubiria & Pascal Gaigne, Gontzal Mendibil & Taldea and Urria, and the CD-Book edition adds an extra bonus track by the great unknown artist Juan Arkotxa. Complied by Mikel Unzurrunzaga Schmitz aka DJ Makala. Music produced in the 70's in the Basque Country got trapped between two earth shattering artistic currents; Ez Dok Amairu in the 60s and Basque Radical Rock in the 80's, and unfortunately, most of the lovely discs and tunes created at that magical time have been pushed to a remote (and sometimes even despised) corner of our collective memory. 60's and 80's music currents are almost opposite, and both work as magnetic poles with a very strong power of attraction, and maybe also as a burden for any of the later artistic currents. 60's generation of artists searched within their rich and ancient cultural roots to acknowledge and update them, in proud, hopeful and unforgettable folk songs. The 80's one on the other hand, worked in a flammable environment in constant social and political conflict and found in punk the perfect way to express their anger and weariness for so many unfulfilled promises and the lack of opportunities into short, noisy, direct and corrosive songs, technically sparse but full of energy and expressive power. Most of the "classic" names engraved in our memory come from one or the other like Benito Lertxundi, Mikel Laboa, Lourdes Iriondo and Xabier Lete or Kortatu, Hertzainak, Zarama, Las vulpes, Eskorbuto or Cicatriz. 70's generation and their music work somehow as the "missing link" ("katebegia" in Basque) between the two. They loved folky tunes and don't forget their ancient roots, but they also look outside for inspiration and experimentation. Just as the 80's boys and girls found punk the 70's guys found a completely different sonic and aesthetic landscape in the works of Grateful Dead, Fairport Convention, King Crimson, Soft Machine, Gong_ and worked closely with keen souls in other neighboring regions such as Maquina!, Pau Riba or Sisa in Catalonia or Smash and Triana in Andalusia. This resulted in more abstract and poetic lyrical content, much longer psych-folk-prog-jazz tunes, full of complex instrumental passages and mesmerizing structures of sheer ambition and masterful execution in many cases. But, most important of all, they found a voice of their own, rich, unique, and fascinating, and that's what makes them so valuable to us. Not only to us, but also to lots of vinyl collectors and crate-diggers around the world, who have in many cases paid fortunes for some of the original editions of LPs that are the source of tunes in this compilation. Mikel Unzurrunzaga Schmitz aka DJ Makala, DJ and producer of worldwide scope and wisdom, noticed this fact first and decided to pay homage to these wonderful tunes through this masterful and dedicated selection for your pleasure and as an open invitation to dig deeper into your adventures in the dark and hidden side of Basque popular music.

In Kooperation mit dem Künstler, Komponisten und Sounddesigner stonefromthesky (Oleksii Zinchenko) bringt Black Screen Records den Soundtrack von Undungeon auf eure Plattenspieler. Die Musik zum Action-RPG von Laughing Machines erscheint in limitierter Auflage auf Doppel-Vinyl.Alle Tracks wurden von Christian Bethge (Risk of Rain, Deadbolt, Divinity: Original Sin II, A Plague Tale) sorgfältig neu gemastert und auf 45RPM geschnitten. Der Soundtrack kommt in einem minimalistischen Gatefoldsleeve mit Artwork von Serhii Kochmar und "Glow-in-the-Dark" Spotlack."Nach 6 langen Jahren der Produktion, in denen wir auf viele harte Proben gestellt wurden, ist der Undungeon OST endlich fertiggestellt. Heruntergebrochen auf 16 Tracks, bleibt es der Idee treu, den Soundtrack als zusammenhängendes Album zu veröffentlichen. Geschnitten in 45RPM für höchste Qualität, nimmt der Soundtrack euch mit auf eine musikalische Reise durch das Multiversum und geleiteten euch in den Shift." -stonefromthesky"

"Ésta sí es salsa!" is one of the most sought-after records in the impressive catalog of the Discos Fuentes tropical all-star group Los Corraleros de Majagual. The record is high on collectors' want lists for many reasons: excellent sound quality, diverse and highly danceable repertoire infusing its grooves, and the inclusion of the Cuban genres of descarga and charanga. The album includes outstanding cover versions of '60s New York salsa but featuring the unusual sound of the accordion and the heavy bass playing of Julio Estrada. First time reissue. "Ésta sí es salsa!" is one of the most sought-after records in the impressive catalog of the Discos Fuentes tropical all-star group Los Corraleros de Majagual. It was released in 1970, nine years after the band was first conceived by Alfredo Gutiérrez, Calixto Ochoa and label boss Don Antonio Fuentes as an orchestra to play mostly typical folkloric Colombian genres like porro, cumbia and paseo and the occasional guaracha or pachanga, but with a fully orchestrated big band sound that combined the accordion with a complete rhythm and brass section. The record is high on collectors' want lists for many reasons, not least of which is its excellent sound quality and the diverse repertoire infusing its grooves, ranging from expected coastal tropical Colombian rhythms like paseaíto, paseo and pasebol (all related to cumbia and vallenato), to more exotic modes like sonsonete, casatschok, and the Cuban genres of descarga and charanga. There was never any doubt with the label's intentions of introducing this "new" genre of salsa on this LP, albeit as seen through the lens of Colombian musicians only recently converted to the movement, and indeed, the title unequivocally proclaims: "¡Ésta sí es salsa!" ("This is definitely salsa!"). The proof is in the fascinating (and long) cover versions of Nuyorican artists from the burgeoning Big Apple salsa scene that are the centerpiece of the album. Two massive dance tracks on the record are 'Ocho días' and 'Amanací tomando', but neither was inspired by exposure to New York salsa, as they are very "typical" Colombian numbers. First time reissue.

