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One of very few recordings of Kim Fowley to survive and amazingly, he
survived this show as the audience booed him off the stage
The band hadn't rehearsed properly and mid- show, the organiser asked the
audience if they wanted the show to continue and even though they emphatically
said NO!!!, Fowley and the band continued on, oblivious to the jeering audience.
Eventually, he was removed from the stage..

Tape



Edições CN label founder Lieven Martens (Dolphins Into The Future) joins the Dauw label with his new album Short stories - pleasant and/or rather sad. On Short stories, Martens continues his quest for unique sound collages based on recorded original work, field recordings and samples. He offers 3 pieces depicting their own narrative. But what's the narrative? Martens leaves his listener with only music and a few linguistic traces as guidelines.

(1) Romantic collection

I. Under the 4pm sun (smoke and deep green) II. Two white-tailed tropicbirds III. Waves breaking on black lava rocks IV. The distant lights of fishing boats at night

(2) Sonorities

20 memories of maximum 20 seconds – and an intermezzo.

(3) Madrigal: a Conversation in the Dark

In front of the house across my parents’ house. There are two statues. They’re bought in the local garden shop, on a budget. In their driveway strewn with gravel, they slyly talk at night.

Lieven Martens (Lieven Martens Moana, formerly Dolphins Into The Future) is a composer and observer. He makes a conceptual form of music – programme music - that travels beyond the pure description. His works are like narrative stills; encounters with objects and thoughts.
As a recording artist, the main focus lies on the music album, and the live concert. But other forms come into play too, like an operetta, music for carillon, music for a commercial, a few movie soundtracks, installation music, et al.
Since he never submitted his work for an art prize, he didn’t won any. But a few years back he received a grant from the Flemish Department of Culture.
Next to his music he writes to make an extra euro. He also writes a few emails every week too. In general, you know.
Martens runs Edições CN, a private press that is praised for its catalogue of original works by a list of internationally acclaimed artists. He also hosts an irregular radio show on We Are Various radio in Antwerp (previous programs for Lyl Radio, and Radio Centraal).

“V I N C E N T” is FKJ’s second album and signals a new dawn, not just as a go-to producer and remixer for artists like PinkPantheress and Moses Sumney but as an artist in his own right, continuously selling out headline tours across the globe with his acclaimed ‘one-man-band’ live shows, and having a billion plus streams across all platforms for his music.

The concept for “V I N C E N T” came about during a solo trip to Los Angeles before 2020. “I just stayed in this house totally on my own, turned my phone off and had some time away from everything to figure out what I wanted to do.” He realised he wanted to tap into the freedom of being a teenager: “back then, I was making music strictly for playfulness, without overthinking it,” he says. “V I N C E N T’s” opening and closing songs underline the sentiment of the new album: the future-jazz of ‘Way Out’ (a playful mini soundtrack in one; a dainty piano motif underscored by a skittering trap beat and serene strings) and the lullaby-styled “Stay A Child”. “I wanted to get back some of that lost innocence of making music purely for pleasure,” he says.

Back in his home studio in the Philippines, with no wifi and an impending global lockdown, FKJ was quite literally cut off from the world, able to explore music’s endless possibilities. “Sometimes I would get into it for the whole night and go to bed when the sun came up.” Out of this freedom comes an expressionistic, touching album that’s impossible to pin down. There’s no more hiding behind a branch of leaves, as he did on the cover of his 2017 debut: “V I N C E N T” marks FKJ out as a crucial new voice. He’s redefining chillout music with his bursts of late-night jazz sax and piano, coupled with his wood-cabin whispery vocals, recalling Bon Iver’s early work, and those Santana-styled guitar flourishes.

Much of “V I N C E N T” is wilfully romantic, sometimes super sexy, and often with its head in the clouds, as on tracks like “Us”, a dreamy ode to his wife June, or “IHM”, which has a 90s hip-hop flavour slowed right down to lights-out tempo. Not entirely a solo record, ((( O )))) appears on ‘Brass Necklace’ – which has the soft power of The Internet and Stevie Wonder’s keys. It’s no wonder that lead single ‘A Moment of Mystery’, featuring Toro Y Moi, has a spacey vibe: while recording in San Francisco together, FKJ, Toro and his keyboard player Tony took some of what Tony called “holy water” – “we shared this bottle and took a bit of a trip,” laughs FKJ. The result is a gentle electronic ode to long-term love that could rival Tame Impala for melodic progginess.

Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano vocal, meanwhile, laces its way through the stunning “Can’t Stop”, and there is a call back to FKJ’s dancier beginnings with “Let’s Live”, a galvanising techno-pop number that blends piano, handclaps and soulful vocals to dazzling effect. Each of FKJ’s songs glistens, lambently, with a myriad of ideas but it never sounds overblown or too dizzying.

“V I N C E N T” is a marvel – and testament to the magic that can happen when you dig deep. “This was a challenging record,” he says. “I’m a perfectionist and it’s hard to shake that off. But once I did, and I let the music take over, I felt totally free.”

Matmos are one of the most prominent experimental electronic artists working today, crafting work by creating new conceptual frameworks & immediately testing those frameworks absolute limits. For Regards / Uklony dla Boguslaw Schaeffer they've focused on another artist known, in large part, for doing the same. Boguslaw Schaeffer was one of the first Polish artists creating electronic music. In step with American contemporaries like John Cage and Morton Feldman, he worked across the boundaries of classical composition, electronic experimentation, and radical theater in playfully form-breaking ways. Matmos are not the first ones to recognize the power of his catalog, from Solo (a 2008 documentary that garnered numerous international awards), to the annual Shaeffer's Era Festival (most recently celebrated simultaneously in Warsaw and Los Angeles) his work continues to inspire. Regards.. however, was not just inspired by his work, Matmos were given access to the entirity of Schaeffer's recorded works to use as they saw fit, commissioned by the prestigious Instytutu Adama Mickiewicza. They re-assembled & re-combined these recorded works with modern instrumentations in a way that only Matmos could, and what emerges is a composite portrait of the utopian 1960s Polish avant-garde and the contemporary dystopian cultural moment regarding each other across a distance. To facilitate the transcultural exchange that is the album's essential premise, all song titles and liner-notes are provided in both English and Polish. The album was mastered by Rashad Becker and features illustration and design by acclaimed artist Robert Beatty (Tame Impala, Osees, Mdou Moctar). Like the anagrams of the letters of Boguslaw Schaeffer's name that were re-assembled to create some of the song titles, the album itself is a musical re-assemblage of component parts into possible but unforeseen new shapes. Adding harp from Irish harpist Una Monaghan, erhu, viola and violin from Turkish multi-instrumentalist Ulas Kurugullu, and electronic processes from Baltimore instrument builder Will Schorre, and Horse Lords wunderkind Max Eilbacher, the resulting arrangements constantly toy with scale as they move from the close-mic-ing of ASMR and the intimacy of chamber music to the immensity of processed drones and oceanic field-recordings that close the album. Offering a "life review" of production styles, Regards / Uklony dla Boguslaw Schaeffer builds temporary shelters out of the panoramic wreckage of modernist composition, sixties tape music, seventies dub, eighties industrial music, nineties postrock and dark ambient, 2000s era glitch fetishism, and contemporary post-everything collage sensibilities.

