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Unearthed from the neolithic tar that eventually swathes all history, Aerial M"s early-98 Peel Session is once again among us. Compared to the studio takes, played strictly and singly by Aerial/Papa M-astermind David Pajo, these versions swing from the necks of road-burned players, breathing more bestially than their canonical cousins, glinting "pon the dark metallic roots that fed all of Pajo"s best guitar lines, winding thru time immemorial.

Stass is the perfect German/Swedish collaboration in the old school death metal scene.

Old school 90’s death metal, where the guitars have a fat sawing sound.

Brutal vocals by Crematory-singer Felix Stass.

Together again with his Swedish buddy master-guitarist Rogga Johansson, and new Dutch bass-player Alwin Roes (Dead End, Stygian Dark), this album brings Stass to the next level!

“New Dead World Order” is the 3th full-album by Stass, after “The Darkside” (2017) and “Songs Of Flesh And Decay” (2021).

For fans of: Carnage, Dismember, Lik, Unleashed, Paganizer, Crematory, Entombed & Entrails.

Stass is the perfect German/Swedish collaboration in the old school death metal scene.

Old school 90’s death metal, where the guitars have a fat sawing sound.

Brutal vocals by Crematory-singer Felix Stass.

Together again with his Swedish buddy master-guitarist Rogga Johansson, and new Dutch bass-player Alwin Roes (Dead End, Stygian Dark), this album brings Stass to the next level!

“New Dead World Order” is the 3th full-album by Stass, after “The Darkside” (2017) and “Songs Of Flesh And Decay” (2021).

For fans of: Carnage, Dismember, Lik, Unleashed, Paganizer, Crematory, Entombed & Entrails.

Stass is the perfect German/Swedish collaboration in the old school death metal scene.

Old school 90’s death metal, where the guitars have a fat sawing sound.

Brutal vocals by Crematory-singer Felix Stass.

Together again with his Swedish buddy master-guitarist Rogga Johansson, and new Dutch bass-player Alwin Roes (Dead End, Stygian Dark), this album brings Stass to the next level!

“New Dead World Order” is the 3th full-album by Stass, after “The Darkside” (2017) and “Songs Of Flesh And Decay” (2021).

For fans of: Carnage, Dismember, Lik, Unleashed, Paganizer, Crematory, Entombed & Entrails.

Von seiner Arbeit in der explosiven frühen Hollywood-Punk-Musikszene mit seiner Band The Plugz über das Produzieren von Bands wie The Gun Club bis hin zur Filmmusik, seiner beachtlichen Schauspielkarriere und der Gründung von Fatima Records - Tito Larriva verdient den Titel, den ihm die LA Times einst verliehen hat, durch und durch: "Renaissance Man".

The Plugz, 1978 in Los Angeles von Tito Larriva gegründet, waren inspirierend für die frühe Latino/Latinx-Punk-Gemeinschaft und ihr "West Coast Punk" hatte einen anhaltenden Einfluss auf ganze Generationen von Rockbands.
Kenner der Latino-Kultur würdigten die Band für ihre unkonventionelle Version von "La Bamba" und ihren Einfluss auf die Chicano/Xicanx-Rocker in Südkalifornien.

Mit "Hombre Secreto", einer spanischen Version des 60er-Jahre-Klassikers "Secret Agent Man", brachte Larriva seine einzigartige Handschrift in die Filmmusik des Kult-Klassikers "Repo Man" ein. Seine Karriere ging von hier aus kontinuierlich und vielfältig weiter; zu den wichtigsten Etappen zählen seine Arbeit als Produzent des Cast-Albums der "Pee-Wee Herman Show" und des Debüts "Fire of Love" von The Gun Club, sein Einsatz als Schauspieler in David Byrnes "True Stories" und die von ihm 1984 gegründeten The Cruzados. 1992 entwickelte sich aus The Cruzados die Band Tito & Tarantula, mit der Larrivas intensive Arbeitsbeziehung zu Robert Rodriguez und Quentin Tarantino begann. Er spielte in einem halben Dutzend ihrer Filme mit, unter anderem auch in "From Dusk Till Dawn", wo sein Song "After Dark" und sein musikalischer Auftritt im legendären "Titty Twister Club" eine legendäre Rolle spielt.

Nun veröffentlichen Tito & Tarantula ihr mit Spannung erwartetes Album "!Brincamos!". Das neue Werk ist eine Soundreise, die die Tiefen der menschlichen Seele erforscht, durchsetzt von der rohen Kraft des Rock und dem reichen Erbe des Latino/Latinx-Punkrock. Jeder Track ist ein Beweis für die Fähigkeit Larrivas, Grenzen, Genres und Sprache zu überwinden und einen Sound zu kreieren, der bei Fans auf der ganzen Welt Anklang findet. Mit rohen Balladen und emotionalen Rock-Hymnen ist Larriva mit "!Brincamos!" ein musikalisches Meisterwerk gelungen, das die Geschichte von Tito & Tarantula mehr als würdig fortschreibt.

Neben der Veröffentlichung dieses Albums bereiten sich Tito & Tarantula derzeit auf ihre "!Brincamos!"-Europatournee vor, um ihre berüchtigten Live-Performances auf die Bühnen des europäischen Kontinents zu bringen. Die Fans werden eine Verschmelzung von Rock'n'Roll und cineastischen Welten erleben und Teil unvergesslicher Konzerte sein. Mit Titos intensivem Gesang und der unvergleichlichen Bühnenpräsenz der Band schickt diese Tournee sich an, eines der großen Highlights des Jahres für Musik-Enthusiasten zu werden.

Mit der Veröffentlichung von "!Brincamos!" und dem Beginn ihrer Europatournee im März 2025 laden Tito & Tarantula alte und neue Fans ein, sie auf dieser aufregenden Reise zu begleiten. Die Musik dieser Band ist ein Zeugnis für die Energie des Rock und den vereinenden, kulturellen Stolz der Latinos.