AKRIBIE: Eine Vier-Track starke Rückmeldung von RAG´s very own APHROE. Der Ex - Ruhrpott AG Rapper und 50% Raid aus den frühen 90ern, ist schon längere Zeit Wahlkölner und scheint nun mit seiner ersten EP seit über 8 Jahren zu einer gewissen Leichtigkeit, trotz aller vorhandenen Komplexität, gefunden zu haben.

Das Ergebnis ist ein Tonträger im Bestseller Design. Das klassische Layout von Henrik Büren, ist in Anlehnung an den, mit internationalem Literaturpreis ausgezeichneten 90er Jahre us Roman "JAZZ" von Toni Morisson entstanden, und bringt den, von MARTIN STIEBER produzierten Classic Titeltrack, AKRIBIE, sowie die übrigen drei, mit viel AKRIBIE und Liebe zum Detail produzierten Banger von HADE und APHROE´s unverkennbar flammende Raps, mit einer simplen grafischen Aussage auf den Punkt. APHROE kann Jazz, Soul, Funk und Boogie und besonders gut kann er RAP. Eine EP mit einem hohen Maß an Musikalität und Traditionsbewusstsein zu Sample-basierten Beats ohne abgedroschen oder althergebracht zu klingen. Fresh und frei von Druck und mit viel Liebe zum Detail von HADE, Mr.MAR STIEBER und APHROE macht definitiv Lust auf mehr, als diese geballte Viertelstunde Laufzeit. On Repeat!

City life isn’t always easy or pleasant, but whether you call it home or you're just out for a visit, there’s an undeniable energy that envelopes you. Danger becomes excitement, speed becomes the regular pace, and exhaustion morphs into an urge to rally, to not miss a beat of what these myriad concrete jungles have to offer. And after a while, you learn to settle into it. You relax, you walk with a little more ease, and, eventually, you become yourself at your most slick. Hiatt dB’s
City Slick celebrates that carnality of the city, while simultaneously asking the one question burning in every city dweller’s mind - why am I even here?? Rat races, dumpster res, endless injustice, outrageous prices, conquered green spaces... an innite array of inhumanity hurled in your face on a daily basis; Is it really worth it? But we all know why
we're here, and it’s not something you can verbalize. It’s the feeling you get when the hellscape precipitates that which life is all about: real, serendipitous, life-arming experience.

Still, even on its best days, the City can be unkind. So if you need some tunes to help you push on, Hiatt’s cooked up the perfect soundtrack for your pavement-pounding steps

The Gamelatron is many things; one could call it a sculpture, a multimodal installation, an instrument, a robot, a feat of engineering, a vision—and it is all of these things. More importantly, though, it is a concept sustained by Aaron Taylor Kuffner, aka Zemi17, whose Gamelatrons are “sound producing kinetic sculptures” designed to create an immersive, visceral experience for the listener. Not a small feat, and yet the ambitions of Zemi17 are absolutely realized in this long-standing project, culminating now in his third release for The Bunker NY: Gamelatron Bidadari.

The Gamelatron Bidadari is not just a name—it is one of seventy-plus musical sculptures that Zemi17 has conceptualized, designed, and fabricated. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to think of this release as simply a series of arrangements composed in a finite period of time. Rather, it’s a window into a project and a process that is much larger than any single album can encapsulate. Gamelatron Bidardi is the culmination of more than a decade of work, and is central to Zemi17’s evolution, not only as a musician but as an artist.

Having studied gamelan for many years in Indonesian villages and at the Institut Seni Indonesia in Yogyakarta, Kuffner is a musician, an artist, technologist, and craftsman. The gongs in his sculptures are co-created with master Indonesian artisans. Each Gamelatron composition is site-responsive, meaning its sounds are composed for the acoustics and intentions of the space it inhabits, whether it’s an art gallery, a wooded landscape, or the inner temple of Burning Man. The Gamelatron does not stand alone: it is in constant co-creation with its physical environment, and in dialogue with gamelan’s long-standing history.

