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Ben Ritz has released EPs on Sweat Equity and Merge Layers. He's not afraid of the high bpms, but this isn't all blender no tender. This is futuristic, hard yet funky techno that is undeniably for the freaks. Find him in NYC or on his vinyl debut right here.

A1 "Up And Down" opens up with an ear-worm, repetitive melody that bangs and jacks with the hard kick and hi-hats. Freakish manipulation of the melody, tasteful breakdown and build-up, and a good dose of space throughout the track make this an undeniable sweat-dripper, trippy chugger. A2 "Do Make Me Strange" has a similarly catchy diddy that undulates around the drums. Restraint is the key here. Hard but funky, with distorted and drippy acidic takes on the main simplistic melodic line--this is a cerebral come-up, cooling your sweaty skin and leading your body to the nooks and crannies of the Hyper Groove.

The title track "Easily Disturbed" opens up the B side by ushering in the mood of the later hours. This is titillating, popping, syncopated, subtle, but still raucous techno right here. Perfect for mid-peak and when you're in your head, sending forces of rave rhythm telepathically to the rest of the dance floor. "Crystalline" closes out the EP with a boom and bang. Hypnosis overcomes. The ego-death has won out against your anxieties. This is music for the thrill-seekers of metropolitan dystopias worldwide...executed with nuance and style.

Atlanta emcee Tha God Fahim remains a true outlier, releasing new music at a remarkable pace without sacrificing depth or quality. Recently, the talented artist linked with Montreal producer Nicholas Craven for two masterful new EPs within the span of a month, drawing widespread praise in the process. Now, both volumes of "Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King" are available in one physical release. Featuring guest vocals from Your Old Droog, this two-part collection unites powerful creative forces, with Fahim weaving consistently inventive street parables over Craven’s cinematic, soul-drenched production.

The Sub Pop debut by ever-evolving art-punk band Guerilla Toss, who have done prior releases with DFA, Tzadik, NNA Tapes and Feeding Tube Records. This album follows a 2020 Sub Pop Singles Club release.

Past releases have received great reviews, including acclaim from The Needledrop, Stereogum (Best EPs Of 2019) and more.

Dig deep enough inside yourself - start treating your body as your sanctuary rather than your enemy - and eventually you’ll find yourself blooming right back out into the sun. That’s the transformation Guerilla Toss trace on their newest album ‘Famously Alive’, their effervescent Sub Pop debut. After a decade sprinkling glitter into grit, building a reputation as one of the most ferociously creative art-rock groups working, the upstate New York band have eased fully into their light. This is Guerilla Toss at their most luminescent - awake, alive and extending an open invitation to anyone who wants to soak it all up beside them.

Singer and lyricist Kassie Carlson, multi-instrumentalist Peter Negroponte and guitarist Arian Shafiee wrote ‘Famously Alive’ at home in the Catskills during the pervading quiet of the pandemic year. The uncertainty of COVID-19 lockdowns and the total disruption of routine forced Carlson to negotiate with herself in new and challenging ways. “You have to be with yourself all the time during the pandemic,” she says. “I had to figure out a way to manage my anxiety. The pandemic was hard, but it helped me get comfortable inside my own body. My peace of mind came out of being thrust into the deepest shit. This album is all about being happy, being alive, and strength. It’s meant to inspire people.”

‘Famously Alive’ finds Guerilla Toss coming into the fullness of their power, celebrating their prismatic idiosyncrasies from a place of optimism and abundance. It is a joyous album, equal parts bizarre, accessible and fun.

The Sub Pop debut by ever-evolving art-punk band Guerilla Toss, who have done prior releases with DFA, Tzadik, NNA Tapes and Feeding Tube Records. This album follows a 2020 Sub Pop Singles Club release.

Past releases have received great reviews, including acclaim from The Needledrop, Stereogum (Best EPs Of 2019) and more.

Dig deep enough inside yourself - start treating your body as your sanctuary rather than your enemy - and eventually you’ll find yourself blooming right back out into the sun. That’s the transformation Guerilla Toss trace on their newest album ‘Famously Alive’, their effervescent Sub Pop debut. After a decade sprinkling glitter into grit, building a reputation as one of the most ferociously creative art-rock groups working, the upstate New York band have eased fully into their light. This is Guerilla Toss at their most luminescent - awake, alive and extending an open invitation to anyone who wants to soak it all up beside them.

Singer and lyricist Kassie Carlson, multi-instrumentalist Peter Negroponte and guitarist Arian Shafiee wrote ‘Famously Alive’ at home in the Catskills during the pervading quiet of the pandemic year. The uncertainty of COVID-19 lockdowns and the total disruption of routine forced Carlson to negotiate with herself in new and challenging ways. “You have to be with yourself all the time during the pandemic,” she says. “I had to figure out a way to manage my anxiety. The pandemic was hard, but it helped me get comfortable inside my own body. My peace of mind came out of being thrust into the deepest shit. This album is all about being happy, being alive, and strength. It’s meant to inspire people.”

‘Famously Alive’ finds Guerilla Toss coming into the fullness of their power, celebrating their prismatic idiosyncrasies from a place of optimism and abundance. It is a joyous album, equal parts bizarre, accessible and fun.

Very much at the forefront of the UK electronic scene, since 2001, Shelley Parker has innovated and thrilled with live performances, DJ sets, sound installations, and scores for contemporary dance.

Parker's recorded output is just a small part of her musical orbit. That said, a debut album 'Spurn Point' in 2014 and various singles, remixes and EPs for Hessle Audio, One Little Indie, Honest Jon's, Houndstooth, Structure Recordings and OOH-sounds have whet the appetite for more.

'Wisteria' lands on Hypercolour, and succinctly encapsulates Parker's layered and dense production aesthetic, as a myriad of concrete rhythms, breakbeat science, inner city ambience and industrial strength bass unfurl over eight uncompromising compositions.

‘Wisteria’ by Shelley Parker is available on 2LP/Digital from 25th March 2022 on Hypercolour.

Colorado-based RUMTUM (aka John Hastings), an acclaimed visual artist and up-and-coming producer returns to Bastard Jazz with his first full-length offering: "Isles In Indigo." Arriving after a slew of successful singles (many of which can be found on the album) and EPs, "Isles In Indigo" both stays true to his established sound, and expands on the artistic vision; a luscious combination of aquatic ambient, lo-fi hip-hop, and mellow, melodic electronic, the record traverses the depths of the ocean to the outer reaches of the cosmos.

New offerings on the album include "Lost My Heart In Space" - an ethereal, downtempo cut - "Half Set Valley," which explores instrumental lo-fi replete with distant, chopped and edited spoken word samples, "Coastal Ruins" with nods to breakbeat, "Mystic Symbols," a trippy minimal track, and the album closer, "Commit Way," which journeys from washed-out ambient to spacey hip-hop. Of course the LP also includes many RUMTUM mainstay singles, including "Shade Fader," "Tropic Air," and "Borealis."

