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Enjoy The Ride Records is happy to share an exclusive variant of the Milan Records release of Euphoria (Original Score from the HBO Series), Music by Labrinth.

Written and recorded in close collaboration with the Euphoria writer and director Sam Levinson, Labrinth‘s original compositions feature prominently throughout the hit HBO series as a sonic companion to the show’s angst-driven narrative and intoxicating visuals. The resulting 26-track collection is a genre-blending mix of gospel, soul, and electronic influences, indicative both of Labrinth’s imitable style as well as the show’s deeply moving storyline.

Of the album, Labrinth says, “My experience with Euphoria has made me a better musician. It was a dream come true to give wings and add magic to the different storylines. It was a collaborative effort among Sam Levinson, the crew, and the cast – I only added texture to an already phenomenal show. I hope that anyone who listens to the music embraces feeling something.”

Euphoria follows a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma, and social media. The ensemble cast of Euphoria includes actor and singer Zendaya, Maude Apatow (Girls), Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith and Sydney Sweeney (Sharp Objects).

Euphoria is an American adaptation of an Israeli show of the same name, and all episodes are written by Sam Levinson (Assassination Nation), who also serves as executive producer.

The Enjoy The Ride Records Exclusive variant, ""Night Sky Blue,"" is limited to 1,000 copies. Euphoria is housed in a silver foil stamped & numbered soft-touch gatefold jacket with spot gloss and also contains a full-color insert.

In the penultimate episode of his widely popular and critically acclaimed HBO series, Painting with John, its creator, John Lurie, sat in a Manhattan recording studio, working out musical parts for the show’s soundtrack. “After the illness started, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do this again,” said Lurie.

Even as he occupies an enigmatic, multi-faceted, five-decade career characterized by the unexpected, perhaps even Lurie is surprised by this new release of a double-album collection of music, Painting with John, extracted from the series.

Go back a quarter-century or so: As an exotic saxophonist and composer whose pieces alternately recalled cracked-mirror reflections of Thelonious Monk, or Fela Kuti, or Raymond Chandler, Lurie led the vastly influential, downtown NYC jazz ensemble, The Lounge Lizards, through dazzling albums and tours across the globe. He scored indie films and Hollywood hits, collecting a Grammy nomination for Get Shorty along the way and releasing his own surreality-TV series, Fishing with John.

Der italienische Pianist Giovanni Guidi widmet sich auf A New Day wieder gänzlich dem frei fließende Zusammenspiel mit seinen Kollegen Thomas Morgan und João Lobo – die musikalische Partnerschaft des Trios reicht inzwischen bereits über ein Jahrzehnt zurück – und baut dabei die instrumentale Bandbreite der Gruppe mit der idiosynkratrischen Tenorstimme des amerikanischen axofonisten James Brandon Lewis aus, der hier sein ECM-Debüt gibt. Mit Brandon Lewis erweitern sich nicht nur die Möglichkeiten des Ensembles,
es erschließen sich auch neue Idiome und frische Perspektiven, die von nuancierter Kommunikation und Lewis’ unverkennbarem, selbstbewusstem Ton gezeichnet sind. Das Album wurde im August 2023 in den Studios La Buissonne, Südfrankreich, aufgenommen und von Manfred Eicher produziert.

Im Januar wurde bekannt, dass Thom Yorke den Soundtrack für Daniele Luchettis Film "Confidenza“ komponiert hat, eine Adaption des italienischen Dramas, das auf dem gleichnamigen Roman von Domenico Starnone basiert. Der Film feierte seine Premiere auf dem Internationalen Filmfestival in Rotterdam und wird am 24. April in die italienischen Kinos kommen. Produziert wurde der Film von Indiana Production und Vision Distribution, der Vertrieb erfolgt durch Vision Distribution. Erscheinen wird der Soundtrack am 26. April zuerst digital. Am 12. Juli folgt die Veröffentlichung auf Vinyl und CD. Schon heute erscheint das Musikvideo zur Single "Knife Edge" mit Elio Germano und Federica Rosellini in den Hauptrollen, das eine neu geschnittene Sequenz aus dem Film sowie einen B-Seiten-Track mit dem Titel "Prize Giving" enthält. Der Intro-Track "The Big City" wurde von Yorke im Februar in seiner Playlist für BBC 6 angeteasert.

"Confidenza“ folgt auf Yorkes vorherigen Score zum "Suspiria“-Remake. Dafür erhielt Yorke eine GRAMMY-Nominierung für den besten Song für visuelle Medien erhielt. Produziert von Sam Petts-Davies (Suspiria, The Smile Wall Of Eyes), arbeiten Petts-Davies und Yorke bei "Confidenza“ erneut mit dem London Contemporary Orchestra und einem Jazz-Ensemble zusammen, zu dem auch Robert Stillman und sein Bandkollege von The Smile, Tom Skinner, gehören. 2019 steuerte Yorke Musik zu Edward Nortons "Motherless Brooklyn“ bei und 2022 schrieb er zwei Songs für das Serienfinale von "Peaky Blinders“.

Zuletzt war Yorke mit The Smile (Tom Skinner, Jonny Greenwood, Thom Yorke) auf Tour, die im Januar ihr zweites Studioalbum "Wall Of Eyes“ veröffentlichten,
das auf das 2022 erschienene Debütalbum "A Light For Attracting Attention“ folgt.

The large and humanistic ensemble Black Lives , led by bassist Reggie Washington (brother of drummer Kenny Washington) and his wife Stefany Calembert, is working to fulfil a dream - some would say a utopia - that is as much musical as it is social. Musicians from the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe are united by a common language in their fight for equality and justice. It's about the future of our societies, which are lost in the excesses of all-consuming materialism and mistrust of others. A natural convergence of musical and cultural aesthetics - jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, blues - is shaping a declaration of love and an act of resistance. Hearts beat fast and fists are raised high! The watchwords call for a world of unity, peace, and freedom. It's a strong belief in tomorrow. 'If you unite and struggle, it's possible to change.'

Oliver Leiths von der Kritik gefeierte Kammeroper "Last Days", basierend auf dem Gus Van Sants Kultfilm "Last Days", feierte im Oktober 2022 in einer ausverkauften Aufführungsreihe im Londoner Royal Opera House Premiere. Mit der bewährten Starbesetzung in ihren ursprünglichen Rollen entstand nun diese 90-minütige Studioaufnahme, auf der das 12-köpfige Ensemble unter der Leitung von Jack Sheen den Anker von Leiths straff ausgearbeiteter und zutiefst fantasievoller Partitur darstellt.

- "Oliver Leith's score is a sonic tapestry interweaving delicate instrumental effects, 'found' sounds, and a cappella vocal timbres." - The Independent
- "Leith's score, brilliantly rendered by 12 Ensemble under Jack Sheen, is starkly original." - Bachtrack
- "Jack Sheen conducted the slick 12 Ensemble… balancing the push-pull sternness and rapture of a score that surely has a real future ahead." - Opera

We are happy to continue our series of Electric Bird reissues in collaboration with King Record with the a killer jazz-funk release, saxophonist Toshiyuki Honda's "Burnin' Waves", originally released in 1978. Son of jazz critic Toshiyuki Honda, the Japanese composer was a skillful flute and saxophone player, and in the 70's he worked with George Otsuka and the Burning Waves ensemble. In the 1980s he worked with Chick Corea, Tatsuya Takahashi, and Kazumi Watanabe, lead his own ensemble, Super Quartet as well as being a member of the ensemble Native Son. His 1978 debut album "Burnin' Waves" boasts with hectic saxophone explorations over funky bass and happy keyboards, making it one of the grooviest releases of the Electric Bird catalog, now available on vinyl again for the first time!

Formed by Kenny Clarke and Francy Boland, the Clarke-Boland Sextett, with the participation of numerous musicians from both Europe and the United States, made significant contributions to the development of jazz in Europe. At the core of this ensemble, the powerhouse sextet consisting of Kenny Clarke, Francy Boland, Sahib Shihab, Jimmy Woode, Joe Harris, and Sadi came together to record the album "Music For The Small Hours" in 1967, and it is now set to be reissued with an obi.