"!Brincamos!" erscheint am 14.03.2025 als Vinyl (aufgrund der Spiellänge des Albums fallen 2 Live Tracks weg), limitierte Vinyl mit einer separaten 10" incl. der Livetracks, CD und digital auf allen gängigen Streaming Plattformen

High Roller Records, reissue 2025, 180g black vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert printed on uncoated paper

High Roller Records, ULTIMATE EDITION, 4th pressing, 180g black vinyl, ltd 350, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric insert, poster, black vinyl bonus 7" in picture sleeve, restored & mastered by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony, Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels.

WHO IS ULTAN O’BRIEN? Ultan O’Brien is a fiddle player and composer from the wilds of County Clare in the West of Ireland. Ultan is a performer as well as a regular at sessions all of Ireland and can be found by chance in any pub in Dublin, Cork or some remote village on the edge of nowhere, flying jigs and reels around the room. Ultan was reared in the rich tradition of Irish music which is so commonly found and heard in Co Clare, but he also delves deep into sound art and experimental music. He has often been heard in the back of a car after a few pints quoting lines from Alvin Lucier or speaking at length about improvisation and its place in modern Irish music. Ultan O’Brien is a fresh and vital player who has much to offer with his unique approach and technique to a tradition so old and ever ready for a subtle change every 100 years or so. Ultan has played and recorded with people and bands such as Skipper’s Alley, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, John Francis Flynn, Slow Moving Clouds, Cuar, Laura Jurd, Martin Green, Natalia Beylis, Paul Roe and Nic Gareiss. ‘in its Ultan’s fiddle playing sincerity of tone it reminds me somewhat of those great caoineadh which were played with such elusive grandeur by Denis Murphy and Pádraig O’Keefe’ Adrian Scahill ‘lets the heart brighten and the feet tap’ Richard Hollingum -KlofMag


ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL ALBUM: ‘This album, Dancing the Line, is my first solo album of music played on an alternatively-tune alto fiddle. I found that the resonance and growl of this lower tuned instrument sat me perfectly into the sound-world I wanted to be in, giving vibrancy to my own compositions and nestling into the traditional music I grew up with.’

Streng limitierte, remasterte Deluxe-Auflage zum 20-jährigen Jubiläum des vierten Albums "Wet From Birth" (2004) der US-Synth-Punk-Band The Faint, das den Puls des Berliner Undergrounds mit der DIY-Körpersprache Omahas verschmolz, wo Punk ebenso Rhythmus wie Rebellion war. Ihr Sound kombinierte die melodische Essenz von New Wave, die raue Kante von Post-Punk und den roboterhaften Futurismus von Detroit Electro, und mit der Hinzunahme des Death Metal-Gitarristen Dapose entflohen sie in ganz neue Sphären. The Faint brachen aus der bescheidenen Bequemlichkeit des Indie-Rock aus und lieferten den Schock, zu dem die Indieszene der Spät-90er/Früh-2000er bereit war. Die neue Deluxe Edition enthält das sorgfältig von den Originalbändern remastere Album, erweitert auf Doppelformat, mit zwei gänzlich unbekannten Sessiontracks, unveröffentlichten Demos und einigen Remixen, und erscheint auf transparentem Doppelvinyl mit Poster (18x24") im mit Metallfolie geprägtem Gatefold.

A new pressing of last years, end of year poll favourite album THE COURETTES `The Soul Of_' LP on ORANGE VINYL! "Ultra-catchy. A wicked side of garage soul" - CLASH // "One of their catchiest pieces yet, Sassy, groovy, toe-tapping" - CLASSIC ROCK // "A giddying rush of noise" - MOJO // "The real sound of now busting through my door, new songs that keep kicking the history forward. I can't imagine my turntable without The Courettes" - David Fricke, ROLLING STONE // And features SHINDIG MAGAZINES Single of the year 2024 `Keep Dancin'.

"Supplicium" represents a perfect balance between tradition and modernity. On one hand, the lyrical concept and epic atmospheres transport the listener to the age of the Roman Empire, evoking visions of triumphant marches and blood-soaked arenas. On the other hand, the sound becomes increasingly technical and refined, with tight riffs, relentless rhythmic sections, and flawless production that enhances every detail. The album, crafted with meticulous care, succeeds in combining the brutality of death metal with highly complex instrumental passages, showcasing a band in constant evolution. With "Supplicium", ADE reaffirm their role as champions of a death metal where historical tradition and modern sound coexist, creating an experience that is both ferocious and captivating.

"Supplicium" represents a perfect balance between tradition and modernity. On one hand, the lyrical concept and epic atmospheres transport the listener to the age of the Roman Empire, evoking visions of triumphant marches and blood-soaked arenas. On the other hand, the sound becomes increasingly technical and refined, with tight riffs, relentless rhythmic sections, and flawless production that enhances every detail. The album, crafted with meticulous care, succeeds in combining the brutality of death metal with highly complex instrumental passages, showcasing a band in constant evolution. With "Supplicium", ADE reaffirm their role as champions of a death metal where historical tradition and modern sound coexist, creating an experience that is both ferocious and captivating.