Electronic producer and instrumental enthusiast RUMTUM has a unique approach to crafting his melodic melodies. May it be his love for native spirits, mystic symbols or even sea life, sampling the natural world plays the biggest part in the dynamics of his writing. Ambient loops and saturated synth lines set the tone while the bass and drums do most of the story telling.

"Isles In Indigo" is a stunning freshman release from a budding artist on the rise. Stay tuned for the physical LP arriving March 2022, complete with an original art insert.

Washington DC, 1969

Two sublime ultra obscure Northern Soul gems

First time re-release on Epsilon Record Co.

2001’s »Anima« was the third album released by Sasu Ripatti under his Vladislav Delay moniker and marked a turning point in the stylistic development of the prolific producer. Clocking in at roughly 62 minutes, the single piece draws on dub aesthetics while working with Musique concrète-like methods through the liberal use of samples to create a dreamlike logic. Muffled voices, lush chords, subtle rhythms and indefinable sound events are not so much integrated into a composition with a predetermined outcome but rather engage with each other freely in a constant sonic flow, forming constellations in one moment before moving on to connect with other elements in the next one. »Anima« marked the first time Ripatti was using a DAW in his working process, creating a piece constantly in motion that subtly evolves over time. This vinyl reissue on the German Keplar label follows up on the 20th anniversary edition of 2000’s »Multila« and will be complemented by a ten-minute long version of the original piece, previously only available on the CD version released by the artist on his own Huume label in 2008.

After the release of his »Ele« and »Entain« albums in 1999 and 2000, respectively, Ripatti took the 1998 independent movie »Hurlyburly« as a conceptual starting point to experiment with different gear and production methods. »Until then I had worked with an old MSQ-700 MIDI sequencer and an Ensonic EPS16 sampler/sequencer that had one or two MB of sampling memory and mixed the music live on a Mackie, which was very limiting arrangement-wise,« says Ripatti. Loading a slightly shortened version of the film into his DAW however allowed him to play along to it with the DrumKAT MIDI controller, triggering and playing all the sounds that can be heard on »Anima« while also contributing synths, bass and other sounds during repeated playthroughs before mixing a total of six stereo tracks together. »This way, after I had edited out most of the few parts that had music in them, I was in the movie; almost like an extra character playing music,« explains Ripatti. »This was certainly the most organic way in which I have ever made music, and I have never again approached another record like this.«

While »Anima« sounded like an unusual Vladislav Delay record at the time of its release, it also prefigured many of the developments Ripatti would go through in the course of his long career. Combining visceral immediacy with a sense of abstraction, it is far more than a mere missing link in his discography but rather a conceptually and musically outstanding piece of work that remains as engaging as it was 21 years ago.

All tracks composed and recorded by Vladislav Delay.
Originally released on Mille Plateaux in 2001.
Remaster and cut by Kassian Troyer @ D&M.
Art direction and design by Marc Hohmann.
Text by Kristoffer Cornils.

Fresh in from the powerhouse that is Bokeh Versions, we have a first time vinyl issue of two (future)classic Dancehall EPs from Kingston - RDL Shellah's 'Showcase' on one side, and G Sudden's 'Bunout Boss' on the other, with the elusive / productive SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL on production on both sides.

Tropicantesimo is a music ritual extended over time and a celebration of sound and dance. It all started 10 years ago at the Fanfulla club in Rome. Nothing more than a party that over the years has transformed into a collective listening experience out of time and space. Meanwhile the collective animated by DJ Hugo Sanchez, Lola Kola, Rocco Bartucci, Gabor and Egeeno moved to a new club called Pescheria, and opened up to spontaneous live jams and collaborations with musicians and DJs from various backgrounds. Rhythms are incessant while the BPM is slow and hypnotic. Vocals flow between songs, messages and pure sound, while music is an organism which produces energy. The fruit of all this lives through extensive production work based on recordings collected over the years.

"Tropicantesimo Session 2" is the second of a series of three EPs presented as anticipations of the Tropicantesimo Gitania album release.

Like the first EP, this new chapter contains three songs recorded and mixed at Pescheria, the Tropicantesimo laboratory. "Perfidia" is a jazz and easy listening "classic" from the 1940s, re-sung on a recent techno dub track produced by Donato Dozzy and slowed down to become a new, sexy and enchanting tune. Egeeno's fluidity gives new soul to the piece and projects it right into the future. This is one of those pieces born during live sessions, even though the recorded version reflects the truth of the moment in which it was recorded. An Instant classic! ‘Oro Rosso’ comes from a summer session in which we decided to work on a song by a raw garage band called Gli Offesi. This is a song about submission, sexism, racism and eventually revenge, even though Lola Kola's singing opens up further interpreta ve scenarios. As for most of Pescheria sessions, guests can be very unpredictable, and here we have Maria Violenza the Punk queen. 'Bolla Napoli' is a journey through timeless sounds and feelings. From Neapolitan storytellers to the sublime world of Erik Satie with Lola Kola and Egeeno joining in a jam inspired by two classic songs "Maruzzella" and "Anema e core" both combined with the unpredictable sound texture of the backing track.

After a string of diverse EPs on Swiss labels Light of Other Days & Subject To Restrictions Ethimm returns in winter 21/22 with his debut album. The record delivers snapshots of a hopeless romantic’s life packed into an eccentric mix of genres, all in the spirit of balearic. Fever dreams of Disco, New Wave, Dub and Leftfield Pop echo throughout the 32 minutes. Tales from the jet set, delusions of grandeur and the hangover that comes after, long gone love affairs and one’s raison d’être are among the many subjects Ethimm touches. Distinctly nodding towards the 80ies without falling into cliché references, the album feels familiar yet uniquely contemporary.

The cover art features a bust of producer Elisabeth Thimm’s head, as interpreted by artist Paa Joe. The 12 inch comes complete with a 180g, heavyweight white vinyl with a beautifully printed inner sleeve revealing the albums lyrics.

On ‘Luminal rec.’ s next 12-incher Black Lotus starts the acid engines with the title track “Thrust”
- a raw old-schooled rave interpretation cut from a freestyle 303 jam.

“High-Octane” dives towards even faster worlds while developing a relentless grinding touch that reminds of good old days.

“Mechanic Galaxy” on Side B is their soft counterpart;
With its dreamy chords and dancing shakers it balances this four-tracker out - a constellation we are used to from previous EPs.

Also “Interplanetary” comes along with a puristic touch, while focusing on less elements
- never compromising on the speeds.

New stuff from recent times.
Play it loud!

