Buscar:english

Double Tape-Cassette

[a] A1 Broken English Club- TAPE • 1 - A/B [90min. Mix]
[b] B1 Katatonic Silentio- TAPE • 2 - A/B [90min. Mix]

Home of The Good Groove Records would like to introduce Psalmist Shonda L. English, otherwise known as “The Gospel Diva”.
Every once in a while, an exceptional and incredible talent impacts the music industry and leaves an indelible impression. Shonda is one of those rapidly expanding outstanding musical virtuosos who has done just that in the gospel arena. Home of The Good Groove Records are more than jubilant to be able to announce that the label’s first release will also be Shonda’s first 7-inch vinyl single release.
Her incredible vocal capability transcends and mesmerizes gospel and soul music lovers alike!
Originally a native of Boston, Massachusetts, at a young age Shonda relocated to South Carolina where she grew up and currently lives today. Shonda began singing on the children’s choir at the tender age of three and began playing the piano by ear at the age of five. Not only is Shonda gifted with phenomenal vocal capabilities, Shonda is also a multi-faceted gospel recording artist, song writer, organist, percussionist, choral conductor, composer, radio personality and novelist. She also plays the congas, tambourine, xylophone and the flute. In addition, she is an extraordinary “actress” who has appeared for her 4th time on stage and her 3rd time in a leading role. Her extraordinary gifts and talents continue to revolutionize the gospel music industry.
Taken from Shonda’s digital album release, Travelin’ (from 2023), the 7-inch vinyl release A-side, 'There Wouldn’t Be a Me', is a delightful mid-pacer with a riveting vocal and an instantly catchy melody that grabs your attention and is guaranteed to get any dancefloor flowing. Flip the 7-inch over, and get ready to feel the shivers up your spine as Shonda’s beautiful vocal (and harmonies) create a wonderful soulful gospel groove in ‘Feels Good’ that will elevate the emotions. ….You will not be disappointed.
Shonda’s Motto: “If you never take a leap of faith, you’ll never know how high you can fly.”

Do you remember the last time you were breathing consciously? Either way, you are likely doing it now. On his new album Observation of Breath« for the Swiss-based Hallow Ground label, Lawrence English worked exclusively with an organ for four compositions that are exercises in »maximal minimalism,« as their creator himself notes in a nod to Charlemagne Palestine, who coined this term. While it seems somewhat fitting that those four pieces based on a steady flow of air were conceived and recorded in a situation of accelerated standstill caused by a respiratory disease, the Room40 founder is not so much concerned with capturing the zeitgeist than rather incorporating the spirit of time itself. »It is a record about presence and patience,« he explains. Exploring the unique sonic affordances of a singular instrument, »Observation of Breath« is not only devoted to the durability of sound but also to its density. That it marks his debut on Hallow Ground after having shaped its sound by mastering most of the label’s releases in recent years is just as fitting then as its release following albums by Kali Malone and FUJI|||||||||||TA, whose innovative work with organ instruments have facilitated a rediscovery of their possibilities.English’s compositions however are neither directly indebted nor responding to these musicians. His exploration of the organ’s many facets started a decade ago when the composer was given access to an instrument built in 1889 that is presently housed at The Old Museum in Brisbane. After it had already played a crucial role on his seminal albums »Wilderness Of Mirrors« and »Cruel Optimism,« last year’s self-released »Lassitude« was the first record that English entirely composed and recorded with that instrument. »During the soft lockdowns, I spent many days playing to an empty concert hall, recording the pieces that became ›Lassitude‹ and then, this album,« says English in regards to an unfortunate situation that fortunately provided him with time and space—two major themes but also key qualities of the four new compositions. In this sense, he goes on, »Observation of Breath« resolves a number of the questions originally raised by »Lassitude.

English Teacher aus Leeds werden von guitar com als "die heisseste neue Gitarrenband des Jahres 2024" beschrieben. Der NME zählt ihre 2022er EP "Polyawkward" - mit einem Spoken-Word-Feature von Jarvis Cocker auf dem Track "Yorkshire Tapas" - zu den Top 100 Debüt-EPs und spricht von einem "verspielten und dennoch ausgefeilten Release, bei dem sich Wut und Spass überschneiden". Sogar das Time Magazine wählte "Nearly Daffodils" zu den 10 besten Songs 2023. Man darf gespannt sein auf das anstehende Debütalbum "This Could Be Texas".