Shaka is back on Local Talk with a follow-up to "The Riverwalk EP" released back in 2020.

The Bird's Eye View continues on the same deep, soulful and uplifting house tip with waves of ear-pleasing music.
There's a genuine swing to the opening track Short Circuit that is infectious and Shaka really gets to work on those keys.
It brings back memories of those golden years of house music when every track Strictly Rhythm classic was a classic...

The Birds Eye View offers a deeper and jazzier spin on the lush and spiritual house music Shaka flirts with.
If delightfully playful house music is your secret crush then look no further.

Repress!

Leeward, released in 1978 on Union record, is the second album by tenor and soprano saxophonist Mabumi Yamaguchi. Here the quartet comprises of Ikuo Sakurai on bass, Hideo Sekine on drums and Ichiro Doi on piano and electric piano.

Leeward opens with “Dawn” a long and slow piece led by a Fender Rhodes played in flanger mode, on which Mabumi Yamaguchi expresses a certain melancholy, which we also find on “Dewdrop”, a duet piece with Ichiro Doi at the piano. The rhythm picks up on “Distant thunder”, a kind of jazz-funk samba in which Mabumi Yamaguchi lets each of his musicians take a long chorus before ending by taking up the haunting theme of this superb piece.
The beautiful “Leeward” closes the album in a slightly more traditional but equally mastered style. It is not known if the cover of this album contributed to its lack of success when it was released, but it is almost impossible today to find an original pressing of this record.

It should be noted that Mabumi Yamaguchi is still active and that he continues to release records and perform in concert in Tokyo (dates to be found on his website mabumi).

Petter Eldh's explosive ensemble Koma Saxo continues their adventures with a new album "Koma West", out on We Jazz Records, 18 March 2022. The album sees Koma Saxo expand on their previous sound with the addition of vocalist Sofia Jernberg and a strong cast of featured artists, including cellist Lucy Railton, violinist Maria Reich, pianist Kit Downes and accordionist Kiki Eldh (Petter's mom!). The hard-hitting key quintet remains, including Eldh on bass and assorted instruments, Christian Lillinger on drums, plus saxophonists Otis Sandsjö (of Y-OTIS), Jonas Kullhammar and Mikko Innanen bringing the SAXO to the KOMA operation.

At 14 tracks, "Koma West" is a full menu of monumental compositional ideas that could spawn entire albums. True to his chop & go production style, Eldh relies on continuous movement while presenting another all killer no filler program taking Koma Saxo on a sonic outing not quite like anything that had previously appeared under the band's name. That being said, there's very much the Petter Eldh touch here, one which might be hard to pinpoint and verbalise, but nevertheless a recognisable style of composing, producing and arranging.

Thematically, the album is rooted in the West Coast of Sweden, where Eldh grew up – he's from a tiny town called Lysekil. There's a thread of Swedish folk song tradition that has been part of the Koma Saxo DNA from the get-go and you can hear that here as well, especially on cuts such as "Närhet", beautifully sung by Sofia Jernberg.

Petter Eldh says:

"In a way, it's a concept album and a celebration of the Swedish West Coast. The first single is called 'Koma Kaprifol', and kaprifol is the landscape flower of Bohuslän on the West coast, where I grew up. I'm not too wild about attaching strong narratives to my music but there's no way around it this time. The oysters, a common snack around the coast, are a strong conceptual presence here. Anyway, they seem to pop up here and there quite often already thus far in the Koma Saxo narrative, even though it's not always so obvious. Koma Vocals! Koma Strings! I love the presence of Sofia Jernberg here and I love writing string arrangements, too, although I never thought I would do it for Koma, but of course, Koma should have some strings, why not?. Koma Saxo should and can become anything."

Air, Nico, St Etienne, Kid Loco, Young Marble Giants, Sandy Denny, Vashti Bunyan, Andrew Weatherall, Robert Wyatt and Serge Gainsbourg. Limited edition first pressing of 500 copies on "Mock Turtle" Blue. International collaboration between artists in Glasgow, London, Paris & New York. Mastered by Shimmy-Disc founder Kramer. Accompanying visual art work by Film and art director Tim Saccenti. Inspired by the intensity of lockdown, the self-titled debut album by electro-pop project Gates of Light, is the result of a collaboration between five artists across four cities, three time zones and two continents. Hailing from Glasgow, singer-songwriter Louise Quinn and producer Bal Cooke teamed up with London-based DJ and producer Scott Fraser; Parisian musician, DJ and producer Kid Loco; and film director and photographer, New York’s Tim Saccenti - who has previously worked with Run The Jewels and Pharell- to create a sublime, electro-pop reflection on the grief, insularity and peculiar highs of lockdown. Immediately after hearing the album, revered post-punk musician and producer Kramer offered to release the vinyl edition on his iconic cult label Shimmy-Disc, which boasts an impressive back catalogue of artists including Daniel Johnson, Low and Galaxie 500. A project grounded on collaboration - born from a period of disconnect - Gates Of Light perfectly amplifies the longing, confusion, lucid dreams and appreciation of the outdoors that the pandemic ignited in so many over the last couple of years. Originally written and recorded by Louise and Bal from their bedroom studio in Glasgow whilst their one-year-old twins slept, the tracks were then sent to Scott and Kid Loco who remixed the tracks from home studios in London and Paris before Tim created the artwork and a video for the track ‘When The Leaf Falls’. Gates Of Light is the latest project from Louise and Bal who have released music in the past as A Band Called Quinn and DAWNINGS. Louise and Scott Fraser have also previously collaborated following a chance encounter at a nightclub in Glasgow. Their single ‘Together More’ was released on Andrew Weatherall’s renowned Birdscarer vinyl imprint in 2019 and featured a remix by the Guv’nor himself who described the track as “sublime magik”.

‘An Awesome Wave’ is finally back in stock on vinyl as the band celebrate the 10th anniversary of this classic debut record. Described by The Guardian in their Albums Of The Year coverage as “Remarkable and Rewarding:, ‘An Awesome Wave’ won the band the Mercury Music Prize and an Ivor Novello award, the album has since gone platinum in the UK and continues to receive critical acclaim. This album saw the start of a remarkable trajectory for the band who became one of the most successful British bands of the millennium. alt-J have now sold in excess of two million albums and their songs have been streamed over two and a half billion times. Their follow up album This Is All Yours was a UK number 1, GRAMMY and BRIT Award-nominated album. Released in 2017, album number 3 RELAXER flew straight into the top 10 of the UK album chart ahead of a summer of major international shows-including a headline show at London’s O2 Arena; and headline performances at numerous festivals and became their second album to be nominated for the Mercury Prize. 2022 saw the release of their 4th album The Dream which reached top 3 in the Uk and was one of the best reviewed records of 2022.