Zach Condon, der Kopf hinter Beirut, veröffentlicht mit Artifacts eine Doppel-LP mit Musik, die die Entwicklung von Beirut nachzeichnet - von den ersten Versuchen des 14-jährigen Condon, die Musik, die er in seinem Kopf hörte, zum Leben zu erwecken, bis hin zu dem voll entwickelten Beirut, das wir heute kennen. Artifacts begann ganz bescheiden mit der Zusammenstellung einiger früher Beirut-EPs für eine richtige physische Veröffentlichung. Wie Condon jedoch in den exzellenten Liner Notes des Albums erklärt, verwandelte das Wiedersehen mit alten Aufnahmen durch neue Ohren ein einfaches Re-Issue-Projekt in etwas viel Expansiveres. "Als die Entscheidung fiel, diese Sammlung neu zu veröffentlichen, habe ich mich dabei ertappt, wie ich meine Festplatten durchwühlte, um etwas Zusätzliches zu finden, das ich der Compilation hinzufügen konnte. Was mit ein paar zusätzlichen, unveröffentlichten Tracks aus meinen prägenden Jahren begann, wuchs schnell zu einer ganzen Reihe zusätzlicher Musik aus meiner Vergangenheit heran, und zu einem größeren Projekt, bei dem ich alles, was ich fand, remixte und remasterte." ENG Retrospective of rarities and b-sides spanning the entirety of Beirut's catalog. 17 of the 26 songs on Artifacts have not been previously released.Artifacts began humbly as a means of compiling a few early Beirut EPs for a proper physical release. However, as Zach Condon explains in album's excellent liner notes, reconnecting with old recordings through fresh ears turned a simple re-issue project into something much more expansive.

Mercurial London artist Nilüfer Yanya announces her hugely anticipated second
album, ‘PAINLESS’, for release via ATO Records.
 ‘PAINLESS’ is the follow-up to Nilüfer Yanya’s renowned 2019 debut album, ‘Miss
Universe’, which fully established her as a singular artist and a distinctive voice that
simply has to be heard.
 The critically acclaimed ‘Miss Universe’ - a widescreen concept record that took a
tongue in cheek swipe at the most self-involved corners of the health and wellness
industry - was followed last year by the three song EP ‘Feeling Lucky?’, which further
explored Yanya’s fascination with ‘90s alt-rock melodies and drew on themes of
resentment, her fear of flying, and the concept of luck. Pitchfork summed up ‘Feeling
Lucky?’ and her now peerless songwriting aptitude best: “Nilüfer Yanya’s melodies
have a pull so strong they almost necessitate their own law of physics.”
 Yanya also re-released her early EPs on vinyl for the first time this year, on the
record ‘Inside Out’. The release is a fundraiser for Artists in Transit, a collaborative
not for profit group she founded with her sister Molly that delivers art workshops to
displaced people and communities in times of hardship.
 As the daughter of two visual artists (her Irish-Barbadian mother is a textile designer
and her Turkish-born father’s work is exhibited at the British Museum), creativity was
always destined for Nilüfer Yanya’s future. Now she enters the next stage of her
creative journey - Yanya is running head first into the depths of emotional
vulnerability on her sophomore record, ‘PAINLESS’. The album was recorded
between a basement studio in Stoke Newington and Riverfish Music in Penzance
with ‘Miss Universe’ collaborator and producer Wilma Archer, DEEK Recordings
founder Bullion, Big Thief producer Andrew Sarlo and musician Jazzi Bobbi.
 Where ‘Miss Universe’ stretched musical boundaries to include a litany of styles from
smooth jazz melodies to radio ready pop, ‘PAINLESS’ takes a more direct sonic
approach. By narrowing down her previously broad palette to a handful of robust
ideas that revolve around melancholy harmonies and looped industrial beats to mimic
the insular focus of the lyrics, Yanya has smoothed out the idiosyncrasies of previous
releases without losing what is essential to her.
 ‘PAINLESS’ is a record that forces the listener to sit with the discomfort that
accompanies so many of life’s biggest challenges whether it be relationship
breakdowns, coping with loneliness, or the search for our inner self. “It's a record
about emotion,” Yanya explains. “I think it's more open about that in a way that ‘Miss
Universe’ wasn't because there's so many cloaks and sleeves with the concept I built
around it.” Summing up the ethos of the new album, she adds, “I’m not as scared to
admit my feelings.”
 Should stock of ATO0594BI1 sell out, a different standard vinyl format will be made
available (ATO0594LP).
 “A distinctive new voice in indie rock, a deeply expressive singer and sharply
inventive guitarist” - Uncut
 “On a musical and human level, then, the world needs more people like Nilüfer
Yanya” - MOJO
 “A true original” - The Guardian

Wednesday 24th November - Kojey Radical, one of the UK's most influential musical voices, today announces details of his highly-anticipated debut album. Titled Reason To Smile, the 15 track album will be released on 4th March 2021 via Asylum / Atlantic Records. It features guest appearances from Tiana Major9, Masego, Shaé Universe, Cash, Kelis, Lex Amor, Knucks, Shakka, Wretch 32, Ego Ella May and Rex Life Raj and his own mother (whose voice weaves throughout the record) alongside a who's-who of global production talent including KZ, Swindle, Jay Prince, iO, The FaNaTiX, Cadenza, 169, Venna, Ric & Thadeus, Blue Lab Beats, Emil Larbi, Mr Cutts and Ed Thomas.

Having already made such an indelible mark on British music it's hard to believe that Kojey Radical has never released an album. Over four previous EPs, Kojey Radical has given people greatness but on Reason To Smile he's striving for perfection. Defined by a sound he describes as "space and bass" and featuring the singles "War Outside (ft Lex Amor)" and "Gangsta", Reason To Smile is without doubt Kojey Radical's most ambitious and complete work to date and an emphatic statement of the levels at which he operates.

Kojey Radical today also announces details of his “From Me To You” tour. Commencing on 4th March (album release day), the tour will see Kojey partner with record stores across the UK for a run of in-store and out-store shows and signings throughout album release week. These intimate shows will be a rare opportunity to see Kojey Radical so up close and personal and are sure to sell out quickly

Your Planet Is Next is the nom de guerre of one Arvid Wretman –
multidisciplinary artist, live performer and noise maker from Stockholm, Sweden.
Since his 2014 debut cassette under the YPIN alias, through two floor-optimised solo EPs for Studio Barnhus, this self-proclaimed “Mr. Music” has terrorised us with the most gloriously disturbed electronic funk, all while cultivating his puzzling YPIN persona: part failed pop-star, part extraterrestrial threat. On his first fulllength release for Studio Barnhus, emotions range from acidic romance to pure paranoia. Rave, screw, electro, and chill vibes are all combined on an album that plays like an exhilarating journey through the mind of a mad genius.