"Carmina Burana macht Spaß, denn das Werk hat echte Emotionen. Das sind die beiden markanten Punkte, die in dieser lebhaft charakterisierten Aufführung deutlich werden und viele neue Hörer und Genießer gewinnen dürfte.“ Gramophone Magazine. André Previns bahnbrechende Aufnahme der Carmina Burana mit dem London Symphony Orchestra aus dem Jahr 1974 ist nach wie vor eine der elektrisierendsten Darbietungen von Orffs überschwänglicher Kantate. Vom bedeutungsvollen Eröffnungslied O Fortuna bis zum schwärmerischen Schlusschor bringt Previn die rhythmische Vitalität, die Sinnlichkeit und das theatralische Flair dieser hedonistischen Feier des Lebens und der Liebe zur Geltung. Die Solisten – Sheila Armstrong, Gerald English und vor allem Thomas Allen glänzen mit Klarheit und Charakter, während der London Symphony Chorus und der temperamentvolle Knabenchor der St. Clement Danes Grammar School die Aufführung abrunden. Nun erscheint diese Aufnahme auf Vinyl.

Bachs Ouvertüren, auch Orchestersuiten genannt, sind eine Abfolge von Tanzsätzen oft fröhlichen und überschwänglichen Charakters. Die beiden hier eingespielten, Nr. 1 C-Dur & Nr. 3 D-Dur, sind mitreißende
Werke barocker Pracht, enthalten aber auch das berühmte „Air“, ein friedliches Stück voll in sich ruhender
Gelassenheit.
Kaum ein Ensemble hat unsere Hörgewohnheiten in Bezug auf ”Alte Musik” so stark beeinflusst wie ”The
English Concert”. Der Gründer und langjährige Dirigent, Trevor Pinnock, leitete die Musiker mit lebendiger
Artikulation vom Cembalo aus und formte so den Klang aus der Mitte des Ensembles.
Die audiophile Vinyl-Serie The Original Source präsentiert herausragende Aufnahmen der 1970er Jahre
in ganz neuer Klangqualität. Dafür haben die renommierten Emil Berliner Studios die originalen Vier- und
Achtspur-Bänder mit eigens für die Produktion der Serie entwickelten Technologien in 100% analoger Qualität (AAA) neu gemastert und geschnitten. Die klanglichen Unterschiede zu den Originalveröffentlichungen sind beträchtlich: Größere Klarheit, mehr Feinheiten und Verbesserungen im Frequenzgang, zugleich
weniger Nebengeräusche, Verzerrungen und Komprimierungen ermöglichen ein audiophiles Hörerlebnis wie
nie zuvor.
Auf 180g Vinylplatten und in einer Deluxe-Gatefold Edition mit Originalcovers und -texten werden die
Exemplare dieser Serie limitiert und nummeriert veröffentlicht, begleitet von zusätzlichen Fotos und Faksimiles der Aufnahmeprotokolle und Bandkartons.

Der englische Patient ist ein romantisches Kriegsdrama aus dem Jahr 1996 unter der Regie von Anthony
Minghella, das bei der 69. Verleihung der Academy Awards zwölf Nominierungen erhielt und neun davon
gewann, darunter für den besten Film, die beste Regie und die beste Originalmusik, die für Gabriel Yareds
unvergessliche Filmmusik vergeben wurde. Dieses Deluxe 2-LP-Set ist die allererste Vinyl-Pressung von
Yareds Originalmusik, plus 3 vom Komponisten ausgewählte Bonustracks.
Ab dem 28. April auf allen Plattformen erhältlich!

Dekmantel UFO Series continues its resurgent form with a new album of bruising, industrial wave and techno from Broken English Club. UK techno mainstay Oliver Ho debuted his dark and brooding alias more than 10 years ago with a release on Jealous God under the guidance of the late, great Juan Mendez (Silent Servant) — Songs Of Love And Decay is explicitly dedicated to Mendez, whose influence runs deep in this seductively sinister corner of underground, independent electronic music.

Within the overarching aesthetic of the Broken English Club sound, Ho finds the freedom to deliver a full spectrum album as diverse as it is consistent. You can sense the shadow of his roots in 90s tribal techno punching through on 'Crawling' and 'Death Cult', while 'England Heretic' leans on thick swathes of analogue synthesis indebted to Giallo soundtracks and the ever-compelling lure of 80s synthwave. In its grinding layers of distortion and dubbed out vocals 'Vessel Of Skin' speaks more to the post-punk influences which have set Broken English Club apart since the outset. This isn't a purely retro-fetishist expedition, though — 'Pacific Island Kill' and 'Lost Gods' exude stark modernism in their sharply-angled sequences and dramatic sound design, moving beyond the functional demands of 4/4 dance music to reach to more cinematic zones.