This album spans a wide range of styles, from standards like Burt Bacharach's "Wives & Lovers" to Brazilian and Afro-Cuban influences such as Luiz Bonfá's "Ebony Samba" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Tin Tin Deo." Additionally, it features original compositions like Shihab's "Please, Don't Leave," where he takes on vocal duties. The entire recording exudes a sophisticated and relaxed mood, showcasing the utmost skill of this formidable sextet. "Music For The Small Hours" is a masterpiece that deserves a place in the history of European jazz, boasting the ultimate level of refinement.

Repress!
Note - Sleeve says contains a bonus CD, these represses do not have a bonus CD, they have a download card.

Hate Your Friends is the 1987 debut album by the Lemonheads, one of only three full-length releases to feature the original band line- up of Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. The album showcases a hardcore-punk-to-pop-rock sound and sensibility as playfully fierce as it is surprising…especially to listeners who know the band only from their better-known major label recordings of the 1990s. The roots of Hate Your Friends begin with the genesis of the band itself: when high school friends Ben Deily and Evan Dando—inspired by a shared love of the 70’s absurdist comedy troupe the Firesign Theatre, literature, and punk rock—began playing their own songs together in 1985. Dando and Deily first started out as a two-piece ensemble: swapping back and forth between a shared Guild guitar (and a crappy amp) and vocal mic, and pounding a drum kit “borrowed” from the high school jazz band. With the addition of classmate and friend Jesse Peretz on bass, the two-man outfit quickly became a power trio. With a handful of original songs, a passionate love for their favourite bands—from Husker-Du, the Replacements, Black Flag and the Germs, to the Saints, Wire and ‘77 UK punk—and a tiny recording budget, the Lemonheads set about their first studio session within days of their high school graduation in June of 1986. During that summer, a significant amount of what would become the band’s debut album was recorded in Brookline, Massachusetts, with Deily and Dando sharing vocal, guitar and drumming duties. Above and beyond bass, Jesse proved pivotal as the band’s manager, booker and tireless promoter—helping arrange for the Lemonheads self-released debut EP, Laughing all the way to the cleaners, later that summer, and shortly thereafter helping establish the relationship with Curtis Casella of TAANG! records that paved the way to full-length LP Hate Your Friends. Finally, with the addition of full-time (and fairly short-lived) drummer Doug Trachten, the last songs of Hate Your Friends were recorded in the winter of 1986-7. BONUS TRACKS: This Fire Records re-issue features bonus tracks including 12 never-before-released live tracks from a 1987 radio session, rare tracks from the early compilation Crawling From Within, and additional tracks not included on the original release of Hate Your Friends (“Buried Alive” and “Gotta Stop”).

January 2023, Dorset. Snow is piled at the door, icy roads are closed, and Emily Cross is in a coffin. Not a setting typical for a rebirth. But for Loma, this is where they bring their band back from the brink. "It's like a demon enters the room, whenever we get together", writer, singer and instrumentalist Cross says of the struggle to bring new Loma music into the world. Following the release of their 2020 second album Don't Shy Away, Loma's three members were cast around the globe and the band-not for the first time-entered a deep sleep. Multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer Dan Duszynski remained in his studio in Don't Shy Away's central Texas heart, but Cross, a UK citizen, moved to Dorset, and writer and instrumentalist Jonathan Meiburg left the US for Germany to research a book. In the pandemic years, even being in the same room was impossible, and attempts to start a new record faltered. The following winter, in an attempt to salvage the record and the band, Cross suggested they regroup in the UK, in the tiny stone house-once a coffin-maker's workshop-where she works as an end-of-life doula. With minimal recording gear and few instruments, Loma turned two whitewashed rooms into a makeshift studio, using a padded coffin as a vocal booth. It was a turning point. They scrapped much of what they'd made, letting a new place set a new course. The one-lane roads, hedgerows and dark skies of Dorset gave the new songs an ineffable but unmistakable Englishness. The band used the ruin of a 12th-century chapel as a reverb chamber-surprising hillwalkers who peeked in to find them singing to no one-and the sounds of Cross's chilly workshop wormed their way into the recording: a leaky pipe, a drummer's brushes on a metal lampshade, the voices left on an ancient answering machine. What emerged was How Will I Live Without A Body?: a gorgeous, unique, and oddly comforting album about partnership, loss, regeneration, and fighting the feeling that we're all in this alone. Many of its songs have a feeling of restless motion; faceless characters drift through meetings and partings, tangling together and slipping away. "I Swallowed A Stone" is like a nightmare with a happy ending; "How It Starts" and "Broken Doorbell" reflect on the challenge (and necessity) of wrestling with agoraphobia. Though the record nods to the trio's separate lives- a German percussion ensemble, a pair of Texan owls, and the surf at Chesil Beach make guest appearances-the core of Loma's sound remains intact: earthy, organic and deeply human, anchored by Cross's cool, clear voice. Loma's previous album, Don't Shy Away, was galvanized by the unexpected encouragement and contributions of Brian Eno. This time, they found inspiration in another hero, Laurie Anderson, who offered a chance to work with an AI trained on her entire body of work. Meiburg sent her a photo from his book-in-progress about the once and future life of Antarctica; Anderson's AI responded with two haunting poems. "We used parts of them in a few songs," he says. "And then Dan noticed that one of its lines, 'How will I live without a body?' would be a perfect name for the album, since we nearly lost sight of each other in the recording process." In the end, Loma's efforts to reconnect with one another are the album's central focus: what do you owe a shared past, when everyone and everything has changed? "Making this record tested us all," says Duszynski. "I think that feeling was alchemized through the music." Alchemized, because How Will I Live Without A Body? is by no means a stressed-out record: an undercurrent of deep calm runs through it. But maybe 'relaxed' isn't the right word. It's more like a feeling of relief, of making it through a tough journey together.

First in a series of reissues from Pierre Jaubert’s Parisound studio archive on Strut Record IS Lafayette Afro Rock Band's elusive funk/Afro original album, 'Malik,' originally released in 1974. Transparent blue colored LP

In 1971, an undocumented seven-member Afro-American ensemble known as the Bobby Boyd Congress made a transformative journey from the United States to France. Bandleader Frank Abel recollects, "We sensed that the soul and funk market was saturated back home, and our original plan was a brief 6-month stint in Paris. Surprisingly, we ended up staying for a decade." Upon lead singer Bobby Boyd's return to the U.S., the group rebranded as Ice and crossed paths with independent producer Pierre Jaubert, a seasoned studio professional with credits on groundbreaking recordings alongside Charles Mingus, John Lee Hooker, and Archie Shepp, among others.

Drawing inspiration from Motown's work ethic, Jaubert initiated regular rehearsals with Ice. He recalled, "I didn't want to mimic Berry, but with seven talented musicians collaborating daily, something unique emerged." The band, residing in Paris and immersed in the African-dominated Barbesse district, began infusing African elements into their music frequently performing with Paris-dwelling Camaroonian and legendary composer Manu Dibango.

Under the new moniker Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the group's music transitioned to predominantly instrumental compositions, featuring a denser Afro-funk sound. Their inaugural recording with the new name, 'Soul Makossa,' included a compelling rendition of Dibango's classic and the impactful break in 'Hihache.' The subsequent release a year later, 'Malik,' refined their sound with the percussive Afro party jam 'Conga,' the atmospheric vocoder and piano-led piece 'Djungi,' and the robust funk of 'Darkest Light.' Despite a limited impact upon its initial release, 'Malik' found appreciation as hip-hop culture flourished in the '80s, establishing itself as a rich source of samples and riffs. 'Conga' was featured in the 'Ultimate Breaks And Beats' series, while the opening horn line from 'Darkest Light' became a pivotal hip-hop motif, employed by Jay-Z, Public Enemy, Wreckx 'N' Effect, and many others

Second in a series of reissues from Pierre Jaubert’s Parisound studio archive on Strut Record IS Lafayette Afro Rock Band's elusive funk/Afro original album, 'Soul Makossa' originally released in 1973. Transparent blue colored LP

In 1971, an undocumented seven-member Afro-American ensemble known as the Bobby Boyd Congress made a transformative journey from the United States to France. Bandleader Frank Abel recollects, "We sensed that the soul and funk market was saturated back home, and our original plan was a brief 6-month stint in Paris. Surprisingly, we ended up staying for a decade." Upon lead singer Bobby Boyd's return to the U.S., the group rebranded as Ice and crossed paths with independent producer Pierre Jaubert, a seasoned studio professional with credits on groundbreaking recordings alongside Charles Mingus, John Lee Hooker, and Archie Shepp, among others.