Alt-R&B singer, songwriter, and producer Marshall Vincent announces his new EP 'In No Particular Order', a collection of five tracks on SA Recordings. Inspired by his time living in Berlin, New York, and Chicago, Marshall weaves together a soulful blend of orchestral, electronic, pop and folk elements to tell stories of life and love in vivid colour. Songs that are a mix of heartfelt ballads, haunting basslines, and dramatic strings draw a strong line to the alternative R&B of Moses Sumney, and the folky inspired songs of Kate Bush. Following a series of EPs that have garnered him critical praise - as well as landing him a support set for Kelsey Lu - In No Particular Order draws upon a multidisciplinary background spanning orchestral and theatrical training to explore the idea of ‘provocative healing’ - the use of pain, conflict, and emotional turmoil to create love, honesty, and intimacy. Sonically, Marshall’s music can be defined as intimate R&B, but there are threads of classical, folk, and electronic present, and all woven together with the aim of honest, universal storytelling. More important than genre is the pursuit of clarity and meaning, and as such, the references found within Marshall’s work are abundant. "I have always been quite sensitive, since I was a child. I also experienced hardships that made me closed off, cold and detached. I had to learn to face my pain. This fight manifested itself into creation. The ability and need to create my own world helped me see myself in others. In a way, it feels no different than the creation of a universe… my mania, my intensity, and my stress go into themselves, and they explode in these moments… sonic textures, movements, visual cues… all acting as tools to put me back together." - Marshall Vincent

Having become one of Crosstown Rebels’ key artists in recent years, Barcelona-born Tibi Dabo returns to the label this February with his latest EP, the four track Isla. Since debuting on the label in 2019, Tibi Dabo (AKA Max Guardans) has cemented his place amongst the Crosstown family with standout EPs such as Disbelieve and The Distance We Share, the latter of which featuring two remixes from David Morales.

Tibi Dabo creates this scene perfectly as the title track opens proceedings, easing the listener in with delicate pads before waves of harmonious elements and finely placed percussions dance in and out of the track. Mothball then further emphasises the artist’s attention to detail as its lead melody and vocal-chops develop in tandem throughout. Brain The Cut follows, acting as a metaphorical signal of nightfall on Tibi Dabo’s conceptual island. Rounding off the release, Arp 8 delivers warming melodies atop of a subtle break beat in an exquisitely emotive manner.

Still in its infancy, yet mature in its intention, the Tibi Dabo project sees Max in his element; drawing on over a decade of playing and making music, perfectly demonstrated on Isla. Emerging from a new generation of multi-disciplined artists, Tibi Dabo’s refreshingly unique sound has also seen him remix for Crosstown Rebels head Damian Lazarus on two occasions. Determined and full of creative energy, Tibi Dabo thrives on producing music with no restrictions and, driven by his own need for exploration together with the support of influential industry figureheads, he has a locker full of fresh new music to unleash.

Cut For The Original Analog Tapes At Bernie Grundman’s Mastering. Includes Hi Res Audio Download Card. Black vinyl re-issue For Europe (2000 copies). CURTAINS is the eighth solo album by JOHN FRUSCIANTE. It was originally released on February 1, 2005. The album features contributions from AUTOLUX drummer CARLA AZAR, upright bassist KEN WILD, and THE MARS VOLTA guitarist OMAR RODRÍGUEZ-LÓPEZ. John Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, composer, and producer. He is best known as the former guitarist of the rock band RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (1988 until 1992 and from 1998 until 2009). He recorded five studio albums with them and was recently inducted into the ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME. Frusciante has an active solo career, having released twelve solo albums and five EPs; his recordings include elements ranging from experimental rock and ambient music to new wave and electronica. He has also recorded with numerous other artists, including the Mars Volta, for whom he was a studio guitarist (and occasional live performer) from 2002 until 2008; JOSH KLINGHOFFER and JOE LALLY, with whom he released two albums as Ataxia; and various collaborations with both Klinghoffer and Omar Rodríguez-López. He has also produced and/or recorded with Duran Duran, Wu-Tang Clan, Swahili Blonde, Black Knights, The Bicycle Thief, Glenn Hughes, Ziggy Marley, Johnny Cash, George Clinton, Johnny Marr, Dewa Budjana and others.

As a young kid I always wanted to be a musician especially with my brothers.
My Dad, Major Williams Sr started it all with my Brother Lil Major Williams and Garland Williams.
They would travel and play music at venues all over Texas and surroundings States.

I myself stared playing the snare drum in Junior High school and eventually started playing with the Majortones Band which was my dad and brothers group.

I remember the first time I ever sat behind a set of drums it was like a dream come true.
We were playing at this club in Houston, called the Green Parrot.
Garland which was the drummer at the time, I think he got sick or something happened, that's when my dad came to me and said this your time Ray.

I was so scared , keep in my I was only 11years old, anyway I played that night if it had not been for the Bass player (Fox was his name) telling me how to work the foot pedal and high hats snare we wouldn't have made he just kept telling me to stay on the one, at that time I was wondering what was the one Lol.

As time went by I started really getting the hang the thing call music.

Little Major was a big James Brown fan, so we played a lot of Brown's music and if I tell you we were tight and right.

Major wrote Girl Don't Leave in 1978 and I can't remember the real reason for the title of song but it did really good lot's of air play.

As time went on Lil Major, Garland and my Dad passed away.

That's when I started managing The Majortones Band and to this Day it's still going strong.

I re-wrote Girl Don't Leave Me and released it a few years ago which was the best thing I could have ever done.

I feel like it's my time in the music industry, I've been playing for over forty years and I'm still in love with it and still having lots of fun.

Hangman's Chair, formed in 2005 in Paris, are one of the most unique sounding doom rock bands currently active. Through the years, they have found and fine-tuned their own sonic brand, somewhere at the crossroads between Type O Negative, Alice In Chains and Sisters of Mercy, to name a few, mixed with a certain street credibility connected to the group’s roots in hardcore, and even tinges of shoegaze. ‘Cold Doom’ as the band likes to call it.

Each album takes its strength and essence from the band members’s life experiences, which they portrait with unflinching honesty. Whether it is the loss of band members, drug overdoses or the hardships of living in suburban Paris, all those human emotions resonate within each of their songs as they embrace the darkness and transform it into something beautiful, heavy and melancholic.

After five studio albums and a handful of splits / EPs, Hangman's Chair is releasing their sixth studio album, "A Loner", their first record on Germany based, worldwide leading metal label Nuclear Blast. Telling tales about loneliness in all its forms, this record has all the trademarks that makes Hangman's Chair’s music so visceral, and will keep you in its tight grip from the very first listen.

Here’s a split vinyl of quarantine protest jams from two Seattle heavy-hitters: AJ Suede & Specswizard. Both artists were inspired by 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests, mask-wearing, and stay-at-home orders to produce boom-bap tunes that could only exist in the 21st Century. Insomniac magazine praises the pair’s “next level lyricism.” The Seattle Times picked AJ Suede’s brilliant “Long May We Rain” as one of the best albums of 2020. On the flip side of this cross-generational split LP, you’ll find the vinyl-only “Lost Gems” project from Specswizard. He’s a veteran of Seattle’s scene, releasing dozens of self-produced cassettes and EPs since his start way back in 1988. Here, the familiar sound of buzzing amps and tape hiss makes way for major-key soul turned into pensive bangers. Each artist’s low, late-night-in-the-living-room baritone conjures the feeling of recording in a cramped apartment while the neighbors are sleeping. Still, the beats knock like side doors and narratives hover like heavy rain from cumulus clouds of weed smoke. Together, these two records provide a powerhouse portrait of Black life in the American Northwest today. Only 500 individually numbered copies have been pressed.