‘Moonlight Concessions’ goes back to basics, a return for Throwing Muses to their esoteric off-kilter best courtesy of Kristin’s pin-sharp sketches and their suitably abrasive musical arrangements. The album follows their acclaimed ‘Sun Racket’ from 2020, a heady set filled with tough and tender tales spiked with surreal imagery. Produced by Kristin Hersh at Steve Rizzo's Stable Sound Studio in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, ‘Moonlight Concessions’ is a collection of snippets from everyday life writ large - think Raymond Carver Short Cuts, overheard conversations, recounted happenings and telling one-liners, all sewed together to illustrate the times as they slowly mature, fully peppered with original Muses’ vim and vigour. ‘Drugstore Drastic’ is a kerbside soliloquy caught en route to a more alluring rendezvous. Built on a brisk acoustic strum with a guitar sub-melody underpinning proceedings, it’s an unfolding tale of social awareness from a blurred sub-conscious. ‘Summer Of Love’ began as a bet with a guy for a dollar that revolved around the idea that the seasons don’t change us. The album opener, it’s a haunting baroque overture, bowed and brooding. ‘Libretto’s strings offset the acoustic ambience, the hot and cold of longing at the very heart of it, a thematic driver filed with warmth in a safe haven lubricated by tequila. Written in the differing South Coast environs of The Gulf Of Mexico and Southern California, ‘Moonlight Concessions’ pulls from the star clusters that light both, generating optimism and hope in varying degrees. Hersh explains, “In New Orleans the stars look greenish-blue, as it’s below sea level and swamp-lit. But on Moonlight Beach, they glow icy white. All these songs were written in these two glowy places, which helped our sonic technique find itself.”

Chaotic Shimmer is a collection of songs that vary in texture and genesis. The A side has a stronger sense of familiarity with the more rocking numbers, while the B side stretches out in more exploration. Some of the same electronic elements of 2024's Black Holes Don't Choke can be found in songs like "Music For The People" and "Caught Waiting". There is also a subtle nod to Minor Threat in the lyrics of "Caught Waiting". The track "Path I'd Like to Follow" is dreamy and meditative - channeling JJ Cale or late sixties San Francisco fog. The opening track is a rocket ship waiting to escape the dull confines of this singular consciousness, and it creates a space for the title track to transcend at will. All of the songs were recorded by Charles Moothart at his studio in Los Angeles. He wrote, performed, recorded, and mixed everything heard on this album. Reserving the right to do as thou wilt is rock and roll 101. The world is chaos, and chaos is creativity. To accept and embrace this is to tap in to the Chaotic Shimmer - a transcendent energy. Music is for the people. Charles Moothart is a multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He plays guitar in bands like FUZZ and Primitive Ring, as well as drums in GØGGS and Moonhearts. He was the touring drummer for Ty Segall's Freedom Band, as well as the Ty Segall and White Fence collaborative tours. Moothart has also released solo work under his initials CFM.

On her forthcoming record, Rose Cousins holds our hands as she guides us on a journey through the "conditions of love." Ever the emotional explorer, the acclaimed, Nova-Scotia-based folk artist seeks truth, in all its imperfection, in the depths of our most complicated of emotions: love. Co-produced with trusted friend and longtime bandmate Joshua Van Tassel, this new collection of songs sees Rose return to her first love, the piano. “Piano is where I feel the most connected. It’s the best partner in expressing the emotion I’m mining,” she shares. Rose’s work as garnered her two JUNO Awards (2013’s We Have Made a Spark & 2021’s Bravado), two Canadian Folk Music Awards, eleven East Coast Music Awards and one Grammy nomination (2018’s Natural Conclusion), along with praise from the likes of the CBC, No Depression, LA Times, Billboard, Folk Alley, and NPR, who raved “Cousins’ disarmingly fluid vocal tone has the ability to convey the most internalized feelings without an ounce of fuss.” Over the years, she has shared stages with Patty Griffin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jann Arden, Bruce Cockburn, Josh Ritter, Kathleen Edwards, Joe Henry, Aoife O’Donovan and Anais Mitchell, and her music has fittingly underscored scenes from notable TV shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Fire Country, Station 19, and Batwoman, along with several independent films.

Sun Ra was a master of misdirection. Tape boxes wrongly labeled—whether by accident or design—are legendary among Ra archivists. One can speculate about the artist's intent or carelessness, but source misinformation abounds on Ra tape cases, album jackets, cassettes, ephemera—as well as in interviews. It's as if Ra, in furtherance of his own mythmaking, wanted to keep historians guessing.

This project began as a misidentified tape discovered by Michael D. Anderson of the Sun Ra Music Archive. The 7-inch reel, which contained a live Ra solo piano performance of 11 works—some recognizable, others not—was of stellar quality, and was marked as a 1979 Carnegie Hall date. But the program on the tape did not align with known facts (e.g., titles played, concert duration) which were chronicled in a Newsday review of Ra's appearance at Carnegie in September of that year. With a prod from writer/historian Ted Gioia and further research by myself, the tape was eventually identified as a mostly unreleased July 1977 performance by Ra at a downtown NYC "jazz café" called The Axis-in-Soho.

Of all the artists who recorded for the Black Jazz label, keyboardist and composer Doug Carn was the most prolific, releasing four albums for the imprint. 1972’s Spirit of the New Land was his second Black Jazz release, but the first one (of two) to co-feature his wife, vocalist Jean Carn. It’s the most collectible of the bunch, showcasing Carn’s innovative approach of adding lyrics to jazz standards like Miles Davis’ “Blue in Green” and Lee Morgan’s “Search for the New Land,” while originals like “Arise and Shine” and “My Spirit” soar with spiritual fervor on the wings of his wife’s five-octave range.

Along for the ride are a stellar cast of players, including trumpeter Charles Tolliver, co-founder of the Strata-East label; saxophonist George Harper, who played with Herbie Hancock and Jimmy Smith among others; trombonist Garnett Brown, who appears on albums by Roland Kirk, Albert Ayler, and Art Blakey among his hundreds of album credits; tuba player Earl McIntyre, whose discography spans from Carla Bley to the Band; and drummer Alphonse Mouzon, founding member of Weather Report. This beautiful, uplifting album also comes with liner notes by Pat Thomas, author of Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975, that feature excerpts from a freewheeling interview conducted with Doug Carn himself. Pressed in blue with black swirl vinyl limited to 750 copies!