CLASSIC ALBUM REMASTERED BY ED WYNNE & RE-ISSUED ON CLASSIC BLACK VINYL.

One of the most influential bands to emerge from the UK's festival scene, the Ozrics layer ambient & ethereal landscapes with freeform dub trips, incredible rave grooves & psychedelic progressive rock

It's an open exploration of music & the soul. One of the most influential bands to emerge from the UK's festival scene, the Ozrics layer ambient & ethereal landscapes with freeform dub trips, incredible rave grooves & psychedelic progressive rock. It's an open exploration of music & the soul.

For over 30 years, the Ozrics have experienced the vicissitudes of the rock & roll life. The band has flourished through several line- up changes, spawned several side projects, created their own record label, put out close to 25 albums, scored a hit record & sold over a million albums world-wide. And yet, the basic motivation behind the band's existence has never wavered. Their signature blend of hippy aesthetics & raver electronics with spiraling guitars, textured waves of keyboard & midi samplers & supergroovy bass & drum rhythms continues to delight fans across the world to this day.

'Strangeitude' was released in 1991 & featured the band's first single, 'Sploosh!' which reached number 1 in the UK independent chart. Presented for the first time since its original release on classic black vinyl by Kscope.

Echoes of this summer's 'Shango' still shimmer through systems as Detroit's Waajeed continues to make good on his promise: to 'put paint where it ain't.'

After years of soul, funk and hip-hop explorations as a founding member of the Platinum Pied Pipers (among many other innovative escapades) and, most recently, a soulful remix of Amp Fiddler on Kenny Dixon's Mahogany Music, Waajeed is building on the fresh line of house grooves he commenced this summer. His first pedigree dancefloor tracks in almost 20 years, he taps directly into the source and builds with his own soulful bricks. It's working, too; DJ-wise he's playing alongside Moodyman, Mr. Scruff and Carl Craig this fall, while 'Shango' has enjoyed heavyweight support by The Black Madonna, Carl Craig, Jackmaster, Gilles Peterson and many notable selectors.

Global Amnesia brings together a diverse collection of driving club sounds from producers spanning 4 continents. Squarely aimed at DJ's who aren't afraid of high BPM's this no bullshit debut VA is only the beginning.

Kaiju is the floor-shaking, speaker-knocking new album from Canibus, one of hip-hop’s greatest lyricists who continues to push himself as an artist. It also serves as his first solo release since 2015’s excellent Time Flys, Life Dies... Phoenix Rise, which was produced entirely by Bronze Nazareth. It’s only fitting, then, that ‘Bus would once again work with only one producer for this project, which finds him spitting mind-melting bars over beats from Oxnard, CA beatsmith/rapper Body Bag Ben.

The 11 tracks on Kaiju strike a balance between personal experiences and striking grandiosity that ‘Bus expertly crafts with his pen. They also all boast the rewind-worthy lyrics you’d want from one of the genre’s most creative and truly timeless talents. You can hear this immediately on the opening track, “Curmudgeon,” where he spits raw bars with his signature growl over BBB’s monstrous production. That vibe carries on throughout the record, from the snarling, DMX-assisted “Entameta (Remix)” through to the hip-hop epic of “Verzuz.”

This is truly Canibus at his best, blending surrealist wordplay and turns-of-phrase with sharp, witty commentary about the state of the world today. Even better, he’s backed by some of BBB’s best production to date, which rumbles and stomps as much as it sounds like it’s covered in a thick layer of grime. It’s much like the inspiration for the album’s title—a giant monster (kaiju, in Japanese) like Godzilla rising from a slumber, ready to wreak havoc on his opponents.

20th Anniversary edition pressed on Californian Sunburst vinyl with
newly designed artwork and bonus 7” featuring ‘Brown Eyes’ and the
previously unreleased ‘The Earth From Above’.
 ‘California’ was released in 2002 to massive critical acclaim and reached
a much wider audience across Europe. Features the hit singles ‘This
Life’ and ‘Ordinary Day’.
 The album features Glenn Garrett on bass, Neil Conti (David Bowie /
Prefab Sprout) on drums and Dickon Hinchcliffe (Tindersticks ) and Rick
Carter (The Sisters of Mercy) on keyboards.
 ‘California’ was mostly co-written with Italian composer Marco Sabiu,
who collaborated with and was mentored by the late, great Ennio
Morricone.
 Perry Blake, Sligo-born singer / songwriter, is one of music’s great
untapped resources. After his first three singles - taken from his debut
album - received Single Of The Week on Jo Wiley BBC Radio 1, Blake
moved to France, where he was met with critical acclaim with his next
four albums, touring Europe with Carla Bruni and writing two songs for
Francoise Hardy’s Platinum-selling album ‘Tant de belles choses’,
appearing on various TV shows in France as her special guest.
 You may very well wonder what to expect of an album with American
West Coast orientations from an Irishman who happens to be critically
acclaimed on the Continent but is largely ignored in Britain. Thankfully,
Blake lives up to his billing with apparent ease. His song writing is
evidently mature and melodic; he incorporates lush orchestral
arrangements with tender vocals; and combines pop-like hooks with a
deep sonic texture.
 ‘California’ is a thriving and absorbing collection of songs in which
orchestral arrangements strain with emotion, melodies thrive and bloom,
like The Verve at their peak, though far more fragile and balmy.
 ‘California’ is ether for the soul - a truly magnificent and touching
collection of frankly beautiful songs, which is up there with class of Bryan
Ferry, The Blue Nile and anyone else who can turn a night around.
 Blake’s glimpses of people living a state of mind is one of those great
escapes it’s very hard to get away from. His gift here is to take a
subdued, grown-up collection of songs but make them sound like they
deserve daytime radio.
 Radio - Radio 2 Jo Whiley session.

Can it really be just be over a year since Yard Act
exploded into the national consciousness with their
debut EP ‘Dark Days’, released via their own Zen
FC imprint? Yard Act have gone on to be one of
2022’s defining artists with the release of their
debut album ‘The Overload’, and their rise has
been as entertaining as it has been meteoric. And
as well as touring the world and smashing sales
records, they’ve still found time to continue Zen
FC, releasing acclaimed 7”s from Baba Ali and
Benefits.
 Being the budding record industry moguls that they
are, they couldn’t bear to see the ‘Dark Days’ EP
languishing out of print. So they commandeered a
Danish pressing plant and rudely shoved their way
to the front of the queue, picked a new colour
(silver in honour of ‘The Overload’ finishing second
in the Album Charts) and rushed through a repress
in time for the summer. And while they were at it,
they sorted out a run on the format of the future –
the noble cassette.
 So there you have it: while you’re thinking about
putting ‘The Overload’ at the top of your albums of
2022, you can enjoy the EP of 2021 all over again.