After some wicked EPs by Yosh, Etch and Tom Jarmey, here is some proper underground UK flavour courtesy of Burnski's Vivid imprint - a new sub label of Constant Sound. The latest one this week is by the enigmatic Tamoshi. On the A side, we have the snarling minimalist roller called 'The System' which is quite reminiscent of early DJ Krust. Over on the flip, hear a convincingly old school junglist stepper, the fittingly titled 'Darkside' that goes all the way back to '95. One for the heads.

- Followup to 2015's Insides. - RIYL: Jacques Greene, Leon Vynehall, DJ Seinfeld, Project Pablo - Features cover art by Salvador Dalí protégé Steven Arnold. - Silver halide (gray + black marble) vinyl limited to 1,500 copies worldwide - Vinyl is housed in a black dust sleeve inserted in to a matte varnish jacket with metallic silver spot color // After a run of critically-acclaimed singles and EPs, British producer Michael Greene, aka Fort Romeau, returns to the full-length format with Beings of Light, the long-awaited follow-up to 2015's Insides and his second LP on Ghostly International. While a prolific DJ who orients many of his productions for the dancefloor, Greene still sees the album as the ultimate statement of intent, "a space to stretch out, to speak in full paragraphs rather than stunted sentences." He has explored several stylistic fragments in recent years (including the summer 2018 anthem "Pablo," hailed a Best New Track by Pitchfork), but when faced with the extended pause to the dance community in 2020, Greene felt compelled to focus on a larger body of work. Embracing a back-to-basics mentality, he amassed over a dozen hours of sounds, asking himself throughout the sessions: "Does the music move you? Is it honest?" He came out the other end with Beings of Light, an expressive collection traversing rainy day ambient, moonlit disco, and dream-like techno in pursuit of the power found within our subconscious. Album opener "Untitled IV" ushers in a sprinting tempo in its exploration of the human voice, a recurring device in the Fort Romeau project. Greene uses it as a compositional layer, disembodied with its context often opaque or reduced to a single phrase. Here the voice is scattered in percussive twitches, colliding with a kick drum to induce a near state of hypnosis as horns sound off in the distance. Propulsive standout "Spotlights'' is Greene's ode to the romanticised New York City that lives in our hearts, nocturnal and carefree. A vocal snippet repeats the title with a breezy poise, reminiscent of classic house cuts. "Ramona'' honors the beloved Robert Johnson club in Offenbach, Germany. Hazy, spacious, and sustained, Greene designed the beat with their system in mind, "also with a strong nod to the more modern lineage of exceptional minimal house music from Frankfurt," he says. Two ambient pieces surround the track, "(In The) Rain" sets the scene and "Porta Coeli" (a Latin phrase which loosely translates to "heaven's gate") soundtracks the comedown. The album's closer, the title track, is an arc constructed with atmospheric textures, euphoric swings of percussion, and a well-placed piano refrain, "Beings of Light" is adaptive; one could imagine it reverberating from a club, scoring the emotional apex of a film, or radiating through the realm of dreams.

Carl Finlow keeps on keeping on. As the world changes around him, the veteran producer continues to do what he does best - craft top-quality electro tunes which invoke the sound's Drexciyan heyday, yet carry themselves with an assurance that is all of Finlow's own.

Finlow remains a prolific producer more than a quarter of a century on from his emergence. Still averaging several records a year across a variety of aliases, recent times have seen Finlow forge particularly strong links with the Central Processing Unit label. Now, after a run of EPs for the Sheffield imprint which began with 2018's 'Projections', Finlow's Silicon Scally project offers up CPU's first drop of 2022 in the form of the 'Field Lines' LP.

Silicon Scally productions have long been marked out by how they combine piston-precise beat programming with more textured synth play. 'Field Lines' runs with this formula to deliver some of Finlow's most atmospheric material to date. At once shadowy and expansive, listening to 'Field Lines' is the aural equivalent of taking a night-time drive around some futuristic metropolis.

The beats cruise sleekly here. Many of these burbling machine-funk numbers hover at mid-tempo, the crisp clip of their drum programming given shape and depth by all sorts of percussive tones fizzing around at the fringes of the mix. Even when 'Field Lines' seems to set its sights on the club - the Bunker Records-aping 'Amino', for instance, or the dystopian whizz-bang of 'Static Fire' - the tracks here strut sturdily rather than giving in to full-on freakouts.

However, from this sturdy base, Finlow moves outwards. Working with tones which range from rapid-fire machine-gun bass to keening, dawn chorus keyboard pads, Finlow leads us through the futurescape with the expertise of a seasoned guide. Cuts like 'Submerged' and 'Yield' are brilliantly cinematic, blooming from those reliable drum pulses into miniature masterpieces of nocturnal electronics. Elsewhere on 'Field Lines' there is a mechanical majesty to 'Inhibitor' and 'Altered Domain' which invokes the brave new worlds that Kraftwerk repeatedly conjured in their heyday.

Central Processing Unit's first release of 2022 is 'Field Lines', an LP of electro-funk explorations from Carl Finlow's Silicon Scally project which will thrill regardless of whether it's experienced through headphones or out on the dancefloor.

RIYL: Drexciya, Kraftwerk, Cygnus, Annie Hall

Aleksandar Grozdanovski aka Herzel makes his debut on Massimiliano Pagliara's Funnuvojere Records. This release follows a series of EPs on labels like Dubwax, Uncanny Valley and Hivern Discs, as well as a couple of recently self released ambient LPs.

The four tracks exemplify Herzel's mastery of cosmic soundscapes. The rarefied synth lines of A1 - Bitter Tears animate an ecstatic dancefloor. This is deep psychedelic House at its best and it resonates with the arpeggiated and enveloping B1 - Shaking Slightly. A2 - DSCN is unexpectedly raw reminiscing Ghetto House washed over with Cold Waves. Closing the record B2 - Ghosting rises in a dome of fuzzy yet penetrating frequencies. All the compositions sound exquisitely sharp and alive thanks to the skilful beat structures that create a very solid groove.

Fraxinus emerges from temporary suspension with a monolithic 6-track offering on his new self-release label Powerplant. This is his debut EP Position Displacement, carved from a solid block of Devonian granite. After a 4-year dormancy, the Amsterdam-based artist returns with a 30 minute transmission of earth-shaking kick drums, thunderous percussion and razor-sharp sound design. The label’s inaugural release simultaneously marks the first proper outing for the artist, following a run of compilation features & special edition vinyl excursions dating back to 2014. Position Displacement is a journey of divergent moods & cadences, from the wistful flutes of opener Overland to final track Laced’s uncompromising arpeggios. Billowing melodies & piercing stabs run in tandem with a pummelling & steppy rhythm section; Source Code builds steadily, paving the way for Pass One’s warehouse-ready assault. The blooming, fluorescent synths of 115 (Kondo) - named for the mythical Amsterdam club - create a mid-way moment of euphoria, before Larch marches on with its clattering drums. The tracks clearly contain DNA from Fraxinus' foundations with the Her Records cohort – lean, direct & forward-thinking. This time around the aesthetic is more focused, transferred to techno schematics but veering away from 4/4 fare. The sonics have been compacted into dense slabs of energy, primed for soundsystem dispatch. Wholly original, crafted with precision; the EP serves as a powerful statement of intent for both artist & label. Position Displacement will be released 05/11/2021 on 12” vinyl and digital download, presented with full sleeve artwork. The record is followed by a further 2 EPs on Powerplant as we enter 2022.