Yeah, legendary drummer Ginger Baker was in a trio with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce. But would it be sacrilege to suggest that perhaps that outfit was the not the, ahem, cream of the crop when it comes his career’s musical threesomes? For the Ginger Baker Trio, first heard on the 1994 album Going Back Home, featured Charlie Haden on bass and Bill Frisell on guitar! And that record lived up to its pedigree with a fascinating blend of British folk, Arabic-tinged melodies, and jazz, propelled by Baker’s astonishing jazz chops on his double bass kit (punctuated by some of his trademark tom-tom fills) and shot through with Haden’s melodic bass work and those impressionistic guitar textures that could only come from a Frisell axe. In short, if you’re a fan of any of these three guys, this album’s a must, and we’ve had it remastered for vinyl (by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision) for its LP debut. Pressed on forest green vinyl and housed in a jacket with printed insert…limited to 1250 copies!

JP’s historic restoration carpentry has continued to be a baseline for his relationship to music; the yin to his yang, the Burt to his Ernie, the Dolly to his Porter. It was through this concurrent line of work that he met another twice-initialed singer with a penchant for old Americana music, obscure film, and overly elaborate ethnic meal preparations: one JD McPherson. The two became fast friends and would eventually, through many twists, turns, false starts, and biblically-proportionate plagues, enter a modest studio in Nashville to record Harris’ latest album.

Over the course of nine months in 2023, they recorded a sometimes lush, sometimes sparse, and sometimes jarring country album of Harris’ originals, loudly and violently squelching any attempt to pigeon-hole a song into any subgenre of country music. Only albums by Lee Hazelwood and an obscure folk album Waylon Jennings made when his hair was still short were allowed to be mentioned in reference. Featuring the guest vocals of Erin Rae, The Watson Twins, Shovels & Rope, and producer JD McPherson himself, the record is equal parts satire, reflection, and apology to those that would listen.

In a musical landscape of period-correct reproduction, “outlaw” internet posturing, and flavor-of-the-month variants on country,

“JP Harris Is A Trash Fire” burns bright as a dumpster in a Walmart parking lot on a moonless night; some will fear it, some will gravitate to its acrid warmth, and most will have no idea what to make of the situation. Harris has been steadily elbowing the definitive boundaries of “country music” wider with every album, both sonically and lyrically, and his latest piece of self described “Avant-Country” is no exception.

Lee Hazlewood made his bones producing and cowriting with guitarist Duane Eddy during the ‘50s, and then cemented his immortality with the classic sides he produced for Nancy Sinatra during the ‘60s. Over the past few decades, though, attention has turned to Lee’s idiosyncratic solo work, the heart of which he recorded for the Reprise label and his own LHI Records. Issued in 1968,

Love and Other Crimes is one of his Reprise releases, and it’s one of the weirdest records in his entire catalog. Recorded in Paris with such legendary Wrecking Crew members as guitarist James Burton and drummer Hal Blaine, Hazlewood sounds every bit the bon vivant (read: half drunk) as he swings from country ballads to lightly psychedelic pop highlighted by his rockin’ cover of Bonnie Dobson’s “Morning Dew.” Other highlights include “Rosacoke Street,” which presents him at his most psychedelic lounge lizard-esque, (think a Hunter Thompson character from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) and his moving “Wait and See,” an apology for bad behavior to an absent lover.

We’ve enlisted Mike Milchner to remaster this one for vinyl… don’t miss Lee’s stream-of-consciousness back cover notes, either. Pressed in sea blue vinyl limited to 1000 copies!

It’s been 20 years since Hinder’s major label debut Extreme Behavior was released, and we’re still not sure the music industry has recovered. Seldom have commercial and critical success been poles apart to this degree; this record went TRIPLE platinum and scored, what, four major hit singles (more if you count the international charts)?! Yet, critical scorn was unrelenting, one reviewer commenting Hinder “appeal not to fans of music, but fans of high fives.” Which is pretty funny…but this Oklahoma City band laughed all the way to the bank, as songs like “Get Stoned,” “Lips of an Angel” (#3 on the Hot 100), “How Long,” and “Better Than Me” were worldwide hits.

Part of this was due to the undeniable charisma of lead vocalist Austin John Winkler; producer Brian Howes also deserves credit for co-writing the songs. But a big part of Hinder’s allure (aside from the fetching cover photo taken straight from the cover of the book How to Tell a Naked Man What to Do: Sex Advice from a Woman Who Knows) was the band’s devil-may-care attitude. Fans of Jackass found their party-hearty soundtrack right here; Extreme Behavior is good, unclean fun. Remastered for its firstever vinyl reissue on its 20th birthday by Mike Milchner from Sonic Vision, and pressed in blackberry vinyl!

The late, great Calvin Keys’1971 debut album for the Black Jazz Records label announced the arrival of a new star in the jazz guitar firmament. Keys had spent the ‘60s backing up the crème de la crème of jazz organists—Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff, Richard “Groove” Holmes—but for his first record as a leader, he was eager to play with a piano player instead. So he recruited one of the best—Larry Nash, who, besides being a member of the L.A. Express, played with everybody from Eddie Harris to Bill Withers to Etta James. Bassist Lawrence Evans, drummer Bob Braye, and flautist-songwriter Owen Marshall rounded out the group on Shawn-Neeq, which might remind some of Pat Metheny’s early work (Metheny acknowledges Keys as an influence), or Grant Green.

But what gives Shawn-Neeq extra depth is that it comes from the heart; as Keys says in Pat Thomas’ liner notes, which feature an interview with the artist: “My thing was, I write about some of the experiences that I’ve had in my life.” Keys became a fixture in the Bay Area jazz scene before he passed in April 2024; this is the album that started his journey. Another gem from the celebrated Black Jazz catalog, pressed in blue with black swirl vinyl limited to 750 copies!