Prior to his untimely passing, Chester personally announced a 2017 Grey Daze reunion on social media. As he never got the chance to launch the reunion himself, his bandmates, friends, family, and various collaborators stepped up to give the music the second chance it deserved, finishing what the late singer started. The musicians—longtime members Sean Dowdell drums, backing vocals and Mace Beyers bass as well as Cristin Davis [guitar] recruited in 2017 to tackle this artistic and personal endeavor. A follow up to their critically praised and fan beloved 2020 album “Amends”, this next chapter of music is the completion of their commitment to friendship. For “The Phoenix” the band teamed up with producer Esjay Jones and did a lot of the recording in LA at the iconic Sunset Sound Studios. With this album Esjay and the band really focused on being true to the group's original sound and all their 90s influences. This album continues their mission to tell Chester Bennington's story and also celebrate the amazing artist and person he was. Early song standouts are Saturation, Starting To Fly, Drag, and Anything Anything. Press includes Metal Hammer, CMU, Daily Star, Kerrang!, NME and more.

Midwest techno titan DJ Speedsick debuts on TITDM with five monstrous cuts, permeating with grunge flavored grooves and hypnotic rhythms - including a bonus digi track on 'Midwest Death Trance EP'.

Opener 'Spun 21' sets the tone for the record, wasting no time in getting started. The track's rolling basslines stretch out underneath deep, weighty percussion, in a pumping club track with both warm and driving qualities. The US based artist continues his quest of making the most relentless and uncompromising techno in 'Low Places' before 'Tital Therapy' enters the frame with its louring kick drums, interwoven amongst a backdrop of industrial, dystopian unrest.

B side opener 'Exact Change' is minimal in its approach, but no less effective; proving that sometimes all we need is a hammering kick drum, killer rides and understated bass notes to make people lose their minds. The record comes to a close with the heads down grooves of 'Your Turn To Fall' a seductive piece, teasing and taunting; before the digi only 'Glad To Get Away' keeps bodies moving as the club shuts and the after party begins.

Arriving on Lobster Theremin's White Label on comes a fresh-sounding and typically loud release from Leeds vinyl enthusiast Peaky Beats. Never one to be pigeon-holed into a specific style of music, his recent releases have explored 2-step, speed garage and dub - bringing his wicked ear for big UK blends into the spotlight - and earmarking him as one of the UK's most exciting emerging producers.

On Paradise Falls EP, Peaky Beats unites the worlds of jungle, drum & bass and 2-step on a high velocity, future-facing project, with a little help from contemporary jungle legend Tim Reaper. 'Paradise Falls' is a melodic stepper that ventures close to 150BPM territory. Those skippy UKG elements are all there, but this time with a hefty dose of jungle influence which brings a certain weightlessness to the track. 'Soul Diesel' ventures further into the garage sphere; the velocity diminishing slightly as the vitality continues to soar. Introspective breaks for sunny days.

'Tangerine Dream' is a prime old school cut of dubbed-out nostalgia. Sitting somewhere between The Streets, El-B and Coco Bryce, its deep bass-weight inspires big 'Any Jungle In, Guy?' energy, before Tim Reaper's remix of 'Paradise Falls' blows the bloody doors off with a typically emotive and atmospheric cut of jungle fantasia.

After releasing on Atomnation's Unfold Vol. 2 last year, Berlin-based Italian NOCUI returns with more rich and uplifting grooves on his new 12” “Entrain”.

Leonardo Di Fiore (NOCUI's real name) is a Rome-born composer and a classically trained pianist who brings a performative approach to how he makes music. An early love of jazz also permeates his work and he now considers himself a "studio and sound design obsessive." That shows in the meticulously crafted, always fresh music he makes on his go-to drum machine, the Jomox Alpha Base. NOCUI is also adept at speaking through other key bits of gear such as the Roland SH101, Acidlab 303, DSI Prophet 6, and Haken Continuum Fingerboard - machines that lend his music its signature sound and have taken him to labels like Traum and Wildfire.

Playing in Dixieland jazz bands during his teens and then passing through some Kansas City jazz acts, New York-born alto saxophonist Steve Lacy became associated with the avant-garde jazz movement from the mid-1950s, playing on free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor’s influential debut LP and early work by the Canadian pianist Gil Evans, before serving a long tenure with the idiosyncratic improv pianist Theolonius Monk, whose work he would continue to reference throughout his career. Visiting Europe from the md-1960s, starting with a trip to Copenhagen with pianist Kenny Drew (who made the Danish city his home thereafter), Lacy later travelled to Italy to form a quartet with Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava (who had earlier played in Argentinian sax player, Gato Barbieri’s group), plus South African exiles and former Blue Notes members Johnny Dyani on double bass and Louis Moholo on drums. Lacy subsequently moved to Paris, which became his permanent base from 1970, leading a sextet there whilst also exploring the limits of the alto saxophone as a solo instrument. The disparate and often discordant album Threads was recorded in Rome at Mama Dog studio in 1977 for filmmaker-turned-record producer Aldo Sinesio’s Horo Records label; comprised of six of Lacy’s own compositions, the album saw Lacy supported by Alvin Curran on piano and Frederic Rzewski on flugelhorn, synthesizer and percussion, the pair both longstanding members of the experimental group, Musica Elettronica Viva.GO

Vinyl Only

Making their return with further innovative output this Spring is Bucharest based outfit, VARME, a label curated and cared for by, Paul Popa. Crafting the seventh release on the label is the incredibly talented beat maker, Maximo. The Uruguayan’s “XKP” EP meanders through low end leaning electro, and intelligently arranged spaced out techno, rough and ready for the club.

Title track “XKP” moves in mechanical motions, chugging by as trippy beeps and bleeps make themselves known. Futuristic elements breathing life into the chunky drums. The A2 “Trip To the Moon” teeters on the fine line of techno, and trance, sitting comfortably between the two, blasting you with dusty nostalgia from records of the past but maintaining the modern twist Maximo consistently captures.

On the flipside delving deeper into the mind of Maximo is “1945” is a sleek and crisp trip, a punchy kick and ice cold hi-hats drive the groove. The vocal sample used fits perfectly, transcending the listener as it continues to flash in and out. Closing 007 is “Sinrazón” a curious journey through shimmering pads and synths, teasing you down a path of mystery with the dark bassline that simmers throughout.

Solid impressions from a label that continue to propel their distinguished energy, showing no signs of slowing down, continuing to become somewhat of a diggers paradise with their catalogue. VARME are not afraid to push music they believe in, never taking the restraints of genre on their shoulders. Whilst not making music Maximo is helping steer the ship at Deeper, a collective who share their musical vision in their native country of Uruguay.

Ever since the release of his first solo album more than 20 years ago, German musician and producer Christian Kleine has experimented with blending and contrasting the varying textures and approaches of post-rave IDM, breakbeats, shoegaze and punk. His latest album offering, Touch & Fuse, shows he's continued to refine and perfect that combination, which is less a conscious concoction and more of a natural outcome of the music he likes. From the edgy Aphex-isms of 'Val 2' and the heavily filtered breaks of 'Reverse Angle' to the slowed down grunge meets pure electronics of 'Return of the Underground', this is unique, accomplished stuff.