ARCYDARO - Label offers their latest Release also with a special Bundle containing three EPs:

ARCYDARO 01
ARCYDARO 02
ARCYDARO 03

Parcels have always been a band of extreme light and shade: they’re from surf hotspot Byron Bay in Australia but they’ve been holed up in grimy nightlife utopia Berlin for years; their sweet-as-honey vocal harmonies rival the Beach Boys but they can also turn their live shows into slamming techno rave-ups. The twentysomethings stand out amid the current musical landscape: a soulful rock band that looks like it’s stepped out of a postcard from 1970s California, all flares, moustaches and shaggy hair. They’re a classic band for atypical times.

Since Crommelin, keyboardist Louie Swain, keyboardist/guitarist Patrick Hetherington, bassist Noah Hill and drummer Anatole ‘Toto’ Serret formed in 2014, fresh out of school, they’ve struck upon a singular sound, weaving together gossamer disco and exotica, soft rock and Sixties pop with a focus on uplifting grooves. Their seductive style has translated into 100,000 album sales worldwide, over 200 million streams, cross-continental tours, shows with French royalty Phoenix and Air, a US TV debut on Conan O’Brien, a Coachella slot and a debut single that was produced by none other than Daft Punk, who saw them live in Paris and ushered them into their studio.

After two EPs, 2015’s Clockscared and 2017’s Hideout (the band’s penchant for smooshing words together is a result of a broken keyboard when they submitted their first demo), Parcels’ acclaimed self-titled debut album came in 2018 and was called “timeless and devilishly fun'' in a five-star NME review. They followed it in 2020 with an impressive live album, Live Vol.1, recorded at Hansa Studios, the legendary studio where Iggy Pop and David Berlin hung out during their Berlin years.

The band returns for summer 2021 with an ambitious third studio album,
Day/Night, a double record that spans impossibly catchy disco-soul, prog, pastoral folk, Laurel Canyon-era classic songwriting and cinematic strings. Made over the course of 2020, when the world was at a standstill, it’s the sound of a band growing up; five guys who’ve known each other since childhood and are finding their way together, in spite of all the major obstacles the last 18 months have thrown at them, when they were unable to return home to Australia and see their loved ones. Day/Night is huge in scope and sound, and its hopeful messages of perseverance through difficult times are a balm for these uncertain times.

2 LP Boxset. 2 vinyls packaged together in a clear PVC wallet (in order to display each vinyl cover). 2 x : 140 G black vinyl ( 33 rpm)+ 3mm spine printed sleeve + printed inner sleeve + cmyk vinyl label.
Cello. Marketing Front sticker 5 cm x 7 cm , back cover sticker (upc + tracklisting) 5 cm x 7 cm

Described by his peers as a keystone in ambient-electro, Datassette is a bastion of the underground and one of alternative electronic music’s most exceptional and enigmatic talents.

His extensive and diverse discography spans two decades and includes a plethora of albums, EPs and remixes for independent record labels, including: Ai Records, Apollo/ R&S, Wall Of Sound, CPU and Shipwrec. His work and creative output also extends to the design of music libraries for TV and radio; producing sound effects for 8-bit video games; working as a graphic designer and co-running the Misc label.

Datassette has never been shy of creating complex, addictive and emotive music and this magical music formula is replicated on Sentinel, his new EP for Lapsus Records.

As is emblematic in his long-standing career, Datassette demonstrates a healthy non- conformist approach to conventional labels and pigeonholing. By using a combination of powerful vintage hardware and latest generation digital techniques, the British producer continually manages to redefine his sound. This new four track EP sees him fuse dub, electro, braindance, ambient, experimental electronica and even abstract hip hop.

You might know Barnt as one of the people behind the idiosyncratic imprints Magazine and Schalen, through which he released his most of his EPs and the incomparable 2014 debut album, Magazine 13.; or maybe you know the thread of beautiful, unpredictable club hits he’s woven with labels like Cómeme and Hinge Finger.

Despite living in Cologne, and being friends with the label, Barnt has not put out anything on Kompakt yet, apart from an one-off appearance on Pop Ambient 11 over a decade ago. An EP had been in the air for several years, but it took Barnt a bit of time to get into the right state of mind, because he wanted to make sure the music paid tribute to “the ceremonial, emotional, grand sprit” that he connects with Kompakt.

Typical to the producer’s modus operandi, ProMetal Fan Decor Only Product spins out a surprising narrative, catching the listener unawares, while remaining fundamentally Barnt. After the elegiac opener “Fan”, stately in its melancholic, epic flourish, “You Know What’s Gone” stomps into earshot, the pounding thud of the drums pinning clanging patterns to the dancefloor, a Sturm Und Drang symphony, the tones all clashing metals and silvers.

After that, there’s release – the hypnotic psychedelic reels of “This Is For Decor Only” are Barnt gone trance, a sensual glide of a track that pirouettes out an eternity of sizzling hi-hats and strip light melodies. While you might want to be alone when listening to “Fan”, you might have the time of your life dancing to “This Is For Decor Only”, played by your favourite DJ at your favourite festival this Summer.

With ProMetal Fan Decor Only Product, wrapped in a sleeve by artist Lukas Heerich, Barnt and Kompakt finally come together, equal parts refined elegance and sweaty fervour.

Cemetery Sun has been building anticipation through the release of EPs & singles. Their previous single, “Fake Love,” has been streamed over 16 million times, and they have 6 singles with over 2 million streams. “IDNUA” was written as an anthem for letting go. It’s easy to feel trapped or suffocated by trauma or past mistakes, especially when you doubt yourself. Cemetery Sun will be supporting this release with 40 tour dates supporting The Score & Grayscale.

EXTLP ist stark im bombastischen Rave-Sound verwurzelt, aber es gibt viel mehr als nur rasenden Techno und halsbrecherische Breakbeats auf diesem Album. Auf den 15 Tracks reissen Modeselektor durch mutierende Crunk-Verzerrungen, glitchige Dub-Meditationen und Neon-Synthie-Pop. EXTLP wartet mit einem Staraufgebot an Gästen aus der ganzen Welt auf, darunter Dub-Veteran Paul St. Hilaire, die britische Rapperin Flohio, die Avant-Pop-Regelbrecherin Catnapp und der legendäre Einstürzende Neubauten-Frontmann Blixa Bargeld. Nach dem Mixtape "Extended" und den drei darauf folgenden EPs ist EXTLP der letzte Teil der vielleicht produktivsten Phase von Modeselektors gesamter Karriere.