These are but some of the approaches Ho burrows into as he shapes out the depth and breadth of his muse on Songs Of Love And Decay. It's marked by the undeniable impact of his production, perfected over a decades-deep career at the bleeding edge of machine music. At times the album celebrates the addictive thrust of the dancefloor, while elsewhere it relishes the tension of suspended animation. Throughout, the gritty veneer binds together this accomplished, uncompromising body of work as both a fierce artistic statement and a loving tribute to Mendez — an artist who equally embodied the darker side of the dance.

»Even The Horizon Knows Its Bounds« explores sound’s relationship with architecture, inspired by the Naala Badu building at the Art Gallery of NSW. Created from sound prompts responded to by artists like Jim O’Rourke and claire rousay, the work reflects on space, collaboration, and the fluid nature of sonic environments.

I like to think that sound haunts architecture.

It’s one of the truly magical interactions afforded by sound’s immateriality. It’s also something that has captivated us from the earliest times. It’s not difficult to imagine the exhilaration of our early ancestors calling to one another in the dark cathedral like caves which held wonder, and security, for them.

Today the ways in which sound occupies space, the so-called liquid architecture, holds just as much wonder, albeit one that is often dominated by functionality and form. Beyond those constraints however, how sound operates in the material world is something that exists at the fundament of our understanding of music, and moreover within the broad church we know as the canon of sound arts.

Even The Horizon Knows Its Bounds is a record born out of these relations. In a direct sense, the record is the product of an invitation by curator Jonathan Wilson to create a sound environment, reflecting on the Naala Badu building at the Art Gallery Of NSW. The building’s name, which translates from the Gadigal language to ‘seeing water’, was opened in 2022 and this piece was offered as an atmospheric tint to visitors walking through the building throughout the year following its opening.

It’s also a record born out of a recognition for the porousness sound affords, especially as a device for collaborative endeavour. This composition is one born out of generosity and acoustic solidarity. Even The Horizon Knows Its Bounds is comprised not just of my sounds, but also that of an incredible array of artists who have also operated in the orbit of the Art Gallery Of NSW. The players include Amby Downs, Chris Abrahams, Chuck Johnson, Claire Rousay, Dean Hurley, Jim O’Rourke, JW Paton, Madeleine Cocolas, Norman Westberg, Stephen Vitiello and Vanessa Tomlinson.

The piece was constructed around two long form sound prompts that each musician responded and contributed to. These materials there when digested into the final piece you hear. The work could not exist without the substantial offerings these artists made, and I am immensely grateful to each of them.

I’ll finish with a little note that appears on the LP itself.

Place is an evolving, subjective experience of space. Spaces hold the opportunity for place, which we create moment to moment, shaped by our ways of sense-making.

Whilst the architectural and material features of space might remain somewhat constant, the people, objects, atmospheres, and encounters that fill them are forever collapsing into memory.

Lawrence English
Performed by Amby Downs, Chris Abrahams, Chuck Johnson, Claire Rousay, Dean Hurley, Jim O’Rourke, JW Paton, Madeleine Cocolas, Norman Westberg, Stephen Vitiello, Vanessa Tomlinson

Now available on LP, the versatile Owain Park adds another two roles--those
of singer and director--to his burgeoning Hyperion discography, with this
recording marking the debut of The Gesualdo Six to Hyperion
Their programme of motets ranges widely across the religious musical landscapes of
medieval and Tudor England.

Somehow, 15 years has passed since I worked on A Colour For Autumn.

This recording was, in many ways, a critical one for me. In some respects, it rounded out a period of work that was focused on a particular marriage of thematics and harmony. Like For Varying Degrees Of Winter, it dwelled on old world impressions of the seasons, something that, in the southern hemisphere, isn’t intrinsically part of our way of approaching place. I think it was this incongruity with my own lived experience that kick started the interest in making these recordings.

The intention had originally been to take Vivaldi head-on , as the holder of the Four Seasons terrain (I jest of course), but shortly after completing this album, it became resoundingly clear that even in the old world, seasonality was a thing that was known ‘then’, and unknowable ‘now’.

Climate change, as a lived experience and not merely as a ‘possibility’, suddenly came into focus with reports flooding in about the climatic dynamics since the turn of the century and events like the Black Saturday fires here in Australia. It felt like, and continues to feel like, seasonality as some predictable measure of our world is relegated to the ‘before’ times. This record is not about these climatic shifts however, more a recognition of how we have used patterns and predictability to guide us over the centuries and perhaps a realisation that the way forward is not the path we have known historically.