K.A (Köhntarkösz Anteria) is the ninth studio album by French rock band Magma. The album was Magma's first full-length studio release in just under 20 years. The material was largely composed by drummer Christian Vander in 1973–74, and fragments of it can be heard on Magma's 1977 live album Inédits. K.A is sung almost entirely in Magma's constructed language Kobaïan. This album is part of the Köhntarkösz cycle of albums. Christian Vander revisited an old unrecorded composition and gave it a very succesfull modern-day reinterpretation Introducing a new group sound that blends the vintage "Da Zeuhl" elements from Magma's Kohntarkosz-era material and the engrossing cosmic jazz and massed vocals of Vander's later group, Offering. The lineup featured here is very similar to the one appearing on the 2001 live CD and DVD Theusz Hamtaakh La Trilogie au Trianon. The album is a must-have for die-hard fans and newcomers alike.

K.A. is now available as a remastered 2LP in a gatefold sleeve. The record is cut at 45rpm for the ultimate audio experience.

compiled by tsunaki kadowaki
artwork by yoshirotten
mastering by kuniyuki takahashi

Tsunaki Kadowaki, a staff member at Kyoto’s record store Meditations, the supervisor of "New Age Music Disc Guide", and the founder of Sad Disco, curates the fourth installment of "Midnight in Tokyo" themed around Ambient Kayō.

The Midnight in Tokyo series by Studio Mule focuses on Japanese music, serving as a soundtrack for Tokyo nights—whether for home listening, club play, or as a driving BGM, transcending location and space. After a six-year hiatus, the fourth volume takes "Ambient Kayō" as its new perspective, compiling genre-defying tracks released between 1977 and 1999 to explore the intersection of Japanese ambient and pop music.

For this long-awaited fourth installment, selections were made regardless of record label status (major or independent), era, format (vinyl or CD), original release price, or prior reissues. Instead, the focus was on music that deeply moves the listener, is open-minded and evocative, brims with inspiration and spiritual insight, and embodies the "utagokoro" (singing heart) of Japanese artists.

Opening the compilation is "Umi e Kinasai" by Yōsui Inoue, a legendary Japanese singer-songwriter whose works have recently gained renewed interest as hidden gems of Walearic and ambient pop

Composed and arranged by Katsu Hoshi—who is also known for his arrangements on Inoue’s masterpiece Ice World—the track features renowned players such as Masayoshi Takanaka, Hiroki Inui, and Shigeru Inoue. The song embodies a yearning for Balearic horizons, tinged with youthful vibrancy and sentimentality.

Next, "Oritatamu Umi", compiled from Keiko Nosaka, a 20-string koto player, and George Murasaki, a pioneer of Okinawan rock, is an instrumental track from their album "Niraikanai Requiem 1945". As the title suggests, it carries themes of requiem and remembrance, conveying poetic lyricism even without words. Blending Ryukyuan/Okinawan harmonies and indigenous elements, it unfolds as an intimate and nostalgic piece of progressive rock.

Also featured is "Natsu no Kowareru Koro" by Higurashi, a folk-rock band led by Seiichi Takeda, formerly a guitarist of The Remainders of The Clover, the predecessor of RC Succession. Like the opening track "Umi e Kinasai", this song was also produced by Katsu Hoshi. It stands as a folk/new music piece that takes a step into an "otherworldly" realm, recommended for fans of Twin Cosmos and Masumi Hara.

From the enigmatic Blue, the only work left by the mysterious composer S.R. Kinoshita, comes "Mangrove", a hidden treasure of Japan's ambient/new age scene from the CD era. With an oriental and enigmatic atmosphere, the track evokes a mystical world of deep, uncharted jungles, unfolding as an otherworldly New Age Kayō.

"Yaponesia Sakura", selected from Rehabilual’s sole album New Child, is a masterpiece of Japanese new age music. Produced by Swami Dhyan Akamo, a disciple of Indian meditation teacher Osho and a renowned balafon player, the track features Michio Ogawa (Chakra) and Atsuo Fujimoto (Colored Music). Their collective artistry creates an exquisite spiritual ambient pop sound.

"Asa no Hitoshizuku", the opening folk song from Sachiko Kanenobu’s album Sachiko, is also included. Known for her legendary folk album Misora, produced by Haruomi Hosono, Kanenobu’s fourth album after resuming her career was inspired by her experiences living in San Francisco and revolves around the theme of "love." This track carries the same intimate poetic world as Misora, imbued with a pure, crystalline innocence.

From the synth-pop band E.S. Island, known for the Haruomi Hosono-produced *Teku Teku Mami", comes "Yume Fūrin ", selected from their long-lost new age classic Nanpū from Hachijo. Created while the band’s core duo was living in Hachijō Island, the album aimed to sonically capture "the high and happy vibrations of everyday island life." This track offers a dynamic, tribal-infused New Age Kayō experience.

Dubbed "the world's first Min’yō House Mix" "Esashi Oiwake (Maeuta) " comes from Kanazawa Akiko HOUSE MIX Ⅰ, a collaboration between Japanese house music pioneer Soichi Terada and Akiko Kanazawa, a renowned min’yō singer. Through the prism of club music, Hokkaido's Esashi Oiwake, one of Japan’s most iconic folk songs, is transformed into a futuristic ambient pop piece with intricate sound design.

The compilation also includes "Sweet Ong Choh", a track from Voice From Asia, a group active between 1989 and 1992 featuring vocal artist Shizuru Ohtaka. Taken from their imaginative minimal work Voice From Asia, released under Aoyama Spiral’s music label Newsic, the song presents a tranquil, tribal-minimal soundscape enriched by ethnic instruments.

Hailed by Haruomi Hosono as having “a shaman residing in her voice,” singer-songwriter Nami Hōdatsu also appears in the selection. Known for her collaborations with Henry Kawahara, her debut album featured "Asa-Hikari-Ame-Yume", a track that now stands as a precursor to modern vocaloid/synthesized vocal music—a hidden gem of post-choir aesthetics that deserves rediscovery.