Drawing inspiration from Motown's work ethic, Jaubert initiated regular rehearsals with Ice. He recalled, "I didn't want to mimic Berry, but with seven talented musicians collaborating daily, something unique emerged." The band, residing in Paris and immersed in the African-dominated Barbesse district, began infusing African elements into their music frequently performing with Paris-dwelling Camaroonian and legendary composer Manu Dibango.

Rechristening themselves Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the group's musical direction shifted towards predominantly instrumental compositions, characterized by a weightier, more intricate Afro-funk sound. Their debut recording under this new moniker, 'Soul Makossa,' made a powerful impact with a dynamic rendition of Dibango's classic, coupled with the intense break of 'Hihache' and the contagious 'Nicky.' Initially released by Musidisc in France and later in the U.S. via Editions Makossa, the album omitted the title track due to publishing clearance issues.

Despite modest sales upon its initial release, the album's enduring influence became evident as hip-hop culture surged in the '80s, establishing it as a primary source for samples and riffs. The iconic 'Hihache' break found fame in Biz Markie's 'Nobody Beats The Biz,' and tracks from the album were lifted by LL Cool J, The Beatnuts, Kruder & Dorfmeister, and numerous others.

Stefano De Santis kicks off this Best Of Various with Murk, as the name suggests its a dark workout from one of Rome’s finest producers. Following that are Batavia Collective from Jakarta. When we first heard the live demo for this we were blown away and had to get it out on TLM. Batavia Collective are Elfa Zulham on drums, Doni Joesran on keys and Kenny Gabriel on synth bass. All mixed by Stefano De Santis. Rounding off the A side we have Cormac Fulton and his follow up to Perplexed on TLM025 with a new track called Loungeware. Based in Salford this is another atmospheric track from Cormac featuring Netherlands born but now Rio de Janeiro based flautist Floor Polder. Floor also appeared on Steve Conry’s rework of Guinu - Eletromadinga which featured on Colin Curtis Presents Jazz Dance Fusion 4 Part 2. Loungeware was mixed by Steve Conry and Matt Cox. Onto the AA side and we have Montreal resident Mike Perras with Soullous, a superb dancefloor track, live drums and amazing keys, in fact everything you want from house music. Next up is Future Jazz Ensemble from Vibo Valentia who follow on from their Rough Time EP TLM028 and appearance on TLM030 with another broken jazz monster of a track called Over The Rainbow. Finishing off side AA is Takahiro Fuchigami from Fukuoka with another fine track called Outer Heaven, a great follow up to Strange Acquaintance which was on TLM034.

The 9th Installment by Fuckthegovernment is a sonic exploration that fuse the nuances of house music, electronica, minimal, and deep, creating a compelling journey through underground worlds, sparse and compelling grooves. Intricate metrics and arrangements serve as a guide in this musical universe, where cross-pollinations are our daily bread.

The Italian Duo F.T.G & Marco Riff (Fuckthegovernment), along with the emerging LCDOT and singer Jenime, join forces with Alex Neri, Germano Ventura, and Giovanni Verrina to weave a captivating musical narrative, celebrating the only medium that embodies the true spirit of sonic art: vinyl; a tangible and unique value for music, preserving stories and emotions that go beyond mere notes.

FUCKTHEGOVERNMENT.LTD project continues to break barriers and chart new paths in the contemporary music universe.

This release, her first album on Aurora Records, is a comprehensive collection of award- winning works performed by Norwegian Radio Orchestra and other ensembles. The album opens with the title piece, Between Trees, which takes the listener on a musical excursion through a forest. The piece received its world premiere in 2021 and won the International Rostrum of Composers in Palermo in 2022.

Leading German contemporary ensemble Recherche performs Seafloor Dawn Chorus - a sonic underwater environment inspired by field recordings of singing fish on the Great Barrier Reef.

Other tracks include ensembles where the composer herself is a member, with Toyen Filand Klafferi and Ensemble neoN, collaborations with Jenny Hvaland and Marcus Weiss, and solo pieces with the renowned violinist Marco Fusi.

In the process, the saxophonist presents some of his fiercest playing yet. The quartet's synergy is of a unique blend, with each player's distinct voice adding to an ensemble sound capable of conjuring both the quietest storm and the most passionate crescendo. Hershkovits's bountiful stylistic reach and fluent technique swirl around Oded's unmistakable tenor tone with Klampanis providing both backbone and melody, adaptable yet guiding - just like his rhythm- partner Almeid

"The seven songs of Tombeaux comprise the Brooklyn-based composer and multi-instrumentalist’s third full-length recording, and her first written and arranged for a large ensemble. Frustrated by the limitations of self-production and solitary home recording, Sridharan set out to create something sonically broader, featuring sitar, vibraphone, woodwinds, horns, strings, and piano. Tombeaux is richly textured and deeply felt, weaving medieval and classical influences into a distinct art pop tapestry that will be much loved by fans of Laurie Anderson, Bel Canto, Anna von Hausswolf, and Julia Holter, who produced the record.

The record’s subject is as expansive as the ensemble; each song is a discrete tale of a death, imagined by Sridharan and told in the first person. From reimagining the work of 16th-century Indian poet Mirabai to exploring Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea afterworld, The Dry Land, to writing about her own grandmother’s death, Sridharan teases out the varied nature of death, applying a broad range of historical and cultural lenses to this great inevitability.

Sridharan was raised by an Indian father who exposed her to Indian classical music and a mother whose passion for history, archeology, and medieval music informed and inspired her from an early age. Her upbringing in the woods of Michigan and high school years on the shores Lake Michigan perhaps further inspired her tendency toward reverie, imagined narratives, and the drama that unfolds between this shore and the next.

Though not intended as an exhaustive survey of ideas of death across cultures, Tombeaux’s scope is impressive, shot through with the feel of a book of short stories, or a performance of tales. It is enchanting and elegantly executed, sensitively shepherded by Holter’s production."

The next release in the Mr Bongo Cuban Classics series, is one of Juan Pablo Torres' most-known and loved albums, the iconic Super Son from 1977. A wonderful record of tripped-out rumbas, psych-Afro-Latin funk and quirky orchestrated tracks with a big band horn section courtesy of Torres’ band, Algo Nuevo.

As well as being the director of Algo Nuevo and Cuban all-star ensemble Estrellas De Areito, the trombonist, bandleader, arranger and producer also released a wealth of albums under his own name predominately on the state-owned imprint Areito/EGREM.

Post-revolution, there was a contrast in Cuba’s musical world. State censorship was at play, but professional musicians were on the government payroll which gave them an artistic freedom. Experimentation emanated in the ‘70s and ‘80s and Super Son is a prime example of that. ‘Y Que Bien' kicks off the album taking you down a tripped-out, cosmic rabbithole, psych guitars and skat vocals opening up into a joyful funk groove laced with jazzy Afro-Cuban horns stabs. Tracks such as 'Pastel En Descarga' seem to come out of nowhere and are completely unique. Fuzzed-up guitar lines and percussion lay the groundwork, with those jubilant horns adding to the energy of this forever building track.

Elsewhere, there’s the ‘70s TV theme-tune feeling of 'Con Aji Guaguao', a playful funk number that boils and bubbles with blistering trombone playing by Torres. Or ‘Son A Propulsión' and ‘Son Riendo’, two more brilliant examples of psychedelic funk, wrapped up in a blanket of Afro-Cuban rhythms. The former sweeping you up in rushes of wind as trumpets, trombones and distorted guitars trade off, the latter, an intergalactic fiesta of tradition and exploration.