Historical power metal force CIVIL WAR enter their fourth battle with Invaders! Swedish historical modern power metal outfit CIVIL WAR fly the flags of international strife once again with their brand new, fourth album, Invaders, set for release on June 17, 2022 via Napalm Records. The band founded by former members of Sabaton returns with 10 new wartime anthems detailing harrowing stories of sorrow and tales of turbulent triumph from around the globe, as well as human nature itself. Invaders marks the band’s first album with masterful frontman Kelly Sundown Carpenter and formidable shredder Thobbe Englund (ex-Sabaton), and grips with riveting accounts ranging from Viking invasions and the greed of powerful nations to legendary Native American battles and magical Arthurian fantasy – all amid a profusion of enthrallingly dynamic vocals, epic soundscapes and impressive, technical instrumentals. The album starts off with the captivating “Oblivion”, inviting the listener into an apocalyptic world with its exotic, menacing sound, strong vocals and heavy guitar riffs. Packed with epic symphonic power, Invaders continues with the war anthem “Dead Man’s Glory”, telling a story of Irish resistance – fighting to preserve their way of life against a Viking invasion. The album rages on with the retelling of a legendary Native American victory at the Battle of the Wabash on the fast-paced “Invaders” and then settles into the pulsating, atmospheric “Heart of Darkness” before arriving at “Andersonville” – recounting the horrors of Confederate prisoner-of-war camp Andersonville Prison through the letters of a Union soldier to his wife. This song soars as a massive power ballad with heart-rending symphonics, choirs and emotive vocals. “Battle of Life” delivers the grand finale of Invaders as a pummeling, fiery power metal pinnacle, summoning listeners of all walks of life to persevere and call on inner strength in times of trouble. In keeping with the album’s Native American theme, the Western-inspired heavy metal battle cry “Custer’s Last Stand” sees its 10th anniversary re-recording and re-release as a bonus track, entrancing the listener with Carpenter’s passionate vocal delivery, searing guitar harmonics, keyboard fanfares and tribal drums. With Invaders, CIVIL WAR prove they’ve once again etched a position all their own in the annals of modern power and heavy metal while proving their deft storytelling skill and knack for engaging lyricism. Invaders is a must-listen! .

While Sass Jordan is celebrated as a multi-platinum selling premiere rock
singer, her 2020 album, Rebel Moon Blues, demonstrated that she sings
the blues with as much power and authenticity as she personified in the
rock world
Following up on the rave reviews garnered by Rebel Moon Blues, Sass continues
to mine her talent as a blues singer with 8 new tracks on Bitches Blues, on Stony
Plain Records.Reflecting on the impact the past two years has had on us all, Sass
has recorded songs that examine the visceral emotional territory of a pandemic,
and the multiple conflicts that the world is reeling from in the aftermath. "Still
Alive and Well' is Sass's triumphant take on a Rick Derringer song that leads off
the album. Her original song, "Still The World Goes Round" marks the mid-point
with a look at power structures, both within and without, while another new
creation" Change Is Coming" ends the collection with a trance- like chant that
offers an uplifting perspective.
As we have come to expect from Sass, the album features fierce guitar licks,
driving tempo's, the raw and soulful Sass Jordan rasp, and a glorious assortment
of rambling road dogs, known as the Champagne Hookers. This particular
collection of Hookers includes longtime associates and rebel rouser guitarists
Chris Caddell and Jimmy Reid, drummer Cass Pereira, keyboardist Jesse O'Brien
and the magnificent Mr. Steve Marriner on bass and harmonica.
Netherlands tour in June 2022.

What would it sound like if Ginger Root was asked to make the soundtrack to an American adaptation of a fictitious Japanese film from 1981 entitled, “街のやつ” (Machi No Yatsu) You’d get their new EP, “City Slicker” While the previous Ginger Root albums have had themes of introspectiveness and observations on past personal experiences, this upcoming release is the first collection of songs written from an outside perspective. The first collection of songs that live in a fabricated world. A short 19-minute escape to a metropolis that never was. Following a protagonist whose neighbors call him the “City Slicker”. On this EP, Ginger Root continues to pioneer their self-proclaimed genre: “Aggressive Elevator Soul”. By blending the bones and blueprints from the works of Yacht Rock and City Pop, with textures from the ever-evolving Bedroom Pop scene, glueing them all together fruitions something uniquely Ginger Root. One may argue that the best way to listen to “City Slicker” is not by vinyl, nor by cassette, but by VHS (if such a merch item were to be created). major label,

Yves Jarvis is back with his third solo album entitled, The Zug
The Montreal, Canada based artist's unique vision for "psychedelic- jazz- folk"
comes into sharper focus, with elevated production and a waterfall of creative
ideas presented with an ever growing confidence in craft.Jarvis continues to
refine his creative approach to the core of his being, where music and life
intertwine in harmonious fashion. He fuses genre elements into a symbiotic
relationship where wistful folk, tender R&B, and jazz experiments feed into one
another to grow lush new forms. Though he maintains an air of mystery with his
lyrics, Jarvis's whisper-soft words can be interpreted as both deeply personal and
politically motivated.

Heralded as one of rock’s greatest guitarists, Leslie West formed
Mountain 1969 and continued on with band member Corky Laing through
their career
In 1984 Mark Clarke, of Uriah Heep fame, joined the band on bass.
The seven tracks on Eruption were recorded in 1985 with this line- up at the
legendary NYC nightclubs The Ritz and L’Amour. The set features three of their
most popular songs with a blistering version of Joe Walsh’s Rocky Mountain Way.
The album makes its vinyl debut.

Number 23 from Continental Drift seems to be all about the journey. These are slowly evolving groovy tracks, never staying totally loopy and often being a bit sly about the direction they're headed.

Perspectives Shift, the rst track and release namesake starts out as a oating tune centering around the Mathew Jonson-style wandering bassline melody; it gradually churns thick with rhythmic action and
counterpoint chords. Deep Summer Techno is trippy acid that plays with time and space, maybe channelling a bit of that CABARET Recordings spirit from Ospovat's time in Japan. Finally, the whole B-side is dedicated to Conoley’s rework of label co-owner and dear friend c_olvrin’s Cryogenic Freezing Of Friends, a more Chicago-house excursion, full of groove and many-textured details.

Perhaps the best Soul / Funk LP Athens of the North has ever released and you know we have high standards, not one filler and mostly unreleased tracks – Essential LP

The Up Tights were formed by Henry Bradley in Forrest City, Arkansas in March of 1967 while most of the band members were attending Lincoln High School.They took their name from the Stevie Wonder song "Uptight - Everything's Alright." Playing at school functions, they quickly branched out to playing bigger shows and headlined the 1968 St. Francis County Fair in Forrest City.