Likewise, "Tennessee Waltz", from Naomi Akimoto’s album One Night Stand, supported by members of Mariah, serves as another early prototype of vocaloid/synthesized vocal music. The track weaves fragmented vocal samples, pastoral yet sweetly minimal synth sounds, and mechanical beats into a strikingly unconventional piece in the history of Japanese music.

Closing the compilation is "Heaven Electric", a track from Nav Katze’s album Gentle & Elegance, which featured remixes by Autechre, Seefeel, and Sun Electric. Merging elements of IDM, ambient techno, and chillout, the song embodies an optimism reminiscent of space music while seamlessly blending a mystical Japanese aesthetic—an ambient pop masterpiece.

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The album presents 12 exquisite pop tracks infused with an ambient feeling, resonating deeply with the evolving landscape of the mid-2020s—a time of post-hyperpop and Y2K revival.

Tsunaki Kadowaki (Compiler)

Born in 1993 in Yonago, Tottori, Tsunaki Kadowaki is a staff member and buyer at Kyoto’s Meditations record store. He is the editor of New Age Music Disc Guide (DU BOOKS) and a contributor to Music Magazine, Record Collectors' Magazine, ele-king, and more. Kadowaki has written liner notes for multiple Japanese releases (Brian Eno, Masahiro Sugaya etc.) and runs the Sad Disco music label under Disk Union. He also curates Spotify’s official New Age Music playlist and performed as a DJ at YCAM’s Audio Base Camp #3 in 2024.

Freivogel / Sinclaire with their debut Untitled consisting of three live recordings made using only a concert flute and an Octatrack M1. The recordings are live taken from improvised sessions and have been left unedited.

Shifting between playful and austere, the simple goal for these sessions was honest improvisation; comfortable in both its limits and potentials. Placing classical instrument performance and extended playing techniques alongside heavy sonic processing and cavernous acoustics, they are in some ways uninfluenced by genre, governed only by a drive to find moments of clarity amidst chaos.

Recorded in single takes using a simplified setup of the flute – played into a microphone and wired through an Octatrack – every sound heard in the recordings comes in one way or another from the flute as a single sound source, manipulated and looped on the fly with additional live improvisation over the top.

The result is a timeless capsule of heady drones, offbeat electronics, and mischievous flutes, captured during a time when the world stood still. Scuzzy at times, glistening at others, and ever-optimistic in the pursuit of something new.

Adam Sinclaire is a flautist who has worked with artists such as Billy Bultheel and Ziúr, recorded for labels including PAN and Purple Tape Pedigree, and performed for institutions including KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Schinkel Pavillon, and Martin-Gropius-Bau. His practice focuses on using extended playing techniques to explore the limits of the C flute.

Marco Freivogel is a producer and composer who has released an extensive discography on labels including Mannequin Records and Veyl, and collaborated with artists including dBridge, Mare Nero and Mathew Jonson, remixing artists as diverse as Hercules & Love Affair, Shackleton and Yappa. His Prequel Tapes project sits between utopian and claustrophobic, tracing harsh industrial atmospheres and levitational ambient from a lifelong obsession with sonic extremes. Marco currently works on compositions for film and television, alongside his own releases and collaborations. The EP will be released on 14 February 2025 as limited vinyl and digital via Midnight Shift. Art direction by Mauro Ventura.

All record profits from this release will go to 3ezwa.de, providing financial and legal support to those facing repression for their commitment to the Palestinian cause.

Ancient Japanese spirits meet contemporary electronic music in *Yokai Parade EP*, a mystical collaboration between Italian producer Volantis and Japanese artist Hiroko. Inspired by a psychedelic experience in Kobe where train sounds summoned supernatural visitors, this four-track journey merges folklore with modern dance music through a unique blend of hardware synthesis and haunting vocals.

The title track “Yokai Parade” leads listeners into a shadowy realm where Hiroko’s Italian narration intertwines with Japanese train announcements, calling forth ancient spirits. Eden Burns transforms this nocturnal tale into a hypnotic, percussion-driven remix that deepens its ceremonial essence. On “La Kappa,” Hiroko embodies a playful water spirit, her accented Italian dancing over dreamlike sequences. Fabrizio Mammarella’s Italorama Version injects classic Italo disco energy, creating a perfect bridge between Japanese mythology and Mediterranean dance floors.

Co-produced with Niccolò Barozzi, this vinyl and digital release captures a unique moment where East meets West, and traditional folklore dissolves into electronic rhythms.

Mitte März 2025 veröffentlicht Ninja Tune ein Reissue des legendären Albums 'Adventures in Foam‘ welches das einzige Album von Amon Tobin ist, das unter dem Namen Cujo (portugiesisch für „dessen“) veröffentlicht wurde. Diese ultimative 3xLP-Wiederveröffentlichung bringt zum ersten Mal alle Tracks zusammen und bietet damit eine umfassende Version des Albums.

With a much-loved signature sound heavily influenced by many active years in the trance scene, Fernie’s blend of emotive pads and cosmic soundscapes has secured him a discography that spans some of deep techno’s most revered labels. Having releases on the likes of Monument, Khoros, KVLTÖ and Informa Records to name just a few, as well as heading up his own imprint Space Textures, curating the Monument podcast, and co-running the Orbits parties with fellow Glaswegians Deepbass and Repart - Fernie’s passion for the deep techno community resides in the energy he consistently commits to our scene.

The third release in our catalogue comes as a limited edition 140g transparent vinyl with black smoke, pressed in Italy and presented in a matte sleeve with full colour artwork. Celestial is a carefully woven journey that searches and probes, be it the outer reaches of space or the inner depths of oneself. Perfectly blending the themes of space exploration and astrology, the EP opens with a brooding wash of atmospheres and voice samples, before broken rhythms, lush pads and moody ethereal tones carry the voyage through the A Side. The B Side sees the record open up into two tracks perfect for deep immersion on the dance floor, with Unbound offering an atmospheric cruise fit for early morning bliss. And finally, we are humbled to have a remix from deep techno stalwart Ness closing out the EP - a ritualistic stomper that reworks the original atmospheres of Critical Functions into an uptempo dub techno infused gem.