Super Son is up there as one of the funkiest Cuban records around, a playful fusion of ideas from a producer, player and group on fine form and, for us, one of our favourite gems to come out of Cuba in this period. A sheer masterpiece.

Small jazz groups brought out the best in Billie Holiday — especially groups as good as the one heard on this classic 1957 recording. Ben Webster, Barney Kessel and the other members of this stellar ensemble were not just gifted soloists but sensitive accompanists as well. Lady Day was rarely more ably supported than she was on this program of sturdy standards. Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Hailing from Toronto, the dynamic indie rock quintet, Good Kid, comprises lead vocalist Nick Frost, drummer Jon Kereliuk, bassist Michael Kozakov, and guitarists David Wood and Jacob Tsafatinos, who thrives as a vibrant community fueled by the boundless enthusiasm of its listeners. Their eclectic blend of J-rock, indie-rock and pop-punk resonates with high-energy riffs, catchy melodies and clever lyricism.

A jack-of-all-trades ensemble - musicians, programmers and storytellers, Good Kid has carved a unique path for their audience to follow suit. Good Kid's fanbase is not just passive listeners; they are a passionate community, actively contributing to the band's universe. Through platforms like Discord and Iwitch, as well as their strong social media presence, fans create art, animation, videos and covers, reflecting their profound connection to the music. The band's journey is marked by streaming successes with the release of "From the Start" on November 10th, 2023, hitting 1 million streams in just 24 hours, accumulating several million streams and counting. Their reach extends to leading YouTube and Iwitch accounts in the gaming space, aligning them with top content creators

and gamers. Their energetic performances have not only led to two-sold out headline US tours in 2022, but have included supporting sold-out UK and EU tours, as well as a nationwide run on Portugal the Man's Canada tour.

Vilhelm Bromander is a much in demand bass player with a unique voice as a musician and composer. The debut album of his Unfolding Orchestra features a 13-piece ensemble, performing three extended, stellar compositions by Bromander. This is a important artistic statement in the history of Swedish free jazz, performed by some of the most urgent voices from the current scene of jazz- and improvised music, together with the otherworldly voice of dhrupad singer Marianne Svašek.

Now available as limited LP edition on dark green vinyl.

Third studio album by the Munich-based band Dune Pilot. Fuzzy stoner/desert rock at its finest! Founding members Andris Friedrich on vocals and Christian Schmidt on guitar are focusing again on earthy stoner roots rock with a ‘fat fuzz’. Munich scene veterans Veit Schlembach on drums (ex-Password Monkey) and Konst Fischer on bass (ex-Smoke The Sky) brought freshness into the team, enriching the sound and songwriting of the band in a multi-layered and positive way. The gods of desert rock - read Kyuss - are duly honoured here. The new album "Magnetic" has been completely recorded live in the studio by the well-rehearsed musicians. The four-piece ensemble has already done many live-shows, mainly in Germany, and has shared stages with scene greats such as Karma To Burn, Orange Goblin, Greenleaf, Colour Haze and Rotor.

Black Truffle is pleased to announce Resonant Trees, the first vinyl release from French composer-performer Léo Dupleix. An active member of the international community of younger musicians working with just intonation, Dupleix has composed works for solo instrumentalists and ensembles in Europe and Japan, as well as performing extensively on harpsichord, piano and electronics. His music is distinguished by a formal clarity and elegance of surface, gently shaping pure intervals into delicate melodic patterns and shimmering harmonic planes.

Resonant Trees presents two side-long pieces for harpsichord and ensemble, both setting slowly repeating patterns played on harpsichord and guitar within an environment of sustained tones. Dupleix performs on a French double manual harpsichord (tuned to a just intonation scheme of his own devising) and Prophet synthesizer, joined by Juliette Adam (bass clarinet), Johanna Bartz (traverso flute), Cyprien Busolini (viola), Fredrik Rasten (6- and 12-string guitars), and Mara Winter (traverso flute). The harpsichord begins Resonant Tree I alone, slowly sounding out a series of arpeggiated chords that emphasise the unique (and for unaccustomed listeners, sometimes unsettling) harmonic and timbral qualities of justly tuned intervals. Long tones from synthesiser, bass clarinet, viola and Baroque traverso flutes slowly creep into the spaces between the arpeggiated chords, joined after several minutes by delicate patterns of harmonics played by Rasten on acoustic guitars.

On Resonant Tree II, a similar structure and ensemble (without the flutes) are used with quite different results. We again hear only the harpsichord at first, but this time playing a series of flowing melodic lines, each of which is repeated several times. Joined again by long tones from the ensemble, here the viola is particularly prominent and its interplay with the harpsichord creates fascinating acoustic effects. In both pieces, repetition gives the music a static, stable quality while, at the same time, the exact shape of the repeating patterns remains difficult to grasp. As Dupleix writes, these pieces dream of music as ‘space and a sound that one could grasp in one’s hand.’ As the near-static quality of the repetitions and long tones with little incident make these two stretches of musical time feel like spaces for the listener to inhabit, the small variations on a narrow range of related material act like a three-dimensional object whose each facet is examined in turn. At once austere and seductive, Resonant Trees takes its place beside the work of contemporaries like Catherine Lamb, while also calling up the languorous melodic world of Mamoru Fujieda, the dignified melancholy of Satoshi Ashikawa’s classic Still Way and the espaliered chamber atmospherics of the Obscure catalogue.

A home, a house, has countless frequencies. Each room, each corner feels different. Swings differently. And as you grow older, you realize which corner is yours. But yeah, it takes time…

It certainly marks the end of an era when the house one called home as a kid no longer exists. This home, it was the starting point of so many journeys. Of one big, ongoing journey. And so it feels good, soothing, reassuring to at least return to a spot nearby – to that (proverbial) hill from where you can see it. Feel the vibe that made you.

Andi Haberl’s debut solo album as Sun is sort of dedicated to that house. It’s a journey leading to that hill overlooking everything that made him. It’s not about nostalgia, not about actually returning to a specific place. Instead, it’s about finding a personal frequency, an overlapping of sounds and samples, an open space that mirrors and extends whatever frequencies felt right at different points in time.

“To me, the results feel like Gold Panda/Four Tet meets Steve Reich meets Krautrock meets film scores. I just really wanted to create moods that touch me – and ideally others, too.”

Talking about his first solo album, Haberl recalls many stages: early compositions that ended up on Alien Ensemble’s albums, early DIY/home studio/multi-instrumentalist inspirations (Le Millipede), new technologies that came and went, even a set of wildly convincing arrangements (done with Cico Beck’s crucial input) that ultimately became stepping stones for yet another round of DIY takes. “It was a long, recurring process, and the songs went through so many different versions,” he says, talking about phases of growth (“I added more and more equipment over time”) and pruning, “cleaning up my music a bit.” Tending towards instruments that open up space, and slowly falling in love with sampling, he certainly didn’t rush things once it was time for interior design decisions ;)

“During this whole process I got to learn so much about my own taste, how I prefer to listen to the pieces, which musical elements really matter to me… and what my own voice is. For example, that acoustic elements are most important to me: the banjo, piano, drums, my voice, glockenspiel, trumpet, melodica. Anything that opens up some space.”

Every journey begins with a search: “Missing” with its plucked chords opens like a sunrise over pastoral plains, gently leading the way towards the intricate, playful explosion that occurs once a certain amount of energy (“Sun”) hits dirt and other surfaces: things grow, clot and curdle into new shapes, like new buds; layers of sound move forward, drenched in Spring’s new light. Relying on samples to ask for precipitation (“Rain On Me”), robotic “Low” goes from barren to bass-heavy after its midway shift in pace, full of loops plucked from the shade.