Listening back to the record with fresh ears, a process made completely delightful by Stephan Mathieu who has carefully remastered it, I am struck by how minimal some of the structures were. There are moments that strike me as uncharacteristically patient and even generous, allowing one element to hold without interference. I’m grateful to still feel a deep connection to this edition and to the people and places that helped shape it.

I hope you find some sense of your place here. It’s offered with that intention and invitation.

Back in stock.

American English is the second studio album by British new wave band Wax, which consisted of Andrew Gold and 10cc band member Graham Gouldman. The two got together after 10cc split up in 1983 and released a total of three studio albums, including the 1987 American English. The album grew into their most successful effort, largely due to the hit single “Bridge To Your Heart”, which charted in the top 10 in many European countries and remains their biggest hit to-date. The album spawned two more singles; “American English” and “In Some Other World”. The album’s front cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson, who is best known for closely working with Pink Floyd, in addition to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Def Leppard among others. American English is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on pink & purple marbled vinyl and includes an insert.

Rub A Dub style classic from 1982.. so UK this one! Ranking Ann's wicked toast siting so well on the bonkers Mad Professor productions. Features studio contributions from a whole host of legends (Horsemouth, Jah Shaka, Garnett Cross & Audrey Donnegan to name a few)... TIP!

Having built a cult following with his live hardware performances and releases on Orson and Varial, Ninechecker disembarks for a solo EP displaying his versatility. The blistering A Very English Wind opens procedures, followed up by the evocative gliding dub of Antennas. On the Bside, shifting gears again with the Rephlex-informed menace of Curtain Twitcher and closing with the lush, woozy cassette ambiance of Proposal.

White labels, handwritten, numbered and limited to 80. Includes an A4 insert.

Written, recorded, produced and mixed by OMD – Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys – ‘English Electric’ is a 12-track letter to technology, space, love and a grand return to form for a band whose 1980 hit ‘Enola Gay’ occupied the world’s stage at last year’s Olympics Opening Ceremony.

As percolating synth-pop is pulled along at different speeds and executed with needle-sharp finesse, late night electro ballads collide with big sounding club cuts on a record which also features three interlude tracks, including dystopian missive ‘Please Remain Seated’ and ‘Decimal’, which is accompanied by this suitably mechanical video, directed by German motion and graphic designer Henning M. Lederer.

As Andy McCluskey says of the album; “the overarching feel tends to be a sense of loss, of melancholia, that things haven’t turned

out the way you wanted them to, whether it be with technology or personal relationships.” The title itself – taken from a British industrial manufacturing company

Atmosphere and gravity lean into each other. They are simultaneously expansive, and anchoring. They hold us, and lend a sense of perspective. They provide a stability and a knowingness which is essential in the absolute, and yet we can't help but find ourselves gazing upward, outward and reaching towards that which sits outside those things and ways we know. Selene is a record about that this lingering desire for that which sits beyond. It is work that seeks new perspectives snatched from familiar vistas, and it meditates on that sense of anchor and perspective. The work is also a speculative hymn to the visions of the celestial zones that spill ever outward. These visions, once merely what we could perceive with the naked eye are now so much more. Our minds eye is fed in equal parts by radio telecopy, filmic dreams and fiction renders of a place most of us will never know first-hand. This recording ties into a linage that reaches back, while stretching forward. It is just one story of so many, told across places, across cultures, across generations. It sits in the in-between of before and after, and in that moment invites us to situate ourselves and lean into it.

Atmosphere and gravity lean into each other. They are simultaneously expansive, and anchoring. They hold us, and lend a sense of perspective. They provide a stability and a knowingness which is essential in the absolute, and yet we can't help but find ourselves gazing upward, outward and reaching towards that which sits outside those things and ways we know. Selene is a record about that this lingering desire for that which sits beyond. It is work that seeks new perspectives snatched from familiar vistas, and it meditates on that sense of anchor and perspective. The work is also a speculative hymn to the visions of the celestial zones that spill ever outward. These visions, once merely what we could perceive with the naked eye are now so much more. Our minds eye is fed in equal parts by radio telecopy, filmic dreams and fiction renders of a place most of us will never know first-hand. This recording ties into a linage that reaches back, while stretching forward. It is just one story of so many, told across places, across cultures, across generations. It sits in the in-between of before and after, and in that moment invites us to situate ourselves and lean into it.