My Boy, the third solo record from New Zealand singer/ songwriter Marlon Williams, announces an artist emerging anew. Gone is the solemn, country-indebted crooner with the velvet voice - in his place comes a playful, shapeshifting creature. Following the release of his second album, 2018's Make Way For Love, Williams' toured the world, playing major festivals and collaborating with Lorde, Yo-Yo Ma and Florence Welch. He also forged a fledgling acting career with roles in films The True History of the Kelly Gang and Netflix series Sweet Tooth, as well as a cameo in Oscar winning film A Star Is Born. My Boy parlays this flush of worldly experience into a vivid record as spirited and kinetic as the unfolding life of its performer. "I've always explored different character elements in my music," says Williams. "And the more I get into acting, the more tricks I'm learning about representation and presentation. To get braver and bolder with exploring shifting contexts and new ways of doing things." As the pandemic paused global travel, Williams found himself at home in New Zealand, reconnecting with family and friends. Soon new demos and lyrical themes emerged: of self-identity and escapism; tribalism and a gnarled family tree; and ruminations on the role of masculinity and mateship. Co-produced with Tom Healy and recorded at Roundhead Studios in New Zealand, My Boy finds Williams' leading a new band through a set of genre-hopping tunes: from the cheery sway of `My Boy' and chugging `80s noir sheen of `Thinking Of Nina', to the charging synth of `River Rival', and the sultry pop jam `Don't Go Back.' All this sonic and emotional whiplash is intentional, and ultimately My Boy sees Williams having fun, even while interrogating the behaviors of himself and those around him.

My Boy, the third solo record from New Zealand singer/ songwriter Marlon Williams, announces an artist emerging anew. Gone is the solemn, country-indebted crooner with the velvet voice - in his place comes a playful, shapeshifting creature. Following the release of his second album, 2018's Make Way For Love, Williams' toured the world, playing major festivals and collaborating with Lorde, Yo-Yo Ma and Florence Welch. He also forged a fledgling acting career with roles in films The True History of the Kelly Gang and Netflix series Sweet Tooth, as well as a cameo in Oscar winning film A Star Is Born. My Boy parlays this flush of worldly experience into a vivid record as spirited and kinetic as the unfolding life of its performer. "I've always explored different character elements in my music," says Williams. "And the more I get into acting, the more tricks I'm learning about representation and presentation. To get braver and bolder with exploring shifting contexts and new ways of doing things." As the pandemic paused global travel, Williams found himself at home in New Zealand, reconnecting with family and friends. Soon new demos and lyrical themes emerged: of self-identity and escapism; tribalism and a gnarled family tree; and ruminations on the role of masculinity and mateship. Co-produced with Tom Healy and recorded at Roundhead Studios in New Zealand, My Boy finds Williams' leading a new band through a set of genre-hopping tunes: from the cheery sway of `My Boy' and chugging `80s noir sheen of `Thinking Of Nina', to the charging synth of `River Rival', and the sultry pop jam `Don't Go Back.' All this sonic and emotional whiplash is intentional, and ultimately My Boy sees Williams having fun, even while interrogating the behaviors of himself and those around him.

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY has had more than its share of out-of-nowhere bands following from the second big bang that was punk rock. The Babylon Dance Band, Circle X, Your Food, Squirrel Bait, Bastro...these are but some of the exceptional music acts originating in Louisville after 1977. Now it"s time for the great secret of the Louisville first-wave punk scene to be revealed: The Endtables. The Endtables were the crazed brainchild of guitarist Alex Durig, brooding chess-master of the amplified freak-out, and singer Steve Rigot, a flamboyant transgender giant from the shores of southern Indiana who reinvented himself as a Warhol Factory superstar. Like Scarlett O"Hara wrapped in a green velvet curtain, Rigot crafted his own glamorous reality from what was available in the blasted cultural landscape of 1970"s Kentucky. Gold spray paint, duct tape, Ace bandages ... a spectacularly other trailblazer who caused folks to toss their received ideas of beauty and go with the new thing instead. The band first took the stage in late 1978 and was finished by the summer of 1980. In the fall of 1979 they recorded six tracks at a Louisville studio, four of which came out on a 7" EP on their own Tuesday Records. The two remaining tracks ("White Glove Test" and "Trick or Treat") were issued as a single on Self Destruct records in 1991. Both records are among the rarest of any American punk release - more sought after than seen, passed on disintegrating cassette tapes and shouted over upon impact. The music of The Endtables is another chapter in pure American weirdness, as jaw-locking today as the day it was recorded. The scent of modern can be detected in Steve Rigot"s remote vocalese, set against Alex Durig"s guitar outbursts, while drummer Steven Jan Humphrey and bassist Albert Durig (age fifteen!) supply frenzied rhythm. The band rocks its fevered vision to a ferocious degree while Rigot grimly rhymes the truths that remained locked out of the public"s pop tastes in "79-"80. Thirty years of rap and roll later, The Endtables seem inevitable.

A few weeks ago, Brigade Loco officially announced that they will release their third album in the coming months. The band from Gipuzkoa, with seven years of trajectory, will release their new full-length under the title"Bide baten esanahia" ("The meaning of a road"). This new album will finally be released in February 2025. As usual, the album has been recorded at the Sound of Sirens studio in Iruña under the supervision of technician Julen Urzaiz. This album is a firm step forward for a band that wants to evolve and write its own trajectory without repeating chapters previously made. In view of this, the band says they are very excited about the project. It has been more than a year of work and effort before this ambitious project sees the light of day, and they are looking forward to sharing their new tunes with their audience. Brigade Loco are about to start a very important episode in their career. An episode with interesting paragraphs, plotsand characters. Stay tuned.