Pink & White Vinyl

After three standout EPs on Atomnation, Japanese producer and live artist Ryunosuke Hayashi a.k.a. boys be kko serves up his long-awaited debut album. Hensa is a serene nine-track electronic trip that oozes musical charm.

He makes his music in a studio with its own roof terrace and counts the likes of &ME and Bonobo as fans while Running Back boss Gerd Janson has remixed him in the past. This new album finds him expand on his always emotive, clean and futuristic fusion of house, disco and melodic techno in alluring new ways.

This is a brain-cleansing, soul-enriching work of melodic electronic perfection from boys be kko.

His partnership with the label has already resulted in a collaboration with Modern Heads, as well as one of the first entries in the Monad series, and now a fascinating new EP that showcases his talent for testing the limits of perception.
Alistair Wells is a producer whose current work is synonymous with a kind of benevolent intensity: he excels at sculpting tonally rich and percussively complex tracks that seem to both enlighten and confront. Under his most well-known alias as Perc, he has established a deep roster on his Perc Trax label to carry out a similar-minded program, and has built up a formidable arsenal of EPs and singles in the wake of enigmatic LPs like 2011's Wicker & Steel. His 'eclectic-yet disciplined' methodology practically guaranteed he would eventually come into the orbit of Stroboscopic Artefacts. His partnership with the label has already resulted in a collaboration with Modern Heads, as well as one of the first entries in the Monad series, and now a fascinating new EP that showcases his talent for testing the limits of perception.

The ominously titled opener "Death of Rebirth" - a title hinting at some form of hellish repetition - starts things off with a sense of dark premonition. Yet, in signature Perc style, that aura of uneasiness beckons listeners to explore further rather than to flee from it: in this context, the reliable 4/4 kick drum throb is the only means of orienting oneself or angling through a glassy and metallic labyrinth where foreign objects conspire to make previously unimagined percussive noises. "Negative Space" is a variation upon this theme of trying to maintain focus within a foreign environment bristling with strange enticements and potential dangers: with the kick pattern from the previous pice still acting as a trusty guide, new sound forms arise at every turn: a novel sort of hybridized piano / gamelan tone, a shuddering assembly line, and snaking delay feedbacks. Like dub music meant to be listened to in a hall of mirrors, "Negative Space" induces a heady feeling of multiplying realities.

The closing "Ma", if translated into Japanese, can mean "space / pause" and thus acts as a nice complement to "Negative Space." However, this massive, side-long audio force field dispenses with the previous tracks' steady pulse, and suggests a rigorous act of ritual contemplation taking place in the midst of phenomenal chaos and challenging blows to the body. "Ma" succeeds in modernizing the industrial-era rhythmic invocations of artists like Z'ev, achieving an almost classical solemnity without sacrificing Perc's usual love for cleverly maniuplated electricity. Altogeher, 'Ma' is an eye-opening, ear-infliltrating statement that will warp your understandings of time and space in a most exquisite way.

Limited Transparent Magenta Vinyl. Enigmatic pop outsider Tony Gallardo makes music that's perpetually perched on the outskirts of Mexico's fertile electronic underground. Since 2008, he has been releasing music that inhabits its own artistic universe, a cross between Frank Zappa, Daniel Johnston, The Knife, OutKast and Rosa Pistola. He co-founded the Cocobass label, pioneered the fusion of L.A. noise and cumbia known as ruidos6n and has released music under a plethora of monikers: dark techno as Boi Patrol, ramshackle electronic pop as Maria y Jose, experimental surf rock as El Capricho and experimental dembow as La Fiebre X. "Selected Works" assembles some of Gallardo's most crucial material from a run of EPs released between 2008 and 2013. These tracks show the breadth of his output, running through sleazy, neon electro ('Bruja', 'Mi Presa'), neck-snapping tropical dance music ('Kibose', 'La Conquista'), and eerie Mexican trap ('Plata 0 Plomo', 'Ultra'). It's introspective, haunted music from one of Mexico's most original and most under-appreciated artists that paints a picture of a psychedelic musical landscape that's hard to resist. One listen to the album's closer 'Club Negro', originally released in 2013, should tell you all you need to know. This track is the perfect introduction to the world of Tony Gallardo, with screwed 'n chopped Spanish vocals, 7 doomy syncopated beatbox rhythms and wobbly houseparty electronics.

Former Orange Juice member David McClymont may have been less
noticeable than some of his former band mates over the years but that
doesn't mean he hasn't been busy - He has self-released a number of
albums and eps from his new home in Melbourne
Some months ago Stephen (The Pastels) and Ian (LNFG) were discussing how
good it would be to pull the music together on vinyl and we are delighted to
announce that David agreed. He has been working closely with Stephen to curate
a double album's worth of music and Past Night From Glasgow will be releasing
this album in early 2022.

Vice Squad are a UK Punk Rock band who’s first single releases included the classic ‘Last Rockers’ 7” in 1981. This was followed by the landmark albums ‘No Cause For Concern’ in the same year and ‘Stand Strong Stand Proud’ in 1982 which were both released on EMI. Since then Vice Squad have delivered short sharp songs with incisive political lyrics and a dash of humour spat out over a thunderous rhythm and machine gun Rock ’n’ Roll guitars. Their latest releases are the EPs 'Born In A War' and 'Ignored To Death V2' taken from the forthcoming album ‘Battle of Britain’ set for release on their own Last Rockers label in May 2020. The band have become 100% DIY since forming Last Rockers Records in 2009. In keeping with the DIY ethic the previous albums were recorded in the band’s own ‘Sci Fidelity’ studio South London and the new album ‘Battle of Britain’ continues this with the band maintaining full artistic control with the benefit of global distribution via Cargo. Their last album ‘ Cardboard Country’ was launched on the back of a very successful Pledge campaign raising funds for the Shelter homeless charity in line with the album title which was inspired by 'Cardboard City', the name given to the settlement of homeless people living in cardboard boxes near London's Waterloo station. Vice Squad is fronted by raucous voiced singer/guitarist Beki Bondage who was famed for being a teenage champion of Animal rights long before the current popularity of veganism. Vice squad’s song ’Humane’ was one of the first ever Animal Rights songs. Beki has been featured on the front cover of a number of influential music tabloids such at Melody Maker, NME, Sounds, Record Mirror and Smash Hits. After a hiatus, Beki formed a new version of Vice Squad in 1997 featuring longstanding members of her post VS outfit The Bombshells and they have released several quality albums of powerful punk songs that have been very well received across the world. Vice Squad are considered one of the most influential punk rock bands of all time, paving the way for other female Punk and Rock singers and influencing male performers such as Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame who was introduced to Vice Squad via his sister’s record collection. The first rule of Punk is there are no rules and Vice Squad ably illustrate this with ‘Battle of Britain’. Written, Recorded and Mixed by Beki Bond and Paul Rooney in their home studio. The 13 track album opens with the blistering ‘Ruination’ which cuts through the bullshit of small time promoters and blaggers with consummate swagger and melody while ‘I Dare To Breathe’ is an amphetamine driven anthem to paranoia. ‘When You Were 17’ is almost-tender and tells of first tattoos and under age booze whilst the more chilling ‘Ignored To Death’ rails against isolation and homelessness. The explosive ‘Born In A War’ rages along like a missile ravaging a third world country and warns ‘See how they treat refugees? That’s how they’ll treat you and me’. Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ reworked with a pulsating industrial bass segues into title track, 'Battle Of Britain' where Beki's vocals soar like a Spitfire over the crunching de-tuned riff and spit fury over the hypocrisy of putting war memorials before people. The dystopian ‘Poverty Face’ hits you with the opening line ‘Disinheriting the meek, slyly killing off the weak’ and is counter balanced by the more upbeat ‘How The Other Half Lives’. ‘No Evil’ is a relentless attack on the normalisation of the suffering and death of billions of animals for the meat industry. Battle of Britain's hard hitting collection of anger and riffage pulls no punches in covering topics from austerity and factory farming to the pernicious influence of the Mainstream Media - ‘Led by lies lambs to the slaughter, tax exiles say who you vote for’. Brexit, fake patriotism and cognitive dissonance all get a good kicking too. The penultimate track, 'You Can’t Fool All Of The People' mixes baritone guitar with violin and Celtic rhythms climaxing in an epic James Bondesque heavy guitar/orchestral blend and breaks every rule in the Punk Police hand book whilst pleading for unity against a rigged political system. ‘Pulling Teeth’ with its ominous riff and hilariously frustrated lyrics ‘Dithering jibbering solid as jam, is it fair I’m both the woman and the man’ closes the album in manic style