First vinyl issue for this 2023 release with bonus track not available on CD.
Nine majestic electro-acoustic threshold devotionals.
**ELECTRONIC SOUND - review (issue 98) “While there are shades and texture in the journey from glowing opener “Cyan” to the glowering conclusion of “Magenta”, they’re so subtle that they make ‘Colours of Air’ the musical equivalent of Rothko’s paintings - monotone at first glance, but with intriguing depths if you’re prepared to search for them.”

MOJO - ★★★★ review in the Underground column (March issue) “Loscil and English’s manipulations drift closer to the ambient techno of Gas.”

UNCUT - 8/10 review (March issue) “Subtle complex, and not always pacifying…’Magenta’s extraplanetary grace is tempered by unresolved tension for distinctly uneasy listening.”
The union of composers Lawrence English and loscil aka Scott Morgan is seamless, sublime, and long overdue.
Born of a conversation centered on the notion of “rich sources” as a forge for electronic music, Colours Of Air is a collection of recordings of a century old pipe organ housed at the historic Old Museum in Brisbane, Australia, which were then processed, transformed, and elevated into eight majestic electro-acoustic threshold devotionals. The timbre of the instrument and spatial fluctuations of room tone infuse the music with a subdued, sacred feel, like vaulted light in a nave of stained glass. They describe the album as “an iterative project, a reduction and eventual expansion,” sifting the swells and drones of the organ for every shivering shade of radiance.
The tracks are named for the hue each piece suggests – from the gauzy levitational miasma of “Yellow” to the pulsing melancholic mirage of “Violet” to the seething twilit sandstorm of “Magenta.” Morgan and English are both adept at conjuring moods of muted grandeur, like landscapes veiled in dusk, still looming and luminous.

Modern English’s new album, 1 2 3 4 – produced by Mario McNulty (David Bowie, Lou
Reed, Nine Inch Nails), mixed by Cenzo Townsend and mastered at Abbey Road – retains
the intrinsic spirit of the early, post-punk days and is also a sterling sonic example of what
Modern English have always done best. The album encompasses seething songs with punk
bite, keyboard-forward melodic rockers and simmering, darkwave-meets-post-punk gems.

In this collection, Piaf presents ten characteristic chansons in English. Whether in French or English her command of her art and of her audience are equally profound, and these songs present a fresh approach to Piaf’s work. Her singing of La vie en rose has already taken its place among the classic performances; this presentation is no less rewarding, and, being in English, has a slightly different atmosphere. Similarly, The Three Bells, loses no part of its drama. Indeed, all of Piaf’s performances in this collection brim over with the fervour that she brings to her singing, the controlled intensity that pervades her work

»Tropic of Capricorn« is the second album by Lawrence English and Werner Dafeldecker. Based on field recordings made by the prolific Room40 owner that were subtly but decisively altered with electroacoustic techniques through the German improv legend, these two long-form pieces blur the lines between acoustic ecology and aesthetic interventions, concrete local sound worlds and boundary-defying art. They put a focus on our relationship with nature as listeners as much as they call into question where nature ends and human perception begins. They are deeply confusing, disorienting perhaps, in the most beautiful ways.

English recorded the material that form the basis of the duo’s Hallow Ground debut on two different field trips. One led him from the Western coast to the Pilbara region in the North of the country called Australia, the other to the central desert into the lands of the Arrernte people. »These are vast spaces, and in some respects they shun contemporary ideas of civilisation which seek not to listen to the country,« says English. When recording the soundscapes, the artist put a focus on the residues of failed colonial aspirations. »The buildings and objects that remain from the failed cattle pastures and other endeavours create uneasy sound worlds of their own,« he says of the regions that are also places of extraction, especially the heavily mined Pilbara. »There is a distant drone of industry in even the most remote of places; an unsettled sense of heavy breath on the land.« He brought home a document of natural reclamation in time.

The rich source material was then given to Dafeldecker. Spatialising the recordings with transducers applied to different surfaces such as wood, stretched animal skin, glass, or metal surfaces and also re-recording parts of the recordings, he created discrete events that were inserted into, or rather enmeshed with English’s recordings. You’ll hear plenty of birdsong, insect noises and the sound of rain during these 39 minutes; the sounds of a life you can tap into if you tune into your environment. But there are also other things, things that are impossible to categorise even after repeated listens and that call into question whether or not those were really birds, insects, or the sound of rain in the first place. What »Tropic of Capricorn« invites its listeners to listen beyond the preconceived notions of how nature is supposed to be represented in sound and to instead embrace the immediacy of the sensation.