Originally exhibited at the Smithsonian Renwick as part of a show entitled, No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man, the Gamelatron Bidadari produces sounds that are delicate yet strong, and deeply hypnotic. Textured chiming creates intricate polyrhythmic patterns that are both complex and simple, or in a word, elegant. On Gamelan Bidadari, Zemi17 refrains from adhering to the strict musical structures; his approach to composition is free flowing.

He says, “I want to evoke what the music tells me it has to offer. It is like following water to its conclusion (or non-conclusion).” The arrangements on this album, written by Zemi17 and performed by the robotic arms of the Gamelatron, leaves the listener feeling enchanted, nourished and enriched.

A sense of the mystical comes through in the tonal quality of the instrument, and is conceptually felt in the sculpture’s name: the Bidadari, which loosely translates to “forest nymph.” The music conjures up natural wonder, and the four sculptures that make up the Gamelatron Bidadari, in fact, resemble trees. They are four independent yet connected entities, each with a large gong situated at their structural base—the sonic “roots” of the sculpture—while smaller gongs branch off of a golden, trunk-like spine. The Gamelatron Bidadari is as physically stunning as it is mesmerizing to the ear. A kind of divinity is invoked through its sound, or a sacred cohesion between past and present, tradition and new form. Meant to be viscerally experienced, the sounds of the Gamelatron call for sublime togetherness. Gamelatron Bidadari is not just an album but the crystallization of Kuffner’s work; it is a condensed yet spacious glimpse into the sonic power of Zemi17’s Gamelatrons, which have already been heard and experienced live by over a million people.

Rhythm Section INTL are back with another release from SAUL, ‘Mutualism’ drops on August 19th 2022. Jack Stephenson-Oliver (keys player of fellow Rhythm Section signee, Vels Trio) and producer Barney Whittaker, aka Footshooter.

Their newest project is a feel good, summer-ready soundtrack, bursting with uplifting synths and groove- heavy broken beats. When the two of them get together, their jam sessions result in a fusion of alternative future jazz. Collaboration is a key element to the creative output of SAUL, shining a light over individual talents such as Allysha Joy, Natty Wylah, Lex Amor and James Mollison.

Another heavily requested vocal cut from their Antidote Dub album, Riddim General is one oftwo new singles featuring the unique voice of Kiko Bun. Where its companion single, Ms.Burnett showcases his abilities as a romantic singer, here he flexes his skills as a microphonechanter, riding a mesmerising minor key rub-a-dub rhythm.With its autobiographical lyrics and deeply propulsive groove, Riddim General is a sure-fire sound system party favorite.

The name COLD EMBRACE has stood for heavy, epic Doom Metal for over 24 years now. Lyrically, a lot revolves around nature-loving paganism. But there are also everyday experiences about people on the lyrical menu. The band was founded by Andreas Libera (bass, vocals). The first permanent line-up came about in 1998 during the recording of the third demo through a collaboration with Michael Hahn
(INCUBATOR, ex-RHYTHM JUNKIES (guitar, vocals)), who was in charge of the recording as a producer, moreover, who recorded some lead and melodic guitars. The was the result of the collaboration was the debut „Ode to Sorrow“ from 1999, which triggered positive reactions from the press (Orkus, Metal Hammer etc.). After the release, COLD EMBRACE got the opportunity to accompany New Orleans sludge doom legends CROWBAR on their German tour dates. In 2001, the second album, Age of Doom, a thoroughbred epic Viking Doom record, was produced. They were not idle at all and already in August
2003 they recorded the compositions for the EP „Buran“. Some of these were songs that were not included on the two albums. Since no label could be found, the hitherto successful band and project slowly but surely fizzled out. At some point the involved partners sat together and listened to the „BuranEP“ after a long break. It was concluded that a few new songs and a qualitatively adjusted remaster would be a good start.

So „Buran“ was remixed, mastered and new songs were added. The result will be released in 2022 by the authentic label ALLEGRO TALENT MEDIA under the album title „Versus Recentem Mundum“. At the same time, it should serve as a prelude to the fourth full-length album, which is scheduled for release in 2023.

When talking aout Ska Music one group of musicians whose name always comes to the forefront of the conversation are The Skatalites.
Formed around 1965 and named originally after the Soviet space satellite which was big news at the time.
With a little help from band member Tommy Mc Cook making a play on the characteristic 'Ska'sound made by the guitar when following the 'after beat' of the music.
The band would have a name to go with its distinctive musical style.
The time span of The Skatalites career considering their output of hundreds of tunes was a relatively short one of around two years.
We have caught a great set of tunes that the band cut at the legendary Treasure Isle Studios, built out of wood and positioned above Duke Reid's liquor store, it somehow worked in getting a great sound out of the band.
We have cherry picked a selection for your musical pleasure..
We hope you enjoy the set....