Towards the album’s midpoint, things are suddenly reversed: “Cluster” has that backwards pull, you can’t tell what’s what, yet everything is perfectly locked in, as the pace increases once again. And before the title song shimmers with densified cheering (to eventually stand tall like early Lymbyc Systym), “Beside Me” swipes you off your feet with its booming bass drum. The beat returns once again (“Daydream”), full of searching voices underneath, and at “Dawnday,” we can finally catch a melancholy view of the house. Voices hum. It’s the score moment of the album. Everything makes sense now. A happy end of sorts?

“I want to take people on a journey. A personal journey, too, because when my parents split up and sold the house I grew up in, I felt a bit like the ground had fallen out from under my feet. But I have dedicated the album title and the accompanying piece to this house… so I can keep it in good memory.”

“I Can See Our House From Here” has been a long time coming. It’s been a long journey. Homeward-bound. Leading to a place that’s really Haberl’s – his sound. His frequencies.

Known as a long-time member of The Notwist and various other bands/projects (Alien Ensemble, AMEO, jersey, Ditty etc.), Berlin-based drummer/composer Andi Haberl has also worked with My Brightest Diamond, Till Brönner, Owen Pallet, and Kurt Rosenwinkel, to name a few. “I Can See Our House From Here” is his first solo offering.

Named "one of Europe"s most versatile and curious players" by Downbeat Magazine, Polish trumpeter Tomasz Dabrowski returns with the sophomore album from his internationally acclaimed septet. Following their eponymous 2022 debut, the ensemble proudly presents "Better",set to release on March 29th on April Records. With an atypical lineup featuring the cream of the crop of the Polish and Scandinavian contemporary improvisation scenes,"Better" captures the edge and energy of a live performance extended and elevated by the use of electronic instruments and textures. Drawing the listener in with its refined sense of space and pace, the record sees the septet navigate their way through Dabroski"s open compositional ideas, passing melodic structures around the ensemble and evolving through ethereal ambient soundscapes, scorching solos and adventurous cacophonies of collective improvisation. Drawing on a year"s worth of experience performing extensively together as an ensemble, the level of intensive listening, interactivity and trust within the group enables each instrumentalist to fearlessly contribute their voice. "Every track has a unique twist. "Upright" plays with form. "Bonzer", the use of instrumentation. "Hale & Hearty" explores textures." A testament to the ensemble"s commitment to artistic growth and creative evolution, "Better"reminds us to consider what we all can and should strive for. It"s an inspiring message that manifests in the music and radiates through every aspect of life. "We should all strive to do better. To be better versions of ourselves and observe how it resonates within and in those around us," Dabrowski says.

Super-Sonic Jazz Records is set to release the brilliant debut album ‘Every Move’ from Dutch neo-soul risers ROSEYE.

Led by the captivating vocals Tallulah Rose, ROSEYE is a 5-piece ensemble that intricately weaves together psychedelic grooves with ethereal narratives. Their music transcends genres, effortlessly blending soul, jazz, and rich electronics. Drawing inspiration from luminaries like Jordan Rakei, Hiatus Kaiyote, and Robert Glasper, ROSEYE delivers an authentic, groove-infused, and explosively soulful sonic experience.

Speaking about the upcoming album, the band explain: “We're all about diving into that deep connection music brings - mixing up explosive, groovy vibes with some trippy and peaceful sounds. Our upcoming album 'Every Move' touches on some personal themes like sexuality, spirituality, nature, and grief, we wanted it to be liked a journey through the highs and lows of life”.

Luka Kuplowskys Stimme ist ein Paradoxon - manchmal klingt sie zu leise, um eingefangen zu werden, als würde sie sich in Rauch auflösen, und im nächsten Moment ist sie so groß wie der Himmel. Es ist eine Stimme, die das Ohr beugt, um zuzuhören, und deren Musik einen einzigartigen Raum für poetische Sprache und improvisatorische Verspieltheit schafft. In den vier Jahren nach "Stardust" von 2020, einem reichhaltigen, jenseitigen Album mit Pop- und Jazzromantik, hat Kuplowsky den Umfang seiner Kreativität durch eine Reihe von Singles und Kollaborationen, die sich mit Ambient-Elektronik, Avant-Pop und psychedelischer Tropicalia befassen, still und leise erweitert. Auf seiner neuen Doppel-LP "How Can I Possibly Sleep When There Is Music" erweitert Kuplowsky sein Interesse an Improvisations-Ensembles und Live-Aufnahmen. Die siebenköpfige Band (Alex Lukashevsky, Anh Phung, Evan Cartwright, Felicity Williams, Josh Cole und Phillipe Melanson) schafft einen einzigartigen Sound aus Weite, Experimentierfreude und ungezügelter Ausdruckskraft, der Traditionen von Jazz, Folk und Blues durchquert. Konzipiert als eine Platte von Adaptionen und Antworten "auf ein Jahrtausend Poesie", vereint das Album die Poesie von Ryōkan Taigu, Bohdan Ihor Antonych, Maria Rainer Rilke, Yosana Akiko, Du Fu, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, W.W.E Ross, Li Bai und La Fontaine und stellt sie in ein dynamisches Umfeld ekstatischen und fantasievollen Ausdrucks. Die neue LP wurde von dem bekannten Produzenten und Songwriter Sandro Perri aus Toronto produziert und vereint internationale literarische und musikalische Einflüsse mit hyperlokalen Toronto-Touchstones zu einem wunderschönen, ausufernden Album voller meditativer und freilaufender Klangabenteuer. In seiner Heimatstadt Toronto ist Kuplowsky nach wie vor ein aktives Mitglied der Jazzund Songwriter-Gemeinschaft. Er organisiert und spielt regelmäßig mit der eklektischen Tribute-Gruppe The Holy Oak Family Singers und arbeitet mit Ian Daniel Kehoe in ihrem Avant-Pop-Duo Ingredient".

"Like Water" is the new album from Jasper Høiby, a luminary in the realm of contemporary jazz and the mastermind behind the celebrated piano trio Phronesis, renowned for its electrifying live performances and critical acclaim across Europe. Høiby, with his latest project, introduces "3 Elements," featuring the gifted Chaerin Im on piano and the versatile Jamie Peet on drums. This new assembly not only draws inspiration from the foundational strengths of Phronesis but elevates the ensemble's synergy to new heights, showcasing a more refined and cohesive sound that distinctly echoes Høiby's bold and charismatic sonic identity. While Phronesis has been celebrated for its dynamic interplay and innovative compositions, "3 Elements" presents a more singular vision of Høiby’s artistry, melding the complexity and depth of his musical influences with a fresh, unmistakable vigour. The lineup brings together an exceptional blend of talent and creativity, with Im's evocative piano lines and Peet's dynamic rhythms perfectly complementing Høiby’s profound bass undertones. Together, they create a sound that is not just an extension of Phronesis's legacy but a distinct declaration of Høiby's evolving narrative in jazz. "Like Water" stands as a pivotal work in Jasper Høiby’s illustrious career. The album skilfully bridges the realms of innovation and tradition, marking a significant chapter in his journey as one of Europe’s most charismatic contemporary composers, bandleaders, and bassists. With "3 Elements," Høiby not only cements his legacy but also redefines the essence of the piano trio format for the modern era, making this album an essential milestone and a testament to his visionary approach to music.

“Thou Shalt” is the second album by The Answer Lies In The Black Void. Serene, invoking imagery of darkness; sweeping soundscapes tear and twist at the emotions. The latest album by The Answer Lies In The Black Void is a work of magical beauty. The duo, a collaboration of Martina Horváth from avant-garde folk metal project Thy Catafalque and Jason Köhnen from Celestial Season, The Lovecraft Sextet, Bong-Ra, Mansur and The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, follows up on their 2021 debut “Forlorn”.

The prevalent element here is doom, but there is so much more buried deep within the dark vaults of this compelling record. The nine new tracks are deep, richly layered songs, with Horváth demonstrating her stunning shimmering vocals over the complex creativity of Köhnen, the multi-instrumentalist who takes responsibility for everything instrument-driven here. There are crushing riffs, echoing lead guitar work, melodic choruses and harrowing passages which send shivers down the spine, and all the time the atmosphere builds; The Answer Lies In The Black Void seeks to embrace beauty in darkness and fragility in heaviness.