A few weeks ago, Brigade Loco officially announced that they will release their third album in the coming months. The band from Gipuzkoa, with seven years of trajectory, will release their new full-length under the title"Bide baten esanahia" ("The meaning of a road"). This new album will finally be released in February 2025. As usual, the album has been recorded at the Sound of Sirens studio in Iruña under the supervision of technician Julen Urzaiz. This album is a firm step forward for a band that wants to evolve and write its own trajectory without repeating chapters previously made. In view of this, the band says they are very excited about the project. It has been more than a year of work and effort before this ambitious project sees the light of day, and they are looking forward to sharing their new tunes with their audience. Brigade Loco are about to start a very important episode in their career. An episode with interesting paragraphs, plotsand characters. Stay tuned.

Die experimentelle LP Krazy Karl von NNAMDI aus dem Jahr 2020 wurde von dem Looney Tunes und Merrie Melodies Komponisten Carl Stalling inspiriert. Eine fast komplett instrumentale Reihe von surrealen, jazzigen, cartoonhaften Drehungen und Wendungen, die daran erinnern sollen, wie es ist "wenn dein Gehirn versucht deinen Schädel zu verlassen, du es aber immer wieder in deine Nase zurückstößt". Es ist eine weitere Reizüberflutung von einem Künstler, der zu erfinderisch ist, um ignoriert zu werden. Nicht als Streaming verfügbar und ursprünglich in einer kleinen Auflage von 300 LPs veröffentlicht, die sofort ausverkauft waren. Hier die 2025 Nachpressung.

Orange/Black/Sunburst Vinyl "Choice Quality Stuff/Anytime," released in 1971, marked the third studio album by It's a Beautiful Day, a band celebrated for their eclectic blend of rock, jazz, folk, classical, and world-beat influences. Formed in 1967 in San Francisco during the height of the city's vibrant music scene, the band initially featured vocalist Pattie Santos, violinist David LaFlamme, and keyboardist Linda LaFlamme. Their distinct sound, highlighted by David's five-string violin, set them apart from their contemporaries, even though they never reached the same level of fame as Jefferson Airplane or Santana. By the time of this album, the band's lineup had shifted significantly. Founding members Mitchell Holman and Hal Wagenet had departed, replaced by bassist Tom Fowler (later known for his work with Frank Zappa) and guitarist Bill Gregory. The album, recorded amid these transitions, reflects both the band's creative maturity and their ability to evolve while staying true to their signature style. Tracks like "Creed of Love" and "Anytime" exemplify their musical diversity and lyrical depth. "Choice Quality Stuff/Anytime" was a continuation of the band's legacy, cementing their place as a unique voice in the late 60s and early 70s rock scene, even as their lineup and fortunes changed.

Purple Vinyl. "Choice Quality Stuff/Anytime," released in 1971, marked the third studio album by It's a Beautiful Day, a band celebrated for their eclectic blend of rock, jazz, folk, classical, and world-beat influences. Formed in 1967 in San Francisco during the height of the city's vibrant music scene, the band initially featured vocalist Pattie Santos, violinist David LaFlamme, and keyboardist Linda LaFlamme. Their distinct sound, highlighted by David's five-string violin, set them apart from their contemporaries, even though they never reached the same level of fame as Jefferson Airplane or Santana. By the time of this album, the band's lineup had shifted significantly. Founding members Mitchell Holman and Hal Wagenet had departed, replaced by bassist Tom Fowler (later known for his work with Frank Zappa) and guitarist Bill Gregory. The album, recorded amid these transitions, reflects both the band's creative maturity and their ability to evolve while staying true to their signature style. Tracks like "Creed of Love" and "Anytime" exemplify their musical diversity and lyrical depth. "Choice Quality Stuff/Anytime" was a continuation of the band's legacy, cementing their place as a unique voice in the late 60s and early 70s rock scene, even as their lineup and fortunes changed.

Gold vinyl. Building on the momentum of their debut, Shooting Star returned in 1981 with Hang On for Your Life, a dynamic follow-up that further cemented their place in the AOR rock scene. The album delivered a mix of anthemic rock and melodic hooks, with standout tracks like "Hang On for Your Life," "Hollywood," "Breakout," and "Are You on My Side" all receiving steady radio airplay. One of the album's most unique moments came with "Flesh and Blood," an up-tempo rock song featuring a soaring violin solo_a rarity in the genre that highlighted the band's signature sound. While the record found success on rock stations, it also marked the end of an era, as founding keyboardist Bill Guffey departed the band following its release. With Van McLain, Gary West, Charles Waltz, Ron Verlin, and Steve Thomas still at the helm, Hang On for Your Life captured Shooting Star at their peak_an ambitious, hard-driving rock band with a sound that was both melodic and powerful.

White/Gold Sunburst Vinyl. Building on the momentum of their debut, Shooting Star returned in 1981 with Hang On for Your Life, a dynamic follow-up that further cemented their place in the AOR rock scene. The album delivered a mix of anthemic rock and melodic hooks, with standout tracks like "Hang On for Your Life," "Hollywood," "Breakout," and "Are You on My Side" all receiving steady radio airplay. One of the album's most unique moments came with "Flesh and Blood," an up-tempo rock song featuring a soaring violin solo_a rarity in the genre that highlighted the band's signature sound. While the record found success on rock stations, it also marked the end of an era, as founding keyboardist Bill Guffey departed the band following its release. With Van McLain, Gary West, Charles Waltz, Ron Verlin, and Steve Thomas still at the helm, Hang On for Your Life captured Shooting Star at their peak_an ambitious, hard-driving rock band with a sound that was both melodic and powerful.