The Up Tights first recorded for Action Records in Memphis as Noble and the Up Tights. The 45 featured an original song by singer, Izear "Ike" Noble Jr. titled "Don't Worry About It."

Henry Bradley was drafted into Vietnam in 1968. He served in the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. While he was away, the Up Tights continued with Henry's brother, Arthur, taking over all the guitar duties. The band also hired a manager named John Mitchell. In 1968, the band met Joe Lee, who owned Variety recording studio in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

For the band's first recordings at Variety, Lee chose two originals by Noble titled "Look a Little Higher" and an updated version of "Just a Dream" which Lee released on his Alley Records label in 1968. Lee continued to record the band over the next several months. He liked to experiment in the studio and produced many versions of the group's original songs, adjusting the mix and adding elements to each unique take.

For the group's second Alley release, they appeared simply as Ike Noble on the record label. Lee brought in a local songwriter named Charles "Jamie" Holmes, who had previously written for Alley records and Joe Keene's studio in Kennett, Missouri

The resulting 45 from this collaboration was "It's Bad" backed with "That's What I Get," two Holmes originals. Another Holmes original was unreleased at the time, but available here titled "There's Gonna Be a Better Day Coming." Stax Records was interested in signing the group and wanted to re-cut "It's Bad" at their studio, but ultimately the label passed since they generally had a policy of working with Memphis based groups.

As the band grew in popularity, they began appearing with and competing with Memphis legends, the Bar-Kays. The group's biggest show in Arkansas was an opening slot at Barton Coliseum, one of the largest venues in the state, in Little Rock in mid-1969. As a result, the band was offered a spot on George Klein's "Talent Party" television show on WHBQ in Memphis in July of 1969..... Further Sleeve notes on back of the LP

In a genre belonging to crooners like Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, James Brown and Otis Redding, authenticity is a requirement.
Enter Anduze, a unique vocalis whose riffs evoke the retro sounds of the aforementioned artists, but reverently done his way
– a fresh brand, re-imagines and crefted into a modern depiction of the era.

Anduze was raised on his father’s native land of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. His distinctive upbringing still lines the
threading of his creative fabric, which continues to expand into all corners of taday’s musical landscape.

It’s been over a decade since Anduze last released a full album. A lot has changed and progressed since then. He left behind the LA/Hollywood nights in exchange for a better quality of life in Athens, Greece. Also, during this span, he’s been a multi-featured artist on collaborations with producers such as Satin Jackets, Art of Tones, LTJ Xperience, Gramatik, and more…

However, his most noteworthy ascent is as lead singer (and songwriter) of Austrian act, Parov Stelar, with whom he tours
worldwide. Still, with all his accomplishments within the electronic world, it was time for Anduze to get back to his own sound – SOUL.

Using the pandemic as an opportunity, instead of a crutch, Anduze recorded “Aura,” a nine-song album that blurs the lines of
soul, funk, pop, folk, and R&B, with 20 contributing musicians.
If you like Prince, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Lenny Kravitz, Terence Trent D’arby etc…this album takes influences from
all their best moments and combines them into one mighty explosion that is simply, ANDUZE.
These days he is also living the new life of his song in collaboration with LTJ Xperience entitled Bad Side which has been
included in the new game update for Play Station GTA 'Los Santos' starring the DJ producer Moodyman and in the soundtrack of the new series And Just Like That, a popular follow-up to Sex And The City, which aired worldwide.

For decades, the voice of Jean Carne has been a crucial part of the American musical landscape, tying together generations of Jazz, Gospel, and R&B artists. Many will recognize Carne from her output in the early 1970s, alongside her then-husband Doug Carn, for the lauded Black Jazz label. As a solo artist, backing vocalist, and vocal coach, she has contributed to and collaborated with the likes of Norman Connors, Doug Carn, Dexter Wansel, Phyllis Hyman, Lonnie Liston Smith, Michael Jackson, and many more. At 74, she shows no signs of slowing down. Her latest collaboration with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge is a clear demonstration of the continuous referencing of the past to illuminate the future.

Freestyle continues with their drive to unearth rare and classic UK funk, soul & boogie records with a reissue of a formerly white label-only, rare-as-hens-teeth debut 12" by UK soul icon Rick Clarke from way back in 1981.

Sharing the same line-up of performers as the eponymous group Potion (Rick Clarke, Carlton White on bass & Everton McCalla, formerly of Light of the World and later Freeez, on drums) though credited on the OG press as Rick Clarke alone, this 12" came out originally in the same year as the also sought after Potion 12" "Catch The Feelin' (Showstopper)" - a year before we would see Rick & Everton release the classic british electro funk of "Magic" as Side On (with Peter Mass) on Beggars Banquet.

This is a classic slice of British disco funk, showcasing an early vocal talent that would go on to become a key feature of the late 80s UK soul scene, alongside a tight-as rhythm section. The subtly dubbed-out instrumental mix is a real treat too, bringing those synth flourishes and soaring horns to the fore and letting us hear Carlton's bass work wonders unencumbered.

Twice Mercury Prize nominated, 5 time Ivor Novello nominated and
critically acclaimed, Everything Everything launch their new forthcoming
studio album 'Raw Data Feel'
On Raw Data Feel, Everything Everything set about revolutionising modern pop
music, with Higgs abandoning his own brain and letting technology do at least
some of the thinking: feeding LinkedIn T&Cs, Beowulf, 4Chan forum text and the
teachings of Confucius into A.I. automation processes and using its responses
as a basis for the record's lyrics, song titles and artworking.
Produced by Everything Everything guitarist Alex Robertshaw and production
partner Tom Fuller (aka Kaines and Tom A.D), Raw Data Feel follows 2020's REANIMATOR which charted at #5 in the Official Albums Chart.
This new phase is a rapturous return and - staying true to form - sees the band
continue to push the ribbon on melody & rhythm with a heavy helping of
electronic exploration.

Ivo Neame's twisting grooves and harmonic ingenuity have helped
establish his distinct voice in international contemporary jazz
The celebrated Phronesis pianist returns to Whirlwind for 'Glimpses of Truth', a
powerful artistic statement marking the first time Neame's big band
compositions have been committed to disc. Neame's most assured body of work
to date will undoubtedly be remembered as one of this period's most impressive
artistic achievements. "Having lots of people play this intricate polyrhythmic
music can be really emotionally powerful," says Neame. Taking inspiration from
Phronesis' large ensemble projects, the compositions also played a didactic role,
as a way of introducing newcomers to complex rhythmic structures. The
pandemic flipped that idea on its head: faced with dwindling opportunities to hear
these compositions live, Neame thought "'I'm just going to plough on regardless
and record it all'." Composed, multi-tracked (Neame plays all the tutti sax lines),
videoed, mixed and mastered remotely over the pandemic period, 'Glimpses of
Truth' embraces the digital on a global scale, as Gilad Hekselman, Jim Hart and
Ingrid Jensen appear alongside a stellar selection of UK musicians.
Neame stumbled across an article which claimed that 12 million Americans
believe interstellar lizards run the United States. "I wanted to write a tune that
would encourage people to wake up and question their beliefs" - 'Rise of the
Lizard People' is what followed, immediately dropping you into Neame's world of
pulsing rhythms and shifting feels.
The album finds Neame well equipped on his continued search for hard- fought
truths.