There's something spellbinding about Rhythm Rhyme Revolution’s seductive intensity and it’s all cleverly wrapped up in this rather sterling EP.

Summertime (nuacidfunk) slowly builds and changes tempo into a disco crescendo, in the style of Love Hangover, with Dan Lipman’s glorious jazz flute/sax weaving in and out of Gareth Tasker’s fantastic coral sitar riff that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Stylistics record.
The flipside - Sunshine Girl’s slinky Afro percussive groove builds pace as DJ Tabu merrily coos about making love in the sunshine and Barrie Sharpe’s vocal hooks chime in agreement:
bolstered by crisp guitar and Kenny Wellington’s jazzy mute trumpet darting around the sonic pool like a magnificent dragonfly. The arrangement has first class interplay and ensemble work too and the funky clavinet and bluesy electric piano really add to this slick
vibe.

Also on the flipside is the already established original version of Summertime from RRR LP #1 - which I can only compare to the Motown classics.

Sharpe is the master tease who builds a grand mood and positively revels in it. You will too,suffice to say, find this record is a real touch of class.

Emrys Baird (Blues & Soul)

A landmark recording and masterful symphony of performance, composition, and execution, Miles Davis' E.S.P. established the template jazz would follow for the following decade. The 1965 record splits the gap between accessible hard-bop and the cutting-edge approach Davis increasingly pursued into the 1970s. Adventurous, sophisticated, and yet altogether cohesive, E.S.P. stands out not only due to its elastic compositions but via its chemistry, interplay, and feeling attained by the instrumentalists. The first album Davis' classic second quintet made together, it's also very arguably the group's best. Never before has the effort been experienced in such transformational sound.

Pressed at RTI, this 180g 45RPM 2LP set of E.S.P. renders the music's dynamics, pitch, colors, and textures with lifelike realism and proper scale. Reference-caliber separation, wall-to-wall soundstages, and distinct images magnify the intensity and beauty of Davis and Co.'s creations. Whether it's the distinctive snap of Tony Williams' drum sticks against the snare head, air moving through Davis' trumpet, acoustic thrum of Ron Carter's bass, or upper register of Herbie Hancock's piano, the sound is better than you'd even hear in the most intimate jazz clubs. Prepare to be swayed on every level.

For many, E.S.P. looms among the decade's best albums if only because of the significance of Davis' line-up. While Hancock, Williams, and Carter are holdovers that began playing with one another on 1963's Seven Steps to Heaven, Wayne Shorter functions as the secret weapon and key addition responsible for this ensemble hitting a new peak. Indeed, the saxophonist helped pen two of the seven compositions here – notably, E.S.P. is entirely comprised originals and clocked in as one of the longest-running jazz LPs issued at the time – and, more importantly, grants Davis the confidence and leeway necessary for the eruption of enigma, steadiness, and tension.

As he did with John Coltrane year earlier, Davis hangs back and picks his moments to solo, with Shorter stepping up to supply the churn. Their bandmates respond in kind, itching to take off into new stratospheres all the while keeping their improvisations grounded and connected to the piece at hand. Guided by Davis' visions and inspired by current boundary-pushing works by the likes of Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, and Coltrane, the magnificent results spark with variation, harmony, emotion, energy, and brilliant movement.

Interlocking lines drive "Little One," alternating rhythms pulse through the funky "Eighty-One," melodies soar on the balladic "Iris," the aptly titled "Mood" broods over minor-key structures, and "Agitation" – goosed by a two-minute percussive introduction by Williams – delivers on its promise. No record – and no group of musicians – have ever balanced coherent themes and exploratory playing in better fashion than Davis' quintet on E.S.P. It's the avant-garde record even jazz traditionalists love, and essential on every level.

1974 soundtrack from Ennio Morricone Pressed on Red Vinyl & includes a 30x30cm insert Liner notes and audio remastered by Claudio Fuiano “Allonsanfàn” is a 1974 historical film written and directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani; set in 1816 in Italy during the Restoration period, its cast features, among others, Marcello Mastroianni, Lea Massari, Laura Betti and Mimsy Farmer.

“Allonsanfàn” is the first collaboration between the two directors and Morricone, who would also compose the music for the film “Il prato” (The Meadow, 1979). The soundtrack starts with a main marching theme, “Rabbia e tarantella”, introduced by the piano and reworked in a thrilling way by the full orchestra; Giuseppe Tornatore liked it so much that in 2009 he asked Morricone to write a similar musical theme for a sequence of the film “Baarìa”. This motif is alternated with the bucolic passages for flute and orchestra of “Ritorno a casa”, the festive “Dirindindin”, the classical piece “Te Deum Laudamus” for orchestra and choir and “Frammenti di sonata” for solo violin and small ensemble.

This score was only partially issued on vinyl in 1979, and subsequently only on CD; for the first time, then, it’s here released on clear red vinyl in an extended version, including a 30x30cm insert. Liner notes and audio remastered by Claudio Fuiano.

(180gr vinyl) Dizzy Mandjeku & Odemba OK Allstars, the esteemed Congolese musical ensemble, joyfully announces the forthcoming release of their latest masterpiece, "Odemba Nostalgie - Rumba Congolaise," on vinyl format.



Dizzy Mandjeku is considered a living guitar legend. The guitar riff from Stromae’s Papaoutai, ten years on tour with Zap Mama and besties with Baloji. Over the years he has built up an entire repertoire with the greats of Congolese rumba. Cuban rumba was vibrant in Congo and it didn’t take long before traditional elements started to blend with modern instruments. With Franco Luambo and his band T.P.O.K. Jazz at the forefront, the music evolved into a brand new style called Rumba Odemba. Dizzy, having been a member of the T.P.O.K. Jazz later founded the Odemba OK Allstars in Brussels in order to keep th unique ‘Rumba Odemba’ alive.



As an hommage to Franco Luambo, Dizzy took six of songs he used to play with him and interweaved them into two medleys: ‘Odemba #1’ and ‘Odemba #2’.



"Odemba Nostalgie - Rumba Congolaise" pays homage to the timeless tradition of Congolese rumba. Guided by the expertise of producer Toms Ntale and mixer Vincent Kenis (Crammed Discs) the album delivers an authentic listening experience that transports listeners to the heart of Congo's vibrant music scene.



"Dizzy Mandjeku & Odemba OK Allstars bring pure Franco OK Jazz rumba to the stage - brassy, funky, soukous heaven, with the enduring sound of the 60’s and 70’s getting everyone dancing and whooping." - Songlines (Anita Scott)

Repress!

Wah Wah 45s are proud to present the full debut album from Afrobeat supergroupEparapo. Having come togetherduring the unprecedented events of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, and despite being a project born from the privations of lockdown, their music is ultimately an expression of hope, resilience & resurgence.

The word "eparapo" means "join forces" in Yoruba, the language of Afrobeat. It's also the title of a track by the late, greatTony Allen- drummer for Afrobeat legendFela Kutiand lifelong friend and mentor of our very own "Afrobeat Ambassador",Dele Sosimi. Not only did Tony help to invent Afrobeat, he always looked for ways to push the boundaries, never content with recreating what had gone before but constantly expanding and developing the genre. This project hopes to pay homage to his legacy, and that of Fela Kuti himself. Its aim is to innovate, fuse and diversify while still retaining the essence of the music.

The force behind Eparapo is bassist, composer & producerSuman Joshi.He has been a member of Dele Sosimi's Afrobeat Orchestra for nearly a decade and has performed on stage with the likes of Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, Ginger Baker & Laura Mvula. He is also bassist with UK jazz ensemble Collocutor and fusion project Cubafrobeat.