The pair have impressive resumes. In the last five years alone, English has collaborated with William Basinski, Loscii and Merzbow, and Bertucci has, over a decade-plus, released numerous wide-ranging, innovative releases and presented her music at prestigious museums around the world (MOMA, Walker Museum, ReWire, Unsound). Here they branch out into new approaches (trans-hemispheric collaboration) and instruments (Bertucci plays cello, flute, violin and lap steel).
The results are deeply compelling and rooted in vastness of geological scale and time. It's all here - the emotion, the scale, the density, the fear, the wonder, the dirt. Chthonic is for everyone, but if you're a head, you already know this is a special release. Get in quick while there's enough wax to go around.

Wild River - the first solo album from David Longdon - the late lead singer of Big Big Train, re-mixed, re-mastered and expanded. Originally self-released in 2004 as a limited edition CD, beyond being briefly available through the BBT site, the album has long been out of
print. Dave Gregory (XTC) guests on guitar and Mellotron. David had always intended to remix and repackage it. However, his sudden death in November 2021 meant that his plan never came to fruition.


In a final act of remembrance by his long-time colleague Rob Aubrey, Big Big Train’s engineer since 1994, David’s wishes have now been fulfilled. Additionally, the album packaging has also been re-designed by Longdon’s friend and collaborator Steve Vantsis.

Wild River - the first solo album from David Longdon - the late lead singer of Big Big Train, re-mixed, re-mastered and expanded. Originally self-released in 2004 as a limited edition CD, beyond being briefly available through the BBT site, the album has long been out of
print. Dave Gregory (XTC) guests on guitar and Mellotron. David had always intended to remix and repackage it. However, his sudden death in November 2021 meant that his plan never came to fruition.


In a final act of remembrance by his long-time colleague Rob Aubrey, Big Big Train’s engineer since 1994, David’s wishes have now been fulfilled. Additionally, the album packaging has also been re-designed by Longdon’s friend and collaborator Steve Vantsis.

Richmond's INTER ARMA, reigning masters of the slow build, continue to trace a distinctly ambitious trajectory through modern metal. Their impulses tend toward the epic, but never bloat; they meld several styles — doom, sludge, and hard psych — without coming off like dilettantes. This newest full-length, Sulphur English, finds them mining deeper in the proggy organic doom fields that made both Paradise Gallows and Sky Burial so thrilling while expanding further the on the psych-folk strain that made those albums' peaks seem so lofty. Few metal bands have ever made such effective use of acoustic instruments in truly heavy environments as INTER ARMA do; the acoustic guitar that stitches "Stillness" together is as effective as any overdriven bass; a two-minute gloomy piano-and-feedback piece titled "Observances of the Path" rolls out the carpet for "The Atavist's Meridian," an album highlight that rides a gigantic, roomy drum sound into realms akin to a murkier Paradise Lost, a more aggressive Om, and a dreamier, more stoned Kylesa all playing together at once. Few bands make music as engrossing as INTER ARMA; their lengthy, almost meditative songs rumble patiently forward until you're ready to get thrown off a bridge — and then they throw you, with great force. - Words by John Darnielle

The English is Federico Jusid's sweeping, nostalgic and raw score to Hugo Blick's six part contemporary Western. Giving a nod to 1950s western soundtracks, the score is enriched by Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12. known as the "American", written during Dvořák’s stay in America, and only three years after the events of the series. Also featured on the album are the beautiful folk songs by The Wailin' Jennys, Melanie, Crooked Still, Ora Cogan and Tom McRae. The second track on the album, Tâtačiksta_ - I Cherish You, features a tender reading by Emily Blunt.

Jusid’s music structure is based on leitmotifs, very simple and symmetric, constantly varied and developed to mirror the protagonists’ journeys. Big orchestral sounds underpin epic and romantic themes. Sound design, processed percussion and ethnic instruments effortlessly blend in with the orchestral material. Federico describes his compositional process – “Unlike other projects, I started working with Hugo Blick, at a very early stage, some time before he even started shooting. Inspired by the scripts, his story board and chatting about the classics, I wrote different piano tunes and first mock-ups and sent them over to him… Often, I have received scenes cut to my own music and that made the process deeply organic and profound. The music became a core element of the structure of the show, instead of a later addition. In the end, Hugo and I worked for an entire year to develop this score”.