Leeds art-rock group Mush (Dan Hyndman vocals / guitar, Phil Porter drums,
Nick Grant bass, Myles Kirk guitar) are set to return with album ‘Down Tools’
via Memphis Industries. The new record marks the prolific band’s third album
in as many years, following hype-building early singles ‘Alternative Facts’
and ‘Gig Economy’, 2020’s debut album ‘3D Routine’ and 2021’s acclaimed
‘Lines Redacted’, which pushed their sound further and, as Uncut wrote, saw
them become “kindred spirits to Wand and King Gizzard & The Lizard
Wizard, two other bands prolifically honing their sound and approach,
steadily developing their voice.”
 On ‘Down Tools’, this voice grows again into a more brilliantly singular
sound. It sees Mush getting loose, moving away from the defined moods and
textures of ‘Lines Redacted’ with a musical openness, straddling genres
while avoiding pastiche. Hyndman says of the lyrics on ‘Down Tools’ that
“there was a conscious decision to retreat further from an observational
approach” with vocals being ad-libbed lending the record a more abstract
feel. Hyndman continues: “this album is less dark than the previous one. The
Armageddon obsession has eased, or at least the symptoms have become
milder due to saturation. Musically there’s a lot more chill on the record -
there’s a few more mellow tracks out there and the most astute listener may
even be able to decipher some of the words, fingers crossed.”
 While grief and work balance form themes on the record, Hyndman’s
approach is largely made up of abstract, disconnected streams of
consciousness and lines liberally taken from books, paintings, films and
beyond. On ‘Human Resources’, Hyndman dramatically retells a battle he
had with an HR department at a job in a David and Goliath style. The song
‘Group Of Death’, a phrase chillingly familiar to any football fan, is
emblematic of the turn towards softer, more considered sounds. Hyndman
says: “In my warped imagination it just sounds like a Paul McCartney song,
but it won’t to others. I initially had the idea of doing a World Cup song called
‘Group of Death’, but by the time it was written nothing beyond the title had
any relevance to football. Anyway, the next World Cup is in Qatar so fuck
that shit.”
 ‘Northern Safari’, meanwhile, is a song about the way the North of England
has been portrayed in the media and used as a mirror to reflect some of the
nastier elements of what’s going on in society, in particular vox pops around
Doncaster, portraying a particular narrative of the collapse of the red wall and
the disgruntled ex-miners.
 ‘Down Tools’ sees Mush idiosyncratically ping-pong from finger picked
looseners to noise-rock bangers to brilliantly entertaining effect, avoiding
post punk saturation with an easy style and wit.

"Emotional Rescue continues its 10th anniversary by again presenting Jorge Reyes’ collaborative album with Antonio Zepeda – a masterpiece and therefore, worthy of the time and effort to share.

From cult artist to becoming an essential musical discovery, Jorge Reyes is an example that no one discovered or owns the music beyond the writer and creator.

Growing up in Mexico’s 2nd City, he spent much of his life dedicated to travelling and learning music traditions and instruments. While at University to study Flute, he was involved in several influential bands of the era before going on to travel the world to further his learning, before returning to found the seminal Chac Mool group.

By the early 80s he went solo, exploring an increasing interest in the use of Prehispanic instruments mixed with electronics. In the opening songs, I-Cana and A La Izquiedra Del Colibri, the interplay between flute, guitar and vocals with TR-700, Poly 800 and DX7, all fuse his vision perfectly.

The additional contribution of Antonio Zepeda’s percussion creates a timeless mystique to the album, taking you on a journey deep in the mind of one of Mexico’s most important experimental artists.

Passing away at just 56, Jorge Reyes work was cut short, however he has left over a dozen albums to be explored. While critics increasingly question the valedictory of reissues, the premise on whether something should be heard is if it’s good. Therefore, let A La Izquierda Del Colibri be heard."

"The past 5 years we have taken our music all over the world: Europe, Asia, Africa besides our homeland Denmark, and even though we cannot speak with many of the people we meet, our music is a universal language that transcends borders. The meetings we have had (and continue to have) all over inspire us to create new music. But of course we are the composers of the music, so this is our representation of those meetings.

Our 3rd album is called AFROTROPISM. Tropism is a biological phenomenon that indicates growth of a plant in response to the environment; so when you see a plant turning for the sunlight, this is tropism. In other words, this is not so much about the plant's roots but more about how it reacts when it touches the air, feels sunlight or rain - in other words the outside world. So AFROTROPISM refers to the fact that we are drawn towards the African traditions, but we are "growing" our own music.

On our first two albums we have recorded extensively with African musicians, and AFROTROPISM is centered around The KutiMangoes (TKM) as a band. We are developing our artistic direction by going more in depth with how we can mix our inspirations with our own musical heritage. Our musical mission is (and has always been) to mix cultures and create our own sound.

With our background in jazz music, TKM counts virtuoso instrumentalists with a heartfelt intent and sound innovators with our horns, effect pedals, synthesizers, drums and percussion from all over the world. AFROTROPISM is a further and deeper development of our trademark bold sound that experiments with synthesizers, soundscapes and a bit of electronic effects without losing it's focus on groove, melody, atmosphere and musicianship."

The KutiMangoes, July 2019


About each track:

STRETCH TOWARDS THE SUN
This track opens up with a synthesizer groove that is inspired by the polyrhythmic grooves played by the balafon (a predecessor of the piano) from West Africa. Our rolling sequence could not be played on the balafon because of the key changes, but the basic idea comes from that instrument. Quick and light, we wanted to write a song where you can feel the sun coming out and feel the energy it's rays give. The combination of the programmed groove, the horn-arrangement, the huge percussion section and the live instruments makes for a sound that we have not heard before, and it illustrates what this album is all about (and what the track's title refers to): that we stretch towards the things that give us energy – and that although our roots are in Denmark, when we encounter a musical tradition as rich as in West Africa, it changes us and our music.

A SNAKE IS JUST A STRING
The first time we saw Mali-bluesman extraordinaire Vieux Farka Touré on stage was just after we had played at a huge festival in Burkina Faso, and we almost literally caught on fire. Their groove was so strong and insistent that we were mesmerized, and it inspired us to come up with the opening guitar part of this song. Basically a bluesy tune with some unusual chord changes and a crazy synthesizer solo by Johannes Buhl Andresen reminiscent of that fuzzy guitar-sound we love so much in the Mali blues. The title is an homage to the Nigerian writer Chinua Acheba, who in his masterpiece novel "Things Fall Apart" tells that in the village during the night, to ward off the fear of darkness, people would call dangerous animals by a different name: don't be afraid, a snake is just a string.