"The Eparapo project was conceived during a time of lockdowns & government scandals. The music that makes up this album was written and recorded against a backdrop of societal upheaval, culture wars and rising wealth inequality. With little scrutiny or resistance from the mainstream media, our human and democratic rights were being eroded and our institutions debased. Even our right to protest is now under threat. This is a call to action, an expression of frustration & anger at what our nation has become. It's saying that enough is enough, it's time to join forces and make our voices heard. It's time to take to the streets."Suman Joshi

The title track is an epic eleven minute musical representation of this frustration and anger, where the musicians really let loose and allow their voices to be heard. As the only instrumental track on the album it acts as a call to action that is central to this body of work. Featured vocalists on the album are Fela Kuti disciple and Wah Wah 45s artistDele Sosimi, who appears on the singlesBlack Lives Matter,From London To LagosandWho Invented Back & White?as well as a more recent recording,Follow The Money; and London based, Ghanaian born master percussionist and vocalistAfla Sackey, who takes lead vocals on the mournful yet somehow hopefulBeautiful City.

The rest of the group comprises of highly rated UK jazz vocalistSahra Gure; saxophonist, composer, producer and bandleader of the renowned forward thinking jazz outfit Collocutor,Tamar Osborn; keyboard player, producer and front man for Lokkhi Terra and Cubafrobeat,Kishon Khan; one of the UK's finest and most in demand trumpeters,Graeme Flowers, who has played with Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter and many more; trombonist for Bellowhead and mainstay of Dele's Afrobeat Orchestra,Justin Thurgur; and finally drummer for Steamdown and Sons of Kemet, as well as the man behind the Nache project,Eddie Wakili Hick.

The album will be available digitally and limited edition vinyl LP, with striking artwork by our award winning designer Animisiewasz.

The Samosa label gets its Re-Funk Head on once again with Part 2 of the exciting sonic laboratory project.

Opening this outrageously good EP are Samosa alumni Dirty Elements & Drunk Drivers feat E.M.E and their all-powerful and energy blasting ‘Disco Ball’ – a track that never even attempts to hide its sassiness. The brass ensemble fanfare (which is truly one of the best disco riffs in the known universe) acts as a victory parade through Samosa City – all tickertape and confetti raining down on smiling faces. A serious, serious groove which has featured in sets by Art of Tones on his Ultimate Mix Show for Glitterbox Ibiza and by Folamour in his Amsterdam gigs in March 2024.

Track 2 is respected Italian Maestro, Moplen and the wonderful ‘Ain’t No Doubt About It’. There’s an immediate dance floor lure to the disco beats and bongo rhythms here. Take a good helping of ‘pew-pew’ laser bolts, cow bells and hand claps; add a masterful bassline and you have some serious, serious disco business. You could be sipping evening cocktails in Club Coco Bongo or taking in a beach at sunrise - this track would make you want to dance regardless.

On the B-side the disco theme continues with the most aptly titled ‘Sexy Thing’ by Jazzyfunk. At 122bpm, this heads quickly into soaring, heavenly strings and punchy bassline territory, enveloping your ears like a warm duvet. The melody is a dance floor dream – it demands that you join the hands-in-the-air crowd and there really is no point in resisting. ‘Sexy Thing’ is one of those rare ‘moment in time’ tunes that could either kick a night off or act as the grandest of grand finales. Pure, unadulterated disco pleasure.

Closing the EP with Track 4 is DeGama himself and ‘Feel The Groove’. Make no mistake, this is a powerful, brooding beast of a tune that bursts out of the traps in no time at all. At a very deceptive 120bpm, ‘Feel The Groove’ starts with a warm, housey vibe that quickly breaks into a jumping, blues inspirerd guitar battle. The solid beat bounces gorgeously in tandem with the filthy rhythm guitar riffs and sultry saxophone in a knee-slapping, somersaulting, backsliding explosion. A seriously filthy tune from DeGama.

Re-Funk Head Part 2 acts as a perfect companion to its predecessor – featuring an all-star cast of some of the best talents to grace Samosa. A must for all serious record collectors.

With the buzz around her building, Priddy made her biggest splash with the 2021 release of her debut album, The Eternal Rocks Beneath. The 10 self- penned tracks are delivered with a maturity and depth that belie the fact that this is her first full length release. At times tender, at times carrying a darker edge, the stories she weaves are transporting. Not surprising then that Nick Drake, John Martyn, Tunng and Scott Matthews are amongst her many influences.

The album was recorded over a 2-year period at Rebellious Jukebox studios, a little basement studio hidden beneath inner-city Birmingham and presided over by masterful producer Simon Weaver. The ensemble cast of musicians, including a sweeping string section, occasionally cut through by raw electric guitar and drums, as well as Richard March (Pop Will Eat Itself) on double bass and Mikey Kenny on fiddle, enhance Priddy's command of melody and lyricism and provide the perfect backdrop for the feelings of nostalgia and timelessness that underpin the record. Many of the songs were written during Priddy's teenage years and early twenties and reference themes of childhood and distant memories.

The title, 'Eternal Rocks Beneath' reflects this is Priddy's first album; the culmination of her earlier life experiences and the bedrock for whatever follows next.

Black Truffle is pleased to announce the first vinyl reissue of Trancedance, a wild slice of Swedish Afro-fusion from Christer Bothén, originally released in 1984. A major figure in Swedish jazz and improvised music since the 1970s, often heard on bass clarinet and tenor sax, Bothen studied doso n’koni (the large six-stringed ‘hunter’s harp’ of the Wasulu) in Mali in 1971-2 before turning to the guinbri (the three-stringed lute of the Gnawa/Gnauoua) in Marakesh later in the decade. In between, he performed extensively with Don Cherry during his Organic Music Society period and taught Cherry the doso n’koni. In the later 70s and 80s he worked with the most important figures in the distinctive Swedish jazz-rock-world fusion scene, joining Archimedes Badkar for their African-influenced Tre and participating in Bengt Berger’s legendary Bitter Funeral Beer Band. Many of the musicians who played on the Bitter Funeral Beer Band’s ECM LP (including Berger on drums, Anita Livstrand on voice and percussion and Tord Bengstsson on piano, violin and guitar) joined Bothén for one of the sessions that produced Trancedance, the first release under his own name, dedicated to his compositions. The other session introduced his seven-piece group Bolon Bata, heard on the second track of each side. The title track opens the album with the rubbery buzzing strings of the doso n’goni playing a hypnotic ten beat pattern, soon joined by bass and piano before the entire nine-piece group kicks in with a rollicking Afro-jazz workout, Berger’s drums driving an intricate, winding melodic line played by the horns with Mattias Helden’s cello throwing in pizzicato slides and smears. Bothén then takes centre stage on tenor sax, soloing with a wide, vibrating tone and moving seamlessly from soaring melodies to guttural stutters. After a return to the composed horn lines and a solo from Elsie Petrén on alto sax, the piece builds to an ecstatic conclusion of yelping voices and handclaps, gradually simmering down to return to the solo doso n’koni where it began.

The hypnotic sounds of the hunter’s harp carries over to ‘Mimouna’, where it is joined by Bothen’s overdubbed guinbri. The piece develops into a haunting whispered and sung invocation, gradually building momentum until the organic textures of strings, voices, and hand percussion are ruptured by Lennart Söderlund’s distorted guitar, which brings an unmistakable touch of 1984 to the otherwise timeless sound. Joined by chicken scratch guitar and increasingly dominated by the insistent clang of three of Bolon Bata’s members on karqab (a kind of cast-iron castanet), the grove develops frenetically.

The B side opens with the multi-part epic ‘9+10 Moving Pictures for the Ear’, at over 16 minutes the record’s longest piece. Though Bothen is heard only on horns on this piece, the hypnotic repeating bass line carries on the first side’s link to African musical traditions. Using an expanded 16-piece ensemble, the music balances untethered improvisation with carefully arranged passages of knotty ensemble playing that at points suggest Mingus, Moacir Santos or some of the ambitious post-free work being done in the same years by figures like David Murray or Henry Threadgill. The piece ends with a triumphant passage of looping unison melody reminiscent of the Scandinavian folk explorations of Arbete och Fritid (whose Kjell Westling is heard on bass clarinet and soprano sax here). The sound of Bjorn Lundqvist’s fretless bass introduces the odd left turn made by the record’s final track, a spaced-out expedition into bluesy horn lines and distant guitar atmospherics set to a semi-reggae beat, perfumed by the core Bolon Bata group and bearing the appropriate title of ‘The Horizon Stroller’. A must for fans of the Swedish scene around groups like Arbete och Fritid and Archimedes Badkar, as well as any listener who has been seduced by Louis Moholo’s Spirits Rejoice!, The Brotherhood of Breath, or, more recently, the guinbri grooves of Natural Information Society, Trancedance is a lost classic ripe for rediscovery.