ABBA feiern das 50-jährige Jubiläum ihres Debütalbums Ring Ring mit einer neuen Kollektion von Vinylprodukten. Das 2LP-Format besteht aus 180g schwerem schwarzem Vinyl in einer Klapphülle mit Obi-Streifen und Echtheitszertifikat. Das Album ist in hochwertiger Half-Speed-Audioqualität erhältlich, gemastert von Miles Showell in Abbey Road. Die 7ff Picture Discs ”He Is Your Brother / Santa Rosa”, ”People Need Love / Merry-Go-Round”, ”Ring Ring (Englisch) / She’s My Kind of Girl”, ”Ring Ring (Schwedisch) / Åh, vilka tider”, ”Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough) / I Am Just A Girl” zeigen klassische Bilder der Band aus der ursprünglichen Ära und enthalten jeweils einen B-Seiten-Begleittrack.

Das Album ist nun als Ltd. 2LP und jeweils als Ltd. 7” Picture Vinyl erhältlich.

“Arguably his generation’s best lyricist” – Mojo // “The year’s stand-out album for me” – Stewart Lee // “A sort of modern-day pastoral” – Simon Armitage, Poet Laureate // The follow-up to last year’s first volume, English Primitive II continues the themes introduced previously in a harder, more electric and psychedelic style. The songs were mostly recorded during the same sessions but, if EPII showcased the ‘songs of innocence’, this new set comprises ‘songs of experience’. Callahan's lyrical themes here are frequently the sleaze and corruption of our ‘betters’, the intentional and unintentional brutality meted out on those weaker and the sometimes perverse ways in which this happens. There are moments of reflection among the broken mirrors, but they allow scant solace or reassurance. Dressed in another of Scottish artist Pinkie McClure’s witty and detailed stained glass creations and recorded at home and under a railway arch, EPII rises above its origins and invades the wider world, in all its colour, gritand glory. Each song serves as a monument to its internal tale – in fact, the whole LP is as much a collection of musical short stories as it is an album of songs. Opening with Invisible Man, the impression of a regular person with hidden grievances, biding his time and waiting to lash out is given. Waves of distant samples ebb and fall as the warped guitars swell and crash behind the main themes. We don’t know when this explosion will happen – we only know it will. A sleazy celebration of Britain’s position as the laundering capital of the world follows in the form of Beautiful Launderette. It’s good that we keep everything nice and clean for the whole planet, isn’t it? Business as usual, keeping the globe turning – that’s our role and we love it. The Parrot rocks like only a prolonged evisceration of governmental mouthpieces and their court stenographers can. It’s a thankless task making sure that the powers that be retain their authority in all things and patrolling the borders of what is allowed to be said and believed, but somebody’s got to do it. If you’re providing a service, you’ll need to present a united front against the grievances of the public, so you’ll need The Scapegoat. Mistakes and accidents can’t be the company’s fault, so you’ll need to pay someone to be publicly and repeatedly sacked to make it appear as if you’re solving problems and getting better. Lessons will be learned, going forward. The disturbing tale of Bear Factory begins side two and is the real-life story of the murder of one of the singer’s primary-school classmates in the 1970s, and true in every detail. The victim’s body was never found but the killer justifiably imprisoned for life. A more ancient scent of death pervades The Burnet Rose. This ground-hugging plant covers the graves of the victims in a seventeenth-century plague village on the Yorkshire coast to this day, commemorating their sacrifices when all around have forgotten. It’s this particular songwriter’s favourite flower. Orgy of the Ancients describes the intimate intricacies of ageing politicians and the press as they decide whether to go to war. In grotesque scenarios worthy of Caligula, they decide the fates of our children. And it’s not even half the truth. To finish, the songwriter looks back to an admired predecessor, when he sets William Blake’s famous poem London in a groovier setting than we’re used to – in the form of London by Blakelight. If London swings, it’s from the Tyburn tree. Tracks: Invisible Man / Beautiful Launderette / The Parrot / The Scapegoat / Bear Factory / The Burnet Rose / Orgy Of The Ancients / London By Blakelight

Nach fast 20 Jahren der Veröffentlichung ihres Debütalbum „Bohème“, welches mit über 500.000 verkauften Einheiten ihre erfolgreichste Veröffentlichung ist, erscheint nun erstmalig die englische Version des Albums.
Die englischen Bohème-Songs wurden 2009 in Berlin aufgenommen.
Adaptiert wurden die Texte von Martin Gallop einem kanadischen Singer-Songwriter. "Mit Annett Louisan trat er 2007 und 2008 als Gaststar auf ihrer „Das optimale Leben“- Tour und 2009 auf der „Teilzeithippie“-Tour auf, wodurch er einem größeren deutschen Publikum bekannt wurde, insbesondere da er von Sommer 2008 bis 2010 mit Annett Louisan auch privat liiert war, was auch von den Boulevard-Medien zur Kenntnis genommen worden war. Die Künstlerin war seinetwegen nach Berlin gezogen, wo Gallop seine neue Wohnheimat gefunden hatte.