KEEP YOU SAFE
It is a basic human necessity to have a place where you can feel safe. But there are far too many people in our world that fear for their safety, their livelihood, their children, their relatives – and this is surely not a feeling that helps us to flourish as humans. With this song we are saying that we all need to make it a priority to help our fellow humans to feel safe. And of course, if our song can offer a feeling of safety and comfort for a short time to those who listen, we are truly thankful.

MONEY IS THE CURSE
This track is directly inspired by Fela Kuti's ability to create music that is both physical and political. Dance music with a serious message about our times. For the solo part we wanted a more melancholy, pensive feel (than the full-on baritone-trombone melody) and also wanted to experiment with some choppy, stuttering effects to make the horns sound desperate. Money is the curse because it can become the objective of our life; money is the curse because it changes the relationships we have with our fellow humans. Money is the curse.

THORNS TO FRUIT
This melody is inspired by the scales and developments of a traditional Bambara folk-song. We love the way these melodies constantly evolve with small developments and changes. We felt like an accompaniment that is really dry, sparse and earthy would fit well and then made a contrasting solo part. As a group we are interested in how to develop our improvisations together and create sonic landscapes that evoke a distinctive atmosphere – so here, we have no soloist, but a collection of synthesizer parts, saxophone lines and guitar-sounds that together create a dreamy and lush ambience.

SAND TO SOIL
We started out with a short ngoni riff played by our good friend and master musician Aboubacar Konaté. We then sampled it, built soundscapes and our own both meditative and pumping groove around it. We created a melody with both melancholy and joy, with afterthought and impulse and then the brilliant Aske Drasbæk added an emotive and blistering saxophone solo. The title refers to the contrasts in our humanism. As part of our human nature, we have a dark side that drives us (and each other) towards destruction – making the fertile soil into barren sand. The title is an encouragement to emphasize the opposite movement in our nature: to create life and help it flourish. We keep ourselves human by insisting that we must never forget this side of our nature no matter how tough, tiresome or trying it might be. Let's keep our focus on the light, the warmth, the positive energy – that can turn the cold stone into fertile ground.

FRENCH COMPOSER, PRODUCER AND MULTI INSTRUMENTALIST ADRIEN DURAND’S THIRD ALBUM

"Our last album, “La Course” was released in 2020 during the lockdown. Inspired by the feedback from listeners, who received the music with special attention, the idea and need for “(Loin des) Rivages” was born.” - Adrien Durand

Bon Voyage Organisation is the story of the construction of an ensemble, the quest for harmony, through music, between beings. This story has been the central leitmotif in Adrien Durand's composition and production work for almost ten years. Adrien Durand is a renowned Parisian bass keyboard player, composer, producer and mixing engineer having worked with noteworthy projects such as Amadou & Mariam and Papooz among others. Known for his knowledge of ensemble recording and arrangement techniques, BVO is his attempt at meticulously creating a musical dialogue around his compositions with a distinguished cast of musicians from di?erent backgrounds without the pressure associated with pop music recordings reminding us of the musical ensembles of the 70’s such as that of Carla Bley, Soft Machine or Irakere. (Loin des) Rivages was recorded over five days in June 2020 at Studio Atlas, the studio of Air’s Jean- Benoit Dunckel and mixed the following summer by Adrien Durand in his Parisian studio, Bureau 12. It was an orchestrated performance considering that all ten tracks of the album were played live, gathering up to thirteen musicians in the same room. The album follows what was initiated with BVO’s previous album La Course: an entirely instrumental sound free from any constraints. The close collaboration between Adrien Durand and the members of the ensemble allowed for an exquisite completion. Together, they deliver the incredible energy of "Le Sentier des Orpailleurs", the depth of melancholy of "Apacheta", and the originality of "Et s’éveillent"... Inspired by the great explorers of the soul: Sun Ra, Moondog and Coltrane - a cover of his Naïma actually opens the album - Adrien Durand mixes humanity’s first instruments (percussion and the wind) with its latest ones (mixing desks and synthesizers). Thus, he continues the most interesting yet rewarding artistic journey: The journey inward, far from the standards of civilization, in the heart of what some can take for madness, reaching into a jungle of the soul so marvelously represented in Clément Vuillet’s artwork. This is not an intellectual record but rather a spiritual e?ort, because, as Adrien Durand likes to repeat in his concerts: "Let us step into music as we step into a sanctuary."

Helmed by Dave Watts aka D.WattsRiot (Fun-da-mental), the debut KingL Man album, ‘Headonix’ is beat-laden shout out in response to the perpetual state of war we seem to find ourselves at. Outrage and disgust, love and hate, history and presence.

Contributions come from four continents.

Fresh on the scene is Senegalese vocalist Sidi I.B., who arrived on Canarian shores with two hundred other compatriots, cold, wet and hungry after seven days at sea with nothing but his future in his hands.

Temporarily housed at the infamous migrant holding centre in Las Raíces, Tenerife, the studio environment provided an avenue of relief from the inadequate conditions at the overcrowded camp.

Also from Senegal, living in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is rapper Ibrahima El Latigazo who delivers his lyrics in French, Wolof, Spanish, English & Sérère. Rounding up the Senegalese contingent is Mame Samba, a group that hold the spirits close when performing. Their contribution is from recording sessions they had with François R. Cambuzat & Gianna Greco (Putan Club / Ifriqiyya Electrique).

Kiki Hitomi (Waq Waq Kingdom/King Midas Sound) returns to the fold, exhaling positivity with Canarian multi-instrumentalist Javier Afonso (Grenouille). The Canarian faction also includes violinist Mónica Viñoly, Dani Garcia (Lagoss/Tupperwear) and Vakawuare. Further guests include percussionist Miroca Paris (Cesária Évora/Madonna); Hamid Mantu (TransGlobal Underground);
Ramjac (Dub Colossus), drums and percussion respectively.

For Record Store Day 2022 Morcheeba have recruited Orbital, Gui Boratto, Kutiman and Voyou to remix four tracks from their latest album 'Blackest Blue' which was released in May 2021.

This is the second of a series of 12" remixes being released especially for RSD, the first 'Blazed Away - The Remixes' sold out in 2019. This year 'Blackest Blue - The Remixes' includes British giants of electronic music Orbital switching up the signature Morcheeba 'chill' vibe of 'Namaste' to an electronic drum and bass dancefloor stomper whilst producer Gui Boratto's remix of 'Sounds Of Blue' is a progressive Electronica/Chill House masterclass!

Morcheeba’s global reach is impressive, taking them to every corner of the world . Their signature chilled electronic/organic sound has been border-hopping ever since the London-based band emerged as a household name with a discography spanning three decades.

With at least 12 gold and platinum discs & over 350M all time streams, Morcheeba continue to create their own unique sound, a laid-back mix of fusion, funk, and blues with the sweet, fluid vocals of Skye Edwards.