Svart Records are proud to release the long-awaited full length album "SÁLA" by Kati Rán in May 2024

If the most profound treasures are often the most deeply buried, the journey to uncover them is vital process of discovery. Five years after the 15-minute single “Blodbylgje” signaled the birth of a new, more primordial, and immersive vision after the dissolution of her band L.E.A.F., Nordic dark folk artist Kati Rán has expanded on its oceanic theme for her long-awaited full-length album, “SÁLA”. Embarking on a far-reaching musical and personal travelogue, it’s a reawakening of both the feminine narratives submerged and fragmented within Norse mythology, and the enduring, healing powers held within.

Named after the Old Norse word for ‘soul’ and ‘sea’, “SÁLA” is an act of ‘soul retrieval’, the shamanic art of trauma recovery, be it illness, death, heartbreak or loss, and the reintegration of a splintered self. Across its 13, wide-ranging, elegantly unfolding tracks, the album is an embodiment of different feminine voices and perspectives – from the Norse nine daughters of the sea, or ‘billow maidens’, through various historical and fictional figures to the late-night voices we hear in our most liminal states – all with tales to tell, riddles to solve, challenges to be accepted and guidance to offer. It’s a multiplicity that, like the ocean itself, belongs to a vast, restless dynamic: a matrix of mysteries, unfathomable depths and ever-shifting currents, accumulating into an elemental, regenerative source of power.

Recorded in a barn in Húsafell, Iceland – home to glacier ice caves and a rare lava stone marimba rediscovered for the track “Stone Pillars” – as well as Finland, Norway and at home in Kati’s native Netherlands, “SÁLA” is as much chronicle of Kati’s own perspective-shifting recording process as it as a pilgrimage through different viewpoints and internal states. That itinerate urge is also reflected in the use of different languages, ranging across Norwegian, Old Norse, Icelandic, and, for the first time, English, her combination of ancient texts, historical reimagining’s and unguarded personal reflection backed up by deep research into the most resonant recesses of Nordic lore.

Spun throughout every thread of “SÁLA” is a sense of communion - with the power of stories to offer moral guidance and the thrill of the unknown; with the element of water, recreated across the album both in field recordings and the agelessly organic nature of the music itself; with the archetypes whose qualities we are called upon to embody at our most critical moments; and with the internal hidden realms forever whispering at us from the far edges of our consciousness.

Appropriately, it’s a collaborative venture too. As well as working closely together with Finnish producer Jaani Peuhu, there are contributions from across the musical spectrum, including extreme metal vocalist extraordinaire Gaahl, the Icelandic female choir Umbra Ensemble, renowned Norwegian jazz musician Karl Seglem, Björk and Brian Eno contrabassist Borgar Magnason, members of pagan folk acts Völuspá, Gealdýr, Heilung and Theodor Bastard and even Napalm Death’s Mitch Harris on vocals.

For all the many sources “SÁLA” draws from, the result is a singular, intimately transformative rite of passage, and a retuning of the heart to the reverent continuity of the sacred. It will take you from the opening title track’s chest-pounding rhythmic pulse emerging from a traditional Norwegian bukkehorn (recorded by Karl Seglem), a galloping horse-rider and Kati’s glacial, velveteen chant, through “Kólga’s” recounting of female persecution through the ages borne on the most gossamer-light yet unbreakable of timbres and “Stone Pillar’s” gently percolating, deep wells of abandonment and incantations to recovery. “SÁLA” closes with the track “Sátta” - Old Norse for ‘peace’ and ‘reconciliation’ – ending the album as it began with the bukkehorn, as it weaves rich drones and experience-stamped poems and prayers, Kati’s vocals the most sensitively tuned of emotional barometers. An album made in dedication, and in thrall to, its own sense of destiny, “SÁLA” is, as all quests must ultimately be, a homecoming.

Album introduction written by Jonathan Selzer.

Svart Records are proud to release the long-awaited full length album "SÁLA" by Kati Rán in May 2024

If the most profound treasures are often the most deeply buried, the journey to uncover them is vital process of discovery. Five years after the 15-minute single “Blodbylgje” signaled the birth of a new, more primordial, and immersive vision after the dissolution of her band L.E.A.F., Nordic dark folk artist Kati Rán has expanded on its oceanic theme for her long-awaited full-length album, “SÁLA”. Embarking on a far-reaching musical and personal travelogue, it’s a reawakening of both the feminine narratives submerged and fragmented within Norse mythology, and the enduring, healing powers held within.

Named after the Old Norse word for ‘soul’ and ‘sea’, “SÁLA” is an act of ‘soul retrieval’, the shamanic art of trauma recovery, be it illness, death, heartbreak or loss, and the reintegration of a splintered self. Across its 13, wide-ranging, elegantly unfolding tracks, the album is an embodiment of different feminine voices and perspectives – from the Norse nine daughters of the sea, or ‘billow maidens’, through various historical and fictional figures to the late-night voices we hear in our most liminal states – all with tales to tell, riddles to solve, challenges to be accepted and guidance to offer. It’s a multiplicity that, like the ocean itself, belongs to a vast, restless dynamic: a matrix of mysteries, unfathomable depths and ever-shifting currents, accumulating into an elemental, regenerative source of power.

Recorded in a barn in Húsafell, Iceland – home to glacier ice caves and a rare lava stone marimba rediscovered for the track “Stone Pillars” – as well as Finland, Norway and at home in Kati’s native Netherlands, “SÁLA” is as much chronicle of Kati’s own perspective-shifting recording process as it as a pilgrimage through different viewpoints and internal states. That itinerate urge is also reflected in the use of different languages, ranging across Norwegian, Old Norse, Icelandic, and, for the first time, English, her combination of ancient texts, historical reimagining’s and unguarded personal reflection backed up by deep research into the most resonant recesses of Nordic lore.

Spun throughout every thread of “SÁLA” is a sense of communion - with the power of stories to offer moral guidance and the thrill of the unknown; with the element of water, recreated across the album both in field recordings and the agelessly organic nature of the music itself; with the archetypes whose qualities we are called upon to embody at our most critical moments; and with the internal hidden realms forever whispering at us from the far edges of our consciousness.

Appropriately, it’s a collaborative venture too. As well as working closely together with Finnish producer Jaani Peuhu, there are contributions from across the musical spectrum, including extreme metal vocalist extraordinaire Gaahl, the Icelandic female choir Umbra Ensemble, renowned Norwegian jazz musician Karl Seglem, Björk and Brian Eno contrabassist Borgar Magnason, members of pagan folk acts Völuspá, Gealdýr, Heilung and Theodor Bastard and even Napalm Death’s Mitch Harris on vocals.

For all the many sources “SÁLA” draws from, the result is a singular, intimately transformative rite of passage, and a retuning of the heart to the reverent continuity of the sacred. It will take you from the opening title track’s chest-pounding rhythmic pulse emerging from a traditional Norwegian bukkehorn (recorded by Karl Seglem), a galloping horse-rider and Kati’s glacial, velveteen chant, through “Kólga’s” recounting of female persecution through the ages borne on the most gossamer-light yet unbreakable of timbres and “Stone Pillar’s” gently percolating, deep wells of abandonment and incantations to recovery. “SÁLA” closes with the track “Sátta” - Old Norse for ‘peace’ and ‘reconciliation’ – ending the album as it began with the bukkehorn, as it weaves rich drones and experience-stamped poems and prayers, Kati’s vocals the most sensitively tuned of emotional barometers. An album made in dedication, and in thrall to, its own sense of destiny, “SÁLA” is, as all quests must ultimately be, a homecoming.

Album introduction written by Jonathan Selzer.