Vice Squad are a UK Punk Rock band who’s first single releases included the classic ‘Last Rockers’ 7” in 1981. This was followed by the landmark albums ‘No Cause For Concern’ in the same year and ‘Stand Strong Stand Proud’ in 1982 which were both released on EMI. Since then Vice Squad have delivered short sharp songs with incisive political lyrics and a dash of humour spat out over a thunderous rhythm and machine gun Rock ’n’ Roll guitars. Their latest releases are the EPs 'Born In A War' and 'Ignored To Death V2' taken from the forthcoming album ‘Battle of Britain’ set for release on their own Last Rockers label in May 2020. The band have become 100% DIY since forming Last Rockers Records in 2009. In keeping with the DIY ethic the previous albums were recorded in the band’s own ‘Sci Fidelity’ studio South London and the new album ‘Battle of Britain’ continues this with the band maintaining full artistic control with the benefit of global distribution via Cargo. Their last album ‘ Cardboard Country’ was launched on the back of a very successful Pledge campaign raising funds for the Shelter homeless charity in line with the album title which was inspired by 'Cardboard City', the name given to the settlement of homeless people living in cardboard boxes near London's Waterloo station. Vice Squad is fronted by raucous voiced singer/guitarist Beki Bondage who was famed for being a teenage champion of Animal rights long before the current popularity of veganism. Vice squad’s song ’Humane’ was one of the first ever Animal Rights songs. Beki has been featured on the front cover of a number of influential music tabloids such at Melody Maker, NME, Sounds, Record Mirror and Smash Hits. After a hiatus, Beki formed a new version of Vice Squad in 1997 featuring longstanding members of her post VS outfit The Bombshells and they have released several quality albums of powerful punk songs that have been very well received across the world. Vice Squad are considered one of the most influential punk rock bands of all time, paving the way for other female Punk and Rock singers and influencing male performers such as Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame who was introduced to Vice Squad via his sister’s record collection. The first rule of Punk is there are no rules and Vice Squad ably illustrate this with ‘Battle of Britain’. Written, Recorded and Mixed by Beki Bond and Paul Rooney in their home studio. The 13 track album opens with the blistering ‘Ruination’ which cuts through the bullshit of small time promoters and blaggers with consummate swagger and melody while ‘I Dare To Breathe’ is an amphetamine driven anthem to paranoia. ‘When You Were 17’ is almost-tender and tells of first tattoos and under age booze whilst the more chilling ‘Ignored To Death’ rails against isolation and homelessness. The explosive ‘Born In A War’ rages along like a missile ravaging a third world country and warns ‘See how they treat refugees? That’s how they’ll treat you and me’. Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ reworked with a pulsating industrial bass segues into title track, 'Battle Of Britain' where Beki's vocals soar like a Spitfire over the crunching de-tuned riff and spit fury over the hypocrisy of putting war memorials before people. The dystopian ‘Poverty Face’ hits you with the opening line ‘Disinheriting the meek, slyly killing off the weak’ and is counter balanced by the more upbeat ‘How The Other Half Lives’. ‘No Evil’ is a relentless attack on the normalisation of the suffering and death of billions of animals for the meat industry. Battle of Britain's hard hitting collection of anger and riffage pulls no punches in covering topics from austerity and factory farming to the pernicious influence of the Mainstream Media - ‘Led by lies lambs to the slaughter, tax exiles say who you vote for’. Brexit, fake patriotism and cognitive dissonance all get a good kicking too. The penultimate track, 'You Can’t Fool All Of The People' mixes baritone guitar with violin and Celtic rhythms climaxing in an epic James Bondesque heavy guitar/orchestral blend and breaks every rule in the Punk Police hand book whilst pleading for unity against a rigged political system. ‘Pulling Teeth’ with its ominous riff and hilariously frustrated lyrics ‘Dithering jibbering solid as jam, is it fair I’m both the woman and the man’ closes the album in manic style

The classic debut LP by Dub Narcotic Sound System, originally released on K Records and unavailable on vinyl for 25 years. The oddball indie-funk collective Dub Narcotic Sound System was spearheaded by vocalist Calvin Johnson, the former frontman of the legendary Beat Happening as well as the founder of the famed K Records label. Named in honor of Johnson's own Olympia, WA-based basement studio Dub Narcotic, the project was begun in 1994 with a rapid-fire series of funk-, rap-, and reggae-influenced singles including "Bite," "Fuck Shit Up," "Booty Run," and "Shake-a-Puddin'"; from the outset Johnson was the group's sole constant member, although over the course of subsequent releases, including the EPs Industrial Breakdown, Ridin' Shotgun, and Ship to Shore, the revolving lineup grew to include Olympia scenesters like Lois Maffeo as well as Larry Butler, Todd Ranslow, and Brian Weber, all three members of the hip-hop unit Dead Presidents. The first Dub Narcotic Sound System full-length, Rhythm Record, Vol. One: Echoes From the Scene Control Room, appeared in 1995; later efforts included 1996's Boot Party and 1998's Out of Your Mind. Sideways Soul, a collaboration with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, followed in 1999. Trouser Press wrote that "when not delving deep into the usual sorts of ambient studio trickery, the songs hit a '60s R&B stride, bathing in the stoned soul picnic ambience with uplifting spirit."