Im Zuge dieser Veröffentlichung erscheinen auch ihre, als Tonträger lang nicht mehr zu erhaltenen, Alben „Bohème“ (2004), „Unausgesprochen“ (2005), „Das optimale Leben“ (2007), und „Teilzeithippie“ (2008) in neuem Gewand als „Gold Edition“ als hochwertiges Digipak und Gatefold DoppelVinyl, 180Gramm. „Unausgesprochen“, „Das optimale Leben“ sowie „Teilzeithippie“ erscheinen zum 1. Mal auf Vinyl.
Alle Alben enthalten unveröffentlichte Bonustracks des 2005 aufgenommen Livekonzerts bei „SWR1 Kopfhörer“.

Emanating from a ‘prehistoric’ existence near the end of the last millennium, Andy Votel and his slightly older college mates were once best recognised in Mancunian clubs and bars as teenage vinyl nerds and bum-fluffed battle rappers under the collective name Violators Of The English Language (which in acronymic form explains Andy’s own exotic pen-name).

As steadfast supporters of the 1980s / 90s Brit-core rap scene coming out of London, the multicultural Violators’ Mancunian accents were perhaps a bridge-too-far to secure dream job contracts for humble labels like Kold Sweat and Music Of Life. An unlikely constructive meeting with Gang Starr’s DJ Premier (while Andy helped out at a radio station), plus playing warm up DJ sets for countless US rap heroes might have temporarily added inspirational fuel to the fire, but after an active period combining graffiti, rapping, scratching, obsessive record digging and beat making into their daily operations, adulthood eventually began to rear its unwelcome head.

A decade later, Andy Votel and his digging skills would begin to provide direct sample material for the likes of Madlib, Mos Def, Jay Z, Nas, Dr Dre, Ghostface Killa and Action Bronson, amongst others, and the Violators’ black book of breakbeats and catalogue numbers soon began to feed a same-butdifferent rap beast.

For a project that has taken thirty years, it would be totally inadequate to call the formation of Hypocritical Beatdown Records a lockdown-project. There’s a deep history and psychology in these records by Violators Of The English Language and their spin-off groups Magnets (Rap Group) and ProVerbs, that combines stage-fright, loss, pride, creative-schizophrenia, racial inequality, surrealism, personal politics, brotherhood, artistic-constipation, better judgment, love, anti-love, soul searching and much more.

As well as Andy Votel taking care of both production and part of the microphone duties, some might recognise fellow MC and solo recording artist Figure Of Speech as a prominent voice here. The trio of Magnets (Rap Group) sees Andy also joined by local B-Girl legend Jeni Chan aka Penny Chew, and rapper and DJ Benjamin Hatton who has previously recorded with Kid Acne, The Mongrels and Sheffield’s Invisible Spies’ long-running squadron. Widely respected visual artist Rick Myers (now living in Massachusetts) also contributed scratches for many of these recordings via file sharing and custom dub-plates to keep the Violators’ authentic line-up intact, as well as galvanising the crew’s semi-reluctant art-school roots.

Extra production credits for the label also go to Sean Canty from Demdike Stare, and the late great Dan Dwayre aka Black Lodge (Mo Wax) who sadly passed away during the completion of these recordings. The members of Violators Of The English Language who you’ve not yet heard of will quickly make themselves known as the needle drops on this long-mooted debut vinyl release.

After surfacing online with an unknown identity Nancy has been described as a musical auteur, a provocateur, a surrealist, both male and female, a mysterious necromancer, in the same sentence both classy and trashy, weird and wonderful, Sgt Peppers for degenerates.

LP FORMAT DETAILS:
Eco-friendly vinyl 
· Over 60% reduction in energy consumption
· 85% reduction in carbon impact
· Pressed from a unique innovative plastic
· Less waste
· Faster manufacturing
· More recyclable
· Audio quality as good as standard vinyl – in fact the manufacturers claim that the quality can exceed standard pressing due to the benefits of injection moulding
- White Colour LP